Scotto’s Latest: Markkanen, Hornets, Murphy, Walker, Kuminga, More
Utah will send its 2026 first-round pick to Oklahoma City if it lands outside the top eight, and if the season ended today, the 10-15 Jazz would have the NBA’s 10th-worst record, making their first-rounder likely to change hands. Given that context, executives around the league are wondering if Utah’s front office will be active on the trade market in the hopes of weakening the roster in the short term and ensuring the club keeps that pick, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
However, according to Scotto, the Jazz continue to signal that they want to build around forward Lauri Markkanen, despite trade interest in the star forward. In the past, rival execs have viewed the Pistons, Spurs, and Grizzlies as potential suitors for Markkanen if he’s made available, Scotto notes.
As for Utah’s plans beyond this season, the team hopes to use its 2026 cap room to improve its roster, either via free agency or the trade market, Scotto writes. Retaining Walker Kessler still appears to be a priority too — the Jazz turned down a trade offer for Kessler from the Lakers similar to the one L.A. made for Mark Williams, sources tell HoopsHype. The Jazz could carry a cap hold of about $14.6MM for Kessler next summer before going over the cap to re-sign him at a starting salary higher than that.
Here’s more from Scotto:
- The Hornets are hoping to get an extended look at their roster with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, and Miles Bridges all healthy and available. Still, Scotto hears that Miller’s inconsistent availability has executives around the NBA wondering if the former No. 2 overall pick might not be as untouchable in trade discussions as he once was.
- The Warriors and Trail Blazers are among the teams who are high on Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III, but rival executives believe Golden State would prioritize making a run at Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo before giving up significant assets to land Murphy, Scotto writes. There’s also still plenty of skepticism that New Orleans would part with Murphy at all, with some execs speculating that it might take a package similar to what Memphis got for Desmond Bane.
- Following up on his previous report stating that the Pacers are among the teams with interest in Keon Ellis, Scotto notes that Indiana forward Jarace Walker came up in trade discussions with the Kings. However, Scotto cautions that it’s unclear which team brought up Walker’s name in those talks that he describes as “exploratory.”
- Checking in on Jonathan Kuminga, Scotto says the Kings continue to monitor the Warriors forward, but confirms that the Suns‘ interest level has decreased and that the Nets were never all that interested. The Pelicans have also been linked to Kuminga in the past, but it’s unclear whether they have interest now, Scotto adds.
- Partizan Belgrade, the Serbian team recently linked to Malik Beasley, has also expressed interest in free agent point guard Cameron Payne, sources tell HoopsHype. As for Beasley, he has also drawn interest from Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the EuroLeague, as well as the Chinese Basketball Association teams Liaoning, Guangdong, and Shanxi, per Scotto.
Lakers’ Gabe Vincent Out At Least One Week
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent has been diagnosed with lower back tightness and will be reevaluated in approximately one week, the team announced today (Twitter link via Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times).
That timeline suggests that Vincent will be sidelined for at least Los Angeles’ upcoming three road games against the Jazz (Thursday), Clippers (Saturday), and Suns (Tuesday). His availability for the Christmas Day matchup with Houston is also up in the air.
Vincent, who joined the Lakers as a free agent in 2023, missed most of his first season with the team due to a knee injury, but established himself as a consistent part of the rotation in 2024/25 and is playing regularly again this fall. In 14 appearances (six starts), he has averaged 4.7 points and 1.4 assists in 21.5 minutes per game, with a .350/.362/1.000 shooting line.
This will be Vincent’s second extended injury absence of the season. He also missed 11 consecutive games in October and November due to a sprained ankle.
With Vincent unavailable and Austin Reaves still out due to a calf strain, the Lakers will likely lean more heavily on guards Luka Doncic and Marcus Smart, with two-way guard Nick Smith Jr. among the candidates for an increased role off the bench.
Hawks Notes: Young, Porzingis, Draft, Jones
Rival executives who have spoken to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype believe that Hawks guard Trae Young may end up having to exercise his $49MM player option for the 2026/27 season.
Young has the ability to reach unrestricted free agency by declining that option next summer. He could also sign an extension with the Hawks at any time that eliminates the option and replaces it with a new contract. However, Atlanta hasn’t pursued a deal with Young to this point and the veteran point guard has been limited to five appearances so far this season due to a knee injury.
Young appears to be on the verge of returning to action, and the Hawks are looking forward to seeing him play with the current group to assess what they have, Scotto writes. A strong finish to the season would put the 27-year-old in a better position to opt out next summer in search of a long-term deal.
Here’s more on the Hawks:
- Although his availability has been inconsistent due to ongoing health issues, Kristaps Porzingis is still considered a valuable trade chip due to his $30.7MM expiring contract, according to Scotto, who confirms that Atlanta is expected to gauge the market for Porzingis in search of a possible upgrade. The Hawks reportedly have an eye on Anthony Davis, but their interest is described as “exploratory,” as we relayed earlier today.
- If no appealing options materialize on the trade market, the Hawks would be content to continue developing their young core this season and adding to that core in June with what figures to be a high draft pick, Scotto writes. Confirming previous reporting from Jake Fischer, Scotto adds that Atlanta isn’t expected to seriously consider moving that 2026 first-rounder, which will be the most favorable of the Pelicans’ and Bucks’ picks.
- Lester Jones, who formerly served as the Hawks’ senior vice president of financial planning and analysis, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one federal count of wire fraud, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Prosecutors said that Jones embezzled $3.8MM from the team and attempted to cover it up by falsifying financial reports and faking emails. He’s scheduled to be sentenced in March.
Raptors Rumors: Davis, Sabonis, Barrett, Ball, Richards, More
Discussing the potential Anthony Davis trade market during an appearance on the DLLS Mavs podcast (Twitter video link via Omer Osman), NBA insider Marc Stein suggested that of the three Eastern Conference teams linked to the Mavericks big man, the Raptors seem to have expressed the most real interest.
“Toronto has definitely registered interest,” Stein said. “That is for certain. The Hawks, I think, it is more exploratory. … And I think (the Pistons‘) interest has been vastly overstated.”
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype also used the word “exploratory” to describe Atlanta’s potential interest in Davis and suggested that Detroit doesn’t seem especially inclined to make a big in-season splash on the trade market.
However, that doesn’t mean the Raptors are on track to make a deal for the 10-time All-Star. Toronto has other possible targets on its radar, and the Mavericks aren’t committed to making a move involving Davis. As Scotto writes, Dallas is in the process of evaluating AD’s fit with Cooper Flagg, his health, and his impact on winning with the current Mavs roster.
Confirming a Jake Fischer report, Scotto says Domantas Sabonis is another player whom the Raptors have been intrigued by, adding that Toronto expressed exploratory interest in the Kings center over the summer.
While it doesn’t seem like the two teams are engaged in discussions regarding Sabonis at this time, Scotto points out that Sacramento general manager Scott Perry drafted RJ Barrett during his time in the Knicks’ front office and is still “fond” of him. In other words, if the Raptors do circle back to Sabonis at some point, Barrett would be a player to watch in those talks. Toronto has gauged the market on Barrett’s value, sources tell HoopsHype.
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Toronto checked in on the availability of Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball during the offseason, according to Scotto. There’s no indication those conversations went anywhere or that Charlotte is currently looking to move Ball, but Immanuel Quickley would be a logical outgoing piece in any Raptors deal for a higher-paid point guard.
- The Raptors and Suns have engaged in exploratory discussions about the possibility of a deal that would send wing Ochai Agbaji and second-round draft compensation to Phoenix in exchange for center Nick Richards, Scotto reports. That sort of deal would allow Toronto to fortify its frontcourt while sneaking below the tax line and would allow the Suns to replenish their depleted draft assets a little. However, it would also push Phoenix further into tax territory and it’s unclear if Agbaji would appeal much to the Suns, who are more focused on a power forward upgrade, per Scotto.
- Scotto spoke to Raptors forward Brandon Ingram about his transition to Toronto, playing with star forward Scottie Barnes, and a handful of other topics, including why he felt comfortable signing a three-year, $120MM extension with his new team before he had played a single game as a Raptor. “I told myself whoever wanted me, that I was going to be content in being there,” Ingram said. “Around the (2025) trade deadline, I heard two or three teams (had interest), and I picked the best choice where I knew I was going to get a fresh start.”
Pacific Notes: Brooks, LeBron, Maluach, Harden
The Suns were a +12 when Dillon Brooks was on the floor in Sunday’s game vs. the Lakers, but were without him in the decisive final seconds of the fourth quarter after he received his second technical foul and was ejected from the game. It was his first ejection since joining the Suns and was a reminder of an important lesson, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic.
“How to stay in the game and be able to affect the game when I’m in the game,” Brooks said of that lesson. “That’s my problem through my whole career, is I let those things happen and then I’m off the floor. Then at the end of the day, how much people hate on me and say I’m not a good player and all that, but when I’m on the floor it changes the whole game.”
Brooks went back and forth with LeBron James during Sunday’s game. The Lakers star received a technical foul in the third quarter for aggressively trying to confront the Suns forward after he felt Brooks intentionally batted the ball at him, then Brooks was hit with his second technical foul with 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter after chest-bumping James.
Speaking on Wednesday, Brooks said that James received “a lot of special treatment” and added that he wasn’t sure what LeBron was upset about during that third quarter incident.
“I guess he’s a social-media junkie,” Brooks said. “He be all over the socials, so he be seeing I guess what I’m saying. … Like I’ve (said) he thinks that people should think a way about him or not say nothing about him or play a certain way, and I’m not going to play that way. He gets in his moods or in his modes or whatever it is. I’m all for that.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- With James’ statistics down across the board through his first nine games this season, Zach Kram of ESPN considers whether Father Time has caught up with the 40-year-old, evaluates whether the Lakers forward has permanently adjusted his playing style, and explores the lineups the team is using with its big three of James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves. The Lakers have a -5.1 net rating in 132 minutes with that trio on the floor together, despite the fact that Doncic and Reaves have a +8.6 mark in their 442 minutes sharing the court.
- Suns lottery pick Khaman Maluach has barely played at the NBA level so far this season, logging just 59 total minutes in 12 appearances off the bench. However, the rookie big man is making an impact in the G League, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Maluach has four straight double-doubles for the Valley Suns and is averaging 19.8 points and 15.3 rebounds per game during that stretch. “It’s been great,” Maluach said of his G League experience. “It’s been going good for me, especially at this stage of my development. I need that. I need the reps, the G League reps. It’s great to go down there and just be able to get on the floor, run, get up and down, and get better now. I get to get film and watch film and watch what to work on because sometimes, some stuff doesn’t really show in practice. It can only show during the games.”
- Clippers guard James Harden has been ruled out for the team’s matchup with Oklahoma City on Thursday due to a left calf contusion, tweets Joey Linn of SI. Harden appeared to be affected by the calf issue in Monday’s loss to Memphis, as he scored just 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting. His status for Saturday’s game against the Lakers is up in the air, Linn adds.
Laurene Powell Jobs Selling Stake In Wizards’ Parent Company
Billionaire executive Laurene Powell Jobs is selling her stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the Wizards‘ parent company, according to Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico.
Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, has deals in place with two separate buyers. One is Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), a Qatari sovereign wealth fund, while the other is Arctos Partners, a private equity firm.
It’s unclear what percentage of Monumental Sports & Entertainment each of those two buyers will take on in their respective transactions, per Soshnick and Novy-Williams. Powell Jobs reportedly assumed control of about 20% of the company when she bought in back in 2017, but she sold part of her stake in 2022.
According to Sportico, the enterprise is being valued at $7.2 billion in the sale. To be clear, that valuation doesn’t just apply to the Wizards, but to the entirety of Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s holdings — the company also controls the NHL’s Washington Capitals and the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, as well as Capital One Arena and Monumental Sports Network.
When Sportico published its latest NBA franchise valuations in October, the Wizards came in at $4.78 billion, making the NBA franchise the most valuable asset in Monumental’s portfolio.
QIA previously bought a 5% stake in Monumental in 2023, according to Soshnick and Novy-Williams, who note that the deal made the group the first sovereign wealth fund to directly invest in a major U.S. sports team. Arctos, meanwhile, has stakes in several franchises across U.S. sports, including the Warriors.
Ted Leonsis remains the controlling owner of Monumental and the Wizards. Other minority shareholders, per Sportico, include billionaire Jeffrey Skoll entrepreneur, BET co-founder Sheila Johnson and Washington Nationals owner Mark Lerner.
Nuggets Notes: Brown, Valanciunas, Watson, Jones, Strawther
With several players missing due to injuries and both of their centers on the sidelines after having fouled out, the Nuggets relied on their depth to secure a 128-125 overtime win over Houston on Monday. Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., and second-year forward Spencer Jones joined Jamal Murray and Cameron Johnson in Denver’s closing lineup.
“This is why they brought all of us in this summer, right?” Brown said after the victory, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required). “For this exact situation. People go down. You never really have a season when everyone is just fully healthy for 82 games.”
Brown and Hardaway, who both rank among the Nuggets’ top six players in total minutes so far this season, signed minimum-salary contracts with the team as free agents over the summer. The other major offseason depth addition was center Jonas Valanciunas, who fouled out on Monday but has been an important rotation piece in his role as Nikola Jokic‘s backup this fall, Durando writes in another Denver Post story.
As Durando observes, Valanciunas has already appeared in more games (25) than the player for whom he was traded (Dario Saric) played last season (16). And while he’s only averaging 12.8 minutes per game, the veteran big man has made the most of his limited role, with 8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per night. The Nuggets are still being outscored with Jokic off the floor, but their net rating when the three-time MVP is on the bench (-1.2) is the best it has been since 2020/21 by a significant margin.
Here’s more on the Nuggets:
- With Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun out, the Nuggets haven’t missed a beat offensively, largely due to the way that role players like Jones and Peyton Watson have stepped up, Durando writes for The Denver Post. Watson has averaged 14.2 points per game on .529/.429/.694 shooting as a starter, while Jones has put up 8.2 PPG on .564/.448/.583 shooting in that role. The Nuggets’ lineup with those two alongside Jokic, Murray, and Johnson has a +19.4 net rating and a staggering 136.9 offensive rating in 143 minutes. “I did not expect us to score the ball like we have,” head coach David Adelman admitted. Both Watson and Jones will be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end.
- Watson exited Monday’s game due to what the team referred to as a right trunk contusion. “It was bone on bone,” Adelman said after the win (Twitter link via Durando). “… It could be totally fine tomorrow. But it hurt him. It was one of those stingers that he just couldn’t get himself warmed up again. … Nothing long-term as far as I understand. Just probably a bone bruise.” Watson told Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link) on Tuesday that he was kneed in between the hip and rib areas and that it hurts to do things like laugh and cough, but he has no structural damage.
- Nuggets wing Julian Strawther was available to play on Monday after being inactive for 12 consecutive games due to a back injury (Twitter link via Benedetto). However, he was a DNP-CD. Strawther has averaged just 7.9 minutes per game in nine outings so far this season after playing 21.3 MPG in 65 games in 2024/25.
Southwest Notes: Poole, Flagg, Wembanyama, Spurs
After losing 22 of their first 25 games, the Pelicans are 2-0 since Jordan Poole returned from a quad strain. Poole, whose 18-game injury absence was the longest of his NBA career, admitted it was difficult to be patient during his recovery and rehab process, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscription required).
“It’s one of those things where no matter what I did or no matter what treatment or recovery work that I did, the injury itself just needed time,” Poole said. “I was basically doing 24 hours around the clock of treatment and recovery trying to make the most of the opportunity of having time off. But also pushing myself that when I come back, I’m able to make an impact.”
Poole came off the bench last Thursday vs. Portland and on Sunday in Chicago, but he was an important contributor in both games, scoring a total of 38 points and handing out seven assists. New Orleans outscored the Trail Blazers and Bulls by 19 points in his 53 minutes on the court.
Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego referred to Poole as a “savvy scorer” and lauded him for his ability to keep “constant pressure” on opposing defenses.
“I think just his overall impact on the game is tremendous,” Borrego said. “He can go on a big run by himself. He can turn a two-point game into a six-point or eight-point game quickly on both ends of the floor. He’s coming with the right mentality. He’s not trying to force it. He’s trying to play within our system and be a team guy and that’s what we need.”
We have more from around the Southwest Division:
- No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg continues to look more comfortable in his first NBA season, writes Christian Clark of The Athletic. On Monday, the Mavericks forward became the first 18-year-old in league history to score at least 40 points in a game, as he racked up 42 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in an overtime loss to Utah. Flagg will celebrate his 19th birthday this Sunday.
- Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama was playing with a heavy heart on Tuesday in the NBA Cup final vs. New York. As Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required) writes, Wembanyama’s grandmother passed away on Tuesday morning. The 21-year-old told reporters during his post-game media session that he “just lost somebody today” and – after taking two questions – made an early exit alongside a team staffer.
- Could a deep run in the NBA Cup be a precursor to a deep run in the playoffs? Given that the Pacers made a conference finals and then an NBA Finals after losing the 2023 NBA Cup and the Thunder won a title after finishing as the runner-up in the 2024 Cup, Kevin Pelton of ESPN considers whether postseason success could be around the corner for the Spurs.
- For their part, the Spurs are looking forward to building on the experience of playing higher-stakes games early in the season, as Michael C. Wright of ESPN relays. “Sky is the limit,” rookie guard Dylan Harper said. “It’s our second game (with a healthy roster). It’s nothing to overreact about. We have won a lot of close games in the Cup or in the season in general. To be on this side is definitely a good learning experience. It teaches us a lot about ourselves, and it’s good that we have a whole lot of room to grow knowing what we have done up to this point.”
Warriors’ Kerr Indicates Kuminga Will Rejoin Rotation
Jonathan Kuminga is expected to rejoin the rotation when the Warriors resume their schedule on Thursday in Phoenix following a three-day break, head coach Steve Kerr indicated today.
“You definitely want to see how guys respond in practice,” Kerr said. “And I can tell you, JK, has been great this last week as he’s been out of the rotation. He’s working really hard, and I’m going to reward that.”
It has been a roller coaster of a season so far for Kuminga, who played so well through his first five games as a starter that Kerr publicly declared he would remain in the lineup for the foreseeable future. However, he cooled off and was moved to the second unit a couple weeks later, then missed seven consecutive games due to knee issues.
After returning to action in late November, Kuminga appeared in four games in a row, earning another start on December 6 in Cleveland, but he made just 1-of-10 shots from the floor in that contest and has been a DNP-CD in each of Golden State’s past three games.
Kerr said on Tuesday that he’d like to stick with his current starting five of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Moses Moody, and Quinten Post for now, barring an injury, so Kuminga figures to come off the bench on Thursday.
Kuminga’s status is worth keeping a close eye on, since the former No. 7 overall pick figures to be one of the NBA’s top trade candidates at this season’s deadline. He’ll become eligible to be dealt as of January 15.
Through his first 17 games (13 starts) this season, Kuminga is averaging 12.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 25.6 minutes per night, with a .438/.320/.741 shooting line. That 43.8% shooting mark is the lowest of his career, while his 2.5 turnovers per game represent a career high by a significant margin.
Ime Udoka Fined $25K For Comments About Officiating
The NBA has fined Rockets head coach Ime Udoka $25K for his public criticism of the officiating after Monday’s overtime loss to the Nuggets, per a league press release (Twitter link).
Speaking to reporters after Monday’s game, Udoka referred to it as “the most poorly officiated game I’ve seen in a long time” (Twitter video link via Vanessa Richardson).
“Two (referees) have no business being out there and the crew chief was acting star-struck,” Udoka said. “You’re seeing all kinds of inconsistent calls.”
While the Nuggets were whistled for more total fouls (28) than the Rockets (25) on the night, the league’s last two minute report for the game indicated that the only three incorrect calls made in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime benefited Denver.
That report stated that Rockets forward Kevin Durant shouldn’t have been called for a foul on Nikola Jokic with 1:40 left in overtime (video link); Nuggets wing Tim Hardaway Jr. should have been whistled for a loose ball foul on Alperen Sengun with 1:08 remaining in overtime (video link); and a foul was incorrectly called on Rockets guard Amen Thompson with 47 seconds left in OT (video link).
Those Durant and Thompson fouls resulted in four made free throws by Jokic and Jamal Murray, which represented the difference in a game that Denver won by three points.