LaMelo Ball Leaves Australian Team
Top draft prospect LaMelo Ball has returned stateside after an abridged season with the Illawarra Hawks in Australia, according to a report from Timothy Fernandez of ABC Illawarra (hat tip to NBC Sports).
Ball’s season came to an early end when he suffered a foot injury in December and was subsequently shut down in January. Although he wasn’t going to suit up again for the team, it sounds like the Hawks were caught off guard by the timing of Ball’s departure. According to Fernandez, captain Todd Blanchfield didn’t know about it until he was asked for comment by ABC Illawarra.
“It’s news to me, but [Ball’s camp has] got an agenda they have to take care of,” Blanchfield said. “At the end of the day he’s thinking of the bigger picture and has bigger things in mind. … We were teammates for half the season while he was playing, and we had our ups and downs, but it would have been good to say goodbye.”
Team owner Simon Stratford said he was “really disappointed” that Ball didn’t say goodbye to his teammates or coach, per Fernandez. Still, when the Hawks officially announced Ball’s departure, they wished him the best in his preparations for the draft.
“LaMelo has had a big impact on our club and the league and we thank him for everything he has done for the Hawks and the Illawarra community,” Hawks general manager Mat Campbell said in a statement. “He has a very bright future ahead of him and the Hawks are proud to have played a part in that journey. LaMelo and his team will always be a part of the Hawks family and we wish him the very best ahead of the NBA Draft.”
Ball averaged 17.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 6.8 APG in the 12 games he played prior to his injury, making himself a contender for the No. 1 overall pick in 2020. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony currently has Ball ranked atop his big board, though he notes that the guard’s work ethic and level of focus have been called into question. Ball’s abrupt departure from the Hawks could be another factor for NBA teams to consider as they evaluate his draft stock this spring.
NBA Trade Market “Sluggish” As Deadline Nears
The NBA trade deadline is just eight days away, but the market doesn’t seem particularly active at the moment, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said during an appearance on SportsCenter on Tuesday (link via Mike DePrisco of NBC Sports Washington).
“The one thing you’re not hearing among conversation right now, are not many front-line, significant players [are] on the move,” Wojnarowski said. “That may change next week, but right now it’s a very sluggish, slow trade deadline market.”
Wojnarowski added that one team that’s usually active around the deadline told him it has made and received fewer trade calls this season than it normally does.
While there were plenty of fireworks and roster changes at the start of the 2019 offseason, only five trades have been completed since July 16. A number of the NBA’s top contenders this season lack the assets necessary to make major moves, and teams around the league appear reluctant to make trades that would cut into their projected 2021 cap room. Plus, only three clubs in each conference are more than 4.5 games out of a playoff spot, reducing the number of potential sellers this winter.
On top of all that, the death of Kobe Bryant may put a damper on this year’s trade market. For instance, a year ago, Anthony Davis went public with his trade request on the Monday 10 days before the deadline and that week was dominated by rumors and speculation — Kristaps Porzingis was also moved a week before the deadline. As the league mourns and honors Bryant this week, I can’t imagine front offices are spending as much time on trade calls.
Although the market may not be active for the time being, Wojnarowski did caution during his SportsCenter appearance that things can change quickly, as DePrisco notes. According to Woj, Super Bowl Sunday is generally pretty quiet around the NBA, but talks often heat up on Monday as teams reconvene and regroup. So there’s still a chance we’ll get some action leading up to next Thursday’s deadline.
Victor Oladipo To Have Minutes Restriction Upon Return
Pacers guard Victor Oladipo remains on track to make his return to the NBA on Wednesday night vs. Chicago after missing the last year with a torn quad tendon. However, the team will be cautious with the 27-year-old upon his return.
According to Nat Newell and J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star, Oladipo will face a minutes restriction in his season debut and for at least the first few weeks after that. The team intends to re-evaluate that restriction at the All-Star break, at which time it could be adjusted or lifted entirely.
The Pacers haven’t indicated exactly how many minutes Oladipo will receive per game. The team was also noncommittal about his potential role, though Scott Agness of The Athletic suggests (via Twitter) there’s a good chance he’ll come off the bench for now. As Agness points out (via Twitter), Oladipo still hasn’t practiced with the starters and head coach Nate McMillan is aware that an adjustment period will be necessary.
Before going down with his quad injury last January, the veteran guard had been named an All-Star in each of his first two seasons in Indiana. He has averaged 21.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.6 APG, and 2.1 SPG on .461/.362/.780 shooting in 111 games since joining the Pacers in a blockbuster 2017 trade.
The Pacers have played very well in Oladipo’s absence, with Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis stepping up as the team’s leaders and making strong cases for All-Star consideration. At 30-17, Indiana currently ranks fifth in the Eastern Conference. With Oladipo back, the club will be pushing in the second half to secure a top-four seed and first-round home court advantage.
And-Ones: Dinwiddie, Ross, Rising Stars, Zion
There hasn’t yet been a league-wide push to retire Kobe Bryant‘s No. 8 or No. 24, but some players around the NBA have begun informally retiring those numbers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. As Charania tweets, the first of those players is Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who had worn No. 8 and will be switching to No. 26. Magic sharpshooter Terrence Ross is changing from No. 8 back to his old No. 31, Charania adds (via Twitter).
It’s not yet clear which other players will follow suit and make changes of their own. The NBA generally doesn’t allow players to change jersey numbers during the season, but Dinwiddie and Ross were granted permission, a source tells Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). Given the special circumstances, it seems safe to assume the league would approve similar requests from others. However, Stein hears that they’ll be reviewed on a case-to-case basis (Twitter link).
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The NBA’s announcement of the rosters for this year’s Rising Stars game has been pushed back to this Friday at noon eastern, the league announced today in a press release. A source tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link) that Pelicans forward Zion Williamson would be interested in participating now that he’s healthy, which would certainly add some extra excitement to the All-Star event.
- Former Trail Blazers and Rockets guard Tim Quarterman has signed a G League contract and has been acquired off waivers by the Sioux Falls Skyforce, per the NBAGL’s transactions log. Quarterman, who appeared in 19 total games for Portland and Houston from 2016-18, spent last season playing in Israel and New Zealand.
- A pair of former NBA guards have reached deals with international teams, according to reports from Sportando. Emiliano Carchia relays word of ex-Thunder guard Semaj Christon signing with Spanish team Baskonia, while Nicola Lupo has the details on former Pelicans guard Charles Cooke agreeing to sign with Atleticos de San German in Puerto Rico.
NBA Trade Candidate Watch: Central Division
Over the course of the 2019/20 NBA season, up until February’s trade deadline, we’re keeping an eye on potential trade candidates from around the NBA, monitoring their value and exploring the likelihood that they’ll be moved. Each of these looks at possible trade candidates focuses on a specific division, as we zero in on three players from that division.
With just nine days left until the 2020 trade deadline, we’ve surveyed each of the NBA’s divisions three times this season, identifying three potential trade candidates during each go-round. So far, every one of the five in-season trades completed in 2019/20 has included at least one player we’ve previously discussed as a trade candidate. Here’s the full list.
Although we may not have time to circle back through all six divisions a fourth time, we’re revisiting the Central today, taking a look at three more possible trade candidates. Let’s dive in…
Denzel Valentine, SG
Chicago Bulls
$3.4MM cap hit; RFA in 2020
While Valentine has been in and out of the Bulls’ rotation this season, any teams keeping an eye on him Monday night were rewarded with perhaps his best game of 2019/20. He racked up 16 points and made 4-of-6 three-point attempts with a +19 rating in 19 minutes.
The performance provided a glimpse of what kind of value Valentine can bring as a rotation player when things are going well. However, he seems increasingly unlikely to reach his potential in Chicago. Since a solid 2017/18 season, the 26-year-old has appeared in just 27 games due to ankle issues and Jim Boylen‘s rotation decisions. Restricted free agency is on tap for the fourth-year wing this summer, and I’d be surprised if he’s in the Bulls’ plans moving forward.
Given his modest cap hit, controllable rights and .377 career 3PT%, Valentine may appeal to teams looking for a low-cost shooter. The Bulls shouldn’t expect a substantial return, but if they can get a second-round pick out of a deal, it might be an offer worth taking.
Derrick Rose, PG
Detroit Pistons
$7.3MM cap hit; guaranteed $7.68MM salary in 2020/21; UFA in 2021
Like Dwight Howard in Los Angeles, Rose has experienced an impressive resurgence this season. The former MVP isn’t the superstar he once was, but he has been the Pistons’ most reliable scorer, with 18.8 PPG in just 26.6 MPG through 41 contests. He’s a walking bucket and could be a formidable play-making threat for a contender if Detroit decides to move him.
It certainly seems that there has been interest. The Lakers and Sixers were recently cited as potential suitors, with the Clippers also reportedly inquiring. The Pistons may actually have a better chance of acquiring a first-round pick for Rose than they would for Andre Drummond, given the two players’ respective contract situations and cap hits.
Still, with Rose currently battling a sore right knee, potential suitors will proceed with caution. Health has always been the concern for the former Bull, and a contending team willing to surrender a first-rounder for a roster upgrade may prefer to pursue a player with a less worrisome injury history.
John Henson, F/C
Cleveland Cavaliers
$9.7MM cap hit; UFA in 2020
Besides Tristan Thompson, whom we covered in an earlier look at the Central, the Cavaliers have three other veterans on pricey expiring contracts who could be on the move at this year’s deadline. However, none of those players have positive trade value.
Brandon Knight ($15.6MM), Matthew Dellavedova ($9.6MM), and Henson are borderline rotation players, and the Cavs will be hard-pressed to acquire a real asset for any of them unless they’re willing to take on some unwanted multiyear money.
Of the three, Henson looks like the most realistic trade candidate. Knight has barely played this season and is dealing with a knee injury, while Dellavedova’s numbers have been dreadful. Henson, in a part-time role, has at least showed he’s still capable of cleaning the glass and protecting the rim, with 10.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per 36 minutes. The Cavs also have a -1.4 net rating when he plays, compared to -9.8 when he sits.
Cleveland will still be hard-pressed to get much of value for Henson, but I’d expect the team to get more traction on him than some of its other expendable vets.
Revisit the rest of our 2019/20 Trade Candidate series right here.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Community Shootaround: Honoring Kobe Bryant
A Change.org petition asking the NBA to make Kobe Bryant the league’s new logo has surpassed two million signatures, and that idea has some support among players too. Hornets center Bismack Biyombo, the vice president of the National Basketball Players Association, tells Roderick Boone of The Athletic that he’d be on board with the idea of having Bryant’s silhouette replace Jerry West‘s on the league’s logo.
“We are hoping,” Biyombo said. “The NBA is going to do something. As a player, I think you want to see that. You just want to see that because of what the guy has meant to the game, to be honest. For me, I think as a player, I would really like to embrace that because you’ve seen the change, and you’ve seen it over the course of the years. Kobe, he wants to teach. As we see now, he opened the academy, and everybody was going to his academy, and the guy was present there early in the morning early to teach. There’s not many people who are doing that.
“(Making him the logo), it’s an appreciation of what the guy has done for the game of basketball, and that’s what I think we all should be thinking about.”
Biyombo is right that the NBA will certainly find a way to honor the memory of Bryant, who died on Sunday in a tragic helicopter crash near Los Angeles. However, the idea of changing the NBA’s logo isn’t the only one that has been floated this week.
ESPN’s Mike Greenberg (video link) suggested on Get Up this morning that the NBA should name an award after Bryant, in the same way that Bill Russell is the namesake for the league’s NBA Finals MVP award. Pointing to Bryant’s longtime presence and popularity in Europe and Asia, Greenberg proposed that the award named after Kobe could be given annually to the player who does the most to grow the game internationally.
Other suggestions for ways to honor Bryant have involved his jersey numbers. Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link) wondered if the NBA might have this year’s two All-Star teams wear No. 8 (for Team LeBron) and No. 24 (for Team Giannis) uniforms.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban announced this week that his team will retire No. 24 in honor of Bryant. There has been speculation that other teams could follow suit. The Lakers, of course, have already retired both No. 8 and No. 24.
We want to know what you think. What would be an appropriate tribute by the NBA to honor Bryant’s memory?
Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts.
NBA Players Who Can’t Be Aggregated In Trades
The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement includes a rule that states players who are acquired using an exception (ie. not using cap space) can’t be aggregated in a second trade for two months after the original deal.
Aggregating a player in a trade refers to the act of combining his contract with another player’s contract for salary-matching purposes. For instance, an over-the-cap team can’t trade a player with a $5MM salary straight up for a player with a $13MM salary. But if the team aggregates that player with a second player who also earns $5MM, the deal would work.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Traded Player Exception]
The rule against including a player in an aggregated trade for two months after he’s acquired doesn’t preclude the player’s team from adding him to a multi-player deal. His salary simply can’t be combined upon with another player’s for matching purposes in such a trade.
For instance, even if a player earning a minimum salary can’t be aggregated in a trade, his team could still include him in a swap involving a pair of $10MM players, since his minimum-salary cap hit wouldn’t be needed for salary matching.
With those rules in mind, here’s the list of players who have been acquired using a cap exception within the last two months and can’t be aggregated in a deadline trade this season:
- Trevor Ariza (Trail Blazers)
- Kent Bazemore (Kings)
- Willie Cauley-Stein (Mavericks)
- Jordan Clarkson (Jazz)
- Allen Crabbe (Timberwolves)
- Dante Exum (Cavaliers)
- Wenyen Gabriel (Trail Blazers)
- Isaiah Roby (Thunder)
- Caleb Swanigan (Trail Blazers)
- Anthony Tolliver (Kings)
NBA Draft Rights Held For 2019/20
When a top college prospect is drafted, it’s generally a given that his next step will involve signing an NBA contract. However, that’s not the case for every player who is selected in the NBA draft, especially international prospects and second-round picks.
When an NBA team uses a draft pick on a player, it gains his NBA rights, but that doesn’t mean the player will sign an NBA contract right away. International prospects will often remain with their professional team overseas for at least one more year to develop their game further, becoming “draft-and-stash” prospects. Dario Saric, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Tomas Satoransky are among the more notable players to fit this bill over the last decade.
However, draft-and-stash players can be former NCAA standouts too. Sometimes a college prospect selected with a late second round pick will end up playing overseas or in the G League for a year or two if there’s no space available on his NBA team’s 15-man roster. This was the case for former Gonzaga standout Nigel Williams-Goss, who was drafted by the Jazz in 2017 but didn’t join the NBA team until 2019.
While these players sometimes make their way to their NBA teams, others never do. Many clubs currently hold the NBA rights to international players who have remained overseas for their entire professional careers and are no longer viewed as top prospects. Those players may never come stateside, but there’s often no reason for NBA teams to renounce their rights — those rights can sometimes be used as placeholders in trades.
For instance, during the 2019 offseason, the Warriors and Timberwolves agreed to a trade that sent Treveon Graham, Shabazz Napier, and cash to Minnesota. For Golden State, the deal was just about getting off a pair of guaranteed salaries and remaining under the hard cap, but the Wolves had to send something to the Warriors in the deal. Rather than including an NBA player or a draft pick, Minnesota sent Golden State the draft rights to Lior Eliyahu, the 44th pick in the 2006 NBA draft.
Eliyahu, who is currently playing for Maccabi Ashdod in Israel, has had a long, decorated career overseas, but he’s 34 years old and at this point is unlikely to ever come to the NBA. Still, his draft rights have been a useful trade chip over the years — he was also included in a Rockets/Timberwolves deal back in 2012.
Listed below are all the players whose NBA draft rights are currently held by NBA teams. A few of these players will eventually arrive in America and join their respective NBA clubs, but many will end up like Eliyahu, plying their trade overseas and having their draft rights used as pawns in NBA trades.
Atlanta Hawks
- Augusto Binelli, C (1986; No. 40): Retired.
- Alain Digbeu, F (1997; No. 49): Retired.
- Marcus Eriksson, G/F (2015; No. 50): Playing in Germany.
- Alpha Kaba, C (2017; No. 60): Playing in France.
Boston Celtics
- None
Brooklyn Nets
- Christian Drejer, F (2004; No. 51): Retired.
- Nemanja Dangubic, F (2014; No. 54): Playing in Spain.
- Juan Vaulet, F (2015; No. 39): Playing in Spain.
- Aaron White, F (2015; No. 49): Playing in Spain.
- Isaia Cordinier, G (2016; No. 44): Playing in France.
- Aleksandar Vezenkov, F (2017; No. 57): Playing in Greece.
- Jaylen Hands, G (2019; No. 56): Playing in the G League.
Charlotte Hornets
- Arnoldas Kulboka, F (2018; No. 55): Playing in Spain.
Chicago Bulls
- Albert Miralles, C (2004; No. 39): Retired.
- Jon Diebler, G (2011; No. 51): Last played in Turkey.
Pacific Notes: GRIII, Warriors, Kings, Hield
The 2019/20 Warriors haven’t been the contender that Glenn Robinson III may have thought he was joining when he signed with the franchise last summer. However, the injuries that have derailed the team’s season have cleared a path to a major role for Robinson, who has started 44 games and averaged 31.8 minutes per game this season — both are easily career highs. The veteran tells Scott Agness of The Athletic that he’s appreciative of the opportunity he has received in Golden State.
“That 25- to 30-minute range a night, to be able to show what I can do and to showcase my skills and to do it with an organization as great as the Warriors, I think it’s everything I wanted in free agency,” Robinson said.
Robinson, whose 12.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG, .470 FG%, and 1.3 3PG are also career bests, signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Warriors during the 2019 offseason. That modest deal makes him a candidate to be moved at the trade deadline, but even if he remains in Golden State this season, he’ll have the opportunity to consider offers from other teams this July. As he tells Agness, he wouldn’t mind sticking around beyond this season.
“Hopefully, it can be another great free agency for me and I would love to be back here,” the Warriors’ swingman said. “So we’ll see what happens.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- After trading Willie Cauley-Stein to Dallas, the Warriors have a chance to take an extended look at Omari Spellman and Marquese Chriss up front, writes Logan Murdock of NBC Sports Bay Area. Neither player is really a natural center, but they’re embracing the challenge of handling minutes at the five. “I’ve tried making a role off playing hard and doing the dirty work,” Chriss said. “I’m not the guy who is going to shoot 20 shots and get you 40 points. I’m gonna try and be that guy that is down low and banging, getting rebounds and setting screens.”
- For the first time since the 2017/18 season, the Kings removed Buddy Hield from their starting lineup over the last two games, starting Bogdan Bogdanovic in his place. It seems safe to assume that experiment will continue for the time being, as Hield scored 63 points and made 14-of-23 three-point attempts in those two games, both Sacramento wins. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic explores how grief from Kobe Bryant‘s death fueled a historic night for Hield on Monday.
- Replacing Hield with Bogdanovic in the starting lineup gives the Kings‘ first unit stronger ball-handling, play-making, and defense, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. As Anderson points out, head coach Luke Walton said that Hield’s move to the bench isn’t necessarily permanent, but it’s working for now.
- In case you missed it on Monday evening, the NBA announced that Tuesday’s Lakers/Clippers game has been postponed in the wake of Kobe Bryant‘s death.
Checking In On 10-Day Contracts
With the NBA’s 2020 trade deadline just 10 days away, most teams around the league are looking to preserve roster flexibility, which means that several teams with open roster spots are currently opting not to bring in a 15th man on a 10-day contract.
While that’s understandable for teams with potential tax concerns, like the Rockets and Thunder, a number of teams that aren’t up against the tax – including the Kings, Timberwolves, and Magic – are currently carrying just 14 players, leaving an open roster spot rather than bringing in a player on a 10-day audition.
We’ll see if that changes in the coming days, but for now it looks like those clubs may wait to add a 15th man until after they see what happens at the deadline. That would be a little surprising, since 10-day contracts can be terminated before they expire if necessary at a low cost, and a team like Orlando could use the depth.
Currently, there are just three players league-wide who are on active 10-day contracts, and two of them are on the same team. Here’s the list:
- Tyler Cook, F (Cavaliers)
- Second 10-day contract with Cavs; runs through January 29.
- Alfonzo McKinnie, F (Cavaliers)
- Second 10-day contract with Cavs; runs through February 1.
- Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, G/F (Nets)
- Second 10-day contract with Nets; runs through February 3.
Those three players are the only ones who have signed multiple 10-day contracts so far this season, as our tracker shows. The other four – Justin Anderson, Paul Watson, Josh Magette, and Gary Clark – signed just one 10-day deal apiece with their respective teams, though Watson did get a two-way contract with Toronto after spending 10 days with Atlanta.
Currently, seven teams have at least one open spot on their 15-man roster (the Warriors have two). The Cavaliers and Nets would join that list if they don’t re-sign their 10-day players to rest-of-season deals when those contracts expire.
We still have a few more days left in January, but barring a surge in 10-day deals this week, 2020 will become just the second year since the strike season in 2011/12 not to feature 15 or more 10-day signings in January. The only other recent year to start with so few 10-day deals was 2018, when just eight were signed during the entire month of January.
As always, you can keep tabs on all of this season’s 10-day contracts – and all the 10-day deals dating back to 2007 – using our tracker.