Cavaliers Waive Two-Way Player Chris Livingston
5:26 pm: Livingston recently suffered a hand injury that will likely keep him out for about a month. That prompted Tuesday’s move, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reports.
4:48 pm: The Cavaliers have waived two-way player Chris Livingston, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.
Livingston signed his two-way deal in late October and appeared in just three games with the Cavaliers this season. He has seen action in 16 NBA G League contests with the Cleveland Charge, averaging 16.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 25.0 minutes per game.
The 58th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Livingston spent his first two NBA seasons on a standard deal with Milwaukee, the team that drafted him. He rarely played for the Bucks, averaging just 4.7 minutes per game across 42 total appearances over that span.
The 6’6″ small forward played well for the Bucks’ Summer League team last July, earning a new one-year, minimum-salary contract in Milwaukee after having been waived two weeks earlier. That contract was fully guaranteed, but the Bucks decided to release him again ahead of the regular season due to a roster crunch.
Cleveland, which has been dealing with a number of injuries, can now add another player on a two-way deal. Forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin and wing Luke Travers are the Cavs’ other two-way players.
Kings Rumors: Ellis, Poeltl, Kuminga, DeRozan, LaVine
A “ton” of teams have called the Kings to inquire about Keon Ellis, according to James Ham of Locked On Kings (YouTube link), who identifies the Timberwolves, Pacers, Celtics, and Knicks as a few of the clubs his sources suggest are worth monitoring as suitors for the fourth-year guard.
“From what I have heard, (they) have all called on Keon Ellis,” Ham said.
Ellis is an intriguing trade candidate because his $2.3MM expiring contract makes him an attainable piece for just about any NBA team, including clubs like Minnesota, Boston, and New York, who are operating above the first tax apron. If he’s dealt, Ellis’ Bird rights would travel with him and he’d become extension-eligible on February 9, just a few days after the trade deadline.
One weekend report suggested Ellis is among the players most likely to be moved at the deadline, with the Kings said to be seeking a late first-round pick.
Here’s more on the Kings:
- Discussing the possibility of the Raptors making a play for center Domantas Sabonis, Ham said the Kings have “zero interest” in acquiring big man Jakob Poeltl, who has battled back issues this season and is under contract through 2029/30 (YouTube link). “‘We’re not getting into the Jakob Poeltl business’ is what I was told,” Ham said, though he observed that the same source didn’t say anything about the Kings not getting into the “RJ Barrett business.” Barrett was drafted by the Knicks when current Kings general manager Scott Perry was in New York’s front office.
- Responding to speculation that the Raptors would seek Ellis along with Sabonis in a trade with the Kings, Ham says a source told him “unequivocally” that Toronto and Sacramento haven’t discussed Ellis to this point.
- The Kings are no longer willing to include any draft picks in a trade offer Jonathan Kuminga, but they remain interested in the Warriors forward, Ham confirms (YouTube link). “I do know for a fact that the Sacramento Kings have offered, in the past, DeMar DeRozan straight up for Jonathan Kuminga,” Ham said. Golden State would need to include one more player in that hypothetical deal in order to stay below its hard cap, but it doesn’t sound like the Warriors have real interest in DeRozan anyway.
- Zach LaVine would “absolutely love to move on from Sacramento,” according to Ham (YouTube link), though his maximum-salary contract will be a major impediment. Ham suggests there was a “ray of hope” about a potential deal with the Bucks involving Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis, but that outcome seems less likely as a result of Milwaukee’s recent struggles and Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s latest calf strain.
Evan Mobley Expected To Miss 1-3 Weeks With Calf Strain
Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, who experienced tightness in his left calf during Monday’s win over Orlando, underwent an MRI on Tuesday and has been diagnosed with a strain, the team announced today (via Twitter).
According to the Cavs, Mobley will begin undergoing treatment and is expected to be sidelined for between one and three weeks.
The injury bug has been a major issue for the Cavaliers this season. Even the relatively healthy players like Mobley, Donovan Mitchell, and second-year standout Jaylon Tyson have missed at least a few games due to injuries, and a few key contributors have been on the shelf for significant chunks of the season.
That group includes star point guard Darius Garland (22 missed games), starting center Jarrett Allen (11), top reserve Sam Merrill (24), and starting small forward Max Strus, who has yet to make his season debut as he recovers from foot surgery.
A one-week absence would only cost Mobley three games, putting him in line to return prior to next Thursday’s trade deadline, whereas a three-week recovery timeline would keep him out until after the All-Star break, costing him at least seven contests.
The Cavaliers have had an up-and-down season but have been on a roll as of late, winning four straight games and six of their past seven. They’ll have to try to keep that streak going without Mobley, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and their third-leading scorer. Cleveland has a +5.5 net rating with the big man on the court this season and a -1.3 mark when he isn’t playing.
Latest On Nikola Jokic’s Injury Recovery
Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, who has been out since December 29 due to a hyperextended left knee and bone bruise, will be reevaluated in about one week, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday’s episode of NBA Today (Twitter video link).
Charania suggested a couple weeks ago that the Nuggets were optimistic about Jokic’s odds of returning to action before the end of the month. While it no longer sounds like that will happen, the veteran center hasn’t experienced any sort of setback, according to Charania, who says Jokic is making “great progress” and is in the “ramp-up phase of his return-to-play process.”
Given Jokic’s outsized impact, there was some concern in Denver about the team’s ability to maintain its position in the playoff race after Jokic went down — especially after the Nuggets lost second-string center Jonas Valanciunas to a calf strain in his first game as a starter. Last season, Denver went 4-8 in games Jokic missed.
However, the club has performed admirably without its MVP this season, going 9-5 since Jokic suffered his knee injury. Denver’s 31-15 record is tied for the second-best mark in the Western Conference.
As a result of the Nuggets’ strong play without Jokic and their desire to prioritize his long-term health, there’s little urgency to pursue an aggressive return timeline. The only downside of taking a little extra time to get Jokic ready is that it could cost him his award eligibility.
If Jokic doesn’t return to action by this Sunday (Feb. 1) vs. Oklahoma City, he’ll fall short of the 65-game minimum require to qualify for end-of-season honors. However, Charania suggests that’s a trade-off Jokic and the Nuggets are willing to make to ensure he’s 100% healthy and to reduce the risk of him aggravating this injury.
Jokic was putting up MVP-caliber numbers prior to the injury, averaging a career-high 29.6 points per game while leading the NBA with 12.2 rebounds and 11.0 assists per contest. His shooting line is an incredible .605/.435/.853.
Wizards GM Dawkins Talks Trae, Sarr, Coulibaly, Whitmore
Speaking to Mark Medina of EssentiallySports, Wizards general manager Will Dawkins confirmed that newly acquired point guard Trae Young will remain on the shelf through the All-Star break, but stressed that the team isn’t shutting him down for the season. According to Dawkins, it’s “important” to the team to see how Young meshes with the Wizards’ young players.
“It’s important because Trae has a decision to make,” Dawkins explained. “He’s got the power of choice as a free agent. So you want to make sure that he’s comfortable playing with the young guys, to have the opportunity to play with Alex (Sarr) and to play with Bilal (Coulibaly) and see when they move and how they fit positionally. We have a lot of questions on our team and how we play moving forward. So you want to see that before you make that decision in July.”
Young holds a player option worth nearly $49MM for the 2026/27 season. Given that he has been limited to 10 games this season due to injuries, the four-time All-Star seems more likely to pick up that option than to turn it down in search of a more lucrative free agent contract. However, that’s not a lock, especially if he returns in the second half and plays well down the stretch.
The Wizards would likely look to negotiate a new deal with Young if he opts out this summer. Even if he opts in, he’d be extension-eligible, meaning Washington’s front office could attempt to tack on additional years to his current contract. Dawkins says those conversations haven’t happened yet, but the groundwork has been laid for those talks.
“Yeah, we have good relationships with his reps,” he told Medina. “So we’ve had communication on what it would look like to be a Wizard because he really wanted to be here, and that was important to us. And we want to make sure everybody feels comfortable and builds that partnership and relationship until we have any real conversations.”
Dawkins had more to say about Young and about many other aspects of the Wizards’ roster and rebuilding plan in his discussion with Medina, which is worth checking out in full. Here are a few more highlights from Washington’s GM:
On how he envisions Sarr and Coulibaly complementing Young:
“Very well, to be honest with you. Both of those guys have an opportunity to be high-level defenders individually, but within a team concept as well. They can have a huge impact individually with shutting their man down and making life difficult. But they’re also smart players who can read the game and can play in a defensive system as well. I think their length, their size, their versatility, and their ability to switch is always a positive. They’re always getting bigger, getting better, and getting stronger. So you can imagine what they look like two, three, four, or five years from now in their prime.”
On Sarr’s improvement this season and whether he has a case for All-Star consideration:
“He’s a talented basketball player. We knew he would be able to figure it out earlier on defense. He’s shown that just with his timing, his physicality, and the growth he made this summer. He’s protecting the paint. I would also say he’s living at the rim on both ends. He’s guarding the most shots at the rim, but he’s also blocking the most shots. He’s putting a fear on players. At the same time, he’s more active. He’s changed his shot diet. He’s rolling. He’s at the rim. He’s comfortable finishing through contact with his left hand and right hand. He’s using more physicality to get to the free throw line as well.
“… I think (he’s) pretty close (to being All-Star worthy). When you put him statistically with most centers in the league, especially the centers in the East, if you put a blindfold on it and didn’t have the picture and the name, I think his stats would speak volumes. He would be really considerable.”
On Cam Whitmore‘s productive meeting earlier this season with head coach Brian Keefe:
“(Keefe) basically sat him down and asked him what type of player he wants to be known as and what type of career he wants to have, and who those types of players are. So let’s work on the habits that those players have and basically emulate how they’re playing. I think he bought in, and I’m looking forward toward getting him healthy and back on the floor.”
On whether he expects the Wizards to be a playoff team in 2026/27:
“Next season, I wouldn’t put the ‘playoff’ word out there. We want to get incrementally better every day. I think if we keep up with the work that the guys have put in and continue to develop as players, they’ll rise to the occasion when they’re ready. I know we have a competitive group. So they’ll want to do that sooner rather than later.
“We won’t hold them back. We’ll let them compete and get after it. But I don’t think we’re at the point where we’re ready to push the button, rev the engine, and say it’s a ‘full go.’ We’ll let these young guys develop on their own time. That’s what I’ve done in my past. That’s what (team president) Michael (Winger) has done in his past. We’ll continue along that route.”
Kings’ DeRozan Discusses Trade Rumors, Desire To Contend
When DeMar DeRozan joined the Kings in the summer of 2024, the team was coming off 48- and 46-win seasons and was looking to take another step toward contention. Instead, the team endured a difficult 2024/25 season that included a head coaching change, a De’Aaron Fox trade, and a sub-.500 record. This season has been even worse, with Sacramento off to 12-35 start and not close to a playoff spot.
While DeRozan isn’t pushing for a change of scenery, the 36-year-old made it clear in a conversation with Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee that he’d like to be playing more meaningful games, especially since he’s not sure how many more seasons he has left in the NBA.
“For me, it’s not like I’m playing another 10 years, so you definitely want to maximize your time and give everything you’ve got left to playing for something,” DeRozan said. “I don’t think that part of it is a secret, whether it’s here or wherever.”
DeRozan has changed teams three times in his NBA career, twice in a sign-and-trade and once in a standard trade. However, he has never been involved in a mid-season deal. That’s a real possibility this season, with the Kings looking ahead to the future and reportedly open to inquiries on most of their veterans, including DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Malik Monk.
“When things ain’t going right, that’s what happens,” DeRozan said of the trade rumors. “When you’re not winning, that’s what happens. It just comes with the game. You’ve still got to go out there, do your job and compete. We’ve still got to separate that part of it, still have a love for the game and still go out there and compete.”
DeRozan continues to be a valuable offensive weapon in his 17th NBA season, having averaged 18.8 points per game on .506/.351/.870 shooting. Those shooting percentages are all well above his career rates. His contract is also relatively team-friendly — he’s earning $24.6MM this season and his 2026/27 salary isn’t fully guaranteed.
Still, there have always been questions about DeRozan’s defense, and his deal does include a $10MM partial guarantee for ’26/27, which would compromise a team’s flexibility to some extent. Those factors could work against the Kings getting a trade offer they like for the veteran wing.
While he waits to see if he’ll be on the move on or before February 5, DeRozan says he’s committed to doing what he can to help Sacramento turn things around.
“I think everybody understands you want to have an opportunity to compete, an opportunity to win, but you have to go about the situation the right way,” he told Anderson. “Granted, it’s tough right now. Nobody wishes to have this record we have, but I’ve always been the one to stick through the hard times. It’s always easy to say you want to be in a better situation, but you’ve got to deal with the cards that are dealt and make the best out of them.”
And-Ones: Thibodeau, Dunk Contest, McClung, Buzelis, More
Tom Thibodeau isn’t coaching anywhere this season after being let go by the Knicks during the offseason, but the 68-year-old isn’t planning to transition into retirement. Appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio on Monday, Thibodeau told Frank Isola of The Starting Lineup that he’d like to coach again.
“I love the game,” Thibodeau said (Twitter link via Steve Popper of Newsday). “Obviously I’m preparing for the next opportunity. So hopefully I’ll be ready for it.”
This is only the third season since 2010 that Thibodeau hasn’t been the head coach of an NBA team. He coached the Bulls from 2010-15, sat out the 2015/16 season, coached the Timberwolves from 2017-19, and sat out in ’19/20 before being hired by the Knicks in 2020. That pattern suggests he’ll be on the lookout for a new head coaching job this spring.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Three-time slam dunk contest champion Mac McClung won’t be returning to defend his crown in 2026, his father Marcus McClung confirmed to Anthony Olivieri of ESPN. “Not going to be four in a row,” Marcus said in a text message. “Not one reason that I could say that was the main reason. In my opinion it is more like a bunch of reasons that just pointed to him not doing it.” The 27-year-old guard, who is playing for the Windy City Bulls this season, tweeted, “But since we prepared for it…I’ll be releasing the dunks we came up with after the contest.”
- Bulls forward Matas Buzelis was invited back to the dunk contest after taking part last season, but turned down the invitation, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “They did ask me, but unfortunately I’m going to decline this year,” Buzelis said. “I’m trying to listen to my body and this stretch of games coming up is going to be very important for us. Hopefully I get invited another year because I would love to do it. … It’s a lot of work to prepare for the dunk contest and I didn’t even prepare as well as I should have last year. Probably had two practices to practice my dunks. It takes a toll on your body.”
- Keith Smith of Spotrac previews the trade deadline for the 15 teams in the Eastern Conference, laying out each club’s position relative to the cap, tax, and apron levels, its notable trade exceptions and tradable draft picks, a potential deadline strategy, and the most likely player to be moved.
- John Hollinger of The Athletic takes a closer look at Illinois guard Keaton Wagler, writing that a breakout freshman year has turned Wagler from an unheralded recruit into a surefire 2026 lottery pick.
Wizards Sign Skal Labissiere To 10-Day Deal
11:35 am: Labissiere’s 10-day contract is official, the Wizards confirmed in a press release.
8:14 am: The Wizards have agreed to sign big man Skal Labissiere to a 10-day contract, agent Daniel Hazan tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
A first-round pick in 2016, Labissiere appeared in 148 regular season games from 2016-19 for Sacramento and Portland, averaging 7.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per night.
The former Kentucky standout subsequently spent several years out of the NBA, playing in the G League and Puerto Rico before earning another shot with the Kings last season. He appeared in four games with the club while on a 10-day deal last March, seeing his first NBA action in over five years.
Labissiere returned to the G League this fall and has been playing very well for Washington’s affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go. In 26 total games, he has averaged 19.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, and 2.1 assists in 31.0 minutes per contest, with an excellent shooting line of .554/.441/.857.
The Wizards have been carrying an open spot on their 15-man roster since making their two-for-one trade for Trae Young earlier this month, so no corresponding roster move will be necessary to sign Labissiere. Assuming it gets finalized today, his 10-day deal will run through next Thursday (February 5), though the Wizards could cut it short early if they need that roster spot to accommodate a trade-deadline move.
Labissiere will earn $153,330 over the course of his 10-day contract, while Washington carries a cap hit of $131,970. If he’s signed ahead of Tuesday’s matchup vs. Portland, the 6’10” center could be active for up to six games for the Wizards before his deal expires.
Trade Rumors: Kuminga, Kings, Lakers, Rockets, Bulls
While Jonathan Kuminga is still very much on the trade block, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. remains unwilling to make a bad deal just to satisfy the forward’s trade demand, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN. According to Slater, multiple team sources have suggested to ESPN that Kuminga is less likely to be dealt in the wake of Jimmy Butler‘s season-ending ACL tear.
While that could just be posturing from a front office looking to regain leverage, there will presumably be less urgency in Golden State to make a win-now move using Kuminga’s salary, since Butler’s injury significantly limits the team’s ceiling this season. Additionally, head coach Steve Kerr spoke multiple times in the past about how he found it difficult to play Kuminga alongside Butler and Draymond Green due to spacing concerns — with Butler sidelined, there’s a clearer path to regular minutes for Kuminga.
On top of that, it remains to be seen whether any teams will make a serious play for Kuminga prior to the February 5 deadline. The Kings have been his top suitor for several months, but the Warriors have maintained that they aren’t interested in taking back a player owed money beyond this season, such as Malik Monk or DeMar DeRozan, Slater writes.
According to Slater, some Warriors sources are optimistic that Kuminga will be able to return from his knee injury and rejoin the rotation prior to the trade deadline, before the team has to make a decision on his future.
We have more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- Dave McMenamin of ESPN confirms that the Lakers have explored the possibility of trading their lone tradable first-round pick (in either 2031 or 2032) for multiple less valuable first-rounders, as previously reported. Phoenix made a similar move last season in a deal with Utah. The idea would be to give the Lakers more flexibility to make multiple trades using first-round picks, rather than waiting for the perfect opportunity to use their most valuable remaining draft asset.
- The Rockets raised eyebrows last summer when they made Clint Capela a priority in free agency, adding the veteran center to a frontcourt that already featured Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams. But with Adams facing an extended injury absence, Houston is once again mulling the possibility of adding another big man, either on the trade market or in the buyout market, Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports reports. The Rockets have a top-five offense this season in large part due to their NBA-best offensive rebounding numbers, which have been fueled by bigger lineups.
- While the Bulls have widely been regarded as probable deadline sellers, they’re only 1.5 games out of a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race, and Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report has heard from multiple sources that Chicago would like to improve its playoff chances this season. The Bulls also want to add young, athletic players who can become part of their core alongside Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis, Pincus adds.
- In an expansive trade deadline primer, ESPN’s Bobby Marks divides the NBA’s 30 teams into eight tiers, breaking down how each club will approach the deadline, along with their most notable assets.
Central Notes: Cavs, Ball, Wade, Vucevic, Walker
Cavaliers wings De’Andre Hunter and Dean Wade have generated some interest on the trade market, and opposing teams continue to check in with Cleveland to see whether the club would be open to breaking up its “core four” of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
However, according to Fedor, the Cavs’ front office has consistently conveyed that it’s not interest in a significant shake-up and that it believes a healthy version of the current roster is capable of contending in the Eastern Conference.
As a result, Fedor believes any major roster changes are more likely to happen in the offseason, though he can envision Cleveland making a smaller deadline deal, perhaps involving Lonzo Ball. The veteran point guard hasn’t been the impact reserve the Cavs hoped he would be, and his contract – which includes a $10MM team option for 2026/27 – could appeal to a team seeking more cap flexibility this offseason.
One possible target for the Cavs is Naji Marshall, according to Fedor, who says Cleveland is among the teams to express interest in the Mavericks forward. While a deal centered around Ball and Marshall may intrigue the Cavs, Dallas is reportedly seeking at least a first-round pick for the veteran wing, and it’s unclear if Cleveland wants to give up its lone movable first-rounder (either 2031 or 2032) at this time, given the club’s up-and-down performance this season.
We have more from around the Central:
- Describing Dean Wade as “unheralded and overlooked” in a separate story for Cleveland.com (subscription required), Fedor says the veteran forward is one of the Cavaliers‘ best defenders and is a critical connector in some of their most effective lineups. “He’s the ultimate glue guy,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “That’s the cliche everyone uses but it’s true.” Wade is extension-eligible through June 30 and will reach unrestricted free agency if he doesn’t sign a new deal by then.
- Bulls center Nikola Vucevic recognizes that it could be an active trade deadline in Chicago, given that more than half the roster is on expiring contracts. Still, as Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times relays, Vucevic referred to his teammates as a “great group” and said he’d welcome the opportunity to finish the season with them. “There are a lot of guys that have a chip on their shoulders and want to prove people wrong because we’ve been doubted,” the big man said. “I would like to see what we can do and where we can go this year, but the front office has to make decisions and we all understand that.”
- A big offseason is on tap for Pacers forward Jarace Walker, who will be extension-eligible beginning in July. With that context in mind, it bodes well for the 22-year-old that he’s playing some of the best basketball of his NBA career this January, including setting a new personal high with 26 points in Oklahoma City against the league’s best defense last Friday. “This is an enormous moment for him in his young career,” head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required). “He just showed all the things that he can do out there. From the shooting to the driving to the defense to the rebounding to passing. It was great to see that.”