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Raptors May Convert Jeff Dowtin’s Contract

April 5th, 2023 at 7:38am CST by Dana Gauruder

APRIL 5, 7:38am: There’s no guarantee Dowtin will be promoted from his two-way contract, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who says the team is “loath” to waive a player from its standard 15-man roster.

Grange, cautioning that a decision may not be finalized on Wednesday, believes the most likely outcome would see Toronto sticking with its current group.

APRIL 4, 10:50pm: The Raptors will have to give two-way guard Jeff Dowtin a standard contract if they want to keep playing him for the remainder of the regular season and the play-in tournament, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets.

Dowtin reached the 50-game limit on Tuesday for which a two-way player can be active for NBA games in a season. Lewenberg anticipates Dowtin’s contract will be converted on Wednesday, prior to the first of two road games at Boston. The Raptors need to waive another player to make that happen, with Joe Wieskamp looking like the probable odd man out.

Dowtin played 12 minutes in Toronto’s win over Charlotte. He logged 10 minutes against the Hornets on Sunday and dished out four assists.

Overall, Dowtin has appeared in 24 games, averaging 2.5 points and 1.3 assists in 10.3 minutes per night.

Wieskamp has made six cameo appearances with the Raptors this season. He was signed to a multiyear deal in February but the contract was not guaranteed beyond this season.

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Raptors Notes: Dowtin, Barnes, Trent, Barton

March 29th, 2023 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

Point guard Jeff Dowtin, who is on a two-way contract with the Raptors, has seen regular playing time as Fred VanVleet‘s backup in the team’s last three games, logging 20.4 minutes per night during that stretch. Dowtin’s numbers (4.7 PPG, 3.0 APG, .417/.400/.667 shooting) are relatively modest, but Toronto has played better this season when he sees at least 10 minutes of action, notes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.

“I think he’s played for us well just about every time he’s gone out there,” head coach Nick Nurse said. “We’re always talking about solid play, which is guarding your position as well as you can and executing at both ends of the floor. He’s got us running stuff and is capable of scoring a little bit as well on his own but doesn’t overdo it. He just fits in nicely there on both ends.”

Unfortunately for Toronto, Dowtin only has three games of eligibility left on his two-way deal. If the Raptors want to make him eligible to play in the rest of their regular season games and potential play-in and playoff contests, they’ll have to promote him to their 15-man roster by converting him to a standard contract.

The team doesn’t currently have an open spot on its 15-man squad, but Grange believes that Joe Wieskamp and Thaddeus Young are candidates to be cut in the event of a Dowtin promotion. Toronto is very close to the luxury tax line, but should be able to stay out of tax territory even after converting Dowtin’s contract, since a prorated minimum-salary cap hit this late in the season is minuscule.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

  • With several key players headed for free agency this summer, Eric Koreen of The Athletic observes that the Raptors could use some low-cost contributors off the bench and suggests that Dowtin may be a fit on the roster beyond this season.
  • In a separate article for The Athletic, Koreen says that the ongoing development of Scottie Barnes needs to remain a top priority for the Raptors, since Barnes’ ceiling may go a long way to determining the club’s ceiling in the next few years.
  • Raptors wing Gary Trent Jr. has missed the last four games due to what the team is referring to as right elbow stiffness. Nurse said on Tuesday that Trent, who was originally listed as doubtful for yesterday’s game vs. Miami, is “getting closer,” according to Grange (Twitter link).
  • Another wing, Will Barton, also missed Tuesday’s game due to a sprained left ankle, but Nurse doesn’t believe that injury is serious or will keep him out long, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.
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Raptors Sign Joe Wieskamp To Multiyear Deal

February 11th, 2023 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

5:00 pm: Wieskamp’s deal is worth the minimum salary and doesn’t currently include any guaranteed money for 2023/24, tweets Anil Gogna of No Trade Clause. Wieskamp’s salary for next season would become guaranteed if he remains under contract beyond June 30.

10:15am: The Raptors have signed free agent swingman Joe Wieskamp to a multiyear contract, the team announced today in a press release.

Wieskamp previously signed a pair of 10-day contracts with Toronto in January. Because teams aren’t permitted to sign a player to more than two standard 10-day deals in a single season, the Raptors were unable to bring back the 23-year-old without committing to him for at least the rest of 2022/23.

Now that the trade deadline has passed and Toronto still had an open spot on its 15-man roster, the club has decided to re-sign Wieskamp to fill that opening.

In his first 20 days as a Raptor, Wieskamp appeared in just two games, scoring nine points in 17 minutes and making 3-of-4 three-pointers. The former Iowa standout has spent most of this season in the G League, where he has averaged 16.7 PPG and made 41.2% of his threes in 19 total contests for the Wisconsin Herd and Raptors 905.

Wieskamp was drafted 41st overall in 2021 by the Spurs and spent most of his rookie season on a two-way contract with San Antonio. The 23-year-old re-signed with the Spurs last August on a two-year deal that included a guaranteed $2.175MM salary for 2022/23, but was the victim of a roster crunch in San Antonio and was waived in October just before the regular season tipped off.

The deal with Wieskamp likely means that the Raptors won’t be a player in the buyout market, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). While Toronto could waive a player to open up another roster spot if needed, its team salary is quite close to the luxury tax line, Murphy notes.

The exact terms of Wieskamp’s new contract aren’t yet known, but it seems unlikely to include much – if any – guaranteed money beyond the current season. Assuming it’s a minimum-salary deal, he’ll earn $545,989 for the rest of 2022/23.

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Raptors Notes: Anunoby, Wieskamp, VanVleet, Barnes

January 28th, 2023 at 7:36am CST by Luke Adams

Raptors forward OG Anunoby exited Friday’s loss to Golden State early after sustaining a left wrist injury, according to Kayla Grey of TSN, who tweets that X-rays on Anunoby’s wrist were negative. While that’s good news, the 25-year-old is expected to undergo further testing and imaging on Saturday to determine the extent of the injury.

Teams around the NBA will be keeping a close eye on Anunoby’s diagnosis, since he’s considered a popular trade target. Prior to Friday’s game, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski stated during an appearance on NBA Today (video link) that there’s “great interest” in Anunoby across the league and confirmed that there’s a belief Toronto would be able to get up to three first-round picks in exchange for him.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

  • Following the expiration of his second 10-day contract on Thursday night, Joe Wieskamp is no longer with the Raptors, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN tweets. That’s no surprise, since Toronto would have had to sign Wieskamp for the rest of the season in order to retain him. The team likely values the roster flexibility of having its 15th roster spot open as the trade deadline approaches.
  • Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype names five teams that would be good fits for point guard Fred VanVleet if the Raptors are willing to move him, exploring what packages from the Suns, Mavericks, Heat, Clippers, and Lakers might look like.
  • For what it’s worth, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports said in Friday’s episode of his Please Don’t Aggregate This podcast that he hasn’t heard anything about VanVleet requesting a trade or “pounding the table” to get out of Toronto (hat tip to HoopsHype).
  • Reigning Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes has been likened to Warriors star Draymond Green due to his versatility, play-making, and defensive ability. Green certainly doesn’t mind the comparison, telling Eric Koreen of The Athletic on Friday that he loves Barnes’ game and his upside. “He could be a lot better than me,” Green said. “I saw a tweet the other day that said, ‘Scottie Barnes’ floor is Draymond Green. And that’s a damn good floor.’ And I believe that. He’s such a special talent.”
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Raptors Sign Joe Wieskamp To Second 10-Day Deal

January 17th, 2023 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

Following the expiration of Joe Wieskamp‘s first 10-day contract with the Raptors on Monday night, the team has wasted no time signing the swingman to a second 10-day deal, announcing the move today in a press release.

Wieskamp didn’t appear in an NBA game during his first 10 days as a Raptor, though he did play in one contest for Toronto’s G League affiliate, the Raptors 905. He scored 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting in that game, with seven rebounds and four 3-pointers.

Wieskamp was drafted 41st overall in 2021 by the Spurs and spent most of his rookie season on a two-way contract with San Antonio. The 23-year-old re-signed with the Spurs in August on a two-year deal that included a guaranteed $2.175MM salary for 2022/23, but was the victim of a roster crunch in San Antonio and was waived in October just before the regular season tipped off.

As our 10-day contract tracker shows, Wieskamp is the first player this season to a receive a second 10-day deal from a team. Because players aren’t permitted to sign more than two standard 10-day contracts with the same club in a given season, Toronto will have to let Wieskamp go or sign him to a rest-of-season contract when his new deal expires.

Wieskamp will be available for the Raptors’ next five games and will earn $94,136 on his 10-day pact.

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Raptors Sign Joe Wieskamp To 10-Day Contract

January 7th, 2023 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 7: The Raptors have officially signed Wieskamp to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will run through January 16, covering Toronto’s next five games.

JANUARY 6: The Raptors are signing free agent swingman Joe Wieskamp to a 10-day contract, agents Kyle McAlarney and Mark Bartelstein tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Wieskamp, 23, was drafted 41st overall in 2021 by the Spurs and spent most of his rookie season on a two-way contract with the team. The 6’6″ wing was converted to a rest-of-season standard contract in March, then re-signed with San Antonio in August on a two-year deal that included a guaranteed $2.175MM salary for 2022/23. However, he was the victim of a roster crunch and was waived by the Spurs in October just before the regular season tipped off.

A former Iowa standout, Wieskamp appeared in 29 games for the Spurs in his first pro season, playing a very limited role for the NBA club. He averaged 2.1 PPG and 0.5 RPG in 7.1 MPG.

Wieskamp has seen more of the court at the G League level in the last two seasons. After playing for the Austin Spurs in 2021/22, he was the second overall pick in this season’s NBAGL draft and has spent this season with the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s affiliate. In 11 Showcase Cup games for the Herd (28.5 MPG), he averaged 17.0 PPG and 5.9 RPG on .504/.406/.842 shooting.

The Raptors won’t need to make a roster move to clear space for Wieskamp, since they have an opening on their 15-man squad after waiving Justin Champagnie last week.

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Lakers Rumors: Trades, Beal, Davis, Westbrook, LeBron, FAs

November 11th, 2022 at 7:57am CST by Luke Adams

With the Lakers off to a 2-9 start this season and no signs that a turnaround is imminent, VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and the team’s front office face a difficult decision, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.

As Haynes outlines, the Lakers must decide whether to continue pushing their chips into the middle of the table by making more win-now trades this season or whether they’d be better off waiting until the 2023 offseason to pursue major moves.

Waiting until next summer would mean Russell Westbrook‘s $47MM+ expiring contract would no longer be on the team’s books. It would also put the Lakers in position to trade an additional draft pick, since they could move their 2023 first-rounder (once the Pelicans exercise their swap rights) after the pick has been made.

However, LeBron James has a finite number of high-level seasons left and doesn’t want to waste a year waiting for reinforcements, sources tell Haynes. Other core players on the roster would also prefer the team to make win-now moves, Haynes adds.

As has been reported repeatedly throughout the offseason and into the season, the Lakers don’t want to move their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in a deal that doesn’t significantly improve their chances of contending for a title. According to Haynes, there’s not a universal belief within the club’s front office that acquiring Myles Turner and Buddy Hield from the Pacers would move the needle to that degree.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

  • The Lakers are “known to covet” Bradley Beal, according to Haynes. However, the Wizards guard just signed a five-year contract with the team that includes a full no-trade clause, so he’d have to ask out of Washington for L.A. – or any other team – to have a shot at him.
  • As Jovan Buha reported earlier this week, the Lakers aren’t considering trading Anthony Davis, Haynes confirms. However, Haynes hears from sources that the team has received more calls about Russell Westbrook as of late — those talks haven’t advanced beyond the initial stages though.
  • LeBron James, who was diagnosed with a left adductor strain, has been ruled out for Friday’s game vs. Sacramento, and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter video link via The Rally) hears that James is expected to miss Sunday’s game vs. Brooklyn too. After Sunday, the team is off until next Friday.
  • In the same video clip, Charania also reports that free agent wings Joe Wieskamp and Tony Snell recently worked out for the Lakers, whose .293 3PT% ranks last in the NBA.
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And-Ones: Media Rights, G League, Bledsoe, Beasley, Franklin

November 2nd, 2022 at 8:05am CST by Luke Adams

When the NBA negotiates its next television deal, expect the league to sell a separate package of streaming-only games, writes Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports. As McCarthy outlines, the NFL and MLB have sold packages of games to Amazon and Apple in recent years, and the NBA is expected to follow suit, with Amazon in particular having made it clear it wants to get into business with the league.

“Amazon is locked and loaded for a shot at the NBA,” a source told Front Office Sports.

According to McCarthy, sports media consultant Patrick Crakes estimated that the bidding for a streaming-only NBA package could start in the neighborhood of $1 billion per year. The league’s current TV deal with ESPN/ABC and Turner Sports pays the league about $2.6 billion annually — the next rights deal is expected to double or triple that figure, McCarthy writes.

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

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2022/23 NBA G League Draft Results

October 22nd, 2022 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA G League held its draft for the 2022/23 season on Saturday afternoon.

The 28 G League teams affiliated with NBA franchises participated in the event, as did – for the first time – the Mexico City Capitanes. The G League Ignite, which is made up of top prospects and veteran mentors, doesn’t take part in the draft.

[RELATED: NBA G League Announces Schedule, Format For 2022/23 Season]

The first player selected in today’s G League draft was 2020 second-round pick Sam Merrill, a swingman who was in camp with the Kings this fall but missed out on earning a regular season roster spot.

Merrill’s contract with Sacramento included a partial guarantee of $150K, making him ineligible to suit up for the Kings’ G League affiliate in Stockton this season. The Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers‘ affiliate, snared him with the No. 1 overall pick.

The No. 2 pick was another player who was under contract with an NBA team up until last week. Joe Wieskamp was the odd man out in San Antonio, having been waived by the Spurs (despite having a guaranteed 2022/23 salary) to help the team get down to 15 players for the start of the season. The Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks‘ affiliate, grabbed him with the second overall selection today.

Among the other notable picks was No. 4 overall Jared Rhoden, who was selected by the Hawks‘ affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks. Atlanta claimed Rhoden off waivers near the end of the preseason in the hopes of securing his affiliate rights, but it appears he didn’t meet the criteria — the Skyhawks instead secured his G League rights in today’s draft.

The player with the most NBA experience selected in today’s draft was Norris Cole. The veteran guard, with 360 NBA regular season appearances under his belt, went 48th overall to the Grand Rapids Gold, the Nuggets‘ affiliate. Cole, who turned 34 this month, will be looking to take the same path Isaiah Thomas and Lance Stephenson did last season, making an NBA comeback after impressing in Grand Rapids.

Finally, it’s also worth noting that today’s No. 10 overall pick, Amauri Hardy, is the older brother of Mavericks rookie Jaden Hardy. Dallas’ affiliate, the Texas Legends, picked him.

Here are the full 2022/23 G League draft results:

Round One:

  1. Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): Sam Merrill
  2. Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): Joe Wieskamp
  3. Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Aaron Wheeler
  4. College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Jared Rhoden
  5. Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Jericole Hellems
  6. Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Kadeem Jack
  7. College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Terrell Brown Jr.
  8. Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Michael Weathers
  9. Texas Legends (Mavericks): Taze Moore
  10. Texas Legends (Mavericks): Amauri Hardy
  11. Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Ty Gordon
  12. Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Mamoudou Diarra
  13. Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): Abu Kigab
  14. Ontario Clippers (Clippers): Warith Alatishe
  15. Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Mayan Kiir
  16. Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Theo John
  17. South Bay Lakers (Lakers): Nate Roberts
  18. Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Keith Williams
  19. Long Island Nets (Nets): Taz Sherman
  20. Raptors 905 (Raptors): Devon Daniels
  21. Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Jai Smith (Overtime Elite)
  22. College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Adrian Delph
  23. Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): Tyrn Flowers
  24. Windy City Bulls (Bulls): Nick King
  25. Ontario Clippers (Clippers): David Collins
  26. Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): Derek Culver
  27. Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Ryan Turell (Yeshiva — Division III)
  28. Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Tom Digbeu
  29. Maine Celtics (Celtics): Kendall Smith

Round Two:

  1. Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): Rashad Vaughn
  2. Mexico City Capitanes (N/A): Jassel Perez (Dominican Republic)
  3. Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Tyson Jolly
  4. Raptors 905 (Raptors): Hasahn French
  5. Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): No pick
  6. Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Landon Kirkwood
  7. Austin Spurs (Spurs): Justin Kier
  8. Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): No pick
  9. Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Jayce Johnson
  10. Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
  11. Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): Remy Martin
  12. Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Noah Starkey (Southern Nazarene – Division II)
  13. Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Philip Flory
  14. Maine Celtics (Celtics): Zak Irvin
  15. Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Jahvon Blair
  16. Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Brandon McCoy
  17. South Bay Lakers (Lakers): John Meeks
  18. Stockton Kings (Kings): Seth Allen
  19. Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Norris Cole
  20. Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): No pick
  21. Stockton Kings (Kings): Austin Trice
  22. College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): No pick
  23. Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): No pick
  24. Stockton Kings (Kings): Isaac Johnson
  25. Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Elijah Lufile
  26. Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
  27. Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets): Eron Gordon
  28. Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Jack Nolan (Washington University in St. Louis – Division III)
  29. Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Armon Fletcher

Round Three:

  1. Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): J.J. Moore
  2. College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): No pick
  3. Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): No pick
  4. Lakeland Magic (Magic): Jachai Taylor
  5. Lakeland Magic (Magic): No pick
  6. Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Trey McGowens
  7. Austin Spurs (Spurs): No pick
  8. Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Kevin Kangu
  9. Windy City Bulls (Bulls): Wayne Stewart Jr. (Texas A&M-Commerce – Division II)
  10. Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): No pick
  11. Maine Celtics (Celtics): No pick
  12. Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): No pick
  13. Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): No pick
  14. Maine Celtics (Celtics): No pick
  15. Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Dazon Ingram
  16. Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): No pick
  17. Mexico City Capitanes (N/A): No pick
  18. Windy City Bulls (Bulls): No pick
  19. Long Island Nets (Nets): Alan Griffin
  20. Austin Spurs (Spurs): No pick
  21. Austin Spurs (Spurs): No pick
  22. College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): No pick
  23. Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): No pick
  24. Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): No pick
  25. Ontario Clippers (Clippers): No pick
  26. Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
  27. Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): No pick
  28. Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Nick Hornsby
  29. Raptors 905 (Raptors): No pick

Teams will fill out their rosters with affiliate players, returning-rights players, tryout players, and players who are assigned to the G League from the NBA roster (including those on two-way contracts).

G League training camps open on Monday, with this year’s NBAGL Showcase Cup tournament tipping off on November 4.

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Cole, Wieskamp Headline G League Draft Pool

October 22nd, 2022 at 8:33am CST by Dana Gauruder

Norris Cole and Joe Wieskamp are among 128 players who are eligible for the annual NBA G League draft, which will take place on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Cole, 34, played for Miami, New Orleans and Oklahoma City during his NBA career, which spanned 2011-17. He’s played for a variety of European teams since, most recently JL Bourg in France. He also played for Team USA this summer.

Wieskamp was waived by the Spurs on Monday. Wieskamp, 23, was drafted 41st overall in 2021 by the Spurs and spent most of his rookie season on a two-way contract with the team. He was converted to a rest-of-season standard contract in March, then re-signed with San Antonio in August on a two-year deal that includes a guaranteed $2.175MM salary for 2022/23.

Jared Rhoden, who was waived by both the Trail Blazers and Hawks this preseason, is another prominent name on the list.

Here is the full list of players eligible to be drafted, as provided by a G League press release:

Name (Position, School)

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