1:11 pm: The Jazz are waiving injured guard Vince Williams Jr., Kevin Reynolds of the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Williams suffered an ACL tear in his left knee in a game against the Rockets on Feb. 23, just his sixth game with the team. In addition to ending Williams’ 2025/26 season, the injury is also likely to keep him sidelined for a significant chunk of ’26/27.

The 47th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Williams was acquired by Utah from Memphis last month along with Jaren Jackson Jr. and two other players. In six games with Utah, Williams averaged 4.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists. The former Toledo guard played in 34 games with the Grizzlies prior to being traded, averaging 8.0 PPG, 4.4 APG and 4.0 RPG in 21.6 MPG.

Williams has a $2.3MM contract this season. The Jazz held a $2.5MM team option on his contract for 2026/27, which will automatically be declined if he clears waivers.

Utah chose to open up a roster spot due to a wave of injuries. Jackson, Jusuf Nurkic and Walker Kessler had already been declared out for the season and Lauri Markkanen is sidelined with a hip injury.

The Jazz will now have 13 players on their standard roster plus Mo Bamba, who is on a 10-day deal.

The Russian rookie is expected to resume basketball activities early in the offseason and be a full participant in the team’s summer development program, per the Nets.

Dëmin played one college season at BYU prior to being selected No. 8 overall in last year’s draft. The 6’8″ guard was viewed as a long-term developmental prospect after averaging 10.6 points, 5.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals on .412/.272/.695 shooting in 33 appearances (27.5 minutes per game) with the Cougars last season.

In 52 games with Brooklyn in 2025/26, Dëmin averaged 10.3 PPG, 3.3 APG and 3.2 RPG in 25.2 MPG. The 20-year-old drastically improved from three-point range (38.5%) and the free throw line (81.3%) compared to his freshman year, though he didn’t draw many fouls (1.3 FTA) and struggled to convert inside the arc (43.3% on 2.4 attempts per game).

Dëmin missed most of training camp and the preseason while rehabilitating from a plantar fascia tear in his left foot. He had missed Brooklyn’s last four games after feeling more pain in his foot.

“He’s struggled with plantar fasciitis, and the soreness has increased lately,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said last week. “So we’re being cautious and trying to figure out what’s the best way for him moving forward.”

Fellow rookie guards Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf are candidates for more playing time with Dëmin sidelined.

Wembanyama averaged 26 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.8 blocks as San Antonio went 4-0 last week. It’s the second weekly award this season for the former No. 1 overall pick and third of his career.

Herro averaged 26.3 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 51.7 percent from 3-point range as Miami also went 4-0 last week. This marks Herro’s second career Player of the Week award.

Devin Booker (Suns), Luka Dončić (Lakers), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Jrue Holiday (Trail Blazers) and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) were the other nominees from the Western Conference. Bam Adebayo (Heat), Paolo Banchero (Magic), Jalen Johnson (Hawks) and Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks) were the other nominees from the East.

Branham became a free agent when the Hornets waived him shortly after the February trade deadline. The Wizards initially agreed to send the 22-year-old guard to Dallas as part of the eight-player Anthony Davis deal, but the Mavericks expanded the trade to reroute him to Charlotte in exchange for Tyus Jones.

Branham had a limited role with the Wizards this season, appearing in 28 games, all as a reserve. He averaged 4.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per night with .473/.378/.824 shooting splits. He had a guaranteed $4,962,033 in the final year of his rookie contract.

Branham was selected by San Antonio with the 20th pick in the 2022 draft after a strong freshman year at Ohio State. He was a part-time starter with the Spurs during his first two NBA seasons, but fell out of the rotation last year and was shipped to Washington in July.

A dispute between the Southeast Division clubs arose due to Rozier’s alleged involvement in an illegal betting scheme. Rozier has been on indefinite leave all season after being arrested in October on federal charges related to illegal gambling.

The Heat were reportedly unaware of the unusual betting activity — or the NBA’s investigation — tied to Rozier (he was a member of the Hornets at the time) when they traded for him in January 2024, several months after the incident took place.

This past December, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he was “sympathetic” to Miami’s plight and was seeking a resolution.

“This is an unprecedented situation,” Silver said. “And I think I’m incredibly sympathetic to the Heat and to their fans. But I think we’re going to try to work something through, work this out with them. … But this is an unfortunate circumstance. But sometimes there’s these unique events and maybe sometimes they require unique solutions. So we’ll be looking at this with the Heat and the other teams in the league and see if there’s any satisfactory relief.”

Miami still owes Charlotte a future first-round pick from that deal — it will be top-14 protected in 2027, and if it does not convey, the Heat will send the Hornets an unprotected first-rounder in 2028.

Rozier was originally placed on unpaid leave shortly after the federal charges were lodged. He later won an arbitration case, allowing him to collect his full $26.6MM salary. While Rozier remains on Miami’s roster, there’s still a possibility he could be waived before the end of the regular season.

Jalen Smith returned to the court on Sunday after missing the previous five games with a calf strain. Poe notes that the Bulls refuse to shut down Smith even though he has been in and out of the lineup over the past month. Young guard Rob Dillingham, who was acquired from Minnesota at the deadline, only saw 15 minutes against the Kings, while 30-year-old Guerschon Yabusele, who will be a free agent when the season ends, remains in the starting lineup.

Poe blames executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas for getting “queasy” any time the organization faces a major decision. She states that just as Karnisovas is hesitant to pull the trigger on trading a player, he’s also reluctant to fully commit to a tanking strategy, even when it’s obviously in the team’s best interest.

“Everything I’ve gotten here from the front office, from ownership is that we need to do the best job you can to go out there and compete and to try to win,” coach Billy Donovan said last month. “I believe in that. … That’s kind of the mentality that we have here inside the organization. We’ve always tried to keep the integrity of that anytime we go out and compete.”

There’s more on the Bulls:

• In a separate story, Poe questions why the organization is so reckless with Josh Giddey after giving him a four-year extension last summer and making him part of the foundation for the future. She notes that Giddey was reinserted into Tuesday’s loss against Oklahoma City after limping off the court with a rolled ankle a few minutes earlier. He’s also dealing with a lingering hamstring issue that’s supposed to limit his playing time to about 30 minutes per night, but Donovan doesn’t always adhere to that. Poe questions why the Bulls are taking any chances with Giddey when there’s nothing left to play for.
• The new additions to the Bulls’ roster are still getting used to the extreme up-tempo pace that Donovan prefers, observes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times (subscription required). It was effective in Thursday’s win at Phoenix, but didn’t work as well on Sunday. “The biggest issue I think was the fact that a lot of those guys were coming from situations where they were not playing at all,” Donovan said. “Like Yabusele wasn’t playing, Nick (Richards) wasn’t playing, Rob (Dillingham) wasn’t playing, so I think the pace has been a little different. We went through some of that with Tre (Jones), Zach (Collins) and Kevin Huerter last year.”
• Donovan has fond memories of former Bulls players Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, who both missed Sunday’s game, Cowley adds in another piece. “Listen, I love both those two guys. I think those guys know how I feel about them,” Donovan said. “They were totally professional, and listen when you’re dealing with high-level players like that you are not always going to see eye-to-eye on stuff, but I appreciated the conversation and the intent on their part was to really try and win. That was important to those two guys. I don’t know all the reasons it didn’t work out (here).”

“It’s the NBA, right? And you look at the season, it’s long,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Everybody goes through difficult times or goes through a little bit of a rut. And we just found ours right now. And again, we’ve got plenty of time left to do what we got to do. Boston, obviously, is a good team. But we’re not concerned about Boston. Our biggest concern is making sure we’re doing what we need to do to go out and be as good as we possibly can.”

Cade Cunningham returned after sitting out Saturday’s loss to Brooklyn with a left quad contusion, but his 26 points and 10 assists weren’t enough to get the Pistons back in the win column. Reynolds points out that the schedule has been challenging recently – with three of the four losses coming against Cleveland, San Antonio and Miami – which is among the reasons the team isn’t overreacting to a tough stretch.

“Obviously, it’s probably our biggest dose of adversity all year,” Tobias Harris said. “We’ll be fine. Keep our head high and just (move) on to the next. But along this way, along this journey, let’s figure out ways that we can be better as a group.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

• Sunday’s home loss to Boston was a discouraging outcome for a Cavaliers team that’s trying to build a new identity after trading for James Harden, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com observes in a subscriber-only story. The Celtics were dominant for most of the afternoon and are looming as a tough matchup for the Cavs if they meet in the playoffs. “I told everybody, that’s the standard right there,” Harden said. “Me being in my 10th or 11th game here, that’s the level that we’ve gotta get to, Boston. Once we get there, because I know we’re good enough, we will get there, then we’ll be a much better team.”
• Ousmane Dieng did some intensive studying after being traded to the Bucks last month and was able to learn the playbook in two or three days, per Lori Nickel of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (subscription required). Dieng had been stuck on the bench for most of his career in Oklahoma City, but he’s been much more productive since the deal. “When you play the right way, you can play with anybody, or any team,” he said. “I just feel like I play the right way.”
• Pacers coach Rick Carlisle expressed concern about T.J. McConnell, who was forced out of Sunday’s game with soreness in his right hamstring, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).

“I think the messaging to him has just been to be himself,” coach JJ Redick said. “And I think sometimes when you miss time and there’s circumstances going on with the team that you can kind of be a little passive. … We want him to be aggressive. Every time he gets the ball, we want him to be aggressive and have a mentality to touch the paint.”

Reaves played like an All-Star as the season began, looking worthy of the five-year, $241MM contract that he’ll be eligible to collect this summer (if he declines his $14.9MM player option, as expected). If he can return to that level, the Lakers will be in position to challenge anyone in the West.

“Have fun,” he explained to reporters about his approach to the Sunday afternoon contest. “Woke up, early game, I was tired when I got here. I just told myself to have fun. I don’t feel like I’ve played bad, I just haven’t made a lot of shots. I feel like I’ve done a lot of other things well. Just continuing to play the game the right way, and I feel like good will come to good.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

“I think he’s far and away the leader for Defensive Player of the Year,” Finch said.

The oddsmakers disagree. Victor Wembanyama is currently the heavy favorite to win the award, with Chet Holmgren second in the betting. Finch laid out his case for Gobert.

“His iso defense has been the top or near the top all year long,” Finch said. “He drives our defense. The on/off numbers for us speak volumes to his importance. … He takes our defense to a whole ‘nother level. There’s nothing he can’t do defensively.”

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

• Jazz wing Brice Sensabaugh knows his future is still up in the air, despite his recent performances. The 2023 first-round pick averaged 15.6 points per game last month and had a 17-point game against Milwaukee on Saturday. However, defense and turnovers have been issues for him. “I have to keep searching for those catch-and-shoot opportunities,” he told Kevin Reynolds of the Salt Lake Tribune. “I want to improve everything except my shooting, to be honest. But like I said, shooting has to be the driving force.” Sensabaugh has one more year on his contract at a $4.86MM salary before he becomes eligible for restricted free agency in 2027.
• Jared McCain admits he was blindsided by the trade that sent him from the Sixers to the Thunder. He thought he could be a long-term fit with Philadelphia, James Herbert of CBS Sports writes. “I definitely thought it could work,” McCain said. “Long-term, I definitely think it could work. I loved playing with them. It was really fun. And I’m going to miss it, too. So I think there was definitely potential there, but they made the best decision for what they thought it was and we’ve just gotta live with it and kind of move on.” McCain has thrived since the trade, averaging 11.7 points in 19.0 minutes per game through 13 appearances with Oklahoma City.
• Thunder guard Cason Wallace has made a strong case for being selected to the All-Defensive Team, according to Sports Illustrated’s Rylan Stiles, who uses advanced analytics to display Wallace’s prowess this season.

Ajay Mitchell will suit up for Oklahoma City’s game against Denver, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets. Mitchell has missed the last 20 games due to an abdominal strain and sprained ankle. The 6’4″ shooting guard, who hasn’t played since Jan. 21, is no longer listed on the team’s injury report.

The 2024 second-round pick established a rotation role prior to the injuries. In 43 appearances, including nine starts, Mitchell averaged 14.1 points, 3.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 26.3 minutes per game. He was also a defensive factor, averaging 1.4 steals per night, and was shooting a solid 48.7 percent from the field (35 percent on three-point tries).

With Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe, Alex Caruso and the trade-deadline addition of Jared McCain, the Thunder already had impressive depth at the guard and wing spots. Mitchell will probably play fewer minutes than he did earlier in the season, though he proved to be a reliable backup for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after appearing in just 36 games as a rookie.

The Thunder still have a lengthy injury report for their matchup with the Nuggets, beat writer Rylan Stiles tweets. Isaiah Hartenstein will miss his second straight game due to a calf injury and starting forward Jalen Williams remains out due to a hamstring strain. Caruso (hip) and Chet Holmgren (flu) are listed as questionable.

“I love the starters because of our size,” Rivers said. “I loved how we played the first seven minutes of the game. The ball just flew up the floor.”

Cam Thomas only saw six minutes of action off the bench, his lowest single-game total since joining the Bucks.

“Tonight wasn’t the night,” Rivers said. “And we’ve got a lot of guys that can play.”

Antetokounmpo sat out Sunday’s game against Orlando.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

• While the Nets were pulling off a stunning comeback at Detroit on Saturday, Drake Powell was in the G League with the Long Island Nets. C.J. Holmes of the New York Daily News notes that over his last 17 NBA appearances, Powell has averaged just 5.2 points in 19.1 minutes per game, and his efficiency dropped to 35.4 percent from the field and 20.9 percent from deep. Powell was recalled by Brooklyn on Sunday, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets.
• Jalen Brunson‘s shooting numbers have dipped as of late, but the Knicks floor leader has become a high-volume and highly composed facilitator during that stretch, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post notes. Entering Sunday, Brunson had racked up three consecutive double-digit assist games. He had seven assists on Sunday against the Lakers but also committed seven turnovers. He has shot 36.2 percent from the field in five March games. “He’s taking what the defense is giving him,” coach Mike Brown said. “They’re switching, they’re blitzing, they’re trying to throw the kitchen sink at him. And he’s doing a great job of getting off [the ball and passing].” 
• The Hawks won their sixth straight on Saturday, thanks to Jalen Johnson. He scored nine of his 35 points in the fourth quarter of a 125-116 win over Philadelphia. He added 10 rebounds and seven assists. “I think I’m always locked in,” he told Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “Yeah, I’m always locked in. I mean, obviously, you get in when the momentum’s high, you’re on a run and stuff like that, emotions are running much higher than they are at the beginning of the game. So maybe the emotions piece of it looks locked in more.”

Maxey was diagnosed with a sprain of the right fifth finger. He’ll be reevaluated after the Sixers play at Cleveland on Monday and host Memphis on Tuesday.

It’s relatively good news regarding Maxey, who suffered the injury during a collision with teammate Adem Bona late in Saturday’s game against Atlanta. There were concerns that he might have done more damage to the finger, which would have sidelined him for a much longer period.

The Sixers are in a spirited battle for the sixth playoff spot in the East, which would advance them to the first round and allow them to avoid battling for the seventh or eighth seed in the play-in tournament.

Maxey, who’s coming off his second All-Star appearance, is in the midst of his best season. He’s posting career highs with 28.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 46% from the field and 37.2% from three-point range. He’s also leading the league in minutes at 38.3 per night and has been a steady presence for a team that’s been plagued by injuries and other issues throughout the season.

Mills is a 16-year NBA veteran who holds career averages of 8.7 points, 2.2 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 921 games (19.9 minutes per contest). The 6’2″ guard is known for his energy, off-ball movement and three-point shooting, having converted 38.5% of his outside looks during his career.

Outside of his extensive experience with the Australian national team, this will be the first international stint for Mills. The 37-year-old was unable to find a suitable NBA contract last summer and has been out of the league this season, last suiting up for the Clippers in 2024/25.

It’s been a while since Mills was a rotation regular, as he hasn’t appeared in more than 40 games or averaged more than 14.2 MPG since the 2021/22 campaign with Brooklyn. He made 29 combined appearances with Utah and Los Angeles last season, averaging 3.8 PPG in 11.1 MPG.

Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews reported a month ago that Mills was exploring his options in Europe. La Laguna Tenerife, also known as CB Canarias, competes domestically in the Liga ACB, the top league in Spain, and in Europe in the FIBA Champions League.

Mills was hired by the University of Hawai’i as the general manager of the men’s basketball program last June. He has lived in Hawai’i during the offseason for the past decade.

Murray sustained the injury in the second quarter of Friday’s blowout home loss to New York and was unable to return. Head coach David Adelman said after the game Murray was “really sore” but typically bounces back quickly from ankle injuries, which proved prescient in this case.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

• While Aaron Gordon wasn’t happy with his performance in his return to action on Friday, he’s “grateful” to be playing again and says he’s in a good spot physically after missing 17 straight games with a right hamstring strain, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Gordon has actually missed 36 total games as a result of right hamstring issues — he originally strained it on November 21, returned for 10 games, then aggravated the injury on Jan. 23. “I’ve gotta stay on top of it. But I play without worry,” Gordon said when asked about the risk of re-injury. “When you’re worried about an injury out there, that’s usually when it happens. So I feel great. My body feels good. It’s just the timing and the pace of the game that needs to come back to me now, but I feel good.”
• Lakers forward LeBron James missed his second consecutive game on Sunday vs. New York due to a left elbow contusion and left foot arthritis, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com relays. ESPN’s Malika Andrews reported (Twitter video link) during the game that James’ absence was more due to the foot injury than his bruised elbow. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer is considered day-to-day, per Andrews. Deandre Ayton and Maxi Kleber are both active Sunday after previously being sidelined with knee and back injuries, respectively.
• After missing Saturday’s loss to Brooklyn with a left quad contusion, Pistons star Cade Cunningham has been upgraded to probable ahead of Sunday’s contest at Miami, tweets Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Cunningham, a fifth-year guard, has played in 55 of Detroit’s 62 games so far this season. Caris LeVert (left wrist sprain) has been ruled out for the second of a back-to-back, Patterson adds.
• The Bucks will be without their best player on Sunday, as Giannis Antetokounmpo (right calf injury management) won’t play against Orlando on the second of a back-to-back, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link). Forward Kyle Kuzma is questionable to suit up due to a thoracic spine contusion.