Magic Sign Gary Clark To Second 10-Day Contract
11:17am: The Magic have officially signed Clark to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The timing is a little surprising, since Orlando doesn’t play again until Saturday and the new deal will only cover four games instead of five or six. It’ll run through February 7.
10:51am: The Magic have reached a new deal with forward Gary Clark and will sign him to a second 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). No corresponding move will be required, since Orlando has an open spot on its 15-man roster.
Clark, 25, signed his first 10-day deal with Orlando earlier this month after being waived by Houston. He appeared in five games for the Magic during those 10 days, averaging 4.0 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 13.8 minutes per contest before the contract expired last Thursday night.
Previously, Clark had appeared in 69 games for the Rockets since the start of the 2018/19 season, averaging 3.2 PPG and 2.3 RPG with a .348/.312/.929 shooting line in 12.4 minutes per contest. He was released by Houston before his 2019/20 salary became fully guaranteed.
Clark’s new 10-day contract would run through February 7 if it’s officially signed today, but Orlando may wait at least one more day to ensure that it will cover five games instead of four. Once Clark’s deal expires, the Magic will either have to sign him to a rest-of-season contract or let him return to free agency.
If the Magic make a trade on or before the February 6 deadline that requires them to open up a roster spot, Clark’s 10-day contract could be terminated before it expires. He would still earn his full 10-day salary ($81,678) in that scenario.
LaMelo Ball Leaves Australian Team
Top draft prospect LaMelo Ball has returned stateside after an abridged season with the Illawarra Hawks in Australia, according to a report from Timothy Fernandez of ABC Illawarra (hat tip to NBC Sports).
Ball’s season came to an early end when he suffered a foot injury in December and was subsequently shut down in January. Although he wasn’t going to suit up again for the team, it sounds like the Hawks were caught off guard by the timing of Ball’s departure. According to Fernandez, captain Todd Blanchfield didn’t know about it until he was asked for comment by ABC Illawarra.
“It’s news to me, but [Ball’s camp has] got an agenda they have to take care of,” Blanchfield said. “At the end of the day he’s thinking of the bigger picture and has bigger things in mind. … We were teammates for half the season while he was playing, and we had our ups and downs, but it would have been good to say goodbye.”
Team owner Simon Stratford said he was “really disappointed” that Ball didn’t say goodbye to his teammates or coach, per Fernandez. Still, when the Hawks officially announced Ball’s departure, they wished him the best in his preparations for the draft.
“LaMelo has had a big impact on our club and the league and we thank him for everything he has done for the Hawks and the Illawarra community,” Hawks general manager Mat Campbell said in a statement. “He has a very bright future ahead of him and the Hawks are proud to have played a part in that journey. LaMelo and his team will always be a part of the Hawks family and we wish him the very best ahead of the NBA Draft.”
Ball averaged 17.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 6.8 APG in the 12 games he played prior to his injury, making himself a contender for the No. 1 overall pick in 2020. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony currently has Ball ranked atop his big board, though he notes that the guard’s work ethic and level of focus have been called into question. Ball’s abrupt departure from the Hawks could be another factor for NBA teams to consider as they evaluate his draft stock this spring.
NBA Trade Market “Sluggish” As Deadline Nears
The NBA trade deadline is just eight days away, but the market doesn’t seem particularly active at the moment, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said during an appearance on SportsCenter on Tuesday (link via Mike DePrisco of NBC Sports Washington).
“The one thing you’re not hearing among conversation right now, are not many front-line, significant players [are] on the move,” Wojnarowski said. “That may change next week, but right now it’s a very sluggish, slow trade deadline market.”
Wojnarowski added that one team that’s usually active around the deadline told him it has made and received fewer trade calls this season than it normally does.
While there were plenty of fireworks and roster changes at the start of the 2019 offseason, only five trades have been completed since July 16. A number of the NBA’s top contenders this season lack the assets necessary to make major moves, and teams around the league appear reluctant to make trades that would cut into their projected 2021 cap room. Plus, only three clubs in each conference are more than 4.5 games out of a playoff spot, reducing the number of potential sellers this winter.
On top of all that, the death of Kobe Bryant may put a damper on this year’s trade market. For instance, a year ago, Anthony Davis went public with his trade request on the Monday 10 days before the deadline and that week was dominated by rumors and speculation — Kristaps Porzingis was also moved a week before the deadline. As the league mourns and honors Bryant this week, I can’t imagine front offices are spending as much time on trade calls.
Although the market may not be active for the time being, Wojnarowski did caution during his SportsCenter appearance that things can change quickly, as DePrisco notes. According to Woj, Super Bowl Sunday is generally pretty quiet around the NBA, but talks often heat up on Monday as teams reconvene and regroup. So there’s still a chance we’ll get some action leading up to next Thursday’s deadline.
Atlantic Notes: Jordan, Celtics, Sixers, Kobe
Nets center DeAndre Jordan is set to make his return to the court on Wednesday against Detroit, Malika Andrews of ESPN.com tweets. Jordan has been out since January 20 with a dislocated finger.
Here’s more from out of the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics could benefit from having one more experienced role player, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports contends. Boston’s need for an eighth or ninth man could be exposed come playoff time.
- Javonte Green‘s play has made Brad Stevens‘ rotation decisions more difficult, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald writes. “I’m just here to do what the coach asks. Even if I’m not playing I’m going to do my best to pick up my teammates from the bench. He put me in there to just do my job,” said Green.
- The Sixers paid tribute to Kobe Bryant in multiple ways on Tuesday, as I wrote for Heavy.com. Joel Embiid wore No. 24 in the game against the Warriors, scoring 24 points. The big man hit a fadeaway and yelled “KOBE” during the contest.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/28/20
Here are Tuesday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Wizards have recalled Admiral Schofield from the Capital City Go-Go, per the team’s Twitter feed. Schofield was a second-round pick in the 2019 draft.
- The Celtics are bringing Romeo Langford back from the G League. They’ve recalled him, per Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports (Twitter link).
- The Spurs have recalled Keldon Johnson from the Austin Spurs, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News tweets. Johnson was the No. 29 overall pick in the 2019 draft.
- The Clippers have assigned Derrick Walton Jr. and Terance Mann to the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, per the team. Los Angeles hasn’t practiced in several days but is expected to hold practice tomorrow.
- The Jazz have assigned Nigel Williams-Goss, Juwan Morgan, and Miye Oni to the G League, according to the league’s transaction log. All three are were just with the Salt Lake City Stars over the weekend.
Wizards Notes: Grant, Trades, Hachimura
The Wizards are in position to make some moves at the deadline, and if that happens the team could call up a few of its G League players. Shane Connuck of Wizards Xtra breaks down which players could get an opportunity with Washington, including Jerian Grant, who has been with the Go-Go for most of the season.
Here’s more from Washington:
- The Wizards have made a trade leading up to trade deadline in each of the past 10 seasons, NBC Sports Washington’s Chase Hughes writes. The team dealt Markieff Morris and Otto Porter Jr. in separate trades a year ago. This is Tommy Sheppard‘s first year as the team’s new head of basketball operations, so it’ll be interesting to see if he’s as active at the deadline as Ernie Grunfeld was.
- Rui Hachimura is getting close to returning to the court, as Hughes relays in another piece. The rookie went through a full practice without any limitations over the weekend.
- Hachimura spoke about Kobe Bryant‘s impact on him, telling the media that Bryant was his hero (via Mike DePrisco of NBC Sports). “Three years ago, during [the] Final Four, [Bryant gave] a special pair of shoes as a surprise to the team. Not only that, he talked about what Mamba Mentality is and what people should be before basketball players,” Hachimura said. “He was more than just a basketball player.”
Josh Jackson On Grizzlies: They Kept Their Word
The Grizzlies acquired Josh Jackson over the summer via a trade with the Suns and decided the best course of action was to send the former No. 4 overall pick to the G League and allow him to work on his game. The team promised he would be given an opportunity at the next level if he made strides and Memphis made good on that promise earlier this week.
“They kept their word,” Jackson said, as Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian relays on Twitter.
During his time with the Memphis Hustle this season, Jackson made 38.0% of his shots from behind the arc on 6.6 attempts per game. Clearly, the franchise wanted him to work on this part of his game and he’s produced solid results.
“I’m learning a lot down here,” Jackson told Marc Spears of the Undefeated earlier this month. “I’m gaining confidence. I am working on things that I couldn’t do before. That was like one of the main things that me and the organization talked about in making this decision, was for me to work on a lot of other things.”
Jackson, who was charged last spring with escape and resisting arrest, is also maturing off the court. He recently addressed the arrest, vowing to be better in the future, telling Spears that he would have done “a bunch of things” differently if he could go back and do it all over again.
“I will never make the same mistake twice whether on the court or off the court, especially playing,” Jackson said.
Sixers Notes: Young, Embiid, Smith
Thaddeus Young may make sense as a trade target for the Sixers, as I wrote for Heavy.com. Young, who is in the first year of a three-year contract with Chicago, would give coach Brett Brown another option to stagger the frontcourt minutes, which would ultimately allow Joel Embiid and Al Horford to remain fresh.
Here’s more from Philadelphia:
- Joel Embiid will start vs. the Warriors after seeing a hand specialist during pregame, Derek Bodner of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). Embiid has missed the past nine games for the Sixers and the team went 6-3 in his absence.
- Zhaire Smith is available to play for the Sixers tonight, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Smith injured his ankle on Saturday after playing just three minutes in his season debut.
- Brett Brown said he can’t imagine Ben Simmons not making his second straight All-Star appearance, as Pompey relays on Twitter. Brown also mentioned Tobias Harris as a candidate.
Victor Oladipo To Have Minutes Restriction Upon Return
Pacers guard Victor Oladipo remains on track to make his return to the NBA on Wednesday night vs. Chicago after missing the last year with a torn quad tendon. However, the team will be cautious with the 27-year-old upon his return.
According to Nat Newell and J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star, Oladipo will face a minutes restriction in his season debut and for at least the first few weeks after that. The team intends to re-evaluate that restriction at the All-Star break, at which time it could be adjusted or lifted entirely.
The Pacers haven’t indicated exactly how many minutes Oladipo will receive per game. The team was also noncommittal about his potential role, though Scott Agness of The Athletic suggests (via Twitter) there’s a good chance he’ll come off the bench for now. As Agness points out (via Twitter), Oladipo still hasn’t practiced with the starters and head coach Nate McMillan is aware that an adjustment period will be necessary.
Before going down with his quad injury last January, the veteran guard had been named an All-Star in each of his first two seasons in Indiana. He has averaged 21.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.6 APG, and 2.1 SPG on .461/.362/.780 shooting in 111 games since joining the Pacers in a blockbuster 2017 trade.
The Pacers have played very well in Oladipo’s absence, with Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis stepping up as the team’s leaders and making strong cases for All-Star consideration. At 30-17, Indiana currently ranks fifth in the Eastern Conference. With Oladipo back, the club will be pushing in the second half to secure a top-four seed and first-round home court advantage.
And-Ones: Dinwiddie, Ross, Rising Stars, Zion
There hasn’t yet been a league-wide push to retire Kobe Bryant‘s No. 8 or No. 24, but some players around the NBA have begun informally retiring those numbers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. As Charania tweets, the first of those players is Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who had worn No. 8 and will be switching to No. 26. Magic sharpshooter Terrence Ross is changing from No. 8 back to his old No. 31, Charania adds (via Twitter).
It’s not yet clear which other players will follow suit and make changes of their own. The NBA generally doesn’t allow players to change jersey numbers during the season, but Dinwiddie and Ross were granted permission, a source tells Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). Given the special circumstances, it seems safe to assume the league would approve similar requests from others. However, Stein hears that they’ll be reviewed on a case-to-case basis (Twitter link).
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The NBA’s announcement of the rosters for this year’s Rising Stars game has been pushed back to this Friday at noon eastern, the league announced today in a press release. A source tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link) that Pelicans forward Zion Williamson would be interested in participating now that he’s healthy, which would certainly add some extra excitement to the All-Star event.
- Former Trail Blazers and Rockets guard Tim Quarterman has signed a G League contract and has been acquired off waivers by the Sioux Falls Skyforce, per the NBAGL’s transactions log. Quarterman, who appeared in 19 total games for Portland and Houston from 2016-18, spent last season playing in Israel and New Zealand.
- A pair of former NBA guards have reached deals with international teams, according to reports from Sportando. Emiliano Carchia relays word of ex-Thunder guard Semaj Christon signing with Spanish team Baskonia, while Nicola Lupo has the details on former Pelicans guard Charles Cooke agreeing to sign with Atleticos de San German in Puerto Rico.