Ivan Rabb

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/2/17

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

3:58pm:

  • The Grizzlies have recalled rookie big man Ivan Rabb from the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ NBA G League affiliate, according to an official press release. Rabb has only played one minute for the Grizzlies so far this season.

12:53pm:

  • After being assigned to the Erie BayHawks back on November 26, the Hawks have recalled guard Tyler Dorsey back to the team for this afternoon’s game against the Nets, per an official press release from the team. In seven games with the BayHawks, Dorsey is averaging 17.4 PPG.
  • According to a team press release, rookie center Ante Zizic has been recalled back to the Cavaliers a day after being assigned to the G League’s Canton Charge. Zizic scored 19 points and grabbed 9 rebounds for the Charge in last night’s game against the Long Island Nets.
  • The Lakers have assigned center Ivica Zubac to the South Bay Lakers, its G League affiliate, the team announced today. In two games with South Bay this season, Zubac has averaged 21.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG. He is expected to play tonight against the Agua Caliente Clippers.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/27/17

Here are the G League moves from around the NBA today:

  • The Knicks assigned guard Ron Baker to their Westchester affiliate and he’s expected to play tonight against the Windy City Bulls, according to a tweet from their PR department. Baker has already appeared in two G League games this season, averaging 13.0 PPG in 36.1 MPG.
  • The Rockets recalled center Zhou Qi from the RGV Vipers, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. That’s an indication that his sore calf would have prevented him from playing with the Vipers tonight, Feigen adds. Zhou missed the Vipers’ game on Saturday and the recall will allow him to get treatment from Houston’s medical staff.
  • The Grizzlies assigned power forward Ivan Rabb to their affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies media relations department tweets. The second-rounder out of Cal has already played six G League games, averaging 19.0 PPG and 9.7 RPG in 28.6 MPG.
  • The Jazz assigned center Tony Bradley to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the team’s Twitter feed (Twitter link). The big man out of North Carolina scored 20 points in his only previous G League appearance.
  • The Nets recalled guard Isaiah Whitehead from the Long Island Nets prior to their game against the Rockets, according to a team press release. He has played two G League games, averaging 29.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 3.5 APG in 37.3 MPG.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/26/17

Here are the G League moves from around the NBA today:

  • The Grizzlies recalled forwards Jarell Martin and Ivan Rabb from their Memphis Hustle affiliate, the team announced on its website. Martin, who was sent down Saturday, has played 17 games for the Grizzlies and two for the Hustle. Rabb has appeared in six G League games this season and just one in the NBA.
  • The Cavaliers have recalled Cedi Osman and Ante Zizic from the Canton Charge one day after they were assigned to the G League team. Both played in Saturday’s game against Long Island, with Osman posting 21 points and eight rebounds and Zizic adding 14 points and seven boards.
  • The Hawks assigned rookie guard Tyler Dorsey to their Erie affiliate, tweets Michael Cunningham of The Journal Constitution. Dorsey has played seven games for Atlanta and is averaging 2.3 points per night.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/24/17

Here are the G League moves from around the NBA today:

  • The Rockets have assigned big man Zhou Qi to their G League affiliate, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Qi will land with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers after showcasing some of his potential with the big league club on Wednesday.
  • The Grizzlies assigned Ivan Rabb to the Memphis Hustle, the team tweeted. Rabb has averaged 21.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game for the G League affiliate this season.
  • The Nets have assigned Isaiah Whitehead to their G League affiliate in Long Island, the team announced in a press release. Whitehead has averaged 3.6 points per game with the big league club and scored 26 points in his lone G League game this season.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/10/17

Here are the G League moves from around the basketball world today:

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/9/17

Here are the G League transactions for Thursday:

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/1/17

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

11:21pm:

  • The Lakers sent center Thomas Bryant to their South Bay affiliate for the fourth time this season, the team announced on its website.

4:57pm:

  • The Grizzlies are sending Ben McLemore to the G League as he continues to recover from offseason foot surgery, reports ESPN’s Chris Haynes (via Twitter).
  • The Grizzlies also made a series of moves with rookie forward Ivan Rabb today, recalling him from the Memphis Hustle this morning, only to re-assign him to the G League and recall him again later in the day (all Twitter links). After participating in the Grizzlies’ shootaround and the Hustle’s practice, Rabb is with the Grizz for tonight’s game.
  • Point guard Michael Carter-Williams has been recalled from the G League by the Hornets, the team announced today in a press release. GM Rich Cho said that Carter-Williams scrimmaged with the Greensboro Swarm to test his knees — MCW may play on Charlotte’s upcoming four-game road trip, as Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer tweets.
  • The Spurs have recalled Tony Parker, Davis Bertans, and Derrick White from the G League, according to a pair of press releases from the team. Parker continues to rehab his injured left quadriceps, so he’s not ready to play for San Antonio yet.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 10/27/17

Here are the G League updates from around the league today:

  • The Grizzlies have assigned center Deyonta Davis and forward Ivan Rabb to the Memphis Hustle, their G League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. Neither Davis nor Rabb saw action with the big league club in the first week of the regular season.
  • The Jazz sent Tony Bradley to the Salt Lake City Stars, their affiliate team in the G League, the organization revealed in a press release.

Grizzlies Sign Ivan Rabb To Three-Year Deal

SEPTEMBER 21, 12:08pm: The Grizzlies have officially signed Rabb, the team announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 18, 7:58pm: The Grizzlies and Rabb have agreed to a three-year deal, with the first two seasons fully guaranteed, reports Geoff Calkins of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

5:56pm: The Grizzlies are close to reaching an agreement with rookie forward Ivan Rabb on a three-year contract, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Rabb, the 35th overall pick in this year’s draft, had been one of the last 2017 draftees who remained unsigned.

Many draft experts and NBA observers expected Rabb to declare for the draft a year ago, but he made the surprise decision to stay at Cal for his sophomore season. In his second year with the Golden Bears, Rabb averaged a double-double with 14.0 PPG and 10.5 RPG, though his FG% dipped from .615 in his freshman year to .484 in 2016/17.

Viewed as a probable first-rounder if he had entered the 2016 draft, Rabb slipped to the second round this spring. The Grizzlies sent a 2019 second-round pick to Orlando in order to acquire the No. 35 overall pick, which they used to select Rabb.

While exact terms of the agreement aren’t yet known, the Grizzlies figure to use their mid-level exception to sign Rabb — that exception allows the club to offer slightly more than the minimum and to go beyond a two-year contract. Memphis already used most of its MLE to lock up Ben McLemore, Rade Zagorac, and Dillon Brooks, but still has about $1.44MM left, which is more than enough for Rabb’s starting salary.

Assuming Rabb’s 2017/18 salary is fully guaranteed on his new deal with Memphis, the team will have 16 players on guaranteed contracts. That number would increase to 17 if the Grizzlies work out a new deal with JaMychal Green, who remains a restricted free agent. Teams are only allowed to carry 15 players on their regular season rosters, so the Grizzlies will potentially have to make a trade or two before opening night in order to avoid eating some guaranteed money.

Checking In On Unsigned 2017 Draft Picks

One month into the 2017/18 NBA league year, most of this year’s draftees know where they’ll be playing for the upcoming season. As our tracker for draft pick signings shows, we’re only waiting for resolution on a small group of players.

Twenty-nine of 30 first-round picks have signed their first NBA contracts, and the 30th – Sixers big man Anzejs Pasecniks – will remain overseas for at least one more year. Meanwhile, in the second round, about half of this year’s picks have signed NBA contracts, a handful of others have agreed to two-way deals, and some will continue to play international ball.

There’s no rush at this point for teams to finalize plans for the last few unsigned draft picks from this year’s class, but it’s still worth checking in to see where things stand for those players. Here are the 2017 draftees whose statuses for ’17/18 appear to be up in the air:

  • Ivan Rabb (Memphis Grizzlies, No. 35): The Grizzlies signed 45th overall pick Dillon Brooks, but have yet to lock up Rabb, who now finds himself in an interesting spot. Memphis already has 15 players on guaranteed contracts for 2017/18, and that total doesn’t even include RFA JaMychal Green, who seems likely to return. Even though there’s no current opening for Rabb, he was probably too high a draft pick to accept a two-way contract, so perhaps the Grizzlies ultimately intend to trade or waive a player (or two) to make room. Otherwise, it’s not clear what the plan is for Rabb.
  • Isaiah Hartenstein (Houston Rockets, No. 43): International basketball reporter David Pick provided an update on Hartenstein today, tweeting that Houston will likely have him start with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League. So far, no player drafted earlier than No. 51 has signed a two-way contract, and typically only players selected at the very end of the draft accept straight G League contracts. If Hartenstein is willing to go to the G League, it would be a great value move for the Rockets.
  • Nigel Williams-Goss (Utah Jazz, No. 55): Two weeks ago, we heard that Williams-Goss was a candidate for Utah’s second two-way contract opening. The Jazz haven’t made a move to fill that slot since then, so I’d expect Williams-Goss remains the leading candidate.
  • Jabari Bird (Boston Celtics, No. 56): Like Williams-Goss in Utah, Bird appears to be the top candidate for the final two-way contract opening in Boston. Such a move would make a lot of sense. There isn’t enough room on the Celtics’ regular-season roster for Bird, and the four players selected with the picks from 51 through 54 in this year’s draft all got two-way deals — it’s logical that the 55th and 56th picks would too.