Knicks Sign Ike Diogu
FRIDAY, 4:32pm: The Knicks have officially signed Diogu, the team announced today (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 10:42am: The Knicks will add veteran forward Ike Diogu to their training camp roster, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday (Twitter link). Diogu will occupy one of the three remaining open spots on New York's offseason roster.
Diogu, 30, was one of several free agents who worked out for the Knicks last week in the hopes of landing a camp invitation. New York is also expected to bring another one of the participants in that audition, Josh Powell, to camp, as we heard over the weekend.
Diogu was drafted ninth overall in 2005 by the Warriors and had a solid rookie season, including 7.0 PPG and a 15.8 PER. However, early in his second NBA season, he was sent to Indiana in an eight-player swap that landed Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson in Golden State. Diogu was traded twice more in the next two years, and never had another season as productive as his rookie year. He last appeared in two games for the Spurs during the 2011/12 campaign.
With Diogu on board, the Knicks will have six players on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed deals, to go along with their 12 guaranteed contracts. C.J. Leslie, who has a $200K guarantee, figures to be a lock for a regular-season roster spot, while Diogu, Powell, Chris Smith, Toure Murry, and Jeremy Tyler will compete for the last two openings.
Lakers Sign Dan Gadzuric
The Lakers have used one of their two remaining roster spots to add free agent big man Dan Gadzuric, according to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com (via Twitter). With Gadzuric on the camp roster, L.A. will be carrying 19 players.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reported on Wednesday that the Lakers had invited Gadzuric to camp, though it wasn't clear at that point if the 35-year-old had accepted. Gadzuric, a longtime Buck, 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 14.4 PER.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak indicated to the media this week that team ownership may be open to entering the season with a full 15-man roster, in which case there'd be plenty of roster spots up for grabs in October for the club. The Lakers have 11 players on fully guaranteed contracts, Elias Harris and Shawne Williams on partially guaranteed contracts, and Eric Boateng, Xavier Henry, Darius Johnson-Odom, Ryan Kelly, Marcus Landry, and now Gadzuric believed to be on non-guaranteed deals.
Pacers Sign Hilton Armstrong
The Pacers have added one more player to their training camp roster, officially signing Hilton Armstrong, according to Scott Agness of Pacers.com (Twitter link). The move increases the club's camp roster to 17 players.
Armstrong, 28, hasn't appeared in an NBA game since prior to the lockout, when he finished the 2010/11 season with the Hawks. Since then, the former UConn big man has played in France and Greece, and joined the D-League's Santa Cruz Warriors last season. In 29 games with the team, Armstrong averaged 13.4 PPG and 6.8 RPG.
Along with the 13 players the Pacers have on guaranteed contracts, the team is also bringing Armstrong, Ron Howard, Darnell Jackson, and Rasual Butler to camp. It's not clear whether the Pacers will carry a full 15-man roster into the season, but if they do, Armstrong should get a chance to try to earn a spot on the bench behind Roy Hibbert and Ian Mahinmi.
Warriors Sign Ognjen Kuzmic, Joe Alexander
The Warriors have officially signed 2012 second-round pick Ognjen Kuzmic and added Joe Alexander to their training camp roster, the team announced today in a press release. We heard back in August that Kuzmic was expected to join the Warriors, while Grantland's Zach Lowe reported this week that Alexander had received a training camp invite from the club.
Kuzmic, 23, averaged 6.9 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 27 Spanish League contests for FIATC Joventut Badalona in 2012/13. According to at least one report earlier this week, his salary for 2013/14 will be guaranteed, though that's not confirmed, and the specifics of his contract aren't yet known.
As for Alexander, he'll almost certainly be on a fully non-guaranteed camp deal, so he's far from assured a regular-season roster spot. Assuming Kuzmic's contract is guaranteed and Alexander's is not, the Warriors will head into camp with 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts, plus five more players on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed deals.
Alexander, the eighth overall pick in 2008, appeared in only 67 NBA games for the Bucks and Bulls before falling out of the league. The 6'8" forward appeared to be headed to China last season, but a reported deal never materialized. As such, his most recent on-court action came in Russia with Krasnie Krilya in 2011/12.
T-Wolves To Sign A.J. Price
FRIDAY, 1:57pm: Price's contract will be fully non-guaranteed, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, but Wolfson still believes the veteran guard should be able to stick with the team (Twitter link). Zgoda agrees that Price should have a fair shot, pointing out that the Wolves could waive Chris Johnson if they want to keep two of their camp invitees, rather than just one.
THURSDAY, 9:44pm: Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune reports (via Twitter) that the Timberwolves are expected to add guard A.J. Price to their training camp roster tomorrow. Earlier today, Zgoda mentioned that the team had been in talks with the UConn product about a training camp invite, and we had relayed the possibility from ESPN 1500's Darren Wolfson about a week ago.
Assuming that Price signs on with a non-guaranteed deal, Minnesota will have 14 guaranteed and four non-guaranteed contracts, leaving one spot potentially up for grabs. Based on what head of basketball operations Flip Saunders intimated last month about the team currently not having any needs, it's likely that the Timberwolves would only look to bring on another guaranteed or partially-guaranteed deal if one of the training camp invitees were to make a very strong impression. As we noted last week, Price has some familiarity with Minnesota GM Milt Newton, as the point guard had been somewhat of a steady rotation player for the Wizards while Newton had served as a team executive in Washington D.C. last season.
Roger Mason Jr. Signs With Heat
Free agent guard Roger Mason Jr. has signed a contract to join the Heat, according to Mason's Twitter account. The NBPA's vice president tweeted this afternoon: "I'm humbled and extremely blessed to have signed with the World Champion Miami Heat!!! Can't wait to get to work!"
Mason, 33, has played for seven different teams since making his NBA debut in 2003. He played for New Orleans in 2012/13, averaging 5.3 PPG and shooting 41.5% on three-pointers. He reportedly worked out for the Heat earlier this week, and as Michael Pina of Hoops Rumors noted at the time, he could be a valuable outside shooter for a team that amnestied Mike Miller in July.
First though, he'll have to earn a spot on the roster. The Heat currently have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, and Michael Beasley, who has a non-guaranteed deal, is expected to become the 14th man. Even if Miami was open to carrying a full 15-man roster, Mason would still have to beat out Larry Drew II, Eric Griffin, Justin Hamilton, and Jarvis Varnado, who will be in camp with the club as well.
Magic Sign Osby, Four Free Agents
SEPTEMBER 27TH: The Magic have officially announced their camp invitees in a press release. However, although Osby, Jones, Joseph, and Harris were confirmed, the team's announcement mentions big man Mickell Gladness rather than Micheal Eric.
It's not clear whether the name was originally misreported, or if an issue arose that led Orlando to bring in Gladness rather than Eric. For now though, it seems as if Eric isn't a part of the team's camp roster, while Gladness is.
SEPTEMBER 19TH: 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.
Myck Kabongo To Join Spurs For Camp
Undrafted rookie Myck Kabongo has reached an agreement with the Spurs and will attend camp with the team, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, Kabongo figures to ultimately end up with San Antonio's D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros.
Kabongo, 20, left Texas after his sophomore year, ranked among Chad Ford's top 50 prospects for 2013, and was getting buzz during draft week as a potential late first-round pick, so it was a little surprising when he wasn't selected on draft night. The Canadian point guard played for the Heat in Summer League action, and switched agents last month, leaving Rich Paul for Bill Duffy.
NBA teams are permitted to retain the D-League rights to three players that attend training camp and don't make the NBA roster, so it appears that Kabongo will be one of those players for the Spurs. He'll become the 17th player on a roster that includes 14 guaranteed contracts and camp invitees Sam Young and Corey Maggette.
Thunder Sign Diante Garrett, Rodney McGruder
The Thunder have officially added a pair of players to their training camp roster, announcing in a press release that they've signed free agents Diante Garrett and Rodney McGruder. The two new players bring the team's total roster count to 17 players heading into camp.
Garrett announced nearly a month ago on his Twitter account that he'd "be with OKC this year," though it wasn't clear what sort of agreement he'd reached with the club. While the terms still haven't been reported, I'd guess it's a non-guaranteed camp invite. The 24-year-old guard made his NBA debut for the Suns last season, appearing in 19 games for the club, and averaging 17.3 PPG and 7.3 APG in eight contests with Phoenix's D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam.
McGruder, meanwhile, averaged 15.6 PPG last season in his senior year at Kansas State. The 6'4" guard went undrafted in June before playing for the Bobcats' Summer League squad in July.
Heading into camp with 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, OKC appears likely to fill out the remaining one to three available spots on its roster with some combination of Garrett, McGruder, Ryan Gomes, Daniel Orton, and Hasheem Thabeet. Gomes and Thabeet have partial guarantees on their deals.
Hamed Haddadi To Play In China
For the second time in the last week, China's Sichuan Blue Whales are set to add a notable ex-NBA player, having signed Hamed Haddadi, according to Mohammad Amin of Asia-Basket.com. Sichuan reportedly reached an agreement with former lottery pick Jonny Flynn as well.
Haddadi, 28, drew interest from the Knicks this summer, though the team ultimately decided to sign Cole Aldrich rather than Haddadi. The Iranian big man was said earlier this month to be weighing offers from NBA teams and Chinese clubs. By heading overseas, Haddadi figures to have more financial security — according to Amin, he'll earn about $1.3MM USD in China.
The Grizzlies and Raptors both included Haddadi in trades prior to the deadline last season, with the five-year veteran ultimately ending up in Phoenix. He finished the year strong, averaging 4.1 PPG and 5.1 RPG in just 13.8 MPG in 17 contests for the Suns. Back in early August, when I examined the remaining free agents with the best rebounding numbers, Haddadi ranked atop the list.
Haddadi's new team, the Sichuan Blue Whales, played in China's National Basketball League last season, but are reportedly set to be promoted to the Chinese Basketball Association for the coming year.