Heat Notes: Deadline, Giannis, Morant, Rozier, Young, More
The Heat were one of only three teams that didn’t make a trade ahead of Thursday’s deadline. As Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes, the team has been trending in the wrong direction for two months, going just 13-18 over its past 31 games after a 14-7 start.
Despite having another middling record (27-25), the Heat are optimistic brighter days are ahead.
“League-wide, I think everybody is just glad that all of that is behind us,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said following Friday’s morning shooting shootaround in Boston. “And we can just focus on the next 30 games. We have great opportunities still ahead of us. We know what we have to work on is our consistency. We have a high ceiling, but we need to do it more consistently.”
Consistency was a major talking point for Spoelstra, who said variations of the word several more times on Friday.
Captain and starting center Bam Adebayo said the players breathed a sigh of relief when they learned they were sticking with Miami, according to Chiang.
“Guys got that weight off their shoulders, where they don’t know what’s going to happen to them,” Adebayo said. “It’s good to have that type of clarity. So now we can focus on basketball and try to stack these wins.”
Here’s more from Miami:
- The Heat were one of the primary suitors for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and aside from Adebayo, they were willing to discuss every other player on the roster in talks for the Bucks star, a league source tells Chiang. Miami also had “some level of interest” in Ja Morant, but his maximum-salary contract and injury history were among the factors that made the Heat leery of pursuing the Grizzlies guard, Chiang reports.
- Andrew Wiggins was mentioned as a possible trade candidate this season, but the Heat were never offered a first-round pick for the veteran forward, according to Chiang. Terry Rozier, who has been away from the team throughout 2025/26 after being arrested and indicted on federal charges related to illegal gambling, was another player who stayed put. Chiang hears Miami’s brain trust is still weighing the possibility of waiving Rozier’s expiring contract, which would open up a second spot on the standard roster — the Heat have only been carrying 14 players due to their proximity to the luxury tax line.
- Jahmir Young has been named the G League’s Player of the Month for games played in January, the NBA announced (via Twitter). Young, a second-year guard who is on a two-way contract with the Heat, averaged 29.5 points, 9.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds last month for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s NBAGL affiliate.
- Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel takes a look at some options the Heat could consider to fill out their standard roster, including converting a two-way player like Young or taking a flier on a veteran on the buyout/free agent market. Pat Connaughton, Georges Niang and Chris Boucher are a few of the veterans Winderman lists.
- For better or worse, the Heat stuck to their guiding principles ahead of the deadline, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, who considers whether that was the right call and explores what the consequences of maintaining the status quo could be both now and going forward.
GM Scott Perry Not Expecting Buyouts For Kings Veterans
Speaking to the media on Friday, Kings general manager Scott Perry said he’s not anticipating to reach any buyout agreements with the veteran players on the team’s roster, as James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com relays (via Twitter).
“I expect the veterans to be here through the end of the season,” said Perry, who added that he wants to see the vets play hard when they’re in the game and serve as mentors when they’re not.
Sacramento was said to be open to trading veterans like Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk leading up to the deadline, but all of those players are on multiyear contracts and none are likely to be bought out.
That said, there are a few players on the roster who make some sense as buyout candidates, starting with former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook, who is on a one-year, minimum-salary deal. While Westbrook’s game has long been polarizing, he remains productive at age 37, averaging 15.3 points, 6.7 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals on .430/.348/.703 shooting in 49 games (29.6 minutes per contest).
John Hollinger of The Athletic recently ranked 54 potential buyout candidates, and Westbrook is No. 1 in Hollinger’s top tier, which he titled “rotation-caliber additions.” Backup big man Drew Eubanks is No. 27 on Hollinger’s list, falling under the category of “maybe there’s something left in the tank?”
At 12-40, the Kings currently hold the worst record in the league, though they’re within four games of five other teams (New Orleans, Indiana, Brooklyn, Washington, Utah) in the reverse standings.
Sixers Notes: McCain Trade, Draft Assets, Roster Spots, Barlow
Despite exceeding expectations so far this season and holding a top-six spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race at 29-22, the Sixers were sellers at the trade deadline, sending second-year guard Jared McCain to Oklahoma City in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick and three future second-rounders.
Speaking today to reporters, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey explained that the team remained active after agreeing to terms on that McCain deal in the hopes of adding win-now help.
“Because we’re playing well, we were trying to upgrade the team and add to the team now. That was goal number one,” Morey said, per Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice. “Obviously, no deal materialized, including using the picks we got from the Jared deal. We were trying to.
“That’s why we did that move a little early (in the week). We were trying to reuse those draft picks to add now. … The picks we got were offered to many teams, and nothing materialized for a player that we thought could move the needle with those picks now. But we feel like going forward, those picks will help us build the team in the future in a good way.”
McCain got off to an excellent start as a rookie in 2024/25 but underwent season-ending knee surgery and then had his 2025/26 debut delayed due to a procedure on his thumb. Despite the stop-and-start nature of his NBA career so far, the Thunder were willing to give up the sort of package for him that Morey felt he couldn’t turn down.
“I am quite confident we were selling high,” Morey said. “… And (we) weren’t looking to sell, I’ll be frank. Like, teams came to us with aggressive offers for him, and you could say, ‘Yeah, that’s ’cause he’s a good player.’ I agree with that. We thought this return was above, for the future value for our franchise, what we could get.
“… That return is for a starter quality player on a good team. That is – it’s actually above that. We do a lot of analysis on how we think things will play out, both here and around the league going forward in terms of the quality of play, what kinds of returns will return, what players in the future. And the bottom line is, Jared’s a player who is a great future bet and a potential great player, and we wish him luck. We feel like this return sets us up better to set up the team in the future better.”
Here’s more from Morey on the Sixers, via Aaronson:
- The fact that that the first-round pick Philadelphia acquired in the McCain deal will be in a 2026 draft considered to be loaded with talent wasn’t a determining factor in the Sixers pulling the trigger, according to Morey. “We’re not necessarily using the pick in this draft,” he said. “It could be used for moves around the draft. The three seconds that we got with it, we think could be used to move up in this draft. I and our front office have done a lot of deals over the years, and this just gives us more tools to make the moves that we think will help our future.”
- After ducking the luxury tax for a third straight trade deadline, Morey said he understands criticisms about the team’s approach to that tax threshold. However, he pointed out that the Sixers’ current ownership group has paid tax penalties in the past and would do so again if he identified an opportunity that warranted it. “I understand the perception, and I’d hoped to defeat it by finding a deal that I can go to ownership and say, ‘We think this move is the right move to do for that and create the apron issues that it would create,'” Morey said. “But I haven’t been able to recommend that move yet.”
- The Sixers have a full 15-man roster for the time being, but two of those spots are occupied by players on 10-day deals. Asked about how Philadelphia could eventually fill them, Morey mentioned a guard and a wing, but said the team will focus on adding the best player available. A Jabari Walker promotion from his two-way deal also remains a possibility, per Morey, who added that the team expects to be in on players on the buyout market as well. “I think we’re in the mix (for buyout players),” he said. “I think they see a really good team or a really good market. We’ve had a lot of conversations already. We’re obviously in competition with other teams, so I don’t know if we’ll get the first option necessarily, but we’ll be in there with getting some of the top options.”
- While Walker remains on his two-way deal, ineligible to suit up unless he’s converted to a standard contract, the Sixers’ other two-way standout, Dominick Barlow, was officially promoted to the 15-man roster on Thursday. According to Bobby Marks of Sports Business Classroom, Barlow was signed using a portion of Philadelphia’s taxpayer mid-level exception and will earn $3.4MM for the rest of this season, with a $3.4MM team option for 2026/27. Morey said on Friday that the 76ers would have liked to do a longer-term deal and aren’t ruling out the possibility of working out another multiyear contract with Barlow in the summer rather than picking up his option.
Pistons Plan To Promote Daniss Jenkins This Weekend
Pistons head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said on Friday that the team plans to promote two-way standout Daniss Jenkins to a standard contract over the weekend, per Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter video link).
Jenkins, who reportedly turned down a two-year, minimum-salary contract offer near the end of January, will hit his 50-game active limit on Friday against New York.
“We’re having conversations with (Jenkins’) agent about what that looks like going forward,” Langdon said. “We’ll convert him over the weekend and he’ll be a rostered player in our game in Charlotte (on Monday). At least that’s the goal, that’s the hope.”
Langdon praised the former undrafted free agent for the steady improvements he has made during his two seasons with the Pistons.
“Kudos to him, he’s worked his butt off,” Langdon continued. “All last season, playing a ton of games for Motor City (Detroit’s G League affiliate), we saw his improvement during the year. And I think everybody saw how he played in the Summer League in (Las) Vegas, and he just continued to improve.
“ … (He) had a great camp and he’s just continued this trajectory on getting better. When the opportunities came, he’s taken advantage of them.”
Jenkins has been the Pistons’ primary backup point guard for most of the 2025/26 campaign. Through 41 appearances, the 24-year-old is averaging 7.9 points, 3.3 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 0.9 steals in 16.8 minutes per game, with a shooting slash line of .421/.385/.797.
Detroit still has a full 15-man roster after the trade deadline, but veteran big man Dario Saric, who was acquired along with Kevin Huerter in a deal with Chicago, seems likely to be on the chopping block to make space for Jenkins.
Magic Sign Jevon Carter To Rest-Of-Season Deal
4:46 pm: Carter’s rest-of-season deal is now official, the Magic announced (via Twitter).
9:55 am: The Magic intend to sign point guard Jevon Carter for the rest of the season, agents Mark Bartelstein and Reggie Brown tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Carter was cut by the Bulls earlier in the week in order to accommodate the acquisition of Dario Saric, the first of seven trades Chicago made between Sunday and Thursday. Having been placed on waivers five days ago, the 30-year-old guard went unclaimed on Tuesday and became an unrestricted free agent.
An eighth-year NBA veteran, Carter has appeared in 435 regular season games for Memphis, Phoenix, Brooklyn, Milwaukee, and Chicago since entering the league as a second-round pick in 2018. He had his best season in 2022/23 in Milwaukee, starting 39 of 81 games and averaging career highs in points (8.0), assists (2.4), and rebounds (2.5) per game.
That performance earned Carter a three-year, $19.5MM deal with Chicago that summer, but he ended up playing a limited role in a crowded Bulls backcourt. In 23 games (11.0 MPG) this season, he scored 5.4 PPG on .398/.410/1.000 shooting.
The Magic’s lone move at this week’s trade deadline was to send Tyus Jones and his $7MM salary to Charlotte along with a pair of second-round picks. That move allowed Orlando to duck below the luxury tax line but also removed a veteran point guard from the roster, so adding Carter will help fill a hole on the depth chart.
As a result of the Jones trade, the Magic moved approximately $1.4MM below the tax threshold and opened up a second spot on their 15-man roster. Carter will fill one of those two openings and – if he officially signs on Friday – would carry a prorated minimum-salary cap hit of $871K. That will allow Orlando to stay out of the tax and potentially sign a 15th man later in the season.
While Carter’s cap hit will be $871K, his rest-of-season salary will be approximately $1.17MM, with the NBA making up the gap between the two figures.
Grizzlies’ Kleiman Talks Deadline Moves, Cites Change In ‘Organizational Direction’
It was less than one year ago that Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman definitely stated “we are not trading” Ja Morant and referred to speculation from rival executives about a deal involving the star point guard a “fantasy.”
The Grizzlies didn’t move Morant at Thursday’s deadline, but they reportedly attempted to do so and plan to renew those efforts this summer. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Kleiman was less inclined than he was last February to make any definitive statements about Morant’s future, but he acknowledged that the team’s direction has changed drastically within the past 12 months, per Jonah Dylan of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
“We’ve been incredibly supportive of Ja for many years,” Kleiman said. “This is about organization direction, though. This is not about Ja in particular. I understand that Ja is Ja and there’s more attention kind of paid to that. But all of this is grounded in organizational direction and building a team that we believe can achieve the highest level of success in this league.”
As Dylan observes, Kleiman repeatedly cited a change in “organizational direction” when discussing the next steps in Memphis and the trade that sent Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah this week. The Grizzlies moved Jackson after having traded Desmond Bane to Orlando last summer, seemingly paving the way to fully break up their former “big three” by dealing Morant next.
While there has been some speculation that the relationship between the team and the star point guard is shaky and could get worse now that his days in Memphis appear numbered, Kleiman downplayed the idea that there’s friction between Morant’s camp and the Grizzlies.
“I think we’ve been incredibly supportive of Ja,” he said. “Because Ja is Ja, there’s a lot of attention paid to Ja and everything around him. I honestly think a lot of it is overblown. I’ve had open, constructive, honest conversation with Ja and his camp and I’m going to continue to.”
Here’s more on the Grizzlies:
- Kleiman made it clear during Friday’s media session that the Grizzlies are “turning the page” and building around their young players, including Zach Edey, Cedric Coward, Jaylen Wells, and Cam Spencer, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I’m not going to sit here and crown any of them and say they’re going to be the next this, they’re going to be the next that, but we have a critical mass of players that fit the identity that we’re going for,” Kleiman said. “They’re tough-minded, they’re physically tough, they’re unselfish (and) they play the right way. I think they fit the way the NBA is going if you look at teams that are achieving the highest level of success this season.”
- Kleiman also singled out 2025 first-round pick Walter Clayton, one of four players who came over from Utah in the Jackson trade, as a player the Grizzlies like and who could be part of the club’s core going forward, Cole notes. “He fits the characteristics we are looking for,” Kleiman said. “Physically tough, tough-minded, smart, (and a) winner.”
- Although the Grizzlies are going through a roster reset, they don’t envision this as the beginning of a long, “drawn-out” rebuild, as Dylan relays. “I don’t think this is some five-year, try-to-be-terrible (process),” Kleiman said. “I don’t believe in that method of team building. Between the assets that we’ve accumulated and the players that we have, we’re very optimistic about what we have.”
- There are “conversations ongoing” about how the Grizzlies will use the 15-man roster spot they opened on Friday when they waived Eric Gordon, according to Kleiman (via Cole), but he acknowledged that addressing the frontcourt will likely be a priority. With Edey and Brandon Clarke recovering from injuries, Memphis doesn’t currently have any healthy centers
- New additions Clayton, Kyle Anderson, and Taylor Hendricks aren’t listed on Memphis’ injury report for Friday’s game vs. Portland and should be available to make their debuts, according to Cole. Of course, it’ll be a Grizzlies return rather than a Grizzlies debut for Anderson, who played for the team from 2018-22.
Pelicans Waive Dalen Terry
The Pelicans have requested waivers on guard/forward Dalen Terry, the team announced on Friday (Twitter link via Will Guillory of The Athletic).
New Orleans just acquired Terry (and two second-round picks) on Thursday in the trade that sent Jose Alvarado to New York. The Knicks landed Terry in a separate deal with Chicago.
The 18th overall pick in the 2022 draft after two college seasons at Arizona, Terry never developed into a reliable rotation player in his three-and-a-half years with the Bulls. The 6’6″ wing has appeared in 34 games in 2025/26, averaging 3.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 11.1 minutes per contest.
Assuming Terry goes unclaimed, which seems highly likely, the Pelicans will carry a dead-money cap hit of $5,399,118. They also opened a spot on their standard roster, and Guillory suggests the team plans to promote Bryce McGowens from his two-way contract.
Still just 23 years old, Terry could be a candidate to catch on with another team before the season ends. For what it’s worth, he would qualify for a two-way deal that covers the remainder of ’25/26 once he hits free agency and is eligible to sign with any team except the Knicks.
Wizards Sign Keshon Gilbert To 10-Day Contract
The Wizards have signed Keshon Gilbert to a 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release.
Gilbert, a 6’4″ guard, spent two years at UNLV and two seasons at Iowa State prior to going undrafted last June. He signed an Exhibit 10 training camp deal with the Wizards in mid-September and was waived at the end of that month, making him an unrestricted free agent.
The 22-year-old has been playing for Washington’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, during the 2025/26 season. In 29 appearances with the Go-Go (27.2 minutes per game), he has averaged 13.4 points, 5.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals on .457/.220/.781 shooting.
The Wizards had an opening on their 15-man standard roster after Skal Labissiere‘s 10-day deal expired last night, so no corresponding move was required to sign Gilbert, who will earn $73,153 over the next 10 days.
Hornets Waive Simpson, Sign Evbuomwan To Two-Way Deal
3:10 pm: Evbuomwan has officially signed his two-way contract, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
2:11 pm: The Hornets have waived guard KJ Simpson, the team announced today (Twitter link).
The 42nd overall pick in the 2024 draft, Simpson signed a two-year, two-way contract with Charlotte as a rookie that summer and remained on that deal until today. He has appeared in a total of 50 regular season games for Charlotte since making his debut in the fall of 2024, averaging 7.3 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 21.3 minutes per game.
Simpson has posted a subpar shooting line of .346/.266/.773 in his 50 NBA outings and struggled with his shot in the G League this year too, making just 37.6% of his attempts from the floor and 24.1% from beyond the arc in 11 games with the Greensboro Swarm. He has been sidelined since mid-January due to a left hip injury.
Charlotte will fill its newly created two-way opening by signing forward Tosan Evbuomwan, agent George S. Langberg tells ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
A former Ivy League Player of the Year at Princeton, Evbuomwan went undrafted in 2023 and has spent the two-and-a-half seasons since then bouncing back and forth between the NBA and G League.
The 6’8″ forward signed 10-day contracts with the Grizzlies and Pistons as a rookie before finishing that season on a two-way deal with Detroit, then spent the majority of his second season on a two-way deal with Brooklyn. Evbuomwan was waived by the Nets this past August and signed a new two-way contract with the Knicks in September before being cut by New York last month.
Evbuomwan, who has also made 50 total appearances at the NBA level, has been playing for the Maine Celtics since being let go by the Knicks. He has averaged 19.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 4.7 APG in nine contests (35.2 MPG) for Boston’s NBAGL affiliate in recent weeks.
The Hornets will be able to have Evbuomwan active for up to 19 NBA games for the rest of the season.
Magic’s Weltman Discusses Deadline, Injuries, Mosley, More
The Magic were projected to be among the contending teams in the Eastern Conference this season, but they’ve had an up-and-down year and currently sit in play-in territory at 26-24. Speaking on Thursday to reporters, including Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required), president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman acknowledged that he’s not satisfied with the season to this point.
“I don’t like the state of the team right now,” Weltman said. “We’re not playing well and I think it’s been a little while that we haven’t been playing well. I would imagine our fans our frustrated by the way we’re playing and I’m frustrated with them. I remain optimistic about the rest of the season and it’s on us to turn this thing around. There’s still over a third of the season left and we’re right in the thick of the race. We’ve got to get it done.”
Weltman could’ve taken a swing at the trade deadline in an effort to upgrade the roster, but the Magic gave up most of their most valuable draft assets in last summer’s deal for Desmond Bane. Their only move at this year’s deadline was trading point guard Tyus Jones and his $7MM expiring contract to Charlotte in order to get below the luxury tax line.
Weltman said the relatively quietly deadline wasn’t a result of a lack of aggressiveness, but that he and the front office didn’t want to make a move just for the sake of making the move. The veteran executive also pointed out that making any sort of meaningful trade would likely require breaking up Orlando’s core of Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., and Bane, which the club isn’t looking to do.
“That core has been excellent when it’s been on the floor together,” Weltman said. “… So, for us to break up that core, it’s going to have to be a significant move. I will tell you, we had some substantive talks that I thought could have gone somewhere. Obviously they did not, they didn’t materialize but it wasn’t for a lack of pushing, for a lack of urgency. Our mission is to improve this team. We’re never taking a day off from that.”
Here are a few more notable quotes from Weltman, via Beede:
On the Magic’s recurring injury issues, which have carried over from last season to this one:
“It’s concerning. Every team has injuries, but it’s having these prolonged injuries. All I can say is, these are soft tissue injuries. What can you say? It’s the NBA and this is what happens sometimes. I do feel like we’re a little bit ‘Groundhog Day,’ with this season. The only thing is, I also think we’re better this year because we added Desmond Bane. So, I hate to keep saying it, but when this team has been healthy, it’s been really good.”
On whether Jamahl Mosley’s head coaching job is safe for the rest of the season:
(Orlando Sentinel story)
“Organizationally … Jamahl has our full support. And Jamahl’s our coach for the rest of the season. So, it’s not a matter of like — I know there’s a lot of chatter out there and stuff — it’s not one person. This is a basketball team, it’s a basketball organization and it’s a group effort. We’ve got to get better.
“I can tell you one thing, I know Mose is going home every night looking (at) himself in the mirror and not sleeping and trying to figure out how to do this thing and how to get us back on track. And I know the players are doing the same thing. There’s a lot of people that are frustrated and they care greatly about this. We feel the weight of the fans’ frustration. Let me say that. When I hear a lack of urgency or this and that, it’s like … I don’t sleep. I mean, we’ve got to get this thing right. And I’m confident that we will.”
On why 2024 addition Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and 2025 addition Jones saw their shooting percentages plummet in Orlando:
(Twitter link via Beede)
“We spent a lot of time on that. I don’t have an answer for that. … A lot of shooting, I say, comes from what kind of shots you can generate, for our team, through your defense and then roster stability, lineup stability. When you have the kind of crazy amount of lineups that we’ve had over the last couple of years through all these injuries, and then this year with the drop in our defensive effectiveness, I think those things feed in and they contribute.
“But I wish I had a better answer than that for you because at the end of the day, shooters got to make shots and… I don’t know why. I think some of those first two factors contribute to that. Tyus is a good shooter, he’s a good player. It just didn’t fit here.”