NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/5/19
Here are Tuesday’s assignments and recalls from the G League:
- The Nets assigned oft-injured guards Allen Crabbe and Caris LeVert to their affiliate in Long Island for practice, the team announced (Twitter link). Brooklyn recalled both men after practice, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post (Twitter link). LeVert has not played since Nov. 12 when he suffered a right foot dislocation and Crabbe has been sidelined with a sore knee since Dec. 12. Crabbe will be available Wednesday against the Nuggets while Brooklyn is hopeful LeVert can return shortly thereafter.
- The Wizards assigned John Jenkins to their G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, the team announced (Twitter link). Jenkins has yet to play in a game with Washington and has appeared in just one game with the Go-Go.
- The Bulls assigned Antonio Blakeney to their G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, the team announced (Twitter link). Blakeney has appeared in 40 games with Chicago this season, averaging 7.8 PPG and 1.6 RPG.
- The Lakers assigned rookie Isaac Bonga to their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, the team announced (Twitter link). The 19-year-old has averaged 12.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 2.6 APG with South Bay.
Details On How Porzingis Trade Talks Played Out
In his latest newsletter for The New York Times, Marc Stein takes a deep dive into the trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis from New York to Dallas, sharing several interesting new details on the negotiations leading up to the deal itself.
Here’s a round-up of the highlights from Stein:
- The Knicks spent a good portion of January canvassing the NBA for possible Porzingis trades, according to Stein, who hears the team was rebuffed when it inquired on potential targets like Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell and Kings guard De’Aaron Fox. After devoting much of the month to possible trade scenarios, the Knicks were convinced that no team besides Dallas would take on the Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee contracts while also offering a player like Dennis Smith Jr. along with multiple first-round picks, says Stein.
- New York’s management group has known for years that the Mavericks were very interested in Porzingis, with one Mavs official joking to Stein that Dallas had approached the Knicks “about a hundred times” before they finally showed a willingness to move the All-Star big man. Conversely, the Knicks had been expressing interest in Smith all season, per Stein.
- The Knicks and Mavericks had been discussing the framework of a possible Wesley Matthews/Hardaway deal for weeks, and began expanding those talks to include Porzingis on January 28, Stein writes. The two teams then worked in person toward finalizing the framework of a deal last Wednesday when the Mavs played the Knicks in New York. However, the Knicks wanted to wait until after they met with the Porzingis brothers on Thursday to make any decisions.
- Following that Thursday meeting between Knicks management and the Porzingis brothers, Janis Porzingis (Kristaps’ agent) provided the club with a four-team list of preferred destinations, a source tells Stein. The Nets and Clippers were on that list, but the Mavericks weren’t. The Knicks opted to move quickly on the Mavs deal in part due to concern that Porzingis’ camp would leak that list and threaten to only sign long-term with those clubs, Stein adds.
- The Knicks were informed that Porzingis was ready to leave the team and continue his injury rehab in Spain if he remained on the roster through the trade deadline, Stein hears.
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, with an interesting quote to Stein: “It was my mistake to not keep Dirk [Nowitzki] and Steve [Nash] together longer. I won’t make the same mistake with Luka [Doncic] and KP.”
- For what it’s worth, Stein reports that the threat of Kevin Durant leaving for the Knicks has “never felt more real” to the Warriors than it does now that New York has cleared two maximum-salary slots for the summer.
Trade Rumors: KCP, J. Parker, O’Quinn, R. Lopez
In addition to doing their best to pry Anthony Davis away from the Pelicans, the Lakers have reportedly explored a deal with the Bulls involving Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jabari Parker. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported as much on the Hoop Collective podcast this week, as Matthew Moreno of LakersNation.com relays.
There are a number of potential roadblocks to such a deal. For one, the Lakers would have to include at least one more piece in order to match salaries, since Parker is earning $20MM and Caldwell-Pope has a $12MM cap hit. Most of the Lakers’ other expiring contracts are tied up in their offer for Davis, though they’d be available to move if the Pelicans decide to hang onto AD through the deadline.
Additionally, Caldwell-Pope has the ability to veto a trade, which is why he hasn’t been included in any of the Lakers’ offers to the Pelicans for Davis. Windhorst suggests that the Bulls “really like” Caldwell-Pope, so if KCP reciprocates that interest, perhaps he’d sign off on a deal. But it’s unclear whether he’d agree on a move that would send him from a playoff contender to a lottery team. For what it’s worth, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times hears that Caldwell-Pope doesn’t appear to be interested in the Bulls.
Here are a few more trade rumors and notes from around the NBA:
- Pacers big man Kyle O’Quinn is worth keeping an eye on as the deadline approaches, tweets Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports. Indiana has been “quietly active” seeking wing help, and O’Quinn’s expiring contract could be used in a deal, Smith notes.
- Trade talk about veteran center Robin Lopez has quieted recently, a league source tell Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Lopez won’t be moved by Thursday afternoon, but it sounds like the Bulls aren’t close to anything.
- Mike Schmitz of ESPN.com (Insider-only link) identifies Frank Ntilikina (Knicks), Luke Kennard (Pistons), Justin Jackson (Kings), and Cheick Diallo (Pelicans) as potential targets for teams looking to buy low on young prospects.
- Bryan Fonseca of NetsDaily explores some trade possibilities for the Nets, while Rod Beard of The Detroit News argues that if the Pistons make a deal, they should take a big swing.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/4/19
Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from the G League:
- The Nets assigned forward Mitch Creek to the Long Island Nets, then recalled him and rookie Dzanan Musa in time for tonight’s game against Milwaukee, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Musa scored 26 points and Creek added 15 in Long Island’s loss to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Monday afternoon. Creek signed a second 10-day contract on Monday morning.
- The Celtics recalled rookie big man Robert Williams from the Maine Red Claws, the team’s PR department tweets. The first-round pick has appeared in 22 games with Boston this season.
- The Rockets assigned forward Gary Clark to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Clark has appeared in 36 games with the Rockets, including one start, averaging 2.9 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 14.6 MPG.
Nets’ Caris LeVert May Return By All-Star Break
Nets guard Caris LeVert is on track to begin participating in five-on-five practices soon, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who hears that there’s optimism LeVert will return to the court for Brooklyn before the All-Star break.
It’s great news for the Nets and for LeVert, who went down with a gruesome right foot injury in November. While it initially looked like we might not see him again until the 2019/20 season, the third-year guard was diagnosed with a dislocated foot, with the team indicating that he was expected to return before the end of the season.
Even based on that recovery timeline, it’s a little surprising that LeVert is already nearing a return. If he’s able to get back on the court before the All-Star break, he’ll only have missed about three months. He’s expected to practice with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, later this week, per Wojnarowski.
LeVert, 24, was off to a great start in 2018/19 before his injury, averaging 18.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.7 APG, and .475/.311/.721 shooting in 14 games (29.7 MPG). While it remains to be seen whether he’ll pick up right where he left off, LeVert should help the Nets solidify a playoff spot, adding more talent to a squad that could be a tough out in the postseason.
Nets Sign Mitch Creek To Second 10-Day Deal
After his 10-day contract with the Nets expired overnight, Australian forward Mitch Creek has re-signed with the club on a second 10-day deal, Brooklyn announced this morning in a press release.
The new pact will keep Creek under contract through February 13, at which point the Nets will have to decide whether to re-sign him for the season or let him go. A player can sign no more than two 10-day contracts with the same team in a given league year.
Creek, 26, arrived stateside in 2018 after spending most of his professional career with the Adelaide 36ers in Australia. He played for the Mavericks in Summer League, the Nets in the preseason, and the G League’s Long Island Nets for most of the 2018/19 campaign until signing with Brooklyn on January 25.
While Creek didn’t see much action during his first 10 days in the NBA, averaging 2.3 PPG and 1.7 RPG in three games (6.7 MPG), the Nets apparently liked what they saw. Brooklyn will have him fill the club’s 15th and final roster spot for at least the next week and a half.
Dzanan Musa Will Remain With G League Club For Now
- Rookie guard Dzanan Musa will remain with the Nets‘ G League affiliate in Long Island for the foreseeable future, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. The 19-year-old will stay with the minor league squad to get minutes. Musa is recovering from a shoulder injury that sidelined him in December.
D’Angelo Russell Replaces Oladipo In All-Star Game
Nets guard D’Angelo Russell has been added to the 2019 All-Star Game by the NBA, the league announced today in a press release. Russell will take the place of injured Pacers guard Victor Oladipo on the roster.
[RELATED: Nowitzki, Wade Added To All-Star Game]
It’s the first All-Star selection for Russell, who has enjoyed a breakout season in his second year in Brooklyn. The former second overall pick is averaging career-best marks in PPG (19.6), APG (6.4), FG% (.438), 3PT% (.374), and a number of other categories, en route to leading the Nets to a 28-25 record. That mark puts the team comfortably in the No. 6 spot in the East.
Russell was viewed as one of the East’s top snubs when the All-Star reserves were announced on Thursday, and it seemed to be just a matter of time until he replaced Oladipo on the roster. The Pacers guard is sidelined for the rest of the season with a ruptured quad tendon.
You can check out the rest of the 2019 All-Star reserves right here.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/31/19
Here are Thursday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Hornets have assigned guard Dwayne Bacon to the Greensboro Swarm, general manager Mitch Kupchak announced. Bacon is averaging 4.6 points and 1.6 rebounds per game in 24 appearances with the Hornets this season.
- The Cavaliers have recalled Kobi Simmons from the Canton Charge, the team announced in a press release. Simmons has seen action in 31 games with the Charge this season, holding per-game averages of 16.7 points and four rebounds.
- The Rockets recalled center Isaiah Hartenstein today, according to the team’s public relations department. Hartenstein was drafted by the Rockets with the No. 43 pick back in 2017.
- The Blazers have recalled Anfernee Simons from the Agua Caliente Clippers, president of basketball operations Neil Olshey announced. Simons was originally assigned to Agua Caliente on January 20.
Porzingis May Prefer Trade; Knicks Expected To Explore Market
After meeting with Knicks management to express his concern about the team’s direction, Kristaps Porzingis left the franchise with the impression that he prefers to be traded, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Knicks are expected to begin discussions about possible Porzingis trades ahead of next week’s deadline, the ESPN duo reports.
As we relayed in our earlier Porzingis story, the injured big man – along with his brother (and agent) Janis – reportedly spoke to the Knicks today about his frustration with the team’s losing, the franchise’s history of dysfunction, and his concern about whether sustainable organizational success is possible.
While ESPN’s report suggested that Porzingis would like to win in New York, it seems that he’s not confident that can happen anytime soon. He’ll be a restricted free agent during the summer of 2019, so the Knicks are in position to hang onto him for at least another season, if they so choose, but it sounds like the club is willing to test the market to see what kind of offers are out there. The Knicks previously considered trading Porzingis when Phil Jackson was in charge of basketball decisions.
An All-Star a year ago, Porzingis averaged 22.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 2.4 BPG with a .439/.395/.793 shooting line in 48 games in 2017/18, displaying franchise-player potential. However, a torn ACL ended his season early and has sidelined him for the entire 2018/19 campaign so far.
Considering Porzingis still hasn’t returned to action following that ACL tear, it’s not clear what the trade market for him would look like at this point. If he’s able to get back on the court during the final couple months of the season and prove he’s healthy, it would increase his value, but it’s not clear when he’ll return — plus, it may be tricky for the Knicks to pull off a sign-and-trade deal in the offseason.
The Celtics, Clippers, Thunder, and Spurs figure to be among the teams with interest in trading for Porzingis, tweets Frank Isola of The Athletic. Wojnarowski names the Clippers and Spurs as well, adding the Nets, Heat, and Raptors to the list of potential suitors (Twitter link). Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (Twitter link) throws the Mavericks into the mix as well.
As we noted earlier today, Porzingis will have a limited ability to jump ship anytime soon if he’s not traded during the season or in a sign-and-trade. He could accept his qualifying offer this summer and become an unrestricted free agent in 2020, but settling for a one-year, $4.5MM deal would be a big risk for a 7’3″ player coming off an ACL tear.
His other option would be to sign a shorter-term offer sheet with a rival suitor — the Knicks would almost certainly match it, but Porzingis would have the opportunity to get back on the open market sooner than if he signs a four- or five-year contract with New York.
If the Knicks don’t move Porzingis before the deadline, it will be interesting to see if he reconsiders his stance at all in the coming months. New York has a good deal of cap flexibility and is in position to land a top-five draft pick, so it’s not as if the club is poised to stay stuck in lottery territory forever. Some good luck in the draft lottery or on the free agent market could substantially accelerate the Knicks’ rebuilding process.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.