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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/10/20

February 10th, 2020 at 9:19pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

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

  • The Magic have recalled second-year shooting guard Melvin Frazier Jr. from their Lakeland G League affiliate, per the team’s social media. Frazier has logged time in 14 games with the Magic this season.
  • The Pacers have recalled rookie center Goga Bitadze from their G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team announced. Bitadze has appeared in 42 games for Indiana.
  • The Thunder have assigned rookie small forward Isaiah Roby to the Oklahoma City Blue, according to a team press release. Roby is averaging 9.5 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.18 SPG and 1.09 BPG in 20.4 minutes over 11 G League contests.
  • The Heat have sent rookie small forward KZ Okpala to their G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the team noted on social media. Okpala has appeared in five games for Miami.
  • The Wizards have recalled guards Gary Payton II and John Wall from the Capital City Go-Go, per the G League. Payton has appeared in 21 games for Washington this season. The Wizards are also sending rookie forward Admiral Schofield to the Go-Go.
  • The Nets have assigned second-year wing Dzanan Musa to their Long Island G League club, according to the G League.
  • The Jazz have sent 25-year-old rookie point guard Nigel Williams-Goss to the Salt Lake City Stars, per the G League.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/9/20

February 9th, 2020 at 8:37pm CST by JD Shaw

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

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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/8/20

February 8th, 2020 at 9:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

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

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Wizards Notes: Mathews, Wall, Payton, Bertans

January 10th, 2020 at 7:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Wizards rookie wing Garrison Mathews will miss multiple weeks with a right ankle sprain, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Mathews, who is on a two-way contract, rolled his ankle when he stepped on Celtics forward Jayson Tatum‘s shoe. Mathews is averaging 6.2 PPG while shooting 42.9 % from long range.

We have more on the Wizards:

  • Point guard John Wall is participating in three-on-three scrimmages against members of the player development staff, Hughes relays in a separate story. It’s another step in Wall’s recovery from a ruptured left Achilles tendon. He had recently progressed from running and dunking to one-on-one contact drills with coaches, Hughes adds. However, there’s no expectation Wall will play this season. “I don’t know if he’s going to play this year. I don’t know if he’s not going to play,” head coach Scott Brooks said.
  • Guard Gary Payton II has earned a spot in the rotation, Jackson Filyo of the team’s website notes. Payton was signed under the league’s hardship exception last month due to a wave of injuries. “I’ve been hungry ever since I got here,” Payton said. “In and out of the G League, trying to find somewhere to stick. I think these guys here appreciate what I do and value what I do, so I go to bat for them every day.” In his first nine games with Washington, Payton is averaging 5.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.0 APG and 2.3 SPG in 23.6 MPG.
  • Davis Bertans returned to action on Friday with a minutes restriction, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post tweets. The stretch four was out for nine games with a quad injury. Bertans, who has an expiring $7MM contract, is averaging 15.4 PPG while making 43.2% of his 3-point attempts.
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Southeast Notes: Nunn, Robinson, Wizards, Goodwin

January 6th, 2020 at 4:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Several players around the NBA with non-guaranteed contracts have already been waived or remain in danger of being cut as this week’s salary guarantee deadline approaches. However, Heat youngsters Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson have nothing to worry about.

While their contracts still aren’t technically guaranteed, Nunn and Robinson have started all season for the 26-10 Heat and will, of course, be retained through the January 7 deadline. While it’s a mere formality at this point, Nunn and Robinson are happy to assure themselves of those full guarantees, as Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes.

“It’ll definitely be a relief,” Nunn said, admitting that he had “kept an eye on” the guarantee deadline. Robinson, meanwhile, said he isn’t taking his seven-figure salary for granted.

“I hope I never get used to that or that it ever becomes normal,” he said. “Well, I guess I hope it does. Well, you know what I mean: I hope I have the perspective to appreciate that it’s not normal. Every two weeks, I just try to be appreciative of it.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

  • Hassan Whiteside seemed “genuinely confused” by the frequent boos he heard from Heat fans during his return to Miami this weekend, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Shortly after he was traded from Miami to Portland this summer, Whiteside filmed himself yelling, “We’ve got shooters!” on social media, a phrase Heat fans chanted back at him near the end of Sunday’s game. “I didn’t really realize they felt it was a diss,” Whiteside said after the game, per Reynolds.
  • Ben Standig and Fred Katz of The Athletic examine why the Wizards elected to keep Gary Payton II, a 27-year-old on a one-year contract, over Justin Robinson, a 22-year-old who had been on a team-friendly three-year deal. Washington released Robinson on Sunday before his 2019/20 salary could become guaranteed. The Athletic duo also pointed out that the Wizards don’t have the G League rights for Robinson or Johnathan Williams, who was cut on Sunday too.
  • Hawks point guard Brandon Goodwin, who is on a two-way contract, logged just five total minutes before Christmas, but has averaged 14.8 MPG in the team’s last five games. Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution looks at what sort of impression Goodwin is making in Atlanta.
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Wizards Waive Justin Robinson

January 5th, 2020 at 11:41am CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards have waived rookie point guard Justin Robinson, the team announced in a press release.

Robinson signed with Washington in July after going undrafted out of Virginia Tech. He spent most of his time in the G League, averaging 14.2 points and 6.1 assists in 18 games with Capital City. Robinson saw limited playing time in nine games with the Wizards.

Robinson will have a $396K cap hit for his time in Washington, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. He signed a three-year, $4.2MM contract over the summer, but it contains no guaranteed money past this year. Salaries across the league will be guaranteed for the rest of the season later this week for players who remain on the roster past Tuesday.

Washington was briefly carrying 17 players after being approved for two hardship exceptions last week. The roster will be back down to 15, along with a pair of two-way contracts, after today’s move and the expected decision to waive Johnathan Williams.

Cutting Robinson indicates that Gary Payton II, who was one of those hardship signings, will be kept on the roster, notes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link). Payton is averaging 6.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals in seven games since joining the Wizards.

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Southeast Notes: Beal, Payton, Gordon, Rozier

December 29th, 2019 at 10:21am CST by Arthur Hill

Now that Bradley Beal‘s consecutive games streak has ended at 194, Fred Katz of the Athletic wonders if it’s time to consider load management for the Wizards star. Beal missed Saturday’s game with “right lower leg soreness,” which isn’t believed to be a long-term concern. In deference to the streak, coach Scott Brooks refused to keep Beal out of the lineup last season even after Washington dropped out of the playoff race, but he may consider a different approach now.

At 9-22 and with a host of injured players, the Wizards seem like a sure bet for another lottery appearance. Management has already said player development is the focus for this season, particularly with John Wall still recovering from a ruptured Achilles. Beal led the league in minutes played last year and ranks third this season. He is a strong opponent of load management, but it makes little sense to keep putting him on the court every night if it heightens his risk of injury.

“He’s as durable as anybody in the league,” Brooks said. “He’s played just about every game the last three and a half years and good minutes. He wants to play. He wants to practice. That’s great. That’s who he is. I’m sure this is gonna bother him, not being on the court with the guys knowing how banged up we are.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • Gary Payton II, who signed with the Wizards this week under the hardship exception, is making a strong bid to stay on the roster, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. He is posting an 11.7/7.3/4.0 line through three games and has twice recorded six steals. Washington would have to release someone to make room for Payton, and a decision must be made by January 7 when players who aren’t waived will have their contracts guaranteed for the rest of the season.
  • Magic forward Aaron Gordon admitted last night that his left Achilles tendon has been bothering him for “a while,” tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “I feel like I might’ve been playing on it a little too long already,” Gordon said. “So now’s the time I’ve got to get it taken care of just so I get healthy and get back and help my team because it’s not something you want to play (around) with.” (Twitter link)
  • The NBA has fined Hornets guard Terry Rozier $25K for throwing the ball into the stands at the end of Friday’s loss to the Thunder.
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Southeast Notes: Payton, Waiters, Collins

December 24th, 2019 at 6:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

In his season debut with the Wizards Monday, Gary Payton II looked a lot like his Hall of Fame father, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic. Some of the resemblance was the familiar No. 20 — the first time the younger Payton has worn his dad’s number in his brief NBA career — but a lot was performance. After being signed out the G League, Payton flew to Washington for a physical and arrived at Madison Square Garden shortly before the start of the game with the Knicks. He came off the bench to post 10 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and six steals in 34 minutes.

“I told him at the end of the game; he changed the whole game around. He really did,” teammate Ish Smith said. “He came in that second quarter, him and (Justin Robinson), and at the top of that zone, they were so disruptive.”

Payton hopes to find a lasting NBA home after short stays with the Bucks and Lakers, followed by three games with the Wizards last season. He figures to get plenty of minutes in Washington’s next game while Isaiah Thomas completes his suspension, but his future beyond that is uncertain.

“It’s one game. You can’t get overly excited, but I love players that have stories like this,” coach Scott Brooks said. “You cheer for them. You want them to have success. They fought. They’ve been cut. They almost made it. They’ve been cut. They fought. They’ve been cut. And hopefully, he plays well enough to stick with us.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • Payton’s new contract is a non-guaranteed one-year deal that carries a $1,090,781 base salary and a $1,052,909 cap hit, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Payton will earn $9,485 for each day he remains on the Wizards‘ roster.
  • Dion Waiters worked out today with a few teammates and some of the coaching staff after his latest suspension ended Monday, relays Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The Heat won’t practice again until Thursday, but Waiters took advantage of the chance to get some extra work in. It still appears doubtful that he will be used in any games this season.
  • The Hawks are optimistic that they can salvage something after a 6-25 start, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Before John Collins returned from a 25-game suspension last night, their young core of Collins, Trae Young and Kevin Huerter had only played together for 19 minutes this season. “I feel like there’s a little bit of a relief factor that comes along with the guy that you expected to have throughout the season, and now you have him back now getting acclimated to regular basketball activities,” Collins said. “I feel like it’s definitely a relief for everyone.”
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Wizards Sign Gary Payton II

December 23rd, 2019 at 11:39am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have signed veteran guard Gary Payton II to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. The move had been expected, with a Saturday report indicating that the two sides were closing in on an agreement.

Payton has spent the 2019/20 season so far playing for the South Bay Lakers, the Lakers’ G League affiliate. In 16 games (32.4 MPG) for the club, he averaged 21.4 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 6.8 APG, and a league-leading 3.2 SPG, making his case for a call-up.

The 27-year-old, the son of former SuperSonics star Gary Payton, has appeared in 32 total NBA regular season games, spending time with the Bucks, Lakers, and Wizards since the 2016/17 season.

The Wizards had a full 15-man roster before signing Payton, but didn’t need to make a corresponding move to open up a roster spot, since they qualified for a hardship exception.

The NBA can grant a team a hardship exception when that team has at least four players who have missed three or more games due to injury or illness and are expected to miss at least two more weeks. A hardship exception allows the club to add an extra player to its 15-man roster, increasing its roster limit.

John Wall, C.J. Miles, Thomas Bryant, and Jordan McRae are out with long-term injuries for Washington, with Davis Bertans, Rui Hachimura, and Moritz Wagner all banged up as well.

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Wizards Notes: Bertans, Smith, Payton, Chiozza

December 21st, 2019 at 6:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

General manager Tommy Sheppard said this week that the Wizards plan to re-sign Davis Bertans, but Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington believes they may rethink their position before the trade deadline. Bertans has emerged as one of the league’s top 3-point shooters, hitting a career-best 44.7% through the season’s first 27 games. But his eventual price tag could be a concern to a franchise that has already made expensive long-term commitments to Bradley Beal and John Wall.

A league executive predicts Bertans will command a deal somewhere in the neighborhood of $51MM over three seasons. Hughes states that the Wizards can easily afford to give Bertans around $15MM per season, especially with Ian Mahinmi‘s $15.5MM salary coming off the books after this season. However, if the price gets closer to $20MM annually, Washington might have to reconsider to avoid a repeat of the salary cap crunch it escaped at last year’s deadline.

Hughes hears that the Sixers, Hawks and Lakers would be the most interested teams if the Wizards opt to shop Bertans. Washington will want at least a first-round pick in return, but any contender would be offering a choice very late in the draft. Unless someone comes through with a sweeter offer, Washington may opt to keep Bertans and take its chances in free agency.

There’s more from D.C.:

  • Ish Smith is excelling off the bench and making a strong case for a full-time starting job, observes Mike DePrisco of NBC Sports Washington. Last night in Toronto, Smith became the first reserve in franchise history with a perfect shooting night on at least nine shot attempts since the stat started being kept in 1971.
  • Gary Payton II, who is reportedly close to re-signing with the Wizards, got a strong endorsement from his coach this week at the G League Showcase, relays Sam Gordon of The Las Vegas Review-Journal. “It’s dependent on fit and timing. He has the skills. He has the talent. He has the mentality,” said Coby Karl of the South Bay Lakers. “He’s an elite athlete at the NBA level. He can do so many different things on the court.”
  • Chris Chiozza, who was released earlier this week, has joined Washington’s G League affiliate in Capital City after clearing waivers, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.
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