NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

Landry Shamet Has Shoulder Sprain, Out At Least Four Weeks

November 26th, 2025 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks wing Landry Shamet has been diagnosed with a sprained right shoulder, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who reports that the veteran swingman will be reevaluated in four weeks.

Shamet suffered the injury on Saturday vs. Orlando. It’s the same shoulder that he dislocated during the 2024 preseason — that injury sidelined him for about two months.

Shamet, who is back with the Knicks this season on a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract, was off to a strong start this fall, with averages of 9.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 20.9 minutes per game through his first 15 outings. He had made six starts and was shooting 45.2% from the floor, including a career-best 42.4% on three-pointers.

While not having Shamet available for the next month is a blow to the Knicks’ rotation, the news could’ve been worse. If it were determined that the 28-year-old required surgery to address the injury, the rest of his season could’ve been at risk, but it sounds like he’ll be on a non-surgical treatment plan. He has already begun rehab work, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.

With Shamet sidelined, the Knicks figure to lean more heavily on guards Miles McBride, Jordan Clarkson, and Tyler Kolek. Kolek logged a season-high 17 minutes on Monday vs. Brooklyn with Shamet inactive.

New York has an open spot on its 15-man roster, but doesn’t currently have enough breathing room below its second-apron hard cap to sign a free agent to fill that opening.

Sixers’ Watford Out At Least Two Weeks With Adductor Strain

November 26th, 2025 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

An MRI has confirmed that Sixers forward Trendon Watford, who exited Tuesday’s loss to Orlando early, has a left adductor strain, the team announced today (Twitter link via Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice).

Watford will be reevaluated in two weeks, which means he’ll miss at least Philadelphia’s next six games, starting with Friday’s contest in Brooklyn.

It will be the second injury absence this fall for Watford, who was also inactive for the first three games of the season due to a hamstring issue. Since making his 76ers debut, the 25-year-old has appeared in 14 consecutive games, making four starts and averaging 20.3 minutes per night as a regular part of the club’s rotation.

Watford, who signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract over the summer, has been a productive role player for Philadelphia in the early going, averaging 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game and posting an excellent .534/.389/.800 shooting line. Philadelphia has a +1.9 net rating during his 286 minutes of action and a -3.8 mark in the 540 minutes he hasn’t played.

Forwards Jabari Walker and Paul George (if he’s healthy) are the top candidates to take the minutes that Watford won’t play during the next couple weeks. George was out for Tuesday’s game due to a right ankle sprain, but practiced on Wednesday, per Aaronson (Twitter link), as did rookie guard VJ Edgecombe, who has missed the past two games due to left calf tightness.

Center Joel Embiid, out since November 8 due to right knee soreness, didn’t practice on Wednesday but did some individual strength and conditioning work, Aaronson adds.

Anthony Davis On Track To Return Friday Or Saturday

November 26th, 2025 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Injured Mavericks big man Anthony Davis took part in Wednesday’s practice and is expected to be listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Lakers, tweets Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News.

After having the next two nights off, Dallas will play a back-to-back set in Los Angeles against the Lakers on Friday and the Clippers on Saturday. Davis won’t be cleared to play both of those games after being sidelined since October 29 due to a left calf strain, so the plan is for the team to see how he feels on Thursday and then make a decision on whether he’ll play Friday or Saturday.

Asked which game he’d prefer to play in, Davis responded with a smile and made it clear he’d love to suit up against his former team.

“That’s a real question?” he said (Twitter video link via Curtis). “You know what game I want to play. But we’ll see. We’ll have a conversation and see what makes the most sense with the medical staff and the coaching staff.”

Having been affected by multiple injuries since the Lakers traded him to Dallas in February, Davis hasn’t had the chance yet to play at Crypto.com Arena as a member of Mavericks.

Davis had initially hoped to return much sooner from the calf strain that has now kept him out of action for the past 14 games, but Mavs governor Patrick Dumont reportedly got involved in the decision-making process and pushed for a cautious approach that would reduce the risk of the 32-year-old re-aggravating the injury or making it worse.

The Mavericks, who were 2-3 with Davis in the lineup, have lost 11 of their last 14 contests and now have the second-worst record in the Western Conference at 5-14. In addition to playing without Davis, Dallas has also been missing guards Kyrie Irving and Dante Exum due to long-term injuries and big man Dereck Lively II, who has been dealing with right foot and knee issues.

Clippers Granted Disabled Player Exception

November 26th, 2025 at 12:19pm CST by Luke Adams

November 26: The NBA has approved the Clippers’ request for a disabled player exception for Beal, Fischer reports (Twitter link).

November 21: The Clippers have applied for a disabled player exception in response to Bradley Beal‘s season-ending hip injury, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

An NBA team becomes eligible for a disabled player exception when one of its players sustains an injury that is considered more likely than not to sideline him through June 15 of that league year. That’s expected to be the case for Beal, who was diagnosed last week with a fracture in his hip.

A disabled player exception doesn’t grant the team an extra roster spot, but it generates some additional cap flexibility. The exception can be used to acquire a player on an expiring contract via trade or waiver claim, or to sign a free agent to a one-year deal.

The value of the disabled player exception is equivalent to either the non-taxpayer mid-level exception or half of the injured player’s salary, whichever is lesser. Since Beal’s cap hit is $5,354,000, well below the mid-level, the DPE would be worth $2,677,000.

The Clippers have used their full mid-level exception and don’t have their bi-annual exception available this season since they used it in 2024/25. That means a disabled player exception actually could come in handy for L.A., perhaps accommodating a free agent signing above the veteran’s minimum or a trade for a player on a near-minimum contract.

The problem for the Clippers is that they’re currently operating just $1.28MM away from their first-apron hard cap. A team can’t exceed its hard cap for any reason, so if the NBA awards them a DPE for Beal, the Clippers wouldn’t be able to use more than $1.28MM of it unless they shed salary elsewhere on the roster.

March 10 is the deadline to use a disabled player exception.

Thunder’s Kenrich Williams Cleared For Season Debut

November 26th, 2025 at 11:36am CST by Luke Adams

After missing the first 18 games of 2025/26, Thunder forward Kenrich Williams is no longer on the injury report and has been cleared to make his season debut on Wednesday vs. Minnesota, per Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (Twitter link).

Williams, who will turn 31 next Tuesday, underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee just before the start of training camp in late September. At the time, the Thunder announced that he’d be reevaluated in six-to-eight weeks. Just over eight weeks later, he’s set to return to action.

Williams has been in Oklahoma City for the past five seasons, and while his playing time has declined a little in the past couple years, he still made 69 appearances last season, averaging 6.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 16.4 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .483/.386/.718. The veteran wing also saw the floor in 16 of 23 contests during the Thunder’s championship run in the spring.

Besides being one of the team’s longest-tenured players, Williams is the second-oldest player on the Thunder roster and is a respected voice in the locker room.

“He’s a leader,” teammate Isaiah Hartenstein said (Twitter video link via Martinez). “You hear his voice through the game, throughout the practice. Just having him back is something really cool. He’s still been a force even when he wasn’t playing.”

While Williams will be active on Wednesday, the Thunder will still be missing multiple key members of their rotation. Jalen Williams (wrist surgery) has yet to make his season debut, and Aaron Wiggins (adductor strain) has been ruled out of a 10th consecutive game. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is also considered questionable to play due to an illness.

Health issues haven’t slowed down the Thunder so far this season. They enter Wednesday’s divisional showdown with the Timberwolves holding a league-best 17-1 record.

Scotto’s Latest: Ellis, Pacers, Sabonis, Morant, Wolves, More

November 26th, 2025 at 10:11am CST by Luke Adams

With Keegan Murray very unlikely to be traded this season due in part to the poison pill provision, the most coveted player on the Kings‘ roster might be guard Keon Ellis, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who says executives across the NBA have been surprised by Ellis’ limited role so far this fall.

Ellis started 28 of his 80 games last season and averaged 24.4 minutes per night. The 25-year-old contributed 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game, with a .489/.433/.849 shooting line, and the sub-.500 Kings had a +3.0 net rating during his time on the court. However, so far this fall, he’s averaging just 17.4 MPG.

According to Scotto, the Pacers have been one of several teams to convey interest in Ellis, having also targeted him in the past. Ellis is in the final year of his current contract and will become an unrestricted free agent in 2026 if he’s not signed to a new deal after he becomes extension-eligible in February.

As Scotto writes, the trade market for Kings veterans like Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan has been “relatively quiet” so far, despite a report suggesting the Clippers have some interest in DeRozan.

[RELATED: Bucks Keeping Eye On Zach LaVine]

Kings center Domantas Sabonis could make for an interesting trade chip, but he’s currently sidelined due to a knee injury and his production had slipped a little before he went down. According to Scotto, Sabonis has been disappointed by Sacramento’s declining win totals since their playoff season in 2022/23 and hasn’t always loved his usage under head coach Doug Christie.

Here’s more NBA chatter from Scotto:

The Grizzlies have consistently rebuffed trade inquiries on Ja Morant in recent weeks following a confrontation between the point guard and head coach Tuomas Iisalo, league sources tell HoopsHype. While a number of rival teams have been curious about a buy-low opportunity on Morant and will continue to monitor the situation, Memphis isn’t eager to kick-start a rebuild and recognizes that Morant wouldn’t command a significant return on the trade market at this point, Scotto explains.
The Timberwolves, who were among the teams to inquire on Morant, are keeping an eye out for opportunities to upgrade at point guard, per Scotto. Minnesota obviously has zero interest in moving Anthony Edwards in any deal and also considers rising forward Jaden McDaniels “close to untouchable,” sources tell HoopsHype.
The Celtics had hoped to pursue Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe in free agency, but he received a more lucrative offer from Brooklyn ($6.25MM for this season) than the minimum-salary offer he would’ve gotten from Boston, Scotto writes. Sharpe could be a player to watch if the Celtics and Nets get together for another trade this season — the C’s had been prepared to offer him a chance to compete for their starting center job, Scotto adds.

Bucks Keeping Eye On Zach LaVine

November 26th, 2025 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have conducted “background due diligence” on Kings guard Zach LaVine, among other potential trade targets, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Even after winning their past two games, the Kings are just 5-13 so far this season, so the expectation is that they’ll seriously consider the possibility of moving some of their veterans – most notably LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, but possibly Domantas Sabonis too – before February’s trade deadline.

The Bucks, meanwhile, are well positioned to take on some salary in a trade after dipping below the cap over the summer to sign Myles Turner. They’re currently operating about $11.5MM below the luxury tax line after having been a taxpayer for several years in a row.

Still, Scotto’s wording suggests LaVine is one of many possible trade targets the Bucks have considered, rather than a player they’re specifically targeting. LaVine’s $47.5MM salary would make it difficult for Milwaukee to accommodate him, given the team’s relative lack of expendable mid-sized contracts.

Kyle Kuzma ($22.4MM) is the Bucks’ most obvious trade chip in any deal for an impact player, and Scotto notes that the veteran forward has been a Kings target in the past, though it’s unclear if Sacramento’s new front office is as fond of him as Monte McNair‘s group was. Kuzma and Kings owner Vivek Ranadive are also both among the investors in Major League Volleyball, a new women’s professional sports venture, Scotto notes.

The Bucks would almost certainly have to give up at least two additional players along with Kuzma, including one more valuable role player – likely Bobby Portis ($13.4MM) – in order to match LaVine’s salary. That may not appeal to Milwaukee’s front office, which could end up focusing on trade targets who have slightly more manageable cap hits.

According to Scotto, the Bucks also monitored Boston guard Anfernee Simons during the offseason, as the Celtics and the Nets discussed multiple trade scenarios involving Simons that ultimately didn’t gain serious traction. Simons’ $27.7MM cap hit is a little more team-friendly, and he’s on an expiring contract, whereas LaVine holds a $49MM player option for next season, though Simons’ career scoring and shooting numbers have lagged behind LaVine’s.

So far this season, LaVine is averaging 20.5 points per game with a .498/.386/.893 shooting line through 16 starts (33.5 MPG), while Simons is scoring 14.4 PPG on .448/.411/.862 shooting in 17 outings off the bench (24.9 MPG). Neither player is considered a strong defender.

As Scotto reports, while the Celtics are prepared to pay a luxury tax bill this season if necessary, they wouldn’t mind trying to get out of tax territory if the right deal emerges. Given that Boston is still over the tax line by about $12MM, a deal involving Simons could be the most logical path to ducking the tax, but the club hasn’t shown any willingness to attach a first-round pick to move off of him, league sources tell HoopsHype.

Raptors’ RJ Barrett Ruled Out For One Week

November 26th, 2025 at 8:50am CST by Luke Adams

Raptors forward RJ Barrett, who injured his right knee during Sunday’s win over Brooklyn, underwent medical imaging that revealed no structural damage, the team confirmed today in a press release.

However, Barrett has been diagnosed with a sprain and will remain on the shelf for a few more games after sitting out on Monday vs. Cleveland. According to the Raptors, Barrett will be reevaluated in seven days, which suggests he’ll miss upcoming matchups with Indiana (Wednesday), Charlotte (Saturday), New York (Sunday), and Portland (next Tuesday).

Barrett sustained the injury in the third quarter on Sunday. He stole an inbounds pass and raced down the court for a two-handed breakaway dunk, but grimaced when he landed and checked out of the game shortly thereafter (video link via NBA.com).

Head coach Darko Rajakovic said on Monday that imaging on the injury looked “promising” and that Barrett would be considered day-to-day going forward, but it sounds like the team has decided to take a cautious approach with the 25-year-old’s recovery.

With or without Barrett, the Raptors have been one of the NBA’s hottest teams as of late. Their victory over Cleveland on Monday was their eighth in a row, improving their record on the season to 13-5, which is the second-best mark in the Eastern Conference. While Toronto has outscored opponents during Barrett’s minutes, the club has been even better when he’s on the bench — the Raptors have a +12.9 net rating in 338 minutes without Barrett on the floor this fall.

Second-year wing Ja’Kobe Walter took Barrett’s spot in the starting lineup on Monday and is the top candidate for increased playing time during the next week. Walter’s 24 minutes against the Cavaliers represented a season high.

Lakers Become Second Team To Secure Spot In NBA Cup Quarterfinals

November 26th, 2025 at 7:39am CST by Luke Adams

With their 135-118 win over the rival Clippers on Tuesday, the Lakers moved to 3-0 in NBA Cup group play and clinched their spot atop Western Conference Group B. They’re the second team to secure a place in the knockout round, joining the Raptors.

As Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group writes, the Lakers’ “big three” propelled the team to victory on Tuesday. Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James combined for an impressive 99 points, 24 rebounds, and 22 assists, with Doncic (43 points, 13 assists, nine rebounds) leading the way.

The Lakers have one more round-robin NBA Cup matchup this Friday, against Dallas, but the 1-2 Mavericks can’t catch them in the group standings, and neither can the 1-1 Grizzlies or 0-3 Pelicans. The Clippers dropped to 2-1 in NBA Cup group play as a result of Tuesday’s loss, which gave the Lakers the tiebreaker edge.

The Lakers would be assured of hosting their quarterfinal game if they defeat the Mavs on Friday.

The final NBA Cup group play contests will take place on Wednesday and Friday, with six quarterfinal spots still up for grabs — three in each conference. Here are a few details on the races for those spots:

The Thunder (2-0), Suns (2-0), and Timberwolves (2-1) are battling for Western Conference Group A, with Oklahoma City set to host the Wolves on Wednesday and the Suns on Friday. A win in Sacramento on Wednesday would put the Suns in good position to advance to the knockout round even if they fall to OKC on Friday.
The Trail Blazers are below .500 on the season but are in the driver’s seat in West Group C — they’re 2-1 in group play so far and can win the group with a victory over the Spurs (1-1) on Wednesday. If San Antonio wins that game, the Spurs would face the 2-1 Nuggets on Friday with the Group C crown on the line.
In the East, the Magic (3-0) and Pistons (2-0) are vying for control of Group B and will face each other on Friday. Detroit would win the group with a victory over Orlando, even if the Pistons drop Wednesday’s game to Boston.
In Eastern Conference Group C, the 2-0 Bucks and 1-1 Knicks are each looking to become the first team to make the NBA Cup knockout round in three straight seasons, but the 2-1 Heat are in the mix too. Milwaukee will visit Miami on Wednesday and New York on Friday, and there’s a chance that superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will be back for those games.

Nuggets Notes: Watson, Holmes, Hardaway Jr., Grade

November 25th, 2025 at 10:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Peyton Watson will be a restricted free agent after the season. The Nuggets wing’s best path to a large contract next offseason could be as a three-and-D player, Bennett Durando of the Denver Post writes.

Watson has been starting with Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun sidelined. His two highest-scoring games of his career have occurred in the past week — 32 points against New Orleans and 27 against Memphis — and he has made a handful of three-pointers in each of those contests, having been particularly adept at hitting corner threes.

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

DaRon Holmes, a 2024 first-round pick, has only appeared in two games but he was recently recalled by the NBA club. Coach David Adelman said it’s important to have roster players around their NBA teammates at times, even when they’re getting extended playing time in the G League, Durando tweets. “The guys that are down there, we have to get them back with us and then send them back,” he said. “They need to get back with the guys, keep a relationship with the coaching staff. If you leave guys down there too long, I think it’s unfair to them as a professional player. So we’ll do the best we can to rotate them through.”
Durando interviewed Tim Hardaway Jr.‘s college and high school coaches, weaving them into the narrative that Hardaway makes for an ideal role player. Hardaway is averaging 11.1 points per game off the bench after signing a one-year, minimum-salary contract as a free agent.
In his latest mailbag, Durando ranks the top five passes by Nikola Jokic that he’s seen. He also grades the Nuggets at the quarter mark of the season, giving them an A-minus. The only reason he didn’t give them an A is that they lost two home games to inferior opponents.