Jazz Waive Vince Williams Jr.
4:14 pm: Williams has officially been waived, the Jazz confirmed in a press release.
1:11 pm: The Jazz are waiving injured guard Vince Williams Jr., Kevin Reynolds of the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Williams suffered an ACL tear in his left knee in a game against the Rockets on Feb. 23, just his sixth game with his new team. In addition to ending Williams’ 2025/26 season, the injury is also likely to keep him sidelined for a significant chunk of ’26/27.
The 47th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Williams was acquired by Utah from Memphis last month along with Jaren Jackson Jr. and two other players. In six games with the Jazz, Williams averaged 4.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per night. The former Toledo guard played in 34 games with the Grizzlies prior to being traded, averaging 8.0 PPG, 4.4 APG and 4.0 RPG in 21.6 MPG.
Williams has a $2.3MM contract this season. The Jazz held a $2.5MM team option on his contract for 2026/27, which will automatically be declined if he clears waivers.
Utah chose to open up a roster spot due to a wave of injuries. Jackson, Jusuf Nurkic and Walker Kessler had already been declared out for the season and Lauri Markkanen is sidelined with a hip injury.
The Jazz will now have 13 players on their standard roster, plus Mo Bamba, who is on a 10-day deal.
Nets’ Egor Dëmin Done For Season Due To Foot Injury
Nets guard Egor Dëmin will miss the remainder of the 2025/26 season due to increased plantar fasciitis in his left foot, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post).
The Russian rookie is expected to resume basketball activities early in the offseason and be a full participant in the team’s summer development program, per the Nets.
Dëmin played one college season at BYU prior to being selected No. 8 overall in last year’s draft. The 6’8″ guard was viewed as a long-term developmental prospect after averaging 10.6 points, 5.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals on .412/.272/.695 shooting in 33 appearances (27.5 minutes per game) with the Cougars last season.
In 52 games with Brooklyn in 2025/26, Dëmin averaged 10.3 PPG, 3.3 APG and 3.2 RPG in 25.2 MPG. The 20-year-old drastically improved from three-point range (38.5%) and the free throw line (81.3%) compared to his freshman year, though he didn’t draw many fouls (1.3 FTA) and struggled to convert inside the arc (43.3% on 2.4 attempts per game).
Dëmin missed most of training camp and the preseason while rehabilitating from a plantar fascia tear in his left foot. He had missed Brooklyn’s last four games after feeling more pain in his foot.
“He’s struggled with plantar fasciitis, and the soreness has increased lately,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said last week. “So we’re being cautious and trying to figure out what’s the best way for him moving forward.”
Fellow rookie guards Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf are candidates for more playing time with Dëmin sidelined.
Victor Wembanyama, Tyler Herro Named Players Of Week
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama and Heat guard Tyler Herro have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the league (Twitter links). The weekly award covers games played from March 2-8.
Wembanyama averaged 26.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game as San Antonio went 4-0 last week. It’s the second weekly award this season for the former No. 1 overall pick and the third of his career.
The Player of the Week honor continues an impressive run of award recognition for Wembanyama, who last week was named the Western Conference’s Player of the Month and Defensive Player of the Month for February.
Herro averaged 26.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 51.7 percent from three-point range as Miami also went 4-0 last week. This marks Herro’s second career Player of the Week award and his first of the season. He has been limited to just 20 appearances so far due to injuries but has been highly productive when available, averaging 22.1 PPG on .500/.402/.917 shooting.
Devin Booker (Suns), Luka Dončić (Lakers), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Jrue Holiday (Trail Blazers) and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) were the other nominees from the Western Conference. Bam Adebayo (Heat), Paolo Banchero (Magic), Jalen Johnson (Hawks) and Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks) were also nominated in the East.
Heat To Receive Second-Rounder From Hornets To Resolve Rozier Dispute
The Heat will receive a 2026 second-round pick from the Hornets as additional compensation for the Terry Rozier trade made in January 2024, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.
The pick will be the most favorable of the Warriors’ and the Nuggets’ second-rounders this June, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel tweets. Given that Denver is 6.5 games ahead of Golden State in the standings, Miami will almost certainly receive the Warriors’ selection.
A dispute between the Southeast Division clubs arose due to Rozier’s alleged involvement in an illegal betting scheme. Rozier has been on indefinite leave all season after being arrested in October on federal charges related to illegal gambling.
The Heat were reportedly unaware of the unusual betting activity — or the NBA’s investigation — tied to Rozier (he was a member of the Hornets at the time) when they traded for him in January 2024, several months after the incident took place.
This past December, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he was “sympathetic” to Miami’s plight and was seeking a resolution.
“This is an unprecedented situation,” Silver said. “And I think I’m incredibly sympathetic to the Heat and to their fans. But I think we’re going to try to work something through, work this out with them. … But this is an unfortunate circumstance. But sometimes there’s these unique events and maybe sometimes they require unique solutions. So we’ll be looking at this with the Heat and the other teams in the league and see if there’s any satisfactory relief.”
Miami still owes Charlotte a future first-round pick from that deal — it will be top-14 protected in 2027, and if it does not convey, the Heat will send the Hornets an unprotected first-rounder in 2028.
Rozier was originally placed on unpaid leave shortly after the federal charges were lodged. He later won an arbitration case, allowing him to collect his full $26.6MM salary. While Rozier remains on Miami’s roster, there’s still a possibility he could be waived before the end of the regular season.
Ja Morant Discusses JJJ Trade, Possible Return This Season
Ja Morant was one of the most discussed players in the NBA heading into the trade deadline, but the Grizzlies guard hadn’t made any public comments since January 21, when he suffered a UCL sprain in his left elbow. That changed on Saturday as Morant conducted a pregame session with reporters, as Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes.
Just as he did at a January press conference in Berlin, Morant stuck to short answers while still expressing his opinion on a variety of topics, including the surprising trade that sent Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah last month. Morant called that deal, which sent away another core member of Memphis’ last playoff team, “difficult.”
“I wasn’t a fan of it,” he replied, “but it’s a business, so, like I told him, he’s been a pro for eight years now, so continue to be that.”
Trade rumors surrounding Morant began to percolate roughly two months ago when sources told The Commercial Appeal that the team was willing to listen to offers. None of those offers turned out to be good enough, but the Grizzlies are expected to renew their pursuit of a deal this summer.
General manager Zach Kleiman has stated that the team is looking to get younger, and Morant’s contract, which pays him more than $87MM over the next two years, could be burdensome for an organization that’s not expected to be a contender.
Although Morant has clashed with head coach Tuomas Iisalo since he was appointed late last season, he said on Saturday that he enjoys being in Memphis and would like to remain with the team.
“Why can’t I be? I’ve been happy this whole time,” Morant said.
Reporters pressed him on the subject, asking if he believes he’ll still be with the Grizzlies next season.
“I hope so,” Morant said. “You would know more than me. The internet is right there. Everything you’re asking me has been on the internet.”
Morant also discussed the injury that has kept him out of action for more than six weeks. He still feels discomfort in the elbow, especially when he tries to make a cross-body pass.
“If I was basically whipping a pass to the opposite side with that hand is the biggest problem,” Morant said. “Other than that, I feel like I can fight through it, but also still have to be smart.”
Morant added that he hopes to return at some point this season and doesn’t think he’ll need time to recondition because the injury doesn’t affect his legs. He believes he can adapt to a core of Cedric Coward, Zach Edey, Cam Spencer and Jaylen Wells as easily as he did with his former teammates.
“The same I would fit with any other team,” Morant said. “Just whatever Ja brings to the table.”
Nikola Vucevic Expected To Miss A Month With Fractured Finger
March 7: Vucevic underwent ORIF surgery on Saturday morning to stabilize a fracture in his right ring finger, according to a team update (Twitter link). Vucevic will be reevaluated in three-to-four weeks.
March 6: Veteran center Nikola Vucevic fractured the ring finger on his right (shooting) hand and will miss the remainder of Friday’s game vs. Dallas, the Celtics announced (via Twitter).
Vucevic will undergo surgery on Saturday and is expected to miss about a month, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter).
According to Brian Robb of MassLive, Vucevic sustained the injury in the first quarter of Friday’s contest. The 35-year-old played under two minutes prior to exiting the court with the team’s trainers. X-rays revealed the broken finger.
Vucevic, who is playing on an expiring $21.5MM contract, will be an unrestricted this summer if he doesn’t sign a veteran extension with Boston before July 1, the start of the new league year.
The 16th overall pick in the 2011 draft, Vucevic spent his rookie season with Philadelphia, then was traded to Orlando in the 2012 offseason as part of the four-team deal that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers. Vucevic played eight-and-a-half years for the Magic prior to being traded to Chicago ahead of the 2021 deadline.
Vucevic spent six years with the Bulls, who traded him to the Celtics last month. Entering Friday, he had made 11 appearances with Boston, averaging 11.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists on .445/.351/.824 shooting in 23.5 minutes per game.
Luka Garza is likely to receive most of the minutes at the backup five with Vucevic out, Robb notes.
Suns’ Dillon Brooks Arrested On Suspicion Of DUI
3:25 pm: According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), Brooks’ arrest was related to cannabis and not alcohol. The nine-year veteran was released without being charged, Gambadoro adds.
11:13 am: Suns forward Dillon Brooks was pulled over for traffic violations at about 1:00 am in Scottsdale, Arizona on Friday morning and was charged about a half-hour later on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to local police. TMZ first broke the news that Brooks had been arrested on DUI charges, while The Arizona Republic provided additional details.
According to the two outlets, Brooks was transported to Scottsdale City jail and was booked and released from custody around 3:30 am. The 30-year-old was “respectful and cooperative” throughout the process, per TMZ.
“We are aware of the situation involving Dillon Brooks and are gathering more information,” the Suns said in a statement, according to the Arizona Republic. “We have no further comment at this time.”
DUI cases can result in suspensions, but the NBA typically doesn’t make a ruling until after the case concludes. The league’s decision would depend in part on whether the prosecutor’s office files charges, as well as Brooks’ plea in that scenario.
Brooks had been enjoying a career year in his first season in Phoenix after being traded from the Rockets to the Suns in the Kevin Durant blockbuster last summer. He has averaged 20.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 30.6 minutes per night on .440/.343/.856 shooting, and led the upstart Suns to a 30-20 record in the 50 games he played.
However, Brooks fractured his left hand last month and required surgery to repair the break. He was ruled out for four-to-six weeks at the time and likely won’t return until late in the season.
Adam Silver: ‘Substantial Changes’ Coming To Deter Tanking
Addressing the issue of tanking during a panel appearance at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston, NBA commissioner Adam Silver reiterated that the league intends to adjust its rules in a major way ahead of the 2026/27 season, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
“We are going to make substantial changes for next year,” Silver said. “I think where I’m on the fence — on one extreme, you could completely divorce the draft from teams’ records. Just argue we could take all 30 teams regardless of the outcome, that would completely disincentivize tanking. You could win the finals, you know, and get the first pick. But then there’s gradations of that.”
Despite teasing a complete overhaul of the NBA’s draft lottery system, Silver admitted that the rule changes likely won’t be quite that significant.
“Not to exactly forecast where we’re going, but I think I’m sort — I am an incrementalist,” he said. “I think we got to be a little bit careful, you know, about how huge a change we make at once. I’m not ruling anything out, but I am paying attention to that. And then there’s something significantly more than, I would say, just tinkering with the existing system.”
As reported last month, some of the ideas that the NBA has discussed to discourage tanking are as follows:
- 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).
[RELATED: Silver Discusses Tanking With General Managers During Video Call]
That second-last item – basing the odds for lottery teams on their records over the last two seasons – was one Silver cited on Friday, noting that the WNBA uses it. He also noted that he’s hesitant to punish teams in the midst of “legitimate rebuilds” who are “genuinely trying to win games” with young rosters, but suggested that tanking this season ahead of a strong 2026 draft has gone well beyond that.
“It’s a little bit of a perfect storm this season, that you have a perceived, very deep draft,” the commissioner said. “Again, I say ‘perceived’ because scouts’ predictions are wrong. But there’s a sense that you have four players in particular, maybe five, who are true game-changers. You add to that a forecast that the next two years’ drafts won’t be as good, and you create enormous incentive for teams to tank.”
UNC’s Caleb Wilson Undergoes Season-Ending Thumb Surgery
Caleb Wilson‘s freshman season has come to a premature end, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the UNC forward broke his right thumb during a non-contact drill in Thursday’s practice and has undergone surgery to repair the fracture.
Confirming the news, the school said in a press release that the injury occurred on a dunk.
Although Wilson may have played his last game as a Tar Heel, he’s expected to be cleared for basketball activities during the pre-draft process, Charania reports.
Wilson has had an outstanding season at UNC, averaging 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks in 31.3 minutes per game across 24 outings. The 6’10” forward has widely been viewed by draft experts as a top-five pick in the 2026 NBA draft, frequently ranking behind only Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer on big boards.
Unfortunately, the second half of Wilson’s freshman year has been marred by health issues. He fractured his left hand last month and had been sidelined since February 10 — he was recently cleared for individual workouts and had hoped to return at some point in March before he sustained his latest injury.
Assuming Wilson has fully recovered by the draft, the thumb injury is unlikely to have much of an impact on his stock, so he should still be one of the first few players off the board this June.
Raptors 905 Claim Markelle Fultz
Toronto’s G League affiliate – the Raptors 905 – has claimed guard Markelle Fultz off the waiver wire after the former No. 1 overall pick signed an NBAGL contract, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet tweets.
Fultz, who was selected with the first pick in the 2017 NBA draft, had his career derailed by injuries and has played in just 255 regular season games across eight seasons for the Sixers, Magic, and Kings. He made 21 appearances for Sacramento in 2024/25, averaging 2.9 points and 1.3 assists in 8.8 minutes per contest.
Shoulder issues affected Fultz’s shooting motion early in his professional career, which is one reason why he has struggled to establish himself as an NBA regular. After making 41.3% of his three-point shots during his lone college season at Washington, the 27-year-old has converted just 83-of-296 attempts (28.0%) at the NBA level.
For now, Fultz figures to simply provide reinforcements for a Raptors 905 team that saw its depth decimated by NBA call-ups in the past week as Julian Reese, Olivier Sarr, and David Roddy all signed two-way contracts with rival NBA organizations.
Still, Fultz’s play for the 905 is worth monitoring, according to Grange, who reports at Sportsnet.ca that Toronto would like to add a guard with NBA experience to fill its open 15th roster spot, if possible. Lester Quinones is another player who has been on the Raptors’ radar, Grange adds.
Toronto is operating nearly $900K below the luxury tax line and could sign a player to a rest-of-season contract at any time without going into tax territory. However, Immanuel Quickley would receive a $500K bonus if the team makes the Eastern Conference Finals this spring, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca, so the Raptors will likely wait until mid-March to add a 15th man in order to avoid a scenario in which getting to the third round of the playoffs makes them a taxpayer.
If they don’t end up finding a veteran guard they like to fill their open roster spot, promoting one of their two-way players would be a backup option for the Raptors, Grange writes.