Less than three weeks into the NBA season, there are already some potentially precarious situations developing around the league. The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, two expected contenders for the Eastern Conference title, are currently stuck near the bottom of the standings and face questions about their superstars. The New Orleans Pelicans have an injured list almost as long as their active roster. And the halcyon days of the 3-0 start for the Los Angeles Lakers has given way to a 1-4 trip.

But there are plenty of storylines at the other end of the spectrum, from the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ undefeated start and impressive showings from young players such as Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Ryan Dunn, to the Golden State Warriors‘ early and impressive throwback to the “Strength In Numbers” days.

Here’s a look at what league insiders are talking about as we continue to move through the NBA calendar, including early trade buzz in Milwaukee, more Sixers drama and the players behind two surprise teams in Western Conference.

Jump to a section:
Milwaukee making a move soon?
Latest on Embiid, Sixers injuries
A potential draft gem in Phoenix
The aura around the 7-1 Warriors
Another foundation piece in Detroit
Scouts on Wemby’s shooting woes

Amid a slow start, is Milwaukee eyeing a trade?

Windhorst: The speculation is true. The Bucks are indeed starting to canvas the league for a trade, league executives told ESPN. But no, not that trade. The concept of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo reaching the trade market is ripe for rumors and trade machine computations, but it’s not a reality as of now for Antetokounmpo or the Bucks, sources said. Teams have let the Bucks know in recent months they would make an offer for the Greek Freak if that day ever comes. But those are incoming calls, not outgoing and it’s likely to remain that way.

Milwaukee is making trade calls looking for some help for Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, as Khris Middleton‘s absence from offseason ankle surgeries extends and the team manages a 2-6 start. But the Bucks are going to have a tough time finding anything substantial. Because Milwaukee is in the second apron of the luxury tax, it is prohibited from aggregating salaries to make a deal and from taking back more money than it sends out.

“The second apron coming in now really hamstrings them,” a rival general manager told ESPN. “They’re doing due diligence trying to find options, but of course they know it.”

Bontemps: This challenge faces not just Milwaukee, but any team trying to make deals in the new collective bargaining agreement. With hard caps now implemented at both the first and second luxury tax aprons (depending on what teams do transaction-wise), getting deals done — especially in season — has become much more difficult.

Some teams, like Milwaukee, are above the second apron, and thus have lots of restrictions. Others are below the aprons, but either don’t want to exceed them, or have already made moves that don’t allow them to. That forced the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks to jump through hoops to pull off the Karl-Anthony Towns deal, and it chilled the market on possible deals for players such as Brandon Ingram, among others, this summer.

Windhorst: For a league that loves drama and fans who crave transactions, it’s tempting to jump to conclusions with Antetokounmpo. In this case, though, it should be understood the Bucks are heavily incentivized to try everything to make this roster work with Antetokounmpo and exhaust all avenues before considering anything else.

The Bucks don’t control their next six first-round picks — they’ve traded three firsts and three swaps. This effectively blunts the concept of a short-term rebuild through the draft in Milwaukee. Over the next three drafts, the Pelicans have control of the Bucks’ first-round pick if it ends up in the top four. If the 2025 pick is from No. 5 to No. 30, it goes to the Brooklyn Nets. The Pelicans also have an unprotected 2026 swap and Milwaukee’s unprotected 2027 first-rounder, though that pick also could go to Atlanta if it lands outside the top four.

“The East doesn’t look that formidable right now. If I were them I would play the long game and believe in Giannis and Dame,” an East executive told ESPN. “The problem is I don’t think they’re beating Boston even if they hit their stride.”

Bontemps: “The East doesn’t look that formidable right now,” is an understatement. Philadelphia is off to a worse start than Milwaukee, albeit with Joel Embiid and Paul George sitting out lots of time because of injuries. Paolo Banchero is now out several weeks for Orlando. The Knicks have gotten off to a slow start with their new-look roster. Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers have stumbled out of the gates. So have the Miami Heat.

For the Bucks, there is legitimacy to the idea of being patient. Opposing scouts and executives told ESPN they don’t see a move available to the Bucks that will appreciably move the needle.

What is the latest with Embiid and the 76ers?

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Shams reports on Joel Embiid’s altercation with columnist

Shams Charania joins “SportsCenter” to report on Joel Embiid’s altercation with a columnist in the 76ers locker room.

Bontemps: The 76ers are 1-6 after losing to the Clippers in George’s return to Los Angeles on Wednesday at Intuit Dome. The story of the past week, though, has been the ongoing saga surrounding Embiid — up to and including his three-game suspension for shoving Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes during a locker room argument Saturday.

The subject has been the league’s hottest topic over the past few days, coupled with the attention already being paid to Embiid and the 76ers after the franchise was fined $100,000 last week for public comments made about his injury.

But while there was near universal understanding for Embiid’s frustrations with Hayes over a column that referenced Embiid’s dead brother and Embiid’s young son, there was also no one who was surprised Embiid was hit with a suspension, with the clear and understandable desire by the league to set a precedent.

Windhorst: Nurse found a silver lining earlier this week in the wake of Embiid’s suspension: “At least we know when he’s going to play now,” Nurse said. That will be Tuesday at home against the New York Knicks in the first game of the NBA Cup. Nurse’s comment was a subtle nod to the lack of clarity the Sixers have had when it comes to the availability of Embiid and George this season. And, by the way, the Sixers are playing in a back-to-back after the Knicks’ game Wednesday in Cleveland, a situation in which Embiid has said he probably would rest this season.

“The Sixers got Paul George and have become the Clippers East for now,” a West executive told ESPN. “They’re going to have to hang on during the regular season and just hope to get into the playoffs with their top two guys healthy and try for lightning in a bottle. It was always like that with PG and Kawhi [Leonard].”

Bontemps: Hanging on isn’t going to get easier now that Tyrese Maxey is out for at least two weeks because of a hamstring injury. Maxey is averaging 27.6 points but on just 40.6% shooting from the field and 28.6% from 3-point range. Neither mark is anywhere near what Philadelphia was hoping for from its young star guard. Around the Sixers, there is no doubt Maxey will be more than fine, and that he was simply pressing a bit with Embiid and George sidelined.

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Shams: Tyrese Maxey to miss a couple of weeks with hamstring injury

Shams Charania announces that 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey is set to miss a couple of weeks after suffering a hamstring injury.

Windhorst: It sounds bad for Philly, but look at the standings. In the East, only Boston and Cleveland have winning records, allowing for teams currently in the conference’s basement to not stress too much about their starts. “In the East, .500 gets you third place. In the West, you’re in 10th already,” a West GM told ESPN.

Bontemps: That’s backed up by the numbers. ESPN’s Basketball Power Index (BPI) is still projecting the 76ers to finish third in the East — with a win total that would have them finishing … 10th in the West.

The unsung hero of Phoenix’s scorching start

Windhorst: When Suns scouts and executives evaluated Ryan Dunn last season at the University of Virginia, they fell in love with his competitiveness no matter who he was guarding, regardless of size and speed mismatches. Coach Mike Budenholzer felt the same. Phoenix had studied all of the young players coached by Budenholzer when he was an assistant in San Antonio and a head coach in Atlanta and Milwaukee. Time and again they found developmental players improved their shooting. That Dunn shot 23% on 3-pointers in college and a rather worrisome 56% at the line didn’t deter the Suns as much as other teams because they loved his defensive mindset and 6-8 frame.

Bontemps: This is what teams have been attempting going back to at least when San Antonio developed Danny Green into a 3-and-D gem in the early 2010s. If you can develop a player like that, it can become a massive difference-maker over time — and why fans can quickly rattle off names such as Green, Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale. The difference is all of those guys were undrafted players. If you can turn a pick in the 20s into that kind of player — Dunn was 28th — that is a home run and exactly the value teams hope to get from a late first-rounder.

Windhorst: The way the Suns saw it, if they could get Dunn to make 3 of 10 corner 3s, they’d have a good pick at No. 28. And if the coaches could get him to 4-of-10 with time, they’d have an elite 3-and-D wing. It’s still very early, but Dunn is hitting at 39%. He has turned into one of the early surprise rookies for the 7-1 Suns after he raised eyebrows in pickup games over the summer, having made 13 3-pointers in his first eight NBA games — he made a total of 12 3s in his two seasons at Virginia — and proving to be a valuable big wing defender. Dunn did have a minor setback Wednesday, spraining his ankle in a win over the Heat.

Bontemps: Multiple scouts this week told ESPN they believe Dunn could be a credible threat from beyond the arc, an ideal fit on a roster bereft of plus wing defenders apart from O’Neale. Phoenix did a nice job deepening its roster, drafting Dunn and Oso Ighodaro, and adding Tyus Jones, Monte Morris and Mason Plumlee in free agency. All have played a part in Phoenix’s start, which has weathered Bradley Beal sitting out because of an elbow injury.

Why “Strength In Numbers” is back in The Bay

Bontemps: The Warriors were both euphoric and realistic Wednesday night. Inside the team’s locker room, there were plenty of smiles and laughs after the Warriors handed the defending champion Celtics their first home loss. It sent Golden State into a three-way tie with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Suns for the best record in the West.

But there was also a realism within the team that it hasn’t accomplished much of anything yet — and that the way the Warriors are currently playing, with at least 11 players — and sometimes as many as 13 — a night getting minutes probably isn’t something that can sustain into the playoffs.

“As the season goes on,” Stephen Curry admitted, “rotations get smaller.”

Privately, the Warriors admit they know they can’t play this way forever. But what’s proving true is that this strategy can help through the grind of the 82-game regular season and set up Golden State to be a factor in the West.

Windhorst: For all the focus on how Kerr used his rotations in the Olympics, he actually has brought some of it to the Warriors. With Team USA, Kerr used a strategy that has been a key for American teams since Mike Krzyzewski was in charge: play with huge defensive energy and then mass sub to use the great depth against the world.

Kerr played seven players between 13 and 20 minutes in Boston. No one on the roster averages more than 28 minutes so far, but all 13 he plays get at least 12 a game. As a result they can and do play with a defensive energy that is out of the ordinary in the NBA, especially on the perimeter. And teams, including the almighty Celtics, are starting to routinely be unnerved by it.

Bontemps: What shines through from being around this team is that everyone is thoroughly enjoying where it sits. Kerr, who crafted the “Strength In Numbers” mantra that defined his first title team in 2014-15, was beaming at the way his group defended the Celtics. Curry, on multiple occasions, talked about how much fun he’s having playing this way. For all of Klay Thompson‘s immeasurable contributions to the franchise, it seems the divorce at the end of last season was the fresh start both sides needed. The players brought in to replace him, Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson, have played large roles in Golden State’s start.

Ivey is helping create some early Pistons buzz

Windhorst: Last season, the Pistons won their third game on Dec. 30 after a 28-game losing streak that spanned 63 days. This season, victory No. 3 — Monday against the Lakers — came on Nov. 4. (Detroit barely missed a fourth win Wednesday, losing at the buzzer in Charlotte.) A symbol of the Pistons’ seedlings of a turnaround is the play of guard Jaden Ivey, the No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft. A year ago, Ivey fell out of favor with then coach Monty Williams, who pulled him out of the starting lineup and reduced his minutes after what had been a reasonably promising rookie season. Eventually, Ivey worked his way back in with the starters, but his growth potential took a hit in Year 2 as his points, rebounds and assists per game and 3-point shooting backslid.

Bontemps: Early last season, there were questions around the league as to whether Detroit would move on from Ivey, particularly given that Williams was in the first year of a six-year contract. Instead, it has been clear since the start of the regular season he was going to get a different look this season under new Pistons leadership.

Windhorst: When the Pistons’ front office — new team president Trajan Langdon and a new coaching staff led by J.B. Bickerstaff — arrived for work in the spring, they weren’t sure where Ivey would be mentally after the up-and-down season. They found a player who matched his draft profile when he starred at Purdue, which was high character, high work ethic and very coachable, team officials said. Then Langdon tried to get him and backcourt mate Cade Cunningham some help by acquiring veterans Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley, who stretch the floor and create space for ball handlers. The Pistons aren’t shooting it well, at least not yet, but they’re attempting five more 3-pointers per game than last season.

And Ivey has rediscovered his momentum. His scoring and shooting have surged, especially in fourth quarters. Ivey put in 11 points in the stretch run to help seal the Pistons’ win against the Lakers and six in the final quarter against Charlotte, including a driving dunk with 20 seconds left that helped almost complete the comeback.

What is behind the rough start (offensively) for Victor Wembanyama?

Bontemps: Through eight games, Wembanyama is 14-for-62 (22.6%) from 3-point range this season after going 2-for-6 in 32 minutes in Thursday’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers, and is shooting 41% from the field. At least one scout told ESPN Wembanyama has looked tired early this season, after the combination of 71 NBA games last year, followed by the Paris Olympics, where the hosts nearly knocked off the Americans in the gold medal game in August.

Windhorst: Wembanyama decided to skip the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which greatly disappointed French fans and contributed to them not advancing to the medal round. He and his advisors were already looking ahead to how demanding the following 24 months were going to be in the NBA. Wembanyama didn’t take much time off after the Paris games, either, rather quickly choosing to go to San Antonio to start workouts with teammates.

Bontemps: Even with these shooting struggles, Wembanyama is still putting up impressive numbers for a second-year player: 17.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and a league-leading 3.7 blocks per game. He already has multiple 5×5 games. But while he’s already one of the best defensive players in the league, his shooting could determine just how high his ceiling becomes.

“He’s absolutely awesome on defense, and not impactful at all on offense,” an opposing scout, who firmly believes in Wembanyama’s long-term potential, told ESPN. “He just looks like he’s playing without a whole lot of direction.”

Windhorst: The Spurs are clearly endorsing Wembanyama taking so many 3-pointers, and it’s because their highest volume outside shooter, Devin Vassell, has yet to play as he recovers from offseason foot surgery. Keldon Johnson, who was third on the Spurs in 3s last year, is taking fewer this season and the team let 3-point specialist Doug McDermott leave in free agency. After being 11th in 3-pointers per game last year, the Spurs have slipped to 19th this season, even with Wembanyama hoisting them.

“There’s a reason he’s shooting so many,” another scout told ESPN, “but it still feels like he’s giving the opposition a break every time he does it right now.”