D.J. White To Sign With Shanghai Sharks
Free agent forward D.J. White has agreed to terms with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The deal will be for one year, with White eligible to join an NBA team in March when the CBA season ends, says Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
White spent the 2011/12 season with the Bobcats after the club acquired him in a trade with the Thunder at the 2011 trade deadline. He earned 11 starts for Charlotte, and in 58 overall contests, averaged 6.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
The 6'9" forward hasn't seen a ton of playing time in his four NBA seasons, but has recorded a solid 14.5 career PER in his 124 career games. That wasn't enough to earn a qualifying offer from the Bobcats this summer though, as the team allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported last Friday that the Sharks were heavily pursuing White.
Brandon Roy’s Contract Details
With Brandon Roy prepared to make his return to the NBA this season for the Timberwolves, there's still some uncertainty about how his knees, which forced him out of last season, will hold up during a full 82-game schedule. Roy has undergone platelet rich therapy on his knees and is optimistic about his health, but his two-year contract with the T-Wolves includes a number of interesting details related to his health. Here's how the deal works, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports:
- Both years of Roy's deal are currently fully guaranteed. He'll earn $5,100,000 in 2012/13 and $5,329,500 in 2013/14.
- If Roy reinjures his previously-injured knees this season, the second year of the contract becomes non-guaranteed, giving the T-Wolves the opportunity to release him without taking a cap hit in 2013/14.
- However, even if Roy's knee problems resurface, the second year of the deal can become guaranteed if the former Blazer plays 1400+ minutes in 2012/13 or is on the active list for 65+ games in '12/13.
If Roy plays poorly this season, or suffers an injury that's unrelated to his past knee problems, the Timberwolves will still be on the hook for the second year of his contract. The agreement should provide the Wolves some insurance in the event that Roy's knees aren't ready to handle NBA action. Conversely, if the 28-year-old's knees hold up, he's assured of receiving a multiyear salary.
Bucks Sign Marquis Daniels
12:29pm: The Bucks have officially announced their signing of Daniels (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 11:02am: Daniels' deal, which is guaranteed, is for one year at the minimum salary, agent Mark Bartelstein tells SI.com's Sam Amick (Twitter link).
THURSDAY, 5:26pm: Unrestricted free agent Marquis Daniels has agreed to sign a guaranteed contract with the Bucks, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Terms of the deal aren't known, but it's unlikely to be more than a one-year contract.
Daniels, who has spent the last three seasons in Boston, worked out for the Bucks earlier this week along with a handful of other free agents in search of jobs. The nine-year veteran is coming off a down year, in which he set career-lows in PPG (3.2), FG% (.364), and PER (8.1), among other categories. Still, the Bucks had just four guards under contract, so Daniels will provide bench depth behind Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings, along with Doron Lamb and Beno Udrih.
While Daniels is only the 15th player on the books for Milwaukee, it appears all 15 Bucks are now on guaranteed contracts, meaning it's unlikely the team brings aboard additional guaranteed deals before the regular-season begins. The Bucks can bring up to 20 players to training camp, so non-guaranteed contracts are still a possibility.
Anthony Tolliver To Sign With Hawks
After narrowing his free agent options down to three yesterday, Anthony Tolliver has eliminated two more teams from the running and made his choice. According to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (Twitter link), Tolliver will be signing with the Hawks.
Tolliver tells Tomasson that he'll ink a one-year deal worth the minimum salary (Twitter link). It's a pay cut for the 6'8" forward, who made over $2MM last season, but the contract will be guaranteed (Sulia link). Despite not landing the sort of salary he was seeking, the 27-year-old believes Atlanta is a good fit for him.
"I just thought it was the best situation for me," Tolliver said to Tomasson (Sulia link). "I just think they don’t have a lot of players like me. I think it’s a great opportunity."
Tolliver, 27, had a down year in Minnesota in 2011/12, but has shown promise in the past. His best season came in 2009/10, when he averaged 12.3 PPG and 7.3 RPG in 32.3 MPG in 44 contests for the Warriors.
By my count, Tolliver will be the 16th player under contract for the Hawks, though Damion James' and James Anderson's deals are non-guaranteed, leaving an opening for Tolliver to earn a roster spot.
Sixers To Invite Dan Gadzuric To Camp
Dan Gadzuric was in Philadelphia to work out with the 76ers this morning, and a source tells John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the big man will receive a camp invite from the Sixers (Twitter link). It's not clear whether Gadzuric has officially accepted the invitation, but I'd guess he'll head to Sixers camp on a non-guaranteed contract.
Gadzuric was involved in the sign-and-trade deal between the Knicks and Trail Blazers back in July, heading to Portland in the move that sent Raymond Felton to New York. However, since his contract for 2012/13 was non-guaranteed, he was quickly waived by the Blazers. The 34-year-old saw just 13 minutes of action last season for the Knicks, but has appeared in 527 NBA games over the course of his 10-year career, averaging 4.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and a 14.4 PER.
New Sixers general manager Tony DiLeo said yesterday that he hopes to add one or two wings to the team's training camp roster. With just 13 players under contract though, it makes sense that Philadelphia would hand out a few camp invites to other players as well. If Gadzuric joins the roster, the club will still have room to bring six more players to training camp.
Bobcats Sign Adrien, Summers, Horne, Owens
The Bobcats have officially signed four players to their training camp roster, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). Bonnell first reported a week ago that Jeff Adrien, DaJuan Summers, Paris Horne, and Josh Owens were expected to receive non-guaranteed, make-good contracts from the Bobcats.
Adrien, a UConn product, received limited playing time for the Warriors in 2010/11 and the Rockets in 2011/12. He reportedly drew interest from the the Rockets, Clippers, Lakers, Spurs, and Celtics before agreeing to terms with the Bobcats. Summers, who also has previous NBA experience, was drafted 35th overall in 2009 and has since played for the Pistons and Hornets. The 24-year-old forward has averaged 3.4 PPG in 81 career contests.
Horne, a 6'3" guard, played in Germany last season after graduating from St. John's in 2011. Owens, a 6'9" forward out of Stanford, was eligible for this year's draft and was ranked as a top-100 prospect by ESPN.com's Chad Ford, but went undrafted. Both players were part of the Bobcats' summer league squad.
The additions bring Charlotte's training camp roster to 18 players, including 13 on guaranteed contracts. Besides the four new additions, Cory Higgins was also re-signed to a non-guaranteed two-year, minimum-salary contract by the Bobcats earlier this month. Higgins, Adrien, Summers, Horne, and Owens figure to be fighting for the final two available roster spots over the next few weeks.
Kings Sign Willie Reed, Cyril Awere
The Kings have officially announced their roster for training camp, and there are a couple of new names on the list, in addition to signees like Tony Mitchell and Hamady N'Diaye, which we already knew about. The team has also added a pair of bigs, Willie Reed and Cyril Awere, on non-guaranteed contracts.
Reed, 22, is a 6'9" forward that played his college ball at St. Louis University. He was suspended by the school and entered the NBA draft pool early after sitting out a season, but went undrafted in 2011. ESPN.com's Chad Ford had ranked him as the 70th-best prospect of the class. Awere, meanwhile, is a 6'11" center from Nigeria. The 27-year-old had been playing for Stade Nabeulien in Tunisia.
The Kings head into camp with 18 players on their roster, including 14 on guaranteed deals, so it's unlikely that either Reed or Awere makes the cut. At least one of Mitchell and N'Diaye appears to be a decent bet to earn a roster spot in Sacramento, however.
Odds & Ends: Irving, Spurs, Clippers, McGrady
Reigning rookie of the year point guard Kyrie Irving rejoined his teammates on Monday, competing in his first five-on-five scrimmage since breaking his hand two months ago, writes Yahoo! Sports NBA reporter Marc J. Spears.
Here's a look elsewhere around the league.
- Hoopsworld.com's Yannis Koutroupis asks whether or not the Spurs title window is closed, given the fact that they only added one player (Nando De Colo) to their roster this offseason.
- Hoopsworld.com's Joel Brigham gives five teams from the Eastern Conference he believes must be watched heading into next season.
- Sporting News' Sean Deveney believes both Tracy McGrady and Baron Davis are at the crossroads of their respective careers, with both players possibly at a point where no more NBA basketball will be played.
- In his continuing series previewing each division, NBA.com's John Schuhmann writes about the Pacific Division, honing in on the Clippers and how they'll try to keep up with the Lakers this year.
- NBA.com's Sam Smith writes that the Bulls didn't dismantle their "bench mob" — they improved it.
- It's a contract season for Jazz forward Paul Millsap, and in many ways it'll also be the biggest year of his life, writes The Salt Lake Tribune's Brian T. Smith.
Heat Notes: Thomas, Oguchi, McClinton
The Heat have had an exciting offseason, but they aren't finished yet. Here are a few notes from around the league regarding some possible signings the team could still make before traning camp begins.
- 23-year-old Malcolm Thomas, a 6'9" forward who played in three games last season for the Spurs, is working out for the Heat on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to RealGM.com's Shams Charania. Thomas worked out for the Knicks a couple weeks ago.
- With two training camp spots still open, the Heat will be bringing in former Nigerian National Team member Chamberlain Oguchi again, writes the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman. (Sulia link)
- Former University of Miami star Jack McClinton is also trying out for one of the team's final two spots, writes Winderman.
Ingram On MVP Award, Rockets
Hoopsworld.com's Bill Ingram writes about several NBA related issues in his latest column. Let's take a closer look.
On MVP Award: Ingram believes that given last year's too-close-to-call MVP race between Kevin Durant and LeBron James, it might be time for the league to institute a dual MVP award. Ingram believes that since the goal for every player in the league is to win a championship, whoever wins the NBA Finals MVP might as well be the true indicator of who the league's best player is. He suggests that for the regular season, two MVP awards should be distributed to the best player in each conference.
On the Rockets: With a loaded roster heading into training camp, the Rockets have seven or eight players guaranteed a spot, and nearly 10 others who'll be fighting to make the team. Ingram writes that with a wide open power forward position, players such as Patrick Patterson, Royce White, and Donatas Motiejunas will fight for a starting spot.