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Southwest Notes: Markkanen, Lamb, Grizzlies, Mavs’ Staff

August 18th, 2021 at 7:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks would be happy to acquire Lauri Markkanen from the Bulls if he would agree sign under market value so they could fit him into their $11MM traded player exception, according to Tim Cato of The Athletic. In that sign-and-trade scenario, the Mavericks likely wouldn’t have to give up a rotation player.

The alternative would be to offer Markkanen a three-year deal in the $44MM range. The Bulls have some interest in Maxi Kleber, Cato adds. Kleber has a base salary of $8.75MM next season and his 2022/23 salary is non-guaranteed. However, the Mavericks would be giving up a rotation piece and replacing him with a player with a higher salary.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

The Rockets have made a two-way qualifying offer to Anthony Lamb but he hopes that he proved in summer league play he deserves a standard contract, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. “Hopefully, I convince them I deserve more,” Lamb said. He averaged 7.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 1.8 APG and played strong defense in five outings at Las Vegas.
The Grizzlies have become a proverbial dumping ground for teams looking to move contracts they’re trying to shed, says Mark Giannotto of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Their recent acquisition of Patrick Beverley – who is being flipped to Minnesota – and Rajon Rondo from the Clippers demonstrates that strategy. Memphis has made a number of similar moves in recent years, stockpiling first-round draft picks and opening up cap space after this season with the hope landing another star to join Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
The Mavericks are looking to add another assistant to Jason Kidd’s staff, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News, who tweets that they’ve interviewed at least two female candidates with the aim of hiring one of them if the right candidate is found. Dallas had a female assistant last season in Jenny Boucek, who joined Rick Carlisle‘s staff in Indiana.

Rockets Extend Qualifying Offer To Anthony Lamb

July 31st, 2021 at 8:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Lamb has received a qualifying offer from the Rockets, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Because Lamb is a two-way player, his QO will carry a $50K guarantee, and it will make him restricted heading into free agency.

Lamb went to training camp with the Pistons last year, but was waived before the season began. He signed with Houston in early March and appeared in 24 games, making three starts and averaging 5.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per night.

A 6’6″ small forward, Lamb played for both the Canton Charge and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League bubble this year. He was named the league’s Most Improved Player.

Earlier today, the Rockets tendered a qualifying offer to Armoni Brooks, so both of their two-way players have been addressed. However, the team also reportedly agreed to a two-way deal with undrafted rookie Matthew Hurt, so it appears unlikely that both Brooks and Lamb will return unless one is promoted to the 15-man roster.

Rockets Notes: Young Players, Tucker Deal, Lamb

March 18th, 2021 at 5:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

As injured Rockets veterans continue to rejoin the roster, head coach Stephen Silas still intends to keep some rotation minutes open for the development of Houston’s youth movement, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

The most recent player to return to the Houston lineup is center Christian Wood, who rejoined the team on the floor last night after a 17-game absence due to a sprained ankle. Wing Danuel House Jr. also recently returned from his own injury absence, and veteran guards John Wall and Victor Oladipo are expected back Friday.

A pair of tantalizing 20-year-olds – Kevin Porter Jr. and Kenyon Martin Jr. – still figure to earn major minutes even with the older players back on the floor. “I will say I am working on it and I am attentive to the fact I want those young guys to play,” Silas said.

There’s more out of Houston:

Following the deal that sent P.J. Tucker, Rodions Kurucs and a 2022 first-round draft pick (Milwaukee’s own) to the Bucks, Kelly Iko of The Athletic explains why he thinks both the Rockets and Milwaukee should be happy with the trade. In return, Houston received some promising draft assets, plus veteran reserve point guard D.J. Augustin and young power forward D.J. Wilson. Iko is intrigued by the lengthy Wilson’s upside and fit within a Silas system, Augustin’s veteran know-how, and the Rockets front office’s acquisition of two Bucks first-round picks in the deal.
Rockets two-way player Anthony Lamb was named the G League’s Most Improved Player due to his stellar output for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, G League affiliate for the Rockets, according to an NBAGL press release.
As we previously relayed, Rockets swingman David Nwaba initially opted to avoid surgery on his injured wrist to help a Rockets club riddled with player absences. He subsequently re-aggravated the injury, making surgery a possibility once again.

Southwest Notes: Lamb, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Luka

March 9th, 2021 at 8:06pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

At 18-16, the Mavericks are currently the No. 8 seed in the West. Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News takes a look at potential trades ahead of the March 25 deadline that could help Dallas move into the Western Conference’s top tier.

Wizards All-Star guard Bradley Beal and Hawks power forward John Collins (a restricted free agent this summer) are among the higher-impact targets Dallas could pursue to pair with All-Star guard Luka Doncic. Veteran Pelicans wing J.J. Redick could be a more realistic addition.

There’s more out of the Southwest:

New Rockets forward Anthony Lamb raved about the club, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (Twitter link). “It’s an unbelievable opportunity,” Lamb said. “Just being able to play with them is awesome. I’m so grateful for the chance.” Lamb had been playing with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets’ G League affiliate. He highlighted his familiarity with the Vipers’ system (which is modeled after Houston’s) when discussing his transition to Houston, Berman tweets. “It’s gonna make it a lot easier to make it simple for myself,” Lamb said.
The Grizzlies have announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled Jontay Porter from their G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, and have transferred two-way player Sean McDermott back to the Grizzlies as well. Across nine contests for the Hustle, Porter averaged 7.4 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.2 APG and 1.2 BPG. McDermott averaged 17.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 1.5 for the club’s NBAGL affiliate.
Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News wonders if a trade could help the Mavericks spread the wealth and yield a more balanced offensive attack for the club. This could prove particularly beneficial to point guard Luka Doncic, currently quarterbacking the club’s offense at a high usage rate.

Rockets Add Anthony Lamb, Waive Mason Jones

March 8th, 2021 at 5:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

5:55pm: Both moves are official, according to a team press release.

5:20pm: The Rockets are signing forward Anthony Lamb on a two-way contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Concurrently, Houston is requesting waivers on rookie guard Mason Jones, Kelly Iko of The Athletic tweets.

Lamb, 23, was playing for the Rockets’ G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He was with the Pistons this December on a training camp invitation but was waived. He averaged 11.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 2.1 APG in 12 games at the G League bubble in Orlando.

The 6’6” Lamb was a four-year starter at Vermont and the two-time America East Conference Player of the Year. He averaged 16.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.5 APG and 1.2 BPG as a senior.

Jones, who was on a two-way deal, averaged 5.5 RPG, 2.1 RPG and 1.3 APG in 22 appearances with the Rockets. Jones declared for the draft after his sophomore year with Arkansas but wasn’t selected. He led the SEC in scoring last year with 22.0 PPG.

2020/21 NBA G League Draft Results

January 11th, 2021 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA G League held its draft for the 2020/21 season on Monday afternoon.

In a typical year, the G League draft lasts four rounds and teams are only required to make two selections. However, this year’s draft was just three rounds and teams weren’t required to make any picks.

Because only 17 of 28 NBA G League affiliates (plus the G League Ignite) are participating in the revamped season at Walt Disney World in Florida, and because teams aren’t permitted to bring extra players to training camp for health and safety reasons, roster spots will be at a premium in the NBAGL this season, and the draft reflected that. Only 25 players were selected.

With the first overall pick, the Greensboro Swarm – the Hornets‘ affiliate – nabbed former Wizard Admiral Schofield. The 42nd overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, Schofield averaged 3.0 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 33 games (11.2 MPG) as a rookie before being traded to the Thunder during the offseason. Oklahoma City waived him last month.

With the second overall pick, which they acquired in a trade earlier in the day, the Memphis Hustle selected former Baylor standout Freddie Gillespie, who had been in camp with the Mavericks. Gillespie recently spoke to JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors about his desire to make it to the NBA and his plans to begin his professional career in the G League. He’s now in position to suit up for the Grizzlies‘ affiliate.

Here are the full 2020/21 G League draft results:

Round One:

Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Admiral Schofield (Tennessee)
Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Freddie Gillespie (Baylor)
Canton Charge (Cavaliers): Antonio Blakeney (LSU)
Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Allonzo Trier (Arizona)
Lakeland Magic (Magic): Tahjere McCall (Tennessee State)
Canton Charge: Anthony Lamb (Vermont)
Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Zavier Simpson (Michigan)
Lakeland Magic: DJ Hogg (Texas A&M)
Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Justin Patton (Creighton)
Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets): Armoni Brooks (Houston)
Raptors 905 (Raptors): Kevon Harris (Stephen F. Austin)
Rio Grande Valley Vipers: Jarron Cumberland (Cincinnati)
Oklahoma City Blue: Vince Edwards (Purdue)
Austin Spurs (Spurs): Jonathan Kasibabu (Fairfield)
Raptors 905: Gary Payton II (Oregon State)
Memphis Hustle: Anthony Cowan Jr. (Maryland)
Iowa Wolves: Dakarai Tucker (Utah)
Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): No pick
N/A

Round Two:

Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): Jemerrio Jones (New Mexico State)
Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): Oshae Brissett (Syracuse)
Westchester Knicks: No pick
Iowa Wolves: No pick
Long Island Nets (Nets): No pick
Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers): No pick
Fort Wayne Mad Ants: Quincy McKnight (Seton Hall)
Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers): No pick
Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Selom Mawugbe (Azusa Pacific)
Raptors 905: No pick
Memphis Hustle: No pick
Austin Spurs: Anthony Mathis (Oregon)
Erie BayHawks (Pelicans): No pick
Greensboro Swarm: No pick
Austin Spurs: Kaleb Johnson (Georgetown)
Santa Cruz Warriors: No pick
Memphis Hustle: No pick
Oklahoma City Blue: Rob Edwards (Arizona State)
Salt Lake City Stars: No pick

Round Three:

Greensboro Swarm: No pick
Erie BayHawks: No pick
Westchester Knicks: No pick
Delaware Blue Coats: Braxton Key (Virginia)
No picks from 43-57

The teams that didn’t make any picks will fill their rosters with affiliate players and returning rights players, meaning they didn’t need to draft anyone and/or didn’t have the open spots to do so.

As Jonathan Givony of ESPN and Blake Murphy of The Athletic noted (via Twitter), NBAGL teams overwhelmingly opted for youth, passing on most of the notable veteran NBA players in the draft pool. That group included Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers, Lance Stephenson, Emeka Okafor, and Shabazz Muhammad, among others.

Former Nets first-rounder Dzanan Musa removed his name from the draft pool before the event began, per Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).

Pistons Waive Louis King, Anthony Lamb, LiAngelo Ball

December 13th, 2020 at 10:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have cut three players from their 20-man training camp roster, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic, who tweets that the club has requested waivers on forward Louis King, forward Anthony Lamb, and wing LiAngelo Ball. King and Lamb briefly appeared in Detroit’s preseason game vs. New York on Sunday.

Lamb and Ball were training camp invitees who were never considered likely to make the 15-man regular season roster, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that they’ve been waived. It’s possible they’ll end up playing for the Grand Rapids Drive, though it doesn’t look for now like Detroit’s G League affiliate will participate in the proposed NBAGL bubble.

As for King, the 21-year-old had signed a second two-way contract with the Pistons after spending his rookie season in 2019/20 on a two-way deal with the team. His release means that one of Detroit’s two-way slots is open — second-rounder Saben Lee occupies the other.

The Pistons now have 17 players under contract, including Lee and 16 players on guaranteed salaries. At least one of those 16 will need to be traded or cut before the regular season gets underway.

Pistons Re-Sign Louis King To Two-Way Contract

December 2nd, 2020 at 10:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have re-signed free agent forward Louis King to a new two-way contract, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

King, who went undrafted out of Oregon in 2019, spent his rookie season on a two-way deal with Detroit. He didn’t see much action at the NBA level, logging limited minutes in 10 games, but averaged 15.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 2.8 APG in 31 games (28.5 MPG) for the Grand Rapids Drive, the Pistons’ G League affiliate.

King will occupy one of Detroit’s two-way contract slots alongside second-round pick Saben Lee.

The Pistons also officially finalized their previously–reported training camp deals with LiAngelo Ball and Anthony Lamb, according to Smith (Twitter link). The three signings give Detroit a full 20-man training camp roster.

Pistons To Sign Former Vermont Star Anthony Lamb

November 23rd, 2020 at 4:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Undrafted free agent swingman Anthony Lamb has reached an agreement with the Pistons, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets.

It’s uncertain whether he’s receiving a training camp deal or if he’s signing a two-way contract. Detroit has a two-way slot available.

The 6’6” Lamb was a four-year starter at Vermont and the two-time America East Conference Player of the Year. Lamb averaged 16.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.5 APG and 1.2 BPG as a senior. During his college career, Lamb made 33.6% of his 3-point attempts.

He withdrew his name from the 2019 draft after working out for several teams.

Draft Decisions: Wigginton, Cumberland, Lamb, More

May 27th, 2019 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The NCAA’s withdrawal deadline for early entrants is this Wednesday, May 29. That means that a number of college underclassmen who tested the draft waters this spring are now faced with a decision on whether to keep their names in the draft pool or pull out and head back to school for at least one more year.

Here’s a round-up of some of the latest reported early entrant decisions:

Iowa State sophomore guard Lindell Wigginton has decided to keep his name in the 2019 draft, he announced on Sunday (via Twitter). Wigginton doesn’t show up in ESPN’s top-100 list, so he’s far from a lock to be drafted.
The Bearcats got some good news today, as guard Jarron Cumberland will return to Cincinnati for his senior season, per Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link).
A spokesman tells Goodman (Twitter link) that Vermont forward Anthony Lamb will also head back to school for his senior year.
Two Davidson early entrants, sophomore guard Kellan Grady and junior guard Jon Axel Gudmundsson, are pulling out of draft and going back to school, as Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports relays (via Twitter).
Notre Dame guard TJ Gibbs will be heading back to school for his senior year, tweets Rothstein.
Missouri State junior forward Tulio Da Silva is withdrawing from the 2019 draft and retaining his college eligibility, a source tells Rothstein (Twitter link).
Portland State’s Holland Woods, a sophomore guard, is withdrawing from the 2019 NBA draft, according to Rothstein (via Twitter).