Wolves To Start DiVincenzo, Move Conley To Bench
Donte DiVincenzo will open the 2025/26 season as the Timberwolves‘ starting point guard, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).
The move means that veteran point guard Mike Conley will shift to a bench role, though he’ll remain a “vital piece” for the team, according to Haynes.
Conley has appeared in 171 games for the Wolves since being acquired from Utah in a mid-season trade at the 2023 deadline, starting 164 of them. The seven-game stretch in which he came off the bench occurred in January 2025, when head coach Chris Finch made this same lineup change, with DiVincenzo starting in Conley’s place. That experiment came to an end when DiVincenzo injured his toe and was sidelined for over a month.
Conley, who is entering his 19th year in the NBA, turned 38 earlier this month and can no longer be counted on to regularly play 30-35 minutes per night at this stage in his career. He averaged a career-low 24.7 MPG last season and contributed 8.2 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per contest. It looks like removing him from the starting five is a way for Finch and the Wolves to better manage his playing time rather than a signal that they don’t trust him in that role anymore.
For what it’s worth, the five-man lineup consisting of DiVincenzo, Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert had a +4.6 net rating in 213 minutes last season. That same group with Conley in DiVincenzo’s place posted a +3.2 mark in 714 minutes.
Jalen Suggs Available For Magic’s Opener
Magic point guard Jalen Suggs will be available when the team’s regular season tips off vs. Miami on Wednesday evening, head coach Jamahl Mosley confirmed today, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).
Suggs underwent season-ending surgery last March to remove cartilage fragment in his left knee, then spent the offseason recovering from that procedure and going through a lengthy rehab process. He didn’t appear in any preseason games this month and it was unclear in recent weeks whether or not he’d be ready to play when the regular season got underway.
Suggs had initially been listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game, but Mosley spoke positively on Tuesday about the progress he has made, according to Beede (subscription required). The 24-year-old had progressed within the past few days to participating in 5-on-5 work.
“It’s just great to see that he’s able to go through full contact with the 5-on-5, with the group of guys being out there with his brothers, as he likes to say,” Mosley said on Tuesday. “It would mean a lot for us. We know what he brings to the table: his energy, his toughness, his defensive presence as the head of the snake defensively but then also his controlling of the floor on the offensive end.”
Suggs will likely be the Magic’s fourth offensive option, behind Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Desmond Bane. However, he earned a spot on the All-Defensive second team in 2023/24 and has been an important part of the success the team has had in recent years.
Last season, Suggs averaged a career-high 16.2 points per game to go along with 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per night, but was limited to 35 appearances due to injuries. The Magic went 20-15 in those games despite being without either Banchero or Wagner for most of them. They were 21-26 in games Suggs didn’t play.
Mosley said on Tuesday that Orlando will be “smart and think long term” with Suggs, per Beede, so he’ll likely be on a minutes restriction to open the season, and I imagine the club will take a cautious approach to back-to-back sets too.
Grizzlies’ Pippen Undergoes Toe Surgery, Out At Least 12 Weeks
Oct. 21: The surgery on Pippen’s left big toe took place on Tuesday, the team’s PR department tweets. As initially reported, he’ll be reevaluated in approximately 12 weeks, according to the Grizzlies.
Oct. 18: Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. is undergoing a sesamoidectomy to address a lingering left big toe injury, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).
Memphis said a return timeline wouldn’t be given until after the procedure, but Pippen is expected to make a full recovery. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who first reported the news (via Twitter), Pippen is expected to miss at least 12 weeks, which is when he’ll be reevaluated.
It’s a tough blow for the Grizzlies, who have been hit hard by injuries over the past couple years, a trend that has continued before the 2025/26 regular season even gets underway.
In addition to Pippen, who reportedly won’t make his season debut until at least January, second-year center Zach Edey continues to recover from left ankle surgery, veteran big man Brandon Clarke recently underwent a knee procedure, and star point guard Ja Morant has been battling a left ankle sprain. The team is optimistic that Morant might be ready for next week’s season opener, but Edey and Clarke may not be back until November.
Former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. also went offseason surgery to address a turf toe injury, but he should be ready for the opener after appearing in the team’s final two preseason contests.
Pippen, who turns 25 next month, was a key reserve for the Grizzlies last season, appearing in a career-high 79 games while averaging 9.9 points, 4.4 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 21.3 minutes per night. He posted a shooting slash line of .480/.397/.713.
Ty Jerome would typically be a prime candidate for more playing time with Pippen out, but he might be sidelined for a while too — he exited Friday’s preseason finale with a right calf injury, per the team (Twitter link), and will be reevaluated this weekend, according to head coach Tuomas Iisalo (Twitter link via Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com).
Second-year guard Cam Spencer and rookie second-rounder Javon Small, who is on a two-way deal, should receive additional run in the Grizzlies’ backcourt.
Jerami Grant To Come Off Bench For Blazers
The Trail Blazers‘ starting lineup when their season tips off on Wednesday vs. Minnesota will consist of Jrue Holiday and Shaedon Sharpe in the backcourt, Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija at forward, and Donovan Clingan in the middle, tweets Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report.
That means forward Jerami Grant will come off the bench for the first time since joining the Blazers in 2022 — and the first time since he was a member of the Nuggets during the 2019/20 season.
Grant, who was traded from Detroit to Portland during the 2022 offseason, has started all 164 games he has played for the team since then, averaging 18.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 34.1 minutes per game across those three seasons.
The 31-year-old is the second-highest-paid player on the roster, just behind Holiday, and remains under contract for at least two more years beyond this one, with a player option for 2027/28. However, he has been surpassed on the depth chart by Camara and Avdija, two younger players who look like long-term fixtures in Portland. Camara just signed a four-year contract extension with the team and is locked up through 2029/30, while Avdija has three guaranteed years left on his deal.
Asked about the possibility of coming off the bench at media day last month, Grant replied, “I don’t really expect that.” He later sought to clarify that he wouldn’t become disgruntled if he doesn’t end up starting, indicating that he’d be “fine” with it.
While the Blazers’ decision to move Grant out of the starting five doesn’t come as much of a surprise, given the way that Camara and Avdija have emerged, it’s still a situation worth keeping an eye on during the first half of the season. The veteran forward looks like a potential trade candidate, but he has three years and $102.6MM left on his contract and is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he was limited to 47 games, so his value on the trade market would be extremely limited right now.
Pacers Sign Aaron Nesmith To Two-Year Extension
October 21: The Pacers have formally announced their extension with Nesmith, confirming the news in a press release.
“Aaron Nesmith embodies our team’s selfless, fast-paced style of play while also playing a key role in defining our culture, all of which is a testament to his talent, dedication, and commitment to this organization and our fans,” president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said in a statement. “We look forward to Aaron’s continued growth and contributions to both our team and our community, and we’re proud to have reached an agreement that will keep him here in Indiana.”
October 20: The Pacers and starting small forward Aaron Nesmith have agreed to a two-year, $40.4MM extension, agent Mike Lindeman tells ESPN’s Shams Charania. The deal includes a trade kicker, Charania adds.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter), Nesmith will earn $11MM each of the next two seasons. His extension, which begins in two years, will pay him a projected $19.4MM in 2027/28 and $21MM in 2028/29.
Nesmith, who turned 26 years old last week, has developed into one of the NBA’s top 3-and-D players in Indiana. He was selected 14th overall in the 2020 draft and spent his first two seasons with the Celtics, who traded him to the Pacers in the 2022 offseason.
Over the past two regular seasons, the 6’5″ wing has averaged 12.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 26.6 minutes per contest, posting an excellent shooting line of .500/.423/.829. Nesmith played an integral role in the Pacers’ run to the NBA Finals earlier this year, appearing in all 23 playoff games (28.3 MPG) while averaging 12.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 0.9 SPG and 0.8 BPG on .472/.492/.861 shooting.
Charania, citing ESPN research, says Nesmith’s 49.2% mark from long distance was the best percentage of any player who has attempted at least 100 threes in the playoffs.
Nesmith was among a handful of players our Luke Adams identified last week as an under-the-radar veteran extension candidate. Two others from his list — Toumani Camara and A.J. Green — have inked new deals as well.
The maximum the Pacers could have offered Nesmith was a three-year deal worth up to $62.9MM — what he agreed to was the maximum he could have received on a two-year extension.
The deadline for veteran extensions for players on non-expiring contracts is at 10:59 pm CT tonight.
Ja Morant Expected To Play In Grizzlies’ Season Opener
Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is expected to play in Wednesday’s regular season opener vs. New Orleans after missing the entire preseason with a sprained left ankle, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (subscription required).
“Ja is progressing really well,” head coach Tuomas Iisalo said after Monday’s practice. “He’s expected to make a return on opening night.”
As Cole notes, Morant sustained the injury during a practice on October 5. He was considered week-to-week at the time, and it sounds like he’ll be ready to go about two-and-a-half weeks later.
Morant, a two-time All-Star, only played nine games in 2023/24 — he was suspended for the first 25 games of the campaign, then underwent season-ending surgery in January 2024 to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. The 26-year-old was plagued by health issues last season as well, appearing in 50 games due to a variety of injuries, including repeated problems with the same shoulder.
Morant’s return appearing imminent is certainly good news for Memphis, which will be shorthanded in the backcourt before the season even begins — Scotty Pippen Jr. (toe surgery) is out 12-plus weeks, while Ty Jerome (right calf strain) will miss at least four.
Iisalo also provided a minor injury update on fourth-year wing Vince Williams Jr., Cole adds. Williams, who was limited to just 27 games last season due to injuries and missed some time during the preseason, is battling “nagging heel soreness,” an issue the team continues to monitor.
Grizzlies’ Ty Jerome Out At Least Four Weeks With Calf Strain
Ty Jerome has been diagnosed with a high-grade right calf strain and will be out at least four weeks, which is when he’ll be reexamined, the Grizzlies announced in a press release (Twitter link).
Jerome sustained the injury in Friday’s preseason finale vs. Miami. He was a key free agent addition this summer for Memphis, which signed the 28-year-old combo guard to a three-year, $27.7MM deal using the room exception.
It’s another unfortunate injury development for the Grizzlies, who will be without Scotty Pippen Jr. for at least 12 weeks due to left big toe surgery. Zach Edey (offseason ankle surgery) and Brandon Clarke (knee surgery) are among the other projected rotation players expected to miss time to open the new season.
With all four players expected to miss multiple weeks, the Grizzlies should qualify for a 10-day hardship exception after their third game of the season, observes Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link). Herrington lists a handful of free agents — including Charles Bassey and Jared Butler — who could appeal to the Grizzlies, depending on whether they prioritize a big man or a guard.
A hardship exception allows a team to temporarily add a 16th man if there are at least four players on the roster who have missed three or more consecutive games and project to remain sidelined for at least two more weeks.
Jerome averaged 12.5 points, 3.4 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 70 games last season for Cleveland (19.9 minutes per contest). He also posted an elite shooting line of .516/.439/.872 and finished third in voting for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
Rookie second-rounder Javon Small and second-year guard Cam Spencer are among the candidates for more playing time in the Grizzlies’ backcourt.
No Rookie Scale Extensions For Rockets’ Eason, 11 Others
The Rockets and forward Tari Eason failed to come to terms on a rookie scale extension ahead of the 5:00 pm Central time deadline on Monday, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Entering the day, Eason looked like one of the top remaining candidates to sign a rookie scale extension, along with Nuggets wing Christian Braun and Hawks guard Dyson Daniels. However, while Braun and Daniels completed deals worth $25MM annually, the Rockets and Eason were unable to find common ground “on multiple fronts,” according to Charania.
That wording suggests the two sides not have seen eye to eye on both years and dollars, or perhaps they disagreed over how the end of a potential extension would be structured in terms of options and/or guaranteed money.
According to Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), the Rockets and Eason’s camp had been “far apart in valuation” for weeks and weren’t able to bridge that gap despite an 11th hour push from the team, which was in position to work out an agreement with Eason after extending Kevin Durant over the weekend.
Eason is one of 12 players who didn’t sign rookie scale extensions prior to Monday’s deadline despite being eligible. Those players will now be on track for restricted free agency when their rookie scale contracts expire during the 2026 offseason.
Here’s that full list of players, sorted by their 2022 draft position and with their projected 2026 qualifying offers included in parentheses:
- Jaden Ivey, Pistons ($13,402,098)
- Bennedict Mathurin, Pacers ($12,256,222)
- Jeremy Sochan, Spurs ($9,615,393)
- Ousmane Dieng, Thunder ($9,132,437)
- Jalen Duren, Pistons ($8,966,188)
- Ochai Agbaji, Raptors ($8,879,483)
- Mark Williams, Suns ($8,774,590)
- Tari Eason, Rockets ($8,014,182)
- Dalen Terry, Bulls ($7,661,348)
- Malaki Branham, Wizards ($7,110,593)
- Walker Kessler, Jazz ($7,064,702)
- Peyton Watson, Nuggets ($6,534,714)
Those qualifying offers, which must be issued in order to make the player a restricted free agent, are subject to change depending on whether or not the player meets the starter criteria next season. A player drafted in the top 14 who falls short of the criteria would have a qualifying offer worth $8,774,590. A player who was drafted between No. 10 and No. 30 and achieves the starter criteria would see the value of his QO increase to $9,615,393.
A team that issues a qualifying offer to a potential restricted free agent gains the right of first refusal on that player and can match any offer sheet he signs with a rival suitor. A player who doesn’t get a QO next June would hit the market as an unrestricted free agent.
Magic forward Paolo Banchero, Thunder teammates Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, Kings forward Keegan Murray, Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe, and Heat forward Nikola Jovic joined Braun and Daniels in signing rookie scale extensions, bringing the total for 2025 to nine. The details on those deals can be viewed here.
Blazers, Toumani Camara Finalize Four-Year Extension
October 20: The deal is now official, Portland announced in a press release. It actually comes in at $81MM over four years, Hoops Rumors has learned.
“Toumani has established himself as one of the best defenders in the NBA in just a short period of time,” said Blazers GM Joe Cronin. “With defense being paramount to our identity, Toumani has been a central figure with his tenacity, versatility and competitive nature. Toumani embodies everything Rip City is about.”
October 19: The Trail Blazers have agreed to a four-year, $82MM extension with Toumani Camara, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter).
The third-year forward has been a revelation for the Blazers since coming over from Phoenix in the 2023 trade that brought Deandre Ayton to Portland. In 78 games (all starts) in 2024/25, Camara averaged 11.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while making 37.5% of his three-point tries and playing some of the best perimeter defense in the NBA.
Camara earned praise from opponents for his play on that side of the ball, showed up on multiple Defensive Player of the Year ballots, and earned a spot on the All-Defensive second team. As Charania notes (via Twitter), the 25-year-old ranked ninth in the NBA in total steals last season and was one of seven players to record at least 100 steals and 50 blocks.
Camara was the No. 52 overall pick in the 2023 draft after spending four years in college, two with Georgia and two with Dayton. In his final season, he averaged 13.9 PPG and 8.6 RPG.
His shooting improvement – from 30.7% on three-pointers over the course of his college career to 37.5% last season – has helped him carve out a significant role and maximize his defensive impact.
The extension will replace Camara’s $2.4MM team option for 2026/27, meaning he’s now under contract for five seasons in total. Since Camara is earning well below the NBA’s estimated average salary this season ($13,870,000), his maximum extension could have started at up to 140% of that amount, with 8% annual raises, which would have worked out to $87MM over four years — his new deal will come in a little below that.
As Yossi G0zlan of the Third Apron tweets, Camara’s extension leaves enough luxury tax space in 2026/27 for a potential Shaedon Sharpe extension. Monday is the deadline for Sharpe and the Blazers to complete a rookie scale extension.
Shaedon Sharpe Signs Four-Year Extension With Blazers
October 20: Sharpe’s four-year extension is official, the Trail Blazers confirmed in a press release.
“Shaedon Sharpe is one of the most exciting young players in the NBA,” said general manager Joe Cronin. “With his ability to score the basketball, play make and be a great teammate, we are ecstatic that Shaedon will be an electric part of the Trail Blazers for years to come.”
October 19: The Trail Blazers have come to terms on a four-year, $90MM rookie scale extension with shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe, reports Shams Charania for ESPN (Twitter link).
Sharpe was originally selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2022 draft after reclassifying to spend a season with Kentucky, though he ultimately did not play a game for the Wildcats.
Sharpe, 22, has started 92 of 184 regular season games through his first three seasons. In 2024/25, he established a new career highs by averaging 18.5 points per game to go along with his 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per night.
However, Sharpe has struggled at times with his shooting efficiency and defense — his three-point percentage declined to a career-worst 31.1% in ’24/25, while head coach Chauncey Billups benched him at one point last season due to repeated defensive lapses.
Still, Portland remains high on Sharpe’s long-term upside and brought in veterans Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard this offseason to provide leadership and guidance for the young backcourt duo of Sharpe and Scoot Henderson.
The Blazers have built a team primarily focused on defensive-minded players, and Sharpe’s ability to score at volume figures to factor heavily into their offensive approach.
After agreeing to a four-year extension with Toumani Camara earlier today, and with Deni Avdija on a descending deal that runs through the end of the 2027/28 season, the Blazers have locked in a young, talented wing trio on deals that will each account for less than 15% of the cap moving forward, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (via Twitter).
Sharpe is the seventh player to agree to a rookie scale extension this offseason, joining Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams (Thunder), Paolo Banchero (Magic), Jabari Smith Jr. (Rockets), Nikola Jovic (Heat), and Keegan Murray (Kings). There are still 14 players eligible for rookie scale extensions ahead of Monday’s deadline.