Southwest Notes: Covington, Bell, Duncan
Rockets GM Daryl Morey said on Tuesday that Robert Covington has been better than the team anticipated when it acquired him at the trade deadline.
“The biggest reason for the trade was to get Covington and he’s actually been even better than we thought,” Morey said (via Salman Ali of Clutch Points on Twitter). “…Not only how good he is, but how much he helps everyone on the team, but in particular Russell Westbrook. The driving lanes for him are super important.”
Morey added that the trade for Covington, which sent out Clint Capela, gave the Rockets more flexibility to make another move in the future.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Jordan Bell, who was waived by the Grizzlies earlier this week, will not be eligible to play in the playoffs should he sign with a playoff team, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks relays (Twitter link). Memphis had to wait until Monday to release Bell to ensure that Anthony Tolliver cleared waivers.
- Rudy Gay, who re-signed with the Spurs last offseason, has had a disappointing campaign and the veteran forward knows that he can do better. “It’s no secret I haven’t been playing well,” Gay said via Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. “You just need a good one to get out of it.”
- Tim Duncan is serving as the head coach of the Spurs tonight, as Gregg Popovich misses the contest because of personal issues, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets.
Mo Harkless To Finish Season With Knicks
When Maurice Harkless was traded from the Clippers to the Knicks, many assumed that the forward would agree to a buyout with New York and move on to a more competitive team. However, will not be the case.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Harkless and the Knicks are not in buyout discussions and the veteran will remain with the team through the season.
There were reports earlier this month suggesting the Knicks had no plans to buy out Harkless or any of their veterans. However, it was a point worth confirming after the 26-year-old this week admitted this week that moving from a contender to a non-competitive team has been hard.
Harkless is in the final year of his contract and will hit the free-agent market this offseason. Not many teams are expected to have available cap space and we’ve seen players stick with bad clubs as opposed to agreeing to a buyout for presumed financial reasons. For example, Tristan Thompson declined to enter into a buyout agreement with the Cavs since the team owned his Bird Rights and could sign-and-trade him this summer.
Like Thompson, by taking this approach Harkless may be able to reap a bigger payday than signing outright in free agency since there are a lack of clubs with flexibility. The Knicks acquired Harkless’ Bird Rights when they acquired him, so they could go over the cap to sign the forward.
Sixers May Attempt To Trade Al Horford This Offseason
The Sixers were expected to be among the best teams in the league, but through two-thirds of the season, they’ve been a major disappointment. Injuries are part of that, but fit among Philadelphia’s highest-paid players is a major reason why the team has failed to meet those lofty expectations.
The franchise inked Al Horford to a four-year, $109MM deal this offseason and the big man may not make it to year two in South Philly. According to Jeff Zillgett of USA Today, the Sixers may be open to dealing the veteran big this offseason if they can get shooting in return.
The Sixers did not try to move Horford at the trade deadline, Zillgett adds. Horford’s lucrative contract, which features a partial guarantee on the final season, may be a deterrent for potential trade partners if Philadelphia looks to move the 33-year-old.
Atlantic Notes: Burks, Milton, Williams, Kemba
Recently-acquired Sixers wing Alec Burks could take on more point guard responsibilities in the wake of Ben Simmons‘ injury. However, the 6’6″ guard is better suited for the shooting guard spot, as Derek Bodner of The Athletic contends.
Burks shoots the ball well of the catch, Bodner adds — the former Warrior made 37.5% of his 96 “no-dribble” attempts while in Golden State.
Here are more notes from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers appear ready to have confidence in Shake Milton as the point guard replacement for Simmons, Mike Greger of Heavy.com relays. Gregor also details Milton’s rise to the NBA ranks.
- Robert Williams is a wild card for the Celtics, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports writes. Williams, who was the no. 27 overall pick in the 2018 draft, is Boston big man with the highest ceiling.
- The Celtics are playing it safe with Kemba Walker‘s return to the court, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports. Tuesday against the Cavs is a possible return date, as we detailed earlier today, but Blakely says that the need for caution “cannot be overstated.”
Latest On Evan Turner, Wolves Buyout Talks
Evan Turner is still weighing the idea of a buyout, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. The wing was reportedly in buyout talks with the Timberwolves earlier this month but it has been quiet on that front until now.
Turner, who was scheduled to work out for the Clippers earlier this month, would be open to a reunion with the Celtics, Deveney hears. The former No. 2 overall pick spent two seasons in Boston, starting in 163 games for the club.
The Hawks traded for Turner during the offseason, hoping to use him as a backup point guard to starter Trae Young. That didn’t exactly work out and the team shipped him to Minnesota in its deal for Clint Capela.
The 31-year-old Chicago native has played for five teams in his career, as he has suited up for the Sixers, Pacers, and Blazers in addition to the Celtics and Hawks.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/25/20
Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Wizards have assigned three players to the Capital City Go-Go, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Anzejs Pasecniks, Gary Payton II and Admiral Schofield all played in today’s contest for the G League squad. The team then recalled Pasecniks and Payton but left Schofield in Southeast D.C.
- The Clippers have assigned Mfiondu Kabengele and Terance Mann to the Agua Caliente Clippers, per the team’s Twitter feed. Kabengele was the team’s first-round pick in the 2019 draft.
Timberwolves Going Through Adjustment Period With New Faces
The Timberwolves have many new parts after a busy trade deadline, bringing in Malik Beasley and D’Angelo Russell, among other pieces. The core of the team looks more promising after the roster acquisitions, though there have been some issues with the players getting used to one another.
“They’ve got to be loud, and it’s uncomfortable,” head coach Ryan Saunders said, as Chris Hine of the Star Tribune relays. “But that’s our biggest thing we have to improve upon at the moment.”
The team isn’t bickering nor are there any sort of chemistry issues — this is not the drama of a year ago. The squad simply doesn’t know each other well and the communication on the court has been off, something evident by Minnesota’s 139-123 loss to the Mavs on Monday.
“That’s what great teams do,” guard Josh Okogie said of learning to communicate better. “And if we want to be a great team, we’re going to have to go through that, being able to hold everybody accountable. I think we do a great job of that on the court. When somebody messes up, we address the issue and then it’s dead after that. We all like each other, so we all know it’s coming from a good place.”
Russell, who came to the team in exchange for Andrew Wiggins and a pair of draft picks, has dealt with various injuries this season and the team is being very cautious with the former No. 2 overall pick. The guard being in and out of the lineup has definitely contributed to the team not meshing. Yet, the franchise’s plan to have Russell healthy heading into the offseason won’t change.
“I trust what they do,” Russell said. “Performance team is great here. Performance team is running professional sports nowadays. They’re way more educated than I am in that aspect.”
Cavaliers Notes: Porter Jr., Johnson, Avdija
The Cavaliers have had a rough season, with a coaching change and struggles in their young frontcourt among the issues. However, they may have stumbled onto something special in their 2019 No. 30 overall pick.
“There’s no one on the [Cavaliers] with real All-Star potential,” a former scout told Hoops Rumors. “If you told me one player will take his game to that level, I’d bet on Kevin Porter Jr.”
Porter was expected to go much higher in the 2019 draft but the Cavaliers happily scooped him up with the last of their three selections in the first round. KPJ has appeared in 45 games for Cleveland this season, assuming a scorer/facilitator role off the bench.
The Cavaliers’ new coach J.B. Bickerstaff has impressed since taking over the role and he has the organization’s full support, as many believe in his ability to develop the young talent on the roster, which includes Porter.
Here’s more from Cleveland:
- The Cavs had interest in coach Avery Johnson prior to inking John Beilein to a contract this past offseason, as I relayed on Heavy.com. Johnson previously played in the NBA in addition to coaching for the Nets and Mavs.
- Bickerstaff believes the future is bright with Porter and No. 4 overall pick Darius Garland on the team, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com said. “I think the sky’s the limit for both of them,” Bickerstaff said.
- GM Koby Altman is traveling overseas to scout draft prospect Deni Avdija, Fedor relays in a separate piece. Avdija, who is a 6’9″ wing playing in Israel, could be one of the top picks in the 2020 NBA Draft.
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.