NBA Announces 2026 All-Star Reserves
The NBA has announced its 2026 All-Star reserves, revealing this year’s honorees on NBC ahead of the Knicks/Lakers matchup (Twitter links).
The following players will join the 10 All-Star starters the league announced on Monday, January 19.
Eastern Conference Reserves:
Guard: Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)- Guard: Norman Powell (Heat)
- Frontcourt: Jalen Johnson (Hawks)
- Frontcourt: Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks)
- Frontcourt: Pascal Siakam (Pacers)
- Frontcourt: Scottie Barnes (Raptors)
- Frontcourt: Jalen Duren (Pistons)
The East will see three first-time All-Stars in Johnson, Powell, and Duren. Powell is averaging a career-high 23.0 points per game in his first season in Miami, while Johnson has emerged as one of the league’s most versatile point forwards on offense, averaging 23.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per night while hitting 36.0% of his threes. Duren is averaging 18.0 PPG and 10.7 RPG, and is the second-leading scorer on the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons.
Towns is having a down year from an efficiency standpoint but has managed to contribute in other ways, leading the NBA in rebounds per game (11.8) while scoring 20.0 points per game on 36.4% shooting from deep. He will join teammate Jalen Brunson, who was named a starter for the second straight year, while Duren will join running mate Cade Cunningham.
Western Conference Reserves:
- Guard: Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
- Guard: Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
- Guard: Devin Booker (Suns)
- Frontcourt: Chet Holmgren (Thunder)
- Frontcourt: Kevin Durant (Rockets)
- Frontcourt: Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers)
- Frontcourt: LeBron James (Lakers)
For the Western Conference, Murray, Holmgren, and Avdija are all first-time All-Stars. Murray had long been considered one of the league’s best players – if not the best – to never take part in the event, but will no longer hold that title. He’s having his best scoring (25.8 PPG) and play-making (7.4 APG) season as a pro, and has helped the Nuggets hold onto the No. 2 seed despite missing co-star and All-Star starter Nikola Jokic for 16 games.
Avdija has exploded for the Blazers this season, averaging 25.5 points per game (after scoring 16.9 PPG last season) while also contributing 7.2 RPG and 6.7 APG and leading Portland to what is currently a play-in spot.
Despite cooling off a bit since his scorching start, Holmgren is averaging 17.8 PPG, 8.7 RPG, and 2.0 BPG and has anchored Oklahoma City’s dominant defense all season, especially while starting center Isaiah Hartenstein faced an extended absence due to a calf injury.
Booker was named to the team after leading the overachieving Suns to a 30-19 record — they’re currently percentage points behind the Lakers for the No. 6 spot in the West.
James was named to his 22nd consecutive All-Star team despite having a down year by his own standards. He is currently averaging 21.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 6.6 APG for the Lakers, who are 29-18 coming into tonight’s game against the Knicks.
The Lakers, Knicks, Thunder, Pistons, and Nuggets are the teams with multiple players represented.
Some notable players not to make this year’s All-Star team include Michael Porter Jr., Kawhi Leonard, Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid, Julius Randle, Lauri Markkanen, Brandon Ingram, and Alperen Sengun — they’re among the top candidates to become injury replacements.
As Ian Begley of SNY notes (via Twitter), the NBA’s decision to include a USA versus World component requires at least eight international players. Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Jokic, Avdija, Murray, and Siakam will make up a majority of the World roster, but with starter Giannis Antetokounmpo injured, the league will need to decide whether Towns, who suits up for the Dominican Republic in international play, as well as Powell, who played with Jamaica last summer, will be considered international or American players, Marc Stein observes (via Twitter). Either way, an injury replacement will need to be named for the Eastern Conference.
Stein adds that the NBA will announce the official roster breakdowns on Tuesday (Twitter link).
Southeast Notes: Banchero, Mosley, Isaac, Heat, Young, Sarr
On Wednesday’s Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said there has been a lot of chatter around the NBA that Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley and forward Paolo Banchero “might not be seeing eye-to-eye,” according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.
Beede asked both Mosley and Banchero about MacMahon’s remarks.
“I don’t really have reactions to that,” Mosley said prior to Wednesday’s game. “That’s outside opinion which is the case and everybody’s fair to have their opinion on that. What me and Paolo have is a constant level of competitiveness that wants to find a way to get a win. No one’s happy when you’re on a losing streak. And there shouldn’t be happiness on a losing streak.
“So, I don’t give too much to those versus what’s going on in our locker room as our guys have that edge that wants to find a way to get a win.”
While Mosley didn’t exactly address the rumor, Beede writes that Banchero denied it pretty strongly after Wednesday’s victory, which snapped a four-game losing streak.
“We have a lot of open communication,” Banchero said about his relationship with Mosley. “Whatever those reports are, I wouldn’t say those are true, in my opinion. One thing I know about myself and one thing that I know about him is that we’re both fierce competitors. So, when you’re losing a lot of games and stuff’s not going well, people are upset. Me and him haven’t had any blowups or arguments, going back and forth. Me and him are pretty aligned with when we talk to each other trying to figure stuff out.
“Now that’s not saying when we lose four or five in a row that I’m not pissed off, he’s not pissed off,” Banchero added. “But in terms of our relationship, it’s been good since I’ve gotten here. Obviously as a team we need to keep improving and I’ve been vocal about that. He understands that, we all understand that. I don’t think anything that I’ve said or he’s said isn’t already known in terms of the team and the organization. So, those reports, I don’t know where that’s coming from. … So, it is what it is, but I think winning cures all. The more we win, the more quiet those reports will get.”
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- Magic big man Jonathan Isaac has been a healthy scratch three times this month and was averaging a career-low 10.1 minutes per game entering Friday (he played 13 minutes in the win over Toronto). He said he’s not frustrated by his lack of playing time, Beede writes for The Orlando Sentinel. “I know that they’re trying to figure things out [and] Coach is trying to figure out what works, what doesn’t work,” Isaac said Wednesday. “So I just try to be myself every time I get in there. My job is to work really hard, try to make it easier on the players around me and be a disruptor on defense. Anytime he puts me in the game, that’s what I’m going to give.”
- If the Heat are unable to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, they should pivot to selling off assets to avoid the “hamster wheel of mediocrity” they’ve been stuck on the past couple seasons, argues Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
- In a feature story for ESPN.com, Ramona Shelburne says the Wizards are hoping Trae Young can help unlock the potential of second-year center Alex Sarr. “You see a lot of the potential that he has in his game,” Young said. “He’s very smart, especially on the defensive end. Being smart and athletic and that type of size is very uncommon in the league. He was the No. 2 pick for a reason — he’s got a lot of talent and potential and I want to be part of the process to kind of bring it out.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo Intrigued By Wolves, Sixers?
Confirming reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) say the Timberwolves should be included among the group of teams considered serious suitors for Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Minnesota doesn’t currently have a tradable first-round pick, but Stein and Fischer hear that Antetokounmpo has “quietly had the Timberwolves in his thoughts” for some time and would be very intrigued by the possibility of teaming up with star guard Anthony Edwards. While Giannis doesn’t hold a no-trade clause, he’ll have some leverage in the Bucks’ trade talks, since any potential trade partner would be reluctant to give up a massive haul for a player who could reach free agency and head elsewhere as soon as 2027.
As Stein and Fischer observe, the Wolves weren’t willing to include forward Jaden McDaniels in an offer for Kevin Durant last year and have been reluctant to make many of their higher-paid rotation players available this season as they scour the trade market for backcourt help. But the expectation is that they’d be much more open to discussing McDaniels and others as part of a potential package for Antetokounmpo.
Surveying the market for the two-time MVP, Stein and Fischer touch on several other teams, including Philadelphia. The Sixers haven’t contacted Milwaukee about a possible Giannis deal to this point, but they’re on his radar, according to The Stein Line’s duo, who point out that Antetokounmpo and Sixers star Tyrese Maxey both work with trainer Drew Hanlen.
Here are several more Giannis-related updates:
- Antetokounmpo’s potential interest in the Heat dates back to at least 2020, when he had Miami high on his list of possible landing spots if he didn’t sign an extension with the Bucks, per Stein and Fischer. He also reportedly had interest in joining the Knicks last summer. Still, it won’t be easy for either team to win a bidding war for the star forward. According to The Stein Line, some sources around the NBA have wondered whether New York missed its window to land Giannis and believe that a complicated multi-team framework would be necessary to get him to the Knicks at this point.
- According to Stein and Fischer, several rival front offices have wondered if the Bucks are trying to establish asking prices with potential Antetokounmpo suitors now before holding a full-fledged auction in the summer, when several teams will have more tradable first-round picks available. “They’re asking for the moon,” one general manager told The Stein Line on Thursday. “All of your young players and all of your draft picks.”
- Early indications are that the Hawks haven’t entered the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes and don’t intend to, Stein and Fischer write. That echoes reporting from Sam Amick of The Athletic, who said Hawks team officials were conveying on Wednesday that they aren’t involved on Giannis and are taking a long-term approach with their roster. Forward Jalen Johnson and the Hawks’ most favorable 2026 first-round pick (either the Pelicans’ or Bucks’ selection) would be extremely valuable trade chips, but Atlanta reportedly isn’t interested in parting with either one and has some reservations about how Antetokounmpo and Johnson would fit together, per Stein and Fischer.
Warriors Notes: Trade Options, Kuminga, Curry, Horford
Although the Warriors appear willing to move several future first-round picks – and either Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green – in a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, there are no other players on the trade market at the moment who would prompt the team to act with that level of aggression, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN.
As Slater notes, Golden State has continually been linked to Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III, but Joe Dumars and his front office have “stonewalled” the Warriors’ efforts to land Murphy, conveying that they’re not interested in moving members of New Orleans’ young core.
The Warriors have also been connected to possible trade targets like Michael Porter Jr. of the Nets and Andrew Wiggins of the Heat, but team sources have thrown “cold water” on those concepts, according to Slater, who hears from one source that Golden State doesn’t intend to engage with Miami about a Wiggins reunion. Multiple reports on Wednesday indicated that the two teams had explored that possibility.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Since Butler went down with a season-ending ACL tear, Warriors team sources have referred to their trade deadline approach as more “future-focused,” Slater reports. That stance suggests the club will be less inclined to move Jonathan Kuminga in a deal for a marginal or short-term upgrade on the wing.
- Although Stephen Curry is kept in the loop by management when a trade is receiving serious consideration, he said on Wednesday that he trusts general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and doesn’t feel the need to constantly check in on the front office’s pursuit of roster upgrades. “Myself, Draymond, just knowing the conversations are happening all the time. I don’t ever get into hypotheticals. It’s a waste of time, it’s a waste of energy,” Curry said, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. “It’s not my job to do that. Mike and the entire front office, I’m sure are making calls and I’m sure are taking looks, seeing what’s going on and then if there’s something material, something real, we have conversations about it. And decisions are made. So that’s our process, it’s always been that way.”
- After joining the Warriors as a free agent last fall, Al Horford battled health issues to open the season and got off to an up-and-down start. However, the big man has been consistently available since Christmas and has been inserted into the starting lineup within the past week. Head coach Steve Kerr said on Wednesday that he plans to stick with Horford as a starter for now. “Now that he can play 24 minutes, which is where his restriction is, I feel comfortable starting him and still being able to close with him,” Kerr explained, adding that he likes using Horford alongside Green in the frontcourt (Twitter video link via Slater).
- Horford is the starting center Golden State has always wanted, according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area, who notes that the 40-year-old has helped shore up the Warriors’ defense while providing passing and shooting on offense. Horford has a positive plus/minus mark in each of his past seven outings and nine of his last 10.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Rumors: Wolves, Warriors, Heat, More
The Timberwolves are among the most serious suitors for Giannis Antetokounmpo, league sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania. Charania reported on Wednesday that the Bucks star is “ready for a new home” and that Milwaukee is showing more willingness than ever to listen to offers for the two-time MVP.
While Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly is one of the NBA’s most aggressive front office executives, it’s difficult to envision Minnesota putting together a package that would appeal to the Bucks. The Wolves don’t have any tradable first-round picks, so an offer would would have to be heavy on player value. With Anthony Edwards off the table, a package would probably start with Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and Donte DiVincenzo.
As talented as those players are, none are All-Stars. Plus, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (YouTube link) anticipates that the Bucks would be seeking a more draft-heavy return if they end up moving Antetokounmpo.
“They have to prioritize the draft,” Windhorst said. “This year’s draft and their pick situation going forward. Their future is going to be tied to (the) draft.”
Here are several more Giannis-related rumors, a week out from the February 5 deadline:
- The Warriors have contacted the Bucks within the past week to convey their “firm” interest in Antetokounmpo and to make it clear they’re prepared to make a strong offer, reports Anthony Slater of ESPN. While Golden State isn’t actively shopping Jimmy Butler, he would be on the table in a Giannis scenario for salary-matching purposes, according to Slater, who adds that the Bucks have some interest in Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga. Milwaukee native Brandin Podziemski could also be a factor in those trade talks, Slater notes.
- Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required) considers what the Heat‘s best deadline for offer for Antetokounmpo might look like, suggesting it would probably consist of Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, Terry Rozier‘s expiring contract, and Miami’s two tradable first-round picks.
- The Rockets are unlikely to get involved in the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said in the latest episode of the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link). “I have been told that the Rockets will not be bidders,” MacMahon said. “Now, hey, nobody was under oath, but I’ve been told that repeatedly and I’ll say that they’ve got a pretty good track record of shooting me straight.”
- MacMahon also doesn’t anticipate the Spurs being a player for Antetokounmpo. “I have been told by folks with the Spurs, ‘We’re not a home for Giannis,'” he said on the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link). “And there’s been a lot of smoke going back to the summer, but everything in San Antonio is about the (Victor Wembanyama) timeline, and this is a decade past the Wemby timeline when you bring in Giannis at his age.”
- The Thunder have more than enough assets to make a strong offer for Antetokounmpo, but they shouldn’t – and likely won’t – seriously entertain the idea, according to Rylan Stiles of SI.com, who suggests that making a move for a veteran star like Giannis would shorten Oklahoma City’s window of championship contention.
Warriors, Heat Have Discussed Andrew Wiggins
The Warriors and Heat have had conversations about the possibility of a trade that would send forward Andrew Wiggins back to Golden State, according to reports from Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) and Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
Wiggins was initially dealt from the Warriors to the Heat in the Jimmy Butler blockbuster at last season’s trade deadline. However, with Butler recovering from an ACL tear and Kuminga’s days in Golden State seemingly numbered, the Warriors’ search for help on the wing has led them back to the former No. 1 overall pick, who is still highly regarded within the organization, sources tell Siegel.
A Golden State offer for Wiggins would almost certainly start with Kuminga, and Miami has shown some interest in acquiring the fifth-year forward, according to Siegel. Still, there are several factors which could complicate talks between the two clubs.
For one, chatter around the NBA indicates the Heat have been seeking at least one first-round pick in exchange for Wiggins, per Siegel. It’s unclear whether the Warriors have conveyed a willingness to put a first-rounder on the table.
Golden State is also operating right up against a second-apron hard cap and would need to add more salary beyond Kuminga’s $22.5MM cap hit to take back Wiggins, who is earning $28.2MM this season, with a $30.2MM player option for 2026/27. Adding Moses Moody ($11.6MM) or Buddy Hield ($9.2MM) would make it a legal trade for the Warriors, but the Heat would have their own reservations about taking on much additional money, since they’re operating just $1.6MM below the luxury tax line.
Finally, if they do part with Wiggins, the Heat would prefer to use his salary to bring back a star-level player, Fischer writes. Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is one such player, and the fact that both Miami and Golden State reportedly covet the two-time MVP would presumably make it more difficult for the two teams to work out a separate trade that could impact their chances of making a play for Giannis.
The Bucks have “long coveted” Wiggins, according to Fischer, though he points out that Milwaukee’s interest in the 30-year-old has been framed as part of the team’s efforts to upgrade its roster around Antetokounmpo. It remains to be seen whether Wiggins would still appeal to the Bucks as part of a package for Giannis.
In 43 games (all starts) for the Heat this season, Wiggins has averaged 15.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.2 steals in 31.3 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .470/.390/.789.
Giannis Reportedly ‘Ready For New Home’; Bucks Listening To Offers
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is “ready for a new home,” either at next week’s trade deadline or this offseason, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania.
According to Charania, multiple teams have made “aggressive” trade offers for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have begun listening to those pitches. While rival clubs have gotten the sense that Milwaukee is more open than ever to weighing offers on or before February 5, the Bucks have conveyed that they’re willing to wait until the summer to address the forward’s future if their asking price isn’t met, Charania writes.
Sources tell ESPN that the Bucks are believed to be seeking “blue-chip young talent” and several draft picks in any deal involving the two-time MVP. Waiting until after the 2026 draft lottery to make a deal could give Milwaukee a clearer sense of exactly which picks teams are prepared to offer for Antetokounmpo, Charania notes.
Antetokounmpo told The Athletic earlier this month that he’ll “never” come out and say he wants a trade, and that it’s not in his nature to make such a request. However, Charania hears that Giannis and the Bucks have had “honest and open conversations” about the future and that the 31-year-old has suggested to the team “for months” that he thinks it may be time to part ways.
The Knicks reportedly spoke to the Bucks about a possible Antetokounmpo trade last offseason after Giannis identified New York as a preferred landing spot. Those talks didn’t go anywhere, but Ian Begley of SNY.tv tweets that the Knicks will be among the teams aggressively pursuing Giannis now that Milwaukee is apparently prepared to open up the bidding to a larger group of suitors.
The Heat will also be in pursuit of Antetokounmpo, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. As we relayed earlier today, a Marc Stein report named Miami as a possible frontrunner for the Greek star, with Stein citing a “vibe of confidence” coming from the Heat.
Although the Knicks and Heat will be among the teams trying to land Antetokounmpo, neither club is loaded with the type of draft assets that the Bucks would presumably be seeking in a blockbuster of this magnitude. The Knicks don’t currently have any tradable first-round picks, while Miami can offer just two first-rounders as a result of a protected 2027 pick owed to Charlotte that creates Stepien rule complications.
As Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron points out (via Twitter), both teams would be better equipped to pursue Giannis in the offseason, when the Heat could offer up to four first-round picks (one would be conditional) and the Knicks could offer two.
The Warriors are also considered a likely suitor for Antetokounmpo, with Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints referring to him as Joe Lacob‘s “dream” trade target. Golden State has indicated it would be willing to offer a package that includes Jimmy Butler (who recently suffered an ACL tear), Jonathan Kuminga, and multiple draft picks, sources tell Chris Mannix of SI.com.
The Warriors have traded their 2030 first-round pick with top-20 protection, but could still offer first-rounders in 2026, 2028, and 2032, and could even include that ’30 pick in a package by attaching 21-30 protection.
The Raptors are another club with legitimate interest in Giannis, Siegel adds. Toronto controls all of its future first-round selections.
Trade speculation has swirled around Antetokounmpo for years and has gained steam since last spring, when the Bucks were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for a third straight year as star point guard Damian Lillard suffered an Achilles tear.
Milwaukee’s front office aggressively reshaped the roster around Giannis in the offseason, waiving and stretching the final two years of Lillard’s maximum-salary contract in order to bring in center Myles Turner, one of the top free agents on the market. But those moves haven’t paid dividends for the Bucks, who fell to 18-27 on the season on Tuesday and are three-and-a-half games out of a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Bucks have scoured the trade market during the season and made players like Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis available as they look to improve their roster, but they haven’t gained traction on any deal they like. Charania suggests Antetokounmpo’s uncertain future and Milwaukee’s lack of appealing trade assets have complicated that search for roster upgrades.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported over the weekend that rival teams believed the prospect of an Antetokounmpo trade was becoming more realistic. Reiterating that point today, Fischer says (via Twitter) multiple sources viewed last Wednesday’s loss to Oklahoma City – and Giannis’ comments after the game – as a point of no return for the Bucks and their longtime star.
Charania reported last week that Antetokounmpo’s frustration level was at an “all-time high” and writes within his latest story that the uncertainty around the forward’s future has resulted in some unease and tension in the Bucks’ locker room.
Antetokounmpo is currently sidelined by a calf strain and appears unlikely to suit up again before next Thursday’s trade deadline. The Bucks haven’t provided a projected timeline for his recovery, but Giannis predicted after sustaining the injury last Friday that he’d be out for four-to-six weeks.
With Milwaukee struggling to win games and Antetokounmpo not expected to play anytime soon, the team could be incentivized to pivot to tanking mode – with or without a Giannis trade – during the second half of the season in order to secure a favorable pick in the 2026 draft. The Bucks don’t control their own selection, but they’ll have the last favorable of the Pelicans’ first-rounder and their own — given that New Orleans holds a 12-37 pick, even the lesser of those two picks should end up firmly in the lottery.
Antetokounmpo is earning $54.1MM this season, with a guaranteed $58.5MM salary for 2026/27 and a $62.8MM player option for ’27/28. He’ll be eligible to sign a new maximum-salary extension as of this October.
Heat May Have Best Chance For Giannis Antetokounmpo Deal By Deadline
There are mixed signals on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade market, with sources from two teams telling Marc Stein of The Stein Line (subscription required) they believe a deal is possible before next week’s deadline, while a representative from another club expects the Bucks to wait until the offseason to get serious about parting with their franchise player.
League executives contacted by Stein consider the Heat to have the best chance at putting together a tempting deal for the Greek star. There’s also a “vibe of confidence” coming from Miami about a potential Antetokounmpo trade, according to Stein.
Stein states that the team’s best offer would be centered around Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware and draft assets.
Herro is coming off an All-Star season, but injuries have limited him to 11 games so far this year and he’s currently dealing with a rib issue. He is only 26 and under contract for one more season at $33MM, and he would provide a reliable scoring threat to replace much of the production Milwaukee would lose by parting with Antetokounmpo.
Ware could be a long-term foundational piece for the Bucks’ frontcourt. The second-year center has shown a lot of promise and is averaging 11.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game at age 21, but he’s also been a frequent target of public criticism from Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. Ware has two seasons left on his rookie contract and will become eligible for an extension next summer.
Miami controls all its future first-round draft capital, except for a pick that was sent to Charlotte in last year’s Terry Rozier trade. That pick is lottery-protected in 2027 and unprotected in 2028.
It appears the weight of constant trade speculation surrounding Antetokounmpo — coupled with his continued absence due to a right calf strain — is having an effect on the Bucks, who fell to 18-27 with Tuesday’s loss to Philadelphia, Stein adds.
“I can’t wait until all the deadlines and stuff pass … because we’re Rumor Central,” coach Doc Rivers said. “It’s unbelievable. Some true, some not true. I don’t know what half of it is true, but it’s a distraction at times for sure.”
Southeast Notes: Larsson, Young, Bane, Johnson
Pelle Larsson has thrived in a starting role for the Heat this season, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes. The second-year player has made 26 starts this season and the Heat are 16-10 in those contests.
“We trust Pelle,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “Pelle is the guy that we can incorporate him in our starting lineup, and you instantly see the difference. For organizations and players around the league, you want a guy like Pelle. If he gets 15 [points], that just adds to your offense. But you know what he’s bringing day in, day out.”
Head coach Erik Spoelstra says Larsson keeps the offense humming by playing within his role.
“Pelle helps our offense so much,” Spoelstra said. “This kind of style that I’m talking about, like Pelle helps everybody because he cuts when you need to cut, he spaces with energy, he drives it hard, he runs hard. He does all the things that keep the engine of our offense going.”
The Heat hold a $2.3MM club option on Larsson’s contract for next season, which becomes guaranteed on opening night.
We have more on the Southeast Division:
- Heat two-way player Jahmir Young has been named the NBA G League Player of the Week for games played between Jan. 19-25, according to the league (Twitter link). Young averaged 32.3 points, 10.3 assists and 2.3 steals in three games last week for the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
- Magic guard Desmond Bane has changed representation, Orlando Sentinel beat reporter Jason Beede tweets. He will now be represented by Glushon Sports Management — the same agency that represents Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner. Bane, who is in the second year of a five-year, $197.2MM contract, was previously repped by Gersh Basketball.
- The Athletic’s Mirin Fader takes an in-depth look at how Hawks wing Jalen Johnson worked his way into an All-Star level player. He’s averaging 23.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 7.9 assists this season as the team’s new franchise cornerstone.
Heat Notes: Deadline, Powell, Mitchell, Smith, Spoelstra
The Heat are often linked to star-level players and this season has been no exception, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant are among the noteworthy players who have been connected to the Heat over the past several weeks.
Still, unlike last year when a Jimmy Butler trade was an inevitability, there aren’t any Heat players looking to be sent out of Miami over the next 10 days. The Heat have good locker room chemistry, Winderman writes, but they’ve also had middling results again, currently just 25-22 and on pace to be in the play-in tournament for the fourth straight season.
Winderman takes stock of the Heat’s assets and potential trade candidates, noting that staying under the luxury tax line — they’re currently $1.6MM below that threshold — will be a priority this season.
One path the Heat could take prior to the February 5 deadline would be to consider dealing Norman Powell or Andrew Wiggins to potentially land another first-round pick, Winderman notes. Miami can currently only trade away two first-rounders (in 2030 and ’32) due to the Stepien rule, but adding another first would unlock additional picks to improve the roster.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Powell’s recent shooting slump have coincided with lower back tightness, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The veteran wing finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday’s win at Phoenix, but shot just 5-of-21 from the field. “There’s more to basketball than just putting the ball in the basket,” Powell said. “There’s leading, there’s giving yourself up. I’ve done that this whole week with playing hurt with my back spasm and everything like that. But tonight I wanted to make an emphasis on getting rebounds and securing the ball so we can get out in transition, and I was able to do that and get my double-double.”
- Starting point guard Davion Mitchell, who aggravated a left shoulder injury last Tuesday in Sacramento, missed his third straight game on Sunday, Chiang adds. “He’s definitely making progress, but we need to go through some kind of workout where he takes contact and then see how he responds to that,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked for an update on Mitchell’s status ahead of Sunday’s game. “But everything else is trending in a really good way.”
- Spoelstra praised backup guard Dru Smith for his play in the weekend victories in Utah and Phoenix, according to Winderman. “Dru was great both games,” Spoelstra said. “It was almost like a misprint. I think he had five steals (Saturday) night, but I think it was like 13 or 14 deflections. It was crazy.” As Winderman notes, Smith’s role may be tenuous when Mitchell and Tyler Herro (rib injury) are healthy again, but he says he’s focused on making the most of his minutes rather than how much he’s playing.
- Spoelstra, the new head coach of Team USA, is more focused on the Heat at the moment than his summer job, but he said he met with USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill and team director Sean Ford in November. “Right now, there’s not a whole lot of action going on,” Spoelstra said, per Winderman. “I’ve kept in touch with both Grant Hill and Sean Ford, and we met up probably two months ago. But it was more general talks of two summers from now and scheduling, and what that’ll look like. We’ll probably get together in some fashion this summer for a little bit more extended time. I don’t know if we’ll do anything with players, but certainly we’ll meet. I love the whole process, so of course when we play and compete against teams, there’s players that will come to mind. But I’m not sweating that right now. That’s really for Grant. It’ll be a collaborative effort. But there’s plenty of time for that.”