Two Hawks Players, Magic’s Mulder Enter Protocols
Two more Hawks players have entered the health and safety protocols, according to the team (via Twitter). Veteran guard Lou Williams and wing Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot have been ruled out of Wednesday’s game vs. Orlando after being placed in the protocols.
Williams and Luwawu-Cabarrot join Trae Young, Clint Capela, and Danilo Gallinari in the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols. If those players have tested positive, they’ll be out for 10 days or until they can return two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.
The Hawks have taken steps to add replacement players and aren’t currently at risk of falling short of the required minimum of eight players. The team signed Lance Stephenson and Malcolm Hill on Wednesday and is expected to finalize a deal with Wesley Iwundu on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Magic two-way guard Mychal Mulder also entered the health and safety protocols today, per Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). Like their Wednesday opponents, the Magic have been hit hard by COVID-19 but have added several replacements and will have enough bodies available to play tonight’s game in Atlanta.
Mulder is the sixth player to enter the protocols for Orlando, joining Mohamed Bamba, Ignas Brazdeikis, R.J. Hampton, Terrence Ross, and Moritz Wagner. The club is also missing several players due to long-term injuries.
NBA Postpones Raptors/Bulls Game; Anunoby Enters Protocols
The NBA is postponing Wednesday’s game in Chicago between the Raptors and Bulls, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The NBA has officially confirmed the decision, announcing that Toronto doesn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
Marc Stein first reported (via Twitter) that the game was at risk of postponement because one or more of the replacement players Toronto agreed to sign in order to meet the roster minimum may need to immediately enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
The Raptors entered the day with seven players in the health and safety protocols and OG Anunoby entered the protocols on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarwoski (Twitter link). Khem Birch (knee), Justin Champagnie (non-COVID illness), David Johnson (calf), and Goran Dragic (not with team) were also ruled out for tonight’s game, leaving the team with just four healthy players.
Toronto had lined up deals with five replacement players (Nik Stauskas, Brandon Goodwin, Tremont Waters, Juwan Morgan, and D.J. Wilson), but those signings aren’t yet official.
This is the second time in the last week that a Bulls/Raptors game has been postponed. The two teams were supposed to play in Chicago last Thursday, but the Bulls didn’t have enough players at that point.
Both clubs will now be off through Christmas before resuming their respective schedules on December 26. The Raptors play in Cleveland on Sunday, while the Bulls will host Indiana.
Cavaliers Sign Tre Scott To 10-Day Deal
The Cavaliers have signed free agent forward Tre Scott to a 10-day contract using a hardship exception, the team announced today in a press release. Scott’s deal will run through December 31.
Scott, 25, went undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2020 and spent his rookie season with Utah’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. In 15 games for the Stars, the 6’8″ forward averaged 10.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 2.1 APG on .443/.296/.714 shooting in 29.3 minutes per contest.
Scott played for the Cavs in the Las Vegas Summer League earlier this year and then joined the Cleveland Charge, the Cavs’ NBAGL affiliate. He has averaged 14.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.4 APG on .442/.333/.714 shooting in 10 G League games (34.4 MPG) this season.
Cleveland has now added three players this week via the hardship exception, with Scott joining Luke Kornet and Justin Anderson. The Cavs currently have eight players in the health and safety protocols, so they’re eligible to sign a few more replacement players if they so choose.
Hawks Sign Lance Stephenson Via Hardship Exception
DECEMBER 22: The Hawks have officially signed Stephenson to a 10-day contract, the team confirmed today in a press release.
DECEMBER 21: The Hawks are calling up veteran NBA swingman Lance Stephenson from the G League, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link). Stephenson had been playing for the Grand Rapids Gold, Denver’s NBAGL affiliate.
Stephenson, 31, hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2018/19 season, but signed a G League contract this fall in the hopes of making a comeback. In his first 12 games for the Gold this season, the former Pacer averaged 19.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 4.1 APG on .471/.306/.686 shooting in 35.0 MPG.
Stephenson has appeared in a total of 508 regular season NBA games, including 298 with Indiana. He also spent time with the Hornets, Clippers, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Timberwolves, and Lakers during his nine years in the league.
The Hawks will sign Stephenson to a 10-day contract via the hardship provision, says Stein (Twitter link). Atlanta hasn’t been among the teams hit hardest this month by COVID-19, but Trae Young is currently in the protocols, making the club eligible to add a replacement player.
As Stein observes, a handful of NBA veterans who had been playing for Grand Rapids have received NBA call-ups this month. Isaiah Thomas recently signed with the Lakers, while Nik Stauskas reportedly has a deal in place with Toronto.
Hawks Sign Malcolm Hill To 10-Day Deal
DECEMBER 22: Hill has officially signed his 10-day contract with the Hawks, according to the team. It’ll run through December 31.
DECEMBER 21: Former Illinois forward Malcolm Hill has agreed to sign a 10-day contract with the Hawks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Atlanta will sign Hill using a hardship exception.
The Hawks entered Tuesday with just one player – Trae Young – in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, but two other Atlanta players are set to join Young in those protocols, tweets Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Three of the team’s “tier one” staffers are also being placed in the protocols, as the team canceled its Tuesday practice, per Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).
Having already agreed to sign Lance Stephenson, the Hawks have now lined up a deal with Hill, who went undrafted in 2017 and has since played in the Philippines, Germany, Kazakhstan, and Israel. The 6’6″ wing returned stateside this year and has been playing for the Birmingham Squadron, the Pelicans’ G League affiliate.
In 14 NBAGL games (31.6 MPG) for the Squadron, Hill has averaged 16.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 1.6 SPG on .509/.402/.810 shooting.
NBA Postpones Thursday’s Nets/Blazers Game
This week’s game between the Nets and Trail Blazers, scheduled to be played on Thursday in Portland, has been postponed, the NBA announced today in a press release. According to the league, Brooklyn doesn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
It’s the third straight postponement for the Nets, who were also unable to play on Sunday vs. Denver and Tuesday vs. Washington. Brooklyn has a league-high 10 players in the health and safety protocols, and Joe Harris (ankle) and Nicolas Claxton (wrist) were also out of action when the team last played on Saturday.
Patty Mills, Blake Griffin, Cameron Thomas, David Duke, and Kessler Edwards were active for the Nets on Saturday and the team has added four replacement players (James Ennis, Shaquille Harrison, Langston Galloway, and Wenyen Gabriel).
That’s a total of nine players, but it’s certainly possible that at least a couple of them are dealing with injuries or have been placed in the protocols in recent days — the Nets haven’t had to publicly update their injury report since their last game.
The next game on Brooklyn’s schedule is a December 25 showdown with the Lakers in Los Angeles. While both teams have been decimated by injuries and COVID-19, the NBA will presumably do all it can to avoid postponing what was supposed to be one of its marquee Christmas Day matchups.
Central Notes: Cavs, Matthews, Kalamian, McKinnie
Appearing on the HoopsHype Podcast alongside Michael Scotto, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com said he believes the Cavaliers will look to be buyers at this season’s trade deadline, and could be open to surrendering their 2022 first-round pick, which may not end up in the lottery as initially anticipated.
Caris LeVert, Joe Harris, and Terrence Ross are among the players who could appeal to the Cavaliers, per Fedor, though some of those players may be more attainable than others. While LeVert and Ross are believed to be available, I’d be surprised if Brooklyn parts with Harris.
Fedor also addressed several more topics during his conversation with Scotto, suggesting that Ricky Rubio has become more likely to be extended than traded and noting that the Cavaliers are comfortable going into restricted free agency with Collin Sexton. Cleveland recognizes that only a handful of teams will have cap room available in 2022 and is skeptical that any of those clubs will make it a top priority to pry away Sexton from the Cavs, Fedor explains.
Here are a few more notes from around the Central:
- Bucks wing Wesley Matthews is no longer listed in the health and safety protocols, as Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. Milwaukee still has three players in the protocols, including Giannis Antetokounmpo.
- Rex Kalamian, who has been an NBA assistant coach for 28 years, got a chance to serve as the Pistons‘ acting head coach on two occasions in the past week – including on Tuesday – when Dwane Casey was away from the team for personal reasons. As James L. Edwards III of The Athletic details, Kalamian appreciates the opportunity, but remains happy in his role as an assistant. “As an assistant coach, you do a lot more development with the players than the head coach,” he said. “The head coaches are not nearly as involved with the day-to-day development of players. But as an assistant, that’s something that has always been fun for me and a challenge to step in and get on the court every day with players.”
- Carving out a role with the Bulls has been a “dream come true” for Alfonzo McKinnie, who is currently on his second 10-day contract with his hometown team. “I’m a West Side kid. I grew up like 10, 15 minutes down the way,” McKinnie said on Monday, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “House was a Bulls house. Watched the Bulls growing up. So just being able to compete on the highest stage in my hometown, on my favorite side of the city, the West Side, it’s been surreal to be honest. Just putting that jersey on has been everything for me.”
Checking In On 10-Day Contracts
A series of COVID-19 outbreaks across the NBA and new rules that require teams to be more aggressive in signing replacement players have resulted in a ton of new 10-day deals within the last week.
By our count, 27 players are currently on 10-day contracts, while another 16 players have reportedly agreed to deals that aren’t yet official, resulting in a total of 43 10-day pacts. That number figures to continue increasing in the coming days, since no active 10-day contracts are set to expire before Saturday night.
With the transaction wire moving so quickly, your best bet for keeping tabs on deals as they happen is to follow our 10-day contract tracker and our roster counts page, which we’re updating several times daily to reflect the latest signings and contract agreements.
This morning, we’re taking a quick snapshot of the currently active 10-day deals, listing them all in one spot in the space below. This post won’t continue to be updated and will likely become outdated in a matter of hours (or even minutes). So again, you’ll want to follow our other trackers to stay up to date on subsequent roster moves. But here are the NBA’s current 10-day contracts, both official and unofficial, as of Wednesday morning:
Runs through December 25:
- Langston Galloway (Nets)
Runs through December 26:
- Aleem Ford (Magic)
- Hassani Gravett (Magic)
- B.J. Johnson (Magic)
- Admiral Schofield (Magic)
- Justin Robinson (Kings)
- Isaiah Thomas (Lakers)
Runs through December 27:
- James Ennis (Nets)
- Shaquille Harrison (Nets)
- Tyler Hall (Knicks)
- Justin Jackson (Celtics)
Runs through December 28:
- Davon Reed (Nuggets)
Runs through December 29:
- Alfonzo McKinnie (Bulls)
- C.J. Miles (Celtics)
- Theo Pinson (Mavericks)
Runs through December 30:
- Justin Anderson (Cavaliers)
- Luke Kornet (Cavaliers)
- Marquese Chriss (Mavericks)
- Damyean Dotson (Knicks)
- Matt Mooney (Knicks)
- Tim Frazier (Magic)
- Freddie Gillespie (Magic)
- Wenyen Gabriel (Nets)
- Jemerrio Jones (Lakers)
- Chris Silva (Timberwolves)
- Rayjon Tucker (Timberwolves)
- Moses Wright (Clippers)
Reported but not yet official:
- Charlie Brown Jr. (Mavericks)
- George King (Mavericks)
- Zylan Cheatham (Heat)
- Brandon Goodwin (Raptors)
- Juwan Morgan (Raptors)
- Nik Stauskas (Raptors)
- Tremont Waters (Raptors)
- D.J. Wilson (Raptors)
- Malcolm Hill (Hawks)
- Lance Stephenson (Hawks)
- Ersan Ilyasova (Bulls)
- Mac McClung (Bulls)
- Tyler Johnson (Sixers)
- Emmanuel Mudiay (Kings)
- Ade Murkey (Kings)
- Jordan Schakel (Wizards)
Lakers Sign Jemerrio Jones To 10-Day Deal
DECEMBER 21: The Lakers have signed Jones to a 10-day contract, the team formally announced today (via Twitter).
DECEMBER 20: The Lakers will add free agent forward Jemerrio Jones to their roster on a 10-day contract via the hardship provision, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Jones won’t count toward the standard 15-man roster, so no corresponding move is required.
Like many of the players who have joined the Lakers this year, Jones has a previous stint with the team. He signed with the Lakers late in the 2018/19 season and appeared in six games for the club down the stretch, averaging 4.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 2.2 APG in 23.8 MPG.
Those six games represent Jones’ only NBA experience to date, as he has spent most of his first four professional seasons in the G League, appearing in a total of 112 games for the South Bay Lakers, Delaware Blue Coats, and Wisconsin Herd. The 26-year-old has averaged 6.5 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 1.5 SPG in 11 games (25.6 MPG) for Wisconsin this season.
The Lakers have been one of the many NBA teams hit hard by COVID-19 this month. They currently have five players in the health and safety protocols. A sixth player – Malik Monk – reportedly tested out of the protocols, but has yet to return to action.
Lakers Sign Mason Jones To Two-Way Deal
DECEMBER 21: The Lakers have officially signed Jones to a two-way contract and waived Brown, the team announced today in a press release.
DECEMBER 20: The Lakers are calling up guard Mason Jones from their G League affiliate, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Jones will be signing a two-way contract.
The Lakers don’t currently have an open two-way slot on their roster, so assuming Charania’s report is accurate, they would presumably waive either Chaundee Brown or Jay Huff to make room for Jones.
An undrafted free agent out of Arkansas, Jones began his rookie season in 2020/21 on a two-way deal with Houston, was waived in early March, signed a 10-day contract with the Rockets, then inked a two-way deal with the 76ers. He spent several weeks in Philadelphia before being waived in May.
In total, Jones averaged 5.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in 32 contests (10.4 MPG) in ’20/21, with a respectable shooting line of .423/.364/.625. He joined the South Bay Lakers for the ’21/22 season and has averaged 17.8 PPG, 7.1 APG, and 6.5 RPG in 12 G League games (30.3 MPG) while bumping his shooting rates to .496/.412/.813.
The Lakers aren’t in action on Monday, so they may not officially finalize any roster moves until Tuesday. The club has also reportedly reached a deal to sign Jemerrio Jones to a 10-day contract.