Eastern Notes: Edgecombe, Wizards, Hall, Williams, Cavs

While he has been overshadowed to some extent by former Duke teammates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe has been one of the NBA’s very best rookies so far this season. As Tony Jones of The Athletic writes, Edgecombe is further along his development than anticipated and showed again on Tuesday why Philadelphia made the right call drafting him with the No. 3 overall pick.

In a back-and-forth overtime matchup with Memphis, Edgecombe racked up 25 points, six rebounds, four assists, and four steals in nearly 41 minutes of action. He also knocked down five shots from beyond the arc, including a game-winning three-pointer with two seconds left in the overtime period (video link via NBA.com).

“VJ has been telling us for three weeks that he deserves to shoot a game-winner,” said Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, who had the assist on that final shot. “I said, OK. I trust him. I knew he would shoot it with confidence. He took the shot, and he made it. We’re blessed to have him. You can thank the basketball gods, or (Sixers president of basketball operations) Daryl Morey, or whoever. He’s got a chance to be a special player.”

We have more from around the Eastern Conference:

• The Sixers were able to draft Edgecombe because they were bad enough last season to hang onto a top-six protected 2025 first-round pick. The Wizards find themselves in a similar position this season, with their 2026 first-rounder headed to New York if it doesn’t land in the top eight. As David Aldridge of The Athletic writes, that no longer looks like the lock that it did after Washington lost 15 of its first 16 games this season. The Wizards’ young core has shown positive signs during the team’s recent 4-4 stretch, which bodes well for the future but could jeopardize the team’s 2026 first-round pick if the trend continues.
• The two-way contracts recently signed by PJ Hall with the Hornets and Malik Williams with the Hawks each cover two seasons, Hoops Rumors has learned. If Hall and Williams play out those full deals, they’ll be eligible for restricted free agency during the 2027 offseason.
• With the Cavaliers off to an 18-16 start after winning 64 games last season and surpassing the second tax apron over the summer, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) considers potential moves for Cleveland’s front office, exploring whether it would make sense for the team to shake up its roster in a major way at the upcoming trade deadline. As Gozlan outlines, the Cavs’ inability to aggregate salaries will create challenges on the trade market, but players on smaller or mid-sized contracts – like Herbert Jones and Jose Alvarado of the Pelicans – would still theoretically be attainable.