NBA G League

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/8/17

Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

  • After struggling in the Delaware 87ers’ loss on Tuesday night, Furkan Korkmaz has been recalled to the NBA by the Sixers, the team announced today in a press release. Korkmaz scored nine points on 3-of-11 shooting for Philadelphia’s G League affiliate on Tuesday.
  • The Rockets have re-assigned rookie big man Zhou Qi to the G League, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston. Zhou should have an opportunity to suit up on Wednesday night for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers against Austin.
  • The Nuggets have recalled rookie forward Tyler Lydon from the G League, according to the club (Twitter link). Since Denver doesn’t have its own G League squad, Lydon had been assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s affiliate.
  • The Magic have recalled rookies Khem Birch and Wesley Iwundu from the G League, per a team announcement (Twitter link). Lakeland doesn’t play its next game until Friday, so perhaps Birch and/or Iwundu will be re-assigned before then.
  • One day after being assigned to the Northern Arizona Suns, Derrick Jones has been recalled to the NBA by the Suns, says Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link).

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/7/17

Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

5:23pm:

3:32pm:

  • The Spurs have recalled Tony Parker from the G League, the team announced today in a press release. Parker has been bouncing back and forth between San Antonio and the Austin Spurs as he recovers from surgery on his quadriceps.

1:33pm:

  • The Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo to the G League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Because this is Caboclo’s fourth NBA season, the move required his approval.
  • Second-year forward Derrick Jones has been sent to the Northern Arizona Suns, according to a press release issued today by Phoenix. The Suns’ affiliate doesn’t play its next game until Thursday, so we’ll see if Jones’ assignment lasts that long.
  • The Jazz have assigned a pair of rookies, Tony Bradley and Royce O’Neale, to their G League affiliate, according to a press release.
  • A day after sending him to the G League, the Rockets have recalled rookie big man Zhou Qi, the team announced (via Twitter). Zhou scored 15 points on Monday for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
  • The Nets have recalled Isaiah Whitehead from the G League, the club announced in a press release. Whitehead last played for the Long Island Nets on Saturday, when he racked up 26 points and grabbed seven boards.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/6/17

Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Spurs have assigned veteran point guard Tony Parker back to the G League, the team announced today in a press release. Parker, recovering from quadriceps surgery, has been back and forth between San Antonio and Austin as part of his rehab process.
  • Rookie big man Zhou Qi is headed to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets announced today (via Twitter). Zhou appears likely to suit up for the Vipers tonight against the Wisconsin Herd.
  • The Raptors have sent rookie forward Alfonzo McKinnie to the G League, according to the team (via Twitter). McKinnie has played very limited minutes in three games so far for Toronto.
  • The Clippers recalled second-year power forward Brice Johnson from the G League on Sunday, per the team. Johnson helped lead the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario to a Saturday win, piling up 25 points and 11 boards.

59 Of 60 Two-Way Contract Slots Filled

Twenty-nine of the NBA’s 30 teams have filled both of their two-way contract slots early in the 2017/18 season, as our two-way tracker shows. The Hawks were the latest team to sign their second two-way player, inking Tyler Cavanaugh to a new deal over the weekend. Currently, the Timberwolves are the only club without two players on two-way contracts — former Lakers guard Anthony Brown is their only two-way signee.

It’s not clear why the Timberwolves have held off on filling their second two-way slot, but it may be about maintaining flexibility. Because two-way players are eligible to be on the active NBA roster for up to 45 days, a player who signs a two-way contract can immediately contribute to the NBA team if needed.

The Hawks’ addition of Cavanaugh on Sunday was a good example of this — shortly after signing with Atlanta, Cavanaugh made his NBA debut, helping to provide some frontcourt depth for a team that was missing Ersan Ilyasova, Miles Plumlee, and Mike Muscala. The Wolves have a healthier roster, but if they get hit hard by the injury bug at a certain position, having that open two-way slot will allow the club to add immediate help without making changes to its NBA roster.

Two-way contracts are still in the infancy stages, so it has been interesting to monitor how teams are using them so far. While some clubs opted to immediately send their two-way players to the G League for further development and seasoning, other teams have had to lean heavily on their two-way players. Mike James, for instance, doesn’t even have a standard NBA contract yet, despite the fact that he has been the Suns‘ starting point guard since Eric Bledsoe was sent home.

James is rapidly using up the 45 days he’s allowed to be with the NBA team. Assuming he’s not transferred to the G League, the Suns will be forced to make a decision on him right around the end of November. Two-way contracts can be converted to standard NBA deals, but Phoenix would have to trade or cut someone to create room. While Bledsoe would, of course, be the obvious candidate, things could get more complicated if the Suns end up trading Bledsoe for a package that returns two or three players.

Rockets point guard Demetrius Jackson (eight games), Mavericks guard Gian Clavell (six games), Pacers forward Alex Poythress (five games), and Hawks guard Josh Magette (five games) are among the other players on two-way contracts who have already appeared in several NBA games and are progressing toward their 45-day limit.

It will be worth watching over the course of the season to see the approach teams take with their two-way players. Will players whose 45-day clocks start running out be converted to standard NBA contracts, or will they simply be sent back to the G League to retain them on the current deals? And now that the G League season is underway, will teams begin turning over their two-way slots more frequently if they don’t like what they see from their two-way players in starring G League roles? Stay tuned.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/5/17

Here are this weekend’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

10:08pm:

  • The Pistons recalled Luke Kennard and Henry Ellenson from the Grand Rapids Drive this evening, a team-issued press release says. This, after assigning them just earlier today. The two played in the G League affiliate’s season opener, Ellenson scoring 28 points and adding nine rebounds, Kennard adding 26 points of his own.

2:16pm:

  • The Pistons assigned rookie shooting guard Luke Kennard and second-year power forward Henry Ellenson to the G League today, the team announced in a press release. The duo helped lead the Grand Rapids Drive to an afternoon win over the Raptors 905, combining for 54 points.
  • The Spurs assigned Davis Bertans and Derrick White to the G League on Saturday, according to the club. Bertans poured in a team-high 27 points for the Austin Spurs on Saturday night, but it wasn’t enough to top the Texas Legends, who won 123-119.
  • The Clippers recalled rookie guard Jawun Evans from the G League on Saturday, per the team. The 2017 second-rounder struggled in his debut with the Agua Caliente Clippers on Friday night, scoring just four points on 2-of-11 shooting.

And-Ones: E. Millsap, Koenig, Eddie, Jeanne

Former NBA guard Elijah Millsap has signed with the Iowa Wolves of the G League, tweets Chris Reichert of 2 Ways and 10 Days. The 30-year-old played two games for the Suns last season after joining the team just before the season ended, but spent most of the year in the G League. He came to training camp with Phoenix, but was waived last month.

Millsap went undrafted out of Alabama-Birmingham in 2011 and played internationally and in the G League before getting an opportunity with Utah in the middle of the 2014/15 season. He spent a year and a half with the Jazz, averaging 4.2 points in 67 games.

There’s more news from the NBA, the G League and overseas:

  • Bronson Koenig, who was waived by the Bucks and Bulls during preseason, was involved in a G League trade today, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando. The Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s affiliate, sent Koenig to the Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s affiliate, in exchange for the returning rights of Gary Talton, who is playing in Lithuania. Koenig, who was among the first players to sign a two-way contract, is a rookie guard out of Wisconsin.
  • Jarell Eddie, who was also with Chicago during preseason, has re-signed with Windy City, Lupo relays in a separate item. Eddie spent most of last season with the G League squad before inking a pair of 10-day contracts with the Suns in March. The 26-year-old small forward appeared in five games with Phoenix and played 26 games for the Wizards the previous year.
  • Restricted free agents could be facing another tough market in 2018, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. With their teams holding the right to match any offer, restricted free agents have historically enjoyed little bargaining power, and the small number of teams with significant cap room next summer will make their situation even worse. Deveney identifies Magic forward Aaron Gordon and Rockets center Clint Capela as two players who might cash in, but says most will struggle to find offers.
  • French center Jonathan Jeanne, who was considered a draft prospect this year before being diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, may have reached the end of his career, reports Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. His French team, Le Mans Sarthe, has declared Jeanne “unfit to practice professional sports” after discussing his condition with specialists. The disorder affects the body’s connective tissue.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/3/17

Here are the G League moves from around the Association today:

10:53pm:

8:03pm:

  • The Nets have assigned guard Isaiah Whitehead to the Long Island Nets, an official press release reports. The big man is expected to play with the G League affiliate in their season opener on Saturday.
  • The Grizzlies recalled sophomore Deyonta Davis from the Memphis Hustle, the team’s Twitter account said. The center had been assigned to the G League affiliate on Thursday.

NBA G League Affiliate Players For 2017/18

Throughout the offseason and preseason, NBA teams are permitted to carry 20 players, but that total must be cut down to 15 (plus two two-way players) in advance of opening night. However, up to four players waived by teams prior to the season can be designated as “affiliate players” and assigned to their G League squads.

The players have a say in this decision — if they’d prefer to sign with a team overseas, or if they get an opportunity with another NBA club, they’re under no obligation to become affiliate players. Most NBA and international teams have fairly set rosters by late October though, so having the opportunity to continue playing in the same system appeals to many of those preseason cuts. Especially since they’ll continue to be NBA free agents while they play in the G League.

There are a few other rules related to G League affiliate players. A player whose returning rights are held by a G League team can’t be an affiliate player for another club, which is why undrafted free agents from the current year are commonly signed and assigned.

Additionally, an affiliate player must have signed with his team during the current league year, which explains why we often see players signed and quickly waived in the days leading up to the regular season. And, of course, not every NBA team has a G League affiliate, so there are four teams with no place to send affiliate players.

With all that in mind, here are the NBA G League affiliate players to start the 2017/18 season, per the league’s official site:

Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers)

Austin Spurs (Spurs)

Canton Charge (Cavaliers)

Delaware 87ers (Sixers)

Read more

And-Ones: G League, Draft Lottery, Wiltjer, Davis

The NBA G League season will tip off on Friday night, with a record-setting 26 teams set to compete this year. While that still leaves a handful of NBA clubs without affiliates of their own, G League president Malcolm Turner tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he’s confident the number of teams in the league will increase to 30 within the next couple years.

“It’s not out of the question that we may find ourselves launching another four teams for [the 2018/19 season] to get us to 30. But I think the realistic timeframe is ’19/20,” Turner said. “Washington is already confirmed for ’18/19. It’s been well reported that New Orleans, where they stand in the process. We expect they will announce within the next month or two, and Portland and Denver are also well down the road in the process of doing it as well, and so we’re excited about that.”

Turner is also encouraged by the fact that the average distance between NBA teams and their affiliates has come down significantly in recent years, allowing franchises to make better use of those affiliates. According to Turner, as recently as five years ago, the average distance between an NBA team and its G League affiliate was about 550 miles — now it’s approximately 120 miles.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Rather than holding the 2018 draft lottery in New York next spring, the NBA will have the event take place in Chicago on May 15, followed by the combine – also in Chicago – from May 16-20, the league announced on Thursday.
  • Within his latest article for ESPN.com, Zach Lowe wonders if the Magic could be a viable landing spot for Eric Bledsoe, and takes a look at how the Kings‘ veteran free agent acquisitions have underachieved so far.
  • Former Rockets forward Kyle Wiltjer signed a one-year deal this week to play with Olympiacos in Greece, as Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net details. Wiltjer was in camp with the Raptors this fall and was set to play for Toronto’s G League team before deciding to head overseas instead.
  • Veteran big man Glen Davis, who recently signed a G League contract, wasn’t claimed by a team on waivers and will now enter the available player pool, a source tells Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days (Twitter link). G League teams set their opening-night rosters this week and likely aren’t looking to make changes right away, so Davis may have to be patient as he waits for an opportunity.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/2/17

Here are Thursday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA, with new moves added to the top of the post throughout the day:

8:20pm:

2:00pm:

  • The Magic have assigned rookie center Khem Birch to the G League, the team announced today (via Twitter). According to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link), the plan is for Birch to play a couple games with the Lakeland Magic before being recalled to the NBA.
  • Nets guard Isaiah Whitehead, who was sent to the G League on Monday, has been recalled, the club announced today in a press release. Whitehead has also had three assignments to the Long Island Nets this season.
  • The Grizzlies assigned second-year forward Deyonta Davis to the G League to practice with the Memphis Hustle, according to the team (Twitter link). Davis hasn’t been part of the Grizzlies’ rotation this year, appearing in just one game for the club so far.