Wizards Sign Jay Huff To Two-Way Contract
MARCH 2: The signing is official, the Wizards announced in a press release.
MARCH 1: G League center Jay Huff will fill one of the open slots on the Wizards‘ 17-man roster, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the big man has agreed to sign a two-way contract with Washington.
Huff signed his first NBA contract – an Exhibit 10 deal – with Washington shortly after going undrafted out of Virginia in 2021. After being waived by the Wizards that fall, he inked a two-way deal with the Lakers. He was only on that contract for about three months before being cut again, but he has spent the majority of his first two professional seasons playing for L.A.’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.
In 18 Showcase Cup games this fall, Huff averaged 16.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks in 29.3 minutes per night — I highlighted him in November as a G League prospect making a bid for an NBA call-up. He has continued to produce for South Bay since then, posting 14.3 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 3.6 BPG in 19 NBAGL regular season contests (26.2 MPG).
The Wizards have an open two-way slot after recently promoting Jordan Goodwin to their standard roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to make room for Huff. Having waived Vernon Carey Jr. today, Washington still has one more roster spot available.
Because he’s signing so late in the season, Huff is eligible to be active for a prorated portion of the usual 50-game limit for two-way players. Assuming he signs today, he could be active for up to 12 Wizards games.
Bucks Notes: Antetokounmpo, Leonard, Mamukelashvili, Middleton
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo feels that most players who reach the upper level of the NBA eventually get taken for granted, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. The two-time MVP and perennial candidate for the award made the comments after a recent series of injuries, saying that even people close to him expect him to go out and produce every night because he’s always been so durable.
“I don’t think I’m the first, I don’t think I’m the last. I feel like people take for granted (Kevin Durant), people take for granted LeBron James, people take for granted (Stephen Curry),” Antetokounmpo said. “You see all this greatness every day and they take it for granted until they’re not there no more. And you’re like, ‘Oh, man. I miss those guys. I miss the show that they put on.'”
Antetokounmpo dealt with a wrist injury that limited him to a short appearance in the All-Star Game, then bumped knees with an opponent in his first game back and sat out Sunday with a quad injury. He was able play in both games of a back-to-back this week, logging 28 minutes on Tuesday and again on Wednesday as the Bucks ran their winning streak to 16 games.
There’s more from Milwaukee:
- The team will have a decision to make on Meyers Leonard, whose 10-day contract is about to expire. Leonard has appeared in four games in his first NBA action in nearly two years and has made an impression on coach Mike Budenholzer, tweets Bucks beat reporter Gabe Stoltz. “Just to bring his size and physicality,” Budenholzer said. “I think it’s an area that maybe the roster doesn’t have and he fills that need and still has the ability to make threes and spread the court. He just has basketball characteristics that fit us. The human’s been great. He’s fit in quickly with the locker room. I’m very, very happy with his 10 days.” Milwaukee can sign Leonard to one more 10-day contract before determining whether to keep him for the rest of the season.
- Even though the Bucks waived Sandro Mamukelashvili on Wednesday, Budenholzer believes the former second-round pick will have a future in the NBA, Stoltz adds (via Twitter).
- Khris Middleton was briefly off the injury report for Wednesday’s game before being listed as out. Budenholzer explained that the original designation was a mistake and Middleton isn’t ready for back-to-back games yet, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
Leandro Bolmaro Signs With Spanish Team
Former NBA first-round pick Leandro Bolmaro has returned to Spain, signing with Lenovo Tenerife (also known as CB Canarias), according to a press release from the team.
Bolmaro, 22, was the 23rd overall pick in the 2020 draft and signed his NBA rookie contract with the Timerwolves a year later, in 2021. However, he played very sparingly as a rookie in Minnesota, then was dealt to Utah in last summer’s blockbuster Rudy Gobert trade.
Bolmaro was unable to crack the Jazz’s rotation this season and was eventually bought out last month by the team, a move that was made to allow him to head back overseas and get more playing time.
In total, the Argentine guard averaged 1.1 PPG and 1.0 RPG and posted a shooting line of .270/.227/.846 in 49 NBA appearances (6.3 MPG) across two NBA seasons. He was more productive at the G League level, including averaging 12.1 PPG, 6.6 APG, and 6.1 RPG on .478/.382/.556 shooting in seven regular season games (33.1 MPG) for the Salt Lake City Stars this year.
Bolmaro previously played in Spain from 2018-21, when he was a member of FC Barcelona — he won a Spanish League (Liga ACB) title with the club in ’21.
His new team, Lenovo Tenerife, is currently chasing Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Baskonia in the standings, with a 14-5 record in Liga ACB play. Lenovo Tenerife is also the defending champion of FIBA’s Basketball Champions League.
Atlantic Notes: Harris, G. Williams, Sixers, Barton, VanVleet
Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris entered this season having started almost every game he had played since 2018/19 and having averaged 30 or more minutes per night in four consecutive seasons. However, he finds himself coming off the bench in Brooklyn and is logging just 23.0 minutes per night on the season — that number has dipped to 13.6 MPG since the trade deadline.
Harris, who missed most of last season due to ankle issues, isn’t pushing back against his role reduction, as Andrew Crane of The New York Post writes. In fact, the 31-year-old is exhibiting an admirable level of self-awareness about his own limitations, suggesting he’s evolving into more of a “second-unit sort of player” and admitting that he’s not recovering as quickly from minor injuries as he did when he was younger.
“I just am not the same player that I was two, three years ago. It’s not to say that I’m less of a player,” Harris said, adding that he believes he can still be a contributor on a good team. “But I just have to kind of evolve and figure it out.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Celtics forward Grant Williams received his first DNP-CD of the season on Wednesday in a four-point win over Cleveland. Asked after the game why Williams didn’t play at all, head coach Joe Mazzulla simply replied, “Matchups” (Twitter link via Jared Weiss of The Athletic). Williams is in a contract year and will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.
- Sixers head coach Doc Rivers confirmed on Wednesday that Philadelphia had interest in Kevin Love before the veteran forward signed with the Heat. “We tried to get him too. I know it was us and Miami, probably one other team,” Rivers said (Twitter link via Rich Hofmann of The Athletic). “He’s just a solid player. More importantly, if it hadn’t worked here, if he hadn’t played well, you still want him in the locker room.”
- Raptors assistant coach Earl Watson, who played with Will Barton in Portland in 2013/14, was a factor in Barton’s decision to sign with Toronto, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. “Me and Earl have a very strong relationship,” Barton said on Wednesday. “So, I trust him a lot.”
- Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet made just 1-of-11 shots in his return to the lineup on Tuesday. However, he didn’t turn the ball over and helped jump-start the team’s outside shooting with his knack for making the right pass, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, who argues that VanVleet’s impact even on an off night shows why Toronto needs to prioritize re-signing him this offseason.
Clippers Waive Keaton Wallace, Sign Xavier Moon To Two-Way Deal
11:05pm: Moon’s two-way deal is official, per the Clippers (Twitter link).
8:32pm: The Clippers have officially waived two-way guard Keaton Wallace (Twitter link via ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk) and are expected to replace him with point guard Xavier Moon, Moon’s agent, Stacey Leawood, tells Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
Wallace just inked his two-way deal last Tuesday. He went undrafted in 2021 and has spent his first two pro seasons playing with the Clippers’ G League affiliate, averaging 14.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.6 SPG on .488/.447/.714 shooting in 21 regular season games (32.1 MPG) with Ontario. He has yet to play an NBA game.
Moon has spent much of his professional career overseas. He signed three 10-day hardship deals with the Clippers last season and later a two-way deal, averaging 5.8 PPG and 2.4 APG on .490/.357/.600 shooting in 10 games (13.7 MPG).
The Clippers chose not to give him a two-way qualifying offer, but he signed an Exhibit 10 deal for training camp and was waived before ’22/23 began. The 28-year-old has excelled for the Ontario Clippers this season, averaging 21.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.6 SPG and 1.4 BPG on .522/.422/.829 shooting in 20 regular season games (31.5 MPG).
L.A. has a full 15-man roster and both two-way slots will be filled once Moon’s signing is official.
The Clippers have now signed both Wallace and Nate Darling to two-way contracts and waived them shortly thereafter. The team appears to be rewarding some of its G League standouts by essentially giving them a bonus on their NBAGL salaries in the form of a prorated two-way salary, which doesn’t count against the cap. It’s unclear whether the plan is the same for Moon or whether he’ll hang onto his two-way spot for the rest of the season.
Bucks Waive Sandro Mamukelashvili
10:49pm: Mamukelashvili has officially been waived, the Bucks announced in a press release.
4:06pm: The Bucks will waive big man Sandro Mamukelashvili, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), Milwaukee worked with Mamukelashvili’s agents to try and help with his options in the future. We’ll have to wait and see whether the young forward/center has another opportunity lined up if he clears waivers.
After spending four college seasons at Seton Hall, Mamukelashvili was selected 54th overall in the 2021 draft. He has spent the past two seasons on a two-way contract with the Bucks, but his playing time was very limited at the NBA level — he averaged 3.2 PPG and 2.1 RPG on .439/.345/.750 shooting in 65 games (9.6 MPG) from 2021-23.
The Bucks have one of league’s best frontcourts, so it’s understandable why the 23-year-old’s minutes were limited. Still, he put up strong numbers in the G League with the Wisconsin Herd this season, averaging 23.3 PPG, 13.0 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.0 BPG on .486/.471/.667 shooting in four regular season games (36.5 MPG).
Once Mamukelashvili is officially waived, the Bucks will have one two-way slot open. They also have a couple of standard roster spots available; Meyers Leonard is temporarily occupying one, but his 10-day deal expires in a couple days.
Injury Notes: AD, Schröder, Isaac, Embiid, Simons, Vassell
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said star big man Anthony Davis was held out of Wednesday’s game in Oklahoma City for precautionary reasons and it had been planned for “weeks,” writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times.
“He’s frustrated as hell,” Ham said of Davis. “He wants to be out there, but he also understands the process of us managing his foot the right way. And again … it’s a stress reaction, so anything could set that thing off. The more stress you put on it, the more it’s gonna react. I’m not saying it flared up or anything. He’s absolutely playing pain-free. It’s just something we’re monitoring that we want to be extra careful and cautious about.”
The Lakers were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, so that likely played a significant factor in the team’s thinking. Point guard Dennis Schröder, who was starting in place of the injured D’Angelo Russell (right ankle sprain), sprained his left ankle on Wednesday night, but he had the ankle retaped and was able to return to the game, per Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group (Twitter links).
Schröder had called Wednesday’s matchup with the Thunder a “must-win” game, per Goon (via Twitter), and he toughed out the injury and finished with a game-high 26 points, six assists, two steals and was plus-16 in the six-point victory.
Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:
- Magic big man Jonathan Isaac missed his third straight game on Wednesday night with a right hamstring/adductor strain, but he did rejoin the team in Milwaukee and was able to go through parts of Tuesday’s practice, according to Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link). Price reports that the Magic are “operating with an abundance of caution” due to the amount of time Isaac has missed the past few years. The 25-year-old has played 11 games thus far in ’22/23.
- Sixers star Joel Embiid was ruled out of Wednesday’s game in Miami due to left foot soreness, tweets Rich Hofmann of The Athletic. Despite missing their best player, the Sixers trounced the Heat by 25 points. It’s worth noting that it was the front end of a back-to-back, so the Sixers were likely just being cautious with Embiid; they play in Dallas on Thursday.
- Anfernee Simons returned to the Trail Blazers‘ starting lineup on Wednesday night, the team announced (via Twitter). The fifth-year guard was dealing with a Grade 2 right ankle sprain, but he returned to action fairly quickly; he was technically out 15 days, but only missed three games due to the All-Star break.
- Spurs guard/forward Devin Vassell is listed as probable for Thursday’s home game against Indiana, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Vassell has been sidelined since January 2 after undergoing a left knee procedure. His potential return was anticipated, as coach Gregg Popovich previously said the team was hoping he would return on Thursday.
LaMelo Ball Officially Out For Season After Ankle Surgery
Point guard LaMelo Ball underwent successful surgery to repair his fractured right ankle, the Hornets announced in a press release. He has been ruled out for the rest of the season and is expected to make a full recovery, per the team.
The non-contact injury occurred when Ball fell awkwardly after a behind-the-back dribble during the third quarter of Monday’s victory over Detroit. He also missed a significant amount of games early in ’22/23 due to three left ankle sprains.
Still just 21 years old, Ball was the No. 3 overall pick of the 2020 draft. In 36 games (35.2 MPG) this season, he averaged 23.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 8.3 APG and 1.3 SPG on .411/.376/.836 shooting.
As a former first-round pick entering his fourth season, Ball will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer. It will be an interesting offseason for the Hornets, as they currently hold the league’s fourth-worst record at 20-44 and figure to land an early lottery pick in the upcoming draft.
And-Ones: Cheatham, Summer League, Udoka, Team USA
Veteran forward Zylan Cheatham, who has appeared in NBA games for the Jazz and Pelicans since 2019, will resume his playing career in the EuroLeague. According to reporting from BasketNews.com, German club Bayern Munich added Chatham to its roster ahead of today’s deadline for EuroLeague teams to register new players.
After going undrafted out of Arizona State in 2019, Cheatham began his professional career on a two-way contract with the Pelicans, spending his entire rookie season with the team, though he only appeared in four NBA games.
Cheatham was sent to Oklahoma City in a sign-and-trade for salary-matching purposes during the 2020 offseason in the deal that landed Steven Adams in New Orleans, but was waived by the Thunder a week later. Since then, he has primarily played in the G League, though he did sign 10-day contracts with Miami, Utah, and New Orleans last season.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The NBA has officially confirmed the dates for this year’s Las Vegas Summer League, announcing (via Twitter) that it will take place from July 7-17.
- Teams are beginning the vetting process of former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, according to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. Bulpett explores what teams want to know about Udoka and what steps he might have to take to land a new job following his year-long suspension and his subsequent exit from Boston.
- Suns forward Kevin Durant and Kings forward Harrison Barnes are among the former Olympic medalists who are part of USA Basketball’s Board of Directors. Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press explores what that role entails, noting that Durant has sought to have real input on the program, rather than just having an honorary seat at the table.
- Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic polled a handful of players at All-Star weekend about what they’d change about the NBA and received some interesting responses, including Anthony Edwards criticizing the concept of load management (“Just play, man. If you 80 percent, you got to play. I don’t like all this sitting, missing games and stuff”) and Tyrese Haliburton advocating for the league to expand (“The talent in the world right now is amazing, so to add two more teams would be good for our league”).
Wizards’ Monte Morris Week-To-Week With Back Soreness
Starting point guard Monte Morris received an epidural injection on Wednesday to combat the lower back soreness he’s been experiencing, the Wizards announced in a press release. He had missed the previous two games with the injury and is considered week-to-week going forward, per the team.
In response to the announcement, Morris sent out a tweet saying “Be back soon” with a fingers crossed emoji.
Morris, 27, was selected by Denver with the 51st overall pick of the 2017 draft after four years at Iowa State. He spent his first season on a two-way contract before signing a multiyear standard deal the following summer.
The veteran guard played for the Nuggets in his first five NBA seasons prior to getting traded to the Wizards last summer. In his first season with Washington, he’s averaging 10.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 5.3 APG on .483/.406/.806 shooting through 51 games (28.1 MPG).
Long known as a steady hand in the backcourt, Morris leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio in ’22/23 at 5.4-to-1, per NBA.com. Delon Wright has started the past couple games in Morris’ place, with newly promoted Jordan Goodwin and Kendrick Nunn also receiving minutes at guard.