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Heat’s Jovic To Be Reevaluated In Four Weeks After Fracturing Hand

February 25th, 2025 at 4:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat forward Nikola Jovic suffered a fracture in the second metacarpal of his right hand, the Heat’s PR department tweets. He will be in a splint and will be reevaluated in four weeks.

This confirms the initial diagnosis that the team reported but provides a better understanding of his recovery timetable. It also indicates that surgery, at least at this time, will not be required.

With less than two months remaining before the postseason, Jovic’s injury – which occurred during the first half against the Bucks on Sunday – could end up being a season-ender.

Through 46 games, the 21-year-old is averaging 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 0.8 steals per game. He is logging shooting splits of .456/.371/.828.

Ahead of the season, Miami picked up Jovic’s $4.45MM team option for the fourth and final year of his rookie-scale deal, which will keep him under team control through 2025/26. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2025 offseason.

Kyle Anderson and Jaime Jaquez are expected to have bigger roles with Jovic sidelined.

Mavericks, Doncic’s Lakers Ready For ‘Weird’ Matchup

February 25th, 2025 at 1:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Almost immediately after word broke earlier this month that the Mavericks were sending Luka Doncic to the Lakers in the most shocking trade in recent NBA history, a steady flow of reports questioning Doncic’s weight and conditioning began leaking out of Dallas.

Although Doncic never publicly responded to those leaks, a source close to the five-time All-NBA guard tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN that they’ve been a motivating factor for Doncic as he settles into his new home.

“A beast was awakened inside him,” the source said to ESPN.

On Tuesday, Doncic will have the first opportunity to exact some level of revenge on the organization that traded him, as the Lakers tip off a six-game home stand by hosting the banged-up Mavericks. The Lakers are expecting it to be an emotional reunion, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

“I think he’ll be fine,” head coach J.J. Redick said of his newly added star. “Every day that he’s been with us it’s becoming a little more normal. I’ve been there. The first time you play your old team, particularly this close in time duration, it’s going to be weird. But he’ll be OK.”

While the matchup will mean more to Doncic than to the rest of the Lakers, his new teammates are all excited for it and will have his back as he faces his old team, according to Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who used to play with Luka in Dallas.

“I’m excited, man,” Finney-Smith said. “I know (Doncic is) gonna be ready but I try not to put too much pressure on him because at the end of the day, we just want to get the win. We get the win, I know he’s gonna be happy.”

Doncic didn’t look like his usual self in his first three games as a Laker after returning from a lengthy layoff due to a calf strain. He averaged just 14.7 points on 35.6% shooting in those three outings. But he showed on Saturday in Denver why the Mavericks’ decision to trade him was so stunning, going off for 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and four steals in a 23-point win over a Nuggets team that has repeatedly stymied the Lakers in recent years.

Doncic’s former Mavs teammates are fully prepared to see that version of Luka on Tuesday, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News.

“I expect him to bring his A-game,” Mavs forward P.J. Washington said. “Knowing just the player he is, the mentality he brings to the game, I know he’s going to be ready as soon as we get out there. We can’t wait to compete against him. We miss him, but at the end of the day, he’s our brother and we’re always going to love him but we just gotta go out there and compete against him.”

“I would love to get into the emotions after the game, but before the game it’s just about having fun and making sure that we lock in and have a deep focus,” Dallas guard Kyrie Irving said. “They’re going to come in and be ready to play against us. Luka’s obviously going to have a lot of confidence in that game. He played well the last game so he’s feeling good. We just have to be aware.”

Embiid Undergoes Imaging, No Decision On Season Status

February 24th, 2025 at 5:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Amid speculation that Joel Embiid will be shut down for the season due to persistent knee issues, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said no decision had been made on Embiid’s status beyond Monday’s game against Chicago.

“Not at that point at all,” Nurse said in his pregame press conference, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets. “Just again we are playing and testing and trying to figure it out and go from there.”

Embiid had new imaging done on his troublesome left knee on Monday, Bontemps reports. There will be discussions on Tuesday to determine what the next steps will be.

“There’s still further testing tonight even yet today and continuing tomorrow, and that’s where we are,” Nurse said.

Embiid was at Monday’s shootaround and had been listed as questionable due to left knee injury management before the tests were conducted. He was later ruled out against the Bulls.

The seven-time All-Star has only played 19 games this season, averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.7 steals per night. Without All-Star production from Embiid, the Sixers have floundered. They had lost seven straight heading into Monday’s contest and are in danger of missing the postseason.

Embiid expressed his frustration over his continuing knee soreness on Thursday, saying, “The way I was playing a year ago is not the way I’m playing right now. It sucks. … I probably need to fix the problem, and then I’ll be back at that level. But it’s hard to have trust when you’re not yourself.”

In a subscriber-only story, Kyle Neubeck of AllPHLY.com takes an in-depth look at whether Embiid’s knee problem can truly be fixed to allow him to play at an All-Star level again. It’s an enormous concern for the organization, as the former MVP signed a three-year max extension in September that carries through the 2028/29 season.

Draymond Green: Jimmy Butler Was Warriors’ ‘Missing Piece’

February 24th, 2025 at 3:25pm CST by Rory Maher

Jimmy Butler continues to make a positive impact after being traded from Miami to Golden State. The Warriors are now 5-1 since they acquired the six-time All-Star, with their latest victory coming on Sunday in a blowout of the shorthanded Mavericks.

Former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green said during All-Star weekend that he expects to win his fifth title with Golden State this spring. Asked to explain that statement, Green expressed a belief that Butler was the team’s “missing piece,” according to Marcus Thompson II and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

“I just know what it looks like,” Green told The Athletic. “This team all year has been kind of like, ‘Man, we’re right there, but can’t quite get over the hump.’ But there’s a reason that you feel like you’re right there, but can’t quite get over.

“And the reason I think we all thought we couldn’t quite get over was because there was a missing piece. That piece isn’t missing anymore. That piece is him.”

While some key members of the Warriors were reportedly leery of adding Butler, who has had messy exits with multiple franchises, Green was not among that group. A team source tells The Athletic that the veteran forward/center wanted the front office to add another “a–hole” to the roster.

“Jimmy almost won the championship leading the team — twice,” Green said of Butler, who signed a two-year, maximum-salary extension with the Warriors as part of the trade. “So he just needed a little bit more to get over the hump. I think we needed a little more to get over the hump. You combine those two together, and this one guy with an undying passion and wants to win a championship. It’s like burning for that.

“And then there are some guys who have done it before but are burning to f—ing do it at least one more time. You mix the two together with the know-how — because Jimmy knows how. Obviously, we know how. And what you get is what everybody’s going to see.”

For his part, Butler said he wasn’t aware of Green’s championship proclamation. While Butler didn’t make a bold postseason prediction like his teammate, he said the Warriors aren’t lacking in self-belief.

“I don’t pay attention to social (media), so I didn’t know that (Green) said that,” Butler said. “But we do have a chance. And the reason why is not because I’m here. It’s not because of the energy that I may or may not bring. It’s because everybody thinks that we can win. That’s all that matters.

“If everybody thinks that you can do something, then you can do it. I’m not going to say how it was before I was here. I don’t know. I wasn’t here. But when you go around this locker room, and you see the joy, and you see the excitement that everybody gets to hoop and play basketball with one another, we really think, and we really know, that every time we take the floor, we should win — home or away. That’s the difference-maker in this thing.”

Despite their recent run of strong play, the Warriors are still only the No. 9 seed in the West, with a record of 30-27. However, they’re only 1.5 games behind the Clippers, who currently hold the No. 6 seed — Golden State is eyeing that spot for a guaranteed playoff berth, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

As Slater writes, Butler has helped the Warriors not just improve but thrive when Stephen Curry is off the court, which has been an issue all season long. The 35-year-old has also brought out the best in Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody, who have been starting of late alongside Butler, Green and Curry.

“You can tell our fans see the difference,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “They feel the momentum just like we do. It was an important shift. The trade itself — I think I mentioned this after the Sacramento game — we needed it. We felt it. We were kind of treading water. We couldn’t get any traction in the season, and (general manager) Mike (Dunleavy Jr.) sensed it and made the move. Sometimes you’ve got to shake things up, and we shook things up. It just so happened that one of the best players in the league was available.”

Timberwolves’ Randle, DiVincenzo Could Return During Road Trip

February 23rd, 2025 at 9:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Timberwolves are embarking on a four-game road tilt that tips off Monday in Oklahoma City and wraps up on Sunday against Phoenix.

Shams Charania of ESPN reports (Twitter video link) that Minnesota could be getting some reinforcements during that stretch, with starting forward Julius Randle and starting point guard Donte DiVincenzo primed to return from long-term injuries.

Randle has been on the shelf with a groin injury since January 30. As Charania notes, the Timberwolves had gone 10-4 during their last 14 contests with Randle available, including a five-game win streak.

Randle, 30, has struggled somewhat to adjust to his new environs during his first season with Minnesota. In 48 healthy contests, the 6’9″ forward is averaging 18.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

DiVincenzo has been sidelined since January 15 due to a toe ailment. The Villanova alum was elevated to the starting lineup in his last six games before his injury absence and averaged 17.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per contest during that stretch.

Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, meanwhile, has been on the shelf since February 12 with a back injury and will not be back during this road trip.

Minnesota’s injury woes and general chemistry issues have led the club to a middling 31-26 record on the year so far, good for just the West’s No. 7 seed.

Heat’s Nikola Jovic Fractures Hand In Bucks Game

February 23rd, 2025 at 8:04pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Heat forward Nikola Jovic fractured the second metacarpal on his right hand in the first half of an eventual 120-113 loss to Milwaukee on Sunday, the team announced (Twitter link).

Jovic finished the game with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field in 15 minutes of action off the bench.

A recovery timeline for Jovic has yet to be established. The third-year pro is in the midst of his best NBA season yet. Through 46 games, he’s averaging 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 0.8 steals a night. The 21-year-old is logging shooting splits of .456/.371/.828.

In the third frame, head coach Erik Spoelstra inserted veteran forward Kyle Anderson into his rotation in place of Jovic.

Ahead of the season, Miami picked up Jovic’s $4.45MM team option for the fourth and final year of his rookie-scale deal, which will keep him under team control through 2025/26. The 6’10” forward’s growth thus far is one of the few things that’s gone right for the Heat this year.

Sunday’s defeat to Milwaukee marked the Heat’s seventh loss across its last 10 games. Since Miami traded six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler to the Warriors as part of a five-team blockbuster deal, the Heat have gone just 1-5. Overall, the club has fallen to an underwhelming 26-29 record on the season, but remains in the thick of the conference’s play-in tournament picture.

Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes that a potential extended absence for Jovic could have significant ripple effects for Miami this year. Spoelstra has been bringing in Jovic and wing Duncan Robinson in tandem as his first options off the bench. Winderman observes that forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., who did not play against Milwaukee, would be a candidate to see more run with Jovic out.

Kevin Garnett On Track For Role In Wolves’ Front Office?

February 23rd, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Timberwolves star Kevin Garnett is expected to return to the organization in a front office role if and when Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are officially approved as the team’s majority owners, reports Charley Walters of The St. Paul Pioneer Press (subscription required; hat tip to Sportando).

Walters stated way back in 2021 that he was hearing buzz about the possibility of Garnett becoming “heavily involved” in the Timberwolves’ basketball operations department when Lore and Rodriguez formally completed their purchase of the club from longtime owner Glen Taylor.

Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, meanwhile, reported in 2022 that Lore and Rodriguez wanted to repair the organization’s relationship with Garnett, who feuded with Taylor after leaving Minnesota. Krawczynski said at the time that the incoming ownership group planned to retire Garnett’s jersey.

Lore and Rodriguez had appeared poised to take over majority control of the Timberwolves from Taylor during the spring of 2024, but that process was delayed when Taylor attempted to retain majority control of the franchise, claiming that the Lore/A-Rod group missed a payment deadline. That led to a legal battle that was resolved by an arbitration hearing earlier this month.

Although arbitrators ruled in favor of Lore and Rodriguez, the new ownership group will still need to be approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors before assuming control of the team.

Garnett’s long-running beef with Taylor began when a plan to rejoin the organization once his playing days were over fell apart following the death of former Timberwolves president and head coach Flip Saunders. Garnett, who believes Taylor reneged on an agreement between them, said in 2020 that he would never forgive the Wolves owner for it, adding, “I don’t do business with snakes.”

Garnett has repeatedly professed a love for Minnesota and for Timberwolves fans, so it makes sense that he’d be interested in rejoining the team in some capacity once Taylor is no longer calling the shots.

While Walters suggests that Garnett could be hired “as soon as” Lore and Rodriguez take over for Taylor, it’s unclear what sort of position he might take on. Walters’ 2021 report about the Hall of Famer potentially becoming “heavily involved” in the front office came a year before the club hired Tim Connelly as its president of basketball operations, so a role for Garnett may look different today than it would have four years ago.

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.

Gregg Popovich Not Expected To Resume Coaching This Season

February 22nd, 2025 at 6:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Gregg Popovich, who suffered a mild stroke in November, is unlikely to resume his coaching duties with the Spurs before the end of the season, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). His long-term coaching future remains uncertain, Charania adds.

Popovich, who turned 76 last month, has been out of the public eye since a health emergency forced him to miss a November 2 game. The team later announced that it was a stroke, and the long-time coach issued a statement in December saying that he was planning to return to the sidelines whenever his health would allow it.

When the Spurs traveled to Paris in January, team CEO R.C. Buford told reporters that Popovich was “attacking his rehab with the same resilience” that he typically displayed on the team’s bench. However, Buford added that it wasn’t possible to project a timeline for recovery.

Acting coach Mitch Johnson will finish out the season and would presumably be a strong candidate to take over the job on a permanent basis if Popovich is unable to return. Johnson has been part of the Spurs’ coaching staff since 2019 and was an assistant with their G League affiliate in Austin for three years before that.

At 24-30, San Antonio remains in the race for a play-in spot, just three games behind 10th-place Sacramento, although the team’s playoff hopes took a major blow with this week’s announcement that Victor Wembanyama will be lost for the season due to a blood clot in his right shoulder,

Popovich is the NBA’s all-time leader in head coaching wins, with a 1,391-824 regular season record (.628). His history with the team dates back to 1988, and he has served as head coach since taking over midway through the 1996/97 season.

Khris Middleton: ‘My Time Ran Out’ In Milwaukee

February 22nd, 2025 at 6:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

After spending 12 and a half seasons with the Bucks, it was odd for Khris Middleton to see them as the opponent Friday night in his first game with the Wizards. In an interview with Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Middleton talks about the shock of changing teams late in his career and the experience of trying to start over in Washington after being a fixture in Milwaukee for so long.

“Yeah, it’s a range,” Middleton said of the emotions brought on by the February 6 trade. “Like, it’s a cycle I go through a lot of times. I’m trying to get out of that cycle now because it’s over with, and there’s no point of really going down that path. But definitely anger. Definitely, like sadness. Like denial, ‘Why would they do that?’ Questioning their decision and stuff like that. But I think it’s healthy for me to think about all that stuff and try to bottle that and put that into something positive. And for me, that’s starting here. That’s helping these guys get their building blocks and helping them grow this organization like I did with the Bucks.”

Middleton was an indispensable part of the Bucks’ 2021 championship team, hitting numerous clutch shots throughout their playoff run. Injuries have limited his effectiveness in recent years, as he played just 33 games during the 2022/23 season and 55 in 2023/24. After undergoing offseason surgery on both ankles, Middleton was only available for 23 games this year before the Bucks made the decision to move on.

Although Middleton would have preferred to end his career in Milwaukee, he indicated that he understands the thought process behind the trade.

“I’ve had many opportunities,” he said. “I mean, that’s the way I’ve kind of looked at it. My time ran out. Simple as that. I mean, I could say my time could have ran out a long time ago. They held onto me, believed in the potential, believed in the work that they saw. But I think this time, it was just, we think a different route is better for our team going forward. And I can’t do nothing but respect that.”

Middleton said he was informed of the deal by his agent, Mike Lindeman, shortly before the morning shootaround on the Wednesday before the deadline. He was aware that his name was being mentioned in trade rumors, but he decided to focus on his duties as a player rather than being distracted by online chatter.

“I mean, you can go out there, cause hell, be a cancer in the locker room, especially when things aren’t going your way, but that’s not right,” Middleton said. “Be professional, be a teammate, brother, friend. So just try to not see it, try to ignore it as much as I could and focus on what I needed to do.”

Middleton added that he had been attempting to ramp up his playing time in hopes of reaching 30 minutes per night by the playoffs. Although there were some setbacks, he remains confident that he could have been productive in the postseason if he had remained with the Bucks.

Asked to pick his favorite moments during his time in Milwaukee, Middleton chose both the title season and his first two years with the organization when the Bucks rose from the bottom of the league to reach the playoffs.

“There’s a lot of things, a lot of special moments, but those were the two points,” he said. “Of course, you win the championship, everything’s on top, everybody sees that, but nobody really recognizes or really understands how hard it is to go from 15 wins (in 2013-14) to the playoffs the next year, right? So those are two things that are pretty cool.”

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