NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/23/18
Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
5:52pm:
- The Kings have assigned former first-round pick Bruno Caboclo to their G League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, tweets James Ham of NBC Sports California. Caboclo, 22, has averaged 14.4 PPG and 6.5 RPG in 34 G League games this season; however, he has yet to suit up for the Bighorns, having been traded from Toronto earlier this season.
3:03pm:
- Two young Lakers big men, Thomas Bryant and Ivica Zubac, have been assigned to the G League, according to a press release from the team. Bryant and Zubac are expected to play for the South Bay Lakers on Friday night against the Memphis Hustle.
- The Magic have sent Rodney Purvis and Khem Birch to their G League affiliate, the team announced today (via Twitter). The duo figures to suit up on Friday night for the Lakeland Magic.
- Rookie forward Damyean Dotson has been assigned to the G League, according to an announcement from the Knicks (via Twitter). Dotson will play for the Westchester Knicks – New York’s affiliate – in the club’s regular season finale on Friday night.
- The Thunder have recalled Dakari Johnson from the G League, the team announced today in a press release. Johnson helped the Oklahoma City Blue pick up a victory on Thursday night by posting 23 points, 13 rebounds (11 offensive), and six assists vs. Austin.
Texas Notes: Spurs, Barnes, Finney-Smith, Harrison
Yesterday, Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News relayed that the original narrative about the Spurs‘ players only meeting regarding Kawhi Leonard being tense was not accurate, writing that Leonard even received support from some teammates who urged him not to return until he feels healthy enough to do so.
Today, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio-Express News seconded his colleague Young’s reporting, with quotes from Spurs’ veterans Danny Green and Tony Parker. Green, who tweeted a strong denial to the alleged tense nature of the meeting, said “(the report) was incorrect, wrong, false. I guess that’s the only way to put it. There was a meeting. That’s probably the only thing that was true in the article. Nobody in (the meeting) was frustrated or took it the wrong way. We were communicating like adults.”
For his part, Parker neither affirmed or denied the original report, essentially telling Spurs’ reporters that what happens in the locker room stays in the locker room. “You should know better that I can’t talk about that. That’s private stuff, locker room stuff. We always talk as a team, but you know we can’t talk about that.”
Interestingly however, Orsborn writes in another, related story that Parker contrasted his quadriceps injury from last season with Leonard’s injury this season in a thought-provoking manner, saying “I’ve been through it. It was a rehab for me for eight months. Same kind of injury, but mine was a hundred times worse, but the same kind of injury. You just stay positive.” Parker also spoke highly about the Spurs’ medical team, while Leonard received a second opinion from outside medical professionals.
Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News also has some news from Dallas:
- The experiment of Harrison Barnes at power forward is over, and Barnes couldn’t be happier about it. Since the Mavericks returned Barnes to small forward four games ago, he has averaged 24.3 points per game and when asked about the move back, simply said, “I love it.” Barnes goal for the remainder of the season is to continue to work on his playmaking, which makes sense considering Barnes only averages 2.0 assists per game, which doesn’t even crack the top-20 for small forwards.
- Dorian Finney-Smith is one of a handful or more of Mavericks‘ players who aren’t guaranteed a spot of the Dallas roster next season, with his 2018/19 contract of $1.54MM currently non-guaranteed. But luckily for Finney-Smith and the others, the Mavs’ down year has given them an opportunity to showcase their talents for potential suitors. “It’s tough, losing like this, (but) they’re doing a good job playing hard,” says veteran J.J. Barea. “You never know who’s looking. They’re getting opportunities to play, to show themselves to everybody, to get better at what they do.”
- Faced with a glut of big men on their roster, the Mavericks signed former Kentucky stand-out Aaron Harrison to a 10-day contract yesterday, electing to let Jameel Warney return to the G League. Whereas Warney clogged an already crowded position, Harrison is now only the second healthy player on the team’s entire roster who could reasonably be classified as a shooting guard.
Hawks Sign Damion Lee To Second 10-Day Deal
4:06pm: The signing is official, per an official release and tweet from the team. The deal will run through next Sunday, April 1.
2:38pm: The Hawks will sign Lee to a second 10-day contract after all, Cunningham reports (via Twitter).
11:38am: Damion Lee‘s 10-day contract with the Hawks expired overnight on Thursday, and the team had planned to lock him up to a second 10-day deal, according to Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. However, a source tells Cunningham that Lee is exploring other options available to him.
Lee, 25, has appeared in his first five NBA games over the last 10 days and has looked good as a regular part of the Hawks’ rotation. In 23.8 minutes per contest, the rookie shooting guard has averaged 10.4 PPG on .447/.375/.800 shooting, chipping in 3.2 RPG, 1.8 APG, and 1.2 SPG.
It’s not clear which other teams might be looking to lure Lee away from Atlanta, or if another club might be willing to give him a rest-of-season contract rather than just another 10-day deal. As Cunningham observes, Lee may have interest in signing with a team that would give him a better chance to stick around for 2018/19 — the Hawks have a crowded depth chart at shooting guard.
We’ll have to wait to see where he ultimately lands, but given his solid play in the G League and a promising start to his NBA career, it’s no surprise that Lee is drawing interest from more than one team.
Mark Suleymanov of Hoops Rumors took an in-depth look on Thursday at Lee’s long road to the NBA, a journey that saw him make his way back from ACL tears in both knees.
Eight RFAs Well Positioned For Long-Term Contracts
Restricted free agency can be a minefield for NBA players, who have to work with their agents to determine whether it makes sense to negotiate directly with their own teams or to seek an offer sheet from another suitor.
For certain players, restricted free agency can be a route to a monster payday, since teams looking to pry away an RFA from another team often have to overpay to do it — just ask Tim Hardaway Jr., who almost certainly did better as a restricted free agent than he would have if he had been unrestricted last summer. Otto Porter, Tony Snell, Joe Ingles, Cristiano Felicio, and Mason Plumlee were among the other 2017 RFAs who secured lucrative long-term deals.
However, for some restricted free agents, seeking out that mega-deal can backfire. Nerlens Noel and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope reportedly turned down big four-year offers last offseason and then had to settle for one-year contracts instead. Alex Len and Nikola Mirotic were among the other RFAs who remained on the market for months before eventually signing modest deals.
While it’s not necessarily the end of the world if an RFA has to accept a one-year deal that sets him up for unrestricted free agency 12 months later, a lucrative long-term deal is generally preferred, since that sort of payday can increase a young player’s career earnings exponentially.
Heading into the 2018 free agent period, league-wide cap space isn’t expected to be as abundant as it has been over the past couple years, but there are still a number of restricted free agents who appear well positioned to secure big contracts. Here are eight of them:
Clint Capela, C (Rockets): Capela may not have the dynamic sort of skill set that some of the NBA’s best big men possess, but he does exactly what the Rockets need him to — finish at the basket (.651 FG%), grab rebounds (10.9 RPG), and protect the rim (1.8 BPG). Barring a major surprise, I’d expect Houston to go well into tax territory to ensure that he and Chris Paul both get lucrative new deals this summer.- Aaron Gordon, PF (Magic): After opening the season with a red-hot shooting stretch (.595 3PT% in his first 10 games), Gordon has posted more pedestrian shooting numbers since then (.299 3PT% in his last 39 games). The former fourth overall pick becomes an extremely dangerous offensive weapon when his three-pointer is working, but even without it, he makes for an intriguing free agent option. Gordon is still just 22 years old, and coming off a career year, he’s a good bet to land a big offer sheet from a team with cap room if the Magic drag their feet in negotiations.
- Julius Randle, F/C (Lakers): With Larry Nance Jr. sent to Cleveland and Kyle Kuzma unable to sustain his hot start all season long, Randle has been the Lakers‘ most impressive big man for the last three months. Since entering the starting lineup on December 29, the former Kentucky standout has averaged 19.1 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 3.2 APG, making a case for a spot on the Lakers’ long-term plans even if the team is able to land a top outside free agent or two this summer. The Mavericks have been cited most frequently as a potential suitor for Randle if he seeks out an offer sheet.
- Zach LaVine, G (Bulls): Although injuries have prevented LaVine from taking another step forward this season, that’s unlikely to significantly impact his free agent value. The Bulls traded for LaVine last offseason knowing that a pricey new deal was on the horizon, and there has been no indication that the team has wavered on the idea of locking him up to a long-term pact.
- Jabari Parker, F (Bucks): Had Parker stayed healthy during his first four NBA seasons, he may already have a maximum salary extension secured. Instead, two ACL injuries have created uncertainty about what his next contract will look like. The former No. 2 overall pick reportedly passed on an offer last fall that would have paid him $18MM annually, and while he may not do better than that on the open market, his market shouldn’t crater. Parker already has a 20+ PPG season under his belt, and has put up career-best shooting numbers since returning from his latest ACL tear — his scoring potential will be tantalizing enough for a team with cap flexibility to take a shot on him if the Bucks don’t re-sign him right away.
- Jusuf Nurkic, C (Trail Blazers): Nurkic has been somewhat inconsistent this season, particularly on offense, but the Trail Blazers‘ defense continues to perform better and commit fewer fouls when he’s on the court, as ESPN’s Zach Lowe wrote this week. A 23-year-old center capable of anchoring a defense for a top-six team in the NBA is a rarity — that makes him a good bet to do well for himself in free agency.
- Marcus Smart, G (Celtics): Like Nurkic, Smart isn’t necessarily a reliable go-to option on offense, but his defensive ability makes him a valuable rotation piece. According to Basketball-Reference’s on/off-court stats, the Celtics allow about five fewer points per 100 possessions and force more turnovers when Smart is on the floor. While his shooting numbers (.367/.301/.729) leave something to be desired, the 24-year-old should at least be in line for an Andre Roberson-type contract (three years, $30MM).
- Fred VanVleet, G (Raptors): The only player on this list who wasn’t a first-round pick, VanVleet actually wasn’t drafted at all, joining the Raptors as a rookie free agent in 2016. He has developed into a solid backup point guard this season, averaging 11.0 PPG and 3.5 APG with a .450/.432/.867 shooting line since the start of 2018. His success creates an interesting predicament for the Raptors, who project to be a taxpayer in 2018/19, and could have to contend with a rival suitor back-loading an offer sheet for VanVleet via the Arenas provision. Toronto may ultimately need to trade another expensive contract if they want to retain VanVleet without committing to a huge tax bill.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Celtics Plan To Apply For Hardship Exception
3:51pm: The Celtics will be in the market for a guard or wing if and when they receive a hardship exception, tweets Murphy.
1:48pm: The Celtics intend to apply for a hardship exception that would allow the team to add a 16th player to its 15-man NBA roster, reports Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald (Twitter link). It’s not yet known which player Boston would sign if granted that extra roster spot.
[RELATED: Kyrie Irving undergoing procedure on left knee]
The hardship provision – outlined in the NBA’s Constitution and By-Laws – allows a team to apply for an extra roster spot if it has at least four players who have missed three or more consecutive games, assuming those players will remain sidelined for the foreseeable future. Murphy’s report suggests that those four injured players must be projected to miss the next 10 days, though the NBA’s Operations Manual lists a time frame of two weeks.
Either way, applying for such an exception would signal that the Celtics don’t expect Kyrie Irving to return for at least the next 10-14 days. Irving would be the fourth injured Celtic, along with Gordon Hayward, Daniel Theis, and Marcus Smart. Jaylen Brown has also been on the shelf, but he’s aiming to return on Sunday, so he wouldn’t qualify as one of the club’s four injured players for hardship purposes.
Any player signed by the Celtics via the hardship exception would likely receive a 10-day contract. Boston would lose the ability to carry 16 men on their roster at the end of the regular season, or once one of their four injured players is ready to return. At that point, the C’s would have to waive their newly-added player — or keep him and cut someone else.
Lakers Sign Travis Wear For Remainder Of Season
MARCH 23: The Lakers have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed Wear for the rest of the season. The team now has 14 players on guaranteed contracts, with one open roster spot available.
MARCH 22: The Lakers are signing forward Travis Wear for the remainder of the season, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Wear inked a pair of 10-day deals with the Lakers and the second one expired on Thursday night.
In nine games with the Lakers, Wear has averaged 4.7 PPG and 2.2 RPG while shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc.
Wear, 27, previously suited up for the Knicks, appearing in 51 games for the team during the 2014/15 season. He spent time in camp with the Lakers in 2016 and played for the team’s G League affiliate for the past two seasons.
In 33 G League games for the South Bay Lakers this season, the 6’9″ forward averaged 16.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 2.0 APG.
Draft Notes: Antetokounmpo, Adel, Chatman
Dayton redshirt freshman Kostas Antetokounmpo, the brother of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo,will declare for the 2018 NBA draft, a source tells ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. The younger Antetokounmpo, a 6’10” forward, isn’t necessarily forgoing his remaining NCAA years, as he’ll test the draft waters without hiring an agent.
Antetokounmpo, who is 20 years old, saw inconsistent playing time during his first season with Dayton, but won’t request a transfer if he decides to continue his college career, a source tells Givony. Mike Schmitz of ESPN.com (Insider link) took an in-depth look at Antetokounmpo back in November, suggesting that Giannis’ younger brother “has a long development curve ahead of him, and certainly isn’t ready to jump to the NBA soon” — as such, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him withdraw from draft consideration this spring.
Here are more draft-related notes and updates, with a focus on early entrants:
- As he did a year ago, Louisville forward Deng Adel will test the 2018 draft waters, he confirmed this week (Twitter link via Jody Demling of CardinalAuthority.com). Adel is a junior, so if he decides to withdraw again, he’d be draft-eligible in 2019.
- Detroit junior Kameron Chatman will enter the draft without hiring an agent, a source tells ESPN’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). The 6’7″ swingman averaged 17.8 PPG and 8.2 RPG in his first year with Detroit this season.
- Hofstra guard Justin Wright-Foreman announced his intent to test the draft waters (via Twitter). Wright-Foreman, a junior, was the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year for 2017/18, averaging 24.4 PPG on .449/.366/.799 shooting.
- What exactly does it mean to test the NBA draft waters, and what rules and deadlines must prospects be aware of? Jonathan Givony explores that topic in depth at ESPN.com, outlining one hypothetical scenario in which a player could become an undrafted NBA free agent while retaining his NCAA eligibility.
Suns Getting Head Start On Coaching Search
Rather than waiting until the end of the regular season to begin their head coaching search in earnest, the Suns are doing so now, general Ryan McDonough tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. As Wojnarowski details, the Suns recognize that there may be several teams looking to hire new coaches this spring, so they want to start exploring their options before the season ends.
“This is going to be a competitive marketplace,” McDonough said. “There are three of us (Phoenix, Milwaukee and Memphis) with interim coaches in place, and we want to be able to hit the ground running. We don’t want to have to wait until the end of the regular season for candidates who aren’t with teams now. At the end of the regular season, we’ll be able to talk with coaches on non-playoff teams and we’ll need to work with playoff teams on what their approach will be on contacting (assistant) coaches still in the postseason.”
Interim head coach Jay Triano will receive consideration for the permanent job, McDonough confirmed. According to Wojnarowski, Triano wants to give his undivided attention to his players down the stretch, but his agent – Warren LeGarie – requested that Triano be able to prepare a “formal presentation” to the team after the season ends.
As for outside candidates, Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) hears from prominent coaching agents that the Suns will have to offer “real money” over four or five years in order to attract anyone credible. Mannix suggests (via Twitter) that Phoenix would be wise to pony up that sort of money if necessary, since the club could badly use some coaching stability. Since their last playoff appearance in 2010, the Suns have had four different coaches, and the franchise hasn’t won more than 24 games in a season since the 2014/15 campaign.
Still, as Wojnarowski observes, the Suns appear better positioned heading into the 2018 offseason than they have been for the past few years. With building blocks like Devin Booker, Josh Jackson, and T.J. Warren already in place, Phoenix could have three first-round picks this summer, and will have the cap flexibility to be aggressive in free agency and on the trade market. That flexibility could appeal to potential head coaching candidates.
Robert Williams To Enter 2018 NBA Draft
Following his team’s Sweet 16 loss to Michigan on Thursday night, Texas A&M sophomore Robert Williams told a group of reporters, including Olin Buchanan of TexAgs.com and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic (Twitter links), that he’ll enter his name in the 2018 NBA draft pool.
“Yeah, I’m declaring (for the draft). Definitely, I’m declaring,” Williams said (video link via Matt Trent of KAGS Sports). “I’m finishing the semester at school, but I’m declaring.”
Williams, a 6’10” forward/center, was viewed as a possible lottery pick for 2017, but elected to remain at Texas A&M for a second season. In his sophomore year, he averaged 10.4 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 2.6 BPG with a .632 FG%. Williams also made his presence felt in the Aggies’ two NCAA tournament wins, shooting 9-of-12 from the floor and racking up 27 total rebounds in those two games.
Currently ranked 13th on ESPN’s big board, Williams is projected as the No. 11 overall pick in Jonathan Givony’s most recent mock draft at ESPN.com. Givony likens Williams to Rockets big man Clint Capela, observing that the youngster’s ability to get to the rim, finish pick-and-rolls, block shots, and grab offensive rebounds is “tailor-made for the NBA.”
While Thursday night’s announcement from Williams came in a post-game scrum, he figures to issue more official confirmation at some point in the near future. He’ll likely specify at that point whether he’ll hire an agent or simply test the draft waters — based on his comments on Thursday, I’d bet on the former.
Central Notes: Collison, Big Three, Horst, Blakeney
In a young man’s league, Pacers point guard Darren Collison, 30, is the definition of a veteran, but doesn’t want his ability to reflect it. In his ninth NBA season, Collison wanted to make some adjustments and improvements, which led him to a phone conversation with one of the all-time greats.
Mark Monteith of NBA.com writes that Collision set up a call with future Hall-of-Famer Steve Nash. Collison wanted to pick Nash’s brain on how to adapt to playing against younger guards, implementing new moves, and improving his diet. Collison said he has long admired Nash and wanted to learn as much as he can.
“He was one of my favorite players to watch, because he’s not athletic, he’s not big, he’s not strong,” Collison said. “But when you guard him, it’s the hardest thing to do because he just knows how to keep the defense honest in the pick-and-roll. He doesn’t go fast, he doesn’t go slow. He makes every read precisely. I’ve watched a lot of film on him, so I figured why not just call him and pick his brain?”
Collison is averaging his usually solid numbers this season with 12.7 PPG and 5.3 APG in 59 games. If he ever needs it, he now has one of the greatest point guards in league history just a phone call away.
Check out more Central Division notes below:
- With Reggie Jackson back on the court, the Pistons finally have their three best players healthy simultaneously. Midseason acquisition Blake Griffin, prolific rebounder Andre Drummond, and Jackson are a strong trio that can do a lot of damage if healthy, NBA.com’s Keith Langlois writes. “If we can get Reggie healthy and keep him healthy,” head coach Stan Van Gundy said, “with those three guys, that’s going to be a formidable group to play against for anybody.”
- After recent reports suggested that the Bucks nearly traded Jabari Parker at the deadline and have a list of potential replacements for interim head coach Joe Prunty, general manager Jon Horst rejected those stories during a radio appearance in Milwaukee. Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays Horst’s comments, in which the Bucks GM denied the reports and indicated they came from erroneous sources.
- As we relayed earlier today, Bulls two-way guard Antonio Blakeney suffered a fractured left wrist and he will miss the rest of the season.