Marcus Georges-Hunt

Timberwolves Sign Marcus Georges-Hunt

AUGUST 11: Georges-Hunt’s deal with the Timberwolves has now been finalized, according to the NBA’s official transactions log.

AUGUST 8: A little over a week after being waived by the Magic, Marcus Georges-Hunt has found a new NBA home. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter), Georges-Hunt and the Timberwolves have agreed to a contract. Exact terms of the deal aren’t yet known, but it will be a minimum salary pact.

Georges-Hunt, 23, joined the Celtics for training camp a year ago after going undrafted out of Georgia Tech, but didn’t earn a regular season roster spot with Boston. The 6’5″ shooting guard spent most of the 2016/17 season with the Maine Red Claws, averaging 15.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 4.4 APG, and being named to the All NBA D-League Third Team.

Georges-Hunt’s performance earned him another NBA shot — he signed a deal with the Magic in April and appeared in five games for the team down the stretch last season. That contract included a second year, but Georges-Hunt’s minimum salary for 2017/18 was non-guaranteed until the fall, so Orlando waived him last week.

The Timberwolves currently have 11 players on guaranteed NBA contracts. In addition to reaching a deal with Georges-Hunt, the club also recently agreed to terms with Melo Trimble, which will bring the roster count to 13, not counting Anthony Brown, who has a two-way contract. For now, it looks like both Georges-Hunt and Trimble should have a good shot to earn a spot on the regular season squad, but that may hinge on the other moves Minnesota makes to fill out its roster.

Magic Waive Marcus Georges-Hunt

The Magic have trimmed their roster count by one, waiving shooting guard Marcus Georges-Hunt today. The club issued a press release formally announcing the move and making it official.

Georges-Hunt, 23, joined the Celtics for training camp a year ago after going undrafted out of Georgia Tech, but didn’t earn a regular season roster spot with Boston. The 6’5″ guard spent most of the 2016/17 season with the Maine Red Claws, averaging 15.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 4.4 APG, and being named to the All NBA D-League Third Team.

Georges-Hunt’s performance earned him another NBA shot — he signed a deal with the Magic in April and appeared in five games for the team down the stretch. That contract included a second year, but Georges-Hunt’s minimum salary for 2017/18 was non-guaranteed until the fall, so Orlando won’t be on the hook for any of that money.

Georges-Hunt will become an unrestricted free agent if he clears waivers on Wednesday.

NBADL Announces All-NBA D-League Teams

The NBA Development League has announced its All-NBA D-League teams for the 2016/17 season, headlined by league MVP Vander Blue. While Blue didn’t play in the NBA at all this season, many of the players on the NBADL’s three All-NBA D-League squads received call-ups throughout the year, and some of them finished the season on an NBA roster.

Here are this year’s 15 All-NBA D-League players, many of whom will have a decent chance of finding their way onto an NBA roster next season:

First Team:

Second Team:

Third Team:

Southeast Notes: Sefolosha, Reed, Porter, Georges-Hunt

Thabo Sefolosha settled his civil lawsuit with five members of the New York City Police Department, Thabo and his attorney announced Wednesday. Sefolosha’s attorney – Alex Spiro – told Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he is “glad this matter is resolved.”

While financial terms of the settlement were said to be confidential, James C. McKinley Jr. of the New York Times reported a $4MM settlement from New York City, resulting from false arrest and using excessive force. Sefolosha released a statement through the Hawksofficial website, announcing his intent to make a donation to a nonprofit organization.

“While I alone can’t bring the type of change needed to eliminate these issues, I want to help make a difference,” Sefolosha stated. “A substantial portion of my settlement will be donated to Gideon’s Promise, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that helps support and train public defenders across the country…It is an extremely gratifying feeling to know that justice has been served and that now, finally, I can truly put this behind me.”

More from around the Southeast…

  • Willie Reed won’t comment on his impending opt out clause decision this offseason, claiming he’ll make that decision once the season’s over. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Reed’s excellent play may have placed him out of the Heat‘s price range. While Reed could stay in Miami for $1.5MM in 2017/18, he may command twice that amount on the open market, or more. “I think I’ve proved that I belong, that I can be a factor in this league for time to come. All I wanted to do was play in the NBA since I was a kid. I want to continuously show everyone I belong and I can be a factor in this league,” Reed said.
  • Otto Porter‘s “unassuming” game has lifted the Wizards to postseason contention, Dan Feldman of NBC Sports writes. Porter, who ranks 19th in the NBA in Win Shares, will be “coveted” as a restricted free agent this summer. Still just 23 years old, Porter may command a max contract- projected to be worth more than $146MM over five seasons.
  • Marcus Georges-Hunt has settled in with the Magic in his first NBA season, rewarding Frank Vogel for giving him a late-season look. An undrafted rookie, Georges-Hunt earned his NBA promotion by averaging 15.8 points over 45 games with the Maine Red Claws. “Marcus is a big-time scorer,” Vogel told Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders. “[He] really has the ability to score, especially in a game like this where you have so many exceptional drivers and the ability to move his feet and have some toughness to him and contain the basketball. That is a skillset our team has lacked this year.”

Magic To Sign Marcus Georges-Hunt

The Magic will sign shooting guard Marcus Georges-Hunt, tweets Chris Reichert of The Step Back. He didn’t reveal whether the contract is for 10 days or longer, but there are only 11 days left in the regular season.

This would be the second NBA stint of the season for Georges-Hunt, who signed a 10-day deal with the Heat in February when Miami was granted an extra roster spot under the hardship exception. He didn’t see any game action and was let go when that contract expired.

The rookie out of Georgia Tech signed with the Celtics in August, but was waived before the season began. He spent most of the year with Boston’s D-League affiliate in Maine, averaging 15.8 points in 45 games.

The signing of Georges-Hunt finally fills the open roster spot that Orlando has been carrying since early January.

And-Ones: Trade Rules, BIG3, Georges-Hunt

New NBA rules allow teams to place protections on draft picks that they’re in line to acquire if they want to flip them to another team, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe. As Lowe explains, if the Celtics wanted to trade the rights to the Nets‘ 2017 first-rounder, they wouldn’t necessarily have to make it unprotected — the club could, for instance, trade the Nets pick to another team with top-two protection, then if Boston keeps the selection, that team could get Brooklyn’s unprotected pick from the C’s in 2018.

As we wait to see if the Celtics or another team takes advantage of that rule, let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world…

  • The BIG3 has formally announced a new group of 10 players who will be eligible for the upcoming draft. Keith Bogans, Rashad McCants, Voshon Lenard, and Mike James are among the former NBA players set to participate in the three-on-three league.
  • Marcus Georges-Hunt‘s recent 10-day contract with the Heat has expired, but the rookie is drawing interest from multiple NBA teams, a league source tells Chris Reichert of The Step Back (Twitter link).
  • After previously playing a game in 2015 in Johannesburg, South Africa, the NBA will be returning to the city this summer, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com. Team Africa will take on Team World at Johannesburg’s Ticketpro Dome on August 5, the league confirmed.
  • Bobby Marks of The Vertical continues to publish his team-by-team trade guides this week, focusing more recently on playoff teams. Marks takes a closer look at the Celtics and Rockets, as well as the Raptors and Jazz.

Georges-Hunt’s 10-Day Deal With Heat Expires

The 10-day contract that Marcus Georges-Hunt signed with the Heat expires today and the team currently doesn’t have a roster spot to keep him, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel.

The 6-5 shooting guard signed with Miami on February 8th after the Heat were granted a hardship exception. The league approved the exception because Miami had four players — Chris Bosh, Justise Winslow, Josh McRoberts and Josh Richardson — sidelined by long-term injuries. However, Richardson is expected to return after the All-Star break, so the team no longer qualifies for an extra roster spot.

The exception could be granted again if another player suffers an injury that will keep him out at least two weeks. The Heat could also open a roster spot via trade before Thursday’s deadline or by waiving Bosh, who hasn’t played all season because of ongoing problems with blood clots. Bosh has been out of action for more than a year, so Miami can seek a medical retirement at any time, but the Heat are expected to wait until after March 1st so Bosh won’t be eligible for the playoffs with another organization.

Georges-Hunt didn’t see any court time during his 10 days with Miami. He was sent to the Heat’s affiliate in Sioux Falls on Thursday so he would be eligible for today’s D-League All-Star Game, where he had eight points and four assists.

Hunt went undrafted in 2016 after four years at Georgia Tech. He signed with the Celtics in August, but was waived before the start of the season.

NBA D-League Recalls/Assignments: 2/16/17

  • The Heat assigned power forward Okaro White and small forward Marcus Georges-Hunt to Sioux Falls, Chris Reichert of The Step Back tweets.  This  will make both eligible for the D-League All-Star game, Reichert adds. White has appeared in 14 games with the Heat, averaging 4.2 PPG and 2.5 RPG while impressing enough during 10-day contracts to earn a two-year deal. Georges-Hunt signed a 10-day contract on February 8th after spending most of the season with the D-League’s Maine Red Claws, where he averaged 16.4 PPG.

Heat Sign Marcus Georges-Hunt To 10-Day Deal

7:29 PM: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

5:27 PM: The Heat will sign Marcus Georges-Hunt to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Miami will be granted a hardship exception, so the team won’t have to make a corresponding move.

Hunt was signed by the Celtics during the preseason, but he was waived before the regular season began. He has been playing for the Maine Red Claws of the D-League where he is averaging 16.4 points per game.

The 6’5″ small forward played four seasons at Georgia Tech. He started for the team each year and he was named Third Team All-ACC after the 2015/16 campaign. Hunt was not selected in the 2016 draft.

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)

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