Southeast Notes: Hornets, Wizards, Heat, Herro
Rookies Kon Knueppel, Sion James, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Liam McNeeley have re-energized the Hornets’ franchise, Steve Aschburner of NBA.com writes. Knueppel is challenging top pick and college teammate Cooper Flagg for Rookie of the Year honors.
“I knew the four guys we were bringing in … they were just so secure in themselves,” president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson said. “They’re about their team and that we win. And they all complement each other.”
All of the rookies, save McNeeley, have made a significant impact.
“The way they come in the building every day with their energy, with their curiosity to learn,” coach Charles Lee said. “Even from the standpoint of Liam [who has split time in the NBA G League], he’s brought a new term for us to break our huddles.”
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The Wizards made history on Saturday afternoon. Their starting lineup was the youngest since the league began tracking starters in 1970/71, per Elias, the team tweets. That includes the first career start for Will Riley. The average age of the starting five was 20.64 years old. The Wizards had seven players ruled out, including Khris Middleton, who was initially listed as questionable (Twitter link). Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson and Bub Carrington were the other starters.
- Injuries have impacted the Heat after a strong start, the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang notes. The Heat are just one game over .500 after going 9-15 in their past 24 games, and they have yet to win consecutive games in January. Injury issues have resulted in Miami using four different starting lineups in the past six games. “Just got to be more consistent,” big man Bam Adebayo said. “We can’t front-run. Every game has to be, we hold the line on defense from the start of the game. And then from the start of the game to the start of the third, and we figure it out from there. We’re having too many games where we’ll play great defense one night. Another night, we’ll kind of take off. So that’s got to be the difference. We’ve just got to be more consistent on that end, even if we’re missing or making shots.”
- The Heat’s trade deadline approaching could hinge on Tyler Herro‘s health issues, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel opines. Trading Norman Powell, without any confidence that Herro can return to form, would seem like capitulation and that’s not Miami’s style. There isn’t another scorer on the roster capable of stepping into that void to at least keep the Heat competitive if they trade Powell and Herro remains out or limited.
Ja Morant Sidelined At Least Three Weeks With Elbow Sprain
Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant will miss at least three weeks due to a left elbow injury. Morant sustained a UCL sprain in his left elbow during the team’s home game against the Hawks on Wednesday, the team announced (via Twitter).
He will be reevaluated in approximately three weeks.
Along with impacting Memphis’ chances of making the postseason — the Grizzlies are currently in 12th place in the Western Conference — Morant’s injury could have a major implications on the front office’s approach to the trade deadline.
Reports surfaced early this month that Memphis was open to trading Morant. His latest injury will likely make it more difficult to deal him to any contender seeking point guard help.
Even prior to the injury, the market for Morant was limited at best. He has two more years and $87MM remaining on his five-year max contract after 2025/26. He’s making $39.4MM this season.
Conversely, the Grizzlies might be more motivated to go into sell mode, including their other star, big man Jaren Jackson Jr. To this point, they’ve shown no interest in entertaining the idea of moving Jackson.
Morant recently returned from a calf injury that sidelined him for over two weeks. He has been highly effective in the two games since recovering from that injury. He posted 24 points and 13 assists in a win over Orlando on Sunday and had 23 points, 12 assists and three blocks in 30 minutes against the Hawks.
Morant has only suited up for 20 games this season, averaging 19.5 points and 8.1 assists per contest.
And-Ones: Bediako, Barcelona, Tax Teams, Worst Contracts
Former G Leaguer Charles Bediako is expected to play for Alabama against Tennessee tonight, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reports.
Bediako was granted a temporary restraining order earlier this week, allowing him to participate in activities and games for Alabama while he awaits a hearing on a preliminary injunction regarding his eligibility.
“We are planning to play him,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “He’s eligible to play. We’re going to follow the court orders.”
It turns out that the judge who issued the order is an Alabama booster, according to Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports. Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge Jim Roberts and his wife Mary Turner Roberts are listed as active athletic donors on The Crimson Tide Foundation’s website, with lifetime contributions between $100K and $249K.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches held a conference call regarding the matter on Friday. Afterward, Dan Gavitt, the NCAA Senior VP of Basketball, released a statement voicing their concerns about college eligibility, Borzello tweets.
“If these rules surrounding the NCAA pre- and post-draft rules cannot be enforced, it would create an unstable environment” for the student-athletes, schools and the NBA, Gavitt said, in part.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Barcelona plans to pass on the NBA’s proposed league in Europe. FC Barcelona’s Board of Directors issued a statement declaring its allegiance to the EuroLeague: “The Board of Directors has agreed to ratify the extension of the first men’s basketball team’s participation license in the EuroLeague for the next 10 seasons (until the 2035-36 season), a competition of which it is a co-founding member. The Board of Directors reaffirms its desire to always participate in the best existing competitions.”
- In his latest Substack article, cap expert Yossi Gozlan takes a deep dive into the teams over the luxury tax and discusses why some teams just over the line have waited to make moves to get below the threshold. Gozlan also takes a look at how the Sixers are navigating the eligibility clocks for two-way players Jabari Walker, Dominick Barlow and MarJon Beauchamp.
- The Sixers‘ star duo of Joel Embiid and Paul George hold the top two spots in the “Worst Value Contracts” in the NBA, according to Spotrac contributor Keith Smith. Jakob Poeltl, Patrick Williams and Dejounte Murray round out the top five among Smith’s top 20 in that category.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Expected To Be Sidelined Several Weeks Due To Calf Injury
Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t a doctor, but he sounded like one after suffering a right calf injury in the Bucks’ 102-100 loss to the Nuggets on Friday. The Bucks superstar expects to sit out four-to-six weeks, according to The Athletic’s Eric Nehm and Jamal Collier of ESPN. He’ll undergo an MRI on Saturday to confirm the diagnosis.
“Probably the next steps will be, go to (an) MRI tomorrow. After the MRI, they’ll tell me, probably, I popped something in my calf, in my soleus, something. They’ll probably give me a protocol of four to six weeks that I’ll be out,” Antetokounmpo said. “This is from my experience being around the NBA.”
Antetokounmpo felt some pain during the first quarter and retreated to the locker room. He returned with a wrap around the calf and continued to play, logging 32 minutes and posting 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers took him out during the final minute after he pulled up lame, limped past half court and then grabbed at his right calf.
“I’ll say, I don’t (know) if this is smart or not smart, but I’ll just say my competitive spirit,” Antetokounmpo said of continuing to play after tweaking the calf in the first quarter. “Obviously, I was feeling it a majority of the game, but I did not want to stop playing. But at the end, I could not move no more, so I had to stop.”
Rivers asserted that his medical staff assured him throughout the game that Antetokounmpo was healthy enough to play.
“I asked our [medical] team five different times,” Rivers said. “I didn’t like what my eyes were seeing, personally. Giannis was defiant about staying in.”
This development is not only a severe blow to the Bucks’ chances of making the playoffs — they’re 18-26 and 11th in the Eastern Conference — but could also impact the front office’s trade deadline strategy.
The future of the Bucks’ star has been an endless source of speculation. As recently as Friday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the former Most Valuable Player’s frustration was at an all-time high due to the team’s poor record.
Several teams have reportedly been hanging onto their top trade assets in the hopes that Antetokounmpo will end up on the trade block, but the Bucks star has said on the record that he never intends to request a trade out of Milwaukee and there has been no indication the front office would proactively look to move him.
It’s also been reported that the Bucks were looking for ways to upgrade the roster in an attempt to appease Antetokoumnpo. That approach could change if their star won’t be able to take the court for an extended period.
Milwaukee went 3-11 in the 14 games Antetokounmpo missed with a left adductor strain and a right soleus strain earlier this season.
“This calf keeps coming up and it’s concerning,” Rivers said. “I’m not a doctor, but I’m smart enough to know that his calf keeps bothering him and there’s something that is there. It keeps happening, and that’s troublesome for all of us.”
The injury will likely force Giannis to miss next month’s All-Star Game. He was named an All-Star starter on Monday.
Antetokounmpo vowed to make a strong comeback, rather than sitting out the rest of the season.
“I’m going to work my butt off to come back,” he said. “That will probably be the end of February, beginning of March. Hopefully the team will be in a place that we can at least make the play-in or make the playoffs and just take it day by day, try to get better.”
Knicks Notes: Historic Win, Towns, Hart, Meeting, Clarkson
It’s been an uneasy stretch for the Knicks and they took out their frustrations on the Nets on Wednesday night. The Knicks snapped a four-game losing streak and made history with a 120-66 blowout.
The 54-point margin of victory is their largest ever — their previous high was 48 points, which they accomplished three times, in 1968, 1972, and 1994, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post notes. The Nets’ 66 points were the lowest any team has scored this season.
“Just seeing us play the way we’re capable of playing,” head coach Mike Brown said. “I don’t know what the score will be every night, but the things that we did out on the floor, we talked about, we drilled, we watched film on and our guys are more than capable. So to go see them put it together for 48 minutes was a lot of fun.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Karl-Anthony Towns‘ name surfaced in trade rumors earlier this week, but Ian Begley of SNY (Twitter video link) hears there’s nothing doing there. “I checked around on this Monday, everything that I gathered is the Knicks are not having conversations on trading Karl-Anthony Towns,” Begley said. League sources previously told Newsday that the Knicks have discussed potential Towns deals with multiple teams, including the Grizzlies, Magic and Hornets.
- Josh Hart denied an ESPN report that Jalen Brunson called a players-only meeting on Monday following a loss to Dallas. “We didn’t have a players-only meeting. Y’all dragging it,” Hart said, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “We didn’t have a players-only meeting. I don’t know who said it, who did all that, but we didn’t have a players-only meeting.” Hart said there was some discussion after the loss but wouldn’t characterize as a meeting. “We talked, but it wasn’t like some big thing. So that got dragged. We didn’t have a players-only meeting,” he said. “We know what we have to do. We cleared stuff up yesterday in film and practice and today in walkthroughs. We know we haven’t been playing up to our capabilities, but we’re gonna continue to play off this (Wednesday) win.”
- Jordan Clarkson, one of the Knicks’ main offseason acquisition, has disappeared from the rotation. He played two minutes against the Mavs and only saw garbage-time minutes against Brooklyn, Schwartz writes. “Yeah, it could be tough to get him in the rotation,” Brown said. “Obviously Deuce [McBride] played well during his time, Mitch [Robinson] played well, Landry [Shamet] played at a pretty high level before he got hurt. So trying to find minutes for those guys as well as for our starting group is tough. I can’t even hit the minute threshold for all those guys that I’m looking for. It can be tough from time to time.” Going along with that theme, Winfield notes that the team’s other main offseason addition, Guerschon Yabusele, also finds himself at the end of the bench.
Kuminga Suffers Minor Injuries, Remains Adamant About Trade
Jonathan Kuminga‘s night was cut short by injuries on Thursday and he’s not interested in playing with the Warriors much longer, according to an NBA insider.
Kuminga twisted his left ankle and hyperextended his left knee during a second-quarter drive against the Mavericks, Anthony Slater of ESPN reports. The fifth-year forward didn’t play the remainder of the contest but neither injury is believed to be serious, Slater added.
While Marc Stein of The Stein Line tweets that Kuminga is expected to undergo an MRI, the former No. 7 overall pick told Slater that he’ll see how he feels on Friday morning before determining whether that’s necessary.
Kuminga, who has demanded a trade, played 21 minutes on Tuesday in the aftermath of Jimmy Butler‘s season-ending knee injury. Kuminga had 20 points and five rebounds against Toronto and was off to a strong start in Thursday’s contest vs. Dallas, supplying 10 points, two assists and two steals in nine minutes prior to his departure.
Coach Steve Kerr said prior to the contest that Kuminga would remain in the rotation, according to Nick Friedell of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, the 23-year-old hasn’t softened on his trade demand, Chris Haynes reported during an NBA on Prime segment (Twitter video link).
“Kuminga has no desire to remain a member of the Golden State Warriors. He is very much hoping that he will be dealt by the deadline,” Haynes said, adding, “His relationship with head coach Steve Kerr is fractured beyond repair. He’s felt that he hasn’t had any organizational support throughout this process, so he’s felt devalued with the organization.”
According to Haynes, some teams believe the Warriors might wait until the summer to trade the 23-year-old forward. Rival teams have also told him that Golden State refuses to take on additional salary for 2026/27 in an in-season Kuminga trade.
General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. stated this week that the market for Kuminga is cool. “In terms of demands, when there’s a demand, there needs to be a demand on the market. So we’ll see how that unfolds,” Dunleavy said.
Kidd: Mavs’ Record Won’t Impact Kyrie Irving’s Return
Kyrie Irving‘s ability to return to action this season doesn’t hinge on the success of the team, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd declared on Thursday.
“That has nothing to do with it,” Kidd said, per Christian Clark of The Athletic. “It’s about, for him, mentally and physically being able to play at the highest level in his mind. No one else’s.”
There has been growing speculation regarding Dallas’ plans for Irving, who has spent most of the past year recovering from an ACL tear he sustained last March. The Mavericks entered Thursday’s action with an 18-26 record.
The Mavericks’ plans for Irving should become clearer following the All-Star break. For now, they just want him to continue to progress in his rehab.
“There isn’t anything new,” Kidd said. “I know there is lot of speculation going on. He is working extremely hard in rehab. I spent some time with him yesterday. He’s in good spirits. He feels great. At some point, there will be a timeline. Right now, there is no timeline. But spending time with him yesterday, he’s working extremely hard.”
Irving is in the first year of a three-year contract that totals $118.5MM and includes a player option. He averaged 24.7 points and 4.6 assists in 50 games last season.
According to Kidd, Irving is eager to get back on the court before next season. It would also be helpful for the veteran point guard to try to develop chemistry with new franchise player Cooper Flagg.
“He wants to play,” Kidd said. “But when you come back from an ACL, it’s a time thing. Mentally and physically, you want to be 100 percent. So for him, he’s doing both of those things at a high level. At some point, there will be a schedule.”
Magic’s Franz Wagner Experiencing Significant Ankle Soreness
Magic forward Franz Wagner missed a chunk of time due to a left ankle sprain he suffered in early December. He has played two games since returning to action but he may need another extended period of recovery.
Head coach Jamahl Mosley said Wagner was “really, really, really sore” after Thursday shootaround, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. Mosley confirmed the soreness is lingering from the high left ankle sprain that kept Wagner out for 16 straight games. Wagner isn’t playing tonight against Charlotte.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard as heck to deal with,” Mosley said. “But he came up really, really, really sore after shootaround. And we’ve got to obviously look at the long-term view for how we’re deal with our guys and he’s one of those guys that we have to continue to look at in that situation.”
Mosley later added: “I hope it’s not long term. … We want to monitor it to make sure it’s the right time for the long term for our entire group and this organization, as well as Franz.”
Wagner played 27 minutes in his return last Thursday and 26 more on Sunday, both against the Grizzlies in Europe. The 24-year-old averaged 16.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in those contests, the first of which was the NBA’s first-ever regular season game in his home country of Germany. Overall, he has appeared in 26 games, averaging 22.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals per night.
The Magic have 10 more games after tonight prior to the All-Star break. It certainly sounds as if Wagner could be sidelined a few weeks if the soreness persists. Rookie Noah Penda was playing heavy minutes this month prior to Orlando’s trip overseas and he could get the bulk of Wagner’s minutes once again.
Orlando’s approach to the trade deadline could be altered by Wagner’s lingering injury. The Magic entered Thursday’s action tied for the sixth spot in the East but just three-and-a-half games behind second-place Boston.
Another starter, Jalen Suggs, was ruled out of his eighth consecutive contest because of a right knee MCL bruise. However, Suggs appears close to returning, Beede reports.
“Jalen’s doing well,” Mosley said. “(He) came up OK after (Wednesday’s) work. He’s going to get some more work in (Thursday). We’ll see how he goes from there. Won’t be ready to go (Thursday) but try looking forward to the next couple games, maybe.”
Central Notes: Tomlin, Cunningham, Bucks Trades, Jackson
Cavaliers forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin is likely to be promoted from his two-way deal to a standard contract, but not right away, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes in his latest mailbag (subsciber-only story).
Teammates and coaches are lobbying for Tomlin’s promotion, he has the support of the front office, and Cleveland has an open spot on its 15-man roster.
Still, the cap-strapped team is in no hurry to make the move and will likely keep its roster options open until the trade deadline passes, since Tomlin has only been active for 41 games — that means he’s still nine away from the 50-game threshold for two-way players. The Cavs only have seven games prior to the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- The Pistons defeated New Orleans without All-Star starter Cade Cunningham in the lineup on Wednesday. Cunningham sat out due to an illness and a left hip contusion. He’s questionable to play in Detroit’s home game against Houston on Friday, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic tweets.
- The Bucks have limited trade assets but they’re comfortably below the luxury tax line and about $18MM under the first apron. So what kind of moves might they make, short of trading their superstar? The Athletic’s Eric Nehm proposes a number of hypothetical deals, a few of which include Kyle Kuzma, Gary Harris and Amir Coffey as well as a blockbuster that would involve Bobby Portis and several other players to acquire the Kings’ Zach LaVine.
- Quenton Jackson‘s ankle was “jammed,” according to coach Rick Carlisle, during the Pacers’ loss to the Celtics on Wednesday. Jackson wasn’t on crutches in the locker room afterward, according to the Indianapolis Star’s Dustin Dopirak (Twitter link), and seemed to be moving around OK though he was in some pain. He’s questionable to play against Oklahoma City on Friday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Bam Adebayo Named Players Of Week
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Heat big man Bam Adebayo have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, the NBA announced today (Twitter links).
Oklahoma City had a 2-1 record during the week of January 12-18, with the reigning Most Valuable Player averaging 31.0 points, 4.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. Gilgeous-Alexander posted a shooting line of .547/.400/.912 as the Thunder outscored opponents by 43 points during his 103 minutes on the court.
Gilgeous-Alexander becomes the first NBA player to be named the Player of the Week for the third time this season — he also earned the honor twice in November.
As for Adebayo, he posted averages of 27.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per night while shooting 65.5% from long range as the Heat won two of three games. This is the third time he has earned the award and first time since January 2024.
Donovan Clingan and Shaedon Sharpe (Trail Blazers), DeMar DeRozan (Kings), Luka Dončić (Lakers), James Harden (Clippers), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Alperen Sengun (Rockets) and Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) were also nominated for the Western Conference Player of the Week award, per the NBA.
Brandon Miller (Hornets), Norman Powell (Heat), Pascal Siakam (Pacers), Anfernee Simons (Celtics), Jaylon Tyson (Cavaliers) and Nikola Vučević (Bulls) were the other Eastern Conference nominees.