- The Suns have officially waived point guard Jared Harper, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic confirms. “The G League season is over,” general manager James Jones said. “Jared’s on a one-year deal. For him to explore opportunities was something that we considered and at the end of the day, we just thought we could help him.”
Donovan Mitchell is “extremely frustrated” with Jazz teammate Rudy Gobert after testing positive for the coronavirus, league sources told Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix. Gobert has apologized for his careless actions earlier in the week, prior to being the first NBA player to test positive. The team has a solid young core but how Mitchell responds when play resumes could make or break their relationship, Mannix continues. The Jazz were rising up the Western Conference standings but if this leads to locker room issues, it could have a major impact on the franchise’s playoff expectations, Mannix adds.
We have more from the Western Conference:
- Warriors coach Steve Kerr is upset at himself for not taking the coronavirus more seriously earlier this week and believes social distancing is now paramount, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reports. “I was coaching in a basketball game with 15,000 fans like four nights ago. So I feel like a fool,” Kerr said. “But this goes back to our human condition of denial and vulnerability. But we’ve crossed that threshold now and it’s important that everybody understands what they can do.”
- Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony said on teammate CJ McCollum‘s podcast that he was “embarrassed” that he was a free agent for so long until Portland signed him, according to Casey Holdahl of the team’s website. “I started questioning myself why. Why? What happened? What did I do? Did I do something wrong? Was it me? Am I good? Can I still play? It was like all of these thoughts started to come in and that stuck with me for about four, five months.”
- The Suns could have all their injured players back in action if and when the season resumes, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic relays. That group includes forward Kelly Oubre Jr., who underwent knee surgery earlier this month, and Frank Kaminsky III, who missed the last 32 games due to a knee injury. “You try to make a positive out of a negative,” GM James Jones said. “It could end up being a really good thing for us and if that’s the case, I know our guys will be excited. I know our coaches, myself, I’ll be excited to have our team full strength or close to it, contending and playing in some meaningful games.”
As the NBA schedule comes to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, teams apparently aren’t fully halting their roster business. According to Gina Mizell of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Suns have made a minor move by releasing two-way player Jared Harper.
The motivation for the transaction – especially given the timing – is unclear, since the NBA and G League will be suspended for the foreseeable future. It’s not coronavirus-related, Mizell clarifies.
Harper, 22, signed a two-way contract with Phoenix last July after going undrafted out of Auburn. The 5’11” guard logged just eight total minutes in three NBA games for the Suns, but was in the midst of a strong season for the Northern Arizona Suns, Phoenix’s G League affiliate.
In 34 NBAGL games (28.9 MPG), Harper averaged 20.2 PPG, 5.5 APG, 2.6 RPG, and 1.1 SPG with a shooting line of .413/.362/.787.
If and when the season resumes, Phoenix won’t be permitted to sign a new two-way player to replace Harper, since the signing deadline for two-way contracts was January 15.
3:34pm: Motiejunas is expected to return to China on March 16, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, who notes (via Twitter) that the Chinese Basketball Association has told its teams it anticipates resuming play in early April. That would take Motiejunas off the table for NBA clubs, unless he wants to try to reach a settlement with his Chinese team, like Randle did.
8:56am: Former NBA forward Donatas Motiejunas, whose Chinese Basketball Association season is on hold because of the coronavirus, was recently contacted by both the Suns and Timberwolves, tweets Lithuanian basketball journalist Donatas Urbonas. Motiejunas, who plays for the Shanghai Sharks, said in a radio interview that he also received interest from Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The CBA’s status is on hold while China tries to contain a massive outbreak of the virus, leaving overseas players uncertain about their future. Chasson Randle reached a settlement with his Chinese club last week and returned to the NBA on a 10-day deal with the Warriors.
Motiejunas, 29, is in his third season in China and his first with the Sharks. He is among the CBA’s most productive players, averaging 22.8 points and 15.1 rebounds through 28 games. He played six seasons in the NBA, mostly with the Rockets, but also had stays with the Pelicans and Spurs.
Suns rookie Cameron Johnson has mononucleosis and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, according to Arizona Sports 98.7.
Johnson sat out the last two games, but was a regular part of the rotation before that. The 11th pick in the 2019 draft, he’s averaging 8.1 PPG in 49 games and shooting 39.7% from 3-point range. The illness comes at an unfortunate time as Johnson had a chance to further establish himself with Kelly Oubre possibly missing the rest of the season following meniscus surgery.
The Suns also provided an update on Frank Kaminsky, saying he remains out indefinitely while recovering from a stress fracture in his right patella.
Kaminsky is putting up 11.0 PPG and 4.9 RPG in his first season in Phoenix, but hasn’t been able to play since late December. He has a follow-up consultation with his doctors scheduled for this week.
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 Pacific Division:
Marquese Chriss, Warriors, 22, C (Up) – Signed to a two-year, $2.48MM deal in 2019
The eighth overall pick of the 2016 draft flamed out in Phoenix, Houston and Cleveland, but he’s taken advantage of his opportunity in Golden State. His playing time has gradually increased and so has his production. He averaged 13.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.0 APG and 1.8 BPG last month; In his first four games this month, he’s posted a stat line of 14.5/10.0/3.8/1.5 in those categories. Golden State has until mid-July to guarantee his $1.824MM salary for next season. That’s a dirt-cheap price for a young rotation big man.
Marcus Morris, Clippers, 30, PF (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $15MM deal in 2019
Morris has jumped right into the Clippers’ rotation since the Knicks traded him. He’s started all 11 games since the deal became official, averaging 28.9 MPG. Unfortunately, Morris seemingly left his jump shot in the Big Apple. He’s made just 37.3% of his field-goal attempts and 26.3% of his 3-point tries with his new team. In the big showdown with the Lakers on Sunday, Morris clanked all nine of his shots. His defensive versatility will keep him in the rotation, but he needs to regain his perimeter touch to stay on the court in crunch time. Otherwise, he may have to drop his price tag this summer.
Quinn Cook, Lakers, 26, PG (Down) – Signed to a two-year, $6MM deal in 2019
Cook was a steady presence with Golden State last season, as he appeared in 74 regular-season games and 17 more in the postseason. He’s gotten lost in the shuffle with the Lakers. He’s the de facto No. 4 point guard behind Avery Bradley, Rajon Rondo and Alex Caruso, and has only played 22 minutes since the All-Star break. Cook is a solid 3-point shooter — 41.2% for his career — which would make him a valuable reserve on many rosters. The Lakers have until June 29 to guarantee Cook’s $3MM salary for next season. It seems likely he’ll become an unrestricted free agent, despite a $1MM partial guarantee.
Frank Kaminsky, Suns, 26, PF (Down) – Signed to two-year, $9.77MM deal in 2019
Kaminsky was in and out of Charlotte’s rotation last season, but he got a chance to reboot his career in Phoenix. The early returns were promising — he had four 20-point games in December. Shortly after Christmas, Kaminsky suffered a stress fracture in his right knee and he hasn’t seen the court again. The team holds a $5MM option on his contract next season. With Dario Saric and Aron Baynes headed to the open market, the Suns will have tough decision to make regarding Kaminsky, since that option must be exercised before free agency begins.
Alex Len, Kings, 26, C (Up) – Signed to a two-year, $8.5MM deal in 2018
Len has generally been productive since being dealt to Sacramento. He had a double-double in 21 minutes against Oklahoma City, an 8-point, 13-rebound, 5-block performance against Detroit and a 15-point, 7-rebound outing in 15 minutes against Toronto. His playing time will continue to fluctuate in the Kings’ crowded frontcourt. Sacramento’s motivation to acquire him was his expiring contract, but he definitely hasn’t hurt his value since the deal. He’ll head into unrestricted free agency this summer and should be able to hook on with a team seeking another big body to fortify its bench.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Within his latest Inside Pass column for The Athletic, Shams Charania passes along details on several deals that were pursued but didn’t get done at the 2020 trade deadline, a month ago today.
According to Charania, the Suns made a “late push” for Magic forward Aaron Gordon, while the Mavericks did the same for Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari. Gallinari is on an expiring contract, but Gordon is under team control for two more years beyond this season and is expected to receive interest from multiple teams this offseason if Orlando is willing to move him, Charania says.
Elsewhere in the Western Conference, the Nuggets attempted to make a “major trade” just before the deadline, sources tell The Athletic. Charania notes that Jrue Holiday was a player of significant interest for Denver, though it’s not clear if he was the player the Nuggets were pushing for at the deadline. The Pelicans never showed any interest in moving Holiday, per Charania.
Finally, while we’ve previously heard that the Lakers made an offer for point guard Derrick Rose, Charania provides some additional details on that offer, writing that it included fan favorite Alex Caruso and draft compensation. The Lakers would have needed to include at least one more player in that package for salary-matching purposes. In any case, the Pistons weren’t interested in moving Rose.
Although nothing materialized on any of these fronts, there’s value in knowing which teams pursued which players, since many of them remain under contract beyond this season and could become trade targets again down the road. Someone like Gallinari, meanwhile, could be on Dallas’ wish list in free agency, assuming the Mavs didn’t simply view him as a rental.
Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Bucks assigned D.J. Wilson to their Wisconsin affiliate, according to a release from the team. He’s posting an 18.3/7.8/4.0 line in four games with the Herd and has appeared in 30 NBA games.
- The Thunder shipped Isaiah Roby to Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. He is averaging 8.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in 13 G League games.
- The Suns assigned Ty Jerome to Northern Arizona, tweets Gina Mizell of The Athletic. Phoenix wanted him to get some playing time after he was pulled from the rotation last week.
- The Warriors recalled Alen Smailagic from Santa Cruz (Twitter link).
Deandre Ayton underwent an MRI today on his injured left ankle, and there are concerns that he might be sidelined for a while, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Ayton is in a walking boot and he’s not expected to play Friday, although no official ruling has been made.
The injury happened on a collision with Toronto’s OG Anunoby in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game. Ayton grabbed his ankle and immediately dropped to the court.
“When I looked at the injury, it looked like it got jammed and that’s a tough one cause you don’t know how it’s going to respond,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “Usually when you roll it, you can see, but when you get it jammed like with that much pressure, I think we just got to wait and see. He had some swelling last night.”
“Ankle (injury) feels the same like all the other ones,” said Ayton, who was walking with a crutch after the game. “It’s the same. I’m just used to it now.”
Phoenix is six and a half games out of a playoff spot with 20 games left, so there’s no reason to rush back the franchise center. Veteran Aron Baynes, who has already started 25 games this year, is expected to take Ayton’s spot in the starting lineup, and Dario Saric will be used in the middle in smaller sets.
4:15pm: The waiver process is complete and McRae belongs to the Pistons, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
3:07pm: The Pistons intend to claim guard Jordan McRae off waivers this afternoon, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
After reaching a buyout agreement with Denver on Sunday, McRae was officially released and appeared to be headed to Phoenix, with the Suns planning to place a waiver claim of their own. However, with Derrick Rose on the shelf due to an ankle injury, the Pistons were said to be eyeing McRae for backcourt depth.
Because the waiver priority order is determined by the NBA’s reverse standings, Detroit (20-42) will be awarded McRae over Phoenix (24-38) if both teams submit claims. Technically, one of the five teams with a worse record than the Pistons could swoop in and steal McRae, but there has been no indication that will happen.
A fourth-year shooting guard, McRae was putting up the best numbers of his career in D.C. this season, recording 12.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 2.8 APG on .420/.377/.371 shooting for the Wizards, though injuries limited him to just 29 games. He was sent to Denver in a deadline deal for Shabazz Napier and averaged just 8.0 MPG in four games for the Nuggets, who have an overcrowded rotation.
The two sides reached a deal on Sunday that allowed McRae to get a new opportunity, with the Nuggets opening up a roster spot and saving some money. Although the 28-year-old agreed to surrender $390,424 of his minimum salary, that agreement will be negated by the Pistons’ waiver claim. Detroit will simply take on McRae’s $1,645,357 expiring contract, which will come off Denver’s books. The Pistons will be on the hook for paying the prorated salary remaining on the deal, while the Nuggets’ financial obligation will be extinguished.
By claiming McRae off waivers, the Pistons will get his Early Bird rights, which will give them added flexibility to re-sign him this summer. No corresponding roster move will be necessary for Detroit, since the team has an open spot after letting Derrick Walton‘s 10-day contract expire earlier this week.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.