Milwaukee Bucks forwards Rodney Hood and Semi Ojeleye have been traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. This is part of a four-team trade that also sent veteran center Serge Ibaka to Milwaukee. The Clippers don't gain too much from this deal, but open up more playing time for Isaiah Hartenstein. Ojeleye is a defensive minded player who should find his way into the rotation. Although, it's unlikely he does enough to warrant rostering in standard leagues. Hood is a decent shooter, but the Clippers have plenty of depth on the wings. There's a good chance he doesn't crack the rotation or has a minimal role on the team.

Milwaukee Bucks shooting guard Rodney Hood (Achilles) and small forward Wesley Matthews have been lifted from the injury report ahead of Wednesday's matchup against Houston. Hood missed one game due to an Achilles ailment and has played a limited role among the team's second unit for the past month, having scored in double digits just once. Matthews has been in a similar boat, appearing in just four games before his five-contest absence due to COVID-19. Even with Giannis Antetokounmpo unavailable for the time being, neither Hood nor Matthews boasts enough fantasy upside entering play to merit DFS consideration, although their presence gives Milwaukee ample wing depth.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Rodney Hood (Achilles) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is not shocking given the fact it's a back-to-back set. The Bucks elect to rest their veteran forward coming off a major injury. That being said, Jordan Nwora and Pat Connaughton stand the gain the most fantasy value on Saturday. Connaughton should already be a popular DFS option with the Bucks shorthanded. Nwora has played well in an expanded role and could have plenty of value as well for Saturday's slate.

Milwaukee Bucks shooting guards Donte DiVincenzo (ankle) and Rodney Hood (foot) have both been ruled out for Thursday's contest against the Heat. The duo similarly missed Tuesday's season opener, allowing Grayson Allen to shift into the starting five, while Pat Connaughton logged 30 minutes and 20 points off the bench. When healthy, the Bucks figure to have a glut of talent on the wing, but for the time being, Allen and Connaughton continue to hold short-term and DFS upside while DiVincenzo and Hood remain out. DiVincenzo remains the more fantasy relevant of the two, coming off a year in which he averaged a career-high 10.4 PPG. Stay tuned for updates on the status of both players moving forward.

Toronto Raptors forward Rodney Hood is expected to be released on Tuesday and intends to sign a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks following that release. Hood struggled last season, averaging 4.5 points per game on 36.2 percent shooting, but is just a season removed from averaging 11.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game for the Blazers, a year that he shot 50.6 percent from the floor. This is a smart move for the Bucks, who should be able to get the most out of Hood. He's an intriguing late-round lottery ticket in redraft leagues.

Kyle Lowry wound up staying with Toronto after all. Victor Oladipo is finally in Miami, a destination he's eyed in the past. And Rajon Rondo is headed back to Los Angeles, though not with the team he helped win the NBA title last season. The trade deadline has come and gone. And now, playoff pushes can really begin. Miami, Denver, the Clippers, Portland, Dallas, Boston and Atlanta were likely among the teams feeling convinced that they improved on deadline day after a flurry of moves Thursday, though the best player — at least this season — might have been landed by the Chicago Bulls. They got All-Star forward Nikola Vucevic from Orlando, a move that ushered in the start of a big-time rebuild by the Magic. “Anytime you trade a player like Nikola, it is a tough decision to make," Magic President Jeff Weltman said. Vucevic is the only player from this season's All-Star Game to be traded at the deadline. It was a steep price; Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu went to the Bulls for Otto Porter, Wendell... [More]

Kyle Lowry wound up staying with Toronto after all. Victor Oladipo is finally in Miami, a destination he's eyed in the past. And Rajon Rondo is headed back to Los Angeles, though not with the team he helped win the NBA title last season. The trade deadline has come and gone. And now, playoff pushes can really begin. Miami, Denver, the Clippers, Portland, Dallas, Boston and Atlanta were likely among the teams feeling convinced that they improved on deadline day after a flurry of moves Thursday, though the best player — at least this season — might have been landed by the Chicago Bulls. They got All-Star forward Nikola Vucevic from Orlando, a move that ushered in the start of a big-time rebuild by the Magic. “Anytime you trade a player like Nikola, it is a tough decision to make," Magic President Jeff Weltman said. The Magic traded three of their four leading scorers; in addition to the Vucevic move, Evan Fournier was sent to Boston and Aaron Gordon is headed to Denver. Acquiring Gordon was... [More]

Kyle Lowry stayed with the Toronto Raptors, and the Miami Heat got Victor Oladipo instead. And on a trade deadline day where moves were getting made right up until the last possible moment, the Denver Nuggets took a big swing at getting better for a playoff run while the Orlando Magic began a rebuild. Lowry — considered perhaps the biggest prize who was on the market — did not get traded, the Raptors apparently unable to find enough assets to their liking. Miami was one of the biggest pursuers for Lowry, who they may still target as a free agent later this year, and wound up adding Oladipo from the Houston Rockets. That move didn’t cost Miami much: Kelly Olynyk was on an expiring deal, and Avery Bradley has barely played for the Heat this season because of COVID-19 and then a calf injury. The deal also included a pick swap in 2022, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal needed league approval. Oladipo has wanted to be in... [More]

Kyle Lowry stayed with the Toronto Raptors, and the Miami Heat got Victor Oladipo instead. And on a trade deadline day where moves were getting made right up until the last possible moment, the Denver Nuggets took a big swing at getting better for a playoff run while the Orlando Magic began a rebuild. Lowry — perhaps the biggest prize on the market — did not get traded, the Raptors apparently unable to find enough assets to their liking. Miami was one of the biggest pursuers for Lowry, who they may still target as a free agent later this year, wound up adding Oladipo from the Houston Rockets. It didn’t cost Miami much: Kelly Olynyk was on an expiring deal, and Avery Bradley has barely played for the Heat this season because of COVID-19 and then a calf injury. The deal also included pick swap in 2022, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal needed league approval. Oladipo has wanted to be in Miami for some time, and the Rockets... [More]

Kyle Lowry stayed with the Toronto Raptors, and the Miami Heat got Victor Oladipo instead. And on a trade deadline day where moves were getting made right up until the last possible moment, the Denver Nuggets took a big swing at getting better for a playoff run while the Orlando Magic began a rebuild. Lowry — perhaps the biggest prize on the market — did not get traded, the Raptors apparently unable to find enough assets to their liking. Miami was one of the biggest pursuers for Lowry, who they may still target as a free agent later this year, wound up adding Oladipo from the Houston Rockets. It didn’t cost Miami much: Kelly Olynyk was on an expiring deal, and Avery Bradley has barely played for the Heat this season because of COVID-19 and then a calf injury. The deal also included pick swap in 2022, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal needed league approval. Oladipo has wanted to be in Miami for some time, and the Rockets... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired shooting guard Norm Powell in a trade with the Toronto Raptors, a person with knowledge of the deal said Thursday. In exchange, the Blazers have sent Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood to the Raptors. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been formally announced. The deal was first reported by ESPN. Powell, 27, is averaging a career-best 19.6 points per game this season and is shooting 43.5% from beyond the arc. He scored a career-high 43 points against the Pistons earlier this month. Powell, who had a player option for next season, was expected to instead test free agency this summer. He was the 46th overall pick in the 2015 draft out of UCLA by the Milwaukee Bucks, who dealt him on draft night to the Raptors. The Blazers (25-18) are sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference. Portland had a two-game losing streak headed into Thursday night's game at Miami. Trent, a restricted free agent after this season, is averaging a career-best 15 points per game. The 22-year-old is in his third season. He was selected 37th overall in the 2018 draft by Sacramento. Hood, 28, has averaged 4.7 points and 19.1 minutes in 38 games this season, with five starts. ___ AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum has a hairline fracture in his left foot, the team said. McCollum will wear a walking boot and be reevaluated in four weeks. He was injured Saturday during a game against the Atlanta Hawks. McCollum was averaging a career-best 26.7 points, as well as five assists, per game when he got injured. McCollum's injury is the latest to befall the Blazers. Center Jusuf Nurkic fractured his wrist during a game last week against the Indiana Pacers and is out indefinitely. In his eighth NBA season, McCollum was first thought to have a sprain but the team said additional imaging showed a hairline fracture to the lateral cuneiform. It was unclear when he was injured but it appeared that Atlanta's Clint Capela stepped on his foot following a layup in the opening quarter. The Blazers went on to win the game 112-106. Rodney Hood took McCollum's place in Monday's game against the San Antonio Spurs, finishing with 21 points in Portland's 125-104 loss. Nurkic was averaging 9.8 points and 7.7. assists before he was injured. Enes Kanter has started in his absence. The Blazers are also missing forward Zach Collins, who is expected to be out several months after ankle surgery in December. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Portland Trail Blazers dealt with injuries all season, and the the loss of their biggest star topped it off in the playoffs.While the year was unusual for all of sports because of coronavirus, the Trail Blazers made it to the NBA playoffs for the seventh straight season. Upstart Portland was knocked out of the first round by the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in five games. “It was an interesting season with a lot of different obstacles that we faced. We signed Hall of Famer (Carmelo Anthony), we had coronavirus hit, so many things going on around the world with social injustice, protesting, all those things," guard CJ McCollum said. "We had some games postponed, came back, more injuries. But all in all I think we fought and gave ourselves a chance."All-Star guard Damian Lillard had already departed the so-called bubble in Florida with a right knee injury when Portland took the floor for the elimination game Sunday night. While the Blazers mounted a scrappy effort against the Lakers,... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — With a big night against Golden State, Damian Lillard signaled that he's asserting himself at a crucial point of the Trail Blazers' season. And where Lillard goes, the Blazers tend to follow. “There comes a time in the season where everybody's tired, everybody's worn out, everybody's physically and mentally drained," he said. "The players got to go out there and make their minds up, are we going to do this or not? And I think we're just, as a team, getting closer to that time. We've got to leave it all out there. We've got to go take it.”Lillard had a franchise-best 61 points — including 11 3-pointers — this week in Portland's 129-124 overtime victory over the Warriors.It was the most points for a player in the NBA this season, and it broke Lillard's own franchise record of 60 points set earlier this season against Brooklyn. Afterward, a flood of admirers ranging from reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic to Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson recognized... [More]

Once Russell Westbrook headed to Houston, the Oklahoma City Thunder were supposed to be headed toward a rebuild.The team Westbrook returns to face this week doesn’t look like a team headed for the lottery. It’s playing like one Westbrook might see again in the postseason.The Thunder welcome back their former point guard Thursday, with both doing just fine since going their separate ways last summer.That’s not a surprise for Westbrook, given that he was sent to join former MVP — and one-time Oklahoma City teammate — James Harden on a high-scoring contender. He has scored 20 or more points in 12 straight games, with three straight of at least 30 late last month, and averaged 27.8 in that span to raise his average to 24.1.He said his return would be emotional because of how much Oklahoma City and the organization meant to him, but he didn't want to detail much leading into it. “I don’t want to get that much into before the game and on and on, but after the game we can discuss whatever you... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jordan Clarkson wasn't going to be a part of Cleveland's future. Now he's in the past.The Cavaliers agreed Monday night to trade Clarkson to the Utah Jazz for guard Dante Exum and two future second-round draft picks, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.Cleveland will get a pick in 2022 and one in 2023, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams have not yet had the required conference call with the NBA to approve the swap.The deal came together shortly before the Jazz played in Miami and the Cavs hosted Atlanta. Clarkson warmed up on the floor at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse before he was informed of the trade.Clarkson figured to be on his way out of Cleveland. He's in the final year of his contract and had been coming off the bench behind Collin Sexton and rookie Darius Garland, a backcourt the Cavs hope to keep together for years.Clarkson, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, scored a season-high 33 points... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jordan Clarkson wasn't going to be a part of Cleveland's future. Now he's in the past.The Cavaliers agreed Monday night to trade Clarkson to the Utah Jazz for guard Dante Exum and two future second-round draft picks, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.Cleveland will get a pick in 2022 and one in 2023, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams have not yet had the required conference call with the NBA to approve the swap.The deal came together shortly before the Jazz played in Miami and the Cavs hosted Atlanta. Clarkson warmed up on the floor at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse before he was informed of the trade.Clarkson figured to be on his way out of Cleveland. He's in the final year of his contract and had been coming off the bench behind Collin Sexton and rookie Darius Garland, a backcourt the Cavs hope to keep together for years.Clarkson, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, scored a season-high 33 points... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Carmelo Anthony is now with the Portland Trail Blazers and starting over with jersey No. 00.Word that the 10-time All-Star had joined the team broke Thursday night, but the agreement was not formalized until Tuesday when he signed a nonguaranteed contract that goes through January. If he stays, the contract becomes guaranteed for the rest of the season.Anthony was in the starting lineup for the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night in New Orleans.Anthony hasn’t played since a 10-game stint with the Houston Rockets ended a little more than a year ago. But the Blazers hope there is enough game left in the 35-year-old forward to help them overcome a 5-9 start.“Carmelo is an established star in this league that will provide a respected presence in our locker room and a skill set at a position of need on the floor,” Neil Olshey, Portland’s president of basketball operations, said in a statement.Anthony struggled at the end of his recent stops in Oklahoma City and Houston following... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Carmelo Anthony is now with the Portland Trail Blazers and starting over with jersey No. 00.Word that the 10-time All-Star had joined the team broke Thursday night, but the agreement was not formalized until Tuesday when he signed a nonguaranteed contract that goes through January. If he stays, the contract becomes guaranteed for the rest of the season.It was not immediately clear when he would start practicing or playing with the team. Portland was at New Orleans on Tuesday night.Anthony hasn’t played since a 10-game stint with the Houston Rockets ended a little more than a year ago. But the Blazers hope there is enough game left in the 35-year-old forward to help them overcome a 5-9 start.“Carmelo is an established star in this league that will provide a respected presence in our locker room and a skill set at a position of need on the floor,” Neil Olshey, Portland’s president of basketball operations, said in a statement.Anthony struggled at the end of his recent... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Carmelo Anthony is now set with the Portland Trail Blazers and starting over with jersey No. 00.Word that the 10-time All-Star had joined the team broke Thursday night, but the agreement was not formalized until Tuesday when he signed a nonguaranteed contract that goes through January. If he stays, the contract becomes guaranteed for the rest of the season.It was not immediately clear when he would start practicing or playing with the team. Portland was at New Orleans on Tuesday night.Anthony hasn’t played since a 10-game stint with the Houston Rockets ended a little more than a year ago. But the Blazers hope there is enough game left in the 35-year-old forward to help them overcome a 5-9 start.“Carmelo is an established star in this league that will provide a respected presence in our locker room and a skill set at a position of need on the floor,” Neil Olshey, Portland’s president of basketball operations, said in a statement.Anthony struggled at the end of his recent... [More]