Rockets Suspending Porter, Wood For Monday’s Game
The Rockets are suspending guard Kevin Porter Jr. and big man Christian Wood for Monday’s game in Philadelphia vs. the Sixers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Both players are being disciplined for their poor behavior on Saturday night vs. Denver. As we detailed over the weekend, Porter left the arena following a halftime altercation with assistant coach John Lucas, while Wood told coaches he wasn’t interested in playing in the second half after being held out of the lineup because he missed a mandatory COVID-19 test.
The ESPN report provides a few more details on Saturday’s incident. According to Wojnarowski and MacMahon, one young Houston player challenged Wood and told him that – as a veteran – he should be setting a standard for the team. ESPN’s duo also says the Rockets believe Porter has made progress on his anger-management issues, which resurfaced on Saturday.
It’s unclear if this will be the extent of the punishments for Porter and/or Wood. At this point, there’s no indication that either of their suspensions will extend beyond Monday’s contest. Houston’s next game is on Wednesday in Washington and both Porter and Wood are still traveling with the team.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, a one-game suspension will cost Porter a little over $12K and Wood approximately $94K. That works out to 1/145th of their respective salaries.
NBA Dates, Deadlines To Watch In January
At the start of the 2021/22 campaign, we looked ahead and identified several dates and deadlines to watch on the NBA calendar this season. While that list covered the general highlights, it’s worth taking a closer look at some of those key dates to keep an eye out for in January, which should be a busy month.
Let’s dive in…
Non-guaranteed contracts become guaranteed
January 10 is the date that all non-guaranteed NBA contracts for 2021/22 will officially become guaranteed, but January 7 is really the day to watch. If a team wants to avoid having a salary become guaranteed, the player must clear waivers before January 10, which means he needs to be cut by January 7 — at the latest.
Many players without fully guaranteed salaries are in no danger of being waived by Friday, but some teams will take the opportunity to save a little money and open up a roster spot.
Teams can begin signing players to non-hardship 10-day contracts
There have already been far more 10-day signings completed this season than in a typical year, and technically the 10-day window hasn’t even opened yet.
The NBA has allowed teams this season to sign players to 10-day contracts using hardship exceptions when a club is missing players due to injuries or the health and safety protocols. As of January 5, teams will be able to sign players to non-hardship 10-day contracts, regardless of how many players are on the club’s injury report.
These non-hardship 10-day deals will count against team salary for cap and tax purposes and will require an opening on the 15-man roster to complete.
We extensively outlined the details of 10-day contracts and explained how they work in our glossary entry on the subject.
More players become trade-eligible
A huge percentage of the NBA’s offseason signees became eligible to be traded back on December 15, but there are still many players who can’t be dealt. By the end of the month, that list of players ineligible to be traded will shrink further, since there are 28 players currently on track to have those restrictions lift between now and January 31.
January 15 is the key date, with 19 players becoming trade-eligible as of that Saturday. That group includes some players who almost certainly aren’t going anywhere, such as John Collins and Jarrett Allen. But a handful of players on that list could be involved in trade rumors in 2022, including Talen Horton-Tucker and Josh Hart.
A number of other offseason signees have unique trade-eligible dates in January, since they were signed sometime after September 15 or inked an offseason extension. That list features names both big (Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Kevin Durant) and small (Ed Davis, Jabari Parker, and Armoni Brooks).
Other odds and ends
There are a few other dates in January that are worth mentioning, despite the fact that they’ll likely come and go without much fanfare.
On January 10, mid-level and room exceptions – along with other cap exceptions like the bi-annual exception – will start to prorate for the year, meaning a team with its full room exception available would no longer be able to offer the full $4.91MM amount to a free agent. Exceptions will decline in value by 1/174th per day, starting on January 10.
January 15 is the last day that teams can apply for a disabled player exception to replace an injured player who is deemed unlikely to return this season. A disabled player exception can give a club extra cap flexibility, though that team may still have to open up a roster spot to add a player using its DPE. Only the Pelicans have received a DPE so far this season.
In past seasons, January 15 was also the deadline for a team to sign a player to a two-way contract, but there’s no deadline for those deals this year. However, on January 20, all players on two-way contracts will have their minimum salaries for the season become fully guaranteed.
Cavs’ Rondo Acquisition Now Three-Team Trade Involving Knicks
10:29am: Along with Valentine, the Knicks are acquiring $1.1MM in cash in the deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links), who says New York will give up the draft rights to Louis Labeyrie and will acquire the draft rights to two other players, though none of them are expected to ever play in the NBA.
While we still need some gaps filled in here, I suspect it’s the Lakers – not the Cavs – sending the cash to New York and acquiring Labeyrie’s rights.
New York will decide soon on whether to waive Valentine or have him remain on the roster, Woj adds. As noted below, the Knicks will have to cut a player – likely Selden – in order to complete the deal.
10:20am: The trade sending Rajon Rondo from the Lakers to the Cavaliers, which hasn’t yet been officially finalized, is being expanded to include a third team, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Charania, the Cavs will send Denzel Valentine to the Knicks rather than to the Lakers.
With Rondo going from Los Angeles to Cleveland and Valentine headed from Cleveland to New York, the Knicks will presumably need to send something to the Lakers to complete the deal.
The Lakers may also send a small extra asset to New York to incentivize the Knicks to take on Valentine, whom L.A. reportedly intended to waive. If the Lakers don’t have to acquire a player in the three-team swap, their tax savings will be greater than if they’d cut Valentine and been on the hook for his partially guaranteed cap hit.
Meanwhile, if the Knicks aren’t sending a player out in the deal, they’ll have to waive someone in order to acquire Valentine, whether or not they plan to keep him. Wayne Selden, whose salary isn’t fully guaranteed, is New York’s most likely candidate to be cut.
With a number of details still unclear, we’ll await more info for further clarity. But it sounds like the trade could be officially completed as soon as today.
COVID-19 Updates: Sixers, Celtics, Rondo, Blazers, More
Sixers wing Danny Green cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Sunday, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. However, Jaden Springer and Matisse Thybulle are both in the protocols now, joining two-way player Myles Powell.
In the latest injury report for the Sixers’ Monday game vs. Houston, Powell and Springer are both listed as out, while Thybulle is considered questionable. That suggests that the team is likely waiting for the results of Thybulle’s latest COVID-19 test before determining whether or not he’ll be available.
Here are more protocol-related updates from around the NBA:
- Dennis Schröder and Bruno Fernando returned to action for the Celtics on Sunday after a stint in the health and safety protocols. Jayson Tatum has exited the protocols, but remained sidelined for Sunday’s game — he’s expected to return on Wednesday, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
- On the Lakers‘ Sunday injury report, Rajon Rondo was listed as out due to return to competition reconditioning. Rondo had been in the COVID-19 protocols since December 26, which presumably delayed the official completion of the trade sending him to Cleveland. Now that he has cleared the protocols, the Cavaliers and Lakers should soon officially announce that deal.
- Robert Covington, Trendon Watford, and Keljin Blevins are no longer in the health and safety protocols for the Trail Blazers, per the injury report.
- Knicks center Jericho Sims remained out of action on Sunday, but he was listed on the injury report as taking part in return to competition conditioning, so he has exited the protocols.
- McKinley Wright (Timberwolves), Jarrett Culver (Grizzlies), and Jay Scrubb (Clippers) are among the other players who have recently cleared the COVID-19 protocols, according to the league’s injury report.
- Our full health and safety protocols tracker can be found right here.
Magic Re-Sign Freddie Gillespie, Tim Frazier
6:11pm: The Magic have re-signed both Gillespie and Frazier to their second 10-day contracts via a hardship exception, the team’s PR department tweets. Frazier has averaged 4.6 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 3.4 APG in five games with the club (20 MPG).
7:02am: The Magic intend to sign Freddie Gillespie to a second 10-day contract using a hardship exception, our JD Shaw reports (via Twitter). Gillespie’s first 10-day deal with the club expired overnight.
Playing a part-time role for an Orlando squad hit hard by COVID-19, Gillespie averaged 3.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.0 BPG in five games (12.8 MPG) this month. It was the 24-year-old’s second stint in the NBA, as he appeared in 20 games with the Raptors as a rookie during the 2020/21 season.
The Magic’s COVID situation remains fluid — the team still has five players in the health and safety protocols, but one (Mychal Mulder) entered the protocols on December 22 and another (Mohamed Bamba) went in on Dec. 17, so hopefully they’ll be cleared soon.
There are currently two players – Hassani Gravett and Admiral Schofield – on active 10-day deals with the Magic. Gabe York reportedly reached an agreement to sign with the club, but it hasn’t been finalized yet. Tim Frazier‘s 10-day hardship contract, like Gillespie’s, expired overnight.
Spurs’ Becky Hammon Named Head Coach Of WNBA’s Aces
5:15pm: The Las Vegas Aces officially announced Hammon as their next head coach in a press release. “I am so excited to return to the WNBA and grateful for Mark Davis and Nikki Fargas having a vision for me to lead the Aces,” said Hammon. “This is where I come from, and I wouldn’t be me without the W. I’m thrilled to be able to give back and lead this next group of women.”
“Becky has become an integral part of our program in every way, shape and form,” said Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. “This is a great opportunity for her to highlight her many skills. Her intuitive feel for the game and ability to teach will serve the Aces very well as she institutes her system and culture.”
“I have so many incredible memories and proud moments in San Antonio from my time with both the Stars and the Spurs,” added Hammon. “From the fans and players to coaches and staff, everyone in the organization has treated me so well for so many years and the entire experience has been amazing.
“I’m especially thankful to Pop, who only cared about my potential, not my gender. He saw something special in me and was willing to invest the time and energy to help teach and develop a young coach.”
Khristina Williams of Girls Talk Sports TV (Twitter link) reported earlier today that Hammon would also get the title of general manager in Las Vegas. That wasn’t mentioned in the Aces’ press release.
8:41am: Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon is nearing a “landmark” deal with the Las Vegas Aces that will make her the WNBA’s highest-paid coach, sources tell Shams Charania and Chantel Jennings of The Athletic. Hammon, who was also pursued by the New York Liberty, will replace Bill Laimbeer in Vegas.
According to an ESPN report, Hammon will receive a five-year deal from the Aces. She plans to finish the 2021/22 season with the Spurs before officially transitioning to her new job.
A six-time All-Star as a WNBA player from 1999-2014, Hammon joined the Spurs following her retirement as a player, becoming the first woman to be hired as a full-time NBA assistant coach.
Hammon has since interviewed for a handful of head coaching openings, including the Trail Blazers’ job this past offseason, and has long been considered the best bet to become the NBA’s first female head coach — perhaps even as Gregg Popovich‘s successor in San Antonio. However, her new deal with the Aces will take her out of the mix for NBA positions in the short term.
Kyle Lowry, Jae’Sean Tate Exit Protocols
The Heat, who have signed six replacement players in the last two days, will have some additional reinforcements for Friday’s game in Houston. Point guard Kyle Lowry has exited the health and safety protocols and is listed as available to play vs. the Rockets, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link).
Lowry only entered the COVID-19 protocols on Christmas Day, so he may have benefited from the NBA’s new shortened minimum quarantine period. It’s also possible he tested out of the protocols by returning two consecutive negative results at least 24 hours apart.
The Heat still have seven players in the protocols for the time being, including Duncan Robinson and P.J. Tucker.
Miami’s opponent on Friday also got some good news today, as Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate has cleared the protocols, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Like Lowry, he’ll be available for tonight’s contest.
Tate’s stay in the protocols was even shorter than Lowry’s — he just entered them on Wednesday, so he likely got the two negative tests he needed. His teammates D.J. Augustin, Garrison Mathews, and DeJon Jarreau remain in the protocols.
Atlantic Notes: Jones, Celtics, Miles, Simmons, Raptors
Sam Jones, a former Celtics guard who won 10 championships with the team during his playing career, passed away on Thursday night at age 88, team spokesperson Jeff Twiss confirmed to ESPN. Jones had been hospitalized in Florida prior to his death due to failing health.
The eighth overall pick in the 1957 draft, Jones spent his entire 12-year career in Boston, earning five All-Star nods during that time and averaging 17.7 PPG in 871 career regular season games (27.9 MPG). He won more titles than any other player besides longtime teammate Bill Russell and was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1984. Jones was also named to the NBA’s 25th, 50th, and 75th anniversary teams and had his No. 24 retired by the Celtics.
“Sam Jones was one of the most talented, versatile, and clutch shooters for the most successful and dominant teams in NBA history,” the Celtics said in a statement. “His scoring ability was so prolific, and his form so pure, that he earned the simple nickname, ‘The Shooter.’ He was also known as ‘Mr. Clutch.’
“… The Jones family is in our thoughts as we mourn his loss and fondly remember the life and career of one of the greatest champions in American sports.”
Our condolences go out to Jones’ family and friends.
More from around the Atlantic:
- The Celtics won’t be signing C.J. Miles to a second 10-day contract after his initial deal expired overnight on Thursday, head coach Ime Udoka confirmed today (Twitter link via Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe).
- Within his look at some of this season’s top trade candidates, John Hollinger of The Athletic says the “consensus opinion” around the NBA is that the Sixers will likely move Ben Simmons before the February 10 deadline, despite having insisted they’re comfortable with the standoff dragging into the offseason.
- Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the Raptors‘ ownership group, announced on Thursday that the team won’t sell tickets for games at Scotiabank Arena for the next three weeks. Ontario has introduced a new temporary limit of 1,000 people in an indoor venue due to the effects of COVID-19 in the province, so the Raptors will play without fans in the short term rather than opening their doors to just a few hundred of them.
Knicks Re-Sign Damyean Dotson, Matt Mooney
After their initial 10-day hardship contracts expired overnight, Damyean Dotson and Matt Mooney have each signed a second 10-day deal with the Knicks, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log.
Neither Dotson nor Mooney played much during their first 10 days with New York. Dotson got into two games and logged 21 total minutes, while Mooney only made a brief cameo on Christmas Day. However, the two shooting guards provided the Knicks with some depth while they dealt with a minor COVID-19 outbreak.
New York still has four players in the health and safety protocols and Danuel House is the only other player currently on a 10-day deal with the team, so Dotson and Mooney will stick around a little longer.
Dotson will earn $102,831 over the course of his 10-day contract, while Mooney will make $85,578. Neither figure will count toward team salary for cap or tax purposes.
Cavaliers Sign Brandon Goodwin To 10-Day Deal
2:32pm: In their press release confirming the Goodwin signing, the Cavaliers announced that they terminated Scott’s 10-day contract one day early.
11:12am: The Cavaliers have signed guard Brandon Goodwin to a 10-day contract, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log. The deal will run through January 9, covering Cleveland’s next five games.
Goodwin, 26, has appeared in 97 NBA games since 2018 for Denver and Atlanta, averaging 4.7 PPG and 1.6 APG in 97 games (11.4 MPG). He had been playing for the Westchester Knicks in the G League this season, putting up 15.3 PPG, 7.0 APG, 5.1 RPG, and 1.9 SPG in seven contests (35.1 MPG) for New York’s affiliate.
The Raptors reportedly reached a deal earlier in the month to sign Goodwin, but it was never formally completed. It appeared that Goodwin didn’t pass the COVID-19 screening process at the time. However, if he did test positive for the coronavirus, he has since been cleared.
As of Thursday, the Cavaliers only had two players left in the health and safety protocols: Darius Garland and Cedi Osman. Cleveland already has two hardship additions – Tre Scott and Malik Newman – on its roster, so the signing of Goodwin means the team either ended one of those deals early or has at least one more player entering the protocols today. Scott’s 10-day deal is set to expire after tonight’s game.