- According to Pincus, several executives believe the Pacers will eventually seriously consider trading Myles Turner, since he’s not considered a great long-term fit alongside Domantas Sabonis. Turner was viewed as the more valuable asset last season, but Sabonis has been better so far this year.
Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Pacers have assigned JaKarr Sampson, Alize Johnson and Edmond Sumner to their G League affiliate, the team announced on Twitter. All three players are available for the Mad Ants’ contest tonight.
- The Celtics have recalled Romeo Langford from the Maine Red Claws, as the team relays on Twitter. Langford was the No. 14 overall pick in the 2019 draft.
- The Wolves have recalled Naz Reid and Jaylen Nowell, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic relays (Twitter link). Krawczynski notes that Reid looked quick and explosive during Minnesota’s practice earlier today.
- The Kings have assigned Caleb Swanigan to the Stockton Kings, per Sacramento’s Twitter feed. The power forward has appeared in five NBA contests this season, seeing a total of 13 minutes.
Here are Sunday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Sixers have assigned Shake Milton to the Delaware Blue Coats, the team’s G League affiliate, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Milton has appeared in nine games with Philadelphia on the season.
- The Pacers have recalled Goga Bitadze and Alize Johnson from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, announcing the news on social media today. After hosting Charlotte on Sunday, Indiana will wrap up its three-game homestand against the Lakers on Tuesday and Kings on Friday.
- The Hornets recalled Caleb Martin and Jalen McDaniels from the Greensboro Swarm, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). Both players saw just under four minutes of action against the Pacers.
Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Pacers announced that they have assigned Goga Bitadze and Alize Johnson to their Fort Wayne affiliate for tonight’s game (Twitter links).
- The Lakers assigned Talen Horton-Tucker to South Bay, according to a tweet from the G League team.
The Pacers are playing well, but they certainly would love to have Victor Oladipo back on the court. According to head coach Nate McMillan, the former All-Star isn’t close to a return.
“Vic is still rehabbing,” McMillan said, as J. Michael of the Indy Star relays on Twitter. “He’s working hard and I think he’s certainly getting better, getting closer. But he’s still a ways away. The more time he spends rehabbing the closer he gets. But I don’t see him come back anytime in the near future”
Here’s more from Indiana:
- Oladipo’s eventual return will have a major impact on the team’s lineup, Mark Monteith of NBA.com writes. While the guard rotation will certainly shift, the big man rotation may also face changes, as McMillan could opt to play even fewer minutes with both Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner in favor of even more small-ball lineups.
- First-year Pacer Malcolm Brogdon knows his role will be reduced upon Oladipo’s return, as Monteith relays in the same piece. “Once Vic gets back, I’m going to take less shots, everybody is going to have to take less shots, because Vic is a force on offense; he’s going to be our best scorer,” Brogdon said. “You have to understand that and adjust appropriately.”
- Indiana’s G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, have acquired Ben Moore, Scott Agness of The Athletic tweets. Moore previously had a stint with the Pacers back in the 2017/18 season.
- After getting a rough reception from Pacers fans on Sunday, Paul George said he’s not the one those fans should be booing. What exactly did he mean? “The belief in Indiana is that he’s referring to Larry Bird,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said this week on an episode of The Jump (video link). Bird, now an advisor in Indiana, was formerly the team’s president of basketball operations and pushed George to move from small forward to power forward, something PG13 didn’t want to do, as Windhorst details.
- Speaking of the Pacers, they look like they could become a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference once they get Victor Oladipo back in their lineup, writes Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer.
It has been nearly two-and-a-half years since Paul George was traded by the Pacers to the Thunder, but fans in Indiana still booed George – now on Clipper – on Monday whenever he touched the ball, as if this was his first game back, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. George, who said he wasn’t surprised by being booed, also hinted that the full story of his departure from Indiana still hasn’t come out.
“You know, someday I’ll do a tell-all and tell the leading events of how I left Indiana,” George said. “And I promise you, I’m not the one to boo.
“… I’m not gonna share the teaser,” George later said. “… I like being the villain. I’m here two nights out of the year. The people they should boo is here a lot longer than I am.”
The George trade was one of the first major moves made by Kevin Pritchard, who became Indiana’s head of basketball operations during the spring of 2017. While George implied on Monday that the Pacers franchise may be partially to blame for the circumstances surrounding that trade, he declined to criticize Pritchard, as Youngmisuk notes.
“I’m not going to bad-mouth KP,” George said when told that Pritchard said George’s trade request felt like a punch in the gut. “That’s just Kevin’s side of the story.”
Here’s more from around the East:
- Howard Beck of Bleacher Report recently reported that Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri turned down a lucrative extension offer, but Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca hears from sources that the offer didn’t happen. Still, Grange wouldn’t be surprised if Ujiri is interested in testing the “free agent” market at some point, and believes the Knicks could be a real threat to lure him away from Toronto.
- The Heat would have had serious interest in Bradley Beal if the Wizards had made him available in trade talks or if he had reached free agency in 2021. Instead, Beal re-upped with Washington, signing a two-year extension earlier this year. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald caught up with Beal to ask the Wizards’ star whether he considered the possibility of a move to the Heat before inking that new deal. Beal’s answer? “Yes and no.” Jackson has the full story and quotes.
- Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald explains why the Celtics shouldn’t be viewed as a potential suitor for Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, who is reportedly on the trade block.
Pistons guard Reggie Jackson is showing progress on his stress reaction in his lower back but he’ll be out at least a few more weeks, according to a team press release. Jackson’s rehabilitation process will continue for another two weeks and he’ll be re-evaluated at the end of that period, the release adds. Jackson, the team’s starting point guard, hasn’t played since the first two games of the season. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
We have more injury updates:
- Pacers star guard Victor Oladipo has practiced three times in five days with their G League affiliate in Fort Wayne, but there’s no still word on when he might return to action, Akeem Glaspie of the Indianapolis Star reports. “Just trying to get the feel back,” he said. “Coming out here just playing, taking it easy. Not trying to do anything spectacular. When injuries come around you try to rush things. When you rush your body, that’s when things kinda go south. Just gotta be smart about it.”
- Nets guard Kyrie Irving missed his 10th straight game Wednesday with a shoulder impingement and he’s likely to be out a few more weeks, sources told Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Irving has already been ruled out for Brooklyn’s game on Friday. The max player hasn’t spoken to the press since November 14th, further adding to the mystery of Irving’s ailment.
- Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic has a right knee contusion to go along with left hamstring tightness and will miss at least one game on the team’s upcoming road trip, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee relays.
- Warriors guard D’Angelo Russell returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing nine games with a sprained right thumb, according to an ESPN report. Russell scored 18 points in 25 minutes in the 106-91 loss to the Hornets.
Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
- The Bucks assigned power forward Dragan Bender to the Wisconsin Herd, the team’s PR department tweets. The fourth overall pick of the 2016 draft has averaged 21 PPG and 10 RPG in five starts with the Herd.
- The Knicks assigned rookie forward Ignas Brazdeikis to the Westchester Knicks, the team’s PR department tweets. He’s appeared in six games with the NBA Knicks, averaging 7.0 MPG in those outings.
- The Cavaliers assigned rookie swingman Dylan Windler to the Canton Charge, the team’s PR department tweets. He has yet to make his NBA debut. The first-rounder is working his way back into basketball shape after recovering from a leg injury.
- The Pacers recalled Victor Oladipo and Edmond Sumner from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team tweets. They practiced with the Mad Ants as part of their injury rehabs. There is no timetable for their return, the team adds.
- The Clippers assigned center Mfiondu Kabengele to the Agua Caliente Clippers, the team tweets. The rookie first-rounder out of Florida State has appeared in six NBA games, averaging 3.8 MPG in those outings.
- The Hawks recalled rookie forward Bruno Fernando and guard Tyrone Wallace from the College Park Skyhawks, the team tweets. Fernando, a second-round pick, is averaging 4.5 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 12.7 MPG while playing 21 games with the NBA team. Wallace has averaged 3.1 PPG in 12.0 MPG in 13 games with Atlanta.
- The Thunder recalled center Justin Patton from the Oklahoma City Blue, according to a team press release. In eight games with the Blue, Patton is averaging 10.3 PPG and 7.5 RPG in 26.2 MPG.
- The Hornets recalled Cody Martin from the Greensboro Swarm, according to a team press release. The rookie guard appeared in three games with the Swarm, where he averaged 14.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG and 5.3 APG in 34.3 MPG.
Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Pacers assigned Victor Oladipo and Edmond Sumner to their Fort Wayne affiliate, the team announced in a press release. Both players are recovering from injuries and are scheduled to practice with the Mad Ants today, Tuesday and Wednesday. Oladipo, an All-Star the past two years, suffered a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee last season. Sumner had a non-displaced fracture of the third metacarpal in his right hand.
- The Kings recalled Wenyen Gabriel and Caleb Swanigan from their affiliate in Stockton, according to a tweet from the team. Swanigan was sent back to the G League after today’s game, the Kings tweeted.