The Pacers aren’t interested in re-signing swingman Lance Stephenson despite Jeremy Lamb‘s season-ending injury, according to Scott Agness of The Athletic. Stephenson is seeking to return to the league and would welcome a reunion, Agness adds. Aaron Holiday, Justin Holiday, Edmond Sumner and Doug McDermott could all see additional playing time to make up for Lamb’s absence.
Some members of the Magic and Pistons had interest in exploring a trade for Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie prior to this month’s trade deadline, sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Begley describes that interest as “internal,” so it’s not clear if either team actually reached out to Brooklyn to inquire on Dinwiddie.
Although there was no indication that the Nets seriously considered moving Dinwiddie in a deadline deal, his name did pop up in a few rumors earlier this month. He was reportedly discussed in talks between the Nets and Hawks, with the Lakers inquiring on him as well.
One post-deadline report suggested that there’s “buzz around the league” about Dinwiddie potentially being part of a package for Magic forward Aaron Gordon. Begley picks up on that thread, noting that some executives believe a player like Gordon would help Brooklyn going forward, though it’s not clear if GM Sean Marks shares that view. Begley also hears that the Pacers had some pre-deadline interest in pursuing Gordon, a potential summer trade candidate.
The Nets, who will have a crowded backcourt of Dinwiddie, Kyrie Irving, and Caris LeVert once everyone is healthy next season, could eventually decide to deal from a position of strength, though Irving’s injury history – he’s out for the rest of the season – may give the team pause.
If Brooklyn does make Dinwiddie available in the offseason, the Magic make more sense as a suitor than the Pistons, who are heading toward a full-fledged rebuild. Orlando has lacked play-making and scoring in recent years. Dinwiddie, who is averaging 20.8 PPG and 6.6 APG in 57 games (31.4 MPG) this season, could help in both areas. He’s under contract for $11.45MM next season, with a $12.3MM player option for 2021/22.
Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Bulls assigned Wendell Carter Jr., Daniel Gafford and Denzel Valentine to their Windy City affiliate, according to the G League transactions log.
- The Pelicans assigned rookie point guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker to their Erie affiliate, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic.
- The Pacers recalled forward Alize Johnson from Fort Wayne (Twitter link). He has appeared in 12 games in his second NBA season.
- The Spurs recalled Keldon Johnson from Austin, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. The rookie small forward posted a 31-point game Tuesday night.
Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Pistons recalled guard Khyri Thomas from the Grand Rapids Drive, according to a team press release. In two games with the Drive, Thomas averaged 17.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 1.5 APG in 22.0 MPG. Thomas, a second-round pick in 2018, played two early-season games with the Pistons before undergoing foot surgery.
- The Warriors assigned big man Alen Smailagic to their Santa Cruz affiliate, the team’s PR department tweets. He has averaged 15.8 PPG and 6.2 RPG in 18 games with the G League club. The rookie has also seen action in 14 Golden State games.
- The Timberwolves recalled swingman Jacob Evans III and forward Jarred Vanderbilt from their Iowa affiliate, according to a team press release. Evans was acquired from Golden State and Vanderbilt was acquired from Denver earlier this month.
- The Pacers assigned forward Alize Johnson to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team’s PR department tweets. The 2018 second-round pick has appeared in 12 games with the NBA club this season.
- The Spurs assigned Keldon Johnson and Chimezie Metu to their Austin affiliate, according to the G League transactions log. Johnson, the team’s first-round pick last June, has played five NBA games. Metu, a second-year forward, has appeared in 16 games for San Antonio this season.
Pacers wing Jeremy Lamb, who left Sunday’s game in Toronto with a knee injury, has been diagnosed with a torn left ACL, a torn meniscus, and a lateral femoral condylar fracture, the team announced today in a press release. Lamb will undergo surgery and will miss the rest of the 2019/20 season.
The injury occurred when Lamb went up for a dunk attempt in the second quarter. Raptors guard Terence Davis met him at the rim in an attempt to block the shot and Lamb landed awkwardly on his left leg. After the game, he referred to the play as a “freak accident” (Twitter link via Scott Agness of The Athletic).
The diagnosis is a devastating blow for the Pacers and for Lamb, who had been playing a key role for the team in his first season in Indiana. In 46 games (42 starts), the 27-year-old averaged 12.5 PPG and 4.3 RPG with a .451/.335/.836 shooting line in 28.1 minutes per contest.
The Pacers do have Victor Oladipo back in their lineup now, and Oladipo figures to play many of the minutes that belonged to Lamb during the first half of the season. Justin Holiday, Aaron Holiday, T.J. McConnell, and even Edmond Sumner are among the other players who could be relied upon more heavily with Lamb no longer an option.
Given the serious nature of Lamb’s injury, he’s unlikely to be ready for the start of the 2020/21 season. Although the Pacers haven’t offered a recovery timeline beyond ruling him out for this season, they’ll likely play it safe with the veteran swingman, who is under contract with the team through 2021/22. I’d be surprised if we see him back in Indiana’s lineup before 2021.
The Pacers aren’t eligible to apply for a disabled player exception to replace Lamb this season, since the deadline to apply for a DPE was January 15.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
After Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times and K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reported during All-Star weekend that the Bulls were laying the groundwork to hire a new general manager and re-assign Gar Forman to a scouting role, both reporters have offered updates on Chicago’s forthcoming front office changes.
A source tells Cowley that the Bulls are still determining how the power structure in the new-look front office will work, noting that multiple executives could be hired, rather than just a GM to replace Forman. Cowley’s source also says that VP of basketball operations John Paxson will still have a “valuable seat at the table” in the restructured front office, even if it appears as if he’s transitioning to a background role.
While it remains to be seen how the Bulls’ management group will be structured once new hires are made, Cowley’s report indicates that Paxson and COO Michael Reinsdorf are still “running the show.” The Reinsdorfs – including owner Jerry Reinsdorf – have “100 percent faith” in Paxson to lead the organization, Cowley writes.
If a new general manager has to report to Paxson, it may be more challenging for the Bulls to recruit a top-tier candidate. However, K.C. Johnson hears from multiple league sources that Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan is one candidate who appears to be gaining momentum.
Buchanan, who previously held front office roles in Charlotte and Portland, was named Indiana’s GM in 2017 when the team promoted Kevin Pritchard to president of basketball operations. According to Johnson, Buchanan is “widely known for his embrace of analytics.” He and Pritchard have done a good job retooling the Pacers’ roster over the last three years, starting with the Paul George trade that netted the team a pair of All-Stars (Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis) despite being widely panned at the time.
Because he’s already a level below the head of basketball operations in Indiana, Buchanan may be open to a position working under – or alongside – Paxson in Chicago. Still, Johnson’s report doesn’t suggest that the Bulls have asked for or received permission to interview the Pacers’ executive yet.
Pacers star Victor Oladipo will no longer face a minutes restriction, head coach Nate McMillan said today (Twitter link via Bob Kravitz of The Athletic).
Oladipo, who returned to action on January 29 after a year-long recovery from a ruptured quad tendon, initially was limited to 24 minutes per contest. The Pacers bumped that restriction up to 28 minutes about two weeks ago. Going forward, Oladipo has the green light to play more than that, though the team figures to continue being cautious with its star guard, who has appeared in just seven games so far.
McMillan said today that Oladipo will still only play the first half of Indiana’s back-to-back sets, per Kravitz. However, as Scott Agness of The Athletic points out (via Twitter), that shouldn’t be too big a deal, since the Pacers’ schedule only features three more back-to-backs. And obviously, once the postseason begins, that won’t be a concern.
A two-time All-Star, Oladipo has struggled to score efficiently since returning, averaging just 11.1 PPG on .329/.244/.800 shooting. Still, his defense has been solid and the expectation is that the shot will start to fall once he gets a little more comfortable and rediscovers his rhythm.
The Pacers, who currently rank sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 32-23 record, will resume their battle for playoff positioning on Friday when they visit the Knicks in New York.
Sweet-shooting Bucks backup point guard George Hill may be on one of the best teams in the NBA as he visits the Pacers, but he will always be an “Indianapolis boy” at heart, as the Indianapolis Star’s Dana Hunsinger Benbow details.
An alum of Broad Ripple High and IUPUI, Hill has been a solid NBA mainstay since being drafted in 2008. Hill apparently does not harbor much nostalgia for the Pacers, who traded him in the 2016 offseason to the Jazz. “I hope we beat them (by 20),” Hill said. “The Pacers didn’t want me.” The 46-8 Bucks sure do. Hill is connecting on an astronomical 51.1% of his 6.4 three-point attempts per game this season.
- Though Pacers shooting guard Victor Oladipo has been back on the court for seven games, he knows he has yet to reclaim his All-Star caliber play, per Royce Young of ESPN. “I missed a whole year of NBA basketball, not just basketball,” Oladipo said. “It’s the highest level of basketball. It’s different.” Oladipo is averaging 11.1 PPG, 2.9 APG, and 2.0 APG in 25.0 minutes per contest.
Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the league:
- The Pacers assigned rookie center Goga Bitadze to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to the team’s transactions log. The first-round pick has appeared in 42 games with Indiana this season, averaging 3.0 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 8.6 MPG.
- The Timberwolves assigned power forward Omari Spellman to their Iowa affiliate, according to the G League transactions log. Spellman, a 2018 first-round pick by Atlanta, was acquired from Golden State last week.
Prior to the 2019/20 season, the Pacers and Victor Oladipo “very briefly” discussed the possibility of a contract extension, but decided it was best to revisit the subject later, sources tell ESPN’s Zach Lowe.
Oladipo will be extension-eligible again during the 2020/21 league year, so he and the Pacers could circle back to those discussions this summer. Still, it’d be a surprise if he agrees to a new deal before the 2021 offseason, when he could optimize his earnings as a free agent.
In a contract extension, Oladipo would be limited to a starting salary of $25.2MM. Based on the league’s latest salary cap projections for 2021/22, the Pacers guard could earn a starting salary of up to $37.2MM if he waits until free agency to sign his next contract.