Lakers Sign Dan Gadzuric
The Lakers have used one of their two remaining roster spots to add free agent big man Dan Gadzuric, according to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com (via Twitter). With Gadzuric on the camp roster, L.A. will be carrying 19 players.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reported on Wednesday that the Lakers had invited Gadzuric to camp, though it wasn't clear at that point if the 35-year-old had accepted. Gadzuric, a longtime Buck, last appeared in the NBA in 2011/12, playing in a pair of late-season contests for the Knicks. In 10 career NBA seasons, the 6'11" center has appeared in 527 games, averaging 4.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 14.4 PER.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak indicated to the media this week that team ownership may be open to entering the season with a full 15-man roster, in which case there'd be plenty of roster spots up for grabs in October for the club. The Lakers have 11 players on fully guaranteed contracts, Elias Harris and Shawne Williams on partially guaranteed contracts, and Eric Boateng, Xavier Henry, Darius Johnson-Odom, Ryan Kelly, Marcus Landry, and now Gadzuric believed to be on non-guaranteed deals.
Pacers Sign Hilton Armstrong
The Pacers have added one more player to their training camp roster, officially signing Hilton Armstrong, according to Scott Agness of Pacers.com (Twitter link). The move increases the club's camp roster to 17 players.
Armstrong, 28, hasn't appeared in an NBA game since prior to the lockout, when he finished the 2010/11 season with the Hawks. Since then, the former UConn big man has played in France and Greece, and joined the D-League's Santa Cruz Warriors last season. In 29 games with the team, Armstrong averaged 13.4 PPG and 6.8 RPG.
Along with the 13 players the Pacers have on guaranteed contracts, the team is also bringing Armstrong, Ron Howard, Darnell Jackson, and Rasual Butler to camp. It's not clear whether the Pacers will carry a full 15-man roster into the season, but if they do, Armstrong should get a chance to try to earn a spot on the bench behind Roy Hibbert and Ian Mahinmi.
Mickael Pietrus Seeking Guaranteed Deal
Nearly all of the NBA contracts being signed in the weeks leading up to training camp are non-guaranteed, but Mickael Pietrus is looking for more than a make-good deal, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Charania reports that Pietrus turned down a camp invitation from the Spurs and continues to seek an offer that includes a guaranteed salary.
We heard earlier in September that Pietrus was working out for the Spurs, and it's no surprise that he received a camp invite, since the team seems to be bringing in veteran wings to compete for its final roster spot. Sam Young and Corey Maggette are among the players who will be in camp with the Spurs.
According to Charania, Pietrus has worked out for a few teams besides the Spurs, but presumably no other club was willing to offer a fully guaranteed contract either. There's something of a precedent here for Pietrus, who didn't participate in training camp last fall, and ultimately landed a guaranteed pact with the Raptors a month into the season. With word of a few injuries already beginning to trickle in, it's probably not a bad strategy for Pietrus and his reps to wait out the market for now, in the hopes that a desperate team will be willing to up its offer within the next few weeks.
Pietrus' 2012/13 season was cut short due in part to knee issues, which plagued him even when he did suit up. He appeared in 19 contests for Toronto, averaging career-lows in PPG (5.3), FG% (.347), and PER (6.0), among other categories. However, Charania says the French swingman has spent the offseason working out to regain his old form.
Warriors Sign Ognjen Kuzmic, Joe Alexander
The Warriors have officially signed 2012 second-round pick Ognjen Kuzmic and added Joe Alexander to their training camp roster, the team announced today in a press release. We heard back in August that Kuzmic was expected to join the Warriors, while Grantland's Zach Lowe reported this week that Alexander had received a training camp invite from the club.
Kuzmic, 23, averaged 6.9 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 27 Spanish League contests for FIATC Joventut Badalona in 2012/13. According to at least one report earlier this week, his salary for 2013/14 will be guaranteed, though that's not confirmed, and the specifics of his contract aren't yet known.
As for Alexander, he'll almost certainly be on a fully non-guaranteed camp deal, so he's far from assured a regular-season roster spot. Assuming Kuzmic's contract is guaranteed and Alexander's is not, the Warriors will head into camp with 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts, plus five more players on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed deals.
Alexander, the eighth overall pick in 2008, appeared in only 67 NBA games for the Bucks and Bulls before falling out of the league. The 6'8" forward appeared to be headed to China last season, but a reported deal never materialized. As such, his most recent on-court action came in Russia with Krasnie Krilya in 2011/12.
Knicks Notes: Carmelo, Mills, Grunwald, Houston
The Knicks surprised the NBA world yesterday when they announced that Steve Mills would be replacing Glen Grunwald as the team's general manager. We've already passed along a few of the reactions to that move, but there are a few more leftovers on the front office shake-up among today's Knicks items. Let's round them up….
- The Knicks' front office changes are "all to keep Carmelo [Anthony]," a rival executive tells Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. If Carmelo is going to commit long-term to the Knicks next summer, he wants to feel confident that the team can attract a marquee free agent in 2015, when cap space is available, writes Beck. According to that rival exec, Mills likely has a better chance of luring a top free agent than Grunwald, who is soft-spoken and isn't as connected to the players.
- Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld wonders whether it would be even be in the Knicks' best interests to re-sign Anthony to a max deal in 2014.
- Agent Rick Kaplan, who represents Marcus Camby, called the Knicks' demotion of Grunwald "absurd" and "cruel," according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. "He did everything he was asked to do by his owner, and did it with a smile on his face," Kaplan said. "The only good news is that some lucky team will have Glen fall in its lap and he can finally work for a team that appreciates his enormous talent and class."
- One "prominent NBA executive" who spoke to Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News agreed with Kaplan, asking rhetorically, "What in the world did Glen Grunwald do to get fired? They gave [Mills] two jobs today and he isn’t qualified for either one of them."
- Sources tell Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report that Allan Houston is likely being groomed to be the next GM in New York.
T-Wolves To Sign A.J. Price
FRIDAY, 1:57pm: Price's contract will be fully non-guaranteed, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, but Wolfson still believes the veteran guard should be able to stick with the team (Twitter link). Zgoda agrees that Price should have a fair shot, pointing out that the Wolves could waive Chris Johnson if they want to keep two of their camp invitees, rather than just one.
THURSDAY, 9:44pm: Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune reports (via Twitter) that the Timberwolves are expected to add guard A.J. Price to their training camp roster tomorrow. Earlier today, Zgoda mentioned that the team had been in talks with the UConn product about a training camp invite, and we had relayed the possibility from ESPN 1500's Darren Wolfson about a week ago.
Assuming that Price signs on with a non-guaranteed deal, Minnesota will have 14 guaranteed and four non-guaranteed contracts, leaving one spot potentially up for grabs. Based on what head of basketball operations Flip Saunders intimated last month about the team currently not having any needs, it's likely that the Timberwolves would only look to bring on another guaranteed or partially-guaranteed deal if one of the training camp invitees were to make a very strong impression. As we noted last week, Price has some familiarity with Minnesota GM Milt Newton, as the point guard had been somewhat of a steady rotation player for the Wizards while Newton had served as a team executive in Washington D.C. last season.
Roger Mason Jr. Signs With Heat
Free agent guard Roger Mason Jr. has signed a contract to join the Heat, according to Mason's Twitter account. The NBPA's vice president tweeted this afternoon: "I'm humbled and extremely blessed to have signed with the World Champion Miami Heat!!! Can't wait to get to work!"
Mason, 33, has played for seven different teams since making his NBA debut in 2003. He played for New Orleans in 2012/13, averaging 5.3 PPG and shooting 41.5% on three-pointers. He reportedly worked out for the Heat earlier this week, and as Michael Pina of Hoops Rumors noted at the time, he could be a valuable outside shooter for a team that amnestied Mike Miller in July.
First though, he'll have to earn a spot on the roster. The Heat currently have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, and Michael Beasley, who has a non-guaranteed deal, is expected to become the 14th man. Even if Miami was open to carrying a full 15-man roster, Mason would still have to beat out Larry Drew II, Eric Griffin, Justin Hamilton, and Jarvis Varnado, who will be in camp with the club as well.
Magic Sign Osby, Four Free Agents
SEPTEMBER 27TH: The Magic have officially announced their camp invitees in a press release. However, although Osby, Jones, Joseph, and Harris were confirmed, the team's announcement mentions big man Mickell Gladness rather than Micheal Eric.
It's not clear whether the name was originally misreported, or if an issue arose that led Orlando to bring in Gladness rather than Eric. For now though, it seems as if Eric isn't a part of the team's camp roster, while Gladness is.
SEPTEMBER 19TH: The Magic currently have 14 players on their roster, but will take advantage of increased offseason roster limits to bring five more players to camp, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Schmitz reports (via Twitter) that Solomon Jones, Kris Joseph, Manny Harris, and Micheal Eric will be in camp with Orlando. The team is also bringing second-rounder Romero Osby to camp, though the two sides are still negotiating a contract, says Schmitz (Twitter link).
Although Jones and Joseph each saw NBA action in 2012/13, neither played extensive minutes. Jones, a big man who has spent time with five NBA teams, appeared in two games for the Knicks last season. Meanwhile, Joseph shuffled back and forth between the Nets and Celtics, and was included in the summer's Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce blockbuster before he was waived by Boston. The 24-year-old forward was said to have a deal with a Chinese team, but it appears he'll try to earn an NBA roster spot before exploring options overseas.
Harris and Eric both have some history with the Cavaliers, though Harris is the only one of the two that has NBA experience. Harris, 23, appeared in 80 games for the Cavs from 2010 to 2012, averaging 6.2 PPG in 17.4 minutes per contest. He spent last season playing in the Ukraine, as our international tracker shows. As for Eric, he participated in camp with Cleveland last fall before joining the club's D-League affiliate in Canton.
While the five additions to the camp roster will bring Orlando's roster count to 19, only 12 players have fully guaranteed contracts. Kyle O'Quinn's deal won't become guaranteed until opening night, and Schmitz tweets that the club continues to negotiate a buyout with Hedo Turkoglu, whose $12MM salary is only 50% guaranteed. Assuming O'Quinn is ticketed for the regular-season roster and Turkoglu isn't, there should be one or two spots up for grabs in camp.
Myck Kabongo To Join Spurs For Camp
Undrafted rookie Myck Kabongo has reached an agreement with the Spurs and will attend camp with the team, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, Kabongo figures to ultimately end up with San Antonio's D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros.
Kabongo, 20, left Texas after his sophomore year, ranked among Chad Ford's top 50 prospects for 2013, and was getting buzz during draft week as a potential late first-round pick, so it was a little surprising when he wasn't selected on draft night. The Canadian point guard played for the Heat in Summer League action, and switched agents last month, leaving Rich Paul for Bill Duffy.
NBA teams are permitted to retain the D-League rights to three players that attend training camp and don't make the NBA roster, so it appears that Kabongo will be one of those players for the Spurs. He'll become the 17th player on a roster that includes 14 guaranteed contracts and camp invitees Sam Young and Corey Maggette.
Thunder Sign Diante Garrett, Rodney McGruder
The Thunder have officially added a pair of players to their training camp roster, announcing in a press release that they've signed free agents Diante Garrett and Rodney McGruder. The two new players bring the team's total roster count to 17 players heading into camp.
Garrett announced nearly a month ago on his Twitter account that he'd "be with OKC this year," though it wasn't clear what sort of agreement he'd reached with the club. While the terms still haven't been reported, I'd guess it's a non-guaranteed camp invite. The 24-year-old guard made his NBA debut for the Suns last season, appearing in 19 games for the club, and averaging 17.3 PPG and 7.3 APG in eight contests with Phoenix's D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam.
McGruder, meanwhile, averaged 15.6 PPG last season in his senior year at Kansas State. The 6'4" guard went undrafted in June before playing for the Bobcats' Summer League squad in July.
Heading into camp with 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, OKC appears likely to fill out the remaining one to three available spots on its roster with some combination of Garrett, McGruder, Ryan Gomes, Daniel Orton, and Hasheem Thabeet. Gomes and Thabeet have partial guarantees on their deals.