Gian Clavell

And-Ones: G League Ignite, Barea, Contract Extensions, Ukraine

Being involved with All-Star Weekend was a dream experience for several members of G League Ignite, writes Tania Ganguli of The New York Times. Jaden HardyScoot Henderson, MarJon Beauchamp and Dyson Daniels were all selected to participate alongside first- and second-year NBA players in the Rising Stars games. Fanbo Zeng and Michael Foster Jr. were chosen for a shooting competition, but Zeng had to withdraw because of an injury.

“I was nervous before the game before I even got out there, but when I got out there it was kind of relieving,” said Beauchamp, who is projected to be a mid first-round selection in this year’s draft. Beauchamp added that he always watches the All-Star events, “so just seeing myself on the screen is pretty amazing.”

The Ignite team, which serves as an alternative to college for NBA prospects, is only in its second season but is proving to be successful. Two Ignite players, Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga, were lottery picks last year and the team continues to attract elite young talent, paying up to $500K per season. The chance to be part of the All-Star experience was a bonus that the NBA offered this year.

“It was just fun to be able to be out there on the court with those young stars really and just being able to go out there and just laugh and compete,” Hardy said.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

  • Veteran guard J.J. Barea will return to Cangrejeros de Santurce in San Juan, Puerto Rico, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The 37-year-old, who spent 14 seasons in the NBA, also played for the team last season.
  • Although Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic will miss an extended stretch due to plantar fasciitis, he’s among a handful of viable candidates to receive contract extensions before the regular season ends, writes Yossi Gozlan of Hoops Hype. Nurkic is on track to be a free agent this summer, but he’s also eligible to extend his current deal for up to $64.5MM over four years. Another option, Gozlan notes, is to extend for two years at $25.8MM if Nurkic wants to keep his trade eligibility this offseason. Gozlan identifies Robert Covington, Thaddeus Young, Gary Harris and Tyus Jones as other players who are eligible for in-season extensions and could be realistic candidates.
  • The attacks on Ukraine are having an effect on basketball in the region, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Roughly 40 American players have played in the country this year and several are still under contract. An agent told Smith that there’s an effort to bring those players home to protect their safety, even though it would be a breach of contract. Familiar names on the Budivelnik Kiev roster include Michael Stockton, son of Hall-of-Famer John Stockton, along with former NBA players Gian Clavell, Drew Gordon and Alec Brown, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Germany, Italy, Others Finalize World Cup Rosters

We’re just two days away from FIBA’s 2019 World Cup officially tipping off, and more national teams have officially set their 12-man rosters for the event, including a pair of countries whose squads will feature multiple NBA players.

Team Germany made its final cut this week, dropping Wizards youngster Isaac Bonga from its roster. Even without Bonga on the team, there are plenty of familiar faces for NBA fans — Dennis Schroder (Thunder), Daniel Theis (Celtics), and Maxi Kleber (Mavericks) will represent Germany in this year’s tournament.

The Italian national team, meanwhile, will be led by Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari and Spurs sharpshooter Marco Belinelli. Former NBA forward Gigi Datome and 2014 second-round pick Alessandro Gentile are also part of Italy’s squad.

Here are more details on teams that have established their 12-man World Cup rosters:

International Moves: Bass, Webb III, Clavell

Veteran NBA power forward Brandon Bass has re-signed with Liaoning in the Chinese Basketball Association, according to a Sportando report. Bass averaged 21 PPG and 9.5 RPG last season after going overseas. Bass, 33, played 12 seasons in the NBA with stops in New Orleans, Dallas, Orlando, Boston and both Los Angeles teams. In his most recent NBA season, Bass appeared in 52 games with the Clippers in 2016/17, averaging 5.6 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 11.1 MPG. In 758 career games, Bass averaged 8.7 PPG and 4.5 RPG.

We have more news from overseas:

  • Forward James Webb III is expected to sign with Italy’s Pallacanestro Cantù, according to another Sportando post. Webb played 10 games with the Nets last season after signing a two-way contract in January.  The 6’9” Webb, 24, averaged 1.6 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 12.0 MPG with the Nets.
  • Former Mavericks shooting guard Gian Clavell has joined Argentina’s Estudiantes de La Plata, according to an ACB.com post. Clavell, 24, appeared in seven games with Dallas on a two-way contract last season, averaging 2.9 PPG in 9.1 MPG. Clavell played in Turkey after the Mavericks released him in mid-November.
  • Former Nets guard Isaiah Whitehead will play in Russia next season. Get the details here.

And-Ones: Trade Candidates, N. Robinson, Simons

Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic has been the subject of more trade rumors than virtually any other NBA player over the last several weeks, but he’s not the only “sell-high” trade candidate around the league, writes Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com. In an Insider-only piece, Pelton identifies several players whose trade value may not get higher than it is right now, including Grizzlies guard Tyreke Evans, Suns center Alex Len, and Nets teammates Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris.

Those players may not be on the move before next month’s trade deadline – Pelton admits that the idea of dealing Dinwiddie would be a “particularly tough sell” for the Nets – but it would make sense for those clubs to at least explore the possibilities.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Former NBA guard Nate Robinson has officially signed a BIG3 contract and joined Tri-State – Jermaine O’Neal‘s team – as a co-captain, the league announced today (Twitter link). We heard as recently as last month that Robinson hadn’t given up on the idea of getting back to the NBA.
  • While top prospect Anfernee Simons may commit to a college for the 2018/19 season at some point, he’s also considering making the leap directly to the NBA this year, as Jared Weiss of USA Today details. Simons reportedly intends to test the 2018 draft waters in the same way that Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo did a year ago.
  • Kristaps Porzingis is one of the few active NBA players capable of potentially matching the 48-point, 17-rebound stat line that Anthony Davis posted in Madison Square Garden on Sunday. While Porzingis isn’t at Davis’ level, Ian Begley of ESPN points to the development of the Pelicans star as evidence that the Knicks should be patient with Porzingis’ own development.
  • Former Mavericks guard Gian Clavell, who was on a two-way contract with Dallas earlier this season, has signed with Turkish team Sakarya Buyuksehir for the rest of the 2017/18 campaign, per international basketball reporter David Pick (Twitter link). Clavell appeared in seven games for the Mavs.

Mavs Sign Antonius Cleveland To Two-Way Deal

NOVEMBER 17: The Mavs have officially signed Cleveland to a two-way contract and waived Clavell, the team announced today in a press release.

NOVEMBER 16: The Mavericks will sign G League guard Antonius Cleveland to a two-way contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. Current two-way player Gian Clavell will be released to make room for Cleveland.

Cleveland was in training camp with the Warriors before being waived in early October. He has been playing for Golden State’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. A 6’6″ shooting guard, he went undrafted out of Missouri and played for the Trail Blazers during summer league.

Clavell has appeared in seven games with Dallas, averaging 2.9 points in about 9 minutes per night. The 24-year-old was voted Mountain West Player of the Year last season at Colorado State.

Texas Notes: Jackson, Smith Jr., Clavell, Leonard

Rockets guard Demetrius Jackson can expect a lot of trips to and from Rio Grande Valley over the next few weeks, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Jackson, who is serving as the team’s backup point guard while Chris Paul is sidelined with soreness in his left knee, signed a two-way contract over the summer and is limited to 45 days in the NBA. Every day in Houston will count against that total once G League camps open tomorrow, so Jackson will be making repeated journeys to the Rockets’ affiliate.

Jackson played 17 minutes in Saturday’s win over the Mavericks, delivering four points, five rebounds and two assists. The Rockets may decide to convert his deal into a full NBA contract if Paul’s absence is prolonged and the team can’t find another point guard. “Definitely, a different confidence level after going back, reviewing the film, trying to grow from the positive and the negative,” Jackson said. “I definitely got some good looks. Just have to step up and knock those down.”

There’s more NBA news from the Lone Star State:

  • The left knee effusion suffered by Mavericks rookie Dennis Smith Jr. may not be as bad as it sounds, cautions Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. There is concern in Dallas because an effusion, which means swelling due to fluid building up in a joint, is what sidelined Dirk Nowitzki for two months in 2013. However, Sefko notes that Nowitzki was much older, and Smith played a lot in preseason without any knee issues.
  • The Mavericks are getting Gian Clavell, who also has a two-way contract, some NBA experience before G League camps begin, Sefko adds in the same piece. The rookie out of Puerto Rico got into games Friday and Saturday as the third-string point guard. Johnathan Motley, the team’s other two-way player, hasn’t appeared in a game yet.
  • There are indications that Spurs star Kawhi Leonard might return to action sooner than expected, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Leonard, who has been sidelined since training camp with quadriceps tendinopathy, traveled with the team to Chicago Saturday. “He’s progressing,” said coach Gregg Popovich. “I’ll just leave it at that.”

Mavs Convert Gian Clavell To Two-Way Contract

3:18pm: The Mavs have officially converted Clavell’s deal to a two-way contract, the team confirmed in a press release. Dallas’ regular season roster is now set.

2:36pm: The Mavericks will get down to the regular season roster limit by converting Gian Clavell‘s NBA contract to a two-way deal, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Clavell’s contract with Dallas included an Exhibit 10 clause, giving the team the flexibility to turn it into a two-way pact before the regular season begins.

Clavell, who turns 24 next month, was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Year last season at Colorado State, averaging 20.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game with the Rams. The 6’4″ guard also has extensive international experience with the Puerto Rican National Team.

Although Clavell didn’t receive any guaranteed money when he signed with the Mavericks this offseason, he impressed the team during the preseason. Most notably, he recorded 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a win last Thursday over Atlanta. Teams reportedly inquired about his availability recently, but the Mavs opted to hang onto their rights to Clavell.

Once they officially convert Clavell’s contract, the Mavs will have 15 players on their NBA roster, with two on two-way contracts.

Teams Contact Mavericks About Gian Clavell

Several teams have reached out to the Mavericks in an effort to acquire shooting guard Gian Clavell, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Clavell, MacMahon notes, was Dallas’ only camp invitee who wasn’t waived today.

The Mavs are one over the roster limit and could keep Clavell by converting his contract into a two-way deal, which would limit him to 45 days in the NBA over the course of the season. He is also eligible to be designated as an affiliate player, which would require him to spend the entire season in the G League.

Clavell went undrafted out of Colorado State after being named Mountain West Player of the Year last season. He signed with Dallas in early August after playing summer league ball with Miami. The 23-year-old has spent several years with the Puerto Rican National Team.

Mavericks Waive Dozier, Warney, Wayns

The Mavericks are close to the roster limit after waiving PJ Dozier, Jameel Warney and Maalik Wayns, tweets Earl K. Sneed. All three will be eligible to join the Mavs’ G League affiliate if they clear waivers.

Dozier, a combo guard, went undrafted this year out of South Carolina. He played briefly for the Lakers’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League before landing a partially guaranteed camp deal with Dallas.

Warney, a 6’9″ power forward, signed with the team on Friday. He was in camp with the Mavericks last season as well and played 44 games for the Texas Legends in the G League.

Wayns, 26, has played for a variety of G League and international teams since going undrafted out of Villanova in 2012. He had brief stays with the Sixers and Clippers, playing 29 total NBA games.

Dallas still has one more move to make and could reach the roster limit by turning Gian Clavell‘s contract into a two-way deal.

Southwest Notes: Noel, Grizzlies, Clavell

There have been no shortages of distractions throughout Nerlens Noel‘s basketball career and that’s not about to change during the 2017/18 campaign. As Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post writes, the Mavs center will approach this season with his unrestricted free agency looming.

Still just 23 years old, Noel has already dealt with injuries, trade rumors and free agency speculation across stops with Kentucky, the Sixers and now the Mavs. This year he’ll look to earn a substantial offseason payday despite starting the season as Dallas’ backup center.

With Dirk Nowitzki slotted ahead of him at the five, Noel will be utilized off the bench as an athletic post defender with the ability to check guards on the perimeter. The Mavs will also look to employ his ability to crash the net in pick-and-roll situations, with a keen eye on how the young center might fit with the franchise long-term, in the post-Nowitzki era.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

  • The addition of Mario Chalmers gives the Grizzlies the option to be more selective with who they incorporate into their rotaiton between Andrew Harrison and Wade Baldwin. Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal speculates that the club could continue to develop Baldwin and, reluctantly, waive Harrison.
  • The Mavs only have 12 players currently on guaranteed deals. It turns out, Gian Clavell could be one of their seven players on non-guaranteed deals to convince the team to keep him on for the full year. Earl Sneed of Mavs.com tweets that the guard has made a strong case for making the squad.
  • Utility man Dante Cunningham is capable of playing multiple positions, doing dirty work and doing it all with a smile. That flexibility is what endeared him to Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry, who will trot him out as the team’s starting small forward in 2017/18, Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate writes.