Mavs Center Daniel Gafford To Miss At Least Two Weeks
The injury news just keeps getting worse for the Mavericks.
Center Daniel Gafford sustained a right knee sprain on Monday against the Kings and will be reevaluated within two weeks, the team’s PR department tweets. Gafford has started 28 of 51 games this season, averaging 12.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 21.9 minutes per game.
Dallas’ frontcourt has been decimated in recent weeks. Dereck Lively (right ankle stress fracture) could miss the remainder of the regular season and Dwight Powell (right hip strain) hasn’t played since Jan. 17.
Perennial All-Star Anthony Davis was injured in his Mavericks debut on Saturday. His left adductor strain will sideline him for multiple weeks. P.J. Washington is listed as questionable for Dallas’ game against Golden State on Wednesday due to a right ankle sprain, Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal tweets.
Two-way player Kylor Kelley is the only other true big man on the roster. Forwards Kessler Edwards, Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Naji Marshall were utilized up front in small lineups after Gafford departed on Monday.
The Mavericks have an open roster spot, but are ineligible to sign a free agent to a rest-of-season contract due to their proximity to their first-apron hard cap. As we detailed on Monday, Dallas is about $171K below that hard cap and won’t be able to squeeze in a veteran rest-of-season signing until March 31.
The Mavs do have the ability to make one 10-day signing at any time, but that would leave the club just $51K shy of the first apron, unable to complete another deal until the season’s final week.
The All-Star break will buy the Mavericks a little time, but they’re likely to be in this predicament for at least a couple more weeks.
Southeast Notes: Suggs, Wiggins, Heat Exhibition, Nance
It’s been a frustrating stretch for Magic guard Jalen Suggs. He missed 10 games due to a low back strain and has now missed another eight games due to a left thigh contusion. Suggs has still only done non-contact work since his latest injury. Even if he’s able to return for Orlando’s last game before the All-Star break on Wednesday, Suggs will be on a minutes restriction.
“It’s just very important that we keep understanding that everyone’s body is different [and] how they respond to treatment is different,” head coach Jamahl Mosley told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “We’re going to make sure he’s taken care of the right way and understand exactly how we integrate guys back because this is for the long haul.”
The Magic have gone 5-14 over their past 19 games. Their overall defensive rating of 109.0 still ranks third in the league, but it was at 106.4 prior to Suggs’ first 10-game absence and has has been just 113.9 (14th) during that 19-game span without him.
“Jalen is a huge piece for us in what he does and his energy and his enthusiasm — same as Moe Wagner (who is out for the season),” Mosley said. “You can’t replace those pieces whether you try to or not. To put the weight of the entire defense on a young man and what he provides, it’s tough to do.”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Andrew Wiggins‘ Heat debut didn’t go well. He shot 3-of-12 shooting from the field while scoring 11 points in 30 minutes against Boston on Monday. Wiggins, acquired from Golden State in the Jimmy Butler blockbuster, wasn’t fazed and knows an adjustment period will be necessary. “That’s the NBA for you,” he said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “It’s never going to be easy. Every game is going to be a dog fight, every game is important, especially for this team. I’m learning my way through. But at the end of the day, it’s basketball. I’ve been playing it since I was a kid. So I think I’ll be fine.”
- The Heat will play a preseason game in Puerto Rico this fall, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. It will be the team’s seventh exhibition in Puerto Rico over the team’s 38 seasons but their first since 2006.
- Veteran big man Larry Nance Jr. would likely draw a lot of interest in the buyout market but The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie doubts that Nance and the Hawks will pursue that avenue. League sources tell Vecenie that Atlanta coach Quin Snyder is a big fan of the 32-year-old, who has been in the Hawks’ rotation since returning last month from hand surgery. Nance will sit out Wednesday’s game due to a knee injury.
Lakers Sign Alex Len, Waive Christian Wood
4:56 pm: The Lakers have officially signed Len and waived Wood, the team confirmed in a press release.
4:13 pm: Free agent center Alex Len will sign with the Lakers, agent Mike Lelchitski tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
As we wrote earlier today, Len, who was cut by Washington on Saturday, initially planned to sign with the Pacers once he cleared waivers. However, he pivoted to an opportunity in Los Angeles after the Lakers rescinded their trade-deadline deal for Hornets center Mark Williams.
As Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star notes (via Twitter), Len would have slotted in as the third center in Indiana behind Myles Turner and Thomas Bryant, but he should have an opportunity with the Lakers to earn the primary backup role behind Jaxson Hayes on a roster that’s thin on frontcourt depth after sending Anthony Davis to Dallas in last week’s Luka Doncic blockbuster.
Len, 31, has been a little-used reserve center over the past three-and-a-half seasons in Sacramento, averaging 3.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in 10.0 minutes per game across 149 total outings (15 starts). The former No. 5 overall pick was traded from the Kings to the Wizards ahead of last Thursday’s deadline.
The Lakers have a full 15-man roster and will have to waive a player in order to make room for Len. According to Charania (Twitter link), that roster casualty will be Christian Wood, who has yet to play this season following offseason surgery on his left knee. That procedure was the second one Wood underwent on his knee in 2024.
In his first season in Los Angeles in 2023/24, Wood averaged 6.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 0.7 BPG in 50 games (17.4 MPG) with a .466/.307/.702 shooting line. He’s on an expiring minimum-salary contract, so the Lakers won’t carry any dead money on their cap for him beyond this season.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the Lakers entered the day with about $1.6MM in room below their second-apron hard cap. Len’s new deal will nearly trim that margin in half, but the team would still have enough flexibility to add a second player on the buyout market in the coming days or weeks if another opportunity arises. Another player on the current roster would have to be waived in that scenario, with Cam Reddish viewed as the most likely odd man out.
Lakers Expected To Add Center Soon
After having backed out of a trade-deadline deal for Mark Williams due to concerns about his physical, the Lakers find themselves shorthanded at the five. Jaxson Hayes is the only healthy center on the 15-man roster, with Christian Wood still recovering from knee surgery and two-way players Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison ineligible to play in the postseason.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter video link), the Lakers are expected to make a move soon to add more depth in their frontcourt.
“I’m told the Lakers are pursuing multiple big men in the marketplace right now,” Charania said during an appearance on ESPN’s NBA Today on Tuesday. “They know they need some size. … I would expect the Lakers to move on a potential big man in the next 24 to 48 hours. They are working. Rob Pelinka and that front office are trying to acquire a center.”
The current list of free agent centers isn’t particularly inspiring, but there are a few veteran options who might make sense for Los Angeles, including Daniel Theis, Alex Len, Mohamed Bamba, and Moses Brown.
Theis is reportedly on the verge of signing with AS Monaco in Europe, but the others figure to be on the Lakers’ radar. Len was reportedly on track to sign with the Pacers over the weekend, but that deal fell through, fueling speculation that he might be pivoting to L.A. — Marc Stein reports (via Twitter) that the Lakers are “prominent” among the teams with interest in the Ukranian big man.
Within a discussion about possible frontcourt targets for the Lakers, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic suggests it’s worth keeping an eye on the international market too. According to Vecenie, Australian center Will Magnay, who is currently playing for the Tasmania JackJumpers, has an NBA out clause in his deal and has recently drawn interest from NBA teams.
If and when the Lakers do sign a free agent center, they’ll have to waive a player to do so, since their 15-man roster is currently full. Reporting on Monday indicated that Wood and Cam Reddish are among the team’s top release candidates. Neither one is owed any guaranteed money beyond this season.
While it sounds like the Lakers will likely add a center sooner rather than later, it’s worth noting that the club has just one more game before the All-Star break – on Wednesday vs. Utah – so if a signing hasn’t been finalized by that point, it could wait until next week.
Morey: Sixers ‘Feel Very Good’ About Re-Signing Yabusele
When the Sixers signed Guerschon Yabusele during the 2024 offseason, they gave him a one-year, minimum-salary contract. That deal has been a bargain, with the big man emerging as a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season in Philadelphia.
Yabusele has averaged 11.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 26.8 minutes per game across 49 outings (26 starts), posting impressive shooting percentages of 52.4% from the floor and 40.4% on three-pointers.
Given the team’s limited ability to give him a raise as a free agent this offseason, however, there was some speculation leading up to the trade deadline that Yabusele, who reportedly drew plenty of interest on the trade market, would be on the move. But Philadelphia hung onto him and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said the club feels good about a future with the Frenchman beyond this season, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“I don’t think you can ever be confident in an unrestricted free agent, but we feel very good,” Morey said. “We love him. We just freed up more with (Caleb Martin‘s) contract going out; we freed up more room for the future. So we feel very good about retaining Yabu.”
As Morey notes, trading Martin, who had a guaranteed $8.6MM salary for next season, creates some additional cap flexibility going forward for the Sixers.
While it doesn’t affect what the club can offer Yabusele using his Non-Bird rights (up to 120% of his minimum), moving Martin off the books will generate some extra breathing room below the projected first tax apron in 2025/26 to potentially free up the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which will be worth up to $14.1MM, rather than the taxpayer MLE, which will be worth up to $5.7MM. Philadelphia could use that MLE to offer Yabusele a new contract.
As Pompey relays, Yabusele admitted that his contract situation is “definitely” on his mind. He’s hopeful he’ll be able to work something out with the team that gave him a second chance in the NBA after his initial stint (from 2017-19 with Boston) didn’t pan out.
“I really love this city,” Yabusele said. “I really love the fans. I really love the atmosphere and everything we got going on even though the season was up and down. And I really do think we got something going on in the team. We can definitely figure it out.
“… As far as right now, I’m going to try to play my best and definitely try to get the result. And as far as the summer, you know, I feel like I just have to sit down and see the [free agency] options. But knowing that Philly is here [as an option] is definitely something that I’m happy and proud [about].”
Jahlil Okafor Signs 10-Day Contract With Pacers
February 11: Okafor has officially signed his 10-day contract with the Pacers, per NBA.com’s transaction log. The deal will run through February 20, covering Indiana’s next three games and paying Okafor a $150,179 salary.
February 10: Veteran big man Jahlil Okafor is signing a 10-day contract with the Pacers, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets.
The No. 3 pick of the 2015 draft hasn’t played in the league since the 2020/21 season, when he appeared in 27 games with the Pistons. Okafor has played 247 regular season games in his career, with stints in Philadelphia, Brooklyn and New Orleans as well as Detroit. He has posted career averages of 10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game.
Okafor, 29, had been toiling for the Pacers’ NBA G League team, the Indiana Mad Ants, averaging 18.6 points and 9.1 rebounds in 30 Tip-Off Tournament and regular season games. He was selected to participate in the 2025 Up Next event at the NBA’s All-Star weekend.
Okafor was on the Pacers’ training camp roster on an Exhibit 10 contract but was waived before joining their G League squad. The veteran center has also played in China, Spain and Puerto Rico in recent years.
The timing of this move calls into question whether center Alex Len still intends to sign with Indiana after clearing waivers, as has been reported. Len was expected to fill Indiana’s open roster spot. It’s unclear if he has received another offer or will perhaps sign with the Pacers after the All-Star break once Okafor’s deal expires. The club has just two more games prior to the break.
[UPDATE: Len won’t be signing with the Pacers.]
Injury Notes: Hart, Gafford, Ball, Cancar
Josh Hart hasn’t had to miss any time due to right knee soreness, but he has continually shown up on the Knicks‘ injury report as a result of the issue, notes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The 29-year-old forward said on Monday that he isn’t sure whether or not he’ll need to undergo an offseason procedure on the knee.
“We’ll see what it calls for at the end of the season,” Hart said. “But, like I said before, I’m a servant to (my teammates) this year. I want to make sure I put these guys in the best situation. It’s not just for them. It’s also for (head coach Tom Thibodeau). I want to make sure that I’m available to him, I want to make sure when I’m out there, I’m playing at a high level and playing the game the way I know how to play. If I’m out there, I’m healthy enough. And I’m good.”
Hart has certainly achieved his goal of playing at a high level this season. Appearing in 51 of 52 possible games, he has scored 14.4 points per game, with career-best marks in rebounds (9.6 per game), assists (5.7), steals (1.5), field goal percentage (55.4%), and free throw percentage (80.6%).
Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- The Mavericks‘ frontcourt situation went from bad to worse on Monday night, as starting center Daniel Gafford exited the game vs. Sacramento and didn’t return due to what the team called a right knee sprain (Twitter link). Dallas big men Dereck Lively (fracture in ankle) and Anthony Davis (adductor strain) are already expected to be unavailable for at least the next few weeks, so the club would be extremely shorthanded up front if Gafford has to miss time too.
- Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, who has battled ankle issues for multiple seasons and just recently returned from a left ankle sprain, sat out the final three quarters of Monday’s loss to Brooklyn due to right ankle soreness (story via ESPN.com). While Ball said after the game that he didn’t think the injury was serious, the Hornets could hold him out of their final game before the All-Star break on Wednesday in order to give him an extra week to rest.
- Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in early December, will remain on the shelf through the All-Star break, but there’s a chance his return isn’t too far off, according to head coach Michael Malone (Twitter link via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette). Malone said over the weekend that Cancar might make it back to the court before Peyton Watson does — Watson was ruled out for at least four weeks on February 3 due to a right knee sprain.
Pelicans Bracing For Herb Jones To Miss Rest Of Season
There’s a good chance that Pelicans forward Herbert Jones will be shut down for the season, executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin said today to reporters, including Rod Walker of NOLA.com (Twitter link).
Jones has been out since January 8 due to a torn posterior labrum in his right shoulder. The club indicated at the time that he had been ruled out indefinitely.
As Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes tweeted at the time of Jones’ diagnosis, when a posterior labrum tear is small and the instability in the shoulder is minimal, a non-surgical treatment plan can improve the issue. In other cases, a surgical procedure is necessary.
It’s not clear whether or not Jones will go under the knife, but Griffin noted today that the forward has gotten opinions on the injury from multiple medical experts (Twitter link via Erin Summers).
The 35th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Jones has been a valuable role player for New Orleans over the course of his four NBA seasons, particularly on defense — he earned a spot on the All-Defensive First Team in 2023/24. The 6’8″ forward averaged 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals in 32.4 minutes per game this season across 20 appearances (all starts), with a shooting line of .436/.306/.825.
Jones is one of several Pelicans regulars whose 2024/25 campaign was derailed by health issues. With the team lottery-bound at 12-41, it sounds like the goal in New Orleans is to make sure he’s healthy for the start of next season.
Jones is under contract for two more seasons beyond this one — he’s set to make $13.9MM in 2025/26, with a $14.9MM salary for ’26/27. He would be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027 if he doesn’t sign an extension before then.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 2/11/2025
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Timberwolves' future in the wake of this week's arbitration decision, the Bulls' prospects after a puzzling trade deadline, the Cavaliers' options with their roster opening, a potential disaster in Dallas and more! Use the link below to read the transcript.
Alex Len Not Signing With Pacers
Veteran center Alex Len won’t be signing with the Pacers after all, league sources confirm to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.
Len, who was traded from Sacramento to Washington at the trade deadline, was cut by the Wizards on Saturday, with reporting at the time indicating that he planned to sign with Indiana after clearing waivers. Dopirak heard the same thing over the weekend, but says that deal is no longer moving forward, with Indiana having pivoted to another former lottery pick, Jahlil Okafor.
[RELATED: Jahlil Okafor To Sign 10-Day Contract With Pacers]
While Dopirak doesn’t have specific details on why the reported agreement fell through, he notes that there has been “movement” at the center position around the league in recent days, which may have “changed the dynamics” of Len’s decision. Specifically, he points to the Lakers rescinding their trade for Mark Williams as one move that created a notable opening in the middle for a team seemingly headed for a postseason berth.
It’s also worth noting that Dave McMenamin of ESPN cited sources on Monday who said Los Angeles may have pursued Len if he hadn’t agreed to sign with the Pacers. There’s no indication at this point that Len has reached an agreement with the Lakers, but they’re certainly a team worth keeping an eye on here.
The fifth overall pick in the 2013 draft, Len has been a reliable frontcourt option for 12 NBA seasons, spending time with the Suns, Hawks, Raptors, Wizards, and Kings. The 31-year-old Ukrainian has spent the last few seasons as a depth piece in Sacramento, where he made 149 appearances (15 starts) over the course of three-and-a-half seasons, averaging 3.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game.