Quinn Cook

Quinn Cook Signing With Team In China

Veteran point guard Quinn Cook is joining the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter).

Cook, 29, was in camp with the Kings this fall competing for a spot on the regular season roster, but was beaten out by Matthew Dellavedova and was waived at the end of the preseason.

A two-time NBA champion with the Warriors and Lakers, Cook was also out of the league last season after appearing in 188 games across the previous five years. He has averaged 6.4 PPG and 1.6 APG in 188 career NBA appearances (14.1 MPG).

Cook spent a chunk of the 2021/22 campaign with the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate, where he averaged 23.7 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 5.0 RPG with an impressive .524/.446/.885 shooting line in 11 games (35.3 MPG).

This will be Cook’s second stint in an international league and his first time playing in China. He suited up for Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia in 2021, but only spent about two months with the club.

Kings Waive Sam Merrill, Set Roster For Season

Veteran guard Matthew Dellavedova and forwards KZ Okpala and Chima Moneke have claimed the final three spots on the Kings‘ 15-man roster to open the regular season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Veteran wing Sam Merrill had also been vying for a regular season roster spot, but the Kings have opted to waive him, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee tweets.

The team also cut Jeriah Horne and Alex O’Connell, per James Ham of ESPN 1320 Sacramento (Twitter link), who says the plan is for both players to join the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate.

Okpala earned some starts at power forward for Sacramento this preseason and always seemed like a safe bet to make the roster. Dellavedova, meanwhile, looked like a logical keeper after the team waived another veteran point guard, Quinn Cook. Moneke has spent the last several years playing in international leagues and will be getting his first shot in the NBA as a 26-year-old rookie.

Okpala and Moneke currently have partial guarantees worth $250K and will earn another $250K if they remain on the roster through Wednesday. Dellavedova is on a non-guaranteed contract and will also get $250K for sticking through Wednesday.

Merrill’s contract included a $150K partial guarantee. The Kings will be on the hook for that amount unless he’s claimed on waivers on Monday.

Kings Waive Kent Bazemore, Quinn Cook

The Kings have trimmed their 20-man preseason roster to 18 players, according to James Ham of ESPN 1320 Sacramento, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has waived swingman Kent Bazemore and guard Quinn Cook.

Both Bazemore and Cook were in camp with the Kings on non-guaranteed deals attempting to earn regular season roster spots. However, it appears both players missed the cut.

Bazemore, 33, is coming off a disappointing 2021/22 season with the Lakers. He averaged just 3.4 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 39 appearances (14.0 MPG), though he still shot 36.3% on three-point attempts.

Cook, meanwhile, was out of the NBA last season after appearing in 188 games across the previous five seasons. He spent a chunk of the 2021/22 campaign with the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate, where he averaged 23.7 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 5.0 RPG with an impressive .524/.446/.885 shooting line in 11 games (35.3 MPG).

Cook was on an Exhibit 10 contract with Sacramento this fall, so he would earn a $50K bonus if he returns to Stockton and spends at least 60 days with the team. Bazemore’s deal didn’t include an Exhibit 10 clause.

The Kings now have 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with KZ Okpala, Matthew Dellavedova, Chima Moneke, and Sam Merrill on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed deals. The club will have to waive or trade one more player before next Monday’s roster deadline to get down to 15 players for opening night.

Kings Officially Sign Kent Bazemore, Quinn Cook

The Kings have officially signed free agent swingman Kent Bazemore and guard Quinn Cook, the team confirmed today in a press release. Bazemore’s one-year agreement with Sacramento was first reported on August 7, while Cook’s one-year deal was reported a day later.

Bazemore, 33, has enjoyed a solid 10-year career as a three-and-D wing, though he had a disappointing year in Los Angeles in 2021/22, shooting a career-low 32.4% from the field and falling out of the Lakers’ rotation early in the season.

Cook, meanwhile, is a five-year NBA veteran who won titles with the Warriors and Lakers as a reserve. He has averaged 6.4 PPG and 1.6 APG in 188 career appearances (14.1 MPG) for five teams, but didn’t play in the league last season after being waived by Portland prior to opening night.

The exact terms of Bazemore’s and Cook’s deals aren’t yet known, but the Kings have been signing a series of veterans to non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts this offseason and will likely have multiple roster spots up for grabs in training camp and the preseason.

Sacramento now has a full 20-man offseason roster, including 12 players on guaranteed contracts and a pair on two-way deals. Bazemore and Cook are among a group of six players expected to vie for spots on the 15-man regular season roster — Matthew Dellavedova, KZ Okpala, Sam Merrill, and Chima Moneke are also in that mix.

Pacific Notes: Sarver, Ayton, Crowder, Kings, Reaves

In the wake of the NBA’s announcement that Suns owner Robert Sarver would be suspended for one year and fined $10MM following an investigation into his workplace conduct, the team issued a series of statements this afternoon, including one attributed to Sarver, as Melissa Rohlin of FOX Sports relays (via Twitter).

“While I disagree with some of the particulars of the NBA’s report, I would like to apologize for my words and actions that offended our employees,” Sarver said. “I take full responsibility for what I have done. I am sorry for causing this pain, and these errors in judgment are not consistent with my personal philosophy or my values.

“I accept the consequences of the NBA’s decision. This moment is an opportunity for me to demonstrate a capacity to learn and grow as we continue to build a working culture where every employee feels comfortable and valued.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

  • Within the second part of his Q&A with Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscription required), Suns general manager James Jones said that the team is on the same page as center Deandre Ayton (“the contract stuff is behind us”) and forward Jae Crowder. Crowder posted a cryptic tweet earlier in the offseason in which he stated it was “time for a change,” but Jones dismissed that as “noise” and said the Suns and Crowder are “good.”
  • It has been over a month since Quinn Cook agreed to sign with the Kings and nearly two months since the team reached an agreement with KZ Okpala, and neither deal is official yet. According to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), both Cook and Okpala are still expected to be in camp with the team, but roster situations are fluid at this time of year, Anderson notes, so it’s possible that could change.
  • Lakers guard Austin Reaves spoke to Shams Charania of Stadium (video link) about his path to the NBA, playing with LeBron James, and his willingness to play whatever role the team asks of him in 2022/23.

Pacific Notes: Beverley, Westbrook, Saric, Kings

Since the Lakers traded for veteran point guard Patrick Beverley, the future of 2021/22 starter Russell Westbrook has seemed murky. Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register wonders if the duo can actually share the floor together, or at the very least both stick around on the team this season.

Swanson reads tea leaves in recent public statements from head coach Darvin Ham and team owner Jeanie Buss that seem to suggest they appreciate Westbrook and his contributions to the club last year. Swanson writes that, because Beverley can function so well off the ball as a catch-and-shoot long range sniper, and can defend at least both guard positions, he could theoretically play alongside Westbrook, who tends to be significantly more ball-dominant.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

  • With Donovan Mitchell headed to the Cavaliers, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times opines that the Lakers could look to move Westbrook (and draft compensation) to the Jazz, who have already offloaded four of their best veteran players in separate deals this summer, including both their All-Stars. Woike writes that combo forward Bojan Bogdanovic should be L.A.’s top priority, and also floats the possibility of adding some combination of Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Malik Beasley and Rudy Gay into such a deal.
  • Suns reserve big man Dario Saric missed all of the 2021/22 season while he recovered from a ruptured ACL in his right knee suffered in the first game of the 2021 Finals. The 6’10” big man played well during the Croatian national team’s FIBA EuroBasket 2025 pre-qualifiers in August, writes Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.
  • Three reserve point guards will be duking it out during the Kings‘ training camp later this month. James Ham of Kings Beat assesses each player in terms of their relative strengths and weaknesses on the current Sacramento roster. As a former lottery pick, defensive-oriented second-year guard Davion Mitchell seems guaranteed to get some run behind pricey starter De’Aaron Fox. Ham predicts that Quinn Cook could have an edge over Matthew Dellavedova as the team’s third point guard option.

Kings Agree To One-Year Deal With Quinn Cook

The Kings are signing point guard Quinn Cook to a one-year contract, ESPN’s Marc Spears tweets.

Cook played for the G League Stockton Kings last season. He’ll compete for the third point guard spot behind De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell, so he’s no lock to make the 15-man roster.

His main competition appears to be Matthew Dellavedova, who will enter training camp with a non-guaranteed deal. 

The Kings’ interest in Cook was reported last month.

Cook has played for New Orleans, Dallas, Golden State, the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland. He was a member of two championship teams — the Warriors in 2018 and Lakers in 2020.

He didn’t play in an NBA game last season but saw action in a combined 23 games for the Lakers and Cavaliers during the 2020/21 season. In 188 career games, he’s averaged 6.4 PPG and 1.6 APG in 14.1 MPG.

With the G League Kings, Cook appeared in 11 games and averaged 23.5 PPG and 5.9 APG.

Kings Interested In Quinn Cook

The Kings are eyeing free agent guard Quinn Cook, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee reports.

Sacramento is one of several teams talking to the free agent point guard. Cook finished last season with the team’s G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings.

The NBA Kings are looking for a No. 3 point guard behind De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell. They planned to hold workouts for Cook and another veteran free agent point guard, Matthew Dellavedova, during the Summer League in Las Vegas, says Anderson.

Cook, 29, didn’t see action in any NBA games last season but had a combined 23 appearances for the Lakers and Cavaliers in 2020/21. He has also played for Golden State, Dallas and New Orleans during his 188-game NBA career, averaging 6.4 PPG and 1.6 APG in 14.1 MPG while making 40.8% of his 3-point attempts. In 11 games with Stockton last season, he put up 23.5 PPG, 5.9 APG and 4.9 RPG.

Matthew Dellavedova Auditioning For Kings

7:08pm: Quinn Cook and Shabazz Muhammad also have workouts set for the Kings this week, tweets James Ham of ESPN 1320. Sacramento has three roster spots to fill.


6:44pm: Matthew Dellavedova is working out for the Kings in Las Vegas in hopes of earning an invitation to training camp, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

The 31-year-old Australian guard played for the Cavaliers during the 2020/21 season, but was limited to 13 games because of various injuries, a concussion and an emergency appendectomy. He returned home to play for Melbourne United this past season, but is hoping for an NBA comeback.

McMenamin notes that Mike Brown, Sacramento’s new head coach, was coaching in Cleveland when Dellavedova broke into the NBA in 2013.

Dellavedova played 447 games in eight NBA seasons, mostly with the Cavaliers, though he also spent some time with the Bucks. Known as an on-court leader and a scrappy defender, he was part of Cleveland’s championship team in 2016.

Southwest Notes: Wood, Gordon, Schröder, Grizzlies, Mavs

Rockets veterans Christian Wood (left hamstring tightness), Eric Gordon (right groin soreness), and Dennis Schröder (left shoulder soreness) were held out of Monday’s game vs. San Antonio and seem unlikely to play any more this season, says Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

As Feigen outlines, none of those injuries are invented, but it’s probably safe to assume Wood, Gordon, and Schröder wouldn’t all be sidelined by “tightness” and “soreness” if the Rockets were in the midst of a playoff race. Instead, the team is invested in securing a top spot in the draft lottery — currently, Houston is in a three-way tie for the NBA’s worst record (20-56).

With Wood, Gordon, and Schröder out, prospects like Daishen Nix and Usman Garuba will likely see more action down the stretch for the Rockets, joining fellow rookies Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, and Josh Christopher in the regular rotation, Feigen writes. Nix and Garuba each played 14 minutes in Monday’s loss to the Spurs.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • In addition to having the NBA’s second-best record this season, the Grizzlies are the “sleeping giant” of the 2022 offseason, according to Danny Leroux of The Athletic. As Leroux lays out, Memphis has some cap flexibility and a handful of draft picks available this summer and should be motivated to add talent before Ja Morant transitions from his rookie contract to a more expensive second contract in 2023.
  • The Mavericks strongly considered signing free agent guard Quinn Cook to a 10-day hardship contract earlier in the season, but ultimately chose Isaiah Thomas in part due to proximity, writes Marc Stein at his Substack. Cook, who is currently playing for the Stockton Kings in the G League, said in a tweet over the weekend that he was at “rock bottom” earlier this year and would be thrilled to get an NBA call-up before the season is over.
  • The Mavericks hired Jason Kidd as their head coach in part because of the impact the Hall-of-Fame point guard could have on Luka Doncic, and so far it seems that bet is paying off, per Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. “He’s been great for us,” Doncic said of Kidd. “He communicates with the players. He’s just been great, helping not just me but everybody, just to see a better picture.”