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Sixers Rule Out Joel Embiid For Rest Of Season

February 28th, 2025 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have ruled out star center Joel Embiid for the remainder of the 2024/25 season due to his ongoing left knee issues, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

“The Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid have been consulting with top specialists regarding ongoing issues with his left knee,” the club’s statement reads. “After further evaluation, it has been determined that he is medically unable to play and will miss the remainder of the season to focus on treatment and rehabilitation.

“We are working with medical experts to determine the exact treatment plan and will update media when we have more information. The team and specialists will continue working with Joel to ensure the best path forward for his long-term health and performance.”

Embiid’s left knee has been a problem since January of 2024, when he sustained a lateral meniscus injury that required surgery. He was able to return last April and played all six games of the Sixers’ first-round playoff series vs. New York in the spring, then suited up for Team USA at the Paris Olympics over the summer.

However, Embiid continued to deal with swelling in the knee in the fall, which delayed his season debut until November 12. In the months since then, he has never looked fully healthy, appearing in just 19 total games and averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 30.2 minutes per game.

While those numbers would be impressive for most players, the scoring and rebounding rates were well below the former MVP’s career averages, as were his 44.4% field goal percentage and 29.9% mark on three-pointers.

According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), Embiid has met with more than 10 doctors over the course of the season in an attempt to figure out the best way to reduce – or, ideally, eliminate – the discomfort and swelling in his troublesome left knee.

Embiid told Lisa Salters of ABC/ESPN earlier this month that he may require offseason surgery, but that comment took Sixers staffers by surprises, sources tell Fischer, who hears that another procedure on the knee still isn’t a given. While the 30-year-old big man is still hoping for some sort of “cure-all procedure” that would allow him to return to 100%, there’s no clear consensus among Sixers doctors and medical experts outside of the organization about the best path forward, Fischer explains.

With the Sixers sitting at 20-38 and 2.5 games back of the No. 10 Bulls in the Eastern Conference standings, it makes sense for the club to take a long-term view and shut down Embiid, who is on a maximum-salary contract that includes three more guaranteed seasons beyond this one, plus a player option for 2028/29.

The question now is whether Philadelphia will continue to try to push for a play-in spot or whether the team might also consider holding out Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, both of whom have been playing through health issues of their own. George has taken injections to continue playing through various injuries, including tendon damage in his finger, while Maxey is also said to be battling a finger injury that’s affecting his ball-handling and shooting.

The Sixers will owe their 2025 first-round pick to the Thunder if it lands outside the top six and they currently have the NBA’s sixth-worst record, which will be another factor to consider as they weigh their approach to the rest of the season.

If they finish sixth in the lottery standings, the 76ers would have approximately a 45.8% chance of hanging onto their first-rounder. Those odds would increase to about 64% if they drop to the fifth-worst record in the league and 81.1% if they have the fourth-worst mark.

Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards Suspended For One Game

February 28th, 2025 at 2:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

2:05 pm: The NBA has officially confirmed in a press release (via Twitter) that Edwards has been suspended for one game. He’ll serve the one-game ban on Friday when the Timberwolves visit Utah.

9:17 am: Anthony Edwards was ejected after picking up two technical fouls on Thursday and now faces an automatic one-game league suspension when Minnesota faces Utah tonight. The Timberwolves star guard has reached the 16-technical threshold, unless the league rescinds one of the two he collected in the loss to the Lakers.

Edwards and Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt were called for double technical fouls when they exchanged shoves at the end of the first quarter. Edwards’ second technical occurred during the third quarter when he complained about a no-call.

“{Edwards] was issued his second unsportsmanlike technical foul for directing profanity towards a game official,” crew chief James Williams told a pool reporter, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

According to ESPN Research, the Timberwolves star is the first player to receive 16 technical fouls before March since DeMarcus Cousins during the 2016/17 season. His coach believes Edwards has to learn to control himself.

“He’s got to be better,” Chris Finch said. “He’s had too many outbursts. I think a lot of them are deserved. They’re going to miss some calls from time to time for sure, so he’s got to be better. We’ve been talking to him about it, so it’s on him.”

Edwards tossed the ball into the stands after his ejection, which will likely lead to another league fine. He has already accrued $285K in fines for five separate infractions this season, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski notes.

Edwards will be suspended an additional game for every two technical fouls he receives going forward for the rest of the year. Point guard Mike Conley believes Edwards isn’t the only player on the team guilty of being overly reactive.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who get emotional when things don’t go the right way, individually. And that can hurt our team as a whole,” he said. “We have to be better. Ant has to be better. He knows that.”

Bucks Sign Pete Nance To Two-Way Contract

February 28th, 2025 at 10:54am CST by Earnest Marshall

February 28: The signing is official, the team announced today (via Twitter).

February 27: The Bucks are planning to sign Pete Nance to a two-way contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). They’ll add the former Northwestern and UNC player using the open roster spot they created by waiving Liam Robbins, as we relayed earlier on Thursday.

Nance has played two seasons after going undrafted in 2023, appearing in eight games with the Cavaliers as a rookie in 2023/24 and seven this season with the Sixers. The 6’11” forward spent time on a 10-day pact and two-way contract with Cleveland last season.

Nance was waived by the Cavaliers this past October and was signed twice by the Sixers on a two-way deal, first in December and then in January. He was waived earlier this month.

The younger brother of Larry Nance Jr., Pete Nance has played much more at the G League level, appearing in 18 total games (17 starts) this season with Cleveland and Philadelphia’s developmental teams. In those 18 outings, he’s averaging 15.5 points per game while shooting 37.8% from three.

After Milwaukee adds Nance to his two-way deal, they’ll have 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. The deadline to sign players to two-way contracts is March 4. Two-way guard Ryan Rollins has just one game left before reaching his two-way limit, so the Bucks may opt to convert him to a standard deal and fill his two-way slot with someone new.

According to The Athletic’s Eric Nehm (Twitter link), Nance’s two-way contract will cover two years.

Mavs Inquired About Anthony Edwards Before Trading Doncic To Lakers

February 28th, 2025 at 7:51am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers were not the only team that Mavericks president of basketball operations Nico Harrison reached out to regarding a possible Luka Doncic trade. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the Mavericks had informal discussions with the Timberwolves regarding a possible Doncic-Anthony Edwards swap in the weeks leading up to the blockbuster deal with Los Angeles.

Those discussions didn’t go anywhere because Minnesota had no interest in trading its All-Star guard. However, the Timberwolves brass was stunned that Dallas was even considering the idea of trading Doncic, sources tell Amick.

From a salary standpoint, the numbers would have matched up pretty neatly — Doncic is making $43MM this season and Edwards is pulling in $42.2MM. Edwards is in the first year of a five-year, max extension that currently adds up to $244.6MM. Recall that the main motivation for Dallas to trade Doncic is that the front office didn’t want to give him a five-year, super-max extension worth a projected $345MM.

Had the Timberwolves been willing to trade Edwards for Doncic, the two franchises would have essentially swapped superstars entering or in their prime. Edwards is still just 23 years old, while Doncic is 26.

Instead, the centerpiece of the package the Mavs received was 31-year old big man Anthony Davis, an oft-injured perennial All-Star who suffered an adductor strain in his Dallas debut and has yet to return. The deal has been extremely unpopular with Mavericks fans but they might have had a different reaction if the team essentially replaced one high-scoring play-maker with a younger one.

Thus far, the Lakers are 4-2 in the games that Doncic has played since the trade, including a 111-102 win over the Timberwolves on Thursday.

Nets’ Cam Thomas To Return On Friday

February 27th, 2025 at 6:36pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Nets guard Cam Thomas is set to make his return from a hamstring strain on Friday against the Trail Blazers, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link). Thomas hasn’t made an appearance in a game since Jan. 2 due to the injury.

In his first 19 games this season, Thomas averaged 24.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per night while shooting 44.8% from the field and 37.5% on 7.6 three-point attempts per game. A talented scorer and shooter, Thomas should boost an offense that now ranks 27th on the season and has averaged just 100.7 points per game (which would rank last in the league by a wide margin) since Thomas went down.

Despite their underwhelming offensive numbers over the past couple months, the Nets are still only 1.5 games out of a play-in spot. They have games against the streaking Pistons and Warriors on the horizon, but the Nets have been competitive under first-year head coach Jordi Fernandez.

The rotation upon Thomas’s return will be worth monitoring. The LSU product didn’t start either of his previous two outings, as he had also missed almost all of December due to another hamstring injury. Keon Johnson has taken over the starting two guard spot since Thomas’s injury.

With both Thomas and D’Angelo Russell out, the Nets have been turning to a starting backcourt consisting of Killian Hayes and Johnson.

Timberwolves Promote Jaylen Clark, Sign Bones Hyland To Two-Way

February 27th, 2025 at 5:15pm CST by Luke Adams

February 27: Clark’s promotion is now official, the Timberwolves announced in a press release. The Wolves have also officially announced Hyland’s two-way contract.

February 26: The Timberwolves intend to promote guard Jaylen Clark from his two-way contract to a standard deal, agent Todd Ramasar tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

While the Wolves’ position above the second tax apron means they’re unable to offer Clark more than a minimum-salary deal, Charania reports that the former second-round pick will receive a fully guaranteed two-year contract, which will lock him up through the 2025/26 season.

The 53rd overall pick in 2023 out of UCLA, Clark spent his rookie season recovering from an ruptured Achilles tendon. The Wolves were aware of that injury when they drafted him, but were willing to be patient with a player that president of basketball operations Tim Connelly referred to in June 2023 as “the best perimeter defender in the draft,” signing him to a two-year, two-way contract.

After recovering from his Achilles tear, Clark opened the 2024/25 season by playing primarily for the Iowa Wolves in the G League, but he has since established himself as a role player in Minnesota.

The 23-year-old has logged double-digit minutes in each of the Timberwolves’ past 13 games, averaging 6.5 points per game on .476/.444/.750 shooting while playing strong point-of-attack defense. He has held opponents to 41% shooting as the contesting defender this season, per Charania (Twitter link).

Once Clark’s promotion to the 15-man roster is official, the Timberwolves will use their open two-way contract slot on free agent guard Bones Hyland, agent Austin Walton tells Charania (Twitter link).

Hyland was selected by the Nuggets with the 26th overall pick in the 2021 draft back when Connelly was running Denver’s front office. The former VCU standout showed some intriguing potential as a scorer and shooter during a season-and-a-half in Denver (10.9 PPG, .371 3PT%). However, the Nuggets – said to be concerned about Hyland’s defensive lapses and his displeasure with his role – sent him to the Clippers at the 2023 deadline.

Hyland never really found his footing in Los Angeles, appearing in just 71 games over the last two years and averaging 7.8 PPG on .392/.349/.812 shooting during that time. He was traded to Atlanta earlier this month as part of the Terance Mann/Bogdan Bogdanovic swap and was quickly waived by the Hawks.

Given that he drafted Hyland and reportedly came close to acquiring him at the 2023 trade deadline, it makes sense that Connelly sought out a reunion with the 24-year-old after he reached free agency. This is Hyland’s fourth year in the NBA, making it the last season in which he’s eligible for a two-way deal.

Minnesota will have a full 18-man roster (15 standard contracts, three two-ways) once the roster moves are official.

Spurs’ Gregg Popovich Won’t Coach Again This Season

February 27th, 2025 at 1:26pm CST by Rory Maher

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported earlier this week that Gregg Popovich, who suffered a mild stroke in November, was unlikely to resume his role as head coach of the Spurs this season.

According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), Popovich met with the team on Wednesday for the first since the stroke to provide an update on his recovery and to inform them that he would not coach again in 2024/25.

Charania describes the in-person meeting as “emotional,” adding (via Twitter) that Popovich’s long-term future is uncertain as he continues to recover.

Popovich confirmed in a press release (Twitter link via the Spurs) that he won’t return as head coach this season. Notably, he did say he hopes to resume coaching down the line.

“I’ve decided not to return to the sidelines this season,” Popovich said. “(Acting head coach) Mitch Johnson and his staff have done a wonderful job and the resolve and professionalism the players have shown, sticking together during a challenging season, has been outstanding.

“I will continue to focus on my health with the hope that I can return to coaching in the future.”

As Popovich mentioned, it has been a difficult season in San Antonio. In addition to being without the longest-tenured coach in the NBA, the Spurs had an “emotionally taxing” trip to France for a pair of games against Indiana, completed a major in-season trade — a rarity for the Spurs — for De’Aaron Fox, and recently learned that franchise player Victor Wembanyama will miss the remainder of 2024/25 after he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder.

The Spurs have been struggling lately, dropping their last four games. They’re currently 24-33, five-and-a-half games behind Sacramento for the final play-in spot in the West. On the other hand, the team’s lottery odds have improved — San Antonio’s pick now has a 4.5% chance to become the No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 draft lottery, per Tankathon.

Popovich, 76, is the NBA’s all-time leader in head coaching wins, with a 1,391-824 regular season record (.628). He ranks third in playoff wins at 170, behind Phil Jackson (229) and Pat Riley (171). Popovich, who is also San Antonio’s president, has won five championships while guiding the club since ’96/97, and has been with the organization since 1988.

We at Hoops Rumors send our best wishes to Popovich during his recovery.

Sixers Guard Eric Gordon Undergoes Wrist Surgery

February 27th, 2025 at 10:07am CST by Dana Gauruder

February 27: Gordon will be reevaluated in approximately three months after undergoing the surgery, the Sixers announced today (via Twitter). Given where Philadelphia is in the standings, it’s safe to assume Gordon’s season is over.

February 26: Head coach Nick Nurse confirmed that Gordon underwent successful wrist surgery today, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). An update on Gordon’s status will be provided in the coming days.

February 25: Sixers veteran guard Eric Gordon will undergo surgery on his right wrist on Wednesday, Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports tweets. No timetable for his recovery has been announced.

Gordon has been out since February 9 due to what the team had called a sprained right wrist. Gordon consulted with multiple specialists before the decision to have surgery was made.

It’s another dose of bad news in a disastrous season for the Sixers, who have lost eight straight to drop 17 games below .500. Gordon, 36, has averaged 6.8 points and 1.7 assists in 19.7 minutes per game while making 39 appearances (13 starts).

Gordon signed a two-year, veteran’s minimum deal with the Sixers last summer. He holds a $3,468,960 option on his contract for next season. Considering his health status, Gordon may be more inclined to exercise that option before free agency.

Gordon’s injury was one of the reasons why the Sixers recently signed Lonnie Walker.

Windhorst: Suns Are Going To Trade Kevin Durant In Offseason

February 26th, 2025 at 9:53pm CST by Rory Maher

The Suns continue to slide down the Western Conference standings, having lost nine of their past 11 games. After starting the season 8-1, Phoenix is currently just 27-31, two-and-a-half games behind Sacramento for the final play-in spot in the West.

In addition to several blockbuster trades, including arguably the most stunning deal in league history, one of the big storylines of this season’s deadline was Phoenix’s near-trade of Kevin Durant to Golden State before the two-time Finals MVP essentially nixed an in-season reunion with the Warriors. While he took the trade rumors diplomatically, Durant admitted he was “blindsided” to see his name surface in reports.

Considering the Suns have the most expensive payroll in the league and have been a major disappointment this season, it’s only natural that they’re almost certainly going to be actively looking to retool their roster in the offseason. Even before their recent run of poor play, multiple reporters indicated Phoenix would likely revisit trade talks involving Durant this summer, particularly if the rest of 2024/25 did not go well.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has speculated multiple times post-deadline that Durant and the Suns are likely to part ways this offseason. And Durant hasn’t exactly shut down that speculation.

Appearing on NBA Today on Wednesday (Twitter video link), Windhorst once again predicted that Durant will be on a new team next season. The 36-year-old is entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him $54.7MM in ’25/26.

“They’re going to trade him,” Windhorst said of the Suns and Durant. “And he knows that. … There’s been a couple opportunities where he could have criticized them for trying to trade him — he has not done that. He has been very professional about this and I expect that to continue throughout the rest of the regular season.”

Windhorst made his comments on the heels of Durant appearing on Draymond Green‘s podcast, which he co-hosts with former NBA guard Baron Davis. Asked directly by Davis if he wants his career to end in Phoenix, Durant sounded more ready to move on than anything else (Twitter video link).

“I want my career to end on my terms, that’s the only thing,” Durant said (hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports). “That’s the only thing I’m worried about. ‘Cause I see a lot of dudes that don’t get that opportunity, so I want to keep putting in that work to make that choice on my own.

“But as far as the Warriors, I didn’t want to move. … I get why (the Suns) want to trade me, simple fact that’s just business, but for me looking at it … we (can) just play the season out and if that’s the decision you want to make in the offseason, then we figure it out. But if I can stop (the Warriors trade), then why not.”

Durant went on to explain that it was important to him to finish the season with the Suns, saying he was “committed to his coaches and teammates” and that he wanted to “see it through.”

Pelicans Sign Brandon Boston To Standard Contract, Jalen Crutcher To Two-Way

February 26th, 2025 at 10:04am CST by Dana Gauruder

February 26: Boston’s standard contract and Crutcher’s two-way deal are now official, the Pelicans confirmed in a press release.

February 25: The Pelicans are converting Brandon Boston Jr.‘s two-way deal into a two-year standard contract, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. They’ll fill their newly opened two-way slot by signing Jalen Crutcher, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

New Orleans needed to fill a roster spot after buying out Javonte Green. That dropped the team’s roster count to 13 players, one below the limit. It came as no surprise that Boston received a standard deal.

Boston has already appeared in 42 games, eight shy of the limit for a two-way player, including 10 starts. He’s averaging 10.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 23.6 minutes per night.

Boston, who missed Tuesday’s game against San Antonio due to a left ankle sprain and non-COVID illness, has only appeared in one game this month as he recovers from that ankle injury. He spent his first three seasons with the Clippers after being a late second-round pick in 2021. New Orleans claimed Boston during the preseason after the Spurs waived him.

Crutcher has averaged 18.1 points, 6.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds for the Birmingham Squadron, the Pelicans’ NBA G League affiliate.

Since going undrafted out of Dayton in 2021, Crutcher has spent pro career in the G League, including two with the Greensboro Swarm as well as last season with the Squadron.

Crutcher had a 10-day contract with the Pelicans last February. He appeared in one game for the team, making his NBA debut last Feb. 27.