Dillon Brooks Expected To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Broken Left Hand
FEBRUARY 23: Brooks is projected to miss four-to-six weeks with the injury, sources tell Charania (Twitter link). The 30-year-old wing requires surgery, adds John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (via Twitter).
FEBRUARY 21: Suns forward Dillon Brooks left Saturday’s game with a broken left hand, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Team doctors will meet soon to determine how long Brooks is expected to be sidelined, Charania adds.
The injury occurred midway through the first quarter when Brooks took a jump shot that was contested by Orlando center Wendell Carter Jr., according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Carter appeared to make contact with Brooks’ non-shooting hand, and Brooks grabbed it after the play.
He left the game with 4:46 remaining in the quarter and didn’t return. Ryan Dunn replaced him in the starting lineup for the second half.
Acquired from Houston over the summer as part of the Kevin Durant trade, Brooks has been a vital part of the turnaround in Phoenix with his play on the court and his effect on the team’s culture.
Coming into today, Brooks was averaging a career-high 21.2 points, along with 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists through 49 games with .441/.343/.856 shooting numbers. He has also brought toughness to a team that lacked it last year, along with a feisty attitude that recently resulted in a one-game suspension for picking up his 16th technical foul of the season.
It’s a rough blow for a 33-24 Phoenix team that’s solidly in the race for a top-six finish in the West, which would mean a guaranteed playoff spot. The Suns announced earlier today that star guard Devin Booker will miss at least a week with a right hip strain, and Jordan Goodwin also left Saturday’s game with a calf injury, Rankin tweets.
Sixers’ Johni Broome Out Indefinitely With Torn Meniscus
Rookie big man Johni Broome suffered a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee on Saturday while playing for the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League, the Sixers announced in a press release.
Broome will consult with medical professionals to determine how to treat the injury, per the team. Meniscus injuries can be addressed surgically – by either repairing or removing the cartilage – or, in some cases, non-surgically. Broome’s recovery timeline will be determined based on which treatment plan he and the team choose.
The 23-year-old forward/center starred in college at Morehead State (two years) and Auburn (three years) prior to being selected with the 35th overall pick in the 2025 draft. However, he hasn’t been able to crack Philadelphia’s rotation in his first NBA season, playing just 55 total minutes across 11 appearances.
Broome has been a regular contributor for the Blue Coats, averaging 21.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals on .463/.287/.656 shooting in 26 games (32.8 minutes per contest). He’s on a four-year standard contract and will earn a guaranteed $2.15MM in 2026/27, but the following two seasons are non-guaranteed.
Wizards Convert Tristan Vukcevic To Three-Year Contract
4:54 pm: The Wizards announced Vukcevic’s multi-year contract and Black’s two-way deal in a press release.
11:52 am: The Wizards are promoting two-way center Tristan Vukcevic on a three-year, $9MM standard contract, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. The third year of the deal will be a team option.
Washington had just 13 players on standard contracts, along with Alondes Williams, whose 10-day contract expires on Wednesday. Thus, no corresponding move needs to be made on the 15-man roster.
To fill the two-way spot that will open up when Vukcevic is promoted, the Wizards are signing wing Leaky Black, Charania adds in another tweet.
Vukcevic, a 2023 second-round pick, has appeared in 35 games this season (five starts). He’s averaging 7.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.7 blocks in 12.3 minutes per game. He entered the All-Star break with nine games remaining before his NBA eligibility for a two-way player this season reached the 50-game limit.
Vukcevic originally signed a standard contract with the organization as a rookie. Washington held a team option on his 2024/25 contract and declined it, then re-signed him to a two-way deal in the summer of 2024. He remained with the Wizards by signing another two-way contract last offseason.
Black, who went undrafted out of North Carolina in 2023, spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with the Hornets, then played last season for the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League affiliate. He made 26 NBA appearances for Charlotte in 2023/24, averaging 2.7 points and 1.8 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per game.
In 44 games last season for the Go-Go, Black averaged 7.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.2 steals in 26.7 minutes per contest. He participated in Wizards training camp but was waived in mid-October. He returned to the Go-Go and has averaged 10.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals in 35.2 minutes per game over 35 contests.
The Wizards will use a portion of their mid-level exception to sign Vukcevic to a three-year deal. Black, meanwhile, will be eligible to be active for up to 15 regular season games on his new two-way contract.
Rudy Gobert Suspended One Game After Another Flagrant Foul
February 21: Gobert’s latest flagrant foul 1 was upheld and he has been suspended for Sunday’s game, the NBA confirmed in a press release (Twitter link)
February 20: Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, who has accumulated six flagrant foul points this season, is likely to be suspended for Sunday’s contest vs. Philadelphia after receiving a flagrant foul 1 in Friday’s game vs. Dallas, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (Twitter link).
The four-time Defensive Player of the Year was given the flagrant at the end of the second quarter for a play involving Marvin Bagley (video link). It was initially called a common foul, but upon a review from the officials, Gobert was assessed the flagrant for “unnecessary flail contact to the neck area of Bagley.”
Gobert already received a one-game suspension from the NBA last month after accruing his sixth flagrant foul point for a reckless closeout on Victor Wembanyama. Assuming his latest flagrant foul 1 is upheld by the league, the 33-year-old big man will lose another $201,149 of his salary, while the Wolves will receive a tax variance credit of $100,575.
With Gobert likely now at seven flagrant foul points, any future flagrants will result in an automatic two-game suspension. His flagrant counter will reset in the playoffs, Hine notes (Twitter links), but if Gobert receives a flagrant in either the penultimate or final game of the regular season, his suspension would carry over to the postseason.
Through 54 games, Gobert is averaging 11.0 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 31.3 minutes per contest. He finished Friday’s win with 22 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks in 32 minutes.
Devin Booker Suffers Right Hip Strain, Out At Least One Week
Suns star Devin Booker has been diagnosed with a right hip strain and will be out at least one week, which is when he’ll be reevaluated, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link via Law Murray of The Athletic).
Booker suffered the injury in Thursday’s loss to San Antonio. The 29-year-old shooting guard went to the locker room midway through the first quarter and attempted to return late in the second quarter before being ruled out for the second half.
Injuries have been an issue as of late for Booker, who missed eight of 10 games prior to the All-Star break due to a right ankle sprain. He’s likely to miss at least four more games as a result of the hip strain, which would increase his season-long total to 16. That’s noteworthy, because Booker needs to play at least 65 contests to qualify for major postseason awards.
Booker has averaged 24.7 points, 6.1 assists and 3.9 rebounds on .454/.308/.861 shooting in 44 games this season (33.3 minutes per contest). Phoenix is 27-17 when Booker plays this season but has gone just 5-7 without the team’s best player.
The Suns also provided an injury update on Haywood Highsmith, who recently signed a two-year deal with Phoenix. While the 6’5″ forward is progressing from offseason knee surgery, he will continue to rehabilitate and will be checked out again in two-to-three weeks. That echoes recent reporting from John Gambadoro, who said Highsmith was at least a few weeks away from making his Suns (and season) debut.
Bulls Shut Down Zach Collins; Ivey Out At Least Two Weeks
The Bulls are shutting down big man Zach Collins for the remainder of the season, the team announced (via Twitter).
Collins, who has been out with a right toe sprain, underwent further evaluation from training and medical professionals. They decided that Collins needed surgery to fix the problem.
Chicago coach Billy Donovan said earlier this month that Collins, who injured his toe on Dec. 27, might not return.
‘‘That could happen,” Donovan said. “As they put him two more weeks into the boot, I think how he comes out of that is going to tell a lot. He’s going to need a ramp-up period in order to run. . . . . The whole thing right now has been trying to prevent surgery.’
Prior to that injury, Collins missed the first six weeks of the season with a wrist injury. He wound up appearing in just 10 games this season, averaging 9.7 points and 5.6 rebounds. The veeteran forward/center appeared in a total of 64 games with San Antonio and Chicago last season.
Collins will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and will likely need to take a big pay cut to stay in the league. He signed a two-year, $34.8MM extension with San Antonio during the fall of 2023.
Additionally, the Bulls announced that guard Jaden Ivey will be reevaluated in two weeks.
Ivey, who was traded by the Pistons earlier this month, is experiencing left knee soreness. He has appeared in four games since the trade, including three starts, and is averaging 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals in 28 minutes per game with Chicago.
Ivey suffered a fractured left leg midway through the 2024/25 season with Detroit and missed some time early this season due soreness in his right knee. He underwent surgery on that knee in mid-October and mentioned after receiving a DNP-CD this week that he’s still feeling some soreness.
Ivey will be a restricted free agent after the season if the Bulls issue an $8.77MM qualifying offer. If the team passes on that QO, he would be an unrestricted free agent.
De’Andre Hunter Undergoes Season-Ending Eye Surgery
7:30 pm: Hunter actually underwent surgery on Friday afternoon, the Kings announced in a press release. His left eye was reevaluated this morning due to the ongoing iritis, and he was diagnosed with a detached retina, which led to the procedure. Hunter is expected to make a full recovery and an update on his status will be provided in eight weeks, per the team.
4:49 pm: The Kings will be without De’Andre Hunter for the remainder of the 2025/26 season, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes and Marc Stein of The Stein Line, who report (via Twitter) that the veteran forward will undergo eye surgery.
Sean Cunningham of NBC Sacramento confirms the news (Twitter link).
Hunter, Sacramento’s lone acquisition ahead of the trade deadline, suffered an eye injury in his second game as a King. He missed the team’s last three games before the All-Star break due to left eye iritis (inflammation of the iris).
The 28-year-old seemed to be on the verge of returning after the break, as he was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice. However, he missed Thursday’s loss to Orlando — Sacramento’s 15th straight defeat — and now will be out for the team’s final 25 games of the season.
Hunter is the third highly-paid member of the Kings who is done for the season, joining Domantas Sabonis (knee surgery) and Zach LaVine (hand surgery). Sacramento holds the worst record in the NBA at 12-45.
The fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft, Hunter spent his first five-and-a-half seasons with Atlanta prior to being traded to Cleveland last year. While he played well with the Cavs down the stretch of ’24/25, he struggled with his outside shot this season, and the team sent him to the Kings earlier this month in a three-team deal which saw Cleveland acquire Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder.
Hunter appeared in 45 games this season, averaging 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 26.1 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .415/.305/.867.
Hunter, who makes $23.3MM this season, is under contract through ’26/27. He will earn $24.9MM next season ahead of free agency.
As cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes (via Twitter), the Kings will soon qualify for a hardship exception with Hunter, Sabonis, LaVine and Dylan Cardwell (left ankle sprain) all out for an extended period. They also have a standard roster opening as well as a two-way vacancy after promoting Cardwell.
Pelicans Sign Bryce McGowens To Three-Year Deal
3:15 pm: McGowens’ conversion is now official, the Pelicans announced in a press release (Twitter link).
12:24 pm: The Pelicans and two-way wing Bryce McGowens have reached an agreement on a new three-year standard contract, agents Kyle McAlarney and Mark Bartelstein tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
McGowens, 23, has averaged 7.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 19.9 minutes per game this season at the NBA level. He has made 11 starts for the Pelicans and has scored efficiently in his limited role, shooting 48.0% from the floor and 45.3% from beyond the three-point line.
Prior to signing a two-way contract with New Orleans last summer, McGowens appeared in 118 games for the Hornets and Trail Blazers from 2022-25, recording 4.8 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 14.4 MPG. The 6’6″ shooting guard was the 40th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Nebraska.
McGowens still had the ability to appear in up to nine more regular season games before reaching his limit as a two-way player, but the Pelicans, with an open spot on their 15-man roster, decided not to wait to promote him to a standard deal.
While the details of that contract aren’t yet known, the fact that it’ll cover three years suggests the team will use part of its mid-level exception to complete the signing.
The transaction will open up a two-way slot for New Orleans alongside Trey Alexander and Hunter Dickinson.
Trail Blazers, Sidy Cissoko Complete Two-Year Deal
11:56 am: The Blazers have officially promoted Cissoko and waived Rupert, the team announced.
The 43rd overall pick in the 2023 draft, Rupert has averaged just 3.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 12.0 minutes per game across 139 appearances for Portland. He’s still just 21 years old though, and will be eligible for a two-way contract if he clears waivers on Sunday.
11:26 am: The Trail Blazers are promoting forward Sidy Cissoko to their 15-man roster, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link), who hears from Cissoko’s agents at Gersh Sports that he and the team have agreed to a two-year deal.
Cissoko reached his limit of 50 active games on his two-way contract in Portland’s last game prior to the All-Star break, so the club needed to convert him to a standard deal in order to continue using him going forward.
With injured wings Matisse Thybulle and Kris Murray apparently on the verge of returning to action, it was unclear whether Portland would be motivated to promote Cissoko right away.
However, the 21-year-old Frenchman has proven to be an important part of the rotation this season, starting 24 of his 50 games and averaging 22.3 minutes per night. He has contributed 6.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game, with a .408/.327/.703 shooting line and solid wing defense.
The Blazers have a full 15-man roster, so someone will need to be waived in order to create an opening for Cissoko. Rayan Rupert and Thybulle, neither of whom is owed guaranteed money beyond this season, have been mentioned as two possible release candidates.
Signing Cissoko to a standard contract will open up a two-way slot for the Blazers — they’ll have until March 4 to fill it. The team could create another opening by promoting another two-way standout, Caleb Love, who has five games of eligibility remaining, but that move would require Portland to cut another player from its 15-man roster.
Silver Tells GMs NBA Intends To Enact Anti-Tanking Rules
Commissioner Adam Silver told all 30 of the NBA’s general managers on Thursday that the league intends to enact rule changes to combat tanking ahead of the 2026/27 season, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.
According to Charania, Silver was said to be “forceful” about his desire to resolve the issue, which he addressed at his All-Star press conference. Silver said during that media session that the league is considering “every possibly remedy” to reduce the practice of tanking.
Sam Amick of The Athletic confirms Charania’s report, and hears from a person with knowledge of the meeting that a consensus among those involved — Silver, members of the league office and the GMs — was reached that tanking “threatens the integrity and long-term viability” of the NBA. The GMs also agreed that changes to the current system need to be made.
“We’re all to blame,” one GM said, per Amick.
Mike Krzyzewski, who is now a member of the league office (his title is special adviser to basketball operations), praised the GMs for “acknowledging the issue and attacking it,” according to Amick, who notes that the former Duke head coach is often present for GM and competition committee meetings. Charania hears Krzyzewski also told the GMs to prepare for the rule changes, which will reportedly be in place for next season.
The league already flattened the draft lottery odds in 2019, Amick observes, but that hasn’t prevented teams from trying to jockey for position at the bottom of the standings, particularly when there’s a draft class that’s viewed as particularly strong (like this year).
According to Charania, the league and its teams have discussed the following possible rule changes during January’s competition committee meeting and Thursday’s GM call:
- Restricting teams from including protections between top-four and top-14-plus on traded first-round picks.
- Prohibiting teams from having top-four picks in consecutive years and/or after consecutive bottom-three finishes.
- Barring teams from selecting in the top four if they make the conference finals the previous year.
- Freezing lottery odds at the trade deadline or an unspecified “later date.”
- Flattened odds for all lottery teams.
- Lottery odds being allocated based on two-year records.
- Lottery extended to include all eight play-in teams (instead of the four who don’t make the playoffs).
Sam Quinn of CBS Sports explains (via Twitter) why he thinks all of those proposed changes are flawed.