James Nunnally

James Nunnally Signs To Play In Israel

MONDAY, 8:01am: The signing is official, the Israeli Winner League announced (Twitter link; hat tip to Pick).

THURSDAY, 2:18pm: James Nunnally is set to sign with Israel’s Maccabi Ashdod, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). The 24-year-old small forward who spent parts of last season with the Hawks and Sixers had inked a deal this past summer with Estudiantes of Spain, but his time with the club appeared to be nearing an end as of this past weekend, as Marcos Fernández of Planeta ACB reported (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia).

Nunnally worked out for the Lakers in September, shortly before he signed with Estudiantes. The Jazz and Warriors had a look at him in May, apparently with the summer league in mind. He appeared in 13 NBA games last season after signing two 10-day contracts apiece with Philadelphia and Atlanta, averaging 3.4 points in 12.7 minutes per contest overall. Nunnally otherwise spent much of the season in the D-League, where he put up 18.1 PPG in 33.6 MPG and nailed 41.3% of his three-point attempts. He shot just 32.0% from behind the arc during his NBA stints and was only a 31.8% three-point shooter in seven games for Estudiantes so far this season, however.

The Suns had Nunnally in training camp before the 2013/14 season, and the Cavs, Bulls and Thunder reportedly showed interest in signing him before he received his first 10-day contract from the Hawks. He’ll join fellow former NBA player Terrel Harris on Maccabi Ashdod, assuming Nunnally’s deal becomes official.

James Nunnally To Play In Spain

Former Hawks and Sixers small forward James Nunnally has signed with Estudiantes of Spain, the Spanish ACB league announced (on Twitter; translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The terms are unclear, but that presumably takes him out of the running to join an NBA team for training camp. The 24-year-old was reportedly one of a handful of players to work out for the Lakers last week.

Nunnally signed a pair of 10-day contracts with both Atlanta and Philadelphia last year, as our 10-Day Tracker shows, but neither team followed with a contract that covered the rest of 2013/14. He averaged 3.4 points in 12.7 minutes per game in the 13 NBA contests in which he appeared last season, but he saw more extensive action in the D-League, just as he did in 2012/13, his first season as a pro after he went undrafted out of UC Santa Barbara in 2012. Still, he’s consistently remained on the NBA radar, having worked out earlier in the offseason for the Warriors and Jazz and having spent time with the Pacers, Heat and Mavs during summer league this year. He was a widely sought-after camp invitee last fall before he finally chose to spend the preseason with the Suns.

Heading to Spain will make it more difficult for NBA scouts and executives to keep tabs on his game, but he certainly won’t vanish from their sights, given the strength of the ACB league. Nunnally joins Ryan Gomes, Orlando Johnson, Tornike Shengelia and Dwight Buycks among the players who found deals in the ACB league after appearing in the NBA last season.

Lakers Work Out Five Players

The Lakers held workouts this past Wednesday for five players, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports (Twitter link). Displaying their wares in Los Angeles were Pooh Jeter, Ronnie Price, Wayne Ellington, Jeremy Tyler, and James Nunnally, according to Carchia’s sources. The Lakers currently have 15 players on their pre-season roster, with 13 of those contracts being guaranteed.

The 5’11”, thirty year-old Jeter, played one season in the NBA with the Kings back in 2010/11, and he averaged 4.1 PPG and 2.6 APG. Jeter was reportedly drawing interest from some NBA teams back in March of this year for a possible 10-day contract. With Steve Nash‘s health a question, the team could be looking to add another body behind Jeremy Lin, Roscoe Smith, and Jordan Clarkson.

Price also falls into this possibility, and the 6’2″, thirty-one year-old would provide a bit more NBA experience than Jeter. Price has been in the league for nine seasons, and has career averages of 3.4 PPG, 1.1 RPG, and 1.5 APG. He spent last season with the Magic, and was waived by Orlando in July just prior to his salary becoming guaranteed.

Ellington would provide depth behind Kobe Bryant and compete with Xavier Henry for backup duties. The 6’4″, twenty-six year-old has career numbers of 6.4 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 1.0 APG. Ellington has been involved in two trades this offseason, and was waived by the Kings last week. Ellington would provide more upside than Jeter or Price, but he hasn’t shown he is capable of handling primary ball-handling duties, which might be a more pressing need for the Lakers.

Tyler, who was also a part of one of the deals involving Ellington, and Nunnally would bolster the Lakers frontcourt. Tyler is more of a power forward than a center, which is already a crowded position with Carlos Boozer, Julius Randle, Ed Davis, and Ryan Kelly being on the roster. This would make Nunnally more of a fit backing up Nick Young and Wesley Johnson at small forward. Nunnally also can man the power forward position if needed, which might give him an edge, despite Tyler’s high upside.

Jazz, Warriors Eye James Nunnally

Former Hawks and Sixers small forward James Nunnally will work out for the Warriors and Jazz, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM. The 23-year-old who received four NBA 10-day contracts this past season has been playing for Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Puerto Rican league, and he’ll be leaving the club to audition for Golden State and Utah, according to Charania. Many of the free agents receiving NBA auditions at this point in the year are striving just to make summer league rosters, but Nunnally was one of the most sought-after training camp invitees last fall before winding up with the Suns, who carried him through the preseason.

Nunnally averaged 3.4 points in 12.7 minutes per game in 13 contests with Atlanta and Philly this past season, though he spent much of the year in the D-League, where he put up 18.1 PPG in 33.6 MPG to go along with 41.3% shooting from behind the arc. The performance earned him a trip to the D-League All-Star Game, and he’s put up remarkably similar numbers in Puerto Rico, notching 18.2 PPG in 31.4 MPG with 41.2% three-point shooting.

Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey typically casts a wide net, and he’ll also audition former Kings small forward Tyler Honeycutt. The Warriors have already had a busy offseason featuring a high-profile coaching search, and Steve Kerr, who emerged with the job, remains tied up with his broadcasting duties for TNT. Still, GM Bob Myers and company seem to remain engaged with the hunt for free agent talent, a need exacerbated by the team’s lack of draft picks in either the first or second round next month.

And-Ones: Sterling, Stackhouse, Warriors, Jazz

The NBA’s legal strategy for ousting Donald Sterling has been revealed, writes Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. According to Rovell, the NBA constitution states that grounds exist to remove any owner that “fail(s) or refuse(s) to fulfill its contractual obligations to the Association.” Among other “morals clauses,” Sterling has signed a document stating he would not “take any position or action that will materially and adversely affect a team or the league,” says Rovell. There’s still expectation that Sterling or his wife will fight the NBA in court, but the league at least has a starting point for Sterling’s removal. Here’s tonight’s look around the NBA:

  • The Knicks will interview Jerry Stackhouse for a position within the organization, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. It’s not entirely clear what position Stackhouse will interview for, but he expressed interest in coaching at some capacity. It seems highly unlikely his interview would be for anything more than an assistant position, given New York’s strong pursuit of Steve Kerr.
  • Many around the league think that if the Pacers lose to the Wizards and Roy Hibbert continues to struggle, Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird will “do everything he can” to trade the All-Star center, according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard. Broussard made his comments on the Mike & Mike Show (Audio link).
  • The Jazz will work out draft prospects Taylor Braun, Akil Mitchell, Bryce Cotton, Mike Moser, Stephen Holt, and Ronald Roberts Jr, the team announced (via Twitter).
  • James Nunnally has signed a contract to play for the Cangrejeros de Santurce in Puerto Rico, the team announced (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Nunnally spent most of 2013/14 in the D-League but did see NBA action on 10-day deals with the Hawks and Sixers.
  • Each member of Mark Jackson‘s coaching staff has been relieved of their duties, the Warriors announced (hat tip to Diamond Leung of Bay Area News).
  • The decision to fire Jackson means that Warriors‘ management will face pressure to win big next season in order to prove they made the right call, opines Tim Kawakami of Mercury News.
  • In his latest Insider piece, Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks the top point guard prospects in the 2014 draft. To no surprise, Dante Exum sits atop his list. Hoops Rumors’ Zach Links recently profiled the Australian slasher.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Sixers Won’t Re-Sign Nunnally

With his second 10-day contract having expired, the Sixers won’t sign wing James Nunnally for the remainder of the season, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com. The Sixers have used the end of their roster for auditioning players for the future, and Nunnally averaged three points and shot 33.3 percent from three-point range in nine games.

Nunnally said he had enjoyed his time with the Sixers, and now his agent, Bill Neff, will try to find a team with a more structured offensive system to better utilize his client, writes Charania. Nunnally had also earned two 10-day deals with the Hawks back in January.

Undrafted in 2012, Nunnally excelled in Summer League a season ago and has used the NBA Development League to earn two call-ups. He has averaged 18.1 PPG and 4.5 RPG in 35 games this season with the Texas Legends and Bakersfield Jam.

Sixers Re-Sign James Nunnally To 10-Day Pact

THURSDAY, 12:08pm: The deal is official, the team announced (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 11:44am: The Sixers are set to sign James Nunnally to a second 10-day contract, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The small forward’s first 10-day deal expires tonight. Nunnally also went through a pair of 10-day stints with the Hawks this year, and his goal at this point is presumably to convince Philadelphia to sign him for the season, which Atlanta decided not to do.

The 6’7″ Nunnally went undrafted out of UC Santa Barbara in 2012 and played last season in the D-League, but he was a sought-after camp invitee after a strong summer league performance with the Heat in 2013. He joined the Suns for the preseason but failed to make the opening-night roster and returned to the D-League, where he’s spent the bulk of this season aside from his brief time with the Hawks and Sixers. He’s averaging 12.4 minutes per game in five contests for Philadelphia, putting up 2.2 points and 1.0 rebounds a night.

The Sixers also have Casper Ware on a 10-day contract that runs until a week from tonight. A new deal with Nunnally would keep the team at the 15-man roster limit. Philadelphia has given 10-day contracts to five players this season, as our 10-Day Tracker shows.

Sixers Sign James Nunnally

MONDAY, 10:31am: The Sixers announced that they have signed Nunnally, making the deal official.

SUNDAY, 4:05pm:The Sixers are set to sign D-League forward James Nunnally to a 10-day contract today, league sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter).  Nunnally previously had a pair of 10-day deals with the Hawks.

Nunnally, 24, auditioned for the Sixers at the same time as Darius Johnson-Odom, who also got a 10-day deal with the club.  He’s done most of his work this season with the Bakersfield Jam of the D-League, averaging 18.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.

In four games with the Hawks (his only time in the NBA), Nunnally averaged 4.5 points on .333 shooting and 2 rebounds per game in 13.5 minutes. Before the Hawks gave him a look, the Cavs, Bulls, and Thunder all showed some interest in the 23-year-old. Nunnally spent time in the Suns’ training camp over the summer before being waived.

Sixers To Audition Scott Suggs, Johnson-Odom

2:32pm: Sixers coach Brett Brown is “thrilled” with Varnado and would like to keep him around, notes Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com, suggesting that it’s no certainty that anyone set to work out for the team will receive a contract. Brown has had a say in each of the moves the team has made since the start of the season, according to Lynam.

8:08am: The Sixers will bring in Scott Suggs and Darius Johnson-Odom on Tuesday to audition for the team, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. They also have workouts lined up for James Nunnally and Kevin Murphy, as we passed along Sunday night. Philadelphia has 14 guaranteed contracts and Jarvis Varnado on a 10-day deal, so their pursuit of another signee indicates that Varnado’s time in Philadelphia will be short. His deal expires at the end of the day today.

Suggs is a 6’6″ shooting guard who went undrafted out of Washington this past June. He’s been playing for the D-League affiliate of the Knicks, averaging 17.6 points and 41.4% three-point shooting in 36.0 minutes per game. He saw summer league action with the Bucks, but the 24-year-old wasn’t in camp with any NBA team. Johnson-Odom is a more familiar name, having seen four games of NBA action with the Lakers last season. He joined the Lakers again for camp in the fall and split the season between China and the Nets D-League affiliate. Jorge Gutierrez recently edged out Johnson-Odom for a 10-day contract with Brooklyn.

Sixers coach Brett Brown suggested late last month that the team would be cycling through several players at the end of the season, and it appears they’re indeed planning on giving at least a handful of guys a look. Varnado has scored 2.5 points and 3.8 rebounds on 12.5 minutes per game in his time with Philadelphia. If no one impresses during the workouts, it seems reasonable to think that the team would consider signing Varnado to a second 10-day contract.

And-Ones: Harris, Murphy, Edwin, Dirk

With the D-League trade deadline in the rear view mirror, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest looks back at the biggest transactions of the year.  The L.A. D-Fenders’ acquisition of Manny Harris tops the list.  The Lakers‘ affiliate got Harris from the Canton Charge in exchange for a 2014 second round draft pick and the guard currently leads the NBA D-League in scoring average and even earned a call-up after a month in L.A.  Here’s more from around the Association..

  • The 76ers plan to workout D-League guard Kevin Murphy, an audition that could lead to 10-day deal, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).  Murphy is averaging ~26 PPG for the Idaho Stampede.
  • James Nunnally will also get a workout with the 76ers, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.  Nunnally had two 10-day contracts earlier this season with the Hawks.
  • Seton Hall standout Fuquan Edwin hasn’t seen a whole lot of Ws during his collegiate career but he’s still happy with his time in South Orange, New Jersey.  “It’s definitely been a pleasure playing at the university with the great coaching staff that we have,” Edwin told Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders. “I think coach helped me tremendously in developing my game. We haven’t really won games or got far in my career, but it has definitely been a blast overall playing these last four years.”  Barring a surprise run in the Big East tournament, Edwin’s collegiate career is on the verge of coming to an end.  The small forward is currently projected to be taken late in the second round by DraftExpress.
  • Stars who stick with one franchise are getting increasingly rare, but Mavericks
    big man Dirk Nowitzki is an exception, writes Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer.  “I basically grew up in Dallas,” Dirk said. “I came over here at 19 or 20 and now I’m 35. I’ve spent half of my life here. It is important for me to be a Maverick because I have deep connections with this franchise. The fans supported me through disappointing playoff losses. They were always by my side as I grew as a player. I can’t see myself playing for another franchise.”
  • Suns coach Jeff Hornacek is targeting Wednesday’s game versus Washington for a return of injured guard Eric Bledsoe, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports.  Bledsoe will initially be coming off of the bench.
  • Earl “The Pearl” Monroe threw his support behind former teammate Phil Jackson who could be taking over the Knicks front office, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.