Wesley

Iwundu

Iwundu has been all over the league through five seasons. Since this is just an Exhibit 10 deal, he’ll probably be playing with the Stockton Kings this season, not the Sacramento ones.

The Trail Blazers have now trimmed down their roster to 15, and they’re still mulling over who they will ink to a two-way deal. Cacok will likely wind up in the G League, but Iwundu could earn a minimum level deal elsewhere.

The five-year vet has had played for four teams and hasn’t made much of an impact at any of his stops. He’ll provide depth for Portland, but he shouldn’t be on your fantasy radar.

With the new CDC guidelines coming out on Monday, Iwundu was able to clear protocols just five days after he entered on December 24th. Iwundu was signed on a 10-day hardship waiver on the 22nd, and played just one game before having to enter the league’s protocols. In his lone game, he played 23 minutes, scoring two points on 1-of-5 shooting with five rebounds. With that being said, he is not on the fantasy radar.

While Iwundu’s absence may not impact many fantasy teams, it could have larger ramifications. The Hawks have eight players in protocols, two out with injury, and two more questionable. They have exactly eight active players if Cam Reddish (ankle) and Delon Wright (ankle) both end up missing the Christmas Day game against the Knicks, which is the league minimum for them to play the game.

Iwundu has 223 games of NBA experience across four seasons, including 41 games between the Pelicans and Mavericks last year. The Hawks currently have Trae Young, Danilo Gallinari, and Clint Capela in the league’s health and safety protocols, so Iwundu will provide some depth at the guard spot. He has never been a box score stuffer, and we don’t expect that to begin now, so he is not worth grabbing on the waiver wire.

The move locks down Charlotte’s 17-man roster, including two two-way players and sends Iwundu into free agency. He was not a fantasy target, and won’t be even if he is picked up elsewhere.

It’s a bit surprising to see Johnson give it a go here, but the Pelicans are very short-handed and apparently need him to suit up. He should get plenty of burn tonight if his knee doesn’t give him trouble.

The Pelicans have a lengthy injury report for their season finale, with a number of players having already been ruled out. Johnson and Iwundu are both listed as questionable, but it would not come as a surprise if the former were ultimately ruled out. This would be a good opportunity for the Pelicans to get a longer look at some of their less-experienced players, most notably Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kira Lewis Jr. and Naji Marshall.

Iwundu has never been anywhere near the fantasy radar in his lifetime.