Lakers Rumors: Williams, Knecht, Sims, Len, Reddish, Wood, LeBron
After acquiring Luka Doncic from Dallas at the start of trade deadline week, the Lakers targeted Hornets center Mark Williams in large part because he was “handpicked” by Doncic as the sort of big man Los Angeles’ new franchise player would thrive next to, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
Team sources tell McMenamin that the Lakers viewed the 23-year-old Williams as the sort of player who could grow alongside Doncic in the long term while also fortifying L.A.’s frontcourt against Western rivals like Houston, Memphis, Denver, and Oklahoma City in the short term.
Before agreeing to trade for Williams on Wednesday night, the Lakers weighed whether he was worth the steep price it would take to acquire him, given his injury history, McMenamin writes. Head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka opted to pull the trigger, deciding on an “all in” approach to the deadline and agreeing to send Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round pick, and a 2030 pick swap to the Hornets for Williams.
As one Lakers source tells ESPN, Williams’ fit was viewed as a necessity on a roster lacking a starting-caliber center, while Knecht’s was considered a luxury, and the club wanted to establish “goodwill” with Doncic to get the relationship on the right foot. There was also some internal debate on how valuable the Lakers’ 2031 pick would end up actually being.
After making the deal with Charlotte, Pelinka expressed confidence when he talked about the deal on Thursday that Williams’ health wouldn’t be an issue going forward: “We fully vetted [Williams’] health stuff. He’s had no surgeries. So these are just parts of, he’s still growing into his body. We vetted the injuries he’s had, and we’re not concerned about those.”
However, after getting him into the building and conducting a physical, the Lakers identified additional concerns with Williams’ health and ultimately decided to pull out of the trade.
As McMenamin writes, there are some people within the Lakers who expressed relief that the deal didn’t end up going through — one team source said the package was “a lot” to give up for Williams and suggested the club “kind of dodged a bullet.” But the voiding of the trade meant that the Lakers failed in their first attempt to satisfy Doncic and will need to repair their relationship with Knecht, according to McMenamin, who adds that there’s a “perception of fumbled execution” based on how the process played out.
“Nobody did the research prior?” one league source said to ESPN. “Why would [Williams] be available that young?”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- The Lakers considered a trade for Knicks big man Jericho Sims before he was sent to Milwaukee and might have had interest in Alex Len, who has agreed to sign with Indiana after being waived by Washington, sources tell McMenamin. Neither big man would’ve been a clear upgrade on the club’s current options, but they’re two more depth options who are now off the board.
- Although the Lakers have a full 15-man roster, they still have enough room below their second-apron hard cap to waive a player to bring in another big man. In that scenario, Reddish and Christian Wood would likely be the top candidates to be cut, Lakers sources tell ESPN. “We will find another center path,” a team source told McMenamin. “The path is always there. We just got to put in the work to find it.”
- With Williams not coming to Los Angeles, Jaxson Hayes figures to continue starting at center for the Lakers. LeBron James had “privately wondered” whether the 24-year-old was experienced enough to take on that role down the stretch and in the playoffs, sources tell McMenamin. Hayes is off to a solid start — the Lakers have won each of his last seven starts, including all five games since Jan. 30. He also should have Doncic’s support. According to McMenamin, Hayes – who shares an agent, Bill Duffy, with the former Mavs star – was the first Laker to go out for dinner with Doncic after he arrived in L.A.
- “When (Doncic) was in Dallas and I was in New Orleans my first few years, they kept trying to trade for me,” Hayes told McMenamin. “New Orleans never allowed it. He was like, ‘Do you remember when we couldn’t trade for you?’ I was like, ‘Do you remember what I told you after every game I played against you?’ After every game I would be like, ‘If you ever need a big, I would love to play with you.’ Just because of the way he moves the ball.”
- It “wasn’t lost on James’ camp,” sources tell ESPN, that Pelinka sought Doncic’s input and pursued a trade target he wanted immediately after his arrival. For years, LeBron has wanted the Lakers’ to trade future draft picks to upgrade their roster, McMenamin notes.
Raptors Notes: Ingram, Temple, Tucker, Barnes, Battle
The Raptors‘ trade-deadline acquisition of Brandon Ingram raised some eyebrows due to the team’s record (now 16-37) and the perception of Ingram as a win-now player. However, appearing on First Up on TSN1050, general manager Bobby Webster insisted that Toronto is “not putting the cart before the horse” and referred to Thursday as “a great day for the rebuild.”
“We got younger, we opened up playing time, we were able to use a lot of the flexibility under the tax to take on contracts, draft picks, pick up some cash along the way,” Webster said of the Raptors’ deadline moves, which included trading Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk to New Orleans as part of the package for Ingram and sending out Davion Mitchell in a separate deal.
“We opened up a lot of playing time for our young players. People have seen with our rookies, Ja’Kobe [Walter], Jamal [Shead], [Jonathan] Mogbo, and Jamison Battle and [Ulrich] Chomche, then second- and third-year guys like Gradey [Dick] and Ochai [Agbaji] — I think the opportunity that moving some of these old guys will afford the young players, we’ll see.”
Webster pointed out that Ingram isn’t much older than the rest of the Raptors’ core players and suggested that there’s a belief within the organization that there could be an opportunity to take a real step forward as early as next season, though the team won’t rush the process.
“Interesting to see as we add a first-round pick, add a second-round pick, hopefully able to retain Ingram, see what that team looks like, but we’ll temper expectations as this team grows,” Webster said. “Scottie Barnes is 23, Immanuel Quickley is 25, RJ Barrett is 24, Brandon is still just 27, so I think even from that perspective it’s a young core. We’ll continue the rebuild, I think this is a progress. No change in progress or timeline.”
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Ingram will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, but the Raptors now hold his Bird rights and could even extend him before he reaches free agency. Webster is optimistic about getting a deal done sooner or later. “We’re having [contract] discussions now. We wouldn’t do the deal unless we felt there was a comfort level with what he was looking for, what we were able to offer, an interest level in coming to Toronto,” Webster said. “Hopefully we can get something done. (Like) when we traded for Jakob Poeltl, it enables us to get the player in the system and for them to get a feel for us, we get a feel for them. The goal is to have a long-term extension with him.”
- Veteran guard Garrett Temple, who previously spent two seasons alongside Ingram in New Orleans from 2021-23, said the Raptors’ front office sought his input before pulling the trigger on the trade, per Eric Koreen of The Athletic. Temple anticipates a “seamless” fit for his former teammate. “The fact that we were able to get him without having to give up any of our, you know, core pieces was very impressive, and it’s great,” Temple said. “He’s a really great guy. And you can’t say that about a lot of guys in the league, especially All-Star-level players. But BI is definitely that guy. He cares about playing basketball. He loves playing the game of basketball. In today’s league, that’s not easy to say about a lot of people that have been paid.”
- Veteran forward P.J. Tucker won’t be coming to Toronto after being acquired from Utah in the five-team Jimmy Butler trade that sent Mitchell to Miami, Webster confirmed (according to Koreen). Tucker remains on the roster for now, but it sounds like he’ll be either bought out or waived outright, which would create a second open spot on the Raptors’ standard 15-man roster.
- Speaking to William Guillory of The Athletic about Ingram’s fit in Toronto, Koreen expressed concern about how the former Pelicans will mesh with franchise player Barnes. However, Barnes said over the weekend that he’s excited to build a “special connection” with his new teammate, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca relays.
- In a separate story for The Athletic, Koreen takes a closer look at how Battle went from an undrafted rookie on an Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal to a spot on Toronto’s standard roster over the past seven months.
Trae Young Named As All-Star Replacement
Hawks guard Trae Young has been named an All-Star, according to the NBA. The league announced (via Twitter) that Young will replace injured Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Young, 26, has had a down shooting year, with a career-worst 40.9% mark from the field, including 34.0% from beyond the three-point line. However, he’s leading the league with 11.4 assists per game and contributing 23.5 points per night.
While a recent eight-game losing streak cost the Hawks a few spots in the Eastern Conference standings, the team is still slightly exceeding expectations this season. Atlanta currently holds the No. 9 seed in the East with a 25-28 record.
Young has played a major role in those 25 victories — the club has a +0.2 net rating when he’s on the court, compared to a team-worst -7.4 mark without him.
Word broke on Sunday that Antetokounmpo would remain sidelined through the All-Star break due to a mild calf strain, necessitating a replacement for this weekend in San Francisco. According to Chris Haynes (Twitter link), Young received the most votes from coaches among Eastern Conference players who didn’t make the initial list of reserves.
After he wasn’t initially named an All-Star, the Hawks guard reacted on Twitter by joking that getting “snubbed” was now known as getting “Traed.”
Antetokounmpo had been drafted onto Charles Barkley‘s roster for Sunday’s four-team event, so Young will take Giannis’ place on Team Chuck, helping to balance a roster heavy on big men. He’ll join Donovan Mitchell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the guards on the eight-man squad.
NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots
A number of free agent signings have been finalized in the days since last Thursday’s trade deadline, but there are still many teams around the NBA with one or more open spots on their respective rosters.
For clubs with just a single standard or two-way opening, there’s not necessarily any urgency to fill those spots, especially ahead of the All-Star break. But the clock is ticking for teams who have two or more openings on their standard rosters to make a move, since clubs are only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for up to two weeks at a time.
With the help of our roster count tracker, here’s where things stand for all 30 teams around the NBA as of Monday morning. As a reminder, teams are typically permitted to carry up to 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.
(Note: Teams marked with an asterisk have a player on a 10-day contract.)
Teams with multiple open roster spots
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Golden State Warriors
- Philadelphia 76ers *
- Sacramento Kings *
The Cavaliers dipped to 13 players on standard contracts as a result of Thursday’s De’Andre Hunter trade, so their situation is fairly straightforward — they’ll have to re-add a 14th man by February 20.
The Warriors‘ four-for-one Jimmy Butler trade dropped them to just 11 players. They quickly got back to 12 by promoting Quinten Post from his two-way contract to a standard roster spot and now have three openings on their standard roster, along with one open two-way slot.
Golden State doesn’t have to fill all those openings, but the team does have to get back to at least 14 players on standard contracts by Feb. 20. Assuming Post got a prorated rookie minimum salary on his new deal, the Warriors – by my count – have $1,372,306 in breathing room below their first-apron hard cap.
If the Warriors were to sign a pair of veterans to rest-of-season minimum deals on Feb. 20, they would each count for $635,853 against the cap, leaving the team with $100,600 in breathing room below the hard cap. It’s possible Golden State will go that route. It’s also possible the club will sign a couple players to 10-day contracts, then go another 14 days in March with just 12 players under contract in order to create a bit of extra wiggle room below that hard cap. That would allow the Warriors to sign a 15th man a little earlier in the second half.
The Sixers briefly dropped to 12 players on standard contracts at the trade deadline, but they’re back to 14 now, having promoted Justin Edwards to a standard contract and given Chuma Okeke a 10-day deal. They’re expected to sign David Roddy to a 10-day contract too, which will give them a full standard roster.
For now then, no roster moves are necessary in Philadelphia, but the team does have a two-way slot open and could drop back to 13 players on standard deals after Okeke’s and Roddy’s 10-day contracts expire, which would necessitate a least one addition within 14 days.
The Kings are currently carrying 12 players on full-season standard contracts, with Daishen Nix on a 10-day deal. They’ll have to get back to 14 players by Feb. 20.
Teams with one open roster spot
- Atlanta Hawks
- Boston Celtics
- Brooklyn Nets
- Charlotte Hornets *
- Dallas Mavericks
- Indiana Pacers
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New Orleans Pelicans
- New York Knicks
- Toronto Raptors
- Utah Jazz
The Hawks, Celtics, Nets, Mavericks, Bucks, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Knicks, Raptors, and Jazz are all carrying 14 players on full-season standard contracts and three on two-way deals, with no reported signings pending. They’re each free to carry that open roster spot for as long as they want to, though some figure to fill it sooner rather than later.
Two teams that can’t fill their openings sooner rather than later are Dallas and New York. The Knicks are just $540,126 below their second-apron hard cap, while the Mavericks have a mere $171,120 to operate below their first-apron hard cap. Based on my math, New York would be able to sign a veteran free agent as a 15th man as of February 28 (that date moved up a day as a result of the Knicks trimming $4,825 from their cap in the Delon Wright/Jericho Sims swap), while Dallas will have to wait until March 31.
The Hornets are in this group because they have a two-way slot open, but their standard roster is full for now. In fact, it’s more than full — as a result of having been granted a hardship exception, they’re temporarily carrying 16 players instead of the usual maximum of 15. Elfrid Payton, on a 10-day deal, is the 16th man.
The Pacers and Clippers, meanwhile, each technically have an open roster spot for now, but they reportedly have deals in place with prospective 15th men. Indiana will sign center Alex Len once he clears waivers, while L.A. will add three-time All-Star Ben Simmons. Both players are on track to clear waivers on Monday.
Teams with no open roster spots
- Chicago Bulls
- Denver Nuggets
- Detroit Pistons
- Houston Rockets
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Miami Heat
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Orlando Magic
- Phoenix Suns
- Portland Trail Blazers
- San Antonio Spurs *
- Washington Wizards *
The Bulls, Nuggets, Pistons, Rockets, Lakers, Grizzlies, Heat, Thunder, Magic, Suns, and Trail Blazers are all carrying 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. If they want to make a free agent addition during the season’s final two months, they’ll have to cut a player to do so.
That won’t necessarily be the case for the Spurs and Wizards though. Both clubs have just 14 players on full-season standard contracts, with one on a 10-day deal — Bismack Biyombo for San Antonio and Jaylen Nowell for Washington. Once those contracts expire, the Spurs and Wizards could open up a roster spot if they opt not to retain Biyombo and Nowell, respectively.
Central Notes: Beasley, Pacers, Kuzma, Sims, Porter
Malik Beasley could have been cashed in for future assets at the trade deadline. The veteran wing, who is on a one-year, $6MM bargain deal, has been highly productive for the surprising Pistons, including on Friday when he exploded for a career-high 36 points against Philadelphia.
However, Beasley specifically asked not to dealt and general manager Trajan Langdon obliged, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports.
“He came to me a couple of weeks ago and said ‘Please don’t trade me, I want to be here,” Langdon said. “Which means a lot. In the summer when we talked about players we were going after and players we wanted to roster, we wanted guys who want to be here. He’s a guy who has said from day one he wants to be in Detroit and has continued to echo that, and with his actions and play has shown that.”
Beasley has indicated he plans to re-sign with the club when he enters free agency this summer. He’s ineligible to sign an extension prior to free agency.
“To be able to talk to your GM is huge, to have that relationship,” Beasley said. “I think he knew that I wanted to stay but he wasn’t sure, because a lot of players come in and still want to leave. But I told him from the jump I want to be here, I want to help build this organization up, I want to be a vet and do everything I can to score, and just get some wins. I’m happy to be here, I want to continue to stay here and let’s keep it going.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- The Pacers made only one minor move before the trade deadline, dealing away injured center James Wiseman and cash to Toronto for a top-55 protected draft pick. Coach Rick Carlisle is pleased there wasn’t a midseason roster shakeup, he told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “I’m absolutely not surprised,” he said. “The organization believes in this group. The coaching staff believes in this group. The players have shown a strong belief in each other.”
- Kyle Kuzma, who won a championship with the Lakers, is happy to be back in a winning organization after being dealt from the rebuilding Wizards to the Bucks. “It’s been four years. It feels a long time,” Kuzma said, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “But I was in a different space when I went to Washington. I already won a championship, so when I came to Washington it was like all right, let me find myself, let me find my game, let me see how good I can be, let me see what I can get better at. And I did that. And now I’m back in a situation to win, and that’s what it’s about. Obviously, I’ve been licking my chops for an opportunity to compete at a high level.”
- The Bucks also acquired center Jericho Sims and Kevin Porter Jr. prior to the deadline. Coach Doc Rivers commented on both players and Nehm relays that Sims could play a key role as a reserve big man. “I didn’t know that we needed a stretch big. I’ll take the size and the ability to roll and run the floor,” Rivers said. “Rollers are invaluable in our league. He’s one of them. He gets behind the defense. He’s as athletic as anyone in the league. I think he’s a fantastic fit.”
Pacific Notes: Doncic, James, Knecht, Kings, Valanciunas, Bogdanovic
Luka Doncic could make his Lakers debut on Monday, Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets. He’s listed as questionable due to the left calf strain that has sidelined him since Christmas Day. LeBron James (left ankle soreness) is also listed as questionable.
The same tag was given to Dalton Knecht (personal), who returned to the Lakers after their trade with Charlotte was rescinded. Cam Reddish, who was also in the voided trade, is listed as out.
In anticipation that Doncic will play, ESPN will broadcast the game against the Jazz, according to ESPN PR (Twitter link).
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- The Kings added high-scoring wing Zach LaVine, center Jonas Valanciunas and young forward Jake LaRavia prior to the trade deadline. Interim coach Doug Christie is looking forward to figuring out his new rotation, he told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “It’s a good problem to have,” Christie said. “I’m not complaining at all. Is it difficult? Yeah, a little bit because you’re trying to learn on the fly and that can be tough with guys trying to rind their rhythm — when do I go, plays, defense, coverages, all that stuff — but we’re not going to make excuses. The organization has done a hell of a job of getting us talent, and now it’s my job to figure out how to make it work and get us wins.”
- Valanciunas, who is in the first year of a three-year, $30.3MM contract, is glad to join a playoff race with the Kings after spending the first half of the season with the Wizards. “It feels good,” Valanciunas told Anderson. “It feels like I belong here. I’m excited to be here, excited to jump on the court in a winning situation and do some damage.”
- Bogdan Bogdanovic, acquired by the Clippers from Atlanta, is expected to make his Los Angeles debut on Wednesday, Joe Reedy of The Associated Press reports. He gives the Clippers another offensive option. “I’m good. I know probably a lot of you have been seeing a lot of stuff earlier before I got traded, some personal reasons out, but that’s part of the trade deadline,” Bogdanovic said. ”I’m ready. I’m in good shape and I’ll be ready for the next game.” The Clippers traded Terance Mann and Bones Hyland for Bogdanovic and three second-round draft picks. Bogdanovic’s contract includes a $16MM guaranteed salary for next season, followed by a 2026/27 club option.
Anthony Davis Expected To Miss Multiple Weeks
The Mavericks fear newly acquired big man Anthony Davis could be sidelined for an indefinite period after he was injured during his Dallas debut on Saturday, Marc Stein tweets. Davis is expected to miss multiple weeks and it could be a month-long absence, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link).
Davis is listed as out for Monday’s game against Sacramento due to a left adductor strain, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets. There will be internal discussions on Monday as to whether Davis can avoid surgery to address the injury, Stein adds in another tweet.
Davis posted 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in 30 minutes of action on Saturday as Dallas defeated Houston to improve to 28-25. He also had three blocks, helping the Mavs set a franchise record with 18 total.
It was the first game action in more than a week for Davis, who suffered a strained abdomen while he was still with the Lakers. The 31-year-old had downplayed the injury to the media afterward.
“My leg got tight, like a little spasm,” Davis said after Saturday’s win. “I came back to try to get it loose while still dealing with the abdominal strain. But I managed to loosen it up, and it’s nothing serious. I’m fine.”
Davis appeared in 76 games last season for the Lakers but had an extensive injury history prior to that season. He didn’t appear in more than 62 games in any of the previous five seasons.
It’s a disastrous development for the Mavericks, who have been heavily criticized for the deal that sent superstar Luka Doncic to Los Angeles. The deal has been extremely unpopular with Dallas fans and their anger could only increase with Davis out of action while Doncic is poised to make his Lakers debut.
Davis was chosen as a Western Conference All-Star and he’ll obviously need to be replaced.
Southeast Notes: Williams, Wizards Moves, Magic, Gueye
The Hornets are in the awkward position of having Mark Williams back on their roster after their trade with the Lakers was rescinded. Charlotte released a statement (Twitter link) welcoming Williams back to the team. The franchise made it clear that the third-year big man will be back in the starting lineup.
“After the other team aggressively pursued Mark, we made the difficult decision to move him,” the statement read in part. “We have always held great respect for Mark’s talent, work ethic and character. We are thrilled to see him rejoin the roster as a dynamic presence at the starting center position.”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- The Wizards were very busy before the trade deadline, making four deals, highlighted by the Kyle Kuzma swap with Milwaukee. The Washington Post’s Varun Shankar praised the front office’s approach, believing that the moves achieved the Wizards’ goals of landing young players with upside, adding draft picks, creating long-term financial flexibility and acquiring high-character veterans.
- The Magic own 20 draft picks over the next seven years and didn’t feel the need to give away assets at the trade deadline, president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. Weltman believes Orlando will naturally have a stronger second half with the return of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. “We didn’t jump [Thursday] because we felt that the right deals didn’t present themselves [and] that the timing of the trade deadline coincided with us being in a little bit of a slump generated a little bit of a squeeze effect where the league looks to squeeze long-term assets for short-term solutions,” Weltman said. “And there are some teams that are in positions where they need[ed] to make moves like that, and we don’t count ourselves as one of those teams. We count ourselves as a growing team and we’re going to continue to grow. I remain very excited about where this team is headed.”
- Hawks big man Mouhamed Gueye delivered his best performance of the season on Friday with 15 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks against Milwaukee. The 2023 second-round pick told Spencer Davies of RG.com in an extensive interview he’s ready for an expanded role. “Just keep doing what I’m doing, be aggressive on defense and on offense,” Gueye said. “Obviously, I’m gonna knock down shots. It’s gonna come. But just keep working and don’t worry about anything else. It’s the same mindset. Just be there, compete, play hard. Make or miss a shot, next play. Really just competing.”
Cuban Tried In Vain To Talk GM, Owner Out of Doncic Deal
Former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban was stung by the lack of advance warning he had on the Luka Doncic blockbuster and tried to talk general manager Nico Harrison out of making the deal with the Lakers, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack article.
Cuban had privately told Doncic that he wanted him to be the organization for as long as Dirk Nowitzki’s NBA-record 21 seasons with one team, according to Stein. However, by the time Cuban tried to convince Harrison and current majority owner Patrick Dumont to retain Doncic, the deal with the Lakers had already been verbally agreed upon.
It was an example of Cuban’s reduced role in the organization, despite the belief that he’d continue retain oversight of basketball operations when he sold his majority share.
Here’s more from Stein:
- Harrison was indeed the driving force behind the trade. He increasingly believed since last season’s NBA Finals that Doncic would not improve his commitment to conditioning or his off-court dietary discipline, not would he improve as a leader or culture-setter. Harrison also felt Doncic would continue to struggle to stay healthy and was weary of the star’s constant battles with game officials.
- Harrison’s fondness for Anthony Davis within the organization was well-known but it was speculated that he’d try to pair Davis with Doncic, rather than swap the two stars for each other. The GM also believes Davis remains one of the league’s top 10 players.
- Harrison did not show up at the arena for Davis’ Mavs debut on Saturday due to security concerns. There has been a major fan backlash since the deal became public. Dumont also did not attend.
Sixers’ Joel Embiid May Require Another Knee Surgery
Sixers center Joel Embiid has had very limited availability for Philadelphia this season due to a lingering left knee ailment that he has been dealing with since last February.
A year ago, Embiid incurred a lateral meniscus injury against Golden State, underwent surgery, and made a hasty return in April for a playoff push.
His knee apparently hasn’t been right ever since. Embiid has played especially sparingly since the calendar flipped over to 2025, appearing in just five games amidst knee issues.
During Philadelphia’s nationally televised matchup with Milwaukee on Sunday, ABC’s Lisa Salters reported (Twitter video link) that the 30-year-old may require another knee surgery and an extended recuperation window.
“I asked Joel Embiid how that left knee feels and he gave a really long pause and just said, ‘It is what it is,'” Salters said. “He said to still be talking about it and dealing with it almost a full year after the injury first occurred has been frustrating and the most difficult thing he’s ever had to go through in his career. He said he wishes he could play in every game, but his body just isn’t allowing him to do that right now. When the knee swells up, there’s just nothing he can really do about it.
“Sixers GM Daryl Morey this week said the organization is hopeful that there will come a time that the knee isn’t an issue anymore, and Embiid said he believes that will be the case. But he said he thinks it will likely take another surgery and a long recovery period, something he didn’t have after the initial injury last February.”
In the 16 games he has managed to play for the 20-32 Sixers, Embiid has put up solid numbers, though they’re well below his typical All-NBA production since the 2020/21 season.
Across those 16 games, the Kansas alum is averaging 24.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.8 steals per game.