NBA Announces Schedule Updates For Two Monday Games

Monday’s game between the Pacers and Hawks has been moved up to 12:30 pm CT due to inclement weather in Atlanta, the NBA announced on Sunday (via Twitter).

A second game on Monday will be played earlier as well, with the Sixers and Hornets now slated to tip off at 2:00 pm CT due to the weather conditions in Charlotte, per the league.

The NBA postponed two games on Sunday because of Winter Storm Fern.

As Brad Rowland notes (Twitter link), the Pacers-Hawks game was originally scheduled for 6:30 pm CT. The Sixers-Hornets contest was originally set for 6:00 pm, tweets Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

Hornets Notes: Bridges, Miller, Hot Streak, Schedule

Several teams reportedly have interest in Hornets forward Miles Bridges, but he said after Saturday’s win over Washington that his preference is to remain with Charlotte, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer (subscription required). Boone points out that Bridges is often the subject of trade speculation at this time of year, so he’s not affected by it.

“Just focus on winning, focus on controlling what I can control,” Bridges said. “If I get traded, if I don’t get traded. … I would rather be here. But I know if I do get traded, I know (president of basketball operations) Jeff Peterson and those guys, they’ll talk to me first. So, I don’t try to worry about that. I just worry about the games.”

Bridges, who is earning $25MM this season, has one year left on his contract at $22.8MM, which is viewed around the league as a team-friendly deal. He has spent his entire career with the Hornets after being drafted in 2018 and has been through a lot of losing, but he’s excited about the direction the team is headed with a talented young nucleus.

“Yeah, I for sure want to be a part of it,” Bridges said. “I feel like everybody else wants everybody to stay together. But you’ve just got to control what you can control, continue to stack games.”

There’s more from Charlotte:

  • Brandon Miller‘s progress was slowed by injuries after an outstanding rookie season, but he’s proven that he can still be a reliable scoring threat since returning to action in mid-November, Boone states in the same piece. Miller, who’s considered to be one of the team’s few untouchables on the trade market, has reached at least 20 points in the last six games. He also expressed a desire to keep the current roster together. “That’s the goal,” Miller said, “to have everybody stay here. But unfortunately, it’s the game. We only can control what we can control. So, I think just controlling the controllables would be great.” 
  • The Hornets improved to 18-28 and are showing signs that they may be able to challenge for a play-in spot. Boone notes that they have the NBA’s highest net rating over the past 10 games, ranking second in offensive rating at 121.4 and sixth in defensive rating at 109.5. In addition, the combination of Miller, Bridges, LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel and Moussa Diabate boasts the league’s best plus-minus rating at +29.1.
  • Today’s game was moved to a noon ET tip-off because of a severe storm expected to arrive in the Charlotte area. There are concerns that the weather might affect Monday’s home game against Philadelphia, but the current plan is to play it as scheduled, according to Boone, who states that the Sixers are flying into Charlotte shortly after today’s game against New York.

Southeast Notes: Hornets, Wizards, Heat, Herro

Rookies Kon Knueppel, Sion James, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Liam McNeeley have re-energized the Hornets’ franchise, Steve Aschburner of NBA.com writes. Knueppel is challenging top pick and college teammate Cooper Flagg for Rookie of the Year honors.

“I knew the four guys we were bringing in … they were just so secure in themselves,” president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson said. “They’re about their team and that we win. And they all complement each other.”

All of the rookies, save McNeeley, have made a significant impact.

“The way they come in the building every day with their energy, with their curiosity to learn,” coach Charles Lee said. “Even from the standpoint of Liam [who has split time in the NBA G League], he’s brought a new term for us to break our huddles.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • The Wizards made history on Saturday afternoon. Their starting lineup was the youngest since the league began tracking starters in 1970/71, per Elias, the team tweets. That includes the first career start for Will Riley. The average age of the starting five was 20.64 years old. The Wizards had seven players ruled out, including Khris Middleton, who was initially listed as questionable (Twitter link). Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson and Bub Carrington were the other starters.
  • Injuries have impacted the Heat after a strong start, the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang notes. The Heat are just one game over .500 after going 9-15 in their past 24 games, and they have yet to win consecutive games in January. Injury issues have resulted in Miami using four different starting lineups in the past six games. “Just got to be more consistent,” big man Bam Adebayo said. “We can’t front-run. Every game has to be, we hold the line on defense from the start of the game. And then from the start of the game to the start of the third, and we figure it out from there. We’re having too many games where we’ll play great defense one night. Another night, we’ll kind of take off. So that’s got to be the difference. We’ve just got to be more consistent on that end, even if we’re missing or making shots.”
  • The Heat’s trade deadline approaching could hinge on Tyler Herro‘s health issues, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel opines. Trading Norman Powell, without any confidence that Herro can return to form, would seem like capitulation and that’s not Miami’s style. There isn’t another scorer on the roster capable of stepping into that void to at least keep the Heat competitive if they trade Powell and Herro remains out or limited.

NBA Rumors: Trade Deadline, Bridges, Mavs, Luka, Lakers

While the grand majority of in-season trades occur during the week of the deadline, this season has been unusually slow as far as deal-making goes. For instance, at this time last year, we had already seen five in-season trades — to this point in 2025/26, we’ve only had one. So why haven’t we seen more action?

ESPN’s Bobby Marks recently spoke to NBA front office executives to get a better understanding of the answer to that question. There are four main reasons for the relative lack of activity to this point, Marks writes.

The first and most important factor holding up the market, per Marks, is that rival teams are waiting to see if Giannis Antetokounmpo requests a trade or if the Bucks decide to listen to offers for the two-time MVP.

Second, a few teams who were viewed as potential deadline sellers entering the season — including the Celtics, Sixers and Suns — are instead vying for home court advantage in the postseason. As Marks observes, Philadelphia made multiple deals last year to dip below the luxury tax line, but that’s unlikely to occur again in ’25/26.

Third, the Mavericks and Grizzlies will likely get underwhelming offers for Anthony Davis and Ja Morant, respectively, leading up to the deadline with their values at low points, so they may not be moved prior to February 5. Davis is out several weeks due to ligament damage in his left hand, while Morant, who has missed extended time this season with calf issues, has been diagnosed with a UCL sprain in his left elbow and was ruled out of Friday’s loss at New Orleans (Twitter link via the Grizzlies).

The final factor for the slow-moving market, according to Marks, is that teams seem more willing to retain their own expiring contracts to maintain financial flexibility in the summer rather than take on multiyear salaries that could disrupt future plans. Multiple teams, including the Lakers, Bulls and Jazz, have long lists of players who could hit free agency in 2026, Marks notes.

Here are a few more rumors from around the NBA:

  • Confirming a report from Sam Amick of The Athletic, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) says the Suns are indeed fans of Miles Bridges. However, the Hornets reportedly want at least one first-round pick for the veteran forward, and Gambadoro points out that Phoenix lacks moveable first-rounders to include in such a deal. Gambadoro also confirms the Suns are reluctant to risk upsetting their positive chemistry by making a significant in-season move, and suggests a minor trade is more likely.
  • Ahead of Luka Doncic‘s second game in Dallas since he was shockingly traded to Los Angeles last February, Christian Clark and Dan Woike of The Athletic share several sourced notes on both the Mavericks and the Lakers. According to the authors, part of the reason the Mavs — led at the time by head of basketball operations Nico Harrison, who has since been dismissed — moved Doncic is because they believed he had poor habits related to conditioning and were concerned about the calf strain he sustained in late December 2024 and possible future injuries. One source in the Mavericks’ organization compared Doncic to Elvis Presley and claimed the trade helped him develop better habits and get in better shape. “They got skinny Elvis,” the team source told The Athletic.
  • People close to Doncic dispute that characterization, however, and say that line of thinking is a factor in why the Slovenian star is no longer on the Mavericks. According to Clark and Woike, Doncic’s camp believed whether he was traded or not, he “was on a path to improving his diet and conditioning as he matured.” Doncic and those around him have been focused on the present and future and not the past, per the report.
  • It took multiple seasons for the Mavericks to surround Doncic with sort of complementary players that led to a trip to the NBA Finals in 2024, and it will take time for the Lakers to reshape their roster around the 26-year-old guard as well, sources in L.A. tell The Athletic. Those same sources noted that the Lakers need to upgrade their athleticism, defense and shooting, and some people around the organization think the any significant roster changes will occur in the offseason, not ahead of the deadline.
  • The Mavericks have started the process of vetting candidates to replace Harrison on a permanent basis, per Clark and Woike, but are unlikely to hire anyone until at least the spring. The Athletic’s duo point out that Harrison, a longtime Nike executive, had no previous experience running an NBA team when he was hired in 2021. That won’t be the case for his replacement. “(They) are going to over-index on the safety aspect of it,” a league source told The Athletic.

Southeast Notes: Magic, Ware, Heat, Wizards, Hornets

The Magic were blown out at home by the Hornets on Thursday, falling 124-97 to a team that trailed them by eight games in the standings entering the contest. Although Orlando was missing starters Franz Wagner (ankle) and Jalen Suggs (knee), several Magic players expressed frustration after the loss about the club’s inconsistent play, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required).

“There’s no true identity to our team right now,” Magic swingman Desmond Bane said. “And it’s hard to win on a consistent basis when you don’t have (a) calling card.”

Since having a three-game winning streak snapped on December 3, the Magic hold a 10-12 record and haven’t won more than two games in a row.

Orlando has been one of the NBA’s best defensive teams in recent years, finishing last season with the league’s second-best defensive rating, behind only the champion Thunder. But the Magic rank 13th in that category this season and haven’t been any better on the other end of the court — they’re 19th in offensive rating.

“I’m never a fan of saying that there’s two sides of the ball, and we’ve got to figure this out on this side,” center Moritz Wagner said. “They’re connected and, generally speaking, when you look at the swag, the energy and the spirit, it just feels not up to par to our standard and we’ve got to figure that out.”

Here are a few more notes from around the Southeast:

  • Heat center Kel’el Ware missed a second straight game on Thursday due to a right hamstring strain and will be out on Saturday in Utah and Sunday in Phoenix too, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). Ware was sent home from the team’s road trip in order to receive additional treatment on his ailing hamstring. “I don’t think it’ll be a long-term thing, but I don’t have a specific timeline on it,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’ll just wait until we get back to Miami. He had a good day today. They’ll work the next few days, and we expect there to be some progress.”
  • Former Heat employee Marcos Tomas Perez, who pleaded guilty last August to transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce, has been sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay $1.9MM in restitution, Angie DiMichele writes for the Sun Sentinel (subscription required). As DiMichele details, Perez worked in the Heat’s security department from 2016-21 and was arrested after being accused of stealing millions of dollars in game-worn jerseys and other team memorabilia.
  • With an eye toward the winter storm headed for the Charlotte area, the NBA has moved up the tip-off time for Saturday’s Wizards/Hornets game from 6:00 pm to 12:00 pm local (Eastern) time (Twitter link). Charlotte isn’t the only NBA city likely to be hit by that storm this weekend, but that matchup between Southeast rivals is the only game whose start time has been impacted so far.

Hornets’ Bridges Drawing Trade Interest From Multiple Teams

Hornets forward Miles Bridges has generated “significant” trade interest as the February 5 deadline approaches, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who reports that the Bucks, Warriors, and Suns are among the teams eyeing the 27-year-old.

Bridges, who is earning $25MM this season, is under contract for $22.8MM in 2026/27, so the Hornets aren’t facing any urgency to make a decision on him right away. And they’re unlikely to move him unless a potential trade partner is willing to step up and meet their asking price, Amick writes.

“They want a first (round pick),” one league source told The Athletic. “Maybe two.”

The 12th overall pick in 2018, Bridges has spent his entire NBA career in Charlotte, starting 363 of his 468 regular season games for the team since entering the league. In 2025/26, he has averaged 18.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 32.8 minutes per contest.

Bridges isn’t an elite defender or shooter — he has made a modest 44.3% of his attempts from the floor this season, including 33.2% of his three-point tries. Still, the 6’7″ forward has averaged over 20 points per game across his past three-and-a-half seasons, has good size and versatility for a wing, and is very durable, having never played fewer than 64 games in a season (he has appeared in 44 of 45 this year).

Of course, teams with interest in Bridges will also need to consider his off-court history. The former Michigan State standout lost a full season in 2022/23 after he was arrested on felony domestic violence charges just ahead of his restricted free agency. He later accepted a plea deal in that case and had three criminal counts related to separate domestic allegations dismissed. Bridges, who was suspended at the start of the ’23/24 season, hasn’t been in any legal trouble during the past two seasons.

The Hornets aren’t particularly enthusiastic about acquiring forward Kyle Kuzma, per Amick, which is one obstacle complicating a potential deal with the Bucks. There are other trade candidates on Milwaukee’s roster, but Kuzma and his $22.4MM salary would be the most logical outgoing piece.

A trade with Golden State would likely involve forward Jonathan Kuminga, whose $22.5MM salary is a near match for Bridges’ cap hit. It’s unclear whether Charlotte has any interest in the former No. 7 overall pick.

Phoenix’s interest is notable given the fact that Bridges shares an alma mater with Suns owner Mat Ishbia, though Ishbia’s team is reportedly reluctant to risk upsetting its positive chemistry by making a significant in-season move.

Siegel’s Latest: MPJ, Warriors, Murphy, Giannis, Wolves, Magic

The Warriors had internal discussions about the possibility of pursuing Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. but received indications that the asking price would be higher than they’re comfortable with, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. The Lakers also aren’t expected to pursue Porter, Siegel writes, since they’re not looking to take on that sort of a big-money contract at this time (Porter is owed $40.8MM in 2026/27).

The Nets have conveyed to potential trade partners that they’re comfortable keeping Porter beyond this season, per Siegel, so if their asking price isn’t met, there’s a good chance he’ll remain in Brooklyn through the trade deadline.

While a Porter deal doesn’t seem likely, Siegel says the Warriors remain on the lookout for wings and have been linked to veterans like DeMar DeRozan of the Kings and old friend Andrew Wiggins, who was sent to the Heat in last season’s Jimmy Butler trade. It remains to be seen whether Miami will look to move Wiggins, but there’s still “a lot of mutual love” between the former No. 1 overall pick and the Warriors, who won a title together in 2022, Siegel notes.

Of course, the Warriors’ interest in Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III has been an open secret for months, and they’ve made him multiple calls about him this season, sources tell ClutchPoints.

Rivals believe New Orleans’ asking price for Murphy would be multiple first-round picks and a young player or two, says Siegel, but it’s unclear if the Pelicans would move him even if that price is met — they’ve reportedly told teams they don’t intend to. The Raptors are another team that has inquired on Murphy, Siegel reports.

Here are a few more highlights from Siegel’s latest league-wide rumor roundup:

  • Although Giannis Antetokounmpo has said on the record that he has no intention of ever asking the Bucks to trade him, many people around the NBA still believe it’s only a matter of time until the two sides split, Siegel writes. There’s a sense it could happen in the offseason, which is one reason why several clubs want to hang onto their top trade assets. “It really seems like he’s made up his mind already,” an Eastern Conference executive told ClutchPoints. “But this is Giannis we are talking about, and he’s very careful with the words he picks when talking to the media because he doesn’t want to be painted as the villain in Milwaukee. And if we are being honest, he shouldn’t be, no matter if he requests a trade or not. He may not have directly requested a trade, but everyone knows what’s going on there. It’s basically just who will break the silence and actually say it is time to move on. Giannis doesn’t want to be that guy, and that’s understandable.”
  • The Timberwolves are widely expected to address their backcourt in a deadline deal, with Magic guard Tyus Jones, Kings guard Malik Monk, and Hornets guard Collin Sexton among the players they’ve been connected to, per Siegel. Charlotte has conveyed that it would want at least one asset of value (ie. a draft pick or young player) in a Sexton deal, Siegel adds.
  • There’s a belief that the Magic are open to moving Jones, forward Jonathan Isaac, and/or center Goga Bitadze, according to Siegel, who suggests Orlando could acquire second-round capital and 2026/27 cap relief in a deal involving Bitadze. The Magic are operating about $5.6MM above the luxury tax line, so they could look to duck the tax altogether by trading one or more of those players, whose salaries range from $7MM (for Jones) to $15MM (for Isaac).

And-Ones: Bediako, All-Stars, Rookies, Team-Friendly Deals

Charles Bediako‘s bid to rejoin Alabama’s men’s basketball team more than two years after he was on a two-way contract with an NBA team could have major ramifications, according to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, who notes that NBA clubs will likely be keeping a close eye on the case.

As we outlined on Wednesday, Bediako is suing the NCAA in an attempt to rejoin the Crimson Tide for the rest of the 2025/26 season after spending two years with Alabama from 2021-23. Since going undrafted in 2023, the big man has signed three Exhibit 10 contracts with NBA teams, including one that the Spurs converted into a two-way deal in the fall of ’23.

Bediako has been granted a temporary restraining order, allowing him to participate in activities and games for Alabama while he awaits a hearing on a preliminary injunction.

If Bediako ultimately prevails in his bid for NCAA eligibility, it may necessitate adjustments to the NBA’s draft eligibility rules, Vecenie notes, since there would be nothing stopping players from declaring for the draft after their freshman seasons, then returning to college as NBA free agents if they go undrafted. In that scenario, a player who has a breakout sophomore year could theoretically leave his college program to sign with an NBA team halfway through a season.

Vecenie suggests that the NBA might have to create a new rule stating that an undrafted player who returns to college would reenter the draft pool for the following year. He also wonders if the changing nature of NCAA eligibility rules could result in NBA teams essentially treating college programs like a form of minor leagues — for instance, could the Lakers draft a player and then have him play at a nearby school like UCLA or USC for developmental purposes before he signs an NBA contract?

We have more from around the basketball world:

Clippers Rumors: Sanders, Miller, Paul, Brown, Zubac, Collins, More

One of the Clippers‘ primary goals at the trade deadline will be to create the roster and cap flexibility necessary to promote Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller from their two-way contracts to the standard roster, according to Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.

The Clippers are currently operating about $1.15MM below their first-apron hard cap, with 14 players on full-season standard contracts (Patrick Baldwin Jr. is on a 10-day deal). They’ll need to move off of at least one of those 14 players in order to create roster space for both Sanders and Miller, who are nearing their active-game limits.

Point guard Chris Paul and forward Kobe Brown are the top trade candidates to watch, Azarly writes. While waiving either player would open up a roster spot, it would leave that player’s full salary on the Clippers’ books. Moving off of Paul’s or Brown’s contract in a trade would be necessary to create enough breathing room below the hard cap to sign both Sanders and Miller to new deals sooner rather than later.

For what it’s worth, the Clippers have already used their full mid-level exception and don’t have a bi-annual exception this season after using it in 2024/25. That means that if they want to offer Sanders or Miller a salary worth more than the minimum, they would need to use their $2.68MM disabled player exception, which can only be used for a one-year contract. A minimum-salary offer would be capped at two years.

Here’s more on the Clippers:

  • Azarly adds the Hornets to the list of teams that have inquired on Ivica Zubac but says the Clippers haven’t shown any real interest in moving their starting center. Sources tell ClutchPoints that one team put an unprotected first-round pick and a pick swap in an offer for Zubac, but didn’t get anywhere in negotiations.
  • Although the Clippers had some talks earlier in the season about big man John Collins, they’re less interested in moving him at this point, Azarly writes. Collins has played well during the team’s recent hot streak, averaging 15.6 points in 28.1 minutes per game on .675/.635/.792 shooting in his past 14 outings.
  • Azarly says the Clippers aren’t “actively shopping” veteran guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, though I’d be surprised if the team isn’t very much open to the idea of trading him. Bogdanovic has been limited to 16 games and hasn’t played since December 26 due to health issues, and is averaging career lows in several categories, including points per game (8.0) and field goal percentage (37.6%).
  • Hornets guard Collin Sexton, Celtics guard Anfernee Simons, and Bulls guard Coby White have each been linked to the Clippers in recent days, per Azarly, who notes that the club could use another ball-handler and play-maker to help out James Harden and Kawhi Leonard on offense.

Knicks Have Talked To Multiple Teams About Trading Towns

The Knicks‘ 2025/26 season reached a new low point with Monday’s 17-point home loss to the injury-ravaged Mavericks, writes Steve Popper of Newsday (subscriber link). New York trailed by as many as 30 points in the first half and was down 28 at halftime, when fans at Madison Square Garden “serenaded” the team with boos.

The Knicks have now dropped nine of their past 11 games and are in danger of falling into play-in territory after holding a 23-9 record three weeks ago. In the 10 games leading into Monday, they had the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA, Popper notes.

The team’s effort was particularly dispiriting considering the Knicks had their full complement of players available — Jalen Brunson (right ankle sprain) and Josh Hart (right ankle soreness) both returned to action following injury absences.

Guys are gonna be banged up, guys aren’t gonna be 100 percent, it’s the dog days of the season,” Hart said, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required). “But the effort, I think last year no matter what we did, the effort was there. I haven’t seen this kind of effort that we had today, it was embarrassing.”

Hart admitted prior to the game that his ankle isn’t fully healthy, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

I want to be out there to try to help the team as much as I can so (the team’s recent struggles) did (influence his decision) a little bit; a combination of that, there’s the competitiveness and the impatience that I display,” Hart said.

Two weeks ago, owner James Dolan said he expected the team to — at minimum — reach the NBA Finals. He also expressed confidence in the team’s roster and chemistry. The Knicks were promptly blown out by the top-seeded Pistons and have a 2-6 record since that public interview.

Both Popper and Bondy point out that Dolan left his courtside seat at halftime and did not return for the second half. The last time Bondy recalls that happening was during a lopsided loss in 2019, when former executives Scott Perry and Steve Mills were forced to speak to reporters after the game. Then-coach David Fizdale was fired a few days later; Mills was dismissed not long after that.

Bondy isn’t advocating for the team to fire head coach Mike Brown, which he thinks would be “reactionary and ill-advised.” But Bondy does believe a major roster shake-up is in order, and says everyone aside from Brunson and Hart should be available. That includes Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, two players the Knicks acquired in previous blockbuster trades.

Big man Towns, who has struggled to find his form under Brown, was singled out with boos twice in the fourth quarter, per Popper — once when checking out with just under five minutes remaining, and again 29 seconds later when he checked back in for Mitchell Robinson, who picked up two quick fouls.

Towns said he understood the fans’ reaction, considering the Knicks “didn’t really have a chance” to win, as Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press relays.

Fans are doing their part and we’ve got to do our part,” Towns said.

According to Popper, “whispers” have begun to circulate around the league about the possibility of the Knicks trading Towns, whose name popped up in rumors over the summer involving the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo. League sources tell Popper the Knicks have discussed potential Towns deals with multiple teams, including the Grizzlies, Magic and Hornets.

For what it’s worth, Bondy proposes a fake trade that would send Towns and unspecified salary filler to the Trail Blazers for Jrue Holiday and Jerami Grant.

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