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Wolves Rumors: Durant, Randle, Reid, Alexander-Walker

February 24th, 2025 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

Confirming earlier reporting that said the Timberwolves were among the teams who inquired on Kevin Durant prior to the February 6 trade deadline, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) reports that Minnesota was calling potential trade partners in the days leading up to the deadline to explore the possibility of getting below the second tax apron in order to aggregate salaries for the Suns star.

While there was little – if any – “tangible urgency” in Minnesota for major in-season changes to the roster, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to explore the idea of acquiring Durant, according to Fischer, who notes that the veteran executive has a history of operating aggressively on the trade market.

Although nothing came of the Wolves’ pursuit of Durant this month, Fischer wonders if it was connected at all to the impending ownership takeover by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez and whether the team might renew its pursuit of Durant during the offseason if and when Lore and Rodriguez have officially assumed control of the franchise.

Here’s more from Fischer on the Wolves:

Multiple cap strategists from rival teams have suggested to Fischer that it might be in Julius Randle‘s best interest to exercise the $30.9MM player option he holds for the 2025/26 season. Randle, who has battled injuries over the past two seasons and has seen his production slip in Minnesota, seems unlikely to match that first-year salary on the open market if he opts for free agency.
Those same camp strategists consider it likely that Naz Reid will turn down his own $15MM player option this offseason in search of a more lucrative longer-term deal, says Fischer. However, as Fischer writes, teams like Cleveland, Dallas, and San Antonio – who were interested in Reid the last time he neared free agency – may be less inclined to pursue him this time around. The Cavaliers and Mavericks have since added other players to their respective frontcourts, while the Spurs – who were hoping in 2023 to add a floor-spacing center to play alongside Victor Wembanyama – have since begun playing Wembanyama at the five instead.
There’s an expectation that the Wolves and Reid will likely continue their relationship beyond this season, but Nickeil Alexander-Walker‘s future in Minnesota is more uncertain, Fischer writes. Since being traded to the Wolves in 2023, Alexander-Walker has emerged as an excellent point-of-attack defender who can hit outside shots (he has a .393 3PT% as a Timberwolf). Some league executives believe his next contract could get as high as $20MM per year, according to Fischer, which could make life difficult for a Minnesota team that already has plenty of sizable contracts on its books.

Community Shootaround: Defensive Player Of The Year

February 24th, 2025 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

After finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting as a rookie in 2024, rising Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was viewed at this year’s All-Star break as the overwhelming frontrunner to win the award in his second NBA season.

However, the All-Star Game is the last game that Wembanyama will play in 2024/25, as he was ruled out for the remainder of the season after being diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. While the Spurs do everything they can to make sure their franchise player is healthy and ready to go for the 2025/26 season, this year’s Defensive Player of the Year award is suddenly very much up for grabs.

Wembanyama will soon be officially out of the running, since he’ll fall well short of the 65-game requirement for end-of-season awards. As we wrote on Saturday, his absence has made Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Grizzlies and Evan Mobley as the Cavaliers the clear betting favorites to win Defensive Player of the Year.

The two young big men squared off on Sunday for the first time this season, with Mobley leading the Cavs to a tight victory by racking up 25 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, and three blocked shots. For the season, Cleveland has a 106.9 defensive rating with Mobley on the court and a 112.6 mark when he’s not. Although Cleveland’s defense ranks seventh overall, that 106.9 defensive rating when Mobley plays would be second-best in the NBA.

Jackson, the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, has had a very similar on/off-court impact in Memphis. The Grizzlies have a 106.8 defensive rating when Jackson is on the floor and a 113.1 mark when he sits.

Mobley and Jackson are anchors of their respective defenses but have the athleticism and versatility to switch onto smaller opponents and move away the basket if necessary. Another player with that skill set is Heat big man Bam Adebayo, who has finished in the top five of Defensive Player of the Year voting in each of the past five seasons.

Asked last week about the possibility of a DPOY award, Adebayo made it clear he’s more focused on getting the Heat back on track than earning individual hardware. He may need to do the former to have a shot at the latter, since team success is a major factor in award consideration. Miami currently ranks eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 26-29 record.

While voters typically favor centers who protect the basket, a wing or forward can emerge as a leading candidate when no one big man separates himself from the field. Thunder swingman Luguentz Dort, a lock-down defender on the wing, could become that player this season. Oklahoma City’s 104.8 defensive rating leads the league by a wide margin and Dort currently has the third-best DPOY betting odds at BetOnline.ag.

Asked by Chris Mannix of SI.com last week about his individual goals beyond winning a championship, Dort acknowledged that he’d love to be recognized for his defense.

“Honestly, the biggest goal is to go out there and perform every night for my teammates,” he said. “But it will always be nice to get rewarded for the hard work that I do on the court, which would probably be Defensive Player of the Year or (All-Defensive) first team. If you ask me if I deserve it, I would say yes, just because of what I bring every night, all the matchups that I got to face every night. But all that would be a goal of mine.”

Dort’s teammates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, rising defensive stars Dyson Daniels and Amen Thompson, and four-time DPOY Rudy Gobert are among the other betting options available at BetOnline.ag, but I’d view them as longer shots.

We want to know what you think. Which player would be your 2024/25 pick for Defensive Player of the Year? Which player do you expect to win the award? Would Wembanyama have been your choice if he had reached the minimum-game threshold?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

Eastern Notes: Green, Giannis, Moore, Wizards

February 24th, 2025 at 7:55am CST by Luke Adams

When a buyout opportunity materialized for Javonte Green in New Orleans, Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reached out to the veteran swingman to convey the team’s interest in him and to chat about a number of topics, including some not related to basketball, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).

As Fedor writes, Atkinson knew the 31-year-old from his time with the Warriors — the Cavs’ coach was an assistant under Steve Kerr when Green spent most of last season with Golden State’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. In addition to helping convince Green to sign with the Cavs, Atkinson encouraged Cleveland’s front office to complete the signing, Fedor adds.

The East-leading Cavs improved to 47-10 with their seventh straight win on Sunday, a hard-fought home victory over Memphis. While he didn’t play at all in Sunday’s game after officially joining the team earlier in the day, Green went through shootaround with the club and spoke about his decision to choose Cleveland.

“I just felt like here was the best fit for me,” Green said, per Fedor. “I’m a very team-oriented player and I think this team has that. I think it could be an easy fit for me.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

After missing six games due to a calf strain, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was on a restriction of roughly 24 minutes per night in his first two games back. Prior to Sunday’s contest vs. Miami, head coach Doc Rivers said that restriction would be loosened, though he didn’t specify the new upper limit, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Antetokounmpo ended up logging 32 minutes in Milwaukee’s win over the Heat and racked up 23 points, 16 rebounds, and seven assists.
Third-year wing Wendell Moore, who signed a two-way contract with the Hornets during the All-Star break, was born and raised in the Charlotte area and was thrilled to get the opportunity to join his hometown team, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “It was definitely surreal,” Moore said. “As a kid, we all dream of playing for our hometown team. Few get to do it, but when you do it, it’s definitely an exciting thing. Haven’t got to play a home game yet, but I’m looking forward to playing back at the crib. This team is fun. It’s an exciting team and a close group of guys. I’m excited to be here.”
Wizards newcomers Khris Middleton (ankle injury management) and Marcus Smart (right index finger injury management) both sat out on Sunday in the first half of a back-to-back set, notes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Head coach Brian Keefe declined to say whether the two veterans, who missed time with those injuries earlier this season, would continue to sit out one end of back-to-backs for the rest of 2024/25.

Cavaliers Sign Javonte Green

February 23rd, 2025 at 12:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have officially signed free agent swingman Javonte Green, the team announced today in a press release.

Green agreed to a buyout last week with the Pelicans and was placed on waivers on Thursday, allowing him to clear waivers and become an unrestricted free agent on Saturday. Reporting at the time of his buyout agreement indicated that he planned to sign with Cleveland once he reached the open market.

Green had been a solid contributor in New Orleans this season, stepping into a larger role than expected due to the myriad injuries affecting Pelicans regulars. In 50 games (18 starts) for New Orleans, the 31-year-old averaged 5.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 21.8 minutes per night, with a .446/.352/.758 shooting line.

While Green isn’t much of an offensive threat, he’s a versatile defender who can hold his own against a wide range of players. The 6’5″ veteran has spent time at shooting guard and both forward positions in recent years.

As we detailed on Saturday, Green gave up $696,955 in his buyout agreement with the Pelicans. Assuming he signed a prorated minimum-salary contract with Cleveland, which is likely, that’s the exact amount he’ll make with the Cavs for the rest of the season. Cleveland would carry a cap hit of $599,862 on a one-year, rest-of-season minimum deal.

Although Green had lined up a deal with the Cavs before clearing waivers, it’s worth noting that nearly every NBA team had the ability to block his move to Cleveland by placing a waiver claim on him, since he was on a one-year, minimum-salary contract that would’ve fit into the minimum salary exception. Only teams right up against a hard cap without the ability to fit Green’s previous $2.09MM cap hit on their books would have been ineligible to place a claim.

However, rival clubs are generally reluctant to submit waiver claims in that situation, not wanting to create bad blood with a player, his agent, and another front office. Some of the Cavs’ rivals are also operating deep in luxury tax territory or without open roster spots. As expected, Green passed through waivers without incident and the East’s top seed was able to fill its open 15th roster spot with a reliable depth option capable of playing rotation minutes if needed.

Meanwhile, Green’s old team in New Orleans dropped to 13 players on standard contracts after buying him out on Thursday. Teams can’t carry fewer than 14 players on their standard roster for more than 14 days at a time, so the Pelicans will have until March 6 to add a new 14th man.

How Wembanyama’s Absence Could Impact Grizzlies, Cavs

February 22nd, 2025 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs announced on Thursday that Victor Wembanyama's second NBA season has come to an early end after testing showed he has a deep vein thrombosis (a form of blood clot) in his right shoulder.

It's a scary diagnosis, but the Spurs caught it early and are said to be optimistic that it will be an isolated issue. There's a relatively recent NBA precedent to back up that belief -- Brandon Ingram's 2018/19 season came to an early end when he dealt with essentially the exact same condition. He was able to return to action later that year and hasn't had any blood clots since then.

Given that Wembanyama is a rising star who has a chance to become the long-term face of the NBA, his return to full health is obviously the top priority not only for the Spurs, but for the league as a whole. However, his absence for the rest of this season will have a fascinating ripple effect across the NBA that could have a significant long-term impact on either the Grizzlies or the Cavaliers -- or both.

In the space below, we'll dig into how Memphis and Cleveland will be affected by Wembanyama's health issue, Bobby Portis' 25-game suspension, the Pelicans' Javonte Green buyout, and more.

Let's dive in...

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Jarrett Allen Expected To Undergo MRI On Injured Hand

February 21st, 2025 at 11:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen suffered a right hand injury during the first half of Friday’s blowout win over New York, as Tom Withers of The Associated Press writes.

The injury didn’t force Allen to the sidelines immediately — he played a few minutes in the second half before exiting the game for good, finishing the night with 10 points and three rebounds in 20 minutes of action.

“X-rays were negative, so that’s good,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said after the victory. “I do think he’s going to get an MRI tomorrow. He came up to me during the game. He goes, ‘It’s really bothering me. I’m not going to be able to finish.’ But (it’s) good X-rays were negative.”

Allen told reporters that he may have injured the hand while trying to block a shot in the first quarter, but was otherwise reluctant to say much about it, according to Withers. Teammate Donovan Mitchell said the big man will be “fine.”

Allen has been available for each of the Cavaliers’ first 56 games this season. If he has to miss any time, frontcourt partner Evan Mobley would likely shift to center, opening up a forward spot in the starting five alongside Max Strus. De’Andre Hunter, Dean Wade, and Isaac Okoro would be the top candidates to fill that opening.

Evan Mobley Reiterates Belief He Can Become NBA’s Best Player

February 21st, 2025 at 10:35pm CST by Luke Adams

When The Athletic asked 14 players at All-Star weekend who will be the best player in the NBA in five years, Victor Wembanyama earned six votes and no one else received more than one, with a single exception: Evan Mobley. Of course, those two votes for Mobley came from teammate Darius Garland and the Cavaliers big man himself, who replied, “Maybe me or Victor.”

Asked after Thursday’s win over Brooklyn about that claim, Mobley doubled down on it, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link).

“I feel like if you don’t believe in yourself, then how are you going to get there? I just have belief in myself,” Mobley said. “I think I have the capability. I have the size, the stature, the skill set. Why not believe in that? … I feel like I have a lot of potential, so that’s my goal. I’m not focused on getting there today. Just every day, take it day by day.”

Garland didn’t back down from his All-Star weekend comments either.

“We’ve got the belief in him. He has belief in himself,” Garland said. “He has the confidence now. He is going to get better with time. In five years I don’t know where he is going to be. Seven-foot unicorn that’s dribbling and dunking behind his head like that, it’s pretty unusual. He has everything. He has all the tools just to be great. He’s just got to go get it.”

Mobley’s performance so far this season has been a good first step toward super-stardom. Entering Friday’s blowout win over the Knicks, he had averaged 18.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game through his first 49 outings, with a .567/.374/.760 shooting line. He put up 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting and was a plus-23 in just 25 minutes of action on Friday.

Mobley has been the defensive anchor for a Cavaliers team that ranks first in the Eastern Conference with a 46-10 record. He was named to his first All-Star team this season and figures to receive serious consideration for end-of-season awards like Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, All-NBA, and All-Defense.

According to Fedor, Donovan Mitchell said that playing alongside Mobley was a major reason why he chose to sign a multiyear contract extension with the Cavs last offseason. Mitchell was happy to see the 23-year-old express confidence in his ability to become one of the NBA’s best players.

“Hell yeah,” Mitchell said. “If you don’t believe in yourself, who will? I firmly believe that he’ll be a top-five player when he continues to get to his prime. He’s close. He’s got to continue to get better and better. He puts in the work. I think the everyday fan may not see it, but we see it. At the end of the day, he’s going to be up there. I have no doubt.

“I’m glad he said it. I’ve been trying to get him to speak on himself publicly. It’s about damn time he finally says something. Now the biggest thing for him is he’s got to go out there and do every night. I know he wants that.”

Javonte Green Bought Out By Pelicans, Plans To Sign With Cavaliers

February 20th, 2025 at 6:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

FEBRUARY 20: The Pelicans have officially waived Green, according to a release from the team.

FEBRUARY 19: Javonte Green has reached a buyout agreement with the Pelicans and plans to sign with the Cavaliers once he clears waivers, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The 31-year-old swingman has appeared in 50 games this season, making 18 starts and averaging 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 21.8 minutes per night. He’s shooting 35.2% from three-point range and will give Cleveland another veteran wing off the bench for its upcoming playoff run.

The Cavs had a pair of open roster spots after sending two players to Atlanta to acquire De’Andre Hunter at the trade deadline. The team faced a February 20 deadline to get its roster back up to 14 players, which it will accomplish when a 10-day contract with G League forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin is finalized. One more opening will remain, so another move won’t be necessary to add Green, assuming he’s not claimed by another team.

Green is making $2.4MM on the one-year deal he signed with New Orleans last summer. If he gives up any money in the buyout, it will likely be roughly what he’ll earn in Cleveland for the rest of the season on a veteran’s minimum contract.

The Cavaliers will remain below the tax line after adding Green, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).

The Pelicans will be down to 13 players once the move is official, and they’ll have two weeks to fill at least one roster opening. It will likely happen by giving a standard contract to two-way guard Brandon Boston, who has been part of the rotation for most of the season.

Cavaliers Sign Nae’Qwan Tomlin To 10-Day Deal

February 20th, 2025 at 9:30am CST by Luke Adams

February 20: Tomlin’s 10-day deal is official, the Cavaliers confirmed in a press release.

February 19: The Cavaliers have agreed to sign G League forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin to a 10-day contract, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

As we outlined on Tuesday, Cleveland has been carrying 13 players on standard contracts since the trade deadline on February 6. Teams are permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on their standard rosters for no more than two weeks at a time, so the Cavs need to add a 14th man by Thursday. It appears Tomlin will be that 14th man.

A 6’10” rookie, Tomlin went undrafted last June after finishing his college career at Memphis. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cavs last September, which allowed the club to gain his G League rights.

Tomlin has subsequently spent the 2024/25 season with the Cleveland Charge, appearing in 35 total Tip-Off Tournament and regular season games for the Cavaliers’ NBAGL affiliate. The 24-year-old has averaged 15.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 28.6 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .545/.362/.614.

As Scotto notes, Tomlin has been especially effective in recent weeks, scoring over 20 points in six of his past seven games, including a 37-point outburst vs. the Westchester Knicks on Feb. 7.

Tomlin will earn $66,503 on his 10-day contract with Cleveland, which will cover the club’s next five games. It’s unlikely that he’ll see much – if any – action for the Cavs, but he’ll be available if needed as a depth piece in the frontcourt.

After Tomlin’s 10-day deal expires, the Cavs would have the ability to carry fewer than 14 players for up to two more weeks before having to stay at 14 (or 15) for the remainder of the season, since teams aren’t permitted to drop below that roster minimum for more than 28 total days.

Cavaliers Considered Javonte Green Before Trade Deadline

February 19th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Javonte Green, who is expected to join the Cavaliers after completing a buyout with New Orleans, was one of the wings the team considered adding before the trade deadline, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Team officials believed Green was likely to be a buyout candidate, so they directed their trade efforts elsewhere and wound up with De’Andre Hunter.