G League Notes: Kuminga, Green, Azubuike, Lin
Projected lottery pick Jonathan Kuminga made a strong impression today in his first professional game, writes Brian Martin of the G League’s website. Playing for the G League Ignite, Kuminga registered 19 points, four assists, two rebounds and two blocks in 33 minutes. The 18-year-old also swatted away a shot in the final seconds to help the Ignite pick up a victory in their first-ever game.
“I wasn’t impressed because I see it every day in practice,” Ignite coach Brian Shaw said. “It’s what I expect; it’s what I see every day. He does a lot for us and you guys are just seeing the beginning of what he can do.”
Kuminga was considered one of the top high school players in the country, but he opted to develop his game in the G League rather than college basketball. He is projected as the fifth overall pick in the latest mock draft from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz.
There’s more from the first day of G League action:
- Team Ignite’s Jalen Green, who is tabbed as the third selection by ESPN, also had a strong debut after overcoming a slow start, Martin adds in the same story. He finished with 11 points and five rebounds, but most of that came after halftime. “Jalen pressed a bit; he was trying too hard, which is natural,” Shaw said. “In having conversations with him about how other teams are gunning for him based on the attention he’s getting. I expect him to bounce back from this game and have a better game next game.”
- Center Udoka Azubuike, a first-round pick by the Jazz in November, was carried off the court on a stretcher after suffering a leg injury in today’s Salt Lake City Stars game, according to Brandon Judd of The Deseret News. No immediate details were provided on the severity of his injury. Azubuike appeared in 12 games for Utah before the G League season began.
- The odds are against Jeremy Lin returning to the NBA, no matter how he performs in the G League, contends Dieter Kurtenbach of The San Jose Mercury News. Lin had 18 points and five assists in his first game with the Santa Cruz Warriors, but he’s 32 and Kurtenbach notes that teams are more likely to take chances on younger players.
Pistons Notes: Smith Jr., Casey, Rose, Weaver
Despite a lack of playing time in New York, Dennis Smith Jr. didn’t ask to be traded, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Smith held his first media session today since the deal, which gives him a chance to revive his career with the Pistons. After suffering a quad injury early in the season and falling out of Tom Thibideau’s rotation, Smith requested a trip to the G League for more playing time and was preparing for the season in Orlando when he heard about the trade.
“I was super excited,’’ he said. “I was down in the ‘G’ getting ready to have our first scrimmage. I heard the news. I was just smiling all day. I couldn’t really sleep that night. I was looking at it as an opportunity and a fresh start and make the most out of it.”
Smith will have a few months to show the Pistons what he can do before they have to make a decision on his future. This is the final year of his rookie contract, and Detroit will have a chance to make him a restricted free agent by submitting a $7MM-plus qualifying offer after the season. Coach Dwane Casey is willing to give him an opportunity.
“Sometimes it just doesn’t work,’’ Casey said. “Christian Wood had how many teams (before starring here)? Sometimes a change of scenery is good for everybody. I told him you’re starting out with a clean slate. I don’t care what happened in New York, what happened in Dallas. I don’t care what happened at North Carolina State. It’s what happens here.”
There’s more from Detroit:
- Smith will make his Pistons debut Thursday night against the Pacers, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News. He has played just 28 total minutes this season and hasn’t gotten into a game since January 17. “He’s a full go and we’ll see how much he can go tomorrow,” Casey said.
- Derrick Rose left Detroit on good terms, according to Keith Langlois of NBA.com, who adds that Rose and the Pistons recognized that he should be with a team that has a shot at the postseason. Casey complimented the job Rose did as a mentor to the team’s young players and noted that he’s already taking on the same role in New York.
- General manager Troy Weaver is off to a strong start in his rebuilding project, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Weaver recognized the potential of free agent forward Jerami Grant, who has turned into a star with the Pistons, and he appears to have guessed right on rookie center Isaiah Stewart, the 16th choice in the draft. Weaver also took a chance on former lottery pick Josh Jackson, who is having the best season of his career.
Karl-Anthony Towns Returns For Wolves
6:45pm: Towns was cleared to play after participating in pregame warm-ups, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
3:12pm: Towns intends to go through shootaround and see how he feels before his status for tonight’s game is finalized, he said in a tweet.
2:24pm: Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been limited to just four games so far this season due to a wrist injury and a case of COVID-19, is expected to return to action on Wednesday night when the team hosts the Clippers, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).
Having Towns back in their starting lineup will be a welcome sight for the struggling Timberwolves. The team has a 2-2 record when the 25-year-old has played, but has lost 16 of the 20 games he has missed.
Towns, who hasn’t played since January 13, has averaged 22.0 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 4.3 APG, and 2.8 BPG in his limited action so far this season. Minnesota has a +6.1 net rating when he has been on the court, compared to a -8.9 mark when he isn’t playing.
Towns’ return figures to result in Naz Reid shifting back to a reserve role.
Tighter Health And Safety Protocols Extended
The NBA and its players union have agreed on an extension of the current health and safety protocols through at least the final game before the All-Star break, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Those rules place strict limits on interactions between traveling parties and the community.
The league introduced tighter protocols in early January in an effort to keep COVID-19 under control. The new regulations include a requirement that all players who are dressed for a game must wear face masks until they check in. Inactive players must be masked for the entire game.
The agreement comes at a time when the virus situation throughout the league is improving. Players registered just one positive result in the latest round of testing, marking three straight weeks with no more than one. Twenty-three games have been postponed since the start of the season, but none have been called off since February 1.
Knicks Notes: Rose, Rivers, Knox, Ntilikina, Beal, Oladipo
After making his Knicks debut on Tuesday, veteran guard Derrick Rose spoke about the “synergy” he shares with head coach Tom Thibodeau and admitted that reuniting with Thibodeau – and Knicks executive William Wesley – was his top choice when he decided he wanted to move on from the Pistons, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
“Even though I couldn’t say that at the time, I just wanted to be comfortable,” Rose said. “Like I said, I’ve been knowing these guys ever since high school, eighth grade, high school, so coming here, like I said, it’s family. I never really thought about anything else but really getting here and understanding they wanted me to help grow the young guys they’ve already got here.”
One of those “young guys” Rose will get a chance to mentor is rookie guard Immanuel Quickley. In Rose’s debut, the two guards shared the court as part of New York’s second unit, which is a pairing Thibodeau expects will continue going forward. As Bontemps details, the Knicks’ head coach said after the game that Austin Rivers, who was replaced in the rotation by Rose, figures to be a “situational” player for the time being.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina, and all of the Knicks’ first-round picks were off limits in the trade for Rose, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, who says the Knicks want to save as many assets as possible for a possible bigger splash down the road.
- The Knicks are among the teams keeping an eye on Bradley Beal and Victor Oladipo, Berman adds in the same story. There’s no indication that Beal will be moved by the Wizards anytime soon, but sources tell The New York Post that the Rockets are considered “amenable” to flipping Oladipo after acquiring him in January. A report last week indicated the Knicks still have interest in Oladipo after eyeing him in the offseason.
- The Knicks announced plans today to allow approximately 2,000 fans at their home games beginning on February 23 (Twitter link). The announcement came on the heels of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo permitting large sports venues to reopen at 10% capacity, which will pave the way for the Nets to begin allowing fans at Barclays Center later this month as well, as Malika Andrews of ESPN writes.
Jahlil Okafor Out 6-8 Weeks After Procedure On Knee
Pistons center Jahlil Okafor will miss six to eight weeks after undergoing a surgical procedure to clean the lateral meniscus in his left knee, the team announced in a press release.
Okafor, 25, has been dealing with pain in both knees for a while and hasn’t played since January 30. He has appeared in 12 games this year and is averaging 4.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10 minutes per night. Rookie Isaiah Stewart has taken his spot in Detroit’s rotation.
Okafor was the third player picked in the 2015 draft, but he has turned into a journeyman, playing for four teams in the past four seasons. He signed a two-year contract with the Pistons in November at the veteran’s minimum.
NBA Planning To Add Dunk Contest, Other Events To All-Star Game
Progress is being made toward holding a dunk contest, 3-point shootout, and skills competition on the night of the NBA All-Star Game, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The plan is for the dunk contest to take place at halftime, per Wojnarowski. It’s not clear whether the other competitions would also happen then, or if they’d take place earlier in the night.
Negotiations are continuing with the players’ union, and sources tell Wojnarowski that an agreement is expected to be finalized later this week, along with health and safety protocols for the event, which will take place March 7 in Atlanta.
Officials from the league and the NBPA are planning a condensed version of All-Star Weekend, which normally stretches events out over three days, culminating with the game on Sunday night. This year’s festivities will take place in a much smaller window, with participants expected to arrive on Saturday in private planes. They will be kept in private accommodations away from hotel crowds and will leave after the game is over.
Several prominent players have spoken out against holding the game this year because the league is operating under strict guidelines to contain the spread of COVID-19.
One New Positive COVID-19 Test Among Players Since Feb. 3
Among the 470 NBA players who were tested for the coronavirus within the last week, just one recorded a confirmed positive test, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The NBA and NBPA issued press releases confirming those testing results, which date back to February 3.
The league and its teams haven’t been publicly confirming which players have tested positive for the coronavirus. However, Khris Middleton‘s comments earlier in the week suggested that Bucks teammate Jrue Holiday registered a positive test.
Middleton did note that there was a chance that test was a false positive, so we don’t know for sure that Holiday was the one player to have a confirmed positive this week.
Either way, it’s a fairly encouraging update for the NBA, which has now had three consecutive weeks with no more than one positive confirmed test among its players. If the trend continues, the league should be able to avoid the mass postponements that occurred in January when 27 players tested positive during a two-week stretch.
Eight Notable Players Who Recently Became Trade-Eligible
Most of the players who signed new contracts as free agents in the fall of 2020 became eligible this past weekend to be traded. That list includes a handful of major offseason additions, such as Hornets forward Gordon Hayward, who can now technically be dealt.
Of course, just because a player can be traded doesn’t mean there’s any chance he will be. While many notable players became trade-eligible on February 6, it’s merely a technicality for the ones like Hayward who aren’t going to be brought up in any trade discussions this season.
Today then, we’re focusing on several newly trade-eligible players who are noteworthy not because of their star power but because they’re viable candidates to be moved in advance of this season’s March 25 trade deadline.
Approximately 90 players became trade-eligible on Saturday, so the list below makes up less than one-tenth of that group. You can check out the full list here.
Here are eight notable players who are now eligible to be traded:
Rajon Rondo (Hawks): The Hawks signed Rondo to be a reliable backup to point guard Trae Young, but that hasn’t happened yet — the veteran has battled injury issues and is averaging career lows in several categories, including PPG (3.4) and FG% (.345). If Atlanta gets impatient and seeks out a new backup for Young, Rondo would be a clear candidate to be included in a deal, though his second guaranteed year will hurt his trade value.- Aron Baynes (Raptors): Like Rondo, Baynes was signed to a deal worth a little less than the full mid-level in the hopes he could bring a much-needed consistency to his role for a new team. Like Rondo, Baynes has struggled and has posted a career-low field goal percentage (39.7%) so far. The veteran center continues to start game for the Raptors, but he has been outplayed by backup Chris Boucher, and his pseudo-expiring contract (next season is non-guaranteed) could be dangled if Toronto pursues a frontcourt upgrade.
- Wayne Ellington (Pistons): The offseason signing of Ellington to a guaranteed minimum-salary contract looked like an odd move for a rebuilding Pistons team, but the veteran sharpshooter has thrived in Detroit this season, knocking down a career-best 49.1% of his three-point attempts. The 6-18 Pistons appear unlikely to contend for a play-in spot, so teams in need of a low-cost floor-spacer will likely be inquiring on Ellington.
- Willie Cauley-Stein (Mavericks): Cauley-Stein was a regular part of the Mavericks’ rotation in the early going this season, starting 10 games and playing reasonably well. But since Kristaps Porzingis has shifted to center, Cauley-Stein’s playing time has plummeted — he hasn’t seen the floor at all in Dallas’ last two games. The big man’s contract gives him the ability to veto trades, but if he isn’t going to be part of the Mavs’ rotation, he may welcome a change of scenery.
- Elfrid Payton (Knicks): Payton has established himself as the Knicks’ starting point guard and seems to have emerged as a Tom Thibodeau favorite. However, with Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley also in the point guard mix, the Knicks have the flexibility to consider moving Payton and his expiring contract — at least one playoff contender has reportedly shown interest. The 26-year-old does have the ability to veto a trade, however, so he’d have to be sent to a destination he’d approve.
- Hassan Whiteside (Kings): Sacramento signed Whiteside late in free agency for the veteran’s minimum, and his role so far reflects the fact that he may not have been part of the team’s initial plans. He’s averaging just 14.1 minutes per game, easily his lowest mark since he returned to the NBA in 2014. Whiteside’s impressive box-score numbers generally oversell his impact on winning, but a team in need of depth at center could do worse than adding one of the league’s best shot-blockers on a minimum-salary deal.
- Tristan Thompson (Celtics): While Thompson has been fine as the Celtics’ starting center, the team figures to be in the market for a frontcourt upgrade prior to this year’s deadline. Unless the C’s find a move that allows them to use their big trade exception without sending out any salary, Thompson and his $9.3MM salary would be a logical outgoing piece.
- Meyers Leonard (Heat): If the Heat attempt to make a splash on the trade market, they have no shortage of players on sizeable expiring contracts who could be used for salary-matching purposes. Leonard, who will miss the rest of 2020/21 after undergoing shoulder surgery, looks like the most expendable of the bunch now, since he’s the only one who won’t be able to contribute on the court this season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Marshall, Porzingis, Grizzlies
While it may be tempting to continue revamping their roster around cornerstone players Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, the Pelicans have now won six of eight games and no longer look like a team on the verge of a fire sale, writes Scott Kushner of NOLA.com.
“I said to guys when all that was going on that it’s natural,” Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy said. “You’re losing games so people are going to say, ‘Oh shoot, they’re going to blow it up.’ And the rumors are going to start. If we were winning then, like we have in the last seven, then the rumors go away. Because people will think you are happy with your team.”
Multiple reports in late January indicated that the Pelicans were exploring the possibility of moving Lonzo Ball, J.J. Redick, and/or Eric Bledsoe. Those rumors have died down as of late, though that doesn’t mean those players are off the trade block, as Kushner notes. This season’s trade deadline is still six weeks away, so there’s plenty of time for New Orleans to consider whether dealing one or more of those veteran guards makes sense.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- The Pelicans have transferred two-way player Naji Marshall to the Erie BayHawks, the team announced today (via Twitter). Marshall will join fellow two-way player Will Magnay on New Orleans’ G League squad.
- A move from power forward to center and an adjustment to longer stretches of playing time have Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis enjoying his best run of the season recently, as Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News details.
- Following a seven-game winning streak, the Grizzlies have lost four straight, but there’s no reason to panic, according to Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, who says the team simply needs to get healthier. With Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Clarke, De’Anthony Melton, and Justise Winslow out, Memphis is missing four of the top eight players in its ideal rotation, Giannotto adds.