Cavs Rumors: Giannis, Hunter, Ball, Lakers, Ellis, More
While there have been no indications to this point that the Cavaliers are considering making an offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo, the possibility can’t be ruled out, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link).
“It’s Giannis,” a rival NBA executive told Fedor. “Nothing more needs to be said.”
As Fedor writes, the Cleveland’s pathway to a potential deal for the Bucks superstar would be very complicated and would require a significant reduction in payroll — as a second-apron team, the Cavaliers can’t currently aggregate salaries for matching purposes and can’t take in more money than they send out. So in that sense, a Giannis trade is a long shot.
On the other hand, sources tell Fedor that the Cavs have been aggressively looking for roster upgrades ahead of the deadline, and they also have one of the top players who could theoretically be dangled in talks for Antetokounmpo — Evan Mobley, last year’s Defensive Player of the Year. On the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst also pointed to Mobley as a centerpiece to a potential Cavs offer.
The Cavaliers, who have dealt with several injuries in 2025/26, have underachieved this season and are facing pressure to contend for championships. No individual player they could theoretically acquire would be remotely as impactful as Antetokounmpo, who has finished top four in MVP voting each of the past seven years.
Still, Cleveland is on the upswing, Fedor notes, having won five straight games and seven of the past eight. The front office has also yet to show any desire to make that sort of drastic mid-season overhaul, with blockbuster moves viewed as more likely to occur in the offseason, depending on what happens in the playoffs.
Here are a few more highlights from Fedor’s report:
- Fedor continues to hear De’Andre Hunter and Lonzo Ball are the most likely Cavs to be headed out of Cleveland in the coming days. Confirming reporting from Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, Fedor says the Cavaliers have discussed a trade framework with the Lakers that would send Hunter to Los Angeles in exchange for Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht. Sources tell Fedor the Lakers have also countered by offering the expiring contracts of Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber. Those talks have involved a third team as well — Fedor doesn’t specify which club it is, but Siegel said it was the Nets.
- Before they reportedly started listening to offers for Giannis, the Bucks explored the possibility of acquiring Hunter using a package built around Bobby Portis. The Cavs declined that proposal, sources tell Fedor.
- Fedor confirms the Cavs are one of many suitors for Kings guard Keon Ellis, noting that Malik Monk could be included as well if Hunter is sent to Sacramento.
- Reiterating a point he previously made, Fedor says the Cavs are eyeing Mavericks forward Naji Marshall. The framework would involve Ball and unspecified draft assets being sent to Dallas, though Fedor points out that Marshall has drawn interest from multiple teams. It’s also unclear if the Cavs would be willing to part with their lone tradable first-round pick (either 2031 or 2032) for a role player, even a quality one like Marshall.
- Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu, Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey and Wizards forward Justin Champagnie are among the other players who might interest the Cavs, Fedor writes.
Pacific Rumors: Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Sabonis, Suns
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura and his expiring $18.3MM contract are considered available as Los Angeles scours the market for help on the wing, according to reports from Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The team has also dangled Gabe Vincent ($11.5MM) and Maxi Kleber ($11MM) on the trade market, Scotto notes.
Turner and Scotto provide a long list of names viewed as potential Lakers targets, including Cavaliers forward De’Andre Hunter, Mavericks forward Naji Marshall, Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey, Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo, Kings guard Keon Ellis, and several players who have previously been linked to L.A., like Herbert Jones, Andrew Wiggins, and Jonathan Kuminga.
According to Turner, Hachimura’s strong play as of late has increased his trade value while also potentially making him less expendable for the Lakers. Turner confirms that second-year wing Dalton Knecht is another potential trade candidate to watch, as Marc Stein reported in the past 24 hours.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- The red-hot Clippers aren’t looking to trade Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, or Ivica Zubac, but John Collins isn’t off limits, according to Turner. Sources tell the L.A. Times that acquiring a pick-and-roll oriented point guard and creating room on the roster to promote two-way players Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller are among the Clippers’ goals at the trade deadline.
- The Kings have had discussions with some teams about the possibility of packaging DeMar DeRozan and Ellis together in a trade, sources tell HoopsHype. Scotto also checks in on the Domantas Sabonis situation, reporting that at least one team was told Sacramento would be seeking at least one first-round pick in return for the big man. In talks with the Raptors about Sabonis, RJ Barrett and Ochai Agbaji have been discussed, but the Kings are resistant to taking on the pricey long-term contracts of Jakob Poeltl and/or Immanuel Quickley, Scotto adds.
- Confirming reporting from the Arizona Republic, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) says the Suns are on the lookout for an upgrade at power forward, in the hopes of finding a player who can provide more “scoring punch” than current starter Royce O’Neale. However, Phoenix isn’t just looking for a short-term rental, per Fischer, who writes that the front office will be mindful of the long-term price and fit of any acquisition.
Trade Rumors: Morant, Lakers, Pelicans, Mathurin, Kuminga
Although Ja Morant‘s time with the Grizzlies has been on a downward trajectory for a few years, tensions reached a boiling point at the end of October, when Morant received a team-issued one-game suspension, writes Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
Head coach Tuomas Iisalo reportedly challenged Morant’s “leadership and effort” following a loss to the Lakers in which the point guard was noticeably disengaged throughout the second half. Morant responded to Iisalo in a “tone deemed inappropriate.”
According to Siegel’s sources, the event led to a schism in Memphis’ locker room, with some players agreeing with Morant and some siding with the coaching staff. He never formally requested a trade, but the 26-year-old made it clear he couldn’t see a path forward with the Grizzlies in the wake of the suspension, Siegel adds.
The Heat hold a level of interest in Morant, Siegel confirms. The Kings are also hanging on the periphery of the situation, though they’d only be interested in acquiring Morant if the asking price was low enough — Sacramento is unwilling to part with draft assets in any talks for the two-time All-Star, sources tell Siegel.
Here are a few more rumors and notes from around the NBA:
- The Lakers are exploring the possibility of trading their 2032 first-round pick for two or three lesser-value first-rounders, according to Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter video link), who points out that Phoenix made a similar move last year in a deal with Utah. Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent have both been made available as Los Angeles continues to search for a wing upgrade, O’Connor adds.
- The Pelicans are among the teams with interest in Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin, league sources tell Siegel (Twitter video link). Indiana has checked in with New Orleans about second-year center Yves Missi, and Siegel wonders if the two clubs could potentially make a deal centered around those two players.
- Head coach Steve Kerr said Jonathan Kuminga‘s trade demand won’t cause any problems for the Warriors prior to Thursday’s game vs. New York, as Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “It won’t be a distraction,” Kerr said. “Jonathan’s a great young guy. His teammates like him. He’s handling himself well. There won’t be a distraction.” Kerr said he spoke to Kuminga earlier in the day. “There’s not a whole lot I can say about the other stuff,” Kerr said. “It is what it is. Difficult situation for everybody. Part of this league, part of this job. We just keep moving forward. But it’s a tough situation and I don’t really have much to add.”
Injury Notes: Oubre, Watford, Vincent, LeBron, Wemby, Harden, More
The Sixers are expected to get a pair of forwards back from injuries on Wednesday vs. Washington, having upgraded Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford to probable after they participated in today’s shootaround, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Oubre has been out since November 14 due to a left knee sprain, while Watford – who has been recovering from a left adductor strain – last played on November 25.
Both Sixers vets had been playing some of the best basketball of their careers before going down with injuries. Oubre started all 12 games he played in the fall and scored 16.8 points per game with a career-high 49.7% field goal percentage. Watford averaged 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 20.4 minutes per game with a .534/.389/.800 shooting line in 14 appearances (four starts).
Here are more injury updates from across the NBA:
- Lakers guard Gabe Vincent (lumbar back strain) is no longer on the injury report and appears on track to play on Wednesday vs. San Antonio after missing the past nine games, per Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link). Vincent last suited up on December 14.
- Lakers forward LeBron James (left foot joint arthritis and right sciatica) and Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama (left knee bone bruise) are both listed as questionable to play on Wednesday. Wembanyama returned from a two-game absence on Tuesday vs. Memphis and seemed fine after the game, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN, who says (via Twitter) that the plan is to have Wembanyama play vs. Los Angeles if he feels up to it.
- Clippers guard James Harden, who sat out on Monday due to shoulder stiffness, is probable to return on Wednesday vs. the Knicks, who will still be without Josh Hart (right ankle sprain), tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Hart has missed New York’s past six games, four of which were losses.
- Magic guard Jalen Suggs, who has been out for two games with a right knee MCL contusion, hasn’t progressed to contact or on-court work yet, head coach Jamahl Mosley said on Tuesday (Twitter link via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel). “Just slowly seeing how he responds to the treatment that he does day-to-day,” Mosley said.
- While there’s still no word on a potential timeline or target date for his return, Kyrie Irving traveled with the Mavericks to Sacramento this week and completed a workout with assistant coach Phil Handy following the team’s shootaround on Tuesday, writes Grant Afseth of The Dallas Hoops Journal. Irving’s presence on the three-game road trip is a sign of progress, according to Afseth, who adds that forward P.J. Washington is considered day-to-day after sitting out Saturday’s game with a right ankle sprain.
Lakers Notes: Habits, LaRavia, Ayton, Hachimura, Vincent, Luka
The Lakers went 5-7 during the month of December. More disturbing than their record was the fact that they repeatedly displayed poor habits that frequently frustrated head coach JJ Redick, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic.
While most of Los Angeles’ issues show up on the defensive end, there have been several instances in which the team has simply lacked the “energy, effort and execution” necessary to win NBA games, according to Woike. That often manifests in a lack of focus and attention to detail — Redick said the Lakers failed to execute eight of their 12 designed plays after timeouts during Friday’s win over Memphis.
“In order to win, and at the highest level, you have to be able to do the simple things,” LeBron James said. “You have to be able to execute after timeouts, dead balls. You have to execute coming out of the locker room. You have to have a game plan, execute that. So you can’t execute the big things if you don’t execute the small things and play winning basketball from that standpoint.”
Jake LaRavia is one player whose defensive effort hasn’t waned this season, Woike adds. The fourth-year forward had another big game in Sunday’s victory over the Grizzlies, recording 26 points (on 9-of-16 shooting), five rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes.
“We knew that he was, by the metrics, a disruptive defender, something that we were really searching for, because we were bottom third in the league last year in blocks, steals and deflections,” Redick said in explaining reasons the Lakers targeted LaRavia in free agency. “He’s probably better defensively. Yeah, he is better defensively. He’s been one of our most consistent guys, if not our most consistent guy, on that end of the floor.
“But I think the thing that stands out with him is, you know, I was talking with a close friend of mine the other day about Jake, and I was just telling him, like, he’s one of the guys that his care factor is high all the time. Those are the guys that are really, really fun to coach.”
We have more from L.A.:
- After being benched for the fourth quarter on Friday, starting center Deandre Ayton responded with a much better performance in Sunday’s rematch with Memphis, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Redick said Ayton was “frustrated” by his lack of touches during Friday’s game and the team made a concerted effort to get him the ball on Sunday. “He was great throughout the game,” Redick said of Ayton, who finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. “I think that was good for him to just touch the basketball and feel like he’s part of the offense. It’s a tale as old as time for a big guy. That’s the reality of being a big: Someone has to pass you the ball. You’re not initiating the offense.”
- While the team is optimistic his injury won’t be a long-term issue, forward Rui Hachimura will be out at least two more games, as he won’t travel for the back-to-back road trip at New Orleans and San Antonio, tweets veteran NBA reporter Mark Medina. Hachimura is dealing with a right calf ailment which the Lakers are now calling a strain.
- As McMenamin relays (via Twitter), guard Gabe Vincent has a chance to play Tuesday in New Orleans — he’s listed as questionable after missing the last eight games due to a lumbar back strain.
- Lakers Daily recently reported that Luka Doncic is dealing with “sharp” pain in both of his legs. According to Woike’s sources, that information is not accurate (Twitter link).
Lakers Notes: LaRavia, Hayes, Knecht, Vincent, Trade Deadline
The Lakers got a scoring boost from Jake LaRavia in Friday’s win over Memphis, writes
“When I just talk about roles and the amount of hats that I can wear with this team, some nights, this is what happens,” LaRavia said. “Other nights I’m that defender, connector, crasher, like all that kind of stuff. So just continuing to play confidently throughout but also understanding what my role is going to be each game.”
Nguyen notes that the Lakers targeted LaRavia in free agency because of his combination of three-point shooting and defensive versatility. He has helped the team survive a rash of early-season injuries, but his scoring has fluctuated as he’s moved in and out of the rotation. Friday marked the first time he has reached 20 points in a game since November 2, and his three-point shooting has dropped to an uncharacteristically low 32% this season.
“I’m just working on my shot, starting with the basics again, and just kind of going from there,” LaRavia said. “And, you know, hopefully I can find my rhythm again. And tonight was just the start.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Jaxson Hayes played nearly the entire fourth quarter on Friday, getting crunch-time minutes ahead of starting center Deandre Ayton, Nguyen states in the same piece. Coach JJ Redick explained that he opted to stay with Hayes because “he was playing better.” He finished with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting in 23 minutes. “His ability to control the paint for us has been huge,” Marcus Smart said of Hayes.“… Just his ability to go get the ball at the highest point when we throw it and then defensively to alter shots, whether he’s blocking them or just changing shots for us, allows our defense to pick it up from our guards even more. To have that urgency that he brings, that’s huge.”
- Redick promised that Dalton Knecht will get “consistent” playing time over the next few weeks, Nguyen adds. Redick also said the second-year forward will be judged by more than just his shooting percentage.
- Gabe Vincent will miss Sunday’s rematch with Memphis as he continues to experience lower back soreness, but Redick indicated that he might be available during the upcoming road trip to New Orleans and San Antonio, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register (Twitter link).
- Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register contends that the Lakers aren’t good enough to compete for a title with their current roster and calls on general manager Rob Pelinka to be aggressive at the trade deadline to avoid wasting a year of Luka Doncic‘s prime.
Lakers Notes: Doncic, Hayes, Reaves, Hachimura, Vincent, Defense
Good news for Lakers and NBA fans in general today: Luka Doncic is expected to play in the fourth of five games on the Christmas slate, the Lakers’ home game against the Rockets, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (video link).
Doncic suffered a lower left leg contusion in Saturday’s loss to the Clippers. He subsequently missed the team’s 24-point loss to the Suns. The Most Valuable Player candidate is averaging 34.1 points, 8.8 assists and 8.6 rebounds per game.
Doncic has officially been upgraded to probable, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets, while big man Jaxson Hayes has been ruled out due to an ankle ailment.
[Update: Both Doncic and Hachimura have been upgraded to available, tweets Marc Stein].
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Head coach JJ Redick believes Austin Reaves will be an All-Star this season (Twitter video link via McMenamin). “I would imagine it would mean a lot to him—a whole lot. He and I have had discussions about how surreal it is for him to be playing at this level and in this position. I absolutely think he’ll be an All-Star this year,” Redick said. “You always have to be careful as an athlete to stop and smell the roses. With the nature of competition, particularly over 82 games, there’s really no time to take your foot off the gas. That’s the opposite of who he is. He’s the type of player who consistently wants to get better, wants more, is willing to put in the work, and is willing to go out on the court and play hard enough to go for more. He’s proven that over and over again.”
- Doncic and Reaves have developed a “bromance,” which McMenamin chronicles for ESPN.com. “We act like we’re probably 10-year old best friends,” Reaves said. “You have a deeper care for one another than just basketball. And then that bleeds into basketball, because you don’t want to let that person down. … You don’t want to not give it your all.” Doncic signed a contract extension with the Lakers over the summer, while Reaves figures to sign his next contract in July of 2026.
- Rui Hachimura (groin) could also return to action today, but guard Gabe Vincent, one of the team’s top perimeter defenders, will miss his fourth game with lower back soreness, according to the Los Angeles Times’ Thuc Nhi Nguyen. The Lakers are ranked 28th defensively over the last 14 games and Redick says his team can’t take possessions off, as we detailed on Wednesday.
Lakers’ Gabe Vincent Out At Least One Week
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent has been diagnosed with lower back tightness and will be reevaluated in approximately one week, the team announced today (Twitter link via Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times).
That timeline suggests that Vincent will be sidelined for at least Los Angeles’ upcoming three road games against the Jazz (Thursday), Clippers (Saturday), and Suns (Tuesday). His availability for the Christmas Day matchup with Houston is also up in the air.
Vincent, who joined the Lakers as a free agent in 2023, missed most of his first season with the team due to a knee injury, but established himself as a consistent part of the rotation in 2024/25 and is playing regularly again this fall. In 14 appearances (six starts), he has averaged 4.7 points and 1.4 assists in 21.5 minutes per game, with a .350/.362/1.000 shooting line.
This will be Vincent’s second extended injury absence of the season. He also missed 11 consecutive games in October and November due to a sprained ankle.
With Vincent unavailable and Austin Reaves still out due to a calf strain, the Lakers will likely lean more heavily on guards Luka Doncic and Marcus Smart, with two-way guard Nick Smith Jr. among the candidates for an increased role off the bench.
Lakers Notes: Doncic, Ayton, Knecht, Vanderbilt
The Lakers are tied for the fourth-best record in the league, but head coach JJ Redick isn’t satisfied, demanding that the team lock in more on defense, writes Dave McMenamin for ESPN. Luka Doncic took those words to heart and says he’s committed to leading the way.
“We talked about a lot, not just that, but [Redick] was right,” Doncic said. “You got to get a little bit more, especially from the star players. So that’s on us. That’s on me. And we just got to give more, especially at the start the game. We got to start the game better.”
The Lakers have the NBA’s 20th-best defense entering Wednesday’s game while ranking 23rd in opponent fast-break points and 28th in opponent three-point percentage. According to McMenamin, with the time off afforded to the Lakers as a result of the NBA Cup schedule, the coaching staff walked the team through specific examples of where it’s lacking and what it needs to do better.
McMenamin adds that Sunday’s win against the Suns was the Lakers’ first contest following the edict issued by the coaches, and the results were on display during an eight-minute stretch of the third quarter in which Phoenix was held scoreless.
“We should be like that,” Doncic said. “Like JJ said, ‘We told on ourselves’ and we should look at that clip. Phoenix is one of the most physical teams in the NBA, so we did a pretty good job there.”
We have more from the Lakers:
- Deandre Ayton has been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Jazz with left elbow soreness, per Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). Ayton played a key role in Sunday’s win against the Suns, scoring 20 points on 11 shots and adding 13 rebounds and two steals. Austin Reaves remains out with the left calf strain that sidelined him on Sunday, while Gabe Vincent is questionable due to back soreness.
- Dalton Knecht was assigned to the South Bay Lakers G League team on Monday to get some playing time while the team was on its short break. It was his first time being sent to the G League, according to Khobi Price of the Orange County Register, who notes that Knecht has only played 56 minutes over the last month. “He’s gonna get opportunities on this team,” Redick said. “He’s already had some opportunities. He’s played well in some. He’s gonna help us at some point. But right now, he needs to play, and he needs to have fun playing.” Knecht responded by posting 30 points with six made three-pointers in his South Bay debut (Twitter video link).
- Jarred Vanderbilt rejoined the Lakers’ rotation for the first time in more than a month on Sunday and quickly made himself a critical part of the win, writes Dan Woike for The Athletic. The 6’8″ forward had six offensive rebounds in 15 minutes and added a three-pointer, a block, and two steals. It was only Vanderbilt’s second game since mid-November, but he took the demotion in stride. “It’s a long season. It’s still early, so I know whether guys getting injured or something like that, the opportunity (was) gonna come back around,” Vanderbilt said. “And the biggest thing is being ready for it mentally. And obviously doing your part on the court and, showing up to practice and being a good teammate and stuff like that, but yeah, my main thing was just staying ready. ‘Cause I knew eventually, at some point, opportunity was gonna come and I wanted to be ready for it.“
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Smart, Ayton, Kleber, Luka, Reaves, Borrego
As expected, LeBron James is not on the Lakers‘ injury report for Monday’s game vs. Phoenix, which indicates he’ll be available to play, as Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group tweets.
The superstar forward sat out Sunday’s game with what the team called left foot injury management. Head coach JJ Redick explained prior to the win over New Orleans that Los Angeles was “just being cautious” with James, who has been dealing with a foot issue, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter links). Redick added that the team hopes to have James available for back-to-backs in the future.
The NBA’s oldest player extended his own league record last season by making his 21st consecutive All-NBA team — no other player has more than 15 total All-NBA appearances. James, who missed the first 14 games of the season due to sciatica on his right side, must play in 61 of the Lakers’ final 63 games in order to remain eligible to continue that streak, due to the 65-game rule.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- While James will return tonight, veteran guard Marcus Smart will miss his third straight game — and his injury designation has changed from lower back spasms to lower back injury management, Price notes. Redick expressed confidence on Monday that the 31-year-old would be back sooner rather later, calling him day-to-day, per Jovan Buha (Twitter link). “We expect him to be back soon,” Redick said. “It’s not a long-term thing.”
- Starting center Deandre Ayton appeared to aggravate a right knee bruise in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, an injury which cost him about a game-and-a-half last week, Woike tweets. However, the Lakers held a comfortable lead at the time and the former No. 1 overall pick isn’t on the team’s injury report ahead of Monday’s game.
- As Woike details in an entertaining story for The Athletic, during a poor stretch of play in the third quarter in which their lead was trimmed to 11 points, backup big man Maxi Kleber inexplicably air-balled an open layup on an and-one attempt (YouTube link), causing his teammates on the bench to start laughing. “We were just caught off guard. … We all thought he was going to dunk it. … Shot a fade-away layup. Crazy,” Gabe Vincent said Sunday. The Lakers immediately went on an 8-0 run after the moment of levity, which also served as a reminder of the good vibes around the team — the players often make fun of each other in a lighthearted way, Woike writes. “It’s very important,” Kleber said. “It’s a long season. Obviously, this was a funny play. But it could be serious, where we have a bad stretch, or a bad game, and it’s important that we stick together as a team. And that we can laugh about things and just work it out and not take it too hard. Because we know we’re good. And I think it helps to regain focus quickly.”
- It wasn’t the prettiest game, but the Lakers won their seventh straight contest on Sunday to improve to 15-4 on the season. Backcourt stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves combined for 67 points and 15 assists, notes Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times, becoming just the fourth pair of teammates in the past 50 years to each score at least 30 points in three consecutive games. “The gravity that he has on the court, it’s impossible to guard him any certain way because [of] his ability to pass the ball, his unselfishness and his shot-making ability,” Reaves said of Doncic. “Then, once you blitz him, then you have advantage basketball and we like our chances.”
- Prior to Sunday’s game, Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego reflected on being a finalist for the Lakers’ coaching vacancy during the 2024 offseason, which ultimately went to Redick (Twitter video link via Dave McMenamin of ESPN). “I grew up a Lakers fan, number one, so to come here and interview for the job was so surreal and like a dream,” Borrego said in part.