Collin Sexton Fined $35K For Inappropriate Gesture
In one of the most unusual fines in NBA history, Bulls guard Collin Sexton was docked $35K for making an inappropriate gesture on the playing court, the league office tweets.
The incident occurred with 1:31 remaining in the third quarter of the Bulls’ 123-115 loss to Brooklyn on Monday. Sexton missed a free throw, then made the second attempt. As the ball was being inbounded by the Nets, Sexton stared at the rim and made a middle finger gesture toward it.
Sexton was appearing in just his second game with Chicago after being traded by Charlotte last week. He finished the night with 21 points and five rebounds in 32 minutes.
The fine is only a small portion of Sexton’s $18,975,000 salary. He’s a free agent at the end of the season.
Bulls Notes: Sexton, Buzelis, Dillingham, Simons
The Bulls overhauled their roster by making seven trades ahead of last week’s deadline, but the new-look team is focused more on competing than rebuilding, Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune writes in a subscriber-only story. Seven new players were on the court Saturday against Denver, and even though they had barely practiced together as a group, the Bulls held a seven-point lead going into the fourth quarter before the game slipped away.
“We definitely can be very special,” said Collin Sexton, who was acquired from Charlotte on Thursday. “I feel like for us to have one walk-through and to go out there pretty much jelling and making the right reads and doing this together. … It was super fun. At the end of the day, I know something good is coming.”
The Bulls had lost five of their last six games heading into the deadline, and management had no interest in being a perennial play-in team any longer, according to Sullivan. The purge was framed as “a stage” rather than a full rebuild, with more significant moves expected this summer.
The long-range plan is to build around young talent like second-year forward Matas Buzelis, who is viewed as a franchise cornerstone. Coach Billy Donovan said Buzelis got a “taste of this (league) as a business” at the deadline and was “still processing” all the moves that took place.
“It’s tough, of course, but at the end of the day you’ve just got to accept what happens,” Buzelis said. “That’s just what it is. I’m happy to see these guys here. I think we’ve got something special and we can make it work, but it’s tough, losing all my brothers. It is what it is, and you’ve got to accept it. … Those guys are always going to be part of my circle. They impacted me as a player. I’m never going to forget the relationships I’ve built with them over the years. They were great vets to me.”
There’s more from Chicago:
- Donovan’s up-tempo offense is a better fit for Rob Dillingham than he had in Minnesota, observes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times (subscription required). The No. 8 pick in the 2024 draft, Dillingham wasn’t able to crack the Wolves’ rotation, but he played a season-high 22 minutes on Saturday, finishing with nine points and setting up teammates for two impressive alley-oop dunks. ‘‘At times, we’ve struggled to get downhill,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘He’s the one guy, when the ball is in his hand, that can really break people down, play off the dribble and put some pressure on the basket.’’
- With a $27.7MM expiring contract, Anfernee Simons understands that the next few weeks will help to determine his NBA future, Cowley adds in a separate story. Simons plans to take the same approach he did when he was traded to Boston last summer. “I think even before [the trade], it was always going to be a job interview with this being the last year of my contract,” he said. “I’ve just got to make the most out of these last couple of months here, start building chemistry with the guys and see where that goes.”
- Sexton talks about serving as a veteran leader for the young roster in an interview with K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (YouTube video link).
Hornets Acquire Coby White From Bulls
11:21 pm: The trade has been finalized, the Hornets announced (via Twitter).
2:01 pm: The Hornets and Bulls have agreed to a trade that will send guards Coby White and Mike Conley to Charlotte, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
In exchange, Chicago will acquire guard Collin Sexton, forward Ousmane Dieng, and three second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. Dieng is technically still a member of the Thunder, but is reportedly being traded to Charlotte in a deal involving center Mason Plumlee. Oklahoma City is sending the Hornets a second-round pick along with Dieng in that side deal, tweets Charania.
White, who will turn 26 later this month, is a talented scorer who has averaged 19.5 points per game since becoming a full-time starter at the beginning of the 2023/24 season. He has also averaged 4.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds per night over the course of 182 outings during that stretch, with a .448/.369/.859 shooting line.
Although White entered this winter as one of the Bulls’ prime trade candidates, his value has been negatively impacted by calf issues that have limited to 29 games this season, as well as his contract situation.
The veteran guard is on an expiring $12.9MM expiring deal, meaning his maximum extension with Chicago would have been worth $87MM over four years — he reportedly conveyed to the team prior to the season that he wouldn’t be signing an extension and would take his chances on earning a more lucrative payday in unrestricted free agency.
With teams viewing White as a possible rental, the Bulls were unable to extract a first-round pick for him on the trade market, but they did secure three second-rounders, which will be either the Nuggets’ or Hornets’ 2029 pick (whichever is least favorable), the Nuggets’ 2031 pick, and the Knicks’ 2031 pick, according to Zach Lowe of The Ringer (Twitter link).
The Hornets will presumably look to re-sign White, a North Carolina native who played his college ball at UNC, but Conley likely won’t spend long on Charlotte’s roster. He’s viewed as a buyout candidate, and since he’ll be traded twice this week, he would be eligible to return to the Timberwolves without running afoul of the NBA’s rule preventing a waived player to return to the team that traded him away. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line highlighted this potential outcome for Conley earlier today.
The Bulls, meanwhile, could have more moves up their sleeves in the next 24 hours, since they’ll still have a logjam in their backcourt. Sexton will join a group that features Josh Giddey, Ayo Dosunmu, Jaden Ivey, Anfernee Simons, and Tre Jones.
Siegel’s Latest: MPJ, Warriors, Murphy, Giannis, Wolves, Magic
The Warriors had internal discussions about the possibility of pursuing Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. but received indications that the asking price would be higher than they’re comfortable with, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. The Lakers also aren’t expected to pursue Porter, Siegel writes, since they’re not looking to take on that sort of a big-money contract at this time (Porter is owed $40.8MM in 2026/27).
The Nets have conveyed to potential trade partners that they’re comfortable keeping Porter beyond this season, per Siegel, so if their asking price isn’t met, there’s a good chance he’ll remain in Brooklyn through the trade deadline.
While a Porter deal doesn’t seem likely, Siegel says the Warriors remain on the lookout for wings and have been linked to veterans like DeMar DeRozan of the Kings and old friend Andrew Wiggins, who was sent to the Heat in last season’s Jimmy Butler trade. It remains to be seen whether Miami will look to move Wiggins, but there’s still “a lot of mutual love” between the former No. 1 overall pick and the Warriors, who won a title together in 2022, Siegel notes.
Of course, the Warriors’ interest in Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III has been an open secret for months, and they’ve made him multiple calls about him this season, sources tell ClutchPoints.
Rivals believe New Orleans’ asking price for Murphy would be multiple first-round picks and a young player or two, says Siegel, but it’s unclear if the Pelicans would move him even if that price is met — they’ve reportedly told teams they don’t intend to. The Raptors are another team that has inquired on Murphy, Siegel reports.
Here are a few more highlights from Siegel’s latest league-wide rumor roundup:
- Although Giannis Antetokounmpo has said on the record that he has no intention of ever asking the Bucks to trade him, many people around the NBA still believe it’s only a matter of time until the two sides split, Siegel writes. There’s a sense it could happen in the offseason, which is one reason why several clubs want to hang onto their top trade assets. “It really seems like he’s made up his mind already,” an Eastern Conference executive told ClutchPoints. “But this is Giannis we are talking about, and he’s very careful with the words he picks when talking to the media because he doesn’t want to be painted as the villain in Milwaukee. And if we are being honest, he shouldn’t be, no matter if he requests a trade or not. He may not have directly requested a trade, but everyone knows what’s going on there. It’s basically just who will break the silence and actually say it is time to move on. Giannis doesn’t want to be that guy, and that’s understandable.”
- The Timberwolves are widely expected to address their backcourt in a deadline deal, with Magic guard Tyus Jones, Kings guard Malik Monk, and Hornets guard Collin Sexton among the players they’ve been connected to, per Siegel. Charlotte has conveyed that it would want at least one asset of value (ie. a draft pick or young player) in a Sexton deal, Siegel adds.
- There’s a belief that the Magic are open to moving Jones, forward Jonathan Isaac, and/or center Goga Bitadze, according to Siegel, who suggests Orlando could acquire second-round capital and 2026/27 cap relief in a deal involving Bitadze. The Magic are operating about $5.6MM above the luxury tax line, so they could look to duck the tax altogether by trading one or more of those players, whose salaries range from $7MM (for Jones) to $15MM (for Isaac).
Clippers Rumors: Sanders, Miller, Paul, Brown, Zubac, Collins, More
One of the Clippers‘ primary goals at the trade deadline will be to create the roster and cap flexibility necessary to promote Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller from their two-way contracts to the standard roster, according to Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.
The Clippers are currently operating about $1.15MM below their first-apron hard cap, with 14 players on full-season standard contracts (Patrick Baldwin Jr. is on a 10-day deal). They’ll need to move off of at least one of those 14 players in order to create roster space for both Sanders and Miller, who are nearing their active-game limits.
Point guard Chris Paul and forward Kobe Brown are the top trade candidates to watch, Azarly writes. While waiving either player would open up a roster spot, it would leave that player’s full salary on the Clippers’ books. Moving off of Paul’s or Brown’s contract in a trade would be necessary to create enough breathing room below the hard cap to sign both Sanders and Miller to new deals sooner rather than later.
For what it’s worth, the Clippers have already used their full mid-level exception and don’t have a bi-annual exception this season after using it in 2024/25. That means that if they want to offer Sanders or Miller a salary worth more than the minimum, they would need to use their $2.68MM disabled player exception, which can only be used for a one-year contract. A minimum-salary offer would be capped at two years.
Here’s more on the Clippers:
- Azarly adds the Hornets to the list of teams that have inquired on Ivica Zubac but says the Clippers haven’t shown any real interest in moving their starting center. Sources tell ClutchPoints that one team put an unprotected first-round pick and a pick swap in an offer for Zubac, but didn’t get anywhere in negotiations.
- Although the Clippers had some talks earlier in the season about big man John Collins, they’re less interested in moving him at this point, Azarly writes. Collins has played well during the team’s recent hot streak, averaging 15.6 points in 28.1 minutes per game on .675/.635/.792 shooting in his past 14 outings.
- Azarly says the Clippers aren’t “actively shopping” veteran guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, though I’d be surprised if the team isn’t very much open to the idea of trading him. Bogdanovic has been limited to 16 games and hasn’t played since December 26 due to health issues, and is averaging career lows in several categories, including points per game (8.0) and field goal percentage (37.6%).
- Hornets guard Collin Sexton, Celtics guard Anfernee Simons, and Bulls guard Coby White have each been linked to the Clippers in recent days, per Azarly, who notes that the club could use another ball-handler and play-maker to help out James Harden and Kawhi Leonard on offense.
LaMelo Ball, Lauri Markkanen Reportedly Not Expected To Be Traded
A pair of former All-Stars are not expected to be traded ahead of the February 5 deadline, league sources tell Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. According to Siegel, LaMelo Ball of the Hornets and Lauri Markkanen of the Jazz are considered likely to stay put with their respective teams through the remainder of the regular season.
Siegel says Charlotte will have discussions about Ball’s future with the organization in the offseason, and points out that there are several promising guards in the 2026 draft who could potentially be his long-term replacement if the Hornets choose to go that route.
Ball, 24, is on a maximum-salary contract that runs through 2028/29. He’s averaging 19.9 points, 7.8 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals on .413/.374/.878 shooting through 29 games this season (27.8 minutes per contest).
According to Siegel, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel are the only untouchable Hornets, with the front office open to listening to offers on anyone else on the roster. Siegel hears veteran guard Collin Sexton, who is on an expiring $19MM contract, has drawn interest from several teams.
As for Markkanen, the Jazz view him as part of their core and they want to be more competitive in 2026/27, Siegel writes. While injured center Walker Kessler has generated “plenty” of trade interest, he’s also viewed as an important part of the team and is not expected to be moved in the next few weeks, Siegel confirms.
Through 32 games, Markkanen is averaging 27.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steals on .483/.365/.892 shooting. He’s also on a lucrative long-term deal that runs through ’28/29.
Hornets Notes: Knueppel, LaMelo, Miller, Kalkbrenner, Williams
Hornets wing Kon Knueppel has been one of the top rookies in 2025/26, but he’s far from content. The 20-year-old tells Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer he’s always looking for ways to level up his game on both ends of the court.
“I think an area to grow is definitely being more disruptive defensively,” Knueppel said. “I tend to be where I’m supposed to be, tend to keep my guy in front of me. But can I maybe get a few more deflections? And I think that comes with a little bit more anticipation, being more aware of that. What play is going to happen before it happens and then those will come.
Knueppel, the fourth overall pick of last year’s draft, played 1,189 minutes over 39 games in his lone season at Duke. He’s currently at 1,186 minutes through 36 NBA games, and says his body is holding up well so far.
“I feel good,” Knueppel told Boone. “There’s a lot of nicks and bruises and things, but I luckily haven’t had anything major. Had the little chip fracture in the pinky early in the season, stuff like that. But yeah, the body’s holding up. Been really proactive with the recovery stuff and the training staff are doing a great job.”
Here’s more from Charlotte:
- The Hornets had a good chance to win their third straight game on Wednesday vs. Toronto, leading by as many as 13 points, but wound up losing by one after an Immanuel Quickley game-winning three. LaMelo Ball was limited to just five minutes in the fourth quarter, and head coach Charles Lee explained why that was the case after the game, according to Boone. “I liked how that group (with Collin Sexton and Sion James in the backcourt) was playing,” Lee said. “Just trying to be a little bit mindful of where we are in a back-to-back and our allocation of minutes to put us all in the best position to be healthy. So, I thought that group did enough to kind of keep us in it, keep it close. And it’s helped us kind of extend some leads at times too, with their defensive aggressiveness and Collin’s ability to knock down the three. I thought he scored it at a pretty good clip tonight, too, and was able to get to the paint, which was something that we were lacking at times. So, just a tough decision that I have to make.”
- As Boone writes in the same story, Lee also provided injury updates on Brandon Miller (left knee contusion), Ryan Kalkbrenner (left elbow sprain) and Grant Williams following Wednesday’s game. Lee suggested the team was just being cautious with Miller’s knee on the front end of a back-to-back — the third-year wing is probable to suit up on Thursday vs. Indiana. Kalkbrenner, meanwhile, will miss his ninth straight game against the Pacers. “Yeah, Ryan is going to be OK,” Lee said. “He’s been making really good progress. … We’ll continue to evaluate him after every team activity he does and in on-court sessions, but I do think he’s trending in a good direction.”
- As for Williams, the veteran forward is 13-plus months removed from a torn ACL in his right knee and appears to be in the final stages of his rehab. “Grant’s obviously been out for an extended period of time with his injury now, has been able to be more involved in team activities and five-on-five play, and so far he’s responded really well,” Lee said, per Boone. “But when you’ve missed that much time from basketball, we want to make sure that we’re reintegrating him into game play at the appropriate time.”
Hornets Notes: Play-In Prospects, Sexton, Kalkbrenner, Williams, Knueppel
The Hornets are still on the outside of the Eastern Conference play-in picture, but they’ve won six of their last 12 games and their confidence is rising after Tuesday’s victory over Washington, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes in a subscriber-only story. At 10-20, the Hornets are two games behind Milwaukee and four-and-a-half behind Chicago in the race for the final play-in spot, but they’ve survived some early injuries and believe they’re ready to challenge for a postseason berth.
Head coach Charles Lee cites improvements on defense as the reason for the better play of late.
“I think some of it’s our defensive intensity,” he said. “I feel like our defensive continues to get better. The games that we win, our defensive rating is usually in a really good spot. And then offensive, I feel like ever since the game at Brooklyn, we’ve done such a better job of trusting the pass, playing the pass. I come up here a lot of games now and I’m talking about how many assists we had on how we made field goals. And it’s a testament to our overall pace. But also guys getting out of screens, our execution in the half court and our execution in the early offense is really good.”
There’s more from Charlotte:
- Collin Sexton returned Tuesday after missing nearly three weeks with a left quadriceps strain, Boone adds. He came off the bench to score 12 points in 16 minutes. “We always talk a ton around here about competing and what that looks like,” Lee said. “And you can compete in a lot of different ways, but Colin just never stops. I think defensively and offensively, he’s always thinking about how can I win every possession and how can I be impactful in every possession. I love the boost that he gave us from a spirit and a competitiveness standpoint.”
- Ryan Kalkbrenner missed a second straight game with a sprained left elbow, and his status is uncertain for Friday’s contest at Orlando. Lee tells Boone that the medical staff is “still just trying to figure out what the plan is going to be” for the rookie center.
- Grant Williams handed out Christmas gifts to Hornets employees this week, but he wasn’t able to provide any clarity on when he might be able to play again, Boone states in a separate story. The veteran power forward is still recovering from a right ACL tear he suffered early last season. “It’s all about making sure that I come back to build this team up to compete and win,” Williams said. “So, capability. I feel great right now, but at the same time understanding that we have a plan. We have a plan that we’re approaching, and who knows when that date comes around? But whenever it is, I feel like I’ll be at my best self and be able to give 110% to this roster, to this team, and be able to show off for this organization. Because we’re trying to turn this thing around the right way and I wouldn’t want to do it anywhere else.”
- Kon Knueppel set an NBA record on Monday by becoming the fastest player to reach 100 made three-pointers, Boone adds in another piece. It only took Knueppel 29 games to reach the milestone, 12 fewer than Lauri Markkanen, the previous record holder.
Trade Rumors: Sexton, Wolves, Pelicans, Hawks, Bagley
Although the Hornets are willing to discuss potential trades, they still hope they can contend for a play-in spot and aren’t looking to simply sell off veterans, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). According to Fischer, veteran guard Collin Sexton and his expiring $19MM contract looks like Charlotte’s most logical trade candidate.
Minnesota is one team that has done its homework on Sexton, Fischer says, explaining that the Timberwolves appear to be trying to get a sense of their range of options at the point guard spot as they seek an upgrade on their current options. While sources tell Fischer that the Wolves are adamant about not including budding star Jaden McDaniels in any deals, rival executives suspect the back-to-back conference finalists will be more aggressive on the trade market than most other Western contenders.
As Fischer explains, teams like the Thunder, Nuggets, Rockets, and Spurs aren’t considered likely to make in-season splashes, so the only other club currently in the top six of the West that figures to be actively seeking meaningful upgrades is the Lakers. And it remains to be seen whether they’ll be able to acquire the sort of three-and-D player they’d love to add.
Here are a few more NBA trade rumors:
- As coveted as Pelicans forward Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III are, sources believe they’re unlikely to be moved at the trade deadline, writes Brett Siegel of Clutch Points. Rival scouts view Jose Alvarado, Saddiq Bey, Jordan Hawkins, and Jordan Poole as New Orleans’ more likely trade candidates, in that order, per Siegel.
- Although the Hawks have checked in on Mavericks big man Anthony Davis, there has been no momentum in those talks and there’s a sense that Atlanta is more likely to target a lower-salary replacement if the team builds a deal around Kristaps Porzingis‘ expiring contract ahead of the deadline, says Siegel. One hypothetical proposal put forth by league personnel would see the Hawks target a package like Nikola Vucevic and Coby White from the Bulls, though there’s no indication that the two teams have explored that sort of trade, Siegel clarifies, noting that it’s just an example of the type of move that would likely appeal more to Atlanta than going after someone like Davis.
- Siegel singles out Wizards big man Marvin Bagley III as a player to watch ahead of the deadline, writing that he has begun generating interest from teams looking to fortify their frontcourts.
Injury Notes: Markkanen, Davis, Lakers, Grizzlies, Mann
Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen is likely to miss his second straight game on Saturday vs. Orlando, with Utah officially listing him as doubtful due to right groin injury management (hat tip to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune).
The 28-year-old is off to a strong start to the 2025/26 campaign, averaging a career-high 27.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steal on .469/.352/.893 shooting through 24 games (35.3 minutes per contest). Second-year big man Kyle Filipowski started Thursday’s loss to the Lakers with Markkanen out.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Mavericks big man Anthony Davis battled through an illness and a left calf contusion in Thursday’s overtime victory over Detroit, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. “Still feel under the weather,” said Davis, who finished with 15 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks in 37 minutes. “I actually threw up twice during the game, but I’m just trying to compete. I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help the team win. Just leaving it all on the floor.” Davis was returning from a one-game absence due to the calf issue.
- The Lakers will continue to be without starters Austin Reaves (left calf strain) and Deandre Ayton (left elbow soreness) for Saturday’s contest at the Clippers, tweets Dan Woike of The Athletic. Forward Rui Hachimura is questionable to suit up due to right groin soreness.
- An eye-popping nine Grizzlies will be unavailable for Saturday’s game in Washington, the team announced (via Twitter). A pair of two-way players (GG Jackson II and Jahmai Mashack) are on a G League assignment, but the other seven players — including Ja Morant (left ankle sprain) and Vince Williams Jr. (left knee soreness) — are out due to injuries.
- Hornets guard Tre Mann could return to action on Saturday in Detroit, having been listed as probable to suit up (Twitter link via the team). Mann has missed the past seven games, with his most recent injury designation being a right knee bone bruise. Pat Connaughton (right calf strain) is questionable for Charlotte, while Collin Sexton is doubtful as he continues to deal with a left quad strain.