Lakers Assign Morris, Sacre To D-League
The Los Angeles Lakers have assigned center Robert Sacre and guard Darius Morris to the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League, the team announced.
You can view every D-League assignment and recall of the 2012/13 season Hoops Rumors' D-League assignment tracker.
Warriors Sign Malcolm Thomas
2:52pm: The Warriors have officially signed Thomas to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.
9:46am: Despite a Monday report indicating that the Warriors weren't planning to fill their open roster spots in the near future, the club is expected to sign Malcolm Thomas to a 10-day contract, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter).
Thomas, 24, made his NBA debut last season with the Spurs, appearing in three games with the team before being released. After a standout summer league performance with the Bulls last July, Thomas signed a contract with Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv, but received limited playing time overseas, averaging just 15.6 minutes per game in 15 contests. The 6'9" forward made his 2012/13 D-League debut on Wednesday, posting 13 points and 17 rebounds for the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
Because the Warriors had a pair of open roster spots, after having traded Charles Jenkins and Jeremy Tyler at the deadline, they won't need to waive anyone to clear a spot for Thomas. A 10-day deal also won't add significantly to Golden State's team salary, as the team looks to remain below the tax line.
D-League Moves: Selby, Lakers, Thunder, Jerrells
We'll track today's D-League moves, including assignments and recalls, right here, with any new items added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- Josh Selby, who was released by the Cavaliers over the weekend, has been acquired by the D-League's Maine Red Claws, according to RealGM.com. The Celtics' affiliate sent a 2013 D-League draft pick to the Canton Charge in exchange for Selby.
- Darius Morris and Robert Sacre have been assigned to the D-League by the Lakers, the team announced today in a press release. It's Sacre's third assignment and Morris' first assignment with the D-Fenders this season.
- The Thunder have re-assigned DeAndre Liggins and Daniel Orton to the Tulsa 66ers, according to a team release. Liggins was recently assigned to the D-League along with Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones, but for Orton, it's his first assignment since being recalled in late January. Both players are expected to be active tonight for Tulsa's game against the Iowa Energy.
- Curtis Jerrells, who had been playing in Turkey, is set to join the Maine Red Claws, tweets David Pick. The former Baylor point guard has never appeared in an NBA regular-season game, though he has spent time with the Spurs and Hornets.
Southeast Notes: Oden, Heat, Magic, Scott
The NBA's longest current winning and losing streaks both belong to Southeast Division teams, and will be on the line tonight. The Heat are hosting the Magic, in search of their 16th straight win, while the Bobcats will look to snap a seven-game losing streak at home against the Nets. As we wait for the Eastern Conference's best and worst clubs to get underway tonight, let's round up a few notes out of the Southeast….
- Agent Mike Conley Sr. doesn't expect Greg Oden to sign anywhere until July, suggesting to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that teams will have more financial flexibility to pursue his client after the season. According to Conley, there is mutual interest between Oden and the Heat, and the two sides expect to talk again in the summer. The Cavs, Bobcats, and Spurs are other potential suitors for the former first overall pick, according to Tomasson.
- Responding to Dwight Howard's suggestion that his Magic teams were "full of people nobody wanted," Jameer Nelson shot back at his former teammate, as Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel documents. "At some point, when are you [Dwight] gonna as a man, when are you going to take ownership and stay out of the media in a professional manner?" Nelson said.
- Mike Scott has returned to Atlanta to rejoin the Hawks after a brief stint with the team's D-League affiliate, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Hawks officially announced in a press release that Scott has been recalled from the Bakersfield Jam and will be available for tonight's game against the Sixers.
Hawks Sign Shelvin Mack
10:02am: The Hawks have officially signed Mack to a 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release.
9:18am: Having freed up a roster spot by releasing Jeremy Tyler, the Hawks will sign Shelvin Mack, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter).
Mack, 23, has made several NBA and D-League stops this season, including multiple stints with the Wizards, and a pair of 10-day contracts with the Sixers. Mack has also appeared in 23 games with the D-League's Maine Red Claws, averaging 20.1 PPG and 7.7 APG with the club. In limited action in 11 games for Washington and Philadelphia, the young point guard averaged 3.5 PPG and 2.2 APG.
It's not yet clear whether Mack will receive a 10-day contract or a rest-of-season deal from the Hawks. Given the team's cap flexibility, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Atlanta sign Mack to a contract that includes a non-guaranteed minimum salary for next season, giving the club the option of taking an extended look at him in summer-league action and in camp.
Hawks Waive Jeremy Tyler
The Hawks have released Jeremy Tyler, the team announced today in a press release. Tyler had appeared in just one game for Atlanta since the club acquired him from the Warriors at last month's trade deadline.
Although Tyler was a Hawk for less than two weeks, Atlanta didn't pay a real price to acquire him. The Warriors sent Tyler to the Hawks and Charles Jenkins to the Sixers to get out of the luxury tax — the deal with Philadelphia reportedly involved Golden State sending the Sixers more than enough cash to cover Jenkins' rest-of-season salary, and acquiring a second-round pick with heavy protection, so I'd assume the Tyler trade was similarly structured.
Tyler, 21, will become a free agent assuming he clears waivers. The Warriors won't be able to re-sign him, but the big man will be eligible to sign with any other NBA team. Meanwhile, the Hawks now have 14 players under contract, opening up a roster spot in the move.
Rockets Sign Aaron Brooks
12:14pm: The Rockets have officially signed Brooks, the team announced in a press release.
TUESDAY, 8:06am: The agreement between Brooks and the Rockets, which isn't official yet, will pay Brooks $2.5MM this season and includes a team option for $2.5MM next season, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Houston will sign Brooks using its excess cap space.
MONDAY, 7:24am: The Rockets have agreed to sign free agent guard Aaron Brooks, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The deal includes a team option for the 2013/14 season, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Brooks and the Kings reached agreement on a contract buyout on Friday and the guard cleared waivers earlier this evening. The Rockets have been heavily linked to Brooks over the last few days as both sides were said to have interest in a reunion.
The 28-year-old has started 20 games for the Kings this season, but averaged just 10.9 minutes per game last month as he fell behind Isaiah Thomas and Jimmer Fredette on the depth chart. Brooks averaged a career low 8.0 PPG and 2.3 APG, a significant drop from the 19.6 PPG and 5.3 APG he had for Houston in 2009/10. The guard was taken by the Rockets with the 26th pick in the 2007 draft and spent the first three-and-a-half years of his career there.
The Rockets have a full 15-man roster and will have to release someone to make room for Brooks.
Rockets Waive Tyler Honeycutt
The Rockets have released Tyler Honeycutt in order to clear room on the roster for Aaron Brooks, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston. Honeycutt had come to Houston along with Thomas Robinson and Francisco Garcia as part of the team's six-player deadline deal with the Kings.
Honeycutt, 22, was drafted 35th overall by the Kings in 2011, but played in just 24 games in a season and a half with the club. Upon joining the Rockets, the 6'8" forward was assigned to the team's D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In two games with the club, Honeycutt averaged 19.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG.
The Rockets will be on the hook for the rest of Honeycutt's salary this season, but his minimum-salary contract for 2013/14 was mostly non-guaranteed, so the team will only have to pay $100K of that amount.
Knicks Re-Sign Kenyon Martin
TUESDAY, 11:10am: The Knicks have officially signed Martin to a second 10-day contract, according to the team (Twitter link). The deal will expire next Thursday night, at which point the Knicks would have to sign Martin for the season if they want to keep him around.
SUNDAY, 10:46am: The Knicks will re-sign Kenyon Martin to another 10-day contract after his current deal expires tomorrow night, coach Mike Woodson told reporters today, including Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link). It's likely Martin will remain with the team for the rest of the season, as Woodson indicated earlier. The 35-year-old big man joined the Knicks on February 23rd, after the team had opened up a roster spot by trading Ronnie Brewer to the Thunder.
Martin was perhaps the most prominent free agent not to sign with a team in the offseason, as he held out for an offer of better than the minimum salary. The Knicks showed interest at various points before the two sides finally agreed to terms. Martin is the first former No. 1 overall pick to sign a 10-day contract, and though the short-term, minimum-salary pact is far from what he envisioned, Martin has spoken about his gratitude for the opportunity to dispel critics who've questioned his ability to get along in a locker room.
Differences between Martin and Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro reportedly dissuaded L.A. from bringing him back this year. Last season with the Clippers, his numbers bottomed out virtually across the board, and he failed to make a start for the first time in his career. Martin has seen action in just one game for the Knicks so far, totaling five minutes.
Nets Recall Tornike Shengelia From D-League
Here are today's D-League assignments and recalls, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Nets have recalled Tornike Shengelia from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Shengelia's recent three-game stint with the Springfield Armor wasn't as impressive as his first run with the team in December, in which he recorded a triple-double, as well as a 39-point, 18-rebound game. Nonetheless, the rookie posted averages of 25.3 PPG and 6.0 RPG in his most recent three games with the Armor.