LaMarcus Aldridge Working Out For Mavs
Veteran big man LaMarcus Aldridge is working out for the Mavericks on Tuesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Aldridge averaged 12.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 47 games (including 12 starts) with the Nets last season, but he’s remained unsigned since hitting the free agent market last summer.
Aldridge went in retirement the previous season due to a heart condition but was cleared to play again by the league prior to the 2021/22 campaign. Like many traditional big men, the 37-year-old Aldridge has found it difficult to find a new opportunity.
He was one of the steadiest low-post scorer and rebounders during his seasons in Portland and San Antonio. He holds career averages of 19.1 points nd 8.1 rebounds in 1,076 career games.
Dallas has 14 players on its roster. plus Chris Silva on a 10-day contract. The Mavs are also expected to sign Justin Holiday when he exits waivers, so there’s no clear path for Aldridge to gain a roster spot even if he impresses in the workout.
Magic Sign Former Pacer Goga Bitadze
7:41pm: Bitadze received a two-year deal with a team option for next season, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.
6:26pm: The Magic have signed former Pacers center Goga Bitadze, according to a team press release.
Bitadze was waived when Indiana needed to create roster space in the four-team blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix. The Pacers acquired Jordan Nwora, George Hill, Serge Ibaka in the deal, though Ibaka was later waived.
Bitadze played in 21 games this season with Indiana, averaging 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.6 minutes. He was in the final season of his rookie scale contract when Indiana let him go.
The 18th overall pick of the 2019 draft, Bitadze has played in 170 career games (21 starts), averaging 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.5 minutes.
Orlando had some open roster spots after waiving Terrence Ross and recently acquired Patrick Beverley. The Magic also traded a big man, Mohamed Bamba, to the Lakers, so that may open up some playing time for Bitadze.
Warriors’ Myers On Payton, Wiseman, Trade, Buyout Market
Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers held a press conference on Monday following the four-team trade that saw Gary Payton II sent back to Golden State from Portland. The deal was held up for a few days as the Warriors considered their options, but it ultimately went through even though they failed Payton’s physical due to a core muscle injury.
The veteran guard will be reevaluated in one month and the team hopes he’ll be back before a potential playoff push, Myers told reporters, including Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Regarding Payton’s injury, Myers added that “there are things I can’t say for legal reasons and HIPAA reasons,” tweets Mark Medina of NBA.com.
A formal league inquiry into the Trail Blazers‘ alleged failure to provide sufficient medical information is expected to be opened. Myers didn’t want to comment on the potential investigation.
“Good question, but I don’t want to answer that. I can’t go down that road of accusations,” Myers said (Twitter link via Medina).
As far as why the process took a few days, Myers said the team was evaluating its options and wanted clarity on whether the trade could potentially be amended, which wasn’t possible after the deadline passed. He hopes to get a “fair” result from the investigation.
“What do I want? Whatever the NBA says is fair,” Myers said, per Slater (Twitter video link).
Here’s more from Myers’ press conference:
- Slater pointed out to Myers that Payton missed the first 35 games of the season after a long recovery following surgery, and when he returned he wasn’t always playing every day. Was that a red flag? “We looked at the fact that he started the night before against our team…I didn’t factor in the thought that he’d be out as long as he will be,” Myers replied (Twitter video link).
- Myers said it was a difficult decision to deal way former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman, who was sent to Detroit as part of the trade. He said it was a “tough, tough move to make,” adding that “he’s a great kid and did everything we asked him to do” (Twitter link via Medina).
- The Warriors were still high on Wiseman’s long-term potential, but Myers believes he needs playing time to develop his skills, and that wasn’t happening on Golden State. He said the trade was “not an indictment of James” and “it’s a hard rotation to crack,” tweets Medina. Part of the reason the Warriors decided to go through with the trade was because they “didn’t see a path” for Wiseman to be successful if they rescinded the trade and brought him back, per ESPN’s Kendra Andrews (Twitter link).
- Myers was asked if the Warriors would look to the buyout market to address frontcourt depth. “It doesn’t matter if he’s seven feet tall or eight feet tall. Any buyout conversation has to be done in collaboration with the coaching staff. Because why bring a player in if they’re not going to use him? But if there’s a player that the coaching staff and front office thinks can be helpful, then absolutely we’ll go target that guy,” Myers replied (Twitter video link courtesy of Slater).
- When Slater asked Myers about the possibility of converting Anthony Lamb or Ty Jerome, both of whom are on two-way contracts, to a standard deal, Myers said a decision hasn’t been made yet. “I think we’ve gotta look and see whether it’s that or another player or whatever it might be and compare them. And say to Steve, ‘Hey, these are your options. Which player do you think helps us the most?’ And make that determination,” Myers said, adding that system fit would factor in as well.
Boban Marjanovic Re-Signs With Rockets
In a move that was expected when he was waived on Thursday, the Rockets announced (via Twitter) that they have re-signed Boban Marjanovic for the rest of the season.
Marjanovic was released because the team needed an open roster spot to complete a three-team trade that sent Eric Gordon to the Clippers. The 34-year-old center became a free agent after clearing waivers, and Houston had two roster openings available after completing a buyout with Danny Green and waiving John Wall.
Marjanovic, who was acquired in a trade with the Mavericks last summer, has seen limited playing time with the Rockets. He appeared in 17 games before being waived, averaging 2.8 points and 1.5 rebounds in 4.2 minutes per night.
Although Marjanovic likely doesn’t have much of a future in Houston, he can serve as a mentor to the team’s young big men and is considered one of the best teammates in the league. He will become a free agent again after the season.
Hornets’ Reggie Jackson, Rockets’ John Wall Officially Waived
Veteran guards Reggie Jackson and John Wall were among several players who were officially waived on Sunday, according to press releases from their respective teams. The Hornets cut Jackson, while the Rockets let go of Wall.
Both players had spent most of the season with the Clippers, who completed a series of deadline deals on Thursday. Jackson was sent from Los Angeles to Charlotte in trade for Mason Plumlee, while Wall was moved to Houston in a deal for Eric Gordon.
Since they were both essentially just salary-matching pieces in those trades, Jackson and Wall were widely expected to be waived. Jackson was said to be negotiating a buyout with the Hornets, while Rockets general manager Rafael Stone confirmed in his post-deadline presser than Houston would simply release Wall, whose last stint with the team didn’t end well.
Jackson is reportedly on track to sign with the Nuggets once he clears waivers; Wall doesn’t yet have his next NBA home lined up, as far as we know.
Jackson and Wall were among several veterans who were officially cut on Sunday. The Rockets also waived Danny Green, while the Magic parted ways with Patrick Beverley and Terrence Ross and San Antonio released Stanley Johnson.
Danny Green Agrees To Buyout, Waived By Rockets
6:27pm: Green has officially been waived, according to the NBA transactions log. He has reached an agreement to sign with the Cavaliers upon clearing waivers.
10:51am: Danny Green will become a free agent after reaching a buyout agreement with the Rockets, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Cavaliers and Celtics are considered the frontrunners to sign Green, with the Lakers and Suns involved as well, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Green must clear waivers before he can join another team.
Cleveland, Boston, L.A. and Phoenix are all in need of wing depth, and Green will bring a strong playoff pedigree to whomever is able to land him. The 35-year-old has three championship rings and was part of L.A.’s title-winning team in 2020.
Green was sent from Memphis to Houston on Thursday as a salary-matching piece in a three-team trade that also involved the Clippers. He is making $10MM this season on an expiring contract.
Green spent most of the season recovering from an ACL tear and didn’t play at all until February 1. He averaged 14.3 minutes in three games with the Grizzlies and hasn’t suited up for the Rockets since the trade.
Warriors Won’t Nix Four-Team Deal
6:00pm: A formal league inquiry into the Trail Blazers ‘ alleged failure to provide sufficient medical information is expected to be opened, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. That could result in the Warriors receiving further compensation.
5:07pm: The Warriors have decided to go through with the four-team deal despite Payton’s injury, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweets. Golden State will not pass Payton’s physical exam but they’ve decided to move forward with the trade anyway.
All the players involved can now suit up for their teams.
4:45pm: The trade is tracking toward becoming official, Wojnarowski tweets.
1:00pm: The NBA is working with Golden State to help the Warriors finalize their four-team trade without losing their ability to pursue recourse for the way the Trail Blazers shared Gary Payton II‘s health information, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
As we previously relayed, the Warriors have filed an official complaint with the league office, arguing that Portland withheld key medical information about Payton.
The reserve guard, shipped out to Golden State from Portland at the trade deadline last week, flunked a physical exam when the Warriors’ medical staff discovered that his core muscle injury, which he had been playing through for a month, was severe enough it could sideline him for three additional months this season.
Reports from The Athletic and ESPN have indicated that Payton was using Toradol to relieve his pain, which the Warriors didn’t know before agreeing to the trade. Agent Aaron Goodwin told Chris Haynes of TNT (Twitter link) that “despite of what’s being reported, my client never took Toradol shots to be available for games during his time in Portland.”
[Note: The Athletic has since clarified that Payton received Toradol doses orally, rather than via injection.]
Should the Warriors ultimately decide not to move forward with their trade, it would have a ripple effect on four clubs. Their deadline to do so is 9:30 pm ET tonight.
According to Wojnarowski, Golden State will likely move forward with the deal as long as doing so doesn’t cost the team its ability to further pursue the matter. As Woj explains, an NBA investigation could result in a fine and/or lost draft picks for the Blazers if the league discovers “a failure to disclose relevant information.”
The Warriors shipped out 2020 No. 2 draft pick James Wiseman to the Pistons and two second-round draft picks to the Blazers in the trade. Meanwhile, the Pistons sent out small forward Saddiq Bey to the Hawks and combo forward Kevin Knox to the Trail Blazers. The Hawks traded three second-round picks to Portland and two seconds to Golden State.
Luke Adams contributed to this report.
Patrick Beverley Waived By Magic
As had been widely anticipated, combo guard Patrick Beverley has been waived by the Magic, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).
The 6’1″ Beverley will become a free agent once he clears waivers. He was sent to the Magic by the Lakers as part of a four-team trade that netted Los Angeles two second-round draft picks, along with 3-and-D reserve big man Mo Bamba.
In 45 games for the Lakers, all starts, the 34-year-old posted averages of 6.4 PPG on .402/.348/.780, plus 3.1 RPG, 2.6 APG and 0.9 SPG.
Beverley has emerged as a rumored buyout market target of the Clippers, after the team traded veteran point guards Reggie Jackson and John Wall at the deadline. That would mark his second go-round with L.A., He spent four seasons with the Clippers, from 2017-21, and was named to the league’s All-Defensive Second Team in 2020.
Zion Williamson To Miss Several More Weeks With Hamstring Injury
Pelicans All-Star power forward Zion Williamson will miss several more weeks as he continues to recuperate from a right hamstring strain, per Christian Clark of NOLA (Twitter link).
According to Andrew Lopez of ESPN (via Twitter), head of basketball operations David Griffin told reporters today that Williamson had advanced in his rehab process to participating in 3-on-3 work, but re-aggravated the ailment in a recent practice. The former No. 1 overall pick will have his health reassessed by the team’s medical staff following the All-Star break.
As Clark notes, Williamson has already been shelved since first suffering the injury on January 2. In his absence, New Orleans has cratered, going 6-14 in this current stretch without him. Though the Pelicans occupied a spot near the top of the Western Conference standings when Williamson was healthy, the team has now fallen to the seventh seed and is only 1.5 games clear of the No. 11 Jazz.
Williamson has missed far more games (169) than he has actually played (114) in his NBA career to date, as Clark tweets. Across his 29 healthy games this season, the third-year forward is averaging 26 PPG on .608/.368/.714 shooting splits. He’s also pulling down 7.0 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.1 SPG and 0.6 BPG.
Given that Williamson and Warriors All-Star point guard Stephen Curry will both definitely miss All-Star Weekend festivities next week in Salt Lake City, the NBA named Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards and Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox to fill in as replacement All-Stars for the West.
Magic, Terrence Ross Finalize Buyout Agreement
FEBRUARY 12: Ross has officially been released by Orlando, the team has revealed in a press release (via Twitter). He’ll reportedly sign with the Suns upon clearing waivers.
11:06am: The Magic and veteran swingman Terrence Ross are finalizing a buyout agreement that will put him on track for free agency, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Ross, 32, has been with the Magic since being traded from Toronto to Orlando at the 2017 deadline.
He averaged 14.4 points in 27.2 minutes per game in 220 contests during his first four full seasons with the team, but has seen his role cut back in the last two seasons as the Magic have gone through a rebuilding process. He has averaged just 9.2 PPG in 22.8 MPG across 105 appearances since the start of last season.
Ross has been viewed as a trade candidate since Orlando’s 2021 fire sale that saw Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier all dealt. However, he stuck around for an extra two years beyond that, as the Magic never got the sort of offer they sought for the veteran shooter, who has made 36.2% of his 3,500 career three-point attempts.
Given that Ross is on an expiring contract and suggested last spring he’d welcome a change of scenery, it comes as no surprise that he’s seeking his exit from Orlando after staying put through the trade deadline.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who first reported that Ross was a buyout candidate, says the Mavericks and Suns are two potential suitors to keep an eye on. Marc Stein (Twitter link) has also heard word of Dallas’ interest in the veteran wing.