Donte Greene Waived By C’s, Will Sign In China
WEDNESDAY, 7:45am: The Chinese team expected to sign Greene is the Dongguan Leopards, according to HoopsHype (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 3:06pm: The Celtics have officially waived Greene, the team announced today in a press release.
10:58am: A little over a month after they acquired him, the Celtics will waive Donte Greene, agent Chris Grier Luchey tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Twitter link). According to Luchey, Greene has a deal lined up with a club in China, which can be finalized once his release from the C's is official.
The swap that sent Greene to Boston and Fab Melo to Memphis was one of the more unusual trades of the summer, since Melo was also released by the Grizzlies following the deal. The Celtics included more than enough cash to cover Melo's $1.31MM salary in the trade, but the money they sent to the Grizz doesn't count for cap or tax purposes. Greene's salary, meanwhile, is non-guaranteed, so Boston won't be on the hook for any of it once the move is official, and should slip below the tax line in the process.
By waiving Greene, the C's will reduce their roster count to 18 players, including 14 on guaranteed contracts. For Greene, it won't be the first time he signs to play international ball. Before he reached an agreement with the Grizzlies last season, the 25-year-old forward briefly spent time with Atleticos de San German in Puerto Rico.
Eastern Notes: Celtics, Bulls, Bucks
A few notes from around the Eastern Conference.
- According to a tweet from Boston Globe scribe Baxter Holmes, the Celtics training camp invites are all set. Chris Babb, Damen Bell-Holter, DeShawn Sims, and Kammron Taylor round out the list.
- Trey McKinney Jones, a former guard for the Miami Hurricanes, will participate in the Bucks training camp, according to Hoopshype.com.
- According to the team, the Bulls have made several changes to their staff, promoting Randy Brown to assistant GM, Nick Papendieck to head strength coach, and Ivica Dukan to director of international scouting, as well as special assistant to the general manager.
Andrew Bynum Expected To Miss Preseason
Fox Sports Ohio's Sam Amico is reporting that Cavaliers center Andrew Bynum will likely be held out of the preseason. The All-Star big man signed with Cleveland after missing the entire 2012/13 season as a member of the Sixers with a knee injury.
According to Amico, while Bynum figures to sit through all the team's preseason games and training camp, he could return early in the regular season, and opening night against the Nets on October 30 is not out of the question.
Philly.com's Michael Kaskey-Blomain opines from Philadelphia's cautious perspective.
Heat Express Interest In Von Wafer, Others
According to Hoopsworld.com's Alex Kennedy, the Heat have recently expressed interest in several free agents, including Von Wafer, Julyan Stone, Justin Holiday, Yakhouba Diawara, and Larry Drew II.
The 28-year-old Wafer last played in the NBA during the 2011/12 season as a member of the Magic. He averaged 5.9 PPG in 33 appearances. Only 24 years old and with two seasons under his belt with the Nuggets, Stone appeared in four games last year, but has reportedly agreed to a training camp deal with the Raptors.
The Heat have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, not including the recently signed Michael Beasley, who is on a non-guaranteed deal.
Spurs Add Sean Marks To Coaching Staff
According to MySanAntonio.com's Dan McCarney, the Spurs have moved Sean Marks from the front office to the sidelines, where he'll be an assistant coach on Gregg Popovich's staff next season.
A former player for the team as well, the 38-year-old Marks will replace the recently departed Brett Brown, who became head coach of the Sixers this offseason.
Odds & Ends: Extension Candidates, Heat, McGary
A few random notes from around the league.
- Steve Kyler from Hoopsworld.com takes a look at a few 2010 extension candidates, including Derrick Favors, Evan Turner, and DeMarcus Cousins.
- Writing for The Score, Mark Deeks offers a list of players who currently can't be traded for a variety of reasons, one of them being players who sign as a free agent cannot be traded for at least three months (or until December 15th).
- Earlier today, TNT analyst Steve Kerr predicted that the Heat would fail to make the Finals for a fourth straight year. South Florida Sun-Sentinel writer Ira Winderman gives his views here.
- DraftExpress.com's Mike Schmitz breaks down the strengths and weaknesses of Michigan forward Mitch McGary, a player who's projected to be an NBA lottery pick next summer.
James White Signs In Italy
Just one year removed from playing for the Knicks, James White has reached an agreement with Reggio Emilia, a professional team in Italy, according to a tweet from Bleacher Report's Jared Zwerling.
Best known for his high flying aerial routine, which led to an appearance in the NBA Slam Dunk contest during last year's All-Star weekend, the 30-year-old White averaged 2.2 PPG in 57 appearances. He spent the previous two years playing in Italy, and was in Russia the year before that.
For more international moves, check out our international player movement tracker.
International Moves: Aminu, Summers, Head
Hoops Rumors' international player movement tracker continues to be added to daily by Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival, who updated more than two dozen entries today. As we've mentioned before, we won't pass along word of every single one of these international moves in posts on the site itself, but here are a few of the latest NBA-relevant signings:
- Alade Aminu, the older brother of Pelicans forward Al-Farouq Aminu, has agreed to terms with Italian club Enel Brindisi, a source told Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
- The Wollongong Hawks, of Australia's National Basketball League, have announced the signing of Durrell Summers, according to the team's website. Summers played for the D-League's Idaho Stampede last season, averaging 16.0 PPG in 50 games with the team.
- Illinois product and former first-round pick Luther Head is headed to Spain for the coming season, agreeing to sign with CB Valladolid (link via Sportando). As our tracker shows, Head, who last played in the NBA with the Kings in 2010/11, finished last season with the D-League's Texas Legends.
Clippers May Invite Gilbert Arenas To Camp
Gilbert Arenas didn't sign or play with an NBA team during the 2012/13 season, but unlike fellow 31-year-old Jared Jeffries, he's not ready to move on from his playing career quite yet. According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter), Arenas has looked good in workouts this offseason, and may receive a training camp invite from the Clippers.
Although he had a brief stint with the Grizzlies in 2012, Arenas hasn't played in a full NBA season since prior to the lockout. In 2010/11, he appeared in 70 total games for the Wizards and Magic, averaging 10.8 PPG, a significant step down from his career rate of 20.7 PPG.
The veteran guard played in China for the Shanghai Sharks last season, matching his NBA scoring average with 20.7 PPG in 14 contests. Our most recent headline on Arenas suggested that he had no plans to come back to the NBA, though at the time it sounded like that meant for the 2012/13 season, rather than indefinitely. Still, Arenas' quotes indicated that he'd have no problem returning to China in the future if NBA opportunties failed to arise.
The Clippers would have room to give Arenas a real shot at a roster spot if he came to camp with the team. L.A. currently has 15 players under contract, but Maalik Wayns' deal is non-guaranteed, while only $50K of Brandon Davies' deal is guaranteed. Of course, based on Arenas' previous comments, it's not clear if he'd even be open to accepting a camp invite with no guaranteed salary attached.
Knicks Worked Out Diop, Aldrich, Others
2:29pm: Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Reports adds DeSagana Diop to the list of players who participated in the Knicks' workouts this week (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld isn't sure if Hassan Whiteside worked out for the Knicks, but says the team has expressed interest in the former King (Twitter link).
1:47pm: The Knicks may have 16 players under contract, but the team is still eyeing free agents and weighing the possibility of adding a few more bodies to its camp roster. The club has conducted mini-camp workouts this week, and according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter links), Ike Diogu, Cole Aldrich, and Josh Powell are among the players who have auditioned.
Reports yesterday indicated that Ricky Davis and Justin Brownlee were also working out as part of the Knicks' mini-camp, so the team seems to be casting a wide net as it searches for potential contributors.
Despite the fact that the Knicks are already carrying more than 15 players, only 12 of those contracts are fully guaranteed. C.J. Leslie and Jeremy Tyler have small guarantees – $200K and $100K, respectively – which could give them an inside track at roster spots, but Tyler is recovering from foot surgery, so it's no surprise that New York is still auditioning big men.
If we assume Leslie will earn a roster spot, that would leave two possible openings for Tyler, Chris Smith, Toure Murry, and up to four more camp invitees.