Inside Hoops – Page 234 – NBA Blog

Raptors sign D.J. Wilson to second 10-day contract

The Toronto Raptors have signed forward D.J. Wilson to a second 10-day contract via the COVID hardship exception.

Wilson, 6-foot-10, 231 pounds, averaged 12.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 23.5 minutes in two games during his first stint with the Raptors. He recorded 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a career-high five steals Dec. 26 at Cleveland.

A native of Mount Shasta, California, Wilson has played in 14 games with the Oklahoma City Blue (NBA G League) this season. He is averaging 14.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 26.1 minutes. Wilson is shooting .494 (79-160) from the field and has recorded five double-doubles. He scored a season-high 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds Dec. 19 vs. Rio Grande Valley.

Wilson was picked 17th overall by Milwaukee in the 2017 NBA Draft after three collegiate seasons at Michigan (2014-17). He holds career averages of 4.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 12.5 minutes in 144 games with Milwaukee, Houston, and Toronto.

Injury update on Trail Blazers forward Larry Nance Jr.

An MRI completed last night showed no significant damage to the right knee of Trail Blazers forward Larry Nance Jr., the team announced today.

Nance injured the knee in the third quarter of Portland’s game against Miami on Wednesday, January 5. He will be reevaluated in one week.

Through 37 games for the Trail Blazers this season (11 starts), Nance is averaging 6.9 points (51.5% FG, 30.6% 3-PT, 65.3% FT), 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.03 steals.

Utah Jazz sign Danuel House Jr. to 10-day contract

The Utah Jazz have signed forward Danuel House Jr. to a 10-day contract under the NBA’s COVID-related hardship exception.

House Jr. (6-6, 215, Texas A&M) is in his sixth NBA season and has played with Washington (2016-17), Phoenix (2017-18), Houston (2018-22) and New York (2021-22) owning career averages of 8.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 24.9 minutes per game.

The Houston-native has additional NBA G League experience, competing for Delaware (2016-17), Northern Arizona (2017-18) and Rio Grande Valley (2017-19), playing in 60 total games (42 starts), averaging 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals in 32.0 minutes per contest.

Bucks waive DeMarcus Cousins

The Milwaukee Bucks have waived center DeMarcus Cousins.

Signed by the Bucks on Nov. 30, Cousins appeared in 17 games (five starts) with Milwaukee and averaged 8.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 16.9 minutes per game.

Per CBS Sports, “it is possible that Cousins’ replacement is already on the roster. Luke Kornet signed a 10-day contract on Monday. It is unlikely, however, that the Bucks will simply fill their vacant roster spot in the immediate future. Keeping it open gives the front office more flexibility in between now and the Feb. 10 trade deadline.”

At 31 years old, Cousins in recent NBA seasons finds himself trying to prove to NBA teams that he is worth keeping on a roster. He scored 25.2 points per game in 2017-18 with the Pelicans, 16.3 ppg in 2018-19 with the Warriors, then missed serious time with a major injury, and in the past few seasons has bounced around with the Rockets, Clippers and Bucks, averaging below 10 ppg with each team, and now finds himself a free agent once again.

The Bucks roster is now stands at 17 players.

Magic sign Admiral Schofield to two-way contract, waive Mychal Mulder

The Orlando Magic have signed forward Admiral Schofield to a two-way contract, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today.

In addition, the Magic have waived two-way guard Mychal Mulder.

Schofield originally signed a 10-day contract via hardship exception by the NBA on December 17, then to a second 10-day contract on December 27.

Schofield (#25, 6’5”, 240, 3/30/97) has played in nine games (one start) this season with Orlando, averaging 4.8 ppg., 3.1 rpg. and 1.0 apg. in 16.9 minpg. He has also played in 12 games (10 starts) with Lakeland of the NBA G League, averaging 14.4 ppg., 7.2 rpg. and 1.8 apg. in 33.0 minpg.

Schofield signed as a free agent with Orlando on September 21. He played in two preseason games with the Magic, averaging 1.5 ppg. in 5.8 minpg., before being waived on October 16. Schofield played in 14 games (11 starts) during the 2020-21 campaign with Greensboro of the NBA G League, averaging 10.1 ppg., 5.7 rpg. and 2.1 apg. in 26.2 minpg.

Originally selected in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2019 NBA Draft by Philadelphia, Schofield has played in 42 career NBA regular season games (three starts) with Washington and Orlando, averaging 3.4 ppg. and 1.8 rpg. in 12.4 minpg. He has also appeared in 59 career NBA G League regular season games (54 starts) with Capital City, Greensboro and Lakeland, averaging 14.3 ppg., 5.9 rpg. and 2.0 apg. in 30.2 minpg.

Schofield played in 132 career games (94 starts) during four seasons at the University of Tennessee (2015-19), averaging 11.9 ppg., 5.3 rpg. and 1.3 apg. in 24.9 minpg., while shooting .387 (184-476) from three-point range. As a senior (2018-19), he played and started in 37 games, averaging 16.5 ppg., 6.1 rpg. and 2.0 apg. in 31.7 minpg., while shooting .418 (74-177) from three-point range. He was named to the All-SEC First Team by the conference coaches, earned All-SEC Tournament Team honors and was also an honorable mention All-American by Associated Press. As a junior (2017-18), Schofield was named to the All-SEC Second Team by the conference coaches and earned All-SEC Tournament Team honors.

Mulder (6’4”, 185, 6/12/94) was originally signed as a free agent to a two-way contract by Orlando on October 26. He played in 15 games (two starts) this season with the Magic, averaging 3.7 ppg. and 1.4 rpg. in 13.0 minpg.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to have a maximum of two players under two-way contracts in addition to the players under standard NBA contracts. A two-way player is also eligible to provide services to Orlando’s G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic.

Pacers waive Kelan Martin

The Indiana Pacers have waived guard Kelan Martin.

At 14-25, the Pacers are currently 13th in the Eastern conference. Their leading scorers so far this season are Malcolm Brogdon at 19.0 points per game, Domantas Sabonis at 18.7 ppg, and Caris LeVert at 17.8 ppg.

The Pacers roster – including hardship exceptions – currently stands at 20.

Lakers sign Stanley Johnson to 10-day contract

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed forward Stanley Johnson to a 10-day contract, it was announced today by Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka.

Johnson has averaged 6.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steal in 25.2 minutes through five games (three starts) with Los Angeles this season. He has appeared in 376 career games (80 starts) for the Raptors, Pelicans, Pistons and Lakers, averaging 6.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 19.8 minutes.

Wizards sign Greg Monroe to 10-day contract

The Washington Wizards have signed center Greg Monroe to a 10-day contract via the NBA Hardship Exception provisions.

Monroe recently completed a 10-day contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he played in three games, averaging 6.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Monroe’s appearance on December 27 with Minnesota marked the first game played for the now 10-year veteran since the 2018-19 season.

Monroe originally signed with the Go-Go on November 7 and appeared in 12 games (one start), where he has averaged 10.4 points and 8.8 rebounds in his first career NBA G League season. Monroe has notched four double-doubles this season, including a 17-point, 10-rebound performance against the Delaware Blue Coats on December 11.

Monroe will join his hometown Wizards, marking the eighth different team in his now 10-year NBA career. He has played in 635 career games with Detroit, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Boston, Toronto, Philadelphia and Minnesota averaging 13.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Monroe averaged a double-double in 2014-15 and averaged at least 10 points per game in seven of the nine seasons of his career. Monroe made three playoff appearances with Milwaukee, Boston and Philadelphia, advancing as far as the Eastern Conference Finals with the Boston Celtics in 2017-18.

Latest health update on Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard will undergo further evaluation and consultation concerning his lower abdominal tendinopathy, the team announced today.

Lillard will miss Portland’s next three games against Miami (Jan. 5), Cleveland (Jan. 7) and Sacramento (Jan. 9). He will be reevaluated next week.

Further updates will be provided as appropriate.

In 29 games (all starts) this season, Lillard has averaged 24.0 points (40.2% FG, 32.4% 3-PT, 89.3% FT), 4.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists in 36.4 minutes per game. Among NBA leaders, he ranks 11th in scoring, 10th in assists and 16th in free throw percentage.

Latest health update on Pelicans forward Zion Williamson

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that forward Zion Williamson will be continuing his rehabilitation away from the team at this time while remaining under the supervision of the Pelicans medical staff.

“Since we notified everyone on December 16 of his latest imaging, it was decided then by our medical team to dial his rehab back to only partial weight bearing activities. He continues along that path,” stated Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin. “We also agreed that in order to put Zion in the best position to succeed, he will rehab away from the team at this time so he can focus on the task at hand.”

“As you can imagine, this has been a very difficult process for me,” said Williamson. “I know there’s work to be done in my recovery before I can safely return to the court, but I will continue to put in the time necessary so I can get back on the floor with my team and represent Pelicans fans and the city of New Orleans at the highest level. Basketball means everything to me, and I am thankful for the Pelicans organization and everyone who has surrounded me with love and support throughout this journey – my family, friends, teammates, coaches, staff, fans, and everybody who has stood behind me and uplifted me when I needed it most.”