Southwest Notes: Morant, Rockets, Grizzlies, Edey
The Grizzlies have multiple suitors with interest in Ja Morant and are “wide open for business” when it comes to their star point guard, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (video link).
However, Charania adds that any deal involving Morant is likely going to have to wait on trade talks regarding Giannis Antetokounmpo. That’s especially true in the case of a team such as the Heat, who are reportedly interested in both players. Miami will prioritize any possibility of a move for the Bucks’ star, shifting the pursuit of Morant to the back burner.
Charania also emphasizes that Morant’s contract, which covers through two more years after this season, gives Memphis more flexibility in terms of extracting value in a deal than the Hawks were able to get for Trae Young, who has a player option for next season.
Morant is expected to miss at least two more weeks with an elbow sprain, meaning he will be out past the trade deadline. The 26-year-old two-time All-Star is averaging 19.5 points and 8.1 assists per game this season.
We have more from around the Southwest Division:
- The Rockets received a blow to their depth and identity when they confirmed today that Steven Adams has undergone season-ending surgery on his ankle. In the wake of the injury, Houston will lean more on Clint Capela, but head coach Ime Udoka doesn’t expect to use Capela in two-big lineups with Alperen Sengun in the same way he deployed Adams, Varun Shankar writes for the Houston Chronicle. “People are calling non-stop,” Udoka said when asked if the Rockets would consider pursuing another center at the trade deadline. “It depends on what’s out there. But I think we are totally fine going with Clint and our small-ball lineups if need be. But let’s see what shakes out. Like I said, people are calling more for our guys than us reaching out.”
- The Grizzlies have struggled with injuries to their guard rotation throughout the season, but reinforcements are on the horizon. Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. have both been assigned to the Memphis Hustle in the G League as they work towards making their season debuts, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports (via Twitter). The assignment will give Jerome a chance to get some reps in before potentially making his return in the coming week. Pippen is still a couple of weeks from returning from the toe surgery that has kept him sidelined since the offseason, Cole adds. The 25-year-old guard is in the second year of a four-year, $9.6MM contract. Over his last two seasons with Memphis, he has averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 assists on .483/.402/.721 shooting splits in 22.1 minutes per game.
- Zach Edey is still multiple weeks away from being reevaluated for the stress reaction in his ankle that has kept him sidelined since early December, but according to multiple orthopedic foot and ankle surgeons, there’s plenty of reason to think that the second-year Grizzlies center will make a full recovery and be fine moving forward, Cole writes in an article for the Commercial Appeal. “The ligaments have healed stable, so that should be resolved,” said Dr. Kenneth Jung of Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics in Los Angeles. “When you’re dealing with stress in the bone, that’s not necessarily instability. You would imagine once the bone heals, he should be able to get back out there and do whatever he needs to do with the instability already resolved.” When asked if fans should be concerned about the lingering injury this year, Dr. Nicholas Strasser of Vanderbilt University said, “Is it a concern? Yes, but sometimes it just needs time to heal and respond. You wish you can speed it up as much as possible, but the human body just needs to be given the time for it to go through the healing process. I guess I wouldn’t be too concerned right now. It’s hard to be patient through that process.”
Trade Rumors: Kuminga, Lakers, Morant, Ivey, Raptors
Although the Lakers are intrigued by Jonathan Kuminga, the Warriors have “made it clear” that Los Angeles doesn’t have any players they covet, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, who reports (via Twitter) that no offers have been made and the two teams aren’t having active discussions about the former lottery pick.
Siegel hears the Warriors continue to look for an upgrade on the wing using Kuminga’s outgoing salary for matching purposes (Twitter link). He claims that even if the Lakers offered their lone tradable first-round pick for the 23-year-old, the Warriors still wouldn’t make a deal with their division rivals, since Golden State isn’t interested in any of L.A.’s players.
Kuminga recently suffered a bone bruise in his left knee. There’s currently no timeline for his return, though it isn’t believed to be a long-term injury.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- A report earlier this month indicated that the Pelicans held some interest in Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, who is out at least three weeks due to a left elbow sprain. However, Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link) cites a source who says the two clubs aren’t engaged in talks regarding the two-time All-Star “despite consistent speculation to the contrary.”
- The Pistons have shown a willingness to listen to offers for Jaden Ivey, according to Siegel. While it would take a “substantial upgrade” for Detroit to part with the fourth-year guard, Siegel hears the Pistons are looking for help on the wing, noting that they’ve recently been linked to Pelicans forward Herbert Jones. The fifth overall pick of the 2022 draft, Ivey is averaging a career-low 17.0 minutes per game (through 29 appearances) ahead of restricted free agency.
- Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca takes a look at what moves the Raptors might make ahead of the February 5 deadline, writing that the most likely outcome appears to be dipping below the luxury tax line while simultaneously looking for depth at center. Lewenberg lists Daniel Gafford, Goga Bitadze and Day’Ron Sharpe as a few names Toronto has been keeping an eye on.
Flagg, Knueppel, Edgecombe Among Rising Stars Participants
The 2026 Rising Stars event will feature 11 sophomores, 10 rookies and seven G League representatives, the NBA announced in a press release. The mini-tournament will take place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California on February 13.
Here’s the full list of participants:
Rookies
- Cedric Coward, Grizzlies
- Dylan Harper, Spurs
- Egor Dёmin, Nets
- Tre Johnson, Wizards
- VJ Edgecombe, Sixers
- Kon Knueppel, Hornets
- Jeremiah Fears, Pelicans
- Collin Murray-Boyles, Raptors
- Cooper Flagg, Mavericks
- Derik Queen, Pelicans
Sophomores
- Matas Buzelis, Bulls
- Alex Sarr, Wizards
- Stephon Castle, Spurs
Reed Sheppard, Rockets- Donovan Clingan, Trail Blazers
- Cam Spencer, Grizzlies
- Kyshawn George, Wizards
- Jaylon Tyson, Cavaliers
- Ajay Mitchell, Thunder
- Kel’el Ware, Heat
- Jaylen Wells, Grizzlies
G League
- Sean East II, Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz‘s affiliate)
- Alijah Martin, Raptors 905
- Ron Harper Jr., Maine Celtics
- Tristen Newton, Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets‘ affiliate)
- David Jones Garcia, Austin Spurs
- Yang Hansen, Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers‘ affiliate)
- Yanic Konan Niederhauser, San Diego Clippers
All 10 of the rookies — headlined by No. 1 overall pick Flagg, No. 3 Edgecombe, and No. 4 Knuppel — were lottery selections in last year’s draft, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter links). By contrast, only five of the sophomores were lottery picks, with three being first-rounders outside of the lottery and three picked in the second round.
NBA assistant coaches selected the 21 rookies and sophomores, according to the release, and those players will be drafted onto three different seven-player teams on Tuesday at 6:00 pm CT on Peacock. Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady will draft and be the “honorary coaches” of the three squads, while Austin Rivers will be the honorary coach for the G League representatives.
The four actual head coaches will be assistants from the All-Star game coaching staffs.
Six of the seven players representing the G League are actually on NBA contracts: Yang (No. 16) and Niederhauser (No. 30) were 2025 first-round picks, while Martin, Harper, Newton and Garcia are on two-way deals with their respective clubs. East, who played in Canada and Romania last season, is the lone player on an actual G League contract after Utah waived him in the fall.
Dylan Harper, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft, is the younger brother of Ron Harper Jr. Both players are the sons of longtime NBA guard Ron Harper, who won five championships with the Bulls and Lakers.
As for the tournament itself, the four teams will face off in a single-elimination semifinal, with the two winners competing in the final. The semifinal is first to 40 points, whereas the final will be first to 25.
Stein’s Latest: Morant, Ellis, Marshall, Antetokounmpo, Bulls
The Grizzlies are still very open to trade offers on Ja Morant, who is expected to miss at least three weeks with an elbow sprain, Marc Stein writes in his latest column for The Stein Line (Substack link).
However, those hoping to buy low on the often-injured star point guard may have to recalibrate, as Stein reports that there is internal pressure facing the team to bring back more than the favorable contracts that the Hawks got in return for Trae Young.
Stein also speculates that, should Morant stay on the team past the trade deadline, there could be some level of friction between Morant and the Grizzlies’ head of basketball operations, Zach Kleiman. As Stein explains, in addition to making it clear that Morant was available, Kleiman backed coach Tuomas Iisalo when the point guard and coach butted heads earlier in the season. The team also didn’t offer the two-time All-Star an extension last offseason when he became eligible.
Morant has played just 20 games this season and is averaging a career-low 28.5 minutes per night, though he has matched his career high as a facilitator, dishing out 8.1 assists per game.
We have more from Stein’s latest newsletter:
- Keon Ellis has emerged as perhaps the most likely player to be traded at the deadline, Stein writes. Ellis has struggled to keep a consistent spot in the Kings‘ rotation, but reports have nevertheless indicated that there are a handful of teams targeting the defensive-minded guard, which has led Sacramento to set an asking price of a first-round pick for him. According to Stein, some sources believe that the Kings trading Ellis is almost certain to happen.
- Stein confirms previous reports that the Mavericks highly value Naji Marshall as a part of their post-Luka Doncic core, but that doesn’t mean Marshall is untouchable. Stein writes that the starting point on any trade offer for the versatile wing must be a first-round pick, as far as Dallas is concerned. He adds that Max Christie is another valued member of the core moving forward, and the team is focused on securing him a spot in the three-point contest, not finding a deal to move him.
- The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade landscape continues to be murky, especially following the announcement that he is likely to miss extended time due to a calf injury. According to Stein, multiple teams are still engaging with the Bucks in trade talks in the hopes of landing him at the trade deadline, injury notwithstanding.
- The Bulls are strongly expected to make a move involving one of their guards, Stein writes, with Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu the two most likely players to be on the move. He confirms Jake Fischer’s previous report that Nikola Vucevic could very well play out the season with the Bulls and depart in free agency this summer.
Injury Notes: Mathurin, Green, Jerome, Cunningham
The Pacers will be adding a bit more firepower to their offense soon, as Bennedict Mathurin is nearing his return. He is officially being listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Hawks, according to the team (via Twitter).
It has been common this season for players bumped to a “questionable” designation after missing multiple games to suit up as soon as they’ve been upgraded, notes Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star.
Mathurin has missed the last 11 games for Indiana after exiting a January 2 matchup against the Spurs early with a right thumb sprain. He initially tried to play through the injury, but it was decided that some time away to heal would do him good. He also missed 11 of the team’s first 13 games with a big toe sprain.
Mathurin is second in scoring for the Pacers on the season, averaging a career-high 17.8 points per game, which puts him behind only Pascal Siakam (23.8 PPG) and narrowly ahead of Andrew Nembhard (17.7 PPG).
We have more injury notes from around the league:
- Suns guard Jalen Green underwent an MRI following his early departure from Friday’s game, but there was no new injury revealed by the test, according to head coach Jordan Ott (Twitter video link per AZ Central’s Duane Rankin). “That’s great news for us,” Ott said, adding that Green will be considered day-to-day moving forward. “Get a workout today, and we’ll see where he goes this week.” Green has struggled to stay on the floor for multiple games as he looks to fully put his hamstring issues behind him. Twice now, he has played one healthy game before exiting the next one after only a few minutes. “It was just so unlucky, you know, he was feeling so good in the end of that third quarter,” Ott said. “So that’s why you take an image, that’s why you see what it feels like the next day, and we know he’s an incredible healer and a guy that’s gonna do everything it takes to play the next one, so that’s encouraging news.”
- Ty Jerome is nearing his season debut for the Grizzlies, writes Damichael Cole of Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). “He’s already progressed to five-on-five live,” said coach Tuomas Iisalo (video link). “So we’re very close. I think the evaluation is somewhere within one or two weeks… he still needs to build a little bit of load before the actual games, but he’s doing great, he’s progressing really well.” Jerome signed a three-year deal with Memphis this summer after a breakout year with the Cavaliers that saw him land third in Sixth Man of the Year voting as he averaged 12.5 points and 3.4 assists in just 19.9 minutes per game.
- Cade Cunningham is nursing a wrist injury but is attempting to find the balance between rest and treatment and playing through it for the Pistons, writes Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Cunningham downplayed the impact, saying that he felt good coming into Sunday’s game against the Kings. “Felt great this morning, felt great last night, so it’s cool to be able to come out and just… get some reps up with it,” Cunningham said, per Sankofa (Twitter video link). The All-Star guard said that it’s been difficult, but he’s hoping that he’s through the worst of it now. “It’s been a battle as far as, like, mentally, as far as figuring out how I can help us, was not liking how I felt shooting and just constantly kind of, like, flinching when I was shooting ’cause I didn’t know how I would feel,” he said. Cunningham added he thought the injury happened against Cleveland on January 4, when he fell on it, and that it was exacerbated when he got hit in the same spot in the next day’s game against the Knicks. “For the most part we felt like it wasn’t going to get worse from me playing or anything, unless someone smacked it,” he noted. “For me it was just based on if I was willing to play with it hurting like that.”
Sunday’s Nuggets-Grizzlies Game Postponed Due To Weather
Sunday’s game between the Nuggets and Grizzlies has been postponed due to inclement weather in the Memphis area, the NBA announced (via Twitter).
The game will be rescheduled, though the date has yet to be determined, per the league.
A major winter storm has been impacting a large portion of North America since Saturday night and is expected to continue through Monday. The Mavericks originally planned to fly to Milwaukee after Saturday’s game against the Lakers but were unable to due to the weather in Dallas.
According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link), the Mavericks are still on the team plane awaiting clearance to travel ahead of a 6:00 pm CT tipoff time against the Bucks. Depending on what happens in the next couple hours, that game may be postponed as well.
Trade Rumors: Morant, Antetokounmpo, Yabusele, Pelicans, Clippers
Injuries to two star players may be taking some of the excitement out of the trade deadline, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Grizzlies guard Ja Morant and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo were expected to be two of the top names on the market, but Morant suffered an elbow sprain that will force him to miss at least three weeks and Antetokounmpo left Friday’s game with a right calf injury that he expects will keep him out of action for four-to-six weeks.
Bontemps notes that the market for Morant was already shaky, in part because of his availability issues. He has played just 20 games this season and 79 total over the past three years. Morant’s contract, which pays him $42.2MM next season and $44.9MM in 2027/28, also limits his trade value, along with his diminished shooting — he’s currently connecting at 41% from the field and 23.5% from three-point range.
If Antetokounmpo does miss several weeks, the Bucks’ season could be a “lost cause” by the time he returns, Bontemps adds. Already sporting an 18-26 record, it would be easy for Milwaukee to fall down the standings and focus on the draft rather than trying to make a run at the play-in tournament. That could result in a high selection in a year with a loaded draft class, while seeing if Antetokounmpo is willing to commit to signing an offseason extension.
There’s more trade news to pass along:
- The Knicks‘ strategy for the deadline will likely include trading away Guerschon Yabusele, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link). Begley is the latest media member to suggest the Spurs as a possible destination for Yabusele because of his experience playing alongside Victor Wembanyama on the French national team. Begley mentions Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado as a possible addition for New York, and he doesn’t believe Karl-Anthony Towns will be moved.
- Trading Alvarado could be one of several moves for the Pelicans, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link), who says New Orleans continues to get calls about Trey Murphy III, Herbert Jones and Saddiq Bey. No deals are close, but Siegel said there’s a belief around the league that the Pelicans will be active before the deadline.
- Head coach Tyronn Lue doesn’t expect the Clippers to be involved in any major deals, per Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).“If a team’s trying to trade for you, then somebody wants you,” Lue said. “You could be in other guys’ shoes where nobody wants you, nobody wants to trade for you, and then you’re out of the league. … In our situation, I don’t see much movement. So I think we’ll be good.”
Ja Morant Sidelined At Least Three Weeks With Elbow Sprain
Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant will miss at least three weeks due to a left elbow injury. Morant sustained a UCL sprain in his left elbow during the team’s home game against the Hawks on Wednesday, the team announced (via Twitter).
He will be reevaluated in approximately three weeks.
Along with impacting Memphis’ chances of making the postseason — the Grizzlies are currently in 12th place in the Western Conference — Morant’s injury could have a major implications on the front office’s approach to the trade deadline.
Reports surfaced early this month that Memphis was open to trading Morant. His latest injury will likely make it more difficult to deal him to any contender seeking point guard help.
Even prior to the injury, the market for Morant was limited at best. He has two more years and $87MM remaining on his five-year max contract after 2025/26. He’s making $39.4MM this season.
Conversely, the Grizzlies might be more motivated to go into sell mode, including their other star, big man Jaren Jackson Jr. To this point, they’ve shown no interest in entertaining the idea of moving Jackson.
Morant recently returned from a calf injury that sidelined him for over two weeks. He has been highly effective in the two games since recovering from that injury. He posted 24 points and 13 assists in a win over Orlando on Sunday and had 23 points, 12 assists and three blocks in 30 minutes against the Hawks.
Morant has only suited up for 20 games this season, averaging 19.5 points and 8.1 assists per contest.
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.
Fischer’s Latest: AD, Butler, Giannis, LeBron, Raptors, Vucevic
The Mavericks are said to be open to continuing Anthony Davis trade talks while the big man recovers from his hand injury, and agent Rich Paul would reportedly like to see a deal happen before the February 5 deadline. However, the market for Davis seems to have cooled in the wake of his latest injury, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
The Hawks and Raptors have been the two teams mentioned most frequently this season as potential suitors for Davis, but both Eastern Conference clubs have been signaling that they’re no longer involved in significant trade discussions with the Mavericks, per Fischer. The Warriors also haven’t shown legitimate interest in pursuing the 32-year-old despite being linked to him earlier in the season, Fischer adds.
By all accounts, the Mavs won’t just send Davis to the highest bidder if they don’t get any offers to their liking, so unless Atlanta or Toronto circles back to the big man or another suitor emerges in the next week or two, it sounds like the odds of AD remaining in Dallas through the deadline are rising.
Here are a few more items of interest from Fischer:
- Fischer agrees with fellow Stein Line reporter Marc Stein, who wrote on Wednesday that the Warriors are unlikely to trade Jimmy Butler at the deadline following his season-ending ACL tear. Butler has been a positive presence in Golden State’s locker room and the Warriors believes he’ll help them next season, Fischer explains, so it doesn’t make sense to move him unless his maximum-salary contract would be necessary to land a superstar like Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo or Lakers forward LeBron James. Both of those players remain very much on Golden State’s radar, says Fischer, but aren’t considered probable trade candidates at this time and may not be in play until the offseason, at the earliest.
- The Raptors are signaling that they’re not pursuing Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, but they maintain interest in Kings center Domantas Sabonis, sources tell Fischer. Toronto’s apparent lack of interest in Morant was also reported this week by Michael Grange of Sportsnet.
- Multiple sources who spoke to Fischer believe Bulls center Nikola Vucevic is unlikely to be traded at the deadline. However, the veteran big man is expected to be a popular target on the free agent market during the offseason, Fischer writes, since he’s believed to be open to taking on a more “complementary” role in the right situation after having been a full-time starter for most of his career.