Trae Young To Make Wizards Debut Thursday
4:21 pm: Young is expected to play between 17 and 20 minutes on Thursday, according to head coach Brian Keefe (Twitter link via Josh Robbins of The Athletic).
3:13 pm: Trae Young will make his Wizards debut on Thursday against Utah, tweets Shams Charania of ESPN.
A four-time All-Star, Young was traded to Washington on January 9 but has yet to play for the Wizards due to right knee and quad issues. He last suited up on Dec. 27 when he was still a member of the Hawks.
The Wizards announced on Feb. 19 that Young was making progress in his recovery from his right leg injuries and would begin to ramp up his on-court activities. According to Charania, the 27-year-old point guard will make his team debut two weeks after that update.
Young sprained the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee on Oct. 29. He returned to action on Dec. 18, appearing in five of Atlanta’s next six games, including one back-to-back, prior to being shut down with the right quad contusion.
The former fifth overall pick has appeared in a career-low 10 games (28.0 minutes per contest) thus far in 2025/26, averaging 19.3 points, 8.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds on .415/.305/.863 shooting splits. Young holds career averages of 25.2 PPG, 9.8 APG and 3.5 RPG on .432/.351/.873 shooting in 493 regular season games (34.3 MPG).
Given his lengthy layoff, Young will likely be on a minutes restriction for Thursday’s home game vs. the Jazz. The Wizards will embark on a four-game road trip after that contest, starting with Sunday at New Orleans.
Stein’s Latest: Flagg, Young, Middleton, Jones, Peterson
There’s rising optimism within the Mavericks organization that Cooper Flagg is close to returning from the midfoot sprain that has sidelined him since the All-Star break, Marc Stein of The Stein Line reports in his latest Substack article.
Flagg is unlikely to play on Tuesday against Charlotte — he’s listed as doubtful — but Dallas has three more road games this week — Orlando on Thursday, Boston on Friday and Toronto on Sunday. Flagg grew up in Maine, so suiting up for the Mavs’ lone visit to Boston would have special meaning to him, Stein notes.
Flagg hasn’t played since Feb. 10. The top pick in last year’s draft is averaging 20.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
Here’s more from Stein:
- Expect Trae Young and the Wizards to come to terms on a projected three-year contract extension this summer, Stein says. Young holds a $49MM option on his contract for next season, which wouldn’t be exercised if he signs an extension. The Hawks‘ unwillingness to sign Young to a new deal was the main reason the high-scoring point guard was dealt. What shouldn’t be expected is Young suiting up this season — Stein says skepticism persists around the league that the team would let the veteran guard, who has been sidelined with knee and quad issues, play again this season and jeopardize their lottery pick. The Wizards have a tenuous hold on the NBA’s fourth-worst record and need to stay there or lower to ensure that its draft pick won’t fall beyond No. 8 in the lottery. Their pick is only top-eight protected — otherwise, it must be conveyed to the Knicks.
[UPDATE: Trae Young to make Wizards debut Thursday] - As Stein reported over the weekend, Khris Middleton decided to remain with the Mavericks rather than pursue a buyout. Middleton would have sacrificed his Bird rights if he was bought out and waived. Middleton remains eligible for a potential sign-and-trade this summer but Dallas is interested in retaining Middleton — an unrestricted free agent after the season –depending on the state of the roster. Middleton has made a strong impression within the organization off the court and has also made a positive impact on the court, averaging 12.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in eight games.
- Tyus Jones was waived by the Mavericks on Saturday, allowing him to hook on with a playoff contender. Which one remains a mystery. The Rockets were expected to pursue a veteran point guard following the trade deadline but don’t have any plans in the short run to make a roster addition, says Stein.
- At least one talent evaluator from a lottery-bound team says he wouldn’t take Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson with the top pick. Peterson’s spotty availability has raised some red flags. “Too many question marks,” the evaluator told Stein.
Southeast Notes: Knueppel, Hornets, Heat Bigs, Kispert
On Thursday night, Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel set the rookie record for made three pointers when he hit his 207th of the season against the Pacers, per ESPN. He managed to achieve the feat in just 59 games, shattering the mark previously set by Keegan Murray, who needed 80 games to establish that record in 2023. Knueppel, who leads the entire NBA in threes, claimed he wasn’t hunting for the record during the game.
“It’s really just about making the right basketball play,” Knueppel said. “My teammates are setting good screens and setting me up in good spots. The coaches as well. I’m just out there looking to make the right play for my team.”
The rookie’s shooting display caught the attention of the greatest shooter of all time, Stephen Curry, who holds the single-season record with 402 made threes.
“He can obviously shoot the ball at a high level,” Curry said after playing the Hornets. “You can’t really leave him open at all as he has such a quick release and shoots with confidence. And his play-making is very underrated. His game just suits the NBA style, whether it’s fast-paced or a slowed-down possession game.”
We have more from around the Southeast Division:
- While Knueppel’s individual play has caught fans’ attention, it’s just one of many reasons for optimism in Charlotte this season, Roderick Boone writes for the Charlotte Observer. The Hornets are currently one of the hottest teams in the league, having gone 17-6 in their last 23 games. After years of struggles to put a competitive team together, there is a palpable sense of excitement from the team and fanbase as Charlotte looks to keep climbing the Eastern Conference standings. “It’s a different vibe,” said Miles Bridges. “We’ll go to away games, their teams be loud, cheering along. And we didn’t have the same at home. Some people showed up, but now it’s like everybody’s showing up, showing us love… Shout out to the fans that’s been down with us before and shout out to the fans now.”
- Heat big men Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware want to play more minutes together, but they know the numbers need to justify it, Anthony Chiang writes for the Miami Herald. For much of the season, Adebayo/Ware duo has been one of the team’s worst two-man groups statistically, but that has started to turn around recently, Chiang notes. Against the Rockets, the pair was unleashed and the Heat won the 16 minutes they played together by 21 points. “I mean, it felt good,” Ware said. “It felt like the days when I’ve played alongside him recently. So, I mean, it felt good.” One wrinkle coach Erik Spoelstra introduced to make the pairing more effective was to use them in a zone defensive scheme, Ira Winderman writes for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “Both of those guys were really good in our zone,” Spoelstra said. “Kel’el, that was one of his better jobs in the zone, just communicating, and protecting in that inner circle… Bam was super dynamic at the center position in the zone, and when you play him in the wing (in the zone), he’s our best wing defender, as well.”
- Corey Kispert recorded his career high in points in his first time playing against his former Wizards as a member of the Hawks, Lauren Williams writes for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Kispert had 33 points and six rebounds as Atlanta won the game without ever trailing. “This game meant more to him. He’d been there for a long time,” teammate CJ McCollum said. “For me, I had a cup of coffee, some tea there. I just figured out my directions on how to get the facility without a GPS when I got traded. He spent some real time there, so I’m glad he’s doing that.”
Wizards Notes: Young, Davis, T. Johnson, Reese
The Wizards‘ rebuilding effort took an unexpected turn with trades for Trae Young in January and Anthony Davis in February. Injuries have kept both players on the sidelines so far, but the presence of two multi-time All-Stars has raised expectations for next season, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
“We’re already talking about the playoffs, how different it will be,” Bilal Coulibaly said. “We were talking about it with Trae and AD this morning. They’re just talking to us a lot about all that stuff. We’ve never been there, so we don’t know what it looks like. But we can’t wait.”
However, the four NBA scouts that Robbins consulted are less confident about Young and Davis being able to turn the franchise around. Both players drew limited interest on the trade market before Washington was able to acquire them at a discount price, and the questions surrounding them – Young’s defensive deficiencies and Davis’ susceptibility to injuries – aren’t going to go away.
“Trae’s defense is of paramount concern,” one scout told Robbins. “He’s coming to a team that’s horrific defensively by the numbers. I don’t care if you’re developing players or trying to win games — you can’t be that bad defensively and think, ‘Oh, we’re just going to get these guys and be better.’ We know Trae’s terrible (on defense), and I get the theory of bringing in AD. But AD’s not the AD he was three, five or seven years ago.”
There’s more from Washington:
- In a pregame session with reporters, coach Brian Keefe said Kyshawn George, Tristan Vukcevic and Tre Johnson were all on minutes restrictions Saturday against Toronto, Robbins tweets. George sat out Thursday’s game with a knee contusion, Vukcevic was listed on the injury report with a left hip impingement and Johnson’s playing time has been limited since returning from a sprained ankle.
- Johnson proved himself as a scorer in college, and now the Wizards want to develop his skills as a play-maker, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter link). “We’re going to continue to put him in situations to grow. I think he can do that really well,” Keefe said. “We’ve seen his play-making this year, attacking the basket and when they put two on the ball he can hit (teammates) with either hand. I think he’s going to be a really good creator off the dribble.”
- Washington appears to have immediate plans for forward Julian Reese, who signed a two-way contract earlier today, Hughes adds (Twitter link). “He’s going to give us some physicality inside with his rebounding,” Keefe said. “He’s a great rebounder so we added some insurance underneath on the boards. We’re excited to have him.”
Wizards Sign Julian Reese To Two-Way Contract
The Wizards have signed free agent forward Julian Reese to a two-way contract, the team announced on Saturday (via Twitter).
A Baltimore native who played four years of college ball at Maryland, Reese went undrafted in 2025 after a solid senior season with the Terrapins. He signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Toronto in the fall, was waived to secure a bonus for playing for the team’s G League affiliate, and has spent the entire 2025/26 season to this point with the Raptors 905.
Reese, a 6’9″ power forward, has appeared in 38 total games for the Raptors 905 across the Tip-Off Tournament and the regular season. The 22-year-old has averaged 7.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 17.2 minutes per game while shooting 62.9% from the field and 66.2% from the free throw line.
According to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link), the expectation is that Reese could be active as early as Tuesday’s contest at Orlando.
The Wizards had a two-way opening after recently promoting Jamir Watkins to a two-year standard contract. As our chart shows, Reese will be eligible to be active for up to 13 games for Washington.
Reese is the younger brother of Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese.
And-Ones: Peterson, 2024 Draft, East Race, Yurtseven, Richardson
Controversy surrounding Darryn Peterson, who has been in and out of the Kansas lineup, won’t significantly impact his draft stock, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports in a subscriber-only story. A projected top-three pick who could be the first player off the board in June, Peterson has missed 11 games and departed early in some others.
“I don’t think Peterson — or (Cameron) Boozer or (AJ) Dybantsa — will play their way out of the top three,” former Sixers scout Michael VandeGarde told Lewis. “Those three guys are special. It’s probably ‘eye of the beholder.’ Peterson is spectacular.”
We have more from around the international basketball world:
- The 2024 draft class was projected to be a weak one and it has lived up to its billing, John Hollinger of The Athletic opines. He notes the Spurs’ Stephon Castle and Wizards’ Alex Sarr are the only draft picks that could be considered one of their team’s three best players. Donovan Clingan, Kel’el Ware, Jaylon Tyson and Ajay Mitchell are the only other draft picks who have established themselves as starting-caliber players.
- NBA executives generally believe the Eastern Conference is up for grabs once the playoffs begin despite the Pistons‘ gaudy record, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst report. One Eastern Conference GM said “six or seven” teams could emerge from the pack, as each contender has some flaws. Another unnamed executive believes there will be consequences for some contenders that come up short of the Eastern Finals. “There’s two to three teams that are going to have some real fallout if they don’t make the conference finals,” that team president said. “That’s the case every year, I know, but there’s not a lot of honeymoons going on in the East.”
- Former Heat and Jazz center Omer Yurtseven has departed Greece’s Panathinaikos BC, Sportando relays. Yurtseven had trouble establishing a meaningful role with the Greek club. In this EuroLeague season, Yurtseven averaged 6.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
- Veteran NBA wing Josh Richardson has parted ways with Spain’s Casademont Zaragoza, according to Eurohoops.net. A veteran of 10 NBA seasons with 584 appearances on six teams, including 30 playoff games, Richardson reached a mutual agreement with the Spanish club to terminate his contract. Signing on January 23, he averaged 9.6 points per contest across five appearances in the FIBA Europe Cup and Spain’s Liga Endesa.
Buyout Market Rumors: Anthony, Middleton, Ball, D-Lo, Boucher
Veteran guard Cole Anthony has remained in limbo since being acquired by the Suns at this month’s trade deadline, having continued to hold a spot on Phoenix’s 15-man roster despite being away from the team. Reporting prior to the All-Star break indicated Anthony would likely be waived, but that still hasn’t happened. According to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, head coach Jordan Ott suggested on Thursday that the delay may be related to depth concerns in the Suns’ backcourt.
“It’s still the same,” Ott said of Anthony’s situation. “There hasn’t been much change, but we have had injuries and that’s kind of where it’s at. That’s why there hasn’t been much change, but that’s why it’s not completely out. We’ll continue to just stay in touch with his people and move this thing forward.”
Friday is the first of four days off for the Suns, and Devin Booker (hip strain) appears likely to return after that break, either on Tuesday in Sacramento or Thursday vs. Chicago, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7. If Phoenix is confident in where Booker’s at in his recovery, it’s possible we could see Anthony let go on or before Sunday, which is the final day a player can be waived and retain his playoff eligibility for a new team.
[UPDATE: Anthony has been waived.]
If Anthony is cut, it would open up a spot for the Suns to promote two-way player Jamaree Bouyea to the standard roster. The club could then back-fill Bouyea’s two-way slot before next Wednesday’s deadline for two-way signings.
Here are a few more rumors related to the NBA’s buyout market:
- In addition to Denver, the Spurs are among the teams with interest in Mavericks forward Khris Middleton, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. Dallas has reportedly given Middleton the option of negotiating a buyout or sticking with the Mavs for the rest of the season — he figures to make that decision within the next 48 hours or so.
- Although the Warriors, Nuggets, and other teams has some interest in Lonzo Ball after he was waived earlier this month, concerns about the guard’s knee dissuaded those potential suitors from moving forward on a deal with the veteran point guard, Siegel reports, adding that nothing is imminent on that front.
- Although D’Angelo Russell wasn’t required to report to the Wizards after being included in the Anthony Davis trade and has been viewed as a potential buyout candidate, there has been little interest around the league in the point guard, per Siegel. Russell’s contract includes a $5.97MM player option for 2026/27 that Washington would probably want to eliminate – or at least significantly reduce – as part of any buyout agreement, whereas D-Lo presumably wouldn’t want to give up that guaranteed money without a favorable deal lined up elsewhere. According to Siegel, Russell could end up simply finishing the season with the Wizards.
- Many league personnel believe Chris Boucher would like to reunite with the Raptors after being waived by Utah earlier this month, but it’s unclear whether Toronto reciprocates that interest, says Siegel.
Wizards’ Jamir Watkins Receives Promotion, Two-Year Deal
3:45 pm: Watkins’ new standard contract will pay him $1,131,970 for the rest of the season, reports Josh Robbins of The Athletic (via Twitter). The second season of Watkins’ deal — 2026/27 — features a non-guaranteed minimum-salary team option, two league sources tell Robbins.
12:35 pm: The Wizards have officially signed Watkins to a standard contract, the team confirmed today in a press release.
10:46 am: The Wizards are promoting two-way player Jamir Watkins to their 15-man roster and will sign him to a new two-year contract, his agents at CAA Sports tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Watkins, 24, was the 43rd overall pick in the 2025 draft. The Wizards selected him using one of the three second-rounders they received from Utah when they traded down from No. 18 to No. 21 in the first round.
Watkins, who signed a two-way contract last July, played a limited role at the NBA level during the first half of the 2025/26 season but has emerged in recent weeks as a regular contributor for the Wizards. In 16 appearances since January 16, the 6’6″ wing has averaged 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 24.8 minutes per game.
As Charania points out, Watkins has been playing his best basketball of the season as of late, having scored double-digit points in six consecutive outings after doing so just twice through the trade deadline. The rookie guard/forward is also considered a strong perimeter defender.
Watkins is the second Wizards two-way player to earn a promotion to the standard roster in the past week, joining big man Tristan Vukcevic. As we noted earlier today, Washington used a portion of its mid-level exception to give Vukcevic more than a minimum salary for the rest of the season. It’s unclear if the team will do the same with Watkins or whether he’ll receive any guaranteed money beyond 2025/26 on his new contract.
The Wizards have an open spot on their 15-man roster after Alondes Williams‘ 10-day contract expired on Wednesday night, so no corresponding move will be necessary to make room for Watkins. The signing will open up a two-way slot in D.C. alongside Sharife Cooper and Leaky Black.
Southeast Notes: Heat, Suggs, Magic, Vukcevic, L. Black
The Heat remain likely to waive Terry Rozier at some point before the end of the regular season, but they’re in no rush to do so right away, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
With Rozier still on leave after being arrested on federal gambling charges back in the fall, he’s not expected to play again this season. That means there’s probably no need for Miami to cut him by March 1 to ensure he retains his playoff eligibility for another team.
Additionally, as Jackson explains, the Heat don’t have their eye on any specific players on the buyout market and would be reluctant to bring in a veteran free agent who is comparable to what the team already has on its roster. Miami wants to make sure there are plenty of minutes available for its young players down the stretch and may ultimately use Rozier’s roster spot to sign a developmental prospect to a multiyear deal late in the season, Jackson continues.
Putting off that decision until the season’s final weeks would also give the Heat the roster flexibility to see if a new hole opens up on their depth chart due to injuries (or any other factors), which could necessitate signing a veteran at a specific position ahead of the postseason, Jackson concludes.
We have more from around the Southeast:
- Magic guard Jalen Suggs, who has missed the past three games with a back strain, has been upgraded to questionable to play on Thursday vs. Houston, notes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). Suggs has appeared in just 34 of the team’s 57 games this season due to various health issues.
- Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) takes a look at the Magic‘s challenging cap situation going forward, speculating that Goga Bitadze and Jonathan Isaac will be trade candidates this summer and noting that Paolo Banchero‘s up-and-down year is something of a double-edged sword. Banchero won’t increase the value of his maximum-salary rookie scale extension from 25% of the cap to 30% by making an All-NBA team, but Orlando would probably prefer him to be performing closer to an All-NBA level. We also covered the Magic’s upcoming roster decisions in a story last week for Front Office subscribers.
- The Wizards gave Tristan Vukcevic a rest-of-season salary of $2,857,143 using their non-taxpayer mid-level exception when they promoted the big man to their standard roster over the weekend, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Vukcevic’s three-year deal also includes a guaranteed $3MM salary for 2026/27, with a team option worth $3MM for ’27/28.
- Meanwhile, Leaky Black‘s new two-way contract with the Wizards covers two seasons, as Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets. That means if the 26-year-old forward sticks with the team for the full deal, he wouldn’t be eligible for restricted free agency until the 2027 offseason.
Hawks Notes: Kuminga, Young, Johnson
Jonathan Kuminga‘s first game with the Hawks on Tuesday was a resounding success, writes Paul Newberry of The Associated Press.
In 24 minutes off the bench, the former Warriors forward – who was dealt to Atlanta at the trade deadline – scored 27 points on 9-of-12 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, four assists, and a pair of steals. The Hawks outscored the Wizards by 16 minutes with Kuminga on the floor en route to a 119-98 victory.
As Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays, head coach Quin Snyder told reporters after the game that Kuminga showed “a lot of maturity” by sharing the ball with his new teammates and letting the game come to him. The 23-year-old, whose Hawks debut was delayed due to a left knee bone bruise, said it hasn’t taken him long to get comfortable as he adjusts to his new club.
“I think is very simple,” Kuminga said. “It’s basketball at the end of the day. I try to be a student of the game, as much as I can to kind of be learning from other players here, from JJ (Jalen Johnson) and Nickeil (Alexander-Walker), just asking them questions about pretty much everything, just trying to pick their brain.”
We have more on the Hawks:
- Before Kuminga enjoyed a big Atlanta debut, the story entering Tuesday’s Hawks/Wizards matchup was Trae Young‘s return to his longtime NBA home. The veteran point guard, who made four All-Star teams during his time in Atlanta, still hasn’t played since being traded to Washington due to knee and quad issues, but he was on the Wizards’ bench and got emotional when the Hawks played a tribute video during the second quarter, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “I just wanted the Hawks fans to know how much I love and appreciate them,” Young said before the game. “… The fans showed us so much love throughout the years that I was here, even the years that we were down. It felt like there was still a lot of love. So, I’ve got so much love for this city and these fans.”
- An otherwise positive night for the Hawks was marred to some extent by Jalen Johnson exiting Tuesday’s win in the first quarter due to a left hip flexor injury. The All-Star forward was ruled out for the rest of the game after being evaluated by the team’s training staff. “There was enough there not to send him back in the game,” Snyder explained, per ESPN. It’s unclear whether Johnson will miss additional time as a result of the injury.
- In case you missed it, former Hawk Nikola Djurisic is reportedly nearing a deal with the Serbian team Crvena Zvezda after having been waived by Atlanta last week.