NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/21/20
Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Pistons assigned guard Khyri Thomas to the Grand Rapids Drive, according to a team press release. Thomas has been sidelined most of the season after undergoing foot surgery. He played two early-season games with Detroit and will be playing his first G League game this season on Friday.
- The Magic assigned second-year shooting guard Melvin Frazier to their Lakeland G League affiliate, according to the G League transactions log. Frazier has logged time in 14 games with the Magic this season.
- The Jazz assigned and then recalled guard Rayjon Tucker from the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the G League log. Tucker has appeared in 12 games with the Jazz.
Lakers To Waive DeMarcus Cousins
The Lakers will waive injured center DeMarcus Cousins to open up a roster spot, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne report (via Twitter).
The Lakers are planning to sign forward Markieff Morris, who was bought out by Detroit on Friday, assuming he clears waivers.
Cousins signed a one-year, $3.5MM contract to join another contender after spending an injury-plagued season with Golden State. Cousins suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in August but expressed hope this week that he could return for the postseason.
The front office opted to fortify the team’s frontcourt with versatile forward who’s healthy rather than attempt to integrate Cousins into the rotation during the playoffs.
The Lakers will likely wait until Sunday night, when Morris would clear waivers, to officially part ways with Cousins, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Cousins has approximately $1MM left on his contract and a claiming team would gain his non-Bird rights. The $1.75MM Disabled Player Exception the Lakers were awarded after Cousins’ injury can still be used before the March 10 expiration date (Twitter link).
Knicks, Harkless Not Planning On Buyout
FEBRUARY 21, 6:05pm: Harkless plans to remain with the Knicks for the rest of the season, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets.
FEBRUARY 20, 9:15am: When the Clippers acquired Marcus Morris from the Knicks two weeks ago, they sent Maurice Harkless to New York as a salary-matching piece. With Harkless on an expiring contract and New York well out of the playoff race, there was speculation that his new team may be willing to buy out the veteran forward to allow him to join a contender.
As Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic reports (via Twitter), Harkless said on Wednesday that he hasn’t initiated any buyout talks with the Knicks. However, the 26-year-old didn’t entirely rule out the possibility, suggesting he and his agent may discuss a potential buyout at some point and weigh whether he wants to finish the season with a playoff team.
Harkless appeared in 50 games (38 starts) with the Clippers before being dealt at the deadline. His counting stats (5.5 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 22.8 MPG) were modest, but he was a solid complementary piece alongside a handful of ball-dominant players in L.A., providing good perimeter defense and shooting well (.516 FG%, .370 3PT%) when he did end up with the ball.
A New York native, Harkless said upon being traded to the Knicks that it was a “dream come true” to join the club he grew up rooting for. So it’s possible his desire to finish the season with his hometown team may outweigh his interest in signing with a contender. Even if he seeks a buyout, the Knicks would have to be willing to negotiate the terms of his release.
If the two sides end up pursuing a buyout agreement, they’ll do so by March 1 to ensure Harkless retains his postseason eligibility. A player who is waived on March 2 or a later date can’t appear in the playoffs for a new team.
Harkless wouldn’t be able to re-sign with the Clippers if he’s bought out, but any other team would be fair game. There have been rumors suggesting that Los Angeles’ other team, the Lakers, would have interest.
Karl-Anthony Towns Has Fractured Wrist
Timberwolves superstar center Karl-Anthony Towns has been diagnosed with a fractured left wrist and will be sidelined for a minimum of two weeks, according to a team press release.
It’s the latest setback for Towns, who has also missed 15 games this season due to a sprained left knee and two others for a league-imposed suspension. Towns sat out the last game prior to the All-Star break due to the wrist injury.
Towns received a period of treatment and monitoring from the Wolves medical staff before the fracture was discovered. He has been assessed by multiple specialists over the last several days, the release adds.
The Timberwolves are 21 games under .500, so Towns’ absence won’t impact the team’s postseason hopes. However, it will reduce the opportunities that Towns has this season to establish chemistry with newly-acquired point guard D’Angelo Russell.
Towns, 24, is averaging career highs in points (26.5 PPG) and assists (4.4 APG) this season.
Grizzlies Sign Dusty Hannahs To 10-Day Deal
FEBRUARY 21: The Grizzlies have officially signed Hannahs to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will run through March 1.
FEBRUARY 20: The Grizzlies are bringing back Dusty Hannahs. The guard will ink a 10-day deal with the club, Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports.
Hannahs has played for the Memphis Hustle of the G League in each of the past three seasons. He was called up on a 10-day deal with the Grizzlies late last season.
The Arkansas native was averaging 21.2 points per game in his 33 G League contests this season. Hannahs is expected to join the Grizzlies during the team’s current four-game road trip.
No corresponding roster move will be necessary, since Memphis has had an opening on its 15-man squad since releasing Dion Waiters earlier this month.
And-Ones: Pistons, Morris, Harris, Gasol
The Pistons have made some interesting moves over the past few weeks, trading away Andre Drummond and agreeing to buyouts with both Reggie Jackson and Markieff Morris. The franchise appears to be in the midst of a tear-down, and as ESPN’s Bobby Marks explains (Twitter link), this offseason will be a test to see if the team has the stomach to be patient and rebuild.
Detroit is projected to have approximately $36MM in cap space this summer and what the organization does with that flexibility will go a long way toward identifying the team’s actual plans.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Lakers appear to be the favorite to sign Morris, though as Marks tweets, other teams are eligible to claim the power forward off waivers, which would void the buyout. The new team would be on the hook for his player option next season if they claim Morris. Marks adds that teams can use a trade exception to claim the veteran and the Rockets are among the teams with a large enough TPE.
- Joe Harris hopes to re-sign with the Nets, as Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Harris spoke about his desire to play alongside Kevin Durant, who hasn’t suited up since signing with Brooklyn.
- Marc Gasol could miss additional time with his lingering hamstring injury, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (Twitter link). The Raptors want to make sure the big man is fully healthy before putting him back out on the court.
Pistons Buy Out Markieff Morris
2:49pm: The Pistons have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve bought out Morris. He’s on track to clear waivers on Sunday.
2:32pm: Just three days after buying out point guard Reggie Jackson, the Pistons have reached a buyout agreement with another veteran contributor, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the club is buying out forward Markieff Morris.
Morris, 30, has appeared in 44 games for the Pistons this season, averaging 11.0 PPG and 3.9 RPG with a .450/.397/.772 shooting line in 22.5 minutes per contest.
Morris’ two-year contract with Detroit paid him $3.2MM this season and included a $3.36MM player option for next season. Presumably, if he had finished the season with the Pistons, he would have opted out and tested the free agent market, so it’ll be interesting to see how much money he gives up as part of the buyout agreement.
According to Charania (via Twitter), the Lakers have emerged as a frontrunner for Morris. That would add a new layer of intrigue to a potential Los Angeles showdown in the Western Conference playoffs, since the Clippers added Morris’ twin Marcus Morris in a deadline deal earlier this month.
The Raptors have also expressed interest in Markieff, Charania adds.
DeMarcus Cousins Hopes To Join Lakers For Playoffs
DeMarcus Cousins continues to recover from a torn ACL in his left knee, but the big man hopes to return to the court to help Los Angeles in the playoffs.
“We got a big team. It’s going to be some bump, for sure,” Cousins said on Showtime’s “All the Smoke” (h/t Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com). “We got so many guys with different abilities. I mean, I can spot up. ‘Bron [LeBron James] is going to draw everybody whenever he decides to move. I’m pretty confident I can knock down the shot. We got shooters all over the floor. I mean, I can play-make. Like, it’s pick your poison.”
Cousins signed a one-year deal with the Lakers this offseason and hasn’t suited up for the club yet. Coach Frank Vogel isn’t closing the door on the center joining the rotation if healthy.
“There is no date, and there’s really no specifics on it in terms of, I’m not even sure where he’s at with exactly what he’s doing day to day. I just still know he’s a long way away, but they’ve said they’re not ruling out him returning. That’s really all I can give you,” Vogel said. “I just know he’s not close. As he starts getting close, it could be a review thing, because [the training staff will] come to me and let me know.”
Atlantic Notes: Burks, Wright, Knicks, Simmons
Sixers head coach Brett Brown explained his plan for Alec Burks, who made his first real impact for Philadelphia on Thursday night against the Nets.
“I’m looking at him is sort of instant offense type off the bench he can be given the ball can be put in pick-and-rolls,” Brown said (via Heavy.com). “I like him more probably in the middle of the floor with the pick and roll than the sideline with the pick-and-roll I think that he can be a primary ball carrier for a while.”
Burks, who came to the Sixers along with Glenn Robinson III at the trade deadline, has spent 44 minutes on the court so far in his Sixers’ career.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Villanova head coach Jay Wright simply isn’t interested in the Knicks‘ coaching job, as Joe Juliano of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link). “I haven’t talked to the Knicks, I’m not going to the Knicks. It’s crazy,” Wright said.
- Ben Simmons is probable for the Sixers‘ matchup with Milwaukee on Saturday night, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Simmons missed Thursday’s contest against Brooklyn with back tightness.
- Zach Braziller of the New York Post details how interim coach Mike Miller is handling the situation with the Knicks. “If we help these guys and we continue to grow and get better, then we’ve done our job,” Miller said. “All I’m concerned about is bringing value to it and helping these guys. As simple as it sounds, I did that for six years as a D-League [and] G-League coach and I felt good at the end of every season. That’s the direction that I take.”
Hornets Ink Joe Chealey To 10-Day Deal
The Hornets have signed Joe Chealey to a 10-day contract, according to the team’s website.
The guard was previously with the Hornets on a two-way contract back in 2018. He played out the 2018/19 campaign with Charlotte before re-signing with the club during the 2019 offseason.
He was waived prior to the 2019/20 season and has spent the year with the Greensboro Swarm, which is the Hornets’ G League affiliate.
Chealey played his collegiate ball at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. He was not selected in the 2018 draft.
The Hornets were required to add a player to their roster before Saturday, since they’ve been carrying just 13 players on standard contracts since buying out Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marvin Williams earlier in the month. Teams are only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players for up to two weeks at a time.