2021 | Hoops Rumors

Clippers Sign Moses Wright To 10-Day Contract

December 21st, 2021 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have signed forward Moses Wright to a 10-day contract, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log. Since it’s a 10-day deal, we know the team completed the signing using a hardship exception.

An undrafted rookie, Wright spent all four years of his college career at Georgia Tech and had a huge season as a senior in 2020/21, averaging 17.4 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.6 BPG, and 1.5 SPG with a .532/.414/.658 shooting line in 25 games (35.3 MPG). He was named the ACC Player of the Year and made the ACC’s All-Defensive team.

Wright has been playing for the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario this season, averaging 13.5 PPG and 8.5 RPG on .602/.400/.607 shooting in 13 games (29.7 MPG).

The Clippers haven’t been affected too significantly this month by COVID-19 and currently just have one player – Marcus Morris – in the health and safety protocols, but that could change quickly, as we’ve seen in recent weeks.

Raptors’ Scottie Barnes, Precious Achiuwa Enter Protocols

December 21st, 2021 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

After placing guards Fred VanVleet and Malachi Flynn in the health and safety protocols earlier in the day, the Raptors have now added two frontcourt players to that list. Rookie forward Scottie Barnes and center Precious Achiuwa have become the sixth and seventh Raptors in the COVID-19 protocols, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

If Barnes and Achiuwa have tested positive for COVID-19, they’ll be out for 10 days or until they return two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart. VanVleet, Flynn, Pascal Siakam, Gary Trent Jr., and Dalano Banton are the other players in the protocols for Toronto.

The injury report is getting crowded for the Raptors, who will also be without Justin Champagnie (non-COVID illness), David Johnson (left calf strain), and Goran Dragic (not with team) for Wednesday’s game in Chicago. That leaves the club with just six of its initial 16 players available, and one of those six – Khem Birch – is listed as questionable due to a right knee issue.

However, as Wojnarowski reports (Twitter links), there’s no indication at this point that Wednesday’s game will be postponed. Toronto has reportedly reached deals with four replacement players – Nik Stauskas, Brandon Goodwin, Tremont Waters, and Juwan Morgan – and could sign more before tip-off tomorrow night,, assuming there’s time for those players to clear COVID-19 testing and travel to Chicago.

The NBA already postponed one Raptors/Bulls contest last Thursday, so the league will likely want to avoid having to push back a second game between the two teams.

Pacific Notes: Porter, Iguodala, Davis, Lakers, George

December 21st, 2021 at 1:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Otto Porter Jr. has been a bargain for the Warriors on a veteran’s minimum contract and he’ll be more important than ever with two starters in the health and safety protocols, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Porter played nearly 30 minutes in Monday’s win over Sacramento, contributing 12 points and five rebounds, but what really stood out were his four blocked shots. Porter has changed his game since coming to Golden State, Slater notes, to become more of a rim protector and an inside presence.

“Otto’s been tremendous in adapting to that role. He rebounds the ball extremely well,” Draymond Green said. “I noticed that at the very beginning of the season. I would tell (Kevon Looney) like, ‘Loon, Otto really rebounds.’ When I first said it to Loon, Loon said, ‘He better, he’s 6’9″!’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah Loon, but you know 6’9″ guys, just because they’re 6’9″ they don’t rebound it.’ … (Porter) grew up his whole life playing the wing, and I think you see that a lot around the league where teams will put a guy in a position to be a big because they have size and they don’t have a clue of the positioning that you need to have, and Otto is making that adjustment with the blocked shots, with the rebounding.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Warriors have also benefited from the return of Andre Iguodala, who is back to being a force off the bench after missing 11 games with knee swelling, Slater adds. Another veteran’s minimum acquisition in the offseason, Iguodala seems to be able to contribute wherever Golden State needs help.
The Lakers‘ Anthony Davis feared he suffered a major injury on Friday when he heard “something pop” in his left knee, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Davis will miss at least four weeks with a sprained MCL, but after collapsing in the tunnel on the way to the locker room, he thought it was something much worse. “I just reached a point where it was tough to walk,” he explained. “I had to take a break. … I did hear something pop — and the first thing I thought of was (a major injury). Which, I was emotional, I was just like everywhere. But like I said, thank God that it wasn’t that.”
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton (Insider link) examines how Davis’ injury might affect the Lakers‘ playoff odds, while Jovan Buha of The Athletic considers lineup options for the team with AD unavailable.
Paul George felt good as he returned to the lineup Monday for the first time in two weeks, but the Clippers forward still experienced occasional pain in his right elbow, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “It took some hits today, couple stingers,” George told reporters after the game. “We’ll see how it feels tomorrow, not sure it will be sore or not. See how it feels in the morning.”

Caldwell-Pope, Gallinari, Capela, Others Enter Protocols

December 21st, 2021 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Wizards wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Washington had been one of 10 teams that didn’t currently have any players in the protocols, but that’s no longer the case.

According to Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr., Caldwell-Pope returned a positive COVID-19 test on Monday evening (Twitter link via Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington). He’ll be sidelined for 10 days or until he can return consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

Here are a few more protocol-related updates from around the league:

Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari and center Clint Capela been placed in the health and safety protocols, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links). An earlier report stated that two Atlanta players were entering the protocols today — now we know that Gallinari and Capela are those two players.
Lakers center Dwight Howard and guard Talen Horton-Tucker have exited the health and safety protocols, the team announced today (Twitter link via Dave McMenamin of ESPN). That doesn’t necessarily mean that both players have been cleared to return to action, but they’re able to rejoin the team for practices and should be available soon.
Bulls two-way guard Devon Dotson is now in the health and safety protocols, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic (Twitter link). Chicago has had some players return since the team’s initial COVID-19 outbreak, but still has five other players in the protocols in addition to Dotson.
Kings two-way center Neemias Queta is the latest Sacramento player to enter the COVID-19 protocols, tweets Wojnarowski. The club now has seven players in the protocols.
The NBA has told the 10 teams scheduled to play on December 25 that some of their games could be shifted to new times if any Christmas Day contests have to be postponed, tweets Wojnarowski. As Woj explains, the league is prioritizing the 2:30pm ET, 5:00pm, and 8:00pm windows, so if one of those games is postponed, either the early or late game would likely be moved.

Raptors To Sign Tremont Waters; VanVleet, Flynn In Protocols

December 21st, 2021 at 10:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have placed point guards Fred VanVleet and Malachi Flynn in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Toronto now has five players in the protocols, including three starters.

In order to address the newly-created hole in their backcourt, the Raptors intend to sign G League guard Tremont Waters to a 10-day contract via the hardship exception, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Toronto also reportedly lined up hardship deals with Brandon Goodwin, Juwan Morgan, and Nik Stauskas on Monday, so Waters will be their fourth 10-day addition. None of those deals are official yet.

Waters, who will turn 24 next month, was selected by the Celtics with the 51st overall pick in the 2019 draft and spent his first two professional seasons as a two-way player in Boston. After the C’s opted not to bring him back for the 2021/22 season, he joined the Wisconsin Herd – Milwaukee’s G League affiliate – and has averaged 17.2 PPG, 6.0 APG, and 2.7 SPG on .421/.364/.714 shooting in 13 NBAGL games (31.5 MPG) this season.

Due to the NBA’s new temporary roster rules, Waters’ deal won’t count against Toronto’s team salary for cap or tax purposes.

Knicks Sign Matt Mooney Via Hardship Exception

December 21st, 2021 at 10:36am CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 21: The Knicks have officially signed Mooney to a 10-day contract, according to the team (Twitter link).

DECEMBER 20: Free agent shooting guard Matt Mooney is signing a 10-day contract with the Knicks via a hardship exception, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Mooney, who went undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2019, began his first professional season with the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate, before signing a two-way contract with the Cavaliers. He appeared in four NBA games as a rookie, logging just 19 total minutes.

Mooney played for the Raptors’ G League team in 2020/21, then joined the Mexico City Capitanes this season. He has struggled with his three-point shot through 12 G League games in ’21/22, making just 27.6% of his outside attempts, but he’s still averaging 15.2 PPG, 4.6 APG, and 2.2 SPG in 32.8 MPG, and has displayed a more reliable three-pointer in past NBAGL seasons.

The Knicks are signing a series of replacement players to fill out a roster hit hard by injuries and COVID-19. Tyler Hall joined the team on Sunday and Damyean Dotson has reportedly agreed to a 10-day deal as well.

Knicks Sign Damyean Dotson To 10-Day Contract

December 21st, 2021 at 10:35am CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 21: Dotson’s 10-day deal is now official, the Knicks announced in a press release. It will run through December 30.

DECEMBER 20: The Knicks will use the hardship exception to sign veteran wing Damyean Dotson to a 10-day contract, agent Chris Gaston tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Dotson is no stranger to the Knicks, having appeared in 165 games for the team from 2017-20 after being selected 44th overall in the 2017 draft. His best NBA season came in 2018/19, when he started 40 of 73 games for the Knicks, averaging 10.7 PPG and 3.6 RPG on .415/.368/.745 shooting in 27.5 MPG.

The Cavaliers signed Dotson to a two-year contract during the 2020 offseason, but the second year of that deal was non-guaranteed, so Cleveland waived him this fall after he appeared in 46 games for the club in 2020/21. Most recently, Dotson has been playing for San Antonio’s G League affiliate, recording 12.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 3.9 APG in 12 games (34.9 MPG) for the Austin Spurs this season.

The Knicks, who have six players in the health and safety protocols, added Tyler Hall using a hardship exception on Sunday. At least one more signing could be forthcoming for New York before Tuesday’s game vs. Detroit.

Magic Sign Freddie Gillespie, Tim Frazier To 10-Day Contracts

December 21st, 2021 at 10:16am CST by JD Shaw

DECEMBER 21: The Magic have officially signed Gillespie to his 10-day deal and also announced that veteran guard Tim Frazier has been added on a 10-day contract of his own. Hardship exceptions were used to complete both moves.

Frazier, who has 277 NBA regular season games under his belt, last played for the Grizzlies during the 2020/21 season. The 31-year-old has averaged 5.0 PPG, 4.0 APG, and 2.3 RPG on .404/.322/.728 shooting in 17.6 minutes per game across his NBA career.

DECEMBER 19: The Magic are planning to sign big man Freddie Gillespie to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Orlando will use a hardship exception to sign him.

Gillespie has been playing with the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate, averaging 11.4 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. This is his second straight G League campaign with Memphis.

Gillespie also played 20 games with the Raptors last year, but he was waived this past fall. The 24-year-old went undrafted in 2020 after playing for Carleton and Baylor.

Orlando recently signed B.J. Johnson, Hassani Gravett, Admiral Schofield and Aleem Ford to 10-day contracts. The team is missing several players due to health and safety protocols.

Cavaliers Sign Luke Kornet, Justin Anderson To 10-Day Deals

December 21st, 2021 at 10:11am CST by JD Shaw

DECEMBER 21: The Cavaliers have officially signed Kornet and Anderson to 10-day deals, the team announced today in a press release.

DECEMBER 19: The Cavaliers are targeting big man Luke Kornet and forward Justin Anderson for potential 10-day contracts, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Cleveland would use hardship exceptions to sign the two NBA veterans, who are both currently playing in the G League with separate teams.

The news comes in the wake of Jarrett Allen, Lamar Stevens, Dylan Windler, Denzel Valentine and RJ Nembhard all entering the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Sunday. In addition to those five players, Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro are also in the protocols for Cleveland.

Kornet, a 7’2″ center, holds NBA experience with the Knicks, Bulls and Celtics. In 10 games for the Maine Celtics this season, the 26-year-old has averaged 11.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 27.4 minutes, shooting 51% from the floor.

Anderson, a five-year veteran, has made stops with the Mavericks, Sixers, Hawks and Nets. In his 11 games with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, he’s averaged 14.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He was also the No. 21 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

The Cavaliers are 19-12 and didn’t have enough players for their game against Atlanta on Sunday, causing the contest to be postponed. The team is still going through the re-testing process, according to Charania. As of Sunday night, the league has over 60 players in its health and safety protocols.

Western Notes: Morant, Rockets, Zeller, Bazley

December 21st, 2021 at 9:33am CST by Luke Adams

After going 10-2 while Ja Morant was out due to a knee sprain, the Grizzlies lost at home in Morant’s return on Monday. The defeat came at the hands of an Oklahoma City team that Memphis had beaten by 73 points earlier in the month.

Morant, who had 16 points and eight assists in 28 minutes, was happy to be back on the court, but he admitted after the game that the reaction from the fans in Memphis was a far cry from the “MVP” chants he heard earlier in the season.

“Running down the court, I heard some of our fans courtside tell me I need to sit back out,” Morant said, per Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I just want to know what they wanted me to get out of that. I feel like that just makes it worse.”

Although the Grizzlies are just 9-11 with Morant in the lineup this season, the general consensus is that they benefited from a favorable schedule and some good luck during his absence. As Barnes relays, teammate Desmond Bane scoffed at the idea that the team was better off without its star point guard.

“That’s nonsense. Nonsense,” Bane said. “People just want something to talk about. Ja’s an easy target because he’s the best player on the team. He’s an All-Star in his third year and we happened to win some games and guys were out with teams we were playing. … There was something that popped up on my phone talking about trading Ja Morant. He’ll be in Memphis as long as he wants to be in Memphis. He’s our franchise, for sure.”

Here are a few more notes from around the Western Conference:

Rockets head coach Stephen Silas is hopeful that Jalen Green (hamstring), who has been out since November 24, will be back in the lineup before Christmas, but said Kevin Porter Jr. (thigh), who last played on December 3, will remain sidelined through the Christmas break, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. The Rockets are in action on Wednesday in Milwaukee and Thursday in Indiana, then will resume play next Monday in Charlotte.
The Trail Blazers announced on Sunday in a press release that Cody Zeller (small fracture of right patella) is making progress in his recovery and increasing his on-court activity. However, he’s still unavailable for the time being and will be reevaluated in a week.
Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman explores how and why the Thunder decided to move Darius Bazley to the bench after he had started his last 82 games across two seasons. Head coach Mark Daigneault talked to general manager Sam Presti before making the move, as Mussatto writes.

Year: 2024