Mavericks Waive Dozier, Warney, Wayns
The Mavericks are close to the roster limit after waiving PJ Dozier, Jameel Warney and Maalik Wayns, tweets Earl K. Sneed. All three will be eligible to join the Mavs’ G League affiliate if they clear waivers.
Dozier, a combo guard, went undrafted this year out of South Carolina. He played briefly for the Lakers’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League before landing a partially guaranteed camp deal with Dallas.
Warney, a 6’9″ power forward, signed with the team on Friday. He was in camp with the Mavericks last season as well and played 44 games for the Texas Legends in the G League.
Wayns, 26, has played for a variety of G League and international teams since going undrafted out of Villanova in 2012. He had brief stays with the Sixers and Clippers, playing 29 total NBA games.
Dallas still has one more move to make and could reach the roster limit by turning Gian Clavell‘s contract into a two-way deal.
Clippers Converting C.J. Williams’ Deal To Two-Way Contract
With the regular season around the corner, the Clippers have decided to convert shooting guard C.J. Williams‘ NBA contract into a two-way deal, per Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Williams’ agreement with the Clippers included an Exhibit 10 clause, giving the club the opportunity to convert it into a two-way contract before the regular season begins. Los Angeles will have until Monday to make it official.
Williams, 27, was part of the Team USA squad that brought home gold at last month’s AmeriCup. He subsequently joined the Clippers for camp and got the chance to play in four preseason games for the team. On Friday night, he put up eight points, five assists, and four steals in a loss to the Lakers.
With Williams’ contract turning into a two-way deal, the Clippers will have a couple more roster moves to make before opening night. Ike Iroegbu and Tyrone Wallace are the most likely candidates to be waived, while Marshall Plumlee‘s status also remains uncertain.
Grizzlies Looking For Trades Before Roster Deadline
The Grizzlies are exploring trades to reach the roster limit, tweets Keith Smith of RealGM. The team has 16 guaranteed contracts and must get rid of two players by Monday.
Past reports out of Memphis indicated that power forward Jarell Martin is most in danger of being waived, along with point guards Andrew Harrison and Wade Baldwin. Mario Chalmers doesn’t have a fully guaranteed contract, but he has looked good in recent weeks and appears to have a leg up over the younger point guards.
A first-round pick in 2015, Martin will make more than $1.47MM this year. He has spent much of the past two seasons in the G League, but played 42 games for the Grizzlies in 2016/17, averaging 3.9 points per night in about 13 minutes.
Harrison earned a spot in the rotation as a rookie point guard last season and appeared in 72 games, starting 18. He has a guaranteed $1,312,611 salary for this year and a fully non-guaranteed $1,544,951 for 2018/19.
Baldwin, a first-round pick in 2016, appeared in 33 games as a rookie point guard. He is guaranteed more than $1.87MM for this season.
Western Notes: Leonard, Exum, Hood, Nurkic
Kawhi Leonard won’t be ready when the season opens because of a lingering quad injury, relays the Associated Press. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich confirmed the news to reporters Friday night, saying the team will be cautious with its star forward, who didn’t play in any preseason games or participate in camp. ”He’s still rehabbing and when he’s ready, he’ll be ready,’‘ Popovich said.
Leonard is in a rehab program for quadriceps tendinopathy, and Popovich admitted last month that recovery is taking longer than anticipated. Leonard began experiencing the condition last season, and it is not related to an ankle injury in the Western Conference finals that knocked him out of the playoffs.
There’s more from the Western Conference:
- Leonard, who finished third in the MVP voting last season, is this year’s favorite for the award, according to Tom Haberstroh and Titus Smith of ESPN. The writers examine the criteria used in MVP balloting and believe Leonard has the strongest case. He averaged a career-best 25.5 points per game last year while helping the Spurs win 61 games.
- Jazz guard Dante Exum is exploring alternatives to season-ending surgery on his left shoulder, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Exum suffered a separated shoulder with ligament damage in a preseason game last week. The fifth pick in the 2014 draft already missed the 2015/16 season with a torn ACL. Exum has a Monday deadline to work out an extension with Utah or he will become a restricted free agent next summer.
- Also facing a Monday extension deadline is Rodney Hood, who anticipates a larger role in the Jazz offense this season, relays Jody Gennessy of The Deseret News. The fourth-year shooting guard believes Utah, which went unbeaten in the preseason, will be able to replace the contributions of free agent losses Gordon Hayward and George Hill. “It won’t necessarily be easy, but it will be easier than people think because we’ve got guys who can pass the ball and play without the ball,” Hood said.
- The Trail Blazers won’t work out an extension with center Jusuf Nurkic before Monday, but that doesn’t mean his future won’t be in Portland, according to Mike Richman of The Oregonian. The Blazers traded for Nurkic in February, and the organization would prefer to watch him for a full season before committing to a long-term contract. Nurkic helped propel the team into the playoffs after being acquired from Denver and makes no secret of his affection for Portland. “I love this team,” Nurkic said Friday. “I love this city. I love these teammates. I enjoy it here.”
Thunder Cut Semaj Christon, Isaiah Canaan, Others
The Thunder have made their roster cuts in advance of the regular season, announcing in a press release that four players will hit the waiver wire. Oklahoma City has parted with points guards Semaj Christon and Isaiah Canaan, as well as center Yannis Morin and forward Chris Wright.
Morin and Wright were never considered likely to make the Thunder’s 15-man regular season roster. Both were signed earlier this week with the apparent intent of eventually having them join the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate.
As for Christon and Canaan, it’s interesting that the Thunder chose to waive both players. The team’s four cuts bring the roster count down to 15 players, but one of those 15 is on a two-way contract, so OKC could have kept either Christon or Canaan. Instead, the franchise – which is well over the tax line – appears set to save some money and maintain some flexibility by starting the season with just 14 players.
Christon, Canaan, Morin, and Wright will become unrestricted free agents on Monday if and when they clears waivers.
Suns Waive Tidjan Keita, Elijah Millsap
2:45pm: In addition to cutting Keita, the Suns have also waived swingman Elijah Millsap, tweets Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. Having dropped Millsap’s non-guaranteed deal, Phoenix is now ready for the regular season, with 15 NBA players and two on two-way contracts.
1:54pm: The Suns have waived French forward/center Tidjan Keita, according to the team website. Keita just signed on Friday, so the organization seems to have plans for him in the G League.
The 20-year-old got an invitation to camp based on a pre-draft workout with the team in May and an impressive showing with Toronto’s entry in the Las Vegas Summer League.
The move brings the Phoenix roster down to 18 players, including two-way deals for Alec Peters and Mike James. One more move will be necessary to reach the limit.
Pelicans Waive Perry Jones, Cliff Alexander
The Pelicans have made a pair of cuts, according to Scott Kushner of The Advocate, who reports (via Twitter) that the club has waived Perry Jones and Cliff Alexander.
Jones, a former Thunder first-round pick, got off to a decent start in the preseason for the Pelicans, picking up 10 points and seven rebounds against his old team in Oklahoma City. However, in his next two games, Perry went scoreless in 17 total minutes.
A Kansas product, Alexander averaged 2.0 PPG and 3.8 RPG in limited minutes in four preseason games.
The Pelicans are now at 17 players, with 15 on NBA contracts and two on two-way deals, so they’re all set for the regular season. Since New Orleans doesn’t have a G League affiliate, Jones and Alexander will have to look elsewhere for opportunities.
Raptors Waive Davion Berry
The Raptors have reached the roster limit by waiving guard Davion Berry, according to a tweet from the team.
The former Weber State guard signed with the organization on Wednesday and is likely headed to the G League. The 25-year-old, who has extensive overseas experience, received an Exhibit 10 contract that will pay him a $50K bonus that won’t count against Toronto’s cap.
Waiving Berry brings the Raptors to the roster limit with 17 players, including Lorenzo Brown and Malcolm Miller on two-way contracts.
Pacers Waive Three Players
A busy Saturday on the NBA transactions wire continues, with the Pacers announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived training camp invitees DeQuan Jones, Trey McKinney-Jones, and Ben Moore.
The series of roster moves for the Pacers should set up the club for the regular season, barring any further transactions. Indiana is currently carrying the maximum 17 players — 15 on NBA contracts and two on two-way deals.
With no additional cuts necessary, two players without fully guaranteed contracts – Jarrod Uthoff and Damien Wilkins – appears poised to open the season with the Pacers.
As for the three players who are now on waivers, McKinney-Jones is a veteran of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and seems like a good bet to return to the Pacers’ G League squad. Moore may also end up there as an affiliate player, but it’s not clear if Jones will land in Fort Wayne — he previously played for the Reno Bighorns in the G League, and I believe Reno still holds his returning rights.
Lakers Waive Blue, Wear, Weber
The Lakers have reached the roster limit by waiving Vander Blue, Travis Wear and Briante Weber, the team announced on its website.
Blue has played just five NBA games — three with the Celtics and two with the Lakers — since going undrafted out of Marquette in 2013. The 25-year-old was MVP of the G League last season with L.A.’s affiliate and had a strong showing in the Las Vegas Summer League. His camp contract contains a $50K guarantee.
Wear has an Exhibit 10 deal, which could still be converted to a two-way contract as the Lakers have an opening. The 27-year-old forward will receive a bonus if he winds up in the G League.
Weber, a 24-year-old point guard, played 13 games with the Hornets at the end of last season.
The moves bring the Lakers’ roster down to 16 players, including a two-way contract for Alex Caruso.