Dunn appeared in just four games last season with Atlanta after undergoing ankle surgery. Dunn was traded multiple times during the offseason, finally landing in Memphis. The Grizzlies waived him at the end of training camp and he’s been seeking another opportunity since that point.

Several other former NBA players have also gone the G League route:

• Terrance Ferguson has also signed a G League contract, according to Stein (Twitter link). Ferguson, who played for the Thunder and Sixers over the last four seasons, played three games in Greece this season, then returned to the U.S. to explore another NBA opportunity.
• Guard Jodie Meeks has joined the Raptors 905, Toronto’s affiliate. Meeks hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since logging 51 seconds of action for the Raptors in Game 3 of the 2019 NBA Finals, but has over 500 regular season appearances under his belt.
• Marcus Thornton has been acquired by the Motor City Cruise, the Pistons’ affiliate. Thornton has played 483 NBA games, making previous stops with New Orleans, Sacramento, Brooklyn, Boston, Phoenix, Houston and Washington during his career. He last played with the Pistons’ G League affiliate during the 2018/19 season.
• Jason Thompson‘s G League rights have been acquired by the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ affiliate, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. Thompson, 35, last played in the NBA during the 2015/16 season, splitting time between Golden State and Toronto.

As our health and safety protocols tracker shows, over 100 NBA players are currently out due to the virus. Eleven games have been postponed this season, including – most recently – Thursday’s Warriors-Nuggets game.

The NBA has called up G League officials to make up for various absences. Some games have been played with two referees instead of three, but Wojnarowski reports that the league is working to limit these instances.

Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world:

• The NBA and NBPA have agreed to change the absence timeline for a player who enters protocols, Wojnarowski and Baxter Holmes write in a separate story for ESPN. The adjustment only impacts asymptomatic and vaccinated players. As the duo writes, players were allowed to return after seven days if their CT levels were above 35, but the change now allows players to return after five days if their CT levels are above 30.
• Eight-year NBA veteran Marcus Thornton has signed a contract in the G League, sources told Hoops Rumors. Thornton has played 483 NBA games, making past stops with New Orleans, Sacramento, Brooklyn, Boston, Phoenix, Houston and Washington during his career. He last played with the Pistons’ G League affiliate during the 2018/19 season.
• Free agent center Kosta Koufos will no longer sign with Italian club Reyer Venezia due to new guidelines and travel restrictions in the country, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link). Koufos, an 11-year NBA veteran, owns 686 games of experience since being drafted No. 23 overall in 2008.

“There have been so many injuries, so many players in health and safety protocols, and there are so many teams that are holding out hope they can make a run to that next goal, whether it be making the play-in, making the playoffs, or competing for a championship,” the executive said. “I don’t expect there to be any trade action anytime soon.”

Here are a few more COVID-related notes:

• Within his look at the recent impact of the health and safety protocols, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report notes that the exodus of G League talent to the NBA has opened the door for more former NBA players to sign NBAGL contracts in the hopes of getting back into the league. Thon Maker, Marcus Thornton, and Jordan Crawford are among the players who have recently been offered G League deals, says Fischer.
• Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link) offers some additional details on why the Raptors‘ Wednesday game and the Nets‘ Thursday contest were postponed. As Grange explains, while the minimum number of players required for a team to play a game is eight, the NBA’s new rules say that at least five of those players must be from the club’s initial 17-man roster. It sounds as if Toronto and Brooklyn both may have dipped below five available players, not counting hardship signees.
• Vaccinated players signed via hardship exceptions can play for their new teams immediately after testing negative for COVID-19, but must continue to return negative tests during each of their first five days with the club in order to enter facilities and remain active, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks (Twitter links).

Bereft of a first round selection in the 2018 NBA Draft as a result of the club’s mid-season trade for Blake Griffin, the Pistons are surely hoping to get a jump start on the competition for the services of some lesser known free agents this summer.

Keith Langlois of Pistons.com provides a look at the minicamp roster, with the most well-known name having to be former No. 2 overall pick, Derrick Williams, who holds career averages of 8.9 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 428 career contests.

Other invitees with NBA experience include Williams’ former teammate with the Cavs during the 2016/17 season, Jordan McRae, as well as five-year veteran John Jenkins, the No. 40 overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft – Diamond Stone, and a 10-day contract recipient from this past season – Marcus Thornton.

A total of 13 players from the initial roster have had at least some NBA experience, including the always intriguing likes of K.J. McDaniels and Archie Goodwin.

Other players, like Marcus Thornton and Naz Mitrou-Long who signed 10-day contracts in 2017/18 will look to prove that they deserve another crack at a rotation spot.

While it will be tough for a significant number of these players to make final rosters next season, there are plenty of opportunities between training camp and the regular season, especially now with the introduction of two-way contracts last season.

Jonathon Simmons, the G League is quick to mention, once participated in this event, prior to latching on with the Spurs and spinning that into a role with the Magic last summer.

There’s more from around the league this afternoon:

• While it’s become commonplace for highly regarded draft prospects to skip out on the combine, a number of reputable players from last year’s class were in attendance, including Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo. Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype broke down some of the best players from this year’s rookie crop that are actually expected to participate in the pre-draft event later this month.
• The dust has settled after LaVar Ball‘s decision to move his non-Lonzo sons to Lithuania. According to Donatas Urbonas of 15min.It, LiAngelo Ball may have been slightly underrated prior to arriving in Europe while LaMelo Ball isn’t prepared to perform at the pro level yet. Urbonas connected with USA Today’s Andrew Joseph to discuss the Ball family’s Lithuanian adventure.
• The NBA offseason is a lot closer than you might think. In fact, players like Cory Joseph and Wesley Johnson have already made key decisions on contract options for the 2018/19 campaign. For a rundown of what we expect from each team’s pending free agents, check out your respective team’s recap in our Free Agent Stock Watch series. Similarly, Hoops Rumors writers have ranked who we think the top available 2018 NBA free agents are.

Thornton had been playing for the Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s G League affiliate, averaging 18.9 PPG in just 24.6 MPG in 15 contests, with a shooting line of .500/.392/.833. The eight-year NBA veteran was likely hoping that his solid G League stint would result in a call-up to an NBA club. Still, he’ll have the opportunity to return stateside before season’s end, since the CBA year ends before the NBA’s. The CBA regular season ends next week, with the playoffs beginning shortly thereafter.

Thornton, 30, has played in 483 NBA regular season games since the start of the 2009/10 season, spending time with seven NBA teams over the course of his professional career. Most recently, the LSU alum averaged 6.6 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 33 contests for the Wizards in 2016/17. Although he worked out for the Timberwolves in the offseason, he was unable to land an NBA contract.

This Marcus Thornton should not be confused with the Marcus Thornton who was selected 45th overall in the 2015 draft by the Celtics — that former William & Mary guard, who has not appeared in an NBA regular season game, is currently playing for the Canton Charge, Cleveland’s G League affiliate.

This Marcus Thornton should not be confused with the Marcus Thornton who was selected 45th overall in the 2015 draft by the Celtics — that former William & Mary guard, who has not appeared in an NBA regular season game, is currently playing for the Canton Charge, Cleveland’s G League affiliate.

This Thornton, 30, has played in 483 NBA regular season games since the start of the 2009/10 season, spending time with seven NBA teams over the course of his professional career. Most recently, the LSU alum averaged 6.6 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 33 contests for the Wizards in 2016/17. Although he worked out for the Timberwolves in the offseason, he was unable to land an NBA contract.

Thornton is the second former NBA player acquired by the Drive this week — the team also added swingman K.J. McDaniels. It’s not clear what sort of roles the two veterans will have for the Pistons’ G League affiliate, but both players will look to use the opportunity as a springboard back into the NBA.

Of the three, Robinson is the highest profile but the 33-year-old hasn’t seen consistent NBA action since 2014/15 when he played 33 games in half a season with the Nuggets. The scrappy guard with a career average of 11.0 points per game could potentially add depth to the Timberwolves second unit.

A more intriguing option for the Timberwolves, however, may be adding Thornton.  Not only is the two-guard three years young, he’s played more substantial roles for other teams lately than Robinson has. The journeyman has suited up for seven teams in the past four seasons, granted, but has the ability to put points on the board when given the opportunity. In 2011/12. Thornton averaged 18.7 points per game for the Kings.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

• The Jazz are still reeling from the loss of Gordon Hayward this summer but have an intriguing long-term prospect in lottery pick Donovan Mitchell, Shaun Powell of NBA.com writes.
• With his original five-year Jordan Brand deal set to expire after this season, Thunder guard Russell Westbrook signed a 10-year extension with the Nike offshoot. Now, Nick DePaula of ESPN writes, the company will start developing an on-court Westbrook shoe.
• The massive 10-year Jordan Brand extension could impact Russell Westbrook’s decision to sign an extension with the Thunder, Brett Dawson of the Oklahoman writes. While a player like Westbrook, who relies heavily on athleticism, may normally be inclined to lock in a long-term deal at age 28, Westbrook won’t exactly be hard up for cash if he decides to pursue other options.

11:27am: After working out several free agents last week, the Timberwolves are once again taking a closer look at some available players today, says Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (via Twitter). According to Wolfson, veteran shooting guard Marcus Thornton is among the players working out today for Minnesota.

The Timberwolves have been on the lookout for much of the offseason for three veteran players who could fill out the team’s roster. Minnesota is said to be in the market for a pair of wings and a backup point guard, and auditioned a handful of players last week that fit that bill, including Anthony Morrow, Alan Anderson, Trey Burke, and Isaiah Canaan.

One of Minnesota’s top choices would be to simply re-sign Shabazz Muhammad, who remains on the free agent market. The Wolves renounced Muhammad’s rights in July, so they can’t offer him more than a minimum salary deal, but it’s possible that will be enough — Wolfson reports that there’s “slightly growing optimism” on the possibility of bringing back the free agent swingman.

The Wolves currently have 11 players on fully guaranteed contracts, and are open to increasing that number to 14 by the start of training camp. That would leave one opening on the 15-man regular season roster, which could be filled by a non-guaranteed player who has an impressive camp, or could be left open to start the season.

On June 20, the Detroit city council is scheduled to vote on the issuance of $34.5MM in proposed taxpayer-funded DDA bonds. Shortly after Tuesday’s city council session took place though, a federal judge granted a June 19 lawsuit that seeks to halt that June 20 vote, per Louis Aguilar of The Detroit News. As Aguilar explains, that lawsuit seeks to allow Detroit and Wayne County residents to vote on whether taxpayer money should be put toward the new arena and team facilities.

As the Pistons wait for resolution to the legal battle over their potential new arena, here are a few more items related to the team:

• Duke sharpshooter Luke Kennard has been linked to the Pistons frequently in mock drafts, and the team will get a first-hand look at him on Saturday, according to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Ellis reports that Kennard, Harry Giles, and John Collins – all viewed as first-round prospects – will be visiting Detroit in the coming days.
• The Pistons also brought in a handful of interesting prospects on Tuesday, including Bam Adebayo, Ivan Rabb, Justin Jackson, Andrew White, James Blackmon Jr., and Isaiah Briscoe (Twitter link via Rod Beard of The Detroit News). According to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link), Rabb is battling an injury and didn’t participate in Detroit’s workout.
• In addition to checking out potential draft targets this week, the Pistons also had a number of free agents in for a mini-camp. Beard (via Twitter) has the full list of participants, which includes former NBAers such as Marcus Thornton, Henry Sims, John Jenkins, Pierre Jackson, Manny Harris, Ben Bentil, and Eric Moreland.

“We’re very familiar with Andrew [Nicholson]…he’s a system fit for us,” Marks said. “He’s a stellar young man and another guy with high character and that’s exactly we’re trying to do.”

The Nets acquired Nicholson along with a first-round pick and Marcus Thornton (who was subsequently waived) in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic and Chris McCullough. Bogdanovic performed well for the 9-47 Nets, but was a restricted free agent-to-be, and was dealt for an invaluable draft pick. Marks spoke about his team’s position in the upcoming draft.

“Now having two first round picks, it all helps,” Marks said. “It helps give us another vehicle where were can be systematic with the draft and see what happens. We obviously value the draft or we wouldn’t have done it. It’s about being strategic and having two picks now gives us an opportunity to move up with those picks, you can hold them where you are if your players are there at the time.”

More from Brooklyn…

• One of the reasons Marks held onto Lopez at the deadline was to see how well he played with Jeremy Lin, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Lin has been limited to just 13 games this season due to injury, and hasn’t had an opportunity to be properly assessed by coach Kenny Atkinson. “To have a healthy Jeremy and a healthy Brook out there together with this team, it’ll be nice to evaluate that,” Marks said. “It’s something we started the season off with, and unfortunately, we only got a handful of games under our belt seeing that. We all know what those two bring to the table: They lift everybody else’s play.”
• Nick Kosmider of the Denver Post profiled Spencer Dinwiddie, a former collegiate star at University of Colorado Boulder. Dinwiddie suffered a torn ACL during his junior year at CU, falling to the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft. Still just 23 years old, Dinwiddie has averaged more than 20 MPG for the first time in his career with Brooklyn. “He’s steadily getting better,” Atkinson said of Dinwiddie. “He played pretty well before the all-star break, started shooting it better and getting to the rim. We like his defense. He’s been a pleasant surprise, quite honestly.“
• Nicholson and K.J. McDaniels– each acquired at the deadline- are ready to step in right now for the rebuilding Nets. “I feel like it’s a great opportunity for me,” McDaniels told Greg Logan of Newsday. “I’ll be able to show Brooklyn what I do, and play both ends of the court and just try to bring energy.” McDaniels’ acquisition was commended by writers across the league. Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post gave the trade an “A” grade, describing the transaction as low-risk, high-reward. “If he doesn’t do anything, the Nets can simply decline his option for next season. If he does something, then it’s found money. For a team with no talent or assets to speak of, it’s a good move to make — and saves them money to boot, as they were below the salary floor.”
• Dan Favale of Bleacher Report echoed Bontemps’ sentiments, praising Marks for taking a flier on McDaniels. “Getting K.J. McDaniels for absolutely nothing is a great encore to parlaying Bojan Bogdanovic and Chris McCullough into Andrew Nicholson and a first-round pick,” Favale wrote. “Although McDaniels is beyond raw, he has the length and lateral gait to be a lockdown defender across all wing positions.”

Wednesday, 8:04 PM: The Nets will waive Marcus Thornton, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical reports (Twitter link). Thornton came to Brooklyn in the Bojan Bogdanovic deal earlier today.

Thornton is on a one-year, $1.3MM deal, which is fully guaranteed. He was seeing regular minutes for the Wizards before rookie Sheldon McClellan took his role off the bench and the 29-year-old shooting guard didn’t play in Washington’s last 21 games.

In the 33 appearances this season, Thornton averaged 6.6 points and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 35% from the field. He’s also sported a 10.5 player efficiency rating.

3:01 PM: The Nets and Wizards have agreed to a deal that will send Bojan Bogdanovic to Washington, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). Wojnarowski had previously identified the Wizards and Kings as teams with interest in the Brooklyn sharpshooter.

In exchange for Bogdanovic and Chris McCullough, who will also head to Washington in the deal, the Nets will receive Andrew Nicholson, Marcus Thornton, and the Wizards’ 2017 first-round pick, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter links). The pick will be lottery protected, per ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link).

Bogdanovic, who will turn 28 in April, was the 31st overall pick in the 2011 draft and eventually arrived stateside to join the Nets in 2014. The 6’8″ forward is is enjoying a career year this season, with 14.2 PPG and a .357 3PT% in 55 games so far.

Although Bogdanovic is on an expiring deal, he’ll be eligible for restricted – rather than unrestricted – free agency this summer. His matching rights will now be held by the Wizards, rather than by Brooklyn, and that has some value. The Nets know first-hand that it can be difficult to steal an RFA away from another team — the club had offer sheets for Allen Crabbe, Tyler Johnson, and Donatas Motiejunas matched in 2016.

Depending on whether the Wizards want to commit to Bogdanovic beyond the 2016/17 season, they may have to worry about re-signing two key RFAs in the summer, as Otto Porter is also on track for restricted free agency.

From the Nets’ perspective, the club gets another first-round pick in what’s expected to be a deep and talented draft. That probably makes the deal a win for GM Sean Marks, even though the Wizards’ pick currently projects to fall just 24th overall, as our reverse standings show. The Nets, of course, don’t have their own first-rounder, but they’ll also get Boston’s pick, setting them up for two selections in the 20s.

As for the financial details of the trade, the Nets had been well below the salary floor, but they’ll inch about $2.3MM closer to that mark by taking on Nicholson and Thornton, who combine to earn more than $7MM. Meanwhile, the Wizards will cut costs a little by taking on Bogdanovic ($3.57MM) and McCullough ($1.19MM). Washington should also be able to create a traded player exception in the deal worth about $2.5MM.

While Bogdanovic and Thornton are free agents at season’s end, Nicholson and McCullough are controllable through the 2018/19 season. McCullough will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of ’19, while Nicholson has a player option for the ’19/20 season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Here’s more from around the Southeast division:

• With Kyle Korver no longer in the mix, the Hawks are auditioning in-house options for their fourth wing spot, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Newcomer Mike Dunleavy has a chance to earn those minutes, but he’ll have to fight off rookies Taurean Prince and DeAndre’ Bembry.
• After an 11-30 first half, the Heat aren’t going to be pushing for a playoff spot in the second half, but that doesn’t mean the team doesn’t still have plenty of goals to aim for down the stretch. Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel identifies 10 areas for the club to focus on, including considering life without Goran Dragic, freeing up roster space, and pushing the development of young players like Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson.
• The Hornets are going through a rough stretch right now and there may not be a quick fix available, but the team’s front office generally does well in trades, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, who argues that there’s “certainly incentive to shake something up on this roster.”

Here’s more from Washington:

• If the Wizards decide to open up a roster spot, Marcus Thornton is the player most likely to be waived, Michael writes in a separate piece. McClellan’s success has pushed Thornton to the bench, leaving the 29-year-old without any minutes over the team’s last two games.
• Daniel Ochefu‘s roster spot appears to be safe, Michael contends in the same piece. The Wizards are still waiting for Ian Mahinmi to recover from a pair of knee injuries, which leaves the team in need of frontcourt players.
• Rival executives don’t view John Wall as a franchise player in the same way they view other team’s top players, such as Russell Westbrook and James Harden, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical relays (Twitter video link). Marks also examines the 2011 draft where the Wizards took Jan Vesely with the No. 6 overall pick and wonders what the team would look like had it selected Klay Thompson or Kawhi Leonard.