Jared McCain Undergoes Thumb Surgery, Out 4-6 Weeks
October 1: McCain underwent surgery to repair a UCL tear in his right thumb on Tuesday, the team tweets. He’ll be reevaluated in approximately four weeks.
September 27: McCain is expected to undergo thumb surgery and will miss four-to-six weeks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on NBA Today (video link).
September 25: Sixers guard Jared McCain sustained a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right thumb during a workout on Thursday, reports Tim Bontemps of ESPN (via Twitter).
The Sixers officially confirmed the unfortunate news in a press release (Twitter link).
It’s yet another injury blow for the 76ers, who have dealt with numerous absences to key players over the years. That was particularly true in 2024/25, when Philadelphia went just 24-58 after handing out several lucrative contracts in the 2024 offseason.
It’s also an unfortunate setback for McCain, who was one of the early bright spots amid a disappointing start last season. The No. 16 pick of the 2024 draft, McCain was among the Rookie of the Year frontrunners to open ’24/25, averaging 15.3 points, 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds on .460/.383/.875 shooting in 23 games (25.7 MPG) prior to suffering a season-ending injury — a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee, which required surgery — in December.
McCain expressed optimism earlier this month about being ready for the start of training camp. Philadelphia’s media day is tomorrow.
Citing information from InStreetClothes.com, Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports writes that players who suffer a torn UCL during the season typically miss about seven-and-a-half weeks of action (Twitter link). That would theoretically put McCain on track to return in late November.
It’s unclear if McCain’s injury will impact the 76ers’ contract negotiations with restricted free agent guard Quentin Grimes, with the two sides reportedly “very far apart” in talks ahead of the October 1 qualifying offer deadline.
Clippers Notes: Ballmer, Aspiration, Frank, Kawhi, Beal, Collins
Through his philanthropic arm, the Ballmer Group, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer donated $1.875MM to the Golden State Opportunity Foundation, a charity whose founder is disgraced former Aspiration co-founder Joe Sanberg, Pablo Torre reported Monday on his Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast (YouTube link).
Ballmer’s donation came in December 2024, more than a year-and-a-half after the Clippers ended their contract with Aspiration, and nearly a year after it was publicly reported that the now-bankrupt “green bank” company was under federal investigation, Torre observes. It also came a couple months after Sanberg’s co-conspirator was arrested.
It’s the latest update in an ongoing investigation from Torre, other members of the media, and the NBA, which hired a law firm to determine whether the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard circumvented the salary cap through their deals with Aspiration.
In a public statement on Monday, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank reiterated the Clippers “welcome” the league’s investigation and denied the accusations (Twitter video link via Joey Linn of SI.com).
“We feel confident we are on the right side of this,” Frank said in part.
For his part, Kawhi Leonard denied any wrongdoing and said the investigation wouldn’t be a distraction during the season (Twitter links via Law Murray of The Athletic). Leonard mentioned “conspiracies” multiple times, according to Murray.
“This is old… we already knew this was going to happen,” Leonard said.
Here’s more from the Clippers’ media day:
- Bradley Beal had arthroscopic surgery sometime after the season ended, tweets Murray. Beal said he was playing through right knee inflammation last season with Phoenix and had the knee scoped, which helped, as he’s feeling “good” and “ready to go” now. However, the team said he would be a limited training camp participant, according to Murray, who adds (via Twitter) that Bogdan Bogdanovic (torn hamstring) will also be a limited participant. Leonard is considered healthy and a full participant.
- Beal, who signed a two-year deal (second year player option) with the Clippers after being bought out by the Suns, says he loves living in Los Angeles and has talked with Frank about potentially ending his career with the team (Twitter links via Murray). The three-time All-Star knows he won’t be a primary scoring option for the Clippers and is welcoming the challenge of taking on tough defensive assignments.
- Head coach Tyronn Lue views offseason acquisition John Collins as a power forward who can play some backup center at times, per Murray (Twitter link). The Clippers landed Collins in the three-team trade that sent Norman Powell to Miami. The 28-year-old big man will earn $26.58MM this season before hitting free agency next summer.
Jazz’s Kessler ‘Frustrated’ By Extension Talks
Tony Jones of The Athletic reported last week that the Jazz and fourth-year center Walker Kessler are not expected to reach an agreement on a rookie scale contract extension before the regular season begins, despite having “multiple meetings”over the summer.
According to Jones, part of the reason a deal hasn’t been reached is because the Jazz are trying to maximize their salary cap flexibility next summer. As a restricted free agent in 2026, Kessler would have a cap hold of just $14.9MM — a potential extension would likely feature a much more lucrative starting salary and would replace that cap hold.
Kessler admitted at Monday’s media day that extension talks haven’t been going the way he’d hoped, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.
“I don’t want to talk about it after today, just because I think during the season … I don’t want it to be a distractor for me or for my teammates,” Kessler said.
“But that being said, I’m definitely a little frustrated with how,” he continued, trailing off before finishing, “… if I don’t (receive an extension).”
Kessler declined to answer when asked if Utah had told him it wouldn’t offer him an extension, Larsen writes. Jones reported that the Jazz did offer the 24-year-old an extension and value him highly, but the two sides weren’t close to an agreement.
According to Larsen, Kessler and his camp are looking for a long-term contract “approaching or perhaps even eclipsing” nine figures.
“I don’t want to negotiate publicly, but we’re big fans of Walker,” president of basketball operations Austin Ainge said. “We’ve talked with him and his people this summer and hope to have him around long term, whether that’s an agreement now or later.”
Despite the uncertain contract situation, Kessler said he loves being in Utah and playing for the Jazz, Larsen adds. The former Auburn and North Carolina big man will earn $4.88MM in 2025/26, which is the final season of his rookie scale deal.
Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Valanciunas, Braun, Brown, Murray
Three-time MVP and 2023 Finals MVP Nikola Jokic declined to sign a veteran extension with the Nuggets this summer, but that decision was more about maximizing his earnings rather than any sign of disconnect, he confirmed today (Twitter link via Chris Dempsey of Altitude Sports).
“My plan is to be with the Nuggets forever,” Jokic said.
Jokic has long said he admires Tim Duncan, who spent all 19 years of his illustrious career with the Spurs.
The Nuggets were reportedly anticipating that Jokic might bypass an extension due to the additional year and extra $79MM they can offer next summer.
Based on the latest salary cap projections, a three-year, maximum-salary for Jokic beginning in 2027/28 would be worth $206.4MM. A four-year deal, available next offseason, would be worth a projected $285.4MM.
Here’s more on the Nuggets:
- New backup center Jonas Valanciunas was heavily linked to Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos this summer shortly after Denver agreed to acquire him in a trade sending Dario Saric to Sacramento. When asked about that interest, Valanciunas made it clear he was focused on the present, as Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette relays (via Twitter). “One thing I want to clarify is I’m here. I’m happy to be here. I’m going to dive in to win more games than ever,” Valanciunas said. Interestingly, head coach David Adelman said the Nuggets will explore using Jokic and Valanciunas together at times, tweets Benedetto.
- Executive VP of player personnel Jon Wallace said the Nuggets have had “preliminary conversations” with Christian Braun about a potential rookie scale extension, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link). “We hope to kind of build on (those talks) in the next couple days. He’s a large part of what we do,” Wallace said. Braun, who will remain extension-eligible through Oct. 20, said he wasn’t frustrated that a deal hasn’t been completed yet (Twitter link from Benedetto).
- Veteran swingman Bruce Brown is back with the Nuggets after spending the past two years on three different teams. He tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape that leaving in 2023 free agency after the championship run was purely a financial decision. “I left (Denver) obviously because I got paid really well; I didn’t want to leave,” Brown said. “It was tough to leave, but I had to. I was in a place like Indy, which was on the verge of being really good. And I ended up being traded to teams where they were rebuilding and not really in a position to win a championship. And if you know how I play, I like to win. I don’t like to lose. So, as soon as I got to Toronto, I thought about coming back to Denver right away. Fast forward to getting traded to New Orleans. Another tough spot. A lot of injuries there. And the whole time I was in New Orleans, I was thinking about the Nuggets.”
- After an injury limited his effectiveness in both the 2024 playoffs with Denver and in the Paris Olympics with Canada, Jamal Murray says he feels much better this year heading into training camp, tweets Benedetto. “I just feel a lot better than last summer. That’s always positive,” said Murray.
Sixers Decline To Extend Grimes’ Qualifying Offer Deadline
The Sixers will not extend Quentin Grimes‘ October 1 qualifying offer deadline, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (all Twitter links). Philadelphia made the 6’5″ wing a restricted free agent when it tendered him a qualifying offer in June.
Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer first reported that Grimes’ agent, David Bauman, had asked the 76ers to extend the QO deadline, which requires the consent of both the player and the team. Fischer confirmed the news on Saturday and specified that Bauman was looking to push back the deadline one week, to Oct. 8.
Fischer’s latest update doesn’t come as a surprise, since he previously said Philadelphia hadn’t shown any interest in granting Bauman’s request.
According to Fischer, the Sixers and Grimes’ camp remain “far apart” in contract negotiations. As multiple reporters have indicated, Grimes appears headed toward re-signing with Philadelphia on a one-year deal — the only question is whether he accepts his $8.74MM QO, which comes with an implied no-trade clause, or signs a more lucrative one-year contract and waives his right to veto a trade.
Either way, we now have confirmation that Grimes’ situation should be resolved by Wednesday.
Juan Nunez To Undergo Second Right Knee Surgery
Barcelona point guard Juan Nunez will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee after experiencing inflammation upon his return to basketball activities, the Spanish club announced in a press release (hat tip to Eurohoops.net).
The 21-year-old’s 2024/25 season was cut short after undergoing surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus in the same knee back in March. At the time, he was given a return timeline of about six months.
Nunez’s NBA rights were acquired by the Spurs after he was selected No. 36 overall in last year’s draft. He signed a three-year deal with Barcelona in July 2024.
In 25 EuroLeague contests last season, the 6’4″ guard averaged 5.0 points, 3.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game. His shooting slash line was .442/.275/.650.
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said earlier this year the team was keeping close tabs on Nunez’s development. Still, it’s unclear if the Spanish floor general will be part of San Antonio’s long-term plans, given the Spurs already have De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper on their roster.
Trail Blazers Notes: Camp, Yang, Sharpe, Porter, B. Grant
It has been an extremely busy and eventful offseason for the Trail Blazers, writes Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link), who lists five things he’ll be keeping a close eye on when training camp starts this week.
The first item on Highkin’s list is Yang Hansen, the 7’1″ center who was surprisingly drafted 16th overall after largely being projected as a second-round pick. Yang looked more ready to contribute than anticipated during Summer League action, Highkin notes, but it’s hard to read much into that performance — the real tests will begin soon.
While Damian Lillard won’t play at all this season as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon, Highkin is curious to see how the franchise’s all-time leading scorer will impact his teammates behind the scenes. Who will be part of the starting lineup and whether or not Kris Murray or Rayan Rupert can carve out rotation roles in their third seasons are among the other storylines Highkin will be monitoring.
Here are a few more notes from Portland:
- Within the same story, Highkin says he’s skeptical about the Blazers and Shaedon Sharpe agreeing to a rookie scale extension before the season begins. Although Highkin views the Canadian guard as “the most talented player” on the roster, he writes that Sharpe hasn’t been able to consistently perform at a high level to this point in his career. If the 22-year-old doesn’t sign an extension by October 20, he will be a restricted free agent in 2026.
- In a story for The Players’ Tribune he wrote in Chinese and then had translated to English, which he’s still learning, Yang describes his upbringing in Zibo (Shangdong province), China, and his journey to being drafted by Portland. One interesting tidbit: Yang says he has been closely studying Nikola Jokic for the past three years and has patterned his game to imitate the Serbian star.
- The Trail Blazers recently announced several additions and promotions in their basketball operations department. Most notably, longtime Blazers point guard and ex-NBA head coach Terry Porter will serve as a scout this season, while former Blazers forward Brian Grant will hold the title of basketball liaison — he will be an off-court mentor to players. Joe Freeman of The Oregonian, who first reported that Porter and Grant would be returning to the organization in an official capacity, has more details on their specific positions.
Jazz’s Georges Niang Suffers Foot Injury, Out At Least Two Weeks
Veteran forward Georges Niang sustained a fourth metatarsal stress reaction in his left foot during offseason training and conditioning, the Jazz announced today in a press release.
According to the team, Niang will be reevaluated in two weeks.
Niang began last season with Cleveland and played 51 games for the Cavaliers, all but one off the bench, before being traded to Atlanta in February. He appeared in 28 games with the Hawks, including two starts.
Overall, Niang averaged 9.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game on .461/.406/.793 shooting in 79 appearances last season (21.5 minutes per contest).
Niang, 32, was sent to Boston in the Kristaps Porzingis trade in July and then was flipped to Utah in a salary-dump deal in August. He’s entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him $8.2MM in 2025/26.
This is Niang’s second stint with the Jazz, having previously played for Utah from 2017-21. Niang is reportedly happy to be back with the team, which is said to view him as a potential rotation player and locker room leader.
Nets Notes: Bufkin, Traore, Saraf, Clowney, Mann
The Nets selected three prospects — Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf — who project to be point guards in the first round of the 2025 draft. So why did they trade for Kobe Bufkin?
“I don’t think you ever have enough ball-handlers, right? Making plays for others is always important,” explained head coach Jordi Fernandez (story via Brian Lewis of The New York Post).
As Lewis writes, Bufkin was on Brooklyn’s radar in the 2023 draft, but he was selected No. 15 overall, six spots before the Nets picked Noah Clowney. Bufkin also played his college ball at Michigan under Juwan Howard, who is now an assistant coach with the Nets.
“Obviously (Howard) knows the guy, and everything was very positive between Juwan, who knows him and speaks highly and positively about him,” Fernandez said. “We also have our scouting department that knew (him). … We were very high on him during the draft, and it was an opportunity to bring him in. So you put all that together, and that’s the reason why he’s here.”
For his part, Bufkin says he’s happy to be around a familiar face in Brooklyn.
“It’s definitely a big level of comfort. (Howard) is like family,” Bufkin said. “I spent two years with him. He was a mentor for me, kind of taught me about the league before I got to the league, what to expect, what not to expect. So it was good to see him.”
Here’s more on the Nets:
- Fernandez calls Traore’s speed his “superpower” but he acknowledges the French guard needs to improve in multiple areas to be a regular contributor as a rookie, Lewis writes in a subscriber-only story. “Yeah, there’s no saving here in the NBA. So he’s gotta play really, extremely hard every second he has the opportunity to play,” Fernandez said. “Nothing will be given to him, so they have to earn it. So far, we’re very happy with him. That’s his superpower, but his handle, he understands the game, he’s played in professional leagues for more than one year, so he has that experience, too. And you’ll see it soon. So, I trust him. I trust everything. His shooting, he’s putting time and work into everything and adjusting it to the NBA. It’s just going to take time. But, like I said, the first thing is come here, work and earn your minutes.”
- Veterans Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton have been impressed by Saraf’s maturity and poise in training camp, Lewis adds in a third article for The New York Post. The Israeli guard noted he already has three professional seasons under his belt despite only being 19 years old. “I feel like, yeah, playing like it’s going to be my fourth year playing professional, so I’ve got some experience. With playoff games I played with full arenas, so I think it’s helped me,” Saraf said. “And my last teammates, my last vets … I’m trying to learn from each one of them. I don’t feel like a rookie here. I am a rookie, I’ll do all my duties, but it’s basketball, so I’m just going out there and playing.”
- Third-year big man Noah Clowney added several pounds of muscle this offseason and he believes his improved strength will help him level up several facets of his game, writes C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News. Most importantly, Clowney is hoping for improved durability after being limited to just 46 games last season. “My primary goal is just to stay healthy, and outside of staying healthy, just to get better every game,” Clowney said. “I learn something from each game, but I don’t like to make the same mistake over and over again. That’s the goal.”
- As Lewis writes for The New York Post (subscription required), trade acquisition Terance Mann is used to being one of the younger players on his NBA teams but he’s currently the oldest Net (he turns 29 next month) on the league’s youngest roster. Fernandez says Mann, who grew up mere blocks away from where Barclays Center now stands, has impressed the team with his leadership. “He showed up and worked every single day, and now he can show others why he’s the type of player he is and he’s accomplished what he’s accomplished,” Fernandez said. “I think leading with your voice is great, but leading by example is even better, and that’s what Terance so far has been doing.”
Knicks Notes: Robinson, McBride, Brown, Anunoby
As he enters the final year of his contract, which will pay him a little under $13MM, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson says he doesn’t care if he starts or not in 2025/26, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News.
“Nah. It don’t matter to me at all,” Robinson said on Thursday. “I started before. I came off the bench before. I did great in both. So it’s whatever.”
As Winfield notes, Robinson saw his role reduced after finally returning from ankle surgery last season, but then was moved back into the starting lineup for the last four games of the Eastern Conference Finals against Indiana. New head coach Mike Brown called Robinson a “monster on the glass” but said he has yet to decide if the 7’0″ big man will start or come off the bench.
“Ideally, it would be great to have everybody’s role defined before the first game,” Brown said. “Now, they can change throughout the course of the season, but hopefully going into Game 1, we as coaches — and (new assistant) Billy Lange — get to a point where we have everybody’s role defined. And not only that, but they embrace it so that everybody knows specifically what they need to do.
“We’ve got a lot of guys and we’re a new staff. So if we get a little behind, maybe it doesn’t happen until after the first or second game. I don’t know. But ideally, I’d like to have all that done before game one.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Robinson, who said he added muscle and lost weight over the offseason after starting an organic farm in Nashville, isn’t sure if he’ll be cleared to play back-to-backs to open the season, according to Winfield. One of the NBA’s premier offensive rebounders, Robinson added that he isn’t concerned about potentially being involved in trade rumors ahead of 2026 free agency — he will remain extension-eligible throughout the season. “I’m gonna come out here and play hard still regardless, whether it’s my last (year) or my first (year), just come out here and play hard,” Robinson said. “But at the same time I’m gonna let my agent handle that part of it. I’m just gonna play basketball.”
- Guard Miles McBride has been floated as a possible trade candidate because New York reportedly wants to keep Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet, both of whom are signed to non-guaranteed training camp deals. McBride expressed appreciation for former coach Tom Thibodeau but is looking forward to playing under Brown, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. “Honestly it was crazy. It was unexpected. All my four years were with Thibs. He did a great job with me and team,” McBride said. “… Coming in with Mike, I’m excited. … He’s been communicating with a lot of guys, allowing people to talk.”
- Forward OG Anunoby just missed out on making the All-Defensive Second Team last season, finishing with the most votes among players who didn’t make the cut. He has loftier goals for ’25/26, as Steve Popper of Newsday writes (subscription required). “For sure, defense, that’s what wins games, championships,” Anunoby said. “So it’s very important to me. Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Defense, those are always my goals.” Brown praised Anunoby’s defensive work, Popper adds. “First-team All-Defense,” Brown said. “He is more than capable. Really it’s up to him. That’s how good he is on that end of the floor. He’s a first-team — and I’ve been around those guys. Bruce Bowen. Tim Duncan. I’ve been around a few of them, and he’s right there.”