Bobcats Sign Jannero Pargo For Season
WEDNESDAY, 10:38am: The Bobcats have officially signed Pargo for the remainder of the season, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter).
TUESDAY, 3:22pm: Jannero Pargo's second 10-day contract with the Bobcats will expire tonight, and he's set to sign with the team for the rest of the season tomorrow, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Charlotte had to make a decision regarding Pargo, who occupies the team's final roster spot, since clubs can only sign a player to a pair of 10-day deals per season. I'd guess his new contract will include a non-guaranteed year or a team option for 2013/14 so that the Bobcats can retain his rights and evaluate him during the summer, but that's just my speculation.
Pargo has seen plenty of action in his brief time in Charlotte so far, appearing in 10 games and averaging 9.4 points and 2.5 assists in 17.4 minutes per night. His three-point shooting is down to 38% from the 55.6% clip he showed during his first 10-day stint, but the 33-year-old point guard is still attempting an average of five treys per game over his time as a Bobcat.
Pargo also signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Hawks earlier this season after the Wizards waived him in November. Jeremy Pargo, Jannero's younger brother, was waived this weekend by the Sixers.
Suns, Lon Babby Agree On New Two-Year Deal
2:58pm: The Suns confirmed the news of Babby's new contract, which runs through the 2014/15 season, on the team's website.
"I greatly appreciate the faith that (owner) Robert Sarver and the entire Suns organization have demonstrated with this new contract," Babby said. "We have begun the heavy lifting needed to rebuild our team. While the transition is often painful, I am entirely confident that we are taking the necessary steps to regain elite NBA status. I fully embrace the opportunity to continue on that path."
2:34pm: The Suns and president of basketball operations Lon Babby have agreed to a two-year extension, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The news appears to put to rest speculation about Babby's future, as fellow Arizona Republic scribe Scott Bordow wrote today about questions regarding the team's front office and interim head coach Lindsey Hunter. This had been the final year of Babby's contract.
Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News wrote in January that Babby was "probably done" in Phoenix, and Lawrence figured that might also mean the end for general manager Lance Blanks, who reports to Babby. It appears that Babby will instead be sticking around, but it's unclear what the move means for Blanks, whose contract runs through 2013/14. Hunter took over at midseason for former coach Alvin Gentry, and at least one report seems to indicate Hunter will be sticking around beyond this year. The Suns are in the midst of rebuilding following the offseason sign-and-trade that sent Steve Nash away, and this year's 23-51 record is the worst since the team went 16-66 as a first-year expansion club in 1968/69.
Phoenix could have as little as $44.4MM in commitments for next season, so the team figures to have the flexibility to try to lure more talent to the desert. The Suns have the fourth-best shot at the No. 1 overall pick, as our tentative draft order shows, and thanks to the Nash trade, they could have an extra first-round pick this June if the Lakers fail to make the playoffs.
Nets Sign Kris Joseph To 10-Day Contract
The Nets have officially signed Kris Joseph to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. Tim Bontemps of the New York Post initially reported over the weekend that the two sides had reached an agreement.
Joseph, 24, had been drafted by the Celtics in the second round of last June's draft, but was on a non-guaranteed contract, and was released in January before that deal became guaranteed. The Canadian forward subsequently joined the D-League, where he was acquired by the Nets' affiliate, the Springfield Armor. In 27 D-League games this season, Joseph has averaged 18.6 PPG, including 19.0 PPG in his 15 contests with the Armor.
The Nets had been carrying 14 players on their roster, so the team won't have to make a corresponding move to open up a spot for Joseph.
Rockets Recall Terrence Jones From D-League
We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with any additional moves added to the top throughout the day.
- The Rockets have recalled Terrence Jones from the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers, tweets Jason Friedman of Rockets.com. The rookie power forward had been with the Vipers since March 21st on his sixth D-League assignment of the season. He's averaging 19.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in 24 contests with Rio Grande Valley. The 6'9" Kentucky product has only appeared in 11 NBA games for a total of 91 minutes for Houston, which made him the 18th overall pick in June.
Sixers Sign Justin Holiday, Waive Jeremy Pargo
9:48am: The Sixers have officially signed Holiday and waived Pargo, the team announced via press release. The release doesn't specify whether Holiday signed a 10-day contract or a lengthier deal, though according to Mitchell, the deal is for the rest of 2012/13. Pargo departs the team after signing a 10-day contract in February followed by a deal that covered the rest of the season. Philadelphia is on the hook for a prorated portion of the minimum salary for Pargo even though he won't be on the roster anymore. All told, Pargo will make about $265K from the Sixers this year.
MONDAY, 7:59am: Holiday has a signed contract and will be at Sixers practice Monday, according to John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The team will likely waive Pargo or Jenkins to make room.
SATURDAY, 11:29pm: The Sixers will sign shooting guard Justin Holiday, the older brother of All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Sixers are at the 15-man roster limit, so they'll have to waive someone on a guaranteed contract to fit Holiday in. It's unclear whether the deal is a 10-day contract or covers the rest of the season.
Holiday has averaged 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for the D-League's Idaho Stampede this season, having spent the year with the club after the Blazers waived him at the end of training camp. The Blazers appeared high on the 6'6" 23-year-old, claiming him off waivers from the Cavs during camp and protecting his D-League rights so they could keep him on their affiliate. Portland never elected to re-sign him during the regular season, however.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Sixers are bringing Holiday aboard on a rest-of-the-season deal with a team option or non-guaranteed year that covers 2013/14. With the team five and a half games out of the playoffs with nine games left to play, there'd be little reason to waive a guaranteed deal just to sign a guy to a 10-day contract, but we'll see. The most likely candidates to go appear to be Royal Ivey, Charles Jenkins and Jeremy Pargo, all of whom are on minimum-salary deals. Damien Wilkins is also making the minimum, but he's been a part of the team's starting lineup of late.
D-League Moves: Baynes, Liggins, Orton
We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments and recalls here. You can take a look at all of this year's D-League moves with Hoops Rumors' running log..
- The Spurs announced that they have recalled center Aron Baynes from the Austin Toros. Baynes, who just made his fourth stint with the Toros this season, has appeared in nine games with Austin, averaging 12.2 points and 8.0 rebounds in 25.4 minutes.
- The Thunder announced that they have recalled guard DeAndre Liggins and center Daniel Orton from the Tulsa 66ers. Liggins has played in 18 games for the 66ers, averaging 11.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 34.2 minutes per game. Orton has appeared in 29 games this season in the D-League while averaging 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 28.3 minutes per game.
Mavs Recall Jared Cunningham
We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with any additional moves added to the top:
- The Mavs have recalled Jared Cunningham from the D-League, the team announced via press release. Cunningham had been with the Texas Legends ever since his January 28th assignment, and he's produced 15.3 points in 34.5 minutes per game over 15 D-League contests in two stints with the Legends this season. The 24th overall pick last June has barely seen action for the big club in Dallas, appearing in eight games for a total of 26 minutes.
Nets To Sign Kris Joseph
The Nets are set to sign Kris Joseph from their D-League affiliate Springfield Armor, a source tells Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. The Armor acquired Joseph from the Maine Red Claws earlier this year in exchange for James Mays.
Joseph was selected in the second round of last year's draft by the Celtics and was cut loose by the team in January. In 14 games for Springfield, the forward averaged 19.4 points prior to Friday's 12 point performance.
The 6-foot-7 wing player spent four years at Syracuse, where he was named to the All-Big East First-Team as a senior.
Bulls Re-Sign Malcolm Thomas
2:00pm: The Bulls have officially signed Thomas to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.
10:08am: Malcolm Thomas' first 10-day contract with the Bulls expired last night, but the team won't let him get away. According to Shams Charania of RealGM.com, Thomas will ink a second 10-day pact with the Bulls later today.
Thomas, 24, has appeared only very briefly in one game so far with Chicago, but the team views him as insurance in the frontcourt, since both Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson have missed time recently with injuries. According to Charania, the Bulls like Thomas enough that they're considering signing him for the remainder of the season, possibly with a non-guaranteed option for next season.
The Bulls are currently carrying 14 players on guaranteed contracts, making Thomas the 15th man on the roster. If the team guarantees his deal for the season when his new 10-day contract expires, there would be no room for any more roster additions, unless someone was released.
Clippers Sign Maalik Wayns For Season
3:04pm: The Clippers have officially signed Wayns for the remainder of the season, the team announced today in a press release.
8:25am: With one day remaining on his second 10-day contract with the Clippers, Maalik Wayns is expected to receive a rest-of-season deal from the team. Clippers play-by-play man Ralph Lawler tweets that Wayns was informed last night that the club will keep him for the remainder of the season.
After appearing in 21 games for the 76ers earlier this season, Wayns has been used more sparingly by the Clippers, playing just 28 minutes in three games for the team so far. The 21-year-old's most recent action came last Wednesday against his old team, when he recorded nine points and two assists against the Sixers.
Re-signing Wayns for the season will give the Clippers 14 players on guaranteed contracts, with DaJuan Summers' 10-day deal set to expire next Wednesday night. At that point, the team will have to decide whether to use its final guaranteed roster spot on Summers or let him go.
As for Wayns, I wouldn't be surprised if his new contract also included a non-guaranteed team option for 2013/14, allowing the Clips to get an extended look at him this summer.