JaVale McGee Joining Team In Puerto Rico
Veteran NBA center JaVale McGee is joining Vaqueros de Bayamón, the Puerto Rican team announced today on social media (Instagram links; hat tip to Sportando).
McGee, who turned 37 earlier this month, appeared in 909 NBA regular season games from 2008-24, spending time with nine different teams across 16 seasons in the league. He’s a three-time NBA champion, having won titles with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018 and the Lakers in 2020, and also won gold with Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
McGee spent last season with the Kings, averaging 4.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per game across 46 appearances off the bench. However, he didn’t catch on with an NBA team for the 2024/25 season and has been a free agent since his deal with Sacramento expired at the end of June.
McGee is the second longtime NBA contributor to reach a deal with Vaqueros de Bayamón in recent weeks. The team also agreed to terms with forward Danilo Gallinari earlier in January. It will be a reunion for McGee and Gallinari, who were teammates in Denver from 2012-15.
Gallinari’s deal with the Puerto Rican club reportedly includes the ability to opt out in the event that he gets another NBA opportunity this season — it’s unclear if McGee’s agreement will include the same language.
Trade Rumors: Butler, Pelicans, Fox, Spurs, Yabusele, Wolves, Bogdanovic
Addressing a Friday report that stated the Pelicans have contacted Miami about Jimmy Butler, John Gambadoro of Arizona 98.7 tweets that New Orleans has “no interest” in trading for the Heat forward.
Butler doesn’t want to go to New Orleans and the Pelicans would be hard-pressed to add him in a swap involving Brandon Ingram without increasing their team salary, which they don’t want to do, Gambadoro notes (via Twitter), adding that he believes the Heat or Butler’s agent are using the Pelicans for leverage.
For what it’s worth, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line – who initially co-reported the Pelicans/Heat discussions along with Marc Stein – said in a Bleacher Report stream on Friday (video link) that while the two teams have talked, he doesn’t think Butler ending up in New Orleans “sounds likely at all.”
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- Despite some chatter from local media in San Antonio about the Spurs potentially gaining momentum toward a De’Aaron Fox trade, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) hears from a source with knowledge of the situation that “all is quiet as of now” and that no deal involving the Kings star appears imminent. If the Spurs do make a deal for Fox, it’s unlikely to include Stephon Castle, according to plugged-in Sacramento reporter Damien Barling of ESPN 1320 (Twitter link), who says indications are that San Antonio won’t be willing to give up the rookie guard.
- In another story for The Stein Line (Substack link), Fischer adds the Timberwolves to the list of teams that have inquired on Sixers big man Guerschon Yabusele. Philadelphia has received offers that include multiple second-round picks for Yabusele, according to Fischer.
- After Stein reported on Thursday that the Hawks are actively exploring potential Bogdan Bogdanovic trades, Fischer follows up (Substack link) by citing momentum toward a deal, with confidence rising in Atlanta that a deal will get down. However, both Stein and Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link) dispute that a deal with the Suns involving Jusuf Nurkic is among the options currently under consideration.
Injury Notes: Nets, Quickley, Craig, Wolves, Davis
The banged-up Nets, who have seven players listed as out for Saturday’s matchup with Houston, provided updates on a handful of their injured regulars on Friday, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype relays (via Twitter).
Guard Cam Thomas, who has been unavailable since January 2 due to a left hamstring strain, is expected to make his return shortly after February’s All-Star break, per the Nets. Big man Noah Clowney will also likely remain on the shelf through the All-Star break after being diagnosed with a left ankle sprain.
Forward Cameron Johnson, meanwhile, is still day-to-day with the right ankle sprain that has cost him the past four games. He won’t play on Saturday.
The injury news in Brooklyn isn’t all bad. After leaving Wednesday’s game with left hamstring tightness, center Day’Ron Sharpe isn’t on the injury report for Saturday. Neither is forward Trendon Watford, who made his return on Wednesday after missing 21 consecutive contests while recovering from a left hamstring strain.
“It was good,” Watford said of his first game back (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post). “I’m just glad to be back out there with the guys, back playing basketball. Missing 21 games, I’ve been missing it ever since I left the game in Cleveland. It was great to be back.”
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley will be active on Friday vs. the Bulls after missing eight games due to a right hip strain, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. It was the third extended injury absence of 2024/25 for Quickley, who is appearing in just his 10th game of the season and will be on a minutes restriction against Chicago, Lewenberg adds.
- Bulls wing Torrey Craig will be inactive for a 15th consecutive game on Friday due to a right ankle sprain, but he appears to be nearing a return — he participated in shootaround today, per head coach Billy Donovan (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago).
- Timberwolves forward Julius Randle will miss his first game of the season on Saturday, having been ruled out vs. Washington due to a right groin strain, according to the team (Twitter link). However, Minnesota did pass along more positive injury news, announcing that rookie Terrence Shannon has been cleared for full-contact 5-on-5 activities and is being listed as questionable to play on Saturday (Twitter link). Shannon, who sustained a right mid-foot sprain while on a G League assignment, last saw the court for the NBA club on December 23.
- According to Lakers head coach J.J. Redick, the team isn’t expecting an extended absence for Anthony Davis, who was ruled out for at least a week due to an abdominal strain. Redick is hopeful Davis will be back in action at some point next week, per Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (Twitter link).
NBA Names Four Replacements For Rising Stars Event
Three second-year players and one rookie have been named replacements for the Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend in San Francisco, according to the NBA. The league issued a press release announcing the following changes:
- Magic guard Anthony Black is replacing Mavericks center Dereck Lively.
- Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara is replacing Hornets forward Brandon Miller.
- Pistons swingman Ausar Thompson is replacing Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama.
- Suns wing Ryan Dunn is replacing Sixers guard Jared McCain.
We noted when the Rising Stars participants were officially revealed on Tuesday that a few replacements would be necessary. Lively is sidelined for an extended period due to a stress fracture in his ankle, while Miller and McCain underwent season-ending procedures on their right wrist and left knee, respectively.
Wembanyama is healthy, but was selected as an All-Star reserve for the Western Conference. Players who are named All-Stars don’t take part in the Rising Stars event.
Black, Camara, Thompson, and Dunn will be included in the 21-player pool of NBA rookies and sophomores who will be drafted into three teams of seven players apiece on February 4. Those three teams, along with a fourth club made up of seven G League standouts, will compete a mini-tournament on Friday, February 14 as part of All-Star weekend’s opening night.
The squad that wins the Rising Stars event will advance to All-Star Sunday and take on one of three teams made up of NBA All-Stars in the semifinals of the new-look All-Star Game.
Mavs’ Dante Exum To Make Season Debut On Friday
4:36 pm: Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd confirmed that Exum will be available on Friday to make his season debut, tweets Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. Exum will be on a 15-minute limit, according to Kidd.
4:26 pm: Mavericks point guard Dante Exum, who has missed the first 48 games of the season while recovering from surgery on his right wrist, appears set to make his season debut on Friday, reports NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link).
Exum is officially listed as questionable to play in Detroit on Friday night, so the Mavs themselves have yet to confirm he’s been cleared to return. But Stein’s reporting suggests he’s on track to suit up, barring any last-minute setbacks.
The expectation is that Exum will play limited minutes, Stein adds. Still, there could be a path to an immediate role for the former No. 5 overall pick, given Dallas’ injury woes — Luka Doncic (left calf strain), Dereck Lively (right ankle stress fracture), Dwight Powell (right hip strain), and Maxi Kleber, who underwent surgery this week to repair a right foot fracture, according to a team press release, are all sidelined.
Exum, who returned to the NBA last season after spending two years overseas, was a valuable role player for the Western Conference champions, averaging 7.8 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game across 55 appearances (17 starts). He posted a .533/.491/.779 shooting line and was one of the team’s best point-of-attack defenders.
He spoke on Wednesday about the long recovery from his wrist injury, as Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com relays.
“I think it would have been a lot easier if it was my left hand,” Exum said. “But it being my shooting hand and having to get the touch and the shooting form back, obviously, made it a little bit tougher.
“… It was hard for me to see everyone out there playing. And then with the season going on and seeing guys go down and having less and less bodies on particular nights, wishing I could just be out there to help for five or 10 minutes. It’s been tough. But being around the guys and everyone stayed connected. I can’t wait to get back on the court.”
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 1/31/2025
Hoops Rumors held a live chat on Friday at 1:00 pm Central time (2:00 pm Eastern) to discuss all the latest trade rumors and possibilities ahead of next Thursday’s deadline.
Northwest Notes: Braun, Gordon, SGA, Jazz, Avdija, Camara
After bringing forward Aaron Gordon off the bench in his first eight games back from a calf strain, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone reinserted Gordon into the starting lineup on Wednesday vs. New York.
Rather than replacing Russell Westbrook, who was a reserve for the first couple months of the season, Gordon supplanted third-year guard Christian Braun, who had started each of his first 45 games of 2024/25 and just set a personal career high with 28 points on Monday.
“Never an easy decision. Christian Braun has been great for us this year. Not good. He’s been great,” Malone said after the game, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “And he’s done everything that’s been asked of him.
“But I just like keeping Russell out there. I think the Russ-and-Nikola (Jokic) dynamic is the best two-man combination in the NBA right now, and I didn’t want to disrupt their rhythm. Knowing that CB, whether he comes off the bench and plays 29 minutes like he did tonight, or he starts, he’s going to give us the same thing every night. We need that. … I applaud CB’s understanding of what we’re trying to do.”
Braun had 13 points of 4-of-8 shooting in his first game as a reserve. He was a team-worst minus-18, though that could be at least partially attributed to the fact that the Nuggets’ rotation were thrown for a loop early in the game when Jokic picked up two quick fouls and was replaced by Braun. The 23-year-old told reporters, including Durando, that he’s willing to do “whatever I’m called to do” by the team and earned praise from Malone for how he handled the move.
“Was he celebrating? Was he shaking his pom-poms? No, of course,” Malone said. “He’s a competitor. He wants to be out there. He wants to start. But what you love about Christian Braun is he’s going to do whatever you ask him to do, and whatever is best for the team.”
Malone added that the lineup change isn’t necessarily permanent.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- After not reaching the 50-point mark in any of his first 427 NBA regular season games, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has done it twice in his past four outings. One week after he scored 54 points in a win over Utah, the star guard poured in 52 against Golden State on Wednesday, but it wasn’t enough to get the Thunder a victory, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes. “It sucks. Me personally, I play to win,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Winning comes first and foremost, and if I don’t win, I am not satisfied. So maybe my 52 points tonight wasn’t in the best interest of the team.”
- The Jazz‘s decision to elevate Isaiah Collier to the starting lineup and move Keyonte George to the bench was less about rewarding Collier for his play so far this season and more about sending a “wake-up call” to George, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. George has continued to play a significant role as part of Utah’s second unit, averaging 32.0 minutes per game in his first three appearances as a reserve.
- Forwards Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara have been the Trail Blazers‘ two best players for much of the season and have established themselves as long-term building blocks, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Substack link), who says the duo’s strong play has been one of the brightest spots in another lottery-bound season in Portland.
- While Camara has improved his scoring numbers this season (10.0 points per game with a .349 3PT%), his defense is his calling card. Jason Quick of The Athletic takes a closer look at Camara’s impact on that side of the ball, speaking to several of his opponents about what they see in the young Trail Blazers forward. “He’s a dog, for real!” Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan said of Camara. “I just love the way he picks up full court. He doesn’t give a f–k who he is guarding. He just wants to play defense, and you don’t really see that often here in the NBA anymore.”
Adam Silver: I’m ‘A Fan’ Of 10-Minute Quarters
Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday (Twitter video link), NBA commissioner Adam Silver was asked to describe the “wildest” rule change the league has considered. After briefly mentioning the idea of awarding two free throws for a foul on a three-point shot, Silver pivoted to another topic.
“Something else that I’m a fan of, and I’m probably in the minority, as we get more involved in global basketball: The NBA is the only league that plays 48 minutes,” Silver said. “I would be – I am – a fan of four 10-minute quarters. I’m not sure that many others are.
“Putting aside what it means for records and things like that, I think that a two-hour format for a game is more consistent with modern television habits. People in arenas aren’t asking us to shorten the game. But I think as a television program, being two hours — that’s Olympic basketball. College basketball, of course, is 40 minutes.”
Silver stressed that the idea of making “such a dramatic change” isn’t something the NBA is seriously considering at this point and would have to be “talked more about over time.”
However, he pointed to recent Major League Baseball rule updates, such as adding a pitch clock and changing the size of the bases, as examples of how a league rooted in tradition must be willing to consider tweaks for the sake of modernization.
“I’ve used (those MLB rule changes) in meetings at the NBA to say if baseball, which is more locked into tradition than any other sport — and I don’t mean that negatively; part of what baseball provides is the tradition, the legacy,” Silver said. “If they’re able to make those changes, certainly we shouldn’t be afraid to look at changes as well.”
After Silver and Patrick spent a couple minutes talking about other subjects, including Patrick’s ideas about the three-point line, the NBA commissioner circled back to the idea of 10-minute quarters.
“Because this game is so global, one of the things we’d like to see over time is creating a more consistent set of rules globally around the game,” Silver said. “… The U.S./Serbia, U.S./France (games at the 2024 Olympics), people who are basketball fans are saying those are two of the best games they ever saw.
“Incidentally, if you went to a 40-minute game, with the issues around load management and resting, it would be the equivalent of – I don’t know the exact math – taking 15 games off the season. And I don’t think most fans would be disappointed if it was a two-hour presentation.”
Silver’s remarks sparked plenty of debate on social media on Wednesday, with the conversation eventually reaching NBA locker rooms. As Stefan Bondy of The New York Post writes, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone and Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau were asked about the concept of 40-minute games ahead of their matchup on Wednesday night. Both coaches were firmly opposed to the idea.
“I hope we don’t go to 10-minute quarters,” Malone said. “I hope we don’t go to the four-point line. I hope we don’t become Barnum & Bailey where we’re just having to do whatever we have to do to keep viewership. Because there is a history and greatness to this game. And a purity to this game and I hope we can find a way to stay true to that.”
“I’m probably more traditional so I’d hate to see that,” Thibodeau added. “That’s just a personal (opinion). I haven’t really thought about it just because of the records and things of that nature. I think we have a great game. I think what people want to see is competition.”
Warriors Rumors: LaVine, Butler, 2025 Pick, Vucevic, Tax
Having reported at the start of the month that the Warriors were unlikely to pursue Heat star Jimmy Butler, Anthony Slater of Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic reiterate that there was “zero push” at any level of the organization to go after Butler at that time due to concerns about the price and his fit.
However, Slater and Thompson confirm that Golden State has some renewed interest in the 35-year-old now that Miami’s asking price has dropped, though they caution that team sources have downplayed the Warriors’ involvement in the Butler sweepstakes.
The drama Butler has caused in Miami is “not lost on this locker room” in Golden State, according to The Athletic’s reporters, who say that Bulls guard Zach LaVine might be of more interest to the Warriors if the front office decides to make a run at a maximum-salary player.
LaVine is several years younger than Butler and his cap hit is a few million dollars lower. There’s also a sense that he’d be a good culture fit and a belief that the Warriors need a second legitimate scoring threat to complement Stephen Curry, Slater and Thompson write.
On the other hand, LaVine’s longer-term contract and history of health issues make him a risk, and the Warriors have concerns about what they’d have to give up to match salaries for a player like LaVine or Butler. Andrew Wiggins ($26.3MM), an important two-way contributor, would likely have to be involved, and potential trade chips on expiring contracts like Gary Payton II ($9.1MM) and Kevon Looney ($8MM) have been valuable locker-room presences, per The Athletic.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Golden State is willing to move a protected form of its 2025 first-round pick in the right deal, according to Slater and Thompson, who hear from league sources that the Warriors aren’t enamored with the prospects expected to be on the board in the second half of the first round. Moving a lottery-protected 2025 first-rounder would allow Golden State to either convey the pick in June and then dangle future first-rounders (starting with 2026) during the offseason or – if the ’25 pick lands in the top 14 – give the front office a valuable asset in a top-heavy draft to use or trade this summer.
- Although it’s not their top priority, the Warriors are mulling the idea of acquiring a stretch center, The Athletic’s duo says. Bulls center Nikola Vucevic is viewed as a “secondary” target, with varying opinions within the organization about how much he’d help. For what it’s worth, Vucevic considers Golden State a desirable landing spot if Chicago trades him, per Slater and Thompson.
- Ducking out of luxury tax territory this season isn’t mandatory, with the Warriors prioritizing present and future on-court improvements, team sources tell The Athletic. If the club ends up getting out of the tax as a result of a trade, it would be viewed as an “added benefit.” Golden State is currently operating nearly $6MM over the tax line.
Trade Rumors: Butler, George, Lakers, Kessler, Turner, Raptors
Within a look at the clubs who could potentially get involved in a multi-team Jimmy Butler trade, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel adds the Sixers to the list of possible facilitators.
Given the contracts on their books, it’s hard to see how the 76ers could realistically get involved unless Paul George is an outgoing piece, since Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey aren’t going anywhere, no one else on the roster makes more than $8.2MM, and the club isn’t well positioned to absorb salary.
For what it’s worth, Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter video link) recently broached the possibility of Philadelphia reacquiring Butler in a deal that sends out George, noting that Embiid had interest in the idea of reuniting with Butler before the Sixers signed George.
However, Goodwill added that the Sixers told George they wouldn’t trade him in the first year of the four-year contract he signed in July. Even if they were willing to do so, I think George’s value has probably taken a significant hit since the summer based on how the first half of the season played out, so I’m skeptical about how much interest the Heat or another team would have in taking on his long-term max deal.
Here are a few more trade rumors and notes from around the NBA:
- On the heels of Anthony Davis declaring publicly that he thinks the Lakers need to add another big man, the team has made acquiring a center an even greater priority, team and league sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic. With that in mind, Buha runs through a number of targets who might make sense for Los Angeles, starting with Jazz center Walker Kessler. Buha views Kessler as an ideal fit in L.A. and advocates for the Lakers to aggressively pursue him, noting that the cost would likely be two first-round picks or an unprotected first-rounder and rookie Dalton Knecht.
- Within the same Athletic article, Buha writes that the Lakers have “long coveted” Pacers big man Myles Turner and explains that some people view Turner as “sneakily gettable” because it’s unclear whether Indiana is prepared to pay him $30MM per year in free agency. Still, even if he’s available, acquiring Turner would be challenging, given that other teams would have interest and the postseason-bound Pacers would likely want a starting-caliber center in return, Buha adds.
- Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required) takes a closer look at the Turner dilemma facing the Pacers, breaking down the case for keeping and re-signing him and the case for trading him.
- Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link) suggests not reading too much into the report linking the Raptors to Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram. As Lewenberg explains, Toronto always does its due diligence when a star player becomes available and is likely doing the same with Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the team is serious about acquiring either player.