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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/9/20

January 9th, 2020 at 9:16pm CST by Luke Adams

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

The Pacers assigned Victor Oladipo to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants for practice as part of his injury rehab, per the team (Twitter link). Oladipo is targeting a January 29 return to action.
The Magic assigned swingman Melvin Frazier to the G League, according to the team (Twitter link). Frazier has bounced back and forth between the NBA and NBAGL this season, with 11 appearances for Orlando and three for Lakeland.
After re-signing him to a 10-day contract today, the Cavaliers sent Tyler Cook to the Canton Charge, the team noted in a press release. We have more on Cook’s new deal right here.
The Clippers assigned rookies Mfiondu Kabengele and Terance Mann to the G League, the club announced today. The Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario are in action on Thursday night and both Kabengele and Mann are in the starting lineup for L.A.’s affiliate.
According to the G League’s assignment log, the Sixers sent Zhaire Smith to the Delaware Blue Coats today, while the Jazz assigned Miye Oni to the Salt Lake City Stars.

Free Agent Stock Watch 2020: Northwest Division

January 3rd, 2020 at 9:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we take a look at players from the Northwest Division:

Malik Beasley, Nuggets, 23, PG (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $7.8MM deal in 2016
Beasley reportedly declined a three-year extension offer worth at least $30MM prior to the season. Oops. Beasley’s playing time has significantly dropped this season and so has his production. He’s averaging 6.9 PPG and just 1.0 APG in 16.0 MPG. Beasley has been a bigger factor on offense recently, reaching double figures in four of the last six appearances, but he never left the bench against Indiana on Thursday. The prime trade candidate probably needs a change of scenery to restore his value. Denver can make him a restricted free agent but that’s an increasingly unlikely scenario.

Noah Vonleh, Timberwolves, 24, PF (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $2MM deal in 2019
Vonleh entices NBA teams with his physique and potential but no one has been able to tap into it. At age 24, the 2014 lottery pick has already played for five teams. The way things are going in Minnesota, he’ll probably be looking for a sixth team to take a chance on him. He’ll get you some rebounds but defenses don’t have to respect him on the offensive end. He hasn’t developed a three-point shot, which is a no-no for a young ‘four man’ these days. Injuries led to increased playing time for Vonleh the past two weeks before he sat out Thursday’ game with a back injury. It’s unlikely he’ll remain in the rotation when the T-Wolves get healthier.

Nerlens Noel, Thunder, 25, PF (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $2MM deal in 2019
Seems like Noel has been around for quite awhile but he’s still just 25. He’ll never live up to his draft status (No. 6 pick of 2013) but in shorter bursts, Noel can be quite effective. Noel has been a force off the bench at both ends of the floor, averaging 7.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.4 BPG and 1.1 SPG in 18.7 MPG. He’s even making his free throws this season (79.7%). Noel knows his strengths and finds ways to contribute. He can have a long career in the league as a backup big.

Hassan Whiteside, Trail Blazers, 30, C (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $98.4MM deal in 2016
Going strictly by the numbers, Whiteside is having a bounce-back season after a couple of uneasy years with Miami. During 14 games in December, Whiteside posted a stat line of 16.2 PPG on 63.2% shooting, 15.1 RPG, 1.8 APG and 3.4 BPG in 31.6 MPG. The flip side is that the Blazers have nosedived in the standings with Whiteside as their starting center. As a traditional post man who doesn’t shoot threes, Whiteside will have to take a significant pay cut next season. But his rebounding and shot-blocking prowess can’t be totally ignored.

Jordan Clarkson, Jazz, 27, SG (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $50MM deal in 2016
The NBA went five-plus months without a trade until Utah, seeking more bench scoring, acquired Clarkson from Cleveland for Dante Exum and two second-round picks. Utah is thrilled with the early returns. In his first four games in a Jazz uniform, Clarkson has averaged 15.0 PPG in 23.8 MPG. That lifted Utah to victories over Portland, the Los Angeles Clippers and Detroit. Represented by super agent Rich Paul, Clarkson should draw plenty of interest as teams look to fortify their benches in a weak market.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jazz Assign Nigel Williams-Goss and Miye Oni

January 1st, 2020 at 7:52pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The NBA G League website notes that the Jazz have assigned rookie guards Nigel Williams-Goss and Miye Oni to the Salt Lake City Stars, their G League affiliate. Williams-Goss has appeared in eight games for the major league club, Oni has logged time in three.

Jazz Notes: Clarkson, Ingles, Morgan, Zanik

December 31st, 2019 at 7:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jordan Clarkson has quickly transformed the Jazz bench after being acquired in a trade with the Cavaliers last week, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. Clarkson was brought in to add more scoring punch, but he has also surprised with his defense while adding a burst of energy to the second unit.

“He’s been everything we thought he was going to be these past three games,” teammate Donovan Mitchell said, “and he’s learning all this on the fly and still playing well, and that’s tough to do.”

Clarkson is averaging 16.0 PPG in three games since joining the Jazz, including a 20-point outburst in last night’s win over the Pistons. Before the trade, Utah ranked next to last in the league in bench scoring at 26.9 points per night.

“I’m trying to learn every day,” he said. “When we come in for practice I’m very attentive and everyone is talking to me. I’m just trying to pick everything up as quick as possible.”

There’s more from Utah:

Joe Ingles turned his season around this month by adjusting to the new way defenses are playing him, relays Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Other teams have been copying the Rockets‘ playoff approach of shading to his left and forcing him to go right on screens. It took Ingles a while to adjust, but now he’s become proficient on 3-pointers while moving to his right. He has shot 55% from beyond the arc this month.
Rookie forward Juwan Morgan may be headed for a larger role, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. Morgan was waived in training camp, but played well enough in the G League that the Jazz signed him last month. Utah likes Morgan’s defensive versatility, but there are questions about whether he can shoot well enough to become a regular part of the rotation.
General manager Justin Zanik may not be done shaking up the roster after adding Clarkson last week and waiving Jeff Green to sign Rayjon Tucker, Jones suggests in a separate story. He notes that the Jazz could still use more depth on their reserve unit, including an upgrade at backup center, which is currently being handled by Tony Bradley and Ed Davis.

Snyder Wanted Clarkson In Summer

December 30th, 2019 at 9:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz coach Quin Snyder had inquired about and expressed interest in obtaining Jordan Clarkson during the offseason, Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune relays. Snyder was intrigued by Clarkson’s shot-making and playmaking despite the guard’s penchant for freelancing out of the system, Walden adds. Clarkson was acquired from Cleveland a week ago in the first NBA trade since mid-July.

Utah’s Brass Discusses Jordan Clarkson Trade

December 28th, 2019 at 12:45pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Jazz made the first trade of the NBA season, sending Dante Exum and a pair of second-rounders to the Cavs for Jordan Clarkson. VP of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey said the Jazz needed to make the move to add depth to the team, as Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune relays.

“We could feel that the starters were being stretched. … As the team started to form, we started to see some of the challenges that we had scoring with the second unit,” Lindsey said. “It certainly became a priority.”

The executive added that he thought depth may be an issue when the team lost several veterans, including Derrick Favors and Jae Crowder, this offseason. Utah’s bench was a major strength last season, but the franchise went into this year with an improved starting unit at the expense of depth.

Exum’s injury history and Mike Conley’s current hamstring woes also played a role in the deal.

“That timing dictated where we’re at. The one piece of the evaluation that we feel like is incomplete is, obviously, getting Mike integrated in, with now two hamstring injuries,” Lindsey said. “You know, we feel like there was a little bit of a gap in knowing who we really are and our arc for improvement. But we still felt like the bench scoring was so challenged that we needed to address it. … When Mike got hurt, we had to kind of speed up the evaluation and become a little bit urgent.”

While Conley’s injuries created a short-term need for an additional playmaker, GM Justin Zanik emphasized that the team was going to need to be deeper regardless.

“It still doesn’t change the fact that the bench needed to up the production, and we needed to see if there were other avenues to address that,” Zanik said.

Tucker Gets Partial Guarantee For Next Season

December 27th, 2019 at 5:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Guard Jordan Clarkson scored nine points in 20 minutes in his Jazz debut and Donovan Mitchell was impressed by how quickly his new teammate picked up the system, as he told Aaron Falk of the team’s website. Clarkson was acquired from Cleveland for Dante Exum and two second-round picks. “He was aggressive. I loved it,” Mitchell said. “He learned on the fly, really fast. For him to understand some of the reads and plays we were running … that’s impressive. Our system, it took me a whole year and a half to learn it. I’m really happy with the way he played. He’s going to be a big piece for us.”

Another Jazz addition this week, Rayjon Tucker, will receive a $340K guarantee on his $1.5MM contract for next season, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Tucker has a guaranteed prorated minimum contract for this season, Marks adds. The Jazz waived veteran forward Jeff Green to create a roster spot for Tucker, a G League standout after going undrafted out of Arkansas-Little Rock.

Jazz Notes: Green, Niang, Brantley, Morgan

December 25th, 2019 at 8:49am CST by Luke Adams

There haven’t been a ton of roster moves made around the NBA since the regular season began, but the Jazz completed a surprising one this week, officially waiving forward Jeff Green on Tuesday, less than six months after signing him as a free agent. According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, the team loved Green’s professionalism, but wanted to open up minutes for Georges Niang, whose shooting is a threat off the bench.

While Niang might be the main beneficiary of Green’s departure, sources tell Jones that Utah is also very happy with two-way player Jarrell Brantley and views him as a rotation player at some point. Additionally, John Hollinger of The Athletic suggested on Monday that the Jazz may want to create more minutes for G League standout Juwan Morgan, who signed a standard contract with the club last month.

Jazz Waive Jeff Green, Sign Rayjon Tucker

December 25th, 2019 at 8:09am CST by Dana Gauruder

DECEMBER 25: The Jazz have officially signed Tucker, according to NBA.com’s transactions log, which suggests that the move was finalized on Tuesday. In addition to having a guaranteed contract for 2019/20, Tucker will have a partially guaranteed salary for next season, per Tony Jones of The Athletic.

DECEMBER 24: The Jazz have officially waived Green, the team announced today in a press release.

DECEMBER 23: The Jazz have decided to waive forward Jeff Green, Tony Jones and Shams Charania of The Athletic report.

Utah needed to open up a roster spot because the team is signing small forward Rayjon Tucker to a multi-year contract, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Tucker, who went undrafted out of Arkansas-Little Rock, made a strong impression at the G League Showcase, having been identified by John Hollinger as the NBAGL player most deserving of a call-up. He had been playing for the Bucks’ affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. His contract will be guaranteed for the remainder of this season, according to Wojnarowski.

In 16 G League games this season, Tucker was averaging 23.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 2.8 APG in 33.8 MPG. The Jazz only have the prorated minimum exception available to sign Tucker, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

Green was averaging 7.8 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 28 games with Utah. He scored seven points in 18 minutes against Miami on Monday. He was making the veteran’s minimum at $2.56MM.

Green, 33, was playing for eighth NBA team. He started 44 games for Washington last season. His scoring average with the Jazz was the lowest of his career.

It’s unusual for a team to cut a rotation player, particularly right after a game. But the Jazz obviously valued the 6’5” Tucker and had competition for his services.

The Jazz were busy throughout the night. They also agreed to acquire guard Jordan Clarkson from the Cavaliers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cavaliers Trade Jordan Clarkson To Jazz

December 24th, 2019 at 10:14am CST by Dana Gauruder

DECEMBER 24: The trade has been officially completed, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. Clarkson and Exum should be ready to suit up for their new teams when they resume play on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

DECEMBER 23: The Cavaliers have agreed to trade shooting guard Jordan Clarkson to the Jazz for point guard Dante Exum and two second-round picks, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

The second-rounders are picks that were owed to Utah, San Antonio’s in 2022 and Golden State’s in 2023, Brian Windhorst of ESPN tweets.

Assuming the deal becomes official, it will be the first NBA trade since mid-July. The Thunder and Rockets finalized their Chris Paul/Russell Westbrook swap on July 16.

Clarkson is essentially a rental for the disappointing Jazz, who are looking to boost their bench scoring. Clarkson has an expiring $13.4MM contract. The Cavaliers will create a $3.83MM trade exception, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Cleveland also drops $5.1MM under the luxury tax line, Marks adds (Twitter link).

Exum, a former lottery pick whose career has been sidetracked by injuries, still has two years and $19.2MM left on his contract.

The Cavaliers are planning to deal veterans on the roster in order to obtain more draft picks and young assets, according to Wojnarowski. That could mean players such as Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson could also be on the move before February’s trade deadline.

Clarkson is off to a strong start, averaging 14.6 PPG. He erupted for a season-high 33 points against Memphis on Friday.

This is the third time in three years the teams have been involved in swap, Wojnarowski notes. The Jazz acquired Kyle Korver for Alec Burks and two-second round picks in November of 2018. They also were involved in a three-way deal with the Kings at the February 2018 trade deadline that included Cleveland trading Jae Crowder for Utah’s Rodney Hood.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.