Southeast Notes: White, Powell, Wagner Bros., J. Carter
After initially agreeing to give up three second-round picks in their trade for Coby White, the Hornets amended the terms of the deal to remove one of those selections when the guard’s physical showed a left calf injury. However, that calf issue didn’t diminish the team’s enthusiasm for its acquisition of the North Carolina native, writes Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
“As soon as I touched down, I felt wanted,” White told Boone. “I called my family, and I’m like, ‘Everybody here is just super-welcoming and super-nice. And they keep talking about long term, long term, long term.’ And just hearing that somewhere where you’re valued for a long term, especially being back home, it means a lot.”
White is on an expiring contract and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer, so there’s no guarantee the Hornets will be able to re-sign him. But president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson made it clear that’s the plan, as Boone relays.
“Just being able to acquire Coby and being able to acquire his Bird rights is very, very important for us in terms of how we’re operating and how we are building it out,” Peterson said. “So, as I said earlier, he fits everything that we want to be about and hope that he’s a Hornet for a very long time.”
Head coach Charles Lee is also excited about adding White to the roster, breaking into a smile when he was asked about the team’s newest guard on Saturday (Twitter video link via Boone).
“Spend a minute with him, you can already feel a sense of maturity, a sense of eagerness to want to play and build relationships, a competitiveness to him,” Lee said. “He’s super engaged in everything we do. A great human being. … I think he’s already trying to put his fingerprint – or put his stamp – on our environment and on our culture.”
We have more from around the Southeast:
- Heat swingman Norman Powell was initially listed as questionable for Sunday’s game in Washington due to a right hand sprain, then left the blowout victory in the third quarter due to lower back tightness. However, with a busy All-Star weekend on tap in a few days (in addition to being named a first-time All-Star, the 32-year-old will also take part in the three-point contest), Powell didn’t sound concerned about either health issue. “I think a lot to do with being stuck on the plane for a lot of hours,” Powell said of his back tightness, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “And then soft beds at the hotel. We tried to make an adjustment. But they didn’t have what we needed to have, a little firmer mattress there. I always get a little back flare-up when I’m sleeping on soft mattresses.”
- Magic forward Franz Wagner, who has missed nine consecutive games – and 25 of the past 27 – due to a left ankle injury, has been upgraded to questionable for Monday’s game vs. Milwaukee and hopes to play before the All-Star break, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). If Wagner isn’t activated on Monday, his last pre-All-Star opportunity to return would be on Wednesday in a rematch against the Bucks.
- Franz’s brother Moritz Wagner has played in 11 of the Magic‘s 12 games since returning from an ACL tear last month, but he admitted this week that his recovery process hasn’t been “linear” and that he’s still trying to get back to feeling 100%. “My days are full, my recovery protocol is huge, (and) my confidence is still not at a point where it used to be,” Moritz said (Twitter video link via Beede). “This injury is heavy, man. It’s a really long process and it takes a long time, so I have a lot of respect for that.”
- After being waived by Chicago at the start of trade deadline week, Jevon Carter was informed that the Magic were “very interested” in signing him. That made it an easy decision for him to sign with Orlando, Beede writes for The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). “It was kind of a like a no-brainer for me,” Carter said. “They wanted me. I like to go where I’m wanted. Talking to (Magic president of basketball operations) Jeff (Weltman), he still remembered my pre-draft work out that I did here back in 2018. So, he was excited to have me, and I’m excited to be here.”
Raptors Notes: Kessler, Jackson-Davis, CP3, Martin, Poeltl
The Raptors were connected to several notable big men ahead of the trade deadline, but Anthony Davis went to Washington, Domantas Sabonis stayed put in Sacramento, and the cost of acquiring a mid-priced big like Day’Ron Sharpe of the Nets or Goga Bitadze of the Magic was described by sources as “unrealistically high,” according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.
“I think, at this point, with this group, we didn’t want to chase,” general manager Bobby Webster said of the Raptors’ approach to the trade deadline. “We didn’t want to be in a situation where you felt like you were overpaying. We’re still on the upward climb … we’ve had a pretty positive start; the group is coming together. There will be a time where we’re gonna push in and consolidate and add some picks, but we just felt the prices at this point were a little high for us.”
Given how many centers the Raptors were linked to in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, it was all the more fascinating that Webster dropped the following tidbit during an appearance on Sportsnet 590 The Fan (Twitter audio link) after the deadline passed: “I’d probably say the one big thing we went after wasn’t even reported.”
What might that “big thing” have been? According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter links), there were some rumblings that Toronto made a push for fourth-year center Walker Kessler, whom the Jazz haven’t been interested in moving. If Kessler is a legitimate Raptors target, they could pursue him again when he reaches restricted free agency this summer, but their limited cap flexibility would make that challenging.
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Toronto did make one addition to its frontcourt at the deadline, sending a second-round pick to Golden State for big man Trayce Jackson-Davis. He was a player the club had on its radar for a while, according to Webster. “We’ve always had our eye on him in the past, but timing matters too,” the Raptors’ general manager said, per Grange. “We called on him before, but Golden State got another big (Kristaps Porzingis) and I think it was sort of time for him to be free. So, when we did the Ochai (Agbaji) deal (to get below the tax), we had the ability. We didn’t have a lot of money to spend, but we looked at anyone under $3MM that we could bring in and he quickly rose to the top of the list.”
- In a separate story for Sportsnet.ca, Grange passes along quotes from Jackson-Davis, who expressed enthusiasm about his new NBA home and said he learned a lot in Golden State playing alongside veterans like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Chris Paul over the past two-and-a-half seasons. Head coach Darko Rajakovic said Jackson-Davis made “really good first impressions” in his first practice in Toronto. “You can see that he’s a very smart player,” Rajakovic said. “He’s picking up things very quickly. … We’re going to allow him to get incorporated into the team and to show us who he is and how best I can use him.”
- The Raptors also acquired Chris Paul at the trade deadline as part of their Agbaji trade, but the veteran point guard won’t suit up for Toronto. He’ll be waived “at the appropriate time,” Webster said on Thursday. Unless Paul has a post-waiver destination lined up, there will likely be no urgency for Toronto to make that move until the team needs its 15th roster spot, notes Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (all Twitter links). Grange suggested that last roster spot could eventually go to two-way player Alijah Martin.
- Raptors starting center Jakob Poeltl, who has been out since December 21 due to back issues that have bothered him all season, is listed as questionable to play on Sunday after practicing on Saturday, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. “We saw a lot of doctors about it. To be honest, I don’t want to get into too much details about it,” Poeltl said when asked about his back injury, according to Grange. “The point is I’m feeling better now. I did a couple different treatment options. So, yeah, I’m glad to be feeling better.” The veteran big man added that he wasn’t bothered by the fact that his name kept popping up in trade rumors leading up to Thursday’s deadline, tweets Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun.
NBA Announces Competitors For Slam Dunk, Shooting Stars All-Star Events
The Spurs‘ Carter Bryant, the Lakers‘ Jaxson Hayes, the Heat‘s Keshad Johnson and the Magic‘s Jase Richardson have been named the participants in the All-Star Slam Dunk competition, the league announced in a press release. It will be held next Saturday at the Clippers’ new Intuit Dome.
All four players will be making their event debuts. Richardson, a rookie guard, does have a familial connection with the contest. He is the son of two-time Slam Dunk champion Jason Richardson (2002 and 2003).
The league also announced the teams for the Shooting Stars competition on Saturday. Four teams of three – each featuring two NBA players and one NBA legend – will compete in the event.
- Team All-Star: Raptors star Scottie Barnes and Thunder big man Chet Holmgren will be joined by three-time All-Star Richard Hamilton.
- Team Cameron: Three Duke University alums will team up, with Hawks All-Star Jalen Johnson and Hornets star rookie Kon Knueppel being joined by former 14-year NBA veteran Corey Maggette.
- Team Harper: Five-time NBA champion Ron Harper Sr. pairs up with his sons, Spurs guard Dylan Harper and Celtics swingman Ron Harper Jr.
- Team Knicks: Knicks teammates and All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns will team up with Allan Houston, who made two NBA All-Star teams and is now a member of New York’s front office.
The Shooting Stars will feature a two-round format, with all four teams competing in the first round and the top two advancing to the final round.
Teams will compete one at a time and have 70 seconds to score points while rotating through seven designated shooting locations around the court, with all three players on a team shooting at each spot in a set order. The team with the higher score in the final round will be crowned the champion.
Magic Sign Jevon Carter To Rest-Of-Season Deal
4:46 pm: Carter’s rest-of-season deal is now official, the Magic announced (via Twitter).
9:55 am: The Magic intend to sign point guard Jevon Carter for the rest of the season, agents Mark Bartelstein and Reggie Brown tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Carter was cut by the Bulls earlier in the week in order to accommodate the acquisition of Dario Saric, the first of seven trades Chicago made between Sunday and Thursday. Having been placed on waivers five days ago, the 30-year-old guard went unclaimed on Tuesday and became an unrestricted free agent.
An eighth-year NBA veteran, Carter has appeared in 435 regular season games for Memphis, Phoenix, Brooklyn, Milwaukee, and Chicago since entering the league as a second-round pick in 2018. He had his best season in 2022/23 in Milwaukee, starting 39 of 81 games and averaging career highs in points (8.0), assists (2.4), and rebounds (2.5) per game.
That performance earned Carter a three-year, $19.5MM deal with Chicago that summer, but he ended up playing a limited role in a crowded Bulls backcourt. In 23 games (11.0 MPG) this season, he scored 5.4 PPG on .398/.410/1.000 shooting.
The Magic’s lone move at this week’s trade deadline was to send Tyus Jones and his $7MM salary to Charlotte along with a pair of second-round picks. That move allowed Orlando to duck below the luxury tax line but also removed a veteran point guard from the roster, so adding Carter will help fill a hole on the depth chart.
As a result of the Jones trade, the Magic moved approximately $1.4MM below the tax threshold and opened up a second spot on their 15-man roster. Carter will fill one of those two openings and – if he officially signs on Friday – would carry a prorated minimum-salary cap hit of $871K. That will allow Orlando to stay out of the tax and potentially sign a 15th man later in the season.
While Carter’s cap hit will be $871K, his rest-of-season salary will be approximately $1.17MM, with the NBA making up the gap between the two figures.
Magic’s Weltman Discusses Deadline, Injuries, Mosley, More
The Magic were projected to be among the contending teams in the Eastern Conference this season, but they’ve had an up-and-down year and currently sit in play-in territory at 26-24. Speaking on Thursday to reporters, including Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required), president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman acknowledged that he’s not satisfied with the season to this point.
“I don’t like the state of the team right now,” Weltman said. “We’re not playing well and I think it’s been a little while that we haven’t been playing well. I would imagine our fans our frustrated by the way we’re playing and I’m frustrated with them. I remain optimistic about the rest of the season and it’s on us to turn this thing around. There’s still over a third of the season left and we’re right in the thick of the race. We’ve got to get it done.”
Weltman could’ve taken a swing at the trade deadline in an effort to upgrade the roster, but the Magic gave up most of their most valuable draft assets in last summer’s deal for Desmond Bane. Their only move at this year’s deadline was trading point guard Tyus Jones and his $7MM expiring contract to Charlotte in order to get below the luxury tax line.
Weltman said the relatively quietly deadline wasn’t a result of a lack of aggressiveness, but that he and the front office didn’t want to make a move just for the sake of making the move. The veteran executive also pointed out that making any sort of meaningful trade would likely require breaking up Orlando’s core of Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., and Bane, which the club isn’t looking to do.
“That core has been excellent when it’s been on the floor together,” Weltman said. “… So, for us to break up that core, it’s going to have to be a significant move. I will tell you, we had some substantive talks that I thought could have gone somewhere. Obviously they did not, they didn’t materialize but it wasn’t for a lack of pushing, for a lack of urgency. Our mission is to improve this team. We’re never taking a day off from that.”
Here are a few more notable quotes from Weltman, via Beede:
On the Magic’s recurring injury issues, which have carried over from last season to this one:
“It’s concerning. Every team has injuries, but it’s having these prolonged injuries. All I can say is, these are soft tissue injuries. What can you say? It’s the NBA and this is what happens sometimes. I do feel like we’re a little bit ‘Groundhog Day,’ with this season. The only thing is, I also think we’re better this year because we added Desmond Bane. So, I hate to keep saying it, but when this team has been healthy, it’s been really good.”
On whether Jamahl Mosley’s head coaching job is safe for the rest of the season:
(Orlando Sentinel story)
“Organizationally … Jamahl has our full support. And Jamahl’s our coach for the rest of the season. So, it’s not a matter of like — I know there’s a lot of chatter out there and stuff — it’s not one person. This is a basketball team, it’s a basketball organization and it’s a group effort. We’ve got to get better.
“I can tell you one thing, I know Mose is going home every night looking (at) himself in the mirror and not sleeping and trying to figure out how to do this thing and how to get us back on track. And I know the players are doing the same thing. There’s a lot of people that are frustrated and they care greatly about this. We feel the weight of the fans’ frustration. Let me say that. When I hear a lack of urgency or this and that, it’s like … I don’t sleep. I mean, we’ve got to get this thing right. And I’m confident that we will.”
On why 2024 addition Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and 2025 addition Jones saw their shooting percentages plummet in Orlando:
(Twitter link via Beede)
“We spent a lot of time on that. I don’t have an answer for that. … A lot of shooting, I say, comes from what kind of shots you can generate, for our team, through your defense and then roster stability, lineup stability. When you have the kind of crazy amount of lineups that we’ve had over the last couple of years through all these injuries, and then this year with the drop in our defensive effectiveness, I think those things feed in and they contribute.
“But I wish I had a better answer than that for you because at the end of the day, shooters got to make shots and… I don’t know why. I think some of those first two factors contribute to that. Tyus is a good shooter, he’s a good player. It just didn’t fit here.”
Injury Notes: Poeltl, Murray-Boyles, White, Wagner, McBride, Duren
The back issues that have limited Jakob Poeltl to just 21 games this season were a major reason why his trade value was so low at the deadline, preventing the Raptors from gaining traction in their talks for Domantas Sabonis. However, Poeltl – who last played on December 21 – may not be out much longer, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).
As Murphy relays, Poeltl is said to be ramping up and reacting “really well” as he works his way back. Toronto has just two more games between now and the All-Star break – Sunday vs. Indiana and next Wednesday vs. Detroit – but the team thinks there’s a chance he could return during that time.
Meanwhile, Raptors rookie big man Collin Murray-Boyles remains active after missing four games in late January due to a left thumb ailment, but that injury is still bothering him, according to Murphy, who notes (via Twitter) that he’ll have to wear a protector on the thumb for five more weeks. Still, Murray-Boyles powered through in Thursday’s win over Chicago, scoring 17 points on 8-of-9 shots from the field in 37 minutes of action.
“I give him a lot of credit,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said (Twitter link via Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca). “… He’s having trouble dribbling the ball, catching the ball, (but) he’s playing through that.”
Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Newly acquired Hornets guard Coby White had played in 11 of Chicago’s last 12 games before being traded to Charlotte, but president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson said White is dealing with some calf issues, which the Hornets will tread carefully with. According to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link), the 25-year-old may not play for his new team until after the All-Star break.
- Magic forward Franz Wagner is “very close” to returning from the left ankle injury that has sidelined him since January 18 and caused him to miss 24 of the team’s past 26 games, president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said on Thursday (Twitter link via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel). Orlando plays three more times before the All-Star break.
- A pair of doctors who spoke to Jared Schwartz of The New York Post suggest that the full recovery period for a sports hernia procedure like the one Miles McBride is undergoing is usually close to 12 weeks. Reports on Thursday indicated there’s optimism the Knicks guard will be back for the postseason, which will begin in about 10 weeks.
- Pistons center Jalen Duren didn’t play in the second half of Thursday’s loss to Washington due to right knee soreness, per the team (Twitter link). According to head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, that knee soreness has been an issue for Duren for “a little bit,” but there’s no indication yet whether it will cost him any additional time (Twitter link via Hunter Patterson of The Athletic).
Warriors Trade Trayce Jackson-Davis To Raptors
February 5: The trade is official, the Warriors confirmed (via Twitter).
February 4: The Warriors will send backup center Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Raptors in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick that originally belonged to the Lakers, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Jackson-Davis, 25, saw rotation minutes during his first two seasons, but his role has been reduced this year. He has appeared in just 36 games and is averaging 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per night.
He makes $2.2MM this season and his contract includes a $2.4MM team option for 2026/27.
Charania notes that Toronto adds some size to its frontcourt by using the space created by trading Ochai Agbaji earlier in the day while managing to stay out of tax territory.
The Raptors explored several options for another big man, including the Pelicans‘ Yves Missi, the Nets‘ Day’Ron Sharpe and the Magic’s Goga Bitadze, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. However, it would have taken a first-round pick to land any of them and the Raptors were comfortable picking up Jackson-Davis while parting with the second-rounder they acquired when they sent Davion Mitchell to Miami a year ago.
The Jackson-Davis trade, coupled with the deal that sends Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to Atlanta, gives the Warriors enough roster flexibility to convert two-way guard Pat Spencer to a standard deal, notes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link). Spencer is just one game away from reaching his limit of 50 active games.
Hornets Acquire Tyus Jones From Magic, Waive Pat Connaughton
11:27 pm: The trade is official, the Hornets announced (via Twitter). Veteran swingman Pat Connaughton, who has only appeared in 22 games this season, has been waived to make room on the roster for Jones (Twitter link). Connaughton will receive the balance of his $9.4MM salary.
9:07 pm: The Magic have agreed to send Tyus Jones to the Hornets for cash considerations, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Charlotte will get a pair of second-round picks for taking on Jones’ $7MM contract, Charania adds. Those second-rounders will be the least favorable between Boston and Orlando in 2027 along with the Magic’s selection in 2028, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The Hornets now own 11 first-rounders and 14 second-rounders over the next seven years.
The move allows Orlando to dip roughly $1.4MM below the luxury tax line. The Magic will be down to 13 players with standard contracts once the deal is finalized and will have two weeks to get back to the league minimum of 14.
The Hornets currently have a full roster, so another move will have to be made before this trade can be completed. Mike Conley, who’s being acquired from Chicago in a separate deal, is viewed as a buyout candidate, so Charlotte could open a roster spot by finalizing that trade first and waiving Conley.
The Hornets can absorb Jones’ salary with the remainder of their mid-level exception or with a trade exception they’ll create in the deal with the Bulls, notes Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Twitter link). Gozlan suggests that Jones could also be bought out, which would make him eligible to sign with any team other than Orlando.
Jones, 29, signed a one-year deal with the Magic in July. He was expected to provide depth at point guard, but his inconsistent shooting (34.2% from the field and 29.4% from three-point range) has limited his playing time. Through 48 games, Jones is averaging 3.0 points and 2.4 assists in 15.7 minutes per night.
Siegel’s Latest: Bitadze, Spurs, Celtics, Drummond, Nuggets
Of the three players (Tyus Jones, Goga Bitadze and Jonathan Isaac) the Magic have made available in an effort to dip below the luxury tax line, Bitadze has drawn the most trade interest, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
Citing league sources, Siegel says the Spurs are one of the teams intrigued by the 26-year-old center, who has been repeatedly linked to Toronto in 2025/26. Bitadze was also mentioned as a possible Knicks target on Saturday.
Robert Williams of the Trail Blazers is another big man the Spurs might be interested in, according to Siegel, who hears injured Blazers wing Matisse Thybulle could be a buyout candidate if he isn’t moved prior to the February 5 deadline.
Here’s more from Siegel:
- Ownership hasn’t put any pressure on president of basketball operations Brad Stevens to reduce the Celtics‘ luxury tax bill ahead of the deadline, sources tell Siegel. Anfernee Simons has long been viewed as a possible trade chip, Siegel notes, and while there’s still a chance he could be moved if Boston can find a frontcourt upgrade, the 26-year-old combo guard has played well in his first season in Boston, which has exceeded outside expectations in ’25/26.
- The Sixers are reportedly open to trading Andre Drummond, who is on an expiring $5MM contract. Moving the 32-year-old center, who has led the league in rebounds per game four times, would put Philadelphia below the tax after the team received a variance credit following Paul George‘s 25-game suspension. Siegel hears the Rockets are a team with some interest in Drummond. Houston recently lost backup center Steven Adams for the remainder of the season due to a Grade 3 left ankle sprain, which required surgery.
- The Nuggets, who are about $400K over the tax threshold, have talked to the Jazz about a trade that would send Hunter Tyson to Utah, according to Siegel, who suggests Denver might put protections on its lone second-round pick (2032) in that sort of cost-cutting deal.
NBA Announces Weather-Related Time Change For Sunday’s Magic-Spurs Game
February 1: The starting time has been pushed back a second time, to 9:00 pm ET, after the Spurs had travel issues, per the league (Twitter link). As Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News writes, the Spurs’ plane had a “minor equipment issue,” which forced the team to divert to Atlanta and board a new plane.
January 31: The starting time for Sunday’s game between the Magic and Spurs in San Antonio has been moved from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm ET due to weather issues, the NBA announced (via Twitter).
The Spurs played Saturday afternoon in Charlotte in a game that was moved up three hours because of a major winter storm moving through North Carolina. They were expecting to return home after the game, but were stuck on their private plane for two hours before the airport was shut down.
The team spent the night in Charlotte with hopes of flying back to San Antonio in the morning. Further changes may have to be made if conditions haven’t improved by early Sunday.
The Magic arrived in San Antonio late Saturday afternoon, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required), and should have a significant rest advantage if the game is able to be played on Sunday.
Two games were postponed last Sunday because of Winter Storm Fern, and two others started early on Monday due to weather conditions. The postponed games — Denver at Memphis and Dallas at Milwaukee — were rescheduled for March, which caused the dates of two other games to be moved.