Cavaliers Rumors

Donovan Mitchell Out At Least One Week With Nasal Fracture

Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell underwent a “medical procedure” on Tuesday morning to realign a nasal fracture he sustained on Saturday vs. Houston, the team announced in a press release (via Twitter). He’ll be sidelined for at least one more week, which is when he’ll be reevaluated.

The nasal fracture occurred when teammate Tristan Thompson inadvertently elbowed Mitchell in the face. Thompson was in his first game back following a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program, specifically testing positive for two drugs classified as “steroids and performance enhancing drugs.”

Mitchell is dealing with multiple injuries at the moment.

He told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com and other media members on Saturday that he expects to miss more time due to a nagging knee injury. The five-time All-Star was sidelined for seven consecutive games with the left knee bone bruise, which required a PRP injection to promote healing, before returning for a pair of games last week.

However, Mitchell clearly wasn’t himself physically, and he admitted as much following Saturday’s game.

Mitchell, who was out for Monday’s victory over Indiana, will miss at least four more games over the next week, with the earliest he could return being next Wednesday in Charlotte.

Cleveland has gone 10-9 in 19 games without Mitchell thus far in 2023/24. The Cavs are currently 43-25, the No. 3 seed in the East.

And-Ones: Cousins, LeBron, Redick, Value Contracts, 2025 FAs

Former All-NBA big man DeMarcus Cousins will be returning to the Taiwan Beer Leopards in mid-April, according to Chen Jung-chen and James Lo of Focus Taiwan. Cousins played four games for the Leopards in January.

Super excited to be back and gearing up for an epic season of playoffs with my teammates and all of you,” Cousins said in a video released on the team’s Facebook page. “Your support means the world, let’s lock it in and go all the way for this championship run.”

While he hasn’t officially announced his retirement from the NBA, the 33-year-old said in an interview last month that he doesn’t really expect to be back in the league. Since playing for the Nuggets in 2021/22, the four-time All-Star has been out of the NBA, competing professionally in Puerto Rico and Taiwan.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Lakers superstar LeBron James and ESPN commentator JJ Redick are starting a new podcast that’s “planned to be a pure conversation about basketball,” reports Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. “It’s meant to be a very free-flowing conversation about the sport and about the game,” former NBA sharpshooter Redick told Marchand. “If you look at it in a very simplistic way, it’s just about basketball.” A teaser of the Mind the Game podcast was released on YouTube, with the first full episode debuting tomorrow.
  • With several caveats (no maximum or minimum-salary deals, no rookie scale deals, no second-round exception deals), Keith Smith of Spotrac lists what he believes are the 10 best value contracts in the NBA. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, the East’s reigning Player of the Week, ranks No. 1, followed by Grizzlies forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. at No. 2.
  • Frank Urbina and Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype rank 75 players who could potentially be free agents in 2025, with the top spot going to Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, followed by Knicks star Brunson. Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers), Scottie Barnes (Raptors) and Lauri Markkanen (Jazz) round out the top five.

Marcus Morris Joins Cavaliers On 10-Day Contract

MARCH 18: Morris’ signing is official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.


MARCH 16: The Cavaliers will sign veteran forward Marcus Morris to a 10-day contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Morris is expected to be available when Cleveland travels to Indiana on Monday, Charania adds.

Morris, 34, has been a free agent since being waived by San Antonio on February 29. He didn’t appear in any games with the Spurs after being acquired in a trade at the deadline, and he hasn’t been on the court since February 5.

The Cavs will be the fourth team this season for Morris, who started off with the Clippers before being shipped to his hometown Sixers as part of the James Harden trade in early November. Morris mostly played a reserve role for Philadelphia, appearing in 37 games and averaging 6.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per night.

In Cleveland, Morris will provide frontcourt depth for a team playing without Evan Mobley, who is sidelined with a sprained left ankle. Morris will also add a heavy dose of veteran leadership and playoff experience to the locker room.

After Monday’s game, Cleveland will play five more times in the 10-day span. Morris will be eligible for a second 10-day deal, but he’ll have to be signed to a standard contract to be on the roster for the postseason.

The Cavaliers have been carrying a roster opening since Sharife Cooper‘s 10-day contract expired last week, so they won’t need another move before making Morris’ contract official.

Patrick Beverley first stated on Friday (via Twitter) that his former teammate was planning to sign with the Cavaliers.

10 NBA Teams Likely To Sign Players In Coming Weeks

A total of 20 NBA teams currently have full standard rosters consisting of 15 players on contracts that run through at least the rest of the 2023/24 season.

[RELATED: 2023/24 NBA Roster Counts]

That leaves 10 clubs that have one or more roster spots, or whose 14th and/or 15th roster spots are occupied by players on 10-day contracts that will expire before the end of the month.

If recent history is any indication, it’s a safe bet that all 10 teams will, sooner or later, sign a player – or players – to rest-of-season or multiyear contracts in order to fill out their 15-man rosters. There were no open 15-man roster spots available by the final day of the 2022/23 regular season. The same is true of the ’21/22 season.

Even if a team has no intention of using a 15th man down the stretch or in the postseason, using that final roster spot to sign a prospect to a multiyear contract that includes no guaranteed money beyond this season is good business, increasing that club’s roster flexibility heading into the offseason.

Here are the teams likely to fill their open roster spots in the coming weeks:


Teams with 14 players on full-season contracts:

(Note: An asterisk denotes a player on a 10-day contract.)

  • Boston Celtics
  • Cleveland Cavaliers *
  • Detroit Pistons
  • Golden State Warriors
  • New Orleans Pelicans
  • Phoenix Suns *
  • Toronto Raptors *

The Raptors currently have a player on a 10-day contract (Jahmi’us Ramsey) occupying their 15th roster spot. The Cavaliers and Suns will soon follow suit, with Marcus Morris and Isaiah Thomas, respectively.

It’s possible that all three teams will ultimately turn to another player for a rest-of-season contract, but Ramsey is the only player to get two 10-day deals from Toronto this season, and Morris and Thomas are the types of veterans that contending teams often add to their roster down the stretch. A Saturday report indicated that Thomas is likely to stick with Phoenix beyond his upcoming 10-day contract.

I’d still view two-way player Neemias Queta as the most likely player to fill the Celtics‘ final roster spot, but that could change if Boston has to deal with some injuries in the backcourt or on the wing and wants to add some depth there. Pelicans sharpshooter Matt Ryan is another player on a two-way deal who’s a candidate to be promoted.

The Pistons and Warriors don’t have any obvious candidates for a promotion on two-way contracts, so both clubs may end up turning to the G League or free agency to add a 15th man.

Teams with 13 players on full-season contracts:

(Note: An asterisk denotes a player on a 10-day contract.)

  • Minnesota Timberwolves *
  • New York Knicks **
  • Philadelphia 76ers *

While the seven teams listed above are good bets to sign one player before the end of the season, these three teams will likely sign two.

T.J. Warren, who immediately stepped into a rotation role after signing his first 10-day contract and is currently on his second 10-day deal, is an obvious candidate to fill one of the Timberwolves‘ two openings. It’s unclear which direction Minnesota go with its other spot.

I had expected Taj Gibson to eventually find his way back to New York, but he has signed for the rest of the season with the Pistons, so the Knicks will go in another direction with their final two roster spots.

DaQuan Jeffries and Mamadi Diakite are currently on 10-day deals and could receive consideration for rest-of-season contracts. For what it’s worth, like fellow Tom Thibodeau favorite Gibson, Ryan Arcidiacono won’t claim one of these openings, since he’s ineligible to re-sign with the Knicks this season.

If the Sixers like what they see from Kai Jones during his 10-day contract, it wouldn’t surprise me to see if they can lock him up to a multiyear deal. If not, they may look elsewhere for frontcourt help, since adding one more center to their roster makes sense with Joel Embiid‘s health still a question mark. The 15th man could be a wing — Philadelphia is ineligible to re-sign Danuel House, but could bring back Danny Green if there’s interest in a reunion.

Cavs’ Mitchell To Miss More Time Due To Knee Injury

Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell, who returned to action on Wednesday after missing seven games due to a left knee bone bruise, is expected to be sidelined again due to his nagging knee issue, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).

Michell didn’t look like himself in his first two games back, scoring just 27 total points on 9-of-29 shooting (31.0%). He lacked explosiveness on Saturday vs. Houston in a game he exited multiple times due to injury, Fedor notes. The All-Star guard admitted during a post-game media session that the knee is still a problem.

“I’m probably not playing next game, to be honest with you,” Mitchell told reporters, including Fedor. “Just gotta take some time to rest and get it right. I thought I was ready. I’m not. It sucks. I want to be out there. But it’s clear as day. Even to myself. I can’t fool myself. Just get it right and be ready when that time comes.”

Mitchell told Fedor that he’s not sure how much time he’ll have to miss, but said no operation should be necessary and expressed optimism that he’ll be back to 100% before the end of the regular season.

“The one thing we don’t have time for is rest but that’s what you need is rest. Sit my ass down and take the proper approach because at the end of the day it’s April that we are getting ready for,” he said. “Tried to hide it as much as I can. But it’s pretty blatant and obvious. It sucks. I’m pissed off. But I trust these guys. Gonna go out there and do their thing. I will get right. And then be ready to go.

“… I’m a very eager person. I want to be out there. I have no doubt I will be fine. Everybody else believes the same thing. It’s not a concern from that standpoint. It’s more me fighting my own battle.”

The Cavaliers are currently dealing with a series of injuries to their starters. Evan Mobley (left ankle sprain) has been on the shelf for six consecutive games, while Max Strus (left knee strain) has been out for the past seven. Dean Wade, who had taken over Mobley’s spot in the starting lineup, rejoined the team on Friday after missing three games for personal reasons, but was ruled out for Saturday’s contest due to right knee soreness.

Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said on Saturday that it will require a group effort to keep the team on track during another Mitchell absence. The Cavs currently have a 42-25 record and are one game back of the Bucks for the No. 2 seed in the East, with a two-game cushion on the No. 4 Knicks.

“It’s everybody. Everybody has to tick up,” Bickerstaff. “That’s what we’ve done in the past. Everybody has stepped their own game up and played to their strengths. We have proven that we can do it because we have always done it together. That is the focus of every single night, every conversation we have, it’s about the whole.”

For what it’s worth, Mitchell is already ineligible for end-of-season awards, including All-NBA honors, since he has missed more than 17 games this season.

2024 Free Agent Stock Watch: Central Division

For the rest of the regular season and postseason, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents during the 2024 offseason. We consider whether their stock is rising or falling due to their performance and other factors. Today, we’re focusing on a handful of players from the Central Division.


Patrick Williams, F, Bulls

  • 2023/24: $9,835,881
  • 2024/25: RFA
  • Stock: Neutral

The Bulls are in a tricky spot with Williams, whose season ended early when it was announced in February that he would undergo foot surgery that would sideline him for the remainder of ’23/24. He’ll be a restricted free agent if Chicago gives him a $12.97MM qualifying offer, which should be a lock.

Still just 22 years old, Williams is a former No. 4 overall pick who has shown glimpses of tantalizing two-way upside over his first four seasons. The problem is, those glimpses have been fleeting and have never been sustained for a prolonged period of time.

In fairness to Williams, injuries have certainly played a role in his up-and-down play — while he played 71 games as a rookie and all 82 games in 2022/23, he was limited to just 17 games in ’21/22 due to a wrist injury and only made 43 appearances this season due to foot and ankle issues.

I’m sure the Bulls would have loved for Williams to have a breakout season in ’23/24 and cement his place as a cornerstone to build around going forward. But his averages — 10.0 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 0.9 SPG and 0.8 BPG on .443/.399/.788 shooting in 43 games (27.3 MPG) — were basically in line with his career numbers. Not better or worse, just neutral.

Williams has a high ceiling on both ends of the court due to his size, length, athleticism and skills. His production hasn’t matched his talent level to this point though, and there are a wide range of outcomes for what his next contract could look like, depending on how much external interest he draws as a RFA.


Isaac Okoro, G/F, Cavaliers

  • 2023/24: $8,920,795
  • 2024/25: RFA
  • Stock: Up

Okoro was selected with the No. 5 overall pick in 2020 — right after Williams. And as with Williams, Okoro showed glimpses of being a productive rotation regular for Cleveland during his first three seasons.

So why is Okoro’s stock up and Williams’ stuck in neutral? The answer is subjective of course, but part of it has to do with expectations.

After playing a career-low 21.7 minutes per game last season, Okoro is up to 27.2 MPG in ’23/24, and he has played well both as a starter and as a reserve. Overall, he’s averaging 9.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.0 APG and 0.9 SPG on .498/.399/.686 shooting in 57 games, including 34 starts.

The 23-year-old has improved in the area most critical to his development: three-point shooting. His 39.9% mark from deep is a career high, and he’s Cleveland’s best perimeter defender.

Like Williams, Okoro will be a restricted free agent in the offseason if he’s tendered a qualifying offer. Given the Cavs’ salary cap situation, I don’t expect him to receive much more than the mid-level exception, which is projected to be worth about $13.8MM annually on a four-year deal.

Okoro’s future with Cleveland was looking a little shaky last summer after the team acquired Max Strus and re-signed Caris LeVert. But he has become more decisive and effective on offense on top of being an already-strong defender, and I’d be very surprised if the Cavs didn’t keep him around in the offseason.


Jae Crowder, F, Bucks

  • 2023/24: $3,196,448 (minimum salary; $2,019,706 cap hit)
  • 2024/25: UFA
  • Stock: Down

Now in his 12th NBA season, Crowder has far exceeded the careers of most second-round picks (he was selected No. 34 overall back in 2012). But he also appears to be at the tail end of his career.

The 33-year-old’s lengthy holdout with Phoenix last season was one of the more bizarre decisions for a player who was about to become a free agent. He was eventually moved to Milwaukee — his preferred destination — but at a significant cost: he made $10.2MM in ’22/23, and re-signed with the Bucks on a one-year, minimum-salary contract last summer.

Crowder hasn’t shown anything this year to prove he’s worth more than the veteran’s minimum going forward, averaging 6.1 PPG and 3.4 RPG on .421/.353/.692 shooting. He  has only appeared 36 games (23.8 MPG), having missed 31 games early in the season after suffering a left adductor and abdominal tear, which required surgery.

Perhaps things will change if Crowder has a strong playoff performance, but to my eyes, he’s at least a half-step slower on defense than he used to be, and that was always his calling card. At his age, it’s rare for that trend to reverse.


Jalen Smith, F/C, Pacers

  • 2023/24: $5,043,773
  • 2024/25: $5,417,386 player option
  • Stock: Up

Smith, who turns 24 years old today (happy birthday), is actually the third former lottery pick from 2020 on this list, as he was selected No. 10 overall in the same draft as Williams and Okoro. However, he has had a much different NBA path than his fellow draftees.

Smith didn’t play much for the team that selected him, Phoenix, and the Suns declined their third-year team option on his rookie scale contract in 2021. He was traded to Indiana in February 2022, eventually re-signing with the Pacers on a three-year, $15.1MM deal with a player option for the final season.

In 2022/23, which was Smith’s first full season with the Pacers, it seemed like the team was a little unsure about how best to utilize him. He opened the season as the starting power forward, but it was an awkward fit on both ends of the court, and he was eventually moved to the bench, mostly playing backup center. Overall, he averaged 9.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 0.9 BPG in 68 games (18.8 MPG).

Smith’s counting stats in ’23/24 — 10.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 0.6 BPG in 47 games (17.7 MPG) — are very similar to last season’s. There’s one huge difference though: he has been one of the most efficient offensive players in the NBA.

After posting a below-league-average 56.5 true shooting percentage in ’22/23, Smith is at 70.7 TS% in ’23/24, more than 12% above league average. He’s shooting 71.8% on twos and 44.2% on threes.

Given his elite offensive efficiency, decent defense, and age, it’s hard to imagine he’ll pick up his $5.42MM player option. The big man market is pretty thin in 2024, and Smith is in line for a raise — the two-year, $16MM deal Moritz Wagner signed with Orlando last summer should be his floor.

The Pacers will have cap room and Smith’s Early Bird rights if they want to bring him back. But they also have to pay Pascal Siakam, and third-year center Isaiah Jackson will be entering the final year of his rookie scale deal. Money could be a sticking point in negotiations.

Cavs Notes: Wade, Mobley, Strus, Thompson

There’s also still no specific timeline for the return of Max Strus from a left knee strain, Fedor adds. The Cavs’ starting small forward will miss his seventh straight game on Saturday.

After missing the Cavaliers‘ past three games for personal reasons, forward Dean Wade rejoined the club and participated in Friday’s practice, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).

With forward Evan Mobley unavailable due to a left ankle sprain, Wade had been inserted into the starting lineup prior to his stint away from the team. Georges Niang was elevated to the starting five during Wade’s absence, and it’s unclear whether Wade will reclaim that spot once he’s ready to return, Fedor writes. The Cavaliers can put off that decision for at least one more game, since Wade will be out on Saturday in Houston due to knee soreness (Twitter link via Fedor).

As for Mobley, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the big man is doing some “light work” and making progress in his recovery. A source tells Fedor that Mobley did some shooting work on Friday, but didn’t participate in practice and is unlikely to play on the Cavaliers’ current road trip, which runs through Monday.

  • In a separate subscriber-only story for Cleveland.com, Fedor notes that Tristan Thompson‘s 25-game suspension has come to an end, meaning he can once again be active for the Cavaliers as of Saturday. Thompson, who expressed excitement about returning, joked that he was so anxious to play that he “thought about sneaking into the arena a couple times” during his suspension. Bickerstaff, meanwhile, lauded Thompson’s impact in the locker room and referred to the veteran center as “this group’s big brother.”

Injury Notes: Mitchell, White, Luka, Green, Curry

After previously being listed as questionable, Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell returned to the starting lineup on Wednesday following a seven-game absence, as first reported by Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link).

Mitchell has been dealing with a left knee bone bruise that required a PRP injection to promote healing. He would have been in strong contention for an All-NBA team, but he missed his 18th game of the 2023/24 season on Monday, and is no longer eligible for postseason awards.

Led by a strong performance from Darius Garland and excellent team three point shooting (20-45, 44.4%), the Cavs were victorious in Mitchell’s return, defeating New Orleans by 21 points.

Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:

  • Bulls guard Coby White, one of the frontrunners for the Most Improved Player award, was injured after having his shot blocked by Pascal Siakam with about 10 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of Chicago’s overtime victory over Indiana (Twitter video link). After the game, head coach Billy Donovan called it a hip injury and said White would undergo additional testing, but the fifth-year guard appeared to be in good spirits in the locker room, as K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago relays (Twitter links).
  • Mavericks star Luka Doncic exited Wednesday’s victory over Golden State late in the fourth quarter and was later ruled out with left hamstring soreness, the team announced (via Twitter). It’s unclear if the MVP candidate will miss additional time with the injury.
  • Warriors forward/center Draymond Green was ruled out for Wednesday’s loss due to lower back soreness, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. On a brighter note, two-time MVP Stephen Curry practiced with the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors on Wednesday and will join Golden State in Los Angeles for Friday’s practice before determining whether he’ll face the Lakers on Saturday, head coach Steve Kerr told Slater and other media members (Twitter link).

Donovan Mitchell Now Ineligible For End-Of-Season Awards

Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell missed his 18th game of the season on Monday, meaning he has joined a growing list of star players who are ineligible for end-of-season awards in 2023/24, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

The NBA introduced a rule this season requiring players to appear in at least 65 games in order to be eligible to receive votes for a Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, or Most Improved Player award, as well as for an All-NBA or All-Defensive spot.

Mitchell missed his seventh consecutive game on Monday due to a left knee bone bruise and has now appeared in just 47 of Cleveland’s 65 contests. Even if he were to return on Wednesday and play in every game for the rest of the regular season, he’d max out at 64 appearances.

As Marks notes (via Twitter), other notable players who are no longer eligible for end-of-season awards include Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Julius Randle, Kyrie Irving, Draymond Green, Ja Morant, OG Anunoby, LaMelo Ball, Jamal Murray, Kristaps Porzingis, and Mitchell’s teammates Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.

Several of those players likely wouldn’t have made All-NBA or All-Defensive teams even if they had reached the 65-game threshold, but Mitchell was a strong All-NBA candidate, having averaged 28.0 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.4 rebounds in 35.7 minutes per game so far this season, with a shooting line of .472/.371/.861. Those numbers aren’t far off the ones he posted in 2022/23, when he finished sixth in MVP voting and made the All-NBA Second Team.

While Mitchell won’t earn an All-NBA spot this season, that won’t have any impact on his next contract, since he’s no longer eligible for a super-max deal after being traded from Utah to Cleveland in 2022. He will be extension-eligible as of this July, however.

The Cavaliers could offer Mitchell a new contract that is worth 30% of the 2025/26 cap and covers up to four seasons (through ’28/29), with 8% annual raises. As Marks observes, based on the latest cap projections, that four-year max extension would be worth an estimated $199MM.

Cavaliers Will Need Continued Production From Dean Wade

  • Dean Wade‘s 20-point explosion in the fourth quarter against Boston on Tuesday showed why the Cavaliers were willing to give him a three-year extension and part with Kevin Love last season, states Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. Wade’s production will become more important while Evan Mobley is sidelined with a sprained left ankle.