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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/11/20

January 11th, 2020 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Kings assigned Wenyen Gabriel, Justin James and Caleb Swanigan to their affiliate in Stockton, tweets Jason Jones of The Athletic. Swanigan was recalled later in the day, the team announced (Twitter link).
The Wizards assigned Admiral Schofield to Capital City so he could play in tonight’s game against Sioux Falls, the team announced on Twitter.
The Pacers sent Goga Bitadze to Fort Wayne for the second time this season, tweets Scott Agness of The Athletic.
The Cavaliers recalled Tyler Cook from Canton, according to a press release from the team. Cook signed a 10-day contract on Thursday.
The Thunder recalled Deonte Burton and Justin Patton from Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in an email.

Westbrook: No Bad Blood With OKC

January 11th, 2020 at 7:54am CST by Dana Gauruder

Rockets point guard Russell Westbrook returned to Oklahoma City on Thursday night and indicated he had no regrets about his tenure with the Thunder, Mark Medina of USA Today writes. “I have no bad blood or nothing here in this city with no fans or nobody in the organization,” Westbrook said. “They gave me all they had, and I gave them all I had.” Westbrook, who was traded in July, scored 34 points against his former team but OKC rolled to an easy victory.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/10/20

January 10th, 2020 at 8:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Thunder assigned guard Deonte Burton and center Justin Patton to the Oklahoma City Blue for the G League affiliate’s game against Raptors 905, according to a team press release. Burton has played in 21 games with the Thunder this season, averaging 2.3 PPG in 8.4 MPG. Patton has made three brief appearances with the Thunder this season.
The Clippers recalled guard Terance Mann from the Agua Caliente Clippers, the team’s PR department tweets. The second-round rookie has appeared in 22 games with the NBA club this season, averaging 2.4 PPG in 9.2 MPG.
The Knicks assigned rookie forward Ignas Brazdeikis to their Westchester affiliate, the team’s PR department tweets. The former University of Michigan standout has appeared in nine games with the NBA Knicks this season, averaging 1.9 PPG in 5.9 MPG.

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

January 10th, 2020 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

January is generally a month full of roster shuffling in the NBA. The opening of the 10-day contract period (January 5), the salary guarantee deadline (January 7), the two-way contract deadline (January 15), and the upcoming trade deadline (February 6) all incentivize teams to make changes to their rosters.

With those dates in mind, we’re taking a look today at which teams around the NBA still have openings on their 15-man rosters and which ones have a two-way contract slot available.

Listed below, with the help of our roster counts breakdown, are the teams that aren’t carrying full rosters.

Teams with an open 15-man roster spot:

Denver Nuggets
Golden State Warriors
- Note: The Warriors have two open roster spots.
Houston Rockets
Miami Heat
Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic
Portland Trail Blazers

Not carrying a full 15-man roster saves a team some money and gives that team the flexibility to add a player in a trade or on the buyout market. For most the teams listed above, the financial factor probably outweighs the roster-flexibility factor — the Warriors, Rockets, Heat, Thunder, and Trail Blazers are all in tax territory, while the Nuggets are close. Only the Magic don’t have immediate tax concerns.

It’s worth noting that because Golden State has two open roster spots, the team has a two-week window after waiving Marquese Chriss on Tuesday to get to the required minimum of 14 players. They’re expected to promote two-way player Damion Lee, which would open up a two-way contract slot.

Teams whose full 15-man rosters include at least one 10-day contract:

Atlanta Hawks
Brooklyn Nets
Cleveland Cavaliers

Paul Watson is currently on a 10-day contract with the Hawks, while Justin Anderson has one with the Nets. Those deals will expire at the end of the day on January 15, so each team could open up a roster spot at that point by not re-signing Watson or Anderson to a second 10-day pact.

As for the Cavaliers, they have two players on 10-day contracts after re-signing Alfonzo McKinnie and Tyler Cook on Thursday. Those deals will run through January 18, at which time Cleveland could re-sign one or both players, or move forward with just 13 players for up to two weeks.

Teams with an open two-way contract slot:

Phoenix Suns

The Suns have been the only NBA team carrying just one two-way player all season long. Phoenix has its own G League affiliate and two-way contracts don’t count against the cap at all, so the franchise’s motivation for not filling that spot remains unclear. While there’s no indication a move is imminent, it would be surprising if the Suns don’t sign a second two-way player before the January 15 deadline.

Amick: Thunder Sending Mixed Messages In Trade Talks

January 10th, 2020 at 8:15am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have been sending “mixed messages” in trade discussions, sources tell Amick. They’re open to making moves if there’s something significant to be gained, but also aren’t opposed to standing pat, given how well they’re playing.

[SOURCE LINK]

Tramel: CP3 Trade Has Been Bonanza For Thunder

January 9th, 2020 at 8:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The July trade that sent Russell Westbrook to Houston for Chris Paul was interpreted at the time at the latest signal that the Thunder were entering rebuild mode. Instead, the blockbuster deal has been a bonanza for an Oklahoma City team that comfortably holds a playoff spot, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/5/20

January 5th, 2020 at 8:15pm CST by JD Shaw

Here are Sunday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:

The Clippers have recalled guard Terance Mann and center Mfiondu Kabengele from their G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, according to the team’s public relations department. Los Angeles hosted New York at Staples Center on Sunday night.
The Wizards assigned forward Admiral Schofield to the Capital City Go-Go, announcing the news on social media. The Go-Go hosted the Oklahoma City Blue earlier today, with Schofield recording 19 points and 10 rebounds in a win.
The Nuggets assigned Jarred Vanderbilt to the Windy City Bulls, the team announced on social media. Vanderbilt was drafted with the No. 41 overall pick back in 2018.
The Thunder have recalled center Justin Patton from the Oklahoma City Blue, general manager Sam Presti announced today. Patton is averaging 10.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 21 games with the Blue this season.

Free Agent Stock Watch 2020: Northwest Division

January 3rd, 2020 at 9:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we take a look at players from the Northwest Division:

Malik Beasley, Nuggets, 23, PG (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $7.8MM deal in 2016
Beasley reportedly declined a three-year extension offer worth at least $30MM prior to the season. Oops. Beasley’s playing time has significantly dropped this season and so has his production. He’s averaging 6.9 PPG and just 1.0 APG in 16.0 MPG. Beasley has been a bigger factor on offense recently, reaching double figures in four of the last six appearances, but he never left the bench against Indiana on Thursday. The prime trade candidate probably needs a change of scenery to restore his value. Denver can make him a restricted free agent but that’s an increasingly unlikely scenario.

Noah Vonleh, Timberwolves, 24, PF (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $2MM deal in 2019
Vonleh entices NBA teams with his physique and potential but no one has been able to tap into it. At age 24, the 2014 lottery pick has already played for five teams. The way things are going in Minnesota, he’ll probably be looking for a sixth team to take a chance on him. He’ll get you some rebounds but defenses don’t have to respect him on the offensive end. He hasn’t developed a three-point shot, which is a no-no for a young ‘four man’ these days. Injuries led to increased playing time for Vonleh the past two weeks before he sat out Thursday’ game with a back injury. It’s unlikely he’ll remain in the rotation when the T-Wolves get healthier.

Nerlens Noel, Thunder, 25, PF (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $2MM deal in 2019
Seems like Noel has been around for quite awhile but he’s still just 25. He’ll never live up to his draft status (No. 6 pick of 2013) but in shorter bursts, Noel can be quite effective. Noel has been a force off the bench at both ends of the floor, averaging 7.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.4 BPG and 1.1 SPG in 18.7 MPG. He’s even making his free throws this season (79.7%). Noel knows his strengths and finds ways to contribute. He can have a long career in the league as a backup big.

Hassan Whiteside, Trail Blazers, 30, C (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $98.4MM deal in 2016
Going strictly by the numbers, Whiteside is having a bounce-back season after a couple of uneasy years with Miami. During 14 games in December, Whiteside posted a stat line of 16.2 PPG on 63.2% shooting, 15.1 RPG, 1.8 APG and 3.4 BPG in 31.6 MPG. The flip side is that the Blazers have nosedived in the standings with Whiteside as their starting center. As a traditional post man who doesn’t shoot threes, Whiteside will have to take a significant pay cut next season. But his rebounding and shot-blocking prowess can’t be totally ignored.

Jordan Clarkson, Jazz, 27, SG (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $50MM deal in 2016
The NBA went five-plus months without a trade until Utah, seeking more bench scoring, acquired Clarkson from Cleveland for Dante Exum and two second-round picks. Utah is thrilled with the early returns. In his first four games in a Jazz uniform, Clarkson has averaged 15.0 PPG in 23.8 MPG. That lifted Utah to victories over Portland, the Los Angeles Clippers and Detroit. Represented by super agent Rich Paul, Clarkson should draw plenty of interest as teams look to fortify their benches in a weak market.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Patton LIkely To Be Dealt Soon

January 3rd, 2020 at 5:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Thunder‘s Justin Patton is the player most likely to be dealt over the next week, according to The Athletic’s John Hollinger. Patton’s $1.62MM salary becomes fully guaranteed if he remains on their roster through January 7 and the Thunder are currently $750,250 into the luxury tax threshold. The center could only be acquired by one of the nine teams with workable trade exceptions, or by the Hawks via cap room, Hollinger adds.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has established himself as one of the league’s top second-year players, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman writes. The second-year Thunder guard, the centerpiece of the Paul George deal with the Clippers from Oklahoma City’s perspective, is averaging 19.9 PPG while mainly playing the off-guard spot after averaging 10.8 PPG in his rookie year as a point man.

Suns Eyeing Love, Gallinari?

January 2nd, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

If the Suns remain in the playoff hunt, they’re unlikely to trade Baynes. In fact, they may be more inclined to pursue upgrades, perhaps targeting power forwards like Kevin Love (Cavaliers) or Danilo Gallinari (Thunder). Gallinari is believed to be higher on Phoenix’s wish list, says Pinucs. “Not many teams will have cap space next summer. The Suns probably would be able to re-sign Gallinari at a much better price (than Love’s contract),” one Western Conference exec said. “There’s uncertainty, especially if they give up a first-rounder, but the difference in price would make Gallinari the better target.”

[SOURCE LINK]