Khris Middleton Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Bucks, Okogie, Raptors, Cavs, Wizards

March 19th, 2025 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers met after Tuesday’s loss to Golden State with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes, who reports (via Twitter) that the session served as an “open forum” for the Bucks stars to share ideas for how to get the team out of its recent slump.

As Haynes notes, the Bucks have lost five of their last seven games and have struggled on offense during that time, including scoring a season-low 93 points vs. Golden State in Tuesday’s defeat. Haynes describes Tuesday’s post-game meeting as “productive.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Veteran wing Josh Okogie got off to a good start in Charlotte after being traded to the Hornets in January, registering a +16.3 net rating in his first 149 minutes with the team. He has missed the past 23 games due to a left hamstring strain, but appears to be nearing a return. He was assigned to the G League on Tuesday to practice with the Greensboro Swarm before being recalled to the NBA team, per Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter links).
The Raptors have won six of their past nine games and have been buoyed during that stretch by strong performances from players on two-way or 10-day contracts, including Jared Rhoden, A.J. Lawson, and Colin Castleton. What useful information might Toronto glean from this late-season hot streak? Michael Grange of Sportsnet considers that question, exploring how the team can separate the signal from the noise.
After losing a second consecutive game in a row on Tuesday, the Cavaliers are now tied with Oklahoma City for the NBA’s best record at 56-12 and won’t have a shot at 70 wins unless they don’t lose again this season. Neither earning the league’s top seed or winning 70 regular season games is a top priority for the Cavs heading into the playoffs though, as Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes. The team’s two primary objectives? “To be healthy and playing great basketball,” according to head coach Kenny Atkinson.
The Wizards are the latest team to cut back on minutes for their veterans, presumably in an effort to tank, writes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Jordan Poole and Khris Middleton each played just 10:31 in Monday’s loss to Portland and didn’t appear at all in the second half, even though it wasn’t part of a back-to-back set.

Southeast Notes: Bogdanovic, Wizards, Poole, Joseph, Houstan

March 15th, 2025 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Before being traded from the Hawks to the Clippers at last month’s deadline, Bogdan Bogdanovic had changed teams once before in his NBA career, having initially signed with Atlanta in 2020 after three years in Sacramento. However, last month’s trade represented the first in-season move for the veteran guard, who said it has been a more challenging adjustment period and that he was “nervous” returning to Atlanta to face his old team on Friday, per Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“This, in-season (move) is really tough,” Bogdanovic said. “And as much as I told you I was ready, I wasn’t ready. As you can see it at the beginning, the way I played and just the way I felt. So how the time goes, everything, it’s getting better.”

Bogdanovic, who said he didn’t know where the visitors’ locker room was when he entered the arena ahead of Friday’s game, scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting in a win over the Hawks on Friday. He also got to match up on a few possessions with Trae Young and admitted that going up against his friend and former teammate took some getting used to.

“I won’t lie to you, there’s one situation, I gave him a high-five on the floor,” Bogdanovic said. “But you see the face, and it’s like ‘Let’s go.’ But it’s just a normal reaction, as I said. Yeah, it was weird. It was weird to play against them, but it’s business at the end of the day. And I wish them all the best, honestly. They’re great group of guys. I know how hard they are working, and they had a good run. They’re gonna have a good run.”

We have more from around the Southeast:

The Pistons‘ impressive turnaround this season should serve as an inspiration for the Wizards as they make their way through a slow rebuilding process, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Washington may not have its future franchise cornerstone on the roster yet like Detroit did with Cade Cunningham, Robbins acknowledges, but the Pistons’ success this season shows the importance of having the right head coach in place and how a few smart veteran additions can help unlock the potential of a club’s young players.
Speaking to Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Wizards guard Jordan Poole said he believes the team’s “ceiling is high” and that there’s already “a lot of talented guys” on the roster. “The ball is rolling. Snowball effect right now,” he said. “It’ll take a little bit, but we got the right group, the right setup. We’re in a really good situation right now. We’re playing some fun basketball. It’s something going to be more competitive, better as we go.” Poole also discussed a number of other topics, including what he’s learning from Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart and why he has felt more comfortable this season than he did during his first year in D.C.
Veteran Magic point guard Cory Joseph has made his first three starts of the season in the past two weeks and played a season-high 30 minutes in Thursday’s win over New Orleans, earning praise from head coach Jamahl Mosley, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel relays (via Twitter). “His poise and his ability to get guys in the right spot,” Mosley said when asked what has stood out about Joseph’s performance. “And then defensively picking up full-court. The energy that he brings as a veteran, you can’t say enough about his positive spirit, his positive energy.” Orlando holds a minimum-salary team option on Joseph for 2025/26.
Like Joseph, Magic forward Caleb Houstan has a minimum-salary team option on his contract for next season and was lauded this week by Mosley for stepping up after being out of the rotation for much of the year. Houstan scored 18 points in 26 minutes in Friday’s loss to Minnesota. “I say this with no hesitation. He might be one of the hardest workers I’ve seen,” Mosley, according to Beede. “This kid is in early, stays late, comes back, works on his shot. … He is determined. He is focused. He’s a pro. He stays ready no matter if his number is called for two minutes or 22 minutes.”

Wizards Notes: Smart, Middleton, Sarr, Vukcevic, Brogdon, Coulibaly

March 11th, 2025 at 1:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Trade-deadline acquisitions Marcus Smart and Khris Middleton have had a positive impact on the Wizards so far. As Varun Shankar of The Washington Post writes, the two veterans have been active for the same seven games since debuting on February 21 and the team has gone 4-3 in those contests. Washington was 9-45 before the duo suited up and has lost the two games Smart and Middleton have missed since then.

Monday’s game vs. Toronto represented the second time in recent weeks that Smart and Middleton have been held out of one end of a back-to-back set for “injury management.” The Wizards have dropped those two matchups, to the Magic and Raptors, by 20 and 15 points, respectively.

While head coach Brian Keefe didn’t say on Monday whether he’d continue to sit Smart and Middleton in back-to-backs for the rest of the season, the Wizards likely won’t go out of their way to make those veterans more available, given the impact they’ve had on winning and the importance of lottery positioning. Washington has had the NBA’s worst record for nearly the entire season, but is now just a game behind Utah and 2.5 games behind Charlotte in the standings.

Here’s more on the Wizards:

Keefe experimented on Monday with playing centers Alex Sarr and Tristan Vukcevic at the same time and liked what he saw during those seven minutes, as Shankar relays. “They complement each other offensively, and I thought they could complement each other defensively,” Keefe said of the young bigs. “So I wanted to see what that looked like. I thought they did a good job during that little stint.” Vukcevic said he was “a bit surprised” to be playing power forward, but appreciated the opportunity to try something new. “That’s something that (the Cavaliers are) doing, and it’s working out for them. So it would be great if it could work out for us,” he said.
Veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon, who has been on the shelf since February 12 with a left ankle sprain, has been doing on-court work in recent days, including after the team’s shootaround on Monday, per Shankar. However, Keefe declined to give a timetable for Brogdon’s potential return.
In an in-depth story for RG.org, Spencer Davies takes a closer look at Bilal Coulibaly‘s second year in the NBA, noting that the forward’s efficiency numbers (.421 FG%, .281 3PT%) have dropped in large part due to a more challenging shot profile and suggesting that the Wizards remain bullish on the 20-year-old’s potential. “I know they believe in me,” Coulibaly told Davies. “They are telling me that every single day, so it feels really good. For me and just my confidence, having guys that believe in me makes me believe in myself too.”
Coulibaly took a hard fall in the first quarter of Monday’s loss vs. Toronto after being fouled on a dunk attempt by Raptors forward Jamison Battle (video link). The Wizards have listed him as out for Tuesday’s matchup with Detroit due to a right hip contusion, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link), who says it’s fortunate the second-year forward didn’t injure his head, neck, or back, given how scary it looked in real time.

Wizards Notes: Smart, Sarr, Poole, Holmes, Middleton

March 6th, 2025 at 10:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

Marcus Smart finds himself on one of the league’s worst teams. The veteran guard was dealt by Memphis to the Wizards last month and is attempting to make the best of it, he told Candace Buckner of the Washington Post.

“Controlling what I can control is my motto now as I’ve gotten older and I think that helps a lot because we are put to the test,” he said. “When you’re such a competitor and you’re so passionate, [then] to come to a team that’s young, rebuilding in a sense, you know, trying to figure it out. You know, it is frustrating, but the older you get, that experience, I went through it. So now I can see, sit down and understand by looking from 2017 till now, what can I do differently? And that is the way I respond.”

Smart, who is signed through next season, is trying to give his new teammates some tough love.

“They know I’m not here to hold your hand. I’m here to help you get better,” he said. “This group is very young but they have some talented guys who can be defensive players of the year, or all-star candidates, all-NBA candidates with some work. A little bit of experience, a little bit of guidance, and that’s what I’m here for.”

Here’s more on the Wizards:

Alex Sarr has struggled to score at the rim in his rookie season but he was an inside force against Utah on Wednesday, racking up 21 points and making all but one of his seven attempts in the lane. “Definitely just trying to be aggressive. Get some easy ones around the rim before spacing out,” he said, per Varun Shankar of the Washington Post.
Jordan Poole missed his third straight game with a right elbow hyperextension, Shankar notes. Coach Brian Keefe indicated that Poole did some on-court work, including shooting, on Wednesday. Big man Richaun Holmes missed his first game since late January with a left knee contusion, Shankar adds.
While Smart and Khris Middleton, another trade-deadline acquisition, are playing key roles as mentors for the younger players, it’s quite possible – or perhaps likely – the Wizards will attempt to trade them after this season or before the 2026 trade deadline, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes in his latest mailbag. Robbins also fields questions on the draft and the organization’s player development program.

Scotto: Trae Young, LaMelo Ball Among Players To Monitor In Offseason

March 3rd, 2025 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Hawks guard Trae Young has just one guaranteed year left on his contract after this season, with a player option for 2026/27. As he nears potential free agency, executives around the NBA are wondering whether Atlanta will be looking to extend Young this offseason or whether he might emerge as a trade candidate, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

As Scotto notes, Young has spoken about wanting to win a championship in Atlanta with head coach Quin Snyder, and the Hawks have an intriguing collection of young talent around him, including forward Jalen Johnson, defensive ace Dyson Daniels, and 2024’s No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher.

However, the Hawks have been a middle-of-the-pack team since making the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, compiling between 36 and 43 wins and failing to get out of the first round of the playoffs in each of the three years since then — this season, they’re on pace for 37 wins and another play-in spot. They also don’t control their own first-round picks in any of the next three drafts.

Additionally, Scotto writes, Hawks ownership will be looking to avoid surpassing the luxury tax threshold in 2025/26, which could affect their ability to re-sign free agents such as Clint Capela, Caris LeVert, and/or Larry Nance Jr. — or to bring in additional talent.

Atlanta did have talks with the Pelicans prior to this year’s trade deadline about forward Brandon Ingram, with Capela, Onyeka Okongwu, De’Andre Hunter, and Bogdan Bogdanovic among the names that came up in those multi-team discussions, Scotto reports. Ingram was ultimately sent to Toronto, with the Hawks sending Hunter to Cleveland and Bogdanovic to the Clippers.

Shortly after the trade deadline passed last month, NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link) referred to Young’s future in Atlanta as “murky,” while Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) wondered if the 26-year-old might request a trade this summer. Scotto doesn’t quite go that far, but says Young’s situation in Atlanta is one that executives around the league will be monitoring in the coming months.

Here’s more from Scotto on players to watch entering the 2025 offseason:

Rival executives are curious about whether point guard LaMelo Ball is still at the forefront of the Hornets‘ long-term plans and will be keeping an eye on him this offseason, Scotto reports. Veteran forward Miles Bridges is another name to watch in Charlotte, since his contract has a declining salary structure that was meant to make it more trade-friendly, Scotto adds. It also remains to be seen whether the Hornets will put center Mark Williams back on the trade block after a deadline deal with the Lakers fell through due to medical concerns.
RJ Barrett‘s name came up in the Ingram trade talks between the Raptors and Pelicans, but New Orleans didn’t view the forward as an ideal fit on their roster, according to Scotto, who suggests that Barrett could emerge as a trade candidate this summer with Toronto prioritizing Ingram, Scottie Barnes, and Gradey Dick. The former No. 3 overall pick is under contract for $57MM+ across two more years after this season.
NBA executives widely expect Wizards forward Khris Middleton to pick up his $33.35MM player option for 2025/26, Scotto reports. If he does, he and guard Marcus Smart – who will have an expiring $21.59MM deal, will be trade candidates to monitor in Washington. The same goes for Richaun Holmes, though his expiring $13.28MM contract only features a small partial guarantee ($250K), so he’s probably more likely to be waived than traded.

Eastern Notes: Green, Giannis, Moore, Wizards

February 24th, 2025 at 7:55am CST by Luke Adams

When a buyout opportunity materialized for Javonte Green in New Orleans, Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reached out to the veteran swingman to convey the team’s interest in him and to chat about a number of topics, including some not related to basketball, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).

As Fedor writes, Atkinson knew the 31-year-old from his time with the Warriors — the Cavs’ coach was an assistant under Steve Kerr when Green spent most of last season with Golden State’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. In addition to helping convince Green to sign with the Cavs, Atkinson encouraged Cleveland’s front office to complete the signing, Fedor adds.

The East-leading Cavs improved to 47-10 with their seventh straight win on Sunday, a hard-fought home victory over Memphis. While he didn’t play at all in Sunday’s game after officially joining the team earlier in the day, Green went through shootaround with the club and spoke about his decision to choose Cleveland.

“I just felt like here was the best fit for me,” Green said, per Fedor. “I’m a very team-oriented player and I think this team has that. I think it could be an easy fit for me.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

After missing six games due to a calf strain, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was on a restriction of roughly 24 minutes per night in his first two games back. Prior to Sunday’s contest vs. Miami, head coach Doc Rivers said that restriction would be loosened, though he didn’t specify the new upper limit, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Antetokounmpo ended up logging 32 minutes in Milwaukee’s win over the Heat and racked up 23 points, 16 rebounds, and seven assists.
Third-year wing Wendell Moore, who signed a two-way contract with the Hornets during the All-Star break, was born and raised in the Charlotte area and was thrilled to get the opportunity to join his hometown team, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “It was definitely surreal,” Moore said. “As a kid, we all dream of playing for our hometown team. Few get to do it, but when you do it, it’s definitely an exciting thing. Haven’t got to play a home game yet, but I’m looking forward to playing back at the crib. This team is fun. It’s an exciting team and a close group of guys. I’m excited to be here.”
Wizards newcomers Khris Middleton (ankle injury management) and Marcus Smart (right index finger injury management) both sat out on Sunday in the first half of a back-to-back set, notes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Head coach Brian Keefe declined to say whether the two veterans, who missed time with those injuries earlier this season, would continue to sit out one end of back-to-backs for the rest of 2024/25.

Wizards Notes: Kuzma, Middleton, Smart, Lottery

February 22nd, 2025 at 9:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

New Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma seemed to briefly lose track of which team he was playing for as he returned to Washington Friday night, according to Noah Trister of The Associated Press. Kuzma, who spent three and a half seasons with the Wizards before being traded at the deadline, congratulated one of his former teammates after a good defensive play.

“One time in the first quarter, it might have been Alex (Sarr), he might have blocked a shot. Bilal (Coulibaly) came over to dap him up,” Kuzma said. “Then I dapped up Bilal, just by instinct. It was weird.”

Any confusion from Kuzma was short-lived as he scored 19 points in Milwaukee’s 104-101 victory. His addition becomes even more important to the Bucks with Giannis Antetokounmpo playing limited minutes while recovering from a calf strain and Bobby Portis suspended for 25 games due to a violation of the NBA’s drug policy.

Kuzma said he enjoyed playing in Washington, calling it “a time of growth,” but he didn’t expect the rebuilding Wizards to keep him past the trade deadline.

“I think the writing was on the wall in a sense here. Not saying that was a good or a bad thing. I think everything in life really has an expiration date,” Kuzma said. “It was my time to go, beneficial to all parties involved.”

There’s more from Washington:

Khris Middleton narrowly missed out on a storybook ending against his former team when his last-second shot to force overtime bounced off the rim, writes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Coach Brian Keefe ran much of his late-game offense through the veteran forward, saying, “He’s a closer, has been for a very long time in this league. And we are going to take advantage of having him on our roster.”
Marcus Smart played 17 minutes off the bench Friday in his first game with the Wizards, per Brian Robb of MassLive. Smart, who was also acquired in a deadline deal, may have a limited role for the rest of the season as Washington concentrates on developing its young talent. Rookie guard Carlton Carrington told Josh Robbins of The Athletic that he welcomes being tutored by the former Defensive Player of the Year. “Myself and the Wizards want me to really solidify myself on the defensive end, and (with Marcus) that’s someone who has solidified himself on the defensive end since he walked in the league,” Carrington said. “He’s really good at it, really crafty at it. So I definitely, from day one, just want to pick his brain and just make my life easier on making other guys’ lives terrible.”
The Wizards will find out at the May 12 lottery if their rebuilding strategy pays off big, notes David Aldridge of The Athletic. Aldridge states that the team is relying heavily on lottery luck to land a top-three pick in the next two drafts and add at least one franchise-changing player.

Khris Middleton: ‘My Time Ran Out’ In Milwaukee

February 22nd, 2025 at 6:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

After spending 12 and a half seasons with the Bucks, it was odd for Khris Middleton to see them as the opponent Friday night in his first game with the Wizards. In an interview with Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Middleton talks about the shock of changing teams late in his career and the experience of trying to start over in Washington after being a fixture in Milwaukee for so long.

“Yeah, it’s a range,” Middleton said of the emotions brought on by the February 6 trade. “Like, it’s a cycle I go through a lot of times. I’m trying to get out of that cycle now because it’s over with, and there’s no point of really going down that path. But definitely anger. Definitely, like sadness. Like denial, ‘Why would they do that?’ Questioning their decision and stuff like that. But I think it’s healthy for me to think about all that stuff and try to bottle that and put that into something positive. And for me, that’s starting here. That’s helping these guys get their building blocks and helping them grow this organization like I did with the Bucks.”

Middleton was an indispensable part of the Bucks’ 2021 championship team, hitting numerous clutch shots throughout their playoff run. Injuries have limited his effectiveness in recent years, as he played just 33 games during the 2022/23 season and 55 in 2023/24. After undergoing offseason surgery on both ankles, Middleton was only available for 23 games this year before the Bucks made the decision to move on.

Although Middleton would have preferred to end his career in Milwaukee, he indicated that he understands the thought process behind the trade.

“I’ve had many opportunities,” he said. “I mean, that’s the way I’ve kind of looked at it. My time ran out. Simple as that. I mean, I could say my time could have ran out a long time ago. They held onto me, believed in the potential, believed in the work that they saw. But I think this time, it was just, we think a different route is better for our team going forward. And I can’t do nothing but respect that.”

Middleton said he was informed of the deal by his agent, Mike Lindeman, shortly before the morning shootaround on the Wednesday before the deadline. He was aware that his name was being mentioned in trade rumors, but he decided to focus on his duties as a player rather than being distracted by online chatter.

“I mean, you can go out there, cause hell, be a cancer in the locker room, especially when things aren’t going your way, but that’s not right,” Middleton said. “Be professional, be a teammate, brother, friend. So just try to not see it, try to ignore it as much as I could and focus on what I needed to do.”

Middleton added that he had been attempting to ramp up his playing time in hopes of reaching 30 minutes per night by the playoffs. Although there were some setbacks, he remains confident that he could have been productive in the postseason if he had remained with the Bucks.

Asked to pick his favorite moments during his time in Milwaukee, Middleton chose both the title season and his first two years with the organization when the Bucks rose from the bottom of the league to reach the playoffs.

“There’s a lot of things, a lot of special moments, but those were the two points,” he said. “Of course, you win the championship, everything’s on top, everybody sees that, but nobody really recognizes or really understands how hard it is to go from 15 wins (in 2013-14) to the playoffs the next year, right? So those are two things that are pretty cool.”

Central Notes: Giannis, Cunningham, Thompson, Green

February 19th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Giannis Antetokounmpo likes the additions the Bucks made at the trade deadline, but a strained left calf has prevented him from getting on the court with his new teammates, writes Steve Megargee of The Associated Press. The injury caused Antetokounmpo to miss the last six games before the All-Star break, and he’s listed as questionable for Thursday’s contest against the Clippers. He was able to practice today, but neither he or coach Doc Rivers is sure whether he’s going to play.

Even though he’s stuck on the sidelines, Antetokounmpo has been impressed by what he’s seen from Kyle Kuzma, Jericho Sims and Kevin Porter Jr., whom Milwaukee landed in two trades earlier this month.

“The team looks great right now,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’re playing very, very fast. Everybody’s competing. Defensively I think we’re going to be way, way better. We’re big. And I’m excited.”

The downside of the deadline for Antetokounmpo was parting with long-time teammate Khris Middleton. They could back be on the court together again Friday when Milwaukee travels to Washington, and Antetokounmpo has a greeting in mind.

“I’m not shaking his hand, I’m not talking to him, I’m not even looking at him, and every time I see him, I’m going to guard him full court, pick him up full court and deny him,” Antetokounmpo quipped. “You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to make a 3 in his face and go, ‘Khash!’ I’m joking.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Cade Cunningham became the first Pistons player to be selected to the All-Star Game since Blake Griffin in 2019 and the first Detroit guard to make it since Allen Iverson in 2009, notes Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Cunningham enjoyed making his All-Star debut, but added that he expects to return many times in his career. “It’s cool, man. This is what I planned on, though,” he said. “This is what I saw for myself. To be in this position now is a great feeling, but there’s definitely more steps to climb. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and all the things to come.”
Pistons forward Ausar Thompson could be primed for a strong close to the season, Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News states in a mailbag column. Davis notes that Thompson had to overcome a long layoff caused by blood clots he experienced late in his rookie season. When he was cleared to play in November, he was limited to 20 minutes per game and was still dealing with fatigue. He has been used as the team’s secondary play-maker over the last eight games and is averaging 4.0 assists per night, along with 13.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.0 steals.
Javonte Green, who is expected to join the Cavaliers after completing a buyout with New Orleans, was one of the wings the team considered adding before the trade deadline, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Team officials believed Green was likely to be a buyout candidate, so they directed their trade efforts elsewhere and wound up with De’Andre Hunter.

Southeast Notes: Suggs, Middleton, Smart, Williams, Young

February 19th, 2025 at 9:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

The left quad contusion that sidelined Magic guard Jalen Suggs before the All-Star break hasn’t healed enough for him to resume playing, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Suggs has been declared out for Thursday’s contest at Atlanta, making it the 10th straight game he’ll miss and the 20th of the last 21. He was limited to the non-contact portions of practice the last two days, Beede adds.

“Everybody responds to treatment, everybody responds to different injuries differently [and] everybody’s different,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “And so, you want to treat it as such, and not rush a process of getting him fully whole just to squeak back in to not be 100% on the court because he’s trying to push through certain things. It’s so important that we get him back fully healthy where there is no nagging pain as we go through it.”

The Magic are counting on Suggs’ return to help end a long spiral that has seen them fall to seventh place in the East at 27-29. They’re 6-14 in their last 20 games and haven’t won two in a row since late December. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner both returned from extended injury absences over the past six weeks, but Orlando is clearly missing the all-around production of Suggs, who’s averaging 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals in 35 games.

“Defensive-wise, that’s where we’ve been missing him the most,” Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. “The way he guards and the energy that he brings, everybody feeds off that, even myself.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart, Washington’s veteran additions at the trade deadline, were both full participants in today’s practice, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). They may be able to make their Wizards‘ debuts at home Friday against Milwaukee. “I’m here to be a basketball player,” Middleton said. “I’m here to win games, here to help win games however I can. I am going to be here as a mentor and whatnot, but I want Wizards fans to know that I’m not here just to be a mentor. I’m here to be a basketball player and compete out there and help win games.” Malcolm Brogdon, who sprained his left ankle last Wednesday, isn’t expected to play, Robbins tweets.
Coach Charles Lee said Mark Williams is back to being the Hornets‘ starting center after his trade to the Lakers was rescinded (Twitter video link from Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer). Jusuf Nurkic, who was acquired from Phoenix at the deadline, will be the primary backup, pushing Moussa Diabate back to third string. Diabate started the last three games and recently signed a three-year contract after beginning the season on a two-way deal.
Hawks guard Trae Young made his fourth All-Star appearance this year, so he has learned how to handle the demands of the weekend without getting overwhelmed, per Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I mean, it wasn’t my first time going,” Young said. “So I kind of knew how to take advantage of the weekend, a little bit more rest, during breaks and appearances and things like that. So, I was able to get some catnaps in there, and then after that, after Sunday, after the game, I was able to get out of there and get some rest and spend some family time those last two days. And I’m ready to go.”