There are levels to the Marcin Gortat-Austin Rivers trade

A year after demoting him and just months after extending his contract as coach, the Clippers traded away Doc Rivers’ son Austin on Tuesday to the Wizards for Marcin Gortat. Cold world.

The trade is nearly revenue neutral. It’s more telling about how it affects each team’s depth chart. For the Clippers, it ensures Coach Doc can’t play his own son big minutes over the guards LA just drafted (Jerome Robinson and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) and lands a suitable potential backstop starting center if DeAndre Jordan leaves in free agency. For the Wizards, it adds a sorely needed third guard and removes one of the team’s most vocal internal critics while opening up rotation space for a new starting center.

If the Wizards land a suitable center, this is a beautiful first step. If they don’t, well, Ian Mahinmi — good luck, my friend. If the Clippers lose Jordan, then Gortat, Boban Marjanovic, and Montrezl Harrell can fill up the center minutes. If the Clippers keep Jordan, those other guys are all movable.

Interesting trade! Interesting times.

I love everything about Magic Johnson responding to questions about whether he feels pressure to land a big-name free agent this summer by responding, “I’m Magic Johnson. There’s no pressure on me.”

What a move, to point out how extraordinarily famous, powerful, and beloved you are that you’re not even worried if your primary work goal for, like, the past year plus goes up in smoke. Such a power move. I love it.

The thing is, despite the Lakers seeming to try to reset expectations by indicating they could put off the free agency chase for another year, it still seems like they are — like Magic is — going to pull this off.

Mike Prada on how LeBron James actually limits his options by opting out of his contract.

A comprehensive list of every free agent the Sixers could target this summer.

Kristian Winfield on DeMarcus Cousins’ mighty interesting free agency.

Zach Lowe reports on an official proposal to flip free agency and the draft on the NBA calendar. I have long supported this idea. It appears the current proposal calls for a week between free agency beginning and the draft. That seems right: too much time and you have a lull for no reason, plus trades would become less likely during the draft. Here’s an idea: start free agency at 12:01 a.m. the day of the draft.

Lost in the shuffle with Magic Johnson’s comments about pressure to succeed, he also said he’s going to step down if he doesn’t turn the Lakers around by the end of next summer. What’s it with Lakers’ bosses and self-inflicted ultimatums?

The Seattle Storm’s Sue Bird and soccer star Megan Rapinoe became the first gay couple to be featured in ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue.

DeAndre Jordan might pull the Chris Paul opt-in-to-get-traded dance. We’ll know soon enough.

A Lakers fan rented 40 billboards around LA to recruit Paul George. Performative thirst has a enormous attention-to-effectiveness ratio.

Trust the Video Game Cover.

Rembert Browne on Reggie Bullock’s pride and mourning for his sister. Great piece.

An argument against the NBA Awards Show.

Oklahoma City drafted future MVPs in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Tales from a dynasty that wasn’t.

How James Harden’s MVP shows the Rockets have fully returned to glory.

Be excellent to each other.