Sixers To Sign Jabari Walker To Two-Year Deal
The Sixers are signing forward Jabari Walker to a two-year deal, Shams Charania reports for ESPN (via Twitter).
Earlier this month, Walker became the first player on a two-way contract to reach his 50-game active game limit, which forced him to miss Philadelphia’s last four games heading into the All-Star break.
By trading Jared McCain for a draft pick and Eric Gordon for the draft rights to Justinian Jessup, the Sixers opened up spots to convert Walker and Dominic Barlow to standard contracts. Barlow was signed to a two-year deal with a team option on February 5.
After spending his first three seasons with the Blazers, Walker joined the Sixers on a two-way contract and quickly won a bench role in coach Nick Nurse‘s rotation.
Still just 23 years old, Walker brings defensive versatility and intensity on the wing, though he has struggled with his shot, hitting just 27.0% of his threes this season.
The Sixers also announced they are adding veteran point guard Cameron Payne earlier today. Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron speculates (via Twitter) that Philly will likely sign Payne and Walker’s deals on Thursday when the season resumes, which will give them the financial room for one more roster addition at the end of the season.
Wizards Sign Alondes Williams To 10-Day Deal
5:00 pm: Williams’ 10-day deal is official, according to the Wizards. It will run through next Wednesday, covering the team’s next four games.
4:17 pm: The Wizards are signing guard Alondes Williams to a 10-day contract, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter).
Williams, a 6’4″ guard, has played games for the Nets, Heat, and Pistons since going undrafted in 2022, with a seven-game stint for Miami in 2023/24 representing his most playing time in a single season.
Williams, 26, has been productive with the Wizards’ G League team, the Capital City Go-Go, averaging 20.2 points, 4.5 assists, and 5.2 rebounds in 13 regular season games while knocking down a career-high 43.0% of his threes.
The explosive guard has improved his outside shot since his time in college. A 27.0% shooter over his three-year collegiate career, he holds a lifetime G League three-point percentage of 37.0% on 5.4 attempts per game.
Washington has an open spot on its 15-man roster after Keshon Gilbert‘s 10-day deal expired.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Talks Bucks Commitment, Chelsea Investment
The trade saga between the Bucks and star Giannis Antetokounmpo fizzled out at the trade deadline after months of very public speculation.
In response to the lack of an eventual deal, Antetokounmpo took to social media, writing, “Legends don’t chase. They attract” (Instagram video link) and indicating that as long as he’s in Milwaukee, he’s committed to the team. He reiterated that sentiment at All-Star weekend, per ESPN.
“What I’ve said from the beginning of this year is that, out of my mouth and the way I’ve carried myself, you will never hear me say I don’t want to be a Milwaukee Buck,” the two-time MVP told ESPN’s Malika Andrews.
However, even in these statements, disclaimers popped up in his speech. 
“As of today, I’m committed to the Milwaukee Bucks,” Antetokounmpo said, in a statement that echoed previous ones he has made throughout the year.
He also openly discussed the appeal other teams hold, at least as far as wish fulfillment goes.
“Growing up, you dream, ‘Oh, what if I played for the Knicks, Madison Square Garden,” he said. “What if I get drafted by the Lakers and I’m teammates with Kobe Bryant? What if I go play for the Cavs and LeBron [James] passes me the ball?‘”
While Antetokounmpo made clear that getting back to competing for championships is paramount — he likened it to trying a delicious steak and not being able to get it out of your head — he doubled down on his commitment to the Bucks, at least for the rest of the season.
“This is my team, and I love it,” he said.
Antetokounmpo also spoke to Eric Nehm of The Athletic about his recent investment in the Chelsea Women’s soccer club.
On February 7, Antetokounmpo announced (via Twitter) that he had joined the ownership group for the club alongside Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
“Chelsea’s history speaks for itself, and I’m excited to contribute to the future by supporting continued growth and impact in women’s sport,” he wrote in the post. “This is about ambition, legacy, and pushing the game to new heights.”
Talking to Nehm, Antetokounmpo revealed how appealing the idea of doing something to amplify women’s sport was to him.
“He was telling me how he wants to make a difference and do things that his daughters can remember him for, and I was like, ‘Damn, I didn’t even think about that,'” Antetokounmpo said. “… [Ohanian] was like… ‘I’m trying to keep on pushing forward and investing in women’s sports and just change the narrative around that’. And I said, ‘Hey, I mean, just let me know when and what I gotta do’, and then the opportunity came to my desk of investing and being a minority owner of Chelsea Women. I was like, ‘Say less. I want to do it.'”
Nehm writes that it’s unclear the size of the stake the Greek star has in the club.
He adds that while most seasons in which Antetokounmpo would be facing playoff games until the late spring or early summer, with the Bucks on the outside of the playoff picture, this could be an opportunity for the new minority owner to get some facetime with the team, an idea Antetokounmpo agreed with.
“This is probably the only off-season that I’m going to have that I’ll be able to probably go out there and be around the team, meet the players, meet the staff and see what it’s about,” he said.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 2/16/2026
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 3:00 pm Central time (4:00 pm Eastern).
Pacific Notes: Ishbia, Leonard, Booker, Warriors
The Suns entered the break with a 32-23 record, the seventh-best record in the Western Conference. Team owner Mat Ishbia believes his team will remain consistent during the remainder of its schedule, he told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.
“Just more of the same,” Ishbia said of his expectations. “We’re going to compete at a high level and have a team the fans can be proud of. I think we’ve done that so far, but we’ve got to consistently do it. Fifty-five games are not enough.”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard entertained the home fans by pouring in 31 points on 11-of-13 shooting (6-of-7 from three-point range) across a 12-minute span against the World Team during the All-Star contest on Sunday. “When I come in to play basketball, I’ve got one way,” Leonard said, per Benjamin Royer of the Orange County Register. “Obviously nobody is trying to get hurt. I’m going to try to attack, try to get some shots up. I don’t like people just scoring on me.” Leonard, 34, has proven this season that he still has plenty left in the tank. He’s averaging a league-best 30.2 points per game with 6.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists since late December, Janis Carr of the Orange County Register notes. “Kawhi is special man,” the Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns said. “He can step up to levels at any time when he needs to. He’s one of those few players that flips a switch and turns into a different animal, a different beast.”
- Suns guard Devin Booker plans to participate in the three-point shooting contest on All-Star weekend next year when it will be held in Phoenix. However, he doubts he’ll participate in any more after that, Rankin tweets. Booker lost 29-27 to Damian Lillard in this year’s final. “This one hurt a little bit. I wanted this one bad,” he said. “Wish I was defending it in Phoenix but it’ll probably be the last time I do it next year if I get the invite. I’m looking forward to it.”
- The Warriors made a big move prior to the trade deadline, acquiring Kristaps Porzingis from Atlanta. Salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan of ThirdApron.com (subscription required) discusses how Golden State has positioned itself to make another big trade during the offseason.
Warriors To Sign Nate Williams To Two-Way Deal
The Warriors are signing Nate Williams to a two-way contract, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line tweets.
Also known as Jeenathan Williams, the 6’5” shooting guard has been playing for the NBA G League’s Long Island Nets while awaiting another NBA opportunity. He was on a training camp contract with the Lakers last fall but was waived in October.
Williams, who turned 27 last Thursday, spent last season with the Rockets, first on a two-way deal and eventually on a standard contract. He got into 20 games, averaging 3.3 PPG and 0.7 RPG in 7.4 MPG, then was waived by Houston over the summer.
After the Lakers let him go, Williams hooked on with the Nets’ G League affiliate. He has averaged 18.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 steals in 34 minutes per game over 35 appearances. He’s made 47.2% of his field goal attempts, including 36.5% from long range.
Williams also appeared in 22 games with Houston in 2023/24 and five games with Portland the previous season. He went undrafted out of Buffalo in 2022.
Golden State had a two-way opening and won’t need to make a corresponding move. The Warriors created a two-way opening by promoting Pat Spencer right after the trade deadline.
Pistons Notes: Bickerstaff, Suspensions, Reed, Cunningham, Duren
The Pistons have stunned the NBA world by going from worst to first in the Eastern Conference in two seasons. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is somewhat surprised by the team’s quick rise but felt good about joining the organization after owner Tom Gores hired Trajan Langdon as the president of basketball operations in 2024. Shortly after being fired by Detroit’s Central Division rivals in Cleveland, Bickerstaff was hired by Langdon.
“When you were with the group every day, you knew there was a ton of potential there. I couldn’t tell you that I would say that a year and a half later we’d be coaching the All-Star Game and be in first place, but I knew we were going to grow, I knew we were going to continue to get better and we had the pieces,” Bickerstaff told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “The biggest thing for me also I trust Trajan totally because Trajan is the type of person that understands team and how to construct a roster. I think the small, subtle moves that he made last [season] and then even this [season], that helped elevate this team and I trusted his vision and plan.”
Bickerstaff says he doesn’t talk to the team about winning a championship this season because he’s more focused on winning in the short term.
“We’re all about the process. We talk about today every single day,” he said. “That helps control the emotional ups and downs. If you’re looking at big picture views of 10 games and all that, there’s so many different things that can vary. But if you can stay in the moment and focused on that, it helps your team continue to get better because you’re just attacking the problem that’s in front of you.”
We have more on the Pistons:
- All-Star center Jalen Duren and key reserve Isaiah Stewart will continue to serve their suspensions when the team returns to action on Thursday. Duren has one more game left on his suspension for his part in a scuffle with the Hornets last week, while Stewart still has six games to go. Bickerstaff told Spears the Pistons’ depth will carry them through this stretch. “Whenever they have been called upon, they have lived up to the moment and the team has supported them and helped them be successful,” Bickerstaff said of his reserves. “That’s how we move forward. We hold the fort down until our guys get back. We will miss those guys while they are out but the strength of our team has been our depth and we will contribute to use that as a weapon.”
- Paul Reed stepped forward in the first game after the suspensions were issued, a 113-95 road victory over the Raptors. Reed finished with 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting, five rebounds, four blocks and three assists starting in place of Duren. “My minutes might not be consistent, but my teammates and coaches expect me to come in and be ready, and that is what I am going to do,” Reed said, per Coty Davis of the Detroit News. “I take pride in that. To come in and know that when things go left, I can step up and provide.” Reed re-signed with Detroit on a two-year, $11MM contract last summer but his $5.6MM salary for next season is not guaranteed.
- Cade Cunningham and Duren were prominent members of the USA Stars team that prevailed in the three-team All-Star contest on Sunday, Davis notes. In those three 12-minute games, Cunningham recorded 15 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals and three blocks, while Duren finished with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds.
- Duren, a restricted free agent after the season, said that the bad times he and the team endured during his first two seasons have provided extra motivation for everyone in the organization. “It’s kinda like being broke and then getting money,” Duren told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “You never want to be broke again. That’s really what it is, bro, is understanding what that bottom felt like and never wanting to go back because we all have basketball pride and we all want to be the best in what we do. Knowing what that bottom feels like again, it’s never wanting to be back.”
Cameron Payne To Sign With Sixers
11:41 am: Partizan Belgrade has officially announced Payne’s departure for the NBA and the $1.75MM buyout fee it will receive to release him, Stein tweets.
10:37 am: It may take some time to secure Payne’s release from Partizan, Stein tweets. The Sixers have to obtain a Letter of Clearance from FIBA, and they can only contribute up to $875K toward his buyout.
8:59 am: Cameron Payne will leave his European team and join the Sixers for the rest of the season, league sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
The 31-year-old guard was in training camp with the Pacers last fall, but was waived before the season began. In December, he agreed to a deal with KK Partizan in Serbia, heading overseas for the first time in his career.
However, Payne has been held out of recent games, sparking rumors that he might be headed elsewhere, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. He appeared in just 10 games for Partizan, averaging 12.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.2 steals. Askounis adds that the Serbian team will receive $1.75MM in a buyout agreement.
The move marks a return to Philadelphia for Payne, who finished the 2023/24 season with the Sixers after being acquired from Milwaukee at the trade deadline. He averaged 9.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 31 games and remained in the team’s rotation for the playoffs.
Payne signed with the Knicks in the summer of 2024 and appeared in 72 games last season before becoming a free agent again.
The Sixers are down to 13 players on standard contracts after 10-day deals for Charles Bassey and Patrick Baldwin Jr. expired over the weekend. They have enough room to add two players on prorated veteran minimum contracts for the rest of the season without going into luxury tax territory, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
Philadelphia is low on experienced guards after trading Jared McCain to Oklahoma City, so Payne will have a chance to contribute right away. The Sixers’ season will resume Thursday against Atlanta.
Trail Blazers Notes: Avdija, Lillard, Clingan, Hansen, Arena
Deni Avdija didn’t really stand out in his first All-Star appearance — with five points, four assists and one rebound in 15 minutes — but being selected for the game confirmed to fans who may not follow the Trail Blazers closely that he’s one of the league’s best players, writes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Avdija also made history by becoming the first-ever Israeli-born All-Star, and he’s aware of his importance to his home nation.
“I have definitely worked hard, sacrificed a lot of my time to get to the best stage in the world,” he said. “And I feel like this is a dream come true for every kid that actually wants to play basketball. Having a whole country behind me, it’s just a blessing to represent it on the biggest stage in the world.”
Avdija showed promise during his four years in Washington, but his career really took off after being traded to the Blazers in the summer of 2024. He’s in the midst of his best NBA season, averaging 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists through 46 games, and Freeman notes that he’s one of just three players currently posting those numbers.
Avdija has grown to love Portland and sees his future there, Freeman adds.
“I definitely want to amplify a good culture into the organization,” he said. “I hope I’m going to stay in Portland. I love the city, the fans, and I think we’re in a good spot. I’m glad to be part of this rebuilding (effort) and I’m really seeing a bright future.”
There’s more on the Trail Blazers:
- Damian Lillard said that since his Achilles tear last spring he’s been consulting doctors, trainers and other players who’ve been through the same experience, including Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum and Rudy Gay, Freeman states in a separate story. He found their advice to be “more encouraging than discouraging,” and it gave him the inspiration to win the three-point contest on Saturday. “I do think I represent strength,” Lillard said. “We are athletes, so when we go through an injury, people act like it’s the end of the world because people are used to us being lifted up and everything being about us. But people go through way worse and they carry on and they continue to move forward. So, for me, it was more about representing strength for people.”
- Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen squared off as opponents during Friday’s Rising Stars event, Freeman adds in another piece. Clingan stated that they battle all the time in practice, but it was fun to compete with more people watching. “It just shows me the next step, to try to play on Sunday, to really just put the work in,” he said of the All-Star Weekend experience. “Obviously I’ll take a couple days off, get a nice little break, and then really just work for Sunday for the future.”
- The Blazers are appealing to Oregon state legislators for $600MM in public funding to upgrade the Moda Center before the team is sole to Tom Dundon, per Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (subscription required). There are growing concerns that the team might eventually leave Portland, although commissioner Adam Silver said over the weekend that there are no plans to move any existing franchise. Bill Oram of The Oregonian makes an argument for why the improvements are needed.
All-Star Notes: Wembanyama, Doncic, Jokic, Brown, Tanking
Victor Wembanyama‘s commitment to bringing intensity back to the All-Star Game is a positive step toward making him the next face of the NBA, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Wembanyama figures to be a regular participant in the event over the next 10 or 15 years, so it’s beneficial to the league that he genuinely cares about it.
“I’ve always thought to myself that if I was in there, I’m never stepping onto the court to lose or not (care),” Wembanyama said. “Just like at home, I’m never stepping into a board game not caring if I’m going to lose. So I’m thinking it’s (not) OK to lose, so I’m going to be out there, I might as well win.”
One of the dilemmas the league is facing is that long-time stars such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are nearing the end of their careers and no obvious replacements have emerged who resonate the same way in the public consciousness. Wembanyama, who’s already an international sensation at age 22, is becoming the top candidate to fill that role.
“I am part of something. I’m part of a big-picture mechanism,” he said after Sunday’s games. “I think that, right now, it’s an era of very skilled bigs that this position is definitely evolving. Am I a symptom of that? Yes, because I’ve watched these guys growing up and got inspired by that. Am I participating in the change? I think I am. I’m pushing the boundaries in some way.”
There’s more from All-Star Weekend:
- In a post-game interview, Anthony Edwards expressed disappointment that Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic didn’t see more court time (Twitter video link). The Team World stars, who have both dealt with recent injuries, came out after 5:05 in the first game and didn’t return. “No shade towards Luka and Jokic, but they’re two of the best players in the league,” Edwards said. “They’re not trying to play in the All-Star game.”
- During Saturday’s interview session, Jaylen Brown expressed interest in becoming a UFC fighter or a boxer after his basketball career is over, per Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. “To be honest, I’ve toyed with this, and I’ve talked to some people,” Brown said. “Maybe in the post-career part of my life, I would love to partake in something like the UFC or even boxing. I’ve talked to (UFC president) Dana White about some stuff. We’ll see how things go.”
- Finding a solution to the rampant tanking problem was among the most frequent topics of conversation at All-Star Weekend, according to The Athletic staff.