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Spurs Notes: Arena, Sochan, Waters, Olynyk, Castle

November 5th, 2025 at 11:58am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs took a significant step on Tuesday toward building a new downtown arena in San Antonio, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, who reports that voters in Bexar County, Texas approved a measure that will allow officials to put up to $311MM in venue taxes toward a new building.

While the proposal had been opposed by several local lawmakers and advocacy groups, just over 52% of voters supported it, per county officials.

The Spurs have expressed a willingness to commit at least $500MM toward construction of the new arena, with a proposed $489MM coming from the city, per Reynolds. The $1.3 billion arena plan is still in the early stages, with no proposed timeline for construction of the building yet. The Spurs’ lease at their current arena, Frost Bank Centers, runs until 2032.

Here’s more out of San Antonio:

While the Spurs are dealing with a number of injury absences, including point guards De’Aaron Fox (right hamstring strain) and Dylan Harper (left calf strain), a handful of players appear on the verge of returning to action. Jeremy Sochan (left wrist sprain), Lindy Waters III (bilateral eye procedure), and Kelly Olynyk (left heel surgery) are all listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game vs. the Lakers and have a “chance” to make their season debuts, a team spokesman tells Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).
As Orsborn writes, the Spurs have exhibited plenty of caution when it comes to bringing back players from injuries, which those players appreciate. “The best part is we know they have our back,” Julian Champagnie said of the team’s coaches and medical staff. “They want us to play basketball for a long time and be healthy for the team ultimately. So, rushing a guy to come back to play, it is not going to do us no good. We’d rather go out there with what we have and trust what we have on the bench than force a guy to come back and potentially hurt himself some more.”
Olynyk’s season debut will also be his Spurs debut, so it could take him some time to get acclimated to a new situation after being traded from New Orleans to Washington to San Antonio during the offseason. However, head coach Mitch Johnson is confident that the veteran big man will fit nicely with the Spurs once he’s ready to return, Orsborn writes (subscription required). “He’s seen the whole league – I think he’s been with six or seven teams,” Johnson said. “Some (of those teams) have won a ton, some have lost a ton. He’s very skilled. He’s played a few different positions in terms of what his role’s been on certain teams he played with. And I think he’ll be someone we can fit with quite a few lineups and will really be able to help us as the season goes on.”
After being named Rookie of the Year in the spring, Stephon Castle‘s next individual goal is to make an All-Defensive team. According to Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Johnson challenged Castle during the offseason to impact winning on both ends of the floor, and the second-year guard has been tasked with handling the most challenging perimeter defensive assignments this fall. “It’s going to be a great opportunity for his versatility,” Johnson said. “… He is going to guard a ton of different profiles in terms of premier players on teams. He has an opportunity to affect the game as much as anybody.”

Bulls Notes: Giddey, Comeback Win, White, Essengue

November 5th, 2025 at 10:40am CST by Luke Adams

After reeling off five consecutive wins to open the season, the Bulls lost in New York on Sunday and appeared to be on the verge of a second straight loss on Tuesday vs. Philadelphia. However, as Jamal Collier of ESPN details, Chicago overcame a 24-point deficit to defeat the Sixers by a score of 113-111, completing the largest NBA comeback so far this season.

Josh Giddey, whose restricted free agency dragged on for nearly three months this offseason before he signed a new four-year, $100MM contract with the Bulls, was the driving force in the victory. He led the team in points (29), rebounds (15), and assists (12), making him the first Bull since Michael Jordan to register triple-doubles in back-to-back games.

Giddey admitted it was “cool” to accomplish a feat last achieved by Jordan, per Kyle Williams of The Chicago Sun-Times, but made it clear that the “individual stuff” was secondary to winning the game.

“Tonight was one of the best wins that I’ve ever been a part of,” he said, according to Collier. “Just in terms of how bad we were down that early in the third. And to gut that one out and dig ourselves out of the hole that we did was unbelievable.”

Veteran center Nikola Vucevic, who hit the game-winning shot to secure the victory for the Bulls, was impressed with the team’s resilience but stressed that he and his teammates can’t get into the habit of giving up 45 points in the first quarter.

“It’s important that we understand this is not how you can become a good team by getting down 20 and then waking up and start to finally play,” Vucevic said. “We have to play better from the beginning. This game was a great example of what we can be when we play the way we need to. So hopefully we can use this as a good learning experience for us and understand that we have to do this for 48 minutes.”

Here’s more on the Bulls:

Chicago is off to a 6-1 start without guard Coby White, who was the team’s leading scorer in the second half last season. According to Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune (subscription required), head coach Billy Donovan said that White (left calf strain) is still “a couple weeks away” from playing in a game. “I watched him today — he is sprinting, running, cutting, jumping, trying to do everything completely full speed,” Donovan said on Tuesday. “He’s felt really, really good. … This has just taken a while. I think you can see around the league, there’s a lot of guys dealing with these calves right now. It’s just the way it is.”
Seven of the 15 players on the Bulls’ standard roster are in contract years, but the team has bought in so far on Donovan’s call for a team-first approach, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “Right when training camp started, I addressed of all this, because we have seven or eight guys that are in the same situation, and I think it’s very easy if you’re not in the rotation or you’re not playing well to start to press, start to think about yourself,” Donovan said. “There’s a level of unselfishness [we needed] where you can start thinking about others — other than yourself, certainly — when your situation is uncertain going forward. … Like I told those guys, [free agency] will get here in July. Why worry or think about that when you have things in front of you now? We don’t have a team that can [isolate] or guys just go get theirs. We’ve got to rely on each other.”
After spending three days in the G League with the Windy City Bulls, rookie forward Noa Essengue was recalled to the NBA on Wednesday, per the team. Chicago doesn’t play again until Friday, so Essengue may have the opportunity to practice with the NBA club this week. As Donovan told reporters when Essengue was initially assigned to the G League on Sunday, the team had planned since the draft to take a patient approach with him. “This is a guy at 18 years old who has a huge runway in front of him to get better and to improve, but we’re going to have to invest in his development,” Donovan said, per Cowley. “It may not be with us. It may be going back and forth between us and the G League. Those were things discussed back in June.”

Wolves, Kings Among Teams Keeping Eye On Morant Situation

November 5th, 2025 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

There is no shortage of teams monitoring the Ja Morant situation in Memphis, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who reports that the Timberwolves and Kings are among the clubs in that group.

Morant has been under the microscope in recent days due to his apparent discontent with his usage and the substitution patterns being employed by new Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo. He served a one-game suspension on Sunday for conduct detrimental to the team following a disagreement with the coaching staff, then replied with a simple “no” when asked by reporters after his return to action on Monday whether he has any joy playing basketball right now.

As Amick notes, Iisalo has been making more frequent substitutions and using a deeper rotation, with Morant’s 29.4 minutes per game representing a team high and a dozen players averaging at least 13.7 minutes per night. Iisalo’s approach is causing some “culture shock,” says Amick, and Morant has struggled in the early going, shooting just 39.3% from the floor and 13.9% on three-pointers.

Still, there have been no indications to this point that the Grizzlies would want to move Morant, who remains a “wildly popular and entertaining” player, Amick writes. The 26-year-old’s potential trade value had already declined in recent years due to injuries, as well as previous suspensions related to his off-court behavior. If Memphis were to explore a deal now, the team would have very little leverage to extract a strong return for the former No. 2 overall pick.

Of course, the potential opportunity to buy low is one important reason why teams are keeping a close eye on Morant’s status.

The Timberwolves’ current point guards include a 38-year-old veteran (Mike Conley), a 20-year-old second-year player (Rob Dillingham), and a shooting guard playing out of position (Donte DiVincenzo), so it makes sense that they’d have some level of interest in Morant. President of basketball operations Tim Connelly also has a reputation for being willing to take big swings, having memorably given up a significant package of draft assets to acquire Rudy Gobert from Utah in 2022.

Minnesota is light on tradable draft picks and doesn’t have an obvious package of players to send out for salary-matching purposes, so the Kings could be better positioned to make a deal for someone like Morant and his $39.4MM salary. Having traded away point guard De’Aaron Fox in February, Sacramento signed Dennis Schröder in free agency to take over the starting job, but he’s not viewed as a long-term solution.

The Kings haven’t spoken to the Grizzlies about a possible Morant trade, a league source tells Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee, though he acknowledges that could change. Anderson points out that at least one sports book listed Sacramento as the betting favorite to acquire the two-time All-Star.

Following Fred VanVleet‘s ACL tear, the Rockets are also viewed as a team in need of point guard help, but a team source tells Amick that Houston is unlikely to pursue Morant.

The in-season trade deadline is still three months away and many players around the NBA won’t become trade-eligible until December 15, so even if the relationship between Morant and the Grizzlies deteriorates quickly, it may not result in a trade in the short term. It also remains possible that the two sides will overcome their shaky start to the season and quiet trade speculation well in advance of the February 5 deadline.

Malik Beasley Drawing Interest From Teams In Europe, China

November 5th, 2025 at 7:47am CST by Luke Adams

Teams in Europe and China are exhibiting “strong” interest in free agent sharpshooter Malik Beasley, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews, who hears from sources that those clubs have reached out to determine whether that interest might be mutual.

Word broke in June, just ahead of Beasley’s NBA free agency, that he was being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for possible illegal betting activity. He was reportedly in discussions with the Pistons at the time about a potential three-year, $42MM deal, but that fell apart as a result of the federal investigation.

Beasley wasn’t named in last month’s indictments that resulted in the arrests of Heat guard Terry Rozier and Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups due to separate but related gambling cases. However, Beasley reportedly hasn’t been cleared by federal investigators or by the NBA, which is conducting its own probe into the matter, so he remains in limbo for now.

While Beasley’s preference would be to sign a new NBA contract, teams in the Chinese Basketball Association have made compelling pitches, according to Urbonas, who says those clubs are willing to make offers that are both lucrative and flexible, with NBA outs included. As Urbonas explains, that structure could appeal to Beasley since it would allow him to compete in the CBA and remain in game shape while waiting to be cleared by the NBA.

The CBA season won’t tip off until December 12, Urbonas notes, so Beasley doesn’t necessarily need to make a decision right away. If he were to be cleared to return to the NBA, the Pistons and Cavaliers are believed to be among the teams that would have interest.

Beasley, who will turn 29 later this month, is coming off a strong season in Detroit in which he averaged 16.3 points per game and finished second in the NBA in three-pointers made (319). He was the runner-up in Sixth Man of the Year voting behind Celtics guard Payton Pritchard.

Southeast Notes: Hawks Employee Indictment, Young, Larsson, Ball

November 4th, 2025 at 10:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

A former Hawks employee has been charged with fraud and embezzling $3.8MM from the franchise, according to an indictment brought last week by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov, Joe Vardon and Sam Amick report.

Lester Jones, who was the team’s senior vice president of financial planning and analysis, reportedly charged trips to the Bahamas, Hawaii, Thailand, Switzerland and other countries; paid for a Porsche; and bought tickets to concerts and other events on corporate credit cards. Jones was in a romantic relationship with another team employee and allegedly bought her expensive gifts via corporate funds.

Evidence of his alleged crimes was uncovered through a team-backed audit. Jones pleaded not guilty and was released on a $10K bond last week.

We have more on the Southeast Division:

Hawks star guard Trae Young has a sprained MCL and will miss at least four weeks, but head coach Quin Snyder said the team was relieved that there’s no major structural damage, which would have sidelined Young for even longer, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk tweets. Snyder added that “other guys will have to be more involved as play-makers, and that requires different actions,” Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks tweets. Young excels in the pick-and-roll game, but Atlanta will alter its schemes until he returns.
Norman Powell returned to the Heat lineup after a three-game absence on Monday, but his fill-in Pelle Larsson remained in the starting five. Head coach Erik Spoelstra moved struggling big man Kel’el Ware to the bench as the Heat went small against the Clippers, a game which Miami won by a point. “I know probably people will point to Kel’el and say it’s a demotion. It’s not,” Spoelstra said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I know there will be some teams that it makes more sense to play big. We have a team that it makes more sense to use our versatility. Sometimes it changes the starting lineup to do that.”
LaMelo Ball was sidelined for the Hornets’ game against New Orleans Tuesday due to a right ankle injury, according to NBA.com. Ball also missed the Hornets’ previous game, a 23-point win over Utah on Sunday. He is averaging 23.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists per contest while shooting 43% overall and 33.3% on three-pointers. Charlotte lost to the previously winless Pelicans, 116-112.

Knicks Notes: Towns, Rotation, Robinson, Bridges, Hart

November 4th, 2025 at 9:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Karl-Anthony Towns seems to be growing comfortable with new coach Mike Brown‘s schemes. The Knicks big man racked up 33 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in a 119-102 victory over the Wizards on Monday.

“KAT was a monster. He was a monster on the glass, he was really good defensively, he was a monster inside, outside,” Brown said, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “He’s starting to feel and find his rhythm in what we’re trying to do.”

Towns had scored fewer than 20 points in half of New York’s first six games.

“Really, we’re all figuring it out. Getting better every day, understanding what our roles are and what we’ve got to do,” Towns said. “It’s good, we’ve got two wins in a row but we’re obviously still a work in progress.”

We have more on the Knicks:

Brown has trimmed the rotation to nine players in the past two games, Winfield notes. Against the Bulls on Sunday, Brown went with Josh Hart, Landry Shamet, Miles McBride and Jordan Clarkson off the bench. On Monday, with Mitchell Robinson sitting for load management purposes, Shamet moved into the starting lineup and Guerschon Yabusele played on the second unit. “The last two nights were the best I’ve done for them in terms of rotations. They kinda sorta knew when they were coming out or going in, who was going to play together,” Brown said.
Robinson’s availability remains something of a mystery, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post writes. Robinson has only played a combined 33 minutes through the first seven games. Left ankle injury management is the club’s reasons for limiting his minutes and game appearances. Don’t expect that to change. “We’ll keep doing that throughout the course of the year. Whatever they tell me, I’m gonna do,” Brown said.
Mikal Bridges‘ all-around game has been on display this season, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post writes. He has also been a lot more vocal in his second year with the club. Bridges, who signed a four-year extension in the offseason, is averaging 16.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals per night.
Despite dealing with hand and ankle injuries, Hart contributed 12 points with 10 rebounds and five assists in just 26 minutes on Monday. “Basically been banged up and hurt for what, three months?” Hart said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “Little frustrating, but it comes with the territory. It comes with being in a contact sport, so it is what it is.”

Community Shootaround: Ja Morant

November 4th, 2025 at 8:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Ja Morant’s days with the Grizzlies appear to be numbered.

The controversial guard served a one-game team suspension on Sunday after he expressed frustration with the team’s coaching staff following their previous game, a loss to the Lakers in which Morant played poorly at both ends of the floor.

Morant wasn’t any cheerier after returning to action against the Pistons on Monday. He was held to 18 points after another subpar shooting performance, going 5-for-16 from the field. He also committed five turnovers, while counterpart Cade Cunningham took over the game in the fourth quarter, scoring 19 of his 33 points.

When asked if he had any joy playing basketball right now, Morant responded, “No.”

Morant’s career has nosedived after a very promising start. He was the second overall pick in the 2019 draft and quickly emerged as one of the league’s top point guards.

However, off the court issues stained his reputation. He was twice suspended in 2023 for conduct detrimental to the league for brandishing weapons in social media videos.

Injuries have also marred his career. After serving those suspensions, he was limited to nine games during the 2023/24 season due to a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Last season, he appeared in just 50 games, mainly due to an ankle injury. Since his rookie year, he’s never played in more than 63 regular season games.

With Morant leading the way, the franchise seemed poised to be a perennial powerhouse after the Grizzlies reached the conference semifinals in 2021/22. In the last three seasons, they’ve been knocked out in the first round, sandwiching the 27-55 campaign when Morant was limited to nine games.

It’s not a novel concept for the Grizzlies to consider dealing their floor leader, even if he doesn’t request a trade. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the idea of the Grizzlies moving Morant is a possibility that rival teams have been monitoring since at least the summer. However, ESPN’s Marc Spears reported on Tuesday that executives he’s spoken to have no interest in dealing for Morant, citing his off the court conduct and contract issues.

“Four of the execs I talked to today say they really have no interest in trading for him. One said it was because it’s a combo of contract and off the court issues,” Spears said on NBA Today (YouTube link). “Another suggested that if Ja is traded it’ll probably be a problem star for a problem star. I asked one current NBA coach if he would like to coach Ja Morant and he said I’m not sure I’d want to.”

Salary considerations would be a big factor for any team pondering a trade for Morant. He has two more years left on his current five-year, $197.22MM contract. He’s also due a 15% trade bonus (capped at his maximum salary) if he’s dealt.

His new team would have to believe Morant would be the missing piece to a championship. That team would also have to be convinced that Morant would benefit from a change of scenery and come in with a more mature, focused approach.

That brings us to today’s topic: Do you think the Grizzlies will deal Ja Morant this season? If so, which teams would be a logical fit for him?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Devin Booker Wants To Finish Career With Suns

November 4th, 2025 at 6:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns are no longer considered a serious contender in the Western Conference following their failed big three experiment with Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal joining forces with Devin Booker. Durant and Beal are now playing for the Rockets and Clippers, respectively.

Despite that, Booker is content to remain with the organization long-term, he told Nick Friedell of The Athletic. Booker believes there’s something special about an elite player remaining on the same team and playing in the same city throughout his career, as Stephen Curry is doing with the Warriors.

“I was adopted as an 18-year-old coming in,” Booker said of Phoenix before playing Curry’s Warriors in Golden State. “I was embraced through tough times, all the way to making a Finals run. The city watched me grow up. I enjoyed growing up in the city. I’m sure Steph can say a lot of similar things about this area.”

Booker, who is in his 11th season, can’t see Curry leaving the Warriors for the remainder of his career. Booker, who just turned 29, wants it that way with the Suns.

“I don’t think he’s going anywhere,” Booker said of Curry. “And I don’t think I am either.”

Contractually, Booker is tied to his organization. He signed a two-year extension this summer worth an estimated $145MM that runs through the end of the 2029/30 season.

Booker embraces his role of being the team leader and spokesman.

“It’s a lot of pride,” Booker said. “It’s a lot of responsibility. It’s something that I try to communicate to the young guys. Having those couple deep playoff runs, and just getting the city to become electric, is a feeling that I’m chasing, want to get back to.”

Anthony Edwards Listed As Questionable To Play On Wednesday

November 4th, 2025 at 5:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Knicks, the team’s PR department tweets.

Edwards has missed the past four games due to a right hamstring strain. Last Monday, when the injury was revealed via an MRI, the team announced Edwards would be reevaluated in one week. At the time, there was reporting suggesting that Edwards would be out for at least two weeks.

Edwards was cleared to resume contact basketball activities on Monday, according to a press release. The fact that Edwards could suit up on Wednesday is a huge boost for the Timberwolves, who have gone 2-2 without him. They have recorded road wins at Charlotte and Brooklyn heading into their trip to Madison Square Garden to face the Knicks.

Edwards notched a 41-point outing against Portland and a 31-point performance against the Lakers before departing after three minutes against Indiana on Oct. 26. The three-time All-Star averaged a career-best 27.6 points and 4.5 assists per game last season while appearing in 79 regular season contests.

Kings Sign Precious Achiuwa, Waive Isaac Jones

November 4th, 2025 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

4:52 pm: The Kings have officially signed Achiuwa and waived Jones, according to a team press release.

9:17 am: The Kings have reached an agreement with free agent forward/center Precious Achiuwa on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. According to Charania, Sacramento is expected to waive second-year forward Isaac Jones in order to make room on the roster for Achiuwa.

NBA insider Jake Fischer first reported on Monday that the Kings were eyeing Achiuwa, with Brett Siegel of Clutch Points stating at the time that Jones would likely be the odd man out if the team made a roster move.

The Kings have been shorthanded in the frontcourt after losing Keegan Murray to a thumb injury last month. With their starting power forward sidelined, the Kings have had to use smaller lineups while also leaning on rookies Nique Clifford and Dylan Cardwell more than expected in the early going.

Achiuwa, 26, began his career with the Heat as the No. 20 overall pick in 2020. He was sent to the Raptors as part of the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade during the 2021 offseason and spent two-plus seasons in Toronto before being traded to the Knicks along with OG Anunoby in December 2023. Achiuwa was in New York for a season-and-a-half, then signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Heat this fall but didn’t make Miami’s regular season roster due to luxury tax concerns.

Achiuwa is a bit undersized for a center and isn’t a threat as an outside shooter, but he’s an athletic, high-energy player who rebounds well and is a versatile, switchable defender. In 57 games in 2024/25, he averaged 6.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 20.5 minutes per contest, with a .502/.278/.594 shooting line.

As for Jones, the former Washington State standout caught on with the Kings as an undrafted free agent in 2024 and appeared in 40 games off the bench for the team, earning a promotion from his two-way deal to a standard contract in March. While he exceeded expectations during his time in Sacramento, Jones played a very limited role, averaging 7.6 minutes per game last season and logging just 17 minutes in three contests so far in 2025/26, even with Murray sidelined.

There were some conflicting reports on Jones’ contract when the Kings exercised his ’25/26 team option in June, but ESPN’s Bobby Marks confirms (via Twitter) that the 25-year-old’s minimum salary was non-guaranteed. That means Sacramento will only be on the hook for a $191,043 dead-money cap hit if Jones is cut on Tuesday — for the purposes of evaluating whether the team finishes the season in luxury tax territory, he’ll count for $214,151 due to tax variance.

Assuming Achiuwa officially signs on Tuesday, a prorated minimum deal would pay him $2,453,285, with the Kings carrying a cap charge of $2,111,516. I would expect his contract to be non-guaranteed, though that hasn’t yet been confirmed.

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