Julyan Stone

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/9/17

Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/8/17

Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

  • The Hornets have assigned point guard Julyan Stone to the G League, the team announced today in a press release. Stone appeared in Charlotte’s first two games this season, but has battled a hamstring injury since then and it’s not clear if there’s room for him in the rotation anymore.
  • Second-year guard Isaiah Whitehead has been recalled from the G League by the Nets, according to a press release from the club. Whitehead, who will join the Nets in Mexico City, has played in eight NBA games and three G League games so far this season.
  • Rookie guard Furkan Korkmaz continues to bounce back and forth between the NBA and the G League, with the Sixers sending him back to Delaware today (link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer). Korkmaz will suit up for the 87ers – Philadelphia’s G League affiliate – in Canton tonight.

Julyan Stone Expected To Miss 4 To 6 Weeks

The Hornets will be without Julyan Stone for the next four to six weeks because of a hamstring injury, the team announced on its website.

Stone has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring, which occurred during Sunday’s practice. His injury is another blow to the backcourt depth for the Hornets, who are already missing Michael Carter-Williams, who had platelet-rich plasma treatments on both knees over the offseason.

Stone, 28, signed with Charlotte in late August after a prolonged effort to get out of his contract with an Italian team. He wanted to return to the United States to be closer to his ailing father.

Stone has appeared in both of the Hornets’ games so far, averaging 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 9 minutes per night. He spent time with the Nuggets and Raptors before heading overseas.

Southeast Notes: Hornets, Wade, Gortat, Magic

The Hornets turned over their backup point guards behind Kemba Walker this offseason, with Michael Carter-Williams and Julyan Stone replacing Ramon Sessions, Brian Roberts, and Briante Weber. Unfortunately for Charlotte, the injury bug is plaguing the team’s new-look backcourt as training camp gets underway.

As Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer details, Carter-Williams, who is recovering from platelet-rich plasma procedures on his knees, has yet to be cleared for contact drills, and Hornets head coach Steve Clifford isn’t sure when that will happen. Stone is also dealing with an injury, though his nagging groin issue isn’t expected to be a major problem.

If the Hornets do need additional point guard depth this preseason, it will be interesting to see if rookie Malik Monk gets some reps at the position. The team wanted to experiment in Summer League with Monk playing point guard, but he was battling an ankle injury of his own at the time.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

  • Although Dwyane Wade hasn’t ruled out the possibility of returning to the Heat within the next few years, his desire to join a championship contender trumps his desire to reunite with his old team at this point in his career, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
  • The low-post role in the NBA has evolved considerably in recent years, with teams prioritizing bigs who can shoot, but Wizards center Marcin Gortat isn’t too worried about the league’s shifting philosophy. “I’ve got two, three more years in me, [and] I’m gone.” Gortat said with a smile, per Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. “I’m glad I’m at the end of my career right now. I’m not going to shoot threes; I’m not going to develop threes. I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to try to bring back real centers. I’m just going to try to survive. I’m going to play my best. I’m going to try to spend all my six fouls as best as I can, get as many rebounds as I can, get some blocks, get some charges. Hopefully we’re going to win some games, then I’m gone.”
  • The Magic announced their training camp roster on Monday, and one name notably absent was Rodney Purvis‘. A report last month indicated that the former UConn shooting guard had agreed to a deal with Orlando. The Magic are currently carrying 19 players on their roster, leaving one open spot, but it’s not clear whether that reported agreement with Purvis will be finalized.

Southeast Notes: Gortat, White, Stone, Speights

Marcin Gortat, who expressed doubt about his future with the Wizards during his exit interview in May, now says he’s fully committed to the team, relays Chase Hughes of CSNMidAtlantic. Gortat, who usually spends summers in Poland, joined the team for its informal summer mini-camp this year. Now in his fifth season with the team, Gortat is signed through the 2018/19 season.

“First of all, I knew it right away that I would be coming back,” Gortat said this week on the Wizards TipOff Podcast. “I still have a contract and at the end of the day, I’m a Wizards player. I still have two fully guaranteed years. When I went for the exit interview, I was just preparing myself for the worst. You’ve gotta be ready in this business. You’ve gotta be ready that one day you might get a phone call saying that ‘Hey, I appreciate everything that you did, but we’re going to go in a different direction and trade you.’ I’ve been traded twice in my life. I know how it is. So, at the exit interview I just said I was going to talk to my agent and whatever is going to happen. That doesn’t mean I wanted to be traded.”

There’s more tonight from the Southeast Division:

  • The Heat will have to keep Okaro White on their 15-man roster if they want to retain his rights, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The power forward appeared in 35 games for the Heat last season, but spent much of the season with the team’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls. White was claimed Wednesday in the G League expansion draft by the Memphis Hustle, the new affiliate of the Grizzlies. Because White has a guarantee of more than $50K, he cannot be deemed an affiliate player if he gets cut by Miami. He would have to either report to the Hustle or play overseas.
  • New Hornets guard Julyan Stone has an agreement not to discuss the details of his release from his Italian team, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Umana Reyer in Venice agreed to let Stone out of his contract so he could return to the United States to be closer to his ailing father.
  • Joining the Magic fulfills a long-time dream for Florida native Marreese Speights, relays Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype. The nine-year veteran has been far from home recently, spending the past four seasons with the Warriors and Clippers. He is excited about the opportunity after signing a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal with Orlando last month. “The arena is an hour and 20 minutes from my house in St. Pete,” Speights said. “I grew up watching them; I became a big fan of them as a kid and that’s when I fell in love with the game. I’ve always wanted to play for the Magic. This is a dream come true.”

Hornets Finalize Deal With Julyan Stone

AUGUST 24, 8:23am: RealGM’s official transactions log classifies Stone’s new contract as a multiyear agreement, so it appears the Hornets were able to complete a two-year deal as initially planned.

AUGUST 23, 10:17am: The Hornets have officially signed veteran guard Julyan Stone, the team announced today in a press release. The deal had been in the works for some time, as Stone worked to free himself from a commitment to Italian team Umana Reyer Venezia and receive FIBA clearance to return to the NBA.

Stone, who was in camp with the Pacers in 2016, hasn’t appeared in a regular season NBA game since the 2013/14 campaign. For his career, he appeared in 47 total contests for the Nuggets and Raptors, playing limited minutes in those games. In recent years, Stone bounced around to various teams overseas and in the G League, spending time in Italy, Turkey, and with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Indiana’s G League affiliate.

Stone recently agreed to a two-year extension with defending league champion Umana Reyer, based in Venice. The 28-year-old didn’t have an opt-out clause to leave for the NBA, but asked the team to release him from his deal so he could be closer to his father, who is in a coronary care unit in the United States with severe lung, heart and kidney conditions. The club obliged earlier this month.

While Stone is now a Hornet, we’ll wait to confirm the terms of his deal. Previous reports indicated that Charlotte made a two-year offer to Stone, but one report last week suggested that his Italian team may have only released him from his contract for a single year, which would limit the Hornets’ ability to lock him up for multiple seasons.

The 6’6″ Stone is expected to serve as the Hornets’ third point guard behind Kemba Walker and Michael Carter-Williams.

Hornets Notes: Howard, Zeller, Monk, Stone

To find a coach who still believes in him, Dwight Howard couldn’t have picked a better place than Charlotte, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The June trade that sent Howard from Atlanta to Charlotte reunited him with head coach Steve Clifford, who served as an assistant with the Magic while Howard was putting together his best seasons. “Cliff’s going to push me, but he’s not going to ever be one of those guys who I would say would break my spirit,” Howard said. “He really believes in me. Throughout all the mess that has happened the last couple of years, this is a great opportunity for me to prove to myself that I know exactly who I am — to just shut people’s mouths.”

The “mess” Howard refers to comes from feeling unwanted in Houston when he opted out last summer, then having a similar experience in Atlanta after signing a three-year, $70.5MM deal. He averaged 13.5 points and 12.7 rebounds per game with the Hawks, but his playing time dwindled in the postseason and he was barely used in the fourth quarter. Clifford expects Howard to be inspired to prove that he still has something left to offer. “From the trade until now, I think he’s very motivated to have a great year, and he badly wants us to win,” the coach said. “The last couple years have been difficult for him. I see him as motivated to work. The success of our team is the thing that keeps coming up in our conversations. He wants to be a part of our team. And that’s his priority.”

There’s more today out of Charlotte:

  • The addition of Howard may give Cody Zeller some minutes at power forward, but Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer doesn’t believe that’s his best position. In response to a question in his mailbag column, Bonnell says Clifford is considering the move, but Zeller isn’t the type of stretch four that most of the league is now using. However, Bonnell believes Zeller can excel as a backup center.
  • First-round pick Malik Monk is unlikely to work his way into the starting lineup as a rookie, Bonnell writes in response to another question. The shooting guard out of Kentucky should give the Hornets a scoring boost, but his porous defense and small size at 6’3″ make it likely that he will remain a reserve all season.
  • The release agreement that Julyan Stone negotiated with his Italian team may only cover one season, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Stone had agreed to an extension with Umana Reyer Venezia earlier this year, but requested to be freed from it so he could return to the United States to be closer to his ailing father. The Hornets had hoped to sign Stone to a two-year contract, but that will depend on the terms of his agreement in Italy.

Julyan Stone Granted Release From Italian Team

AUGUST 14, 7:22pm: Stone has been granted his release from Umana Reyer Venezia and is expected to sign with the Hornets this week, Bonnell reports.

AUGUST 13, 2:30pm: The Hornets plan to sign Stone to a two-year minimum deal with a second-year trigger date, pending clearance from FIBA, per Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter).

10:18amJulyan Stone is making progress toward getting out of his Italian League contract so he can sign with the Hornets, reports Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.

The 28-year-old combo guard recently agreed to a two-year extension with defending league champion Umana Reyer, based in Venice. Stone doesn’t have an opt-out clause to leave for the NBA, but he is asking the team to release him from his deal so he can be closer to his father, who is in a coronary care unit in the United States with severe lung, heart and kidney conditions.

Charlotte has a two-year, veteran’s minimum offer waiting for Stone and envisions him as a third-string point guard backing up Kemba Walker and free agent addition Michael Carter-Williams. However, before he can join the Hornets, Stone has to obtain a letter from FIBA stating that he has no contractual obligation to any other team.

Stone has prior NBA experience with the Nuggets and Raptors. He has also played in Turkey and Italy.

Julyan Stone Expected To Sign With Hornets

Expect Julyan Stone to finally sign a contract with the Hornets, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando writes. The guard is now expected to part ways with Italian club Reyer Venezia and return stateside for a second NBA stint.

As we wrote about last week, Stone had recently inked a two-year contract extension to stay in Italy but was adamantly seeking a way out in order to return to America and be closer to his ailing father.

While terms of Stone’s exit haven’t been made available, it’s worth noting that his contract didn’t include any formal opt out options. Last week, as discussed in our previous coverage of the story, Stone took to Instagram to express frustration with the EuroLeague team’s apparent reluctance to engage in a conversation about him leaving.

Per Carchia, when Stone officially becomes a free agent, he’ll sign a two-year guaranteed deal with Charlotte.

Prior to playing overseas, Stone played sparingly for the Nuggets and Raptors, logging 47 games across three seasons from 2011-2014.

Eastern Notes: Stone, Oubre, Celtics, Bucks

Julyan Stone‘s agent is hopeful of freeing his client from a European contract so that the point guard can sign with the Hornets, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Charlotte has offered Stone a two-year deal to be its third point guard behind Kemba Walker and Michael Carter-Williams but he first must be released from the contract he signed with Reyer Venezia in the Italian pro league. Stone’s agent, Giovanni Funiciello, told Bonnell that he’s hopeful a compromise can be worked out this week so that Stone can remain in the U.S. and be close to his ailing father.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

  • Wizards majority owner Ted Leonsis hopes that small forward Kelly Oubre develops to the point where he has to pay the 2015 first-round pick “a lot of money,” Chase Hughes of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. Leonsis indicated that Oubre was slowed by a knee injury last season and that coach Scott Brooks believes Oubre “can be a difference maker.” The Wizards are expected to pick up Oubre’s fourth-year option for 2018/19 prior to the start of the upcoming season, setting up Oubre for a potential big payday in the summer of 2019.
  • All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas is very pleased with the Celtics’ offseason, highlighted by the free agent signing of forward Gordon Hayward, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com tweets“We added Gordon Hayward, which is an All-Star-caliber player that’s going to help us get to the next level — and that’s the championship,” Thomas told Forsberg.
  • Jordan Brady has been named the first head coach of the Bucks’ G League team, the Wisconsin Herd, the Herd announced in a press release. Brady, 34, served as an assistant coach last season for the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s affiliate. He has also been an assistant coach with three other G League organizations.