Collin Sexton

Southeast Notes: Whitmore, Coulibaly, F. Wagner, Howard, Sexton

November 12th, 2025 at 7:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets were thrilled when Cam Whitmore was still on the board at No. 20 in the 2023 draft, but his two seasons in Houston were marked by inconsistent playing time with occasional flashes of brilliance. With the Wizards visiting Toyota Center tonight, coach Ime Udoka told reporters there was a “number crunch” working against Whitmore, writes Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle.

“We’ve kind of always had depth since I’ve been here, and he kind of got caught in that shuffle,” Udoka said. “And then just some of the things we stressed offensively, defensively for improvement we wanted to see (from) him and he’d be a little up and down with that. But happy for the opportunity he’s getting now and hopefully takes advantage of that.”

It likely would have been even harder for Whitmore to earn regular minutes in the wake of the Kevin Durant trade, so the Rockets opted to deal him to Washington in July in exchange for a pair of second-round picks. Whitmore got off to a slow start with his new team, but he has scored 19 and 20 points in his last two outings.

“Going to a new situation with a young team, it’s going to take a little bit of time, and just him being young in his career as well, but (he has) all the talent and potential in the world,” Udoka said. “And so just to kind of see what he did the last two games, and that’s what Cam has done when he gets regular opportunity.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Wizards coach Brian Keefe said forward Bilal Coulibaly is making progress toward returning from a bruised left calf, per Varun Shankar of The Washington Post (Twitter link). Shankar adds that Coulibaly was doing “limited work” at the end of this morning’s shootaround. He’s missing his fourth straight game tonight, and Keefe didn’t offer a timetable for when he might be ready to play.
Magic forward Franz Wagner plans to wear a mask “for a couple games, probably” after suffering a broken nose on Monday, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Wagner wasn’t listed on the injury report for tonight’s game in New York, and his teammates aren’t surprised that he decided to keep playing. “He looks savage with the mask,” Paolo Banchero said. “Unfortunate that he has the nose injury, but Franz is a warrior. He’s not going to sit out for nothing. I didn’t even know he broke the nose.”
Jett Howard has barely been used for most of the season, but he played 19 minutes in Monday’s win over Portland, Beede adds in the same piece. The forward’s NBA future is uncertain after the Magic declined his fourth-year option, but he’s determined to find ways to help the team. “I’m just trying to stay mentally level as much as possible and just control what I can control,” Howard said.
Collin Sexton has been a valuable addition for the Hornets, but hasn’t been seeing many minutes during crunch time. Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer explores the reason for that.

Injury Notes: Ball, Sexton, Finney-Smith, Sabonis, LeBron

November 7th, 2025 at 7:45pm CST by Rory Maher

After initially being listed as questionable with a right ankle impingement, Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball was subsequently downgraded to doubtful and then out ahead of Friday’s matchup in Miami (All Twitter links via the team). It’s the third straight absence for the former Rookie of the Year, who has battled numerous ankle injuries over the past few years.

“Yeah, he’s got that ankle impingement and it’s been good to see he’s been able to get a little bit of work on the court,” head coach Charles Lee said of Ball, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “And I think every day he feels a little bit better. He’s joined some team activities, which is great. So, the goal is to have him available for as many games as possible this year.

“And so I think that we’re just trying to take a day-by-day, day-to-day approach and a process. He’s got a plan in place, and he’s getting better every day.”

The Hornets were also without Collin Sexton on Friday, as the veteran guard is dealing with a neck strain he sustained on Tuesday in New Orleans. Lee said Sexton, who also chipped his tooth during the hard fall, went through Friday’s shootaround but he didn’t feel like he was ready to play, Boone writes. Lee is optimistic Sexton will return soon, Boone adds.

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

Free agent addition Dorian Finney-Smith has yet to make his Rockets debut as he continues to recover from offseason ankle surgery. It doesn’t sound like the veteran forward is particularly close to suiting up, as Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle tweets. “He’s getting non-contact work in, and got to see how the ankle responds to an increase in the load there,” head coach Ime Udoka said. “And so don’t really have a timeline.”
Kings center Domantas Sabonis will miss his second straight game on Friday due to a left rib contusion, as first reported by Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) and later confirmed by the team (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat). It will be the fourth overall absence for the two-time All-NBA big man, who missed the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick provided an injury update on superstar forward LeBron James on Friday, per Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (Twitter links). James, who is working his way back from sciatica on his right side, has done one-on-one work with coaches after being cleared for contact activities and will continue to ramp up from there. There’s also a chance the 21-time All-Star could practice with the Lakers’ G League affiliate at some point, according to Redick, though that’s still tentative.

Hornets’ Collin Sexton Discusses Leadership, Contract, More

October 19th, 2025 at 11:17am CST by Rory Maher

Veteran guard Collin Sexton has quickly emerged as a leader for a young Hornets team, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Both the Hornets and Sexton are trying to create a winning culture in Charlotte, and head coach Charles Lee appreciates the 26-year-old’s willingness to speak up.

“Yeah, he’s not afraid to just communicate,” Lee said. “I think, number one, everyone sees how hard he works every day, and so he’s already leading by example. And then so when he does want to speak up, because he’s so passionate and competitive, he’s earned their respect. So, he’s able to just be very vocal, very upfront with them. And they all know that it’s from a place of love, it’s from a place of competitive joy and that they’re really responsive.

“I think that our whole group, though, is learning how to communicate with one another in a positive way to kind of help us just keep moving in the right direction. So, I love what he’s done. He’s really helped bring a little bit more intensity to sometimes that starting unit. Especially on the defensive end where he sets a tone on the primary ball-handler and allows the other guys to kind of follow suit.”

Sexton, who was acquired over the summer in a trade with Utah, says leadership is something that comes naturally to him, according to Boone.

“I would say since I got here, I always try not to say I’m trying to fit in — just got to continue to be me,” Sexton said. “I feel like that’s the biggest thing. Continue to be me and continue to walk with confidence. And confidence brings leadership. At the end of the day, leading by example is something that I’ve done since coming into the league and even in college and through high school.

“So I feel like that’s something that I felt like that was a need of the team, and I felt like that was a way I can come in and impact right away is bring leadership and bring those qualities, because at the end of day when things are going south and things aren’t going well, we got to have someone that can bring the guys back together. And I feel like that’s something that I can do.”

Sexton is entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him nearly $19MM in 2025/26. While that could be a potential distraction, Sexton tells Boone he’s focused on being present.

“I would say controlling each and every day, coming out here and being grateful and being thankful to be able to lace my shoes up, be able to go out and play with this organization,” Sexton said. “At the end of the day, I’ve got to be where my feet are. I can’t look two weeks in advance, I can’t look two months in advance. I have to take it day-by-day. That’s it. It’s not tough because I’m grounded by faith. I’m grounded by the Lord, and I know my family is behind me. And I feel like when I’m grounded by those two things, then there’s nothing impossible.”

Sexton also spoke to Boone about playing with LaMelo Ball, bonding with Ball and Brandon Miller, and more. The full interview is worth checking out if you’re a fan of Sexton and/or the Hornets.

Hornets Notes: Knueppel, Miller, McNeeley, Kalkbrenner, Plumlee

October 6th, 2025 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Two spots in the Hornets‘ starting lineup are uncertain as the regular season approaches, and coach Charles Lee indicated they could be flexible for a while, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Moussa Diabate was the starting center for Sunday’s preseason opener against Oklahoma City, while rookie Kon Knueppel got the nod at small forward.

“I spoke with Tre (Mann) and Kon and Collin (Sexton), and I said, ‘I think you guys need to be prepared to start a lot of different ways and we’ll see how the season goes,’” Lee said. “I think that each one of them has had really high moments or really good bright spots and have shown that they learned to be out there and have a significant role. And all three I think will have a significant role. And every night it might look a little bit different and they need to be open minded to it. And so (Sunday), trying to just get some data on what lineups I think work well defensively, what lineups work well offensively and we’ll keep kind of carving out what we think makes the most sense for our team on a night-to-night basis.”

Knueppel, the fourth pick in this year’s draft, led Charlotte in scoring with 18 points, shooting 6-of-13 from the field and 4-of-10 beyond the arc. He’s eager to launch his NBA career and isn’t concerned about whether he’s used as a starter or a reserve.

“I think it doesn’t really matter,” Knueppel said. “I think we’re all going to contribute a bunch or all three of us will. So, just depending on the matchups each night, we want to start out on their guard heavy. Maybe he goes to one of those guys just depending on the matchup. But I think we’ll all get similar playing time every game.”

There’s more from Charlotte, all from Boone:

Sunday night marked Brandon Miller‘s return to the court for the first time since he tore a ligament in his right wrist in January. Boone notes that Miller didn’t show any lingering effects from the injury, throwing down a pair of dunks with his right hand and driving into the lane with no fear of contact. “Just getting that feel back,” Miller said. “I haven’t played basketball with my guys in a long time, so I would say just getting the feel back and building that confidence and bond that we have with our teammates, just being that stronger every day.”
Rookies Liam McNeeley and Ryan Kalkbrenner also saw significant minutes in their debuts Sunday night. They both displayed a mix of inexperience and positive plays, and Lee was encouraged by what he saw. “I think everyone got to see what these kids are about,” he said. “Our young rookies, they’re fearless, they don’t back down. Their competitive spirit, their winning spirit, they’re coming up with offensive rebounds, they’re diving on the floor for loose balls. There’s a physicality, there’s a togetherness.”
Mason Plumlee joined the team on Sunday after missing nearly a week with an excused absence. He participated in warmups but didn’t play as Lee gave the minutes at center to Diabaté and Kalkbrenner.

Southeast Notes: Bane, D. Smith, Hawks, Wizards, Hornets

September 26th, 2025 at 7:50am CST by Luke Adams

New Magic swingman Desmond Bane feels good about how he’ll fit alongside star forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, telling Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.com that he thinks his skill set “complements those guys very well” and will help “open up the floor for them to attack and do their thing.” Bane also pointed to Orlando’s roster versatility when asked why he’s confident about the team’s ability to be a contender in 2025/26.

“I think we can play so many different lineups,” he told Medina. “We have so many different handlers. We have so many different screeners. We have guys that can get baskets one-on-one when the game slows down and you get into crunch time. So we really have a lot of tools on this roster.

“It’s always easy to talk this highly at this time of the year. But once you get into December, some guys are playing well, some guys aren’t, some guys are in the rotation, some guys aren’t. That’s when teams really have a choice to come together or split. So we have a long way to go. It’s a long journey. But we got good people in the building and people that work hard and care. So I think that gives us a chance. That’s all you can ask for.”

Bane will be playing for a new team for the first time since entering the NBA in 2020 — he spent his first five professional seasons with the Grizzlies, who traded him to Orlando in June. Speaking to Medina, the 27-year-old made it clear he harbors no ill will toward his former team for ending their relationship over the summer.

“I’m rooting for Memphis 80 games out of the year,” Bane said. “I hope they do well. I got a lot of guys out of there that are up for contracts and things like that. So I want it to work out for them and that they get everything that they deserve. So I’m looking forward toward seeing how they do, and hoping for the best of them. There’s no bad blood at all.”

We have more from around the Southeast:

Heat guard Dru Smith, who tore his Achilles last December, has resumed five-on-five work, a league source tells Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). Smith re-signed with Miami this summer on a three-year, minimum-salary deal, though only the first season is guaranteed.
The Hawks put out a press release this week announcing several hires and promotions in their basketball operations department. Most notably, Brittni Donaldson has moved from an assistant coaching role to the front office as Atlanta’s director of basketball development, methodology, and integration, while Mychel Thompson (Klay Thompson‘s brother) has been hired as a pro scout.
While Wizards general manager Will Dawkins assured fans on Wednesday that the front office has a “very clear vision” for its rebuild, he offered few specifics about the plan to turn the team from one of the league’s worst into a legitimate contender, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. With that in mind, Robbins reads between the lines of Dawkins’ comments in an effort to highlight the primary components of the Wizards’ approach to rebuilding, including casting a wide net for young talent, maintaining financial flexibility, and doing a good job scouting their own players.
In a mailbag for The Charlotte Observer (subscription required), Rod Boone explains why he views Collin Sexton and Mason Plumlee as strong candidates to start for the Hornets and evaluates whether an in-season Miles Bridges trade is likely, among other topics.

Hornets’ Josh Green, Grant Williams To Miss Training Camp

September 20th, 2025 at 12:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Hornets wing Josh Green and forward Grant Williams will both miss training camp as they continue to recover from their respective injuries, head coach Charles Lee recently told reporters, including Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

Green underwent left shoulder surgery in June, while Williams tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee last November.

According to Boone, Lee said both players are making progress, but neither has a specific timeline to return, though Williams is apparently a little further along in his recovery.

Given that Green and Williams miss training camp, which begins September 30, it’s possible neither player will be active for Charlotte’s regular season opener on Oct. 22.

Here are few more items of interest from Boone’s story:

In addition to making on-court strides this offseason, Brandon Miller has also impressed Lee by becoming a vocal leader, Boone writes. In particular, Miller has been mentoring fellow 2023 first-round pick Nick Smith Jr. Miller is another Hornet whose ’24/25 season was cut short — he underwent right wrist surgery in January. He said in late July the wrist was close to fully healed.
Lee wants LaMelo Ball to become a locker-room leader as well and thinks trade addition Collin Sexton will help with that, per Boone. While Lee said Ball has made strides on defense, he still wants the team’s highest-paid player to be more consistent on that end of the court.
Each of Charlotte’s 2025 draft picks — Kon Knueppel, Liam McNeeley, Sion James and Ryan Kalkbrenner — will receive minutes during the preseason, according to Lee, who thinks big man Kalkbrenner could eventually have a career similar to Brook Lopez.

Charles Lee Talks Hornets’ Offseason

August 15th, 2025 at 6:08pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Hornets have had a busy offseason.

They traded Jusuf Nurkic to the Jazz for Collin Sexton and a second-round pick and drafted Kon Knueppel, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Sion James, and Liam McNeeley, who was selected with a pick that came over after trading Mark Williams to the Suns. They also added Pat Connaughton, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Mason Plumlee, either via trade or free agency, and retained free agent Tre Mann.

After getting only 74 combined games out of franchise cornerstones LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, the latter of whom is nearly fully recovered from wrist surgery, they will also be hoping for some better health luck this season.

Head coach Charles Lee went on Charlotte sports radio station WFNZ to discuss the team’s moves, preview the rotation outlook, and provide some injury updates.

Lee talked about the addition of Sexton, what was attractive about him from Charlotte’s standpoint, and what he will bring to the team this season.

“[Hornets’ general manager Jeff Peterson] and his group, they’re just so well prepared,” Lee said. “… They understand what we need to do from a roster depth and balance standpoint, too. And I think, as they were approached with the situation, they broke it down, they prepared like they usually do, they chopped it up, and figured out what makes sense for our team going forward.

“I’ve been very excited about Collin Sexton joining our group. From afar, I’ve always witnessed him competing at a really high level. Since he’s been with our group and around our group, he’s elevated the intensity. He’s definitely a sociable and in-your-face type guy, but I love it. I think he’s going to add a lot to our group and our culture.”

When asked about the influx of guards to the roster, which now features Ball, Sexton, Knueppel, Mann, Dinwiddie, James, and Nick Smith Jr., Lee expressed excitement about the possibilities presented by having so many players capable of handling the ball.

“I think we had a pretty good roster last year, but this year we are definitely a little more versatile,” he said. “Having so many guards and so many competitors with high basketball IQ, it’s gonna help us be able to play in a lot of different ways. If we watch the league, everybody’s playing a lot faster, it’s becoming a lot more positionless, and so I think with this versatility that we have of our roster, having a lot more guards, having a lot more ball-handlers that can help us hopefully create some more open shots. I’m really excited to see how it all comes together.”

Charlotte’s center rotation in the wake of the Williams trade remains a question mark, but Lee seemed confident in the various looks the different big men can bring to the team.

“We can play a lot of different ways this year, having Plumlee, having Kalkbrenner, having [Moussa Diabate], it allows you to be in center field sometimes or be able to switch. It’s a good balance,” he said.

Specifically addressing the offseason addition of Plumlee, who is expected by some to begin the season as the starting center, Lee said the Hornets are getting a player with “a ton of experience” who understands what it takes to win.

“He’s been used as a starter, he’s been used as a role player coming off the bench. He’s going to be able to adapt to whatever we need, I think that he’s going to be able to give a lot of corporate knowledge of the NBA,” Lee said. “He’s a professional, he’s in every day, focused on his body, focused on improving in the weight room, and even however many years he’s been in the league now, he understands and has a growth mindset, which is really important, I think, for our group and being open minded.”

Lee went on to praise the two younger big men who will play alongside Plumlee too.

“I think Moussa had a phenomenal opportunity this summer,” Lee said. “He’s continued to grow, he’s one of our great success stories from a player development standpoint, and his all-in and commitment to trying to be better, try to be the most versatile and energetic big that he can possibly be. And we saw what Ryan brings in Summer League. I think he’s gonna be able to play both sides of the court at a really high level. I see a lot of Brook Lopez in him.”

Finally, Lee shared injury updates on Grant Williams, who has been rehabbing after tearing his right ACL and meniscus, and Josh Green, who underwent shoulder surgery this summer:

“I think both guys have been attacking their rehab plans really well. I always have to give credit to our performance staff and to our coaching staff. They work so well together in putting together these roadmaps for our guys to be able to return to play. Both guys are making really good progress.”

However, when it came to their respective returns to action, he stopped short of any definitive proclamations.

“I can’t put a timetable on it as of right now of when they’ll be back, but they are making positive strides, and I’m just really happy with how they show up every day, how they’re attacking their rehab,” Lee said. “You take a couple steps forward and then all of a sudden you might have a step back, but I think that their mindset has been not to let that slow them down, and they’re really focused on trying to be around the team and get back to the team as soon as they can.”

Southeast Notes: Sexton, AJ Johnson, Richardson, Saleh

July 19th, 2025 at 9:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Collin Sexton feels reinvigorated by the offseason trade that sent him from Utah to the Hornets, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer (subscription required). Sexton is only 26, but he’ll be a veteran leader in Charlotte, where he hopes to help mold his new teammates into a playoff contender.

“Super excited,” he said. “Super grateful for the opportunity. Ready to come in and help build the culture and just be a leader right away. I feel like the last couple of weeks practicing and stuff, it’s been a lot of fun but also getting used to the guys.”

Sexton, who will make $18.9MM in the final year of his contract, should bring more scoring punch to the offense. He averaged 18.4 PPG in 63 games last season while shooting 48% from the field and 40.6% from three-point range. He also brings a high level of competitiveness, which coach Charles Lee is happy to add to the team.

“At times he would stare me down during games as the opposing coach or scout coach, and he’s always looking for some fuel to get him going,” Lee said. “So, when he first got here, I made sure to remind them of that, ‘Like, don’t be looking at me crazy like that anymore or your minutes are going to suffer now.’ But it’s great. I’m so glad to have him on our side.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Wizards limited their top Summer League players to two games, which put a larger spotlight on AJ Johnson, observes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post (subscriber link). Johnson finished the season strong after being acquired from Milwaukee in February, and he welcomed the chance to showcase his skills in Las Vegas. “I think it would be hard for us to find anybody who’s not wearing a Wizards uniform out here that can stay in front of AJ Johnson,” coach J.J. Outlaw said. “Such a talented player; he can settle for his midrange, but getting downhill is his thing.”
Even though the Magic were winless in Summer League play, they’re encouraged by the performances of rookies Jase Richardson and Noah Penda, as well as second-year player Tristan Da Silva, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). Richardson, a first-round pick out of Michigan State, served as Orlando’s lead ball-handler and averaged 16.5 points and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 50% from three-point range. “He played two really tough, physical teams and he did a heck of a job commanding our offense, getting his teammates involved when he needed to and looked to score when he needed,” coach Ameer Bahhur said. “Defensively, for his first taste of NBA minutes, he did a great job of matching physicality and battling.”
Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh talks about adapting to his new job and the importance of Summer League for the team’s young players in an interview with Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link). Saleh also said he appreciated seeing several Hawks veterans attend Summer League games to support the club’s youngsters. “It’s always great seeing our vets and our new guys kind of mesh together,” Saleh said. “It was really cool seeing, like, guys sit all together courtside and spend some time at different events that were going on in Vegas. So, it’s just fun. We got a good vibe about us, and everybody’s in a good place. I just feel like that will translate over to the season, hopefully.”

Eastern Notes: Sexton, Holland, Anthony, Embiid, Bassey

July 17th, 2025 at 9:09pm CST by Luke Adams

In a wide-ranging interview with Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer (subscription required), Hornets head coach Charles Lee spoke about the offseason additions to the roster, why he’s comfortable with the team’s frontcourt options, and how he expects LaMelo Ball to take another step forward as a leader next season, among other topics.

Discussing newly acquired veteran guard Collin Sexton, Lee suggested that the 26-year-old’s “fearlessness” and “competitiveness” are traits that stand out and joked that he’ll be expecting different treatment from Sexton during games now that they’re on the same side.

“From afar, he was very competitive. At times he would stare me down during games as the opposing coach or scout coach, and he’s always looking for some fuel to get him going,” Lee said. “So, when he first got here, I made sure to remind them of that, ‘Like, don’t be looking at me crazy like that anymore or your minutes are going to suffer now.’ But it’s great. I’m so glad to have him on our side.

“… I already appreciate so much of what he’s kind of giving to our group,” Lee continued. “Seeing him do group workouts with Melo, them having conversations, I just think is really important for our group to continue to grow. And he’s going to be a big part of that with his work ethic and then also with his competitiveness.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

While Ron Holland has been impressive all around for the Pistons during Summer League play, with averages of 21.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.0 steals per game in three outings, his three-point shooting has perhaps been the most encouraging part of his performance, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required). It’s a small sample, but Holland has knocked down 7-of-15 threes (46.7%) after making just 23.8% as a rookie. “I feel like me and Freddie V have been in the gym, for sure,” Holland said on Sunday, referring to Pistons assistant coach and shooting guru Fred Vinson. “There’s no secret behind that.” Shawn Windsor of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required) also weighs in on Holland’s strong Summer League play, suggesting that the Pistons should be very encouraged by what he has shown.
Cole Anthony‘s new one-year contract with the Bucks is worth the veteran’s minimum, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Anthony will earn $2,667,947 on the deal, while Milwaukee carries a cap hit of $2,296,274.
In a fascinating, in-depth feature, Dotun Akintoye of ESPN gets some candid comments out of Sixers star Joel Embiid, who discussed the media narratives that have followed him around, his altercation with local columnist Marcus Hayes, and his (successful) quest to find out who leaked details about a team meeting last fall, among many other topics.
Big man Charles Bassey has left the Celtics‘ Summer League team, as Souichi Terada of MassLive.com relays. Bassey’s deal with Boston only covered three games in Las Vegas, as he had other summer commitments. The former San Antonio center – who doesn’t yet have a contract in place for 2025/26 – performed well in Vegas, averaging a double-double (15.3 PPG, 11.0 RPG) and shooting 70.4% from the field.

Scotto’s Latest: Rollins, Hornets, Bucks, Ayton, Valanciunas

July 4th, 2025 at 1:35pm CST by Luke Adams

After having his qualifying offer withdrawn by the Bucks earlier this week, free agent guard Ryan Rollins is drawing interest from a handful of teams around the NBA, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who says the Suns, Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Lakers are among the clubs with Rollins on their radar.

A reunion with Milwaukee also hasn’t been ruled out either, Scotto reports. Even after rescinding his qualifying offer and making him an unrestricted free agent, the Bucks are in position to hang onto Rollins’ Early Bird rights, which would allow them to go over the cap to re-sign him after they use up all their room.

Portland still has its $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception available, while San Antonio and Los Angeles have the $5.1MM bi-annual exception on hand, Scotto writes. However, the Suns could only offer more than a minimum-salary deal if they shed salary — perhaps via a Bradley Beal buyout agreement.

Rollins had a modest breakout year this past season, registering averages of 6.2 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game, along with a shooting line of .487/.408/.800. He had only made 25 appearances across two NBA seasons prior to 2024/25.

Here’s more from Scotto:

Examining the Hornets‘ roster crunch, Scotto identifies Josh Okogie and DaQuan Jeffries – who are on non-guaranteed contracts – as candidates to be waived if no trade opportunities involving them arise. Executives who spoke to HoopsHype also view former first-round pick Nick Smith Jr. as a player who could be traded. That applies to veterans on expiring contracts like Pat Connaughton and Collin Sexton as well.
Before he agreed to re-sign with the Hornets, point guard Tre Mann received interest from the Bucks, Scotto reports. Milwaukee is in the market for additional point guard depth after losing Damian Lillard to an Achilles tear and subsequently planning to waive him.
Echoing reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania, Scotto says that teams who reached out to Trail Blazers officials for feedback on Deandre Ayton got positive reviews on the big man, who was a “community staple in Portland and hosted many team bonding events.” Reporting from The Athletic had suggested that Ayton’s attitude and bad habits played a part in the decision to part ways with him.
Addressing the Jonas Valanciunas situation, Scotto notes that the Nuggets have tried to acquire the veteran center for the past couple years and have envisioned him playing a significant role if he reports to Denver, giving superstar Nikola Jokic more opportunities to rest. Amid rumors that Valanciunas is traveling to Greece and hopes to sign with the EuroLeague club Panathinaikos, Scotto hears that the 33-year-old is expected to address the situation soon.

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