Hawks Waive Shelvin Mack
The Hawks have officially requested waivers on Shelvin Mack, the team announced today in a press release. He’ll become a free agent on Sunday, assuming he goes unclaimed.
Mack, 28, had been Memphis’ backup point guard for the 2018/19 season, averaging 7.9 PPG and 3.4 APG in 53 games (22.7 MPG). He has also had one of his best three-point shooting seasons, knocking down 35.9% of his attempts from outside.
The Grizzlies sent Mack to the Hawks in exchange for Tyler Dorsey in a deadline-day trade on Thursday. Considering the deal doesn’t appear to have saved Atlanta any money and no other assets were said to be included, it’s not clear what the Hawks’ motivations were for making the trade.
In any case, Atlanta now has two open roster spots and will have two weeks to fill at least one of them.
Pistons Plan To Waive Henry Ellenson
Henry Ellenson‘s run with the Pistons appears to be coming an end, as Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports (via Twitter) that Detroit plans to waive the third-year big man in order to make room for Wayne Ellington. We heard earlier today that Ellington, who is currently on waivers, is nearing a deal with the Pistons.
Ellenson, 22, was the 18th overall pick in the 2016 draft, but hasn’t developed into a reliable and consistent rotation player in Detroit. In two and a half NBA seasons, the former Marquette standout has averaged 3.8 PPG and 2.2 RPG in just 59 games (8.5 MPG). He appeared in only two contests this season, falling out of the rotation entirely after the Pistons signed Zaza Pachulia and got Jon Leuer back over the offseason.
The timing of Ellenson’s release remains unclear — Ellington won’t clear waivers today, so the Pistons may wait until the veteran is ready to officially sign with the team before they make their corresponding move with Ellenson.
Once he’s waived, Ellenson will remain on waivers for two days. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent if he goes unclaimed.
Bulls Notes: Lopez, Porter, Boylen, Portis
Although a report from ESPN on Thursday indicated that the Bulls and Robin Lopez are expected to engage in buyout talks now that the trade deadline has passed, executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson sounds like he expects Lopez to stick with the franchise for the rest of the season, as K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune relays.
“My feeling right now — it can change — is Robin will be with us,” Paxson said. “Our players love him. He’s a great teammate. We don’t feel it’s an absolute given that we have to just buy a guy out to help another team.”
Paxson acknowledged that the Bulls would “have a discussion” if Lopez’s representatives requested a buyout, but stressed that the club loves having the veteran center around. Previous reports have suggested that Lopez would likely sign with the Warriors if he’s released, so perhaps the Bulls’ front office also isn’t exactly eager to help out the two-time defending champions.
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- In explaining the trade for Otto Porter, Paxson said that the Bulls recognized they aren’t ready to pursue top free agents, which is why they didn’t mind committing future cap room to someone like Porter. “We’re not in the position to go after the big names, the franchise changers. We’re looking at things realistically,” Paxson said, per K.C. Johnson. “We also looked ahead to this summer, and even the summer beyond, at available wings and versatile players. There are no guarantees of getting players like that.”
- The Bulls remain committed to having Jim Boylen continue as head coach of the team next season, Paxson said on Thursday (link via K.C. Johnson). “We’re working well together,” Paxson said. “Our objectives are the same. Jim’s doing the right things. From our seats, he’s promoting the right message to our players and what we expect.”
- Speaking of Boylen, during a subsequent appearance on 670 The Score, Paxson pushed back on the narrative about the supposed near-mutiny that took place shortly after Boylen took over as the Bulls’ head coach, writes Michael Walton of NBC Sports Chicago. Despite reports, Paxson said that Bulls players never contacted the NBPA about Boylen’s tactics.
- While Paxson said on Thursday that the Bulls continue to evaluate Kris Dunn, it’s becoming clear that the team will need to further address the point guard spot at some point, writes Mark Strotman of NBC Sports Chicago. ESPN’s Zach Lowe previously reported that Dunn “was there to be had at the deadline.”
- According to K.C. Johnson (Twitter link), before the Bulls traded Bobby Portis this week, they offered him a multiyear extension worth $40-50MM last fall. For four years, that’d be an annual average value around $10-12MM, but word around the league is that Portis will seek $16MM annually this summer, per Johnson.
Kings Sign Corey Brewer On 10-Day Contract
FEBRUARY 8: The Kings have officially signed Brewer to a 10-day deal, the team announced today in a press release.
FEBRUARY 7: The Kings plan to sign veteran forward Corey Brewer on a 10-day contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Brewer, who most recently played for the Sixers, has spent 12 NBA seasons with seven different teams. He holds career-averages of 8.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
Sacramento waived Ben McLemore earlier today to create another open roster spot, also trading the likes of Iman Shumpert, Zach Randolph, Justin Jackson and Skal Labissiere over the past 48 hours. The team owns the ninth best record in the West at 28-26, competing for a postseason spot behind their young core.
This marks the third 10-day contract signed for Brewer this season, with his previous two deals coming on the Sixers.
Pistons, Wayne Ellington Nearing Agreement
Wayne Ellington, who is currently on waivers and will become a free agent this weekend, is closing in on a contract agreement with the Pistons, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Ellington, who spent most of the season with the Heat, was sent from Miami to Phoenix in a trade this week. The veteran sharpshooter has a contract that gave him the right to veto a potential deal, but he signed off on the trade based on the knowledge that the Suns would release him, giving him the chance to join a contender.
While the 24-29 Pistons certainly aren’t the NBA’s most obvious “contender,” they’re currently just 1.5 games out of the playoff picture in the East. The Hornets and Heat hold the seventh and eighth seeds with 26-28 and 25-27 records, respectively, so Ellington could get the opportunity to help knock his old team out of the postseason.
Ellington, 31, has a career .380 3PT% and has made at least 2.3 threes per game in each of the last three seasons with the Heat, but saw his role cut back significantly in 2018/19. He struggled to crack a crowded rotation in Miami, appearing in just 25 games this season and suggesting that he wouldn’t mind a change of scenery if it gave him the opportunity to play more.
He’ll get that chance in Detroit, which may have been one of the reasons why he chose the Pistons over other suitors. According to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press (via Twitter), the Pistons beat out “heavy competition” for Ellington. After trading away Reggie Bullock and Stanley Johnson in a pair of deals this week, the club should have a clear role available on the wing for the former UNC standout.
The Pistons currently have a full 15-man roster, so they’ll have to waive someone to open up a spot for Ellington.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Magic Johnson To Meet With Lakers’ Players
After approximately half of the players on the Lakers‘ 15-man roster were mentioned in rumored trade talks for Anthony Davis within the last week, president of basketball operations Magic Johnson intends to meet with the club this weekend in Philadelphia, reports Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times.
According to Turner, Johnson will talk to the Lakers’ players about the Davis saga and will listen to every player who wants to say something, encouraging an open dialogue so that the Lakers can move forward and focus on the task ahead for the rest of the season. Turner writes that Johnson will emphasize “that the NBA is a business and that this franchise is about winning championships and doing all it can to accomplish that goal.”
Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were all featured in various Davis-related rumors last week, with reports suggesting that L.A. had offered each of those players in at least one package for the Pelicans’ star.
The ongoing chatter seemed to be affecting the Lakers on the court on Tuesday night, when the team suffered a 42-point loss in Indiana. However, L.A. bounced back on Thursday, winning a dramatic 129-128 contest over the Celtics.
At 28-27, the Lakers remain in the hunt for a playoff spot in the West and currently sit 1.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Clippers. The club opened up a roster spot on Thursday and could add some reinforcements for the stretch run.
While Carmelo Anthony has frequently been linked to the Lakers, the team also has interest in Markieff Morris, assuming he’s healthy, Turner reports. Morris, who is dealing with a neck injury, was waived by the Pelicans on Thursday and is on track to reach free agency this weekend.
Celtics Notes: Deadline, Irving, Morris, Hawks’ Pick
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge explored the trade market, but ultimately stood pat after not finding any deals he liked, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston.
“We spent a lot of time on the phone talking deals, looking for good ones,” Ainge said. “It was hard to find good ones this year just because we really like our team.”
While it may have been hard for Celtics fans to watch the Sixers, Bucks, and Raptors load up for the playoff race, the club remains confident that it has the pieces necessary to contend for the conference crown. As Blakely relays, Celtics players are happy the team’s core remained intact.
“The (trade) deadline was a lot, for a lot of other people,” Kyrie Irving said. “For us, we were pretty set. They made that very clear, management. So, I’m just happy we just have to focus on the rest of the season and have some fun doing so.”
Here’s more from out of Boston:
- Irving called the moves made by the East’s other top teams “great pickups,” but he and his teammates were mostly unfazed by those clubs’ deadline deals, says Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston.
- Speaking of Irving, Ainge was asked again today during an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub about the point guard’s upcoming free agency, and provided an interesting answer (link via ESPN.com). “The way I viewed the situation is that I think a lot of people, because of Kyrie’s announcement at the beginning of the year, thought that it was a marriage,” Ainge said. “And I think that it’s more like an engagement. And we’re going to get married on July 1st. I think that engagement is still on, as far as I know. In my individual conversations with Kyrie, we’re still engaged but we really can’t make those vows, sign that contract until July 1st.”
- Markieff Morris was waived by the Pelicans at the deadline, but Marcus Morris won’t necessarily be pushing the Celtics to add his twin brother, pointing out that there might not be enough minutes to go around in Boston. As Forsberg relays for NBC Sports Boston, Morris just hopes that his brother doesn’t end up playing for one of Boston’s Eastern rivals. “We still trying to figure out what he’s going to do,” Marcus said of Markieff. “If he’s cleared [to return to play after a neck injury], then I’m definitely going to have the conversation with him. I’d rather him go to the West.”
- Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports confirms (via Twitter) that the 2020 second-round pick the Celtics received in Thursday’s Jabari Bird trade is the Hawks‘ own selection and is top-55 protected. In other words, barring a massive turnaround from Atlanta next season, it won’t actually convey.
Latest On Isaiah Thomas
11:05am: Thomas won’t actually spend any time in the G League, according to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Nuggets are in Philadelphia and had intended to get Thomas some practice time with the Delaware Blue Coats, but he’ll remain with the NBA club for now due to a “lack of healthy bodies,” tweets T.J. McBride of Mile High Sports.
10:23am: Nuggets point guard Isaiah Thomas appears to be moving closer to getting back on the court, as Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that Denver has sent Thomas to the G League for a rehab assignment.
The Nuggets don’t have a G League club of their own, so they’ll have to assign Thomas to another NBA team’s affiliate. Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days (Twitter link) hears that Thomas has joined the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s G League squad. In fact, the 30-year-old has already been assigned and recalled, tweets Johnson.
Thomas, who signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Nuggets last summer, has spent the season recovering from hip surgery. A recent report suggested that Denver was optimistic the veteran guard would return before the All-Star break, though head coach Michael Malone stressed that there was no set timeline for Thomas’ return.
A brief rehab assignment in the G League, where teams practice more frequently, has become common for veterans recovering from injuries. The Nets, for instance, assigned Caris LeVert to their NBAGL affiliate earlier this week in advance of his impending return. In Thomas’ case, given his eight years of NBA experience, he would have had to approve the assignment.
While Thomas’ return appears close, it will be interesting to see how he slots into Denver’s rotation. Monte Morris and Malik Beasley have enjoyed breakout years for the Nuggets, which may limit the minutes available to Thomas in a backcourt that also features Jamal Murray and Gary Harris.
Hawks Waive Jabari Bird
As expected, the Hawks have officially requested waivers on newly-acquired guard Jabari Bird. The club confirmed the move in a press release.
Atlanta acquired Bird in a deadline-day trade with the Celtics, sending a heavily protected 2020 second-round pick to Boston in exchange for the second-year guard and cash.
Bird has been held out of action all season due to legal issues connected to his 2018 arrest on assault charges. The Celtics kept Bird on their roster for more than half the season in the hopes that his situation would be resolved and the NBA would make a ruling, but didn’t want to wait any longer, opting to send him to Atlanta on Thursday to open up a roster spot and slightly reduce their projected tax bill.
Given his off-court issues, Bird is unlikely to sign with a new team this season, sources confirm to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
The Hawks now have 14 players on their 15-man contract.
Raptors To Sign Malcolm Miller To 10-Day Contract
The Raptors, left with five open roster spots after the trade deadline, will begin to fill those openings by signing forward Malcolm Miller to a 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Miller, 25, spent the 2017/18 season on a two-way contract with the Raptors, appearing in 15 games for the NBA squad and averaging 12.6 PPG and 5.1 RPG in 34 contests for the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate. He was a candidate to stick with the team for 2018/19, but suffered a dislocated shoulder during Summer League play.
Since then, Miller has remained in the organization, rehabbing his injury with the G League squad and recently making his return to the court. In six games with the Raptors 905, Miller averaged only a modest 8.2 PPG and 2.5 RPG, but Toronto apparently saw enough to give him a promotion.
The Raptors entered this week with 14 players under contract, but moved Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, C.J. Miles, Greg Monroe, and Malachi Richardson, only receiving Marc Gasol in return. That series of transactions left Toronto with 10 players, requiring the club to make a roster addition immediately.
The league-mandated minimum is 14 players, not counting two-way deals, but teams are permitted to dip as low as 11 for up to two weeks at a time. The Raptors will have until later this month to add three more players to their roster, perhaps via the G League or the buyout market.