Trae Young To Make Wizards Debut Thursday
Trae Young will make his Wizards debut on Thursday against Utah, tweets Shams Charania of ESPN.
A four-time All-Star, Young was traded to Washington on January 9 but has yet to play for the Wizards due to right knee and quad issues. He last suited up on Dec. 27 when he was still a member of the Hawks.
The Wizards announced on Feb. 19 that Young was making progress in his recovery from his right leg injuries and would begin to ramp up his on-court activities. According to Charania, the 27-year-old point guard will make his team debut two weeks after that update.
Young sprained the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee on Oct. 29. He returned to action on Dec. 18, appearing in five of Atlanta’s next six games, including one back-to-back, prior to being shut down with the right quad contusion.
The former fifth overall pick has appeared in a career-low 10 games (28.0 minutes per contest) thus far in 2025/26, averaging 19.3 points, 8.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds on .415/.305/.863 shooting splits. Young holds career averages of 25.2 PPG, 9.8 APG and 3.5 RPG on .432/.351/.873 shooting in 493 regular season games (34.3 MPG).
More to come…
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Stein’s Latest: Flagg, Young, Middleton, Jones, Peterson
There’s rising optimism within the Mavericks organization that Cooper Flagg is close to returning from the midfoot sprain that has sidelined him since the All-Star break, Marc Stein of The Stein Line reports in his latest Substack post.
Flagg is unlikely to play on Tuesday against Charlotte — he’s listed as doubtful — but Dallas has three more road games this week — Orlando on Thursday, Boston on Friday and Toronto on Sunday. Flagg grew up in Maine, so suiting up for the Mavs’ lone visit to Boston would have special meaning to him, Stein notes.
Flagg hasn’t played since Feb. 10. The top pick in last year’s draft is averaging 20.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
Here’s more from Stein:
- Expect Trae Young and the Wizards to come to terms on a projected three-year contract extension this summer. Young holds a $49MM option on his contract for next season, which wouldn’t be exercised if he signs an extension. The Hawks’ unwillingness to sign Young to a new deal was the main reason the high-scoring point guard was dealt. What shouldn’t be expected is Young suiting up this season. Skepticism persists around the league that the team would let Young, who has been sidelined with knee and quad issues, play again this season and jeopardize their lottery pick. The Wizards have a tenuous hold on the NBA’s fourth-worst record and need to stay there or lower to ensure that its draft pick won’t fall beyond No. 8 in the lottery. Their pick is only top-eight protected — otherwise, it must be conveyed to the Knicks.
- As Stein reported over the weekend, Khris Middleton decided to remain with the Mavericks rather than pursue a buyout. Middleton would have sacrificed his Bird rights if he was bought out and waived. Middleton remains eligible for a potential sign-and-trade this summer but the Mavericks are interested in retaining Middleton — an unrestricted free agent after the season –depending on the state of the roster. Middleton has made a strong impression within the organization off the court and has also impacted them on the court, averaging 12.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in eight games.
- Tyus Jones was waived by the Mavericks on Saturday, allowing him to hook on with a playoff contender. Which one remains a mystery. The Rockets were expected to pursue a veteran point guard following the trade deadline but don’t have any plans in the short run to make a roster addition.
- At least one talent evaluator from a lottery-bound team says he wouldn’t take Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson with the top pick. Peterson’s spotty availability has raised some red flags. “Too many question marks,” the evaluator told Stein.
Suns Re-Sign CJ Huntley On Two-Way Contract
The Suns have brought back forward CJ Huntley on a two-way contract, the team announced today (Twitter link). ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link) first reported the two-way agreement between the two sides..
Phoenix opened a two-way spot earlier in the day by promoting Jamaree Bouyea to the 15-man roster.
Huntley went undrafted last year out of Appalachian State. He signed a two-way contract with Phoenix shortly after the draft but was waived in mid-November to make room for Bouyea. Huntley did not appear in any NBA games before he was waived.
He hooked onto the Suns’ NBA G League affiliate, the Valley Suns, and has received steady playing time. In 38 games, Huntley has averaged 14.5 points and 7.6 rebounds in 26.1 minutes per contest.
Huntley played all five collegiate seasons at Appalachian State. In 2024/25, he averaged 15.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and shot 49.3% from the field and 35.6% from three.
Huntley will be eligible to be active for up to 12 regular season games for the Suns during the final weeks of 2025/26.
Suns Promote Jamaree Bouyea To Two-Year Standard Deal
1:10 pm: Bouyea’s promotion to Phoenix’s standard roster is official, according to the team (Twitter link).
9:19 am: Two-way guard Jamaree Bouyea will sign a two-year contract with the Suns, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Bouyea, 26, has emerged as a valuable rotation piece after joining Phoenix on a two-way deal in November. He has appeared in 33 games and is averaging 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 15.5 minutes per night with .480/.317/.710 shooting numbers.
Bouyea will fit into the roster opening the Suns created on Friday by waiving Cole Anthony. Phoenix acquired Anthony from Milwaukee in a three-team deal at the deadline, but he never reported to the Suns.
As Charania notes, the new contract is a huge milestone for Bouyea, who has spent time with six teams over the past three-plus years on a variety of two-way and 10-day deals.
Bouyea was in training camp with Miami in 2022 after going undrafted out of San Francisco and was waived before the start of the season. The guard signed 10-day deals with the Heat and Wizards later in ’22/23, but didn’t get a second contract from either team. He returned to Miami during the summer of 2023, but was waived again before landing two-way contracts with Portland and San Antonio during the 2023/24 season. He got into five games with Milwaukee last season and briefly returned to the Spurs before becoming a free agent again.
The Suns now have a roster opening that can be filled on or before Wednesday, which is the cutoff date to sign players to two-way deals. Koby Brea and Isaiah Livers occupy the other two-way slots for Phoenix.
Kyle Anderson Signs With Wolves After Grizzlies Buyout
March 2: Anderson has officially signed with the Timberwolves, according to a team press release.
February 26: Veteran forward Kyle Anderson has agreed to a buyout with the Grizzlies and intends to sign with the Timberwolves after he clears waivers, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Anderson has been placed on waivers following his buyout agreement, the Grizzlies confirmed (via Twitter).
As Charania notes, Anderson previously played two seasons in Minnesota, including helping the Wolves reach the Western Conference finals in 2023/24.
Anderson opened the season with Utah, appearing in 20 games prior to being traded to Memphis earlier this month in the Jaren Jackson Jr. blockbuster. The 32-year-old’s second stint with the rebuilding Grizzlies will be very brief (he appeared in four games), as he’ll return to a Minnesota team hoping to make another deep playoff run.
According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter links), at least one other contending team was eyeing Anderson, who is a 12-year veteran. He was a locker-room leader in his first stint with the Timberwolves and amicably parted ways with the organization in 2024 (via sign-and-trade), Krawczynski adds.
Known for his versatility and solid defense, Anderson has averaged 7.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals in 20.4 minutes per game across his 24 appearances this season. He has shot 56.3% from the field and 67.4% from the free throw line.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, Anderson was under contract through next season, but his $9.7MM salary for 2026/27 was non-guaranteed. He was still owed $2.3MM of his $9.2MM salary for this season, per Marks.
Anderson will be the latest addition for the Wolves, who traded for Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips at the deadline, re-signed Mike Conley after trading him (he was involved in a second deal before being waived), and added Jules Bernard on a two-way contract, Marks notes (via Twitter).
As we relayed in a separate story, Memphis will fill Anderson’s roster spot by signing veteran big man Taj Gibson, who had been out of the league this season until now.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Expected To Return Monday
Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to play on Monday in the Bucks’ home game against the Celtics, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.
Antetokounmpo hasn’t suited up since Jan. 23 due to a right calf strain. He has missed 15 games due to his latest injury but the Bucks have managed to hang around the fringes of the play-in tournament race without him, going 8-7 during that stretch.
Antetokounmpo has officially been listed as questionable to play tonight by the Bucks, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets.
Milwaukee currently trails the seventh- and eighth-place teams in the Eastern Conference, Orlando and Miami, by five games. Atlanta has a 3.5-game lead over the Bucks, while 10th-place Charlotte has a three-game cushion.
Antetokounmpo also missed three weeks of action in December. He’s averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists while appearing in 30 games. Having been out for 29 games, the two-time MVP is ineligible for postseason awards.
The Bucks theoretically could have improved their chances of making the lottery by having their star sit out the rest of the season, but that wasn’t on their agenda. How they finish up could determine their course of action regarding plans to continue to build around Antetokounmpo or whether he’ll be on the trading block this summer.
The superstar forward is signed through the 2027/28 season but holds a $62.8MM option on the final year of that contract. He’ll become extension-eligible this October.
Payton Sandfort Joins Thunder On Two-Way Deal
12:05pm: The Thunder have announced the signing of Sandfort via a press release, beat reporter Rylan Stiles tweets. To make room for him, they’ve waived Boeheim, who made four cameo appearances with Oklahoma City after signing a two-way deal on Feb. 6.
10:00am: The Thunder will sign Payton Sandfort to a two-way contract, agents Ross Aroyo and Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
The 23-year-old guard inked an Exhibit 10 deal with OKC in October after going undrafted out of Iowa. He was waived the next day and has been playing for Oklahoma City Blue in the G League, where he’s averaging 11.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 16 regular season games with .375/.331/.800 shooting numbers.
Sandfort spent four years with the Hawkeyes, being named Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year in 2023 and earning third-team All-Conference honors in 2024.
The Thunder currently have all three of their two-way slots filled, so a move will have to be made with Brooks Barnhizer, Branden Carlson or Buddy Boeheim before Sandfort’s signing can become official. Wednesday is the final day this season that two-way players can be added to the roster.
Nets Notes: Atkinson, Nelson, Mann, Minott
Former Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson is confident that the team’s current rebuilding process will wind up being successful, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Atkinson offered his assessment after his Cavaliers barely escaped Brooklyn with a 106-102 win on Sunday. It was the eighth straight loss for the Nets, but Atkinson sees signs of progress for coach Jordi Fernandez and his young roster.
“No doubt, you definitely go through those moments. You’re going home and you’re taking that L after the game. It’s hard, especially when they start stacking up,” Atkinson said. “Of course you worry if you’re a competitor. But that’s part of it, part of going through a rebuild and part of being a young coach.
“And you see the development … It’ll happen here, because they drafted really good talent. They got really good coaching, good coaching staff, good front office. It’ll break through. You’re just waiting for that, ‘When is that gonna happen?’ I’m sure Jordi’s going. ‘Man, everyone is saying it’ll happen.’ But they play so hard, it’s eventually going to happen with their talent.”
The latest loss leaves the Nets at 15-45, half a game behind Indiana and 1 1/2 games away from Sacramento in the race for the league’s worst record.
There’s more from Brooklyn:
- In his first home game since signing a 10-day contract, Grant Nelson posted 11 points, four rebounds and three blocks on Sunday, Lewis states in a separate story. Nelson was playing his fourth game in four cities over five days between the NBA and the G League and said “adrenaline” helped him get through it. “It’s really been my dream my whole life. So it’s just fun to get out there, play with some of the best players in the world,” he added. “It’s just really a dream. But I know the work’s not done. I still got a lot to work on.”
- Terance Mann, who was acquired from Atlanta in July, has been an ideal example for his younger teammates to follow, according to C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News (subscription required). Mann is the oldest player on the roster at 29 and he’s happy to accept his leadership responsibilities. “I had great vets in my day as a rookie, so they showed me how to be great vets,” he said. “They showed me how to be positive no matter what the role is. They showed me how to be able to take care of the young guys and that’s just really what I’m here to do.”
- After the Nets faced the Celtics on Friday, Jaylen Brown admitted that Josh Minott faced a “tough” situation in Boston before being traded to Brooklyn at the deadline, per Brian Robb of MassLive. Minott didn’t spend much time in the rotation before suffering an ankle injury in December that sidelined him for several weeks, but he said he can accept how things turned out. “I left on no bitter note,” Minott said. “You see it, I dapped everybody up. It’s always love with everybody here unless we play them, then it’s hate. After the game is over, those 48 minutes we’re enemies but I definitely had a great experience here for sure.”
Chris Youngblood To Sign Two-Way Contract With Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers will sign Chris Youngblood to a two-way contract, agent Kashim Butler of KBA Sports tells ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
The 24-year-old shooting guard was in training camp with Oklahoma City on an Exhibit 10 deal and earned a two-way contract prior to the start of the season. He appeared in 32 games with the Thunder, averaging 2.0 PPG in limited playing time, before being waived in early February after reaching his season limit of 50 games on the active roster.
Youngblood has spent the past few weeks playing for Oklahoma City Blue in the G League, where he posted 23.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 10 regular season games with .463/.327/.794 shooting splits.
Youngblood spent time with Kennesaw State, South Florida and Alabama during his college career and was named AAC co-Player of the Year in 2024.
Portland has a two-way opening after promoting Sidy Cissoko last month, so another move won’t be required before adding Youngblood to the roster. He’ll be able to appear in up to 12 regular season games for the Blazers.