Raptors Sign Armoni Brooks To Two-Year Deal
10:44am: Toronto has officially signed Brooks, the team announced in a press release.
9:12am: The Raptors intend to sign Armoni Brooks to two-year contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). The deal will include a partial guarantee for 2022/23.
Brooks will receive more than the minimum salary for the remainder of this season because the Raptors still have part of their mid-level exception to spend, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet (Twitter link), who adds that Brooks’ partial guarantee for next season is $250K.
In a separate tweet, Murphy notes that Brooks likely moved ahead of Justin Champagnie for the 15th and final standard roster spot — Champagnie is currently on a two-way deal and won’t be eligible for the playoffs, barring another roster move.
Brooks was previously signed to a couple of 10-day contracts by Toronto, and the team clearly liked what it saw out of the young guard. His second 10-day deal expired overnight on Friday, so the Raptors had to either sign him for the rest of the season or let him walk, since players can’t sign more than two standard 10-day contracts with the same club in a single season.
Coach Nick Nurse had said on Friday that he expected Brooks to be brought back (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports).
Through eight games with the Raptors, Brooks has averaged 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 11.1 minutes per night in a limited role. However, he’s been a regular part of the team’s rotation of late, averaging 6.7 points and a steal on 40% shooting from deep over the past three games.
Eric Koreen of The Athletic explored Brooks’ fit with the Raptors a few days ago, stating that while the young guard might not fit the mold of the rest of the team, Toronto can use his long-range shooting ability — as long as he’s hitting those shots.
“It’s just trusting your work. Your shots are not gonna fall every single night. Even the best shooters have slumps. It’s just part of the game. You can have good looks and they won’t fall, but you have just got to trust that you put in the work and eventually results will turn in your favor,” Brooks said.
Brooks, 23, signed with Houston as a two-way player last year and was converted to a standard contract in October of 2021. He had a nice run with the Rockets last season, averaging 11.2 points and 3.4 rebounds on 38.2% from deep in 20 games. He was waived by Houston last month to accommodate a three-for-one deal with the Celtics at the trade deadline.
Pistons’ Hamidou Diallo Out For Season
Pistons swingman Hamidou Diallo will miss the remainder of the 2021/22 season with a left index finger avulsion fracture, the team announced. He suffered the injury against Chicago on March 9.
The high-flying Diallo was the 45th pick of the 2018 draft after a single collegiate season with Kentucky. He spent his first two-plus seasons with Oklahoma City prior to being traded to Detroit last March.
He had a breakout third season in 2020/21, averaging 11.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists on .477/.341/.644 shooting in 52 games (23.6 minutes) with the Thunder and Pistons. Diallo was a restricted free agent last summer and re-signed with the Pistons on a two-year, $10.4MM contract.
In 58 games this season, including 29 starts, Diallo continued to be a valuable contributor. He averaged 11 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals on .496/.247/.650 shooting. The 23-year-old struggles on threes and free throws, but he’s extremely athletic, a great finisher, and plays solid defense.
The Pistons hold a $5.2MM team option on Diallo for next season, so he could technically become an unrestricted free agent in 2022 if the Pistons decline the option, but I think that’s pretty unlikely since it’s an affordable salary for a solid young player.
Jazz Center Udoka Azubuike Done For Season After Surgery
Jazz center Udoka Azubuike underwent successful surgery on Friday to repair multiple ligaments in his right ankle and foot, the team announced. He’ll miss the rest of the 2021/22 season.
Azubuike appeared to suffer a dislocated ankle in a G League contest on March 10, his third right ankle injury in the past 13 months. He had a partially dislocated ankle back in November and a severe ankle sprain in February of 2021.
In 17 games this season, the second-year big man averaged 4.7 points and 4.2 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per night while shooting 75.5% from the field. He appeared in just 15 games as a rookie last season, logging a total of 57 minutes.
After four seasons at Kansas, Azubuike was the 27th pick in the 2020 draft. Although his NBA run has been brief, the 22-year-old has shown flashes of upside — as Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune notes, Azubuike averaged 9.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks over a six-game stretch between February 2-14.
Since Azubuike was behind Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside on Utah’s depth chart, his absence won’t have much of an impact on the team’s playoff push, but obviously it’s a tough setback for the young center and hopefully he’s able to recover quickly.
At 45-28, the Jazz are currently the No. 4 seed in the West, but their hold on that spot is tenuous, as the Mavs have an identical record and the No. 6 Nuggets and No. 7 Timberwolves trail the Jazz by 2.5 and 3.5 games, respectively.
James Wiseman Out For Season
Warriors center James Wiseman will miss the remainder of the season as he continues to rehab his right knee, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 draft, will end up missing the entire season, including the playoffs, as he has yet to play a game at the NBA level in 2021/22.
He suffered a torn right meniscus last April and had the injury surgically repaired, then had a second, more minor surgery in December to address persistent swelling in the same knee.
He’d progressed to the point that he was able to play in three G League games with the team’s affiliate in Santa Cruz before being recalled to practice with Golden State last week, but unfortunately suffered another setback just as he was nearing a potential return.
The Warriors’ PR department sent out a tweet confirming the news that Wiseman will miss the rest of the season.
“We’ve maintained throughout his entire rehabilitation process that we’re going to be patient and look out for James’ best interests in what we anticipate to be a long and successful career,” said president of basketball operations Bob Myers. “As a 20-year-old, his entire career is ahead of him. For us, as an organization, our focus is on James’ long-term health and we’re confident — and our doctors are confident — that this long-term approach will help James become the player he will evolve into when he returns to the court.”
There are no additional plans for surgery and Wiseman will remain in the Bay Area to rehab his knee, the team said.
In 39 games as a rookie last season, Wiseman averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game. The Warriors are currently 48-25, the No. 3 seed in the West.
Drew Eubanks Signs Fourth 10-Day Deal With Blazers
9:13pm: The signing under the hardship exception is official, according to a team press release.
12:40pm: The Trail Blazers intend to sign center Drew Eubanks to another 10-day contract, which will be his fourth consecutive deal with the team, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
The 25-year-old has performed well through 13 games (28.1 minutes) with Portland, averaging 12.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists on .624/.286/.880 shooting (only seven attempts from deep). He’s started all 13 games in place of the injured Jusuf Nurkic.
Most of this year’s 10-day hardship contracts have been completed using the COVID-related hardship exception, but Eubanks has been signed multiple times using an injury-related hardship exception. A team qualifies for an injury-related hardship exception if it has at least four players who have missed three or more consecutive games, as long as those players project to remain sidelined for at least the next couple weeks.
Portland has at least six such players – Nurkic, Damian Lillard, Nassir Little, Didi Louzada, Joe Ingles, and Eric Bledsoe – and possibly as many as seven, if Anfernee Simons isn’t expected to return soon. That’s why the club is eligible for the hardship exception.
Eubanks’ last 10-day deal expired overnight. His new 10-day contract will pay him $99,380.
Blazers Sign Kris Dunn To Second 10-Day Deal
9:11pm: The signing under the hardship exception is official, according to a team press release.
8:15pm: The Trail Blazers are signing guard Kris Dunn to a second 10-day contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Dunn has appeared in six games with depleted Portland, averaging 7.3 PPG and 5.2 APG in 24.8 MPG. He was added under the injury hardship exception and presumably the Blazers will use the same provision the second time around, since they have a full 15-man roster.
Dunn was playing for the G League’s Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario prior to getting another opportunity to play in the NBA. The former No. 5 overall pick spent last season with the Hawks, but was limited to four games due to an ankle injury. He was traded from Atlanta to Memphis in the offseason and was subsequently waived.
Portland is scrambling to find bodies to finish out the season.
Drew Eubanks is reportedly signing a fourth 10-day with Portland. The Blazers have seven players who might miss the remainder of the season due to assorted injuries. Additionally, Josh Hart has missed the last two games due to a left knee issue.
Mychal Mulder Signs Two-Way With Heat; Kyle Guy Waived
The Heat have signed guard Mychal Mulder to a two-way contract and waived Kyle Guy, the team’s PR department tweets.
Mulder has been playing for Miami’s G League squad. He has averaged 17.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 2.7 APG in 10 games with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Mulder has 82 games of NBA experience under his belt. He played the last two seasons with Golden State. He saw action in 15 games with the Magic this season, averaging 3.7 PPG in 13.0 MPG. Mulder, 27, was waived by Orlando in early January.
Guy signed a two-way contract with Miami in mid-January. He appeared in 19 games with Miami, averaging 3.9 PPG in 9.8 MPG. He only saw action in eight games over the last two months and didn’t play more than seven minutes in any of those appearances.
Chris Paul Returns From Thumb Injury
6:40pm: Paul is playing on Thursday, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets.
2:09pm: Suns point guard Chris Paul is listed as probable to return for Thursday’s game at Denver, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Paul has missed the past 15 games with a fractured right thumb; the team went 11-4 in his absence. At 59-14, the Suns hold the best record in the NBA.
They lead the No. 2 seed Grizzlies by nine games with only nine games to play, so one more victory by Phoenix will clinch the No. 1 seed and home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Paul, 36, was named an All-Star for the 12th time this season. Through 58 games (33 MPG), he’s averaging 14.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 10.7 APG, and 1.9 SPG on .487/.330/.843 shooting. His 10.7 assists per game leads the league, and if it holds up it will be his fifth assists title.
It was reported on Monday that Paul was nearing a return to action. He was given a six-to-eight week recovery timetable when he initially suffered the fracture on February 20, but it seems he will return in less than five weeks, which is pretty remarkable given his advanced age (by sports standards).
Cameron Payne has been starting in Paul’s stead and is likely to head back to the bench. He’s played well of late since returning from a right wrist injury, averaging 14.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 9.5 APG on .421/.339/.783 shooting in March (11 games, 30.5 MPG).
Anthony Davis Could Return Before Postseason
Anthony Davis could return to action as early as the first week of April, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports.
The Lakers star big man has been rehabbing for over a month after suffering a right foot strain on February 16. His projected timetable at that time was four-to-six weeks.
Coach Frank Vogel said Davis is “coming along really well,” sideline reporter Mike Trudell tweets.
The Lakers entered Thursday in ninth place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the Pelicans. The 11th-place Spurs are only two games behind the Lakers in the loss column.
In terms of the play-in round, Vogel said “We’re hopeful those two games will be played with Anthony Davis,” Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation tweets. Of course, assuming L.A. finishes ninth or 10th in the West, the team would only play two games if it win its first one.
The Lakers, who played without LeBron James in their loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday, don’t play again until Sunday. Overall, they have nine regular-season games remaining, including five from April 3-10.
Ja Morant Out At Least Two More Weeks
6:18pm: The Grizzlies expect Morant to be ready to go for their postseason run, according to Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
“We expect him to make a full recovery before the playoffs, and we’re excited about that with two-and-a-half weeks left in the season,” Jenkins said. “We’ll offload him early, then he’ll start reloading pretty soon here with that two weeks in mind to reevaluate.”
5:49pm: Ja Morant‘s knee injury will be reevaluated in two weeks, according to Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Morant underwent an MRI and X-ray on his sore right knee. The star point guard will miss his third consecutive game on Thursday.
With the Grizzlies wrapping up the regular season on April 10, it seems unlikely Morant will play again during the regular season. Memphis is currently in second place in the Western Conference, two games ahead of Golden State. The play-in tournament prior to the first round will buy Morant more time to recover.
Morant apparently suffered the injury on a drive late in the fourth quarter of Memphis’ loss to Atlanta last Friday.
Through 56 games, Morant is averaging 27.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 6.7 APG and 1.2 SPG on .493/.340/.762 shooting. The Grizzlies will have to rely on backups Tyus Jones and De’Anthony Melton until he returns.
Morant suffered a left knee sprain early this season that sidelined him for 12 games.