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Hawks Sign James Johnson

September 19th, 2013 at 5:04pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to a congratulatory tweet from sports agency firm Priority Sports, James Johnson has signed a contract with the Hawks. Though the terms of the deal were not mentioned, the pact could likely be a training camp invitation or a partially guaranteed deal. In 54 games and 11 starts for the Kings last season, the 6'9 power forward averaged 5.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and shot 41.3% from the field in 16.3 MPG. With the addition of Johnson, Atlanta currently has a total of 19 players heading into training camp.

Drafted 16th overall by the Bulls in 2009, Johnson hasn't lasted more than two seasons with an NBA team since then, splitting his first four years in the league between Chicago and Toronto before landing with Sacramento in 2012/13. To date, the Wake Forest product's best season was arguably with the Raptors in 2011/12, where he played a total of 62 games with 40 starts, averaging 9.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 1.4 BPG in 25.2 MPG.

Magic Inviting Five Players To Camp

September 19th, 2013 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic currently have 14 players on their roster, but will take advantage of increased offseason roster limits to bring five more players to camp, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Schmitz reports (via Twitter) that Solomon Jones, Kris Joseph, Manny Harris, and Micheal Eric will be in camp with Orlando. The team is also bringing second-rounder Romero Osby to camp, though the two sides are still negotiating a contract, says Schmitz (Twitter link).

Although Jones and Joseph each saw NBA action in 2012/13, neither played extensive minutes. Jones, a big man who has spent time with five NBA teams, appeared in two games for the Knicks last season. Meanwhile, Joseph shuffled back and forth between the Nets and Celtics, and was included in the summer's Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce blockbuster before he was waived by Boston. The 24-year-old forward was said to have a deal with a Chinese team, but it appears he'll try to earn an NBA roster spot before exploring options overseas.

Harris and Eric both have some history with the Cavaliers, though Harris is the only one of the two that has NBA experience. Harris, 23, appeared in 80 games for the Cavs from 2010 to 2012, averaging 6.2 PPG in 17.4 minutes per contest. He spent last season playing in the Ukraine, as our international tracker shows. As for Eric, he participated in camp with Cleveland last fall before joining the club's D-League affiliate in Canton.

While the five additions to the camp roster will bring Orlando's roster count to 19, only 12 players have fully guaranteed contracts. Kyle O'Quinn's deal won't become guaranteed until opening night, and Schmitz tweets that the club continues to negotiate a buyout with Hedo Turkoglu, whose $12MM salary is only 50% guaranteed. Assuming O'Quinn is ticketed for the regular-season roster and Turkoglu isn't, there should be one or two spots up for grabs in camp.

Raptors Sign Stone, Wright, Morais

September 19th, 2013 at 9:24am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 19TH: The Raptors have officially confirmed the signings of Stone and Wright, via a press release. The release also includes confirmation of Carlos Morais' deal, which we heard about over the weekend.

SEPTEMBER 13TH: The Raptors have 14 players currently on guaranteed contracts, but figure to have at least 17 players in camp next month, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star (via Twitter). Smith identifies two of the team's camp invitees as Julyan Stone and Chris Wright.

Stone agreed to terms with the Raptors earlier in the offseason, but that deal fell through when the 24-year-old failed a physical with the club. A report last month indicated that the two sides had remained in touch, and the new arrangement suggests that the Raps still have interest in bringing Stone to camp if little or no guaranteed money is involved. As I noted when Toronto first reached an agreement with the guard, the presence of new GM Masai Ujiri in the team's front office was likely a significant factor in the signing the former Nugget.

As for the Raptors' other invitee, there are two Chris Wrights with NBA experience, so we'll have to wait for further word from Smith or confirmation from the team to be 100% sure which one is heading to Toronto. But I'm assuming the Wright in question is the forward from Dayton, rather than the guard from Georgetown. The Dayton product participated in camp with the Raps a year ago, so it makes sense that the team would bring him back for another look, and perhaps to give him another shot at a regular-season roster spot.

Sixers Sign Nerlens Noel

September 19th, 2013 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

Over two and a half months after drafting him, the Sixers have officially signed Nerlens Noel to a rookie-scale contract, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com (via Twitter). As our chart of rookie salaries shows, that should put Noel in line for a first-year salary worth about $3.17MM.

Noel, 19, played 24 games for the Wildcats in his freshman year at Kentucky before a torn ACL sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Before the injury, he averaged 10.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG, and 4.4 BPG, and was viewed as the frontrunner to be the No. 1 pick. However, on draft night, he fell to the Pelicans at sixth overall, and was immediately sent to Philadelphia in a trade for Jrue Holiday.

While Noel has signed, there's still no word on whether Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia's other lottery pick has officially inked his deal yet.

Hawks Reach Agreement With Damien Wilkins

September 18th, 2013 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Over two years removed from his last action for the Hawks, Damien Wilkins is set to rejoin the team, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Charania reports (via Twitter) that the Hawks have reached an agreement with Wilkins on a training camp contract.

Wilkins, 33, had a solid season off the Sixers bench in 2012/13, appearing in 61 games and recorded 6.4 PPG to go along with a 12.5 PER. Both marks were the highest he'd posted since his days with the Seattle SuperSonics. Nearly a week ago, we heard that Wilkins had been working out with the Hawks in Atlanta, and that he had worked out for the Spurs as well.

Earlier today, it was reported that the Hawks will bring Royal Ivey into camp next month, so it seems the club is targeting veteran NBA free agents with its latest camp invites, rather than undrafted rookies or players from overseas. With Ivey and Wilkins on board, Atlanta's roster count will be up to 18 players, though only 12 of them have fully guaranteed contracts.

Royal Ivey To Join Hawks For Camp

September 18th, 2013 at 12:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite never averaging more than 5.6 PPG or higher than an 11.0 PER, Royal Ivey has appeared in at least 25 games in every NBA season since he was drafted in 2004. He'll have a chance to try to earn a roster spot and continue that streak this fall, as he joins the Hawks for training camp, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (via Twitter).

Ivey, 31, appeared in 53 games for the Sixers last season, averaging 13.2 minutes per contest. The former second-round pick recorded 3.2 PPG, with most of his points coming from long-range — he shot 42.0% on three-pointers, scoring about 65% of his points from downtown.

We heard back in August that Ivey was set to work out for the Hawks, but Atlanta wasn't the only team to exhibit some interest in the veteran guard. The Spurs also reportedly worked him out, and Ivey drew interest from the Suns and Bucks as well.

Of those four teams, the Hawks have the fewest fully guaranteed contracts on their books, with just 12 so far. That should give Ivey an opening to earn a regular-season roster spot, though he'll have some competition. Shelvin Mack, David Lighty, and Eric Dawson all have non-guaranteed deals, while Mike Scott has a partial guarantee on his contract.

Grizzlies To Bring Tony Gaffney To Camp

September 18th, 2013 at 11:09am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies will add another contract to their books and bring Tony Gaffney to training camp, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Stein doesn't specify the details of the deal, but it sounds as if Gaffney will get a fully non-guaranteed camp invite, with a chance to earn a regular-season roster spot.

Gaffney, 28, went undrafted out of UMass in 2009, and has played primarily overseas since then. As our international tracker shows, he was already set to play for Telekom Bonn in Germany this season, but Stein tweets that the deal included an NBA out, allowing the veteran forward to accept a camp invite. In 23 games for Italy's Joventut Badalona last season, Gaffney averaged 11.5 PPG and 5.9 RPG.

After adding Gaffney to the roster, the Grizzlies will be carrying 16 players. However, only 13 of those contracts are guaranteed. Josh Akognon, Willie Reed, and Gaffney will be given the chance to compete for a roster spot in camp, assuming the team intends to carry 14 or 15 players into the season.

Olek Czyz To Attend Camp With Bucks

September 18th, 2013 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

Olek Czyz will attend training camp with the Bucks next month, according to an announcement on the player's official website (hat tip to Sportando). As our international tracker shows, Czyz spent last season with Virtus Roma in Italy.

Playing for a Virtus Roma team that also included Gigi Datome, who signed with the Pistons this summer, Czyz appeared in 48 games last season, averaging 5.6 PPG and 3.7 RPG in just 14.5 minutes per contest. The 6'8" forward becomes the third Bucks camp invitee to be reported this week, as the club is set to bring in Trey McKinney Jones and Junior Cadougan as well.

The Bucks already have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, so their camp invitees won't have a great shot to make the regular-season roster. It's possible that Milwaukee is looking to retain the D-League rights to a few players, but the Bucks share their affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, with five other NBA teams, so their control over the D-League squad is limited.

Donte Greene Waived By C’s, Will Sign In China

September 18th, 2013 at 7:45am CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 7:45am: The Chinese team expected to sign Greene is the Dongguan Leopards, according to HoopsHype (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 3:06pm: The Celtics have officially waived Greene, the team announced today in a press release.

10:58am: A little over a month after they acquired him, the Celtics will waive Donte Greene, agent Chris Grier Luchey tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Twitter link). According to Luchey, Greene has a deal lined up with a club in China, which can be finalized once his release from the C's is official.

The swap that sent Greene to Boston and Fab Melo to Memphis was one of the more unusual trades of the summer, since Melo was also released by the Grizzlies following the deal. The Celtics included more than enough cash to cover Melo's $1.31MM salary in the trade, but the money they sent to the Grizz doesn't count for cap or tax purposes. Greene's salary, meanwhile, is non-guaranteed, so Boston won't be on the hook for any of it once the move is official, and should slip below the tax line in the process.

By waiving Greene, the C's will reduce their roster count to 18 players, including 14 on guaranteed contracts. For Greene, it won't be the first time he signs to play international ball. Before he reached an agreement with the Grizzlies last season, the 25-year-old forward briefly spent time with Atleticos de San German in Puerto Rico.

James White Signs In Italy

September 17th, 2013 at 5:30pm CST by Michael Pina

Just one year removed from playing for the Knicks, James White has reached an agreement with Reggio Emilia, a professional team in Italy, according to a tweet from Bleacher Report's Jared Zwerling.

Best known for his high flying aerial routine, which led to an appearance in the NBA Slam Dunk contest during last year's All-Star weekend, the 30-year-old White averaged 2.2 PPG in 57 appearances. He spent the previous two years playing in Italy, and was in Russia the year before that.

For more international moves, check out our international player movement tracker.