The Los Angeles Clippers continue to struggle after a 5-16 start that has been filled with off-court distractions.

The latest situation involving the team happened early Wednesday morning while the team was in Atlanta and Chris Paul shared on Instagram that he’s been “sent home.”

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue shared his thoughts on Paul’s departure ahead of Wednesday’s road game against the Atlanta Hawks.

“It just didn’t work out like we thought it would,” Lue said. “I don’t like it for CP, but it wasn’t a good fit. We understood that.”

The Clippers have lost eight of the last nine games, including five straight entering Wednesday.

“I don’t think we are 5-16 because of CP’s play,” Lue said. “I just don’t think it was a good fit for what he was looking for. It is what it is.”

Paul and Lue were said not to be on speaking terms for several weeks, according to ESPN.

The veteran guard was coming off the bench for L.A., playing just 16 of the first 21 games and averaging just 2.9 points and 3.3 assists per game in 14.3 minutes.

“Do I want CP to go out like this? No. I have a lot of respect for him and he’s been a friend of mine over the years,” Paul said. “You don’t want to see a great go out like this, but I’m sure he will find something because he’s a great player.”

Paul spent six seasons with the franchise from 2011-2017, reaching the All-Star game in each of those seasons.

He is the Clippers’ all-leader in total assists (4,076) and steals (2.1) per game.

AI-assisted summary
• Shilo Sanders’ attorney has asked a court to dismiss a complaint from his bankruptcy trustee.
• The trustee alleges Sanders made unauthorized transfers of about $250,000 from his NIL earnings.
• The bankruptcy case stems from an $11.89 million court judgment against Sanders from 2022.

An attorney for Shilo Sanders has fired back at the trustee who is handling Sanders’ bankruptcy case and has asked the bankruptcy court to dismiss the trustee’s complaint against Sanders more than two years after the former Colorado football player filed a Chapter 7 petition with more than $11 million in debt.

In October, the trustee had filed a complaint against Sanders, son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, claiming Shilo Sanders violated bankruptcy law by making unauthorized transfers of approximately $250,000.

Sanders’ attorney, Keri Riley, recently responded to this in a court filing by essentially saying the trustee got it all wrong. The issue relates to Shilo Sanders’ earnings from his name, image and likeness (NIL) through two companies he created called Big 21 LLC and Headache Gang LLC:

Was some of that money the property of the bankruptcy estate, which is managed by the trustee? Or was it property of Shilo and his companies?

A judge will have to decide whether the trustee, David Wadsworth, has sufficiently pleaded his case in his attempt to recover money from Sanders, 25. But it’s only one part of the larger bankruptcy case involving Sanders, which remains pending.

What is latest in Shilo Sanders bankruptcy case?

Sanders filed for bankruptcy in October 2023 in an effort to get out of more than $11 million in debt, almost all of it stemming from a court judgment against in 2022. But one of the prices of trying to get out of debt in bankruptcy court is that a trustee is put in charge of rounding up the debtor’s non-exempt assets for the bankruptcy estate, to be sold and divided among the creditors. This generally includes assets a debtor earned before filing for bankruptcy, not after.

Sanders’ attorney says these earnings came after he filed his petition for bankruptcy and the companies are distinct from the bankruptcy estate. She argued the earnings were not subject to collection by the trustee “under any theory” and the trustee took no action to manage the Big 21 company.

“All of the funds paid into, and subsequently out of Big 21 post-petition were post-petition earnings of the Debtor,” Shilo Sanders’ attorney said in the recent court filing obtained by USA TODAY Sports. “The Trustee acknowledges in the Complaint that the Debtor was earning money from NIL Deals both pre- and post-petition. As evidenced by the allegations in the Complaint, the NIL Deals were and are the Debtor’s primary source of income…. While the estate is entitled to ‘proceeds’ or ‘profits’ from the assets of the estate, the (law) expressly excludes ‘earnings from services performed by an individual debtor after the commencement of the case.’”

What does it mean for Shilo Sanders’ bankruptcy case?

If the judge grants the motion to dismiss the trustee’s complaint, he doesn’t have to give back the money in question. If the judge doesn’t grant it, the trustee’s complaint can proceed to trial on that issue.

A law professor at Texas, Angela Littwin, described the trustee’s complaint against Sanders as a “big deal” but also questioned why the trustee didn’t file his complaint until now.

“Any revenue related to Sanders’ work that is entirely post-petition belongs to his fresh start,” Littwin told USA TODAY Sports. On the other hand, if Sanders made improper transfers, it’s a problem.

“Bankruptcy provides debtors with significant relief,” Littwin said. “Debtors need to earn this relief by being 100% above board.”

It’s only one part of the Shilo Sanders proceedings

Besides the trustee’s complaint against Sanders, two other complaints remain pending against Sanders in bankruptcy court. The larger bankruptcy matter of rounding up and dividing his assets for creditors also remains pending.

Separately, a law firm has sued Sanders alleging he owes it more than $164,000 in unpaid bills related to the bankruptcy case and the lawsuit that led to it.

Almost all of Sanders’ debt is owed to one man — John Darjean, a former security guard from Sanders’ school in Dallas. Darjean sued Sanders in 2016, alleging he caused him permanent and severe injuries when tried to confiscate his phone in 2015, when Sanders was 15. Sanders claimed self-defense in court proceedings but didn’t show up for the trial in Texas in 2022, leading to a default judgment against him of $11.89 million.

After Darjean moved to collect on that debt, Sanders filed for bankruptcy to try to get out of it. Darjean is seeking to get paid the full judgment and filed the other two complaints against Sanders that argue that Sanders shouldn’t be allowed to discharge the debt owed to him.

Shilo Sanders is the middle son of Deion Sanders. He was waived by the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers before the season and is not currently playing football. His younger brother Shedeur Sanders is quarterback of the Cleveland Browns.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

Darius Slay didn’t need to wait long to learn his landing spot.

One day after the Pittsburgh Steelers placed the six-time Pro Bowl cornerback on waivers, Slay was claimed by the Buffalo Bills.

Slay, 34, was a healthy scratch for the Steelers’ loss to the Bills on Sunday, with coach Mike Tomlin indicating the team had wanted to see what cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. could do after the team signed him in mid-November.

He started nine games for Pittsburgh this season but saw his role reduced in the two losses previous to him being made inactive.

In Buffalo, he joins a secondary allowing a league-low 163.2 passing yards per game as well as a 59.5% completion rate. Slay will provide depth behind starting outside corners Christian Benford and Tre’Davious White for a potential playoff run.

• The WNBA’s latest offer includes a max salary of $1 million. The average salary would be $500,000 with a minimum of $225,000.
• The league is reportedly offering a revenue sharing component which is not tied to the proposed $5 million salary cap.
• A combine for players entering the WNBA draft and shorter rookie deals are also reportedly on the table.

With all the back and forth in the ongoing negotiations between the WNBA and WNBPA, it can be hard to keep up on all the changes.

Both sides agreed to a six-week extension to hammer out their differences on November 30. They now have until Jan. 9 to reach a new deal for the 2026 season and beyond while avoiding (for now) the possibility of a lockout or strike.Within days of the WNBA and WNBPA agreeing to extend the current CBA, the league reportedly offered a new proposal, which included an updated max player salary. The league’s latest offer is a maximum guaranteed base salary of $1 million, with projected revenue sharing raising max players’ total earnings to $1.2 million. However, the WNBPA reportedly plans to reject the WNBA’s latest offer over concerns with the league’s ‘math.’

As negotiations continue, here are some answer to questions surrounding the process, including new reporting from The Athletic that addresses multiple topics discussed by the WNBA and WNBPA.

What is the WNBA offering in terms of salary cap and player salaries?

The league’s latest proposal would reportedly raise the salary cap to $5 million a season per team, with increasing the cap over the length of the CBA that will be tied to revenue growth. The minimum player salary would rise to more than $225,000 and the average salary to $500,000. As previously mentioned, the max player salary would be worth more than $1.2 million. Under the current CBA, the salary cap is $1.5 million a season per team. Additionally, the minimum player salary is around $66,000, with the maximum salary worth just north of $249,000.

What have the WNBA and WNBPA said about revenue sharing?

Revenue sharing has become the most debated topic between the two sides and a serious point of contention for the players’ association. Many specifics surrounding revenue sharing have been vague.

In the WNBA’s latest salary proposal, The Athletic reported Wednesday, players would receive less than 15% of league revenue. The WNBA’s revenue projection, according to the report, has that percentage decreasing over the life of the CBA. (Under the current CBA, WNBA players receive 9.3% of league revenue.)

The latest proposal does include a portion of revenue being shared 50-50. But what is being shared and how it works is unclear. The revenue-sharing component would not need to fit under the salary cap, which may explain how the league can propose a $5 million cap with an average salary of $500,000.

How would the WNBA’s latest offer affect rookies?

Among the many points of emphasis in the CBA, the impact on rookies has become increasingly important. In recent rounds of the negotiations, the league reportedly introduced a draft combine. In essence, to be draft eligible, invited players would be required to participate in the combine. The base rookie contract of any players invited who opts not to participate would be reduced by 50%.

Current rookie-scale contracts have also been discussed. The players’ association expressed a desire to reduce the length of rookie deals from four years to three, allowing players to reach free agency earlier and at a younger age.

Will the WNBA season be longer or shorter under the latest proposal?

Under the current CBA, training camp is allowed to start as early as April 1, but no more than 30 days before the season starts. In recent seasons, including 2025, training camps have opened in late April, with the season beginning in mid-May. (The 2025 WNBA season started on May 16, with training camp opening April 28.)

The WNBA has reportedly proposed increasing the length of the season, which would include an earlier start date with camps opening as early as March. If the date is moved up, it would directly interfere with the end of the women’s college basketball season, the WNBA draft and other leagues like Unrivaled and Project B.

An earlier start date could also affect the the league’s expansion teams, the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire. Neither team can hold an expansion draft, explore free agency or otherwise build its roster until a CBA is ratified. If that doesn’t happen until January (in accordance with the latest six-week extension timeline), teams would have roughly two months to build a team before a suggested March start.

Additionally, with WNBA expanding to 15 teams this season and 18 teams by 2030, adding franchises in Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029), and Philadelphia (2030), the season is bound to get longer. When the league began in 1997, it played a 28-game season. It has steadily increased the number as it has grown, going from 40 games in 2024 to 44 when it added the Golden State Valkyries in 2025.

What other points are the WNBA and players’ union debating?

Here are other key items the two sides are reportedly continuing to work through:

• Team-provided housing: Front Office Sports reported the league’s latest offer no longer includes team housing or housing stipends.
• Parental leave: The WNBA’s most recent proposal would give non-birthing parents one week of paid parental leave.
• Facility standards: The players’ association has proposed team facility requirements including private practice spaces, locker rooms and training rooms.
• Retirement benefits: The discussion has included players receiving a one-time retirement payment with a required number of years of service. The players’ union is also seeking medical benefits for uninsured retired players.
• Core designation: The WNBPA proposed eliminating the core designation. Much like the franchise tag in the NFL, it ties a player to team instead of letting them become a free agent.

The NBA season is well underway and the Milwaukee Bucks are limping into the middle of the season. Sure, star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has been sidelined with a groin injury, but if the rumor mill is to be believed, the team could be without him again rather soon.

Sitting at 9-13, Bucks could be forced to face an unfortunate reality this season: the Greek Freak might leave town. On Tuesday, Dec. 2, Antetokounmpo scrubbed his social media profiles clean of almost all references to the Bucks. While ESPN’s Shams Charania has reported that Antetokounmpo and his agent are in talks with the Bucks regarding his future with the club, that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating where Antetokounmpo could land in a potential trade. After all, Charania also reported that they believe the Antetokounmpo situation will resolve itself within the next few weeks.

Here are the latest rumors regarding Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee:

What do we know about the Antetokounmpo situation?

We know that Antetokounmpo was unhappy with the Bucks’ organization. He deleted all mentions of the Bucks from his social media pages on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

Futhermore, a recent interview with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst revealed that Antetokounmpo had asked to be traded to the New York Knicks during the most recent offseason.

However, Windhorst also assured listeners that Giannis was not moved and that the team has no plans to move him.

Antetokounmpo is signed with Milwaukee through the 2027-28 season, but Windhorst seems confident that Antetokounmpo could be moved before the start of next season.

Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday that Antetokounmpo has not requested a trade.

‘There have been no conversations,’ Rivers said. ‘I want to make it clear for, I would say one more time, but for the 50th time it clearly is not getting to one network … Giannis has never asked to be traded. Ever. I can’t make that more clear.’

Possible destinations for Antetokounmpo

The New York Knicks are the obvious destination. Windhorst mentioned that Antetokounmpo had asked to be traded there during the offseason.

• Brooklyn Nets: lots of draft capital to trade
• San Antonio Spurs: win-now mode
• Houston Rockets: young talent to trade
• Atlanta Hawks: young talent to trade
• Los Angeles Lakers: win-now mode

Latest Antetokounmpo trade rumors

Outside of his interest in the Knicks, very little is known about Antetokounmpo’s potential suitors, but it is likely every team will at least touch base with the Bucks regarding the future Hall of Famer.

Other outlets have pointed at the Houston Rockets as a team that could provide the best possible NBA-ready talent, with players such as Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, and/or Jabari Smith Jr. (although his poison pill contract would make that difficult). Although the Rockets went out of their way to build a team centered around offseason acquisition Kevin Durant, a pairing with Antetokounmpo would obviously be a massive addition for a team looking to compete with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Still, reports have yet to emerge detailing Houston’s potential interest in The Greek Freak.

That said, the decision might ultimately come down to Antetokounmpo himself. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Bucks might not make Antetokounmpo available to the entire league, instead opting to let Antetokounmpo pick a team with whom the organization will eventually work out a deal with. If that is the case, it might be only a matter of time before we see Antetokounmpo in Knickerbocker orange.

When is the NBA trade deadline?

This season’s trade deadline is set for Thursday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. ET.