Wizards Release Five Players
4:39pm: The moves are official, the Wizards announced via press release.
4:30pm: The Wizards are releasing Josh Harrellson, Ish Smith, Jaron Johnson, Jaleel Roberts and Toure’ Murry, reports Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post (Twitter link). The team has yet to make a public announcement, but Castillo indicates the moves have indeed taken place. All were on non-guaranteed deals except Roberts, who had a $10K partial guarantee. The subtractions leave Washington with 15 players, all of whom have fully guaranteed salaries.
The players hitting waivers today faced long odds to make it to opening night, including Harrellson, who acknowledged he was likely auditioning for 29 other teams with his preseason performance. He averaged 3.9 points in 7.3 minutes per game over seven preseason appearances. The 26-year-old big man was making his return after 2014 back surgery that forced him to miss all of last season.
It was surprising to see Smith on a non-guaranteed deal with little chance to crack the opening night roster, given his strong performance down the stretch with the Sixers last season. The 27-year-old point guard averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 assists and 2.8 turnovers in 27.1 minutes per game in 25 contests for Philaelphia. He was again an efficient ball-distributor despite lower scoring in the preseason with Washington this month, notching 2.2 points, 4.0 assists and 1.0 turnover in 11.5 minutes per game over five preseason contests.
Murry, 25, rejoined the Wizards during the offseason after he was briefly with the team on a pair of 10-day contracts last season. The two-year NBA veteran combo guard averaged 3.5 points in 7.5 minutes per game during four preseason contests.
Johnson spent last season with the Rockets D-League team after going undrafted out of Louisiana Tech in 2014. The 23-year-old shooting guard posted 2.0 points in 4.7 minutes per game over six preseason appearances for Washington.
The Wizards signed Roberts in August after he went undrafted out of UNC Asheville in June and played for Washington’s summer league team in July. The 23-year-old center put up 3.3 points in 6.9 minutes per game in three preseason contests.
Grizzlies Waive Diawara, Carter, Jones, Stepheson
The Grizzlies have waived Yakhouba Diawara, Sampson Carter, Lazeric Jones and Alex Stepheson, the team announced. Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reported the moves minutes earlier (Twitter link). The Memphis roster drops to 16, which means one more cut has to take place no later than Monday. JaMychal Green, who has a $150K partial guarantee, and Ryan Hollins, who’s on a non-guaranteed deal, are the only remaining Grizzlies without full guarantees. The four players Memphis is letting go have no guaranteed money.
Diawara, 33, was attempting an NBA comeback after having played overseas since his last NBA appearance in 2009/10. The swingman averaged 2.3 points in 16.0 minutes per game across six preseason contests this month.
Carter was a 25-year-old combo forward who went undrafted out of UMass in 2014. Last season he hopped from BC Prievidza in Slovakia to CAB Madeira in Portugal and finally to Club Virgilio Castillo, also known as Chola, of the Dominican Republic. Pincus reported that his contract was a one-year, minimum-salary arrangement without a guarantee. He averaged 1.0 point and 6.0 minutes per game in six preseason appearances.
Jones’ contract was the first NBA deal for the former UCLA point guard who spent three years playing overseas. The 25-year-old put up 5.8 points in 14.3 minutes per game over six preseason contests for the Grizzlies.
Stepheson followed a similar path, playing overseas after going undrafted in 2011 out of USC and finally landing his first NBA deal with the Grizzlies earlier this month, when the team cut camp invitee Michael Holyfield. Stepheson’s deal was a one-year, minimum-salary arrangement without a guarantee, as Pincus reported. He averaged 2.3 points in 9.2 minutes per game over three preseason appearances.
Spurs Release Julian Washburn
The Spurs have waived Julian Washburn, the team announced via press release. San Antonio had just signed the swingman two days ago in a move that appears geared toward securing his D-League rights, since NBA teams can claim the D-League rights to as many as four players they cut from the NBA roster. The subtraction of Washburn, coupled with the team’s decision to waive Reggie Williams, takes San Antonio’s roster to 15 players, the regular season limit.
Washburn, a 23-year-old Texas native, went undrafted out of UTEP this year. He played with the Warriors in summer league, totaling two points in about 14 minutes spread over a pair of games, but he didn’t see any preseason action in his brief tenure on the Spurs roster.
San Antonio moves forward with Matt Bonner, who has a sizable $749,594 partial guarantee, and Rasual Butler, who’s on a non-guaranteed deal. The 13 other Spurs have full guarantees.
Pacers Waive Kadeem Jack, C.J. Fair
The Pacers have waived Kadeem Jack and C.J. Fair, the team announced. Jack was a late addition to the Pacers preseason roster, but his deal didn’t include any guaranteed money, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, and the same is true for Fair, who agreed to sign before camp. The moves leave the Pacers with 16 players, including 15 full guarantees and Toney Douglas, who’s assured of $600K in a partial guarantee.
Indiana signed Jack with an eye on funneling him to its new one-to-one D-League affiliate, as Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star reported, so his release comes as no surprise. NBA teams can claim the D-League rights to as many as four players they waive. The 22-year-old power forward who went undrafted out of Rutgers this year went scoreless in about four minutes during his lone preseason appearance.
Fair’s D-League rights already belonged to the Pacers before they signed him this summer, so the move wasn’t about securing those. This was the second straight year that the 24-year-old combo forward was with the Pacers for the preseason, though he’s failed to make the regular season roster either time. He averaged 1.6 points in 9.5 minutes per game during five preseason contests this fall, a performance that represented more playing time but decreased efficiency compared to his 2014 preseason.
Heat Cut Lucas, Benson, Kelley, Weber, Whittington
The Heat have waived the non-guaranteed deals of John Lucas III, Keith Benson, Tre Kelley, Briante Weber and Greg Whittington, the team announced (Twitter link). The moves reduce Miami’s roster to 15 players, the regular season maximum. James Ennis is the only remaining Heat player without any guaranteed salary, so today’s moves put him in strong position to make the opening night roster. If the team indeed keeps him through Monday, his salary would become fully guaranteed. Tyler Johnson is also with the Heat on a partially guaranteed deal. The rest of Miami’s 13 players have full guarantees.
Lucas was by far the most experienced of the Heat’s camp invitees, as the 32-year-old point guard was attempting to make it into his ninth NBA season. He didn’t impress in preseason action, going scoreless in about 16 minutes of action in his lone appearance, dishing out one assist and committing one turnover.
Benson, 27, joined Miami on his first NBA contract in three years. The center was efficient during the preseason, averaging 5.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 11.8 minutes across five appearances.
The 30-year-old Kelley was on his second contract with the Heat after having briefly joined the club before the 2008/09 season. The combo guard averaged 3.5 points, 4.0 assists and 1.5 turnovers in 13.8 minutes per game in a pair of preseason contests.
Weber, 22, signed with the team just this week after his inability to pass a physical scuttled an earlier deal between the sides. The undrafted combo guard who tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee while playing for VCU in January didn’t see any preseason playing time.
Whittington went undrafted this June and joined the Heat for summer league the next month. The 22-year-old power forward averaged 2.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 16.1 minutes per game across four preseason appearances.
Cavs Waive Cooley, Christmas, Daye, Stephens
The Cavs have released Jack Cooley, Dionte Christmas, Austin Daye and D.J. Stephens, the team announced. All were with the team on non-guaranteed deals. The moves leave Cleveland with 16 players, 14 of whom have full guarantees. Shooting guard and preseason sensation Jared Cunningham along with former Duke point guard Quinn Cook are the remaining non-guaranteed Cavs, though he Cavaliers have reportedly been planning to carry only 14 players for opening night.
Cooley, 24, was a late addition to the Cavs preseason roster after the Jazz cut him loose earlier this month. Cleveland signed him in part to compensate for the absence of Tristan Thompson, as Jake Fischer of SI Now tweeted, but with Thompson finally having re-signed this week, it’s no surprise to see Cooley go, in spite of his impressive rebounding. The big man averaged 4.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in just 12.1 minutes per game over two preseason appearances with the Cavs.
Christmas also signed after the preseason had already begun. The 29-year-old shooting guard nonetheless saw plenty of playing time, averaging 6.8 points in 19.9 minutes per game over four contests.
Daye agreed to join the Cavs last month in an effort to refresh a flagging NBA career. The 27-year-old former 15th overall pick averaged 5.0 points in 11.9 minutes per game in six preseason appearances.
Zach Links of Hoops Rumors reported in early September that Stephens would sign with the Cavs. The high-flying 24-year-old swingman put up 3.3 points in 7.3 minutes per game during his four preseason contests.
Warriors Cut Babb, Eddie, Henry, Udofia
The Warriors have waived Chris Babb, Jarell Eddie, Xavier Henry and Chris Udofia, the team announced via press release. Cutting those four non-guaranteed deals gives the Warriors 15 players, the regular season maximum, and it’s a positive signal for Ian Clark, whose deal is also non-guaranteed. Golden State has 13 full guarantees plus a partial guarantee for James Michael McAdoo, who has the support of coach Steve Kerr.
Henry, a five-year NBA veteran, has the most extensive experience of the four players Golden State is letting go, though the 24-year-old just signed with the team Monday in a move that could be related to his D-League rights. That was the same day the Warriors also inked Udofia, 23, who went undrafted out of the University of Denver in 2014. Neither saw any preseason action. Both signed non-guaranteed contracts for the minimum salary that only covered one season, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reported (Twitter link).
Babb, a 25-year-old shooting guard, came to Golden State from the Celtics in this summer’s David Lee trade. He averaged 2.8 points in 11.4 minutes per game during six preseason appearances. Eddie agreed in August to a deal for camp. The 23-year-old small forward posted 4.5 points in 10.1 minutes per game across two preseason contests.
Clark would pick up a partial guarantee of about $474K if he sticks for opening night. The 24-year-old offseason signee had a strong preseason, knocking down five of his 12 3-point attempts and averaging 5.9 points in 13.1 minutes per game over seven appearances, including one start. The two-year NBA veteran who’s played for the Jazz and Nuggets circled back to the Warriors this year after first making his mark in the NBA on Golden State’s summer league team in 2013.
Do you agree with Golden State’s moves? Leave a comment to give us your input.
Blazers Waive Phil Pressey, Omari Johnson
The Blazers have waived Phil Pressey and Omari Johnson, the team announced. Both had non-guaranteed deals. The moves leave Portland with 15 players, the regular season limit. Thus, Tim Frazier, Cliff Alexander and Luis Montero are in position to make the regular season roster despite the lack of full guarantees on their contracts, though the team can make additional moves between now and Monday before setting its roster for opening night. A dozen other Blazers have fully guaranteed salaries, as our roster count shows.
Pressey and Frazier were seemingly in a head-to-head battle for the third point guard job, as Jason Quick of CSNNW.com detailed. The 24-year-old Pressey, who signed with Portland shortly after the Celtics waived him this summer, averaged 4.8 points, 2.0 assists and 1.0 turnover in 16.4 minutes per game across four preseason appearances. Frazier, also 24, put up 5.0 points, 2.8 assists and 1.5 turnovers in 14.7 minutes per contest in his four preseason games. He’s one of the few holdovers on the Blazers roster from the end of last season.
Johnson, on his first NBA contract after going undrafted out of Oregon State in 2011, appeared to be much more of a long shot to make the Blazers opening night roster. The 25-year-old combo forward averaged 2.3 points in 5.9 minutes per game across four preseason contests.
Lakers Waive Jonathan Holmes
The Lakers have waived Jonathan Holmes, the team announced. The combo forward from Texas has a $100K partial guarantee, but, providing he clears waivers, the Lakers would have to continuing paying him until he’s healthy enough to play after he suffered a dislocated right shoulder during Monday’s preseason game. The partial guarantee covers roughly about a month’s worth of regular season games, and the shoulder will be immobilized for two weeks, as Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times noted this week. The move leaves the Lakers with 16 players, including 12 with fully guaranteed deals.
Marcelo Huertas, one of the Lakers without a full guarantee, has “pretty much” nailed down a regular season roster spot, coach Byron Scott said this week, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). Tarik Black, also on a non-guaranteed deal, started 39 games last season and is the primary backup center for the Lakers, so it would appear as though the 15th opening night spot will go to either Metta World Peace or Jabari Brown, presuming the Lakers carry 15 players to start the season, as most teams do.
Holmes went undrafted in June and was on the Celtics summer league team before the Lakers signed him in August. He saw action in only two preseason games, scoring four points and grabbing six rebounds in about 15 total minutes.
Who do you think ends up in the final regular season roster spot for the Lakers? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Knicks Cut Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Four Others
The Knicks have waived Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Darion Atkins and DaJuan Summers, Travis Trice and Wesley Saunders, the team announced (Twitter link). The moves take the Knicks to 14 players, one below the regular season roster limit. All had $75K partial guarantees except for Trice, who was assured of $50K, and Summers, whose salary is non-guaranteed. The release of Antetokounmpo, a brother of Bucks utilityman Giannis Antetokounmpo, means New York forfeits its draft rights to the player it took 51st overall last season.
Antetokounmpo, 23, doesn’t appear interested in rejoining the Knicks D-League affiliate, the team he played for last season. He averaged 13.9 points in 33.0 minutes per game in the D-League last year but went scoreless in about 13 minutes of preseason action spread over three games this month.
Atkins also failed to register a point over seven total minutes of preseason playing time. The 23-year-old went undrafted out of Virginia this year.
Summers, 27, was the 35th overall pick in 2009 but hasn’t appeared in an NBA regular season game since the 2012/13 season. The power forward averaged 2.5 PPG in 5.8 MPG across four preseason contests with the Knicks this month.
Trice went undrafted out of Michigan State this year. The 22-year-old point guard had four points, two assists and a turnover in about 14 total minutes of playing time over the course of two preseason games.
Saunders, from Harvard, was yet another prospect passed over in this year’s draft who landed with the Knicks. The 22-year-old small forward managed two points in about seven minutes of preseason action spread across a pair of games.
The Knicks have 13 fully guaranteed deals, but Langston Galloway, with his sizable $440K partial guarantee, seems safely ensconced in the 14th spot. New York is reportedly one of a handful of teams with interest in the recently waived Jimmer Fredette.