Jayson Tatum: ‘I Haven’t Said I’m Not Playing This Season’
Appearing on ESPN’s First Take on Tuesday (YouTube link), Celtics forward Jayson Tatum made it clear that he’s not closing the door on the possibility of returning from his Achilles tear at some point before the end of the 2025/26 season.
“I haven’t said I’m not playing this season,” Tatum said in response to a question from Stephen A. Smith about how the new-look Celtics might fare without him. “The most important thing is a full recovery, being 100%, not rushing it at all. But also, I don’t go to rehab six days a week for nothing.”
Tatum is one of several notable NBA players in the process of rehabbing a torn Achilles, which typically requires a recovery period of a full year — or close to it. The Celtics star underwent surgery to repair his Achilles tear on May 13.
While the Pacers have already ruled out Tyrese Haliburton – who tore his Achilles on June 22 – for the entire 2025/26 season, the Celtics haven’t done the same for Tatum, and there have been a number of positive updates on the early stages of his recovery process. Tatum’s orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Martin O’Malley, was the latest to offer an encouraging assessment of the forward’s progress.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a person’s calf look as strong as his,” O’Malley told Eileen Finan of People Magazine. “At six or eight weeks he was doing double heel rises. He worked his calf so hard that the side effect of loss of strength, I don’t think he’s going to have any.”
The Celtics’ medical staff will presumably have the final say on Tatum’s availability this season. That decision could hinge in part on how Boston performs without its leading scorer — if the team is scuffling around or below .500 after the All-Star break and doesn’t look capable of making a deep playoff run, there likely won’t be any urgency for Tatum to return.
Still, Tatum is holding out hope that he won’t have to wait until the start of the 2026/27 season to suit up again for the Celtics. In the meantime, he’s going to try to stay as connected to the team as he can.
“I’m going to be at practices and go to games and travel,” Tatum told Finan. “As frustrating as it’ll be to not be able to play, feeling like I’m a part of the team will help me out.”
Grizzlies Sign Braxton Key
The Grizzlies have signed free agent forward Braxton Key, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link). Memphis had an open spot on its 21-man offseason roster, so no corresponding move was necessary to make room for Key.
A 6’8″ forward who has played for the Sixers, Pistons, Nuggets, and Warriors, Key spent most of the 2024/25 season in the G League. He made a total of 49 appearances for the San Diego Clippers and Santa Cruz Warriors, averaging 16.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 31.7 minutes per game.
Key’s strong play in the G League earned him a late-season call-up to the Warriors’ roster. He signed a two-way contract in March and was promoted to a standard deal on the final day of the season, though he only logged 11 total minutes in three garbage-time appearances for Golden State.
While the Grizzlies didn’t specify what kind of contract Key signed, it’s likely a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal. If so, it could be converted to a two-way contract prior to the regular season or it could make Key eligible to earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with the Memphis Hustle. The Grizzlies’ G League affiliate would need to acquire his returning rights from the Clippers’ affiliate for that to happen.
Assuming Key is in fact on an Exhibit 10 deal, he’s one of three Exhibit 10 signees on Memphis’ roster, along with Lawson Lovering and Tyler Burton. The team is also carrying 15 players on guaranteed deals and three on two-way contracts.
Hornets Sign Terrell Brown Jr.
The Hornets continue to swap players in and out of the final spot on their 21-man offseason roster, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve signed guard Terrell Brown Jr.
Since waiving veteran wing DaQuan Jeffries last Thursday, the Hornets have rotated players on Exhibit 10 contracts through that 21st roster spot in order to ensure those players receive bonus money if and when they report to Charlotte’s G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.
Prior to signing Brown, the Hornets also briefly carried DJ Rodman, Marcus Garrett, Brandon Slater, and Keyontae Johnson. Rodman was waived to make room for Brown.
Brown, who went undrafted out of Washington in 2022, has spent most of his first three professional seasons in the G League, including the past two years with the Greensboro Swarm. He appeared in 48 NBAGL games in 2024/25, averaging 7.6 points, 4.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 22.0 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .405/.229/.859.
In all likelihood, Brown will soon be waived and will have the opportunity to earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Swarm this season.
Knicks Notes: Hart, Towns, Rotation, Brunson, Bridges
Knicks forward Josh Hart underwent a procedure on his right ring finger in July, but he told reporters at the team’s media day on Tuesday that he recently aggravated that finger issue and will likely have to wear a splint this season, as Steve Popper of Newsday tweets.
Hart’s hope is that the splint will suffice for 2025/26 and he’ll be able to address the injury again next summer, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. While his goal is to be available for the entire season, the 30-year-old acknowledged that if he can’t play like himself as a result of the injury, he may have to address it earlier than the 2026 offseason.
“I hate playing with anything on my hands,” Hart said (Twitter link via Edwards). “It might take a little getting used to. That’s the best scenario (playing with a finger splint).”
Here are a few more highlights from the Knicks’ media day:
- According to Edwards (Twitter link), Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns said today that he didn’t undergo any procedures on his finger or knee during the offseason, contrary to a June report. For what it’s worth, the wording in that ESPN report from June has since been updated to indicate that Towns underwent “treatment” on those injuries, rather than “procedures.”
- Asked today about the team’s lineup and rotation, new Knicks head coach Mike Brown said “it’s too early” to make a final decision on his starting five, adding that he anticipates using a nine- or 10-man rotation (Twitter links via Edwards).
- Multiple Knicks players, including star guard Jalen Brunson, expressed appreciation for former head coach Tom Thibodeau (Twitter link via Edwards). “It’s sad to see a man I’ve known for a long time part ways with this organization,” Brunson said. “He’s meant a lot to me. I’ve expressed that to him publicly and personally. He’s meant a lot to my career.”
- Mikal Bridges signed a four-year extension this offseason that came in about $6MM below his maximum extension. He said on Tuesday that he agreed to sign for $150MM instead of $156MM because he wants to “win bad” and knew it would help the organization if he accepted a little less. “I got a good amount of money,” Bridges said.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 9/23/2025
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Rockets' title hopes after Fred VanVleet's injury, Malik Beasley's NBA future, the Sixers' possible return to contention, Joe Dumars' discussion with Zion Williamson about "accountability" and more!
Latest On Darius Garland’s Recovery From Toe Surgery
Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland, who underwent surgery in June to address the toe injury that limited him in the postseason, has resumed some on-court basketball activities and will take part in training camp in a limited capacity, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
“He looks good,” Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman said on Tuesday morning, per Fedor. “He’s had a really good offseason from a strength standpoint.”
While Garland has progressed beyond the weight-room portion of his recovery process, there’s still no timeline for his return to action, according to Fedor, who has heard from sources that the 25-year-old may miss double-digit games to open the 2025/26 regular season.
The Cavs announced on June 9, following Garland’s procedure, that his status would be updated in approximately four or five months. It has been about three-and-a-half months since then, so the fact that Cleveland’s starting point guard is expected to miss some time at the start of the season comes as no surprise.
Garland had an excellent regular season in 2024/25, averaging 20.6 points, 6.7 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game. He posted a .472/.401/.878 shooting line and earned the second All-Star berth of his career. However, a turf toe injury forced him to the sidelines for the final two games of the Cavs’ first-round series vs. Miami and the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Indiana.
With Garland unavailable, Donovan Mitchell is expected to take on some additional ball-handling responsibilities this fall. Point guards Lonzo Ball and Craig Porter Jr. also figure to move up the depth chart until Garland is ready to return.
The Cavs will be without two of their starters on opening night, as small forward Max Strus will also be recovering from an injury. He underwent foot surgery in August and is expected to miss at least three or four months.
And-Ones: ESPN Survey, S. Cash, Bargain FAs, More
A panel of 20 coaches, executives, and scouts around the NBA polled by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps overwhelmingly picked Nuggets center Nikola Jokic as the current best player in the NBA, with Jokic receiving 19 votes while Lakers guard Luka Doncic earned the last one.
However, the predictions for 2025/26 MVP were more divided — Jokic leads the way with seven votes, but Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (five), Doncic (four), and Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama (two) each received multiple votes, while Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards each got one too.
The panel polled by Bontemps also predicted who will be the NBA’s best player in 2030 (Wembanyama received 16 votes), who will win Rookie of the Year in 2025/26 (Cooper Flagg earned 19 votes), and where LeBron James will be when the 2026/27 season begins — seven respondents expect him to still be a Laker, while five said he’ll be retired and eight believe he’ll be with a new team.
Those coaches, executives, and scouts also believe the Hawks (seven votes) had the best offseason of the NBA’s 30 teams, while the Pelicans (nine votes) had the worst summer. And they nearly unanimously picked the Thunder to repeat as champions. Just two respondents chose the Nuggets to win the 2026 title, while the other 18 stuck with Oklahoma City.
Here are more odds and ends from around the NBA:
- After being let go by the Pelicans in April, former WNBA star and veteran NBA executive Swin Cash is joining Amazon Prime Video for the 2025/26 season, according to Richard Deitsch of The Athletic. Cash will have the role of “front office insider” on Prime Video’s NBA studio show, then will become a studio analyst for Amazon’s WNBA coverage.
- Thomas Bryant, Precious Achiuwa, Alec Burks, and Delon Wright are among the unsigned players identified by Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report as bargain free agents who are capable of helping any NBA team.
- John Hollinger of The Athletic views the Thunder (62.5 wins), Clippers (48.5), Warriors (45.5), Bulls (32.5), and Jazz (18.5) as the five teams who are the best bets to exceed the over/under win projections set by oddsmakers for the 2025/26 season.
Kings Re-Sign Terence Davis To Non-Guaranteed Contract
The Kings have re-signed guard Terence Davis to a non-guaranteed training camp contract, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.
Davis, who has appeared in 122 total games across four seasons for the Kings since being traded from Toronto to Sacramento in 2021, entered the summer on a non-guaranteed deal but was waived earlier this month.
While Davis’ previous contract was a standard deal, his new arrangement likely includes Exhibit 9 and/or Exhibit 10 language. An Exhibit 9 clause would give the Kings protection in the event that the 28-year-old suffers an injury during the training camp or preseason, while an Exhibit 10 clause would allow the team to give Davis a bonus if he’s waived before the season and then spends at least 60 days with Sacramento’s G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings.
Davis appeared in 64 games for the Kings in 2022/23 and averaged 6.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per contest, with a .423/.366/.791 shooting line. However, he hasn’t spent much time on an NBA roster since then.
Davis opened the 2023/24 campaign with the Rip City Remix in the G League, but suffered a torn Achilles in December that ended his season. The 6’4″ guard spent the majority of ’24/25 with the Wisconsin Herd in the NBAGL, averaging 14.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 3.1 APG with a .415 3PT%, before he was called up to the Kings on the last day of the season.
The Kings only have 14 players on standard contracts, so it’s possible there will be a path to a regular season roster spot for Davis if he impresses in camp, though he seems more likely to return to the G League. Sacramento now has 18 players under contract, includes its two-ways.
Heat Pick Up 2026/27 Options On Jaquez, Ware
The Heat have picked up their rookie scale team options on forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. and center Kel’el Ware for the 2026/27 season, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Jaquez and Ware were already under contract for the upcoming season — now their salaries for ’26/27 are guaranteed as well.
Jaquez, the 18th overall pick in the 2023 draft, finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in his first season but saw his playing time cut back a little in his second year, as he averaged 8.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 20.7 minutes per game across 66 outings (17 starts).
Jaquez will earn $3.86MM in 2025/26 and $5.94MM in ’26/27 on his newly exercised fourth-year option. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2026 offseason and would reach restricted free agency in 2027 if he hasn’t signed a new contract by that point.
Ware, who was drafted 15th overall in 2024, started 36 of the 64 games he played as a rookie last season, averaging 9.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 22.2 minutes per night. The 21-year-old big man made the All-Rookie second team and finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting.
Ware is now under contract for $4.44MM in 2025/26 and $4.65MM on his third-year option in ’26/27. The Heat will have to make a decision next fall on his $7.14MM fourth-year option for ’27/28 — at this point, it’s hard to envision a scenario in which it’s not exercised.
Miami is the first team to pick up any rookie scale options for the 2026/27 season. The deadline is October 31 and all the outstanding decisions can be viewed right here.
Stein’s Latest: Warriors, Kuminga, Wizards, Bailey, THT, Davis
As Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack article for The Stein Line, the Warriors‘ training camp will tip off a week from today (September 30), while the deadline for Jonathan Kuminga to accept his qualifying offer arrives one day later (October 1).
That means that if Kuminga’s decision goes down to the wire, the Warriors may open camp with a significant portion of their eventual roster missing. The club is currently carrying just nine players on standard contracts and has opted not to fill the five remaining non-Kuminga roster spots until the restricted free agent’s situation is resolved in order to maximize cap flexibility.
According to Stein, the expectation around the NBA is that the five players who eventually fill the remaining third of Golden State’s roster will be Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Seth Curry, and second-round pick Will Richard. In that scenario, Horford would be signed using the taxpayer mid-level exception, while the others would receive minimum-salary deals.
As for what happens with Kuminga, Stein says he’d be surprised if the 22-year-old sacrifices $40MM-ish in guaranteed money by signing his one-year, $8MM qualifying offer instead of accepting a reported three-year, $75MM proposal that includes a third-year team option, though he cautions that’s just informed speculation rather than sourced information.
Here’s more from Stein:
- The belief around the NBA since June’s draft is that the Wizards – who held the No. 6 overall pick – were Ace Bailey‘s preferred landing spot, says Stein. Utah ultimately drafted Bailey at No. 5. Given their apparent interest in Bailey, it raised some eyebrows when the Wizards signed Sharife Cooper to a two-way contract last week, according to Stein. Cooper, who had been out of the NBA since the 2021/22 season, is the son of Bailey’s manager Omar Cooper.
- Although six-year NBA veteran Talen Horton-Tucker officially signed a two-year contract with the Turkish team Fenerbahce over the weekend, the expectation is that he’ll try to return to the NBA next summer if his first year in Europe goes well, per Stein. That suggests Horton-Tucker’s deal includes an opt-out clause after year one.
- After reporting on Saturday that Mavericks star Anthony Davis had taken part in some five-on-five scrimmages for the first time since undergoing eye surgery in July, Stein cautions that Dallas will likely take a cautious approach with the big man once camp officially gets underway, since “pickup game intensity cannot compare to training camp intensity.”