Noa Essengue Out For Season With Shoulder Injury
Dec. 6: The Bulls have officially announced that Essengue will undergo season-ending surgery, Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic tweets.
Dec. 3: Bulls rookie Noa Essengue will require surgery to address a left shoulder injury and is expected to miss the remainder of the season, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).
The update comes from head coach Billy Donovan, who had previously noted that Essengue suffered the injury, which was initially diagnosed as a shoulder contusion, in a G League contest.
“Usually those things are six to seven months,” Donovan said of Essengue’s recovery timeline, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Bulls’ coach added that the team preferred to address the injury now rather than let it linger into the offseason.
After being selected 12th in the 2025 draft, Essengue played just six minutes for the Bulls in his rookie season, recording one steal and one foul in that time.
He appeared in four games for the Windy City Bulls G League team, where he averaged 23.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 30.8 minutes per game.
According to Johnson (via Twitter), Donovan said he had spoken with Essengue after shootaround, and that he was handling the news well.
Clippers Sign RayJ Dennis, Waive Jahmyl Telfort
December 5: Both transactions are now official, according to the Clippers. Having signed on Friday, Dennis will be eligible to be active for as many as 37 games for the rest of the season.
December 3: The Clippers are planning to sign free agent guard RayJ Dennis to a two-way contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter). The move comes four days after the Pacers waived Dennis to sign Ethan Thompson.
Jake Fischer of the Stein Line confirms the report (via Twitter) and adds that Dennis is expected to provide depth in the Clippers’ backcourt following the recently announced departure of Chris Paul.
Fischer adds that Los Angeles will waive Jahmyl Telfort to make room for Dennis (Twitter link).
Dennis, a 24-year-old, 6’1″ point guard, played 13 games for the Pacers this season, averaging 4.9 points and 2.0 assists in 12.9 minutes per game. The former Baylor standout went undrafted in 2024 and began his professional career with the Clippers’ G League affiliate before signing a two-year, two-way contract with Indiana back in January.
Telfort played 29 minutes over seven games for the Clippers after going unselected in the 2025 draft out of Butler.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Expected To Miss 2-4 Weeks With Calf Strain
December 4: Antetokounmpo is expected to be sidelined for two-to-four weeks as a result of his calf strain, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
December 3: Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo left the Bucks‘ game against the Pistons on Wednesday after slipping and suffering a non-contact injury. The team ruled Antetokounmpo for the rest of the contest and referred to the injury as a right calf strain (Twitter link).
Antetokounmpo remained seated on the court after coach Doc Rivers called a timeout, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic, and eventually walked off the floor under his own power. After briefly returning to the bench, he then limped to the locker room.
The injury comes on the same day that an ESPN report indicated the Bucks’ star was initiating a dialogue with the team to determine whether he would continue his career in Milwaukee or if the two parties would work together to find a trade destination for the two-time MVP.
Antetokounmpo will likely undergo further evaluation to confirm the diagnosis and to assess the severity of the injury.
Wizards’ Coulibaly Expected To Miss 3-5 Weeks With Oblique Strain
December 4: Coulibaly is projected to miss three-to-five weeks as a result of his oblique injury, according to sources who spoke to Grant Afseth of RG.org.
December 3: The Wizards are preparing to be without forward Bilal Coulibaly for multiple weeks due to a right oblique strain, according to The Athletic’s Josh Robbins.
As Robbins writes, the Wizards have yet to set a formal timeline for the injury, but Varun Shankar of The Washington Post notes (via Twitter) that while timelines can vary for oblique strains, an absence of multiple weeks should be expected.
Coulibaly suffered the injury during Tuesday’s game against the Sixers and was able to play about nine more minutes after the injury occurred.
The former seventh overall pick has had a hard time staying healthy this season, missing eight of Washington’s first 20 games. He missed the start of the season while recovering from a torn ligament in his thumb and four more games in November with a left calf contusion.
Coulibaly has struggled with his offense since returning to play, averaging 8.8 points per game on .374/.268/.771 shooting splits. Robbins notes that Coulibaly’s defense has been massive for the Wizards, who are ranked 30th in that category and don’t have many above-average perimeter defenders to put around Alex Sarr, who is also currently injured with an injury of his own (an adductor strain).
Doc Rivers Believes Bucks Ruled Out Achilles Injury For Antetokounmpo
Speaking after Wednesday’s win over the Pistons, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said he believed the team had ruled out an Achilles injury for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who sustained an injury initially diagnosed as a calf strain, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
“I didn’t know what it was,” Rivers said (ESPN YouTube link). “I just wanted the trainers to attend to him.”
Antetokounmpo left the game after just three minutes with what appeared to be a non-contact injury. He was able to leave the court under his own power, limping first to the bench and then to the locker room.
Rivers confirmed that Antetokounmpo underwent an MRI, according to Nehm (via Twitter), and pushed back on the idea of the injury being non-contact.
“I thought the bump, if you watch, the bump drive, that’s what threw him off balance,” Rivers said, as relayed by Nehm (Twitter link). “He got bumped then and then somebody landed on top of him… and then it looked like no one was around but I thought it was the bump that threw him off balance.”
The team has yet to provide an official update on the injury.
Heat Notes: Roster Spot, Powell, Wiggins, Jovic, Mitchell
The Heat will have the ability to sign a 15th man without surpassing the luxury tax line as of December 13, but there are many factors the team will need to consider before doing so, Ira Winderman writes for the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Miami will have to weigh the likelihood of Tyler Herro qualifying for his performance-based contract incentives, which are looking increasingly out of reach, as the shooting guard is only one missed game from being ruled ineligible for All-NBA.
The team is also in an uncertain position when it comes to the contract of Terry Rozier, who is currently on leave from the league due to his involvement in the FBI’s gambling probe. In ordinary circumstances, the Heat could waive Rozier on or before January 7 in order to recoup the $1.6MM non-guaranteed portion of his salary, but Winderman writes that it’s unclear if the league will allow them to do that while he’s on leave.
The Heat have also had a hot start to the season and sit at third in the East coming into Wednesday’s slate of games, meaning they may not feel any urgency to navigate those obstacles and add a new player.
We have more from the Heat:
- Norman Powell is doing his best to play through the groin strain that sidelined him for a game last week and will cause him to miss Wednesday night’s matchup against the Mavs, writes Winderman in a separate piece. “I’m not fully healthy,” Powell admitted. “I haven’t been fully healthy in a couple of games.” However, Powell said that the team doctors don’t think he’s been making the injury worse by playing. “They think it can still heal while I’m playing,” he said. “It’s managing it, and if something is too uncomfortable or whatever, then letting them know.” Powell had previously missed time with a right groin strain, but he said that the current injury is in a different place.
- Andrew Wiggins isn’t the loudest player in the Heat’s locker room, but he has been leading by example this season, Winderman writes. “I get the job done and I do whatever I can to help the team win,” he said. “I know every night’s going to be different. Some nights might be more scoring. Some nights might be my rebounding. Depending on whatever the team needs, I’m here and I’m going to try and do it.” On a team that has prioritized a well-distributed offensive attack, teammates are impressed with Wiggins’ approach, according to Winderman. “Wiggs is amazing,” Powell said. “He’s quiet, he’s to himself, but he works. He knows the game. He has a versatile skill set. I think he flies under the radar. He’s always quiet and he gets the job done.”
- Nikola Jovic‘s play has been one of the few disappointing aspects of an otherwise better-than-expected season for the Heat, and he’s aware that he’s not performing liked he wants to, writes Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I know that I’m not playing great basketball right now, and that’s the thing that bothers me for sure,” he said. Jovic was conscious of saying the right things about being happy that the team is succeeding despite his struggles, but head coach Erik Spoelstra knows he needs more from the talented forward. “Our ceiling goes so much higher when there’s a consistency to Niko’s game,” Spoelstra said. “He’s extremely versatile on both ends of the court when he’s really locked in, paying attention to details, giving the maximum effort.” Spoelstra adds that attention to detail is crucial, as is getting back into a rhythm after missing some time with an injury.
- Davion Mitchell, who re-signed with Miami on a two-year, $24MM deal this past offseason, is repaying the Heat’s faith in him by turning into one of the steadiest point guards in the league in terms of assist-to-turnover ratio, Chiang writes, noting that only T.J. McConnell and Tim Hardaway Jr. have a better statistical profile in that regard this season.”He really helps what we’re trying to do,” Spoelstra said. “He feels the momentum of the game, and then he has that feel that all great point guards have of getting guys open shots to really extend the lead.” Mitchell, for his part, says the change came when he stopped trying to force things so much. “When I first got here, I was thinking a little bit,” he said. “Obviously, I tried to do what I do on the defensive end, but offensively, I was still trying to find what I can do for this team. But now, it’s like I’m not even out there thinking. I’m just out there making plays and just kind of just free flowing.”
Seth Curry Rejoins Warriors On One-Year Deal
December 1: Seth Curry has officially signed with the Warriors, according to a team press release.
November 30: Free agent guard Seth Curry plans to re-sign with the Warriors on Monday on a deal that will cover the rest of the 2025/26 season, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter).
After spending training camp with Golden State, Curry was waived in mid-October as the team made its final cuts for the regular season roster, mostly because his veteran’s minimum salary couldn’t fit under a second-apron hard cap.
Reporting at that time suggested Curry was expected to rejoin the Warriors eventually, but the club had to wait until at least November 11 in order to squeeze his prorated minimum-salary contract below the hard cap.
Waiting an extra few weeks to bring him back will create some extra breathing room for Golden State. Assuming he signs on Monday, as planned, Curry’s rest-of-season cap hit will be $1,755,198, leaving the Warriors roughly $264K below their hard cap. He’ll earn a salary of $2,777,830 if he finishes out the season with the club.
Curry, an 11-year veteran, played last season for the Hornets, leading the league in three-point percentage at 45.6% on 182 total attempts. A 6’1″ three-point specialist, he holds lifetime averages of 10.0 points per game on 43.3% shooting from deep.
This will be the first time that Seth and his brother, Stephen Curry, play on the same NBA team during the regular season.
Sixers’ Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe To Return Sunday
4:38 pm: Embiid and Edgecombe will both start on Sunday vs. Atlanta, the team announced (Twitter link via Neubeck). Nurse said earlier today that both players would be on a minutes restriction, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN relays (via Twitter).
Drummond will be active as well, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).
1:05 pm: After previously being listed as out, Embiid has been upgraded to questionable for Sunday’s contest, per Neubeck (Twitter link).
10:00 am: Joel Embiid has been ruled out for the Sixers‘ game against the Hawks on Sunday, tweets Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports.
There had previously been minor optimism among the coaching staff that Embiid would be able to suit up. Asked on Saturday about the big man’s odds of playing today, head coach Nick Nurse responded, “I think there’s a chance, but I don’t know if I would put it as good, bad, or medium” (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports).
When asked by Neubeck whether there were specific tests or benchmarks that Embiid needed to exceed before being cleared to return to play, Nurse didn’t provide specifics.
“I think it’s just getting through some pain and then also some on-court activity,” the Sixers’ coach said. “Kind of a combination of those things.”
Embiid has appeared in six games for Philadelphia this season and is averaging career lows in points (19.7) and rebounds (5.5) per game. He has missed the past nine games and will remain out for at least one more.
Bodner notes that while Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford remain out with a left knee sprain and left adductor sprain, respectively, VJ Edgecombe has been upgraded to questionable as he looks to return from the calf tightness that has caused him to miss the last three games. Andre Drummond is also listed as questionable with a right knee contusion.
Southwest Notes: Flagg, Washington, Morant, Vassell
Cooper Flagg made history for the Mavericks on back-to-back nights, writes Tim MacMahon for ESPN.
One day after becoming the youngest player to record 10 or more assists in a game, Flagg became the youngest player to score 35 points in a game, sneaking the record in five days earlier than LeBron James accomplished the same feat in 2003. Most importantly, Flagg’s 35 points came in a win, which have been few and far between for a struggling Mavericks team this fall.
“He’s only 18 years old, but he seems like he’s been in this league before,” coach Jason Kidd said. “You can call it point guard or whatever, but he ran the offense for us. He drove the ball. The ball touched the paint. He got to the rim, got to the free throw line, stepped up and made free throws for us late.”
Veteran sharpshooter Klay Thompson, who had one of his best games of the season in the win, spoke highly of Flagg following Saturday’s game.
“Cooper’s upside is limitless,” Thompson said. “He has every tool to be great. Sometimes I can’t believe he should be a freshman in college.”
Thompson also threw out a lofty comparison to his situation in relation to Flagg, according to The Athletic’s Christian Clark, making reference to the Lakers in the first year of Kobe Bryant’s career.
“I feel like [Byron Scott] sometimes,” Thompson said. “The old, wise veteran. The future of the franchise to my side. It’s pretty cool to be a part of it. To be witnesses to what he’s going to do for a long time.”
We have more from around the Southwest Division:
- Mavericks forward P.J. Washington was a late scratch on Saturday due to a right ankle sprain suffered when he slipped on a ball during warmups, Mike Curtis writes for the Dallas Morning News. Washington, who was still active for the game, was initially listed as questionable to return, but was ruled out around the end of the first quarter. His status for Dallas’ upcoming three-game road trip is unclear.
- Ja Morant will be reevaluated next week once the Grizzlies return to Memphis on Tuesday following their four-game road trip, tweets Michael Wallace of Grind City Media. This update is in line with the timeline announced for Morant when he initially was diagnosed with the calf strain. Wallace notes that the point guard is currently engaged in light on-court warmup work.
- Devin Vassell has been on a tear of late, scoring more points in the Spurs‘ past two games than in any other two-game stretch of his career, writes Jeff McDonald for the San Antonio Express-News. That run included a 35-point explosion in a win against the Nuggets on Friday night, in which his teammates were well aware of the zone he was in. “[Keldon Johnson] told me in the last two minutes if the ball comes to me, don’t think,” Vassell said. “Just be aggressive and shoot.” As impressive as Vassell’s scoring was, head coach Mitch Johnson was happy to see the intensity the 25-year-old brought on the defensive end of the court. “He’s becoming a winning player,” Johnson said. “We’ve got our arm around him and our foot up his backside to continue to do it. He’s a difference maker when he does that.”
Pacers Sign Ethan Thompson, Waive RayJ Dennis
1:12 pm: The signing of Thompson and release of Dennis are now official, the Pacers confirmed in a press release.
11:25 am: The Pacers are signing free agent swingman Ethan Thompson to a two-way contract and will waive point guard RayJ Dennis to make room on their roster, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Thompson, 26, was previously signed to an Exhibit 10 deal by the Heat, but was waived heading into the season. The 6’4″ wing has played eight games for Miami’s G League affiliate this fall, averaging 26.9 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 36.8% on 8.5 three-point attempts per game.
Dennis appeared in 13 games for Indiana this season as the team dealt with backcourt injuries, averaging 4.9 points in 12.9 minutes per game. He also played twice for the Noblesville Boom in the G League, averaging 20.5 PPG and 8.5 APG. Dennis has struggled with his three-point shot this fall, making just 25.0% of his outside shots for the Boom and 31.6% for the Pacers.
As our tracker shows, Thompson will be eligible to be active for up to 39 NBA games with Indiana. He’ll join Taelon Peter and Quenton Jackson as the club’s two-way players.