Three clubs received significant injury updates on Wednesday, affecting rotations in San Antonio, New York and Los Angeles.
Spurs
Rookie guard Dylan Harper, the No. 2 overall pick, has been cleared after missing 10 games with a left calf strain and is expected to be active when the San Antonio Spurs host the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reported.
Harper opened the season with six straight double-figure scoring performances, averaging 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and nearly 4.0 assists while shooting 50 percent from the field. He was hurt Nov. 2 in Phoenix, and the initial concern inside the organization was that the injury might be more serious.
“When you get hurt, you get those thoughts of what if it’s the worst-case scenario,” Harper said. “When they told me what it was, I felt a little better.”
San Antonio has been short-handed, with Victor Wembanyama sidelined by his own calf strain and fellow rookie Stephon Castle nursing a hip issue. The Spurs are 1-1 in NBA Cup play and can stay in contention with a win against Portland.
Knicks
New York guard Landry Shamet has a sprained right shoulder and will be re-evaluated in four weeks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The injury occurred Saturday against Orlando and involves the same shoulder he dislocated last preseason, a setback that cost him nearly two months.
Through 15 games (six starts), Shamet averaged 9.3 points in just under 21 minutes while hitting a career-best 42 percent from three-point range. The veteran is on a one-year, non-guaranteed contract and has already begun rehabilitation, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reported.
Until Shamet returns, coach Tom Thibodeau is expected to lean more heavily on Miles McBride, Jordan Clarkson and rookie Tyler Kolek, who logged a season-high 17 minutes Monday. The Knicks have an open roster spot but sit so close to the second-apron hard cap that no additions are possible without shedding salary.
Clippers
The NBA approved the Los Angeles Clippers’ request for a disabled player exception (DPE) tied to guard Bradley Beal, who is likely out for the season with a fractured hip, per Jake Fischer of The Stein Line and Bleacher Report.
The exception is worth $2.677 million—the lesser of half Beal’s salary or the non-taxpayer mid-level amount—and can be used through March 10. A DPE does not create an extra roster spot, and the Clippers are only $1.28 million below the first-apron hard cap, limiting their ability to use the full amount unless they move salary. They could still apply a portion of the exception to acquire a near-minimum player via trade or free agency.
Source: Hoops Wire
