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Raptors Notes: Barnes, Reserves, Bamba, Barrett

December 30th, 2025 at 12:46pm CST by Luke Adams

On the heels of one of their most disappointing losses of the season on Friday in Washington, the Raptors bounced back in impressive fashion, beating Golden State and Orlando in back-to-back games on Sunday and Monday.

In the victory over the Warriors, forward Scottie Barnes led the way by posting the first 20-20 triple-double in franchise history (23 points, 25 rebounds, and 10 assists). In the process, Barnes showed why he remains a centerpiece of the Raptors’ future despite his limitations as a scorer, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic.

On Monday, with Barnes not at his best (13 points, 5-of-12 shooting), Toronto found another way to win against the Magic, leaning on reserves like Jamal Shead (19 points, five assists), Gradey Dick (15 points), and Collin Murray-Boyles (12 rebounds, two blocks) to help propel them to a victory.

“Those guys, they’re built of special cloth,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said of his youngsters after the win, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. “They’re built of resiliency. They’re really putting in a lot of work. It doesn’t matter if we win, we lose. It doesn’t matter if we’re up, we’re down. It does not really matter what kind of mood we’re in. They’re extremely professional. They’re doing a good job of preparing for each game. They keep going forward.

“I love how fearless they are. I love how together they play. That’s something very important for young guys to learn early in their careers: You’ve got to bring energy every night. It’s very important.”

Here’s more on the Raptors:

Rajakovic was “very disappointed” that Barnes wasn’t among the top 20 Eastern Conference vote-getters in the first returns of the fan vote for the 2026 All-Star Game, as Grange relays. “We need to get this right. Canada needs to get this right,” the Raptors’ coach said. “… Only two players in the NBA this season have 500 points-plus, 250 assists-plus, 25 blocks-plus and 250 rebounds-plus, and that’s Nikola Jokic and Scottie Barnes. I have no doubt that Scottie Barnes is an All-Star. I have no doubt that he needs to be toward the top of that list of players in the East. Canada, we need to get that fixed right now.”
Newly signed to a non-guaranteed contract, Mo Bamba didn’t make much of an impact in his Raptors debut on Monday — he blocked a shot but committed two fouls, and the team was outscored by nine points during his four minutes on the court. Still, with Jakob Poeltl out due to a back issue, Bamba should get more chances to show he deserves to stick with the team a little longer, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. “I think this is a good opportunity for him to prove to everybody that he belongs in this league,” Rajakovic said. “We’re going to have a very clear plan for him. We’re going to give him an opportunity to show what he can do and hopefully it works for both sides.”
Bamba said on Monday that he and the Raptors had been in contact since the G League Showcase earlier this month before reaching a contract agreement over the weekend. The former lottery pick added that he has known a few of his new teammates – including Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Barnes – for several years (Twitter links via Lewenberg).
Barrett had just 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting in his return from a sprained knee on Sunday, then sat out on Monday in the second end of a back-to-back. However, his teammates were very happy to have him back — Toronto’s 116.6 offensive rating during Barrett’s minutes this season is the highest mark of among Raptors players. “He creates so much pressure on the rim,” Barnes said on Sunday, per Grange. “Catch and shoot is amazing. Transition, we know we miss him a lot, those fast breaks … he gets out and runs a lot. He leads our fast breaks. He’s big for us. With play-making, you saw when I screened for him, being able to get that roll, going downhill (and getting) easy dunks. He does a lot for this team that it’s hard to try to take over in that sense.”

And-Ones: Simmons, NCAA, Rookies, Tanking, 2026 Draft

December 30th, 2025 at 11:50am CST by Luke Adams

After recently confirming to Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he continues to work toward a potential NBA comeback, former No. 1 overall pick and three-time All-Star Ben Simmons spoke to Sam Jane of The Athletic about why he has been in no rush to sign a new contract. As Simmons explains, recurring back issues have resulted in him playing – and living – through pain for several years.

“(It’s) one of those things where you’re dealing with it every day, sitting down, going to sleep, flying on planes,” Simmons said. “People don’t understand that.”

According to Simmons, he determined it would be in his best interest to take a more extended rehab period after the 2024/25 season rather than immediately signing a new contract and once again reporting to a team’s camp at less than 100%. His goal as he works out in Los Angeles, he tells Jane, is to become “bulletproof” to avoid more health-related setbacks.

“I’m about to be 30 years old, and I need to make the best decision for Ben Simmons,” Simmons said. “It’s not fun going out there, not being able to move, not be able to jump, or, you know, take hits. There’s no fun in that. Sometimes you got to make a decision with how you feel and what’s best for yourself. And that’s what I’ve done, and it’s not for everybody to really understand, because they’re not in my shoes.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Amid reports that college basketball coaches are reaching out to players with NBA experience, Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 (Twitter links) hears from a source that the NCAA has yet to grant eligibility to anyone who has played in NBA games. Asked if that could happen, an NCAA spokesperson provided the following statement: “Schools are recruiting and seeking eligibility for more individuals with more international, semi-pro, and professional experience than ever before and while the NCAA members have updated many rules following the House injunction, more rules must likely be updated to reflect the choices member schools are making. At the same time, NCAA eligibility rules have been invalidated by judges across the country wreaking havoc on the system and leading to fewer opportunities for high school students, which is why the Association is asking Congress to intervene in these challenges.”
A little over two months into the NBA season, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has updated his rookie rankings, evaluating first-year players based on how they’ve performed so far in 2025/26. The top four players on Vecenie’s list are the same ones selected with the first four picks in the 2025 draft: Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, Hornets wing Kon Knueppel, Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe, and Spurs guard Dylan Harper. Pelicans big man Derik Queen rounds out Vecenie’s top five.
With the NBA reportedly considering rule changes to further disincentivize tanking, Tony Jones, Eric Koreen, and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic evaluate the rumored proposals, expressing the most enthusiasm for one that would prevent teams from drafting in the top four in back-to-back years.
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report spoke to three scouts about who should be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, with each of those three scouts laying out the case for selecting a different prospect: Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, and Duke forward Cameron Boozer.

Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 12/30/2025

December 30th, 2025 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included a potential Ivica Zubac trade, Most Improved Player candidates, the Bulls' options with Coby White, the Rockets' approach to the trade deadline and more!

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Nikola Jokic Out At Least Four Weeks With Knee Injury

December 30th, 2025 at 10:36am CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic will be reevaluated in four weeks after being diagnosed with a hyperextension of his left knee, the team announced today (Twitter link).

Jokic injured his knee during Monday’s game against Miami. On Tuesday, Đorđe Matić of Meridian Sport, an outlet based in Jokic’s home country of Serbia, reported that the big man had hyperextended his knee but appeared to have avoided a more serious injury. The update from the club confirms as much.

Although the absence projects to be the longest of Jokic’s NBA career, the Nuggets are breathing a sigh of relief, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), since testing confirmed that the three-time MVP’s knee ligaments are intact.

Still, there’s no guarantee that Jokic will be able to return at the four-week mark when he’s reevaluated. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link) suggests the 30-year-old could end up missing closer to six weeks.

The Nuggets’ depth will be tested in a major way during that time. The team was already down three starters, with Aaron Gordon (hamstring), Christian Braun (ankle), and Cameron Johnson (knee) all on the shelf. With Jokic now out too, guard Jamal Murray is the only opening-night starter still standing.

Head coach David Adelman said over the weekend that Gordon and Braun have a chance to return during the Nuggets’ current road trip, which runs through January 7 (Twitter link via Katy Winge of Altitude TV). Until then, Murray figures to be joined in the starting five by Peyton Watson, Spencer Jones, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jonas Valanciunas.

The Nuggets are off to a 22-10 start this season and are well positioned in the Western Conference postseason picture at the moment, but they don’t have a ton of room for error as they attempt to hang onto a guaranteed (ie. top-six) playoff seed. The No. 6 Timberwolves currently trail Denver by just a game-and-a-half, while the No. 7 Suns are three games back of the Nuggets.

Although Jokic and the Nuggets will be more concerned about their record and their position in the standings, it’s also worth noting that this injury could cost the superstar center his award eligibility this season. In order to meet the 65-game requirement and qualify for end-of-season awards, Jokic can’t miss more than 17 games — Denver will play 18 times between now and the end of January.

If Jokic isn’t award-eligible, his streak of seven consecutive All-NBA appearances would come to an end, as would a stretch of five straight years in the top two in Most Valuable Player voting.

Jokic has been putting up historic numbers so far this season, averaging a career-high 29.6 points per game while leading the NBA with 12.2 rebounds and 11.0 assists per contest. His shooting line is an outrageous .605/.435/.853 and the Nuggets have a +12.3 net rating when he’s on the court, compared to a -6.3 mark when he’s not.

Injury Notes: Kings, Jokic, Sengun, Bogdanovic, Sixers

December 30th, 2025 at 9:17am CST by Luke Adams

After losing by 24 points to the Lakers on Sunday, the Kings should have some reinforcements on Tuesday for their matchup with Los Angeles’ other team.

According to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), center Drew Eubanks will be available for Tuesday’s game vs. the Clippers after having missed the past seven games due to a thumb fracture. Reporting on December 13 indicated that Eubanks – who appeared in each of the team’s first 25 games of the season, making 11 starts in the middle – would be reevaluated in three weeks, but it appears he’ll beat his projected recovery timeline.

Meanwhile, forward Keegan Murray has been upgraded to questionable after being inactive for the Kings’ past two games, Anderson adds. Murray, diagnosed last week with a calf strain, could also have a shorter absence than anticipated, since a report on Friday indicated that he’d be reevaluated in one week.

Here are more injury-related updates from around the NBA:

The early reports on Nikola Jokic‘s knee injury out of his home country of Serbia are encouraging. According to Đorđe Matić of Meridian Sport, there’s a belief that Jokic hyperextended his left knee but avoided a more serious injury. The Nuggets‘ star center is undergoing more testing today, so it shouldn’t be long before we get a more formal update on his diagnosis and recovery timeline.
Rockets center Alperen Sengun has missed two consecutive games due to what the team is calling a left soleus (calf) strain. However, head coach Ime Udoka said on Monday that he doesn’t believe the injury is a significant one, explaining that the club is just trying to manage a little soreness that Sengun experienced after Thursday’s Christmas Day game (Twitter link via Will Guillory of The Athletic).
Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic will be out indefinitely due to a left hamstring issue, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. Bogdanovic missed Sunday’s game vs. Detroit and has been ruled out for Tuesday’s matchup with Sacramento with a designation of “left hamstring injury management.”
Sixers forwards Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee sprain) and Trendon Watford (left adductor strain), who have both been sidelined for over a month, are being “reintegrated into team activities,” the team announced on Monday (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports). That update suggests they’re practicing again and should be close to returning. Asked if he’ll play during the 76ers’ three-game road trip that begins on Tuesday in Memphis, Watford was noncommittal, simply referring to himself as “day-to-day” (Twitter video link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer).

Central Notes: Giannis, Sheppard, Pacers, Potter, Ball, Porter

December 30th, 2025 at 8:01am CST by Luke Adams

Given that the Bucks hope to operate as buyers at the trade deadline and make a second-half push into the postseason, teams around the league inquiring about star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo are being rebuffed, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirmed during a recent appearance on Sportsnet (Twitter video link).

“I’ve spoken to plenty of GMs that would love to have Giannis and have tried to talk to Bucks GM Jon Horst about acquiring him,” Scotto said. “And quite frankly, he’s not going anywhere, they’ve been telling me. The Bucks have been steadfast that he’s not going anywhere.”

Antetokounmpo reportedly entertained the idea of a change of scenery during the offseason, prompting the Bucks to briefly explore the possibility of a trade with the Knicks, but the two teams gained no traction in those discussions. If Milwaukee keeps losing and Giannis decides he wants to be moved, it will require a “more forceful” request from the two-time MVP, according to Jamal Collier and Shams Charania of ESPN, since the team won’t be looking to proactively deal him.

“The question is who is going to get made uncomfortable,” one league source told ESPN. “There’s a difference between saying it out loud and innuendos. [The Bucks] know Giannis doesn’t want to be the villain.”

We have more from news and notes from around the Central:

Pacers guard Ben Sheppard missed an 11th consecutive game on Monday due to a left calf strain, but he was upgraded to questionable before being ruled out, notes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star, which suggests his return may be imminent. Indiana has been banged up all season but got Aaron Nesmith back from a knee injury over the weekend and appears on the verge of having Sheppard back in the rotation too.
The Pacers remain shorthanded in the frontcourt while Isaiah Jackson recovers from a concussion, which is what prompted the team to add free agent center Micah Potter last week. However, as Tony East writes for Circle City Spin, Potter’s stint with the team may be short-lived, since Indiana will have to waive him on or before next Wednesday in order to avoid guaranteeing his full salary.
Veteran point guard Lonzo Ball was a DNP-CD on Monday as the Cavaliers picked up an impressive win in San Antonio, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). “We wanted to look at some different combinations, but also with Zo, I have a big picture thing of just keeping him healthy and fresh,” head coach Kenny Atkinson explained after the game. “It was kind of twofold for tonight. I spoke to him. We need him healthy and available. He has been so far. I want to keep that going. I know we don’t have back-to-backs, but we are playing every other day. At a certain point, I need to find him some games. I talked to him about it, and it just happened to fall on tonight.”
As Fedor observes, Craig Porter Jr. played well as the Cavaliers‘ backup point guard in place of Ball, registering six rebounds and four assists in 15 minutes in the victory over San Antonio. Cleveland outscored the Spurs by 12 points during Porter’s time on the floor, which matched the team’s margin of victory in the 113-101 decision.

Magic Notes: Banchero, Isaac, Bane, Bitadze

December 29th, 2025 at 11:11pm CST by Rory Maher

In his first 11 games of the season, Magic forward Paolo Banchero averaged 23.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 34.7 minutes per contest on .466/.250/.761 shooting splits, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. But Banchero, who strained his left groin on November 12, hasn’t been playing at the same level since he returned from the injury, Beede notes.

In the 10 games (32.9 MPG) leading into Monday’s contest at Toronto, the former No. 1 overall pick was averaging 17.5 PPG, 7.6 RPG and 4.8 APG on .397/.194/.743 shooting.

“I feel good,” Banchero said. “I’ve just been, (as) I said earlier in the season, trying to pick my spots and just play the role that I’m trying to, being asked to play for this team and just be that consistent force on both sides of the ball, whether it’s guarding somebody or making the extra pass.”

As Beede writes in another story, the 23-year-old had the fourth triple-double of his career on Monday (23 points on 9-of-19 shooting, 15 rebounds, 10 assists), but the Magic blew a big lead to lose by one. Banchero, who didn’t score in the fourth quarter, missed a step-back three as time expired.

“It doesn’t come down to that last shot,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “It comes down to the 21 offensive rebounds and those 18 second-chance points that (the Raptors) had in those momentum swings of the game.”

Here’s more on the Magic:

Backup forward/center Jonathan Isaac, who dealt with multiple major injuries early in his career, has been relatively healthy the past couple seasons, appearing in 71 games in 2024/25 and 29 of Orlando’s 33 contests so far in 2025/26. However, he was limited to just 29 seconds of action on Monday due to left knee soreness, Beede adds. The Magic technically listed Isaac as questionable to return, but he didn’t play again after his brief initial stint.
Desmond Bane, Orlando’s major offseason acquistion, experienced back spasms in the fourth quarter on Monday, per the team (Twitter link). The veteran shooting guard was also considered questionable to resume playing, but he wound up returning for the Magic’s final possession, according to Beede.
Reserve center Goga Bitadze returned to action on Monday following a three-game absence, the team announced (via Twitter). The Georgian big man has been battling a left knee strain.

Bulls Notes: White, Giddey, Collins, Williams

December 29th, 2025 at 9:40pm CST by Rory Maher

Coby White was forced to leave Monday’s game vs. Minnesota due to a right calf injury and did not return, the Bulls announced (Twitter link via Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic). White hurt his calf in the first quarter.

As K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network notes (Twitter links), White missed the first 11 games of the season — and 15 overall — due to a right calf strain he sustained in August. The 25-year-old also missed a pair of games with a left calf injury.

White, a seventh-year guard, just played his first back-to-back games of 2025/26 on Friday and Saturday, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. The former No. 7 overall pick said he was still working to find his rhythm and improve his conditioning after Saturday’s loss.

“Just trusting my body and reacting to how I want to react,” White said. “I’m trying to get my legs underneath me as far as timing, decision-making. I’m trying to give myself some grace. I was really hard on myself [Friday against 76ers], where I felt like I couldn’t get my timing down. It’s leading to some turnovers that I feel like are unforced.

“Once I get my timing down and get my legs underneath me, I’ll be better.”

According to Cowley, while White and Chicago’s front office previously expressed mutual interest in resuming contract discussions in the offseason, the relationship between the two sides has “frayed a bit” with White’s name popping up in recent trade rumors ahead of unrestricted free agency.

We have more from Chicago:

White wasn’t the only starting guard who exited Monday’s game early, as Josh Giddey sustained a left hamstring injury early in the third quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest (Twitter link via Johnson). It’s unclear when the injury occurred, but Giddey quickly asked to be subbed out after dribbling the ball up the court (Twitter video link).
While White and Giddey were injured during Monday’s game, big man Zach Collins was hurt sometime before tip-off. Head coach Billy Donovan said the 28-year-old center has a sprained big toe and will likely be out at least a week, though there is not yet an official timetable for Collins’ return, per Will Gottlieb of CHGO Bulls (Twitter link).
Forward Patrick Williams has largely been out of the rotation of late with Donovan opting for a double-big bench unit featuring Collins and Jalen Smith. Williams admitted he wasn’t thrilled with the demotion, per Cowley, but he handled it professionally and said he would be ready Monday with Collins out. “For sure, 100%,” Williams said of taking advantage of the opportunity. “Obviously you don’t want guys to go down. We all love Zach and what he brings to the game. It’s definitely an opportunity for someone to step up and if he calls my number I’m ready.” The 24-year-old wound up playing 21 minutes in the blowout loss.

Nikola Jokic Suffers Left Knee Injury Monday

December 29th, 2025 at 8:02pm CST by Rory Maher

Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic suffered a left knee injury just before halftime in Monday’s game at Miami, the team announced (via Twitter).

The three-time MVP will not return to Monday’s contest, per Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link). Jonas Valanciunas started the second half with Jokic unavailable.

The injury occurred when forward Spencer Jones was bumped in the lane on defense, causing him to lose his balance and backpedal into Jokic (Twitter video link via SportsCenter). Jones’ right foot stepped on Jokic’s left foot, and Jokic’s left leg buckled. The Serbian center immediately grabbed at his left knee and collapsed to the court in pain.

Jokic had to be helped up with assistance. He made it to the locker room on his own, but he had a considerable limp and was clearly trying to avoid putting weight on his left leg.

The 30-year-old big man had 21 points (on 9-of-14 shooting), eight assists and five rebounds in 19 first-half minutes.

A source tells Amick that Jokic is expected to undergo testing on his left knee on Tuesday (Twitter link).

Obviously, any type of significant injury to Jokic would be absolutely devastating for the Nuggets. The 30-year-old big man is having an extraordinary season, averaging 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds, 11.1 assists and 1.4 steals on .604/.440/.855 shooting through 31 games (35.1 minutes per contest).

Jokic, who has finished either first or second in MVP voting each of the past five years, is averaging career highs in points per game, assists per game, three-point percentage and True Shooting percentage (.714). He leads the NBA in triple-doubles (16), RPG and APG, and is fifth in PPG.

The Nuggets were already playing without three injured starters on Monday. Aaron Gordon (strained right hamstring) and Christian Braun (sprained left ankle) have both been sidelined for several weeks, while Cameron Johnson recently sustained a bone bruise in his right knee and is expected to miss at least a month.

Still No Timeline For Max Strus To Make Season Debut

December 29th, 2025 at 7:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Cavaliers wing Max Strus underwent surgery in late August to repair a Jones fracture in his left foot. While he has been able to do some individual on-court work, including testing his foot by cutting and moving while shooting, he still isn’t practicing yet and there’s no timetable for the 29-year-old to make his season debut, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

“The timeline is what it is,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “There’s no earlier or later.”

As Fedor writes, the Cavaliers have a busy schedule over the next few weeks — they’re playing every other day from December 29 to January 16. A full contact practice will be an important milestone for Strus before he’s cleared to resume playing, but the team may not have a scheduled practice until January 18, the day before the Cavs host the Thunder.

While Strus’ return doesn’t appear imminent, he could still have a significant role for Cleveland this season. According to Fedor, Strus’ minutes will be carefully managed when he starts playing again, but he’s eventually expected to be the team’s starting small forward, the same position he held most of the past two seasons.

Strus is earning about $15.94MM this season and will make $16.66MM in 2026/27 before hitting free agency.