Marques Bolden Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks Sign Marques Bolden

September 21st, 2022 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

10:16am: As expected, Bolden received an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

7:36am: The Bucks have signed free agent center Marques Bolden to a contract, according to the NBA transaction log at RealGM and the team’s official website.

While the terms of the deal aren’t known, it’s almost certainly a non-guaranteed training camp contract, likely with an Exhibit 10 clause. Milwaukee has been shuffling players on and off its roster within the last week as the club prepares for training camp and lines up players for its G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.

Bolden, 24, has spent most of his professional career in the G League since going undrafted out of Duke in 2019. In 69 career appearances for the Cavaliers’ and Jazz’s NBAGL affiliates, he has averaged 10.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 23.1 minutes per contest.

The big man also spent time in the NBA with Cleveland from 2019-21, first on a 10-day contract and later on a two-way deal, playing a very limited role in seven games for the Cavs.

It’s unclear if Bolden will remain on the Bucks’ roster for training camp next week or if the team plans to waive him before then and have him eventually suit up for the Herd. For now, his G League returning rights are held by the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s affiliate, so a trade would be required for Wisconsin to acquire those rights.

The Bucks currently have 19 players under contract.

Jazz Waive Bolden, Teague, Alston Jr.

October 14th, 2021 at 4:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Jazz have waived Marques Bolden, MaCio Teague and Derrick Alston Jr., Tony Jones of The Athletic tweets.

The 6’10” Bolden signed a camp deal in late September. He was on a two-way contract with Cleveland last season and appeared in six games. The Cavs waived him but added him again to its G League affiliate. Bolden averaged 9.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 2.1 BPG across 10 games for the Charge during the G League “bubble” season.

Teague inked his Exhibit 10 contract in mid-August. After beginning his college career at UNC Asheville, Teague transferred to Baylor for his junior year and played a key role on the 2021 national champions as a senior. The 6’4″ guard was the Bears’ second-leading scorer with 15.9 PPG on .478/.395/.831 shooting in 30 games (31.7 MPG).

Alston joined the team on his camp deal in mid-September. He went undrafted this year after playing for Boise State. The 6’9″ swingman averaged 17.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 2.2 APG across 32 games, all starts, during his final collegiate season with the Broncos.

It’s quite possible all three will end up with the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s G League affiliate.

Marques Bolden, Malik Fitts Join Jazz For Training Camp

September 28th, 2021 at 8:05pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

8:04pm: The Jazz confirmed the additions of Bolden and Fitts in a press release.

4:57pm: The Jazz have agreed to add a tandem of frontcourt players, center Marques Bolden and power forward Malik Fitts, ahead of training camp, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). Though terms of the deals have yet to be divulged, they are most likely Exhibit 10 contracts, generally the standard practice of training camp agreements. This brings Utah’s total training camp tally to 20 players.

After going undrafted in 2020 out of Saint Mary’s, the 6’8″ Fitts joined the training camp roster of the Clippers ahead of the 2020/21 season. He suited up for Los Angeles’s NBA G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers, during the 2021 NBAGL “bubble” in Orlando. Fitts averaged 11.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 1.4 APG. He joined Los Angeles on a 10-day contract in the spring of 2021, appearing in just three games, averaging 3.7 MPG.

The 6’10” Bolden, meanwhile, went undrafted out of Duke in 2019. After playing for the Cavaliers’ Summer League club in 2019, he joined Cleveland’s training camp team before ultimately being waived. He then joined Cleveland’s NBA G League affiliate club, the Canton Charge (now the Cleveland Charge). He joined the Cavaliers on a 10-day deal and suited up for one game.

During the 2020/21 season, Bolden served as a two-way player for Cleveland, appearing in six games as a deep bench reserve. Cleveland waived him from its roster, but added him again to its G League affiliate later. Bolden averaged 9.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 2.1 BPG across 10 games for the Charge during the truncated 2020/21 G League “bubble” season.

Both players will be able to compete for roster spots with the Jazz. Utah has 13 players inked to fully guaranteed contracts, although one player, third-year swingman Miye Oni, is on a non-guaranteed deal until January and may have the edge in claiming an eventual roster spot. Both of the team’s two-way contract slots are currently occupied.

Cavs Sign Brodric Thomas To Two-Way Contract

February 24th, 2021 at 9:45pm CST by Luke Adams

9:45pm: Cleveland has officially signed Thomas and waived Bolden, Russo tweets.

1:45pm: The Cavaliers are signing G League guard Brodric Thomas to a two-way contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Thomas had been on a two-way deal with Houston, but was cut earlier in the month to open up a spot for Ray Spalding. Thomas saw very limited minutes in four games for the Rockets, but has been a regular starter for the club’s NBAGL affiliate, averaging 16.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.0 APG, and 1.6 SPG in eight games (33.4 MPG) for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Cleveland will waive two-way center Marques Bolden in order to make room for Thomas, sources tell Kelsey Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). Bolden has played 29 total minutes in six games for the Cavs this season and has also had a limited impact at the G League level, recording 6.3 PPG and 6.0 RPG in three games (17.0 MPG) for the Canton Charge.

After officially completing those two transactions, the Cavs will once again have a 16-man roster, with 14 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals. Dean Wade is the lone player on the standard roster without a fully guaranteed contract, but Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link) hears the club has no plans to waive Wade before today’s salary guarantee deadline.

Lamar Stevens, the Cavs’ other two-way player, has recently emerged as a regular part of the club’s rotation, and a source tells Fedor that Cleveland will likely consider converting Stevens’ contract to a standard contract at some point. However, the fact that the Cavs are clearing space for Thomas by waiving Bolden rather than promoting Stevens to fill the open spot on the 15-man roster suggests that’s a decision that will be made later in the season.

Cavs Convert Bolden To Two-Way Deal, Add Pelle

December 19th, 2020 at 1:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers have converted Marques Bolden‘s contract into a two-way deal and signed forward/center Norvel Pelle, according to a team press release.

The 6’11” Bolden appeared in all four Cavaliers preseason games. He played in one game for the Cavs last season after signing a 10-day contract in January. He was also a member of the Cavaliers’ 2019 training camp roster and played in 38 games last season with the Canton Charge, averaging 9.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 1.5 BPG in 18.9 MPG.

A two-way slot opened up when Cleveland waived guard Matt Mooney on Saturday.

The 6’10” Pelle appeared in 24 games with the 76ers last season, averaging 2.4 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 9.7 MPG. Philadelphia waived him last month before his $1.52MM contract became guaranteed. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cavs, according to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link).

Cleveland remains one player over the opening-night limit with the addition of Pelle. However, it sounds like the plan is for him to eventually join the Canton Charge in the G League — Fedor reports that he’ll be waived later today. No further cuts should be required for the Cavs.

Cavs Place Randolph, Matthews, Mooney On Waivers

December 19th, 2020 at 12:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers have waived guards Levi Randolph, Charles Matthews and Matt Mooney, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets.

The most significant cut is Mooney, since he was on a two-way deal. That opens up a two-way slot, with the other occupied by Lamar Stevens.

The moves leave Cleveland with 16 players on the official roster, one over the limit. Big men Marques Bolden and Dean Wade are candidates for the two-way contract, though Wade would have to go through waivers before he could sign that deal.

Randolph was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal last month. He’ll likely wind up with their G League team, the Canton Charge.

Randolph, 28, has been trying to break into the NBA since graduating from Alabama in 2015. He has been part of Cleveland’s training camp the past two seasons and signed a two-way contract in January, but was waived six days later. Randolph led the Charge in scoring last year at 16.9 PPG.

Matthews was also on an Exhibit 10 contract. He spent one season at Kentucky in 2015/16 before transferring to Michigan, where he played for two seasons. Matthews declared early for the draft in 2019, but tore his ACL during a team workout.

Mooney signed a two-way contract with the Cavs last January after going undrafted in 2019. He made four brief appearances with Cleveland last season and saw action in 42 G League games, averaging 13.1 PPG and 5.1 APG in 31.2 MPG.

Cavaliers Sign Marques Bolden, Levi Randolph To Exhibit 10 Deals

November 28th, 2020 at 4:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 1: Bolden’s deal is now official, per RealGM’s transactions log. So is Randolph’s, according to Fedor (Twitter link).

NOVEMBER 28: The Cavaliers will give Exhibit 10 contracts to two players from their G League affiliate, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Cleveland has already reached an agreement with center Marques Bolden, while guard Levi Randolph is expected to sign his deal Tuesday. Both played for the Canton Charge last season.

Bolden, 22, was also in training camp with the Cavs last year and signed a 10-day contract with the team in January, getting into one game. He averaged 9.7 points and 6.9 rebounds in 38 games with Canton.

Randolph, 28, has been trying to break into the NBA since graduating from Alabama in 2015. He has been part of Cleveland’s training camp the past two seasons and signed a two-way contract in January, but was waived six days later. Randolph, who led the Charge in scoring last year at 16.9 PPG, is playing for Team USA this weekend at the FIBA AmeriCup Qualifying games.

We told you earlier this week that former Michigan wing Charles Matthews will also get an Exhibit 10 deal with Cleveland. The Cavs plan to have the NBA limit of 20 players in camp, according to Fedor.

Central Notes: Dunn, Maker, Doumbouya, Osman

September 21st, 2020 at 8:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Guard Kris Dunn won’t participate in the Bulls’ mini-camp, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reports. Dunn’s absence was expected, since he’s headed to free agency. The Bulls will have to extend him a qualifying offer of $7.1MM to make him a restricted free agent. Dunn didn’t play after January 31, when he suffered a sprained right MCL. His right knee is now healthy but he doesn’t want to take any chances of getting injured without a contract, Johnson adds.

We have more on the Central Division:

Some of the Pistons’ roster decisions could be sorted out during their mini-camp, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com notes. Big men Thon Maker and Justin Patton may be competing for a roster spot, as Maker can either be a restricted or unrestricted free agent while Patton has a non-guaranteed deal. Swingman Khyri Thomas and two-way players Jordan Bone and Louis King might also need a strong showing for the club to retain them.
Pistons guard Bruce Brown believes forward Sekou Doumbouya will blossom in his second season, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Doumbouya saw significant playing time as a rookie due to Blake Griffin‘s knee injury, but his production was highly inconsistent. “He’s got something to prove this summer, coming in with a chip on his shoulder,” Brown said. “He’s working on his game hard; he’s working on big-man stuff and guard stuff. He’s definitely put in the work and it’s going to be a good year for him.”
Cedi Osman isn’t participating in the Cavaliers’ mini-camp. He’s not on the list of players that the club released, as Eric Woodyard of ESPN tweets. Osman, a Turkish citizen, is apparently still overseas. The Cavs will have 15 players come in, including four G League players — Sir’Dominic Pointer, Marques Bolden, Levi Randolph and Vincent Edwards.

In-Market Bubble Updates: Pistons, Wolves, Cavs

September 17th, 2020 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

As the NBA’s bottom eight teams gear up to conduct group workouts starting next week, the Pistons have 15 players in attendance for the first phase of their in-market bubble. However, that 15-man group includes five G Leaguers, with a number of notable names from the NBA roster absent.

As Eric Woodyard of ESPN details, head coach Dwane Casey said on Wednesday that Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, Christian Wood, and Langston Galloway aren’t participating.

“All of our young guys are here. Derrick Rose and Blake are not here, which is totally understandable,” Casey said. “Both are working out, and it’s nothing physical. They’re both 100 percent. Blake’s working out in LA, and Derrick is in and out of town.”

As for Wood and Galloway, both players are set to reach unrestricted free agency this fall, so Casey said he understood why they’d be reluctant to participate in workouts with the club over the next few weeks.

“We’re not reading anything into that either way,” Casey said, per Woodyard. “So it’s just something I totally get because if I’m a free agent, I wouldn’t attend anyway to the team you’re not under contract with.”

Here’s more on those mini-camps taking part in “bubbles” across the country:

The majority of the Timberwolves‘ key players, including Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and restricted free agent Malik Beasley, are participating in their in-market bubble, as are G Leaguers Canyon Barry and Lindell Wigginton (Twitter link via Woodyard). Free-agent-to-be Evan Turner, Omari Spellman, and Juan Hernangomez won’t be in attendance. Hernangomez is an RFA and is currently overseas, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic notes (via Twitter), while Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News tweets that Spellman’s camp is hoping to find the big man a new home.
Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com provides details on the Cavaliers‘ in-market bubble plans for the next two-and-a-half weeks, with group practices set to begin next Wednesday. Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova, both eligible for free agency, won’t attend, but G Leaguers Levi Randolph, Marques Bolden and Vince Edwards have been invited to participate.
A personal matter will also prevent center Andre Drummond from attending the Cavaliers‘ mini-camp, though he wanted to be there, sources tell Fedor. “He’s been pretty engaged in everything,” one source said of Drummond. “It’s not like he’s gone dark. He wanted to be there. It’s nothing malicious. It’s not a sign or anything like that. It’s not going to cause a rift.”
The NBA sent a memo to the league’s bottom eight teams warning them that if they “require or coerce” players to participate in the optional workouts, they’ll be subject to league punishment, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.

Cavs Notes: Drummond, Sexton, McKinnie, Bolden

February 11th, 2020 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Heading into the trade deadline, no Pistons player had been with the team longer than Reggie Jackson — except for Andre Drummond. So when Detroit swung a deal that sent Drummond to the Cavaliers, it made sense that Jackson would be among those most affected by the move.

“He was my best friend on the team and it’s been like that for five-and-a-half years. He acclimated me when I first got to Detroit and we built a great friendship and brotherhood,” Jackson said of Drummond, per Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “That’s my guy forever, so it was a tough day seeing he got traded to the Cavs but wishing him nothing but the best for him and his family.”

As Drummond gets acclimated to his new home in Cleveland, here are a few more Cavaliers-related notes:

Second-year Cavs guard Collin Sexton has been added to the U.S. roster for the Rising Stars game in Chicago this weekend, the league announced today. Sexton will replace Heat guard Tyler Herro, who is nursing a right foot injury.
Alfonzo McKinnie‘s new four-year contract with the Cavaliers includes a $1.5MM guaranteed salary for the 2019/20 season, according to Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights (Twitter link). That’s significantly more than the $623K McKinnie would have received had he signed a prorated minimum deal. And that’s likely a big reason why he was willing to tack on three team-friendly, non-guaranteed years at the minimum. Cleveland was able to exceed the minimum and go up to four years using the mid-level exception.
Following the expiration of his 10-day contract with the Cavaliers, Marques Bolden rejoined the team’s G League affiliate, the Canton Charge, per JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link). Since Bolden just signed a single 10-day deal with Cleveland, he’d be eligible to sign a second one between now and the end of the regular season.