Nets Waive Stephen Dennis
The Nets have officially waived Stephen Dennis, the team announced today (via Twitter). With Dennis no longer on the roster, Brooklyn is now carrying 17 players.
Dennis, a 6'6" guard out of Kutztown University, was part of the Nets' summer league squad in July before he inked a training camp deal last month. He didn't appear to make much of an impression in the preseason, playing 21 minutes in three games and recording just two points, one rebound, and a steal.
With 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts, the Nets are expected to fill out their roster with one or two players out of a group that includes Andray Blatche, Josh Childress, James Mays, and Carleton Scott.
Magic Waive Christian Eyenga, Armon Johnson
The Magic have made a pair of roster cuts, officially waiving Christian Eyenga and Armon Johnson, the team announced today in a press release. The moves reduce Orlando's roster to 18 players.
Orlando had been carrying 16 players on fully guaranteed contracts, so the team needed to trade or waive at least one player who was owed guaranteed money. As such, it's not a huge shock that the Magic dropped Eyenga, who sat out the team's preseason games with a hamstring injury. The 23-year-old, a former first-round pick, was acquired as part of the Dwight Howard trade, and had a $2.12MM option for 2013/14, which it seems won't be exercised. His $1.17MM 2012/13 salary will count against the Magic's cap, however, unless he's claimed on waivers.
With Eyenga and Johnson off the roster, the Magic will need to make three additional cuts to reach the regular-season maximum of 15 players. DeQuan Jones and Chris Johnson also have non-guaranteed deals, making them candidates to be released. E'Twaun Moore's contract is mostly non-guaranteed as well, with just a $90K buyout.
Raptors Waive Jerel McNeal, Chris Wright
The Raptors announced that they have waived guard Jerel McNeal and forward Chris Wright. McNeal played in just one preseason game, while Wright was a DNP-CD for all six games. Toronto's roster now stands at 16.
Both players hooked on with the Raptors roughly one month ago on non-guaranteed deals. Wright, 24, appeared in 24 games for the Warriors in his rookie season but notched just 186 minutes in total. The 6'8" forward also played in 13 D-League games, averaging 17.8 PPG and 8.8 RPG.
McNeal, 25, has never appeared in an NBA game despite signing a 10-day contract with the Hornets in 2011. The former Marquette standout averaged 19.4 PPG in 47 games for the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers in 2010/11 and spent last season in the Italian league.
Nuggets Exercise Options On Faried, Hamilton
The Nuggets announced that they have exercised their third-year options on forward Kenneth Faried and guard/forward Jordan Hamilton. The two players were taken with the 22nd and 26th pick, respectively, in the 2011 draft.
Faried will earn $1.348MM in 2012/13 and will see his salary rise to $1.442MM in 2013/14. Hamilton will see a similarly modest pay increase as he goes from $1.153MM in his sophomore campaign to $1.234MM in 2013/14. Faried made a name for himself heading into the draft as a tough rebounder and didn't disappoint as he averaged 7.7 RPG to go along with 10.2 PPG. Hamilton didn't see the same kind of playing time as his fellow rookie, averaging 4.4 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 9.9 minutes across 26 games.
You can keep up with all of this offseason's decisions on 2013/14 rookie contract options by using our handy tracker.
Lakers Cut Chris Douglas-Roberts, Greg Somogyi
The Lakers have officially waived Chris Douglas-Roberts and Greg Somogyi, the team announced today in a press release.
According to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com (Twitter link), the Lakers "really liked" Douglas-Roberts, but even after releasing Ronnie Aguilar and Reeves Nelson, the team still had 18 players under contract, meaning at least three more players had to be cut.
Los Angeles' roster count now stands at 16, including three players on non-guaranteed deals: Robert Sacre, Andrew Goudelock, and Darius Johnson-Odom. The Lakers will cut at least one more of those guys, and perhaps two, if the team prefers to keep a roster spot free rather than carrying the maximum 15 players.
Pistons Pick Up Options On Knight, Monroe
In addition to making a pair of roster cuts earlier today, the Pistons have also exercised two team options on players for 2013/14. Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reports (via Twitter) that Detroit has picked up Brandon Knight's third-year option and Greg Monroe's fourth-year option.
Knight, who is earning about $2.68MM in 2012/13, his sophomore year, is now set to earn a guaranteed $2.79MM in 2013/14, while Monroe will receive a guaranteed $4.09MM in '13/14. The Pistons will have an additional year of control on Knight, who is eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2015. Monroe, however, will become a restricted free agent in 2014 if he's not extended by Detroit next summer.
To follow all this offseason's decisions on 2013/14 rookie contract options, be sure to check out our tracker, which we'll keep updated as teams officially announce their moves.
Pistons Waive Terrence Williams, Jonny Flynn
The Pistons have officially released camp invitees Terrence Williams and Jonny Flynn, according to Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News (via Twitter). The cuts leave the Pistons with 15 players under contract.
Both Williams and Flynn were lottery picks in the 2009 draft, but hit free agency a year early after the fourth-year options of their respective rookie contracts weren't picked up by the Rockets last season. While neither player has lived up to expectations since coming into the league, Williams and Flynn had productive stretches as bench players in their three-year careers. Still, it was an uphill battle to earn a roster spot in Detroit, where the Pistons already had 15 guaranteed contract on their books.
If both players clear waivers, they'll become unrestricted free agents, free to sign with any team.
Pacers Exercise Option On George, Release Three
The Pacers announced a series of roster moves today in a press release, formally exercising their 2013/14 option on Paul George and releasing three players: Luke Nevill, Sundiata Gaines, and Blake Ahearn.
The three cuts reduce the Pacers' roster to 15 players, though it's unclear if the club will carry a full 15-man roster into the regular season. Camp invitee Ben Hansbrough is still on the roster, on a fully non-guaranteed contract, and wasn't considered likely to make the team. Sam Young also has a contract that only has a small guarantee, though he appears a much stronger bet to stick around.
While Nevill had a fully non-guaranteed deal, both Ahearn and Gaines had $25K guarantees on their contracts, so the Pacers will take a very small cap hit for both players.
As for George, he was the only Pacer with an option decision pending for 2013/14. That will be the final year of his rookie contract, and he'll earn a guaranteed $3.28MM salary before potentially becoming a restricted free agent in the summer of 2014. The Pacers will also have the opportunity to sign him to a long-term extension in the 2013 offseason.
Thunder Waive Walker Russell
The Thunder have waived camp invitee Walker Russell Jr., according to John Rohde of the Oklahoman (via Twitter). Oklahoma City had been carrying 19 players, so the move reduces the roster to 18 players, with more cuts to come over the next week.
Russell, who signed with the Thunder three weeks ago, has played for a number of teams overseas and in the D-League since going undrafted in 2006. He finally made his NBA debut last year for the Pistons, averaging 3.0 PPG and 2.1 APG in 12.8 MPG.
As Royce Young of Daily Thunder wrote last week, Russell was an extreme long shot to make the regular-season roster, so the move doesn't come as a surprise. As our list of partially guaranteed contracts suggests, the 6'0" guard had been the only player in Thunder camp without any form of guarantee. The team will need to cut three additional players from a group that includes DeAndre Liggins, Daniel Orton, Andy Rautins, and Hollis Thompson, each of whom has at least a small guarantee on his contract.
Heat Waive Gladness, Dozier
The Heat have waived Mickell Gladness and Robert Dozier, according to a tweet from the Miami Herald's Joseph Goodman. For the 6'11" Gladness, this is his second time being waived by the Heat, with the first coming last February. Dozier was the last player selected in the 2009 NBA draft, but he's yet to play a single minute of basketball in the NBA.
Miami's roster now stands at 18, tweets Yahoo! NBA reporter Marc J. Spears.