Grizzlies Sign Lester Hudson
FRIDAY, 3:07pm: The Grizzlies announced the Hudson signing today in a press release. He'll take up the 15th spot on Memphis' roster.
THURSDAY, 10:26pm: Lester Hudson has a verbal agreement to join the Grizzlies for the rest of this season, according to The Commercial Appeal's Ronald Tillery. With Gilbert Arenas recovering from a torn ligament on his shooting hand, the Grizzlies decided to bring Hudson on as for backcourt insurance as the team heads into the playoffs. Hudson, whose most recent 10-day contract expired, is eligible to play in the postseason because he was not waived by the Cavaliers.
This is the 27-year-old Memphis natives second stint with the Grizzlies. Two years ago he appeared in nine games with the team, averaging 4.0 PPG. After Cleveland failed to extend him an offer to sign for the rest of the season, Hudson decided to part ways with the team earlier today.
Nets Re-Sign Armon Johnson
The Nets have re-signed Armon Johnson for the rest of the season following the expiration of his 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.
After appearing in just a single game for the Blazers earlier this season, Johnson was waived to clear a spot on the roster for Joel Przybilla. The 23-year-old guard has received a shot at more playing time with the Nets, averaging 4.4 PPG on 58.8% shooting in five contests (8.8 MPG).
As our 10-day contract tracker shows, Johnson joins Gerald Green as the only other Net to be signed to a rest-of-season deal following a 10-day contract this year. New Jersey has signed a total of five players to at least one 10-day deal.
Hornets Sign Darryl Watkins, Waive Chris Johnson
The Hornets have signed Darryl Watkins to a 10-day contract and waived Chris Johnson, according to Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com (via Twitter). John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported earlier today that the injury-ravaged Hornets were expected to replace Johnson with another big man.
Watkins, 27, only played nine regular-season games in his NBA career, way back in the 2007/08 season with the Kings. He has received training-camp invites from a few teams, including the Hornets in 2010. In recent seasons, Watkins has played in the D-League and in various leagues overseas. With less than 10 days remaining in the regular season, The Syracuse product will be eligible for the rest of the Hornets' games, with Chris Kaman and Emeka Okafor out of the lineup with injuries.
Johnson was released by the Trail Blazers along with Greg Oden at the trade deadline to make room for Portland's incoming players. The Hornets claimed Johnson off waivers, but the big man appeared in just seven games for New Orleans before suffering a concussion on April 1st. He hasn't played since.
As Hoops Rumors' 10-day contract tracker shows, Watkins is the sixth player to receive at least one 10-day contract from the Hornets this season.
Minor Moves: Luke Harangody, Jerome Jordan
We'll track the latest notable international and D-League-related transactions right here:
- Luke Harangody has been recalled from the D-League's Canton Charge, the Cavaliers announced today. Harangody was assigned to Canton on the weekend and helped lead the team to its first-ever playoff series victory. However, with the Cavs in need of healthy bodies, Harangody won't be on hand to help the Charge continue their postseason run. Having been assigned to the D-League the maximum three times already this season, the 24-year-old can't be sent down again.
- According to RealGM's transactions log, Jerome Jordan has also been recalled from the D-League, by the Knicks. New York's affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, were eliminated from the D-League playoffs on Monday, in spite of Jordan's 26 points.
Raptors Re-Sign Ben Uzoh, Alan Anderson
The Raptors have officially re-signed Ben Uzoh and Alan Anderson, according to a team press release. Both players saw their second 10-day contracts expire today, so their new deals will keep them with the team for the remainder of the season.
With a number of Raptors regulars missing time with injuries, both Uzoh and Anderson have entered the starting lineup, with Anderson starting the seven games and Uzoh starting the last two. Overall, Anderson, who I named one of the best 10-day signings of 2012, is averaging 8.4 points and 1.4 threes in 22.4 minutes per game. Uzoh has averages of 4.1 PPG, 2.8 APG, and 2.6 RPG in 11 contests with Toronto.
As our 10-day contract tracker shows, Justin Dentmon also had his deal with Toronto expire today, but the team chose not to bring him back. The series of moves leaves the Raptors with 14 players on their roster.
Wizards Sign Morris Almond
3:03pm: The Wizards officially announced the signing of Almond this afternoon in a press release.
10:59am: Following the release of Roger Mason Jr., the Wizards will sign Morris Almond from the D-League, according to Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside. Almond spent most of the season for the Maine Red Claws, who failed to qualify for the D-League playoffs last week.
In 29 D-League games this season, Almond averaged 23.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, along with shooting percentages of .543/.464/.794. The 27-year-old was a former first-round pick by the Jazz, but appeared in only 34 games for Utah from 2007 to 2009.
Since the Wizards re-signed James Singleton, this move will give the team a full roster of 15 players.
Wizards Waive Roger Mason
MONDAY, 3:02pm: The Wizards have officially waived Mason, the team announced today.
SUNDAY, 7:22pm: Michael Lee of the Washington Post tweets that the Wizards plan to add another player to reinforce their lack of depth in the back court.
2:13pm: In a tweet from Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears, Wizards guard Roger Mason Jr. will have season ending finger surgery on Monday, and because of it, the team will waive him.
The 31-year-old guard signed as a free agent with the team last December, and is averaging 5.5 PPG in 52 games this season. With his contract scheduled to come off the books after this season, it's his third straight year with a field goal percentage below 40%.
Warriors Sign Mikki Moore
The Warriors have officially signed Mikki Moore, the team announced today. Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside reported on Saturday that Golden State was looking into calling up Moore.
Moore, 36, played in 24 games for the D-League's Idaho Stampede this season, averaging 11.7 points and 7.8 rebounds in 28.0 minutes per contest. The seven-footer has played in 557 career NBA games over the course of 12 seasons, but hasn't played in the Association since December 2009, with Golden State.
The Warriors had an extra roster spot, so they won't need to make a corresponding move.
Wizards Sign James Singleton
In a tweet by Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, the Wizards will sign James Singleton for the rest of the season.
Singleton had signed a 10-day contract with Washington on April 5. Since then, the 30-year-old forward has put up double figure scoring in four of his last six games, including a 12 point and eight rebound performance in a win against the Magic last Tuesday. This should be a great opportunity for James to showcase himself, as he has averaged 24.8 minutes under Randy Wittman since joining the club.
Odds & Ends: Boykins, Sixers, Frank, Heat
Let's catch up on the latest news and happenings from around the league as Sunday's afternoon action gets underway…
- Mark Berman of FOX 26 Sports reports the Rockets have signed Earl Boykins for the remainder of the season.
- The Sixers have reached the do-or-die moment of the season where they are fighting for their playoff lives, writes John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press says Pistons head coach Lawrence Frank is excited for his young players to have the opportunity to further their leadership skills during the NBA Summer League.
- Changes may be coming for the Heat depending on how the team does during the playoffs, suggests Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- According to an official press release from the Cavs, the team has assigned Luke Harangody to the Canton Charge of the D-League after appearing in Saturday night's victory over the Wizards.
- There was no way NBA commissioner David Stern was going to let the city of New Orleans lose another professional basketball team, writes Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune.
- Frank DiGiacomo of the New York Daily News says Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov fully supports forward Kris Humphries as the Russian billionaire ripped rapper Kanye West for stating in a song that he could get Nets minority owner Jay-Z to cut Humphries from the team.