Visits: 11
Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert is expected to play Saturday against the Toronto Raptors after missing 24 games following right thumb surgery – and the franchise has waived wing David Nwaba after he was ruled out for the season through injury.
The Nets have yet to confirm Levert’s return, but multiple reports have said he will be available to play.
“I feel good, my body feels good, so I can’t wait to get out there and help the team,” LeVert told reporters before the Nets’ 123-111 loss at the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.
LeVert, 25, last played on November 10 in Phoenix.
In nine games (all starts) this season, LeVert has averaged 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 31.6 minutes per contest. The scoring and rebounding averages represent career highs for the fourth-year player, a 2016 first-round pick from Michigan.
LeVert, who also missed 42 games last season with a foot injury, signed a three-year, $52.5m extension with the Nets in August.
His return should provide the struggling Nets with a boost. They have lost four games in a row and are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings with the franchise’s two star men, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, both out injured.
Meanwhile, the Nets have waived injured swingman Nwaba, two weeks after he was lost for the season with a ruptured right Achilles tendon.
Nwaba, 26, played in 20 games with the Nets this season, averaging 5.2 points and 2.3 rebounds. He was signed as a free agent in July.
Undrafted out of Cal Poly, Nwaba has played with four teams in his four NBA seasons, also spending time with the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers.
1:39 In 161 career games (37 starts), Nwaba has averaged 6.9 points with 3.7 rebounds. He did not start a game for the Nets this season.
The team has also waived forward Henry Elleson – who appeared in five games for the Nets and then six games for the team’s G League affiliate.
