- After he served a one-game suspension and hadn’t played since last Monday, Thunder guard Dennis Schroder was thrown into the fire against the Jazz over the weekend, Horne writes in a separate story.
- One noticeable change in the Jazz’s recent play has been an uptick in assists, Ryan McDonald of the Deseret News writes.
Jazz forward Derrick Favors has seen his name surface in several trade rumors over the years, but the 27-year-old remains the longest-tenured player on the active roster. The latest rumor of Utah expressing interest in Bulls forward Jabari Parker once again brought forward the idea of trading Favors, who is taking everything with a grain of salt.
“I was telling one of the coaches, I could go back years and years ago and I can name each guy I was supposed to get traded for,” Favors said before the Jazz-Rockets game on Monday, according to Eric Woodyard of The Deseret News. “Every year, I can just name them so I have fun with it, I enjoy it.
“Definitely use it as motivation. But I have fun with it most of the time because most of the time I look forward to it, like ‘Who am I going to get traded for this year? Who they want me to get traded for? Where the rumors at?’ so I enjoy it.”
Favors’ awkward fit alongside Rudy Gobert could once again force the team to explore trading him, with the Georgia Tech product averaging 11.1 points and seven rebounds per game this season. He’s started in 26 of 31 games so far and signed a two-year, $40MM deal to stay with the club this past free agency.
There’s more from the Western Conference tonight:
- Warriors coach Steve Kerr has stressed patience on DeMarcus Cousins‘ eventual return, Mark Medina of The Mercury News writes. Cousins suffered a torn Achilles this past January and remains several games away from returning. “We’re not right there. It’s still going to be some time,” Kerr said. “We’re going to be patient and continue to give DeMarcus the space he needs to prepare. When the time is right, we’ll have some things planned for him.”
- Brett Dawson of The Athletic breaks down the Thunder‘s decision to pick up coach Billy Donovan‘s option for next season, detailing why the front office is happy with the direction Donovan is guiding the team. Oklahoma City holds the league’s fourth-best record at 20-10, including a stellar 12-3 home record, and has played with great enthusiasm and effort so far this season.
- Rajon Rondo (hand) and Brandon Ingram (ankle) participated in full practice Thursday as they continue to work toward returning, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com. The two players were assigned to the South Bay Lakers, G League team of the Lakers, this past week to help expedite their recoveries and allow them to practice further.
- The Jazz have assigned rookie guard Grayson Allen and big man Tony Bradley to the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s G League affiliate, per a press release from the team. Allen has averaged 16.8 PPG in four G League contests this season, while Bradley has posted 14.8 PPG in 12 contests with the Stars.
The Jazz are one of the teams that have interest in Bulls forward Jabari Parker, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. A report on Friday indicated that Chicago had engaged in trade discussions involving Parker, who doesn’t project to be part of the Bulls’ future and has drawn interest from multiple clubs.
Parker’s appeal as a trade chip may be somewhat limited, given his subpar defensive play and his $20MM salary. If the Bulls were willing to take on a multiyear contract or two in exchange for Parker’s expiring deal, it could open up additional opportunities, but finding the expiring salaries necessary to match that $20MM figure will be trickier.
Still, as O’Connor observes, the Jazz are one team that could be a match, as Derrick Favors is earning $16.9MM and has a non-guaranteed salary (also worth $16.9MM) for 2019/20. Favors isn’t an ideal frontcourt fit next to Rudy Gobert and may not have a future in Utah, so the Jazz may be in the market for a stretch four like Parker who could better complement Gobert.
Of course, from the Bulls’ perspective, Favors – who can’t be moved until January 15 – wouldn’t be a particularly attractive return on his own, considering the Bulls already have Wendell Carter, Lauri Markkanen, Robin Lopez, and Bobby Portis in their frontcourt. O’Connor notes that it’s hard to see Chicago taking back Favors in a Parker deal unless additional assets are included.
While it remains to be seen if the Jazz are the right fit for a Parker trade, it seems inevitable that Chicago will make a deal at some point before February 7. A source told Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times over the weekend that Parker’s camp is hoping the Bulls will move the former No. 2 overall pick and is working with the team to try to find him a better situation.
- The Jazz assigned center Tony Bradley to the Salt Lake City Stars, the team announced on Twitter. Bradley is averaging 14.8 PPG and 7.6 RPG in 12 G League games.
Here are Thursday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Jazz assigned Grayson Allen, Tony Bradley and Georges Niang to the Salt Lake City Stars, G League affiliate of the franchise, according to the team’s PR department. Allen and Niang have played a combined five games with the Stars this season, while Bradley has appeared in 12 contests. The Stars will host the Northern Arizona Suns on Thursday night.
Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- Veteran Knicks shooting guard Courtney Lee has been recalled from his rehab assignment with the Westchester Knicks and will rejoin the NBA team in Charlotte on Thursday, the team’s PR department tweets. Lee scored 16 points on 7-of-21 shooting in a G League outing on Tuesday. He was sidelined by a neck ailment during training camp.
- Hornets forward Dwayne Bacon and guard Devonte’ Graham were recalled from the Greensboro Swarm after playing in an afternoon game, according to a team press release. In Wednesday’s game against Wisconsin, Bacon totaled 21 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in 30 minutes while Graham notched 20 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in 33 minutes. Both will be available to play against the Pistons tonight.
- The Jazz recalled guard Grayson Allen, center Tony Bradley and forward Georges Niang from the Salt Lake City Stars, the team’s PR department tweets. Allen and Niang combined for 31 points in a loss to Austin on Tuesday.
- The Grizzlies assigned big man Ivan Rabb to the Memphis Hustle for practice, then recalled him, the team’s PR department tweets. Rabb has played nine games with the Grizzlies this season.
As we detailed earlier today in a full story, the Knicks assigned veteran wing Courtney Lee to the G League to get in some minutes and improve his conditioning. Lee struggled a little with his shot for the Westchester Knicks on Tuesday night, scoring 16 points on 7-of-21 shooting (1-of-9 on threes).
Here are the rest of today’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
Assignments:
- The Jazz assigned Grayson Allen and Georges Niang to the Salt Lake City Stars in advance of the team’s game tonight against Austin, the team announced in a press release.
- Rookie point guard Elie Okobo was assigned to the G League today by the Suns, as Gina Mizell of The Athletic relays (via Twitter). Okobo, who has been in and out of Phoenix’s rotation this season, started at the point for Northern Arizona tonight.
- The Bucks assigned D.J. Wilson to the G League in advance of the Wisconsin Herd’s two-game road trip this week, according to the club (Twitter link). A first-rounder in 2017, Wilson still isn’t part of Milwaukee’s rotation, having played just two games for the Bucks this season.
- Sixers rookie Jonah Bolden was recalled from the G League this morning, then re-assigned several hours later, per Derek Bodner of The Athletic (Twitter links). Bolden has averaged a double-double in four G League contests, posting 15.5 PPG and 12.3 RPG in Delaware.
Recalls:
- After helping lead the Memphis Hustle to a Monday victory with 25 points and 10 boards, Ivan Rabb was recalled to the NBA today by the Grizzlies, according to the club (Twitter link).
- The Hawks recalled Daniel Hamilton from Erie, as Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Hamilton posted back-to-back double-doubles for the BayHawks during his latest G League stint.
- 2018 first-round pick Troy Brown was recalled to the NBA by the Wizards, the team announced today (via Twitter). Brown has averaged 18.3 PPG on 47.5% in four NBAGL games this season.
- The Pelicans have recalled Frank Jackson from the G League, per a team press release. New Orleans doesn’t have its own affiliate, so Jackson had been with the Texas Legends, Dallas’ NBAGL squad.
- The Bucks recalled Christian Wood from the Wisconsin Herd today, according to RealGM’s transactions log. Wood has appeared sparingly in just six games for Milwaukee in 2018/19.
Here are Sunday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- Ahead of their game against the Knicks, the Hornets recalled Dwayne Bacon from the Greensboro Swarm, according to a tweet from the team.
- The Spurs announced in a press release that they recalled rookie big man Chimezie Metu from the G League ahead of their matchup with the Jazz.
Here are Thursday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Celtics assigned rookie forward Robert Williams to the Maine Red Claws, announcing the news in a tweet. Williams has appeared in nine games with Boston on the season and was drafted by the team 27th overall in June.
- The Jazz recalled rookie Grayson Allen from the Salt Lake City Stars, G League affiliate of the team. Allen has played 14 games with Utah and is averaging 4.6 points in 10.5 minutes per contest.
- The Hawks assigned guard/forward Daniel Hamilton to their G League affiliate, the Erie Bayhawks, announcing the transaction on social media. Hamilton, 23, has played just two games with Atlanta so far this season.
- The Wizards assigned Troy Brown Jr. and Okaro White to the Capital City Go-Go, according to a tweet from the team’s social media account. Both players were available for Thursday’s game against Delaware.
- The Lakers recalled Isaac Bonga from the South Bay Lakers, the team announced in a press release. Bonga has averaged 14 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 12 games with South Bay.
- The Grizzlies have assigned Jevon Carter and Ivan Rabb to their G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, according to a tweet from the team’s PR department.
- The Pelicans recalled rookie forward Kenrich Williams from the Westchester Knicks, the team announced via press release. Williams has averaged 13.4 points and 11.6 rebounds in his past two games with Westchester.
- The Magic assigned Melvin Frazier Jr. to the Lakeland Magic of the NBA G League, according to a tweet from their PR department. Orlando drafted Frazier Jr. with the No. 35 pick last June.