NBA G League Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavs To Ink Jordan McRae To 10-Day Pact

February 28th, 2016 at 9:08am CST by Eddie Scarito

SUNDAY, 9:08am: The signing is official, the team announced this morning.

SATURDAY, 2:40pm: A league source has confirmed the expected signing to Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon-Journal, saying the Cavaliers need more players in practice because of injuries.

FRIDAY, 6:25pm: The Cavaliers intend to sign shooting guard Jordan McRae to a 10-day contract, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor reports (Twitter link). Cleveland currently has two available roster slots, so no additional moves will be required to bring McRae into the fold.

It would appear Cleveland will gain some depth in its backcourt, though McRae is certainly a step down in stature from Joe Johnson, whom the Cavs were reportedly targeting for once he clears waivers. Johnson, who reached a buyout arrangement with the Nets, will reportedly sign with the Heat instead.

McRae, 24, has already tasted some NBA action this season while he was with the Suns via two 10-day deals. Phoenix declined to sign him for the remainder of the season when his second 10-day deal expired and he subsequently returned to the Sixers’ D-League affiliate.

The shooting guard appeared in seven contests for the Suns and averaged 5.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 11.8 minutes per night. McRae’s D-League numbers are far more eye-popping, as he’s notched 23.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 29 contests on the season.

Northwest Notes: Martin, Sampson, Thunder

February 27th, 2016 at 10:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wolves will probably reach a buyout agreement with shooting guard Kevin Martin before Tuesday, according to Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. The Spurs were reported earlier today as the front-runner to land Martin if a buyout occurs. However, San Antonio already has a full roster and is expected to sign point guard Andre Miller, who was waived by Minnesota on Thursday, so it’s uncertain how that will affect their pursuit of Martin.

The Wolves already have one open roster spot with the loss of Miller. It’s not cleaer whether he or Martin will be replaced, but coach Sam Mitchell said injuries to Nemanja Bjelica, Kevin Garnett and Nikola Pekovic have created a need for an extra big man.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Getting used to the altitude is the biggest adjustment for JaKarr Sampson as he settles in with the Nuggets, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. The Nuggets signed Sampson on Monday after Philadelphia waived him to make room for Joel Anthony in a three-way trade with the Pistons and Rockets that was later voided. “I’m blessed to be here,” Sampson said. “I think it’s a great situation for me. There’s a lot of young talent here. They are a great, young team. I feel like it’s a real good situation for me.”
Sampson could find himself in the starting lineup in the wake of Danilo Gallinari‘s ankle injury, Dempsey writes in a separate story. That’s a possibility if coach Michael Malone wants to keep his bench rotation intact. Otherwise, Will Barton could get the starting nod.
The Thunder recalled forwards Josh Huestis and Mitch McGary from Oklahoma City Blue of the D-League, the team announced today. Huestis has played 16 games for the Blue, averaging 11.8 points and 5.9 rebounds. McGary has appeared in 15 games for the D-League team, averaging 14.4 points and 9.1 rebounds.
Former Blazer Tim Frazier has joined the D-League’s Maine Red Claws as a returning player, tweets Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor. Portland waived Frazier on February 18th when it traded for Anderson Varejao, though Varejao was subsequently waived as well.

Heat Rumors: Stokes, Johnson, Whiteside

February 27th, 2016 at 3:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jarnell Stokes, who was traded from Miami to New Orleans at the deadline and then waived by the Pelicans, has rejoined the Heat’s D-League affiliate, tweets Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor. Despite the trade, Sioux Falls retained the rights to Stokes under a D-League provision because he appeared in more than 10 games for the Skyforce this season. (Twitter link). The 6’9″ center/power forward has played five games for Miami, scoring 7 points in 14 minutes. Stokes is not eligible to rejoin the Heat this season, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel, as traded players cannot go back to the team that dealt them away.

There’s more news out of Miami:

Tyler Johnson, who hasn’t played since undergoing surgery on his left shoulder February 3rd, hopes to be back on the court by the end of the season, Winderman writes in the same story. The Heat haven’t set a timetable for the backup guard’s return, which was initially estimated at three months. However, Johnson is encouraged by how much he has recovered so far. “I feel like I’m progressing really well,” Johnson said. “I’m going to shoot to get back. Even if it was possible, it would probably be in April.”
Former Net Joe Johnson, who is rumored to be signing with Miami this weekend, is the best talent available in this year’s buyout market, according to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. Johnson, who was waived by Brooklyn on Thursday after agreeing to a buyout, has been a durable player who was the focus of the offense with both the Nets and Hawks, Bontemps writes.
One way for free-agent-to-be Hassan Whiteside to increase his value is to improve his free-throw shooting, and Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post suggests he is doing that. The 7’0″ center recently changed his approach at the line and is hitting 67.9 percent over his last six games. He averages 53 percent for his career and 56.4 percent for the season. “You know that feeling when you get under the covers in the bed and you snuggle up? You know that comfortable feeling?” Whiteside said in explaining his improved performance. “I feel that. I feel comfortable.”

And-Ones: Diversity, Udrih, De Colo

February 26th, 2016 at 10:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There is growing concern that the NBA is overlooking qualified African-Americans when hiring top basketball executives, which has led to talk that the league may need to institute a policy similar to the NFL’s “Rooney Rule,” Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com writes. For those not familiar, the Rooney Rule requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for vacant head coaching positions. The league has thus far scoffed at implementing such a change, noting that there are loopholes in the policy and minority hires have actually decreased in the NFL in recent years, Goodwill adds.

“We have a long history of minorities being well-represented as top basketball executives. I think it’s a matter of time before the numbers move up,” deputy commissioner Mark Tatum told Goodwill, while also relaying that he believes hiring patterns are cyclical and noting nearly one-third of the basketball operations positions were held by African-American men in 1994/95. “But we’re always focused on committing to a culture of inclusion through our league. We’re not standing idly,” Tatum added.

Here’s more from around the league:

Beno Udrih underwent surgery as planned today on his right foot, the Heat announced, reiterating their expectation that he’ll miss three months (Twitter link). He’s said he’ll try to beat the three-month timetable, notes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (on Twitter).
Former NBA player Nando De Colo has received interest from multiple NBA teams, but the point guard prefers to sign an extension with CSKA Moscow, his current team, international journalist David Pick relays (via Twitter). De Colo, who last appeared in the NBA during the 2013/14 season when he split time between the Spurs and the Raptors, was reportedly considering a return to the NBA back in September.
The Hawks have assigned Edy Tavares and Lamar Patterson to the D-League, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays. Both players will go to the Austin Spurs as part of the flexible assignment rule since Atlanta doesn’t have its own affiliate. This will mark Tavares’ eighth trek to the D-League on the season, and Patterson’s fourth.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Durant, Jenkins, D-League

February 26th, 2016 at 9:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

If the Warriors go on to win their second consecutive NBA title this season, it may actually act as a deterrent for pending unrestricted free agent prize Kevin Durant, Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report opines. The scribe cites Durant’s disdain for playing second fiddle, which he certainly would have to do on any team Stephen Curry is a part of. The small forward is also conscious of his legacy and would possibly consider going to a ready-made championship team unseemly, Ding also opines. There’s still no guarantee that Durant will re-sign with the Thunder and he still maintains some regrets about not having a player option added on his last deal that would have afforded him a chance to hit the open market earlier in his career, Ding relays. The Warriors are reportedly well out in front as Durant’s top choice should he leave Oklahoma City this summer.

Here’s more from out West:

John Jenkins is thrilled to have been released by the Mavericks and claimed off waivers by the Suns because it will provide him a better opportunity to show what he can do on the court, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “I was praying and hoping that I’d get an opportunity,” Jenkins said. “I’m with a lot of young guys, which helps me a lot. I’m actually probably more experienced than some of them so that’s different for me. Just try to be a leader from that standpoint. But I definitely think I’m rejuvenated. A fresh start is always good.” The 24-year-old only appeared in 21 contests for Dallas on the season and averaged a meager 9.2 minutes per contest prior to being waived.
The Grizzlies should strongly consider exercising their team option for 2016/17 on Lance Stephenson, whose versatility could allow him to flourish in Memphis, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal opines. Memphis gambled on the upside of Stephenson, whom the scribe notes is only 25 years old and a little more than 18 months removed from being a nightly triple-double threat while with the Pacers. Stephenson’s option for next season is worth $9.405MM.
The Thunder have assigned Mitch McGary and Josh Huestis to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be McGary’s seventh trip to the D-League this season and Huestis’ 10th.

And-Ones: Ashley, Williams, Thomas

February 25th, 2016 at 10:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

During an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, Suns GM Ryan McDonough admitted that he’d erred in trading away point guard and 2016 NBA All-Star Isaiah Thomas last February. “I think in retrospect trading Isaiah Thomas when we did was a mistake. I think sometimes in the recruitment process things sound better in July [luring Thomas in free agency] than they do in November,” McDonough said. “He wanted more. He wanted a bigger role and I understand why: He’s a talented player. In retrospect, we should have carried him into the summer. If there’s one [decision] that stands out, if I could get a mulligan, that’d be it.” In 58 appearances for the Celtics this season Thomas is averaging 21.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 6.8 assists with a slash line of .422/.348/.898.

Here’s more from around the league:

Mavs affiliate player Brandon Ashley has signed with the German club Alba Berlin, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor reports (on Twitter). The exact terms of the deal are unknown, but international journalist David Pick (Twitter link) notes that Ashley’s deal includes an option for 2016/17, though it is unclear if that option belongs to the player or the team.
Thunder coach Billy Donovan indicated no date has been set for assistant coach Monty Williams to return to the team, John Reid of The Times-Picayune writes. Williams is still mourning the tragic loss of his wife Ingrid in a car accident earlier this month. ”I don’t have really know the answer to that,” Donovan said regarding Williams’ return.”We haven’t talked about when he’ll be coming back. It’s been more of how he and his children are doing; just them adjusting to life without Ingrid and just getting the kids settled and back in school. I haven’t really talked to him about that, but whatever he decides to do I’m behind him on that 100% because the one thing I know and respect about Monty is that he’s going to put his family and children first. Those decisions I think will be made once he gets to a point when he can get them into some kind of rhythm and routine after what happened.”
If the Rockets sign another player this season, he will likely be a power forward who is a solid defender, which probably rules out any interest in Joe Johnson, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com tweets. The Nets waived Johnson earlier today as part of a buyout arrangement.
Tim Frazier, whom the Blazers waived last week, is expected to rejoin the Maine Red Claws in the coming days, Reichert relays (via Twitter). Maine is the Celtics‘ D-League affiliate, though Frazier will be free to sign with any NBA team that were to come calling.

Eastern Notes: Stevens, Anthony, Splitter

February 25th, 2016 at 8:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Celtics coach Brad Stevens declined to comment about whether the team had any interest in pursuing Joe Johnson, who was waived by the Nets earlier today as part of a buyout arrangement, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com notes (ESPN Now link). The coach did specify what type of player Boston would be looking for to fill its open roster spot, saying, “I think versatility is huge. Certainly shooting’s a big deal. All those things come into play. Obviously, with Kelly [Olynyk] out, interior help is something that you’d have to consider, but hopefully he’s not out too long and I think the versatility stands out more than anything else.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis doesn’t want to lose Carmelo Anthony as a teammate and looks at the veteran scorer as a role model, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays. Several teams apparently think that if the Knicks don’t make significant progress in their rebuilding project by mid-July, Anthony would be willing to approve a trade. “Oh well, obviously I wouldn’t want to lose him,” Porzingis said regarding ‘Melo. “He is who he is on our team. He’s special and we need him to do big things in the future, especially for me. I love playing alongside him so that would obviously not be something that I want.“
Hawks center Tiago Splitter underwent successful surgery today to repair damage to his right hip, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution relays. Splitter will miss the remainder of the season as a result of the injury and subsequent surgery.
Bucks big man Greg Monroe has been coming off the bench lately for the team, which isn’t necessarily what he had in mind when he inked a maximum salary deal with the team this past summer, Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times writes. When asked if he regretted signing with Milwaukee, Monroe said, “It’s not something they had planned when I was coming here. So, no, I can’t answer that question because it wasn’t something that was planned all along.’’ The big man also admitted that he heard the trade chatter involving him but wasn’t fazed, Woelfel adds. “I didn’t get bothered by it. I’ve been in the league awhile; I’ve been in free agency and reports came out then and I know they were totally false. And these situations are basically the same, so I was sure it was all speculation.’’
The Celtics have assigned swingman James Young to the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Young’s eighth jaunt of the season to Maine.

Western Notes: Dejean-Jones, D-League, Walton

February 25th, 2016 at 7:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Bryce Dejean-Jones, whom the Pelicans recently inked to a three-year pact, has been diagnosed with a fractured right wrist after having an MRI today and he will undergo surgery on Friday morning to repair the damage, the team announced. No official timetable has been announced for Dejean-Jones’ recovery, but Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate relays that the guard will likely miss six to eight weeks of action as a result of the injury (Twitter link). Dejean-Jones has appeared in 14 games for the Pelicans this season and is averaging 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per contest.

Here’s more from out West:

While Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton will certainly be a hot name this offseason for any potential coaching vacancies, a number of GMs around the league have expressed trepidation at the prospect of giving Walton a head coaching position, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. “I think Luke has a chance to be a good coach; he knows the game, but I would be worried that he’s not ready for that job yet,” a league executive told Deveney. “You’d have to worried about that. The thing is, if your owner has been hearing Warriors, Warriors, Warriors for the last two years, and he sees Luke Walton setting records, you’re probably going to hear something like, ‘Why can’t we get a coach like that?’ And so you wind up taking a chance even if he does not have the experience level you’re looking for.”
The Grizzlies assigned power forward Jarell Martin to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Martin’s sixth trek to Iowa this season. He is averaging 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds in 30.6 minutes over seven D-League contests.
Power forward Duje Dukan has been assigned by the Kings to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This marks Dukan’s sixth sojourn of the season to Reno.

And-Ones: Anthony, D-League, Mack

February 24th, 2016 at 10:55pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite the mild awkwardness of being back in a Pistons uniform after the three-team trade he was a part of was nixed, Joel Anthony says he’s glad to return to Motown after nearly becoming a member of the Sixers at the trade deadline, David Mayo of MLive writes. “It is obviously a little awkward, a little weird,” Anthony said. “It’s been one of the weirdest weeks I’ve had as a professional. It’s great to be back here. I love the guys on the team. Everyone was happy with me coming back. So just looking forward to being a part of this team and helping us move forward.”

“Things like this happen in the league where guys get hurt, guys get injured,” Anthony also said. “It’s really about that next man up, the next guy’s supposed to step up. You have guys on the roster for a reason, so those guys are going to have to play their role the way they’re supposed to, and continue to help us win.”

Here’s the latest from around the league:

Shelvin Mack has impressed the Jazz with his solid play since arriving in a trade deadline deal from Atlanta, but his emergence may further cloud Utah’s unsettled point guard rotation, writes Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. “We’ve had — I wouldn’t say a revolving door — but we’ve found that depth from internally, essentially using guys out of position,” coach Quin Snyder said. “If we would have had three point guards at the beginning of the year, you’d see some sort of separation in the early part of the year. We haven’t had that. As a result, that process has to occur now. There’s going to be decisions I have to make relative to who’s going to play.”
The Jazz have assigned center Tibor Pleiss to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Pleiss’ fifth trek to Idaho on the season. He has appeared in 15 games, averaging 12.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.7 assists in 31.3 minutes per contest.
The Kings have recalled power forward Duje Dukan from the Reno Bighorns, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This concludes Dukan’s fifth trip to the D-League.

Eastern Notes: Riley, Bargnani, Lee

February 24th, 2016 at 9:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Heat team president Pat Riley said that Miami intends to have 15 players on its roster by season’s end, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel relays (Twitter links). The executive indicated that the team plans to add one player by March 10th and another prior to the end of the campaign, Winderman notes. The Heat currently possess 13 players on their roster and are unable to sign anyone to more than a 10-day contract until March 6th, or else the team would be back over the luxury tax line and risk repeat-offender tax penalties. Miami’s roster situation is further complicated by the losses of Beno Udrih, who is out for three months, Tyler Johnson, who is on the shelf for at least two, and Chris Bosh, whom the team is thinking about shutting down for the remainder of the 2015/16 campaign as he deals with blood clot issues for the second straight season.

Here’s more from out of the Eastern Conference:

Andrea Bargnani gave up $323,599 in salary for 2015/16 and $1,228,060 for 2016/17 as part of his buyout arrangement with the Nets, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter). The oft-injured power forward will earn $1,039,298 this season and will give Brooklyn a cap hit worth $323,599 next season. The move gives the Nets about $1.7MM in breathing room beneath the luxury tax line.
David Lee sacrificed $458,575 in salary to facilitate his buyout from the Celtics, Pincus tweets. Boston is on the hook for the remainder of Lee’s $15,035,105 post-buyout salary. Lee ultimately profited from the arrangement, since he signed a deal with the Mavericks that’s worth more than $2MM.
The Bulls have officially announced today that their new D-League affiliate, which begins play next season, will be called the Windy City Bulls.