Pacific Notes: Brooks, Maluach, Payton, Porzingis, Curry
Suns wing Dillon Brooks was arrested on suspicion of DUI early Friday morning. His teammates say Brooks apologized to them for his actions, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.
“Just hate to see it for him, but he’s human. We’re all humans,” Collin Gillespie said. “We’re not above anybody else. We all make mistakes. He knows that. He owned it He apologized to the team, but we got his back. Human beings make mistakes, we all make mistakes. Learn from it. He’s just in the public eye more than any other regular human being. That stuff goes on every day and you just don’t hear about it from other people because it’s not ‘Dillon Brooks’ per se.”
Brooks, who is sidelined with a fractured hand, was in attendance for the Suns game on Friday but didn’t speak to the media.
“I know he feels really bad about it,” Grayson Allen said. “I’m sure whenever he feels like he needs to say something, he’ll say something, but we’re still focusing on what we can do on the court with him out. We want to get him back and hold it down in the meantime.”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Suns barely held off the Pelicans, 118-116, on Friday. Rookie lottery pick Khaman Maluach had a career-high five blocks in a season-high 20 minutes after posting 10 in his previous 27 games. “The biggest thing is just that he knows he’s getting consistent minutes,” coach Jordan Ott said, per Rankin. “Hopefully, the first-game jitters of being in there were out after last night. Doesn’t change, we wouldn’t put you in there if we didn’t believe in you, and we’re going to continue to help him.”
- If Seattle gets an expansion team, Gary Payton II wants to be a part of it. His father Gary Payton, of course, was a longtime star with the SuperSonics. He said, perhaps jokingly, that he’d request a trade from the Warriors to play there. “Respectfully. I love it here so much. But if we do (have a Seattle team) when I’m still here, I definitely want to go back and play there,” he told Nick Friedell of The Athletic. In any case, he’d like to see the NBA have a team in the city. “It was like a dream come true all over again,” he said of a potential franchise in Seattle. “To be able to see them, to be able to go there and we have an opportunity to sit down and watch a game. Hopefully, they can do it here in a few years so I can possibly go back and put on a Seattle SuperSonics jersey. But other than that, it’s for the basketball culture. Even if I do play for them or not, it will be good for the city of Seattle and good for the NBA.”
- Kristaps Porzingis and Seth Curry have been upgraded to questionable for the Warriors‘ game on Saturday in Oklahoma City, ESPN’s Anthony Slater tweets. Porzingis, battling an illness, has only played once for Golden State since being acquired at the trade deadline. Curry has been out since Dec. 4 due to a sciatic nerve-related injury
NBA Explores Launching Streaming RSN Hub For 2026/27
The NBA has let its teams know that there’s a chance it will introduce a streaming hub for local broadcasts as soon as next season, sources tell Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal. Many clubs’ local broadcasts have been thrown into disarray due to the fact that Main Street Sports Group, which has regional TV agreements with 13 NBA teams, is likely headed for insolvency.
That group of 13 teams – which includes the defending champion Thunder, along with the Spurs, Pistons, Cavaliers, Clippers, Heat, Timberwolves, Magic, Hornets, Hawks, Pacers, Grizzlies, and Bucks – would be the most likely candidates to be involved in the NBA’s new streaming hub.
As Friend points out, there are a few more teams (the Suns, Jazz, Trail Blazers, Mavericks, and Pelicans) who have already abandoned their respective regional sports networks and could be candidates for the new venture as well. On top of that, Friend’s sources suspect the four teams who have deals with NBC Sports – the Celtics, Warriors, Sixers, and Kings – could be in play due to a sense that NBC may want out of the regional sports network business.
The other eight teams broadcast games on their own networks, which doesn’t necessarily rule them out, but would make it more complicated for the league to negotiate deals with each of them.
While it remains unclear exactly what the new setup will look like, Friend hears that the NBA has engaged in talks with potential partners like YouTube TV, DAZN, Amazon, and ESPN as it considers a package that might resemble NFL Sunday Ticket.
The total number of teams that opt in figures to be a major factor in determining the viability of this new streaming hub, Friend writes, citing sources who think the NBA would need to guarantee a broadcast partner a certain threshold of clubs in order to secure a significant deal. With enough teams involved, industry insiders believe an agreement would be worth billions, Friend adds.
Due to its financial woes, Main Street has missed payments to its teams on January 1, February 1, and March 1, per Sports Business Journal. The NBA originally didn’t plan on launching this sort of streaming hub until down the road, Friend writes, but it has become a higher priority in order to help teams make up for those lost rights-fee payments.
Although the league has informed its teams that it’s trying to get something together for the 2026/27 season, there’s no guarantee that will happen, so Main Street clubs have been advised to explore lining up a bridge deal for their local broadcasts. Those teams are exploring both linear and streaming options, Friend notes.
Friend also points out that, since a new league-wide streaming hub may overlap with League Pass, the NBA may need to either restructure League Pass or eliminate it all together down the road. Amazon currently distributes League Pass as part of its national broadcast agreement with the NBA, so those negotiations would be simpler if the league ultimately strikes a deal to make Amazon its partner on a new streaming RSN.
Southwest Notes: Jordan, Murray, Sheppard, Prosper
After signing with the Pelicans at the start of the regular season, veteran center DeAndre Jordan made two appearances in his first week on the roster in October, then didn’t see any action until after last month’s All-Star break. He has played regular minutes since then, earning five starts and logging double-digit minutes in each of New Orleans’ past six games.
Even before his return to the rotation, Jordan “elevated our program tremendously,” according to interim head coach James Borrego, who spoke glowingly about the the 37-year-old’s leadership and “massive impact” on the Pelicans’ locker room, per Mark Medina of EssentiallySports.
“He has a high standard,” Borrego said. “He’s the first one to show up. Pregame, he does his work. Then you add the leadership piece. He’s wrapped his arms around the vets. He’s wrapped his arms around the young guys. … He’s brought us an edge and a physicality. He’s a massive and tremendous communicator. I think that’s what we’re trying to get our young guys to develop more. That’s the ability to communicate, especially for bigs. It’s massive. To look like a big defense or be a good defense, you have to talk, especially from that five spot. He does it as well as anybody.”
Despite not seeing the floor for over three-and-a-half months and playing for a team that opened the season by losing 31 of its first 39 games, Jordan hasn’t been discouraged by his situation or the modest role he has been asked to take on, he told Medina.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve embraced that locker room leader and mentor kind of role,” Jordan said. “Whenever my number is called, I’ll be ready to play and contribute in any way that I can in the days that I’m not playing. I encourage my teammates. I’ll criticize them when it’s necessary. I let them know about things that I see on the floor. I give them knowledge back.
“… We don’t want to be complacent and okay with losing nine or 10 games in a row. But we’ve had a lot of young guys who are playing big minutes early. So it’s about being able to get them some familiarity with the NBA and the speed and the sets and coverages. So that next year when we’re a healthy team, and these guys have a full rookie season under their belt, we’ll be better.”
Asked how much longer he hopes to play, Jordan – who is in his 18th NBA season – said it’s long been a goal to get to 20 seasons in the league if he can.
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray has been effective since returning from his year-long absence due to an Achilles tear, scoring at least 13 points in each of his first four games, but he’s still not ready to play in back-to-back contests. Murray has been ruled out for Thursday’s matchup with Sacramento, the first of a back-to-back, due to “return to competition conditioning,” according to the team. Forwards Trey Murphy III (neck spasm) and Zion Williamson (right ankle sprain) are both considered questionable to suit up.
- With Reed Sheppard playing some of the best basketball of his career recently in an increased role, Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports and William Guillory of The Athletic examine the strides the Rockets guard is making in his second NBA season and consider what his role will look like once starters Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. return from injuries. “My teammates are giving me the space to grow, and they’re pushing me to be aggressive. That’s made it a lot easier for me,” Sheppard told Guillory. “It hasn’t always been perfect, but I’m working to fix the mistakes. I know I can play an important role for us to get where we want to go.”
- The second year of Olivier-Maxence Prosper‘s new two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Grizzlies is a team option, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Prosper’s rest-of-season salary is $527,879, while his 2026/27 option is worth $2,497,812.
Pelicans Sign Josh Oduro To Two-Way Contract
4:00 pm: Oduro’s two-way deal is now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
8:33 am: The Pelicans have reached an agreement on a two-way deal with big man Josh Oduro, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
A 6’9″ forward/center who went undrafted out of Providence in 2024, Oduro had brief stints with the Pelicans during each of the past two preseasons and has spent his pro career to date with the Birmingham Squadron, New Orleans’ G League affiliate.
In 35 games this season for the Squadron, the 25-year-old has averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals in 28.6 minutes per contest, making 56.0% of his shot attempts from the floor and 63.3% from the free throw line.
As we noted earlier this morning, the Pelicans entered the day as the only team with an open two-way slot. Given that Wednesday is the last day for teams to sign players to two-way contracts during the 2025/26 regular season, an update on New Orleans’ plans had been expected.
Oduro will join guard Trey Alexander and center Hunter Dickinson as the Pelicans’ two-way players and will be eligible to be active for up to 11 regular season games for New Orleans for the rest of the season.
Pelicans Only Team With Two-Way Opening As Deadline Looms
It’s Wednesday, March 4, which means today is the last day that teams can sign players to two-way contracts for the 2025/26 season, as we outlined earlier this week.
As the day begins, 87 of the 90 two-way slots around the NBA are currently occupied, with two more set to be filled shortly. The Hawks and Cavaliers both have two-way openings, but Atlanta is reportedly signing guard Keshon Gilbert and Cleveland is set to add big man Olivier Sarr.
That leaves the Pelicans as the league’s only team with a two-way contract spot available. In all likelihood, New Orleans will fill that slot by the end of the day on Wednesday, since the financial cost would be minimal and the cap impact would be nonexistent.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Pelicans will be the only team to make a two-way roster move today. Other clubs could make some last-minute changes by either waiving current two-way players or promoting them to standard contracts in order to back-fill their two-way slot with a newcomer. While two-way players can be elevated to the 15-man roster anytime up until the last day of the regular season, a team that does so after Wednesday wouldn’t be able to sign a new two-way player in his place.
Trail Blazers guard Caleb Love, Grizzlies forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper, and Mavericks big man Moussa Cisse are among the notable players on two-way contracts who are nearing their respective games played limits and could be candidates for promotions, though not all of those clubs currently have space available on their 15-man rosters.
A year ago on March 4, seven players officially signed new two-way contracts, with one two-way player waived and four others promoted to standard contracts. Two years ago, March 4 brought six two-way signings and a pair of cuts involving two-way players.
It remains to be seen how busy today will be relative to the last couple two-way contract deadline days, but we’ll be monitoring transaction reports and announcements throughout Wednesday and bringing you all the latest updates.
Southwest Notes: Middleton, Nembhard, Murphy, Prosper, Barnes
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd was pleased with Khris Middleton‘s decision to remain in Dallas for the rest of the season rather than seeking a buyout to get to a playoff team, tweets Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News.
“It’s great,” Kidd said. “Khris is a vet. He’s already had some impact with us, on and off the floor. For him to be able to stay, it’s great. We’ll try not to play him 40 minutes a night, but his ability as a vet to score and to lead is something that’s needed in that locker room, so we’re happy he stayed.”
Although Middleton stayed put, another veteran – Tyus Jones – negotiated his release from the Mavericks, which opened up a roster spot on Dallas’ 15-man roster. The team used that newly created opening to promote standout rookie guard Ryan Nembhard from his two-way contract.
According to Curtis (subscription required), Nembhard said after signing the deal that it “feels great” to get his first real NBA contract and that he’s “looking forward to building on this.” The former Gonzaga standout added that he has long felt valued by the Mavs, who tried to acquire a second-round pick to acquire him last June before ultimately signing him as an undrafted free agent.
“They showed a lot of love,” Nembhard told Curtis. “They got me in for a workout the day before the draft. I feel like there was an opportunity for me. That’s the biggest thing.”
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III played on Sunday for the first time since before the All-Star break, returning from a right shoulder contusion that kept him on the shelf for five games, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscription required). “A versatile player playing at a high level,” interim head coach James Borrego said of Murphy, who generated significant interest from rival teams ahead of February’s trade deadline. “He just raises our level, our standard, our ceiling. He’s having a tremendous year to this date. The energy, the vibe, the spirit, the competitiveness and the belief. I know he’s happy to be out there with his brothers.”
- Two-way forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper has taken on an increased role for the Grizzlies as of late, starting five straight games, playing small-ball center, and averaging 15.2 points per night on .628/.471/.867 shooting since February 6. Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal takes an in-depth look at Maxence-Prosper, who only has six games of eligibility left on his two-way deal and is making a strong case for a promotion to the standard roster. “All of O-Max’s energy is just contagious,” head coach Tuomas Iisalo told Afseth. “He’s one of the highest-motor players in the whole league. He’s had to basically shift up a position or two spots and is doing a great job. He’s improved his shooting from the outside and is shooting with a lot of confidence. … How he’s improving in the little facets of the game overall, it’s a testament to the hard work he’s putting in.”
- Removed last month from the Spurs‘ starting lineup after making 775 consecutive starts for four NBA teams, veteran forward Harrison Barnes continues to play regular minutes off the bench and has taken his new role in stride, notes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). “Harrison Barnes is as professional and as good of a veteran as you could want in your locker room,” Spurs forward Keldon Johnson said of his teammate, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Injury Notes: Booker, Highsmith, Zion, Jovic, Warriors
The Suns, who went just 4-7 in February as they dealt with injuries affecting multiple starters and rotation players, will get some reinforcements on Tuesday in Sacramento.
As Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays (via Twitter), star guard Devin Booker is no longer listed on Phoenix’s injury report after missing the past four games due to a right hip strain. While the Suns split those four games without Booker available, they were clearly missing their leading scorer, having ranked 29th in the NBA in offensive rating during that stretch.
Recently signed swingman Haywood Highsmith also isn’t included on the Suns’ latest injury report, Rankin notes, which suggests he should be ready to make his season debut. Highsmith underwent surgery to address a torn meniscus in his right knee last August and experienced a setback in his rehab in October. He was traded from Miami to Brooklyn last offseason, was waived by the Nets last month, and signed with the Suns as he ramped up to return to action.
Two of Phoenix’s top wing defenders – Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture) and Jordan Goodwin (left calf strain) – remain out, so Highsmith should get a shot to earn rotation minutes now that he’s healthy.
We have more health-related updates from around the NBA:
- Pelicans forward Zion Williamson sat out on Sunday due to an ankle sprain, ending his career-high streak of 35 consecutive games played, but he’s listed as questionable to play on Tuesday vs. the Lakers and told Malika Andrews of ESPN (Twitter video link) he expects to suit up. Williamson will be motivated to appear in at least 16 of New Orleans’ final 20 games this season, since doing so would ensure he locks in at least 80% of his $42.2MM salary for 2026/27 (the remaining 20% could become guaranteed if he meets weight-related benchmarks).
- Heat forward/center Nikola Jovic will miss a fifth consecutive game on Tuesday due to a lower back injury, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Jovic says he doesn’t have any disk issues and doesn’t think the ailment is related to the stress reaction in his back that sidelined him for a significant portion of the 2022/23 season, but he admitted he’s struggling with the injury. “My back doesn’t feel good,” Jovic said. “The scan shows I got some inflammation, and one of my nerves doesn’t look great right now.”
- Warriors wing Moses Moody, who didn’t play in the fourth quarter of the team’s loss to the Clippers on Monday, jammed his wrist and injured his shoulder, according to head coach Steve Kerr, who said Moody will be evaluated further on Tuesday (Twitter link via Nick Friedell of ESPN).
- Kristaps Porzingis missed a fifth straight game with an illness on Monday and it’s unclear when the Warriors big man will return to action, Friedell writes for The Athletic. “It’s a little mysterious,” Kerr said of Porzingis’ illness. “We’re obviously working with him, and he can get some clarity, and he can kind of break through, and he can get to a point where he’s consistently healthy, but that’s something that the medical staff is working hard on with him. I’m not going to posit any medical theories anymore.”
Anthony Edwards, Jalen Duren Named Players Of The Week
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has been named the Western Conference’s Player of the Week, while Pistons center Jalen Duren has claimed the award in the East, the NBA announced on Monday (via Twitter).
Edwards, who was named to his fourth straight All-Star team this season, helped Minnesota go 3-0 in a trio of road games played from February 23 – March 1. The former No. 1 overall pick averaged 28.7 points, 5.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals on .457/.357/.667 shooting in those three appearances (37.7 minutes per game).
Duren, a first-time All-Star in 2025/26, helped guide Detroit to a 3-1 record last week. The 22-year-old big man averaged 25.8 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 1.3 SPG and 1.3 BPG in 34.0 MPG. He shot 63.9% from the field and 73.5% on free throws over the four games.
According to the league (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Saddiq Bey (Pelicans), Luka Doncic (Lakers), Kevin Durant (Rockets) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder).
Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Duren’s teammate Cade Cunningham, Jonathan Kuminga (Hawks), Tyrese Maxey (Sixers) and Brandon Miller (Hornets) were nominated in the East.
Pelicans Notes: Bey, Fears, Murphy, Zion, Alvarado
The NBA doesn’t have a comeback player of the year award like the NFL, but if it did, Saddiq Bey would be among the frontrunners, says Rod Walker of NOLA.com.
The Pelicans wing missed the entire 2024/25 while recovering from a torn ACL, but he has been highly productive in his first season in New Orleans, averaging 17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists on .455/.355/.853 shooting splits in 54 appearances, including 46 starts (30.8 minutes per game).
Bey scored a season-high 42 points (on 14-of-20 shooting) in Thursday’s victory at Utah. He also contributed seven assists and five rebounds in 34 minutes.
As Walker writes, Bey was something of an afterthought in the offseason trade that sent Jordan Poole to New Orleans and CJ McCollum to Washington. But the 26-year-old has been one of the Pelicans’ best players this season, which interim head coach James Borrego admits he “didn’t envision” entering ’25/26.
“He deserves the credit because he works on it every day,” Borrego said. “He does not take a day for granted. I think all of us should learn from Saddiq. He values every day. Every day he gets to walk into an NBA gym, he values it. And he treats it with great care and respect. … He’s really elevated this program.”
Here’s more from New Orleans:
- Borrego praised Jeremiah Fears after the rookie guard recorded his second career double-double in Saturday’s victory in Utah, according to Walker. “His poise, his play-making settled us,” said Borrego. “His pace. You felt him early. Especially when he rebounds like that, we’re gone. To rebound like that at his size and position just fuels our offense. And he continues to grow defensively, making havoc plays out there. I see a focused young man. I thought he was fantastic tonight.” Fears, the seventh overall pick in last year’s draft, finished with 18 points, a career-high 11 rebounds, and five assists in 34 minutes off the bench.
- The Pelicans will get their leading scorer back on Sunday, as Trey Murphy III has been upgraded to available for tonight’s game at the Clippers after missing five straight games with a right shoulder contusion (press release link). Forward Zion Williamson, who exited Saturday’s game in the second quarter with a right ankle injury and didn’t return, is questionable Sunday on the second of a back-to-back.
- In an interview with William Guillory of The Athletic, Jose Alvarado said it was “bittersweet” to be traded to his hometown Knicks ahead of the deadline. The former Pelicans guard also detailed his close bond with New Orleans and its fans. “They felt the love that I had for the city and it was real love,” Alvarado told The Athletic. “There was nothing fake about it. New Orleans will always be home to me. I always said New Orleans is a gritty, tough city and you can never knock them down. We saw Mother Nature, whoever, try to bring New Orleans down and they always rise back up with their head high. I just think that’s how I carry myself, also, and they saw that in me. Obviously, where I grew up is very different from New Orleans, but I feel like my mindset is very similar to a lot of people from there. They saw how I play and how much passion I show every time I’m out there. That’s how they want somebody to represent the city. They showed me genuine love and I always tried to show the same thing to them.”
Southwest Notes: J. Smith, Borrego, Marshall, Ingram
The Rockets pulled off a comeback victory in Orlando on Thursday night, their fourth win in five games since the All-Star break, but they lost forward Jabari Smith Jr. late in the game. Smith suffered an ankle injury with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter (NBA.com video link), though head coach Ime Udoka expressed optimism after the game that it wasn’t serious.
“He stepped on Alperen (Sengun)‘s foot and rolled his ankle,” Udoka said (Twitter video link via Space City Home Network). “I think it’s a game-to-game thing, day-to-day. It doesn’t look too terrible.”
Smith has been playing some of the best basketball of his NBA career in recent weeks and has started 57 of Houston’s 58 games this season, so if he has to miss some time, it would require the team to tweak its starting five and rely more on reserve wings and bigs like Josh Okogie, Clint Capela, and Dorian Finney-Smith.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- James Borrego hasn’t played it safe as the Pelicans‘ interim head coach since he took over for Willie Green, says Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscription required). Walker praises Borrego for his willing to make bold lineup decisions, including starting rookie Derik Queen and bringing highly paid veteran Jordan Poole off the bench for most of the season. “There are no egos,” said Dejounte Murray, who has replaced Queen in the starting five in his first two games back from an Achilles tear. “Nobody is pouting. We have young guys who were starting. They went to the bench and took it like they should take it. I give a lot of credit to them for that. We are all here to win and longevity is the key for everybody.”
- Mavericks forward Naji Marshall showed on Thursday why the team had no interest in moving him at this month’s trade deadline. As Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal details, Marshall became just the third undrafted player since the 1983/84 season to record at least 35 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a game — he got to 36, 10, and six vs. Sacramento and was a +3 in 42 minutes in a game Dallas lost by nine points. “If healthy, I don’t know if he’s gonna play 42 minutes,” head coach Jason Kidd said, lauding Marshall for maintaining his compete level in an expanded role. “But shorthanded, he’s taken full advantage of his minutes. His ability to get into the paint and finish, get to the free throw line — he led the team in rebounds. He’s doing it all.”
- Spurs two-way player Harrison Ingram has only appeared in five games at the NBA level this season, but he’s thriving with the team’s G League affiliate in Austin. Ingram earned NBAGL Player of the Week honors after averaging 22.2 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in five games last week (Twitter link).