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Mavericks Notes: Doncic Trade Reactions, Thompson, Davis, Christie

February 3rd, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks players learned about the Luka Doncic trade through Shams Charania’s tweet late Saturday night and they had the same incredulous reaction as everyone else, writes Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoop Journal (subscription required).

“I was like everybody – did Shams get hacked? It was a real big shock,” Dante Exum said. “I’ve been traded twice, and you just learn that it’s how this business works, and it’s something you have to adjust to.”

The aftershocks of the surprise mega-deal continued to reverberate throughout the league on Sunday, particularly in the Mavs’ locker room as they played an afternoon game in Cleveland just hours after finding out that their franchise player was headed to Los Angeles. With Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively and Dwight Powell all sidelined due to injuries, Dallas couldn’t keep the game competitive, giving up 91 first-half points and losing by 43 to the best team in the East.

“It’s tough, but we all have a job to do,” Jaden Hardy said. “Obviously a lot of people were caught off guard, same with the team, like the rest of the world. He was special. A lot of guys felt for him. Still shocked right now.”

Hardy adds that Doncic sent out texts to all his teammates to say good-bye. He expressed gratitude for what they accomplished together and reflected on the bonds they created.

“He texted the team, thanking everybody for everything,” Hardy said. “That was nice from somebody that got traded, reaching out and letting everybody know his thoughts.”

There’s more on the Mavericks:

  • After years of playing alongside Stephen Curry with Golden State, Klay Thompson decided to come to Dallas last summer to team up with another elite player in Doncic. Even though they were only teammates for a few months, Thompson isn’t second-guessing his decision, Afseth tweets. “ I live with no regrets. I’m happy to be a Maverick,” Thompson said. “Incredibly grateful to be a Maverick. I’m excited to be in Dallas and I’m very excited for what’s ahead.”
  • The Mavericks aren’t sure when Anthony Davis will be ready to make his debut, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. Davis suffered an abdominal strain last week, and the Lakers were planning to reevaluate his condition on Wednesday. Dallas general manager Nico Harrison told reporters yesterday that the injury isn’t “significant” and he’ll have a better idea of when Davis can resume playing once his physical is complete. “I don’t have a perfect answer for that,” Harrison said. “I mean, everything just happened. I don’t even think it was midnight last night, like 2, 3 in the morning. So we’re still trying to get physicals, figure out how long that’s going to take, get people into the market.”
  • Max Christie was overshadowed by the bigger names in the trade, but he could turn out to be a valuable addition, observes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, who lists five things that Mavericks fans should know about the 21-year-old shooting guard.
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Latest On Luka Doncic

February 3rd, 2025 at 8:08am CST by Arthur Hill

Nearly as surprising as the Luka Doncic trade itself is the fact that Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka were able to keep their negotiations a complete secret for more than three weeks. In the social media age when everything seems to get leaked online, Harrison and Pelinka managed to gradually construct the framework of a deal after broaching the subject for the first time in a face-to-face meeting on January 7.

In his latest Substack column (subscription required), Marc Stein reveals that Mavericks majority owner Patrick Dumont and Lakers owner Jeanie Buss were the only other people aware that a Doncic trade was being actively discussed. Instead of announcing his intentions to the entire league and creating a bidding war for Doncic, Harrison focused on landing Anthony Davis, who was his preferred target since talks began.

While Harrison defended the deal and explained his motivations during a press conference on Sunday, Stein states that there is “loud surprise” throughout the league that he wasn’t able to land both of the Lakers’ available first-round picks in exchange for a 25-year-old superstar. L.A. sent its 2029 first-rounder to Dallas, but hung on to its 2031 pick to help upgrade the roster in other areas.

Despite outside speculation that the Mavs needed to keep Doncic happy heading into his next contract, Stein believes Harrison and ownership eventually decided that they weren’t happy with him. Harrison talked Sunday about the need for players who “fit the culture,” implying that Doncic wasn’t viewed that way anymore.

Stein hears that management was turned off by Doncic’s decision to hire his own team of training experts heading into the 2023/24 season, even though it was at his own expense. That group, which handled his medical and nutritional needs, gained unexpected power in the organization after longtime athletic trainer Casey Smith was removed from his day-to-day duties in August 2023, Stein adds.

Stein points out that in his insistence on culture, Harrison prefers players that he’s familiar with. That includes Davis, whom he knows well through their Nike connections, as well as Kyrie Irving and P.J. Washington, whom Harrison added in recent trades after becoming the GM.

Harrison emphasized on Sunday that the decision to bring Davis to Dallas is entirely his and he doesn’t consider it to be risky. He is aware of the backlash from angry Mavericks fans, but he’s confident they’ll eventually come to understand why the deal was made.

“I’m sorry they are frustrated. It’s something we believe in as an organization that’s going to make us better,” Harrison said. “We believed it sets us up to win not only now but in the future. And when we win, I believe the frustration will go away.”

There’s more fallout from the Doncic trade:

  • Parting with Doncic hasn’t affected the Mavericks’ plans to sign Irving to an extension this summer, Stein adds. He has a $44MM player option for next season, but that will likely turn into a long-term deal as he and Davis are now the cornerstones of the franchise.
  • Doncic’s father, Sasa, had sharp criticism for the Mavericks in an interview with Arena Sport Slovenia, according to Stein. He accused the team of “secrecy” and “hypocrisy,” adding that it’s “really unfair from certain people from Dallas.”
  • The Lakers celebrated Doncic’s arrival in Los Angeles late Sunday night with a series of tweets showing him departing his flight and meeting with Pelinka. Doncic offered a message on Twitter, stating, “Grateful for this amazing opportunity. Basketball means everything to me, and no matter where I play the game, I’ll do so with the same joy, passion and goal – to win championships.”
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Latest On Lakers’ Acquisition Of Luka Doncic

February 2nd, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, the envy of many NBA executives after pulling off the Luka Doncic–Anthony Davis blockbuster, believes the 25-year-old guard will ensure the franchise’s health for the foreseeable future.

“Luka is a one-of-a-kind, young global superstar who will lead this franchise for years to come,” Pelinka said in the statement relayed by the Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike. “His killer instincts and commitment to winning championships will be a driving force for the team. We will be relentless in building a roster around the on court vision Coach (JJ) Redick has for this basketball team and there is an unwavering commitment to that work to serve our loyal and dedicated fans. We are grateful for today and look forward to what’s next.”

We have more from the Lakers’ perspective on the huge trade:

  • Despite Davis’ production this season, the Lakers weren’t interested in giving him another extension, Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports reports. Davis’ current contract runs through at least 2027, with a player option for 2027/28. He would have been extension-eligible after next season. Davis turns 32 next month and has had his share of injuries throughout his career.
  • After trading Davis, the Lakers are lacking depth and impact players in their frontcourt. Los Angeles will explore the market prior to Thursday’s trade deadline for a center upgrade, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic. However, it’s unclear how much draft capital the team is willing to include in such a deal, according to Buha’s sources. The Lakers have one more tradable first-round pick (2031).
  • The Lakers are better positioned for the post-LeBron James era than anticipated, Buha adds. They should now have a top-three player for at least the next six to eight years, Buha notes. As for Doncic’s conditioning issues, the Lakers hope he’ll adopt James’ work ethic and fitness regimen.
  • Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke has lobbied for months for the Lakers to retool by dealing both of their aging superstars. He hopes that James will now ask to be traded, though that doesn’t appear to be the case.
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Mavs’ GM Harrison: Avoided “Tumultuous Summer” By Dealing Doncic

February 2nd, 2025 at 5:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and head coach Jason Kidd addressed the media prior to Dallas’ game at Cleveland on Sunday afternoon after the Luka Doncic–Anthony Davis three-team blockbuster was made official.

Harrison said that he never discussed a contract extension with Doncic or his representatives. There had been speculation that Doncic may have informed Dallas’ front office that he wouldn’t remain with the organization long-term.

Doncic was eligible to sign a five-year, $345MM super-max extension this summer, and league sources told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon that Doncic anticipated agreeing to that deal. However, Harrison wasn’t sure about making that type of commitment and Doncic could have opted out of his current deal after next season.

Harrison decided on a preemptive strike rather than dealing with a potentially touchy situation.

“There’s some unique things about his contract that we had to pay attention to,” Harrison said. “There’s other teams that were loading up that he was going to be able to decide, make his own decision at some point of whether he wants to be here or not. Whether we want to super-max him or not, or whether he wants to opt out. So, I think we had to take all that into consideration, and I feel like we got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous summer.”

Harrison has been heavily criticized since the deal came to light late on Saturday night, not only because he gave up a 25-year-old superstar but also because he only picked up one first-round pick in the trade. He’s willing to accept the consequences if it doesn’t produce a championship for the Mavericks.

“Well, let’s be clear: I’m the one making the decision and [Kidd]’s supportive of it, so it’s me,” he said. “I don’t do anything that’s scary. I think everything that we do, we put a lot of work into it, we study it and we re-study it and we go back. I understand the magnitude of it. So, the easiest thing for me to do is do nothing, and everyone would praise me for doing nothing. But we really believe in it — and time will tell if I’m right.”

While he didn’t directly criticize Doncic, Harrison referenced “culture” as a big part of his reasoning for acquiring Davis. Harrison initiated talks with Los Angeles general manager Rob Pelinka over coffee when the Lakers played the Mavs on Jan. 7, and those discussions progressed over the following weeks, according to MacMahon.

“It’s important to know that Kidd and I are aligned and we talk about archetypes and we talk about the culture we want to create,” Harrison said, per Joe Vardon and Christian Clark of The Athletic. “There are levels to it, and there are people that fit the culture, and there are people that come in and add to the culture. Those are two distinct things and I believe the people that are coming in are adding to the culture.”

Kidd, who was an assistant with the Lakers when they won the championship in 2020, echoed those comments.

“When you look at the vision of the team and what Nico wants to do, I truly support that, and truly believe that the players that we are getting are the ones who can help us achieve that, and that’s to win a championship,” he said.

The team, for now, will be built around Davis and Kyrie Irving.

“I think (Irving is) shocked, but understand he’s been in this league and has seen different things, so understanding we have to push forward,” Kidd said, per Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). “He probably saw things differently and I’m speaking from my point of view. At some point, you guys will ask him the questions and I know he’ll give you guys the answers that you’re looking for.”

Doncic posted a statement on social media, thanking the Dallas fans and community and expressing that he never expected to leave the organization. “I thought I’d spend my career here and I wanted so badly to bring you a championship,” he wrote. The full statement can be accessed here.

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Inside The Stunning Luka Doncic/Anthony Davis Trade

February 2nd, 2025 at 11:04am CST by Rory Maher

Luka Doncic “was completely floored” when he learned that he had been traded to the Lakers, league sources tell Dallas-based NBA insider Marc Stein (Substack link).

Stein reiterates that Doncic did not request to be traded and confirms reporting from ESPN that the Mavericks had reservations about giving the Slovenian star a five-year, super-max extension in the offseason due to his “conditioning, ability to stay healthy and his off-court commitments to those pursuits.”

In an appearance on SportsCenter last night (YouTube link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst called the trade a “rebuke” of Doncic from the Mavericks’ perspective. While the primary focus from people around the league has been on Dallas’ end of the deal, Windhorst says LeBron James has “dreamed” of playing with Doncic, though it’s unclear how he feels about the move, given his close relationship with Anthony Davis.

As Stein writes, there had been whispers in the week leading up to perhaps the most shocking trade in NBA history that the Mavs were on the verge of making a deal, but rival teams weren’t sure what they were planning. General manager Nico Harrison has a preexisting relationship with Davis and zeroed in on the 10-time All-Star as an ideal return package for Doncic.

According to Stein, Harrison “essentially” only had the Lakers in mind as a trade partner, in large part due to Davis. That choice of wording is interesting, because league sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic that “at least one other team” was approached by Dallas nearly two weeks ago about the prospect of trading Doncic for a different star. That offer was declined.

Amick’s story has several sourced details, particularly from the Lakers’ end. According to Amick, Lakers leadership has grown weary of James and Davis’ continual public requests for more on-court help. Amick also hears Los Angeles had concerns about Davis’ “durability and availability and a belief that he could never truly be counted on as a top option” going forward.

In a fascinating interview with Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, Harrison said he approached Lakers head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka more than a month ago to have “basketball” conversations. Harrison noted that the two have known each other for a couple of decades from their previous jobs, when Harrison was a Nike executive and Pelinka was a player agent.

“Then all of a sudden we’re like, ‘Would you ever do this?’

‘Nah, you’re joking, right?’

‘Hmm. Interesting. Maybe I would.’

“And then it just built over time over the last three weeks,” Harrison told Townsend.

Harrison admitted Doncic’s contract situation was a primary motivating factor in making the trade. Doncic will no longer be eligible for an extension worth 35% of the salary cap this summer after being moved; the most he can make now is 30%.

“We really feel like we got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer, him being eligible for the super-max and also a year away from him being able to opt out of any contract,” Harrison said. “And so we really felt like we got out in front of that. We know teams, they’ve had it out there, teams have been loading up to try to sign him once that comes available.”

He also said he hasn’t had direct communication with Doncic since the news broke, having talked to his agent Bill Duffy. His text and phone call to Doncic went unanswered, with Harrison telling Townsend, “My guess is he probably doesn’t want to talk to me.”

Davis has publicly said multiple times he views himself as more of a power forward rather than a center. Harrison told Townsend that while Davis will likely finish games in the middle, he will also play alongside Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively when the latter returns from an ankle fracture, pointing to Cleveland (Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen) as an example of a two-big pairing that has been successful.

Here’s more on the blockbuster trade:

  • James has a full no-trade clause, but both Stein and Amick write that the four-time MVP must be evaluating whether he’s still determined to finish his career in Los Angeles after the trade. According to Amick, there was an expectation that James would decline his $52.6MM player option for ’25/26 in the offseason to seek another contract, but it’s unclear if the Lakers would be willing to offer it.
  • Sources tell Stein (Twitter link) that the first time Harrison and Pelinka talked about trading Doncic for Davis was in person on January 7, when the Lakers were in Dallas to play the Mavs. League insider Chris Haynes hears the Lakers contacted Davis’ agent Rich Paul sometime after they heard the offer, viewing Doncic as a long-term replacement for James (Twitter video link).
  • After the trade was completed, Pelinka made three phone calls, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter links): the first was a joint call with Davis and head coach JJ Redick; the second a call to Paul; and the third to James. McMenamin also hears from sources that Davis chose to waive his trade kicker for multiple reasons, one being that he wants to sign an extension with Dallas in the future.
  • According to Stein, Doncic had been targeting February 8 as his return date from a left calf strain prior to the trade. The five-time All-NBA guard has been out with the injury since Christmas.
  • Doncic’s now-former teammate Kyrie Irving was also “stunned” by the deal that will send Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick to the Mavericks, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reports (via Twitter).
  • Both the Lakers and Mavericks are expected to continue to be active in trade talks leading up to Thursday’s deadline, according to Stein, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press and Christian Clark of The Athletic (Twitter links). “Everybody knows the Lakers are trying to do more even after this,” a source told Reynolds.
  • In a full story for The Athletic, Clark takes a look at Harrison’s history of making major roster moves at three consecutive deadlines. John Hollinger of The Athletic views the trade as a potential disaster for the Mavs, given the ages and injury histories of Irving and Davis. Hollinger also speculates that Doncic could sign a short-term extension with the Lakers in the offseason in order to maximize his future earnings, a possibility Bobby Marks of ESPN (YouTube link) discussed as well.
  • Mavs fans were understandably heartbroken by the trade, writes Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News. “I’m hoping to wake up from a bad dream,” one fan said. “You have the most talented Mavericks team in Mavericks history and you have Luka right here. It’s like, ‘Boom.’ We just went to the finals, we finally get this team around him, it’s all right here, and then you trade him? It’s the biggest joke ever.”
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Luka Doncic To Lakers, Anthony Davis To Mavs In Three-Team Trade

February 2nd, 2025 at 9:14am CST by Arthur Hill

February 2: The trade is now official, according to a press release from the Mavericks.

“We are thankful for Luka and grateful for his efforts during his time with us,” stated general manager Nico Harrison. “He helped build this team and was an integral part of the success we’ve seen throughout the years, including our recent NBA Finals run, along with Maxi and Markieff who are veteran voices equally valued across this team.

“This is a new chapter, and we are excited to welcome Anthony and Max to the fold. AD is an experienced veteran, who can play both ends of the floor while helping elevate us defensively. He knows first-hand what it takes to win, and I know he’s motivated to be a part of what we’re building in Dallas.”

February 1: The Lakers are acquiring superstar Luka Doncic in a stunning blockbuster trade that will send Anthony Davis to the Mavericks as part of a three-team deal involving Utah, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.

L.A. will also receive Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, while Max Christie and the Lakers’ first-round pick in 2029 are headed to Dallas.

The Jazz will take on the salary of second-year Lakers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino while receiving two 2025 second-round picks, one from the Mavericks and one that originally belonged to the Clippers (via the Lakers).

Utah will also send $55K in cash to both the Lakers and Mavericks, a source tells Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

It’s one of the most shocking trades in NBA history, to the extent that Charania had to publish multiple tweets after breaking the news confirming that it’s real, while other reporters verified that he hadn’t been hacked. It’s the first time in league history that two players who earned All-NBA honors have been traded for each other during the following season, per ESPN.

There had been no indication that the Mavs were looking to part with Doncic or that the Lakers’ front office was considering breaking up Davis’ long-time partnership with LeBron James, who was surprised by news of the deal and didn’t know it was in the works, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

“I believe that defense wins championships,” Dallas president of basketball operations Nico Harrison told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon in explaining his motivation. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.”

Doncic did not request a trade, sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link). The Mavericks simply liked the return from L.A. enough to part with their franchise player, who was “stunned” when he was informed of the trade, Charania said during an appearance on SportsCenter (Twitter video link).

Doncic would have become eligible during the 2025 offseason for a record-setting super-max contract projected to be worth $345MM over five years. According to MacMahon, Dallas had concerns about making that commitment due to Doncic’s diet and conditioning, which the team believes have been major factors contributing to his injuries over the years.

Sources tell Charania that the Mavericks initiated the deal, while the Lakers believed it was in their best long-term interest to give up Davis, who will turn 32 next month, to acquire the 25-year-old Doncic, who could be the face of the franchise for the next decade.

Doncic will no longer be eligible to sign a super-max contract in Los Angeles, since that option comes off the table once a player is traded. That means his next deal figures to start at 30% of the 2026/27 cap instead of 35%. The exact amount of that contract will depend on when he signs it and how many years it covers, but it would max out at about $296MM over five years rather than $345MM.

Dallas contacted several teams this week to see if they were willing to reroute salary in a potential three-team deal, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link). While several teams had an indication that the Mavericks were working on something, no one else had any idea that it involved Doncic, Fischer adds.

Doncic has been sidelined since Christmas Day when he suffered a left calf strain in a game against Minnesota. He had been expected to return soon, and John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 tweets that Dallas was preparing for him to play next Saturday.

Doncic has a been a franchise-changing talent since the Mavericks traded up for the opportunity to select him in the 2018 draft. After winning Rookie of the Year honors, he was a first-team All-NBA selection and finished in the top eight of MVP balloting in each of the next five seasons, including third in 2024. He’s not eligible for individual awards this year because of the strained calf and other ailments that have limited him to 22 games.

Davis is one of the top big men in the league and helped the Lakers capture the 2020 title in his first season with the team. The eight-time All-Star is currently sidelined with an abdominal strain, but he has been remarkably durable over the last two years despite a history of injuries. He has appeared in 42 of L.A.’s 47 games this season after playing 76 in 2023/24.

Davis is looking forward to joining the Mavericks, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link). He has a history with Harrison from their days together at Nike, and his long-time preference to play power forward rather than center will be less of an issue in Dallas with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively on the roster.

Davis has agreed to waive his 15% trade bonus, which would have been worth $5.9MM, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes and Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter links). That decision leaves the Mavericks $628K below the luxury tax line — they were $5.1MM above the tax threshold before the deal, Marks notes.

Davis’ current maximum-salary contract will pay him a projected $112.6MM over the next two seasons after this one, with a $62.8MM player option for 2027/28.

Because they’re not sending anyone out in the trade, the Jazz will have to open a roster spot before they can acquire Hood-Schifino, points out salary cap analyst Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). That’s likely to happen by waiving or reaching a buyout with P.J. Tucker or Mohamed Bamba, both of whom were acquired from the Clippers in a deal earlier on Saturday.

Gozlan states that Hood-Schifino will be absorbed into Utah’s $8MM room exception, leaving the team $16.7MM below the tax line after Saturday’s dealings. The 21-year-old guard may get a greater opportunity to play with the Jazz after appearing in just two games this season and 23 total since being selected with the 17th pick in the 2023 draft.

Christie could be a valuable addition for Dallas, as he has blossomed into a solid rotation player during this third NBA season. He’s in the first season of a four-year, $32MM contract that he signed last summer as a restricted free agent.

Kleber suffered a broken right foot last weekend, so he won’t provide any immediate help to the Lakers. The 33-year-old big man is under contract for one more year at $11MM. Morris, a 35-year-old power forward, has an expiring veteran’s minimum contract.

Tristan Tucker and Luke Adams contributed to this story.

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Injury Notes: Nets, Quickley, Craig, Wolves, Davis

January 31st, 2025 at 5:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The banged-up Nets, who have seven players listed as out for Saturday’s matchup with Houston, provided updates on a handful of their injured regulars on Friday, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype relays (via Twitter).

Guard Cam Thomas, who has been unavailable since January 2 due to a left hamstring strain, is expected to make his return shortly after February’s All-Star break, per the Nets. Big man Noah Clowney will also likely remain on the shelf through the All-Star break after being diagnosed with a left ankle sprain.

Forward Cameron Johnson, meanwhile, is still day-to-day with the right ankle sprain that has cost him the past four games. He won’t play on Saturday.

The injury news in Brooklyn isn’t all bad. After leaving Wednesday’s game with left hamstring tightness, center Day’Ron Sharpe isn’t on the injury report for Saturday. Neither is forward Trendon Watford, who made his return on Wednesday after missing 21 consecutive contests while recovering from a left hamstring strain.

“It was good,” Watford said of his first game back (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post). “I’m just glad to be back out there with the guys, back playing basketball. Missing 21 games, I’ve been missing it ever since I left the game in Cleveland. It was great to be back.”

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

  • Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley will be active on Friday vs. the Bulls after missing eight games due to a right hip strain, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. It was the third extended injury absence of 2024/25 for Quickley, who is appearing in just his 10th game of the season and will be on a minutes restriction against Chicago, Lewenberg adds.
  • Bulls wing Torrey Craig will be inactive for a 15th consecutive game on Friday due to a right ankle sprain, but he appears to be nearing a return — he participated in shootaround today, per head coach Billy Donovan (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago).
  • Timberwolves forward Julius Randle will miss his first game of the season on Saturday, having been ruled out vs. Washington due to a right groin strain, according to the team (Twitter link). However, Minnesota did pass along more positive injury news, announcing that rookie Terrence Shannon has been cleared for full-contact 5-on-5 activities and is being listed as questionable to play on Saturday (Twitter link). Shannon, who sustained a right mid-foot sprain while on a G League assignment, last saw the court for the NBA club on December 23.
  • According to Lakers head coach J.J. Redick, the team isn’t expecting an extended absence for Anthony Davis, who was ruled out for at least a week due to an abdominal strain. Redick is hopeful Davis will be back in action at some point next week, per Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (Twitter link).
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NBA Announces 2025 All-Star Reserves

January 30th, 2025 at 5:51pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The 2025 NBA All-Star reserves were revealed on Thursday night during TNT’s Inside the NBA broadcast and officially confirmed by the league (Twitter links).

Fourteen players will join the 10 starters announced last week in the All-Star Game in San Francisco on Feb. 16.

All-Star reserves were selected by the league’s head coaches. Here are the players who made the cut:

Eastern Conference reserves:

The East features three first-time All-Stars in Cunningham, Herro and Mobley. The guard spots in the East were highly contentious, with Atlanta’s Trae Young, Chicago’s Zach LaVine, Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball and Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey among those also in the running. Ball finished first in fan voting, but that had no bearing on the coaches’ decisions.

The Cavaliers are well-represented in San Francisco, with Donovan Mitchell named a starter last week and Garland and Mobley now joining him. This is Garland’s second All-Star nod after being named in the 2021/22 season. Jarrett Allen also had a shot at a spot, but ultimately wasn’t voted in.

This is Jaylen Brown‘s fourth All-Star appearance, Lillard’s ninth, and Siakam’s third.

Western Conference reserves:

Wembanyama, Sengun and Williams are each first-time All-Stars. The reigning Rookie of the Year, Wembanyama has taken several steps forward to help the Spurs to a 20-24 record, putting them in contention for a play-in spot. Meanwhile, Sengun and Williams are key contributors for the top two seeds in the conference.

Edwards, in his third overall and consecutive appearance, is having a career year from beyond the arc, connecting on 41.8% of his 9.8 three-point attempts. We wrote earlier today about how the Grizzlies view Jackson as a bona fide star amid their 31-16 record this season.

Veterans Harden and Davis round out the West reserves. Harden, the most decorated reserve, is making his 11th appearance in the game while averaging 21.7 points and 8.4 assists per game in his age-35 season. Davis continues to be one of the premier defensive players in the league en route to earning his 10th All-Star nod. The Lakers big man is currently injured and out at least one week, but it’s unclear if that would affect his availability for the All-Star Game, which is still more than two weeks out.

Fresh off making the NBA Finals last season, the Mavericks won’t have a representative in the All-Star Game, with Luka Doncic injured and Kyrie Irving not earning a spot. The Kings’ Domantas Sabonis, the Clippers’ Norman Powell, the Suns’ Devin Booker and the Kings’ De’Aaron Fox were among those who were not named to the team.

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Anthony Davis Has Abdominal Strain, Out At Least One Week

January 29th, 2025 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

Lakers star Anthony Davis, who exited Tuesday’s loss to Philadelphia in the first quarter due to an abdominal muscle strain, underwent an MRI on Wednesday that confirmed that diagnosis, the team announced (via Twitter).

According to the Lakers, Davis is heading back to Los Angeles and will be reevaluated in about one week. That means he’ll miss at least the three remaining games in the club’s Grammy road trip — Thursday in Washington, Saturday in New York, and next Tuesday at Intuit Dome vs. the Clippers.

The Lakers’ next home game is on Thursday, Feb. 6, the day of the trade deadline, against Golden State.

While it doesn’t necessarily sound like Davis’ ailment is significant, the timing isn’t great, given that the big man had been playing some of his best basketball of the season in the games leading up to the injury.

Davis racked up 42 points and 23 rebounds in a win over Charlotte on Monday after having put up 36 points and 13 rebounds in a victory over Golden State on Saturday. During his most recent four games entering Tuesday, he had averaged 32.8 PPG, 15.0 RPG, and 2.5 BPG, with the Lakers outscoring opponents by 60 points during his 136 minutes on the court.

The Lakers, who were up by three points when Davis exited on Tuesday, ended up losing to the Sixers by 14.

“When our best player goes out, it’s always challenging,” LeBron James said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “If he’s out from the beginning, then we have a game plan set. We know what to expect, we know what our lineup is going to be. But when AD or any one of our guys go down throughout the course of a game, it’s just tough.”

Dorian Finney-Smith started the second half vs. the 76ers in place of Davis, as the Lakers utilized a small lineup that featured three forwards (Finney-Smith, James, and Rui Hachimura) and no true center. Head coach J.J. Redick may return to that look in the next few games, though reserve centers Jaxson Hayes and Christian Koloko also figure to play increased roles.

The injury news wasn’t all bad for the Lakers on Tuesday, as Hachimura returned following a two-game absence due to left calf soreness. Gabe Vincent (left knee soreness) sat out a second straight contest, but is considered likely to return during the road trip, as Khobi Price of The Orange County Register relays.

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L.A. Notes: Clippers, Harden, Davis, Hachimura

January 25th, 2025 at 9:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers are built around their stars, but they also have a deep roster that’s capable of competing when their top players aren’t available, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. With six rotation members sidelined against the Celtics on Wednesday, L.A. managed to take the game into overtime before falling to the defending champions.

“We have four starters out and to be able to come out with the team that we had just shows how deep we are,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “It just shows you that guys deserve opportunities to play, but you can’t play 15 players. And so, it’s hard. But it definitely shows the job that (president of basketball operations) Lawrence Frank and (general manager) ‘Red’ (Trent Redden) and (assistant GM) Mark Hughes putting a team together that’s deep, that can step up and play when guys are out and we were able to see that tonight.”

Derrick Jones Jr., who signed with the Clippers over the summer after an NBA Finals run in Dallas, said he tries to create a “next man up” mentality among the team’s younger players so they’re ready when needed. That was evident against Boston as Kevin Porter Jr. scored 26 points and Amir Coffey added 24 as they both got a rare chance to start.

“I always tell ’em to be aggressive, be who you are. You are on the team for a reason, you in the NBA for a reason, so just go out there and be who you are,” Jones said. “Don’t shy away from no pressure, don’t shy away from no opportunity. Just go out there and take it in full force.”

There’s more from Los Angeles:

  • James Harden returned to the Clippers‘ lineup on Thursday and notched his 79th career triple-double, passing Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time list, per Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. “It means a lot, just impacting the game in other ways,” Harden said. “Scoring is one thing, but rebounding the basketball, facilitating is another thing. And just impacting the game. You don’t get to be the best player on the court by just scoring the basketball every single night. Obviously that helps, but there’s other ways to impact games and you’ve seen it throughout the course of history of the NBA. I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
  • Lakers management is paying attention to Anthony Davis‘ request for another big man, Shams Charania of ESPN said on tonight’s NBA Countdown (Twitter video link). Charania expects the front office to be aggressive in shopping its first-round picks for 2029 and 2031 to try to add another piece or two before the deadline.
  • Lakers forward Rui Hachimura is missing tonight’s game against Golden State due to left calf soreness, tweets Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Jarred Vanderbilt made his season debut after recovering from offseason surgery, but coach J.J. Redick said Hachimura’s absence won’t affect Vanderbilt’s minutes, relays Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Dorian Finney-Smith got the start in place of Hachimura.
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