Jarrett Jack Signs G League Contract
Veteran guard Jarrett Jack will try to resume his career in the G League, tweets Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days. Jack has signed a G League contract and becomes eligible to be claimed off waivers by any team in the league.
The 35-year-old was the Knicks’ starting point guard for most of last season, posting a 7.5/3.1/5.6 line in 62 games. New York was his eighth team in a 13-year NBA career.
Jack joined the Pelicans for training camp this year, but was among the final players waived just before the start of the season.
Bucks Consider Adding Marcin Gortat
The Bucks have talked about signing former Clippers center Marcin Gortat, but no move will be made right away, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. Sources tell Stein that Milwaukee’s interest hasn’t progressed past the discussion stage.
L.A. waived Gortat at the trade deadline to open a roster spot so the team could complete a trade with the Grizzlies for JaMychal Green and Garrett Temple. Because he was released before today’s deadline, Gortat would be playoff eligible for anyone who picks him up.
The Clippers acquired Gortat in a trade last summer, hoping he would help make up for the loss of free agent center DeAndre Jordan. However, Gortat got off to a slow start and wound up averaging just 16 minutes per night in a crowded frontcourt.
The Bucks have a full roster with 15 players, so a move would have to be made before they could add Gortat. The most likely odd man out would be Isaiah Canaan, who is on a 10-day contract.
Southeast Notes: Hornets, Kaminsky, Magic, Waiters
Even after changing their coach and GM during the offseason, the Hornets haven’t solved the problem with roster depth that has plagued them for years, writes Brendan Marks of The Charlotte Observer. The team is struggling to find points off its bench, especially during a three-game losing streak that has dropped the Hornets to ninth in the playoff race.
“You look at our stat line — our starters vs. their starters — we won that game,” coach Jim Borrego said after Wednesday’s loss to Houston. “Our starters won the game tonight, gave us a chance, and I’ve just got to figure out what to do with the second unit.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Frank Kaminsky accompanied the Hornets on their trip to Brooklyn for tonight’s game as a buyout looks increasingly unlikely, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Today marks the deadline for players to be waived and still have postseason eligibility with another team.
- The Magic have learned how to handle adversity and the players are crediting new coach Steve Clifford for bringing toughness to the team, relays Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Orlando overcame a late deficit to surprise the Warriors last night, moving into the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. “I think it starts at the top, with the toughness of Coach Cliff,” Jonathan Isaac said. “It definitely has trickled down. We definitely feel ourselves as a more resilient, more mentally tough team, because we work for it. We work hard. We come in every day, and we work towards being mentally tough, and it shows out there.”
- Dion Waiters‘ return from injury hasn’t produced the spark the Heat were hoping for, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. He hasn’t bonded with Dwyane Wade, Winderman adds, and still hasn’t gotten his conditioning level where it needs to be.
Mario Chalmers Will Play In Italy
Veteran guard Mario Chalmers will sign with Italian club Virtus Segafredo Bologna for the rest of the season, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Chalmers has already agreed to terms, Carchia adds, and the move will become official once he passes his physical.
The 32-year-old played 66 games for the Grizzlies last year after recovering from a torn Achilles that forced him to miss the 2016/17 season. Chalmers appeared in 646 total NBA games and is best known for his role on the Heat teams that went to four straight Finals when LeBron James was there.
Chalmers had been hoping to remain in the NBA this season and reportedly had interest from the Nets, Mavericks and Pelicans prior to training camp. He may be counting on a strong showing in Italy to boost his NBA chances.
Pacific Notes: Kokoskov, Daniels, Brewer, J. Green
Suns coach Igor Kokoskov won’t have to worry about being dismissed before the season ends, co-interim GM James Jones said in an interview today with Arizona’s Sports Station. Kokoskov has guided Phoenix to a league worst 12-50 record in his first year as an NBA head coach, but the front office hasn’t discussed making a change, even in the midst of a 17-game losing streak.
“We’re committed to Igor, and we’re committed to finishing the season out on a high note,” Jones said. “We have room for improvement. That’s the challenge across the organization for us to improve upstairs as well as downstairs, on the court, off the court. So we’re going to push it. But Igor, it’s a tough job but he’s up to the challenge.”
- Suns guard Troy Daniels hasn’t played much this season, but he reminded teams on Monday that he still has his shooting touch, relays Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Daniels came off the bench for 14 points, including 11 in the third quarter, as Phoenix snapped its long losing skid. The 27-year old will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and is ready if a new opportunity presents itself. “It’s 29 other teams out here,” Daniels said. “I would love to stay with the Suns and play for the Suns, but I’ve got to do what’s best for me. I just want to go out there and play as hard as I can and help this team as much as I can this year and hope for the best next year.”
- Corey Brewer still isn’t sure what’s going to happen when his second 10-day contract with the Kings expires tonight, tweets James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area. His preference is to remain with Sacramento, but the Kings would have to sign him for the rest of the season. Brewer, who has played in three games during his time with the team, plans to talk to his agent tomorrow to see what Sacramento’s front office has planned. He has already gone through two 10-day contracts with the Sixers this season.
- JaMychal Green was surprised to be traded for the first time in his career, but he has turned out to be a good fit for the Clippers, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. L.A. now has Green, ex-Grizzlies teammate Garrett Temple and Patrick Beverley to take turns guarding the opponent’s best scorer.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/27/19
Here are Wednesday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Timberwolves assigned veteran forward Robert Covington to their Iowa affiliate as he works his way back from a bruised knee he suffered in late December, the team announced on Twitter. Covington has played just 22 games for Minnesota since being acquired from the Sixers in November.
- The Hornets assigned guard Devonte’ Graham to the Greensboro Swarm, according to a press release. Graham has posted a 23.8/4.5/4.8 line in in 10 G League games.
- The Jazz assigned guard Grayson Allen to Salt Lake City, the team announced in a release. Allen is averaging 15.7 PPG in seven games with the Stars.
- The Grizzlies recalled guard Jevon Carter from the Memphis Hustle, the team tweeted. Carter was active for tonight’s game against the Bulls.
- The Sixers recalled center Justin Patton from Delaware, tweets Derek Bodner of The Athletic. Patton will join the team for tomorrow’s game at Oklahoma City.
Southeast Notes: Brown, Parker, Hernangomez, Adams
The Wizards‘ solution to losing John Wall for at least 12 months appears to include grooming rookie Troy Brown Jr. as a point guard, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Brown has the size of a small forward, but grew up running the point. Coach Scott Brooks and team president Ernie Grunfeld both believe he has the potential to be successful at that position in the NBA.
Much of his training may come in the G League, where Washington’s Capital City affiliate is short on point guards with Chasson Randle on the Wizards’ roster and Chris Chiozza on a 10-day deal with the Rockets. Tomas Satoransky will be a free agent this summer, and even if Washington is able to keep him, Brown could be useful as a backup.
“[Point guard] is not a position that you can just learn it as fast as you would like, or as fast as the coaches would like,” Brooks said. “It takes time. It’s a very tough position to learn. We’re very patient with him.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Tony Parker hasn’t indicated whether he plans to play another season, but the Hornets would welcome him back if he does, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte has a $5.25MM team option on the deal that Parker signed last summer, and GM Mitch Kupchak said recently that he has exceeded all the expectation the Hornets had for him.
- Willy Hernangomez has fallen out of favor in Charlotte, but that doesn’t mean the Hornets are done with him, Bonnell adds in the same piece. The third-year center has dropped out of the rotation, playing just once in the past eight games. However, Bonnell notes that young big men often get several chances to succeed and states that Hernangomez may have trade value this summer.
- The new contract that Jaylen Adams got from the Hawks includes a $100K guarantee on his $1.4MM salary for next season, tweets Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Adams was a two-way player until Atlanta promoted him to the 15-man roster last week.
Harrison Barnes: “Bizarre Things Happen”
Harrison Barnes, one of the few NBA players to get traded during a game, talked about the experience and life with the Kings during an interview with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
The image of Barnes remaining on the bench and cheering for his ex-Mavericks teammates after learning about the deal is one of the enduring pictures of this year’s frenzied trade deadline. The seventh-year forward lets fans in on the whirlwind experience that happened after he left the arena.
“I went home that night. I was talking to my wife. Phone is blowing up. All of a sudden, I hear from my agent. Boom. You’re on a flight the next morning at 9 a.m.,” Barnes said. “You land. Boom. You do physicals. Friday morning I’m in the shootaround with the Sacramento Kings. That night, I’m playing the game. I’m playing at the end of the game and I don’t know the plays. I’m just playing hard. I’m running around. That’s just how quick things can change in 48 hours. One night I’m in Dallas and then the next night I’m in a Sacramento Kings uniform.”
Barnes addresses several other topics during the discussion, including:
- Being traded into a playoff race: “The biggest takeaway from it is that things happen in this league. Bizarre things happen. The biggest thing that I’m excited about now is that I’m playing for a team that has a chance to make the postseason. The last couple years it’s been difficult not being a part of the postseason. What’s exciting now is that every game there is so much on the line to make the postseason. That’s where my energy is right now.”
- What the playoffs would mean for the Kings, who are a game out of eighth place entering tonight: “For the young guys that can see their careers catapulted, just experiencing what that postseason would be like. What it means to really get to that next level and to be an opportunity. The second thing is when an organization like this has been through a lot of turmoil, who hasn’t been to the playoffs since ’06, that would mean a lot, just for all of the sacrifices that the organization and team has made to get to where it is, the coaches. Everyone’s put in the work.”
- His memories from two and a half years with the Mavericks: “Dallas was a chance to learn under a championship pedigree. Learning underneath Rick Carlisle, to be around Dirk [Nowitzki] and to learn from him, to have a chance to have a bigger role and to see what I can do on the court to produce at a high level, I’m definitely appreciative of the opportunity that I had there.”
Grizzlies Notes: Bradley, Noah, Caboclo, Carter
The fate of the Grizzlies‘ first-round pick might influence whether the team brings back Avery Bradley next season, according to Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian. Acquired from the Clippers at the trade deadline, Bradley has a $12.96MM contract for 2019/20 that doesn’t become guaranteed until July 3.
Unless the team undergoes major changes during the summer, Memphis will be keeping a close eye on its luxury tax situation. The Grizzlies made Mike Conley available prior to the deadline, but if he returns and Jonas Valanciunas and C.J. Miles both opt in, their contracts – along with Chandler Parsons – will put the team over the salary cap. Memphis would be pushed into tax territory if it keeps Bradley while bringing back restricted free agent Delon Wright, signing a high lottery pick and using its mid-level exception.
The Grizzlies’ pick will convey to Boston if it falls out of the top eight. Memphis is in sixth place in our latest Reverse Standings, three games above the Mavericks and Pelicans, who are tied for eighth. Bradley has been good since joining the Grizzlies, averaging 15.3 PPG in six games, but Herrington says the decision will come down to whether management views him as a bargain at next year’s salary.
There’s more out of Memphis, all courtesy of Herrington:
- The Grizzlies would welcome back Joakim Noah, but at age 34, he may be more interested in joining a contender. After a disastrous experience in New York, the veteran center has resurrected his career in Memphis. However, the Grizzlies don’t have his Bird rights, so they would have to either open cap room or use an exception to pay him more than the veteran’s minimum.
- Bruno Caboclo‘s defensive versatility may be enough for the Grizzlies to bring him back for another year. Memphis doesn’t have another bench player with size who can guard the perimeter, making Caboclo valuable even with his limited offensive game. After a pair of 10-day contracts, the Grizzlies signed the former first-round pick for the rest of the season, along with some guaranteed money for 2019/20.
- The trade deadline worked out poorly for rookie guard Jevon Carter, who has only played three minutes over the last three games. The Grizzlies kept Conley and traded for both Bradley and Wright, who are all ahead of him in the rotation. Carter may not get a chance to display his skills in Memphis as long as all three stay with the team.
Suns Launch Search For New GM
The Suns have started the interview process to find a new general manager and plan to make changes in their basketball operations department before the draft, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports.
James Jones and Trevor Bukstein, who are currently serving as co-GMs, may remain with the team even if neither gets the permanent job, Gambadoro adds. They have been sharing the role since former GM Ryan McDonough was fired in October, a week before the season began.
Sporting the league’s worst record at 12-50, Phoenix has been in turmoil for most of the season. Gambadoro notes that ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski provided a critical review of the organization on Tuesday, citing uneasiness in the league office about how the Suns are being managed.
“This is an organization that is in a spiral in almost every way,” Wojnarowski said. “It is a concern for the NBA. Owner Robert Sarver has not seemed to learn a lot of lessons throughout the years about his management style, his hands-on nature and his ability to put an infrastructure in place and allow it to build an organization.”
After firing McDonough, Sarver said it was time for the Suns to move beyond the rebuilding process and become competitive. Gambadoro points out that four evaluation specialists were dismissed at the same time as the GM, and the team has only hired ex-Sun Ronnie Price to take their place.