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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/14/17

November 15th, 2017 at 8:45am CST by Luke Adams

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

  • The Lakers completed a series of G League moves on Tuesday, assigning Josh Hart and Ivica Zubac to the South Bay Lakers while also recalling Thomas Bryant, per a team release. L.A.’s affiliate plays its next game on Wednesday, so Hart and Zubac should get a chance to play major minutes if they remain on assignment through the day.
  • First-round pick Terrance Ferguson was assigned to the G League by the Thunder, the club announced in a press release. Ferguson took advantage of his opportunity to suit up for the Oklahoma City Blue on Tuesday night, scoring a team-high 24 points in a 122-118 win over the Texas Legends.
  • Second-year center Damian Jones was re-assigned to the G League on Tuesday by the Warriors, according to Mark Medina of The Bay Area New Group (Twitter link). Jones has spent most of the season with the Santa Cruz Warriors, but was recalled for brief stint in Golden State this week.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/1/17

November 1st, 2017 at 11:21pm CST by Luke Adams

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.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 10/25/17

October 25th, 2017 at 5:35pm CST by Luke Adams

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

5:35pm:

  • Bryant’s stint with the South Bay Lakers (noted below) was a brief one. He has already been recalled by the Lakers (Twitter link).

5:17pm:

  • As we detailed earlier today, the Spurs have officially assigned Tony Parker to the G League as part of his rehab process. According to the club, Parker practiced with the Austin Spurs today and will do so again on Friday. The veteran point guard is recovering from surgery on his left quadriceps.
  • After sending him to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers earlier this week, the Rockets have recalled Troy Williams, the team announced today (Twitter link). Williams may help provide some small forward depth for Houston with Trevor Ariza expected to miss at least the next three games.
  • The Lakers have assigned rookie big man Thomas Bryant to the G League, according to the team. Bryant, who will join the South Bay Lakers, has yet to make his regular season NBA debut after being drafted 42nd overall this year.
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Lakers Sign Thomas Bryant

July 30th, 2017 at 8:33pm CST by ChrisCrouse

July 30: The Lakers announced that they have officially signed Bryant in a press release on their official website.

July 27: The Lakers have reached an agreement with second-round pick Thomas Bryant, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical.  The pact will be for two seasons and it will be guaranteed for the 2017/18 season. It will contain a team option for the 2018/19 campaign.

Bryant spent two seasons at Indiana, where he scored 12.2 points and grabbed 6.6 rebounds per game. Los Angeles selected the big man with the No. 42 overall pick in the 2017 draft and he shined for the organization’s Summer League team, helping it to win a championship in the Las Vegas league.

The Lakers no longer had the cap room necessary to offer Bryant more than a two-year contract, but the two-year limit may not be a major concern for L.A. The structure of Bryant’s new deal will allow the Lakers to part ways with him after one season if the team needs to create as much cap room as possible in 2018 for a maximum-salary player or two.

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Lakers Re-Sign Tyler Ennis

July 26th, 2017 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 26, 1:14pm: The Lakers have officially re-signed Ennis, the team announced today in a press release. Barring another cost-cutting move, it appears L.A. is now capped out.

JULY 25, 3:39pm: The Lakers have reached an agreement to bring back free agent guard Tyler Ennis, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN (Twitter link). Shelburne reports that Ennis will get a two-year, minimum salary deal with a team option on the second year.

Ennis, who will turn 23 next month, was selected by the Suns with the 18th overall pick in the 2014 draft, but has bounced around the league since then. In addition to spending a little time in Phoenix, Ennis has also had stints with the Bucks, Rockets, and Lakers, appearing in 132 total regular season contests.

While Ennis hasn’t been able to stick with one team for long, the Lakers “really liked” what they saw from him down the stretch in 2016/17 after acquiring him at the deadline, tweets Shelburne. The Canadian point guard averaged 7.7 PPG, 2.4 APG, and 0.9 SPG, with a shooting line of .451/.389/.864 in 22 games as a Laker. All of those averages would have been career highs for a full season.

The Lakers were rumored to be considering Ennis, Derrick Rose, and other guards in recent weeks. The club displayed serious interest in Rose, but the former MVP committed to the Cavaliers on Monday night, prompting L.A. to move quickly to lock up Ennis.

The timing of Ennis’ signing will be interesting to keep an eye on. Currently, the Lakers have $815,615 in cap room remaining, which is exactly enough to sign a rookie, such as Thomas Bryant. The club could still sign Bryant using the minimum salary exception after signing Ennis and going over the cap, but a deal with that exception is limited to two years. If the Lakers wait to officially finalize Ennis’ contract, it’s likely a signal that they hope to use that remaining cap room to sign Bryant or another rookie to a three- or four-year pact.

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Lakers Waive David Nwaba

July 12th, 2017 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have waived shooting guard David Nwaba, the team announced today in a press release. The move appears to be a precursor to L.A. finalizing its contract agreement with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

[RELATED: Lakers to sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope]

Nwaba, 24, made his NBA debut with the Lakers earlier this year after signing a 10-day contract with the team. The 6’4″ shooting guard eventually earned a second 10-day deal and then a rest-of-season contract with an option for ’17/18.

In 20 regular season contests (19.8 MPG), Nwaba averaged 6.0 PPG and 3.2 RPG for the Lakers. The team was also said to be impressed with his play on defense. Nwaba did enough to get the club to pick up his team option last month, but his salary for 2017/18 remained non-guaranteed, making him a candidate to be waived when the Lakers needed to clear a little extra cap flexibility.

With Nwaba’s minimum salary contract off the books, the Lakers have about $17.7MM in cap room. There’s a good chance the team will sign second-round pick Thomas Bryant to a contract using cap space before finalizing its deal with Caldwell-Pope, since that would allow for a longer-term contract for the rookie without reducing the team’s cap room — Bryant’s $816K minimum salary would replace an $816K charge for an empty roster spot.

After that, the Lakers could make Caldwell-Pope’s deal official and would still have the $4.3MM room exception to add another player. The club could also re-sign Nwaba to a new minimum salary deal at some point. However, he’d have to clear waivers first, and there’s no guarantee another team won’t claim him later this week.

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Jazz Acquire Tony Bradley From Lakers

June 22nd, 2017 at 11:10pm CST by Luke Adams

11:10pm: The deal is now official, according to the NBA. The Lakers used their picks on Josh Hart and Thomas Bryant.

9:33pm: The Jazz have agreed to acquire the No. 28 overall pick from the Lakers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). Wojnarowski reports that Utah will use its newly-acquired pick to grab UNC’s Tony Bradley.

In exchange for giving up the No. 28 pick, the Lakers will move back two spots and pick up an extra selection. According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Utah is sending the 30th and 42nd overall picks to L.A. in the swap.

[RELATED: Complete 2017 NBA Draft Results]

The Lakers already used two first-round picks, selecting Lonzo Ball at No. 2 and Kyle Kuzma at No. 27. Now, the team will have two more selections to use, as Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka continue to stockpile assets.

As for the Jazz, it’s the second time they’ve traded up tonight. Utah used Trey Lyles in a deal with Denver to move up from No. 24 to No. 13 and select Donovan Mitchell. Now, they’ve used the 42nd overall pick to move up from No. 30 to No. 28 for Bradley.

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Draft Rumors: Jackson, Kennard, Isaac, Smith Jr.

June 15th, 2017 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

Although foot issues have prevented former Duke guard Frank Jackson from working out for teams in recent weeks, he has been visiting and meeting with several clubs, per Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Deveney reports that the Hawks, Knicks, and Jazz have all brought in Jackson.

Elsewhere in his piece, Deveney provides updates on OG Anunoby and Luke Kennard, writing that the Lakers are holding out hope that Anunoby will fall to them at No. 28, though he’s receiving interest from plenty of teams picking earlier. As for Kennard, one scout who spoke to Deveney wasn’t overly bullish on Kennard’s ability to sneak into the top 10.

“I understand that everyone wants shooters,” the scout said of Kennard. “No one questions that the kid can shoot. But I can’t see him becoming a good defender. You just hope that he develops into a neutral defender, that he does not hurt you. He might go in the lottery in this draft because of the way he can shoot, but in most drafts he is more down in the late teens.”

Here are a few more draft-related rumors and notes from around the league:

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Pacific Notes: Lakers, Mason, Clippers, Reed

June 12th, 2017 at 9:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

A Lakers backcourt of D’Angelo Russell and Lonzo Ball might be potent offensively but a liability defensively, as Eric Pincus examines in a Bleacher Report piece. Russell could run pick-and-rolls, while Ball would excel in transition and ball movement, though neither tends to attack off the dribble, Pincus continues. The biggest concern would be on the defensive end because of quickness issues, which would require the Lakers to have a speedy, defensive-minded guard to rotate with both players, Pincus adds.

In other developments around the Pacific Division:
  • Kansas point guard Frank Mason III will work out for the Kings for a second time on Wednesday, according to the team’s website. Mason is considered a second-round prospect — he’s currently ranked No. 45 on Chad Ford’s Big Board. Sacramento, which has the No. 34 overall pick in the second round, will also bring in Kentucky point guard Isaiah Briscoe, UCLA shooting guard Isaac Hamilton, Florida shooting guard Canyon Barry, Indiana center Thomas Bryant and Miami forward Kamari Murphy.
  • The Clippers will bring in FIBA small forward Howard Sant-Roos for workouts later this week, international journalist David Pick tweets. The Cuban-born Sant-Roos, 26, has been playing for CEZ Nymburk in the Czech league, where he averaged 13.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 3.4 APG in 40 games this season.
  • Kansas State shooting guard Wesley Iwundu and Vanderbilt big man Luke Kornet headed the list of six draft hopeful that the Lakers brought in on Monday, the team’s website reported. Iwundu is ranked No. 53 overall by Draft Express, while Kornet comes in at No. 67. The Lakers do not have a second-round pick.
  • Miami shooting guard Davon Reed headlined a group of six players that the Clippers worked out on Monday, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders tweets. Reed is pegged as the No. 76 prospect by Draft Express. Murphy also participated in the workout.
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Northwest Notes: Miller, Jokic, Jazz, Brooks

June 11th, 2017 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

After 17 years in the NBA, Nuggets forward Mike Miller isn’t ready to think about retirement, writes Mick Garry of the Argus [S.D.] Leader. Mitchell returned to his home state Saturday for an annual appearance at a basketball clinic and reflected on what it’s like to play professionally at age 37. “For me, it’s just a lot of fun – I enjoy playing,” Miller said. “I always will. My family still enjoys me playing, which is most important. So we’re going to keep going as long as we can. Every year is a new challenge and I enjoy those challenges. Until I quit, finding something to replace this will be hard.” Miller signed with Denver last summer, but appeared in just 20 games and averaged 7.6 minutes per night. His $3.5MM salary for next season won’t become guaranteed until July 12th.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

  • Miller believes Nikola Jokic‘s breakout season will give free agents a reason to come to Denver. In an interview posted on the Nuggets‘ website, Miller talked about the bright future the 22-year-old has in the league. “I think the good thing that we have right now is Joker is one of those guys that everyone in the league is starting to take heed to and understand who he is,” Miller said. “He’s one of those superstars, I think he’s going to be a superstar. I think you’ll see even more growth at the beginning of this next year, that everyone just wants to play with. He plays that style of basketball. I’ve compared him a lot to Marc and Pau Gasol, I think he’s a lot like that.”
  • The Jazz have 11 players scheduled for workouts today, including UCLA big man T.J. Leaf, who is projected as a late first-rounder, relays Brandon Judd of The Deseret News. Joining Leaf at the second session will be Kentucky’s Dominique Hawkins, Central Michigan’s Marcus Keene, Louisiana Tech’s Erik McCree and Virginia Tech’s Zach LeDay. The first workout will feature Kentucky’s Isaiah Briscoe, Oregon’s Dylan Ennis, South Carolina’s P.J. Dozier, Kansas State’s Wesley Iwundu, Indiana’s Thomas Bryant and North Carolina’s Tony Bradley.
  • Several players with NBA ties were among the 25 participants in Utah’s free agent mini-camp Friday and Saturday. Tyler Hansbrough, Lamar Patterson, Cleanthony Early and R.J. Hunter are the most recognizable names, and the complete list can be found on the Jazz website.
  • Oregon’s Dillon Brooks, who worked out Saturday for the Trail Blazers, told Casey Holdahl of NBA.com that he can see a role for himself with the organization. “I got to watch Portland a lot, you get to see where you’d fit in,” Brooks said. “Especially with Portland, they’ve got two dominant guards and they need help with role players scoring. They get up and down, get into guys, it’s kind of like Oregon. The coach is kind of like [Oregon] Coach [Dana] Altman, they just let their guys play and go out there and try to compete and try to win games.”
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