Jazz Release Dwayne Jones
The Jazz have officially waived camp invitee Dwayne Jones, the team announced today in a press release. Utah had been carrying the maximum 20 players, so the release of Jones reduces the club’s roster to 19.
Jones, 30, signed a contract with the Warriors at the end of the regular season and very briefly appeared in a pair of playoff games for the team. However, he hasn’t appeared in a regular season contest since the 2009/10 season with the Suns.
With 12 guaranteed contracts on their books and Ian Clark ($200K guaranteed) a strong bet to make the team, the Jazz still have six players competing for roster spots. While Jones is no longer in the mix, Brian Cook, Mike Harris, Justin Holiday, Lester Hudson, Scott Machado, and Dominic McGuire continue to make their case for a longer look.
Hawks Waive Thomas, Lighty, Wilkins
The Hawks have reduced their roster count by three players, cutting Adonis Thomas, David Lighty, and Damien Wilkins, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The team had been carrying a full 20-man roster, so at least two more players will need to be released before opening night.
Wilkins, a nine-year veteran, is the only one of the three waived Hawks with NBA experience. Lighty, 25, went undrafted in 2011 and has played overseas since then, most recently averaging 12.5 PPG and shooting 42.5% on three-pointers in 35 games for JSF Nanterre in France. Thomas, 20, left Memphis this spring after his sophomore year. All three players will become free agents later this week, assuming they clear waivers.
With 17 players still under contract, the Hawks will have to pare down their roster to 15 (or fewer) within the next couple weeks. Eric Dawson, Royal Ivey, James Johnson, and Shelvin Mack are all on fully non-guaranteed deals, making them the likeliest candidates to be released.
Pelicans Waive Lazar Hayward
The Pelicans have waived small forward Lazar Hayward, the team announced. He appeared for a total of just 15 minutes in two preseason contests for New Orleans, the team with which he signed a non-guaranteed deal shortly before camp. The move drops the Pelicans roster count to 15 players.
Hayward was the last pick of the first round in 2010, and he’s been traded and waived three times apiece since then. He spent a pair of brief stints with the Timberwolves last season, but he only managed to appear in four games. The 6’6″ former Marquette Golden Eagle also played 14 games with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the D-League in 2012/13. Reggio Emilia of Italy appeared to have interest in Hayward this summer before he signed with the Pelicans, so perhaps the 26-year-old will head overseas.
Pelicans GM Dell Demps could carry his roster as is into the season, allowing Arinze Onuaku, on a non-guaranteed contract, and Lance Thomas, whose deal is guaranteed for $15K, to remain with the team. Still, NBA clubs are only obligated to have 13 players on their roster, and the Pelicans could always sign someone else, so Onuaku and Thomas are no locks for opening night.
Stephon Marbury Extends Contract In China?
Stephon Marbury hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since 2009, having joined multiple Chinese teams since then, and it seems as if he won’t be returning to play stateside anytime soon. According to a Sina.com report translated by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, Marbury has reached a deal on a contract extension with the Beijing Ducks that will keep him under contract through 2017.
Marbury, once a perennial 20+ PPG scorer in the NBA, continues to play at an elite level in the CBA, having averaged 28.3 PPG to go along with 5.8 APG last season. The 36-year-old guard led the Ducks to their first ever championship in 2012, toppling the powerhouse Guangdong Southern Tigers, who have won eight of the last 10 CBA titles, including in 2013.
Be sure to check out our international player movement tracker to keep tabs on the contract status of thousands of players in non-NBA leagues all over the world.
Grizzlies Sign Andre Barrett
The Grizzlies have made another addition to their preseason roster, announcing today that they’ve signed free agent point guard Andre Barrett. The move increases the team’s roster count to 17 players.
Barrett, 31, has spent time with the Rockets, Magic, Suns, Raptors, Bulls, and Clippers, but hasn’t appeared in a regular season NBA game since the 2007/08 season. In 2012/13, he split time between the D-League’s Maine Red Claws and the Sioux Falls Skyforce, averaging 9.3 PPG and 7.7 APG in 33 overall contests.
The Grizzlies are now carrying 17 players, including 13 on guaranteed contracts. Barrett, Melvin Ely, Willie Reed, and Tony Gaffney will compete for the last two potential roster openings.
Spurs Cut Sam Young
As one of a handful of teams still carrying the maximum 20 players allowed in the preseason, the Spurs will have to cut at least five players before opening night, and started today by waiving Sam Young, according to Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (via Twitter).
Young, 28, spent most of last season with the Pacers after playing for the Grizzlies and Sixers in his first three years in the NBA. The former second-round pick has seen a dip in his production and his playing time over the last couple seasons, but was familiar to Spurs fans for his role in the Grizzlies’ 2011 playoff upset of San Antonio, as he recently told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
With Young reportedly no longer on the roster, Marcus Cousin, Courtney Fells, Myck Kabongo, Corey Maggette, and Daniel Nwaelele remain in the hunt for the final opening on the Spurs’ roster, assuming the team decides to start move forward with a full 15-man squad.
Bobcats Release Abdul Gaddy, Troy Daniels
The Bobcats released a pair of camp invitees today, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, who tweets that Abdul Gaddy and Troy Daniels have been waived. The pair of cuts reduces Charlotte’s roster count to 16 players.
Both Gaddy and Daniels went undrafted in June before playing for the Bobcats’ Summer League squad in July. Gaddy, out of Washington, and Daniels, a VCU product, were both believed to be on fully non-guaranteed contracts, so Charlotte won’t be on the hook for their salaries.
Assuming the Bobcats’ 12 fully guaranteed players and Jannero Pargo ($300K guaranteed) make the roster, that leaves up to two potential openings for Patrick O’Bryant, James Southerland, and Jeff Adrien. O’Bryant, a 7’0″ center, may have seen his chances at a roster spot increase today when the team announced Brendan Haywood would be sidelined for the next 12 weeks after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left foot that will require surgery.
Thunder Waive Daniel Orton
The Thunder have trimmed their preseason roster by one, releasing Daniel Orton from the team, according to a press release. Orton wasn’t technically a camp invitee, since he was playing on a contract that began last season. However, his minimum salary was fully non-guaranteed, so the Thunder won’t be on the hook for his cap hit.
Orton, 23, was selected by the Magic in the first round in 2010, but only lasted two seasons with the team before he became a free agent and signed a minimum deal with the Thunder. In 2012/13, the big man bounced back and forth between OKC and the club’s D-League affiliate at Tulsa. In 29 games for the 66ers, Orton averaged 12.5 PPG and 7.8 RPG.
The Thunder now have 16 players under contract, including two (Diante Garrett and Rodney McGruder) on non-guaranteed deals, and two more (Hasheem Thabeet and Ryan Gomes) with partial guarantees. The club will have to release at least one more player before opening night to reduce its roster count to the regular season maximum.
Warriors Waive Cameron Jones
The Warriors announced that they have waived guard Cameron Jones. Golden State’s roster is now down to 17.
Jones, 24, appeared in all three of Golden State’s 2013 preseason games, averaging 2.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per contest. The guard had a chance of making the cut, but strong play from center Dewayne Dedmon and further competition from Seth Curry spelled the end of his time with the Warriors.
Jones has played in the D-League the last two seasons, and was a member of Golden State’s affiliate in Santa Cruz in 2012/13. Referred to as the “best-kept secret in the D-League” by Warriors assistant GM Kirk Lacob, Jones averaged 12.6 PPG in 50 D-League contests last season. The Northern Arizona product helped lead Santa Cruz to the D-League Finals, and played for the Warriors’ squad that won the Summer League championship in Las Vegas in July.
Lakers Waive Dan Gadzuric, Eric Boateng
The Lakers have released a pair of camp invitees, reducing their roster to 17 players, according to a press release. Dan Gadzuric and Eric Boateng have been cut by the team, and will become free agents later this week, assuming they clear waivers.
Gadzuric, 35 last appeared in the NBA in 2011/12, playing in a pair of late-season contests for the Knicks. In 10 career NBA seasons, the 6’11” center has appeared in 527 games, averaging 4.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and recording a 14.4 PER. Boateng, meanwhile, went undrafted out of Arizona State in 2010, and has played for multiple clubs in the D-League and overseas since then.
Gadzuric and Boateng had both been considered long shots to make the Lakers’ regular-season roster, despite the fact that the team is only carrying 11 fully guaranteed contracts. Other invitees, like Xavier Henry, have been impressive in camp, while players like Shawne Williams and Elias Harris have partial guarantees on their deals.