Cory Higgins

Jabari Parker Signs With Barcelona

August 7: Parker’s one-year deal with Barcelona is now official, pending the results of his physical exam, the team announced in a press release.


August 6: Free agent forward and former lottery pick Jabari Parker is expected to ink a new deal with international club FC Barcelona, per Ramon Palomar of Sport.es.

Palomar notes that the 6’8″ power forward is being eyed as a positional replacement for longtime Barcelona star Nikola Mirotic, another former NBA vet (and one-time Parker teammate on the Bulls).

Lucas Clemente of Mundo Deportivo reports that Parker underwent a physical with the club earlier this week to ensure that his surgically repaired left knee is in good enough shape to compete.

The No. 2 pick out of Duke in 2014 never quite had the NBA career many pundits had pegged for him. Parker was affected by a pair of ACL tears in that left knee, in 2014 and 2017.

Never a great defender, his offense stalled out too following the injuries, as he lost some of his athletic burst. Through 310 regular season games with the Bucks, Bulls, Wizards, Hawks, Kings and Celtics, he holds career averages of 14.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.0 APG and 0.9 SPG. He last played in the NBA with Boston during the 2021/22 season.

Barcelona may not be done adding NBA alums. George Syrigos of Apex Sports notes that the Spanish club is rumored to also have interest in signing former title-winning shooting guard Bryn Forbes as a potential replacement for departing guard Cory Higgins.

And-Ones: Global Camp, Gasol, EuroLeague, Free Agents

This year’s NBA Global Camp is in serious jeopardy, Jonathan Givony of ESPN tweets. Organizers fear the league’s official international combine will have to be cancelled due to logistical issues with the venue in Monaco, as well as other concerns.

“Chances are greater that it may not happen but situations are in play that may still save the camp,” a source told Givony.

We have more from the basketball world:

  • Pau Gasol has officially decided not to play for Spain during the FIBA tournament this summer, according to a Sportando report. The Bucks big man underwent surgery two weeks ago to repair a stress fracture in his left foot. He’s hopeful of playing in the Olympics next year if his national team qualifies.
  • The EuroLeague has been affected by a talent drain from the NBA, the G League and China, according to Givony. The top international free agents shooting guard Cory Higgins, former Celtics point man Shane Larkin and combo guard Vasilije Micic. Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Deni Avdija was a standout in the Adidas Next Generation tournament and the 6’9” point forward could be a Top 10 selection in next year’s draft.
  • Headed by the Knicks, teams with the most salary-cap space and their ability to land top free agents go under the microscope in ESPN’s Bobby Marks latest in-depth piece.
  • In his own look at free agency, Dan Feldman of NBC Sports explores how this season’s All-NBA choices – which will be announced very soon – could impact contract situations for several stars. We took a deep dive into this subject earlier in the year too.

Cory Higgins Signs To Play In Russia

Shooting guard Cory Higgins has begun the past two seasons in the NBA, but this time around, he’s headed to Russia. He’s signed a one-year deal with Triumph Lyubertsy, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Higgins has 44 games of NBA regular season experience, all of them with Charlotte, where his father, Rod Higgins, is Bobcats president of basketball operations.

The younger Higgins averaged 9.0 points in 21.7 minutes per game for the Cavaliers summer league team, but though he earned mention from coach Mike Brown as a possible training camp invitee, no deal with Cleveland ever came about. Higgins had spent most of 2012/13 with the Erie BayHawks of the D-League after the Bobcats waived him in December, and he drew interest from a pair of Italian teams this summer.

Higgins joins Luke Babbitt, Mickael Gelabale and Jeremy Pargo among players who’ve signed with a Russian team after appearing in the NBA last season, as our International Player Movement Tracker shows.

International Notes: Vujacic, Hayward, Holiday

Guard Sasha Vujacic is working out hard in Los Angeles in hopes of relaunching his NBA career, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links).   In fact, the 29-year-old is determined to hold out for an NBA deal rather than return to Europe, where he'd surely find a lucrative offer.  According to one witness, Vujacic was a hit in the Lakers' gym last week and has been looking sharp in pickup games in the L.A. area after his time in Turkey with Anadolu Efes.  

Over parts of seven seasons in the states, mostly with the Lakers, Vujacic averaged 5.6 PPG and 1.3 APG in 15.9 minutes per game.  He also showed that he can fill a stat sheet during a run with the Nets in 2010/11 where he put up 11.4 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 28.5 minutes per contest.  Here's the rest of today's news from around the globe..

  • Italian club Reggio Emilia is looking to make a final roster addition with Lazar Hayward and Justin Holiday as the two main targets, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.  If they can't land either player, Cory Higgins is their third option.  Hayward, a standout at Marquette, spent last season with the L.A. D-Fenders of the D-League averaging 15.9 PPG and 8.1 RPG.  Justin Holiday was with the 76ers for nine games and with the D-League's Idaho Stampede  for 47 games, where he put up 17.3 PPG.
  • Italian club Sidigas Avellino officially announced that they have signed Jarvis Hayes, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter).  It was reported last week that the longtime NBA forward struck a deal with the club after spending last season with Israel's Elizur Ashkelon. 
  • Former Knicks big man Jerome Jordan has officially signed with Italian club Virtus Bologna, according to Carchia (on Twitter).
  • As always, you can keep up with all global basketball activity with Hoops Rumors' International Tracker.

International Notes: Johnson, Williams, Kennedy

As we noted earlier this morning, one of the more intriguing big men still available in free agency came off the board today, when Ivan Johnson signed with China's Zhejiang Golden Bulls. Today's round of international updates includes more tidbits on Johnson's decision, along with notes on a couple other former NBA players. Let's dive in….

  • Johnson's one-year deal in China doesn't include an opt-out, but the CBA season ends before the NBA season does, so the ex-Hawk is hoping to catch on with an NBA team after his run with the Golden Bulls ends, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
  • The Bulls, Knicks, Clippers, and Pacers all had some interest in Johnson, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. However, agent Jeremiah Haylett tells Zwerling that Zhejiang's offer was "so lucrative" that it persuaded his client to opt for China (Twitter links).
  • Enea Trapani of Sportando, citing Meidan Katsnelson, reports that Shelden Williams has turned down offers from Euroleague teams in search of a more lucrative deal. Williams, who played in France last season, may end up in China, according to Trapani.
  • Sportando also passes along a Gazzetta di Reggio report suggesting that Italian team Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia is targeting D.J. Kennedy, and keeping an eye on Cory Higgins and Lazar Hayward as possible alternatives. All three players have at least a little NBA experience, and may be more inclined to seek out NBA offers if those are available.

Cavs Notes: Brown, Erden, Gibson

Cavs coach Mike Brown has had a very strange trip through the NBA which has led him back to the helm in Cleveland after an intermission in L.A.  However, Brown seems to have taken it all in stride.  “It was weird for a while,” Brown said. “But it was a seamless transition for myself and my family. It almost, to a certain degree after we got over the initial shock of it, it almost felt like we never really left. It was almost like we went on vacation for a little bit.”  Here's the latest out of Cleveland..

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Damion James, Felix, Cavs

RealGM's Shams Charania notes that while Damion James has yet to speak about a training camp invite or regular season roster spot with the Heat, the 6'7 swingman may have boosted his stock after his solid play in Las Vegas over the last few weeks. James – who underwent foot surgery twice over the span of his first two season in the league – told RealGM: "Everybody knows I belong in the league…I’m completely, 100 percent healthy. It’s been a great experience for me. I really look up to the Miami Heat and I really appreciate them for letting me come and be a part of their organization. I just want to show them that I can play, show them that I can belong here. 

Here's more out of the Eastern Conference tonight: 

  • Carrick Felix made a strong enough impression on Mike Brown that the Cavaliers coach thinks he has a good chance to make the regular season roster, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer.  As for other players who could have possibly earned invites to training camp, Brown mentioned Matthew Dellavedova, Cory Higgins, Jermaine Taylor, and Justin Harper.  
  • Wizards rookie Otto Porter did a brief interview with Hoopsworld about his experiences in summer league and what he needs to work on in preparation for training camp (video link). 
  • DeMar DeRozan gave his thoughts and impressions on some of his young Raptors teammates, having a full training camp to work alongside Rudy Gay, Masai Ujiri, and team's playoff chances (video link). 
  • Cody Zeller expounded on what he learned about the NBA game against summer competition and building chemistry with some of his teammates (video link).
  • Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets that Vitor Faverani's three-year deal with the Celtics is worth $6MM, which was the projected deal a few days ago
  • Frank Isola of the New York Daily News questions the leadership of Knicks owner James Dolan and is skeptical about how the team will fare next season. 
  • Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer discusses how the NBA's new CBA has benefitted the Bobcats

Bobcats Sign Jeff Adrien, Waive Cory Higgins

The Bobcats have signed Jeff Adrien and waived Cory Higgins, the team announced via press release. Higgins' non-guaranteed deal minimum-salary deal was to have become guaranteed if the team had kept him on the roster beyond today. Terms of Adrien's deal were not disclosed, but I'd assume Adrien will be on a minimum deal as well.

Ironically, they'll be paying more for Adrien, who's a two-year veteran, than for Higgins, who only has one year of experience, so I'd imagine Adrien's deal isn't guaranteed either. That would allow the Bobcats to cut Adrien later without committing to his full salary for the rest of the season, as they would have been forced to do if they kept Higgins past today.

Higgins is the son of Rod Higgins, Charlotte's president of basketball operations. The younger Higgins averaged 3.7 points in 10.3 minutes per game over the past two seasons for the Bobcats. The 6'7" Adrien was with Charlotte in training camp, but the team cut him only a few days in. He's appeared in 31 NBA games with the Rockets and Warriors the last two seasons, averaging 2.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per contest.

Adrien had been playing with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League, averaging 17.6 PPG and 11.2 RPG in five games so far this year. The Bobcats roster remains at 14 players, one short of the limit.

Upcoming Guarantee Dates

Most players on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts have January 15th circled on their calendars. As long as they don't clear waivers before that day, their contracts become fully guaranteed. A handful of others without full guarantees are working on a different schedule, as negotiated with their teams. The contracts for the players below become fully guaranteed if they're not waived on or before the dates listed. 

  • Suns: P.J. Tucker1 ($762,195, partially guaranteed for $400K) — December 1st
  • Bobcats: Cory Higgins ($762,195, fully non-guaranteed) — December 10th
  • Wizards: Jannero Pargo2 ($1,229,295, partially guaranteed for $300K) — December 15th
  • Bulls: Nate Robinson2 ($1,146,337, partially guaranteed for $400K) — January 1st

1— Tucker has already moved past one hurdle, as the size of his partial guarantee increased from $150K when he made the opening-night roster.

2— The Wizards and Bulls would only be obligated to pay $854,389, the amount equal to a third-year veteran's minimum, if they keep Pargo and Robinson, respectively, past their guarantee dates. The league would pay the rest since both are on one-year minimum-salary deals. 

ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.

When Non-Guaranteed Deals Become Guaranteed

With the dust having settled on preseason cuts, NBA teams have eliminated most players on summer contracts and non-guaranteed deals from their rosters. However, there are still plenty of players on non-guaranteed contracts who made their respective teams' regular season rosters. Does that means their contracts are now guaranteed for the season? Well, in most cases, no.

In order for most non-guaranteed contracts to become fully guaranteed for the season, the player must remain on an NBA roster until January 10th. If the player's contract doesn't clear waivers on or before the 10th, his full salary will become guaranteed for the season. Until that date, he'll receive either a prorated portion of his salary, or some other previously-agreed-upon set amount.

However, there are a handful of players whose contracts will become guaranteed before that January 10th date. E'Twaun Moore's minimum-salary deal with the Magic, for instance, stipulates that his contract will become guaranteed if he's not waived by October 30th, which means he looks to be pretty safe.

Per Mark Deeks of ShamSports, here are the other players on non-guaranteed contracts who will see their deals become fully guaranteed prior to January 10th:

Notes: Stone's contract becomes guaranteed if he's not waived by "opening night," which is assumed to be the Nuggets' opening night, rather than the NBA's opening night. Tucker's guarantee increases to $400K as of opening night before becoming fully guaranteed on December 1st.