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Speaking after Wednesday’s win over the Pistons, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said he believed the team had ruled out an Achilles injury for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who sustained an injury initially diagnosed as a calf strain, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
“I didn’t know what it was,” Rivers said (ESPN YouTube link). “I just wanted the trainers to attend to him.”
Antetokounmpo left the game after just three minutes with what appeared to be a non-contact injury. He was able to leave the court under his own power, limping first to the bench and then to the locker room.
Rivers confirmed that Antetokounmpo underwent an MRI, according to Nehm (via Twitter), and pushed back on the idea of the injury being non-contact.
“I thought the bump, if you watch, the bump drive, that’s what threw him off balance,” Rivers said, as relayed by Nehm (Twitter link). “He got bumped then and then somebody landed on top of him… and then it looked like no one was around but I thought it was the bump that threw him off balance.”
The team has yet to provide an official update on the injury.
The Clippers are planning to sign free agent guard RayJ Dennis to a two-way contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter). The move comes four days after the Pacers waived Dennis to sign Ethan Thompson.
Jake Fischer of the Stein Line confirms the report (via Twitter) and adds that Dennis is expected to provide depth in the Clippers’ backcourt following the recently announced departure of Chris Paul.
Fischer adds that Los Angeles will waive Jahmyl Telfort to make room for Dennis (Twitter link).
Dennis, a 24-year-old, 6’1″ point guard, played 13 games for the Pacers this season, averaging 4.9 points and 2.0 assists in 12.9 minutes per game. The former Baylor standout went undrafted in 2024 and began his professional career with the Clippers’ G League affiliate before signing a two-year, two-way contract with Indiana back in January.
Telfort played 29 minutes over seven games for the Clippers after going unselected in the 2025 draft out of Butler.
Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo left the Bucks‘ game against the Pistons on Wednesday after slipping and suffering a non-contact injury. The team ruled Antetokounmpo for the rest of the contest and referred to the injury as a right calf strain (Twitter link).
Antetokounmpo remained seated on the court after coach Doc Rivers called a timeout, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic, and eventually walked off the floor under his own power. After briefly returning to the bench, he then limped to the locker room.
The injury comes on the same day that an ESPN report indicated the Bucks’ star was initiating a dialogue with the team to determine whether he would continue his career in Milwaukee or if the two parties would work together to find a trade destination for the two-time MVP.
Antetokounmpo will likely undergo further evaluation to confirm the diagnosis and to assess the severity of the injury.
The Wizards are preparing to be without forward Bilal Coulibaly for multiple weeks due to a right oblique strain, according to The Athletic’s Josh Robbins.
As Robbins writes, the Wizards have yet to set a formal timeline for the injury, but Varun Shankar of The Washington Post notes (via Twitter) that while timelines can vary for oblique strains, an absence of multiple weeks should be expected.
Coulibaly suffered the injury during Tuesday’s game against the Sixers and was able to play about nine more minutes after the injury occurred.
The former seventh overall pick has had a hard time staying healthy this season, missing eight of Washington’s first 20 games. He missed the start of the season while recovering from a torn ligament in his thumb and four more games in November with a left calf contusion.
Coulibaly has struggled with his offense since returning to play, averaging 8.8 points per game on .374/.268/.771 shooting splits. Robbins notes that Coulibaly’s defense has been massive for the Wizards, who are ranked 30th in that category and don’t have many above-average perimeter defenders to put around Alex Sarr, who is also currently injured with an injury of his own (an adductor strain).
The Heat will have the ability to sign a 15th man without surpassing the luxury tax line as of December 13, but there are many factors the team will need to consider before doing so, Ira Winderman writes for the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Miami will have to weigh the likelihood of Tyler Herro qualifying for his performance-based contract incentives, which are looking increasingly out of reach, as the shooting guard is only one missed game from being ruled ineligible for All-NBA.
The team is also in an uncertain position when it comes to the contract of Terry Rozier, who is currently on leave from the league due to his involvement in the FBI’s gambling probe. In ordinary circumstances, the Heat could waive Rozier on or before January 7 in order to recoup the $1.6MM non-guaranteed portion of his salary, but Winderman writes that it’s unclear if the league will allow them to do that while he’s on leave.
The Heat have also had a hot start to the season and sit at third in the East coming into Wednesday’s slate of games, meaning they may not feel any urgency to navigate those obstacles and add a new player.
We have more from the Heat:
- Norman Powell is doing his best to play through the groin strain that sidelined him for a game last week and will cause him to miss Wednesday night’s matchup against the Mavs, writes Winderman in a separate piece. “I’m not fully healthy,” Powell admitted. “I haven’t been fully healthy in a couple of games.” However, Powell said that the team doctors don’t think he’s been making the injury worse by playing. “They think it can still heal while I’m playing,” he said. “It’s managing it, and if something is too uncomfortable or whatever, then letting them know.” Powell had previously missed time with a right groin strain, but he said that the current injury is in a different place.
- Andrew Wiggins isn’t the loudest player in the Heat’s locker room, but he has been leading by example this season, Winderman writes. “I get the job done and I do whatever I can to help the team win,” he said. “I know every night’s going to be different. Some nights might be more scoring. Some nights might be my rebounding. Depending on whatever the team needs, I’m here and I’m going to try and do it.” On a team that has prioritized a well-distributed offensive attack, teammates are impressed with Wiggins’ approach, according to Winderman. “Wiggs is amazing,” Powell said. “He’s quiet, he’s to himself, but he works. He knows the game. He has a versatile skill set. I think he flies under the radar. He’s always quiet and he gets the job done.”
- Nikola Jovic‘s play has been one of the few disappointing aspects of an otherwise better-than-expected season for the Heat, and he’s aware that he’s not performing liked he wants to, writes Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I know that I’m not playing great basketball right now, and that’s the thing that bothers me for sure,” he said. Jovic was conscious of saying the right things about being happy that the team is succeeding despite his struggles, but head coach Erik Spoelstra knows he needs more from the talented forward. “Our ceiling goes so much higher when there’s a consistency to Niko’s game,” Spoelstra said. “He’s extremely versatile on both ends of the court when he’s really locked in, paying attention to details, giving the maximum effort.” Spoelstra adds that attention to detail is crucial, as is getting back into a rhythm after missing some time with an injury.
- Davion Mitchell, who re-signed with Miami on a two-year, $24MM deal this past offseason, is repaying the Heat’s faith in him by turning into one of the steadiest point guards in the league in terms of assist-to-turnover ratio, Chiang writes, noting that only T.J. McConnell and Tim Hardaway Jr. have a better statistical profile in that regard this season.”He really helps what we’re trying to do,” Spoelstra said. “He feels the momentum of the game, and then he has that feel that all great point guards have of getting guys open shots to really extend the lead.” Mitchell, for his part, says the change came when he stopped trying to force things so much. “When I first got here, I was thinking a little bit,” he said. “Obviously, I tried to do what I do on the defensive end, but offensively, I was still trying to find what I can do for this team. But now, it’s like I’m not even out there thinking. I’m just out there making plays and just kind of just free flowing.”
Bulls rookie Noa Essengue will require surgery to address a left shoulder injury and is expected to miss the remainder of the season, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).
The update comes from head coach Billy Donovan, who had previously noted that Essengue suffered the injury, which was initially diagnosed as a shoulder contusion, in a G League contest.
“Usually those things are six to seven months,” Donovan said of Essengue’s recovery timeline, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Bulls’ coach added that the team preferred to address the injury now rather than let it linger into the offseason.
After being selected 12th in the 2025 draft, Essengue played just six minutes for the Bulls in his rookie season, recording one steal and one foul in that time.
He appeared in four games for the Windy City Bulls G League team, where he averaged 23.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 30.8 minutes per game.
According to Johnson (via Twitter), Donovan said he had spoken with Essengue after shootaround, and that he was handling the news well.
There’s a sense among rival teams that Hawks guard Trae Young, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, and Hornets guard LaMelo Ball could all be available ahead of this February’s trade deadline, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks. However, several scouts and executives who spoke to ESPN expressed reservations about the trio of star point guards.
“I wouldn’t want any of them,” one Western Conference general manager said.
“They all might have negative value,” an Eastern Conference executive added.
Another general manager in the West suggested that he wouldn’t be surprised if two or more of those point guards end up being moved in the same deal, observing that flawed stars viewed as candidates to benefit from a change of scenery sometimes get traded for each other.
Here are several more highlights from ESPN’s conversations with sources around the league about Young, Morant, and Ball:
Trae Young:
- Defense is the main concern with Young, with MacMahon and Marks pointing out that the Hawks’ defensive rating with Young on the floor would be the worst in the NBA, whereas Atlanta has defended at a top-five level when the four-time All-Star isn’t playing.
- One Eastern Conference scout stated that Young is “small and doesn’t play any defense,” but said he’d still take him over Morant and Ball because he’s so talented offensively and doesn’t have off-court concerns. However, other sources who spoke to ESPN expressed concern about a “long-running perception” that Young isn’t popular among his teammates.
- Young can become an unrestricted free agent in 2026 if he turns down his $49MM player option for ’26/27, but there’s uncertainty about what kind of contract Atlanta or another team would be willing to give him. “He might just be the ultimate floor raiser, which has its value,” another Eastern Conference scout told ESPN. “But he’s definitely imperfect.”
- If the Hawks do trade Young, they’d have to acquire a new lead ball-handler, multiple rival executives pointed out, whether that happens in the same deal or perhaps in next year’s draft, where Atlanta will have the most favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s first-round picks.
Ja Morant:
- One Eastern Conference executive told ESPN that he wouldn’t want Morant on his roster even if he were on a much more team-friendly contract: “The combination of pain in the ass, injury-prone, not that good anymore and big contract is a bad one.”
- Some sources who spoke to MacMahon and Marks worried that Morant is following the same career trajectory as players like John Wall and Derrick Rose, point guards who relied on their athleticism and whose primes were shortened by injuries. “Ja has been going down, down, down,” a Western Conference GM said. “I don’t know how much of that is due to motivation. You’ve got to be able to look under the hood. I’m just not sure about his health.”
- Other executives were more optimistic about Morant’s future, noting that the two-time All-Star has had some playoff success and suggesting that he’d benefit from a trade. “It’s a gamble, but I truly believe that Ja will be fine at his next stop,” one exec told ESPN. “But (the Grizzlies are) going to have to move Ja. They don’t have a choice.”
LaMelo Ball:
- There’s a perception among many rival evaluators that winning isn’t all that important to Ball, given his questionable shot selection and his subpar defense. “He takes the same shots now that he took in high school,” an assistant coach said. “Nothing has changed. I actually thought early in the year he was giving more of an honest effort defensively, but the offensive side looks like nothing has changed.”
- As is the case with Morant, durability is a major concern with Ball, who hasn’t played more than 47 games in a season since 2021/22. There are also questions about how his game would translate to the postseason, given that he has never been in the playoffs. However, many sources who spoke to ESPN view the 24-year-old’s general approach to the game as the most glaring red flag. “Nobody has ever questioned the talent, but he’s just so unserious,” a Western Conference executive said.
- One scout said he considers Ball to be more talented than Young or Morant but would rank him last among the three due to his bad habits, per MacMahon and Marks. “He’s definitely one of the top three most talented guards in the league,” another source said. “But every (scouting) report I write on him has the word ‘Globetrotter’ in it.”
There have been “mixed signals” about whether the Clippers would seriously entertain the idea of discussing a trade involving standout center Ivica Zubac this season, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, who hears that no player on the roster has generated more interest from teams around the league than Zubac.
If the Clippers ultimately decide they’re willing to explore moving Zubac, the expectation is that they’d seek at least two first-round picks, sources tell ClutchPoints. Siegel wonders if the Celtics, who have a hole in the middle, could make a play for Zubac using Anfernee Simons‘ expiring contract, noting that L.A. had interest in Simons before he was traded from Portland to Boston. However, that sounds like mere speculation at this point.
One thing that seems clear, according to Siegel, is that the Clippers are open to making a deal involving John Collins and his expiring $26.6MM contract. L.A. acquired Collins from Utah in a three-team trade over the summer, but he has yet to make the sort of impact the team had hoped for. His scoring average of 11.9 points per game is his lowest since his rookie season in 2017/18, and he’s knocking down just 31.6% of his three-point tries while averaging a career-worst 4.9 rebounds per game.
Here’s more on the Clippers:
- Keith Smith of Spotrac and a panel of ESPN insiders explore potential next steps for the Clippers and Chris Paul after their surprising divorce. As Smith observes, if the Clippers waive Paul within the next two or three weeks, it would be a strong signal that the team plans to promote Kobe Sanders from his two-way contract to a standard roster spot sooner rather than later. L.A. would need to add a replacement for Paul within 14 days of waiving him and doesn’t currently have enough room below its first-apron hard cap to sign a free agent to a minimum-salary contract. Converting Sanders, who could get a rookie minimum deal that wouldn’t be subject to tax variance, would be the only viable path to filling the 14th roster spot right now if Paul is cut.
- Paul “called out” teammates, coaches, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank during his brief stint as a Clipper, a league source tells Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. According to Turner’s source, Paul apologized, but “everyone was fed up.” Turner adds that there’s no guarantee Paul will end up signing with another team once he’s officially let go by L.A., given his age, his declining production, and his “powerful” voice in the locker room, which not every team would welcome.
- Amid rumors that head coach Tyronn Lue and Paul weren’t on speaking terms in recent weeks, Frank told reporters today that Lue is a “hell of a coach” and that he’ll remain in his current position “for a long time,” per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link).
- The Clippers initially stated that Bogdan Bogdanovic was considered day-to-day due to his left hip contusion, but the veteran guard will miss a seventh consecutive game on Wednesday as a result of the injury, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. Bogdanovic last suited up on November 20.
Suns guard Devin Booker will be reevaluated in one week after being diagnosed with a right groin strain, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Booker, who sustained the injury on Monday vs. the Lakers, will miss games against Houston on Friday and Minnesota next Monday, with next Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal in Oklahoma City looking like his earliest possible return date.
Even if Booker isn’t ready to return in seven days, this outcome appears to be a “best case” for the Suns, according to Charania, who suggests the star guard’s injury isn’t a significant one.
Booker, 29, has been the top scorer for a surprisingly competitive Suns team this fall, averaging 25.0 points, 6.7 assists, and 4.3 rebounds in 34.7 minutes per game through his first 22 outings. Phoenix was expected to take a step back this season after trading Kevin Durant and buying out Bradley Beal over the summer, but the club is off to a 13-9 start, with Booker leading the way.
The Suns’ backcourt depth will be tested with Booker sidelined for multiple games. The team is also still without Jalen Green, who has missed most of the season due to hamstring issues.
However, Phoenix did get Ryan Dunn back on Monday after he missed five games with a sprained wrist. And while Grayson Allen sat out on Monday due to an illness, he had returned to action on Saturday following a seven-game absence due to a quad injury. Assuming they’re healthy, Dunn and Allen figure to play key roles for the Suns in the next week, along with guards Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, and perhaps Jamaree Bouyea, who logged a season-high 23 minutes on Monday.