Grizzlies Opt Not To Re-Sign Seth Curry
Seth Curry lasted less than two weeks on the Grizzlies’ roster after being signed in December, his non-guaranteed contract having been waived before yesterday’s guarantee deadline. While Memphis had been considering bringing Curry back on a 10-day contract, the team has opted to pass for now, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who says Curry will rejoin the D-League’s Santa Cruz Warriors (Twitter link).
Curry, the younger brother of Stephen Curry, appeared briefly in just one game for the Grizzlies, but put up excellent numbers for Santa Cruz earlier this season, averaging 21.3 PPG and 7.8 APG in 12 contests. While Golden State’s affiliate holds his D-League rights, Curry remains free to sign with any NBA team that offers him a deal, and I expect it won’t be long before another club takes a 10-day flier on the 23-year-old.
As for the Grizzlies, it sounds like they were seriously considering bringing Curry back after releasing him over the weekend. Wojnarowski tweets that the club had Curry wait in town for three days after cutting him, only to eventually inform him that he wouldn’t be re-signed. As our updated list of roster counts shows, the Grizzlies have one open spot on their roster.
Possible 10-Day Contracts From The D-League
With the D-League Showcase under way in Reno, more league attention has been turned the direction of the young players outside the NBA. The Showcase alone is not the reason for the shift in focus. All of the players on NBA rosters are now guaranteed salaries for the remainder of the season, and teams are now able to sign players to 10-day contracts. Below are a few of the players that have already drawn attention around the league.
- Ike Diogu is playing well at the D-League Showcase and league sources say he could draw interest from Lakers, Clippers, Thunder and Pelicans, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter links).
- James Nunnally of the Bakersfield Jam is a D-League call-up candidate and has had meetings with the Cavs, Bulls, and Thunder at the D-League showcase in Reno, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Amick later tweeted the Hawks are also a team interested in Nunnally.
- James Southerland has met with at least three teams this week, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. He has played one game with the Bobcats and spent the summer with the 76ers and Warriors.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Pelicans, Harris, Franklin
Ryan Anderson will be out indefinitely with a herniated disk, the Pelicans announced today (link via Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com). Anderson has been mentioned in a few trade rumors, but didn’t seem likely to be moved this season. Still, if he’s expected to miss a significant amount of time, it could have an impact on New Orleans’ roster decisions before the trade deadline. The team is currently carrying 14 players, leaving one opening available.
Here’s more from the NBA’s better half:
- After indicating last night that the Thunder were researching D-League standout Manny Harris, Sam Amick of USA Today follows up by tweeting that Harris had an interview with members of OKC’s front office this week, as the team does its due diligence.
- The Grizzlies have recalled Jamaal Franklin from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Franklin was assigned to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Sunday, and played with the team yesterday in Reno as part of the 2014 D-League Showcase.
- Dewayne Dedmon was released by the Warriors earlier this season, but Golden State still has interest in bringing him back, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, adding that Dedmon is meeting with three NBA clubs in Reno today.
Odds & Ends: Gay, Jazz, Nets, Miller
Rudy Gay has taken quite a bit of criticism lately for his lack of offensive efficiency. Some even say that the Raptors are better since Gay was shipped to Sacramento, but don’t try telling that to point guard Kyle Lowry. “He’s a hell of a scorer,” Lowry said, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com. “I think he can put up 30 points, 25 points. That’s his game. He’s a scorer. I don’t blame him for anything. He shouldn’t be blamed for anything. I would never say that he should be blamed. His job is to score the ball. That’s what he was out there for. That’s what he’s paid to do.” More from around the league..
- Expect the Jazz to be active in trade talks over the next few weeks, given all the veterans on expiring contracts on the roster, says Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
- The Nets announced that they have recalled Tyshawn Taylor from the D-League’s Springfield Armor after being assigned earlier in the day. In 20 games (three starts) this season, Taylor is averaging 4.3 points and 1.8 assists in 12.7 minutes per game.
- The Kings may be among the clubs in on Nuggets guard Andre Miller, but the Knicks are not in the running for him, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
- The Thunder are doing research on D-League standout Manny Harris, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau says that GM Gar Forman isn’t actively looking to trade anyone but that he is “always” looking for ways to improve the club, according to Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com.
Pierre Jackson Has Permission To Seek Trade
One of the D-League’s top talents could finally be on the verge of breaking through to the NBA, but it may not be with the club that holds his rights. The Pelicans have granted permission to Pierre Jackson‘s representatives to seek out a trade for their client, sources tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
Sam Amico of FOX Sports heard before the New Year that New Orleans was giving thought to moving Jackson, the 42nd pick in the 2013 draft, for “future considerations” and perhaps cash. Jackson, a 5’10″ point guard from Baylor, is averaging nearly 30 points per game and is considered by some to be the most dynamic talent in the D-League. Jackson is currently with the Trail Blazers’ affiliate, the Idaho Stampede, but only the Pelicans can bring him to the varsity squad, unless they move his rights elsewhere.
D-League Moves: Sixers, Spurs, Mavs
It’s been a busy day so far for D-League transactions, with several teams either calling up or sending down young players. We heard earlier that the Nets re-assigned Tornike Shengelia and Tyshawn Taylor to the Springfield Armor. Now, let’s round up the rest of Monday’s moves:
- The Sixers have recalled both Elliot Williams and Lorenzo Brown from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Williams was just assigned to the Delaware 87ers yesterday, while Brown had been with the Sixers’ D-League affiliate for the last week and a half.
- Nando De Colo has been sent to the Austin Toros for the sixth time this season, the Spurs announced in a press release. De Colo’s assignments have each been brief, as he’s played just five total games during his time with Austin, averaging 24.6 PPG, 6.6 APG, and 6.2 RPG.
- The Mavericks have recalled Ricky Ledo from the Texas Legends, according to a team release. Ledo was assigned back on November 30th, and appeared in 14 contests with the Legends, helping to lead the club to a 10-5 overall record.
- C.J. McCollum has been informed by the Blazers that he’ll be active for Tuesday’s game, says Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. McCollum hasn’t officially been recalled from the D-League’s Idaho Stampede yet, but it appears that will officially happen today or tomorrow, in advance of what could be McCollum’s NBA debut in Sacramento.
Atlantic Notes: Carmelo, Nets, Raptors, C’s
Regardless of whether or not Carmelo Anthony plans to re-sign with the Knicks, the team should trade him, opines Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. Beck argues that even if Carmelo stays, building a contender around him would be tricky, and that the Knicks would be better off starting the retooling process now. Multiple league executives agree with that assessment, with one suggesting that an ideal trade partner for New York would be “a team that so wants a star and so wants it now and will do anything to get it, and that thinks Carmelo is still a star.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- The Nets have re-assigned Tornike Shengelia and Tyshawn Taylor to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. It’s the fourth time each player has been assigned to the Springfield Armor this season, though like their first three assignments, there’s a good chance this one will be brief.
- If the Raptors acquire a player in the next few weeks, it should probably be a big man, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, who says that even having a young big at the end of the bench would help the team.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com and Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com explain the Celtics‘ motivations for swapping Courtney Lee for Jerryd Bayless, with financial considerations playing a large role. Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com also caught up with Avery Bradley and Jeff Green, who weighed in on the move, wishing Lee the best in Memphis. The deal is expected to be finalized later today.
Eastern Notes: Butler, 76ers, Melo, Brand
Caron Butler seemed reasonably happy in Phoenix, but when Suns Assistant General Manager Pat Connelly approached him with the option of playing for the Bucks, the Wisconsin native was packed up and out of town within 48 hours, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. “I got an opportunity of a lifetime,” Butler said. “What man wouldn’t want to play in his home state and home city? I thought it was great for me.” More out of the East..
- The 76ers announced that they have assigned guard Elliot Williams to the Delaware 87ers of the NBA Development League. Williams signed as a free agent with the Sixers on Nov. 20 and has appeared in 18 games with one start. To keep up with all of this year’s D-League assignments, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.
- Clippers coach Doc Rivers thought the talk of a Carmelo Anthony-for-Blake Griffin trade was “so stupid” and Melo agrees. “Everybody talks about it,’’ the Knicks star said of one day playing with Paul, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. “Back to the USA team [in 2008]. Those three guys did it [LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh]. It happens. Everybody always says they want to play with this guy and that guy. But me and Chris have been rumored since he [came] to the NBA. There’s always been trade rumors trying to get us together. It never happened…it was stupid and silly.’’
- The Bulls chased both Elton Brand and Marcus Camby hard in free agency last summer, hoping one would sign as a fifth big man, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. When the Hawks offered a one-year, $4MM deal, Brand turned down the chance to return to where he started his career.
Odds & Ends: Gasol, Muhammad, Burke
Pau Gasol has been in trade rumors for years, and he’s once more bracing for the possibility that the Lakers could ship him away, as he tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
“I’m ready for it,” Gasol said. “I can’t control what they’re going to do as a team. But I’m going to try to play as well as I can for as long as I’m here. If I’m somewhere else, I’ll try to continue to do that.”
We figure to have at least some resolution to the latest Gasol saga today, and in the meantime, here’s more from around the league:
- With Shabazz Muhammad headed to the D-League and Trey Burke of the Jazz the reigning Western Conference Rookie of the Month, Timberwolves boss Flip Saunders says it’s still too early to judge the result of their draft night swap. The Wolves officially sent Shabazz Muhammad to the Iowa Energy today, according to a press release. Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune originally reported the move Friday.
- Matt Moore of CBSSports.com breaks down the game of potential No. 1 pick Joel Embiid.
- D.J. Kennedy is headed to Israel to play for Hapoel Holon, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia reports. The swingman was in camp with the Mavs this fall and played with Gravelines in France earlier this season. Italy’s Reggio Emilia was also reportedly interested.
- The Grizzlies have assigned Jamaal Franklin to the D-League, the team announced. The 41st overall pick this past June has averaged just 9.2 minutes in 14 games for Memphis this year. I identified him earlier this week as a player who could see time in the D-League.
Notable NBA Veterans Signing In D-League
The D-League showcase runs today through Thursday in Reno, Nevada, where scouts from NBA teams have gathered to see veteran and youthful prospects alike. All 17 D-League clubs are competing, giving talent evaluators a chance to do some one-stop shopping. It’s also an opportunity for players to make a positive impression in a conspicuous forum, and several NBA veterans have entered the D-League in the past few days with eyes on doing just that.
Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors put together a complete register of D-League players with NBA experience when the D-League season began in late November, but several noteworthy names have joined the developmental circuit since then. We’ll run them down here, with their last regular season NBA action detailed in parentheses. This list also includes a bit of news, as CSNBayArea.com noted last night that the Santa Cruz Warriors, the affiliate of the Golden State Warriors, have acquired Dominic McGuire. Players commonly sign with the D-League itself rather than with individual teams, so a few of the most recent signees have yet to be placed on a club, as we note below:
- Ike Diogu, Bakersfield Jam (Spurs, 2011/12)
- Kyrylo Fesenko, D-League team TBA (Pacers, 2011/12)
- Dominic McGuire, Santa Cruz Warriors (Pacers, 2012/13)
- Chris Smith, D-League team TBA (Knicks, 2013/14)
- Von Wafer, D-League team TBA
- Reggie Williams, Tulsa 66ers (Bobcats, 2012/13)
- Terrence Williams, Los Angeles D-Fenders (Celtics, 2012/13)