Raptors Waive Mo Bamba
Just over a week after signing him, the Raptors have waived center Mo Bamba, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).
The sixth overall pick of the 2018 NBA draft, Bamba opened the 2025/26 season in the G League, then joined the Raptors last Monday to provide depth in the middle while starting center Jakob Poeltl recovers from a back injury.
Bamba, 27, was excelling in the NBAGL for the Salt Lake City Stars, averaging 16.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game in 14 outings for Utah’s affiliate. However, he didn’t play much during his brief stint with Toronto, logging four minutes last Monday vs. Orlando and just 93 seconds in garbage time on Saturday against Atlanta.
Bamba’s contract was non-guaranteed, so waiving him prior to this week’s league-wide salary guarantee date will allow the Raptors to avoid paying his full salary. The team will take on a cap charge of $194,771 for Bamba’s 11 days of service (nine on the roster and two on waivers).
Teams are now permitted to sign players to standard 10-day contracts, so the Raptors may bring back Bamba on a short-term deal once he clears waivers.
On the other hand, Poeltl’s return may not be far off — he’s taking contact and working on his reconditioning, head coach Darko Rajakovic said on Monday (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca). Toronto has also been playing well as of late with Sandro Mamukelashvili playing a regular role off the bench behind a small-ball starting lineup that features rookie Collin Murray-Boyles as the de facto five. Still, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link) believes there’s a decent chance the team re-signs Bamba to a 10-day deal for insurance purposes.
Bamba is the second veteran center on a non-guaranteed contract to hit waivers this week, joining former Pacers big man Tony Bradley, who was cut on Monday.
Knicks’ Dolan Talks Expectations, Thibodeau, Roster, More
Owner James Dolan publicly discussed the Knicks with a media member for the first time in nearly three years on Monday during an interview with WFAN’s Craig Carton, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The 70-year-old made it clear he has high expectations for the team.
“We want to get to the [NBA] Finals. And we should win the Finals,” Dolan said. “This is sports and anything can happen. But getting to the Finals, we absolutely got to do.”
New York made the Eastern Conference Finals last season for the first time in 25 years and promptly fired Tom Thibodeau. Dolan acknowledged the team’s former head coach played an important role in returning the Knicks to prominence, but stood by the decision.
“The team is really built on the shoulders of Tom Thibodeau. He built that core,” Dolan said. “We went as far as we did last year. So you really got to take your hat off to Tom. And the job that he did.
“But we did come to the conclusion that we had an idea how we wanted to organize the team. And that meant we needed to evolve. Actually beyond the old traditional coaching formulas. And we tried to work that with Tom. It really wasn’t his thing.”
According to Vincent Goodwill of ESPN, Dolan said he and president of basketball operations Leon Rose talked to Thibodeau multiple times about their desire to develop the team’s young players and bench unit so the starters weren’t worn down. Still, Dolan endorsed Thibodeau to coach another team.
“I won’t say you can’t win a title with Tom Thibodeau; I don’t know that’s true,” Dolan said. “But if you want to build a long-term, competitive, compete for the [title], you need someone who’s much more of a collaborator. But still, Tom was a great coach. He should coach in the NBA again.”
The 23-13 Knicks entered Monday’s game in Detroit having lost three straight games, a skid that extended to four when they were blown out by the top-seeded Pistons. But Dolan believes in the current roster and disputed an ESPN report that said the team discussed a trade involving Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo over the summer.
“We love our team right now. They have chemistry, they all like each other. I’ve never seen a locker room more copacetic,” Dolan said, per Bondy. “There’s a lot of energy there. Leon can always overrule me. But I don’t see us making a big change. Because we got to keep building up this group. This group can win a championship. I believe that.”
Dolan is optimistic the returns of Josh Hart and Landry Shamet will help lift the team out of its current slump, Goodwill notes. Both players are expected to be back in the next week or so.
“Look how far we got with our group last year and look at who was playing and who wasn’t,” Dolan said. “We’re going into the second half of the season, Josh is still out and Landry is coming back. We got depth. We stay healthy, we’ll go into the playoffs in much better condition than last year.”
The Knicks won the NBA Cup last month. Dolan was asked about the decision not to raise a banner for that title at Madison Square Garden, as Christian Arnold of The New York Post relays.
“We are going to raise the banner,” Dolan said. “We’re going to raise the NBA championship banner. That’s the banner we want to raise. We want an NBA championship, we don’t want some consolation prize.”
Alperen Sengun Expected To Miss 10-14 Days With Ankle Sprain
Rockets center Alperen Sengun will be reevaluated at the end of this week and is expected to miss about 10-to-14 days, head coach Ime Udoka said on Monday (Twitter link via sideline reporter Vanessa Richardson).
The 23-year-old suffered a lateral right ankle sprain just over a minute into Saturday’s game at Dallas and was ruled out for the remainder of the eventual loss.
A former first-round pick (No. 16 overall in the 2021 draft), Sengun made his first All-Star appearance in 2024/25 and is having another strong season in ’25/26. In 27 healthy games (35.6 minutes per contest) heading into Saturday, he was averaging 22.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 block, with a shooting line of .512/.317/.734.
Sengun leads Houston in rebounds and assists per game and ranks second in points, steals and blocks. The Rockets are currently 21-11, the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, though they’re only a half-game behind the No. 3 Lakers (22-11).
On a brighter note for the Rockets, veteran center Steven Adams will return to action on Monday against Phoenix after missing the previous two games with his own right ankle sprain. He and Clint Capela are among the primary candidates for more playing time with Sengun out.
Hawks, Wizards Discuss Trade Involving Trae Young, CJ McCollum
5:15 pm: In a full Substack story, sources tell Stein that the Hawks and Wizards discussed a trade centered around Young and McCollum on Monday. Washington has been actively looking at deals involving McCollum, according to Stein, who says the Hawks previously expressed interest in the former Most Improved Player winner in February 2022.
Young is looking increasingly likely to be moved before the February 5 deadline, Stein reports, and it’s also expected that the ex-Oklahoma star will pick up his player option for next season, which was hinted at by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype last month.
The Hawks are working with Young and his agents to find a trade for the 27-year-old point guard, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN.
4:01 pm: The Wizards have “legitimate” interest in trading for Hawks star Trae Young, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, who reports (via Twitter) that a potential deal would involve Washington sending out CJ McCollum‘s expiring contract.
Stein technically says the Wizards are a possible landing spot for Young, but they presumably wouldn’t want to take on his maximum-salary contract if they weren’t interested in having him on the team. The four-time All-Star earns $46MM this season and holds a $49MM player option for 2026/27.
Young has been pretty durable throughout his career, but has been limited to just 10 games so far this season due to a sprained MCL in his right knee and a right quad contusion.
Stein previously reported that Young’s presence on the Hawks could prevent the team from pursuing Anthony Davis due to ownership’s reluctance to pay for a roster that would be prohibitively expensive. A potential trade sending Young to Washington could be a precursor to a deal in which Davis lands with Atlanta.
The fifth overall pick of the 2018 draft, Young holds career averages of 25.2 points, 9.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal on .432/.351/.873 shooting in 493 games (34.0 minutes per contest). He’s having a down season in ’25/26, averaging 19.3 PPG, 8.9 APG and 1.0 SPG on .415/.305/.863 shooting through 10 contests (28.0 MPG).
A Young/McCollum swap would essentially be a salary-dump deal for the Hawks, observes cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). Veteran combo guard McCollum is earning $30.7MM this season and the Wizards would have to send out at least $6.2MM in additional salary to make a trade legal for matching purposes, Gozlan adds.
McCollum, 34, has been productive in his first season as a Wizard, averaging 18.6 PPG, 3.6 APG and 3.5 RPG on .449/.392/.800 shooting in 34 games (30.7 MPG).
Pacers Waive Tony Bradley
The Pacers have waived center Tony Bradley, the team announced in a press release. NBA insider Jake Fischer was first to report the news (via Twitter).
Bradley played a regular but modest role for Indiana this season, making 29 appearances while averaging 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game. The eight-year veteran’s minimum-salary contract was non-guaranteed and the Pacers had until Wednesday to decide whether or not to guarantee it for 2025/26.
Indiana will carry a $1,355,225 dead-money cap hit for Bradley, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). His full salary was worth $2,940,876.
Assuming he clears waivers, Bradley will become an unrestricted free agent in a couple days. As Tony East of Forbes and Circle City Spin notes (via Twitter), the Pacers could choose to re-sign Bradley on a 10-day contract. The news also increases the likelihood of Micah Potter having his contract guaranteed.
Bradley, who turns 28 years old later this week, suffered a fracture on the tip of his right thumb two-plus weeks ago. Head coach Rick Carlisle referred to Bradley’s thumb as “partially functional” and the 6’10” big man had been wearing a splint on it.
Potter just signed with Indiana on Dec. 26 but has made a positive impression on the team in a short period of time. He has started the past two games and made six appearances overall (20.7 MPG), averaging 8.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 2.2 APG on .500/.389/1.000 shooting.
Deni Avdija, Tyrese Maxey Named Players Of Week
Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija and Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
Avdija averaged 26.8 points, 9.8 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game while leading to Portland to a 3-1 record during the week of December 29 to January 4. This is the first time Avdija has earned Player of the Week honors. He’s the first Portland player to get the nod since Damian Lillard on Feb. 6, 2023.
Maxey averaged 34.7 points and 8.7 assists per game while shooting 61.2% from the field as the Sixers went 3-0. It’s the third time Maxey has earned Player of the Week honors, including the second time this season — he joins Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and Celtics wing Jaylen Brown as the Eastern Conference’s two-time winners so far in 2025/26.
Devin Booker (Suns), Stephen Curry (Warriors), Kevin Durant (Rockets), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) were the other nominees in the West.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), Paolo Banchero and Anthony Black (Magic), Brown (Celtics) and Cade Cunningham (Pistons) were also nominated in the East.
Mavericks, Rockets To Play Preseason Games In Macao
The NBA China Games will continue this fall with two preseason meetings between the Mavericks and Rockets, the NBA and Sands China Ltd. announced Monday morning in a press release. The games will take place October 9 and 11 at The Venetian Arena in Macao.
The city hosted the Nets and Suns for a pair of preseason contests three months ago.
“The games in Macao earlier this season showed how much passion and enthusiasm there is for the NBA among fans in China and across Asia,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said. “We look forward to welcoming the Mavericks and Rockets to Macao and to once again engaging fans, aspiring players and the local community through the games and surrounding events.”
Along with the games, the NBA and Sands are planning a series of basketball-related events. They will include NBA House and NBA Fan Day, youth basketball clinics and a Community Impact Week hosted by NBA Cares and Sands Cares featuring social impact programming focused on health, wellness and sustainability.
The games between the Southwest Division rivals will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories through television, digital media and social media, according to the release. Marketing partners for the event will include Amazon Web Services, Gatorade, Nike and Tissot.
Dallas and Houston have been rumored as participants since Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont attended the games in October. He sat next to former Rocket and Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming, prompting speculation that the two franchises were next in line to be selected, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). Mavericks employees have made several trips to Macao in recent weeks to finalize the details, Townsend adds.
Townsend also states that Dumont, whose Sands Corp. runs five casino resorts on Macao’s Cotai Strip and on the Macao peninsula, played a vital role in resuming the relationship between the NBA and China following a 2019 dispute sparked by Daryl Morey’s online support of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
“For the Mavericks, this is a meaningful opportunity to represent our organization and our fans on an international stage,” Dumont said in the release. “Following our recent game in Mexico City, playing in Macao reflects our club’s continued growth and the strong connection we’ve built with fans.”
Both organizations have been frequent participants in the NBA’s overseas ventures, dating back to 1992 when they met in the league’s first preseason game in Mexico City. They enjoy strong worldwide followings based on their history of having international stars on their rosters.
“The Houston Rockets are an iconic brand with support around the globe, and we are honored to be selected alongside the Dallas Mavericks to bring a Texas-sized matchup to Macao as part of The NBA China Games 2026,” said Rockets alternate governor Patrick Fertitta. “Since drafting Hall of Famer Yao Ming first overall in 2002, we have received overwhelming love from the passionate basketball fans of China and built several cherished memories playing overseas. We are excited to have another opportunity to represent the NBA abroad and showcase our team in front of the fans in Macao next preseason.”
Derrick Jones Jr. To Be Reevaluated In Six Weeks Due To MCL Sprain
Derrick Jones Jr. has been diagnosed with a Grade II MCL sprain in his right knee, Shams Charania reports for ESPN (Twitter link). According to Charania, Jones will be reevaluated in six weeks.
Jones had played just four games for the Clippers since returning from a similar injury that he suffered in November. At the time of his previous injury, he was given the same estimated recovery timeline and ended up being sidelined from Nov. 16 to Dec. 28, missing 17 games during that span.
In his 17 games this season, Jones has posted career-high scoring numbers, averaging 10.4 points while shooting 40.0% from three, a personal best. He’s also averaging a career-high 1.1 blocks per game.
Law Murphy of The Athletic notes (via Twitter) that the Clippers have 20 games left before the All-Star Break, and this timeline could mean that Jones misses all of them. The Clippers went 5-12 during his previous absence.
Nuggets’ Gordon, Braun Will Return Sunday; MPJ Active For Nets
1:37 pm: Gordon and Braun will return to action on Sunday, according to DNVR Nuggets (Twitter link).
12:47 pm: The Nuggets could get a pair of starters back for Sunday’s contest at Brooklyn. They’ve listed Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun as questionable for the matchup with the Nets (Twitter link).
Both players are still considered questionable less than two hours away from tip-off, per the NBA’s latest injury report.
Gordon has been out since November 21 after suffering a Grade 2 right hamstring strain. The veteran forward was off to a terrific start to the 2025/26 campaign, averaging 20.3 points and 6.3 rebounds on elite efficiency (.536/.452/.879 shooting splits) while playing strong defense through his first 12 games (30.4 minutes per contest).
Fourth-year wing Braun, meanwhile, has been on the shelf since Nov. 12 due to a sprained left ankle. The former first-round pick averaged 11.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.9 APG and 0.9 SPG on .484/.214/.778 shooting in 10 healthy games this season (30.8 MPG). He’s another key member of the rotation, particularly on defense, where he’s frequently tasked with slowing down the opposing team’s best perimeter scorer.
Cassidy Hubbarth of NBA on Prime reported a couple days ago that both players could return at some point during Denver’s road trip, which concludes Wednesday in Boston.
As for the Nets, leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. will return to action Sunday after missing the past two games because of an illness, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link). The 27-year-old forward said he’ll have a little extra motivation when he faces his former team, which traded him to Brooklyn over the summer.
“I definitely use everything I can as motivation,” Porter said. “It was just so much noise about me as a player…I knew if it was healthy coming here I’d be able to change the narrative around me.”
MRI Reveals Jalen Suggs Suffered Grade 1 MCL Contusion
Jalen Suggs has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 MCL contusion on his right knee, the Magic announced (via Twitter). Suggs underwent an MRI earlier today after suffering the injury in Friday night’s game at Chicago.
There’s no structural damage to Suggs’ knee, a source tells Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). The team didn’t offer a projection for how much time he might miss, but he has already been declared out for Sunday’s game against Indiana.
Suggs, who was playing in his second game since returning from a left hip bruise, limped off the court in the third quarter of Friday’s contest, Beede details in a full story (subscription required). He grabbed at his knee in pain after being fouled on a drive to the basket. He was able to stay in the game and shoot his free throws, but he wasn’t moving well and was eventually replaced.
Suggs, who missed the start of the season while recovering from knee surgery, has only played in 23 of Orlando’s 35 games.
He has been impactful when he’s been available, averaging 15.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per night and posting a team-best +10.1 net rating, but his absences have played a role in the disappointing 19-16 start for the Magic, who were expected to be among the East’s best teams.