Nicolas Laprovittola Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Sign Nicolas Laprovittola

September 26th, 2016 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 26: The Spurs’ signing of Laprovittola is now official, according to the team (via Twitter).

SEPTEMBER 3: Laprovittola’s deal is a non-guaranteed, one-year minimum salary arrangement, international journalist David Pick tweets.

SEPTEMBER 2: The Spurs have a deal in place with Laprovittola and will give him a shot to snag their 15th and final regular season roster spot, Stein tweets.

AUGUST 26: The Spurs already have two Argentinian players on their roster, in Manu Ginobili and Patricio Garino, and they’re working to add a third. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, San Antonio is making an effort to sign veteran guard Nicolas Laprovittola. Orazio Cauchi of Sportando suggests that the two sides already have a deal in place.

The Spurs have a long list of unsigned draft picks that they’ve stashed overseas over the years, but Laprovittola’s name isn’t on that list, since he went undrafted when he was eligible in 2012. The 26-year-old has played for a handful of international teams since 2007, spending time in Argentina, Brazil, and Lithuania before joining his current club, Spain’s Estudiantes.

Last season, Laprovittola averaged 10.3 PPG and a team-high 3.8 APG for Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania, posting an impressive .492/.444/.912 shooting line. He was also a member of the Argentinian national team in Rio this month, averaging 8.2 PPG, 2.7 APG, and 2.2 RPG in the Olympic tournament.

Having already been active in free agency this summer, the Spurs used up all their cap space and their room exception, so the team would only be able to sign Laprovittola to a minimum-salary deal. Assuming the two sides make it official, I’d expect a two-year, minimum-salary pact with a partial guarantee in year one, which would give the Argentinian guard a chance to compete for a roster spot.

Southwest Notes: Davis, Pondexter, Bogut, Barnes

September 7th, 2016 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pelicans GM Dell Demps told a group of fans tonight that Anthony Davis should start the upcoming season with no physical restrictions, the team tweeted. The three-time All-Star was limited to just 61 games last season and was shut down in March because of a sore left knee and a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder. Davis had surgery on the knee, but doctors determined no operation was needed on the shoulder. Davis, who was a first-team all-NBA selection in 2014/15, remained productive when he played last season, averaging 24.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per night.

There’s more news from the Southwest Division:

Demps addressed several other players at tonight’s event, including Quincy Pondexter, who was sidelined all of last season and underwent cartilage replacement surgery on his left knee in January. Pondexter had his first full workout today and Demps said, “We are glad to get him back in the fold.” (Twitter link). Demps also said the Pelicans are keeping regular contact with Jrue Holiday as he cares for his ailing wife, and he has the full support of the organization (Twitter link). The GM added that first-round pick Buddy Hield is at the practice court every night (Twitter link) and predicted that second-rounder Cheick Diallo “will become a fan favorite” (Twitter link).
The Mavericks improved defensively at both center and small forward with the addition of Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes, writes ESPN’s Kevin Pelton. In his analysis of every player on the team, Pelton writes that Bogut remains one of the league’s best rim protectors, while Barnes, who is versatile enough to defend power forwards and small forwards, represents a clear upgrade from Chandler Parsons.
This summer’s signings of Nicolas Laprovittola and Patricio Garino show that the Spurs‘ Argentinian pipeline is still active, according to Trevor Magnotti of Upside and Motor. Magnotti says the 26-year-old Laprovittola, who at 6’4″ primarily plays point guard, is probably the better player right now, but adds that Garino has a better shot at making San Antonio’s roster out of training camp. A “power guard,” Garino is only 23 and the author thinks he may be in the Spurs’ D-League plans.