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COVID-19 Updates: Magic, Trail Blazers, Rockets, Pacers

January 2nd, 2022 at 2:39pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Here are the latest updates on players and coaches entering and exiting the NBA’s coronavirus health and safety protocols:

Four Magic players have cleared the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols and will suit up for Orlando against the Celtics. The team has announced (Twitter link) that center Mohamed Bamba, shooting guard Mychal Mulder, swingman Terrence Ross and point guard Hassani Gravett are all now available.
Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, who has been unavailable since December 27, has exited the NBA’s coronavirus protocols, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Portland lead assistant Scott Brooks, who had been serving in Billups’s stead as acting head coach, has entered COVID-19 protocols, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Hardship signee Cameron McGriff has entered the protocols, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter). Combo guard Anfernee Simons has left protocols after just three days, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The 13-22 Trail Blazers could certainly use all the help they can get, and the return of the 6’3″ guard will help shore up a team still missing seven players to health and safety protocols, with McGriff now replacing Simons in coronavirus protocols.
Rockets wing Garrison Mathews has cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Houston rewarded Mathews for a solid performance early in the 2021/22 season by converting his two-way contract into a fresh four-year, $8MM deal last month.
Pacers small forwards Caris LeVert and T.J. Warren, plus center Goga Bitadze, have entered the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Warren has been dealing with a major foot injury since the start of 2020/21, and has only played in four games over the past two seasons. Today’s news brings Indiana’s total count for players in protocols to eight.
After exiting the protocols on Friday, Pistons guard Cory Joseph has re-entered them, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News.

Lance Stephenson Signs 10-Day Deal With Pacers

January 1st, 2022 at 6:50pm CST by Rory Maher

JANUARY 1: The Pacers have officially completed Stephenson’s 10-day contract, announcing the deal in a press release.

DECEMBER 31: The Pacers plan to reunite with Lance Stephenson yet again, this time on a 10-day contract, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files writes. This will be his third stint with the club. Stephenson must test negative for COVID-19 prior to signing the contract, Agness adds.

Stephenson is currently finishing out a 10-day deal with the Hawks, which reunited him with former Pacers and current Hawks head coach Nate McMillan. After that deal concludes, Stephenson will sign another hardship deal with the Pacers. In five games so far in a limited role with the Hawks, Stephenson is averaging a modest 1.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 1.8 APG in 12.8 MPG.

Stephenson, 31, hadn’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 Pacers currently have five players in the health and safety protocols, which allows them to sign multiple players via hardship exceptions. They’ve already signed Ahmad Caver and Nate Hinton to 10-day deals, but Stephenson will provide much more experience to the team.

Pacers Sign Justin Anderson To Hardship Deal

January 1st, 2022 at 6:47pm CST by Rory Maher

JANUARY 1: Anderson’s 10-day contract with the Pacers is now official, according to a press release from the team. It’ll run through January 10.

DECEMBER 31: In addition to Lance Stephenson, the Pacers plan to sign Justin Anderson to a 10-day contract via a hardship exception, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files relays. Anderson just completed a 10-day deal with the Cavaliers, and his contract with the Pacers will be contingent upon a negative COVID-19 test, Agness writes.

Both Stephenson and Anderson are already in Cleveland, whom the Pacers will face in their road game on Sunday, so the two signings are convenient for all parties. In three games with the Cavs, Anderson averaged 4.3 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in 15.7 minutes.

Anderson, a five-year veteran, has made stops with the Mavericks, Sixers, Hawks, Nets and Cavs. He spent training camp with the Pacers this season, but was waived and subsequently played with their G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. In his 11 games with the Mad Ants this season, he’s averaged 14.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He was also the No. 21 pick in the 2015 draft.

Pacers Sign Ahmad Caver To 10-Day Contract

December 31st, 2021 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

1:45pm: Caver has officially signed his 10-day contract with the Pacers, according to a press release from the team. Indiana is expected to complete another hardship signing, tweets Agness.

1:19pm: The Pacers will call up free agent guard Ahmad Caver from the G League and sign him to a 10-day contract using a hardship exception, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A 6’2″ point guard, Caver has played for the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate, since going undrafted out of Old Dominion in 2019. After coming off the bench for the Hustle for two years, he moved into the starting lineup in 2021/22, averaging 15.4 PPG, 6.9 APG, 4.7 RPG, and 1.8 SPG on .413/.364/.818 shooting in 14 games (35.6 MPG) this season.

Entering the day, the Pacers had four players in the health and safety protocols. They’ve since added a fifth, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link), who says Kelan Martin has tested positive for COVID-19.

Indiana has added one replacement player so far, signing Nate Hinton on Thursday. Caver is on track to be the team’s second hardship addition.

Three Pacers Enter COVID-19 Protocols

December 30th, 2021 at 12:50pm CST by Luke Adams

After placing Jeremy Lamb in the health and safety protocols on Wednesday, the Pacers have had three more players enter the protocols today, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that Malcolm Brogdon, Chris Duarte, and Isaiah Jackson are joining Lamb. Indiana had avoided a COVID-19 outbreak so far this month, but it may be catching up to the team now.

Pacers Sign Nate Hinton To 10-Day Deal

December 30th, 2021 at 11:37am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have officially signed guard Nate Hinton to a 10-day contract using a hardship exception, the team announced today in a press release.

Hinton, 22, signed a two-way contract with the Mavericks during the 2020 offseason after going undrafted out of Houston. The 6’5″ shooting guard spent his rookie season in Dallas under coach Rick Carlisle, appearing in 21 games for the club, but only played limited minutes, averaging 2.0 PPG in 4.4 MPG.

Hinton saw more action at the G League level last season for the Santa Cruz Warriors, putting up 10.6 PPG and 7.1 RPG in 10 games (23.0 MPG). This season, he joined the Pacers’ G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, and averaged 8.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 2.1 SPG in 14 contests (27.3 MPG).

Hinton is the first 10-day hardship signing for the Pacers, who placed Jeremy Lamb in the health and safety protocols on Wednesday.

Jeremy Lamb Enters Protocols For Pacers

December 29th, 2021 at 6:18pm CST by Rory Maher

Pacers reserve swingman Jeremy Lamb tested positive for COVID-19 and has entered the league’s health and safety protocols, according to James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star. Head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters, including Boyd, that lead assistant coach Lloyd Pierce returned an inconclusive test and will miss the team’s game against Charlotte Wednesday night.

Lamb, 29, suffered a torn ACL in February 2020 and has struggled to regain the same level of play post-injury. In 26 games this season (14.3 MPG), Lamb is averaging 6.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 1.4 APG on .361/.342/.932 shooting. He’s earning $10.5MM this season and will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2022.

There were rumors over the summer that the Pacers were looking to trade Lamb, but they haven’t found any takers yet, with his play not matching his salary. He could potentially be used as salary matching as part of a larger deal, with the Pacers reportedly looking to be active on the trade market. The Pacers hold a 14-20 record, 13th in the East.

Pierce is in his first season with the Pacers after being fired as head coach of the Hawks last season.

Lamb will be out for at least six days or until he returns two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

Boyd writes that rookie two-way guard Duane Washington Jr. could receive more minutes in Lamb’s absence. Boyd also notes that with Malcolm Brogdon sidelined (sore Achilles), Keifer Sykes, whom the Pacers recently signed, should receive his first NBA action Wednesday.

Washington Gets First Meaningful Minutes

December 28th, 2021 at 7:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Two-way player Duane Washington Jr. got a chance to play 11 minutes on Sunday due to Pacers backcourt injuries. He contributed two points, two rebounds and two assists. Washington, who has been averaging 19.5 PPG in the G League, took a three-hour bus from Indianapolis to Chicago to play in the game, according to James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star. “He did a nice job for us,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “He played with high energy, he moved the ball, he scrambled around defensively, and offensively you’ve got to guard him. He’s a guy that can shoot and make shots. It’s really a great opportunity for him.”

Sykes' Contract Includes Team Option

December 27th, 2021 at 8:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers signed Keifer Sykes to a new contract on Monday. According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link), it’s a two-year deal and the second year includes a team option.

Pacers Waive Brad Wanamaker, Sign Keifer Sykes

December 27th, 2021 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

11:06am: The Pacers have officially signed Sykes and waived Wanamaker, according to a press release from the team.

10:51am: The Pacers intend to waive guard Brad Wanamaker and sign another guard, Keifer Sykes, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Most of the deals being completed around the NBA right now are 10-day hardship contracts, but it doesn’t appear that’ll be the case here, since the Pacers don’t have any players in the health and safety protocols and will be waiving a player from their 15-man roster in order to sign Sykes.

Wanamaker, 32, has appeared in 22 games for Indiana this season, averaging 3.5 PPG and 2.2 APG with a .361/.235/.909 shooting line in 13.3 minutes per contest. His minimum-salary contract isn’t fully guaranteed for 2021/22, so by releasing him before next month’s league-wide guarantee date, the Pacers would only have to pay him $715,538, as Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

An undrafted free agent out of Green Bay in 2015, Sykes has spent most of the last several years playing in international leagues. He has played for teams in Korea, Turkey, Italy, China, and Greece, and is coming off a one-year stint with the South East Melbourne Phoenix in Australia’s National Basketball League.

Sykes, who hit the game-winning three-point shot for Boeheim’s Army in this summer’s The Basketball Tournament, signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Indiana and then joined the Pacers’ G League team, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. He has averaged 16.5 PPG and 7.5 APG on .409/.351/.741 shooting in 13 G League games (34.3 MPG) this season.

It’s unclear whether or not Sykes will get a rest-of-season guarantee. If he doesn’t, the Pacers would have until January 7 to decide whether or not to lock in his full-season salary.