Travis Leslie

Johnson, Goudelock, Mack Taken In D-League Draft

The NBA D-League held its annual draft on Friday. Former Celtics forward JaJuan Johnson, traded to the Rockets this summer and waived during training camp, was drafted first overall by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

Other players with NBA experience taken in the first round include former Lakers guard Andrew Goudelock, former Wizards guard Shelvin Mack, and former Clippers guard Travis Leslie.

Be sure to check out the official D-League site for the complete draft recap.

Clippers Waive Travis Leslie

The Clippers have waived guard Travis Leslie, trimming their roster to 14, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The team will be on the hook for the one-year veteran's guaranteed minimum salary of $762,195. They could have saved some of that money by waiving him by August 1st, when the deal included only a partial guarantee of $250K for this season, but opted to bring him to training camp instead.

Leslie, whom the Clippers drafted 47th overall in 2011, saw action in just 10 games for the team last season, averaging 1.4 points in 4.5 minutes. The 6'4" University of Georgia product got in just as many games for the Bakersfield Jam, the Clippers' D-League affiliate, putting up 10.2 PPG in 20.4 MPG. He appeared in four of L.A.'s preseason contests this year, putting up 3.0 PPG in 8.2 MPG.

The move frees up a roster spot, though the Clippers can only sign someone to the minimum salary after using their full mid-level exception on Jamal Crawford and their bi-annual exception on Grant Hill over the summer. That would seem to put them out of the running to re-sign Kenyon Martin, who's reportedly seeking a deal around $3MM.

Minor Moves: Clippers Recall Travis Leslie

We'll track today's D-League and international news here, with the latest up top:

  • The Clippers have recalled Travis Leslie from the Bakersfield Jam, where he has averaged 10.2 PPG and 3.2 RPG in two separate stints this season, reports InsideHoops.com. Leslie, 20, has played in 10 games for the Clippers in which he has produced 1.4 PPG and 0.9 RPG in limited action. The former Georgia star was a 2011 second-round draft pick by the Clippers.

Minor Moves: Leslie, Walker, Williams

We'll track the day's notable international and D-League-related transactions here:

  • The Clippers have re-assigned Travis Leslie to their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam, tweets Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside. It's Leslie's second assignment of the season.
  • The D-League's Idaho Stampede will re-sign Antoine Walker today, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Stampede released Walker last week to allow him to tend to a personal matter, intending to bring him back.
  • Former NBA big man Justin Williams will join the D-League's Los Angeles D-Fenders, according to Sam Amick of SI.com (via Twitter). Williams played 49 career NBA games from 2006 to 2008, 48 for the Kings and a single game for the Rockets, averaging 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per game.

Odds & Ends: Grizzlies, Nuggets, Wall, Warriors

A day after losing to the Lakers, the Celtics return to the Staples Center to face the Clippers and try earn one win in Los Angeles. That contest figures to be the highlight of an evening schedule that also includes the Bobcats and Hornets squaring off in a battle of Conference cellar-dwellers. While we wait for the first of tonight's seven games to tip off, let's round up a few odds and ends:

Minor Moves: Leslie, Jordan, Ely, Hayward

Here are today's notable international and D-League-related transactions:

  • Travis Leslie has been assigned to the D-League by the Clippers, according to Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles. The Clips' second-round pick has played in just eight games this season.
  • The Knicks announced that they've assigned Jerome Jordan to their D-League affiliate in Erie, tweets Zach Lowe of SI.com. The return of Josh Harrellson made the decision a no-brainer, says Marc Berman of the New York Post (on Twitter).
  • Another former NBA player signed in Puerto Rico, as Melvin Ely joined Brujos de Guayama, according to Sportando. Ely, the 12th overall pick in the 2002 draft, played 12.2 MPG in 30 contests for the Nuggets last season.
  • The Thunder have assigned Lazar Hayward to their D-League affiliate in Tulsa, according to the team (Twitter link). Hayward, who has appeared in 12 games for Oklahoma City this season, suffered a fractured orbital floor on his left eye last month.
  • Craig Brackins has been recalled from the D-League by the 76ers, according to a team press release. The 24-year-old was assigned to the Maine Red Claws on February 7th, and averaged 18.9 points and 9.3 rebounds in seven games with the club.