Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors

Latest On Donovan Mitchell’s Ankle Injury

May 12th, 2025 at 4:46pm CST by Eli Cohen

4:46 pm: Mitchell is officially listed as questionable to play on Tuesday, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star tweets.

1:02 pm: Donovan Mitchell‘s status for Tuesday’s critical Game 5 remains a source of uncertainty for Cleveland. The star guard missed the second half of the Cavaliers‘ Game 4 blowout loss to the Pacers after feeling discomfort in his left ankle while going up for a warm-up shot during halftime, as we relayed on Sunday night.

After the game, head coach Kenny Atkinson announced that Mitchell would be undergoing an MRI on the injured ankle, but the Cavs guard expressed optimism about his outlook, telling reporters, “I will be good for Tuesday,” per The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, that’s not yet a certainty.

“I’m told he had an MRI today. He’s been diagnosed essentially with a re-aggravation of an ankle injury that he’s been dealing with,” Charania reported on the Pat McAfee Show on Monday (Twitter video link). “So he re-aggravated his ankle, and I’m told it’s expected that he’s gonna be a game-time decision for Game 5.”

The Cavaliers have dealt with a litany of injuries during their second-round series against the Pacers, but got their banged-up regulars back in action for Game 3. Still, despite a clean injury report entering Game 4, Cleveland remains concerned about the toe injury that kept Darius Garland out of the final two games of the team’s first-round series against the Heat and first two games against Indiana.

With the Cavaliers returning home to Cleveland down 3-1, the potential loss of Mitchell would be a major blow to the team’s hopes of getting back into the series.

Donovan Mitchell To Undergo MRI On Injured Ankle

May 11th, 2025 at 10:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell didn’t play after halftime in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Pacers due to a left ankle injury. As Jamal Collier of ESPN writes, Mitchell was listed as doubtful to return, and with Cleveland facing a staggering 41-point deficit at the half, there was little urgency to get him back out there in the third or fourth quarter.

According to Collier, Mitchell felt discomfort in his left ankle when he came back out on the court to warm up ahead of the third quarter. The six-time All-Star stopped in the middle of a shot attempt and the Cavs’ training staff came on the court to check out the injury before he returned to the locker room.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters after the game that Mitchell will undergo an MRI on Monday to assess the severity of his left ankle issue (Twitter link via Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files).

It’s a bleak development for the Cavaliers, who entered Sunday’s game with a clean injury report and were looking to even the series at two games apiece before heading back to Cleveland for Game 5. Instead, the Pacers dominated the game from start to finish, ultimately winning by a score of 129-109 to take a 3-1 series lead.

The status of Mitchell, who was already playing through a calf issue, will be of paramount importance for Cleveland ahead of Tuesday’s Game 5. He had led the Cavaliers with an eye-popping 41.3 points per night through the first three games of the series. He was also contributing 6.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per contest and was a +29 in his 107 total minutes entering Sunday’s game.

Injury Notes: Towns, Hauser, Garland, Dillingham, Tyson

May 11th, 2025 at 7:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns appeared to suffer a hand or finger injury in Saturday’s Game 3 loss to Boston, but he was a full participant in practice on Sunday and isn’t listed on the injury report for Monday’s Game 4, per Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News and Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter links).

It’s positive news for the Knicks after both Towns and head coach Tom Thibodeau were cagey about the potential injury following Game 3. Towns is coming off his worst shooting game of the postseason, as he made just 5-of-18 field goal attempts on Saturday, including 1-of-5 three-pointers.

The only player on Monday’s injury report for either team is Celtics forward Sam Hauser, who has been upgraded to questionable after having been initially listed as doubtful and then downgraded to out for each of the past two games. While it remains to be seen if he’ll be active for Game 4, the new designation suggests he’s nearing a return.

“He’s getting there,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said on Sunday (Twitter video link via CLNS Media). “He’s getting better. He’s day-to-day.”

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

The three injured Cavaliers who returned for Game 3 – Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De’Andre Hunter – were no longer on the injury report ahead of Game 4 on Sunday evening. Although head coach Kenny Atkinson said the trio has recovered well in the past couple days, he identified Garland as the player the Cavs are still most worried about and whose minutes will be monitored the closest (Twitter links via Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star). “He’s doing what he can do. I’ll just put it that way,” Atkinson said of the point guard. “You saw it the other night. I got him in and out. It’s something he’s grinding through. There’s been a lot of stuff that’s gone into him playing.”
The Timberwolves‘ injury report for Monday’s Game 4 is clean, the team announced today (via Twitter). Rookie guard Rob Dillingham had been the only player listed on the injury report as of late due to a sprained ankle. He was upgraded to available for Game 3 and is now off the report altogether, though he’s unlikely to play outside of garbage time.
Nuggets forward Hunter Tyson, who has only played in garbage time during the postseason, was inactive for Game 4 on Sunday due to a right ankle sprain, according to the club (Twitter link).

Cavaliers Notes: Mitchell, Atkinson, Strus

May 11th, 2025 at 1:39pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Six-time All-Star Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell drew major praise from head coach Kenny Atkinson following a third consecutive impressive performance against the Pacers in their ongoing playoff series, this time in a win on the road, per Jamal Collier of ESPN.

Mitchell racked up 43 points in the Game 3 victory. That tally marked his second straight 40-plus point performance in the semifinal matchup and his third straight 30-plus point game.

“I thought he was masterful,” Atkinson said. “I don’t use that word hardly ever. He was masterful in the way he controlled the game — passing, making the right decision, defending. Probably, for me, best performance of the year.”

After missing All-Star guard Darius Garland for Games 1 and 2 (both losses), plus All-Star big man Evan Mobley and reserve forward De’Andre Hunter for Game 2, the Cavaliers brought back all three on Friday. Garland — playing for the first time since April 23 due to a big toe sprain — and Hunter didn’t contribute a ton of scoring, but Mobley notched an 18-point, 13-rebound double-double.

Cleveland went plus-27 during its 14 minutes with normal starters Garland, Mitchell, Max Strus, Mobley and Jarrett Allen playing together.

The Cavaliers employed some new tactical methods to slow down Indiana’s preferred pace-and-space offense, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. A zone defense seemed to disrupt the Pacers’ attack, helping cement a comfortable 126-104 win.

There’s more out of Cleveland:

Mitchell’s legend is growing in Cleveland, even with his team trailing 2-1, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The star guard is just the second Cavaliers player in team history to notch two consecutive 40-point contests. He was able to steady Cleveland when the club’s lead seemed to be in some jeopardy during the fourth quarter, much the way he did to preserve a victory in Game 2 of the Cavaliers’ first round playoff series against the Heat.
Atkinson also made a point to shout out Strus, perhaps the least heralded of the team’s starters, Vardon adds. Atkinson considers Strus the club’s “enforcer” and referred to him as “our forceful leader.” “Every game is going to ask for something different,” Strus said. “but I’ve had experiences, I’ve played in some big games, so I’m kind of just understanding the moment and keeping guys locked in.”
In case you missed it, Garland and Mobley both discussed the state of their injuries following the Game 3 victory.

Cavs’ Garland, Mobley Discuss Injuries After Game 3 Win

May 10th, 2025 at 10:59am CST by Rory Maher

After missing a little more than two weeks due to a left great toe sprain, All-Star point Darius Garland returned to action for the Cavaliers on Friday night in Indiana, playing an important role in a decisive Game 3 victory.

As Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes, Garland was clearly playing through pain and wasn’t at his best, registering 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting, three assists, four turnovers and four fouls in 25 minutes. However, his contributions went beyond the box score, as he handled the Pacers’ full-court defense well and took ball-handling and play-making pressure off Donovan Mitchell and Cleveland’s other guards.

After the game, Garland told Fedor the return timeline for his toe injury is typically closer to four weeks than two, but he was eager to suit up with the Cavs facing an 0-2 deficit.

“I just want to be out there for my guys,” Garland said. “Everybody put their bodies and their injuries on the line. We fought through it. Just going out there to win this series.”

Head coach Kenny Atkinson told Garland not to rush back from the injury, which sidelined him for past the four playoff games leading up to Friday’s contest. But he was thrilled the 25-year-old was able to play, even if it’s not a given he’ll be ready for Sunday’s Game 4.

“(Garland) is just playing through a lot of pain, quite honestly,” Atkinson said. “To get him to play this game, let’s just say there’s a lot that goes into it and he’s kind of taking one for the team here. I think he had to push through a lot. Hopefully, he recovers. Even if we get 15, 20 minutes from him, we need it. We need another ball-handler. He can create separation. He can create advantages, even if it’s not going to be perfect with the way his health is right now.”

The Cavs also had Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley (left ankle sprain) and forward De’Andre Hunter (dislocated right thumb) back for Game 3 after they both missed Game 2. Hunter continues to deal with pain and swelling on his palm, particularly when catching passes, Fedor writes.

As for Mobley, he looked the closest to 100% during the victory, finishing with 18 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks in 35 minutes. That wasn’t the case earlier this week though, as Mobley said he was wearing a walking boot and was unable to put weight on his ankle prior to Game 2, when he was listed as questionable before being ruled out.

“I really wanted to play (Game 2), but definitely couldn’t,” Mobley said, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN. “But after that loss, I wanted to get back as soon as possible and get out there. So I was just basically day to day seeing how it felt, how quickly I heal. Normally heal pretty quick, and from there just played it by ear.”

While the Cavaliers were pleased to win the game, they recognize they still have to dig themselves out of a hole to win the series.

“We haven’t done anything,” Garland said, per Fedor. “We’re still down a game, so we’ve got to come in here Sunday with the same attitude, same mindset, and same physicality that we played with today. Just bring it again on another level.”

Cavs’ Mobley, Garland, Hunter Available On Friday

May 9th, 2025 at 5:59pm CST by Rory Maher

5:59 pm: All three injured Cavaliers will be active for Friday’s Game 3, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Head coach Kenny Atkinson said during his pregame media session that there wouldn’t be a set minutes limit for Garland, Mobley, or Hunter, but that the team would make that decision over the course of the night based on “feel” and “communication” (Twitter link via Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star).

8:28 am: The Cavaliers played without three of their best players in Tuesday’s Game 2, in which Cleveland blew a seven-point lead with under a minute remaining to fall in a 0-2 hole in its second-round series vs. Indiana. Darius Garland has missed the past four games with a left great toe sprain, while both Evan Mobley (left ankle sprain) and De’Andre Hunter (dislocated/sprained right thumb) were injured in the fourth quarter of Game 1.

All three of the injured Cavaliers are officially listed as questionable for Friday’s Game 3 in Indianapolis, just like they were for Game 2 prior to being ruled out. However, two league sources tell Joe Vardon of The Athletic that the Cavs are optimistic the trio will attempt to suit up tonight.

“They participated in the walk-through and we’re hoping for the best,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said Thursday. “I think it’s frustrating for all of us, right? It’s no indictment on anybody, it’s just, injuries are a tough thing and you don’t really know unless you experience it yourself.”

As Vardon observes, even if the three players are able to play, it remains to be seen how effective they’ll be. A source tells Vardon that the swelling on Hunter’s thumb has decreased, but Mobley and Garland appeared to be hobbled during Thursday’s walk-through.

Sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com that Garland continues to deal with pain and swelling in his toe, which he aggravated in the team’s first-round series against Miami. The injury has made it “incredibly difficult” for the All-Star point guard to make any “sharp movements,” Fedor writes.

“He desperately wants to get on the court,” Atkinson said of Garland. “It’s just kind of in these situations I just kind of, I step back. I support him 100%, whichever way it goes. I think he’s probably like, ‘I’ve got to get to a certain point where I can compete at a high-intensity playoff level.’ That type of intensity is tough to simulate. I guess at some point hopefully he will get out there and try it. But obviously couldn’t run or anything.”

Central Notes: Haliburton, Nembhard, Cavs, Pistons, Bulls

May 7th, 2025 at 1:40pm CST by Luke Adams

One week after ending the Bucks’ season with a series-winning shot in the final seconds of Game 5, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton played the hero again on Tuesday vs. Cleveland. Haliburton’s three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left on the clock completed an improbable comeback for the Pacers, who were down by seven points with 50 seconds to play and now have a 2-0 series lead as they head back home.

“He enjoys the moments,” teammate Myles Turner said, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “He wants the ball in his hands. There’s a lot of guys I’ve seen, even guys I’ve played with, that doesn’t necessarily want to take that shot or doesn’t necessarily want to be in the mix right there, but he relishes in those moments. It’s just a testament as to his work ethic, his mental toughness, his mentality. Quite frankly — that boy cold, man.”

As Jared Weiss of The Athletic writes, Haliburton has always taken pride in his mental toughness and has made a habit of reading his mentions on social media when he’s not playing well, using criticism from online trolls as fuel to start playing better. However, the Pacers star recently admitted that he hit a low point last fall when he was dwelling on a slow start to the 2024/25 season that included a scoreless outing vs. New York.

“I (was) struggling to look at myself in the mirror. I’m struggling to show up to work and get to the gym. I’m trying to avoid coming to work,” said Haliburton, adding that he stopped seeking out the online criticism that typically motivated him. “… I didn’t want to tackle things head-on. I didn’t want to look at myself in the mirror. I was just trying to almost run from the spotlight. I’ve always been a guy who pushed into that, and I love being in that, so it was a weird feeling. I’ve never felt that insecurity before, and that was a reality check for me.”

According to Haliburton, who told Weiss he has gone to therapy for the last couple years, a candid conversation with trainer Drew Hanlen helped get him back on the right track and he started feeling more like himself after putting up 35 points and 14 assists in a revenge game vs. the Knicks a few weeks into the season.

Haliburton added that good conversations and strong relationships with fellow NBA stars like Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum have helped keep him in the right headspace and ensured he was unfazed when he was voted the NBA’s most overrated player last month in a player poll conducted by The Athletic.

“At some point, worrying about what my peers think only holds so much weight. I think my peers (whom) I really respect, that changes things,” Haliburton said. “For that poll, there’s no names to faces, it’s all anonymous. Having relationships with guys like Jayson and Joel, who are guys that I know at the top of the game, them being honest with me, that’s important. I respect their opinions more than anybody.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

While Haliburton has been the engine driving the Pacers‘ playoff success so far, his backcourt partner Andrew Nembhard has been showing why he shouldn’t be overlooked, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required) and Joe Vardon of The Athletic. A strong perimeter defender, Nembhard has been giving Indiana a major offensive boost as well, scoring 23 points in Game 1 vs. Cleveland and handing out 13 assists in Game 2. The team is a +31 in his 73 minutes for the series so far.
Already missing three key players (Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De’Andre Hunter) due to injuries on Tuesday, the Cavaliers were also getting a “banged-up” version of star guard Donovan Mitchell, who is playing through a calf strain, as Vardon writes for The Athletic. Mitchell nearly led Cleveland to a victory anyway, with 48 points and nine assists in 36 minutes, but he and the Cavs’ other regulars ran out of gas and blew a late lead in the game’s final moments. “I loved how we competed,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said after the loss, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). “We played our basketball, our identity. I thought we outplayed them. That’s the shame of this game. With fatigue comes decision-making. We had some poor decision-making plays at the rim, turnovers, a couple bad decisions. That was part of the collapse.”
Discussing the draft, Pistons general manager Trajan Langdon suggested the pool of available talent isn’t as deep as it might otherwise be due to the NIL benefits that have made college prospects more inclined to stay in school. Armed with only the No. 37 overall pick this year, Langdon suggested the team will consider trading up if there’s “a player we really like” and the cost isn’t prohibitive (Twitter links via Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press).
Arguing that it’s time for the Bulls to begin “hunting for big trades,” Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune (subscription required) evaluates whether or not the team could realistically make a play for Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo if he becomes available. Poe concludes that Chicago is a long shot for Antetokounmpo, but says the team could and should be ready to explore pursuing other stars who reach the trade block.

Mobley, Garland, Hunter Ruled Out For Game 2

May 6th, 2025 at 5:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and De’Andre Hunter have all been ruled out for Game 2 of the Cavaliers’ second-round series against the Pacers, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com tweets.

It’s a huge dilemma for the top seed in the Eastern Conference as they try to avoid going 0-2 in the series on Tuesday.

Mobley sustained a sprained left ankle in Game 1. Garland will miss his fourth straight game due to a sprained big toe on his left foot that has nagged him since the end of the regular season. Hunter suffered a dislocated right thumb in the series opener.

During his pregame press conference, coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t confirm that the trio was out, but stated that he and his staff made preparations for all scenarios.

“We’ve got to be ready for plan A, B, and C,” Atkinson said. “We’ve got a great group. We’ve got great leadership. We’ve always responded. Great maturity, great professionalism, and this is part of what we figure things out as a group. These experiences make you better, make you stronger as a group and we obviously have to respond on the floor, but liked our approach leading up.”

Ty Jerome, Sam Merrill, Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade are some of the players who will have to step up with a pair of Cavs starters and a top reserve unavailable.

Scotto’s Latest: Jerome, Caporn, Suns, NBAGL Elite Camp, Pelicans

May 6th, 2025 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Good health and the opportunity to play for newly minted Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson were the key factors that fueled Ty Jerome‘s breakout 2024/25 season, the Cavaliers guard recently told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

“Kenny empowers me to be aggressive every time I step on the court and to play my game,” Jerome said. “I’ve got the ultimate green light. He trusts his guards to be yourself with unlimited confidence. When good players are playing with confidence, good stuff usually happens.”

After finishing third in Sixth Man of the Year voting, Jerome appears poised for a nice raise in free agency, but it remains to be seen whether the Cavaliers will be in position to give him that raise. Cleveland’s team salary is on the rise, with the club projected to operate well into second-apron territory even before accounting for a new deal for Jerome.

According to Scotto, that has rival executives wondering whether Jerome will leave Cleveland in free agency or whether the team might make a cost-cutting move elsewhere in order to bring back the standout reserve. For his part, the 27-year-old guard would prefer to stay where he is.

“I think I have an amazing situation here with a coaching staff that empowers me and a team that empowers me,” Jerome told Scotto. “… Everyone wants to see each other succeed and empower everyone. That’s really rare. When you have that in the NBA, you don’t want to take it for granted. Yes, people want to get paid for sure, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t, but when you have that, you don’t want to take it for granted.”

Here are a few more highlights from Scotto’s latest NBA rumor round-up:

Scotto adds Wizards assistant Adam Caporn to the list of head coaching candidates expected to receive consideration from the Suns as they seek a replacement for Mike Budenholzer. Caporn, who previously worked in Brooklyn as a G League head coach and NBA assistant, is also the new coach of Australia’s national team.
Real Madrid big man Eli Ndiaye has declined an opportunity to take part in the NBA’s G League Elite Camp this weekend, according to Scotto, who says Iowa wing Payton Sandfort and Kentucky guard Lamont Butler are among the prospects not included on the initial list of invitees who have since received and accepted invitations. Real Madrid’s season in the Spanish League isn’t yet over, which is likely why Ndiaye is passing on his invite.
According to Scotto, the Pelicans are hiring Jason Hervey, who previously worked under Joe Dumars in Detroit as a video coordinator and director of player development. Scotto doesn’t provide specifics on Hervey’s new position in New Orleans, but notes that he has worked as an advance scout, a personnel scout, and a quality control coach for various NBA organizations since leaving the Pistons.

Thunder’s Sam Presti Named Executive Of The Year

May 6th, 2025 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

Sam Presti, the Thunder‘s executive vice president of basketball operations and general manager, has been named the NBA’s Executive of the Year for 2024/25, the league announced today (via Twitter). It’s the first time that Presti, who has run the Thunder’s front office since 2007, has earned the honor.

Presti, who built the Thunder around a young core led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams, made two notable moves last offseason to fortify the roster. He traded Josh Giddey to the Bulls in exchange for defensive standout Alex Caruso and signed big man Isaiah Hartenstein away from the Knicks in free agency.

Despite some injury woes that prevented Hartenstein and Holmgren from suiting up together until after the trade deadline, the Thunder dominated the NBA’s regular season in 2024/25, racking up a league-high 68 wins and recording a net rating of +12.7, one of the best marks in league history.

Oklahoma City ranked third in the NBA in offensive rating (119.2) and led the league in defensive rating (106.6) by a comfortable margin.

The Thunder, viewed as the heavy favorites to come out of the West this spring, remain well positioned to contend for years to come due not only to the talent already under contract but to their collection of future draft picks.

The Executive of the Year award is voted on by fellow team executives rather than by media members.

According to the NBA, Presti received 10 of 30 possible first-place votes and showed up on 22 ballots overall, earning 74 total points. He narrowly beat out Koby Altman of the Cavaliers (six first-place votes; 58 points) and Trajan Langdon of the Pistons (six first-place votes; 52 points), with Rafael Stone of the Rockets (four first-place votes; 38 points) coming in fourth.

A total of 13 executives showed up on at least one ballot, with Lawrence Frank (Clippers), Rob Pelinka (Lakers), Sean Marks (Nets), and Brad Stevens (Celtics) earning the remaining first-place votes. The full results can be viewed here (Twitter link).