Pelicans Notes: Zion, McCollum, Ingram, Jones
Within an in-depth feature by Howard Beck of SI.com, Pelicans star Zion Williamson said that he was in “dark places at times” while he spent last season recovering from a broken foot.
“I couldn’t play basketball. I could only do limited rehab things. And then just seeing how the world reacted? It took a lot. It did a lot on my spirit,” Williamson said, acknowledging that the criticism he faced from outside observers took a toll on him and his family.
Having leaned on assistant coaches Teresa Weatherspoon – whom Williamson described as being “like a big sister” – and Corey Brewer to help get him through the year, the former No. 1 overall pick believes he’s grown a lot and is in a much better place heading into the 2022/23 season, both mentally and physically.
After signing a five-year, maximum-salary extension with the Pelicans in the offseason, Williamson has also gotten a reprieve from questions about his commitment to New Orleans. Speaking to Beck, the fourth-year forward laughed off the speculation that he’d want to leave the Pelicans after getting a first-hand look at the team’s second-half surge and playoff appearance last season.
“People really out here think that I could witness something like that and then tell myself I don’t want to be (there)?” Williamson said.
Here’s more on Zion and the Pelicans:
- Williamson left Wednesday’s preseason game with left ankle soreness, but the injury is considered minor, and the team only removed him for precautionary reasons, writes Andrew Lopez of ESPN. “It was one of those things where it happened and I popped back up, like, ‘Yeah, I’m straight,'” Williamson said. “Played a few minutes after that, it felt fine. Then they sent me to the back just to double-check. We wanted to look at it, had a doc look at it, and he just said a little day-to-day soreness. But outside of that, I personally feel fine. Wasn’t bad news from the docs.”
- CJ McCollum returned to action on Wednesday after missing two preseason contests with a sore right ankle, while Brandon Ingram (toe) remained out. According to Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link), head coach Willie Green said that Ingram went through a full practice on Tuesday, and the forward himself told ESPN’s Lopez (Twitter link) that he thinks he’ll be able to play in the team’s preseason finale on Friday.
- In his first diary entry for Andscape, McCollum (as relayed by Marc J. Spears) explains why he’s “genuinely excited” about playing in New Orleans and says he’s embracing the opportunity to be a vocal leader and the primary ball-handler and decision-maker in the backcourt after seeing Damian Lillard play that role in Portland.
- In a story for The Athletic, Guillory profiles second-year forward Herbert Jones, who has the potential to raise the Pelicans’ ceiling if he continues to improve following a very promising rookie season.
L.A. Notes: Walker, Lakers, Davis, Clippers, Batum
Lakers swingman Lonnie Walker, who earned a second consecutive start on Wednesday, sustained a “mild” left ankle sprain in the third quarter, per head coach Darvin Ham. Walker will be reevaluated on Thursday, but he’s not experiencing any swelling or overt pain, a source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).
The Lakers, having started Walker and Patrick Beverley on Wednesday alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, continue to search for the right starting lineup fit as the preseason winds down, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times.
“We get an opportunity to throw some stuff at the wall and see what sticks,” Ham said prior to the game. “We already know our three main guys — Russ, Bron, AD. Those guys as well are getting used to playing with one another. That was very limited last year. So we look at it as an opportunity to just shake the rug and just shake things up and see what makes sense once it all starts to come together.”
The Lakers will play one more preseason game on Friday before next Tuesday’s regular season opener.
Here’s more on the NBA’s two Los Angeles teams:
- Anthony Davis still prefers to play power forward, but is willing to start and finish games at center if that’s what the Lakers and Ham ask of him. “I trust Coach’s decision,” Davis said on Wednesday (Twitter link via McMenamin). “I mean, I’m pretty sure he heard AD wants to play the four, so he knows where I stand, but at the end of the day, I want to win, so if that’s me playing the five, that’s what it’s got to be.“
- Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said he thought going into Wednesday’s game that he knew who would start at point guard, but he’s less certain about that spot after being displeased with how the team opened the game (Twitter link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN). Starting point guard Reggie Jackson had just one point in 12 minutes, while John Wall had eight points and four assists in 10 minutes off the bench.
- In an interview on the French television channel Canal+ (video link), Clippers forward Nicolas Batum spoke about the mental health challenges he has faced during his NBA career, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays. Batum, whose father died of an aneurysm at age 31, was diagnosed with a heart issue before he entered the NBA and worried about his own health and family. “I was convinced the same would happen to me and that I was going to leave my family,” he said. “I asked my wife to not come to the games because I did want to see them in the stands.”
Mavs Expected To Sign Facundo Campazzo To One-Year Deal
OCTOBER 13: Aris Barkas of Eurohoops reports that Campazzo has accepted the Mavericks’ one-year offer, while HoopsHype says (via Twitter) the veteran guard is expected to fly to Dallas on Saturday to undergo a physical and sign a contract.
OCTOBER 12: The Mavericks and free agent guard Facundo Campazzo are engaged in advanced discussions about a possible one-year contract, reports Marc Stein (via Twitter).
According to Stein, who first reported Dallas’ interest in Campazzo on Sunday, it appears increasingly likely that the two sides will work out a deal that allows the Argentinian to fill the 15th and final spot on the team’s regular season roster.
Campazzo spent the last two seasons with the Nuggets after establishing himself as one of the best point guards in the EuroLeague. He averaged 5.6 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game in 130 appearances (20.1 MPG) across his two seasons in Denver, though he knocked down just 37.2% of his shots from the floor. The 31-year-old played alongside Luka Doncic for Real Madrid from 2015-18.
Following Jalen Brunson‘s departure in free agency, the Mavs could use one more reliable veteran ball-handler to back up Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie. The team has been debating whether it will add a free agent who can fill that role or leave its 15th roster spot open to start the season in order to maximize flexibility and limit its projected luxury tax bill.
As the Mavs seemingly move closer to a deal with Campazzo, it appears that Tyler Dorsey‘s spot on the roster is increasingly tenuous — a report from Aris Barkas of Eurohoops says the club is considering cutting Dorsey. Such a move wouldn’t be directly related to signing Campazzo, since Dorsey is on a two-way contract, while Campazzo is believed to be negotiating a standard deal.
Still, Dorsey was one of the players in the mix for a ball-handling rotation role in Dallas, so it’s possible the Mavs would want to use that two-way slot on another type of player if they sign Campazzo to fill that spot on the depth chart.
Sixers Sign, Waive Skylar Mays
5:19pm: Mays has been placed on waivers, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
2:10pm: The Sixers have signed guard Skylar Mays to a training camp contract, according to RealGM’s NBA transaction log.
Mays, 25, was the 50th overall pick in the 2020 draft and spent his first two professional seasons with the Hawks. He was on two-way contracts until being promoted to Atlanta’s standard 15-man roster during the final week of the 2021/22 regular season.
In 61 total games for the Hawks, Mays averaged 3.3 PPG and 1.0 RPG on .469/.338/.882 shooting in 8.0 MPG. He became an unrestricted free agent this summer when Atlanta opted not to extend him a qualifying offer.
The 76ers are likely signing Mays to secure his G League rights. Assuming he received an Exhibit 10 contract, he’d be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s NBAGL affiliate.
Mays will likely be waived soon, but remains on the Sixers’ roster for the time being, as the team’s official website shows. He’s occupying the 20th and final slot, which was open after Philadelphia signed and waived Patrick McCaw.
Thunder Sign Adam Mokoka, Cut Abdul Gaddy
The Thunder have signed free agent guard Adam Mokoka, waiving guard Abdul Gaddy to make room on the roster, the team announced today.
Mokoka, 24, spent two seasons on a two-way contract with the Bulls from 2019-21. During that time, he appeared in 25 games at the NBA level, averaging 1.9 points in 6.7 minutes per game. The Frenchman returned to his native country last year to spend the season with Nanterre 92.
Mokoka and Gaddy will likely both end up playing for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate. Assuming both players signed Exhibit 10 contracts, they’ll be eligible for bonuses worth up to $60K if they spend at least 60 days with the Blue.
The Thunder still have a full preseason roster of 20 players after today’s moves.
And-Ones: Maledon, One-And-Done, Wembanyama, Ignite, Selden
After being waived by the Rockets this week, French point guard Theo Maledon isn’t eager to head back to Europe to resume his playing career, according to a Eurohoops report. He played for ASVEL in France from 2017-20 before being selected 34th overall in the 2020 NBA draft.
Maledon is still just 21 years old and showed some promise during his two seasons in Oklahoma City, so he looks like a good candidate to get another NBA opportunity. He’ll clear waivers on Thursday, assuming he goes unclaimed.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- There are no indications that the NBA’s one-and-done rule for draft prospects will be scrapped anytime soon, writes Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Insider-only link). While commissioner Adam Silver would like to eliminate the rule, the players’ union would want “major financial concessions” from team owners in order to agree, according to Givony, who adds that some teams believe allowing younger prospects to enter the NBA would water down the league’s talent level.
- In a separate Insider-only article for ESPN.com, Givony breaks down last week’s Victor Wembanyama vs. Scoot Henderson showdowns, writing that Wembanyama is the best NBA prospect he’s seen since LeBron James. Givony also explains why Wembanyama is in a great developmental situation with the Metropolitans 92 in France and says the NBA’s G League Ignite program looks like it’s here to stay.
- Former NBA wing Wayne Selden has left his Italian team, Tezenis Verona, his agency told Ennio Terrasi Borghesan of Sportando. Verona put out a statement announcing that the club intended to take legal action in response to Seldon’s departure, prompting agent Charles Misuraca to accuse the team of breaching Selden’s contract agreement by not paying him.
- Just how valuable is it to acquire the swap rights to a future first-round draft pick? Zach Kram of The Ringer explores that question, ultimately concluding that it’s pretty rare for a team to jump up significantly in the draft and the result of a pick swap.
Trail Blazers Waive Jared Rhoden, Isaiah Miller
3:45pm: The Blazers have officially cut Rhoden and Miller, the team confirmed in a press release.
3:35pm: The Trail Blazers intend to waive guards Jared Rhoden and Isaiah Miller, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. Rhoden and Miller had been in camp on Exhibit 10 contracts.
Rhoden, who went undrafted out of Seton Hall in June, played for Sacramento’s Summer League teams in July before signing a training camp contract with Portland. Miller went undrafted in 2021 out of UNC Greensboro and spent the season in the G League as an affiliate player with the Iowa Wolves, averaging 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 32 games.
Neither player will report to the Trail Blazers’ G League team, since Portland is one of two NBA teams that doesn’t have an NBAGL affiliate.
The cuts, once they’re official, will leave the Blazers with 15 players under contract — 14 of those players have guaranteed standard deals, while Olivier Sarr is on an Exhibit 10 contract.
Fentress notes that Sarr has had a strong preseason and seems to have a strong chance to make the regular season roster, though I’d be surprised if the tax-conscious Blazers keep him on the standard 15-man roster rather than converting him to a two-way deal. Both of Portland’s two-way slots are currently open.
Mavericks Waive Four Camp Invitees
The Mavericks have cut four players who were in training camp on Exhibit 10 contracts, the team announced today in a press release. Marcus Bingham, Mouhamadou Gueye, Tyler Hall, and D.J. Stewart Jr. have been placed on waivers, according to the Mavs.
Bingham and Gueye signed with Dallas this summer after going undrafted in June and are good candidates to end up with the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ G League affiliate. Hall and Stewart were veteran free agents, though Hall has only appeared in one NBA game and Stewart has yet to make his NBA debut.
The series of moves leaves the Mavs with just 16 players under contract, at least for the time being. Of those players, 14 have guaranteed contracts, one (Tyler Dorsey) is on a two-way deal, and just one (McKinley Wright IV) still has an Exhibit 10 contract.
The fact that Wright survived this round of cuts may signal that he’s the leading candidate to have his deal converted to a two-way contract before the regular season begins, though it’s possible more moves are coming in Dallas.
Southeast Notes: Beal, Porzingis, Rozier, Bridges, Herro, Magic
The Wizards‘ two stars remain on track to be available for the team’s regular season opener next week. Bradley Beal, who briefly entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, was cleared on Monday following a negative COVID-19 test and has since rejoined the club at practice, according to Ava Wallace of The Washington Post and Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter links).
Meanwhile, Kristaps Porzingis sprained his left ankle during Monday’s preseason game vs. Charlotte, but that injury is considered very minor, Hughes writes for NBC Sports Washington.
“I already knew it was nothing major. I wanted to go back in in the second half,” Porzingis said. “But I just wanted to be smart, they told me to relax and get ready for the next one or for the regular season.”
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- The Hornets, who aren’t exactly loaded with point guard depth, are expected to shift Terry Rozier over from his shooting guard spot to take on additional ball-handling responsibilities while LaMelo Ball recovers from an ankle sprain, according to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “Look, Terry was the starting point guard on a team that went to the Eastern Conference Finals,” head coach Steve Clifford said, referring to the 2018 Celtics. “So it’s a role that he’s comfortable with. And if that ends up being the situation, that’s how we’d do it.”
- The preliminary court hearing for Hornets forward Miles Bridges has been delayed yet again, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN, who tweets that the new date is October 17. That hearing for Bridges, who has pleaded not guilty to three felony domestic violence charges, was initially scheduled for August 19.
- Trading Tyler Herro after signing him to a rookie scale extension would have been tricky due to the poison pill provision. However, that didn’t stop the Heat from making their initial extension offer to the fourth-year guard on July 1, even as they remained involved in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. According to Herro, that original offer was worth $100MM over four years. He eventually accepted once the Heat upped their offer to a guaranteed $120MM. “Thirty million a year is what I thought I was worth,” Herro said.
- Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel takes a look at how the Magic intend to compensate for the play-making they’ll be missing with guards Markelle Fultz (toe) and Jalen Suggs (knee) sidelined to start the season. “We talk about this often — sometimes injuries provide opportunities for others,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “With that being said, Franz (Wagner) will have an opportunity to handle the ball more, Paolo (Banchero) will handle the ball more. We play maybe a little bit more — as you saw last year — through Wendell (Carter). Those are going to be the opportunities to happen as we move forward.”
Rockets Sign Pierria Henry, Waive Trhae Mitchell
The Rockets have made a pair of minor roster moves, waiving swingman Trhae Mitchell and signing free agent guard Pierria Henry, the team announced today.
Mitchell, who played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers – Houston’s G League team – last season, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Rockets this week and is expected to head back to the Vipers this fall.
It appears a stint with the Vipers may also be in the cards for Henry, a longtime standout in Europe, where he won a Turkish League championship with Fenerbahçe in 2022 and a Spanish League title in 2020 with Baskonia. The 29-year-old is a strong three-and-D player who was a member of the Wizards’ Summer League team in July.
Henry played his college ball at Charlotte from 2011-15 and has exclusively played in Europe since then. Unless the Rockets have bigger plans for him, he may view a stint in the G League as his best shot to make it to the NBA.
Houston still has a full 20-man roster following today’s roster moves.