NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/5/18
Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
- The Raptors assigned guard Malachi Richardson to the Raptors 905 for the second time in a week, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic. Richardson, who was scheduled to be in the starting lineup for today’s game against the Iowa Wolves, was a late scratch with sinusitis.
- The Grizzlies recalled rookie guard Jevon Carter and big man Ivan Rabb from their G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, per a tweet from the team’s communications department. Carter, 23, has yet to play for the Grizzlies this season, while Rabb has averaged 6.3 minutes per game in nine contests.
- The Jazz have assigned rookie guard Grayson Allen to the Salt Lake City Stars, the team’s G League affiliate, for tonight’s game against the Texas Legends, the team announced. On his first assignment to the G League earlier this season, Allen poured in 26 points against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Celtics Notes: Storylines, Hayward, Brown, Assets
In a recent article, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston wrote about four storylines to watch in anticipation of the Celtics next game against the Knicks tomorrow night: offensive improvement while Kyrie Irving is on the bench, reintegrating Jaylen Brown, the long-term starters, and minutes to go around when everybody is healthy.
The Celtics own a team-best offensive rating of 109.6 when Irving is on the court this season, a figure that would place Boston in the NBA’s top ten. But when Irving sits, that number drops to 95, which would rank far below the Hawks’ league worst rating of 100.5.
Brown has missed the last three games after suffering a back bruise against the Mavericks a couple weeks back. He could start tomorrow night, but the team has won three games in a row with Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris starting, and head coach Brad Stevens may elect to keep that group intact.
Stevens’ challenge in selecting who to start is figuring out how to balance the lineup with the most talent, and thus the most potential, with the lineup that is giving the team the most success right now. Eventually, Boston might work its way back to the Irving-Brown-Jayson Tatum–Gordon Hayward–Al Horford lineup, but keeping Smart and Morris on the bench is a risk.
In the Celtics’ last four wins, they’ve been shorthanded, which some may argue shows that some players play better with more minutes. Terry Rozier has reportedly conveyed his displeasure with his playing time already this season, and as mentioned above, Stevens will need to balance playing time between Smart, Morris, Hayward, and Brown as the season plays out.
There’s more from Boston:
- Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald writes that Hayward’s struggle to reintegrate himself after last season’s horrific injury is also a result of how much the Celtics have changed since he arrived in the summer of 2017.
- In another piece for NBC Sports Boston, Forsberg relays that Brown is open to coming of the bench in his return from injury. Brown downplayed the significance of becoming a reserve, and said he will embrace any role Stevens has in mind for him.
- As we relayed yesterday, the value of some of the Celtics trade assets have depreciated a little this season, with the Kings, Clippers, and Grizzlies outperforming expectations and Brown not as impressive as many anticipated.
Spoelstra: Whiteside Leaving Bench Early Is “Unacceptable”
In last night’s loss to the Magic, Heat center Hassan Whiteside left the bench early during the closing seconds of the fourth quarter and did not return. Per ESPN, head coach Erik Spoelstra was not given an explanation at the time, surmising that Whiteside was “probably extremely upset like we all are.”
However, teammate Dwyane Wade provided a more detailed explanation, telling reporters that Whiteside simply left the bench area to return to the locker room early because he had to go to the bathroom, which Whiteside confirmed today, per David Furones of the Sun-Sentinel.
“I didn’t know it was going to be as big of a deal as it was. I couldn’t hold it. My stomach was bothering me,” Whiteside said. “I had to go to the bathroom. I’m sorry if that makes me a bad guy.”
Despite Whiteside’s explanation, Spoelstra apparently still wasn’t happy, perhaps not believing that the center’s absence was completely caused by stomach issues. Per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, Whiteside was disciplined internally.
“It’s totally unacceptable behavior by Hassan,” Spoelstra said. “We handled it, as a team, in the locker room today. That’s all any of you need to know.”
Whiteside, who averaged just 25.3 minutes per game last season, his lowest since his first season with the Heat in 2014/15, has so far logged a similar 26.9 minutes per game this season. However, both his rebound and block numbers are up, with his 13.7 RPG good enough for third in the NBA behind Andre Drummond and DeAndre Jordan.
Five Key Stories: 11/24/18 – 12/1/18
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. Below are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
The Jazz and Cavaliers executed a trade that sent veteran sharpshooter Kyle Korver to the Jazz in exchange for Alec Burks and two future second-round picks going to the Cavaliers. The picks changing hands are Utah’s 2020 second-round pick and a 2021 second-round pick via the Wizards. The Cavs create an additional $3.44MM in cap space for next season with Burks being on an expiring contract and Korver owed some guaranteed money in 2019/20, while the Jazz obtain a $3.98MM trade exception, that figure representing the difference between the two players’ salaries.
Wizards’ shooting guard Bradley Beal and his agent both vociferously denied a report this week that the 25-year-old wants out of Washington. Agent Mark Bartelstein said that only he and Beal know Beal’s thinking and that Beal’s focus was on helping the Wizards continue to improve. Beal, meanwhile, called the report nonsense and dismissed any further reports not coming directly from him.
The Suns are among the teams interested in trading for Sixers’ point guard Markelle Fultz. Any deal involving the Suns would likely center around veteran forward Trevor Ariza, whose outside shooting and perimeter defense would make him an ideal fit in the Sixers’ lineup, while the Suns are likely to lose him to free agency after this season anyway. The Cavs were also said to be interested but that remains to be seen after the trade for Burks this week.
Kings’ head coach Dave Joerger’s situation in Sacramento is getting increasingly uncomfortable after Joerger requested that assistant GM Brandon Williams not be present at a team shootaround. Joerger evidently believes that Williams purposely leaked a report about the front office being upset with the playing time of Marvin Bagley and other young players in order to jeopardize his job security. Joerger pushed the Kings to punish Williams, but the organization has yet to take a firm stance.
The Grizzlies and free agent center Joakim Noah reached an agreement on a one-year contract worth the veteran’s minimum. This was the most Memphis could offer since the team had already used its mid-level and bi-annual exceptions, but it’s unlikely he would’ve reached anymore regardless. Noah will travel to Memphis tomorrow and sign his new contract with the Grizzlies sometime early next week.
Here are 12 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:
- The Warriors are planning on a return to the lineup from big man DeMarcus Cousins at some point after Christmas.
- The Rockets signed veteran swingman Danuel House to a contract, presumably a minimum-salary deal.
- With all the uncertainty surrounding Markelle Fultz, the Sixers have stopped listening to trade inquiries on backup point guard T.J. McConnell.
- 16-year veteran big man Chris Andersen, who played in the BIG3 League over the summer, said he still hopes for a return to the NBA.
- Bucks’ big man John Henson is expected to return in time for the playoffs, if not earlier, after undergoing surgery.
- The Suns waived point guard Isaiah Canaan, who started 15 games for Phoenix this season.
- The Bulls have officially ruled out guard Denzel Valentine for the remainder of the 2o18/19 season.
- Dealing with a slew of injuries, the Nuggets signed undrafted rookie guard Brandon Goodwin after being granted an injury hardship exception.
- In addition to Fultz, the Suns (and Grizzlies) have inquired about trading for Frank Ntilikina as well.
- Wizards’ point guard John Wall, in no small part because of his upcoming contract, is drawing very little trade interest around the league.
- Thunder swingman Andre Roberson has suffered another setback in his recovery from knee surgery.
- The Pacers issued an update on Victor Oladipo, ruling the injured guard out indefinitely.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 11/24/18 – 12/1/18
Happy December! Every week, our writing team here at Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. Below are the original segments and features from the past seven days:
- Luke Adams explained how some players drafted into the NBA don’t sign an NBA contract right away, and which of those players currently have their rights held by an NBA franchise this season.
- In this week’s Polls, we asked:
- Luke Adams took a look at Allonzo Trier, Gary Clark, and some other two-way players who have a favorable shot at being promoted to a standard NBA contract on a team’s 15-man roster.
- We’re tracking each team’s cash sent and received in trades for the 2018/19 season, updating the info as necessary throughout the season.
- The Clippers’ early season success has boosted the fantasy value of Tobias Harris, Montrezl Harrell, and Danilo Gallinari, writes Chris Crouse.
- We’re also keeping track of all 2018/19 in-season trades, including this week’s between the Jazz and Cavs.
- Our Trade Candidate Watch series focused on the Southeast Division.
- Our Free Agent Stock Watch series put a spotlight on the Southwest Division.
- In our lone Community Shootaround post, we asked your opinion on the resurgence of Marc Gasol and his and defensive impact this season.
Lauri Markkanen To Make Season Debut Tonight
After it was originally reported earlier this week that Bulls’ forward Lauri Markkanen was planning to return on December 4th from the right elbow injury that has sidelined him all season, an official release from the team is now listing the 21-year-old Finn as probable for tonight’s game against the Rockets.
Per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, Markkanen said last night: “I feel good. I’ve got a couple practices in and no pain, so that’s a good sign. There’s been nothing the next day after practice. I’ve been playing normally. So that’s good.”
Markkanen was originally thought to be out for 6-to-8 weeks after suffering a high grade lateral elbow sprain during the last week of September, but a report from earlier this month confirmed that recovery was taking longer than usual, with the Bulls relaying that the prized big man would not return until he felt 100%.
As a tweet from the Chicago Sun-Times notes, a Markkanen debut tonight makes sense considering Chicago’s upcoming schedule. The Bulls have two days off after tonight before their next game, and then – after Tuesday in Indianapolis – two more off days for practice.
During an outstanding rookie campaign, Markkanen averaged 15.2 PPG and 7.5 RPG in 29.7 MPG while appearing in 68 contests. He was the seventh overall pick in the 2017 draft.
Cavaliers Trade Kyle Korver To Jazz
NOVEMBER 29: The Cavaliers and Jazz have officially issued press releases confirming the trade.
NOVEMBER 28: The Jazz have agreed to trade Alec Burks and two future second-round picks to the Cavaliers in exchange for sharpshooting veteran Kyle Korver, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links). Wojnarowski adds that the picks being sent to Cleveland are Utah’s 2020 second-round pick and a 2021 second-round pick via the Wizards.
Korver, 37, is averaging 6.8 points on 46.1% shooting from the field and 46.3% from beyond the arc in 15.7 minutes per game so far this season. The 15-year veteran previously played three seasons in Utah, from 2007-10, before signing with the Bulls in the summer of 2010.
Burks, meanwhile, is averaging 8.4 points on 41.2% shooting from the field and 37.2% from beyond the arc in an almost identical 15.8 minutes per game. The 27-year-old guard has spent his entire seven-year career in Utah after being drafted 12th overall in 2011.
The Jazz, who have stumbled out of the gate to a disappointing record of 9-12 and currently sit as the 14-seed in the Western Conference, rank 29th in 3-point shooting. The trade for Korver will likely improve upon that figure and open things up for Donovan Mitchell, who has yet to show much improvement upon his scintillating rookie campaign.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes, Korver has a $7.56MM cap hit this season and will earn $7.5MM in 2019-20. But, his salary for next season is only guaranteed for $3.44MM before July 7, 2019. Burks is in the final year of his contract with a cap hit of $11.54MM.
Under NBA trade rules, the Cavaliers are able to absorb a player whose salary is up to $5MM more than Korver’s salary (i.e. $12.56MM), meaning Burks’ salary of $11.54MM will fit nicely and still keep the Cavs over $4MM under the luxury-tax level. Moreover, the Cavs create an additional $3.44MM in cap space for next season, the amount of Korver’s 2019/20 guarantee, thanks to Burks being on an expiring contract.
The Jazz, meanwhile, will create a $3.98MM trade exception, that figure representing the difference between the two players’ salaries. They’ll have one year from the date of the trade to use that exception to acquire another player, if they so wish.
Earlier today, we relayed how the Cavs were willing to take on long-term salary in exchange for other assets, so being able to get two draft picks and an expiring contract for Korver must feel like a real win for Cleveland’s front office.
Pau Gasol Diagnosed With Stress Fracture
Spurs’ center Pau Gasol was sidelined with a left foot injury after playing in the team’s first nine games this season. He’s since missed the past 12 games, including tonight’s blowout loss to the Wolves.
San Antonio did not release much information on the condition at the time, but Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News is now reporting that further testing has revealed a stress fracture in the troublesome left foot after Gasol had begun making progress to return to the court.
“He was (back on the court) and then they took him off,” coach Gregg Popovich said today. “We got a second opinion that it was a stress fracture, so they put him back in the (walking) boot.”
Popovich’s above quote was elicited while being interviewed before the team’s game against Minnesota tonight, so it’s unclear whether there will be a further, perhaps more official report, from the Spurs in the near future. For now, there is no timetable for Gasol’s return
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/28/18
Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
- The Wizards have assigned forward Okaro White to the Capital City Go-Go, per an update from the team’s official Twitter account. This will be his first assignment this season, but he averaged 18.4 PPG and 8.7 RPG in 23 G League contests last season.
- Both Moritz Wagner and Svi Mykhailiuk have been assigned to the Lakers’ G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, for tonight’s game against the Texas Legends (link). Mykhailiuk scored 21 points in his lone G League appearance this season, while Wagner has averaged 16.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in his two appearances with South Bay.
Denzel Valentine Out For Season
Bulls shooting guard Denzel Valentine has officially been ruled out for the remainder of the 2018/19 season, per a release from the team.
Valentine underwent a left ankle stabilization procedure yesterday and is anticipated to return to full basketball activities in approximately six months – towards the end of May, 2019.
The last selection in the lottery in the 2016 NBA Draft, Valentine had a promising season in 2017/18, but saw his campaign end due to injury last year as well after undergoing an arthroscopic debridement on his left knee.
Despite the setback, Valentine is “fully confident” that he’ll get back to 100%, perhaps for the first time during his NBA career.