Anthony Davis Has Ligament Damage In Hand, Out Indefinitely
5:30 pm: The Mavericks officially confirmed (via Twitter) that Davis has ligament damage in his left hand, which was revealed by an MRI. Davis is seeking multiple opinions for the injury and updates will be provided as appropriate.
4:05 pm: In a full story for ESPN.com, Charania and MacMahon report that Davis is expected to be out at least six weeks if he’s able to avoid surgery. Undergoing a procedure would sideline the one-time NBA champion for “several” months, sources tell ESPN.
3:24 pm: Mavericks big man Anthony Davis has ligament damage in his left hand, according to Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link).
Davis is getting a second opinion on his hand and could miss multiple months if surgery is deemed the best course of action to treat the injury, per ESPN’s duo. Either way, it sounds like Davis — one of the top names on trade market — will be out of action beyond the February 5 deadline, tweets Charania.
The 32-year-old forward/center sustained the injury late in the fourth quarter during Thursday’s loss at Utah. His hand appeared to bend back at an odd angle while defending Lauri Markkanen on a drive (YouTube link).
Davis initially signaled to Mavs head coach Jason Kidd that he was OK to stay in the game despite being in noticeable discomfort, but checked out a couple of possessions later after Kidd called a timeout. The 10-time All-Star was doubled over in pain in the tunnel of the arena and did not return.
Davis, who has a lengthy injury history, has been plagued by multiple ailments (adductor, eye, calf, groin) since was traded to Dallas last February in the shocking blockbuster that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers. The Mavs are 10-10 with Davis in the lineup this season but just 4-14 when he’s unavailable.
Not only does Davis’ hand injury decrease the odds of him being dealt before Feb. 5, it may make the Mavs more likely to shut down Kyrie Irving for the 2025/26 campaign as well, notes Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (via Twitter). Irving is out indefinitely after tearing his ACL last March.
2026 is the last draft which in which the Mavericks control their first-round pick until 2031, observes Marc Stein (Twitter link), so prioritizing a top selection for the remainder of the year seems likely. The offseason may be a different matter, however, given the lack of future draft control.
In 20 games this season, Davis has averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks in 31.3 minutes per contest. The former No. 1 overall pick is under contract through 2027/28, with a $62.8MM player option for that final season.
Centers Daniel Gafford, Dwight Powell and Moussa Cisse are candidates for more playing time with Davis out indefinitely.
Pelicans Telling Teams They Won’t Trade Zion, Jones, Murphy
The Pelicans are rebuffing trade inquiries on forwards Zion Williamson, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy III, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), who reports that New Orleans is telling teams that those players will remain in New Orleans through the February 5 trade deadline.
Haynes adds that forward Derik Queen and guard Jeremiah Fears are also considered off-limits, though there was never any expectation that the Pelicans would consider trading either of their promising rookies this season.
The Pelicans underwent a front office overhaul last spring, with head of basketball operations David Griffin replaced by Joe Dumars, who brought in former Pistons general manager Troy Weaver as his top lieutenant. Dumars and Weaver began reshaping the roster during their first summer on the job, trading away CJ McCollum and giving up a 2026 first-rounder in order to draft Queen after using their own lottery pick on Fears.
With New Orleans off to an ugly 8-31 start this season, there had been speculation that more significant roster changes could be on the way in the next few weeks.
While multiple reporters stated that the Pelicans weren’t looking to move Jones or Murphy, there was a sense that they might be more open to listening on that duo than in the past, though the asking price would still have been “extremely” high. Multiple reports also suggested that Williamson appeared increasingly unlikely to be part of the club’s long-term plans.
Based on Haynes’ update today, it doesn’t sound as if any of those three veterans will be going anywhere this season after all. Still, it’s worth noting that we have nearly four weeks until the deadline, so if the Pelicans get an offer that blows them away, there would be nothing stopping them from changing their stance on or before Feb. 5.
Williamson, a two-time All-Star, has battled a series of injuries since being drafted first overall in 2019, playing more than 30 games in a season just twice in his career. However, he has put up big numbers whenever he’s healthy, including averages of 22.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals in 28.8 minutes per game in 23 outings this season.
The 25-year-old, who was linked to the Bulls this week, is making $39.4MM this season and is owed about $87MM over the next two years, though he has a unique contract structure that ensures his future salaries remain non-guaranteed unless he meets certain weigh-in benchmarks and games-played totals.
Jones, who was named to the league’s All-Defensive first team in 2024, has averaged 9.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 steals in 28.3 minutes per game this season while shooting a career-worst 39.4% from the field. The 27-year-old signed an offseason extension that makes him ineligible to be traded until January 14. He has a cap hit of $14MM this season, is owed $58.3MM for the next three years, and has a player option worth $24.2MM for 2029/30.
Jones has been considered a potential target for the Lakers and other teams seeking defensive help on the wing.
Murphy, 25, has developed into a reliable two-way weapon for New Orleans. He’s averaging career highs in points (21.3), rebounds (6.1), assists (3.5), and steals (1.5) per game in the first season of a four-year, $112MM rookie scale extension. His 49.5% mark from the floor and 90.8% rate on free throw attempts are also career bests.
The Warriors, among other teams, have repeatedly been said to have significant interest in Murphy.
Even if the Pelicans stick to their guns and hang onto Williamson, Jones, and Murphy this season, there are a number of other trade candidates on the roster, including Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey, Jose Alvarado, and Kevon Looney.
Grizzlies Open To Trading Ja Morant
The Grizzlies are entertaining trade offers for Ja Morant and will consider moving the star point guard prior to the February 5 trade deadline, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.
According to Charania, multiple teams have interest in Morant and the Grizzlies are weighing possible paths forward, including either keeping the two-time All-Star or trading him in order to build around Jaren Jackson Jr. and their young core. If Memphis does make a deal involving Morant, the goal would be to acquire young players and draft picks in return, Charania adds.
Morant, 26, was the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2020 and Most Improved Player in 2022 while making All-Star teams in both ’22 and ’23. However, his ascent to superstardom was derailed by injuries and by his off-court behavior — he was suspended twice by the NBA for brandishing a firearm in videos on social media, and missed most of the 2023/24 season due to a torn labrum in his shoulder.
Health issues have continued to plague Morant, who is currently sidelined due to a calf contusion, since the start of the ’24/25 season. He has appeared in 68 of 119 total games during that time and hasn’t looked as explosive as he once did.
In the past season-and-a-half, the former No. 2 overall pick has still posted solid numbers, including 22.1 points and 7.4 assists per contest, but those averages are well below his previous highs. He has also shot just 44.1% from the floor and 28.7% on three-pointers since the start of last season.
Trade speculation kicked into high gear during the fall after a disagreement between Morant and Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo about substitution patterns escalated into a locker room confrontation and earned the point guard a team-imposed one-game suspension.
The relationship has appeared to be in a better place in recent weeks, but even if he and Iisalo are on good terms, Morant’s position as a long-term cornerstone in Memphis no longer seems nearly as secure as it once was. His maximum-salary contract, his past off-court conduct, his injury history, and his declining production are all factors that may complicate his place in the Grizzlies’ future.
The Timberwolves and Kings were among the teams said to be monitoring Morant’s situation earlier this season, and both Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link) and Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) suggest they’re worth keeping an eye on now that the Grizzlies are apparently more open to a deal.
Still, a recent report suggested Minnesota is more inclined to pursue point guards on mid-tier contracts rather than maximum salaries, and it’s unclear if Morant fits Scott Perry‘s vision to build a more defensive-minded roster in Sacramento.
Both Siegel and O’Connor also mention the Heat as a possible suitor for Morant, with Siegel tweeting that Miami was among the clubs to reach out to Memphis in the fall.
The Grizzlies will be gauging the market on Morant shortly after the Hawks moved four-time All-Star point guard Trae Young for a modest return: CJ McCollum, Corey Kispert, and no draft compensation. Morant is earning less than Young ($39.4MM this season) and is on a guaranteed contract for two more years beyond this one, but scouts and executives have expressed skepticism about the trade value of offense-first point guards like Morant.
“Ja, Trae and LaMelo (Ball) don’t have that much value because the game has changed around them,” one scout recently told The Athletic.
The Grizzlies reshaped their roster last summer, sending Desmond Bane to Orlando for a package that featured four first-round picks. While the team is still headlined by veteran stars Morant and Jackson, the front office has done well building a promising young core around them, including Cedric Coward, Zach Edey, and Jaylen Wells.
Despite being open to trading Morant, the Grizzlies apparently aren’t looking to launch a full-fledged rebuild entirely around that younger group — Siegel reports that the club has no interest in discussing potential deals involving Jackson.
Hawks Trade Trae Young To Wizards
The Hawks and Wizards have officially completed a trade sending point guard Trae Young to Washington in exchange for guard CJ McCollum and swingman Corey Kispert, Atlanta confirmed today in a press release.
ESPN’s Shams Charania, who first broke the news of the trade agreement, previously reported that Washington was Young’s preferred destination in a deal. He’ll get a fresh start as a veteran presence on a rebuilding Wizards team after spending seven-plus seasons in Atlanta.
“On behalf of the Hawks franchise, I’d like to thank Trae for how he embraced the city of Atlanta and represented the Hawks during his time here, on the court and in the community,” Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh said in a statement. “Over more than seven seasons, including four All-Star appearances, he cemented himself as a fan favorite and one of the great players in our franchise’s history. We wish Trae and his family all the best.
“Adding CJ McCollum, one of the NBA’s most prolific shooters and a respected veteran, along with an established young veteran in Corey Kispert, will strengthen our team on the court and in the locker room, and we retain flexibility for future opportunities to continue building our program.”
Young was a four-time All-Star with the Hawks, including last season when he was the NBA’s assists leader with 11.6 per game. However, he has been limited to just 10 games this season after suffering a sprained MCL in late October and a right quad contusion that has kept him out recently.
According to Charania (Twitter link), the Hawks liked the look of their offense over the past two months centered around dynamic forward Jalen Johnson and a collection of wings and depth rather than relying on a ball-dominant guard like Young.
They also get out from under Young’s $49MM player option for 2026/27 and his desire for a contract extension. McCollum is a versatile guard with playoff experience who has a $30.6MM expiring deal, while Kispert is under contract for nearly $14MM this season and next and roughly $13MM in 2027/28.
The salary flexibility could make Atlanta more willing to increase its pursuit of Mavericks big man Anthony Davis before the trade deadline. Numerous reports have indicated that the Hawks are interested in acquiring Davis, but didn’t want to have his salary and Young’s on their books at the same time.
Charania points out that the deal reunites Young with Wizards executive Travis Schlenk, a former Hawks general manager who drafted him with the fifth pick in 2018 (Twitter link). Charania adds that team president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins have been targeting a veteran star to blend with the young talent they’ve accumulated in recent drafts (Twitter link).
The Hawks no longer project to be over the cap this summer and could have $29MM in cap space, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). With McCollum, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kennard, Atlanta has more than $70MM in expiring contracts. The acquisition of Young leaves the Wizards with a projected $46MM in cap room, down from about $80MM, assuming he doesn’t opt out and leave in free agency.
The Hawks “heavily valued” Kispert’s three-point shooting and viewed him as a vital part of the deal, sources tell Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. He has been limited to 19 games this season due to injuries to his thumb and hamstring.
McCollum, who has been a full-time starter in his first season with Washington, provides another proven scorer for the Hawks’ backcourt. He’s not likely to get bought out once the deal is complete, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link), because his Bird rights could become useful in an offseason sign-and-trade. If there is a buyout, Gozlan notes that apron teams such as Cleveland, Dallas, Golden State, Minnesota and New York wouldn’t be permitted to sign McCollum.
According to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link), Young left the Hawks’ bench with about 31 seconds left in tonight’s game and gave high-fives to a few of his teammates as he headed to the locker room (YouTube link). At a post-game press conference, coach Quin Snyder told reporters that he’s “not at liberty to talk about or answer” any questions about the Young deal because it hasn’t been officially finalized, per Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks (Twitter link).
Heat-Bulls Game Postponed Due To Court Conditions
8:55 pm: As expected, the game has been postponed after the court was deemed unplayable due to moisture, the NBA announced (via Twitter). The date for the rescheduled game is to be determined and will be announced in the future, per the league.
8:49 pm: The start of Thursday’s Heat–Bulls game in Chicago was delayed due to moisture on the court at the United Center, per The Associated Press.
Tip-off was originally scheduled for 7:00 pm CT, but the game was delayed after several players noticed slick spots on the court during warmups, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, which also compete at the United Center, played on Wednesday and the ice is below the court. It’s unseasonably warm (mid-50s Fahrenheit) in Chicago and raining heavily as well, which contributed to the excess moisture on the court.
According to Joel Lorenzi and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, the ice beneath the court is actually melting, with humidity inside the arena nearly double its typical percentage for a basketball game as of 7:30 pm CT.
Maintenance personnel at the United Center attempted to dry the court with towels and mops, but it seemed to have no effect. It has been nearly two hours and the game seems likely to be postponed.
Giannis: No Plans To Leave Bucks, Asking For Trade ‘Not In My Nature’
Speaking to Sam Amick of The Athletic after Wednesday’s loss to Golden State, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo reiterated that he’s “locked in” with the team and said he plans to remain in Milwaukee for the rest of his career.
“There will never be a chance, and there will never be a moment that I will come out and say I want a trade. That’s not … in … my … nature. OK?” Antetokounmpo said, pausing between those last few words for emphasis.
Antetokounmpo has been the subject of trade speculation since last spring, when Milwaukee was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for a third straight year and Damian Lillard suffered a torn Achilles tendon. The Bucks made drastic changes to their roster during the offseason, including waiving Lillard and signing center Myles Turner, as they attempted to construct a supporting cast for Antetokounmpo that is capable of making a deep postseason run.
However, an October report indicated that the Bucks and Knicks had briefly discussed the possibility of an Antetokounmpo trade during the offseason after Giannis conveyed that he had some interest in New York. In December, a report stated that Antetokounmpo’s camp had reopened conversations with the Bucks about his future.
Antetokounmpo told reporters later in December that those talks with the Bucks involved agent Alex Saratsis, not him. He referred to Saratsis as “his own person” and suggested that he “can’t control” the conversations that his agent has with the club. Giannis repeated that message to Amick.
“I keep on saying (that) conversations that are happening between other people, third parties, it’s something that I can’t control,” Antetokounmpo said. “I can’t control what you’re going to say with my agent, or with my best friend, or with my chef. I can only control what comes out of my mouth. And not one time have I shown that I’m not invested in this team.
“If there was a time on the basketball court where you’ve seen that, ‘Oh, Giannis doesn’t look like he wants to be a part of this team no more,’ I want you to pinpoint that. There’s never been an interview where I’ve said that. So I don’t know why people discredit what I say. Like, even when your article will come out … people will say, ‘Yeah, but. Yeah, but.’
“… I am not (going anywhere). I am invested in this team. I want to turn this team around. I want to play good basketball. I want to be healthy. I want to help my teammates. I wanna win games. The last six games we’ve played, we’re 4-2. We have a lot of games in front of us. I’m locked the f–k in. I’m locked in. My priority is just staying healthy.”
Antetokounmpo’s statements to Amick represent his most emphatic commitment to the Bucks in recent months and suggest that teams waiting to see if he’ll request a trade before the February 5 trade deadline probably shouldn’t hold their breath. Still, his comments weren’t entirely unequivocal.
Asked by Amick if he has definitively decided that he doesn’t want out of Milwaukee, Giannis replied, “As of today. You know how they say this thing about your significant other, or your wife, you always have to say, ‘As of today.'”
When Amick pointed out that remarks like that are the reason why fans believe he’s “leaving an out” to change his mind about his future with the Bucks, Antetokounmpo said that doesn’t bother him.
“I don’t care. I really don’t. It doesn’t affect me at all,” he said. “What I care about is basketball. I want to be good at what I do. And there’s some things that I have to do, which I will do on the basketball court.
“But until today, my guy (Bucks director of content) Nick (Monroe) has been with me for 13 years, and it’s been great. Tomorrow, when I wake up, it may not be great. Today, our relationship is great. Tomorrow it might be different. It’s the same thing with my wife. Until today, my wife is great. She’s a great mother. She’s a great partner. She supports me. Until today. Tomorrow, she might wake up and be like, ‘I don’t want this. I fell out of love.’
“Until today, me and (Bucks general manager) Jon (Horst) have a good relationship. Tomorrow, (Horst) might think there’s something else out there, and he might have to do whatever he has to do.
“You know, for me, right now, today, I am committed — not 100 percent, but one million percent to my teammates, to my craft, to this team, and to this city. One million percent. I don’t look right. I don’t look left. I look only to the next game, which is the Lakers, and I want to win the game. I want us to stack wins before the All-Star game to get ourselves back to the race. We’re what, 11th now? This is not who we are, you know? So that’s the only thing in my mindset.”
While the Bucks are 16-21 on the season and remain one game back of the Bulls for the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, they have a 13-10 mark when Antetokounmpo has been on the court. He has performed at his usual MVP-caliber level in those games, averaging 29.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in 29.0 minutes per contest, with a .645/.406/.655 shooting line.
Antetokounmpo is making $54.1MM this season and is owed $58.5MM in 2026/27, with a $62.8MM player option for ’27/28. He’ll be eligible for a contract extension beginning in October.
LeBron James To Miss Wednesday’s Game, Reaches Limit To Qualify For Awards
Lakers star LeBron James has achieved All-NBA honors for the past 21 seasons, but the league’s 65-game rule may bring that streak to an end.
James has been downgraded to out for Wednesday’s game at San Antonio due to left foot joint arthritis and right sciatica, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link). L.A. is on the second night of a back-to-back, and James logged 33 minutes in Tuesday’s win at New Orleans.
Tonight will mark the 17th missed game of the season for the 41-year-old James, who has been experiencing physical issues in his 23rd NBA season. He didn’t make his debut until November 18 after sitting out the first 14 games while recovering from sciatica. This will be just the third time he hasn’t been in the lineup since returning, but he’s already in a position where he would have to play every game for the rest of the season to reach 65.
That’s extremely unlikely considering James’ age and his importance to the Lakers in the playoffs, and it doesn’t appear that he’s concerned about it. James acknowledged Tuesday night that back-to-backs will be an iffy proposition moving forward.
“Every back-to-back for the rest of the season is TBD,” he said (Twitter video link from McMenamin). “I am 41, I got the most minutes in NBA history … bank it right now.”
Coach JJ Redick said he hopes James will be able to suit up in both nights of back-to-backs at some point, McMenamin tweets, but he was feeling pain in his left foot following Tuesday’s contest.
James was a second-team All-NBA selection last season and finished sixth in MVP voting as he appeared in 70 games and averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 34.9 minutes per night. His production has fallen to 21.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 6.8 APG so far this season.
He has experienced injury issues before, playing in just 45 games in 2020/21, 56 games in 2021/22 and 55 games in 2022/23. However, the NBA hadn’t instituted its 65-game minimum at the time, and his performance was strong enough to convince voters that he was worthy of All-NBA honors.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, who had been listed as questionable with a left knee bone bruise, has been cleared to play, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link).
Heat Guarantee Terry Rozier’s Contract
The Heat decided against waiving guard Terry Rozier on Wednesday, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link), which means his full cap hit for the 2025/26 season is now guaranteed.
Rozier’s $26,643,031 salary had been partially guaranteed for $24,924,126, so Miami could have realized just over $1.7MM in cap savings by waiving him. That would’ve opened up a second spot on the Heat’s 15-man roster and given the team the ability to add two players on standard contracts without surpassing the luxury tax line.
However, despite the fact that Rozier has been inactive since being arrested on federal gambling charges and was placed on leave by the league in October, the Heat determined it made more sense to keep him on the roster.
That decision suggests the team wants to maintain the ability to include his expiring contract in a trade for salary-matching purposes. The NBA reportedly hasn’t confirmed one way or the other whether Miami would be permitted to do so, but the team is said to be “confident” that the league wouldn’t block a deal that includes Rozier’s contract.
[RELATED: Attorneys For Terry Rozier Seek Dismissal Of Federal Charges]
While Rozier’s cap hit is now guaranteed, his salary is still being withheld by the NBA in an escrow-type interest-bearing account while he remains on leave. That decision is being fought by the Players Association, with a ruling on the grievance anticipated this month.
Rozier had plenty of company among the players with non-guaranteed salaries who held onto their roster spots today. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), not a single player on a standard non-guaranteed contract was placed on waivers on Wednesday, ahead of the salary guarantee deadline.
Three two-way players were cut today: Mark Sears of the Bucks, Malik Williams of the Hawks, and Tosan Evbuomwan of the Knicks.
Jonathan Kuminga Unlikely To Play Again For Warriors During Trade Talks
There’s a general consensus in the Warriors organization that Jonathan Kuminga has played his final game in their uniform and will be traded before the February deadline, Brett Siegel of Clutch Points reports.
Kuminga has not played over the last nine games, including seven DNP-CDs during that stretch. Part of the reason why is that Kuminga’s representatives don’t want to risk him getting injured, Siegel writes.
There’s apparently a mutual understanding between the Warriors and Kuminga’s representatives that a trade will be reached over the course of the next four weeks.
Kuminga will become eligible to be traded on January 15. He signed a two-year, $46.8MM extension as a restricted free agent at the beginning of October. His cap hit is $22.5MM this season, with a $24.3MM team option in year two. He’ll earn a trade bonus worth about $1.7MM if he’s dealt on the first day he’s eligible to be moved.
The two teams situated at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, the Kings and Pelicans, stand out as franchises that have held a strong interest in Kuminga since the summer, according to Siegel. Another recent report named the Mavericks as a team with some interest. The Bulls and Trail Blazers (per Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports) have also been been linked to the former No. 7 overall pick.
The Warriors remain hopeful they can get at least one player in a Kuminga trade who can immediately impact their postseason aspirations this season. Golden State’s main goal in trade talks involving Kuminga is to find a three-point shooting wing who can also blend with Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green on the defensive end, according to Siegel.
They are willing to package Kuminga’s contract with either Moses Moody or Buddy Hield to achieve that goal of getting an impact wing. Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. is the type of player the Warriors are seeking, but Brooklyn reportedly isn’t interested in Kuminga, Siegel notes.
Keegan Murray Expected To Miss At Least 3-4 Weeks
An injury-plagued season for Keegan Murray will continue, as the Kings forward has been diagnosed with a moderate sprain after undergoing an MRI on his injured left ankle, reports James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link). According to Ham, Murray will be reevaluated in approximately three or four weeks.
The Kings have formally confirmed the diagnosis and the timeline for the injury, which occurred in the third quarter of Sunday’s matchup with Milwaukee.
It will be the third multi-game injury absence this season for Murray, whose fall debut was delayed after he underwent surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb in mid-October. The fourth-year forward returned about a month into the season, then missed a couple games in December due to a mild calf strain.
Murray, 25, has appeared in a total of 19 contests so far this season for the Kings, averaging 14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 1.5 assists, and 1.2 steals in 35.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .429/.272/.789. The former No. 4 overall pick signed a five-year, $140MM rookie scale extension that will go into effect this July and is considered one of the few building blocks whose long-term spot on Sacramento’s roster is secure.
During Murray’s recent two-game absence, Keon Ellis entered the starting lineup in his place, while Doug McDermott saw rotation minutes. Rookie Nique Clifford is among the other Kings who could play larger roles with Murray on the shelf.
For what it’s worth, Murray and center Drew Eubanks both recently returned from injuries earlier than the recovery timelines provided by the Kings suggested they would, so it’s possible Murray will be back before the end of January. Still, his absence will be another obstacle to overcome for an 8-28 Sacramento team that looks headed for a high-lottery finish.