- The Warriors will send Ky Bowman to the G League when D’Angelo Russell returns from a right shoulder contusion, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Bowman has six days remaining on his 45-day NBA allotment under the terms of a two-way contract. The team’s other two-way player, Damion Lee, has just two days remaining until he must remain in the G League or receive a standard contract. A roster spot is likely to be cleared for Lee at some point, Slater adds.
- Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry are getting antsy as they rehab from long-term injuries, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. Thompson is working his way back from the knee injury he suffered during last season’s playoffs, while Curry is rehabbing from hand surgery. “In an ironic way, this has been probably a good chance for them to blow off some stream and whatever metaphor you want to use,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “But that can only last for so long. They’re both dying to play. And we’re dying to have them back.”
- Warriors rookie Jordan Poole rediscovered his shot during a recent stretch in the NBA G League, Marcus White of NBC Sports writes. Poole scored 24 points to help lead Santa Cruz to a 110-106 win over Salt Lake City on Friday, getting recalled by the team the following day. Poole has averaged seven points per game in 30 contests with Golden State this season, shooting just 26% from the floor and 24% from 3-point range.
Here are Saturday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Rockets assigned Chris Clemons to their affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26. Clemons had his two-way deal converted to a three-year contract last week.
- The Wizards announced on Twitter that they have recalled Justin Robinson from Capital City. He is averaging 5.4 minutes per night in nine NBA games in his first season.
- The Warriors recalled Jordan Poole from Santa Cruz, according to a tweet from the team. The rookie guard is averaging 7.1 PPG in 29 games for Golden State.
- While the Warriors have made players like Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III available, rival teams that have talked to the Dubs say the club isn’t looking to move D’Angelo Russell, according to Charania. The Warriors continue to insist they want to see Russell play with a fully healthy roster, and won’t deal him unless they get an offer that blows them away.
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- Warriors coach Steve Kerr told Logan Murdoch of NBC Sports Bay Area on Tuesday that he is frustrated by the frequency of foul calls in today’s NBA. “I think we’ve gone overboard in rewarding offensive players,” Kerr said. “And what I mean by that is we’ve rewarded offensive players for fooling the officials and attempting to fool the officials.”
Here are Tuesday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Pacers assigned Alize Johnson to their affiliate in Fort Wayne, then recalled him and Victor Oladipo later in the day, the team announced in a pair of tweets. Oladipo has been practicing with the G League team as he rehabs from a quad injury he suffered last season.
- The Warriors recalled Alen Smailagic from Santa Cruz, according to a press release. Smailagic is averaging 16.8 points and 5.9 rebounds in 12 G League games.
While non-guaranteed NBA contracts don’t technically become fully guaranteed until January 10, January 7 is really the day to watch. Because players have to clear waivers before January 10 to avoid having their salaries locked in for the rest of 2019/20, a team will have to release a player by next Tuesday at the latest to avoid guaranteeing his contract.
As our list of non-guaranteed contracts by team shows, there are a number of players around the NBA who don’t have fully guaranteed deals, though many are in no danger of being waived by next Tuesday. It’s not as if the Lakers are seriously considering whether or not to guarantee Dwight Howard‘s minimum salary. Ditto for the Jazz and Royce O’Neale, and several others players on that list.
However, there are at least a handful of players worth keeping an eye on as next Tuesday’s deadline nears. Here’s a quick breakdown of some of them:
Marquese Chriss, F/C (Warriors): A handful of injuries opened a path for Chriss to get regular rotation minutes this season and he has made the most of the opportunity, averaging 7.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 1.7 APG in 33 games (17.2 MPG). He’s done enough on the court to earn a full salary guarantee, but retaining him would limit the hard-capped Warriors‘ flexibility at the back of their roster. Golden State’s decision on Chriss will likely come down to how confident the team is that minimum-salary players like Alec Burks and Willie Cauley-Stein can be moved without taking back money in return — trading those vets would open up room to promote two-way players Ky Bowman and Damion Lee while keeping Chriss.- Javonte Green, F (Celtics): Green has been solid in limited minutes so far, shooting 68.4% on two-point attempts for the season. He has also appeared in every one of the Celtics‘ games since November 25. Still, he has played double-digit minutes just four times during that stretch, and waiving him would open up a spot on Boston’s roster, increasing the club’s flexibility at the trade deadline and possibly on the buyout market. If the Celtics are confident in Green’s ability to contribute off the bench, they’ll hang onto him and worry later about whether or not they need to open a roster spot.
- Derrick Walton, PG (Clippers): After playing just nine total minutes in the Clippers‘ first 19 games, Walton has appeared in 13 of the club’s last 15 contests. He’s still not a crucial part of the rotation, but he has performed well when called upon, so the Clippers will face the same decision the Celtics will — does opening up a roster spot in advance of trade and buyout season make more sense than locking in their 15th man’s 2019/20 salary for the year?
- The Rockets’ non-guaranteed players: The Rockets have a full 15-man roster, but three of those 15 players only have partial guarantees. Houston could part ways with Gary Clark, Isaiah Hartenstein, and/or Ben McLemore by January 7 and avoid taking on their full cap hits, which might appeal to a Houston team barely over the tax threshold. However, McLemore is playing heavy minutes and seems safe, while Clark has been seeing more regular playing time lately too. Up until this past weekend, I would’ve viewed Hartenstein as the odd man out, but he had his two best games of the season on Saturday and Sunday, averaging 14.0 PPG and 11.0 RPG on 72.2% shooting. Houston may simply hang onto all three players.
- The Wizards’ non-guaranteed players: Like the Rockets, the Wizards are currently carrying three players on non-guaranteed contracts. Washington’s situation is a little different though, since two of the team’s non-guaranteed players – Gary Payton II and Johnathan Williams – were recently added using the hardship exception. The Wizards, who have 17 players on standard contracts, will have to get back down to 15 as the roster gets healthier. Whether that happens before or after January 7, the club will likely eventually part ways with two players out of the group that includes Payton, Williams, and Justin Robinson, unless they trade or cut a player with a guaranteed salary. For now, Payton looks like the least expendable of the three.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Warriors forward Marquese Chriss has been fined $35K for shoving Mavericks star guard Luka Doncic to the floor, according to an NBA press release. The amount of the fine was based in part on the fact that Chriss has been disciplined on several prior occasions for physical altercations on the court. The incident, for which Chriss was assessed a technical foul, occurred during the third quarter on Saturday.
Less than a week after one report indicated the Knicks are monitoring Karl-Anthony Towns‘ situation in Minnesota in the hopes of eventually making a play for the Timberwolves star, Ethan Strauss of The Athletic writes that the Warriors are doing the same.
According to Strauss, Towns’ situation was a popular topic of conversation among team executives at this month’s G League Showcase, with some of those execs believing that the 24-year-old is unhappy in Minnesota.
Towns has been better than ever this season, averaging a career-best 26.5 PPG to go along with 11.7 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.3 BPG, and a .514/.418/.796 shooting line. However, the Timberwolves have slumped after a strong start and currently have an 11-20 record, good for 13th in the Western Conference.
Despite the Wolves’ struggles, the franchise is extremely unlikely to consider trading Towns anytime soon, as Darren Wolfson of SKOR North tweets. The big man is in the first season of a five-year, maximum-salary contract and can’t reach the open market until 2024.
Even if Towns expresses dissatisfaction with his circumstances, the Wolves are more likely to make moves to improve their roster around him than to send him elsewhere. So while the Knicks, Warriors, and the rest of NBA will continue to keep an eye on Minnesota, Wolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas figures to remain focused on acquiring upgrades that can make a Towns-led squad a contender.
Here are Sunday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Warriors have assigned forward Alen Smailagic to the team’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, announcing the news on social media tonight. Smailagic has posted averages of 16.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest in 11 games with Santa Cruz this season.
- The Wizards have assigned forward Admiral Schofield and guard Justin Robinson to the Capital City Go-Go, the team announced (Twitter link). The Go-Go hosted the Windy City Bulls tonight, with both Schofield and Robinson making appearances.
- The Clippers assigned center Mfiondu Kabengele and guard Terance Mann to the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, according to the team’s public relations department. Agua Caliente will play the Memphis Hustle on Monday.