Pacific Notes: Reaves, Timme, Wiggins, Warriors, Ellis
Injured guard Austin Reaves is “progressing well” from his Grade 2 left gastrocnemius (calf) strain and is on track to return to action at some point during the Lakers‘ road trip, head coach JJ Redick told reporters on Tuesday (Twitter link via Dan Woike of The Athletic).
As Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet notes (via Twitter), Los Angeles’ eight-game road trip began on Tuesday in Denver and concludes on February 3 in Brooklyn.
Reaves, who suffered the injury in a Christmas Day loss to Houston, was in the midst of a breakout fifth season for the Lakers prior to the injury, averaging 26.6 points, 6.3 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.0 steal on .502/.365/.873 shooting in 23 games (35.3 minutes per contest).
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Drew Timme, who is on a two-way contract with the Lakers, received unexpected rotation minutes on Saturday due to injuries affecting Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes and responded with a career-high 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Redick indicated that Timme would likely be part of the rotation for the time being as long as he keeps playing well. The 25-year-old big man went undrafted in 2023 after starring in college at Gonzaga, but didn’t sign his first NBA contract until March 28, 2025. He says he’s fueled by his doubters. “In college and since I’ve left, it’s been you can’t do this, you can’t do that, you’re not good enough for this and that. All these things that I can’t do. And I see it, and it’s fuel,” Timme said. “At the end of the day, I’m a good player. I believe in myself and my abilities, and I believe that I can impact the game at any level, anywhere. To be able to have this opportunity and to be able to help the team, it’s great.”
- Veteran forward Andrew Wiggins received a warm reception from the Warriors and their fans on Monday in his first game back at Chase Center since he was traded to Miami last February as part of the Jimmy Butler blockbuster, according to Janie McCauley of The Associated Press. The team played a video tribute for Wiggins, who spent five-and-a-half years with the Warriors and helped them win the NBA Finals in 2022. “Wiggs is just such a great human being and beloved in our locker room. Had so much success here and helped us turn things around from that two-year stretch when we didn’t make the playoffs,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “He was just a joy to coach every single day. When you get a guy like that on your team and you go through a lot together, both on and off the court, then you make a trade, it’s just like that. It’s just crazy, this league, how this business operates. You have to just deal with it but it is sad when your relationships like that are all of a sudden — I mean you still have a relationship but you don’t see each other.”
- Kings guard Keon Ellis, who has been involved in several trade rumors this season, was available for Tuesday’s contest vs. Miami after missing two games with a sore knee, tweets James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com. Ellis will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason if he doesn’t sign an extension before then.
Pacific Notes: LeBron, Ayton, Melton, Green, Kings
For the first time in 22 seasons, Lakers superstar LeBron James was not named an All-Star starter, observes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
The news isn’t surprising, given James missed the first 14 games of 2025/26 due to sciatica and understandably had to work his way into shape and form when he did return, having missed training camp and the preseason with the injury. But it’s still noteworthy, given that the 41-year-old has made the All-Star game a record 21 times — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is second with 19 appearances.
As Bontemps writes, the league’s coaches will have to select James as a reserve in order for him to extend the record streak, which dates back to 2005. To this point in his career, the only season when James didn’t make the All-Star game (or an All-NBA team, for that matter) was in 2003/04, when he won Rookie of the Year.
While James has played much better lately and has put up impressive statistics (22.6 points, 6.9 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals on .509/.328/.757 shooting), especially considering he’s the NBA’s oldest player, it seems fairly unlikely that the 6’9″ forward will be selected. He has missed 17 of Los Angeles’ 41 games, and there are lots of other worthy candidates in a stacked Western Conference.
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- Lakers center Deandre Ayton missed Saturday’s loss to Portland due to left knee soreness but he returned to action on Sunday and had a huge night in the victory over Toronto, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The former No. 1 overall pick recorded 25 points (on 10-of-10 shooting) 13 rebounds and no turnovers, becoming the first player in team history (since individual turnovers became an official statistic in 1977/78) to score 25-plus points on 100% shooting with zero turnovers, per ESPN Research. Ayton also became the third Laker to make 10-plus field goal attempts without missing a shot while grabbing at least 10 rebounds, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Mitch Kupchak, McMenamin adds.
- Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton will miss Monday’s game against Miami, which is the front end of a back-to-back, tweets ESPN’s Anthony Slater. While it’s a small sample size (373 minutes), Golden State has outscored its opponents by a staggering +19.6 points per 100 possessions when Melton is playing, compared to a -0.7 net rating in the 1701 minutes the 27-year-old has been off the court. Melton missed most of last season as well as the start of ’25/26 due to a torn ACL in his left knee. Forward/center Draymond Green will also miss Monday’s game after being downgraded to questionable and then out because of a right ankle sprain, notes Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link).
- Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee lists some surprising statistics from the Kings‘ four-game winning streak, which was snapped with Sunday’s loss to Portland.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Bam Adebayo Named Players Of Week
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Heat big man Bam Adebayo have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, the NBA announced today (Twitter links).
Oklahoma City had a 2-1 record during the week of January 12-18, with the reigning Most Valuable Player averaging 31.0 points, 4.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. Gilgeous-Alexander posted a shooting line of .547/.400/.912 as the Thunder outscored opponents by 43 points during his 103 minutes on the court.
Gilgeous-Alexander becomes the first NBA player to be named the Player of the Week for the third time this season — he also earned the honor twice in November.
As for Adebayo, he posted averages of 27.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per night while shooting 65.5% from long range as the Heat won two of three games. This is the third time he has earned the award and first time since January 2024.
Donovan Clingan and Shaedon Sharpe (Trail Blazers), DeMar DeRozan (Kings), Luka Dončić (Lakers), James Harden (Clippers), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Alperen Sengun (Rockets) and Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) were also nominated for the Western Conference Player of the Week award, per the NBA.
Brandon Miller (Hornets), Norman Powell (Heat), Pascal Siakam (Pacers), Anfernee Simons (Celtics), Jaylon Tyson (Cavaliers) and Nikola Vučević (Bulls) were the other Eastern Conference nominees.
Antetokounmpo, Curry Head List Of All-Star Starters
The NBA’s 2026 All-Star starters have been set, the league announced today (Twitter links). Here are the 10 players who earned those spots:
Eastern Conference
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
- Jaylen Brown (Celtics)
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
- Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
- Tyrese Maxey (Sixers)
Western Conference
- Stephen Curry (Warriors)
- Luka Doncic (Lakers)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
This season’s All-Star Game will have a U.S. vs. World format. The round-robin event is scheduled to be played Sunday, Feb. 15 at 5 p.m. ET at the Clippers’ Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. Two teams of U.S. players and one team of international players (the World team) will compete in a tournament featuring four 12-minute games. The three teams will each have a minimum of eight players.
How the teams will be divvied up is yet to be determined.
Two-time MVP Antetokounmpo has been selected as a starter for the 10th consecutive season. 2024 Finals MVP Brown will be making his fifth All-Star appearance, while Brunson will be making his third consecutive appearance.
This marks Cunningham’s second NBA All-Star selection and first as a starter. Cunningham is the first Pistons player to be named an Eastern Conference starter in the All-Star Game since Allen Iverson in 2009. It will also be Maxey’s second All-Star appearance and first as a starter.
This will be Curry’s 12th All-Star Game and 11th as a starter. Doncic will be making his sixth All-Star appearance.
This marks the fourth career All-Star appearance for reigning NBA MVP and Finals MVP Gilgeous-Alexander and his third consecutive season as an All-Star starter. Three-time MVP Jokic has been named an All-Star for the eighth consecutive year. Wembanyama is the first Spurs player to be named an All-Star starter since Kawhi Leonard in 2017.
Fans accounted for 50% of the vote to determine the starters, while players and media accounted for 25% each. Wembanyama won a tiebreaker with the Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards for a starting spot. The full voting results can be found through this NBA.com link.
Teams Holding Onto Assets For Potential Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bucks officials have both attempted to quash speculation about a potential trade over the past two weeks, but teams around the league continue to closely monitor the situation, according to two prominent NBA observers.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during a recent appearance on NBA Countdown (YouTube link) that numerous deals are on hold because rival teams aren’t convinced that Antetokounmpo won’t be moved by the February 5 trade deadline. General managers are reluctant to part with assets that could be useful if the two-time MVP were suddenly to become available over the next two-and-a-half weeks.
“The biggest question in the NBA right now is are the Bucks really going to stand for this and is Giannis really going to stand for this,” Windhorst said. “And I know what Giannis has said on the record and I know that the Bucks have been out there trying to buy, but I’m telling you when I talk to people in the league, they’re still holding, waiting to see. … There are deals that are on hold … because teams still aren’t 100% sure whether Giannis is going to be on the team the rest of the year, and these last few games have made them even stutter some more.”
NBA insider Zach Lowe identifies the Hawks, Warriors, Lakers, Heat and Knicks as teams that are “considering holding onto their assets for a potential pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo now or in the summer” (Twitter video link). Lowe notes that Antetokounmpo, who’s signed through next season and holds a $62.8MM player option for 2027/28, will become eligible for an extension in October.
“If he doesn’t take that extension, that’s the same things as basically demanding a trade,” Lowe said. “… Right now, the Bucks are only 5-5 since he came back from injury. They are getting shellacked every second that he’s off the floor on the bench resting. They’re still in 11th in the East, and the time to convince him that this group can actually do anything serious might be now.”
Lowe suggests the Bucks should target Grizzlies guard Ja Morant in their search for immediate help. Morant, who had 24 points and 13 assists on Sunday as he returned from a right calf injury, has been among the most prominent names on the trade market, but he said after the game that he’s a “loyal guy” and prefers to stay in Memphis.
“The whole league is watching,” Lowe added. “If they slide any further down the standings, if they can’t even get up to 10th or ninth in the East, does Giannis push the button now instead of waiting until the summer? It’s the biggest story in the NBA potentially.”
Milwaukee is coming off a miserable week, dropping three straight games, including an 18-point loss to San Antonio and a 33-point loss to Minnesota. At 17-24, the team is still only 1.5 games behind 10th-place Atlanta for the East’s final play-in spot and 2.5 games in back of ninth-place Chicago.
The Bucks have sent out strong indications that they’ll approach the trade deadline as buyers in hopes of making a late-season run. But they have limited trade assets available and are reportedly reluctant to part with their lone tradable first-round pick (in either 2031 or 2032).
Even if Milwaukee manages to earn a playoff spot, there’s no guarantee that will satisfy Antetokounmpo, who has stated repeatedly that he wants to win another championship before he retires. Regardless of the Bucks’ official position, teams are preparing for the possibility that a trade might happen by the deadline.
Injury Notes: Green, Herro, Lakers, Knicks
The Suns are rolling, winning 11 of their past 16 games, including two victories over the Knicks in just over a week. They’re currently fighting for a top-six seed in the Western Conference and boast a 25-17 record, despite having spent most of the season playing without Jalen Green, a key offseason addition.
“We miss Jalen,” Devin Booker said after Phoenix’s latest win over New York on Saturday, per Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “I think Jalen, he’s another person out there that’ll have rim presence for us and draw a lot of fouls. [Collin Gillespie], he’s really punctual. He’s going to get to his middy. Grayson (Allen) has some rim pressure, but we’re all getting excited for Jalen.”
Allen echoed Booker’s sentiment and expressed excitement about how Green could fit into the offense.
“Just another guy who can create his own shot, create advantages for other people,” Allen said. “Make tough shots. Draw two defenders. He’s a big-time scorer. So he’ll help a lot.”
The wait for Green’s return may be over. According to Rankin (Twitter link), the fifth-year guard is listed as questionable for Monday’s game against the Nets. While his return isn’t guaranteed, coach Jordan Ott spoke in optimistic terms after the team’s shootaround on Saturday.
“Everything seemed to be good,” Ott said of Green’s third stint of five-on-five work. “So, we’ll see. Still going in the right direction.”
Booker hinted that Green could have returned earlier, suggesting that the Suns were being cautious with his recovery.
“He’s been licking his chops getting ready for this moment,” Booker said. “I think we’ve overdone it with keeping him out. He’s going to be healthy and strong and ready to go.”
We have more injury notes from around the NBA:
- Tyler Herro didn’t travel with the Heat for their five-game road trip after suffering a rib contusion that caused him to miss Saturday’s game against the Thunder, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter). While initial reports indicated that the injury was on the more minor side, he is now set to undergo an MRI, per Winderman (Twitter link), and it’s unclear how many more games he’ll be held out for. Herro has been plagued by injuries for most of the season, having missed 31 of Miami’s first 42 games.
- Lakers stars Luka Doncic and LeBron James are questionable to play in Sunday night’s matchup against the Raptors, tweets Marc Stein. Doncic is dealing with left groin soreness, while James continues to fight through left foot joint arthritis and sciatica. The Lakers are still missing their third star, Austin Reaves, due to the calf strain that has sidelined him since Christmas.
- The Knicks are in a tailspin, having lost eight of their last 10 games, and they may have to make do without two of their leaders against the beat-up Mavericks on Monday. Stefan Bondy of The New York Post notes (via Twitter) that Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart are both listed as questionable for the game. Brunson, the team’s captain and offensive hub, is dealing with a right ankle sprain, while Josh Hart, who in many ways represents the team’s emotional leader, has right ankle soreness.
- While the Mavericks are still missing a majority of the top end of their roster, including P.J. Washington (personal reasons), Daniel Gafford (right ankle sprain), and D’Angelo Russell (illness), they got a bit of good news, as star rookie Cooper Flagg was upgraded to questionable as he looks to return from a left ankle sprain, per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
Pacific Notes: Luka, Lakers, Achiuwa, Kawhi, Santos
The Lakers are coming off a disappointing home loss to Charlotte and will be without the NBA’s leading scorer for Saturday’s matchup in Portland, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays. Star guard Luka Doncic will miss Saturday’s game due to left groin soreness, while centers Jaxson Hayes (left hamstring tendinopathy) and Deandre Ayton (left knee soreness) are questionable to play.
Veteran guard Marcus Smart was critical of the Lakers’ defensive effort on Thursday after the Hornets shot 53.5% from the field and 46.5% from three-point range en route to 137 points, per Janis Carr of The Orange County Register.
“It doesn’t matter who it is. The team or the player doesn’t matter. When they play [against] us, everything goes through the roof,” Smart said. “If they were shooting 20%, they shoot 50% [against us]. It’s unfortunate, but that’s part of the game. It’s tough. We have to figure it out.
“We must play [with] a little bit more urgency on that end, especially, and kind of impose our will. Teams are doing a really good job of picking straight matchups and picking certain plays that they want.”
We have more from around the Pacific:
- Precious Achiuwa is embracing the opportunity to log most of his minutes at power forward with the Kings, he tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscriber link). “This is how I’ve always played. All throughout high school, college. First couple years in the league in Toronto, that’s how I played. Mainly playing the four position, which is my natural position,” Achiuwa said. “And that’s how I had a lot of success my first year in New York. Just the ball is able to move around a lot better. Guys are able to play the game with a sense of freedom better. Well, for me at least, I would say a better sense of freedom. Instead of just being pigeonholed.”
- In addition to a right ankle sprain, star forward Kawhi Leonard is also battling a left knee contusion he suffered last weekend, according to the Clippers (Twitter link via Law Murray of The Athletic). Leonard, who missed Friday’s overtime win in Toronto, is considered day-to-day.
- Warriors forward Gui Santos will be sidelined for Saturday’s game against Charlotte after spraining his left ankle in the first quarter of Thursday’s win over New York, writes Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. It’s possible Santos, who has been a rotation regular of late, could miss additional time as well. “It’s a big loss,” head coach Steve Kerr said after Friday’s practice. “The energy, the offensive rebounding but also the size. When we go to him and Gary [Payton II] we’re generally playing him at the four next to Draymond [Green] at the five. He’s a rebounder, especially on the offensive side, and a great screener. But the size that he brings will be missed.”
Trade Rumors: MPJ, Kuminga, Raptors, Rockets, Clippers
Recent reporting from ESPN and The Athletic indicated that the Warriors haven’t engaged in any substantive talks with the Nets about Michael Porter Jr. Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area also hears Golden State has been “hesitant” to pursue Porter and suggests the team’s interest in the veteran forward has been overstated.
According to Johnson, if the Warriors do make a run at Porter, it would likely require a third team, as the Nets aren’t interested in Jonathan Kuminga.
However, Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com has heard differently, citing sources who say the Warriors are not only interested in Porter but have “something brewing” in regard to the 27-year-old ahead of the February 5 trade deadline. As Afseth writes, Porter is having a career year in Brooklyn and scouts think he could help just about any team.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- Both Johnson and Afseth confirm the Lakers are a team to watch for Kuminga, who demanded a trade on Thursday, the first day he was eligible to be moved. President of basketball operations Rob Pelinka likes Kuminga’s game, sources tell Johnson, and the Lakers think the 23-year-old would provide athleticism on the wing alongside Luka Doncic. Still, it’s unclear if the two Pacific Division rivals would make an in-season trade, Johnson notes.
- Although the Raptors have been described as a buyer heading into the deadline, Afseth’s sources refer to Toronto’s approach as being “opportunistic” in search of potential buy-low opportunities. That may be why the team has been linked to stars like Anthony Davis, Domantas Sabonis and Ja Morant, all of whom have dealt with significant health issues this season.
- Houston’s front office isn’t overreacting to the Rockets‘ recent struggles, writes Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. Team sources tell Iko the Rockets have discussed trade concepts with approximately half the teams in the league, but no deals are imminent and they aren’t aggressively searching for upgrades. Opposing teams have checked in on the availability of Tari Eason, Clint Capela and Dorian Finney-Smith, Iko adds.
- There was speculation that the Clippers might be a seller after a miserable start to the season, but now they’re considered a possible buyer after reeling off 11 wins in their past 13 games, per Afseth, with John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic viewed as potential trade candidates. Collins is on an expiring $26.6MM contract, while Bogdanovic earns $16MM this season with an identical team option for 2026/27.
Trade Rumors: Morant, Heat, Lakers, Raptors, Bucks, Wolves
Classifying the level of league-wide trade interest in Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant as “tepid,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst say the Heat‘s interest, specifically, has been overstated.
As Bontemps and Windhorst explain, Miami has been “laser focused” on keeping its salary cap relatively clean for the 2027 offseason, when superstars like Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo could become free agents. Sources tell ESPN that it’s highly unlikely the team would pivot away from that plan in order to acquire Morant, whose contract includes a guaranteed $44.9MM salary for 2027/28.
Addressing ESPN’s report, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link) essentially agrees, writing that the Heat haven’t made an offer for Morant and are only interested if it’s a “complete giveaway” from Memphis’ perspective. Jackson jokes that the Grizzlies might even need to throw in a first-round pick to entice Miami.
As for which other teams might be in the mix for Morant, sources who spoke to Bontemps and Windhorst don’t believe there’s much of a market for the two-time All-Star, whose production has declined in recent years, but the Bucks were repeatedly mentioned as one possible option, per ESPN’s duo.
Here’s more from Bontemps and Windhorst on the NBA trade market:
- The Lakers are seeking help on the perimeter and rim protection as they consider their in-season options, league sources tell ESPN. “They’re going to be looking for bargain deals and they might be able to find one if they’re willing to take on long-term money,” one Western Conference general manager said. “But they probably need to make sure that player is a good fit with Luka (Doncic) to justify it.”
- The Raptors have been gauging the trade value of several of their players, including guard Immanuel Quickley and forward RJ Barrett, sources tell Bontemps and Windhorst. While other teams may be reluctant to take on long-term salary for potential trade candidates like Morant, Domantas Sabonis, or Anthony Davis, the Raptors – who have been linked to each of those players – would be in better position to do because their offers would include multiyear contracts of their own (Quickley, Barrett, and/or Jakob Poeltl), ESPN’s duo points out. Still, a lack of bigger expiring contracts means Toronto would have to include draft compensation to strengthen its offers.
- The Bucks have expressed interest in talent “at basically any position” and are widely regarded as a team that will make a meaningful move at the deadline, according to ESPN. “Milwaukee still has a first-round pick they can trade, and they’re $14 million under the luxury tax,” one Eastern Conference executive said. “I’ve seen teams make chicken salad with less.”
- According to Bontemps and Windhorst, executives believe the Timberwolves are hoping to bolster their backcourt while also reducing their payroll, as they’re poised to pay a significant tax bill for a second straight season. It will be difficult for Minnesota to make a real upgrade without giving up at least one rotation player, however.
Trade Rumors: Morant, Lakers, Pelicans, Mathurin, Kuminga
Although Ja Morant‘s time with the Grizzlies has been on a downward trajectory for a few years, tensions reached a boiling point at the end of October, when Morant received a team-issued one-game suspension, writes Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
Head coach Tuomas Iisalo reportedly challenged Morant’s “leadership and effort” following a loss to the Lakers in which the point guard was noticeably disengaged throughout the second half. Morant responded to Iisalo in a “tone deemed inappropriate.”
According to Siegel’s sources, the event led to a schism in Memphis’ locker room, with some players agreeing with Morant and some siding with the coaching staff. He never formally requested a trade, but the 26-year-old made it clear he couldn’t see a path forward with the Grizzlies in the wake of the suspension, Siegel adds.
The Heat hold a level of interest in Morant, Siegel confirms. The Kings are also hanging on the periphery of the situation, though they’d only be interested in acquiring Morant if the asking price was low enough — Sacramento is unwilling to part with draft assets in any talks for the two-time All-Star, sources tell Siegel.
Here are a few more rumors and notes from around the NBA:
- The Lakers are exploring the possibility of trading their 2032 first-round pick for two or three lesser-value first-rounders, according to Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter video link), who points out that Phoenix made a similar move last year in a deal with Utah. Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent have both been made available as Los Angeles continues to search for a wing upgrade, O’Connor adds.
- The Pelicans are among the teams with interest in Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin, league sources tell Siegel (Twitter video link). Indiana has checked in with New Orleans about second-year center Yves Missi, and Siegel wonders if the two clubs could potentially make a deal centered around those two players.
- Head coach Steve Kerr said Jonathan Kuminga‘s trade demand won’t cause any problems for the Warriors prior to Thursday’s game vs. New York, as Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “It won’t be a distraction,” Kerr said. “Jonathan’s a great young guy. His teammates like him. He’s handling himself well. There won’t be a distraction.” Kerr said he spoke to Kuminga earlier in the day. “There’s not a whole lot I can say about the other stuff,” Kerr said. “It is what it is. Difficult situation for everybody. Part of this league, part of this job. We just keep moving forward. But it’s a tough situation and I don’t really have much to add.”