Gary Payton II

Wizards Notes: Bertans, Smith, Payton, Chiozza

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.

Wizards Close To Signing Gary Payton II

Gary Payton II is nearing a contract with the Wizards, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The G League guard was held out of today’s Showcase game in Las Vegas.

Payton is averaging 21.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 3.2 steals in 16 games for the South Bay Lakers. He has played 113 G League games in his career, but only 32 in the NBA, including three with the Wizards last season. He also had short stays with the Bucks and Lakers.

Washington doesn’t expect to make another move before adding Payton to the roster, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Wizards have applied to the league for a hardship provision that they expect to be granted. It will allow them to carry a 16th player as long as their injury woes continue.

NBA G League Announces 2018/19 All-NBAGL Teams

After being named the G League’s Most Valuable Player and the Defensive Player of the Year for the 2018/19 season on Monday, Raptors 905 big man Chris Boucher – now a member of the Toronto Raptors – headlines the All-NBA G League first team, as the league announced today in a press release.

Boucher was joined on the All-NBAGL first team by teammate Jordan Loyd, as well as Capital City Go-Go guard Jordan McRae, Long Island Nets big man Alan Williams, and Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario center Angel Delgado. All four players are currently on two-way contracts with NBA teams.

That’s a common theme for this year’s All-NBAGL teams, as most of the 15 players named to the three squads aren’t currently NBA free agents, having signed two-way or NBA contracts.

The complete list of the 2018/19 All-NBA G League teams, along with the All-Rookie and All-Defensive squads, is below. Players currently on a 15-man NBA roster are marked with an asterisk (*), while players on two-way contracts are noted with a caret (^).

All-NBAGL First Team:

  • Chris Boucher (Raptors 905) *
  • Angel Delgado (Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario) ^
  • Jordan Loyd (Raptors 905) ^
  • Jordan McRae (Capital City Go-Go) ^
  • Alan Williams (Long Island Nets) ^

All-NBAGL Second Team:

All-NBAGL Third Team:

NBAGL All-Rookie Team:

  • Chris Chiozza (Capital City Go-Go) *
    • Note: Chiozza wasn’t on an NBA contract for most of the season, but was recently called up by the Rockets.
  • Angel Delgado (Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario) ^
  • Yante Maten (Sioux Falls Skyforce) ^
  • Theo Pinson (Long Islands Nets) ^
  • Duncan Robinson (Sioux Falls Skyforce) ^

NBAGL All-Defensive Team:

The All-Defensive team is the only squad that features players who are currently NBA free agents — Brimah and Pelle haven’t been on an NBA roster this season, while Payton only briefly spent time with an NBA team, signing a 10-day contract with the Wizards in January.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls 1/29/19

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

  • The Bucks have recalled Christian Wood from the Wisconsin Herd, per the team’s Twitter feed. Wood averaged 33.7 points per game during his latest stint with Milwaukee’s G League affiliate.
  • The Wizards have recalled Gary Payton II from the Capital City Go-Go, according to the team’s Twitter feed. The point guard received 12 minutes of action for Washington against Cleveland tonight, scoring 11 points and adding four assists.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/25/19

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

  • The Wizards assigned guard Gary Payton II to the Capital City Go Go, the team’s PR department tweets. He’ll play against Grand Rapids on Friday. Payton signed a 10-day contract with the Wizards on Monday. He appeared in 13 G League games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers this season, posting a 19.2/8.2/6.6 line.
  • The Spurs assigned rookies Lonnie Walker IV and Chimezie Metu to the Austin Spurs, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express News tweets. They’ll play against Rio Grande on Friday. Walker, the 18th overall pick, hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since January 3rd. Metu, the team’s second-rounder, has only appeared in one Spurs game since December 13th.

Gary Payton II Signs 10-Day Deal With Wizards

JANUARY 21: The Wizards have officially signed Payton, the team announced today in a press release. His contract will run through next Wednesday, January 30.

JANUARY 20: The Wizards will fill their roster opening by signing guard Gary Payton II to a 10-day contract, tweets ESPN’s Marc J. Spears. The signing is expected to take place tomorrow, which will be the deadline for Washington to get back to the 14-man roster limit, two weeks after waiving Ron Baker.

This is the latest NBA opportunity for the 26-year-old guard, who was in training camp with the Trail Blazers before being waived prior to the start of the season. Payton appeared in a combined 23 games last season — 12 with the Bucks and 11 with the Lakers — averaging 3.0 points per night. He also played six games for Milwaukee during the 2016/17 season.

Payton returned to the G League last month, signing with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He posted a 19.2/8.2/6.6 line in 13 games.

Trail Blazers Cut Payton, Oliver, Onuaku

The Trail Blazers have waived Gary Payton II, Cameron Oliver and Chinanu Onuaku, according to an official release from the team. The news was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. All three players were on fully non-guaranteed contracts, so Portland won’t be on the hook for any money.

With the moves, the Trail Blazers have lowered their roster count to 15 players in anticipation of the upcoming regular season. Portland could have kept one or two of Payton, Oliver, and/or Onuaku as two-way players, but with no G League affiliate, the team decided not to go that route.

Payton, 25, is the son of NBA Hall-of-Famer Gary Payton. He has seen a little NBA action over the last two seasons with the Lakers and Bucks, but spent most of his time in the G League.

Oliver, 22, signed a training camp contract with the Rockets after going undrafted in 2017, but was waived before the regular season.  He averaged 10.8 PPG and 7.1 RPG in 39 total G League games last season.

Onuaku, 21, was selected in the second-round of the 2016 NBA Draft, but has only appeared in six NBA regular season games in his first two NBA seasons. Like Payton and Oliver, he has extensive G League experience, playing in 83 total games for the Rockets’ G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers the past two seasons.

Trail Blazers Sign Three Players To Camp Deals

SEPTEMBER 4: The Trail Blazers have officially announced their deals with Onuaku, Oliver, and Payton, confirming the signings in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 3: Three free agents are set to join the Trail Blazers on training camp deals, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who reports that Chinanu Onuaku, Cameron Oliver, and Gary Payton II have all reached agreements with Portland.

Onuaku, a 2016 second-round pick, appeared in just six NBA regular season games in two seasons with the Rockets. The former Louisville center has spent most of his two professional seasons in the G League, playing in 83 total games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and averaging 12.3 PPG and 10.0 RPG to go along with 2.5 APG, 1.4 BPG, 1.1 SPG, and a .617 FG%. The 21-year-old was traded from Houston to Dallas earlier this offseason, with the Mavericks subsequently waiving him.

Oliver, a former Nevada standout, signed a training camp contract with the Rockets after going undrafted in 2017, but was waived by Houston just before the regular season began. The 6’8″ forward spent his rookie season in the G League with Delaware and Wisconsin, averaging 10.8 PPG and 7.1 RPG in 39 total games.

Payton, meanwhile, is the son of NBA Hall-of-Famer Gary Payton. The 25-year-old point guard has seen a little NBA action over the last two seasons, appearing in 29 total contests for the Lakers and Bucks. Like Onuaku and Oliver, he also had a stint with the Rockets earlier in his career and has extensive G League experience.

The Trail Blazers already have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, meaning there might not be any opportunities for their camp invitees to earn regular season roster spots. Portland also doesn’t have its own G League squad, so Onuaku, Oliver, and Payton won’t become affiliate players for the Blazers.

Still, the Blazers haven’t filled either of their two-way contract slots, and Onuaku, Oliver, and Payton would all qualify for a two-way deal. It’s possible that one or two of them could have their camp contracts converted to two-way pacts if they look good in the preseason.

Malik Newman Signs Two-Way Deal With Lakers

JULY 1: The Lakers have officially signed Newman to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release. Having not tendered qualifying offers to Caruso or Payton, the Lakers appear poised to have new players in both two-way slots for 2018/19.

JUNE 22: The Lakers will add Kansas guard Malik Newman on a two-way contract, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

Newman, 21, spent just one season with the Jayhawks after transferring from Mississippi State. He put up 14.2 points per game this year and shot 42% from 3-point range. He helped the Jayhawks reach the Final Four with a 32-point performance against Duke in the regional finals.

Alex Caruso and Gary Payton II are the Lakers’ current two-way players, with their contracts set to expire at the end of June.

Lakers Sign Gary Payton II To Two-Way Deal

JANUARY 15: The Lakers have officially signed Payton to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

JANUARY 14: The Lakers are planning to sign Gary Payton II to a two-way contract, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. Payton began the 2017/18 campaign with the Bucks, but despite starting six games for the team, averaged just 2.5 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.

Payton will slide into the vacant two-way slot that the Lakers opened up on Friday with the release of Vander Blue.

Per Bill Oram of the Orange County Register, Payton is expected to join the team in Memphis ahead of the Lakers-Grizzlies tilt on Monday.

Payton has yet to make much of a mark at the NBA level but drew attention at Oregon State thanks to his Hall of Fame father. Gary Payton Sr., of course, suited up for the Lakers in the twilight of his career.

Payton was waived by Milwaukee on December 18 when the Bucks opted to bring Sean Kilpatrick aboard on a two-way contract.