More and more NBA teams are willing to put more first-round draft picks in trade packages for star players in recent years. Less than 10 years ago, most of them preferred to save the picks, which equaled future hopes of drafting their own stars, for their own use and traded players.

The league has presented and implemented various rules to keep super teams from being assembled, including the salary cap and the luxury tax among other restrictions. The effects are debatable because powerhouses with deep pockets always found their way around the rules.

For example, the luxury tax didn't stop the Los Angeles Clippers or the Golden State Warriors from investing to build dominant franchises.

Teams are not allowed to trade back-to-back draft picks, so they put swaps in the packages, like what the Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves did during this offseason.

Both the league and the teams have been working hard to outsmart each other.

Host: Li Xiang

Guest: Matthew Watson

Cover designer: Feng Yuan

Chief editor: Chen Ran

Supervisor: Zhang Shilei

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-08-03/CGTN-Sports-Talk-NBA-teams-always-find-their-way-around-restrictions-1ccjtfgr5kc/index.html

Bill Russell, one of the greatest legends in NBA history, passed way in peace on July 31, at the age of 88 years old.

Having played 13 seasons in the league, he led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals 12 times and won 11 titles, including eight in a row. The NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award was named after him, and he was the one delivering the trophy on most occasions.

Russell was a five-time NBA Most Valuable Player, four-time rebounding champion, 12-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA First Team selection and an eight-time Second Team member. He was named to the All-Defensive First Team right after the honor was presented in the 1968-69 season.

The NBA didn't count blocks until the 1973-74 season. Neither was the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) Award was given before the 1982-83 campaign. If Russell were in those two eras, he would have been both the blocks leader and DPOY multiple times.

May the most legendary Celtic and the greatest defensive center rest in peace.

Host: Li Xiang

Guest: Matthew Watson

Cover designer: Feng Yuan

Chief editor: Chen Ran

Supervisor: Zhang Shilei

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-08-01/CGTN-Sports-Talk-In-memory-of-the-immortal-Bill-Russell-1c8FVxbEaUU/index.html

The Phoenix Suns and their starting center, Deandre Ayton, put an end to their yearlong contract extension soap opera after the franchise decided to match the four-year, $133 million deal offered to Ayton by the Indiana Pacers.

The Suns managed to save money because they avoided giving Ayton a five-year, $173 million contract. However, they will have to deal with his frustration at least for the first few months of the 2022-23 season.

Ayton will still be paid a lot of money for only four years, instead of the usual five. He will also hit the free agency market earlier than others in his class. If he can remain healthy and continue improving like he has been, Ayton will still have a good chance to ink another lucrative contract in four years.

Therefore, it will be in the common interest of both the team and player for Ayton to perform well on the court and for the Suns to help him do so.

Host: Li Xiang

Guest: Matthew Watson

Cover designer: Feng Yuan

Chief editor: Chen Ran

Supervisor: Zhang Shilei

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-07-27/CGTN-Sports-Talk-What-are-Suns-Ayton-getting-from-his-extension--1c0MX17wWNG/index.html

James Harden displayed a clear will to fight for an NBA Championship ring by taking a $14-million pay cut when he agreed to a new two-year, $68.6 million extension with the Philadelphia 76ers.

His sacrifice enabled the team to sign P.J. Tucker, a tough defender, and Danuel House, an energetic wing option. Meanwhile, the 76ers acquired De'Anthony Melton, a sharp dagger off the bench, via trade with the Memphis Grizzlies.

The new arrivals will surely make Philly a better franchise. If Tyrese Maxey continues to grow, the 76ers can become even better on the offensive end.

Of course, as the team's star duo, Joel Embiid and Harden will play the most important roles on the team. Embiid is likely to continue his MVP-caliber performance from last season, if he stays healthy. Harden already did the best a playmaker could do in the 2021-22 campaign, but he may need to bring back more of the aggressive scorer he used to be.

Host: Li Xiang

Guest: Matthew Watson

Cover designer: Feng Yuan

Chief editor: Chen Ran

Supervisor: Zhang Shilei

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-07-24/CGTN-Sports-Talk-How-much-will-Harden-s-14m-pay-cut-help-the-76ers--1bVOcpBftjW/index.html

The top three selections of the 2022 NBA Draft, Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith Jr., made their appearances in the NBA Summer League, both making highlights and showing shortcomings.

Banchero displayed great ability to launch offense by himself in the Orlando Magic. By exploiting his solid skills, size, power and athleticism, he can drop good numbers in his rookie season.

Holmgren was considered to be a future Defensive Player of the Year and he was performing excellently denying shots for the Oklahoma City Thunder in some of the games. However, he was also dominated by undrafted Kenneth Lofton Jr. in the game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Smith Jr. is the best 3-point shooter of the three, but unlike the other two, he lacks the ability to create his own shots. That's why his role in the Houston Rockets is limited because he often has to wait for Jalen Green or others to feed him on the offensive end.

Host: Li Xiang

Guest: Matthew Watson

Cover designer: Feng Yuan

Chief editor: Chen Ran

Supervisor: Zhang Shilei

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-07-21/CGTN-Sports-Talk-How-promising-are-Banchero-Holmgren-Smith-Jr--1bQHLu6hBp6/index.html

Manchester City reached the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League semifinals after a very physical 0-0 against Atletico Madrid at Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday. Nine yellow cards and one red one were given, and Kevin de Bruyne, Phil Foden and Kyle Walker of City were injured.Chelsea came close to reversing the situation when Timo Werner made it 3-0 for the team at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. However, Rodrygo's goal for Real Madrid put the two teams back at the same starting line before Karim Benzema again played hero for Real.City and Real will meet each other in the semifinals.Bayern Munich seem to have run out their luck. Robert Lewandowski's goal gave the Bundesliga powerhouse some hope, but they should have watched out for Samuel Chukwueze when he scored the precious goal for Villarreal at Allianz Arena on Tuesday."The Yellow Submarine" will in the semifinals challenge Liverpool, which sidelined seven starters but still didn't last to Benfica at Anfield on Wednesday night.

The Premier League "title decider" between Liverpool and Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday night was finished 2-2. City are still one point ahead of Liverpool, and both have seven more games to play.Liverpool's schedule seems harder because they will play against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, but City tripped over weak opponents before. Actually, one of the reasons Liverpool managed to catch up was that City made too many mistakes.The two teams will meet again in the FA Cup semifinal and have the chance to play against each other in the UEFA Champions League. Neither Liverpool nor City can afford to make more mistakes because there is already too much at stake.

The 2021-22 NBA regular season came to an end on Sunday. The league will take more time to announce the squads for the three All-NBA Teams and two All-Defensive Teams.Li Xiang, the host for this show and his basketball guest Matthew Watson have given their own selections for the above five teams. There are some common elements and some differences, depending on their understanding of the top players' performance in the past season.You are more than welcome to share your choices with us in the comments under CGTN Sports on Twitter.

Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City are in a very advantageous position after defeating their opponents in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday and Wednesday.Benfica hardly put up enough resistance in their 3-1 loss to Liverpool at Estadio da Luz on Tuesday.Karim Benzema scored his second straight hat trick in the Champions League to help Real leave Stamford Bridge with a 3-1 win over Chelsea on Wednesday.Though City only had a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid at City of Manchester Stadium on Tuesday, they won't have too much to worry about in the second-leg game unless manager Diego Simeone figures out an offensive solution.Bayern Munich were upset by Villarreal 1-0 at Estadio de la Ceramica on Wednesday. The process was actually a lot uglier than the result could show because "The Yellow Submarine" missed at least another four good chances to score.

It has been a while since the Phoenix Suns, and Memphis Grizzlies led the NBA Western Conference. The two teams will for sure finish the 2021-22 regular season as the top 2. The Suns are one win away from setting a new franchise record of victories in the regular season.The Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets are likely to finish as third, fourth and fifth in the conference. The big question is: which team will have home advantage in the first round? Mavericks or Nuggets?The Utah Jazz are currently sixth, but they have to watch out for the following Minnesota Timberwolves to catch up if the Jazz cannot calm things down in the locker room.The Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs seem to lock their spots for the play-in tournament, while the Los Angeles Lakers are two losses away from finishing the 2021-22 campaign with nothing.