NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/4/17
Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
4:25pm:
- The Lakers have re-assigned rookie big man Ivica Zubac to the D-League (Twitter link). Zubac will be in uniform for the L.A. D-Fenders tomorrow night for the team’s game against Iowa.
- The Pistons officially announced in a press release this afternoon that they’ve sent Henry Ellenson to the Grand Rapids Drive. As Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets, fellow rookie Michael Gbinije likely would’ve joined him, but he’s battling a forearm injury.
- Forward Troy Williams has been recalled by the Grizzlies from his assignment with the Iowa Energy, per a team release. Williams averaged 24.3 PPG in three games during his D-League stint, including 32 in 28 minutes on December 27.
2:28pm:
- Richaun Holmes, who has completed and passed all the elements of the NBA’s concussion protocol, has been assigned to the D-League by the Sixers, the team announced today in a press release. While some NBADL rehab assignments don’t include game action, the Sixers suggest that Holmes is expected to suit up tonight for the Delaware 87ers.
12:55pm:
- A pair of Nuggets rookies, Malik Beasley and Juan Hernangomez, have been assigned to the D-League, according to a press release. Despite having a fairly young roster, Denver hasn’t used the D-League much this season, since the team doesn’t have its own affiliate. Beasley and Hernangomez will join the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s NBADL squad.
- The Raptors have sent Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet back to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). The duo has bounced back and forth between the NBA and NBADL all season — it’s the 13th D-League assignment for Caboclo and the ninth for VanVleet.
- Maurice Ndour is headed to the D-League, having been assigned to Westchester today by the Knicks (Twitter link). New York’s D-League affiliate is in action tonight against Grand Rapids, and Ndour is expected to suit up for the game.
- The Suns have assigned rookie forward Derrick Jones to the D-League, the team announced today (Twitter link). It’s the fourth NBADL assignment of the season for Jones, who has averaged 14.0 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 14 games for Northern Arizona.
Hawks Nearly Dealt Millsap On Two Occasions
The Hawks were going to send Paul Millsap to the Raptors during the offseason if Al Horford re-signed with the team, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (audio link). The team wanted to pair free agent addition Dwight Howard with Horford, but the former Florida Gator decided to sign with the Celtics, which led to Atlanta keeping Millsap.
Windhorst added that the team had a deal lined up to send Millsap to the Nuggets at last year’s trade deadline. Atlanta also had separate deal lined up to trade Jeff Teague at the time, though the franchise opted to keep both players on the roster through the end of the season.
Earlier today, Millsap reiterated his desire to remain in Atlanta. The Hawks are reportedly entertaining trade offers for the power forward, but the team doesn’t necessarily feel it has to make a move.
Raptors Notes: Millsap, Patterson, Trades
The topic of whether or not the Raptors should trade for the Hawks’ Paul Millsap is currently a hot one because Millsap would help fill Toronto’s biggest weakness at power forward and rebounding. It is unclear whether the Raptors are willing to take on the gamble of acquiring Millsap, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun writes. While the move makes sense on paper, there is no guarantee that Millsap would put the Raptors over the top or that he would re-sign with Toronto next summer, Wolstat adds. What’s more, other teams may have more enticing offers for Atlanta, Wolstat points out. Rachel Nichols of ESPN.com (video link) argues that Millsap would fill a hole for the Raptors, flourish in the pick-and-roll and bolster the Raptors’ defense. On the other side, however, Nichols cautions that the Hawks would likely want a significant return for Millsap, who as Nichols adds, has indicated he will likely opt out of his contract. Still, the Raptors have too good of a team not to add its one missing link in the hopes of a finals appearance, Nichols surmises.
Here is more out of Toronto:
- With Patrick Patterson out with a knee strain injury, the unlikely duo of Jakob Poeltl and Lucas Nogueira stepped up Sunday night, Mike Ganter of The National Post relays. It is unclear when Patterson will return, but he has been ruled day-to-day, signaling that the injury does not appear to be serious.
- The Raptors have been “sniffing” around, specifically at big men, but are reluctant to part with their nucleus unless the player they are acquiring is a game-changer, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders tweets.
Latest On Paul Millsap
The NBA’s 2017 rumor mill got off to an interesting start on Sunday, with an ESPN report suggesting that the Hawks are listening to offers on Paul Millsap, among other players. Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution takes a closer look at that report today, noting that Atlanta is indeed doing its due diligence on Millsap, along with Kyle Korver, Thabo Sefolosha, Tiago Splitter, and Kris Humphries. However, just because the team is willing to listen, that doesn’t mean a deal is imminent or even likely. Atlanta hasn’t put Millsap on the trade block, per Vivlamore.
Vivlamore also addressed a separate report from ESPN, which indicated that Millsap has already decided to opt out of his contract and become a free agent in 2017. That report is simply “not true,” according to Vivlamore, who heard from a source on Sunday that no decision has been made on that front. It’s certainly likely that Millsap will turn down his player option and explore the open market, but a serious injury or another unexpected factor could impact that decision, Vivlamore writes.
Here’s more on Millsap, as rumors begin to swirl in Atlanta:
- The Hawks‘ asking price for Millsap will be high, and will likely outweigh what suitors are willing to give up for a player on an expiring contract, says Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links). Kyler expects there to be plenty of trade talk surrounding Hawks players like Millsap and Korver, but he isn’t anticipating a ton of action by the deadline.
- Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders identifies the Raptors, Trail Blazers, and Nuggets as a few teams that would make sense as trade partners for Atlanta if the Hawks get serious about moving Millsap.
- Within his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel discusses the possibility of the Heat making a play for Millsap via trade or free agency.
Hawks Listening To Offers For Paul Millsap
6:34pm: Atlanta will consider offers for not only Millsap, but other impending free agent as well, notably Kyle Korver and Thabo Sefolosha, Stein writes along with Brian Windhorst in a full story. The Hawks are fearful of losing these players for no compensation like they did with Horford last offseason.
Some teams have told ESPN that a trade is unlikely because the Hawks are asking too much for Millsap, but the authors note that Atlanta got close to dealing him to the Nuggets over the summer.
5:34pm: The Hawks have started gauging interest in All-Star forward Paul Millsap, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein.
The 31-year-old, who is in his fourth season with Atlanta, can opt out of his $21,472,407 deal for next season and become a free agent. He has already made the decision to follow that course, according to ESPN’s Chris Haynes. (Twitter link).
Millsap is coming off three straight All-Star seasons and is putting up similar numbers so far this year. He is averaging 17.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per night while shooting 44% from the floor.
The Raptors are a team that has previously shown interest in Millsap, notes Josh Lewenburg of TSN Sports (Twitter link). They will probably be among the suitors this time around, especially in light of injuries to Jared Sullinger and Patrick Patterson. Lewenburg adds that Toronto was told last February that Millsap wasn’t available (Twitter link). He also points out that Atlanta was “listening to offers” last season for Al Horford, who was in a similar position, but no one was willing to meet the asking price (Twitter link). Horford wound up staying with the team through the end of the season and signing with the Celtics.
Teams interested in adding Millsap will have to be prepared to give up a substantial amount to match his salary, which is a little more than $20MM, this season.
Raptors Notes: DeRozan, Patterson, Valanciunas
DeMar DeRozan became the Raptors‘ all time leading scorer earlier this week and his commitment to the franchise has never been stronger, Mike Ganter of the National Post writes. Back in 2010, Chris Bosh left Toronto and at the time, DeRozan tweeted, “Don’t worry, I got us.” Since that summer, the shooting guard has been the face of franchise and Ganter envisions his new record lasting for quite some time.
Here’s more from Toronto:
- Patrick Patterson has a strained left knee and if the injury forces him to miss significant time, the Raptors will have a major issues with their rotation, Ganter contends in a separate piece. Jared Sullinger is at least a month away from returning the court, so the team could be hard-pressed to find reliable minutes in Patterson’s absence.
- Jonas Valanciunas doesn’t fit in with Raptors anymore, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun argues. Wolstat believes the big man needs to play with more energy and if he doesn’t start showing improvement, Lucas Nogueira is a better option at the center position.
- The Raptors lead the league in offensive efficiency and Ben Alamar of ESPN.com details how the team has found success despite being in the bottom half of the league in 3-point attempts. Alamar finds that Toronto’s ability to avoid turnovers is a major reason why the team is finding success.
Catching Cavs Could Require Big Trade
The Raptors have two very difficult decisions looming in their pursuit of the top spot in the Eastern Conference, Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post opines. They must decide whether to go all-in this season in their quest to knock off the Cavs, which would mean trading off some young pieces for another impact player, preferable a power forward, Bontemps continues. The Magic’s Serge Ibaka and Hawks’ Paul Millsap — forwards that the Raptors have pursued in the past and will become free agents this summer — would be logical targets, in Bontemps’ view. This summer, they’ll have to decide whether to offer point guard and impending free agent Kyle Lowry a max five-year deal worth over $200MM or risk seeing him walk. Lowry will attract numerous suitors but his age — he turns 31 this spring — could make a long-term commitment a risky investment, Bontemps adds.
Raptors Will Face Tough Decisions in 2017
- 2016 has been the best year in Raptors‘ history, but the team will have some difficult decisions to make in 2017, writes Steven Loung of Sportsnet.ca.
Sixers Could Target Lowry This Summer; Nogueira To See Time At The Four
Zach Lowe thinks that the Sixers will absolutely make a run at pending free agent Kyle Lowry this summer. The ESPN journalist spoke on his The Lowe Post podcast with Brian Windhorst Thursday, citing several reasons why the franchise could pursue the veteran Raptors point guard.
Lowry is from Philadelphia, Lowe mentions, and has played under ex-Raptors executive Bryan Colangelo previously. On top of that, the Sixers will have an exorbitant amount of cap space and could benefit from the services of a point guard should they ultimately decide to utilize Ben Simmons in ways other than as a traditional playmaker.
Worth noting is that Windhorst believes Cory Joseph to be a suitable replacement for the 30-year-old point guard while Lowe believes that such a drop off would be too much for the Raptors.
- Raptors head coach Dwane Casey isn’t opposed to playing big men Jonas Valanciunas and Lucas Nogueira together, says Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. Typically Nogueira has played the five but has turned heads with his energetic production this season. Casey believes Nogueira is capable of stretching out to the four.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/23/16
Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
1:05pm:
- The Suns have sent forward Derrick Jones to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). It will be the third assignment of the season for Jones, who will get a chance to play in the D-League’s lone Christmas Day game on Sunday, assuming he isn’t back with Phoenix by then.
- The Knicks have assigned Ron Baker, Maurice Ndour, and Marshall Plumlee to the NBADL, according to the team (Twitter link). They’ll play for the Westchester Knicks tonight, in their game against the Raptors 905.
10:34am:
- After recording 16 points and 10 assists for the Raptors 905 on Thursday, Fred VanVleet has been recalled to the NBA, according to the Raptors (Twitter link). Bruno Caboclo, who was assigned to the D-League on Thursday along with VanVleet, remains with Toronto’s affiliate for now.
- The Celtics have assigned rookie guard Demetrius Jackson to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). The Maine Red Claws, Boston’s NBADL affiliate, is in action tonight against Grand Rapids, so Jackson figures to suit up for that game.
- Following a quick stint with the Salt Lake City Stars, Hawks rookie DeAndre’ Bembry has been recalled to Atlanta, according to a press release issued by the team. Bembry struggled in his latest D-League game, scoring just seven points on 2-of-8 shooting for the Stars in Thursday night’s loss.
- While Bembry was ineffective on Thursday night, his Salt Lake City teammate Joel Bolomboy had another big game, putting up 23 points and 23 rebounds. The Jazz announced today in a press release that they’ve recalled Bolomboy from their D-League affiliate.