Wizards Sign Hamidou Diallo To 10-Day Deal
1:58pm: The Wizards have officially signed Diallo to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will run through next Thursday (January 18).
8:14am: The Wizards have agreed to sign free agent wing Hamidou Diallo to a 10-day contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Diallo, 25, was the 45th overall pick in the 2018 draft. Over his first five years in the NBA, he appeared in 263 regular season games for the Thunder and Pistons, averaging 8.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per night. Last season, he made a career-high 57.3% of shots from the field in 56 games (17.8 MPG) for Detroit, putting up 9.3 PPG and 3.5 RPG.
While Diallo is an athletic player, an above-average rebounder for his position, and an active defender, he’s an awkward fit in some lineups due to his inability to space the floor — he has made just 27.4% of his career three-point attempts. That’s presumably a key reason why he didn’t find an NBA home when he became an unrestricted free agent this past offseason.
Washington eventually signed Diallo to an Exhibit 10 contract at the end of the offseason and made him an affiliate player for the Capital City Go-Go. The former Kentucky standout has averaged 18.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 31.1 minutes per game across 20 appearances this season for the Go-Go.
The Wizards have an open spot on their 15-man roster after having waived Ryan Rollins on Monday. Diallo will fill that opening and will earn $134,863 over the course of his 10 days with the club. He’ll be available for the team’s next four games, assuming he officially signs today or tomorrow. Washington would be eligible to sign Diallo to one more 10-day contract after his first deal expires.
As Rylan Stiles of Locked on Thunder points out (via Twitter), current Wizards general manager Will Dawkins was in the Thunder’s front office during Diallo’s time in Oklahoma City.
Injury Notes: Sharpe, M. Williams, Embiid, Sixers, Lowry
After leaving Sunday’s game vs. Portland due to a knee injury, Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe has been diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. As Lewis relays, Sharpe is expected to be reevaluated by the club in about two weeks.
It’s an unfortunate setback for a player whose role has increased in his third season in Brooklyn. After averaging a modest 11.8 minutes per game in 80 appearances across his two NBA seasons, Sharpe has logged 16.0 MPG in 37 contests so far this season, posting career-best marks in points (7.5), rebounds (7.0), and assists (1.4), among other categories.
In Sharpe’s 592 minutes of action this season, the Nets have a net rating of +7.7. In Brooklyn’s 1,194 minutes without him on the court, that number plummets to -5.8. That’s easily the biggest on/off disparity among Nets rotation players so far in 2023/24.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Hornets center Mark Williams, who has been sidelined by a low back ailment since December 8, will be out for at least one more week as he continues to rehab the injury, the team announced on Monday (via Twitter). Charlotte has a 1-14 record in games without Williams so far this season.
- Sixers center Joel Embiid (left knee swelling) didn’t practice with the team on Monday or Tuesday and appears likely to miss a second consecutive game on Wednesday in Atlanta, per Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter links). However, Tobias Harris (left ankle soreness) and De’Anthony Melton (back soreness) each practiced both days and head coach Nick Nurse is confident they’ll be available vs. the Hawks, Bodner adds. Harris sat out on Saturday, while Melton has missed Philadelphia’s past three games.
- Heat point guard Kyle Lowry exited Monday’s game in the third quarter due to a sprained left hand, but the initial scan on Lowry’s hand came back clean, so he’s considered day-to-day for now, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes. Miami has taken a committee approach to the point guard responsibilities this season, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel, so if Lowry – who is also battling an illness – does have to miss time, the ball-handling duties will be shared by Tyler Herro, Josh Richardson, and others.
- In other Heat injury news, Jimmy Butler (toe) has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game vs. Oklahoma City, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. It’ll be the ninth game in the last 10 that Butler has missed.
Celtics Notes: Brown, Trade Candidates, Tatum, Porzingis
Celtics wing Jaylen Brown and head coach Joe Mazzulla weren’t happy about the reversal of a foul call in the closing seconds of Monday’s 133-131 loss to Indiana. As Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe details, with the scored tied at 131 and three seconds to play, Buddy Hield was initially whistled for a foul on Brown’s shot attempt (video link), but the call was overturned after the Pacers challenged it.
While Mazzulla was clearly irritated, he didn’t have much to say in his postgame presser, according to Himmelsbach, who notes that the Celtics coach repeatedly referred to waiting until Tuesday afternoon to see what the league has to say in its Last Two Minute report. Mazzulla also mentioned that Hield admitted to him that he thought he fouled Brown.
“I mean, I told Joe what I told Joe,” Hield said. “But they have three refs out there and they had the replay center, and that’s what replay is for, I guess. I was thinking I might have hit (Brown) a little bit, but they have three refs out there and they have cameras and they slow down the angles of it. I felt like it was not excessive contact. I know I touched the ball, I maybe nicked Brown in the head a little bit. I’m not too sure.”
Brown was more vocal in expressing his frustration and was upset in particular because he was told by referee James Williams that the replay hadn’t shown Hield hitting him in the head. The Celtics star said he thought the call should be the subject of an investigation.
“That’s what pissed me off, because I know I got hit in the head,” Brown said. “And you see on the replay, it’s pretty obvious I got hit in the head. Then you look me in my eye and tell me that I didn’t. I think that needs to be investigated. Cost my team a game and of course I’m pissed about it.”
Here’s more on the Celtics:
- Although the 2023/24 salaries for Luke Kornet, Dalano Banton, Svi Mykhailiuk, and Lamar Stevens will now be fully guaranteed, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll finish the season in Boston, a source tells Brian Robb of MassLive.com. Robb suggests it’s possible that one or more of those players could be used for salary-matching purposes in a trade. It’s also worth noting that attaching a future second-round pick or some cash to one (or more) of them would allow the team to reduce its projected luxury tax bill.
- After signing a super-max extension over the summer, Jaylen Brown entered this season looking to improve his play on defense and said he wanted each member of Boston’s starting five to earn All-Defensive votes. As Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston details, Brown has delivered on his personal goal so far, with advanced statistics suggesting he has been one of the NBA’s better defensive players in the first half of 2023/24.
- Celtics star Jayson Tatum missed Monday’s loss due to what the team called left ankle sprain injury management. Tatum also sat out games on December 20 and 29 as a result of that left ankle issue, so it appears that the club is just being cautious with his workload. Kristaps Porzingis, meanwhile, was back in action on Monday after leaving Saturday’s contest early due to an eye issue.
Pacific Rumors: Warriors, Wiggins, Ham, LeBron, Kings, Siakam
While there’s “zero indication” that the Warriors would consider trading a longtime franchise cornerstone such as Klay Thompson or Draymond Green at next month’s deadline, there’s a “rising belief” among rival front offices that the team is open to the idea of moving Andrew Wiggins, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story.
The Warriors are believed to be averse to the idea of moving young forward Jonathan Kuminga, who is reportedly viewed as a potential star who can help them win both now and in the future. But, as has been well documented, the team hasn’t been effective when Kuminga and Wiggins have shared the floor together this season.
As Stein writes, it’s not clear what sort of value Wiggins would have on the trade market at this point. The former No. 1 overall pick was integral in helping Golden State win a title in 2022, and his four-year, $109MM contract was viewed as team-friendly when it was signed. But he’s having the worst year of his NBA career in 2023/24 — his 11.9 points per game would be a career low, as would his 29.7% three-point mark.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Based on what he has heard, Stein says things would likely have to get significantly worse for the Lakers for Darvin Ham‘s job to be in any serious danger. Ham said last week that he was “aligned” with team owner Jeanie Buss and president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka, and Stein hears the same things from his sources, writing that the head coach has “very strong support” from those organizational leaders.
- Despite the Lakers‘ struggles this season and some speculation from a few media members, there’s no indication that star forward LeBron James has “a shred of interest” in trying to force a trade out of Los Angeles, Stein says. One source tells Stein that the Lakers – who will play eight of their next nine games in L.A. – hope to “ride out this storm” and right the ship during a home-heavy stretch of the schedule.
- Revisiting the Kings‘ recent trade talks for Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, Shams Charania of The Athletic said during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run It Back (Twitter video link) that Sacramento had hoped to get a deal done “sooner rather than later” and that the Kings had a specific package they were willing to give up for Siakam. With Toronto unwilling to accept that offer at this point, the Kings ended those discussions, which will likely only resume if the Raptors come back to the table to reengage, says Charania.
- Charania adds that the Kings‘ offer for Siakam “revolved around” Harrison Barnes. Presumably Charania means it centered around Barnes from a salary-matching perspective rather than a value perspective, since Barnes’ trade value compared to Siakam’s is extremely low.
Recap Of 2023/24 Salary Guarantee Decisions
As of December 29, there were 35 players who were signed to standard, full-season contracts but whose salaries for the 2023/24 campaign weren’t fully guaranteed.
The deadline for teams to waive those players and avoid having their full ’23/24 salaries become guaranteed was on Sunday, January 7 at 4:00 p.m. CT.
Although their salaries won’t technically become guaranteed until January 10, those players would still receive their full-season guarantees if they’re cut today or tomorrow, since they wouldn’t clear waivers before Wednesday.
Here’s a roundup of the decisions teams made with those 35 players:
Players on standard contracts who will have their salaries guaranteed:
Each player’s salary is noted here. His cap hit is identical to his salary unless otherwise indicated.
- Jonathan Isaac, Magic: $17,400,000
- Bismack Biyombo, Grizzlies: $5,000,000
- Markieff Morris, Mavericks: $3,196,448 *
- Ish Smith, Hornets: $3,196,448 *
- Tristan Thompson, Cavaliers: $3,196,448 *
- Boban Marjanovic, Rockets: $2,891,467 *
- Omer Yurtseven, Jazz: $2,800,000
- Ryan Arcidiacono, Knicks: $2,528,233 *
- Frank Ntilikina, Hornets: $2,528,233 *
- Luke Kornet, Celtics: $2,413,304
- Aaron Holiday, Rockets: $2,346,614 *
- Svi Mykhailiuk, Celtics: $2,346,614 *
- James Johnson, Pacers: $2,241,188 #
- Moses Brown, Trail Blazers: $2,165,000 *
- Harry Giles, Nets: $2,165,000 *
- Kevin Knox, Pistons: $2,144,320 ^
- Lamar Stevens, Celtics: $2,092,354 *
- Luka Samanic, Jazz: $2,066,585
- Dalano Banton, Celtics: $2,019,706
- Terry Taylor, Bulls: $2,019,706
- Trendon Watford, Nets: $2,019,706
- Isaiah Joe, Thunder: $1,997,238
- Sam Merrill, Cavaliers: $1,997,238
- Jordan Goodwin, Suns: $1,927,896
- Jose Alvarado, Pelicans: $1,836,096
- JT Thor, Hornets: $1,836,096
- Aaron Wiggins, Thunder: $1,836,096
- Orlando Robinson, Heat: $1,801,769
- Dru Smith, Heat: $1,801,769
- Gui Santos, Warriors: $1,029,483
(*) cap hit of $2,019,706
(^) cap hit of $1,845,593
(#) cap hit of $1,416,116
Of the 30 players on non-guaranteed contracts who were retained, 27 are earning the minimum salary, so the financial impact of keeping them is relatively minor.
Still, open roster spots are valuable at this time of year. A few of these players were fortunate not to be let go by a team prioritizing flexibility ahead of the trade deadline; many others have played regular rotation minutes during the first half and were never candidates to be cut.
Players on standard contracts who were waived before their salaries became guaranteed:
Each player’s cap hit is noted here. The team would no longer be on the hook for that cap charge if a player is claimed off waivers.
- Ish Wainright, Trail Blazers: $853,149
- Skylar Mays, Trail Blazers: $850,000
- DaQuan Jeffries, Knicks: $831,385
- Taj Gibson, Knicks: $477,630
- Juan Toscano-Anderson, Kings: $323,506
All five of these players were on minimum-salary contracts. Gibson and Toscano-Anderson were both signed on December 15, however, so their dead cap hits are relatively modest compared to the others.
Wainright and Jeffries each earned a prorated portion of a full-season minimum salary, while Mays was assured of an $850K partial guarantee when he was promoted to Portland’s standard roster from his two-way deal in November.
Jeffries has cleared waivers, leaving his dead money on the Knicks’ books, but the other four are still technically candidates to be claimed. Wainright and Mays are on track to clear waivers later on Monday, while Gibson and Toscano-Anderson would become free agents if they go unclaimed on Tuesday. A team that places a claim on one of those players would have to commit to guaranteeing his salary for the rest of the season.
There were a few other players with partially guaranteed salaries who were cut earlier in the season. That group consisted of Dylan Windler (Knicks), Filip Petrusev (Kings), and Danny Green (Sixers). Those moves didn’t go down to the wire like the others listed above, having occurred well in advance of the salary guarantee deadline.
Players on two-way contracts who were waived before their salaries became guaranteed:
For the first time, the league-wide salary guarantee date of January 10 also applies this season to players on two-way contracts. In the past, the guarantee date had been Jan. 20 for two-way salaries.
Two-way salaries are only worth half of the rookie minimum and don’t count against the salary cap, so many teams likely weren’t feeling a ton of pressure to make rest-of-season decisions on their two-way players by Sunday. Two-way contracts can be signed until March 4, so there will be clubs that make changes between now and then.
However, there were six players on two-way contracts at the start of January who were waived in advance of Sunday’s waiver deadline and won’t receive their full two-way salaries this season. Those players are as follows:
- Marques Bolden, Bucks
- Lindell Wigginton, Bucks
- Dmytro Skapintsev, Knicks
- Alex Fudge, Lakers
- D’Moi Hodge, Lakers
- Armoni Brooks, Nets
The Knicks (Duane Washington) and Lakers (Dylan Windler) have each signed a two-way player since the start of the month, so there are only four open slots around the NBA, belonging to the Bucks (two), Lakers, and Nets.
The full list of players who are still on two-way contracts and earned full guarantees can be found right here.
Knicks Waive Taj Gibson
The Knicks have waived big man Taj Gibson ahead of today’s salary guarantee deadline, the team announced (Twitter links).
Gibson signed a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contract with the Knicks on December 15 and appeared in 10 games for the club, averaging 1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.7 minutes per night.
Initially expected to merely provide some frontcourt depth and locker room leadership, the 38-year-old saw more playing time than anticipated due to injuries to centers Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims.
However, with Sims healthy again and Precious Achiuwa added to the roster in last weekend’s OG Anunoby trade, Gibson once again found himself pushed down the depth chart — he hadn’t played at all since Monday.
Gibson’s release doesn’t necessarily mean the Knicks are done with him for the season. He could return on a 10-day contract or two, and if the team still has an open roster spot after the trade deadline comes and goes, he’d be an obvious candidate for a rest-of-season deal.
According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), New York decided to part with Gibson for now to create some additional roster flexibility ahead of the trade deadline, since the club expects to continue to be active.
Gibson had been one of two players on the Knicks’ roster who was on a non-guaranteed contract for 2023/24. The other one, Ryan Arcidiacono, will be retained and will have his full $2,528,233 salary (and $2,019,706 cap hit) guaranteed, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Assuming he clears waivers, Gibson will count for $477,630 in dead money on the Knicks’ salary cap.
Bucks Waive Marques Bolden, Lindell Wigginton
1:50pm: The two Bucks cuts are official, the team confirmed in a press release.
10:16am: The Bucks have waived a pair of two-way players, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link), who hears from a league source that big man Marques Bolden and guard Lindell Wigginton have been cut by the team.
A player on a two-way contract who remains on his team’s roster through Sunday is assured of his full-season salary of $559,782, but it seems that won’t be the case for Bolden or Wigginton, who will receive only a prorated portion of that figure.
Bolden had his Exhibit 10 contract converted to a two-way deal in October, prior to the start of regular season. The 25-year-old appeared briefly in just two games for Milwaukee, having spent most of the season with the Wisconsin Herd in the G League. He averaged 13.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 24.6 minutes per game across 16 Showcase Cup and regular season appearances for the Herd, with an impressive shooting line of .566/.515/.722.
Like Bolden, Wigginton didn’t have a role for the NBA team during his time with the Bucks, logging eight total minutes in three appearances. The Canadian, who also spent parts of the previous two seasons with Milwaukee, averaged 19.8 PPG, 4.9 APG, and 3.3 RPG on .490/.421/.769 shooting in 10 games (30.2 MPG) for the Herd in 2023/24.
The Bucks now have a pair of two-way slots open next to TyTy Washington Jr. They’ll have nearly two months to fill those spots — the deadline to sign a player to a two-way deal is March 4.
Lakers Sign Dylan Windler To Two-Way Contract
JANUARY 7: Windler officially signed his two-way contract on Saturday, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.
JANUARY 6: Veteran wing Dylan Windler, who had been playing in the G League, has agreed to sign a two-way contract with the Lakers, agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
A first-round pick in 2019, Windler signed a two-way contract with the Knicks in July following four seasons in Cleveland, then was converted to a standard non-guaranteed contract prior to the start of the regular season. He appeared in three games for the Knicks before being waived last month, before his 2023/24 salary became fully guaranteed.
Windler continued to play for the Westchester Knicks, New York’s G League affiliate, after being waived by the NBA team. He’s coming off a monster performance on Friday vs. the Delaware Blue Coats, as he put up 23 points to go along with a NBAGL-record 33 rebounds (11 offensive) in a loss.
For the season, he has averaged 13.8 PPG and 8.8 RPG on .443/.360/.714 shooting in 13 appearances for Westchester.
Players with four years of NBA service are typically ineligible for two-way contracts. However, Windler qualifies under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement due to a rule tweak that allows players who missed one of their four seasons as a result of an injury to retain their two-way eligibility — the former Belmont standout didn’t play at all as a rookie in 2019/20 due to a leg injury.
Assuming he officially signs his contract today, Windler will be eligible to appear in up to 29 games and will earn $321,714 on his two-way deal with the Lakers.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, has to waive one of its current two-way players to open up a spot for Windler. Colin Castleton, D’Moi Hodge, and Alex Fudge currently occupy those slots, and the Lakers intend to waive Fudge, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). He logged just 14 total minutes in four NBA appearances as a rookie out of Florida this season.
Northwest Notes: MPJ, Nuggets, Watson, Thunder, Reath
After scoring 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting in his first 16 minutes of action on Friday to help the Nuggets build an 18-point lead, Michael Porter Jr. attempted just three more field goals in his final 15 minutes as Denver’s lead slipped away and Orlando pulled out a 122-120 victory.
Asked after the game about his recent trend of disappearing from the Nuggets’ offense after getting off to hot starts, Porter suggested it’s an issue that affects the team more broadly rather than applying specifically to him, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.
“I think it’s something we’re collectively still trying to master. Like, continuing to find guys’ shots throughout the midst of the game,” Porter said. “Because sometimes we play different in the first quarter than we do in the fourth quarter. … And that’s a lot of teams. But Aaron (Gordon) for example: He got most of his shots probably in the first quarter. Didn’t really touch the ball in the third quarter or the fourth quarter much.
“.. It’s a tough balance. When you’ve got a lot of guys who are very capable, sometimes you go a long stretch without really touching the ball. So for me, I kind of realize if I’m gonna get some shot attempts up, it’s gonna have to come in the flow of the game, and I’m gonna have to really, at times, be aggressive and things like that.”
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Heading into Friday’s game, the Nuggets had the NBA’s eighth-best defensive rating, compared to the No. 25 ranking at the same time a year ago. In another story for The Denver Post, Durando explores why the team has been significantly better on that end of the court in the first half of this season, singling out second-year wing Peyton Watson as a key difference-maker. Watson wasn’t part of the rotation last season, but his 109.6 defensive rating this season is the best mark among Denver’s regulars.
- Even without making any moves on the trade market, the Thunder – who rank fourth in offensive rating and sixth in defensive rating – already look like a legitimate contender, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, who argues that the club certainly has the assets to make a deal but should be in no rush to do so before the “missing ingredient” on the roster becomes more apparent.
- The Trail Blazers, who now have two openings on their 15-man roster, are a virtual lock to promote big man Duop Reath from his two-way deal to a standard contract sooner or later, tweets Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. However, it’s unclear whether that move is in Portland’s short-term plans or if it will happen sometime after the trade deadline. The Blazers will have to make at least one roster addition by January 20, but that could just be a 10-day signing.
Atlantic Notes: Siakam, Randle, Quickley, Bridges
Since last weekend’s trade of OG Anunoby, multiple reporters have stated that their league sources expect the Raptors to also move Pascal Siakam ahead of next month’s deadline. Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca has heard similar rumblings, but one of his sources warned him to not “be so sure.” That source suggested that while some closure on the situation is expected, it may not come in the form of a trade.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they offered an extension,” the source told Lewenberg.
Still, a trade is widely considered the more likely outcome for Siakam, prompting Lewenberg and Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca to take another look at the 29-year-old’s potential market. Within his story, Lewenberg adds the Grizzlies to the list of teams that have shown some level of interest in the two-time All-Star.
Grange, meanwhile, explores the Kings and Warriors as possible trade partners in a Siakam deal, but says Sacramento – in addition to being unwilling to part with Keegan Murray – doesn’t seem enthusiastic about offering Siakam a maximum-salary contact to retain him beyond this season. With both of those factors in mind, it’s perhaps no surprise that the Kings’ pursuit of the star forward has reportedly stalled.
As for Golden State, Grange hears from multiple sources that the Dubs aren’t inclined to trade Jonathan Kuminga, since he’s viewed as a potential star who can help the team win in both the present and the future.
A report this week indicated that Kuminga had lost faith in head coach Steve Kerr, but the two men reportedly had a good conversation in the wake of that story, and the former lottery pick played a season-high 36 minutes on Friday. If Kuminga isn’t on the table, the Raptors may not have much interest in making a Siakam deal with the Warriors.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- After a slow start to the season, Julius Randle has played his way into the All-Star conversation, which could be a financial boon for the Knicks forward. As Stefan Bondy of The New York Post writes, Randle will earn a bonus of almost $1.3MM if he’s named an All-Star. However, the 29-year-old said he’s not thinking about that at all and doesn’t know exactly how much that bonus is worth. “I knew I got a bonus, something north of a million. But you think I’m focusing on that? I’m making pretty good money,” said Randle, whose base salary this season is approximately $25.7MM.
- Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey is happy that his good friend Immanuel Quickley was traded from the Knicks to the Raptors, who will give his former Kentucky teammate “a little bit more of an opportunity,” as he tells Bondy of The New York Post. “He did a good job with the Knicks. But we know that’s Julius’ team, that’s (Jalen) Brunson’s team,” Maxey said. “This gives him opportunities to spread his wings, kind of fly a little bit. I think he’s done a great job so far.”
- Is Mikal Bridges‘ recent drop in production merely a slump, or is the increased attention that comes with being the focal point of the Nets‘ offense – as well as a long summer with Team USA – affecting him? Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post explores that question, with input from head coach Jacque Vaughn.