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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/24/19

November 24th, 2019 at 8:29pm CST by JD Shaw

Here are Sunday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Hornets have assigned Caleb Martin, Cody Martin and Jalen McDaniels to the Greensboro Swarm, G League affiliate of the team, general manager Mitch Kupchak announced. It marks Caleb Martin’s fourth assignment, Cody Martin’s second assignment and McDaniels’ third assignment to the G League this season.
The Pacers have assigned forward Alize Johnson to their G League team in Fort Wayne, announcing the news in a press release. Johnson has averaged 2.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in five games with the Pacers this season.
The Wizards have recalled forward Admiral Schofield and guard Justin Robinson from the Capital City Go-Go, announcing the news on social media. Washington holds a 5-9 record through the campaign’s first 14 games.
The Hawks assigned Bruno Fernando and Tyrone Wallace to the College Park Skyhawks, their public relations department tweets. Fernando has appeared in 16 games with Atlanta this season, while Wallace has appeared in 11 games.
The Sixers have recalled Jonah Bolden and Zhaire Smith from the Delaware Blue Coats, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The duo will join the team in Toronto for their game on Monday, and Pompey notes the plan is for both players to work with the team in the coming days.
The Spurs assigned Chimezie Metu and Keldon Johnson to the Austin Spurs, the team announced on Twitter. Both players started in Austin’s game against Salt Lake City on Sunday.
The Thunder announced that they have recalled center Justin Patton from their G League affiliate. Patton has averaged 9.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in six games with the Oklahoma City Blue this season.

Kevin Huerter Talks Hawks’ Draft, 2019/20 Goals

September 3rd, 2019 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Culture and locker-room fit were important considerations for the Hawks as they made roster moves this offseason, second-year shooting guard Kevin Huerter tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype. As Huerter explains, head coach Lloyd Pierce talked on multiple occasions about not bringing in anyone who would be detrimental to the culture the team is trying to build in Atlanta.

“I think every player we brought in has some sort of relationship with one of our coaches or [executives], so they know that we’re bringing in really good guys,” Huerter said. “I think that was really important, first and foremost, especially with a team that could still go through a lot of ups and downs. You don’t want someone in the locker room who is making everyone miserable.”

While Huerter is optimistic about what Allen Crabbe, Jabari Parker, Evan Turner, and Chandler Parsons can contribute on the court, he views those incoming veterans as guys who will “contribute off the court as well,” as he tells Kennedy.

Huerter spoke to Kennedy about many more topics, including the Hawks’ draft, their future free agent outlook, and their expectations for the 2019/20 season. The Q&A is worth checking out in full, but here are a few highlights from the former Maryland standout:

On the Hawks drafting De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, and Bruno Fernando:

“I thought our draft was great. There are very few teams that can come out of the draft saying they got exactly who they wanted, but those three guys are literally the exact players we wanted going into the draft. Anytime that happens, it’s an extremely successful draft.

“I think those guys bring a different dynamic to our team that we didn’t have. De’Andre is a 3/4 and he’s a really good defender, so he was a great pick for us. Cam just has so much potential on the offensive end and what his ceiling could be makes him great for us as well. Bruno is NBA-ready. I think it can be tough for some bigs as they enter the NBA because of how physical it is, but Bruno is physically NBA-ready. Again, I thought it was a really good draft for us.”

On whether free agents will seriously consider the Hawks as they continue to improve:

“Hopefully. Any team that wins becomes pretty attractive to free agents. You see that happen a lot. But for me, our core group of guys could – and should – be enough for us. That’s the way that winning teams are built, at least in the old days. When you want to want to build something that lasts, it’s homegrown guys. But, again, hopefully if we win, [players will want to sign here] and we can figure out which positions we need moving forward. Adding free agents down the line won’t be a bad thing, but first you need to win and then everything else comes with it.”

On whether the Hawks have discussed a goal of making the playoffs in 2019/20:

“Honestly, no. Playoffs, for us, isn’t really a word we talk about – all we talk about is winning more than 29 games. We know how honestly close we were last year – we weren’t too far off from that eighth seed – but we’re probably not going to talk about it for most of the year. It’s not something we talk about in the locker room, trying to sneak in [to the playoffs]. It’s literally just, ‘We’re going to win more than 29 games and continue to get better.’ Then whatever happens, happens.”

Contract Details: Magic, Lakers, Pistons, Bulls, More

July 7th, 2019 at 7:53pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The free agency deals began a week ago, but the details of those arrangements are slowly trickling in as they become official. Let’s take a look at some contract notes from players around the league:

Nikola Vucevic’s four-year, $100MM deal with the Magic will decline by 8% annually, Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights tweets. Vucevic will make roughly $28.4MM in the first year of his front-loaded contract.
Terrence Ross‘ four-year, $52MM contract with the Magic will start at $12.5MM, per Siegel. Ross will make $13.5MM during the 2020/21 season, followed by $12.5MM and $11.5MM in the two ensuing years.
Al-Farouq Aminu will take home the full non-taxpayer’s mid-level on his deal with the Magic. He’ll make approximately $9.3MM during his first season and approximately $9.7MM and $10.2MM, respectively, over the ensuing two campaigns.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s two year deal with the Lakers is worth approximately $16.6MM in total value. KCP can make roughly $1.2MM in annual incentives on top of that amount, a source tells Siegel (Twitter link). The shooting guard has a player option on the second year of the pact, which also has a 15% trade bonus. Since his deal could be a one-year contract (if he chooses to turn down the player option), Caldwell-Pope has a default no-trade clause.
JaVale McGee also has a player option on the final year of his two-year deal with the Lakers, Keith Smith of RealGM tweets. McGee, who will make $8.2MM over the length of his contract, also has the ability to veto a trade.
Markieff Morris‘ two-year deal with the Pistons contains a second-year player option, Smith tweets. Morris was signed via the bi-annual exception.
Bruno Fernando‘s three-year deal with the Hawks is worth $4.7MM, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets. It appears Atlanta will be using cap space to sign the rookie.
Tomas Satoransky final season of the three-year, $30MM deal with the Bulls is only guaranteed for $5MM, Fred Katz of The Athletic relays (Twitter link). Chicago brought the point guard to town via sign-and-trade.

Hawks Officially Sign De’Andre Hunter, Bruno Fernando

July 7th, 2019 at 1:51pm CST by clarkcrum

The Hawks have officially signed two of their rookies to their first NBA contracts, announcing today in a pair of press releases (links here) that they’ve finalized contracts with lottery-selection De’Andre Hunter and second-rounder Bruno Fernando.

Hunter, the No. 4 overall section in last month’s draft, was traded to Atlanta from New Orleans after being part of the trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Lakers. Locked in to the NBA’s rookie scale, Hunter will make just under $7.07MM in his rookie season. Should he play out his full four-year rookie contract he’ll earn approximately $32.1MM.

The 21-year-old forward was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and All-ACC First Team en route to leading Virginia to the NCAA Championship last season. He averaged 15.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 32.5 minutes per game while shooting an impressive 43.8% from three-point range.

As for Fernando, the terms of his new contract are unclear. The Hawks still have a two-way contract slot open after coming to terms with fellow rookie Charlie Brown Jr.; however, it’s likely Fernando’s signing would have been reported as a two-way contract if he was taking the other spot beside Brown.

It’s more likely that the Hawks will use some of their substantial remaining cap space (about $14MM) to accommodate a three to four-year contract with the Maryland big man. A three-year pact at the minimum would see Fernando earn nearly $4.2MM. I anticipate the deal to be in that vicinity, with perhaps a higher first-year salary somewhere between $1MM to 1.5MM.

Sixers Trade Bruno Fernando To Hawks For Bone, Future Picks

July 7th, 2019 at 12:48am CST by clarkcrum

JULY 7: The trade has been officially completed, according to a press release issued by the Hawks. Bone will be flipped to the Pistons by the Sixers.

JUNE 20: The Sixers selected Maryland big man Bruno Fernando with the No. 34 overall selection in this year’s draft, but he will not play in Philadelphia, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, who tweets that the 76ers have traded Fernando to the Hawks for two future second-rounders and the No. 57 pick.

Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice reports that in addition to the No. 57 pick, Philadelphia will get Atlanta’s 2020 second-round pick (56-60 protected) and the most favorable of Atlanta’s, Charlotte’s, and Brooklyn’s 2023 second-round picks.

The Hawks were said to have interest in Fernando a little less than a month ago today, so it comes as no surprise that the team traded up into the top of the second round to draft the Maryland product.

Fernando averaged a double-double (13.6 PPG, 10.6 RPG) to go along with 1.9 BPG and a .607 FG% in 34 games for the Terrapins in 2018/19.

Lakers Officially Acquire Anthony Davis In Three-Team Trade

July 6th, 2019 at 9:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers, Pelicans, and Wizards have officially completed the three-team trade that makes Anthony Davis a Laker. All three teams issued press releases tonight to announce the deal. The structure of the trade is as follows:

Lakers acquire Anthony Davis.
Pelicans acquire Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, the draft rights to De’Andre Hunter (No. 4 pick), the Lakers’ 2021 first-round pick (9-30 protected; unprotected in 2022), the Lakers’ 2024 first-round pick (unprotected), the right to swap 2023 first-round picks with the Lakers, and cash ($1.1MM; from Wizards).
- Note: The Pelicans will also have the option to defer the 2024 first-round pick to 2025.
Wizards acquire Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga, Jemerrio Jones, and the Lakers’ 2022 second-round pick.

The long-awaited deal was held up slightly today as the Lakers officially finalized a series of signings using their cap room. In order to maximize its cap space, the club had to sign free agents first before acquiring Davis. Danny Green, DeMarcus Cousins, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Quinn Cook, and JaVale McGee all signed their contracts with the Lakers since the July moratorium ended this afternoon.

The Pelicans, meanwhile, will now flip the rights to Hunter to the Hawks in a separate deal, putting the No. 4 pick on track to join his new team for Summer League action. Once the deal is done, Atlanta will also be able to complete its trade with the Sixers involving Bruno Fernando and Jordan Bone, then Philadelphia will be able to flip Bone to the Pistons.

For more details on one of the summer’s biggest trades, be sure to check out our previous stories on the Lakers/Pelicans aspect of the deal, as well as the Lakers/Wizards part of the swap.

Central Notes: Bulls, Gasol, Cavs, Pacers, Pistons

June 13th, 2019 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s a growing belief around the NBA that the Bulls are open to discussing trades for anyone on their roster – and any assets they hold – besides Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr., sources familiar with the team’s plans tell Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.

Still, while the Bulls will likely consider a number of trade options this offseason, Mayberry makes a case that the club shouldn’t part ways with the No. 7 overall pick. Mayberry argues that cashing in their chips now for a veteran could be both premature and risky for the Bulls, who would have marginal assets available going forward. Plus, the No. 7 selection has proven valuable for the franchise in recent years — Markkanen and Carter were both selected at that spot.

Meanwhile, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune tackles a handful of Bulls-related topics in his latest mailbag, exploring draft, trade, and free agency options. Johnson believes the Bulls would “absolutely” try to get involved as a facilitator in a multi-team Anthony Davis trade, and later suggests that if Chicago pursues an RFA point guard, Malcolm Brogdon is probably a more realistic target than D’Angelo Russell.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Reiterating his stance from last fall, Pau Gasol told Jesus Perez Ramos of MundoDeportivo.com that he intends to continue his playing career in 2019/20, even after suffering a stress fracture in his foot. Gasol, who will be an unrestricted free agent, will see what happens in free agency, but expressed interest in sticking with the Bucks, a team he believes has championship potential (hat tip to Travis Durkee of Sporting News).
Joe Vardon of The Athletic takes a closer look at the Cavaliers‘ hiring of new assistant coach Lindsay Gottlieb, as well as owner Dan Gilbert‘s involvement in that decision and the rest of the team’s offseason plans. Gilbert continues to recover from a stroke, but has granted his approval – at least conceptually – for roster moves the Cavs might make this summer, says Vardon.
The Pacers conducted their seventh pre-draft workout on Thursday, hosting Sandy Cohen III (Wisconsin-Green Bay), Bruno Fernando (Maryland), Daniel Gafford (Arkansas), Paul Jorgensen (Butler), Terance Mann (Florida State), and Jaylen Nowell (Washington), according to the team. Tremont Waters (LSU) also visited the club but didn’t work out due to an injury.
The Pistons also worked out six prospects today, bringing in Jordan Bone (Tennessee), Charlie Brown (St. Joseph’s), Jalek Felton (Slovenia), Trevor Manuel (Olivet), Zach Norvell Jr. (Gonzaga), and Dererk Pardon (Northwestern) for a look (Twitter link via Keith Langlois of Pistons.com).

Atlantic Notes: Udoka, Knicks, Celtics

June 9th, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by clarkcrum

As we relayed earlier this week, new Sixers coach Ime Udoka is replacing Monty Williams as lead assistant coach under head man Brett Brown. Unlike Williams, however, Idoka will also be tasked with being the team’s new defensive coordinator next season, writes Rich Hofmann of The Athletic.

Udoka has interviewed unsuccessfully for some head coaching positions over the last couple offseasons in Cleveland, Toronto, Detroit, Charlotte and Orlando, but this new position for the Sixers will still be a promotion for him, as Ettore Messina is the lead assistant in San Antonio.

Getting the opportunity to be a lead assistant may very well increase Udoka’s chances of landing a head coaching role in the near future, especially considering the success that Brown’s other assistants for the Sixers like Lloyd Pierce (Hawks) and Williams (Suns) have had when they had the opportunity to interview for top jobs.

In the meantime, Udoka will oversee a defense that largely underperformed during the 2018/19 season given the talent on the Sixers’ roster.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division this afternoon:

The Knicks‘ top priority this offseason is luring one, if not two top tier free agents to Manhattan. But what if that doesn’t happen? According to Matt John of Basketball Insiders, the Knicks should either keep available cap space for the 2020 offseason, or begin building around Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, and the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft.
The Celtics currently hold the No. 51 overall selection in this month’s draft, so Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston takes a look at five prospects – DaQuan Jeffries (Tulsa), Bruno Fernando (Maryland), Sagaba Konate (West Virginia), Tremont Waters (LSU), and Zylan Cheatham (Arizona State) – whom Boston could target with that pick.
Per Jay King of The Athletic, the Celtics hosted three prospects for a workout yesterday – Nassir Little (North Carolina), Dylan Windler (Belmont), and Ignas Brazdeikis (Michigan). Little is the No. 9 overall prospect on ESPN’s top 100 list, so the Celtics would likely need to make a trade to move up if they’re seriously interested in the UNC product.

Draft Workouts: Reid, Dort, Fernando, Poirier

June 1st, 2019 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2019 NBA draft just 19 days away, teams around the league are ramping up their workout schedules, bringing in draft-eligible prospects to get a first-hand look at those players in action before they make their final decisions. Here are some of the latest workout updates from across the NBA:

LSU big man Naz Reid said on Friday that he has worked out for the Celtics and also has sessions on tap with the Nets, Cavaliers, Sixers, and Spurs, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Previous reports indicated that Reid also auditioned for Detroit, Utah, and Orlando.
In addition to bringing in Reid on Monday, the Sixers will also work out Arizona State guard Luguentz Dort, per Keith Pompey of Philly.com (via Twitter). Dort ranks 26th on ESPN’s big board, which could make him a candidate for Philadelphia’s picks at 24, 33, and 34.
Maryland’s Bruno Fernando, who also projects as a potential first-round pick, also worked out for the Celtics, and will do the same for the Hawks, Pacers, Timberwolves, Spurs, and Jazz, tweets Robbins. Workouts with Charlotte, Detroit, and Orlando had been previously reported for Fernando.
Florida State big man Mfiondu Kabengele has worked out for the Celtics too, according to Robbins (via Twitter).
After visiting the Lakers on Friday, French center Darel Poirier had workouts lined up with the Heat, Sixers, Jazz, and Timberwolves, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando (Twitter link). Poirier played in the G League in 2018/19 with Washington’s affiliate, but remains draft-eligible for 2019.
According to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (via Twitter), the workout list for Indiana forward Juwan Morgan includes the Suns, Pacers, Bulls, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Jazz, and Kings.

Southeast Draft Notes: Hornets, Hawks, Magic, Heat

May 31st, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets are one of multiple Southeast teams that has been busy this week scouting draft-eligible prospects. According to a pair of press releases from the club, Charlotte brought in six prospects for pre-draft workouts on Friday and will take a closer look at six more on Saturday.

Nassir Little (UNC) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Virginia Tech) were the headliners in Friday’s group for the Hornets, joined by Devontae Cacok (UNC-Wilmington), Tyler Cook (Iowa), Jordan Davis (Northern Colorado), and Matt Morgan (Cornell).

On Saturday, the Hornets will work out Jordan Bone (Tennessee), Oshae Brissett (Syracuse), Ethan Happ (Wisconsin), C.J. Massinburg (Buffalo), Isaiah Roby (Nebrasaka), and Simisola Shittu (Vanderbilt).

Here are a few more draft-related updates from out of the Southeast:

Brandon Clarke (Gonzaga) headlined the group of prospects who worked out for the Hawks on Friday. According to the team (via Twitter), Jaylen Hands (UCLA), Louis King (Oregon), Jalen McDaniels (San Diego State), Eric Paschall (Villanova), and Grant Williams (Tennessee) also participated in the session.
The Magic held a pre-draft workout on Friday morning that featured Jordan Bone (Tennessee), Corey Davis Jr. (Houston), Bruno Fernando (Maryland), Mfiondu Kabengele (Florida State), Naz Reid (LSU), and Nick Ward (Michigan State), tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald cites a source who says PJ Washington (Kentucky) is working out for the Heat and relays a report indicating that Washington’s teammate Tyler Herro will also visit the club. In a tweet, Jackson adds that the Heat will work out Miami’s Dewan Hernandez on June 15.
Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington explores whether it’s reasonable to expect the Wizards – who only hold the No. 9 pick in this year’s draft – to try to buy their way into the second round.