Southeast Notes: Ware, Herro, Suggs, Dennis
After criticizing Kel’el Ware following Thursday’s loss to Boston, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra walked back those comments in a session with reporters before tonight’s game, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald states in a subscriber-only piece. Ware spent the entire second half on the bench Thursday night, and Spoelstra said he needs to get back to stacking good days like he was seven or eight weeks ago. Spoelstra said on Saturday that he didn’t intend to single out Ware for the defeat.
“I didn’t articulate that in a great way and that wasn’t fair to Kel’el,” he said. “I wasn’t even frustrated. So what I’ll say is I’m fully invested in and invigorated about the opportunity to develop Kel’el, and our staff feels the same way. We’re going to give him everything we have to make sure he becomes the player that he wants to become, that we need him to become.”
Ware, who has been a frequent target of criticism from Spoelstra during his year-and-a-half with the team, didn’t seemed fazed by it when he talked to reporters tonight. He added that he hasn’t spoken to his coach about the latest comments.
“Just going out there and playing, basically,” Ware said in explaining how he responds to Spoelstra’s challenges. “In order to produce, I guess, like he said eight weeks ago, I would say I had more minutes eight weeks ago. But I guess to try to bring that same productivity to the minutes that I’m getting now.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Heat guard Tyler Herro is sitting out tonight’s game against Oklahoma City due to a rib contusion, but he’s not expected to miss much time, Chiang tweets. “This shouldn’t be long term,” Spoelstra told reporters. “We’ll just continue to treat him and see how he responds.”
- Jalen Suggs has already been ruled out for Sunday’s contest in London, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). It will be the seventh straight missed game for the Magic guard since he suffered an MCL contusion on his right knee early this month.
- RayJ Dennis, who signed a two-way contract with the Hawks at the end of December, posted huge numbers for College Park in the G League on Friday (Twitter link). The 24-year-old point guard finished with 46 points and 15 assists in a win over Delaware while shooting 16-of-24 from the field and sinking five three-pointers.
Heat Notes: Ware, Haslem, Midway Point, Grades, Powell, Wiggins
Heat second-year big man Kel’el Ware continues to frustrate the coaching staff with his inconsistency. Ware was benched during the second half of the team’s loss to Boston on Thursday and coach Erik Spoelstra called him out afterward, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.
“It was a tough matchup for him in Boston with all the coverages, and the same thing (Thursday),” Spoelstra said. “He just has to stay ready. Look, with Kel’el, I know that’s a lightning-rod topic. He needs to get back to where he was eight weeks ago, seven weeks ago, where I felt and everybody in the building felt, he was stacking days, good days. He’s stacking days in the wrong direction now. He’s just got to get back to that. Stack days, build those habits, make sure you’re ready and play the minutes that you’re playing to a point where it makes me want to play you more.”
Former Heat player Udonis Haslem said during a Prime Video appearance that Ware needs to make the coaches believe he’s deserving of more playing time.
“Put them in a position to earn their money,” Haslem said. “Put them in a position to say, ‘He is one of our top seven or right guys, he should be playing. Let me figure out ways to get him more minutes because he deserves those minutes.’ I understand your minutes are going to fluctuate based on the situation with coaches. There is nothing you can do about it. But what you can do is every time you step out on the basketball court, make sure your minutes are impactful, make sure your minutes are positive.”
Bam Adebayo made similar comments to the media.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- With a 21-20 record at the midway point of the season, Miami hasn’t played to its potential, in Spoelstra’s view. “We feel like we’re better than where we are, but we are what our record is right now. That’s the bottom line,” the Heat coach said, per Chiang. “If you play games on paper, I think right now we would have a better record. But that’s not the case right now.” Adebayo believes the players need to be more focused and mentally tougher. “We are better than what our record says,” he said. “But until all of us commit to doing role-player things, we’ll keep being in the middle of the pack, mediocre. Until guys get sick of that middle ground of being seventh, eighth and not want to really make a push to be fourth or third in the East, we’re going to stay right here.”
- The Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman hands out midseason grades and gives Norman Powell an A and Jaime Jaquez Jr. an A-. Disappointing offseason acquisition Simone Fontecchio was awarded a D-.
- In the same story, Winderman opines that the front office might be better off trading Powell and Andrew Wiggins, noting the team is wallowing in mediocrity and could help its long-term outlook by acquiring draft capital. Powell will be an unrestricted free agent after the season while Wiggins holds a player option worth over $30.1MM for next season.
Injury Notes: Garland, Merrill, Heat, Coulibaly, Pritchard
Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland has been ruled out of Friday’s game at Philadelphia due to right great toe soreness, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. As Fedor notes, Garland’s injury is not a recurrence of the toe ailment that required offseason surgery and has bothered him for several months — the injury is impacting a different toe on the opposite foot.
Cleveland will also be without sharpshooter Sam Merrill on Friday, per Fedor (Twitter link). Merrill is dealing with a right hand sprain, the same injury that caused him to miss 14 games earlier in the season. Both players were injured in Wednesday’s win in Philadelphia.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- The Heat will be down two key rotation members for Saturday’s game against Oklahoma City, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter links). Starting point guard Davion Mitchell will miss his second straight game with a left shoulder contusion, while sixth man Jaime Jaquez Jr. will be out for the second consecutive contest due to a left knee sprain. As Chiang writes for The Miami Herald, Jaquez underwent an MRI on Thursday which revealed irritation in his knee. Mitchell had not received an MRI as of Thursday. Guard Tyler Herro is questionable for tomorrow’s game due to contusions on his toe and rib.
- Forward Bilal Coulibaly, who exited Wednesday’s loss at the Clippers early due to a back injury, will miss the final two games of the Wizards‘ West Coast road trip with what the team is calling lower back stiffness, as Josh Robbins of The Athletic relays (via Twitter). Head coach Brian Keefe said the former lottery pick has returned to D.C. to receive treatment for his back.
- Celtics guard Payton Pritchard is doubtful to suit up for Saturday’s game at Atlanta due to left ankle soreness, per John Karalis of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). Pritchard, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, has appeared in all 40 of Boston’s games thus far in 2025/26. Forward Josh Minott will miss his seventh straight contest due to a left ankle sprain, Karalis adds.
Scotto’s Latest: Clippers, Kings, AD, Hawks, Kuminga, Poeltl
The Kings and Clippers engaged in exploratory talks about a possible trade that would have sent forward DeMar DeRozan and guard Keon Ellis to Los Angeles in exchange for big man John Collins and another “small salary filler,” reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
However, those conversations occurred before the Clippers reeled off 11 wins in their past 13 games, according to Scotto. While that doesn’t necessarily mean the talks are dead, the implication seems to be that L.A. is far less likely at this point to shake up its roster in a major way.
After getting off to a 6-21 start, the Clippers are now 17-23, tied with Memphis for the 10th-best record in the Western Conference.
Here are a few more items of interest from Scotto:
- Given how limited Anthony Davis‘ value will be this winter as he recovers from a hand injury, several NBA executives who spoke to HoopsHype predicted that the Mavericks will hang onto him for the rest of the season unless Dallas is content to essentially salary-dump him. The Hawks, the team most frequently connected to Davis, aren’t operating with any urgency now that he’s hurt again, per Scotto.
- Exploring whether any new teams can be added to the list of potential suitors for Jonathan Kuminga, Scotto says the Heat and Wizards were previously thought to be in the mix, but Miami’s interested has diminished and Washington is unlikely to seriously pursue the Warriors forward. Scotto does confirm that the Trail Blazers are believed to have some interest in Kuminga, as Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports previously reported.
- In addition to doing so with Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, the Raptors have also been gauging Jakob Poeltl‘s value on the trade market, Scotto writes. Poeltl is dealing with back issues this season and is owed $103.5MM over the next four years after this one, so it’s probably safe to assume he wouldn’t be a hot commodity.
Bucks Rumors: Giannis, Morant, Rollins, Monk, Ellis, Portis, More
Thursday’s loss to San Antonio marked the halfway point of the Bucks‘ season, and the team’s 17-24 record is its worst first-half mark since 2015/16, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
Although Nehm describes Milwaukee as looking “lost,” the front office has held firm on its stance that star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t going anywhere this season and that it wants to add an impact player alongside the two-time MVP, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN.
“We always manage to pull something off,” a team source told Collier.
Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is one potential target the Bucks have been linked to as of late. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Memphis has sought guard Ryan Rollins and Milwaukee’s lone tradable first-round pick (in either 2031 or 2032) in discussions with Milwaukee about Morant.
However, the Bucks have been “wary” about including that first-round pick in any trade talks to date, per Collier, who hears from rival executives that that first-rounder would likely only be on the table for a “star.” Morant, who has made two All-Star teams, certainly fit that bill at one point but may no longer be viewed that way, as he has battled injuries and seen his production decline in recent years.
As Collier writes, the Wizards’ deal for Trae Young might be instructive when considering the sort of trade that makes the most sense for the Bucks. Washington gave up no draft picks and a significant expiring contract as part of the package for Young, with the Hawks looking to get off the hook for his $49MM player option in 2026/27.
Milwaukee is in a good position to make a similar move for a player on a non-expiring deal, says Collier, noting that Zach LaVine, Malik Monk, and Jerami Grant are a few of the trade candidates with multiyear contracts who have been linked to the team. Collier also cites Heat forward Andrew Wiggins and Hornets Miles Bridges as a couple more examples.
The Bucks have had exploratory discussions with the Kings about a deal that would send Bobby Portis and a minimum-salary player to Sacramento in exchange for Monk and Keon Ellis, league sources tell Scotto. A trade for a higher-salary player such as Morant or LaVine would require Milwaukee to sacrifice more rotation pieces for matching purposes, but the team has considered that possibility, gauging the market for forward Kyle Kuzma ($22.4MM cap hit) as well as Portis ($13.4MM), Scotto writes.
As Collier observes, the Bucks would be more equipped to make a significant splash during the 2026 offeason, when they’ll have up to three first-round picks available to trade (2026, 2031, and 2033). But the club – which has a +7.7 net rating with Antetokounmpo on the floor in 2025/26 – hasn’t given up on this season, even if some rival executives aren’t convinced Milwaukee should continue with its win-now approach.
“At some point, you’re just digging deeper and deeper,” an Eastern Conference exec told ESPN. “There might not be light at the end of the tunnel. It might just be a hole.”
Pistons, Celtics Among Teams To Express Interest In Jaren Jackson Jr.
While the Grizzlies have made point guard Ja Morant available, there’s no indication that stance has extended to big man Jaren Jackson Jr. In fact, multiple reports have indicated that Memphis wants to hang onto Jackson and build around him.
Still, that hasn’t stopped a certain agent-turned-podcast-host from speculating about a potential trade involving Jackson, and it hasn’t stopped teams from calling the Grizzlies to register interest in the former Defensive Player of the Year. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Pistons and Celtics are among the teams to convey their interest.
Detroit has Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart in its frontcourt but has been in the market for a power forward or center who can stretch the floor — Jackson fits that bill, having made 37.3% of 5.0 three-pointers per game since the start of last season. As for Boston, the 2024 champions lost Al Horford and Luke Kornet in 2025 free agency while also trading away Kristaps Porzingis, so it makes sense that the Celtics would be seeking an impact big man.
As Scotto points out, if the Grizzlies traded both Morant and Jackson, it would create a path for the club to rebuild around a younger core led by Cedric Coward, Zach Edey, and Jaylen Wells. While Memphis still views Jackson – who is just 26 years old and is under contract through at least 2029 – as a part of that core, more teams figure to inquire about his availability if Morant is moved ahead of the February 5 deadline, Scotto writes.
Scotto also checks in on Morant’s market, citing league sources who say that the Heat, Bucks, Kings, Raptors, and Pelicans have expressed some interest. However, it sounds like most of those teams would only be interested in the two-time All-Star as a buy-low target.
According to Scotto, there have been whispers for months that Morant and his camp view Miami as a favorable landing spot. But rival executives who spoke to HoopsHype believe the Heat’s “dream scenario” would be landing Giannis Antetokounmpo if he becomes available in the summer, so the club will be reluctant to give up any assets that would compromise that possibility.
An ESPN report from earlier today classified league-wide interest in Morant as “tepid,” and Sam Amick of The Athletic has heard the same. According to Amick, Miami and Milwaukee are considered unlikely landing spots for the Grizzlies guard, while Sacramento doesn’t view him as a great fit for its timeline and would be unwilling to include any draft capital in an offer. Scotto adds that some rival executives wondered whether the Nets or Rockets might have interest in Morant, but neither club seems to.
Morant is currently sidelined with a right calf injury and didn’t play in the NBA’s first ever regular season game in Germany on Thursday. Amid rumors that Morant doesn’t want to play for Memphis at all anymore, commissioner Adam Silver said he’s hopeful the star guard will be able to suit up on Sunday in London.
“I know he has a tremendous following globally,” Silver said ahead of Thursday’s game in Berlin, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “And I wish he were able to play tonight. I’m still holding out hope he’ll be able to play when we’re in London on Sunday. So, yes, I’m disappointed he’s not on the floor tonight, but I understand he’s injured.”
Trade Rumors: Morant, Heat, Lakers, Raptors, Bucks, Wolves
Classifying the level of league-wide trade interest in Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant as “tepid,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst say the Heat‘s interest, specifically, has been overstated.
As Bontemps and Windhorst explain, Miami has been “laser focused” on keeping its salary cap relatively clean for the 2027 offseason, when superstars like Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo could become free agents. Sources tell ESPN that it’s highly unlikely the team would pivot away from that plan in order to acquire Morant, whose contract includes a guaranteed $44.9MM salary for 2027/28.
Addressing ESPN’s report, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link) essentially agrees, writing that the Heat haven’t made an offer for Morant and are only interested if it’s a “complete giveaway” from Memphis’ perspective. Jackson jokes that the Grizzlies might even need to throw in a first-round pick to entice Miami.
As for which other teams might be in the mix for Morant, sources who spoke to Bontemps and Windhorst don’t believe there’s much of a market for the two-time All-Star, whose production has declined in recent years, but the Bucks were repeatedly mentioned as one possible option, per ESPN’s duo.
Here’s more from Bontemps and Windhorst on the NBA trade market:
- The Lakers are seeking help on the perimeter and rim protection as they consider their in-season options, league sources tell ESPN. “They’re going to be looking for bargain deals and they might be able to find one if they’re willing to take on long-term money,” one Western Conference general manager said. “But they probably need to make sure that player is a good fit with Luka (Doncic) to justify it.”
- The Raptors have been gauging the trade value of several of their players, including guard Immanuel Quickley and forward RJ Barrett, sources tell Bontemps and Windhorst. While other teams may be reluctant to take on long-term salary for potential trade candidates like Morant, Domantas Sabonis, or Anthony Davis, the Raptors – who have been linked to each of those players – would be in better position to do because their offers would include multiyear contracts of their own (Quickley, Barrett, and/or Jakob Poeltl), ESPN’s duo points out. Still, a lack of bigger expiring contracts means Toronto would have to include draft compensation to strengthen its offers.
- The Bucks have expressed interest in talent “at basically any position” and are widely regarded as a team that will make a meaningful move at the deadline, according to ESPN. “Milwaukee still has a first-round pick they can trade, and they’re $14 million under the luxury tax,” one Eastern Conference executive said. “I’ve seen teams make chicken salad with less.”
- According to Bontemps and Windhorst, executives believe the Timberwolves are hoping to bolster their backcourt while also reducing their payroll, as they’re poised to pay a significant tax bill for a second straight season. It will be difficult for Minnesota to make a real upgrade without giving up at least one rotation player, however.
Trade Rumors: Morant, Lakers, Pelicans, Mathurin, Kuminga
Although Ja Morant‘s time with the Grizzlies has been on a downward trajectory for a few years, tensions reached a boiling point at the end of October, when Morant received a team-issued one-game suspension, writes Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
Head coach Tuomas Iisalo reportedly challenged Morant’s “leadership and effort” following a loss to the Lakers in which the point guard was noticeably disengaged throughout the second half. Morant responded to Iisalo in a “tone deemed inappropriate.”
According to Siegel’s sources, the event led to a schism in Memphis’ locker room, with some players agreeing with Morant and some siding with the coaching staff. He never formally requested a trade, but the 26-year-old made it clear he couldn’t see a path forward with the Grizzlies in the wake of the suspension, Siegel adds.
The Heat hold a level of interest in Morant, Siegel confirms. The Kings are also hanging on the periphery of the situation, though they’d only be interested in acquiring Morant if the asking price was low enough — Sacramento is unwilling to part with draft assets in any talks for the two-time All-Star, sources tell Siegel.
Here are a few more rumors and notes from around the NBA:
- The Lakers are exploring the possibility of trading their 2032 first-round pick for two or three lesser-value first-rounders, according to Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter video link), who points out that Phoenix made a similar move last year in a deal with Utah. Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent have both been made available as Los Angeles continues to search for a wing upgrade, O’Connor adds.
- The Pelicans are among the teams with interest in Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin, league sources tell Siegel (Twitter video link). Indiana has checked in with New Orleans about second-year center Yves Missi, and Siegel wonders if the two clubs could potentially make a deal centered around those two players.
- Head coach Steve Kerr said Jonathan Kuminga‘s trade demand won’t cause any problems for the Warriors prior to Thursday’s game vs. New York, as Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “It won’t be a distraction,” Kerr said. “Jonathan’s a great young guy. His teammates like him. He’s handling himself well. There won’t be a distraction.” Kerr said he spoke to Kuminga earlier in the day. “There’s not a whole lot I can say about the other stuff,” Kerr said. “It is what it is. Difficult situation for everybody. Part of this league, part of this job. We just keep moving forward. But it’s a tough situation and I don’t really have much to add.”
Heat Notes: Morant, Adebayo, Mitchell, Ware, Spoelstra
Following up on a report stating that Miami appeals to Ja Morant and his camp as a potential trade destination, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald says the Heat reciprocate that interest — to some extent. According to Chiang, the Heat and Grizzlies have had preliminary conversations about Morant, but those discussions haven’t advanced at all and a source tells the Herald that it’s “premature” to view Miami as a serious suitor for the point guard.
As Chiang writes, the Grizzlies are reportedly seeking draft assets and young players in a Morant deal, but the Heat would likely resist the idea of offering any draft picks or any of their most promising youngsters for the two-time All-Star, who has battled a series of injuries in recent years.
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald agrees with his colleague’s assessment, tweeting that any Heat offer for Morant is unlikely to feature real value due to the sense that a trade partner would be doing Memphis a favor by taking the $86MM owed to the 26-year-old over the two seasons after this one.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- After a stretch in which he scored fewer than 20 points in 11 straight games, Bam Adebayo had a big night in Tuesday’s win over Phoenix, racking up 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting. Still, pointing to the big man’s underwhelming numbers for the season, one veteran executive tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald that Adebayo’s maximum-salary contract won’t be considered a positive deal going forward “if he keeps this trend on offense.” Adebayo continues to make a significant impact defensively but has averaged just 16.8 points and 2.7 assists per game on .456/.333/.758 shooting. “It’s amazing what’s happened with him,” an Eastern Conference scout told Jackson. “The new offensive system hasn’t done him any justice. His offense has regressed. He’s not getting as many assists. He’s better in a pick-and-roll-oriented system than what they’re running now.”
- Heat guard Davion Mitchell has started all 38 games he has played this season for the Heat, but he likely won’t be available on Thursday vs. Boston, having been listed as doubtful due to a left shoulder contusion. Mitchell said on Wednesday that his arm is already feeling better than when he injured it on Tuesday and that an MRI isn’t necessary for now, per Chiang. “If I’m still doing worse or the same tomorrow, then we probably would make that adjustment and get an MRI,” Mitchell said.
- The Heat have moved away from two-big lineups as of late, resulting in Kel’el Ware playing about 16 or 17 minutes in each of the past three games. However, that usage pattern isn’t necessarily permanent, according to head coach Erik Spoelstra. “There’ll be some games it’ll make sense to play both of them (together),” Spoelstra said of Adebayo and Ware, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). “Many of our rotations are super important and (Tuesday) night it was a speed game, a smaller game. But Kel’el had a big impact on the game in his minutes. That’s what he has to focus on, and that’ll earn him more minutes. That’ll earn trust, not just with the head coach, but with the players.”
- When Mike Tomlin stepped down as the coach of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers this week, it made Spoelstra the longest-tenured head coach in any of the major U.S. sports leagues (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, and MLS), Winderman writes for the Sun Sentinel (subscription required). Spoelstra’s enthusiasm about earning that distinction was muted, to put it mildly. “Some people could look at that as a badge of honor,” he said. “I look at that as really a disappointment to this profession, that there’s not more coaches that are given an opportunity to work through things.”
Ja Morant Talks About Trade Rumors, Reportedly Has Interest In Heat
Ja Morant addressed trade rumors at a press conference in Berlin ahead of Thursday’s game against Orlando, but his responses were brief and guarded, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Speculation that Morant might be moved before the February 5 deadline has been rampant since ESPN’s Shams Charania reported last Friday that Memphis is listening to offers.
Asked during his six-minute meeting with reporters how the rumors are affecting him, Morant said, “Live with it.”
Morant’s other statements were similarly short, Vardon adds. In response to a question about whether he expects to still be with the Grizzlies after the deadline passes, Morant responded, “I’m the only one you asked that question to?” Queried about the response of Memphis fans to a potential deal, he stated, “I think y’all should be more worried about my reaction and not other people. Like, my reaction is more important.”
The only real insight Morant offered was regarding his relationship with head coach Tuomas Iisalo, which was strained early in the season, resulting in a one-game suspension after a locker room confrontation. Morant indicated that things have improved, saying, “He cool. I don’t think we’ve had too many ups and downs. That’s just y’all on the outside looking in thinking that.”
The Grizzlies announced that Morant will miss Thursday’s game, which will be his sixth straight absence, due to a right calf contusion. It’s the third time he has been listed as “out” instead of “questionable” in the pregame injury report since Charania’s report surfaced. League sources told Vardon that Morant informed at least two teammates, along with other NBA players, that he doesn’t play to play for Memphis again.
However, Vardon points out that Morant is still classified as a “star” by the NBA, and the overseas contests, which are being televised by Prime Video, are considered “national TV” games. League rules require “star” players to participate in those games unless they can show proof of a legitimate injury, so Morant’s status for Sunday will be worth watching.
Morant plans to meet with members of his business team while in Europe to consider his future, according to Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports, who hears that the Heat have become an “attractive option” to his camp over the past few days.
Miami’s reputation for attention to detail and structure is appealing to Morant, Iko adds, and he has “a deep respect” for head coach Erik Spoelstra. The Heat coach also runs Team USA, and Morant hopes to represent his country at the 2028 Summer Olympics. Iko states that Morant views Miami’s veteran presence as another positive.
Morant has two years and $87MM left on his current contract after this season, and sources tell Iko that he’s hoping to receive a max extension by next summer. That’s unlikely to happen with the current situation in Memphis, but rebuilding his reputation in Miami could be the best path toward a huge payday.