NBA G League Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Texas Notes: Walker, Austin Spurs, Assistant Coaches

November 12th, 2020 at 6:41pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Spurs guard Lonnie Walker IV has new representation. Rich Paul and Lucas Newton of Klutch Sports are Walker’s new agents, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN (Twitter link). Klutch also represents Walker’s teammates Dejounte Murray and Trey Lyles.

Walker remains on his rookie contract with the Spurs. He will become eligible for a rookie scale extension in 2021 and – if he doesn’t sign a new deal early – would reach restricted free agency in 2022.

There’s more from the Lone Star State:

The Spurs‘ G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, have promoted assistant Matt Nielsen to head coach, and named former assistant general manager Tyler Self the new GM, according to a team press release.
The Rockets continue to remake their personnel beyond the hardwood. New head coach Stephen Silas has added Magic player development coach Rick Higgins, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), and former Sydney Kings head coach Will Weaver, per Marc Stein of the New York Times (Twitter link).
Per a team press release, the Spurs have promoted Mitch Johnson to fill Tim Duncan‘s role on Gregg Popovich‘s bench and have also named Darius Songalia an assistant coach. Duncan, a Hall of Fame power forward and five-time champion with the club, will return to his more informal player development duties with the team for 2020/21.

Amir Johnson, Four Other Vets Join G League Ignite

November 12th, 2020 at 3:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Five veteran players have joined the G League Ignite, the NBAGL’s Select Team, the league announced today in a press release. Those vets are big man Amir Johnson, guard Bobby Brown, guard Reggie Hearn, forward Brandon Ashley, and guard Cody Demps.

The G League Ignite’s roster is made up of those five veterans and several young prospects, including Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Isaiah Todd, Daishen Nix, Princepal Singh, and Kai Sotto.

The program’s aim is to provide top prospects with an alternative path to college or international ball during the year before they become draft-eligible. The veteran players are meant to help provide leadership and stability as those prospects prepare for the NBA.

Johnson, 33, is the most notable name among the Ignite’s additions. He has appeared in a total of 870 regular season games since making his debut in 2006, averaging 7.0 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 21.1 minutes per contest for the Pistons, Raptors, Celtics, and Sixers. He didn’t play in the NBA last season after making 51 appearances for Philadelphia in 2018/19.

Brown also has a solid NBA résumé, having made 158 total regular season appearances since 2008 for five NBA teams. The 36-year-old guard also has extensive international experience, spending time in leagues in Germany, Poland, Greece, Italy, China, Turkey, and Montenegro.

Hearn, Ashley, and Demps are G League veterans — of the three, only Hearn has played in an NBA regular season game, logging limited minutes in three contests for Detroit during the 2017/18 season.

It remains to be seen exactly what the NBA G League’s 2020/21 season will look like, but the Ignite – led by head coach Brian Shaw – have already begun training in Walnut Creek, California.

And-Ones: G League, Acy, Mack, COVID-19

November 8th, 2020 at 6:20pm CST by JD Shaw

The NBA G League is discussing a number of options with its 28 teams for the 2020/21 season, one of which includes playing in a bubble environment, according to Harrison Feigen of SB Nation.

Teams were notified that the goal remains to play out a full season, Feigen reports, though exact details of the campaign remain unknown. The bubble environment could also exist in ‘regional bubbles’, rather than the Disney format used to finish the 2019/20 NBA season.

Besides the importance of developing young talent, another major push for the G League season to happen is the newly introduced Select Team, league sources told Hoops Rumors. The team acts as a one-year development program for NBA prospects fresh out of high school, with five-star recruits such as Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd set to play if a season is held.

Despite much about the G League campaign being unknown, the NBA and its players’ union have agreed to a start date for their season: December 22. The draft remains scheduled to be held on November 18, with free agency expected to commence shortly thereafter.

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

Veteran forward Quincy Acy is in discussions on a new deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, according to Roi Cohen (as relayed by Sportando). Acy holds several years of NBA experience with the Raptors, Kings, Knicks, Mavericks, Nets and Suns, getting drafted No. 37 in 2012.
Free agent Shelvin Mack has signed in Greece with Panathinaikos, the team announced on social media. Mack, 30, also holds several years of NBA experience, making past stops with the Wizards, Sixers, Hawks, Jazz, Magic, Grizzlies and Hornets. He most recently played with Hapoel Jerusalem in Israel.
Patrick Reusse of The Star Tribune grades how different sports leagues adapted to COVID-19 this year. The NBA ranked in the “A” category, as the league successfully kept the virus away from its players in the Disney campus restart format.

Pistons Naming New G League Team Motor City Cruise

October 30th, 2020 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons‘ new G League affiliate will be known as the Motor City Cruise, the team announced today in a press release. The club, which will have its inaugural season in 2021/22, will play its games at Wayne State University.

The Grand Rapids Drive are Detroit’s current NBAGL affiliate and will continue to hold that role in 2020/21 — assuming there is a G League season. However, the Pistons don’t own the Grand Rapids franchise and the affiliate agreement between the two teams expires in ’21. The Pistons wanted their G League team to be located closer to the NBA squad, and the Drive had indicated they weren’t interested in moving to downtown Detroit.

As a result, the Pistons purchased the Suns’ NBAGL affiliate – the Northern Arizona Suns – in July and intend to relocate and rebrand that team. After spending one more season as Phoenix’s affiliate, it’ll move to downtown Detroit and become the Motor City Cruise for ’21/22.

The Pistons solicited fan submissions in choosing the name of their new G League affiliate and ultimately opted for the Cruise, which pays homage to the city’s automotive industry and was submitted by 10 fans.

“After considering many clever submissions, we are excited to announce the Motor City Cruise as the next professional sports franchise for the city of Detroit,” team owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “We wanted Pistons fans to help us with the naming process and engage with our new brand from the beginning. Our new G League team will create an affordable entertainment option in Detroit and also play an important role in our player development goals.”

Andre Ingram Becomes President Of NBAGL Players’ Union

October 19th, 2020 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

NBA G League veteran Andre Ingram has been named the president of the Basketball Players Union, the newly-formed union for NBAGL players, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Charania, guard David Stockton has been named the vice president of the union, while top prospect Isaiah Todd will be the secretary-treasurer. Charania classifies the group as an “interim” executive committee — it’s not clear whether that means those players could be replaced in the near future or whether more positions will be added.

As we detailed in July, the Basketball Players Union (BPU) will represent players on all NBA G League teams, including the Select Team that will be launched in 2020/21. Players on two-way contracts or on NBAGL assignments from NBA rosters will continue to be repped by the National Basketball Players Association.

The BPU will have its work cut out for it in its first year, given the uncertain outlook for the G League’s 2020/21 season amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Ingram’s G League résumé makes him an ideal fit as the BPU’s first president. The 34-year-old shooting guard is the all-time leader in NBAGL games played (449), having been part of the league since the 2007/08 season. Ingram has played in just six NBA games during that time, racking up 19 points during a memorable debut for the Lakers in April 2018.

Stockton, the son of Hall-of-Famer John Stockton, is also a G League veteran, having appeared in 169 games for the Reno Bighorns and South Bay Lakers since 2014. Todd, meanwhile, is an NBAGL rookie — the five-star recruit will be part of the new Select Team, the G League Ignite, next season.

Uncertainty Surrounds NBA G League’s 2020/21 Season

October 14th, 2020 at 9:53am CST by Luke Adams

It remains unclear when the NBA’s 2020/21 season will begin and what form it will take, and that uncertainty applies doubly to the coming G League season. As Marc Berman of The New York Post writes, there’s no guarantee a standard NBAGL season will take place in ’20/21.

According to Berman, multiple scenarios have been discussed for a potential G League season, including the idea of not holding one at all and simply expanding NBA rosters instead.

As John Hollinger of The Athletic noted earlier this week and as Berman reiterates, one option for the NBAGL could be to put together multiple short-term “bubbles” and hold a handful of week-long events similar to the annual G League Showcase.

If the league attempts a more standard season, it would likely have to institute a regionalized schedule to reduce travel, sources tell Berman. Unlike NBA teams, who have private planes, G League clubs generally fly commercial or travel by bus, increasing the coronavirus-related risk associated with moving around the country.

The 2020/21 season was supposed to be an eventful one for the G League, which had intended to introduce an expansion team in Mexico City and a new “Select Team” made up of some veterans and top prospects who opted not to attend college. It’s unclear what the plan would be for those clubs – and the other 28 – if a season can’t be held.

The NBA and NBPA figure to address this issue during their Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, since it will have an impact on NBA rosters too. Teams often send young players on their 15-man roster to the G League on assignments and also carry a pair of players on two-way contracts who can be transferred back and forth between the NBA and NBAGL. If no G League season takes place, the rules for those two-way deals will have to be tweaked.

G League Mulling Fall Tournament Featuring Select Team

September 22nd, 2020 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA G League is “seriously discussing” the possibility of putting on a tournament this fall that would include the Ignite, the league’s new select team, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

According to Charania, the situation remains fluid, but the tentative plan would be for the tournament to take place in a bubble environment at some point in November or December. The Ignite – the NBAGL’s select team that features top prospects such as Jalen Green, Daishen Nix, and Jonathan Kuminga – would be the event’s headliners.

It’s not clear which other teams would participate in such a tournament. Charania suggests that “undrafted players” may fill out other rosters, so it’s possible the event would represent a sort of Summer League alternative for young players auditioning for NBA training camp invites rather than a full-fledged G League event featuring teams made up of NBAGL veterans. That’s just my speculation though.

The uncertain fate of the G League’s 2020/21 season has been an underreported consequence of the coronavirus pandemic. Unlike the NBA, the G League relies heavily on commercial travel, which likely won’t be as practical as it was pre-pandemic. And with far less revenue at stake, the league is less likely to pour significant resources into ensuring the ’20/21 NBAGL season can be played.

A series of smaller, bubble-environment events like the one described by Charania may be an alternative path for the G League if a full season can’t be played. We’ll probably have to wait for clarity on the NBA’s ’20/21 season before we get a more concrete update on the NBAGL’s campaign.

And-Ones: G League, Motiejunas, Ad Revenue, Australia

September 14th, 2020 at 6:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA and G League are interested in pursuing top international players prior to their draft year, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The G League is offering top domestic prospects as much as $500K to train in the G League for a season, rather than being a one-and-done in college or heading overseas. Several top prospects for next year’s draft, including Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga, have accepted those offers.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Former NBA forward Donatas Motiejunas will play in China for a fourth season, Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas tweets. He’s expected to sign with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. Motiejunas appeared in three games with the Spurs during the 2018/19 season after spending the bulk of his NBA career with the Rockets.
The NBA has approved an additional sponsorship asset on practice jerseys for use during team practices and shootarounds, Charania tweets. It’s another revenue source for a league that has been hit hard by the pandemic.
Australia’s NBL season won’t begin until early next year, according to a league press release. The season will be delayed, according to NBL Owner and Executive Chairman Larry Kestelman, “with the hope of giving clubs the best opportunity to play in front of as many fans as possible.” The Australian League intends to play a full season.

And-Ones: Bubble, COVID-19, B. Williams, Singh

September 8th, 2020 at 9:22am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA sent out a memo today informing teams that staffers will be permitted to bring guests into the Orlando bubble for the Conference Finals, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

As Wojnarowski explains, those guests will have to quarantine for seven days before being cleared to move around within the NBA’s bubble. Additionally, each club will be allowed to host a maximum of 10 total staff guests.

The NBA is adjusting its protocols just days after Nuggets head coach Michael Malone vocally expressed his displeasure with the league’s decision not to allow coaches to bring family members onto the Disney World campus.

While Malone was the most outspoken about the policy, a number of other coaches have publicly and privately expressed a similar sentiment. Of course, with his Nuggets trailing 2-1 in the second round and at risk of being eliminated before the Conference Finals, Malone may not end up benefiting from the league’s updated protocols.

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

NBA teams also received a memo from the league this week alerting medical staffs to be aware of an increased risk of blood clotting associated with the coronavirus, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. While no players have tested positive for COVID-19 in the bubble, a number of players previously contracted the virus.
Arizona guard Brandon Williams, who averaged 11.4 PPG as a freshman in 2018/19 before missing his sophomore season due to a knee issue, will leave the program to pursue professional opportunities, the school confirmed in a press release. It’s too late for Williams to declare for this year’s draft, but he’ll forgo his remaining college eligibility.
Princepal Singh, a 6’10” forward from India and a graduate of the NBA Academy, spoke to Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype about his decision to play for the NBA G League Ignite select team and his desire to “inspire the youth of India.”
In an Insider-only article for ESPN.com, Mike Schmitz identifies some NBA players who have had performed well during the summer restart and explores what impact those performances may have on prospects from the 2020 draft class. For instance, Schmitz suggests that Luguentz Dort‘s impressive defense on James Harden in the first round should make scouts feel more comfortable about a defense-first wing like Isaac Okoro.

G League Names Select Team “Ignite”

September 2nd, 2020 at 3:28pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The NBA G League has named its new star-studded select team Ignite, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link).

The new one-year NBA G League development team will pay salaries topping out in the mid-six figures to high-level NBA prospects like guards Jalen Green and Daishen Nix, forwards Jonathan Kuminga and Isaiah Todd and center Kai Sotto. Green, Nix and Kuminga are all expected to be selected within the 2021 NBA draft lottery, per Jonathan Givony’s latest ESPN mock draft.

These Ignite players will bypass college ball in favor of the revamped professional farm system. The team roster will also include veterans tagged to mentor the prospects during the squad’s inaugural 2020/21 season.

Spears goes on to note that the Ignite have already starting training in Walnut Creek, California (in the East Bay region of northern California), under head coach Brian Shaw.

Shaw, a guard in the league for 14 seasons, served as a head coach for the Nuggets from 2013-15, as a lead assistant on the Pacers from 2011-13, and as an assistant on the Lakers under Phil Jackson from 2005-11 (a run that included two championships) and again from 2016-19 under Luke Walton.