NBA G League Salaries Increase For 2022/23
The salaries for players in the NBA G League will increase again for the 2022/23 season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that players who spend the season in the NBAGL will earn $40,500.
As we reported last fall, the G League’s annual salary rose from $35K to $37K for the 2021/22 season, so it has now increased by more than 15% in the last two seasons and is over $40K for the first time. NBAGL players formed a union in 2020, which has given them more leverage to negotiate those pay bumps.
Unlike in the NBA, the G League pays a flat base salary to all players, so there’s no gap between minimum and maximum salaries or anything in between. However, there are ways for players in the G League to earn more than $40,500.
Players who signed Exhibit 10 contracts with NBA teams during the offseason or preseason with an eye toward joining that team’s G League affiliate will receive bonuses worth up to $50K, depending on the specific terms of their contract. That could push a G League player’s earnings up over $90K for the ’22/23 season.
Additionally, players who are on two-way contracts will earn flat salaries of $508,891 (half of the NBA’s rookie minimum), even if they spend most of the season in the G League. Players on NBA rosters who are assigned to the G League will earn their full NBA salaries, rather than the NBAGL rate.
Details on the G League’s format and schedule for 2022/23 can be found here, while this year’s NBAGL draft results are right here.
Jared Butler Joining Nuggets’ G League Affiliate
Former Jazz guard Jared Butler is joining the Grand Rapids Gold, the Nuggets‘ G League affiliate, reports Marc Stein (Twitter link).
Butler didn’t sign with Denver at all after being waived by Utah last month, so the Gold didn’t previously have exclusive G League rights to the former second-round pick — he likely signed an NBAGL contract and then was claimed by Grand Rapids.
Butler was a key member of the national champion Baylor Bears in 2021, averaging 16.7 PPG, 4.8 APG, 3.3 RPG and 2.0 SPG while shooting 41.6% from 3-point range as a junior. However, questions about his health hurt his draft stock and he slipped to No. 40 overall in last year’s draft after having been considered a likely first-rounder.
Although the Jazz raved last fall about Butler’s performance in training camp, he appeared sparingly in 42 games as a rookie, averaging 3.8 PPG and 1.5 APG on .404/.318/.688 shooting, and didn’t survive a roster crunch in Utah during the 2022 preseason. The team cut him despite the fact that his $1.56MM salary for this season was guaranteed.
NBA teams who may be in need of backcourt help will be keeping a close eye on Butler with the Gold, according to Stein. As Stein observes, Grand Rapids’ new head coach is longtime NBA point guard Andre Miller, who should be a good mentor for the 22-year-old.
And-Ones: Media Rights, G League, Bledsoe, Beasley, Franklin
When the NBA negotiates its next television deal, expect the league to sell a separate package of streaming-only games, writes Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports. As McCarthy outlines, the NFL and MLB have sold packages of games to Amazon and Apple in recent years, and the NBA is expected to follow suit, with Amazon in particular having made it clear it wants to get into business with the league.
“Amazon is locked and loaded for a shot at the NBA,” a source told Front Office Sports.
According to McCarthy, sports media consultant Patrick Crakes estimated that the bidding for a streaming-only NBA package could start in the neighborhood of $1 billion per year. The league’s current TV deal with ESPN/ABC and Turner Sports pays the league about $2.6 billion annually — the next rights deal is expected to double or triple that figure, McCarthy writes.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- While a deal with the NBA could be coming down the line, Amazon officially announced today that it has entered a partnership with Overtime Elite and will stream 20 OTE games in each of the next three seasons, as Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic details.
- With the NBA G League’s season set to tip off on Friday, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Bobby Marks, and Kevin Pelton (Insider link) break down what to watch for in 2022/23. Pelton identifies Joe Wieskamp, Saben Lee, Willie Cauley-Stein, Jamaree Bouyea, and Shabazz Napier as some top candidates for call-ups, while Givony notes that the G League Ignite’s roster will feature Scoot Henderson and a handful of other intriguing prospects.
- After reportedly reaching a deal to sign free agent guard Eric Bledsoe, the Shanghai Sharks have parted ways with forward Michael Beasley and guard Jamaal Franklin, two former NBA players, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. There was some uncertainty about whether the Sharks would move forward with their signing of Bledsoe following his arrest for misdemeanor domestic violence last month, but he won’t face any criminal charges in that case, according to a TMZ report.
- Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype takes a closer look at the NBA’s rumored proposal of a league-wide hard cap, considering whether the idea could work and what the pros and cons would be.
And-Ones: Tanking, Expansion, Ignite, Dumars, Mekel
After Baxter Holmes of ESPN reported on comments Adam Silver made during a Q&A with Suns employees, the NBA commissioner appeared on ESPN’s NBA Today on Monday to further discuss some of the points he made during that session. In addition to clarifying that he wasn’t “deadly serious about relegation” when he broached that subject, Silver explained why he believes the league’s revamped draft lottery system reduces the incentive for teams to tank (link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN).
“You’re dealing with a 14% chance of getting the first pick,” Silver said. “I recognize at the end of the day analytics are what they are and it’s not about superstition. A 14% chance is better than a 1% chance or a no percent chance. But even in terms of straightforward odds, it doesn’t benefit a team to be the absolute worst team in the league, and even if you’re one of the poor-performing teams, you’re still dealing with a 14% chance.
“It’s one of these things where there’s no perfect solution, but we still think a draft is the right way to rebuild your league over time. We still think it makes sense among partner teams, where a decision was made where the worst-performing teams are able to restock with the prospects of the best players coming in. So we haven’t come up with a better system.”
Silver also addressed the topic of expansion. As Marc Stein relays (via Twitter), the commissioner said that Las Vegas would “make a great location from a franchise someday,” but repeated his usual line about the need for patience. Expansion won’t be on the table, according to Silver, until after the league has a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and television deal in place. The current CBA will expires in 2024, while the TV deal runs until 2025.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Senegalese guard Babacar Sane, a graduate of the NBA Academy, has signed with the G League Ignite, according to a press release from the team. Sane, 19, has represented Senegal in World Cup qualifiers and played in the Basketball Africa League. He signed with the Ignite for two years and will be eligible for the 2024 draft. Marc J. Spears of Andscape talked to the young guard about his G League deal and a potential path to the NBA.
- NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars spoke to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today about his new role, explaining how he has adjusted to acting in the best interest of the league instead of any particular team. Dumars, whose position was previously held by Kiki VanDeWeghe, is in charge of player discipline — he was the one who announced, for instance, Grant Williams‘ suspension on Wednesday.
- Veteran Israeli point guard Gal Mekel, who attended Wichita State and played for the Mavericks and Pelicans from 2013-14, has retired, according to agent Misko Raznatovic (Twitter link). Although Mekel’s time in the NBA was brief, he has enjoyed a 14-year professional career, playing in Israel, Italy, Russia, Serbia, and Spain during that time.
2022/23 NBA G League Draft Results
The NBA G League held its draft for the 2022/23 season on Saturday afternoon.
The 28 G League teams affiliated with NBA franchises participated in the event, as did – for the first time – the Mexico City Capitanes. The G League Ignite, which is made up of top prospects and veteran mentors, doesn’t take part in the draft.
[RELATED: NBA G League Announces Schedule, Format For 2022/23 Season]
The first player selected in today’s G League draft was 2020 second-round pick Sam Merrill, a swingman who was in camp with the Kings this fall but missed out on earning a regular season roster spot.
Merrill’s contract with Sacramento included a partial guarantee of $150K, making him ineligible to suit up for the Kings’ G League affiliate in Stockton this season. The Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers‘ affiliate, snared him with the No. 1 overall pick.
The No. 2 pick was another player who was under contract with an NBA team up until last week. Joe Wieskamp was the odd man out in San Antonio, having been waived by the Spurs (despite having a guaranteed 2022/23 salary) to help the team get down to 15 players for the start of the season. The Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks‘ affiliate, grabbed him with the second overall selection today.
Among the other notable picks was No. 4 overall Jared Rhoden, who was selected by the Hawks‘ affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks. Atlanta claimed Rhoden off waivers near the end of the preseason in the hopes of securing his affiliate rights, but it appears he didn’t meet the criteria — the Skyhawks instead secured his G League rights in today’s draft.
The player with the most NBA experience selected in today’s draft was Norris Cole. The veteran guard, with 360 NBA regular season appearances under his belt, went 48th overall to the Grand Rapids Gold, the Nuggets‘ affiliate. Cole, who turned 34 this month, will be looking to take the same path Isaiah Thomas and Lance Stephenson did last season, making an NBA comeback after impressing in Grand Rapids.
Finally, it’s also worth noting that today’s No. 10 overall pick, Amauri Hardy, is the older brother of Mavericks rookie Jaden Hardy. Dallas’ affiliate, the Texas Legends, picked him.
Here are the full 2022/23 G League draft results:
Round One:
- Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): Sam Merrill
- Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): Joe Wieskamp
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Aaron Wheeler
- College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Jared Rhoden
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Jericole Hellems
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Kadeem Jack
- College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Terrell Brown Jr.
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Michael Weathers
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Taze Moore
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Amauri Hardy
- Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Ty Gordon
- Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Mamoudou Diarra
- Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): Abu Kigab
- Ontario Clippers (Clippers): Warith Alatishe
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Mayan Kiir
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Theo John
- South Bay Lakers (Lakers): Nate Roberts
- Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Keith Williams
- Long Island Nets (Nets): Taz Sherman
- Raptors 905 (Raptors): Devon Daniels
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Jai Smith (Overtime Elite)
- College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Adrian Delph
- Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): Tyrn Flowers
- Windy City Bulls (Bulls): Nick King
- Ontario Clippers (Clippers): David Collins
- Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): Derek Culver
- Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Ryan Turell (Yeshiva — Division III)
- Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Tom Digbeu
- Maine Celtics (Celtics): Kendall Smith
Round Two:
- Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): Rashad Vaughn
- Mexico City Capitanes (N/A): Jassel Perez (Dominican Republic)
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Tyson Jolly
- Raptors 905 (Raptors): Hasahn French
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): No pick
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Landon Kirkwood
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): Justin Kier
- Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): No pick
- Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Jayce Johnson
- Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
- Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): Remy Martin
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Noah Starkey (Southern Nazarene – Division II)
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Philip Flory
- Maine Celtics (Celtics): Zak Irvin
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Jahvon Blair
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Brandon McCoy
- South Bay Lakers (Lakers): John Meeks
- Stockton Kings (Kings): Seth Allen
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Norris Cole
- Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): No pick
- Stockton Kings (Kings): Austin Trice
- College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): No pick
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): No pick
- Stockton Kings (Kings): Isaac Johnson
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Elijah Lufile
- Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
- Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets): Eron Gordon
- Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Jack Nolan (Washington University in St. Louis – Division III)
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Armon Fletcher
Round Three:
- Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): J.J. Moore
- College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): No pick
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): No pick
- Lakeland Magic (Magic): Jachai Taylor
- Lakeland Magic (Magic): No pick
- Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Trey McGowens
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): No pick
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Kevin Kangu
- Windy City Bulls (Bulls): Wayne Stewart Jr. (Texas A&M-Commerce – Division II)
- Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): No pick
- Maine Celtics (Celtics): No pick
- Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): No pick
- Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): No pick
- Maine Celtics (Celtics): No pick
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Dazon Ingram
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): No pick
- Mexico City Capitanes (N/A): No pick
- Windy City Bulls (Bulls): No pick
- Long Island Nets (Nets): Alan Griffin
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): No pick
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): No pick
- College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): No pick
- Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): No pick
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): No pick
- Ontario Clippers (Clippers): No pick
- Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
- Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): No pick
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Nick Hornsby
- Raptors 905 (Raptors): No pick
Teams will fill out their rosters with affiliate players, returning-rights players, tryout players, and players who are assigned to the G League from the NBA roster (including those on two-way contracts).
G League training camps open on Monday, with this year’s NBAGL Showcase Cup tournament tipping off on November 4.
Central Notes: Merrill, Stewart, Duren, Williams, Jones
The Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ affiliate, hold the top pick in the upcoming NBA G League draft and guard Sam Merrill could be the top pick, Marc Stein tweets. Merrill was waived late in training camp by the Kings. He played six games for Memphis last season and 30 for Milwaukee the previous year.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart is only 21, but he’s become a mentor to the youngest player in the league, Jalen Duren, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic. It doesn’t bother Stewart that Duren might cut into his playing time. “I know this is a league where you’re fighting for positions and minutes, but that’s not something I’m worried about,” Stewart said. “I know what’s most important is being there for the young fella. I’m there for him, whatever he needs. Sometimes I’ll just start talking to him just because. I know you’re a rook, first year.’ I want him to feel and know that I’m here for him on a positive note.”
- After missing most of last season due to injury, Bulls forward Patrick Williams is struggling through the early portion of this season, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times writes. Williams is trying to determine how he can make the biggest impact for his teammates. “I’ve been talking to them about it and trying to figure it out,” he said. “I’m totally confident we will. Specifically, because of the player I know I am.”
- The Bulls waived guard Carlik Jones last week but they still want him in the organization. Their G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, acquired his returning player rights in a three-team trade, according to a press release.
Cole, Wieskamp Headline G League Draft Pool
Norris Cole and Joe Wieskamp are among 128 players who are eligible for the annual NBA G League draft, which will take place on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Cole, 34, played for Miami, New Orleans and Oklahoma City during his NBA career, which spanned 2011-17. He’s played for a variety of European teams since, most recently JL Bourg in France. He also played for Team USA this summer.
Wieskamp was waived by the Spurs on Monday. Wieskamp, 23, was drafted 41st overall in 2021 by the Spurs and spent most of his rookie season on a two-way contract with the team. He was converted to a rest-of-season standard contract in March, then re-signed with San Antonio in August on a two-year deal that includes a guaranteed $2.175MM salary for 2022/23.
Jared Rhoden, who was waived by both the Trail Blazers and Hawks this preseason, is another prominent name on the list.
Here is the full list of players eligible to be drafted, as provided by a G League press release:
Name (Position, School)
- Warith Alatishe (F, Oregon State)
- Chris Allen (G, Iowa State)
- Seth Allen (G, Virginia Tech)
- Arsenio Arrington (F, Aquinas)
- Ron Artest III (F, Cal State Northridge)
- Marcus Azor (G, UMass-Dartmouth)
- Gracin Bakumanya (C, France)
- Kentrell Barkley (G, East Carolina)
- Jahvon Blair (G, Georgetown)
- Vander Blue (G, Marquette)
- Shannon Bogues (G, Stephen F. Austin)
- Tim Bond (F, Eastern Michigan)
- Terrell Brown Jr. (G, Washington)
- Patrick Burnett (G, York (NE))
- Devante Carter (G, Nicholls State)
- Naz Carter (G, Washington)
- Dimon Carrigan (F, West Virginia)
- Gary Chivichyan (G, Pacific)
- Tamenang Choh (G, Brown)
- Chris Clarke (F, Texas Tech)
- Norris Cole (G, Cleveland State)
- David Collins (G, Clemson)
- Derrick Colter (G, Duquesne)
- Markel Crawford (G, Memphis)
- Derek Culver (C, West Virginia)
- Jared Cunningham (G, Oregon State)
- Tulio Da Silva (F, Missouri State)
- Sam Daniel (F, Florida Tech)
- Devon Daniels (G, North Carolina State)
- Adrian Delph (G, Appalachian State)
- Keron Deshields (G, Tennessee State)
- Mamoudou Diarra (F, Tennessee Tech)
- Tom Digbeu (G, Australia)
- Devonaire Doutrive (G, Boise State)
- Malik Dunbar (F, Auburn)
- Nojel Eastern (G, Howard)
- Tarkus Ferguson (G, Illinois-Chicago)
- Armon Fletcher (G, Southern Illinois)
- Philip Flory (G, Wisconsin-Stevens Point)
- Tyrn Flowers (F, Long Island)
- Hasahn French (F, Saint Louis)
- Both Gach (F, Utah)
- Eron Gordon (G, Valparaiso)
- Ty Gordon (G, Nicholls State)
- Kadre Gray (G, Laurentian)
- Alan Griffin (G, Syracuse)
- Haowen Guo (G, China)
- Blake Hamilton (G, Buffalo)
- Amauri Hardy (G, Oregon)
- Jericole Hellems (F, North Carolina State)
- Jay Henderson (G, Louisville)
- J.R. Holder (G, Jacksonville)
- Tra-Deon Hollins (G, Nebraska-Omaha)
- Nick Hornsby (F, Sacramento State)
- Ron Houston (G, Bethany)
- Pe’Shon Howard (G, USC)
- Kevin Hunt Jr. (G, Denver)
- Dazon Ingram (G, Central Florida)
- Zak Irvin (G, Michigan)
- Jimond Ivey (G, Akron)
- Kadeem Jack (C, Rutgers)
- Demetrius Jackson (G, Notre Dame)
- Anthony January (F, Cal State-San Bernardino)
- Theo John (C, Duke)
- Isaac Johnson (F, Appalachian State)
- Jayce Johnson (C, Marquette)
- Tyson Jolly (G, Iona)
- Kevin Kangu (G, Lenoir-Rhyne)
- Justin Kier (G, Arizona)
- Abu Kigab (F, Boise State)
- Mayan Kiir (F, New Mexico State)
- Nick King (F, Middle Tennessee State)
- Landon Kirkwood (G, Barry)
- Ishmael Lane (C, Northwestern State)
- Gabe Levin (F, Long Beach State)
- Trey Lewis (G, Louisville)
- Elijah Lufile (F, Oral Roberts)
- Tevin Mack (G, Clemson)
- Sterling Manley (C, North Carolina)
- Melik Martin (G, Drexel)
- Remy Martin (G, Kansas)
- Brandon McCoy (C, UNLV)
- Brandon McGhee (G, CSU Pueblo)
- Trey McGowens (G, Nebraska)
- Martaveous McKnight (G, Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
- John Meeks (G, Charleston)
- Sam Merrill (G, Utah State)
- JJ Miles (F, East Carolina)
- JJ Moore (F, Rutgers)
- Taze Moore (G, Houston)
- Barra Njie (G, Sweden)
- Jack Nolan (G, Washington U – St. Louis)
- Mike Nuga (G, UNLV)
- Daniel Orton (C, Kentucky)
- Mike Parks Jr. (F, Memphis)
- Jassel Perez (G, Dominican Republic)
- Kavion Pippen (C, Southern Illinois)
- M.J. Randolph (G, Florida A&M)
- Jared Rhoden (G, Seton Hall)
- Nate Roberts (C, Washington)
- Wesley Saunders (G, Harvard)
- Taz Sherman (G, West Virginia)
- Fred Sims Jr. (G, Chicago State)
- Jai Smith (F, Overtime Elite)
- Kendall Smith (G, Oklahoma State)
- Andre Spight (G, Northern Colorado)
- Derek St. Hilaire (G, New Orleans)
- Noah Starkey (C, Southern Nazarene)
- Wayne Stewart Jr. (F, Texas A&M – Commerce)
- Taren Sullivan (F, Findlay)
- Sean Sutherlin (G, Minnesota)
- Jordan Swopshire (F, Colgate)
- Jachai Taylor (F, Queens (NC))
- Marlon Taylor (G, LSU)
- JD Tisdale Jr. (G, Rogers State)
- Austin Trice (F, Old Dominion)
- Jahlil Tripp (F, Pacific)
- Buay Tuach (G, Loyola Marymount)
- Jordan Tucker (F, Butler)
- Ryan Turell (F, Yeshiva)
- Rashad Vaughn (G, UNLV)
- Dantez Walton (F, Northern Kentucky)
- Michael Weathers (G, SMU)
- Aaron Wheeler (F, St. John’s)
- Joe Wieskamp (G, Iowa)
- Keith Williams (G, Cincinnati)
- Kam Williams (G, Ohio State)
- Dion Wright (F, St. Bonaventure)
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Roster, Westbrook, Ham, Cannady
After making just 10-of-40 three-pointers in their regular season opener on Tuesday, the Lakers were even worse on Thursday, hitting 9-of-45 in a loss to the Clippers. LeBron James, who acknowledged the team’s lack of “lasers” following Tuesday’s loss, didn’t want to focus on that roster hole again on Thursday, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes.
“I’m definitely not going to sit here and harp on what we can’t do every single game,” James said when asked about the Lakers’ shooting struggles. “That’s not a leader. What I know we can do? We can defend our ass off. We did that tonight, which gave us an opportunity to win and we just couldn’t make it happen. But, I’m OK with that.”
James expects the shooting numbers to improve, since the Lakers obviously will make more than 22.4% of their three-point attempts this season. However, he admitted that the team can’t afford to live and die on whether those outside shots are falling.
“If we’re reliant on (solid three-point shooting) every single game, then we’re in trouble,” James said, per McMenamin. “So I’m not worried about that or thinking about that. It’s how hard we play, how aggressive we play, how determined we are to go out and compete every night. And we got to defend. When we defend, we’re going to give ourselves a good chance to win.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Russell Westbrook played solid defense and had five steals on Thursday, but went 0-for-11 from the floor and scored just two points. Clippers forward Paul George defended his former teammate after the game, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN relays (via Twitter). “It’s hard when you’ve got the pressure they’re putting on him here. Quite frankly, it’s not geared for him with the roster they have,” George said. “… He was very easily a 30-10-10 guy when he had the keys to the team. We can’t forget about that.”
- After Westbrook said that coming off the bench “absolutely” was a factor in his minor hamstring injury last Friday, he and head coach Darvin Ham spoke about the issue and reached an “understanding,” Ham told reporters prior to Thursday’s game (link via McMenamin). Although Ham was fine with Westbrook saying what he did, the Lakers’ coach stressed that he and his staff “would in no way, shape or form put a player or an employee in harm’s way.”
- In a conversation with Marc J. Spears of Andscape about being a first-time head coach with the Lakers, Ham said it will take some time for the new-look roster to get comfortable with each other — and with his system. “Chemistry is not like Malt-O-Meal. It’s not instant,” Ham said. “You don’t just throw it in the microwave. That is something that has to be baked over the course of time and we’ll get there. The more we keep getting the reps in when we are about to practice and shoot around, film work, we’ll get to the point where we know each other and it’s second nature the way we play basketball. That definitely is the goal, and it takes time. Just got to be willing to be patient.”
- The South Bay Lakers – L.A.’s G League affiliate – have acquired Devin Cannady‘s NBAGL rights from the Lakeland Magic, the team announced in a press release. Cannady was waived by Orlando last weekend after not making the team’s regular season roster.
Northwest Notes: Dozier, Murray, McCollum, Lillard, Sexton, Gobert
PJ Dozier will start the season with the Timberwolves’ NBA G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets. Minnesota waived Dozier, who was on an Exhibit 10 contract, on Saturday as the team pared its roster to the 15-man limit. The former Denver wing tore his ACL last December and didn’t appear in any preseason games prior to being waived. Iowa’s opener is in two weeks.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- The Nuggets lost in their opener and Jamal Murray had only 12 points and one assist in 26 minutes but he was just thrilled to be in action again after missing all of last season while rehabbing an ACL tear, Mike Singer of the Denver Post writes. “I know I’m smiling,” he said. “We lost. I’ve never smiled in a loss before.”
- Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard signed a two-year, super max extension over the summer and former teammate CJ McCollum believes Lillard wants to establish a lasting legacy in Portland, as he told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “I think that’s one of the reasons why he’s been so committed to being in Portland to break all the records, show his loyalty to win, and to continue to try and build a lasting legacy,” McCollum said. “I think he’s done all those things. People will say what they want about him, but he really works on his game, and he really cares about the game of basketball.”
- Collin Sexton had 20 points in his Jazz debut after his final season in Cleveland was cut short by a knee injury. Utah surprised Denver in the opener and Sexton feels his new teammates will continue to open some eyes, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. “We’ve heard a lot about what we are supposed to be,” said Sexton, who received a four-year, $72MM contract in the sign-and-trade transaction. “But, we all have a lot to prove and we all want to embrace the role of being the underdog. We want to come out and surprise some people.”
- Rudy Gobert said it will be “weird” to face his former Jazz teammates on Friday, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes. “It’s all love for me,” the Timberwolves center said. “You know, I want to see these guys succeed and I’m sure they want to see me succeed, too.”
Southwest Notes: Aldama, Morant, Wood, Johnson
Santi Aldama delivered a big performance in his first NBA start for the Grizzlies, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal notes. Filling in for injured Jaren Jackson Jr., the 2021 first round pick supplied 18 points and 11 rebounds in 39 minutes while guarding the Knicks’ Julius Randle. “It was more about knowing his game, knowing his tendencies and being ready to absorb contact,” Aldama said. “It’s not easy, but I think I did a pretty good job overall.”
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Ja Morant signed a five-year max extension this summer after being named the league’s Most Improved Player. The Grizzlies’ star guard now has the Most Valuable Player in his sights, as he told ESPN’s Malika Andrews on the NBA Today show (Twitter link). “MVP for sure,” he said. “I’m not an individual goal guy but that’s … pretty much everyone’s goal in this league.”
- The Mavericks’ collapse against Phoenix in their season opener was a downer but Christian Wood‘s performance was uplifting, Tim Cato of The Athletic writes. Acquired from Houston early in the summer, Wood showed he might be Luka Doncic‘s best co-star to date while pumping in 25 points. “It’s just a trust thing,” Wood said. “I have to build my trust on this new team. Once I do that, I’m good.”
- The Spurs waived Alize Johnson late in training camp but they still want him in their organization. The G League’s Austin Spurs acquired his returning player rights from Toronto’s affiliate, Raptors 905, in exchange for Jaylen Morris, Ky Bowman and Jarrod Uthoff, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet tweets.