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Nuggets Rumors: Fogg, Shaw, Connelly

September 30th, 2013 at 4:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's the latest news out of Denver..

The Nuggets announced their complete training camp roster which includes a new name in guard Kyle Fogg. The 6'3" guard averaged 6.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists for the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers last season. Fogg averaged 13.5 PPG in his senior season at Arizona in 2011/12, but went undrafted.
Coach Brian Shaw won't say that this year's Nuggets squad will finish with less wins than last year (57), but he does acknowledge that there will be a focus on player development, writes Terry Frei of The Denver Post. The coach was also asked about a timetable for the return of Danilo Gallinari, but that's still an unknown at this point.
General Manager Tim Connelly says that Denver was lucky to land Nate Robinson because he was being pursued by playoff teams, tweets Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. The GM also acknowledged that the team isn't where he'd like it to be as the season draws near. While he likes the players he has, he won't hesitate to make a change if one is needed.

Pelicans Sign Lazar Hayward

September 30th, 2013 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

One of the only NBA teams still carrying just 15 players, the Pelicans have added at least one more name to their training camp roster. Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com reports (via Twitter) that Lazar Hayward will participate in camp with the club.

Hayward, 26, was a first-round draft pick in 2010, but has yet to make a real impact in his limited NBA action. In 72 total games for the Timberwolves and Thunder, the 6'6" swingman has averaged 2.9 PPG and a 9.0 PER.

The Pelicans may not be done adding players to their camp roster, since they still have four available spots on the roster. At the moment, the team has 13 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Lance Thomas on a partially guaranteed deal, and Hayward and Arinze Onuaku on non-guaranteed pacts.

Spurs Add Three To Camp Roster

September 30th, 2013 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have finalized their roster for training camp, and there are three names on the list which hadn't previously been reported. According to Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News (via Twitter), Marcus Cousin, Courtney Fells, and Daniel Nwaelele will be with the club in camp.

Cousin, 26, went undrafted in 2009 and has played for multiple D-League and international teams since then, as well as appearing in four games for the Jazz in 2011. The 6'11" big man was the leading scorer for Japan's Kyoto Hannaryz last season, averaging 14.5 PPG and 9.7 RPG in 57 contests.

Fells played his college ball in 2009 and, like Cousin, has bounced around since then. He played in Israel with Hapoel Jerusalem last season, and earned a spot on the Celtics' Summer League squad in July. As for Nwaelele, he was reportedly offered a contract by the Spurs back in 2007, but was still committed to service in the Air Force. The 6'5" guard finished his five-year commitment to the Air Force last year and joined the D-League's Santa Cruz Warriors for the 2012/13 season.

Blazers Pick Up Lillard, Robinson, Leonard Options

September 30th, 2013 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have exercised their third-year options on three players, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The 2014/15 salaries for Damian Lillard, Thomas Robinson, and Meyers Leonard are now guaranteed, according to Wojnarowski.

Options decisions for second- and third-year players are due by the end of October, and some of those decisions will be easier than others. When Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors examined the upcoming rookie-scale options, he classified Lillard's as a "no-brainer," while Robinson's and Leonard's were both considered very likely to be picked up as well.

As the fifth overall pick in 2012's draft, Robinson will be in line for a 2014/15 salary of $3.68MM, while Lillard (No. 6) will earn $3.34MM and Leonard (No. 11) will earn $2.32MM. Assuming none of those players are traded or released within the next year, the Blazers will face another round of decisions next fall on each player's fourth-year option for 2015/16.

Cavs Sign DeSagana Diop, Michael Lee

September 30th, 2013 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have increased their training camp roster to the maximum allowable 20 players, rounding out their list of camp invitees with DeSagana Diop and Michael Lee, the team announced today in a press release.

Several Cleveland camp invitees have been reported within the last couple days, including Elliot Williams, Jermaine Taylor, and Henry Sims. Diop and Lee will join those players and others in a competition for the final couple spots on the regular season roster.

Diop, 31, was drafted by the Cavs eighth overall back in 2001, and spent four underwhelming seasons with the team before heading to Dallas as a free agent. Diop has spent the last few years with the Bobcats, and while he never developed into more than an extra rebounder and defender off the bench, he earned $7.37MM in 2012/13.

Lee, meanwhile, played his college ball at St. Bonaventure before going undrafted in 2008. He has played internationally since then, spending time on clubs in Ukraine, Serbia, Hungary, Croatia, and France.

Clippers Sign Mustapha Farrakhan

September 30th, 2013 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have finalized their camp roster, and one player we hadn't previously heard mentioned is among the invitees. Mustapha Farrakhan will be in camp with the team, the Clippers announced today in a press release.

Farrakhan, 25, participated in camp with the Bucks a year ago, but was released before the regular season began. He spent the year bouncing around the D-League, appearing in multiple games for the Iowa Energy, Sioux Falls Skyforce, and Idaho Stampede. The 6'4" guard averaged just 6.8 PPG on 38.0% shooting for the season.

With the addition of Farrakhan, the Clippers will carry 18 players into camp, including 13 on fully guaranteed deals.

Kings Sign Cousins To Four-Year Max Extension

September 30th, 2013 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

MONDAY, 11:06am: The Kings have officially signed Cousins to a long-term extension, the team announced today in a press release.

FRIDAY, 12:06am: The Kings and DeMarcus Cousins have reached an agreement in principle on a new long-term deal for the big man, reports Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. According to Jones, Cousins will sign a four-year extension with Sacramento worth the maximum salary. The new deal will keep the former fifth overall pick under contract through 2017/18.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter) pegs the total value of Cousins' new contract at about $62MM, though the exact amount won't be known until next July when the 2014/15 cap figures and maximum salaries are set. Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter) that the pact won't include an option on the fourth year, while Jones tweets that it was Cousins' preference to do four years rather than five.

By agreeing to a four-year extension with Cousins, rather than a five-year deal, the Kings will hold on to their designated player tag to potentially use on another player down the road. There are no real candidates at this point to become Sacramento's designated player, though perhaps if Ben McLemore's development goes as planned, the team will consider going to five years for him when he becomes extension-eligible.

Cousins, 23, is coming off a season in which ne nearly averaged a double-double, with 17.1 PPG and 9.9 RPG, to go along with a 20.2 PER. We had heard earlier in the week that he and the team were nearing an extension, with the potential for a deal to be finalized before camp got underway. With an agreement in place, it looks like the Kings will be in position to finalize and announce Cousins' new contract before the club plays its first preseason game.

Cousins' new contract will make him the fourth player this offseason to sign a rookie-scale extension, including the third to sign a max deal. John Wall and Paul George both agreed to five-year max extensions with their respective clubs, while Larry Sanders inked a four-year contract worth $44MM. As I noted when I examined extension-eligible players yesterday, plenty of situations are still up in the air, including Eric Bledsoe, Derrick Favors, and Gordon Hayward.

Heat Signed, Released Ricky Sanchez

September 30th, 2013 at 10:52am CST by Luke Adams

When the Heat traded Dexter Pittman to the Grizzlies at last season's trade deadline, Miami acquired the rights to 2005 second-rounder Ricky Sanchez as part of the swap. However, the Heat no longer hold Sanchez's NBA rights, having signed him on September 16th and released him this past Friday, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter).

While the Heat presumably would have preferred to stash Sanchez overseas, the Puerto Rican big man was a free agent this summer. So when Miami issued the required tender to retain Sanchez's rights, he signed that offer, forcing the team's hand, as Winderman explains (via Twitter). Because the club wasn't interested in bringing him to camp, he was subsequently waived, meaning he's now free to sign with any team, NBA or otherwise.

Sanchez, 26, played for Cangrejeros de Santurce in Puerto Rico last season, averaging 11.1 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 42 contests.

Nets Sign Marko Jaric

September 30th, 2013 at 9:59am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have signed Marko Jaric to a training camp contract, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). The addition of Jaric brings Brooklyn's roster count for camp to 19 players, including four on non-guaranteed deals.

Jaric, a first-round pick in 2000, hasn't appeared in an NBA game since the 2008/09 season with the Grizzlies. Over the course of his seven-year NBA career, he averaged 7.1 PPG and 3.6 APG to go along with a 12.0 PER. Jaric received a camp invite from the Bulls last fall, but didn't make the team and didn't end up landing with another team, stateside or overseas.

The Nets already have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, so there likely won't be any roster spots available for the team's camp invitees. Perhaps though, if Jaric impresses the club over the next few weeks, he'd receive consideration later in the year if Brooklyn needs to add a player or two.

Knicks Pick Up 2014/15 Option On Mike Woodson

September 30th, 2013 at 9:44am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have officially exercised their 2014/15 option on Mike Woodson, the team announced today (Twitter link). The move ensures that Woodson will remain under contract for the next two years, and will no longer be on an expiring deal this season.

Woodson, who replaced Mike D'Antoni as the Knicks' head coach in 2011/12, has compiled a 72-34 (.679) record with the team so far, though New York hasn't made it past the second round of the playoffs in either of his two seasons.

There had been some speculation that Woodson could be on the hot seat for the coming year, given his contract status, the high expectations for the Knicks, and the fact that Steve Mills recently replaced Glen Grunwald as the club's general manager. Grunwald and Woodson have a long history, dating back to their days as college teammates at Indiana.