Rachel Nichols and Maria Taylor to replace Michelle Beadle on ESPN’s ‘NBA Countdown’e on ESPN’s ‘NBA Countdown’

ESPN is planning to replace on “NBA Countdown” host Michelle Beadle with a pairing of Rachel Nichols and Maria Taylor, according to The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch.

Per Deitsch, Nichols will still host “The Jump,” her daily basketball analysis show with a rotating stable of co-hosts.

Jalen Rose is also reportedly set to return as an analyst, but he won’t be joined by Chauncey Billups or Paul Pierce. Billups is set to work as a game analyst next season while Pierce, well, maybe it’s for his own good.

That leaves two studio analyst spots open, and a bevy of former players who could replace Billups and Pierce.

Michelle Beadle out at ESPN?

As Nichols and Taylor continue to rise at ESPN, their ascent comes at the expense of Beadle, who might suddenly be out of a roster spot during her second stint with the network.