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Latest On Lauri Markkanen

October 10th, 2025 at 9:11am CST by Luke Adams

Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, a standout for Finland during the team’s run to the EuroBasket semifinals last month, sustained a left wrist contusion during the tournament that has sidelined him through training camp and the first part of the preseason.

However, the injury is considered a minor one, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who writes that Markkanen has still been doing workouts, is dribbling with both hands, and isn’t wearing any sort of visible protection on the affected wrist.

“It’s more maintenance,” head coach Will Hardy explained. “I’m lucky that I got to see this in San Antonio a bunch when guys were playing EuroBasket. They just competed really hard for a month and laid it all on the line. It’s nothing that we’re concerned about, but it’s just some bumps and bruises that we want to manage in this moment as he’s coming off of that. There’s nothing to be concerned about at all.”

For his part, Markkanen said that he expects to be available for opening night, though he doesn’t know how much he’ll play in any of Utah’s remaining three preseason games on Friday, Monday, and next Thursday.

“I’m not sure what the exact date is when I’m going to start, but [I’ve] been doing rehab every day and working out and feeling better,” he said.

As Larsen observes, most of the speculation involving Markkanen as of late has been centered around the possibility of a trade, rather than his health. Writing about potential players to watch at this year’s trade deadline, Chris Mannix of SI.com said earlier this week that Markkanen is the name he hears “most frequently” when he talks to people around the league, adding that Utah is thought to be “very” open for business on the Finnish forward.

The Ringer’s Zach Lowe, meanwhile, said in a recent podcast that he has a hard time imagining a scenario in which Markkanen is still on Utah’s roster in a year. New Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge pushed back on that prediction, according to Larsen.

“I don’t agree with that,” Ainge said. “And I love Zach, but look, (I’m a) huge fan of Lauri. Lauri’s awesome. He’s really good, and Lauri could and hopefully is part of our next team when we’re going up.”

Still, Ainge didn’t entirely rule out the possibility of a deal involving the 2023 All-Star.

“I joke that, obviously, no one is untradeable,” Ainge said. “If a trade came in for me, I would convince (Jazz owner) Ryan (Smith) to take it. You know, this is how it goes.”

Markkanen was considered a prime trade candidate during the 2024 offseason, but signed a renegotiated and extended contract last August that made him ineligible to be moved during the 2024/25 season. He’s trade-eligible again now, but has continued to express a desire to stick with the Jazz, stating this fall, “I love to be in Utah.” Nonetheless, he acknowledged that he expects the trade speculation to continue.

“The rumors (have) already started, but I don’t pay attention to that. Pretty much anybody can get traded in this league,” Markkanen said, per Larsen. “So you just play to the best of your abilities, and enjoy the practices and games and time I get to spend in this facility and with these guys. And if something happens, then we adjust.”

According to Larsen, when the Jazz have received inquiries on Markkanen in the past, they’ve sought multiple draft picks and quality young players, but haven’t gotten a compelling offer that included both.

Pacific Notes: Knecht, Booker, Williams, Schröder

October 10th, 2025 at 7:52am CST by Luke Adams

Lakers forward Dalton Knecht got off to a great start as a rookie last season, averaging 12.2 points per game and making 43.9% of his three-pointers in his first 19 outings. However, he averaged just 8.1 PPG and knocked down just 34.8% of his outside shots the rest of the way while struggling defensively.

As Dan Woike of The Athletic writes, a poor Summer League showing in which Knecht shot just 32.1% from the field and 23.7% on three-pointers further exacerbated the concerns that rival scouts and executives have about the 24-year-old, whose trade value has dipped in the past year.

While Knecht has been viewed as a prime trade chip for the Lakers – he was part of the package the team was prepared to give up in February for Mark Williams – sources who spoke to Woike don’t believe the Lakers would be able to extract value comparable to the No. 17 pick they used on him right now. The general consensus, Woike writes, is that he could return multiple second-rounders, or perhaps even a single second-rounder.

However, Knecht is in just the second season of his four-year rookie contract and should still have plenty of time – and opportunities – to work on making his game more well-rounded. Head coach JJ Redick remains optimistic about Knecht’s potential.

“I’m very confident (that) when he’s confident, he’s a high-level offensive player in the NBA,” Redick said last weekend. “It’s the other stuff that he’s got to just do and find that consistency in his defense, on being the low man, or boxing out, or crashing every time or sprinting back and actually talking in transition. When he’s doing those things, he’s an impact player.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific Division:

With Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal no longer in Phoenix, Devin Booker knows there’s more pressure on him to be the face of the Suns on and off the court, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays. “(I) think it’s a big responsibility for me to be a leader and continue being a leader and getting everybody on the same page so we can start this thing off the right way,” Booker said within a more extensive Q&A ahead of the team’s preseason games in China.
New Suns center Mark Williams, who is entering a potential contract year and has dealt with injuries during his first three NBA seasons, was a high-risk, high-reward investment for Phoenix. Doug Haller of The Athletic takes a closer look at the bet the Suns made on Williams and what his ceiling might look like. “He could be one of the better rim protectors in the game, first of all,” former Hornets assistant Tyrone Corbin said. “He could get quicker at setting screens and just rolling to the rim really hard. He’s a threat at the rim always because he can catch the ball. He just has to get there a little quicker. … He’s smart. … He has the potential to be a pretty good starter and a reliable guy in the lane.”
While the Kings made it an offseason priority to add an experienced point guard like Dennis Schröder in large part to organize the offense, head coach Doug Christie is also asking the 32-year-old to “set the tone” defensively with full-court ball pressure. Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee has the story on Christie’s defensive expectations for Schröder and the rest of the Kings.

Taran Armstrong Signs With Dubai Basketball

October 10th, 2025 at 7:15am CST by Dana Gauruder

October 10: Dubai Basketball has officially announced its deal with Armstrong. According to the team, the contract is for one year, with an option on year two.

October 8: Australian point guard Taran Armstrong, who signed a two-way contract with the Warriors late last season, has agreed to a contract with Dubai Basketball in the EuroLeague, ESPN’s Olgun Uluc reports.

It’s a two-year deal that includes an NBA exit clause for the 2026 offseason, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.

Armstrong didn’t appear in a Warriors game after signing a two-way contract in late February. He played 11 games for their G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, and averaged 11.5 points, 8.2 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 28.5 minutes per contest.

Golden State issued Armstrong a two-way qualifying offer in June and it was still on the table as of October 1, the deadline for him to accept it. Since Armstrong signed with a non-NBA team, the Warriors have the ability to continue issuing him qualifying offers in future seasons to retain his restricted free agent rights, as they’ve done with Nico Mannion in recent years.

The Serbian club KK Partizan was also reportedly interested in signing Armstrong. The 23-year-old, who played for the Warriors’ Summer League team, joins a Dubai Basketball team that made its debut in the EuroLeague in late September with an 89-76 win over Partizan.

Armstrong played for the Cairns Taipans in Australia’s National Basketball League before joining the Warriors. He averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game for that club.

Dubai Basketball’s roster also includes former NBA players Davis Bertans, Dwayne Bacon and Justin Anderson.

Heat Sign Gabe Madsen, Waive Trevor Keels

October 9th, 2025 at 10:05pm CST by Earnest Marshall

The Heat have signed Gabe Madsen, the team announced in a release. In a corresponding move, they waived Trevor Keels.

Miami signed Madsen to an Exhibit 10 deal in September, but waived him to make room to sign Precious Achiuwa. Now, he’s back on an Exhibit 9 contract, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Madsen played a five-year collegiate career, beginning at Cincinnati and spending the next four years at Utah. He averaged 15.2 points per game in 2024/25 and made 36.0% of his three-point attempts over the course of his five college seasons.

Keels, who played collegiately at Duke, scored 12 points in Miami’s preseason opener. He’s likely headed for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate. His Exhibit 10 contract makes him eligible for a bonus worth $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Skyforce.

Central Notes: White, Jackson, Allen, Hunter

October 9th, 2025 at 8:15pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Coby White has added motivation to return swiftly from a calf strain that’s plagued him ahead of the 2025/26 season, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. White is on track to be an unrestricted free agent next summer and will be looking to build on the best two years of his career.

According to Cowley, early indications are that both the Bulls and White are interested in getting a deal done next summer. Both sides are expected to proceed with caution when it comes to his return from his calf injury.

With White sidelined in Chicago’s preseason opener on Tuesday, Kevin Huerter took the bulk of his minutes and started in his stead. If White is to miss any regular season time, Huerter would be the prime candidate to assume a larger role.

We have more from the Central Division:

After missing all but five games last season due to an Achilles injury, Pacers center Isaiah Jackson seems to have the inside track to the starting center role, according to Dustin Dopirak of IndyStar, who details the big man’s recovery and conditioning process. “I can use my weight,” Jackson said. “I was always physical but I couldn’t move guys how I wanted to. I couldn’t play my brand of basketball. I’d get up to the offensive rim and I’d have to go straight up. Now I can bump people and move people out the way and I don’t really affected by it. Strength wise, I can play defense a little better. I can hold my own.“
The tandem of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley has proven to be effective, but Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated speculates that Allen could be a name to watch at the deadline depending on how the Cavaliers open the season. According to Mannix, most evaluators view Mobley as a long-term center, so there’s a sense that the team could be open to moving Allen at some point for the right return.
De’Andre Hunter had his most successful NBA season in 2024/25 across stints with the Hawks and Cavaliers, averaging a career-high 17.0 points per game and finishing fourth in Sixth Player of the Year voting. He looks poised to carry over that momentum this fall and take another step forward, having recorded 17 points and seven rebounds in Cleveland’s preseason opener. In a subscriber-only piece, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com examines why Hunter’s teammates are expecting a “huge year” from the forward and why head coach Kenny Atkinson has referred to him as the club’s “offseason MVP.”

Timberwolves Notes: Ingles, Hyland, Shannon, Gershon, Barton

October 9th, 2025 at 6:38pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Timberwolves forward Joe Ingles suffered a left groin strain and will be reevaluated in one week, the franchise announced in a release.

The Wolves don’t open the regular season until October 22, so it’s entirely possible Ingles won’t miss any regular season time due to the injury. Even if he does, it shouldn’t impact Minnesota’s rotation — the veteran appeared in just 19 games last season for the Wolves, making one start and logging 114 total minutes.

Ingles, 38, re-signed with the Timberwolves this offseason and is gearing up for his second year in Minneapolis. He has appeared in 723 career games, averaging 7.9 points per contest.

We have more from the Timberwolves:

Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly was with the Nuggets when they selected Bones Hyland with the 26th overall pick in the 2021 draft. Now leading the Wolves’ front office, Connelly oversaw Minnesota adding Hyland on a two-way deal late last season and then re-signing him to a standard contract last month. Chris Hine of The Star Tribune takes a deeper dive into the relationship between the two, exploring the kind of role Hyland could be in store for this year. “We just had a different connection, a real close connection,” Hyland said. “Just that belief he has in me. He’s always had my back. That’s a guy I’m really appreciative of. Every time I see Tim, it’s always a big hug. I’m very thankful for him just believing in me.”
With Nickeil Alexander-Walker having left Minnesota for the Hawks this offseason, 2024 first-rounder Terrence Shannon Jr. is in line for a larger role on the contending Timberwolves. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic takes a deep dive into what’s in store this season for Shannon, who will join Rob Dillingham and Jaylen Clark as young players aiming for bigger roles.
Minnesota’s G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, has named Josh Gershon its general manager, per a press release. Gershon has previously served as the Timberwolves’ college scouting coordinator, as well as the Iowa Wolves’ assistant GM.
Iowa also announced several other front office and coaching additions, including that of 11-year NBA veteran Will Barton as an assistant coach. Barton spent several years playing for the Nuggets during Connelly’s time in Denver.

Nuggets Sign, Waive Terrence Hargrove Jr., Coleman Hawkins

October 9th, 2025 at 5:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

October 9: Denver has waived both Hargrove and Hawkins, according to the NBA’s official transaction log. They’re now set up to join the Grand Rapids Gold.

October 8: The Nuggets have signed Terrence Hargrove Jr. and Coleman Hawkins to Exhibit 10 contracts, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

Hargrove, a 6’4″ wing, played for Denver in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 5.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in three games. He went undrafted out of St. Louis in 2024 after spending five seasons with the Billikens.

Hawkins is a 6’11” forward who went undrafted out of Kansas State after playing the previous four years at Illinois. A report following the draft said he was expected to go to training camp with Golden State, but that didn’t work out, although he played for the Warriors during Summer League.

Denver will acquire G League rights to both players, who will likely end up with the team’s affiliate in Grand Rapids. The Exhibit 10 contracts make them eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they spent at least 60 days with the club.

The Nuggets had been carrying 19 players on their roster, so they’re now at the 21-man preseason limit.

LeBron James To Miss Start Of 2025/26 Season

October 9th, 2025 at 4:53pm CST by Earnest Marshall

LeBron James will miss the beginning of the 2025/26 season, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who reports that the Lakers star is dealing with sciatica on his left side that will keep him out for at least three to four weeks.

The Lakers open the season in 12 days, on Oct. 21 against the Warriors. If he returned at the very earliest of his projected timeline, James could be back for the team’s first NBA Cup game on Oct. 31. However, his return seems more likely to occur in early- to mid-November, barring any setbacks.

James, who has appeared in 1,884 total regular season and playoff games, played 71 regular season games in 2023/24 and 70 in his age-40 season in ’24/25. NBA insider Marc Stein adds that this will be the first time in James’ career that he’ll be out for opening night. He was previously 22 for 22 in that regard.

The 21-time All-Star kept up with his elite production in his age-40 season last year, averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per contest.

James missed the Lakers’ first two preseason games and all of training camp with what coach JJ Redick referred to as nerve irritation in his glute. Jake LaRavia started both of L.A.’s first two preseason games and is a candidate to fill in for James and keep an extended role once he returns.

Knicks Notes: Giannis, Towns, Yabusele, Robinson, Tyndale

October 9th, 2025 at 4:16pm CST by Rory Maher

In a subscriber-only mailbag, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post confirms the Knicks and Bucks discussed a trade involving two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer, but cautions those negotiations went “nowhere productive” beyond revealing the Greek superstar would prefer to play in New York if he ever leaves Milwaukee.

According to Bondy, the Knicks don’t have a realistic pathway to acquire Antetokounmpo unless the 30-year-old specifically demands a trade to New York. And even if Milwaukee struggles this season, there’s no indication that Antetokounmpo would go that route.

Unless the Knicks would be willing to trade Jalen Brunson in a possible multi-team construct, they simply lack the draft assets to compete with other teams in a potential bidding war, Bondy explains.

While it’s a positive development that Antetokounmpo reportedly wants to play for the Knicks after they have been spurned by other stars in the past, the situation could be a distraction if New York gets off to a slow start, Bondy writes. It will also be an important “measuring stick” for the current front office regime, according to Bondy, who points out that the Knicks spent most of their previous draft capital to trade for Mikal Bridges — a move that may or may not pay off in the long run.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Big men Karl-Anthony Towns and Guerschon Yabusele have been faced with the difficult task of adjusting to the unique requirements of playing in Mike Brown‘s offensive system, writes Andrew Crane of The New York Post. How Towns in particular acclimates may determine the Knicks’ ceiling this season, Crane notes. “They’re both doing a fantastic job trying to adjust,” Brown said of Towns and Yabusele, “but it’s going to take them a little longer than everybody else just because they’re playing both of the positions within the framework of our offense — and so their learning curve’s gonna have to be a lot steeper than anybody else’s.”
Towns has been impressed with Mitchell Robinson in training camp and is looking forward to building chemistry with him in the frontcourt, according to Crane. “He’s very gifted with his feet, just the way he can maneuver around the court,” Towns said of Robinson. “I had good expectations of what I thought of Mitch walking in, especially on the offensive end, how I can maximize his offensive game. But even he surprised me with his ability.”
Brown is excited to be the home coach at Madison Square Garden for the first time on Thursday, per Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. “MSG is such an iconic venue,” Brown said. “And whether it’s a preseason game or regular-season game, to be able to know that that’s your home court every night and to do it for the first time, it gives you goosebumps.”
Brown’s coaching staff continues to grow, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who reports (via Twitter) that the Knicks are hiring Mark Tyndale as a player development assistant. Tyndale had previous stops in Portland and Toronto, Scotto notes.

NBA GMs Expect Thunder To Repeat, Jokic To Win Fourth MVP

October 9th, 2025 at 3:04pm CST by Rory Maher

NBA general managers view the Thunder as the overwhelming favorite to repeat as champions this season, according to the 24th annual GM survey conducted by John Schuhmann of NBA.com. GMs were not allowed to vote for their own team or personnel.

Eighty percent of general managers predicted Oklahoma City to win the 2026 NBA Finals, with the Cavaliers and Nuggets tied for second at 7% each. The Rockets and Knicks were the only other teams to receive votes.

If the Thunder do go back-to-back, they would be the first repeat champions since Golden State in 2018.

Still, it’s worth noting that 83% of GMs thought Boston would win its second consecutive title in 2025 during last year’s edition of the survey, and the Celtics wound up being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.

Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is heavily favored to win his fourth award in 2025/26. The Nuggets superstar received 67% of the vote and was also tabbed as the league’s best center (maximum possible 97%), best international player (93%), best passer (80%), the player with the best basketball IQ (80%), and the player who forces opposing coaches to make the most adjustments (57%).

NBA GMs view Rockets guard/forward Amen Thompson as the league’s most athletic player (58%) and most versatile defender (18%), as well as the player most likely to have a breakout season (30%).

For the second straight year, Spurs center Victor Wembanyama was tabbed as the best player to build a franchise around, receiving 83% of the vote. The French center was also voted the league’s best defender (80%) and tied with Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo for the league’s most versatile player (30% apiece).

Unsurprisingly, Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg is the runaway favorite to win Rookie of the Year, claiming the maximum 97% of the vote. General managers also think he’s the rookie who will be the best player five years from now (93%).

Fifty-three percent of GMs surveyed think the Hawks made the best offseason moves, while 47% believe the Magic will be the most improved team this season.

According to general managers, Milwaukee made by far the two most surprising offseason moves: waiving and stretching Damian Lillard (43%), and subsequently signing Myles Turner in free agency (30%).

Schuhmann’s survey is worth checking out in full and can be found right here.