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Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart Suspended Three Games Without Pay

February 22nd, 2024 at 3:40pm CST by Rory Maher

3:40pm: The misdemeanor assault charge against Stewart has been dismissed after prosecutors declined to pursue the case, tweets Baxter Holmes of ESPN. That explains why the NBA handed out a suspension today, since the league typically doesn’t act until the legal process has played out.

Stewart will lose $108,966 as part of his three-game suspension, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

3:17pm: Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart has been suspended three games without pay for initiating an altercation with Suns big man Drew Eubanks prior to last week’s game in Phoenix, the NBA announced (via Twitter).

Stewart punched and pushed Eubanks during the incident, per the league’s statement. His suspension is expected to begin on Thursday vs. Indiana, as Detroit’s forward/center was set to be active tonight for the first time in several weeks after dealing with an ankle sprain.

Eubanks said he was sucker-punched in the face by Stewart in the hallway of the Footprint Center shortly after arriving at the arena, though he wasn’t injured and was able to suit up for the Suns’ victory last Wednesday. Stewart was arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge and issued a citation before being released.

Stewart, 22, is averaging 11.0 PPG and 6.8 RPG on .470/.374/.746 shooting in 35 games (30.6 MPG) this season for the Pistons, who hold the worst record in the league at 8-46.

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Pistons Converting Stanley Umude To Standard Contract

February 22nd, 2024 at 3:35pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pistons plan to give Stanley Umude a promotion, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the second-year guard/forward will have his two-way contract converted into a standard two-year deal.

Umude, 24, has appeared in 17 games this season for Detroit, averaging 5.2 points and 1.8 rebounds on .481/.548/.917 shooting in 11.2 minutes per contest. He has also played 22 games (32.6 minutes) for the Pistons’ G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, averaging 17.1 points and 5.8 rebounds on .397/.345/.774 shooting.

Umude went undrafted in 2022 out of Arkansas and spent training camp with Detroit, spending most of his rookie campaign with the Cruise. He made one appearance with the Pistons last season while on a 10-day deal.

The Pistons have been busy on Thursday, having reached agreements to sign Cruise member Buddy Boeheim to a two-way deal, convert Umude to a standard contract, and give Tosan Evbuomwan the two-way slot previously held by Umude.

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Warriors Sign Pat Spencer To Two-Way Contract

February 22nd, 2024 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

February 22: Spencer’s two-way deal is official, per the Warriors (Twitter link).

February 21: The Warriors will fill their newly opened two-way slot by signing guard Pat Spencer to a two-way contract, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Spencer was a star lacrosse player at Loyola from 2016-19 before using his final year of NCAA eligibility to play basketball at Northwestern in 2019/20. He went undrafted, but played professionally with the Hamburg Towers in Germany and in the Capital City Go-Go in the G League before catching on with the Warriors on an Exhibit 10 contract in 2022.

The 27-year-old has spent the past two seasons playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G League affiliate, and has become a reliable shooting threat as a regular rotation player for the team this season.

Spencer has averaged 12.3 points in 23.2 minutes per game across 27 NBAGL appearances in 2023/24, while shooting 51.2% from the field (42.7% on three-pointers) and 82.4% from the free throw line. He has also contributed 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest.

Golden State is opening up a two-way slot by promoting Lester Quinones to the standard 15-man roster, so Spencer will fill that open spot, joining Usman Garuba and Jerome Robinson as the team’s two-way players.

Depending on exactly when Spencer officially signs with the Warriors, he’ll be eligible to be active for up to 15 or 16 of the club’s remaining games, though I’d expect him to continue to spend most of his time with Santa Cruz.

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Warriors Promote Lester Quinones To 15-Man Roster

February 22nd, 2024 at 1:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

February 22: Quinones has officially been converted to a standard contract, the Warriors announced (via Twitter).

February 20: The Warriors plan to convert two-way guard Lester Quinones to a standard NBA contract, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter). The contract is expected to be signed Thursday, Wojnarowski adds.

Quinones has been with Golden State for the last two seasons. He has appeared in 19 NBA contests this season, averaging 4.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 12.9 minutes per game.

Quinones has played regularly off the bench this month, averaging 7.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 19.6 minutes per night. He hasn’t been inactive or registered a DNP-CD since January 27.

The Warriors had only 13 players on the 15-man roster entering the All-Star break and needed to add at least one more by Thursday. Golden State got down to 13 by trading Cory Joseph. After officially promoting Quinones, Golden State will have another two-way slot available.

Quinones was signed to a two-way deal late last season and re-signed in July. He was the named the 2023 Most Improved Player in the NBA G League when he averaged 21.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists for Santa Cruz.

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Pistons Signing Buddy Boeheim To Two-Way Deal

February 22nd, 2024 at 1:05pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pistons are signing free agent guard/forward Buddy Boeheim to a two-way contract, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The deal will cover two years.

A long-range shooting specialist, Boeheim has averaged 14.3 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 41.8% from three on high volume in 36 games this season (24.3 MPG) for Detroit’s NBA G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise.

The son of longtime Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim was on Detroit’s roster last season as a rookie on a two-way deal. The Pistons declined to give him a qualifying offer last June and renounced his rights in July, but the younger Boeheim played on their Summer League team and signed an Exhibit 10 deal in August that gave him a bonus for playing for the Cruise in 2023/24 after he was waived in October.

Boeheim appeared in 10 games with the Pistons in ’22/23, averaging just 9.0 minutes in those outings. He spent most of his time with the Cruise, where he averaged 12.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 18 games (17 starts). He shot 37.4% on 3-point attempts in the NBAGL but only converted 4-of-25 in his NBA appearances.

The 24-year-old wing will occupy Detroit’s open two-way slot, so no corresponding move will be necessary to sign him. Jared Rhoden and Stanley Umude are the Pistons’ other two-way players, as shown by our tracker.

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Southeast Notes: Mann, Ball, Fultz, Heat, Wizards

February 22nd, 2024 at 12:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

There wasn’t much playing time available for Tre Mann on a talented Oklahoma City team, but he moved into a starting role after being traded to the Hornets, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. With LaMelo Ball still injured, Mann has been tasked with running Charlotte’s offense and he’s averaging 13.7 points and 7.3 assists in his first three games.

“I think I’m fitting in pretty well,” Mann said. “I’m just coming out, trying to play hard around a bunch of talented guys. We’ve all got really good IQ, so it’s easy playing with guys like that. I think I’m playing well. I’m just trying to show off my playmaking ability as much as I can and it’s been fun.”

Ball will miss his 12th straight game tonight in Utah, but he’s making progress toward returning from a sprained right ankle. A source tells Boone that Ball has resumed on-court activities and is steadily increasing his workload. Mann believes the two guards can form an effective combination whenever Ball comes back.

“I think he can play a little bit off ball and I can do the same,” Mann said. “So, It’s his team and I’m going to adjust to whatever is better for him. For right now, I’m just trying to go out there and play team ball.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • The Magic will be without Markelle Fultz for their first game after the All-Star break, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. The seventh-year guard continues to deal with a nagging left knee injury, which has limited him to just 21 games thus far in 2023/24. It’s unclear how much more time Fultz will miss beyond Thursday’s contest in Cleveland, but it’s a situation worth monitoring down the stretch, as the 25-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
  • Star forward Jimmy Butler missed the Heat‘s final three games leading into the break due to the death of a family member, but he was back at practice on Thursday and will be available for Friday’s game in New Orleans, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Josh Richardson (right shoulder dislocation) and Terry Rozier (right knee sprain) will both be out Friday, but they’re traveling on the team’s four-game road trip, Jackson adds. Veteran big man Kevin Love said Rozier was moving well at Thursday’s practice, though he did not do any live drills (Twitter link via Jackson). Richardson, meanwhile, was in street clothes and wearing a sling. Head coach Erik Spoelstra indicated Rozier had a chance to suit up during the road trip, but the prognosis for Richardson was less optimistic, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link). Guard Tyler Herro is questionable for Friday’s contest due to right foot soreness.
  • Key labor unions in northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., publicly announced on Tuesday that they are opposed to Monumental Sports’ plan to move the Wizards from D.C. to Alexandria, Virginia, according to The Associated Press (link via ESPN.com). The Northern Virginia AFL-CIO and member unions cited in part an inability to reach a deal for union members to work on construction projects. It’s the latest obstacle in the proposed move, which has drawn opposition from several key figures in the region.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

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Wizards Sign Justin Champagnie To 10-Day Deal

February 22nd, 2024 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 22: Champagnie’s signing is official, the Wizards announced (via Twitter).

FEBRUARY 20: The Wizards have agreed to sign forward Justin Champagnie to a 10-day contract, agent Daniel Hazan tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Washington has two open spots on its 15-man roster, so no corresponding cut will be necessary to create space for Champagnie.

Champagnie, who has appeared in 41 total NBA regular season games with Toronto and Boston, signed a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract with the Heat last summer after being waived by the Celtics. He competed in training camp for a standard or two-way deal with Miami, but was one of the club’s final cuts and has spent the season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s G League affiliate.

In 34 Showcase Cup and regular season games this season for the Skyforce, Champagnie has averaged an impressive 22.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.4 steals in 37.6 minutes per contest. The 22-year-old has posted a shooting line of .494/.292/.742.

Champagnie will earn $116,075 on his 10-day contract with the Wizards and would be eligible to sign a second 10-day deal once this one expires.

Champagnie is the twin brother of Spurs forward Julian Champagnie.

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Atlantic Notes: Ollie, Thomas, Beverley, Lowry, Raptors

February 22nd, 2024 at 10:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Ollie will offer some strategic changes when he makes his debut as head coach of the Nets tonight in Toronto, but he’s focused mainly on bringing a new attitude to the team, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Ollie, who came to Brooklyn as an assistant at the start of the season, was promoted to the job on an interim basis after Jacque Vaughn was fired Monday.

“The biggest thing is playing for each other and making the right plays,” Ollie said. “Not being selfish, getting the ball to the guys that we need to get the ball to in their right spots where they can be very successful. Just playing the right way, and we need to do that more consistently. So that’s not a scheme change or anything, that’s just playing better basketball, doing simple better.”

Ollie is expected to emphasize better spacing on offense, Lewis adds. That has been a problem, especially in the limited time that Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton have been on the court together. Lewis notes that Brooklyn is minus-34 and is shooting just 42.6% as a team in the duo’s 69 total minutes this season.

“You have to be able to space, you have to be able to cut, you have to be able to play together. We have to get out and rebound and get stops so they can play with pace and play in transition offense,” Ollie said. “So all those things count. But when it gets bogged down in a half-court situation, we haven’t had that situation where one’s up, one’s down and how they play off each other is crucial. So that’s why it’s so good for practice time.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • With Ollie in charge of the Nets, Cam Thomas should get a fresh chance to prove that he’s worthy of a starting role, Lewis states in a separate story. The explosive guard is averaging 21.2 PPG, but Vaughn often limited his playing time due to concerns about defense and energy. Thomas thought the report of a coaching change was a prank when he read about it on the internet, and he didn’t believe the story until general manager Sean Marks confirmed it. “We didn’t get enough wins. … And [we were] dropping some games, not playing as hard,” Thomas said. “It’s on both parties, coaches, players, front office, everybody. Got to look at yourself in the mirror; so that’s just what we got to do.”
  • Patrick Beverley has been taking shots at his former team on his podcast since being traded to Milwaukee, but the Sixers are choosing to ignore them, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Coach Nick Nurse and Kyle Lowry, who’s taking over Beverley’s role in Philadelphia, have been among the targets. “I’m not a podcast watcher, but he’s a friend of mine and that’s his competitive nature,” Lowry said. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to play against him, as always.”
  • Eric Koreen of The Athletic looks at late-season storylines to watch for the Raptors, including whether tanking will be an option, the roles for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, and which players will show that they should be re-signed this summer.
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Knicks Sign DaQuan Jeffries To 10-Day Deal

February 22nd, 2024 at 9:15am CST by Arthur Hill

9:15am: Jeffries’ 10-day deal with the Knicks is now official, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

8:16am: DaQuan Jeffries, who was waived by the Knicks in late December, will return to the team on a 10-day contract, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

The 26-year-old shooting guard was let go when New York needed to open a roster spot to complete the OG Anunoby trade with Toronto. He saw limited action in 10 games this season before being released.

New York is Jeffries’ fourth team since he entered the NBA in 2019. He also spent time with Sacramento, Houston and Memphis, holding career averages of 3.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 57 career games while shooting 43.7% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range.

If Jeffries signs today, he can appear in tonight’s game at Philadelphia and then four more before the contract expires. He’ll be eligible to sign a second 10-day deal next weekend.

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