Latest On Anthony Davis, Trae Young
Atlanta is viewed as a “real-deal suitor” for Mavericks big man Anthony Davis, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack post. Chris Haynes reported on Saturday morning that the Hawks remain “very intrigued” by the possibility of acquiring Davis, whom the team has been linked to for multiple weeks.
However, there are several complicating factors that could prevent a potential trade from coming together.
While Haynes reported that Trae Young would not be included in an outgoing package for Davis, Stein suggests the four-time All-Star point guard might have to be sent elsewhere to make a deal work for financial reasons. The Hawks are not known for being big spenders, Stein observes, and having Young ($48.97MM player option) and Davis ($58.46MM) under contract at the same time in 2026/27 would make the roster prohibitively expensive.
Like many other reporters, Stein hears Davis is expected to seek a lucrative long-term extension once he becomes eligible to sign one in August, whether he stays with Dallas or is moved to another team.
According to Stein, there’s a “growing belief” around the NBA that the Hawks are open to moving Young, but whether they’d actually be able to find a suitable deal for him remains to be seen. As Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported a couple weeks ago, rival executives think Young may end up having to exercise that player option, which doesn’t exactly point to a robust free agent or trade market.
Stein isn’t the only reporter to hear Atlanta could be looking to trade Young. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said something similar on Monday’s Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to Doric Sam of Bleacher Report).
“The Hawks certainly are indicating that they’re looking for the exit ramp with Trae Young,” MacMahon said. “They did not make any attempt to get him signed to an extension. When that’s the case with your face of the franchise, that’s a pretty clear message that the end could be near.”
MacMahon pointed to Ja Morant (Grizzlies) and LaMelo Ball (Hornets) as two other maximum-salaried point guards who are in similar situations as the Hawks and Young.
“If there is an attempt to trade these guys, it’s not going to be easy,” MacMahon said. “There’s not going to be some wide array of teams raising their hand and trying to get in on the bidding, and I’m not sure if you’re even gonna be able to make a trade that’s going to bring value in return.”
The Mavericks also already have Kyrie Irving in the backcourt, and while he’s still recovering from a torn ACL, it would make zero sense to pair him with a small, ball-dominant, defense-deficient guard like Young.
As for who the Hawks could send out for Davis, Stein says the team appears to be willing to part with 2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher under the right circumstances, and points to the expiring contracts of Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kennard as salary-matching pieces. But it’s unclear if Atlanta would be willing to offer draft compensation — or if Dallas would be interested in that proposal.
According to Stein, Hawks forward Jalen Johnson and the 2026 first-round pick Atlanta controls (the more favorable of the Pelicans’ and Bucks’ selections) are viewed as off-limits in any trade talks.
It’s also unclear how willing the Mavericks are to make an in-season deal involving Davis, as Stein hears governor Patrick Dumont is among a group of key executives who would like to see Irving, Davis and Cooper Flagg play together before making another major trade. Waiting until the offseason could be the prudent choice, depending on the types of offers the Mavs receive, Stein writes.
Haynes reported that the Warriors are considering making a run at Davis. According to Stein, while Golden State has a “longstanding fondness” for the 10-time All-Star, the team has reservations about his contract and lengthy injury history and doesn’t appear to be actively pursuing him.
As Stein notes, Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green would have to be included in a possible Davis deal for matching purposes, which is one reason why a trade looks unlikely at this time.
Stein continues to hear the Warriors are looking for the “best possible” deal centered around Jonathan Kuminga‘s $22.5MM contract once the fifth-year forward becomes trade-eligible on January 15.
The Hawks have gone 0-6 since Young returned to action earlier this month (he appeared in five of those games). He will miss Monday’s contest at Oklahoma City due to a right quad contusion, tweets Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks. Johnson is also out with an illness.
Raptors’ Jakob Poeltl (Back) Out At Least One More Week
Starting center Jakob Poeltl is “currently completing a program of intensive rehabilitation and strengthening” for his lower back injury and will be reevaluated in one week, the Raptors announced today (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca).
Poeltl has missed three straight games — and five of the past six — due to his ongoing back issue, which the team has recently called a strain. The Austrian big man has been dealing with back problems since training camp, causing him to miss 12 total games to this point.
Toronto has upcoming home games vs. Orlando (Monday), Denver (Wednesday) and Atlanta (Saturday). Poeltl will be sidelined for all three of those contests before being checked out again ahead of next Monday’s rematch with the Hawks.
The news doesn’t come as a surprise. The Raptors signed veteran center Mo Bamba to a non-guaranteed contract on Monday morning, a strong signal that they expected to be without Poeltl for at least the short term.
While Poeltl has never averaged more than 30 minutes per game in a season, his 25.3 MPG in 2025/26 represents his lowest mark since the ’19/20 campaign, when he was a reserve with San Antonio. In 21 appearances this season, he has averaged 9.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 69.3% from the field and 59.6% from the foul line.
Michael Grange of Sportsnet reported earlier on Monday (via Twitter) that Poeltl is hoping to return at some point in mid-January. Poeltl’s injury is considered “annoying” rather than being a long-term concern, according to Grange.
Grizzlies Notes: Morant, Iisalo, Jackson, Landale, Koloko
The relationship between Ja Morant and head coach Tuomas Iisalo looked rocky after the Grizzlies‘ starting point guard was suspended by the team for one game early in the season, but it seems to be in a better place at the moment, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (subscriber link).
Iisaslo criticized Morant’s “leadership and effort” following an October 31 loss to the Lakers, while Morant — who questioned Iisalo’s unorthodox substitution patterns — responded to his coach in a “tone deemed inappropriate.”
Morant had 17 points, 10 assists and four rebounds in 25 minutes during Friday’s win over Milwaukee, his first game back following a four-game absence, Cole writes. Iisalo said the Grizzlies and Morant are still trying to find an ideal balance as the team monitors the 26-year-old minutes.
“I think both of us were very happy that he was able to express himself fully and then still not have those long stretches where he’s off the court or on the bench,” Iisalo said after Friday’s game.
Here’s more from Memphis:
- Star big man Jaren Jackson Jr. struggled mightily to open the season, but he has caught fire of late, Cole adds. Jackson thinks his slow start was a result of beating his projected return timeline from offseason turf toe surgery. “I think I was still just recovering from surgery, honestly,” Jackson said. “That probably took a bigger toll on me than I even knew of. I think my whole goal was to just be healthy, so when I got back playing, I didn’t really think anything of it, and I just kind of assumed that I would be exactly who I was immediately.”
- Center Jock Landale was a late scratch for Friday’s game vs. Milwaukee due to right calf soreness, notes Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (via Twitter). Landale, who is averaging career highs of 11.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 22.3 minutes per game on a one-year, minimum-salary deal, will likely miss his second straight contest on Sunday in Washington — he has been downgraded to doubtful ahead of tip-off, the Grizzlies announced (via Twitter).
- With big men Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke and Landale out with injuries Friday, Iisaslo gave Christian Koloko extended playing time and the 25-year-old center responded well, Cole writes in the same subscriber-only story. “He wasn’t scheduled for this type of minutes,” Iisalo said. “We were thinking more in terms of what happened in Utah, and it was a complete surprise that Jock wasn’t able to go. … I was very impressed with his ability to step out and guard different type of guys. Christian has made a good impression on us.” Koloko, who is on a 10-day hardship contract with Memphis, finished with four points, three rebounds, three steals and one block and was a game-high plus-23 in 28 minutes.
Kristaps Porzingis Out Monday, Now Considered Day-To-Day
While Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis will be out again for Monday’s contest at Oklahoma City, his return shouldn’t be far off. According to the team (Twitter link), Porzingis is progressing in his return from an illness and is now considered day-to-day.
This is the first official update on Porzingis since Atlanta ruled him out for two weeks on December 14. Porzingis’ new status was first reported by Ohm Youngmisuk and Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter).
Monday will mark the Latvian big man’s 10th straight absence due to the unspecified illness. Overall, he has missed 14 of the past 15 contests with the ailment. After his lone game earlier this month, Porzingis admitted he was frustrated by the illness, which he said wasn’t related to postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), the condition he was diagnosed with after missing extended time in 2024/25.
Porzingis, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t sign an extension before then, has been very productive when available in his first season with Atlanta, averaging 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 blocks on .497/.364/.855 shooting in a career-low 25.9 minutes per contest. The Hawks are plus-3.4 points per 100 possessions with Porzingis on the court and minus-2.3 when he’s not.
However, availability has been a significant issue, with the 30-year-old only appearing in 13 of the team’s 33 games to this point.
Porzingis, who was sent from Boston to Atlanta in the offseason, has popped up in several trade rumors to open ’25/26. Our Luke Adams listed the former All-Star as the Hawks’ most likely trade candidate earlier this week.
The Hawks have been sliding down the Eastern Conference standings for weeks, having lost six straight games and 10 of their past 12. They held a players-only meeting following Friday’s loss to Miami, tweets Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal Constitution.
“We kind of had like a real sit-down with the whole group, and said, ‘We need to be better.’ And I think you can feel it in the presence of the game,” Nickeil Alexander-Walker said Saturday.
Atlanta made a late rally in Saturday’s game vs. New York, but ultimately came up short, losing by three points.
“We told each other what we needed to say yesterday,” Jalen Johnson added after the team’s latest loss (Twitter link via Williams). “A lot of guys spoke, so I think that was a good sign. So yeah, and I think it reflected today.”
Nets Notes: Thomas, Winning Streak, Bench, Demin
Nets guard Cam Thomas admitted a couple days ago that there would likely be an adjustment period when he returned to action on Saturday, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. After a terrible 0-7 start to the season with Thomas in the lineup, Brooklyn had been playing better in the 24-year-old’s absence, going 9-12 over the past several weeks, including the November 5 win over Indiana in which Thomas was limited to just six minutes after straining his left hamstring.
“Every team adjusts when a certain player goes out,” said Thomas. “We’ll figure it out. Just go out there and play ball. It’s not rocket science. We just go out there, figure out who’s out there together and figure out how to play amongst each other.
“It’s been a while. … Obviously, it’s going to be a learning curve for a few games, but we’ll figure it out quick. We’re pros, we’ll figure it out. So, just going to make it back on the court and play, figure it out and just try to keep stacking wins.”
However, Thomas showed zero signs of rust — or trouble fitting in — as he lit up the Timberwolves for 30 points in 20 minutes off the bench in Saturday’s win at Minnesota, Lewis writes in another story. The impending free agent shot 9-of-15 from the floor and was 9-for-9 at three throw line while chipping in four assists (against zero turnovers) and three rebounds.
Thomas, who was a game-high plus-27, said he was happy to be playing again and to help the team get a win, Lewis notes. Head coach Jordi Fernandez praised Thomas’ performance.
“[I liked] his mindset. He let the game come to him. He assisted, zero turnovers being a simple play every time. And I’m pretty sure the potential assists were high because he made the right play over and over and over,” Fernandez said. “Sometimes you cannot control if those are going to be assists, but you just play the right way. And going to the free throw line, and as efficient as it was, it was just really impressive.
“We have to be careful with the amount of minutes we play him. And knowing that he had a short amount of minutes and using them efficiently, efficiently for the team. He just played, once again, the right play every time: whether it was to score against the line or pass waters. So, very clean game, very connected to his teammates, talking to them, telling them what to do. That’s it.”
We have more from Brooklyn:
- The Nets have now won a season-high three straight games and seven of their past 10 after picking up a road victory against a Minnesota team that had gone 10-3 in its last 13 contests, according to Lewis. The Nets surprisingly have the league’s top-ranked defense in December, Lewis notes. “When you’ve got Mike [Michael Porter Jr.] playing the level he’s playing out right now, throwing a Cam Thomas in the fold, and you have us defending the way that we are, we’re extremely [tough],” Nic Claxton said. “We’re going to be an extremely tough team to beat every night. We’re gonna compete, because those are two extremely gifted scores. And we’ve got shooters around. We’ve got me, Day’Ron [Sharpe] at the rim. So we’ve got a lot of different options, a lot to build off of.”
- While Thomas was the top performer, Brooklyn’s bench also received solid contributions from first-round picks Nolan Traore, Drake Powell and Danny Wolf as well as fifth-year center Sharpe in outscoring Minnesota’s second unit 62-33, as C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News relays.
- Fernandez has been pleased with the lottery pick Egor Demin‘s progress so far this season, but he’s constantly pushing the 19-year-old to keep improving, per Holmes. “I think he’s more comfortable,” Fernandez said. “I think he always played like he belongs, and that’s been great. I remember since that preseason game in Toronto. He played and showed right away why we were so high on him and how he handled himself. It’s not just about the shot making but also seeing the floor and his ability to get deflections and rebounds and all those things. We’ve seen how much better he’s gotten from Day 1… We still want to see more and better. And that goes not just for him, but everybody else on the roster.”
Raptors’ Barrett Returning Sunday; Poeltl Update Coming Monday
After missing the past 15 games due to a right knee sprain, Raptors wing RJ Barrett will return to action on Sunday against Golden State, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. Barrett will be on an unspecified minutes restriction in his first game back since November 23, Murphy adds.
As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca observes (via Twitter), the Raptors were 12-5 with Barrett in the lineup but have gone just 6-9 without him. They have worst offensive rating in the NBA over that 15-game span.
Barrett, 25, averaged 19.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists on .506/.356/.725 shooting in his first 17 games of the season. On Friday, the Raptors provided an encouraging update on the former No. 3 overall pick, who was initially listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.
Toronto is expected to announce an injury update on Jakob Poeltl on Monday, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link). The Raptors’ starting center will miss his third straight game Sunday due to a lower back issue the team has recently called a strain. He has been dealing with back problems since training camp.
In a full story for Sportsnet, Murphy discusses his takeaways from Friday’s disappointing 21-point loss to Washington, which has the second-worst record in the league at 6-23. While some of Toronto’s young players have made individual progress this season, others have taken a step back, and the team’s ability to put pressure on the rim has been sorely lacking with Barrett out, Murphy writes.
Warriors’ Seth Curry Out At Least Two Weeks With Sciatica
Warriors guard Seth Curry recently underwent an MRI which confirmed he has irritation along the sciatic nerve on his left side, reports Anthony Slater of ESPN (via Twitter).
Curry, who has missed the past three games with the injury, will be reevaluated in two weeks, Slater adds. The Warriors formally confirmed the news in a press release (Twitter link).
A 12-year veteran, Curry has been limited to two games with Golden State since he re-signed with the club on December 1. The 35-year-old spent training camp and the preseason with the Warriors but was waived ahead of the 2025/26 regular season because his veteran’s minimum salary couldn’t fit under the team’s second-apron hard cap at the time.
Curry, 35, has carved out a long NBA career largely because he’s an excellent shooter — he has converted 43.3% of his career three-point attempts, the seventh-best mark in NBA history. The 6’1″ combo guard, who is the younger brother of Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, went undrafted in 2013 out of Duke.
The Warriors have a road back-to-back at Toronto on Sunday and at Brooklyn on Monday. De’Anthony Melton, who missed most of last season with a torn ACL, will be held out of Sunday’s game for left knee injury management, according to Slater (Twitter link).
Al Horford will be active today but will be held out of Monday’s game — he recently returned from his own bout with sciatica but isn’t playing back-to-backs.
Magic Notes: Black, Suggs, Da Silva, Wagners, Penda
Third-year guard Anthony Black erupted for a career-high 38 points in the Magic‘s comeback victory over Denver on Saturday, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.
It was the second game of a back-to-back for the Magic, who had a disappointing loss to Charlotte the night before. They trailed by as many as 17 points in the third quarter against the Nuggets, but worked their way back into the game by forcing turnovers and getting baskets in transition, Beede notes.
Black shot 14-of-24 from the floor in Saturday’s win, including 7-of-11 from long distance. The 21-year-old also contributed six rebounds, five assists and two steals and was plus-six in 30 minutes.
“He’s put the work in,” Desmond Bane said about Black. “He laid the foundation for a great season with the way he approached the summer. I’m really happy for his growth. He’s a special player and he’s only going to get better.”
Known as a strong defender, Black has improved across the board in his third season and deserves to be in the Most Improved Player conversation, according to Josh Cohen of the team’s website.
“Confidence stepping into a shot, playing the right way,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said of Black. “The things that we’ve talked about him being and doing each night. When he gets that ball in his hands, just looking to attack to get downhill, stepping into a shot, and then taking on the challenge of guarding one of the best guards in the league.”
Here’s more on the Magic:
- Jalen Suggs was sidelined for his sixth straight game Saturday due to a left hip contusion, Beede tweets. “I don’t know how close but just keep preparing myself to be back on the court with my brothers,” Suggs said.
- A bruised right shoulder limited Tristan Da Silva‘s effectiveness earlier this month and forced him to miss four games before returning to action on Friday, Beede writes in another story. “I feel good,” Da Silva said Friday morning. “It’s been something that I’ve been dealing with a little bit, so I’m just glad that I finally took the time to settle back down and get things re-centered with myself. I’m excited to step back out there again.” The second-year forward was a key contributor in Saturday’s win, finishing with 17 points (on 7-of-11 shooting) and five rebounds in 30 minutes.
- Mosley also provided injury updates on Franz Wagner and his older brother Moritz Wagner on Friday morning, Beede adds. Franz, who is recovering from a high left ankle sprain, has been limited to spot shooting. Moritz, who is a year removed from a torn ACL, will be playing 2-on-2, 3-on-3 and taking contact in the near future, but there’s no timetable for the big man’s return, per Beede.
- Bane raved about Noah Penda‘s contributions earlier this week with the Magic shorthanded, as Beede relays (via Twitter). “He’s been huge,” Bane said of the rookie forward, who was selected No. 32 overall in the 2025 draft. “We all know what he brings on the defensive end, scrapping to get loose balls, but I’m proud of him for having confidence in his shot.“
Pelicans’ Alvarado, Suns’ Williams Ejected After Fight
Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado and Suns center Mark Williams were both ejected from Saturday’s game in New Orleans after a brief fight late in the third quarter, writes Rashad Milligan of NOLA.com.
Alvarado was whistled for a foul after pushing Williams, who was attempting to set a screen, with two hands (YouTube link). As Alvarado looked to the official to plead his case, Williams returned the favor with his own two-handed shove.
The 6’0″ Alvarado confronted the 7’1″ Williams, who dismissively tried to forearm Alvarado out of the way. Undeterred, Alvarado grabbed Williams’ left arm and jersey and a brief scuffle ensued, with Williams and then Alvarado both throwing right-handed punches that connected.
Williams also punched down at Alvarado with his left hand as the players were being separated, but it’s unclear from the video if it connected. Both players were ejected for the incident.
After the game, which Phoenix won, Suns head coach Jordan Ott said he had not yet reviewed a video of the altercation, per The Associated Press.
“I saw it start, and then all of a sudden everyone jumped in,” Ott said. “Obviously, it happens. It just feels like the lack of sleep the second night of a back-to-back, something always tends to happen. Last night, there were a lot of free throws; tonight there wasn’t as much. They let us play tonight, which is something we enjoy. They got tangled up, and obviously they both got thrown out.”
The NBA tends to be pretty strict when it comes to fights, especially when punches are thrown, so fines and suspensions could be coming for Alvarado and Williams.
Bulls’ Trentyn Flowers Drawing Interest From Several Colleges
9:05 am: Three of the 12 schools Tipton identified as being in pursuit of Flowers have denied that’s the case, according to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports (Twitter link).
“Not even sure how we got on that list,” one program official told Norlander. “No one on our staff has had any contact with anyone associated with him.”
8:12 am: Second-year wing Trentyn Flowers, who is on a two-way contract with the Bulls, is receiving interest from several different power five colleges, including Kentucky, Michigan, Kansas and Florida, reports Joe Tipton of On3.com (subscription required).
Flowers was viewed as a top-25 college recruit out of high school in 2023, Tipton notes, but the 20-year-old ultimately decided to play professionally in Australia after originally committing to Louisville. He went undrafted in 2024 after one season with the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League.
As Tipton writes, players who have NBA experience technically haven’t been granted NCAA eligibility to this point, but that hasn’t stopped college programs from pursuing them. Jazian Gortman, who is currently playing in the G League with the Oklahoma City Blue but spent part of last season on a two-way deal with the Mavericks, represents another recent example of this trend.
Flowers isn’t the only active two-way player receiving interest from colleges, according to Tipton, though he doesn’t specifically identify any others.
Tipton points out that universities have been emboldened to pursue professional players after the NCAA has shown leniency about granting them eligibility. For instance, Knicks prospect James Nnaji enrolled at Baylor a few days ago two years after being selected 31st overall in the 2023 draft. The Nigerian big man, who played professionally in Spain and Turkey, was granted four years of college eligibility.