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Western Notes: Powell, Beringer, Two-Ways, Booker, Suns

December 10th, 2025 at 9:23am CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban shot down a report indicating that big man Dwight Powell will likely retire at the end of this season, tweeting that it’s “not true.”

Powell, 34, no longer plays a significant role in Dallas, but has been with the Mavericks for over a decade and has appeared in 20 of the club’s 25 games so far this season, averaging 10.9 minutes per night.

Powell is on a $4MM expiring contract in 2025/26, so if he does intend to extend his career beyond this season, he’ll need to sign a new deal. In all likelihood, he’ll be a minimum-salary player going forward.

We have more from around the Western Conference:

The Timberwolves assigned rookie center Joan Beringer to the G League for the first time this season on Tuesday, per the team (Twitter link). Beringer has played limited minutes at the NBA level so far this fall, so he’ll get an opportunity to take on a more significant role for the Iowa Wolves when they face the Motor City Cruise this Friday.
Two-way contracts recently signed by LJ Cryer (Warriors), Malevy Leons (Warriors), and Tyler Smith (Rockets) are all for two years, Hoops Rumors has learned. That means Golden State and Houston will have the option of retaining those players on their two-way deals through the 2026/27 season. However, it’s somewhat rare for a player to play out a full two-year, two-way contract, as most are either promoted or waived before the deal expires.
After Suns head coach Jordan Ott indicated over the weekend that Devin Booker has a chance to return to action on Wednesday from his groin injury, the team officially upgraded the star guard to questionable for its NBA Cup showdown with Oklahoma City, tweets Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman.
ESPN’s Baxter Holmes shares the latest details on the legal battle between Suns owner Mat Ishbia and a pair of minority shareholders, Scott Seldin and Andy Kohlberg. While attorneys for Seldin and Kohlberg are taking aim at Ishbia’s majority control of the franchise, a spokesperson for Ishbia dismissed the claims in the lawsuit as “ridiculous,” according to Holmes. “Unwilling to take responsibility and invest in the team, these guys are resorting to threats and publicity stunts to get Mat to buy them out just so they make more money,” that spokesperson said.

Spurs Notes: Harper, Fox, Castle, Wembanyama

December 10th, 2025 at 8:09am CST by Luke Adams

No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper helped lead the Spurs to a victory over New Orleans on Monday with a 22-point, six-assist outing, proving that he can be successful in his role even when De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle are both available. Still, as Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required) writes, it was evident with all three of those guards were healthy and active for the first time this season that there are still some kinks to work out in the backcourt.

While Harper thrived, Castle showed some rust in his first game back from a hip injury, making just 5-of-15 shots and turning the ball over three times in 23 minutes. Meanwhile, McDonald suggests that Fox seemed “unsure of when to assert himself” — the former All-Star scored just 14 points on 4-of-11 shooting and committed four turnovers.

Still, the trio of Harper, Castle, and Fox combined for 54 points and 18 assists in a three-point victory over the Pelicans, and Harper is optimistic that it won’t be long before all three players are firing on all cylinders.

“This is just a little sample size of what you’re going to see,” the rookie said, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). “When (Castle) really gets back into the groove of things, we’re going to be scary.”

“I’m trying to get adjusted to the game,” Castle added. “Having a little three-week break, I’m trying to get back in rhythm.”

Here’s more on the Spurs:

Harper’s teammates were impressed by the way that the 19-year-old bounced back from his worst game of the season – a 1-for-11 dud in Cleveland on Friday – to set a new career high in points on Monday, as Orsborn relays. “He has so much skill and maturity to his game,” Fox said of Harper. “It’s a long season. I’ve talked to him about that as well. You’re not going to play well in every single game. It would be asinine to think that.”
Although head coach Mitch Johnson said this week that Victor Wembanyama is “getting closer” to returning from the calf strain that has sidelined him since November 14, the big man has been ruled out for Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal against the Lakers, as Orsborn writes for The Express-News. The Spurs have taken a cautious approach with Wembanyama’s recovery timeline, and Johnson noted earlier in the week that the NBA Cup game wouldn’t be treated any differently, “medically speaking.”
While many of the Spurs’ cornerstone players – including Wembanyama, Harper, and Castle – are in their early 20s, the team also has a handful of veterans in their 30s – such as Harrison Barnes, Kelly Olynyk, and Bismack Biyombo – providing leadership in the locker room. In a story for The Express-News (subscription required), McDonald explores how those two generations of players have meshed and the mentorship that the vets have provided. “At times, the older ones are barking at the younger ones like older dogs do puppies,” Johnson said. “Other times, the bigger personalities step up and command the room. Sometimes, you have this electric energy from these young guys. It’s a good balance.”

Magic, Knicks Advance To Cup Semifinals

December 9th, 2025 at 10:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Magic and Knicks advanced to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas with victories on Tuesday. They’ll face each other in the East semifinal on Saturday at 5:30 ET, the league confirmed (via Twitter).

Orlando was carried by a big outing from offseason acquisition Desmond Bane. He scored 37 points, while Jalen Suggs added 20 points and Paolo Banchero supplied 18. The Magic trailed by 13 after the first quarter, pulled within one by halftime, then outscored Miami 61-51 in the second half.

The Heat had four starters with at least 19 points, led by Norman Powell‘s 21.

The Knicks moved on with a 117-101 win over the Raptors. Jalen Brunson was the star of the game with 35 points. Josh Hart contributed 21 points and Karl-Anthony Towns tossed in 14 with 16 rebounds. Brandon Ingram led the Raptors with 31 points.

New York took control in the second quarter, outscoring Toronto 34-13.

The teams that were eliminated on Tuesday will now play each other on Monday, as the Heat will host the Raptors at 7:30 ET, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets.

The Suns and Thunder will square off in the first of the Western Conference quarterfinals on Wednesday, with the Lakers and Spurs playing in the late game. The winners of those two contests will face one another in the West semifinal on Saturday.

Northwest Notes: Kessler, Hendricks, Hyland, Braun, Gordon, Strawther

December 9th, 2025 at 9:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz center Walker Kessler indicated to the media that his season-ending left shoulder injury stems back to his college days at Auburn. Kessler only played five games before surgery was required.

“I’ve had a posterior labrum tear on my left shoulder since Auburn. I think the Tennessee game, I tore it and just kind of tried to play through and strengthen it,” Kessler said, per Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune. “The doctor explained it … there’s no amount of strength that’ll keep it from slipping out again and again. So he told me, ‘You got to have the surgery.'”

If he didn’t address the problem, Kessler could have endured many more issues with the shoulder during his career.

“Another thing is, the more you sublux it, the more risk of injury (there is), of destroying everything around it: you know, the rotator cuff, the anterior labrum, and so that’s why it was necessary,” Kessler explained.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

After suffering a severe leg injury last season, Taylor Hendricks has been in and out of the Jazz rotation and is now getting reps in the G League, Larsen notes. “I think right now, the G League minutes are so important for Taylor, because he needs as many repetitions as he can get at the reactive part of the sport that you just can’t replicate when you miss a year,” coach Will Hardy said. “Getting your body used to making those decisions and reacting and fully trusting your body in those moments is where we’re trying to get to with Taylor.” The 2023 lottery pick has appeared in 13 games with Utah this season.
Bones Hyland has at least temporarily displaced Rob Dillingham in the Timberwolves rotation, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “We’re 24 games in, and I thought it was time to try something different,” coach Chris Finch said. “(Hyland)’s been patient. He’s been playing really well in practice, doing everything we ask him to do. We need a spark there.” Hyland, who signed a one-year contract during the offseason to return to Minnesota, had 14 points and three assists in 16 minutes against Phoenix on Monday.
Nuggets coach David Adelman doesn’t expect Christian Braun (ankle) or Aaron Gordon (hamstring) to return to action before Christmas, Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette tweets. Julian Strawther (back) is a little bit further along in his recovery process. He played some half court 3-on-3 after Tuesday’s practice.

Los Angeles Notes: Paul, Lue, Smart, Kleber, James

December 9th, 2025 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Chris Paul says he’s “at peace” with the Clippers’ decision to “part ways” with him and is looking forward to his next NBA opportunity, according to Jordan Greene of People Magazine (hat tip to ESPN).

“I’m actually at peace with everything,” he said. “More than anything, I’m excited about being around and getting a chance to play a small role in whatever anything looks like next.”

On a related subject, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue denies reports that he wasn’t on speaking terms with Paul.

“That ain’t true,” Lue said, per Clippers beat writer Joey Linn (Twitter video link). “We were talking. How he gonna play and I’m not talking to him? There was a stretch when he wasn’t gonna play and be out of the rotation, it was tough for him because he’s a competitor.”

Lue added he wasn’t part of the final conversation with Paul when the future Hall of Famer was told by team officials that he was no longer welcome around the club. Lue added that Clippers players aren’t happy about the decision but he has “no problem with Chris.”

Here’s more on the Los Angeles teams:

Lakers guard Marcus Smart is not on the injury report for the team’s NBA Cup game against the Spurs on Wednesday. Smart missed the last six games due to a back ailment. “Back is feeling good. Felt good in practice today … I’m gonna give it a shot tomorrow and see how it feels,” Smart said, according to Lakers reporter Mike Trudell (Twitter link).
In fact, the Lakers could be at full strength on Wednesday. Maxi Kleber (lumbar muscle strain) is the only player who is considered questionable to play, NBA insider Marc Stein tweets.
LeBron James scored 29 points — a season high — against Philadelphia on Sunday, including 10 straight points in the fourth quarter. The Lakers forward feels he’s rounding into form, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “At 40 years old, I mean, it just takes a while for my body to kind of get back into a rhythm,” James said. “And so it felt good (Sunday) to kind of feel like myself a little bit.”

Monte Morris In Advanced Talks With Olympiacos

December 9th, 2025 at 7:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Greek team Olympiacos is in advanced talks with veteran NBA guard Monte Morris, according to Michalis Stefanou of Eurohoops.net.

There’s optimism from the EuroLeague club that an agreement can be reached with Morris sooner rather than later on a one-year contract. The point guard became a free agent when the Pacers waived him on Nov. 21 after he appeared in six games, averaging just 10.8 minutes per contest.

Indiana had signed Morris two weeks earlier. The Pacers originally planned to sign him to compete for a roster spot in training camp, but the deal fell through when he sustained a calf injury in late September.

The 30-year-old played 45 games (12.7 MPG) for Phoenix in 2024/25, averaging 5.2 PPG, 1.6 APG and 1.5 RPG on .426/.360/.826 shooting. He has also played for the Nuggets, Pistons and Timberwolves.

Frank Ntilikina, Saben Lee and Evan Fournier are among the former NBA players on the Olympiacos roster.

Raptors’ Quickley To Miss NBA Cup Game With Illness

December 9th, 2025 at 6:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Raptors point guard Immanuel Quickley will miss his team’s NBA Cup quarterfinal game against the Knicks on Tuesday due to an illness, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets.

It’s a big blow to Toronto’s chances of advancing. The Raptors are already without RJ Barrett, who is sidelined by a right knee sprain. The good news is that reserve point guard Jamal Shead, who was listed as questionable with a right quad contusion, will play tonight.

Quickley has started all 25 games for Toronto, averaging 16.5 points, 6.2 assists, 4.2 assists and 1.2 assists in 32.2 minutes per game. Shead figures to receive the bulk of his minutes with Ja’Kobe Walter also seeing plenty of action.

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Big Lineup, Fontecchio, Herro

December 9th, 2025 at 4:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat–Magic matchup in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup will tip off shortly. Bam Adebayo believes Miami can not only make noise during the in-season tournament but also the postseason.

“People are going to call us crazy, but I think we’re a contender,” Adebayo told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “We’re going to be called delusional. But how I look at delusion [is] if you ask how many people could be NBA players, what is the percentage of that? So, you’ve got to have a little bit of delusion when it comes to speaking stuff into existence. Like I always say, ‘Speak stuff into existence that matters.’ Manifest things that matter. Being able to just dream about that, write it down and keep looking at that. That goes a long way. And some of that is real. So, I think we’re contenders when we’re fully healthy.”

Following last season’s trade sending Jimmy Butler to Golden State, Adebayo has embraced the role of team leader and face of the franchise.

“This season, for sure, it’s like I’m the one in the driver’s seat,” Adebayo said. “That’s a big responsibility. It’s a big ask. But if they didn’t believe in me, they wouldn’t put me in the seat. That’s how I look at it. If I haven’t done things in the past where they were comfortable with saying, ‘He can be our guide,’ and I wouldn’t be in this seat.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

Coach Erik Spoelstra is banking on the two-big lineup of Adebayo and Kel’el Ware to show improvement. “I just want to see that group, when we play bigger, just for it to be a plus,” Spoelstra said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “So we have some work to do there. It should be a very good defensive group, but that’s a group that hasn’t been able to defend so far, and we’ve got to continue to work at that.” The Heat has been outscored by 12.5 points per 100 possessions in the 123 minutes Adebayo and Ware have played together this season.
Simone Fontecchio snapped a three-point shooting slump by hitting four outside shots against the Kings on Saturday. Spoelstra didn’t consider taking the Italian forward out of the rotation despite his shooting woes. “For us we know the value that he brings,” Spoelstra said, per Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “One way or another, he gives you the gravity. But all the other details, we’ve been really encouraged by the team defense that he provides. He’s very detailed. He’s intentional. He wants to do the right thing defensively. He also has a toughness about him. He handles his own under the basket, rebounding against bigger players. He sticks his nose in there.”
After a two-game absence with a toe contusion, Tyler Herro was cleared to return for tonight’s game. Herro is averaging 23.8 points in the five games he’s played. He’s in the starting lineup tonight, Chiang tweets.

Pelicans Notes: Queen, Jones, Murphy, Poole, Zion

December 9th, 2025 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Two of the league’s most promising rookies had the best games of their respective NBA careers on Monday in New Orleans. The Spurs and Dylan Harper, who scored 22 points and handed out six assists in 26 minutes off the bench, ultimately came out on top, with a three-point win over the Pelicans and Derik Queen.

Still, it was a memorable night for Queen, who became the first rookie center to ever record a 30-point triple-double, per ESPN’s Michael C. Wright, with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. The big man also blocked four shots and was a +14 in 33 minutes.

“Special night for him,” Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego said of his standout rookie. “He was great. He did a really good job defensively on the boards, controlled the offense. We ran a lot of our stuff through him. He was fantastic.”

Although Monday’s loss dropped the Pelicans to a league-worst 3-22 on the season, Queen’s ongoing emergence is one reason for optimism, according to Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscription required). Walker adds that the rookie’s strong play may help turn down the heat on head of basketball operations Joe Dumars, who faced loud criticism for his decision to trade an unprotected 2026 pick to move up 10 spots for Queen in June.

Those critics are unlikely to go away if the pick Dumars sent to Atlanta in that deal lands in the top three next June, especially since there will always be questions about whether the Pelicans could’ve moved up from No. 23 to No. 13 in this year’s draft without giving up quite such a valuable asset. However, if Queen – who will turn 21 later this month – continues to turn in performance like Monday’s, the deal could turn into a win-win for the Pelicans and Hawks.

Here’s more from out of New Orleans:

William Guillory of The Athletic considers what sort of in-season trades to expect from the Pelicans, writing that he views Herbert Jones as more likely to be moved than Trey Murphy III, though there’s no guarantee New Orleans will seriously consider dealing either player. Guillory notes that a move involving Zion Williamson would be easier to complete in the offseason than before the trade deadline, and adds that high-priced guards Jordan Poole and Dejounte Murray and role players Saddiq Bey and Kevon Looney could also emerge as trade candidates.
Although there’s still skepticism around the league that the Pelicans will trade either Jones or Murphy this season, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) says he spoke to five separate rival teams last week that said New Orleans isn’t shutting down inquiries on those players like the front office has in the past.
Poole, who has been sidelined since November 4 due to a quad strain, participated in some parts of Tuesday’s practice, according to Borrego, who said the plan is for Poole to go through a full practice on Wednesday (Twitter link via Guillory).
In a subscriber-only column for NOLA.com, Walker takes a look at the latest disappointing turn of events in the Williamson saga. This was supposed to be a “get-right” season for the former No. 1 overall pick, Walker writes, but hamstring and adductor strains have limited the two-time All-Star to just 10 appearances, and the Pelicans haven’t played well with or without him.

And-Ones: Reddish, Two-Ways, Rozier, East, All-In Trades

December 9th, 2025 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA forward Cam Reddish, who signed with BC Šiauliai in September, has officially left the team and returned to the U.S. for personal reasons, the Lithuanian club announced in a press release.

The 10th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Reddish spent six years in the NBA, playing for the Hawks, Knicks, Trail Blazers, and Lakers. He failed to develop into a reliable offensive threat during that time, averaging 8.5 points per game on .398/.322/.821 shooting in 254 total outings (116 starts).

In nine appearances in the Lithuanian Basketball League this season, Reddish averaged 14.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per contest.

We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

As Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets, there are a dozen players on two-way contracts around the NBA who are already approaching the halfway point of their active-game limit of 50 games. While promotions to standard rosters may not happen quite yet, teams will be looking for a way to accommodate their two-way standouts later in the season. Bobby Marks of ESPN points out (via Twitter) that 22 of the 26 conversions from two-ways to standard deals last season occurred after February 1.
Jim Trusty, the attorney for Terry Rozier, said an arbitration hearing with the NBA has been scheduled for December 17 to determine whether the Heat guard will continue not to be paid, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. The federal judge overseeing Rozier’s case said that Dec. 17 hearing and other NBA proceedings won’t affect the schedule for the case.
Vincent Goodwill of ESPN takes a look at five key players (beyond the most obvious names) who could play significant roles in determining which team comes out of the Eastern Conference this season.
There may be one or more teams prepared to go “all-in” for Giannis Antetokounmpo if the Bucks superstar requests a trade, but Howard Beck of The Ringer makes the case that the history of all-in deals doesn’t point toward it being a fruitful approach for most buyers.