- Kelly Oubre, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the upcoming offseason, has turned to the corner for the Wizards, as Nate Wolf of NBAMath details. Wolf notes that Oubre has been key to Washington putting out a respectable bench unit, but also adds its second-unit has other concerns that could keep the Wizards from reaching their potential in the postseason.
Two traded player exceptions created by the Cavaliers in last January’s acquisition of Kyle Korver expired this week, as expected. One of those two trade exceptions was already utilized by the Cavs in the offseason, and the amount left on it made it virtually impossible to use again. However, the other one, worth about $4.84MM, wasn’t used at all.
[RELATED: Outstanding NBA Trade Exceptions]
Despite letting those two trade exceptions expire, the Cavs remain well-stocked with TPEs in the event that they need one to make a deal at next month’s deadline. Most notably, they hold one worth approximately $5.81MM, which will be available until late August.
The following trade exceptions around the NBA will also expire if they’re not used by the February 8 trade deadline:
- Milwaukee Bucks: $5,000,000
- New Orleans Pelicans: $3,517,200
- Chicago Bulls: $1,589,480
- Dallas Mavericks: $1,514,160
- Milwaukee Bucks: $1,151,241 (expires on February 2)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: $980,431
- Dallas Mavericks: $621,362
- Washington Wizards: $425,973
- Portland Trail Blazers: $407,210
- Toronto Raptors: $328,000
While they won’t expire until sometime in the offseason, the Trail Blazers ($12.97MM), Raptors ($11.8MM), and Clippers ($7.27MM) also have sizable trade exceptions worth keeping an eye on. Still, all three of those clubs have potential luxury tax concerns, so they’re unlikely to take on big salaries at the deadline without sending out any money.
For more information on how trade exceptions work, be sure to check out our glossary entry on the subject.
- 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 Milwaukee’s affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. The Herd are in action tonight, but McCullough’s assignment may end up lasting multiple games beyond that, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post.
The Wizards have waived one of their players on a two-way contract, announcing today in a press release that rookie forward Michael Young has been released. The move opens up one of Washington’s two-way contract slots, with forward Devin Robinson still holding the other.
Young, 23, was one of the first players to sign a two-way contract back in July. The Wizards don’t have a G League affiliate of their own, so the former Pitt standout spent time with the Sixers’ and Suns’ affiliates, averaging 12.4 PPG and 5.7 RPG in 23 total G League contests.
According to contract data from Basketball Insiders, Young’s two-way contract was for two years, with $50K guaranteed in each season. The Wizards will remain on the hook for that full amount, though salaries for two-way players don’t count against a team’s cap.
January 15 is the deadline for teams to sign players to two-way contracts for 2017/18, so the Wizards will have nearly two weeks to fill the opening created by waiving Young.
- John Wall and Bradley Beal both used the word “selfish” to explain why the Wizards frequently suffer letdowns like the one that resulted in Wednesday’s loss to the Hawks, relays Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Washington was expected to be among the top teams in the East, but has dropped games to the Mavericks, Suns, Lakers, Clippers, Nets [twice] and Hawks, who all have losing records. “We talk about it. We say when we play these teams that are not above .500 or not one of the great teams, we go out there playing for stats,” Wall said.
Celtics forward Marcus Morris will be back in action today after missing eight games with a left knee injury, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN. The knee has been an issue all season, as soreness caused him to miss the first eight games of the season. Morris is excited about the holiday matchup against the Wizards and his twin brother Markieff. “This has to be history,” Marcus Morris said. “First twins to play on Christmas against each other.”
One of the many great things about Christmas is a full slate of NBA games that begins at 11am Central and stretches throughout the day. We at Hoops Rumors welcome our readers to use this post to comment on all of today’s action.
The games tip off with a showcase of some of the league’s brightest young stars as the Knicks host the Sixers. Philadelphia center Joel Embiid has been medically cleared to play, joining teammate Ben Simmons and New York’s Kristaps Porzingis and Frank Ntilikina in a look at the NBA’s future.
The spotlight game of the day comes next as the Warriors host the Cavaliers in a rematch of the past three NBA Finals. Both teams come into the contest near the top of their conferences and a fourth straight Finals clash seems likely, if not inevitable. Even though Stephen Curry will be sidelined and Isaiah Thomas isn’t quite ready to return, Cleveland-Golden State games are always special.
The Wizards and Celtics are next in a rematch of their thrilling series in last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals. It’s a battle of two of the league’s best point guards as John Wall faces Kyrie Irving in Boston’s first home Christmas Day game in 69 years.
Following that, last year’s top two vote-getters in the MVP race will be on display as Russell Westbrook and the Thunder host James Harden and the Rockets. The addition of Chris Paul has helped Houston post the league’s best record at 25-6. The additions of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony were supposed to do the same for Oklahoma City, which may be coming together with four straight wins after a slow start.
The night will end at Staples Center as the Lakers host the Northwest Division-leading Timberwolves. Lonzo Ball will miss the game with a sprained left shoulder, but Rookie of the Year candidate Kyle Kuzma is still worth watching as L.A. faces Jimmy Butler and the new-look Wolves.
The staff of Hoops Rumors extends Merry Christmas wishes to all our readers. Thank you for your loyalty throughout the year and please consider spending part of your holiday with us.
A lack of depth played a role in the Wizards‘ recent loss to a short-handed Cavaliers team, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington writes. In a matchup where both teams were missing players, the Cavs still managed to hurt them with a capable 10-man rotation.
Hughes writes that the Wizards will be in a better position when John Wall and Markieff Morris completely return to full health but even then it may not be enough to legitimately compete with an elite team like the Cavs.
That presents one question for Washington’s front office; whether the Wizards should make a move prior to the trade deadline considering that a trip to the NBA Finals will almost certainly have to go through Cleveland at some point.
A highlight of Real Madrid star Luka Doncic crossing over former Trail Blazers forward Victor Claver went viral on Thursday, and representatives from a number of NBA teams were on hand to see it in person. According to international basketball reporter David Pick (Twitter link), the Sixers, Suns, Clippers, Magic, Mavericks, Pelicans, Wizards, and others all had officials in attendance.
Of course, given how highly regarded Doncic is, most of these teams are unlikely to have a shot at him in the 2018 NBA draft. In singling out some of the risers and fallers in the latest update to their 2018 big board, Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz of ESPN (Insider link) explain why Doncic is at the top of their rankings.
According to Givony and Schmitz, who refer to Doncic as “the most productive European prospect of all time,” the 6’8″ guard could have a legit chance to win the EuroLeague’s MVP award this season. Some scouts worry about his athleticism, his defense, or his ability to create shots, so it’s not a lock that he’ll go No. 1 in June. But Doncic, at age 18, is already one of the best scorers and facilitators in Europe, in the eyes of Givony and Schmitz.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Veteran NBA swingman Alonzo Gee is headed to the G League, according to Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days, who tweets that the Heat‘s affiliate (the Sioux Falls Skyforce) has claimed Gee off waivers. The 30-year-old, who has appeared in regular season games for six NBA clubs, last played for the Nuggets in 2016/17.
- After reporting last week that the NBA intends to establish a G League franchise in Mexico City, Marc Stein of The New York Times takes a deep dive into the issue and outlines why the league is more seriously considering the viability of eventually expanding to Mexico — not just with a G League team, but with an NBA club. The fact that Mexico City shares a time zone with so many current NBA clubs is a major plus, as commissioner Adam Silver observes.
- The players’ union and former NBPA executive director Billy Hunter have reached a settlement in their legal battle, according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter links). After the NBPA fired Hunter in 2013, the longtime executive director sued the union for $10MM+, and the union counter-sued. Terms of the settlement weren’t disclosed, but Hunter said in a statement that he’s happy about “moving forward after years of hard-fought litigation on both sides.”
Despite being upgraded to questionable for Tuesday’s game in Brooklyn, point guard John Wall appears more likely to return to action for the Wizards on Wednesday night, a source tells TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). Aldridge suggests that “all signs point” to the Wizards getting Wall back in their lineup in D.C. on Wednesday against the Grizzlies.
Wall, who last played for the Wizards on November 22, received platelet-rich plasma and viscosupplementation injections in his left knee last month, with the team estimating at the time that he’d take about two weeks to recover. Candace Buckner of The Washington Post indicated last Friday that Wall would need a few more days to get healthy, writing that he was on track to return in the middle of this week.
The Wizards have held their own without the former first overall pick, going 4-4 in his absence. Still, the team has underperformed a little this season, and will be looking to make a run to close out the year with Wall set to return to action. Washington has a 14-12 overall record, which is tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Wall has averaged 20.3 PPG and 9.2 APG in 16 games so far in 2017/18.