Hornets Sign Alabi, Morrison, Wright
The Hornets have added three players to their training camp roster, according to Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com (via Twitter). Eichenhofer tweets that Solomon Alabi, Dominique Morrison and Chris Wright will be in camp with the team, clarifying that Wright is a guard from Georgetown, not the Raptors forward of the same name (Twitter link).
Alabi, a 24-year-old center from Nigeria, spent two season with the Raptors before Toronto turned down its option on him for 2012/13. Morrison and Wright, meanwhile, both went undrafted — Morrison in 2012 and Wright in 2011. A 6'6" forward, Morrison averaged 19.8 PPG in his senior year at Oral Roberts, while Wright 12.9 PPG and 5.3 APG in his senior year as Georgetown's point guard.
The Hornets have at least two other players on contracts without full guarantees — Brian Roberts' deal is only partially guaranteed for $100K, and Lance Thomas' contract is non-guaranteed. Darius Miller's deal may also not be fully guaranteed. That leaves just 11 Hornets assured of full guarantees, which should give Alabi, Morrison, and Wright the opening to impress in camp and earn a roster spot.
Nuggets Sign Anthony Carter, Ben Uzoh
The Nuggets have signed Anthony Carter and Ben Uzoh to deals that will bring the pair of point guards to training camp, according to Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post (Twitter link). The additions bring Denver's roster count to 17 players.
Both Carter and Uzoh played for the Raptors in 2011/12, though their career trajectories don't have much in common besides that. Carter is 37 years old and averaged just 8.7 minutes per game in his 24 contests last season. Uzoh, meanwhile, made his NBA debut just two seasons ago and has split time between the NBA and the D-League since then. It appeared the 24-year-old was heading overseas for the year before he parted ways with French team Cholet last week.
Of the Nuggets' 17 players, 14 are on guaranteed contracts. Besides Uzoh and Carter, the only other player without a full guarantee is third-string point guard Julyan Stone, which seems to suggest that both Uzoh and Carter will receive the chance to outplay Stone this month and earn that final roster spot.
Sixers Sign Mikki Moore
The 76ers have officially signed Mikki Moore, the team announced today in a press release. Within the same release, the Sixers announced that they'll take "precautionary measures" with newly-acquired Andrew Bynum, holding him out of basketball activities for the next three weeks while he continues to recover from the Orthokine therapy he underwent in his knees this offseason.
Moore, 36, has appeared in 564 NBA games over his lengthy career, though his contributions have been limited in recent years. The big man played seven games last year for the Warriors, his first NBA action since the 2009/10 season. In his brief time with Golden State, Moore played 16.9 minutes per game, averaging 3.4 points and 3.4 rebounds.
Moore will be the 18th player under contract for the Sixers.
Thunder Sign Walker Russell Jr.
The Thunder have finalized their training camp roster by adding Walker Russell Jr. to the squad, the team announced today (Twitter link). The move gives Oklahoma City 19 players under contract heading into camp.
Russell, who turns 30 this weekend, went undrafted in 2006 and has bounced around since then, playing for a number of teams overseas and in the D-League. He finally made his NBA debut last year for the Pistons, signing a non-guaranteed contract with the team that eventually became guaranteed. In 28 games for Detroit, the point guard averaged 3.0 PPG and 2.1 APG in 12.8 MPG.
Terms of Russell's deal with the Thunder aren't known, but it's almost certainly a non-guaranteed summer contract.
Wizards Sign Jannero Pargo
10:55am: The Wizards have formally announced the signing with an official press release.
"Jannero brings us veteran leadership and added depth to our backcourt," said president Ernie Grunfeld. "He is a hard-nosed competitor and proven outside shooter that will fit well with the mix of veterans and young players on our roster."
10:32am: The Wizards have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with point guard Jannero Pargo, according to agent Mark Bartelstein (Twitter link via Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports). The move comes on the heels of the team's announcement that John Wall would be out eight weeks with a patella injury, leaving Shelvin Mack and A.J. Price as the only point guards under contract to start the season.
We had heard late last week that Pargo was expecting to finalize a deal within the next few days, and I was surprised he remained on the market for this long. In part-time action for the Hawks last season, Pargo was an effective backup, ranking among the top scorers, shooters, and distributors on the free agent market when we checked in a month ago. His contract with the Wizards will include a partial guarantee, according to SI.com's Sam Amick (via Twitter).
With the addition of Pargo, the Wizards will have 19 players under contract for training camp. Mack and Pargo appear to each have partial guarantees on their deals, while Earl Barron, Brian Cook, Steven Gray, and Shavlik Randolph are on non-guaranteed contracts.
Suns Sign Ike Diogu
After we heard earlier today that the Suns had added a handful of players to their training camp roster, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic adds another name to the list. According to Coro, Ike Diogu will also be part of the team's camp roster and will compete for a regular-season roster spot.
Diogu, the ninth overall pick in 2005, has appeared in 225 games over his NBA career, averaging 6.0 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 12.4 MPG for the Warriors, Pacers, Blazers, Kings, Clippers, and Spurs. The former Arizona State star also played for Nigeria at this summer's Olympics, averaging 14.8 PPG and 9.0 RPG for his country.
The signing brings the Suns' roster count to 18 players, including six who are on non- or partially-guaranteed contracts, so Diogu should have a reasonable chance at earning a roster spot.
Pistons Sign Terrence Williams
OCTOBER 1ST: The Pistons have officially signed Williams, according to a team release.
SEPTEMBER 20TH: Free agent guard Terrence Williams, who spent time with the Rockets and Kings last season, has agreed on a contract to attend training camp with the Pistons, tweets Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski. The head coach of the Pistons is, of course, Lawrence Frank, who coached Williams when they crossed paths in New Jersey. Sam Amick of SI.com tweets that the deal will be a "conditional guarantee for one year minimum," meaning that the deal becomes for guaranteed dollars at a certain date.
Detroit worked out Williams last week, and he must have made an impression. After being traded to Sacramento last March, Williams received increased playing time and averaged 8.8 points over 18 games. It was the highest scoring average with one team in one season in his career. At age 25, and only three years removed from being the 11th overall pick, Williams will have to earn a roster spot if he wants to have a chance to fulfill his once-perceived potential.
Pistons Sign Jonny Flynn
OCTOBER 1ST: The Pistons have officially signed Flynn, according to a team release.
SEPTEMBER 23RD: The Pistons have agreed to sign former lottery pick point guard Jonny Flynn to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, reports CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes.
Flynn has disappointed with stops in Portland, Minnesota, and Houston, but he's only 23 years old and holds career averages of 9.2 PPG and 3.9 APG. Flynn heads to a Pistons team that appears to have its backcourt in order with Brandon Knight, Rodney Stuckey, Kim English, and Will Bynum.
Our own Luke Adams took a look at possible landing destinations for Flynn earlier this week, naming Detroit as one potential option.
Suns To Sign Zeller, Jeffers, Garrett
In addition to signing Solomon Jones for their training camp roster, the Suns will add a few more players to the mix to compete for a roster spot, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. According to Coro, Luke Zeller, Othyus Jeffers and Diante Garrett have also received training camp invites from the Suns.
Zeller, the older brother of Tyler Zeller and Cody Zeller, has played overseas and in the D-League since going undrafted out of Notre Dame in 2009. Coro views the big man's outside shooting ability as a skill that could give the 25-year-old a leg up on the battle for a roster spot.
Jeffers, 27, has appeared in 31 career NBA games for the Jazz, Spurs, and Wizards, and has exceled in the D-League in the past. He received a qualifying offer from the Wizards last offseason, but tore his ACL during July workouts, preventing his return to the NBA.
Garrett was ranked by ESPN.com's Chad Ford as the 61st-best player in the 2011 draft class, but went undrafted. The Suns have kept an eye on the point guard though, working him out prior to the 2011 draft, and giving him a spot on their summer league squad in Las Vegas this offseason.
With the new additions, the Suns are now carrying 17 players, though Channing Frye is expected to miss the entire season with a heart condition, leaving room for Zeller, Jeffers, and Garrett to compete for roster spots. Jones' and P.J. Tucker's contracts also aren't fully guaranteed, though I'd imagine they're stronger bets to make the team than the three new additions.
Trail Blazers Sign Coby Karl
The Trail Blazers have added another player to their training camp roster, officially signing Coby Karl, according to the team's official Twitter feed. The 29-year-old Karl is the son of Nuggets' coach George Karl.
Karl, who went undrafted out of Boise State in 2007, has appeared in just 24 total NBA games for the Lakers, Cavaliers, and Warriors. Since being waived by the Nuggets in August 2010, the 6'5" shooting guard has played overseas in Spain and Italy, and was also part of the Timberwolves' 2012 summer squad in Las Vegas.
The signing of Karl bring Portland's roster to 19 contracts, including at least four that are non-guaranteed. Adam Morrison, Dallas Lauderdale, Demonte Harper, and Karl appear to be the odd men out unless they make a significant impact in camp and preseason action. Sasha Pavlovic's contract is also believed not to be fully guaranteed.