- Hornets guard Kemba Walker remains focused on improving his team, despite the mass speculation about his upcoming free agency. “That’s just how it is. I know how it goes,” Walker told Jeremy Woo of the Crossover. “It’s something I try not to think about. There’s nothing I can do about it right now. I don’t know my future at this point.” Walker will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
The Rockets continue to search for a taker for Carmelo Anthony, Marc Stein of The New York Times reports in his latest newsletter. Moving Anthony’s $2.4MM salary – which has a cap hit of $1.5MM, would afford the team roughly $2.6MM in luxury tax savings.
Stein notes that the Sixers and Lakers—two teams often mentioned as potential landing spots for Melo—appear uninterested in bringing the prolific scorer aboard. The Hornets have also resisted the idea of adding Anthony despite the connection between team owner Michael Jordan and Anthony through the Jordan Brand.
Anthony became trade-eligible on the weekend and perhaps as NBA clubs gather in Las Vegas for the G League showcase, a rival team will strike a deal with Houston.
Here’s more from Stein’s latest newsletter.
- Kent Bazemore is generating interest from contending teams looking for a swingman, Stein reports. Bazemore has one more year and $19.3MM left on his deal with the Hawks after this season and the interest in the wing at that price speaks to how highly he’s regarded in the marketplace, Stein writes.
- Hawks veterans Jeremy Lin and Dewayne Dedmon are also receiving interest from around the league. Both players are on expiring deals.
- Terrence Ross is the Orlando wing who is generating the most interest. However, the Magic would prefer to trade Jonathon Simmons over Ross, who is on an expiring $10.5MM contract.
- It’s unlikely that the Pelicans deal Anthony Davis this season but a critical point is approaching. New Orleans can offer Davis a massive contract extension worth over $200MM in total value this summer and should the big man decline it, the Pelicans will realistically have to trade him.
While it may be a little too early to determine with certainty whether the Hornets will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer suggests in his latest mailbag that he expects the team to be more focused on improving this season’s roster than acquiring future assets. However, they’re unlikely to take on much salary in any deal, since they’re only about $3.4MM below the luxury tax threshold, Bonnell notes.
If the Hornets were to fall out of the playoff picture, they could explore the trade market for 2019 free-agents-to-be like Jeremy Lamb and Frank Kaminsky, per Bonnell. However, it would require a major slump to slip out of the playoff race in the East, where the ninth-seeded Heat have an 11-16 record.
Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- Veteran Knicks shooting guard Courtney Lee has been recalled from his rehab assignment with the Westchester Knicks and will rejoin the NBA team in Charlotte on Thursday, the team’s PR department tweets. Lee scored 16 points on 7-of-21 shooting in a G League outing on Tuesday. He was sidelined by a neck ailment during training camp.
- Hornets forward Dwayne Bacon and guard Devonte’ Graham were recalled from the Greensboro Swarm after playing in an afternoon game, according to a team press release. In Wednesday’s game against Wisconsin, Bacon totaled 21 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in 30 minutes while Graham notched 20 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in 33 minutes. Both will be available to play against the Pistons tonight.
- The Jazz recalled guard Grayson Allen, center Tony Bradley and forward Georges Niang from the Salt Lake City Stars, the team’s PR department tweets. Allen and Niang combined for 31 points in a loss to Austin on Tuesday.
- The Grizzlies assigned big man Ivan Rabb to the Memphis Hustle for practice, then recalled him, the team’s PR department tweets. Rabb has played nine games with the Grizzlies this season.
Here are Sunday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- Ahead of their game against the Knicks, the Hornets recalled Dwayne Bacon from the Greensboro Swarm, according to a tweet from the team.
- The Spurs announced in a press release that they recalled rookie big man Chimezie Metu from the G League ahead of their matchup with the Jazz.
Here are Saturday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Grizzlies have recalled rookie guard Jevon Carter from their Memphis Hustle affiliate, the team announced on Twitter. Carter was sent to the G League on Thursday.
- The Hornets have assigned forward Dwayne Bacon to the Greensboro Swarm, according to the team website. This is the second trip to the G League for Bacon, who has played one game for the Swarm and 15 for Charlotte.
- The Spurs sent forward Chimezie Metu to the Austin Toros so he could play in tonight’s game, tweets JeffGSpursZone.
Hornets forward Marvin Williams has a right shoulder strain, an MRI on Monday confirmed, according to a team press release. Williams suffered the injury on Sunday and will be re-evaluated next week. Lottery pick Miles Bridges, who scored a career-high 16 points in 29 minutes against New Orleans, will see his role expand during Williams’ absence. Williams is averaging 8.3 PPG and 5.1 RPG in 24.8 MPG.
Here are Sunday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
- Ahead of their game against the Pelicans, the Hornets recalled Dwayne Bacon and Devonte’ Graham from the Greensboro Swarm, according to the team’s Twitter account.
- According to a press release from the team, the Thunder have assigned forward Abdel Nader to their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.
Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
- The Hornets sent forward Dwayne Bacon and guard Devonte’ Graham to the Greensboro Swarm, the team announced on its website. This is the first G League assignment of the season for Bacon, who has appeared in 13 games for Charlotte and is averaging 6.4 points per night. It’s the third time for Graham, who has gotten into eight NBA games.
- The Spurs assigned Chimezie Metu to their Austin affiliate, according to the team website. He has appeared in 12 games with San Antonio.
- The Pistons have recalled Luke Kennard from Auburn Hills, the team announced in an email. Kennard is recovering from an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder that has sidelined him for the past 15 games.
- The Pelicans sent rookie Kenrich Williams to the G League, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic. New Orleans doesn’t have a direct affiliate, so Williams has been assigned to the Westchester Knicks.
- The Knicks called up center Luke Kornet from Westchester and placed him on the active list for tonight’s game, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link).
- The Rockets recalled guard Brandon Knight from their Rio Grande affiliate, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston.
- Jeremy Lamb may also put his team in a tough spot next summer, with the Hornets guard putting up solid numbers in his first season as a starter with the club, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes. Lamb has averaged a career-high 15 points per game on the season.