Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors

Cavs’ Jarrett Allen Sustains Broken Left Ring Finger

October 30th, 2025 at 6:26pm CST by Rory Maher

Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen sustained a broken left ring finger on Wednesday in Boston, the team announced (via Twitter). The former All-Star is considered questionable for Friday’s contest against Toronto.

According to the Cavaliers, Allen underwent an X-ray on Thursday, which revealed a non-displaced fracture of his distal phalanx. In layman’s terms, the injury — which often results in “swelling, bruising, and tenderness,” per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link) — is a break in the tip of Allen’s finger.

Multiple sources tell Fedor that Allen suffered the injury while going through an individual pregame warmup on Wednesday evening. The 27-year-old felt discomfort, Fedor writes, but decided to play through the injury in Thursday’s loss to the Celtics.

While Allen’s specific finger injury requires surgery in some cases, the current plan is for the 6’11” big man to continue to try and play through it, according to Fedor, who hears Allen’s injured digit will be frequently reexamined and monitored. The Cavs will work to manage Allen’s pain and swelling and he will receive “other forms of treatment” as well, Fedor adds.

As Fedor notes, the Cavs are already playing without two injured starters (Darius Garland and Max Strus), though Garland reportedly might return in the first half of November.

If Allen were to miss time, Dean Wade, Larry Nance Jr. and Thomas Bryant are among the reserves who could receive more minutes for Cleveland.

Injury Notes: Robinson, Joe, Garland, Collier, Barlow

October 30th, 2025 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks center Mitchell Robinson went through a full practice on Thursday and head coach Mike Brown says he’ll be a game-time decision for Friday’s contest in Chicago, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter links).

Robinson has been held out of the first four games of the regular season with what New York has deemed left ankle injury maintenance. There has been no indication from the Knicks that the 27-year-old big man has suffered a new injury or setback.

Robinson didn’t make his 2024/25 debut until February 28 while recovering from offseason ankle surgery and only played in 17 regular season contests down the stretch. He also appeared in 18 playoff games for New York last spring.

We have more injury updates from around the NBA:

Thunder wing Isaiah Joe will be available to make his season debut on Thursday vs. Washington, tweets Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. After averaging a career-high 21.7 minutes per game in 74 outings for Oklahoma City last season, Joe has been inactive to open the 2025/26 campaign due to a left knee contusion.
Coming off toe surgery, Cavaliers guard Darius Garland isn’t facing any restrictions in practices and has been “scrimmaging and everything,” a source tells Spencer Davies of ClutchPoints. The team is being cautious with his return and won’t bring him back too early, but Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints recently reported that a return during the first half of November is very much in play for the two-time All-Star.
Second-year Jazz point guard Isaiah Collier has been cleared for full on-court work, the team announced today (via Twitter), adding that he’ll be assigned to the G League on Friday as he ramps up his conditioning ahead of his season debut. Collier has been sidelined while recovering from a right hamstring strain.
After starting the first two games of the season, Sixers forward Dominick Barlow has missed the past two and will remain out for at least two more due to his right elbow laceration, per the club (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports). That means Barlow, who will be reevaluated early next week, won’t play against Boston on Friday or Brooklyn on Sunday.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Giannis: Trade Speculation ‘Doesn’t Concern Me One Bit’

October 29th, 2025 at 8:10am CST by Luke Adams

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to their third win in four games to open the 2025/26 season on Tuesday, scoring 37 points en route to a 121-111 victory over the Knicks.

The first matchup between the two teams this season came just three weeks after ESPN reported that the Bucks and Knicks had brief discussions this offseason about the possibility of a trade involving Antetokounmpo, who reportedly conveyed that New York would be a preferred landing spot if he ever left Milwaukee. Asked on Tuesday about that report, Antetokounmpo pleaded ignorance, as Eric Nehm of The Athletic relays (via Twitter).

“I don’t remember that,” Antetokounmpo said, shaking his head when asked about the ESPN story (YouTube link). “Right now, I’m here representing my team. And that’s it. We beat the Knicks. That’s all. Doesn’t really matter. What matters right now is we have a game in two days against Golden State, try to stay locked in and get two in a row.

“But I didn’t read that article. I try to stay away from all that rumors and speculation and trades and all this. It doesn’t concern me one bit.”

Antetokounmpo, who has been with the Bucks since being selected 15th overall in the 2013 draft, has repeatedly expressed his love for Milwaukee over the years while also stressing that being in position to continue competing for championships is important to him.

The Bucks’ past three seasons have ended with first-round playoff losses, so the outcome of the 2025/26 campaign could go a long way toward determining whether or not Antetokounmpo’s long-term future is in Milwaukee. He has two guaranteed years left on his contract, followed by a player option, meaning he could reach free agency as soon as 2027.

While Antetokounmpo dismissed the trade speculation on Tuesday, he acknowledged that the victory over the Knicks meant a little something extra to a Bucks team with aspirations of winning the Eastern Conference.

“For sure, there was a lot extra,” Antetokounmpo said. “They swept us last year. Swept us. They were way better than us last year. We didn’t make it tough for them. It was very easy, in my opinion. As the leader of this team, I remember. I don’t forget things, and I try to – from early shootaround – set the tone for the team and try to remind them, ‘Last year they swept us.’ Same with the Cavs. So I think the team responded in the best way, so I’m happy.”

The Bucks weren’t able to exact the same form of revenge on the Cavaliers on Sunday that they did on the Knicks on Tuesday, falling 118-113 to their division rivals in Cleveland. However, Antetokounmpo had a monster game in the Bucks’ only loss so far this season, racking up 40 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists. He’s playing at an MVP level in the early going — Milwaukee has a +12.5 net rating when he’s on the court, compared to a -6.2 mark when he sits.

Cavaliers Notes: Merrill, Mitchell, Garland

October 28th, 2025 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Weighed down by salary cap concerns, the Cavaliers made Sam Merrill a priority in free agency. They re-signed him to a team-friendly four-year, $38MM contract. The early returns have been very promising, notes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). After Sunday’s win over Milwaukee, coach Kenny Atkinson has “probably been our best player over the first three games.”

“Guys just love playing with him,” Atkinson said. “He’s a winner. That’s why we gave him a nice contract this offseason. If there’s ever a guy that deserved it, he’s the guy.”

Merrill has been starting in the early going. Last season, Merrill averaged 7.2 points on 40.6% from the field and 37.2% from 3-point range.

“When you’re in a position that I have been in, it’s you want to almost know your place type of thing,” Merrill said. “But having been with these guys for three or four years, we all have trust in each other, and we all listen to each other. I’m not out here pretending I’m a 10-time All-Star or anything. But I know guys trust in what I have to say and as long as everyone is on the same page and having that trust in being accountable, I guess anyone can say what they need to say.”

Merrill only played 18 minutes at Detroit on Monday due to a hip injury.

“He’s hurting,” Atkinson said, per Spencer Davies of Clutch Points. “When Sam can’t come back in the game, it’s [painful]. I think Evan [Mobley] actually hit him in the hip. Somehow they [collided].”

We have more on the Cavaliers:

Atkinson believes Donovan Mitchell is underappreciated on a national basis. Mitchell tore up the Pistons with 35 points on the second game of a back-to-back. “I think he’s underrated,” Atkinson said. “First Team All-NBA, I don’t know why people don’t talk about him more. Because he’s no controversy, low-key, humble? Does that equal, you get underrated because of that personality? I don’t know.”
Guard Darius Garland was assigned to the G League’s Cleveland Charge for conditioning purposes, according to the NBA transactions log at RealGM.com. Garland is working his way back from offseason toe surgery. Mitchell’s backcourt partner in the middle of a five-year contract and his salary carries a cap hit of $39,446,090 this season.
Merrill, who has been diagnosed with a right hip contusion, won’t play against the Celtics on Wednesday, Souichi Terada of Masslive.com relays. Garland also remains listed as out.

Cavs Pick Up Third-Year Option On Jaylon Tyson

October 22nd, 2025 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have exercised their third-year option on guard Jaylon Tyson for the 2026/27 season, the team announced today in a press release.

The move ensures that Tyson’s contract is guaranteed for at least the next two seasons. He’ll earn $3,492,480 in 2025/26 and $3,658,560 in ’26/27, with the Cavs facing a decision next fall on his $5,641,500 option for the ’27/28 season, the fourth year of his rookie scale contract.

Tyson, who will turn 23 in December, played a limited role as a rookie after being drafted 20th overall in 2024. While he saw the floor in 47 games, he averaged just 9.6 minutes per night and often only got off the bench in garbage time.

The 6’6″ shooting guard contributed 3.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game while making 43.0% of his shots from the floor (including 34.5% of his three-pointers) and 79.2% from the free throw line.

As our tracker shows, Tyson is the only Cavalier whose contract includes a rookie scale team option for 2026/27, so the team won’t have to make any more contract decisions by the October 31 deadline.

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

October 22nd, 2025 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

Each of the NBA’s 30 teams is permitted to carry 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals once the regular season begins, which works out to a maximum of 540 players across 30 rosters.

[RELATED: 2025/26 NBA Roster Counts]

Of those 540 potential roster spots, 522 are currently occupied to open the 2025/26 season, leaving 18 open roster spots around the NBA across 17 teams. Here’s the full breakdown of those 18 openings around the league:

One open standard roster spot and one open two-way slot

Cleveland Cavaliers

The only team operating above the second tax apron, the Cavaliers are likely in no hurry to fill the 15th spot on their standard roster, which would cost them exponentially more in tax penalties beyond the player’s salary. Cleveland also has the ability to make changes involving its 14th roster spot at some point if it wants to — Thomas Bryant minimum-salary contract is fully non-guaranteed, so he’d only be owed a prorated portion of his salary if he’s waived at some point on or before January 7.

While two-way players don’t count against the salary cap, they still earn modest salaries (half the rookie minimum), so it’s possible the Cavs will look to save a little money on the league’s priciest roster by holding their third two-way slot open for the time being. A team that has an open standard roster spot is also limited to 90 overall active games for its two-way players instead of 50 apiece, so the Cavs probably aren’t looking to use up many of those games early in the season if they can help it.

One open standard roster spot

Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
New York Knicks
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Toronto Raptors

Many of these teams are carrying an open roster spot for luxury tax reasons. The Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, Rockets, Clippers, Lakers, Timberwolves, Knicks, Magic, Sixers, Suns, and Raptors are all over the tax line, while the Heat don’t have much breathing room below it.

Most of those teams will add 15th men eventually, but won’t do so yet. Several of them – Golden State, Houston, both L.A. teams, New York, and Orlando – actually can’t do so yet, since they’re operating so close to their respective hard caps.

The Hawks have room under the tax line for a 15th man, but of all the teams in this group, the Pistons could be the best bet to fill their open roster spot sooner rather than later. They’re well more than $20MM below the tax line, so there are no concerns related to finances or spending flexibility. Still, given that Jaden Ivey is the only player on the roster dealing with more than a day-to-day injury right now, there’s no urgency to bring in a 15th man immediately.

One open two-way slot

Brooklyn Nets

In the past, a team without a G League affiliate of its own might be slow to fill its two-way contract slots, but all 30 NBA clubs now have affiliates in the NBAGL, so outside of thriftiness, there’s no real excuse not to carry a full complement of two-way players once the G League season begins in the coming weeks.

That’s especially true for the Nets, whose team salary is the lowest in the league entering the season. With so many rookies on the team’s standard roster, a third two-way player might not see any action at the NBA level anytime soon, but it would still make sense for Brooklyn to bring in another young prospect to develop in the G League.

Cavs Sign, Waive Zeke Mayo

October 18th, 2025 at 5:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

5:59 pm: Mayo has been waived, per NBA.com’s transaction log, putting him on track to sign a G League contract and join the Charge.

10:14 am: The Cavaliers have added guard Zeke Mayo on an Exhibit 10 contract, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.

Mayo, an undrafted rookie out of Kansas, was a member of the Wizards’ Summer League team. He played one season for the Jayhawks, averaging 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 42.2% from deep. He had 18 points and six rebounds in an NCAA Tournament first-round loss to Arkansas.

Prior to that, Mayo spent three seasons with South Dakota State and was named the Summit League Player of the Year in 2024.

The 6’4” guard will likely be waived and join the Cleveland Charge, the Cavs’ G League affiliate. He could earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 with the Charge if he sticks with that team at least 60 days.

And-Ones: Team USA, Role Players, M. Jones, Balcetis

October 17th, 2025 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters at a Thursday press conference to formally introduce Erik Spoelstra as Team USA’s new men’s basketball head coach, managing director Grant Hill said that winning a World Cup for the first time since 2014 is the “first order of business” for the national team, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

The U.S. finished seventh at the 2019 World Cup and fourth in 2023, failing to secure a medal at either event. Typically, the World Cup rosters featured less established stars than the Olympic squads, and that likely won’t change going forward, according to Vardon, who points to Cooper Flagg and Evan Mobley as a couple possibilities for the 2027 team. For his part, Hill is in no rush to lock in on any specific players quite yet.

“We have some time, and one of the great things is to see who emerges,” Hill said. “You have two years before the World Cup, and it seems like every season there are players who take a step in their development and become better players, All-Star players, players whose games translate to international play.

“It’s great to get these players in the pipeline. The great thing is, yes, the world is getting better, but we are too. We still have some great players in this country, great young players. And you know, it’s on me to get out and recruit and you know, sort of share with guys the importance of doing this.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Fred Katz of The Athletic identifies five role players around the NBA who could end up being pivotal contributors for their respective teams this season, including Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr., Cavaliers wing De’Andre Hunter, and Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr.
After signing him last month, the Perth Wildcats have parted ways with former NBA guard Mason Jones, as Olgun Uluc of ESPN writes. Jones, who was named the MVP of the 2025 G League Finals in April, struggled in his first five games in Australia’s National Basketball League, shooting just 34.7% from the floor, including 27.6% on three-pointers. The Wildcats are exploring the market for a new import guard to replace him, per Uluc.
Former Nuggets assistant general manager Tommy Balcetis is joining Zalgiris Kaunas as the Lithuanian club’s head of innovations, according to BasketNews. Balcetis was considered a potential candidate to run Denver’s front office after the team fired Calvin Booth in the spring, but the Nuggets opted to promote Ben Tenzer into that position and didn’t renew Balcetis’ contract.
NBA rookies and award winners will wear patches on their jerseys this season as part of the league’s partnership with Fanatic/Topps. Dan Hajducky of ESPN has the details on the new program.

Cavaliers Sign, Waive Darius Brown II

October 16th, 2025 at 5:02pm CST by Rory Maher

October 16: Cleveland has requested waivers on Brown, according to the official transactions log at NBA.com.

October 13: Brown has officially signed with the Cavaliers, per RealGM’s transaction log.

October 9: The Cavaliers intend to sign free agent guard Darius Brown II, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).

In a follow-up tweet, Fedor clarifies that Cleveland will likely sign Brown after the team’s third preseason game against Boston on Sunday. Brown is expected to be active for next Tuesday’s preseason finale vs. Detroit, Fedor adds.

While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Brown will almost certainly sign a non-guaranteed training camp contract featuring Exhibit 10 language. Assuming he’s waived before the season begins, which is a virtual lock, Brown would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge.

A 6’2″ point guard who went undrafted in 2024 out of Utah State, Brown signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavs last fall, was waived a few days later, and spent all of 2024/25 in the NBAGL with the Charge. In 44 total games, the 26-year-old averaged 7.8 points, 4.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 25.1 minutes per contest.

The Cavs are currently at the offseason maximum of 21 players under contract, so they’ll have to cut another player to add Brown.

Warriors, Lakers Top 2025 NBA Franchise Valuations

October 16th, 2025 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors are still the NBA’s most valuable team, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico, who unveiled the website’s updated NBA franchise valuations for 2025 on Thursday.

Badenhausen projects the Warriors’ value at $11.33 billion, which represents an incredible 24% increase from last year’s $9.14 billion valuation. The NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, at $12.8 billion, continue to be the only global sports franchise whose valuation comes in higher than Golden State’s, according to Sportico’s projections.

As Badenhausen outlines, the Warriors lead the NBA in revenue by a significant margin, having generated an estimated $833MM last season. Golden State makes more than $5MM per game in ticket revenue, along with $2.5MM from luxury suites; the club also has a $45MM per year jersey patch deal with Rakuten, earns almost double what any other team makes in sponsorship revenue, and is one of the few teams to fully own and operate its arena, per Sportico.

After placing third a year ago, the Lakers have jumped to second place on Sportico’s 2025 list at $10 billion, based on Mark Walter‘s recent agreement to purchase the team at that valuation. The Lakers moved slightly ahead of the third-place Knicks, who come in at $9.85 billion.

Every team’s valuation has increased by at least 9% since last year, per Sportico, with the average value of an NBA franchise now at $5.51 billion (up 20% from 2024) and no team worth less than $4 billion.

The average valuation has more than doubled since 2022, when it was $2.58 billion. As Badenhausen writes, the NBA’s new $76 billion media rights deal and its global ambitions – including the possible creation of a league in Europe – have played a part in those gains.

Although the Warriors’ $833MM is something out of an outlier, NBA teams generated an average of approximately $408MM in revenue last season, according to Badenhausen, with the Grizzlies coming in last at $301MM. Memphis also ranks 30th on Sportico’s list of franchise values.

Despite placing at the bottom of this list, the Grizzlies actually had the most significant increase in their franchise valuation this past year, rising from $3.06 billion to $4 billion (31%). The Pelicans (30%), Timberwolves (29%), and Eastern Conference champion Pacers (27%) were the other biggest risers.

Of course, it’s worth noting that figures from Sportico or any other media outlet are just estimates and often don’t quite match up with the sale prices for franchises that change hands. But these projections are usually in the right ballpark and remain useful for getting a sense of the league’s most and least valuable teams.

Here’s Sportico’s full list of NBA franchise valuations for 2025:

Golden State Warriors: $11.33 billion
Los Angeles Lakers: $10 billion
New York Knicks: $9.85 billion
Los Angeles Clippers: $6.72 billion
Boston Celtics: $6.35 billion
Brooklyn Nets: $6.22 billion
Chicago Bulls: $6.12 billion
Miami Heat: $6.03 billion
Philadelphia 76ers: $5.61 billion
Houston Rockets: $5.53 billion
Dallas Mavericks: $5.24 billion
Toronto Raptors: $5.22 billion
Phoenix Suns: $5.09 billion
Atlanta Hawks: $5.02 billion
Sacramento Kings: $5 billion
Cleveland Cavaliers: $4.86 billion
Denver Nuggets: $4.8 billion
Washington Wizards: $4.78 billion
Indiana Pacers: $4.76 billion
Milwaukee Bucks: $4.54 billion
San Antonio Spurs: $4.5 billion
Oklahoma City Thunder: $4.34 billion
Utah Jazz: $4.27 billion
Portland Trail Blazers: $4.25 billion
Minnesota Timberwolves: $4.24 billion
Orlando Magic: $4.21 billion
Detroit Pistons: $4.17 billion
Charlotte Hornets: $4.13 billion
New Orleans Pelicans: $4.02 billion
Memphis Grizzlies: $4 billion

As Badenhausen notes, Sportico’s projections are based on a control sale price, rather than limited stake purchases. Controlling shares in the Celtics, Lakers, and Trail Blazers all changed hands this past year, though only the Celtics sale has been formally approved by the NBA so far.

William Chisholm is buying the Celtics in two stages, with an initial valuation of $6.1 billion and a blended valuation of roughly $6.5 billion. Walter is purchasing the Lakers at a valuation of $10 billion, while Tom Dundon is buying the Blazers at a $4.25 billion valuation.