Spurs Sign Jaylen Morris To 10-Day Contract
2:41pm: San Antonio has officially signed Morris to a 10-day deal, the team announced in a press release.
2:01pm: The Spurs are signing shooting guard Jaylen Morris to a 10-day hardship contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Morris, 26, went unselected in the 2017 NBA Draft. In 12 games with San Antonio’s G League affiliate this season, he has averaged 12.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 27.3 minutes, shooting 50% from the floor. He holds NBA experience with the Hawks and Bucks.
As we previously relayed, San Antonio lost Doug McDermott and Lonnie Walker to the health and safety protocols on Saturday. Star guard Dejounte Murray has cleared protocols, but the 26-year-old still needs to work on his conditioning before returning.
San Antonio has upcoming games against Detroit on Saturday, Toronto on Tuesday and Boston on Wednesday.
Spurs’ Walker, McDermott Enter Protocols; Murray Exits
Spurs guard Lonnie Walker and forward Doug McDermott have entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links). Wojnarowski also reports (via Twitter) that star guard Dejounte Murray has cleared the protocols.
Murray, who’s missed the team’s last three games, will begin his reconditioning to play again. No target date has been announced for his return. In 31 games this season, he’s averaged a career-high 17.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game, shooting 44% from the field.
Walker and McDermott have both served in vital roles for San Antonio, averaging 22.5 minutes and 24.6 minutes per game, respectively. Walker has played 30 of his 33 games off the bench, while McDermott has started in all 26 of his games this season.
The Spurs next play in Detroit on Saturday night, the team’s second contest of a seven-game road trip. San Antonio currently ranks 10th in the West at 14-20.
Timberwolves Sign Greg Monroe To 10-Day Deal
DECEMBER 27: The Timberwolves have completed Monroe’s deal, formally announcing it in a press release. It’ll run through January 5, covering Minnesota’s next six games.
DECEMBER 26: The Timberwolves are planning to sign veteran big man Greg Monroe to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The transaction would be completed using a hardship exemption.
Monroe, 31, owns nine years of NBA experience, making past stops with the Pistons, Bucks, Suns, Celtics, Raptors and Sixers. He’s averaged 13.2 points and 8.3 rebounds in 27.7 minutes per game for his career, appearing in 632 total contests. He last played in the league during the 2018/19 season.
Monroe has been playing in the G League with the Wizards’ affiliate. In 12 games this season, he’s averaged 10.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per outing. The Timberwolves currently have eight players in the league’s health and safety protocols, as shown by our tracker.
Minnesota has back-to-back home games scheduled against Boston on Monday and New York on Tuesday. Monroe will arrive Monday morning, complete a physical, and sign his contract if everything goes well, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News tweets.
Northwest Notes: Wolves, Mitchell, Nuggets, Jokic
Three Timberwolves players took advantage of their expanded roles in the team’s game against the Jazz on Thursday, Chris Hine of the Star Tribune writes. Malik Beasley, Jaden McDaniels and Jake Layman all gave a solid effort, but the team still lost 128-116 without Karl-Anthony Towns or Anthony Edwards available.
Beasley finished with 33 points on 13-of-25 shooting, while McDaniels (16 points and nine rebounds) and Layman (13 points and seven rebounds) provided respectable contributions. Minnesota struggled to contain Utah’s star players, however, also letting the Jazz shoot 16-of-39 (41%) from deep.
“He’s shooting at a high level from three and getting a lot of good looks and staying really committed to it,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said of Beasley, whose 33 points led all scorers in the game. “There’s no second-guessing his shot. He’s locked in. He’s been really, really good. Mostly it’s just his shot selection is leading to good shots.”
Here are some other notes from the Northwest tonight:
- Jazz star Donovan Mitchell will miss the team’s upcoming two-game road trip due to a lower back strain, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News tweets. Mitchell will stay in Salt Lake City and receive treatment. Utah plays in San Antonio on Monday and Portland on Wednesday.
- The Nuggets have reasons to be optimistic when Jamal Murray returns from a torn ACL, Mike Singer of the Denver Post writes. Denver has a championship-caliber roster on paper, but the team has struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons. The club ranks sixth in the Western Conference at 15-16.
- Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic has improved from his 2020/21 Most Valuable Player season, Singer writes in a separate article for the Denver Post. In 26 games this season, Jokic has averaged 25.9 points, 13.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists, shooting 58% from the floor and 37% from deep.
Southeast Notes: Carter, Magic, Hornets, Capela
Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. is relieved that the injury he suffered on December 17 against Miami wasn’t worse, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Carter exited the game in a wheelchair after experiencing leg pain, but an MRI revealed that he suffered a lower right leg muscle strain.
“I was just scared that it was going to be something that was going to take me a while to come back from,” Carter said. “To hear the news that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was was good. They told me to take it day by day and continue to get treatment on it.”
Carter missed six days and returned this past Thursday against New Orleans. He played just under 30 minutes in the contest, recording 17 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. He also registered a plus-11 net rating in the six-point loss.
There’s more from the Southeast Division tonight:
- In a separate article for the Orlando Sentinel, Khobi Price examines the good and bad of the Magic‘s season so far. The team, which is currently missing several players due to injuries and health and safety protocols, owns the second-worst record in the league at 7-27.
- Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer asked experts and officials around the NBA for their input on the Hornets, who rank eighth in the East at 17-17. Charlotte has played 22 games on the road (9-13) and just 12 games at home (8-4) this season.
- Hawks center Clint Capela discussed a variety of subjects with The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, including his post-Rockets career and playing with Atlanta. Capela has been one of the better centers in the East since joining the Hawks, averaging 11.3 points and 12.7 rebounds per game so far this season.
Mavericks Waive Eugene Omoruyi
The Mavericks have requested waivers on two-way forward Eugene Omoruyi, the team announced on social media (Twitter link). The move clears a two-way roster spot for the club.
Omoruyi, 24, signed with Dallas after going undrafted last August. He only appeared in four games with the franchise, averaging 1.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 4.5 minutes.
The 6-foot-6 Omoruyi recently underwent surgery on his right big toe and is expected to miss four-to-six months of action, as we previously relayed. Prior to going undrafted, he played his senior collegiate season at Oregon, averaging 17.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
The Mavericks currently own the eight-best record in the Western Conference at 15-17.
Nets Sign Wenyen Gabriel To 10-Day Contract
DECEMBER 21: Gabriel has officially signed his 10-day contract, the Nets announced today in a press release.
DECEMBER 18: The Nets are planning to sign big man Wenyen Gabriel to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Brooklyn will be using a hardship exception to sign him.
The Nets have already signed Langston Galloway, James Ennis and Shaquille Harrison to 10-day contracts using hardship exceptions this week. The team currently has nine players in the league’s health and safety protocols, including Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
Gabriel, 24, went undrafted in 2018 after spending three seasons at Kentucky. He holds past NBA experience with the Kings, Blazers and Pelicans. In 12 games with the Wisconsin Herd this season, he’s averaged 13.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 25.6 minutes per game.
Despite being shorthanded, Brooklyn most recently won a 114-105 contest over the Sixers, led by Durant’s 34 points and 11 rebounds. The team will host the Magic (5-25) on Saturday night.
Magic Sign Freddie Gillespie, Tim Frazier To 10-Day Contracts
DECEMBER 21: The Magic have officially signed Gillespie to his 10-day deal and also announced that veteran guard Tim Frazier has been added on a 10-day contract of his own. Hardship exceptions were used to complete both moves.
Frazier, who has 277 NBA regular season games under his belt, last played for the Grizzlies during the 2020/21 season. The 31-year-old has averaged 5.0 PPG, 4.0 APG, and 2.3 RPG on .404/.322/.728 shooting in 17.6 minutes per game across his NBA career.
DECEMBER 19: The Magic are planning to sign big man Freddie Gillespie to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Orlando will use a hardship exception to sign him.
Gillespie has been playing with the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate, averaging 11.4 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. This is his second straight G League campaign with Memphis.
Gillespie also played 20 games with the Raptors last year, but he was waived this past fall. The 24-year-old went undrafted in 2020 after playing for Carleton and Baylor.
Orlando recently signed B.J. Johnson, Hassani Gravett, Admiral Schofield and Aleem Ford to 10-day contracts. The team is missing several players due to health and safety protocols.
Cavaliers Sign Luke Kornet, Justin Anderson To 10-Day Deals
DECEMBER 21: The Cavaliers have officially signed Kornet and Anderson to 10-day deals, the team announced today in a press release.
DECEMBER 19: The Cavaliers are targeting big man Luke Kornet and forward Justin Anderson for potential 10-day contracts, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Cleveland would use hardship exceptions to sign the two NBA veterans, who are both currently playing in the G League with separate teams.
The news comes in the wake of Jarrett Allen, Lamar Stevens, Dylan Windler, Denzel Valentine and RJ Nembhard all entering the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Sunday. In addition to those five players, Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro are also in the protocols for Cleveland.
Kornet, a 7’2″ center, holds NBA experience with the Knicks, Bulls and Celtics. In 10 games for the Maine Celtics this season, the 26-year-old has averaged 11.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 27.4 minutes, shooting 51% from the floor.
Anderson, a five-year veteran, has made stops with the Mavericks, Sixers, Hawks and Nets. In his 11 games with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, he’s averaged 14.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He was also the No. 21 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
The Cavaliers are 19-12 and didn’t have enough players for their game against Atlanta on Sunday, causing the contest to be postponed. The team is still going through the re-testing process, according to Charania. As of Sunday night, the league has over 60 players in its health and safety protocols.
Southeast Notes: Heat, Carter Jr., Ball, Ross
The Heat’s undrafted players have been stepping up in the absence of several key talents this month, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. As Chiang notes, players such as Duncan Robinson, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent have increased their production, keeping the Heat afloat in recent games.
“These guys, they’re the lifeblood of our player development program,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Guys that haven’t been drafted that have big dreams, are willing to put in the work and gradually incrementally get better over time. That’s what you have seen with both of these guys. This is not something that just happened overnight.
“Obviously, neither one of them were selected during draft night. It takes an incredible amount of perseverance, belief in yourself and a crazy work ethic to keep on working every single day because you have a lot more days of adversity when things aren’t necessarily going your way or you’re not getting playing time or you’re not really seeing progress.”
Miami is currently missing Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Markieff Morris and Victor Oladipo due to injuries. The team is also playing without Caleb Martin, who scored 28 points in his last game, due to health and safety protocols.
There’s more from the Southeast Division tonight:
- Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. suffered a lower right leg muscle strain on Friday against the Heat, the team announced on social media. Carter exited the game in a wheelchair, so the MRI results appear to be positive news for the 22-year-old. He missed Saturday’s contest against the Nets.
- Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is happy to be back on the court after a tough bout with COVID, Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer writes. Ball most recently finished with 27 points, four rebounds and five assists in a loss to Portland on Friday.
- Magic guard Terrence Ross isn’t worried about any trade rumors that include his name, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Ross is currently in his sixth season with the Magic, averaging 11.1 points per game on a career-low 39% from the floor and 29% from deep.