Thunder Waive Rautins, Orton, Thompson
The Thunder have let go of Andy Rautins, Daniel Orton and Hollis Thompson, reports Royce Young of DailyThunder.com. All were on partially guaranteed deals — Orton for $100K, Thompson for $75K, and Rautins for $25K. That means DeAndre Liggins, whose deal is also partially guaranteed for $25K, appears to have won the competition for the team's final regular season roster spot.
Young writes that the Thunder are expected to retain the rights to Rautins, Orton and Thompson for their D-League affiliate, the Tulsa 66ers, as long as they clear waivers. The Thunder signed the 6'8" Thompson, who went undrafted out of Georgetown in June, on the first day free agents could officially sign with teams this summer. Orton, a 6'10" native of Oklahoma City, was the 29th pick in the 2010 draft by the Magic, who didn't pick up his third-year option, allowing him to sign with his hometown team in August. The Thunder picked up Rautins and Liggins, both guards, on the same day in September. Both were former second-round picks with brief NBA action.
The Thunder now have 15 players on their roster, though they could decide to let Liggins go at any time before January 10th without having to pay more than his $25K partial guarantee.
Sixers Waive Devin Searcy
The 76ers announced that they have waived forward Devin Searcy, bringing their roster down to 14 players. Searcy appeared in two preseason games for Phildelphia this year.
The 6'10" big man out of Dayton went undrafted in 2011 and spent last season overseas. Searcy hooked on with the club's summer league team in Orlando before inking a non-guaranteed deal in late September. The 76ers were expected to enter the season one shy of the roster maximum and did so by making Dan Gadzuric and Searcy their final two cuts.
Raptors Waive Jamaal Magloire
The Raptors have waived Jamaal Magloire, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star (via Twitter). The club has also confirmed the move via press release.
Smith notes that the club will work to find a place for the big man in the organization when he clears waivers on Monday. There was previously talk of the Raptors offering him a non-playing role over the offseason but Magloire insisted on trying to make the final roster. The Toronto native averaged 7.2 PPG and 6.5 RPG across his 12 year career.
Magic Exercise Option On Nikola Vucevic
SATURDAY, 9:51am: The Magic formally announced the move via press release.
THURSDAY, 6:40pm: Joshua Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports that Magic GM Rob Hennigan plans to exercise the team's 2013/14 option on Nikola Vucevic this weekend. The second-year center is slated to make nearly $1.79MM during the 2013/14 season and has a $2.75MM team option for 2014/15.
Vucevic averaged 5.5 PPG, 4.8 PPG, and shot 45% from the field in 15.9 MPG for the 76ers last season before being dealt to Orlando in August.
Rockets Waive Reeves Nelson
The Rockets signed forward Reeves Nelson earlier this week but they are expected to waive him later on today, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Houston made the move in order to secure D-League rights on Nelson if he opts to go that route this season.
The UCLA product hooked on with the Lakers in September but was released from his make-good contract last Saturday. Nelson was widely viewed as a first-round talent before things went south for him in college. The Bruins dropped him from the program early last season, leading him to a short stint overseas.
Nets Waive James Mays, Carleton Scott
SATURDAY, 9:07am: The Nets formally announced both cuts via press release.
FRIDAY, 12:51pm: Nets coach Avery Johnson confirmed today that the team has made two cuts, releasing James Mays and Carleton Scott, according to the team's official Twitter account. Both players are expected to join the Nets' D-League affiliate, the Springfield Armor.
Mays, a Clemson product, spent the last two seasons playing in Turkey. The 6'9" forward played for the Pacers' and Raptors' summer league teams in 2010. Scott, who graduated from Notre Dame in 2011, spent last season playing in Austria before playing for the Nets' summer league team this July.
Having also waived camp invitee Stephen Dennis earlier this week, the Nets have now reduced their roster to 15 players. The team could head into the regular season with its current group, though it's also possible that another cut may be coming, if Brooklyn prefers to keep an open roster spot. Josh Childress, on a non-guaranteed contract, figures to be on the bubble as the Nets' 15th man.
N’diaye Signs In China
After being released by the Kings earlier today, center Hamady N'daiye has agreed to a deal with China's Tianjin, according to a tweet from Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski. After being drafted by the Timberwolves in 2010, the 7'0" center has spent time in the NBA's D-League with the Dakota Wizards, Iowa Energy, and Maine Red Claws.
Knicks Waive Chris Smith
The Knicks have officially waived Chris Smith, the team announced today in a press release. The brother of J.R. Smith was brought aboard to compete for a spot on the roster, but suffered a patella injury that will keep him out for three to six months.
Marc Berman of the New York Post wrote a couple weeks back that there was speculation that one of the stipulations when J.R. signed with the Knicks was that his brother would earn a roster spot. However, following the injury, Chris probably wouldn't have been able to contribute until late in the season, if at all. As such, the Knicks were highly unlikely to use a roster spot on him.
The younger Smith's contract was believed to be fully non-guaranteed, so it shouldn't cost the Knicks anything to waive him. According to Mark Deeks of ShamSports, the contract would have become fully guaranteed if Smith had remained on the roster through November 1st.
Celtics Waive Rob Kurz, Micah Downs
FRIDAY, 4:32pm: The Celtics have officially waived Kurz and Downs, the team announced today in a press release.
TUESDAY, 3:00pm: The Celtics are set to waive camp invitees Rob Kurz and Micah Downs, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link), who says an announcement will come soon. When the cuts become official, Boston will have 15 players remaining under contract.
We heard earlier this week that Kurz and Downs were likely to be released, which came as no surprise. Along with the 13 guaranteed contracts they carried into camp, the Celtics added Leandro Barbosa as a 14th man, and were expected to keep Kris Joseph using their 15th and final roster spot.
The Celtics had added Kurz and Downs to their camp roster in late September, and both players appeared in most of the team's preseason contests, though neither one made a particularly strong impression. In limited minutes, Downs averaged 3.0 PPG and Kurz posted 1.7 PPG.
Bobcats Pick Up Options On Walker, Biyombo
The Bobcats have officially exercised their third-year options on Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo, according to a team release.
Walker and Biyombo, both top-ten picks in 2011, will now make a guaranteed $2.57MM and $3.05MM respectively in 2013/14. The Bobcats will have an additional team option on each player for 2014/15, $3.27MM for Walker and $3.87MM for Biyombo, before both players become eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2015.
Walker's and Biyombo's were the only 2013/14 options on Charlotte's plate this summer, but that doesn't necessarily mean the team is done with its contract decision-making for the month. The Bobcats have until next Wednesday to potentially work out contract extensions for Gerald Henderson and/or Byron Mullens, though neither player is expected to be locked up.