Sixers Waive Kris Humphries, Two Others
OCTOBER 14: The Sixers have officially waived Humphries, Okafor, and Blackmon, the team announced today in a press release.
OCTOBER 13: The Sixers have released a pair of veteran big men hoping to extend their NBA careers, as well as an undrafted rookie. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that the team has informed Kris Humphries, Emeka Okafor and James Blackmon that they will not remain with the club.
Humphries, a 32-year-old veteran of 11 NBA seasons, last played for the Hawks in 2016/17 and could still plausibly end up on yet another NBA roster before the season is through.
Okafor, a distant cousin of Philadelphia backup center Jahlil Okafor, was hoping to return to the court for the first time since 2012/13 at 35 years of age.
While the veterans will likely seek NBA opportunities elsewhere, Blackmon could end up with the team’s G League squad as an affiliate player. The guard strung together three impressive seasons at Indiana before declaring for the draft as an early entrant.
Hawks Waive Richard Jefferson, Kay Felder
The Hawks have officially requested waivers on Richard Jefferson and Kay Felder, the team announced today in a press release. Atlanta had formally confirmed their trade for Jefferson and Felder about an hour ago, so the duo’s stint with the team was very short-lived, as expected.
The Cavaliers sent Jefferson and Felder to the Hawks in order to clear a pair of contracts – one fully guaranteed and one partially guaranteed – from their books. The deal will help reduce Cleveland’s projected tax bill and gets the team’s roster in order for the start of the regular season.
From the Hawks’ perspective, the move essentially allowed the team to acquire 2019 second-round pick for free, since the Cavs sent enough cash ($3MM) to cover Jefferson’s salary and Felder’s guarantee. Jefferson’s $2.5MM salary and Felder’s $457K guarantee will remain on Atlanta’s cap for this season, reducing the team’s available cap room.
Jefferson and Felder will clear waivers on Monday, assuming they’re not claimed by another team. It will be interesting to see where each player lands, since Jefferson wants to continue his career and Felder has some appeal as a young prospect.
According to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net (Twitter link), Jefferson is drawing interest from some non-contending teams, and the Celtics could be a possibility for him too. The veteran forward isn’t eligible to re-sign with the Cavs at any point this season.
Grizzlies Waive Durand Scott
The Grizzlies have moved a step closer toward finalizing their regular season roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived Durand Scott. The 27-year-old guard initially joined the Memphis roster last week, and may ultimately land with the Memphis Hustle, the team’s G League affiliate.
Scott’s release had been expected, but the Grizzlies will now face some difficult decisions as they look to get down to 15 players for the regular season. With Scott no longer in the mix, the club is carrying 19 players in total — 17 on NBA deals and two on two-way contracts.
Of the Grizzlies’ 17 NBA players, only one has a non-guaranteed contract, and that player – Mario Chalmers – looks like a strong candidate to make the team’s 15-man squad. That would mean trading or waiving two players with fully guaranteed salaries. Jarell Martin appears to be on the chopping block, and a point guard like Andrew Harrison or Wade Baldwin could join him if Chalmers sticks around.
Pacific Notes: Griffin, Booker, Chandler, Lakers
Blake Griffin signed a long-term deal to stay with the Clippers this past offseason and when he signed on the dotted line, he became the undisputed face of a revamped franchise. Longtime point guard Chris Paul was traded to the Rockets, ending an era that saw the Clippers as perennial playoff contenders but also a team that never advanced past the first round.
In an interview with ESPN’s Sam Alipour, Griffin addressed the Clippers’ changed roster but said that change is not always a bad thing.
“I don’t know. You never want to blow up something like that — you have All-Stars in CP and DJ [DeAndre Jordan], great pieces like J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford,“ Griffin said. “But at the same time, we haven’t had success, so a shake-up doesn’t hurt.”
With a five-year, $173MM deal keeping Griffin in Los Angeles, he said that he will take on a stronger leadership role. Despite losing Paul, the team still has talent that can lead the team to the playoffs.
“Yeah, I led by example, but I’ll be more outspoken this year,” he said. “Over the years, I’ve learned that leaders aren’t always popular. You have to say things people don’t necessarily want to hear.”
Read up on other news coming out of the Pacific Division below:
- Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins became the latest players to sign maximum rookie deals and the Suns‘ budding star, Devin Booker, could be in the same boat next year, Scott Bordow of Arizona Central Sports writes.
- Veteran center Tyson Chandler has become a voice of reason and guidance for a young Suns team, Bordow writes in a separate story.
- Larry Nance Jr. has been the favorite to win the Lakers‘ starting power forward position but the play of Kyle Kuzma — who led the NBA with 104 preseason points — has made it a tougher decision, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register writes.
- The Lakers signed 19-year-old Can Pelister as the youngest international scout of all-time, according to basketball journalist David Pick (Twitter link).
Cavs Trade Richard Jefferson, Kay Felder To Hawks
OCTOBER 14, 9:50am: The trade is now official, according to a press release issued by the Hawks. As detailed below, Atlanta receives Jefferson, Felder, cash ($3MM), and second-round picks in 2019 and 2020 in exchange for the rights to Agravanis and Gladyr.
Interestingly, the 2020 second-rounder is Portland’s pick. The protection on that selection is 31-55, meaning there’s a good chance it won’t actually change hands.
OCTOBER 13, 5:37pm: A Wojnarowski report at ESPN clarifies that the 2019 pick heading to Atlanta will be the lesser of the Timberwolves’ and Lakers’ picks that had been owed to Cleveland.
The Hawks will also receive $3MM in the deal, which is agreed upon in principle. That cash will cover Jefferson’s full salary and Felder’s partial guarantee.
4:57pm: The Cavaliers and Hawks are in advanced talks on a deal that would send Richard Jefferson and Kay Felder to Atlanta, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, also involved in the deal will be the draft rights to a European player (Cleveland-bound), a pair of future second-round picks (Atlanta-bound) and cash (also heading to Atlanta).
Although the deal has not been finalized, Sam Amick of USA Today has tweeted that it will be Dimitrios Agravanis and Sergiy Gladyr in particular that will be heading to Ohio. Agravanis was the No. 59 pick in 2015, Gladyr the No. 49 pick in 2009.
Amick also tweets that the second-round picks going from Cleveland to Atlanta will be a 2019 pick and a 2020 pick. The Cavs have previously traded their own second-rounders in both years, but have acquired extra picks that they’ll use in this deal.
Per Wojnarowski, the Hawks plan to waive Jefferson and likely Felder too. Chris Mannix of The Vertical tweets that Jefferson has no plans to retire, but the 37-year-old will be ineligible to re-sign with Cleveland this season if he’s waived by Atlanta.
The Cavs have been hard-pressed to unload a guaranteed contract ever since they signed Dwyane Wade after his buyout from the Bulls. Shedding both Jefferson and Felder will bump the team down to 15 guaranteed deals and, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN, save the franchise as much as $12.8MM in luxury tax penalties.
Also, as Marks notes, the deal will create a pair of trade exceptions for Cleveland, one worth $2.6MM and another worth $1.4MM.
The Hawks can get to $4.9MM under the cap, enough to eat both Jefferson and Felder’s deals. While the two are signed to modest contracts, they both include guarantees — Jefferson’s is a full guarantee, while Felder’s is only partial.
In summary, Atlanta took advantage of available cap space and managed to procure a pair of second-round picks simply by eating two relatively minor contracts. Those additional draft choices will bode the franchise well as it embarks on its rebuild.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Warriors Waive Georges Niang, Michael Gbinije
The Warriors have waived guard Georges Niang and forward Michael Gbinije, the team announced in a press release. Both men were second-round picks in last year’s NBA draft.
Niang, 24, played in four preseason games, averaging 4.0 PPG in 9.8 minutes per game. Gbinije, 25, also appeared in four games, averaging 3.3 PPG in 7.5 minutes per contest.
Niang, who was drafted by the Pacers last year, latched on with Golden State on a one-year pact in mid-August. Gbinije, last year’s 49th overall pick by the Pistons, signed his deal in early September.
Both Niang and Gbinije are candidates to land with the Warriors’ G League affiliate Santa Cruz Warriors. After waiving Trevor Thompson yesterday, the Warriors have 15 players on their NBA roster.
Knicks Waive Trey Burke, Two Others
The Knicks have announced three roster cuts, confirming today in a press release that they’ve waived point guard Trey Burke, guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes, and forward Nigel Hayes.
Burke is the most noteworthy player of the group. The former ninth overall pick signed a contract with the Knicks earlier this week, and given the team’s uncertain point guard picture, it looked like there may be an opportunity for him to sneak onto the regular season roster. That won’t happen after all.
Rathan-Mayes and Hayes look like good bets to land with the Westchester Knicks as G League affiliate players. Burke could also end up in the G League, though he’ll likely exhaust his NBA opportunities first, and overseas league may be an option for the former Michigan standout too.
As for the Knicks, they’re still carrying 16 players on their NBA roster, but don’t necessarily need to make any additional cuts before the season begins. Joakim Noah is in the midst of serving a 20-game ban and will open the year on the suspended list, giving the Knicks the chance to add a 16th player until Noah returns. Jarrett Jack – the only non-guaranteed player left on the roster – appears to be the beneficiary.
Glenn Robinson III Expected To Miss 3-4 Months
OCTOBER 14: Robinson underwent successful surgery on his left ankle on Friday, the Pacers announced in a press release. According to the team, the swingman is expected to miss approximately three or four months, so he likely won’t make his season debut until 2018.
OCTOBER 11: Glenn Robinson III will undergo surgery on his left ankle and is not expected to return to the court until mid-December, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com.
The 23-year-old missed the majority of training camp and preseason while nursing a high ankle sprain. He suffered the injury on September 28 and was expected to miss roughly two months. Wojnarowski adds that the need for surgery will extend his original timeline by about two to four weeks.
The Pacers consider Robinson a key member of the team’s rebuild and they plan on having him play a “prominent role” once he’s healthy, per Wojnarowski.
Robinson was drafted by the Wolves with the No. 40 overall pick in the 2014 draft. Minnesota waived him during his rookie season after just 25 games and the Sixers brought him aboard for the remainder of the 2014/15 season.
The Michigan product joined the Pacers during the 2015 offseason and he’s progressed in two seasons with the club. He’s averaging 5.2 points in 17.0 minutes per game while shooting 37.6% from downtown during his pair of campaigns in Indiana.
Clippers Sign Ike Iroegbu
The Clippers signed point guard Ike Iroegbu to a deal on Friday, as reported by Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Iroegbu played for 17 minutes in the Clippers’ preseason finale against the Lakers, posting seven points, five rebounds and one assist.
Iroegbu, 22, spent the last four seasons at Washington State University. He appeared in 31 games in each of his four years at the school, averaging just under 10 points, three rebounds and three assists during his tenure. After going undrafted, Iroegbu participated in Afrobasket this year representing Nigeria and appeared in one game with the Suns during Summer League.
It is likely that the Clippers waive Iroegbu ahead of the deadline for teams to finalize rosters at 15 players. Signing and then waiving Iroegbu will give the Clips first dibs to make the young guard an affiliate player for their G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario.
Bucks Cut Brandon Rush, Joel Anthony, Gary Payton II
The Bucks have parted ways with a handful of players with NBA experience, announcing late last night (via Twitter) that they’ve requested waivers on swingman Brandon Rush, big man Joel Anthony, and second-year guard Gary Payton II.
Of the three players, Rush has the most recent NBA experience, and perhaps had the strongest case to earn a spot on the Bucks’ regular season roster. Last season, Rush appeared in 47 games (33 starts) for the Timberwolves, averaging a modest 4.2 PPG but making 38.6% of his threes. He’s a career 40.2% three-point shooter.
Rather than carrying Rush though, it appears the Bucks may open the season with Gerald Green holding their final roster spot. Currently, Milwaukee has 15 players under contract, with Green and his non-guaranteed deal joining 14 players on guaranteed salaries.
Rush, Anthony, and Payton will clear waivers on Monday, assuming they’re not claimed.