Heat Sign Chris Silva To Fourth 10-Day Contract
The Heat have signed forward Chris Silva to a fourth 10-day contract, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). Silva’s third 10-day deal with the team expired on Sunday night.
Silva, 25, has appeared in a total of seven games for Miami since first signing with the club back on December 31. He has averaged 3.4 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 9.0 minutes per contest while providing depth in the frontcourt.
A player is typically limited to no more than two 10-day contracts with the same team in a single season, but that restriction doesn’t apply to 10-day deals completed using a COVID-related hardship exception. All four of Silva’s contracts have been hardship deals, since the Heat have had players in and out of the health and safety protocols for over a month.
Omer Yurtseven entered the protocols over the weekend and is currently the only Heat player affected. If he exits the protocols before Silva’s new 10-day deal expires and no one new enters, Silva will be ineligible to play at that point.
Silva has earned $95,930 on each of his 10-day contracts this season, including one with Minnesota in December. By the time his new deal expires (on the night of February 9), he’ll have received nearly $480K in total, which exceeds the minimum salary for a player on a two-way contract in 2021/22.
Silva is the second player to sign four 10-day contracts with the same club this season, joining Lance Stephenson (Pacers).
Joe Ingles To Undergo MRI On Injured Knee
Jazz forward Joe Ingles will undergo an MRI on his injured left knee on Monday, according to Adrian Wojnrarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter) that the team fears he has suffered a significant injury.
Ingles’ left knee buckled during the club’s game against Minnesota on Sunday. He was helped off the floor after recording two rebounds and three assists in just over 12 minutes.
The Jazz are already playing without Donovan Mitchell (concussion), Rudy Gobert (calf) and Trent Forrest (ankle). The team also lost head coach Quin Snyder and forward Danuel House to protocols on Sunday. Utah is 30-20 on the season and 2-8 in its last 10 games.
Ingles has played a regular rotation role for the Jazz this season, averaging 7.4 points and 2.9 rebounds in 25.2 minutes per game. He’s started in 14 of those 44 games to this point.
Quin Snyder, Danuel House Enter Protocols
Jazz head coach Quin Snyder has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the team announced (via Twitter). Lead assistant Alex Jensen will serve as acting head coach when the club plays the Timberwolves on Sunday.
According to Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links), Snyder was at the team’s morning shootaround. He’s currently feeling “alright,” Jensen said. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN also notes (via Twitter) that Snyder is the 18th head coach to enter health and safety protocols this season.
The Jazz will be playing without Donovan Mitchell (concussion), Rudy Gobert (calf) and Trent Forrest (ankle) in the contest. The team has been dealing with availability issues throughout the month, dropping to fourth in the Western Conference at 30-20. Utah owns just a 2-8 record in its last 10 games.
In addition to Snyder, forward Danuel House has also entered protocols. House is currently on his third 10-day contract with Utah. His first deal was signed via a hardship exception, so he’s currently on his second traditional 10-day contract.
Snyder is in his seventh season as Utah’s head coach. Following Sunday’s road game, the Jazz will return home for a six-game stint that starts with facing Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Wednesday.
LeBron James Sent Home For Treatment On Knee
LeBron James, who had already been ruled out of today’s game in Atlanta, has been sent back to Los Angeles to undergo treatment on his left knee, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
“As long as the swelling is there, he is going to be out,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said in a pre-game meeting with reporters.
James underwent an MRI on the knee, but all it showed was swelling, according to Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register (Twitter link).
James has missed L.A.’s past two games with what the team is calling “left knee soreness/effusion.” After today, the Lakers don’t play again until Wednesday night when they host Portland.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander To Miss Multiple Weeks With Ankle Sprain
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss multiple weeks after suffering a right ankle sprain on Friday against the Pacers, the team announced today. Gilgeous-Alexander will be reevaluated after the All-Star break, which lasts from February 18-23.
In 43 games this season, the Thunder’s point guard averaged 22.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per contest, shooting 42% from the floor and 28% from three-point range. Each of those averages (with the exception of rebounding) are down from last season, but the 23-year-old remains the go-to option on his team.
The Thunder are 0-5 in games that Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t played this season. One of those losses came against Memphis in a record-setting fashion — OKC was outscored by 73 points, the largest margin of defeat in NBA history. That contest was played in early December on the road.
With Gilgeous-Alexander on the shelf, expect guards Ty Jerome and Theo Maledon to receive more playing time. Oklahoma City owns the second-worst record in the West at 14-34, leading the Rockets by half a game.
Pelicans Sign Wenyen Gabriel Via Hardship Exception
The Pelicans have signed forward Wenyen Gabriel to a 10-day contract via the hardship exception, according to a team press release.
This is fourth time Gabriel has signed a 10-day under the hardship provision this season after being waived by the Bucks during training camp. He had a pair of those contracts with the Clippers and an earlier one with the Nets. He has appeared in seven NBA games this season, averaging 2.0 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 6.7 MPG. Gabriel played 21 games for the Pelicans last season.
New Orleans rookie Trey Murphy has been in the league’s health and safely protocols since Monday and the team also listed Didi Louzada in the protocols prior to Friday’s game.
Gabriel has also worn a Trail Blazers and Kings uniform after going undrafted in 2018. He’s appeared in 58 career games, averaging 2.6 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 9.0 MPG.
Most recently, Gabriel has appeared in 14 games (12 starts) for the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s NBA G League affiliate, averaging 14.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 2.1 BPG in 25.9 MPG.
DeMarcus Cousins Cut, Re-Signed By Nuggets
DeMarcus Cousins was cut by the Nuggets on Friday and then re-signed to a standard 10-day contract, Katy Winge of Altitude TV tweets. The signing was confirmed on NBA.com’s transactions log.
Cousins signed a 10-day contract under the hardship exception on January 21. That contract was initially reported as a standard 10-day deal and the team’s press release did not indicate the hardship exception was used. However, if it had been a standard 10-day, the team wouldn’t have needed to re-sign him within that time frame.
Jamal Murray was still listed on Friday as being in protocols, so perhaps this is an indication he’ll soon be removed from that list. It’s also possible that Cousins wasn’t deemed eligible to play on his hardship deal while Murray was the only Nugget in the protocols, since Murray is still recovering from an injury and wouldn’t have been available anyway.
Cousins has appeared in four games as Nikola Jokic‘s backup, averaging 6.3 PPG and 6.5 RPG in 12.5 MPG.
Cousins, 31, spent a little over five weeks with the Bucks from late November to early January, averaging 9.1 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 17 games (16.9 MPG) for the defending champs. Milwaukee opted to waive the veteran center before his salary for 2021/22 could become fully guaranteed, making him a free agent.
He can sign one more standard 10-day deal with the Nuggets before they must decide whether to give him a rest-of-the-season contract or let him walk.
Sixers/Harden Chatter Raises Tampering Suspicions
The possibility of the Sixers using Ben Simmons as a trade chip to try to acquire Nets star James Harden via sign-and-trade was rumored back in the fall, but the idea has gained more steam as of late, with multiple reporters suggesting this week that such a scenario appears increasingly viable.
With so many recent reports connecting Harden to the 76ers – who are seemingly becoming more and more comfortable with the idea of hanging onto Simmons until the offseason – there are growing suspicions around the NBA about what Philadelphia’s ownership and management groups might know about Harden’s intentions — and how they gathered that information.
In the most recent episode of his Posted Up podcast, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports laid out those concerns and explained what they might mean (hat tip to NBC Sports).
“Michael Rubin – for those who don’t know, the Sixers’ co-owner – (is) very, very, very good friends with James Harden,” Haynes said. “And I’ve talked to a rival owner, talking to rival front-office executives who believe that there could be something, some talks going on now between both sides.
“And this is what I was told: Some front-office executives are prepared to – when the time comes, if a deal does look like it’s about to transpire where there could be some potential sign-and-trade in the offseason – they’re prepared to get the league involved on a potential collusion case, dating back to what they believe could be going on right now, as to why we’re probably hearing a lot of Philadelphia-James Harden talk.
“So, that’s something to keep an eye on. If it does get to the point where it looks like James Harden will be headed to Philly, I was told there will be complaints issued to the league on trying to investigate, to see if there was any collusion, any talks of recruitment going on right now, which is illegal and against the CBA.”
It’s not unusual for a team to recruit a star player months before he reaches free agency. Before Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City for Golden State, for example, there were whispers about the possibility throughout the preceding season.
However, those recruiting efforts were led by the Warriors’ stars rather than team management, and the NBA has never seemed interested in pursuing tampering changes against players. In this case, it’s Harden’s relationships with Rubin and Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey that have helped fuel leaguewide speculation.
Additionally, the league has made an effort to crack down on tampering in recent years, increasing and expanding the penalties that can be imposed on teams found to be guilty of violating the NBA’s rules. The league is much more likely to take a closer look at a potential case of tampering in 2022 than it would have been five or six years ago.
So far, there has been no indication that the Sixers have been in contact with Harden. But Haynes’ report suggests the franchise will face plenty of scrutiny if its oft-rumored pursuit of the former MVP is ultimately successful.
Kings No Longer Pursuing Ben Simmons
With less than two weeks to go until the NBA’s 2022 trade deadline, the Kings have ended their pursuit of Sixers star Ben Simmons and have shifted their focus to other trade targets, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Sacramento has long been considered one of the most realistic destinations for Simmons due to a combination of the Kings’ assets, roster construction, and a desire to shake up their squad in the midst of another disappointing season. However, according to Wojnarowski, the Kings believe Philadelphia’s asking price for Simmons is too high and that there’s no viable path to a deal.
One report last week suggested Simmons was “front and center” in Sacramento’s deadline plans, while another stated that the Kings might be willing to offer Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, and two future first-round picks in exchange for Simmons, Tobias Harris, and Matisse Thybulle. However, there was a belief that even that package wouldn’t be enough for Philadelphia.
Subsequent reporting indicated the Kings want to build their roster around Haliburton and De’Aaron Fox and weren’t interested in taking back Harris in a Simmons deal, which significantly diminished their odds of putting together an offer Philadelphia would accept. The 76ers, led by president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, have said for months that they want a star player in return in return for Simmons and aren’t inclined to accept a package of role players and draft picks.
With Simmons no longer in their sights and no apparent desire to move Haliburton or Fox, the Kings will continue to shop players like Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley III, Tristan Thompson, and Richaun Holmes as they look to reshape their roster. Sacramento entered the season with playoff aspirations, but currently has an 18-32 record and ranks 13th in the West.
Sources tell Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) that the belief within the organization is that the current state of affairs is “unacceptable,” so Sacramento is expected to remain active and aggressive in trade discussions leading up to February 10. The Kings have been linked recently to the Pacers’ two centers (Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner), as well as Pistons forward Jerami Grant.
The Sixers, meanwhile, seem increasingly willing to extend their standoff with Simmons into the offseason, as we’ve written multiple times today alone.
According to Wojnarowski, Philadelphia still believes a deal could be made in the next two weeks, but the club also thinks a wider range of options could be available in the offseason, including perhaps stars like James Harden and/or Bradley Beal.
Jazz Sign Danuel House To Third 10-Day Contract
12:09pm: House has officially signed his new 10-day contract with the Jazz, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
8:10am: The Jazz are re-signing forward Danuel House to a new 10-day contract, league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). House’s previous 10-day deal with the club expired on Thursday night.
House, 28, has appeared in six games so far with Utah, averaging 6.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 1.7 APG in 19.8 minutes per contest. He has a shooting line of .429/.333/.636 in those six games and has played his usual solid defense on the wing.
House, who began the season with the Rockets, was waived in December by Houston and quickly caught on with the Knicks on a 10-day hardship deal. After that deal expired, he signed with the Jazz, first on a 10-day hardship contract, then on a standard 10-day pact.
A player typically isn’t permitted to sign more than two 10-day contracts with the same time in a season, but hardship deals don’t count toward that limit, so House is permitted to sign a third 10-day contract with the Jazz, since it’s only his second standard 10-day.
According to Jones, House is expected to finalize his new deal on Friday and to be active for tonight’s game in Memphis. That means his contract would run through February 6, covering the Jazz’s next four games. At that point, Utah would have to either sign him for the rest of the season or let him walk, since he wouldn’t be eligible for another standard 10-day deal.
The Jazz currently only have 13 players on standard, full-season contracts, so even if they were to make a rest-of-season commitment to House before the trade deadline, they’d still have an opening on their 15-man roster, giving them some roster flexibility.