Injury Notes: Strus, Bogdanovic, Wagners, Bouyea
The Cavaliers still aren’t close to having swingman Max Strus back in their lineup. Strus, who is coming off left foot surgery to repair a Jones fracture, recently underwent evaluation and imaging on that foot, and while that exam showed “positive progress,” more time is required for the fracture to fully heal, the team announced today (Twitter link).
According to the Cavs’ statement, Strus will continue doing rehab and conditioning work and is scheduled for a follow-up evaluation with the club’s medical staff and Dr. David Porter (who performed the surgery) within the next four weeks. A clearer timeline for Strus’ return could be established in the wake of that follow-up evaluation.
Strus was a key contributor last season for a 64-win Cavs team that has missed him in 2025/26. A healthy version of Strus would have slotted into the starting lineup in between the backcourt duo of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland and the frontcourt pair of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. However, Cleveland has been forced to rotate players in and out of that lineup spot over the course of the season – while also dealing with injuries affecting other starters – in an effort to find the right fit.
Here are more injury updates from around the NBA:
- It doesn’t sound like veteran guard Bogdan Bogdanovic will return from his left hamstring injury during the Clippers‘ upcoming three-game road trip. According to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link), Bogdanovic – who last played on December 26 – has been ruled out for the week. The Clippers are playing in New York on Wednesday, Brooklyn on Friday, and Detroit on Saturday before returning home.
- Magic color commentator Jeff Turner said last Friday that Franz Wagner (high ankle sprain) and Moritz Wagner (ACL recovery) should both be back within a week, but the team hasn’t corroborated that report and the duo has yet to be upgraded on the injury report at all. Asked on Sunday about the status of the Wagner brothers, head coach Jamahl Mosley said there’s still no timeline for their respective returns, though he did add that they’re “responding to the treatments pretty well” (Twitter link via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel).
- Suns guard Jamaree Bouyea, who has been playing a rotation role since late November, traveled with the club on its two-game road trip, but sat out on Monday in Houston while going through the concussion protocol and may not return on Wednesday in Memphis, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Bouyea is already halfway to his limit of 42 active games and looks like a strong candidate to be promoted from his two-way contract to a standard deal before season’s end.
Trade Rumors: Young, LaVine, Brooks, Deadline, AD, More
Sam Amick and Josh Robbins of The Athletic have confirmed Shams Charania’s report that the Hawks are working with Trae Young and his representatives to find the 27-year-old point guard a new team.
As Amick reported last week, Atlanta has been increasingly willing to discuss Young trades for weeks or even months after the Hawks showed no interest in pursuing an extension, but the market for the four-time All-Star seems to be limited. According to Amick and Robbins, Young is searching for a new deal “commensurate with a star player.”
To illustrate the point about teams being wary of acquiring the diminutive point guard, Amick and Robbins cite a team source who says the Kings — long viewed as a potential landing spot for last season’s assists leader — have “no interest” in trading for Young. Zach LaVine, whose contract is very similar to Young’s, is “known” to have interest in joining the Hawks, the authors add.
Regarding Marc Stein’s report about the Hawks discussing a trade that would potentially send Young to Washington and CJ McCollum to Atlanta, Amick and Robbins note that Young doesn’t fit the archetype favored by the Wizards‘ top front office executives, and speculate that Washington might want either draft compensation or a young player to take on his contract, which includes a $49MM player option for next season.
Young missed his fifth straight game Monday due to a right quad contusion.
Here are a few more trade-related rumors and notes from around the NBA:
- Don’t expect Suns small forward Dillon Brooks to be on the move in the next month. Gerald Bourguet of Suns After Dark reported (via Twitter) on Monday that Phoenix isn’t interested in moving the veteran wing due to both his on- and off-court contributions. Suns owner Mat Ishbia essentially confirmed as much just a few minutes later. On FanDuel TV’s Run It Back show (Twitter video link), former NBA big man DeMarcus Cousins said he if were running the Lakers, he would trade Austin Reaves for Brooks “in a heartbeat.” Ishbia’s response? “Don’t bother calling… Suns aren’t interested. Dillon’s not going anywhere,” he wrote (Twitter link).
- Amick, Josh Robbins and John Hollinger of The Athletic discuss the biggest storylines and questions ahead of the February 5 trade deadline, noting that Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s situation with the Bucks is the one that holds the most intrigue around the league. All three think Antetokounmpo is more likely than not to stay put during the season, though that would depend on whether the two-time MVP requests a trade. Other topics include whether Anthony Davis will be traded by the Mavericks and role players who could appeal to contending teams. Hollinger lists Wizards forward Justin Champagnie as an example of a player on a team-friendly contract who could be a valuable in-season addition.
- Speaking of Davis, he and Kyrie Irving wanted to play together for years before it finally came to fruition last February, writes Christian Clark of The Athletic. However, the Mavericks duo only played two-and-a-half quarters together prior to Davis suffering a left adductor strain. Less than a month later, Irving tore his ACL, and there’s no timeline for his return. Whether they’ll be able to team up again before the season ends is an open question with Dallas expected to listen to offers for Davis, Clark adds.
Deni Avdija, Tyrese Maxey Named Players Of Week
Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija and Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
Avdija averaged 26.8 points, 9.8 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game while leading to Portland to a 3-1 record during the week of December 29 to January 4. This is the first time Avdija has earned Player of the Week honors. He’s the first Portland player to get the nod since Damian Lillard on Feb. 6, 2023.
Maxey averaged 34.7 points and 8.7 assists per game while shooting 61.2% from the field as the Sixers went 3-0. It’s the third time Maxey has earned Player of the Week honors, including the second time this season — he joins Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and Celtics wing Jaylen Brown as the Eastern Conference’s two-time winners so far in 2025/26.
Devin Booker (Suns), Stephen Curry (Warriors), Kevin Durant (Rockets), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) were the other nominees in the West.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), Paolo Banchero and Anthony Black (Magic), Brown (Celtics) and Cade Cunningham (Pistons) were also nominated in the East.
Suns Notes: Booker, Goodwin, Allen, Green, Flight Delay, Bouyea
The Suns delivered their most thrilling win of the season on Sunday, knocking off the defending champion Thunder 108-105 on Devin Booker‘s 35-footer over Alex Caruso in the final second. It was their first win in their last nine matchups with Oklahoma City.
Booker didn’t downplay the moment. It marked his eighth game-winner in the final three seconds of a game.
“It’s a feeling you can’t replicate,” Booker told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “I’m not close to retirement, but whenever that day comes, you’ll look back on those moments that you dreamed of as a kid with the team trusting you with the ball in your hands no matter what the result is. (Sunday), I was on the good side of it.”
Jordan Goodwin also had a huge impact with a career-best 26 points, including eight three-pointers. He contributed on the other end of the court too, as the primary defender on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He was motivated by some texts from coach Jordan Ott.
“Never too many good things to say to me, but he does that to get me going,” said Goodwin, a free agent after this season. “He definitely texted me (Saturday night just to get me going for (Sunday).”
Goodwin’s minimum-salary contract for this season becomes guaranteed later this week.
We have more on the Suns:
- Grayson Allen missed his ninth straight game due to a right knee injury. However, there’s a good chance Allen will play against the Rockets on Monday night after he went through a 5-on-5 session on Saturday. “That’s what we were looking for. He wasn’t going to play the back-to-back anyways,” Ott said, per Rankin (Twitter link). “His play (Saturday) on the 5-on-5, everything seems to be good to go.”
- Ott also provided an update on Jalen Green, who is working his way back from a right hamstring strain. “Still steady progress,” Ott said. “It’s real close to now playing against bodies, live bodies. Still in that same, got to continue to make progress. Any type of one or two days, but he’s made great progress. You seem him out there pregame before. It has continued to pick up.”
- The Suns’ win over the Thunder was more seamless than their ability to reach Houston in the second game of a back-to-back. Their flight last night was canceled due to a mechanical issue, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets. Management made the decision to delay their departure until late this morning before the players headed to the airport.
- On his “Suns After Dark” Film Session (for Patreon members), Gerald Bourguet discusses Jamaree Bouyea‘s surprise impact, noting that he’s in the top five in scoring among two-way players while making 41 percent of his three-point attempts. Bouyea is also in the 98th percentile among all guards in rim field goal percentage.
Pacific Notes: Raynaud, Doncic, James, Knecht, Allen
Kings rookie big man Maxime Raynaud is hopeful he didn’t suffer a significant injury on Friday, Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee reports. He had to be helped off the court during the fourth quarter after injuring his left leg while attempting to set a screen for Russell Westbrook.
“I’ll be fine,” Raynaud said. “It was just scary. … I think it was just an unpleasing sensation you’re not used to.”
Raynaud will undergo an MRI on his left knee in Sacramento on Saturday. The second-round pick has appeared in 25 games (11 starts), averaging 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per night.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Luka Doncic and LeBron James didn’t have any trouble blending their talents on Friday, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times notes. The Lakers‘ superstar duo led the club to a 128-121 win over Memphis. Doncic made 17-of-20 free throws while scoring 34 points with eight assists and six rebounds, and James had 31 points, nine rebounds and six assists. It marked the first time since March that Doncic and James have scored at least 30 points in the same game. “It was just playing and playing in rhythm,” James said. “We’re trying to find ways that we can be productive.”
- Dalton Knecht got a chance to play some minutes off the bench on Friday but the Lakers wing didn’t do much with his playing time. He went scoreless in 11 minutes, missing both of his shots. However, Knecht won’t be judged on offensive output alone. “Play hard – that’s been the biggest playing emphasis for him all season,” coach JJ Redick said, per Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. “He’s not going to be judged on whether he makes or misses shots. That helps. When you go through a stretch and you feel like your team isn’t playing hard, you got to play the guys that are consistently playing hard.” Knecht’s role has been reduced drastically this season after he appeared in 78 games as a rookie.
- Suns guard Grayson Allen missed his eighth consecutive game on Friday but he’s close to returning from a right knee injury, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. “He did (five-on-five on Thursday). That’s a big step,” coach Jordan Ott said. “And then it’s just the response back, which was great. Now he just wants another one. We’re right there.” Allen will participate in another five-on-five again before he comes back to action.
Suns’ Jalen Green Fined $25K For Profane Comment
Suns guard Jalen Green has been fined $25K by the NBA for using profanity when interrupting a teammate’s live television interview, the league announced on Tuesday (via Twitter).
Green made his comments while Collin Gillespie was being interviewed at the conclusion of the Suns’ 115-101 victory over the Wizards on Monday. Gillespie posted 25 points and six assists against Washington. A video clip of the interview can be found here.
Green, who was traded by Houston to Phoenix during the summer, made the trip to D.C. even though he’s currently sidelined by a right hamstring strain. The hamstring injury has been an ongoing problem in 2025/26 for Green, who initially suffered a strain early in training camp, then aggravated it during his ramp-up process in mid-October.
The 23-year-old sat out the first eight games of the regular season, played 23 minutes in his debut in early November, then aggravated the injury again a couple days later about seven minutes into his second game.
The fine will eat up just a small portion of Green’s salary. He’s earning approximately $33.6MM in the first season of a three-year, $105MM rookie scale extension.
Jordan Ott Discusses Fight That Led To Mark Williams' Suspension
- Suns coach Jordan Ott said after Saturday’s game that a more physical atmosphere led to the fight that resulted in suspensions for Mark Williams and Jose Alvarado, per Dana Scott of The Arizona Republic (subscription required). Williams and Alvarado exchanged punches in the third quarter on Saturday as the Suns and Pelicans faced one another for the second time in two nights. “Last night (Dec. 26), there was a lot of free throws,” Ott said. “Tonight, there wasn’t as much. They let us play tonight, which is something that we enjoyed to do, and they got tangled up.”
NBA Suspends Jose Alvarado, Mark Williams
The NBA announced today that Jose Alvarado has been suspended for two games without pay for his role in Saturday night’s fight during the Pelicans‘ game against the Suns (Twitter link). Suns center Mark Williams has been suspended for one game.
Both players were ejected during the third quarter of the game after a hard foul from the Pelicans guard led to Williams shoving Alvarado, leading to an altercation between the two players.
ESPN Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter) that the suspensions will cost Alvarado approximately $62K and Williams approximately $36K. Alvarado will lose 2/145ths of his $4.5MM salary as a result of his multi-game suspension, while Williams forfeits just 1/174th of his $6.3MM salary for the one-game ban.
The Suns ultimately won Saturday’s game by a score of 123-114 behind 20 points from Devin Booker.
Alvarado will miss games on Monday against the Knicks and Wednesday against the Bulls, while Williams will miss the Suns’ Monday night contest against the Wizards.
Pelicans’ Alvarado, Suns’ Williams Ejected After Fight
Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado and Suns center Mark Williams were both ejected from Saturday’s game in New Orleans after a brief fight late in the third quarter, writes Rashad Milligan of NOLA.com.
Alvarado was whistled for a foul after pushing Williams, who was attempting to set a screen, with two hands (YouTube link). As Alvarado looked to the official to plead his case, Williams returned the favor with his own two-handed shove.
The 6’0″ Alvarado confronted the 7’1″ Williams, who dismissively tried to forearm Alvarado out of the way. Undeterred, Alvarado grabbed Williams’ left arm and jersey and a brief scuffle ensued, with Williams and then Alvarado both throwing right-handed punches that connected.
Williams also punched down at Alvarado with his left hand as the players were being separated, but it’s unclear from the video if it connected. Both players were ejected for the incident.
After the game, which Phoenix won, Suns head coach Jordan Ott said he had not yet reviewed a video of the altercation, per The Associated Press.
“I saw it start, and then all of a sudden everyone jumped in,” Ott said. “Obviously, it happens. It just feels like the lack of sleep the second night of a back-to-back, something always tends to happen. Last night, there were a lot of free throws; tonight there wasn’t as much. They let us play tonight, which is something we enjoy. They got tangled up, and obviously they both got thrown out.”
The NBA tends to be pretty strict when it comes to fights, especially when punches are thrown, so fines and suspensions could be coming for Alvarado and Williams.
Fischer’s Latest: CP3, Harden, Gillespie, Cavs, Knicks
There had been some speculation that Chris Paul could be moved by the Clippers on December 15, the day he became trade-eligible, but that did not occur. While Paul is no longer around the team after Los Angeles announced that it was “parting ways” with the franchise icon, the Clippers are working with his representatives to find Paul a new club that he finds desirable, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Paul’s minimum-salary contract would theoretically be simple to trade from a mechanics standpoint, but a deal doesn’t appear imminent. Sources tell Fischer that it’s possible Paul might be included as part of a larger trade around the February 5 deadline. In that scenario, Paul could be waived by the team that acquires him, Fischer continues, which would allow the 40-year-old to pick a new destination as a free agent.
While the Lakers have been linked to Paul for years, Fischer has been “strongly advised” they aren’t expected to pursue the 11-time All-NBA point guard, who is in his 21st and final season. Houston could theoretically use backcourt depth, but Fischer hears the Rockets are content with their roster right now and likely won’t consider changes until late January due their proximity to the first apron, at which they’re hard-capped.
Here’s more from Fischer’s latest rumor round-up, which is centered on point guards:
- The Clippers continue to signal to rival teams that they aren’t willing to discuss trading James Harden, according to Fischer. As he points out, Harden has an implicit no-trade clause for 2025/26 and a $42.3MM player option for 2026/27 that’s partially guaranteed for $13.3MM. In order to approve a potential trade, Harden would likely want to know if the team interested in acquiring him planned to keep him past his July 11 salary guarantee date or if it would be open to re-signing him to a new deal, Fischer writes.
- Collin Gillespie, who is having a breakout season for the Suns, will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026. Rival teams are projecting the 26-year-old to receive a contract similar to the three-year, $27MM deal Ty Jerome signed with Memphis this past summer, per Fischer.
- While rival clubs are reportedly monitoring both players, the Cavaliers have shown no interest to this point in making an in-season deal involving Darius Garland or Jarrett Allen, Fischer confirms, echoing reporting from Brett Siegel.
- As Fischer writes, Tyler Kolek‘s impressive recent play with the Knicks has opposing teams wondering if New York will target frontcourt help ahead of the deadline instead of a veteran point guard. It’s unclear which position the Knicks will ultimately look to fortify.