And-Ones: Caboclo, All-Star Teams, Rising Stars, More
Former NBA forward Bruno Caboclo has signed a rest-of-season contract with Dubai Basketball, the EuroLeague team announced in a press release.
The 20th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Caboclo spent seven years in the NBA, last suiting up for Houston in 2020/21. The 30-year-old spent last season in Israel with Hapoel Tel Aviv, won the FIBA AmeriCup tournament with his native Brazil over the summer, and was sidelined to open ’25/26 due to a back injury.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- ESPN’s Tim Bontemps has made his picks for the 2026 All-Star teams, identifying nine locks from the Eastern Conference and 10 locks in the West, with five “bubble” candidates in each conference. Bontemps makes Pacers forward Pascal Siakam his final pick in the East over Desmond Bane and Michael Porter Jr., with Suns guard Devin Booker claiming his last spot in the West over Los Angeles stars Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves.
- Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and Austin Rivers have been named honorary head coaches for the NBA’s 2026 Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend, the league announced (Twitter link). NBA rookies and sophomores will comprise three of the teams, with the fourth squad made up of G League standouts.
- Bobby Marks and Kevin Pelton of ESPN identify one trade candidate to watch on each NBA roster, ranging from big names like Ja Morant and Domantas Sabonis to under-the-radar trade candidates like Celtics big man Chris Boucher and Clippers forward Kobe Brown.
- In another story for ESPN, Marks takes a look at several of the most valuable traded draft picks for 2026, as well as outlining how certain teams could benefit from various convoluted swaps. Our breakdown of 2026’s traded first-round picks can be found right here.
Rory Maher contributed to this story.
Central Notes: Bulls, Cunningham, Duren, Pistons, Mitchell
The Bulls‘ front office went nearly three years (from August 2021 to June 2024) without making a trade involving a player, but the team has been a little more active on the trade market in the past year-and-a-half. According to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, there’s a sense that trend could continue this season.
As Cowley explains, league sources have described executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas as more transparent in trade talks and more realistic in terms of his asking prices since last season’s trade deadline. Rival executives have gotten the sense that Karnisovas is open for business this winter, with the Bulls once again hovering just below .500 and more than half of their roster on expiring contracts.
Karnisovas is starting to feel more pressure from Bulls higher-ups to get the team pointed in the right direction, according to Cowley, who says the team has been hurt by too many “passive” decisions in recent years.
We have more from around the Central:
- After four days off, the banged-up Pistons will be getting some reinforcements and should be closer to full strength for their game against Phoenix on Thursday, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Point guard Cade Cunningham is off the injury report and will be available after missing two games due to a right wrist contusion, while center Jalen Duren is considered probable to play after being sidelined for four games with a sprained right ankle. Forward Tobias Harris (left hip sprain) and big man Isaiah Stewart (illness) are also listed as probable to return following brief absences.
- Hunter Patterson and John Hollinger of The Athletic team up to consider potential Pistons moves ahead of the trade deadline, as well as how the team might create room on the 15-man roster for two-way standout Daniss Jenkins. Hollinger suggests that Detroit still needs to find a long-term answer at power forward, while Patterson hears from league sources that the front office is expected to be “opportunistic but not aggressive.”
- Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell was born in New York, but he said in a video diary for Andscape that he’d like to play for the World team if he makes this year’s All-Star Game, pointing to his Panamanian roots on his mother’s side. “I do think I should be on the World team,” Mitchell said (YouTube link). “But I don’t think people look at me as like a Panamanian basketball player. But I do. I would love to be on the World team if I got a chance. If not, I’m not tripping. Don’t get me wrong. But I definitely want to show love to my Panamanian roots and my people in Panama.”
And-Ones: Kennedy, Morris, Draft, All-Star Voting, 65-Game Rule
Veteran official Bill Kennedy, noted for his entertaining explanations during coaches challenges, left the court in a wheelchair on Friday after suffering an apparent right leg injury during the first quarter of the Sixers–Magic game, according to The Associated Press.
Kennedy started limping as he was running down the court during a Sixers fast break. He was seen hopping on the baseline as Paul George made a layup. Kennedy then called for assistance as the Magic called a timeout. The two other officials, James Williams and Michael Smith, handled the remainder of the game.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA guard Monte Morris suffered a left leg injury during a EuroLeague game and will miss three to four weeks, according to Eurohoops.net. Morris signed with Olympiacos last month after the Pacers waived him on Nov. 21. Morris appeared in six games with Indiana, averaging just 10.8 minutes per contest.
- BYU wing AJ Dybantsa sits atop Sam Vecenie’s latest draft board for The Athletic. Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and Duke forward Cameron Boozer hold the next two spots. Kentucky big man Jayden Quaintance has moved up to No. 6 due to his defensive potential.
- Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo remain the leaders in their conferences among fan voting for the All-Star Game, per the NBA (Twitter link). In the second round of returns, Nikola Jokic, Stephen Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama are also among the top five vote-getters in the West. Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham and Donovan Mitchell round out the top five in the East. Fan votes count for 50 percent of the selection process. Voting will continue through Wednesday.
- Many of the game’s elite players will not meet the 65-game threshold for postseason awards. The Athletic’s John Hollinger examines the unintended consequences of that rule, plus the 20-minute requirement, which were established during the last CBA negotiations.
Southeast Notes: McCollum, Wizards, Magic, Powell, Herro
There has been a greater focus in the past 24 hours on what Trae Young will bring to his new team in Washington, but Rod Beard of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that CJ McCollum could be a valuable rest-of-season addition for the Hawks.
While Young has battled injuries and has been available for just 10 games so far this season, McCollum appeared in each of the Wizards’ first 35 contests and was off to a strong start for his new team, averaging 18.8 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.5 rebounds in 30.9 minutes per night, with a .454/.393/.804 shooting line.
Beard acknowledges that McCollum isn’t the play-maker that Young is, but observes that the 34-year-old should provide a little more resistance defensively than the longtime Hawk. McCollum has also historically been a more efficient scorer with a lower usage rate, which could make him a good fit alongside Atlanta’s current top scorers, Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
We have more from the Southeast:
- After a 1-15 start to the season, Washington has posted a more respectable 9-11 mark, including a recent stretch of five wins in seven games. According to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, several Wizards believe a November 16 players-only meeting was a turning point in the team’s season. “We weren’t meeting that standard at the time,” big man Marvin Bagley III said. “I think that meeting was well-needed. I spoke up and said my piece, and guys in the locker room spoke up as well, and we had a good talk. I think we came out closer as a unit, and it makes us understand each other more and want to go out and compete for each other. You can see it.”
- Orlando will be making a bid to host the 2030 NBA All-Star Game, as Jason Siegel, the president and CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission announced on Thursday. Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required) has the story on the bid, which he says the Magic support.
- Speaking of the All-Star Game, Heat guard Norman Powell believes he “definitely” has a strong case to play in this year’s event, but he says he learned after last year’s snub not to get his hopes up, per Ira Winderman of The South Sun Sentinel (subscription required). “I want to make it. I think I deserve to make it,” said Powell, who is averaging a career-high 24.3 points per game on .490/.423/.861 shooting. “You know, my peers around the league after games and things like that are telling me that I’m an All-Star and that I should be there.”
- In his return from a toe injury on Tuesday, Heat guard Tyler Herro came off the bench for the first time since the 2023/24 season. Speaking after the game to reporters, including Winderman, Herro downplayed the subject, suggesting that it was “not really an adjustment” to be a reserve and that he was just grateful to be playing at all. “Just being out there was my biggest thing that I wanted to feel, and that’s how I felt,” he said. “I felt good. I’m healthy. So I just want to be available and be healthy.”
Doncic, Antetokounmpo Lead Early Fan Voting For All-Star Game
Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo lead the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively, in the first returns of fan voting for the All-Star Game, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
Doncic leads all players with 1,249,518 votes. The top five vote-getters from the Western Conference also include Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama.
Joining Antetokounmpo among the top five in the Eastern Conference are Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell.
Fans voting represents 50% of the vote to determine the five players from each conference to be named as starters for the All-Star Game, with current NBA players and a media panel accounting for 25% each. This year, All-Stars are being selected without regard to position.
A newly-created, round-robin tournament featuring a USA vs. World format will be held Sunday, Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome, the new home of the Clippers.
And-Ones: MVP Race, Expansion, NBA Cup, All-Star Voting
If the results of the first Most Valuable Player straw poll conducted this season by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps are any indication, a pair of Northwest Division stars could be on their way to one of the tightest MVP races in recent NBA history.
Of the 100 media members polled by Bontemps, 57 chose Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as their early MVP of 2025/26, while 42 selected Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. Gilgeous-Alexander earned 865 total points, narrowly edging out Jokic (822). Both players were well clear of third-place finisher Luka Doncic of the Lakers, who had 432 points and earned the only other first-place vote.
The Thunder’s 25-2 start to the season has helped give Gilgeous-Alexander the early edge, but he has also been even better than he was when he won his first MVP award in 2024/25, with career-best shooting percentages of 55.9% from the floor and 43.2% on three-pointers. He’s averaging 32.4 points per game despite playing just 33.0 minutes per night, his lowest mark since he was a rookie in ’18/19.
Although Jokic’s scoring average lags behind SGA’s, his 29.6 points per game would be a career high, and he’s leading the NBA in rebounds (12.3) and assists (10.9) per game while shooting a remarkable 61.2% from the floor and 42.6% from beyond the arc. His Nuggets have the second-best record in the West (20-6).
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic identifies four factors that may determine whether or not the NBA announces plans for expansion at some point in 2026, while John Hollinger of The Athletic considers what exactly it would look like if the league established new franchises in Seattle and Las Vegas. As Hollinger points out, a 32-team league seems likely to result in a move to four-team divisions, which would make sense for numerous reasons. For one, each division could be a group for NBA Cup purposes, with the division winners advancing to the knockout round. Plus, if each team played its division rivals four times apiece, other clubs in its conference three times, and clubs from the opposing twice, it would work out to an 80-game schedule (the remaining two games would be added based on the NBA Cup results).
- Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium is being considered as a possible home for the NBA Cup’s championship game in 2026, ESPN’s Shams Charania said during an appearance on NBA Today (Twitter video link). Reporting earlier this week indicated that the league is strongly weighing the idea of moving the Cup final to a new neutral site after Las Vegas hosted it in each of the past three Decembers.
- The NBA’s All-Star voting, which began on Wednesday, will run through January 14, the league announced this week (Twitter link). Fan votes make up 50% of the total vote for All-Star starters, with players (25%) and media members (25%) also weighing in.
And-Ones: First-Time All-Stars, 2026 Draft, NBA Cup, More
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is still over two months away, but a number of players around the league are emerging as legitimate candidates to appear in the game for the first time, writes Zach Harper of The Athletic.
Harper points to Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, Pistons center Jalen Duren, and Heat guard Norman Powell as Eastern Conference standouts who could become first-time All-Stars, while identifying Lakers guard Austin Reaves, Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray as the most plausible first-timers in the Western Conference.
Of those players, only Duren looks like a shoo-in to make the game, according to Zach Kram of ESPN, who takes his own early look at potential All-Stars and divides players into two groups — “near-locks” and “on the bubble.”
Duren is among Kram’s seven near-locks in the East, though he considers Giddey, Johnson, and Powell to have strong cases to make the cut. In the West, Kram thinks Murray could still find himself on the outside looking in despite a career-best first half, given the strength of the competition for the 12 spots. However, with eight international spots to fill and the potential for injury replacements beyond the initial 24 All-Stars, there could be multiple paths for the Nuggets guard to finally earn the honor.
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Although Kansas guard Darryn Peterson has only appeared in two games so far this season, he’s the 2026 draft prospect that NBA scouts seem most excited about, according to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, who places Peterson atop his most recent mock draft, ahead of Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa. Tennessee’s Nate Ament has slipped out of Vecenie’s top five, with UNC’s Caleb Wilson at No. 4, followed by Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr.
- A panel of ESPN insiders answers a series of questions related to the NBA Cup, including which player was the MVP during the group stage (Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got two votes apiece) and which team has the best chance to upset Oklahoma City in the knockout round (the Lakers earned three of five possible votes).
- In an interesting story for ESPN, Kevin Pelton takes a deep dive into the data to explore the impact of familiarity on shooting efficiency and explains why a number of high-profile players who changed teams over the summer – including Cameron Johnson, Desmond Bane, and Myles Turner – may have gotten off to slow starts.
- Lindsay Schnell of The Athletic examines how former G League players became NCAA-eligible and what it means for college basketball going forward. “At the end of the day, we’re not the ones making decisions,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “We either adapt to the rules or we get left behind. So until something changes, I guess all of us are watching G League games now.”
All-Star Game To Feature U.S. Vs. World Three-Team Format
This season’s All-Star Game will have a U.S. vs. World format, the NBA confirmed today in a press release. The game is scheduled to be played Sunday, Feb. 15 at 5 p.m. ET at the Clippers’ Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
Two teams of U.S. players and one team of international players (the World team) will compete in a round-robin tournament featuring four 12-minute games. The three teams will each have a minimum of eight players.
The NBA has experimented with an number of different formats to make the All-Star Game more entertaining and encourage players to take the game more seriously. This is the latest attempt by the league and Player’s Association to make that happen.
As in the past, 24 NBA All-Stars (12 from each conference) will be selected as follows: The five starters from each conference will be selected by fans (50% of the vote), current NBA players (25%) and a media panel (25%). The seven reserve players from each conference will be chosen by NBA head coaches.
This year, the All-Stars will be selected without regard to position. The process for assigning players to the two U.S. teams will be determined at a later date.
According to the release, if All-Star voting does not result in the selection of 16 U.S. players and eight international players (which can include American players with ties to other countries, if necessary), commissioner Adam Silver will select additional All-Stars to join either group to reach that minimum.
In the round-robin tournament, Team A will play Team B in Game 1. The winning team from Game 1 will take on Team C in Game 2, followed by the losing team of Game 1 meeting Team C in Game 3.
After Game 3, the top two teams by record will advance to face each other in the championship game (Game 4). If all three teams have a 1-1 record after Game 3, the tiebreaker would be point differential in each team’s two round-robin games.
The All-Star Game will be played earlier in the day than usual because it will be broadcast by NBC, which is building All-Star Weekend around the network’s coverage of the Winter Olympic Games, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps points out.
And-Ones: All-Star Game, Australia, A. Antetokounmpo, More
Regardless of the findings of the NBA’s investigation into the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard for potential salary cap circumvention, the 2026 All-Star Game won’t be relocated away from Intuit Dome, commissioner Adam Silver confirmed on Monday.
There had been some speculation that taking this season’s All-Star Game away from the Clippers could be one form of punishment for the franchise if the league determines it circumvented the cap by paying Leonard extra money via a no-show endorsement deal. However, there’s no guarantee the investigation will wrap up by mid-February, and even if it does, the All-Star Game won’t be affected, as Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press relays.
“There’s no contemplation of moving the All-Star Game,” Silver said. “Planning for the All-Star Game and the surrounding activities are operating completely independently of the ongoing investigation.”
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Olgun Uluc of ESPN shares his takeaways from the Pelicans‘ two exhibition games in Melbourne over the weekend, noting that projected 2026 first-rounder Dash Daniels (Dyson Daniels‘ younger brother) held his own against NBA competition and that NBL owner Larry Kestelman expects the NBA to return to Australia based on the success of this trip.
- Alex Antetokounmpo, younger brother of Giannis Antetokounmpo, is expected to part ways with the Greek team Aris Thessaloniki and sign a G League contract, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. The 24-year-old forward has never appeared in an NBA regular season game, but previously signed Exhibit 10 contracts with the Raptors (2021) and the Bucks (2022 and 2023) prior to playing for those teams’ NBAGL affiliates.
- The Athletic’s NBA beat writers pose one burning question facing each of the NBA’s 30 teams, including who will step up in the Celtics‘ frontcourt, whether or not the Magic have enough three-point shooting, and whether the Grizzlies can count on Ja Morant.
- In a pair of stories for ESPN, Tim Bontemps identifies 10 names that could define the 2025/26 NBA season, while Bobby Marks previews trade season for 14 teams well positioned to be active in the coming months.
Lauri Markkanen Endorses New All-Star Format
Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen believes adding an international team will help spice up the NBA’s All-Star Game, writes Edvinas Jablonskis of BasketNews.
The new format was revealed earlier this month. It will split the All-Stars into three eight-man squads, one of which will be entirely composed of international players. The teams will compete in a round-robin format to crown a winner.
“There’s always pride when you’re representing your country, or in this case the world, and I think it’s going to be a fun format and hopefully I can be a part of it,” Markkanen said.
Markkanen made an All-Star appearance in 2023 during his first season in Utah, but injuries have prevented him from returning. He appeared in just 55 and 47 games the past two years.
However, at age 28 he still appears to be part of the future as the team transitions to a younger roster. A report in July indicated that the Jazz don’t have any plans to trade Markkanen, who still has four years and nearly $196MM left on his contract.
He seemed to be back in top form while leading Finland to the semifinals at EuroBasket. He averaged 26.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in six games while earning second-team all-tournament honors.
Asked to pick the roster for Team World at All-Star weekend, Markkanen selected Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as his starting five. He admits there will be some tough decisions beyond that and hopes he will be in the mix with players such as Franz Wagner, Alperen Sengun, Domantas Sabonis and Karl-Anthony Towns.
“There are no bad options there. I think it’s a list of really good players, and it’s going to come down to team success and how players perform in each and every year,” Markkanen said. “And so I think the format is going to be fun to compete against the USA teams, and we’ll see who makes the team.”