Blazers Waive Diante Garrett, Darius Morris
The Blazers have officially waived Diante Garrett and Darius Morris, the team announced via Twitter. These moves reduce Portland’s preseason roster count to 15, meaning they won’t be required to release any other players prior to the regular season beginning. Morris’ contract didn’t come with any guaranteed cash, but the team will owe Garrett $30K per their arrangement.
Garrett was on the fringe of the rotation for the Jazz last season, averaging 3.5 points and shooting 37.5% from three-point range in 14.8 minutes per game. That was after a season in which he spent the entire campaign on the Suns roster but only appeared in 19 contests.
The 23-year-old Morris reportedly turned down an offer from a Serbian team earlier this summer and took his shot at making the Blazers squad. In 94 career contests, the 6’4″ point guard has averaged 3.7 PPG and 1.5 APG. His career slash line is .399/.354/.653.
Nets Waive Casper Ware
The Nets have officially waived Casper Ware, the team has announced. Brooklyn had acquired Ware yesterday in the deal that sent Marquis Teague to the Sixers. Ware’s contract was non-guaranteed so the move won’t cost the team any cash. This also reduces the Nets’ preseason roster count to 15, which is the regular season maximum.
The 24-year-old Ware was playing in Italy last season before he signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Sixers, who then signed him to a low-risk multiyear deal. The Nets never figured to keep Ware, and he was acquired strictly as a means to remove Teague’s fully guaranteed deal from their books.
In nine career games, all with the Sixers, Ware has averaged 5.3 PPG, 1.0 RPG, and 1.1 APG. His slash line is .429/.333/.833.
Raptors Waive Will Cherry, Jordan Hamilton
The Raptors have officially waived Will Cherry and Jordan Hamilton, the team announced (Twitter link). These moves reduce Toronto’s preseason roster count to 15 players, which is the league’s regular season limit. Both players had their deals partially guaranteed for $25K, so the Raptors are on the hook for a total of $50K as a result. Presumably, that means Greg Stiemsma has made the opening-night roster on his $25K partially guaranteed deal.
The 6’1″, 23-year-old Cherry averaged 12.8 PPG and 4.0 RPG while logging 25.3 minutes per contest in five games for the Cavs Summer League team in Las Vegas. Cherry also played for the Cavs’ D-League affiliate last season, when he provided 11.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 4.5 APG in 30.4 MPG.
Hamilton is a player who is sure to garner interest from other NBA teams looking for some help on the wing. The 24-year-old out of Texas for his career has appeared in 126 games, averaging 5.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 0.8 APG. His slash line is .406/.358/.671.
Eastern Notes: Eddie, Vandenberg, Birch
The Celtics intend to take a good look at Jarell Eddie prior to the beginning of the regular season, Tom Layman of The Boston Herald writes. “He’s a player that we watched in college at Virginia Tech. He’s a player that we watched in his exhibition games with Atlanta and he’s always been a player that has been intriguing to us,” Boston GM Danny Ainge said. “We are going to evaluate him before training camp ends.” The Celtics claimed Eddie off of waivers from the Hawks on Friday.
Here’s more from the east:
- Jordan Vandenberg‘s minimum salary deal with the Knicks includes a partial guarantee for $27K, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). Vandenberg was signed with an eye on sending him to the NBA D-League, as Pincus also notes.
- The Celitcs‘ preseason roster count currently sits at 17, meaning the team still has to waive a minimum of two players prior to the deadline. The staff over at CSNNE.com analyze Boston’s frontcourt situation, including where each player fits in the current rotation.
- With Josh McRoberts and Chris Andersen slowed by injuries, Khem Birch could have the advantage for the Heat‘s 15th and final regular season roster spot, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel opines (Twitter link). Miami’s preseason roster count currently sits at 16 players.
Jazz Opt In With Trey Burke, Rudy Gobert
The Jazz have exercised their third year team options for Trey Burke and Rudy Gobert, the team has officially announced. This doesn’t come as a surprise since both players factor into Utah’s longterm rebuilding plans. Burke is set to make $2,658,240 and Gobert $1,175,880 during the 2015/16 season. By exercising these options the Jazz now have approximately $47.6MM in guaranteed money on the books for that campaign.
Burke is continuing to develop after being selected in 2013 with the ninth overall pick. During his rookie season he appeared in 70 games, including 68 as a starter, averaging 12.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 5.7 APG. His slash line was .380/.330/.903. The pressure is on Burke to improve his outside shooting and cut down on his 1.9 turnovers per game. Utah drafted Dante Exum with the No. 4 pick in this year’s NBA Draft, and Exum projects more as a point guard at this stage of development.
The 7’1″ Gobert was also part of the 2013 draft class, being selected 27th overall. During his rookie campaign, Gobert appeared in 45 games, averaging 2.3 PPG and 3.4 RPG, while logging 9.6 minutes a night.
Warriors Waive Five Players
The Warriors have waived Aaron Craft, Jason Kapono, Sean Kilpatrick, James Michael McAdoo, and Mitchell Watt, the team announced in a press release. These moves will reduce Golden State’s preseason roster count to 15, which is the regular season maximum. None of these moves come as a surprise as all were longshots to make the regular season roster. All of the players except for Kapono had partial guarantees for $35K. Kapono’s deal was non-guaranteed, so the Warriors aren’t on the hook for any money for him.
Craft averaged 8.9 PPG and 4.7 APG during his four seasons at Ohio State. He put up 7.4 points in 22.0 minutes per contest in July during Las Vegas summer league play for the Warriors after going undrafted in June. The 22-year-old also joined the Sixers for the Orlando summer league, though he didn’t see nearly as much playing time. Craft appeared in four preseason games, averaging 3.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.00 steal in 14.7 minutes per contest.
The veteran Kapono appeared in five preseason games, averaging 3.2 and 1.6 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per game. The 6’8″, 33 year-old swingman last played in the NBA during the 2011/12 season when he appeared in 27 games for the Lakers. Kapono’s career numbers over nine seasons are 6.7 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 0.8 APG. His career slash line is .442/.434/.835. He had officially announced his retirement back in May of this year, but decided to give making the Warriors a shot.
The undrafted Kilpatrick signed with the Warriors on October 20th but did not see any action in the preseason. McAdoo appeared in five preseason games, averaging 5.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 1.2 SPG in 13.0 minutes per contest. Watt appeared in two preseason games, averaging 3.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and a team-leading 1.5 blocks while logging 9.5 minutes per game.
And-Ones: Teague, Thomas, Free Agents
The trade that sent Marquis Teague to the Sixers in exchange for Casper Ware allows the Nets to create a $1,120,920 trade exception equivalent to Teague’s salary. The Sixers, who are well under the cap, can’t create an exception since exceptions, by definition, are only available to teams above the cap.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The NBA’s new $24 billion dollar TV deal will bring with it a number of problems, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. With the salary cap expected to increase significantly, the owners likely will try to push for a hard cap during the next CBA negotiations, though commissioner Adam Silver tried to downplay that as not being a make-or-break demand, notes Amick.
- The Thunder have informed Lance Thomas that he will make the team’s regular season roster, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). Thomas is the only player remaining on the team whose contract isn’t at least partially guaranteed after Oklahoma City waived Michael Jenkins, Richard Solomon and Talib Zanna earlier today.
- Agents are optimistic about next summer’s free agent market, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News hears. One agent explained to Deveney that he’s confident teams will spend more freely because they know a massive influx of TV money is on its way eventually, even if the league doesn’t work some of the forthcoming revenue into the salary cap for 2015/16. The league’s $66.5MM cap projection is a conservative one, as Deveney writes, having heard from a GM who thinks the cap could go as high as $72MM.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Thunder, Morrow, Martin, Lakers
There are indications that the Thunder are more willing to pay the luxury tax than in the past, USA Today’s Sam Amick writes. That’s in part because expected increases to the salary cap and luxury tax line will make it more difficult to become a repeat taxpayer subject to stiffer penalties, and those repeat-offender rules might not exist in the next collective bargaining agreement, Amick points out.
Here’s the latest out of the west:
- Thunder guard Anthony Morrow has a sprained left MCL and is expected to miss a minimum of four-to-six weeks, Royce Young of ESPN.com reports. With Kevin Durant out for at least six-to-eight weeks with a broken foot, Morrow was in the running to join the team’s starting five.
- The Rockets met with Kenyon Martin earlier today about a possible role on their coaching staff, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). Martin appeared in 32 games for the Knicks last season, averaging 4.3 PPG and 4.2 RPG, and was hobbled with ankle issues for the majority of the season. Neither Martin or his representatives have announced that he was retiring yet, so it’s possible that Martin is simply exploring his options rather than looking for his next career.
- Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (Twitter link) offers a different reason for Martin’s visit with the Rockets. Berman is reporting that Houston was checking on the player’s health for a possible roster spot. It’s quite possible that the team wasn’t encouraged by what they saw, and this led them to claim Earl Clark off of waivers from the Grizzlies instead, though that is just my speculation.
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak was noncommittal about the team signing another player now that Steve Nash will miss the season, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register writes (Twitter links). The GM also relayed that he met with Nash and his agent, Bill Duffy, in Las Vegas last night to finalize Nash’s decision.
- The Lakers aren’t looking to add another point guard at this time, Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times tweets. The team is happy with Jeremy Lin, Jordan Clarkson, and Ronnie Price, notes Bresnahan. Although, with Price suffering an undisclosed injury in tonight’s preseason game, that could change rather quickly depending on the severity.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Latest On Steve Nash, Lakers
The basketball world may have seen the last of Steve Nash on the hardwood, as he is set to miss the entire 2014/15 campaign with recurring nerve damage in his back. Nash was most likely going to retire after this season anyway, and now it seems that the Lakers April 8, 2014 loss to the Rockets, when he notched three points and five assists, was the last stat line of a surefire Hall-of-Fame career. Here’s the latest chatter around the league regarding Nash and the Lakers…
- Nash’s contract may still hold value for the Lakers as a trade chip, J.A. Adande of ESPN.com writes. Los Angeles could look to deal Nash’s expiring $9.7MM contract, but if they do so they will most likely have to take back a player with more than one season remaining on his deal, something the team might be reluctant to do as they look ahead to clearing as much cap room as possible heading into the summer of 2016, Adande notes.
- Despite missing most of last season with injury woes, Nash still enjoyed the time he was able to make it onto the court, Bruce Arthur of The Star writes.
- It was reported earlier that Los Angeles intends to apply for a disabled player exception for Nash, but that isn’t their only financial option regarding the player and his contract. Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times (subscription required) runs down five different possibilities, including trading him; Nash retiring; simply keeping him on the roster for the season; or a possible buyout of his contract.
- The Lakers are deferring to Nash as to whether or not he will stay around the team to rehab, recover at home, or simply retire, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News reports.
- Former Raptors and Suns GM Bryan Colangelo reflected on his decision to draft Nash back in 1996, writes Sean Fitz-Gerald of The National Post. Colangelo said, “At the 15th position in the first round, a lot of people said, ‘who’s this kid from Santa Clara who doesn’t really look or feel like an NBA player?’ Nobody knew that he was going to go on to have a storied career like he has, and be considered one of the greats who’s played the position of point guard. But lo and behold, this guy is so dedicated to his craft and dedicated to the physical fitness side of it and being prepared and being ready, he just has done some incredible things. I just feel fortunate to play a small part in what is such a storied career.”
Spurs Sign Robert Vaden, Fuquan Edwin
The Spurs have signed Robert Vaden and Fuquan Edwin, the team has announced. The length and terms of the deals were not disclosed, but they’re likely minimum-salary arrangements with perhaps small partial guarantees. These moves bring San Antonio’s preseason roster count up to 18 players, leaving the team three over the regular season maximum. Both players were likely signed with an eye on sending them to the D-League, as teams can retain the D-League rights for up to four players.
The 6’5″ Vaden technically has one year of NBA experience, even though he’s never appeared in a regular season or playoff game. The Thunder signed him to a multiyear deal in the final days of the 2010/11 season and traded him the following preseason to the Timberwolves, who cut him before opening night. He was most recently with Belfius Mons-Hainaut in Belgium where he appeared in 10 games, logging 9.0 PPG and 1.6 RPG in 27 minutes per night. Vaden was originally drafted with the No. 54 pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Hornets (then known as the Bobcats). In four college seasons split between Indiana and UAB, Vaden averaged 15.8 PPG and 4.6 RPG. He also spent two seasons in the NBA D-League for the Tulsa 66ers, averaging 11.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.
Edwin went undrafted this year after spending four seasons at Seton Hall. In 127 career games for the Pirates, he averaged 12.9 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.4 APG while playing 30.3 minutes a night. Edwin played for the Thunder in the summer league, appearing in three games, and notching 1.3 PPG in 7.5 minutes per night.