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Arinze Onuaku Signs With D-League’s Charge

November 27th, 2013 at 7:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

Former Pelicans power forward Arinze Onuaku has signed with the D-League’s Canton Charge, the team announced (hat tip to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio). The Charge have a one-to-one affiliation with the Cavs, but Onuaku’s D-League contract doesn’t constitute any agreement between him and the NBA team. The 26-year-old remains eligible to hook on with any NBA club, including the Cavs.

Onuaku was allowed to sign directly with the Charge rather than go through the D-League’s waiver process, as Kendall Marshall must do, because he played with Canton before. The one-time member of the Syracuse Orange averaged 12.6 points and 9.5 rebounds in 38 games with the Charge last year, and participated in the D-League All-Star Game.

That performance led to a summer-league stint with the Suns this year and a training camp invitation from the Pelicans. New Orleans briefly carried him on its regular season roster before waiving him a couple of weeks ago, just three games into his NBA career.

Kings Acquire Derrick Williams

November 26th, 2013 at 11:08am CST by Zachary Links

TUESDAY, 11:08am: The deal has become official, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).

MONDAY, 6:49pm: The Kings are set to acquire Derrick Williams from the T’Wolves for Luc Mbah a Moute, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The deal is pending a physical for Mbah a Moute, who has knee troubles, but a source says that it would have to be really bad for the Wolves to nix the trade (link).

Williams, the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 draft, has reportedly been on the block for more than a year now and while former GM David Kahn couldn’t find a home for him, new team president Flip Saunders may be on the cusp of doing just that. Williams might have been able to change the new regime’s impression of him with a hot start this season, but 4.9 PPG and 2.4 RPG through eleven games hasn’t helped his stock. Earlier today, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reported that a Williams trade seemed imminent.

The Kings have been aggressively pursuing trades and are reportedly targeting a solution at small forward. Mbah a Moute, a summer pickup, was supposed to be the answer, but he’s more of a role player than a starting three. As the UCLA product averages career-lows in points, rebounds, and minutes per game, Williams could represent an upgrade, even though small forward isn’t his natural position. The T’Wolves gave serious thought to moving Williams to the three – even having him drop from 250 pounds down to ~235 – but he never seemed to get the hang of it in training camp.

If completed, the trade would give Williams a fresh start while reuniting Mbah a Moute with former UCLA teammate Kevin Love. Mbah a Moute will be a defensive upgrade for Minnesota as he and Corey Brewer figure to frustrate opponents on a nightly basis.

Mbah a Moute, 27, is set to earn $4.58MM this season and $4.38MM in 2014/15. Williams, 22, will make $5.29MM this season and $6.68MM next season before reaching restricted free agency.

Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) first reported that the two sides were in advanced talks on a swap of Mbah a Moute and Williams.

Lakers, Kobe Agree To Two-Year Extension

November 25th, 2013 at 10:49am CST by Luke Adams

10:49am: Bryant’s extension will be worth $48MM over two years, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard (via Twitter). Shelburne tweets that the annual salaries will be $23.5MM in 2014/15 and $25MM in ’15/16. That should still leave the Lakers with enough room for a max free agent next summer, though it’ll be a tight fit.

10:43am: According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles (via Twitter), Kobe’s new deal will make him the highest-paid player in the NBA over the next two seasons. The exact figures still aren’t known, but according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter), the extension will be worth between $40-50MM.

10:26am: The Lakers and Kobe Bryant have reached an agreement on a contract extension, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will keep Kobe off the free agent market in 2014, extending his contract by two years, according to the team.

“This is a very happy day for Lakers fans and for the Lakers organization,” said GM Mitch Kupchak in a statement. “We’ve said all along that our priority and hope was to have Kobe finish his career as a Laker, and this should ensure that that happens.”

We heard in September that Bryant and the Lakers had yet to begun discussing an extension, but those negotiations were expected to happen at some point before Kobe’s contract expired. A month ago, executive VP Jim Buss vowed that the longtime Lakers star wouldn’t get to free agency, so the team made good on that promise.

When I examined Kobe as an extension candidate earlier this month, I predicted that he’d sign a two- or three-year extension at some point after he returned from his Achilles injury. The fact that the Lakers completed the deal before he appeared in a game this season suggests that the team believes he made a full recovery.

While Kobe would be eligible for a salary worth north of $32MM in the first year of his new deal, he almost certainly agreed to a pay cut from this year’s $30MM+ salary. The two-year contract will cut into the Lakers’ projected cap space for next summer, but depending on the annual cap hit for the extension, the club should still have plenty of room to pursue free agents.

Minor Moves: Warriors, Douby, Fischer

November 24th, 2013 at 9:29pm CST by Zachary Links

A look at today’s minor moves from around basketball..

The Warriors announced that they re-assigned center Dewayne Dedmon and guard Nemanja Nedovic to the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League. Both players will be in uniform for tonight’s home game against the Austin Toros this evening. To keep up with all of this season’s D-League assignments, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.
Quincy Douby reached agreement with the Yao Ming-owned Shanghai Sharks, a source told Shams Charania of RealGM. Douby is free to sign with an NBA club once the CBA season ends in March, but Shanghai’s squad is rather strong with Douby in the fold and he could be locked in with them longer if they make a deep playoff run. The Rutgers product was previously with the Sioux Falls SkyForce, the affiliate of the Heat, and was being groomed as a point guard.
German team Brose Baskets Bamberg officially announced the signing of D’or Fischer, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The big man spent last season with BC Donetsk of Ukraine averaging 11.0 PPG and 7.6 RPG in Superleague action and was in camp with the Wizards over the summer.

T’Wolves, Kings Talking Derrick Williams Deal

November 23rd, 2013 at 6:18pm CST by Zachary Links

The Timberwolves and Kings are in advanced talks on a deal that would swap Derrick Williams for Luc Mbah a Moute, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s not yet known if the deal could expand to include more pieces, Stein tweets.

Williams, the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 draft, has reportedly been on the block for more than a year now and while former GM David Kahn couldn’t find a home for him, new team president Flip Saunders may be on the cusp of doing just that. Williams might have been able to change the new regime’s impression of him with a hot start this season, but 4.9 PPG and 2.4 RPG through eleven games hasn’t helped his stock. Earlier today, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reported that a Williams trade seemed imminent.

The Kings have been aggressively pursuing trades and are reportedly targeting a solution at small forward. Mbah a Moute, a summer pickup, was supposed to be the answer, but he’s more of a role player than a starting three. As the UCLA product averages career-lows in points, rebounds, and minutes per game, Williams could represent an upgrade, even though small forward isn’t his natural position. The T’Wolves gave serious thought to moving Williams to the three – even having him drop from 250 pounds down to ~235, but he never seemed to get the hang of it in training camp.

If completed, the trade would give Williams a fresh start while reuniting Mbah a Moute with former UCLA teammate Kevin Love. Mbah a Moute, 27, is set to earn $4.58MM this season and $4.38MM in 2014/15. Williams, 22, will make $5.29MM this season and $6.68MM next season before reaching restricted free agency.

Northwest Notes: Jazz, Nuggets, Faried

November 21st, 2013 at 3:26pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jazz are struggling quite a bit to start the season, but George Karl seems to think the Bucks will finish in the cellar and have the best odds at the top pick, writes Bob Wolfey of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “Milwaukee keeps coming to me. They just don’t have enough talent right now. Injuries have taken their best players off the court. They could get into a position that they dig the hole so deep that, philosophically, it might be in their best interests for a poor season,” said the one-time Milwaukee coach. Here’s more out of the Northwest Division..

In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post why the Nuggets would consider trading Kenneth Faried given the production that he has given Denver. Dempsey says that Faried isn’t going anywhere, though it won’t stop other teams from calling.
Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari, who has been sidelined for quite some time, gets homesick occasionally, but he told Italian outlet Il Corriere della Sera that he wants to play in the NBA for as long as possible, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
Justin Holiday signed to play with Hungary’s Szolnoki Olajbanyasz, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Holiday, who was in training camp with the Jazz this summer, spent last season with Idaho Stampede and averaged 17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.4 steals per game.

Sixers Sign Elliot Williams, Lorenzo Brown

November 20th, 2013 at 5:02pm CST by Zachary Links

After cutting Kwame Brown and Darius Morris earlier today, the 76ers announced that they have signed free agent guards Elliot Williams and Lorenzo Brown.

Williams received a camp invite from the Cavaliers this season but was waived prior to the start of this season. Williams was selected by the Trail Blazers 22nd overall in the 2010 NBA Draft but appeared in only 24 games for the team – all during the 2011/12 season – in which he averaged 6.2 MPG and 3.7 PPG. Williams is represented by Thad Foucher of Wasserman Media Group.

Brown was the Timberwolves’ second-round pick in this year’s draft but was cut and signed by the team’s D-League affiliate, the Iowa Energy, prior to the season. Brown played point guard for North Carolina State last year. Brown is represented by Andy Miller of ASM Sports.

It is 76ers team policy to not disclose the terms of these signings but it is assumed both will be for the minimum salary.

Jonathan Nehring contributed to this post.

Sixers Waive Kwame Brown, Darius Morris

November 20th, 2013 at 4:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Sixers have waived former No. 1 draft pick Kwame Brown and guard Darius Morris, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

Brown, 31, had been sidelined by a right hamstring injury and has yet to play this season. The big man was in a two-year, $6MM contract with the Sixers and has made approximately $64MM across his 13 NBA seasons, despite career averages of 6.6 points and 5.5 rebounds. Brown was taken first overall in the 2001 draft by Wizards president Michael Jordan, ahead of talents like Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph and Tony Parker.

Morris, 22, has played in 79 games over the past three NBA seasons, averaging 4.1 PPG and 1.6 APG in 13.2 minutes per contest. Morris’ deal was only partially guaranteed, so he’ll receive $200K from the 76ers as he seeks out his next gig.

Leandro Barbosa To Play In Brazil

November 19th, 2013 at 5:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

Leandro Barbosa will sign with a team in his native Brazil, but the contract will allow him to move to an NBA team if he can find one that’s interested, tweets Fábio Alexio of the Brazlian website Lancenet.com.br (hat tip to Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press). The 30-year-old Barbosa will play for Pinheiros after spending last season with the Celtics and Wizards.

Barbosa tore his left ACL shortly before the trade deadline last season, prompting the Celtics to throw him into the Jordan Crawford trade with the Wizards for salary matching purposes. Barbosa never played while on the Wizards roster, and a report in May indicated he was rehabbing at Boston’s facilities, several weeks before his contract was officially up. Still, the Celtics didn’t wind up signing him this summer, though Barbosa’s brother Artur Barbosa, who doubles as his agent, said the Mavs offered the combo guard a contract. The agent also said the Bulls and Rockets had shown interest.

The longtime Sun was an October addition for Boston in 2012, but he wound up playing a fairly significant role as backup point guard, averaging 5.2 points and 1.4 assists in 12.5 minutes per game. The “Brazilian Blur” might have lost a step, but his outside shooting remains a threat, as his three-point accuracy last season came close to his 39.1% career mark.

Warriors Sign Dewayne Dedmon

November 18th, 2013 at 5:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Dewayne Dedmon is suited up for the Warriors’ game tonight against the Jazz, signaling that he has officially signed with the team, tweets Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. There was no press release, but the center is warming up with Golden State hours before tipoff.

The 7’0″ center went undrafted in June and joined the Warriors as a camp invitee, averaging 3.4 PPG and 4.0 RPG in five preseason games and was said to impress the club in practice. While he didn’t make the NBA roster, the 24-year-old’s D-League rights had been retained by the Santa Cruz Warriors.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported earlier today that the Warriors were planning to sign Dedmon. Simmons also noted earlier today that the team even briefly considered asking assistant coach Brian Scalabrine if he’d come out of retirement to replace the injured Jermaine O’Neal. Dedmon, along with Marreese Speights, and Ognjen Kuzmic, are expected to help support Andrew Bogut at center.