Injury Notes: Poeltl, Murray-Boyles, White, Wagner, McBride, Duren
The back issues that have limited Jakob Poeltl to just 21 games this season were a major reason why his trade value was so low at the deadline, preventing the Raptors from gaining traction in their talks for Domantas Sabonis. However, Poeltl – who last played on December 21 – may not be out much longer, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).
As Murphy relays, Poeltl is said to be ramping up and reacting “really well” as he works his way back. Toronto has just two more games between now and the All-Star break – Sunday vs. Indiana and next Wednesday vs. Detroit – but the team thinks there’s a chance he could return during that time.
Meanwhile, Raptors rookie big man Collin Murray-Boyles remains active after missing four games in late January due to a left thumb ailment, but that injury is still bothering him, according to Murphy, who notes (via Twitter) that he’ll have to wear a protector on the thumb for five more weeks. Still, Murray-Boyles powered through in Thursday’s win over Chicago, scoring 17 points on 8-of-9 shots from the field in 37 minutes of action.
“I give him a lot of credit,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said (Twitter link via Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca). “… He’s having trouble dribbling the ball, catching the ball, (but) he’s playing through that.”
Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Newly acquired Hornets guard Coby White had played in 11 of Chicago’s last 12 games before being traded to Charlotte, but president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson said White is dealing with some calf issues, which the Hornets will tread carefully with. According to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link), the 25-year-old may not play for his new team until after the All-Star break.
- Magic forward Franz Wagner is “very close” to returning from the left ankle injury that has sidelined him since January 18 and caused him to miss 24 of the team’s past 26 games, president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said on Thursday (Twitter link via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel). Orlando plays three more times before the All-Star break.
- A pair of doctors who spoke to Jared Schwartz of The New York Post suggest that the full recovery period for a sports hernia procedure like the one Miles McBride is undergoing is usually close to 12 weeks. Reports on Thursday indicated there’s optimism the Knicks guard will be back for the postseason, which will begin in about 10 weeks.
- Pistons center Jalen Duren didn’t play in the second half of Thursday’s loss to Washington due to right knee soreness, per the team (Twitter link). According to head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, that knee soreness has been an issue for Duren for “a little bit,” but there’s no indication yet whether it will cost him any additional time (Twitter link via Hunter Patterson of The Athletic).
Celtics Trade Xavier Tillman, Cash To Hornets
10:29 pm: The trade is official, according to the Hornets, who announced that they sent Boston their own top-55 protected 2030 second-round pick to complete the deal.
3:23 pm: More than an hour after the trade deadline passed, word of another deal has trickled in. According to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), the Celtics reached an agreement to send center Xavier Tillman Sr. and $3.5MM in cash to the Hornets.
It’s a minor move relative to its on-court impact. Tillman, 27, has played an extremely limited role in Boston this season, appearing in just 14 games and averaging 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds on 7.9 minutes per night. It’s possible the Hornets won’t keep him on the roster after finalizing their trade.
However, it was a crucial move for the Celtics from a financial perspective. After opening the 2025/26 league year operating above the second tax apron, Boston has now moved all the way below the luxury tax line.
The team made cost-cutting moves involving Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Georges Niang last summer, then moved Tillman, Anfernee Simons, Josh Minott, and Chris Boucher in deals this week to duck slightly out of tax territory. That’s a first step toward the team avoiding repeater penalties in future seasons.
Boston’s margins are very small — after its deadline deals and its promotion of Amari Williams to a standard contract are all official, the team will have 12 players on standard contracts and will be below the tax line by roughly $842K, tweets Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron.
The Celtics will likely take full advantage of the rule that permits teams to carry fewer than 14 players for up to two weeks at a time and up to 28 days in total. It also seems likely that Max Shulga, another two-way player, will be promoted sooner or later — he would only count for the rookie minimum for tax purposes since he was drafted by Boston, whereas any free agent signing would count as a two-year veteran’s minimum.
The $3.5MM Charlotte will receive in the deal will more than cover Tillman’s remaining salary, so it’s essentially free money for the Hornets, who remain comfortably below the tax line themselves and won’t have a problem taking on the big man’s $2.55MM expiring contract.
Mavericks Send Anthony Davis To Wizards In Three-Team Deal
February 5: The trade has been finalized, the Mavericks and Wizards announced. It was officially completed as a three-team deal, with the Hornets receiving Malaki Branham and the Mavs receiving Tyus Jones. Charlotte confirmed its part of the trade in a press release.
“Anthony Davis is one of the most accomplished players of his generation, and we are thrilled to have him in Washington,” said Wizards general manager Will Dawkins. “Anthony’s championship experience and defensive pedigree bring a new level of opportunity and excitement to this franchise.”
February 4: The Mavericks are trading big man Anthony Davis to the Wizards, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who reports (via Twitter) that Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum will also head to Washington in the deal.
In return, the Mavericks will receive Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two first-round picks, and three second-rounders, sources tell Charania.
Those first-rounders will be a “least favorable” 2026 pick that will almost certainly be the Thunder’s, plus the Warriors’ top-20 protected 2030 pick, per Charania. The second-rounders are Phoenix’s 2026 pick, Chicago’s 2027 pick, and Houston’s 2029 selection.
Davis had been on the trade block in Dallas for much of the season, but there was some doubt about whether a deal would materialize after he suffered a hand injury expected to sideline him for least most of February, if not beyond that. Rumored suitors like Atlanta and Toronto appeared to back off to some extent, opening the door for a surprise team like the Wizards to make a deal.
While Washington is an unlikely landing spot for a veteran star like Davis, the 13-36 Wizards are clearly pivoting toward being competitive next season, having acquired four-time All-Star Trae Young from Atlanta last month and now pairing him with a 10-time All-Star in Davis.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Wizards would ideally like to use second-year big man Alex Sarr as a “super-sized” and “switchable” power forward and had been seeking another impact frontcourt player to use alongside him. Washington explored a possible deal for Kings center Domantas Sabonis and had considered making a run at Jazz center Walker Kessler in restricted free agency before pulling the trigger on a trade for Davis, Fischer says.
As they did with Young, the Wizards are buying low on Davis amid an injury-plagued season in which he has dealt with several separate health issues and has been limited to 20 appearances. Although the draft-pick haul they’re giving up for AD looks substantial at first glance, the 2026 first-rounder will likely end up at No. 30, while the 2030 selection will turn into a ’30 second-rounder if it lands in the top 20.
Like Young, who has yet to make his Wizards debut as he rests a knee injury, Davis appears unlikely to play much – if at all – during the second half of this season. Washington will owe its 2026 first-round pick to New York if it lands outside the top eight, so the club will likely do all it can to avoid that scenario. Resting its veteran stars should help that cause.
Despite the modest value of the first-round picks changing hands, the Wizards’ package likely appealed to Dallas due to the financial flexibility it will afford the team going forward. Besides moving off Davis’ maximum-salary contract, which will pay him $58.5MM in 2026/27, with a $62.8MM player option for ’27/28, the Mavs will remove Hardy’s $6MM guaranteed salary and Russell’s $6MM player option for ’26/27 from their books.
Besides giving the Mavericks more cap flexibility going forward, the deal will also generate considerable short-term savings, with the Wizards taking advantage of their significant breathing room below the luxury tax line to take on more than $24MM in 2025/26 salary. Dallas had been operating right up against the second tax apron but will move all the way out of apron and tax territory with this move, resulting in $57MM in savings, tweets cap expert Yossi Gozlan.
Most importantly, the trade lines up the Mavs to begin building around star rookie Cooper Flagg. Dallas will have a pair of first-round picks in a strong 2026 draft, including their own selection which is on track to be a lottery pick. And the team has a much cleaner cap sheet to work with moving forward, even with long-term deals for role players like P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford still on the books.
Still, the return for Davis stands in stark contrast to what they gave up to get him just one year ago. Under former head of basketball operations Nico Harrison, the 32-year-old was the centerpiece of the package the Mavs received for franchise player Luka Doncic. Since making that deal, the franchise has parted ways with Harrison and now done the same with Davis, conceding that it made a major mistake at the 2025 deadline.
Mike Conley Waived By Hornets
The Hornets have waived Mike Conley after acquiring him on Wednesday in a trade with Chicago, the team announced (via Twitter).
The veteran point guard will be eligible to sign with any team except for the Bulls if no one claims him and his $10.8MM salary on waivers. There have been reports that he may be interested in returning to the Timberwolves, which would be permitted since he was traded twice before being released, but there’s no confirmation that will be his next move.
Minnesota is adding a guard in today’s trade with Chicago for Ayo Dosunmu, but still has two roster openings if there’s mutual interest with Conley.
Conley, 38, moved into a reserve role for the Wolves this season for the first time since being acquired from Utah at the 2023 trade deadline. He appeared in 44 games, averaging 4.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 18.5 minutes per night with .322/.321/.891 shooting numbers.
Conley was sent to the Bulls on Tuesday in a three-team trade that also involved Detroit. He was shipped to Charlotte a day later in the Coby White deal.
No Trades Involving Morant, Kawhi, Sabonis, Zion, More
The Bucks informed rival teams a few hours ahead of Thursday’s deadline that they wouldn’t be trading superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and several other noteworthy players will remain with their respective teams after the deadline passed at 2:00 pm CT.
Point guard Ja Morant was available on the trade market for at least four weeks, but even after lowering their asking price, the Grizzlies were unable to find a taker for the two-time All-Star, confirms Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (via Twitter). According to Siegel, Memphis will revisit trade talks for Morant in the offseason.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), while a few teams were “intrigued” by the 26-year-old’s talent, none were willing to make a “serious offer.” The Kings, Bucks, Heat and Timberwolves were all linked to Morant in recent days, though there’s no indication that talks ever reached an advanced stage.
As Siegel writes, the Grizzlies were looking for a first-round pick for the two-time All-Star, but no teams were willing to meet that asking price. Miami, for instance, was only willing to give up expiring contracts and second-round picks for Morant, sources tell Siegel.
Morant’s injury history and maximum-salary contract limited his appeal on the trade market, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. The former No. 2 overall pick is on a guaranteed deal that runs through 2027/28.
“You’re committing to several years, and if it doesn’t work, you’re probably carrying that contract until it’s an expiring at least,” one league source told Afseth. “Most teams would want to be compensated just to take that deal on, whether they believe in Morant or not.”
The Clippers made a pair of major trades, swapping James Harden for Darius Garland and sending Ivica Zubac to Indiana for two first-round picks, one second-rounder, Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson. All-Star Kawhi Leonard won’t be going anywhere though, tweets NBA insider Chris Haynes.
Two-time All-NBA big man Domantas Sabonis, who was repeatedly linked to Toronto until Sacramento’s talks with the Raptors “flat-lined,” will stay put with the Kings, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link). The Kings were also unable to find suitable deals for Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk, per Haynes (Twitter link).
Jarrett Allen (Cavaliers), Lauri Markkanen (Jazz), LaMelo Ball (Hornets), and Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones of the Pelicans are among the other noteworthy players whose names came up in trade speculation this season who will remain with their respective clubs.
Of course, we saw a flurry of trades that did transpire in the lead-up to the deadline. The full list can be found here.
Hornets Trading Tyus Jones To Mavericks For Malaki Branham
After picking up Tyus Jones in a deal with Orlando on Wednesday, the Hornets have agreed to trade him to the Mavericks, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Charlotte will receive Malaki Branham in return while generating a $7MM trade exception. There are no picks involved on either side, adds Christian Clark of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Dallas was hoping to sign Jones last summer in its search for a point guard, but couldn’t compete with the $7MM offer he received from the Magic, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link). The Mavs wound up adding D’Angelo Russell, who is heading to Washington as part of the Anthony Davis deal.
Charlotte agreed to take on Jones’ contract in a salary dump that moved Orlando below the luxury tax line, getting a pair of future second-round picks in return.
Jones struggled with his shot during his time with the Magic, connecting at 32.4% from the field and 29.4% from three-point range in 48 games. But he remains one of the NBA’s most dependable ball-handlers and could have a prominent role with Dallas until Kyrie Irving returns from injury.
Branham was a part-time starter during his first two seasons with San Antonio after being selected with the 20th pick in the 2022 draft, but his playing time has dropped sharply over the past two years. He’s being sent from Washington to Dallas in the Davis trade and is earning $5MM in the final year of his rookie contract.
Hornets Acquire Tyus Jones From Magic, Waive Pat Connaughton
11:27 pm: The trade is official, the Hornets announced (via Twitter). Veteran swingman Pat Connaughton, who has only appeared in 22 games this season, has been waived to make room on the roster for Jones (Twitter link). Connaughton will receive the balance of his $9.4MM salary.
9:07 pm: The Magic have agreed to send Tyus Jones to the Hornets for cash considerations, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Charlotte will get a pair of second-round picks for taking on Jones’ $7MM contract, Charania adds. Those second-rounders will be the least favorable between Boston and Orlando in 2027 along with the Magic’s selection in 2028, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The Hornets now own 11 first-rounders and 14 second-rounders over the next seven years.
The move allows Orlando to dip roughly $1.4MM below the luxury tax line. The Magic will be down to 13 players with standard contracts once the deal is finalized and will have two weeks to get back to the league minimum of 14.
The Hornets currently have a full roster, so another move will have to be made before this trade can be completed. Mike Conley, who’s being acquired from Chicago in a separate deal, is viewed as a buyout candidate, so Charlotte could open a roster spot by finalizing that trade first and waiving Conley.
The Hornets can absorb Jones’ salary with the remainder of their mid-level exception or with a trade exception they’ll create in the deal with the Bulls, notes Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Twitter link). Gozlan suggests that Jones could also be bought out, which would make him eligible to sign with any team other than Orlando.
Jones, 29, signed a one-year deal with the Magic in July. He was expected to provide depth at point guard, but his inconsistent shooting (34.2% from the field and 29.4% from three-point range) has limited his playing time. Through 48 games, Jones is averaging 3.0 points and 2.4 assists in 15.7 minutes per night.
Hornets Acquire Coby White From Bulls
11:21 pm: The trade has been finalized, the Hornets announced (via Twitter).
2:01 pm: The Hornets and Bulls have agreed to a trade that will send guards Coby White and Mike Conley to Charlotte, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
In exchange, Chicago will acquire guard Collin Sexton, forward Ousmane Dieng, and three second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. Dieng is technically still a member of the Thunder, but is reportedly being traded to Charlotte in a deal involving center Mason Plumlee. Oklahoma City is sending the Hornets a second-round pick along with Dieng in that side deal, tweets Charania.
White, who will turn 26 later this month, is a talented scorer who has averaged 19.5 points per game since becoming a full-time starter at the beginning of the 2023/24 season. He has also averaged 4.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds per night over the course of 182 outings during that stretch, with a .448/.369/.859 shooting line.
Although White entered this winter as one of the Bulls’ prime trade candidates, his value has been negatively impacted by calf issues that have limited to 29 games this season, as well as his contract situation.
The veteran guard is on an expiring $12.9MM expiring deal, meaning his maximum extension with Chicago would have been worth $87MM over four years — he reportedly conveyed to the team prior to the season that he wouldn’t be signing an extension and would take his chances on earning a more lucrative payday in unrestricted free agency.
With teams viewing White as a possible rental, the Bulls were unable to extract a first-round pick for him on the trade market, but they did secure three second-rounders, which will be either the Nuggets’ or Hornets’ 2029 pick (whichever is least favorable), the Nuggets’ 2031 pick, and the Knicks’ 2031 pick, according to Zach Lowe of The Ringer (Twitter link).
The Hornets will presumably look to re-sign White, a North Carolina native who played his college ball at UNC, but Conley likely won’t spend long on Charlotte’s roster. He’s viewed as a buyout candidate, and since he’ll be traded twice this week, he would be eligible to return to the Timberwolves without running afoul of the NBA’s rule preventing a waived player to return to the team that traded him away. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line highlighted this potential outcome for Conley earlier today.
The Bulls, meanwhile, could have more moves up their sleeves in the next 24 hours, since they’ll still have a logjam in their backcourt. Sexton will join a group that features Josh Giddey, Ayo Dosunmu, Jaden Ivey, Anfernee Simons, and Tre Jones.
Sixers Trade Jared McCain To Thunder For Draft Compensation
7:59 pm: The trade sending McCain to the Thunder is now official, the team announced in a press release. In order to open up a roster spot for the newcomer, Oklahoma City waived Plumlee, who was acquired from Charlotte in a separate deal.
1:02 pm: The Sixers and Thunder have agreed to a trade that will send Jared McCain to Oklahoma City for Houston’s 2026 first-round pick (which the Thunder control) and three second-rounders, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The three second-round picks involved in the trade are a 2027 selection (most favorable of Thunder, Rockets, Pacers and Heat), OKC’s own 2028 pick, and Milwaukee’s 2028 second, reports Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (via Twitter).
McCain, who turns 22 years old later this month, was the 16th overall pick in the 2024 draft. The former Duke guard got off to an excellent start to his rookie campaign, averaging 15.3 points, 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds on .460/.383/.875 shooting in 23 games (25.7 minutes per contest), but missed the remainder of 2024/25 after undergoing season-ending knee surgery.
McCain’s ’25/26 debut was delayed after he suffered ligament damage in his thumb, which required surgery. The injury occurred in an offseason workout just before training camp.
Although McCain has played a bit better recently, he largely hasn’t played at the same level as he did as a rookie, averaging 6.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG and 1.7 APG on .385/.378/.880 shooting in 37 games (16.8 MPG). He was sent to the G League multiple times to get more playing time and to try and find his rhythm.
Assuming Philadelphia doesn’t receive a player back in return, the team would generate a traded player exception worth $4,221,360, which is how much money McCain makes this season.
The Sixers likely viewed McCain as a luxury rather than a necessity due to the strong backcourt play of All-Star Tyrese Maxey and standout rookie VJ Edgecombe. It’s worth noting that all three players are on the smaller side as well, so it would be difficult to play them all at once.
The Thunder, meanwhile, have an excess of future first-round picks and will be betting that McCain can recapture his previous form in a new environment. His rookie scale contract covers two more years beyond ’25/26 for a total of $11.2MM.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line hears Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng may be involved in the deal as well (Twitter link). According to Fischer (Twitter link), there’s momentum on a trade that would send Dieng to the Hornets for Mason Plumlee. Shedding Dieng’s salary rather than waiving him would help the Thunder stay below the luxury tax threshold.
Avoiding the tax is also presumably a consideration for the Sixers, who will receive a tax variance credit as a result of Paul George’s 25-game suspension and are in position to finish the season as a non-taxpayer after moving McCain.
Thunder Trade Ousmane Dieng, Second-Round Pick To Hornets
The Thunder and Hornets have officially finalized a trade sending forward Ousmane Dieng and a 2029 second-round pick to Charlotte in exchange for center Mason Plumlee, the two teams announced in press releases.
The terms of the deal were reported in bits and pieces as news broke that the Thunder were acquiring Jared McCain from Philadelphia and the Hornets were using Dieng as part of their package for Bulls guard Coby White.
Dieng, 22, was the 11th overall pick in the 2022 draft, selected by the Thunder one spot before they nabbed Jalen Williams. However, the Frenchman never evolved into a reliable rotation player in Oklahoma City, appearing in 136 regular season games across three-and-a-half seasons and averaging 4.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 12.0 minutes per night.
The move is financially motivated for the Thunder. Dieng is on an expiring $6.7MM contract this season, while Plumlee is on a one-year, minimum-salary contract with a cap hit of $2.3MM. By saving $4.4MM in this move, Oklahoma City will be able to remain below the tax when it finalizes its acquisition of McCain, who is earning $4.2MM this season. The expectation is that Plumlee will be waived to make room for McCain on OKC’s 15-man roster.
As for the Hornets, they’ll take advantage of their financial flexibility below the luxury tax line to accommodate a salary dump and acquire an extra second-round selection in the process. The Thunder, who have no shortage of future second-round picks, will send them the most favorable of Atlanta’s and Miami’s 2029 second-rounders.
Charlotte will subsequently flip Dieng to Chicago along with Collin Sexton in a trade that will send White and Mike Conley to the Hornets. It’s unclear whether or not the Bulls will hang onto Dieng once that deal is completed.