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Knicks Sign Duane Washington To Two-Way Deal

February 28th, 2023 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

12:21pm: The Knicks have officially signed Washington to a two-way contract, the team announced today (press release via Twitter). As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Washington will be eligible to be active for up to 12 regular season games.

9:14am: The Knicks intend to fill one of the open slots on their 17-man roster by signing guard Duane Washington Jr. to a two-way contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Washington, who played for the Pacers as a rookie after going undrafted out of Ohio State in 2021, signed a two-way contract with the Suns last August and spent the first half of the 2022/23 season with Phoenix before being waived at the start of February.

Washington had several strong outings for the Suns in his second NBA season, including four games of 21 points or more. In total, he averaged 7.9 PPG and 2.0 APG in 31 appearances (12.7 MPG) while making 36.0% of his three-point attempts. The team cut him in order to sign Saben Lee to a two-way deal.

The Knicks have been on a roll lately and don’t have any open spots in their rotation, so it’s unclear whether Washington will any real action at the NBA level once he signs with New York. He could end up spending much of his time with the Westchester Knicks as the G League season enters its home stretch.

Having promoted Trevor Keels from his two-way contract to a 10-day deal last week, the Knicks have an open two-way slot alongside DaQuan Jeffries. New York also still has the flexibility to continue making changes to its standard 15-man roster — after Keels’ 10-day contract expires this weekend, the team will be carrying just 13 players on standard deals.

Players Waived After Wednesday Won’t Be Playoff-Eligible

February 28th, 2023 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

In order to retain his postseason eligibility for a new NBA team, a player must be waived on or before March 1. That means that any player who remains on an NBA roster after Wednesday won’t be eligible to suit up in the playoffs for a new team, though there’s at least one key exception to that general rule.

A player who is currently on a 10-day contract – or who signs one after March 1 – will retain his playoff eligibility going forward. For instance, once Meyers Leonard‘s 10-day deal with the Bucks expires this Friday night, he’d still be able to re-sign with Milwaukee or join a new team and be eligible to play in the postseason, since he’s not being placed on waivers after March 1.

Here’s the list of players currently on 10-day contracts who will retain their playoff eligibility when their current deals expire:

Meyers Leonard, Bucks (runs through 3/3)
Kris Dunn, Jazz (3/3)
Frank Jackson, Jazz (3/3)
Trevor Keels, Knicks (3/4)
Willie Cauley-Stein, Rockets (3/8)

It’s also worth clarifying that a player doesn’t have to sign with a new team by March 1 to be playoff-eligible — he simply has to be placed on waivers by 11:59 pm Eastern time on Wednesday. As long as a player who fits that bill signs with a new team by the final day of the regular season (April 9), he can play in the postseason.

The buyout market in 2023 has been pretty active, with veterans like Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Reggie Jackson, Danny Green, Patrick Beverley, Terrence Ross, and Justin Holiday among those who have been bought out since the trade deadline and found new teams.

All of those players – and those who have been waived but haven’t yet signed with new teams, like Will Barton – will be playoff-eligible for their new clubs, but anyone on a standard contract who is waived after Wednesday won’t be. We know that the Pistons will officially release Nerlens Noel by March 1 after the two sides reached a buyout agreement — we’ll be keeping a close eye out for any other veterans who might hit waivers in the next day-and-a-half.

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LeBron James Expected To Be Out Multiple Weeks

February 28th, 2023 at 11:04am CST by Dana Gauruder

FEBRUARY 28, 11:04am: James is expected to be reevaluated in two weeks to see how his injured right foot has progressed, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). However, James could be out for longer than that.

The Lakers’ place in the standings in a couple weeks may be a factor in the decision on when it makes sense for LeBron to return, Woj adds.

FEBRUARY 27, 6:41pm: LeBron James could miss an extended period of time due to a right foot injury, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports. He’ll get multiple medical opinions regarding the injury, but the Lakers are bracing for his absence to span multiple weeks, Charania adds (Twitter links).

James suffered the injury during Sunday’s game against Dallas, in which the Lakers rallied from a 27-point deficit to pull out a 111-108 win. James played through the injury on Sunday but the team has already listed him as out for its game against Memphis on Tuesday, Jovan Buha of The Athletic notes (Twitter link).

James’ absence could be a crushing blow to the Lakers’ playoff hopes. They’re currently 29-32 and 12th in the Western Conference standings.

James admitted after Sunday’s game that he was hurting, Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays.

“It’s been better,” James said. “That’s for sure. But I definitely wasn’t going to go to the locker room and not finish the game out tonight. Just understood the importance of the game, and then with the momentum that we had, I felt like we could still win after being down. We’ll monitor it the next couple days, see how it feels and go from there.”

James, who has already missed 14 games this season, is averaging 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per night. He said during the All-Star break he was determined to play every game the rest of the season, eager to get back to the postseason after the Lakers failed to qualify last season.

Without James, the Lakers will have to rely more on newcomer Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura, as well as Troy Brown Jr. and Lonnie Walker.

LaMelo Ball Fractures Right Ankle, Out For Season

February 28th, 2023 at 10:56am CST by Dana Gauruder

FEBRUARY 28: Ball will miss the rest of the season after fracturing his right ankle, confirms Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

FEBRUARY 27: Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball suffered a fractured right ankle against Detroit on Monday night, the team’s PR department tweets.

Though no recovery timeline has been formally announced, it’s safe to say it’s a season-ending injury. The non-contact injury occurred when Ball fell awkwardly after a behind-the-back dribble during the third quarter.

Ball has been snakebit by ankle injuries this season. He sprained his left ankle multiple times.

His first ankle injury occurred during a preseason game on October 10 and he was diagnosed with a Grade 2 sprain the following day.

Ball missed the first 13 games of the regular season with the injury, then re-injured his ankle in his third game back on November 16. He missed an additional 11 games while recovering from the second sprain before returning to action in December. Ball sprained the ankle once more in mid-January.

Ball has appeared in just 36 games this season. He was averaging 23.4 points, 8.5 assists and 6.4 rebounds per contest entering Monday’s game. Charlotte is on a five-game winning streak after defeating the Pistons but will have to finish out most or all of the schedule without its top player.

Ball is still on his rookie contract through next season. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension of up to five years this offseason.

Knicks Notes: Rose, Brunson, Hart, Grimes

February 28th, 2023 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran point guard Derrick Rose said last week that he hasn’t sought a buyout from the team, and that’s just fine with the Knicks, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who says the club has little interest in negotiating a buyout agreement. As Begley explains, New York values the 34-year-old’s veteran leadership and recognizes that he would provide important backcourt depth in the event of an injury.

Although Rose has been out of the rotation since December, he saw some action in garbage time on Saturday for the first time in nearly two months, playing the final 2:21 of a blowout win over New Orleans. The former MVP wasn’t effective, going scoreless on 0-of-4 shooting, but his enduring popularity was on display, as he got a huge ovation from the home crowd, notes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.

“D-Rose, that’s a legend,” Julius Randle said of the crowd’s reaction to his teammate. “That’s a legend and he’s not playing. Obviously he’s still got some juice and he can still play. But that’s not his role on this team. I would argue that he’s having just as much if not more of an impact vocally as a leader for us. He’s constantly talking to me, giving me advice. His impact is huge. I love to see him out on the floor.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Tom Thibodeau‘s decision to trim the Knicks’ rotation and relegate Rose and Cam Reddish to the bench in December turned the club’s season around, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. New York is 26-14 since Thibodeau made that move on December 4 and has climbed from 11th in the Eastern Conference standings to fifth.
In a mailbag for The Athletic, Fred Katz discusses Jalen Brunson‘s chances of winning the Most Improved Player award, the possibility of ownership paying the tax in future seasons, and the likelihood of the Knicks negotiating a new contract with Josh Hart this summer, among other topics. Katz believes Brunson will get some MIP votes but won’t win the award, speculates that ownership would be happy to go into the tax if there’s a move that makes the club a contender, and says he’d be surprised if Hart and the Knicks don’t work out a new deal in free agency.
Quentin Grimes remains a part of the Knicks’ starting lineup, but his minutes have tailed off since the trade deadline. Grimes had been averaging 34.2 minutes per contest in his previous 40 starts, but has logged just 22.1 MPG in his last six games. As Peter Botte of The New York Post relays, Thibodeau says that’s not an indictment of Grimes’ performance. “The big thing is, when you have quality depth, you have versatility. Just go out and go as hard as you can,” Thibodeau said. “That’s what I like about Quentin. He’s played long minutes, he’s played short minutes. You can start him, you can bring him off the bench and he’s going to be the same every day.”
In case you missed it, the Knicks intend to sign Duane Washington Jr. to fill their open two-way contract slot.

Contract Details: Hampton, Dozier, Goodwin, McGowens, Wainright

February 28th, 2023 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

The new minimum-salary contracts signed by R.J. Hampton with the Pistons and PJ Dozier with the Kings are both two-year deals that are fully guaranteed for the rest of this season but don’t include any guaranteed money in year two, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter links).

The agreements will allow the Pistons and Kings to assess their new players’ fits for the rest of this season before making a decision in the summer on whether or not to retain them for another season.

Hampton’s 2023/24 salary with the Pistons (approximately $2MM) would become fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through July 6, Hoops Rumors has learned. As for Dozier, he’d have to be waived by July 10 if the Kings want to avoid his full $2.4MM salary for next season becoming guaranteed.

Here are a few more details on some of the contracts recently signed by NBA players:

Jordan Goodwin‘s new three-year deal with the Wizards includes a $900K rest-of-season salary for 2022/23, which the team gave him using a portion of its mid-level exception, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Goodwin’s second-year salary in 2023/24 is currently partially guaranteed for $300K. That guarantee would increase to $963,948 (50% of his total salary) if he remains under contract through September 1, Hoops Rumors has learned. The Wizards hold a minimum-salary team option on Goodwin for 2024/25.
The Hornets‘ mid-level exception allowed them to give four years to Bryce McGowens on his new standard contract. It also let the team pay him a salary higher than the minimum for the rest of this season — he’ll earn $1,075,000 on his new deal in 2022/23, according to Smith (Twitter link). McGowens’ remaining three years are worth the minimum, but his $1.72MM salary for ’23/24 is fully guaranteed. The final two years are non-guaranteed, including a ’25/26 team option.
The Suns used a portion of their taxpayer mid-level exception to give Ish Wainright a slightly larger salary than he would have received on a minimum-salary contract, tweets Smith. Wainright will earn $474,851 for the rest of this season instead of the $423,612 he would’ve gotten on a minimum deal. As previously reported, the second year of Wainright’s contract is a team option.

Los Angeles Notes: Jackson, Hyland, Westbrook, Vanderbilt, Russell

February 27th, 2023 at 10:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Reggie Jackson anticipated he’d get traded by the Clippers, he told Law Murray of The Athletic. Jackson was dealt to the Hornets, who waived him. He then signed with another Western Conference contender, the Nuggets.

“I’ve been in the game for 12 years,” Jackson said. “I was the only expiring contract (the Clippers had). Got to get better. Can’t really move anything. … So, the writing was on the wall for me. Being a pretty smart guy, I kind of knew. Either we were going to stay put, play small-ball, or, if anything was going to happen, I was ready to be the one that would probably be moved.”

We have more on the Los Angeles teams:

In the same story, Bones Hyland told Murray that he’s glad Russell Westbrook signed with the Clippers, even though his playing time might be cut. “I always was a fan of Russ’ game,” Hyland said. “Fan of Russ off the court as well. Great human being, great to be around. Great to talk to. Was the MVP of this league. Going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. … So, I’m glad we got him. He brings a lot to the team.”
Jarred Vanderbilt lifted the Lakers during their comeback from a 27-point deficit against Dallas with 15 points. 17 rebounds and four steals. The deadline addition from Utah has already impacted the team’s season, Anthony Davis told Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “His value for our team, you can’t even put it into words what he brings and does for us,” Davis said. Vanderbilt looks like a steal in the three-way trade with Minnesota and the Jazz, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, because he addresses the Lakers’ need for a long, athletic, dirty-work forward.
D’Angelo Russell (right ankle sprain) is listed as doubtful for the Lakers’ game against Memphis on Tuesday, according to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register (Twitter link).
In case you missed it, LeBron James is expected to miss multiple weeks due to a foot injury. Get the details here.

Pacers’ Kendall Brown Undergoes Tibia Surgery

February 27th, 2023 at 10:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pacers rookie forward Kendall Brown underwent a surgical procedure to address a right tibia stress fracture on Monday, according to a team press release.

Brown will be out indefinitely and is expected to make a full recovery, the team adds.

Brown missed six weeks of action earlier this season due to the injury, but he continued to experience discomfort.

A second-round pick, Brown is one of the team’s two-way players. He’s appeared in six games with the Pacers. He also played 10 games for the G League Fort Wayne Ants, averaging 9.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 23.8 minutes.

The 19-year-old spent his first and only college season at Baylor in 2021/22, averaging 9.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 1.9 APG on .584/.341/.689 shooting in 34 games (27.0 MPG) for the Bears.

Pistons Notes: Wiseman, Draft, Bagley, Ivey, Duren

February 27th, 2023 at 9:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons gambled on James Wiseman‘s potential, trading away steady forward Saddiq Bey in the process, and they’re confident he’ll be part of their future, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes.

Coach Dwane Casey said the staff is working on the “little things” to maximize Wiseman’s growth.

“He has all the athletic skills,” Casey said. “The length, the size and that’s something that’s helped our defense, having that deterrent at the rim, that 7-footer at the rim to block shots. He’s done a good job of that. Just now learning all the little things, footwork in the post, not letting them push him off his sweet spot in the post. Command your spot. That’s what the coaches now are working on him with that.”

Wiseman had 23 points and seven rebounds in a loss to Charlotte on Monday.

We have more on the Pistons:

So what will the Pistons do if they don’t win the lottery and the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes? James Edwards III of The Athletic explores that scenario, predicting which players the team would select in the 2-6 range. Edwards still sees Detroit taking Scoot Henderson at No. 2 despite drafting guards Killian Hayes, Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey in the lottery the past three years. However, other teams would make significant trade offers to the Pistons if they get the No. 2 pick, Edwards notes.
Marvin Bagley III erupted for season highs of 21 points and 18 rebounds against Toronto on Saturday after he missed nearly two months due to a fractured right hand. After re-signing Bagley last summer, the Pistons want to see more of that on a consistent basis, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes. “He told on himself when he got 18 rebounds,” Casey said. “So now we’re looking for 18 rebounds (Monday) night, the next night, the next night, or close to it. Let’s be consistent.”
Ivey missed Monday’s game due to personal reasons,, Sankofa tweets. Fellow rookie Jalen Duren missed his second straight game with ankle soreness. Bojan Bogdanovic (Achilles soreness) and Isaiah Stewart (hip) also sat out.

Heat Notes: Lowry, Love, Haslem, Cain

February 27th, 2023 at 7:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat guard Kyle Lowry missed his ninth consecutive game on Monday night due to left knee soreness but coach Erik Spoelstra provided an encouraging update, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. Lowry had been listed as questionable to play before being ruled out.

“I didn’t need that. I didn’t even see that he got upgraded,” Spoelstra said. “That’s more training staff and league-related just to cover yourself. I’m more encouraged just by the work he has been able to do the last 10 days. He’s definitely making progress. I don’t have a timetable for his return. But he’s certainly doing a lot more.”

We have more from the Heat:

By using their bi-annual exception to secure Kevin Love‘s services as a free agent, the Heat have put themselves in a slightly better position to re-sign him this summer, John Hollinger of The Athletic notes. They can now give him a 20% raise on that amount (up to $3.7MM) to re-sign him as a non-Bird free agent without using any other exception money.
When he finally retires, Udonis Haslem will explore becoming a minority owner of the Heat and remaining active in the team’s daily doings, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. “My commitment, even though I’ll be retired, is to be here just as much as the players and the staff and be committed to the process of the future and winning,” he said. “I look to take a path of ownership, but to be a working owner, not a guy who crosses his legs and sits on the sideline. I want to be a guy that connects the dots between the locker room and front office, connects the dots between the front office and the owners. Sometimes, you can miss things in those area.”
Two-way player Jamal Cain returned to the G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce prior to Monday’s game, according to Chiang. Cain played five minutes against the Bucks on Friday in his first NBA appearance since mid-January.