Mfiondu Kabengele

Wayne Ellington Considers Buyout With Knicks

Wayne Ellington is talking to his agent, Mark Bartlestein, about working out a buyout deal with the Knicks, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post.

The 32-year-old shooting guard has appeared in just 25 games after signing as a free agent over the summer.  His $8MM salary for next season is partially guaranteed for just $1MM, so his days in New York appear numbered.

“There will be a decision to make,’’ Ellington said at today’s shootaround. “I’m just listening to my agent at this point. I come in here, come into work every single day like it’s a normal day. Listen and get advice and take it from there.’’

The Knicks are expected to accommodate Ellington if he decides he wants out, Berman adds. Ellington’s playing time has been cut significantly since Mike Miller took over as interim head coach and Reggie Bullock returned from injury. The team showcased him a little bit on Thursday against the Magic, and Ellington responded with 12 points in 18 minutes.

Berman suggests the Lakers, who Ellington spent the 2014/15 season with, could have some interest.

“There’s a lot of stuff out there,’’ Ellington said. “There’s a lot of different things floating around for options. It’s part of the business. It’s part of the game. There’s nothing imminent right now. There’s nothing for sure. I’m going to keep pushing forward. We won three games in a row, try to keep that going.’’

Berman shares a few more buyout tidbits in his story:

  • The Knicks could have obtained rookies Terance Mann and Mfiondu Kabengele along with Maurice Harkless in Thursday’s trade that sent Marcus Morris to the Clippers, but they opted for Harkless and a package of draft picks because they wanted to avoid waiving players right away. New York has a full 15-man roster and would have needed to open two spots before the deal could have been finalized. Berman suggests that management is either counting on saving money with buyouts or just wants the veterans to stay for leadership.
  • Bobby Portis, another Bartlestein client, is also a buyout candidate. The Knicks have a $15.75MM team option next season on Portis, who was reportedly included in a trade offer to the Warriors for D’Angelo Russell.
  • Buying out Ellington would give the Knicks a better chance to evaluate Damyean Dotson before he enters free agency this summer.

Clippers Talking To Knicks About Marcus Morris; Lakers Won’t Offer Kyle Kuzma

The Clippers are in serious talks with the Knicks about acquiring Marcus Morris, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

L.A. is offering Maurice Harkless, Mfiondu Kabengele, Terance Mann and its 2020 first-round pick, sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic (Twitter link). Harkless’ $11MM contract would be needed to help match Morris’ $15MM salary.

There has been progress in talks since this morning, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). However, it doesn’t appear the Clippers are willing to part with Landry Shamet, whom the Knicks would like to add.

The Lakers, who were also interested in Morris, have decided not to make Kyle Kuzma available, Charania reports (Twitter link). The Knicks aren’t willing to send Morris to the Lakers without Kuzma involved, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne (Twitter link).

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/27/20

Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the league:

  • The Clippers recalled rookie forward Mfiondu Kabengele from their Agua Caliente affiliate, the team’s PR department tweets. Kabengele has averaged 19.2 PPG, 9.3 RPG and 1.9 BPG in 19 G League starts.
  • The Nets assigned Theo Pinson and Dzanan Musa to their Long Island affiliate, according to the G League transactions log. Pinson, a second-year guard, has appeared in 27 games with Brooklyn this season, averaging 4.4 PPG in 12.3 MPG. Musa, a second-year swingman, is averaging 4.3 PPG and 12.2 MPG as 32 appearances with the NBA club.
  • The Warriors recalled guard Jacob Evans III from their affiliate in Santa Cruz, according to a team press release. Evans has played two G League games this season. In 22 games with Golden State, he is averaging 4.4 PPG in 15.0 MPG.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/13/20

Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the league:

  • The Clippers assigned rookie center Mfiondu Kabengele to the Agua Caliente Clippers, the team’s PR department tweets. Kabelgele, a late first-round pick, is averaging 16.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 2.0 BPG for the G League team in 15 starts.
  • The Grizzlies assigned forward Bruno Caboclo and Marko Guduric to the Memphis Hustle, the team’s PR department tweets. They will play in the Hustle’s game against the Santa Cruz Warriors on Monday. Caboclo has appeared in 22 games with the Grizzlies this season but only one this month. Guduric has appeared in 28 games but has only made two cameos since December 14.
  • The Celtics assigned rookie guard Carsen Edwards to the Maine Red Claws, the team tweets. The second-round pick has seen action in 27 NBA games.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/12/20

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

Clippers Well-Positioned To Pursue Roster Upgrade

The Clippers‘ collection of trade assets puts them in a better position than many rival contenders to upgrade their roster at the deadline, according to one rival NBA executive who spoke to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.

“They’re the team that’s doing more talking (than the Lakers),” the executive said of the Clippers, per Deveney. “They’re in better position. They’ve got everything you want if you’re looking to get assets back for players. They have a draft pick, they have expiring contracts they can give up, they have really good, interesting young players. They’re in a great position to help themselves.”

As Deveney observes, the Clippers have traded away a handful of future picks but aren’t prohibited from trading their 2020 first-rounder, since they still control both it and their 2021 pick. And unlike a handful of other contenders, they have a movable contract in the mid-level range — Maurice Harkless is making $11MM in the last year of his contract, and while he has been a solid defender for Los Angeles, his offensive game is limited.

The Clippers are actively seeking help at power forward, according to Deveney, who notes that the team has at least expressed interest in Thaddeus Young (Bulls) and Marcus Morris (Knicks). Sources tell Deveney that the Clips believe they have the necessary assets to make a deal for Morris if they so choose, but will continue to scour the trade market.

While Harkless and a first-round pick would be a strong enough package for an upgrade, the Clippers also have young players who may intrigue teams. Even if the club isn’t willing to move Montrezl Harrell – who will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end – or Landry Shamet, players like Jerome Robinson and rookies Terance Mann and Mfiondu Kabengele could appeal to trade partners.

“Both of those guys are NBA players,” that same exec told Deveney, referring to Mann and Kabengele. “We had a lot of discussion about both of them at the draft, they’re strong, NBA bodies, they play both ways. How good? That would be the question, but they’re both NBA players.”

The Clippers have four more weeks to make a deal before the February 6 trade deadline.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/9/20

Here are Thursday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Pacers assigned Victor Oladipo to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants for practice as part of his injury rehab, per the team (Twitter link). Oladipo is targeting a January 29 return to action.
  • The Magic assigned swingman Melvin Frazier to the G League, according to the team (Twitter link). Frazier has bounced back and forth between the NBA and NBAGL this season, with 11 appearances for Orlando and three for Lakeland.
  • After re-signing him to a 10-day contract today, the Cavaliers sent Tyler Cook to the Canton Charge, the team noted in a press release. We have more on Cook’s new deal right here.
  • The Clippers assigned rookies Mfiondu Kabengele and Terance Mann to the G League, the club announced today. The Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario are in action on Thursday night and both Kabengele and Mann are in the starting lineup for L.A.’s affiliate.
  • According to the G League’s assignment log, the Sixers sent Zhaire Smith to the Delaware Blue Coats today, while the Jazz assigned Miye Oni to the Salt Lake City Stars.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/8/20

Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

NBA G League Assignment/Recalls: 1/7/20

Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/5/20

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

  • The Clippers have recalled guard Terance Mann and center Mfiondu Kabengele from their G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, according to the team’s public relations department. Los Angeles hosted New York at Staples Center on Sunday night.
  • The Wizards assigned forward Admiral Schofield to the Capital City Go-Go, announcing the news on social media. The Go-Go hosted the Oklahoma City Blue earlier today, with Schofield recording 19 points and 10 rebounds in a win.
  • The Nuggets assigned Jarred Vanderbilt to the Windy City Bulls, the team announced on social media. Vanderbilt was drafted with the No. 41 overall pick back in 2018.
  • The Thunder have recalled center Justin Patton from the Oklahoma City Blue, general manager Sam Presti announced today. Patton is averaging 10.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 21 games with the Blue this season.