Pacers forward T.J. Warren remains out with foot injury

Indiana Pacers forward T.J. Warren’s stress fracture in his left foot is healing during the rehabilitation process; but not at the pace previously anticipated.

He remains out indefinitely.

Per the Indianapolis Star, “on Aug. 13, Warren tweeted that he played basketball, an important milestone in his recovery from the stress fracture in the navicular bone in his left foot that sidelined him beginning Dec. 29. Warren had surgery on the foot Jan. 5 but the area of the injury — a boat-shaped bone in the middle of the foot — makes for a difficult recovery process.”

In G League, Iowa Wolves name Jeff Newton new head coach

The Minnesota Timberwolves today named Jeff Newton as Head Coach of the Iowa Wolves, the team’s G League affiliate. Newton spent the last two seasons as the offensive associate/player development coach for the Timberwolves.

Minnesota also announced the hire of Scott Thom as athletic performance coach.

“Jeff has proven throughout the last couple years that he is dedicated to the Timberwolves’ overall mission, including developing our young players, which makes him a natural choice as the Wolves head coach,” said Timberwolves Assistant General Manager Gianluca Pascucci. “We feel that Jeff will continue to succeed and grow in his role in Iowa, just as he has excelled here in Minnesota. We are also excited to welcome Scott into the Timberwolves and Wolves family.”

“I am proud to see the progression Jeff has made in his role throughout this summer, especially with the development he made with our Summer League roster,” said Timberwolves Head Coach Chris Finch. “Jeff has proven in his daily work with the Timberwolves that he is prepared and deserves this next step in his career. His coaching philosophies align with what we are building here in Minnesota and his groundwork will serve as a great foundation for our two-way players and those in Iowa making the transition to Minnesota throughout the season. I believe in his ability to encourage our players to improve based on his passion for the game and his dedication every step of the way. We are excited about him leading our program down in Iowa and to continue supporting his professional advancement and success.”

“I am thrilled to continue my professional career with the Timberwolves organization as I step into this new role with the Iowa Wolves,” Newton said. “I have been dedicated to the vision and future goals for the Timberwolves and will carry those same principles in my role as head coach of the Iowa Wolves.”

Newton showcased his head coaching acumen as he took the helm of the 2021 Timberwolves Summer League team in Las Vegas, leading the group to a 4-1 finish. Prior to joining the Wolves, Newton served as an assistant video coordinator for the Sacramento Kings for three seasons. Prior to that, he was with the Houston Rockets for three seasons, spending one year each as a personnel scout, assistant video coordinator and basketball operations intern. Newton got his start in the NBA as a basketball operations intern with the then Charlotte Bobcats. A native of Barrington, Rhode Island, Newton graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a degree in Sports Management.

Thom joins the Wolves after serving as the College of Marin men’s basketball head coach and director of strength and conditioning since 2016. Thom led the Mariners to the program’s first back-to-back winning seasons since 1989. The Napa, Calif. native brings more than 19 years of experience as a strength and conditioning coach and player development coach, including stints at University of California, Berkeley, Washington State University and his alma mater Vintage High School.

Suns sign Chandler Hutchison

The Phoenix Suns have signed small forward Chandler Hutchison.

The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Hutchison has appeared in 97 career NBA games (25 starts) with Chicago and Washington through his first three seasons, also appearing in two playoff games with the Wizards this past season. The 25-year-old holds career regular season averages of 5.7 points on 44.1% shooting and 3.8 rebounds in 18.2 minutes.

Originally the 22nd overall pick by the Bulls in the 2018 NBA Draft, Hutchison entered the league following a standout four-year career at Boise State University. As a senior in 2017-18, media tabbed him the Mountain West Player of the Year as he averaged 20.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals for the Broncos.

Spurs re-sign Keita Bates-Diop

The San Antonio Spurs have re-signed forward Keita Bates-Diop.

Bates-Diop, 6-8/230, spent last season on a two-way contract with the Silver and Black, averaging 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 8.2 minutes over 30 games. Originally selected by the Timberwolves in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft (48th overall), Bates-Diop spent the better part of two seasons in Minnesota before being traded to Denver on Feb. 5, 2019. The former Ohio State Buckeye has appeared in 104 NBA games, with career averages of 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 14.3 minutes.

A four-year player at Ohio State, Bates-Diop was named the Big Ten Player of the Year as a senior, averaging 19.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.65 blocks in his final season.

Spurs sign Joe Wieskamp to a two-way contract

The San Antonio Spurs have signed guard Joe Wieskamp to a two-way contract.

Wieskamp, 6-6/210, was drafted by the Spurs with the 41st overall selection in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft. He played in all eight of San Antonio’s 2021 Summer League games, including five in Las Vegas where he averaged 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in 23.4 minutes.

Coming off his junior season at the University of Iowa, Weiskamp was named to the 2021 Second Team All-Big 10 and was one of five finalists for the 2021 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award. He averaged 14.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 29.3 minutes while shooting 46.2 percent from three-point range, including 49.5 percent in Big Ten Conference games. The Iowa native started all 97 games he appeared in, averaging 13.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 29.8 minutes while shooting 41.2 percent from beyond the arc. Prior to joining the Hawkeyes, he graduated as the state of Iowa’s all-time high school leading scorer.

Weiskamp will wear No. 15 for the Silver & Black.

Bulls reportedly signing Stanley Johnson and Alize Johnson

The Chicago Bulls are reportedly adding a pair of forwards to their roster. Via the Chicago Sun-Times:

A source confirmed that the Bulls got some much needed frontcourt depth by adding wing Stanley Johnson and power forward Alize Johnson…

Stanley Johnson, who was the No. 8 overall pick from the 2015 NBA Draft, might have the bigger upside, showing promise in his early days with the Pistons, before an inability to shoot from outside caught up with him.

Alize Johnson is another explosive leaper and he will join former dunk contest winners Zach LaVine and Derrick Jones Jr.

Rockets re-sign Anthony Lamb to a two-way contract

The Houston Rockets have re-signed forward Anthony Lamb to a two-way contract.

Lamb (6-6, 225) was eligible for the 2020 NBA Draft following his senior season at Vermont. He began last season with the Canton Charge of the G League before being acquired by the Rockets affiliate, Rio Grande Valley.

After averaging 18.2 points and 8.8 rebounds for the Vipers en route to earning G League Most Improved Player honors, Lamb signed a two-way contract with Houston on March 8. He appeared in 24 games for the Rockets and scored 20-plus points twice over his final 11 games played.

Spurs waive Chandler Hutchison

The San Antonio Spurs have waived Chandler Hutchison. Via the San Antonio Express-News:

The Spurs waived the 25-year-old small forward Saturday, a little more than a month after acquiring him as part of the monster five-team trade in July that resulted in Russell Westbrook landing with the Los Angeles Lakers…

With 17 guaranteed contracts — not including two-ways — the Spurs needed to waive or trade at least two players by the start of the season to make the roster legal.

No return date yet for Magic forward Jonathan Isaac

Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac isn’t sure of his exact return date from injury just yet. Via the Orlando Sentinel:

The 6-foot-11, 230-pound Issac has been sidelined since Aug. 2, 2020, missing the entire 2020-21 season, and he continues to rehabilitate from a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left leg…

He suffered the injury during the Magic’s second seeding game in the summer of 2020 inside the NBA bubble against the Sacramento Kings at Walt Disney World.

Pistons trade Sekou Doumbouya, Jahlil Okafor to Nets for DeAndre Jordan, draft picks

The Brooklyn Nets have acquired forward Sekou Doumbouya and center Jahlil Okafor from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for center DeAndre Jordan, second round draft picks in 2022, 2024 (via Washington), 2025 (via Golden State) and 2027 and cash considerations.

“We appreciate everything DeAndre has contributed to our organization over the past two seasons both on and off the court and wish him and his family the best moving forward,” said Nets General Manager Sean Marks.

Doumbouya (6’8”, 230) has appeared in 94 games (30 starts) across two seasons (2019-21) with the Pistons, recording averages of 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game.

Okafor (6’10”, 270) has seen action in 247 games (116 starts) in six seasons with Detroit (2020-21), New Orleans (2018-20), Brooklyn (2017-18) and Philadelphia (2015-17), posting averages of 10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game.

Jordan originally signed as a free agent with Brooklyn on July 6, 2019, and appeared in 113 games (49 starts) in two seasons (2019-21) with the Nets, recording averages of 7.9 points on 71.1 percent shooting from the field, 8.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 blocks in 21.9 minutes per game. In the 2020-21 campaign, Jordan averaged 7.5 points on 76.3 percent shooting from the field, 7.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 blocks in 21.9 minutes per contest across 57 games (43 starts). The 33-year-old has played in 932 games (756 starts) in 13 seasons with Brooklyn, New York (2019), Dallas (2018-19) and the L.A. Clippers (2008-18), posting averages of 9.4 points on 67.4 percent shooting from the field, 10.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.6 blocks in 27.4 minutes per game.