NBA G League Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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.

COVID Updates: Cheatham, Brown, Simpson, York

January 1st, 2022 at 10:15am CST by Dana Gauruder

Here’s are the latest updates regarding players entering or exiting the league’s health and safety protocols or on 10-day contracts:

Zylan Cheatham‘s 10-day contract with the Heat expired after the team’s game against the Rockets on Friday, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets. The Heat still have six other players on 10-day contracts and six players in protocols. Cheatham never appeared in a game with the Heat and entered protocols on Dec. 29.
Charlie Brown Jr. won’t receive another 10-day from the Mavericks, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. Brown made three cameo appearances for Dallas.
Gabe York agreed to a 10-day contract with the Magic on Dec. 29. However, he tested positive for COVID-19 the next day, scuttling the deal, Justin Spears of Tucson.com reports. York has been playing with the G League Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers’ affiliate.
Guard Zavier Simpson agreed to a 10-day with the Thunder on Monday. However, he has also entered protocols, according to Shaw. It’s still possible Simpson could sign a contract once he’s cleared.

Jordan Crawford Signs G League Contract

December 30th, 2021 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA guard Jordan Crawford has signed a G League contract in advance of the NBAGL’s regular season, agent Darrell Comer tells our JD Shaw (Twitter link).

The 27th overall pick in the 2010 draft, Crawford appeared in 281 total regular season games between 2010-18 for the Hawks, Wizards, Celtics, Warriors, and Pelicans. He averaged 12.2 PPG, 3.1 APG, and 2.5 RPG on .411/.317/.826 shooting in 24.4 minutes per contest.

Since last appearing in the NBA in 2018, Crawford has played for a handful of international teams, spending time in Israel, China, Germany, Russia, and Turkey. He’s now seeking an NBA comeback.

The G League season is scheduled to get underway next Wednesday, January 5.

And-Ones: P. Jones, Mac, Clark, Opportunities, Hardship Deals

December 29th, 2021 at 9:14pm CST by Rory Maher

Perry Jones and Sheldon Mac are the latest players attempting NBA comebacks, agent Harrison Gaines tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter). The two players will be entering the G League player pool.

Jones was the 28th overall pick of the 2012 draft for the Thunder and played three seasons with the team, last appearing in 2014/15. In 143 career games, Jones holds averages of 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 11.7 minutes.

The 29-year-old Mac appeared in 30 games for the Wizards in 2016/17, holding modest averages of 3.0 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per contest.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Veteran forward Earl Clark has joined Miami’s G League squad, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. It was reported last week that Clark had signed a G League deal.
The opportunities for players caused by COVID-19 absences are no laughing matter, write Jon Krawczynski and Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Krawczynski and Weiss note that Timberwolves players who’d been out of the team’s rotation (Jake Layman, Nathan Knight, Jaylen Nowell) or out of the NBA (Greg Monroe) are trying to make the most of their newfound minutes. “I’m not quitting,” Monroe said. “I believe I belong in the NBA. So I’ll just come out and play wherever it is, as hard as I can.”
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype takes a behind the scenes look at what it’s like for players on hardship deals. Scotto spoke to Brandon Knight, Lance Stephenson and Joe Johnson about their new NBA opportunities.
There was a slight change to the NBA’s COVID-19 isolation rules for players outside of a team environment, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. The change has no bearing on a return to team activities, so players who enter the health and safety protocols will still be required to remain away from the team for six days, unless they return two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

Northwest Notes: Faried, Jazz, Monroe, Reed

December 29th, 2021 at 11:53am CST by Luke Adams

Kenneth Faried is joining the Grand Rapids Gold for the coming NBA G League season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Although Grand Rapids is the Nuggets‘ affiliate, Faried will remain an NBA free agent and will have the ability to join any team. If he doesn’t receive any NBA offers in the coming days, we should expect to see the 32-year-old in action for the Gold when the G League regular season begins on January 5.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

In the latest episode of the HoopsHype podcast, Michael Scotto and The Athletic’s Tony Jones spoke about potential trade options for the Jazz, Danny Ainge‘s role with the franchise, and more. Jones expects Utah to be “really aggressive” in exploring the trade market for potential upgrades, reiterating that the team is definitely looking for one more perimeter player who can defend at a high level.
Veteran guard Patrick Beverley is a big fan of what Greg Monroe brings to the Timberwolves and said on Tuesday that he’d like to see the team retain Monroe for the entire season, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Monroe has averaged 9.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 5.0 APG, and 2.0 SPG in two games since joining Minnesota on a 10-day deal.
Davon Reed‘s second 10-day contract expired overnight, so he’s technically no longer on the Nuggets‘ roster, but the team is considering how to keep him in the mix, as we relayed on Tuesday. With no players currently in the health and safety protocols, Denver’s options for keeping Reed would be to waive someone on the standard 17-man roster or to apply for a non-COVID hardship exception based on the team’s four injured players.

Kenneth Faried Signs G League Contract

December 27th, 2021 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran big man Kenneth Faried has signed a G League contract, league sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). Stein first reported on Friday that a contract had been sent to Faried.

A first-round pick in the 2011 draft, Faried appeared in 478 regular season games from 2011-19. The 6’8″ power forward played for the Nuggets for most of his career, but also spent time with Brooklyn and Houston in 2018/19. He played for Portland’s Summer League team earlier this year.

Although Faried has solid career averages of 11.4 PPG and 8.1 RPG in 24.5 minutes per contest, he isn’t a great rim protector or floor spacer, which has limited his appeal to NBA teams in recent years. The 32-year-old has played in China, Puerto Rico, and Russia since 2019 — he recently finished a two-month contract with CSKA Moscow.

The G League is on a brief hiatus right now, as the start of its regular season has been pushed back to January 5 to give teams more time to adjust to the recent exodus of talent to the NBA. As Stein points out, Faried himself is a candidate to earn a 10-day hardship deal with an NBA team. If he doesn’t, he’ll be available to any G League club, first on waivers and then (if he goes unclaimed) via the player pool.