Lakers Notes: Schedule, LeBron, Bronny, Redick
The Lakers were relieved to break even in an exhausting stretch of games over the past week, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. The devastating wildfires that hit Los Angeles in January caused several games to be postponed until later in the season. That resulted in the team playing six times in eight days, with three back-to-backs.
“Big picture … feel good that you go 3-3 in this stretch,” coach J.J. Redick said. “It was going to be tough no matter what. The added game made it harder. I don’t think the game that exists today in the NBA and the modern NBA player is like (built to do this). I wouldn’t be either if this was what I came up in and this was the game that I had to play every night. It’s different than when I first started. You’re not built to play six games in eight nights. The game doesn’t allow you to play six games in eight nights. It’s just impossible. That’s why we, I don’t think, have four in five anymore.”
L.A. played without four of its starters in Thursday’s loss to Milwaukee as Redick, whose team was already short-handed due to injuries, tried to avoid overworking anyone. That game was originally set for Tuesday, but it had to be rescheduled when a San Antonio matchup from January 11 was moved to Monday. Rookie wing Dalton Knecht and two-way guard Jordan Goodwin were the only Lakers to play in each of the last six games.
“What our guys just went through, it’s difficult,” Redick added. “And the old heads are gonna talk about how physical it was in the (1980s) and (1990s) and that’s fine. But the level of physicality in our game and the way that the court has to be covered and all the movement, it’s tough. And I’m just glad to be on the other side of it and hopefully going forward we are healthy and can make a push here.”
There’s more from Los Angeles:
- LeBron James has been cleared to return for tonight’s contest against Chicago, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). He sat out seven games with a groin injury he suffered two weeks ago. Rui Hachimura, who has missed the last 10 games with patellar tendinopathy, has also been upgraded to available, along with Luka Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent, McMenamin adds (Twitter link).
- Bronny James offered some evidence that he can succeed at the NBA level during Thursday’s game, McMenamin states in a full story. With nearly half the roster unavailable, Bronny played 30 minutes and finished with a season-high 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting, along with five assists, three rebounds and a blocked shot. “Not surprised by tonight,” Redick said. “I think his confidence is growing. … I think the next step is just becoming an elite-conditioned athlete. Because when (he) does that, with his physical tools and his burst and his handle — and we think he’s going to be an above-average to really good NBA shooter — he’s going to have a chance to really make an impact.”
- Redick is proving he can handle the challenges of being an NBA head coach, contends Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register, who admits she was among the doubters when he was hired last June.
Celtics Notes: New Owner, Horford, Kornet, Hauser, Pritchard, Mazzulla
The record-setting $6.1 billion purchase price for the Celtics is just the beginning of William Chisholm‘s investment in the franchise. As Jay King of The Athletic notes, Chisholm is taking over a team with a massive salary and huge expectations that will become even more expensive if the core of the roster is kept together.
Boston’s payroll is projected to be in the neighborhood of $445MM next season in salaries and luxury tax, per John Hollinger of The Athletic. That’s without free agents Al Horford and Luke Kornet, who would push that total higher if they’re both re-signed.
As players waited out the sale process, Jayson Tatum talked about the importance of finding a new owner who understands “the culture” and Jaylen Brown expressed the need to “keep the emphasis on winning.” Both statements reflect the necessity for continued spending for the Celtics to remain at a championship level, as King adds that the fanbase will quickly turn on the new owner if talent is sacrificed to save money.
“That’s something that they’ll have to figure out,” Horford said. “Ultimately, they’ll be the new owners of the team, they’ll have to make those decisions. But this is my 18th season in the league and there are very few times when you get a special group or a certain window of guys that you can do some special things. So I’m sure that they will be aware of that but that’s something that you have to understand what you’re stepping into.”
There’s more from Boston:
- Bobby Marks of ESPN believes the roster is “sustainable” for the near future, even with the giant tax bills (Twitter video link). Marks points out that the Celtics have 11 players under contract for next season — including Tatum and Brown, who are both signed to long-term deals — and they’ll have two picks in the top 32 of this year’s draft. However, he adds that it could be hard to keep complementary players like Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard long-term because of the effect they’ll have on the luxury tax.
- Coach Joe Mazzulla came away encouraged from his first meeting with the new owner, according to Adam Himmeslbach of The Boston Globe. Chisholm, a Massachusetts native and life-long Celtics fan, pledged to build on the team’s recent success. “Just continue to win championships, continue to be a high-level organization on and off the court, and he obviously has a lot of experience doing that in other endeavors,” Mazzulla said. “So just continuing to work to make the Celtics better, and then kind of give us a shot every year to go after a championship. So I’m excited about that.”
- Chisholm expressed similar sentiments to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links). “The team is in a great place right now, and I’m very sensitive to that,” he said. (Current owner) Wyc (Grousbeck), (president of basketball operations) Brad (Stevens) and Joe have done amazing jobs. … My approach is to win and raise banners. That’s in the near term and the long term. I bleed green. I love the Celtics. When opportunity came up, I couldn’t pass it up. Wyc has done an incredible job. So why would you mess that up? I’ve had a couple of sitdowns with Brad and it’s been about aligning our goals and extending the window of this team.”
- Eric Fisher of Front Office Sports examines the record price tag, attributing it to the scarcity of pro sports franchises for sale and the NBA’s new media rights deal.
Kings Promote Isaac Jones To Standard Contract
7:18pm: Jones’ new contract is official, tweets James Ham of The Kings Beat.
6:14pm: The Kings will convert two-way center Isaac Jones to a standard contract covering two years, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Jones, 24, reached his active-game limit on Wednesday after playing four minutes in a victory over Cleveland. As a two-way player who has been with his team since the start of the season, Jones was eligible to be on the active roster for 50 games, whether he played or not.
Jones will be able to resume playing immediately, starting with tonight’s home game against Milwaukee, assuming the new contract is finalized in time. The deal also enables him to participate in the postseason, including play-in games.
Jones signed the two-way contract in July after going undrafted out of Washington State. He has appeared in 31 games in his rookie season, averaging 3.7 points and 1.5 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per night and shooting 67.6% from the field. He has also played 11 regular season games with the team’s G League affiliate in Stockton.
Jones provides interior depth while starting center Domantas Sabonis is sidelined with a sprained right ankle. Sabonis is expected to remain out of action for at least another week.
Sacramento has an opening on its 15-man roster, so another move won’t be necessary before Jones can be promoted. The Kings won’t be able to add someone else to replace him because the deadline for signing two-way players was March 4.
Jalen Brunson Doing Controlled Workouts, Likely To Miss At Least Another Week
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who has been sidelined since March 6 with a sprained right ankle, continues to make progress toward a return. The team announced (via Twitter) that he has started doing controlled court work, and his status will be updated in “approximately one week.”
Tonight will mark the eighth game that Brunson has missed since suffering the injury in the closing minutes of an overtime loss to the Lakers. New York has gone 3-4 since then and remains in third place in the East, three games ahead of Indiana.
With their playoff position virtually set, there’s no reason for the Knicks to bring back Brunson before he’s fully healed. A report earlier this week said he’s out of his walking boot and has been cleared to do some “light shooting.”
ESPN’s Shams Charania stated last Saturday that the severity of Brunson’s ankle injury make it “more of a three- to four-week minimum return time frame.”
Brunson is in the midst of another stellar season, averaging 26.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists per night and making his second straight All-Star appearance. He’s a strong contender for All-NBA honors, but he’ll have to play four more times to meet the NBA’s 65-game criteria.
Bulls’ Tre Jones Out For At Least Two Weeks
The Bulls have ruled out point guard Tre Jones for at least two weeks after confirming his diagnosis of a left foot sprain, the team announced in a press release.
Jones sustained the injury during Thursday’s win over Sacramento and underwent X-rays, which were negative. There’s no guarantee he’ll be ready to return at the two-week mark, but he’ll be reevaluated at that time, with further updates to come, according to the Bulls.
Jones, who spent the first four years of his NBA career in San Antonio, saw his role decline at the start of his fifth season following the arrival of Chris Paul. He averaged just 16.1 minutes per night, his lowest mark since his rookie year, in 28 appearances for the Spurs before being dealt to Chicago in the three-team De’Aaron Fox/Zach LaVine blockbuster last month.
Despite joining a crowded backcourt in Chicago, Jones has emerged as a key rotation player, averaging 11.5 points, 4.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 25.3 minutes per game across his first 18 appearances (nine starts) as a Bull. He’s making a career-high 57.2% field goal attempts, including 50.0% of his three-pointers, since being traded.
Head coach Billy Donovan has repeatedly lauded Jones in recent weeks for his high basketball IQ and his knack for making winning plays.
With Jones and Lonzo Ball (wrist sprain) currently sidelined and Ayo Dosunmu (shoulder surgery) out for the rest of the season, the Bulls figure to lean more heavily on Josh Giddey and Coby White in their backcourt, with Jevon Carter a candidate to enter the rotation.
Hoops Rumors’ 2025 NBA 10-Day Contract Tracker
Since January 5, when NBA teams became eligible to sign players to standard 10-day deals, 41 of the contracts signed have been of the 10-day variety, and that number will only continue to grow as the season nears an end. Hoops Rumors has a database that allows you to keep on top of those deals, tracking every 10-day signing all season long.
Besides featuring all of this year’s 10-day deals, our 10-Day Contract Tracker includes information on all 10-day contracts signed since the 2006/07 season. The search filters in the database make it easy to sort by team, player, and/or year.
For instance, if you want to see all the 10-day contracts that the Sixers have signed since 2007, including Oshae Brissett‘s current deal, you can do so here. If you want to view Brissett’s history of 10-day deals, that list is here.
You can also see whether a player and team signed a second 10-day contract or if those short-term deals led to an agreement that covered the rest of the season. Additionally, our tracker notes which 10-day deals remain active, saving you the hassle of having to figure out whether a particular contract ends on Wednesday or Thursday.
A link to our 10-Day Contract Tracker can be found at any time in the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features” on our desktop site. On our mobile site, you can find it on our “Features” page. We’ll be keeping it up to date for the rest of the season, so be sure to check back to keep tabs on the latest signings as they become official.
As our tracker shows, these are the 10-day deals currently active around the NBA:
- Indiana Pacers: Tony Bradley, C (runs through 3/22)
- Philadelphia 76ers: Oshae Brissett, F (runs through 3/23)
- Philadelphia 76ers: Chuma Okeke, F (runs through 3/25)
- Toronto Raptors: Colin Castleton, C (runs through 3/25)
- Sacramento Kings: Terry Taylor, F (runs through 3/27)
- New York Knicks: P.J. Tucker, F (runs through 3/29)
- New Orleans Pelicans: Elfrid Payton, G (runs through 3/30)
Anthony Davis Could Return During Mavs’ Upcoming Road Trip
There’s increasing optimism that Mavericks big man Anthony Davis will have a chance to return to action during the team’s upcoming four-game road trip, reports NBA insider Marc Stein (Substack link).
Davis, who has been sidelined by an adductor strain since his Mavs debut on February 8, practiced with the Texas Legends in the G League multiple times this week and got through those sessions without experiencing any setbacks. As Stein relays, head coach Jason Kidd said last night that it was a “positive day” on Friday for Davis and fellow injured big men Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford, who also practiced with the Legends.
While Kidd said there’s “no timetable” for any of them to return, he expressed hope about having all three centers back this season, and Stein suggests Davis is the furthest along of the three in his recovery process. He has advanced to 5-on-5 play, while Lively and Gafford have reportedly only done 3-on-3 work.
The Mavericks’ four-game Eastern Conference swing will begin on Monday in Brooklyn and also includes stops in New York (Tuesday), Orlando (Thursday), and Chicago (next Saturday). Stein, who previously reported that Davis is “very eager” to resume playing, suggests it’s possible we could see him in one or more of those games.
There had been speculation following Davis’ adductor injury that the Mavericks may simply shut him down for the rest of the season and focus on 2025/26, especially after Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACL. However, there was never any indication from Dallas that the team was seriously considering that route, especially with a postseason berth still within reach.
Although they sit at No. 11 in the Western Conference right now, the Mavericks are tied with the No. 10 Suns at 34-37 and are just two games back of the No. 9 Kings (35-34). Even without Irving, an otherwise healthy version of this Mavs team could cause problems for opponents in the postseason, and making or missing the play-in tournament is unlikely to significantly impact their draft position.
Southeast Notes: Risacher, Hornets, Lee, Isaac, Adebayo
Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher is making his case for Rookie of the Year honors with his recent play, Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Head coach Quin Snyder recognizes that the 19-year-old’s growth hasn’t and will not always be linear, but he has been an advocate for his rising player all year.
“I think it’s a strong case,” Snyder said. “You have to look beyond some of the quote, unquote numbers. Although, if you look at the progression, even in a statistical case, over the course of the season, it’s pretty impressive. That’s a credit to who he is, his talent and as a human being and his character, and he just embraces everything, whether that’s when he’s making shots or he’s not making shots. Defensively, he’s really a complete player, and he’s got a high ceiling.”
While Spurs guard Stephon Castle has emerged as the favorite for Rookie of the Year honors and Wizards big Alex Sarr might be ahead of Risacher too, the French wing’s improvement is notable and impressive. During his last 22 appearances, the No. 1 overall pick is averaging 14.4 points per game while shooting 45.5% from three (4.9 attempts). In his first 38 games, he averaged 10.5 PPG and shot 28.3% from three (4.2 attempts).
“You can’t be serious if you don’t have him in the Rookie of the Year conversation,” teammate Georges Niang said. “I think his progression throughout the year, especially on a team that is winning and trying to make the playoffs, I think it’s been impressive what he’s been able to do. And for sure, it wouldn’t be a surprise to me if he won Rookie of the Year because he truly deserves it.”
Risacher said it would mean a lot to him to win the award, but he’s firmly focused on improving and keeping Atlanta focused on the postseason.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- The Hornets are on the brink of being eliminated from the playoffs, which would extend the NBA’s longest active streak without a postseason appearance to nine years. However, as Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes, the Hornets are happy to play spoiler even if it doesn’t culminate in a playoff showing. “It just gives us confidence,” Miles Bridges said. “It gives us confidence knowing we can play how we want to when we are semi-healthy. Just imagine when we are fully healthy.“
- Hornets head coach Charles Lee has taken a long-term outlook when discussing Charlotte’s ability to be competitive. He isn’t losing his cool during post-game news conferences, Boone writes in another story. “Human nature is to try to find the negatives, try to find the wrongs,” Lee said. “And that’s the easy thing to do. It’s the easy way to find some comfort. And the place that I like to live and the place that we like to live is finding the positives and what are the growth areas we have seen.”
- Magic forward Jonathan Isaac is seeing limited minutes after renegotiating his contract last offseason to increase his 2024/25 salary and tack on four extra years. Isaac didn’t play in the second half of Wednesday’s game against the Rockets, the Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede writes. “As we’re looking at these games as playoff-type ‘win the next game,’ you’ve got to look at matchups,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. Isaac is averaging 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 0.9 steals in 15.5 minutes per game this season, though his 62 appearances are his most since 2018/19.
- The Heat‘s current 10-game losing streak is one of the longest in franchise history. Regardless, Bam Adebayo appears to not be losing hope for the rest of the season with the team still in position to make the play-in tournament. “You can’t let go of the rope now,” Adebayo said, per HoopsHype (Twitter link). “To me, being a quitter is in your character — and I’m not a quitter.“
Central Notes: Mitchell, Slumping Cavs, Cunningham, Lillard
Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell is owning responsibility for Cleveland’s current losing streak, which extended to four games on Friday in Phoenix, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes (subscription required).
“Put this on me,” Mitchell said. “When your leader ain’t doing [expletive], this is what happens. If I’m not being who I need to be then we’re not going to get to where we want to get to. So, until that happens — and it will — yeah, if you’re looking for where to point, it’s right here.”
Since the beginning of March, Mitchell is shooting 32.9% from the field and 17.9% on three-pointers, compared to 44.1% and 37.0% on the season, Fedor adds. In their four straight losses, he’s down to 18.5 PPG on 29.6% shooting.
- The Cavaliers‘ Friday loss represents their lowest point of the season, Fedor writes in another story (subscription required). Cleveland has given up at least 120 points three times in its last four losses and ranks in the bottom half of the league defensively this month. Meanwhile, the scorching-hot offense that overshadowed any defensive shortcomings earlier in the year has faltered as of late. Of course, the Cavaliers still hold a five-game lead over the second-place Celtics in the East, but they’ll want to right the ship in the coming weeks to regain some momentum entering the postseason.
- Wednesday’s performance against the Heat was the pinnacle of Pistons star Cade Cunningham‘s young career, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic opines. Cunningham recorded team highs in points (25), rebounds (12) and assists (11) as he notched a triple-double and knocked down his first career game-winning three-pointer. The former No. 1 overall pick felt the game was a culmination of everything he has been through, including the 28 straight losses the Pistons endured last season and the injury that limited him to 12 games in his sophomore season. “It’s still early though, I feel like,” Cunningham said. “I still feel like there’s so much to do. There’s still so much that I haven’t experienced.“
- Bucks star Damian Lillard missed Thursday’s game against the Lakers due to calf soreness, per NBA insider Chris Haynes, and he’ll also miss Saturday’s tilt in Sacramento, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter links). It’s the first time since late December that Lillard had to miss consecutive games. He’s averaging 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game in his age-34 season. Guard Ryan Rollins drew the start on Thursday in Lillard’s absence.
Suns Notes: Gillespie, Ighodaro, Big Win, Allen
Suns two-way guard Collin Gillespie drew the first start of his career on Monday in place of injured Bradley Beal, writes The Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin. Gillespie has since started twice more and Phoenix has won all three games, its first such streak since late January. Gillespie is in his third year in the league, all of which have been on two-way contracts. He missed his rookie season due to injury and joined Phoenix this past offseason.
“It was really cool,” Gillespie said of earning a starting opportunity. “Really surreal moment for myself after just battling that stuff, all the injuries and stuff. It was cool, it was fun. Most importantly, we got a win.”
There’s no concern about Gillespie reaching his 50-game limit on his two-way deal, since he has been inactive 35 times so far this season. However, he won’t be eligible for the playoffs unless he’s promoted to the active roster.
If the Suns wanted to convert Gillespie to a standard deal, they would need to waive a player, as they’re at the limit of 15. His energy has helped Phoenix get back into the play-in picture at 10th in the West. They’re two games behind the Kings and tied with the 34-37 Mavericks, who rank 11th due to tie-breaking procedures.
Gillespie scored 13 points on a trio of made three-pointers on Friday in a victory against the Cavaliers.
“If I’m out on the floor, I’m going to play hard,” Gillespie said. “I’m going to exhaust myself and then if I need a breather, they’ll probably get me out of the game, but when I’m out there, I’m going to play hard and I’m going to exhaust myself.“
We have more from the Suns:
- Suns rookie Oso Ighodaro earned his third career start on Friday, playing a career-high 44 minutes. He finished the upset win over the Cavaliers with six points, 13 rebounds and four assists. “He’s shown a unique ability where he doesn’t seem to get winded or tired,” coach Mike Budenholzer said, per Rankin (Twitter link). “He plays at such a great pace. Mentally, he’s very calm. He understands and sees the game. So there’s not a lot of wasted energy mentally. We scheduled to give him a few more breaks, but he was just playing so good, we just kind of stuck with him.” The rookie No. 40 overall pick is playing much more as of late, averaging 7.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 28.8 minutes over his past six games. Ighodaro earned the start over an injured Nick Richards.
- The Suns picked up one of their biggest wins of the season on Friday, defeating a healthy but slumping Cavaliers team. As Rankin writes, Phoenix was down four rotational players but their new-look starting lineup is providing an identity and generating good vibes. Alongside Kevin Durant (who scored 42 points on Friday) and Devin Booker, the Suns are starting Gillespie, Ighodaro and rookie No. 28 overall pick Ryan Dunn. When Beal, Richards, Grayson Allen and Mason Plumlee return to the lineup, Budenholzer will be forced to make some lineup decisions, Rankin notes.
- In a similar story, The Athletic’s Doug Haller points out that Cody Martin is helping bring a defensive intensity off the bench for Phoenix. “I keep saying, just being connected,” Booker said of what’s fueling the team. “You’re moving as one. We’re covering (for) each other on defensive breakdowns and everybody’s making the extra effort to rotate for each other, and at the same time, making sure we secure the ball and rebound.”
- Allen’s missed game on Friday was his sixth in a row, Rankin adds (via Twitter). “I think this has been a little bit more than what we anticipated, but I think he’s in a really good place,” Budenholzer said. “I think he’s making really good progress. We feel really good about it.” Allen, who is dealing with a foot sprain, was able to get some work in after shootaround on Friday. Budenholzer said the Suns feel “upbeat and optimistic” regarding his chances to play either Monday against the Bucks or Wednesday vs. the Celtics.