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DeRozan, LaVine Discuss ‘Frustrations’ After Latest Loss

November 21st, 2025 at 9:19pm CST by Rory Maher

The Kings entered Thursday’s contest at Memphis on a seven-game losing streak, but there were reasons to believe the outcome might be different against the slumping Grizzlies, per Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee. The Kings had Keegan Murray making his season debut; Memphis was just the second team Sacramento has faced this season that had a losing record; and the Grizzlies were without Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.

Instead, the Kings were humiliated on Thursday, extending their skid to eight games after being blown out by 41 points. All eight losses have come by double digits.

Veteran wing DeMar DeRozan attempted just three field goals and scored seven points yesterday, Biderman notes. The six-time All-Star is averaging 17.9 points per game, his lowest total in 13 seasons.

“In a s—ty place,” DeRozan said when asked about where his team is emotionally. “Don’t nobody want to lose the way we’ve been losing. I think it’s just everything right now for us is just s—ty, honestly. Sometimes when you’re in the deep end, it’s hard to hear anything. You’re just trying to swim your way out, one way or another.”

According to Biderman, DeRozan expressed uncertainty about his future with the Kings after their latest defeat. The 36-year-old is earning $24.6MM this season, but his $25.7MM salary for 2026/27 is only partially guaranteed (for $10MM).

“I’m pretty sure everything comes into question when you’re in the situation like we’re in now,” DeRozan said. “That’s another thing that’s frustrating. That’s another thing. Only time will tell. We’ll see.”

As Biderman writes, DeRozan isn’t the only highly-paid scorer on the roster who is unhappy with the team’s performance this season. Zach LaVine had a hot start to the season, averaging 29.5 points over his first five games, but had cooled off lately prior to putting up 26 points on Thursday. The two-time All-Star said the Kings are still trying to discover how to play together, but he knows he has to be aggressive to be successful.

“I’m not my best self when I take eight to 10 shots,” said LaVine, who attempted seven and 10 shots in the two games leading up to Thursday. “I can be as efficient as you want me to be. But if I’m taking eight shots, it’s like, what are we doing? So today I just tried to be a little more aggressive, try to find spots, my teammates (were trying) to find me, which was great.

“But obviously it didn’t result in anything like a win. I’d love to go 4-for-8 and we win. I scored a lot of points in my career. We’re just trying to get a win right now. Gotta go sit on this flight. Got a day tomorrow. Got a game Saturday. Come Saturday, gotta figure it out.

“Only time will tell. It’s hard to say right now. A lot of frustrations from a lot of angles. Still a lot of season left, still a lot that’s in front of us. We gotta fight for something.”

LaVine only played two combined minutes over the previous two fourth quarters heading into Thursday’s game, and both of those losses were within striking distance entering the final period. According to Biderman, the 30-year-old acknowledged he didn’t like being benched, but he recognizes head coach Doug Christie might need to shake things up to get different results.

“I’ll always be a team guy,” LaVine said. “(But) personally, I don’t like it. I’ve never not played in the fourth. But when you’re trying to find a win you do whatever you can, I guess.”

Blazers Announce Injury Updates On Henderson, Holiday

November 21st, 2025 at 7:49pm CST by Rory Maher

While third-year guard Scoot Henderson has made progress in his recovery from a torn left hamstring, he will be sidelined for at least two-to-four more weeks, which is when he’ll be reevaluated, the Trail Blazers announced in a press release.

The update on the former No. 3 overall pick was expected, as Henderson recently told Jason Quick of The Athletic that his return wasn’t imminent and his return to basketball activities was considered “week to week.” The 21-year-old point guard initially sustained the injury in late September during a workout before training camp.

Veteran guard Jrue Holiday, who was initially questionable for Friday’s contest at Golden State prior to being ruled out for his fourth straight game (Twitter link), will miss at least one more week with a right calf strain. According to the Blazers, the two-time All-Star will be checked out again in one-to-two weeks.

Holiday, a six-time All-Defensive member, was off to a solid start in his first season with Portland prior to the injury, averaging 16.7 points, 8.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals on .446/.365/.840 shooting in 12 games (33.4 minutes per contest).

While the press release doesn’t say anything about shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe, he will missed Friday’s game as well. It will be the high-flying Canadian’s second consecutive absence. Sharpe is, at least for now, considered day-to-day, writes Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link).

The Trail Blazers have been hit hard by backcourt injuries this fall. Henderson has yet to play in 2025/26; Blake Wesley is expected to miss extended time after undergoing foot surgery earlier this month; Matisse Thybulle is three weeks removed from thumb surgery which was expected to sideline him for four-to-six weeks; and Damian Lillard is out for the season with a torn Achilles, though the front office knew that when it re-signed Portland’s all-time leading scorer.

After a 5-3 start, the Blazers have dropped six of their past seven games and are currently 6-9.

“It’s just part of the game,” acting head coach Tiago Splitter said earlier this week, per Highkin. “We’ve got to adapt a little bit, and we will. Find ways to win basketball games just like everybody else. You’ve seen all the guys that are out lately [around the NBA], and the teams that adapt better to those situations are the teams that do well. So that’s what we’ve got to do.”

Highkin takes a look at some options the team might consider in the wake of all the guard injuries, including applying for a hardship exception. It’s unclear if the Blazers would be granted the exception, Highkin notes, as it will depend on how much more time Thybulle is expected to miss.

Pistons’ Jaden Ivey Could Make Season Debut Saturday

November 21st, 2025 at 6:21pm CST by Rory Maher

Pistons guard Jaden Ivey has been listed as questionable for Saturday’s game in Milwaukee, tweets Hunter Patterson of The Athletic.

Ivey’s injury designation is “return to competition reconditioning,” which suggests he’s fully recovered from the right knee discomfort he experienced during the preseason. The former No. 5 overall pick underwent arthroscopic surgery on October 16 to address that knee pain.

As Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press notes (via Twitter), this is the first time Ivey has not been ruled out before a game this season.

Ivey, who will be a restricted free agent next summer, resumed on-court work last week and was assigned to the team’s G League affiliate (the Motor City Cruise) a few days ago with the goal of ramping up his conditioning.

The former Purdue star hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since New Year’s Day, when he suffered a fractured left fibula. He recovered from that injury over the offseason, then experienced the right knee issue — which the team said was unrelated to his broken left leg — this fall.

In 30 appearances last season, Ivey averaged 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 29.9 minutes per contest, posting a shooting slash line of .460/.409/.733. The 40.9% mark from long distance was a career-best percentage by a significant margin.

Despite multiple key rotation players missing time early on this season, the Pistons have had a terrific start to the 2025/26 campaign. They’ve won 11 straight games and hold the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a 13-2 record.

Veteran forward Tobias Harris, who has missed the past nine games with a high right ankle sprain, is also questionable for tomorrow’s matchup at the Bucks.

Hornets’ Brandon Miller To Return Saturday

November 21st, 2025 at 4:56pm CST by Rory Maher

Former No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller, who has missed the past 13 games (and most of a 14th) with a partially dislocated left shoulder, is not on the Hornets‘ injury report (Twitter link) ahead of Saturday’s contest against the Clippers, which means he has been cleared to return to action.

Miller sustained a left shoulder subluxation in the second quarter of Charlotte’s second game of the season after a solid opener in which he recorded 25 points and seven assists. he made 74 appearances as a rookie, but was limited to just 27 games last season due a right wrist injury, which required surgery.

Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reported that the injury occurred when Miller slipped while trying to fight through a screen. The guard/forward resumed basketball activities on Monday and practiced with the Hornets’ G League club, the Greensboro Swarm.

Miller, who turns 23 years old on Saturday, holds career averages of 18.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists on .428/.364/.832 shooting splits over 103 NBA appearances (32.5 minutes per game). He’s considered an important part of Charlotte’s core and will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the 2026 offseason.

Fifth-year guard Tre Mann, who has gotten off to a slow start this fall, exited Monday’s game with left ankle soreness and then missed Wednesday’s loss in Indiana. Mann is questionable to suit up tomorrow, per the Hornets.

After a 2-1 start, the Hornets have dropped 10 of their past 12 games. They’re currently 4-11, the No. 12 seed in the East.

Lakers Reportedly Plan To Sign Drew Timme To Two-Way Deal

November 21st, 2025 at 3:34pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers plan to sign free agent big man Drew Timme to a two-way contract, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link).

Los Angeles’ three two-way spots are currently occupied by Nick Smith Jr., Christian Koloko and Chris Manon. Siegel hears Smith won’t be the odd man out, so either Koloko or Manon will be released to make roster space for Timme.

Timme, who had a decorated college career at Gonzaga, went undrafted in 2023 and spent most of his first two post-college seasons in the G League. The Nets signed him to a two-year standard contract in late March after a strong 2024/25 regular season with Brooklyn’s affiliate team in Long Island.

The Nets picked up their $1,955,377 option on Timme in late June, but his salary was fully non-guaranteed, and they wound up waiving him during the preseason. The 25-year-old forward/center averaged 12.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in nine appearances (28.2 minutes per game) with Brooklyn down the stretch last season. His shooting line was .441/.257/.625.

Timme, who put up big numbers for the Nets in Summer League (25.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.7 APG and 1.0 SPG in three games), has been playing for the NBAGL’s South Bay Lakers to open 2025/26. In four Tip-Off Tournament games (34.1 MPG) this fall, he has averaged 28.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 4.5 APG and 1.5 SPG on .481/.240/.762 shooting.

Manon, an undrafted rookie out of Vanderbilt, has made two garbage-time appearances with the Lakers this fall. The 23-year-old wing has been highly productive in four games (33.4 MPG) with South Bay, averaging 18.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.5 APG on .458/.500/.789 shooting. He currently leads the G League in steals per game (3.5) and is tied for fourth in blocks per game (2.8).

Koloko, a third-year center, has also made a pair of garbage-time appearances with L.A. this season after getting into 37 games in 2024/25. He averaged 2.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 9.2 MPG last season for Los Angeles.

Pacific Notes: Kuminga, Lakers, Gillespie, Clippers

November 21st, 2025 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

With the Warriors off to an up-and-down start and sitting over .500 by a single game, there’s a growing expectation “in various corners of the league” that forward Jonathan Kuminga will be on the move prior to the February 5 trade deadline, Marc Stein writes for his Substack (subscription required).

While a veteran executive who spoke to Stein referred to Kuminga’s two-year, $46.8MM contract (which includes a second-year team option) as “one of the best trade chips in the league,” sources who talked to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps about Kuminga aren’t convinced that Golden State will be able to find a trade partner that covets the 23-year-old and is willing to send the Warriors the sort of value they’ll be seeking for the former No. 7 overall pick.

“Who is going to take him?” one Eastern Conference scout said. “And are they going to move him for stuff they don’t want, or just wait? It’s very hard to find a trade that makes sense for everyone.”

That same scout suggested that Kuminga, who is currently sidelined due to knee soreness, hasn’t done a whole lot so far this season to boost his trade value.

“He is who he is, even though he’s on the younger side,” the scout said. “He has looked better, and has been trying to fit in, but he still falls back into his old habits.”

We have more from around the Pacific Division:

A pair of Los Angeles Dodgers executives – Farhan Zaidi and Andrew Friedman – are serving as advisors with the Lakers during the transition from the Buss family to new owner Mark Walter, sources tell Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. As Shelburne explains, Zaidi and Friedman are functioning as senior executives with TWG Sports, the entity Walter created to oversee his sports holdings. Zaidi has been Walter’s representative during the transition process, according to Shelburne, while Friedman has consulted with general manager Rob Pelinka.
Back with the Suns after signing a one-year, minimum-salary contract over the summer, point guard Collin Gillespie is enjoying his expanded role in Phoenix. Gillespie, one of the team’s top reserves, is averaging 10.5 points and 5.1 assists in 24.3 minutes per game off the bench as he makes a case to stick with the Suns beyond this season. “I would like to be here long-term,” he said (Twitter video link via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). “It’s 15 games into the season. There’s a ton of time. I’m not even worried about that or focused on that right now. Just play the year out. Hopefully have a really good year. Win a lot of games and then focus on it after the season, but I would like to be here long-term.”
Law Murray of The Athletic takes a look at some of the issues plaguing the 4-11 Clippers, including an inability to keep up with faster-paced offenses, poor point-of-attack defense, losing the rebounding and possession battles, and – in the words of head coach Tyronn Lue – a lack of “point-of-attack offensive guys that can create their own shots.”

Hornets’ Ball, Lee Address LaMelo Trade Rumors

November 21st, 2025 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

After a report on Thursday indicated that LaMelo Ball would be open to a trade out of Charlotte, the Hornets point guard responded on social media by posting a clown emoji. During a media session on Friday, Ball expanded on his reaction, telling reporters that he “loves being here” and explaining why he felt the need to respond to the trade rumor, as Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer relays.

“It didn’t come from me,” Ball said. “The source wasn’t me, so it’s false info. Got to let them know. I really don’t like commenting on stuff, but it got too big. … It was (spreading) so much, they were making headlines. Bleacher Report and this and that. So I didn’t want it to keep going on.”

Head coach Charles Lee was pleased to hear his star point guard publicly affirm his commitment to Charlotte.

“I’m glad to hear what he had to say because I would echo a lot of same things,” Lee said, per Boone. “Our relationship, our ability to have communication between myself, Melo and (president of basketball operations) Jeff (Peterson), it’s really hot. And I think that he’s always communicated to us. He wants to build this thing with us. He understands what it’s going to take to try to win and who we need in the building and stuff. So I think that he is just committed to Charlotte. He’s talked about how much he loves the city and the fans and that’s all I ever hear and that’s all.”

Since Ball arrived in Charlotte in 2020, the team hasn’t made the playoffs and has posted just one winning season (43-39 in 2021/22). The Hornets are coming off a 19-63 performance, their worst in two decades, and are off to a slow start this fall, with four wins in their first 15 games.

Ball’s injury history has played a part in Charlotte’s struggles. Plagued by ankle injuries, among other health issues, he has appeared in 36, 22, and 47 regular season games during the past three years and has missed six contests this month. However, he has played at an All-Star level when healthy, and the Hornets have actually been pretty solid when he’s on the court in 2025/26, with a +4.2 net rating in 282 minutes.

It’s enough for Ball to insist he still believes in the Hornets’ ability to turn things around.

“We are in some downs right now, but we are definitely going to go up,” he said on Friday. “I’m still confident in this whole group and everybody here.”

Chris DeMarco Leaving Warriors For WNBA’s Liberty

November 21st, 2025 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The New York Liberty of the WNBA are hiring Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco as their new head coach, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (story via Alexa Philippou of ESPN.com).

DeMarco, who is also the current coach of the Bahamian men’s national team, had been with the Warriors since 2012, prior to Steve Kerr‘s arrival in 2014. Initially a member of Mark Jackson‘s staff, DeMarco has had a variety of roles since being hired by Golden State, working in the video room, as a scout, in player development positions, and as an assistant coach.

As Anthony Slater of ESPN tweets, DeMarco was a front-of-bench assistant this season and had a major hand in the Warriors’ defensive game-planning. He worked closely with Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole during their time with the team, per Philippou.

DeMarco was one of two current NBA assistants in the running for the Liberty job, along with Jama Mahlalela of the Raptors. Former Nets assistant Will Weaver was also among the finalists for the position, as was current Phoenix Mercury associate head coach Kristi Toliver, who was previously an assistant coach with the Wizards and Mavericks.

It’s unclear whether DeMarco will leave the Warriors immediately, given that WNBA training camps don’t open until April.

Bontemps’ Latest: Davis, Morant, Markkanen, Kings, Nets, More

November 21st, 2025 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

If the Mavericks decide to move Anthony Davis prior to the trade deadline, the expectation is that the return would resemble what Phoenix got for Kevin Durant rather than a haul that features several first-round picks, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. In other words, Dallas probably shouldn’t count on getting more than a couple solid players and a single first-rounder.

Although many of the sources who spoke to Bontemps had trouble coming up with many suitors who would make sense for Davis, a few of those sources speculated about whether the Bulls might make a play for the Chicago native.

“I could see it,” one Western Conference executive told ESPN. “(Josh) Giddey has worked well with (Nikola) Vucevic, but he could use a roll man to throw it up to.”

Bontemps’ sources put Ja Morant in a similar boat as Davis, predicting that the Grizzlies will explore the trade market for the point guard but will have trouble finding a package they like.

According to Bontemps, people around the NBA are also keeping a close eye on Lauri Markkanen, who is having a bounce-back season with the Jazz on the heels of a down year in 2024/25. After averaging 19.0 points per game on .423/.346/.876 shooting in 47 games last season, Markkanen has put up 30.6 PPG on .485/.385/.885 shooting through 14 outings this fall, so he’d have more trade value now — if Utah is open to dealing him.

“He’s putting up monster numbers,” a West executive said. “They’re running everything through him. If he goes to a place that he’s an additive piece … you have to have the right team around him to go after him.”

Here are a few more highlights from Bontemps’ look at all 30 NBA teams:

Scouts around the league are speculating about Doug Christie‘s job security in Sacramento and are waiting to see if the Kings begin looking to trade veterans like Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and/or Zach LaVine. “They’re a disaster,” an Eastern Conference scout told Bontemps. “They’re going nowhere fast. They just have to put a rock on the accelerator and keep going into the tank … they’re expensive, bad and aging.”
Multiple executives who spoke to ESPN believe the Nets have the least talented roster in the NBA. Brooklyn is off to a 2-12 start, with its only victories coming against fellow bottom-feeders Washington and Indiana.
There’s skepticism about whether 2024 lottery pick Rob Dillingham can become the Timberwolves‘ point guard of the future, Bontemps writes. Dillingham is still just 20 years old but is off to a slow start in his second season, having shot just 37.3% from the floor, including 20.0% on three-pointers. “I’m not sure that’s ever going to work,” one scout said. “Maybe things come around, but it’s hard to see it.”
According to Bontemps, there was “virtually no talk” during the preseason about a possible rookie scale extension for Jalen Duren, with the Pistons and the big man believed to be far apart on a potential deal. Duren, who turned 22 on Tuesday, has taken a significant step forward in the early going this season, with averages of 20.6 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, and appears to be in line for a significant payday next summer.
Scouts have been impressed by the work first-year head coach Jordan Ott has done with the Suns, who are outperforming expectations so far with a 9-6 record and could be a playoff contender. “They’ve been way better than I thought,” a Western Conference scout said. “They’ve got enough pieces around Devin (Booker) where they’ll win the games they should win. (Ott) has them playing the right way and competing.”

Clippers Apply For Disabled Player Exception

November 21st, 2025 at 11:53am CST by Luke Adams

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.

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