Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors

Cavaliers Fined $250K For Player Participation Violation

December 4th, 2025 at 3:09pm CST by Rory Maher

The Cavaliers have been fined $250K for violating the NBA’s player participation policy, the league announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

As we outline in a Hoops Rumors glossary entry, the NBA’s player participation policy – instituted in 2023 – is designed to reduce instances of teams resting healthy players during the regular season.

The player participation policy is focused almost exclusively on players considered “stars” and includes rules prohibiting those stars from sitting out NBA Cup games or nationally televised games without an approved reason (including a legitimate injury).

According to the NBA, the violation occurred when All-Star point guard Darius Garland could have suited up in a nationally televised game on Nov. 24 vs. Toronto, but the Cavaliers instead played him against the Clippers the day prior in a game that was not on national TV.

This is Cleveland’s second player participation violation of the season — the first occurred last month. A team found to have violated the player participation policy is subject to a fine. The amounts of those fines are as follows:

First violation: $100K
Second violation: $250K
Subsequent violations: $1MM more than the previous penalty (ie. $1.25MM for the third violation, $2.25MM for the fourth violation, and so on)

The Cavaliers finished ’24/25 with the best record in the Eastern Conference at 64-18, but have gotten off to a somewhat sluggish start this season in part due to injuries. The team is currently 13-10, the No. 7 seed in the East.

Central Notes: Bulls Injuries, Cavs, Mathews, Furphy

December 4th, 2025 at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls got good news on guard Coby White on Wednesday after he experienced some tightness in his left calf earlier in the week. White missed Wednesday’s game vs. Brooklyn, but said his MRI results were clean and that he’s considered day-to-day, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).

White hopes to return to action on Friday vs. Indiana, Johnson adds, though the 25-year-old acknowledged that Sunday vs. Golden State might be a more realistic goal, as the Bulls will likely exercise caution with their top scorer.

While the update on White was relatively positive, another Bulls guard, Kevin Huerter, has been diagnosed with a left hamstring strain after exiting Monday’s game early due to that injury. According to Johnson (Twitter link), head coach Billy Donovan said on Wednesday evening that Huerter will be reevaluated in one week, with no guarantee he’ll be ready to return at that time.

Donovan also didn’t have great news on forward Isaac Okoro, who has missed the past six games with a nerve issue the team is referring to as left lumbar radiculopathy.

“When he gets into certain extensions going backward, he gets pain down his leg that they’re trying to resolve,” Donovan said of the defensive ace. “To be quite honest, it’s going to take time. Until they can eliminate, that it’s going to be hard for him to come back and play.”

We have more from around the Central:

After snapping a three-game losing streak with a solid win over Indiana on Monday, the Cavaliers lost 122-110 to Portland on Wednesday and now have a 13-10 record this fall after going 64-18 last season. Star guard Donovan Mitchell isn’t impressed with what he’s seeing from the team, but he doesn’t want to overreact to the slump either, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). “Concern is a scary word to use with you guys,” Mitchell told reporters after Wednesday’s loss. “I don’t want to use it. It’s upsetting, but there’s room for growth. I’m not going to sit here and be like, ‘Oh, the sky’s falling and we’re panicking.’ We have to play better. We just have to be better on all accounts. I don’t really have another message than that.”
Pacers wing Garrison Mathews admits he was “a little surprised” to receive a second 10-day contract after making 2-of-13 three-pointers and going scoreless in four of five outings during his first 10 days with the team, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Indiana’s trust in Mathews has been rewarded in the past two games, as he scored 24 points and shot 6-of-7 from the floor in 45 minutes against Cleveland and Denver. “This is what we felt was coming,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “That the work he did the previous 10, 12 days or whatever it was to get conditioning, to get rhythm, for all that to bear fruit. We thought bringing him back was the right thing.”
Pacers guard Johnny Furphy made his return on Wednesday after missing a month due to a left ankle sprain. Furphy didn’t make much of an impact in his first game back vs. Denver, going scoreless with a pair of rebounds and a turnover in 16 minutes. Still, Carlisle said during his pregame media session that it was good to have the second-year guard back, noting that he brings “a different element,” and that the banged-up Pacers “need all the depth we can get” (Twitter link via Dopirak).

Nikola Jokic, Cade Cunningham Earn Player Of The Month Honors

December 2nd, 2025 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Pistons guard Cade Cunningham are the NBA’s Players of the Month for October/November, earning the honor for the Western and Eastern Conference, respectively, per an announcement from the league (Twitter link).

It’s the ninth time that Jokic has won a Player of the Month award over the course of his 11-year career. He earned it in this case with a superlative start to the season that saw him comfortably average a triple-double – 28.9 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 10.9 assists per game – while leading Denver to a 14-5 record.

Jokic’s shooting percentages were arguably even more remarkable than his per-game averages, as he shot 63.7% from the field and converted 45.3% of his three-point attempts.

The Nuggets star came out on top of a competitive field that included nominees like fellow MVP candidates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder and Luka Doncic of the Lakers. Clippers guard James Harden, Rockets center Alperen Sengun, Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, Lakers guard Austin Reaves, and Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards were also nominated for Player of the Month in the West, according to the NBA (Twitter link).

In the East, meanwhile, Cunningham’s Pistons have been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season’s first six weeks. While Detroit was viewed as a strong playoff contender, few NBA observers expected the team to win 16 of its first 20 games and sit atop the Eastern Conference at the end of November.

Cunningham was the driving force behind the Pistons’ hot start, averaging 28.8 points, 9.4 assists, and 6.4 rebounds in 36.8 minutes per game across 17 outings, while shooting 45.6% from the floor and 81.5% from the free throw line.

Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Heat guard Norman Powell, Magic forward Franz Wagner, and Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were also nominated for Eastern Conference Player of the Month, which Cunningham won for the first time in his career.

Scottie Barnes, Cason Wallace Named Defensive Players Of The Month

December 2nd, 2025 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors forward Scottie Barnes is the Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for October/November, while Thunder guard Cason Wallace won the award for the Western Conference, according to an announcement from the NBA (Twitter link).

Barnes led the surprising Raptors to a 14-7 record through the end of November, and the team posted the NBA’s sixth-best defensive rating (111.5) during that time. According to the league, the versatile 6’8″ forward ranked fourth in the East in deflections in October/November (4.0 per game) and was the only player in the NBA to rack up at least 30 steals and 30 blocks.

Wallace, meanwhile, is one of many standout defenders on a dominant Thunder team that went 20-1 with a remarkable 103.6 defensive rating in October/November. Oklahoma City was three-and-a-half games better than any other NBA club during that time, and its defensive rating was nearly seven points per 100 possessions better than that of the second-place Rockets (110.3).

While the Thunder’s defensive performance is a team effort, Wallace led the NBA in steals per game (2.2) to open the season and also had more deflections per game (5.0) than any other player in the West, despite playing a relatively modest 28.6 minutes per contest.

It’s the first time that either Barnes or Wallace has won the Defensive Player of the Month award, which was introduced at the start of last season. According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other players nominated in the East were Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, and Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart — Mobley and Daniels each earned Defensive Player of the Month recognition twice last season.

In the West, Wallace’s Thunder teammates Luguentz Dort and Chet Holmgren were also nominated. Rockets guard Amen Thompson was the only non-OKC nominee in the conference.

Central Notes: Holland, Sasser, Cavs, Bulls, Thompson

December 2nd, 2025 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

After starting each of the Pistons‘ first 20 games of the Season, sharpshooter Duncan Robinson sat out on Monday vs. Atlanta due to a right ankle sprain. As Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press relays (via Twitter), head coach J.B. Bickerstaff expressed confidence before the game that “other guys (would) step up” in Robinson’s absence, and reserve forward Ron Holland made good on his coach’s prediction.

Holland had 17 points, six rebounds, and a pair of steals in just over 17 minutes of action, playing a key role as the Pistons eked out a 99-98 victory over the Hawks.

“He was unbelievable,” Bickerstaff said, per Sankofa. “He was the spark for us. We struggled tonight. We did, we struggled tonight. I thought Ron gave us a ton of energy, a fire, the way he just competed. I thought he was phenomenal tonight.”

As Sankofa writes, Holland is among the players whose energy helps fuel a Pistons team that ranks among the league leaders in several hustle categories, including points off turnovers, deflections, loose balls recovered, and shots contested.

“Coming off the bench for me, it allows me to slow the game down and being able to watch where I can really shine and being able to see what guys’ tendencies are, and to go in and make an immediate impact,” Holland said. “I definitely love coming off the bench with this team because one, it’s gonna be nights like this where we start off kinda slow. That’s what the bench mob is for, we get in and bring that spark and the energy we need.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

After initially not responding to treatment like the team had hoped, Pistons guard Marcus Sasser‘s right hip injury is trending in the right direction, per Bickerstaff (Twitter link via Sankofa). Sasser remained out on Monday, but the reason cited was “return to competition conditioning” and he has been playing 3-on-3 scrimmages, so his season debut likely isn’t far off.
After losing three straight games, the Cavaliers bounced back on Monday with a resounding 135-119 victory over Indiana. According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required), star guard Donovan Mitchell delivered a pointed message to his teammates after Sunday’s loss in the hopes of getting the Cavs back on the right track. “This ain’t last year. I told you at the beginning of the year, they coming for us — as they should,” Mitchell said of his message. “They’re coming for (Evan Mobley‘s) Defensive Player of the Year. They’re coming for my first team All-NBA. They coming for Kenny (Atkinson)‘s Coach of the Year. They coming for all that. We’re not the underdogs, we’re the hunted. We need to go out there and continue to act like it.”
Bulls guard Coby White will undergo imaging after missing Monday’s game due to some tightness in his left calf, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Big man Zach Collins, meanwhile, has been cleared for contact as he makes his way back from wrist surgery and the hope is that he’ll practice with Chicago’s G League team this week, Cowley notes. The banged-up Bulls lost another player in Monday’s loss to Orlando when wing Kevin Huerter exited after six minutes of action due to what the team referred to as an adductor injury. It’s unclear if Huerter will miss additional time as a result of that ailment.
Ethan Thompson‘s new two-way deal with the Pacers covers two years, Hoops Rumors has learned. That means Thompson won’t become eligible for free agency until the 2027 offseason if he plays out the full contract.

Central Notes: Garland, Ball, White, Furphy, Siakam

December 1st, 2025 at 1:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers will be without a handful of players for Monday’s matchup against the Pacers. Darius Garland (toe injury management) and Lonzo Ball (illness) have been added to the list of players who won’t be available. Larry Nance Jr., Max Strus, Jarrett Allen and Sam Merrill had already been listed as out of action due to various ailments.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Coby White, who has already missed a chunk of the Bulls season due to a right calf strain, is listed as doubtful with left calf tightness and congestion for tonight’s game against the Magic, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network tweets. White has played five games, averaging 24.2 points and 6.2 assists per contest. Noa Essengue, Jalen Smith and Isaac Okoro are listed as out, with Zach Collins – who has yet to make his season debut – considered doubtful.
Pacers forward Johnny Furphy, who suffered a left ankle sprain in early November, was assigned to the G League’s Noblesville Boom over the weekend and then recalled, the team’s PR department tweets. The 2024 second round selection has appeared in three games this season after coming off the bench in 50 regular season games during his rookie campaign. He appears to be nearing a return after practicing with the Boom.
With Tyrese Haliburton out for the season, Pascal Siakam is now the No. 1 option for the Pacers. He’s put together back-to-back 24-point outings as the team doubled its win total with victories over the Wizards and Bulls this weekend. Indiana got off to a woeful 2-16 start after making the NBA Finals last season. “You can’t take it for granted,” Siakam told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “Every single night you go out there, and when you’re used to winning you take it for granted. I think every day we go out there, every single possession that we win, every single run that we have, every single win, we gotta take it and enjoy it and know — which is the most important — know what it took for us to get to that. We’re tired of losing. We can’t keep losing. That has to be our mindset. We have to give everything for that.”

Cavaliers Players Unhappy With Effort After Latest Loss

December 1st, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Frustration is growing in Cleveland after the Cavaliers fell to 12-9 with Sunday night’s home loss to Boston, writes Ethan Sands of Cleveland.com. The Cavs have championship aspirations and were projected to be one of the two best teams in the East coming into the season. However, they’re currently in play-in territory with roughly a quarter of the season gone.

Second-year wing Jaylon Tyson said it’s a matter of delivering consistent effort as he questioned the team’s competitiveness after Sunday’s game.

“I just think we’re in cruise control,” he said. “As a team, I think that we’re not hungry enough. What happened to us last year, it’s a similar thing that’s happening this year. Getting ran out the gym. Getting beat on the glass. Toughness, right? So, I mean, it’s just a common theme, and ultimately it’s on us to fix it. We have three of some of the best players in the NBA. Our starting five, I’ll put them up with anybody in the NBA. One of the most talented teams in the NBA. But talent don’t win championships. It’s all the little stuff, the grittiness, the hunger. I feel like that’s what wins championships.”

Injuries have played a role in the slow start, as the Cavaliers have rarely been able to put their best lineup on the court. The injured list continues to grow as the team announced Sunday that backup big man Larry Nance Jr. will miss three-to-four weeks with a right calf strain and starting center Jarrett Allen will be sidelined for at least a week with a strained right finger. Three-point specialist Sam Merrill has missed the past five games with a sprained right hand and is considered day-to-day.

However, Sands points out that Boston was short-handed on Sunday as well — starters Derrick White and Neemias Queta both missed the game with injuries. The Celtics were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, but still seemed more energetic, building a 21-point lead before the Cavs started their comeback.

“Everyone wants to be better, everyone wants to win, everyone wants to be the best we can be but right now we’re not,” said Evan Mobley, who had 27 points and 14 rebounds in the loss. “We got to find a way on how we’re going to fix that. Frustration might help, honestly, a little bit.”

The Cavaliers posted the best record in the East with 64 wins last season, but questions about their toughness reemerged after they were eliminated by Indiana in the second round of the playoffs. Sands notes that those concerns haven’t gone away, as players frequently talk about not letting opposing teams “punk” them, which carries both mental and physical components.

Coach Kenny Atkinson exuded calmness after Sunday’s loss, saying “the sky is not falling,” but Sands points out that certain mistakes are visible in every game. Transition defense and rebounding have been glaring concerns, and he states that too many players seem to be waiting for someone else to take control in crucial situations.

Sunday’s game was typical for the Cavs, Sands adds, as the bench unit sparked a rally after the Celtics built their big lead. That’s been a familiar pattern, and Tyson, who has started 11 of the 16 games he’s played, alluded to it in his post-game comments.

“It’s up to all of us to feed off their energy,” Tyson said of the bench group. “It should never be, like (Donovan Mitchell) said it, the young guys and the role players, like, it shouldn’t be us having to bring energy every time, right? Everybody has to bring energy. Everybody has to pour into this thing.”

Cavaliers Announce Injury Updates On Nance, Allen, Merrill

November 30th, 2025 at 3:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Cavaliers big man Larry Nance Jr. has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 right soleus (calf) strain and will miss about three-to-four weeks, the team announced on Sunday (via Twitter).

Nance injured his right calf in Friday’s loss at Atlanta and underwent an MRI on Saturday, which revealed the soleus strain, according to the Cavaliers.

An 11-year veteran who is in his second stint with the Cavs, the Akron native has unfortunately been plagued by injuries throughout his time in the NBA, having played between 24 and 67 games each season. Nance has made 16 appearances for Cleveland this fall, averaging 3.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 15.0 minutes per contest.

Cleveland also provided injury updates on starting center Jarrett Allen, who will miss at least a week with a right finger strain, and sharpshooter Sam Merrill who has missed the past five games with a right hand sprain. Merrill remains out and is considered day-to-day, per the team.

Allen, who is earning $20MM this season before his three-year, $90MM extension begins in 2026/27, has been playing through a non-displaced fracture in his left ring finger. He had been sidelined for the three games leading up to Friday with the right finger sprain before playing 28 minutes against Atlanta. He will now miss at least five more games, with Dec. 12 at Washington likely being his earliest possible return date.

Merrill had gotten off to a strong start to the season after re-signing with the Cavs on a four-year, $38MM contract in the offseason. He was posting career-best numbers in virtually every major statistic through 12 games (25.9 MPG), averaging 13.9 PPG, 2.3 APG, 2.1 RPG on .466/.444/.938 shooting (85% of his field goal attempts come from behind the arc).

Dean Wade, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Jaylon Tyson and Lonzo Ball are among the reserves for Cleveland who could receive more playing time with Nance, Allen and Merrill injured. Key rotation wing Max Strus remains sidelined as well after undergoing offseason foot surgery — he has yet to make his season debut.

Siegel’s Latest: DeRozan, Sabonis, Wolves, Claxton, Kuminga, Wiggins

November 28th, 2025 at 12:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Of the three Kings veteran stars considered in-season trade candidates, DeMar DeRozan looks like the one most likely to be on the move ahead of the February 5 deadline, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.

As Siegel explains, DeRozan’s relatively team-friendly contract structure – $24.6MM this season and a $10MM partial guarantee on his $25.7MM salary for 2026/27 – makes him a more manageable investment for most clubs than either Zach LaVine or Domantas Sabonis. LaVine is earning $47.5MM this season, with a $49MM player option for ’26/27, while Sabonis will be owed $94MM over the next two seasons after making $42.3MM in ’25/26.

The Bucks, Clippers, Heat, Trail Blazers, and Grizzlies are some of the potential suitors to watch for DeRozan, says Siegel, though he doesn’t explicitly state that all those clubs have shown interest in the veteran forward.

Sabonis, who is currently on the shelf with a meniscus tear, will likely have to show he’s healthy before drawing real interest on the trade market. According to Siegel, the Sacramento big man isn’t expected to begin the return-to-play portion of his recovery process until sometime around Christmas.

Here are a few more rumors from around the NBA, courtesy of Siegel:

There’s a “growing sense” that the Timberwolves would be willing to sell high on forward Julius Randle in the right deal this season, Siegel writes. Minnesota is known to be on the lookout for a point guard, having checked in on Ja Morant. The team has also inquired about Cavaliers guard Darius Garland for the past year-plus, sources tell Siegel. However, the Wolves’ lack of tradable first-round picks will be complicate their ability to make any major moves.
Nets center Nic Claxton is considered a trade candidate and has come up in discussions with sources around the NBA as a possible Warriors target, Siegel writes. However, given that the Nets showed no interest in pursuing Jonathan Kuminga using their cap room when he was a restricted free agent over the summer, it doesn’t appear the fifth-year forward would be a target for Brooklyn. Claxton has also been considered a potential Lakers target dating back to last season, Siegel notes.
The Pacers are among the teams that have been keeping an eye on Kuminga, having “quietly” scouted him since the start of last season, according to Siegel, who wonders if the Warriors would have any interest in a deal involving Bennedict Mathurin. There’s a sense around the league that Indiana might look to move a player like Mathurin, Jarace Walker, or Obi Toppin due in part to the club’s cap situation going forward, Siegel adds.
The Warriors are known to have interest in forwards Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones and will likely talk to the Pelicans during the season, Siegel writes. It’s unclear if New Orleans would be open to moving either Murphy or Jones, but they represent the sort of “versatile wings” that Golden State will likely be targeting in a Kuminga trade, Siegel explains.
If the Heat were to trade Andrew Wiggins this season, they’d be seeking a first-round pick, plus a player or two who could step into their rotation and be a positive contributor, per Siegel. The Lakers were linked to Wiggins during the offseason and the Bucks also inquired about him, Siegel reports, but Miami hasn’t had any serious trade talks about the veteran forward as of late.

Six NBA Cup Quarterfinal Spots Up For Grabs On Friday

November 27th, 2025 at 11:54am CST by Luke Adams

After the NBA takes Thanksgiving off on Thursday, the final group stage games of this year’s NBA Cup take place on Friday, with 22 teams in action (eight teams have already wrapped up their four-game schedules).

Although 49 of the 60 group stage contests have been played so far, we still only know two of the eight clubs that will advance to the knockout round of the in-season tournament — the Raptors have clinched Eastern Conference Group A, while the Lakers have locked up Western Conference Group B.

That leaves six quarterfinal spots up for grabs on Friday, with 12 teams still in the running for them. Here’s a breakdown of how those 12 teams can qualify for the knockout round:

(Note: The first two tiebreakers for teams with the same records are head-to-head results and point differential).

Eastern Conference Group A

Although Toronto has secured its spot atop this group, the Cavaliers (2-1 record, +33 point differential) remain in the hunt for the East’s wild card berth. The Cavs will play in Atlanta on Friday and would be pretty well positioned for that wild card spot if they can pick up a win — especially if they blow out the Hawks in the process and their point differential continues to grow.

Eastern Conference Group B

The Magic (3-0, +61) will visit the Pistons (2-1, +24) on Friday, with the winner of that game claiming Group B. Wild card hopefuls from other Eastern Conference groups will be rooting for Orlando, since the Magic would still be in great shape for a wild card spot with a loss in Detroit — as long as they don’t lose by a ton.

Eastern Conference Group C

Three teams are still alive in Group C, with the Knicks (2-1, +26) and Bucks (2-1, +13) both vying to become the first team to make the quarterfinals in three consecutive NBA Cups. The Heat (3-1, +49) currently sit atop the group though and would win it if Milwaukee beats New York on Friday, since the Heat hold the tiebreaker over the Bucks. The Knicks beat the Heat earlier in group play, however, so a win over Milwaukee would give New York the top spot in Group C.
While the Bucks technically still have a path to the East’s wild card spot, their modest point differential will make it an uphill battle. Milwaukee would need a win in New York and might need both Cleveland and Detroit to lose too.

Western Conference Group A

The Thunder (3-0, +71) will host the Suns (3-0, +35) on Friday, with the winner of that game clinching West Group A. Given the two teams’ strong point differentials, it’s very possible the loser of this game will be the West’s wild card team, though a lopsided loss would hurt Phoenix’s chances. That +71 mark gives Oklahoma City far more breathing room, so it would be a shock if the defending champs don’t advance.

Western Conference Group B

The Lakers have clinched this group, but the Grizzlies (2-1, +9) and Clippers (2-1, -15) haven’t been eliminated from wild card contention yet. They’ll face one another in L.A. on Friday and the winner will finish group play with a 3-1 record. Still, that team could be hard-pressed to surpass the loser of the OKC/Phoenix showdown in overall point differential, so it’s very possible neither the Grizzlies nor the Clippers advance.

Western Conference Group C

The equation is simple in West Group C, where the Spurs (2-1, +23) are visiting the Nuggets (2-1, +26) with the group crown on the line. The winner of that game will make the quarterfinals, while the loser will be eliminated.