Bucks Sign Jeff Teague
APRIL 1: The Bucks have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed Teague.
MARCH 29: Free agent point guard Jeff Teague will sign with the Bucks, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Teague was waived by the Magic over the weekend after they acquired him as a salary throw-in to complete the Evan Fournier trade with the Celtics.
Teague, 32, signed a one-year deal with Boston during the offseason. He appeared in 34 games, including five starts, and averaged 6.9 PPG and 2.1 APG in 18.1 MPG while shooting 41.5% from the field.
For his career, Teague has averaged 12.3 PPG, 5.6 APG and 2.3 RPG in 805 games for the Hawks, Pacers, Timberwolves and Celtics.
With Milwaukee, he’ll add some depth at the point behind Jrue Holiday and will reunite with former Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer.
The Bucks have an open roster spot for Teague. They were seeking to fortify their guard depth after trading reserve point guard D.J. Augustin to Houston in the deal that brought veteran forward P.J. Tucker to Milwaukee.
Milwaukee will have one more opening on its 15-man roster after signing Teague, so the move doesn’t rule out the possible addition of Austin Rivers.
Health Updates: Harden, Durant, Drummond, More
The Nets announced today that James Harden, who left Wednesday’s game with hamstring tightness, has also been ruled out for Thursday’s contest vs. Charlotte. However, according to Shams Charania of Stadium (video link), the injury isn’t considered to be serious, and Harden will be day-to-day going forward.
Harden’s teammate, Kevin Durant, has been dealing with a more serious hamstring issue, having not played at all since February 13. But Charania says Durant is “closing in” on a return to action, adding that if this were the postseason, the star forward would already be playing. Durant still isn’t expected back until possibly sometime next week.
Meanwhile, Blake Griffin will rest on the second night of a back-to-back for injury management purposes, but the Nets will have their other buyout-market addition, LaMarcus Aldridge, available on Thursday for the first time, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
Here are a few more health updates from around the NBA:
- Andre Drummond‘s debut with the Lakers didn’t exactly go as planned. The veteran center left the game with a right toe bruise, a diagnosis that understated how painful the injury was, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes. “I didn’t really think anything of it,” Drummond said, referring to a play where Brook Lopez stepped on his foot. “I came back in the second quarter and it was hurting a little bit more. And then after halftime, I finally took my sock off to look and my whole toenail was gone. So, it was just all bad from there. I couldn’t walk or run. So I just told Coach (Frank Vogel) to take me out.” Drummond is considered day-to-day.
- Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova has yet to appear in a game this season due to a concussion and an appendectomy, but that may change on Thursday. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said on Wednesday that Dellavedova is close to being ready, and that he’s hopeful of a “Delly sighting” against Philadelphia, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
- Suns big man Frank Kaminsky isn’t injured, but he’s on the shelf for now after being placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
- As we relayed earlier today, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will remain sidelined through at least mid-April.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Out Until At Least Mid-April
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still isn’t close to a return, according to head coach Mark Daigneault, who said on Wednesday that the guard will be out for at least the first half of April, per ESPN’s Royce Young. Gilgeous-Alexander has been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis in his right foot.
“(Mid-April) will be our next touchpoint with him,” Daigneault said, indicating that Gilgeous-Alexader will be reevaluated in about two weeks. “He’s progressing and doing his thing.”
Gilgeous-Alexander has had his best season as a pro so far in 2020/21, averaging 23.7 PPG, 5.9 APG, and 4.7 RPG on .508/.418/.808 shooting in 35 games (33.7 MPG).
However, as Young observes, the Thunder want to be careful with SGA’s workload, since the team is coming off a shortened offseason and the former lottery pick may play for Team Canada in the Olympic qualifiers this summer, resulting in another abridged break between seasons.
Additionally, the 20-27 Thunder are signaling that they’re not exactly going all-out in a push for one of the final playoff spots in the West this season, having traded away veteran guard George Hill and sat big man Al Horford. Still, the expectation is that Gilgeous-Alexander will return before the end of the season, says Young.
Cade Cunningham Declares For 2021 NBA Draft
Oklahoma State star and potential No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham formally announced on Thursday that he will enter the 2021 NBA draft, writes Cliff Brunt of The Associated Press.
The 6’8″ freshman guard was one of the most dynamic players in the nation during his first and only college season, averaging a conference-best 20.1 PPG to go along with 6.2 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 1.6 SPG. He had a shooting line of .438/.400/.846 in his 27 games with the Cowboys (35.4 MPG), winning the Wayman Tisdale Award as the NCAA’s top freshman.
Although Oklahoma State had a relatively early exit from the NCAA tournament, falling in the second round to Oregon State, that 80-70 defeat didn’t reflect poorly on Cunningham, who scored 24 points in the losing effort.
There are a handful of impressive young players expected to join Cunningham at the top of draft boards this year, including Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs, Jalen Green, and Jonathan Kuminga. However, Cunningham has long been considered by draft experts to be the top prospect in the 2021 class and is the strong favorite to be the first player off the board on July 29.
As Jonathan Givony of ESPN notes in his scouting report of Cunningham, there are still some questions about whether the 19-year-old can be the go-to offensive creator for an NBA team. However, Cunningham’s size, physical tools, improved shooting touch, and defensive versatility make him a potential two-way force, says Givony.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Charles Bassey Entering 2021 NBA Draft
Western Kentucky center Charles Bassey has decided to enter the 2021 NBA draft following his junior season and fully intends to go pro, he told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
“I’m declaring for the draft and hiring an agent,” said Bassey, who nearly went pro after his freshman year in 2019. “I’m completely going into this one for sure.”
As Givony details, Bassey was this season’s Conference USA Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, returning from a left leg fracture that sidelined him for the majority of the 2019/20 season.
The No. 25 prospect on ESPN’s big board, Bassey averaged a double-double in 28 games for Western Kentucky in 2020/21, posting 17.6 PPG, 11.6 RPG, and an impressive 3.1 BPG.
Givony writes that the big man has “significant potential” as a defender at the NBA level, and is developing an outside shot to go along with his impressive above-the-rim finishes.
Thabo Sefolosha Discusses Retirement
Veteran NBA wing Thabo Sefolosha, who last played for the Rockets in 2019/20, hasn’t officially announced his retirement as a player. However, in a recent appearance on the Fastbreak podcast, Sefolosha didn’t object to being characterized as retired by the hosts.
“It’s treating me good,” Sefolosha said, when asked how he has adjusted to retirement. “It’s a nice change of pace being back home with the family. It has been great.”
As Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com relays (via Twitter), Sefolosha went on to explain that he has returned to his home country of Switzerland with his family and is enjoying spending more time with his wife and children. While he didn’t explicitly close the door on playing basketball again, the 36-year-old doesn’t sound like someone pursuing another NBA contract.
“We had already talked about it at the end of last season, coming back to Switzerland,” Sefolosha said. “We have kids that are growing up and it was important for us to be as a family together, spending more time together with myself being more involved and being able to spend more time with homework and all of this.
“After 14 years, I felt like it was kind of time for me to take a step back and spend the majority of my time doing something different now.”
Assuming Sefolosha has played in his last NBA game, he’ll call it a career after appearing in 869 regular season games and another 96 postseason contests. The former 13th overall pick averaged 5.7 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 21.9 minutes per game in the regular season, spending time with the Bulls, Thunder, Hawks, Jazz, and Rockets.
Sefolosha was also a strong perimeter defender, having earned a spot on the NBA’s All-Defensive Team in 2010. Although he didn’t win a championship, he played in the NBA Finals once, with the Thunder in 2012.
Sefolosha last appeared on the court on March 8, 2020, having opted out of the summer restart in Orlando.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nets Sign Alize Johnson To Second 10-Day Contract
APRIL 1: The Nets have officially re-signed Johnson to a second 10-day deal, the team confirmed today in a press release. It’ll run through April 10, at which point Brooklyn will either have to let Johnson go or sign him to a rest-of-season contract.
MARCH 30: The Nets plan to sign forward Alize Johnson to a second 10-day contract, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Johnson made quite a splash in his Brooklyn debut, supplying 23 points, 15 rebounds and three assists in a loss to Utah on Wednesday. That was also his season debut.
His first 10-day deal is due to expire on Wednesday.
Johnson, 24, spent two seasons with the Pacers after being drafted 50th overall in 2018, but appeared in just 31 total games and played limited minutes, seeing more action with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the G League.
Johnson suited up for the Raptors 905 in the G League bubble this season, averaging 16.6 PPG and 13.5 RPG (second in the league) in 15 games (32.1 MPG).
With the Nets retaining Johnson, at least in the short team, they’ll remain at the league limit of 15 players (not counting two-ways). For the latest on roster openings, check out our update here.
Draft Updates: Christopher, Liddell, Akinjo, More
Arizona State shooting guard Josh Christopher is entering the 2021 NBA draft, he announced late last night on Twitter.
The 6’5″ freshman played just 15 games for the Sun Devils, having missed 10 due to leg and back issues. When he played, he averaged 14.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 1.5 SPG on .432/.305/.800 shooting. Despite his limited résumé at the college level, Christopher looks like a good bet to be drafted, currently ranking 37th overall on ESPN’s big board.
Here are a few more updates on early entrants declaring for the 2021 draft:
- On the heels of Ohio State’s early exit from the NCAA tournament, sophomore forward E.J. Liddell will enter the draft while leaving the door open to return to the Buckeyes, he announced on Twitter. Liddell enjoyed a breakout year in 2020/21, increasing his scoring average from 6.7 PPG as a freshman reserve to 16.2 PPG as a full-time starter.
- Junior guard James Akinjo announced on Instagram that he’ll test the draft waters this spring. After spending his first two college seasons at Georgetown, Akinjo transferred to Arizona and averaged 15.6 PPG and 5.4 APG in 26 games (34.9 MPG) this year.
- North Texas guard Javion Hamlet has opted to enter the draft pool, he announced on Twitter. In two college seasons, Hamlet averaged 15.1 PPG on .461/.396/.878 shooting in 59 games (31.7 MPG), earning Conference USA Player of the Year honors in 2019/20.
- UNLV guard Bryce Hamilton is testing the draft waters, according to an announcement on Twitter. Hamilton averaged 17.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 3.0 APG in 24 games (32.6 MPG) as a junior this season.
Southeast Notes: Westbrook, Magic, Oladipo, Okeke/Carter
Wizards point guard Russell Westbrook supplied a lengthy response to ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith, who claimed (video link) that Westbrook still needed a championship to cement his legacy. “You’ve played with some great great players over the years. Talent. And not a single title to show for it,” Smith said. “The numbers are the numbers… It ain’t about that no more.”
Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets Westbrook’s full statement. “I’m happy,” Westbrook said in part. “I was a champion once I made it to the NBA. I grew up in the streets. I’m a champion. I don’t have to be an NBA champion… My legacy is what I do off the floor, how many people I’m able to impact and inspire along my journey, man.”
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- Now that the Magic have fully committed to rebuilding their club through their young players and future draft assets, Josh Robbins and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic have opted to assess Orlando’s expected plans for the 2021 draft and beyond, as well as tantalizing new players R.J. Hampton and Wendell Carter Jr. Vecenie and Robbins both feel that Orlando should have perhaps pivoted to a full-tilt rebuild sooner than it did, and agree that the top-heavy 2021 draft should have several intriguing prospects for the Magic.
- New Heat shooting guard Victor Oladipo is set to debut for Miami on Thursday opposite the Warriors, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “We’ve had several Zoom sessions,” head coach Erik Spoelstra noted, “just to review and try to fast track our system. But he’s a savvy, high-IQ veteran player.”
- Magic rookie forward Chuma Okeke and new center/power forward Wendell Carter Jr. are doing their best to capitalize on rotational opportunities with Orlando, writes Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel. Both players flashed some of their promise down the stretch of a surprise 103-96 win over the Clippers Tuesday.
Northwest Notes: McDaniels, Thunder, Jazz, Pokusevski
Rookie Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, the No. 28 pick in the 2020 draft, has earned the trust of head coach Chris Finch and his teammates to tackle Minnesota’s top defensive assignments, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.
“At times I’ll say that people just aren’t knowing how long my arms really are,” McDaniels said of his defensive attributes for the Timberwolves. “The first time we played Houston, at the end of the game I had blocked Ben McLemore. I’m cool with him and he was like, … ‘I didn’t think your arms was that long.’ Just hearing little things like that is kind of uplifting.”
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- Many Thunder players and staffers received their first COVID-19 vaccines yesterday, now that everyone aged 16 and up is eligible in the state of Oklahoma, according to Royce Young of ESPN.
- The Jazz faced a recent scare in transit. One of the engines blew on the team’s plane during a recent road trip, forcing the team to return to Salt Lake City, per Mark Medina of USA Today (Twitter link). Head coach Quin Snyder called the experience “traumatic and eerie.” He added, “The pilots, you have their appreciation for their expertise and training to keep us safe.” All-Star point guard Mike Conley elaborated, per Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). “Sounded like there was an explosion,” Conley said. “It felt like the plane was breaking apart in midair.” Reserve guard Jordan Clarkson added, “A lot of us came to a point where it was like, ‘This might be over for us,'” tweets Mark Medina of USA Today.
- Thunder rookie power forward Aleksej Pokusevski has entered the league’s coronavirus health and safety protocols, tweets Joe Mussatto of the Oklahoman.