Spurs Notes: Olynyk, Trade Deadline, Wembanyama
Kelly Olynyk has acquired a lot of knowledge during his 13 NBA seasons, and he’s happy to share it with his young Spurs teammates, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe writes in a subscriber-only story. At age 34, Olynyk has mostly been a mentor since being traded to San Antonio last summer, averaging just 9.7 minutes of action in 26 games. But he’s not complaining about his new responsibilities.
“Your role changes but it’s something I enjoy, helping others,” he said. “I had a lot of guys help me along the way. The ins and outs of the league and how to be a professional, just what you’re trying to pass on to these kids and it’s awesome to be part of. You want to see them succeed. You want to be a part of a team and something great, and that’s where this team is going. To be able to have your voice heard is special.”
The Spurs are Olynyk’s eighth team, and they may provide his best chance to win a title as their young core develops around Victor Wembanyama. Olynyk, who is in the last year of his current contract, hopes to remain with the franchise for several more years, saying he still has a passion for the game, even when playing pickup in the gym.
“I’m blessed that I haven’t had any major injuries or setbacks,” he said. “It’s hard to stay in this league for 10 years and then you get to 12, 13, and I’m super blessed to be able to do that. You just don’t know, but for me it’s awesome and it’s something where I wake up every day and love going to work. If that ever fades then you stop playing, but if it doesn’t then you ride it until you can’t no more.”
There’s more from San Antonio:
- The Spurs are only 5-6 since Christmas Day, but they’re still ahead of schedule in their development and don’t need to make a major trade this season, contends Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). He suggests a smaller deal such as possibly moving Olynyk or Jeremy Sochan to add another shooter or role player and states that Knicks big man Guerschon Yabusele might be worth considering because of his experience playing alongside Wembanyama on the French national team.
- Wembanyama limped to the locker room early in Thursday’s game after bumping knees with Giannis Antetokounmpo, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Wembanyama was able to return, but McDonald notes that he has come up limping four times in the past seven games. Wembanyama understands that the injury risk is part of being a star in a physical league. “We have a target on the other team’s best players as well,” he said. “Never in a dirty way, but that’s just what we all have to go through.”
- Antetokounmpo, who had a build similar to Wembanyama’s when he entered the league, believes “the sky’s the limit” for the French star “as long as he can stay healthy,” relay Jared Weiss and Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Sources tell the authors that the Spurs want Wembanyama to become more aware of injury prevention during games and to fall on the floor less often.
Eleven More Players Become Trade-Eligible
Today is Thursday, January 15, which means that a total of 11 players who signed free agent contracts meeting specific criteria this past offseason are now eligible to be traded.
Most offseason signees became trade-eligible on December 15, but players who met the following criteria were ineligible to be moved for an extra month:
- The player re-signed with his previous team.
- He got a raise of at least 20%.
- His salary is above the minimum.
- His team was over the cap and used Bird or Early Bird rights to sign him.
These are the 11 players who met that criteria and are eligible to be traded as of Thursday:
Santi Aldama (Grizzlies)- Josh Giddey (Bulls)
- Quentin Grimes (Sixers)
- Isaiah Jackson (Pacers)
- Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors)
- Tre Mann (Hornets)
- Sam Merrill (Cavaliers)
- Davion Mitchell (Heat)
- Paul Reed (Pistons)
- Naz Reid (Timberwolves)
- Ryan Rollins (Bucks)
Most of the players on standard 15-man rosters around the NBA are now eligible to be moved, though a small handful still can’t be dealt.
That group includes Kings guard Russell Westbrook, who becomes trade-eligible on Friday, Hawks guard Keaton Wallace (trade-eligible on January 18), Pelicans center DeAndre Jordan (Jan. 23), Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (Feb. 1), Lakers guard Luka Doncic (Feb. 2), Kings forward Precious Achiuwa (Feb. 4), and Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox (Feb. 4).
Additionally, there are several players who won’t become trade-eligible at all prior to this season’s February 6 deadline, including reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Players on 10-day contracts are also ineligible to be traded.
Central Notes: Giannis, Jenkins, Pistons, J. Walker
Milwaukee fans booed the Bucks during Tuesday’s blowout loss against Minnesota, and Giannis Antetokounmpo gave the same reaction to the home crowd, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. After scoring a basket and getting knocked to the court on a foul early in the third quarter, Antetokounmpo did a two-thumbs-down gesture and booed the fans while sitting under the basket.
Antetokounmpo has used the same gesture to respond to jeering crowds on the road, and he explained, “Whenever I get booed, I boo back,” regardless of where he’s playing.
“I play basketball for my teammates,” he said. “I play basketball for myself and my family. When people don’t believe in me, I don’t tend to be with them. I tend to do what I’m here to do, what I’m good at. … It won’t change home or away. But yeah, I’ve never been a part of something like that before and I don’t think it’s fair. I don’t. But everybody has their opinion to do what they want to do.
“I’m not going to tell them what to do and how they should act when we don’t play hard. Or when we lose games, or when we’re not where we’re supposed to be. I don’t think anybody has the right to tell me how I should act on (a) basketball court after I’ve been here 13 years. And I’m basically the all-time leader in everything.”
Although it may be an isolated incident, Antetokounmpo’s reaction has to be disturbing for a front office that has been going out of its way to keep its star player happy. The Bucks are viewed as buyers heading into the trade deadline in hopes of upgrading their roster to make a postseason run, but Tuesday’s loss dropped them to 17-23 and left them 1.5 games out of the final play-in spot.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Pistons guard Daniss Jenkins is limited to 50 games on his two-way contract, and Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press points out in a subscriber-only mailbag column that he’s likely to reach that limit on February 5, which is also the day of the trade deadline. There’s a good chance Detroit will open up a roster spot and give a standard contract to Jenkins, who has emerged as a rotation player in his second NBA season, with Sankofa speculating that it’s likely to be a one- or two-year deal.
- Hunter Patterson of The Athletic examines ways the Pistons can use a traded player exception that allows them to take on an additional $14.3MM in salary. He cites Bucks forward Bobby Portis, Spurs center Kelly Olynyk, Hawks wing Luke Kennard, Celtics forward Sam Hauser and Mavericks wing Max Christie as potential targets. If Detroit doesn’t use it in a deal by the deadline, the TPE will remain available through July 7.
- Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has singled out the play of third-year forward Jarace Walker after each of the last two games, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Walker contributed 11 points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench in Monday’s win over Boston. “He’s playing with force,” Carlisle said. “He’s playing with force at both ends. He’s done a lot of good things defensively. He’s rebounding the ball. Stepping into the right shots. As a third-year player, things are going to slow down as you progress in your career. Reads become more obvious. He’s making good decisions.”
Spurs Notes: Wemby, Champagnie, K. Johnson, Sochan, Bryant
Victor Wembanyama helped lead the Spurs to a victory on Saturday in Boston, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. The star big man scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half and hit a couple of key jump shots late in the game to seal the victory.
“My mindset was just we have to close out that game,” Wembanyama said. “I think too often, I mean it’s easier said than done, but too often we do lots of efforts and let it go to waste one way or the other. So, I felt like not letting that happen.”
Wembanyama has come off the bench for the past three games since a knee injury caused him to miss two consecutive contests. The 22-year-old center indicated that he’s close to returning to the starting lineup, Orsborn notes.
“The goal is to start soon and to keep it that way for the rest of the season,” Wembanyama said.
Here’s more on the Spurs:
- Wembanyama praised Julian Champagnie following Saturday’s victory, Orsborn adds. Champagnie has been starting in place of Devin Vassell, who is out with a left adductor strain. The 24-year-old wing delivered his fifth double-double (12 points, 13 rebounds) on Saturday and blocked a Derrick White three-point attempt in the closing seconds. “We trust him,” Wembanyama said of Champagnie. “The front office, the coaching staff, everybody believes in him and he’s just capitalizing on that. It’s like we can’t do without him now. He’s part of this. He’s indispensable.”
- Keldon Johnson has become one of the top bench players in the NBA, but it’s a role he was initially reluctant to accept after once being a full-time starter, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. “If I was to say it’s easy, I would be lying,” Johnson said. “As a young player, you have some success early on, you score a lot of points in the NBA, it takes a lot to sit back and take your ego away from it and say, ‘OK what do I need to do to be able to contribute to this team now?’” Johnson, who had 18 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday, is having the most efficient offensive season of his career. “It would be hard for him not to at least be in the (Sixth Man of the Year) conversation,” head coach Mitch Johnson said. “He’s been phenomenal and he’s been consistent. He’s been a mainstay. It’s every night with that guy.”
- Fourth-year forward Jeremy Sochan downplayed a post-game incident on Wednesday in which Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt poked him in the face, as Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com relays. “I must’ve said something to him during the game, and maybe it wasn’t very nice,” Sochan said. “He must have taken it in the wrong way and told me to see him after the game. So, I did. And we just had a polite exchange. I was, I think, intact and very joyful and the other person wasn’t. Yeah, he just wasn’t emotionally stable in that moment. So, it’s something he has to work on. It’s just life.”
- Late lottery pick Carter Bryant was assigned to the G League on Friday and played 28 minutes with the Austin Spurs, recording 15 points, five rebounds and two blocks in 28 minutes, prior to being recalled on Saturday. According to Orsborn, coach Johnson said the rookie forward won’t be sent down on a regular basis. “That was the most minutes I have played since my senior year at high school, so it was a great opportunity for me to get some live reps, to see the ball go through basket a little bit,” said Bryant. “That’s the biggest thing in the game of basketball. If your confidence is lacking, it’s going to be hard for you to play no matter how good you are.”
Celtics Notes: Kornet, Hauser, Simons, Brown
The Celtics were hoping to re-sign center Luke Kornet last summer, but their desire to duck below the second apron limited what they could offer, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Kornet, who accepted a four-year, $41MM c0ntract with the Spurs, returns to Boston tonight with his new team. At this morning’s shootaround, he talked to reporters about his decision to move on.
“It was ultimately between San Antonio and Boston,” Kornet said (YouTube link). “I had a lot of conversations with my wife, said a lot of prayers and had conversations about where we are in life. It was very, very difficult to leave and we had a lot of relationships (here). We were in a different part of life and kind of being open to wherever God kind of willed us and see where it took us. You sort of accept it and take that step forward and figure it out from there.”
The move has worked out well for Kornet, who has started 21 of the 29 games he has played this season and is averaging career highs of 8.4 points and 6.7 rebounds. He’s been a valuable addition for San Antonio with Victor Wembanyama battling injuries through the first half of the season.
Kornet’s former Celtics teammates are glad to see him doing well.
“Just a great teammate, honestly, is a great leader, and got tremendously better over his time here,” Payton Pritchard said.
There’s more from Boston:
- Sam Hauser has moved back into the starting lineup over the past four games and is making a strong case to stay there, Robb adds in a separate story. Hauser contributed 19 points while shooting 5-of-7 from three-point range in Friday’s win over Toronto, but coach Joe Mazzulla was most impressed with his defense on RJ Barrett, who was just 6-of-15 from the field. “I think everyone always sees Sam’s shooting,” Mazzulla said, “but his defense is top-notch, and he has the ability to focus on a guy and take tendencies, and I thought he was great defensively tonight.” Hauser will miss tonight’s game with hamstring tightness, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
- Anfernee Simons‘ $27.7MM expiring contract has made him the subject of trade rumors for a team that may be looking to move out of luxury tax territory, but the Celtics also have reasons to keep him. Robb notes in another piece that Simons reached double figures in scoring for the seventh straight game Friday night. His role off the bench has been expanding, as he’s averaging 17.8 PPG in January while shooting 54% from the field and 60% from beyond the arc. Simons insists he’s not distracted by the trade speculation as the deadline nears. “That’s the NBA,” he said. “I’ve been in trade rumors since my third year, every other week it seemed like. So it’s just a part of the NBA and you’ve just got to be where your feet are.”
- Teams have been defending Jaylen Brown differently since his 50-point game last week, observes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscription required). They’re trying to limit his scoring opportunities and take advantage of his long-time weaknesses as a ball-handler and play-maker, but Brown says he prepared himself for those tactics. Knowing he was going to be the primary scorer for the first time in his career while Jayson Tatum is sidelined with an Achilles injury, Brown has been working to improve those aspects of his game. “Teams are not just gonna let me do what I want every single night, and I’m OK with that,” he said. “I just gotta be better at reading the game, trust my teammates, empower my teammates, and just play the game the right way, and everything will work itself out. So I remind myself, give myself grace. I’m still learning.”
LeBron James To Miss Wednesday’s Game, Reaches Limit To Qualify For Awards
Lakers star LeBron James has achieved All-NBA honors for the past 21 seasons, but the league’s 65-game rule may bring that streak to an end.
James has been downgraded to out for Wednesday’s game at San Antonio due to left foot joint arthritis and right sciatica, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link). L.A. is on the second night of a back-to-back, and James logged 33 minutes in Tuesday’s win at New Orleans.
Tonight will mark the 17th missed game of the season for the 41-year-old James, who has been experiencing physical issues in his 23rd NBA season. He didn’t make his debut until November 18 after sitting out the first 14 games while recovering from sciatica. This will be just the third time he hasn’t been in the lineup since returning, but he’s already in a position where he would have to play every game for the rest of the season to reach 65.
That’s extremely unlikely considering James’ age and his importance to the Lakers in the playoffs, and it doesn’t appear that he’s concerned about it. James acknowledged Tuesday night that back-to-backs will be an iffy proposition moving forward.
“Every back-to-back for the rest of the season is TBD,” he said (Twitter video link from McMenamin). “I am 41, I got the most minutes in NBA history … bank it right now.”
Coach JJ Redick said he hopes James will be able to suit up in both nights of back-to-backs at some point, McMenamin tweets, but he was feeling pain in his left foot following Tuesday’s contest.
James was a second-team All-NBA selection last season and finished sixth in MVP voting as he appeared in 70 games and averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 34.9 minutes per night. His production has fallen to 21.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 6.8 APG so far this season.
He has experienced injury issues before, playing in just 45 games in 2020/21, 56 games in 2021/22 and 55 games in 2022/23. However, the NBA hadn’t instituted its 65-game minimum at the time, and his performance was strong enough to convince voters that he was worthy of All-NBA honors.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, who had been listed as questionable with a left knee bone bruise, has been cleared to play, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link).
NBA’s Future With Main Street Sports Group In Doubt After Missed Payments
The future of the NBA’s relationship with Main Street Sports Group is uncertain after the company failed to make its January payments to several teams, sources tell Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal.
Main Street, which is in the process of being sold to DAZN, also missed a payment to Major League Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals last month. According to Friend, that prompted the NBA league office to contact all 13 teams doing business with the company to warn them that their January payments may not arrive as expected. Friend reports that at least several of those teams didn’t receive scheduled rights fee payments this week.
The missed deadline won’t have an immediate effect, as telecasts will continue on Main Street’s FanDuel Sports Networks. Sources tell Friend that default notices have already been sent to Main Street, which will have a 15-day cure period once they are received.
“Main Street Sports Group is in dialogue with its team and league partners around the timing of rights payments as we progress discussions with strategic partners to further enhance our long-term capital position,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to Sports Business Journal.
According to Friend’s sources, the 13 teams have safeguards in their contracts with Main Street that will make them the primary payees from the company’s creditors if it were to go out of business.
Friend hears that Main Street lost about $200MM in 2025 and owes the teams a combined $180MM for this season. The potential sale depends on several conditions, he adds, such as DAZN wanting the teams’ digital rights, hoping to negotiate extensions through at least the 2028/29 season and trying to get teams to accept lower fees for their broadcast rights.
If the sale can’t be completed in January, sources tell Friend that Main Street officials plan to shut down the business after the NBA and NHL seasons conclude, but they hope to continue game broadcasts until then. However, team sources aren’t convinced that Main Street has the financial means to keep producing the games, so the 13 NBA teams will need to develop emergency backup plans.
“The league has the capacity to put them on, to stream them, and all the teams are certainly equipped to go over-the-air to do it,” one team source tells Friend. “But now the revenue gets crushed. Hopefully a lot of people have already gotten paid at least 30 to 50% of this year’s revenue. But you’ll never get the rest of that money back, you’ll never recoup the money.’’
Friend notes that if Main Street dissolves, digital rights would revert back to the teams, which would make a national streaming Regional Sports Network much easier to accomplish. If DAZN completes the deal, not much will change except for the brand name. However, the company will have to address the issue of extensions, as contracts with the Grizzlies, Hornets and Magic expire after the current season, and deals with the Thunder, Clippers, Timberwolves, Pacers, Hawks, Heat, Cavaliers and Bucks only run through 2026/27.
According to Friend, here are the 13 teams under contract with Main Street and their rights fees payments for 2025/26:
- Atlanta Hawks: $32M
- Charlotte Hornets: $16.57M
- Cleveland Cavaliers: $34M
- Detroit Pistons: $25.78M
- Indiana Pacers: $17.47M
- Los Angeles Clippers: $34.59M
- Memphis Grizzlies: $11.41M
- Miami Heat: $55M
- Milwaukee Bucks: $24M
- Minnesota Timberwolves: $24.88M
- Oklahoma City Thunder: $16.67M
- Orlando Magic: $26.19M
- San Antonio Spurs: $19.92M
Injury Notes: Oubre, Watford, Vincent, LeBron, Wemby, Harden, More
The Sixers are expected to get a pair of forwards back from injuries on Wednesday vs. Washington, having upgraded Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford to probable after they participated in today’s shootaround, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Oubre has been out since November 14 due to a left knee sprain, while Watford – who has been recovering from a left adductor strain – last played on November 25.
Both Sixers vets had been playing some of the best basketball of their careers before going down with injuries. Oubre started all 12 games he played in the fall and scored 16.8 points per game with a career-high 49.7% field goal percentage. Watford averaged 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 20.4 minutes per game with a .534/.389/.800 shooting line in 14 appearances (four starts).
Here are more injury updates from across the NBA:
- Lakers guard Gabe Vincent (lumbar back strain) is no longer on the injury report and appears on track to play on Wednesday vs. San Antonio after missing the past nine games, per Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link). Vincent last suited up on December 14.
- Lakers forward LeBron James (left foot joint arthritis and right sciatica) and Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama (left knee bone bruise) are both listed as questionable to play on Wednesday. Wembanyama returned from a two-game absence on Tuesday vs. Memphis and seemed fine after the game, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN, who says (via Twitter) that the plan is to have Wembanyama play vs. Los Angeles if he feels up to it.
- Clippers guard James Harden, who sat out on Monday due to shoulder stiffness, is probable to return on Wednesday vs. the Knicks, who will still be without Josh Hart (right ankle sprain), tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Hart has missed New York’s past six games, four of which were losses.
- Magic guard Jalen Suggs, who has been out for two games with a right knee MCL contusion, hasn’t progressed to contact or on-court work yet, head coach Jamahl Mosley said on Tuesday (Twitter link via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel). “Just slowly seeing how he responds to the treatment that he does day-to-day,” Mosley said.
- While there’s still no word on a potential timeline or target date for his return, Kyrie Irving traveled with the Mavericks to Sacramento this week and completed a workout with assistant coach Phil Handy following the team’s shootaround on Tuesday, writes Grant Afseth of The Dallas Hoops Journal. Irving’s presence on the three-game road trip is a sign of progress, according to Afseth, who adds that forward P.J. Washington is considered day-to-day after sitting out Saturday’s game with a right ankle sprain.
Southwest Notes: Davis, Murray, Jones, Wemby
As trade rumors continue to swirl around Anthony Davis, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said during an appearance on NBA Today on Monday that the Mavericks big man isn’t actively seeking a trade out of Dallas despite the team’s struggles in the past year.
“AD’s preference would be to stay in Dallas and to get that extension this summer,” MacMahon said (Twitter video link). “Now, does that make sense for a team trying to build around a teenage prodigy (Cooper Flagg)? I think you can answer that question on your own.”
Davis’ maximum-salary contract pays him $54.1MM this season and $58.5MM in 2026/27, with a $62.8MM player option for ’27/28. While that number is manageable for now, an extension would likely overlap with Flagg’s second NBA contract — it would also begin when Davis, who has a lengthy injury history, is in his mid-30s. That’s a risky proposition not just for the Mavs but for any team entertaining the idea of pursuing a trade for the 10-time All-Star.
“The Mavericks are trying to generate a good trade market for Anthony Davis,” MacMahon said. “That is difficult because of the durability issues, and I think more so the dollars. In a situation like this, (agent) Rich Paul is going to be involved (and is) going to want AD traded somewhere that is willing to give him a long, lucrative extension. I just think mid-season it’s going to be very difficult to make all those pieces fit.”
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Asked over the weekend whether he expects guard Dejounte Murray to play this season, Pelicans head coach James Borrego told reporters – including Rod Walker of NOLA.com – that he “can’t say for sure.” However, Borrego suggested there should be an update on Murray, who is making his way back from an Achilles tear, in the coming weeks. “He’s making a lot of progress,” Borrego said. “We hope to get him back in our building here soon. He’s doing a lot of work getting ready to get back here. I say in the next month we’ll have a little bit more clarity on where he’s at. But he’s made a lot of progress. Significant progress.”
- Pelicans forward Herbert Jones has a chance to return to action on Tuesday vs. the Lakers after missing the past seven games with a right ankle sprain. Jones is listed as questionable, according to the team. He has been limited to 22 outings so far this season due to injuries, including a calf strain that cost him eight games in the fall.
- Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama is also on the verge of making his return. He’s listed as questionable for Tuesday’s game vs. Memphis after participating in 5-on-5 work on Monday, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Wembanyama, who has been out for the past two games due to a left knee bone bruise, will be reevaluated ahead of Tuesday’s game, which is the first of a back-to-back set. If Wembanyama doesn’t end up playing on Tuesday, he could be activated on Wednesday against the Lakers.
Wembanyama Nearing Return; Johnson The 'Heart And Soul' Of The Spurs
- While Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (hyperextended left knee) missed his second straight game Saturday vs. Portland, head coach Mitch Johnson expects the star big man to travel to Memphis for Tuesday’s matchup with the Grizzlies, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. That doesn’t necessarily mean Wembanyama will play Tuesday, but it’s certainly an encouraging sign. “[He’s] looking really good,” Johnson said, per Orsborn.
- Spurs forward Keldon Johnson is beloved for the levity he brings to the locker room and the contagious energy he provides when he’s cheering on his teammates, as Jared Weiss details for The Athletic. Johnson is the standard-bearer of San Antonio’s culture. “We got a lot of big personalities, and we got a face of the franchise,” coach Mitch Johnson said, “but that guy’s the heart and soul of the team.”