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Al Horford agreed to a two-year, $20 million extension with the Boston Celtics on Thursday, and before Friday's matchup against the Miami Heat, the veteran big man told reporters he had no interest in departing the franchise for a second time.

Horford said, via ESPN's Tim Bontemps:

"For me, I really did want to be a part of what we have going here. I felt like me coming back here last year, I felt the strides the group started to make and we've continued to make strides in the right direction.

"I feel like there's a real purpose of trying to win and the group that we have is just a really good group. So, I'm happy and we know we have a lot of work ahead. But this type of stability, it's hard to find."

Horford added:

"One of the things is, more than anything, you want to be in a place where you have a chance to contend, to win. A place that's, for me, more than basketball. Boston, I feel a real connection here with the people and with what the Celtics are all about, and it's something that just really excited me. And the fact that I get that opportunity and Brad believing in me and bringing me here, it's something that's special, and I'm really grateful for the opportunity."

Horford played for the Celtics from 2016-2019 before agreeing to a four-year, $109 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.

Following a disappointing season with the Sixers, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he spent the 2020-21 campaign and missed out on the playoffs for the first time in his career.

In his first stint with the Celtics, Horford averaged 13.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.2 blocks in 208 games across three seasons. He shot 49.8 percent from the floor and 38.2 percent from deep.

The Celtics made the Eastern Conference Finals in two of Horford's first three seasons. In his lone season with the 76ers, Philly was swept in the first round of the playoffs by Boston, which went on to the conference finals for the third time in four seasons.

The Celtics brought Horford back before the 2021-22 campaign in a deal that sent veteran point guard Kemba Walker to the Thunder. The move was Brad Stevens' first as Boston's president of basketball operations, a role he was promoted to following Danny Ainge's departure.

The trade proved to be exceptional as Horford thrived in his first season back in Boston, averaging 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 blocks in 69 games while shooting 46.7 percent from the floor and 33.6 percent from deep.

The 36-year-old was even better in the playoffs, averaging 12 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 blocks in 23 games while shooting 52.3 percent from the floor and 48 percent from deep. The Celtics went on to reach the NBA Finals, where they fell to the Golden State Warriors in six games.

Horford is in the midst of another impressive season with the C's, averaging 10.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 18 games while shooting 55.5 percent from the floor and 48.8 percent from deep.

The five-time All-Star has been an anchor for Boston at the five with Robert Williams III recovering from left knee surgery, and he'll undoubtedly be a significant factor for the Celtics in the postseason, provided they get there.

The Celtics are first in the Eastern Conference with an 18-4 record entering Friday's game against the Heat. They haven't lost a game since Nov. 21 against the Chicago Bulls.

Draymond Green can become a free agent after this season, but he doesn't sound eager to leave the Golden State Warriors.

In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Green said being able to spend his entire career with one organization would "absolutely" appeal to him:

"It’s incredible when you look at the amount of guys who’ve played for only one team. You can look around the NBA right now. There are five guys that’s been on a team for 11 years-plus. We have three of them [along with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson]. It’s a very rare thing. There’s 470, 480 players in the NBA? There are five guys that’s been with his team for 11 years plus. That’s amazing. So, you don’t just give that away."

Green also addressed a previous rumor that he had interest in being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

"I never said that," he explained. "People can say what they want. I’m also not really one to react much to what one may say. I react to things when I want to react to it. I don’t react to things just because somebody said it."

The Lakers rumor was started by Stephen A. Smith during an episode of First Take in the wake of the altercation involving Green and Jordan Poole at a Warriors' practice in October.

"Draymond Green is expecting this to be his last year in Golden State," Smith said on Oct. 10. "Now, he wanna be a Laker. He ain't gonna tell anybody that, but don't think I don't know. He'd prefer to be a Laker if he gotta leave Golden State."

Green has a $27.6 million player option for 2023-24, but told Spears he's "not at all" concerned about his contract because he trusts his agent, Rich Paul.

There has been a lot of speculation about Green's future in Golden State, even before the incident with Poole took place.

The Warriors' cap situation has already forced the front office to make some notable roster decisions. They opted not to re-sign Gary Payton II, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica after winning the NBA title last season.

Poole and Andrew Wiggins both signed extensions that could keep them with the team through the 2026-27 season.

Golden State is also trying to simultaneously compete for a title and develop young players for its future.

The latter plan hasn't worked out thus far, with James Wiseman being sent to the G League to work on his game. Jonathan Kuminga is still trying to translate his athletic potential into game performance. Moses Moody is averaging 4.9 points per game and shooting under 40 percent from the field.

Even Poole has been unable to pick up where he left off last season. The 23-year-old is shooting 41.5 percent overall (30.5 percent from three) and has a 116 defensive rating through 22 games, per Basketball-Reference.com.

The main starting five of Green, Wiggins, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney has a plus-22.9 net rating in 18 games together.

Despite the success of that group, the Warriors enter Friday with an 11-11 record and the 15th-best net rating overall (plus-0.3).

Green is shooting a career-high 60.2 percent from the field, while also leading the team with 7.1 assists per game in 20 starts.

It's no secret the Los Angeles Lakers have been in the trade market amid a disappointing start to the 2022-23 season. However, potential moves might not happen until later this month.

The Purple and Gold are weighing three different trade options for after Dec. 15, according to The Athletic's Jovan Buha. Those three options include trading Russell Westbrook and attaching draft picks to him in order to acquire a star or multiple players; packaging Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn with picks to bolster the roster; or a combination of the two deals.

Team sources told Buha that the Lakers are "leaning toward" the second or third option, which "would entail making a smaller move to marginally upgrade the roster while retaining the possibility of following up with a larger Westbrook deal later in the season."

While the Purple and Gold have won six of their last eight games, they still sit 13th in the Western Conference at 8-12.

Further, the team's roster isn't built to sustain success if some combination of LeBron James or Anthony Davis goes down with injury.

We saw those struggles last season, with James playing 56 games and Davis appearing in just 40 games. The Lakers finished 11th in the Western Conference with a 33-49 record.

While the Lakers missed the postseason, they weren't able to make significant upgrades entering this season because of the hefty salaries of James ($44.5 million), Davis ($38 million) and Westbrook ($47.1 million). Instead, general manager Rob Pelinka had to fill out his roster with average talent, including Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones, Lonnie Walker IV, Dennis Schröder and Thomas Bryant.

Still, the Lakers are continuing to evaluate their roster, and the team's upcoming six-game Eastern Conference road trip could be "a potential swing factor in how aggressively the front office dangles their first-round picks on the trade market," Buha wrote.

L.A. will face some tough opponents coming up, including the 15-5 Milwaukee Bucks, 14-8 Cleveland Cavaliers, 12-10 Philadelphia 76ers and the 18-4 Boston Celtics, though that game is set for Dec. 13 at Crypto.com Arena.

Westbrook has been mentioned as a trade candidate since last season. However, the veteran's performance last season coupled with his $47 million salary have made him a tough player to move.

To deal Westbrook, the Lakers almost surely will need to attach at least one of their 2027 or 2029 first-round draft picks, though it doesn't seem like they'll do that unless the return is significant enough.

Ime Udoka's fiancée, actress Nia Long, is speaking out about his suspension from the Boston Celtics in September and how it has impacted their family since the news was made public just a few months ago.

In a recent interview with Brande Victorian of The Hollywood Reporter, Long slammed the Celtics organization for not reaching out to her following the news that Udoka had been suspended for "multiple violations of team policies."

Long told Victorian:

“I think the most heartbreaking thing about all of this was seeing my son’s face when the Boston Celtics organization decided to make a very private situation public. It was devastating, and it still is. He still has moments where it’s not easy for him. If you’re in the business of protecting women — I’m sorry, no one from the Celtics organization has even called to see if I’m OK, to see if my children are OK. It’s very disappointing.”

The Celtics announced on Sept. 22 that Udoka had been suspended for the entire 2022-23 season, citing violations of team policies. The organization added that a determination regarding his future with the franchise would be made "at a later date."

While the Celtics did not state what the violations were, The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania reported the 45-year-old allegedly had an "improper and consensual relationship" with a female staffer.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski added on Sept. 30 that the independent investigation into Udoka's relationship with the staff member revealed he "used crude language in his dialogue with a female subordinate prior to the start of an improper workplace relationship with the woman."

Long and Udoka began dating in 2009, got engaged in 2015 and have an 11-year-old son who they are currently "co-parenting," per Victorian. Long did not discuss the status of their relationship or Udoka's actions that led to the suspension.

Udoka is unlikely to return as head coach of the Celtics in 2023-24. Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe reported in November that the Celtics are "fully invested" in interim head coach Joe Mazzulla.

The Celtics hired Udoka ahead of the 2021-22 campaign after former president of basketball operations Danny Ainge parted ways with the organization and Brad Stevens was elevated from head coach to the team's lead front office position.

Boston went on to have a magical season, finishing first in the Eastern Conference with a 51-31 record and making a run to the NBA Finals, where it fell to the Golden State Warriors in six games.

However, Mazzulla's Celtics have been just as good, if not better in 2022-23.

The C's are first in the East with an 18-4 record, and they have the NBA's best offensive rating at 121.5. Led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Boston looks like it could make another run to the finals this season.

It only seems like a matter of time before interim is removed from Mazzulla's job title.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James called out what he believed to be a double standard after the Washington Post published a photo of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones outside of North Little Rock High School in 1957 when the school was integrating.

"I got one question for you guys before you guys leave," James told reporters following Wednesday's 128-109 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. "I was thinking when I was on my way over here, I was wondering why I haven't gotten a question from you guys about the Jerry Jones photo. But when the Kyrie [Irving] thing was going on, you guys were quick to ask us questions about that."

LeBron James questions the media and shares his thoughts on the Jerry Jones 1957 photo. pic.twitter.com/xbW9LyLicQ

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) December 1, 2022

The Brooklyn Nets suspended Irving earlier this season after he promoted an antisemitic film on social media and refused to condemn the problematic themes presented. It was briefly one of the biggest stories in the NBA, which prompted reporters to ask stars such as James their thoughts on the matter.

As part of their Black Out series on the lack of diversity among the NFL's coaching ranks, the Washington Post's David Maraniss and Sally Jenkins wrote an in-depth profile of Jones given his outsized importance in the league.

They detailed how Jones, who grew up in North Little Rock, Arkansas, stood outside of North Little Rock High when six Black students were attempting to enter the school.

Analysis: A 1957 photo of Jerry Jones reminds us how recent America’s past ishttps://t.co/rp437vTV9e

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 1, 2022

The revelation isn't a focal point of the profile but is included as part of a deeper look into Jones' hiring practices with the Cowboys.

Maraniss and Jenkins note how the 80-year-old can not only open doors for people of color but also help shift the paradigm in the NFL because he's arguably the league's most powerful figure not named Roger Goodell.

Jones told the Post he "want(s) to be the first in line" on improving diversity now, but that hasn't been true in the past:

But league executives say there was one issue Jones never pressed or even expressed much of an opinion on: race. Before and after the Rooney Rule was instituted in 2003, the league regularly discussed its embarrassing minority hiring record. Jones seemed uninterested. 'Other things have been more important,' one longtime former team executive said. 'Being powerful — that’s what is important to him.'

Jones has already addressed perhaps the most talked about portion of the feature. He told reporters he "didn't know at the time the monumental event that was going on" at the protest in 1957.

It's bound to become a topic of discussion once again after James' postgame press conference.

The Los Angeles Lakers earned their sixth win in the past eight games with Wednesday's 128-109 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena.

LeBron James played one of his best games of the season. The 18-time All-Star dropped 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting with eight assists and seven rebounds in 33 minutes. It was the second time in three games he has surpassed the 30-point barrier.

👑. pic.twitter.com/YBGruRPT5U

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 1, 2022

While James dominating is nothing new, it was a good sign for the Lakers to see Austin Reaves continue his recent streak of strong play. He scored a season-high 22 points in 35 minutes after being inserted back into the starting lineup following a three-game stretch coming off the bench.

Saucetin Reaves 🍝 pic.twitter.com/sPEafCDXg7

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 1, 2022

LeBron James on Austin Reaves: "We trust him. He knows I trust him. And he goes on to play his game, and that's a beautiful thing to see, especially for a young player to see his growth from one year to the next."

— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) December 1, 2022

Reaves' performance caught the attention of NBA Twitter as the Lakers continue to play well:

The Lakers surged back from down 17-6 to go into the 2nd Q up 24-22. Austin Reaves (8 points) was the spark.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 1, 2022

Austin Reaves the last 3 weeks pic.twitter.com/KPs0Ujhqr0

— Calenta (@NBAPaint1) December 1, 2022

Give Austin Reaves the ball and get out of the way.

— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) December 1, 2022

Austin Reaves is one of the best role players in the nba and the lakers kinda lucked into him, especially after losing Caruso

— 🎗NBA•Fan🎗 (@Klutch_23) December 1, 2022

Austin Reaves for president

— GITANO ROYALE (@GitanoRoyale) December 1, 2022

Austin Reaves and Lebron James tonight. pic.twitter.com/2gKnOKIngQ

— LakersSpin (@LakersSpin) December 1, 2022

Austin Reaves is HIM.

— Austin Reaves 🐐 (@lakeshow4lyf) December 1, 2022

https://twitter.com/f40daniel/status/1598217809284456448

Undrafted out of Oklahoma last year, Reaves was given a shot by the Lakers when he signed a two-way contract in August 2021. The 24-year-old received extended playing time as a rookie, in part, because of all the injuries the team dealt with.

Reaves showed promise as a role player, averaging 7.3 points on 45.9 percent shooting. The 6'5" shooting guard has hit another level this season and has been one of the most pleasant surprises in the NBA.

After going a combined 0-of-4 from three-point range in two games last week, Reaves did fall under 40 percent shooting behind the arc. But he's still on the cusp of the 50/40/90 club with a 54.0 percent field-goal percentage, 39.7 three-point percentage and 90.9 field-goal percentage.

Head coach Darvin Ham has taken notice of Reaves' play by having him start seven of the past 11 games. He's averaging 31.3 minutes per game in 14 games since Nov. 2.

Reaves and the Lakers will be put to the test in their next game when they begin a six-game Eastern Conference road trip against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.

The Brooklyn Nets might not be where they expected to be at 12-11, but Kevin Durant looks beyond the team's record for signs of progress.

Durant told reporters following Wednesday's 113-107 win over the Washington Wizards that "we have high expectations for our team, but the process is more important than the end result." He added that has been a philosophy emphasized by head coach Jacque Vaughn.

Kevin Durant: We have high expectations for our team, but the process is more important than the results. pic.twitter.com/7gl86l4XpH

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) December 1, 2022

The 2021-22 Nets saw firsthand how important it is to lay some sort of cohesive foundation on the court.

They were without Kyrie Irving for most of the season because he declined to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and the James Harden trade was a massive midseason disruption.

Late into the year, Andre Drummond summed up how Brooklyn had to hope its talent alone would carry the day.

"Got to treat this s--t like pickup," he told reporters in March. "Just take the best five and try to make it work. And try to build chemistry while we're out there."

The Nets went 7-4 to close out the regular season only to get swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.

Brooklyn has already experienced its fair share of drama. Head coach Steve Nash was fired. Irving served a suspension for promoting an antisemitic film and refusing to disavow its problematic content. Ben Simmons has battled injuries and reportedly some scrutiny from his own teammates.

Still, the team is only one game out of the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Nets' penchant for turmoil and Simmons' struggles don't bode well for their championship hopes. But Vaughn and his staff have time to forge some sort of identity on the court that allows the whole to be greater than the sum of its parts.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum solidified himself in the early conversation for NBA MVP with a dominant performance on Wednesday against the Miami Heat.

Tatum poured in 49 points with 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals to lead the Celtics to a 134-121 win at TD Garden. The 24-year-old shot 15-of-25 from the field and 8-of-12 from beyond the arc as Boston improved to 18-4.

Wednesday's performance was Tatum's fourth straight outing with at least 30 points. With the Duke product leading the way, the Celtics are the hottest team in the league with wins in 14 out of their last 15 games.

NBA Twitter was blown away by Tatum's dominance against Miami, with many declaring him the front runner for MVP:

Jayson Tatum is the MVP this year, don’t worry about all others

— Shake4ndbake (@ItsShake4ndbake) December 1, 2022

MVP chants for Jayson Tatum at the FT line. 26 points on 9-12 shooting, 4-5 on 3s. Still not even halfway through the second quarter.

— Souichi Terada | 寺田惣一 (@SouichiTerada) December 1, 2022

JAYSON TATUM YOUNGEST PLAYER IN NBA HISTORY TO MAKE 900 THREES

MVP. MVP. MVP.

— Celtics Junkies (@Celtics_Junkies) December 1, 2022

Jayson Tatum is the MVP.

— Nick (@NickyPickzz) December 1, 2022

Please just give Tatum the MVP already

— Leo (@Leo__ffs) December 1, 2022

tatum for MVP
tatum for MVP

— smarfwater™ (@smarfwater) December 1, 2022

JAYSON TATUM IS THE MVP

— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) December 1, 2022

Jayson Tatum with 26 points.

Midway through the second quarter.

MVP frontrunner.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) December 1, 2022

There's been a few game management nuances that has catapulted Tatum to the front of the MVP race this year as he starts to hit prime form. One of the biggest is his feel for the moments in the game when he should go iso and put up heat checks, plus how to do it less predictably.

— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) December 1, 2022

Jayson Tatum registers his ninth 30-point game in November, tied for his most in a calendar month in his career.

Only Larry Bird (10 in March 1986, 11 in March 1988) has more 30-point games in a calendar month in Celtics history. pic.twitter.com/tM05ZTELyM

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 1, 2022

Jayson Tatum is on a different level rn

— KENNY BEECHAM (@KOT4Q) December 1, 2022

Jayson Tatum is just in one of those zones

— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) December 1, 2022

https://twitter.com/casualtakeking/status/1598138023979651072

Tatum youngest player to hit 900 threes in NBA history. Give that man his MVP this year

— Corey B (@CoreyB08) December 1, 2022

Jayson Tatum is MVP btw

— Becca (@beccawilz) December 1, 2022

Tatum got big MVP vibrations this year..

— CBEEEEEZZZYYY (@ceddyb_) December 1, 2022

https://twitter.com/vioIent/status/1598145691028951041

Just give Tatum the mvp right now

— AllTHINGSBOSTON 🍉 (@CELTICSVSREFS) December 1, 2022

Tatum had help on Wednesday, as Jaylen Brown added 26 points and Malcolm Brogdon scored 21 points off the bench. Boston was incredibly efficient, shooting 55.4 percent from the field and 48.9 percent from three-point range.

The Celtics look extra motivated to avenge last season's loss in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. If Tatum continues playing like this, it won't be a surprise to see Boston make another deep playoff run this year.

Tatum and the Celtics will look to stay hot with another matchup against the Heat on Friday.

The NBA has reportedly informed teams the 2023-24 season will begin Oct. 24 and end April 14.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported the news, though there are several scheduling details yet to be determined.

Most notably, the schedule will feature only 80 regular-season games if the floated idea of a midseason tournament is adopted. Additional games would be scheduled once the tournament advances to the knockout rounds.

The NBA has started the regular season in the third week of October in each of the last two years and four of the last five, excluding the 2020-21 season, which started in December because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting Oct. 24 would represent a slight delay for the beginning of the season, which is noteworthy.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has long been a proponent of a midseason tournament, which he hopes will break up the monotony of the regular season, which has consisted of 82 games for each team.

"I'll say I recognize that [if] we do that, it's not going to be an overnight success," Silver told Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. "Because the obvious question, whether it's from the players or for the fans will be, 'What? Why should we think this is meaningful? Playing in-season tournaments?' My response is going to be, 'I get that.' But I think we can create new traditions; obviously, things change over time. And so that's something I'm very focused on right now."

An agreement on the midseason tournament would have to be in place before the schedule is finalized. The NBA typically releases its schedule in August.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton could make his season debut as soon as Friday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers, as Shams Charania reported on The Pat McAfee Show:

"Khris Middleton is nearing his season debut & it could potentially be as soon as Friday against the Lakers" ~@ShamsCharania#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/BnYdfAk4Mp

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 30, 2022

Middleton has been recovering from offseason wrist surgery.

The Bucks were originally hoping the three-time All-Star would return at some point in November, as Charania and Eric Nehm of The Athletic reported prior to the season opener. It's now clear he won't return until at least Dec. 2, but he is "close" to a return, per Charania.

Middleton hasn't played for the Bucks since suffering an MCL sprain in the first round of last year's playoffs, missing the team's final 10 postseason games. Milwaukee was eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Bucks have fared well without him this season, going 14-5 to sit in second place in the Eastern Conference. Grayson Allen has taken on a bigger role on the wing, while Jevon Carter has played well at point guard to allow the team to go with a smaller lineup.

Getting Middleton back would still be a significant boost for Milwaukee, as he's one of the best two-way players in the NBA.

The guard finished last season averaging 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, shooting 37.3 percent from three-point range. The team was 5.2 points per 100 possessions better with Middleton on the court rather than off it, per Basketball Reference.

Middleton was also a key part of the Bucks winning the 2021 NBA title, averaging 23.6 points per game during the playoff run.

If Middleton can return soon and stay healthy, Milwaukee will be a dangerous team for the remainder of 2022-23.