Raptors Pick Up Option On Ed Davis
The Raptors have announced, via press release, that they have exercised the fourth year option on the rookie contract of Ed Davis, keeping him in a Toronto uniform through at least 2013-14. The Raptors had until October 31 to pick up the option on Davis or risk losing him in free agency next summer. While the team didn't disclose the financial terms of the deal, Davis should be due about $3.15MM in 2013-14.
After being drafted 13th overall in 2010 by Toronto, Davis has mostly come off the bench for the Raptors, averaging 7.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in just under 24 minutes per game. While Davis certainly hasn't emerged as anything more than a rotation player yet, this decision was probably an easy one for the Raptors given his ability to grab boards and block shots.
With the October 31 deadline looming, we should expect a lot of teams to make decisions in the next few weeks. We saw earlier today that the Kings picked up options on the rookie deals of DeMarcus Cousins and Jimmer Fredette. Be sure to follow Hoops Rumors' rookie-contract 2013/14 option tracker for the latest.
Kings Exercise Options On Cousins, Fredette
The Kings have officially exercised their 2013/14 team options on DeMarcus Cousins and Jimmer Fredette, the team announced today in a press release. Option decisions had been due by the end of the month.
"We’re looking forward to seeing DeMarcus and Jimmer play this year and continue to grow, improve and help this team be successful," said Geoff Petrie in the statement released by the club.
Cousins, who is entering his third season, is now in line for a guaranteed salary of about $4.92MM in 2013/14, the final year of his rookie contract. Fredette, meanwhile, had his third-year option picked up, and will make about $2.44MM in '13/14. A year from now, Cousins will be eligible for a long-term extension with Sacramento, while the Kings will hold another team option for 2014/15 on Fredette, worth $3.11MM.
Be sure to follow Hoops Rumors' rookie-contract 2013/14 option tracker to see the latest option decisions as the October 31st deadline approaches.
Hawks Waive Carldell Johnson
The Hawks have waived camp invitee Carldell Johnson, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). The move reduces Atlanta's roster count to 16 players.
Johnson, 29, has played over 200 D-League games for the Austin Toros since going undrafted in 2006. The 5'10" point guard known as Squeaky finally made his NBA debut last season for the Hornets, appearing in 15 contests for New Orleans.
The Hawks have now cut Johnson, Keith Benson, and Isma'il Muhammad from camp, meaning Damion James and James Anderson are the only two non-guaranteed players left on the roster. If the Hawks decide to carry 15 players to open the season, James and Anderson are the candidates to earn that 15th spot, while the other player figures to be waived before opening night.
Knicks Exercise Option On Iman Shumpert
The Knicks announced that they have exercised the third-year option on Iman Shumpert. The guard, entering his sophomore season, was widely expected to be retained through the 2013/14 season. The Georgia Tech product will make $1.68MM this season and 1.797MM in the third year of his deal.
Shumpert averaged 9.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 2.8 APG for the Knicks last season in his rookie campaign. However, the 17th overall pick in the draft went on to suffer a torn ACL in the Game 1 of first round of the playoffs against the Heat. We heard recently that Shumpert has been able to get around without the help of a brace or a limp, which would indicate that his rehab is going well. Doctors have projected that Shumpert could be back in action as soon as December or January.
Celtics Waive Dionte Christmas, Jamar Smith
4:18pm: The Celtics have officially waived Christmas and Smith, according to a press release from the team.
3:43pm: The Celtics have decided to release camp invitees Dionte Christmas and Jamar Smith, reports Peter Yannopoulos of TSN Radio 690 Montreal (via Twitter). While no official announcement has been made yet, Gary Tanguay of CSNNE.com confirms the report, citing an NBA source. With Christmas and Smith no longer on the roster, the Celtics will be keeping Kris Joseph, according to Yannopoulos.
The Celtics' moves are a little surprising, since half of Christmas' contract was guaranteed, and Smith had a $25K guarantee on his deal as well. With 13 players on fully guaranteed deals for Boston, it was expected that at least one of Christmas and Smith would earn one of the final two roster spots. Joseph will be the Celtics' 14th man, and it appears the club will keep an open 15th spot, since invitees Rob Kurz and Micah Downs are unlikely to survive cuts.
When the Celtics officially place Christmas and Smith on waivers, they'll have committed money to three players that won't be on their regular-season roster. Boston is expected to still be on the hook for Keyon Dooling's minimum-salary deal after the veteran retired last month.
Suns Waive Othyus Jeffers
The Suns waived Othyus Jeffers today, reports AZCentral.com's Paul Coro. The 27-year-old Jeffers had been out of the league for a season after knee surgery and was trying to make a Suns team that needs to replace place Channing Frye this season.
Jeffers' one preseason appearance came in a loss to the Kings on Wednesday night. He scored two points and grabbed two rebounds. He did not play in Friday night's game.
Bulls Waive Andre Emmett
The Bulls have officially waived Andre Emmett, the team announced today in a press release. Emmett is the second camp invitee released by the Bulls, along with Vance Cooksey, who was let go early in the month. The team's roster now stands at 16 players.
Emmett, a second-round pick in 2004, went seven seasons between NBA games, appearing in eight contests in 2004/05 and then not seeing his next NBA action until 2011/12 with the Nets. He appeared in a pair of preseason games for the Bulls this month, but didn't see much playing time, averaging just 1.5 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 3.8 MPG.
If the Bulls want to keep any of their camp invitees on the roster once the regular season gets underway, they'll need to either trade one of their 12 guaranteed contracts or release Nate Robinson, whose deal is partially guaranteed. Because the Bulls are up against a hard cap, Kyrylo Fesenko, Marko Jaric, and Ryan Allen are all facing uphill battles to make the team.
Kings Waive Cyril Awere
The Kings have officially requested waivers on Cyril Awere, the team announced today in a press release. Having released Awere, who didn't see action in the team's only preseason game to date, the Kings now have 17 players under contract.
Awere a 6'11" center from Nigeria, had been playing for Stade Nabeulien in Tunisia before he was added to the Kings' training camp roster. When the team signed him, I noted that he and fellow camp invitee Willie Reed were extreme long shots to make Sacramento's regular-season roster. However, with 14 players on guaranteed contracts, there is one roster spot available for the Kings' three remaining camp invitees — Reed, Tony Mitchell and Hamady N'Diaye are the candidates for that 15th spot.
Tracy McGrady Signs In China
OCTOBER 15TH, 8:22am: The Qingdao Double Star Eagles held a press conference over the weekend to formally announce McGrady's signing and present a copy of the contract, complete with T-Mac's signature, says Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com.
According to Pastuszek, McGrady is expected to arrive in China on October 24th, and Qingdao is hoping to keep the two-time NBA scoring champ on its roster for multiple years.
OCTOBER 9TH, 6:17pm: Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports that McGrady has officially signed his contract with Qingdao.
8:54am: Qingdao manager Sheng Xishun confirmed the signing and said that it should be made official by tomorrow, writes Yan Weijue of China Daily. Sheng went on to say that the deal was inspired by what Stephon Marbury and his Beijing Ducks accomplished last season, as he led the team to their first league title in two decades.
OCTOBER 8TH, 6:36pm: Two-time NBA scoring champion Tracy McGrady is currently finalizing a one-year contract with Qingdao of the Chinese Basketball Association, reports Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski. McGrady is expected to complete the deal in the next few days, and will head to China at some point in the next few weeks.
After spending the last few seasons in miniscule roles—relative to where he's been throughout his illustrious career—with the Pistons and Hawks, McGrady tried out for several teams (including the Spurs and Knicks) in the past month, but no franchise could guarantee him a contract. McGrady hasn't averaged double digits in scoring since 2008/09, and was last an All-Star in 2006/07. He is 33 years old.
Hornets Waive Dominique Morrison
SUNDAY, 7:05pm: The Hornets have officially requested waivers on Morrison, who was not present for the team's game against the Magic yesterday in Mexico City.
MONDAY, 11:53am: The Hornets will let go of training camp invitee Dominique Morrison, a source tells Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune. Morrison, a 6'6" small forward who went undrafted out of Oral Roberts University this year, was on a non-guaranteed deal believed to be for the minimum salary. The move will bring the team's roster down to 16 players.
The Hornets have Solomon Alabi, Chris Wright and Lance Thomas in camp on non-guaranteed deals, while Brian Roberts has a partial guarantee of $100K. It's unclear what level of guarantee Darius Miller, the 46th overall pick this past June, has on his deal. That means only 11 players on the team are certain to have fully guaranteed contracts, leaving the Hornets with plenty of flexibility. The regular season roster limit is 15, but they don't have to carry any more than 13 players.