Bradley Beal has been ruled day-to-day following an MRI due to left hamstring soreness.

Beal could return as early as Friday against the Magic.

Beal missed six games earlier in December with a right hamstring injury. 

Bradley Beal left the Washington Wizards' 116-111 win over the Philadelphia 76ers with 4:17 remaining in the fourth quarter due to hamstring soreness.

Wes Unseld Jr. said after the game that the severity of the injury was unclear, and that Beal will be further evaluated.

Beal missed six games earlier this month due to a right hamstring injury. 

There is a "rising belief" around the league that the Washington Wizards will trade Kyle Kuzma before this year's trade deadline, according to Marc Stein of Substack.

Kuzma, who has a player option for next year, is considered a "lock" to become a free agent after this season. 

Stein adds that rumblings among NBA circles make it difficult to envision Kuzma re-signing with the Wizards. 

Kuzma is averaging 21.8 points and 7.6 rebounds on the season. 

The Atlanta Hawks have been shopping John Collins for a while now. It seems inevitable that Collins and the Hawks will eventually part ways, but the team is moving slowly in trade talks at the moment.

The Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards are all known to have an interest in acquiring Collins. The Jazz have been often linked to Collins since the offseason, while the Pacers have been mentioned as a strong candidate in recent weeks.

Collins was nearly traded to the Sacramento Kings this past offseason in a deal that would have sent Harrison Barnes to Atlanta. That trade fell apart, and it's unknown if Sacramento still interest in the Hawks power forward.

The Washington Wizards recently pursued a trade with the Phoenix Suns for Jae Crowder.

The Wizards were believed to have offered a package centered on Rui Hachimura, which the Suns rebuffed. Phoenix is holding out for a certifiable starter in return for Crowder.

Crowder will be a free agent in 2023 and has been away from the Suns all season.

The Washington Wizards are not interested in entertaining a trade of Bradley Beal, who signed a five-year, $251 million contract this past offseason.

Beal has been the subject of trade rumors for years and his commitment to the Wizards hasn't stopped them, especially given their struggles this season.

"They want to keep Beal and upgrade the roster around him, going with a 'middle-build' strategy," writes Josh Robbins at The Athletic.

Beal has a no-trade clause in his deal, which means he would effectively have to request a trade and then approve the destination and terms to be moved. Beal maintains great relationships with Tommy Sheppard and Ted Leonsis. 

The opinions on the value of Beal's contract are mixed throughout the season and the no-trade clause limits Washington's leverage. 

Kyle Kuzma has played his best basketball in two seasons with the Washington Wizards. That improvement has Kuzma thinking about free agency this coming summer.

Kuzma said he won't sign an extension with the Wizards and that he plans to decline his player option for the 2023-24 season. The veteran forward will then become an unrestricted free agent.

In a relatively weak free agent class, Kuzma could be poised to cash in. He should get a first-year salary well north of $20 million. In an extension with Washington, Kuzma could get a first-year salary of just $16.25 million.

In his sixth season, Kuzma has averaged career-highs of 21.4 points and 3.6 assists. He's also shooting a career-best 46.2% from the field.

The Atlanta Hawks have discussed a John Collins trade with a number of teams, including the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks.

Collins has been on the trade market for a considerable amount of time. Collins is in Year 2 of a five-year, $125 million contract.

Atlanta has so far not been interested in taking back Joe Harris as part of a deal with Brooklyn.

The Hawks would have interest in Kyle Kuzma, but there doesn't appear to be traction there with the Wizards. 

Kyle Kuzma reportedly "wants out" of the Washington Wizards and is linked with several teams in the trade market, sources told Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.

Kuzma, a free agent after this season, is said to be looking for a new deal worth over $20 million per season with a team in a big market.

On the trade front, the Kings, Lakers, Knicks, and Suns have all been linked with a Kuzma deal.

Another source added that the Suns are not likely to commit to any long-term deals until a new ownership group is in place. 

The Dallas Mavericks hoped to have one of the NBA's best star duos when they added Kristaps Porzingis to Luka Doncic via trade with the New York Knicks in 2019.

Dallas subsequently signed Porzingis to a five-year, $158 million max contract before he had played a game with the franchise. Porzingis was coming off a torn ACL in his left knee.

“On paper, it would be the perfect fit, but it just didn’t mesh the way that we wanted to,” Porzingis told Yahoo Sports. “We just did not mesh together well. Sometimes it’s like that in the workplace, you know? It just didn’t work out the way you expected.”

Doncic and Porzingis played well on the court from time to time and even found some commonalties off it. 

“Luka is a generational talent. You have to put the perfect team around him to try to get the maximum out of him, you know?” Porzingis said. “I just wasn’t the right guy.”

The Mavericks began exploring the trade market for Porzingis as the 2022 trade deadline approached. The Mavericks and Washington Wizards had discussed other trade frameworks, but first discussed Porzingis with only minutes before the deadline. 

Porzingis has played better with the Wizards and hopes to remain long-term.

“One hundred percent. One hundred percent. I love the city. I love the organization. People around the organization. And I love playing with Brad and these guys, Kuz,” Porzingis said. “You never know what happens in the future, but I’m enjoying my time here so far and hopefully I can stay here long term.”