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Hoops Rumors Glossary: G League Assignments

November 24th, 2017 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

NBA G League teams have no shortage of ways to stock their rosters. They can add players through the G League draft, carry players on two-way contracts, acquire players via waivers, take on affiliate players from NBA training camps, and sign players they find in preseason tryout camps. Yet perhaps the most noteworthy players to pass through the G League come via NBA assignment.

The players assigned to the G League by NBA teams aren’t quite like other G Leaguers. NBA players receive their full NBA salaries while on G League assignment, whereas the G Leaguers without an NBA contract receive far more modest annual earnings that currently top out at about $26K.

Still, a G League assignment may come at a cost for an NBA player, since performance in the G League doesn’t count toward any incentive clauses built into an NBA contract. So if a player heads down to the G League on a rehab assignment and plays in a couple games for his NBA club’s G League affiliate, none of the numbers he puts up during that assignment would count toward the performance incentives built into his contract with the big club.

Of course, generally speaking, only longer-tenured veteran NBA players have incentives in their contracts, and most of those players won’t be assigned to the G League. Virtually all of the NBA players assigned to the G League have less than three full years of experience. That’s partly because NBA teams want to give their young players some extra seasoning — after all, before being re-branded as part of a sponsorship agreement with Gatorade, the G League was known as the “Development League” (D-League).

More importantly, players in their first, second or third NBA seasons are the only ones whom NBA teams can unilaterally send down to the G League. Otherwise, teams must get the consent of the players’ union as well as the player. It does happen on occasion though — fourth-year Raptors forward Bruno Caboclo has consented to multiple G League assignments so far this season, and Tony Parker has accepted G League assignments from the Spurs as well, as part of his injury rehab.

Once a player has been assigned to the G League, he can remain there indefinitely, and lengthy stints are not uncommon. However, since there’s no limit to the number of times an NBA team can assign and recall a player, assignments can also be very brief, particularly now that many teams are in close geographical proximity with their G League affiliates. In one case this season, the Grizzlies recalled Ivan Rabb from the Memphis Hustle, then assigned and recalled him again, all in the span of a few hours, in order to get him as much practice time as possible.

The Grizzlies are one of 26 NBA teams that either own their G League teams outright or operate the basketball operations of their affiliates in “hybrid” partnerships with local ownership groups. Teams that have these arrangements can set up a unified system in which the G League club runs the same offensive and defensive schemes and coaches dole out playing time based on what’s best for the parent club. That gives these NBA teams an advantage, so it’s no surprise that we’re moving toward every NBA team having a one-to-one affiliation — as recently as 2012/13, only 11 teams had such an arrangement.

Four NBA teams – the Nuggets, Pelicans, Trail Blazers, and Wizards – don’t have a G League affiliate of their own in 2017/18. However, those teams can still assign players to the G League via the “flexible assignment” rule. If, for instance, the Nuggets want to send Tyler Lydon to a G League team, any of the 26 teams may volunteer to accept him. Denver can choose from those clubs if there are multiple volunteers, but if no G League team raises its hand, the G League will randomly choose one of its teams to accept Lydon.

For more on the G League, check out our list of affiliations for this year and bookmark our G League news archive to track the latest updates on NBA players being assigned to or recalled from the G League. Be sure to check out our FAQ on two-way contracts as well — players on two-way deals can’t technically be assigned to and recalled from the G League, but they can be transferred back and forth between the NBA and the G League on a limited basis.

Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.

Versions of this post were initially published in 2012, 2013, and 2014 by Luke Adams and Chuck Myron.

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Community Shootaround: 2017’s Best Offseason Deals

November 24th, 2017 at 10:33am CST by Luke Adams

We’re about five and a half weeks into the 2017/18 NBA season, which means we’ve seen enough action to start shaping clearer opinions about this offseason’s roster moves from around the league. Signings that we may not have paid much attention to back in July could be paying off in a big way now.

We can’t offer up any Black Friday deals here at Hoops Rumors, but in honor of the biggest shopping day of the year, we’re taking a look back at this summer’s free agent signings to identify some of the best deals of 2017.

Here are a few candidates:

  • Jeff Green (Cavaliers): Lost amidst the drama surrounding David Griffin, Kyrie Irving, and several other current or former members of the Cavaliers this summer was Green accepting a one-year, minimum-salary deal to join the defending Eastern champs. So far this season, Green has been far more productive than he was on a $15MM salary in Orlando last year. Although he’s playing just 20.4 minutes per game for Cleveland, Green is scoring 10.2 PPG with a career-best .492 FG%. He has also been one of the few Cavs playing solid defense.
  • Tyreke Evans (Grizzlies): With the Grizzlies once again impacted by the injury bug this season, the oft-injured Evans has been healthy, and he’s been a godsend in the Memphis backcourt. The former fourth overall pick is averaging 17.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 3.6 APG with a scorching .502/.417/.814 shooting line through 17 games, and his per-minute production is easily the best of his nine-year NBA career. Evans is doing all that on a one-year, $3.29MM contract.
  • Rudy Gay (Spurs): At the time, Gay’s two-year, $17.23MM contract was viewed as a below-market deal for a player of his caliber, but a reasonable rate given his ongoing recovery from Achilles surgery. Gay’s Achilles recovery progressed faster than anticipated, however, and he has been an important contributor for the Spurs in the early going, particularly with Kawhi Leonard sidelined. While his per-game numbers are modest, given his reduced role, Gay’s per-36 numbers (19.3 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 2.6 APG) are all above his career averages.
  • Jonathon Simmons (Magic): Gay essentially replaced Simmons in San Antonio, allowing the Magic to get a good deal on the veteran swingman, locking him up to a three-year, $18MM pact. Simmons has been everything Orlando hoped for so far, averaging an impressive 14.1 PPG in just 24.8 minutes per contest. He’s also chipping in 3.1 RPG, 2.1 APG, and a .497/.385/.763 to go along with reliable defense.

While the players listed above have been great investments for their respective teams so far, there are plenty of other free agent deals from around the NBA worth recognizing. For instance, it’s almost too obvious to mention, but having taken less than his maximum salary to allow the Warriors to make other moves, Kevin Durant is a terrific bargain at $25MM this season.

What do you think? Which 2017 free agent signings have represented the best deals so far in the 2017/18 season? Jump into the comment section below to weigh in!

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Central Notes: Portis, Thomas, Oladipo, Leuer

November 24th, 2017 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

While opposing fans won’t let him forget about last month’s altercation with Nikola Mirotic, Bobby Portis has put that fight behind him and has expressed optimism about the Bulls‘ roster and the team’s future, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

“I feel like we can be a good team in the future with all the pieces that we have and everybody starting to come together,” Portis said. Later, addressing the Bulls’ end-of-game lineup, Portis pointed out that having him play alongside Lauri Markkanen gives the club the sort of frontcourt size that many teams don’t have in their closing lineups. “I feel like that’s definitely something we can use in the future,” Portis added.

As Cowley observes, the fact that Portis is talking so much about the Bulls’ future suggests that he doesn’t expect to be traded anytime soon, despite a reported ultimatum from Mirotic’s camp.

Here’s more from around the Central:

  • Cavaliers point guard Isaiah Thomas still doesn’t have a specific return date set, but he has taken another important step forward in his recovery from a right hip injury, says Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Thomas, who is aiming to return around the end of 2017, is now going through contact drills, according to Fedor.
  • Victor Oladipo is enjoying a career year so far on the court for the Pacers, but his behind-the-scenes leadership has also been an important part of the team’s early success, writes Clifton Brown of The Indianapolis Star. Acquired in the summer’s Paul George trade, Oladipo figures to be a fixture in Indiana for years to come — he and rookie T.J. Leaf are the only two Pacers under contract through 2020/21.
  • The Pistons will play on Friday night for the first time since Monday, and the three-day break likely benefited a few banged-up players, including Jon Leuer, Andre Drummond, and Avery Bradley. However, as Rod Beard of The Detroit News relays, Stan Van Gundy says Leuer is “just not progressing the way he had hoped” as he battles an ankle injury.
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Nets Notes: Allen, Dinwiddie, Lin

November 23rd, 2017 at 10:51pm CST by Austin Kent

While 19-year-old center Jarrett Allen hasn’t earned a full-time role with the Nets just yet, the rookie big man has started to impress head coach Kenny Atkinson, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes.

“Jarrett came in and gave us a nice boost, good energy off the bench. Yeah, I was proud of his competitive grit,” Atkinson said after Allen played the most minutes of his young career yesterday. “Jarrett is progressing nicely. I just hope we can get some consistency there, and we can start using him.”

In addition to being so new to the NBA, Allen missed six games with an injury at the start of the month. The Nets rookie feels better now, however, and is ready to start commanding more and more playing time.

There’s more out of Brooklyn tonight:

  • The Nets are thankful for the emergence of 24-year-old point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. The journeyman guard has come into his own of late, filling in for the injured Jeremy Lin and D’Angelo Russell. In four starts, Dinwiddie has averaged 6.5 points and 9.3 assists per game.
  • The Nets have benefited from the veteran leadership of summer acquisition DeMarre Carroll, Greg Joyce of the New York Post writes. The 31-year-old has a career full of highs and lows to pull from when mentoring his young teammates.
  • Slowly but surely, Jeremy Lin is making progress. The point guard recently gave an interview on Chinese social media site Weibo (via NetsDaily), claiming that he can now bend his injured knee. There is still no set timetable for his return to the team’s bench.
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Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Okafor, Embiid

November 23rd, 2017 at 8:40pm CST by Austin Kent

The Raptors reinvented their offense after a memorable offseason press conference in which president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri suggested that change would be coming. As Scott Cacciola of the New York Times, the team’s plan to change it’s mindset without actually changing its roster has actually worked.

With a desire to adapt to the ever-changing NBA landscape, the Raptors charged assistant coach Nick Nurse with the task of modernizing the team’s offense, ushering them from an era of one-and-one play into a new one that rewards ball movement and three-point shooting.

Prior to joining the Raptors, Nurse served as the head coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, a G League team that paced the league in three-point attempts during his time there. Already this season, he’s convinced every Raptor, with the exception of Jakob Poeltl, to hoist a three.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Raptors are making the most out of second-year forward Pascal Siakam‘s rare motor, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes. “That’s something that’s kind of small but it’s huge, because a lot of guys can’t run like him and don’t want to run like him and don’t have the desire to run like him, and he does,” head coach Dwane Casey says. “And he focuses on it. He thinks about it. He knows that’s how he can score, is outrun people down the floor.“
  • It wasn’t long ago when Jahlil Okafor led the Sixers in scoring. These days the 21-year-old center can’t even get on the court. The trend seems eerily similar to the Nerlens Noel situation from last season, Sarah Todd of The Inquirer writes.
  • Despite only operating at 81% capacity, Sixers center Joel Embiid believes he’s the NBA’s best defensive player, Keith Pompey of The Inquirer writes. “Not to be cocky, but I think I’m the best defensive player in the league right now,” Embiid said. “I’m still getting better. My blocks are a little down [compared to last season]. I’m a better rebounder this year.“
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2018 Free Agent Stock Watch: Memphis Grizzlies

November 23rd, 2017 at 7:20pm CST by Austin Kent

The Grizzlies are in an interesting place as a franchise and how they fare over the course of the next few seasons will have an impact on the team’s lasting legacy.

With $160MM tied up in franchise cornerstones Marc Gasol (32 years old) and Mike Conley (30), the good-but-not-exactly-great club has little choice but to keep retooling its rotation with low-cost players capable of possibly contributing to a second-tier Western Conference squad. More importantly, the Grizzlies have to be ready to promptly move on if those experiments don’t pan out.

Memphis isn’t expected to have any cap space next season, so any progress or roster development will have to come from within. Here’s a look at the team’s players who will hit free agency this summer and which way their value is trending.

Mario Chalmers verticalMario Chalmers, PG, 32 (Up) – Signed to 1-year, $2.1MM deal in 2017
The Grizz brought Chalmers back on board after waiving him in the spring of 2016. After spending last season out of the NBA altogether recovering from an Achilles injury, the former Heat punching bag has stepped into a role as a backup point guard and spot starter. Chalmers lacks the ceiling of a younger prospect and doesn’t contribute consistently enough to qualify as a reliable go-to bench option, so don’t expect any teams to offer big money. Still, that doesn’t mean he’s not capable of landing slightly more than the veteran’s-minimum contract he signed for last summer. If he stays healthy, Chalmers could find other suitors around the league. But with little reliable point guard depth under contract, the Grizzlies may be among those most eager to sign him.

James Ennis, SF, 28 (Down) – Signed to 2-year, $5.9MM deal in 2016
Memphis isn’t afraid to give Ennis a sizable workload, as evidenced by the 23.5 minutes per game he saw last year (which has risen to 26.5 so far in 2017/18), but the small forward isn’t particularly effective with that time on the court. With so many other swingmen on the roster, three of whom were signed just last summer, it doesn’t make much sense for the Grizzlies to commit long-term to the gritty veteran.

Tyreke Evans, SG/SF, 28 (Up) – Signed to 1-year, $3.3MM deal in 2017
The Grizzlies got one of the biggest bargains of the summer when they signed Evans with their bi-annual exception. The biggest issue with Evans, however, is health — he played just 65 games over the course of the previous two seasons. That said, Evans has shown no signs of lingering ailments so far this season and has averaged a head-turning 17.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in just 28.2 minutes per contest. If Evans keeps up his trademark versatile play for a full season, he’ll yield plenty more on the open market than what Memphis will be able to cover with his Non-Bird rights.

Brandan Wright, PF/C, 30 (Down) – Signed to 3-year, $17.2MM deal in 2015
Having played in just 40 games over the course of the past two seasons – and having been traded twice mid-season the year before that – it’s hard to know what to expect out of Wright. While the big man was once a surprisingly productive reserve, he suddenly qualifies as a 30-year-old journeyman who has made six forgettable stops over the course of 10 NBA seasons. Wright has done an admirable job trying to fill holes in Memphis’ depleted 2017/18 rotation, averaging 13.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per 36 minutes, but given his spotty track record, don’t expect him to net more than the veteran’s minimum next summer.

Player ages as of July 1, 2018. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Southeast Notes: Batum, Magette, Lamb

November 23rd, 2017 at 4:46pm CST by Austin Kent

The Hornets may be without Nicolas Batum yet again, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes. The 28-year-old swingman injured the same elbow that sidelined him for the first 12 games of the season.

While details are not yet known as to the extent of Batum’s recent setback, he missed the second half of the Hornets’ Wednesday night home game against Washington with a left elbow contusion.

All told, Batum missed six weeks with a torn ligament in the same elbow to start the season, so the fact that the injury stems from the same area is cause for concern.

In his five games of action for the Hornets, Batum has averaged 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.

There’s more from the Southeast Division tonight:

  • The Magic have fallen back down to earth after a 6-2 start but that doesn’t mean their apparent progress was a mirage. As John Denton of the team’s official site writes, the club is simply going through necessary growing pains.
  • The Hawks may have found themselves a diamond in the rough in the form of two-way contract signee Josh Magette. ESPN’s Ian Begley tweets that the undrafted rookie, who just posted four points, four rebounds and five assists in 15 minutes on Wednesday, has already impressed people around the league.
  • If Nicolas Batum ends up missing significant time with his re-injured left elbow, the Hornets will turn yet again to Jeremy Lamb who has emerged as a prolific perimeter scorer. The 25-year-old belongs in the conversation for Most Improved Player, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes.
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Southwest Notes: Rondo, Asik, Martin

November 23rd, 2017 at 3:32pm CST by Austin Kent

The addition of Rajon Rondo to the Pelicans lineup helps ease the burden on superstar big men Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, William Guillory of The Times-Picayune writes.

When the guard was sidelined for 13 games as a result of a core muscle injury, Cousins – the Pelicans’ 6’11”, 270-pound center – ended up handling much of the team’s playmaking responsibilities.

“I don’t have to be as much of a playmaker as I’ve had to be in the past,” Cousins said of Rondo’s return to the Pelicans. “Having a floor general like that and missing him from the beginning of the season, it hurt us as a team. But once we get him at 100 percent, I think we’ll be a totally different team.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

  • For the first time since last February, Pelicans big man Omer Asik was on the Pelicans‘ active list, William Guillory of The Times-Picayune writes, but that doesn’t mean he’ll start logging big minutes any time soon. “He hasn’t been able to run or condition or anything like that,” head coach Alvin Gentry said prior to the team’s Wednesday night contest. “Even when he’s released to play, it’s going to take a while for him to be able to play anything other than really short spurts.“
  • Tennessee native Austin Nichols will suit up in the FedEx Forum as a member of the Memphis Hustle tomorrow night. It will mark the G League affiliate’s only performance in the Grizzlies‘ arena this season. “I was a little burned out on ball, but I’ve fallen back in love with it,” Nichols, once a featured member of the city’s revered college program until his unceremonious exit told Pete Wickham of Grind City Media. “I’ve matured on and off the court, trying to figure out who I wanted to be, and trying to mature as a person. I wanted to stay in the States, and when this option became available, it was great to be back home playing for the city.”
  • Although he hasn’t had much of an opportunity to showcase it, Grizzlies forward Jarell Martin believes that the sky is the limit for his development as a player, Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype writes. The 23-year-old, who didn’t start playing basketball until his junior season in high school, has averaged 4.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game this season.
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25 Players Still On Non-Guaranteed 2017/18 Salaries

November 23rd, 2017 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

There are 25 players around the NBA playing on 2017/18 salaries that aren’t yet fully guaranteed. While having those salaries guaranteed will be a mere formality for some players, others may be at risk of losing their roster spot with decision day nearing. If teams keep non-guaranteed players under contract beyond January 7, their salaries will become guaranteed for the season on January 10, so clubs still have more than a month to decide whether to lock in these players’ full-season salaries.

Listed below is the team-by-team breakdown of the players who are still on non-guaranteed salaries or partially guaranteed salaries. Unless otherwise indicated, each of these players is set to earn the minimum. Partial guarantees are noted if they exceed a player’s prorated salary to date. Any teams not listed below are only carrying players with fully guaranteed salaries.

Atlanta HawksLuke Babbitt vertical

Brooklyn Nets

Charlotte Hornets

Chicago Bulls

Dallas Mavericks

Detroit Pistons

  • Eric Moreland: Partial guarantee of $1,000,000.
    • Full salary: $1,739,333

Houston Rockets

Indiana Pacers

Los Angeles Lakers

Milwaukee Bucks

Minnesota Timberwolves

New York Knicks

Oklahoma City Thunder

Orlando Magic

Philadelphia 76ersRichaun Holmes vertical

Phoenix Suns

San Antonio Spurs

Toronto Raptors

Utah Jazz

Washington Wizards

  • Sheldon Mac
    • Note: Mac is recovering from a torn Achilles and will continue to be paid his full-season salary until he’s cleared to return.

To keep tabs on these 25 players over the next several weeks, be sure to check back on our regularly-updated lists of salary guarantee dates and of non-guaranteed contracts.

Photos courtesy of Getty Images and USA Today Sports Images. Information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

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And-Ones: World Cup, Kuzminskas, Trade Deadline

November 23rd, 2017 at 1:13pm CST by Luke Adams

FIBA’s new process for qualifying for the Basketball World Cup may look familiar to fans who follow soccer’s World Cup qualifying process, but it has left many professional players confused and disappointed, writes Marc Stein of The New York Times. As Stein details, the timing of the qualifiers will prevent the top players from participating.

Unlike top soccer leagues, which take breaks during their respective seasons to allow the best international players to represent their countries in qualifiers, there are no such windows for NBA and Euroleague players. As such, Team USA is attempting to qualify for the 2019 World Cup with a squad made up of little-known G League players.

“They will qualify, because they will be very well prepared and play hard,” Spurs assistant Ettore Messina said of Team USA. “But then you have to tell them: ‘Thank you. Now the real players are coming in to go to China.’ How unfair is that?”

For his part, Messina had to give up his role as head coach of the Italian national team because of the new qualifying format — he has been one of the loudest critics of the changes, Stein writes. “Stupid,” Messina said. “That’s the most common word I hear when I talk with people about this — stupid.”

As Team USA prepares for its first qualifying game against Puerto Rico, scheduled for tonight, here’s more from around the basketball world:

  • Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press relays a few more perspectives on the 2019 World Cup qualifiers, speaking to several internationally-born NBA players who don’t love the changes.
  • According to Donatas Urbonas (Twitter links), Lithuanian team Zalgiris Kaunas would love to sign free agent Mindaugas Kuzminskas, the Lithuanian forward recently waived by the Knicks. However, while the team says the door is always open for a player like Kuzminskas, it recognizes that its odds of landing him are low.
  • The NBA moved up the trade deadline for 2018 by two weeks to February 8. Danny Leroux of The Sporting News examines how the earlier deadline might affect teams’ plans this season.
  • With a number of NBA draft prospects – including Marvin Bagley III and Miles Bridges – set to participate in the PK80 Invitational in Portland this weekend, Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz of ESPN (Insider link) lay out the players and the matchups worth watching.
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