- Although they still have a strong hold on a playoff spot, the Magic have missed D.J. Augustin‘s leadership and shooting ability recently, as John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com details. Orlando has a 3-8 record in the last month without Augustin, who will likely remain on the shelf through the All-Star break due to his left knee bone irritation, head coach Steve Clifford said today (Twitter link via Josh Robbins of The Athletic).
The Clippers are among the teams pursuing Timberwolves forward Robert Covington, Sean Deveney of Heavy.com reports. A package of their first-round pick this year, forward Maurice Harkless, and a young player such as Jerome Robinson or Terance Mann could be enough to secure Covington, Deveney continues. Grizzlies forward Andre Iguodala, Suns center Aron Baynes and Magic guard D.J. Augustin are among the other potential targets for the Clippers, Deveney adds.
We have more trade chatter:
- The Knicks have engaged in trade talks with the Hornets involving forward Julius Randle, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweets. Charlotte would be a surprising landing spot for Randle, who has a guaranteed $18.9MM salary for next season. However, the Hornets have three frontcourt players with large expiring contracts and will need reinforcements.
- The Knicks had talks with the Cavaliers which included center John Henson but those discussions have died down, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets. Henson has an expiring $9.7MM contract.
- Celtics GM Danny Ainge would like to strengthen the team’s bench but doesn’t see the center position as a major weakness, Jacob Camenker of NBC Sports Boston relays. The Celtics are reportedly one of the teams interested in acquiring Rockets center Clint Capela. Ainge indicated the roster “probably too many really young guys” but claimed he’s content with Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter, and Robert Williams manning the middle. “We’re not getting beat at the center position,” Ainge said. “We’re getting 17, 18 points per night. We’re getting double-figure rebounds. We’re just doing it as a team.”
As we noted earlier this morning, the Timberwolves‘ asking price for Robert Covington is believed to be high, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be moved before this week’s deadline. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski suggested during a podcast with Bobby Marks that he’s “very confident” Covington will be dealt, while ESPN’s Zach Lowe cited sources who said Covington is “as good a bet as any high-wattage player to move this week.”
That doesn’t mean the Timberwolves’ asking price will be met, but there are multiple teams interested in the veteran wing. Besides Houston and Philadelphia, Covington’s list of suitors includes the Bucks and Mavericks, according to Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who report that the Mavs and Rockets both discussed potential trades for Covington during the 2019 offseason.
Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link) agrees that the Mavericks are in the market for a wing, but disputes the idea that Dallas is “actively” bidding on Covington, and again suggests the team is reluctant to pursue Grizzlies forward Andre Iguodala, as he reported in December.
Meanwhile, Charania provides another interesting note on Covington, suggesting that some rival executives are wary of the veteran’s injury history and the two years and $25MM left on his contract. The injury concerns are fair, but Covington’s team-friendly contract is believed to be one of the reasons why he’s so sought-after — perhaps there are some potential suitors who are nervous about cutting into their cap room for 2021.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- Marcus Morris (Knicks) and Davis Bertans (Wizards) may cost a lottery-level first-round pick and appear unlikely to be dealt, according to Charania and Krawczynski. Still, New York will remain open to the idea of moving Morris if offers improve this week, tweets Wojnarowski.
- The Kings are among the teams that have spoken to the Rockets about Clint Capela, league sources tell Charania and Krawczynski. Capela is said to be on the block as Houston seeks a wing.
- Marc Stein of The New York Times, who reported last month that the Clippers are exploring the market for a wing and/or a big man, tweets that many rival teams expect the Clips to make at least one trade this week.
- The Magic have inquired on Knicks point guard Dennis Smith Jr., an NBA source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. With Markelle Fultz in place as a building block in Orlando, it doesn’t seem like an ideal fit for Smith, another play-making point guard who struggles with his shot. The Knicks’ guard has reportedly drawn interest from Minnesota as well.
- Several teams have had recent conversations with the Knicks about possible deals involving Bobby Portis, sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Portis has no guaranteed money beyond this season, as his $15.75MM salary for 2020/21 is a team option.
Here are Sunday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Celtics have recalled Carsen Edwards from their G League affiliate in Maine, announcing the news on social media. Edwards has averaged 3.1 points on 31% shooting through 30 contests this season.
- The Magic have assigned Melvin Frazier Jr. to their G League team in Lakeland, the team announced (Twitter link). Lakeland will play the Erie BayHawks on Monday.
The NBA has denied the Magic‘s request to receive a disabled player exception for injured forward Jonathan Isaac, according to Josh Robbins and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
As we outline in a glossary entry, a team can apply for a disabled player exception to replace a seriously injured player. In order for the exception to be granted, an NBA-designated physician must determine that the player is “substantially more likely than not” to be sidelined through at least June 15 of that league year.
The fact that the league turned down Orlando’s request for an Isaac DPE is both good news and bad news for the team. The Magic will lose out on the ability to add another cap exception worth $2,903,220, but the denial means the NBA believes Isaac has a good chance to be healthy before June 15.
Back on January 2, the Magic announced that Isaac had been ruled out indefinitely with a posterior lateral corner injury and a medial bone contusion in his left knee, noting he’d be re-evaluated in eight-to-10 weeks.
That means an update should be provided at the end of February or at some point in March, and there still could be a chance of Isaac returning for the end of the regular season or the playoffs. The Magic figure to play it safe with one of their long-term building blocks, so it’s certainly possible we don’t see him again this year, but the NBA’s decision suggests that’s not a given.
Although Orlando’s request for an Isaac DPE was denied, the franchise was granted a disabled player exception earlier this month for Al-Farouq Aminu. The DPE is worth $4,629,000, half of Aminu’s 2019/20 salary. It can only be used to sign a player for the rest of the season or to trade or make a waiver claim for a player with an expiring contract. Since the Magic are safely below the tax line, they may try to take advantage of the DPE before the March 10 deadline.
The Sixers could reduce Ben Simmons‘ role as a primary ball-handler, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
“That needs to be continued to be grown,” coach Brett Brown said of the primary ball-handling role. “It will mean. It will mean. I’m not saying, ‘It may mean.’ I’m saying it will mean that he’s not the primary ball-handler when you put him in those situations …
“So really, it’s a goal and sort of the growth of Ben to put him in all these environments where he’s really good at and can impact the game at.”
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- With the Sixers in action against Atlanta tonight, I examined which Hawks players Philadelphia should have interest in trading for. Jabari Parker might be the best fit, as the 76ers could use another scorer off the bench.
- Orlando’s grip on a playoff spot is slipping and Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel takes a look at what strategy the Magic should take heading to the trade deadline. The team could use another wing if it intends on being a buyer at the deadline.
- Should the Hornets trade Malik Monk? Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer gives his take on the former No. 11 pick.
- The Timberwolves called the Magic about Aaron Gordon earlier in the season, league sources tell O’Connor. If Minnesota made an offer for Gordon, it’s unclear what exactly that offer consisted of, per O’Connor. However, he notes that the Wolves are shopping Robert Covington.
[SOURCE LINK]
11:17am: The Magic have officially signed Clark to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The timing is a little surprising, since Orlando doesn’t play again until Saturday and the new deal will only cover four games instead of five or six. It’ll run through February 7.
10:51am: The Magic have reached a new deal with forward Gary Clark and will sign him to a second 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). No corresponding move will be required, since Orlando has an open spot on its 15-man roster.
Clark, 25, signed his first 10-day deal with Orlando earlier this month after being waived by Houston. He appeared in five games for the Magic during those 10 days, averaging 4.0 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 13.8 minutes per contest before the contract expired last Thursday night.
Previously, Clark had appeared in 69 games for the Rockets since the start of the 2018/19 season, averaging 3.2 PPG and 2.3 RPG with a .348/.312/.929 shooting line in 12.4 minutes per contest. He was released by Houston before his 2019/20 salary became fully guaranteed.
Clark’s new 10-day contract would run through February 7 if it’s officially signed today, but Orlando may wait at least one more day to ensure that it will cover five games instead of four. Once Clark’s deal expires, the Magic will either have to sign him to a rest-of-season contract or let him return to free agency.
If the Magic make a trade on or before the February 6 deadline that requires them to open up a roster spot, Clark’s 10-day contract could be terminated before it expires. He would still earn his full 10-day salary ($81,678) in that scenario.
There hasn’t yet been a league-wide push to retire Kobe Bryant‘s No. 8 or No. 24, but some players around the NBA have begun informally retiring those numbers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. As Charania tweets, the first of those players is Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who had worn No. 8 and will be switching to No. 26. Magic sharpshooter Terrence Ross is changing from No. 8 back to his old No. 31, Charania adds (via Twitter).
Here are Sunday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Magic have recalled Melvin Frazier Jr. from their G League affiliate in Lakeland, the team announced on social media. Orlando hosted the Clippers tonight at Amway Center.
- The Heat have recalled center Chris Silva from the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the team announced in a press release. Silva has averaged 3.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 8.3 minutes in 30 contests with Miami this season.