NBA G League Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Turner, Grant, Olynyk, Caruso

January 17th, 2022 at 7:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pacers center Myles Turner will visit a foot specialist in Los Angeles during the team’s West Coast trip, Scott Agness of FieldhouseFiles reports in a Substack post.

“In the last couple games, he’s just felt something so we’re going to get it checked out,” coach Rick Carlisle said.

Turner sat out the team’s loss to the Clippers on Monday afternoon. The league’s top shot-blocker has been the subject of trade rumors this season and a significant injury could alter the front office’s plans prior to next month’s deadline.

We have more from the Central Division:

The Pistons have assigned forward Jerami Grant — a prime trade candidate — to the G League Motor City Cruise as he rehabs from thumb surgery, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets. He’ll begin on-court work as the team heads out for a four-game road swing. He will not play in any of those road games, Rod Beard of The Detroit News tweets.
Pistons center Kelly Olynyk is hopeful he’ll be back in action sometime during the trip, Beard adds in another tweet. Olynyk hasn’t played since Nov. 10 after suffering an MCL sprain. He was signed to a three-year, $37MM contract in free agency last summer.
Bulls guard Alex Caruso could play on Wednesday against Cleveland after exiting the league’s health and safety protocols, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. “He did some work [Monday], he’ll do some work [Tuesday], and probably make some kind of assessment then at that point before the Cleveland game,’’ coach Billy Donovan said. “We’ll have to have a plan for him if he is able to physically play Wednesday, and what his minutes will look like to help him get back to what he was.”

And-Ones: Davis, Georges-Hunt, All-Star Picks, 2022 Draft

January 15th, 2022 at 11:15am CST by Dana Gauruder

Former NBA big man Deyonta Davis has signed with a Taiwanese team, the Taoyuan Leopards, according to Sportando. Davis, an early second-round selection in the 2016 draft, last appeared in the NBA during the 2018/19 season, when he saw action in nine games with Atlanta.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Former NBA forward Marcus Georges-Hunt has signed a G League deal and will play for the Hawks’ affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic tweets. Georges-Hunt spent some time in the Chinese Basketball Association after playing in the NBA. He played a combined 47 games for Orlando and Minnesota from 2016-18.
The Athletic’s Josh Robbins and John Hollinger put their heads together and made their selections for the All-Star starters and reserves in both conferences. Some of the notable players who didn’t make the cut included James Harden, Jaylen Brown, Paul George and Damian Lillard.
Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr. is the first player off the board in the latest mock draft from Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo. Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren are the next two selections with Wisconsin guard Johnny Davis elevating to the No. 4 spot.

And-Ones: Exceptions, Trade Market, Dunn, Ferguson, Roberts

January 11th, 2022 at 9:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Teams that still have money remaining on their mid-level and bi-annual exceptions saw those exceptions begin to prorate downward by 1/174th per day on Monday, January 10, as Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

For instance, if a team still had $5MM of its mid-level exception on Monday, that amount has now begun to decrease by $28,736 per day. The daily reduction for the rest of the season is always determined based on the amount of the exception left on January 10. So even if that hypothetical team with $5MM of its mid-level remaining decided to use $2MM of it today, the leftover amount would continue to decrease by $28,736 per day going forward.

Many teams have either already used their mid-level and bi-annual exceptions or don’t intend to. However, this may affect certain teams that want to pursue players on the buyout market or plan to convert players from two-way contracts to standard deals later in the season.

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

In an Insider-only story for ESPN, Marks has shared his annual trade deadline guide, providing an in-depth look at what to watch for all 30 teams, including each club’s cap and tax situation, trade restrictions, and top trade candidates.
After signing NBA G League contracts, two former first-round picks have new teams. Guard Kris Dunn has joined the Clippers‘ affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, while Terrance Ferguson will be a member of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets‘ affiliate (Twitter links via Marc Stein).
Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic spoke to outgoing NBPA executive director Michele Roberts about her tenure with the players’ union, her retirement, the upcoming CBA negotiations between the league and the union, and several more topics. Tamika Tremaglio took the reins as the NBPA’s new executive director on Monday.

G League Updates: Dunn, Ferguson, Meeks, Thornton, Thompson

January 10th, 2022 at 6:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former lottery pick Kris Dunn has signed an NBA G League contract, Mark Stein tweets. That puts the combo guard in a position to be acquired by a G League franchise this week.

Dunn appeared in just four games last season with Atlanta after undergoing ankle surgery. Dunn was traded multiple times during the offseason, finally landing in Memphis. The Grizzlies waived him at the end of training camp and he’s been seeking another opportunity since that point.

Several other former NBA players have also gone the G League route:

Terrance Ferguson has also signed a G League contract, according to Stein (Twitter link). Ferguson, who played for the Thunder and Sixers over the last four seasons, played three games in Greece this season, then returned to the U.S. to explore another NBA opportunity.
Guard Jodie Meeks has joined the Raptors 905, Toronto’s affiliate. Meeks hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since logging 51 seconds of action for the Raptors in Game 3 of the 2019 NBA Finals, but has over 500 regular season appearances under his belt.
Marcus Thornton has been acquired by the Motor City Cruise, the Pistons’ affiliate. Thornton has played 483 NBA games, making previous stops with New Orleans, Sacramento, Brooklyn, Boston, Phoenix, Houston and Washington during his career. He last played with the Pistons’ G League affiliate during the 2018/19 season.
Jason Thompson‘s G League rights have been acquired by the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ affiliate, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. Thompson, 35, last played in the NBA during the 2015/16 season, splitting time between Golden State and Toronto.

Northwest Notes: DSJ, Zeller, Nuggets, Beverley, Azubuike, Kalaitzakis

January 7th, 2022 at 2:24pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers will keep Dennis Smith Jr. on their roster through the salary guarantee date, ensuring that he receives his full salary for 2021/22, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Smith won a training camp battle to earn a regular season roster spot and has averaged 5.4 PPG and 3.3 APG in 19 games (17.2 MPG). While his shooting numbers (.396 FG%, .273 3PT%) are below his mediocre career rates, Smith has apparently made enough of an impress on the Trail Blazers to stick around as the team’s 14th man. He’ll earn a $1,789,256 salary ($1,669,178 cap hit) for the season.

Wojnarowski also provides another updates on the Trail Blazers, tweeting that center Cody Zeller is expected to be available vs. Cleveland on Friday night. Zeller, who hasn’t played since December 6, missed time due to a knee injury and a stint in the health and safety protocols, but it appears he’s been cleared to return on both fronts.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Nuggets forwards Jeff Green and Zeke Nnaji are no longer in the health and safety protocols, but two-way rookie Petr Cornelie has entered them, tweets Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Because the team still has one player in the COVID-19 protocols, hardship signee Davon Reed can remain active.
The Patrick Beverley trade has been a major coup for the Timberwolves, according to Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune, who says the veteran guard has been an “ideal leader” for the young team. Minnesota gave up Jarrett Culver and Juan Hernangomez to land Beverley.
Udoka Azubuike hasn’t played much for the Jazz since being selected with the 27th pick in the 2020 draft, but he logged a career-high 16 minutes in his first ever start on Wednesday in Denver, holding his own against Nikola Jokic. Tony Jones of The Athletic has the story on the young center’s unexpected showcase, which came with Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside unavailable. “I’m not going to lie to you, I was a little nervous,” Azubuike said. “I just came back from (an ankle) injury, and I’m playing against the MVP? That was a lot to process.”
Georgios Kalaitzakis, the 60th overall pick in the 2021 draft who was waived by Milwaukee earlier this season, has signed an NBA G League contract, as our JD Shaw recently reported (via Twitter). The 23-year-old Greek forward joined the Oklahoma City Blue and appeared in his first game with the Thunder‘s affiliate on Thursday.

Former NBA Big Man Jason Thompson Signs G League Deal

January 6th, 2022 at 1:13pm CST by Rory Maher

Former NBA big man Jason Thompson has signed a G League contract, he tells JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link). Thompson, 35, last played in the NBA during the 2015/16 season, splitting time between Golden State and Toronto.

The 12th overall pick of the 2008 draft, Thompson spent the first seven seasons of his career with the team that drafted him, the Kings. Across eight seasons and 588 games (412 starts), Thompson holds career averages of 8.9 points and 6.6 rebounds in 25.2 minutes per contest.

Thompson has spent the past several seasons hooping overseas, playing in China, Turkey, Spain, and six games this season with Hapoel Haifa of the Israeli Super League.

Thompson still believes he can help teams at the highest level, as he told Hoops Rumors (Twitter links).

“I’m a savvy veteran that can play a role and be a focal point for a team. I’ve been there, I’ve seen success and I’ve been around a lot of great players throughout my career.

“I just love the game, man. It’s done so much great for me. I’ve played at pretty much every level. It’s just a blessing to travel the world, do something I love and help these young players,” Thompson said.

Rockets Assistant Gerald Green To Resume Playing, Plans To Sign With G League

January 6th, 2022 at 8:41am CST by Arthur Hill

Gerald Green, who joined the Rockets as a player development coach in October, plans to revive his playing career and sign a G League contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Green’s goal is to eventually return to the NBA, Charania adds.

The 35-year-old swingman has played 12 NBA seasons, most recently with Houston in 2018/19 when he averaged 9.2 points and 2.5 rebounds in 72 games. He suffered a broken foot in October of 2019 and hasn’t played since, although he worked out for the Rockets in September.

Selected by the Celtics with the 18th pick in the 2005 draft, Green began his career as a spectacular dunker, winning the 2007 Slam Dunk Contest and finishing as runner-up a year later. He developed into a reliable three-point shooter and was a rotation player as Houston reached the Western Conference Finals in 2018.

Green played for eight NBA teams, with 658 total games and a career scoring average of 9.7 PPG.

NBA Names Malik Rose Head Of G League Operations

January 5th, 2022 at 11:21am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has named Malik Rose the league’s new head of basketball operations for the G League, announcing the news today in a press release.

A former NBA player who won a pair of championships with the Spurs, Rose transitioned to broadcasting following his retirement in 2009. In 2015, he joined the Hawks’ front office and was named the G League’s Executive of the Year in 2018 for his work with the Erie BayHawks, Atlanta’s then-affiliate.

Rose joined the Pistons as an assistant GM during the summer of 2018, then left the team two years later for a role in the league office as one of the NBA’s vice presidents of basketball operations. He was reportedly viewed as a possible candidate to succeed Michele Roberts as the NBPA’s next executive director, but will instead return to the G League.

In his new position, Rose will head up the NBAGL’s efforts to expand its talent pipeline and will focus on further integrating the basketball operations of the G League and NBA, according to today’s announcement. He’ll also oversee the G League Ignite, the league’s program for top prospects who choose to forgo a one-and-done year in college.

“We are thrilled to have Malik join the NBA G League as head of basketball operations,” G League commissioner Shareef Abdur-Rahim said in a statement. “With his success as a player at the highest levels of the game and extensive background as an executive in both the NBA and G League, Malik has the experience, vision and expertise to help accelerate our progress and further deepen the connection between the two leagues.”

And-Ones: Tolliver, Millsap, Bezhanishvili, Hernandez

January 3rd, 2022 at 9:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Veteran forward Anthony Tolliver signed a 10-day contract with the Pelicans under the hardship exception the day after Christmas. However, Tolliver tested positive for COVID-19 and the contract was voided. He has now cleared protocols and is eligible to be signed immediately, Will Guillory of The Athletic tweets. Tolliver played for the Sixers last season.

We have more news from the basketball world:

Former NBA guard Elijah Millsap has signed a NBA G League contract and is expected to join the College Park Skyhawks, the Hawks’ affiliate, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. Millsap, the brother of Brooklyn Nets veteran Paul Millsap, played 69 games in the NBA, though his last appearance came during the 2016/17 season.
Grand Rapids Gold forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili could be on the radar for a 10-day contract, Shaw tweets. He has averaged 16.4 PPG and 8.6 RPG in his last eight contests for the Nuggets’ affiliate.
Former Raptors center Dewan Hernandez has signed a G League contract and has been acquired by the Westchester Knicks, Shaw adds in another tweet. Hernandez played six NBA games during the 2019/20 season.

And-Ones: Referees, Protocols, Thornton, Koufos

January 1st, 2022 at 3:29pm CST by JD Shaw

The NBA has reached a season-high number of referees who are in health and safety protocols, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com. As of Thursday afternoon, Wojnarowski reported that 25 of 70 officials (36%) were in quarantine.

As our health and safety protocols tracker shows, over 100 NBA players are currently out due to the virus. Eleven games have been postponed this season, including – most recently – Thursday’s Warriors-Nuggets game.

The NBA has called up G League officials to make up for various absences. Some games have been played with two referees instead of three, but Wojnarowski reports that the league is working to limit these instances.

Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The NBA and NBPA have agreed to change the absence timeline for a player who enters protocols, Wojnarowski and Baxter Holmes write in a separate story for ESPN. The adjustment only impacts asymptomatic and vaccinated players. As the duo writes, players were allowed to return after seven days if their CT levels were above 35, but the change now allows players to return after five days if their CT levels are above 30.
Eight-year NBA veteran Marcus Thornton has signed a contract in the G League, sources told Hoops Rumors. Thornton has played 483 NBA games, making past stops with New Orleans, Sacramento, Brooklyn, Boston, Phoenix, Houston and Washington during his career. He last played with the Pistons’ G League affiliate during the 2018/19 season.
Free agent center Kosta Koufos will no longer sign with Italian club Reyer Venezia due to new guidelines and travel restrictions in the country, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link). Koufos, an 11-year NBA veteran, owns 686 games of experience since being drafted No. 23 overall in 2008.