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Raptors Sign Colin Castleton To 10-Day Contract

March 6th, 2025 at 10:12am CST by Luke Adams

March 6: The signing is official, according to the NBA transactions log.

March 5: The Raptors intend to sign center Colin Castleton to a 10-day contract, according to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Castleton, who went undrafted out of Florida in 2023, spent his rookie year on a two-way contract with the Lakers and was on a two-way deal with the Grizzlies for most of the first half of this season. The 6’10” big man appeared in 26 combined games for the two NBA clubs, compiling 38 points and 21 rebounds in 105 total minutes.

Although Castleton’s playing time at the NBA level has been limited, he has performed well for the Lakers’, Grizzlies’, and Magic’s G League affiliates since going pro.

The 24-year-old, who has been playing for the Osceola Magic since being waived by the Grizzlies in January, has made 26 total G League appearances this season, averaging 17.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 30.2 minutes per game for Osceola and the Memphis Hustle.

Even after promoting center Orlando Robinson to a standard contract on Tuesday, Toronto has an open spot on its 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to make room for Castleton. His 10-day contract will pay him $107,027 and will carry an identical cap hit on the Raptors’ books.

The Raptors don’t play again until Friday, so it’s unclear when exactly Castleton will sign his contract. The 10-day deal will run through at least Toronto’s next five games and could cover as many as six if it’s not officially completed until Friday.

Southeast Notes: Hornets, Kokoskov, Heat, Adebayo, Banchero

March 6th, 2025 at 9:30am CST by Dana Gauruder

Have the Hornets already gone into tank mode? It might seem that way, considering they’ve lost 17 of their 19 games. Head coach Charles Lee denies that’s the case.

“I think it would be very easy to sometimes lay down when you are in the position that you are, but we are obsessed with daily improvement,” Lee told Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. “Part of daily improvement is going into every game and facing a different type of opponent, different strategy, different coverages, different matchups, and adjusting and adapting. And they’ve done a really good job of doing that.”

Miles Bridges says the players aren’t giving up, even as the losses pile up.

“We’ve got to play with pride — we’re in the NBA,” Bridges said. “We are blessed to be in the NBA. That’s my mindset coming into a game. I’m blessed to be here in the NBA, so I want to go out and give 100% and I try to give that to the other guys. Just going out and playing with pride. Being on a losing streak sucks for everybody. If we can get a win next game against the best team in the league (Cleveland on Friday), that will probably turn us up.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Igor Kokoskov became an NBA head coach again — at least for one night. The Hawks assistant filled in on Tuesday for Quin Snyder, who was battling an illness. Atlanta lost to Milwaukee, 127-121. Kokoskov was Phoenix’s head coach during the 2018/19 season. “None of us knew until right before tipoff,” point guard Trae Young told Charles Odum of the Associated Press. “He was here early. It kind of surprised us but we still had a game to go play. It sucks we couldn’t get him the win.”
As things stand, the Heat could wind up with two first-round picks in this year’s rich draft. The Heat will keep its own pick if it misses the opening round of the playoffs, most likely by losing in the play-in tournament. The Heat will receive the Warriors first-round pick if it falls between 11-30, which is becoming an increasing likely outcome. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald takes a look at some of the players who might be available in the middle of the first round, including UConn’s Liam McNeeley, Duke’s Kon Knueppel and Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears.
Bam Adebayo‘s offensive production has increased since rookie Heat center Kel’el Ware was inserted into the starting lineup. That’s no coincidence, he told Jackson. “It gave me more energy to play offense,” he said. “I’m not in every pick-and-roll. Obviously, he’s guarding the five [the center]. A lot of four men [power forwards] don’t and do the things that fives do. For me, it definitely let a load off me where I definitely could focus more on scoring.” Adebayo averaged 15.7 PPG in the first 40 games and 21.3 PPG in the past 19 games, including 17 with Ware starting.
The Magic anticipated they’d be on the upswing once Paolo Banchero started producing at his usual levels again. It hasn’t worked out that way. Banchero, who was sidelined for two-and-a-half months with an abdominal injury, has averaged 29.6 points on 47.8% shooting, 6.3 rebounds, 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 34.7 minutes over the past seven games. However, Orlando has lost four straight, including twice to the Raptors. “We’ve got to do some soul-searching,” Banchero told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “The good thing about a time like this is that, really, the only way you can go is up.”

Ja Morant Continues To Battle Shoulder Issues

March 6th, 2025 at 8:31am CST by Luke Adams

After sitting out games on Saturday and Monday due to right shoulder soreness, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant returned to action on Wednesday vs. the Thunder. However, speaking to reporters after the game, Morant suggested that he probably should have taken more time off to recover from the injury.

“Terrible,” Morant said when asked how he felt being back out on the court (Twitter video link via Matt Infield of Action News 5). “I should’ve been out, but I was out there. Regardless of out, in — there’s going to be something said.”

Morant has repeatedly missed time due to right shoulder issues this season after having that shoulder surgically repaired in January 2024. When one reporter began to point out that this isn’t the first time this season Morant has acknowledged playing through pain, the Grizzlies guard cut him off and said, “I’ve played like this all season honestly, but is what it is.”

Morant has appeared in 38 games this season for Memphis, averaging 20.9 points per game on .431/.284/.839 shooting. Those numbers are down from the ones he was putting up prior to tearing his labrum last season.

That dip in production is partly by design — Morant’s 29.4 minutes per game represents the fewest he has ever averaged, and his 31.4% usage rate has declined from where it was in 2021/22 and ’22/23. He has spoken about cutting back on high-flying dunk attempts and prioritizing his health over making highlight-reel plays.

Still, Morant has missed 24 games and hasn’t looked quite right even when he’s played, raising questions about how his health and availability will affect the Grizzlies’ ceiling in this year’s postseason, notes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Asked after Wednesday’s loss if he expects to have to deal with the shoulder injury for the rest of the season, Morant simply replied, “I don’t know.”

Western Notes: Harden, Kuminga, Hawkins, Nuggets

March 6th, 2025 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers had lost six of their last seven games and had fallen to ninth in the Western Conference standings entering Wednesday’s game vs. Detroit. They were also missing top scorer Norman Powell. So James Harden‘s 50-point outburst, which helped the team snap a three-game losing streak, was a welcome sight.

As Law Murray of The Athletic writes, it was Harden’s first 50-point game since December 2019 and the first time a Clipper had achieved the feat since Lou Williams in January 2018.

“To see him come out and score 50 on (the second night of) a back-to-back at the age of 35 just says a lot about him and competing every night,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said after the victory. “Playing 38 minutes again on a back-to-back, but we needed every bit of it.”

It was a vintage performance for Harden, who set new personal season highs by making 14 field goals and getting to the free throw line 20 times. After leading the NBA in points per game for three straight years during his time in Houston, Harden has become more of a facilitator and a secondary scoring option in his mid-30s, but he made it clear on Wednesday he’s still capable of big scoring nights.

“I can do it, you know,” Harden said. “It’s not my first time. So somebody who has done it for the first time, it probably takes a lot of energy. For me, it’s just understanding the game. That’s the game within the game.”

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga won’t return on the team’s current road trip after all, having been ruled out for Thursday’s game in Brooklyn, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Kuminga, who has been out since January 4 due to a right ankle sprain, has been scrimmaging and there was a sense he might return at some point during Golden State’s five-game trip. But with the team on a tear, having won of seven of eight games, there’s certainly no need to rush him back.
Pelicans second-year guard Jordan Hawkins is still bothered by the back pain that sidelined him earlier this season, but he has adjusted to playing through it and has been more effective as of late, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. Hawkins put up 14.8 points per game on 47.9% shooting (36.7% on three-pointers) during the team’s recent four-game road trip, well above his season-long averages. “He’s playing more consistent where he has more consistent minutes,” head coach Willie Green said. “He understands what his role is when he steps on the floor. This is a part of his growth.”
One month removed from the February 6 trade deadline, a panel of writers for The Athletic – Jovan Buha, Sam Amick, Christian Clark, and Anthony Slater – check in on where things stand in the Western Conference. The group largely agrees that the Warriors have improved most in the short term and the Lakers have improved most in the long term as a result of their deadline moves. However, three of the four panelists still view the Nuggets as the best bet to knock off the Thunder for a spot in the NBA Finals this spring.

Cavaliers Become First Team To Clinch Playoff Berth

March 6th, 2025 at 7:34am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers clinched a top-six spot in the Eastern Conference on Wednesday with a 112-107 win over the Heat (Twitter link). Even if Cleveland loses all of its remaining 20 games, the club would be guaranteed a playoff spot.

While the Cavs were projected to be a playoff team in the East this season, no one expected them to be quite this good. As Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes, their 52-10 record is the best in franchise history through 62 games and they’re one of two teams in NBA history to register three separate winning streaks of at least 12 games in a single season, joining the 2006/07 Mavericks.

The Cavaliers, who have held the East’s No. 1 seed since October 30, opened the season with 15 consecutive wins. They also won 12 in a row from December 13 to January 9 and are currently riding another 12-game winning streak, which they’ll look to extend on Friday in Charlotte.

“Everything’s kind of gone our way, right?” head coach Kenny Atkinson said on Wednesday. “We have great talent, great continuity, great togetherness. … There’s luck when you do that. There has to be because it’s so hard to win in the NBA. It’s special. It’s really special. We know what we’re going to be judged on, but we enjoy this.”

Although the Cavaliers are now assured of a playoff spot, they’ve maintained the same message all season after being eliminated in the second round of the 2024 postseason: their goal is a championship, not just regular season success.

“This was an expectation,” Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell said of clinching a playoff spot, per Vardon. “Is it great that we did it in March? Yeah, but this is the bare minimum for us.”

Jason Kidd: Kyrie Irving’s Injury Was ‘Freak Accident’

March 5th, 2025 at 11:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kyrie Irving had been taking on a larger workload since Luka Doncic was injured on Christmas Day and ultimately traded, so there was speculation that the increased stress on his body contributed to the season-ending ACL tear he suffered Monday night. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd strongly disagreed with that theory during a session with reporters prior to Wednesday’s game at Milwaukee, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News.

“The load didn’t have anything to do with the injury,” Kidd said. “We’re talking about one play. It’s a freak accident. That’s how it should be reported, but we’re not reporting it right. We’re reporting on conspiracy theories.

“We want our stars to play as many minutes [as possible],” Kidd continued. “This isn’t supposed to be a ‘rest’ league. Kai is our leader. Kai was playing [high] minutes. He also was playing at a high level, maybe some of the best basketball that he’s played in his career. And it’s all right to play 40 minutes. We can’t talk from both sides and say that our stars don’t play enough minutes or guys don’t play enough.”

The “freak accident” that Kidd referenced came in the first quarter of Monday’s game against Sacramento when Irving tried to split defenders DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas. He landed awkwardly on his left leg before falling to the ground and grabbing his knee. He was fouled on the play and managed to make two free throws before being helped to the locker room.

With only eight healthy players on the roster, Dallas lost by 30 points to the Bucks after falling by 24 points against the Kings. The Mavericks are now 32-31, and their hold on the West’s final play-in spot looks increasingly shaky.

Kidd added that Irving embraced the idea of taking on extra minutes in light of the injuries.

“He’s well conditioned and he invited that,” Kidd said. “He wanted that. Are we reporting that? No, we’re not reporting that. We’re reporting that we’re running someone into the ground. That’s not true. That’s his job, it’s to play. He loves to play. It’s all right to play 40 minutes at the age of 32 in a month’s span. This isn’t the whole season.”

Irving certainly seemed capable of handling the increased minutes, averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 50 games this season. He made his ninth All-Star appearance last month and has rehabilitated his image after a series of controversial incidents in Brooklyn.

That was among the points Bucks coach Doc Rivers made in his pregame press conference, Curtis adds in a separate story.

“Kyrie’s a massive loss,” Rivers said. “I feel awful about that. He’s done a lot for Dallas, the team. He has really changed the perception of him. He’s always been one of the more likable guys in the league. Always the first to talk to the other players. Just watching [the injury] was sad, watching him shoot free throws. … Just a tough blow.”

Lakers Notes: Doncic, LeBron, Reaves, Buss, Davis

March 5th, 2025 at 9:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Luka Doncic‘s elite play-making skills can take time to get used to, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Doncic has brought a new dynamic to the Lakers‘ offense since being acquired from Dallas last month, but it took a while for his new teammates to adjust to the unexpected passes he sometimes delivers.

“There’s a non-cadence to the way Luka plays, if that makes sense,” coach J.J. Redick explained. “A lot of offensive players have pre-programmed reads. He just does [expletive] that you’re like, ‘What, why did you do that?’ There was a blitz against our bench in the second half. Could have made one read, could have made another read, made the read that I would have picked last and we ended up getting the layup on it.”

The Lakers have scored 122.8 points per 100 possessions over their last three games as the team gets more comfortable with Doncic in charge of the offense. The biggest beneficiary has been LeBron James, who has averaged a team-high 27.2 PPG in the 10 games he has played alongside Doncic.

“In order for us to be the team ultimately we need to be, the ball needs to be in Luka’s hands,” James said. “And then when Luka sits down, the ball can be in my hands or be (Austin Reaves’) hands when he gets back. But I’m very comfortable playing off the ball and finding my spots, running the floor, getting the outlet pass from Luka, being on the backside of the defense if he’s either being blitzed in pick-and-rolls or switched in pick-and-rolls. He attracts so many eyes and bodies. I’ve been very blessed to be able to be adaptable to whatever team I’ve been on throughout my career, to be able to change. And this is another instance and I’m looking forward to that.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

James reached another career milestone Tuesday night, becoming the first player in league history to score 50,000 combined points in the regular season and playoffs, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James accomplished the feat on his first shot of the night and went on to score 34 points in a victory over New Orleans. “It’s a hell of a lot of points, and I’m super blessed to be able to put that many points up in the best league in the world with the best players in the world over my career,” James said in a post-game interview with Spectrum SportsNet. “It’s pretty special.”
Reaves is listed as probable for Thursday’s matchup with New York after missing the last two games with a right calf strain, McMenamin tweets. After leaving Friday’s game early due to the injury, Reaves underwent an MRI on Saturday that didn’t reveal any serious damage.
In a discussion of the Doncic trade during an NPR interview, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss referenced Anthony Davis‘ distaste for playing center and the team’s recent playoff frustrations as reasons for the deal. “We gave up a lot to get Luka Doncic. We’re happy we have him,” Buss said. “We have lost the last three years in a row to the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs, and we really didn’t have anything that was going to look different going into the playoffs again. Anthony Davis was complaining about where he was being played and he wasn’t happy. So I think this was a positive for both teams. They got what they were looking for; we got what we were looking for. And I didn’t realize it was going to be international news like it was, but that’s the power of the Laker brand and its ability to draw big names who want to write their own chapter in Lakers history.”

Atlantic Notes: Poeltl, Ingram, Brunson, Towns, Robinson, Embiid

March 5th, 2025 at 8:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

Raptors center Jakob Poeltl sees last month’s trade for Brandon Ingram as proof that the organization expects to be competitive next season, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Although Ingram hasn’t played since suffering a sprained ankle November 22 while he was still with New Orleans, he has started working out before games. Even if he has to wait until next season to see Ingram in action, Poeltl is excited about the core group that has been put together.

“(The trade) just kind of followed up on what they’ve been talking about, well, really, for the past year, year and a half, which is like, ‘No, we don’t want to tank and go through the draft.’ They wanted to get back to winning quickly. Obviously,” he said. “Yes, you got to try and build up a new team. You got to build on some young guys, and you got to go through some more difficult times, but they’ve always communicated that they want to be aggressive, making moves like that. And so, yeah, I think it’s really good, and it’s good for us as a team.”

The Raptors are also being careful with Poeltl, who is operating under a minutes restriction due to a hip injury he suffered last month and frequently doesn’t play beyond the third quarter. He would prefer to be challenging for a playoff spot, but he understands why the team has dedicated the final few weeks of the season to developing its young talent.

“Obviously, you want to win games, like there’s no way around it,” he said. “I want to win games now, and sometimes it’s frustrating to lose games when you’re in that learning process. But I think, like you said, I’m one of those guys. I can see the big picture. I can understand the process, and bought into it, so I know what to expect, and then I’m OK with that.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks saw Tuesday’s game slip away when Golden State started double-teaming Jalen Brunson in the fourth quarter and taking the ball out of his hands, observes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. That strategy led to five straight empty possessions, which allowed the Warriors to pull away. Brunson called it “something we can learn from,” but the Knicks still haven’t shown their offense can be effective without Karl-Anthony Towns, who missed the game due to personal reasons. Towns is expected back on Thursday when New York starts a five-game West Coast swing, sources tell Bondy (Twitter link).
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is only averaging 13.7 minutes in three games since returning from ankle surgery, but his playing time is expected to increase on the road trip, Bondy adds. Bondy also questions coach Tom Thibodeau’s decision to remove Precious Achiuwa from the rotation now that Robinson is playing again.
Keith Smith of Spotrac examines the Sixers‘ options with Joel Embiid, concluding that there’s no easy way to cut ties with the injured center if he’s unable to regain his All-NBA form. Embiid has four years and a projected $248MM left on his contract after this season, leading to him, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey taking up nearly the team’s entire salary cap over the next three years. Unless Philadelphia can find someone willing to trade for Embiid’s hefty contract, the only options are a waive-and-stretch procedure, which wouldn’t be possible until after the 2026/27 season, or a medical retirement, which would have to be approved by the Fitness to Play panel or by a doctor jointly selected by the NBA and the players union.

Southwest Notes: K. Jones, Whitmore, Sheppard, J. Green, Wembanyama

March 5th, 2025 at 7:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

It only took one game for Kai Jones to join the Mavericks‘ long injured list, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. Jones, who signed a two-way contract on Monday, was ruled out of tonight’s game at Milwaukee about an hour before tipoff due to a quad strain.

Jones had a productive debut with Dallas Monday night, coming off the bench to score 21 points and grab eight rebounds in 34 minutes. He provides a much-needed addition to the front court with Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively sidelined by injuries. All three are set to be reevaluated on Thursday, but it’s possible none of them will be close to returning.

Even without the injury, Jones’ availability would have been limited because of the restrictions that come with his two-way contract. His 50-game limit is pro-rated, so he can only be active 11 more times for the rest of the season unless the Mavs convert him to a standard deal, which they can’t do until April 10 because of their hard cap situation.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Cam Whitmore and Reed Sheppard were both outstanding on Monday at Oklahoma City as the Rockets were missing five rotation players, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Whitmore had 27 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and three blocks, while Sheppard contributed 25 points and five assists. Both players have been on the fringe of Houston’s rotation lately and were happy to get the opportunity. “It felt great,” Sheppard said. “Just getting the chance to be out there and play. It was a lot of fun getting a rhythm and flow, up and down. Being able to knock down some shots and get some assists. Really fun game. We didn’t win and that part sucks, but being out there with the guys and battling was fun.”
Rockets guard Jalen Green has gotten better at protecting the ball while improving his play-making skills, Iko adds. Green averaged 4.4 assists per game in February, the best one-month performance of his career, and he’s in the 54th percentile in turnover percentage while being in the 99th percentile in usage rate. “It’s a process that he improved on last year,” coach Ime Udoka said. “But understanding — especially on a night where guys are missing — he’s going to be the focal point of a defense. Continue to work on it, improve in that area. It’s something we’ve really stressed to him and he’s gotten better at.”
Mark Medina of Sportskeeda talked with several doctors who specialize in blood clots about their prognosis for Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. Those medical experts are guardedly optimistic that Wembanyama will be able to recover and return to a normal playing schedule next season.

Heat Notes: Larsson, Mitchell, Rotation, Starting Lineup

March 5th, 2025 at 6:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Before Monday, Pelle Larsson had logged less than a minute of playing time since the All-Star break, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. The rookie shooting guard had to find other ways to stay game-ready while he waited for an opportunity, which often came in the form of one-on-one and two-on-two contests involving Heat teammates Terry Rozier, Haywood Highsmith and Jaime Jaquez.

Those efforts paid off when Miami was down to nine players for Monday’s contest against Washington. Larsson played nearly 28 minutes and contributed a career-high 16 points in the victory, along with four rebounds and five assists.

“We needed some kind of energy, spark from somebody and we talked about it, that’s a challenge, and we definitely felt Pelle,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He brought energy. He brought that extra oomph that carried over to everybody else. And some swing moments of the game he just seemed to have his imprint with the deflections, the steals, the timely cuts, all of that.”

Larsson’s expanded role may continue until the Heat are closer to full strength. The organization has emphasized development for the 44th pick in last year’s draft, and the increased playing time could help speed up that process.

“He understands what his role is,” Spoelstra added. “He came in as a role player, an elite role player in college, on a very good basketball team. And some people view that as a negative. We view it as a real positive and somebody who also has upside still, because of his work ethic. He’s tenacious behind the scenes. That’s why he’s able to stay ready. He puts in so much time, it’s two, three workouts a day. You have to kick him out of the gym. But he wants to continue to improve. He wants to find ways he can help.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Davion Mitchell will return tonight at Cleveland after sitting out Monday’s contest due to a quadriceps contusion, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Mitchell said the injury occurred in Sunday’s game when he ran into a screen set by Mitchell Robinson. It bothered him for a day, but it’s feeling better now.
Even though the Heat were missing several players on Monday, Spoelstra kept Highsmith, Kyle Anderson and Duncan Robinson in reserve roles, Jackson adds. Spoelstra explained that “rotation continuity” was behind his decision. “Whenever Duncan plays well, it has a massive impact on our team,” he said. “I want him feeling comfort. He has played really well. That spark, that energy off the bench is important. and Kyle is a plug and play guy. I’m really impressed with his IQ and feel for the game. You put the ball in his hands and he can do a lot of stuff that Bam (Adebayo) does at the top of the floor. He can run offense.”
With Tyler Herro sidelined by a head cold, the Heat are once again using a starting lineup tonight that has never played together before, Jackson tweets. Adebayo, Mitchell and Rozier will be joined by Kevin Love and Alec Burks.

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