NBA G League Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Boylen, Team USA, Stephenson, Exum, More

October 20th, 2021 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

USA Basketball has announced that former Bulls head coach Jim Boylen will coach Team USA during November’s qualifying games for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which will take place in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia. The U.S. team will face Cuba on November 28 and Mexico on November 29.

While NBA players make up Team USA’s roster in the World Cup itself, the qualifiers take place during the NBA season, so the roster is typically made up of G League veterans. After November’s games, the next round of qualifiers will take place in February.

Jeff Van Gundy coached the qualifying team leading up to the 2019 FIBA World Cup before handing things off to Gregg Popovich for the World Cup itself. USA Basketball has yet to announce Popovich’s successor, but Steve Kerr has been identified as a frontrunner. If Kerr gets the job, he’d coach the 2023 team in the World Cup, assuming Boylen’s group clinches a spot in the event.

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

NBA veteran Lance Stephenson, who last played in China, has signed an NBA G League contract and will be draft-eligible on October 23, our JD Shaw reports (via Twitter). Stephenson’s last stint in the NBA came during the 2019/20 season with the Lakers. He has appeared in more than 500 career regular season games.
The NBA announced on Tuesday that this season’s opening-night rosters feature a total of 109 international players from 39 countries. That includes a record number of players from Canada (18) Germany (seven), and the Bahamas (three). Appropriately, the Raptors lead the league with 10 international players.
Within his in-depth look at the players who did and didn’t sign extensions this offseason, ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) notes that Wizards guard Bradley Beal and Bulls guard Zach LaVine remain extension-eligible, but would be able to maximize their future earnings by waiting until free agency to sign new deals.
Dante Exum, who was waived on Saturday by the Rockets, owns a minority stake in the South East Melbourne Phoenix, and the NBL team’s general manager indicated it would love to him as a player. “If and when Dante decides that the NBL is the right move for him, we of course will do whatever we can do to make that as easy for him as possible,” GM Tommy Greer said (link via NBL.com.au).

And-Ones: Njie, Young, Mannion, Mudiay

October 17th, 2021 at 7:19pm CST by JD Shaw

Swedish player Barra Njie is signing a contract in the NBA G League and entering the October 23 draft, agent Jerry Dianis told Hoops Rumors.

Njie rejected multiple offers from the EuroLeague and Liga ACB, Dianis said. The 6’3″ point guard was named Rookie of the Year in the Swedish Basketball League last season, averaging 17.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.

Njie, 20, will be NBA draft-eligible for 2022 and attended St. Benedict’s Preparatory school before signing overseas.

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

Speaking of the G League Draft, former NBA guard Joe Young will also sign a contract and enter the event, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link). Young played 127 games with the Pacers from 2015-18, most recently spending time in China.
Former Warriors guard Nico Mannion dealt with an intestinal infection caused by salmonella this summer, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando tweets. Mannion estimates that he lost over 40 pounds due to the infection, and photos eventually surfaced online of his poor condition. He made his debut with Italian club Virtus Bologna on Saturday.
Emmanuel Mudiay recently discussed a variety of subjects with Antonis Stroggylakis of EuroHoops, including his recent impressive performance overseas and why he chose to spend the last year away from basketball. “I just wanted to take some time off and spend time with my family,” said Mudiay, a five-year NBA veteran who signed with Zalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania) in August. “I just stayed at home to be with my family.”

NBA G League Salaries To Receive Slight Increase

October 17th, 2021 at 5:47pm CST by JD Shaw

The NBA G League will increase its base player salaries from $35K to $37K this season, sources told Hoops Rumors.

Players previously made $7,000 per month — or $35K per season — numbers that will see slight growth starting with the 2021/22 season. More increases could come in future years, especially with G League players forming their own union in 2020.

Although many G League observers believe players should receive more, these salaries have improved from past years. In 2014, for example, salaries were broken down into three groups: Tier A ($25K), Tier B ($19K) and Tier C ($13K).

Some players also receive bonuses from their Exhibit 10 contracts, which reward them up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days with their team’s G League affiliate. Theoretically, a player could earn $87K when taking into account his Exhibit 10 bonus (if the full $50K is included) and G League salary.

A total of 28 teams, all of which are affiliated with an NBA franchise, will be participating in the G League’s regular season in 2021/22. This doesn’t include the G League Ignite, which is entering its second year, or the newly-added Mexico City Capitanes. The Ignite and the Capitanes will take part in the league’s new Showcase Cup, but won’t participate in the regular season.

This year’s G League draft will take place on Saturday, October 23, with the Showcase Cup tipping off on Friday, November 5. After spending last year’s shortened season in a “bubble” at Walt Disney World, the league will return to a full schedule, with a 36-game regular season set to begin on December 27.

A record 45% of players on 2020/21 opening-night NBA rosters held NBAGL experience.

Southeast Notes: Hachimura, Magic, Huerter, Walker

October 12th, 2021 at 8:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Wizards power forward Rui Hachimura has returned to D.C. after a weeks-long excused absence due to personal reasons, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link). Hachimura, 23, averaged 13.8 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 57 games for Washington during the 2021/22 season.

Hughes notes that the 6’8″ third-year player, a 2019 lottery selection out of Gonzaga, will now have to wait to clear COVID-19 protocols. He missed several weeks with the Wizards during the club’s 2021/22 training camp/preseason. The team expects him to return within a few days.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

The Magic have announced several promotions within their front office, per a team press release. Matt Lloyd and Anthony Parker have been promoted to prominent roles for the club, with Lloyd upgraded to the title of vice president of basketball operations and Parker to assistant GM.
Hawks shooting guard Kevin Huerter appears to be confident he’ll receive a rookie contract extension before the October 18 deadline, following a terrific showing in the Eastern Conference playoffs with Atlanta, writes Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Kirschner notes that, during the 2021 offseason, Huerter had a left ankle procedure to treat long-term soreness that had afflicted him throughout the 2020/21 season. “I think both sides are saying the right things and want to get something done,” Huerter said. “I’m as confident as I’ve ever been. I think both sides want to get something done. It’s obviously just coming up with the right value.” The 23-year-old, drafted with the No. 19 pick out of Maryland in 2018, averaged 11.9 PPG, 3.5 APG, 3.3 RPG and 1.2 SPG in 69 games for Atlanta last year. He posted a shooting line of .432/.363/.781.
The Capital City Go-Go, NBA G League affiliate of the Wizards, will add rookie small forward Kyree Walker, tweets Jordan Schultz of Boardroom. Schultz mentions that Walker could be considered for the Wizards’ open two-way player slot. The Wizards previously had been preparing to add Walker to their training camp roster and may still sign him to an Exhibit 10 contract to secure his NBAGL rights.

Western Notes: Wade, Jazz, Kings, Winslow, Suns, Thunder

October 12th, 2021 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Dwyane Wade‘s son Zaire Wade is signing an NBA G League contract and is expected to land with the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s NBAGL affiliate, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Dwyane is, of course, a part-owner of the Jazz.

The Jazz could secure Zaire’s G League rights for Salt Lake City by signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract and making him an affiliate player. But if the team doesn’t go that route and the younger Wade signs a general G League contract, the Stars would likely select him in the NBAGL draft on October 23.

Here’s more from around the West:

John Hollinger of The Athletic liked the Kings‘ offseason on the whole, but questioned the team’s decision to trade Delon Wright for Tristan Thompson, then sign Alex Len and retain Damian Jones. All three big men figure to be backups, with Richaun Holmes starting at the five.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, who said on Monday that he has been impressed by Justise Winslow‘s passing ability, confirmed that he views the former lottery pick as an option at point guard, per Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. “I know he played a little point guard in Miami and with our point guard situation, with Jason (Preston) going down, he’ll be playing a little backup point,” Lue said. “He been playing the four, he’s been playing the five. … so we just gotta keep learning the plays, different positions and I think he’s gonna be really good for us.”
While it may be a matter of semantics, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) stresses that extension discussions between the Suns and Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges are ongoing, not stalled. In other words, one or both of Ayton and Bridges could still end up signing a new contract before the October 18 deadline, even if no agreement is imminent yet.
The Thunder continue to experiment with different lineups, according to Nick Gallo of OKCThunder.com, who notes that the team used 35 different five-man units in its first two preseason games. “With the lineups, the way that we try to look at it is that every player has their own individual style of play, and the lineups are just a merging of those things,” head coach Mark Daigneault said.

And-Ones: Li. Ball, Restricted Free Agency, 2022 Draft, Floyd

October 12th, 2021 at 11:16am CST by Luke Adams

LiAngelo Ball, the brother of NBA guards LaMelo Ball and Lonzo Ball, is signing a G League contract and will enter the October 23 NBAGL draft, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

LiAngelo played for the Hornets in the Las Vegas Summer League, and Charania suggests he’s a candidate to be selected by the Greensboro Swarm – Charlotte’s G League affiliate – in the NBAGL draft. However, if the Hornets were prioritizing Ball for a spot on their G League squad, they’d likely sign him to an Exhibit 10 contract in order to make him an affiliate player.

As John Hollinger of The Athletic tweets, the G League draft isn’t expected to be packed with talent, so Ball has a good chance of coming off the board in the top 10 or 20 picks.

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

Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz of ESPN (Insider link) have updated their top-100 list for the 2022 NBA draft. Within the article, Schmitz identifies French center Ismael Kamagate as the international prospect who is “making the most noise” early in the season. Kamagate is the No. 36 player on ESPN’s 2022 big board.
In an interesting piece for HoopsHype, Michael Scotto spoke with a handful of agents and team executives about how restricted free agency works behind the scenes. One agent suggested that restricted free agency is “not really free agency,” since rival teams are so reluctant to sign players to offer sheets that tie up cap space for several days at the start of the league year and may just end up being matched.
The Bucks (No. 2), Heat (No. 5), Suns (No. 6), Warriors (No. 7), and Hawks (No. 11) are among the biggest risers in ESPN’s latest installment of “future” power rankings from Kevin Pelton, Bobby Marks, Andre’ Snellings, and Tim Bontemps (Insider link). For a second consecutive year, the Nets rank first and the Cavaliers are dead-last on ESPN’s list, which is essentially designed to be power rankings that cover the next three seasons.
Free agent guard Jordan Floyd, who was on the Lakers’ Summer League roster, is signing with Kolossos H Hotels in Greece on a deal that includes an NBA out, a source told our JD Shaw (Twitter link).

Kosta Koufos To Play For G League Ignite

October 11th, 2021 at 12:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran center Kosta Koufos is returning stateside, but he’ll be playing in the G League, rather than the NBA, reports Marc Stein of Substack (Twitter link). According to Stein, Koufos is signing with the G League Ignite.

Koufos, 32, was a first-round pick in 2008 and has appeared in over 700 total games in the NBA (counting postseason contests) for Utah, Minnesota, Denver, Memphis, and Sacramento. However, he has been out of the league since playing for the Kings in 2018/19, having spent the last two seasons in the EuroLeague with CSKA Moscow and Olympiacos.

According to Stein, Koufos – who posted regular season averages of 5.7 PPG and 5.0 RPG in 11 NBA seasons – received multiple offers from European teams this offseason, but decided to sign with the Ignite instead.

The G League Ignite is the league’s developmental team for top prospects who are not yet draft-eligible. That group of prospects – which will include Jaden Hardy this year – is supplemented by a handful of experienced veterans who serve as mentors to their young teammates. In 2020/21, Amir Johnson and Jarrett Jack were among those veteran mentors. This year, Koufos will play that role.

Although the Ignite won’t take part in the standard G League regular season in 2021/22, the team will compete in the league-wide Showcase Cup tournament that will tip off in early November. Their full roster will be announced at some point before then.

Pistons Hire Ben Wallace In Advisory Role

October 8th, 2021 at 12:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have given Ben Wallace a formal role within the organization, hiring him as a basketball operations and team engagement advisor, according to a press release.

Wallace’s new position will see him assist general manager Troy Weaver and the front office, as well as head coach Dwane Casey and the coaching staff. He’ll be a mentor and a “development asset” for players at both the NBA and G League level, according to the team.

“Ben is a Hall of Famer and a Pistons legend who has continued to come back home and support our team and our organization,” team owner Tom Gores said of Wallace, who won a title with the franchise in 2004. “He embodies everything we are building here and will be a real asset to Dwane, Troy and the rest of our staff. Ben helped set the standard for what it means to be a Piston and will be a tremendous influence for our young players.”

Although Wallace didn’t have an official position in Detroit’s front office until now, he has remained connected to the team in recent years. In 2018, he became a part-owner of the Grand Rapids Drive, a G League franchise that was the Pistons’ affiliate up until last season.

Grand Rapids has since rebranded as the Gold and is now affiliated with the Nuggets, so Wallace has divested himself of his stake in the NBAGL franchise in order to officially join the Pistons, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Detroit has a new G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise.

And-Ones: Training Camps, Ignite, Incentives, Extensions

October 6th, 2021 at 12:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers head coach Doc Rivers believes it would be good for the NBA to give teams more time in the fall to prepare for the regular season. While Rivers doesn’t think the preseason needs to be extended, he’d like to see the league give teams the opportunity to hold longer training camps.

“Five (preseason) games, four games, three games, I actually think that’s the right number‚” Rivers said, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’m not really sure what the right number is, because every year it really depends on who your team is. But the week of camp is absurd to me. I think you should have more time. Two weeks would be great.”

As Rivers explains, he believes giving players a longer ramp-up period leading up to the regular season would help reduce injuries during the season.

“I think health-wise it would be smarter if we had more time,” he said.

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

The NBA G League Ignite announced this week in a press release that they’ve added 10 games to their schedule for the 2021/22 season, beginning in January. The Ignite is taking part in the G League tournament that will open the season, but won’t participate in the subsequent NBAGL regular season. While these newly-added 10 games will be against G League opponents, they won’t count toward the league’s standings.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) takes an in-depth look at some of the most interesting – and potentially impactful – incentives included in player contracts around the NBA for the 2021/22 season.
John Hollinger of The Athletic applied his player-valuation formula to this year’s remaining candidates for rookie scale extensions, attempting to determine what those deals should be worth and which players have a decent chance to get something done by the October 18 deadline.
In a deep dive for The Athletic, Jon Krawczysnki and Kelly Iko spoke to Timberwolves and Rockets sources about Jimmy Butler‘s and James Harden‘s trade demands to get a sense of what it’s like for an organization when a star player attempts to force his way out of town. While Butler’s and Harden’s efforts were successful, Sixers star Ben Simmons remains in limbo.

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NBA G League

And-Ones: Faried, Injuries, Revenue Sharing, Ignite

October 4th, 2021 at 10:31am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA big man Kenneth Faried signed with Puerto Rican team Leones de Ponce last week, as our JD Shaw tweets.

Faried, who will turn 32 next month, hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2018/19 season, but hasn’t given up on getting back into the league. He reportedly received some consideration from the Knicks in the spring, then played for Portland’s Las Vegas Summer League team in August and worked out for the Lakers in September. For now though, Faried’s professional career will continue outside the NBA.

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

ESPN’s team of basketball writers took a league-wide look at the injuries that will (or could) compromise players’ availability for opening night, checking in on where in the recovery process those players are and when we might see them back on the court.
Within a larger story about the Pelicans‘ ownership situation and succession plan, team president Dennis Lauscha shared an interesting tidbit, telling Jeff Duncan and Lee Zurik of NOLA.com that commissioner Adam Silver has said the NBA’s next Collective Bargaining Agreement will include an “enhanced revenue sharing model” to further assist smaller-market teams. Kurt Helin of NBC Sports has more details.
Paolo Uggetti of The Ringer takes a deep dive into the G League Ignite, exploring where the NBA G League’s developmental team stands after its first season and how the league envisions the program growing in the coming years.