Hoops Rumors

After a forgettable first season with the Wizards, Jordan Poole is off to a much better start in year two, writes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Despite losing Wednesday’s game in San Antonio, Poole was terrific, recording 42 points on 15-of-22 shooting, six assists, two rebounds and two steals. As Shankar notes, Poole opened last season as the starting shooting guard, … [Read more...] about Wizards Notes: Poole, Wembanyama, Stock Watch, Rookies

Several should-be playoff contenders have struggled through the earlier parts of the season, either due to injuries or pieces not fitting together. While in-season moves don’t usually pick up until after the New Year, closer to February’s trade deadline, several teams appear to be scouring the market for help. The Bucks are chief among those teams, stumbling out to a 4-8 record … [Read more...] about And-Ones: Trade Possibilities, Contract Decisions, Bell, Johnson, Rookies

Lakers center Jaxson Hayes has been diagnosed with a left ankle sprain, the team announced today. As Dave McMenamin of ESPN details, the injury occurred during Tuesday’s practice and will force Hayes to miss at least a few games. The club’s plan is to reevaluate the big man’s ankle in one-to-two weeks. Hayes has played a regular role in the Lakers’ rotation this fall and is … [Read more...] about Lakers Notes: Hayes, Cap, Goodwin, Possible Trade Targets

Magic center Goga Bitadze, who stepped up when Wendell Carter was injured and started 33 games last season, finds himself in a similar position this fall. With Carter on the shelf due to left foot plantar fasciitis, Bitadze has started the past four games for Orlando and has averaged a double-double (10.5 points, 10.5 rebounds) to go along with 3.0 assists and 1.8 blocks per … [Read more...] about Southeast Notes: Bitadze, Carter, Jovic, Love, Sarr

Jimmy Butler will miss his second striaght game and the Heat’s NBA Cup opener in Detroit on Tuesday, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel tweets. Butler, who has not appeared in more the 65 regular season games the last six seasons due to a variety of injuries, is dealing with an ankle sprain. Butler has a $52.4MM player option after this season and Miami’s front office has been … [Read more...] about Southeast Notes: Butler, Kuzma, Young, Nance Jr.