- Hawks center Clint Capela discussed a variety of subjects with The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, including his post-Rockets career and playing with Atlanta. Capela has been one of the better centers in the East since joining the Hawks, averaging 11.3 points and 12.7 rebounds per game so far this season.
Hawks forward John Collins has entered the league’s health and safety protocols, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Rookie Jalen Johnson is in the protocols as well, bringing the team’s total to 10 players (Twitter link).
Collins is among Atlanta’s best players, averaging 17.6 points and 7.9 rebounds in 32 games. He has been helping the Hawks remain competitive after the loss of Trae Young, who is also in the protocols. Johnson has gotten into 10 games during his first season with averages of 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds in 5.0 minutes per night.
Atlanta’s other players in the protocols are Sharife Cooper, Danilo Gallinari, Kevin Huerter, Wesley Iwundu, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Onyeka Okongwu and Lou Williams.
The Hawks have signed Iwundu, Malcolm Hill, Lance Stephenson, Cat Barber and Malik Ellison to 10-day deals under the league’s hardship provision.
DECEMBER 25, 8:53am: Antetokounmpo is expected to return to action for the Bucks on Saturday after missing the team’s last five games, Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter).
DECEMBER 24, 12:17pm: Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has exited the NBA’s health and safety protocols, sources tell ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
According to Lowe and Wojnarowski, Antetokounmpo is expected to get on the court today and make a decision tomorrow about whether he’ll be able to suit up for the Bucks in their Christmas Day game vs. Boston. The two-time MVP will have to pass cardiac tests before he’s cleared to return following his stint in the health and safety protocols.
Although Giannis still has a chance to play on Saturday, it appears the same can’t be said for Hawks star Trae Young. League sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) that Young isn’t expected to be cleared in time to be activated for Atlanta’s Christmas Day contest in New York.
It’s an unfortunate turn of events, given the burgeoning rivalry that Young and the Hawks have established with the Knicks and the fans in New York. However, it doesn’t come as a surprise — Young just entered the COVID-19 protocols five days ago, so the odds of him testing out this quickly were low unless his initial test was a false positive.
In addition to not having to face Young on Saturday, the Knicks also may get some additional reinforcements, as guard Immanuel Quickley has exited the protocols, per the team (Twitter link). New York now has just three players still in the protocols — Kevin Knox, Nerlens Noel, and Miles McBride.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau did caution today that Quickley may not be ready to play on Christmas, but said RJ Barrett, who also exited the protocols this week, has a better chance to be active (Twitter link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN).
8:13am: The Hawks have issued a press release confirming the signing of Barber and announcing that they’ve also signed guard Malik Ellison to a 10-day deal using a hardship exception.
Ellison, the son of former No. 1 overall pick Pervis Ellison, is another call-up from the College Park Skyhawks. He averaged 10.5 PPG and 4.9 RPG with a .505/.423/.640 shooting line in 14 games (29.7 MPG) for Atlanta’s G League team this season. The 6’6″ guard went undrafted out of Hartford in 2020 and played in the Czech Republic last season.
7:28am: The Hawks will promote guard Cat Barber from their G League affiliate and sign him to a 10-day contract via a hardship exception, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
As we detailed on Friday, Atlanta was required to sign another replacement after having more players – Onyeka Okongwu and Wesley Iwundu – enter the health and safety protocols. The team had previously signed Lance Stephenson, Malcolm Hill, and Iwundu via hardship exceptions.
Barber, 27, will have an opportunity to make his NBA debut more than five years after he went undrafted out of NC State in 2016. Since then, he has played for a series of international and G League clubs, most recently joining Atlanta’s affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks. In 14 NBAGL games this season, he had averaged 13.4 PPG, 5.6 APG, and 4.1 RPG on .449/.387/.767 shooting in 26.4 minutes per contest.
While Atlanta’s roster has been hit hard by positive COVID-19 tests as of late, the team did get some good news on Saturday — big man Clint Capela has exited the protocols and will play in the Christmas Day game vs. the Knicks, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
The Hawks still have eight players in the protocols, including Trae Young.
Wesley Iwundu, who just signed a 10-day contract with the Hawks on Thursday, has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Iwundu played 23 minutes in the Hawks’ 98-96 victory over the Sixers Thursday night, scoring two points and grabbing five rebounds. ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets that the Hawks will need to sign another replacement player to replace Iwundu — himself a replacement player.
Hawks big man Onyeka Okongwu, who made his season debut last week, has entered the protocols as well, Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. In three games this season (22.3 MPG), Okongwu is averaging 10.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 2.0 BPG. The Hawks now have nine players in the protocols.
Here are a few more COVID-related updates:
- Backup point guard Dennis Smith Jr. and two-way rookie Trendon Watford have entered the protocols for the Trail Blazers and the rest of the team will now be re-tested, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). DSJ and Watford are the only players currently in the protocols for the Blazers.
- The Celtics have four new players entering the protocols: C.J. Miles, Justin Jackson, Aaron Nesmith, and Bruno Fernando, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. However, Al Horford, Juan Hernangomez, Jabari Parker, and Brodric Thomas, who’ve all been in the protocols, are listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against Milwaukee, so they could be exiting the protocols soon. Until those four are cleared, the Celtics will have 12 players in the COVID-19 protocols — the largest outbreak in the NBA.
- In addition to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis has exited the protocols for the Bucks, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets. Like Horford and the other Celtics, Donte DiVincenzo, who’s also been in the protocols, is listed as questionable to make his season debut Saturday.
- Meanwhile, Bruce Brown and James Johnson have exited the protocols for the Nets, but seven others, including star Kevin Durant, remain in the protocols for their game Saturday against the Lakers, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
- Warriors rookie Moses Moody has entered the protocols, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Golden State now has four players in the protocols.
The Pelicans’ Naji Marshall has entered the league’s health and safety protocols, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune tweets. Earlier in the day, Nickeil Alexander-Walker became the first New Orleans player to enter protocols this season. Marshall, a second-year forward, has appeared in 19 games off the bench this season.
We have more COVID-19 related updates:
- Hawks rookie point guard Sharife Cooper has entered the health and safety protocols, Sarah Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Cooper joins six other Atlanta players currently on the list. The second-round pick has appeared in eight games off the bench this season.
- Magic guard R.J. Hampton exited the protocols on Thursday, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. He didn’t play on Thursday in order to work on his conditioning. Hampton was placed in the protocols on December 17, which means he produced two negative tests at least 24 hours apart.
- Karl-Anthony Towns is asymptomatic, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link). “He is in the best spirits possible,” Finch said, adding Towns was very disappointed he couldn’t play on Thursday. Towns was placed in the protocols on Thursday, joining six other Minnesota players.
- Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown has entered the protocols, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.
DECEMBER 23: Iwundu’s 10-day contract with the Hawks is now official, according to a press release from the team. The deal will run through January 1.
DECEMBER 22: The Hawks have reached an agreement to sign free agent forward Wesley Iwundu to a 10-day contract using a hardship exception, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
According to Wojnarowski, Iwundu will officially sign on Thursday before Atlanta’s game in Philadelphia, which means he won’t be available for Wednesday’s home game vs. Orlando.
Iwundu, who turned 27 on Monday, spent his first four professional seasons in the NBA after being selected 33rd overall in the 2017 draft by the Magic. He was in Orlando for three years, then played for the Mavericks and Pelicans in 2020/21. In 223 total games (16.8 MPG), he has averaged 4.3 PPG and 2.4 RPG on .407/.286/.799 shooting.
The Pelicans sent Iwundu to Charlotte in August as part of their Devonte’ Graham sign-and-trade and he was subsequently waived in October by the Hornets, despite having a fully guaranteed salary for 2021/22. Iwundu has been a free agent since then.
The Hawks have three players – Trae Young, Clint Capela, and Danilo Gallinari – in the health and safety protocols and have reached deals with three replacement players this week. Lance Stephenson and Malcolm Hill are also reportedly signing 10-day deals with Atlanta.
Hawks guard Kevin Huerter and Warriors guard Damion Lee are the latest additions to the long list of NBA players in health and safety protocols.
Huerter is the sixth Atlanta player to be sidelined because of COVID-19, writes Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He joins Trae Young, Clint Capela, Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who have all entered the protocols since Sunday.
Huerter is averaging 10.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists through 28 games. The Hawks had been hoping he could carry a larger share of the scoring load with so many rotation members out of action.
Atlanta is also without De’Andre Hunter, who is recovering from an injury to his right wrist, and Solomon Hill, who’s sidelined with a torn right hamstring. Lance Stephenson and Malcolm Hill, who were both added to the roster today under the hardship provision, are expected to be available for tonight’s game with the Magic.
“It’s an adjustment that we have to make, we can’t allow this to be a distraction,” coach Nate McMillan said. “We have a game to play tonight. We have to come out with that energy and that effort we’ve been talking about, no matter who is in uniform. We have to play this game harder than we’ve played here lately. We’ve got to execute better, even though we’ve got a few new faces that will be out on the floor.”
The Warriors are listing Lee as being in the protocols in their latest injury report, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. He becomes the third Golden State player affected, joining Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole. Lee has been a dependable bench player for the Warriors, averaging 8.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 25 games.
Two more Hawks players have entered the health and safety protocols, according to the team (via Twitter). Veteran guard Lou Williams and wing Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot have been ruled out of Wednesday’s game vs. Orlando after being placed in the protocols.
Williams and Luwawu-Cabarrot join Trae Young, Clint Capela, and Danilo Gallinari in the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols. If those players have tested positive, they’ll be out for 10 days or until they can return two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.
The Hawks have taken steps to add replacement players and aren’t currently at risk of falling short of the required minimum of eight players. The team signed Lance Stephenson and Malcolm Hill on Wednesday and is expected to finalize a deal with Wesley Iwundu on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Magic two-way guard Mychal Mulder also entered the health and safety protocols today, per Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). Like their Wednesday opponents, the Magic have been hit hard by COVID-19 but have added several replacements and will have enough bodies available to play tonight’s game in Atlanta.
Mulder is the sixth player to enter the protocols for Orlando, joining Mohamed Bamba, Ignas Brazdeikis, R.J. Hampton, Terrence Ross, and Moritz Wagner. The club is also missing several players due to long-term injuries.
DECEMBER 22: The Hawks have officially signed Stephenson to a 10-day contract, the team confirmed today in a press release.
DECEMBER 21: The Hawks are calling up veteran NBA swingman Lance Stephenson from the G League, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link). Stephenson had been playing for the Grand Rapids Gold, Denver’s NBAGL affiliate.
Stephenson, 31, hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2018/19 season, but signed a G League contract this fall in the hopes of making a comeback. In his first 12 games for the Gold this season, the former Pacer averaged 19.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 4.1 APG on .471/.306/.686 shooting in 35.0 MPG.
Stephenson has appeared in a total of 508 regular season NBA games, including 298 with Indiana. He also spent time with the Hornets, Clippers, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Timberwolves, and Lakers during his nine years in the league.
The Hawks will sign Stephenson to a 10-day contract via the hardship provision, says Stein (Twitter link). Atlanta hasn’t been among the teams hit hardest this month by COVID-19, but Trae Young is currently in the protocols, making the club eligible to add a replacement player.
As Stein observes, a handful of NBA veterans who had been playing for Grand Rapids have received NBA call-ups this month. Isaiah Thomas recently signed with the Lakers, while Nik Stauskas reportedly has a deal in place with Toronto.