Clippers Sign Antawn Jamison
WEDNESDAY, 4:08pm: The Clippers have officially signed Jamison, the team announced today in a press release.
MONDAY, 4:44pm: The Clippers have signed Antawn Jamison to a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter links). It was reported that the Clippers were closing in on a deal with the veteran last night, though the Grizzlies and Bulls were also in the mix for his services.
Jamison, 37, spent last season with the Lakers, averaging 9.4 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 21.5 minutes per contest. It was a noticeable step back from the forward's previous career averages of 19.5 PPG and 7.9 RPG in 36.3 minutes per game.
The Clippers were said to be waiting on other options, namely Lamar Odom, before signing Jamison. In fact, they told Jamison as much nearly two weeks ago when he thought he was on the verge of a deal. It appears that Odom is going through some personal troubles right now, though earlier today, agent Jeff Schwartz refuted reports that his client has gone missing. One source told ESPN's Marc Stein that Odom is dealing with a drug problem and his friends are trying to get him help.
The UNC product is represented by the Wasserman Media Group, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
Rockets Sign Ronnie Brewer
AUGUST 28TH, 12:40pm: The Rockets have officially signed Brewer, the team announced today in a press release.
AUGUST 19TH, 6:15pm: It's a two-year partially-guaranteed deal for Brewer, according to Stein (on Twitter).
5:51pm: The Rockets are wrapping up a deal with free agent Ronnie Brewer, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Brewer is a client of CAA, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
The Knicks traded Brewer to the Thunder at the trade deadline last season and the guard/forward wound up averaging a career low 10.1 minutes per contest during his short run in OKC. Despite his lack of burn with Kevin Durant & Co., Brewer said he was open to a reunion with the Thunder. The Sixers were also linked to the University of Arkansas product this summer.
Brewer, 28, has career averages of 8.2 PPG with 3.0 RPG and 1.7 APG for the Jazz, Grizzlies, Bulls, Knicks, and Thunder. In 60 combined games for New York and OKC last year, Brewer averaged 3.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 14.2 minutes per game.
Ron Howard To Accept Pacers Camp Invitation
D-League stalwart Ron Howard will be in training camp with the Pacers, a source tells Scott Schroeder of NBCSports.com. The 30-year-old swingman has earned the nickname "Mr. Mad Ant" over his unusually long tenure with the club, which has spanned six seasons. He was in summer league last month with the D-League Select Team, and he's taken part in three previous NBA training camps, but he's yet to formally make it to the NBA.
The 6'5" Howard was a D-League All-Star last season as he helped the Mad Ants to their first playoff appearance in his time with the team. He averaged 19.1 points per game in 2012/13, and his PER of 18.2 was the best mark of his D-League career. He added a passing element to his game last year as he took on some point guard duties, bumping his assists per contest to a career-high 4.7 from the 2.7 he averaged in 2011/12.
Howard would represent one of the league's most unlikely success stories if he makes the regular season roster for Indiana, having first joined the Mad Ants through an open tryout after he went undrafted out of Valparaiso in 2006. The Pacers have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, but they have no one other than Howard on a non-guaranteed deal at this point, so it looks like he has a decent chance of making it to opening night.
DeShawn Sims To Join Celtics In Training Camp
Former University of Michigan power forward DeShawn Sims will be in training camp with the Celtics this fall, the 25-year-old tweets (hat tip to Sportando). Sims was on the Suns summer league team last month, and he spent the past season playing in Lebanon.
Sims went undrafted in 2010 despite notching 16.8 points and 7.6 rebounds as senior with the Wolverines. He upped his scoring numbers in parts of two seasons with the Maine Red Claws of the D-League, averaging 19.1 PPG and the same 7.6 RPG. He managed 10.8 PPG and 4.0 PRG in 19.7 minutes per contest with the Suns this summer, enough to convince the Celtics that he deserves a shot.
The Detroit native will compete with newly acquired Donte Greene, who has a non-guaranteed deal, and any other training camp invitees the Celtics sign. Boston already has 14 guaranteed contracts, as our roster counts show, and with the team near the luxury tax line and only obligated to carry 13 players, Sims figures to have an uphill battle to make the team.
International Notes: Collins, Joseph, McCamey
A day after we heard that former NBA first-rounder Mardy Collins was nearing an agreement in Italy, Sutor Montegranaro has officially announced the signing (hat tip to Sportando). As players continue to sign with non-NBA teams, let's round up a few more of today's international notes….
- As Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun tweets, Team Canada has finalized its summer roster, and Kris Joseph isn't on it — he has left the team to sign a deal in China. It's not clear which team Joseph is joining, but we heard last week that he had a pair of offers from CBA clubs.
- Former Illinois guard Demetri McCamey has signed a one-year contract with Australian team Cairns Taipans, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. McCamey, who played for the Timberwolves in Summer League action last month, won't have an NBA out in the deal.
- Italy's Mens Sans Siena has announced several new signings, including ex-Piston Kim English and Nuggets second-rounder Erick Green (hat tip to Sportando). We had previously heard that both players were heading to Italy for the 2013/14 season.
- Former Laker Derrick Caracter has officially signed with Polish team Slask Wroclaw, according to the club (hat tip to Sportando).
International Notes: Collins, Jones
Let's travel around the globe for today's international news..
- Former first-round pick Mardy Collins is close to signing a deal in Italy, a source told Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Collins has career averages of 3.9 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 1.7 APG with the Knicks and Clippers.
- Well-traveled NBA veteran Bobby Jones signed a one-year deal with Virtus Roma, but he says that it will be his last in basketball, according to Sportando. Jones has had stints with the 76ers, Heat, Spurs, Grizzlies, and Rockets over the course of his lengthy career.
Warriors Sign Seth Curry
7:10pm: The Warriors have officially confirmed the move, via the team website.
6:34pm: Curry has inked his contract with the Warriors, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
9:17am: So far this summer, multiple pairs of brothers have headed in different directions after playing for the same team a year ago. The Sixers traded Jrue Holiday and cut Justin Holiday, while the Pacers saw both Tyler Hansbrough and Ben Hansbrough sign elsewhere in free agency.
However, it looks like one set of brothers will at least get a chance to play with one another during training camp, as the Warriors are expected to sign Seth Curry to a non-guaranteed contract today, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter).
Although he battled injuries for most of the year, the younger Curry had a productive senior season for Duke in 2012/13, averaging 17.5 PPG and shooting 43.8% on three-pointers. According to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter), the 23-year-old guard turned down an offer from an Italian club in favor of the Warriors' training camp invite. Curry suggested earlier this month that he'd received offers from the Timberwolves, Spurs, and Bobcats as well, but it makes sense that he'd choose the Warriors, given the presence of older brother Stephen Curry.
Golden State currently only has 13 players under contract, including 12 guaranteed deals, so if the former Blue Devil impresses in camp, there should be room for him on the regular-season roster. As we saw with the Sixers, Pacers, and even the Knicks before Chris Smith (J.R. Smith's brother) was injured, NBA clubs have shown a willingness to carry the siblings of established players at the back of the bench, so that should bode well for Curry's chances of making the team.
Johan Petro To Sign With Chinese Team
3:36pm: Petro has agreed to terms with China's Zhejiang Guangsha Lions, agent Giovanni Funicello tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. The deal doesn't include an NBA opt-out (Twitter links).
11:32am: An international report surfaced earlier today suggesting that free agent big man Johan Petro may be headed to a team in Spain, but that's not the case, according to agent Misko Raznatovic. Raznatovic tweets that Petro's "next destination is China," suggesting that Petro will sign with a CBA team, though the agent doesn't name the club.
Hoops Rumors' agency database lists Petro as being represented by Excel Sports Management, but Excel has a working relationship with Raznatovic and his BeoBasket agency when it comes to international players and destinations. As such, it makes sense that Raznatovic would have the scoop on where Petro is headed.
After being sent to the Hawks last summer as part of the blockbuster deal that saw Joe Johnson land in Brooklyn, Petro played limited minutes in 31 games for Atlanta last season. Earning $3.5MM in the final year of his contract, the 27-year-old averaged 3.5 PPG and 3.6 RPG, recording a PER of 11.0.
Ben Hansbrough Signs With Spanish Team
After spending the 2012/13 season playing with his brother Tyler Hansbrough in Indiana, Ben Hansbrough will head back overseas for the coming year. Spanish club Herbalife Gran Canaria has announced (via Twitter) that Hansbrough has signed with the team.
The younger of the two Hansbrough brothers, Ben went undrafted in 2011 before spending time playing in Germany and Slovenia. The Pacers signed him to a non-guaranteed contract last fall, and the 25-year-old somewhat unexpectedly stuck with the team for the rest of the season. In 28 games for Indiana, Hansbrough played just 200 total minutes, averaging 2.0 PPG.
Spanish journalist Alfonso S. Lozano first reported (via Twitter) that Hansbrough would join Gran Canaria, as passed along by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
Pelicans Re-Sign Lance Thomas
THURSDAY, 1:08pm: The Pelicans have officially re-signed Thomas, the team announced today in a press release.
WEDNESDAY, 8:10pm: Thomas' deal with New Orleans is partially guaranteed for the first season, reports Shams Charania of Real GM who cites a league source.
6:53pm: The Pelicans have re-signed Lance Thomas to a two-year contract for the minimum salary, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York. New Orleans holds a team option for the second year of the deal. A few weeks ago, rumors swirled that Thomas and the Pelicans were moving towards a deal a month or so after the team waived him in July.
Thomas, a 6-foot-8 forward out of Duke, has spent the first two years of his NBA career with New Orleans. After he averaged 4.0 points in 17 minutes per game as a rookie, his playing time was slashed to 10.9 minutes per contest last season, though he did connect on 50 percent of his field goals as compared to 45.2 in 2011/12.