Mavericks Waive Ray Spalding
The Mavericks waived forward Ray Spalding after agreeing to a trade with New York on Thursday, the team announced in a press release. He’ll clear waivers and become a free agent on Saturday, assuming no team places a claim.
Having acquired four players, including Kristaps Porzingis, in a blockbuster deal with the Knicks, the Mavs only sent out three players in the swap, meaning the club had to waive a player to avoid exceeding the 15-player max. Spadling was ultimately the odd man out.
Spalding appeared in just one game with Dallas and was selected with the No. 56 pick in 2018. His rights were traded to Dallas from Philadelphia on draft night, with the 21-year-old now set to enter unrestricted free agency during his rookie season.
Spalding, who spent four seasons at Louisville, has spent most of the 2018/19 season with the Texas Legends — G League affiliate of the Mavericks. He’s held per-game averages of 15.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 29 games with Texas on the year.
Northwest Notes: Durant, Exum, Gibson, Rubio
Kevin Durant plans to travel to Oklahoma City for the jersey retirement ceremony of longtime teammate Nick Collison, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The ceremony is set to take place on March 20 when the Thunder take on the Raptors at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Durant and Collison spent eight seasons together on the Thunder (and one on the Sonics) from 2007-’16, reaching the NBA Finals in 2012 and multiple conference Finals in that span. Collison grew close to several teammates in his 14 years with the franchise and remained friends with Durant even after he joined the Warriors.
“That group was so special, that whole group from 2010 until I left there, it was special,” Durant told ESPN. “It’s about time for us to let go of all that extra stuff, and just come together — especially around this time, because it’s Nick.”
Several of Collison’s former teammates are expected to be in attendance for the ceremony, showing appreciation for the kind of hard-worker and consummate professional Collison was during his career.
Despite the brief return for Durant, neither he nor the Thunder organization have active interest in a basketball reunion, Wojnarowski reports. Durant emphasized that he still holds the Thunder, their fans, and the city in high regard.
There’s more out of the Southwest Division today:
- Jazz guard Dante Exum (ankle) missed his 11th game of the season on Friday and is now ineligible to receive a $200K bonus, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Exum would’ve received the bonus if he played 73 or more games this season with Utah. He also has a separate $200K incentive in his contract that can be earned if he plays 67 games or more on the season.
- Timberwolves veteran Taj Gibson was fined $25,000 for aggressively pursuing and directing an obscene gesture towards a referee, the NBA announced on Friday. Gibson was ejected Thursday after excessively arguing a foul call with official James Williams. “He’s like a big brother,” Gibson said of Williams, according to Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “You see him every day, you have a relationship, sometimes tempers flare and you kind of lose it a little bit, but you know you mean well. I’ll see him again, but it was just part of the job. It was just one of those times I just lost it.”
- Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio has remained focused on helping his team despite Utah’s reported interest in Mike Conley and Otto Porter Jr., Eric Woodyard of the Deseret News writes. “I was in Minnesota traded like 20 times,” Rubio said. “Until it doesn’t happen, you have to really don’t pay attention to that. A lot of them are just rumors and just 5 percent are true, so if it happens it happens, but I’m committed 100 percent to this team, to the community, and nothing’s going to change.” Rubio, 28, is set to become a free agent on July 1.
Central Notes: Oladipo, Sumner, Thompson, Bledsoe
Pacers star Victor Oladipo posted a message on social media thanking his fans, teammates and players around the league for supporting him after suffering a season-ending injury last week. Oladipo, 26, ruptured the quad tendon in his right knee and is scheduled for season-ending surgery.
“The amount of support, love and prayers that I have received over the past few days have been breathtaking and has truly inspired me to come back even better than before,” he wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to everyone including all my teammates, pacer fans and staff. Thank you to all the NBA fans around the world and all my brothers around the league who texted, called, tweeted and posted me I am truly thankful. It’s going to be tough but tough times don’t last, tough people do.”
Oladipo was in the midst of another solid season with Indiana before getting injured, holding per-game averages of 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists. His injury was a crushing blow to a Pacers team focused on making a deep postseason run in the spring.
“I will be back better than ever and if you question that well, thank you,” Oladipo wrote. “Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. I am #UnBreakable.”
The Pacers currently hold the third best record in the East at 32-16, with the team still set on competing for the postseason behind the likes of Myles Turner, Tyreke Evans, Thaddeus Young and others.
There’s more from the Central Division today:
- Pacers guard Edmond Sumner could receive more minutes going forward with the loss of Oladipo, J. Michael writes for the Indy Star. “There’ll be some nights that we may look to go to him off the bench,” said coach Nate McMillan. “There’s some nights where we can look at going with Ed off the bench instead of Aaron because it does give us more length.” Indiana traded for Sumner, 23, on draft night in 2017.
- Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson will miss approximately two weeks of action with left foot soreness, the team announced. The soreness is believed to be from a foot sprain suffered on December 10, an injury that forced him to miss 10 straight games.
- Eric Bledsoe is finally where he wants to be in his career with Milwaukee, Malika Andrews of ESPN writes. The Bucks traded for Bledsoe in November of 2017, giving him the chance to start and help lead a team in the Eastern Conference. “It’s slow,” Bledsoe said of Milwaukee. “There ain’t much to do. It feels just like home. I like it because I don’t want life to pass me by. In big cities, things go by too fast.”
Spencer Dinwiddie Needs Thumb Surgery
JANUARY 25th, 6:31pm: Dinwiddie will require surgery but it’s unknown when it will occur and how long he’ll be out, according to an Associated Press report.
JANUARY 24th, 4:46pm: Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie has suffered torn ligaments in his right thumb and is evaluating the need for surgery, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (Twitter link).
The team is listing Dinwiddie as questionable to play against New York on Friday, confirming that he’s being evaluated for a thumb injury on social media. It’s unclear when he suffered the injury, with the 25-year-old currently in the best season of his career.
Brooklyn is dealing with several key injuries as they look to keep their five-game win streak alive, including Caris LeVert (right foot), Jared Dudley (right hamstring strain), Allen Crabbe (sore right knee) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (left shoulder strain). Hollis-Jefferson joins Dinwiddie as questionable to play in Friday’s game.
Dinwiddie, a top candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year award, has averaged 17.2 points, five assists and 28.6 minutes with the Nets this season. At 26-23, Brooklyn holds the No. 6 seed in the East nearly three weeks ahead of All-Star Weekend.
Sixers Sign Corey Brewer To Second 10-Day Deal
JANUARY 25: The Sixers have officially re-signed Brewer, the team announced today in a press release. Once his second 10-day deal expires, Philadelphia will have to decide whether or not to sign Brewer for the rest of the season.
JANUARY 24: The Sixers will sign forward Corey Brewer to a second 10-day contract on Friday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
Brewer, 32, has averaged 7.7 points, two rebounds and 23 minutes in three games with the team, starting in the last two contests against Houston and San Antonio. Brewer was tasked with defending the likes of James Harden and DeMar DeRozan during his starts, impressing the team with his competitive spirit and physical play.
Brewer has made stops with Minnesota, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles and Oklahoma City over the course of his 12-year career. The Sixers originally signed him to a 10-day deal on January 15.
Pacific Notes: Bell, Booker, LeBron, Warren
Warriors coach Steve Kerr and reserve big man Jordan Bell engaged in a brief argument during the team’s game against the Lakers on Monday, with both figures visibly upset and Kerr eventually walking away.
The dispute occurred during a timeout with 5:14 left in the fourth, with Bell playing the final seven minutes of the team’s blowout victory.
“It was a total misinterpretation of something I said,” Kerr said, as relayed by Monte Poole of NBC Sports, “and we cleared it up.”
Bell has seen his minutes decrease from 14.2 to 10.9 per game this season, with the 24-year-old currently in his second campaign with Golden State. The return of DeMarcus Cousins is only going to complicate his role further, as most of the back-up center minutes are set for Kevon Looney.
“We’re all gonna go through times throughout the NBA when we want to speak our minds and vent, and we might be frustrated over some things,” teammate Kevin Durant said when discussing Bell. “Coach has been so open in letting guys get that out but also challenging guys as well. It’s a healthy dialogue, and it’s just a healthy relationship between us and Coach. He lets us know what he sees out there and if you have something to say to him back, he’s not going to be afraid to go back at you.
“I think Jordan understands that, at this point, we just want to continue to keep getting better. Coach will always – especially the younger guys in the league – definitely be on them a little bit more because he expects a lot out of them. He sees the potential in him. On Jordan’s side, we just want him to keep playing. That stuff happens, so we’ll move on.”
The Warriors have the option to offer Bell a $1.8MM qualifying offer prior to free agency this summer.
There’s more from the Pacific Division tonight:
- Suns guard Devin Booker was fined $25K for escalating an on-court altercation by pushing Wolves center Gorgui Dieng on Wednesday, the NBA announced. Both Booker and Dieng were ejected following the scuffle.
- The talent and leadership of LeBron James may not be enough for the Lakers to make the playoffs this season, Bill Oram of The Athletic cautions. James signed a four-year, $154MM contract to join the Lakers in free agency last summer, immediately changing the direction of the franchise to compete this season. He’s missed the past 14 games due to a groin injury, however, watching his team slip to the ninth-best record in the West (25-23) from afar. “No one here is just counting on LeBron carrying all the weight and taking us there,” coach Luke Walton said. “We know the only way to get there is to work. And for everyone to step up and make plays.”
- Suns forward T.J. Warren is expected to miss two to three weeks after sustaining a bone bruise in his left ankle, tweets Gina Mizell of The Athletic. Warren’s timetable means he’ll likely return around the All-Star break in mid-February, with second-year player Josh Jackson set to get additional minutes in his place. Warren has averaged 18 points and four rebounds per game this season, shooting 49% from the floor and a career-high 43% from behind-the-arc.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/24/19
Here are Thursday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Sixers have assigned Justin Patton and Zhaire Smith to the Delaware Blue Coats for rehab purposes, the team announced. Patton will begin practicing with limited and controlled contact as he works back from right foot surgery, while Smith will participate in non-contact practices as he returns from a Jones fracture in his left foot.
- The Celtics assigned rookie forward Robert Williams to the Maine Red Claws, announcing the move on social media. Williams was selected by the Celtics with the No. 27 pick in the 2018 draft, appearing in 22 games so far this season.
- The Hornets have recalled Dwayne Bacon from the Greensboro Swarm, the team announced in a press release. Bacon is holding season averages of 4.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 23 games with Charlotte on the year.
Wizards Granted $8.6MM Disabled Player Exception
The Wizards have been granted a $8.6.41MM disabled player exception for the loss of John Wall, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Washington will have until March 11 to use the exception before it expires.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Disabled Player Exception]
Wall opted to undergo season-ending surgery last month to address bone spurs in his left heel, ending his 2018/19 campaign early after playing just 32 games. He averaged 20.7 points, 8.7 assists and 1.5 steals in those games, experiencing pain and discomfort on the court every so often.
For the Wizards, several options exist with their new exception: The team could use it to sign a free agent, claim a player off waivers, or help finalize a trade before the February 7 deadline. The exception counts as a rest-of-season deal if the team uses it to sign a player, though this remains unlikely with the team already being above the luxury tax line.
The Wizards started the season with a disappointing effort, currently holding the 10th-best record in the East at 20-26. Several teams have expressed interest in Bradley Beal and Otto Porter ahead of the deadline, though it remains extremely unlikely that Beal gets traded, Charania reports in a separate story.
NBA Announces 2019 All-Star Starters
The NBA announced the starters and captains for the 2019 All-Star Game on Thursday, with the Lakers’ LeBron James and Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo being named team captains for their respective conferences.
The Western Conference starters are comprised of James, Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, Rockets guard James Harden, and Thunder forward Paul George.
Antetokounmpo, Hornets guard Kemba Walker, Celtics guard Kyrie Irving, Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard, and Sixers center Joel Embiid were named starters in the Eastern Conference.
James (4,620,809 votes) and Antetokounmpo (4,375,747 votes) received the most fan votes from each conference in the past month, giving them the honors of being captains this season.
James and Antetokounmpo will draft their teams from the list of these starters and reserves on Thursday, February 7, hours after the NBA’s trade deadline. The All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, February 17, with the reserve players set to be announced next Thursday night.
We made our All-Star picks for the Western Conference and Eastern Conference earlier this week.
Pacers Sign Stephan Hicks On 10-Day Contract
The Pacers have signed guard Stephan Hicks to a 10-day contract, his agency, JCK Sports Group, confirmed on social media.
Hicks joined the Pacers in their locker room shortly after signing his deal, prepping for the team’s game against Charlotte on Sunday night, Scott Agness of The Athletic tweets.
Hicks, 26, has spent the past four seasons with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants — G League affiliate of the Pacers. He went undrafted in 2015 after playing college basketball at Cal State Northridge, holding per-game averages of 16.2 points, seven rebounds and 33.3 minutes with Fort Wayne this season.
Indiana has won seven of its past 10 games, currently owning the third best record in the Eastern Conference at 30-15.