Magic Granted Disabled Player Excpetion
The Magic have received a disabled player exception for Al-Farouq Aminu, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic, citing reporting from Shams Charania.
The DPE is worth $4,629,000, which is half of Aminu’s salary for this season. It can only be used to sign a player for the rest of the season or to trade or make a waiver claim for a player with an expiring contract. Orlando is safely below the tax line and may try to take advantage of the DPE before the March 10 deadline.
Unlike the hardship provision, the DPE also doesn’t give the team an extra roster spot. The Magic currently have a full roster, but Gary Clark is on a 10-day contract that will expire tomorrow. Orlando also applied for a $2,903,220 DPE for Jonathan Isaac and is still awaiting a decision from the league.
Aminu had surgery earlier this month to fix a torn meniscus in his right knee. The team said he would be re-evaluated in 12 weeks, but he wasn’t expected back before April. The NBA only grants DPEs when players are expected to be sidelined through at least June 15, so it appears likely that Aminu’s season is over. He has two seasons left on the three-year deal he signed with Orlando over the summer.
With the Pistons receiving a DPE for Blake Griffin earlier today, that brings the total to seven for the season, which ties a record set in 2017/18, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. The Wizards ($4.36MM), Pelicans ($3.62MM), Trail Blazers ($2.85MM), Lakers ($1.75MM) and Nets ($839K) have already been granted DPEs, as our tracker shows.
Mason Plumlee Out 2-To-4 Weeks With Foot Injury
The Nuggets expect center Mason Plumlee to miss two weeks to a month because of an injured right foot, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Plumlee has been diagnosed with a cuboid injury, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post. He rolled the right foot after landing on a Timberwolves player during the first half of Monday’s game, but later returned to action. He said after the game that he received treatment from the training staff and X-rays didn’t reveal any damage.
“I just came down on someone’s foot,” he said. “X-rays were good.”
Through 43 games, Plumlee is averaging 7.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in about 17 minutes per night.
Pistons Awarded Disabled Player Exception
The Pistons have been granted the $9.2MM disabled player exception they requested in the wake of an injury to Blake Griffin, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
As we noted two weeks ago, Detroit isn’t expected to use the exception to add a free agent because the team is so close to the tax line. However, it could prove useful on the trade market, allowing the team to move possibly Derrick Rose or Langston Galloway and take back a player with an expiring contract that fits into the DPE. That would create a $7.3MM trade exception (the amount of Rose’s or Galloway’s cap hit) that could be used this summer or next season.
Because the league only grants DPEs for players who are considered highly likely to be out of action until June 15, it’s safe to assume that Griffin’s season is now over, adds Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). Griffin was declared to be out indefinitely after undergoing an arthroscopic debridement of his left knee on January 7.
According to Marks, the Pistons are just $3,669 under the luxury tax and just $5.8MM below the hard cap.
After a 16-28 start, Detroit is expected to be active on the trade market before the February 6 deadline. Andre Drummond has been prominently mentioned as a trade possibility, although interest around the league seems to have declined recently, with both the Hawks and Knicks pulling back.
Larry Fitzgerald Now Part Owner Of Suns
NFL star Larry Fitzgerald has purchased an undisclosed share of the Suns, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Adam Schefter of ESPN.
A longtime receiver with the Arizona Cardinals, Fitzgerald has forged a strong working relationship with Suns managing partner Robert Sarver and has been serving as an ambassador for the team.
Fitzgerald was part of the interview process when the organization hired Jeff Bower as senior vice president of basketball operations in April. He also helped to canvass for a public arena vote, but he won’t become more active with the NBA team until he retires from football, according to the authors. Fitzgerald signed a one-year extension with the Cardinals last week.
He becomes the second prominent NFL player to invest in the NBA, joining Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who bought part of the Bucks in 2018.
Wojnarowski and Schefter point out that Fitzgerald is well respected in the Phoenix community and should bring more credibility to the Suns and to Sarver, who has frequently been a target of fan anger amidst a string of losing seasons. Fitzgerald does extensive charitable work and was selected as the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2016.
“It’s an investment in something I have supported since I’ve been in Arizona,” Fitzgerald told Jim Trotter of NFL.com. “It gives me another connection in the community I love and always will live in. It’s a long-term commitment I wanted to make for life after football.”
Sarver and Fitzgerald have a friendship that dates back to 2005, a year after the wide receiver was drafted into the NFL, Trotter adds. Sarver brought up the idea of investing in the team two years ago when Fitzgerald was thinking of retiring.
“I had never really given it any thought before then,” Fitzgerald said. “I asked him to give me a little bit of time to think about it and wrap my mind around it. I thought it was a unique opportunity because I hadn’t heard of many other [athletes] doing it, but I wanted to really think about it because it’s a substantial capital commitment. It’s not something small.”
Wizards Notes: Bertans, Beal, Playoffs
Davis Bertans is expected to see a significant raise on his $7MM salary when he hits free agency this summer. As we passed along earlier today, one Eastern Conference executive believes it’s possible that he commands $20MM annually on his next deal.
The Wizards have Bertans’ Bird rights, though they already owe $97.7MM to the eight players with guaranteed deals next season. That could make retaining the power forward a tough task without making corresponding moves.
Here’s more from Washington:
- Playoffs? Bradley Beal said that remains the goal for the Wizards, as he told Hoops Rumors and other media in attendance during the franchise’s game against the Pistons. “That’s the goal, that’s every day for us,” Beal said. “Especially in mind in the back of my head. I know, especially once All-Star hits, that second half is just flying. We have to tighten up and try to get some wins here before the break because that’s usually the time when teams like to ease off the pedal a little bit. We have to take advantage of [that], that advantage of our schedule, take care of our bodies, and rally together.”
- Ian Mahinmi, who is in the final season of his four-year, $64MM contract, has been playing well for the Wizards lately and he credits his teammates for putting him in good position to be an offensive force. “It’s a good feeling. You know me, I’m not a really big stat guy. Honestly, I like to impact the game especially on the defensive end,” the center said following the Wizards’ contest on MLK day. “If you see the way I scored today, it’s really a credit to my teammates. They find me at the right the time, the right place to dunk the ball, to shoot a couple of threes. It’s a great feeling.”
- The Capital City Go-Go have acquired former University of Virginia guard London Perrantes, according to the team’s PR department. The G League squad has sent Gabe York to the Canton Charge in exchange for Perrantes.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/21/20
Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Suns have assigned Jalen Lecque to the Northern Arizona Suns, per the team’s Twitter feed. Lecque recently made his NBA debut, playing two minutes for Phoenix last week.
- The Wizards have assigned Admiral Schofield to the G League, per the team’s Twitter feed. Schofield was available for the Capital City Go-Go’s contest earlier tonight.
- The Thunder have recalled center Justin Patton from the G League, the team announced today in a press release.
Dwight Powell Feared To Have Suffered Torn Achilles
Dwight Powell went down with a non-contact injury in tonight’s tilt against the Clippers and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) hears that it’s believed to be a torn right Achilles tendon. So far, it has only been diagnosed as an Achilles ailment, with further testing required to confirm the severity of the injury.
The center has been a key contributor for the Mavericks, manning the starting center spot in 36 of the team’s games this year. He’s been a major reason why Dallas has overachieved and is in good position to make the postseason.
The 28-year-old has averaged 9.4 PPG and 5.7 RPG with a 63.8% field goal percentage and solid interior defense in 26.5 minutes per contest.
Powell, who entered the night ranked sixth in the league in true shooting percentage, signed a three-year extension with the Mavs prior to the season. That extension doesn’t kick in until next year and it runs through the 2022/23 campaign, paying him approximately $11MM annually.
Thad Young Discusses Trade Rumors, Bulls’ Woeful Season
Thaddeus Young signed a three-year deal with the Bulls and it’s not certain that he finishes his contract in Chicago, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports writes.
“I’m just playing basketball. I’m a Chicago Bull. Whatever happens happens. I understand it’s a business,” Young told NBC Sports Chicago. “If I’m traded, I’m traded and have to go to the next city. If I’m not, then I’m here with my brothers, here with my teammates, and ready to fight.”
Young envisioned a different role with Chicago when he signed his three-year deal with the club this offseason, previously expressing mild discontent through the media. He anticipated playing more than the 22.4 minutes per game he’s currently seeing. He also anticipated having a larger role in crunch time.
The Clippers‘ interest in Young is legitimate, Johnson hears. Los Angeles had a scout at a recent Bulls game (the team doesn’t play Chicago until April). Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times previously reported that the Clippers may have interest in the veteran. A move to the West Coast likely won’t significantly increase his playing time, but being a part of a contending squad might make those concerns easier to deal with.
Young has done his best to ignore the trade rumors, instead remaining professional and focusing on how he can help the team he’s currently on.
“We’re very upset we keep losing games,” Young said. “It’s hard to win in this league. We have to understand that as a team. We have to face the hardness of the game and take advantage of the opportunities we do have. We need to play harder than other teams. We can play great for 38-40 minutes. But there’s an eight-minute span that can be detrimental to our team.”
Kristaps Porzingis Returns For Mavs
The Mavericks will have Kristaps Porzingis in the lineup for the first time since December 29, as ESPN’s Tim MacMahon passes along on Twitter.
“Porzingis is scheduled to play. He’s looking forward to playing,” head coach Rick Carlisle told the media prior to the Mavs’ tilt against the Clippers.
Porzingis’ knee has kept him on the sideline during the entire month of January. He’s missed 10 games for the club and Dallas has gone 6-4 during his absence.
While there’s no word of an exact minute restriction, Carlisle said that the big man will play shorter stints than he normally would. Porzingis has played in 31 games for the Mavs this season, seeing 31.2 minutes per contest.
Davis Bertans Remains On Track For Significant FA Raise
Davis Bertans, who is making $7MM this year, will be a free agent at the end of the season and many around the league expect his next contract to be a lucrative one.
“He’s going to be a hot commodity.” a rival Eastern Conference front office executive told Hoops Rumors. “He’s earned himself a sizeable raise. $15MM per season isn’t out of the question. $20MM? It’s possible.”
That isn’t the first time we’ve heard numbers in that neighborhood thrown around in reference to Bertans. A former front office executive who spoke to David Aldridge of The Athletic earlier in the season estimated that the 27-year-old would get a multiyear deal worth $15-20MM annually.
The free agent landscape this summer may not be as player-friendly as it has been in recent years, since there aren’t many teams projected to have significant cap room. Still, that won’t stop teams from pursuing their top targets.
“If a player wants to sign somewhere and a team wants him bad enough, they’ll find a way,” the Eastern Conference executive said. “We just saw a bunch of sign-and-trades. We’ll see more.”
By all accounts, the Wizards still plan to keep Bertans through the trade deadline. GM Tommy Sheppard is a huge fan of the power forward and Bertans’ presence in Washington had an influence on the team promoting fellow Latvian big man Anzejs Pasecniks to the 15-man roster. Still, it’s worth wondering whether Bertans’ potential price tag in free agency will make the team reconsider the possibility of a trade either before the February 6 deadline or after the season (via sign-and-trade).
[RELATED: Wizards GM: We “Intend To Keep” Davis Bertans]
Bertans, who came to the Wizards via a three-way trade with the Spurs and Nets, is enjoying a breakout campaign. He’s one of just six players this season making three triples per contest while hitting them at a 40% mark or better.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images