Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sixers Release Justin Holiday

August 14th, 2013 at 8:30am CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers parted ways with one Holiday in a draft-night deal, sending Jrue Holiday to the Pelicans in exchange for Nerlens Noel and a 2014 draft pick. Now, the 76ers have cut ties with Jrue's brother, Justin Holiday. According to RealGM's transactions log and Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld (via Twitter), Philadelphia has released the elder Holiday.

Holiday, 24, appeared in just nine games for the Sixers after being signed by the team late last season. Prior to signing with Philadelphia, Holiday spent time in training camp with the Cavaliers and Trail Blazers, then joined Portland's D-League affiliate, the Idaho Stampede, for most of the year. The University of Washington product averaged 17.3 PPG in 47 D-League contests.

Per Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com, Holiday's 2013/14 salary wasn't set to become fully guaranteed until January 2014, but he would have been owed a guaranteed $50K had he remained on the roster past August 15th. By waiving him before then, the Sixers avoided taking a cap hit for any part of his salary.

Removing Holiday's minimum salary from their books also takes the Sixers even further below the salary cap line, and the minimum payroll threshold. As I noted last week, Philadelphia will have to add plenty of additional salary to the books for 2013/14 if they intend to reach the league's salary floor.

Lakers Invite Nick Minnerath To Camp

August 13th, 2013 at 7:02pm CST by Michael Pina

According to his own Twitter account, the Lakers have extended a training camp invite to Nick Minnerath. He played for the Kings during the Las Vegas Summer League, and as a senior for the University of Detroit Titans last season he averaged 14.6 PPG and 5.9 RPG.

The undrafted 6'9" forward can bang inside, but what makes him attractive to the Lakers is most likely his ability to shoot. Through three years of college basketball, Minnerath shot 39.7% from beyond the arc, which, on paper, qualifies him as a perfect fit for Mike D'Antoni's offense.

Kim English To Sign With Montepaschi Siena

August 13th, 2013 at 5:46pm CST by Michael Pina

According to HoopsHype.com, free agent guard Kim English has agreed to sign with Montepaschi Siena of the Euroleague. The Italian club has won its league title seven years in a row, and is one of the better teams in all of Europe.

The 24-year-old English spent his lone NBA season last year with the Pistons, where he averaged 2.9 PPG in 41 games. He was selected with the 44th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. His contract with Montepaschi Siena will include an NBA out clause until August 22nd.

Heat Invite Eric Griffin To Training Camp

August 13th, 2013 at 12:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Unrestricted free agent Eric Griffin has signed a training camp deal with the Heat, according to RealGM.com. RealGM's transactions log lists the contract as having been finalized last Friday. As a training-camp invitee, Griffin won't have a guaranteed contract, and figures to be cut before opening night unless he wins a battle for a 15-man roster spot.

Griffin, 23, 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.

International Notes: Nogueira, English, Ennis

August 12th, 2013 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Today's international news and rumors deal with a pair of former NBA players and a pair of 2013 draft picks. Here's the latest on the notable names from around the globe:

Hawks first-rounder Lucas Nogueira will play for Spain's Asefa Estudiantes Madrid for the 2013/14 season, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 16th overall pick will almost certainly be the highest pick from this year's draft to spend next season overseas — 28th overall pick Livio Jean-Charles looks like he'll be the only other first-rounder heading to Europe.
According to a La Gazzetta dello Sport report, passed along by Sportando, Italian club Virtus Roma has interest in Kim English. English was selected in the second round of the 2012 draft by the Pistons, but was released earlier this offseason.
Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida writes that the Heat were hoping that James Ennis would join the club's D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls. However, Miami didn't want to sign Ennis and have him taking up one of the Heat's 15 roster spots for 2013/14, so Ennis would have only made about $25K if he'd joined the Skyforce — he opted for a more lucrative contract in Australia instead.
Ukrainian club BC Budivelnyk has officially signed Blake Ahearn, who has played for the Heat, Spurs, and Jazz, and spent last fall in camp with the Pacers (hat tip to Sportando, via Twitter).

James Ennis Signs To Play In Australia

August 9th, 2013 at 8:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

It's seemed likely for the past few days that 50th overall pick James Ennis would wind up overseas rather than with the Heat this season, and now that indeed appears to be the case. The Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League have announced on their website that they've signed the former Long Beach State small forward. The deal includes an NBA out for this season if an opportunity with the Heat arises, though Ennis almost certainly won't be playing stateside this season, barring a trade or a rash of injuries for Miami.

The Hawks originally drafted Ennis, but traded his rights to the Heat on draft night in exchange for a future second-round pick. Miami's 2017 second-rounder will go to Atlanta, unless it falls between 31st and 40th overall, according to RealGM.com. If it does, the Hawks get the Heat's 2018 second-rounder.

Ennis, 23, has a 6'11.5" wingspan despite his 6'7" height, as DraftExpress.com shows. He averaged 16.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in a breakout senior year this past season in college. Ennis backed it up last month with a 12.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG effort in seven summer league contests with the Heat.

The Heat will retain the NBA rights to Ennis in perpetuity until they bring him to camp, trade him, or renounce those rights. The Scott Nichols client had offers from France and Russia, but the NBA out for this season prompted him to sign with Perth, his agent tells Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link). If Ennis does sign with the Heat this season, he'll still receive the full value of his Australian contract, Nichols says to Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida (Twitter link).

Bobcats Re-Sign Jannero Pargo

August 9th, 2013 at 3:42pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 3:42pm: The Bobcats have officially re-signed Pargo, the team announced today in a press release.

THURSDAY, 3:21pm: The Bobcats have agreed to terms on a contract with Jannero Pargo, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). Charlotte is believed to be capped out, and used its room exception to sign Josh McRoberts, so Pargo will be in line for a minimum-salary deal. Shams Charania of RealGM.com confirms as much, tweeting that it'll be a one-year pact.

Pargo, 33, started the 2012/13 season with the Wizards, before being waived by Washington. He subsequently signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Hawks, then signed two 10-days deals with the Bobcats, followed by a rest-of-season deal (details via our 10-day contract tracker). Overall, he appeared in 32 games, averaging 6.5 PPG and 2.1 APG. Pargo ranked among the top scorers, three-point shooters, and distributors still on the market.

For Charlotte, Pargo figures to slot into the team's third point guard spot, behind Kemba Walker and Ramon Sessions. Even though the Mark Bartelstein client finished last season with the Bobcats, he wasn't eligible for a raise via the Non-Bird exception, since the team renounced his rights earlier in the summer to clear cap room.

International Notes: Murphy, Lawal, Johnson

August 9th, 2013 at 8:45am CST by Luke Adams

So far today, the international rumor mill is a little busier than the NBA version, so let's round up a few of the latest reports on various teams overseas….

Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports that unrestricted free agent Kevin Murphy will sign with France's SIG Strasbourg. Murphy was selected by the Jazz in the second round of last year's draft, and spent time in both Utah and Reno, with the D-League's Bighorns. The 23-year-old guard was included as the only outgoing piece from Utah to Golden State in the trade that landed the Jazz several expiring contracts and future draft picks, and was later waived by the Warriors.
6'9" forward Gani Lawal has signed with VEF Riga of Latvia, according to the team (hat tip to Sportando). After being selected in the second round of the 2010 draft by the Suns, Lawal appeared in just one regular-season game for Phoenix, but had reportedly been drawing NBA interest again this offseason.
Former Celtics big man JaJuan Johnson has signed with Italy's Giorgio Tesi Pistoia, the team announced (translation via Sportando). Johnson was drafted 27th overall in 2011 and spent the 2011/12 season in Boston before being included last summer in the three-way trade that sent Courtney Lee to the C's. After being cut by the Rockets, Johnson played for three D-League teams in '12/13.

Luke Harangody Signs With Unics Kazan

August 8th, 2013 at 6:22pm CST by Alex Lee

Luke Harangody has signed with Unics Kazan in Russia, the team announced according to Sportando. Harangody spent last season in the D-League, where he averaged 19.9 points and 11.8 rebounds per contest for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

The Notre Dame product spent the two seasons prior in the NBA, appearing in 70 games in stops with the Celtics and Cavs. Cleveland thought enough of Harangody to extend him a $1.1MM qualifying offer last summer, but he was waived before the season began and ended up in the D-League.

Knicks Sign Beno Udrih

August 8th, 2013 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

4:01pm: The Knicks have officially signed Udrih, the team announced today (Twitter link).

9:08am: The Knicks have reached an agreement on a one-year deal with point guard Beno Udrih, tweets Al Iannazzone of Newsday. As Iannazzone adds in a second tweet, Udrih will sign for the veteran's minimum, since that's all the Knicks can offer. ESPN.com's Marc Stein adds (via Twitter) that Udrih had a meeting scheduled with the Grizzlies today, but has cancelled it after deciding on New York.

Landing the 31-year-old Udrih looks like a major coup for the Knicks, who were initially viewed as a long shot due to their limited financial flexibility. Still, the team remained focused on Udrih, making him their top priority, and yesterday emerged as the favorites to sign him, as Marc Berman of the New York Post wrote.

Udrih spent last season with the Bucks and Magic, heading to Orlando in the deadline deal that sent J.J. Redick to Milwaukee. In 66 games overall, he averaged 8.2 PPG and 4.6 APG to go along with a 14.2 PER. In New York, he'll essentially take Jason Kidd's spot on the roster, complementing returning point guards Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni.

The agreement with Udrih almost certainly takes the Knicks out of the running for other point guards they've been linked to, such as Bobby Brown and Chris Duhon. The team will still have room for one more guaranteed salary on the 15-man roster, but another big man is a more likely addition.

Udrih, who is represented by Pinnacle Management Corp., will receive a 2013/14 salary of $1,272,279, the minimum for a player with his NBA experience. The Knicks will only have to pay $884,293 of that amount, while the rest will be covered by the league.