Southeast Notes: Heat, Larsson, Knueppel, White, Vukcevic
Mired in a five-game losing streak, the Heat made a starting lineup change on Wednesday in Cleveland, bringing forward Pelle Larsson off the bench for the first time since January 13. The early returns on the adjustment were positive, as Miami snapped its losing streak with a 120-103 road victory over the Cavaliers.
As Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald relays, head coach Erik Spoelstra suggested the new starting five – Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, and Bam Adebayo – is his preferred group when everyone’s healthy, which often hasn’t been the case this season.
“There really wasn’t a lot of thought to it. It’s just now we have finally everybody available,” Spoelstra said. “So we’re able to get to the normal plan. Sometimes you can’t necessarily get to what you want to do based on injuries.”
Although Larsson was moved to the second unit, he still played just over 34 minutes in Wednesday’s win, which was easily his highest mark in a reserve role this season. After the game, Spoelstra praised Larsson for the energy he brought off the bench and made it clear the second-year forward will continue to be featured prominently even if he’s not starting.
“Pelle is undeniable, you can’t take him off the floor,” Spoelstra said. “So I didn’t think anything of (the role change), he didn’t think anything of it that we made the change. Because I know, and I know that he knows that I know that he’s going to play. He led us in minutes tonight. … I just love the way he competes, how he impacts the game, and his teammates really appreciate him as well.”
We have more from around the Southeast:
- Hornets wing Kon Knueppel is battling through some back soreness, but he nearly had the first triple-double of his NBA career in a win over New York on Thursday. Knueppel had 26 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, and became the youngest player in league history to make at least 250 three-pointers in a single season, notes Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “I think sometimes he gets labeled as just a shooter, but we feel his impact in so many different ways,” head coach Charles Lee said of the rookie standout.
- Speaking to Boone for a separate Charlotte Observer story, new Hornets guard Coby White suggests the three weeks he spent recovering from a calf strain following his trade from Chicago to Charlotte last month allowed him to adjust to his new NBA home without getting thrown into the deep end right away. “I think what helped me was just – when I was out – picking up a lot of stuff, learning stuff, and then so I didn’t really have to learn it on the fly,” White said. “So it’s been good for me, just breaking down the film when I was out. It’s going to take time, but I feel like I’m getting accustomed to it for sure.” White has averaged 16.0 points in just 20.0 minutes per game in his first 13 outings for the Hornets.
- When he was promoted from his two-way contract to the standard roster last month, Wizards center Tristan Vukcevic signed a three-year, $8.86MM contract that is fully guaranteed through the 2026/27 season. The next step for the young big man will be proving he deserves a place in Washington’s long-term plans, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “I’m obviously happy for my deal, but it doesn’t stop here,” Vukcevic said. “I’m still (only 23), I have a whole career in front of me. I think the contract is more motivation for me to work harder this summer and just get better. I don’t think I’m perfect. Everybody says I’m a shooter, but I have a lot of work there. This year, I haven’t shot the ball the way I’m supposed to.”
Injury Notes: Giannis, Cade, Edwards, Kings, K. George, Wade
The National Basketball Players Association seemed to imply in a statement earlier this week that Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is healthy enough to play, but that’s not the case, according to head coach Doc Rivers. As Eric Nehm of The Athletic relays, Rivers told reporters on Wednesday that Antetokounmpo continues to recover from the left knee hyperextension and bone bruise that have sidelined him since March 15.
“He’s not (healthy),” Rivers said. “He’s progressing. He’s just not healthy. Our focus right now is just getting him healthy. We’re just trying to get Giannis cleared and healthy; that’s our only focus. All the other stuff, we stay above.”
Reporting last week suggested that Antetokounmpo and the Bucks were at odds over whether he should be shut down for the rest of the season, with Milwaukee preferring to take a conservative approach and the two-time MVP pushing to return. The NBPA’s statement suggested that the Bucks are motivated to hold Giannis out of action to potentially improve their draft position, an idea Rivers downplayed.
“We didn’t have a meeting about this (statement from the NBPA),” Rivers said. “We didn’t have one discussion. (General manager) Jon Horst didn’t call me to talk about this, just to show you the concern we have.”
Here are several more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Appearing on NBA Countdown on Wednesday (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Shams Charania provided health updates on Cade Cunningham (collapsed lung) and Anthony Edwards (knee inflammation). According to Charania, the Pistons are optimistic that Cunningham will be able to return in time for the start of the playoffs, while the Timberwolves consider Edwards day-to-day at this point, and he could return as Saturday vs. Detroit or Monday at Dallas.
- Kings forward Keegan Murray, out since February 25 due to a left ankle sprain, is making “good progress” in his return-to-play process and is resuming contact work, the team announced on Wednesday (Twitter link via James Ham of ESPN 1320). The update suggests Sacramento plans on having Murray back before the end of the season. Veteran guard Russell Westbrook, meanwhile, underwent an MRI on his sore right foot and has been diagnosed with joint irritation of the first toe. He’ll remain out, with further updates provided as appropriate, per the Kings.
- The Wizards, who announced on March 4 that forward Kyshawn George had sustained a partial UCL tear in his left elbow and would be reevaluated in three weeks, provided an update right on schedule on Wednesday. According to the team (Twitter link), elbow specialist Dr. Keith Meister confirmed this week that George has a Grade 2 distal UCL tear. The plan is to continue to treat the injury “conservatively” and evaluate the 22-year-old again next Wednesday.
- Cavaliers forward Dean Wade appeared to suffer an ankle injury during warm-ups prior to Wednesday’s contest vs. Miami, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter links). While Wade was held out of the game, Fedor refers to it as a “precaution,” which suggests the injury probably isn’t serious.
Two Players Suspended, Three Fined For Thunder-Wizards Scuffle
Wizards forward Justin Champagnie and Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell have been suspended one game apiece for their roles in Saturday’s scuffle between the two teams, the NBA announced in a press release (Twitter link).
Champagnie and Mitchell were suspended without pay for “fighting and escalating an on-court altercation which spilled over into the spectator stands,” per the league’s statement.
In addition to the two suspensions, Thunder big man Jaylin Williams was fined $50K, while Thunder guard Cason Wallace and Wizards forward Anthony Gill were each fined $35K for their parts in the incident, which occurred late in the second quarter of Oklahoma City’s victory.
After a long review by the officials, Champagnie and Williams were each given two technical fouls, which is an automatic ejection. Mitchell and Wallace were assessed one technical apiece and were also thrown out of the game.
In a pool report, crew chief John Goble explained that Champagnie and Williams each received one technical foul for pushing each other during a dead ball. Champagnie’s second technical was for making contact with Mitchell’s face, while Williams was T’d up for his actions during the fight.
Goble added that Mitchell and Wallace were tossed because they were not “acting as peacemakers” and were “escalating the altercation.”
Gill wasn’t penalized at all at the time, but obviously the NBA changed its stance upon further review.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, while Champagnie and Mitchell were the ones suspended, they were actually penalized a little less severely from a financial standpoint because their respective contracts are relatively modest. Champagnie will lose $13,503 from $2.35MM salary, while Mitchell will forfeit $17,241 of the $3MM he’s earning in 2025/27.
Four Players Ejected In Thunder-Wizards Scuffle
An altercation late in the first half of Saturday’s game between the Thunder and Wizards resulted in four ejections (Twitter video link from Bleacher Report).
According to Joel Lorenzi and Josh Robbins of The Athletic, it started as a dispute between Washington’s Justin Champagnie and Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams that quickly involved several other players. Ajay Mitchell began exchanging words and shoves with Champagnie along the baseline, and the battle spilled into the courtside seats under the basket.
“I’ve never seen him like that,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of Mitchell. “But at the same time, I’m not really surprised by his reaction. He’s a tough kid, tough as nails. Not only on the court, but off the court as well. He’s as tough as they come, so I knew there’d be no back down when he’s involved in anything.”
After a long review by the officials, Champagnie and Williams were each given two technical fouls, which is an automatic ejection. Mitchell and the Thunder’s Cason Wallace were assessed one technical apiece and were also thrown out of the game.
In a pool report, crew chief John Goble explained that Champagnie and Williams each received one technical foul for pushing each other during a dead ball. Champagnie’s second technical was for making contact with Mitchell’s face, while Williams was T’d up for his actions during the fight.
Goble added that Mitchell and Wallace were tossed because they were not “acting as peacemakers” and were “escalating the altercation.”
The Wizards’ Anthony Gill appeared to shove Mitchell from behind, but Goble stated that no action was taken against him because Wallace pushed Gill into the scrum and it was “not observed that Gill did anything in an unsportsmanlike manner to assess a penalty.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said he’s “worked with John Goble a long time,” and they discussed the ejections before “agreeing to disagree.”
Wizards coach Brian Keefe was on the opposite side of the court and couldn’t see much of the scuffle, but he told reporters, “I just know that our guys stuck up for each other, which I always love.”
The authors note that Saturday’s incident was the third one involving the Thunder in the past few weeks. Luguentz Dort and Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears had a post-game altercation on January 27 that resulted in $25K fines for each of them, and Dort was ejected for tripping Denver center Nikola Jokic in late February, which prompted a face-to-face confrontation between Jokic and Williams.
“It’s a combination of things,” Isaiah Hartenstein replied when asked about the skirmishes. “We’re a physical team. Every time we play, I think there’s always a chip on the other team’s shoulder. We’re also not gonna back down against anything. I don’t really put anyone at fault for that — it just happens. We have a passionate group of guys, and every time we play, teams are coming with their best shot, and sometimes, it just gets physical.”
Saturday’s exchange is expected to result at least in fines and possibly suspensions. They’ll likely be announced before the Wizards play Sunday night in New York. Oklahoma City’s next game is Monday at Philadelphia.
Wizards’ Trae Young Dealing With Quad, Back Injuries
It appears unlikely that Trae Young will return to the court this season.
The Wizards announced on Saturday that Young reinjured his right quadriceps, sustaining a contusion during the third quarter of their game against Golden State on Monday. Related imaging, due to ongoing back pain, confirmed lower back irritation, Josh Robbins of The Athletic relays (Twitter link).
Both injuries are being treated conservatively and will not require surgery at this time, the Wizards added.
It’s essentially been a lost season for the former All-Star. He only appeared in 10 games with the Hawks this season before the blockbuster trade with Washington in early January.
Young was a four-time All-Star with the Hawks, including last season when he was the NBA’s assists leader with 11.6 per game. However, he made limited appearances prior to the trade due to a sprained MCL in late October and the right quad contusion.
He has only played five games with the Wizards over the past two-plus months, averaging 15.2 points and 6.2 assists in 20.8 minutes per game.
Young holds a $49MM player option on his contract for next season. If Young were to sign an extension with the Wizards in the coming months, it would require him to turn down his option and replace it with a new deal starting in ’26/27. An agreement between the two sides could tack on a maximum of three years to the current season.
If Young picks up his option in June, he would be eligible during the offseason to sign an extension that begins in ’27/28 and adds up to four new seasons to his option year. If he were to turn down his option in favor of free agency, he could explore options outside of D.C., though the expectation at this time is that he’ll stick with the Wizards beyond this season.
Southeast Notes: Kuminga, Powell, White, Wizards
Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (left knee) has been ruled out for Friday’s game in Houston, but the expectation is that he’ll be available on Saturday for his first matchup with his former team, the Warriors, tweets Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area.
While Kuminga’s stint in Golden State turned sour over the course of his four-and-a-half years with the franchise, no one in the organization holds any ill will toward him, according to head coach Steve Kerr, who said the Warriors want to see Kuminga succeed in Atlanta.
“To be honest, I haven’t given (the first matchup against Kuminga) much thought because we’re trying to win a damn game,” Kerr told Nick Friedell of The Athletic. “But I can tell you that everybody likes JK. Everybody on our team wants the best for him. I want the best for him.
“… I think players need the right set of circumstances to thrive. And the trade made sense because these were not the right circumstances for JK. And you can see right away that Kristaps (Porzingis) has a very clear role on this team, something we’ve needed for years. And we’re looking forward to getting him out there with Steph (Curry). And so in the end, hopefully it’s a trade that works for both guys and both teams.”
Although the on-court fit wasn’t right for him, Kuminga developed several strong relationships during his time with the Warriors. One of those relationships was with current Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh, who was the vice president of basketball strategy in Golden State before being hired by Atlanta in 2024.
“I would go in the front office and mess with him,” Kuminga said of Saleh, per Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). “He was somebody that you could really sit down and communicate with.”
Saleh may be looking to negotiate a new contract with Kuminga this summer. According to Fischer, sources say there’s mutual interest between the Hawks and the forward’s camp in the possibility of the team declining its $24.3MM option on Kuminga for the 2026/27 season in order to work out a new, multiyear deal.
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- Since missing seven games due to a groin strain, All-Star guard Norman Powell has come off the bench in two of the Heat‘s last three games. He has still played at least 30 minutes in each of those contests and is taking the adjustment to his role in stride, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “I feel like I’m a starter. I’ve worked to be in that role,” Powell said. “But if the team feels that me coming off the bench some games or whatever it is based on a matchup is going to put us in position to win games, I’m going to accept the role and go out there and play basketball.”
- Coby White is playing fewer minutes in Charlotte so far than he did in Chicago, but the Hornets guard is looking more and more comfortable in his sixth man role, averaging 23.0 points in 23.0 minutes per game on .512/.417/.938 shooting in his past three outings. “I appreciate his humility in wanting to kind of fit in, but he’s a heck of a player, and he’s gotta be himself,” head coach Charles Lee said, per Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer. “And I think the guys encouraged him and continue to do that too, and be aggressive. He’s another guy who can just generate more offense, get the offense flowing. He helps us get to the free throw line because he understands how to use his body, and when he feels contact he starts to get into his shot. But the passing has been really good, too. So I’m really proud of Coby’s growth and evolution since he’s been here.”
- David Aldridge of The Athletic takes a look at what the Wizards and Trae Young are looking to accomplish in the final few weeks of the regular season, noting that Young and rookie guard Tre Johnson each expressed a desire to get plenty of reps alongside one another.
Wizards To Reevaluate Anthony Davis At End Of Month
Anthony Davis had the ligament damage in his left hand reevaluated on Thursday in Los Angeles, according to the Wizards, who announced today in a press release that the big man’s recovery “continues to progress positively” (Twitter link). However, the volar plate tissue in Davis’ left hand has yet to fully heal, per the team.
The plan, the Wizards say, is for Davis to continue with “conservative” treatment and to ramp up his basketball activity “as tolerated.” He’ll be evaluated again at the end of March.
After Washington acquired Davis at February’s trade deadline, there were conflicting accounts on whether he’d make his Wizards debut in 2025/26. Multiple reporters suggested that the 32-year-old’s season was likely over, but general manager Will Dawkins stated in a media session that he expected Davis to return before the team’s regular season finale on April 12.
The Wizards have the NBA’s second-worst record at 16-53 and aren’t particularly motivated to win games down the stretch. Besides wanting to ensure they hang onto their top-eight protected first-round pick – rather than sending it to New York – they’ll want to maximize their odds of landing a top-four selection in the draft lottery.
Still, the Wizards showed by bringing back guard Trae Young earlier this month following his own lengthy injury absence that they like the idea of having their new veteran additions establish some chemistry with the team’s young core before the end of the season.
It’s entirely possible Davis won’t play again in 2025/26, but it also wouldn’t be a total surprise if he’s active for a few games at the end of the season, assuming his hand has fully recovered by then and the Wizards are in little danger of compromising their favorable lottery position.
Davis has been limited to just 20 outings so far this season, all with Dallas. He averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.7 blocks in 31.3 minutes per night.
Bucks’ Nance Among Two-Way Players Nearing Game Limit
Bucks forward Pete Nance had one of his best games of the season in Tuesday’s loss to Cleveland, scoring 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, grabbing seven rebounds, and blocking two shots. Although Milwaukee lost the game by a score of 123-116, Nance was a +7 during his 30 minutes of action.
As Keith Smith of Spotrac observes (via Twitter), it was the 29th consecutive game – and the 47th overall – in which Nance was active. That’s important because the 26-year-old is on a two-way contract, which comes with a limit of 50 active games.
The Bucks still have 14 games left on their regular season schedule, but if they want Nance to be active for more than three of those contests, they’d have to promote him to their standard 15-man roster, which is currently full.
Most promotions from a two-way contract to a standard deal in a given league year occur between the trade deadline and March 4. That way, teams don’t prematurely fill a roster spot they might need for a deadline deal and have the ability to back-fill a newly opened two-way slot on or before March 4, the deadline to sign players to two-way contracts. Promoting a two-way player to the 15-man roster after that deadline means that a club would have to leave one of its two-way slots open for the rest of the season.
Promotions can still happen between March 5 and the end of the regular season, but it’s a less pressing priority for teams who don’t have 15-man roster spots available and/or won’t need their two-way standouts for the postseason. The Bucks, whose playoff chances are on life support, probably fall into both of those categories, so it will be interesting to see whether they feel compelled to make a move with Nance as he nears his 50-game limit.
Here are the other players are on two-way contracts around the NBA who have fewer than 10 games of eligibility remaining (their remaining games are noted in parentheses):
- Moussa Cisse, Mavericks (4)
JD Davison, Rockets (4)
Tyrese Martin, Sixers (4) - Caleb Love, Trail Blazers (5)
David Roddy, Nuggets (5) - Tristan Enaruna, Cavaliers (6)
Blake Hinson, Jazz (6)
Rayan Rupert, Grizzlies (6)
Payton Sandfort, Thunder (6)
Dalen Terry, Sixers (6) - Norchad Omier, Clippers (7)
Nate Williams, Warriors (7) - Patrick Baldwin Jr., Kings (8)
Jamal Cain, Magic (8)
Julian Reese, Wizards (8) - Trevor Keels, Heat (9)
KJ Simpson, Nuggets (9)
Jalen Slawson, Pacers (9)
Ethan Thompson, Pacers (9)
Chris Youngblood, Trail Blazers (9)
Some of these players were just signed a couple weeks ago and didn’t have that many games of two-way eligibility to begin with, so the fact that they’re nearing their limit isn’t a big deal for their respective teams.
Sandfort, for instance, joined the Thunder on March 2, giving him 12 total games of regular season eligibility. He has been active for six, but has a DNP-CD in all of them. It’s safe to assume Oklahoma City won’t be looking to find a way to promote him to its standard roster.
Others on this list were regular contributors earlier in the season but have been deactivated since they got close to their respective limits. Cisse, for example, was at 42 active games at the trade deadline, but has been in the Mavericks’ lineup for just four of 18 contests since then. Davison and Love are among the others who have found themselves exiled to the inactive list on a permanent basis in recent weeks. Their teams have gotten by without them lately and don’t appear to be prioritizing promotions.
That doesn’t mean none of these players will be converted to standard contracts by April 12 though. The Jazz, Warriors, and Magic are among the teams that have open roster spots, so Hinson, Williams, and Cain, each of whom has been seeing a decent amount of playing time recently, should be considered candidates to fill those openings.
Luka Doncic, Bam Adebayo Earn Player Of Week Honors
Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Heat big man Bam Adebayo have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the league office (Twitter links). The awards cover games played from March 9-15.
Doncic led the Lakers to a 3-0 week by averaging 37.3 points, 11.0 assists and 10.3 rebounds per game. He came one assist away from registering three consecutive triple-doubles, had 51 points on Thursday vs. Chicago, and made a last-second basket to defeat Denver in overtime on Saturday.
The selection of Adebayo was a foregone conclusion after his historic 83-point game against the Wizards, which represented the second-highest single-game scoring output in NBA history. Overall, Adebayo averaged 41.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per contest last week as the Heat won two of three games.
Doncic became the second player to win a third Player of the Week award in 2025/26, joining Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. For Adebayo, it’s his second Player of the Week selection this season and the fourth of his career.
Devin Booker (Suns), DeMar DeRozan (Kings), Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), Austin Reaves (Lakers) and Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) were the other nominees from the Western Conference. Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane (Magic), Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren (Pistons), Brandon Ingram (Raptors) and Jalen Johnson (Hawks) were the other nominees from the East.
What Will The Wizards’ Roster Look Like Next Season?
There was never any doubt that they wouldn't be, but the Wizards were formally eliminated from postseason contention when they lost on Thursday evening.
Washington has been -- by far -- the worst team in the NBA since the start of the 2023/24 season, posting an abysmal 49-181 (.213) record during that stretch. The next-worst team since the fall of 2023 is Utah, which has gone 68-163 (.294).
That said, there have been clear signs that the rebuilding Wizards don't want to be as bad in 2026/27 as they've been for the past three seasons.
With an eye toward the future, Washington used some of its financial flexibility this season to take buy-low swings on a pair of multi-time All-Stars. Trae Young has played pretty well in limited minutes, while Anthony Davis is still recovering from ligament damage in his left hand.
How aggressive will the Wizards be this summer to built out their roster around Young, Davis and their young core? And which players are definitively viewed as part of that core?
