Javonte Green Bought Out By Pelicans, Plans To Sign With Cavaliers
FEBRUARY 20: The Pelicans have officially waived Green, according to a release from the team.
FEBRUARY 19: Javonte Green has reached a buyout agreement with the Pelicans and plans to sign with the Cavaliers once he clears waivers, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The 31-year-old swingman has appeared in 50 games this season, making 18 starts and averaging 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 21.8 minutes per night. He’s shooting 35.2% from three-point range and will give Cleveland another veteran wing off the bench for its upcoming playoff run.
The Cavs had a pair of open roster spots after sending two players to Atlanta to acquire De’Andre Hunter at the trade deadline. The team faced a February 20 deadline to get its roster back up to 14 players, which it will accomplish when a 10-day contract with G League forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin is finalized. One more opening will remain, so another move won’t be necessary to add Green, assuming he’s not claimed by another team.
Green is making $2.4MM on the one-year deal he signed with New Orleans last summer. If he gives up any money in the buyout, it will likely be roughly what he’ll earn in Cleveland for the rest of the season on a veteran’s minimum contract.
The Cavaliers will remain below the tax line after adding Green, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).
The Pelicans will be down to 13 players once the move is official, and they’ll have two weeks to fill at least one roster opening. It will likely happen by giving a standard contract to two-way guard Brandon Boston, who has been part of the rotation for most of the season.
Bucks Notes: Portis, Injuries, Playoffs, Rotation
Bucks forward Bobby Portis was suspended for 25 games on Thursday morning, an obvious blow to Milwaukee’s depth. The suspension will cost Portis $114,348 per game, or $2.85MM in total, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). Additionally, the Bucks receive a tax variance credit worth about $1.43MM, which is 50% of Portis’s lost salary.
That figure doesn’t come off Portis’s cap hit or the standard team salary. However, when it comes time to calculate Milwaukee’s tax bill at the end of the season, their total taxed salary will be reduced by that amount.
Before the suspension, the Bucks had an open roster spot. It’s unclear what Milwaukee’s exact plans were with that spot, but it’s important to note that two-way player Ryan Rollins has carved out a role for himself. Milwaukee would also be able to move Portis to the suspended list and sign an additional replacement player after he has been out for five games. Theoretically, the Bucks could fill their existing open roster spot and sign a replacement player.
In 46 games this season, Portis is averaging 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds. With his production out from the lineup for the next 25 games, the team could lean on deeper reserve bigs like Jericho Sims and/or Tyler Smith.
We have more on the Bucks:
- Injury luck will play a big part in whether Milwaukee can elevate itself from merely a playoff team to a true contender, Eric Nehm of The Athletic writes. The Bucks are outside the top 10 in both offensive and defensive ratings, which are typical indicators of contention status. If stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are able to stay healthy for the rest of the season and into the playoffs after dealing with injuries during the 2024 postseason, Milwaukee could reach its potential, Nehm writes.
- The Bucks are in danger of not having home court advantage in the playoffs for the first time since 2018, when Joe Prunty was head coach. As Nehm writes in the same piece, the Bucks are a game behind the Pacers for fourth in the East, potentially setting up a rematch of last year’s first-round playoff series.
- Even with Portis out, the Bucks have no shortage of depth options, leading to questions about the rotation, per Nehm. Outside of starters Antetkounmpo, Lillard, Andre Jackson Jr., Brook Lopez and Kyle Kuzma, Milwaukee has five players vying for four rotation slots. Taurean Prince, Gary Trent Jr. and A.J. Green seem certain to play regular minutes, leaving coach Doc Rivers to decide on whether Rollins or Kevin Porter Jr. will be the ninth man.
Bulls’ Patrick Williams Out At Least Two Weeks With Knee Injury
Fifth-year forward Patrick Williams recently received a platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection to treat a right knee injury the Bulls describe as tendinosis. He’ll miss at least two weeks, which is when he’ll be reevaluated, per the team (Twitter link).
Williams was initially ruled out for Thursday’s game at New York with what the Bulls called right quadriceps tendon soreness. He banged knees with a Pistons player on February 12, but was able to go through practice on Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link), Williams threw a towel in frustration during a timeout after experiencing the injury last week, but both he and head coach Billy Donovan downplayed the severity of the issue after the game. At the time, Williams said the knee-to-knee contact aggravated the sore tendon, but X-rays came back normal.
It’s been a tough season on an individual level for Williams, who is averaging career-worst rates on both two-pointers (40.0%) and threes (35.1%) for an overall field goal percentage of 37.5%. The 23-year-old, who was selected No. 4 overall in 2020, missed 10 games earlier this season, and will now miss at least eight more over the next couple of weeks.
With Williams out, Matas Buzelis, Kevin Huerter and Julian Phillips are among the candidates to receive more playing time.
Agent: Lakers Shouldn’t Have Failed Mark Williams’ Physical
In a statement released via Excel Sports Management (Twitter link), agent Jeff Schwartz pushed back on the Lakers‘ decision to fail his client’s physical.
The Lakers agreed to trade Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, their unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Hornets for Mark Williams, but later voided the trade over “multiple issues” with Williams’ physical.
“The overwhelming sentiment, after conferring with multiple, nationally recognized doctors, is that the Los Angeles Lakers should not have failed Mark Williams on his physical.
“Mark was ready and able to play for them and should have been given that opportunity,” Schwartz said.
In his first game back with the Hornets following the nixed trade, Williams recorded 10 points, nine rebounds and two assists on Wednesday in a three-point victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles. After the game, he suggested the Lakers may have had buyer’s remorse over all the assets they gave up to acquire him, according to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.
“I don’t know for them, if it was what they gave up or went into that reasoning. But I don’t think it was solely because of my physical,” Williams said. “I’ve been playing all year. And I think my minutes and production on the court speak for itself.”
As Medina notes, Williams missed the majority of last season with a back injury as well as the first 20 games of 2024/25 due to a left foot injury, but he has bounced back by posting some of the best numbers of his career this season, averaging 15.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 blocks per game in 24 appearances (25.2 minutes). The 23-year-old called the past few weeks “crazy” and “tough,” but he’s happy to be back with the Hornets.
“Obviously the last two weeks have been national attention. It’s not really something that happens very often,” Williams said. “So I think just the rest of the way being able to show the player that I am, I feel like I’ve been doing that all year and I’ll just try to continue to do that.”
Williams (return to competition reconditioning) and LaMelo Ball (right ankle injury management) are among several Hornets who will be sidelined for Thursday’s back-to-back against Denver, the team announced (via Twitter).
For the Lakers, Luka Doncic (left calf injury management) and Jarred Vanderbilt (right foot surgery management) will be sidelined for tonight’s back-to-back in Portland, while LeBron James (left foot injury management) is questionable (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group). According to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link), the Lakers are “pleased” with Doncic’s recovery progress and are confident he’ll soon be able to play both ends of back-to-backs.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 2/20/2025
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Mavs’ Anthony Davis Out At Least Two More Weeks
While star big man Anthony Davis is “making good progress” from his left adductor strain, he will be sidelined for at least two more weeks, which is when he’ll be reevaluated, the Mavericks announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
This is the first formal timeline Dallas has provided on Davis since he sustained the injury on February 8 against Houston. It was his first game in Mavs uniform following the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers.
Reporting at the time indicated that Davis was expected to miss multiple weeks with the injury, with Marc Stein later reporting that there was hope that surgery could be avoided.
Head coach Jason Kidd told reporters today (Twitter link via Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News) that Davis and fellow big men Daniel Gafford (Grade 3 MCL Sprain) and Dereck Lively (ankle fracture) will all be reevaluated on Mar. 6. Reports have indicated that Gafford, who was injured on Feb. 10, and Lively, who is now out of a walking boot , are expected to miss additional time beyond Mar. 6.
On a more positive note, starting forward P.J. Washington, who sprained his right ankle on Feb. 8 and missed the final three games before the All-Star break, was a full participant in Thursday’s practice and will be questionable for Friday’s contest vs. New Orleans (Twitter links via the Mavs).
Backup center Dwight Powell, who has been out of action since Jan. 17 due to a right hip strain, went through the non-contact portions of Thursday’s practice. He’s doubtful for Friday’s game, but Kidd said both players are “trending in the right direction,” tweets Christian Clark of The Athletic.
Despite the litany of frontcourt injuries, the Mavs entered the break having won four of their past five games. They’ll also have journeyman center Moses Brown active tomorrow against the Pelicans — he went through today’s practice after his 10-day contract became official.
Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama Expected To Miss Rest Of Season
All-Star center Victor Wembanyama has been diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2024/25 season, the Spurs announced in a press release (Twitter link).
According to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), a deep vein thrombosis is a form of blood clot. San Antonio believes Wembanyama’s health scare is an “isolated condition,” Charania adds.
The Spurs are optimistic that Wembanyama will be fully recovered by the start of the 2025/26 campaign, a team source tells Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link).
Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News confirms that reporting, writing (via Bluesky) that the Spurs are “not worried” about Wembanyama’s long-term health. Wembanyama’s condition is not considered as serious as the blood clot issue that effectively ended Chris Bosh‘s career, according to Finger.
In their statement, the Spurs said that the issue was discovered after Wembanyama returned to San Antonio following Sunday’s All-Star game in San Francisco. NBA insider Chris Haynes hears (via Twitter) that the team was informed of Wembanyama’s condition today.
On Wednesday, the Spurs had listed Wembanyama as doubtful to suit up for Thursday’s contest vs. Phoenix due to an illness (ESPN.com story via MacMahon). The game will take place at the Moody Center in Austin, and Wembanyama was not present for shootaround this morning, per Finger (Bluesky link).
As Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com tweets, a deep vein thrombosis “is a clot that develops in one of the major veins of the body, usually in the lower extremity.” Brandon Ingram went through a similar issue while with the Lakers back in ’18/19, causing him to miss the final 19 games of that season.
A source tells Sam Amick of The Athletic that Wembanyama has had low energy of late (Twitter link). When he was still experiencing low energy at All-Star weekend and his two-day vacation after the break, he underwent testing which revealed a DVT. Amick and Tom Orsborn of The Express-News are the latest reporters to confirm the Spurs are optimistic about Wembanyama’s long-term prognosis (Twitter link).
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter), Wembanyama will no longer be eligible for major postseason awards due to the 65-game rule. The league’s reigning Rookie of the Year was the odds-on favorite to win his first Defensive Player of the Year award after finishing as the runner-up in ’23/24.
Obviously, this is terrible news for anyone who follows the sport, but particularly for Wembanyama, one of the NBA’s premier young players. Still, it’s at least encouraging that the Spurs seem confident that the issue was caught early and that 2023’s No. 1 overall pick will be ready to play again to open ’25/26.
In 46 games during his second season, Wembanyama averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and a league-high 3.8 blocks in 33.2 minutes per contest. His shooting slash line was .476/.353/.836, with nearly half of the Frenchman’s field goal attempts coming from behind the three-point line.
Wembanyama’s absence will certainly decrease San Antonio’s odds of making a postseason push, but that’s obviously a secondary concern compared to his health. The Spurs have been a funk of late, going just 5-13 over their past 18 games. They’re currently 23-29, 3.5 games behind Golden State for the final play-in spot in the West.
Jaden Springer Joins Jazz On 10-Day Deal
February 20: Springer’s 10-day contract with Utah is official, the team announced in a press release.
February 19: The Jazz and free agent guard Jaden Springer have reached an agreement on a 10-day contract, agent Chad Speck tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Springer was drafted 28th overall out of Tennessee by the Sixers in 2021 and spent his first two-and-a-half NBA seasons in Philadelphia before being sent to Boston at the 2024 trade deadline in exchange for a second-round pick.
The 6’4″ guard won a title with the Celtics and was still on their roster to open the 2024/25 season, but was dealt to Houston along with a second-round pick earlier this month in a salary-dump deal. The Rockets subsequently waived him.
Springer never emerged as a consistent, reliable rotation player in either Philadelphia or Boston, having averaged just 2.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 8.0 minutes per game across 93 total appearances (four starts) for the two teams. Still, he’s just 22 years old and is a talented point-of-attack defender, making him a worthwhile flier for a lottery-bound team like Utah.
The Jazz have been carrying just 14 players on standard contracts since cutting Josh Richardson shortly after this month’s trade deadline, so they won’t need to waive anyone to make room on their roster for Springer.
Springer will earn $124,288 on his 10-day deal, while Utah carries a cap hit of $119,972. Assuming the contract is officially signed on Wednesday or Thursday, it will cover the Jazz’s next five games.
Mavs Sign Moses Brown To 10-Day Contract
February 20: Brown’s 10-day contract with the Mavericks is now official, the team confirmed in a press release (Twitter link).
February 19: The Mavericks are planning to sign center Moses Brown to a 10-day contract, his agent Ryan Davis tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
NBA insider Marc Stein, who first reported that Dallas intended to sign a center to a 10-day deal and identified Brown as a candidate, says the big man will audition for the team today and could officially sign as soon as this afternoon if all goes according to plan (Twitter links).
The Mavericks are in desperate need of frontcourt depth, with Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively, and Daniel Gafford all still facing extended injury absences and Dwight Powell having been sidelined for over a month with a hip strain.
However, the Mavs also facing an extremely restrictive hard-cap situation, so their decision to sign Brown to a 10-day contract now is notable.
As we detailed over the weekend, the Mavs only have $171,120 in breathing room below their hard cap; Brown will carry a cap hit of $119,972. Once Brown’s contract expires, Dallas will only have $51,148 in hard-cap room and will have to wait until April 10 to re-add a 15th man.
Brown, 25, has the ability to step in and provide the Mavs with rotation minutes right away. He has appeared in 159 regular season games for seven NBA teams since making his debut in 2019.
Outside of a brief stint with the Pacers in November and December, the former UCLA standout has spent the current season with the Westchester Knicks in the G League. He has appeared in 26 games for New York’s affiliate, averaging 15.9 points, 14.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 29.2 minutes per contest.
No corresponding roster move will be required for the Mavs, who are currently carrying 14 players on standard contracts.
Bucks’ Bobby Portis Jr. Suspended 25 Games By NBA
Bucks big man Bobby Portis Jr. has been suspended 25 games without pay for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program, the league announced today (via Twitter).
Portis tested positive for Tramadol. According to Drugs.com, Tramadol “is an opioid agonist that may be used to treat moderate to moderately severe chronic pain in adults.”
Portis’ suspension will begin with tonight’s game between the Bucks and Clippers. Milwaukee played 53 games prior to the All-Star break, which means Portis won’t be eligible to return until April 8, when the team hosts Minnesota.
Milwaukee is 29-24 and in no danger of dropping out of the postseason picture. However, with the team emerging from the break with the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference, Portis’ suspension could impact whether it holds onto a top-six spot and an automatic berth into the first round.
Portis is one of the league’s top reserves. This season, he’s averaging 13.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 25.2 minutes per game. He’s come off the bench in 39 on 46 games played.
According to Portis’ agent Mark Bartelstein, Portis took the drug by accident.
“I am devastated for Bobby right now because he made an honest mistake and the ramifications of it are incredibly significant,” Bartelstein told ESPN’s Shams Charania. “Bobby unintentional took a pain medication called Tramadol, thinking he was taking a pain medication called Toradol.
“Toradol is an approved pain medication that he has used previously and the teams and players use for pain and inflammation at times. Tramadol, however, is not an approved pain medication and was just recently added to the banned substance list this past spring. The Tramadol pill came from an assistant of his, with a valid prescription f0r the painkiller, which he mistakenly told Bobby was Toradol.”
Portis and Bucks general manager Jon Horst also issued statements via a team press release. Portis was apologetic for his “honest mistake” and Horst said that the team will accept the suspension.
“I was dealing with an elbow injury and using an NBA-approved medication for pain and inflammation,” Portis said. “During that time, I made an honest mistake and took a pain-reducing anti-inflammatory pill that is not approved. I feel horrible and recognize that I’m responsible for what I put in my body. From the bottom of my heart, I want to apologize to the Bucks organization, my teammates, coaches, family, and fans. I give everything I have on the court and will terribly miss playing games for the Bucks during this time. I will continue to work hard and be ready for our long playoff run. Thank you for your support. I appreciate it more than you know.”
“This is a very difficult set of circumstances for Bobby and our team,” Horst said. “He and the Bucks organization respect the NBA/NBAPA Anti-Drug Program and will accept what’s been handed down. But we 100% support Bobby. Together we will take this opportunity to grow and will have a better and stronger Bobby and Milwaukee Bucks team. He’s an integral part of who we are, a huge member of the Milwaukee community, and we look forward to his return.”
With Portis often serving as the backup center to Brook Lopez, recently acquired big man Jericho Sims could have a significant role the remainder of the season. Taurean Prince, who was projected to lose his starting role with the trade acquisition of Kyle Kuzma, will also likely absorb some of Portis’ minutes.
Portis is in the third year of a four-year, $48.6MM contract. He holds a $13,445,754 option on his contract for next season.
The Bucks will be able to move Portis to the suspended list after he serves the first five games of the suspension, which would open up a spot on the club’s 15-man roster until he’s reactivated.