NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/29/20
Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Thunder assigned Deonte Burton and Isaiah Roby to Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. Burton is averaging 15.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 10 G League games, while Roby is putting up 9.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 12 games.
- The Timberwolves assigned Jarred Vanderbilt and Jacob Evans to their Iowa affiliate, according to the G League transactions log.
Five Key Stories: 2/23/20 – 2/29/20
If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:
Sixers star Ben Simmons will miss a critical part of the season because of a nerve impingement in his lower back. He will be re-evaluated in early March, but the team doesn’t expect him back on the court for a while. Teammate Joel Embiid was also injured this week, suffering a sprained shoulder, but his prognosis is much better.
Hornets guard Malik Monk was suspended indefinitely for a violation of the NBA’s anti-drug program. He won’t be allowed to play again until he is in “full compliance.” The team and coach James Borrego both expressed their support for Monk.
The Pacers lost Jeremy Lamb for the rest of the season with a severe knee injury. Lamb suffered a torn left ACL, a torn meniscus and a lateral femoral condylar fracture. No recovery timeline has been provided beyond this season.
The slumping Jazz shook up their starting lineup, replacing Joe Ingles with Royce O’Neale. Original reports had O’Neale taking Mike Conley‘s place, but coach Quin Snyder opted to move Ingles to the bench.
Former Heat guard Dion Waiters will meet with Lakers officials Monday to talk about joining the team. Waiters has been a free agent since being waived by the Grizzlies after a trade sent him there at the deadline.
Here are 10 more noteworthy headlines from around the basketball world this week:
- The Lakers already added some help for the stretch run by signing Markieff Morris after he cleared waivers Sunday. Morris agreed to a buyout with the Pistons last week.
- Two other veterans are hoping to catch on with contenders after being cut loose earlier today. The Kings waived Anthony Tolliver, and the Timberwolves reached a buyout with Allen Crabbe.
- The Knicks have a few players who could help contending teams, but they don’t plan to negotiate any buyouts this season.
- After nearly a month-long wait, Leon Rose will take over as the Knicks‘ president of basketball operations tomorrow. Rose has been finalizing things with his agency and helped plan Dwyane Wade‘s three-day retirement celebration.
- The Sixers will reportedly consider trading Al Horford this summer. Horford has been a disappointment after signing a four-year, $109MM deal.
- After joining the Rockets on a 10-day contract, Jeff Green has signed with the team for the rest of the season.
- The Grizzlies signed Jarrod Uthoff to a 10-day contract out of the G League, marking an early end to Dusty Hannahs‘ 10-day deal.
- Bulls center Luke Kornet may be out for the season after suffering a severe left ankle sprain and a fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his left foot.
- The season is also in jeopardy for Suns forward Kelly Oubre, who has been diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his right knee.
- The Mavericks filed a protest with the league regarding a loss in Atlanta.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Kevin Durant Will Consider Olympics
As Kevin Durant continues to rehab his torn Achilles tendon, there’s a chance his return to the court might happen at the Summer Olympics, according to Ben Golliver of The Washington Post. Durant was among 44 finalists on a list released by USA Basketball earlier this month, and his business partner, Rich Kleiman, says the Nets star is giving it serious consideration.
“[Tokyo is] definitely a possibility,” Kleiman said. “He allowed his name to be in the group of finalists. But there are other benchmarks in front of him that are more important before he makes those decisions.”
Kleiman doesn’t specify what those benchmarks are, but one is presumably a return to full health. Durant has made “significant progress” lately, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who states that he has been holding regular workouts with teammates who aren’t part of Brooklyn’s rotation.
“I have no question he’ll be back better than ever,” Kleiman said. “By next season, I expect nothing but KD. Great things will happen. Injuries are a part of the game, and it’s obviously been a bit frustrating. The Nets are still in playoff position. The players are developing and getting better. I expect things to pick up. Everyone knows what [Durant and Kyrie Irving] can do when they’re playing and healthy.”
Durant is a two-time Olympian, winning gold medals at the 2012 Games in London and the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. Lewis notes that 2016 is when Durant, Irving and DeAndre Jordan formed a bond as Olympic teammates and began talking about playing for the same NBA franchise.
Golliver adds that Durant’s playing career may have been interrupted by the injury, but his business ventures are still on track. His video series titled “The Boardroom” returned this week for its second season on ESPN Plus.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 2/23/20 – 2/29/20
Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our original segments and features from the past seven days:
- Luke Adams explained the rules regarding postseason eligibility for two-way players.
- He also previewed the NBA’s buyout market ahead of Sunday’s deadline for players to be waived by their current team and still be eligible for the playoffs.
- We reached into the Hoops Rumors Glossary for the definition of salary floor.
- Our Free Agent Stock Watch examined the Southwest Division.
- In this week’s polls, we asked:
- In our Community Shootaround conversations this week, we asked:
Wolves Reach Buyout Deal With Allen Crabbe
The Timberwolves placed shooting guard Allen Crabbe on waivers, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Crabbe agreed to a buyout with the team, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The Wolves confirmed the move in a press release.
Crabbe spent about six weeks in Minnesota after being acquired from the Hawks in a January 16 deal. He appeared in nine games, averaging 3.2 PPG and 1.3 RPG in 14.6 minutes per night. Because he was waived before tomorrow’s deadline, he will be eligible for the playoffs if another team picks him up.
Crabbe had been away from the team for several games because of personal reasons, so a buyout wasn’t surprising, notes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The move may be enough to get the Wolves under the luxury tax, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Minnesota was $894K above the tax line before parting with Crabbe. He was still owed about $4.6MM on his $18.5MM contract, while the prorated minimum on a replacement would fall at $516K. The amount Crabbe agreed to give back in the buyout hasn’t been reported.
The Wolves now have a roster opening that they can fill or keep for the rest of the season.
Kings Waive Anthony Tolliver
The Kings have placed veteran forward Anthony Tolliver on waivers, the team announced in a press release.
Tolliver got into nine games with Sacramento after being acquired from the Trail Blazers in a January 21 trade. He averaged 1.0 points and 1.2 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per game. The 34-year-old was on his second tour of duty with the Kings and has played for nine teams in his 12-year NBA career.
Tolliver will be playoff eligible if he signs with another team before the end of the season. Tomorrow is the deadline for players to be released without having their eligibility for the postseason affected.
Sacramento had a full 15-man roster before the move, so the team now one open spot.
Clippers Hoping to Keep Montrezl Harrell, Marcus Morris
The Clippers will try to re-sign Montrezl Harrell and Marcus Morris, who are both headed toward free agency this summer, sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
Harrell, 26, is in his third season in L.A. and has become one of the league’s best backup big men. A report from The Athletic earlier this season estimated he would receive offers between $20MM and $25MM annually, but Buha believes that number has declined because of Harrell’s deficiencies as a rebounder and rim protector, along with a market in which only seven teams will have cap room available.
Morris, 30, was acquired from the Knicks at the deadline to add frontline depth and a veteran presence. The Clippers will have his Non-Bird rights and can offer him up to $18MM, a 20% increase over his current $15MM salary.
Buha notes that the playoffs will factor into the decisions on both players, but L.A. appears to be in good position to keep them. The Clippers were able to stay under the tax line this season, which will delay the implementation of a repeater tax as the franchise heads into what should be a string of taxpayer years. Buha also points out that a weak free agent market limits the options for replacing Harrell and Morris if they leave.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/26/20
Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Bulls assigned Wendell Carter Jr., Daniel Gafford and Denzel Valentine to their Windy City affiliate, according to the G League transactions log.
- The Pelicans assigned rookie point guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker to their Erie affiliate, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic.
- The Pacers recalled forward Alize Johnson from Fort Wayne (Twitter link). He has appeared in 12 games in his second NBA season.
- The Spurs recalled Keldon Johnson from Austin, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. The rookie small forward posted a 31-point game Tuesday night.
Southeast Notes: Monk, Hornets, Capela, Heat
Speaking to reporters before tonight’s game, Hornets coach James Borrego pledged his support for Malik Monk, who has been suspended indefinitely for a violation of the NBA’s anti-drug program, relays Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Borrego said he hasn’t talked with Monk since the suspension was announced this morning.
“All of us face different things in life; it’s how you respond,” Borrego said. “It’s my belief, knowing Malik, that he’ll respond the right way. (The suspension) does put us in a bind. But in the end, this could be a very positive story. I look forward to talking to him.”
Bonnell points out that Monk has turned in some of the best performances of his career recently, averaging 17.8 PPG over the past 11 games while shooting 47% from the field and 38% from beyond the arc. Tuesday marked the first start of his three-season career.
While Monk is unavailable, Bonnell expects more playing time for rookies Cody Martin and Caleb Martin and possibly an early return from the G League for Dwayne Bacon.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- It appears Borrego will give opportunities to all three of the Hornets‘ centers for the rest of the season, Bonnell tweets. Cody Zeller, who has appeared in 53 of the team’s 58 games, was active for tonight’s game but didn’t play. Bismack Biyombo got the start with Willy Hernangomez as his backup.
- Clint Capela has shown progress with running and movement, but there’s still not a definite plan for his Hawks debut, writes Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal Consitution. Capela, who was acquired from the Rockets at the trade deadline, is dealing with plantar fasciitis and a right calcaneus contusion. He will be re-evaluated on March 4. “He felt he came back too soon, and re-injured it, now he’s being cautious,” coach Lloyd Pierce said. “He thought it was a setback when he re-injured it as opposed to just coming back and taking his time and letting it completely heal.”
- The Heat still may be active on the buyout market, suggests Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. He mentions Solomon Hill, who has barely played since being acquired from the Grizzlies earlier this month, as a possible buyout candidate if Miami wants to open a roster spot. Winderman adds that the Heat can offer a portion of their mid-level or bi-annual exceptions, giving them an edge over teams that can only offer minimum contracts.
Joel Embiid Suffers Shoulder Sprain
9:07pm: Embiid will undergo an MRI on Thursday, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
8:09pm: Sixers center Joel Embiid was pulled from tonight’s game in Cleveland after spraining his left shoulder, according to a story from the Associated Press. The team didn’t offer any specifics beyond the nature of the injury.
Embiid got hurt in a collision with Ante Zizic late in the first quarter. He remained in the game to shoot two free throws, but was taken out at the next stoppage. After walking to the locker room, Embiid briefly returned to the team bench in the second quarter, but left again for further evaluation.
A prolonged injury would come at a horrible time for the Sixers, who are already without Ben Simmons for at least the next two weeks because of a nerve impingement in his lower back. Philadelphia begins a four-game West Coast trip on Sunday.