Rival Teams Believe Bucks Becoming More Willing To Part With Giannis Antetokounmpo
Before Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a calf injury Friday night, momentum had been building toward a potential trade of the Bucks star before the February 5 deadline, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (subscription required).
Antetokounmpo said two weeks ago that requesting a trade is “not in my nature,” and team officials have indicated that they plan to approach the deadline as buyers in hopes of upgrading their roster. However, Fischer states that the Bucks’ poor performance since then has led to “whispers circulating throughout the league” that an Antetokounmpo deal was becoming m0re realistic.
Milwaukee has dropped five of its last six and is currently two-and-a-half games away from the final play-in spot at 18-26. After falling Wednesday to Oklahoma City, Antetokounmpo said his team was playing “selfish” basketball, and ESPN’s Shams Charania stated during a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show that Giannis’ frustration level is at “an all-time high.”
Those comments have echoed throughout the league, according to Fischer, who hears from rival team officials and a few well-placed sources that speculation surrounding Antetokounmpo is the number one topic as the deadline approaches, far ahead of potential trades involving Ja Morant, Anthony Davis or Michael Porter Jr.
The impact of Antetokounmpo’s injury, which could sideline him for four-to-six weeks, was still being assessed at mid-day Saturday, Fischer adds. It’s not certain if his absence will lessen the offers Milwaukee gets heading into the deadline or if teams will be willing to strike now in hopes that he’ll be fully recovered after the All-Star break.
Regardless, Fischer cites a growing consensus that the Bucks and their best player are headed toward parting ways, with one source telling him, “This is shaping up to be a draft-day kind of thing.”
In the wake of the injury, Fischer expects Milwaukee to abandon its stated plan of aggressively trying to add talent on the trade market. League sources tell Fischer that the Bucks weren’t making much headway with deals centered around Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis, especially with few draft assets to offer. He notes that Porter, Zach LaVine, De’Andre Hunter, Jerami Grant and Miles Bridges are among the players who have been reported as possible trade targets.
Teams are also reluctant to help the Bucks improve when they might benefit from an eventual Antetokounmpo trade, Fischer adds. Among those teams is Portland, which owns draft picks from Milwaukee in 2028, 2029 and 2030 that could be useful in helping to facilitate a deal sending Antetokounmpo to another team. Fischer states that the Trail Blazers have long been fans of Mikal Bridges and could be incentivized to help the Knicks land Antetokounmpo if they’re able to get Bridges in return.
Hornets Notes: Bridges, Miller, Hot Streak, Schedule
Several teams reportedly have interest in Hornets forward Miles Bridges, but he said after Saturday’s win over Washington that his preference is to remain with Charlotte, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer (subscription required). Boone points out that Bridges is often the subject of trade speculation at this time of year, so he’s not affected by it.
“Just focus on winning, focus on controlling what I can control,” Bridges said. “If I get traded, if I don’t get traded. … I would rather be here. But I know if I do get traded, I know (president of basketball operations) Jeff Peterson and those guys, they’ll talk to me first. So, I don’t try to worry about that. I just worry about the games.”
Bridges, who is earning $25MM this season, has one year left on his contract at $22.8MM, which is viewed around the league as a team-friendly deal. He has spent his entire career with the Hornets after being drafted in 2018 and has been through a lot of losing, but he’s excited about the direction the team is headed with a talented young nucleus.
“Yeah, I for sure want to be a part of it,” Bridges said. “I feel like everybody else wants everybody to stay together. But you’ve just got to control what you can control, continue to stack games.”
There’s more from Charlotte:
- Brandon Miller‘s progress was slowed by injuries after an outstanding rookie season, but he’s proven that he can still be a reliable scoring threat since returning to action in mid-November, Boone states in the same piece. Miller, who’s considered to be one of the team’s few untouchables on the trade market, has reached at least 20 points in the last six games. He also expressed a desire to keep the current roster together. “That’s the goal,” Miller said, “to have everybody stay here. But unfortunately, it’s the game. We only can control what we can control. So, I think just controlling the controllables would be great.”
- The Hornets improved to 18-28 and are showing signs that they may be able to challenge for a play-in spot. Boone notes that they have the NBA’s highest net rating over the past 10 games, ranking second in offensive rating at 121.4 and sixth in defensive rating at 109.5. In addition, the combination of Miller, Bridges, LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel and Moussa Diabate boasts the league’s best plus-minus rating at +29.1.
- Today’s game was moved to a noon ET tip-off because of a severe storm expected to arrive in the Charlotte area. There are concerns that the weather might affect Monday’s home game against Philadelphia, but the current plan is to play it as scheduled, according to Boone, who states that the Sixers are flying into Charlotte shortly after today’s game against New York.
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.
Hornets’ Bridges Drawing Trade Interest From Multiple Teams
Hornets forward Miles Bridges has generated “significant” trade interest as the February 5 deadline approaches, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who reports that the Bucks, Warriors, and Suns are among the teams eyeing the 27-year-old.
Bridges, who is earning $25MM this season, is under contract for $22.8MM in 2026/27, so the Hornets aren’t facing any urgency to make a decision on him right away. And they’re unlikely to move him unless a potential trade partner is willing to step up and meet their asking price, Amick writes.
“They want a first (round pick),” one league source told The Athletic. “Maybe two.”
The 12th overall pick in 2018, Bridges has spent his entire NBA career in Charlotte, starting 363 of his 468 regular season games for the team since entering the league. In 2025/26, he has averaged 18.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 32.8 minutes per contest.
Bridges isn’t an elite defender or shooter — he has made a modest 44.3% of his attempts from the floor this season, including 33.2% of his three-point tries. Still, the 6’7″ forward has averaged over 20 points per game across his past three-and-a-half seasons, has good size and versatility for a wing, and is very durable, having never played fewer than 64 games in a season (he has appeared in 44 of 45 this year).
Of course, teams with interest in Bridges will also need to consider his off-court history. The former Michigan State standout lost a full season in 2022/23 after he was arrested on felony domestic violence charges just ahead of his restricted free agency. He later accepted a plea deal in that case and had three criminal counts related to separate domestic allegations dismissed. Bridges, who was suspended at the start of the ’23/24 season, hasn’t been in any legal trouble during the past two seasons.
The Hornets aren’t particularly enthusiastic about acquiring forward Kyle Kuzma, per Amick, which is one obstacle complicating a potential deal with the Bucks. There are other trade candidates on Milwaukee’s roster, but Kuzma and his $22.4MM salary would be the most logical outgoing piece.
A trade with Golden State would likely involve forward Jonathan Kuminga, whose $22.5MM salary is a near match for Bridges’ cap hit. It’s unclear whether Charlotte has any interest in the former No. 7 overall pick.
Phoenix’s interest is notable given the fact that Bridges shares an alma mater with Suns owner Mat Ishbia, though Ishbia’s team is reportedly reluctant to risk upsetting its positive chemistry by making a significant in-season move.
Hornets Notes: D. Curry, LaMelo, Bridges, Road Trip
The Hornets will retire Dell Curry‘s No. 30 jersey on March 19, the team announced in a press release. The former NBA shooting guard spent 10 years with the Hornets as a player (from the late 1980s to the late ’90s) and is in his 17th season as the team’s television analyst. He joins Bobby Phils (No. 13) as just the second player in franchise history to have his jersey retired.
“As owners, we are committed to celebrating our Hornets legacy and recognizing those who helped build the foundation of this franchise,” said Hornets co-chairmen Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin. “Dell Curry has been a cornerstone of the Charlotte Hornets for more than 25 years – both on and off the court. He exemplifies what it means to be a Hornet through his professionalism, work ethic and commitment to excellence.
“Dell’s impact on our organization, our fans and our community is undeniable, and he is truly deserving of this honor. We look forward to celebrating this special moment with Hornets fans and raising No. 30 to the rafters of Spectrum Center forever.”
The team staged an elaborate interview with Curry to reveal the jersey retirement (YouTube link). The entire video is enjoyable, but Curry’s reaction is around 10 minutes in.
Here’s more on the Hornets:
- Head coach Charles Lee referred to point guard LaMelo Ball as the Hornets’ “emotional leader” following last Thursday’s victory over the Lakers, per Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times. “We’ve always marveled at his shot-making, but the thing that I think continues to just impress me, the thing that continues to help our team get better and better is that he’s trusting the pass,” said Lee. “I think that he’s really maximizing everyone around him. He’s making them better. … And then he just does what Melo does: He’s a shot-maker.”
- Forward Miles Bridges recently moved into third place on the team’s all-time scoring list, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Bridges passed Larry Johnson and Gerald Wallace, and now only trails Curry and Kemba Walker, Charlotte’s all-time leading scorer. “That means a lot at the same time because those guys put in hard work, and they actually made the playoffs here,” Bridges said. “So, that just shows my loyalty to this team and their loyalty to me. That’s big for me. I just want to continue to keep climbing up the ranks, but at the same time, I want to help us win.”
- While Charlotte remains inconsistent, Lee believes the team’s recent road trip, which concluded with a win in Denver on Sunday, showed the Hornets are capable of beating anyone on a given night, Boone adds in the same story. “I think that they all have a level of humble confidence and understanding that we are a good team and when we play the way that we need to play on both ends of the floor, we can beat any team in the NBA,” Lee said. “But we also have to have that humility that when we don’t play as hard as we need to, or we don’t play as together as we need to, or we don’t lock in on the things that are important for winning games, then we can be beat. I think that this group just has a great sense of what that looks like.”
Bucks Rumors: Giannis, Morant, Rollins, Monk, Ellis, Portis, More
Thursday’s loss to San Antonio marked the halfway point of the Bucks‘ season, and the team’s 17-24 record is its worst first-half mark since 2015/16, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
Although Nehm describes Milwaukee as looking “lost,” the front office has held firm on its stance that star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t going anywhere this season and that it wants to add an impact player alongside the two-time MVP, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN.
“We always manage to pull something off,” a team source told Collier.
Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is one potential target the Bucks have been linked to as of late. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Memphis has sought guard Ryan Rollins and Milwaukee’s lone tradable first-round pick (in either 2031 or 2032) in discussions with Milwaukee about Morant.
However, the Bucks have been “wary” about including that first-round pick in any trade talks to date, per Collier, who hears from rival executives that that first-rounder would likely only be on the table for a “star.” Morant, who has made two All-Star teams, certainly fit that bill at one point but may no longer be viewed that way, as he has battled injuries and seen his production decline in recent years.
As Collier writes, the Wizards’ deal for Trae Young might be instructive when considering the sort of trade that makes the most sense for the Bucks. Washington gave up no draft picks and a significant expiring contract as part of the package for Young, with the Hawks looking to get off the hook for his $49MM player option in 2026/27.
Milwaukee is in a good position to make a similar move for a player on a non-expiring deal, says Collier, noting that Zach LaVine, Malik Monk, and Jerami Grant are a few of the trade candidates with multiyear contracts who have been linked to the team. Collier also cites Heat forward Andrew Wiggins and Hornets Miles Bridges as a couple more examples.
The Bucks have had exploratory discussions with the Kings about a deal that would send Bobby Portis and a minimum-salary player to Sacramento in exchange for Monk and Keon Ellis, league sources tell Scotto. A trade for a higher-salary player such as Morant or LaVine would require Milwaukee to sacrifice more rotation pieces for matching purposes, but the team has considered that possibility, gauging the market for forward Kyle Kuzma ($22.4MM cap hit) as well as Portis ($13.4MM), Scotto writes.
As Collier observes, the Bucks would be more equipped to make a significant splash during the 2026 offeason, when they’ll have up to three first-round picks available to trade (2026, 2031, and 2033). But the club – which has a +7.7 net rating with Antetokounmpo on the floor in 2025/26 – hasn’t given up on this season, even if some rival executives aren’t convinced Milwaukee should continue with its win-now approach.
“At some point, you’re just digging deeper and deeper,” an Eastern Conference exec told ESPN. “There might not be light at the end of the tunnel. It might just be a hole.”
Southeast Notes: Bridges, Diabate, Wizards, Wiggins
Injuries continue to be a problem for the Hornets, whose standout rookies Kon Knueppel (right ankle sprain) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (left elbow sprain) were among the players inactive for Monday’s loss to Milwaukee.
Veteran forward Miles Bridges joined Charlotte’s list of injured players in the first quarter of that game when he landed on Gary Trent Jr.‘s foot and turned his right ankle. Bridges grabbed at the ankle in obvious discomfort and checked out of the game at the next whistle — he didn’t return.
As Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes, head coach Charles Lee didn’t have a formal update on Bridges after Monday’s game, so it’s not yet clear whether the 27-year-old will miss additional time as a result of his ankle injury.
“We’ll evaluate him (Tuesday) at practice,” Lee said. “Right ankle.”
We have more from across the Southeast:
- With Kalkbrenner and Mason Plumlee (right groin strain) both on the shelf for the Hornets, Moussa Diabate has started the team’s past three games at center and has handled the role admirably, averaging 12.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per contest with a 78.9% field goal percentage. Spencer Davies of RG.org spoke to Diabate about his path to his current role and his impact on the offensive glass, among other topics. The big man is under contract through 2026/27 on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract that has turned into a bargain for Charlotte.
- Wizards forward Kyshawn George missed a second consecutive game on Monday vs. Phoenix due to a left hip flexor strain, while sharpshooter Corey Kispert sat out for a third game in a row as a result of a left hamstring strain, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Kispert, who has reportedly been the subject of some trade interest, has played just once since November 25 due to thumb and hamstring ailments.
- Andrew Wiggins‘ scoring average this season (16.4 points per game) remains below his career rate, but he has been at his best in the team’s past three games, putting up 21.7 PPG on .628/.571/.750 shooting. The Heat want to keep seeing the former No. 1 overall pick play with that sort of assertiveness offensively, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “They just tell me an aggressive me is the best version of myself,” Wiggins said on Monday. “So, I just got to stay with it and continuously do it.” Wiggins’ name has popped up in some trade rumors since the offseason, but there has been no indication as of late that Miami is looking to move him. He’s earning $28.2MM this season, with a $30.2MM player option for 2026/27.
Scotto’s Latest: Markkanen, Hornets, Murphy, Walker, Kuminga, More
Utah will send its 2026 first-round pick to Oklahoma City if it lands outside the top eight, and if the season ended today, the 10-15 Jazz would have the NBA’s 10th-worst record, making their first-rounder likely to change hands. Given that context, executives around the league are wondering if Utah’s front office will be active on the trade market in the hopes of weakening the roster in the short term and ensuring the club keeps that pick, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
However, according to Scotto, the Jazz continue to signal that they want to build around forward Lauri Markkanen, despite trade interest in the star forward. In the past, rival execs have viewed the Pistons, Spurs, and Grizzlies as potential suitors for Markkanen if he’s made available, Scotto notes.
As for Utah’s plans beyond this season, the team hopes to use its 2026 cap room to improve its roster, either via free agency or the trade market, Scotto writes. Retaining Walker Kessler still appears to be a priority too — the Jazz turned down a trade offer for Kessler from the Lakers similar to the one L.A. made for Mark Williams, sources tell HoopsHype. The Jazz could carry a cap hold of about $14.6MM for Kessler next summer before going over the cap to re-sign him at a starting salary higher than that.
Here’s more from Scotto:
- The Hornets are hoping to get an extended look at their roster with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, and Miles Bridges all healthy and available. Still, Scotto hears that Miller’s inconsistent availability has executives around the NBA wondering if the former No. 2 overall pick might not be as untouchable in trade discussions as he once was.
- The Warriors and Trail Blazers are among the teams who are high on Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III, but rival executives believe Golden State would prioritize making a run at Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo before giving up significant assets to land Murphy, Scotto writes. There’s also still plenty of skepticism that New Orleans would part with Murphy at all, with some execs speculating that it might take a package similar to what Memphis got for Desmond Bane.
- Following up on his previous report stating that the Pacers are among the teams with interest in Keon Ellis, Scotto notes that Indiana forward Jarace Walker came up in trade discussions with the Kings. However, Scotto cautions that it’s unclear which team brought up Walker’s name in those talks that he describes as “exploratory.”
- Checking in on Jonathan Kuminga, Scotto says the Kings continue to monitor the Warriors forward, but confirms that the Suns‘ interest level has decreased and that the Nets were never all that interested. The Pelicans have also been linked to Kuminga in the past, but it’s unclear whether they have interest now, Scotto adds.
- Partizan Belgrade, the Serbian team recently linked to Malik Beasley, has also expressed interest in free agent point guard Cameron Payne, sources tell HoopsHype. As for Beasley, he has also drawn interest from Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the EuroLeague, as well as the Chinese Basketball Association teams Liaoning, Guangdong, and Shanxi, per Scotto.
Southeast Notes: Suggs, Jovic, Knueppel, Miller
An MRI conducted on Monday confirmed that Magic guard Jalen Suggs suffered a left hip contusion during Saturday’s NBA Cup game against the Knicks, the team’s PR department tweets. His return will depend on how he responds to treatment.
Suggs had 26 points and seven assists in 29 minutes on Saturday. The fifth-year guard, who suffered the injury while driving to the basket during the third quarter, is averaging 15.4 points and 4.8 assists per game this season. Tyus Jones, Anthony Black and Jett Howard could all see an uptick in minutes during his absence.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Nikola Jovic signed a four-year extension in October. The Heat forward has financial security but not a spot in the rotation — he has been a healthy scratch in five of the last nine games in which he was available. He’s also logging fewer minutes when he does play (19.3 MPG, compared with 25.1 last season), the Miami Herald’s duo of Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson note. Jovic admits it’s a frustrating situation. “The way my minutes fall is really sad. I’m not trying to think about what they’re thinking because I know it’s hard for them, too. I’m just trying to stay positive and help these guys develop,” he said.
- The Hornets don’t feel pressed to make any major trades despite their 8-18 record, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. In an appearance on the YES Network (Twitter video link via Hornets Reddit), Scotto said that Kon Knueppel “has essentially become the face of the franchise” as a rookie. “They still want to see what it looks like with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and Miles Bridges,” Scotto said. “They think if they’re healthy, they could be a play-in team.”
- Miller briefly departed the Hornets’ game against Cleveland on Sunday due to an apparent shoulder injury, then returned and hit a key three-pointer late in regulation. Charlotte pulled out an overtime victory against one of the East’s premier clubs. “It was a huge growth moment for us,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said, per Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer. “Responding, we felt like we gave up too many offensive rebounds, especially as they kind of got back into the game. And then I thought we had multiple people hitting and crashing, and trying to come up with every 50-50-ball and defensive rebound that we could. “And to see Brandon with 13 rebounds just shows he can give it to us on both ends. He’s an offensive great, but he can be an elite two-way player. And it becomes contagious when you see one of our best players doing that.”
Injury Notes: Reaves, Ball, Bridges, AD, Gafford, Giddey, Nesmith
After missing the past three games with a right groin strain, Lakers guard Austin Reaves has been upgraded to questionable for Monday’s contest in Charlotte, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic.
Reaves had been on a tear to open 2025/26 prior to the injury, averaging 31.1 points, 9.3 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals on .489/.344/.903 shooting in seven games (37.9 MPG). He’s widely expected to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026 — he holds a $14.9MM player option for next season he’s virtually certain to decline.
For the Hornets, star point guard LaMelo Ball will miss his fourth straight contest with a right ankle impingement, while forward Miles Bridges is questionable due to back spasms, per the team (Twitter link).
Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Mavericks big men Anthony Davis (left calf strain) and Daniel Gafford (right ankle sprain) are both questionable for Monday’s game against Milwaukee, as Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal relays (via Twitter). Davis, a 10-time All-Star, has missed the past five games for the Mavs. Gafford, meanwhile, aggravated his right ankle sprain — an injury he initially sustained on the first day of training camp — during Friday’s loss to Memphis, but was able to play 19 minutes in Saturday’s victory at Washington.
- Fifth-year guard Josh Giddey is off to a strong start for the Bulls, averaging 21.4 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 9.3 APG and 1.0 SPG on .463/.385/.755 shooting in nine games (34.1 MPG). However, he sprained his right ankle on Saturday when he was crossed over by Cavs forward De’Andre Hunter (YouTube link), and has been listed as questionable for Monday’s game vs. San Antonio, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- The Pacers will be without nine players on Sunday at Golden State, the team announced (via Twitter). The latest additions to the injury report are starting forwards Aaron Nesmith (right forearm contusion) and Pascal Siakam, who is resting on the second night of a back-to-back — Indiana lost in Denver on Saturday. The Pacers have two players (Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Cody Martin) on 10-day hardship contracts as a result of the team’s surplus of injuries.