Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sixers Sign Brandon Davies

October 28th, 2013 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

10:46am: The Sixers have officially confirmed the signing of Davies in a press release.

MONDAY, 9:05am: The Sixers have signed Davies, a league source confirms to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

SUNDAY, 9:24pm: Less than a week after he was released by the Clippers, undrafted rookie Brandon Davies is close to finalizing a contract with the Sixers, reports Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. The potential deal, which was first reported by Greg Wrubell of KSL Radio (Twitter link), has been agreed upon and will be a non-guaranteed pact, according to Jake Pavorsky of Liberty Ballers.

Davies, a 21-year-old power forward, played four seasons at BYU, averaging 17.7 PPG and 8.0 RPG in 36 contests during his senior year. He was picked up by the Clips shortly after this June’s draft, playing for the club’s Summer League squad and appearing in five preseason games. According to Pavorsky, Davies has drawn interest from several teams since being cut by the Clippers.

The Sixers trimmed their roster down to 14 players this weekend, releasing Royce White and several camp invitees, including multiple players with partial guarantees. By opening up that 15th spot for the regular season, Philadelphia won’t have to waive another player when the team makes the signing of Davies official.

International Notes: Jackson, Mensah-Bonsu, Gaffney

October 28th, 2013 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

Most international teams aren’t making many roster moves these days, but with a sudden glut of intriguing players hitting the free agent market due to NBA roster cuts, it’s reasonable to expect clubs overseas to take notice. Several NBA camp invitees have already landed with new teams, and more are likely to follow. Here are the latest noteworthy international signings:

After being waived by the Pacers, Darnell Jackson has signed with the Shanghai Sharks, according to Hoops Rumors contributor Mark Porcaro (via Twitter). Jackson joins Von Wafer, who signed with the Chinese club earlier this month.
Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who finished last season with Italy’s EA7 Milano and participated in camp with the Wizards, has signed with Galatasaray in Turkey, according to the team (hat tip to Sportando). Mensah-Bonsu had a successful stint in Turkey with Besiktas during the 2011/12 season, winning the Turkish Basketball League championship, the Turkish Cup, and the EuroChallenge title.
After being released by the Grizzlies, Tony Gaffney has agreed to rejoin Telekom Baskets Bonn, the German team he played for in 2011/12, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. As our international player movement tracker shows, Gaffney finished last season with Joventut in Spain.
Interested in how your favorite NBA team’s draft-and-stash player is doing overseas? Mark Porcaro has you covered with a new piece at Secret Rival.

Odds & Ends: Miller, Kennedy, Lighty, Pau

October 27th, 2013 at 10:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Quincy Miller is one of a handful of players whose contract will become guaranteed by virtue of earning a spot on his team’s opening day roster, as our schedule of guarantee dates shows. Now that he’s breathing a little easier, Miller can focus on contributing to the Nuggets, particularly with players ahead of him in the rotation sidelined with injuries, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post.

Here are a few more Sunday odds and ends:

D.J. Kennedy, who was in camp with the Mavericks, has officially signed overseas with French team BCM Gravelines, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
The Hawks waived David Lighty earlier this month, and he’s headed back to JSF Nanterre in France, where he starred last season, according to Alexandre Lacoste of Catch and Shoot (hat tip to Sportando).
As he enters a contract year, Pau Gasol feels better than he expected he would. Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com has the details.
Lance Thomas didn’t consider the idea of playing for another team after the Pelicans waived him in July, he tells Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune. He wound up re-signing for the same salary, with a $15K partial guarantee thrown in.
Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News writes that Stephen Jackson will have to accept a lesser role or perhaps even a D-League stint if he’s going to continue his playing career.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Heat Release Justin Hamilton, Eric Griffin

October 27th, 2013 at 11:49am CST by Zachary Links

SUNDAY, 11:49am: The Heat have officially announced the moves on their website.

SATURDAY, 5:13pm: Miami has also waived Justin Hamilton, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). The subtraction leaves the Heat with 15 players, and it appears Michael Beasley and Roger Mason, the team’s only other players on non-guaranteed deals, have made the opening-night roster.

9:08am: The Heat have released forward Eric Griffin, a league source tells Shams Charania of RealGM (via Twitter). Griffin was in summer league and preseason with Miami this year and was said to have impressed.

Miami probably would have liked to keep Griffin, but the club is facing a serious roster crunch with Greg Oden and Michael Beasley filling the final spots on the roster. Releasing Griffin brings the club down to 16 players and Justin Hamilton will probably be the next to go.

The 23-year-old went undrafted out of Campbell in 2012, after averaging 15.7 PPG and 8.6 RPG in his senior year in college. The 6’8″ forward spent last season in Italy, averaging 17.5 PPG and 7.1 RPG in 28 contests for Fileni BPA Jesi, before earning a spot on the Heat’s Summer League team last month.

Sixers Cut Rodney Williams, Gani Lawal

October 27th, 2013 at 9:34am CST by Chuck Myron

SUNDAY, 9:34am: The Sixers officially announced the moves, via Twitter.

SATURDAY, 2:49pm: The Sixers have let go of Rodney Williams and Gani Lawal, a source tells Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News (Twitter links). The team will absorb Lawal’s $100K partial guarantee and the $35K partial guarantee on Williams’ contract. Their subtraction leaves the Sixers with 14 players, one under the regular season max and one more than the minimum.

Williams and Lawal appeared to be the most vulnerable among the team’s remaining non-guaranteed players, and Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer predicted yesterday that the last roster spot would come down to one of them (Twitter link). That assumed Philly would carry 15 players, but the team apparently will go with fewer. Cooney speculates on Twitter that Kwame Brown could be next to go, though he’s on a fully guaranteed deal for nearly $3MM and would likely have to agree to a buyout.

Raptors Waive Carlos Morais, Chris Wright

October 26th, 2013 at 6:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have released Carlos Morais and Chris Wright, the team announced today in a press release. That will leave Julyan Stone as Toronto’s 15th man, and the only non-guaranteed player on the roster.

Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun had reported (via Twitter) that Stone was expected to survive this weekend’s roster cuts. The former Nuggets guard reached an agreement with Toronto earlier this summer, which was nixed when he failed a physical. It seems the team, and new GM Masai Ujiri, still liked him enough to offer a non-guaranteed contract and a regular season roster spot.

Mavericks Waive Mickey McConnell

October 26th, 2013 at 5:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Mavs have released camp invitee Mickey McConnell, the team announced via press release. The move, which had been expected, reduces Dallas’ roster count to 15, so no further cuts will be required before opening night.

McConnell, 24, spent last season playing for Tezenis Verona in Italy, averaging 13.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 2.7 APG in 32 games. He appeared in five contests for the Mavs during the preseason, but was on a non-guaranteed contract, on a club which already had 15 players on guaranteed deals. As such, he was a long shot to make the NBA roster, but could end up with Dallas’ D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends.

Nuggets Cut Damion James

October 26th, 2013 at 4:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nuggets have waived small forward Damion James, the team announced on its website. The move takes the club’s roster down to 15 players, the regular season maximum.

He had the only non-guaranteed contract remaining on the team, and though he played Jordan Hamilton to a draw, according to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post, Hamilton’s fully guaranteed $1.169MM salary gave him a decided advantage. The move to cut James had been expected, as Dempsey tweeted earlier today.

Quincy Miller, whose deal is guaranteed for $150K, remains on the team, and assuming he makes it to opening night, his contract will become fully guaranteed. Most deals that aren’t fully guaranteed don’t become so until January 10th, but Miller is among several players who have earlier dates written into their contracts.

Rockets Waive Troy Daniels

October 26th, 2013 at 4:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets have placed Troy Daniels on waivers, tweets Jason Friedman of Rockets.com. The move leaves Houston with 17 players, meaning the team will have to make two more cuts to get down to the 15-man regular season limit.

Daniels seemed the most likely casualty among the Rockets with non-guaranteed contracts. Reggie Williams has the largest partial guarantee, at $474K, but he’s up against Ronnie Brewer, whose deal is guaranteed for $100K, and Greg Smith and Patrick Beverley, who are on non-guaranteed deals. All four have been NBA rotation-level players, so Rockets GM Daryl Morey has a few tough calls on his hands, though Beverley, who has alternated at point guard with Jeremy Lin, seems safe.

The Rockets didn’t use Daniels in any of their preseason games. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reported yesterday that the team was expected to let him go, and it appears Daniels will wind up signing with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s D-League affiliate.

Suns Pick Up Options On Plumlee, Morris Twins

October 26th, 2013 at 3:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns have exercised their 2014/15 options on center Miles Plumlee and forwards Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Markieff Morris will make $2,989,239 next season, slightly more than his twin brother Marcus, who’ll earn $2,943,221. The option covers the fourth season for both Morrises, while Plumlee’s $1,169,880 option is for his third, as our rookie contract option tracker shows.

Plumlee has impressed in the preseason after arriving over the summer via trade from the Pacers, and his improvement made the Suns more comfortable with trading Marcin Gortat to the Wizards. Marcus Morris also came to the Suns in a trade, as the Rockets shipped him to Phoenix at the deadline in February. Houston drafted him 14th overall in 2011, one pick before the Suns took his brother at No. 15, which accounts for the slight difference in salary between the two.

The more than $7.1MM the exercised options add to Phoenix’s books still leave the team with ample projected cap space next summer. The Suns will have only about $22.1MM in commitments for 2014/15, about $40MM beneath the cap.