NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/28/19
Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Nets assigned rookie forward Dzanan Musa to the Long Island Nets, the G League team tweets. Musa has been working his way back from a left shoulder injury suffered during a G League game in mid-December. The 29th overall pick hasn’t seen action in an NBA game since December 1st.
- The Mavericks recalled rookie forward Ray Spalding from the Texas Legends for the first time this season, Dwain Price of Mavs.com tweets. Spalding, a late second-round selection acquired from Philadelphia, has averaged 15.9 PPG, 9.3 RPG and 2.2 BPG in 30.1 MPG over 29 games with the Legends.
Davis Could Be Fined For Trade Request
The NBA is taking a dim view of the public declaration by Anthony Davis‘ agent Rich Paul that his client wants to be traded. League spokesman Mike Bass said the NBA has “commenced an investigation” upon reading reports regarding the Pelicans superstar and that “the process is ongoing,” the New York Times’ Marc Stein tweets.
An on-the-record request for a trade by an agent or a player is punishable and Davis could be fined, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Paul told Wojnarowski that Davis had no intention of signing a super-max extension with New Orleans this summer and wanted to be dealt to a contender.
“Anthony wants to be traded to a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and compete for a championship,” Paul said. “Anthony wanted to be honest and clear with his intentions and that’s the reason for informing them of this decision now. That’s in the best interests of both Anthony’s and the organization’s future.”
There is precedent for league action, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Nate Robinson was fined $25K in 2009 when his agent, Aaron Goodwin, told reporters he asked the Knicks to trade his client. The league says players are responsible for public statements relating to them made by their representatives and that public trade requests are considered detrimental to the league, Zillgitt adds (Twitter links).
Knee Injury Sidelines Heat’s Derrick Jones Jr.
Heat small forward Derrick Jones Jr. will be out for an extended period after an MRI revealed two right knee bone bruises, according to a team press release. He will begin treatment immediately and be re-evaluated in six weeks, the statement adds.
That means Jones won’t even begin practicing until at least early to mid-March, so the knee bruises could be a season-ending ailment. He suffered the injury during the second quarter on Sunday at New York.
Jones had emerged as a steady presence in the Heat rotation despite a logjam at the wing positions. He posted a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds against Cleveland on Friday. Jones also reached double figures in points on nine other occasions since mid-December. For the season, he’s averaging 7.4 PPG and 4.4 RPG in 18.1 MPG over 37 games.
The undrafted Jones, 21, began his career with Phoenix during the 2016/17 campaign. Jones’ injury should open up more playing time for Wayne Ellington, who started against the Knicks, and Dion Waiters. Both have been unhappy with their minutes.
Pelicans Will Deal Davis “On Our Terms”
The Pelicans will not be rushed into dealing superstar Anthony Davis. The team released a statement this afternoon, confirming that Davis’ representatives had informed the organization that he wouldn’t sign a contract extension and thus wanted to be dealt.
At least publicly, New Orleans’ front office isn’t going to be pressured into dealing Davis before the February 7th deadline. It will make a trade “on our terms and our timeline,” according to the statement. This confirms the earlier report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the Pelicans don’t want to deal Davis this season.
The statement also declared the franchise “will not be dictated by those outside of our organization.” That could be interpreted as a veiled threat to LeBron James‘ and Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, since the Lakers are considered as the most likely destination. The organization also requested that the NBA strictly enforce its tampering rules prior to any deal.
The full statement reads as follows:
“This past weekend, Anthony Davis’ representatives informed us that Anthony does not wish to sign a contract extension with our team and subsequently has requested a trade. Although we are disappointed in this decision, our organization’s top priority is to bring an NBA championship to our city and fans and build our team for long-term success. Relative to specific talks of a trade, we will do this on our terms and our timeline. One that makes the most sense for our team and it will not be dictated by those outside of our organization. We have also requested the League to strictly enforce the tampering rules associate with this transaction.”
Free Agent Stock Watch 2019: Atlantic Division
Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we turn our attention to the Atlantic Division:
Marcus Morris, Celtics, 29, PF (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $20MM deal in 2015
Morris will get a nice bump in pay from the team-friendly contract he signed with Phoenix a few years ago. In the last couple of weeks, he’s been in a shooting slump. He’s 7-for-29 from long range over the last six games and has scored 11 or fewer points in five of them. The Celtics don’t rely on Morris for scoring, as evidenced by their five-game winning streak. He’ll eventually perk up offensively and his defensive versatility and rebounding will keep him in the rotation.
D’Angelo Russell, Nets, 22, PG (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $23MM deal in 2015
Has any free agent increased his value as much as Russell in recent weeks? If so, it’s an awfully close call. Russell has blown up this month, averaging 24.1 PPG and 7.7 APG for the surging Nets. In the past two weeks alone, Russell hung up 34 points and seven assists against Boston and 40 points and seven assists against Orlando. He added a 25-point, 10-assist performance against the Magic on Wednesday. Russell will be a restricted free agent and the Nets now have to consider using a chunk of their cap space to re-sign him. It will intriguing to see if any team calls the Nets’ bluff with an offer sheet.
Enes Kanter, Knicks, 26, C (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $70MM deal in 2015
Kanter is still in his prime but he’s been swept into the undertow of New York’s youth movement. Kanter didn’t leave the bench on Wednesday and is now pining for a trade. With the hope of landing a big fish in the free agent pond, the Knicks had no intention of re-signing Kanter. But his diminished role isn’t exactly enhancing his value during his walk year. Kanter puts up solid numbers in the points and rebounds columns but his defensive shortcomings and lack of shotblocking prowess will depress his market.
Kawhi Leonard, Raptors, 27, SF (Up) — Signed to a five-year, $94.3MM deal in 2015
The Raptors essentially gave Leonard a week’s vacation by sitting him out for four consecutive games. They’re treating him with kid gloves with the hope he’ll take off the gloves in the summer and sign the dotted line with them. When he has played, he’s been dynamite. He’s averaging career highs in points (27.6 PPG) and rebounds (7.9), alleviating concerns that the quad injury that limited him to nine games last season would be a long-term issue. The Raptors have played quite well without Leonard but there’s no doubt that their hopes of reaching the NBA Finals rest on Leonard’s shoulders.
Amir Johnson, Sixers, 31 (Down)– Signed to a one-year, $2.39MM deal in 2018
Johnson has carved out a nice career after getting drafted in the second round by Detroit in 2005. His playing time has gradually diminished over the last six seasons and he’s down to 9.3 MPG for Philadelphia this season. Johnson has never been a prolific rebounder but he can help at the defensive end. Lately, he’s dealt with some migraines. If Johnson wants to continue his career going forward, he’ll be looking at a veteran’s minimum contract once again.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cavs Cut Ties With Cameron Payne
The Cavaliers will not offer Cameron Payne a standard contract, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Payne’s second 10-day contract expired on Friday night and the Cavaliers had to either sign him for the remainder of the season or cut ties with the point guard.
Cleveland wanted to maintain roster flexibility heading into the trade deadline, according to Fedor.
“I feel really good about how I played here,” Payne told Fedor. “It’s understandable that they want the roster spot.”
The Cavaliers will likely sign another player to a 10-day contract. Payne played 10 games with the Cavs and averaged 8.2 PPG and 2.6 APG in 19.6 MPG. He played 31 games with the Bulls earlier this season but was waived in early January.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics Trades, Mudiay, Fultz, Noah
The Celtics are unlikely to make a big move prior to this year’s trade deadline, NBC Sports’ Tom Haberstroh reports in a story relayed by NBC Sports Boston’s Darren Hartwell. With Indiana losing Victor Oladipo for the season, the Celtics have less incentive to make a drastic change. They’re hoping Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown bounce back during the second half of the season, then will look to trade for Anthony Davis during the offseason.
We have more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Knicks point guard Emmanuel Mudiay will be sidelined at least two weeks with a left shoulder strain, the team’s PR department tweets. Mudiay suffered the injury against Houston on Wednesday and the original prognosis was confirmed by an MRI. Mudiay is averaging 14.7 PPG and 3.9 APG.
- Markelle Fultz traveled with the Sixers on their current road trip but the second-year guard has not been cleared for basketball activity, Derek Bodner of The Athletic tweets. It’s not anticipated that Fultz will be cleared during the trip and thus he’s limited to physical therapy as he works his way back from thoracic outlet syndrome.
- Joakim Noah takes responsibility for flopping with the Knicks after signing a four-year, $72MM contract, as he told Frank Isola of The Athletic. Noah is playing for the Grizzlies after getting released by New York. “I think these are all life lessons. It was a tough time for me mentally,” he said. “Failing like that on a stage I really wanted to do well on. I take responsibility. It took me a while to digest that.”
- Blake Murphy of The Athletic runs down a wide variety of trade scenarios for the Raptors, though they’re also unlikely to make a big move.
Hawks Seeking Trades For Future Assets
The Hawks are looking to make deals to acquire future assets with point guard Jeremy Lin and center Dewayne Dedmon the most likely to get traded, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports. Atlanta is one of the few clear-cut sellers heading toward next month’s trade deadline and GM Travis Schlenk wants to continue collecting draft picks and opening up cap space.
“We’re looking for future assets,” Schlenk told Kirchner. “We already have five picks in this draft and more than likely, two firsts and three seconds. Any of the deals we do will be future assets or a deal that maybe will increase our (cap) flexibility moving forward. We’re still on the same trajectory.”
Lin has an expiring $13.77MM contract but several contenders are looking for a quality point guard, Kirschner notes. Lin, who is averaging 10.9 PPG and 3.6 APG in 19.9 MPG, has been linked to the Kings, Sixers, Pelicans and Trail Blazers.
Dedmon, who has an expiring $7.2MM contract, has increased his value by adding the 3-point shot to his game. Dedmon is averaging 10.2 PPG and 7.5 RPG in 24.7 MPG.
Atlanta would also like to move swingman Kent Bazemore and center Miles Plumlee, Kirschner adds. Bazemore is making $18.1MM this season and holds a $19.27MM option for next season. Bazemore is leaning toward opting in and has been shopped for more than a year, according to Kirschner. Bazemore hasn’t played since December 29th due to an ankle injury, which isn’t helping the Hawks’ efforts to move him.
Plumlee has another year left on his contract paying him $12.5MM this season and next. He was playing sparingly before injuring his knee and hasn’t seen the court since New Year’s Eve. Atlanta has talked to Memphis about taking on Chandler Parsons‘ contract with Plumlee being part of the deal. Atlanta would want a future pick from the Grizzlies as an incentive.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/25/19
Here are Friday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Wizards assigned guard Gary Payton II to the Capital City Go Go, the team’s PR department tweets. He’ll play against Grand Rapids on Friday. Payton signed a 10-day contract with the Wizards on Monday. He appeared in 13 G League games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers this season, posting a 19.2/8.2/6.6 line.
- The Spurs assigned rookies Lonnie Walker IV and Chimezie Metu to the Austin Spurs, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express News tweets. They’ll play against Rio Grande on Friday. Walker, the 18th overall pick, hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since January 3rd. Metu, the team’s second-rounder, has only appeared in one Spurs game since December 13th.
Community Shootaround: Mike Conley
With the Grizzlies’ season fading to oblivion, reports surfaced this week that the front office is willing to deal point guard Mike Conley as well as center Marc Gasol.
Conley is one of the highest-paid floor leaders in the league. He’s making $30.5MM this season, another $32.5MM next season with a $34.5MM player option for the 2020/21 campaign.
It’s rare to find an All-Star caliber floor leader on the market, so Conley is certain to draw some interest. The Jazz have already been mentioned as a potential suitor, pairing Conley with Donovan Mitchell in a high-powered backcourt. Ricky Rubio‘s expiring contract would almost be certainly part of the package in any swap involving those teams.
Frank Urbina of HoopsHype speculated on three other teams that also might chase Conley. Veteran D.J. Augustin has played well for the Magic but Conley would be a huge upgrade feeding the ball to big men Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon. In return, Urbina opines that Jonathan Isaac is the type of young player that could facilitate Memphis’ rebuilding process.
The Mavericks might be another potential landing spot for Conley. Dennis Smith Jr. rejoined Dallas this week after a conversation with coach Rick Carlisle but it’s no secret Smith doesn’t feel comfortable sharing the ball with Luka Doncic. Smith would give Memphis a much younger option at the point with Wesley Matthews‘ expiring contract possibly thrown into the deal.
The Pacers were dealt a crushing blow in their quest to reach the NBA Finals when Victor Oladipo suffered a season-ending quad injury. A deal for Conley could revive their hopes. Some expiring contracts and multiple draft picks could get the job done.
We’ll throw in another team — the Pistons. They’re starved for improved point guard play with Reggie Jackson having a poor season. A package that includes some young players and a first-rounder or two would likely be required.
That leads us to our question of the day: If the Grizzlies deal Mike Conley, which team do you feel would be the best fit for him and why?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.