Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kristaps Porzingis Returns From Viral Illness

March 15th, 2025 at 4:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis will return for Saturday’s game against Brooklyn after battling an illness for several weeks. Boston is listing Porzingis as available on its injury report (Twitter link).

This will be the first game action for Porzingis since February 26. He missed the past eight contests with a viral illness and provided details of his recovery process earlier this week.

Porzingis has only appeared in 32 games this season, so he’ll fall well short of the 65-game requirement to qualify for postseason awards. He was unavailable for the first few weeks while recovering from offseason surgery and didn’t make his season debut until November 25.

The Celtics have been careful with Porzingis’ health — keeping him out of back-to-back games — in an effort to make sure he’s injury-free heading into the playoffs. He has remained effective in his limited playing time, averaging 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds in 28.9 minutes per night while shooting 47.4% from the field and 40.4% from three-point range.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who are both dealing with knee issues, have also been upgraded to available. Al Horford and Derrick White will be inactive, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive, as the Celtics are playing for the second straight night after defeating Miami on Friday.

Cam Thomas Expected To Miss Rest Of Season With Hamstring Injury

March 15th, 2025 at 1:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Cam Thomas is expected to miss the rest of the regular season, according to the Nets, who announced today that the fourth-year guard has been diagnosed with another left hamstring strain (Twitter link via Evan Barnes of Newsday).

It’s a disappointing end to an injury-plagued season for Thomas, who missed most of December due to a left hamstring strain, returned for two games, then aggravated the injury on January 2 and was sidelined for 24 more contests before making his most recent return in late February.

Thomas was a major offensive threat when he was healthy, leading the Nets in scoring with 24.0 points per game and bumping his assists to a career-high 3.8 per game. However, his production was inconsistent after he began dealing with those hamstring issues.

Through his first 17 outings in October and November, Thomas was scoring efficiently, with a .461 FG% and .389 3PT% — those rates dropped to a .395 FG% and .275 3PT% in his final eight appearances.

It’s a contract year for Thomas, who is in the final year of his rookie deal and will be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason. Back in the fall, he appeared headed for a significant payday, but it’s unclear how his lost second half might affect his negotiations over the summer.

It at least seems safe to assume the 23-year-old will still receive a qualifying offer from the Nets, making him an RFA. Because he’ll fall eight starts shy of meeting the “starter criteria,” that QO will be worth $5.99MM instead of $8.74MM.

As long as that qualifying offer is on the table, Thomas would have the option of accepting it and playing out next season on a one-year deal before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2026. He’d likely only consider that path if he can’t agree to terms on a multiyear deal with Brooklyn and doesn’t receive an offer sheet he likes from a rival suitor.

Keon Johnson has frequently been the odd man out of the starting lineup since Thomas’ return a couple weeks ago. He figures to regain his starting spot alongside Nic Claxton, Cameron Johnson, D’Angelo Russell, and Ziaire Williams now that Thomas is inactive again.

Mavericks’ Exum Breaks Bone In Hand, Likely Out For Season

March 15th, 2025 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

March 15: The Mavericks have issued a formal update on Exum, announcing (via Twitter) that he has a fractured left hand and will be reevaluated in four weeks.

March 14: The injuries just keep piling up for the Mavericks.

Having entered Friday’s game in Houston with only nine available players, Dallas lost guard Dante Exum in the second quarter due to a left hand injury. According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Exum has broken a bone in that hand and will be sidelined indefinitely.

Confirming that Exum has a broken bone in his hand, head coach Jason Kidd told reporters after Friday’s game that the guard is “probably out for the season,” per Christian Clark of The Athletic (Twitter link).

It has been a comically bad run of injury luck for the Mavericks, who have lost Kyrie Irving and Olivier-Maxence Prosper to season-ending ailments, with Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Lively among the key players who are in the midst of long-term absences. P.J. Washington, Jaden Hardy, and Kai Jones are all currently on the shelf as well.

Exum missed the first 48 games of this season while recovering from wrist surgery before making his debut on January 31. He has been a reliable role player since then — entering Friday’s game, he had averaged 9.5 points and 2.9 assists in 19.8 minutes per game across 17 outings (11 starts), with a shooting line of .484/.447/.742.

The 29-year-old, who is also considered a stout point-of-attack defender, had still been on a restriction of about 20-25 minutes per game.

While it sounds like Washington should be ready to return from an ankle sprain on Sunday, the Mavericks are far from out of the woods in terms of their injury issues. In fact, it could get worse before it gets better, since two-way players Kessler Edwards and Brandon Williams are only eligible to appear in up to three and six more regular season games, respectively, as we outlined earlier this week.

The Mavericks also don’t have the ability to add reinforcements via free agency, since they’re only about $51K away from their hard cap, which means they don’t have room for a 10-day contract and don’t have the ability to sign a 15th man until April 10.

Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. Cleared To Return

March 14th, 2025 at 6:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Grizzlies forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. will be available to play on Friday in a showdown vs. the East-leading Cavaliers, the team announced today (Twitter link).

As William Guillory of The Athletic tweets, head coach Taylor Jenkins initially told reporters that Jackson, who has missed the past five games due to an ankle sprain, would be a game-time decision. The big man went through his pregame warmups without any setbacks, clearing the way for him to return to action.

Jackson was initially said to be “week-to-week” as a result of his sprained ankle, so the fact that he’s back just 10 days after that announcement is good news for the Grizzlies, who are battling for playoff position. The club is currently No. 2 in the Western Conference at 42-24.

While the Grizzlies played well during Jackson’s absence, winning four of five games, they’ll certainly be happy to have their leading scorer and defensive anchor back in the lineup. Memphis has a +9.0 net rating this season when the 25-year-old is on the court compared to a +1.4 mark when he’s not.

Jackson’s return also bodes well for his award eligibility. He needs to play at least 20 minutes in seven more games to meet the 65-game minimum and qualify for All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year consideration. He’s considered a strong candidate for both awards, either of which would make him eligible for a super-max contract extension this offseason.

Wolves Didn’t Offer Jaden McDaniels In Kevin Durant Trade Talks

March 14th, 2025 at 12:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves were aggressive in trying to land Kevin Durant before last month’s trade deadline, but their offers to the Suns didn’t include Anthony Edwards or Jaden McDaniels, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Scotto’s sources say Minnesota wanted to build the deal around power forward Julius Randle and shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo, both of whom were acquired from New York last October in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade.

The Wolves are expected to continue their pursuit of Durant this summer, but Randle would have to pick up his $30.9MM player option before he could be included in trade talks. Scotto notes that Minnesota has won the last 11 games in which Randle has played, while DiVincenzo, who is signed through the 2026/27 season, is shooting 39.4% from three-point range and averaging a career-best 3.7 assists per game.

It’s worth noting that the Wolves were operating more than $16MM above the second tax apron and Durant’s $51.2MM salary is about $7MM more than Randle and DiVincenzo combined, so they would have needed to trim over $20MM in additional salary to make the deal possible, since teams above the second apron can’t aggregate salaries.

Assuming Rudy Gobert was also off the table, Minnesota would have needed to part with either Naz Reid and Mike Conley or Reid and several lower-paid players. At least one additional team would have been necessary because Phoenix is also over the second apron and couldn’t take back more salary than it sent out in any deal.

Any version of the trade would have been difficult to complete without including McDaniels’ $23MM salary. The 24-year-old forward is averaging 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this season and is an important part of Minnesota’s defense.

The Suns expressed interest in Reid during trade talks, sources tell Scotto. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has a $15MM player option for next season that he’s expected to decline, but the Wolves intend to sign him to a long-term deal, Scotto’s sources add.

Mat Ishbia: Suns Won’t Trade Devin Booker

March 14th, 2025 at 10:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Major changes could be coming to the Suns this summer, but they won’t include a trade of Devin Booker, team owner Mat Ishbia told Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Ishbia admits the team has fallen far short of expectations as it faces a desperate race to overtake Dallas and sneak into the play-in tournament as the 10th seed. But even if Phoenix misses out on the postseason, Ishbia plans to rebuild around the 28-year-old guard rather than consider trade offers.

“Never happen,” Ishbia said about the possibility of parting with Booker. “It’s silly. So here’s what I’ll tell you: I have Devin Booker in the prime. In order to win an NBA championship, you got to have a superstar. You got to have a great player.”

Sources tell MacMahon that the Rockets have made several calls about Booker, but have failed to gain any traction. Houston is uniquely positioned to leverage a deal, holding swap rights for the Suns’ first-round pick this year, along with the team’s unprotected first-rounders in 2027 and 2029. All those assets were originally sent to Brooklyn in the Durant trade two years ago.

Booker is likewise committed to staying in Phoenix and has no plans to request a trade, according to MacMahon. He went through four extreme losing seasons early in his career before helping turn the Suns into a winner and eventually reaching the Finals in 2021. He’s ready to repeat that process and wants to spend his entire career with one franchise. He has shared his intentions with Ishbia, CEO Josh Bartlestein and general manager James Jones, MacMahon adds.

“I take pride in the community in Phoenix, the people that have supported me since I was 18 when things were ugly,” Booker said. “And the people that are with us, we just fell short of accomplishing what we want. So I want to do it, and I want to do it here. That’s the responsibility of being a franchise player, and I wear that with honor. So it might not look the most pretty right now, but we got to get it done and I’m going to do it.”

There’s far less certainty surrounding Kevin Durant, who’s widely expected to be on the move this summer. Durant admitted being “blindsided” when his name came up in trade talks before last month’s deadline, and there’s heavy speculation that he’ll want to continue his career somewhere else next season. Durant, who will turn 37 in September, has one year left on his contract at $54.7MM.

A potential deal with the Warriors died when Durant said he didn’t want to return to the Bay Area. Sources tell MacMahon that Phoenix also discussed frameworks of Durant trades with the Timberwolves, Heat and Rockets, with some of those sources pointing to the Knicks as a possible fit. Houston officials told ESPN that the Suns called them to gauge their interest in Durant.

MacMahon’s sources said Suns management will consult with Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman on any trade discussions that take place this summer. Durant will be eligible to sign a two-year, $122MM extension with his new team.

Ishbia indicated that a Durant trade will be one of many strategies the front office plans to explore once the season ends.

“I’ll just say that we’re going to evaluate in the offseason,” Ishbia said. “We’re going to find a way to win, and it’s probably a lot easier winning with Kevin Durant than without him. But at the same time, yes, if we’re not good enough in this iteration of the Phoenix Suns, we’re going to find a way to be better next year. “

Bradley Beal, who was reluctant to waive his no-trade clause to help the Suns complete a deal for Jimmy Butler, suggested to MacMahon that he might be more open to changing teams during the offseason. Beal, who was demoted to a bench role in January and February, feels like he has been disrespected at times.

“It is a different deal in the summer,” he said. “Everything is kind of more laid out on the table. You got more options.”

De’Aaron Fox To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

March 13th, 2025 at 6:10pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Spurs star point guard De’Aaron Fox is undergoing season-ending surgery on Tuesday for his pinkie finger, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The decision had been expected, as we relayed earlier in the month.

Fox is dealing with tendon damage in the finger. As Charania clarifies in a follow-up tweet, the injury occurred during training camp, but the veteran guard had played through the injury to this point.

The decision to have the surgery now was made to speed up the healing process, per Charania, and to get the injured Spurs stars on a similar recovery timeline to establish better chemistry in the offseason. Superstar center Victor Wembanyama is out for the season due to deep vein thrombosis.

The Spurs, at 27-37, are 4.5 games out of the play-in picture. Not having Fox and Wembanyama obviously reduces their chances of making the postseason. However, they just beat the 10th-place Mavericks and have multiple games against projected lottery teams in the coming weeks, so the door isn’t entirely closed yet.

With Fox on the shelf, point guard Chris Paul is likely to receive an uptick in minutes. The Spurs may also opt to spread Fox’s minutes across younger players on the roster, with Stephon Castle potentially having a shot at a starting role. Former first-round picks Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley could get minutes after being out of the rotation, or the Spurs might opt to play veteran point guard Jordan McLaughlin more.

The Spurs acquired Fox at the trade deadline after the Kings decided to make him available. He averaged 19.7 points and 6.8 assists per game in 17 appearances (all starts) with the team. His 19.7 PPG scoring average would have been his lowest since his 2018/19 season, but it’s important to note that he was still rounding into form and only briefly overlapped with Wembanyama. In his most recent outing against Dallas, Fox recorded 32 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists.

Paul George Weighing Treatment Options For Injuries

March 13th, 2025 at 3:29pm CST by Rory Maher

Sixers forward Paul George is meeting with doctors this week to determine the best course of action to treat his groin and knee injuries, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports that surgery is among the options being considered.

A decision on which path to take is expected to be made early next week, sources tell Charania.

While he hasn’t yet been formally ruled out for the remainder of 2024/25 like Joel Embiid was, Charania reports that “George is likely headed down the same route,” so he is unlikely to suit up again this season.

George, 34, has missed Philadelphia’s past four games with a left groin injury. During preseason, he hyperextended his left knee, causing him to miss the first five games of the season, then had a similar injury in November, which cost him three more games. He has also been battling tendon damage in his left pinky finger since January.

About a month ago, Charania reported that George had been receiving painkilling injections to deal with his various injuries, which the nine-time All-Star later confirmed.

George has been limited to 41 games this season due to the aforementioned injuries and hasn’t replicated his typical production when he has played, averaging just 16.2 points per contest, his lowest mark in a full season since ’11/12. His three-point percentage (.358) is also well below his career rate (.383).

George, who has made six All-NBA and four All-Defensive appearances in 15 seasons, signed a four-year, maximum-salary contract with the 76ers as a free agent last summer. Philadelphia entered the season with championship aspirations, but has consistently been at the bottom of the standings in ’24/25, starting out 2-12. After dropping 15 of their past 18 games, the Sixers are currently just 22-43.

The Sixers’ 2025 first-round pick will head to Oklahoma City if it drops outside the top six, but they’ll keep the selection if it lands within the protected range (Nos. 1-6). Philadelphia is currently tied with Brooklyn for the fifth-worst record in the NBA.

Wizards’ Coulibaly Out 4-6 Weeks With Hamstring Strain

March 13th, 2025 at 12:05pm CST by Rory Maher

Second-year forward Bilal Coulibaly sustained a right hamstring injury in the first quarter of Monday’s game vs. Toronto and will miss about four-to-six weeks, the Wizards announced in a press release (Twitter link).

According to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter links), Wizards officials say Coulibaly was diagnosed with a hamstring strain after undergoing an MRI.

While he hasn’t been formally ruled out for the rest of the season, Washington’s schedule concludes on April 13 — four-and-a-half weeks from now — and the team says the injury will be treated conservatively. Reading between the lines, Coulibaly has likely played his last game of ’24/25.

The injury, which was original labeled a hip contusion, will not require surgery, per Robbins. Coulibaly is expected to remain with the Wizards as he recuperates, Robbins adds.

Coulibaly was the seventh overall pick of the 2023 draft after playing with friend Victor Wembanyama on Metropolitans 92 in France during the ’22/23 campaign. He was one of the youngest players in the class, as he didn’t turn 19 until a month after he was selected.

Coulibaly averaged 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks in 59 games during his second season. He started each appearance, averaging 33.0 MPG, with a shooting slash line of .421/.281/.746.

It’s a disappointing likely end to Coulibaly’s season, particularly after his rookie campaign also ended prematurely due to injury — he sustained a right wrist fracture last March, ultimately appearing in 63 games in ’23/24.

Coulibaly, who won a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics as a role player for France, was named to the Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend this season. While his efficiency took a hit in ’24/25 due to a more difficult shot profile, the Wizards reportedly remain bullish on his upside.

Grizzlies Sign Lamar Stevens For Rest Of Season

March 13th, 2025 at 11:16am CST by Rory Maher

The Grizzlies have signed forward Lamar Stevens for the remainder of the 2024/25 season, the team announced today in a press release (via Twitter).

Stevens just spent the past 20 days with Memphis on a pair of back-to-back 10-day contracts. The 27-year-old has appeared in six games this season with the Grizzlies, averaging 4.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 9.9 minutes per contest.

Prior to his promotion, Stevens had been playing in the G League with the Motor City Cruise. In 29 combined games for Detroit’s NBAGL affiliate in ’24/25, Stevens averaged 17.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks in 34.0 minutes, with a shooting slash line of .438/.328/.744.

A five-year veteran, Stevens got his NBA start with Cleveland after going undrafted out of Penn State in 2020. He spent his first three seasons with the Cavs, then played for the Celtics and Grizzlies last season.

While the Grizzlies elected not to re-sign Stevens in the 2024 offseason, clearly they still like his game, since he’s back to conclude ’24/25. He’ll provide energy, toughness and solid defense off the bench for a team hoping to make a deep playoff run.

Stevens will continue to occupy the 15th spot on the Grizzlies’ standard roster, which is now full.