- Isaiah Thomas made his Nuggets debut, appearing in an NBA game for the first time since last March. Christopher Dempsey of Nuggets.com has a Q&A with Thomas about his long road back from hip surgery, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic relays the point guard’s impressions of his return, and Harrison Wind of BSNDenver.com examines how Thomas impacted the team even when he wasn’t playing.
FEBRUARY 13: Thomas will return to the court and make his Nuggets debut on Wednesday, Wojnarowski confirms (via Twitter).
FEBRUARY 12: Isaiah Thomas could make his debut for the Nuggets as soon as Wednesday against Kings, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports.
Thomas, who signed a one-year deal with Denver during the offseason, underwent a hip procedure last year and was only able to suit up for a total of 17 games last season.
The point guard participated in five-on-five drills today and a decision on his status for the Kings’ game is expected to be determined early on Wednesday.
Denver sits just 2.5 games behind the Warriors for the lead in the Western Conference. It’s unclear what kind of role Thomas is expected to play for the remainder of the season, but the club has enough depth in the backcourt to bring him along slowly.
Here are Friday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Nuggets briefly assigned Isaiah Thomas to the G League today before recalling him. We have the full story on that here.
- Jarred Vanderbilt has been assigned to the NBAGL by the Nuggets, according to the official G League transaction log. Denver does not have its own G League affiliate, so Vanderbilt is spending time with the Delaware Blue Coats.
- The Hornets have recalled Dwayne Bacon and Devonte’ Graham from the Greensboro Swarm, according to the team’s website. Bacon has had 10 assignments in the G League this season. Graham has had seven.
- The Warriors have recalled Jacob Evans from their G League affiliate, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Evans has played 16 games with the Santa Cruz Warriors so far this season.
- The Grizzlies have assigned Tyler Dorsey to the Memphis Hustle, per the team’s Twitter feed. The Hawks traded Dorsey to the Grizzlies at the trade deadline.
The NBA confirmed today that 2019’s trade deadline set and matched some records. The 14 trades completed on Thursday were the most made on a deadline day in the last 30 years, and the 19 teams involved in those swaps was tied for the most over that same period.
In total, 34 players were involved in those 14 trades — and that doesn’t even count the eight deals completed during the week leading up to the deadline, as we detailed last night.
Needless to say, there has been plenty of roster upheaval around the NBA, so we’re going to use this space to take a look at all 30 teams’ roster situations to see exactly where they stand. Does your favorite team have a full roster? Or is their roster somehow only two-thirds full? Looking at you, Raptors.
Here’s a breakdown of all 30 clubs’ roster situations at the time of this post’s publication (more moves will be made in the coming days or even hours that won’t be noted here, so keep that in mind):
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks entered the week with 15 players, but had to waive Daniel Hamilton to clear a spot to acquire Jabari Bird. They subsequently traded Tyler Dorsey for Shelvin Mack, then waived both Bird and Mack.
They currently have 13 players on their roster, leaving two open spots. They’ll have two weeks to get back to the league-mandated minimum of 14 players.
Boston Celtics
After carrying 15 players all season, the Celtics traded Jabari Bird to create an open roster spot. They’ll explore the buyout market for candidates to fill that opening.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets entered the week with 14 players on standard contracts and one (Mitch Creek) on a 10-day deal. Creek’s contract was terminated a few days early to make room for Greg Monroe, who was waived after being acquired from Toronto.
Brooklyn now has 14 players under contract and could opt to re-add Creek (albeit on a full-season contract), sign another player, or leave that spot empty for now.
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets had a quiet week and continue to carry 14 players, leaving one open roster spot.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls created an open spot on their roster by trading Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker for Otto Porter, and are now carrying 14 players.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers acquired two players – Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin – for Rodney Hood, which required them to terminate Kobi Simmons‘ 10-day contract early to stay at 15 players.
Subsequently, Cleveland flipped Stauskas and Baldwin to Houston in exchange for Marquese Chriss and Brandon Knight, with Alec Burks heading to Sacramento in that three-team deal. The 3-for-2 move left the Cavs with 14 players and an open roster spot.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks, already at 15 players, acquired two veterans – Zach Randolph and Justin Jackson – in exchange for Harrison Barnes, and had to waive Salah Mejri to make the deal work.
They’re currently at 15 players, but will be releasing Randolph very soon to create an open roster spot.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets didn’t make any moves this week and continue to carry a full 15-man roster.
Detroit Pistons
Both of the Pistons‘ trades this week were 1-for-1 swaps in terms of players, with Thon Maker and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk replacing Reggie Bullock and Stanley Johnson.
However, with the team closing in on a deal for Wayne Ellington, someone will need to be waived to stay at the 15-man limit. That player will reportedly be Henry Ellenson.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors didn’t make any moves this week and still have 14 players under contract, leaving an opening for potential buyout targets.
11:05am: Thomas won’t actually spend any time in the G League, according to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Nuggets are in Philadelphia and had intended to get Thomas some practice time with the Delaware Blue Coats, but he’ll remain with the NBA club for now due to a “lack of healthy bodies,” tweets T.J. McBride of Mile High Sports.
10:23am: Nuggets point guard Isaiah Thomas appears to be moving closer to getting back on the court, as Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that Denver has sent Thomas to the G League for a rehab assignment.
The Nuggets don’t have a G League club of their own, so they’ll have to assign Thomas to another NBA team’s affiliate. Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days (Twitter link) hears that Thomas has joined the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s G League squad. In fact, the 30-year-old has already been assigned and recalled, tweets Johnson.
Thomas, who signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Nuggets last summer, has spent the season recovering from hip surgery. A recent report suggested that Denver was optimistic the veteran guard would return before the All-Star break, though head coach Michael Malone stressed that there was no set timeline for Thomas’ return.
A brief rehab assignment in the G League, where teams practice more frequently, has become common for veterans recovering from injuries. The Nets, for instance, assigned Caris LeVert to their NBAGL affiliate earlier this week in advance of his impending return. In Thomas’ case, given his eight years of NBA experience, he would have had to approve the assignment.
While Thomas’ return appears close, it will be interesting to see how he slots into Denver’s rotation. Monte Morris and Malik Beasley have enjoyed breakout years for the Nuggets, which may limit the minutes available to Thomas in a backcourt that also features Jamal Murray and Gary Harris.
The Hornets are still “pushing hard” for a taker for Frank Kaminsky and there are indications that teams are interested, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. The fourth-year center will be a restricted free agent this summer and doesn’t appear to be in Charlotte’s long-range plans.
The ninth selection in the 2015 draft, Kaminsky has only appeared in 24 games under new coach James Borrego and is averaging 5.5/2.5/1.1 in about 11 minutes per night. He has fallen completely out of the rotation over the past two months, playing just 41 minutes in Charlotte’s last 23 games.
There’s more to pass along as the deadline gets closer:
- The Nuggets have expressed interest in acquiring Noah Vonleh from the Knicks, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN. Vonleh has been productive in New York since signing a minimum contract, averaging 8.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per night, mostly as a starter. He will be a free agent this summer. Denver has a pair of trade exceptions that Vonleh would fit into and is about $7MM under the luxury tax.
- While Enes Kanter probably won’t be traded today, he’s expected to reach the buyout market, and rival executives believe the Celtics will be among the teams with interest in him, sources tell Begley (Twitter link).
- Elsewhere on the buyout market front, Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link) adds the Pacers to the list of clubs that will have interest in Wesley Matthews if and when he’s bought out.
- The Rockets, another team with potential interest in Matthews, still intend to be active on the buyout market after sneaking under the luxury tax threshold today, a source tells Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
Here are Wednesday’s assignments and recalls from the G League:
- The Nuggets recalled Jarred Vanderbilt so he could be with the team for tonight’s game against the Nets.
- The Hornets recalled Dwayne Bacon from their Greensboro affiliate.
- The Pacers recalled Ike Anigbogu from Fort Wayne.
- The Wizards recalled John Jenkins from Capital City.
The Pelicans remain on the lookout for potential trades involving players besides Anthony Davis, but Will Guillory of The Athletic suggests (via Twitter) that Julius Randle seems unlikely to be moved this week. According to Guillory, Randle has developed a strong bond with the coaching staff in New Orleans and the club has interest in keeping him around long-term.
Another frontcourt Pelicans player, Nikola Mirotic, remains a trade candidate, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, who names the Jazz, Trail Blazers, Nets, and Spurs as clubs that have expressed interest in Mirotic. League sources tell O’Connor that New Orleans is seeking a first-round pick in exchange for Mirotic, with one source calling the club’s asking price “excessive.”
Of course, the Pelicans gave up a first-rounder for Mirotic a year ago, but at that time they got a year and a half of team control rather than just a a half-season, and also shed Omer Asik‘s unwanted contract in the deal.
Here are more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- Although the Raptors have been linked to big names like Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, sources tell Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca that a move around the periphery of the roster is far more likely than a major deal. Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca confirms that a move involving Kyle Lowry is “highly unlikely,” but says the Raptors have been aggressive on the trade market and would move anyone on their roster if they feel like it makes them a better team. On the other hand, Toronto has no intention of moving Pascal Siakam unless the club gets a superstar-level return, Lewenberg notes.
- Before Thursday’s trade deadline, the Celtics may try to attach cash to Jabari Bird in a trade to lower their projected tax bill, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. However, Bird’s legal issues complicate matters. Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) has heard that Boston wants the NBA to expedite a decision on Bird, but the league is in no rush to set a precedent under the CBA’s domestic violence policy.
- While Nuggets guard Gary Harris has been cited as a potential trade candidate, Matt Moore of ActionNetwork.com hears from a source that Denver hasn’t engaged in any “substantive” trade talks involving Harris and doesn’t currently plan to (Twitter link). While it’s possible that stance could change, Moore thinks the Nuggets would only consider moving Harris in a deal that lands the club a clear upgrade.
A year ago, when Forbes released its annual NBA franchise valuations, the Knicks were reeling from the news that Kristaps Porzingis has suffered a torn ACL, but still earned the top spot on Forbes’ list of the league’s most valuable teams.
This time around, Knicks fans are reeling from the trade that sent Porzingis to Dallas. Once again though, the franchise is still considered the most valuable of any of the NBA’s 30 clubs, according to a report from Kurt Badenhausen and Mike Ozanian of Forbes.
For the first time, all 30 NBA teams have a perceived worth of $1.2 billion or more, per Forbes’ annual report. While all 30 teams’ valuations cracked the $1 billion threshold for the first time last year, 10 franchises were below $1.2 billion.
The league-wide average of $1.9 billion per team in 2019 is also a new record, with franchise valuations up 13% in total over last year’s figures. NBA franchise values have once again tripled over the last five years, according to Badenhausen and Ozanian.
Here’s the full list of NBA franchise valuations, per Forbes:
- New York Knicks: $4 billion
- Los Angeles Lakers: $3.7 billion
- Golden State Warriors: $3.5 billion
- Chicago Bulls: $2.9 billion
- Boston Celtics: $2.8 billion
- Brooklyn Nets: $2.35 billion
- Houston Rockets: $2.3 billion
- Dallas Mavericks: $2.25 billion
- Los Angeles Clippers: $2.2 billion
- Miami Heat: $1.75 billion
- Toronto Raptors: $1.675 billion
- Philadelphia 76ers: $1.65 billion
- San Antonio Spurs: $1.625 billion
- Portland Trail Blazers: $1.6 billion
- Sacramento Kings: $1.575 billion
- Washington Wizards: $1.55 billion
- Phoenix Suns: $1.5 billion
- Oklahoma City Thunder: $1.475 billion
- Utah Jazz: $1.425 billion
- Indiana Pacers: $1.4 billion
- Denver Nuggets: $1.375 billion
- Milwaukee Bucks: $1.35 billion
- Orlando Magic: $1.325 billion
- Atlanta Hawks: $1.3 billion
- Cleveland Cavaliers: $1.275 billion
- Detroit Pistons: $1.27 billion
- Minnesota Timberwolves: $1.26 billion
- Charlotte Hornets: $1.25 billion
- New Orleans Pelicans: $1.22 billion
- Memphis Grizzlies: $1.2 billion
The Sixers are this year’s big riser, moving from 21st on the 2018 list to 12th in 2019. Conversely, the Cavaliers fell the most. After losing LeBron James, Cleveland was the only franchise to see its valuation dip from year to year, as it decreased from $1.325 billion (15th) in 2018 to $1.275 billion (25th) in 2019.
- While Ellis doesn’t expect anything to happen on this front this week, he has heard from several people recently that Nuggets guard Gary Harris could be had in a trade (Twitter link). As Ellis observes, moving Harris would help Denver create a little more long-term flexibility, and has become a more viable option given the emergence of Malik Beasley.