Raptors’ Jakob Poeltl (Back) Out At Least One More Week
Starting center Jakob Poeltl is “currently completing a program of intensive rehabilitation and strengthening” for his lower back injury and will be reevaluated in one week, the Raptors announced today (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca).
Poeltl has missed three straight games — and five of the past six — due to his ongoing back issue, which the team has recently called a strain. The Austrian big man has been dealing with back problems since training camp, causing him to miss 12 total games to this point.
Toronto has upcoming home games vs. Orlando (Monday), Denver (Wednesday) and Atlanta (Saturday). Poeltl will be sidelined for all three of those contests before being checked out again ahead of next Monday’s rematch with the Hawks.
The news doesn’t come as a surprise. The Raptors signed veteran center Mo Bamba to a non-guaranteed contract on Monday morning, a strong signal that they expected to be without Poeltl for at least the short term.
While Poeltl has never averaged more than 30 minutes per game in a season, his 25.3 MPG in 2025/26 represents his lowest mark since the ’19/20 campaign, when he was a reserve with San Antonio. In 21 appearances this season, he has averaged 9.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 69.3% from the field and 59.6% from the foul line.
Michael Grange of Sportsnet reported earlier on Monday (via Twitter) that Poeltl is hoping to return at some point in mid-January. Poeltl’s injury is considered “annoying” rather than being a long-term concern, according to Grange.
Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown Named Players Of Week
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Celtics forward Jaylen Brown have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
Leonard led the Clippers to three wins during the week of December 22-28 while posting averages of 41.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.7 steals per contest. The star forward erupted for a career-high 55 points against the Pistons on Sunday.
It’s Leonard’s fourth Player of the Week award as a Clipper and the 10th of his NBA career, but it’s the first time he has earned the honor since the 2023/24 season.
Kevin Durant (Rockets), Keyonte George (Jazz), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) were the other Western Conference nominees.
The Celtics, meanwhile, went 2-1 last week with Brown averaging 32.7 points on 55.9 percent shooting from the field while also grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game.
Boston’s star wing has scored at least 30 points in all nine games he has played this month and has now been named the East’s Player of the Week twice in December — he also claimed the award on Dec. 8. Brown and Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson have traded the award back and forth in recent weeks, with no other Eastern Conference player winning it since Nov. 24.
LaMelo Ball (Hornets), Scottie Barnes (Raptors), Cade Cunningham (Pistons), Josh Giddey (Bulls), Michael Porter Jr. (Nets) and Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks) were all nominated in the East.
Mo Bamba Signs With Raptors
DECEMBER 29: The signing is official, the Raptors announced (via Twitter). .
DECEMBER 28: Free agent center Mo Bamba is signing a one-year deal with the Raptors, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
This move comes on the precipice of Toronto getting an update on the health status of starting center Jakob Poeltl, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet (Twitter links), who reports that Bamba’s deal will be non-guaranteed.
Keith Smith of Spotrac notes (via Twitter) that this move puts Toronto’s team salary $475K over the first apron and about $2.1M over the tax line, but adds that he doesn’t expect the Raptors to operate in the tax by the end of the season, making them a clear candidate for further moves.
With Poeltl in and out of the rotation due to injury, the Raptors have relied on Sandro Mamukelashvili for frontcourt depth, but Bamba gives them a different look due to his length and shot-blocking ability.
Bamba started his career with the Magic, playing four-and-a-half seasons in Orlando after being drafted sixth overall in 2018. He holds career averages of 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds over his seven-year career. The 27-year-old big man played 14 games for the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League this season, averaging 16.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks.
The NBA’s league-wide salary guarantee date is January 7 — players on non-guaranteed contracts must be waived on or before that date if their teams want to avoid locking in their full-season salaries. The Raptors could essentially treat Bamba’s non-guaranteed deal like a 10-day contract, waiving him by Jan. 7, then bringing him back on two actual 10-day contracts before making a decision on whether to retain him for the rest of the season.
Raptors’ Barrett Returning Sunday; Poeltl Update Coming Monday
After missing the past 15 games due to a right knee sprain, Raptors wing RJ Barrett will return to action on Sunday against Golden State, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. Barrett will be on an unspecified minutes restriction in his first game back since November 23, Murphy adds.
As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca observes (via Twitter), the Raptors were 12-5 with Barrett in the lineup but have gone just 6-9 without him. They have worst offensive rating in the NBA over that 15-game span.
Barrett, 25, averaged 19.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists on .506/.356/.725 shooting in his first 17 games of the season. On Friday, the Raptors provided an encouraging update on the former No. 3 overall pick, who was initially listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.
Toronto is expected to announce an injury update on Jakob Poeltl on Monday, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link). The Raptors’ starting center will miss his third straight game Sunday due to a lower back issue the team has recently called a strain. He has been dealing with back problems since training camp.
In a full story for Sportsnet, Murphy discusses his takeaways from Friday’s disappointing 21-point loss to Washington, which has the second-worst record in the league at 6-23. While some of Toronto’s young players have made individual progress this season, others have taken a step back, and the team’s ability to put pressure on the rim has been sorely lacking with Barrett out, Murphy writes.
Latest On Anthony Davis
NBA on Prime insider Chris Haynes hears the Warriors are considering putting together a trade package to try and acquire Anthony Davis (Twitter video link). However, Haynes says the Mavericks aren’t enamored with the assets Golden State could offer for Davis, so if the Warriors do try to make a run at the star big man, a third team might have to be involved.
If it isn’t Davis, the Warriors are still hoping to find a strong defensive center ahead of the trade deadline in February, according to Haynes.
Sources confirm to Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com that the Warriors, Raptors and Hawks are interested in acquiring Davis (story via Ashish Mathur).
Whether he remains with Dallas or is traded to a new team, the 32-year-old is expected to seek a lucrative long-term extension once he becomes eligible to sign one in August, per Dallas Hoops Journal. Both Haynes and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) have heard the same.
Davis, who has dealt with numerous injuries over the years, is currently battling a groin strain. He was initially listed as questionable for Saturday’s contest in Sacramento, but has subsequently been downgraded to out.
“Hopefully, it’s not long,” head coach Jason Kidd said of Davis’ absence (Twitter link via Christian Clark of The Athletic).
Haynes also reported that the Hawks are “very intrigued” by the possibility of trading for Davis. In a separate story for Dallas Hoops Journal, Afseth takes a look at Atlanta’s potential interest in the 10-time All-Star, writing that people around the league think the Hawks might be open to a major roster shake-up in order to snap out of their recent funk — they’ve lost five straight games and are just 2-9 in December.
According to Afseth, a Hawks trade package involving Kristaps Porzingis ($30.7MM expiring contract), Luke Kennard ($11MM expiring salary) and Zaccharie Risacher ($13.2MM in the second year of his rookie scale deal) is very close to what Davis earns this season ($54.1MM), which is one reason why Atlanta is viewed as a potential fit. The Mavs would almost certainly send out another smaller salary or two in that scenario to have additional breathing room below their second-apron hard cap.
Kennard hasn’t made the sort of impact Atlanta was hoping when it signed him to a one-year deal over the summer, Afesth notes. The veteran guard received his first DNP-CD during Friday’s loss to Miami.
RJ Barrett Considered Day-To-Day After Full Contact Work
5:50 pm: Lottery pick Murray-Boyles was actually a late scratch, per Murphy (Twitter link), so either his symptoms resurfaced or there was a miscommunication at some point.
5:15 pm: Raptors wing RJ Barrett has missed extended time due to a right knee sprain, but he’s inching closer to a return. Head coach Darko Rajakovic said Barrett was able to do full contact work on Friday and is progressing “really well,” according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca, who tweets that the Torontonian is now considered day-to-day.
Barrett was already ruled out of Friday’s contest at Washington, which will be his 15th straight absence. The 25-year-old guard/forward last played on November 23.
Barrett resumed on-court activities last week as he continues to ramp up toward his return. He received a PRP injection to promote healing in his injured knee earlier this month.
The No. 3 overall pick of the 2019 draft, Barrett was off to a solid start to 2025/26 prior to sustaining the injury on November 23 vs. Brooklyn. Through 17 games, he averaged 19.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 30.9 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .506/.356/.725.
Rajakovic said pregame that Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles will be active on Friday, Murphy adds. Both forwards were battling illnesses, but they’re feeling better now. They were previously considered questionable.
Toronto is currently 18-13, the No. 4 seed in the East.
Raptors Notes: Poeltl, Frontcourt Depth, Barrett, Davis, Shooting
The Raptors have often been forced to play small-ball with center Jakob Poeltl sidelined by a back injury, The Athletic’s Eric Koreen notes. Power forwards Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles and Sandro Mamukelashvili have been filling in during his absences and the results have been predictable.
With Poeltl out, Toronto lost to the Celtics last week while getting out-rebounded 55-37. Poeltl played just seven minutes on Sunday and the victorious Nets beat the Raptors on the boards, 48-39.
Poeltl has been nagged by back issues since the opening weeks of the season. He signed a three-year extension during the offseason.
“It’s pretty unpredictable. He goes in the game and is great in the game. He might wake up in the next morning feeling good or not feeling good. Same thing with practice,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “We have a long-term plan for him which consists of managing his injury, which consists of building his strength, which consists of him playing through a certain level of pain. Long-term, we are not concerned at all. It’s just something we’re dealing with in the middle of the season. If it were the offseason and we were to shut him down for two weeks, he would be completely fine.”
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Poeltl and RJ Barrett missed Tuesday’s game in Miami, Josh Lewenberg of TSN tweets. Poeltl was listed on the team’s injury report as having a lower back strain, instead of “injury management.” Barrett has been out since Nov. 23 due to a knee injury.
- Michael Grange of Sportsnet argues that the team needs to acquire depth at the center position rather than hoping Poeltl’s back issues subside. Grange doubts the Raptors will take a big swing and try to acquire Anthony Davis from the Mavericks, noting that Dallas may end up not trading the big man anyway. Grange believes Toronto’s front office should chase a reliable backup instead.
- Another approach the Raptors could take to address their frontcourt depth issues is to sign a free agent. Veteran Mo Bamba is currently toiling in the G League and Grange suggests that a 10-day contract next month might be a worthwhile pursuit (Twitter links).
- The Raptors could also use another shooter, Koreen writes in his latest mailbag. He suggests the Raptors pursue potentially available wings such as Quentin Grimes, Keon Ellis and Collin Sexton.
Afseth’s Latest: Spurs, Giannis, J. Johnson, Jazz, Bey
The Spurs have flashed tantalizing potential this season with a 21-7 start and a run to the NBA Cup championship game, but league sources who spoke to Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal don’t expect San Antonio to make the sort of significant in-season trade that would compromise the club’s future flexibility.
“They’re not going to sit around being satisfied, but I don’t see them making a move like trading for Giannis (Antetokounmpo),” a source told Afseth. “There are more reasonable options out there. They can be patient and opportunistic.”
According to Afseth, the expectation is that the Spurs will focus on internal growth of their young core this season while preserving their most valuable long-term assets. Still, he says some rival teams have wondered whether San Antonio would be willing to sacrifice some of those assets for another high-level role player who would complement the current group.
“They have the assets to make a trade like Orlando did to add Desmond Bane,” a source said. “It’d have to be someone that fits their timeline. Someone like a Trey Murphy III, for example, could be a strong fit.”
Here are a few more items of interest from Afseth’s latest round-up:
- If Antetokounmpo is made available this season, many of the top suitors for the Bucks star are expected to be Eastern Conference clubs, says Afseth. That group includes the Heat, Knicks, Hawks, and Raptors, though rival executives are skeptical that New York would want to break up its roster during the season and Atlanta isn’t expected to make forward Jalen Johnson available, Afseth notes.
- While both Afseth and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) say that hanging onto their top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick is a priority for the Jazz, Fischer writes that Utah also wants to “establish a winning environment” sooner rather than later. Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George – along with 2026 restricted free agent Walker Kessler – are viewed as cornerstones for the Jazz, with Kyle Anderson, Jusuf Nurkic, Kevin Love, and Georges Niang considered potential in-season trade candidates, per Afseth. Afseth adds that both management and ownership have confidence that Will Hardy is the right head coach to guide the team out of its rebuilding stage.
- Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey is increasingly piquing the interest of teams in need of help on the wing, according to Afseth, who published a full story on Sunday examining Bey’s return to action this season following a torn ACL. The 26-year-old is averaging 15.0 points and 6.1 rebounds in 29.5 minutes per game through 29 outings (21 starts) for New Orleans.
Cavaliers Rumors: Allen, Trade Candidates, Atkinson, J. Bryant
Even after bouncing back with a seven-point win over Charlotte on Monday, the Cavaliers have been one of the more disappointing teams in the NBA to open the 2025/26 campaign, currently holding a 16-14 record after going 64-18 last year. Owner Dan Gilbert is said to be “very unhappy” with the state of affairs in Cleveland, and there’s a rising sense of urgency to turn things around.
Despite the situation looking pretty bleak at the moment, the Cavaliers have reportedly yet to entertain the idea of trading Darius Garland or Jarrett Allen, two members of the “core four.”
On Saturday’s Wine and Gold Talk podcast (YouTube link), Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com said the Cavs appear reluctant to part with Allen for many of the same reasons as Garland — he’s been limited by injuries, is having a down season, and they’d likely get pennies on the dollar if they thought about moving him before the deadline. As with Garland, the Cavs also seem to be higher on Allen than opposing teams, which is another factor that can’t be discounted, per Fedor.
The Pacers, Knicks and Raptors are among the Eastern teams looking for help in the middle, according to Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal, but the Cavs would have to be blown away to trade Allen to a conference rival.
“[Allen] has a lot of fans around the NBA, but unless the trade package was just irresistible, it’s hard to see the Cavs being willing to help another team in the East,” one source told Afseth. “Keep that in mind.”
Here are a few more rumors regarding the Cavaliers:
- On the same podcast, Fedor identified De’Andre Hunter, Max Strus, Lonzo Ball and Dean Wade as a handful of players on mid-sized salaries who could potentially be traded in the coming weeks if Cleveland’s front office decides against a more drastic overhaul. The issue, Fedor continued, is that Strus has yet to play a game as he continues to recover from offseason foot surgery, and Hunter, Ball and Wade are all struggling in 2025/26. Fedor pointed out that Ball ($10MM team option for ’26/27) and Wade ($6MM expiring contract) could be easier to move than Hunter and Strus, as the latter two make more money and have guaranteed deals next season.
- Afseth hears from sources that Wade, who has spent his entire seven-year career in Cleveland, is a name to watch in the coming weeks. The 29-year-old is known as a solid defender and decent three-point shooter (36.0% for his career), but he’s converting just 29.0% of his outside looks through 27 games in ’25/26, which is by far the worst mark of his career.
- Marc Stein reported on Sunday that Kenny Atkinson could be on the hot seat in the coming weeks unless the Cavs start winning again despite being named Coach of the Year last season. According to Afseth, there have been “internal questions about Atkinson’s leadership,” and if the Cavs do decide to dismiss him, Donovan Mitchell is said to favor Johnnie Bryant taking over as interim coach. Bryant, who is known to have a close relationship with Mitchell, was a finalist for Phoenix’s head coaching job over the summer — that position went to his former colleague Jordan Ott.
Atlantic Notes: Thomas, Powell, Gonzalez, Mamukelashvili
Cam Thomas went through a five-on-five workout for the Nets on Saturday and experienced no setbacks, writes the New York Post’s Brian Lewis (via Twitter).
A hamstring injury has limited Thomas to just eight games this season. He hasn’t played since November 5, when he left the game less than six minutes into his night. In the seven games before that, the Nets guard averaged 24.4 points and 2.9 assists on .408/.356/.875 shooting splits, including a 41-point performance in a loss to the Spurs.
Head coach Jordi Fernandez said there is still no specific target date for Thomas to suit up for the Nets, but noted that this represented a significant step toward his return.
Brooklyn entered Sunday’s game against the Raptors with a 7-19 record, the third-worst mark in the Eastern Conference.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Drake Powell left the Nets‘ loss to the Heat on Thursday after playing just four minutes due to a right ankle injury. This marks the third right ankle injury Powell has suffered this season, but Fernandez says he’s not overly worried about the issue, according to Lewis (Twitter link). “Not concerned, and he’ll be back soon,” Fernandez said of last year’s 22nd-overall pick. Powell has played 19 games for the Nets this season, averaging 6.0 points in 17.7 minutes per contest while shooting 37.8% from three and hitting 20-of-21 free throw attempts.
- Hugo Gonzalez has emerged as a bright spot in the Celtics‘ wing rotation and is proving to be one of the steals of the 2025 draft, opines Brian Robb of MassLive. Gonzalez posted his first double-double in a win on Saturday against the Raptors and was only limited by foul trouble. Head coach Joe Mazzulla was impressed by the young Spaniard’s performance, suggesting he doesn’t mind that Gonzalez’ play occasionally borders on reckless. “[He’s] finding the balance of knowing how to be super aggressive versus defending without fouling so we can keep you on the floor,” Mazzulla said. “You don’t want to take that away because of his instincts and ability to make plays on both ends. He has a great knack for the ball defensively and he’s learning how to play against different matchups and coverages on the offensive end.”
- Sandro Mamukelashvili has gone from career journeyman to key contributor for the Raptors, who entered Sunday with the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference, writes Michael Grange for Sportsnet. “My main focus was [always] like, ‘Just come in there and beat the odds and prove everybody that I can actually stay in this league,’” Mamukelashvili said. Grange notes that the two-year, $5.5MM deal the 26-year-old signed this summer created the most stable situation he has experienced during his time in the league. The versatile big man has responded by posting career highs in points and assists while shooting 39.8% on 3.1 three-point attempts per game. He has been an important part of the Raptors’ season as starting center Jakob Poeltl has been in and out of the lineup due to injuries. That trend continued on Sunday’s game against the Nets, as Poeltl exited early with back stiffness.