Tom Brady is widely acknowledged as the greatest quarterback of all time. His knack for performing in the clutch and winning Super Bowls is unparalleled.

His current juggling act might be every bit as difficult.

Brady made his NFL broadcasting debut as an analyst for Fox in September after signing a 10-year, $375-million contract despite being a novice in the booth.

A month later the NFL approved his purchase of a minority ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders.

The apparent conflict of interest was negotiated, with Brady forbidden from attending production meetings ahead of the games he called and from attending NFL practices for teams other than the Raiders.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion addressed it Wednesday during a news conference.

Of broadcasting, he said, “I understand I am a long way away from being a finished product, but I really enjoy the opportunity.”

Of team ownership, he said, “The best part for me is I love football so much and the fact that I get to be involved with it for the rest of my life and showcase this great game, not just as a broadcaster, but in a limited partner role with an organization.”

Both roles already have been marked by achievement. He’s barreled ahead of the excellent color commentator Greg Olsen, who was benched by Fox in favor of Brady to serve as analyst during Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Sunday.

Brady’s work with the Raiders hasn’t taken a backseat, despite his protest that “My ownership interests is just much more of a long-term, kind of behind the scenes-type role.”

The franchise made a splashy hire in veteran coach Pete Carroll, poached respected executive Mark Thewes from the division rival Denver Broncos as senior vice president of football operations and reeled in Chip Kelly from Ohio State as offensive coordinator.

“I am there to support the team and leadership and the overall vision of success,” Brady said. “It is something I hope a lot of other players get the opportunity to do. I want the game to continue to grow and continue to improve and get better. Whatever role I can play in that, I am really excited to do that.”

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters Monday that Brady checked in with league officials periodically during the season to get feedback on how he and the league were handling the perceived conflict of interest. Goodell relaxed the rule prohibiting Brady from participating in production meetings for the Super Bowl. He’s been allowed to attend meetings with the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, although he’s still barred from watching practices.

Although his knowledge of the game is unquestioned, Brady has been criticized for not being tough enough on players who make mistakes. He said he’s thinking more about viewers than players.

“You don’t want to go on air and be overly critical because it’s not fun for the viewer,” he said. “I don’t think to take a negative critique is the way I view the game. We’re viewing athletes at the highest level of what they do. You’re never really insulting the player. You’re insulting the play or the decision. I have tremendous amount of respect for anybody that suits up in uniform and goes out there to play because they’re putting a lot on the line.

“At the same time, there are things I have been critical of that I’m not afraid to kind of speak my honest opinion about as soon as I see it. I want to be very fair. I want to be very transparent. I have a great commitment to integrity. I take that very seriously in this role.”

As for preparing for the Super Bowl, Brady said Fox already shot his interview with Patrick Mahomes that will air during the pregame show. Brady emphasizes that any accolades the Chiefs quarterback gets are well deserved.

“I said to him, ‘Look, there is nobody that would be more happy for you than me if you go out and you do something that no other team in history has ever done and no other quarterback’s ever done,’” said Brady, who made a record 10 Super Bowl appearances, including beating Mahomes and the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV following the 2020 season. “Because I love seeing other people achieve great things. Anything that Patrick is doing I don’t believe will ever detract from what I accomplished in my career.”

Now Brady has dual careers that he’s trying to make sure don’t become dueling careers.

“Part of the experience of life is challenging yourself and getting outside your comfort zone to experience new things,” he said, “where it can be more of a transformational experience for you.”

Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ general manager and frequent target of the team’s fan base for inaction on the trade market, sat in front of cameras and told everyone there was no way to wave a “magic wand” and make the right center appear.

For months the Lakers’ front office signaled there wasn’t a center available who fit their price range and roster needs, needs that got only more obvious once Pelinka dealt Anthony Davis and Max Christie for Luka Doncic.

And Tuesday, as he sat next to Doncic, Pelinka pledged to address that need, while asking for patience.

But Wednesday night with the NBA’s trade deadline a little more than a half a day away, a center did appear — and there was hardly any magic involved.

The Lakers acquired 23-year-old 7-footer Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets, emptying what little was left in their asset arsenal to acquire a talented player with a history of injuries.

To get Williams, a former first-round pick, the Lakers sent rookie Dalton Knecht, a 2030 first-round pick swap and their 2031 unprotected first-round pick to the Hornets. The Lakers also included forward Cam Reddish to create a roster spot they could fill on the buyout market.

According to people familiar with the deal not authorized to speak publicly, the Lakers made the move after meeting with Doncic and speaking with him about the kind of center he prefers playing with: an athletic screener and lob threat. Then the Lakers got to work on Williams’ medical history, because he’s been limited to 84 games since he was the 15^th pick in the 2022 draft.

Williams missed significant time with foot, ankle and back injuries, the latter keeping him out for most of last season. According to people familiar with the transaction, the Lakers are satisfied the back problems no longer are an issue and the other injuries have been more bad luck than anything else.

So, Pelinka, once criticized for not trading the Lakers’ future first-round picks, used the two available to him in a span of five days to add a perennial 25-year-old All-NBA player in Doncic and a 23-year-old center in Williams, giving the Lakers and 40-year-old LeBron James a credible shot at title contention.

Williams has blossomed on the offensive end since moving into the starting lineup on Dec. 13, averaging 17.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting 59.7% from the field and 77.4% from the free-throw line.

Last Saturday against Denver and Nikola Jokic, Williams scored 20 points and had 15 rebounds, including six offensive.

After dealing Davis, the Lakers now have Williams, Jaxson Hayes and small-ball lineups with Jarred Vanderbilt and Dorian Finney-Smith to navigate a Western Conference that includes players like Jokic, Alperen Sengun and Jaren Jackson Jr.

To get Williams,the Lakers dealt their last available first-round pick — 2031. They have the 1-4 protection on the 2027 first-rounder they dealt to Utah, though their recent trades are designed to keep them out of the lottery and vault them into contention.

In Knecht, the Lakers send their first-round pick who just came through a horrific shooting slump to score in double figures in six of their last nine games. While holding great belief in Knecht’s offensive abilities, the defensive struggles were significant enough to limit his ability to potentially contribute this spring.

The NBA trade deadline is Thursday at noon, the Lakers left with minimal options for another deal. The last remaining draft pick they have to trade is their second-round pick this year.

The Lakers play the Golden State Warriors, who just dealt for Miami forward Jimmy Butler, on Thursday in Los Angeles.

Jimmy Butler seemingly had a message for the NBA after he was traded to the Warriors on Wednesday night. 

The NBA star was dealt in a four-team trade that involved the Heat, Warriors, Jazz and Pistons, according to multiple reports.

Andrew Wiggins, P.J. Tucker, Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round pick are headed to Miami as part of the deal that ends the long-running saga between Butler and the Heat. 

After news of the trade broke online, Butler posted a song on his social media accounts with the caption, “Welcome to the wild wild west.” 

The posts also included a music note emoji.

Rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer Breland was tagged in the post on Instagram. 

It’s not clear who the credits belong to on the song with country vibes, though it could be from a country music project that Butler has been working on with Breland.

The song features lyrics that could be perceived as a signal of what’s to come for him with his new team. 

One verse of the song went, “Try to put a bounty on my head and whole lotta people gonna wind up dead. Anything goes at the end of the road, ain’t nobody bout to slow me down.” 

Butler had reportedly preferred to go to the Suns, but the deal that sent him to Golden State is sure to be enough to make Butler happy to be out of South Beach, where things between him and the Heat had deteriorated. 

While Miami had initially shot down notions that they would trade Butler — with team president Pat Riley even putting out a statement saying as much in December — they had to do an about-face when it became clear that Butler did not want to play for the organization any longer. 

In the weeks that followed, Butler was suspended three times for various reasons related to “conduct detrimental to the team,” which included missing a team flight and walking out of a morning shootaround after he was informed he wouldn’t be in the starting lineup.