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Jazz Sign, Waive Kendall Pollard

October 14th, 2017 at 12:03pm CST by Austin Kent

OCTOBER 14: Less than 24 hours after signing him, the Jazz have waived Pollard, the team announced in a press release. Utah is now in position to make Pollard an affiliate player for the Salt Lake City Stars, the club’s G League squad.

OCTOBER 13: The Jazz have signed forward Kendall Pollard, Matt Sanchez of the team’s official site writes. The 22-year-old Dayton product went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft.

The signing brings Utah’s roster count up to 20 players, 15 of whom are already on guaranteed contracts. The franchise likely signed the free agent with the intention of waiving him to make him an affiliate player for their G League squad.

Cavaliers Cut Kendrick Perkins, Isaac Hamilton

October 14th, 2017 at 11:42am CST by marksuleymanov

The Cavaliers have waived veteran center Kendrick Perkins, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Perkins, 32, showed up to training camp in great shape, appearing in three preseason games with Cleveland. He racked up 12 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in 25 total minutes played.

Perkins — who missed the 2016/17 season — tells Wojnarowski that he wants to continue playing but will consider coaching if he decides to retire (via Twitter). Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters, including Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon, that the organization has discussed bringing Perkins to the coaching staff if he cannot find an on-court role.

“We’ve already talked about that,” Lue said. “I think Perk was great because he holds everybody accountable. He plays the right way, tries to do the right thing every single day.”

Perkins started his career in 2004 with the Celtics and proceeded to spend parts of the following eight seasons in Boston. The 6’10”, 270-pound Perkins was a key player on the Celtics’ 2008 NBA championship team. After he was traded from Boston, Perkins spent parts of five seasons with the Thunder and, in recent years, made cameos with the Cavaliers and Pelicans. For his career, Perkins boasts averages of 5.4 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 781 career games.

“I definitely want to coach when I hang them up,” Perkins said this week, per Cleveland.com. “Right now my mind is on trying to play. Not only can I be a voice in the locker room, but I feel I can go out and contribute 8-to-12 minutes a night.”

The Cavaliers also waived Isaac Hamilton, ensuring that the roster is ready to go for the regular season. Hamilton is a good bet to join the franchise’s G League affiliate, the Canton Charge.

Hawks Exercise Options On DeAndre’ Bembry, Taurean Prince

October 14th, 2017 at 11:24am CST by marksuleymanov

The Hawks have exercised third-year (2018/19) options on both DeAndre’ Bembry and Taurean Prince, the team announced in a press release. Atlanta faced an October 31 deadline for picking up their options beyond this coming season, and Bembry ($1,634,640) and Price ($2,526,840) will return at team-friendly prices.

Bembry, 23, averaged 2.7 PPG and 1.6 RPG in just under 10 minutes per game last season. The Hawks’ first-round pick (21st overall) was effective during the NBA Summer League where he posted 17.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 3.3 APG in 26.3 minutes per contest.

Prince, 23, a former 12th overall pick by the Jazz, was acquired by Atlanta from Utah in a three-team trade that sent Jeff Teague to the Pacers. In his rookie campaign, he posted in 5.7 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 16.6 minutes. Prince’s season concluded with six starts in Atlanta’s first-round playoff series against the Wizards. He averaged 11.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 1.3 APG during the postseason.

For all of this year’s decisions on 2018/19 rookie scale options, be sure to check out our tracker.

Sixers Sign Three Players, Retain Jacob Pullen On Two-Way Deal

October 14th, 2017 at 11:10am CST by Luke Adams

11:10am: The Sixers have officially confirmed that they’ve converted Pullen’s NBA deal into a two-way contract. The team also announced in a press release that it has signed Andrew Andrews, James Webb III, and Loving. All three players will likely be waived soon and land with the Delaware 87ers in the G League.

9:47am: The Sixers will sign former Ohio State forward Marc Loving, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). With the regular season around the corner, Loving seems unlikely to spend much time on Philadelphia’s roster — he’ll likely be waived and then join the Sixers’ G League team as an affiliate player.

Loving, a 6’7″ forward, averaged 12.3 PPG and 4.7 RPG for the Buckeyes last season, adding 1.8 three-pointers per game at a 38.2% success rate.

In a separate roster move, the Sixers intend to convert Jacob Pullen‘s NBA contract into a two-way deal, a source tells Derek Bodner of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Bodner, the guard’s original contract with Philadelphia included an Exhibit 10 clause, allowing the team to turn it into a two-way contract before the regular season begins.

Pullen will join former Warriors forward James McAdoo as the two-way players under contract with the Sixers.

Assuming the Sixers waive Loving shortly after signing him and formally convert Pullen’s contract to a two-way deal, the team should be set for the regular season, having reportedly waived three other players as well.

Sixers Waive Kris Humphries, Two Others

October 14th, 2017 at 11:09am CST by Austin Kent

OCTOBER 14: The Sixers have officially waived Humphries, Okafor, and Blackmon, the team announced today in a press release.

OCTOBER 13: The Sixers have released a pair of veteran big men hoping to extend their NBA careers, as well as an undrafted rookie. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that the team has informed Kris Humphries, Emeka Okafor and James Blackmon that they will not remain with the club.

Humphries, a 32-year-old veteran of 11 NBA seasons, last played for the Hawks in 2016/17 and could still plausibly end up on yet another NBA roster before the season is through.

Okafor, a distant cousin of Philadelphia backup center Jahlil Okafor, was hoping to return to the court for the first time since 2012/13 at 35 years of age.

While the veterans will likely seek NBA opportunities elsewhere, Blackmon could end up with the team’s G League squad as an affiliate player. The guard strung together three impressive seasons at Indiana before declaring for the draft as an early entrant.

Hawks Waive Richard Jefferson, Kay Felder

October 14th, 2017 at 11:05am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have officially requested waivers on Richard Jefferson and Kay Felder, the team announced today in a press release. Atlanta had formally confirmed their trade for Jefferson and Felder about an hour ago, so the duo’s stint with the team was very short-lived, as expected.

The Cavaliers sent Jefferson and Felder to the Hawks in order to clear a pair of contracts – one fully guaranteed and one partially guaranteed – from their books. The deal will help reduce Cleveland’s projected tax bill and gets the team’s roster in order for the start of the regular season.

From the Hawks’ perspective, the move essentially allowed the team to acquire 2019 second-round pick for free, since the Cavs sent enough cash ($3MM) to cover Jefferson’s salary and Felder’s guarantee. Jefferson’s $2.5MM salary and Felder’s $457K guarantee will remain on Atlanta’s cap for this season, reducing the team’s available cap room.

Jefferson and Felder will clear waivers on Monday, assuming they’re not claimed by another team. It will be interesting to see where each player lands, since Jefferson wants to continue his career and Felder has some appeal as a young prospect.

According to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net (Twitter link), Jefferson is drawing interest from some non-contending teams, and the Celtics could be a possibility for him too. The veteran forward isn’t eligible to re-sign with the Cavs at any point this season.

Grizzlies Waive Durand Scott

October 14th, 2017 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have moved a step closer toward finalizing their regular season roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived Durand Scott. The 27-year-old guard initially joined the Memphis roster last week, and may ultimately land with the Memphis Hustle, the team’s G League affiliate.

Scott’s release had been expected, but the Grizzlies will now face some difficult decisions as they look to get down to 15 players for the regular season. With Scott no longer in the mix, the club is carrying 19 players in total — 17 on NBA deals and two on two-way contracts.

Of the Grizzlies’ 17 NBA players, only one has a non-guaranteed contract, and that player – Mario Chalmers – looks like a strong candidate to make the team’s 15-man squad. That would mean trading or waiving two players with fully guaranteed salaries. Jarell Martin appears to be on the chopping block, and a point guard like Andrew Harrison or Wade Baldwin could join him if Chalmers sticks around.

Cavs Trade Richard Jefferson, Kay Felder To Hawks

October 14th, 2017 at 9:50am CST by Austin Kent

OCTOBER 14, 9:50am: The trade is now official, according to a press release issued by the Hawks. As detailed below, Atlanta receives Jefferson, Felder, cash ($3MM), and second-round picks in 2019 and 2020 in exchange for the rights to Agravanis and Gladyr.

Interestingly, the 2020 second-rounder is Portland’s pick. The protection on that selection is 31-55, meaning there’s a good chance it won’t actually change hands.

OCTOBER 13, 5:37pm: A Wojnarowski report at ESPN clarifies that the 2019 pick heading to Atlanta will be the lesser of the Timberwolves’ and Lakers’ picks that had been owed to Cleveland.

The Hawks will also receive $3MM in the deal, which is agreed upon in principle. That cash will cover Jefferson’s full salary and Felder’s partial guarantee.

4:57pm: The Cavaliers and Hawks are in advanced talks on a deal that would send Richard Jefferson and Kay Felder to Atlanta, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports.

Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, also involved in the deal will be the draft rights to a European player (Cleveland-bound), a pair of future second-round picks (Atlanta-bound) and cash (also heading to Atlanta).

Although the deal has not been finalized, Sam Amick of USA Today has tweeted that it will be Dimitrios Agravanis and Sergiy Gladyr in particular that will be heading to Ohio. Agravanis was the No. 59 pick in 2015, Gladyr the No. 49 pick in 2009.

Amick also tweets that the second-round picks going from Cleveland to Atlanta will be a 2019 pick and a 2020 pick. The Cavs have previously traded their own second-rounders in both years, but have acquired extra picks that they’ll use in this deal.

Per Wojnarowski, the Hawks plan to waive Jefferson and likely Felder too. Chris Mannix of The Vertical tweets that Jefferson has no plans to retire, but the 37-year-old will be ineligible to re-sign with Cleveland this season if he’s waived by Atlanta.

The Cavs have been hard-pressed to unload a guaranteed contract ever since they signed Dwyane Wade after his buyout from the Bulls. Shedding both Jefferson and Felder will bump the team down to 15 guaranteed deals and, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN, save the franchise as much as $12.8MM in luxury tax penalties.

Also, as Marks notes, the deal will create a pair of trade exceptions for Cleveland, one worth $2.6MM and another worth $1.4MM.

The Hawks can get to $4.9MM under the cap, enough to eat both Jefferson and Felder’s deals. While the two are signed to modest contracts, they both include guarantees — Jefferson’s is a full guarantee, while Felder’s is only partial.

In summary, Atlanta took advantage of available cap space and managed to procure a pair of second-round picks simply by eating two relatively minor contracts. Those additional draft choices will bode the franchise well as it embarks on its rebuild.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Warriors Waive Georges Niang, Michael Gbinije

October 14th, 2017 at 9:16am CST by marksuleymanov

The Warriors have waived guard Georges Niang and forward Michael Gbinije, the team announced in a press release. Both men were second-round picks in last year’s NBA draft.

Niang, 24, played in four preseason games, averaging 4.0 PPG in 9.8 minutes per game. Gbinije, 25, also appeared in four games, averaging 3.3 PPG in 7.5 minutes per contest.

Niang, who was drafted by the Pacers last year, latched on with Golden State on a one-year pact in mid-August. Gbinije, last year’s 49th overall pick by the Pistons, signed his deal in early September.

Both Niang and Gbinije are candidates to land with the Warriors’ G League affiliate Santa Cruz Warriors. After waiving Trevor Thompson yesterday, the Warriors have 15 players on their NBA roster.

Knicks Waive Trey Burke, Two Others

October 14th, 2017 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have announced three roster cuts, confirming today in a press release that they’ve waived point guard Trey Burke, guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes, and forward Nigel Hayes.

Burke is the most noteworthy player of the group. The former ninth overall pick signed a contract with the Knicks earlier this week, and given the team’s uncertain point guard picture, it looked like there may be an opportunity for him to sneak onto the regular season roster. That won’t happen after all.

Rathan-Mayes and Hayes look like good bets to land with the Westchester Knicks as G League affiliate players. Burke could also end up in the G League, though he’ll likely exhaust his NBA opportunities first, and overseas league may be an option for the former Michigan standout too.

As for the Knicks, they’re still carrying 16 players on their NBA roster, but don’t necessarily need to make any additional cuts before the season begins. Joakim Noah is in the midst of serving a 20-game ban and will open the year on the suspended list, giving the Knicks the chance to add a 16th player until Noah returns. Jarrett Jack – the only non-guaranteed player left on the roster – appears to be the beneficiary.