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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/24/20

January 24th, 2020 at 6:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the league:

The Sixers recalled Zhaire Smith from the Delaware Blue Coats, Derek Bodner of The Athletic tweets. Smith has appeared in six NBA games this season, averaging 6.7 PPG in 18.5 MPG. He provides depth at the shooting guard spot with Josh Richardson sidelined by a hamstring strain.
The Rockets assigned guard Chris Clemons to their Rio Grande Valley affiliate, Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston tweets. The undrafted rookie has appeared in 25 games with Houston but only three this month.
The Jazz assigned forward Juwan Morgan to the Salt Lake City Stars, according the G League transactions log. The rookie forward has appeared in 10 games with the NBA club this season.
The Nets assigned guard Theo Pinson to their Long Island affiliate, according to the G League transactions log. He has appeared in 26 games with Brooklyn this season, averaging 4.5 PPG in 12.5 MPG.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/6/20

January 6th, 2020 at 6:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:

The Hornets recalled forwards Caleb Martin and Jalen McDaniels from the Greensboro Swarm, according to a team press release. Martin, an undrafted rookie, has appeared in five games for the Hornets, averaging 1.8 PPG in 6.4 MPG. Martin has appeared in 17 games for the Swarm, averaging 19.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 3.8 APG in 35.1 MPG. McDaniels, a second-round pick who has made two cameos with the Hornets, has appeared in 20 games with the Swarm, averaging 17.3 PPG and 7.7 RPG.
Point guard Chris Clemons has been recalled by the Rockets, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Clemons had a 40-point game for the Rio Grande Vipers on Sunday. The previous Sunday he racked up 16 points and nine assists for the Rockets against New Orleans.
The Mavericks assigned small forward Isaiah Roby to the Texas Legends, the team’s PR department tweets. The second-round pick has been rehabbing a foot injury.
The Suns recalled Jalen Lecque from their Northern Arizona affiliate, the team tweets. The undrafted rookie guard has yet to make his NBA debut.
The Pacers recalled star guard Victor Oladipo from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team tweets. Oladipo practiced with the Mad Ants as he continues his rehab from a right knee ailment.
The Raptors assigned Matt Thomas to Raptors 905, Blake Murphy of The Athletic tweets. He’ll play in a G League contest on Monday, then return to the NBA club and suit up against Portland on Tuesday, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. The shooting guard has been sidelined by a finger injury and hasn’t played for the Raptors since November 23.
Raptors forwards Stanley Johnson and Malcolm Miller have also been assigned to Raptors 905, Murphy adds in another tweet. Johnson, who asked to be sent to the G League, will also play on Monday as he works his way back from a groin injury, according to Lewenberg (Twitter link). Miller has appeared in 20 games with the NBA club this season but is only averaging 5.5 MPG.
The Lakers recalled Talen Horton-Tucker from South Bay, the G League affiliate tweets. The second-round rookie has appeared in two NBA games this season.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/4/20

January 4th, 2020 at 9:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Here are Saturday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:

The Rockets assigned Chris Clemons to their affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26. Clemons had his two-way deal converted to a three-year contract last week.
The Wizards announced on Twitter that they have recalled Justin Robinson from Capital City. He is averaging 5.4 minutes per night in nine NBA games in his first season.
The Warriors recalled Jordan Poole from Santa Cruz, according to a tweet from the team. The rookie guard is averaging 7.1 PPG in 29 games for Golden State.

Rockets Convert Chris Clemons’ Contract To Three-Year Deal

December 27th, 2019 at 11:07am CST by ChrisCrouse

DECEMBER 27: The move is official, the Rockets announced in a press release. As we relayed on Thursday, the minimum-salary deal is guaranteed for 2019/20, with non-guaranteed years to follow.

DECEMBER 26: The Rockets have agreed to convert Chris Clemons‘ two-way contract to a standard deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The new contract will span across three seasons, including 2019/20.

Clemons used all 45 days of his eligibility in the NBA and would have only been permitted to play in G League contests had the Rockets not promoted him to the standard roster.

The shooting guard has appeared in 20 games for Houston this season. He’s scoring 4.8 points per contest and shooting 39.1% from behind the arc.

The Rockets have had an open roster spot on their 15-man squad since releasing Ryan Anderson earlier in the season, so no corresponding move will be required to make room for Clemons, who will be signed using the mid-level exception.

Houston will open up a two-way contract slot as a result of the deal.

Southwest Notes: Clemons, Moore, Favors, Barea

December 26th, 2019 at 10:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Chris Clemons‘ new three-year contract with the Rockets features a guaranteed minimum salary this season, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Since it’s prorated, Clemons will have a cap hit of $563K for the rest of this season if the deal is officially finalized on Friday.

MacMahon adds that Clemons’ 2020/21 salary will be non-guaranteed, while 2021/22 will be a team option — both years will also be worth the minimum. Assuming the rookie guard continues to impress and plays out his full contract with the Rockets, he’ll be on track to become a restricted free agent during the summer of 2022.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Following a victory in Portland on Monday, Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry told reporters that he took the blame for limiting E’Twaun Moore‘s minutes in recent weeks (Twitter link via Scott Kushner of The Advocate). Moore, who started 36 games and averaged 27.6 MPG last season, has fallen out of the rotation at times in 2019/20, which is a contract year for him. He has averaged 11.5 PPG in 22.9 MPG in two games this week, both Pelicans wins.
The reintegration of Derrick Favors into the Pelicans‘ lineup has been another factor keying the team’s improved play as of late, writes Will Guillory of The Athletic. A free agent at season’s end, Favors could be a trade candidate this winter.
Mike Piellucci of The Athletic takes an in-depth look at Mavericks guard J.J. Barea and the work he has put in to make it back from an Achilles tear at age 35 when he could have easily called it a career.

Two-Way Players Making Bids For Promotions

December 13th, 2019 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Players on two-way contracts are free to appear in NBA games, but there are limitations on the amount of time they can spend with their respective NBA teams. Each two-way player can spend up to 45 days with his NBA club, assuming he signed his two-way deal before the season began.

With some creative transferring back and forth between an NBA team and its G League affiliate, a franchise can make the most of those 45 days. Still, with the clock having started on October 28, the first day of G League training camp, it’s just a matter of time before some players use up their 45-day allotment.

Teams can sign players to two-way contracts through mid-January, so in past seasons some clubs have simply moved onto a new player once their original two-way players neared that 45-day limit. However, many players who have used up their 45 days subsequently received a promotion – signing a standard NBA contract and taking a spot on the 15-man roster – to ensure that their teams didn’t lose them.

It’s a little early in the 2019/20 season to determine which two-way players will ultimately end up being promoted to 15-man rosters, but a handful of players on two-way deals have made strong cases for standard contracts in the early going.

Here are the top candidates to receive promotions among this year’s two-way players:

Chris Silva, PF (Heat)

Silva has flown somewhat under the radar in Miami, since the Heat have two other rookies (Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn) making an even greater impact. But Silva has already appeared in 22 games for the NBA club, averaging 3.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and a .644 FG% in 9.7 minutes per contest.

Miami is hard-capped and can’t sign Silva to a standard contract before January 14. Even at that point, it’s not clear if getting him on the 15-man roster right away will be a top priority for the Heat, who may want to retain a modicum of flexibility leading up to the trade deadline. The club has a deep bench and could probably get by without him for a few weeks once he uses up his 45 NBA days, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see Silva eventually sign a multiyear, minimum-salary deal like the one Nunn received last spring.

Chris Clemons, G (Rockets)

Although he has appeared in 17 games so far this season, Clemons isn’t exactly a rotation fixture for the Rockets, having played double-digit minutes in just five of those games. Still, in limited playing time, he has shown the ability to create instant offense off the bench, scoring at least 16 points three times and shooting 38.8% on threes.

After waiving Ryan Anderson earlier this fall, Houston has an open spot on its 15-man roster, but the team’s proximity to the tax line may work against a promotion for Clemons in the near future. We’ll see if the club can trade Nene within the next couple months, or if it needs to keep that final roster open for a potential addition on the trade market or buyout market.

Ky Bowman, PG (Warriors)
Damion Lee, SG (Warriors)

No player on the 5-21 Warriors this season has a positive net rating, but Lee (-2.9) is the closest and Bowman (-4.4) isn’t far behind.

Bowman has been especially impressive, stepping into the starting lineup several times when D’Angelo Russell missed time and posting a .454/.415/.909 shooting line through 26 games. Lee, who has appeared in just 12 games, hasn’t been as reliable from beyond the arc this year (31.6%) as he was last year (39.7%), but he had some productive nights early in the season, including a 23-point, 11-rebound showing in a win over New Orleans.

Like the Heat, the Warriors are hard-capped, limiting their ability to add anyone to their 15-man roster right now, despite having an open spot. But if they were to trade, say, Alec Burks without taking any salary back, the Dubs would be in position to promote a two-way player to their roster, potentially signing him to a team-friendly three- or four-year deal with their mid-level exception. In that scenario, Bowman would almost certainly be the priority over Lee.

The full list of players on two-way contracts can be found right here.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Southwest Notes: Brooks, Rockets, Gordon, Porzingis

November 19th, 2019 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

Next summer’s qualifying tournaments for the 2020 Olympics will take place between June 23-28, right before NBA free agency begins. Although the timing isn’t ideal, Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks – who will be a restricted free agent in July – has expressed a desire to suit up for Team Canada during those qualifying games, as Carlan Gay of NBA.com Canada relays.

“I plan on being there, I plan on playing regardless of if I get a contract or whatever happens,” Brooks said. “I’m going to play for Team Canada because you know I missed out this year and I really want to play and make it to the Olympics.”

The Grizzlies have been significantly better with Brooks on the court this season, posting a +0.1 net rating when he plays and a -16.6 mark when he sits. That bodes well for the third-year forward, who is looking to solidify his place as a reliable NBA rotation player after missing much of last season due to knee and toe injuries.

“I just want to challenge myself to take it professionally and get better because the life expectancy in the NBA is only like three or four years,” Brooks said. “I want to get to my next contract and solidify myself.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

The Rockets have no immediate plans to fill the roster spot that opened after they released Ryan Anderson on Monday, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. However, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle notes (via Twitter) that the club is planning to eventually have to convert two-way player Chris Clemons to a standard contract.
Rockets guard Eric Gordon, who underwent a procedure on his knee last week, said he has been dealing with that injury for “almost a year.” It got worse recently and Gordon is relieved to have addressed it via surgery (video link via Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston). The veteran guard said his goal is to return by around Christmas, which matches the six-week recovery timeline initially announced by the team.
Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis and team owner Mark Cuban have called Dallas a “perfect match” for KP, as Chris Mannix of SI.com details. Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports argues that the Mavs may be a better fit than the Knicks were for Porzingis because the big man is more suited to supporting a franchise player – like Luka Doncic – than being that franchise player himself.

Rockets Make Three More Moves

October 18th, 2019 at 8:12am CST by ChrisCrouse

OCTOBER 18: The Rockets have officially announced the signing of Maker.

OCTOBER 17: The Rockets converted Chris Clemons‘ Exhibit 10 deal to a two-way contract earlier today and they are not done making moves. The club is signing Matur Maker to an Exhibit 10 deal, Alykhan Bijani of The Athletic reports (Twitter link).

The team has also waived Jaron Blossomgame and Michael Frazier, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Frazier, who was the G League’s Most Improved Player last season, hurt his right ankle during training camp and hasn’t played since, Feigen notes. The Rockets own the guard’s G League rights, but do not hold Blossomgame’s G League rights. The defensive-minded forward played 13.0 minutes per game for the Rockets this preseason.

Maker, meanwhile, is the brother of Pistons big man Thon Maker. He went undrafted in June after playing for Zlatorog Lasko in Slovenia.

Rockets Converting Chris Clemons To Two-Way Deal

October 17th, 2019 at 2:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets are converting Chris Clemons‘ Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal, league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). Both of Houston’s two-way slots are open, so no corresponding move will be required as Clemons fills one of those spots.

Clemons, a 5’9″ guard out of Campbell, was the nation’s leading scorer in 2018/19, averaging 30.0 PPG on .448/.357/.869 shooting. He has been impressive for the Rockets in Summer League and preseason play, averaging 20.8 PPG in five Summer League contests in Las Vegas and 13.2 PPG in five preseason games.

Two-way players are eligible to spend up to 45 days with their NBA club. However, that 45-day clock doesn’t start ticking until G League training camps open, so Clemons figures to start the season in Houston before eventually reporting to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Jaron Blossomgame and Shamorie Ponds appear to be the leading candidates to claim Houston’s other two-way contract before the regular season begins.

Texas Notes: Porzingis, Barea, Clemons, Murray

October 9th, 2019 at 10:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kristaps Porzingis “felt natural” as he returned to the court tonight for the first time since suffering an ACL injury in February of 2018, tweets Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. Porzingis’ shot was rusty as he hit just 7-of-18 from the field and 2-of-7 from 3-point range. Still, he manged 18 points in 19 minutes, along with seven rebounds and two assists.

“All good,” he said afterward. “The main thing for me is to be calm. Be focused and be calm on the court.”

The game marked Porzingis’ debut in a Mavericks uniform and his first time playing alongside Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic, who led the team with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

“It’s easy to play with him, super-easy,” Porzingis said. “The looks he got us and how much attention he draws away from me and everybody else, it makes it so much easier. I’m excited going forward.” (Twitter link)

There’s more from the Lone Star State:

Mavericks guard J.J. Barea is back to normal nine months after surgery on a ruptured right Achilles tendon, Sefko writes in a full story. Barea didn’t accompany the team on its current road trip, but expects to play Friday night. “I’m feeling better than I thought I was going to,” he said. “I still got a way to go. But the more I play, the more I move, it gets better.”
Chris Clemons is hoping his scoring prowess is enough to earn a roster spot with the Rockets, relays Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The 5’9″ guard won’t get regular playing time in a backcourt that includes James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Eric Gordon, but he may catch on as an extra point guard or possibly on a two-way contract. “I’m just enjoying the opportunity I’ve been given and working every day to try to make this roster,” Clemons said. “Hopefully, I’ll make the roster and be a full-time NBA player. But that’s stuff I can’t control. I’m just playing my game.”
The Spurs are limiting Dejounte Murray‘s playing time to 20 minutes per game as he works his way back from an ACL injury that cost him all of last season, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Coach Gregg Popovich said Murray has more gained trust in his knee after playing in two preseason games. “We worry, as you would with someone who hasn’t played in that long of a time, but he went full bore with every minute we gave him,” Popovich said. “He got knocked down a couple times and twisted all around, and I think he gained a lot of confidence.”