Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Signs Second 10-Day Deal With Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers have given Rondae Hollis-Jefferson a second 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release.
The 26-year-old forward got into two games during his first 10-day deal, scoring four points in 12 total minutes. He joined the team on April 8 as Portland faced a league deadline to fill one of its two roster openings.
A first-round draft pick in 2015, Hollis-Jefferson spent his first four seasons with the Nets before signing with the Raptors as a free agent last year. He was with the Timberwolves in training camp, but failed to win a roster spot.
Players can only sign two 10-day contracts with a team during the season, so the Blazers will have to either part with Hollis-Jefferson or sign him for the rest of the season when this deal expires April 27. He will earn $128,963 over the next 10 days.
Kings Sign Damian Jones To Second 10-Day Deal
APRIL 17: The Kings have made it official, announcing Jones’ second 10-day deal in a press release.
APRIL 16: The Kings are signing center Damian Jones to a second 10-day contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Jones’ first 10-day contract with Sacramento is set to expire on Friday night.
Jones began the season with the Suns before being waived in February, then signed a pair of 10-day deals with the Lakers. He played 14 games with Phoenix and eight with L.A., averaging a combined 3.0 PPG and 2.0 RPG. Since his arrival in Sacramento, Jones has started three games and averaged 2.3 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 13.3 MPG.
Sacramento will have another decision to make on Jones later this month, since teams can only sign players to two 10 days in a season.
The Kings’ usual starting center, Richaun Holmes, is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury.
No Structural Damage To Mitchell’s Right Ankle
The Jazz can breathe a little easier. An MRI revealed no structural damage to Donovan Mitchell‘s right ankle, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. However, the All-Star guard will miss multiple games as he recovers from a sprain suffered on Friday afternoon against Indiana.
Mitchell had to be helped off the court after turning his ankle, but X-rays shortly after he was taken to the locker room were negative. The Jazz, with the league’s top record, will obviously take a cautious approach with Mitchell to get him ready for the postseason. He’s averaged 29.5 PPG since the All-Star break.
Overall, he’s posting a career-best 26.4 PPG and 5.2 APG, scoring 40-plus points in three of past six games.
In the short run, the Jazz figure to lean more heavily on veteran guards Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson, while giving more playing time to Miye Oni and Matt Thomas.
Celtics Add Jabari Parker, Waive Moritz Wagner
APRIL 17: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
APRIL 16: The Celtics are signing free agent forward Jabari Parker and waiving Moritz Wagner, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links). Parker will sign a two-year deal with Boston, Charania adds.
Parker has been looking for a new NBA home since the Kings waived him late last month. Parker had a $6.5MM expiring contract that Sacramento was unable to deal.
The second overall pick of the 2014 draft only appeared in three games with the Kings this season, due to a back injury, personal reasons, and being placed under the league’s health and safety protocols. Even when he was available, Parker wasn’t a regular part of Sacramento’s rotation.
Sacramento was Parker’s fifth NBA stop. He was included a trade deadline swap with Atlanta last February. Parker averaged 15.0 PPG in 32 games with the Hawks but only played six games with Sacramento last season.
Wagner was thrown into a three-team swap involving the Wizards, Celtics and Bulls at the trade deadline. He played nine games with Boston but only averaged 6.8 MPG in those appearances. Wagner, who was a first-round pick by the Lakers in 2018, has an expiring $2.16MM contract.
Donovan Mitchell Sprains Ankle, Undergoing MRI
Jazz star Donovan Mitchell left the team’s game against Indiana on Friday afternoon after turning his right ankle. Although the injury looked scary at the time, the Jazz got some positive early news, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who tweets that X-rays on the ankle were negative.
The Jazz and Mitchell aren’t out of the woods yet, as he’ll undergo an MRI on his right ankle to determine the severity of the injury, per Wojnarowski. Still, it’s a lower ankle sprain and there’s some early optimism that it won’t be a major injury, sources tell Woj (Twitter link).
A significant injury to Mitchell would be a devastating blow to the Jazz, who own the NBA’s best record at 41-14, entering today. The All-Star guard has been Utah’s leading scorer by a wide margin, posting a career-best 26.5 points per game on .438/.385/.842 shooting in 52 games (33.7 MPG).
Assuming Mitchell has to miss some time, the Jazz figure to lean more heavily on veteran guards Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson. Depth pieces like Miye Oni and Matt Thomas would be among the other candidates for increased roles.
NBA G League Elite Camp To Take Place June 19-21
After having to cancel it in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NBA will once again hold its G League Elite Camp prior to the draft combine this year, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), who says the event will take place from June 19-21. The combine will follow, in the same location, from June 21-27.
In 2019, after the NBA revamped it, the Elite Camp consisted of 40 NBA G League invitees participating in the first half of the event, followed by 40 top draft-eligible players (who weren’t invited to the actual combine) taking part in the second half. It’s unclear if the format will remain the same this year.
The list of draft-eligible players who took part in the 2019 G League Elite Camp included a handful of prospects who were eventually drafted, such as Terance Mann, Cody Martin, Justin Wright-Foreman, Reggie Perry, and Dewan Hernandez.
Many of the draft-eligible participants in the 2019 Elite Camp also made it to the NBA after going undrafted, including Oshae Brissett, Chris Clemons, Tyler Cook, Tacko Fall, DaQuan Jeffries, Caleb Martin, Justin Robinson, and Max Strus.
Several players from the G League portion of the 2019 Elite Camp – such as Juan Toscano-Anderson, Norvel Pelle, Mychal Mulder, and Jordan McLaughlin – have also played in the NBA during the last couple years.
When the NBA announced its plans for the 2021 draft combine, the league noted that the event will be subject to “evolving health conditions.” It’s safe to say that caveat will apply to the G League Elite Camp as well.
Dwyane Wade Joins Jazz Ownership Group
Former NBA star Dwyane Wade has purchased a minority ownership stake in the Jazz, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports that Wade plans to “take an active role in the franchise and region.” While it’s unclear how sizeable Wade’s share is, Wojnarowski says that NBA rules prevent an ownership stake from being smaller than 1%.
The Jazz confirmed Wade’s investment in a press release.
Wade is joining an ownership group led by Ryan Smith, who purchased a controlling stake in the Jazz from the Miller family in 2020. According to Wojnarowski, Wade met Smith shortly after his retirement as a player in 2019, and the two became fast friends.
“It wasn’t like we wanted more partners; that wasn’t what we were trying to do,” Smith told ESPN. “I want to work with Dwyane on and off the court, on the business side, and so do our partners — because of who he is as a human being and what he’s accomplished. Those are the kinds of people you want around.”
Wade, who won three championships as a member of the Heat, has long talked about his interest in joining an NBA ownership group. While Miami would be an obvious fit, Wade didn’t say whether he and the Heat had serious discussions about the possibility, per Wojnarowski.
Heat owner Micky Arison said in a pair of tweets that he and Wade had previously discussed the idea of having him join the team’s ownership group, but that the veteran guard wasn’t prepared to commit at that time. Arison wished Wade “good luck and much success” with the Jazz, adding that he’ll always consider him a “Heat lifer.”
“The respect that I have for that organization will not go anywhere, the love that I have for the (Heat) fans — that goes nowhere,” Wade said. “But this is about the next phase of my life as an investor, a businessman, an entrepreneur. For me, this is an opportunity to grow.”
Wade envisions having a role in the basketball side of the franchise, according to Wojnarowski, who notes that the former Heat star is good friends with Donovan Mitchell. Participating in free agent meetings or counseling individual players are ways that Wade could become involved with the club, Woj adds. The 39-year-old also hopes to contribute more than just his basketball knowledge.
“Unfortunately, people in my community don’t get this opportunity, and I do not take it lightly to have this opportunity,” Wade said. “To make real change, this is where you have to be — at the top — and Ryan knows that. I’m thankful for him, and I know too that I bring a lot to this partnership outside of just my basketball knowledge and skills.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Clippers Sign DeMarcus Cousins To Second 10-Day Contract
The Clippers have officially re-signed DeMarcus Cousins, announcing today that the big man has inked a second 10-day contract with the team.
Cousins, 30, started the season with the Rockets but was released in February as Houston shifted into retooling mode. He signed a 10-day contract with the Clippers earlier this month and appeared in three games in his first 10 days with the team, averaging 6.0 PPG and 3.0 RPG in just 9.7 minutes per contest.
Cousins will earn $175,668 on his second contract with Los Angeles, while the team takes on a $110,998 cap hit. The deal will cover L.A.’s next five games, including tonight’s contest in Philadelphia.
With Cousins back under contract, the Clippers once again have a full 15-man roster, though only 13 of those players are on full-season deals — Cousins and Malik Fitts are on 10-day pacts.
Fitts could be re-signed to a second 10-day contract when his first one expires this weekend. However, when Cousins’ new deal expires, the Clippers will have to either let him go or sign him for the rest of the season. At this point, a rest-of-season contract seems like the most likely outcome, but we’ll have to see how the next 10 days go.
USC’s Evan Mobley Enters 2021 NBA Draft
One of 2021’s top prospects, USC big man Evan Mobley, confirmed today that he’s entering the NBA draft and will go pro after a single season with the Trojans (Twitter link).
Mobley, who will turn 20 in June, averaged 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks with a .578 FG% in 33 games (33.9 MPG) for USC in 2020/21. The seven-footer was a Consensus All-American who was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year.
Mobley is part of the top tier of prospects in this year’s draft class, ranking No. 2 on ESPN’s big board. He’ll likely receive consideration to be the first player off the board in July and is extremely unlikely to fall further than fourth or fifth overall.
As Jonathan Givony notes in his profile of Mobley at ESPN.com, the big man has an “ideal physical profile” for the NBA level and has the potential to be an elite rim protector. While he only knocked down 30% of his three-point attempts as a Trojan, Mobley has the “touch and mechanics” to improve that rate at the NBA level over time, says Givony.
Our running list of early entrants for the 2021 NBA draft can be found right here.
Zach LaVine Enters Protocols, Expected To Miss Multiple Games
APRIL 16: LaVine entered the health and safety protocols after registering a positive coronavirus test, says Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Assuming it wasn’t a false positive, that means the All-Star guard will likely miss at least a couple weeks or so.
APRIL 15: Bulls star Zach LaVine is expected to miss several games after entering the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Wojnarowski’s report comes on the heels of the Bulls’ PR department announcing that the team had to call off Thursday’s practice due to the protocols, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). Since there’s an expectation that LaVine will miss multiple games, it sounds like he either came into close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or registered a positive test himself.
It’s bad timing for the Bulls, who have lost four consecutive games – and 10 of their last 13 – as they attempt to hang onto a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference. The 22-32 club holds the No. 10 seed for now, but is just one game ahead of the Raptors and Wizards, and two games ahead of the Cavaliers.
Assuming they’re not affected by the protocols, Tomas Satoransky, Coby White, Garrett Temple, and Denzel Valentine are among the players who could see a bump in minutes with LaVine unavailable.