NBA Notes: Spurs, Dylan Harper, Knicks, Landry Shamet, Clippers

Spurs

Dylan Harper is back. The Spurs rookie guard has been cleared to return after missing 10 games with a left calf strain and is expected to be active Wednesday against the Trail Blazers, per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.

Harper, the No. 2 pick, opened the season on a roll.

He scored in double figures in each of his first six games and averaged 14 points, four rebounds and nearly four assists while shooting 50 percent from the field.

His injury occurred on November 2 in Phoenix and initially caused real concern within the organization.

When the diagnosis turned out to be a calf strain instead of something more serious, Harper said he felt immediate relief.

“When you get hurt, you get those thoughts of what if it’s the worst case scenario,” he said. “When they told me what it was, I felt a little better.”

San Antonio needs the help. Victor Wembanyama has been out with a calf strain and Stephon Castle has missed time with a hip issue.

The Spurs are 1-1 in NBA Cup play and can stay firmly in the mix with a win tonight.

Knicks

Landry Shamet has been diagnosed with a sprained right shoulder and will be reevaluated in four weeks, per Shams Charania of ESPN.

He suffered the injury Saturday against Orlando. It is the same shoulder he dislocated last preseason, which cost him almost two months.

Shamet had been one of New York’s more reliable rotation pieces. He averaged 9.3 points in just under 21 minutes per game and was shooting a career-best 42 percent from three.

The Knicks brought him back on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal and he gave them solid minutes across 15 games and six starts.

The good news is that surgery is not expected. Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reported that Shamet has already begun rehab.

Until he returns, the Knicks will lean more on Miles McBride, Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek. Kolek played a season-high 17 minutes Monday with Shamet out.

The Knicks also have an open roster spot, but they are so close to the second apron hard cap that they cannot add anyone right now.

Clippers

The NBA has approved the Clippers’ request for a disabled player exception for Bradley Beal, as we relayed earlier.

The team filed for it last week after Beal was diagnosed with a fractured hip that is expected to keep him out for the season, per Jake Fischer of The Stein Line and Bleacher Report.

A disabled player exception cannot be used to add a roster spot, but it does give a team more spending power.

In this case, the Clippers receive an exception worth $2.677 million, the lesser of half of Beal’s salary or the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

The catch is that the Clippers are currently operating just $1.28 million below the first apron hard cap. They cannot exceed that number for any reason.

So unless they shed salary, they cannot use the full exception. They could still use part of it on a near-minimum salary player via trade or free agency.

The deadline to use the DPE is March 10.