Trail Blazers Notes: Avdija, Lillard, Clingan, Hansen, Arena
Deni Avdija didn’t really stand out in his first All-Star appearance — with five points, four assists and one rebound in 15 minutes — but being selected for the game confirmed to fans who may not follow the Trail Blazers closely that he’s one of the league’s best players, writes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Avdija also made history by becoming the first-ever Israeli-born All-Star, and he’s aware of his importance to his home nation.
“I have definitely worked hard, sacrificed a lot of my time to get to the best stage in the world,” he said. “And I feel like this is a dream come true for every kid that actually wants to play basketball. Having a whole country behind me, it’s just a blessing to represent it on the biggest stage in the world.”
Avdija showed promise during his four years in Washington, but his career really took off after being traded to the Blazers in the summer of 2024. He’s in the midst of his best NBA season, averaging 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists through 46 games, and Freeman notes that he’s one of just three players currently posting those numbers.
Avdija has grown to love Portland and sees his future there, Freeman adds.
“I definitely want to amplify a good culture into the organization,” he said. “I hope I’m going to stay in Portland. I love the city, the fans, and I think we’re in a good spot. I’m glad to be part of this rebuilding (effort) and I’m really seeing a bright future.”
There’s more on the Trail Blazers:
- Damian Lillard said that since his Achilles tear last spring he’s been consulting doctors, trainers and other players who’ve been through the same experience, including Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum and Rudy Gay, Freeman states in a separate story. He found their advice to be “more encouraging than discouraging,” and it gave him the inspiration to win the three-point contest on Saturday. “I do think I represent strength,” Lillard said. “We are athletes, so when we go through an injury, people act like it’s the end of the world because people are used to us being lifted up and everything being about us. But people go through way worse and they carry on and they continue to move forward. So, for me, it was more about representing strength for people.”
- Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen squared off as opponents during Friday’s Rising Stars event, Freeman adds in another piece. Clingan stated that they battle all the time in practice, but it was fun to compete with more people watching. “It just shows me the next step, to try to play on Sunday, to really just put the work in,” he said of the All-Star Weekend experience. “Obviously I’ll take a couple days off, get a nice little break, and then really just work for Sunday for the future.”
- The Blazers are appealing to Oregon state legislators for $600MM in public funding to upgrade the Moda Center before the team is sole to Tom Dundon, per Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (subscription required). There are growing concerns that the team might eventually leave Portland, although commissioner Adam Silver said over the weekend that there are no plans to move any existing franchise. Bill Oram of The Oregonian makes an argument for why the improvements are needed.
All-Star Notes: Richardson, Curry, Brown, Johnson
Jase Richardson says that he’s okay after suffering a bad fall while representing the Magic for the 2026 Dunk Contest.
“I’m good,” he said, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “I tried to go do a little 360 off the side of the glass, (but) my arm got caught on the side of the backboard.”
Richardson was eliminated in the first round after his backup dunk was given a 43.4 composite score.
“After taking a fall like that, I just had to move on from that dunk,” Richardson said. “It is what it is.”
Richardson took to social media after the contest to share a clip of how he intended the uncompleted dunk to look (Twitter video link).
Richardson had turned to his father, two-time Dunk Contest champion Jason Richardson, to help with his preparation for the event, Kurt Helin writes for NBC Sports, though Jase resisted wearing his father’s jersey during the event, wanting to forge his own path, according to Beede.
“I just wanted to do the contest and try to make it my own thing instead of everything having to do with my father,” the younger Richardson said.
We have more from around the All-Star festivities:
- Stephen Curry would like to return to the three-point contest next season, writes Taylor Wirth for NBC Sports, especially after Damian Lillard won for a third time this year — the Warriors star only has two three-point championships to his name. “I already scheduled it,” Curry said. “We’re going to bring some people: Me, Dame, I’m going to try and get Klay [Thompson].”
- Jaylen Brown is one player in favor of bringing a 1-on-1 competition to All-Star weekend, per ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill (via Twitter). “I’m actually a big fan,” the Celtics‘ All-Star said. “It’s the purity of the game. I would love to challenge some people here. Like Luka [Doncic], Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], Donovan [Mitchell]. We could donate to charity. Set it up.” The idea of a 1-on-1 tournament has been a popular discussion topic this weekend following the success of the women’s league Unrivaled’s 1-on-1 tournament, which was won by Aces guard Chelsea Gray.
- Keshad Johnson‘s journey from undrafted player to slam dunk contest champion for the Heat has given him a sense of gratitude, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “I beat the odds. I made it. I made it into the NBA,” he said. “I dreamed of every year I was watching the NBA dunk contest, I dreamed of being out there, putting on a show for everybody… I learned from all the people that came before me, paying homage to them, and now I’m here.” Johnson said he was just excited to be able to introduce himself to the wider basketball world, both as a dunker and as a person. “Now they know who I am,” he said.
Northwest Notes: Holmgren, SGA, CP3, Murray, Lillard
Rockets star Kevin Durant has grown close to Thunder big man Chet Holmgren over the years because they share a similar mindset, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscriber link).
“He wants to be great,” Durant told The Oklahoman. “It’s that simple. A lot of people don’t want to be great. They don’t want to leave their mark and have their name etched in stone with some of the greats in this league. He wants that. Every time he approaches his work, it’s that mentality. … His mindset is really what stood out to me.”
Holmgren, who will make his first All-Star appearance on Sunday, has always been ambitious but has learned to put individual statistics to the side in support of the team.
“I’ve played long enough and I have an understanding that when you try to force your way to things that aren’t a win, one, it usually hurts your team,” Holmgren said. “And two, a lot of times you don’t end up winning. … I still think I have to be aggressive, but it has to be within making the right play.”
We have have more from around the Northwest:
- At his media session on Saturday, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander discussed the impact Chris Paul had on his career (Twitter links courtesy of Martinez). The legendary point guard, who played one year with Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City, announced his retirement on Friday after he was waived by Toronto. “Chris was special for my career,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Off the court, he was the first person that I was around to really take care of their body and show me the importance of the weight room. … He was the first point guard that I studied. … He was the standard for a point guard. And obviously, fast forward a couple of years, he’s one of my closest friends. … Honestly, it’s sad the way it’s happened. I thought he would get his flowers a little bit differently, but that’ll never change what he’s done for this game. I’m proud of him. He’s been special. Hopefully I can get to that level of mastering the game of basketball.”
- Nuggets legends Alex English and Dan Issel think Jamal Murray‘s first All-Star appearance was long overdue, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “He should have been an All-Star before now, but I think part of the explanation is that he’s playing with the greatest player on the planet,” Issel said. “And I think that usurps, sometimes, what a great player he is. But when he needs to, he also steps up. … I don’t know that they’d be a championship-caliber team — it would depend who else was with Jamal — but I think he would be very successful if he was on a team where he was the No. 1 scoring option.”
- For his part, Nuggets star Nikola Jokic hopes to play with Murray for the rest of his career, Durando adds. “I would love it,” Jokic said, “just because it’s so good when you know who you’re playing with. He cannot really surprise me. I know what he can do. So the experience of playing probably 10 years definitely helps. But I don’t want to change him, if they ask me.”
- Damian Lillard‘s victory at the three-point contest — his third title in four years — doesn’t mean he’ll attempt to come back from his torn Achilles this season, according to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link). “I think if this was five years ago, I probably would have won this competition and been like, ‘I think I can get out there and go,’” the Trail Blazers guard said. “But I think I’m also at an age and time of my life where I recognize those emotions are not in my best interest. That’s kind of where it’s at.”
Damian Lillard Wins Three-Point Contest
Damian Lillard isn’t playing this season while recovering from a torn Achilles, but his jumper was still sharp enough to win Saturday’s three-point contest at All-Star Weekend, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic. Appearing on an NBA court for the first time since he suffered the injury last April 27, the Trail Blazers guard sank 10 straight shots at one point during the final round to defeat Devin Booker and rookie Kon Knueppel.
It’s Lillard’s third victory in the past four years and it ties him with Larry Bird and Craig Hodges, the only other three-time champs in the history of the contest, which began in 1986.
“Every day I’m up early in the morning warming up and shooting the ball, off the dribble, catch-and-shoot, every style of shot you can shoot. I’m shooting them every day, hundreds of ’em,” Lillard said. “So I knew that this would not be an issue for me. I can’t say I knew that I would win ’cause you just never know. But I knew I would be able to be strong out there and have a chance. I came in confident.”
Lillard was a surprise inclusion in the field of eight contestants because of the injury and his long layoff. He jokingly told a league official that he was ready to go, and he later got the opportunity when another competitor dropped out.
“It felt like a game for me,” Lillard said. “Coming into it, I was like, I don’t know if you can compete harder at a three-point shootout, but I definitely cared more. I didn’t come in, ‘Oh, it is what it is.’ I was like, ‘No, I’m trying to win.’”
Woike notes that the favorite of the L.A. crowd was Heat guard Norman Powell, who spent three years with the Clippers before being traded last summer. Powell scored 23 points in the first round before being eliminated along with Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Murray, Tyrese Maxey and Bobby Portis.
“I just ran a little bit of time,” Powell said, per Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel (subscription required). “I slowed myself down a little too much, because last year I was sped up and going through the course too fast, so kind of said I’m gonna calm down, relax. and take my time with my shots. But, in the end, I ran a little bit of time.”
Second-year Heat forward Keshad Johnson won the Slam Dunk Contest, defeating Carter Bryant in the finals. Jaxson Hayes and Jase Richardson were eliminated in the first round.
The Shooting Stars competition went to the Knicks‘ contingent of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Allan Houston, along with their celebrity passer, assistant coach Rick Brunson.
Blazers Notes: Roster Decisions, Lillard, Moda Center, Future
It’s unlikely that the Trail Blazers will make any roster decisions until after the All-Star break, Joe Freeman of the Oregonian reports (subscription required).
Two-way players Sidy Cissoko (49 games) and Caleb Love (44) are near their respective 50-game limits and would need to be signed to standard contracts to remain eligible for NBA contests. Portland already has a full 15-man roster.
Rayan Rupert and Matisse Thybulle are the players most likely to go if one or both two-way players get a promotion, Freeman writes. It’s also possible the Blazers may sign a veteran player who clears waivers.
Here’s more on the Blazers:
- Damian Lillard was joking around with Michael Levine, a marketing executive for the NBA, about participating in the three-point contest at All-Star weekend. When one competitor dropped out, the joke became a reality, as Jason Quick of The Athletic details. Lillard has been on the mend all season from the Achilles tear he suffered with Milwaukee during last year’s playoffs. “All-Star Weekend needs stars,” Lillard said. “People want to see stars competing.” Lillard said a challenge like this is just what he needs during the drudgery of injury rehab. “I need some competition,” he added. “I’ve just been working out, not playing, so I need some type of competition. I just need a bump.”
- Renovations could be coming soon to Moda Center, the team’s longtime arena. Efforts to secure public funding for renovations formally ramped up on Monday with the introduction of a bill in the Oregon Senate that drew widespread support from government leaders, including Gov. Tina Kotek, Bill Oram of The Oregonian reports. The bill will be sent to the Senate Committee on Rules and have its first hearing on Wednesday morning.
- Will renovations for the arena or the impending ownership change assure that the Blazers will remain in Portland long-term? Writing for The Oregonian, Oram says he isn’t so sure that the NBA considers Portland a major-league city or that city leaders prioritize sports and are willing to make the necessary investments.
NBA Announces Eight Participants For Three-Point Contest
The NBA has announced the eight-player field for the 2026 three-point contest, which will take place on February 14 at 4:00 pm CT (Twitter link).
Here’s the full list of participants:
Devin Booker, Suns- Kon Knueppel, Hornets
- Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers
- Tyrese Maxey, Sixers
- Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers
- Jamal Murray, Nuggets
- Bobby Portis, Bucks
- Norman Powell, Heat
Lillard’s inclusion in the competition is a surprise, as the nine-time All-Star will miss the entire season after tearing his Achilles tendon last April. The 35-year-old guard is a two-time winner of the three-point contest.
Booker is another former three-point contest champion, though he’s only shooting 30.7% from long distance this season, which represents a career low.
No. 4 overall pick Knueppel has a chance to become the first rookie to win the event, per the league. The former Duke standout has connected on 42.8% of his outside looks on high volume (7.8 attempts per game).
Portis is the only big man among the eight competitors. He has also been the most accurate three-point shooter in the field this season, converting 45.1% of his 4.3 attempts per game.
First-time All-Stars Murray (43.2% on 7.5 attempts per game) and Powell (39.3% on 7.2 attempts) are having strong seasons for their respective clubs. Mitchell (37.9% on 9.7 attempts) and Maxey (38.2% on 8.8 attempts) are the highest-volume three-point shooters in the field and are also the top two scorers.
Last year’s winner, Tyler Herro, is currently sidelined because of a rib injury. He declined an invitation to focus on his health over the All-Star break.
Trail Blazers Interested In Giannis Antetokounmpo
After reporting last week that Portland was intrigued by the possibility of facilitating a multi-team trade involving Giannis Antetokounmpo if the team could upgrade its roster in the process, Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) now hear the Trail Blazers have also expressed interest in acquiring the two-time MVP themselves.
According to Fischer and Stein, Portland’s front office recognizes Giannis is unlikely to sign a long-term extension with the Blazers, calling it an “extreme long shot.” The Stein Line duo reiterate that being involved as a facilitator in a multi-team deal where Portland acquires a different player (or players) is a “far more likely scenario.”
Rival teams think acquiring Blazers guard Jrue Holiday would help improve their odds of acquiring his former Bucks teammate Antetokounmpo, Fischer and Stein add. They continue to list Knicks wing Mikal Bridges as a player the Blazers like.
However, Fischer and Stein also point out that the Blazers have Holiday and Damian Lillard (another ex-Buck) on their roster, and both players are still close to the Greek star.
Portland controls Milwaukee’s first-round picks from 2028-2030 (one pick and two swaps) due to the 2023 trade that sent Lillard to Milwaukee and Holiday to Portland. Holiday was flipped to Boston at the time, helping the Celtics win the title in 2024, before being traded back to the Blazers this past summer.
The Blazers also control most of their own first-rounders and have promising young players like second-year center Donovan Clingan. In terms of assets, the Blazers could theoretically put together an appealing package for Antetokounmpo in the next five days, though they could also offer far more in the offseason. At that point, they’d have further clarity on their lottery-protected 2026 pick, the poison pill provision would no longer apply to Shaedon Sharpe, and Toumani Camara would be trade-eligible.
Northwest Notes: Valanciunas, Murray, Edwards, Lillard
The Nuggets‘ unfortunate run of injuries continued as Jonas Valanciunas limped off the court in the third quarter of Wednesday’s win at Toronto, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. It was a non-contact calf strain for the 33-year-old center, who was making his first start of the season due to a knee injury that will sideline Nikola Jokic for at least the next four weeks. Starters Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun are also recovering from injuries.
“I don’t know how serious it is. We’re just getting used to this,” coach David Adelman told reporters. “It just seems like every night, somebody has something. The cool thing about it is there’s somebody else to get an opportunity from it. And that’s how you have to look at it. Hopefully Jonas heals up correctly. Hopefully it’s not serious, just like I’ve said the other 19 times this month.”
Valanciunas was turning in a strong performance before being forced out of the game, with 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 23 minutes. He wore a walking boot as he left the arena, according to Durando, but was able to move under his own power.
“He was great. … He’s been sick,” Adelman said. “I saw a much different energy from him tonight. … If he ends up playing the 32 minutes I thought I was going to play him, you’re probably looking at 25 (points) and 12 (rebounds). That’s what he can do, especially when teams have small-ball lineups like (the Raptors) do.”
DaRon Holmes II played 22 minutes in just his fourth career game as Adelman only used eight players. Holmes figures to see extended minutes if Valanciunas has to miss time.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- With their roster currently depleted, the Nuggets are relying more than ever on Jamal Murray, who posted 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Murray, who’s among the NBA’s best players to never make an All-Star team, talked about the possibility of being selected for this year’s game, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet. “Obviously I’d love to be an All-Star, All-NBA, scoring champ, MVP,” he said. “I want to be all of them, right? But winning matters … if we win a championship but I don’t make All-Star … we win a championship …. that’s my mindset.”
- Anthony Edwards showed his displeasure during the Timberwolves‘ 24-point loss at Atlanta by throwing a towel in the air and walking to the locker room with about eight minutes remaining, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (subscription required). Edwards didn’t talk to reporters after the game, and coach Chris Finch said the action was inappropriate. “Obviously frustrated with the performance and rightfully so, but he needs to stay out on the floor and root for his team,” Finch said.
- Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard told Allie Slifton of the Road Trippin’ Show that his rehab is “going great” as he works his way back from an Achilles tear (YouTube link, hat tip to Real GM). “I think it’s just one of those injuries where you’ve got to take your time — you know, it takes what it takes,” Lillard said. “The first couple of weeks to maybe two or three months is kind of frustrating because you’re so limited. But with patience, giving yourself grace, and doing the things necessary to continue progressing, you get to a point where you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Northwest Notes: Kessler, Lillard, Wolves, Thunder
The Jazz lost Walker Kessler to a season-ending shoulder injury at the end of last month. It has greatly affected their defense, as Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune details.
Jusuf Nurkic has been thrust into the starting center role and while he’s a prolific rebounder, he’s a subpar defender. Kevin Love, 37, has been Nurkic’s primary backup and the only other option is to move true power forwards into that spot. Utah has allowed 130 or more points in six of its last nine games.
Kessler will be a restricted free agent at season’s end, so if the Jazz keep struggling mightily on defense without him available, his representatives could use that point to generate some leverage during contract negotiations.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- The Trail Blazers defeated Milwaukee on Monday after losing seven of their previous nine games. Damian Lillard, rehabbing this season from his Achilles injury he suffered during last season’s playoffs, has been dispensing advice to his younger teammates during the rough patch, Jason Quick of The Athletic writes. “I told these dudes: this is the time when you find your true identity,” Lillard said. “It’s not when you win a couple games and everything feels good. It’s in the moments when it would be easy to walk away — like now, we have some injuries, a rough patch, a tough schedule — but this is the time when you make a decision to march forward and up.”
- The Timberwolves have collapsed in back-to-back late-game situations. After surrendering a nine-point lead with 50 seconds to play in Phoenix on Saturday, they gave away a 10-point lead in the final three minutes of regulation during a 117-112 overtime loss to the Kings on Monday. This has set off alarm bells amongst the team and its fans and The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski examines some possible causes to their crunch-time woes. “Hopefully we learn,” center Rudy Gobert said. “We still have an amazing opportunity ahead of us, but we have to decide who we want to be.”
- How good has the Thunder’s defense been this season? The Athletic’s Fred Katz (Twitter link) notes that they are allowing 7.5 fewer points per 100 possessions than the second-ranked Mavericks are. That’s the same difference as the gap between Dallas and the No. 22 ranked Bulls in that category.
NBA Seeking To Tighten Controls On Injury Reporting, Prop Betting
In the aftermath of the FBI’s arrests of Heat guard Terry Rozier, Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former player Damon Jones last week, the NBA informed its teams that the league has begun a process of reviewing policies regarding injury reporting, training and education of all personnel, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link). The memo also specifically addresses concerns regarding gambling, with the league exploring ways to enhance internal and external monitoring programs to identify suspicious betting activity.
Injury reporting has jumped into the spotlight in light of the allegations against Billups and Jones. While the most serious allegations against Billups regard his involvement in rigged poker games, Billups was also accused of providing inside information that could potentially be used by others for betting purposes. According to the indictment, an unnamed co-conspirator (Billups) told Eric Earnest, another of the defendants, that the Trail Blazers were going into tank mode ahead of a game on March 24, 2023 and that a certain player, purportedly star guard Damian Lillard, would sit out.
Along similar lines, Jones allegedly informed an unnamed co-conspirator prior to the Lakers‘ game vs. Milwaukee on February 9, 2023 that a specific Laker would miss the game and that the co-conspirator should bet on the Bucks. That player was later identified as LeBron James. James reportedly wasn’t aware that Jones was sharing information about his playing status.
NBA teams typically provide injury reports the day prior to a game but there is a gap in time during game days before the final injury report prior to tip-off is revealed.
The memo also specifically addressed Rozier’s situation. Rozier was accused of essentially taking himself out of a game due to injury so that prop bets on “unders” could be cashed.
The memo obtained by Charania (Twitter link) stated, “While the unusual betting on Terry Rozier’s ‘unders’ in the March 2023 game was detected in real time because the bets were placed legally, we believe there is more that can be done from a legal/regulatory perspective to protect the integrity of the NBA and our affiliated leagues. In particular, proposition bets on individual player performance involve heightened integrity concerns and require additional scrutiny.”
Prior to the FBI’s arrests, Rozier had been cleared by the league during its investigation and was in uniform for Miami’s opener, though he did not play. Commissioner Adam Silver stated last week the FBI had broader powers to conduct a more thorough investigation. Silver had also expressed growing concerns with regard to prop bets.
Charania shared the entire league memo on social media (Twitter link).