Timberwolves Sign Brown, Hummel, Jeffers
With training camp set to get underway next week, the Timberwolves have officially added three players to their roster, the team announced today. 2013 second-rounder Lorenzo Brown, 2012 second-rounder Robbie Hummel, and free agent Othyus Jeffers have signed with the Wolves, according to the club's PR Twitter account.
All three players had been expected to participate in camp in Minnesota this fall, though given the makeup of the roster, it's very unlikely that more than one of the three earns a regular-season roster spot. The Wolves are currently carrying players on 14 guaranteed contracts, leaving just one opening. Based on a report from Darren Wolfson earlier in September, it doesn't seem as if the Wolves will bring additional bodies to camp — at least not to compete for that final roster spot.
In Brown and Hummel, the Wolves are adding the 42nd-ranked players in the 2013 and 2012 draft classes, respectively, based on Chad Ford's lists at ESPN.com. Brown, a point guard was selected 52nd overall by Minnesota this past June, while Hummel was drafted 58th overall a year ago. As our international player movement tracker shows, the former Purdue forward spent last season in Spain.
As for Jeffers, the 6'5" shooting guard went undrafted in 2008 and has bounced around between the D-League and international leagues since then, with a few NBA stops along the way. Jeffers, who appeared in 31 total games for the Jazz, Spurs, and Wizards from 2010 to 2011, averaged 14.7 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 33 contests for the D-League's Iowa Energy last season.
Melvin Ely To Join Grizzlies For Camp
THURSDAY, 9:44am: Agent Byron Irvin has confirmed to Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype that Ely will be accepting a camp invite from the Grizzlies (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 11:42am: Veteran big man Melvin Ely hasn't appeared in the NBA since before the lockout, but it looks like he'll at least get a chance at some preseason action this year. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports (via Twitter) that Ely may be headed to training camp with the Grizzlies.
Ely was a 2002 lottery pick, and spent eight seasons in the NBA with the Clippers, Bobcats, Spurs, Hornets, and Nuggets before playing overseas and in the D-League the last two years. The 35-year-old was reasonably productive in his first four NBA seasons, recording an 11.9 PER, but that number slipped to 7.5 over his next four years. At this point, it would be surprising if he were even able to crack an NBA roster as a 15th man.
With 13 guaranteed contracts on their books, the Grizzlies seem to be adding frontcourt players to compete for one of the remaining two available roster spots. In addition to potentially signing Ely, the team is set to bring Tony Gaffney to camp, and reportedly worked out Derrick Byars last week.
Bulls To Sign D.J. White
Free agent forward D.J. White will join the Bulls for training camp, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). While it sounds as if White will be on a non-guaranteed contract, Stein reports that he'll be given a chance to earn a regular-season roster spot.
White, 27, appeared in 12 games last season for the Celtics after returning from China, but was included in the blockbuster trade that sent him to Brooklyn along with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry. The Nets waived him shortly thereafter, and White was said last month to be mulling another stint in China. Although the former first-rounder didn't see the court much in Boston, he has been reasonably productive in parts of five NBA seasons, recording a career PER of 14.6.
For the Bulls, White will be the 17th player on the camp roster, but only 11 of those 17 guys have fully guaranteed deals. Erik Murphy, who has a $250K guarantee, figures to make the team, but that still leaves as many as three open spots for camp invitees like White, Dexter Pittman, Patrick Christopher, Mike James, and Kalin Lucas. Even if Chicago doesn't carry a full 15-man roster due to tax concerns, at least one – and perhaps two – of those non-guaranteed players should end up on the roster to reach the minimum requirement.
Lakers Add Eric Boateng, Darius Johnson-Odom
The Lakers have signed both Eric Boateng and Darius Johnson-Odom to their training camp roster, tweets Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. Pincus adds that these moves were camp invites, implying the deals didn't involve any sort of guarantee, but there's been no official word on the contract specifications as of yet. Both players were previously linked to the Lakers in a report earlier today.
Boateng has bounced around between Europe and the D-League since going undrafted in 2010 out of Arizona State. He has never made an NBA roster despite coming close with the Nuggets heading into the 2010/11 campaign. Johnson-Odom is a bit more experienced, but not by much. He played in four games for the Lakers last year, spending most of his time with the D-Fenders, their D-League affiliate, where he led them in scoring at 20.6 PPG.
The Lakers training camp roster now stands at 18, but Pincus tweets that general manager Mitch Kupchak suggested that the team may go with 19 or 20 because of injuries and also to limit minutes for their veterans.
Ognjen Kuzmic Close To Joining Warriors
According to Warriors general manager Bob Myers, 2012 second round pick Ognjen Kuzmic is closing in on a buyout with Unicaja Malaga, his team in Spain, that will allow him to sign a guaranteed deal with Golden State for the upcoming 2013/14 season, tweets Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. Myers said Kuzmic, who is in town rehabbing an ankle sprain, is expected to be in camp, reports Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter).
There were reports a month ago that the Bosnian big man might be headed west for the NBA this season, but this is the first we're hearing of it from the Warriors' brass. Thompson also adds, via Twitter, that Myers indicated Kuzmic would be guaranteed a roster spot should the buyout go through. Kuzmic would make 13 rostered players on guaranteed contracts in Golden State, leaving only two spots for Kent Bazemore, DeWayne Dedmon and Seth Curry, all of whom are believed to have partial guarantees on their deals.
Kuzmic, 23, averaged 6.9 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 27 Spanish League contests for FIATC Joventut Badalona in 2012/13.
Spurs Sign Sam Young
The Spurs have reached a contract agreement with free agent Sam Young, reports Shams Charania of RealGM, citing a league source. We haven't heard much about Young's eventual destination this offseason, but the silver and black of San Antonio seems like a pretty good fit for the defensive-minded Pittsburgh alum. Charania reports that the Kings and Knicks also kicked the tires on the 6-foot-6 swingman.
After being drafted 36th overall by Memphis in 2009, Young was traded to Philadelphia in 2012 and then latched on with the Pacers last year. Young was cut in early January last year by the Pacers in a strategic roster move, but was re-signed to the team less than a month later. He's averaged 5.8 points and 15.9 minutes per game over his four-year career, but is better known for his defensive intangibles than his statistical production.
Jazz Sign Dwayne Jones
The Jazz have signed free agent center Dwayne Jones to a non-guaranteed deal, tweets RealGM's Shams Charania. Jones last appeared in an NBA game in the 2009/10 season with the Suns, however the Saint Joseph's product did close out last year with Golden State before he was cut in July.
The Jazz have been busy of late, waiving Jerel McNeal earlier tonight only a day after signing Scott Machado, who was coincidentally waived by the Warriors along with Jones on July 24. Both would have received partial guarantees had they not been cut prior to August 1. The Jazz have 12 guaranteed contracts on their roster and a partially guaranteed deal for Ian Clark.
Free Agent Updates: Barron, Balkman, Wright
As free agents continue to land on NBA training camp rosters or with international teams in advance of the coming season, let's round up a few of today's items on new signings and players still on the market….
- Free agent big man Earl Barron has signed with China's Qingdao DoubleStar, agent Derrick Powell tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Barron reportedly drew interest from the Pelicans, Sixers, Pacers, and Jazz, and had been hoping to sign with the Knicks. However, New York decision-makers were said to be split on whether or not to add the former Memphis Tiger.
- Ex-Knick Renaldo Balkman is considering accepting a training camp invite from the Mavericks, according to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. The Mavs, who have one open roster spot left for camp, are hoping to bring in "active defensive-minded bodies" to fill out their preseason roster, says Sefko.
- Former first round pick Antoine Wright is set to sign with a club in Poland, according to a report passed along by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Wright played in the D-League last season and most recently appeared in the NBA in 2010/11.
- Shams Charania of RealGM.com spoke to former Clippers forward Bobby Simmons, who says he's still aiming to make an NBA comeback. As our international player movement tracker shows, Simmons didn't play in the NBA or anywhere else last season.
Lou Amundson To Join Clippers For Camp
After being linked to the Clippers in multiple reports over the last several weeks, Louis Amundson is prepared to join the team for training camp, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). It appears that Amundson will be the first fully non-guaranteed camp invitee added by the Clips, bringing the club's roster to 16 players.
In addition to their 13 players on guaranteed contracts, the Clippers also have Maalik Wayns on a non-guaranteed deal and signed Brandon Davies to a contract that included a $50K guarantee. Given his advantage in NBA experience and the club's potential need in the frontcourt, Amundson may have the upper hand for earning one of those last two roster spots, though he'll likely need to impress in camp.
Amundson, 30, saw NBA action for the Timberwolves, Bulls, and Hornets (now the Pelicans) last season, averaging 1.9 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 39 contests. As Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors wrote when he examined Amundson's free agent stock, 2012/13 certainly wasn't the best showcase of the big man's ability, but he's still capable of grabbing some rebounds in limited minutes off the bench.
Pacers Sign Paul George To Five-Year Max Deal
WEDNESDAY, 9:53am: The Pacers have officially announced George's contract extension in a press release. For a breakdown on what the specifics of the deal should look like, check out our write-up from Monday.
TUESDAY, 3:46pm: George and the Pacers have finalized an agreement, and will make it official tomorrow, tweets Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star. The team has sent out a press release announcing an 11:00am press conference.
MONDAY, 1:15pm: While George has been talking about his extension as if it's a done deal, Pacers president Larry Bird tells Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star that it's close, but not quite finished.
"That’s why I’m not playing golf today," Bird told Pointer, during an appearance before a Pacers Foundation golf outing at Brickyard Crossing. "I’m going back to the office to work on it."
Even as Bird pumps the brakes a little, it sounds to me as if it will just be a matter of days before we hear an official announcement from the team.
SUNDAY, 9:21pm: The Pacers and Paul George are finalizing a five-year deal worth more than $90MM, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. George is represented by Aaron Mintz of CAA Sports, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
George, 23, was scheduled to become a restricted free agent following the conclusion of the 2013/14 season. While there wasn't a ton of concern that George would flee the Pacers, fans were able to breathe even easier thanks to the star's comments over the summer. Last week, George said point blank that a contract extension was "going to get done" between him and the club.
The forward was named the NBA's Most Improved Player for 2012/13, when he set career-highs in PPG (17.4), RPG (7.6), PER (16.8), and several other categories. He also helped lead the Pacers to within one game of the NBA Finals, even without the services of Danny Granger.
George boosted his scoring average from 17.0 PPG in the regular season to 19.2 PPG during the Pacers' playoff run. He made himself a household name in the postseason and he could make himself known even more on a global scale if he's part of USA Basketball's 2014 team and the 2016 Olympic team in Brazil.
With George under contract for the forseeable future, the Pacers can now turn their focus to finishing what they started last season. George will spearhead an improved team this season that will feature a healthy Granger and an improved bench with offseason additions Luis Scola and Chris Copeland off the bench.
Indiana re-signed David West to a three-year, $36MM extension in July and locked up Roy Hibbert with a four-year, $58MM deal last summer. The Pacers had until October 31st to hammer something out with George, but it looks like they can use the next few weeks to go candy shopping instead.