Isaiah Hartenstein Signs With Clippers
SEPTEMBER 15: Hartenstein’s deal with the Clippers became official on Monday, according to RealGM’s transactions log.
SEPTEMBER 11: The Clippers have agreed on a training camp deal with free agent center Isaiah Hartenstein, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Hartenstein, 23, split last season between the Nuggets and Cavaliers, averaging career-best numbers with 8.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 16 games with Cleveland after being acquired at the trade deadline.
He had a player option worth about $1.76MM for next season, but turned it down and opted for free agency instead. Cleveland decided against issuing him a qualifying offer, leaving him unrestricted.
The Trail Blazers, Thunder and Nets were among the teams that reportedly expressed interest in Hartenstein, and the Cavaliers were believed to be open to bringing him back.
The Clippers have 14 guaranteed contracts heading into training camp and one of their two-way slots still open, so Hartenstein will have a couple of avenues to win a roster spot.
Rockets Working Towards Re-Signing Dante Exum
The Rockets are nearing a deal to re-sign free agent reserve guard Dante Exum, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Charania had reported earlier today that Houston was talking to free agent point guards, with John Wall not expected to play for the team this season.
Injuries have hampered Exum’s time in the league thus far. He was drafted by the Jazz with the fifth overall pick in 2014. The club eventually sent him to the Cavaliers in December 2019.
Cleveland, in turn, shipped Exum out to the Rockets as part of the four-team James Harden trade, though injuries kept him on the bench for the entirety of his 2020/21 Houston tenure. He appeared in just six games for Cleveland, and thus overall, during the 72-game 2020/21 NBA season.
All told, Exum has appeared in 245 of a possible 554 games during his eight-season NBA run thus far. The 6’5″ Exum holds career averages of 5.7 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 2.1 APG across 18.6 MPG.
On a Houston team not expected to contend for a postseason berth, the 26-year-old could have plenty of opportunity to rebuild his value in the marketplace. Charania observes that Exum averaged 9.0 PPG and 2.8 APG for Team Australia’s bronze medal-winning club this summer during the Olympics in Tokyo.
The Rockets currently have a full 20-man preseason roster, so they’d need to waive someone to make room for Exum. Khyri Thomas, Daishen Nix, Tyler Bey, and Armoni Brooks are on non-guaranteed contracts.
Mavericks Expected To Sign Frank Ntilikina
It is anticipated that the Mavericks will add defensive-oriented former Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina within the next few days, league sources inform Marc Stein of Substack (Twitter link).
Stein notes that Dallas had been eyeing Ntilikina even in the 2017 NBA draft lottery, but after the Knicks selected him with the eighth pick, the Mavericks pivoted to Dennis Smith Jr. with the No. 9 selection. Smith, who himself was eventually sent to the Knicks in 2019, recently signed a training camp deal with the Trail Blazers.
During the 2020/21 season, Ntilikina earned $6.2MM in the fourth year of his rookie deal. This year, his deal will most likely be either a non-guaranteed deal or a veteran’s minimum. The Mavericks currently have 14 players on guaranteed deals, with one player – Moses Brown – signed to a non-guaranteed contract and both of their two-way contract spots occupied.
The 6’4″ reserve guard, still just 23, suited up for 33 games with the Knicks last year under head coach Tom Thibodeau. He averaged just 2.7 PPG and 0.9 RPG across 9.8 MPG. A talented defensive player, Ntilikina has yet to develop on the other end of the hardwood. He holds career averages of 5.5 PPG, 2.7 APG and 2.0 RPG.
NBA Won’t Mandate COVID-19 Vaccines For Players
NBA players won’t be mandated to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, league sources tell Baxter Holmes and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The news doesn’t come as a major surprise. While other NBA personnel – including referees – are required to be fully vaccinated for the start of the season, imposing such a mandate on players would’ve meant negotiating the issue with the NBPA. That aspect of negotiations between the league and the players’ union has been considered a “non-starter,” per Holmes and Wojnarowski.
Although there won’t be a mandate in place, a league spokesperson recently said that about 85% of the NBA’s players are fully vaccinated, according to ESPN’s duo, and the league will continue to implement strict testing protocols for unvaccinated players.
Besides potentially having to eat and travel in different sections than their vaccinated teammates, unvaccinated players will be required to register one negative COVID-19 test on each practice or travel day and two negatives tests on each game day, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Fully vaccinated players won’t undergo regular coronavirus testing, Charania notes.
While most NBA players will still be able to play in games without being fully vaccinated, that won’t be the case for those based in cities like New York and San Francisco, where there are new laws about vaccinations for indoor gatherings. We outlined earlier this month how Knicks, Nets, and Warriors players would be affected by those regulations, and ESPN’s report today reiterates that the NBA will abide by those local vaccination requirements unless a player has an approved medical or religious exemption.
G League Schedule Announced With New Format, Begins Nov. 5
The NBA G League announced today in a press release that it will tip off its 2021/22 season on November 5 with a new, expanded 14-game Showcase Cup tournament.
The event will feature the 28 affiliated G League teams, the G League Ignite, and the Capitanes de la Ciudad de México, who will be based out of Fort Worth, TX for practice and housing, but will play as the home team in G League cities.
[RELATED: NBA G League Affiliations For 2021/22]
The 30 teams will be separated into four regional pods. According to the NBAGL’s press release, eight teams will advance to compete for the Showcase Cup in a single-elimination tournament during the NBA G League’s annual Winter Showcase. The four winners of the regional pods will participate in that tournament, as will the next-best four teams across the league.
The other 22 teams will each play two games during the Winter Showcase, outside of the Showcase Cup. The Winter Showcase will take place from December 19-22.
At the conclusion of the Showcase Cup, all team results will be reset, and the 28 affiliated teams will then play a 36-game regular season from December 27 to April 2, with the top six teams from each conference advancing to the playoffs, to be held following the season. The full schedule for the Showcase Cup and the regular season can be found here.
In a separate press release, the G League Ignite – the league’s “select team” featuring several top prospects – announced their schedule for the Showcase Cup tournament, including two preseason exhibition games. Like the Capitanes, the Ignite don’t have a home arena this season and will not participate in the 36-game regular season. However, the press release states that “additional competition” for the Ignite will be announced at a later date.
Rockets, John Wall Agree To Hold Him Out Of Games, Seek Trade
2:42pm: The Rockets don’t want to give up any first-round picks in a Wall trade, according to MacMahon. Realistically, the only way for Houston to avoid attaching a first-rounder would be to take back one or two unwanted contracts in the deal.
MacMahon adds that the Rockets wouldn’t want to engage in buyout talks until possibly the 2022 offseason.
12:31pm: The Rockets and John Wall have agreed to work together to try to find a new home for the veteran point guard, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic. Wall didn’t explicitly ask to be traded, but he isn’t part of Houston’s long-term plans, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston.
As Charania explains, the Rockets’ intention is for Wall to remain around the team, starting with training camp in two weeks, but he won’t play in games for Houston this season.
In a recent meeting between the two sides, team officials explained to Wall that they want to protect his health and avoid jeopardizing his fitness, which led them to agree to this plan, according to Charania, who adds that the club and the 31-year-old see “eye-to-eye” on the issue. As long as he remains around the team, the Rockets believe Wall’s veteran leadership will have a positive impact on youngsters like Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr., per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link).
Sources tell Charania that the Rockets aren’t looking to negotiate a buyout of the two years and $91.7MM left on Wall’s contract, and are focused for now on finding a deal on the trade market. Given Wall’s pricey cap hits ($44.3MM this season, with a $47.4MM player option for 2022/23) and his injury history, he has negative trade value, so Houston would almost certainly have to attach assets to find a taker.
It’s unclear how much appetite the rebuilding Rockets will have to surrender future draft picks in order to move Wall. Even though they landed several first-rounders and pick swaps in last season’s James Harden trade, they don’t have a huge surplus of future selections, having previously sent out a pair of future first-rounders in their deal for Russell Westbrook.
Wall’s trade value should at least be a little higher than it was a year ago, when he was coming off a 2019/20 season fully lost to an Achilles injury. In 2020/21, he appeared in 40 games for the Rockets (32.2 MPG), averaging 20.6 PPG, 6.9 APG, and 3.2 RPG, albeit with a modest .404/.317/.749 shooting line.
As they explore their trade options for Wall, the Rockets will have to lean more heavily on Porter and D.J. Augustin. Charania indicates the team has also held discussions with free agent point guards in recent days, suggesting another player could be added to the mix at the position.
The Rockets currently have a full 20-man offseason roster, but only 14 of those players are on fully guaranteed standard contracts, so they could open up the final spot on their 15-man regular season roster for a point guard, if they so choose.
Caleb Martin Signs Two-Way Contract With Heat
1:53pm: The Heat have officially signed Martin, the team announced in a press release.
12:48pm: Free agent forward Caleb Martin is signing a two-way contract with the Heat, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Martin is known as a defense-oriented hustle player and holds career averages of 5.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 16 MPG over two seasons with the Hornets.
Charlotte waived Martin last month before his salary for the 2021/22 season could become guaranteed. Charania notes that Caleb will now be competing against his twin brother Cody Martin in the same division — Cody remains a member of the Hornets.
Both of the Heat’s two-way contracts are now filled, after the team previously signed former Kansas guard Marcus Garrett. Once Martin’s deal is official, Miami will have a full 20-man preseason roster.
Kenneth Faried Will Work Out For Lakers
The Lakers are set to take a look at free agent veteran forward Kenneth Faried in a workout this week, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Faried, 31, was selected by the Nuggets with the No. 22 pick out of Morehead State University in the 2011 draft. An All-Rookie First Teamer, Faried would go on to spend his first seven NBA seasons in Denver as a valuable, versatile rotation player.
The athletic big man split his final league season to date, 2018/19, between the Nets and Rockets. After being unable to carve out much of a role as a reserve small ball center for Brooklyn, the 6’8″ Faried was waived by the Nets in January of 2019. He then joined the Rockets to conclude the year. Faried averaged 12.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 0.8 BPG across 25 games with a playoff-bound Houston team.
Faried linked up with the Zhejiang Lions, a CBA club, for the 2019/20 season. Most recently, Faried played for the Trail Blazers’ 2021 Summer League squad, in the hopes of gaining traction for an NBA comeback. With the Lakers now expressing interest, Faried may get that chance on a roster loaded with other veterans in their 30s hoping for championship glory.
The new-look Lakers have 13 players signed to guaranteed contracts thus far, two players on Exhibit 10 training camp deals, and both of their two-way contract slots occupied. If he’s anything like his Nuggets self, Faried could help shore up the club’s big man depth.
NBA Still Considering Possible Mid-Season Tournament
The NBA continues to consider a possible mid-season tournament, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). The concept was addressed in a Competition Committee group call today.
Charania adds that a wrinkle designed to incentivize player interest is a $1MM prize for each player on the winning club. Obviously, for a maximum-salaried veteran, $1MM isn’t a huge incentive, but for players at the end of the roster, it would represent a significant sum.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has been contemplating a mid-season tournament for years now. In a 2019 conversation with Marc Stein of the New York Times (now with Substack), Silver explained his thinking behind the concept.
“In the case of European soccer, I think there is something we can learn from them,” Silver told Stein in 2019. “I also recognize I’m up against some of the traditionalists who say no one will care about that other competition, that other trophy, you create. And my response to that is, ‘Organizations have the ability to create new traditions.’ It won’t happen overnight.”
The other change to league play that had been bandied about at the time was a play-in tournament, to expand postseason eligibility for teams, get late-year engagement from additional fanbases, and disincentivize tanking.
After being initially introduced during the league’s Orlando restart “bubble” to conclude the 2019/20 season, the play-in tournament was revised for the 2020/21 season. It proved a hit with fans, and looks to remain a part of the NBA for years to come. No doubt the league is hoping for similar success and increased eyeballs with a mid-season tournament.
G League’s Mexico City Team To Play In U.S. In 2021/22
As expected, the Mexico City Capitanes will indeed be joining the NBA G League for the 2021/22 season, but they won’t be playing their home games in Mexico, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
As Charania explains, ongoing restrictions on international travel related to the coronavirus will prevent the Capitanes from playing in Mexico City in ’21/22. The Raptors found themselves in a similar situation last season, forced to play their home games in Tampa instead of Toronto due to the governmental rules on travel between the U.S. and Canada.
The Capitanes will be based in Fort Worth, Texas for practice and housing purposes in 2021/22, according to Marc Stein of Substack (Twitter link). League sources tell Stein that the team will play all its games in “existing league markets.”
It’s unclear if that means the Capitanes will simply play all their games at their opponent’s arenas, or if they’ll host their home games at nearby arenas if and when they’re available. The Texas Legends (Frisco), Austin Spurs (Austin), and Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Edinburg) are among the other NBAGL teams based in Texas. The Oklahoma City Blue’s home arena also isn’t too far from Fort Worth.
The NBA has yet to formally confirm its plans for the Mexico City Capitanes in 2021/22, but with the G League season inching closer, an official announcement should be coming soon and should provide more clarity on where the club’s home games will take place.
The addition of the Capitanes to the G League for the 2021/22 season means the NBAGL will have 30 teams for the first time — 28 of them are affiliated with NBA clubs. We provided more info on those affiliations last week.