NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/31/20
Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the league:
- The Nets assigned forward Dzanan Musa and guard Theo Pinson to their Long Island affiliate, according to the G League transactions log. Pinson, a second-year guard, has appeared in 27 games with Brooklyn this season, averaging 4.4 PPG in 12.3 MPG. Musa, a second-year swingman, is averaging 4.2 PPG in 11.9 MPG through 33 appearances with the NBA club.
- The Jazz assigned point guard Nigel Williams-Goss to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the G League log. Williams-Goss has made nine abbreviated appearances with the NBA team this season.
- The Wizards assigned rookie swingman Admiral Schofield to the Capital City Go-Go, according to the G League log. Schofield has played 26 games with the Wizards this season, averaging 3.2 PPG in 11.2 MPG.
Doncic, Young, Zion Headline Rising Stars Rosters
The NBA has officially announced the 20 rookies and sophomores who have been named to the league’s Rising Stars game for All-Star weekend. Those 20 players, selected by assistant coaches from around the league, will be divided into a U.S. Team and a World Team, as follows:
U.S. Team:
- Devonte’ Graham, G (Hornets)
- Tyler Herro, G (Heat)
- Ja Morant, G (Grizzlies)
- Kendrick Nunn, G (Heat)
- Trae Young, G (Hawks)
- Miles Bridges, F (Hornets)
- Jaren Jackson Jr., F (Grizzlies)
- Eric Paschall, F (Warriors)
- PJ Washington, F (Hornets)
- Zion Williamson, F (Pelicans)
- Note: Selected to replace injured Bulls center Wendell Carter.
World Team:
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker, G (Pelicans) — Canada
- Luka Doncic, G (Mavericks) — Slovenia
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G (Thunder) — Canada
- Josh Okogie, G (Timberwolves) — Nigeria
- RJ Barrett, G/F (Knicks) — Canada
- Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, G/F (Pistons) — Ukraine
- Brandon Clarke, F (Grizzlies) — Canada
- Rui Hachimura, F (Wizards) — Japan
- Deandre Ayton, C (Suns) — Bahamas
- Moritz Wagner, C (Wizards) — Germany
Williamson’s inclusion is notable since he has appeared in just four games due to injuries. It’s not surprising that the NBA found a way to get him into the game, since he’s one of the most exciting prospects to enter the league in years, but it’s a tough break for youngsters who have been on the court since the fall for contenders, such as Sixers wing Matisse Thybulle. or Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr.
Snubbed players like Thybulle, Porter, and others could eventually make their way into the Rising Stars game if players have to pull out due to injuries, or if All-Stars like Doncic and Young opt not to play in both events.
The Rising Stars game will take place in Chicago on Friday, February 14.
NBA Revises Cap, Tax Projections For 2020/21
3:15pm: The NBA’s new projection is a $115MM salary cap and $139MM tax line, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter links). That’s not as significant a drop from the previous projection as some front offices feared, so it shouldn’t have a noticeable impact on teams’ plans at the deadline.
3:07pm: The NBA has informed teams that new projections for 2020/21’s salary cap and luxury tax threshold are on the way, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks of ESPN. Those new numbers haven’t been revealed yet, but teams are expected to receive that info shortly in order to ensure they’re as informed as possible as they consider deadline trades.
When the NBA last updated its projection in September, it called for a $116MM cap and a $141MM tax line in 2020/21. Each of those numbers would represent a substantial jump up from the figures for 2019/20, which are $109.14MM (cap) and $132.627MM (tax).
However, those estimates were issued before Rockets general manager Daryl Morey published a tweet supporting protestors in Hong Kong. That tweet instigated a controversy between the NBA and China that cost the league sponsors and television partners. The ordeal is believed to have cost the NBA approximately $150-200MM, league sources told ESPN.
Although the cap is still expected to increase beyond this year’s figure, front office executives are preparing for a more modest jump, according to Wojnarowski and Marks, who hear that some teams believe the new projection could dip as far as $113MM. Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets that some team executives have referred to the expected drop as the “Daryl Deduction.”
A smaller cap increase than expected may not have a massive impact in free agency, since most teams are expected to be over the cap anyway. Still, every dollar counts when it comes to creating cap flexibility and avoiding the tax. Wojnarowski and Marks point to the Celtics, Nets, Warriors, Rockets, and Sixers as teams that could be taxpayers in 2020/21 and would be on the hook for a larger bill if the tax threshold is a few million dollars lower than anticipated.
Players who have signed maximum-salary contract extensions that take effect for the 2020/21 season will also take note of the league’s new cap estimates, since it will have an impact on their projected earnings.
Sixers guard Ben Simmons and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, for instance, signed maximum-salary extensions that will start at 25% of the cap next season, assuming neither player earns an All-NBA spot in 2019/20. When they signed those deals in July, the league was projecting a $117MM cap, which would have made them worth $169.65MM over five years. A $113MM cap would reduce their projected value to $163.85MM apiece.
Several other figures – including the rookie scale, mid-level exceptions, minimum salaries, and cash available in trades – are also linked to the percentage the salary cap increases from year to year and would be affected by an adjusted 2020/21 projection.
Bobby Marks: Major Nets Move More Likely In Offseason Than At Deadline
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider-only link) examines potential trade options for the Nets, concluding that it’s probably more realistic for the club to pursue another piece during the offseason than at next week’s trade deadline.
Atlantic Notes: Jordan, Celtics, Sixers, Kobe
Nets center DeAndre Jordan is set to make his return to the court on Wednesday against Detroit, Malika Andrews of ESPN.com tweets. Jordan has been out since January 20 with a dislocated finger.
Here’s more from out of the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics could benefit from having one more experienced role player, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports contends. Boston’s need for an eighth or ninth man could be exposed come playoff time.
- Javonte Green‘s play has made Brad Stevens‘ rotation decisions more difficult, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald writes. “I’m just here to do what the coach asks. Even if I’m not playing I’m going to do my best to pick up my teammates from the bench. He put me in there to just do my job,” said Green.
- The Sixers paid tribute to Kobe Bryant in multiple ways on Tuesday, as I wrote for Heavy.com. Joel Embiid wore No. 24 in the game against the Warriors, scoring 24 points. The big man hit a fadeaway and yelled “KOBE” during the contest.
Spencer Dinwiddie Changes Number To Honor Kobe
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).
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/27/20
Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the league:
- The Clippers recalled rookie forward Mfiondu Kabengele from their Agua Caliente affiliate, the team’s PR department tweets. Kabengele has averaged 19.2 PPG, 9.3 RPG and 1.9 BPG in 19 G League starts.
- The Nets assigned Theo Pinson and Dzanan Musa to their Long Island affiliate, according to the G League transactions log. Pinson, a second-year guard, has appeared in 27 games with Brooklyn this season, averaging 4.4 PPG in 12.3 MPG. Musa, a second-year swingman, is averaging 4.3 PPG and 12.2 MPG as 32 appearances with the NBA club.
- The Warriors recalled guard Jacob Evans III from their affiliate in Santa Cruz, according to a team press release. Evans has played two G League games this season. In 22 games with Golden State, he is averaging 4.4 PPG in 15.0 MPG.
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.
More Reactions To Kobe Bryant’s Death
Despite some speculation that Sunday night’s games might be cancelled in the wake of Kobe Bryant‘s death, the NBA moved forward with those contests. Moments of silence were held before the games, eight- and 24-second violations were committed in Bryant’s honor, and many players admitted to being preoccupied with thoughts of the longtime Lakers star.
Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony, who played on multiple Team USA squads with Bryant, said that basketball “was the furthest thing on my mind,” but that he believed Kobe would have wanted him to play, per Jason Quick of The Athletic.
“This probably was the hardest game I ever had to play,” Anthony said after scoring 14 points in the Blazers’ home win over Indiana. “Just uh … I don’t know … whoooo. It was tough. It was tough.”
Kyrie Irving, who was held out of Sunday’s Nets contest in New York for “personal reasons,” was said to be devastated by the death of Bryant, who had been his idol growing up, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post details. According to Lewis, Irving left the arena altogether after hearing the news.
“I was with him. I’ll keep [the scene] private, but they were very close,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said of Irving. “Tough, tough, tough, tough times.”
There were “heavy hearts” in the other Madison Square Garden locker room as well, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, who suggests that many Knicks players didn’t feel like going forward with the game.
“Somebody said to me earlier, ‘Superman is not supposed to die,'” Knicks forward Marcus Morris said. “And to us, he was Superman. I just feel sorry for his family. And the other passengers on there, I feel sorry for their families. It’s just a tough day.”
Blake Murphy of The Athletic provides a look at the Spurs and Raptors players who were heartbroken by the news, while Chris Kirschner of The Athletic looks at the reaction of Hawks guard Trae Young, who received a congratulatory FaceTime call from Kobe and his daughter Gianna after he was named an All-Star starter. Young, who began the game wearing a No. 8 jersey, became the first player to record a 45-point double double on fewer than 25 field goal attempts since Bryant did it in 2006.
Here’s more:
- According to a report from CBS Los Angeles, the nine people who were killed in Sunday’s helicopter crash have all been identified. Several of those victims have since been profiled by various outlets, with Alden Gonzalez of ESPN discussing Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, Scott Gleeson of USA Today writing about girls basketball coach Christina Mauser, and Molly Knight of The Athletic remembering Kobe’s 13-year-old daughter Gigi Bryant.
- More details are emerging on the circumstances surrounding Sunday’s crash, according to Paula Lavigne of ESPN, who writes that the Los Angeles Police Department had grounded its helicopters on Sunday morning due to foggy conditions. It remains to be seen whether those visibility issues were the reason for the crash, and the full investigation may take weeks, writes Mark Medina of USA Today.
- Tania Ganguli and Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times explore how Lakers players reacted to the death of the franchise legend.
- Howard Beck of Bleacher Report, who was one of a handful of full-time Lakers beat writers during Kobe’s early years, examines how Bryant evolved into an NBA icon.
- The list of current players who looked up to Bryant and counted on him for advice is long, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic, who notes that LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard were among the superstars who fit that bill.
- An ESPN report details the worldwide impact of Bryant’s death, sharing reactions from around Europe and Asia.
Nets Notes: Irving, Lineup Changes, Dinwiddie, Dudley
A year ago, Knicks fans were hoping Kyrie Irving would be part of a free agency coup that would turn the franchise around. Today marks their first chance to see him since his decision to sign with the cross-town Nets, writes Greg Joyce of The New York Post. Irving was sidelined with an injury during Brooklyn’s first trip to Madison Square Garden, and players expect a raucous setting for today’s game.
“The atmosphere has been crazy this whole week, so no question, it’s going to be a super-ecstatic atmosphere,” Taj Gibson said. “Hopefully we can match the same intensity and pull out a tough one.”
Even though Irving missed 27 games with a shoulder impingement, the Nets are eighth in the Eastern Conference playoff race, while the Knicks are headed for the lottery again. Irving’s 45-point outburst in last night’s win at Detroit is the latest reminder that he’s the type of impact player New York still doesn’t have.
There’s more this morning out of Brooklyn:
- Coach Kenny Atkinson juggled his lineup against the Pistons, helping the Nets break a five-game losing streak, notes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Defensive specialist Garrett Temple started in the backcourt next to Irving as Spencer Dinwiddie was used off the bench for the first time in more than two months. “I always talk to the coaches about it, but it was a little bit of a hunch. I thought we needed to shuffle some things up,” Atkinson said. “It had nothing to do with Spencer’s play, absolutely nothing. It was more can we get Spencer in that ballhandling role a little bit more, because we all know that’s where he’s great.”
- Dinwiddie tells Matt Schoch of The Detroit News that it’s no longer a big deal to play against the Pistons, who drafted him in 2014 but traded him to the Bulls after two seasons. “Honestly, I would rather see Wilson (Chandler) go out there and go get 40 because he’s from here,” Dinwiddie said. “It’s a bigger game for him than anyone else.”
- Jared Dudley wanted to stay with the Nets, but got tired of waiting for the team to make a commitment, relays Billy Reinhardt of NetsDaily. He wound up signing a one-year deal with the Lakers. “When I’m looking at how it’s going and all the guys are coming off the board, watching Jeff Green go to Utah and when I saw (Anthony) Tolliver signed with Portland, I was supposed to sign before Tolliver, there’s usually a pecking order,” Dudley recalled. “When I saw that, that’s when I started making my phone calls. Once L.A. offered me, Brooklyn offered, but by that time my mind was already — once LeBron (James) and (Anthony Davis) signed off on it — there was no turning back.”