Lakers Sign Drew Timme, Waive Christian Koloko
November 25: The Lakers have officially signed Timme to a two-way contract and waived Koloko, the team announced today in a press release.
As our tracker shows, Timme will be eligible to appear in up to 40 regular season games for Los Angeles.
November 24: Confirming the Lakers’ plan to sign Timme to a two-way contract, Shams Charania of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that the team is waiving Koloko to create an opening for the newcomer.
November 21: The Lakers plan to sign free agent big man Drew Timme to a two-way contract, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link).
Los Angeles’ three two-way spots are currently occupied by Nick Smith Jr., Christian Koloko and Chris Manon. Siegel hears Smith won’t be the odd man out, so either Koloko or Manon will be released to make roster space for Timme.
Timme, who had a decorated college career at Gonzaga, went undrafted in 2023 and spent most of his first two post-college seasons in the G League. The Nets signed him to a two-year standard contract in late March after a strong 2024/25 regular season with Brooklyn’s affiliate team in Long Island.
The Nets picked up their $1,955,377 option on Timme in late June, but his salary was fully non-guaranteed, and they wound up waiving him during the preseason. The 25-year-old forward/center averaged 12.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in nine appearances (28.2 minutes per game) with Brooklyn down the stretch last season. His shooting line was .441/.257/.625.
Timme, who put up big numbers for the Nets in Summer League (25.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.7 APG and 1.0 SPG in three games), has been playing for the NBAGL’s South Bay Lakers to open 2025/26. In four Tip-Off Tournament games (34.1 MPG) this fall, he has averaged 28.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 4.5 APG and 1.5 SPG on .481/.240/.762 shooting.
Manon, an undrafted rookie out of Vanderbilt, has made two garbage-time appearances with the Lakers this fall. The 23-year-old wing has been highly productive in four games (33.4 MPG) with South Bay, averaging 18.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.5 APG on .458/.500/.789 shooting. He currently leads the G League in steals per game (3.5) and is tied for fourth in blocks per game (2.8).
Koloko, a third-year center, has also made a pair of garbage-time appearances with L.A. this season after getting into 37 games in 2024/25. He averaged 2.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 9.2 MPG last season for Los Angeles.
Grizzlies Sign Kobe Bufkin To 10-Day Contract
Nov. 24: The signing is official, the Grizzlies’ PR department tweets.
Nov. 23: The Grizzlies have been granted a hardship exception and will use it to sign free agent guard Kobe Bufkin to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
Hardship exceptions allow a team to temporarily exceed the usual 15-man limit. The NBA awards a hardship exception to a club if it has at least four injured players who have missed three consecutive games and are projected to miss at least two more weeks.
Bufkin will provide backcourt depth for Memphis, which has been hit hard by injuries once again in 2025/26. Four point guards — Scotty Pippen Jr. (toe surgery), Ty Jerome (calf strain), Ja Morant (calf strain) and Javon Small (turf toe) — are currently sidelined, and veteran forward/center Brandon Clarke is still recovering from offseason knee surgery.
The 15th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Bufkin battled injuries during his first two NBA seasons in Atlanta. He missed a significant chunk of his rookie year due to a fractured left thumb and a sprained toe, then underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in December 2024, less than two months into his second year.
In total, the 6’4″ guard made just 27 appearances for the Hawks, averaging 5.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 11.9 minutes per night, with a .374/.220/.654 shooting line. The 22-year-old was traded from Atlanta to Brooklyn during the offseason and it seemed like he might get a chance at a fresh start with the Nets. Instead, he was the victim of a roster crunch last month and was waived to help Brooklyn get down to 15 players for the start of the regular season.
After being cut by the Nets, Bufkin entered the NBA G League player pool and his rights were acquired by the South Bay Lakers following a trade. In two Tip-Off Tournament games (28.7 MPG) with L.A.’s affiliate team this fall, Bufkin has averaged 22.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 4.0 RPG and 1.0 SPG on .444/.500/.800 shooting.
According to Grant Afseth (Twitter link), Bufkin was among the guards on Memphis’ radar just before the season began amid the wave of injuries.
Sixers Notes: Embiid, Edgecombe, George, McCain
While Sixers center Joel Embiid is said to be making progress, he continues to deal with soreness in his right knee. The seven-time All-Star missed his seventh straight game on Sunday vs. Miami, but head coach Nick Nurse is optimistic Embiid will return sooner rather than later.
“I think we’re trying to take the best care we can of him and get him out there,” Nurse said (Twitter link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer). “He wants to play. He’s being very diligent. … He’s doing a lot to try to get back on the floor. And I think it will be soon.
“I know this has been a long [process]. I think it will be soon, but just keep doing the right things, keep listening to what the doctors tell us.”
Here’s more from Philadelphia:
- The 76ers were also without VJ Edgecombe on Sunday, as the rookie guard experienced left calf tightness toward the end of Thursday’s victory at Milwaukee. Nurse said Edgecombe underwent imaging, which came back clean, and the No. 3 overall pick was held out Sunday for precautionary reasons, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports.
- After opening Sunday’s game as a starter, forward Paul George was brought off the bench for the second half. According to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link), Nurse explained the decision afterward, stating that he was trying to keep George matched up with Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., one of the early frontrunners for Sixth Man of the Year. George, a four-time All-Defensive member, was making his third appearance of the season following offseason knee surgery.
- The shorthanded Sixers lost Sunday’s contest, but one bright spot was second-year guard Jared McCain, observes Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). McCain, who struggled to find his rhythm to open the season after missing extended time with knee and thumb injuries, played 26 minutes and scored 15 points — both marks were season highs.
Kevin Durant To Miss Rockets’ Next Two Games
Rockets star Kevin Durant will miss the next two games as he tends to a family matter, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter).
Houston plays at Phoenix on Monday and at Golden State on Wednesday.
Durant continues to produce at a high level in his age-37 season. In 14 games (36.1 minutes per contest) so far with the Rockets, the 15-time All-Star has averaged 24.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steal, with a shooting line of .485/.364/.800.
While Durant has long been admired for his tremendous work ethic, he often preferred to lead by example. Being with a younger group in Houston has required the future Hall of Famer to become a more vocal leader, writes Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports.
“I got more comfortable speaking up when I see stuff,” Durant said. “I feel like I study the game a lot. I’ve been through every situation and experienced every situation. So I feel like that’s given me more confidence to speak up when I see things and to help my teammates as much as possible. But it’s just been a natural progression of me just being comfortable in the locker room, and also my teammates being open-minded to hear what I have to say.”
According to Iko, Durant is “particularly fond” of second-year guard Reed Sheppard, who has been playing excellent basketball over the past few weeks.
“Knowing the kind of person he is and how much confidence he’s given me is really cool,” said Sheppard, the second overall pick in the 2024 draft.
The Rockets will be shorthanded at forward with Durant out and Dorian Finney-Smith (offseason ankle surgery) and Tari Eason (oblique strain) recovering from injuries. Veterans Jae’Sean Tate and Jeff Green could receive more minutes in the short term, though Tate would need to be recalled from his G League assignment.
Pacific Notes: Harden, Christie, DeRozan, J. Green, Smart
Entering Saturday’s matinee game at Charlotte, the Clippers were just 4-11 and had lost three straight games. Former MVP James Harden put the team on his back to lead Los Angeles to a 15-point victory, setting a franchise record by scoring an extremely efficient 55 points — he was 17-of-26 from the field, including 10-of-16 from three-point range, writes Law Murray of The Athletic.
The 36-year-old guard, who also had seven assists and three rebounds in his 35 minutes, erupted for a career-high 27 points in the first quarter. Harden has now scored 50-plus points 25 times, Murray notes, tying Kobe Bryant for the third-most 50-point games in NBA history — he only trails Wilt Chamberlain (118) and Michael Jordan (31).
“Needed a win,” said Harden, who led the league in scoring three years in a row as a Rocket. “At this point, it’s about winning. So, I had to do what I had to do.”
Harden tied Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic for the highest-scoring game of the season, notes ESPN News Services.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Veteran forward DeMar DeRozan expressed uncertainty about his future with the Kings after they lost their eighth straight game on Thursday. Following Saturday’s victory in Denver, Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee asked Doug Christie about DeRozan’s comments and how he handles those situations as the head coach (Twitter video link). “When it comes to the business of basketball, I talk to all of our players,” Christie said. “So I’m open to any of that communication, because they know I’ve been through it before. I understand. All of that stuff is extremely difficult. … It’s part of what we do. The trade deadline comes, all these different things happen and we have to deal with it.”
- While Suns guard Jalen Green is “a little bummed” that he’ll miss Monday’s game against Houston, his former team, his overall attitude remains positive and he has been supporting his teammates on the sidelines, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “Guys got their head down, I’m always going to pick somebody up,” Green said. “I would want that reciprocated if y’all see me like that. I know I’m a leader of this team, one of the leaders of the team. My voice is important. I know energy is important, too.” Green is recovering from a hamstring injury that has plagued him since training camp.
- With LeBron James back in the Lakers‘ starting lineup on Tuesday, Marcus Smart was moved to the bench and played a season-low 17 minutes. Smart says he tries to find ways to impact the game regardless of his role, per Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times. “I like to [think of] myself as a Swiss Army knife,” Smart said Saturday as the Lakers prepared for a game at Utah on Sunday. “It’s not one thing I do great, but I do everything very well. … People come back, people get hurt. People have great games, have bad games. You have to adjust to whatever the game is calling for at that moment.”
Aaron Gordon Out At Least 4-6 Weeks With Hamstring Strain
11:17 am: The Nuggets put out a press release (via Twitter) which confirms Charania’s report.
10:57 am: Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in four-to-six weeks, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.
Denver will be down two members of its starting lineup for the next several weeks, as guard Christian Braun is expected to be out for at least another month due to a sprained left ankle.
Gordon missed Wednesday’s win over New Orleans with bilateral hamstring injury management before returning to action on Friday at Houston. He was initially listed as probable for the game against the Rockets before being upgraded to available.
Unfortunately, three minutes into the game, he injured his right hamstring.
As Charania notes, Gordon suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain during Denver’s second-round playoff series against Oklahoma City. He played through the injury in Game 7, and has now injured his opposite hamstring.
Gordon, who missed extended time last season due to a calf strain, had gotten off to an excellent start this fall. Through 12 healthy games (30.4 minutes per contest), he was averaging 20.3 points and 6.3 rebounds on elite efficiency (.536/.452/.879 shooting splits) while playing strong defense.
Denver is plus-20.7 per 100 possessions when the 30-year-old is on the court — a fantastic number — and plays exactly even with the opposing team when he’s not.
Head coach David Adelman said Gordon was seeking second opinions on his injured right hamstring after Saturday’s loss to Sacramento, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Second-year forward Spencer Jones, who is on a two-way deal, started in Gordon’s place against the Kings, but struggled to slow down DeMar DeRozan late in the fourth quarter.
According to Durando, the Nuggets could use more double-big lineups featuring Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas with Gordon out. The two centers haven’t shared the court much yet in their first season together, and the results have been mixed in a small sample size.
“We are trying to figure it out,” Jokic said. “Sometimes it’s good. Sometimes it’s really bad. I think we need to have more minutes to be there and to play in different positions, different type of players who we’re guarding. But I think we communicate on the floor.”
Knicks Notes: Hart, Brunson, Shamet, Diawara, Towns, More
Knicks wing Josh Hart had the best year of his career in 2024/25 playing under Tom Thibodeau, starting 77 games while leading the NBA in minutes per game (37.6) and posting career highs in rebounds (9.6), assists (5.9) and steals (1.5) as well as his second-best averages in points (13.6) and field goal percentage (52.5).
While his per-36 averages are very similar to last season’s, Hart is coming off the bench and playing far fewer minutes (25.8 MPG) in ’25/26 under new head coach Mike Brown, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. Hart’s reduced role is partly due to being hampered by back spasms during the preseason, and his workload has increased lately with OG Anunoby out with a hamstring strain.
“I hope [I play more],” Hart said before Wednesday’s win in Dallas. “Before [Anunoby] went down, I think I was playing the least minutes of my career.”
According to Winfield, the 30-year-old concedes he keeps tabs on his minutes — but only when he’s angry.
“When I’m mad, yeah,” Hart said. “But I’m ready to have to always do what needs to be done to help the team get wins.”
For his part, Brown has nothing but good things to say about Hart.
“They’re not the same player, but he’s such a glue piece like Andre Iguodala was in Golden State,” Brown said. “He just ties everything and anybody together. He does so many things out there that are just really simple that makes the game easier for everybody… And he can definitely do that for us and probably play more minutes, but at the end of the day, we have a good team, and I’m gonna try to spread [the minutes] around as best I can.”
We have much more on the Knicks:
- Hart recently told Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscriber link) that he tried to find a way to to land with the Wizards during his 2021 restricted free agency because of his respect for Russell Westbrook, who was a member of the team at the time. “His competitiveness, his passion — he’s one of the guys I definitely admire,” Hart said. Bondy’s story is centered on Hart being the top rebounder in the league for his size.
- After missing two games with a Grade 1 right ankle sprain, star point guard Jalen Brunson returned to action on Wednesday and helped lead the Knicks to a victory against his former team, per Steve Popper of Newsday (subscription required). The two-time All-NBA member recorded 28 points, five assists and three rebounds in 35 minutes during the two-point win.
- Brown didn’t personally know Landry Shamet prior to landing the Knicks job, but he had long admired the veteran sharpshooter’s game and “pushed” to keep him on the roster before the ’25/26 campaign began, Bondy reports (subscriber link). Brown’s decision is looking shrewd in the early going, Bondy writes, as Shamet — who is on a non-guaranteed contract — has thrived under his new coach. “I was a big fan of him, watching [him] play last year and even prior, and so it was, for me, having him a part of this team, completed the group,” Brown said. “Now we have a lot of diverse guys. He’s just doing, in my opinion, what he’s capable of doing.”
- Brown’s management of the bench has been paying dividends so far in ’25/26, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. “It’s so early in the season, the reality of it is that I don’t want to gas my guys this early in the season,” Brown said. “If the minutes can be respectable across the board, especially at this time of the year, then we can increase the minutes come playoff time or late in the season. Getting these guys reps in case (*knocks on wood*) someone gets hurt or in case we have to throw someone in the game. There is a comfort level that they have, and not only that they have, but I have, the staff has and everybody else has with someone new on the floor.”
- Brown says he’d like to find more playing time for French forward Mohamed Diawara, having praised the rookie for his contributions over the past couple games (story via Bondy). “I would’ve loved to play Mo out there a little longer,” Brown said after Diawara played two minutes in Wednesday’s win. “Mo has done a great job in short minutes he played and to try to get him some minutes during this time of year, especially while OG is out, to keep us long and athletic would be ideal. And I’m going to keep searching to try to do it.”
- While Karl-Anthony Towns is off to a slow start in Brown’s offensive system, he says he’s “having fun with it” and is confident his subpar percentages will normalize over time, as Winfield relays. “I want to find different ways to impact this team winning, and just continue to figure everything out. We all are,” Towns said. “So definitely on my part, I could do a better job hitting some shots. But I’ll get to that. Numbers will always number out. So I’m just staying confident.”
- In a mailbag article, Ian Begley of SNY.tv predicts the Knicks will prioritize finding a backup point guard prior to the trade deadline. He also expects the front office to have conversations with the Mavericks in the coming weeks to discover their asking price for Anthony Davis.
Jae’Sean Tate Assigned To Rockets’ G League Affiliate
Sixth-year forward Jae’Sean Tate has been assigned to the Rockets‘ G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, reports Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
According to Iko, the Rockets and Tate mutually agreed to the assignment in order to get the 30-year-old some playing time and a chance to find his rhythm. Despite injuries to fellow forwards Dorian Finney-Smith and Tari Eason, Tate has been a healthy scratch for two of the past three games and played only two minutes in his lone appearance during that stretch.
Tate, who missed the regular season opener and was on a minutes restriction to open 2025/26 following offseason ankle surgery, has spent all six of his NBA seasons with Houston. As a free agent over the summer, he re-signed with the Rockets on a one-year, minimum-salary contract.
While it’s common for young players and veterans working their way back from injuries to be assigned to the NBAGL, it’s unusual for a veteran to accept the assignment when healthy. Still, Tate has only played 41 total minutes over eight appearances this season, so it’s understandable why he’s eager to work on his game, regardless of the level of competition.
Former NBA Sixth Man Of The Year Rodney Rogers Dies At 54
Former NBA forward Rodney Rogers died on Friday at age 54, according to a Wake Forest press release written by Will Pantages.
A native of Durham, North Carolina, Rogers had a highly decorated college career with the Demon Deacons, having been named the ACC’s Freshman of the Year in 1991, earning first-team All-ACC honors in 1992, and winning the conference’s Player of the Year award in 1993. He helped Wake Forest make three straight NCAA tournament appearances and held averages of 19.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals on .579/.349/.694 shooting in 89 games (31.6 minutes per contest).
According to the university, Rogers is one of only seven players in ACC history to win both the Freshman and Player of the Year awards, and is the only Demon Deacon to hold that distinction.
Rogers turned pro after his junior season and was selected ninth overall in the 1993 draft. The 6’7″ combo forward played 12 seasons in the NBA for seven different teams (the Nuggets, Clippers, Suns, Celtics, Nets, New Orleans Hornets, and Sixers) and registered career averages of 10.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.0 APG and 1.0 SPG in 866 regular season contests, including 347 starts (25.3 MPG).
Rogers’ most productive seasons came with Denver, Los Angeles and Phoenix. He was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year for the 1999/00 season while a member of the Suns, averaging 13.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.1 APG and 1.1 SPG on .486/.439/.639 shooting in 82 regular season appearances (27.9 MPG).
Unfortunately, Rogers was paralyzed from the shoulders down following a serious accident in 2008. His wife Faye said in a statement that Rodney passed away from natural causes related to the spinal cord injury he suffered 17 years ago.
The NBA put out a statement (via Twitter) saying it was “deeply saddened” by Rogers’ death.
“He will be remembered not only for his achievements on the court but also for the extraordinary resilience, courage and generosity that he demonstrated throughout his life — qualities that inspired so many,” the league said in part.
We at Hoops Rumors send our condolences to Rogers’ family and friends.
Aaron Gordon Exits Friday’s Game With Hamstring Strain
Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon dealt with multiple soft tissue injuries in 2024/25, having missed extended time during the regular season with a calf strain and then suffering a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in Denver’s second-round playoff series against Oklahoma City.
Gordon missed Wednesday’s win over New Orleans with hamstring injury management before returning to action on Friday at Houston. Unfortunately, three minutes into the game, he injured his right hamstring.
The Nuggets initially deemed Gordon questionable to return with a right hamstring strain but he was later ruled out for the remainder of Friday’s game vs. the Rockets (Twitter links).
The 30-year-old has gotten off to an excellent start this fall, averaging 20.3 points and 6.3 rebounds on elite efficiency (.536/.452/.879 shooting splits) through 12 games (30.4 minutes per contest) while playing strong defense. Denver is plus-20.4 per 100 possessions when Gordon is on the court and plus-0.8 when he’s not.
While it’s unclear how severe Gordon’s latest hamstring injury is, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Nuggets take a cautious approach to his recovery, given his importance to the team and how early it is in the season. Denver eked out a close victory over Houston on Friday to improve to 12-3 on the season, good for the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference.