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Good morning, sports fans! It’s Austin Nivison kicking off your Thursday with the biggest and best stories from around the sports world. Giannis Antetokounmpo kicked the NBA trade rumor mill into high gear, the Browns have a new coach and there is more drama involving the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Let’s get right to it, shall we?

Five things to know Thursday

1. Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is open to a trade. The two sides tried to hold on for as long as they could, but with the news that Antetokounmpo is ready to move onit’s time for the rumor mill to reach a fever pitch. The two-time MVP should fetch a blockbuster return, and with just days until the trade deadline arrives, a deal could materialize sooner rather than later.
2. The Browns hire Todd Monken. After spending three seasons in the AFC North as the offensive coordinator for the Ravens, Monken is staying in the division as the next coach of the Browns. The 60-year-old Monken will get his first crack at being a head coach after helping Lamar Jackson elevate his game in Baltimore, but this hire does come with risks.
3. Eli Manning falls short of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his second ballot. One day after Bill Belichick’s stunning Hall of Fame snub, Manning missed the Hall of Fame cut on his second opportunity. Manning, one of six players to own multiple Super Bowl MVPs, is one of the most complicated cases in Hall of Fame history. Now he’ll have wait at least one more year to reach Canton. Speaking of that Belichick snub, Tom Brady and Robert Kraft are still scratching their heads.
4. Patrick Reed is eyeing PGA Tour reinstatement in 2027. The 2018 Masters champ, Reed announced he will apply for PGA Tour reinstatement in 2027. Reed’s LIV Golf contract expired at the end of the 2025 campaign, and he will compete on the DP World Tour. On Aug. 25, 2026, Reed will become eligible to compete in PGA Tour events as a non-member, since that will be one year since his last LIV Golf event. Brooks Koepka is returning to the PGA Tour in 2026, and he discussed that at length this week.
5. The Rangers are preparing to trade Artemi Panarin. After seven seasons, the “Bread Man” era in New York appears to be over. The Rangers are prepared to hold Panarin out of the lineup until the Olympic break on Feb. 6 — or until a trade materializes. Panarin immediately becomes the biggest fish on the trade market, and there are a handful of teams that would be perfect fits for the Russian superstar.

Do not miss this: Giannis Antetokounmpo trade destinations

Bucks GM Jon Horst will be a very popular man over the next few days. To put it more accurately, Giannis Antetokounmpo will be a very popular man because every NBA title hopeful will be trying to acquire him.

That being the case, our own Sam Quinn put together a list of the nine teams that could add Antetokounmpo between now and the summer. Perhaps the most high-profile destination is the Knicksbut they do have some hurdles to clear in order to make it happen.

Despite those obstacles, if Giannis wants to wind up in New York, then he may be able to force his way there.

• Quinn: “If Giannis wants the Knicks, he’s probably going to have to stick his thumb on the scale. Maybe, just maybe, he can scare off other suitors by letting them know he’d only re-sign in New York. And maybe, just maybe, the Bucks could talk themselves into a star they could put on billboards as they sort through the wreckage of a post-Giannis future. There are a lot of maybes here. When the star wants a certain team, though, that team always has a reasonable shot.”

Even if the Knicks don’t acquire Antetokounmpo before the trade deadline, Karl-Anthony Towns may be on his way out, but that alone may not solve the team’s defensive issues.

Grading second-year CFB coaches

When it comes to evaluating football coaches, it’s always fun to review first-year coaches, but they haven’t had much time to establish a culture or turn over the roster. You can glean more information from a coach’s second year on the job, and it makes it easier to grade their job performance.

That’s exactly what our team of college football experts did as they doled out grades for each second-year sideline bossand I think they were more than fair. Take their review of Alabama coach Kalen DeBoerwho earned a “C+.” He did lead the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff, but the team didn’t exactly look like the juggernaut of days gone by, as Shehan Jeyarajah writes.

• Jeyarajah: “There were legitimate steps forward in DeBoer’s second season — and serious steps back. The Crimson Tide made it back to the SEC title game and CFP, but are still miles away from the national title contender they were under Nick Saban. With a third new QB in three years, DeBoer has to find a new identity.”

In another realm of the college coaching world, Lincoln Riley is taking steps to make sure USC hits another level in 2026. The Trojans hired former TCU coach Gary Patterson as they build momentum.

The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

What we’re watching Thursday

Australian Open: Women’s semifinals3 p.m. on ESPN2
RB Salzburg at Aston Villa3 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
Kansas at No. 12 TCU (W)6 p.m. on ESPN
No. 13 Michigan State at Purdue (W)6 p.m. on Big Ten Network
No. 24 Alabama at No. 23 Georgia (W)6:30 p.m. on SEC Network
Colorado at No. 8 Iowa State (M)7 p.m. on FS1
Bucks at Wizards7 p.m. on Prime Video
No. 7 Louisville at Stanford (W)8 p.m. on ESPN
Wisconsin at No. 11 Ohio State (W)8 p.m. on Big Ten Network
No. 20 Duke at Miami (W)8 p.m. on ACC Network
No. 3 South Carolina at Auburn (W)9 p.m. on SEC Network
Washington at No. 9 Illinois (M)9 p.m. on FS1
Thunder at Timberwolves9:30 on Prime Video
Australian Open: Men’s semifinals10:30 p.m. on ESPN