Quincy Ford

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

Pelicans Waive Quinn Cook, Quincy Ford

The Pelicans have waived Quinn Cook and Quincy Ford, according to a team press release. New Orleans’ roster count sits at 16, meaning it has one more cut to make before opening night. Lance Stephenson is the team’s only remaining player with a non-guaranteed deal.

Cook, who signed with the team last month. played in three preseason games for the Pelicans. He averaged 8.3 points and 2.7 assists per game.

Ford joined the team earlier this week. During the offseason, he played for Utah’s summer league team, averaging 5.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

Pelicans Sign Quincy Ford

At a time when most NBA teams are waiving players from their roster, the Pelicans have announced a signing. According to a team release, New Orleans has signed Quincy Ford, who recently cleared waivers after being cut loose by the Jazz. The Pelicans are now back up to the maximum 20 players.

Ford, 23, signed his first NBA contract with the Jazz out of Northeastern back in September, receiving a $75K guarantee on a three-year pact with the team. Having played Summer League ball with Utah and spent training camp with them as well, the young forward appeared ticketed for the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s D-League affiliate. However, the Pelicans may have thrown a wrench in that plan.

Still, the Pelicans don’t have a D-League affiliate of their own, so if they want to keep Ford under team control, they’ll have to include him on their 15-man regular season roster. New Orleans already has 15 guaranteed salaries on its books for 2016/17, and that doesn’t even include Lance Stephenson, who has a partial guarantee — it would be a surprise if Ford makes the cut.

Western Notes: Harris, Turner, Ford, Ulis

Nuggets shooting guard Gary Harris, who is making his way back from a groin strain he suffered during the team’s first preseason game, has resumed light basketball activities, which is good news for Denver, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. “That was the most I’ve done in a while,” Harris said. “Really haven’t tried anything [until today]. Just tried to be cautious with it, make sure everything is cool. Don’t want to re-aggravate it and make sure I’m feeling nothing when I’m doing things. Right there I felt fine, didn’t feel anything. So as long as we keep doing that, don’t want to push it too much.

Head coach Michael Malone noted that Harris could be ready for the season opener, a date the guard wouldn’t commit to just yet, Dempsey notes. “I’m just going day by day, just trying to get better each day,” Harris said. “That’s two weeks down the road: We’ll see. I’m just trying to get better each day.”

Here’s more from out West:

  • Evan Turner‘s new $70MM contract with the Trail Blazers spans four years, so he’ll have plenty of time to make sure the team gets its money’s worth. For now though, as Jason Quick of CSNNW.com writes, Turner is “still finding his way” with his new club, in the words of head coach Terry Stotts.
  • Quincy Ford, who was waived by the Jazz on Thursday, will join the team’s D-League squad as an affiliate player, Chris Reichert of Upside and Motor reports (via Twitter).
  • The Pelicans have officially confirmed via pres release that Anthony Davis will miss 10-14 days due to a sprained right ankle. Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated first reported the injury.
  • Suns rookie point guard Tyler Ulis has been receiving extensive preseason minutes as the team wants to get him as much experience as possible, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “It’s perfect for me,” Ulis said of averaging 17 minutes in four preseason games with two preseason games to go. “I know I’m getting valuable minutes right now. They want to see what I can do. I’m learning more and more. [Coach] Earl [Watson] is teaching me which spots to go at. This is fun. It’s a process. I’m happy to learn and it’s better to learn in a game than watching.”

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Jazz Waive Eric Dawson, Quincy Ford, Marcus Paige

The Jazz have begun paring down their roster in advance of the regular season, announcing today in a press release that Eric Dawson, Quincy Ford, and Marcus Paige have been placed on waivers. The team’s roster now stands at 17 players, so two more cuts will be necessary before opening night.

[RELATED: Offseason In Review: Utah Jazz]

Dawson and Ford both signed free agent contracts with the Jazz this offseason, but were always viewed as long shots to make the club’s regular-season roster. While Dawson’s deal was fully non-guaranteed, Ford got a modest $75K guarantee, which will remain on Utah’s cap unless he’s claimed on waivers.

As for Paige, the rookie guard was the 55th overall pick in this year’s draft, and received a $125K guarantee from the Jazz. By waiving him, the team forfeits its NBA rights to Paige, so he’ll be free to join another NBA team if he clears waivers. If he goes unclaimed and unsigned, the 23-year-old is probably a good bet to join the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s D-League affiliate.

The Jazz now have 14 players on fully guaranteed salaries, plus Henry Sims on a partially guaranteed deal ($75K) and Chris Johnson and Jeff Withey on non-guaranteed pacts. Withey is expected to earn the club’s final roster opening.

Northwest Notes: Jazz, Ford, Pekovic, Nuggets

After initially agreeing to terms with undrafted free agent Quincy Ford in June, the Jazz finally made the deal official this week, and according to Aaron Falk and Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune, Ford’s three-year pact includes a modest guarantee of $75K. Despite the guaranteed money though, the Northeastern alum is a long shot for a roster spot.

As Jones writes, the Jazz already have 14 players on guaranteed contracts, and Jeff Withey is the favorite to earn the final opening on the 15-man roster. That means Ford will likely be ticketed for Utah’s D-League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, to open the season.

Here’s more from out of the Northwest division:

  • In a recent episode of The Scoop podcast (hat tip to Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk), Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 Twin Cities notes that Nikola Pekovic worked out in front of Timberwolves personnel last week, but is “still not ready physically.” Pekovic, who continues to recover from an Achilles issue, has been plagued by health problems in recent years, significantly reducing his role in Minnesota and making him a potential release candidatae.
  • With Joffrey Lauvergne no longer in the mix, the Nuggets will likely have one open spot on their 15-man roster, so Adam Mares of DenverStiffs.com conducts a Q&A with D-League expert Chris Reichert to discuss the six prospects vying for that opening. Former Bucks and Pelicans guard Nate Wolters would be Reichert’s pick for the 15th spot on Denver’s roster.
  • Alex Roig of DailyThunder.com proposes three possible trades for the Thunder that could push the team back into contention in the Western Conference. While Roig’s ideas are probably long shots, with Paul George and Jimmy Butler among the suggested targets, it’s worth keeping in mind that Oklahoma City has a crowded frontcourt and an extra guaranteed salary, making Enes Kanter an intriguing trade chip.

Jazz Sign Quincy Ford

SEPTEMBER 7: Ford’s deal with the Jazz, first reported in June, is now official, the team announced today in a press release. While Utah didn’t confirm the terms of the agreement, the club still has plenty of cap room, which allows Ford to sign a three-year contract.

The Jazz’s roster has undergone some changes since Ford initially agreed to terms. There are 14 players with guaranteed contracts on Utah’s books, with Ford, Chris Johnson, Jeff Withey, and Marcus Paige on non-guaranteed or partially-guaranteed deals.

JUNE 24: The Jazz will sign combo forward Quincy Ford to a partially guaranteed, three-year deal, sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). The exact terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it will likely be a minimum-salary arrangement.

Ford was solid during his five years at Northeastern, shooting 34.9% from behind the arc and 46.5% overall. He injured his back early in his collegiate career and he underwent surgery on it in 2013. He was able to red-shirt during the 2013/14 season and he continued to improve in many areas once he returned to the floor.

Utah has 15 players under contract, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates. That figure doesn’t include any of the prospects whom were drafted by the team on Thursday, so Ford is going to face stiff competition for a roster spot despite receiving a three-year deal.

Northwest Notes: Blazers, Maker, Workouts

Timing will be crucial for the Blazers this offseason, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical. Meyers Leonard Allen Crabbe and Maurice Harkless are all restricted free agents and leading up to free agency, it will be critical for GM Neil Olshey to understand the market for the trio in order to project how Portland operates this summer, Marks argues. The Blazers have a chance to add other pieces using their cap space and then circle back and sign their restricted free agents. However, if another team swoops in and signs one of them, there’s a good chance they won’t be able to use the cap space they’ve created.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

  • The Wolves interviewed Thon Maker last week in Chicago, reports Darren Wolfson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • The Jazz have worked out Anthony Beane, Ethan Telfair, Quincy Ford, Jarrod Uthoff, DyShawn Pierre and David Walker, according to the team’s Twitter feed.
  • The Nuggets will work out Anthony Barber, Isaiah Cousins, Nikola Jovanovic, Alec Peters, Josh Scott and Pascal Siakam on Friday, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.
  • The Nuggets also have workouts planned for Saturday. They will work out Ron Baker, Dillon Brooks, Robert Carter, Tyler Dorsey, Marcus Georges-Hunt and Shawn Long on Saturday, Kennedy tweets.

Celtics Notes: Ainge, Olynyk, Draft

Team executive Danny Ainge says the Celtics plan on working out 80-100 players in advance of June’s NBA Draft, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com relays. “We’ll put them through a lot of different situations,” Ainge said. “We’ll see how bigs are at guarding guards, and guards defending bigger players, some of the roles they would have to play if they were Celtics. … We’ll get a good look at what they can do in a lot of different scenarios. With our picks, it is in a player’s best interest to work out for us. But for us, we want to see as many players as possible so that we can draft the best fit, the best player that’s available.

Ainge also noted that he expects to be on the phone with other teams talking trades more often than in previous seasons because of the team’s wealth of draft picks, Blakely writes. If Boston is unable to package some of its picks to acquire more talent, the Celtics will look at drafting players from overseas with the intent that they won’t join the NBA for a few seasons, the scribe adds.

Here’s more from Boston:

  • Boston is gearing up for a busy offseason, as Ainge detailed and as Jay King of MassLive relays (Twitter links). “There are scenarios where our team could be better, and be significantly better, and there are scenarios where we have younger players that are maybe not as good from a win/record standpoint, but with the development that standpoint being a much, much higher ceiling,” Ainge said.
  • Center Kelly Olynyk intends to consult with additional doctors prior to making a decision regarding surgery for his injured right shoulder, Blakely writes in a separate piece. The big man is hoping to avoid going under the knife this offseason, telling Blakely, “It’s always an option when you have an injury of certain degrees. If you can make sure it’s healthy without it, then it’s healthy without it.
  • The Celtics are holding predraft workouts today for Dorian Finney-Smith (Florida), Quincy Ford (Northeastern), Marcus Georges-Hunt (Georgia Tech), Sheldon McClellan (Miami), Mike Tobey (Virginia) and Jameel Warney (Stony Brook), as Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com relays (via Twitter).
  • Dayton shooting guard Charles Cooke will work out for the Celtics on Saturday, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets.