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Cavaliers Waive Killian Hayes

October 15th, 2025 at 6:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Cavaliers have waived Killian Hayes, reports HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (via Twitter).

Scotto notes that Hayes, who was on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavs, is expected to join the team’s G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge.

Hayes was selected seventh overall by the Pistons during the 2020 draft. He played four years in Detroit before spending part of last season with the Nets, with whom he averaged 9.0 points and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 38.1% on three-pointers in six appearances.

Hayes also played 18 games with the Long Island Nets, averaging 20.7 points, 7.6 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per contest while knocking down 41.7% of his threes.

A strong defender as a 6’5″ point guard, Hayes has struggled with scoring consistency during his time in the league, as evidenced by his career 28.1% three-point mark. Scotto notes that he is still hopeful to find another NBA deal.

Hayes was one of three players cut today by the Cavaliers, per NBA.com’s official transaction log. Camp invitees Tristan Enaruna and Norchad Omier were also placed on waivers and will likely end up with the Charge as well.

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Injury Notes: Garland, Suggs, Adebayo, Bucks, Pacers, Thiero

October 15th, 2025 at 9:03am CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland took an important step forward in his recovery from toe surgery by participating in a 5-on-5 contact scrimmage on Tuesday, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). While head coach Kenny Atkinson referred to as a positive development, he cautioned that it doesn’t mean Garland’s return is imminent.

“It was live. It was very short,” Atkinson said. “Now let’s see what tomorrow looks like. What does the recovery look like? We know this is not an easy injury to come back from. It’s just not. You see what happens in the NFL with this injury. It’s not linear, usually, the return to performance, and we’re hoping it will be and he’ll progress. But I side on the side of being conservative and making sure. This is a good step today. A small step but a good step.”

Sources who have spoken to Fedor have maintained that Garland still could miss the first 10-15 games of the regular season. With their starting point guard expected to be unavailable when the season tips off, the Cavs intend to start Sam Merrill in the backcourt alongside Donovan Mitchell, who will take on more ball-handling responsibilities, says Fedor.

We have several more injury-related updates from around the NBA:

  • Magic guard Jalen Suggs did “a little bit” of contact work on Tuesday in a 3-on-3 setting, head coach Jamahl Mosley told reporters, including Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). It’s unclear whether Suggs will be able to play in Orlando’s remaining preseason game on Thursday or if he’ll be ready for the season opener next Wednesday.
  • Heat big man Bam Adebayo exited Monday’s preseason game early due to a knee injury, but it’s just a contusion and wasn’t serious enough to require an MRI, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). While it remains to be seen if Adebayo will suit up in the team’s preseason finale on Friday, it sounds like he should fine for the start of the season.
  • After Myles Turner (right calf soreness) and Gary Harris (right hamstring strain) sat out the Bucks‘ last preseason game on Tuesday, head coach Doc Rivers downplayed Turner’s issue and suggested he’ll be ready for the start of the season, but said Harris’ hamstring injury will likely sideline him for a week or two, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter links).
  • The injuries that Pacers reserves Johnny Furphy (left ankle sprain) and Quenton Jackson (right hamstring soreness) are dealing with aren’t “serious,” according to head coach Rick Carlisle, but there’s no guarantee either player will be ready for opening night. “There’s a chance they could be back for the opening of the season, but I don’t know how big of a chance,” Carlisle said, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. The Pacers’ coach added Ben Sheppard, who has been out with an undisclosed injury, is “trending in a good direction” and could be available on Friday for the club’s preseason finale.
  • Lakers rookie Adou Thiero remains sidelined due to swelling in his knee but has progressed to on-court activities, the team announced on Tuesday (Twitter link via Dan Woike of The Athletic). The Lakers added that Thiero will be reevaluated in approximately two or three weeks.
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Clippers, Cavaliers Make Changes To Preseason Rosters

October 13th, 2025 at 10:09pm CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers have officially re-signed TyTy Washington Jr. and waived John Poulakidas, per Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter links).

It’s unclear why Los Angeles brought back Washington — perhaps the team wants to give him an opportunity to play in preseason. The former first-round pick was signed in August and waived in late September, so he was already eligible for his Exhibit 10 bonus, which is worth $85,300, the maximum allowable.

Former Yale sharpshooter Poulakidas was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal as well. The 6’5″ shooting guard averaged 19.4 points and 3.3 rebounds on .451/.408/.897 shooting in 27 games (31.6 minutes per contest) as a senior with the Bulldogs last season. He went undrafted in June.

The Cavaliers also made a change their preseason roster on Monday, waiving forwards Miller Kopp and Chaney Johnson, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

Cleveland signed Kopp and Johnson to Exhibit 10 contracts on September 26. Both players spent training camp with the Cavaliers — Kopp appeared in two preseason contests, while Johnson played one.

Kopp, 26, went undrafted out of Indiana in 2023. He has spent the past two seasons in the G League with the Thunder’s affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. In 48 games (29.6 MPG) with the Blue in 2024/25, Kopp averaged 12.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.9 APG and 1.1 SPG while shooting 41.8% from three-point range.

As for Johnson, his Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavs was first reported shortly after he went undrafted earlier this year. The 6’7″ wing was a key reserve for an Auburn team that reached the Final Four last season, averaging 9.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 0.9 BPG in 38 games (23.5 MPG).

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Bulls Notes: Ball, Jones, Williams, White

October 11th, 2025 at 8:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

When Lonzo Ball signed a team-friendly two-year extension with the Bulls in February, he knew that he’d probably be in a different uniform before it expired, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. A $10MM annual salary with a club option in 2026/27 made Ball extremely attractive to contenders, and the Cavaliers were the first to pounce, sending Isaac Okoro to Chicago in a July trade.

Ball is happy to be with a contender in Cleveland, and he believes both teams benefited from the deal.

“I think teams trade to try to get better, so Chicago did what was best for them, and I think Cleveland did what they thought was best for them,” Ball said. “So all I can control is where I’m at and who I’m playing for, and that’s the Cavs right now. Go out there and give them my all.”

Ball completed a remarkable comeback last season, appearing in 35 games after missing two and a half years due to recurring knee issues. Cowley expects the Cavs to be cautious with him — limiting his minutes and not using him on both nights of back-to-backs — in order to keep him healthy for the playoffs.

Ball is still a beloved figure in Chicago, and he received a tribute video when Cleveland visited the United Center on Thursday.

“Just thankful, man,” he said. “I made a lot of good relationships here on and off the court. Loved the city of Chicago, and, as you can see, the fans still rock with me, so a lot of love to them. But coaches, man, even my teammates, it’s always great seeing them and hope the best for them moving forward, for sure.”

There’s more on the Bulls:

  • Re-signing Tre Jones was an offseason priority after acquiring him from San Antonio in a February trade, Cowley adds in a separate story. Cowley believes the addition of Jones made it easier for the Bulls to part with Ball. “He just kind of makes things happen,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He finds guys on cuts, back cuts. He gets to the basket. He’s very calm, got a good IQ, and, yeah, I kind of said it last year — he’s got that ‘it’ factor. He just makes plays.”
  • After five mostly frustrating seasons with the team, Patrick Williams recognizes the need to improve, per Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. He focused on dropping weight during the summer with a high-cardio workout routine that included running through sand dunes in Los Angeles. He hopes the increased mobility will make him more versatile on defense. “I always wanted to be strong and fit, be able to guard fours, guard fives, guard ones, guard twos, guard threes,” Williams said. “That was kind of the mindfulness of it — not wanting to be too slim where I can’t guard different positions, but also being slim enough where my joints and stuff aren’t just aching after games. Not just taking that constant beating and pounding with however many pounds of weight driving on them each and every day. (These are) things that over time you just become mindful of after you deal with a few injuries.”
  • Coby White remains sidelined with a calf strain he suffered in August, Poe states in another piece. There’s still hope that he might be ready for the October 16 preseason finale and the October 22 regular season opener, but Donovan said the team is being careful not to bring him back too early due to the strain of playing in an up-tempo offense.
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Central Notes: White, Jackson, Allen, Hunter

October 9th, 2025 at 8:15pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Coby White has added motivation to return swiftly from a calf strain that’s plagued him ahead of the 2025/26 season, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. White is on track to be an unrestricted free agent next summer and will be looking to build on the best two years of his career.

According to Cowley, early indications are that both the Bulls and White are interested in getting a deal done next summer. Both sides are expected to proceed with caution when it comes to his return from his calf injury.

With White sidelined in Chicago’s preseason opener on Tuesday, Kevin Huerter took the bulk of his minutes and started in his stead. If White is to miss any regular season time, Huerter would be the prime candidate to assume a larger role.

We have more from the Central Division:

  • After missing all but five games last season due to an Achilles injury, Pacers center Isaiah Jackson seems to have the inside track to the starting center role, according to Dustin Dopirak of IndyStar, who details the big man’s recovery and conditioning process. “I can use my weight,” Jackson said. “I was always physical but I couldn’t move guys how I wanted to. I couldn’t play my brand of basketball. I’d get up to the offensive rim and I’d have to go straight up. Now I can bump people and move people out the way and I don’t really affected by it. Strength wise, I can play defense a little better. I can hold my own.“
  • The tandem of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley has proven to be effective, but Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated speculates that Allen could be a name to watch at the deadline depending on how the Cavaliers open the season. According to Mannix, most evaluators view Mobley as a long-term center, so there’s a sense that the team could be open to moving Allen at some point for the right return.
  • De’Andre Hunter had his most successful NBA season in 2024/25 across stints with the Hawks and Cavaliers, averaging a career-high 17.0 points per game and finishing fourth in Sixth Player of the Year voting. He looks poised to carry over that momentum this fall and take another step forward, having recorded 17 points and seven rebounds in Cleveland’s preseason opener. In a subscriber-only piece, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com examines why Hunter’s teammates are expecting a “huge year” from the forward and why head coach Kenny Atkinson has referred to him as the club’s “offseason MVP.”
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NBA GMs Expect Thunder To Repeat, Jokic To Win Fourth MVP

October 9th, 2025 at 3:04pm CST by Rory Maher

NBA general managers view the Thunder as the overwhelming favorite to repeat as champions this season, according to the 24th annual GM survey conducted by John Schuhmann of NBA.com. GMs were not allowed to vote for their own team or personnel.

Eighty percent of general managers predicted Oklahoma City to win the 2026 NBA Finals, with the Cavaliers and Nuggets tied for second at 7% each. The Rockets and Knicks were the only other teams to receive votes.

If the Thunder do go back-to-back, they would be the first repeat champions since Golden State in 2018.

Still, it’s worth noting that 83% of GMs thought Boston would win its second consecutive title in 2025 during last year’s edition of the survey, and the Celtics wound up being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.

Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is heavily favored to win his fourth award in 2025/26. The Nuggets superstar received 67% of the vote and was also tabbed as the league’s best center (maximum possible 97%), best international player (93%), best passer (80%), the player with the best basketball IQ (80%), and the player who forces opposing coaches to make the most adjustments (57%).

NBA GMs view Rockets guard/forward Amen Thompson as the league’s most athletic player (58%) and most versatile defender (18%), as well as the player most likely to have a breakout season (30%).

For the second straight year, Spurs center Victor Wembanyama was tabbed as the best player to build a franchise around, receiving 83% of the vote. The French center was also voted the league’s best defender (80%) and tied with Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo for the league’s most versatile player (30% apiece).

Unsurprisingly, Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg is the runaway favorite to win Rookie of the Year, claiming the maximum 97% of the vote. General managers also think he’s the rookie who will be the best player five years from now (93%).

Fifty-three percent of GMs surveyed think the Hawks made the best offseason moves, while 47% believe the Magic will be the most improved team this season.

According to general managers, Milwaukee made by far the two most surprising offseason moves: waiving and stretching Damian Lillard (43%), and subsequently signing Myles Turner in free agency (30%).

Schuhmann’s survey is worth checking out in full and can be found right here.

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Bulls Notes: Okoro, White, Buzelis, Kawamura

October 8th, 2025 at 7:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls acquired Isaac Okoro from Cleveland over the summer to help them build a new defensive identity, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. The 24-year-old swingman’s skills on that end of the court were his calling card during five seasons with the Cavaliers, but his role was starting to deteriorate. Lorenzi notes that Okoro averaged a career-low 19.1 minutes in 55 games last season, and his playing time dropped to 14.2 minutes per night in the playoffs.

“I think for both parties, (Cleveland) probably wanted to change. … For me, I wanted to change,” Okoro said. “Of course, it was hard for both of us to be apart, because that’s where I was drafted to. But in this business, changes happen. Things like this, I look at as a blessing because I’m able to rebrand myself. (It’s) a new chance for me to come to this team and bring a leadership that I’ve learned (from) five years in Cleveland and try to help the team with the things I’ve learned throughout the years.”

Bulls management liked Okoro enough to send veteran guard Lonzo Ball to the Cavs in return. Coach Billy Donovan said the teams have different needs and he believes they both benefited from the deal, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

‘‘When I spoke to the front office about (the trade), it was, ‘Hey, this is an opportunity, and what do you think about Isaac?’ ’ Donovan recalled. ‘‘I think the trade, in my opinion, was good (for both teams). We needed some physicality, and Isaac brings that to the table. Where (the Cavaliers are) as an organization now in terms of trying to make a deep playoff run, they had some (backcourt) injuries last year, and this shores up their backcourt a little bit more.’’

There’s more on the Bulls:

  • Coby White is still recovering from a calf strain he suffered in August, Cowley adds in a separate story. Donovan said White has been running and shooting, and there’s hope he can be ready for the final preseason game on October 16 and the regular season opener six days later. ‘‘The problem is when they all came back after Labor Day, the calf issue was bothering him,’’ Donovan added. ‘‘Treatment, rehab, all that stuff. And then every time they kind of ramped him up a little bit, it kind of always got to a place where he felt tightness. It wasn’t pain, but every time they got to this threshold, he felt tightness. So they basically just shut him down.’’
  • Matas Buzelis showed no fear in attacking Cavaliers big men Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, Lorenzi observes in a recap of Tuesday’s preseason game. Buzelis finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes, and Lorenzi believes he may be ready for a huge second season.
  • Two-way point guard Yuki Kawamura was also impressive against the Cavs, handing out five assists in a little more than 14 minutes of action, according to Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. Kawamura is the shortest player in the league at 5’8″ and there are plenty of guards ahead of him in the rotation, but he believes he’s a perfect fit for the Bulls’ fast-paced attack if he gets a chance to play. “I feel like it fits me,” he said. “I love the system. That’s why it didn’t take me a long time to adjust to the Bulls’ offense.”
  • Former NBPA director Justin Jackson – not to be confused with former NBA first-round pick Justin Jackson or former second-round pick Justin Jackson – has been hired as assistant general manager for the Bulls’ Windy City G League affiliate, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
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Lonzo Ball To Open Season On Minutes Limit, Won’t Play Back-To-Backs

October 6th, 2025 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers will take a cautious approach to Lonzo Ball‘s workload this fall, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link), who writes that the veteran point guard will be limited to roughly 20 minutes per night and will sit out one game in back-to-back sets.

The plan, designed to ease Ball into the season after he returned in 2024/25 from a two-and-a-half year absence, was put together by the team’s decision-makers in collaboration with the guard and the medical staff, per Fedor.

“Back-to-backs are off the table for right now,” Ball acknowledged on Monday. “Doesn’t mean it’s off the table for the whole year, but definitely the start.”

Ball’s 2021/22 season was cut short after just 35 games due to a knee injury, which ultimately required three surgeries and kept him off the court for nearly three calendar years. He returned last season, but played a fairly limited role in Chicago, averaging 22.2 minutes per game across 35 total outings (14 starts) and not suiting up for both ends of any back-to-backs. Still, while Ball did have a pair of extended injury absences, those were a result of wrist problems rather than knee issues.

As Fedor writes, Ball has impressed the Cavs this fall after being acquired over the summer in a trade for forward Isaac Okoro. Teammates and coaches have lauded his play-making, defense, versatility, and high basketball IQ, Fedor adds.

“He hasn’t disappointed,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said last week. “Everything that we thought we were getting, we’re getting. He’s just got a great, great feel. I’m excited to coach any NBA player, but this is a guy I’ve watched for a long time. He’s kind of the ultimate system fit.”

Ball is expected to play a key role on the Cavaliers’ second unit, which will be without Sixth Man of the Year finalist Ty Jerome, who signed with Memphis as a free agent.

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Seven NBA Two-Way Contract Slots Currently Open

October 5th, 2025 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

While most of the NBA’s 30 teams filled all three of their two-way contract slots before training camps tipped off, there are still seven teams carrying just a pair of players on two-way deals, leaving one two-way slot open on their respective rosters, as our tracker shows.

Those teams are as follows:

  • Brooklyn Nets
  • Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Dallas Mavericks
  • Miami Heat
  • Oklahoma City Thunder
  • Orlando Magic
  • Portland Trail Blazers

The majority of the players around the league who are in camp with teams on Exhibit 10 deals will ultimately end up with those clubs’ G League affiliates, but there’s an opportunity for the Exhibit 10 signees on those seven teams listed above to earn an 18-man roster spot entering the regular season.

Exhibit 10 contracts can be converted into two-way deals before the season begins, so several of those clubs are in the process of essentially holding an open competition for that last two-way slot. Besides the Nets (Fanbo Zeng) and Mavericks (Moussa Cisse; Matthew Cleveland), the rest of those teams have at least four players in camp on Exhibit 10 deals.

Not every player who is on an Exhibit 10 contract can have it converted to a two-way deal in the next couple weeks. For instance, while the Cavaliers have Killian Hayes, Chaney Johnson, Miller Kopp, Norchad Omier, and Tristan Enaruna in camp on Exhibit 10 deals, only the latter four are candidates for two-way conversions — Hayes already has five years of NBA service and is ineligible to have his contract converted. A player is only eligible to receive a two-way contract if this would be his first, second, third, or fourth NBA season.

[RELATED: 2025/26 Non-Guaranteed Contracts By Team]

Although many of these seven teams will likely reward one of their standout camp invitees with a promotion to a two-way contracts, that’s not necessarily how all of them will fill their remaining opening. When teams make roster cuts later in the preseason, some intriguing two-way targets will shake loose on waivers and in free agency, so these clubs could turn to the open market to address their third two-way slot.

Even teams that already have their three two-way slots filled could end up making changes between now and opening night, which would result in some current two-way players being waived, creating more potential targets for the teams with open slots.

A player on a two-way contract is eligible to be active for up to 50 NBA regular season games and can earn up to $636,435 (half the rookie minimum) if he remains under contract through at least January 7. Teams can continue swapping players on and off on two-way contracts until March 4. You can learn more about two-way deals in our glossary entry.

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2025/26 NBA Over/Unders: Central Division

October 3rd, 2025 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2025/26 NBA regular season tipping off later this month, we’re getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign and continuing an annual Hoops Rumors tradition.

With the help of the lines from a series of sports betting sites – including BetMGM and BetOnline – we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

In 2024/25, our voters went 13-17 on their over/under picks. Can we top that in ’25/26?

We’ll continue our series today with the Central Division…

Cleveland Cavaliers

Detroit Pistons

Milwaukee Bucks

Indiana Pacers

Chicago Bulls

Previous voting results:

Atlantic

  • New York Knicks (53.5 wins): Over (63.2%)
  • Boston Celtics (42.5 wins): Over (52.7%)
  • Philadelphia 76ers (42.5 wins): Under (58.7%)
  • Toronto Raptors (37.5 wins): Over (50.2%)
  • Brooklyn Nets (20.5 wins): Over (54.4%)

Northwest

  • Oklahoma City Thunder (62.5 wins): Over (62.9%)
  • Denver Nuggets (53.5 wins): Over (72.1%)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (49.5 wins): Over (58.7%)
  • Portland Trail Blazers (34.5 wins): Over (57.1%)
  • Utah Jazz (18.5 wins): Over (55.3%).
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