Portland Trail Blazers Rumors

Northwest Notes: Kessler, Lillard, Thunder Collapses, Thunder Defense

November 25th, 2025 at 5:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Jazz lost Walker Kessler to a season-ending shoulder injury at the end of last month. It has greatly affected their defense, as Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune details. Jusuf Nurkic has been thrust into the starting center role and while he’s a prolific rebounder, he’s a subpar defender. Kevin Love, 37, has been thrust into the role of primary backup and the only other option is to move true power forwards into that spot.

Utah has allowed 130 or more points in six of its last nine games.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

The Trail Blazers defeated Milwaukee on Monday after losing seven of their previous nine games. Damian Lillard, rehabbing this season from his Achilles injury he suffered during last season’s playoffs, has been dispensing advice to his younger teammates during the rough patch, Jason Quick of The Athletic writes. “I told these dudes: this is the time when you find your true identity,” Lillard said. “It’s not when you win a couple games and everything feels good. It’s in the moments when it would be easy to walk away — like now, we have some injuries, a rough patch, a tough schedule — but this is the time when you make a decision to march forward and up.”
The Timberwolves have put together back-to-back, late-game collapses. After surrendering a nine-point lead with 50 seconds to play in Phoenix on Saturday, they gave away a 10-point lead in the final three minutes of regulation during a 117-112 overtime loss to the Kings on Monday. This has set off alarm bells amongst the team and its fans and The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski examines some possible causes to their crunch time woes. “Hopefully we learn,” center Rudy Gobert said. “We still have an amazing opportunity ahead of us, but we have to decide who we want to be.”
How good has the Thunder’s defense been this season? The Athletic’s Fred Katz (Twitter link) notes that they are allowing 7.5 fewer points per 100 possessions than the second-ranked Mavericks are. That’s the same difference as the gap between Dallas and the No. 22 ranked Bulls in that category.

Key Dates For Teams Up Against Hard Cap, Tax Line

November 25th, 2025 at 8:04am CST by Luke Adams

There are currently five NBA teams who have an open spot on their respective 15-man rosters and don’t have the ability to sign a free agent to fill that opening because of their proximity to a first- or second-apron hard cap.

For instance, after hard-capping themselves at the first apron in the offseason, the Lakers are operating just $1,124,195 below that threshold. A prorated minimum salary for a veteran signed today would count against the cap for $1,834,380 and wouldn’t fit under Los Angeles’ hard cap. But as of January 18, that figure would drop to $1,121,743, just low enough for the Lakers to accommodate it.

Here are the dates as of which those five teams who have 14-man rosters and are right up against a hard cap could first sign a player:

January 7: Los Angeles Clippers
January 8: Houston Rockets
January 9: Orlando Magic
January 18: Los Angeles Lakers
April 2: New York Knicks

The Warriors were also on this list when the season began, but they now have enough room below their hard cap to sign a 15th man — every day they put off doing so creates a little more flexibility below that threshold, which could come in handy later in the season.

Those teams aren’t the only ones worth keeping an eye on due to their cap limitations though. The Mavericks, for example, have a full 15-man roster, but could be looking to make a change after ruling out Dante Exum for the season due to a knee injury. That wouldn’t be possible right now though, since Dallas is just $1,292,084 away from a second-apron hard cap. The Mavs won’t be able to add a new 15th man in place of Exum until January 6, at which point a prorated minimum deal would carry a cap charge of $1,280,107.

There are also a handful of teams operating just under the luxury tax line who wouldn’t have the ability to sign a free agent to a minimum-salary contract without surpassing that threshold. The tax line isn’t a hard cap, so there’s nothing stopping a club from surpassing it today and then trying to duck below it later in the season. But that comes with some risk, since getting below the tax typically requires the cooperation of a trade partner.

Here are the teams currently unable to sign a veteran free agent without going into the tax, along with the dates when that will change:

December 13: Miami Heat
December 19: Portland Trail Blazers
January 26: Oklahoma City Thunder

The Trail Blazers and Thunder currently have full 15-man rosters, and there’s no indication that either team wants to make a roster move. The Heat, on the other hand, have an open roster spot, so they’re worth keeping a closer eye on starting in mid-December.

It’s worth noting that all of these dates apply to free agent signings only. If a team were to sign a player whose draft rights it held to a rookie minimum contract, the cap hit would be significantly lower, so it could happen sooner. But few teams have that sort of draft-rights player waiting in the wings to join the roster during the season.

We should also mention that the dates above only apply to one-year, minimum-salary contracts. If a team wants to bring in a player on a multiyear minimum deal, the first-year cap hit is generally higher, so it would have to happen later in the season.

Finally, these dates are all contingent on the team’s current cap situation, so they’re subject to change if a club makes a trade, completes a buyout, or makes a 10-day signing that changes its position relative to the tax line or aprons.

Chauncey Billups Pleads Not Guilty, Released On $5MM Bond

November 24th, 2025 at 1:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Trail Blazers coach and Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges that he participated in and profited from rigged poker games, Philip Marcelo of The Associated Press reports. Billups was released on a $5MM bond secured by his family’s Colorado home.

Per his bond agreement, Billups must refrain from gambling and can have no contact with other defendants or alleged victims. He has surrendered his passport and can only travel to seven states, including Oregon and New York. Billups and his co-defendants, including ex-NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones, appeared for a status conference on Monday and are due back in court on March 4.

The judge told all the attorneys at today’s proceedings that his intention is to expedite the process and start the trial by September of 2026, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN tweets.

Billups was placed on unpaid leave by the NBA after his arrest in late October, shortly after the team’s opening game. His arrest and the timeline of the case essentially assures that he won’t return to coaching for at least the remainder of this season. Tiago Splitter has been serving as the team’s interim coach in Billups’ absence.

Prosecutors said Monday that plea negotiations have begun with some defendants, according to Marcelo. Billups’ lawyer, Marc Mukasey, entered his client’s not guilty plea. They declined to comment to the media afterward.

According to prosecutors, the poker games in which Billups was alleged involved with defrauded victims of an estimated $7MM.

The arrests of Billups, Jones and Heat guard Terry Rozier, who was charged by the federal goverment with illegal activities regarding prop bets, shook up the league and the sports world just after the season began. The NBA, in response, is seeking to tighten controls regarding wagering on its games.

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.

Scoot Henderson’s Return Not Imminent

November 19th, 2025 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

It has been nearly eight weeks since the Trail Blazers announced that point guard Scoot Henderson had torn his left hamstring in a workout and would miss the start of the 2025/26 season.

At the time, the team said Henderson was expected to resume basketball activities in about four-to-eight weeks. However, while the former No. 3 overall pick tells Jason Quick of The Athletic that he has “made a lot of progress” in his recovery, his return to the court isn’t imminent and he says his resumption of basketball activities remains “week to week.”

According to Henderson, he’s scheduled to meet this week with the team’s director of health and performance, Dr. Courtney Watson, who will determine next steps. So far, the third-year guard’s activities have been limited to some stationary shooting and dribbling and upper-body weight lifting.

“I can walk around to spots, but no jumping, no exploding,” Henderson explained to Quick. “I shoot free throws, some ball-handling, but without moving much.”

As Quick points out, Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin told reporters on media day in September that Henderson’s timeline for resuming basketball activities could extend to 10 weeks or even beyond that, since hamstring injuries can be “stubborn” and tricky to handle. For his part, Henderson is optimistic that once he’s cleared for full basketball activities, he won’t require an extended ramp-up period before he’s cleared to play in games.

“I feel like I will be good,” Henderson told The Athletic. “I feel like I’ve always been good like that (coming off injury). I’m sure I will be tired, because you can’t compare basketball activity with anything else, so for a few games I will feel it.”

The struggling Trail Blazers, who have lost five of their last six games to fall to 6-8 on the season, could use Henderson back in their lineup. In addition to missing Damian Lillard, who is out for the season with a torn Achilles, Portland is currently without Blake Wesley (out since Oct. 31 due to foot surgery) and Jrue Holiday (out the past two games due to right calf soreness), leaving the team thin at point guard.

Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija have taken on increased ball-handling responsibilities during the past two games with Holiday out, while rookie two-way player Caleb Love has also entered the rotation. Love had a career-high 17 points in 32 minutes in Tuesday’s loss to Phoenix.

Western Notes: LeBron, Vincent, Draymond, Kuminga, Holiday, More

November 18th, 2025 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

After participating in this morning’s shootaround, Gabe Vincent (left ankle sprain) has been upgraded to available for the first time since October 26, while LeBron James (sciatica) is being considered a game-time decision when the Lakers host the Jazz on Tuesday night, tweets Dan Woike of The Athletic.

James, who practiced with the Lakers on Monday, said his lungs felt “like a newborn baby” and that he was still working on getting his conditioning and his voice back to normal, writes Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group.

“I got to get my lungs back up to a grown man,” James said. “My voice is already gone. One day back, barking out calls and assignments and stuff, getting my voice working again. Be a lot of tea and rest (on Monday night).”

James’ record-setting 23rd NBA season has been delayed by sciatica on his right side, which forced him to miss the start of a season for the first time in his career. The 40-year-old told reporters, including Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times, that he also dealt with sciatica two years ago, referring to it as “not fun.”

“If you ever had it, you go about it and you wake up one day and you hope that when you step down from the bed that you don’t feel it,” LeBron said. “You go to bed at night, and you hope that when you’re in the bed that you don’t feel it. So I’ve been doing pretty good with it as of late. There’s a lot of exercises and a lot of mobility things and a lot of things you can do to help it. So I’m just keeping a positive mindset.”

James will go through his normal pregame routine in the hopes of playing on Tuesday, per Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter video link).

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Warriors forward Draymond Green wasn’t fined for his face-to-face altercation with a fan who was heckling him in New Orleans on Sunday (Twitter video link), but the NBA did issue a warning over the incident, a source tells Charania (Twitter link). “He just kept calling me a woman,” Green said of the fan after the game, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic. “It was a good joke at first but you can’t keep calling me a woman. I got four kids, one on the way; you can’t keep calling me a woman. He got quiet, though. So, it was fine.” The fan told The Associated Press that he was chanting “Angel Reese” at Green after the Warriors veteran rebounded several of his own missed shots.
Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (bilateral patellar tendonitis) will miss a third consecutive game on Tuesday when the team faces the Magic in Orlando, tweets Anthony Slater of ESPN. Reporting last week indicated that there are no structural concerns with Kuminga’s knees and that the forward’s absence should be “relatively short-term.”
Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday missed Sunday’s game – a loss to Dallas – and is listed as doubtful to play on Tuesday vs. Phoenix due to right calf soreness (Twitter link). As Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report (subscription required) writes, Holiday’s absence on Sunday was especially impactful because so many of Portland’s other point guards are sidelined due to injuries too. “Jrue is our core,” Blazers forward Deni Avdija said. “I feel like he does everything on the floor. He puts us in our positions. He’s a real true point guard and a leader. When he’s out of the game, it’s definitely felt.”
Jahmai Mashack‘s new two-way contract with the Grizzlies is for two years, while Jamaree Bouyea‘s two-way deal with the Suns is for the rest of the season, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Bouyea was ineligible for a two-year contract because this will be his fourth season in the NBA.

Trail Blazers Hold Players-Only Meeting

November 15th, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Trail Blazers held a players-only meeting after losing by 24 points Friday night in Houston, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. It was their first lopsided defeat of the season, and they want to make sure things don’t get out of control. “Sometimes, we’ve got to talk with each other,” Deni Avdija said. “We’re like family here. And families have to say what’s on their mind.”

Lakers Among Several Teams Ordered To Turn Over Cell Phones In Gambling Probe

November 15th, 2025 at 6:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

As part of its investigation into illegal gambling, the NBA has asked several teams, including the Lakers, to turn over documents and other items, six league sources tell Joe Vardon, Mike Vorkunov and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Prodded by Congress, the league is conducting a probe related to the federal charges brought last month against Heat guard Terry Rozier, Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former player Damon Jones, who previously served as LeBron James‘ shooting coach and had access to inside information on the Lakers.

The investigation is being handled by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which has been contacting teams for access to cell phones, according to the authors. League sources tell them that Lakers assistant trainer Mike Mancias and executive administrator Randy Mims are already cooperating with the investigation and voluntarily turned over their phones.

Vardon, Vorkunov and Amick point out that Mancias has served as James’ personal trainer for the past two decades and Mims has been James’ close friend since high school. Their connections to Jones are expected to be further explored as part of the investigation.

“The NBA engaged an independent law firm to investigate the allegations in the indictment once it was made public,” a league spokesman told The Athletic. “As is standard in these kinds of investigations, a number of different individuals and organizations were asked to preserve documents and records. Everyone has been fully cooperative.”

The authors point out that James, Mancias and Mims haven’t been charged with anything and haven’t been directly named in any charging document. However, their relationship with Jones could be significant, as he’s being accused of selling private injury information to gamblers regarding two Lakers players.

Jones entered a not guilty plea at a federal courthouse in Brooklyn on November 6. The government is accusing him of twice selling information to bettors regarding the injury status of two Lakers stars. The case alleges that Jones found out on the morning of February 9, 2023, that “Player 3” wouldn’t be active that night against Milwaukee and relayed that information to another person, whom he told to place a “big bet” on the Bucks. The authors note that James didn’t play that night.

A similar incident took place for a January 15, 2024, game against Oklahoma City, according to the government’s case.

League sources also tell Vardon, Vorkunov and Amick that at least two executives with teams mentioned in the charges against Jones and Rozier received notice from the league about an expanding investigation.

The authors state that the government also alleges that a “regularly starting player” with the Magic told a gambler that the team planned to rest its starters during an April 2023 game against Cleveland, and that information was sold to other bettors. A league source tells the authors that Orlando officials haven’t been contacted by the Department of Justice and the player in question is no longer with the team.

Illegal bets were placed against Portland with information supplied to gamblers by a coach matching Billups’ description, according to the government, but Billups has only been charged with participating in illegal poker games.

Sources tell the authors that the NBA is in the process of adopting stricter rules for teams to follow in reporting the status of injured players.

Northwest Notes: McDaniels, Bailey, Valanciunas, Blazers

November 14th, 2025 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels has been a perennial All-Defensive candidate in recent years, but didn’t command significant attention from opposing defenses. Entering this season, McDaniels had never averaged more than 12.2 points per game in a season or had a usage rate higher than 16.3%.

Early in his sixth NBA season, however, the 25-year-old is showing signs of developing into a legitimate two-way threat, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Through 11 games, McDaniels is averaging 18.4 points per game on a scorching hot .550/.538/.844 shooting line, with a 21.3% usage rate. While those shooting percentages probably aren’t sustainable, McDaniels has looked more comfortable handling the ball, getting to the rim, and creating shots for both himself and teammates, according to Krawczynski.

“We’re going to keep giving him the ball, putting the ball in his hands,” teammate Anthony Edwards said. “He can play with the ball in his hands; he’s just got to make the right play. If he makes the right play, we can be 10 times better, you know? Because he’s a great scorer. We just need him to be another facilitator for us.”

McDaniels’ talents as a perimeter defender have made him a valuable role player and quality starter despite a lack of offensive production, but if he continues to play like he has on the other end of the court, he could be on his way to establishing himself as a star in his role.

“He’s one of the best two-way players in the league,” Julius Randle said, per Krawczynski. “We’ve got to be consistent in that and keep feeding him confidence, trusting him.”

We have more from around the Northwest:

Ace Bailey‘s stats so far this season (8.7 PPG on .415/.324/.824 shooting) have been modest, but the Jazz rookie has scored double-digit points in four consecutive games and is earning praise for his team-first approach, says Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. “He’s highly intentional. He, even at 19, fits in with us. He wants to do the right thing always,” veteran big man Kevin Love said. “Ten games in, once he gets to 20, he’s gonna make another step — once he gets to 40, and once he gets a full season.”
The offseason addition of veteran center Jonas Valanciunas has allowed the Nuggets to slightly reduce Nikola Jokic‘s workload (he’s averaging 33.9 MPG after playing 36.7 last season) and to be more competitive when the three-time MVP isn’t on the floor (the team has a -4.0 net rating when Jokic sits, compared to -9.3 last season). Mark Medina of Essentially Sports spoke to Valanciunas about his experience in Denver so far and to head coach David Adelman about what the 33-year-old has brought to the team. “Attitude-wise, culture-wise, statistically, everything has been positive,” Adelman said of Valanciunas. “He brings such a good energy every day with the team. I feel like there is a part of him that is just really enjoying being on a successful team. He can be an impact guy on that team and play really important games.”
A spokesperson for Paul Allen‘s estate denied a report claiming that the Allens would be retaining a 20% stake in the Trail Blazers once the sale of the team to Tom Dundon is complete, per Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report (Substack link). That spokesperson stated that the Blazers will be owned entirely by Dundon’s group once the sale closes, with the Allen estate no longer holding any shares.

And-Ones: First-Time All-Stars, Adubato, BAL, Wood, More

November 7th, 2025 at 5:33pm CST by Rory Maher

As ESPN’s Kevin Pelton writes, there has been an average of between five and six first-time All-Stars over the past five years, including six first-time honorees last season. Pelton lists 10 players who have a shot at making their first mid-season exhibition game in 2025/26 based on their strong starts.

The All-Star format will be different again this year, Pelton notes, with two eight-player teams from the United States and one eight-player international group competing in a round-robin tournament. Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (Israel) and Bulls guard Josh Giddey (Australia) are among the international candidates on Pelton’s list, with Lakers guard Austin Reaves and Hawks forward Jalen Johnson among the first-time American candidates.

Reaves will miss his third straight game on Saturday in Atlanta due to a right groin strain, tweets Dan Woike of The Athletic.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Former NBA assistant and head coach Richie Adubato has passed away at age 87, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Adubato’s NBA coaching career spanned two decades, spending time with Detroit, New York, Dallas, Cleveland and Orlando. The New Jersey native also coached the WNBA’s New York Liberty and Washington Mystics, Beede adds, and was a radio analyst for the Magic from 2005-20. Our condolences go out to Adubato’s friends and family.
The Basketball Africa League has largely been run as a tournament over the past several years, but NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape that the BAL will eventually have 12 teams and permanent franchises, though when that will happen is still to be determined. Spears hears there will likely be 10 permanent franchises down the line, with the other two spots going to annual at-large qualifying teams.
Former NBA big man Christian Wood reportedly fired three gunshots at the ground to scare away three men who broke into a Los Angeles home he was inside on Wednesday, according to Alex Valdes of The Athletic. The LAPD told The Athletic that no property was taken in the incident, and the suspects fled the scene after being confronted. Wood, a 30-year-old forward/center, was waived by the Lakers in February 2025, but hasn’t played in a game since February 2024 due to a knee injury.
A variety of former NBA figures have migrated to the college basketball scene over the past year because of the introduction of NIL deals and the transfer portal. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) takes a deep dive on the topic, writing that universities have pursued NBA talent due to their skills and expertise in navigating a variety of different job responsibilities that previously weren’t needed at the college level. “The trend will only continue to accelerate,” said Wes Wilcox, who left his post as assistant GM for the Kings late last season to become GM of the Utah Utes. “The number of colleges looking toward the NBA to help in this space is only going to rise.”