NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/20/19
Here are Sunday’s NBA G League assignments and recalls from across the league:
- The Magic have recalled rookie wing Melvin Frazier from their G League affiliate, according to a tweet from the team’s PR department. Frazier has appeared in just 3 games for the Magic so far this season.
- The Rockets have assigned center Isaiah Hartenstein to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. This was done ahead of the team’s expected signing of Kenneth Faried on Monday.
- The Trail Blazers announced in a press release that they have recalled Wade Baldwin and assigned both Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent to the G League.
- The Spurs have recalled rookies Lonnie Walker and Chimezie Metu from their G League affiliate in Austin, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express (via Twitter).
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/14/19
Here are Monday’s NBA G League assignments and recalls from across the league:
- The Rockets recalled center Isaiah Hartenstein from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Mark Berman of KRIV tweets. Hartenstein has appeared in 22 games with Houston this season and adds frontcourt depth with Clint Capela sidelined for 4-6 weeks with a thumb injury. Hartenstein is averaging 17.3 PPG, 14.2 RPG and 3.9 APG in 11 appearances with the Vipers.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/24/18
Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Bucks recalled guard Donte DiVincenzo and forward Christian Wood from the Wisconsin Herd, the team’s PR department tweets. Both started in the Herd’s loss to the Stockton Kings on Saturday. DiVincenzo scored 14 points in 28 minutes, while Wood racked up 34 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in 38 minutes.
- The Rockets recalled big man Isaiah Hartenstein from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. In five games with the Vipers, Hartenstein is averaging 20.0 PPG, 13.2 RPG and 3.0 BPG in 31.2 MPG.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/20/18
Here are Thursday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Rockets assigned center Isaiah Hartenstein to their G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team’s PR department announced Thursday. Hartenstein has appeared in 22 games with the Rockets this season.
- The Lakers assigned rookie guard Isaac Bonga to the South Bay Lakers, the team announced. Bonga was with South Bay for their game today against Greensboro in the NBA G League Showcase.
- The Wizards have assigned Troy Brown Jr. to the Capital City Go-Go, the team’s G League affiliate, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post tweets. Brown will play with the Go-Go in Friday’s game against Agua Caliente.
- The Warriors assigned Jacob Evans lll to their G League team in Santa Cruz, announcing the move in a press release. Evans was drafted by the Warriors with the No. 28 pick inJune.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/19/18
Below are today’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Jazz have assigned rookie guard Grayson Allen and big man Tony Bradley to the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s G League affiliate, per a press release from the team. Allen has averaged 16.8 PPG in four G League contests this season, while Bradley has posted 14.8 PPG in 12 contests with the Stars.
- The Kings have assigned rookie big man Harry Giles to their G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings, per an official media release from the team. In his lone G League appearance earlier this season, Giles poured in 30 points on 62% shooting.
- The Grizzlies have assigned big man Ivan Rabb to the Memphis Hustle, the team’s G League affiliate, per a tweet from the the team’s communications department. Rabb, who was recently named the G League player of the week, has averaged 24.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game for the Hustle so far this season.
- The Bucks have assigned rookie guard Donte DiVincenzo to their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, in anticipation of the Herd’s game against the Memphis Hustle tomorrow night. It will be DiVincenzo’s G League debut, per a tweet from the Bucks’ official Twitter account.
- The Rockets recalled rookie big man Isaiah Hartenstein from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team’s G League affiliate, in time for tonight’s game against the Wizards, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Hartenstein, 20, has averaged 2.1 PPG in 21 contests during his rookie season.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/10/18
Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- In what might be the most significant G League assignment of the season, the Warriors sent All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins to their affiliate in Santa Cruz, the team announced. Cousins is rehabbing from a torn Achilles and is hopeful to return within three-to-four weeks. We relayed Cousins’ assignment and his comments after Monday’s practice.
- The Rockets recalled Isaiah Hartenstein from their G League affiliate in Rio Grande, per Mark Berman of FOX 26. Hartenstein (Twitter link). The 20-year-old center has appeared in 21 games this season, averaging 2.1 PPG and 1.6 RPG.
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The Celtics recalled Robert Williams from their G League affiliate Maine Red Claws, the team announced (Twitter link). Williams has appeared in nine games with Boston on the season and was drafted by the team 27th overall in June.
- The Bulls assigned Antonio Blakeney to their G League affiliate Windy City Bulls, the team announced (Twitter link). Blakeney has appeared in 24 games with Chicago this season but only played four of their past seven.
Southwest Notes: Rockets, Anthony, Jordan
With the Rockets dealing with several injuries and the suspension of Chris Paul, the team’s rookies have received playing time to start the season. As Jonathan Feigen writes for The Houston Chronicle, Gary Clark and Isaiah Hartenstein have been the two beneficiaries from the injuries to James Harden and James Ennis III.
Hartenstein has filled in as a backup center in recent games, as both Nene and Marquese Chriss continue to miss time due to injuries. Meanwhile, Clark has filled in minutes on the wing and power forward positions as Mike D’Antoni looks to limit P.J. Tucker‘s workload.
As Feigen notes, this playing time isn’t truly about developing the rookies. D’Antoni understands that player development isn’t the priority at the moment and admits that “the leash is awful short.”
With Ennis and Harden both expected to miss at least one more game and Nene weeks away from returning, Clark and Hartenstein should have more opportunities to show they can contribute right away. Once the Rockets are a healthy team, the rookies will be back to the end of the bench on a nightly basis.
There’s more from the Southwest division:
- Amid several offseason changes, the Rockets are beginning to realize that the personnel isn’t perfectly suited to their defensive style of play. Chelsea Howard points out for The Sporting News that Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul have been vocal in calling the team to go back to the drawing board and figure out the scheme that works best for this roster.
- As one of the Mavericks’ key offseason additions, DeAndre Jordan has been exactly what the team needed, Eddie Sefko writes for The Dallas Morning News. Jordan is off to a strong start, averaging 16 points, 13.8 rebounds and 2 blocks per game while hitting 84.6% of his free throws.
Rockets Notes: Gordon, D’Antoni, Hartenstein, MCW
Rockets guard Eric Gordon is unlikely to sign a contract extension with the team at this point, the 29-year-old said this week, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Gordon’s representatives spoke with Rockets management about a potential extension this summer, but talks didn’t advance past the initial stage.
Gordon is set to enter the third season of his four-year, $52MM contract, establishing himself as a valuable scorer off the Rockets’ bench. Since Houston is over the salary cap, the club could only offer a starting salary worth up to 120% of Gordon’s $14MM salary for 2019/20 in any potential extension, according to Feigen. The team can then offer 8% raises for the following seasons, but the thought of receiving better offers in the free agency of 2020 likely intrigues Gordon more.
“There were extension talks, but nothing really serious,” Gordon said. “I would much rather be here (in Houston) as long as I can. Everything will work out. I’ll be here another two years. We’ll see what happens. I’ll see how the next two years go, but I would definitely like to be here the rest of my career.”
There’s more from the Rockets:
- Houston exercised its 2019/20 option on head coach Mike D’Antoni over the summer, but hopes to retain him for many years beyond that, Feigen writes in a separate column. “Mike is going to be here as long as we can keep him here,” Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta said.
- Several players are competing for the Rockets’ backup center position, Feigen notes, but 20-year-old Isaiah Hartenstein appears to have a decisive lead just three days into camp.
- Michael Carter-Williams hopes to take advantage of his versatility this season, Feigen writes, which could allow him to see minutes at the wing positions. “I definitely need to take a look at several positions,” Carter-Williams said.
Contract Details: Thomas, Harris, Len, Knicks
The three-year, minimum-salary deal that Khyri Thomas signed with the Pistons looks identical to the one fellow second-rounder Bruce Brown received from the club, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders details. Both contracts include two guaranteed seasons with a non-guaranteed third year.
In giving Thomas three years instead of two, the Pistons had to once again dip into the mid-level exception. The team has now used that exception to sign Thomas, Brown, and Glenn Robinson, pushing its total MLE commitments to about $5.75MM. That figure exceeds the amount of the taxpayer mid-level, meaning Detroit will now be hard-capped at $129.817MM for the rest of the 2018/19 league year.
Teams become hard-capped when they acquire a player via sign-and-trade, use their bi-annual exception, or use more than the taxpayer portion ($5.337MM) of the mid-level exception.
Here are several more contract- and salary-related updates from Pincus:
- Joe Harris‘ fully guaranteed two-year deal with the Nets is worth exactly $16MM, but it’s worth more in the first year ($8.33MM) than the second ($7.67MM), per Pincus.
- The Hawks used nearly their entire room exception ($4.449MM) on Alex Len‘s two-year contract, which starts at $4.35MM. Len will earn a little less in year two, for a total value of $8.51MM (link).
- Noah Vonleh and Kadeem Allen both signed one-year, non-guaranteed contracts with the Knicks, according to Pincus. Vonleh will be owed a $100K guarantee if he remains under contract through September 25.
- Monte Morris‘ three-year pact with the Nuggets was originally reported as a $4.8MM deal, but Pincus classifies it as a minimum-salary contract, worth about $4.6MM. Morris received two guaranteed years, with the third-year salary set to become guaranteed if he remains under contract through June 30, 2020.
- The Rockets and Thunder dipped into their taxpayer mid-level exceptions for rookie deals for Isaiah Hartenstein and Hamidou Diallo, respectively. Both are three-year, minimum-salary contracts, but Hartenstein only has one guaranteed year (link) while Diallo has two (link).
Southwest Rumors: Davis, Jordan, Conley, Hartenstein
Anthony Davis learned that DeMarcus Cousins was joining the Warriors while watching TV and didn’t see it coming, Scott Kushner of the Baton Rouge Advocate relays. Davis’ comments were made during a CBS-TV interview.
The Pelicans‘ superstar big man understood why Cousins decided to take a one-year deal with Golden State after entering free agency with hopes of a max contract offer.
“I was a little shocked. But I know DeMarcus, and I know he made the best decision for him and his career at that time and for his family,” Davis said. “Of course, I definitely would’ve loved for that to keep going. But at that point, I wasn’t sure what was going on with his situation or what was going through his head. It’s a lot, coming from being traded and then feeling like you deserve a max contract, and then you tear your Achilles. It was a tough situation; it’s tough on him.”
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Mavericks center DeAndre Jordan isn’t expected to show up at the USA Basketball minicamp this week, Dwain Price of Mavs.com tweets. Jordan wasn’t at the camp on Thursday and is likely to remain absent on Friday, Price adds.
- Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley is participating at the minicamp but will not compete in full scrimmages or contact drills, Michael Wallace of the Grizzlies’ website reports. Conley said his foot and heel are pain-free for the first time in two years after undergoing season-ending surgery in January.
- Isaiah Hartenstein‘s three-year contract with the Rockets is fully guaranteed next season, has a partial guarantee the second year, and a non-guaranteed third year, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets. The 7-footer, a 2017 second-round selection, signed the contract on Wednesday after playing in the G League last season. He posted averages of 10.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 2.3 BPG in four summer league games with Houston earlier this month.
- Dirk Nowitzki‘s one-year contract with the Mavericks does not contain a no-trade clause because he has automatic veto rights over any trade as a One-Year Bird, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Nowitzki signed the $5MM deal this week.