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Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart has been diagnosed with a rupture of the proximal interphalangeal joint central slip, which he sustained during the third quarter of the January 9 game against the Dallas Mavericks.
Smart will be re-evaluated in six weeks.
The Sacramento Kings have signed forward Juan Toscano-Anderson to a 10-day contract.
Toscano-Anderson has appeared in eight games for Sacramento this season. He has made 199 career appearances over five seasons and won an NBA title with Golden State during the 2021-22 season.
The Washington Wizards have signed guard Hamidou Diallo to a 10-day contract.
Diallo (6-5, 202) joins Washington after beginning the year with the Capital City Go-Go (the Wizards’ NBA G League affiliate), where he has averaged 18.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting .521 from the field in 20 total (showcase + regular season) games (16 starts). The Kentucky product has scored in double figures on 18 occasions for the Go-Go and totaled a season-high 30 points (12-17 FG) to go along with eight assists and six rebounds on Nov. 27 at Raptors 905.
The five-year pro has appeared in 263 career games (44 starts) for the Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder, holding averages of 8.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per game on .495 percent shooting from the field.
A native of Queens, New York, Diallo was selected by Brooklyn with the 45th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft.
The Los Angeles Lakers yesterday signed guard Skylar Mays to a two-way contract.
Mays (6’4”, 205) joins the Lakers from the Portland Trail Blazers, where he appeared in 21 games (five starts) this season, averaging 6.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 17.0 minutes. In three-plus campaigns with Portland (2022-24) and Atlanta (2020-22), the Louisiana native has played in 88 career NBA contests (16 starts) and averaged 4.9 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 11.8 minutes. Competing in the NBA G League with Mexico City (2022-23), Delaware (2022-23) and College Park (2021-22), Mays owns career averages of 14.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 27.8 minutes per game in 30 total contests (15 starts).
The 26-year-old was selected with the 50th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Hawks following four collegiate seasons (2016-20) at LSU. Mays was named First-Team All-SEC as a senior and Second-Team All-SEC as a junior with the Tigers.
Mays will wear jersey No. 4 for the purple and gold.
The Memphis Grizzlies yesterday announced the following medical update for guard Ja Morant:
At Saturday’s training session, Morant suffered a subluxation of his right shoulder. Following ongoing soreness and instability, Morant underwent an MRI that revealed an underlying labral tear.
Morant will undergo season-ending surgery and is expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2024-25 season.
A rocky Warriors season continues to face new challenges.
Via the San Jose Mercury News:
Chris Paul will have surgery next week to repair a fracture in his left hand and is expected to be out four-to-six weeks after the operation, according to multiple reports.
Paul, 38, fractured his left hand in a collision with Detroit’s Jaden Ivey during Friday’s game against the Pistons. Paul has now had 11 hand injuries in his 19-year career, five to his non-shooting hand and six to his right.
At 17-18, the Warriors have the 10th best record in the Western Conference.
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard/forward Dylan Windler to a two-way contract.
Windler (6’7”, 196) most recently suited up for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League, appearing in 13 games this season (all starts) and averaging 13.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 28.9 minutes. On Jan. 5 versus Delaware, Windler set an NBA G League single-game record with 33 rebounds to go along with 23 points, two assists and one steal. The 27-year-old has appeared in 26 career NBA G League games (15 starts) across four seasons (2019-24), averaging 13.3 points on 37.8 percent shooting from long distance, to go with 8.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 27.8 minutes.
The Indianapolis native has appeared in 87 career NBA games across four seasons with New York (2023-24) and Cleveland (2020-23), registering averages of 3.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 11.4 minutes. Windler was selected No. 26 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Cavaliers following four collegiate seasons at Belmont University.
Windler will wear jersey No. 20 for the purple and gold.
The Los Angeles Lakers have waived two-way forward Alex Fudge and two-way guard D’Moi Hodge.
Fudge signed with the Lakers on July 26, 2023, and appeared in four regular season games for Los Angeles, averaging 1.0 points in 3.6 minutes. The 20-year-old played in 10 NBA G League games (two starts) with the South Bay Lakers this season, posting averages of 8.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.6 blocks in 18.7 minutes.
Hodge signed with the Lakers on July 3, 2023, and appeared in seven regular season contests this season for the purple and gold, averaging 2.0 points in 5.9 minutes. The British Virgin Islands native saw action in 16 games this season for South Bay, recording averages of 11.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 steals in 22.6 minutes.
The Chicago Bulls have some big decisions to make in the fairly near future, and there are no easy answers or obvious suggestions as to what those decisions should be.
Via the Sun-Times:
There are 15 games left before the Feb. 8 trade deadline comes and goes, and the part of the schedule that softens up for this team.
Two games with Charlotte in that span, a couple of tussles with Toronto and Memphis, the slumping Lakers, San Antonio, Portland … realistically there could be eight to nine more wins to cash in on before final decisions have to be made on the trade front.
The danger becomes what if the Bulls front office again decides to chase fool’s gold?
Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley have done it before, opting to err on the side of “continuity” both at the trade deadline last year and again over the summer.
Would they jump back into those murky waters for a team that was suddenly 25-27 sitting in a solid play-in spot?
Hopefully lessons have been learned.
This is where it gets tricky, however.
The Bulls are 16-21, which is the 10th best record in the Eastern Conference. Their defense has been solid this season, but their offense has been one of the least efficient in the league.
The Brooklyn Nets have requested waivers on guard Armoni Brooks.
Brooks signed a two-way deal with the Nets on July 18, 2023. He appeared in 10 games as a reserve with Brooklyn this season and averaged 4.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per game. Over 84 career NBA games (16 starts) in three seasons with Brooklyn, Toronto and Houston, Brooks holds career averages of 6.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 17.5 minutes per contest. The 25-year-old also played in 12 Showcase Cup games (four starts) with Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, averaging 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 26.1 minutes per game, as well as two regular season games with Long Island, averaging 17.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 22.8 minutes per contest.