Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs’ Wembanyama Expected To Return On Saturday

December 12th, 2025 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is expected to return to action on Saturday for the team’s NBA Cup semifinal matchup with Oklahoma City, per ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). San Antonio has officially listed Wembanyama as probable to play.

Wembanyama has missed the Spurs’ past 12 games due to a left calf strain he sustained on November 14. However, there was a sense this week that he was in the final stages of his recovery from that injury.

Asked after his team’s NBA Cup quarterfinal win on Wednesday whether there was a chance Wembanyama could be back for the semifinal, head coach Mitch Johnson replied, “Very much so.”

Wembanyama, who will turn 22 in January, was playing at an MVP-caliber level prior to his injury, averaging 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 3.6 blocks in 34.6 minutes per game as San Antonio won eight of its first 12 games.

Despite losing their defensive anchor, the Spurs have remained firmly in the thick of the Western Conference playoff picture by going 9-3 in his absence. At the time of Wembanyama’s injury, the Spurs ranked 12th in the NBA in offensive rating and sixth in defensive rating. Since November 15, the team has the league’s 20th-best defense but the sixth-best offense.

Barring a late setback for Wembanyama, it appears as if Saturday will be the first time that the Spurs have De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Wembanyama active for the game game. Whether that will be enough to topple the 24-1 Thunder and earn a spot in Tuesday’s NBA Cup championship contest remains to be seen.

Zach Edey To Miss At Least Four Weeks With Ankle Injury

December 11th, 2025 at 3:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Grizzlies center Zach Edey will be reevaluated in four weeks after being diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left ankle, the team announced today (via Twitter). According to the Grizzlies, the expectation is that Edey will make a full recovery “following a period of offloading and rehabilitation.”

“This is a management plan to optimize Zach’s long-term health in consultation with the Grizzlies and medical experts,” Edey’s agent Mark Bartelstein tells ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter links). “Following this step, the short- and long-term prognosis for Zach is excellent.”

It’s a disappointing turn of events for the Grizzlies, who went 4-9 without Edey to open the season as he advanced through the final stages of his recovery from offseason surgery on his left ankle. Memphis has won seven of 11 games since Edey’s return and he has been the team’s most valuable player during that stretch.

Across 11 outings, Edey has averaged 13.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 25.8 minutes per game. More notable than those stats are his on/off-court numbers — the Grizzlies have outscored opponents by 18.3 points per 100 possessions and have a defensive rating of 94.5 during Edey’s 284 minutes on the court.

Jock Landale will likely return to the starting lineup during Edey’s absence, with power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. spending more time at center.

The Grizzlies also announced a couple more injury updates on Thursday, indicating that swingman John Konchar has a UCL tear in his left thumb and will undergo a procedure to repair that tear. The team isn’t providing a recovery timeline for Konchar until after the surgery, but that sort of injury typically sidelines a player for at least a month.

Meanwhile, rookie guard Javon Small is making good progress from the turf toe injury on his left foot, per the Grizzlies, but his return is still a little ways off. Small is expected to be back in action in about three-to-five weeks, according to the team.

While the Grizzlies’ press release didn’t mention Ja Morant, the club’s starting point guard appears to be on the verge of returning from the right calf strain that has kept him on the shelf since November 15. According to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, head coach Tuomas Iisalo said Morant went through a full practice on Thursday and a decision will be made about his availability for Friday’s game vs. Utah after the team sees how his body responds to today’s work.

Timberwolves Have Inquired On Coby White

December 11th, 2025 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves, who remain on the lookout for an upgrade in their backcourt, have inquired on Bulls guard Coby White, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Although the February 5 trade deadline is still almost two months away, Cowley hears from a source that Minnesota would like to make a deal to add another ball-handler sooner rather than later, if possible. The Bulls, on the other hand, likely aren’t ready to do anything drastic yet despite losing 14 of 18 games (including seven in a row) since their 5-0 start.

Mike Conley was the full-time starting point guard in Minnesota for most of the past two seasons, but the 38-year-old was moved to the second unit this fall in favor of Donte DiVincenzo. With Conley past his prime, DiVincenzo not a true point guard, and 2024 lottery pick Rob Dillingham not ready to take on a significant role, the Wolves have essentially made Anthony Edwards their de facto point guard and would like to get him some help.

White isn’t exactly a true point guard either, but he’s a talented scorer and play-maker who averaged 20.4 points and 4.5 assists per game last season on .453/.370/.902 shooting. He has been limited to seven appearances so far in 2025/26 due primarily to a calf strain that delayed his debut.

White is earning $12.9MM on an expiring contract, and while he’s extension-eligible, he isn’t expected to agree to a new deal prior to free agency, since league rules would limit the Bulls to offering up to about $87MM over four years. The 25-year-old presumably believes he can do better than that on the open market with a strong contract year.

Cowley mentions DiVincenzo ($12MM), second-year guard Terrence Shannon Jr. ($2.7MM), and a draft pick as a possible package for White. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (YouTube link) recently identified those same two players as candidates to be included in a hypothetical White trade, noting that the Bulls had interest in Shannon – a Chicago native – ahead of the 2024 draft.

Johnson also suggested that the Bulls are in “wait and see” mode and may seriously pursue any deals until closer to the trade deadline. Still, it’s worth noting that the Wolves don’t currently have a tradable first-round pick, so if the Bulls wanted some sort of draft compensation from Minnesota in a deal for White, it would have to be second-rounders and/or pick swaps.

The Wolves have been linked to other guards since the season began, including being identified a few weeks ago as one of the teams to inquire on Grizzlies star Ja Morant. However, a player like White, who has a salary in the range of the mid-level exception, could be a more appealing target based on their potential outgoing salary-matching pieces. Acquiring a maximum-salary player like Morant would require them to part with at least one of Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, or Naz Reid.

Pacers Re-Sign Garrison Mathews, Waive Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

December 11th, 2025 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

12:10 pm: The Pacers have officially signed Mathews to a standard contract and waived Robinson-Earl, according to a press release from the team.

10:52 am: Garrison Mathews‘ second 10-day contract with the Pacers expired overnight, but he won’t be going anywhere. According to Tony East of Forbes (Twitter links), Indiana is re-signing Mathews to a standard contract and will waive forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl in order to create room on the roster.

Mathews, who first joined Indiana’s roster last month on a hardship deal, made just 2-of-13 shots and scored nine points in 46 total minutes during his first 10 days with the team and admitted he was “a little surprised” when he was brought back on a second 10-day contract.

However, the 29-year-old shooting guard was more productive over the course of that second contract, having averaged 8.5 points per game on .500/.467/.750 shooting in his past four outings (19.3 MPG).

Even if the Pacers still qualify for a hardship exception, they’d be ineligible to use it on Mathews, since a player can’t sign more than two 10-day deals with a team in a single season. So in order to hang onto him, they’ll need to sign him to a standard contract, giving him a spot on their 15-man roster.

Indiana took the same route with Robinson-Earl earlier this season after he played out a pair of 10-day hardship deals — veteran point guard Monte Morris was waived in order to allow the Pacers to retain Robinson-Earl on a standard contract. Robinson-Earl averaged just 4.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 17 appearances (17.6 MPG) for Indiana but has fallen out of the team’s rotation as of late, getting DNP-CDs in Friday’s game in Chicago and Monday’s contest vs. Sacramento.

Assuming Robinson-Earl is officially cut on Thursday, the Pacers will carry a dead-money cap hit of $589,306 for him. That takes into account his two 10-day deals ($131,970 apiece) and a prorated portion of his non-guaranteed contract ($325,366).

Mathews will sign a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), which will allow the Pacers to maintain some flexibility with their 15th roster spot prior to the league-wide salary guarantee date next month.

NBA Responds To Criticism Of Early-Season Schedule

December 11th, 2025 at 10:19am CST by Luke Adams

Last week, John Hollinger wondered in an article for The Athletic whether the crunch of the early-season schedule, which has been tweaked in recent years to designate several days in December exclusively for NBA Cup knockout games, was having a material impact on teams and leading to an uptick in soft-tissue injuries.

Nine days after that story was published, the NBA has responded via its official communications account on Twitter, referring to Hollinger’s suggestion as “inaccurate and misleading.”

“John Hollinger’s premise that the NBA Cup has led to a denser schedule resulting in more player injuries is simply not supported by the data,” league spokesperson Mike Bass said in a statement. “Hollinger wonders if ‘the league turned the early-season travel dial a little too high’ and posits that teams are facing ‘an unnaturally heavy schedule cycle.’ The reality is the NBA played roughly the same number of games through 42 days this season (308) as last season (307).

“Further, those numbers are consistent with pre-Cup years (308 games in 2022 and 313 games in 2021). The Cup has objectively not led to a denser league-wide schedule in the early part of the season.

“Hollinger additionally claims the NBA is seeing an ‘uptick in early-season soft-tissue injuries’ and that ‘the league keeps getting worse at keeping those stars healthy.’ Through the season’s first six weeks, the number of injuries forcing star players to miss games is the lowest in the past six seasons, down more than 25 percent year-over-year. While several star players have not played this season due to injuries sustained last season, the suggestion that any increase in games missed this season is related to the schedule’s first six weeks is patently misleading.”

While the NBA accused Hollinger of a “misleading” narrative, it’s worth noting that the league’s own statement doesn’t address all aspects of his story. Hollinger also pointed out that several teams have been repeatedly forced to play one-game home stands before going back on the road due in part to the need to accommodate Cup matchups. A simple analysis of games played through a certain number of days doesn’t tell us anything about potentially heavier travel schedules.

Additionally, while the NBA said that the number of injuries affecting stars are down this season, the league didn’t specifically cite data regarding the sort of soft-tissue injuries (affecting the calf, hamstring, quad, etc.) that Hollinger was referring to.

Either way, it’s unusual to see the NBA use its official PR platform to publish a lengthy counter-point to a specific article that most of its fans likely didn’t read when it was published (“Big win for the Streisand Effect today,” Hollinger quipped on Bluesky). The NBA’s response suggests the league is sensitive to criticism regarding to the NBA Cup and the way in which the schedule has been adjusted to fit the in-season tournament.

Thunder, Spurs Advance In NBA Cup: League Announces Schedule Changes

December 11th, 2025 at 7:39am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder and Spurs will meet in the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas on Saturday after winning their respective quarterfinal matchups on Wednesday.

The Thunder improved to 24-1 on the season with a blowout home victory over the Suns. The game was never close, as Oklahoma City won each quarter by double-digits and defeated Phoenix by 49 points, making it the most lopsided loss in Suns history.

Oklahoma City made 55% of its three-pointers, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (28 points) and Chet Holmgren (24 points) leading the way and no Thunder player logging more than 27 minutes.

In the late game, the Spurs overcame 35 points from Lakers star Luka Doncic and 26 from Marcus Smart in his return from a back injury to pull off a 132-119 win on the road. Stephon Castle had 30 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in his second game back from a hip injury, while six other Spurs scored in double digits.

The Thunder and Spurs will face one another on Saturday at 8:00 pm Central time for the right to advance to the NBA Cup final on Tuesday. Players on the losing team in that game will receive bonuses of roughly $106K apiece, while the winning team will face either the Magic or Knicks in the championship game a shot at the top prize ($531K per player).

Notably, Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has a shot to return from his calf strain for that game vs. the Thunder, per head coach Mitch Johnson.

“Very much so,” Johnson said after Wednesday’s win when asked if a Saturday return is in play for Wembanyama (Twitter link via Mark Medina). “He had a very good day today. He had a very intense day this morning. We’ll have to see how he responds and reacts tomorrow.”

The Thunder and Spurs will now play each other five times this season, including three times in December. The two clubs are scheduled to square off on December 23 in San Antonio and on Christmas Day in OKC.

The NBA also announced a handful of scheduling updates on Wednesday night, per Medina (Twitter link). The Suns and Lakers, who only had 81 games apiece on their respective regular season schedules, will face one another on Sunday in Phoenix at 7:00 pm CT.

The Thunder and Spurs had both been scheduled to play games on December 17, but those contests have been pushed back one day to Dec. 18 in order to give them an extra day of rest following the NBA Cup. OKC will now host the Clippers next Thursday, while San Antonio hosts the Wizards that night.

Mavs’ Dereck Lively To Undergo Season-Ending Foot Surgery

December 10th, 2025 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

Dereck Lively II will undergo a procedure to address ongoing discomfort in his right foot, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon, who report (via Twitter) that the Mavericks center will miss the rest of the season as a result of the surgery.

The Mavericks have officially confirmed the news, announcing (via Twitter) that Lively is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for training camp next fall.

It’s a brutal blow for the Mavs and especially for Lively, whose right foot has been an issue since he sustained a fracture in the foot/ankle area last January. That injury sidelined him for over two months and required him to undergo surgery in July in the hopes of fixing the issue.

Although the 21-year-old was cleared to return for opening night, he continued to be plagued by health problems, missing a nine-game stretch in October and November due to a right knee sprain, then battling nagging discomfort in his right foot. Reporting late last month indicated that the Mavs were concerned Lively would require an extended absence, with word breaking last week that he was consulting with multiple doctors about potential next steps.

According to MacMahon (Twitter link), Lively sought second and third opinions on his foot injury in the hopes of avoiding another surgery, but it was ultimately determined that another procedure would be necessary.

Injuries have been a recurring problem for Lively since he entered the NBA as the 12th overall pick in the 2023 draft. He has made only 98 regular season appearances since then, including seven in 2025/26, and has played just 2,242 total regular season minutes — as a point of comparison, 51 NBA players exceeded that total in ’24/25 alone.

When healthy, Lively has been a positive contributor, performing well enough to be viewed as Dallas’ long-term starting center. The former Duke standout has averaged 8.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 22.9 minutes per contest while shooting 72.5% from the floor. He also averaged 22.0 MPG off the bench during the Mavs’ run to the 2024 NBA Finals, contributing 7.9 PPG and 7.4 RPG across 21 postseason outings.

With Lively ruled out for the season, the Mavs will lean on Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford in their frontcourt, though both players are considered possible trade candidates. Veteran big man Dwight Powell and two-way player Moussa Cisse are available off the bench to provide depth in the middle, with forward P.J. Washington a candidate to play some small-ball center if needed.

Lively, meanwhile, will become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2026 offseason, before he plays his next game. If he and the Mavericks don’t come to terms on a new deal prior to the start of the ’26/27 season, he would be on track for restricted free agency in 2027.

Dallas will likely apply for a disabled player exception in response to Lively’s injury, but it would be worth just $2,626,680 (half of Lively’s $5,253,360 salary) and wouldn’t give the team the ability to surpass its second-apron hard cap. The Mavs are currently operating roughly $1.29MM below that hard cap.

Magic, Knicks Advance To Cup Semifinals

December 9th, 2025 at 10:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Magic and Knicks advanced to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas with victories on Tuesday. They’ll face each other in the East semifinal on Saturday at 5:30 ET, the league confirmed (via Twitter).

Orlando was carried by a big outing from offseason acquisition Desmond Bane. He scored 37 points, while Jalen Suggs added 20 points and Paolo Banchero supplied 18. The Magic trailed by 13 after the first quarter, pulled within one by halftime, then outscored Miami 61-51 in the second half.

The Heat had four starters with at least 19 points, led by Norman Powell‘s 21.

The Knicks moved on with a 117-101 win over the Raptors. Jalen Brunson was the star of the game with 35 points. Josh Hart contributed 21 points and Karl-Anthony Towns tossed in 14 with 16 rebounds. Brandon Ingram led the Raptors with 31 points.

New York took control in the second quarter, outscoring Toronto 34-13.

The teams that were eliminated on Tuesday will now play each other on Monday, as the Heat will host the Raptors at 7:30 ET, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets.

The Suns and Thunder will square off in the first of the Western Conference quarterfinals on Wednesday, with the Lakers and Spurs playing in the late game. The winners of those two contests will face one another in the West semifinal on Saturday.

Rich Paul: LeBron James Will Finish Season With Lakers

December 9th, 2025 at 11:30am CST by Luke Adams

Discussing LeBron James‘ future in the first of the new ‘Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul’ podcast for The Ringer (YouTube link), James’ longtime agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, said there’s no chance his client won’t finish the 2025/26 season with the Lakers (hat tip to RealGM).

“Is LeBron, realistically, a guy who could not be on the Lakers at the end of this year?” Kellerman asked.

“No,” Paul quickly replied.

“He will be on the Lakers at the end of this year?” Kellerman said.

“Yeah,” Paul said. “Where’s he going to go?”

James, who is in his record-setting 23rd NBA season, has never been traded over the course of his long NBA career, with the exception of a 2010 sign-and-trade for logistical purposes after he had already decided to leave Cleveland for Miami as a free agent.

Still, there was some trade speculation involving the four-time MVP in the offseason after Paul put out a cryptic statement at the time James exercised his 2025/26 option. That statement referred to LeBron valuing “a realistic chance” of winning a title, recognizing that the Lakers were “building for the future,” and wanting to evaluate what was best for him.

That trade speculation died down within a few weeks when it became clear that James, who holds a no-trade clause, wasn’t actively seeking a deal.

There have been rumblings since then about the possibility that the 2025/26 season could be LeBron’s last in Los Angeles, even if he doesn’t retire, since he’s on an expiring contract and won’t become eligible for an extension before he reaches free agency. The Lakers, meanwhile, have pivoted to building around Luka Doncic and will likely be prioritizing a new long-term contract for Austin Reaves in the summer of 2026. If James doesn’t return, L.A. could open up a significant chunk of cap room to use before re-signing Reaves.

However, it doesn’t sound as if any decisions about James’ future in Los Angeles will be made until the offseason. With the Lakers off to a 17-6 start and holding the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, they’re well positioned in the race for playoff positioning and have enough movable assets to pursue in-season upgrades on the trade market to fortify the roster around James, Doncic, and Reaves.

Malik Beasley, Agent Push Back On Partizan Rumors

December 9th, 2025 at 10:17am CST by Luke Adams

Addressing a report that suggested Malik Beasley was in advanced talks on a deal with the EuroLeague club Partizan Belgrade, agent Brian Jungreis confirmed to Colin Salao of Front Office Sports that there have been conversations with the Serbian team. However, Beasley’s agent said it’s not accurate to say an agreement is close.

“These are exaggerated reports,” Jungreis said. “We had conversations and some framework, but nowhere close to anything closing or happening for the moment.”

Beasley has been in a holding pattern while federal investigators and the NBA look into a possible connection to illegal betting activity. He has reportedly drawn interest from teams in Europe and China while waiting to be cleared by the NBA.

It sounds like his agent has been looking into some of those overseas options, but Jungreis made it clear to Salao that Beasley wouldn’t accept any offer that didn’t give him an exit clause to pursue an NBA opportunity.

“The report of no NBA out (on a deal with KK Partizan) is 100% inaccurate,” Jungreis said. “We’d never not have that in the case he were to play anywhere else than the NBA.”

As Salao notes, Beasley said last month that he could play overseas “right now” if he wanted to, but would rather stay patient in the hopes of getting back to the NBA. Whether his stance changes as he remains in “investigative purgatory” remains to be seen. But appearing on a Twitch stream on Monday, Beasley denied the rumors linking him to Partizan in stronger terms than his agent did.

“I’m not going to Serbia,” Beasley said (TikTok link). “Make sure all you motherf—ers know that. I’m not coming.”

If Beasley were to be cleared by federal and NBA investigators, he’d immediately become the most popular target on the NBA free agent market. The 29-year-old had arguably the best year of his career in 2024/25, averaging 16.3 points per game and finishing second in the NBA in total three-pointers (319).

The Sixth Man of the Year runner-up was reportedly discussing a three-year, $42MM contract with the Pistons before news broke that he was linked to the federal investigation into illegal gambling.