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The Memphis Grizzlies today announced the following medical update for Ja Morant:

While attempting to catch a lob during the third quarter of the November 6 game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Morant was destabilized midair by a Lakers player, causing him to fall into extreme right hip flexion. Imaging revealed a posterior hip subluxation (without dislocation) along with multiple associated Grade 1 pelvic muscle strains.

Morant is considered week-to-week, and updates will be provided as appropriate.

The Portland Trail Blazers mourn the passing of former radio announcer Brian Wheeler, who passed away on Friday, November 8. Wheeler, better known as “Wheels” served as the radio voice of the Trail Blazers for 21 seasons from 1998-2019.

Wheels was raised in the Los Angeles area, spending his early years listening to sports broadcasting legends Vin Scully and Chick Hearn that would influence his future work. He attended Loyola University in Chicago, beginning his broadcasting career on campus before making it to the pros. His 35-year broadcasting career included stops with the Sacramento Kings & Monarchs, Seattle Sonics, and Chicago Bulls, before 21 seasons in Rip City.

Wheels was named Oregon Sportscaster of the Year in 2007, recognizing his impact on the state’s sports culture. His iconic trademark call of “BOOM-SHAKA-LAKA” is still widely used across the industry and a fan favorite to this day inside Moda Center. His love for the game and passion for the Trail Blazers came through in every radio call, making each play a thrill for every listener tuning in. As we mourn Wheels passing, we fondly remember his post-win declaration, “And once again we can say: It’s a great day to be a Blazer!”

The Memphis Grizzlies today announced the following medical updates for Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, Cam Spencer and Vince Williams Jr.:

Bane has been diagnosed with a right oblique strain and is considered week-to-week. He suffered the injury in the third quarter of the Grizzlies’ game against the Brooklyn Nets on October 30.

Smart has been diagnosed with a right ankle sprain and also is considered week-to-week. He sustained the injury in the first quarter of the same Grizzlies’ game against the Nets.

Spencer continues to progress in connection with rehabilitation for his right ankle sprain and a concurrently suffered talar stress reaction. He will be re-evaluated in approximately three weeks.

Williams Jr. continues to progress in his rehabilitation from a stress reaction in the upper portion of his left tibia. He is expected to return to play within two-to-four weeks.

The Oklahoma City Thunder has signed forward/center Malevy Leons, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

And in a related move, the Thunder has waived forward/center Alex Reese. He was signed on Oct. 19 and appeared in one game.

Leons (6-9, 205) appeared in four games (one start) for Oklahoma City in the preseason and averaged 5.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.50 steals in 13.5 minutes per game. He appeared in 35 games (all starts) with the Bradley Braves in the 2023-24 collegiate season and averaged 13.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.46 blocks, 1.54 steals and 1.3 assists while shooting 49% from the floor.

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed center Colin Castleton to a two-way contract.

Castleton (6-11, 250) spent his rookie 2023-24 campaign as a two-way player for the Los Angeles Lakers after going unselected in the 2023 NBA Draft. He competed in 24 games (23 starts) for the South Bay Lakers during the NBA G League Showcase Cup and regular season and averaged 16.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.5 blocks in 28.8 minutes while shooting 57.4 percent from the field. He posted 14 double-doubles.

The 24-year-old also made 16 appearances during the NBA regular season and averaged 1.5 points in 3.7 minutes. He was waived by the Lakers on October 19.

Castleton earned 2022-23 All-SEC First Team and 2022-23 All-SEC Defensive Team honors during his final year at Florida, where he led the conference and ranked third in the NCAA with 3.0 blocks.

The Atlanta Hawks have exercised the third-year (2025-26) contract option for Kobe Bufkin and fourth-year (2025-26) contract option for Dyson Daniels, it was announced today.

Selected by the Hawks with the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Bufkin appeared in 17 games during his rookie season, notching 4.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 11.5 minutes. The Michigan product scored his first NBA point at Milwaukee on Oct. 29, knocking down a free throw.

He saw action in 14 games (all starts) with the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League in 2023-24, averaging 23.6 points, 5.9 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 32.0 minutes. He netted 34 points in his Skyhawks debut on Dec. 27 against Greensboro, marking the most points scored in a Skyhawks’ debut in club history. In a win over the Motor City Cruise on Jan. 15, Bufkin tallied 12 points, 12 assists and five steals in 36 minutes, becoming the first Skyhawk in franchise history to contribute 10+ points, 10+ assists and 5+ steals in a single outing.

Daniels, who was acquired by Atlanta on July 6, 2024 from New Orleans, has appeared in four games (all starts) for the Hawks this season, posting 12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.0 block in 32.5 minutes (.500 FG%, .353 3FG%). He currently leads the NBA in total steals (11) and deflections (28). His 28 deflections are 12 more than the next closest players (Nikola Jokic, Marcus Smart, Cason Wallace and Jonathan Mogbo all have 16 deflections).

A 2024 Panini Rising Star, Daniels recorded 1.4 steals per game during the 2023-24 campaign, the 10th-most in the NBA, and owned a .341 steal percentage last season, ranking fifth in the league (min. 50 GP). He recorded a career-high six steals at Utah on Nov. 25, becoming the only second-year player to record at least six steals in a single game this past season and one of only two first-or-second year players to do so, joining Victor Wembanyama. He recorded all six steals in the first half, tied for the most steals in a single half in the NBA this past season and tied for the second-most steals in a single half in New Orleans history.

Selected eighth overall in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Pelicans, the 6-7 guard owns career averages of 5.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 20.4 minutes in 124 games (31 starts). Prior to the Pelicans, he spent the 2021-22 season with the NBA G League Ignite, where he was named to the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars roster.

Daniels, a native of Bendigo, Australia, played for Australia in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Per the Miami Herald:

Retired Heat legends Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem have made it known for the past few years that they view center Bam Adebayo as the next face of the franchise.

But Wade made that point loud and clear in recent days while in Miami to celebrate the unveiling of his bronze statue in front of Kaseya Center.

“To be able to be here with who is the future face of this organization, Bam, it means everything because he gets it, he understands it,” Wade said to a crowd during a community event Thursday, teaming up with Adebayo to show off a new and improved basketball court at Chapman Partnership in downtown Miami that was originally donated by Wade years ago and Adebayo recently revamped.

Then when speaking to a crowd outside Kaseya Center about his own Heat legacy just minutes after his statue was unveiled during a ceremony Sunday, Wade again made it known how highly he thinks of Adebayo by putting him on the same list as arguably the three most iconic Heat players in franchise history.

Per NBC Sports Bay Area:

The benefits of a deep roster were on vivid display Tuesday night, and not only because the Warriors rolled to victory with Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins watching from the bench.

Their 124-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans was a small surprise considering they were slight underdogs, opened with three players making their first starts of the season and a 14-point first quarter that ended with Golden State trailing by 17.

Given the makeup of this team, what occurred over the next 36 minutes could become the norm. The Warriors’ 110-75 rout over the final three quarters was a direct result of being the more committed squad.

“They were just the more aggressive team, and we didn’t respond when they picked up their physicality,” Pelicans star Zion Williamson told reporters at Chase Center.

The Memphis Grizzlies recently signed center Jay Huff to a multi-year contract.

Huff (7-1, 240) has appeared in three games as a reserve this season and has averaged 13.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 19.0 minutes while shooting 63.6 percent overall and 57.1 percent from 3-point range after signing a two-way contract with the Grizzlies on July 24.

Unselected in the 2021 NBA Draft, Huff has competed in 34 games off the bench and has averaged 3.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 6.5 minutes for the Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers following a four-year collegiate career at Virginia, where he was a member of the Cavaliers’ 2019 NCAA championship team.

The 27-year-old also has played 100 NBA G League Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Grand Rapids Gold, Capital City Go-Go and South Bay Lakers. During the 2022-23 season, he was named the NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to the All-NBA G League First Team and NBA G League All-Defensive First Team with Capital City.

The Washington Wizards yesterday exercised the third-year rookie scale team option for guard/forward Bilal Coulibaly.

Through three games this season, the second-year pro is averaging 16.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game on .500 shooting from the field. Coulibaly notched a career-high 23 points against Cleveland on Oct. 26, also tying his career high with four made threes.

The Courbevoie, France native played for his home country during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, appearing in six games and contributing to a silver medal-winning French team.

In his rookie campaign, Coulibaly ranked sixth among rookies in total steals and blocks and was in the top 10 for points (ninth) and rebounds (eighth) at the time of his season-ending injury. He was the second-youngest player to appear in a game last season, averaging 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of .435 from the field and .346 from three-point range.