Mitchell Robinson Making Season Debut On Friday
February 28: Robinson will make his season debut on Friday vs. Memphis, Charania confirms (via Twitter).
February 27: Knicks center Mitchell Robinson has been upgraded to questionable and is on track to make his season debut as early as Friday against the Grizzlies, Shams Charania of ESPN reports (Twitter link).
Robinson hasn’t played since Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Pacers last spring, having been sidelined for all of 2024/25 so far while he recovered from ankle surgery.
It’s unclear exactly which game Robinson will return for, as Charania’s report says he’ll play “as early as” Friday. He’ll travel for the team’s upcoming two-game road trip that includes a matchup in Miami on Sunday and is expected to play in at least one of those two games.
It was previously reported that Robinson was “inching” toward a return and that the Knicks were optimistic about having him back this weekend. Robinson may be brought along slowly after not playing at all this season so far. However, when he’s at full strength, he’s an obvious boost to a Knicks frontcourt with depleted depth.
With Robinson out and Karl-Anthony Towns missing the team’s last game due to a lower body injury, New York turned to rookie Ariel Hukporti to make his first career start on Wednesday night. However, the rookie center is now out for at least four-to-six weeks with a significant knee injury he suffered in that game.
Not counting Robinson, Hukporti’s injury left the Knicks with only Precious Achiuwa as a big-man option behind Towns.
Robinson is a force on the boards for the Knicks, averaging 7.9 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game over the course of his career. Last season, he averaged 5.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks, establishing himself as a defensive anchor for the team and ranking second in the league with 4.6 offensive rebounds per night. However, he was only available for 31 regular season contests and missed the final six games of the playoffs due to his ankle issues.
While Robinson is expected to come off the bench behind Towns upon returning to action, the Knicks figure to utilize the two big men together at times, with Towns stretching the floor on offense and Robinson protecting the rim on defense.
Raptors Waive P.J. Tucker
5:36 pm: The Raptors officially placed Tucker on waivers on Friday, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
1:28 pm: Veteran forward P.J. Tucker is being waived by the Raptors, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Tucker, 39, hasn’t played this season, but he was traded twice before the deadline. The Clippers sent him to the Jazz in a February 1 deal, then Utah moved him to Toronto five days later as part of the complex five-team trade involving Jimmy Butler.
Tucker has been mentioned as a buyout candidate, but there’s no indication from Charania that he agreed to give up a portion of his $11.54MM salary to be released. Because he’ll be waived by the March 1 deadline, Tucker will be eligible for the postseason if he joins another team.
Because Tucker’s salary is below the $12.8MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception, he will be free to sign with anyone once he clears waivers. The only exception is Utah because he’s not permitted to return to the last team that traded him for at least a year.
While he hasn’t seen much on-court action over the past two years, Tucker has served as a valuable three-and-D contributor for several playoff teams throughout his career. His postseason experience and defensive prowess could be attractive to contenders now that he’s a free agent.
Tucker was in the final season of a three-year, $33MM contract the Sixers gave him in free agency in 2022. He was sent to L.A. as part of the James Harden trade in 2023, but never really had a consistent role with the Clippers, appearing in just 28 games after the deal.
Knicks’ Hukporti To Miss At Least 4-6 Weeks Following Knee Surgery
February 28: Hukporti underwent surgery on Friday to address his left meniscus tear and will be reevaluated in four-to-six weeks, according to the Knicks (Twitter link).
February 27: Knicks center Ariel Hukporti made his first career start in Wednesday’s victory over Philadelphia, recording eight points, two rebounds and a block in 16 minutes. Unfortunately, the German big man also sustained a significant injury during the game.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), the 22-year-old is expected to be sidelined for the next four-to-six weeks after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Steve Popper of Newsday confirms (via Twitter) that Hukporti will be out for an extended period, though he hears the team is still evaluating the test results and it’s not yet certain that Hukporti sustained a meniscus injury.
The 58th and final pick of the 2024 draft, Hukporti has received sporadic playing time during his rookie season, averaging 1.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per game across 25 appearances.
It’s a tough blow for Hukporti, who was initially signed to a two-way contract but was converted to a standard deal in early November in part to navigate New York’s salary cap situation. The Knicks hold a minimum-salary team option on his contract for 2025/26.
If Hukporti is able to return at the conservative end of the timeline Charania reported — six weeks — he would back just in time for the end of the regular season in mid-April. Returning sooner would obviously give him more time to prepare as the Knicks prepare for a playoff push — they’re currently the No. 3 seed in the East, with a record of 38-20.
On a more positive note, Mitchell Robinson is reportedly on track to make his season debut this weekend, so he should help fortify the Knicks’ frontcourt depth, which will be a little more thin with Hukporti out. Precious Achiuwa is another candidate for more minutes at backup center.
The Knicks also have an open roster spot and will be able to squeeze in a rest-of-season minimum-salary contract for a 15th man below their hard cap as of Friday.
Magic’s Jalen Suggs Out Indefinitely Due To Knee Injury
Magic guard Jalen Suggs, who has missed the past 14 games due to what the team referred to as a left quad contusion, has been ruled out indefinitely after undergoing additional testing and being diagnosed with a trochlea injury in his left knee, reports Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). The team has confirmed the news in a press release (Twitter link).
Suggs was experiencing discomfort during his return-to-play activities, according to Beede, which prompted the Magic to reevaluate the fourth-year guard and conduct an MRI. Those additional tests revealed the trochlea injury.
As Beede explains, the trochlea is “a groove in the lower end of the femur that guides the kneecap during knee movements.” When it’s damaged, it can cause pain, instability, and additional knee issues.
According to the team, a treatment plan is still being developed for Suggs, but the expectation is that he’ll make a full recovery.
Suggs has now missed 24 of the Magic’s past 25 games after also sitting out for 10 consecutive contests in January due to a low back strain. He has been limited to just 35 total outings this season and had averaged 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 28.6 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .410/.314/.882.
Although Suggs’ shooting numbers are underwhelming, the Magic have clearly missed having him in the backcourt. Besides being one of the team’s offensive engines, the 23-year-old is a major part of Orlando’s defense. He earned a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team last season, but won’t get a chance to repeat that feat this season, since he’ll fall short of the required 65-game minimum.
The Magic are 20-15 in games Suggs has played this season and just 9-17 without him. The club, which held a top-four spot in the East for most of the season through mid-January, has fallen to 29-32 as a result of its recent swoon and currently ranks seventh in the conference, which is in play-in territory.
Orlando is typically pretty vague about injury recovery timelines, so it may be a little while before we get a clear sense of when Suggs could return. He signed a five-year, $150MM rookie scale extension with the team last fall that will go into effect in 2025/26, so it’s safe to assume the Magic will take a cautious approach to his recovery process.
Rockets’ VanVleet Set To Return, Smith Moving To Bench
Barring a last-minute setback, Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet will return to action on Saturday against Sacramento, according to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).
VanVleet has missed Houston’s past 11 games due to what the team has referred to as a right ankle strain. The Rockets, who were 32-15 entering the month of February, lost the game in which VanVleet was injured and have gone just 5-6 in the games he has missed, so his return will be a welcome one.
Head coach Ime Udoka indicated on Friday that VanVleet will immediately reclaim his role as Houston’s starting point guard while Amen Thompson, who took over as the primary ball-handler in VanVleet’s absence, will continue to start in the team’s backcourt.
“Me and Amen have had a good synergy,” VanVleet said. “He’s always going to have ball-handling responsibility. We love him pushing the break, getting us into offense. I thought we started to see that when we had a stretch in January when he jumped into the starting lineup. Yeah, we got to keep pushing, getting ready for coming April. We got to get back to playing at the level that we know we’re capable of.”
Thompson first entered the starting lineup in early January when forward Jabari Smith Jr. went down with a fractured hand. Smith, a starter in 190 of 192 career games since being drafted third overall by Houston in 2022, will come off the bench with VanVleet back in action, per Udoka.
While Udoka remains open to making lineup adjustments as needed, his new starting five beginning on Saturday will be VanVleet, Thompson, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun.
“We still have some back-to-backs and time to figure out permanently, but when we’re whole, that’s what it will look like,” Udoka said. “… We still have some fluidity as far as lineups, and obviously the guys that can’t play back-to-backs factor into that. So yeah, continuity with the group that we have played well with, and just take a look at different things and what (Smith) brings us off the bench. And so nothing crazy. And as always, it’s more important who finishes.”
As Lerner relays, Udoka said that Smith was understanding of the decision to move him to the second unit and that he’ll still play a significant role for the club. The third-year forward came off the bench twice in the past week upon returning from his hand injury and played 38 and 33 minutes in those games.
Smith told reporters on Friday that he’s simply happy the Rockets’ veteran leader is ready to return.
“He brings a lot: leadership, a little bit of control out there. We get a little hectic without him,” Smith said of VanVleet. “He’s a great defender, another great three-point shooter to the lineup. He does a lot for us, does everything for us, honestly. So it’s good to have him back.”
Sixers Rule Out Joel Embiid For Rest Of Season
The Sixers have ruled out star center Joel Embiid for the remainder of the 2024/25 season due to his ongoing left knee issues, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
“The Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid have been consulting with top specialists regarding ongoing issues with his left knee,” the club’s statement reads. “After further evaluation, it has been determined that he is medically unable to play and will miss the remainder of the season to focus on treatment and rehabilitation.
“We are working with medical experts to determine the exact treatment plan and will update media when we have more information. The team and specialists will continue working with Joel to ensure the best path forward for his long-term health and performance.”
Embiid’s left knee has been a problem since January of 2024, when he sustained a lateral meniscus injury that required surgery. He was able to return last April and played all six games of the Sixers’ first-round playoff series vs. New York in the spring, then suited up for Team USA at the Paris Olympics over the summer.
However, Embiid continued to deal with swelling in the knee in the fall, which delayed his season debut until November 12. In the months since then, he has never looked fully healthy, appearing in just 19 total games and averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 30.2 minutes per game.
While those numbers would be impressive for most players, the scoring and rebounding rates were well below the former MVP’s career averages, as were his 44.4% field goal percentage and 29.9% mark on three-pointers.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), Embiid has met with more than 10 doctors over the course of the season in an attempt to figure out the best way to reduce – or, ideally, eliminate – the discomfort and swelling in his troublesome left knee.
Embiid told Lisa Salters of ABC/ESPN earlier this month that he may require offseason surgery, but that comment took Sixers staffers by surprises, sources tell Fischer, who hears that another procedure on the knee still isn’t a given. While the 30-year-old big man is still hoping for some sort of “cure-all procedure” that would allow him to return to 100%, there’s no clear consensus among Sixers doctors and medical experts outside of the organization about the best path forward, Fischer explains.
With the Sixers sitting at 20-38 and 2.5 games back of the No. 10 Bulls in the Eastern Conference standings, it makes sense for the club to take a long-term view and shut down Embiid, who is on a maximum-salary contract that includes three more guaranteed seasons beyond this one, plus a player option for 2028/29.
The question now is whether Philadelphia will continue to try to push for a play-in spot or whether the team might also consider holding out Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, both of whom have been playing through health issues of their own. George has taken injections to continue playing through various injuries, including tendon damage in his finger, while Maxey is also said to be battling a finger injury that’s affecting his ball-handling and shooting.
The Sixers will owe their 2025 first-round pick to the Thunder if it lands outside the top six and they currently have the NBA’s sixth-worst record, which will be another factor to consider as they weigh their approach to the rest of the season.
If they finish sixth in the lottery standings, the 76ers would have approximately a 45.8% chance of hanging onto their first-rounder. Those odds would increase to about 64% if they drop to the fifth-worst record in the league and 81.1% if they have the fourth-worst mark.
Jeanie Buss Explains Lakers’ Approach To Luka Doncic Trade
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss was one of the few people with advance knowledge of the trade talks with Dallas involving Luka Doncic, but she wasn’t sure the deal would get done until the last minute, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register.
Speaking at an event on Thursday to promote her new Netflix show, Buss told reporters that the front office proceeded cautiously throughout the process, making sure to prevent leaks that might have affected team chemistry if the deal had fallen through.
“I mean, not until (general manager Rob Pelinka) told me it was done and they had made the trade call,” she said. “Because these things fall apart all the time. It was really important to me that we didn’t blow up the team. If it had leaked out and the trade hadn’t happened, that would be really unfair to the progress that the coaching staff had made with the team. Because it’s a huge distraction. And the trade deadline is part of the business. It increases the level of stress for everybody. And I’m really proud that it didn’t leak out and that we were able to execute the trade in a way that still was surprising to all the parties involved. But that goes with this business.”
Buss compared the acquisition of Doncic with two significant deals from Lakers history, Price adds. She cited the 2008 trade with Memphis for Pau Gasol and the 2011 agreement with New Orleans for Chris Paul that was eventually overturned by then-commissioner David Stern.
As the Doncic trade edged closer to reality, Lakers officials were worried about any unexpected snags that might prevent it from being finalized.
“There’s always this concern there’s going to be some new ruling that, like, now what’s going to happen?,” Buss said. “But what I have complete confidence in Rob is that he knows how to walk a deal through step by step to make sure that everything is complete and buttoned up and that’s exactly what happened.”
Buss praised Pelinka and Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison for their discretion in keeping the deal quiet, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. From the time the first discussions were held on January 7, they were able to operate in near secrecy, even though Utah had to be brought in as a third team to take the salary of Lakers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino.
Buss also compared the trade to the type of deals her late father, Dr. Jerry Buss, used to make when he built the Lakers into one of the NBA’s premier franchises.
“He’d be very proud. When you get a player of that stature, you have to give up a lot. My dad was such a great poker player, and he said that he always wanted me to remember that poker was a game of patience,” she said. “That you had to wait for the right cards, but once you got the cards, you had to go from zero to 100 and play the cards and not be afraid to play them. So, it was difficult because we were not looking to trade Anthony Davis or Max Christie. But it was a deal that he would’ve made, and we had to go for it.”
Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards Suspended For One Game
2:05 pm: The NBA has officially confirmed in a press release (via Twitter) that Edwards has been suspended for one game. He’ll serve the one-game ban on Friday when the Timberwolves visit Utah.
9:17 am: Anthony Edwards was ejected after picking up two technical fouls on Thursday and now faces an automatic one-game league suspension when Minnesota faces Utah tonight. The Timberwolves star guard has reached the 16-technical threshold, unless the league rescinds one of the two he collected in the loss to the Lakers.
Edwards and Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt were called for double technical fouls when they exchanged shoves at the end of the first quarter. Edwards’ second technical occurred during the third quarter when he complained about a no-call.
“{Edwards] was issued his second unsportsmanlike technical foul for directing profanity towards a game official,” crew chief James Williams told a pool reporter, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
According to ESPN Research, the Timberwolves star is the first player to receive 16 technical fouls before March since DeMarcus Cousins during the 2016/17 season. His coach believes Edwards has to learn to control himself.
“He’s got to be better,” Chris Finch said. “He’s had too many outbursts. I think a lot of them are deserved. They’re going to miss some calls from time to time for sure, so he’s got to be better. We’ve been talking to him about it, so it’s on him.”
Edwards tossed the ball into the stands after his ejection, which will likely lead to another league fine. He has already accrued $285K in fines for five separate infractions this season, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski notes.
Edwards will be suspended an additional game for every two technical fouls he receives going forward for the rest of the year. Point guard Mike Conley believes Edwards isn’t the only player on the team guilty of being overly reactive.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who get emotional when things don’t go the right way, individually. And that can hurt our team as a whole,” he said. “We have to be better. Ant has to be better. He knows that.”
Bulls Notes: Collins, Buzelis, Giddey, Williams
Injuries left Zach Collins as the Bulls‘ only remaining option at center for the past two games, resulting in a lot of minutes for the newly acquired big man, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. With Nikola Vucevic out of action to “proactively” rest a calf injury and Jalen Smith in concussion protocol, Collins made two straight starts, logging 28 minutes in Monday’s contest and 38 on Wednesday.
“I’m tired,” joked Collins, who was only averaging 11.8 minutes off the bench in San Antonio before being traded earlier this month. “I guess I’m getting all the minutes I want.”
Poe notes that Collins has faced a challenging adjustment moving into coach Billy Donovan’s up-tempo approach, which has been necessary because of the team’s overall lack of size. Collins has played well enough since the deal that Donovan indicated he might use some double-big lineups when Vucevic and Smith are healthy. That could happen soon, as K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network tweeted that Smith participated in this morning’s shootaround.
Collins is also working to solidify his future with the Bulls, who are expected to try again this summer to trade Vucevic.
“You want to help put your team in a position to win,” Collins said. “Great individual games don’t really mean much if you can’t get the win.”
There’s more from Chicago:
- Suns star Kevin Durant was impressed by rookie forward Matas Buzelis when the teams met last weekend, Poe adds in a separate story. Buzelis wasn’t intimidated in his matchup with an NBA legend, posting 15 points and three rebounds in 24 minutes. “I like Matas,” Durant said. “I liked him when he was with the G League Ignite. He’s long, athletic and can shoot it. He is definitely going to have some bumps and bruises as he gets through these first few years in the league trying to figure stuff out. The more experience, the more reps he gets on the floor as a starter, the better he’ll become.”
- The Bulls shouldn’t be fooled by Josh Giddey‘s recent hot streak, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic states in a mailbag column. Giddey is averaging 19.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals per game since the trade deadline while shooting 52.3% from the field and 62.5% from three-point range. However, Mayberry points out that Giddey, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, is playing for his next contract. Mayberry urges the front office to let the process play out with Giddey and not repeat last year’s mistake with Patrick Williams, who was re-signed before he could negotiate with other teams.
- In the same piece, Mayberry expresses skepticism that any team will be willing to trade for Williams, who has four years and $72MM left on his current deal.
Bucks Sign Pete Nance To Two-Way Contract
February 28: The signing is official, the team announced today (via Twitter).
February 27: The Bucks are planning to sign Pete Nance to a two-way contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). They’ll add the former Northwestern and UNC player using the open roster spot they created by waiving Liam Robbins, as we relayed earlier on Thursday.
Nance has played two seasons after going undrafted in 2023, appearing in eight games with the Cavaliers as a rookie in 2023/24 and seven this season with the Sixers. The 6’11” forward spent time on a 10-day pact and two-way contract with Cleveland last season.
Nance was waived by the Cavaliers this past October and was signed twice by the Sixers on a two-way deal, first in December and then in January. He was waived earlier this month.
The younger brother of Larry Nance Jr., Pete Nance has played much more at the G League level, appearing in 18 total games (17 starts) this season with Cleveland and Philadelphia’s developmental teams. In those 18 outings, he’s averaging 15.5 points per game while shooting 37.8% from three.
After Milwaukee adds Nance to his two-way deal, they’ll have 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. The deadline to sign players to two-way contracts is March 4. Two-way guard Ryan Rollins has just one game left before reaching his two-way limit, so the Bucks may opt to convert him to a standard deal and fill his two-way slot with someone new.
According to The Athletic’s Eric Nehm (Twitter link), Nance’s two-way contract will cover two years.