JaKarr Sampson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bulls Waive Four Players

October 13th, 2018 at 2:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have released four players from their 20-man preseason roster, the team announced today (via Twitter). Antonius Cleveland, Derrick Walton Jr., Kaiser Gates, and JaKarr Sampson will all become unrestricted free agents on Monday, assuming they clear waivers.

Cleveland was claimed by the Bulls off waivers from the Hawks back in July, while the other three players signed camp deals with Chicago in August and September.

Of the four, Sampson has the most NBA experience, having appeared in 169 total regular season games for the 76ers, Nuggets, and Kings. Cleveland and Walton saw some action last season in Atlanta and Miami respectively, while Gates – a rookie out of Xavier – has yet to make his NBA debut.

The Bulls now have 16 players under contract, with 15 on standard deals and one (Rawle Alkins) on a two-way pact. Today’s moves clear the way for Ryan Arcidiacono, who has a $50K partial guarantee on his contract, to open the season on Chicago’s roster.

Bulls Sign JaKarr Sampson To Camp Deal

September 18th, 2018 at 3:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 18: The Bulls have officially signed Sampson, according to RealGM’s transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 14: The Bulls will fill their final roster spot heading into training camp by signing JaKarr Sampson, tweets Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.

Sampson is a three-year veteran who has spent time with three NBA teams. He played 22 games for the Kings last season, averaging 4.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per night. Sampson started his career with the Sixers, then joined the Nuggets after being waived in 2016.

The addition of Sampson comes on the heels of a reported deal with Kaiser Gates, a rookie out of Xavier.

Cavs Work Out Tyler Ulis, Alan Williams, Others

September 6th, 2018 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 6: The Cavaliers worked out a few more free agents today, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic, who tweets that Kobi Simmons, Brandon Paul, and Rodney Purvis all earned a look from Cleveland as well. Simmons, Paul, and Purvis played for the Grizzlies, Spurs, and Magic, respectively, in 2017/18.

SEPTEMBER 5: A group of veteran free agents worked out for the Cavaliers today, sources tell Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype (Twitter link). According to Kennedy, Tyler Ulis, Alan Williams, JaKarr Sampson, and Marcus Georges-Hunt were among the players to participate in the audition.

It’s not clear if the Cavaliers are seeking depth at a particular position and looking to fill out their 15-man regular season roster, or if they’re simply familiarizing themselves with the various options remaining on the free agent market.

Cleveland only has 12 players on guaranteed contracts, but has a reported agreement in place with David Nwaba and seems likely to eventually re-sign Rodney Hood too, so there may not be more than a single open spot available on the regular season roster.

All four players named by Kennedy appeared in NBA games last season. Ulis played 71 games (43 starts) for the Suns before being waived in June; Sampson appeared in 22 contests for the Kings on a two-way contract; Williams returned from a knee injury to play five games at the end of the season for the Suns before being cut in July; and Georges-Hunt saw limited minutes off the bench in 42 games for the Timberwolves.

Two-Way QO Decisions: Walton, Cooke, Craig, More

June 28th, 2018 at 8:02am CST by Dana Gauruder

Derrick Walton Jr. has received a qualifying offer from the Heat, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets. Walton, who had been on a two-way contract with the Heat, will thus be a restricted free agent next month. The undrafted 6’1” point guard out of Michigan appeared in 16 games with Miami last season.

As is the case for all two-way players who remain eligible to sign another two-way deal, the qualifying offer Walton received from the Heat will be a two-way contract offer with a $50K guarantee.

We have several other qualifying offer decisions involving two-way players to pass along:

The Pelicans will not make Charles Cooke a qualifying offer, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets. Cooke, an undrafted 6’5” shooting guard out of Dayton, appeared in 13 games for the Pelicans.
The Nuggets made a qualifying offer to Torrey Craig, ensuring he’ll be a restricted free agent, Gina Mizell of the Denver Post writes. The 6’6” Craig saw quite a bit of action with Denver last season, averaging 4.2 PP and 3.3 RPG in 16.1 MPG while making 39 appearances. The 27-year-old went undrafted in 2014, then played in Australia and New Zealand before the Nuggets signed him.
The Magic will not make a qualifying offer to Jamel Artis, Sportando tweets. The 6’7” Artis, who went undrafted out of Pittsburgh in 2017, saw action in 15 games and averaged 5.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 1.2 APG in 18.6 MPG. Artis will be on the Cavaliers‘ Summer League squad, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets.
The Kings have issued a qualifying offer to two-way player JaKarr Sampson, per RealGM’s transactions log. No QO is listed for Jack Cooley, Sacramento’s other two-way player, so it’s possible Cooley will reach the market as an unrestricted free agent.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

California Notes: Ball, Lillard, Joerger, Sampson

March 10th, 2018 at 1:05pm CST by marksuleymanov

For the second time this season, the Lakers were visibly upset with Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. Head coach Luke Walton said that Murray’s trash talk was “disrespectful” and several Lakers players were just as critical, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk writes.

In particular, Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball said the Lakers did not forget Murray’s antics from Dec. 2 when he forcefully dribbled past Ball late in the game. Ball’s teammate Julius Randle fouled Murray as a sign of frustration.

“We remembered it,” Ball said. “It’s a punk move. But like I said, we’re not going to get into it. [Murray will] do whatever he’s going to do.”

This is an out of character statement from Ball, who is normally even-tempered and speaks highly of his opponent. However, with two separate incidents with Murray in the last three months, it’s clear that Ball and the Lakers agree that Murray’s antics are out of line.

“Like I said, he going to do the circus stuff — I’m not feeding into it,” Ball said.

Check out other news from California’s teams:

California native Damian Lillard lit up the Staples Center earlier this week, scoring 39 points in a victory over the Lakers. He will not be a free agent until 2021, so the possibility of the Lakers trying to lure Lillard to Los Angeles is far away and far-fetched. However, Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register writes that Lillard’s performance is indicative of how having superstars on the roster change the entire dynamic of a team.
When the Kings hired Dave Joerger as head coach, he was 53 wins shy of 200 for his career. It has taken him nearly two full seasons to reach the milestone; the Kings have not played well and their roster has generally been underwhelming. Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee relays that Joerger hopes to continue building something with the Sacramento.
JaKarr Sampson has bounced between the G League and the Kings as a two-way player this season. Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee profiled Sampson, who still lives with his mother, earns a modest $75K salary and hopes to latch on the Kings full-time. By his own words and that of his peers, Sampson’s energy has made him a favorite with the Kings organization and its fans.
The Kings have not made the postseason in over a decade as the organization tries to figure out a path to compete. Dennis Chambers of Basketball Insiders examines the steps the team can take to improve and eventually compete for the postseason.

Kings Notes: Sampson, Richardson, Randolph, Hill

December 16th, 2017 at 8:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings would like to give more playing time to small forward JaKarr Sampson, but they are limited by his two-way contract, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Sampson can’t spend more than 45 days in the NBA and must be signed to a regular contract if he exceeds that number. To do that, the team would have to open a roster spot and part with one of its 15 guaranteed contracts.

Sampson has played just six games in Sacramento, but has impressed the coaches with his defensive abilities. He has the size to guard wing players who otherwise give the Kings problems. He is also averaging 5.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in 17 minutes per night. He has previous NBA experience with the Sixers and Nuggets, but was out of the league last season.

There’s more news from Sacramento:

Personnel moves have cut into the opportunities for second-year shooting guard Malachi Richardson, Jones adds in the same story. Last year’s trade for Buddy Hield and the addition of Bogdan Bogdanovic have pushed Richardson down in the rotation. He faces competition at small forward from Garrett Temple, Vince Carter and rookie Justin Jackson. Richardson has gotten into just 13 games so far this season.
Free agent addition Zach Randolph considers himself a “dinosaur” because of the way he plays, but he has become the team’s best player, Jones states in a separate story. In the first season of a two-year, $24MM contract, the 36-year-old is averaging 15.2 points and 7.0 rebounds in 26 games. That’s despite a low-post game that seems best suited to another era. “Basketball is basketball; it’ll all come around,” Randolph said. “…You’ve still got to play in that paint; you’ve still got guys rolling. When you need a bucket, you go to the post. It comes back around.” Randolph adds that he hasn’t considered retirement and believes he can play several more seasons.
After a rough start in Sacramento, fellow offseason signee George Hill has stepped up his game, Jones notes in the same story. Hill is shooting better than 53% in his last nine games and he provides a veteran presence to ease the pressure on rookies De’Aaron Fox and Frank Mason.

Pacific Notes: Teodosic, Sampson, Walton

December 8th, 2017 at 9:22pm CST by Austin Kent

It may not be long before the Clippers see Milos Teodosic back in action, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes. The rookie point guard has been sidelined with a plantar fascia injury since the second game of the season but is nearing his return.

There’s no set date for Teodosic at this point but he practiced without limitation on Friday. The 30-year-old international free agent practiced previously with both the big league club and its G League affiliate earlier this week.

“He’s ready. He’s close,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “Milos will be playing in a couple of games, for sure. I just don’t want to say what game because I don’t know.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

There have been no shortage of proven winners for Lakers coach Luke Walton to take lessons from over the course of his NBA journey. Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN explores his path to where he is now.
The Kings have given JaKarr Sampson a chance to show what he’s capable of providing and the versatile 24-year-old hasn’t disappointed. “He has a body that we need – an athletic, 6-foot-8 guy who can play a couple of positions,” head coach Dave Joerger told Alex Kramers of the team’s official website. “It’s a little easier for him to stand in front of some versatile dudes, some drivers and some physical guys … He was ready for the moment and I think we’ll be seeing more of him.“
There’s growing speculation that Nerlens Noel could end up in Los Angeles, Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype writes. The big man shares an agent with LeBron James who has been linked to the Lakers over the course of the past year.

Kings Notes: Hill, Giles, Draft Picks, Sampson

December 3rd, 2017 at 9:57am CST by Arthur Hill

George Hill didn’t need words to express his frustration after Saturday’s loss to the Bucks, writes James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area. Hill used emojis — 26 dark red “pouting face” symbols” — in a tweet he sent out shortly after the game. Hill played just 18 minutes last night and was part of the starting lineup that was pulled after three minutes when it fell into a 14-0 hole.

The adjustment to Sacramento has been difficult for the 31-year-old point guard, who signed a three-year, $57MM deal over the summer. Through 21 games, he is averaging 8.9 points and 2.4 assists in 25.6 minutes while sharing time with rookies De’Aaron Fox and Frank Mason. He’s taking five fewer shots per night than he did last season in Utah.

Barring a trade, Hill is committed to the Kings through at least the end of next season. His contract includes a non-guaranteed $18MM for 2019/20.

There’s more today out of Sacramento:

Kings fans shouldn’t count on seeing Harry Giles play this season, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. The organization is being very careful with the rookie out of Duke, who has a long history of medical problems with both knees. Team doctors will evaluate him next month, which will mark two years since his last ACL surgery, and determine the best course for further rehab. The Kings want to see how he responds to increased activity in practice before thinking about playing him, and Jones believes that probably means keeping him sidelined for the rest of the year.
The Kings might be tempted to take on another team’s unwanted contract to pick up a draft pick for next summer, but they would have to consider the long-term implications of such a move, Jones writes in the same story. Sacramento’s first-rounder for 2019 will go to either Philadelphia or Boston. While Sacramento might like to add to its youth movement, it doesn’t want to take on an expensive, long-term deal that would drain future cap room. The team is counting on having market flexibility when its youngsters start to mature, which is why Zach Randolph was only signed for two seasons and Hill’s contract has a third-year buyout.
Injuries and foul trouble gave two-way player JaKarr Sampson a rare chance to play Saturday, Jones notes in a separate story. In just his third game of the season, the 24-year-old small forward logged 24 minutes and impressed the coaching staff with his energy and enthusiasm.

JaKarr Sampson Signs Two-Way Deal With Kings

July 29th, 2017 at 2:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Forward JaKarr Sampson has agreed to a two-way contract with the Kings, the team announced on its website.

The 6’9” Sampson, 24, has 147 NBA games on his resume but did not play in the league last season. He wore the Sixers uniform in 2014/15 and played for both the Sixers and Nuggets in 2015/16. He posted averages of 5.2 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 15.6 MPG during those two seasons.

Last season, Sampson was a G-League Western Conference All-Star for the Iowa Energy, averaging 15.1 PPG and 5.9 RPG in 47 games, including 22 starts.

Sampson made a favorable impression on the Kings’ Summer League team in Las Vegas, posting averages of 7.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 1.2 BPG in four appearances.

The Kings signed another forward, Jack Cooley, with their other two-way contract.

And-Ones: Free Agents, D-League, Bennett, Oden

May 3rd, 2017 at 10:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Several under-the-radar players who will be free agents this summer are improving their bargaining position with their performance in the playoffs, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype. He identifies six players, starting with Golden State big man JaVale McGee, who is averaging 8.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks through five games despite playing just 11.8 minutes per night. McGee signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Warriors for the veteran’s minimum and could be in line for a huge pay raise in July. The others that Kennedy singles out are Serge Ibaka of the Raptors, Joe Ingles of the Jazz, Nene of the Rockets, Andre Roberson of the Thunder and Deron Williams of the Cavaliers.

There’s more news from around the basketball world:

The Texas Legends, the Mavericks‘ affiliate in the D-League, have given coach Bob MacKinnon a two-year extension, tweets D-League Digest. The D-League veteran is in his first season with the Legends.
Invitations have been issued for the D-League’s Elite Mini Camp, which will be held May 8-9 in Chicago, relays Chris Reichert of FanSided. Many players have used this showcase to earn spots on summer league rosters, with alumni such as Jonathon Simmons, Hollis Thompson and DeAndre Liggins. Among the best-known names at this year’s camp will be Russ Smith, JaKarr Sampson, Ray McCallum and Cliff Alexander.
Former No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett, who played 23 games for the Nets this season, has been replaced on his Fenerbahce team in Turkey, according to Bugra Uzar of Eurohoops. Taking his spot on the roster is Pero Antic, who played for the Hawks from 2013 to 2015. Bennett will remain with the club and is expected to be part of the upcoming EuroLeague Final Four.
Greg Oden, another former No. 1 pick, is hoping to be part of The Basketball Tournament this summer on ESPN, relays Alysha Tsuji of USA Today. Oden’s team is called Scarlet and Gray and is made up of Ohio State alumni. “We think we’re a team that can win it,” he said. “We look at the talent we’ve had here in the last 10 years or so, and we can match up with anybody. We want the state of Ohio supporting us. We’re called Scarlet and Gray, but this team is a representation of the whole state.”