Bulls Notes: Simons, Ivey, Huerter, Tanking
Anfernee Simons will miss the Bulls‘ matchup against the Knicks on Sunday with a left wrist sprain, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link). Simons left Saturday’s loss to the Pistons after just 13 minutes due to the injury.
According to head coach Billy Donovan, Simons will undergo imaging on the wrist on Monday, and it’s entirely possible that the “sprained wrist” diagnosis will change following the results of those tests (Twitter link via Lorenzi). Donovan said the Bulls don’t currently know the severity of the injury.
Prior to Saturday, Simons had played five games with the Bulls after being acquired in a deal that sent Nikola Vucevic to the Celtics. In those five games, he averaged 17.4 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.0 rebounds with a .446/.327/1.000 shooting line.
We have more from the Bulls:
- Chicago’s trade deadline was filled with moves designed to secure the best possible lottery odds this summer, but the acquisition of Jaden Ivey was one of the few forward-facing moves they made in terms of adding personnel. Ivey’s recent injury status makes that calculation more complicated, especially given his impending free agency, writes The Chicago Tribune’s Julia Poe. However, despite Ivey’s comments about his body not feeling the same following knee and leg injuries, Poe says there’s cautious optimism from the team’s coach about his ability to recapture his old form. “There’s a feeling that if he can get some more strength back then he can get back to where he was athletically,” Donovan said. “He knows that he’s not as explosive as he once was, but I don’t think that means that he can’t get back to that point. A big part of that is going to be him getting stronger.” According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Ivey’s former coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, agrees with Donovan, but adds that the most important part of the process is mental. “We expected a full recovery, but the timing you never know; it’s something you can never know,” Bickerstaff said. “And then the part for him is believing and trusting in it. That happens with the injury, too, especially when you’re explosive and your athleticism is so unique. You’ve got to find that trust back in it.”
- Kevin Huerter recently spoke about the trade that sent him from the Bulls to the Pistons, Cowley writes. One thing he touched on was the lack of clarity in Chicago about whether the team would compete or move into a rebuilding phase. “We talked about it [as a team], and we just didn’t know,” Huerter said. “We were sitting at .500 most of the year. It could have gone either way. As players, you have to expect everything, but seven or eight trades, whatever it was, I don’t know if anyone expected that.” While the move to the East-leading Pistons came as a surprise, the 27-year-old shooting guard is grateful for the opportunity it has provided him. “The transition, it’s always tough in season, even coming here last year, it was tough to move everything, your whole life, in about a week,” he said. “But you’re going to a team like this, No. 1 in the East, and they just compete their ass off.”
- The Bulls are behind the eight ball when it comes to maximizing their 2026 draft lottery odds, Poe writes, noting that Chicago has the ninth-worst record in the league at 24-33 and might have a hard time dropping any further than that. Poe suggests the belated effort to tank has something in common with vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas‘ habit of not dealing players until after their value has started to decline. Still, Poe writes that the move to begun the next era of Bulls basketball is the right one, given the depth and promise of the 2026 draft class.
Southeast Notes: McCollum, Herro, Carter, Penda
CJ McCollum replaced Zaccharie Risacher in the Hawks‘ starting lineup for Sunday’s game against the Nets, a move that shifts the former No. 1 overall pick to the bench for the first time since the second game of his NBA career. Previously, Risacher had started in 117 of his first 119 games.
This decision to promote McCollum to the starting five reflects Quin Snyder‘s trust in the veteran guard. Recently, the Hawks’ head coach discussed closing games with McCollum over Risacher.
“That is, by far, our best lineup from a plus-minus standpoint,” Snyder said of the group that features McCollum alongside Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Onyeka Okongwu, per Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com (Twitter link). “You could make an argument that we should start that lineup … How can we best use CJ?”
According to Lauren L. Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes (via Twitter), people around the league believe Risacher puts a lot of pressure on himself and that this move could help relieve some of that pressure.
The Hawks fell behind against the Nets but completed a fourth-quarter comeback, winning 115-104. McCollum had 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while Risacher scored seven points off the bench.
We have more from around the Southeast:
- After missing over a month with a rib injury, Tyler Herro has come off the bench for the Heat‘s last two games, both of which were wins. It’s a role the former Sixth Man of the Year is very familiar with, Ira Winderman writes for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “It doesn’t really feel like I’m out of place, because we got guys that can start and I’m comfortable in my role and in myself,” Herro said. “So I’m happy where I’m at.” Herro scored 24 points in 23 minutes as a reserve in his return to action against the Hawks, and 14 points on 15 shots against the Grizzlies. His role and minutes will likely be determined by how his body reacts to returning to play. “We are going to manage the minutes. I’m not overthinking it. I’m not putting anything in cement. I don’t have a timeline for anything,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’re how many ever games into the season right now and we finally have our full roster. We’re just going to try to maximize these next 25 games as much as possible and we just want everybody just to pour into the team, pour into the role, don’t overthink things at this point.”
- In his third game with his new team, Jevon Carter hit a massive three-pointer in double overtime for the Magic before a Jalen Green shot won it for the Suns. After the game, Paolo Banchero spoke about Carter’s impact. “Just coming in here and taking advantage of his opportunity, just fitting in, playing both sides of the ball,” Banchero said, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). “He hit a big shot, I wish we could have pulled the win out for him, because that was a huge shot.” While Carter’s late-game shot was his biggest moment of the game, it’s his defense that has most impressed coach Jamahl Mosely, Beede writes. “As soon as he stepped on the court, it was pick-up full-court, talking in the huddles, getting guys in the right spots, stepping in with confidence to his shot,” Mosley said. “He’s about all the right things. He’s about winning. He’s about toughness. He fits exactly what we do here with the Magic, just being able to (play) hard-nose defense, creating your offense on the other end.”
- When the Magic drafted Noah Penda 32nd overall last June, they likely didn’t expect him to become a crucial piece in year one, but amidst an injury-plagued season, he has become an important factor in keeping the team afloat, Spencer Davies writes for RG. Davies adds that Penda has maintained the same mindset and effectiveness whether coming in for a four-minute run off the bench or closing games as a starter. Penda’s rebounding has been a crucial part of his impact — when the rookie goes to the bench, the team’s offensive rebounding rate drops by nine percent, Davies notes. The rookie forward says the entire team has helped him learn the ropes in his first NBA season, but cites Tyus Jones, who was traded at the deadline, as a veteran who really took Penda under his wing when he wasn’t playing and helped him focus on what he needed to do to be ready when his number was called.
Injury Notes: Goodwin, Giannis, Embiid, Flagg, D. Green
Suns guard Jordan Goodwin, who suffered a left calf injury in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s win over Orlando, underwent an MRI on Sunday and has been diagnosed with a left calf strain, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter links).
It’s the latest in a string of discouraging health updates for the Suns, who recently lost their two leading scorers — Devin Booker (right hip strain) and Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture) — to injuries.
While it’s unclear how long Goodwin will be sidelined, a strained calf typical results in a player missing weeks, not days. We’ll have to wait for more information from Phoenix to learn the severity of Goodwin’s injury.
The 27-year-old has been a key rotation player for the Suns in 2025/26, averaging 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 54 games (22.4 minutes per contest). Goodwin will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo went through a pregame workout ahead of Sunday’s game vs. Toronto, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter video link). The Greek forward, who has been out since January 23 due to a right calf strain, did some scrimmaging in Saturday’s practice, head coach Doc Rivers said, but he has not yet played 5-on-5 (Twitter link via Nehm). “We were in the gym and did some 3-on-3 stuff. 4-on-4 and 3-on-3, I think, live. That was good,” Rivers said.
- Sixers center Joel Embiid will miss his fifth straight game on Sunday due to right knee and shin soreness, writes Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports. Philadelphia has been in a major rut lately without the former MVP, having lost four straight contests.
- Rookie standout Cooper Flagg was out for the third consecutive time on Sunday at Indiana, but the Mavericks forward is making progress from a left mid-foot sprain, as Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News relays (via Twitter). “He’s feeling better. Had a good workout today,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. We’ll practice (in Indiana) tomorrow because of the weather (in New York). We’ll see how he feels after that practice.”
- Veteran forward/center Draymond Green was a late scratch for Sunday’s game against Denver because of a lower back injury, the Warriors announced (via Twitter). Green had not previously been on the team’s injury report.
Kings Sign Patrick Baldwin Jr. To Two-Way Contract
The Kings have signed free agent forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release.
Baldwin, a former first-round pick, has spent most of 2025/26 in the G League with the San Diego Clippers. However, he recently signed 10-day contracts with the Clips and Sixers, and now is back in the league on a two-way deal with Sacramento.
It’s worth noting that this is Baldwin’s fourth NBA season and he will no longer be two-way eligible in the offseason. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
A 7’0″ power forward, Baldwin has appeared in 96 total NBA games since he was selected No. 28 overall in the 2022 draft. The 23-year-old holds career averages of 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game across his appearances with the Warriors, Wizards, Clippers and 76ers.
In 26 total NBAGL games (33.8 MPG) with San Diego this season, Baldwin has averaged 21.3 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.9 APG and 1.3 SPG, with a shooting slash line of .518/.336/.667.
The Kings were one of seven NBA teams with an open two-way spot, so no corresponding move was needed to add Baldwin. Sacramento still has a standard roster opening.
Aaron Nesmith Out At Least One More Week Due To Ankle Sprain
Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith, who suffered a right ankle sprain in Thursday’s loss to Washington, will miss at least one more week due to the injury, according to head coach Rick Carlisle (Twitter link via Tony East of Circle City Spin).
Nesmith was limited to 15 minutes in Thursday’s contest and was sidelined for Friday’s rematch with the Wizards. Sunday’s game vs. Dallas will mark his second straight absence, and he will miss at least two more games after that as a result of the sprain.
Indiana has been ravaged by injuries in 2025/26, as several players have been sidelined for extended stretches. Forward Obi Toppin, for example, hasn’t played since October after undergoing foot surgery, and second-year swingman Johnny Furphy was diagnosed with a torn ACL in his right knee a couple weeks ago, ending his season early.
In fact, only three Pacers have missed fewer than 10 games this season: Jay Huff (zero), Jarace Walker (one) and Pascal Siakam (six). All-Star forward Siakam will return to action on Sunday after missing the team’s last two games.
Nesmith missed 19 consecutive games from mid-November to late-December because of a left knee sprain. The 26-year-old small forward, who was nominated for the Eastern Conference’s Player of the Week award for games played from Jan. 26 – Feb. 1, has averaged 13.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 2.1 APG in 33 games this season (30.0 MPG).
Sixers’ Johni Broome Out Indefinitely With Torn Meniscus
Rookie big man Johni Broome suffered a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee on Saturday while playing for the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League, the Sixers announced in a press release.
Broome will consult with medical professionals to determine how to treat the injury, per the team. Meniscus injuries can be addressed surgically – by either repairing or removing the cartilage – or, in some cases, non-surgically. Broome’s recovery timeline will be determined based on which treatment plan he and the team choose.
The 23-year-old forward/center starred in college at Morehead State (two years) and Auburn (three years) prior to being selected with the 35th overall pick in the 2025 draft. However, he hasn’t been able to crack Philadelphia’s rotation in his first NBA season, playing just 55 total minutes across 11 appearances.
Broome has been a regular contributor for the Blue Coats, averaging 21.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals on .463/.287/.656 shooting in 26 games (32.8 minutes per contest). He’s on a four-year standard contract and will earn a guaranteed $2.15MM in 2026/27, but the following two seasons are non-guaranteed.
Warriors’ Porzingis Out Sunday Due To Illness
Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis will be sidelined for Sunday’s afternoon game against Denver due with what the team is calling a general illness, per Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link).
As Slater notes, Porzingis was able to practice the past two days. The team had been planning to slightly increase the big man’s playing time after he logged 17 minutes in his Warriors debut on Thursday.
Head coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Sunday that he got a text this morning stating that Porzingis was ill and he won’t be at the arena (Twitter link via Nick Friedell of The Athletic). The 30-year-old’s status for Golden State’s upcoming two-game road trip is to be determined, Friedell adds.
Injuries and illnesses have been a major issue for Porzingis this season, as he has only played in 18 of a possible 56 games in 2025/26. The one-time All-Star has been productive when he’s been on the court, averaging 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 23.9 minutes per game, but it’s safe to assume his lack of availability played a significant role in Atlanta’s willingness to trade him to Golden State.
Porzingis was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) after missing an extended stretch of time down the stretch and in the playoffs during the 2024/25 season. He expressed optimism this past fall about his ability to manage the condition going forward.
Porzingis, who is earning $30.7MM this season, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer if he doesn’t sign an extension before the start of the new league year.
Seven NBA Teams Have An Open Two-Way Slot
After a busy trade deadline, we’ve reached the portion of the season where teams make changes to the back ends of their roster in preparation for the playoffs and the future. That often involves promoting players from the G League to either 10-day deals or two-way contracts, and converting two-way standouts to standard deals.
While 16 two-way standouts have been promoted in the past few weeks, that’s not always the case. Minnesota recently waived Johnny Juzang after he reached his 50-game active limit, for example, and Oklahoma City did the same a few weeks ago with Chris Youngblood.
Teams can convert players on two-way contracts to standard deals until April 12, the last day of the regular season. However, March 4 is the final day for a team to sign a player to a two-way contract, and several clubs currently have a two-way opening ahead of that deadline.
As our tracker shows, a total of seven two-way spots are vacant around the NBA, and each opening is for a different team. Here’s the full list:
- Atlanta Hawks
- Boston Celtics
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Sacramento Kings
Each of these seven teams is virtually certain to fill its open two-way spot in the next several days. Two-way contracts don’t count against the salary cap, so there’s no financial reason to not have all three spots filled by March 4.
Players on two-way contracts generally bounce back and forth between the NBA and G League, but remain under team control and can’t be poached by rival franchises. You can learn more about two-way deals in our glossary entry.
Timberwolves Notes: Gobert, Edwards, Conley, Reid
Rudy Gobert was terrific in Friday’s victory against Dallas, but the four-time Defensive Player of the Year will have to walk a fine line for the rest of the season after his latest flagrant foul resulted in another one-game suspension, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Gobert will receive an automatic two-game suspension if he accumulates any additional flagrant foul points.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch believes the team’s starting center gets an unjust whistle from officials.
“Seemingly every time Rudy gets clocked in the head and the face, which is quite a bit, it’s always just, ‘Ah that’s just two guys, play on. It’s nothing,’” Finch said. “But yet the other way around, we seem to be penalized for it.”
The 33-year-old big man, who is having a strong season for the Wolves, agreed with his coach’s assessment, Krawczynski notes.
“Guys are coming at me every night, hitting me in the face, grabbing me,” Gobert said. “They purposely foul me. That was like five times tonight. Run into my knees trying to box me out. All these plays are dangerous, and I’m fine with it, you know? But it’s really hard when you get super penalized, and people can do anything without accountability on me. So hopefully they look at that and make it a little more fair.”
Here’s more on the Timberwolves:
- Star guard Anthony Edwards, who had 40 points — including 14 in the fourth quarter — in Friday’s win, is optimistic about the team’s chances of making another deep playoff run, Krawczynski adds in the same story. “I feel like if we play every team how we play the best teams in the league, I feel like we’ve got a chance to go 25-0,” Edwards said. “It always starts with me. But if we come out and play every team like we play the top teams in the league, I feel like we’ve got a great chance.”
- Point guard Mike Conley re-signed with Minnesota last week after being traded to Chicago and then Charlotte ahead of the deadline. The 19-year veteran knows he might not play many minutes going forward, but he says he’ll be ready when he’s called upon, according to Andrew Dukowitz of Zone Coverage (Twitter video link). “I’m getting older, man (laughs), that’s one thing, but I just think that it’s their opportunity more than it is mine,” Conley said of his backcourt teammates. “… They’re right before their prime or in their prime. They should be getting these runs, they should be getting these big minutes… I’ve done all that, and I can be the stop gap here and there or the pinch hitter when you need me or whatever you need, but I’m prepared for that… like I said, I’m just happy to be here and help the guys as much as I can.”
- Backup big man Naz Reid is eyeing another Sixth Man of the Year trophy after winning the award two years ago, tweets Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “Yeah, for sure. I need another one,” Reid said. “But that comes with winning. You gotta win as well. So those two things go hand in hand: winning and obviously having that award.” Reid, who threw down a poster dunk on Friday (YouTube link), is averaging 14.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.0 SPG and 0.9 BPG on .471/.387/.733 shooting through 57 games (26.3 MPG).
Grizzlies’ Pippen, Heat’s Gardner Ejected After Scuffle
Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. and Heat forward Myron Gardner were ejected from Saturday’s game in Miami after a brief scuffle between the two players late in the fourth quarter of the Heat’s victory, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
The incident appeared to start when the two were jockeying for rebounding position on a Simone Fontecchio three-point attempt (Twitter video link). Gardner gave Pippen a shoulder check and gained inside position near the rim, and after Gardner jumped up for the offensive rebound, Pippen pulled him down to the court.
Memphis had a transition opportunity with Gardner trailing the play, and Pippen made an open three. He briefly backpedaled after the shot and Gardner bumped him from behind, knocking Pippen down.
Pippen got up and jogged to opposite corner of the court where Gardner was standing. He pointed at Gardner and pushed him, and the two fell to the court near the baseline. Several players and coaches quickly ran over, and Pippen and Gardner were eventually separated. Both players were ejected for fighting.
“I thought it was kind of a cheap shot,” Pippen said. “He kind of hit me from when I didn’t see him. So I thought it was a soft move.”
Pippen said he didn’t think he deserved a suspension for his role in the altercation, according to Chiang.
“I don’t think any punches or anything were thrown,” he said. “I think it was, like I said, a hug. I don’t think it was too crazy. I got ejected. I think it should be left at that, but we’ll see.”
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra showed support for Gardner, a rookie who was recently promoted to a three-year standard contract.
“His greatest strength is this unbridled intensity and effort and energy, and his heart is in a great place, and he’s wired like us competitively,” Spoelstra said, per Chiang. “So you add that type of intensity to this competitive will that will boil over at times. I don’t want to take away from that competitiveness.
“We love Myron. I don’t know what happened on the three-point shot. I just saw Pippen fall. I haven’t seen the replay on that one. I just saw the play after that, and that looked like it was 95 percent Pippen. But let’s just see what it is. I love Myron regardless.”