Clippers President Lawrence Frank Agrees To Multiyear Extension
The Clippers have caught fire over the past five weeks and now their top executive is reaping the benefits. President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has agreed to a multiyear contract extension, four league sources tell The Athletic’s Joe Vardon and Sam Amick.
While terms haven’t been disclosed, the extension is believed to be for four years. Other senior staff members are also expected to be offered extensions, The Athletic duo adds.
Frank, 55, has served as the Clippers’ front office president since 2017. He was an assistant coach with the Clippers from 2014-16 after head coaching stints with the Nets and Pistons.
Vardon reported in early December that owner Steve Ballmer was expected to give Frank and other front office members extensions despite the team’s poor start and aging roster. The seemed like a highly questionable decision when the Clippers hit rock bottom at 6-21 after a loss to Oklahoma City.
However, the team has orchestrated a turnaround since defeating the Lakers on Dec. 20. That victory began the Clippers’ current 15-3 run, moving them within three games of .500 and into 10th place on the conference standings, positioning the team for a play-in berth.
That resurgence has been led by Kawhi Leonard, who is averaging 31.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.4 steals in his last 15 games and James Harden, who has averaged 25.1 points, 8.0 assists, and 4.3 rebounds during the streak.
Evan Mobley Expected To Miss 1-3 Weeks With Calf Strain
Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, who experienced tightness in his left calf during Monday’s win over Orlando, underwent an MRI on Tuesday and has been diagnosed with a strain, the team announced today (via Twitter).
According to the Cavs, Mobley will begin undergoing treatment and is expected to be sidelined for between one and three weeks.
The injury bug has been a major issue for the Cavaliers this season. Even the relatively healthy players like Mobley, Donovan Mitchell, and second-year standout Jaylon Tyson have missed at least a few games due to injuries, and a few key contributors have been on the shelf for significant chunks of the season.
That group includes star point guard Darius Garland (22 missed games), starting center Jarrett Allen (11), top reserve Sam Merrill (24), and starting small forward Max Strus, who has yet to make his season debut as he recovers from foot surgery.
A one-week absence would only cost Mobley three games, putting him in line to return prior to next Thursday’s trade deadline, whereas a three-week recovery timeline would keep him out until after the All-Star break, costing him at least seven contests.
The Cavaliers have had an up-and-down season but have been on a roll as of late, winning four straight games and six of their past seven. They’ll have to try to keep that streak going without Mobley, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and their third-leading scorer. Cleveland has a +5.5 net rating with the big man on the court this season and a -1.3 mark when he isn’t playing.
Latest On Nikola Jokic’s Injury Recovery
Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, who has been out since December 29 due to a hyperextended left knee and bone bruise, will be reevaluated in about one week, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday’s episode of NBA Today (Twitter video link).
Charania suggested a couple weeks ago that the Nuggets were optimistic about Jokic’s odds of returning to action before the end of the month. While it no longer sounds like that will happen, the veteran center hasn’t experienced any sort of setback, according to Charania, who says Jokic is making “great progress” and is in the “ramp-up phase of his return-to-play process.”
Given Jokic’s outsized impact, there was some concern in Denver about the team’s ability to maintain its position in the playoff race after Jokic went down — especially after the Nuggets lost second-string center Jonas Valanciunas to a calf strain in his first game as a starter. Last season, Denver went 4-8 in games Jokic missed.
However, the club has performed admirably without its MVP this season, going 9-5 since Jokic suffered his knee injury. Denver’s 31-15 record is tied for the second-best mark in the Western Conference.
As a result of the Nuggets’ strong play without Jokic and their desire to prioritize his long-term health, there’s little urgency to pursue an aggressive return timeline. The only downside of taking a little extra time to get Jokic ready is that it could cost him his award eligibility.
If Jokic doesn’t return to action by this Sunday (Feb. 1) vs. Oklahoma City, he’ll fall short of the 65-game minimum require to qualify for end-of-season honors. However, Charania suggests that’s a trade-off Jokic and the Nuggets are willing to make to ensure he’s 100% healthy and to reduce the risk of him aggravating this injury.
Jokic was putting up MVP-caliber numbers prior to the injury, averaging a career-high 29.6 points per game while leading the NBA with 12.2 rebounds and 11.0 assists per contest. His shooting line is an incredible .605/.435/.853.
Flagg, Knueppel, Edgecombe Among Rising Stars Participants
The 2026 Rising Stars event will feature 11 sophomores, 10 rookies and seven G League representatives, the NBA announced in a press release. The mini-tournament will take place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California on February 13.
Here’s the full list of participants:
Rookies
- Cedric Coward, Grizzlies
- Dylan Harper, Spurs
- Egor Dёmin, Nets
- Tre Johnson, Wizards
- VJ Edgecombe, Sixers
- Kon Knueppel, Hornets
- Jeremiah Fears, Pelicans
- Collin Murray-Boyles, Raptors
- Cooper Flagg, Mavericks
- Derik Queen, Pelicans
Sophomores
- Matas Buzelis, Bulls
- Alex Sarr, Wizards
- Stephon Castle, Spurs
Reed Sheppard, Rockets- Donovan Clingan, Trail Blazers
- Cam Spencer, Grizzlies
- Kyshawn George, Wizards
- Jaylon Tyson, Cavaliers
- Ajay Mitchell, Thunder
- Kel’el Ware, Heat
- Jaylen Wells, Grizzlies
G League
- Sean East II, Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz‘s affiliate)
- Alijah Martin, Raptors 905
- Ron Harper Jr., Maine Celtics
- Tristen Newton, Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets‘ affiliate)
- David Jones Garcia, Austin Spurs
- Yang Hansen, Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers‘ affiliate)
- Yanic Konan Niederhauser, San Diego Clippers
All 10 of the rookies — headlined by No. 1 overall pick Flagg, No. 3 Edgecombe, and No. 4 Knuppel — were lottery selections in last year’s draft, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter links). By contrast, only five of the sophomores were lottery picks, with three being first-rounders outside of the lottery and three picked in the second round.
NBA assistant coaches selected the 21 rookies and sophomores, according to the release, and those players will be drafted onto three different seven-player teams on Tuesday at 6:00 pm CT on Peacock. Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady will draft and be the “honorary coaches” of the three squads, while Austin Rivers will be the honorary coach for the G League representatives.
The four actual head coaches will be assistants from the All-Star game coaching staffs.
Six of the seven players representing the G League are actually on NBA contracts: Yang (No. 16) and Niederhauser (No. 30) were 2025 first-round picks, while Martin, Harper, Newton and Garcia are on two-way deals with their respective clubs. East, who played in Canada and Romania last season, is the lone player on an actual G League contract after Utah waived him in the fall.
Dylan Harper, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft, is the younger brother of Ron Harper Jr. Both players are the sons of longtime NBA guard Ron Harper, who won five championships with the Bulls and Lakers.
As for the tournament itself, the four teams will face off in a single-elimination semifinal, with the two winners competing in the final. The semifinal is first to 40 points, whereas the final will be first to 25.
Luka Doncic, Immanuel Quickley Named Players Of Week
Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links). The award covers Week 14 of the season, from Jan. 19-25.
Doncic led his team to a 2-1 record last week by averaging 34.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.7 assists per contest. His best game came in Denver on Tuesday when he posted a 38-point triple-double in a road victory over the Nuggets. He also beat his former team in Dallas on Sunday en route to his second Player of the Week award of the season.
Quickley, who was named Player of the Week for the first time in his career, lifted the Raptors to four straight road victories by averaging 25.3 points on 61.1% shooting while contributing 6.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. He matched a career high by racking up 40 points (on 11-of-13 shooting) in Tuesday’s win over Golden State.
Quickley’s name has popped up in rumors recently, with Toronto reportedly gauging his trade value.
Saddiq Bey (Pelicans), Kevin Durant (Rockets), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), James Harden (Clippers) and Naji Marshall (Mavericks) were the other Player of the Week nominees from the Western Conference.
Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell (Heat), Jalen Duren (Pistons), Jalen Johnson (Hawks), Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers) and Coby White (Bulls) were also nominated for Eastern Conference recognition.
Knicks Reportedly Targeting Sochan, Alvarado, Missi
The Knicks are targeting Jeremy Sochan, Jose Alvarado, and Yves Missi as they look to upgrade their bench prior to the trade deadline, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reports.
Each of those players could offer a different element to New York’s second unit.
Sochan, who has fallen out of the Spurs’ rotation, would give the Knicks another defensive-minded wing with size. He’s a subpar outside shooter but a solid rebounder. He’s making $7.1MM and will be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end.
Alvarado is a scrappy point guard who could solve New York’s dilemma with finding a steady backup for Jalen Brunson. Alvarado is averaging 7.9 points and 3.2 assists in 21.9 minutes per game off the bench. He holds a $4.5MM option on his contract for next season.
Missi would give the Knicks a young big with the potential to be a starter in the future. He started 67 games last season for New Orleans as a rookie but his minutes have declined in his second season. He’s averaging 5.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 19.1 minutes per game. He’s still on his rookie deal and New Orleans already exercised the $3.5MM option on his contract for next season.
The Knicks have been discussing a few different avenues to move Guerschon Yabusele, who has been a free agent bust. He holds a $5.775MM option on his contract for next season. Both the Spurs and Pelicans have held talks with the Knicks regarding Yabusele, according to Siegel.
Siegel also lists Mavericks forward Naji Marshall as another New York trade target, but that may be more of a pipe dream. League interest is high on Marshall and the Mavericks have pinned a heavy price tag on any deal involving the much-improved forward.
The Knicks’ ability to make any deal is complicated by the salary cap issues. They are hard-capped and approximately $150K below the second tax apron, as Luke Adams notes in our latest Front Office post for subscribers.
New York can’t take in more salary than it sends out. The Knicks are also carrying 14 players on their standard roster, one below the limit, making it more difficult to send out more players than they’re bringing in due to roster requirements.
Anthony Davis Trade Appears Unlikely Before Deadline
With 10 days left until the trade deadline, it’s appearing more likely that Anthony Davis will finish the season with the Mavericks, multiple league sources tell Christian Clark of The Athletic.
Davis had been considered one of the top names on this year’s trade market, with Dallas having interest in moving on from his expensive contract and starting a full rebuild around Cooper Flagg. But he has been sidelined since January 8 with ligament damage in his left hand, renewing concerns about whether he’ll ever be able to remain healthy enough for a rival team to invest in a major deal.
Davis recently began doing some on-court work while wearing a protective glove on the hand, but there’s no indication when he might return. He opted against surgery to improve his chances of playing again this season and is set to be reevaluated in late February.
Beyond the injuries, which have forced Davis to miss 26 of the Mavs’ 46 games, there are concerns that his contract might make him too much of a gamble at this point in his career. He’ll earn $58.5MM next season with a $62.8MM player option for 2027/28, and he’ll be seeking an extension when he becomes eligible on August 6, either from Dallas or his next team.
While trade talks regarding Davis have cooled, the Mavericks are getting plenty of interest in Naji Marshall, with a Western Conference scout telling Clark, “I think half the league is interested in him.” Clark states that Dallas prefers to keep Marshall, adding that it would take “something extraordinary” to pry him away.
The 28-year-old small forward is enjoying a career year in his second season with Dallas, averaging 14.7 points per game while posting a 63.5 true-shooting percentage. He has been a major bargain on his $9MM contract and will make $9.4MM next season before becoming a free agent in the summer of 2027.
Clark also examines the market for Daniel Gafford, who has received interest from teams looking to add another center, including Toronto, Atlanta and Boston.
Gafford has been limited to 30 games due to injuries, and he just returned over the weekend after missing four games with a sprained right ankle. His scoring has fallen to 7.6 PPG, his lowest number since early in his career, but he remains an accomplished lob threat and shot blocker and he’s among the league leaders in shooting percentage every season.
Last summer, Gafford signed a three-year, $54MM extension, which will begin in 2026/27. He’ll make $17.3MM, $18.1MM and $19MM over the course of that deal.
Devin Booker Out At Least One Week With Right Ankle Sprain
January 25: Booker, who was ruled out of Sunday’s game vs. Miami, will miss at least one week, which is when he’ll be reevaluated, the team announced today (Twitter link via Shane Young).
January 23: In the same game in which his teammate Jalen Green was ruled out after just four minutes due to hamstring tightness, Suns star Devin Booker appeared to suffer a right ankle injury, tweets Gerald Bourguet of Suns After Dark.
Booker’s injury occurred in the closing seconds of the third quarter of Friday’s contest at Atlanta (Twitter video link via ESPN). After having his defensive rebound dislodged by Mouhamed Gueye, Booker started jogging up the court, but then noticed that Grayson Allen — who had picked up the loose ball — dribbled the ball off his leg and out of bounds.
Since he was distracted and looking at Allen on the sideline, Booker was unaware of the presence of Onyeka Okongwu, who was also looking at Allen lose control of the ball, and inadvertently stepped on the Hawks big man’s left foot, causing his right ankle to roll.
Booker immediately collapsed to the court in pain and began grabbing at his ankle. He was eventually helped up with assistance and limped off the court, proceeding straight to the visitor’s locker room, per Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks (Twitter link). The 29-year-old guard did not return to the game.
A four-time All-Star, Booker had 31 points (on 12-of-21 shooting), four rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes, with the Suns up seven entering the final frame. They only managed 12 points in the final period without their best player and wound up losing 110-103.
If Booker misses additional time as a result of his ankle injury, Allen, Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin are among the Suns guards who could receive more minutes.
NBA Postpones Sunday’s Mavericks-Bucks Game Due To Weather
The Mavericks and Bucks won’t play on Sunday in Milwaukee, the NBA announced (Twitter link). The game will be rescheduled at a future date.
According to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, who first reported the news (via Twitter), the Mavericks were stuck on their team plane for multiple hours due to inclement weather in Dallas. The plane was still being de-iced as of 1:30 pm CT, Townsend adds (Twitter link).
Although it was floated as an outside possibility, the game will not be rescheduled for Monday, per Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com (Twitter link). Townsend hears the most likely date for the rescheduled game is February 19.
The Mavericks are now deplaning in Dallas after the game was postponed, tweets Marc Stein of The Stein Line, who confirms the game is likely to be rescheduled after the All-Star break.
The Mavs-Bucks contest is the second game the league has rescheduled on Sunday due to the major storm in North America. The first was the Nuggets-Grizzlies matchup in Memphis.
Sunday’s Nuggets-Grizzlies Game Postponed Due To Weather
Sunday’s game between the Nuggets and Grizzlies has been postponed due to inclement weather in the Memphis area, the NBA announced (via Twitter).
The game will be rescheduled, though the date has yet to be determined, per the league.
A major winter storm has been impacting a large portion of North America since Saturday night and is expected to continue through Monday. The Mavericks originally planned to fly to Milwaukee after Saturday’s game against the Lakers but were unable to due to the weather in Dallas.
According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link), the Mavericks are still on the team plane awaiting clearance to travel ahead of a 6:00 pm CT tipoff time against the Bucks. Depending on what happens in the next couple hours, that game may be postponed as well.