Impact Of Pelicans’ Injury Woes Could Carry Over To 2025/26
Health issues derailed the Pelicans‘ 2024/25 season almost before it began. Trey Murphy and Zion Williamson weren’t available when the season tipped off, top offseason acquisition Dejounte Murray broke his hand on opening night, and it only got worse from there, with injuries eventually affecting virtually every starter and rotation player on the roster.
Through 69 games, only one player – rookie Yves Missi – has made more than 53 total appearances for the Pelicans (Missi has made 64).
New Orleans’ division rivals in Memphis are proving that a would-be contender devastated by injuries in one season can get back on track with better health luck the following year. After winning 50+ plus games in back-to-back seasons, the Grizzlies were hit hard by injuries in 2023/24 and won just 27 games. This year, they’re on pace to exceed 50 wins again.
A bounce-back season in 2025/26 is obviously the hope in New Orleans, where the club appeared to be on the rise after winning 49 games in 2023/24. But there’s a chance that the team’s injury woes this year will have an impact on the ’25/26 team, writes William Guillory of The Athletic.
In fact, that’s a near certainty in the case of Murray, who tore his Achilles tendon in late January. The expectation is that the veteran guard will miss time to open next season — Guillory hears from team sources that Murray may not be back on the floor until sometime after the calendar turns to 2026.
According to Guillory, there have also been some “rumblings” about the possibility that forward Herbert Jones, who underwent shoulder surgery last month, won’t be ready for the start of the 2025/26 campaign. That’s still to be determined. Jones’ return date will depend on how his rehab progresses this offseason, Guillory writes.
The Pelicans announced this week that Murphy has suffered a season-ending shoulder injury of his own. He was diagnosed with a torn labrum and a partial tear of the rotator cuff.
Murphy’s recovery timeline remains unclear and figures to hinge on how severe his injury is determined to be and whether or not it requires surgery, says Guillory. It’s not a lock that the fourth-year wing will be back to 100% by training camp.
The Pelicans still “strongly believe” in their core of Williamson, Murray, Murphy, and Jones, according to Guillory, but even if the front office keeps that group together through the summer, it may be quite a while before that quartet is on the court together.
Hawks GM Fields: Scouting Department ‘Crushed It’ On Daniels
When the Hawks and Pelicans were discussing a Dejounte Murray deal last offseason, Dyson Daniels was the one player that Landry Fields insisted must be included in the trade package, Atlanta’s general manager tells Ken Sugiura of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“(Daniels) was one guy that, when we were engaged with the Pelicans, he was a must for us to be in that deal,” Fields said. “We saw the archetype, we knew who he was as a person — doing our homework — and just the type of player that he was then and what he could be in a change of environment. (The Hawks’ scouting department) did a really good job in that.”
As Sugiura writes, the Hawks were high on Daniels back in 2022 when he entered the NBA draft as a 19-year-old due to his positional size, his promising tools, and the fact that he was one of the younger players in the draft class.
They had the No. 16 overall pick that year and didn’t get a chance to select the Australian prospect, who went eighth overall to the Pelicans, but Fields and the Hawks’ scouts continued to keep an eye on him over the next couple years.
“There was a lot of really good indicators there that would suggest he was going to have a real chance to be a good player in the NBA,” Fields explained, noting that while Daniels’ defensive tools were obvious, Atlanta was bullish on his offensive potential as well. “We see the indicators and areas that he could grow. We’re looking at what his floor is, and we really liked that. And that takes a lot of work in combing through a number of different games and situations and not just watching highlights.”
For Fields and his scouting department, the Murray trade with New Orleans has gone “about as good as they could have hoped,” one NBA scout told Sugiura. Besides acquiring Daniels, the Hawks received Larry Nance Jr. and a pair of future first-round picks in that swap.
Daniels has been the prize so far though, emerging one of the NBA’s most impactful defenders while taking a significant step forward offensively too. The 22-year-old has averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and a league-leading 3.0 steals per game through 64 outings (all starts), with a shooting line of .485/.345/.587.
“It’s always really exciting to watch a player kind of blossom in front of you, especially when he’s on your team,” Fields said. “… I think our scouting group crushed it on this one.”
Daniels looks like a lock for a spot on an All-Defensive team and figures to receive plenty of Most Improved Player votes too.
Defensive Player of the Year voters have historically favored big men, but the third-year guard has also made himself a legitimate DPOY contender by wreaking havoc on that end of the court. Daniels’ 194 steals and 382 deflections give him a massive lead over the second-place player in each category (117 and 248, respectively).
“Dyson’s just been killing. He’s been all over it — Defensive Player of the Year for me,” Clippers guard Ben Simmons recently told Grant Afseth of RG.org in a conversation about Australia’s growing talent pool. “It’s hard not to give it to him. I think he’s just everywhere. He has great hands, and he’s really guarding everybody.”
While Warriors forward Draymond Green publicly made his own case for Defensive Player of the Year recognition on Tuesday night, Daniels declined to advocate for himself in quite the same way when he was asked after the Hawks’ win over Charlotte about his chances for the award.
“Just having my name in that conversation is pretty special,” Daniels said, per Jerry Donatien of Clutch Points (Twitter video link). “I set myself a goal of being First Team All-Defense. Now the goal is Defensive Player of the Year. I don’t want to sit here and pump my tires too much in what I do — I’m just letting my game do the talking.”
Mavs Notes: Edwards, Martin, Smith, Davis, Hardy, Jones
Mavericks forward Kessler Edwards, who is on a two-way contract with the team, wasn’t expected to play a whole lot at the NBA level this season. However, due to all the injuries in Dallas, Edwards has been thrust into a key role in recent weeks.
The 24-year-old has started 13 of the club’s past 16 games, primarily at center, and has acquitted himself well as a small-ball five. In his past six outings, he has averaged 12.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game, with a shooting line of .558/.556/.900. According to Edwards, adjusting to a new role hasn’t been overwhelming.
“I think just IQ is the main thing—learning how to play not only with these guys, but within the certain role they have me in,” Edwards told Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda. “Just knowing what to do with the ball, how to play in different ways, and learning how to make the right decisions on the floor.”
As important as Edwards has become in Dallas, the clock is ticking on his ability to play at the NBA level. He’s just two games from reaching the limit of 50 active games for two-way players. Promoting him to the standard 15-man roster would make him eligible to play in every remaining game, including potential play-in contests, but that won’t be an option for the Mavericks until April 10 due to their hard-cap restrictions.
“Honestly, I try not to think about that too much,” Edwards said of his fast-approaching 50-game limit. “I’m just thankful for the games I’ve been able to play with this group. I’m just thankful for that opportunity.”
Here’s more on the Mavericks:
- The Caleb Martin/Quentin Grimes trade hasn’t worked out so far for the Mavericks, as Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News details. Grimes has been playing some of the best basketball of his life in Philadelphia, while Martin has been limited to just five appearances for Dallas due to ongoing hip issues. According to Curtis, Martin is still trying to make an impact from the bench when he’s not available, calling attention to trends and defensive schemes. “I’ve always been the type that if I see something, I say something,” Martin said. “I just feel like that’s a way I can impact the game, whether I’m playing or not.”
- Speaking to Grant Afseth for RG.org, former NBA first-round pick Zhaire Smith expressed gratitude for the opportunity he has gotten with the Texas Legends, noting that they’ve “welcomed me with open arms.” In addition to discussing his experience with the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, Smith talked about scrimmaging alongside Mavs players rehabbing from injuries, including Anthony Davis. “I think we’re going to do it again sometime this week,” Smith said, indicating that another brief G League assignment could be in store for Davis.
- The Mavs could have as many as 10 players available on Wednesday in Indiana. In addition to their seven healthy players, they’ve listed Jaden Hardy (right ankle sprain), Kai Jones (left quad strain), and Brandon Williams (left hamstring tightness) as questionable to play. Marc Stein reported earlier this week that Hardy and Jones, both of whom have missed seven consecutive games, have a chance to return on Wednesday.
- While this is just my speculation, it wouldn’t be a shock if the Mavericks hold Williams out of tonight’s game if both Hardy and Jones are able to suit up. That would allow the team to avoid using up another of Williams’ active games — he only has five remaining on his two-way contract.
Rivals Expect Hornets To Revisit Mark Williams Trade Market In Offseason
Some rival executives around the NBA expect the Hornets to reopen trade talks on center Mark Williams and explore the market for him again this summer, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
[RELATED: Active Offseason On Tap For Hornets?]
Charlotte agreed to a trade last month that would have sent Williams to the Lakers in exchange for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, an unprotected 2031 first-round pick, and a 2030 first-round pick swap. However, that deal was voided by the Lakers two days later due to concerns about Williams’ physical.
Despite those concerns on Los Angeles’ end, Williams had been playing consistent minutes as the Hornets’ starting center leading up to the trade deadline and has remained on the court since the deal was rescinded.
Since the All-Star break, the third-year big man has averaged 15.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 27.3 minutes per game across 12 outings. Those numbers are right in line with his season-long averages of 15.4 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.2 BPG in 35 games (25.8 MPG). He missed the start of the season due to a foot injury after sitting out most of last season with a back ailment.
We haven’t heard many specific details about the Lakers’ problems with Williams’ physical. It’s entirely possible the issue they flagged was a minor one that wouldn’t be a concern for another team’s doctors. We also don’t know if the Lakers’ interest in Williams has dissipated altogether as a result of what they learned from his physical, or if they might still be willing to acquire him if the cost isn’t quite so high.
It’s worth noting that the Lakers weren’t the only team to flag an issue during a physical last month — the Mavericks did the same thing with Caleb Martin after agreeing to a pre-deadline trade with the Sixers. Because Martin’s physical was completed ahead of the trade deadline, the Mavs and Sixers were able to amend the terms of their agreement, with Dallas deciding to move forward with the trade after Philadelphia agreed to include a second-round pick.
It’s possible the Lakers would have been willing to do something similar with the Hornets, but they didn’t have the opportunity, since Williams’ physical was completed after the deadline. At that point, Los Angeles’ only two options were to complete the trade based on the agreed-upon terms or to void it.
Assuming Williams remains injury-free and finishes the season strong, he should draw offseason interest from teams besides the Lakers, though any suitor would certainly want to thoroughly vet his health. Whether he remains in Charlotte or joins a new club, the 23-year-old will be eligible this offseason for a rookie scale extension.
Draymond Green Believes He Has Strong DPOY Case
Warriors forward Draymond Green was a huge factor in Tuesday’s in over Milwaukee, racking up 10 defensive rebounds, four blocks, and two steals while serving as the primary defender on Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored just 20 points on 5-of-16 shooting.
After Golden State’s victory, Green told reporters, including Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, that he believes he’s making a strong case for Defensive Player of the Year consideration.
“Obviously, if we keep winning and close this year out strong, most definitely,” Green said. “I look around the league and don’t see many players impacting the game on the defensive end the way I do. I don’t see many players completely throwing off an entire team’s offense the way I do. One thousand percent.
“Especially with Wemby (Victor Wembanyama) going down, seemed like he had it won. And now it is right there. So, one million percent I have a case, and I will continue to build that case for these next 13 games. Tonight was a prime example of that.”
The Bucks’ 93 points on Tuesday represented a season low for the team, Youngmisuk writes, while Antetokounmpo had his worst shooting night in over two years. According to NBA.com’s tracking data, Giannis made 0-of-7 field goal attempts when Green was his primary defender, prompting head coach Steve Kerr to refer to the forward’s performance as “incredible.”
“To hold him to five field goals, Draymond showed why he is still one of the great defenders in the world,” Kerr said. “It wasn’t just the defense; it was the leadership, the energy.”
As Green pointed out, the Defensive Player of the Year race looks wide open following Wembanyama’s season-ending injury. Evan Mobley, Dyson Daniels, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Luguentz Dort are among the frontrunners, but none of those candidates have gained the same sort of narrative momentum Wembanyama had (though betting odds favor Mobley).
Green doesn’t rank among the league’s top 20 in defensive categories like steals (1.4) or blocks (1.1) per contest, but he made it clear on Tuesday he believes his impact on a game goes far beyond box-score numbers.
“You got some people that have a vote on the East Coast that probably see us play four times a year,” Green said. “And if you look at the stats, you be like, ‘Oh, Draymond averages one steal and a block.’ Those numbers don’t jump off the page at you. But you watch me play and then ask the opposing coach what did I do to (their) offense? It’s a different story.
“This award is widely based off statistics, and those statistics don’t always tell the story … But I want another one, and I ain’t retired yet. I still got a chance.”
In order to ensure he qualifies for award consideration, Green will have to play 20-plus minutes in at least 11 of the Warriors’ 13 remaining regular season games.
Kings Rule Out Domantas Sabonis For At Least 10 Days
Kings center Domantas Sabonis has been diagnosed with a moderate right ankle sprain after undergoing an MRI on the affected ankle, the team announced on Tuesday night (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat).
According to the Kings, Sabonis will be reevaluated in 10 days. That would mean he’ll miss upcoming games vs. Cleveland (Wednesday), Chicago (Thursday), Milwaukee (Saturday), Boston (March 24), Oklahoma City (March 25), and Portland (March 27).
The earliest possible return for the big man, based on the timeline initially reported by Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link) and confirmed by the team, would be Saturday, March 29 in Orlando.
Sabonis sustained the injury early in the third quarter of Monday’s win over Memphis, badly turning his right ankle as he drove toward Memphis’ basket and falling to the floor in pain (Twitter video link via Jake Gadon of CBS Sacramento).
It was the second injury Sabonis suffered during the game. He had a bloody gash above his left eye after taking an inadvertent shot from Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard in the first quarter, but he was able to return to the court in the second quarter after getting stitched up.
It has been a bad run of health luck this month for Sabonis, who also recently missed six games due to a strained hamstring — Monday was just his second game back from that injury. The Kings went 2-4 during that six-game stretch and are 3-6 on the season without their starting center, so another multi-game absence doesn’t bode well for the team, which holds the No. 9 seed in the West at 34-33 and is battling for a playoff spot.
Jonas Valanciunas figures to return to the starting lineup with Sabonis unavailable. A trade-deadline addition, Valanciunas started all six games while Sabonis recovered from his hamstring strain.
We mentioned it in our initial story on Tuesday, but it’s worth reiterating that Sabonis must play at least 20 minutes in seven of the Kings’ remaining contests to meet the requirements for the NBA’s 65-game rule.
The 28-year-old has averaged 19.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game this season, making him a strong candidate for an All-NBA spot. But with just 15 games left in Sacramento’s season and Sabonis already expected to miss six of them, there’s no guarantee he’ll play enough down the stretch to qualify for end-of-season award consideration.
Kings Sign Terry Taylor To 10-Day Contract
8:37 pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release relayed by the Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson (Twitter link).
11:37 am: The Kings and forward Terry Taylor have agreed to a 10-day contract, agent Darrell Comer tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Tayor, 25, has appeared in a total of 95 NBA regular season games for the Pacers and Bulls since 2021, but hasn’t been on an NBA roster since last fall, when he was in camp with Sacramento. He was cut just before the regular season began.
The 6’4″ forward has spent the year in the G League with Sacramento’s affiliate, the Stockton Kings, averaging 16.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.0 block in 33.9 minutes per game across 44 total appearances in the Tip-Off Tournament and the regular season. He has posted a shooting line of .443/.364/.708.
Taylor seems unlikely to enter the Kings’ rotation at the NBA level, but will provide depth as the team continues its push for a postseason berth.
Sacramento had been carrying just 13 players on standard contracts and was required to get back to 14 this week, as we explained on Sunday. Taylor will fill that 14th spot for at least the next 10 days. When his deal expires, the Kings will have the option of signing him to another 10-day deal, signing him for the rest of the season, or letting him go. If Taylor isn’t re-signed, the club would have to add a new 14th man.
Taylor will earn $124,288 over the course of his 10-day deal, while the Kings carry a cap hit of $119,972. He’ll be eligible to appear in up to six games for Sacramento during those 10 days.
Heat Notes: Losing Streak, Rozier, Anderson, Draft Pick
The Heat dropped their eighth consecutive game on Monday, losing by 21 points to the conference rival Knicks. It’s the first time since Erik Spoelstra became the team’s head coach in 2008 that Miami has lost that many games in a row, notes Chris Herring of ESPN.
“We’re all getting tested, including myself,” Spoelstra said. “No one’s absolved from this. I’ve not come up with enough answers for this team. I have to do a better job. Our group has to do a better job.
“We have to put our feet into the dirt and hold our ground at this point. You always have a choice. It doesn’t mean you’re going to win, necessarily. … But (you at least have) to make some strides. And you could see that in some of the losses over the last three weeks, where it felt like we were making strides. The last two games haven’t felt like that.”
The Heat have been one of the NBA’s most successful teams since Spoelstra’s arrival, so their recent slide has the team in unfamiliar territory. According to Herring, Miami is 10 games below .500 for the first time since 2017 and has been held below 100 points for three consecutive games for the first time since 2018.
“We’re going through the dark days right now,” forward Jaime Jaquez said on Monday. “As a team, right now we’ve got to come together and find a way to fight. It’s something we’ve been talking about. We just need to find something to rally around.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Terry Rozier, who is averaging just 11.2 points per game on .396/.300/.857 shooting through 59 outings, is disappointed by his performance this season, but after missing the end of the 2023/24 campaign due to a serious neck injury, he’s thankful to have made it through this year without any major health issues, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “Do I wish I played better all season? Of course,” Rozier said. “But I’m just thankful that I can still put a jersey on and play, and I’m still hopeful that things can turn around for me and the team.” The veteran guard will be on an expiring $26.6MM contract in 2025/26.
- While his first six weeks with the Heat haven’t gone as planned, veteran forward Kyle Anderson – who has a guaranteed 2025/26 salary and a non-guaranteed salary for ’26/27 – sees himself as a fit for Miami moving forward, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I feel like I can fit anywhere,” he said. “I’ll be able to figure it out and I think I’m smart enough to see how things are done and be able to do them at a high level.”
- Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald considers how much lower the Heat’s season could go, noting that a fall to 11th place in the East is unlikely because they have a 5.5-game cushion on the 11th-place Raptors. However, it’s not impossible, Jackson acknowledges, since Toronto has the easiest remaining schedule of any NBA team. For what it’s worth, Miami’s rest-of-season schedule is the league’s fifth-easiest.
- It’s worth keeping an eye on where things stand with the Heat’s 2025 first-round pick, which will be sent to the Thunder if it’s not in the top 14. If the team finishes strong and earns the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, that pick will land at No. 15, making it the best possible choice that could be sent to Oklahoma City this season. However, if Miami misses the playoffs and keeps its pick, the club would instead owe the Thunder its unprotected 2026 first-rounder, which could end up being even more favorable than No. 15 if the Heat can’t upgrade their roster in the next year.
Warriors’ Kerr On Curry: ‘Got To Get Him Some Rest’
3:37 pm: Curry will sit out Tuesday’s game against the Bucks, Anthony Slater of The Athletic confirms (Twitter link).
10:42 am: After Stephen Curry made just 6-of-21 shots from the floor and turned the ball over a season-high seven times in Monday’s loss to Denver, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters, including Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, that the star guard is “tired.”
“Steph’s been carrying us for a month,” Kerr said. “He’s been amazing. He’s tired, so we got to get him some rest. Just, you can see it. He doesn’t have his energy right now.”
Curry played some of his best basketball of the season coming out of the All-Star break last month, averaging 30.1 points per game on .521/.437/.963 shooting during a stretch of eight wins in nine games. However, his output lately has been less consistent — in Golden State’s past four games, he has put up 20.8 PPG with a .375/.341/.952 shooting line.
“He’s exhausted right now,” Kerr said. “So we’ve got to absolutely consider giving him a night and getting him rejuvenated for the sake of him and the remainder of our games. But we’ll see. I think he’s been tired the last few games, and so we’ve got to find a way to get him his juice back.”
Kerr said the team would consider “potentially” resting Curry on Tuesday vs. Milwaukee in the second game of a back-to-back set. The Warriors were holding Curry out of one game when they played on consecutive days earlier in the season, but he has appeared in both ends of each of the team’s three most recent back-to-backs.
For his part, the two-time MVP said he feels “fine,” though he admitted that his back has been bothering him since last Thursday. He was listed as questionable before Monday’s game due to a right lower back strain.
“Obviously I didn’t play great at all (vs. Denver), so everybody including Coach is going to try to figure out why,” Curry said. “Mostly the turnovers, dumb plays all night, but I had a really good run. You expect to have a level of consistency and whatnot, so when it doesn’t happen it becomes a question. I feel like (it’s) more so my back I was dealing with the last couple of days, see how that responds tomorrow, but otherwise feel pretty solid.”
Star forward Jimmy Butler, who has been playing a complementary role since arriving in Golden State at the trade deadline, suggested he and the team will make an effort to reduce take some of the pressure off Curry.
“It’s OK to be tired, and that’s on myself and on us as a unit to pick up the slack for him,” Butler said. “Everybody wants to think that he is superhuman. He is not. He is our leader, and we must protect him at all times.”
Wizards’ Kispert Undergoes Thumb Surgery, Out For Season
Wizards wing Corey Kispert will miss the rest of the 2024/25 season after undergoing surgery on Tuesday in New York City to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb, the team announced (via Twitter).
According to the Wizards, Kispert is expected to make a full recovery from the injury – which he sustained in the third quarter on Saturday vs. Denver – prior to the start of next season.
Kispert made 61 appearances off the bench for the Wizards this season, averaging 11.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 26.3 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .451/.364/.852. A talented outside shooter, the former Gonzaga standout has knocked down 38.2% of 5.2 three-point attempts per game over the course of his four-year NBA career.
Kispert was one of 11 players to sign a rookie scale extension during the 2024 offseason, having finalized a four-year, $54MM deal that will go into effect in 2025/26. He’s the second of those 11 rookie extension recipients to be ruled out with a season-ending injury in the past 24 hours — Pelicans swingman Trey Murphy sustained a shoulder injury on Monday that will prevent him from suiting up again in ’24/25.
With Kispert sidelined for the rest of the season and Bilal Coulibaly likely in the same boat due to a hamstring injury, there will be more playing time open on the wing in D.C. for players further down on the depth chart.
AJ Johnson, Jaylen Martin, and Colby Jones are among the players who should be in line for increased roles. All three established new career highs in minutes on Monday in Portland with Kispert on the shelf — Johnson played 35 minutes, Martin played 28, and Jones logged 25.