Jacob Evans

And-Ones: Australia, Evans, Masks, Free Agency

Ben Simmons heads the list of players named by Basketball Australia to the country’s preliminary Olympic squad, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Among some of the other NBA notables on the 24-player list are Aron Baynes, Joe Ingles, Dante Exum, Matisse Thybulle, Patty Mills, Josh Green, Thon Maker and Matthew Dellavedova. The squad will have to be pared to 12 players for the Olympic tournament in Tokyo this summer.

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • The Erie BayHawks waived guard Jacob Evans to make room for forward Jordan Bell, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. Bell was released from his 10-day contract with the Wizards over the weekend. Evans played for the Warriors and Timberwolves the past two seasons.
  • The NBA will soon require players to wear KN95 or KF94 masks on the bench and all other areas where masks are necessary, Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes. The new rule will go into effect over the next week. Starting with games on Friday, the NBA will more strictly enforce current rules regarding the use of face masks, Bontemps adds.
  • The Athletic trio of James Edwards III (Pistons), Mike Vorkunov (Knicks) and Chris Kirschner (Hawks) take a closer look at their teams’ free agent moves during the offseason, how well those players have worked out so far, and what those franchises could have done differently.

And-Ones: Evans, Spellman, Buyouts, Lauvergne, Mathias

The Pelicans’ NBAGL affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, has acquired guard Jacob Evans and forward Omari Spellman to replace Jordan Bell, who was recently called up to the Wizards on a 10-day deal, and Rawle Alkins, whom the BayHawks waived, per Michael Somrak of GLeague.com.

Evans and Spellman will join the BayHawks for the G League’s 2021 season in an Orlando “bubble” campus environment. Evans has logged parts of the last two seasons with the Warriors and Timberwolves. Spellman has played for the Warriors and the Hawks across his two years of NBA action.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Zach Harper of The Athletic takes an early gander at buyout possibilities around the NBA, two months before most buyouts transpire. Harper expects contenders like the Nets, Lakers, Clippers, Sixers and Bucks to be aggressive in seeking to build out their contending rosters. Harper anticipates the list of available names to potentially include veterans like Cavaliers center Andre Drummond, Pistons point guard Derrick Rose, Hornets center Cody Zeller, Cavs center JaVale McGee, and Bulls forward Otto Porter.
  • Former NBA big man Joffrey Lauvergne has inked a two-year extension with Lithuanian EuroLeague club Žalgiris, the team announced on its site. The deal, which includes a guaranteed season and an option, will keep him under contract through the 2022/23 season. Lauvergne is averaging 11.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 1.5 APG with Žalgiris. The 6″11″ center/power forward enjoyed NBA stints with the Nuggets, Thunder, Bulls and Spurs, averaging 5.6 PPG (on 47.9% shooting from the floor), 3.8 RPG, and 0.9 APG across 208 total NBA contests.
  • Ex-Sixers shooting guard Dakota Mathias is set to join the Team USA roster for the AmeriCup qualifying tournament for two games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on February 19 and 20, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Fellow NBA alumni Isaiah Thomas and Joe Johnson will also represent USA Basketball. By benefit of a 4-0 record across prior qualifying contests, Team USA has technically already qualified for the 2022 AmeriCup tournament.

Lance Stephenson Among NBA Vets Eligible For G League Draft

As previously reported, the NBA G League’s 2020/21 draft will take place on Monday, January 11. And according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter links), there will be some interesting names on the list of players eligible to be selected in that draft.

Veteran swingman Lance Stephenson, former No. 2 overall pick Emeka Okafor, and other recent NBA players like Justin Patton, Jacob Evans, Dzanan Musa, and Admiral Schofield will be part of the draft pool, per Givony. Former first-round picks Terrence Jones and Shabazz Muhammad will be draft-eligible as well.

According to Givony, the following players who have been on NBA rosters in the past are also among the G League’s other draft-eligible veterans: Kenny Wooten, Antonio Blakeney, Tyler Ulis, Quincy Pondexter, Diamond Stone, Hollis Thompson, Cat Barber, Isaiah Briscoe, Phil Booth, Dusty Hannahs, Jemerrio Jones, Cory Jefferson, and Freddie Gillespie.

These, presumably, are players who have signed G League contracts but whose rights aren’t currently held by any teams. A player whose returning rights are controlled by a club participating in the G League’s bubble season wouldn’t be eligible to be drafted.

For instance, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that LiAngelo Ball has signed a contract to play in the bubble. Since the Oklahoma City Blue hold his returning rights and are playing in the bubble, Ball shouldn’t be in the general draft pool.

The Blue are one of 18 teams set to participate in the shortened bubble season, which is expected to take place at Walt Disney World. That list of teams can be found right here.

Givony previously reported that the G League is adjusting its roster rules for this season to make it easier for NBA teams to recruit and sign veterans with five or more years of NBA experience. Each NBAGL team will be able to designate an “NBA Vet Selection” who fits that bill and can sign that player directly without navigating the league’s complicated waiver process. My understanding is that those designated won’t be in the draft pool.

Knicks Waive Jacob Evans

The Knicks have waived third-year shooting guard Jacob Evans, the team announced today (Twitter link).

Evans, 23, was drafted by Golden State with the 28th overall pick in 2018 and spent his first season-and-a-half in the NBA with the Warriors before being dealt to Minnesota in the D’Angelo Russell trade in February. In 59 overall games with the Warriors and Timberwolves, he has averaged 2.8 PPG and 1.1 RPG in just 10.5 minutes per contest, making just 33.7% of his shots from the floor.

The Knicks acquired Evans in a trade that sent Ed Davis to the Wolves last month. His inclusion in that deal was required for salary-matching purposes and he never appeared to be part of New York’s long-term plans.

Evans’ $2.02MM salary for 2020/21 is fully guaranteed, so the Knicks will have to pay out that money — the team remains about $18MM below the cap though, so that’s not a major concern. Evans had a $3.64MM team option for 2021/22 that will be automatically voided unless he’s claimed on waivers, which seems unlikely.

With a spot on their 20-man camp roster now available, the Knicks have room to begin completing their Exhibit 10 signings for G League rights and bonus purposes. Skal Labissiere, James Young, and Andrew White have all reportedly agreed to camp deals with the club and figure to eventually join the Westchester Knicks.

Looking ahead, the Knicks are now carrying 15 players with guaranteed salaries and would have to cut one of those players if they want to include either Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Myles Powell on their regular season roster.

Knicks Trade Ed Davis To Wolves For Spellman, Evans, Pick

NOVEMBER 24: The Timberwolves have officially acquired Davis from the Knicks in exchange for Spellman, Evans, and a future draft pick, the team confirmed today in a press release. According to the Wolves, the pick going to the Knicks is Minnesota’s 2026 second-rounder.


NOVEMBER 22: The Knicks will trade big man Ed Davis to the Timberwolves for big man Omari Spellman, shooting guard Jacob Evans and the rights to a future second-round pick, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).

Evans and Spellman, sent by the Warriors to Minnesota at the 2020 deadline as part of the D’Angelo RussellAndrew Wiggins deal, will earn a combined $4MM in 2020/21. Davis, meanwhile, is set to make $5MM this season.

Given the added money and the fact that the Timberwolves are surrendering a draft asset in the deal, it looks as if the Wolves like Davis and intend to retain him. At just 31 years old, the athletic journeyman could help spell sharpshooting star center Karl-Anthony Towns.

Davis had career-lows in minutes (10.8 MPG in just 28 games), points (1.8 PPG) and rebounds (3.8 RPG) during his 2019/20 season with the Jazz. Utah agreed to send him to New York earlier this week in a salary-dump deal.

Considering that the Knicks acquired two 2023 second-round draft picks for taking on Davis’ salary originally, it is impressive that the club has now added a third second-round draft pick in moving off his salary.

With these new additions, the Knicks now have 16 players on their roster, aside from their two-way players. Marc Berman of the New York Post has said the Knicks like Spellman, but it’s not clear whether or not Evans will be retained.

Luke Adams contributed to this report.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/29/20

Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/24/20

Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:

  • The Pistons recalled guard Khyri Thomas from the Grand Rapids Drive, according to a team press release. In two games with the Drive, Thomas averaged 17.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 1.5 APG in 22.0 MPG. Thomas, a second-round pick in 2018, played two early-season games with the Pistons before undergoing foot surgery.
  • The Warriors assigned big man Alen Smailagic to their Santa Cruz affiliate, the team’s PR department tweets. He has averaged 15.8 PPG and 6.2 RPG in 18 games with the G League club. The rookie has also seen action in 14 Golden State games.
  • The Timberwolves recalled swingman Jacob Evans III and forward Jarred Vanderbilt from their Iowa affiliate, according to a team press release. Evans was acquired from Golden State and Vanderbilt was acquired from Denver earlier this month.
  • The Pacers assigned forward Alize Johnson to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team’s PR department tweets. The 2018 second-round pick has appeared in 12 games with the NBA club this season.
  • The Spurs assigned Keldon Johnson and  Chimezie Metu to their Austin affiliate, according to the G League transactions log. Johnson, the team’s first-round pick last June, has played five NBA games. Metu, a second-year forward, has appeared in 16 games for San Antonio this season.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/22/20

Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Timberwolves assigned Jacob Evans to their G League affiliate in Iowa (Twitter link). He has played just one minute for Minnesota since being acquired from Golden State in a February 6 trade.
  • The Warriors assigned forward Alen Smailagic to their Santa Cruz affiliate (Twitter link). He’s averaging 16.3 points and 6.1 rebounds in 17 G League games.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/19/20

Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

Also on the transactions log:

Warriors Trade D’Angelo Russell To Timberwolves

The Warriors have officially traded star guard D’Angelo Russell to the Timberwolves, the teams announced in a pair of press releases. Minnesota has also acquired big man Omari Spellman and guard Jacob Evans along with Russell.

In exchange, Golden State receives swingman Andrew Wiggins, a protected 2021 first-round pick, and a 2021 second-round pick. The 2021 first-rounder headed to Golden State will be Minnesota’s own top-three protected pick. It would become unprotected in 2022 if it doesn’t convey next year.

The Wolves’ acquisition of Russell represents the culmination of a pursuit that dates back at least to the 2019 free agent period, when the team made D-Lo its top target and offered him a lucrative four-year contract. Minnesota had hoped to pair the All-Star guard with his good friend Karl-Anthony Towns, but were passed over when the Warriors swooped in with a four-year, max-salary offer. Seven months later, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas got his man.

The blockbuster deal comes at a good time for the Wolves, who have struggled mightily since their 10-8 start, and for Towns, who – after Wednesday’s game – publicly expressed his frustration with all that losing. Towns was also believed to be disappointed by the departure of Robert Covington, who was one of his best friends on the team, so Minnesota will hope that the arrival of Russell can help rejuvenate the big man’s enthusiasm — and get the Wolves a few more wins down the stretch.

The Timberwolves will now enter the summer with a pair of 24-year-old cornerstones on long-term contracts, as Russell is locked up through 2023 and Towns through 2024. They also still have their own 2020 first-round pick, as well as Brooklyn’s lottery-protected first-rounder. So they’ll have the opportunity to bring in a pair of promising prospects or use those picks in trades to further upgrade the roster.

The deal does put the Wolves slightly into tax territory, ESPN’s Bobby Marks reports (via Twitter), so another move could be forthcoming.

Meanwhile, it’s a fascinating pivot for the Warriors, who were said to be seeking a first-round selection in 2021 rather than 2020, since next year’s draft class is expected to be stronger than this year’s. The Wolves reportedly put their own 2020 protected pick and Brooklyn’s lottery-protected pick on the table in a previous offer, but it appears Golden State was willing to accept just a single first-rounder now that it’s a lightly-protected 2021 pick.

Besides the first-round pick and accompanying second-rounder, the Warriors get two things out of the deal: The first is Wiggins, whose max-salary contract had been widely considered a negative. According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), however, there’s a contingent within the Warriors who believe that Wiggins is a “salvageable project.” Slater believes the deal will ultimately be judged on whether Golden State can turn Wiggins into the team’s long-term starting small forward or eventually flip him for positive value.

The second perk for the Warriors is that the deal should allow them to sneak out of the tax for this season, which will help them avoid current and future repeater penalties. Marks tweets that the team will be $3.1MM below the tax threshold and should be able to stay below that line even after filling out its roster. Golden State will have six open roster spots, necessitating at least five eventual additions, but the club will be able to stagger those signings to some extent.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first broke the news and reported the terms of the trade (all Twitter links).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.