NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

Southwest Notes: Fox, Flagg, Exum, Eason

November 9th, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Spurs fans have been waiting eight months to see De’Aaron Fox back in action, and he gave them something to remember in Saturday’s season debut, writes Raul Dominguez of The Associated Press. Fox had 24 points, three rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes and sank a late floater to wrap up a win over New Orleans. He admitted being rusty after not playing for so long, but trusted his talent when taking the final shot.

“I mean, I’m good at basketball,” Fox said. “So, you can still have rust and be able to do that.”

San Antonio was hoping to make a push for the playoffs after acquiring Fox in February, but he suffered a torn tendon in his left pinky finger and decided to have season-ending surgery March 12. An offseason injury to his right hamstring delayed his comeback as the Spurs were cautious with his recovery.

“For me, as a player and as a competitor, obviously I want to get out there,” Fox said. “But I’m listening to (the medical staff) and they have the best interest for me because obviously I signed a contract to be here long term, so they want to protect the asset and make sure the asset is ready when I’m out there. So, for me, it was just trusting that, trusting the process and I feel like we did a great job this summer and up in the early parts of the season.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Cooper Flagg expressed frustration over the Mavericks‘ slow start after Wednesday’s loss to New Orleans, but he was happier with the results on Saturday as the team picked up its first road victory at Washington, relays Christian Clark of The Athletic. Coach Jason Kidd explained that handling the ups and downs of a long season is part of the adjustment to NBA life. “I think you learn really fast when you play 82 games with the best players in the world,” Kidd said. “It’s not high school. It’s not college. You lose more than six games. There are lessons to be learned. It doesn’t take you from becoming a champion or one of the best players in the world. You have to adjust and understand that you’re going to lose. But you learn from losing each time you take the floor.”
Kidd told reporters on Saturday that Dante Exum is getting reevaluated for a right knee injury that has prevented him from playing so far this season, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. Exum hasn’t practiced since early in training camp and has been listed as out due to injury management.
Rockets forward Tari Eason talks to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle about the “toughest year” of his life due to his father’s disappearance and unexpected death in March. “I try to just keep his name alive, keep his spirit alive,” Eason said. “That’s all I can do, is hold it down for my little brothers and little sister.”

Suns’ Jalen Green Aggravates Hamstring Strain

November 9th, 2025 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns fear that Jalen Green could miss multiple games after aggravating his right hamstring strain in Saturday’s win over the Clippers, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

Green felt a sharp pain after passing the ball to Ryan Dunn for a corner three-point shot late in the first quarter, Rankin writes. Green hobbled toward the team’s bench while grabbing at the hamstring and had to be helped off the court by two staff members. He was declared out for the game shortly afterward.

Green was playing for just the second time since being acquired from Houston during the summer as part of the seven-team Kevin Durant trade. After missing the season’s first eight games due to the hamstring, Green scored 29 points on Thursday in his debut.

“That’s tough,” teammate Dillon Brooks told reporters. “Injuries suck, but he’ll work hard. He’ll be diligent with it.”

Medical imaging on the hamstring will likely be conducted when the Suns return home, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, who estimates that Green could sidelined for another four-to-six weeks.

That would be a tremendous loss for a Suns team that has gotten off to a promising 5-5 start after last year’s disappointing season. However, new head coach Jordan Ott made it clear that his expectations won’t change.

“This team will have no excuses,” Ott said. “We lace them up, go out and play.” He also expressed sympathy for Green, adding, “You just feel for him. He worked so hard to get back.”

Dunn and Grayson Allen may see more playing time while Green is unavailable.

Phoenix got some positive injury news on Saturday as Brooks returned to the lineup after missing six games with a core muscle strain. He had 16 points, two rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes, including a late three-pointer that helped to quell a Clippers comeback.

Heat Notes: Jaquez, Powell, Up-Tempo Approach, Jovic

November 9th, 2025 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Norman Powell both played through injuries on Saturday as the Heat picked up a win over Portland, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Miami was already short-handed with Bam Adebayo missing his second straight game due to a sprained big toe and Tyler Herro still recovering from offseason ankle surgery, so Jaquez and Powell were both needed despite suffering sprained ankles on Friday. Jaquez wound up with 14 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in 29 minutes, while Powell contributed 22 points, two rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes.

“Jaime at three o’clock was not cleared to play,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I mentioned that to the team, and he put himself out there. He spent three hours just trying to get his ankle ready. He even skipped the walkthrough just to continue to get treatment. And then he got cleared after that, gave us everything he had.”

After regressing during his second NBA season, Jaquez has emerged as one of the early favorites for Sixth Man of the Year honors, according to Chiang. He ranked third in the league in points off the bench entering Saturday’s game and has become one of the leaders of a potent reserve unit.

“We want to really take pride in being that energy booster for our team,” Jaquez said. “And so when we see the first unit, whether they’re going good or things are going slow, regardless, we want to just take that energy up to that next level.”

There’s more from Miami:

The Heat and Trail Blazers combined for 267 points in a battle of the league’s two fastest-paced teams, Chiang states in the same story. Spoelstra introduced the up-tempo style during training camp and believes his players have done a good job adapting to it. “Obviously, our guys are getting pretty comfortable with it,” he said. “Embracing the unknown, that was the first thing from media day. And both teams were attacking. This was a heck of a basketball game.”
Nikola Jovic has been through an up-and-down start to the season, so it was encouraging to see him produce 29 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals on Saturday. The Heat are counting on the young forward to be part of their foundation after giving him a four-year, $62.4MM extension last month. “I would have lied if I said that the last two weeks were easy because I felt like everything I did was wrong, and I was not helping this team at all,” Jovic tells Chiang in a separate story. “And I want to thank the coaches and everybody from the team for supporting me and letting me know that I’m important for the team. But my head just wasn’t there. I didn’t know how to help the team.”
With the Heat preparing to host the Cavaliers on Monday and Wednesday, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel looks at how the playoff sweep last spring revealed the need for change. Spoelstra was humiliated by the defeat, particularly in the two home games, which Miami lost by 37 and 53 points. “We were done at the end of April, and it was a very painful, embarrassing first-round loss,” Spoelstra said. “We had done a lot emotionally to earn that ticket to get into the playoffs, and we felt really proud about that, back-to-back (play-in) games on the road to earn that ticket. And it was just — it was embarrassing. And you had to credit Cleveland with that.”

Sixers Notes: Watford, Oubre, Embiid, Edgecombe

November 9th, 2025 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Trendon Watford posted a triple-double while making his first start for the Sixers on Saturday and earned a comparison to peak Ben Simmons from teammate Joel Embiid, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required). Watford finished with 20 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists, all season highs, in a victory over Toronto.

“He’s kind of what you call a hooper,” coach Nick Nurse told reporters. “He really, really knows how to play, and he can do a lot of different things that we talked about.”

According to Pompey, Nurse was hoping to acquire Watford from Brooklyn last season, but a deal couldn’t be worked out. He pushed to sign Watford in free agency, and it’s looking like a great investment. The 25-year-old forward is averaging 10.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists through six games and has become a valuable member of the rotation. He’s making $2.5MM this season, and the team holds a $2.8MM option for 2026/27.

A hamstring injury prevented Watford from participating in training camp or the preseason and forced him to miss the first three games of the regular season. He tells Tony Jones of The Athletic that he’s glad that experience is behind him.

“I hope it’s something that I don’t have to deal with going forward,” Watford said. “Hamstrings are difficult because you can’t do anything when you have that injury. All you can do is kind of sit around and get out of shape.”

There’s more on the Sixers:

Nurse will be facing a difficult lineup decision with Paul George potentially returning soon, Pompey adds in the same piece. There’s been an assumption that George would replace Kelly Oubre Jr. in the starting lineup, but Pompey states that Oubre has been playing too well to demote. He’s been an important contributor on both ends of the court, averaging 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks in nine games. “I think Kelly has been really outstanding,” Nurse said. “You saw him. he was fighting (Brandon) Ingram most of the night. He’s done that consistently, where he’s got one of the better scorers in the league or the other team and keeps working and working. He’s been really good and done a good job of playing physical.”
Embiid scored a season-high 29 points on Saturday, but he didn’t force any shots and made an effort to get his teammates involved in the offense, Pompey observes in a separate story. “It’s just about moving the ball,” he said. “Passing to the open guy. Like I said, I’m not too worried about the offense. I think we know what we have to do, especially sharing the ball.”
The Sixers’ good fortune in keeping their first-round pick at the lottery and their decision to select VJ Edgecombe when there was no consensus on the third-best draft prospect have changed the trajectory of the franchise for the future, Yossi Gozlan states in his Third Apron column (subscription required).

Pacific Notes: Ellis, Leonard, Curry, Warriors

November 8th, 2025 at 11:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Keon Ellis is trying to be philosophical about his reduced role in the Kings‘ rotation, writes Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee (subscription required). Ellis logged just 12 minutes of action in Friday’s loss to Oklahoma City — all in the fourth quarter of a blowout — continuing a trend that has seen him reach 20 minutes in just three of the team’s first nine games.

Biderman notes that Ellis had reason to expect a more prominent position after finishing second on the team in three-point percentage last season at 43% and ranking second in the league with 280 deflections. Ellis provides a level of perimeter defense that the team has been lacking while ranking 25th in defensive efficiency, 28th in deflections and 28th in contested shots coming into Friday’s game.

“Because I know if I go out there, I do what I do,” Ellis responded when asked about his playing time. “If I don’t go out there, it is what it is. I control what I can control.”

The Kings added Dennis Schröder and Russell Westbrook to their backcourt during the offseason, and they’re both playing ahead of Ellis. Westbrook has been putting up vintage numbers lately, including 24 points, nine assists and six rebounds Friday night after posting a triple-double on Wednesday, but Schröder hasn’t been as effective. The Kings have been outscored by 85 points in the 287 minutes he has played and they have a minus-9.9 net rating when he’s on the court. Biderman states.

“It’s a numbers game,” coach Doug Christie said. “There’s a big logjam there. Night to night, it could be different. It’s not going to be any easier once you get Keegan (Murray) back. But this is a good problem to have. It’s one that hasn’t been here for a long time when you talk about wing players and the ability to have them. Keon’s a pro so I know he’ll be ready and prepared.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said Kawhi Leonard will miss “the next few games” with a sprained right ankle, according to The Associated Press. Lue didn’t provide any specifics about Leonard’s condition, but he stated that medical tests are indicating it won’t be a prolonged absence.
After missing two games with an illness, Warriors star Stephen Curry is listed as questionable for Sunday’s meeting with Indiana, per Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. Curry started feeling fatigued in the second half of Tuesday’s contest and didn’t travel with the team on its two-game trip to Sacramento and Denver. Al Horford is also questionable after being scratched from Friday’s game due to a left foot strain.
Draymond Green was critical of the Warriors‘ defense, and coach Steve Kerr lamented “a lack of purpose and energy” following Friday’s loss at Denver, relays Nick Friedell of The Athletic. Golden State fell behind early and wasn’t able to fight back in a 129-104 defeat. “There has to be some fire in the belly to get out of a tough night,” Kerr said. “It’s tough as a young player when things aren’t going their way, the game’s not going their way, it’s easy to get down. You can’t do that in this league. You have to fight and compete every second, and it didn’t feel like we did that tonight.”

Lakers Notes: Bronny, Reaves, Offense, Vincent

November 8th, 2025 at 9:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers‘ injury woes are providing an opportunity for Bronny James, who’s seeing regular minutes for the first time in his career, writes Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times. The second-year shooting guard was on the court for 18 and 19 minutes in back-to-back wins over Miami and Portland earlier this week and made an impact in the fourth quarter of both games. He contributed three steals against the Heat and had six assists with no turnovers against the Trail Blazers.

“Ready to take advantage of the times that I get when our guys are out,” James said. “I’m going to stay aggressive.”

Coach JJ Redick attributes James’ improvement to his ability to adjust to the speed of the NBA game. Redick wants his players to determine whether they’re going to shoot, dribble or pass within a half-second of receiving the ball, and James wasn’t ready as a rookie to make those quick decisions.

“He’s now developed where he’s got a great point-five mentality,” Redick said. “He’s catch-and-shoot ready at all times.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

Austin Reaves missed his third straight game on Saturday, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be out of action much longer, Nguyen adds in the same piece. Medical imaging revealed that he has a mild right groin strain, but Reddick told reporters that Reaves’ pain level is “really low.” Nguyen states that Reaves plans to play golf during the five-game road trip and he could be back in action before the Lakers return home.
Khobi Price of The Orange County Register examines how the offense has been able to succeed despite the absence of LeBron James, who remains sidelined with sciatica. Luka Doncic (40 PPG) and Reaves (31.1) have led the attack, but the Lakers can also rely on scoring depth, with Deandre Ayton (17.5), Rui Hachimura (16.7), Jake LaRavia (12.1) and Marcus Smart (10.3) all averaging in double figures.
Redick said Gabe Vincent is making progress in his recovery from a sprained left ankle that has sidelined him since October 26, Price tweets. Vincent hasn’t done any contact work yet, but Redick is hoping his two- to four-week recovery timeline is closer to three weeks.

Spurs Notes: Castle, McLaughlin, Wembanyama, Champagnie, Harper

November 8th, 2025 at 8:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

Stephon Castle was happy to win Rookie of the Year honors last season, but he told Marc J. Spears of Andscape that it doesn’t change anything about his approach to the game. Castle was selected for the award by a wide margin, getting 92 of 100 first-place votes, but now he wants to focus on other goals, like getting the Spurs into the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

“I feel like once you get it, your name is installed in history,” Castle said of the ROY trophy. “And then you have to go make your career after that. I’m not going out there saying, ‘I’m the Rookie of the Year and give me a vet (officiating) call, respect me.’ You got to go out there and play. I’m not really thinking about that (award) when I’m playing in the game. I’m just trying to improve every year.”

Castle is off to an even better start to his second NBA season — averaging 18.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.6 assists through eight games — and he’s been handling the starting point guard duties while De’Aaron Fox was sidelined. He’s also San Antonio’s best perimeter defender and routinely gets assigned to handle the opponent’s top scorer.

“He can impact winning whether he is on the ball, off the ball, defensively,” coach Mitch Johnson said. “He is going to guard a ton of different profiles in terms of premier players on teams. He has an opportunity to affect the game as much as anybody.”

There’s more from San Antonio:

Reserve guard Jordan McLaughlin scored nine points in nine minutes on Friday night as the Spurs opened NBA Cup play with a win over Houston, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). McLaughlin saw limited action last season after being acquired from Sacramento in February, but management liked him enough to re-sign him to a one-year, $3MM deal. “That’s why we brought him back,” Johnson said after Friday’s game. “He’s a professional, a mature adult, a great teammate who’s a really cerebral, skilled basketball player.”
Victor Wembanyama was impressed by former WWE star Mark Henry, who chatted with players during a visit to Frost Bank Center on Friday, per Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). Billed as “the world’s strongest man,” Henry passed along a few weightlifting tips to Wembanyama, who Finger notes still frequently finds himself outmuscled by opponents. “Kevin (Durant) was in the same boat early,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Until you get that strength, the first thing that everybody’s going to try to do is be physical with you.”
Fox’s return to action means Julian Champagnie is coming off the bench for the first time this season, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Champagnie was averaging a career-high 30 minutes per night and scoring 10.1 PPG through the season’s first eight games.
Prior to tonight’s contest, Johnson told reporters that Dylan Harper, who’s sidelined with a left calf strain, hasn’t resumed physical activity yet, relays Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Bulls Notes: Huerter, Buzelis, Collins, Dosunmu

November 8th, 2025 at 7:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Huerter feels at home in Chicago after coming to the Bulls in a February trade and he’s hoping for a long-term future with the team, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. That’s not a sure thing because Huerter has an $18MM expiring contract and is headed for free agency. Cowley points out that the team will have at least six free agents next summer, so major changes could be coming to the roster.

Huerter has been a valuable contributor as the Bulls have gotten off to a surprising 6-2 start. After starting 16 of the 26 games after the trade last season, he’s settled into a full-time bench role and is averaging 12.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 24.8 minutes per night while leading the team in plus-minus rating.

‘‘I love the way we play here,” Huerter said. “It’s a fun brand and good energy to be a part of, and I feel like I’ll have a piece in that success and I’ll have a piece in the failure if it goes that way at this point.’’

Cowley notes that it wasn’t certain Huerter would have a future at all in Chicago when the trade was announced. Because it was completed nearly a week before the deadline, Huerter, Tre Jones and Zach Collins were held out of games and practices in case another trade opportunity materialized.

‘‘I think for me, that little holding period last year, that was as much about figuring out what the organization is looking to do here,’’ Huerter added. ‘‘For me, I’m 27. I feel like I’m right at the start of my prime, so I feel like I have a lot of good years and my best are ahead of me. So it was more about making sure the fit was right. We always really liked the fit. I had heard really good things about Billy (Donovan) as far as him being the head coach, and it’s obviously been great since I got here.’’

There’s more on the Bulls:

Donovan discussed Matas Buzelis‘ progress as a defender in his second NBA season after Friday’s loss at Milwaukee, Cowley states in a separate story. Buzelis’ night included several matchups with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who torched Chicago’s defense in general on the way to 41 points. Donovan was glad to see that Buzelis didn’t back down from the challenge, even when Antetokounmpo got the best of him. ‘‘There’s been moments where he has a lot to learn, so to speak,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘I think the defensive assignments, when he gets his length and keeps himself between his man and the basket, he’s been good. I think the consistency of that is something he’s working through. Where he was a year ago today to where he is now is night and day. My hope is with the way he works and that mentality, that growth will continue.’’
In a session with reporters before tonight’s contest, Donovan said Collins will undergo a CT scan this week that should be “pretty telling,” relays Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link). The veteran big man hasn’t played yet this season after having surgery for a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist in mid-October. Donovan said Collins has resumed working out, but he’s still not passing or catching with his left hand.
Ayo Dosunmu, who returned Friday after missing two games with a quad contusion, was placed on a 24-minute restriction to allow him to play both nights of the back-to-back, per KC Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). Donovan indicated that the restriction will likely be dropped after tonight.

Pistons’ Marcus Sasser To Be Reevaluated In Four Weeks

November 8th, 2025 at 6:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Marcus Sasser is continuing rehab work for a right hip impingement and will be reevaluated in approximately four weeks, the Pistons announced (via Twitter).

The 25-year-old point guard had been listed as day-to-day with the hip issue, but today’s statement indicates that it’s more serious than originally believed.

Sasser was selected by Memphis with the 25th pick in the 2023 draft and made his way to Detroit through a pair of trades. After a strong rookie year, he found himself in and out of the rotation last season as the Pistons had more quality backcourt options available. He wound up appearing in 57 games and averaging 6.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 14.2 minutes per night with .463/.382/.843 shooting numbers.

The organization displayed its confidence in Sasser last month by picking up the fourth-year option on his rookie-scale contract at $5,198,983. He will be eligible for an extension next summer.

Detroit could have used Sasser over the past few weeks as Jaden Ivey continues to recover from an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee and Caris LeVert started the campaign still dealing with a hamstring injury that limited him during the preseason.

Lakers’ Maxi Kleber Cleared For Season Debut

November 8th, 2025 at 5:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lakers big man Maxi Kleber has been medically cleared to make his season debut tonight in Atlanta, according to Khobi Price of The Orange County Register (Twitter link). He had been listed as questionable with a strained abdominal muscle, but he was upgraded to available shortly before game time.

Kleber told Price that he’s “gonna be ready, just be prepared and be back out with the guys, get back in rhythm and routine.”

Kleber was acquired from Dallas in February as part of the Luka Doncic trade, but he has yet to appear in a regular season game with the Lakers. He was recovering from foot surgery at the time of the deal and remained sidelined until the season ended. He did make one playoff appearance, logging nearly five minutes in Game 5 during the first-round loss to Minnesota.

Kleber was healthy coming into training camp in September, but he tweaked his quad on the second day of workouts. He suffered the oblique strain shortly before the start of the regular season, with a reevaluation set for two weeks later.

Kleber was a serviceable big man during his eight years with the Mavericks and will provide additional depth in L.A.’s frontcourt. He appeared in 440 games in Dallas, making 151 starts and averaging 6.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 22.3 minutes per night. His career shooting numbers are 44.3% from the field and 35.4% from three-point range, but both percentages dropped sharply last season.

Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura have been healthy and productive early this season as the Lakers’ starting center and power forward. The team has also been getting production off the bench from Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia and Jaxson Hayes, so there may not be many available minutes for Kleber right away.

Kleber, who will turn 34 in January, has an $11MM expiring contract and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Load More Posts