Raptors Provide Injury Updates On Ingram, Several Others
Former All-Star forward Brandon Ingram has yet to make his Raptors debut after being acquired in a trade with New Orleans ahead of last month’s deadline. He has been sidelined since December 7, when he suffered a “significant” left ankle sprain.
While Ingram has been able to increase his on-court activity in recent days, he’s still limited to solo work, with no timeline for his return to games or practices, the team announced today (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca). The next update on Ingram, who signed a three-year, $120MM extension with Toronto shortly after the trade, will come in two weeks.
As Lewenberg relays (via Twitter), the Raptors also provided injury updates on several other players on Thursday afternoon. Third-year wing Ochai Agbaji, who sprained his left ankle last week vs. Chicago, is no longer in a walking boot and will ramp up his activity, but he has yet to resume practicing. Agbaji will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason.
Rookie big man Jonathan Mogbo sustained a nasal fracture on Tuesday against Orlando and will miss at least one week. The former San Francisco star will wear a mask for the remainder of the 2024/25 season, tweets Lindsay Dunn of CityNews Toronto. As we noted a couple days ago, second-year guard Gradey Dick will be out at least two weeks due to a right knee injury.
On a more positive note, rookie sharpshooter Jamison Battle will be active going forward after missing the past five games with a broken nose. Veteran wing Garrett Temple is also back with the Raptors after being away from the team due to personal reasons.
Mavs’ Alex Jensen To Become Univ. Of Utah’s Head Coach
Veteran NBA assistant coach Alex Jensen, who is currently employed by the Mavericks, has agreed to a contract to become the new men’s head coach at the University of Utah, sources tell Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel of ESPN.
Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reported a couple days ago that Jensen had emerged as one of the top candidates for the school’s head coaching vacancy. He will replace Craig Smith, who was fired last month after nearly four seasons at the helm.
Jensen, 46, is a Utah native who starred in college for the Utes, having been named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year back in 1999/2000. He was a starter for the team that advanced to the final of the 1998 NCAA Tournament, ultimately losing to Kentucky.
Jensen got his first coaching job under his former head coach, Rick Majerus, at the University of Saint Louis. After four seasons with the Billikens, Jensen transitioned to the NBA, spending 10 years as an assistant with the Jazz. He has been with the Mavericks since 2023.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link), Jensen is “well-liked” by the Mavericks and will likely have an opportunity to finish out the ’24/25 season in Dallas. Either way, Jensen will be joining the Utes at some point in the near future.
Remix’s Isaac Nogues To Enter 2025 NBA Draft
Spanish guard Isaac Nogues, who has been playing in the G League this season with Portland’s affiliate, the Rip City Remix, is submitting the paperwork necessary to enter the 2025 NBA draft, he tells Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
As Fischer observes, it’s rare for a player to declare for the draft in the middle of a season, but evidently the 21-year-old feels confident about his chances of being selected. He’s not currently listed on ESPN’s latest big board (Insider link), which ranks the top 100 prospects ahead of June’s draft.
According to Fischer, Nogues is known as a defensive specialist — he recently set an NBAGL record by recording 10 steals in a game.
“I can defend a lot of positions,” Nogues told Fischer. “Not only the point guard. Not only the best player. I can defend all 48 minutes of the game. I can give 100% of my energy on defense. This really helps any team.”
The 6’5″ guard has appeared in 33 combined games with the Remix in 2024/25, averaging 2.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals in 18.9 minutes per contest. He has attempted just 1.8 field goals per night, with a shooting line of .458/.294/.474, and he acknowledges his game is a work in progress on that end of the floor.
“My offensive skills, I will improve,” he insists. “I am improving.”
Southwest Notes: Morant, VanVleet, Rockets, Brown, Martin
Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has been fined $25K by the NBA for throwing a game ball into the spectator stands at the end of the third quarter of Friday’s one-point loss to New York, the league announced in a press release.
Morant made some poor off-court decisions earlier in his career, which resulted in a pair of suspensions (including a 25-gamer) in 2023. However, he has largely stayed out of trouble since — this is the first time he has been publicly fined in 2024/25, though he has been docked $24K for accruing 11 technical fouls this season, per Spotrac.
A two-time All-Star, Morant missed Saturday’s loss to San Antonio due to right shoulder soreness and is questionable for Monday’s game vs. Atlanta with the same injury designation, according to the NBA’s official injury report.
Here’s more from the Southwest:
- Saturday’s loss to Sacramento marked Fred VanVleet‘s first game back with the Rockets following a month-long absence due to a right ankle strain. Unfortunately, he aggravated the ankle on the first play of the game when he stepped on a referee’s foot, according to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle. The veteran guard stayed in the game and wound up playing 35 minutes, but his effectiveness was limited, as he finished with just three points on 1-of-8 shooting in 35 minutes (he also chipped in five rebounds, five assists and three steals). “I’ve been sitting long enough,” VanVleet said. “I had the training staff look at it, make sure it was nothing super serious, talked with coach a little bit. Obviously he noticed I wasn’t moving the best, so I was just trusting him at that point. If he decided to pull me I would’ve came out, but I wasn’t gonna take myself out the game. I’ll never do that.”
- As Lerner relays in another story, VanVleet has been ruled out of Monday’s contest at Oklahoma City. Five other Rockets — Steven Adams (sore left ankle), Dillon Brooks (right knee contusion), Tari Eason (left leg injury management), Alperen Sengun (sore lower back) and Amen Thompson (right shoulder soreness) — are questionable for Monday’s game, which is the front end of a back-to-back.
- After playing a limited role in his first three games with the Mavericks, center Moses Brown provided a major lift in the final two contests of his 10-day contract, including recording 20 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and two blocks in 31 minutes during a victory over Charlotte last week. Brown’s contract expired Saturday night and the Mavs can’t re-sign him or anyone else until April 10 due to their hard cap situation. “He was great,” head coach Jason Kidd said of Brown, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. “Moses gave us a spark, gave us a big (presence) at the rim. We needed someone at the rim, and he did a really good job for us. He’ll probably get another 10-day from someone. And give him credit for coming out as a pro and helping us find a way to win.”
- Caleb Martin has yet to make his Mavericks debut after being acquired at the trade deadline, but he has been able to go through contract practices in recent days and sounds close to returning from the right hip strain that has kept him out on the shelf since January 10, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. “He’s doing extremely well,” Kidd said of Martin. “There are a lot of positive things around him right now. He’s trending in the right direction. Hopefully here in the next couple of days, we have some really good news. His rehab sessions have been going really good and he hasn’t had any setbacks. With the playing that he’s had here, hopefully he’s back sooner than later.”
Grizzlies Sign Lamar Stevens To Second 10-Day Contract
Lamar Stevens‘ first 10-day contract with Memphis expired overnight, but he won’t hit the open market — the Grizzlies have officially brought him back for another 10-day deal, announcing the news in a press release (via Twitter).
A Philadelphia native who went undrafted out of Penn State in 2020, Stevens spent his first three seasons with Cleveland prior to being traded to San Antonio in the 2023 offseason. He was later waived by the Spurs, but signed a training camp deal with the Celtics and wound up making their regular season roster.
Stevens was traded to Memphis ahead of last season’s deadline, finishing out the 2023/24 campaign with the Grizzlies. He caught on with the Pistons for training camp this past fall, but was released before ’24/25 began.
The 27-year-old forward had spent the entire season in the G League with the Motor City Cruise prior to receiving his call-up from the Grizzlies. He made his ’24/25 season debut on Saturday vs. San Antonio, recording six points and four rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.
In 29 combined games for Detroit’s NBAGL affiliate in ’24/25, Stevens averaged 17.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks in 34.0 minutes per game, with a shooting slash line of .438/.328/.744. He’s known for his energy, athleticism, toughness and defense.
Stevens will be eligible to play in six games over the course of his second 10-day contract, which will expire overnight on March 12. At that point, the Grizzlies will have to decide if they want to retain him for the rest of the season, as players can only sign up to two 10-day contracts with the same team.
As our tracker shows, Stevens will fill the 15th and final spot on Memphis’ standard roster. The Grizzlies are also at the limit of three players on two-way contracts.
KD: Suns “Embarrassed Ourselves” In Latest Loss
The 2024/25 season is starting to slip away from the Suns. After leading by two at halftime against Minnesota on Sunday, Phoenix was routed in the second half, ultimately losing by 18 points.
“We didn’t play up to our standards at all,” All-Star forward Kevin Durant said (story via David Brandt of The Associated Press). “We embarrassed the fans and we embarrassed ourselves the way we played. I want us to be better.”
As Brandt writes, the Phoenix is just 3-11 in its past 14 games and is now 28-33 on the season, four games behind Dallas for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference. The Suns are closer in the standings to the teams directly beneath them — Portland (27-34) and San Antonio (25-34) — than they are to the Mavs (32-29).
“We’ve got to go on a run, but it’s got to start,” head coach Mike Budenholzer said. “There’s no doubt that the standings, the circumstances that we’re in, there’s an awareness and we’ve got to do something to change it.”
The Suns made the playoffs outright last season, avoiding the play-in by finishing with a 49-33 record, good for the No. 6 seed in the West. However, they were swept by the Wolves in the first round, leading to the dismissal of former head coach Frank Vogel. Sunday marked Phoenix’s seventh straight loss to Minnesota, notes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
Phoenix failed to match Minnesota’s “physicality” in the second half, according to Devin Booker, with giveaways also being a major issue — the Suns tied a season high with 22 turnovers, leading to 40 points for the Wolves. Durant, Booker and Bradley Beal combined for 14 of the team’s 22 turnovers.
“That’s why we lost,” Durant said, per Brandt. “Forty points off turnovers, tough to overcome that. They didn’t overpower us on the glass, we just gave them the ball.”
NBA insider Chris Haynes recently reported that Budenholzer told Booker to “tone it down vocally” during games, which surprised the star guard. Booker subsequently suggested that the team could use more vocal leadership.
However, prior to Sunday’s game, Booker downplayed any rift with his coach, Rankin relays in another story.
“We’ve had multiple conversations. I can’t seem to find one that sticks out more than the others,” Booker said. “It’s a player/coach relationship. When things start going bad, everybody tries to point fingers to find out what’s wrong. People are going to come up with stuff. The relationship is great. We’re on the same page, we’re trying to win and that’s that.”
Meyers Leonard Announces Retirement
Former NBA big man Meyers Leonard has officially retired as a basketball player, announcing the news on Instagram (hat tip to Chris Haynes).
After playing a modest role as a freshman at Illinois, Leonard had a breakout sophomore season back in 2011/12 with the Illini and was selected 11th overall in the 2012 draft.
Leonard, who turned 33 years old last week, spent his first seven seasons with the Trail Blazers prior to being traded to the Heat as part of the Jimmy Butler blockbuster in 2019.
Leonard’s time in Miami was not without controversy, as he was fined $50K by the NBA and suspended from all team activities for a week for making an anti-Semitic comment during a Twitch livestream. Shortly after the incident, he was traded to — and subsequently released by — Oklahoma City.
After missing the entire ’21/22 campaign due to an injury, Leonard was able to find a new team in February 2023, signing a pair of 10-day deals and then a rest-of-season contract with the Bucks. He has been a free agent since the 2023 offseason, when his tenure with Milwaukee ended.
Overall, Leonard played parts of 10 NBA seasons, averaging 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game across 456 regular season appearances, including 95 starts. He mostly played center, but he also saw some time at power forward in his first few seasons. Leonard was known for his ability to space the floor, as he held a career mark of 39.0% from three-point range.
Knicks’ Hukporti To Miss At Least 4-6 Weeks Following Knee Surgery
February 28: Hukporti underwent surgery on Friday to address his left meniscus tear and will be reevaluated in four-to-six weeks, according to the Knicks (Twitter link).
February 27: Knicks center Ariel Hukporti made his first career start in Wednesday’s victory over Philadelphia, recording eight points, two rebounds and a block in 16 minutes. Unfortunately, the German big man also sustained a significant injury during the game.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), the 22-year-old is expected to be sidelined for the next four-to-six weeks after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Steve Popper of Newsday confirms (via Twitter) that Hukporti will be out for an extended period, though he hears the team is still evaluating the test results and it’s not yet certain that Hukporti sustained a meniscus injury.
The 58th and final pick of the 2024 draft, Hukporti has received sporadic playing time during his rookie season, averaging 1.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per game across 25 appearances.
It’s a tough blow for Hukporti, who was initially signed to a two-way contract but was converted to a standard deal in early November in part to navigate New York’s salary cap situation. The Knicks hold a minimum-salary team option on his contract for 2025/26.
If Hukporti is able to return at the conservative end of the timeline Charania reported — six weeks — he would back just in time for the end of the regular season in mid-April. Returning sooner would obviously give him more time to prepare as the Knicks prepare for a playoff push — they’re currently the No. 3 seed in the East, with a record of 38-20.
On a more positive note, Mitchell Robinson is reportedly on track to make his season debut this weekend, so he should help fortify the Knicks’ frontcourt depth, which will be a little more thin with Hukporti out. Precious Achiuwa is another candidate for more minutes at backup center.
The Knicks also have an open roster spot and will be able to squeeze in a rest-of-season minimum-salary contract for a 15th man below their hard cap as of Friday.
Bulls Notes: Huerter, Collins, Jones, Smith, Vucevic, Dosunmu
Seventh-year wing Kevin Huerter got off to a poor start after being traded to the Bulls, but he’s been playing much better since the All-Star break, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Huerter admits he initially struggled to adjust after being traded mid-season for the first time in his career.
“Yeah, I didn’t feel like myself, either,” Huerter said. “The break was big for me; a mental refresh was big for me. I came out of it ready to get going, to turn the page and start things going with this organization. The rest was just playing with confidence, and I’m confident in who I am.”
According to Cowley, Huerter is one of several Bulls who are essentially auditioning for jobs beyond 2024/25. While Huerter will earn a guaranteed $18MM in ’25/26, he’s certainly not a lock to stick with Chicago after posting career lows in most statistical categories this season.
“He’s obviously been a proven player in the league and certainly had moments in Atlanta and Sacramento, where he’s been really, really good,” head coach Billy Donovan said of Huerter. “I think anytime you come to a new team there’s going to be a period of adjustment, but I don’t think he was necessarily shooting the ball as well in Sacramento but for him maybe something new and fresh (was needed), trying to get him to take shots when they’re there.”
Here are a few more notes from Chicago:
- Due to injuries to Nikola Vucevic and Jalen Smith, Zach Collins has started the past two games at center and filled in admirably. On Wednesday, he notched season highs of 22 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists, with the Bulls outscoring the Clippers by six points in his 38 minutes during the five-point loss. “I’ve been in and out of lineups all year, so now I get all the minutes I want,” Collins said, per Kyle Williams of The Chicago Sun-Times. “Our team is not as good without those guys in the lineup, so it’s not just me. We all have to pick it up. There are a lot of points and rebounds left out there on the floor without [Vucevic], so we all have to pick up the slack.”
- In addition to Huerter and Collins, the Bulls also acquired Tre Jones in the trade that sent Zach LaVine to Sacramento and De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio. Collins says his familiarity with Jones has helped both players get acclimated to their new surroundings, according to Williams. “To come over with a guy that I played with for four years now and gotten close to made the whole thing that much more comfortable,” Collins said. “We took the same car to the airport, same flights, the same time for media, for medical, for extra reps after practice, learning, learning plays and everything.”
- Jones, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, also had a strong outing Wednesday, notes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. The fifth-year point guard recorded 16 points (on 7-of-9 shooting), two rebounds, two assists, one steal and no turnovers and was plus-six in 18 minutes off the bench.
- Smith has cleared the NBA’s concussion protocol, and if today’s workout goes well, he’ll be active tomorrow against Toronto, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network. Ayo Dosunmu, who has missed the past three games with a shoulder injury, was doing “light individual work” Thursday but his status for Friday is uncertain. Vucevic will be sidelined again Friday as he continues to deal with right calf injury, Johnson adds.
Spurs’ Gregg Popovich Won’t Coach Again This Season
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported earlier this week that Gregg Popovich, who suffered a mild stroke in November, was unlikely to resume his role as head coach of the Spurs this season.
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), Popovich met with the team on Wednesday for the first since the stroke to provide an update on his recovery and to inform them that he would not coach again in 2024/25.
Charania describes the in-person meeting as “emotional,” adding (via Twitter) that Popovich’s long-term future is uncertain as he continues to recover.
Popovich confirmed in a press release (Twitter link via the Spurs) that he won’t return as head coach this season. Notably, he did say he hopes to resume coaching down the line.
“I’ve decided not to return to the sidelines this season,” Popovich said. “(Acting head coach) Mitch Johnson and his staff have done a wonderful job and the resolve and professionalism the players have shown, sticking together during a challenging season, has been outstanding.
“I will continue to focus on my health with the hope that I can return to coaching in the future.”
As Popovich mentioned, it has been a difficult season in San Antonio. In addition to being without the longest-tenured coach in the NBA, the Spurs had an “emotionally taxing” trip to France for a pair of games against Indiana, completed a major in-season trade — a rarity for the Spurs — for De’Aaron Fox, and recently learned that franchise player Victor Wembanyama will miss the remainder of 2024/25 after he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder.
The Spurs have been struggling lately, dropping their last four games. They’re currently 24-33, five-and-a-half games behind Sacramento for the final play-in spot in the West. On the other hand, the team’s lottery odds have improved — San Antonio’s pick now has a 4.5% chance to become the No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 draft lottery, per Tankathon.
Popovich, 76, is the NBA’s all-time leader in head coaching wins, with a 1,391-824 regular season record (.628). He ranks third in playoff wins at 170, behind Phil Jackson (229) and Pat Riley (171). Popovich, who is also San Antonio’s president, has won five championships while guiding the club since ’96/97, and has been with the organization since 1988.
We at Hoops Rumors send our best wishes to Popovich during his recovery.