Wizards’ Anthony Davis Expected To Miss Rest Of Season
February 7: A league source confirms to Aldridge, Sam Amick and Josh Robbins of The Athletic that Davis is unlikely to play again this season. The Wizards are expected to give a formal update on his status in the coming days.
When asked about Haynes’ report on Saturday, head coach Brian Keefe said, “I can’t confirm that, no,” tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
February 6: Wizards big man Anthony Davis, who was traded from Dallas to Washington ahead of Thursday’s deadline, is expected to sit out the rest of the 2025/26 season to fully recover from groin and hand injuries, league sources tell NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).
Davis had been on the trade block in Dallas for much of the season, but there was some doubt about whether a deal would materialize after he suffered ligament damage to his left hand, an injury which was expected to sideline him for at least most of February, if not beyond that. Rumored suitors like Atlanta and Toronto appeared to back off to some extent, opening the door for a surprise team like the Wizards to make a deal.
Davis, who has a lengthy injury history, has been plagued by multiple ailments (adductor, eye, calf, groin, hand) since he was traded to Dallas last February. In 20 games this season, he averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks in 31.3 minutes per contest.
The former No. 1 overall pick is on a maximum-salary contract that runs through 2027/28, with a $62.8MM player option for that final season.
The Wizards are incentivized to lose as many games as possible down the stretch to retain their 2026 first-round pick, which is top-eight protected, and improve their odds of landing one of the draft’s prized prospects. Trae Young (knee, quad) has yet to play for the Wizards after they traded for the star point guard last month.
GM Will Dawkins said in an interview at the end of January that Young was out through the All-Star break, but stressed the team wasn’t shutting him down for the season. That doesn’t appear to apply to Davis, however.
In an exclusive phone interview with David Aldridge of The Athletic, Davis said he had a “great” visit with the Wizards’ ownership and front office on Friday, but the 32-year-old forward/center readily admitted he had questions about how the rebuilding team planned to become a contender.
“At this point in my career, I want to compete for a championship,” Davis said. “Whether that’s here or elsewhere, I have no idea. It’s been phenomenal, everything they’re saying. Everything they’re showing me is nothing short of phenomenal. Now it’s about having an actual conversation about the team.”
While Davis told Aldridge he loved Washington D.C. and was open-minded about the team’s vision for the future, he made it clear his priority is to win as many games as possible going forward.
“It’s hard to say (I would definitely stay in D.C.) without the proper plan,” Davis said. “Obviously, it’s tough right now with the team, right now. It shows with their record, but adding certain pieces, that can change. It’s year by year. They could be the No. 1 team in the East next year.”
Warriors Convert Pat Spencer To Standard Contract
2:16 pm: Spencer’s contract covers the remainder of the season, tweets Shams Charania of ESPN, and will be worth the prorated veteran’s minimum ($857,804), which is all the Warriors could offer him, per cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link).
Spencer is on track to become a restricted free agent this summer, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter).
1:46 pm: The Warriors have officially converted Pat Spencer‘s two-way contract into a standard deal, per NBA.com’s transactions log.
The 6’2″ point guard is now eligible to play the rest of regular season. Spencer is playoff-eligible as well, which wasn’t the case on his two-way deal.
Golden State had two openings on its standard roster after Thursday’s trade deadline. The team now has one open standard spot (the Warriors are reportedly eyeing Lonzo Ball) and one two-way vacancy after converting Spencer’s contract.
A former lacrosse star at Loyola Maryland who didn’t play college basketball until he was a 23-year-old graduate student at Northwestern, Spencer is having a career year in his third season with Golden State, averaging 5.8 points, 2.9 assists and 2.2 rebounds on .423/.431/.833 shooting in 36 games (14.4 MPG).
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported earlier on Saturday that Golden State was working to promote Spencer, who scored a career-high 20 points and knocked down a career-best six three-pointers in Thursday’s win at Phoenix (story via Kalyb Champion of the team’s website). Thursday marked Spencer’s 50th active game of the season, which is the limit for two-way players.
Spencer, 29, has played a modest role when Stephen Curry has been healthy in 2025/26, but has seen a major uptick in playing time when the superstar guard has been sidelined, averaging 11.0 PPG, 5.3 APG, 3.9 RPG and 1.0 SPG in 13 games (25.3 MPG).
Marc Stein reported in December that Spencer’s promotion was viewed as a near lock, then noted in January that it was likely to occur after the deadline. Spencer also had his two-way deal converted into a standard contract last year.
Clippers To Sign Dalano Banton To 10-Day Contract
The Clippers plan to sign free agent guard Dalano Banton to a 10-day contract, according to reports from Jake Fischer of The Stein Line and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter links).
The Raptors selected Toronto native Banton with the 46th overall pick in the 2021 draft. He played two years for his hometown team and then spent the following two seasons with Boston and Portland.
In 216 games from 2021-25, Banton averaged 6.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists on .402/.304/.728 shooting (14.5 minutes per contest). At 6’8″, Banton has great size for a guard, but struggled with efficiency over the course of his first four years in the league.
Banton was unable to find a regular NBA contract as a free agent in 2025, instead inking an Exhibit 10 training camp deal with Dallas in October prior to being waived. He has been playing in the G League with Mavs’ affiliate team, the Dallas Legends.
The 26-year-old has put up big numbers with a high usage rate in the NBAGL this season, averaging 24.2 PPG, 6.7 APG, 4.1 RPG, 1.1 SPG and 1.0 BPG on .441/.325/.821 shooting in 32 total games (32.7 MPG).
The Clippers had a pair of standard roster openings after making three trades prior to Thursday’s deadline. Banton will, at least temporarily, fill one of those spots. Assuming Banton’s 10-day deal is finalized prior to Sunday’s game at Minnesota, his contract will expire over the All-Star break.
As Keith Smith of Spotrac notes (via Twitter), the Clippers are nearing their “under-15” limit for two-way players — a team carrying fewer than 15 players on its standard roster can only use players on two-way contracts for up to 90 combined games. Signing Banton as a 14th man and then filling the 15th roster spot would allow L.A. to continue deploying both Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller beyond Saturday’s game (one of the two could be promoted into that 15th spot).
Warriors, Nuggets Eyeing Lonzo Ball
In addition to working to convert Pat Spencer from a two-way deal to a standard contract, the Warriors are also interested in signing Lonzo Ball, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (via Twitter).
Fischer’s Stein Line colleague Marc Stein hears Ball is expected to land in the Western Conference (Twitter link). Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints confirms Golden State is interested in Ball, and says the Nuggets are a “serious suitor” for the 28-year-old guard as well (Twitter link).
Both the Warriors (13) and Nuggets (13) have two openings on their 15-man standard rosters and will need to get back up to 14 within two weeks.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Ball has dealt with a variety of health issues over the course of his career, most notably a left knee injury which caused him to undergo three surgeries and to miss two-and-a-half seasons. The 6’5″ guard spent the first several months of 2025/26 with the Cavaliers, who traded him (and two second-round picks) to the Jazz in a salary-dump move prior to Thursday’s deadline.
Ball was cut by Utah on Thursday after the deal was completed, making him an unrestricted free agent as soon as he clears waivers.
Ball, whom Cleveland acquired last summer in a trade that sent Isaac Okoro to Chicago, struggled mightily with his shot in his lone season with the Cavs, averaging a career-low 4.6 points on a career-worst .301/.272/.667 shooting line in 20.8 minutes per game across 35 appearances. He also chipped in 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
Those shooting splits are somewhat misleading, as nearly 84% of Ball’s field goal attempts have been three-pointers, but obviously 27.2% is a poor mark from beyond the arc and well below his career rate (35.5%).
As for Spencer, the 6’2″ point guard reached his 50-game active limit in Thursday’s comeback win at Phoenix. He certainly made a strong case for a promotion in that victory, recording a team-high 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in 32 minutes with Stephen Curry sidelined due to a knee injury.
Overall, the 29-year-old has averaged 5.8 PPG, 2.9 APG and 2.2 RPG on .423/.431/.833 shooting in 36 games (14.4 MPG).
NBA Announces Competitors For Slam Dunk, Shooting Stars All-Star Events
The Spurs‘ Carter Bryant, the Lakers‘ Jaxson Hayes, the Heat‘s Keshad Johnson and the Magic‘s Jase Richardson have been named the participants in the All-Star Slam Dunk competition, the league announced in a press release. It will be held next Saturday at the Clippers’ new Intuit Dome.
All four players will be making their event debuts. Richardson, a rookie guard, does have a familial connection with the contest. He is the son of two-time Slam Dunk champion Jason Richardson (2002 and 2003).
The league also announced the teams for the Shooting Stars competition on Saturday. Four teams of three – each featuring two NBA players and one NBA legend – will compete in the event.
- Team All-Star: Raptors star Scottie Barnes and Thunder big man Chet Holmgren will be joined by three-time All-Star Richard Hamilton.
- Team Cameron: Three Duke University alums will team up, with Hawks All-Star Jalen Johnson and Hornets star rookie Kon Knueppel being joined by former 14-year NBA veteran Corey Maggette.
- Team Harper: Five-time NBA champion Ron Harper Sr. pairs up with his sons, Spurs guard Dylan Harper and Celtics swingman Ron Harper Jr.
- Team Knicks: Knicks teammates and All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns will team up with Allan Houston, who made two NBA All-Star teams and is now a member of New York’s front office.
The Shooting Stars will feature a two-round format, with all four teams competing in the first round and the top two advancing to the final round.
Teams will compete one at a time and have 70 seconds to score points while rotating through seven designated shooting locations around the court, with all three players on a team shooting at each spot in a set order. The team with the higher score in the final round will be crowned the champion.
Kings Notes: Losing Streak, Young Players, Cardwell, Hunter
The Kings currently top the Tankathon list with a league-worst 12-41 record. They dropped their 11th straight on Friday, matching their longest losing streak since the 1991/92 season. The franchise record for consecutive losses is 14.
Coach Doug Christie rode with his younger players — Devin Carter, Daeqwon Plowden and rookies Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell — down the stretch of a 114-111 loss to the Clippers on Friday.
“For me, it’s extremely tough (to lose), but that’s part of the job, so I just get back at it and try to gameplan and figure out how to put them in the best position to get a win,” Christie said, per Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “But the value for these young players is incredible, so I’m proud of them to watch them continue to go out and grow and compete at a high level in high-leverage moments. You don’t get those opportunities. They’re finding their way.”
Here’s more on the Kings:
- Cardwell, an undrafted rookie center, posted his second double-double with career highs of 14 points and 14 rebounds. It was his first game since being promoted to the standard roster. The former two-way player received a four-year contract. “He earned that through really, really hard work with a lot of good development down in the G League and here with our coaches,” Christie said. “The kid has done a hell of a job. I don’t know that proud is the word because it goes beyond that. I’m proud of him and proud for him because he did the work. Kudos to him because that doesn’t happen often and he affects winning.”
- They created a full-time roster spot for Cardwell when they traded Dennis Schroder, Keon Ellis and Dario Saric as part of a three-team deal that brought De’Andre Hunter to Sacramento, Anderson notes. “One of the other byproducts of the deal that was important for us as well was, in sending out three players, it opened up a roster spot for us to elevate and sign to a full-time NBA contract a guy like Dyan Cardwell, who has more than earned it and who has quickly become a fan favorite here,” Kings GM Scott Perry said. “He does things that are very important for any successful basketball team. He’s an energetic defender. He’s able to protect the rim. He’s a switchable center, big man, who can guard guys away from the basket as well. He’s an excellent rebounder, one of the top rebounders for the minutes he’s played as a rookie already, and we continue to see a great trajectory for him.”
- In his second game with the club, Hunter suffered a left eye injury and departed early. Hunter played 25 minutes and shot just 1-for-8 from the field while committing three turnovers. He had nine points in 26 minutes in his Kings debut against Memphis on Wednesday.
Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert Calls Out Teammates For Lack Of Effort
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert called out his teammates’ lack of effort following a 119-115 home loss to the floundering Pelicans on Friday.
“At some point, if the players don’t have accountability, someone has to have accountability for the players,” Gobert said, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I’m on straight effort. I’m just talking straight effort. I’m not even getting to the basketball side of things, like there’s always mistakes are a part of the game, but the effort to me for a team that wants to play for a championship, it’s unacceptable.”
The four-time Defensive Player of the Year didn’t mention any player in particular. However, Krawczynski noted that while the team’s other stars — Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle — scored a combined 59 points, they didn’t appear locked in on the other end of the floor.
Gobert implored the coaches to bench players if they’re not giving their all.
“It should start with ourselves, but it seems like we don’t have that, so I think at some point (it has to come) from the coaches,” Gobert said. “It’s not an easy position for a coach to take guys out of the game. It’s not something that you want to do, but I think if the players don’t show any effort, at some point, no matter how talented we are as a team, if you don’t have that, you just can’t be a winning team.”
Minnesota has lost eight of its last 15 games, ranking 18th in the league defensively during that span. Gobert didn’t give himself a free pass after Pelicans forward Zion Williamson powered for 29 points, mostly near the rim.
“It starts with me. If I’m not showing effort, bench me,” Gobert said. “Take me out of the game. Everybody else will follow. Our best players, leaders, if we don’t show any effort, it doesn’t matter if you score 50, we’re not going to win.”
At 32-21, the Timberwolves sit in sixth place of the Western Conference standings, barely above the play-in line.
“We want to be a championship team. We want to lift that trophy in June,” Gobert said. “This is a lesson that we need to get right now. It starts at the top.”
L.A. Notes: Leonard, Knecht, Highsmith, Giannis, Doncic, Kleber
Kawhi Leonard offered a diplomatic response regarding the Clippers’ trade deadline moves, which included trading James Harden and Ivica Zubac, beat writer Joey Linn tweets.
“Just trying to get younger. We came in the year with the oldest team,” Leonard said. “It makes sense for them to try to get some assets and try to build for the future. It’s a big class coming in 2027, hopefully. They gotta do what’s best for them…. I thought we were tracking well the last six weeks. Everybody has human nature.
“It’s a complete turnaround from what I thought we could potentially do. Not saying we were contenders, but we thought we could make some noise or mess someone’s season up. Now the tides changed. We’ll get back into it, hopefully after All-Star.”
Leonard is signed through next season. Does he want to want to stay in the organization? Leonard sidestepped that question.
“Yeah, I mean right now I’m not thinking of anything else but trying to finish this season off. And that’s the main goal,” he said.
Here’s more on the Los Angeles teams:
- Numerous teams contacted the Clippers regarding a potential Leonard trade but none of the talks reached the serious stage, Chris Haynes said on NBA on Prime (Twitter link). However, Haynes hears that Leonard’s camp is not in any rush to initiate extension talks with the Clippers. That could be revisited this summer and Haynes anticipates Leonard will either pursue that extension or he’ll be dealt.
- Dalton Knecht was aggressively shopped by the Lakers prior to the trade deadline, Dan Woike of The Athletic reports. The Lakers are also one of the teams currently interested in Haywood Highsmith and possibly Cam Thomas after both players were waived by Brooklyn. Regardless of how the Lakers fill out their roster this season, they are in a position to pursue a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal this summer, Woike notes. The team will have three first-round picks available on draft night to make their best offer, as well as more cap space than any other competitive team.
- Lakers star Luka Doncic will sit out today’s game against Golden State due to a left hamstring strain, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. There’s some optimism that Doncic is not dealing with a major issue with his hamstring, McMenamin adds. He was injured during Thursday’s game against Philadelphia.
- Little-used Lakers big man Maxi Kleber contributed four points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in Thursday’s win over the Sixers. His teammates appreciate the veteran’s professionalism. “The ultimate professional,” guard Marcus Smart said, per Benjamin Royer of the Orange County Register. “There’s a reason why Maxi is still in this league, still playing and there’s a reason why he’s on this team with us. There’s a reason why we celebrate him the way we do.” Kleber will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Pistons Notes: Jenkins, Trade Deadline, Buyout Market, Huerter
Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon stated on Friday that the team plans to sign two-way guard Daniss Jenkins to a standard contract prior to their road game against the Hornets on Monday. Jenkins reached his NBA two-way eligibility limit on Friday and displayed why the Pistons want him on the 15-man roster. He scored a team-high 18 points as the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons blew out the second-place Knicks.
Jenkins was “saved” for that matchup with New York after sitting out Thursday’s loss to the Wizards.
“I was really frustrated yesterday because I didn’t get to play,” Jenkins told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “I hate missing games. I just wanted to come out and impact the game. We forgot about it, we flushed that game yesterday, but it’s still on my mind. It was definitely not a game that we should have lost. I just wanted to come out and impact the game like I always do. Just change the energy. My teammates played really well tonight. We all played a really good game and I just had to come in and do my job.”
Jenkins’ emergence made former lottery pick Jaden Ivey, who was dealt to Chicago, expendable. Jenkins is motivated by the fact he entered the league as an undrafted player.
“If I’m being honest, and everybody knows I’m a very humble guy, but in college, most of these dudes that got drafted, what was the difference between me and them?” he said. “What? You tell me, what was the difference? For me, going undrafted is insanity to me, literally insanity, and that burns inside of me every single day.”
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- Other than acquiring reserve guard Kevin Huerter in the Ivey deal, the Pistons took a “stay the course” approach to the trade deadline. “There were some things, whether it was the other team pulling out or us just saying, now’s not the right time for that,” Langdon said, per Vince Goodwill of ESPN. “There were some things that I wouldn’t say, got close, that we thought about but didn’t execute.” Langdon is eager to see how his team responds in the postseason as likely the top East seed. “What are we going to do in the postseason? What’s our rotation, who are the guys that step up in crunch time,” Langdon said. “The hope is we give ourselves a chance to play meaningful basketball in the postseason and that’ll allow us to assess what this team is and who we are going forward.”
- Langdon wouldn’t rule out picking up a player from the buyout market if it’s a good fit, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic tweets. “We’ll always look at opportunities to get better,” he said. “We’ll definitely explore it, see who becomes available and if some of those players fit for us. We’ll keep looking to see if can get better if possible.”
- Huerter scored eight points in eight minutes against the Knicks. There’s no certainty he’ll be in the rotation but his outside shooting could prove valuable, Patterson writes. “He’s a complete basketball player,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He’s versatile in the things that he can do. Obviously, (he has) the ability to make shots. But he has the ability to make plays, he can play the pick-and-roll. He’s an elite cutter, understanding spacing. Just his ability to process the game as a whole. As a person he’s going to fit right in. He’s a great dude who understands the situation he’s coming into and what these guys have already accomplished. He’s not here to rock the boat by any means. He’s here to help and contribute, and we feel like his skill set can do that.”
- Huerter grew up as a fan of the Pistons, according to Sankofa. “Back when you’re growing up as a kid, whatever team is on TV are the ones you gravitate towards,” he said. “One of the first basketballs that I had was a Detroit Pistons basketball. Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, that whole team was one of my favorite teams. … I always liked the Pistons.”
Warriors Notes: Curry, Porzingis, Horford, Kerr, Green
Warriors star Stephen Curry tells Anthony Slater of ESPN his right knee injury is “trending in the right direction,” but he’ll miss his third straight game on Saturday and it doesn’t sound like his return is imminent.
“It’s a matter of learning as I go what works rehab-wise,” Curry said. “Because it’s still painful. You have to try to get rid of all the inflammation and pain. It’s something we still have to monitor and injury-manage, but it’s something where, if I come back too early, it could flare up.”
The 37-year-old guard also addressed the trade addition of big man Kristaps Porzingis, who has been limited to 17 games this season due to multiple ailments.
“I’m learning some Latvian,” Curry said when asked about Porzingis. “I’m just hoping that he’s healthy, first and foremost, so that he can do what he can do on the floor. Him and Al [Horford] won a championship together. Different context, but there’s a familiarity and skill set and size and presence that we’ve been looking for a while.”
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Horford was pleasantly surprised to learn he’d be playing with his former Celtics teammate again, and he’s optimistic about the veteran center’s fit with Golden State, writes Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. “It was special, it was just really fun,” Horford said of playing with Porzingis in Boston. “We all know everything he can do. He can shoot the three, can post up, draw fouls, kind of play the mid-range offensively. He’s just very potent. Defensively, protects the rim. I’m just looking forward for him to be here and help us, because I feel like he’ll be a big help for us.”
- Head coach Steve Kerr said the team’s medical and performance staff, led by Rick Celebrini, vetted Porzingis’ health prior to completing the trade, Johnson adds. “I don’t think we would have made the trade if we didn’t think he could be healthy and consistent in terms of being in the lineup, so that’s the plan,” Kerr said. “Obviously he’s got to get here and Rick has got to work with him, but Rick and the staff did their due diligence. There’s a hope that we can really help him get right. When he’s right, he’s a hell of a player. We’re looking at a guy who really fits what we need: Size, space, shooting, rim protection. Every team needs that, but we’ve always needed that since I’ve been here. We’ve never really had a player like him.”
- Kerr concedes Golden State may not be a title contender in the wake of Jimmy Butler‘s torn ACL, but he still thinks the team has the potential to do damage in the playoffs, Slater writes in another story for ESPN. “We still have a good team,” Kerr said. “A very good team. Even without Jimmy, we can make a playoff run. The ceiling is absolutely lower. I’m not going to sit here and lie.”
- Former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green likes Porzingis’ fit with the Warriors, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic. The longtime forward/center also admitted to being nervous about being involved in trade talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo. “It got nerve-wracking towards the end,” Green said after Thursday’s comeback win over Phoenix. “But yeah, it is what it is. Move forward. It’s not something I want to get used to, though.”