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COVID Updates: Joseph, Jackson, Murray, Johnson, Okeke, Rondo, Ball, Maxey

December 26th, 2021 at 12:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The league continues to be ravaged by COVID positives with an increasing number of players entering the league’s health and safety protocols. Here are the latest updates:

The Pistons, who already had six players in protocols, added guards Cory Joseph and Josh Jackson to the list, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets. The Pistons are scheduled to play the Spurs on Sunday night. San Antonio will be without Dejounte Murray, who also entered protocols on Sunday, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
The Magic, who already had a handful of players in protocols, won’t have B.J. Johnson and Chuma Okeke available against Miami on Sunday after they joined the list, the team’s PR department tweets. Moritz Wagner has exited the protocols but is going through a reconditioning period before returning to action, per the team (Twitter link).
Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo has entered protocols, joining three other Lakers, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register tweets.
Two-way player Jose Alvarado became the third Pelicans players to enter protocols, Andrew Lopez of ESPN tweets.
Bulls guard Lonzo Ball has entered protocols, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. The Bulls, who have experienced major COVID issues this month, also have Alfonzo McKinnie and Tony Bradley in protocols, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic tweets. McKinnie just signed a standard contract and he can be replaced via the hardship exemption, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Chicago has seen 14 players enter protocols this month.
On the positive side, the Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey was spotted at shootaround after exiting protocols, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

COVID-19 Updates: Marshall, Cooper, Hampton, Towns, Brown

December 23rd, 2021 at 9:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans’ Naji Marshall has entered the league’s health and safety protocols, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune tweets. Earlier in the day, Nickeil Alexander-Walker became the first New Orleans player to enter protocols this season. Marshall, a second-year forward, has appeared in 19 games off the bench this season.

We have more COVID-19 related updates:

Hawks rookie point guard Sharife Cooper has entered the health and safety protocols, Sarah Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Cooper joins six other Atlanta players currently on the list. The second-round pick has appeared in eight games off the bench this season.
Magic guard R.J. Hampton exited the protocols on Thursday, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. He didn’t play on Thursday in order to work on his conditioning. Hampton was placed in the protocols on December 17, which means he produced two negative tests at least 24 hours apart.
Karl-Anthony Towns is asymptomatic, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link). “He is in the best spirits possible,” Finch said, adding Towns was very disappointed he couldn’t play on Thursday. Towns was placed in the protocols on Thursday, joining six other Minnesota players.
Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown has entered the protocols, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.

Pacific Notes: Westbrook, Thompson, R. Jackson, Hield

December 22nd, 2021 at 10:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

With three straight losses, an injured star, and COVID-19 affecting both the roster and the coaching staff, acting Lakers head coach David Fizdale feels like Russell Westbrook may be trying too hard to fix the situation by himself, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Westbrook has posted impressive numbers in the two games since Anthony Davis suffered an MCL sprain, averaging 21.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.0 steals, but he’s also committed a combined 13 turnovers, which Fizdale said disrupts the offense.

“I think the circumstances over the last few games, with so many people being in and out, triggered in him that he had to save us,” Fizdale said.

Already dealing with a disappointing season at 16-16, the Lakers are now facing the uncertainty that many teams have felt since the latest COVID-19 outbreak began sweeping through the league two weeks ago. They’re scheduled to host the Nets on Christmas Day, but Brooklyn’s last three games have been postponed.

“You’re just taking it and living day to day, you just don’t know what’s going to happen,” Carmelo Anthony said. “We could wake up tomorrow morning and they could say our game tomorrow is canceled. … Again, we don’t know what’s gonna happen, so we’re taking it day to day and we’re just trying to stay on top of what we need to stay on top of. But as we can see, it’s affecting everybody. It’s affecting a lot of different people, people who are vaccinated, people who do have boosters, so you just don’t know what’s going to happen.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Warriors players are raving about Klay Thompson after watching him in workouts, according to Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News. Thompson is expected to return sometime in January, and his teammates say he’s looking like the player he was before the injuries. “He’s always going to shoot the ball well, but he seems really confident in his body,” Kevon Looney said. “He’s going up for dunks. He’s playing physical and when you see that much confidence in him, it means he’s getting close to ready. It’s a joy to have in practice to have his energy back.”
Clippers guard Reggie Jackson entered the league’s health and safety protocols today, but he’s not experiencing any effects from the virus, tweets Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. “Reggie says he feels fine, no symptoms, so that’s a good sign,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “Happy for him about that.”
With trade rumors heating up again for Buddy Hield, Mark Schindler of Basketball News examines three potential destinations for the Kings guard. Schindler suggests deals that would send Hield to the Magic, Grizzlies or Pistons.

Two Hawks Players, Magic’s Mulder Enter Protocols

December 22nd, 2021 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

Two more Hawks players have entered the health and safety protocols, according to the team (via Twitter). Veteran guard Lou Williams and wing Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot have been ruled out of Wednesday’s game vs. Orlando after being placed in the protocols.

Williams and Luwawu-Cabarrot join Trae Young, Clint Capela, and Danilo Gallinari in the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols. If those players have tested positive, they’ll be out for 10 days or until they can return two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

The Hawks have taken steps to add replacement players and aren’t currently at risk of falling short of the required minimum of eight players. The team signed Lance Stephenson and Malcolm Hill on Wednesday and is expected to finalize a deal with Wesley Iwundu on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Magic two-way guard Mychal Mulder also entered the health and safety protocols today, per Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). Like their Wednesday opponents, the Magic have been hit hard by COVID-19 but have added several replacements and will have enough bodies available to play tonight’s game in Atlanta.

Mulder is the sixth player to enter the protocols for Orlando, joining Mohamed Bamba, Ignas Brazdeikis, R.J. Hampton, Terrence Ross, and Moritz Wagner. The club is also missing several players due to long-term injuries.

Magic Sign Freddie Gillespie, Tim Frazier To 10-Day Contracts

December 21st, 2021 at 10:16am CST by JD Shaw

DECEMBER 21: The Magic have officially signed Gillespie to his 10-day deal and also announced that veteran guard Tim Frazier has been added on a 10-day contract of his own. Hardship exceptions were used to complete both moves.

Frazier, who has 277 NBA regular season games under his belt, last played for the Grizzlies during the 2020/21 season. The 31-year-old has averaged 5.0 PPG, 4.0 APG, and 2.3 RPG on .404/.322/.728 shooting in 17.6 minutes per game across his NBA career.

DECEMBER 19: The Magic are planning to sign big man Freddie Gillespie to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Orlando will use a hardship exception to sign him.

Gillespie has been playing with the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate, averaging 11.4 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. This is his second straight G League campaign with Memphis.

Gillespie also played 20 games with the Raptors last year, but he was waived this past fall. The 24-year-old went undrafted in 2020 after playing for Carleton and Baylor.

Orlando recently signed B.J. Johnson, Hassani Gravett, Admiral Schofield and Aleem Ford to 10-day contracts. The team is missing several players due to health and safety protocols.

Wendell Carter Jr. Receives Positive MRI Results; Terrence Ross Unconcerned By Trade Rumors

December 19th, 2021 at 8:39pm CST by JD Shaw

Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. suffered a lower right leg muscle strain on Friday against the Heat, the team announced on social media. Carter exited the game in a wheelchair, so the MRI results appear to be positive news for the 22-year-old. He missed Saturday’s contest against the Nets.
Magic guard Terrence Ross isn’t worried about any trade rumors that include his name, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Ross is currently in his sixth season with the Magic, averaging 11.1 points per game on a career-low 39% from the floor and 29% from deep.

Magic-Raptors Off Monday, Nets-Wizards Postponed Tuesday

December 19th, 2021 at 12:50pm CST by Rory Maher

In addition to the three games postponed on Sunday, the league also announced two more postponements: Magic vs. Raptors on Monday, and Nets vs. Wizards on Tuesday (via Twitter).

The Magic are decimated by injuries and COVID-19 at the moment, hence the postponement. The Nets currently have 10 players in the health and safety protocols, although they did play Saturday night against Orlando, a 100-93 loss. The Nets started three rookies against the Magic, and their bench was comprised entirely of players on 10-day contracts.

As our JD Shaw tweets, part of their reason for the postponements is that many of the players who would receive 10-day contracts via hardship exceptions are participating in the G League showcase event, which makes it difficult to find immediate replacements.

ESPN’s Baxter Holmes tweets that 64 players and two head coaches have entered the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols over the past six days, which is approximately 13% of players signed to standard and two-way contracts, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (via Twitter).

Wendell Carter Jr. Suffers Leg Injury

December 17th, 2021 at 9:51pm CST by Rory Maher

Magic big man Wendell Carter Jr. was injured Friday night against Miami, suffering what the team called a right lower leg injury, per a team PR announcement (via Twitter). He missed the remainder of the game and will undergo further evaluation, the team adds. Hopefully it’s not a serious injury for both player and team, as the Magic already have several injured and/or COVID-afflicted players.

Magic Sign Four Players To 10-Day Contracts

December 17th, 2021 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have called up four players from their G League affiliate, signing swingman B.J. Johnson, guard Hassani Gravett, and forwards Admiral Schofield and Aleem Ford to 10-day contracts, the team announced today in a press release. All four Lakeland Magic players were signed using hardship exceptions.

As we detailed earlier today, the Magic found themselves shorthanded after Ignas Brazdeikis, Terrence Ross, Moritz Wagner, and R.J. Hampton entered the health and safety protocols. Orlando is also missing Jalen Suggs, Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac, Michael Carter-Williams, and E’Twaun Moore due to long-term injuries, raising questions about whether the team would have the minimum required eight players available for Friday’s game vs. Miami.

Since then, Mohamed Bamba has also entered the health and safety protocols, according to the Magic (Twitter link). However, with four G League call-ups joining the seven remaining players on the NBA squad, Orlando should be able to move forward with its schedule for the time being.

Of Orlando’s four newly-added players, two – Johnson and Schofield – have NBA experience. Johnson has also been Lakeland’s leading scorer so far this season, putting up 24.7 PPG on .462/.344/.821 shooting in his first 10 games (34.5 MPG).

Schofield has averaged 14.4 PPG and 7.3 RPG in 12 G League games (33.0 MPG), while Gravett has recorded 13.6 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 5.2 RPG in 12 games (34.5 MPG) and Ford has posted 9.6 PPG and 4.4 RPG in 12 games (28.1 MPG).

The hardship provision allows teams with several players unavailable due to injuries or the health and safety protocols to add extra players on a temporary basis.

Three More Magic Players Enter COVID-19 Protocols

December 17th, 2021 at 11:14am CST by Luke Adams

After placing forward Ignas Brazdeikis in the health and safety protocols on Thursday evening, the Magic canceled their morning shootaround and have had three more players enter the protocols today, per Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links). A source tells Price that Terrence Ross, Moritz Wagner, and R.J. Hampton have joined Brazdeikis in the protocols and will be out on Friday vs. Miami.

Since vaccinated players haven’t been required to undergo daily testing for COVID-19 this season, those players have only been tested when they show symptoms of the virus or when they’ve been in close contact with someone who has tested positive. If Brazdeikis tested positive on Thursday, it likely prompted a round of testing for the entire roster.

Assuming Brazdeikis, Ross, Wagner, and Hampton have tested positive for the coronavirus, they’ll be out for the next 10 days or until they register two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

Orlando becomes the seventh team to have at least four players currently in the health and safety protocols, joining the Nets, Bulls, Lakers, Bucks, Knicks, and Kings. Orlando is also missing several players due to longer-term injuries, including Jalen Suggs, Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac, Michael Carter-Williams, and E’Twaun Moore, raising questions about whether tonight’s game vs. the Heat may need to be postponed.

It’s possible the Magic will have the minimum number of players available, but their current group of eight players includes Cole Anthony, Mohamed Bamba, and Gary Harris, all of whom are listed as questionable due to various ailments. Although the team is eligible to sign multiple free agents via the hardship exception, there may not be time before tip-off on Friday night to incorporate any new players.

Meanwhile, over in the Western Conference, Nuggets forward Bol Bol has reentered the health and safety protocols, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link). Bol spent several days in the protocols earlier this month.