Point guard Darius Garland and wing Sam Merrill were both injured during Wednesday’s win in Philadelphia and are being evaluated this weekend, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Garland is dealing with soreness in his right big toe, a concerning development given his recent history. The discomfort is in the opposite foot from the toe injury that required offseason surgery, but it is the same type of issue that has lingered at times during the season.
Garland remains Cleveland’s second-leading scorer, making any potential absence more than a minor inconvenience.
Merrill, meanwhile, suffered a sprain to his right hand. He missed roughly a month earlier this season with a similar injury, though team sources told Fedor that the bruising and swelling are far less severe this time.
That tracks with what head coach Kenny Atkinson observed, noting that Merrill was able to use his hand normally before Friday’s win, also in Philly.
The Cavs have survived a rotating injury list for much of the season. Whether they will need to adjust again depends on what the next round of examinations reveals.
They host the reigning champion Thunder on Monday at 2:30 p.m. EST.
That did not stop the conversation from reaching the floor. Vardon reported that one of Reaves’ agents approached Paul at halftime of Tuesday’s game against Atlanta to discuss the remarks. The exchange lasted several minutes and centered on the public trade scenario.
LeBron James made it clear he was not part of it. Speaking to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, James said he loves playing with Reaves and stressed that Paul’s comments were not a reflection of his own feelings.
“Rich is his own man,” James said. “What Rich says is not a direct reflection of me.”
James added that there has been no fallout with Reaves, calling him his longest-tenured teammate and noting they communicate daily. In short, James said grown men can say what they want on their own platforms, and it should not be assigned to anyone else.
The Lakers, for what it is worth, are 24-15 and sitting fifth in the West. They appear more focused on winning games than on podcast hypotheticals.
The Warriors have looked at the idea and moved on.
According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Golden State no longer has interest in trading for Anthony Davis, whose left hand ligament injury is expected to sideline him for at least six weeks after he opted against surgery.
“I sense zero appetite for that right now from the Warriors,” Slater said on ESPN. “Not only trading for a guy, but you would very likely trade Draymond Green in that scenario. Imagine trading Draymond Green for a guy who might be back around playoff time.”
That is a nonstarter in Golden State.
Davis’ situation remains complicated elsewhere. Members of the Mavericks have expressed interest in seeing him alongside Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, sources told Dallas Hoops Journal. Still, Dallas is sitting 12th in the West and may be better positioned to let losses stack, given that 2026 is the final draft before its first-round pick obligations tighten.
Davis has appeared in just 29 games since arriving in Dallas following the Luka Doncic trade and is earning $54.1 million this season. He is eligible for a massive extension in August. His agent, Rich Paul, would prefer clarity sooner rather than later.
It finally clicked in a big way for Pacers center Jay Huff.
Huff delivered a career night in Friday’s win over New Orleans, pouring in 29 points on 13-of-17 shooting while adding nine rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in 29 minutes, as relayed by The Indianapolis Star’s Dustin Dopirak.
Teammates have seen it coming.
“He’s getting better just at understanding where he needs to be,” Pascal Siakam said. “He’s a shooter, so sometimes I think he forgets that he’s seven feet. Get down there, get some of those dunks.”
Huff’s season did not start this way. Through December, he averaged just 7.8 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting under 30 percent from three. Since the calendar flipped, the 27-year-old has found rhythm, averaging 13.4 points on better than 66 percent shooting over the past eight games.
“There’s growth with his connection with his teammates,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s feeling the game better and better.”
Defense has never been the question. Huff, a former G League Defensive Player of the Year, ranks second in the NBA in blocks per game among qualifiers.
Kings
Kings big man Domantas Sabonis returned Friday after missing 27 games with a partially torn meniscus.
Coming off the bench, Sabonis posted 13 points, six rebounds, and five assists in a win over Washington.
The Cavaliers were short-handed again, on the road again, and staring down a tight finish against the 76ers. What resulted was the clearest snapshot yet of how far Jaylon Tyson has come.
Tyson poured in a career-high 39 points and then made the play that actually won the game, a perfectly timed drop-off to Evan Mobley for the go-ahead dunk in the final seconds of a 117-115 win. Scoring grabs attention. Decisions win games.
With Darius Garland and Sam Merrill out, Cleveland leaned on Tyson in ways nobody would have predicted a year ago. He responded by shooting 13-of-17 from the field, 7-of-9 from three, and a clean 6-of-6 at the line. He added five rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes that never felt rushed.
If Tyson is not at the front of the Most Improved Player discussion, Mitchell said, then the award has lost its meaning. Nobody walked into Philadelphia expecting a 39-point night from a second-year player thrust into that role. That, Mitchell argued, is the point of the award.
Coach Kenny Atkinson called it a five-star performance, but the praise kept circling back to the final possession. On the inbound, Lonzo Ball trusted Tyson. Tyson trusted the read. Mobley finished it.
That play told the story. Tyson could have chased 40. Instead, he chased the win.
“I just feel like it was a good team win,” Tyson told reporters. “I don’t want to make this all about me. Obviously, I did have a good game, but I feel like everybody made good plays… It was a good game, but I’m just glad we won. Get to celebrate on the plane and go to sleep.”
The numbers support the growth. Tyson is averaging 13.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and a steal while shooting over 52 percent from the floor and nearly 48 percent from three in just over 27 minutes a night.
Teammates see it daily. De’Andre Hunter said Tyson has been one of the Cavs’ most consistent players, defending, shooting, and making the right reads without changing who he is.
“The scoring is one thing, but for the presence of mind as a second-year player to not try to go take the layup and be the hero, to go ahead and make the right play, that to me was just as big as anything else,” Mitchell said. “He could’ve tried to get 40. He could’ve at the moment [been] about him, but instead, he makes the right play to win us the game.
“That’s a special mindset. It’s one thing to have a big night, guys have big nights. But in the biggest moment, biggest situation in a crucial situation, he goes out there and does that.
That matters inside a locker room.
Cleveland has now taken three of the last four and continues to stack wins while reshuffling lineups. Nights like Friday explain why they keep surviving it. Tyson is not surprising anyone anymore.
He is earning trust, moment by moment, and on Friday, he earned it when the game was still hanging in the balance.
The Lakers continue to hover in the background, and this time the name drawing their attention is Jonathan Kuminga.
Sources told Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal that the Lakers remain one of the teams to watch in the Kuminga market. His trade eligibility earlier this month only accelerated conversations that had already been quietly circulating. Oh, he also demanded a trade.
Contract mechanics are doing much of the work here. Kuminga is on a two-year deal worth roughly $46.8 million, with a $24.3 million team option for 2026-27. That structure gives acquiring teams options rather than obligations, a rare and useful trait in deadline season.
League sources told Afseth that Golden State has shown a preference for expiring or short-term money in any Kuminga framework, narrowing the field to teams that can move cleanly.
The Lakers fit that description. Their payroll allows for aggregation and rerouting, and sources say Los Angeles continues to prioritize athleticism and defensive versatility on the wing around Luka Doncic. Kuminga checks both boxes.
The Mavericks and Kings have also monitored Kuminga, though neither is viewed as driving the market. Sacramento’s past interest remains real, but asset limitations linger.
Nothing appears imminent. Still, if Golden State places a call, the Lakers are positioned to answer the phone.
As the Feb. 5 deadline creeps closer, league executives keep circling the same name, and it is not subtle anymore.
Michael Porter Jr. is playing the best basketball of his career, and he is doing it for a Nets team that is clearly pointed toward the future. Those two facts tend to collide this time of year.
Porter has become Brooklyn’s primary scoring option since arriving last summer, and the numbers are loud. He is averaging 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while shooting nearly 49 percent from the field and better than 40 percent from three on high volume.
Scouts told Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal the appeal is simple. He scores without hijacking possessions, moves defenders with gravity, and plugs into good teams without forcing structural change.
“You can put him anywhere and he helps,” one scout said, pointing to how seamlessly Porter once fit next to Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in Denver.
That is why the Warriors continue to hover. League sources told Afseth there is legitimate interest, even if public noise has been muted. Golden State has a history of going quiet before going hard.
The wrinkle is structure. Around the league, there is growing belief that any Porter deal could require multiple teams, with Jonathan Kuminga rerouted elsewhere. His contract, which includes a 2026-27 team option, is viewed as a flexible asset. The Lakers, Kings, and Mavericks have all been mentioned as teams to monitor in those conversations.
Brooklyn is not rushed. Porter is under contract through 2026-27, and the Nets have draft capital in hand. That gives them leverage.
For contenders, the appeal is obvious. For the Nets, patience might be the smartest play.
This one lives firmly in hypothetical land, but it is the kind of idea that keeps popping up because it makes just enough sense to argue about.
The Warriors are operating at the uncomfortable intersection of urgency and nostalgia. The dynasty years are in the rearview mirror. The present has been uneven. And yet Stephen Curry is still playing like a man with real basketball left.
That matters.
It is why Golden State keeps sniffing around star-level names, and why Zion Williamson continues to surface in league-wide what-ifs. With all that in mind, here is a trade idea from James Piercey of Dallas Hoops Journal:
Williamson remains one of the league’s most devastating interior scorers when he plays. He is averaging 22.6 points while shooting nearly 59 percent this season. The production is not the issue. Availability has been.
His contract reflects that tension. The guarantees loosen after this season, creating protection but also forcing decision points. Meanwhile, the Pelicans are quietly drifting toward a new timeline centered on Derik Queen. They paid a premium to get him. At some point, you have to build around that investment.
Kuminga offers flexibility. Moody offers shooting and defensive utility. The pick restores draft equity. None of it replaces Zion’s ceiling, but it spreads the risk.
Sometimes that is the point.
Why Golden State Thinks About It
This is about pairing forces.
Curry bends defenses outward. Williamson caves them in. One stretches the court to absurdity. The other turns the paint into a crime scene. When healthy, Williamson averages 24.4 points for his career, almost entirely at the rim. Few players in the league stress a defense more efficiently.
The Warriors would also be betting on contract mechanics. Zion’s remaining guarantees are conditional. That matters for a team staring at the back end of its competitive window.
Kuminga’s situation pushes this further. He is productive. He is talented. And he has already complicated his future in Golden State. Turning that uncertainty into one massive swing fits the Warriors’ current reality.
Big Picture
This is the kind of trade that only shows up when timelines crack.
Golden State would be admitting patience is definitely not the plan. New Orleans would be acknowledging the original vision never fully arrived. Neither outcome is clean. Both are honest.
And if nothing else, it explains why Zion-to-the-Warriors keeps floating back into the conversation. When a team still has Curry, standing still rarely feels like an option.
The Timberwolves have looked around. They have kicked the tires. They are not kicking them very hard.
According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Minnesota is highly unlikely to make a splashy move for Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant or Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball, despite weeks of league-wide speculation. The Wolves sit fourth in the Western Conference and appear content to protect what they already have.
The reasons are mostly practical. Team sources told The Athletic that Minnesota is just a few million dollars under the second apron and is determined not to cross it in 2025-26, when penalties for repeat spenders become especially restrictive. There is also concern about gutting depth to make salaries work for a star-level acquisition.
In other words, the juice is not worth the squeeze.
Krawczynski reports that president of basketball operations Tim Connelly is more likely to explore modest additions, perhaps a wing or ballhandler who can ease late-game pressure on Anthony Edwards. Even that need may be softening after strong recent play from younger pieces.
One player summed it up succinctly after a statement win over Milwaukee. “We don’t need anything,” he told The Athletic.
Morant earns $39.4 million this season and has been linked to several teams, though nothing has advanced. Ball makes $37.9 million and has not indicated a desire to leave Charlotte.
The Wolves have reached the Western Conference Finals two straight years. They are not in a rush to blink now.
As the February 5 trade deadline approaches, league executives are still circling the Mavericks, trying to determine which direction, if any, the franchise is prepared to take.
Davis has appeared in just 29 games since being acquired last February and is averaging 20.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. Solid numbers, but below his established standard.
Davis opted against surgery to repair ligament damage in his left hand and is expected to heal within six weeks, per the team. That timeline, however, has only complicated matters.
Sources told Afseth that teams previously linked to Davis, including the Raptors and Hawks, have not gained traction in talks.
“The Mavericks’ leverage is materially worse after the hand injury,” one Western Conference executive told Afseth. “I don’t think he has much of a market.”
Contract timing is also a factor. Davis is under contract through 2027-28 with a $62.7 million player option next season and will be eligible for a massive extension this offseason. League sources say Davis’ camp would prefer clarity on a long-term deal, something Dallas is not positioned to offer right now.
Several executives believe the most realistic trade window may come later, when Davis is viewed as closer to an expiring contract.
While Davis remains the headline, rival teams have also checked in on complementary pieces. Afseth reports continued interest in Naji Marshall, who is enjoying a career year at 14.0 points per game on 54.3 percent shooting, and Daniel Gafford, though concerns about Gafford’s lingering ankle issues have surfaced.
Other names to monitor include Klay Thompson, whose shooting has stabilized after a slow start, and D’Angelo Russell, who has fallen out of the rotation and is viewed by scouts as a clear change-of-scenery candidate.
The Grizzlies expect trade chatter around Ja Morant to pick up once he is back on the floor.
That could come Sunday in Berlin, where Memphis faces the Magic. Morant has been sidelined since Jan. 2 with a right calf injury, but head coach Tuomas Iisalo said the star guard went through a full practice Friday.
“There’s a good chance he plays,” Iisalo said, via the Associated Press. “He went through the full practice today and now we’ve just got to see how his body responds.”
Morant has appeared in just 18 games this season, slowed by injuries and a one-game suspension in early November. He is averaging 19.0 points and 7.6 assists in 28.3 minutes while shooting a career-low 40.1 percent from the field and 20.8 percent from three.
Iisalo insists the two are aligned.
“We have a very good working relationship,” he said.
That has not stopped daily speculation. The Timberwolves, Kings, Heat, Bucks, Raptors, Nets, and Mavericks have all been mentioned as potential suitors. None of those talks are believed to be serious yet.
Morant has two years left on his five-year, $197.2 million deal, and his value has taken a hit amid declining production and off-court noise.
Suns
In a feature for ESPN, Tim MacMahon detailed how Dillon Brooks has helped reshape culture and drive winning in Phoenix after his exit from Memphis.
Brooks admitted he felt written off after the 2023 offseason.
“I didn’t want to fall off,” Brooks told ESPN. “I love this game, and I play it because I really love it.”
The Suns are seeing the payoff. At 24-17, they have already surpassed last season’s win pace after finishing 36-46 a year ago.
“He’s in the gym more than anybody that I know,” guard Collin Gillespie said. “You might not like it sometimes if he’s getting on you, but it makes you a better player.”
Owner Mat Ishbia echoed that sentiment, praising Brooks’ toughness and leadership.
“He’s exactly the type of player we want to be,” Ishbia told ESPN. “He’s been even better than expected.”
The Lakers are limping into Portland, and this time it is not just about the previous loss.
After falling at home to Charlotte, the Lakers will be without the league’s leading scorer on Saturday night. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports that Luka Doncic will sit out with left groin soreness.
The injury report does not stop there. Centers Jaxson Hayes and Deandre Ayton are both listed as questionable, Hayes with left hamstring tendinopathy and Ayton with left knee soreness.
The backdrop is a defensive performance that raised eyebrows inside the locker room. According to Janis Carr of The Orange County Register, Marcus Smart did not mince words after the Hornets torched Los Angeles for 137 points while shooting over 53 percent from the field.
“When they play us, everything goes through the roof,” Smart said. “We have to figure it out.”
Now the Lakers (24-15) try to do exactly that, short-handed and on the road, with urgency suddenly more than a buzzword.
This one had every reason to go sideways. Short-handed roster. Sloppy start. Late mistakes. And yet the Cavaliers walked out with it anyway.
They beat the Philadelphia 76ers 117-115 on the road, and they did it behind a performance that may end up meaning more than just one win.
Jaylon Tyson scored a career-high 39 points. But the play that decided the game was not a shot. It was a read.
With five seconds left and the game tied, Tyson attacked baseline, waited for the help to commit, and dropped the ball off to Evan Mobley for a clean dunk. Game over. Poise matters.
It showed early. The Cavs coughed it up 12 times in the first half, and Philadelphia turned those mistakes into 21 points.
That was the story at intermission, with the Sixers up seven and Cleveland searching for rhythm.
The third quarter did not provide much clarity. The fourth did, and not all of it was clean.
Philadelphia pushed the lead to 11 early in the fourth. Cleveland responded with a 10-0 run that finally woke the building up. Then came the familiar gut punch.
Three straight Cavs turnovers. Three straight Sixers scores. Tie game turned into a seven-point hole in about 30 seconds.
That is where this group showed growth.
The Cavs answered again, this time with a 10-2 burst to take a one-point lead inside the final two minutes. Buckets were traded. Possessions tightened. Tyrese Maxey floated one in to tie it at 115-all with eight seconds left.
Out of the timeout, the play was drawn for Donovan Mitchell. The inbound never got there. No panic. Tyson took over.
Maxey’s last-second heave from near half-court came up short.
Tyson finished 13-of-17 from the field and 7-of-9 from three. He added five rebounds and four assists.
It was the most complete game of his young career, and it came on a night Cleveland desperately needed someone to steady things.
Mitchell never found a groove. The Sixers trapped him aggressively, forced the ball out of his hands, and lived with the results. He finished with 13 points on 13 shots, 12 assists, and six turnovers. That assist number mattered.
De’Andre Hunter chipped in sixteen off the bench, seven of them during the fourth-quarter push. Mobley had 15, including three points in the final 30 seconds. Porter handed out 11 assists. Tyrese Proctor gave them 13 points in just eleven minutes.
Philadelphia leaned on Joel Embiid, who scored 33 with five rebounds, while Maxey added 22 on 9-of-23 shooting with nine assists.
It was not pretty. It was not smooth. But it was real.
The Cavs have now won three of their last four and seven of their last 10. More importantly, they are finding ways to survive nights when the roster is thin and the margin is thin with it.
They will get a quick test next. Cleveland hosts the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday afternoon, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with a 2:30 p.m. tip.
If nothing else, this one showed they can take a punch, give one back, and trust the right guy to make the right play when it matters most.
The Mavericks are still listening on Anthony Davis, even with the veteran sidelined by a hand injury that is expected to cost him at least six weeks.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported earlier this week that Davis remains a trade candidate. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon later added that Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, would like to see the ten-time All-Star moved ahead of the February five deadline. Dallas, however, is not feeling pressure to move Davis simply to clear his contract.
The Hawks and Raptors have been the teams most frequently linked to Davis, but neither is close to a deal, sources told Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com.
HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto previously reported that Atlanta is not operating with urgency following Davis’ latest injury.
“The Mavericks’ leverage is materially worse after the hand injury,” one Western Conference executive told Afseth. “I don’t think he has much of a market.”
Clippers
A few weeks ago, the Clippers looked like a team headed for the sell aisle.
That has changed.
According to Afseth, the Clippers are now viewed as a potential buyer after winning 11 of their past 13 games (entering Friday). Two names have surfaced in that context, John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Collins is on an expiring $26.6 million deal. Sources told Hoops Wire multiple teams have checked in on him.
Bogdanovic earns $16 million this season and has a matching team option for 2026-27. Both contracts offer flexibility, which suddenly matters again in Los Angeles.
Pacers
The Pacers are among the teams showing interest in the Pelicans’ Yves Missi, sources told Afseth. The Bulls have also been linked to the second-year center.
Multiple reports indicate Indiana has already inquired about Missi. Afseth adds that the Pacers are believed to have some traction in talks, with Bennedict Mathurin emerging as a possible piece heading to New Orleans.
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported a similar framework on Thursday, reinforcing the idea that this is more than just background noise.
