NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

Nets Waive Gutierrez, Johnson, Thomas

October 26th, 2013 at 12:36pm CST by Zachary Links

The Nets announced that they have waived guard Jorge Gutierrez and forwards Chris Johnson and Adonis Thomas. Brooklyn’s roster now stands at the max of 15.

Gutierrez, who was signed to the training camp roster on September 30, appeared in five preseason games, averaging 1.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Johnson, who was also signed to the training camp roster on September 30, played in seven preseason games, averaging 5.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. Thomas, who was signed to the training camp roster on October 18, did not appear in any preseason games for the Nets.

Jazz Waive Cook, McGuire, Holiday, Hudson, Machado

October 26th, 2013 at 11:48am CST by Zachary Links

The Jazz announced that they have cut Brian Cook, Dominic McGuire, Justin Holiday, Lester Hudson and Scott Machado. Utah’s roster is now down to 15, including the injured Brandon Rush and Marvin Williams.

Today’s news means that Mike Harris and Jamaal Tinsley have both made the cut for the Jazz. Tinsley’s signing, necessitated when rookie point guard Trey Burke broke his hand earlier this month, likely cost one of today’s camp cuts a spot on the team. All five were on fully non-guaranteed deals, so the Jazz aren’t on the hook for their salaries.

Everyone the Jazz brought to camp has NBA experience, and that includes Harris, who’ll begin his fourth NBA season on opening night. The power forward has played sparingly, totaling just 34 games across stints with the Rockets and Wizards, but coach Tyrone Corbin values the mobility of his 6’6″, 235-pound frame, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News points out (on Twitter).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Spurs Waive Josh Howard

October 26th, 2013 at 11:25am CST by Zachary Links

The Spurs today announced that they have waived forward Josh Howard. Howard barely had a chance to unpack his bags as he was signed by the club just yesterday.

Howard was originally drafted 29th overall in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Mavericks where he played for seven seasons. Over the course of his career with the Mavs, Wizards, Jazz, and Timberwolves the Wake Forest University product has averaged 14.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 30.3 minutes.

According to Mike Monroe of the San Antonio News-Express (via Twitter), the gameplan is to wait for Howard to clear waivers so that they can send him to the D-League’s Austin Toros. There, Howard can continue to ramp back up towards being in game shape.

Clippers Waive Lou Amundson

October 26th, 2013 at 10:58am CST by Zachary Links

The Clippers waived forward Louis Amundson after last night’s preseason game, according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). Amundson was on a non-guaranteed deal.

The 30-year-old saw NBA action for the Timberwolves, Bulls, and Hornets (now the Pelicans) last season, averaging 1.9 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 39 contests. It wasn’t a banner year for the big man, but he came to the Clippers with a reputation for solid rebounding and overall hustle. For his career, Amundson boasts a 10.1 RPG per 36 minutes average.

Wizards To Exercise Bradley Beal’s Option

October 26th, 2013 at 10:42am CST by Zachary Links

The Wizards aren’t going to pick up the fourth-year options on Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton, but they will trigger Bradley Beal‘s third-year option, a source familiar with the club’s thinking tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Of course, the move was widely expected.

Beal, 20, averaged 13.9 PPG with 3.8 RPG and 2.4 APG in his rookie season. The guard was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 draft and along with John Wall he helps to form one of the most promising backcourts in the NBA.

Beal & Co. could be joined by a bonafide star next year as they are projected to have about $15MM for next summer’s free agent frenzy.

Celtics To Waive Chris Babb

October 26th, 2013 at 10:18am CST by Zachary Links

The Celtics will waive former Iowa state guard Chris Babb, sources told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Releasing Babb brings the C’s roster down to 14 and keeps them out of luxury tax territory.

Babb, 23, went undrafted this past June and hooked on with the Celtics in late August after playing for the Suns’ summer league squad. In his senior year at Iowa State, the 6’5″ guard averaged 9.1 PPG to go along with 38.2% shooting from three-point range. Babb was always viewed as a longshot to make the C’s but he managed to outlast fellow camp invitees DeShawn Sims, Kammron Taylor, and Damen Bell-Holter by a few days.

Lakers Waive Marcus Landry

October 26th, 2013 at 8:39am CST by Zachary Links

The Lakers announced that they have waived forward Marcus Landry. Los Angeles’ roster is now down to the maximum of 15 players.

Landry signed on with the Lakers in mid-September and was thought to have a decent chance at making the club with second-round pick Ryan Kelly working his way back from injury.

Landry, who turns 28 next week, appeared in 18 games in the 2009/10 season with the Knicks and Celtics. Since then, he’s bounced between the D-League and Europe, and played with the Reno Bighorns of the D-League last season.

Terms of Landry’s deal were not disclosed at signing but it’s safe to assume that it was a non-guaranteed deal.

Wizards To Decline Options On Vesely, Singleton

October 26th, 2013 at 8:16am CST by Zachary Links

The Wizards are set to decline their fourth-year options on Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton, according to J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. The team officially has until Oct. 31 to make the decision for the 2014/15 season, but it appears that their minds are already made up.

Singleton, who was chosen with the No. 18 pick in the 2011 draft, has missed the entire preseason after undergoing surgery on his left foot/toe. Vesely, who was the No. 6 overall pick in that draft, hasn’t progressed in the way that the club hoped he would at this stage. The big man has averaged just 3.6 PPG in 15.5 minutes per contest over his first two years in the league. Singleton hasn’t fulfilled his potential either, averaging 4.4 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 19.1 minutes per contest.

The Wizards could still re-sign both players following the 2013/14 season to less-than-scale contracts, but they won’t be back for the same amount, unless they truly break out this year. Vesely would have made $4.2MM while Singleton was set to make $2.5MM had their options been exercised.

Reaction To Suns/Wizards Trade

October 25th, 2013 at 11:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

Marcin Gortat took to Twitter to share his reaction to the trade that sent him from the Suns to the Wizards today, writing that he’s glad the deal happened before the season instead of in the middle of it. He also tweeted that he doesn’t have any hard feelings toward the Phoenix brass, calling Ryan McDonough “an amazing GM” for the Suns, and he expressed his excitement about playing with Nene. The man known as The Polish Hammer isn’t the only one with an opinion on the deal, and we’ve got more insight here:

J. Michael of CSNWashington.com calls the trade a win for both teams, and believes the three others headed to the Wizards in this deal — Kendall Marshall, Malcolm Lee and, in particular, Shannon Brown — could be claimed on waivers when Washington cuts them, as expected. If another team claims them, it would take their salaries off the Wizards’ books.
The pressure is on the Wizards to make the playoffs, and the trade makes the need for a postseason berth even more dire for GM Ernie Grunfeld and coach Randy Wittman, according to USA Today’s Adi Joseph, who thinks there was a touch of desperation involved.
TNT’s David Aldridge disagrees that the Wizards made the deal out of desperation, calling it “a classic NBA trade” involving one team with playoff hopes and another one robbing the present to invest in the future.
Miles Plumlee‘s development makes the loss of Gortat easier to stomach, McDonough told reporters, including Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. “Miles Plumlee’s progress is a big reason we did this trade,” McDonough said. “Miles was a big part of the deal we did with Indiana (also getting Gerald Green and a pick for Luis Scola). Our coaching staff has been very pleased with Miles. He’s improved ever since he left Duke and a lot in the short time he’s been with us.”
There have been trade rumors swirling around Gortat since last season, but McDonough said the team wasn’t especially anxious to move him, as Coro notes in the same piece. “We think he’s an above-average center and it took a great deal to do it,” the GM said, adding that “the way we build the next great Suns team is through the draft.”
There are fears that Suns acquisition Emeka Okafor will miss the entire season, as we noted earlier.

Jim Buss Promises Kobe Won’t Hit Free Agency

October 25th, 2013 at 10:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers are working toward an extension for Kobe Bryant, and co-owner and executive vice president Jim Buss tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com that there’s no way the star two-guard will become a free agent this summer, when his current contract is set to expire. Bryant’s torn Achilles tendon has slowed the talks between GM Mitch Kupchak and agent Rob Pelinka, but Buss swears a deal will get done before July 1st.

“I want to put an end to any speculation that we would allow Kobe to become a free agent,” Buss said. “That’s not going to happen. Kobe is a top priority for us. He’s a Laker legend and always will be. I don’t think we’re done winning championships with him yet.”

A report in September indicated negotiations had not yet begun, so it appears the two sides have only recently begun to talk. Bryant said over the summer that he wasn’t keen on the idea of taking a significant paycut, and signing an extension, which would run no more than three years beyond his current deal’s expiration, would represent a sacrifice. Bryant could sign a record five-year deal with the Lakers for close to $184MM if he waited until he became a free agent in July, though such a contract would be unlikely given its size and the 35-year-old Bryant’s age.

Bryant could make slightly more per season if he signed a maximum-salary extension, but even that may be far-fetched, since that would entail a salary of more than $32.7MM next season. The talks may ultimately center around just how much less than the max Bryant is willing to take to allow the team to seek free agents with its ample projected cap space for this summer.

The timing of this pronouncement from Buss seems odd, since he told T.J. Simers of the Orange County Register on Thursday that he and Bryant had an understanding that Bryant would hit free agency.