The Celtics Extend Josh Richardson and the Timberwolves Continue to Explore a Ben Simmons Trade. Plus: The Overtime Elite League Signals New Opportunities for High School Prospects.

Verno and KOC first talk about some of the particulars of the NBA schedule that was released on Friday, including how the national games are spread around (0:30). Then they talk about the Josh Richardson extension in Boston and how the Celtics are collecting strong assets for a potential trade for Bradley Beal (10:55). After that they discuss the new Overtime Elite league, which is backed by the likes of Drake, Kevin Durant, and Jeff Bezos, and how targeting high school prospects with big-money contracts threatens college basketball (19:12). Finally, they get into reporting from Jon Krawczynski that the Timberwolves are still pursuing a trade for Ben Simmons that could include a third team (40:18), the Celtics retiring Kevin Garnett’s number (46:40), and Klay Thompson’s potential return to the court around Christmas (56:05). Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Associate Producer: Sasha Ashall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices