LeBron James , Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard stand atop The Bounce’s ranking of the NBA’s top 40 wins, according to The Athletic’s Zach Harper , who classifies those three stars as all-time legends who are still elite. Harper’s second tier, comprised of All-NBA level performers, includes Jimmy Butler , Jaylen Brown , Paul George and Jalen Williams .
We have more from the basketball world:
- Which NBA teams will exceed their predicted win total? Which will fall below expectations? ESPN’s Tim Bontemps makes his selections on five teams for each side of the ledger, with the Thunder and Clippers among the clubs on the plus side and the Pistons and Mavericks that won’t reach their projected records.
- Former NBA player and coach Kim Hughes has died, according to an Instagram post from former NBA center Meyers Leonard. Hughes, 73, played in the ABA and NBA from 1975-81. Following his playing career, Hughes worked as a scout and assistant coach, most recently with the Trail Blazers through the 2014/15 season. He also had a 33-game stint as the Clippers‘ head coach during the 2009/10 season.
- The Noblesville Boom, the Pacers‘ NBA G League affiliate, recently acquired the returning player rights to forward Jalen Slawson from the Birmingham Squadron, the Pelicans‘ G League affiliate, in exchange for returning player rights to center Garrison Brooks , according to a team press release . Slawson played for the Osceola Magic last season, averaging 11.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Brooks has played in Lithuania the past two seasons.