- The Grizzlies will send their first-round pick to the Celtics if it falls outside of the top eight this spring, and have indicated they’d prefer to surrender it in 2019 rather than in a future year. David Cobb of The Memphis Commercial Appeal explains why, and lays out the various scenarios for that pick.
- Bruno Caboclo‘s new two-year deal with the Grizzlies doesn’t include any guaranteed money for next season, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders confirms (via Twitter). However, according to Pincus, Caboclo will get a partial guarantee worth $300K if he remains under contract through July 10.
Here are Thursday’s assignments and recalls from across the NBA G League:
- The Nets assigned Spencer Dinwiddie and Jared Dudley to their G League team in Long Island, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Dinwiddie (thumb) is expected to return tomorrow against the Hornets.
- The Hornets have assigned guard Dwayne Bacon to the Greensboro Swarm, general manager Mitch Kupchak announced. Bacon has appeared in 25 games with Charlotte this season, holding per-game averages of 4.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 10.6 minutes.
- The Grizzlies assigned Jevon Carter to the Memphis Hustle, G League affiliate of the team, according to a tweet from the club’s PR department. Carter was drafted by Memphis with the No. 32 pick last June.
- The Hawks assigned guard Jordan Sibert to the Erie Bayhawks, the team announced in a press release. Sibert, 26, has yet to appear in a game with Atlanta this season.
- The Jazz have assigned center Tony Bradley to the Salt Lake Stars, announcing the news in a press release today. Bradley has seen action in 17 games with the Stars this season, scoring 13.6 points per contest.
Here are Wednesday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Timberwolves assigned veteran forward Robert Covington to their Iowa affiliate as he works his way back from a bruised knee he suffered in late December, the team announced on Twitter. Covington has played just 22 games for Minnesota since being acquired from the Sixers in November.
- The Hornets assigned guard Devonte’ Graham to the Greensboro Swarm, according to a press release. Graham has posted a 23.8/4.5/4.8 line in in 10 G League games.
- The Jazz assigned guard Grayson Allen to Salt Lake City, the team announced in a release. Allen is averaging 15.7 PPG in seven games with the Stars.
- The Grizzlies recalled guard Jevon Carter from the Memphis Hustle, the team tweeted. Carter was active for tonight’s game against the Bulls.
- The Sixers recalled center Justin Patton from Delaware, tweets Derek Bodner of The Athletic. Patton will join the team for tomorrow’s game at Oklahoma City.
The fate of the Grizzlies‘ first-round pick might influence whether the team brings back Avery Bradley next season, according to Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian. Acquired from the Clippers at the trade deadline, Bradley has a $12.96MM contract for 2019/20 that doesn’t become guaranteed until July 3.
Unless the team undergoes major changes during the summer, Memphis will be keeping a close eye on its luxury tax situation. The Grizzlies made Mike Conley available prior to the deadline, but if he returns and Jonas Valanciunas and C.J. Miles both opt in, their contracts – along with Chandler Parsons – will put the team over the salary cap. Memphis would be pushed into tax territory if it keeps Bradley while bringing back restricted free agent Delon Wright, signing a high lottery pick and using its mid-level exception.
The Grizzlies’ pick will convey to Boston if it falls out of the top eight. Memphis is in sixth place in our latest Reverse Standings, three games above the Mavericks and Pelicans, who are tied for eighth. Bradley has been good since joining the Grizzlies, averaging 15.3 PPG in six games, but Herrington says the decision will come down to whether management views him as a bargain at next year’s salary.
There’s more out of Memphis, all courtesy of Herrington:
- The Grizzlies would welcome back Joakim Noah, but at age 34, he may be more interested in joining a contender. After a disastrous experience in New York, the veteran center has resurrected his career in Memphis. However, the Grizzlies don’t have his Bird rights, so they would have to either open cap room or use an exception to pay him more than the veteran’s minimum.
- Bruno Caboclo‘s defensive versatility may be enough for the Grizzlies to bring him back for another year. Memphis doesn’t have another bench player with size who can guard the perimeter, making Caboclo valuable even with his limited offensive game. After a pair of 10-day contracts, the Grizzlies signed the former first-round pick for the rest of the season, along with some guaranteed money for 2019/20.
- The trade deadline worked out poorly for rookie guard Jevon Carter, who has only played three minutes over the last three games. The Grizzlies kept Conley and traded for both Bradley and Wright, who are all ahead of him in the rotation. Carter may not get a chance to display his skills in Memphis as long as all three stay with the team.
Here are Tuesday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Jazz have recalled Grayson Allen from the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the team’s Twitter feed. The stint was Allen’s ninth assignment this season.
- The Clippers have assigned Jerome Robinson to the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, according to the team’s Twitter feed.
- The Pacers have assigned Edmond Sumner to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to the team’s transaction log. Sumner recently signed a two-year contract with Indiana.
- The Wizards assigned Troy Brown Jr. to the Capital City Go-Go, according to the team’s Twitter feed.
- The Heat have assigned Emanuel Terry to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Terry has seen action in just one game for Miami this season, playing just three minutes.
- The Grizzlies have assigned Jevon Carter to the Memphis Hustle, per the team’s Twitter feed.
With only about a month and a half left in the 2018/19 regular season, we’re getting a clearer picture of what this year’s draft order might look like. We’re also getting a clearer sense of which of the traded 2019 picks with protections will or won’t change hands this spring.
Using our 2018/19 Reverse Standings as a reference point, here’s our latest check-in on where things stand for those traded 2019 first-rounders, based on their protections.
Locks to change hands:
- Kings‘ pick to Celtics or Sixers (unprotected)
- Current projection: No. 14
- Nuggets‘ pick to Nets (top-12 protected)
- Current projection: No. 27
- Raptors‘ pick to Spurs (top-20 protected)
- Current projection: No. 29
The Nets and Spurs may not be thrilled by how well the Nuggets and Raptors are playing this season, since it assures those first-round picks will fall in the mid-to-late 20s. But Brooklyn and San Antonio can at least be confident that they’ll actually receive those selections this year, which will allow them to better prepare for the draft.
As for the Kings‘ pick, it will almost certainly end up with the Celtics, but the Sixers will still be keeping an eye on it — if Sacramento ends up in the lottery, there will be a very slim chance of that pick vaulting up to No. 1 overall. In that scenario, Philadelphia would receive it and Boston would instead get the 76ers’ first-rounder.
At this point, the far more likely scenario is the Sixers keeping their own pick and the Celtics getting a Kings pick in the teens.
Locks to be protected:
- Cavaliers‘ pick to Hawks (top-10 protected)
- Current projection: No. 3
- Bucks‘ pick to Suns (top-3 and 17-30 protected)
- Current projection: No. 30
The Cavaliers have been playing better lately, but there’s still essentially no way their pick will fall out of the top 10 — there are 13 games between Cleveland and Miami, the 10th team in the reverse standings. So the Cavs can rest assured that they’ll retain their 2019 first-rounder. Subsequently, they’ll owe the Hawks their top-10 protected 2020 first-round pick.
On the other end of the draft, it’s the Bucks‘ success this season that guarantees they’ll keep their selection. The pick they agreed to trade to Phoenix has unusual reverse-protection criteria that provides only a small window for the Suns to snatch it. Since that pick won’t change hands this season, the Bucks will owe the Suns their top-7 protected first-rounder in 2020.
Still up in the air:
- Grizzlies‘ pick to Celtics (top-8 protected)
- Current projection: No. 6
- Mavericks‘ pick to Hawks (top-5 protected)
- Current projection: No. 8
- Clippers‘ pick to Celtics (top-14 protected)
- Current projection: No. 19
- Rockets‘ pick to Cavaliers (top-14 protected)
- Current projection: No. 21
Of these picks, the Grizzlies‘ and Mavericks‘ selections are the most intriguing. Both project as top-10 picks, and neither has full top-10 protection. For now, Memphis appear likely to keep its pick rather than sending it to the Celtics, while the Hawks have a good chance to receive Dallas’ pick. That outlook could quickly change though, if the Grizzlies get on a hot streak and/or the Mavs slump.
It’s worth noting that the new lottery format could be a wild-card factor here. Let’s say the Grizzlies finish seventh in the reverse standings. In previous years, the likelihood that their pick would slide to ninth from that spot would be less than 2%. This year, those odds would increase to over 14%.
Similarly, suppose the Mavericks finish seventh in the reverse standings. Under the old system, the Hawks could be confident of receiving the Mavs’ selection, since Dallas would only have a 15% of moving up into the top three and retaining the pick. In the new system, those odds are all the way up to 32%.
Meanwhile, the Clippers and Rockets will surrender their first-rounders if they earn playoff spots. After some early-season struggles, Houston looks like a fairly safe postseason bet at this point, meaning the Cavaliers should be confident they’ll get the Rockets’ pick. The Clippers, who moved up to seventh in the West on Monday, are less certain of a spot, so the Celtics will be closely watching the playoff race.
Information from RealGM was used in the creation of this post.
Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Jazz assigned rookie first-round pick Grayson Allen to the Salt Lake City Stars, the team’s PR department tweets. Allen has appeared in six Stars games, averaging 15.7 PPG in 30.6 MPG. The former Duke star is averaging 4.1 PPG in 9.9 MPG with Utah.
- The Pacers recalled forward Alize Johnson from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to a team press release. Johnson is averaging 19.2 PPG and 13.6 RPG in 36.9 MPG through 25 games with the Mad Ants.
- The Grizzlies assigned rookie guard Jevon Carter to the Memphis Hustle to get in a practice but recalled him prior to their game against the Lakers on Monday, the team’s PR department tweets. The second-round pick is averaging 2.8 PPG and 1.7 APG in 14.8 MPG over 26 games with the Grizzlies.
- The Nets recalled rookie forward Dzanan Musa from the Long Island Nets in time for their game against the Spurs on Monday, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Musa is averaging 19.3 PPG and 6.6 RPG in 31.3 MPG through 25 games with the G League affiliate.
- The Rockets recalled guard Chris Chiozza from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. Chiozza signed a 10-day contract with the team last week.
- The Hornets recalled forward Dwayne Bacon and guard Devonte’ Graham from the Greensboro Swarm, according to a team press release. Bacon has appeared in 14 games for the Swarm, averaging 20.6 PPG and 6.9 RPG in 31.7 MPG. Graham has appeared in 10 games for the Swarm, averaging 23.8 PPG and 4.8 APG in 33.8 MPG.
- The Warriors assigned rookie guard Jacob Evans III to Santa Cruz, according to a team press release. The first-round pick has appeared in 23 games with Golden State this season and 16 games (11 starts) with Santa Cruz. He’s averaging 11.8 PPG and 2.4 APG in 26.5 minutes per game.
- The Grizzlies don’t have anything to gain by playing Chandler Parsons, writes Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, who claims that Parsons forced himself back into the lineup in hopes of getting another contract.
Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we turn our attention to the Southwest Division:
Maxi Kleber, 27, Mavericks, PF (Up) – Signed to a two-year, $2.19MM deal in 2017
Kleber has received increased playing time since the blockbuster Kristaps Porzingis deal with the Knicks. He’s averaging 10.2 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 25.7 MPG as a starter this month while making 36% of his 3-point attempts. Kleber would be a restricted free agent if Dallas extends a $1.82MM qualifying offer. With loads of cap space to spare, the Mavs have plenty of incentive to make that modest offer for a rotation player, even though he’d probably move back to the bench next season when Porzingis is ready to play again.
Kenneth Faried, Rockets, 29, PF (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $917K deal in 2019
Clint Capela‘s return from a thumb injury this week will reduce the Manimal’s minutes. He’ll still play a valuable role for Houston, where he has revived his career after getting bought out by Brooklyn. After appearing in just 12 games with the Nets, Faried has averaged 15.7 PPG, 9.9 RPG and 1.0 BPG in 13 outings with the Rockets. It seems Faried has been in the league a long time, but he’s still just 29. In an era of stretch fours and fives, it’s questionable whether anyone views Faried as a starter going forward. He should still get a multi-year deal somewhere as a second-unit difference maker.
Justin Holiday, Grizzlies, 29, SF (Down) – Signed to a two-year, $9MM deal in 2017
Holiday was acquired from the Bulls when the Grizzlies still harbored hopes of making the playoffs. He didn’t move the needle at all before Memphis went into sell mode prior to the trade deadline. He’s averaged 8.2 PPG on 34.8% shooting (29.8% on 3-point tries) in 28.5 MPG with the Grizzlies. Holiday has posted below average PERs throughout his career, which doesn’t help his cause in the analytics era. Holiday has enough of a resume to land on someone’s bench next season but his days as a starter are likely over after this season.
Elfrid Payton, Pelicans, 25, PG (Down) — Signed to a one-year, $3MM deal in 2018
Payton inked a short-term, ‘show me’ contract after the former lottery pick flopped in Orlando and Phoenix. He was given the opportunity to replace free agent Rajon Rondo in the lineup but has spent a majority of the season in the trainer’s room. He’s appeared in just 19 games, with a right ankle sprain sidelining him for the last nine games heading into Friday’s action. The Pelicans lost six of the last eight games that he played. Payton will probably have to settle for another one-year deal this summer, this time in a backup role.
Dante Cunningham, Spurs, 31, SF (Down)– Signed to a one-year, $2.49MM deal in 2018
Cunningham has seen spot duty with the Spurs, averaging 15.9 MPG in 53 appearances. He’s managed to stay in the league for a decade, though he’s usually the No. 5 option at the offensive end. He accepts his limited role and provides some defense, so it’s possible he’ll squeeze out another veteran’s minimum deal with San Antonio or another playoff contender. But being on the wrong side of 30 means he’ll probably have to wait until late in the free agency period for an offer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Grizzlies rookie power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. has suffered a right quad injury and will be sidelined for the foreseeable future, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Jackson, the fourth overall pick in the draft out of Michigan State, has produced an impressive rookie campaign during an otherwise bleak season in Memphis. He’s averaging 13.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 1.4 BPG in 26.1 MPG while playing in 58 games, including 56 starts.
The 6’11” Jackson is shooting 50.6% from the field and 35.9% from long range. He scored a season-high 36 points against Brooklyn on November 30.
The Grizzlies will be cautious with their budding franchise player, Wojnarowski adds. That’s no surprise, as Memphis waved the white flag on a playoff push when it put veteran center Marc Gasol and point guard Mike Conley on the trading block. Gasol was dealt to Toronto but the Grizzlies couldn’t find a palatable trade offer for Conley.