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Stein’s Latest: Davis, Mavs, VanVleet, Lakers

January 4th, 2026 at 5:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Hawks and Mavericks are in something of a holding pattern when it comes to a potential Anthony Davis trade, Marc Stein reports for The Stein Line (Substack link).

Given Atlanta’s tendency to avoid the luxury tax, Stein suggests it’s unlikely that the team will add Davis’ contract, which will pay him $58.5MM next season and $62.8MM in the 2027/28 season, without moving Trae Young, who has a $48.9MM player option for next season.

Stein adds that, despite previous reports that the Hawks would be willing to move former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher in the right deal, his sources indicate that an in-season trade for Davis likely wouldn’t fit that bill.

Rich Paul, who represents Davis, is also a player in these conversations. Stein notes that Paul has a strong, plugged-in relationship with many of the top decision-makers in the Mavericks’ organization and that there are indications he views Atlanta as a good landing spot for his client, though such a deal may have to wait until the offseason.

We have more from Stein’s most recent newsletter:

Regardless of what happens with Davis, it’s clear that the Mavericks are taking a hard look at their roster. Stein writes that there’s a belief that everyone on the team outside of Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving is considered potentially on the table. The Mavs have a 13-23 record on the season and have lost six of their last eight games.
When Fred VanVleet tore his ACL during an unofficial Rockets preseason mini-camp, the expectation was that he would miss the rest of the 2025/26 season. However, Stein reports that Houston isn’t ruling out a return for the 31-year-old point guard. VanVleet is apparently attacking his rehab process hard with the intention of giving himself the chance of returning to play before the season is over.
The Lakers‘ desire to add a two-way wing such as Herbert Jones or Trey Murphy III is well-documented, but their pathway to adding that player is complicated for multiple reasons. The first is that the two Pelicans‘ wings are considered unlikely to be moved before the trade deadline, and the second is that the Lakers are not expected to sacrifice their 2026 financial flexibility in any deal that doesn’t net them a player they consider a real needle-mover, Stein writes. Given that two-way wings are some of the most coveted players around the league, there’s no guarantee anyone who meets that criteria will be attainable for L.A. at the deadline.

International Notes: Dinwiddie, Silva, De Colo, NBA Europe

January 4th, 2026 at 3:54pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran NBA guard Spencer Dinwiddie has officially parted ways with Bayern Munich, the German team announced in a press release.

According to Bayern, which competes in both the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague, Dinwiddie’s contract was terminated in a mutual agreement. The 32-year-old was granted permission to travel to the United States prior to Christmas because a family member is dealing with a serious illness.

“I would like to thank the organization, the team, and the fans. Despite the recent challenging phase of the season, I felt very comfortable in Munich. Unfortunately, I am currently not in a position to play,” Dinwiddie said in a statement.

An 11-year NBA veteran, Dinwiddie signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with Charlotte in July. Although the deal was fully guaranteed, he became the victim of a preseason roster crunch for the Hornets, who waived him on October 16. He signed with Bayern, his first international team, a week later.

Here are a few more international items of interest:

Former NBA big man Chris Silva is moving from AEK Athens to Fenerbahce, as first reported by Turkish journalist Yağız Sabuncuoğlu (via Twitter) and confirmed by Semih Tuna of Eurohoops.net and Domantas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. The 29-year-old forward/center was thriving with the Greek team and reportedly received interest from multiple EuroLeague clubs before deciding to sign with Turkey’s Fenerbahce, which won the EuroLeague championship last season.
Fenerbahce will also be adding ex-NBA guard Nando De Colo, who has parted ways with LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, according to an announcement from the French team (hat tip to Tuna of Eurohoops). “Approached by the Turkish club, Nando was keen to seize this opportunity, to which LDLC ASVEL did not object, wishing to respect the player’s wishes,” ASVEL said in a statement. “The entire club thanks Nando for his integrity and professionalism throughout these years spent at LDLC ASVEL and wishes him the maximum joy and trophies for the rest of his career.”
Some European politicians have raised objections about the NBA’s proposed European league, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. January will be an important month for the new venture and for the EuroLeague, which is waiting to hear back from four teams — including Fenerbahce and ASVEL — about whether or not they will stay in the league in 2026/27, per Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.

10-Day Contract Window Opens Monday; Salary Guarantee Deadline Looms

January 4th, 2026 at 3:03pm CST by Rory Maher

As our tracker shows, the injury-plagued Pacers and Grizzlies have both been granted several hardship exceptions this season, allowing each team to sign multiple players to 10-day contracts. But tomorrow — Monday, January 5 — will be the first day that NBA teams can sign players to standard 10-day contracts.

A 10-day contract, as we outline in our glossary entry, allows a team to add a player to its roster for either 10 days or three games (whichever occurs later) without any commitment beyond that. A player can sign up to two 10-day deals with the same team in a single season — after those two contracts, the team must decide whether to sign him to a rest-of-season contract or part ways with him.

For some teams, the 10-day contract provides an opportunity to take a flier on a young player to see if he deserves a longer-term look. Other clubs may utilize 10-day deals for short-term injury fill-ins or simply to meet minimum roster requirements.

The NBA’s 10-day signing window always opens just ahead of the league-wide salary guarantee deadline. If a team wants to let go of a player on a non-guaranteed contract to avoid being on the hook for his full-season salary, it must release that player on or before Wednesday, Jan. 7 to ensure he clears waivers prior to the guarantee date of Jan. 10.

The start of the 10-day contract period and the salary guarantee deadline go hand in hand, since teams cutting players before their salaries become fully guaranteed often sign players to 10-day contracts to fill those newly opened roster spots. In some cases, the same player who was waived at the salary guarantee deadline returns to his team on a 10-day contract, as clubs looks to maximize their roster flexibility.

Thirteen teams currently have a 15-man roster opening, though most of those clubs won’t rush to fill their open roster spots with 10-day signees due to their financial situations. Teams may also want to maximize their roster flexibility in advance of the trade deadline — the majority of 10-day signings during a typical season occur after the deadline has passed.

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Injury Notes: LaVine, D. Jones, T. Young, J. Smith, C. White

January 4th, 2026 at 2:26pm CST by Rory Maher

After missing nine games with a left ankle sprain, Kings wing Zach LaVine will return to action on Sunday against Milwaukee, tweets James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com. Rookie center Maxime Raynaud will also be active after having an injury scare in Friday’s loss to Phoenix.

LaVine is reportedly one of several players the Bucks are monitoring ahead of the trade deadline, so it’s an interesting coincidence that he’s returning today.

Here are a few more injury-relates updates from around the NBA:

Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr. suffered a right knee injury in Saturday’s loss to Boston and will undergo an MRI on Sunday, reports Law Murray of The Athletic (All Twitter links here). According to Murray, Jones limped to the locker room after being fouled by Payton Pritchard in the fourth quarter. It’s a disappointing development for the high-flying Jones, who just returned to action on December 28 after missing several weeks with a sprained MCL in the same knee.
Hawks point guard Trae Young missed his fourth straight game on Saturday at Toronto, per Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks (Twitter link). The four-time All-Star has been battling a right quad contusion. Kristaps Porzingis (return to competition reconditioning) was also out for the second night of a back-to-back, which was expected, Rowland notes (via Twitter).
Bulls big man Jalen Smith has entered the NBA’s concussion protocol after taking a hard hit to the head in the third quarter of Saturday’s loss to Charlotte, head coach Billy Donovan said after the game (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network). Smith has been ruled out of Monday’s contest at Boston after being diagnosed with a concussion (link to injury report). On a brighter note, guard Coby White has a chance to return Monday — he’s questionable with what the team is calling right calf injury management.

Nuggets’ Gordon, Braun Will Return Sunday; MPJ Active For Nets

January 4th, 2026 at 12:47pm CST by Rory Maher

1:37 pm: Gordon and Braun will return to action on Sunday, according to DNVR Nuggets (Twitter link).

12:47 pm: The Nuggets could get a pair of starters back for Sunday’s contest at Brooklyn. They’ve listed Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun as questionable for the matchup with the Nets (Twitter link).

Both players are still considered questionable less than two hours away from tip-off, per the NBA’s latest injury report.

Gordon has been out since November 21 after suffering a Grade 2 right hamstring strain. The veteran forward was off to a terrific start to the 2025/26 campaign, averaging 20.3 points and 6.3 rebounds on elite efficiency (.536/.452/.879 shooting splits) while playing strong defense through his first 12 games (30.4 minutes per contest).

Fourth-year wing Braun, meanwhile, has been on the shelf since Nov. 12 due to a sprained left ankle. The former first-round pick averaged 11.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.9 APG and 0.9 SPG on .484/.214/.778 shooting in 10 healthy games this season (30.8 MPG). He’s another key member of the rotation, particularly on defense, where he’s frequently tasked with slowing down the opposing team’s best perimeter scorer.

Cassidy Hubbarth of NBA on Prime reported a couple days ago that both players could return at some point during Denver’s road trip, which concludes Wednesday in Boston.

As for the Nets, leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. will return to action Sunday after missing the past two games because of an illness, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link). The 27-year-old forward said he’ll have a little extra motivation when he faces his former team, which traded him to Brooklyn over the summer.

“I definitely use everything I can as motivation,” Porter said. “It was just so much noise about me as a player…I knew if it was healthy coming here I’d be able to change the narrative around me.”

G Leaguers Making Cases For NBA Promotions

January 4th, 2026 at 11:57am CST by Rory Maher

Over the past 10 days, several players have earned promotions to either standard or two-way contracts. Several more transactions will be coming this week, as January 5 marks the first day clubs can sign players to standard 10-day contracts and Jan. 7 is the final day in which players who have non-guaranteed salaries (including two-ways) can be waived before their deals become guaranteed.

With that in mind, Keith Smith of Spotrac recently listed 23 players — seven ball-handlers, 10 wings and six bigs — who have been playing well in the G League and are candidates to receive NBA promotions either in the coming days or later in the season. One player from Smith’s list — Tristen Newton — just signed a two-way deal with Houston.

Smith compiled the list based on his own film reviews and spoke to NBA executives, scouts and player agents to solicit their input as well.

Most of the G Leaguers Smith cites have previous NBA experience. That group includes Kobe Bufkin, Killian Hayes, Dalano Banton, Kevin Knox II, Jalen Slawson, Charles Bassey, Moses Brown, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, among others. Bufkin, Bassey and Robinson-Earl actually spent time with NBA teams in 2025/26.

Smith singles out Slawson of the Noblesville Boom as the “best all-around player” to this point in the NBAGL season. A 6’7″ forward who was selected 54th overall in the 2023 draft, Slawson has been filling up the stat sheet for the Pacers‘ affiliate, averaging 21.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.0 blocks in 10 games (34.2 minutes per contest).

There are also a handful players on Smith’s list who have not yet received their first NBA call-ups, including Darius Brown II (Cleveland Charge), Teddy Allen (Rio Grande Valley Vipers) and Matthew Cleveland (Texas Legends). According to Smith, Cleveland has been one of the top rookies at the G League level — the undrafted wing out of Miami is suiting up for the Mavericks‘ affiliate.

Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Jones, Sengun, Wemby, K. Johnson

January 4th, 2026 at 10:29am CST by Rory Maher

Zion Williamson scored a season-high 35 points on Friday against Portland but the shorthanded Pelicans dropped their sixth straight game, writes Lee East of NOLA.com.

“He looks great,” head coach James Borrego said of Williamson, who has notched 30-plus points in three straight contests, matching a career high. “His spirit is right. His mind is right. He’s fresh, he’s aggressive. He’s really confident right now. It’s as well as I think he’s played in a while. I’ve seen this before, but in the recent history this is probably the best. Mentally and physically he looks really strong.”

The Pelicans were down four key rotation players, with Herbert Jones (right ankle sprain), Trey Murphy III (lower back soreness), Derik Queen (left quad contusion) and Saddiq Bey (right hip flexor strain) all sidelined.

Jones will miss his seventh straight game Sunday in Miami, per the league’s official injury report, while Bey will be out for the second time in a row. Both Murphy – whose injury designation has changed to low back spasms – and Queen are questionable to suit up against the Heat.

New Orleans’ losing streak directly correlates to Jones’ absence and that’s not a coincidence, according to Rod Walker of NOLA.com. Since Borrego took over as interim head coach, the Pelicans are 5-5 with Jones in the lineup and 1-13 when their top defensive player has been unavailable, Walker notes.

“One guy left the lineup, Herb Jones,” Borrego said. “He’s incredible. But that doesn’t excuse our defense. If we’ve got to get Herb back to hold people under 130, that’s unacceptable.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Rockets center Alperen Sengun suffered a lateral right ankle sprain just over a minute into Saturday’s game at Dallas and was ruled out for the remainder of the eventual loss, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com relays. The Turkish big man, who made his first All-Star appearance last season, recently returned from a left soleus (calf) strain. Backup center Steven Adams was also out for a second consecutive game due to his own right ankle sprain, MacMahon adds.
While Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (hyperextended left knee) missed his second straight game Saturday vs. Portland, head coach Mitch Johnson expects the star big man to travel to Memphis for Tuesday’s matchup with the Grizzlies, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. That doesn’t necessarily mean Wembanyama will play Tuesday, but it’s certainly an encouraging sign. “[He’s] looking really good,” Johnson said, per Orsborn.
Spurs forward Keldon Johnson is beloved for the levity he brings to the locker room and the contagious energy he provides when he’s cheering on his teammates, as Jared Weiss details for The Athletic. Johnson is the standard-bearer of San Antonio’s culture. “We got a lot of big personalities, and we got a face of the franchise,” coach Mitch Johnson said, “but that guy’s the heart and soul of the team.”

Mavericks Notes: Flagg, Davis, Christie, Washington

January 4th, 2026 at 9:09am CST by Rory Maher

Although he had an excellent December in being named the NBA’s Western Conference Rookie of the Month for the second straight time, Cooper Flagg‘s energy and production have noticeably dipped over the past few games as the Mavericks forward adjusts to the rigors of an 82-game season, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.

“He’s playing a lot of minutes,” head coach Jason Kidd said before Saturday’s game. “So to touch this rookie wall that I think he’s touching right now, and to be able to play through it is a positive.”

As Townsend observes, 2025’s No. 1 overall pick has already eclipsed the total minutes he played last season at Duke and ranks seventh in the league in minutes played.

Flagg got in early foul trouble Saturday, Townsend notes, and has been struggling with his shot over the past three games, converting just 29.8% of his 15.7 field goal attempts and averaging 12.3 points. But he’s still contributing in other ways, with 7.0 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game over that stretch.

Here’s more from Dallas:

The Mavericks snapped a four-game losing streak Saturday behind strong performances from former Lakers Anthony Davis and Max Christie, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. Star big man Davis finished with 26 points (on 9-of-15 shooting), 12 rebounds, three assists and five blocks in 39 minutes. It was his 36th career game with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, tying Tim Duncan for the seventh-most games with that stat line in league history, Afseth adds.
As for Christie, the 22-year-old has been playing his best basketball of the season over the past three games, averaging 22.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG and 3.0 APG on .657/.550/1.000 shooting. The 6’5″ shooting guard finished Saturday’s game with 24 points (on 10-of-13 shooting) and seven rebounds and also recorded three dunks, which he joked about afterward, according to Afseth. “Three might be the most of my career,” Christie said, laughing. “It felt good to be athletic out there, to be able to attack the rim and get a couple of dunks.”
P.J. Washington was limited to just 12 minutes Saturday after spraining his right ankle, tweets Townsend. The Mavs ruled the veteran forward out for the remainder of the game due to the injury.

Rockets Sign Tristen Newton To Two-Way Contract

January 4th, 2026 at 8:30am CST by Arthur Hill

January 4: Newton has been signed and Smith has been waived, the Rockets announced in a press release. The moves were officially finalized on Saturday.

January 3: Tristen Newton is joining the Rockets on a two-way contract, a league source tells Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link). Tyler Smith will be waived to create an opening.

Newton, a 24-year-old shooting guard, signed a two-way deal with Minnesota in September, but was waived prior to the start of the season. He has been playing for the Iowa Wolves in the G League, where he’s averaging 26.8 points, 7.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 49.4% from the field and 37.6% from three-point range.

Newton was selected by Indiana with the 49th pick in the 2024 draft, and he appeared in five games on a two-way contract before being released early last January. Minnesota claimed him off waivers, and he saw action in three more NBA games.

Newton will be eligible to appear in up to 29 games with Houston if his new contract is finalized by the end of the day. His two-way salary will become fully guaranteed as long as he remains on the roster through Wednesday.

Smith, a 21-year-old power forward, hasn’t made any NBA appearances since signing his two-way deal with the Rockets on December 2. He was the 33rd pick in the 2024 draft and got into 23 games with Milwaukee last season.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Raynaud, Schröder, Post

January 3rd, 2026 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers ranked 29th in pace during a catastrophic 6-21 start that almost ruined their season. Instead of speeding up, they’ve slowed down even more during their six-game winning streak, writes Law Murray of The Athletic, ranking dead last in pace but first in both offensive and defensive rating. They’ve also been number one in their rate of attempted free throws, while allowing the fewest three-pointers in the league.

Coach Tyronn Lue credits the turnaround to the players’ willingness to stay committed to the things that are necessary to succeed.

“Just having humility, continue to keep working hard, pay attention to detail, executing and then just being unselfish, sharing the basketball,” he said. “Allowing our other guys to make plays and be aggressive offensively. The ball’s going to find Kawhi (Leonard) and James (Harden); it’s going to get back to them eventually. And just those four things. I just give those guys credit for just coming in and continuing to work when our back was against the wall. So when you keep working hard, you keep coming to work every single day, you’ll get the results eventually. That’s what we’ve been able to do.”

Murray notes that a large part of the credit goes to Leonard, who has topped 40 points three times during the current streak after never doing it more than twice in a season. The return of Derrick Jones Jr. from an MCL sprain has solidified the point-of-attack defense alongside Kris Dunn, while John Collins is posting his best rebounding games of the season and Nicolas Batum has been winning his minutes by a wide margin.

“I just think everybody’s urgency just went up as a group,” Dunn said. “Understanding that it’s starting to get — not late into the season, but we’re getting into the thick of the season, and we want to just turn things around. … I just try to do what I do. I think everybody knows what I was brought here to do, and I just try and do it to the best of my ability.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

An MRI on Kings rookie center Maxime Raynaud showed no structural damage to his left leg, a source tells Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee (subscription required). Raynaud had to be helped off the court after a collision in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game.
Kings guard Dennis Schröder said he never gets nervous around the trade deadline, even though he’s been dealt multiple times in his career (Twitter video link from Sean Cunningham of KCRA News). “I always give everything for whoever I’m playing for,” Schröder said. “I’m doing it for myself first, for my family and then of course for the organization who I play for.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr isn’t concerned about Quinten Post‘s three-point shooting, even though the second-year center has regressed from 40.8% last season to 33.3% now, per Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required). “I think it’s all part of being a young player, gaining the confidence,” Kerr said. “… QP is in his second (season). The game has to slow down. You have to feel that sense of calm and confidence.”