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Afseth’s Latest: Mavs, AD, Klay, Giannis, Morant, Kessler, More

December 12th, 2025 at 9:30pm CST by Rory Maher

Although Dallas’ front office is open to listening to offers on Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford and D’Angelo Russell, the Mavericks aren’t “aggressively shopping” any of those four veterans, sources tell Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com.

As Afseth details, rival teams have gotten the impression that the Mavericks are currently evaluating not only their play to this point in the season but also their options on the trade market. They’re viewed as being “opportunistic” instead of a seller, Afseth writes, and whatever moves Dallas makes will be geared toward improving the team’s “long-term outlook.”

According to Afseth, the Mavs want to see Kyrie Irving play alongside Cooper Flagg and believe the star guard can complement the rookie forward and assist in Flagg’s development. Irving’s name is notably not among the aforementioned group.

While the Pistons, Hawks and Raptors are reportedly expected to among the suitors for Davis, sources who spoke to Afseth expressed skepticism about Davis’ fit in Detroit and Atlanta, with Toronto viewed as the best on-court landing spot of the group. Still, as Marc Stein recently reported and Afseth confirms, a Davis trade shouldn’t be viewed as an inevitability.

“The Mavericks are going to want to see how this team looks with AD and Kyrie,” one source told Afseth. “There is no sense in trying to just get rid of AD. The market has to be where they want to make a deal. If there isn’t a good enough deal on the table, I don’t see a deal getting done. They’d get another look at the trade market or evaluate an extension in the summer.”

Here are a few more highlights from Afseth’s rumor round-up:

While Thompson’s on-court contributions have been up and down during his time in Dallas, he has remained a “positive” presence despite the organizational turmoil following the Luka Doncic trade, Afseth reports. If Dallas does end up having serious discussions about Thompson, the team is expected to be “considerate” of Thompson’s desire to play for a contender, Afseth adds.
The future of Giannis Antetokounmpo is the biggest storyline on the trade market, but Afseth hears there haven’t been any new developments on that front. Some rival executives still view the Knicks as the favorites to land Antetokounmpo if he’s made available, but the Heat and Spurs are among the other potential suitors for the two-time MVP.
Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, who returned from a 10-game absence on Friday, is not currently available on the trade market, per Afseth. Should that change, the Heat are not viewed as being a strong fit for the two-time All-Star, Afseth continues.
The Rockets, Timberwolves and Kings are among the teams keeping an eye on point guards ahead of the February 5 deadline, according to Afseth.
The Pacers have done background work on Jazz center Walker Kessler, according to Afseth, who says Tyrese Haliburton is a fan of the fourth-year big man. Kessler, who is out for the year following shoulder surgery, was seeking $120MM+ on a long-term rookie scale extension before the season began, Afseth reports. Kessler will be a restricted free agent next offseason.

Concerns About Aprons, Depth Making Teams Warier Of Highly Paid Vets

December 12th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

As teams around the NBA weigh potential trades or signings that would add a maximum-salary (or near-max) veteran to their roster, they’ve become increasingly wary of navigating the tax aprons, as well as maintaining enough flexibility to build a deep roster, according to executives who spoke to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps.

“There are two major shifts happening,” a Western Conference general manager explained to Windhorst. “We have everyone being very mindful of the aprons and carefully slotting their players to fit. Then you have the nature of the game, where you need deep rosters to play this volume of games at the speed the league is playing.”

Stars are still considered vital to building a championship-caliber roster, Windhorst writes, but front offices are more concerned than ever about the potential availability of a player who will be earning upwards of 30-35% of the salary cap, as well as the cost of acquiring and retaining that player, in terms of either salary, draft picks, or both.

“The max-level guys who make tons of money can’t play as many minutes as they could before, so they become less valuable,” an Eastern Conference executive told Bontemps. “You can’t be committing that much of your money to guys who won’t play at all or cannot sustain the same number of games and minutes.”

“You just can’t paper over a guy on your roster that isn’t delivering value at the highest levels,” another Eastern exec added, per Bontemps. “You can manage missing the lower-end guys, but the long-term salaries making $30, $40, $50 million? There’s no getting over that. Those guys bury you in this system.”

Windhorst recently broached this topic in an episode of The Hoop Collective podcast, expressing some skepticism that there will be teams willing to make massive offers for Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, in today’s ESPN article, Windhorst acknowledges that Antetokounmpo – a two-time MVP who is on the wrong side of 30, is on a super-max contract, and will likely warrant another huge extension in the near future – is among the potential exceptions, writing that the “old rules” still apply to a player of that caliber.

“I don’t think you’d see 29 teams make an offer like if, say, Victor (Wembanyama) was available, but there would be plenty of interest (in Antetokounmpo) and probably two to three teams would be willing to go all-in right now,” an East executive told ESPN. “Every player has risk, and he’d have some risk, but this is one you don’t have to work too hard to talk yourself into.”

Conversely, Mavericks big man Anthony Davis, whose 2025/26 salary is identical to Antetokounmpo’s and who is a year-and-a-half older, is the sort of player whose market would be less robust due to concerns about his availability and the percentage of a team’s cap he’d take up, says Bontemps.

“For a guy like Anthony Davis,” a Western Conference executive said, “it’s hard to justify them getting a 35 percent max when they aren’t playing a ton of minutes and games.”

Execs around the NBA may view Philadelphia as a cautionary tale. The Sixers are paying Joel Embiid and Paul George a combined $107MM this season — they’ve appeared in nine and eight games, respectively, and haven’t performed at their usual level.

Bontemps also points to Kings center Domantas Sabonis, Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen as examples of players whose recent pay raises might make some teams less inclined to give up significant hauls for them if they were available. Sabonis will make $94MM in the two seasons after this one; Jackson has a four-year, $205MM extension starting in 2026; and Markkanen will make nearly $50MM annually through 2028/29.

“On their last contracts, they had good value,” an executive said of that trio. “(Now) they are all at a whole new threshold, where you look at them totally differently.”

While front offices may be proceeding with an abundance of caution on certain trade targets, that doesn’t mean that every star who ends up on the trade block will be available at a discount. Even for players with red flags, there could always be one team willing to make a more aggressive offer than what 28 others would consider rational. Still, Windhorst and Bontemps suggest this evolving league-wide sentiment is a factor that could impact the NBA’s trade market going forward.

“The aprons are causing people to think and act differently,” a scout told ESPN. “But there will always be teams that decide to strike while the irons are hot. … It’s an even bigger risk-reward calculation than it has ever been.”

Northwest Notes: Kessler, Hendricks, Hyland, Braun, Gordon, Strawther

December 9th, 2025 at 9:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz center Walker Kessler indicated to the media that his season-ending left shoulder injury stems back to his college days at Auburn. Kessler only played five games before surgery was required.

“I’ve had a posterior labrum tear on my left shoulder since Auburn. I think the Tennessee game, I tore it and just kind of tried to play through and strengthen it,” Kessler said, per Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune. “The doctor explained it … there’s no amount of strength that’ll keep it from slipping out again and again. So he told me, ‘You got to have the surgery.'”

If he didn’t address the problem, Kessler could have endured many more issues with the shoulder during his career.

“Another thing is, the more you sublux it, the more risk of injury (there is), of destroying everything around it: you know, the rotator cuff, the anterior labrum, and so that’s why it was necessary,” Kessler explained.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

After suffering a severe leg injury last season, Taylor Hendricks has been in and out of the Jazz rotation and is now getting reps in the G League, Larsen notes. “I think right now, the G League minutes are so important for Taylor, because he needs as many repetitions as he can get at the reactive part of the sport that you just can’t replicate when you miss a year,” coach Will Hardy said. “Getting your body used to making those decisions and reacting and fully trusting your body in those moments is where we’re trying to get to with Taylor.” The 2023 lottery pick has appeared in 13 games with Utah this season.
Bones Hyland has at least temporarily displaced Rob Dillingham in the Timberwolves rotation, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “We’re 24 games in, and I thought it was time to try something different,” coach Chris Finch said. “(Hyland)’s been patient. He’s been playing really well in practice, doing everything we ask him to do. We need a spark there.” Hyland, who signed a one-year contract during the offseason to return to Minnesota, had 14 points and three assists in 16 minutes against Phoenix on Monday.
Nuggets coach David Adelman doesn’t expect Christian Braun (ankle) or Aaron Gordon (hamstring) to return to action before Christmas, Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette tweets. Julian Strawther (back) is a little bit further along in his recovery process. He played some half court 3-on-3 after Tuesday’s practice.

Western Notes: Morant, Frank, K. George, Markkanen, Gillespie

December 4th, 2025 at 2:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, who has been out since November 15 due to a right calf strain, has been participating in drills, though he isn’t going full speed or taking contact yet, head coach Tuomas Iisalo said on Thursday, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

While there are still some hurdles Morant needs to clear before he’s ready to return to the court for the Grizzlies, Iisalo feels good about the progress the 26-year-old has made, noting that Morant is considered day-to-day.

“He’s already moving and able to do some things with the team, so looking positive,” Iisalo said.

As Cole writes, even once Morant is available, the Grizzlies will still be short on point guard depth, with Scotty Pippen Jr. (toe), Ty Jerome (calf), and Javon Small (toe) all still inactive.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

While some sources who spoke to Joe Vardon of The Athletic said that Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank and other members of his front office are on track to sign contract extensions, other team sources said that talk of extensions is “premature,” according to Vardon. For what it’s worth, all of those sources stressed that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer values continuity, so there’s no indication that a front office or head coaching change is on the horizon despite the team’s poor start this season, Vardon notes.
Tony Jones of The Athletic provides an interesting, in-depth look at how Keyonte George‘s offseason trip to Lauri Markkanen‘s home country of Finland strengthened the chemistry between the two Jazz teammates and helped set up what has been a breakout season for George so far. Within the story, Markkanen also speaks about his desire to see Utah’s rebuild through. “For me, the journey of getting better and better as a team and then finally breaking through means a lot to me,” the star forward said. “I would love to be a part of the next great Jazz team.”
Suns point guard Collin Gillespie spoke to Mark Medina of RG.org about his increased role, learning from Devin Booker, and his goals for the rest of the season, among other topics. “I just want to continue to play good basketball and shoot the ball well and be efficient,” Gillespie said when asked about his individual goals. “I want to prove that I can be a consistent role player in the NBA. That’s really it. Everything that comes with winning and team success, everything else will come individually.”

Northwest Notes: Murray, Strawther, Thunder, Kessler, Beringer

December 3rd, 2025 at 11:56am CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray exited Monday’s game vs. Dallas due to a right ankle sprain, but it doesn’t sound as if the injury will require an extended absence. In fact, it may not cost Murray any games at all, as he has been listed as questionable to play on Wednesday in Indiana, tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette.

While the update on Murray is good news for the Nuggets, the team is still down multiple starters (Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon), and is also missing reserve wing Julian Strawther, who could have been in line for an increased role if he were healthy. As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes (subscription required), Strawther will miss a ninth consecutive game on Wednesday due to a back injury, and it doesn’t sound as if he’s all that close to returning.

“He’s been doing minimal movement stuff,” head coach David Adelman said on Monday. “He was on the exercise machines today. I think it’s just a process of the (treatment) working and then seeing where it leads to, just through activity. (But) not basketball activity or physicality. So at this moment, I really don’t have any update on him, other than it was good to see him moving around.”

According to Adelman, there wasn’t a specific play on the court that caused Strawther’s injury.

“It wasn’t in-game. It was an off day after a game,” Adelman explained. “He just woke up with pain, and then it got considerably worse, to the point where anybody that’s had back issues — I have — it sucks. Like, you can’t do anything. No mobility. So we’re just trying to work our way through it.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Do the 21-1 Thunder have a legitimate chance to set a new NBA record by winning 74 games in 2025/26? Exploring that question, Sam Amick of The Athletic takes a look at how this year’s Thunder compare to the 73-win Warriors and notes that at least one member of that 2015/16 team believes Oklahoma City could break Golden State’s record. “I do think they’re capable,” Warriors forward Draymond Green told Amick on Tuesday. “You just need so many things to go right, though — from health, (although) they kind of plow right through health (issues), so it don’t matter, it seems. You need a lot of breaks to go your way, but they’re on the right track. I think 73 wins took some years off my life. But like I said, they’re capable of a lot.”
In a feature story for ESPN.com, Anthony Slater does a deep dive on one key contributor to the Thunder‘s success, exploring Chet Holmgren‘s lengthy recovery from a fractured pelvis last season and outlining why the center and his teammates believe Holmgren will keep getting better.
Jazz center Walker Kessler has remained “very engaged” while he recovers from a season-ending shoulder injury, taking part in practices and film sessions, head coach Will Hardy said this week, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Kessler isn’t traveling with the team on road trips, but that will likely happen eventually. “We’ll address the travel part a little bit further into his rehab,” Hardy said. “… I want Walker around the team. Rehab can be very isolating, and I don’t think that’s good for Walker. But that’ll be a little bit further down the road as his rehab gets more established.”
Timberwolves rookie Joan Beringer hasn’t gotten a chance to play much this fall, but a Western Conference scout tells Grant Afseth of RG.org, “People in that building rave about how willing he is to learn.” For his part, Beringer says he’s focused on making a defensive impact and not trying to do too much in the instances when he gets a little playing time. “If I play five, six, seven minutes, I try to be good in my role, and the coach pushes me in this way,” the 19-year-old big man said.

Northwest Notes: Markkanen, K. George, A. Mitchell, Wolves

December 1st, 2025 at 11:17pm CST by Rory Maher

Although the Jazz are incentivized to tank again in 2025/26 so they keep their top-eight protected first-round pick instead of sending it to Oklahoma City, rival teams have gotten the impression Utah would like to be competitive again in the relative short term, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story (subscriber link).

According to Stein, it’s difficult for some teams to gauge the true intentions of new head of basketball operations Austin Ainge, but most of the opposing front offices Stein has spoken to have become “increasingly convinced” the Jazz would rather make a trade to enhance their core around Lauri Markkanen rather than deal away the Finnish star, who is averaging a career-best 27.9 points per game this season.

There has been speculation that Utah could look to move Markkanen within the next year, and Ainge didn’t entirely shut down that possibility in October. The 28-year-old forward is signed to a lucrative long-term contract which runs through the 2028/29 season.

Here’s more from the Northwest:

After struggling mightily in Sunday’s lopsided loss to Houston — he played through an illness and went scoreless on 0-of-6 shooting and committed eight turnovers in 19 minutes — Keyonte George bounced back in a major way in Monday’s victory over the Rockets, finishing with 28 points (on 8-of-14 shooting), eight assists and four rebounds in 37 minutes. The third-year guard is having a breakout season for the Jazz, averaging 22.5 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds on .440/.325/.898 shooting through 19 games (33.9 minutes per contest). George credits an open conversation with head coach Will Hardy at the conclusion of 2024/25 for changing his mentality and raising his expectations, he tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “Our relationship is on a whole other level now. My exit interview was brutal. Will shot it to me straight,” George said. “Will calls me late at night and tells me little things like, ‘Play defense,’ and then he hangs up. But also, we got to the realization where we have some great dialogue. He doesn’t like some stuff and I try to communicate what I was thinking and the group was thinking. That is important for me. With the position I’m playing, I’m a second him on the floor. He can’t play. So, I’m thinking for the group trying to execute what he wants every single possession. Our relationship from my first year to now it’s completely different.”
Ajay Mitchell, a 2024 second-round pick, unexpectedly received immediate rotation minutes while on a two-way contract last season with the Thunder. A toe injury forced him to miss a significant portion of his rookie year, but the Belgian guard was still promoted to a standard contract in February and then signed a team-friendly multiyear deal as a restricted free agent over the summer. Mitchell tells Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscription required) that his lengthy absence helped prepare him for year two, and the former UC Santa Barbara star has made tremendous strides in his second season, boosting his production across the board and improving on both sides of the ball. “He’s just a really good basketball player,” reigning MVP and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “His feel for the game is what jumps out right away. He just understands how to play. It’s almost like when you’re playing with him, it’s like a pickup game. He doesn’t need a play called for him. He doesn’t need too much structure. He just goes out there and figures out a way, makes the right basketball play, plays hard and wins. He makes it easy for me.”
Down four points entering the fourth quarter on Sunday, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch rolled out a lineup featuring Mike Conley, Donte DiVincenzo, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Naz Reid and swung the tide of momentum to a win, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. That five-man group had only played 15 minutes together this season entering Sunday, but blitzed San Antonio during its six minutes together last night. “We’re a hard team to beat when we’re all involved, and it shows,” said Reid, who scored eight of his 15 points in a fourth quarter in which the Wolves outscored the Spurs by 20 points with him on the floor. “If we could do that more consistently, we’re going to be a really, really hard team to beat. It’s fun, especially when you’re doing it at home, getting the crowd involved and all that good stuff. It’s fun basketball.”

Ace Bailey Considered Day-To-Day With Knee Bruise

November 29th, 2025 at 5:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jazz rookie forward Ace Bailey is considered day-to-day after suffering a bruise on his right knee in Friday’s game, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

Northwest Notes: K. George, Bailey, A. Mitchell, Wolves

November 28th, 2025 at 11:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Third-year guard Keyonte George is having a breakout season for the Jazz, putting up career highs in every major counting stat while improving his offensive efficiency and competing harder on the defensive end, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.

George, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer, spoke to Larsen about the work he put in during the offseason to level up his game. He also discussed his relationship and on-court partnership with star forward Lauri Markkanen.

“Yeah, me and Lauri had a long, long, like three-hour conversation at his house right before camp,” George said. “We just laid it all on the floor: some of his individual goals, some of my individual goals. As far as the team: What is our goal? What would a good season, you know, look like for us? And obviously, we know there’s no expectations on our team, but I think just us talking that out was good. We constantly go to dinner on the road, we’re constantly having dialogue. Walking off the court, going on to the court, timeouts, we’re always talking to each other.

“Obviously, being with him for three years now, I understand his game a little bit more, and know some of the actions, know what side of the floor he wants the ball on. I know, like, for example, even though a man might be in front of him, I know I can kick the ball up the floor if he’s right in front of me, knowing that he’s got two directions to drive. So I’ve just honestly been giving him the ball in space and kind of letting him just be him. And then the catch-and-shoots, like you already know, he’s gonna let it rise. So if I can just give him the ball in space and throw it on time, on target, he’s able to get it off faster.

“I’ve got a whole ‘nother level to get to, but I’m obviously happy with my progress, not just with myself, but with the team. The results haven’t been where we want them to be, but we’re starting to realize the game within the game, and that’s when we’ll be able to get over the hump, whenever we continue to figure that out and play well.”

We have more from around the Northwest:

Rookie forward Ace Bailey sustained a right knee contusion in Friday’s game against Sacramento and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, per the Jazz (Twitter link via Larsen). Bailey, the fifth overall pick in the 2025 draft, has been playing well since he entered Utah’s starting lineup a few weeks ago, averaging 14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals on .523/.383/.778 shooting in the eight games leading up to Friday’s win (25.1 minutes per contest).
Second-year Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell also exited Friday’s game an injury — a left knee contusion — and did not return, the team announced. The Belgian combo guard is among the early frontrunners for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
After letting games slip away against Sacramento and Phoenix, Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley led a team dinner Tuesday night where several issues were discussed. Chris Hine of The Star Tribune has more details on the meeting, which involved more than just talking about the Wolves’ late-game troubles. “It’s OK to eat, enjoy each other and watch other basketball games and talk basketball and not be all about business all the time,” Conley said. “Sometimes you need that.”

Cody Williams To Spend Time In G League

November 26th, 2025 at 7:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Jazz have sent 2024 first-round pick Cody Williams to the G League, the team’s Salt Lake City affiliate announced (via Twitter). Williams’ playing time has been declining lately — he logged just three minutes in Sunday’s game and was a DNP-CD on Monday.

Fischer’s Latest: Centers, Vucevic, Davis, Sabonis, Isaac

November 26th, 2025 at 2:52pm CST by Luke Adams

There will likely be several veteran big men available on the trade market ahead of this season’s February 5 deadline, Jake Fischer writes in his latest article for Marc Stein’s Substack.

As Fischer details, the Nets are expected to receive calls about center Nic Claxton, the Suns have made Nick Richards available since the offseason, and the Trail Blazers are considered more open to moving Robert Williams than they were last season. Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic is also expected to generate some interest from rival teams, per Fischer, though I’m skeptical Utah will be able to extract much of value for Nurkic, given his $19.4MM cap hit.

One of the more intriguing in-season trade candidates among frontcourt players could be Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, who has an expiring $21.5MM contract and has remained productive at age 35, with averages of 16.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game to go along with a .495/.407/.786 shooting line.

While Vucevic could generate interest on his own, Fischer suggests that rival executives have wondered whether the Bulls might make a play for a big man like Anthony Davis of the Mavericks or Domantas Sabonis of the Kings, given all the expiring money and cap flexibility Chicago has at its disposal.

Here are a few more highlights from Fischer’s latest rumor round-up:

There’s an “expectation in some corners” that Davis and his representatives will seek a contract extension if he’s traded to a new team in the coming months, Fischer writes. Davis’ current maximum-salary contract with the Mavericks runs through 2026/27, with a $62.8MM player option for ’27/28. If he hopes to lock in another lucrative deal that would begin in 2028, when he’ll be 35, Davis would probably have to stay relatively healthy and play at his usual All-Star level this season after he returns from a calf strain.
Fischer is skeptical that the Warriors will be a major factor in any Sabonis sweepstakes, pointing out that Golden State would have likely have to add multiple quality role players to Jonathan Kuminga‘s $22.5MM contract in order to match Sabonis’ $42.3MM salary. The Warriors did show interest in Sabonis before Indiana traded him in 2022, but Fischer doesn’t think the club is desperate enough to “tear up its roster” for the Kings big man at this point, especially since he’s not a floor spacer or rim protector.
According to Fischer, rival cap strategists believe the Magic‘s cap situation may force the team to part ways at some point with forward Jonathan Isaac, whose four-year, $59MM contract is partially guaranteed in 2026/27 and non-guaranteed beyond that. While it’s unclear whether Orlando would make Isaac available during the ’25/26 season, he’s a name worth keeping an eye on, Fischer says.