Blazers’ Cissoko Latest Two-Way Player To Reach Active Game Limit
Several teams will head into the NBA’s All-Star break with roster decisions to make before their schedules resume next week. One of those teams in the Trail Blazers, who deployed two-way player Sidy Cissoko for his 50th game of the season on Thursday in Utah.
Cissoko, who made his 24th start of the season and played 30 minutes in Portland’s win over the Jazz, has now reached the active game limit for two-way players and will no longer be able to suit up for the NBA team unless he’s promoted from his two-way contract to the Blazers’ standard 15-man roster.
Cissoko is one of several players in that boat, along with Nuggets forward Spencer Jones, Timberwolves guard Johnny Juzang, and Sixers forward Jabari Walker. All four two-way players have been active for 50 NBA games this season.
Cissoko and Jones have emerged as key contributors for their respective teams and will likely be promoted to standard contracts sooner rather than later. The Nuggets might have taken that route with Jones already if not for the concussion that sidelined him for the final three games before the All-Star break, which allowed the team to put off an official roster move for an extra couple weeks.
Denver has two openings on its 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to promote Jones, making the club’s decision even more straightforward.
That’s not the case in Portland though, where one of the team’s 15 players currently holding standard contracts will need to be cut if the Blazers want to promote Cissoko. If the team decides to convert both Cissoko and its other standout two-way player, Caleb Love (who is at 45 active games), two cuts would be required. Rayan Rupert and Matisse Thybulle have been mentioned as possible odd men out, but that’s not necessarily a given.
There’s less urgency for certain other teams whose two-way players have reached – or are fast approaching – their active game limits. For instance, while Juzang has been active for 50 games this season, he only actually saw the floor in 21 of them — he was a DNP-CD in the other 29. As such, it’s perhaps no surprise that the Wolves haven’t rushed to promote him to the standard roster. Juzang was on the inactive list for Minnesota’s last three games prior to the All-Star break.
Rockets two-way guard JD Davison is another player nearing his 50-game limit (he has five games left), but like Juzang, he hasn’t been a crucial part of his team’s rotation when he’s active. Davison has appeared in 24 games and been a DNP-CD in 21 others. With that in mind, Houston may not be in a rush to move him to the 15-man roster when he gets to his game limit.
It’s also worth noting that promoting a two-way player or leaving him in limbo aren’t the only two options a team has at its disposal after he reaches his active game limit. When two-way player Chris Youngblood found himself in that situation last week, the Thunder decided to waive him, recognizing that there was no room for him on their 15-man roster and wanting to give him the chance to explore other opportunities before the end of the season.
Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard (six games left) and center Moussa Cisse (eight games left), Wizards big man Tristan Vukcevic (nine games left), Pelicans guard Bryce McGowens (nine games left), and Suns guard Jamaree Bouyea (10 games left) are among the other notable two-way players whose teams will have roster decisions to make in the coming weeks.
The full list of players who have already been converted from two-way deals to standard contracts can be found here.
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 Teams With Open Roster Spots
A number of free agent signings have been finalized in the days since last Thursday’s trade deadline, but there are still many teams around the NBA with one or more open spots on their respective rosters.
For clubs with just a single standard or two-way opening, there’s not necessarily any urgency to fill those spots, especially ahead of the All-Star break. But the clock is ticking for teams who have two or more openings on their standard rosters to make a move, since clubs are only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for up to two weeks at a time.
These situations remain fluid, with more roster moves being finalized each day. But with the help of our roster count tracker, here’s where things stand for all 30 teams around the NBA as of Tuesday morning. As a reminder, teams are typically permitted to carry up to 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.
(Note: Teams marked with an asterisk have a player on a 10-day contract.)
Multiple open roster spots
- Teams with multiple 15-man openings:
- Boston Celtics
- Denver Nuggets
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Teams with one 15-man and one two-way opening:
- Golden State Warriors
- Sacramento Kings
The Celtics entered trade deadline week with 14 players on their standard roster and sent out four players (Anfernee Simons, Chris Boucher, Xavier Tillman Sr., and Josh Minott) while only taking back one (Nikola Vucevic). They promoted Amari Williams from his two-way contract to the standard roster to get to 12 players, but they still have three roster openings.
Given how tight their margins are below the tax line, the Celtics will likely use their full two-week allotment and wait until February 19 before making two additions to get back to the roster minimum of 14.
The Nuggets dipped to 13 players on standard contracts by trading Hunter Tyson last Thursday and also have until Feb. 19 to get back to 14. Two-way standout Spencer Jones has reached his 50-game limit and is the obvious candidate to be promoted into that spot, though he’s in the concussion protocol for now, so Denver may not to need to make that move until after the All-Star break.
The Timberwolves went from 14 players to 13 when they sent out Mike Conley on Tuesday of trade deadline week, so they have until Feb. 17 to reach the roster minimum again. It sounds like their old 14th man will likely become their new 14th man, with Conley expected to re-sign in Minnesota after being dealt twice ahead of last week’s deadline.
As for the Warriors and Kings, both clubs both briefly went down to 13 players, but they’ve since promoted two-way players Pat Spencer and Dylan Cardwell, respectively, so they’re back to 14 and there’s no urgency for them to make additional moves. Still, it’s worth noting that both teams technically have multiple roster openings, since they’ve yet to sign new two-way players to replace Spencer and Cardwell. Both Golden State and Sacramento are carrying 14 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals.
One open roster spot
- Teams with a 15-man opening:
- Brooklyn Nets
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Houston Rockets
- Indiana Pacers
- Miami Heat
- New Orleans Pelicans
- New York Knicks
- Orlando Magic
- Phoenix Suns
- Utah Jazz
- Washington Wizards *
- Teams with a two-way opening:
- Detroit Pistons
- Los Angeles Clippers *
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Philadelphia 76ers **
The Nets, Cavaliers, Rockets, Pacers, Heat, Pelicans, Knicks, Magic, and Jazz are all carrying 14 players on full-season standard contracts and three on two-way deals, with no reported signings pending. They’re each free to carry that open roster spot for as long as they want to, though some figure to fill it sooner rather than later.
The Suns, meanwhile, are in the same boat as those teams but might create a second opening on their 15-man roster in the near future — the expectation is that they’ll waive newly acquired guard Cole Anthony. If they do so, they’d have 14 days to add a replacement.
The Wizards have perhaps the most fluid situation of any team in this group. They have 13 players on standard, full-season contracts, with Keshon Gilbert on a 10-day deal that will expire during the All-Star break. It’s also possible that D’Angelo Russell, acquired in the Anthony Davis blockbuster, won’t be on the roster much longer, with buyout rumors swirling around him. If Washington parts ways with Russell and doesn’t re-sign Gilbert, the team would have three 15-man openings and would need to fill at least two of them.
The Pistons, Clippers, Bucks, and Sixers all currently have full 15-man rosters and one open two-way slot, but L.A. and Philadelphia will soon open up standard roster spots.
The Clippers have Dalano Banton on a 10-day deal through next Monday, while the 76ers have Charles Bassey and Patrick Baldwin Jr. on 10-day pacts through Saturday. Both teams are at or near their limit of “under-15” games for two-way players, so if they want to continue using their players on two-way contracts, they’ll need to ensure they maintain full 15-man rosters.
No open roster spots
- Atlanta Hawks
- Charlotte Hornets
- Chicago Bulls
- Dallas Mavericks
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Memphis Grizzlies *
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Portland Trail Blazers
- San Antonio Spurs
- Toronto Raptors
The Hawks, Hornets, Bulls, Mavericks, Lakers, Thunder, Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Raptors are all carrying 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. If they want to make a free agent addition during the season’s final two months, they’ll have to cut a player to do so.
In some of those cases, there’s an obvious release candidate on the roster. For instance, it’s believed to be just a matter of time until Toronto officially waives Chris Paul. A few of those clubs will also need to make room on their 15-man rosters to convert two-way players — Ryan Nembhard in Dallas and Sidy Cissoko in Portland are among the top candidates for promotions.
As for the Grizzlies, one of their 15 standard players – Lawson Lovering – is on a 10-day contract. His deal will expire after the team’s Feb. 20 game, opening up a roster spot in Memphis.
Stephon Castle, Jalen Johnson Named Players Of The Week
Spurs guard Stephon Castle has been named the Western Conference Player of the Week and Hawks forward Jalen Johnson has won the award in the East, the NBA announced today (Twitter links). Week 16 of the 2025/26 season covered games played from February 2-8.
Castle, the reigning Rookie of the Year, helped San Antonio go 3-0 last week. The 21-year-old filled the stat sheet, averaging 24.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 3.0 steals and 1.0 block in just 26.7 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .630/.364/.769.
As Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com details, Castle’s week was highlighted by a phenomenal performance in Saturday’s victory vs. Dallas. The former UConn standout scored a career-high 40 points (on 15-of-19 shooting, or 78.9%), grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds, dished out 12 assists, and swiped three steals in 32 minutes.
Castle became the youngest player in NBA history with a 40-12-12 stat line (the record was previously held by Oscar Robertson), per Wright, and the second player in league history to register a 40-point triple-double while shooting at least 75.0% from the field, joining Wilt Chamberlain, who accomplished the feat three times. And it all came on the one-year anniversary of when he set his previous career high with 33 points.
“I don’t know, something about this day,” Castle said, smiling. “Having a game like this, it’s definitely a dream come true. It felt good just to be out there feeling comfortable with every shot that I took and [got to] see them go in.”
As for Johnson, the 2026 All-Star continued his standout season last week, averaging 27.3 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 11.3 APG and 1.0 SPG on .544/.294/.750 shooting in three games (Atlanta went 2-1 in those contests). Johnson recorded a pair of triple-doubles from Feb. 2-8, raising his season total to 10, the most in the East and second-most in the NBA, only trailing Nikola Jokic (18).
No other player has ever recorded 10 triple-doubles in their entire Hawks career, let alone in a single season, per the team. It was the second weekly honor for the fifth-year forward, who also won Player of the Week in November.
According to the NBA, the other nominees in the West were Trail Blazers teammates Donovan Clingan and Jerami Grant, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III, and Castle’s teammate Victor Wembanyama. Scottie Barnes (Raptors), Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns of the Knicks, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid of the Sixers, Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers), and Ryan Rollins (Bucks) were nominated in the East.
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.
Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Henderson, Sharpe, Jazz
Injuries have been an issue all season long for the Nuggets, who are currently missing forward Aaron Gordon and swingman Peyton Watson, but the health-related news on Saturday was mostly positive. As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post details (subscription required), wing Cameron Johnson – who had been out since December 23 due to a bone bruise in his knee – returned and was effective vs. Chicago, finishing with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
Star center Nikola Jokic, meanwhile, was listed as questionable to play on Saturday due to a mildly sprained ankle, but he suited up and dominated, racking up 22 points, 17 assists, and 14 rebounds — Denver outscored the Bulls by 36 points during Jokic’s 33 minutes on the floor en route to a 136-120 victory.
First-time All-Star Jamal Murray, who has been the Nuggets’ healthiest starter this season, exited to the locker room with about four minutes left in the game due to a hip issue, but he returned to the bench before the final whistle and didn’t seem concerned after the game about the apparent injury.
“He seemed confident that he was OK,” head coach David Adelman said, per Durando (Twitter link).
Finally, while two-way player Spencer Jones isn’t injured, he was inactive on Saturday for a second time in the past three games after having reached his 50-game limit. As Durando writes within an interesting profile of Jones for The Denver Post (subscription required), the team is preparing to move the second-year forward into one the two open spots on its 15-man roster, though it’s unclear when exactly that will happen.
Denver plays twice before the All-Star break – Monday vs. Cleveland and Wednesday vs. Memphis – and will need to promote Jones to a standard contract if it wants him available for those games.
We have more from around the Northwest:
- Making his season debut on Friday after recovering from a torn hamstring, Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson had 11 points and nine assists in 21 minutes as the team snapped a six-game losing streak with a victory over Memphis. Teammate Jerami Grant said Henderson played “amazing” following his lengthy layoff, per Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Interim head coach Tiago Splitter wasn’t quite as effusive with his praise, but suggested he was very encouraged by the third-year guard’s performance. “He was impressive on defense,” Splitter said, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic. “He brought energy, he pushed the pace, made some shots. Still was room for improvement, but just good to see him competing.”
- As the Trail Blazers got one guard back, they lost another to an injury. Shaedon Sharpe exited Friday’s win due to calf soreness and didn’t play on Saturday. Still, as Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report points out (via Twitter), there are a couple encouraging signs on Sharpe — he’s listed as having “soreness” rather than a strain, and the injury is to his left calf, not the right one, which he strained earlier in the season. That right calf injury cost him four games in November.
- Walker Kessler is out for the rest of the season and will enter restricted free agency this summer, so there’s no guarantee that he, Lauri Markkanen, and Jaren Jackson Jr. will ever share the court together for the Jazz. But that’s certainly the plan in Utah — head coach Will Hardy tells Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune that he’s excited about the size, rebounding, and rim-protecting ability of his new frontcourt trio and that he’s confident they’ll fit together offensively too. “We’ve played with Lauri as the quote-unquote ‘three’ before during my time here, and Jaren is a really talented player,” Hardy said. “I think it’s going to be good to get him in the building and around the team so that we can become and I can become more familiar with what his capabilities really are. You have all these preconceived notions of players when you coach against them, but they’re being asked to play within some type of a system wherever they are, and so it’ll be fun to explore those things with him and make him a part of the conversation in terms of what he thinks he can offer.”
Blazers Notes: Deadline, Cissoko, Love, Thybulle, Krejci, Arena
After making a minor move at the start of the week to acquire Vit Krejci from Atlanta, the Trail Blazers didn’t make any additional trades between Monday and Thursday. As Joe Freeman of The Oregonian writes, that was a relief to the Blazers’ players, who admitted to being nervous in the days leading up to the deadline.
“The players were joking around a little bit, (saying) ‘We’re all back,'” interim head coach Tiago Splitter said on Thursday. “I get it. There’s a little bit of tension. But I’m glad everybody’s back. Everybody’s happy to be here and ready to move forward and finish the season.”
Although Portland didn’t shake up its roster in a major way, there will be some changes coming to the rotation. Krejci will have a chance to earn regular minutes, and point guard Scoot Henderson is making his season debut on Friday vs. Memphis after recovering from a hamstring tear. Forward Deni Avdija is out on Friday for a third straight game due to a low back strain, but when he returns, the Blazers will be as healthy as they’ve been all season.
“I’m happy to have that challenge, make them produce and excel at their positions,” Splitter said. “Guys that were used to playing more minutes (are) going to play a little less. Guys that were out (are) going to start to play more minutes and produce for us. We have still like 30 games or so left. Hopefully, this is the normal for us from now on.”
Here’s more on the Blazers:
- One downside of Portland’s deadline inactivity is that the team still has a full 15-man roster, with two-way players Sidy Cissoko and Caleb Love on track to reach their respective 50-game limits this month, writes Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link). Highkin views Cissoko as the more likely candidate for a promotion, since he has a clearer role than Love when the team is healthy, and suggests Matisse Thybulle could be a buyout candidate. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link) agrees that Thybulle could be the odd man out, though he says no decision has been made on the wing’s future yet.
- Krejci said earlier this week that he’s “very excited” to join the Blazers, adding that they have a “really great roster,” according to Freeman. “I think this team has a lot of good drivers and that opens (things) up,” Krejci said. “As a shooter, you love playing with guys like that, because they keep slashing, they keep going at the rim.”
- While the Trail Blazers’ basketball operations department ended up having a relatively quiet deadline, the organization’s business operations department is negotiating a crucial deal of its own. According to Bill Oram of The Oregonian, the Blazers continue to work with state, city, and county officials in an effort to secure roughly $600MM in funding viewed as necessary to upgrade the Moda Center and keep the team in Portland long term.
- As Oram details, Multnomah County is believed to be reluctant to commit approximately $40MM in business tax revenue from the Blazers’ sale to the arena renovation. The city of Portland is also receiving push-back on plans to pull as much as $75MM from a clean energy fund to put toward the project, according to Shane Dixon Kavanaugh and Oram of The Oregonian. Oregon governor Tina Kotek spoke to commissioner Adam Silver last week, per Oram, in an effort to reinforce her support for the arena deal and to ensure the team doesn’t consider relocation under a new ownership group led by Tom Dundon. The Blazers’ Moda Center lease agreement with the city runs through 2030.
Scoot Henderson On Track To Make Season Debut On Friday
Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson is expected to make his season debut on Friday when Portland hosts Memphis, head coach Tiago Splitter said today (Twitter link via Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report).
Henderson has yet to play in 2025/26 due to the left hamstring tear he suffered during a workout prior to training camp. When the Blazers first announced the injury in September, they indicated the third-year guard would be sidelined from basketball activities for about four-to-eight weeks.
However, general manager Joe Cronin told reporters on media day the following week that Henderson’s timeline for resuming basketball activities could extend beyond that initial projection, since hamstring injuries can be “stubborn” and tricky to handle. Over four months later, the 6’3″ guard — who turned 22 on Tuesday — is finally set to return.
The third overall pick in the 2023 draft, Henderson had an up-and-down rookie season but began to show real improvement in his second year in the NBA. In his final 35 games of the 2024/25 season, he averaged 14.2 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 27.5 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .434/.384/.766.
Henderson will join a backcourt rotation that features Shaedon Sharpe, Jrue Holiday, rookie Caleb Love, new acquisition Vit Krejci, and Blake Wesley, who recently returned from a lengthy injury absence of his own.
Henderson will be entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2026/27, so he’ll have an opportunity over the final two months of this season to make his case for a rookie scale extension. He becomes extension-eligible in July and would reach restricted free agency in 2027 if he doesn’t sign a new deal during the 2026 offseason.
Giannis Trade Rumors: Wolves, Warriors, Heat, Lakers, Blazers
The Bucks have ramped up trade discussions involving Giannis Antetokounmpo within the past week in the wake of a report that the two-time MVP is “ready for a new home.” However, speaking to Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Tuesday, Antetokounmpo didn’t sound like a player who is eager to move on from the only NBA team he’s ever played for.
“What I want deep down in my heart is I want to be a Milwaukee Buck for the rest of my career and win here,” Antetokounmpo said, before describing in depth how much the city of Milwaukee means to him. “… I got married in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And also, legally, from the courthouse. And also, I’ve had my kids here. My father is buried here. When I open the passport of my kids and it says born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, my dad is buried here, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“So people have the audacity to come tell me and say, ‘This guy really doesn’t love Milwaukee.’ I don’t love Milwaukee? Not the people that know. The people of the city know how much I love them. This city has let me be myself, let me be father, have let me (be) a husband, have let me be my own true self.”
As strong as his feelings are for Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo has also spoken repeatedly over the years about his desire to contend for more NBA championships. The 19-29 Bucks look further away from contention than they have at any point in the last decade, which is a crucial reason why both Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have become more open-minded to the idea of a trade.
“I always listen,” Antetokounmpo said when asked about his belief in the team’s ability to build a contending roster around him. “That’s why I’m still here. I always listen and trust. But what I’m trying to say, how many chances do I have left to win a championship? So, you just gotta (be) more careful and more urgent in every decision that you make moving forward. It doesn’t change. I think I’ve listened since day one and that will never change. I have great respect, love and likeness for (general manager) Jon (Horst) and the ownership and that will never be different. Won’t change. But at the end of the day …”
At this point, according to Owczarksi, Giannis paused for about eight seconds before finishing his thought.
“You gotta look.”
Here are several of the latest Antetokounmpo-related rumors:
- The Timberwolves are discussing Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid with teams around the NBA and are in constant communication with the Bucks as they look to gather enough assets to convince Milwaukee to send Antetokounmpo to Minnesota, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, who says Giannis finds the idea of playing alongside Anthony Edwards “extremely compelling.”
- While several rival executives believe the Wolves have a path to acquiring Antetokounmpo this week, the Heat and Warriors have also made strong pitches, Siegel notes. Still, he suggests there’s “growing skepticism” about Miami’s chances of landing Giannis ahead of Thursday’s deadline (Twitter link).
- While Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, and Brandin Podziemski are presumed to be key pieces in the Warriors‘ offer for Antetokounmpo (along with multiple first-round draft picks), the Bucks are reluctant to take on Green’s contract and would likely want to reroute him to a third team if their talks with Golden State progress to an advanced stage, writes Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). Green is earning $25.9MM this season with a $27.7MM player option for 2026/27.
- The Lakers aren’t viewed as a factor in the race for Antetokounmpo at this time, but if the Bucks hang onto the star forward until the offseason, Los Angeles would become a far more viable suitor, according to Stein. While the Lakers only have one tradable first-round pick (2031 or 2032) right now, they could move up to three first-rounders (2026, 2031, and 2033) in the summer.
- Although the Trail Blazers have some level of interest in trying to trade for Antetokounmpo, the forward’s camp has continued to convey that he wouldn’t be interested in signing an extension with Portland, Stein writes, which will likely dissuade the Blazers from making an aggressive offer.
- Antetokounmpo, who is currently sidelined due to a calf strain, went through a 30-minute on-court workout on Tuesday, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. However, the Bucks still haven’t provided a recovery timeline or given any indication of when he might return to action.
Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel Once Again Named Rookies Of Month
Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg and Hornets wing Kon Knueppel have once again been named the Western and Eastern Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in January, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
Flagg and Knueppel, who were Duke teammates last season, have monopolized the award this season, gaining those monthly honors three consecutive times. No one else has won it this season, as the months of October and November were combined.
Flagg, the top overall pick, averaged 20.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game last month. He capped off the month with a 49-point eruption against Charlotte and 34 points against Houston.
Knueppel averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per night in January. He scored a season-high 34 points in the same game Flagg scored 49.
Ace Bailey (Jazz), Cedric Coward (Grizzlies), Caleb Love (Trail Blazers) and Derik Queen (Pelicans) were the other Western Conference nominees. Egor Demin (Nets), VJ Edgecombe (Sixers), Tre Johnson (Wizards) and Collin Murray-Boyles (Raptors) were also nominated in the East.