Julyan Stone

Family Issues Push Julyan Stone Toward Hornets

The poor health of his father is motivating Julyan Stone to try to get out of his Italian contract and sign with the Hornets, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.

The 28-year-old point guard has a two-year offer from Charlotte that he would like to accept, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reported Friday. Stone’s primary motivation is the condition of his father, who is in the United States in a coronary care unit with severe lung, heart and kidney ailments.

Stone has approached his Reyer Venezia club, based in Venice, about getting out of his current deal, but hasn’t made any progress. He posted a message on his Instagram account Friday explaining his father’s dire condition and claiming that Reyer Venezia officials won’t return his repeated messages. Stone would like to return to the NBA to be closer to his father and be in a better position to pay for his care.

Signing Stone would also benefit the Hornets, who are looking for an inexpensive backup to Kemba Walker and Michael Carter-Williams. Charlotte is hovering near the luxury tax line with about $119MM committed in salary for next season, so any roster additions will have to be made at minimal cost.

The Hornets waived Briante Weber in late July before his $1.5MM contract became guaranteed, and they recently held a workout for prospective point guards.

The 6’6″ Stone has previous NBA experience, playing 26 games for the Nuggets over two seasons and 21 with the Raptors in 2013/14.

Southeast Notes: Leonsis, Stone, Mahinmi

The Wizards have made no secret their plan to double down on their current core and a recent blog post from franchise owner Ted Leonsis only further documents how Washington plans to craft a winner.

The Wizards boast the youngest core of long-term signed max players, a testament to their willingness to commit to their guys, and they’re not afraid to dip into the luxury tax in order to preserve what they think is going to work eventually.

Further, Leonsis writes, the Wizards plan to invest in basketball development at all levels, citing the team’s acquisition of a G League club and plans for a new arena to house the Washington Mystics of the WNBA.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

And-Ones: Mavericks, Bogut, Stone, Teodosic

Having waived Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut, the Mavericks will be relying on their young players more than ever going forward. As Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com writes, Mark Cuban recognizes the value of Dallas’ 2017 draft pick and acknowledges that going with a young lineup looks like the club is “tanking” to improve that pick. However, Cuban says he doesn’t necessarily expect the team’s young lineup to perform worse than the veteran-heavy lineup.

“In our case, we’re playing our youngest players, but we’re playing them with the expectation that they’re going to win,” said the Mavericks owner. “I think that’s the best type of experience. And if that means we get the eighth pick or the 10th pick instead of the fourth pick, I’ll live with the consequences.”

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

  • Andrew Bogut won’t clear waivers until tomorrow, but he may make a decision on his new home by tonight, according to David Aldridge of TNT. Aldridge tweets that Bogut is talking to teams about his potential role, since he’d like some certainty on that subject before he makes his decision. Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe confirms (via Twitter) that Bogut spoke to multiple coaches today about his possible role. The Cavaliers and Celtics are viewed as the frontrunners to land the former No. 1 pick.
  • Veteran guard Julyan Stone, who had been playing for the D-League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants, has left the Pacers‘ NBADL affiliate and signed with Italian club Reyer Venezia, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando notes. Stone, who has appeared in 47 total NBA games and was in camp with Indiana last fall, previously played for Reyer Venezia during the 2014/15 season.
  • According to an international report from Serbian outlet Novosti (translation via Sportando), the Nets and Nuggets are expected to be among the teams eyeing Milos Teodosic for the 2017/18 season. We heard back in September that the star CSKA Moscow guard was considering making the leap to the NBA next season, with a report earlier this month identifying the Nuggets, Spurs, and Jazz as potential suitors.
  • In a piece for SBNation.com, Paul Flannery examines some of the unintended consequences that the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement had on this year’s trade deadline.

NBA D-League Affiliate Players For 2016/17

Throughout the offseason, and in the weeks leading up to the start of the regular season, NBA teams are permitted to carry 20 players, but that total must be cut down to 15 in advance of opening night. However, up to four players waived by teams before the season can be designated as affiliate players and assigned to their D-League squads.

The players have some say in the decision — if they’d prefer to sign with a team overseas, or if they get an opportunity with another NBA club, they’re free to turn down their team’s request to have them play in the D-League. Most NBA and international teams have fairly set rosters by late October though, so having the opportunity to continue playing in the same system is appealing to many of those preseason cuts. Especially since they’ll maintain NBA free agency while they play in the D-League.

There are a few other rules related to D-League affiliate players. A player whose returning rights are held by a D-League team can’t be an affiliate player for another club, which is why undrafted free agents from the current year are commonly signed and assigned. Additionally, an affiliate player must have signed with his team during the current league year, which explains why we often see players signed and quickly waived in the days leading up to the regular season. And, of course, not every NBA team has a D-League affiliate, so clubs like the Hawks, Nuggets, or Clippers have no place to send affiliate players.

With all that in mind, here are the NBA D-League affiliate players to start the 2016/17 season:

Austin Spurs (San Antonio Spurs)

Canton Charge (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Delaware 87ers (Philadelphia 76ers)

Read more

Pacers Waive Jeremy Evans, Julyan Stone

The Pacers have waived Jeremy Evans and Julyan Stone, tweets Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports. The moves get Indiana down to the roster limit of 15 ahead of Monday’s deadline.

Evans, a 6’9″ combo forward, was traded from the Mavericks to the Pacers in July, and Indiana will still be on the hook for his $1,227,286 salary for this season. Evans saw little action for the Pacers in the preseason, appearing in just two games with no points or rebounds. He was battling shoulder problems and tried to come back early from the injury to earn a roster spot (Twitter link).

Stone, a 27-year-old combo guard, was trying to find his way back onto an NBA roster after two seasons out of the league. He signed with the Pacers in late August, getting a $50K guarantee to come to camp. Stone’s NBA experience consists of 47 games over three seasons for the Nuggets and Raptors. He appeared in five preseason games for the Pacers, but averaged just 0.2 points per contest. If he clears waivers, Stone is expected to sign with Indiana’s D-League affiliate in Fort Wayne, tweets Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star.

Contract Details: Brand, Rockets, Thunder, Pacers

With training camps underway, teams have now officially finalized the contract agreements with various camp invitees that had been reported over the past several weeks, meaning we have plenty of contract details to round up. As usual, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders has been busy reporting those details, updating his salary pages for teams around the NBA.

Because we have so many updates to pass along from Pincus, we’ll divide them up by players who received some guaranteed money from their teams, and those who didn’t. All of the links below point to the Basketball Insiders team salary pages, so be sure to click through for additional information.

Here are the latest salary updates from across the league, via Pincus:

Players receiving guaranteed money:

These players aren’t necessarily assured of regular-season roster spots. In fact, many of them likely received guarantees as an incentive to accept a D-League assignment. Still, for some players, larger guarantees should increase their odds of making 15-man rosters.

  • Thomas Walkup (Bulls): One year, minimum salary. $69.5K guaranteed.
  • Keith Benson (Heat): Two years, minimum salary. $75K guaranteed.
  • Henry Sims (Jazz): One year, minimum salary. $75K guaranteed.
  • Alex Poythress (Pacers): One year, minimum salary. $35,381 guaranteed.
  • Kevin Seraphin (Pacers): Two years, $3.681MM. First year ($1.8MM) guaranteed.
  • Julyan Stone (Pacers): One year, minimum salary. $50K guaranteed.
  • Gary Payton II (Rockets): Two years, minimum salary. First year ($543,471) guaranteed.
  • Isaiah Taylor (Rockets): Two years, minimum salary. $50K guaranteed.
  • Kyle Wiltjer (Rockets): Two years, minimum salary. $275K guaranteed.
  • Cat Barber (Sixers): One year, minimum salary. $50K guaranteed.
  • Elton Brand (Sixers): One year, minimum salary. $1MM guaranteed.
  • Derrick Jones (Suns): Three years, minimum salary. $42.5K guaranteed.
  • Alex Caruso (Thunder): One year, minimum salary. $50K guaranteed.
  • Kaleb Tarczewski (Thunder): One year, minimum salary. $75K guaranteed.
  • Chris Wright (Thunder): One year, minimum salary. $100K guaranteed.

Players receiving no guaranteed money:

The following players all signed one-year, minimum salary contracts with no guaranteed money. Many of these deals are “summer contracts,” which won’t count against a team’s cap unless the player earns a spot on the 15-man roster.

Pacers Notes: George, Hairston, Turner

Paul George officially became eligible for a new contract extension on Sunday, and as I explained last week, there are multiple pros and cons to consider as he decides whether or not to re-up with the Pacers this year. For his part though, George doesn’t seem to have those pros and cons weighing too heavily on his mind. Speaking to reporters today, George said he’s focused on the season and is “not even thinking about” his contract situation, per Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).

Presumably, George’s agent is thinking about a little more than his client is, so it’s not out of the question that the Pacers and their All-Star forward could reach an agreement prior to the regular season. As we wait to see whether a new deal for George is in the cards, let’s round up a few more Pacers notes…

  • According to Pacers head coach Nate McMillan, the team is heading into camp with 19 players, and three of those players will eventually end up with the D-League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Twitter link via Taylor). Barring any surprises, Julyan Stone, Nick Zeisloft, and Alex Poythress, whose deals aren’t fully guaranteed, are the best bets to end up at Fort Wayne.
  • Free agent swingman P.J. Hairston, who recently worked out for Brooklyn, also had a workout with the Pacers, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
  • Myles Turner is currently in the NBA’s concussion protocol, McMillan said today (Twitter link via Taylor). However, Turner’s regular-season availability isn’t expected to be impacted. McMillan expects the young big man to join George, Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, and Thaddeus Young in the starting lineup to open the year (Twitter link via Taylor).

Pacers Sign Julyan Stone, Alex Poythress

The Pacers have announced a pair of signings, revealing today in press release that they’ve added veteran guard Julyan Stone to their roster. The club also confirmed and formalized the previously-reported signing of undrafted free agent Alex Poythress.

Stone, 27, entered the NBA in 2012, and ultimately appeared in 47 total games over the course of three seasons for the Nuggets and Raptors. He didn’t see much action in those games, averaging just 1.3 PPG and 1.1 APG in 7.0 minutes per contest. Stone was in camp with the Thunder last fall, but was cut and signed with Gaziantep in Turkey — he averaged 4.4 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 1.8 APG in 25 games for the Turkish club.

As for Poythress, he missed the bulk of the 2014/15 campaign due to a torn left ACL. Returning to Kentucky as a senior, the forward made 31 appearances and averaged 10.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 0.6 steals in 23.6 minutes per contest. Poythress’ shooting line for the Wildcats was .601/.304/.706.

[RELATED: Indiana Pacers’ depth chart at RosterResource.com]

The Pacers already have 15 guaranteed contracts on their roster, so Stone and Poythress aren’t great bets to survive preseason cuts unless Indiana has injury problems heading into the season. Poythress could end up playing for the Pacers’ D-League affiliate in Fort Wayne, while Stone would be a candidate to head back overseas.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Mudiay, Stone, Jazz

Flip Saunders built this year’s Timberwolves in an unusual way, with a seasoned veteran for every position group, notes Lee Jenkins of SI.com. Big man tutor Kevin Garnett, mentor wing player Tayshaun Prince and experienced point guard Andre Miller all signed contracts during the offseason before the late Saunders had to leave the job because of his ailing health. Now, they’re serving as guides through a difficult time as the team mourns Saunders’ death. Minnesota opened the season Wednesday with a one-point win over the Lakers.

“Coach brought us all here for a reason,” coach Sam Mitchell said, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. “And he would expect nothing less than us coming out and being focused and doing the very best job.”

See more from around the Northwest Division:

  • New coach Michael Malone wants to win, but he acknowledges that so much of this season for the Nuggets is about the education of No. 7 overall pick Emmanuel Mudiay, as Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post relays. “If we’re getting our butts kicked, I’m not going to just sit there and say: ‘Well, this is good for Emmanuel’s development,'” Malone said. “But, overall, I want to be able to say at the end of Year 1 that we gave Emmanuel every chance to succeed and learn going into Year 2, because that’s only going to accelerate the growth of this roster and this organization.”
  • Thunder camp cut Julyan Stone has signed with Gaziantep of Turkey, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia).
  • The Jazz named Linda Luchetti the team’s vice president of basketball operations this week, a position that will have her reporting directly to GM Dennis Lindsey, the team announced. The move makes her one of the most highly ranking female basketball executives in the league, though her responsibilities will be focused on the business side of the team, according to The Associated Press.

Thunder Waive Qualls, Zanna, Stone, Wells

The Thunder have officially waived Michael Qualls, Talib Zanna, Julyan Stone, and Dez Wells, the team announced in a press release. All four players were in camp on non-guaranteed deals, so Oklahoma City won’t be responsible for any salary as a result of these moves. The team’s roster count now sits at 15 players, all of whom possess fully guaranteed pacts, which is the regular season maximum.

Qualls was considered a second round hopeful before tearing his ACL in the weeks leading up to the draft. Prior to his injury, Qualls, a shooting guard, was listed as the 40th best prospect in the draft by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and the 48th best one by Chad Ford of ESPN.com. He was inked with the intent for him spend the season with Oklahoma City’s D-League affiliate while he recovers from his injury.

Stone, 26, saw his last NBA action during the 2013/14 campaign when he appeared in 21 contests for the Raptors and averaged 0.9 points in 5.7 minutes per game. His NBA career also includes parts of two seasons with the Nuggets. Stone’s career NBA numbers overall are 1.3 PPG, 1.0 RPG, and 1.1 APG to go along with a slash line of .440/.211/.722. The 6’6″ guard spent the 2014/15 season playing for Umana Reyer Venezia of Italy.

Zanna, 25, split summer league between the Thunder and Cavs, putting up 6.0 points and an efficient 4.7 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game. Indeed, at 6’9″, he showed a touch on the boards in the D-League this past year, pulling down 11.0 RPG to go with 13.3 PPG in 27.7 MPG. It’s a skill he didn’t show as much of in college, where he topped out at 8.6 RPG in 30.3 MPG as a senior.

The Wizards were one of six teams to extend training camp invitations to Wells before he signed with the Thunder. He reportedly turned down Washington’s offer because the Wizards already possessed 15 players on guaranteed pacts and he wanted better odds at landing a regular season roster spot, but the Thunder already had their 15 full guarantees in place when Wells agreed to join them. In 28 appearances during his senior season with the Terrapins, Wells averaged 15.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists to go along with a slash line of .464/.510/.806.