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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/17/19

December 17th, 2019 at 8:26pm CST by ChrisCrouse

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

The Pacers have assigned Victor Oladipo to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants as the former All-Star continues his rehabs, the team announced on Twitter. Indiana also recalled Edmond Sumner, Alize Johnson, and JaKarr Sampson.
The Knicks have assigned Ignas Brazdeikis to the Westchester Knicks, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Brazdeikis was available for the G League contest tonight.
The Wizards assigned Justin Robinson to the Capital City Go-Go, per the team’s Twitter feed. The guard has appeared in six games for Washington this season.
The Rockets have assigned Isaiah Hartenstein to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston tweets. The center has appeared in nine games for Houston this year.
The Clippers have assigned Mfiondu Kabengele and guard Terance Mann to the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, per the team.
Jalen McDaniels is making another trip to the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets announced on their website. The second-round pick has appeared in 13 games in the G League this season.

Rui Hachimura To Miss At Least Five Games

December 17th, 2019 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Wizards rookie forward Rui Hachimura will be out of action for at least the next five games, the team announced today in a press release. Hachimura sustained a groin contusion in the second quarter of Monday’s win in Detroit.

Hachimura, the ninth overall pick in this year’s draft, was off to a solid start in his rookie season, averaging 13.9 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 25 games (29.2 MPG). His injury will further deplete a Wizards frontcourt that’s already missing Thomas Bryant and Moritz Wagner.

In Hachimura’s absence, Washington figure to lean heavily on big men Davis Bertans and Ian Mahinmi, with Admiral Schofield likely playing regular minutes too. The club also signed center Anzejs Pasecniks to a two-way contract today, providing another option up front.

The Wizards will embark on a four-game road trip following Wednesday’s home game vs. Chicago, so Hachimura will be evaluated after that trip ends on December 26. His earliest possible return date would be on December 28 against the Knicks.

Wizards Sign Anzejs Pasecniks, Cut Chris Chiozza

December 17th, 2019 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have signed former first-round pick Anzejs Pasecniks to a two-way contract, waiving two-way player Chris Chiozza to make room for Pasecniks, the team announced today in a press release.

Pasecniks, who will turn 24 this Friday, was drafted 25th overall by the Sixers in 2017 but never suited up for Philadelphia, having spent the next two seasons overseas. After the 76ers renounced his rights earlier this year, the 7’1″ center joined the Wizards’ Summer League team, then reported to Washington’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, this fall.

In 12 NBAGL games, Pasecniks has averaged 10.5 PPG and 5.0 RPG with a .604 FG%.

As Fred Katz of The Athletic explains (via Twitter), the Wizards “really like” Chiozza, but felt they had to add another center to the mix with Thomas Bryant and Moritz Wagner both injured. Ian Mahinmi is currently the club’s only healthy player at the five.

Chiozza, who appeared in 10 games for Washington this season, will become a free agent if he clears waivers on Thursday. The point guard is expected to return to the Go-Go if he goes unclaimed, tweets Katz.

Wizards Receive Disabled Player Exception For C.J. Miles

December 17th, 2019 at 12:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have become the second team today to receive a disabled player exception as a result of a season-ending injury. According to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link), the NBA has granted Washington with a DPE to replace C.J. Miles, who recently underwent surgery to repair ligament damage in his wrist.

The league also granted a disabled player exception to the Trail Blazers in response to Rodney Hood‘s season-ending Achilles tear.

The Wizards’ DPE is worth $4,365,079, half of Miles’ 2019/20 salary ($8,730,158). The team can use it to sign or trade for a player, or claim someone off waivers. That player’s contract can’t extend beyond the end of this season, and his salary must fit within $100K of the DPE’s amount.

The Wizards previously applied for a disabled player exception this season in response to John Wall‘s Achilles injury. However, that request was denied by the NBA, since Wall underwent surgery last February and presumably wasn’t considered likely to be out through June 15, 2020.

Washington now has a DPE as a result of Miles’ injury, but the club probably won’t use it on the free agent market — the rebuilding Wizards already have $128MM in salary on their books for this season and don’t need free agent help. Still, it could come in handy in a smaller trade. Last season, the Wizards used a DPE to acquire Wesley Johnson from New Orleans, allowing the team to generate a trade exception that was eventually used to land Davis Bertans.

Wizards’ GM: We “Intend To Keep” Davis Bertans

December 16th, 2019 at 12:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Wizards power forward Davis Bertans checks all the boxes as a potential trade candidate. He’s on an affordable expiring contract, plays for a lottery-bound team, and is enjoying a career year, 15.4 PPG on .466/.456/.889 shooting through 24 games.

However, as we reported last week, the Wizards don’t intend to actively shop Bertans, since they’ll retain his Bird rights after this season and are in position to re-sign him. General manager Tommy Sheppard confirmed this week in an appearance on the team’s “Off the Bench” podcast that trading Bertans isn’t currently in the team’s plans.

“We have every intention of retaining him. He’s the exact type of player we want to have in our organization. I think he wants to be here. Business will take care of itself,” Sheppard said, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “There’s so much chit-chat in this league that gets out there. Most of it is contrived by the teams that would love to have Davis. Well, guess what? One of the teams that would have to have him, has him. We intend to keep him. We’re excited about his growth.”

The Wizards are currently 7-17 and seem unlikely to turn things around this season, so Bertans won’t help much in the short term. Still, there are a number of reasons why Washington would want to keep him beyond this season. He just turned 27 years old last month, and with John Wall expected to return from his Achilles tear in 2020/21, the Wizards are hopeful that their rebuilding process can move quickly. The club figures to be seeking win-now pieces like Bertans as early as next summer.

Still, just because the Wizards are talking about keeping Bertans now doesn’t mean they can’t reconsider their stance over the next couple months. As Fred Katz of The Athletic observes, team owner Ted Leonsis spoke last season about not trading Otto Porter, but Washington went ahead and did just that at the deadline.

Additionally, with so much money already invested in their backcourt, the Wizards may have second thoughts about how significantly they want to invest in Bertans’ next contract. One former front office person estimated last week that the sharpshooter would command $15-20MM on the open market. Even the least optimistic projection for Bertans would probably still mean a deal in the neighborhood of $10MM per year, per Katz.

For those reasons, contending teams figure to at least call the Wizards about Bertans this winter. For now though, Sheppard’s group is insisting the Latvian big man isn’t going anywhere.

Southeast Notes: Mahinmi, Aminu, Heat, Adams

December 15th, 2019 at 6:52pm CST by JD Shaw

Wizards big man Ian Mahinmi has played an important role in recent games, serving as the team’s last remaining traditional center as Thomas Bryant and other players nurse various injuries, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post writes.

Mahinmi, who missed all of training camp and the first 19 games of the season due to an Achilles’ injury, has made a noticeable impact on both ends of the floor this month — much to the delight of his teammates.

“He’s been great the first couple of games. Just his presence, his activeness, his long arms, his altering shots at the rim,” Bradley Beal said, as relayed by Buckner. “He’s catching on the roll; he’s finishing. So he’s doing a lot of things that we kind of missed a lot. We didn’t have that rim protector in a way. He’s blocking shots. He’s altering shots at the rim. He’s rebounding.”

Mahinmi, a veteran 6’11” center who spent time with the defensive-minded Pacers during several postseason runs from 2012-16, is capable of providing solid production off the bench when healthy.

“He’s definitely a factor,” coach Scott Brooks said of Mahinmi. “When he’s healthy, he protects the rim, and we’re a better defensive team when he’s out there. Hopefully we can keep his minutes up at a good number and keep playing well. He’s going to definitely help us.”

Mahinmi’s presence will be needed going forward with Bryant rehabbing from a stress reaction in his foot and Moritz Wagner dealing with a sore ankle. The Wizards have recorded just a 7-17 record through 24 contests, with upcoming games scheduled against the Pistons on Monday, Bulls on Wednesday, and Raptors on Friday.

There’s more from the Southeast Division tonight:

The Magic plan to treat Al-Farouq Aminu‘s torn meniscus without surgery, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). Aminu averaged 4.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in 18 contests before suffering the injury, with the 29-year-old in his first season on the team.
The Heat could wind up having a large presence at All-Star Weekend in February, Ira Winderman details for the Sun Sentinel. Winderman contends that both Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo could make the All-Star team this season, with Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn (rookie challenge), Duncan Robinson (three-point contest), Derrick Jones Jr. (dunk contest) and Adebayo (skills competition) also being contenders for the festivities.
The Heat could consider making a run at Thunder center Steven Adams via trade if the right dominoes fall, though this path seems unlikely for the time being, Winderman writes in his latest mailbag. Adams has two seasons left on his contract (due $25.8MM in 2019-20 and $27.5MM in 2020-21), with his contract running out just in time for the Heat’s anticipated mega free-agent chase in the summer of 2021.

Eastern Notes: Bertans, Free Agency, Parker

December 12th, 2019 at 11:10pm CST by ChrisCrouse

As we reported earlier this week, it may be difficult for the rival teams to pry Davis Bertans from Washington, as the Wizards are strongly considering keeping the big man through the season and re-signing him this summer.

GM Tommy Sheppard believed that Bertans was “one of the top 3-point shooters in the league last season” when he dealt for the big man this past offseason, Jackson Filyo of NBA.com relays. The team thought that Bertans was someone who would add depth to the frontcourt with his “shooting ability, basketball IQ and work ethic.”

It’s turned out to be one of better under-the-radar moves as Bertans has been pacing the NBA in threes. Over his past six games, the Latvian Laser has 36 triples, which tops the league over that stretch. Washington doesn’t play again until Saturday. Perhaps time away is the only thing that can cool Bertans off.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

One executive tells David Aldridge of The Athletic that the Wizards‘ game plan has increased Bertans’ stock as a trade chip and a 2020 free agent. “The way Washington is using him will certainly increase his value,” a longtime NBA front office executive, currently unaffiliated, said via text. “The [3-pointer] in today’s game is a huge commodity now. I think he is a mix between [Kyle Korver and [Ryan Anderson].”
One former front office executive (in that same piece) tells Aldridge that Bertans could make a substantial raise on his current $7MM salary in free agency this summer. “He will get between $15M and $20M (per year) this summer.” the former executive said. “Most likely for a two-year deal. Don’t see him getting a four-year deal.” It’s worth noting that one current GM thought that valuation was high, given how few teams will have cap space this summer.
Hawks forward Jabari Parker has no hard feelings toward the Bulls despite his tenure in Chicago not working out as planned. “I just had to move on, but that never changed about how I feel about my city because I have more street cred than that organization period,” Parker said this week, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel wonders if Bam Adebayo is the second star the Heat have been looking for. The center is having his most efficient season as a professional and is a top contender for the Most Improved Player award.

Wizards Assign Schofield And Robinson

December 11th, 2019 at 10:15pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Wizards tweet that they have assigned rookie small forward Admiral Schofield and rookie guard Justin Robinson to the Capital City Go-Go. Schofield has played in 10 games for the Wizards, while Robinson has appeared in five contests.

Wizards Apply For Extra Roster Spot Via Hardship Provision

December 11th, 2019 at 3:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards are requesting permission to add a 16th player to their roster via the hardship provision, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic. According to Katz (Twitter link), the team is readying its application now and would have 48 hours to make a move if the request is granted.

The NBA can grant a team a hardship exception when that team has at least four players who have missed three or more games due to injury or illness and are expected to miss at least two more weeks. A hardship exception allows the club to add an extra player to its 15-man roster, increasing its roster limit to 16.

In Washington’s case, John Wall and C.J. Miles are expected to be out for the season and Thomas Bryant and Jordan McRae are also on the shelf with multi-week injuries. Isaiah Thomas has also missed the Wizards’ last four games due to a calf injury, though he appears slightly closer to a return than the team’s other injured players.

The extra roster spot would be a temporary measure, allowing the Wizards to add a 16th man on a non-guaranteed contract. The exception would expire and Washington would have to make a roster move to get back down to 15 players once its injured players start to return. It’s not yet clear which player the team will sign if and when its request is granted by the NBA.

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Washington Wizards

Wizards Interested In Keeping Davis Bertans Long-Term

December 10th, 2019 at 8:23pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wizards will certainly receive numerous calls on Davis Bertans before the trade deadline, but rival teams will have a tough time prying Bertans from Washington, a source tells Hoops Rumors. Many within the team’s front office are huge fans of Bertans and with the franchise looking to improve sooner than later, the Wizards could opt to keep the 27-year-old power forward with the intention of re-signing him this offseason and having him available for a more competitive 2020/21 campaign.

Bertans is making $7MM in the final season of his contract, though he’s likely to see a sizable raise on that figure this offseason given his improved play and the lack of major talent on the market. The big man’s projected market will likely play a role in what direction the team goes at the deadline, though it’s worth noting that the Wizards own Bertans’ Bird rights, so they could go above the salary cap to keep him on the roster.

Washington has a few sizeable contracts coming off its books this offseason (Ian Mahinmi at $15.4MM; C.J. Miles at $8.7MM) but still has roughly $96MM in guaranteed money allocated to just eight players for the 2020/21 campaign. Next summer’s salary cap is expected to come in around $116MM, though that is simply a projection and may not include potential ramifications from the Chinese market.

What could the Wizards net if they traded the Latvian Laser? ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported last month that a first-rounder in return isn’t out of the question. Bertans’ recent run (no player has made more 3-pointers over the last 10 games), as well as his ability to fit seamlessly on nearly any roster, makes it difficult to envision a mere protected first-round pick getting him out of Washington.

Which team would make sense for Bertans if the club dealt him away? Philadelphia could certainly use outside shooting and as I mentioned on NBAMath.com, GM Elton Brand was just one of several Sixers executives in Washington for the team’s recent tilt with the Wizards.

Bertans came to the Wizards via the Spurs’ three-way trade for DeMarre Carroll. San Antonio selected the big man with the No. 42 overall pick back in the 2011 draft, though he didn’t come stateside until the 2016/17 season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images