Nickeil Alexander-Walker Rumors

Trae Young Out At Least Two More Weeks With MCL Sprain

November 29th, 2025 at 1:08pm CST by Rory Maher

While Hawks star Trae Young is making “good progress” in his recovery from a sprained MCL in his right knee, he will miss at least two more weeks, which is the next time he’ll be reevaluated, the team announced in a press release.

Young injured his knee in a collision with teammate Mouhamed Gueye in the first quarter of an October 29 game at Brooklyn. He was ruled out for the rest of that game and was diagnosed with the MCL sprain a few days later after undergoing an MRI, which revealed no additional damage.

The 27-year-old point guard was scheduled to be checked out on Saturday. This is the first update on his status since November 1.

Atlanta has played well without the four-time All-Star, compiling an 11-5 record (including the victory over the Nets) in Young’s absence. He’s expected to be sidelined for six more games, with his earliest possible return date likely being Dec. 14 vs. Philadelphia.

Fifth-year forward Jalen Johnson has thrived with Young sidelined, emerging as the face of the franchise and complicating his teammate’s future with the organization, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. Although the Hawks value Young’s contributions and are eager to have him back in the near future, they may not be willing to give him the type of contract he could be seeking next offseason if he declines his $49MM player option for 2026/27 to become an unrestricted free agent.

Johnson had another huge game on Friday against Cleveland, compiling 29 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists for his second triple-double of the season, writes Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link). Johnson, who turns 24 years old next month, was plus-20 in 39 minutes during the seven-point victory over the Cavaliers.

Reigning Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels has also taken on expanded play-making duties with Young out, and will continue to do so until his fellow starter in the backcourt is ready to return.

It will be interesting to see what head coach Quin Snyder decides to do with Nickeil Alexander-Walker when Young is back. The Canadian guard, who was acquired in a sign-and-trade with Minnesota over the summer, has more than doubled his scoring average (19.3 points per game) compared to last season (9.4). He has been starting alongside Daniels for the past 13 games.

Injury Notes: Shannon, Shamet, Barrett, Bulls

November 23rd, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Terrence Shannon Jr. has been cleared for full-contact, five-on-five practice, the Timberwolves announced in a press release. He is being listed as questionable for Monday’s game against the Kings.

Shannon has missed the last nine games for the Wolves with a left foot fifth metatarsal bone bruise. After playing 339 regular season minutes in his rookie season, he saw his playing time increase following the departure of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, but has struggled to increase his production in the early going, averaging 3.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 16.4 minutes per game through the team’s first seven contests.

In Shannon’s absence, Minnesota has turned to Jaylen Clark, Bones Hyland, and Leonard Miller, among others. The Wolves are 10-6 on the season and have gone 8-3 in their last 11 games.

We have more injury notes from around the league:

Landry Shamet exited the Knicks‘ loss to the Magic in the first quarter and is now listed as out for Monday’s game against the Nets with a sprained right shoulder, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. Bondy notes that head coach Mike Brown stated Landry would have a full evaluation in “the coming days,” and that this designation is only tied to the next game’s status. Shamet has been a productive role player for the Knicks this season, starting six games and averaging 9.3 PPG on 42.4% shooting from deep.
RJ Barrett exited the Raptors‘ win against the Nets on Sunday early with a right knee sprain after landing awkwardly on a dunk, reports Danielle Michaud, as relayed by Blake Murphy of Sportsnet (Twitter link). According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet (via Twitter), Barrett will get imaging done on his knee on Monday.
Isaac Okoro and Dalen Terry are listed as out for the Bulls‘ game against the Pelicans on Monday, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). Kevin Huerter and Patrick Williams are listed as questionable with an illness and wrist injury, respectively.

Southeast Notes: Adebayo, Banchero, Mann, Wizards, Alexander-Walker

November 18th, 2025 at 12:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat center Bam Adebayo hasn’t played since November 5 due to a toe injury, but he could be back in action Wednesday. He’s listed as questionable to play against Golden State, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel tweets.

Miami has posted a 4-2 record in his absence.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Paolo Banchero will miss his third consecutive game on Tuesday due to a groin strain. However, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said his star player is making progress, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. “Paolo’s doing well,” Mosley said. “He’s been going through some non-contact, hard weight room workouts with our training staff. His spirits are great.”
Hornets guard Tre Mann departed Monday’s game against Toronto with left ankle soreness, the team’s PR department tweets. He played 12 minutes before exiting. Mann is averaging 10.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 22 minutes per game.
The Wizards have gotten a little too good at tanking, Varun Shankar of the Washington Post writes. They suffered a 23-point blowout at the hands of another rebuilding team, the Nets, on Sunday. It was the Wizards’ 11th straight defeat and their NBA-worst sixth loss by at least 20 points. According to forward Kyshawn George, coach Brian Keefe gave this message to the team after the game, before the players held their own meeting: “Look at yourself in the mirror and answer the deeper questions. It’s more than basketball. What do you really want in life? What do you want to build? What do we want to do here as an organization? Just make sure you answer the question correctly and come up with the correct mindset the next day.”
Nickeil Alexander-Walker was acquired by the Hawks in a sign-and-trade deal this summer. He delivered in the clutch against Phoenix on Sunday, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter to help Atlanta erase a 22-point deficit in the two-point victory. That capped a 4-0 road swing. “I just think we have a resilient group. I think we put our head down when we came together this entire trip,” Alexander-Walker said, per Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Scotto’s Latest: Braun, Daniels, Coffey, T. Smith, Napier

October 20th, 2025 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

There’s “cautious optimism” that the Nuggets will work out a rookie scale extension with Christian Braun before today’s deadline at 5:00 pm Central time, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Scotto hears that negotiations between the team and Braun’s agent, Bill Duffy of WME Sports, are focusing on a five-year agreement in the range of $115MM to $125MM.

After being an important member of the team’s bench unit during his first two years in Denver, Braun moved into the starting lineup last season following the departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency. Braun posted career-high numbers across the board, averaging 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 79 games with .580/.397/.827 shooting splits.

Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported over the weekend that Braun and the Nuggets seemed unlikely to work out a deal before the deadline, but it appears progress may have been made over the past two days.

Scotto shares more information from around the league:

League sources tell Scotto that the Hawks and Dyson Daniels remain far apart in negotiation talks as the deadline nears. Daniels and his agent, Daniel Moldovan, are asking for an extension valued at $150MM over five years, while the team’s offer is in the neighborhood of five years at $115MM. Daniels was a valuable addition in his first season in Atlanta, earning First Team All-Defensive honors while leading the league in steals and being named Most Improved Player. However, Scotto points out that the Hawks made two significant free agent additions over the summer in Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard who could cut into Daniels’ playing time. Both players are better shooters, and Scotto suggests they could be on the court late in games instead of Daniels if Atlanta needs more offense.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers was a strong proponent for Amir Coffey to earn a roster spot, league sources tell Scotto. Rivers coached Coffey during his rookie season with the Clippers and believes he’ll be a valuable addition in Milwaukee. The 6’7″ swingman, who was in camp on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal, connected at 40.9% from three-point range last season. Milwaukee still has a roster move to make with Tyler Smith and Andre Jackson Jr. in contention for the final spot. Scotto hears that the Bucks spent the weekend exploring the trade market for Smith, a second-round pick in 2024 who appeared in 33 games last season. He’ll likely be waived if the Bucks can’t find a taker before this afternoon’s deadline, Scotto confirms.
Former NBA player Shabazz Napier has joined the Wizards as a coaching apprentice, sources tell Scotto. Napier, 34, played for Bayern Munich in the EuroLeague last season.

Hawks Notes: Porzingis, Alexander-Walker, Kennard, Young, Daniels, Johnson

September 30th, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hawks made some major additions this offseason, dealing for Kristaps Porzingis and signing free agents Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. Head coach Quin Snyder believes they’ll make the roster much more versatile, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution writes.

“I think the biggest challenge with that is the balance between having continuity and having change on a game-to-game basis,” Snyder said. “For our team to be as good as I think we need to be and want to be, our players have to understand that every game is different.

“Not just from the standpoint that minutes might fluctuate or rotations are different, but every game is potentially going to require something different, of different players, but we do have the ability and have the versatility, I think, whether it be matchups or style, to play a few different ways, and we’ve got a group that, because there are so many new guys that create new combinations, that I think I mentioned earlier. I think I said that we have to be patient and understand this is a slow burn. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be urgent about, you know, focusing and pursuing that.”

As for the additions themselves, they’ll help in a variety of ways, as the Hawks head coach explained.

“Specifically to our new guys, I think Nickeil gives us another player that’s capable of really defending at the point of attack, which I think is really important,” Snyder said. “Kristaps (provides) versatility defensively…I think you think of Luke because he shoots the ball so well. He’s more than a shooter, as they like to say. So describing some of those individual characteristics.”

Here’s more on the Hawks:

Trae Young addressed the fact that he’ll enter camp without an extension, indicating he wouldn’t let that bother him. He’s eligible for a four-year deal worth up to a projected $223MM, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk notes. “I don’t know [about] the word disappointment, I mean, maybe, for sure,” Young said. “For me, I’m so focused. I’m more happy about the team that we got going into this season. I’m blessed, bro. I wasn’t stressing about anything. If something happened, it happened. If it didn’t, I still got time. I’m focused on this team. I’m focused on right now. I got a great team going into the season that you can’t say I’ve had [before]. So I’m even more excited about that. Who knows what the future is for me. But right now I’m here and I’m present like me and Coach have been talking about. I’m ready to go.”
Kennard, who signed with the Hawks on a one-year deal, believes his skills are well-suited for Snyder’s schemes, Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com tweets. “Pace. Ball movement. Flow,” the three-point specialist said.
Dyson Daniels has made his mark as a wing player but he said he’s capable of taking over point guard duties when needed, Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks tweets.
Jalen Johnson says he’s fully healthy and ready for the upcoming season, Youngmisuk tweets. Johnson said he spent time working out with LeBron James and learning from the Lakers star this offseason. The fifth-year forward underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in late January.

Eastern Notes: Bufkin, NAW, Tanenbaum, Nets, Wiggins

September 16th, 2025 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

After rebuffing trade interest in former first-round pick Kobe Bufkin earlier in the offseason, the Hawks became more open to the idea of moving him after the Las Vegas Summer League concluded, according to Grant Afseth of RG.org.

While Bufkin posted strong averages of 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game in four Vegas outings, he struggled to score efficiently, making just 35.5% of his shots from the floor, including 25.9% of his three-point attempts. The Hawks, who are hoping to contend in what looks like a wide-open Eastern Conference, are focused on players who can help them win right now and weren’t sure Bufkin fit that bill, as Afseth explains.

Bufkin was ultimately sent to Brooklyn, though the Pacers also registered some interest, sources tell RG.org.

As for the Hawks, they intend to lean on Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard for ball-handling duties behind star point guard Trae Young, according to Afseth, who says the team envisions Alexander-Walker taking on a more significant offensive role than he had in Minnesota — he has been working closely with Atlanta’s coaching staff to prepare for those increased responsibilities, Afseth adds.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Raptors governor and NBA Board of Governors chairman Larry Tanenbaum is obligated to begin the process of selling his 20% stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (the Raptors’ parent company) to Rogers Communications by July 7, 2026, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. There are “rumblings” that process could begin sooner, Grange says, but either way, it sounds like it’s just a matter of time until Rogers – which already controls 75% of MLSE – owns nearly the entire company. Rogers increased its stake in MLSE from 37.5% to 75% a year ago.
Which Nets players are the most and least likely to be part of the team’s long-term plans? Brian Lewis of The New York Post explores that question in a subscriber-only article, suggesting that Cam Thomas seems unlikely to remain in Brooklyn beyond 2025/26, whereas Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, and whoever the Nets draft with their 2026 lottery pick seem destined to be cornerstones going forward.
Addressing the recent trade rumors linking Heat forward Andrew Wiggins to the Lakers, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel explains why he thinks Miami would be better off keeping Wiggins than trading him for a return of Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht.

FA/Extension Rumors: Giddey, Suns, Young, Doncic

July 16th, 2025 at 2:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Restricted free agent Josh Giddey hasn’t been attending Bulls Summer League games despite being in Las Vegas this past week, but there are no signs that contract talks between the two sides have “ever become contentious,” writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune (subscription required).

According to Jamal Collier of ESPN, Giddey had lunch with Bulls head coach Billy Donovan in Vegas and the guard’s agent was scheduled to meet with team executives at some point this week.

As Poe notes, there’s a significant gap to bridge in the contract negotiations between Giddey and the Bulls. While the 22-year-old is reportedly seeking an annual salary in the range of $30MM per year, the Bulls would prefer something closer to $20MM per year, says Poe. Reaching a compromise will likely take some time, but multiple sources tell Collier that they anticipate the point guard and the club to come to terms on a new contract sooner or later, and Poe hears the same thing.

Here are a few more notes and rumors on free agents and other NBA contract talks:

While the Suns are expected to add a guard to their roster to replace Bradley Beal, Gerald Bourget of PHNX Sports tweets that neither Chris Paul nor De’Anthony Melton seems likely to end up in Phoenix. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, meanwhile, says (via Twitter) that the Suns don’t have interest in former No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons.
Trae Young was involved in recruiting Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard to Atlanta this offseason and is excited about what the Hawks‘ new-look roster is capable of, Marc J. Spears of Andscape said during a TV appearance on ESPN on Monday (Twitter video link). However, according to Spears, there haven’t been any “substantive talks” yet about a contract extension for the four-time All-Star. Young holds a player option for 2026/27, so he could become an unrestricted free agent as soon as next July.
Appearing on NBA Today on Tuesday (YouTube link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst noted that even if Luka Doncic intends to sign an extension with the Lakers this summer, it may not happen right away once his restrictions lift on August 2 (six months after his trade to L.A.). As Windhorst observes, Doncic will be overseas with the Slovenian national team preparing for this year’s EuroBasket tournament and typically hasn’t made a habit of finalizing NBA contracts until after his time with the national team is over.

Contract Details: Turner, Robinson, Mitchell, NAW, Kyrie, Jones

July 8th, 2025 at 6:53am CST by Luke Adams

Myles Turner‘s new four-year contract with the Bucks came in a little higher than expected, as cap expert Yossi Gozlan notes (via Twitter).

Using the cap room left over after waiving and Damian Lillard and buying out Vasilije Micic (via the stretch provision), Milwaukee was able to give Turner a starting salary of $25,318,251. With annual 5% raises, his deal is worth a total of approximately $108.87MM. As previously reported, the contract also includes a fourth-year player option and a 15% trade kicker.

Here are a few more details on contracts officially signed around the NBA in recent days:

Using Simone Fontecchio‘s outgoing salary ($8,307,692) and the expanded traded player exception ($8,527,000), the Pistons were able to take back a maximum of $16,834,692 in incoming salary. Not coincidentally, that’s exactly the starting salary that Duncan Robinson got on his new deal with Detroit via sign-and-trade (Twitter link via Gozlan). Robinson’s three-year deal has a declining structure and offers few guarantees after the first year — just $2MM of his $15.99MM salary in 2026/27 is guaranteed, and his entire $15.15MM salary for ’27/28 is non-guaranteed.
Ajay Mitchell‘s new three-year deal with the Thunder came in a little lower than expected, at $8.7MM, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. It includes a fully guaranteed $3MM salary for 2025/26, replacing the team option Oklahoma City turned down that was worth the same amount. His $2.85MM salary for ’26/27 is partially guaranteed for $1.5MM, while ’27/28 is a $2.85MM team option.
Reported to be worth $62MM over four years, Nickeil Alexander-Walker‘s new contract with the Hawks came in at $60,647,200, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. It includes a fourth-year player option and a 7.5% trade kicker. It also declines in year two (from $15,161,800 to $14,403,710) before ascending again in year three ($15,161,800) and four ($15,919,890).
The three-year deal between Kyrie Irving and the Mavericks is worth $118,473,846, with a third-year player option and a 15% trade kicker, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. It starts at $36,566,002, with annual 8% raises.
Tre Jones‘ three-year, $24MM contract with the Bulls has a flat structure, with annual cap hits of $8MM, and a third-year team option, Hoops Rumors has confirmed.

Northwest Notes: Holmes, Alexander-Walker, Hansen, Johnson

July 6th, 2025 at 7:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

While much of the offseason discussion about the Nuggets‘ big man situation revolved around Jonas Valanciunas and whether he’ll stay with the team after he’s officially traded from Sacramento to Denver, the club is also set to receive some frontcourt health in the return of DaRon Holmes II, the 22nd pick in the 2024 draft.

Holmes missed the entirety of his rookie year after rupturing his Achilles in his 2024 Summer League debut, but he’s now healed and ready to make an imprint on the Nuggets’ roster.

“I think being in the weight room, adding some muscle to my game, and just learning our system, learning our plays, I’m feeling more confident knowing what I need to do now,” he said to Katy Winge of Altitude TV (Twitter video link). “And my passing game, I think, has gotten a lot better.”

Holmes also spoke about his ability to slide between frontcourt positions as needed.

“Anywhere they put me, I’ll be comfortable playing,” he said. “I spent a lot of the summertime playing the five, now I’m going to get back to playing the four. So I think I’ll be playing both... I trust the coaching staff, I trust this team, organization, so I’m excited to get out there.”

After adding Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr., who will join incumbents like Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther, the Nuggets’ bench is taking shape, but there is still room for Holmes to carve out a role for himself.

We have more news from the Northwest division:

Nickeil Alexander-Walker was a true success story for the Timberwolves, writes The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski. Included as a throw-in from the Mike Conley trade, Alexander-Walker quickly righted the ship of his career, which was veering into rocky journeyman territory, and became a fan favorite and defensive stalwart for the back-to-back Western Conference finalists. While Alexander-Walker is headed to the Hawks, his fourth team in seven seasons, Krawczynski writes that he’s doing so in a very different light, as one of the Wolves’ greatest development stories, and a truly introspective, thoughtful basketball player who will be missed in the Twin Cities.
Yang Hansen is facing probably the steepest learning curve of anyone from the 2025 draft, but the Trail Blazers‘ big man out of China has hit the ground running in the practices ahead of his first Summer League, writes Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Substack link). “He was impressive, but there are also things he’s going to learn really quickly,” said Blazers Summer League head coach Ronnie Burrell. “He’s expected to have some struggles and also have some success. But he looked good today.” Burrell has been most impressed with Hansen’s ability to navigate the culture shock. “This is all new to him, the language, the culture. And he handles it amazingly,” Burrell said, as reported by Aaron Fentress of Oregon Live. “The kid has maturity, and he’s got character, and he’s picking up things fast.”
After being traded from the Nets to the Nuggets, Cam Johnson is ready to do what he always has done best: work. Bennett Durando of the Denver Post writes that beyond his lethal three-point shooting and cerebral approach to the game, it’s the diligence that stands out as Johnson’s superpower. “The reason he’s in the NBA is because the guy works,” his high school coach Mike Rodriguez said. “Not because of his size. Not because of his shooting. I mean, that man works.” While the work got him to where he is, it’s his instincts and mind for the game that make him such a tantalizing fit in Denver. “We weren’t really a set-heavy team, so we liked to play fast and run secondary break,” UNC assistant coach Brad Frederick said. “A lot of what he got in terms of open shots was just because he was able to kind of create his own looks and because he was able to run the floor so well. We could pitch it ahead to him for shots.” That ability to read the game should make him a perfect fit next to Nikola Jokic.

Durant Trade Expected To Be Completed As Seven-Team Deal

July 2nd, 2025 at 9:56pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Suns and Rockets agreed a week-and-a-half ago to a deal that will send Kevin Durant to Houston, they negotiated it as a two-team trade. However, after the July moratorium lifts on Sunday and that trade can be officially completed, it’s expected to be finalized as a seven-team mega-deal, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (YouTube link).

Marks specifically mentions the Hawks, Timberwolves, and Nets as teams who will be involved, referencing the Rockets’ sign-and-trade deal for Clint Capela and Atlanta’s sign-and-trade for Nickeil Alexander-Walker as agreements that may be looped into this trade. Brooklyn made a minor draft-night deal with the Suns that includes a couple picks Phoenix is acquiring from Houston as part of the package for Durant.

While Marks didn’t name all seven teams, Fred Katz of The Athletic says the Warriors and Lakers are expected to play a part in the deal too.

The No. 59 overall pick (Jahmai Mashack) that was originally sent from Houston to Phoenix in the Durant agreement got rerouted by Phoenix to Golden State (who later sent it to Memphis), while No. 36 pick Adou Thiero will end up with the Lakers following a series of swaps involving the Nets, Suns, and Timberwolves.

There may also be a pathway to turning Dorian Finney-Smith‘s four-year, $53MM agreement with Houston into a sign-and-trade from the Lakers, though Katz’s report suggests Finney-Smith (and Alexander-Walker) aren’t being discussed in the current framework.

Theoretically, other previous trade agreements involving some of these teams could be roped in to expand the deal even further if it proves advantageous (or if it just streamlines the process of finalizing trades). We also still have more than 72 hours before the moratorium lifts on Sunday at 11:00 am Central time, so if more deals are reached in the coming days, it’s possible they could be attached to this one too.

To be clear, while putting together these swaps as a single mega-trade could result in minor additional pieces such as cash, a draft-rights player, or a two-way player (Katz mentions Daeqwon Plowden of the Hawks) being involved, it won’t meaningfully alter the players and picks changing hands.

It simply means that several trade agreements previously reported separately will be combined into one move to get them all done at once. That should make life easier for the league, which won’t have to process a bunch of separate trades that include certain players or draft picks.

It also means the trade will likely set a new NBA record for most teams involved in a single deal. That record was last set a year ago when six teams got together to complete the transaction that sent Klay Thompson to Dallas, Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield to Golden State, and Josh Green to Charlotte.

Our breakdown of 2025 offseason trades can be found right here if you want to try to figure out how to get eight, nine, 10, or all 30 teams somehow involved in this deal.