Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Blake Wesley Undergoes Foot Surgery, Out 8-12 Weeks

November 5th, 2025 at 10:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

Blake Wesley underwent successful surgery on Wednesday to address a fractured fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot, the Trail Blazers announced in a press release. He will begin rehabbing right away and is expected to miss eight-to-12 weeks.

Wesley had initially been ruled out “indefinitely” following the announcement of his broken bone. This timeline would put his earliest return date somewhere around the end of 2025, with his absence more likely to extend into 2026.

Wesley had been playing some of the best basketball of his career in his first six games with the Blazers, serving as one of the team’s primary backcourt options off the bench with Scoot Henderson sidelined due to a hamstring injury.

Wesley signed a one-year, fully guaranteed deal with Portland this summer after averaging 4.3 points and 2.4 assists in 14.3 minutes per game across three seasons with the Spurs. He was traded from San Antonio to Washington and then bought out with the Wizards before joining the Blazers.

With Wesley and Henderson sidelined and Damian Lillard out for the season, the Blazers turned to a pair of two-way players in Sidy Cissoko and rookie Caleb Love to provide backcourt depth in their last game against the Lakers.

LeBron James Preparing For Five-On-Five Play

November 5th, 2025 at 9:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

LeBron James has missed the first eight games of the Lakers‘ season and will remain on the shelf for at least a few more, but he’s making progress toward his return to the court, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter video link).

“LeBron James has been working out individually, and I’ve been told that the next step for him is five-on-five live play,” Charania explained.

Charania adds that James will not be traveling with the team on its five-game road trip that starts in Atlanta this weekend, following Wednesday’s game against the Spurs. It’s not certain if that live action would occur with the team’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, who will be practicing in El Segundo, California, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, or if James will rejoin the team once it returns from the road trip on November 15.

As ESPN’s Malika Andrews notes in her conversation with Charania, this would indicate that the earliest James would return is November 18 against the Jazz.

The Lakers have started the season 6-2 entering Wednesday’s game against the Spurs, despite playing without not only James but also Luka Doncic, who has missed four of the team’s eight games.

McMenamin notes that once James appears in his first game, he will officially become the first player to play 23 seasons in the NBA.

Jalen Green Probable To Make Suns Debut Thursday

November 5th, 2025 at 8:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

Suns guard Jalen Green has been upgraded to probable for Thursday’s matchup against the Clippers, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link). If he is able to suit up, it would mark both Green’s season and Suns debut.

Green came over to Phoenix in the trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Rockets and was expected to be a major part of the Suns’ new-look offense, but a right hamstring strain has kept him on the sidelines since early in training camp.

He missed all of camp as well as the first eight games of the season — the Suns are off to a 3-5 start without him. First-year head coach Jordan Ott has experimented with different starting lineups while Green and fellow former Rocket Dillon Brooks have been out with injuries, but Green’s return should help provide stability to the team’s backcourt rotation.

The fifth-year shooting guard holds career averages of 20.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 307 career regular-season games, but he struggled with consistency in terms of shot selection and defensive focus. He expressed excitement this summer about playing off of Devin Booker, with whom he believes he can form a two-headed scoring and play-making attack.

The Suns will still have to wait to see their team at full strength, as Brooks continues to be listed as out due to the core muscle strain that has caused him to miss the last five games.

Congressional Committee, NBA Meet To Discuss League Gambling

November 5th, 2025 at 7:14pm CST by Eli Cohen

NBA staffers were in Washington, D.C. today to meet with lawyers and aides for the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee in a discussion about the recent gambling scandals connected to the league, writes Joe Vardon for The Athletic.

The NBA representatives, including league lawyers and a gambling consultant, spent less than an hour answering questions about the charges facing Heat guard Terry Rozier, Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, and former player and coach Damon Jones, among others, Vardon reports, though he adds that requests for additional documents are likely to follow.

The topics in question were the actions the league intends to take to curb bad actors from being able to act on non-public information for their own gain, what the NBA’s Code of Conduct does and doesn’t restrict in terms of such disclosures and acting upon information not yet public, and whether the recent troubles have caused the NBA to reconsider any of its profitable partnerships with gambling companies.

Vardon writes that a separate bipartisan Senate committee has asked for a briefing in writing that covers many of the same topics, while also questioning why Rozier was cleared by the league when the federal investigation was still ongoing and, in fact, resulted in Rozier facing criminal charges.

For what it’s worth, a source in the league office recently told Pablo Torre that while the NBA didn’t find any wrongdoing when it looked into Rozier, it also never formally closed that investigation.

“This is a matter of Congressional concern. The integrity of NBA games must be trustworthy and free from the influence of organized crime or gambling-related activity,” wrote Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell in a statement. “Sports betting scandals like this one may lead the American public to assume that all sports are corrupt. As Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over professional sports, and as dedicated basketball fans, we want to ensure the NBA is protecting the integrity of the sport.”

Vardon notes that the House committee also previously sent a letter to the NCAA about the recent announcement that collegiate athletes and coaches could bet on pro sports.

Neither NBA commissioner Adam Silver nor deputy commissioner Mark Tatum were in attendance at today’s meeting, according to Marc Stein of the Stein Line (Twitter link).

Anthony Edwards To Return To Action On Wednesday

November 5th, 2025 at 6:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

Anthony Edwards is available to play for the Timberwolves‘ game against the Knicks on Wednesday after missing his previous four games, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Stefan Bondy of the New York Post adds (via Twitter) that Edwards will not be on a minutes restriction.

Edwards was diagnosed with a right hamstring strain on October 27 after exiting the previous night’s game against the Pacers after just three minutes of play.

In his first two games of the season, Edwards was averaging 36.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per night while carrying over his prolific three-point shooting from the previous season by going 8-for-16 from beyond the arc.

The Wolves managed to beat the Pacers by a score of 114-110 and split their next four games, with wins against the Hornets and Nets and losses to the Nuggets and Lakers. They face a Knicks team coming off back-to-back wins against the Bulls and Wizards.

“He’s itching to play,” head coach Chris Finch said of Edwards, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link). Missing these four games marked the second-longest absence of the guard’s career, Krawczynski writes, behind only a six-game stretch he missed due to COVID-19 in his sophomore season.

Pacers Sign Cody Martin To 10-Day Hardship Deal

November 5th, 2025 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

3:33 pm: The Pacers have officially signed Martin, according to a team press release.

9:17 am: The Pacers intend to add free agent forward Cody Martin to their roster, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). According to Scotto, Martin will be signed using a hardship exception, which means he’ll receive a 10-day contract.

Martin, 30 spent five-and-a-half seasons in Charlotte from 2019-25 before being sent to the Suns at February’s trade deadline along with Vasilije Micic in exchange for Jusuf Nurkic. The 6’6″ forward established himself early in his career as a versatile defender who could contribute in a variety of ways — he averaged 7.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals in 26.3 minutes per game for the Hornets in 2021/22, posting a .482/.384/.701 shooting line in 71 total outings.

However, Martin battled injuries that limited him to just 35 total games over the course of the next two seasons. He bounced back to some extent in 2024/25, making 53 appearances for Charlotte and Phoenix, but his shooting percentages dipped to 41.8% on field goal tries and 28.5% on three-pointers, below his career averages.

Waived by the Suns on June 30, Martin spent over four months on the open market and will now join an Indiana team that has been decimated by injuries in the early going this season. According to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link), the former Hornet and Sun was among the free agents who worked out for the Pacers before they signed Mac McClung last month.

The Pacers already have Jeremiah Robinson-Earl under contract via a hardship exception but would be permitted to retain Robinson-Earl while adding Martin as long as they’ve been granted a second exception.

A hardship exception, which allows a team to temporarily carry an extra player beyond the usual 15-man limit, is granted when a team has four players who have missed three consecutive games due to injuries and are expected to be sidelined for at least two more weeks. If a team has five players who fit that bill, a second hardship exception can be awarded.

Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles), Obi Toppin (foot), T.J. McConnell (hamstring), Bennedict Mathurin (foot), Kam Jones (back), and Andrew Nembhard (shoulder) have all been out for at least the Pacers’ past three games. Haliburton will miss the entire season and Toppin is expected to be out until February; the timelines for the others aren’t entirely clear, but if at least three of them are projected to miss two more weeks, the Pacers qualify for a second hardship exception.

Martin will earn $165,197 on a 10-day contract, while Indiana carries a cap hit of $131,970.

Kevin Porter Jr. Undergoes Meniscus Surgery, Out Around 4 Weeks

November 5th, 2025 at 2:16pm CST by Rory Maher

November 5: The Bucks confirmed today (via Twitter) that Porter underwent successful surgery on Monday to address his meniscus injury. According to the team, the guard is expected to be sidelined for approximately another four weeks.

October 31: Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. will undergo a “minor orthopedic procedure” to address a torn meniscus in his right knee and is expected to miss around four weeks, the team announced today (via Twitter).

Porter, who was working his way back from a left ankle sprain, suffered the knee injury while doing on-court training on Thursday, per the Bucks.

The 30th and final first-round pick in the 2019 draft, Porter was Milwaukee’s starting point guard on opening night after re-signing with the team on a two-year deal over the summer. He sprained his ankle just nine minutes into his season debut, however, and now his return will be pushed back several more weeks as a result of the meniscus tear.

A talented yet enigmatic figure, the 25-year-old Porter has been involved in several off-court incidents over the years, both before and after he was drafted. He missed the entire 2023/24 season following a domestic violence incident, which resulted in an NBA investigation that reportedly concluded in July.

Porter’s NBA return last season got off to a slow start with the Clippers, but he played very well after being traded to the Bucks in February, averaging 11.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 19.9 minutes per game while shooting 49.4% from the floor, including 40.8% on threes.

As we’ve noted multiple times recently, Ryan Rollins has been taking full advantage of his extended playing time with Porter sidelined. Free agent addition Cole Anthony has also played well off the bench in his first season with Milwaukee. The Bucks are currently 4-1.

Walker Kessler To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

November 5th, 2025 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

After just five games, Walker Kessler‘s fourth NBA season is over. The Jazz center will undergo left shoulder surgery and will miss the rest of the 2025/26 campaign, according to reports from Tony Jones of The Athletic and NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter links).

Kessler has been diagnosed with a torn labrum, per Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who confirms that the big man is out for the season.

According to Haynes (Twitter link), Kessler injured the shoulder early in training camp and recently reaggravated the injury. He’s expected to undergo the procedure on Thursday, Haynes adds.

The 22nd overall pick in the 2022 draft, Kessler was traded from Minnesota to Utah in the Rudy Gobert blockbuster that summer. The 24-year-old has since emerged as the Jazz’s starting center, establishing new career highs last season in points (11.1), rebounds (12.2), and assists (1.7) per game across 58 outings. He also matched a career high with 2.4 blocks per contest and led the NBA with 4.6 offensive rebounds per night.

Kessler started Utah’s first five games this season, averaging 14.4 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 3.0 APG in 30.8 MPG, before being held out of the past two contests due to what the team initially referred to as left shoulder bursitis.

Kessler’s injury probably won’t significantly impact Utah’s outlook this season — the Jazz had already been considered a very likely lottery team, given that they’ll lose their 2026 first-round pick if it lands outside the top eight. However, it’s a brutal turn of events for a young player whose contract will expire next summer after he didn’t come to terms with the team on a rookie scale extension before the regular season got underway.

Kessler will earn a salary of $4.88MM this season and will become a restricted free agent in 2026 as long as Utah issues him a $7.06MM qualifying offer. In that scenario, the Jazz – who project to have a significant chunk of cap room available – would carry a cap hold of roughly $14.64MM for Kessler. They could use his Bird rights to go over the cap to re-sign him to a starting salary higher than that once they use up their room.

With Kessler unavailable, Jusuf Nurkic figures to continue starting in the middle for the Jazz, while second-year big man Kyle Filipowski plays regular minutes off the bench. Veteran power forward Kevin Love has also entered the rotation since Kessler went down, averaging 15.5 minutes over the past two games.

Wolves, Kings Among Teams Keeping Eye On Morant Situation

November 5th, 2025 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

There is no shortage of teams monitoring the Ja Morant situation in Memphis, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who reports that the Timberwolves and Kings are among the clubs in that group.

Morant has been under the microscope in recent days due to his apparent discontent with his usage and the substitution patterns being employed by new Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo. He served a one-game suspension on Sunday for conduct detrimental to the team following a disagreement with the coaching staff, then replied with a simple “no” when asked by reporters after his return to action on Monday whether he has any joy playing basketball right now.

As Amick notes, Iisalo has been making more frequent substitutions and using a deeper rotation, with Morant’s 29.4 minutes per game representing a team high and a dozen players averaging at least 13.7 minutes per night. Iisalo’s approach is causing some “culture shock,” says Amick, and Morant has struggled in the early going, shooting just 39.3% from the floor and 13.9% on three-pointers.

Still, there have been no indications to this point that the Grizzlies would want to move Morant, who remains a “wildly popular and entertaining” player, Amick writes. The 26-year-old’s potential trade value had already declined in recent years due to injuries, as well as previous suspensions related to his off-court behavior. If Memphis were to explore a deal now, the team would have very little leverage to extract a strong return for the former No. 2 overall pick.

Of course, the potential opportunity to buy low is one important reason why teams are keeping a close eye on Morant’s status.

The Timberwolves’ current point guards include a 38-year-old veteran (Mike Conley), a 20-year-old second-year player (Rob Dillingham), and a shooting guard playing out of position (Donte DiVincenzo), so it makes sense that they’d have some level of interest in Morant. President of basketball operations Tim Connelly also has a reputation for being willing to take big swings, having memorably given up a significant package of draft assets to acquire Rudy Gobert from Utah in 2022.

Minnesota is light on tradable draft picks and doesn’t have an obvious package of players to send out for salary-matching purposes, so the Kings could be better positioned to make a deal for someone like Morant and his $39.4MM salary. Having traded away point guard De’Aaron Fox in February, Sacramento signed Dennis Schröder in free agency to take over the starting job, but he’s not viewed as a long-term solution.

The Kings haven’t spoken to the Grizzlies about a possible Morant trade, a league source tells Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee, though he acknowledges that could change. Anderson points out that at least one sports book listed Sacramento as the betting favorite to acquire the two-time All-Star.

Following Fred VanVleet‘s ACL tear, the Rockets are also viewed as a team in need of point guard help, but a team source tells Amick that Houston is unlikely to pursue Morant.

The in-season trade deadline is still three months away and many players around the NBA won’t become trade-eligible until December 15, so even if the relationship between Morant and the Grizzlies deteriorates quickly, it may not result in a trade in the short term. It also remains possible that the two sides will overcome their shaky start to the season and quiet trade speculation well in advance of the February 5 deadline.

Malik Beasley Drawing Interest From Teams In Europe, China

November 5th, 2025 at 7:47am CST by Luke Adams

Teams in Europe and China are exhibiting “strong” interest in free agent sharpshooter Malik Beasley, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews, who hears from sources that those clubs have reached out to determine whether that interest might be mutual.

Word broke in June, just ahead of Beasley’s NBA free agency, that he was being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for possible illegal betting activity. He was reportedly in discussions with the Pistons at the time about a potential three-year, $42MM deal, but that fell apart as a result of the federal investigation.

Beasley wasn’t named in last month’s indictments that resulted in the arrests of Heat guard Terry Rozier and Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups due to separate but related gambling cases. However, Beasley reportedly hasn’t been cleared by federal investigators or by the NBA, which is conducting its own probe into the matter, so he remains in limbo for now.

While Beasley’s preference would be to sign a new NBA contract, teams in the Chinese Basketball Association have made compelling pitches, according to Urbonas, who says those clubs are willing to make offers that are both lucrative and flexible, with NBA outs included. As Urbonas explains, that structure could appeal to Beasley since it would allow him to compete in the CBA and remain in game shape while waiting to be cleared by the NBA.

The CBA season won’t tip off until December 12, Urbonas notes, so Beasley doesn’t necessarily need to make a decision right away. If he were to be cleared to return to the NBA, the Pistons and Cavaliers are believed to be among the teams that would have interest.

Beasley, who will turn 29 later this month, is coming off a strong season in Detroit in which he averaged 16.3 points per game and finished second in the NBA in three-pointers made (319). He was the runner-up in Sixth Man of the Year voting behind Celtics guard Payton Pritchard.