Mavs Waive Pierre Jackson, Sign Yogi Ferrell
January 28, 10:35 am: The Mavs have officially signed Ferrell, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com.
January 27, 9:00 pm: The Mavericks have waived Jackson, opening the door for the addition of Ferrell, head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed today (link via The Dallas Morning News).
2:40 pm: Dallas will sign Ferrell to a 10-day deal, a source tells Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link).
2:30 pm: The Mavericks will bring in Yogi Ferrell for an audition with an eye on signing him to a 10-day deal, Jeff Rabjohns of Peegs.com reports (Twitter link). The team currently doesn’t have an open roster spot, so a corresponding move would have to take place.
Dallas re-signed Pierre Jackson to a second 10-day contract on Wednesday, but the point guard injured his hamstring in Thursday’s loss to the Thunder. The team could waive him before his 10-day contract is up, though the team would still owe Jackson the full amount of the contract, or it could simply let the deal expire next week in order to free up a roster spot. The Mavs will play in four more games before Jackson’s deal is scheduled to expire.
If Dallas wants to re-sign Jackson once that deal expires, it will have to be for the rest of the season. League rules prevent teams from giving more than two 10-day contracts to any player in a given season and with Jackson already receiving two such deals, Ferrell’s audition could be foreshadowing Jackson’s eventual departure.
The Mavs could take other paths to opening up a roster spot, such as waiving a player or trading a player without receiving one in return. The team is reportedly shopping Andrew Bogut, and Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors profiled the big man as a trade candidate earlier in the month.
Dallas is having trouble keeping its point guards on the court. Deron Williams missed the Thunder game with a sprained toe. J.J. Barea remains out with a calf injury and Jackson could miss time with his hamstring woes. If Jackson or Williams can’t play on Sunday versus the Spurs, the team may need to add some outside help sooner than later.
Ferrell played 10 games for Brooklyn earlier in the season, where he dished out a total of 17 assists while coughing up 14 turnovers before the team waived him. Since then, he’s been playing for the Nets’ D-League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/27/17
Here are Friday’s NBA D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
- Three Pistons players were assigned to the D-League today, with Henry Ellenson, Darrun Hilliard, and Michael Gbinije all joining the Grand Rapids Drive, per a team release. Detroit has a fully healthy roster for the time being, meaning there aren’t enough minutes to go around for the club’s young players. The plan is for them to remain in the D-League for two games, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
- The Knicks assigned Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee to the D-League earlier today, according to the team (Twitter link). Ndour led the Westchester Knicks with 22 points tonight, while Plumlee grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds.
- Rookie forward Joel Bolomboy was sent back to the Salt Lake City Stars by the Jazz, per a team press release. Bolomboy had 17 points and 15 boards for Utah’s NBADL affiliate tonight.
- The Mavericks assigned A.J. Hammons and Nicolas Brussino to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Both players were in the starting lineup tonight for the Texas Legends, scoring a club-high 19 points apiece.
- After being assigned to Long Island on Thursday, Chris McCullough was recalled by the Nets today, according to a press release. McCullough saw five minutes of action in Brooklyn’s loss against Cleveland tonight.
- Semaj Christon and Josh Huestis were also recalled to the NBA after a one-day D-League assignment, the Thunder announced in a press release. The duo contributed to the Oklahoma City Blue’s home win over Iowa on Thursday.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/26/17
Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
7:49 PM
- The Grizzlies assigned rookie forward Troy Williams to the Iowa Energy, the team posted on its website. Williams has appeared in nine games over two previous assignments with the Energy, averaging 15.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 1.3 APG in 21.5 minutes. He has appeared in 24 games for the Grizzlies, averaging 5.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG and 1.0 SPG in 17.4 minutes.
- The Jazz recalled rookie forward Joel Bolomboy from the Salt Lake City Stars after assigning him to the D-League earlier in the day, the club announced in a press release. Although he has barely played for Utah this season, Bolomboy has been a double-double machine during his time in the D-League, averaging 15.2 PPG and 12.8 RPG in 13 games.
1:15 PM
- The Thunder have assigned guard Semaj Christon and forward Josh Huestis to the D-League, the club announced today in a press release. Although Christon had a rotation role for Oklahoma City earlier this season, he has seen his NBA role reduced since Cameron Payne returned to the lineup.
- The Mavericks have recalled A.J. Hammons from the D-League, according to a press release from the team. Hammons had eight points, five boards, and four blocks for the Texas Legends on Wednesday.
- The Nets have sent Chris McCullough back to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. McCullough has spent a good chunk of the season with the Long Island Nets, averaging 19.0 PPG and 8.0 RPG in 25 contests for the club.
Mavs Re-Sign Pierre Jackson To 10-Day Deal
The Mavericks have re-signed Pierre Jackson, the team announced today in a press release. Jackson’s initial 10-day contract with the club expired on Tuesday night, so Dallas has signed him to a second 10-day deal.
Jackson, 25, initially joined the Mavs in December, but was waived prior to the salary guarantee deadline, allowing the team to avoid locking in his full-season deal. Jackson was brought back to the club on January 15, and enjoyed his best game of the season this past Sunday, picking up 10 points and five assists in the Mavs’ 49-point rout of the Lakers.
As our 10-day contract tracker shows, Jackson becomes the third player this season to get a second 10-day deal with the same team, following in the footsteps of Quincy Acy with the Nets and Chasson Randle with the Sixers. If the Mavs want to keep the point guard when his new 10-day contract expires, they’d have to sign him to a rest-of-season deal, since teams can’t ink players to more than two 10-day pacts in a season.
Dallas is now back to a full 15-man roster, with 14 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Jackson’s 10-day contract.
Matthews Not Available; Bogut Nears Return
The Mavs will not be trading Wesley Matthews, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas News. Team owner Mark Cuban would consider dealing the shooting guard for a select list of players, but those players are unavailable.
“We see Wes and Harrison Barnes as cornerstones,” Cuban told Sefko of the 30-year-old Mavs guard. “I think he’s first-team all-defense and those don’t come around very often.”
In 42 games with the Mavs so far this season, Matthews has averaged 15.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. He’s under contract through 2018/19 with a cap hit of $17MM this season.
Even without Matthews may not be on the block, expect Cuban and the Mavs to do their diligence leading up to the February 23 deadline though that doesn’t necessarily mean a trade will be made.
- Big man Andrew Bogut could soon make his return for the Mavs, writes Sefko in a separate piece for the Dallas News. “We’ll have at least one practice day before the game on Wednesday, so we’ll see what’s what,” said head coach Rick Carlisle.
Injuries Cripple 2016/17 Mavs
- The 2016/17 campaign won’t go down in history for the Mavs, at least not in a good way. Eddie Sefko of the Dallas News has come up with a list of things that have officially gone wrong, chief among them significant injuries to Dirk Nowitzki, Andrew Bogut, Devin Harris, Deron Williams and J.J. Barea (again).
Barea To Miss Weeks With Calf Injury
The Mavs could be without J.J. Barea for weeks, says Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. In Friday night’s contest the veteran point guard injured his calf muscle and knew automatically that something was wrong.
“After a shot, I went to step to the side, and I think I ran into the fans behind me and the fans sitting down,” Barea told Sneed for his official report after the game. “I looked back, but nobody touched me. When I went to step, that’s when I knew.”
The loss is just the latest injury to impact the team that wasn’t expected to struggle as much as they have throughout the first half of 2016/17. Dallas sits 14th in the Western Conference with a 14-29 record.
In 18 healthy games for the Mavs so far this season, Barea has averaged 12.2 points, 4.9 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. He’s under contract through the 2018/19 season with a cap hit of $4.1MM this year.
Expect reserve Pierre Jackson, currently signed to a 10-day contract, to get extra opportunities for the Mavs while they have him under contract.
Clippers Notes: Griffin, Rivers, Paul, Mavericks
The Clippers are hoping Blake Griffin will be able to play during their upcoming road trip, according to Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. The star forward has been sidelined since undergoing surgery in December to clear some “loose bodies” in his right knee. Griffin underwent stress tests on the knee Thursday and is expected to participate in some contact work today. The team is hoping he will be medically cleared for game action during the five-game trip, which extends through February 1st.
There’s more Clippers news out of Los Angeles:
- Coach Doc Rivers suspected a problem with Griffin’s knee when he noticed the All-Star forward wasn’t getting past defenders as easily as he normally does. Rivers told Rowan Kavner of NBA.com that Griffin is starting to regain that ability again. “He looks great,” the coach said. “I don’t think the timeframe has changed. I know he feels wonderful. He looks like he’s explosive again.”
- Rivers is planning to use several players to make up for the loss of Chris Paul, who will be out six to eight weeks following thumb surgery, Woike writes in a separate story. That means increased minutes for Raymond Felton, Jamal Crawford, J.J. Redick and possibly Austin Rivers. “It’s still next man up,” Doc Rivers said. “You take the top two players from any team, it makes it harder, but I don’t agree that it means that you struggle. You lose two guys, there’s nothing you can do about it. I think our guys have handled it well.”
- The Mavericks have a surplus of point guards who might interest the Clippers, suggests Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Dallas could offer Deron Williams, who will be a free agent after this season, Devin Harris, who is signed for one more year at a little more than $4.4MM, or J.J. Barea, who has two seasons left at about $3.9MM and $3.7MM.
Maverick Notes: Dirk, Carlisle, Whiteside
Dirk Nowitzki hopes to be able to play one more season with the Mavericks before he retires, Eddie Sefko passes along via Twitter. “Hopefully stay injury free rest of this year, come back and finish 20 years and that’s probably it,” Nowitzki said. The big man signed a two-year, $50MM with Dallas before the season.
Here’s more from Dallas:
- The Mavericks would like Rick Carlisle to continue to be their coach for the rest of his coaching career, but Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News wonders how long the coach can take a non-winning situation. Sherrington believes Carlisle will be with the franchise as long as he wants to be.
- Hassan Whiteside said he would have considered the Mavericks as a free agent destination if the Heat weren’t such a strong option, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel relays. “[The Mavs] told me just how much they can help me on the offensive end and give me and the ball more and how much they could utilize what I can do,” Whiteside said. “Maybe if I liked the Heat a little less, you know, I definitely would have considered the Mavericks a lot more.”
- Despite Andrew Bogut‘s latest ailment, the center still has decent trade value, Sefko argues in his latest mailbag. The scribe adds that the Mavericks are likely to wait to deal him until closer to the trade deadline unless an opposing team makes an offer they can’t refuse.
NBA Players Who Still Aren’t Trade-Eligible
Most of 2016’s offseason signees became eligible to be traded on December 15, and 21 more had their trade restrictions lifted on Sunday. Now that we’ve passed January 15, nearly all of the players in the NBA are trade-eligible, but there are still a handful of guys who can’t be moved.
Generally speaking, a player who signs a new contract becomes eligible to be dealt after three months or on December 15, whichever comes later. That’s why players who sign deals in July are eligible to be traded after December 15. For those free agents who didn’t sign until later in the year though, there are different deadlines.
Here are the players who signed recently enough that they aren’t yet trade-eligible:
- Spencer Dinwiddie, Nets: Signed as free agent on December 8.
- Bobby Brown, Rockets: Signed as free agent on December 16.
- Donatas Motiejunas, Pelicans: Signed as free agent on January 3.
By the time those players have been under contract for three months, it will be after this season’s February 23 trade deadline, meaning they can’t be traded at all during the season. Dinwiddie, who has a multiyear pact with Brooklyn, could be moved in the summer, but Brown and Motiejunas have one-year deals, meaning Houston and New Orleans won’t get a chance to trade them.
Players who recently signed contract extensions also face certain restrictions. These restrictions don’t apply to the group of players that signed rookie-scale extensions prior to October 31, but they do apply to guys like James Harden and Russell Westbrook, who had their deals renegotiated and extended during the offseason. Harden and Westbrook can’t be traded for six months after signing those extensions.
Since Harden signed his new deal on July 9, he became trade-eligible last Monday, though of course he’s not going anywhere. Westbrook, who is also untouchable at this point, signed his extension on August 4, meaning his trade restriction will lift on February 4.
In addition to those four players, there are four more who are currently on NBA rosters, but can’t be traded. Those four guys are on 10-day contracts, which can’t be moved to another team. Here’s the current list of players on 10-day deals, via our tracker:
- Alonzo Gee, Nuggets: Signed on January 8.
- Quincy Acy, Nets: Signed on January 10.
- Chasson Randle, Sixers: Signed on January 10.
- Pierre Jackson, Mavericks: Signed on January 15.
In total, by our count, there are eight players currently on NBA rosters (out of 443) who are ineligible to be traded. That doesn’t include players who can veto trades, but even after taking those guys into account, NBA teams should still have plenty of flexibility to make moves in the coming weeks.