Haywood Highsmith To Be Reevaluated In Eight Weeks
Nets forward Haywood Highsmith recently experienced a setback in his attempted return from a torn meniscus, the team announced (via Twitter). He will be reevaluated in eight weeks.
According to the Nets, Highsmith was evaluated after experiencing swelling in his right knee while recovering from an meniscectomy and it was determined that his rehab program would need to be modified and extended.
An eight-week recovery period would put Highsmith at risk of missing at least the first quarter of the Nets’ season, and likely more than that, as he will presumably not be immediately cleared to return to game action at the eight-week mark.
Highsmith averaged a career-high 6.5 points and 0.9 steals per game last season while shooting 38.2% from deep. After going undrafted in 2018, he established himself as a valuable role player for the Heat, capable of defending multiple positions and making outside shots. He was traded to the Nets in August along with a second-round pick in a salary-cutting move for Miami.
Highsmith was able to hang onto his roster spot as the Nets made their cuts ahead of the regular season, including waiving Kobe Bufkin.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports that Highsmith made himself valuable to the organization with his leadership and locker room presence on such a young team (Twitter link). If he makes a full recovery before February’s deadline, Highsmith could have some value on the trade market on his expiring $5.6MM contract.
Pacers Notes: Backup Guard, Peter, Mathurin, Huff
The Pacers are entering the season without a clear plan for the backup point guard spot behind Andrew Nembhard, writes Dustin Dopirak for The Indy Star. Tyrese Haliburton will miss the entire season with an Achilles tear; steadfast backup T.J. McConnell is out at least a few more weeks with a hamstring strain; and Kam Jones, the No. 35 pick in the 2025 draft, is on a similar timeline due to a back injury.
Indiana had bad luck with the veterans it brought in with the hopes of filling the spot. Monte Morris had a calf strain that resulted in the Pacers backing off their plan to sign him, while Delon Wright sustained a head injury in the preseason and was subsequently waived. Cameron Payne made it through the preseason healthy, but Dopirak writes that he was unable to integrate into the Pacers’ system.
“It didn’t work out,” said head coach Rick Carlisle.
With few options heading into the first month of the season, Dopirak writes that third-year guard Ben Sheppard may be asked to tap into his collegiate point guard roots. He also notes that another free agent move is not out of the question.
“We’re looking at everything,” Carlisle said. “The waiver wire. We’re looking at people’s nephews and uncles and everything else, but good point guards aren’t growing on trees. We’re going to have to be creative.”
We have more from around the Pacers:
- One very creative solution to the aforementioned point guard problem comes in the form of this year’s 54th overall pick Taelon Peter, Dopirak writes in the same story. Despite never averaging more than 2.3 assists per game in college, Peter has shown a knack for play-making in the preseason, handing out nearly 3.3 assists to 1.3 turnovers in 24.1 minutes per game. According to Dopirak, Carlisle asked Peter during the team’s second preseason game if he’d ever played point guard, then proceeded to let him run the offense for the second unit in Friday’s preseason finale. “It’s easy to sprint to the corners and knock down shots,” Peter said. “But being able to get everybody where they need to be and know every spot on every play, it’s something that is a challenge, but it’s something they’ve been great about helping me transition into. They’ve been really gracious with me throughout the process.”
- Bennedict Mathurin is looking forward to having what he considers a consistent role, Dopirak writes in a separate piece. Mathurin’s scoring ability has been a useful tool for Indiana when its offense bogs down, but his style has sometimes clashed with the team’s fast-paced, ball movement-based attack, resulting in Mathurin being shuffled in and out of the starting unit as needed. With the team more in need of his scoring than ever, the fourth-year guard is likely to be a full-time starter for the first time in his career. “I’ll have a little bit more freedom to go out there to be myself, you know, within the system,” he said. “I look forward to going out there and accomplishing a lot of great things.” Carlisle wants him to make quick decisions and take advantage of easy reads, rather than play hero ball, feedback which Mathurin is taking seriously. “It’s just about watching a lot of film, seeing what’s in front of me and taking advantage of every little thing, whether it’s about timing or spacing,” he said.
- Indiana is seeking an answer at the center position after losing Myles Turner in free agency. For new Pacer Jay Huff, it’s the opportunity he has been waiting for, Dopirak writes in a profile of the big man. This marks the fifth NBA home in five years for Huff, who has played for the Lakers, Wizards, Nuggets, and Grizzlies. Last season was something of a breakout for the big man, as he averaged 6.9 points and 0.9 blocks in 11.7 minutes per game while shooting 40.5% from three and making a career-high 64 appearances. “Opportunity at the right place and right time is everything in the league,” Huff said. “I think that was just what I was waiting for.” While not comparing them as players, Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan believes Huff can slot in well as a facsimile of the role previously played by Turner. “When a need came up for a stretch five this summer, he was the name that our analytics staff has always targeted,” Buchanan said. “He was just a great fit for us. His age, his shooting, his IQ. So we thought this is a good match for us.”
Nets Waive Kobe Bufkin
The Nets have waived guard Kobe Bufkin, the team announced today. Shams Charania of ESPN first reported the news (via Twitter).
Bufkin was traded from the Hawks to the Nets last month in exchange for $110K in cash considerations. He joined a roster loaded with guard competition after the team took Ben Saraf, Egor Demin, and Nolan Traore in the first round of the 2025 draft.
Bufkin, 22, has struggled with injuries throughout his NBA career and has appeared in just 27 total games in his first two NBA seasons. He averaged 5.0 points and 1.6 assists in 11.9 minutes per game during his time with the Hawks.
The former 15th overall pick struggled to carve out much of a role with Brooklyn during preseason, averaging just 10.9 minutes in his two outings and scoring 7.0 PPG on .364/.375/.600 shooting splits.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), because Bufkin’s $4,503,720 salary is fully guaranteed, the Nets will remain slightly above the minimum salary floor entering the season. Not reaching the floor would cause Brooklyn to lose its luxury tax distribution, which is projected to be around $12.8MM, Marks adds (Twitter link).
The move will also get Brooklyn’s roster within the regular season limits — the team now has 15 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals.
Bufkin will become an unrestricted free agent if he clears waivers on Tuesday.
Rockets Notes: Durant, Extension, Eason, Starters
The Rockets and star forward Kevin Durant formally finalized a two-year contract extension reportedly worth $90MM on Sunday. Head coach Ime Udoka discussed Durant’s new deal, which features a player option for 2027/28, as Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle relays.
“Continuity for a great player being around the organization, and I think we all knew when we traded for him and when he came, it wasn’t a short-term thing,” Udoka said. “So good to get to a point where everybody’s happy and hopefully (he will) finish his career here.”
Udoka also commented on Durant’s willingness to accept a contract that came in about $29MM below the maximum amount he could have been offered, Lerner adds.
“I think a lot of these guys are all about the right things, about winning and whatever it takes to get there, understanding that flexibility matters and it puts us in a good spot when there’s extra money to go around,” Udoka said. “We’re all on the same page as far as what we want to do here and the goal of winning a championship.”
We have more notes from Houston:
- Durant’s extension, which begins in 2026/27, does not include any bonuses or incentives, a source tells Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). While bonuses and incentives used to be a regular feature in NBA contracts, teams have been avoiding them the past two offseasons because they count toward the tax aprons.
- The Rockets and forward Tari Eason are expected to come to terms on a rookie scale extension before Monday’s deadline, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic. A report on Saturday indicated that Houston is hoping to sign Eason to a deal that’s “significantly lower” than Jabari Smith Jr.‘s five-year, $122MM extension.
- The Rockets may not have a set starting five to open the season, Udoka said earlier this week (Twitter link via Lerner). Udoka suggested the starters might be based on matchups, at least until the roster is closer to full strength — free agent addition Dorian Finney-Smith is still recovering from ankle surgery, as is Jae’Sean Tate, though the latter was able to practice on Saturday.
Thunder Exercise 2026/27 Options On Topic, Wallace
The Thunder have exercised their 2026/27 team options on guards Nikola Topic and Cason Wallace, the team announced in a press release.
Wallace, the 10th overall pick of the 2023 draft, will now earn a guaranteed $7,420,806 in ’26/27, which will be his fourth season. He will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer.
Topic, the 12th pick of last year’s draft, will earn $5,429,760 in ’26/27 (his third season). Both players already had guaranteed contracts for ’25/26.
Wallace, who turns 22 next month, has been a rotation regular over the past two seasons for the defending champions. In 68 regular season games (27.6 minutes per contest) in ’24/25, the defensive stalwart averaged 8.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 steals on .474/.356/.811 shooting.
Topic, 20, missed his entire rookie season due to an ACL tear. He won’t make his regular season debut until at least November after undergoing a testicular procedure earlier this month.
We’re tracking all the 2026/27 rookie scale option decisions here. They are due by October 31.
Wizards Waive Dillon Jones
3:10 pm: Jones has been waived, according to the Wizards (Twitter link).
2:07 pm: In order to set their 15-man standard roster for the regular season, the Wizards will waive Dillon Jones, sources tell Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).
If he goes unclaimed on the waiver wire, the Wizards will carry a dead-money cap hit worth $2,753,280 for the remainder of the season, since Jones’ salary is fully guaranteed. Washington will decline its third-year option on Jones as part of the move.
Jones was the 26th overall pick of the 2024 NBA draft after a standout college career at Weber State. He spent his rookie season season with the Thunder, who traded him to Washington along with a second-round pick in a salary-dump deal in late June, shortly after Oklahoma City won its first championship.
A 6’5″ forward, Jones averaged 2.5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 54 regular season games with the Thunder (10.2 minutes per contest). He also played 23 G League games (32.3 MPG) with the Oklahoma City Blue, averaging 13.5 PPG, 7.4 RPG and 5.7 APG on .422/.296/.667 shooting.
Jones, who turns 24 years old in 10 days, appeared in three preseason games with the Wizards, averaging 2.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 1.3 SPG in 11.3 MPG.
Our Luke Adams speculated this morning that Jones might be the odd man out in Washington when he checked in on the roster situations around the league.
Although he’s being released by the Wizards, it doesn’t sound like Jones will be out of the NBA for long. Both Jake Fischer of The Stein Line and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype say Jones is expected to draw “strong interest” on the two-way contract market (Twitter links).
Mavericks Notes: Gafford, Williams, Martin, Exum, Cisse
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd provided an encouraging injury update on Daniel Gafford on Saturday, writes Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com.
Gafford has been recovering from a sprained ankle he sustained on the first day of training camp, and Kidd said there’s a chance the 27-year-old center could be ready for Wednesday’s regular season opener vs. San Antonio after going through the non-contact portions of Saturday’s practice.
“We’ll see,” Kidd said. “No contact today, but he did some things. I wouldn’t rule it out, but we’ll take it day by day.”
Here’s more on the Mavs:
- According to Afseth, guard Brandon Williams and wing Caleb Martin were full participants in yesterday’s practice. “Yeah, they’re trending in the right direction,” Kidd said when asked if Williams and Martin will be active against the Spurs. “If they keep doing what they’re doing Monday and Tuesday, they’ll have a good chance to play.” Williams has battled a hamstring strain for the past few weeks, but played three minutes in Dallas’ preseason finale vs. the Lakers, while Martin has been dealing with an undisclosed injury which prevented him in playing in any preseason games.
- Gafford, Williams and Martin appear to be making solid progress in their respective recoveries, but Dante Exum continues to be hampered by right knee soreness and didn’t practice on Saturday, per Afseth. Kidd previously said Exum would likely be out for a while, but didn’t provide any sort of return timeline.
- Guinean center Moussa Cisse, who went undrafted in June and had been on an Exhibit 10 deal, was promoted to a two-way contract yesterday after impressing the Mavs over the past handful of weeks. “He’s earned it,” Kidd said, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. “He’s had a heck of a preseason/training camp. Things that he’s done for us in practice and then also in the games has been at a very high level. We’re really excited to have him on board.” As Townsend writes, the shot-blocking big man was thrilled when he heard the news. “It feels great, after all the hours you’re putting in in the gym, coming in and working,” Cisse said. “Having opportunities like those, I’m really grateful. This is like a dream come true.”
Kevin Durant Signs Two-Year Extension With Rockets
12:15 pm: Durant’s extension is now official, the Rockets announced in a press release (Twitter link).
8:02 am: The Rockets and star forward Kevin Durant have agreed to terms on a new two-year contract extension, his business partner Rich Kleiman tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Charania, the deal is worth $90MM and includes a second-year player option for the 2027/28 season.
Houston was one of the teams on Durant’s list of preferred destinations when the Suns put him on the trade block during the summer, so there was an expectation after the two teams agreed to a deal that Durant and the Rockets would work out an agreement of their own sooner or later.
However, there was also a sense that the Rockets weren’t willing to give Durant the maximum extension he was been eligible for, which was worth roughly $119MM over two years (based on a projected $166MM cap). That maximum salary figure would’ve increased slightly at the six-month mark after the trade, but the 37-year-old couldn’t sign an extension longer than two years due to the over-38 rule.
Ultimately, the two sides agreed to an extension that will see Durant take a pay cut from his current $54.7MM salary but still represents a massive payday for a player entering his 19th NBA season. According to Charania (Twitter link), there was an understanding when Durant was dealt to the Rockets that he wouldn’t push for a maximum contract in order to help the team maintain flexibility to build and retain its roster going forward.
Durant has expressed this fall that he feels comfortable in Houston, where he has reunited with one-time Seattle SuperSonics teammate Jeff Green (story via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle) and fellow University of Texas alums Royal Ivey, D.J. Augustin, and Dexter Pittman, each of whom has a role within the Rockets’ organization (story via Lerner). As Chris Mannix of SI.com wrote in a feature story earlier this week, Durant is hopeful that he’ll retire as a Rocket.
“I’m looking to be here as long as I can, play my last years of my career,” he said. “That’s the intent. I know, I said that about Phoenix, too, but that’s the intent. I would love to do that. I mean, I’m 37 years old and I’m going on 19 years in the league. I want to be solidified in a spot and build with a team with a group of guys that’s going to be around for a while. So hopefully this is it.”
Although Durant’s stint with the Suns didn’t play out as he or the team hoped, the 15-time All-Star continued to put up monster offensive numbers during his time in Phoenix. In 62 games last season, he averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 36.5 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .527/.430/.839.
The Rockets are optimistic that Durant’s ability to score in the half-court setting will raise their ceiling after they struggled in those situations, especially in crunch time, during last season’s first-round playoff series vs. Golden State.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), Houston was projected to be about $80MM below the second tax apron in 2026/27 prior to Durant’s deal. His new salary will come in low enough to allow the club to extend Tari Eason and fill out its roster in free agency next summer while remaining below that threshold. Eason is eligible to sign a rookie scale extension today or Monday — if he doesn’t work out a deal with the Rockets at this time, he’ll be a restricted free agent next summer.
According to Charania (Twitter link), Durant’s new contract – including the player option – increases his total career current and future earnings to over $598MM, which is an NBA record. LeBron James was the previous record-holder, coming in just below $584MM.
Hornets’ Collin Sexton Discusses Leadership, Contract, More
Veteran guard Collin Sexton has quickly emerged as a leader for a young Hornets team, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Both the Hornets and Sexton are trying to create a winning culture in Charlotte, and head coach Charles Lee appreciates the 26-year-old’s willingness to speak up.
“Yeah, he’s not afraid to just communicate,” Lee said. “I think, number one, everyone sees how hard he works every day, and so he’s already leading by example. And then so when he does want to speak up, because he’s so passionate and competitive, he’s earned their respect. So, he’s able to just be very vocal, very upfront with them. And they all know that it’s from a place of love, it’s from a place of competitive joy and that they’re really responsive.
“I think that our whole group, though, is learning how to communicate with one another in a positive way to kind of help us just keep moving in the right direction. So, I love what he’s done. He’s really helped bring a little bit more intensity to sometimes that starting unit. Especially on the defensive end where he sets a tone on the primary ball-handler and allows the other guys to kind of follow suit.”
Sexton, who was acquired over the summer in a trade with Utah, says leadership is something that comes naturally to him, according to Boone.
“I would say since I got here, I always try not to say I’m trying to fit in — just got to continue to be me,” Sexton said. “I feel like that’s the biggest thing. Continue to be me and continue to walk with confidence. And confidence brings leadership. At the end of the day, leading by example is something that I’ve done since coming into the league and even in college and through high school.
“So I feel like that’s something that I felt like that was a need of the team, and I felt like that was a way I can come in and impact right away is bring leadership and bring those qualities, because at the end of day when things are going south and things aren’t going well, we got to have someone that can bring the guys back together. And I feel like that’s something that I can do.”
Sexton is entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him nearly $19MM in 2025/26. While that could be a potential distraction, Sexton tells Boone he’s focused on being present.
“I would say controlling each and every day, coming out here and being grateful and being thankful to be able to lace my shoes up, be able to go out and play with this organization,” Sexton said. “At the end of the day, I’ve got to be where my feet are. I can’t look two weeks in advance, I can’t look two months in advance. I have to take it day-by-day. That’s it. It’s not tough because I’m grounded by faith. I’m grounded by the Lord, and I know my family is behind me. And I feel like when I’m grounded by those two things, then there’s nothing impossible.”
Sexton also spoke to Boone about playing with LaMelo Ball, bonding with Ball and Brandon Miller, and more. The full interview is worth checking out if you’re a fan of Sexton and/or the Hornets.
Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Edgecombe, Ingram, Demin
Star center Joel Embiid suited up for the Sixers for the first time in nearly eight months in Friday’s preseason finale against Minnesota, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. While the Timberwolves were resting most of their rotation regulars, Philadelphia — and Embiid — came away encouraged by how he looked during the 126-110 win.
“I don’t want to really think about the past,” Embiid said. “I’m just in a good space mentally, physically. … I’m just happy to touch the basketball and be able to play basketball and do what I love.
“When you don’t get [to do] that, it’s tough, but that’s what I’m most happy about. So today, tonight, that’s all I kept thinking about. I’m on the court playing basketball, doing some good things, helping us win, and yeah, that’s really what I was focused on.”
As Bontemps notes, Embiid has been plagued by left knee issues the past couple years, limiting him to 58 games over that span, including just 19 last season. In approximately 19 minutes on Friday, the 2023 MVP put up 14 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals.
“I mean, I won’t say I feel like I was 18 years old again,” Embiid said with a smile when asked if he felt like the past few weeks have gone as well as could be expected in his ramp-up to the season. “That’s never going to happen. But I’m just taking it day by day. Like I said, just learning. Some days are going to be good, some days I’m going to be a little bit tight, so learn from it and adjust and keep doing the right things.”
Here are a few more notes from the Atlantic Division:
- Embiid wasn’t the only member of the Sixers who played well in Friday’s tune-up, with Tyrese Maxey (27 points, seven assists, four rebounds, two steals in 30 minutes), VJ Edgecombe (26 points, six rebounds, three assists, five steals in 34 minutes) and Quentin Grimes (22 points, five assists, three steals in 26 minutes in his preseason debut) all turning in strong showings. Head coach Nick Nurse complimented No. 3 overall pick Edgecombe in particular, tweets Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports. “It’s almost every single day you see something from his athleticism that you say ‘wow.’ … He’s way ahead of where we thought he might be being able to do that [running the offense]. …He’s got a good feel for the game.”
- In an exclusive interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, forward Brandon Ingram talks about joining the Raptors and leaving the Pelicans. While the former All-Star has “a lot of love for New Orleans,” he’s ready for a fresh start in Toronto. “This team can be whatever we want it to be,” Ingram said of the Raptors. “We have everything on the defensive end. We play hard. The next thing is execution over and over again on the offensive end. … The East is wide open this [upcoming season]. We have a chance to be better, but we’ve got to expedite it.”
- Nets guard/forward Egor Demin, this year’s No. 8 overall pick, missed most of training camp and preseason with a plantar fascia tear in his foot, an injury he tells Brian Lewis of The New York Post he actually sustained prior to June’s draft — not during Summer League — that gradually got worse over time. While the Russian teenager admitted the injury will likely have to be monitored throughout his rookie season, he doesn’t think he’ll need surgery to address it down the line.
- Demin made his Nets preseason debut on Thursday, scoring 14 points and grabbing five rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench in a five-point loss to Toronto. “He was excellent,” head coach Jordi Fernández said of Demin, per Lewis. “There’s going to be things he’s going to keep working on. We’ve got to keep building him up physically to be able to sustain more minutes. … But I’m very happy with his presence, how composed he was, how he talked to his teammates, all those things. And made it look easy. He shot the ball every time he was open or halfway open, got to the free-throw line and rebounded. He got five rebounds, made nice plays at the rim. It was good.”