Earl Clark Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets Sign Earl Clark To Two-Year Deal

April 6th, 2015 at 9:32am CST by Will Joseph

9:32am: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.

MONDAY, 7:54am: Clark’s salary for next season is non-guaranteed, a league source tells NetsDaily (Twitter link). It’s a minimum-salary deal, since that’s all the Nets can hand out.

7:19pm: The Nets and Earl Clark have reached an agreement on a two-year deal, with a team option for 2015/16, Shams Charania of RealGM tweets citing league sources.

SUNDAY, 5:56pm: The Nets will likely re-sign combo forward Earl Clark after his 10-day contract with the team expires today, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post tweets. Clark has played in five of the Nets’ six games since the team signed him on March 27th. His best game was Saturday against the Hawks when he scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds. With guard Alan Anderson battling an ankle injury, Clark provides decent insurance off the bench.

The 27-year-old had been a free agent following a stint with China’s Shandong Lions before inking the prior 10-day deal with Brooklyn. The five-year veteran has seemingly seized the opportunity with the Nets after struggling to find work in the NBA this season. Clark had so much trouble that he told Rod Boone of Newsday he was surprised he landed with the Nets.

The Grizzlies cut ties with him after they signed him to a non-guaranteed contract for training camp. He was later grabbed off waivers in late October by the Rockets, only to be released by the team just a few days later. He played in six games for Houston’s D-League affiliate this year and averaged 26.2 points and 8.0 rebounds in 34.3 minutes. Clark bounced to China in mid-December and produced 26.4 PPG and 10.3 RPG in 32.6 MPG for Shandong.

His last NBA action before joining the Nets came last season with the Knicks after he signed a pair of 10-day contracts. His best season was the 2012/13 campaign with the Lakers when he scored 7.3 PPG in 23.1 MPG. That season netted him a two-year, $8.5MM deal with the Cavs, who traded him midway through the first year of that contract to the Sixers, who quickly waived him right after.

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Celtics, Clark

March 27th, 2015 at 5:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Sixers draftee Joel Embiid‘s weight is finally getting down into the range that the team is comfortable with, which pleases coach Brett Brown, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “He’s ticking boxes in regards to increased time on the court and reduced weight,” Brown said of the rookie center. “His weight is going down. His needle is clearly pointing in the right direction. And you heard me say this a lot lately, he’s setting the stage for a great summer. He sees his reward will be summer league, trying to get ready to actually play again.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal takes a look at how Kentucky junior Willie Cauley-Stein would fit with the Knicks. Herring posits that New York could look to select the big man if they fall out of the top three picks in the draft lottery.
Celtics team president Danny Ainge believes that he’ll learn a lot about the makeup of his players whether or not Boston secures a playoff spot this season, Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com writes. “I’m not really hanging on [making the playoffs]. I think it’s a great opportunity for me to evaluate and Brad [Stevens] to evaluate what we’re made of, who can step it up, players that can play meaningful minutes,” Ainge said. “And our young guys can learn through this, you don’t judge them from one game to the next, but see how our guys react and bounce back from difficult losses and bad performances. So far our guys have passed the test. So I’m excited about the next ten games, like you said. We do control our own destiny. We have a tough schedule ahead of us still and I’m excited about that.“
Earl Clark, who inked a 10-day deal with the Nets today, says that he’s surprised to be with the team, Rod Boone of Newsday tweets. Clark says that he was at home working out when his agent called and told him to pack for Brooklyn, Boone adds.

Nets Sign Earl Clark To 10-Day Contract

March 27th, 2015 at 9:42am CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets have signed Earl Clark to a 10-day contract, the team announced via press release. The 27-year-old had been a free agent following a stint with China’s Shandong Lions. Brooklyn had an open roster spot, so there’s no need for a corresponding move.

The five-year veteran is poised to see his first action of the regular season with the Nets after failing to make it to opening night with either the Grizzlies, who signed him to a non-guaranteed contract for training camp, or the Rockets, who grabbed him off waivers in late October. Houston released him just a few days later.

The combo forward spent a brief time in the D-League with the affiliate of the Rockets, racking up 26.2 points and 8.0 rebounds in 34.3 minutes over six appearances. The Lakers appeared poised to sign him in late November, but they never did, and by the middle of December he was off to China, where the former 14th overall pick once more shined against weaker competition. He put up 26.4 PPG and 10.3 RPG in 32.6 MPG with impressive 44.7% three-point shooting for Shandong.

Clark struggled to find NBA work this season, little more than a year removed from having signed a two-year, $8.5MM deal with the Cavs after a strong season as a member of the Lakers. The Cavs traded him to the Sixers midway through year one of that contract, which was non-guaranteed for year two. That saved the Sixers some cash when they waived him right after the trade. He inked a pair of 10-day contracts soon thereafter with the Knicks, and it was on those brief deals that he saw his last official NBA action.

The Nets, fighting for a playoff berth, will be without Thaddeus Young tonight against the Cavs. There’s a distinct possibility that the injury led directly to the signing. Young is at shootaround this morning and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get into the game, tweets Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.

Earl Clark Signs Deal With Chinese Team

December 9th, 2014 at 9:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

9:36pm: The team that Clark is signing with is the Shandong Lions, Marc Stein of ESPNLosAngeles reports.

6:31pm: Clark has indeed signed a deal with a still unnamed Chinese team, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News reports (Twitter link).

2:15pm: Earl Clark is nearing a lucrative deal to play in China, reports Stein (Twitter link). The identity of the Chinese team isn’t immediately clear. A report late last month indicated that the Lakers would sign the free agent forward, but no such move has happened yet, though the Lakers remain interested, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com wrote earlier today in a pair of tweets. Shelburne indicated that the Lakers were evaluating whether to sign Clark, a member of their D-League team, or someone else with a 16th roster spot the league granted via hardship last month. However, that hardship exception has expired, as Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. The Lakers can apply to the league for another hardship if they wish, though it appeared Sunday that the team didn’t plan to do so, according to Bresnahan.

Clark has been with the Rockets D-League affiliate since the start of the regular season, putting up 26.2 points and 8.0 rebounds with 33.3% three-point shooting in 34.3 minutes per game. The veteran of five NBA seasons was briefly with Houston’s big club during the preseason after the Rockets claimed him off waivers from the Grizzlies, who’d signed him to a non-guaranteed deal for training camp.

The 26-year-old began last season as a starter for the Cavs after signing a two-year, $8.5MM deal following a strong performance with the Lakers in 2012/13, but he failed to continue that level of play, and Cleveland sent him to the Sixers at the trade deadline. Philadelphia waived him, and since he completed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Knicks late last season, the former 14th overall pick has yet to play in a NBA regular season game.

Lakers To Sign Earl Clark

November 29th, 2014 at 9:42am CST by Eddie Scarito

SATURDAY, 9:42am: Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has filed for a disabled player exception for Henry, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News tweets. Los Angeles has also filed for a hardship exception that would allow the team to temporarily add a 16th player until Kelly returns from his hamstring injury, Medina adds. This could indicate that the Lakers are holding off on signing Clark until they are granted that hardship exception, and Henry might not necessarily be waived to accommodate the addition of Clark, though that is just my speculation.

WEDNESDAY, 3:08pm: The Lakers will sign forward Earl Clark, Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times reports. The deal will be a one-year, fully guaranteed pact, notes Bresnahan, and Los Angeles is likely to waive the injured Xavier Henry in order to open up the required roster spot for Clark. Shams Charania of RealGM had first reported the likelihood of the Lakers adding Clark earlier today, and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports had then relayed that Clark’s deal would be for a pro-rated portion of the veteran’s minimum and would be fully guaranteed. These moves will still leave the Lakers with the league-maximum 15 players on their roster.

Clark’s arrival cannot come soon enough for a Lakers team that has been besieged by a rash of maladies. Steve Nash and Julius Randle were already lost with season-ending injuries when Henry went down in practice Monday with a ruptured left Achilles tendon. Coupled with Ryan Kelly being out for at least another 4 weeks with a torn right hamstring, the Lakers were in dire need of frontcourt help, which Clark will be able to provide.

The 26-year-old Clark was averaging 28.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in 35.8 minutes per game in four appearances so far for the Rockets D-League affiliate this season. Houston briefly had him on its NBA roster after claiming his training camp deal off waivers from the Grizzlies, but the Rockets waived him before opening night. In 251 career NBA contests Clark has averaged 4.4 PPG and 3.0 RPG. His career slash line is .404/.331/.167.

If Henry is indeed waived, he’ll still receive the remainder of his $1.082MM fully guaranteed contract for 2014/15, Bresnahan adds. Henry is expected to recover in time for the start of 2015/16, and he was already set to become an unrestricted agent at the end of this season. It’s unclear how the injury will affect the market for his services next summer, but more than likely it will force Henry to accept a shorter deal than he would have desired in order to prove that he’s fully recovered from such a serious injury, though that is just my speculation.

Lakers Near Deal With Clark, Likely To Cut Henry

November 26th, 2014 at 2:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:03pm: The team would likely waive Xavier Henry to accommodate Clark, tweets Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. That suggests that the Lakers aren’t in line to receive a 16th roster spot. Clark’s contract with the Lakers would be guaranteed, according to Bresnahan. Henry, who has a fully guaranteed salary worth $1.082MM, is expected to miss the season with a torn Achilles tendon.

11:49am: The Lakers and Clark are close to agreement on a one-year contract that would be for a pro-rated portion of the veteran’s minimum, reports Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com.

9:08am: The sides are working toward what would be a one-year deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

9:03am: The Lakers and Earl Clark have engaged in a “level of dialogue” about a possible deal, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. The five-year veteran’s name wasn’t among the several who were linked to the club last week, but the Lakers know him well, since he enjoyed a career year in purple-and-gold during the 2012/13 season.

Clark is averaging 28.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in 35.8 minutes per game across four appearances so far for the Rockets D-League affiliate this season. Houston briefly had him on its NBA roster after claiming his training camp deal off waivers from the Grizzlies, but the Rockets waived him before opening night. The Rockets reportedly have interest in Al Harrington, another forward whose game is somewhat similar, but there have been no reports indication that Houston is thinking about bringing Clark back to the big club.

The 26-year-old put up 5.3 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 12.5 MPG for Memphis during the preseason, failing to stick even though the Grizzlies began the regular season with an open roster spot. Clark’s career has hit the skids ever since he signed a two-year, $8.5MM deal with the Cavs in 2013, a pact that he and agent Kevin Bradbury were able to land in large measure because of the performance Clark delivered for the Lakers. He averaged 11.6 PPG and 9.2 RPG with 37.8% three-point shooting during a 22-game hot streak in the middle of his year with L.A., but he failed to match that production for Cleveland, which shipped him to the Sixers at the deadline last season. Philadelphia promptly waived him, and apart from a pair of 10-day contracts with the Knicks, Clark hasn’t appeared on a regular season roster since.

The Lakers recently received a nearly $4.851MM Disabled Player Exception for Steve Nash to go with the Disabled Player Exception worth almost $1.499MM that they have for Julius Randle, but it seems unlikely that it would take more than the minimum salary to sign Clark. The team has a full 15-man roster, though the Lakers have enough injured players to qualify for a 16th roster spot if they were to apply for one and the league were to grant it. Ronnie Price and Wayne Ellington, who have partially guaranteed deals for the minimum, are the only two Lakers without fully guaranteed contracts.

Rockets Waive Earl Clark, Akeem Richmond

October 27th, 2014 at 9:43am CST by Cray Allred

MONDAY, 9:43am: The moves are official, the team announced via press release.

SATURDAY, 7:24pm: Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets that the Rockets have waived Earl Clark and Akeem Richmond, shortly after claiming and signing each, respectively, to their preseason roster.

The moves aren’t surprising, as the team is looking to reduce the size of its roster, which includes 15 guaranteed contracts and starting point guard Patrick Beverley on a non-guaranteed pact. Clark’s contract was non-guaranteed and won’t hit the Rockets cap sheet. It is unknown if Richmond’s deal contained any guarantees, although I would speculate that it would have been a partially guaranteed contract at best.

Clark has slipped considerably as an NBA commodity, in danger of falling out of the league after signing an $8.5MM deal just last year. Richmond wasn’t selected in the 2014 NBA Draft after declaring following his sophomore season at East Carolina. Houston will retain the D-League rights to both, provided they clear waivers. The maneuvers were most likely made with that end in mind, although that is also just speculation on my part.

Rockets Claim Earl Clark Off Waivers

October 24th, 2014 at 5:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

5:13pm: The transaction is official, the team announced via press release.

4:59pm: The Rockets have claimed Earl Clark off waivers from the Grizzlies, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Clark had been on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal for the minimum salary with Memphis, so Houston will assume control of it. The Rockets opened a spot on their 20-man preseason roster when they waived Josh Powell on Thursday.

Clark’s free agent stock plummeted after he performed poorly when the Cavs gave him a two-year, $8.5MM contract last season and the starting small forward job on opening night. The second year of the deal was non-guaranteed, helping Cleveland ship him to the Sixers at the deadline, after which Philadelphia promptly waived him. He signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Knicks, but they didn’t retain him for the rest of the season, and he was out of the league from that point until the Grizzlies brought him to camp. Still, there evidently remains at least some level of NBA interest in the 14th overall pick from 2009, as witnessed by Houston’s move today as well as his workout with the Spurs a couple of months ago.

Houston’s opening-night roster is still shrouded in mystery, since the team is carrying 15 fully guaranteed deals plus a non-guaranteed contract for starting point guard Patrick Beverley. The Rockets are also among the teams linked to trade candidate Chase Budinger.

Grizzlies Waive Earl Clark, Hassan Whiteside

October 22nd, 2014 at 4:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:15pm: Both players have been officially waived, the team announced in a press release.

2:08pm: The Grizzlies have waived Earl Clark and Hassan Whiteside, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the team has yet to make a formal announcement. They possessed two of the team’s four remaining non-guaranteed contracts, and their subtraction leaves Memphis at 16 players, one more than the team can carry on opening night.

Clark was a hot commodity a year ago, when he signed a two-year, $8.5MM deal with the Cavs. However, only the first season was guaranteed, and the forward couldn’t duplicate what had been a career year with the Lakers in 2012/13. The Cavs sent him to the Sixers, who quickly cut him loose, and aside from a pair of 10-day contracts with the Knicks, he spent the second half of last season out of the league. The Spurs auditioned him before he inked with the Grizzlies, but it seems he didn’t make enough of an impression on the Memphis brass to stick into the regular season.

Whiteside was also attempting to return to the NBA, though the former 33rd overall pick’s regular season experience consists of just 19 games over two seasons with the Kings from 2010-12. He was with the Raptors in summer league this year and spent time playing in Lebanon last season.

Patrick Christopher and Kalin Lucas remain as the only players without full guarantees on the Memphis roster, and ostensibly one, if not both, will go by Monday’s deadline for teams to cut down to no more than 15 players. The Grizzlies have only carried 13 players on opening night the last two years.

Grizzlies Officially Sign Beasley, Five Others

September 25th, 2014 at 2:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Grizzlies formally announced the signings of Michael Beasley, Patrick Christopher, Earl Clark, Luke Hancock, Kalin Lucas and Hassan Whiteside via press release. The moves had been expected for all six, since each was reported to have come to terms on a deal with the team.

All six are on non-guaranteed contracts. The Grizzlies have the capacity to give more than the rookie minimum to Chrisopher, Hancock and Lucas, but it’s likely they’ve received minimum-salary arrangements just like the veteran additions for camp.

Beasley probably has the inside track for joining the team’s 14 players on fully guaranteed pacts for opening night, though Clark plays the same positions and looms as a threat should Beasley falter.