NBA G League Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mario Chalmers Signs In G League

December 18th, 2021 at 3:44pm CST by JD Shaw

DECEMBER 18: Chalmers will join the Nuggets’ G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, and will take part in the G League Showcase from December 19-22, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

DECEMBER 14: Free agent Mario Chalmers is pursuing an NBA comeback and has signed a contract in the G League, agents Ronnie Chalmers and Jerry Dianis told Hoops Rumors. Chalmers will be free to sign with any team if he goes unclaimed on waivers over the next 48 hours.

Chalmers, 35, is one of several veterans to choose the G League in recent weeks, joining Isaiah Thomas (Grand Rapids Gold) and Langston Galloway (College Park Skyhawks). He bypassed interest from multiple teams overseas to return to the U.S. At least one G League team has already made a commitment to the point guard, his agents said.

“Finishing my career where I started would mean the world to me,” Chalmers said of possibly returning to the NBA. “I first got drafted into the NBA. I never had dreams of walking away from the game of basketball overseas, so this would be a great way to end my career. Just being back at home in front of the fans that helped me get to where I am today.”

Chalmers most recently played in Greece, appearing in 22 games for Aris Basketball Club in 2020/21. He averaged 10.5 points, 2.3 assists and 22.2 minutes per contest, shooting 46% from the floor and 37% from deep.

“This is the most expedient route for Mario to get in front of NBA eyes,” Dianis explained. “Playoff teams need players who know how to win. Mario is a proven winner with championship pedigree.”

Chalmers was the No. 34 pick in 2008 after spending three seasons at Kansas, where he famously hit a three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in the NCAA championship game to force overtime and help his team win the national title.

Chalmers also started at point guard for the Heat between 2010-14, when the club won two NBA championships and made four Finals appearances. A nine-year veteran, he has made past NBA stops with Miami and Memphis, averaging 8.9 points and 3.7 assists in 22.5 minutes per game.

“I have a lot left in the tank,” Chalmers said. “I have fresh legs, a fresh body and I’m ready for that full NBA grind again. A lot of teams are fighting for those 16 playoff spots, so at the end of the day, if someone gets hurt or COVID becomes an issue, I’m ready.

“I’ve been in the gym. I catch on fast and won’t miss a beat. I’ve already been there before. At the end of the day, I know what it takes to help win a championship.”

And-Ones: Franchise Valuations, Maker, Ferrell, J. Smith

December 16th, 2021 at 9:46am CST by Luke Adams

Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico has released his annual NBA franchise valuations, with the Knicks ($6.12 billion), Warriors ($6.03 billion), and Lakers ($5.63 billion) leading the way. Those three clubs are far and away the NBA’s most valuable, in Sportico’s view — no other team is valued above $3.61 billion, which is where the fourth-place Nets land, and the average league-wide valuation is about $2.6 billion.

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

Former NBA lottery pick Thon Maker and Hapoel Jerusalem have parted ways, the Israeli team announced earlier this week (via Twitter). Maker, who spent part of last season with the Cavaliers, is once again a free agent.
Veteran guard Yogi Ferrell recently signed with a team in Slovenia, but he remains focused on playing his way back to the NBA, he said this week on Eurohoops’ EurohooPOD podcast. “I definitely want to get back over there and still show I belong in the league,” Ferrell said.
While Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren have long been viewed as the consensus top two prospects in the 2022 draft class, John Hollinger of The Athletic says that Auburn’s Jabari Smith is making a legitimate case to be considered at No. 1.
The Bulls‘ organization is being impacted by COVID-19 at multiple levels. Like the NBA squad, the G League’s Windy City Bulls have had their schedule affected by the health and safety protocols and won’t take part in the upcoming NBAGL Winter Showcase, the league announced in a press release.

Pacers Rumors: Simmons, Turner, Sabonis, Duarte, Jackson

December 14th, 2021 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers are considered the NBA team most likely to make a significant move on the trade market, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. However, Fischer says there’s a leaguewide skepticism that Indiana will embark on a full-fledged rebuild after hiring head coach Rick Carlisle to a four-year contract just months ago.

“Carlisle is not going to allow that to happen,” one assistant general manager told Bleacher Report. “They’re going to ‘middle build.’ They’re going to go with a sense of competing.”

As Fischer observes, a deal for 25-year-old star Ben Simmons would be the sort of big move the Pacers could make if they want to look toward the future while remaining competitive in the present. But none of Indiana’s top trade chips is the kind of star the Sixers would covet as the centerpiece as a Simmons deal. If the Pacers make a serious push for Simmons, they may have to loop in a third team, Fischer writes.

Here’s more on the Pacers from Fischer:

As Shams Charania reported on Monday, the expectation among rival executives is that the Pacers will move one of their standout big men – Myles Turner or Domantas Sabonis – but not both. Fischer says Indiana may ultimately make its decision based on which player commands a higher return, which suggests the team doesn’t strongly prefer one over the other.
Although Turner has been involved in trade rumors for years, the Pacers have always highly valued him, according to Fischer, who hears from sources that the club turned down a Pelicans offer that included the No. 4 pick in the 2019 draft. That pick was eventually sent to the Hawks, who drafted De’Andre Hunter.
Sabonis’ value around the NBA is mixed, but Fischer names the Trail Blazers as one team that may be interested. Fischer also mentions the Kings, pointing out that Carlisle thinks highly of Harrison Barnes, but a Monday report indicated Sacramento hasn’t pursued Sabonis or Turner at all this season.
Malcolm Brogdon can’t be traded this season after recently signing an extension. But besides Brogdon, rookies Chris Duarte and Isaiah Jackson are viewed by rival executives as the only Pacers players who are probably off-limits in trade talks. “Sabonis, Turner, (T.J.) Warren, (and Caris) LeVert all can be had at the right price,” another assistant GM told Fischer.
In other Pacers news, the team has assigned center Goga Bitadze to the G League for the first time this season, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. As Agness points out, Bitadze has been out of Indiana’s rotation for weeks and could use some reps with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

Isaiah Thomas Signs With Nuggets’ G League Affiliate

December 13th, 2021 at 5:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 13: Thomas has signed the Grand Rapids Gold, the Nuggets’ G League affiliate, the league’s PR department tweets. He has a close relationship with the team’s coach, Jason Terry, Mike Singer of the Denver Post tweets.

According to Singer, there’s a slim chance Thomas will ultimately get called up by the Nuggets. However, he remains free to sign with any NBA team if he impresses during his NBAGL stint.

DECEMBER 11: Isaiah Thomas will continue his quest for an NBA comeback in the G League, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Thomas has signed with the league and will take part in the G League Showcase from December 19-22 in Las Vegas.

The 32-year-old guard has been trying to re-establish himself in the NBA since suffering a lingering hip injury in 2017. He recently played for Team USA in the 2023 World Cup qualifiers in Mexico, leading the team with 42 total points and 13 assists in two games.

Thomas put together back-to-back All-Star seasons before being injured, but has experienced short and unsuccessful stays with five teams over the last four years. He appeared in just three games last season after signing a 10-day contract with the Pelicans in April.

Thomas said last month that he worked out for three NBA teams over the summer and was close to a deal, but nothing got finalized.

Langston Galloway To Sign With G League Team

December 12th, 2021 at 11:12am CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 12: Galloway has reached an agreement to join the G League’s College Park Skyhawks, tweets Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. The Skyhawks are the Hawks‘ G League affiliate.

The Skyhawks announced the deal via their official Twitter account.

DECEMBER 11: Point guard Langston Galloway, who helped the Suns reach the NBA Finals last season, will sign with the G League, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Like Isaiah Thomas, who is also hoping for an NBA comeback, Galloway will participate in the G League Showcase set for December 19-22 in Las Vegas.

Galloway played a role off the bench for Phoenix last season, averaging 4.8 points in 40 games while shooting 44.9% from the field and 42.4% from three-point range. However, he was unhappy about playing just 11.0 minutes per night and elected to seek a new team in free agency.

He signed a non-guaranteed training camp contract with the Warriors in late September, but was waived before the season started.

Galloway, who turned 30 this week, went undrafted out of St. Joseph’s in 2014, but was able to put together a seven-year career with the Knicks, Pelicans, Kings, Pistons and Suns. He has appeared in 445 NBA games with career averages of 8.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

And-Ones: Stephenson, Popovich, Thibodeau, Africa League, Samuel

December 9th, 2021 at 5:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lance Stephenson is currently playing for the Nuggets’ G league affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold. He ultimately hopes to get another chance to play in the NBA, as he told Bob Kravitz of The Athletic.

“I want to show everybody I’m a different guy and I’ll do anything I can to contribute to a team,’” he said. “My whole mindset is getting back to the NBA. I feel like I belong there. That’s my destination. And I’ll never quit trying.”

Stephenson, who is averaging 19.5 PPG and 7.4 RPG for the Gold, hasn’t appeared in the NBA game since the 2018/19 season, when he played in 63 regular-season games for the Lakers.

We have more from around the basketball world:

A successor for Gregg Popovich as Team USA’s head coach has yet to be named. Popovich said that Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau would make an excellent choice, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. “Oh sure, there are a lot of guys up here that would be fantastic and he’s one of them,” Popovich said. “I think that experience is great and the people that they’re looking at, they’re all great candidates and I think everybody is going to be happy with the final selection for sure. He also was really helpful and supportive during my last four or five years with this, talking to him about how it all goes, giving advice.”
The Basketball Africa League will have an expanded second season, according to an NBA press release. The season will begin on March 5, 2022, in Dakar, Senegal, and will include stops in Cairo, Egypt, and Kigali, Rwanda. The BAL will once again feature the to 12 club teams from 12 African countries and will expand to a total of 38 games over three months.
Seton Hall big man Tyrese Samuel has caught the eye of NBA scouts, Adam Zagoria of NJ.com writes. According to Zagoria, 25 NBA scouts from 17 teams will be in attendance on Thursday when the Pirates play Texas. There’s a chance Samuel could enter the draft after this season, depending on the feedback he gets.

Southeast Notes: Collins, Johnson, Carter Jr., Dedmon

November 29th, 2021 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

John Collins re-signed with the Hawks on a five-year, $125MM contract as a restricted free agent during the offseason. So far, it’s working out well for both sides, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Collins is averaging 16.6 PPG, 8.0 RPG and 1.3 BPG.

“He’s had stretches like this all of the time,” Hawks star Trae Young said. “Now he’s being so consistent with it. This is normal for him. He’s playing really well on the offensive end. On the defensive end, he’s just as good if not better. “

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Jalen Johnson‘s only path to playing time with the Hawks this season is more frontcourt injuries, head coach Nate McMillan told Kirschner (Twitter link). The 20th overall pick of this year’s draft, Johnson is playing with the G League’s College Park Skyhawks to develop his game, Sarah Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. “That’s what it’s for and that’s what we want him to do,” McMillan said.
Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. was fined $35K by the league for forcefully throwing his protective glasses at a game official, Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw tweets. The incident, for which Carter was assessed a technical foul and ejected, occurred in the fourth quarter of the Magic’s loss to Cleveland on Saturday.
Heat center Dewayne Dedmon was fined $15K by the league for kicking a seat cushion from his team’s bench into the stands, Shaw adds in another tweet. Dedmon was assessed a technical foul and ejected for his action, which occurred in the fourth quarter of the Heat’s win over Chicago on Saturday.

Warriors Assign Klay Thompson, James Wiseman To G League Affiliate

November 28th, 2021 at 4:28pm CST by JD Shaw

The Warriors have assigned Klay Thompson and James Wiseman to the team’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the club announced on social media.

Thompson, who has missed the past two seasons due to a torn ACL and torn Achilles, will practice with Santa Cruz on Sunday. Joining the club’s G League affiliate is the latest step in his lengthy recovery.

Wiseman underwent surgery to repair a torn right meniscus in April. Golden State cleared him to participate in full team practices earlier in the month, but he has yet to play in a game this season. He averaged 11.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 21.4 minutes in 39 games during the 2021/22 campaign.

Despite Thompson and Wiseman being sidelined, the Warriors have opened the season with an impressive 17-2 record. Guards Jordan Poole and Damion Lee have helped make up for Thompson’s absence, while big men Kevon Looney and Nemanja Bjelica have impressed during their respective minutes.

And-Ones: 2022 Free Agents, M. Richardson, Capitanes

November 23rd, 2021 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

In his early look at 2022’s top free agents, John Hollinger of The Athletic ranks Bulls guard Zach LaVine as the No. 1 player in next year’s class, ahead of stars like Wizards guard Bradley Beal and Nets guard James Harden. As Hollinger explains, LaVine will be just 27 years old when he reaches free agency, which means his next contract is a good bet to cover his prime years. Beal will be 29 and Harden will be entering his age-33 season, so the final seasons of long-term deals would be a little riskier in those cases — especially for Harden.

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

Former NBA first-round pick Malachi Richardson is continuing his professional career in Poland, having signed with King Wilki Morskie Szczecin, according to the team. The 22nd overall pick in the 2016 draft, Richardson hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2018/19 season and most recently suited up in Italy.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Mexico City Capitanes’ first season in the NBA G League has them based out of an apartment complex in Fort Worth, Texas without a home arena. Scott Cacciola of The New York Times takes a closer look at an unusual start for the G League’s first Mexican franchise, which won’t actually play in Mexico in 2021/22.
With the Lakers and Knicks set to face one another in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night, Sopan Deb of The New York Times explores why Sportico and Forbes have given both teams valuations north of $5 billion and why the value of a big-market franchise like the Lakers or Knicks isn’t really dependent on whether or not they’re winning.

Southeast Notes: Ball, Hachimura, Okongwu, Adebayo

November 18th, 2021 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hornets coach James Borrego meets individually with LaMelo Ball at least twice a week to go over details that will aid the point guard’s development, Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes. They are especially focused on reducing turnovers and fouls.

“It’s really about decision-making,” Borrego said. “That’s really it. ‘What are you seeing here? What are your reads here? What are you thinking on this play offensively, defensively?’ Some of it is accountability, some of it is simply, ‘You are in the right position, you are not in the right position.’ I show him positives, I show him areas of growth. It’s not all areas of concern for me.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Wizards forward Rui Hachimura is expected to begin training with the Capital City Go-Go in the G League next week, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington reports. Hachimura hasn’t played this season due to personal reasons and the Wizards are hopeful he’ll soon return to their rotation. The focus right now is mainly about getting his conditioning up to speed.
Hawks second-year forward Onyeka Okongwu has ramped up his activity as he seeks to return from shoulder surgery, he told Sarah Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 2020 lottery pick is hopeful he can get back in action sometime next month. “I feel stronger. Legs feel stronger, I’m getting my upper-body muscles back, and everything’s going well right now,” he said. “You could say that I’m definitely on track; my goal is still to come back in December, but I’m not going to rush or anything.”
Heat center Bam Adebayo admits the team was worn out by the time the playoffs came around last season, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Miami was swept by the Bucks in the opening round. “We are more solution-based and trying to figure out how to get it done rather than, ‘Here is our excuses to why we can’t get it done,’” Adebayo said. “But after the season, looking back at it, you was like, ‘Nah, we were broken.’”