Pacers Sign Blake Ahearn
11:06am: Ahearn's deal is partially guaranteed, according to Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype.
10:39am: The Pacers and free agent guard Blake Ahearn have agreed to a deal, a source told HoopsHype (via Twitter). The sharpshooter finished the 2011/12 season with the Jazz on a pair of consecutive ten-day contracts.
The 27-year-old was the D-League's top scorer last season, averaging 23.8 PPG and 5.1 APG in 37 games for the Reno Bighorns. Ahearn saw 30 minutes of play for the Jazz across four games last season, his first NBA action since suiting up for the Spurs in 2008/09. The 6'3" guard is known mostly for his outside shooting which was on display in the D-League last season as he shot 40% from downtown.
Hilton Armstrong Signs With Panathinaikos
FRIDAY, 7:56am: Armstrong has officially signed with Panathinaikos for the upcoming season, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
THURSDAY, 8:42am: Despite working out for the Nets yesterday, it doesn't appear Hilton Armstrong will be returning to the NBA for the 2012/13 season. The 27-year-old big man announced this morning on his Twitter account that he'll be signing with Greek team Panathinaikos for the upcoming year (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).
Armstrong, the 12th overall pick in the 2006 draft, played 277 NBA games from 2006 to 2011, seeing regular-season action with the Hornets, Kings, Rockets, Wizards, and Hawks. However, he didn't catch on with an NBA team after the lockout, having signed in France last summer.
We heard just yesterday that Panathinaikos had interest in signing Armstrong. The Greek squad was also said to be eyeing Louis Amundson, but the former Pacer appeared confident that he'd receive a satisfactory offer from an NBA team, so it's no surprise Panathinaikos shifted its interest to Armstrong.
Luther Head Opts Out Of Agreement In Israel
FRIDAY, 7:54am: Head has unexpectedly opted out of his agreement with Hapoel Holon, according to David Pick (via Twitter). The former Illinois star will return to the open market, though it's unlikely he finds his way back to the NBA.
MONDAY, 8:43am: Former NBA first-round pick Luther Head has officially signed overseas with Hapoel Holon, according to the Israeli Basketball League (Twitter link). David Pick of Sportando first reported that Head had agreed to terms with the Israeli team.
According to Pick, Head received several offers from Chinese clubs, worth up to $500K, but eventually turned down larger offers and agreed to a one-year deal with Hapoel Holon. Pick hears from a source that Head's decision was influenced by his good friend Will Bynum, who played in Israel earlier in his career.
The 29-year-old Head was selected 24th overall by the Rockets in the 2005 draft, and has appeared in 348 games in six NBA seasons, for Houston, Miami, Indiana, and Sacramento. The former University of Illinois star, who last played in the NBA during the 2010/11 season, has career averages of 8.2 PPG and 12.3 PER.
Donte Greene’s Deal With Nets On Hold
6:45pm: Luchey says he expects Greene to become a Net, but just when that happens depends on the results of an MRI on Greene's ankle, reports Fred Kerber of the New York Post.
AUGUST 29TH, 4:12pm: Agent Chris Luchey tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that Greene suffered an ankle fracture while working out in Charlotte over the weekend (Twitter link). Greene's deal with the Nets is now on hold as he awaits surgery on the ankle, Luchey adds (Twitter link). The forward is still hopeful of signing with the Nets after it's determined how much time he'll miss (Twitter link).
AUGUST 23RD, 1:09pm: The deal is non-guaranteed and is just an invitation to camp, tweets Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld. Still, Greene appears to have a decent chance of making the opening-night roster, as Sam Amick of SI.com hears the Nets have "high hopes" for him (Sulia link).
11:17am: The Nets have reached an agreement in principle with unrestricted free agent Donte Greene, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). With no cap space or exceptions available, the Nets figure to sign Greene for the minimum salary, which would be about $915K for the former King.
A first round pick in 2008, Greene started 50 games in 2009/10 for the Kings, but has seen his minutes decline each year since then. This past season, he averaged just 5.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per game for Sacramento, though he did record a career-high 11.8 PER. The Kings elected not to extend the 6'11" forward a qualifying offer back in June, which made him an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Earlier in August, Greene indicated that he was likely to sign with the Knicks, Pacers, or Bulls, so his decision to head to Brooklyn is a little unexpected. The 24-year-old will add more depth to a Nets' frontcourt that includes Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, Mirza Teletovic, and Reggie Evans.
International Moves: Songaila, Woods, Armstrong
Many of the overseas leagues begin their seasons about a month earlier than the NBA does, meaning international training camps are getting under way. Some of the player movement involves guys with NBA ties, and we'll round up all today's international news here, with the latest on top:
- Darius Songaila has signed with BC Donetsk in the Ukraine, according to the team website (translation via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Songaila, an eight-year NBA veteran, had expressed an interest in returning to the NBA after a strong performance with the Lithuanian Olympic team, but he apparently won't be coming back this year.
- Former first-round draft pick Qyntel Woods confirmed via Twitter that he's heading to Lagun Aro of Spain, Carchia reports. Woods was taken 21st overall by the Blazers in 2002, and spent parts of four seasons in the NBA with Portland, the Heat and the Knicks.
- Hilton Armstrong wants to return to the NBA, but is drawing interest from Panathinaikos of Greece, a source tells Carchia. The 12th overall pick in the 2006 draft by the Hornets, Armstrong hasn't played in the NBA since a 12-game stint with the Hawks in 2010/11.
- We heard last night that guard Sergio Llull is content to remain with Real Madrid in Spain, and the Spanish website Marca.com reports the team has offered him a six-year contract with an option for a seventh season (translation via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). It's not clear whether the contract would include a clause that would allow him to sign at any point with the Rockets, who hold his NBA rights.
Wizards Sign Martell Webster
AUGUST 29, 11:01am: The Wizards have confirmed the signing via the team's website. Webster's addition brings the roster to 14 players.
AUGUST 23, 8:08pm: A source has told SI.com's Sam Amick that Webster's contract would be for one year and $1.6MM. (Twitter link)
6:51pm: The Wizards have signed free agent forward Martell Webster, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Webster was waived by the Timberwolves earlier this summer and auditioned for Washington earlier this week. In seven NBA seasons, Webster has averaged just 8.4 PPG in 394 career contests for the Trail Blazers and Timberwolves.
As our Luke Adams wrote yesterday, Webster is still just 25 years old and could really help Washington's depth at shooting guard and small forward. The Wizards still have their entire $5MM mid-level exception, but it's unlikely they use it all with this signing.
Rockets Waive Sean Williams
The Rockets have waived center Sean Williams, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Houston acquired Williams in the three-team Courtney Lee sign-and-trade deal last month.
Houston formally made the move on Monday in advance of August 30th, when his $916K salary would have become guaranteed for next season. Stein notes (via Twitter) that the Heat have expressed interest in Williams in the past and are likely to consider him again as they are in the market for bigs.
Williams, 25, fell to the Nets in the 2007 draft and was tabbed with the 17th overall selection. The shot blocking specialist was considered to be a lottery-level talent but had a number of red flags surrounding him which led to his dismissal from the Boston College basketball program. Williams has since played in China, Puerto Rico, Israel, and the D-League before having cups of coffee with the Mavericks and Celtics.
Shelden Williams Signs With Elan Chalon
French team Elan Chalon announced that it has signed forward Shelden Williams, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter). Williams did not land with an NBA team this offseason, despite being one of the top rebounders remaining on the open market.
The big man hooked on with the Nets just prior to the 2011/12 season and wound up starting 35 games in place of Brook Lopez, who missed the bulk of the year. Williams averaged 4.6 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 22 minutes per contest, forming a strong rebounding frontcourt alongside Kris Humphries. The former fifth-overall pick in the 2006 draft has spent time with seven NBA teams across six seasons.
Hawks To Sign James Anderson
On Friday night, Danny Green tweeted congratulations to former Spurs teammate James Anderson on his "new deal with Atlanta." According to Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Hawks have indeed invited Anderson to join the team's camp, as confirmed by GM Danny Ferry. Based on Green's tweet, it seems Anderson has accepted the offer.
According to Cunningham, Anderson is likely to be signed to a summer contract, and figures to receive a non-guaranteed deal for 2012/13 with a strong camp. Anderson's numbers in his two seasons with San Antonio were hardly eye-opening (3.7 PPG in 11.5 MPG in 77 contests), but the 6'6" wing was a standout scorer at Oklahoma State, and is still just 23 years old. If his contract with Atlanta is non-guaranteed and for the minimum salary, it could be a nice bargain for Ferry and the Hawks.
Even after adding Anderson, the Hawks will still have room to add at least one more player before camp begins. Assuming Anderson and second-round pick Mike Scott, whose signing has yet to be announced, are on board, Atlanta would have 14 players under contract.
Eduardo Najera Retires, Will Coach In D-League
FRIDAY, 10:20am: Najera was introduced today as the new Legends' head coach, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. According to Legends owner and Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson, Najera will assist him in making basketball decisions for the Mavs, tweets Sneed.
THURSDAY, 10:52am: The Legends will introduce Najera at a press conference tomorrow morning, according to a team release. Team owner Donnie Nelson and GM Del Harris will be on hand.
TUESDAY, 2:29pm: Eduardo Najera is ending his NBA playing career, retiring to become a head coach in the D-League, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. According to Stein, Najera will become the coach and part-owner of the Texas Legends, the Mavericks' D-League affiliate. Del Harris, who had been coaching the Legends, will transition back into his original role as the team's general manager and will mentor Najera, who has no previous coaching appearance, says Stein.
Najera, 36, played 12 seasons in the NBA, averaging 4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per game over the course of 619 career contests. A good chunk of those games, plus all 59 of his postseason contests, came with the Nuggets and Mavericks, though the forward also spent time with the Warriors, Nets, and Bobcats. According to Basketball-Reference, Najera earned over $36MM during his playing career.
Peter Vecsey of the New York Post reported earlier this month that Najera was planning to retire to coach in the D-League.