- Isaiah Thomas is back in the NBA on a 10-day contract with the Pelicans and he claims his hip injuries are now a non-issue, Andrew Lopez of ESPN writes. “I’m 102%. I’m more than good,” Thomas said. “This is the best I ever felt since before I got injured. It’s not even a question no more.” In his first two appearances with New Orleans, Thomas has averaged 10.5 PPG and 2.5 APG in 22.o MPG.
- Zion Williamson is increasingly serving as a point forward for the Pelicans and coach Stan Van Gundy believes that’s the role the All-Star will have going forward, according to William Guillory of The Athletic. Williamson piled up 37 points and eight assists against Philadelphia on Friday. “We want to get him more experience with that stuff going forward because I think that’s where his future is in this game. I really do,” Van Gundy said. “We’ve increased it throughout the year, giving him more and more opportunities. We’d like to get him more moving forward.”
The Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League won’t return for the 2021/22 season, announcing today in a press release that they’ll cease operations in the coming weeks.
Technically, the franchise now known as the Erie BayHawks will be relocated by the Pelicans for the ’21/22 season to Birmingham, Alabama, where it will be rebranded.
That has happened to two iterations of the BayHawks in the past, as the original team became the Lakeland Magic in 2017 and the second version became the College Park Skyhawks in 2019. In each instance, an expansion team – also known as the BayHawks – continued to play in Erie, having established a new NBA affiliation.
However, the Pelicans turned down their 2021/22 option with Erie as they prepare to move their G League operations to Birmingham. As a result, the BayHawks don’t have an NBA partner lined up for next season, resulting in the decision to halt operations.
“We’ve made the determination that we will cease operations in the coming weeks due to not being unable to find another NBA partner, or other adequate opportunity, to keep G League basketball in Erie,” Erie Basketball Management president Owen McCormick said in a statement. “This result is merely a reflection of the changing landscape of the NBA as many teams prefer their G League affiliate be located nearby, and Erie simply is not positioned geographically to provide that.
“While we’re saddened by this for our fans and the Erie community, we are deeply appreciative of the tremendous support the BayHawks received over the past 13 years. The Erie region can be proud of the history the BayHawks made and the role that Erie played for the NBA during our years in the NBA Development League and NBA G League. We are truly grateful for the community’s amazing support and the fond memories made.”
Currently, the Suns and Trail Blazers are the only two NBA teams that don’t have a G League affiliate in place for the 2021/22 campaign. While it’s possible the BayHawks explored a partnership with one of those teams, neither Phoenix nor Portland is located anywhere close to Erie, Pennsylvania, so it wouldn’t have made for a convenient arrangement.
The BayHawks first entered the G League in 2008. Over the years, the team served as the NBAGL affiliate for the Cavaliers, Sixers, Raptors, Knicks, Magic, Hawks, and Pelicans. The Wizards also used Erie as its affiliate during the 2020/21 season, sharing operating costs with the Pels.
Sean Miller will likely seek a job as an NBA assistant coach after being fired today as head coach at Arizona, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Miller received interest from at least one NBA team during the past offseason, sources tell Wojnarowski.
The Pelicans could be worth watching, according to freelance journalist Adam Zagoria, who points out that Miller and New Orleans head coach Stan Van Gundy have a long friendship (Twitter link).
Miller was dismissed after 12 years at Arizona, which included seven NCAA tournament bids and three appearances in the Elite Eight. His coaching tenure was muddied by scandal as the NCAA accused the school of five Level I violations, according to Jeff Borzello of ESPN. They include two allegations of academic misconduct as well as a charge that Miller failed to demonstrate “that he promoted an atmosphere for compliance and monitored his staff.” The school gave itself a one-year postseason ban in response.
Arizona was considering a contract extension for Miller, sources tell Borzello, but didn’t believe it would receive approval from the board of regents because of the troubles with the NCAA.
Miller, 52, has been a head coach in the college ranks since 2004, but has no NBA experience.
In an early look at the NBA’s 2021 free agent period, Sam Amick and John Hollinger of The Athletic write that three NBA teams – the Knicks, Thunder, and Spurs – project to have more than enough cap room for a maximum-salary contract this offseason, even if they were to win the draft lottery.
Besides those clubs, the Mavericks and Hornets should be among the clubs with the most space, according to Amick and Hollinger. The Athletic’s duo projects Dallas to be about $35MM below the cap if Josh Richardson opts out, while Charlotte will have about $26MM of room.
Other teams could create cap room, but that will hinge on one or two major roster decisions. For instance, the Raptors could get up to about $25MM in space, but not if they intend to re-sign Kyle Lowry. The Suns (Chris Paul) are in a similar position, with the Heat, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Hawks, Cavaliers, Bulls, and Pistons among the other teams whose cap space – or lack thereof – will depend on what happens with certain free agents.
Here’s more from Amick and Hollinger on 2021 free agency:
- Although Kawhi Leonard projects to be the top free agent on the market this summer, team sources and rival executives widely expect him to re-sign with the Clippers, per The Athletic. It’s possible that could change if Los Angeles exits the postseason early, but there’s no indication at this point that Leonard’s free agency will be as dramatic as it was in 2019.
- A source with knowledge of DeMar DeRozan‘s outlook tells The Athletic he’ll take a “wide open” approach to free agency. That doesn’t necessarily rule out a new deal with the Spurs, though a March report suggested DeRozan has interest in playing elsewhere next season and perhaps returning to the Eastern Conference.
- Amick and Hollinger believe both DeRozan and Paul will keep Jrue Holiday‘s new four-year deal ($135MM guaranteed, $25MM in incentives) very much in mind when they negotiate their next contracts. However, it’s not a perfect comparable for either player, since Paul is five years older than Holiday and DeRozan isn’t the defender that Holiday is.
Pelicans guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker underwent an MRI yesterday to address an ankle injury. New Orleans discovered that Alexander-Walker has a “moderate left high-ankle sprain,” per a team press release.
This continues a string of bad luck for the Pelicans’ back court, as the team announced in the same press release that fellow guard Josh Hart had a right thumb surgery today, and will miss at least three weeks in his own recovery. Rookie point guard Kira Lewis Jr. is also on the Pelicans’ injury list.
Sharp-shooting veteran point guard Isaiah Thomas was clearly added just in time on a 10-day deal last week.
Alexander-Walker had enjoyed a significant uptick in play during his sophomore NBA season. He was named to the league’s 2020/21 Rising Stars list ahead of the All-Star Game last month.
Selected with the No. 17 pick in the 2019 draft, the 22-year-old out of Virginia Tech holds averages of 10.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.0 APG and 1.0 SPG across 41 games this season (including 10 starts). Alexander-Walker is also connecting on a solid 34.8% of his 4.6 three-point attempts a night. He has seen his playing time increase from 12.6 MPG in his rookie year to 20.8 MPG for 2020/21 so far.
Pelicans reserve swingman Josh Hart has undergone surgery to address a torn UCL in his right thumb, New Orleans announced via a press release. His will be reassessed by the club in three weeks.
The operation was conducted by Dr. Michelle Carlson at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.
Hart, a restricted free agent in 2021, has proven himself to be a valuable bench cog on a scrappy New Orleans squad with aspirations of a play-in berth. The 6’5″ wing is averaging 9.2 PPG, a robust 8.0 RPG, and 2.3 APG in 47 contests for the Pelicans, across 28.7 MPG.
The 26-year-old out of Villanova holds a shooting slash line of .439/.326/.775 thus far this season.
Hart is not the only wounded Pelicans guard. Nickeil Alexander-Walker will be out for at least two weeks of game action with an ankle sprain, and Jennifer Hale of Fox Sports tweets that rookie point guard Kira Lewis Jr. will miss tonight’s bout against the Hawks with a right calf strain.
The team recently added guard Isaiah Thomas via a 10-day contract, and he could help address these absences with offensive firepower.
Fans of lottery-bound NBA teams will be keeping a close on the league’s reverse standings down the stretch because of the effect they’ll have on the draft order and lottery odds for the 2021 first round.
However, it’s not just the first round of the draft that’s worth keeping an eye on. Those reverse standings will also dictate the order of the draft’s second round, and an early second-round pick can be nearly as valuable as a first-rounder.
Traded first-round selections will ultimately be more valuable than any second-rounder, but it’s still worth taking a closer look at some traded 2021 second-rounders that project to be quality picks.
[RELATED: Traded Second-Round Picks For 2021 NBA Draft]
Here are a few of those traded picks:
From: Minnesota Timberwolves
To: Oklahoma City Thunder or Golden State Warriors
Current projection: No. 31
The top-three protected first-round pick the Timberwolves sent to the Warriors in last February’s D’Angelo Russell trade rightly gets most of the attention, but it’s worth remembering that Minnesota also included its 2021 second-rounder in that deal.
It’s not a lock that Golden State will receive that pick, however. If the Warriors’ 2021 first-round selection lands in the top 20 (it projects to be No. 13 for now), they’ll keep that pick and instead send the Wolves’ second-rounder to the Thunder as part of last November’s Kelly Oubre trade agreement.
From: Houston Rockets
To: Milwaukee Bucks
Current projection: No. 32
As part of last month’s P.J. Tucker trade, the Rockets gained the right to swap their own 2021 second-round pick for Milwaukee’s 2021 first-rounder. Currently, Houston’s pick projects to be No. 32, while Milwaukee’s would be No. 26.
If the Bucks keep winning and the Rockets keep losing, Milwaukee might end up not having to move down very far at all on draft day. If the Rockets get hot or the Bucks slump though, the difference between the two picks could be 10 spots or so.
From: Detroit Pistons
To: New York Knicks
Current projection: No. 33
The Pistons originally gave up this pick (and their 2023 second-rounder) on draft day in 2018 in order to acquire the draft rights to Khyri Thomas, the 38th overall pick, from Philadelphia.
Thomas is no longer a Piston and this second-rounder has since been flipped multiple times. The Sixers included it in the package they sent to the Clippers for Tobias Harris in 2019, then the Knicks acquired it as part of their return for Marcus Morris at the 2020 deadline.
From: Washington Wizards
To: New Orleans Pelicans
Current projection: No. 35
From: Cleveland Cavaliers
To: New Orleans Pelicans
Current projection: No. 36
The Wizards’ second-rounder was originally traded to Utah during the 2016 offseason for Trey Burke. The Cavaliers acquired it from the Jazz in a 2018 swap involving Korver and Alec Burks, then flipped it to Milwaukee along with George Hill in a three-team trade just one week later. Two months after that, it was one of four future second-round selections the Bucks sent to New Orleans in a deal for Nikola Mirotic.
As for the Cavaliers’ pick, it was first traded first to the Hawks in 2017 for Kyle Korver, then to New Orleans during the 2019 draft when Atlanta moved up for De’Andre Hunter. It was initially meant to be a 2019 first-rounder, but since it landed within its protected range (top 10) for multiple years, it eventually turned instead into a pair of second-rounders, including Cleveland’s 2021 pick.
With veteran point guard Isaiah Thomas now joining the Pelicans on a 10-day contract, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets that New Orleans will be an additional $110,998 closer to the NBA’s luxury tax cap. Thomas, meanwhile, will earn $159,698 during his 10-day stint with the club.
Marks adds that the Pelicans remains $253,803 below the tax at present, but, assuming new addition James Johnson does not achieve certain bonus clauses in his expiring $16MM deal, the team may save an additional $253K at season’s end.
Thomas will wear jersey No. 24 in tribute to departed Lakers star Kobe Bryant, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN. He last wore No. 4 with the Wizards during the 2019/20 season. The 5’9″ point guard will not suit up this evening for the Pelicans as they face off against the Rockets, due to the league’s coronavirus protocols, but is expected to join the club Monday, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic.
- The 21-27 Pelicans will strive to make a playoff push without injured shooting guard Josh Hart. Hart is expected to miss several weeks with a torn UCL in his right thumb, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “Could he get back by the end of the year? Yeah,” head coach Stan Van Gundy said. “But he’s not going to be back in two weeks. It’s a significant amount of time. He’s going to miss the vast majority of what’s left of the season.” New Orleans, the No. 12 seed, is currently just 1.5 games behind the tenth-seeded Warriors (and a play-in opportunity) in the West at present.
APRIL 3: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
APRIL 2: The Pelicans will give Isaiah Thomas the NBA opportunity he has been waiting for, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Sources tell Charania that the veteran guard will sign a 10-day contract with New Orleans.
Thomas, 32, was a starter for the first half of last season with the Wizards before being traded at the 2020 deadline to the Clippers, who waived him three days later. Thomas averaged 12.2 points and 3.7 assists in 40 games for Washington, but defensive issues limited his effectiveness.
He was last seen in action in February as part of Team USA in the FIBA AmeriCup qualifying tournament, where scored 28 total points in victories over the Bahamas and Mexico.
The Pelicans have two roster spots open, so they won’t have to make a move before signing Thomas. They faced a Saturday deadline to add a player to get back to the 14-man roster limit.
Thomas has been undergoing COVID-19 testing in New Orleans and is expected to be available for Sunday’s game with the Rockets, sources tell Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link). The Pelicans were looking into signing him before a recent rash of injuries to Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and Josh Hart.
7:46pm: There’s a “strong likelihood” that Hart will need surgery to repair the thumb, Will Guillory of The Athletic tweets.
7:03pm: Pelicans guard Josh Hart has a torn UCL in his right thumb and will be out an extended period, Andrew Lopez of ESPN tweets. The diagnosis was made after he underwent an MRI on Friday.
Hart played through the injury Thursday against Orlando. He’s averaging 9.2 PPG, 8.0 RPG and 2.3 APG this season in 47 games, all but four off the bench. Hart is in his fourth season in the league and will be a restricted free agent after the summer.
The Pelicans are already shorthanded in the backcourt. Lonzo Ball hasn’t played since March 18 with a hip injury. They agreed to sign Isaiah Thomas to a 10-day contract on Friday.
Without Hart, New Orleans will have to lean more heavily on Eric Bledsoe, Kira Lewis Jr. and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.