Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

D-League Moves: Jones, Nets, Grizzlies, Rockets

January 22nd, 2013 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

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

The Rockets announced today that they have re-assigned forward/center Donatas Motiejunas to the Vipers. The move will create roster space for Terrence Jones, who was recalled earlier today.
The Nets announced that have assigned forward Tornike Shengelia and guard Tyshawn Taylor to the Springfield Armor. This will be the second stint for both players in the D-League this season. Shengelia was a practice favorite of former coach Avery Johnson.
On the heels of their trade with the Grizzlies, the Cavaliers have recalled Kevin Jones from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Jones, who was assigned to the Canton Charge just yesterday, helped lead the team to a 78-69 victory over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, racking up 25 points and 11 boards.
The Rockets will recall Terrence Jones from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. In his four D-League stints this season, Jones has appeared in 12 games, averaging 19.1 PPG and 9.8 RPG.

Cavs Acquire Speights, Ellington From Grizzlies

January 22nd, 2013 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies and Cavaliers have offically finalized a deal that sends Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby and a protected first-round draft pick to Cleveland in exchange for Jon Leuer, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The Cavaliers have waived Jeremy Pargo to clear room on their roster for the incoming players.

Memphis has been at the center of a number of trade rumors this month, a result of the team's reported desire to get below the tax line. While most of those rumors have involved more expensive players like Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph, I noted last week that Speights was another candidate to be dealt, since moving his $4MM+ salary would be enough to get the Grizzlies out of the tax. That's essentially what Memphis is doing in this deal with the Cavs, moving Speights along with Ellington's $2.08MM expiring contract. Selby and Leuer are a wash, earning identical $762,195 salaries.

Cleveland has the room to absorb Ellington's and Speights' salaries under the cap, while the Grizzlies will move below the tax line for 2012/13. Memphis should also obtain a handful of trade exceptions in the transaction, worth the amount of Speights', Ellington's, and Selby's salaries — $4,200,000, $2,083,042, and $762,195 respectively.

Speights, 25, was a productive rotation piece for the Grizzlies last year after the team acquired him from the 76ers, starting 54 contests for the club and averaging 8.8 PPG and 6.2 RPG. However, he has seen a reduced role in Memphis this season, with his minutes being reduced from 22.4 per game to 14.5. Because he was playing on a one-year contract (excluding his second-year player option) following his rookie deal, the forward had the rights to veto a trade, but he agreed to be dealt to the Cavs due to that lack of playing time in Memphis, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link).

For the Cavaliers, Selby and Memphis' pick act as sweeteners to compensate the Cavs for taking on salary, including Speights' $4.52MM player option for 2013/14. Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld wrote yesterday that Selby, who excelled in the Summer League in July, was waiting for an opportunity to try to translate that success to the regular season. He figures to have a better chance to receive that opportunity in Cleveland.

Meanwhile, the first-rounder heading to the Cavs is protected from 1-5 and 15-30 in 2015 and 2016, before being top-five protected in 2017 and 2018 and unprotected in 2019. Like the first-rounder that was traded by the Raptors to the Rockets (and eventually to the Thunder) over the summer, the unique protection makes it a likely lottery pick.

Despite clearing Speights from next year's books, the Grizzlies still project to be likely taxpayers in 2013/14 and '14/15, so as Grantland's Zach Lowe points out (via Twitter), the club could explore more cost-cutting deals in the summer. The trade also brings the Grizzlies' roster to 11 players, two below the NBA minimum, so free agent signings will be required. Memphis is currently considering Delonte West and Bill Walker, among others.

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links), Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter links), Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (all Twitter links), and Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link) were all involved in breaking various details of the story.

D-League Moves: Lamb, Orton, Jones, Tyler

January 21st, 2013 at 9:10pm CST by Luke Adams

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

The Thunder have re-assigned Jeremy Lamb and Daniel Orton to the Tulsa 66ers, tweets Adam Zagoria.
The Cavaliers have re-assigned Kevin Jones to the Canton Charge, the team announced today in a press release. Jones has seen limited action in Cleveland this season, but was very productive in five games for the Charge, averaging 23.6 PPG and 12.6 RPG.
Jeremy Tyler has been recalled from the D-League, the Warriors announced today in a press release. Tyler was sent to Santa Cruz yesterday and helped the Warriors' affiliate pull out a 96-95 win over the Erie BayHawks.
The Bucks have recalled Doron Lamb from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the club announced today (Twitter link). After being assigned to the D-League for the first time on January 12th, the rookie appeared in two games, averaging just 7.5 PPG while shooting 22.7% from the floor.

Hawks Sign Jannero Pargo

January 21st, 2013 at 11:09am CST by Luke Adams

11:09am: The Hawks have officially signed Pargo to a 10-day deal, the team announced in a press release.

10:07am: The Hawks will sign Jannero Pargo to a 10-day contract, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. Atlanta is currently carrying 14 players on its roster, so a corresponding move won't be required to clear space for Pargo.

Pargo earned a spot on the Wizards' roster this fall, but was cut early in the season when Washington signed Shaun Livingston. We heard multiple times after that point that the 33-year-old was drawing interest from teams like the Bulls, Lakers, and others. However, it sounds as if he didn't receive serious interest until the 10-day contract period got underway two weeks ago.

For Pargo, it's a return to the place where he spent the 2011/12 season. In 50 games last year for the Hawks, the veteran guard averaged 5.6 PPG and 1.9 APG while recording a decent 13.6 PER. He'll provide Atlanta some backcourt depth over the next ten days as the club deals with the loss of Louis Williams for the season.

Suns Name Lindsey Hunter Interim Coach

January 20th, 2013 at 6:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

6:29pm: NBC/Comcast analyst Ric Bucher tweets that it is now a tough situation in Phoenix for Elston Turner, who he considers to have Tom Thibodeau-esque potential. After the Suns didn't allow him to follow Rick Adelman to Minnesota in 2011, Turner was passed over for the Blazers' job this summer and now has lost out to Hunter in Phoenix. Bucher speculates that based on the "dynamic" in Phoenix, it is hard to envision Turner or Majerle staying beyond their current contract obligations should Hunter remain at the helm.

12:55pm: Majerle isn't the only assistant coach on his way out of town, as player development coach Sean Rooks is leaving for a job overseas, Coro notes, adding that Rooks' move is unrelated to the other changes in Phoenix. Also, Elston Turner was absent from practice today, according to Coro (Twitter links).

11:08am: Majerle will likely leave the team after getting passed over for the interim job, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. A source indicates the same to Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link).

10:11am: The Suns have named assistant coach Lindsey Hunter as interim head coach, the team announced on its website. Hunter replaces Alvin Gentry, who parted ways with the team on Friday. The team went with Hunter over fellow Phoenix assistants Elston Turner, Igor Kokoskov and Dan Majerle.

Hunter was a front-office favorite, though owner Robert Sarver reportedly has an affinity for Turner. Suns players made a push for Majerle yesterday as the team was considering its internal candidates. Hunter was part of the final three in the running for the Magic head coaching job over the summer. His formal title with the Suns had been player development coordinator, a position he took over this season after joining the team's scouting department last year. He spent 17 years in the league as a player, retiring in 2010 to a player development role with the Bulls.

The Suns, in last place in the Western Conference with a 13-28 record, next play Wednesday against the Kings. The team wants to place greater focus on bringing along its young talent, so given Hunter's previous responsibilities with the club, the hiring makes sense. Phoenix brass reportedly felt Gentry wasn't the right man for its new emphasis on youth.

Heat Recall Dexter Pittman From D-League

January 20th, 2013 at 5:50pm CST by Alex Lee

Two days after being assigned to Sioux Falls Skyforce, Dexter Pittman has been recalled by the Heat, according to a team release. Pittman will be available for Miami's home game against the Raptors on Wednesday night.

Pittman was recalled to the Heat on January 17 for one game and was then re-assigned to the D-League. He was initially sent down on December 26 after nearly two months in the NBA. In 12 games for Sioux Falls, Pittman has averaged 13.3 points and 9.2 rebounds and was named to the 2013 NBA D-League Showcase Second Team.

D-League Moves: Plumlee, Tyler

January 20th, 2013 at 12:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

We'll round up today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with the latest news on top.

Miles Plumlee is back with the Pacers, as the team announced it's recalled him from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. The rookie's latest D-League assignment, his fifth, lasted four days. He's played in 11 games with the Mad Ants, averaging 12.8 points and 11.2 rebounds in 31.3 minutes. That's in contrast to just 22 total minutes with Indiana.
The Warriors have reassigned big man Jeremy Tyler to Santa Cruz of the D-League. It's the fifth time he's been sent down this season, but Tyler has only played in four games for Santa Cruz this season, notching 15.0 points and 8.3 rebounds in 30.5 minutes per contest. The 39th overall pick in the 2011 draft has appeared in a total of 48 minutes over 16 games for Golden State this season, with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Heat Sign Chris Andersen, Jarvis Varnado

January 20th, 2013 at 9:54am CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat have signed big men Chris Andersen and Jarvis Varnado, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter links). Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com tweets confirmation of the Andersen signing, which Winderman had indicated by revealing the Birdman was practicing with the team this morning. The team has sent out a release making their deals official. Both are on 10-day contracts. It's the second 10-day deal with Miami for Varnado after his first deal expired Friday night.

Andersen is returning to the NBA after the Nuggets placed him on amnesty waivers this summer. The Heat has shown interest in him multiple times since then, bringing him in for a workout earlier this month. Shortly after the workout, the team signed Varnado and Josh Harrellson to 10-day deals instead, but elected not to bring Harrellson back when his short-term pact ended last night.

The Heat ostensibly made the moves to shore up their rebounding, as no team has collected fewer boards this year. Andersen has averaged 5.2 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game over his 10-year career. Even though his minutes were down to 15.2 per contest last season in Denver, the 6'10" Andersen still notched 11.0 rebounds per 36 minutes, better than his career rate of 10.5.

Varnado, a rookie, has seen just 30 minutes of playing time in stints with the Celtics and Heat this year, but put up 10.0 RPG in 30.5 MPG over 10 D-League games this season. He was in traning camp this fall with the Heat, who originally drafted him 41st overall in 2010.

Suns, Alvin Gentry Part Ways

January 19th, 2013 at 6:22pm CST by Luke Adams

6:22pm: Mike Monroe of San Antonio Express-News (via Twitter) cites a plugged-in source who says that Hunter will be the team's interim coach. Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic tweeted that that some of the Suns players spoke to the front office earlier today and lobbied for Dan Majerle to get the position, adding that their request has also been under consideration.

SATURDAY, 2:18pm: The Suns are conducting interviews today, but have yet to name an interim coach, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. They have a little time to deliberate, since their next game is Wednesday against the Kings, and they don't practice until tomorrow, as Coro notes. In addition to Hunter and Turner, fellow Suns assistant coach Igor Kokoskov is a candidate as well, according to Coro (Twitter link).

FRIDAY, 12:08pm: Alvin Gentry and the Suns have agreed to part ways, reports John Gambadoro of Sports 620 KTAR in Phoenix (via Twitter). According to Gambadoro, Gentry met with owner Robert Sarver and president Lon Babby this morning. The Suns' brass would like to focus on player development and the team's younger players, and didn't think Gentry was the ideal choice for that approach (Twitter links).

The top candidates to replace Gentry as the Suns' interim coach are assistants Lindsey Hunter and Elston Turner, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Wojnarowski notes that Hunter was installed by the team's front office, and is viewed as a potential future head coach, meaning the club may have preferred to give him a clean slate to take over in the offseason. Turner, meanwhile, is a favorite of Sarver's (Twitter links).

Given the Suns' place in the standings, the decision to part ways with Gentry isn't a huge surprise — Phoenix's 13-28 mark puts them last in the Western Conference. Still, it was just last month that Sarver asserted Gentry's job was safe. Ian Thomsen of SI.com also argued earlier this week that the coach wasn't the problem in Phoenix, though even Thomsen acknowledged that Gentry was likely the next coach on the hot seat.

In three full seasons and two half seasons with the Suns, Gentry compiled a 158-144 record, including a 54-win season in 2009/10.

Wolves Sign Chris Johnson

January 19th, 2013 at 5:11pm CST by Zachary Links

5:11pm: Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press reports that Johnson was signed to his 10-day contract before the team's shootaround this morning. He also mentions that with the NBA's permission to exceed the 15-man roster limit due to their injury situation, Minnesota's official roster number is now at 16.

10:10am: The Timberwolves are set to sign Chris Johnson to a 10-day contract, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter). The move means that Minnesota will be passing on Jerome Jordan, who they were also considering.

Johnson, 27, signed with the T'Wolves over the summer on a non-guaranteed deal but did not make their roster. The center hooked on with the D-League's Santa Cruz Warriors in December and put up 10.9 PPG and 6.1 RPG in roughly 26 minutes per contest.

Minnesota gained the ability to sign another player to a 10-day contract when they were awarded an injury exception yesterday. The T'Wolves also signed Mickael Gelabale to a 10-day deal this week.