Raptors’ Hepburn Undergoes Knee Surgery, Out At Least Six Weeks
Raptors guard Chucky Hepburn has undergone surgery to address a torn meniscus in his right knee and will be reevaluated in six weeks, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link).
Hepburn spent three years at Wisconsin prior to transferring to Louisville for his senior season in 2024/25. He went undrafted in June and quickly agreed to a two-way contract with the Raptors.
The 6’0″ point guard has only made two NBA appearances with Toronto for a total of 13 garbage-time minutes. Hepburn has been a productive player at the G League level with the Raptors 905 though, averaging 12.4 points, 8.6 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.1 rebounds on .415/.368/.871 shooting in 18 Tip-Off Tournament and regular season games (29.3 minutes per contest).
The 22-year-old’s absence won’t have much of an impact on the Raptors’ NBA rotation, given his modest role as a rookie. But obviously the Raptors 905 will miss having their top passer and play-maker for the next several weeks.
In other Raptors injury news, Jakob Poeltl (back) went through a light practice on Thursday in Boston, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, but will miss his ninth consecutive game on Friday against the Celtics (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of Sports.net). Scottie Barnes (right knee sprain) and Brandon Ingram (right thumb sprain) are questionable to suit up tomorrow, Murphy adds.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Bamba, Knicks, Simons, Walker
The Pacers signed Tony Bradley to a 10-day deal on Thursday just three days after releasing him from his non-guaranteed contract, but it doesn’t sound as if the Raptors will go the same route with Mo Bamba.
Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who speculated after Toronto waived Bamba on Tuesday that he could return on a 10-day deal, says the Raptors considered that possibility but have decided against it for now. According to Grange, starting center Jakob Poeltl is close to returning after missing the team’s past eight games due to back issues, so re-signing Bamba – which would push the team further over the luxury tax line – isn’t considered necessary at this time.
With Poeltl nearly back and rookie Collin Murray-Boyles playing well, the Raptors will be selective about how and when they complete 10-day deals between now and the trade deadline, Grange explains, adding that Bradley is actually another potential frontcourt target to watch if Indiana doesn’t make a rest-of-season commitment to him.
We have more from around the Atlantic:
- James L. Edwards III of The Athletic considers whether or not the Knicks should make a trade to try to improve their defense, identifying Jose Alvarado, Keon Ellis, and Ochai Agbaji as a few targets who might make sense. While Agbaji probably has the least trade value of those three players, his $6.4MM salary would be the most challenging for New York to accommodate, Edwards notes. Alvarado is earning $4.5MM, while Ellis’ cap hit is just $2.3MM.
- Anfernee Simons was considered a candidate to be traded again from the moment the Celtics acquired him over the summer, but he keeps showing he deserves to stick with the team, opines Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscription required). Simons has averaged 17.3 points in 24.8 minutes per game on .486/.531/.889 shooting in his past six outings and earned praise from head coach Joe Mazzulla for his “great attitude.” Moving his $27.7MM in a cost-cutting move may no longer be a priority for a Boston team that has been more competitive than projected.
- Sixers two-way player Jabari Walker has been active for every one of the team’s games so far this season, but his eligibility is rapidly running out — as long as Philadelphia continues to carry an open spot on its 15-man roster, the team can only use up to 90 total games for two-way players — or up to 50 for Walker, specifically. Those counts are currently at 72 and 35, respectively. “Every now and then, it will pop up in my mind, but just putting my energy toward what I can control right now,” Walker said when asked about his dwindling eligibility, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required). “And just whatever happens, just knowing that I left an impact on my teammates and left an impact in the game, I think that’s the biggest truth.”
Raptors Notes: Murray-Boyles, Mamukelashvili, Ingram, Barnes
It’s easy to overlook Collin Murray-Boyles in a talented rookie class, but the Raptors power forward has started showing that he’s worthy of recognition, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet. Murray-Boyles displayed his versatility in Monday’s win over Atlanta, finishing with 17 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks, making him the first rookie to reach those numbers in a single game since 1991. Grange notes that only three players overall have achieved that combination over the past decade.
“A common mistake is when a player comes in, you already have an idea of what he has to be,” coach Darko Rajakovic said. “Sometimes we as coaches just try to box them in. Obviously, there is a role and there is stuff you’ve got to do. There is stuff you’ve got to learn. We’re constantly learning about Collin, what he can do, how he’s learning, how he is picking up on things. It’s really impressive, his development. The opportunity he’s taking on right now, he’s doing impressive things for us.”
Murray-Boyles does the little things as well, Grange adds, such as getting loose balls, hitting the offensive boards and playing the passing lanes on defense. Averaging just 19.2 minutes per night, he’s not going to have the flashy numbers of some of his peers, but he finds satisfaction in being part of such a strong rookie class.
“Everybody’s finding their niche,” he said. “Everybody’s making an impact on whatever team they were picked. … We’re proud of what we’ve done so far.”
There’s more from Toronto:
- As a late second-round pick in 2021, Sandro Mamukelashvili has felt the need to prove himself since he arrived in the NBA, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. He’s finding ways to limit his self-doubts while enjoying a breakout season in his first year with Toronto. “It’s been tough because of the position I was in,” Mamukelashvili said. “It’s not like you have a lot of chances to make a mistake. When you’re a second rounder on a two-way (contract), you’re such an easy person to move. If they like somebody else, you’re the first one gone. … I was hard on myself because I put a lot of work in and nothing came easy for me.”
- Brandon Ingram left tonight’s game at Charlotte with a sprained right thumb, but X-rays were negative, Lewenberg relays (Twitter link).
- The decision to waive veteran center Mo Bamba on Tuesday leaves the Raptors $967K over the tax threshold and $717K away from the first apron, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). Toronto is not operating under a hard cap.
- Eric Koreen of The Athletic breaks down the roster into trade tiers, with Scottie Barnes as the only player listed as “practically untouchable.”
Siegel’s Latest: Sabonis, Raptors, Bucks, Warriors, Nets, White, Lakers
After buying low on Brandon Ingram at last season’s trade deadline, could the Raptors seek out a similar move this February? According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, Kings center Domantas Sabonis is one name that has been continually linked to Toronto. The Raptors’ interest in Sabonis was first reported in December by Jake Fischer and has since been corroborated by several other outlets.
Malik Monk is another player who has intrigued Toronto in the past, Siegel writes, noting that Kings general manager Scott Perry drafted current Raptors veterans RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley when he was in New York’s front office. While there’s no indication that the two teams have seriously discussed such a deal involving those four players, Siegel suggests that sort of framework could be worth keeping an eye on.
If Toronto does end up moving Barrett in that sort of bigger move, he’d likely draw interest from several teams besides Sacramento, Siegel writes, given the lack of high-level wing talent on the trade market. The Bucks, for example, expressed interest in Barrett last season, per Siegel.
Here’s more from Siegel’s latest NBA rumor round-up:
- The Warriors have internally discussed many possible center trade targets, including Myles Turner and Bobby Portis of the Bucks, per Siegel. A number of teams around the NBA are curious about Milwaukee’s plans for Portis, Siegel continues, with the Hornets and Suns also considered possible suitors, perhaps in multi-team scenarios.
- Suns guard Jalen Green is among the players the Bucks have inquired on, but Phoenix isn’t interested in moving him at this point, says Siegel. Given that Green has only played two games this season due to hamstring issues, the Suns view him as a sort of trade-deadline addition themselves, Siegel explains.
- Although the Nets are fielding inquiries on players like Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton, they aren’t actively looking to move them. In order for Brooklyn to consider a deal involving either player, the starting point for a package would have to be a “true” unprotected first-round pick, Siegel writes.
- The Mavericks and the Clippers are among the teams with interest in Bulls guard Coby White, sources tell Siegel, who reiterates that the Timberwolves also remain interested and notes that some league insiders have speculated that the Hawks could be a destination for White in the event of a Trae Young trade.
- With higher-level options like Herbert Jones potentially out of reach, players like Bulls forward Isaac Okoro, Kings guard Keon Ellis, and Nets wing Haywood Highsmith are considered more realistic possibilities for a Lakers team seeking defensive help, according to Siegel. Mavericks forward Naji Marshall is another possible trade candidate to add to that group if Dallas commits to becoming a seller.
Latest On Anthony Davis
Although the Mavericks will continue fielding calls on Anthony Davis, team sources insist to Christian Clark and Sam Amick of The Athletic that the front office feels no urgency to move the star big man. As Clark and Amick explain, the Mavs have signaled that they’d like to see Davis play alongside Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg and can envision a scenario in which he stays in Dallas long-term.
A report earlier this week indicated that Davis’ preference would be to remain in Dallas and sign a contract extension with the Mavericks. However, AD’s representatives at Klutch Sports, led by CEO Rich Paul, aren’t convinced the Mavs are interested in extending their client and wouldn’t mind getting him to a team more likely to pursue a new contract agreement, league sources tell The Athletic.
While Davis and his camp haven’t requested a trade, Clark and Amick suggest that Paul has encouraged the Mavericks to be “more aggressive” in gauging the 32-year-old’s market rather than waiting for teams to call.
Here’s more from The Athletic’s latest report on where things stand with Davis:
- As previously reported, the Hawks and Raptors are among the teams with Davis on their radar, but it’s unclear how motivated either team will be to get a deal done with Dallas. Atlanta wouldn’t want to take on Davis’ contract without moving Trae Young, who doesn’t appeal to the Mavericks, Clark and Amick write, while a deal with Toronto would require the Mavs to take on significant multiyear money.
- As Amick wrote last week, the door isn’t completely closed on the idea of a trade sending Davis to Golden State. However, with the Warriors still “staunchly” opposed to giving up Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green in such a deal, there’s no feasible path to a salary-matching fit.
- The Bucks are among the teams to convey interest in Davis, league sources tell Clark and Amick. Milwaukee is probably a long shot though, since the club is short on appealing assets and also lacks sizable contracts for matching purposes.
- Many league insiders believe the Mavericks will have to wait until the offseason to find a deal they like for Davis, but there’s also a sense that the lack of dominant teams in the Eastern Conference could make one of those potential contenders more inclined to take a shot on Davis during the season, per Clark and Amick. “Every team in the East believes they’re an Anthony Davis away from making the (NBA) Finals,” a high-level source explained to The Athletic.
Raptors Waive Mo Bamba
Just over a week after signing him, the Raptors have waived center Mo Bamba, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).
The sixth overall pick of the 2018 NBA draft, Bamba opened the 2025/26 season in the G League, then joined the Raptors last Monday to provide depth in the middle while starting center Jakob Poeltl recovers from a back injury.
Bamba, 27, was excelling in the NBAGL for the Salt Lake City Stars, averaging 16.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game in 14 outings for Utah’s affiliate. However, he didn’t play much during his brief stint with Toronto, logging four minutes last Monday vs. Orlando and just 93 seconds in garbage time on Saturday against Atlanta.
Bamba’s contract was non-guaranteed, so waiving him prior to this week’s league-wide salary guarantee date will allow the Raptors to avoid paying his full salary. The team will take on a cap charge of $194,771 for Bamba’s 11 days of service (nine on the roster and two on waivers).
Teams are now permitted to sign players to standard 10-day contracts, so the Raptors may bring back Bamba on a short-term deal once he clears waivers.
On the other hand, Poeltl’s return may not be far off — he’s taking contact and working on his reconditioning, head coach Darko Rajakovic said on Monday (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca). Toronto has also been playing well as of late with Sandro Mamukelashvili playing a regular role off the bench behind a small-ball starting lineup that features rookie Collin Murray-Boyles as the de facto five. Still, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link) believes there’s a decent chance the team re-signs Bamba to a 10-day deal for insurance purposes.
Bamba is the second veteran center on a non-guaranteed contract to hit waivers this week, joining former Pacers big man Tony Bradley, who was cut on Monday.
Jalen Brunson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Win Player Of The Month Awards
A pair of star point guards and MVP candidates have been named the NBA’s Players of the Month for December, with Jalen Brunson of the Knicks winning the award in the East and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder claiming it in the West, per the league (Twitter link).
Brunson was named Player of the Week twice in December and led the Knicks to an NBA Cup championship. He averaged 30.6 points, 7.1 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per contest in 13 December outings, posting a strong shooting line of .475/.405/.826 and leading his team to a 10-3 record in the games he played.
Those stats don’t include the NBA Cup final, which doesn’t count toward the regular season, but he was excellent in that game too, racking up 25 points and eight assists as the Knicks toppled the Spurs.
Gilgeous-Alexander, meanwhile, continued to strengthen his case for a second consecutive Most Valuable Player award in 12 December appearances, with averages of 31.4 points, 6.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game, and a scorching-hot .594/.436/.882 shooting line.
Gilgeous-Alexander now ranks second in the NBA in scoring (32.1 PPG), while his Thunder – following a 9-4 December – hold the league’s best record at 29-5.
It’s the third time Brunson has won a Player of the Month award and the fifth time Gilgeous-Alexander has earned the honor. Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic were the NBA’s first Players of the Month this season, for games played in October and November.
Cunningham was also nominated for the Eastern Conference award in December, along with Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Raptors forward Brandon Ingram, Hawks forward, Jalen Johnson, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Nets forward Michael Porter Jr., and Brunson’s teammate Karl-Anthony Towns, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
The other Western Conference nominees were Jokic, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Rockets forward Kevin Durant, Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox, Jazz guard Keyonte George, Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, Trail Blazers teammates Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe, Timberwolves teammates Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, and Lakers teammates Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves.
Holmgren, Stewart Named Defensive Players Of The Month
A Thunder player has been named the Western Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for a second consecutive time. After guard Cason Wallace won the award for October/November, big man Chet Holmgren has earned the honor for December, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
The Thunder, who entered December with a 20-1 record, have looked more mortal in recent weeks, winning nine of 13 games over the course of the month. However, they still posted the conference’s top defensive rating (106.2) in December, with Holmgren acting as the team’s anchor and rim protector.
Holmgren’s 2.0 blocks per game in December ranked second in the conference, while his 8.5 contested shots per game placed him seventh among Western players. Oklahoma City’s defense this past month was nearly six points per 100 possessions better when Holmgren was on the court (101.7) than when he wasn’t (107.6).
Clippers guard Kris Dunn and a trio of former Defensive Players of the Year – Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves), Draymond Green (Warriors), and Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies) – were also nominated in the Western Conference, per the league (Twitter link).
An unlikely winner claimed the Eastern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month award for December, with Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart taking it home despite coming off the bench in 12 of his 13 games and averaging just 23.0 minutes per night during the past month.
Despite his limited role, Stewart ranked second in the East in blocks (2.2) and contested shots (9.4) per game, helping lead Detroit to a 9-4 record and the league’s third-best defensive rating (109.8) in December. The Pistons’ defensive rating with Stewart on the floor was 104.5, compared to 112.2 when he sat.
Knicks teammates OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, and Celtics guard Derrick White were the other nominees in the East. Notably, the Nets didn’t have a nominee despite posting the NBA’s best defensive rating (105.4) in December.
Raptors Notes: Barnes, Reserves, Bamba, Barrett
On the heels of one of their most disappointing losses of the season on Friday in Washington, the Raptors bounced back in impressive fashion, beating Golden State and Orlando in back-to-back games on Sunday and Monday.
In the victory over the Warriors, forward Scottie Barnes led the way by posting the first 20-20 triple-double in franchise history (23 points, 25 rebounds, and 10 assists). In the process, Barnes showed why he remains a centerpiece of the Raptors’ future despite his limitations as a scorer, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic.
On Monday, with Barnes not at his best (13 points, 5-of-12 shooting), Toronto found another way to win against the Magic, leaning on reserves like Jamal Shead (19 points, five assists), Gradey Dick (15 points), and Collin Murray-Boyles (12 rebounds, two blocks) to help propel them to a victory.
“Those guys, they’re built of special cloth,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said of his youngsters after the win, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. “They’re built of resiliency. They’re really putting in a lot of work. It doesn’t matter if we win, we lose. It doesn’t matter if we’re up, we’re down. It does not really matter what kind of mood we’re in. They’re extremely professional. They’re doing a good job of preparing for each game. They keep going forward.
“I love how fearless they are. I love how together they play. That’s something very important for young guys to learn early in their careers: You’ve got to bring energy every night. It’s very important.”
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Rajakovic was “very disappointed” that Barnes wasn’t among the top 20 Eastern Conference vote-getters in the first returns of the fan vote for the 2026 All-Star Game, as Grange relays. “We need to get this right. Canada needs to get this right,” the Raptors’ coach said. “… Only two players in the NBA this season have 500 points-plus, 250 assists-plus, 25 blocks-plus and 250 rebounds-plus, and that’s Nikola Jokic and Scottie Barnes. I have no doubt that Scottie Barnes is an All-Star. I have no doubt that he needs to be toward the top of that list of players in the East. Canada, we need to get that fixed right now.”
- Newly signed to a non-guaranteed contract, Mo Bamba didn’t make much of an impact in his Raptors debut on Monday — he blocked a shot but committed two fouls, and the team was outscored by nine points during his four minutes on the court. Still, with Jakob Poeltl out due to a back issue, Bamba should get more chances to show he deserves to stick with the team a little longer, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. “I think this is a good opportunity for him to prove to everybody that he belongs in this league,” Rajakovic said. “We’re going to have a very clear plan for him. We’re going to give him an opportunity to show what he can do and hopefully it works for both sides.”
- Bamba said on Monday that he and the Raptors had been in contact since the G League Showcase earlier this month before reaching a contract agreement over the weekend. The former lottery pick added that he has known a few of his new teammates – including Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Barnes – for several years (Twitter links via Lewenberg).
- Barrett had just 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting in his return from a sprained knee on Sunday, then sat out on Monday in the second end of a back-to-back. However, his teammates were very happy to have him back — Toronto’s 116.6 offensive rating during Barrett’s minutes this season is the highest mark of among Raptors players. “He creates so much pressure on the rim,” Barnes said on Sunday, per Grange. “Catch and shoot is amazing. Transition, we know we miss him a lot, those fast breaks … he gets out and runs a lot. He leads our fast breaks. He’s big for us. With play-making, you saw when I screened for him, being able to get that roll, going downhill (and getting) easy dunks. He does a lot for this team that it’s hard to try to take over in that sense.”
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.