Pops Mensah-Bonsu To Join Wizards For Camp
The Wizards are working to complete their camp roster this week, having reached an agreement with a fourth invitee, according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Lee tweets that Pops Mensah-Bonsu will attend camp with the Wizards, along with three other players who had previously been reported: Josh Childress, Xavier Silas, and D'or Fischer.
Mensah-Bonsu, 30, has played in parts of four NBA seasons for five different teams, but hasn't been linked to any NBA teams lately. As our archive of Mensah-Bonsu news and rumors shows, he has bounced around among international teams in recent years, finishing last season in Italy, where he recorded 8.0 PPG in nine games with EA7 Milano.
The 6'9" forward becomes the 19th man on the Wizards' roster. As I pointed out earlier today, because Washington has 15 guaranteed contracts on its books already, earning a roster spot will be an uphill battle for any of the team's camp invitees, including Mensah-Bonsu.
Sixers Sign Michael Carter-Williams
The 76ers have officially signed rookie point guard Michael Carter-Williams, according to the team's director of public relations Michael Preston (Twitter link). The Sixers also formally confirmed the signing of Nerlens Noel, which we heard about last week.
Noel and Carter-Williams had long been the only two first-rounders who remained unsigned, with the exception of those players who are spending the 2013/14 season overseas. Now that both players are officially under contract, the Sixers are carrying 11 players on guaranteed deals. At least six more players with partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed contracts will be in camp with the club starting next week.
Carter-Williams, the 11th overall pick out of Syracuse, is set to earn about $2.2MM in his rookie season, assuming he signed for the maximum allowable 120% of his cap hold. Our breakdown of rookie-scale salaries has the details.
Hawks To Bring Adonis Thomas To Camp
Undrafted rookie Adonis Thomas will join the Hawks for training camp, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). Vivlamore had reported earlier in September that the team would likely add Thomas to its camp roster.
Thomas, 20, left Memphis this spring after his sophomore year, a decision that was questioned at the time by Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Goodman's ESPN colleague Chad Ford ranked Thomas 65th among 2013's prospects, so it wasn't a surprise when no team called his name on draft night. Still, the 6'6" forward should get the chance to compete with a handful of other players for a regular-season roster spot in Atlanta.
As Vivlamore points out, the addition of Thomas will increase Atlanta's camp roster to 20 players, making the Hawks the first team to reach the offseason limit. However, only 12 of those players are on fully guaranteed deals, which means the regular-season roster isn't set in stone yet. Eric Dawson, Royal Ivey, James Johnson, David Lighty, Shelvin Mack, and Damien Wilkins are also on non-guaranteed contracts, while Mike Scott has a $100K guarantee.
Knicks Sign Cole Aldrich
The Knicks have officially signed free agent center Cole Aldrich to a contract, the team announced today (Twitter link). Al Iannazzone of Newsday tweets that Aldrich's deal will be non-guaranteed.
Aldrich has underwhelmed in limited minutes during three NBA seasons with the Thunder, Rockets, and Kings, averaging 2.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 89 contests (7.9 MPG). However, given his size (6'11") and his pedigree (11th overall pick in 2010), there's still a chance the 24-year-old could contribute to an NBA team as the last big man off the bench.
We heard just yesterday that the Knicks intended to bring Aldrich back for a second workout, so it seems the team liked what it saw from the former lottery pick. Aldrich worked out for the Kings and other NBA clubs earlier in the summer, before landing with the Knicks.
With Aldrich on board, New York is set to bring at least 19 players to camp, including seven on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts. With only 12 players seemingly assured of roster spots, there should be some competition in the next several weeks for the team's last two or three openings.
D’or Fischer Accepts Invite To Wizards Camp
Free agent big man D'or Fischer has accepted an invite to training camp with the Wizards, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com (via Twitter). Fischer becomes the third player to agree to a camp deal with Washington in the last several days, along with Josh Childress and Xavier Silas.
As Hoops' Rumors international player movement tracker shows, Fischer finished last season with Ukraine's BC Donetsk. appearing in 38 games for the club and averaging 11.0 PPG and 7.4 RPG. The West Virginia product has made a number of overseas stops since his days with the Mountaineers, playing in Spain, Israel, Belgium, Poland, and Germany, as well as in the D-League.
While Fischer, Childress, and Silas will be in camp with the Wizards, it won't be easy for any of them to earn a regular-season roster spot. Washington already has 15 players on guaranteed contracts, so the club would have to trade or release a player to make room for one of its camp invitees.
Jazz Sign Scott Machado
The Jazz have added another player to their training camp roster, having signed Scott Machado, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com (Twitter link). Machado had been waived by the Warriors earlier in the offseason.
Machado, 23, started last season with the Rockets, playing in six games for the team before being released in time for January's guarantee deadline. The Iona product signed with the Warriors late in the season but didn't appear in an NBA contest with Golden State. Machado spent most of the year playing for the two squads that eventually met in the D-League Finals, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and the Santa Cruz Warriors. In 28 games for the two clubs, he averaged 8.9 PPG and 5.1 APG in 24.0 minutes per contest.
The Jazz currently have 12 guaranteed contracts on their roster, along with a partially guaranteed deal for Ian Clark. Jerel McNeal also has a fully non-guaranteed contract, but it looks like Machado will become the first real camp invitee for the club. I expect more will follow, but with a couple regular-season roster spots potentially open, Machado should have a chance to compete for one in camp.
Trail Blazers Waive Terrel Harris
The Trail Blazers have officially parted ways with Terrel Harris, announcing today that he has been released (Twitter link). The move comes as no surprise, since Joe Freeman of the Oregonian reported last month that Portland was expected to cut Harris before camp opened.
Harris never figured to have a great chance to stick with the Blazers since coming over in the Robin Lopez deal since he was just a throw-in to make the numbers work. When he was suspended for violating the NBA’s drug policy, his chances were even further diminished.
The 26-year-old spent time with New Orleans and Miami over the past two seasons, averaging 2.3 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 10.8 minutes per contest. The guard is represented by Brian Elfus of Impact Sports Basketball, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Xavier Silas To Sign Camp Deal With Wizards
Free agent guard Xavier Silas is set to join the Wizards for training camp, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com (via Twitter). Silas will be Washington's camp invitee, joining Josh Childress, who reportedly reached an agreement with the team over the weekend.
Silas, 25, went undrafted out of Northern Illinois in 2011 after averaging 22.3 PPG in his senior year. Since then, he has had stints overseas and in the D-League, and briefly saw NBA action for the Sixers during the 2011/12 season, appearing in two games for Philadelphia.
As I noted on Friday, the Wizards are one of a handful of teams with 15 or more players on fully guaranteed contracts. That makes it unlikely that camp invitees like Childress or Silas will make the regular-season roster, but Washington has seen Chris Singleton and Emeka Okafor go down with injuries — if the team is concerned about depth, it could open the door for a small roster shakeup.
Pacers, Paul George Finalizing $90MM+ Deal
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.
Heat To Bring Larry Drew II To Camp
Former Hawks head coach Larry Drew has a new job this season, taking over as the Bucks' new coach, and now his son will have an opportunity to compete for an NBA job of his own. The Heat announced today (via Twitter) that Larry Drew II has signed a contract with the team.
Drew, 23, manned the point at UCLA last season, averaging 7.5 PPG and 7.3 APG in 35 contests for the Bruins. A quad injury prevented him from participating in Summer League action in July, but the Heat still kept an eye on him in recent weeks.
Given Miami's payroll and roster situation, Drew's deal is almost certainly a non-guaranteed camp invite, and is likely a long shot for the club's regular season roster. It's possible that he eventually lands on the Heat's D-League squad — for the first time, the NBA club will have a one-to-one affiliation with the Sioux Falls Skyforce this season.