- Chris McCullough, who had been playing for the Northern Arizona Suns, was recalled today by the Wizards and then re-assigned to the Erie BayHawks, according to the team. Washington doesn’t have a G League affiliate of its own this season, so McCullough is eligible to play for other G League squads via the flexible assignment rule.
- The Wizards will still owe Ian Mahinmi north of $31MM after this season, a troubling thought considering the way his usage has been trending over the course of the year. Mahimni’s playing time this season is down from last year and, as Candace Buckner of The Washington Post writes, he logged the first DNP-CD of the season over the weekend.
Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard will meet with coach Gregg Popovich on Tuesday to discuss his progress rehabbing from a quad injury, Michael C. Wright of ESPN reports. Leonard could return as early as Thursday if both parties feel he’s ready to play again. The team’s franchise player has been sidelined since January 13th with the lingering quad issue that has cost him all but nine games this season.
In other injury updates from around the league:
- Pelicans forward Solomon Hill could make his season debut as early as this weekend, William Guillory of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Hill has been sidelined by a torn hamstring suffered in late August. “We’re so close to the finish line that we’re definitely not going to rush the situation now,” coach Alvin Gentry told Guillory. “I can see a situation where he might be able to play a few minutes here or there.” Hill is in the second year of a four-year, $48MM contract.
- Suns reserve center Alan Williams could make his season debut on Tuesday, according to Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic. Williams underwent surgery in September to repair the meniscus in his right knee with a six-month timetable to return. He went through a full practice on Monday. Williams, whose three-year, $17MM contract is only guaranteed through this season, averaged 11.4 PPG and 9.1 RPG after the All-Star break last season.
- Magic swingman Terrence Ross is questionable to return this season, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Ross has been sidelined since November 29th with a knee injury. A bone bruise has stalled Ross’ return, Robbins adds. “Some days it feels good, and then some days it kind of flares up,” Ross told Robbins. Ross has one season left on a contract that pays him $10.9MM annually.
- Wizards point guard John Wall went through some non-contract drills Monday as he works his way back from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports relays. If medically cleared, Wall could practice in full for the first time on Friday, Hughes adds.
- The Wizards, who have lost four of their last six, need to finish strong in their last 15 games to gain home-court advantage in the opening playoff round. They could finish anywhere from third to eighth and shooting guard Bradley Beal told the Washington’s Post Candace Buckner that they can’t afford to take nights off. “It’s not a situation where we can just sit here and say, ‘Oh okay, we can just coast into the playoffs.’ That’s not it,” he said. “We’re not even playing our best basketball either. So that’s definitely not how we want to approach going into the playoffs.”
- Although he didn’t play a single minute for the Wizards during his first 10-day contract, Ramon Sessions inked a second 10-day deal with the club on Monday. As he tells Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (Twitter link), Sessions he’s prepared to see the court this time around. “If I sit for another 10 days, it’s nothing that I’ve got grudge on my shoulder or anything,” Sessions said. “But if they call me, I’ll be ready to go.”
Despite having his initial 10-day contract with the Wizards expire on Sunday night, point guard Ramon Sessions won’t be hitting the free agent market. According to an announcement from the team (Twitter link), Sessions has officially signed a second 10-day deal with Washington that will keep him under contract through next Wednesday.
Sessions, who will turn 32 next month, signed a 10-day contract with the Wizards after the All-Star break, giving the club some depth at point guard with John Wall still recovering from knee surgery. However, with Tomas Satoransky handling starting duties in Wall’s absence and Tim Frazier getting the backup minutes, Sessions didn’t see any action during his first 10 days with Washington.
While it’s not clear if Sessions will receive any playing time during his next 10 days with the Wizards, there’s little downside to the arrangement from the team’s perspective. Without Sessions, the club would only have 13 players on its 15-man NBA roster, one below the NBA-mandated minimum of 14 — so another signing would’ve been required if Sessions wasn’t retained.
A team is permitted to sign a player to two 10-day contracts before making a decision on that player for the rest of the season. After Sessions’ second deal expires next Wednesday night, Washington will either have to lock up the veteran for the season or sign another player to fill that 14th roster slot.
Here are Sunday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Spurs have assigned guard Derrick White to their G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, the team announced today in a press release. White has averaged 2.5 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 16 games with San Antonio this season.
- The Bucks recalled rookie power forward D.J. Wilson from the Wisconsin Herd, the team announced on its Twitter feed. The first-round pick is averaging 14.9 PPG and 5.2 RPG in nine G League games.
- The Wizards have assigned third-year forward Chris McCullough to the G League, according to the team. Washington doesn’t have a G League team of its own, so McCullough will join Phoenix’s affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns. He has appeared in 12 games with Northern Arizona this season.
Veteran guard Ramon Sessions will find out today if he’ll be getting a second 10-day contract from the Wizards, relays Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Sessions’ first 10-day deal expires at midnight, and even though he hasn’t appeared in any games yet, that doesn’t mean the team doesn’t have plans for him.
Washington signed Sessions to provide depth at point guard while John Wall recovers from knee surgery. Waived by the Knicks in January, Sessions had prior experience in Washington and was a logical choice for the role. Wall is expected to miss another two to four weeks and the Wizards already have a roster opening, so that may work in favor of Sessions getting another contract.
MARCH 3: Brewer’s signing with the Thunder is official, per the NBA’s official transactions log.
MARCH 1, 10:39am: Brewer has committed to sign with the Thunder once he clears waivers, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Brewer talked to Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan and GM Sam Presti and considered three Eastern Conference teams before deciding.
FEBRUARY 28, 6:50pm: Brewer is likely to sign with the Thunder after all, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Lakers officially waived Brewer earlier today, meaning the veteran swingman will be free to sign a contract with Oklahoma City as early as Friday.
3:03pm: One source tells David Aldridge of TNT (Twitter link) that while the Thunder are definitely in the mix for Brewer, the veteran is more likely to land with an Eastern Conference team.
10:44am: Amick (via Twitter) adds the Jazz and Pelicans to the list of teams that could also be in the mix for Brewer, noting that several of the teams he has mentioned are also keeping an eye on the Trevor Booker situation in Philadelphia.
10:28am: The Lakers and veteran swingman Corey Brewer have reportedly reached an agreement on a buyout, which means he could become a free agent as soon as Friday. When Brewer does hit the open market, a deal with the Thunder is a “serious possibility,” according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
As Wojnarowski notes, the ex-Gator is likely to be drawn to Oklahoma City by the presence of his former coach at Florida, Billy Donovan, who is now the Thunder’s head coach. Even aside from the Donovan connection, Brewer would be a logical fit for OKC, since the team has been on the lookout for one more option on the wing since Andre Roberson‘s injury, tweets ESPN’s Royce Young.
While the Thunder may be the frontrunners for Brewer, he’ll talk to other teams too, per Wojnarowski. The 31-year-old is unlikely to rush his decision, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, who tweets that the Cavaliers, Wizards, Trail Blazers, and Bucks have also shown interest. Amick adds that Brewer – averaging a career-low 12.9 minutes per game this season – will be seeking a “legit role,” which figures to impact his decision.
Although several playoff teams have already been linked to Brewer, his mediocre outside shot (.280 career 3PT%) will limit his appeal to some contenders. For instance, he’s not likely to be a fit for the Raptors, notes Josh Lewenberg of TSN (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News tweets that Minnesota has “kicked the tires” on the former Timberwolf, but says not to count on a reunion.