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Celtics Sign Terrence Williams To Multi-Year Deal

March 3rd, 2013 at 11:35am CST by Luke Adams

SUNDAY, 11:35am: The Celtics officially announced Williams' multi-year deal in a press release. The team didn't disclose financial specifics, but Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports the contract includes triggers that would guarantee the deal for next season in stages.

FRIDAY, 2:52pm: Wojnarowski confirms that the contract is for the minimum salary and that it isn't fully guaranteed for 2013/14.

2:01pm: Terrence Williams' 10-day contract with the Celtics is set to expire after tonight's game, but Boston will re-sign the former 11th overall pick for the rest of the season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, the Celtics will also sign Williams conditionally for 2013/14, which I assume means '13/14 won't be fully guaranteed.

Williams was one of three players signed to 10-day contracts by the Celtics after returning from China. D.J. White and Shavlik Randolph, who also spent the season in the CBA, are expected to be in uniform for the first time tonight. So far, Williams has appeared in three games for the Celtics, including playing nearly 25 minutes last Friday against the Suns, recording nine points, four boards, and four assists.

When Williams' contract becomes official, the Celtics will have 13 players on guaranteed contracts this season. For next year, Boston currently has 10 players on fully guaranteed deals. Paul Pierce also has a player option, while Williams will presumably have either a non-guaranteed or partially-guaranteed deal.

As I detailed earlier this week, the Celtics are already projected to be taxpayers this season. So even though Williams' contract will almost certainly be for the minimum salary, it will cost Boston twice as much as usual, once the tax penalty is considered.

Hornets Sign Henry Sims To 10-Day Contract

March 3rd, 2013 at 10:34am CST by Chuck Myron

The Hornets have signed Henry Sims to a 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release. John Reid of The Times-Picayune reported yesterday that the move was expected. The 7-footer was with the Knicks in training camp this past fall, and before the Hornets got in the mix a source told Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com that the Knicks might entertain the idea of bringing him back this season.

The 22-year-old went undrafted this past June after four years at Georgetown. Sims has seen extensive time with the Erie BayHawks of the D-League this year, starting all 36 of the team's games and averaging 17.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest. When Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune reported Friday that the Hornets were looking for a center, I speculated that Sims might be someone they consider.

New Orleans made liberal use of 10-day contracts last season, and with big man Jason Smith out for the season with a torn labrum, Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors wrote that more short-term deals might be coming. The addition of Sims gives the Hornets 14 players on their roster, leaving one more spot open should they decide to pursue more depth.

Cavs Recall Kevin Jones From D-League

March 3rd, 2013 at 9:53am CST by Chuck Myron

We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with any additional moves added to the top:

The Cavs have recalled Kevin Jones from the D-League after a one-day stint, the team announced on its website. Jones has bounced back and forth between the Cavs and the Canton Charge this week, as it's the fourth straight day the team has either assigned or recalled the power forward. Jones put up 17 points and 12 rebounds in 27 minutes for Canton last night, and is averaging 22.4 PPG and 12.1 RPG in nine games for the Charge this season. The Cavs, sole owners of the Charge, have taken advantage of the geographic proximity of their affiliate, sending Jones down on five occasions this season after signing him November 29th.

Heat Sign Juwan Howard

March 2nd, 2013 at 1:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat have signed Juwan Howard to a 10-day contract, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported earlier today that the Heat were considering bringing the 40-year-old big man back. The team is likely to keep him around for the rest of the season, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link).

Howard has hung around the Heat all season in an advisory role, and the team kept an open locker for him even though he wasn't invited to training camp as a player. Back in September, coach Erik Spoelstra mentioned the possibility of Howard joining the team during the season even though he wouldn't be on the camp roster. Howard's agent, David Falk, said in the offseason that his client wasn't ready to retire, but strongly preferred rejoining Miami over signing with another club. Howard spent the previous two seasons with the Heat, seeing 9.2 minutes per game over 85 regular season contests in 2010/11 and 2011/12. He's averaged 2.1 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in his limited time with Miami.

Howard is joining the team primarily for his off-court leadership skills, as Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida tweets. He slides into the roster spot vacated when the Heat traded Dexter Pittman to the Grizzlies. It seemed at the time of that swap that the Heat were creating flexibility to sign a player bought out from another team, but the lack of buyouts before last night's playoff-eligibility deadline might have prompted Miami to turn to Howard.

Bulls Sign Louis Amundson

March 2nd, 2013 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

SATURDAY, 1:01pm: The Bulls have made Amundson's signing official, announcing it in a press release.

FRIDAY, 2:19pm: Amundson turned down a rest-of-season offer from another team because he had already committed to the Bulls' 10-day offer, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). It's not clear which club made Amundson the offer.

11:48am: The Bulls will sign Louis Amundson to a 10-day contract, according to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (via Twitter). Amundson was said to be drawing interest from at least four Eastern Conference teams, with ESPN.com's Marc Stein reporting that Chicago was the frontrunner.

The Knicks, Heat, and Celtics also had interest in Amundson. However, the Knicks would have needed to release a player or give up on Kenyon Martin to make room for the big man. The Heat, meanwhile, liked Amundson, but felt he duplicated a lot of the skills Chris Andersen brings to the table, according to Tomasson (Twitter link). As for the Celtics, they filled their final roster spot earlier today by signing Shavlik Randolph.

In 20 games with the Timberwolves earlier this season, Amundson averaged just 8.1 minutes per contest, his lowest mark since 2007/08. His 6.4 PER and .368 FG% were also career-lows. The Wolves cut him last month when they signed Chris Johnson and Mickael Gelabale to rest-of-season deals.

If Amundson does well in Chicago on his first 10-day contract, the Bulls have room under their hard cap to eventually sign him for the remainder of the season. The 30-year-old is expected to finalize the deal with the Bulls tomorrow, according to Tomasson.

D-League Moves: Jones, West

March 2nd, 2013 at 11:23am CST by Sean Highkin

Today's NBA D-League assignments and recalls all in one place:

Veteran guard Delonte West, who remains unsigned by any NBA team, will report to the Texas Legends on Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have assigned rookie forward Kevin Jones to the Canton Charge of the D-League, the team announced in a press release. Jones has appeared in 19 games for the Cavs and is averaging 2.1 PPG and 1.7 RPG. He was recalled from the D-League on Friday.

Aaron Brooks To Sign With Rockets

March 1st, 2013 at 7:43pm CST by Chuck Myron

Aaron Brooks and the Rockets have finalized their agreement, and the point guard will sign with Houston when he clears waivers, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski first reported earlier tonight that Brooks would likely sign with the team. Houston has a full 15-man roster, so to clear room, the Rockets will have to waive someone before the deal with Brooks becomes official.

The Kings bought out Brooks today after signing him to a two-year, $6.646MM deal this past offseason. The 28-year-old was deciding between the Kings and the Rockets this summer, tweets HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy, but Brooks and Houston were far apart in negotiations, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle noted. It's unclear how much Brooks forfeited in the buyout, but he probably had to give up at least the amount of next season's $3.396MM player option, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors surmised.

Brooks has started 20 games for the Kings this season, but averaged just 10.9 minutes per game in February as he fell behind Isaiah Thomas and Jimmer Fredette in coach Keith Smart's playing rotation. As a result, his scoring (8.0 PPG) and assists (2.3) averages are at their lowest since his rookie season. Brooks spent that year in Houston after the Rockets made him the 26th pick in the 2007 draft, and in his third season he averaged 19.6 PPG and 5.3 APG for the team.

Houston traded him to Phoenix midway through the 2010/11 season, and he spent last year playing in China. The Suns held his rights when he returned, but they couldn't reach a deal, and this summer, Phoenix pulled its qualifying offer to Brooks, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Kings Buy Out Aaron Brooks

March 1st, 2013 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have bought out Aaron Brooks' contract, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). Grant Napear of CBS Sacramento first tweeted that Brooks had been released by the team, while Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reported that the two sides were working on a buyout.

Brooks' contract included a 2013/14 player option worth about $3.4MM, but he likely gave that up as part of the buyout. The 28-year-old point guard will become an unrestricted free agent when he clears waivers, but isn't close to reaching an agreement with another team, according to Kennedy, who tweets that Brooks will weigh his options before signing.

Because Brooks was released before tonight's buyout deadline, he'll be eligible to play in the postseason for whichever team he joins next. Kennedy suggested (via Twitter) that the Rockets, Knicks, and Jazz might be potential fits for the veteran. Those teams have either had interest in Brooks in the past or could use a point guard now — or both.

D-League Moves: Varnado, Scott, Jones, Baynes

March 1st, 2013 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

Jarvis Varnado has been sent to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat announced today in a press release. Varnado averaged a double-double in the D-League earlier this season, recording 14.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 3.9 BPG for Sioux Falls.
The Hawks have assigned rookie Mike Scott to the D-League, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Consitution. Scott will join the Bakersfield Jam, who have a home-and-home set against the Los Angeles D-Fenders on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

Earlier updates:

The Cavaliers have recalled Kevin Jones from the D-League just a day after re-assigning him, the team announced in a press release. Jones led the Canton Charge with 24 points and nine rebounds in last night's game, helping the team defeat the Idaho Stampede, 115-109. The rookie forward will be available for the Cavs tonight against the Clippers.
Aron Baynes also led his D-League team to victory last night during his one-game assignment. The Spurs announced today in a press release that Baynes had been recalled from the Austin Toros after recording 16 points and nine boards in the club's Thursday win.
The Celtics have assigned Fab Melo to the Maine Red Claws, according to a team press release. With D.J. White and Shavlik Randolph expected to be ready to play tonight, the C's didn't need Melo on the bench in Boston.

Celtics Sign Shavlik Randolph

March 1st, 2013 at 10:39am CST by Luke Adams

10:39am: The Celtics have officially announced the signing in a press release.

8:47am: Shavlik Randolph has received his letter of clearance from China and has signed a 10-day contract with the Celtics, agent Joel Bell tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com. According to Charania, Randolph is participating in the Celtics' morning shootaround today, so it sounds as if the team will announce the signing later today, making Randolph eligible for tonight's game against the Warriors.

Randolph, 29, has been out of the NBA since the 2009/10 season, when he briefly appeared in three games each with the Heat and Trail Blazers. However, as Ryan Raroque of Hoops Rumors noted last night, the former Duke Blue Devil had a tremendous season in the Chinese Basketball Association in 2012/13, averaging 32.0 PPG and 14.6 RPG in 28 games for the Foshan Long Lions.

The Celtics now have a full roster of 15 players, though three of those 15 are currently on 10-day contracts, as our 10-day tracker shows. Terrence Williams' deal is set to expire after tonight's game, while D.J. White and Randolph are locked up until next weekend. All three players landed in Boston after spending the season with Chinese clubs.

Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge first reported yesterday (via Twitter) that Randolph was seeking his letter of clearance from China and was close to signing with an NBA team.