Standout Wizards center Daniel Gafford has enjoyed his new opportunity with Washington, writes Spencer Davies of Basketball News.
The athletic second-year big man has seen an increased role with the Wizards, who are currently the No. 10 seed in the East with a 32-38 record. Washington is 13-6 since Gafford became a regular part of the lineup.
Gafford averaged 12.4 minutes per game in 31 contests for the Bulls. In 21 games for the Wizards, Gafford is averaging 10.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and an astronomical 1.8 BPG, even though his minutes have increased by just 5.3 MPG a night (to 17.7).
“When I got here, it clicked automatically because you got two point guards who really know the game, and really know how to facilitate and play-make,” Gafford said of his perspective on the trade to the Wizards. He hopes to continue to expand his defensive attributes with his new team. “I’m good at blocking shots, [but] at the same time, I can be able to contain the ball up at the key if I put my mind [to it].”
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- New Magic wing Gary Harris has proven to be a locker room leader during his brief time with Orlando, writes Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel. “When you have time to spend with him and you watch him in practice, you watch the way he integrates with his teammates and everything, he has character both on the court and off the court,” head coach Steve Clifford raved. “Obviously those are the guys that you want talking in the huddles, talking in the locker room because he believes and he talks about the right things.” Harris will earn $20.48MM in 2021/22 before becoming eligible for free agency next summer.
- Heat guard Victor Oladipo had a successful season-ending surgery on the pesky right quadriceps tendon that he initially injured in 2019, per a team press release. A timeline for his return has not been disclosed, but he’ll miss the entire 2020/21 postseason. Oladipo will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and his checkered injury history figures to hurt his value.
- In a wide-ranging interview with Alex Kennedy of Basketball News, rookie Magic guard R.J. Hampton discussed his first NBA season and his tenures in Denver and Orlando thus far. Hampton averaged just 9.3 MPG across 25 games with the championship-contending Nuggets. Since being dealt to the Magic in March, Hampton has seen a significant increase in all his counting stats. He is averaging 24.8 MPG, and putting up 10.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 2.5 APG a night. “Now, I’m getting an opportunity to play, but I think throughout my whole season, I’ve progressed a little bit day-by-day and just gotten better over the course of these months,” Hampton told Kennedy. “I don’t think there are really any cons for me in Orlando; this is what I wanted. I wanted to be on a team where I could play and grow and help my team get wins. Those were the biggest pros and cons, and differences.”
Knicks fans. Would you trade a 1st for RJ Hampton versus overpaying a dude like Dinwiddie?
If my only options are
a) Sign Dinwid for $20m annual contract
b) resign Rose for 7-10m and swap a protected 1st for Hampton
I’d go with b.
But I’d go with b with or without Hampton. Seems like a decent prospect, but idk how much run he’d see in NY
Well, they wouldn’t do a swap. Magic would require at least a 1st. Knicks are mocked to take a PG at the 22nd spot – of all the guys I’ve seen go there, I think RJ is better.
The Magic also have committed $$ to Harris, Fultz, Anthony, and MCW on the bench. RJ is expendable. I think you trade the Dallas pick straight up for him.
Quickley is the only PG on the roster. Yes, resign Rose is probably the plan. But adding another young guard – that’s more of a known quantity than a mid-20s draft pick – would be a good use of assets.
Can’t imagine the Magic would trade Hampton for less than 2 firsts.
It’s not that Hampton is worth 2 firsts (only he might be someday), it’s that Orlando has absolutely nothing to gain by trading a good young player for a chance to draft another good young player. They’d be silly to trade him unless they got an outsized return.
Also, what would Thibs want with a good young prospect?
Very valid point from ORL’s POV.
HEAT got a few positives from Oladipo’s injury …… it cleared up their guard rotation – Nunn has been great after Dipo’s injury, both Herro & Dragic got healthier & playing better.
Plus, Oladipo’s value will be at its lowest come the offseason …….. the HEAT can sign him to a shorter, team-friendly contract.
What type of contract would Dipo have to get from Miami to be considered team-friendly? One year, obviously, but for how much? $15M? $12M? Less?
I think he ends up in NOLA. Pels let Lonzo walk, draft Davion Mitchell, sign Oladipo. Or maybe they snag Nunn from Miami.
They have the cap space to offer him something worthwhile even for a 1 yr deal.
Anything far less than the max would be favorable for the HEAT’s books ……. Oladipo turned down a max extension with the ROCKETS, a few weeks before being traded, obviously wanting to go to the HEAT.
1+1 contract 12-15M/year sounds about fair.
I have a feeling that Goran goes West for his last contract this offseason …… setting up the HEAT to go younger with Oladipo & Nunn.
Kawhi to Miami, you heard it here first
He’s gotten things working now with LAC!
If they dont win this year, he is out
Does Miami project to have that much room tho?
But since I have tin foil on anyway … pretty sure the Knicks will have 80m in space this offseason if Kawhi is looking for a new team ….
Heat won
76ers coaching staffs did not fully utilize Ben Simmons tonight
Simmons stats sheet vs Heat
8 points
6 assists
1 rebound
Bench Key matchup
Dragic vs Shake Melton
Herro vs Maxey
“Outstanding”, “Astronomical”?!?!? Settle down there turbo…
“Standout” not “outstanding”
Seems like an indictment on the Bulls
Gary Harris has another year left on his contract. He is a UFA in 2021-22.
Why would the Knicks have any interest in Hampton at this point? Mills thought it a good idea to stockpile young backup PGs, but I doubt many others do, and trust the current FO doesn’t.
Hampton is the guy I thought the Knicks were about to draft at #23, before effectively moving down two spots and taking Quickley. We’ll never know if they were still planning to draft Hampton at #25, before Denver swooped in at #24. But I never thought the Knicks needed to move up prior to the draft to #23 to target Quickley.
Based on their supposed asks in the Gordon trade, it would not surprise me if Orlando was looking to move him. They passed on him in the draft as well, to take Cole Anthony. In any event, the upper end price for either is a lottery protected 1st.