Lakers Waive Ronnie Aguilar, Reeves Nelson
The Lakers have let go of Ronnie Aguilar and Reeves Nelson, Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link). The subtraction of the pair, who were on non-guaranteed deals, brings the team down to 18 players.
The 7'1" Aguilar was reportedly mounting a dark horse run to make the team's opening-night roster after he was signed right before training camp. Still, he saw little action in the preseason, totaling just three points in 31 minutes of action over four games, and his dismissal is a further signal that Dwight Howard's ailing back will not be an issue to start the regular season. Nelson, at 6'8", was once seen as a potential first-round pick before his collegiate career at UCLA went sour. He wasn't selected in the draft this past June after the Bruins cut him loose six games into last season, but wound up with the Lakers in early September.
The Lakers have 13 players signed to fully guaranteed deals, and today's moves leave Robert Sacre, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Andrew Goudelock, Darius Johnson-Odom and Greg Somogyi, all of whom have non-guaranteed contracts, to fight for the final two open roster spots.
Wolves Waive Jermaine Taylor
The Timberwolves waived guard Jermaine Taylor following last night’s preseason game against the Bulls, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter). Minnesota now has 17 players remaining on the roster with Taylor out of the picture.
The Wolves have 14 players with guaranteed deals for 2012/13, essentially leaving Mike Harris, Chris Johnson, and Will Conroy to battle over one remaining spot. Harris and Johnson are on make-good contracts while Conroy’s comes with a modest partial guarantee of $100K.
Taylor, 25, last appeared in the NBA in 2010/11 when he spent 34 games with the Rockets and Kings, averaging 6.6 PPG in 14.2 minutes per contest. The former UCF star also had a cup of coffee with the D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers last season, averaging 14.2 PPG in 14 games.
Nets Exercise Option On MarShon Brooks
The Nets have officially picked up their 2013/14 option on MarShon Brooks, the team announced today (Twitter link). Brooks, who will earn about $1.21MM in '13/14, will have one more team option on his contract for 2014/15.
Brooks, 23, had a strong rookie season for the Nets, averaging 12.6 points in 56 contests. His upside and his inexpensive rookie-scale contract made him an attractive trade target this summer, and he'd likely be playing elsewhere in 2012/13 if Brooklyn had been able to land Dwight Howard from the Magic. He remains under contract with the Nets though, flying under the radar as an important bench piece after a busy offseason in Brooklyn.
As our rookie contract option tracker shows, Brooks is the 15th player to have a 2013/14 option exercised by his team this offseason.
Cavs Exercise Options On Irving, Thompson
The Cavaliers have officially picked up their 2013/14 options on Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson, the team announced today in a press release. Both Irving and Thompson are currently heading into their sophomore seasons, so the Cavs will have an additional team option on both players in 2014/15.
Considering both Irving and Thompson were top-five picks in 2011, with Irving earning Rookie of the Year honors last season, exercising their third-year options was a formality for the Cavs. Irving is now slated to make a guaranteed $5.61MM in 2013/14, while Thompson will earn about $4.06MM.
Be sure to check out Hoops Rumors' option tracker to follow which rookie-scale players have had their 2013/14 options picked up so far this offseason.
Wizards Exercise Options On Six Players
The Wizards completed a major chunk of bookkeeping today, exercising 2013/14 options for six players, according to a press release from the team. John Wall, Kevin Seraphin, Trevor Booker, and Jordan Crawford had their fourth-year options picked up, while Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton had their third-year options exercised.
"We have been able to bring in and develop this core group of talented, mature young players over the last several years, and we’re pleased to have them all signed through next season," said Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld in a statement. "Combining them with the veterans we’ve added gives us a solid foundation that can be competitive now while allowing us to continue to build towards future success."
Wall will earn a salary of about $7.46MM in 2013/14, while the other five players range from about $1.62MM (Singleton) to $3.34MM (Vesely). Wall, Seraphin, Booker, and Crawford will now be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2014, unless they're extended next summer. The Wizards will have an additional year of control (2014/15) for Vesely and Singleton.
Check out Hoops Rumors' option tracker to keep tabs on which rookie-scale players have had their 2013/14 options picked up so far this offseason.
Bulls Cut Kyrylo Fesenko
The Bulls have waived center Kyrylo Fesenko, the team announced. His subtraction brings the roster to 15 players. The move was expected, since the Bulls, who are under a $74.307 hard cap this season, couldn't afford to keep him for opening night without getting rid of one of their guaranteed deals. They'll be eligible to re-sign him on November 19th, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports points out on Twitter, when the veteran's minimum-salary will pro-rate down to a figure the Bulls can manage.
The 7'1" Fesenko was signed on the eve of training camp to a minimum-salary make-good deal without a guarantee. He spent the final month of last season with the Pacers but appeared in only three regular season games, scoring eight points in 17 minutes. He didn't get into any of Indiana's playoff games, though he saw extensive postseason action in 2010, in the middle of his four-season tenure with the Jazz.
Once he clears waivers, Fesenko will be free to sign with any team, so there's no certainty that he'll be back with the Bulls this season. Marko Jaric and Ryan Allen remain with the Bulls on non-guaranteed deals, but they seem destined for the same fate as Fesenko.
Jazz Waive Brian Butch, Trey Gilder
The Jazz have waived training camp invitees Brian Butch and Trey Gilder, according to Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune. The move brings the team's roster down to 17 players, a number that includes Raja Bell, who's trying to negotiate a buyout from the team (Twitter links).
Both Butch and Gilder were on non-guaranteed deals for the minimum salary. The pair signed with Utah in late September, along with fellow invitees Chris Quinn and Darnell Jackson, who remain with the team and in the running for a spot on the opening-night roster. Kevin Murphy, whom the Jazz drafted in the second round this past June, has a partial guarantee of $200K on his deal, and 14 other players, including Bell, have fully guaranteed contracts, making it an uphill battle for Quinn and Jackson if they're to remain with the club.
Gilder had a cup of coffee with the Grizzlies in 2009/10, appearing for five minutes over two games. The 6'9" forward averaged 19.2 points and 7.7 rebounds in 37.0 minutes per game in 34 contests for the D-League's Sioux Falls SkyForce last year. Butch, a 6'11" center from the University of Wisconsin, signed with the Nuggets late in the 2009/10 season, but did not appear in a game. He was also in camp with the Hornets last year, but is still waiting to make his official NBA debut.
Celtics Sign Leandro Barbosa
THURSDAY, 5:28pm: The Celtics have confirmed the move in a press release. The Brazilian native won't be available for the team's preseason game tonight against the Nets because of unresolved visa issues.
WEDNESDAY, 3:56pm: Barbosa's deal will be for the veteran's minimum, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
3:21pm: The Celtics and unrestricted free agent Leandro Barbosa have agreed to terms on a one-year contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Paul Flannery of WEEI.com had reported yesterday that the C's were looking to add another veteran before the end of this week.
After the Celtics waived Dionte Christmas and Jamar Smith yesterday, it left just 16 players left on the team's roster, including Rob Kurz and Micah Downs, who are unlikely to survive cuts. Coach Doc Rivers had said the Celtics planned to open the season with a full 15-man roster, according to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, so Barbosa and rookie Kris Joseph appear to be good bets to earn the 14th and 15th spots.
As Rich Levine of CSNNE.com wrote earlier today, the Celtics haven't had a true backup point guard for the last few seasons; Barbosa doesn't exactly match that description either, since he can play both guard positions, and is probably a more natural fit at the two. Still, he seems as likely as anyone to occupy the role that Keyon Dooling had in Boston before Dooling unexpectedly retired last month.
Barbosa, 29, averaged 11.1 PPG on .425/.382/.815 shooting a year ago in 64 games for the Raptors and Pacers. He was said to be seeking more than the minimum, but it was still a little surprising that he remained unsigned this late into the fall. Terms of his agreement with the Celtics aren't known, but I'd guess it'll be a guaranteed, minimum-salary contract. Boston was also believed to have the $1.957MM bi-annual exception in its pocket, but GM Danny Ainge indicated last month that the BAE wasn't available.
Mavericks Waive Josh Akognon
4:15pm: The team has confirmed the move via press release.
3:48pm: The Mavericks have requested waivers on camp invitee Josh Akognon, according to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. Akognon was on a fully non-guaranteed contract, so the Mavs won't take a cap hit for releasing him.
Akognon, who graduated from Cal State Fullerton in 2009, averaged 23.9 PPG in his senior year, earning Big West Conference Player of the Year honors. Since going undrafted, he has played primarily overseas, including an impressive 2011/12 season with the CBA's DongGuan New Century Leopards. In 37 games for DongGuan, the 26-year-old was a top-five scorer in the league, averaging 28.2 PPG on 51% shooting.
As Sefko writes, Akognon had said he was enjoying experiencing an NBA camp, and was happy to be in a situation with a "Plan A and a Plan B." Based on previous reports, it appears Plan B for Akognon may involve heading back overseas to rejoin a CBA team.
The move reduces Dallas' roster to the maximum allowable 15 players, leaving the Mavericks with no players left on non-guaranteed contracts. The Mavs had previously waived camp invitees D.J. Mbenga and Tu Holloway.
Sixers Waive Dan Gadzuric
The Sixers have waived Dan Gadzuric, the team has announced. The 10-year veteran was in camp on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal, but he hasn't played in any of the team's preseason games so far.
Gadzuric appeared in just two games last year after the Knicks signed him for the final week of the season, and went scoreless in 13 total minutes. New York made use of his contract, which included a non-guaranteed season in 2012/13, over the summer, shipping his rights to the Blazers in a sign-and-trade for Raymond Felton. The Blazers promptly waived Gadzuric, and the Sixers made him one of four signees who came aboard right before training camp began. One of those four, Xavier Silas, was waived last week, leaving Damien Wilkins and Devin Searcy as the last two remaining.
Gadzuric's exit brings the team's roster down to 15 players, with 13 on guaranteed deals, including Maalik Wayns, whose contract includes a $75K buyout. Last night, Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com reported that the Sixers are likely to get down to 14 players by the start of the regular season, with Searcy next on the chopping block. He confirms via Twitter today that Wilkins has the best among the team's camp invitees of making the opening-night roster.