Collin Sexton Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Injury Updates: Randle, Embiid, Sexton, Barrett

February 5th, 2025 at 11:37am CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, who has missed the past two games after injuring his groin last Thursday vs. the Jazz, underwent an MRI and has been diagnosed with a right adductor strain, the team announced today in a press release. He’ll be reevaluated in two weeks, according to the Wolves.

A multi-week absence had been anticipated for Randle after head coach Chris Finch told reporters over the weekend that he expected to be without the forward “for the near future.”

Randle, who was sent from New York to Minnesota in the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster right before training camp, has had a solid first season in Minnesota, averaging 18.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 32.6 minutes per game across 48 contests, with a .470/.321/.811 shooting line.

There has been some speculation that Randle, who holds a $30.9MM player option for 2025/26, could emerge as a trade candidate prior to the February 6 deadline, but it has always seemed more likely that Minnesota would postpone a decision on his future until the summer rather than shaking up the roster again during the season.

During Randle’s absence, Naz Reid has stepped into the lineup as the Wolves’ starting power forward. The team has dropped both games Reid started, but he had a big night on Monday, putting up 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting in a two-point loss to Sacramento.

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

After making his return from a month-long injury absence on Tuesday, Sixers center Joel Embiid will, predictably, be held out of the second end of the club’s back-to-back set on Wednesday vs. Miami, per head coach Nick Nurse (Twitter link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN). Embiid had a strong first game back in a two-point win over Dallas, racking up 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
The Jazz announced on Tuesday (via Twitter) that Collin Sexton has been diagnosed with a left ankle sprain. While X-rays on the injury were negative, the veteran guard will miss some time — he’ll be reevaluated in one week, according to the club.
Raptors forward RJ Barrett entered the NBA’s concussion protocol on Wednesday and missed a matchup with his former team, the Knicks, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Barrett stayed in Sunday’s game after hitting his head on the court. According to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link), he was evaluated by the team’s medical staff on court after hitting his head, after Sunday’s game, and again on Monday, but didn’t exhibit concussion symptoms until Monday night.

Trade Rumors: Johnson, Martin, Sixers, Lakers, Jazz

February 5th, 2025 at 10:28am CST by Luke Adams

It seems increasingly likely that Cameron Johnson will remain in Brooklyn beyond the trade deadline, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who has consistently heard that the Nets are willing to field calls about the veteran forward but aren’t actively shopping him.

While the Nets moved quickly this season to trade Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith, both of whom can reach unrestricted free agency this summer, Johnson is under contract for two more years beyond this one, so there’s no urgency in Brooklyn to move off of him at this point — especially since the team still projects to have substantial cap room for next season even with Johnson’s $20.5MM salary on the books.

Ian Begley of SNY.tv also reported on Tuesday that a Johnson trade may not happen this week.

We have more trade rumors from around the NBA:

There’s a chance that KJ Martin, whom the Pistons agreed to acquire from Philadelphia, could be rerouted to another team prior to Thursday’s trade deadline, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. If Detroit were to acquire Martin using cap space rather than the room exception, his salary could be aggregated with one or more other players in a subsequent deal.
According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, and Guerschon Yabusele are among the veterans who continue to draw interest for the Sixers, who already traded Caleb Martin in addition to KJ Martin. However, Philadelphia is reluctant to move Yabusele, preferring to find a way to retain him beyond his current one-year, minimum-salary contract, Stein and Fischer say.
Grant Afseth of RG.org takes a look at the Lakers‘ hunt for another center, suggesting that – despite Rob Pelinka‘s comments downplaying the urgency to find more than a stop-gap – the team is still considering a wide range of possible targets.
Tony Jones of The Athletic checks in on the Jazz‘s plans ahead of the trade deadline, writing that John Collins and Jordan Clarkson are considered more available than Collin Sexton and especially Walker Kessler. Utah values Sexton and has set a “very high” asking price for Kessler, Jones explains.

Western Notes: Davis, Sexton, LaVine, Bane, Blazers

February 3rd, 2025 at 10:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Anthony Davis won’t make his Mavericks debut on Tuesday. He has been ruled out due to the abdominal strain he suffered with the Lakers before their blockbuster trade with Dallas, Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal tweets. Davis was originally listed as questionable against Philadelphia.

Dallas wraps up its road trip at Boston on Thursday, then hosts Houston on Saturday.

We have more Western Conference news:

Jazz guard Collin Sexton sprained his left ankle as he drove to the basket in the first quarter against the Pacers on Monday, according to The Associated Press. Sexton, Utah’s second-leading scorer at 18.7 points per game, didn’t return, and will undergo further evaluation Tuesday. Sexton is considered a prime trade candidate. He has one year and $19.175MM remaining on his contract after this season.
Zach LaVine is expected to suit up for the Kings on Wednesday, James Ham of The Kings Beat tweets. Sacramento’s acquisition of LaVine became official on Monday. LaVine hasn’t played since last Monday due to the birth of his child.
Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane has a foot sprain but it’s not considered serious, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets. Bane underwent an MRI on Monday morning. Coach Taylor Jenkins said it was good news, based on the potential outcomes, so it appears Bane won’t be out an extended period. Bane is averaging 17.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per night.
The Trail Blazers are open to trading Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons and Deandre Ayton, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. Highkin believes if Grant or Simons are moved, the Trail Blazers would prefer a player they can add to their long-term core, rather than prioritizing draft picks. Robert Williams is another potential trade piece but the bar is higher than most people would think for the big man, as a package of second-round picks probably wouldn’t be enough for Portland’s front office, Highkin writes.

Scotto’s Latest: DFS, Grimes, Kleber, Toppin, Jazz

February 2nd, 2025 at 10:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers‘ acquisition of Luka Doncic in the three-team blockbuster with the Mavericks and Jazz could improve their odds of retaining veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Scotto previously reported that Finney-Smith was expected to decline his $15.4MM option for next season in order to enter unrestricted free agency. Doncic and Finney-Smith, who was acquired from the Nets this season, are close friends. Doncic will undoubtedly lobby the Lakers’ front office to retain Finney-Smith, Scotto notes.

Here’s more from Scotto:

The Mavericks‘ acquisition of young guard Max Christie along with Anthony Davis in the trade could impact Quentin Grimes‘ status with the organization. Grimes, who reportedly declined a three-year rookie scale extension offer prior to the October deadline, has become a key contributor, averaging 10.2 points per game while shooting 46.7% from the field and 40.7% from beyond the arc. He’ll become eligible for restricted free agency this summer, while Christie is signed through 2027/28, including a player option.
Prior to adding current injured Maxi Kleber to the Doncic deal, the Mavericks held exploratory talks involving Kleber with the Pacers. Dallas had its eyes on power forward Obi Toppin. Kleber is signed through the 2025/26 season and if he’s not dealt again prior to Thursday’s deadline, he’ll become a more valuable trade asset for the Lakers in the offseason when he’ll have an expiring $11MM contract.
The Jazz, who facilitated the Doncic/Davis trade, are expected to remain active ahead of the trade deadline. Utah is looking to flip veteran forward P.J. Tucker, who was acquired from the Clippers on Saturday, for another team’s salary dump to land more future draft assets. Tucker will be bought out of his $11.54MM contract if he’s not traded. John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, and Collin Sexton have all come up in trade discussions. Walker Kessler has also drawn interest but the Jazz’s high price tag makes it unlikely he’ll be dealt this week.

Lakers Rumors: Trade Targets, LeBron, Davis, Bronny, Hachimura

December 17th, 2024 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers are expected to be one of the most active buyers on the trade market during the 2024/25 season, though it remains unclear how much of their available draft capital they’re willing to move and how significant a deal they’ll make, says Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

As Buha notes, the Lakers were also considered likely to buy last season, but ultimately stood pat at the February trade deadline, choosing not to surrender a first-round pick. However, there’s hope that Golden State’s deal for Dennis Schröder (which saw the Warriors give up three second-round picks and get one back) may be a signal that teams’ asking prices for useful role players will be more modest this time around.

The Lakers are believed to be in the market for three kinds of players, according to Buha: a “physical, defensive-minded” center, a three-and-D wing, and an athletic guard with some size who can defend at the point of attack. As Buha writes, players the Lakers have been linked to in the past, including Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas and Nets wings Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, are among the targets who would make sense at this season’s deadline.

Jazz guard Collin Sexton and center Walker Kessler, Raptors swingman Bruce Brown, Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant and center Robert Williams, and Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma are some of the other potential players of interest who have come up in Buha’s conversations with team and league sources. However, the Lakers aren’t expected to be in on former All-Stars like Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, and Brandon Ingram, Buha adds.

Here’s more on the Lakers and their approach to the trade deadline:

Unsurprisingly, the Lakers aren’t considering trading LeBron James and Anthony Davis and almost certainly wouldn’t do so unless they asked to be dealt, sources tell Buha. Other players unlikely to be moved include Austin Reaves, Max Christie, and Dalton Knecht, who are viewed as potential long-term pieces.
While Bronny James isn’t untouchable, he’s not expected to be included in a trade that doesn’t involve his father, sources tell The Athletic.
One or more of the Lakers’ four mid-sized contracts – D’Angelo Russell ($18.69MM cap hit), Rui Hachimura ($17MM), Gabe Vincent ($11MM), Jarred Vanderbilt ($10.71MM) – figures to be included in any deal of note this season. Of those players, Hachimura looks like the one the Lakers would least want to move, Buha writes, though the forward would probably also have the most trade value of the four. Russell hasn’t drawn significant interest from potential suitors during previous discussions, Vincent has dealt with injuries and has struggled offensively since joining the Lakers, and Vanderbilt has yet to make his season debut as he recovers from offseason surgeries on both feet.

Northwest Notes: Timberwolves, Gordon, George, Jazz

December 3rd, 2024 at 9:25am CST by Luke Adams

The legal battle that will determine who controls the Timberwolves won’t be resolved until January at the earliest, sources tell Eben Novy-Williams and Michael McCann of Sportico.

As Sportico’s duo explains, the legal representatives for current team owner Glen Taylor and prospective owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez will answer “final questions of clarification” from the three-person arbitration panel handling the case in early January. The panel isn’t expected to make its final ruling on the matter until sometime after those questions are answered.

Even when the arbitration process concludes, it likely won’t fully close the books on the Timberwolves’ ownership fight. Novy-Williams and McCann point out that the losing side could petition a federal judge to vacate the arbitration award. Additionally, if the arbitrators rule in favor of Lore and Rodriguez, the new ownership group would still need to be approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

It has been a challenging start to the season for the Timberwolves, but there was no bad body language and there were no concerning post-game quotes after a blowout victory over the Lakers on Monday night. Chris Hine of The Star Tribune has the story on the encouraging win and the good vibes it created.
In his first game back after missing 10 games due to a calf strain, Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon came off the bench on a minutes limit on Sunday and served as Nikola Jokic‘s backup, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. While Gordon has been far more effective as the second-string center than Dario Saric, Zeke Nnaji, or DeAndre Jordan have – Denver was +3 with Jokic off the court vs. the Clippers – he’s the least sustainable option to continue as the backup five over a full 82-game season, given his typical role alongside Jokic, Durando notes.
Outside of his subpar shooting percentages (.375 FG%, .336 3PT%), turnovers and defense have also been issues for Keyonte George, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who suggests that the second-year Jazz guard hasn’t inspired confidence as a ball-handling point guard and doesn’t shoot well enough to be a full-time shooting guard. George is still just 21 years old and works hard, Larsen writes, but will have to make significant strides to become the player the Jazz hoped they were getting when he was drafted in 2023.
Jazz head coach Will Hardy conceded he made a mistake in calling a timeout on Sunday before Collin Sexton had a chance to attempt what would’ve been a go-ahead basket in the final seconds of Utah’s game vs. the Lakers (Twitter video link). After the game, Sexton said he understood why Hardy made the decision he did and didn’t blame him at all. As Tony Jones of The Athletic writes, while the one-point loss was a tough pill to swallow, the mature way the moment was handled showed there’s trust between the head coach and his players, an important sign in a challenging rebuilding year.

Trade Rumors: Collins, Jazz, Bulls, Nets, Zion, Butler

December 1st, 2024 at 5:29pm CST by Rory Maher

In each of the past two seasons, the Jazz started out surprisingly competitive, with .500 records in early February, only to sell off veterans and tank down the stretch to improve their lottery odds. With a 4-15 start to the 2024/25 campaign, Utah’s front office probably isn’t concerned about the team’s place in the reverse standings.

That doesn’t mean the Jazz won’t be listening to offers for their veterans again though, according to Marc Stein at Substack, who lists big man John Collins and guards Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton as three trade candidates to keep an eye on.

On paper, Collins put up solid numbers in ’23/24, which was his first season with Utah, averaging 15.1 PPG and 8.5 RPG on .532/.371/.795 shooting in 68 games (28.0 MPG). But there was a fairly long adjustment period between player and team — his fit was awkward at times in the frontcourt.

Collins has looked more comfortable — and been more productive — to open ’24/25, averaging 17.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.5 APG and 1.3 SPG (up from 1.1 and 0.6 last season, respectively) in approximately the same amount of minutes (28.7 MPG). His shooting line is currently .535/.353/.949.

The 27-year-old’s bounce-back season has Utah’s front office happy with the decision to acquire him from Atlanta for essentially a second-round pick, Stein writes. Collins is owed $25.8MM this season, with a $26.8MM player option for ’25/26, so his contract could prove more difficult to move than that of Clarkson, who is owed $14.1MM this season and $14.3MM in ’25/26, Stein adds. Sexton, meanwhile, will earn $18.4MM in ’24/25, followed by $19.2MM in ’25/26.

Here are some more trade rumors from around the NBA:

Like Jake Fischer, Stein hears the Bulls are considered a prominent seller ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, with Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball considered the most likely candidates to be dealt. In fact, Stein says Chicago’s front office seems confident it will be able to trade “at least one” of those players in the next few months.
A surprisingly competitive 9-11 start reportedly won’t deter the Nets from trading away veterans, with Brooklyn expected to join Utah and Chicago as clear sellers. “Just about everyone on their roster is available as long as they don’t take back long-term money,” one source told Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Insider link). “(But) they’re not giving anyone away. At least not yet.” According to Stein, rival teams are particularly intrigued by the strong play of veteran point guard Dennis Schröder, who is on an expiring $13MM contract.
This isn’t a trade rumor, but Stein reports that there’s a “rising expectation” that Pelicans star Zion Williamson will hire Bill Duffy of WME Sports to be his next agent. Williamson, who is currently sidelined by a hamstring strain, recently parted ways with CAA. Duffy has several prominent clients around the NBA, per RealGM, including Vucevic, Luka Doncic, Scottie Barnes and Anthony Edwards, among others.
A number of teams are monitoring Jimmy Butler‘s situation with the Heat, Fischer said on a Bleacher Report livestream (video link). However, Fischer hasn’t heard any recent chatter specifically involving the six-time All-Star, who can be an unrestricted free next summer if he declines his $52.4MM player option for ’25/26.

Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Murray, Jazz, Sexton, SGA

November 3rd, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Concerns about the Nuggets‘ depth appear to be justified so far, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Although Christian Braun has played well in his promotion into the starting five, the team has been left with a lot of questions off its bench.

Part of the problem is unfamiliarity, Durando adds. Julian Strawther has been added to the rotation, while Michael Porter Jr. is adapting to a new staggered role that has him seeing more time with the second unit. Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric were offseason additions in free agency, and Peyton Watson missed the entire preseason with a hamstring injury.

“Too early to be trying to figure out if and what doesn’t work,” Westbrook said. “You don’t know what’s gonna work. You’ve gotta give a healthy dose of kind of seeing what’s what, and then you go from there.”

Rebuilding the bench was an offseason priority after the Nuggets seemed to run out of gas in the playoffs as coach Michael Malone had to lean heavily on his starters. That pattern is already repeating itself, as Durando points out that the starting unit logged 104 minutes together in the first four games.

“We’ve gotta figure something out with that bench unit,” Malone said after an overtime win in Brooklyn this week. “And it’s a fine line of, ‘Hey, we’ve gotta give it time, but how much time can you give it before you start looking at different options?’ And that’s kind of what we’re still evaluating. … Plenty of basketball to be played. I always make sure I challenge myself and ask myself, ‘Am I helping Russell Westbrook and Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson and Dario Saric?’ So it’s not just on those players. It’s on myself to try to figure that out.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray is likely to be sidelined a few more days after entering concussion protocol following Friday’s game, tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Post. “I think he did some cardio tonight,” Malone said Saturday. “We’ll see how he reacts to that, but I think the usual timeline is maybe five to seven days, but, once again, he took a really nasty hit, so we’ll be smart about that. … As much as we want Jamal back, his well-being is a lot more important.”
Poor shooting is behind a historically bad start for the Jazz, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Utah is the NBA’s only winless team at 0-6 and has dropped its last five games by a combined 110 points, making it the worst stretch in franchise history. They rank last in the league in three-point shooting and are 29th in two-point percentage.
Jazz guard Collin Sexton suffered a fracture to his left ring finger on Thursday, but he plans to keep playing by taping it to another finger, Larsen adds. “From all accounts, Collin doesn’t feel pain,” coach Will Hardy said.
During Saturday’s visit to Los Angeles, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has developed into an MVP candidate in Oklahoma City, reflected on the 2019 trade that sent him from the Clippers to the Thunder, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. “I had a great year here when I was here,” he said. “Their front office made a trade that they thought was best for their team. Same with the Thunder. Then the last five years I’ve tried to focus on my development and the team’s development. I’ve tried to be the best basketball player I can be for the Oklahoma City Thunder. And I’d say it worked out in my favor.”

Injury Notes: Curry, Melton, Wiggins, Raptors, Clarkson, More

November 1st, 2024 at 7:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors guards Stephen Curry (left peroneal strain) and De’Anthony Melton (strained lower back) have been ruled out for Saturday’s contest against Houston, the team announced today (via Twitter), and Melton will remain sidelined for at least two games beyond that before being reevaluated a week from now.

However, the injury news from Golden State isn’t all bad. As Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets, Curry has been cleared to participate in parts of Friday night’s practice and will be reevaluated on Sunday, so it’s possible he could return to action as soon as Monday vs. Washington.

Additionally, forward Andrew Wiggins is on track to suit up on Saturday after missing two games due to a low back strain. He’ll be immediately reinserted into the starting lineup upon returning, according to head coach Steve Kerr (Twitter link via Slater).

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

After missing the first five games of his rookie season, Raptors first-round pick Ja’Kobe Walter was cleared to make his NBA debut on Friday vs. the Lakers, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Elsewhere on the Raptors injury front, forward Scottie Barnes (orbital fracture) has a doctor’s appointment on Monday, which could help determine the treatment plan for his injury, while big man Kelly Olynyk (back/lumbar strain) is still at least a “couple more weeks” away from playing, per head coach Darko Rajakovic (Twitter links via Lewenberg). Guard Immanuel Quickley (pelvic contusion) isn’t far off from returning, but he remains out on Friday and will likely miss Saturday’s game vs. Sacramento too, tweets Lewenberg.
Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson has been diagnosed with left plantar fasciitis and will be reevaluated in a week, the team announced today (via Twitter). Collin Sexton, who figures to play an increased role with Clarkson out, suffered a left fourth finger distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint avulsion fracture on Thursday but will attempt to play through the injury, according to the Jazz.
Hornets center Mark Williams is doing a “good amount of individual work,” per head coach Charles Lee, but he hasn’t been cleared for full team drills or scrimmages yet, writes Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Williams has yet to play this season due to a sprained tendon in his left foot.
Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who is recovering from offseason surgeries on both feet, has experienced some “minor discomfort,” but that’s a normal part of the recovery process, head coach J.J. Redick told reporters on Friday (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic). Redick added that Vanderbilt is “progressing” but that his return isn’t imminent. “We’ll have another update in a week or so,” he said.

Jazz Notes: Hendricks, Markkanen, Starters, Rotation

October 31st, 2024 at 12:07pm CST by Rory Maher

Second-year Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks requires surgery to repair his fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle, sources told Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). Hendricks suffered the gruesome non-contact injury on Monday in Dallas. As MacMahon previously reported, Hendricks will miss the remainder of the season.

The No. 9 overall pick in last year’s draft, Hendricks is very well-liked by his teammates and showed consistent progress early on in 2024/25, particularly defensively, after an offseason of hard work; that made the injury all the more devastating, as Tony Jones of The Athletic writes.

“Taylor is very important to us,” starting center Walker Kessler told The Athletic. “In many ways, he’s our best defender. We were putting him on the other team’s best player every night. He’s such a great guy off the floor. He’s our brother. We didn’t see him (Tuesday), but we already miss him a bunch.”

Here’s more on the Jazz:

Star forward Lauri Markkanen is considered day-to-day after experiencing lower back spasms in the first half of Tuesday’s loss to Sacramento, per ESPN News Services. “His back pretty much locked up,” head coach Will Hardy told reporters. “He got treatment throughout halftime, and with about a minute left on the clock, was still on the table, not really able to move. So it was my decision, and our medical team’s decision, to hold him out.” Markkanen received treatment on Wednesday and will be reevaluated before Thursday’s game vs. San Antonio.
With Markkanen out for the second half, Hardy turned to rookie big man Kyle Filipowski, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who notes that Hardy also made two other changes to the starting five on Tuesday: 2024 lottery pick Cody Williams replacing the injured Hendricks and Jordan Clarkson replacing Collin Sexton. After the game, Hardy offered an in-depth explanation for the decision to swap the two score-first guards.
“Yeah, we’re trying to make the two groups function a little bit better, and we can do that without impacting minutes too much, impacting opportunity too much. You know, I believe in Collin. Collin knows that this has nothing to do with his play. It’s about what makes the two groups function the best. I think early in the game, the first group showed some pretty decent cohesion offensively. I think I have some work to do to help Collin with that second group, if it’s something we continue to do,” Hardy said. “But nothing with our team right now is set in stone. I had a conversation with Collin before the game about wanting to try something different to see if we could find a little bit of a rhythm offensively. And Collin’s great. He understands he wants the team to do well. He’s always done anything and everything that I’ve asked from a role standpoint, and so it’s my responsibility that, if he is going to be accepting of those things, to continue to try to think about him and put him in a position to be successful.”