NBA G League Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Heat, Wizards, Hornets, G League

September 15th, 2021 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Heat‘s addition of Kyle Lowry represented one of the biggest splashes of the NBA offseason, and the team’s five-year commitment to Duncan Robinson and signing of P.J. Tucker were also major moves. Those transactions helped earn Miami a grade of A-minus from Zach Harper of The Athletic for the team’s offseason work.

Although Harper believes the Heat got better this summer, he suggests the club still has a couple holes on its roster, arguing that another lead guard to back up Lowry and another reliable outside shooter would be worthwhile additions. Unfortunately, Miami already has 14 players on guaranteed contracts and doesn’t have room to add a 15th right now without going into the tax. However, if Victor Oladipo gets healthy in the second half, he could provide much of what the Heat are missing.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

In past seasons, the Heat have made their two-way contract slots available in an open competition, but they decided to fill them early this year by signing Marcus Garrett and Caleb Martin. As Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald write, those two-way players will help provide wing depth while Oladipo recovers.
The Wizards drastically improved their rebounding numbers last season, but they’ll be missing Robin Lopez‘s box-out talents and will no longer have the league’s best rebounding point guard (Russell Westbrook) in 2021/22. With that in mind, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington explores how the team can avoid a significant drop-off in the rebounding department.
The Hornets have added Norm Richardson to James Borrego‘s coaching staff, league sources tell Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). A former NBA player, Richardson has spent most of the last several years as a G League assistant in Erie and Fort Wayne.
The Hornets also named a new G League head coach, announcing in press release that Jordan Surenkamp – formerly the head video coordinator in Charlotte – will coach the Greensboro Swarm.

G League Schedule Announced With New Format, Begins Nov. 5

September 14th, 2021 at 2:52pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA G League announced today in a press release that it will tip off its 2021/22 season on November 5 with a new, expanded 14-game Showcase Cup tournament.

The event will feature the 28 affiliated G League teams, the G League Ignite, and the Capitanes de la Ciudad de México, who will be based out of Fort Worth, TX for practice and housing, but will play as the home team in G League cities.

The 30 teams will be separated into four regional pods. According to the NBAGL’s press release, eight teams will advance to compete for the Showcase Cup in a single-elimination tournament during the NBA G League’s annual Winter Showcase. The four winners of the regional pods will participate in that tournament, as will the next-best four teams across the league.

The other 22 teams will each play two games during the Winter Showcase, outside of the Showcase Cup. The Winter Showcase will take place from December 19-22.

At the conclusion of the Showcase Cup, all team results will be reset, and the 28 affiliated teams will then play a 36-game regular season from December 27 to April 2, with the top six teams from each conference advancing to the playoffs, to be held following the season. The full schedule for the Showcase Cup and the regular season can be found here.

In a separate press release, the G League Ignite – the league’s “select team” featuring several top prospects – announced their schedule for the Showcase Cup tournament, including two preseason exhibition games. Like the Capitanes, the Ignite don’t have a home arena this season and will not participate in the 36-game regular season. However, the press release states that “additional competition” for the Ignite will be announced at a later date.

And-Ones: Rule Change, Rookies, Ignite, J. Franklin

September 14th, 2021 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s Board of Governors will vote later this month to approve a rule change to the way late-game out-of-bounds reviews are handled, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).

In past seasons, close out-of-bounds calls have been automatically reviewed in the last two minutes of games, resulting in prolonged stoppages that have halted the momentum of close contests and dragged out the final moments of those games. If the Board of Governors approves the rule change, a head coach’s challenge will be required to trigger those reviews, says Charania.

As John Hollinger of The Athletic points out, it’s possible some close calls would be missed as a result of this change. However, some of the calls being overturned by those automatic reviews were plays where a defender clearly knocked a ball out of bounds, but it grazed the ball-handler’s fingertips last, which was a change “nobody wanted.”

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

Mike Schmitz of ESPN (Insider link) identifies several 2021 rookies who are strong candidates to outperform their post-lottery draft positions, including Rockets big man Alperen Sengun (No. 16), Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III (No. 17), and Nuggets guard Bones Hyland (No. 26).
BIG3 director of basketball operations Thomas Scott, a former Lakers assistant, has joined the G League Ignite as an assistant coach on Jason Hart‘s staff, per an announcement from the BIG3 (Twitter link). Scott will also be the Ignite’s head of player development, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
The Chinese Basketball Association has lifted its restrictions on teams signing foreign players now that it has decided to conduct its 2021/22 season in a bubble, as Nicola Lupo of Sportando writes. Sources tell Sportando that former Grizzlies and Nuggets wing Jamaal Franklin – a second-round pick in 2013 – is one of the first players to take advantage, having signed a lucrative new deal with the Shanghai Sharks.

G League’s Mexico City Team To Play In U.S. In 2021/22

September 13th, 2021 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Mexico City Capitanes will indeed be joining the NBA G League for the 2021/22 season, but they won’t be playing their home games in Mexico, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

As Charania explains, ongoing restrictions on international travel related to the coronavirus will prevent the Capitanes from playing in Mexico City in ’21/22. The Raptors found themselves in a similar situation last season, forced to play their home games in Tampa instead of Toronto due to the governmental rules on travel between the U.S. and Canada.

The Capitanes will be based in Fort Worth, Texas for practice and housing purposes in 2021/22, according to Marc Stein of Substack (Twitter link). League sources tell Stein that the team will play all its games in “existing league markets.”

It’s unclear if that means the Capitanes will simply play all their games at their opponent’s arenas, or if they’ll host their home games at nearby arenas if and when they’re available. The Texas Legends (Frisco), Austin Spurs (Austin), and Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Edinburg) are among the other NBAGL teams based in Texas. The Oklahoma City Blue’s home arena also isn’t too far from Fort Worth.

The NBA has yet to formally confirm its plans for the Mexico City Capitanes in 2021/22, but with the G League season inching closer, an official announcement should be coming soon and should provide more clarity on where the club’s home games will take place.

The addition of the Capitanes to the G League for the 2021/22 season means the NBAGL will have 30 teams for the first time — 28 of them are affiliated with NBA clubs. We provided more info on those affiliations last week.

Wizards Notes: Offseason, Centers, Defense, Go-Go

September 9th, 2021 at 8:08pm CST by Rory Maher

The Wizards had an extremely busy offseason, headlined by the massive five-team trade that saw the team send Russell Westbrook to the Lakers and second-round picks all over the place, with the Wizards acquiring Spencer Dinwiddie, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Aaron Holiday, and 31st overall pick Isaiah Todd.

The team is undeniably deeper now, but is it better? Zach Harper of The Athletic isn’t sure, but in his offseason report, he says Washington’s newfound depth ultimately wins out, assigning the team a B grade for its work this summer.

We have more on the Wizards:

Harper asked Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Wizards’ beat writer, the same question. Katz thinks the team is about on par with where it was at the end of last season, in the range of the play-in tournament for the East.
In Katz’ own Q&A mailbag, he speculates that Daniel Gafford will be the Wizards’ opening night starting center, partly because Thomas Bryant is still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered last season. Katz notes that Gafford needs to improve his conditioning to play more minutes, and is reported to be a hard worker. It remains to be seen how Harrell will fit into the rotation once Bryant recovers, as Katz views Bryant as a better defender and a much better shooter.
Harper and Katz both believe Caldwell-Pope and Kuzma will help the team on defense, but the Wizards will likely miss Robin Lopez on both ends of the floor. The two Athletic writers are also curious to see how new coach Wes Unseld Jr. handles the rotations, because one drawback of having so much depth is the limited amount of minutes available for several talented players.
In a lengthy article on the team’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, Jackson Flynn of WashingtonWizards.com spoke to several members of the organization about how they utilize the Go-Go to develop not just their young players, but young coaches and front-office personnel as well. New Go-Go head coach Mike Williams is just 25 years old.

Northwest Notes: Nance Jr., Newton, Krejci, Giddey

September 8th, 2021 at 8:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Larry Nance Jr.,who was shipped to the Trail Blazers as part of the three-team blockbuster deal that landed Lauri Markkanen in Cleveland, believes he’s a piece that could change Portland’s postseason fortunes, as he told Blazers’ website writer Casey Holdahl.

“It’s a team I’ve been rooting for in the playoffs for a while now, just feel like it’s impossible to root against a guy like Dame and CJ (Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum), seems like they have great guys on the roster,” Nance said. “I felt it was an opportunity where I really have a chance to step in and make a difference.

“This is a team that’s been on the edge of something special for a while now and the higher ups in the organization deemed me as someone that could help them get higher. I’m thrilled at the opportunity and I’m really looking forward to taking it. Getting a chance to play with players of this caliber doesn’t come around too often.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

The Timberwolves have hired Jeff Newton as their G League coach, according to a team press release. Prior to taking the helm of the Iowa Wolves, Newton spent the last two seasons as an offensive associate/player development coach for the Timberwolves. “Jeff has proven throughout the last couple years that he is dedicated to the Timberwolves overall mission, including developing our young players which makes him a natural choice as the Wolves head coach,” Timberwolves assistant GM Gianluca Pascucci said.
The contract that Vit Krejci signed with the Thunder is a four-year deal, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Krejci’s first-year salary of $925,258 is guaranteed. The second year salary of $1,563,518 includes a partial guarantee of $781,759, while his $1,836,096 third-season salary is non-guaranteed. The final year of the deal is a team option at $1,988,598. The draft-and-stash wing was selected in the second round of the 2020 draft and acquired in a draft-night deal with Washington.
Thunder first-round pick Josh Giddey is already a big star in his native Australia, as Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman details. In Melbourne, Australia, his fans snapped up Thunder merchandise after he was drafted, his mother Kim Giddey said. “As soon as the draft ended they all went out to buy Oklahoma merchandise,” she said. “It sold out.”

NBA G League Affiliations For 2021/22 Season

September 6th, 2021 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

After an abridged 2020/21 season that only included 18 of the league’s 28 teams, the NBA G League is expected to get back to normal in 2021/22. And for the first time, the league appears on track to feature 30 franchises.

That doesn’t mean that all 30 NBA teams will have a G League affiliate of their own, however. While 28 NBAGL franchises have relationships with NBA squads, the other two are independent, without affiliations.

One of those two is the G League Ignite, which debuted last season. The Ignite is the NBAGL’s developmental program for top prospects coming out of high school. About half the roster is made up of those prospects, while the other half is made up of veterans who will serve as mentors to those up-and-coming teenagers.

The other unaffiliated G League franchise will be the Capitanes Ciudad De Mexico, the NBAGL’s first franchise based in Mexico.

The G League actually still hasn’t officially announced that the Capitanes – based in Mexico City – will be part of the 2021/22 season and doesn’t mention the club in the list of teams on its official website. However, Shams Charania reported in May that the Capitanes would be joining the G League for the ’21/22 campaign, and the team has said so as well. The NBA may still be working through COVID-related logistical issues before formally confirming the Capitanes’ inaugural NBAGL season.

[UPDATE: G League’s Mexico City Team To Play In U.S. In 2021/22]

Besides the Ignite and Capitanes, there are expected to be 28 more teams taking part in the G League’s 2021/22 season, all affiliated with NBA teams. Those affiliations are as follows:

Atlanta Hawks: College Park Skyhawks
Boston Celtics: Maine Celtics
- New name (formerly Maine Red Claws).
Brooklyn Nets: Long Island Nets
Charlotte Hornets: Greensboro Swarm
Chicago Bulls: Windy City Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers: Cleveland Charge
- New name (formerly Canton Charge).
Dallas Mavericks: Texas Legends
Denver Nuggets: Grand Rapids Gold
- New affiliation, name (formerly Grand Rapids Drive, affiliated with Pistons).
Detroit Pistons: Motor City Cruise
- New affiliation, name, location (formerly Northern Arizona Suns, affiliated with Suns).
Golden State Warriors: Santa Cruz Warriors
Houston Rockets: Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Indiana Pacers: Fort Wayne Mad Ants
Los Angeles Clippers: Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario
Los Angeles Lakers: South Bay Lakers
Memphis Grizzlies: Memphis Hustle
Miami Heat: Sioux Falls Skyforce
Milwaukee Bucks: Wisconsin Herd
Minnesota Timberwolves: Iowa Wolves
New Orleans Pelicans: Birmingham Squadron
- New name, location (formerly Erie BayHawks).
New York Knicks: Westchester Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder: Oklahoma City Blue
Orlando Magic: Lakeland Magic
Philadelphia 76ers: Delaware Blue Coats
Sacramento Kings: Stockton Kings
San Antonio Spurs: Austin Spurs
Toronto Raptors: Raptors 905
Utah Jazz: Salt Lake City Stars
Washington Wizards: Capital City Go-Go

Of those 28 G League teams, 26 are fully owned and operated by their NBA partners. Only the Rockets and Nuggets have “hybrid” affiliations with their G League teams, meaning they manage and fund the basketball operations while local ownership maintains the control of the business and its community relations.

The two teams without NBAGL affiliates are the Trail Blazers and Suns. As noted above, Phoenix actually had its own G League team – the Northern Arizona Suns – but sold the club to the Pistons, who have relocated it to Detroit and rebranded it as the Motor City Cruise. Portland, meanwhile, has long been one of the few NBA teams without an NBAGL affiliate.

The Blazers and Suns are still permitted to send players to another team’s G League affiliate during the season via the flexible assignment rule, but won’t have much say in how those players are used or developed at the NBAGL level.

Atlantic Notes: Dragic, Christian, Hernangomez, Jordan

September 3rd, 2021 at 5:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors and Goran Dragic have not engaged in buyout talks, according to ESPN’s Jordan Schultz (Twitter link), who says a report stating the point guard is on track to sign with the Mavericks is inaccurate. Dragic, who was acquired in the sign-and-trade with Miami that sent Kyle Lowry to the Heat, still has trade value, which gives Toronto less incentive to explore a possible buyout.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics have hired Jarell Christian as the head coach of their G League affiliate in Maine, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. Clevis Murray was the first to report that Christian was expected to fill that position (Twitter link). Christian, 35, has been in the Wizards’ organization since 2019. He spent one season as head coach of the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s NBA G League affiliate, before becoming an assistant coach last season.
The pending acquisition of Juan Hernangomez by the Celtics from the Grizzlies is a low-risk move, Jay King of The Athletic writes. Boston gave up two guards who probably wouldn’t have been in the rotation and the pick swap wasn’t a huge sweetener, King continues. Hernangomez could help them space the floor with his perimeter shooting and if he doesn’t pan out, his 2022/23 salary of $7.4MM can be cast off, since it’s not guaranteed.
By trading DeAndre Jordan rather than waiving him and using the stretch provision over five years, the Nets made a wise financial move, as Bobby Marks of ESPN’s explains (Twitter link). The agreed-upon trade with the Pistons allows Brooklyn to avoid have dead money on the cap, which is essential for a luxury tax team. They also shed his salary over the next two seasons and acquired players on smaller contracts, which will reduce their tax liability in the short run.

Lakers Notes: Rondo, Davis, Lineups, G League

September 2nd, 2021 at 9:02pm CST by Luke Adams

While the Lakers have high hopes for guards Kendrick Nunn and Talen Horton-Tucker, both players are relatively young, so the decision to sign Rajon Rondo reflects the team’s desire to hedge its bets in the backcourt, writes Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.

Los Angeles may not lean heavily on Rondo, who will turn 36 during the 2021/22 season, but he gives the team a proven backup at the point in case Nunn and Horton-Tucker struggle at all. Rondo is also more of a distributor than Nunn and Horton-Tucker, who are score-first guards, so he could be a better fit in certain lineups and situations.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Within his article on the Rondo signing, Pincus cites a source who says Anthony Davis was frustrated at times last season with the looks he got in the post from Dennis Schröder compared to the ones he got from Rondo the year before. That may have been one factor in the Lakers’ decision to let Schröder walk in free agency.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic identifies five Lakers lineups he’s looking forward to seeing in 2021/22, including a switchable, center-less unit (LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Kent Bazemore, Trevor Ariza, and Horton-Tucker) and one in which LeBron is surrounded by shooters (Malik Monk, Wayne Ellington, Carmelo Anthony, and Marc Gasol).
The South Bay Lakers – Los Angeles’ G League affiliate – officially announced Miles Simon as the team’s head coach for the 2021/22 season. Simon has spent the last four seasons as an assistant on the Lakers’ staff and coached the team’s Summer League squad in 2017 and 2018.

Eastern Notes: Bakker, Wizards, Markkanen, Bulls

August 25th, 2021 at 5:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

DJ Bakker has been named the head coach of the Pistons’ new G League franchise, the Motor City Cruise, according to a team press release. Bakker has spent the last three seasons as an assistant and player development coach under Dwane Casey and served as the Pistons’ summer league coach in 2019. Bakker has also worked for the Raptors, Bulls, Mavericks and Magic. Detroit’s previous G League franchise in Grand Rapids, MI will now be the Nuggets’ affiliate.

We have more on the Eastern Conference:

On paper, the Wizards have improved their 3-point shooting this offseason, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington notes. Rookie Corey Kispert, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma should all upgrade Washington’s perimeter prowess, along with the return of Thomas Bryant from his knee injury. However, Washington still has a number of subpar 3-shooters in its projected rotation.
The Bulls are driving a hard bargain for suitors of restricted free agent Lauri Markkanen, demanding a first-rounder and no burdensome contracts in return for proposed sign-and-trades. However, Chicago might be better off dropping its asking price and moving on, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago opines. The Bulls created a lot of positive momentum with their offseason moves, so it may not be prudent to bring back a player who has made it clear he’d prefer a fresh start.
In the same piece, Johnson suggests the Bulls might carry 14 players on the roster — one below the limit — because they have a $5MM trade exception from the Daniel Theis sign-and-trade with the Rockets that they could use during the course of the season. Alternatively, the 15th player could be on a non- or partially-guaranteed contract.