Jazz Rumors

Jazz Rumors: Trade Market, Davis, Carroll, Conley

The Jazz probably won’t do anything too drastic at this week’s trade deadline, but they’d like to “upgrade around the margins” if possible, league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic. Having already dealt Dante Exum and a pair of second-round picks for Jordan Clarkson, Utah no longer has as many expendable assets that could be included in a trade, but would “jump” at any opportunity to improve its roster, says Jones.

One player who could be on the block is Ed Davis. As Jones points out, things haven’t worked out for Davis in Utah so far — he’s averaged a career-worst 1.3 PPG and 3.8 RPG in 25 games (10.7 MPG). The veteran center would like to play more and the Jazz are open to moving him, according to Jones. However, if they can’t find a trade they like, the two sides figure to move forward together, since a buyout isn’t a realistic option due to the big man’s guaranteed $5MM+ salary for 2020/21.

Here’s more from Jones on the Jazz:

  • Utah’s front office has at least “superficially” discussed the idea of targeting veteran forward DeMarre Carroll, who is on the trade block in San Antonio. Jones notes that there’s uncertainty about how much Carroll has left in the tank, given his down year with the Spurs.
  • Sources tell The Athletic that the Jazz don’t want to move any “core” players. That group includes Mike Conley, who is unlikely to be discussed at all in trade talks this week, according to Jones.
  • If the Jazz don’t end up doing anything by the trade deadline, they’d like to be active on the buyout market, Jones writes.

Jazz Shuffle Lineup, Start Conley Over O'Neale

  • The Jazz shuffled their lineup against Portland on Saturday, choosing to start Mike Conley at point guard and bring Royce O’Neale off the bench, ESPN’s Tim McMahon writes. Utah thrived off a Mitchell-O’Neale-Ingles-Bogdanovic-Gobert starting lineup without Conley, who missed several games due to a hamstring strain. “I know how frustrated he’s been because he’s wanted to play,” coach Quin Snyder said. “You hear about someone’s character, and until you go through things with them and you see how they react to that adversity … that’s what he’s demonstrated in my mind.”

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/31/20

Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the league:

  • The Nets assigned forward Dzanan Musa and guard Theo Pinson to their Long Island affiliate, according to the G League transactions log. Pinson, a second-year guard, has appeared in 27 games with Brooklyn this season, averaging 4.4 PPG in 12.3 MPG. Musa, a second-year swingman, is averaging 4.2 PPG in 11.9 MPG through 33 appearances with the NBA club.
  • The Jazz assigned point guard Nigel Williams-Goss to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the G League log. Williams-Goss has made nine abbreviated appearances with the NBA team this season.
  • The Wizards assigned rookie swingman Admiral Schofield to the Capital City Go-Go, according to the G League log. Schofield has played 26 games with the Wizards this season, averaging 3.2 PPG in 11.2 MPG.

Conley Close To Being Re-Inserted Into Lineup

  • The Jazz are close to returning point guard Mike Conley to the starting lineup, according to Charania. Conley has come off the bench in six games since he recovered from an aggravated hamstring strain. Utah wants Conley to reestablish chemistry with the other starters, most notably backcourt partner Donovan Mitchell and center Rudy Gobert, Charania adds.

Donovan Mitchell Wants To Play For Team USA In Olympics

Team USA fell short of a medal at last year’s World Cup, but a handful of players who represented USA Basketball in China at that event have expressed interest in doing so again at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The latest to convey that interest is Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, as Aaron Falk of UtahJazz.com writes.

“I loved playing for (Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich). I loved representing my country,” Mitchell said on Wednesday when the Jazz played in San Antonio. “… Hopefully this summer we can go at it again.”

After a disappointing seventh-place finish in the World Cup, Mitchell would like another shot at a gold medal. He also believes that the international experience played a role in expanding his game. Although he was one of Team USA’s top scorers and is averaging a career-high 25.0 PPG for the Jazz, Mitchell said his time in China helped him improve on the defensive end of the floor.

“He’s gotten more consistent with his focus,” Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said of Mitchell’s defense. “… Sometimes when you ask someone to carry the load he has assumed offensively, it’s easy to rest on the other end. That’s why two-way players are so unique.”

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/28/20

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

  • The Wizards have recalled Admiral Schofield from the Capital City Go-Go, per the team’s Twitter feed. Schofield was a second-round pick in the 2019 draft.
  • The Celtics are bringing Romeo Langford back from the G League. They’ve recalled him, per Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports (Twitter link).
  • The Spurs have recalled Keldon Johnson from the Austin Spurs, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News tweets. Johnson was the No. 29 overall pick in the 2019 draft.
  • The Clippers have assigned Derrick Walton Jr. and Terance Mann to the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, per the team. Los Angeles hasn’t practiced in several days but is expected to hold practice tomorrow.
  • The Jazz have assigned Nigel Williams-Goss, Juwan Morgan, and Miye Oni to the G League, according to the league’s transaction log. All three are were just with the Salt Lake City Stars over the weekend.

NBA Players Who Can’t Be Aggregated In Trades

The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement includes a rule that states players who are acquired using an exception (ie. not using cap space) can’t be aggregated in a second trade for two months after the original deal.

Aggregating a player in a trade refers to the act of combining his contract with another player’s contract for salary-matching purposes. For instance, an over-the-cap team can’t trade a player with a $5MM salary straight up for a player with a $13MM salary. But if the team aggregates that player with a second player who also earns $5MM, the deal would work.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Traded Player Exception]

The rule against including a player in an aggregated trade for two months after he’s acquired doesn’t preclude the player’s team from adding him to a multi-player deal. His salary simply can’t be combined upon with another player’s for matching purposes in such a trade.

For instance, even if a player earning a minimum salary can’t be aggregated in a trade, his team could still include him in a swap involving a pair of $10MM players, since his minimum-salary cap hit wouldn’t be needed for salary matching.

With those rules in mind, here’s the list of players who have been acquired using a cap exception within the last two months and can’t be aggregated in a deadline trade this season:

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/25/20

Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the league:

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/24/20

Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the league:

  • The Sixers recalled Zhaire Smith from the Delaware Blue Coats, Derek Bodner of The Athletic tweets. Smith has appeared in six NBA games this season, averaging 6.7 PPG in 18.5 MPG. He provides depth at the shooting guard spot with Josh Richardson sidelined by a hamstring strain.
  • The Rockets assigned guard Chris Clemons to their Rio Grande Valley affiliate, Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston tweets. The undrafted rookie has appeared in 25 games with Houston but only three this month.
  • The Jazz assigned forward Juwan Morgan to the Salt Lake City Stars, according the G League transactions log. The rookie forward has appeared in 10 games with the NBA club this season.
  • The Nets assigned guard Theo Pinson to their Long Island affiliate, according to the G League transactions log. He has appeared in 26 games with Brooklyn this season, averaging 4.5 PPG in 12.5 MPG.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/23/20

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

  • The Warriors have assigned Jacob Evans to the Santa Cruz Warriors, the team announced on Twitter. Evans has appeared in 22 NBA contests this season.
  • The Jazz have recalled Juwan Morgan from the Salt Lake City Stars, per the G League’s assignment log. Morgan signed with Utah in late November and is not eligible to be traded before the deadline, as I mentioned in the franchise’s Trade Deadline Primer for SLAM Magazine Newswire.
  • Keldon Johnson has been recalled by the Spurs. Johnson was selected with the No. 29 overall pick in this year’s draft.
  • The Heat have sent Chris Silva to the G League, the team announced on its website. He’s expected to be back with the NBA club before Miami’s contest against Orlando on January 27.