Zion Williamson expected to return to full practice next week, Brandon Ingram out two more weeks

Murphy recently addressed how he and his teammates have handled the increasing external noise about potential deals involving the likes of Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum and even Zion Williamson. “It’s part of the business,” Murphy said in the below video. “I figured it out probably my rookie year, especially when the trade deadline came and they traded away Nickeil [Alexander-Walker]. He was one of my best friends. I was with him every road trip for dinner and all that stuff. And next day he was gone. So you kind of get numb to it and it’s a part of reality. And also you just wish the best for the next person.” -via marcstein.substack.com / December 23, 2024

From McNair down, the Kings are well aware this roster needs an upgrade, if not multiple. More specifically, team sources say they’re prioritizing backup center and the wing spots. There are some familiar names who appear to be back on their radar, league sources said. Among them: Portland’s Jerami Grant, Utah’s John Collins or Washington’s Jonas Valančiūnas and Kyle Kuzma. Brooklyn’s Cam Johnson is known to be of significant interest, as is — to a lesser degree — the Nets’ Dorian Finney-Smith. The notion of adding a high-profile player like Zach LaVine (Chicago) or Brandon Ingram (New Orleans) is believed to be very unlikely, but the Kings have made a habit during the McNair-Wilcox era of exploring any and all possibilities that might improve the team, even if they don’t appear to make sense at first glance. -via New York Times / December 21, 2024

Ian Begley: Re: The Athletic report on the Nuggets’ search for a scorer, I’ve heard Brandon Ingram is another player among the group on their radar. FWIW: the clearest pathway for Denver to make a trade for a big scorer with a significant salary would be to include Michael Porter Jr. in deal -via x.com / December 18, 2024

Michael Scotto: Zion Williamson (left hamstring strain) will be re-examined in approximately 2 weeks, Pelicans say. Jordan Hawkins has been diagnosed with a lumbar spine annular fissure and will be re-evaluated in 1 week. Jose Alvarado (left hamstring strain) will be re-evaluated in 2 weeks. pic.x.com/PXy8gfv0XZ -via Twitter @MikeAScotto / December 4, 2024

Shams Charania: “Zion has been out since around the first week of November—I think November 8th, November 9th. He’s still out, and it’s about a month later. He’s not close to coming back. He’s not going to be back this week; he’s not going to be back next week. The good news for the Pelicans, from what I’m told, is that he did start to get on the basketball court over the weekend. They were in New York for a game against the Knicks on Sunday, so he got on the court for very, very light activity. This is going to be a gradual process. It’s tough for Zion because he came into the season in the lightest shape he’s been since his rookie year. He came in great shape, and to have him hurt already with a hamstring issue—a chronic problem for him over the last few years—it’s unfortunate.” -via YouTube / December 4, 2024