Nets Notes: Thomas, Sharpe, D-Lo, Clowney, Williams, Draft Picks
After missing nearly two months due to a left hamstring strain, the Nets‘ leading scorer, Cam Thomas, returned to action on Friday and had what he called a “decent first game back,” scoring 16 points in 21 minutes, Brian Lewis writes for The New York Post.
“Obviously, missed some shots I normally make when I’m in rhythm and playing, but it’s just the nature of being on for a while and coming back and playing first game,” said Thomas, who was 7-of-17 from the floor in the 19-point loss to Portland. “So shots, not really worried about that; that’s going to come. But it feels good to finally finish a game and have no pain. So that’s the main thing I’m pleased with. So just got to keep building and keep going.”
Thomas will be held out of the second game of Brooklyn’s back-to-back on Saturday in Detroit due to hamstring injury management, tweets Lewis. Trendon Watford, who missed time earlier this season with a hamstring injury of his own, will be inactive with the same designation.
Here’s more on the Nets:
- Day’Ron Sharpe, who will be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end, returned to the second unit on Friday but was excellent in his first start of the season on Wednesday, racking up 25 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks vs. Oklahoma City. He was a +20 in 31 minutes in a game Brooklyn lost by eight points. “I’m just a beast on them boards. I don’t really think nobody can mess with me in the paint when it comes to that,” Sharpe said, according to Lewis. “Like I tell y’all every time, no matter how big, no matter how tall, its just what I do. You know what I’m saying? You’re gonna have to send three people to box me out. But I just play hard.”
- D’Angelo Russell (right ankle sprain) and Noah Clowney (left ankle sprain) will remain on the shelf for Saturday’s game, which will be Russell’s fifth straight absence and a 13th consecutive missed game for Clowney. However, head coach Jordi Fernandez says both players are doing “great” and should resume practicing soon, Lewis writes for The Post. “We’ll probably talk about having them on the court at some point next week,” Fernandez said. “They’re progressing well, they’re around the group and they’ve been [helpful]. They’re great energy when we have them around. We need their presence. It’s good, because it seems like if everything goes well next week we’ll see where they’re at, and just try to keep working on that and have them get some contact and have them back on the court.”
- Ziaire Williams, who had averaged 29.2 minutes per night in Brooklyn’s last 11 games entering Friday, played just 10:28 against Portland and wasn’t sure why, according to Lewis. Asked after the game if Fernandez, who has been encouraging Williams to shoot more three-pointers, pulled him early due to his unwillingness to pull the trigger more often, Williams replied, “Y’all know better than me, man. I got no idea.”
- No team has more tradable first-round picks than the Nets, as RealGM details. Net Income of NetsDaily takes a closer look at what that means for the organization.
Hawks Sign Kevon Harris To 10-Day Contract
March 1: The Hawks have officially signed Harris to a 10-day deal, the team announced today in a press release. It will run through March 10.
February 28: The Hawks intend to sign swingman Kevon Harris to a 10-day contract, agent Daniel Hazan tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Harris, who spent two seasons on a two-way contract with the Magic from 2022-24, was in camp with the Hawks last fall and joined Atlanta’s G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, after being waived by the NBA team in October.
In 34 total outings for the Skyhawks during the 2024 Tip-Off Tournament and 2024/25 regular season, Harris has averaged 19.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.3 steals in 31.0 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .463/.447/.804. The 6’5″ guard/forward has had a career-best season as a three-point shooter, with 2.6 makes per contest.
Harris only appeared in two NBA games for Orlando last season, but saw more action in 2022/23, averaging 4.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 0.5 APG in 34 appearances (13.4 MPG) off the bench for the Magic.
The Hawks have an open spot on their 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to create an opening for Harris, who will earn $119,972 on his 10-day deal. Atlanta will carry an identical cap hit.
Assuming Harris officially signs his contract before Friday’s game vs. Oklahoma City, the deal would run through March 9, covering Atlanta’s next five games. If he doesn’t sign until Saturday, the 27-year-old could still be active for up to five games, since the Hawks play on March 10.
Sixers Sign Jalen Hood-Schifino To Two-Way Deal, Cut David Roddy
March 1: The Sixers have officially signed Hood-Schifino to a two-way contract and waived Roddy, the team announced today in a press release.
February 28: Free agent guard Jalen Hood-Schifino has agreed to sign a two-way contract with the Sixers, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Hood-Schifino was included in the Luka Doncic/Anthony Davis blockbuster earlier this month, having been sent from the Lakers to the Jazz in that deal for salary purposes. He was subsequently waived by Utah after the trade deadline passed.
Still only 21 years old, Hood-Schifino was selected No. 17 overall in the 2023 draft. He spent his first season-and-a-half with the Lakers, who decided not to pick up their 2025/26 team option on his rookie scale contract last fall after the former Indiana standout appeared in just 21 NBA games during his rookie campaign.
Hood-Schifino only made two appearances this season with Los Angeles, playing a total of 14 minutes. He missed a significant chunk of the season due to a left hamstring strain.
While his NBA role in L.A. was extremely limited, Hood-Schifino did put up some solid numbers in the G League last season, averaging 22.0 points, 5.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 35.4 minutes per game across 15 outings for the South Bay Lakers. He had a shooting line of .473/.432/.800.
The 76ers recently had a pair of two-way openings alongside guard Jeff Dowtin, but filled them by signing forwards David Roddy and Alex Reese within the past week.
Philadelphia will have to waive one of those players in order to make room for Hood-Schifino — according to Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com (Twitter link), Roddy will be the odd man out and will be cut to open up a two-way slot.
Warriors Sign Kevin Knox To Second 10-Day Contract
March 1: Knox’s second 10-day deal with the Warriors is official, according to a team release (Twitter link).
February 28: The Warriors intend to sign forward Kevin Knox to a second 10-day contract once his initial deal expires, sources tell Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Knox’s current 10-day contract will expire tonight, so he’ll need to be re-signed on Saturday in order to be active for Golden State’s game in Philadelphia tomorrow.
Knox has been in the Warriors’ organization since last July, having played for Golden State in Summer League and during the preseason before spending the majority of the 2024/25 campaign with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League.
Although he played a modest role off the bench on his 10-day contract, Knox impressed the team with his contributions in limited action, according to Slater. The former ninth overall pick scored 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting in 29 minutes across four games while also contributing eight rebounds, three assists, and a pair of blocks.
Knox will earn $150,179 on his second 10-day contract, with the Warriors taking on a cap hit of $119,972.
Since Golden State is navigating a hard cap, it will be interesting to see whether the team signs a second player to a 10-day contract alongside Knox in order to remain at 14 on standard deals. With Yuri Collins‘ 10-day contract also set to expire on Friday night, the Warriors will temporarily dip down to 12 players before re-signing Knox to get to 13.
Golden State can only carry fewer than 14 players for up to 14 more days this season, so that clock would begin to tick again starting Saturday if the club doesn’t sign a second player, whether that’s Collins or someone else.
Northwest Notes: Watson, SGA, R. Williams, Timberwolves
Nuggets forward Peyton Watson, who has been sidelined since January 31 due to a sprained right knee, was ruled out for at least four weeks when the injury was first diagnosed. His absence is expected to extend a little beyond that initial timeline, head coach Michael Malone said on Thursday.
“He’s still got some hurdles to clear,” Malone said on Thursday, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required). “Heading in the right direction. … I don’t know, maybe another seven to 10 days, kind of see what happens after this road trip, when we get back after the Boston game (on Sunday). Kind of reassess everything. But he’s definitely making progress, and hopefully he’ll be back sooner rather than later.”
According to Durando, Watson played 3-on-3 with teammates this week, but continued to wear a brace on his right leg during that session.
Watson has further solidified his place in the rotation in his third year with the Nuggets after averaging 18.6 minutes per game across 80 appearances in 2023/24. Through 48 games this season, he has averaged 8.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 24.1 minutes per night, with a .471/.340/.752 shooting line.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Asked about his decision to part ways with his agents before becoming eligible for a super-max extension this summer, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said it wasn’t just about avoiding agent fees on his upcoming mega-deal, per Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman (Twitter link). “It wasn’t entirely that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I think, for myself, I wanna be a well-rounded human being. Not just a basketball player — a business man, a father, a husband. I want to check all the boxes. I think it would be a good experience for me to learn and get better in another area of life.”
- Trail Blazers big man Robert Williams, who is dealing with a left knee sprain, will remain inactive for the rest of the team’s road trip, which runs through next Friday in Oklahoma City, reports Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. Williams has been out since February 20 and hasn’t played in two consecutive games in over a month.
- Anthony Edwards‘ one-game suspension, which he served on Friday, will cost him $242,393, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That’s 1/174th of Edwards’ $42,176,400 salary for the season. The Timberwolves will receive a tax variance credit of $121,196, Marks adds, which projects to reduce their end-of-season tax bill by about $515K.
- Speaking to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker discussed the process of establishing himself as a reliable rotation player in Minnesota and brushed off a question about his upcoming unrestricted free agency. “Truthfully, the preparation is to let the time come when it comes and not get ahead of yourself,” Alexander-Walker said. “It’s something for me to learn now. The season’s not done. I’m still trying to win a championship. This organization has given me so much. So I want to continue to pour into the opportunity that I have and see what I can do with it.”
Players Waived After Saturday Won’t Be Playoff-Eligible
In order to retain his postseason eligibility for a new NBA team, a player must be waived on or before March 1. That means that any player who remains on an NBA roster after Saturday won’t be eligible to suit up in the playoffs for a new team, though there’s at least one key exception to that general rule.
A player who is currently on a 10-day contract – or a current free agent who signs one after March 1 – will retain his playoff eligibility going forward. For instance, once Lamar Stevens‘s 10-day deal with the Grizzlies expires on Sunday night, he’d still be able to re-sign with Memphis or join a new team and be eligible to play in the postseason, since he’s not being placed on waivers after March 1.
That rule applies even if a player has his 10-day contract terminated early, since that player becomes a free agent immediately without being required to pass through waivers.
Here’s the list of players on 10-day contracts that run through at least March 1 who will retain their playoff eligibility when their current deals expire:
- Moses Brown, Mavericks (runs through 3/1)
- Killian Hayes, Nets (3/1)
- Jaden Springer, Jazz (3/1)
- Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Cavaliers (3/1)
- Bismack Biyombo, Spurs (3/2)
- Lamar Stevens, Grizzlies (3/2)
- Jalen McDaniels, Wizards (3/3)
Kevin Knox (Warriors), Kevon Harris (Hawks), and Malachi Flynn (Hornets) are also reportedly set to sign 10-day contracts this weekend. They’re all playoff-eligible too.
Since it’s often a point of confusion, it’s worth clarifying that a player doesn’t have to sign with a new team by March 1 to be playoff-eligible — he simply can’t be placed on waivers after 11:59 pm Eastern time on Saturday.
For example, P.J. Tucker was waived by Toronto on Friday. As long as he signs with a new team by the final day of the regular season (April 13), he can play in the postseason (including play-in games). If he had been cut two days later, on Sunday, Tucker would have lost his postseason eligibility.
The buyout market in 2025 hasn’t been all that active, with Ben Simmons, Javonte Green, Torrey Craig, and Alex Len among the only veterans of note who have been waived and found new NBA teams in February.
All of those players – and those who have been waived but haven’t yet signed with new teams, such as Josh Richardson, Reggie Jackson, and Mohamed Bamba – will be playoff-eligible for their new clubs, but anyone on a standard or two-way contract who is waived after Saturday won’t be. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the NBA’s transaction wire over the next 24 hours to see who else might land on waivers before that deadline passes.
Moses Brown, T.J. Warren, Chuma Okeke On Knicks’ Radar
For the first time this season, the Knicks are in position to sign a 15th man. New York has been limited by a restrictive hard cap since acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns in October and currently has $540,127 in wiggle room below that second-apron cap, as we detailed earlier this month. As of Friday, a rest-of-season minimum-salary contract for a veteran free agent would carry a cap hit of $539,876.
The Knicks added a crucial piece to their active roster ahead of Friday’s game, with center Mitchell Robinson cleared to play for the first time this season following ankle surgery. But they didn’t make a free agent addition on Friday and are still weighing their options for that 15th spot.
According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), center Moses Brown, forward T.J. Warren, and forward Chuma Okeke are among the players on the Knicks’ radar for their final roster opening.
Warren and Okeke have long been viewed as candidates to become New York’s 15th man — both players were in camp with the team in the fall and have spent the season playing for the Westchester Knicks. They’re also both thriving at the G League level. Warren has averaged 24.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game on .492/.359/.836 shooting in 30 outings for Westchester, while Okeke has put up 17.0 PPG and 8.4 RPG with a .457/.365/.706 shooting line.
Brown is technically under contract with Dallas right now, but his 10-day deal expires on Saturday night. Because the Mavericks have even stricter hard cap constraints than the Knicks, they can’t complete another signing until April 10, meaning they won’t be able to immediately re-sign Brown once his current contract is up.
That could open the door for the Knicks or another team to sign the veteran big man, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds in a start for the Mavs on Thursday. Although New York got Robinson back on Friday, the team traded away Jericho Sims at this month’s deadline and saw rookie center Ariel Hukporti go down with a knee injury earlier in the week, so its frontcourt depth has taken a bit of a hit.
It’s worth noting that 10-day signings are an option for the Knicks if they don’t want to commit to a rest-of-season deal with so much time still left in the season. A 10-day contract would carry a cap charge of $119,972 and would allow the club to audition players or temporarily address holes on the roster while retaining late-season flexibility.
As cap expert Yossi Gozlan notes (via Begley at SNY.tv), not signing anyone on Friday means the Knicks will have enough room under their hard cap to complete a second signing before the end of the regular season if they so choose.
New York currently has 14 players under contract, so a second signing would require the team to waive one of the players on its standard roster. But if the Knicks, for example, want to have both Warren and Okeke on their playoff roster, they could sign one of them on Saturday and the other on the final day of the season, cutting a little-used player such as Delon Wright at that time. The later they complete one signing, the earlier they could make a second roster move.
Southwest Notes: Zion, Mavericks, Popovich, Spurs
With Brandon Ingram no longer on the roster and Dejounte Murray out with a long-term injury, Zion Williamson will have to shoulder more leadership responsibilities for the Pelicans both on and off the court, says William Guillory of The Athletic. While there have been questions in the past about Williamson’s conditioning habits and the way he has communicated with the organization, he has earned rave reviews for the work he has put in behind the scenes this season, according to Guillory.
“I feel like he’s been a lot more locked in. He’s been taking it really seriously. You see a different look in his eye,” teammate Trey Murphy said. “He’s just ready to build and keep building chemistry and figure out what we’re doing.”
The former No. 1 overall pick led New Orleans to its third straight win on Thursday by recording the first triple-double of his career, with 27 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds, as David Brandt of The Associated Press details. New Orleans outscored Phoenix by 17 points during Williamson’s 31 minutes on the court.
“It’s a reminder to the NBA, to the fans, to everybody,” Pelicans head coach Willie Green said after the victory. “This is who he can be, night in and night out. That’s what we’re all striving to accomplish as a group. We’re striving to get our best player on the floor.”
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has his work cut out for him with his top three big men injured, Moses Brown‘s 10-day contract close to expiring, Dwight Powell on a restriction of 10-12 minutes per game, and Kessler Edwards just 10 appearances away from his limit of 50 active games, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Brown – who had 20 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday’s win over Chicago – can’t be re-signed until April 10 once his 10-day deal expires due to Dallas’ hard cap situation, which will also prevent the team from promoting Edwards to the 15-man roster until the final week of the season.
- The Dallas Morning News staff takes a closer look at what we know so far about the possibility of a new arena for the Mavericks, including the city of Irving’s efforts to lure the Mavs out of Dallas.
- Appearing on ESPN’s NBA Today on Thursday (YouTube link), Shams Charania of ESPN provided a few more details on the first in-person meeting between Gregg Popovich and his players since the Spurs head coach suffered a stroke in the fall. Charania says that “tears were shed” during the meeting and notes that Popovich hasn’t given up hope of resuming his coaching career, even though he won’t be back this season.
Magic’s Jalen Suggs Out Indefinitely Due To Knee Injury
Magic guard Jalen Suggs, who has missed the past 14 games due to what the team referred to as a left quad contusion, has been ruled out indefinitely after undergoing additional testing and being diagnosed with a trochlea injury in his left knee, reports Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). The team has confirmed the news in a press release (Twitter link).
Suggs was experiencing discomfort during his return-to-play activities, according to Beede, which prompted the Magic to reevaluate the fourth-year guard and conduct an MRI. Those additional tests revealed the trochlea injury.
As Beede explains, the trochlea is “a groove in the lower end of the femur that guides the kneecap during knee movements.” When it’s damaged, it can cause pain, instability, and additional knee issues.
According to the team, a treatment plan is still being developed for Suggs, but the expectation is that he’ll make a full recovery.
Suggs has now missed 24 of the Magic’s past 25 games after also sitting out for 10 consecutive contests in January due to a low back strain. He has been limited to just 35 total outings this season and had averaged 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 28.6 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .410/.314/.882.
Although Suggs’ shooting numbers are underwhelming, the Magic have clearly missed having him in the backcourt. Besides being one of the team’s offensive engines, the 23-year-old is a major part of Orlando’s defense. He earned a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team last season, but won’t get a chance to repeat that feat this season, since he’ll fall short of the required 65-game minimum.
The Magic are 20-15 in games Suggs has played this season and just 9-17 without him. The club, which held a top-four spot in the East for most of the season through mid-January, has fallen to 29-32 as a result of its recent swoon and currently ranks seventh in the conference, which is in play-in territory.
Orlando is typically pretty vague about injury recovery timelines, so it may be a little while before we get a clear sense of when Suggs could return. He signed a five-year, $150MM rookie scale extension with the team last fall that will go into effect in 2025/26, so it’s safe to assume the Magic will take a cautious approach to his recovery process.
Rockets’ VanVleet Set To Return, Smith Moving To Bench
Barring a last-minute setback, Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet will return to action on Saturday against Sacramento, according to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).
VanVleet has missed Houston’s past 11 games due to what the team has referred to as a right ankle strain. The Rockets, who were 32-15 entering the month of February, lost the game in which VanVleet was injured and have gone just 5-6 in the games he has missed, so his return will be a welcome one.
Head coach Ime Udoka indicated on Friday that VanVleet will immediately reclaim his role as Houston’s starting point guard while Amen Thompson, who took over as the primary ball-handler in VanVleet’s absence, will continue to start in the team’s backcourt.
“Me and Amen have had a good synergy,” VanVleet said. “He’s always going to have ball-handling responsibility. We love him pushing the break, getting us into offense. I thought we started to see that when we had a stretch in January when he jumped into the starting lineup. Yeah, we got to keep pushing, getting ready for coming April. We got to get back to playing at the level that we know we’re capable of.”
Thompson first entered the starting lineup in early January when forward Jabari Smith Jr. went down with a fractured hand. Smith, a starter in 190 of 192 career games since being drafted third overall by Houston in 2022, will come off the bench with VanVleet back in action, per Udoka.
While Udoka remains open to making lineup adjustments as needed, his new starting five beginning on Saturday will be VanVleet, Thompson, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun.
“We still have some back-to-backs and time to figure out permanently, but when we’re whole, that’s what it will look like,” Udoka said. “… We still have some fluidity as far as lineups, and obviously the guys that can’t play back-to-backs factor into that. So yeah, continuity with the group that we have played well with, and just take a look at different things and what (Smith) brings us off the bench. And so nothing crazy. And as always, it’s more important who finishes.”
As Lerner relays, Udoka said that Smith was understanding of the decision to move him to the second unit and that he’ll still play a significant role for the club. The third-year forward came off the bench twice in the past week upon returning from his hand injury and played 38 and 33 minutes in those games.
Smith told reporters on Friday that he’s simply happy the Rockets’ veteran leader is ready to return.
“He brings a lot: leadership, a little bit of control out there. We get a little hectic without him,” Smith said of VanVleet. “He’s a great defender, another great three-point shooter to the lineup. He does a lot for us, does everything for us, honestly. So it’s good to have him back.”