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Heat Notes: Larsson, Jovic, Adebayo, Herro, Trade Deadline

December 27th, 2025 at 6:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pelle Larsson scored a career-high 21 points Friday night as he returned to the Heat’s starting lineup after missing the previous five games with a left ankle sprain, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes in a subscriber-only story. Larsson’s shooting didn’t suffer from the layoff, as he connected on 9-of-13 attempts from the field and 3-of-4 from three-point range.

“You should have seen his rehab sessions, whether it was on the bike initially, it was just all out,” coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. “Almost a level of throwing up. I walked in on one of those sessions, and then also his court sessions. He just pushes the envelope. And so, he had the conditioning. It’s different than game conditioning. But he was able to handle those 29 minutes. And you just see the glue intangibles that he provides.”

Larsson admitted being “pretty gassed” after his first game action in more than two weeks, but the Heat were glad to welcome him back, not just for his scoring but for the other things he does on the court. He brings a lot of intangibles that the team missed while losing eight of its previous nine games.

“We’re so happy to have him back in this lineup,” Jaime Jaquez Jr. said. “He’s the ultimate energy guy, really just gives everybody life and the spark that we desperately needed. So the fact that he was able to come in after so many games missed and just play like that just shows how hard of a worker and how great of a player he is.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Also returning Friday was Nikola Jovic, who was sidelined for four games due to a right elbow contusion/laceration, Chiang adds. Wearing a protective sleeve on his injured arm, Jovic suffered through a rough shooting night, going 3-of-14 from the field and 1-of-6 from beyond the arc, but he contributed seven rebounds, four assists and a steal and finished as a plus-12 for the game. “I’m someone who when I miss shots, I get pretty mad,” Jovic admitted. “I’m pretty fired up. But during this time that I was injured, I talked a lot to assistant coaches and some of the people from the Heat and they helped me find a way to get back into (the game) quicker. … So, yeah it for sure helps and I think it helped me tonight. Even though I didn’t make a lot of them, I still felt great even shooting them.”
Bam Adebayo will miss his second straight game tonight with soreness in his lower back. “He clearly is not moving well enough to compete. … He really needed this time,” Spoelstra said, per Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). “He’s definitely making progress. He really needed this time just to get … he was dealing with some deals because of overcompensation. I think he’s feeling a lot better each day.” Tyler Herro, who has played just once in the last nine games due to a right big toe contusion, is “definitely making progress,” Spoelstra adds (Twitter link).
In a full story for The Sun Sentinel (subscription required), Winderman makes the case for why the Heat should be sellers at the trade deadline and argues that Andrew Wiggins and Norman Powell should be moved to improve the team’s draft assets.

Terrence Shannon Jr. To Miss At Least Two Weeks With Foot Injury

December 27th, 2025 at 5:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves announced that Terrence Shannon Jr. will be reevaluated in two weeks after he left Thursday’s game due to soreness in his left foot. An MRI revealed that the second-year shooting guard suffered an abductor hallucis strain, which affects the inner arch of his foot.

Shannon has been seeing modest playing time in Minnesota’s backcourt rotation this season, logging 12.8 minutes per night in 22 games. He’s averaging 4.5 points and 1.3 rebounds per contest, and while his overall shooting percentage has dropped from 48.2% to 39.5% since his rookie year, his three-point shooting has improved from 35.5% to 40.5%.

It’s the second time this season that Shannon has been sidelined by a left foot issue. He suffered a fifth metatarsal bone bruise in early November that kept him out of action for nine games. The Wolves didn’t indicate whether the current injury is related to the previous one.

Minnesota selected Shannon with the 27th pick in the 2024 draft. He and fellow ’24 first-round pick Rob Dillingham have struggled to make an impact so far, even with Mike Conley seeing a diminished role at age 38. Shannon’s injury could lead to more playing time for Dillingham, or coach Chris Finch could opt to give Shannon’s minutes to Jaylen Clark, another second-year guard.

Latest On Anthony Davis

December 27th, 2025 at 4:03pm CST by Rory Maher

NBA on Prime insider Chris Haynes hears the Warriors are considering putting together a trade package to try and acquire Anthony Davis (Twitter video link). However, Haynes says the Mavericks aren’t enamored with the assets Golden State could offer for Davis, so if the Warriors do try to make a run at the star big man, a third team might have to be involved.

If it isn’t Davis, the Warriors are still hoping to find a strong defensive center ahead of the trade deadline in February, according to Haynes.

Sources confirm to Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com that the Warriors, Raptors and Hawks are interested in acquiring Davis (story via Ashish Mathur).

Whether he remains with Dallas or is traded to a new team, the 32-year-old is expected to seek a lucrative long-term extension once he becomes eligible to sign one in August, per Dallas Hoops Journal. Both Haynes and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) have heard the same.

Davis, who has dealt with numerous injuries over the years, is currently battling a groin strain. He was initially listed as questionable for Saturday’s contest in Sacramento, but has subsequently been downgraded to out.

“Hopefully, it’s not long,” head coach Jason Kidd said of Davis’ absence (Twitter link via Christian Clark of The Athletic).

Haynes also reported that the Hawks are “very intrigued” by the possibility of trading for Davis. In a separate story for Dallas Hoops Journal, Afseth takes a look at Atlanta’s potential interest in the 10-time All-Star, writing that people around the league think the Hawks might be open to a major roster shake-up in order to snap out of their recent funk — they’ve lost five straight games and are just 2-9 in December.

According to Afseth, a Hawks trade package involving Kristaps Porzingis ($30.7MM expiring contract), Luke Kennard ($11MM expiring salary) and Zaccharie Risacher ($13.2MM in the second year of his rookie scale deal) is very close to what Davis earns this season ($54.1MM), which is one reason why Atlanta is viewed as a potential fit. The Mavs would almost certainly send out another smaller salary or two in that scenario to have additional breathing room below their second-apron hard cap.

Kennard hasn’t made the sort of impact Atlanta was hoping when it signed him to a one-year deal over the summer, Afesth notes. The veteran guard received his first DNP-CD during Friday’s loss to Miami.

Fischer’s Latest: CP3, Harden, Gillespie, Cavs, Knicks

December 27th, 2025 at 3:01pm CST by Rory Maher

There had been some speculation that Chris Paul could be moved by the Clippers on December 15, the day he became trade-eligible, but that did not occur. While Paul is no longer around the team after Los Angeles announced that it was “parting ways” with the franchise icon, the Clippers are working with his representatives to find Paul a new club that he finds desirable, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

Paul’s minimum-salary contract would theoretically be simple to trade from a mechanics standpoint, but a deal doesn’t appear imminent. Sources tell Fischer that it’s possible Paul might be included as part of a larger trade around the February 5 deadline. In that scenario, Paul could be waived by the team that acquires him, Fischer continues, which would allow the 40-year-old to pick a new destination as a free agent.

While the Lakers have been linked to Paul for years, Fischer has been “strongly advised” they aren’t expected to pursue the 11-time All-NBA point guard, who is in his 21st and final season. Houston could theoretically use backcourt depth, but Fischer hears the Rockets are content with their roster right now and likely won’t consider changes until late January due their proximity to the first apron, at which they’re hard-capped.

Here’s more from Fischer’s latest rumor round-up, which is centered on point guards:

The Clippers continue to signal to rival teams that they aren’t willing to discuss trading James Harden, according to Fischer. As he points out, Harden has an implicit no-trade clause for 2025/26 and a $42.3MM player option for 2026/27 that’s partially guaranteed for $13.3MM. In order to approve a potential trade, Harden would likely want to know if the team interested in acquiring him planned to keep him past his July 11 salary guarantee date or if it would be open to re-signing him to a new deal, Fischer writes.
Collin Gillespie, who is having a breakout season for the Suns, will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026. Rival teams are projecting the 26-year-old to receive a contract similar to the three-year, $27MM deal Ty Jerome signed with Memphis this past summer, per Fischer.
While rival clubs are reportedly monitoring both players, the Cavaliers have shown no interest to this point in making an in-season deal involving Darius Garland or Jarrett Allen, Fischer confirms, echoing reporting from Brett Siegel.
As Fischer writes, Tyler Kolek‘s impressive recent play with the Knicks has opposing teams wondering if New York will target frontcourt help ahead of the deadline instead of a veteran point guard. It’s unclear which position the Knicks will ultimately look to fortify.

Pistons Expected To Promote Daniss Jenkins To Standard Deal

December 27th, 2025 at 1:25pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pistons are considered likely to give Daniss Jenkins a promotion at some point in the coming weeks, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), who reports that there is a “growing expectation” that Jenkins’ two-way contract will be converted to a standard deal.

Jenkins has been active for all 31 of Detroit’s games this season. Two-way players are permitted to be active for up to 50 games in a season, so the conversion will likely occur closer to the February 5 trade deadline.

A 24-year-old point guard, Jenkins performed exceptionally well during a five-game span in mid-November when the Pistons were hit hard by injuries. He was nominated for the Player of the Week award in the Eastern Conference for games played from Nov. 10-16.

While Jenkins’ role has been reduced with the Pistons at full strength, he continues to be part of the team’s rotation, appearing in 15 of the club’s past 16 games. Overall, the second-year guard has averaged 7.5 points, 3.0 assists and 1.8 rebounds on .427/.356/.771 shooting in 25 appearances, including six starts (16.2 minutes per contest).

In order to promote Jenkins, the Pistons would have to make a change to their standard roster, which is currently at the maximum of 15 players under contract. Isaac Jones‘ roster spot appears the most tenuous — his minimum-salary contract is non-guaranteed until January 7, and he has only made one appearance with Detroit since he was claimed off waivers on Nov. 6.

Pacers’ Aaron Nesmith Expected To Return Saturday

December 27th, 2025 at 12:27pm CST by Rory Maher

Pacers small forward Aaron Nesmith has been upgraded to questionable for Saturday’s game in Miami, the team announced (via Twitter).

According to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link), Nesmith is expected to play tonight. He has been out since November 13 — a span of 19 games — due to a left knee sprain.

Head coach Rick Carlisle indicated on Friday evening that Nesmith had a chance to return at some point in December.

In 11 games this season, Nesmith was averaging 15.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while converting 37.3% of his three-point attempts, though he’s also shooting a career-worst 35.9% on twos. The latter figure will likely normalize over time, as 11 games is obviously a small sample size.

The 26-year-old wing, who is a strong and versatile perimeter defender, played an important role in helping Indiana reach the NBA Finals last season. Nesmith signed a veteran contract extension in October and cannot be traded in 2025/26.

Longtime backup point guard T.J. McConnell, who played 14 minutes in Friday’s loss to Boston, will be out Saturday due to right hamstring soreness, per the Pacers.

Central Notes: Pistons, Bulls, Williams, Cavs

December 27th, 2025 at 11:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons lost for just the seventh time this season on Friday, falling to the Jazz, 131-129. Utah scored 44 of its points in the third quarter and Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff was disappointed with his club’s defensive effort.

“Discipline. Execution. Commitment to who we are. Forty-four points in a quarter is unacceptable,” he said, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic (Twitter link). “I know we ask a lot of our guys, and most nights they give it to us. Tonight was one of those nights where we were loose from the start.”

Star guard Cade Cunningham agreed with that assessment, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets.

“This isn’t the level that we should be playing at. We know we’re better than this,” he said. “It’s in our standard. We’ve just gotta go back to the drawing board, figure out what that is that’s taking away from our defense. Come back better, we’ve gotta be better.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The Bulls‘ reserves scored 59 points in their 109-102 win over Philadelphia on Friday, stretching Chicago’s winning streak to five games. “Even if we lost a couple [of games], we were still trending in the right direction,” big man Zach Collins said, per Kyle Williams of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Everybody’s kind of having a good run right now. We’re crashing the glass a little bit more, just playing a little bit harder and obviously that’s easier when things are going well. We’re winning games and the vibes are high. So we just got to make sure we keep doing those things here.”
One Bulls player who didn’t leave the bench in Friday’s victory was forward Patrick Williams. He was listed as questionable coming into the game due to an illness, but suited up. Williams averaged just 7.8 minutes in the previous four games, Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic tweets. The former lottery pick is in the second year of a five-year, $90MM extension.
The Cavaliers‘ tendency to give up offensive rebounds at key times was apparent when they blew a 17-point lead on Christmas Day while losing to the Knicks, Joe Vardon of The Athletic notes. “I think it starts with mentality,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I know everyone says physicality, physicality. I think it’s your mental focus. And there’s a difference. You got the scrum rebounds and you got the ones where guys came in from the corner, and I don’t know who missed that Towns one, but those are the ones, the mindless ones, it’s not physicality to me. It’s like, ‘Are you focused? Are you seeing your man? Are you going to crash? Are you gonna get a hit first?’”

Pacers Notes: Losing Streak, Wiseman, Sheppard, Nesmith, Flight Delay

December 27th, 2025 at 11:02am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers have lost seven straight, including a 140-122 defeat at the hands of the Celtics on Friday. Guard Andrew Nembhard says the team needs to raise its intensity level.

“Guys are fighting at times, but it’s not consistent,” Nembhard said, per Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “It’s not sustained throughout the whole game. Fighting sometimes doesn’t mean making shots or looking at the stat sheet, but doing those off-stat things. Sometimes we just have to put more onus on that and value it more.”

The Celtics, who led by as many as 28 points, shot 57% from the field and drained 20 three-pointers.

“It’s just everybody raising their intensity and their effort,” forward Jarace Walker said. “We’re just gonna have to get uncomfortable and do things that we’re not used to doing to end up on the winning side. Usually our talent and our skill and our shot-making take us there, but I think we have to find different ways to impact the game and just lay it out on the floor every night.”

Here’s more on the Pacers:

Why did Indiana release center James Wiseman so quickly after signing him on Dec. 20? Wiseman had to be “released” because the terms of his 10-day contract lasted through Dec. 30 but the hardship exception he was added on only lasted through Dec. 25, according to beat writer Tony East (Twitter link). The Pacers would have needed to be granted another hardship exception for Wiseman to remain with the team.
Ben Sheppard and Aaron Nesmith are “progressing” in their rehab, according to coach Rick Carlisle, and it’s possible that Nesmith will return this month, East tweets. Strategically planned workouts are on tap for both players. Nesmith has been sidelined since Nov. 13 due to a left knee sprain, while Sheppard has been out since Dec. 3 due to a calf strain.
The Pacers play the second game of a back-to-back on Saturday with a road contest against the Heat. They didn’t arrive until the wee hours of the morning on Saturday as their flight to Miami was delayed for almost two hours, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files tweets.

Hawks ‘Intrigued’ By Possibility Of Acquiring Anthony Davis

December 27th, 2025 at 9:37am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hawks remain “very intrigued” by the possibility of acquiring Mavericks big man Anthony Davis in a trade, insider Chris Haynes reported during an ‘NBA on Prime’ broadcast (Twitter video link; hat tip to Real GM).

Haynes indicated that a potential deal involving the Hawks would not include Trae Young, who could become a free agent after the season if he declines his $49MM option. Instead, the package for Davis could include 2024 top pick Zaccharie Risacher.

“Dallas would likely want expiring deals, young assets, and picks – and probably, likely to include number one pick from last season Zach Risacher,” Haynes said.

If Young and his $46MM salary isn’t part of the potential deal, Kristaps Porzingis‘ $30.7MM expiring contract would be a necessary component.

Brett Siegel of Clutch Points reported earlier this week that the Hawks had checked in on Davis. However, Siegel also reported that there has been no momentum in those talks and there was a sense that Atlanta is more likely to target a lower-salary replacement if the team builds a deal around Porzingis‘ expiring contract.

Adding Davis would be an “all-in” move for the Hawks, considering his contract numbers. He’s making $54.1MM this season and $58.5MM next season. Davis also holds a player option of $62.8MM for the 2027/28 season.

Haynes added that a team acquiring Davis would likely have to sign him to a contract extension. That would involve significant risk, considering the big man’s injury history. He’s currently dealing with a mild right groin strain.

Davis has only appeared in 16 games this season and, outside of his 76 regular season appearances with the Lakers in 2023/24, hasn’t seen action in more than 62 games in a season since 2018/19.

Davis would significantly boost the Hawks’ defense. Atlanta has fallen below .500 at 15-17 during its current five-game slide. The Hawks have allowed 126 or more points in their last seven losses. They have allowed opponents to shoot 47.8% from the field this season, ranking 23rd in the league in that category.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Expected To Play on Saturday

December 27th, 2025 at 7:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bucks are likely to have their superstar back on the court on Saturday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to suit up for Milwaukee’s game against the Bulls, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm reports. Antetokounmpo, who has been sidelined eight games due to a right calf strain, will still need to clear the pregame tests required by the Bucks’ training staff to gain final clearance. Antetokounmpo has been steadily increasing his activity in recent weeks, including a full-contact three-on-three scrimmage following a pregame shootaround on Tuesday.

The two-time MVP has been sidelined since suffering the injury in the opening quarter against the Pistons on Dec. 3. Milwaukee managed to win that game without him but have since posted a 2-6 record. The Bucks’ offense has stalled without Antetokounmpo’s all-around contributions — they’ve scored 105 or fewer points in five of those losses.

The Bucks have a 12-19 overall record, leaving them in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. It’s mainly due to the absences of Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 29.1 minutes per game while shooting a career-high 63.9% from the field. He also missed some time due to a left adductor strain. The Bucks are 10-7 this season in games he’s played.

While on the mend, Antetokounmpo tried to downplay the usual rumors regarding his future by declaring that he’s “locked in” to playing with the team that drafted him in 2013.

“I’m still locked in, locked in on my teammates. Most importantly, locked in on me getting back healthy,” Antetokounmpo said on Dec. 18. “And then, locked in on my teammates and how can I help them from the sideline or encourage them to be able to play and play free? Because at the end of the day, it takes a toll on them, too, right? They’re playing game after game after game. Thank God we’ve had a very good schedule in the last couple of weeks, but it takes a toll on them, too — rumors, injuries, lose, win. It’s hard, right? As a leader, but most importantly as a winner, you just gotta be there for them first.”