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.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/8/17
Here are the D-League assignments and recalls from Sunday:
10:20pm:
- The Spurs moved guard Dejounte Murray to the Austin Spurs of the D-League, the team announced on its website. The rookie guard has appeared in 19 games for San Antonio, averaging 2.3 points in 5.5 minutes.
- The Mavs announced via press release that they have assigned center A.J. Hammons and guard-forward Nicolas Brussino to their D-League affiliate. Hammons has appeared in 17 games for the Mavericks this season, averaging 1.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in 4.5 minutes. Brussino has played in 27 games for Dallas this season, averaging 1.4 points and 1.1 rebounds in 6.8 minutes.
- The Nuggets recalled rookie guard Malik Beasley, Denver announced in a press release.
12:18pm:
- The Sixers have recalled forward Richaun Holmes from their Delaware affiliate, the team announced in a press release. He had 10 points and eight rebounds in the 87ers’ win Saturday.
- The Knicks have recalled Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee from their Westchester affiliate, the team tweeted.
- The Bulls have recalled forward Paul Zipser from their Windy City affiliate, the team announced via press release. Zipser had played in the D-League team’s last two games, averaging 16.5 points and 7.0 rebounds.
- The Celtics have assigned guard Demetrius Jackson to their affiliate in Maine, the team tweeted.
- The Rockets have assigned forward Kyle Wiltjer to their affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, according to a tweet from the team.
Arthur Hill contributed to this report.
Nuggets Re-Sign Alonzo Gee To 10-Day Deal
The Nuggets re-signed Alonzo Gee to a 10-day contract just two days after waiving him, Denver announced on its official team website. Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post had first reported that the Nuggets were interested in bringing back Gee.
Gee will be with the team for Thursday’s game vs. Indiana in London. Denver had parted ways with Gee to avoid Saturday’s deadline that would have guaranteed his contract for the rest of the season.
Gee has appeared in just 13 games for the Nuggets, averaging 0.8 points and 0.8 rebounds in 6.8 minutes per night. Denver signed him in November after he was waived by New Orleans. The 6’6″ forward has played for six franchises in his eight-year NBA career including stops with the Spurs and Cavs.
Nuggets May Bring Back Alonzo Gee
The Nuggets may not be done with veteran swingman Alonzo Gee, who was waived Friday, according to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post.
Denver parted ways with Gee to avoid Saturday’s deadline that would have guaranteed his contract for the rest of the season. However, he could be brought back on a 10-day deal later in the year.
“We love Alonzo,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone. “He was terrific. So that move by no means was an indication of how we feel about him. The front office made a move that going forward gives us flexibility.”
Gee has appeared in just 13 games for the Nuggets, averaging 0.8 points and 0.8 rebounds in 6.8 minutes per night. Denver signed him in November after he was waived by New Orleans. Gee has played for six franchises in his eight-year NBA career.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/7/17
Here are the D-League assignments and recalls from Saturday:
10:11pm:
- The Bulls have recalled forward Bobby Portis from their Windy City affiliate, the team announced in a press release. Portis had 32 points and nine rebounds in Friday’s game.
- The Spurs have recalled rookie guard Dejounte Murray from their affiliate in Austin, the team posted on its website. Murray is coming off a 25-point performance Friday and is averaging 16.6 points per game in 12 D-League contests. He has played 18 games for San Antonio, getting 5.6 minutes per night.
- The Pacers have recalled Georges Niang from their Fort Wayne affiliate, according to the team’s website. He connected on five 3-pointers and scored 23 points in his last game for the Mad Ants.
2:07pm:
- The Suns have recalled Derrick Jones Jr., according to a team-issued press release. Jones comes off of his fourth assignment to the club’s D-League affiliate this season.
- The Lakers have assigned center Ivica Zubac to the D-League, reports Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times via a team press release. Zubac has already played 11 games for the team’s affiliate, averaging 15.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
- The Nuggets have recalled Juan Hernangomez from their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. Hernangomez appeared in just one game for the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
11:30am:
- The Sixers have reassigned Richaun Holmes to their D-League affiliate, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Holmes, who hasn’t played since mid-December, was recalled from the Delaware 87ers on Thursday morning.
- The Thunder have recalled guard Cameron Payne, the team announced on Twitter. The second year man will look to make his season debut after missing the first two months with a broken foot.
Nuggets Openly Shopping Nurkic
The Nuggets have seen first-hand that there may not be enough room for both Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic to thrive in Denver. After starting the first 25 games of the season at center, 23-year-old Nurkic’s role has been drastically reduced. In a timeshare with Jokic, Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post writes, Nurkic has played over 30 minutes only once.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the Nuggets are now “openly shopping” the third-year big man.
Though the sample size remains relatively small considering that he spent half of the 2015/16 campaign on the sidelines, Nurkic’s career per-36 numbers paint a picture of promise. The Bosnian Beast is capable of big games, just not while Jokic is in the picture vying for minutes and opportunities of his own.
Nurkic is owed $1.9MM this season, in the second last year of his rookie contract.
Earlier this week, J.J. Vega of FanSided’s NuggLove blog speculated about where the big man could end up.
Nuggets Waive Alonzo Gee
The Nuggets have waived Alonzo Gee, according to a team press release. Denver’s roster count is now at 14 players, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates.
Gee joined Denver in November and his deal was partially guaranteed, though had he remained on the roster through Saturday, it would have became fully guaranteed. The cap hit for the move is $418K, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical tweets.
Gee played sparingly for the team, appearing in only 13 contests. The veteran has played for six different franchises in his seven-year career.
Nuggets Have Assets For Major Trade
The sheer abundance of valuable young assets on the Nuggets make Denver a team to watch prior to February’s trade deadline, writes Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post. Bontemps cites Nikola Jokic and the club’s backcourt full of promising guards as two of the major reasons why the franchise’s forecast is so bright.
In addition to their coveted young core, the multiple first-round picks they hold and a bevy of reliable veterans make them uniquely qualified to deal in the coming months. That bodes particularly well as rumors swirl around Hawks forward Paul Millsap. Millsap has been linked to the Nuggets this year and was nearly dealt to the Mile High City last year as well.
If nothing else, the Nuggets could look to simply free up space for the young players they feel most confident about heading forward. As head coach Mike Malone learned with Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic earlier this season, there are only so many opportunities to go around.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/4/17
Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
4:25pm:
- The Lakers have re-assigned rookie big man Ivica Zubac to the D-League (Twitter link). Zubac will be in uniform for the L.A. D-Fenders tomorrow night for the team’s game against Iowa.
- The Pistons officially announced in a press release this afternoon that they’ve sent Henry Ellenson to the Grand Rapids Drive. As Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets, fellow rookie Michael Gbinije likely would’ve joined him, but he’s battling a forearm injury.
- Forward Troy Williams has been recalled by the Grizzlies from his assignment with the Iowa Energy, per a team release. Williams averaged 24.3 PPG in three games during his D-League stint, including 32 in 28 minutes on December 27.
2:28pm:
- Richaun Holmes, who has completed and passed all the elements of the NBA’s concussion protocol, has been assigned to the D-League by the Sixers, the team announced today in a press release. While some NBADL rehab assignments don’t include game action, the Sixers suggest that Holmes is expected to suit up tonight for the Delaware 87ers.
12:55pm:
- A pair of Nuggets rookies, Malik Beasley and Juan Hernangomez, have been assigned to the D-League, according to a press release. Despite having a fairly young roster, Denver hasn’t used the D-League much this season, since the team doesn’t have its own affiliate. Beasley and Hernangomez will join the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s NBADL squad.
- The Raptors have sent Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet back to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). The duo has bounced back and forth between the NBA and NBADL all season — it’s the 13th D-League assignment for Caboclo and the ninth for VanVleet.
- Maurice Ndour is headed to the D-League, having been assigned to Westchester today by the Knicks (Twitter link). New York’s D-League affiliate is in action tonight against Grand Rapids, and Ndour is expected to suit up for the game.
- The Suns have assigned rookie forward Derrick Jones to the D-League, the team announced today (Twitter link). It’s the fourth NBADL assignment of the season for Jones, who has averaged 14.0 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 14 games for Northern Arizona.
Malone, Gallinari Disagree On Nuggets' Veteran Leadership
The race for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference is wide open, but the Nuggets were unable to grain ground on Tuesday night, losing their third straight game. Tuesday’s loss was particularly frustrating since it came at home against the Kings, the team ahead of Denver for that eighth seed in the West. In the wake of Denver’s defeat, Michael Malone was critical of his team’s performance and effort, telling reporters that the Nuggets have “the worst defense in the NBA.”
“Right now we have no leadership, we have no veteran leadership on this team stepping up,” said the Nuggets head coach, per Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. “I don’t hear anybody speaking, taking the lead. We have two young guys trying to speak up on the team’s behalf, which you applaud them but you need some leadership to shine and step up when we are struggling, which we are.”
One person who didn’t agree with Malone’s assessment? Danilo Gallinari, who took exception to the idea that the Nuggets lack veteran leadership. “That’s definitely not the problem with this team,” Gallinari said, according to Dempsey. “Every veteran on this team can agree with me. So, I don’t agree with that.”
The Nuggets have frequently been mentioned as one of the teams most likely to make a move before the trade deadline, so the situation in Denver will be worth monitoring in the coming weeks. Let’s round up a few more notes from out of the Western Conference…