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Pelicans Re-Sign Dante Cunningham

September 25th, 2017 at 8:21am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 25: The Pelicans have officially re-signed Cunningham, the team announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 19: Free agent forward Dante Cunningham has made a decision on where he’ll play in 2017/18, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who reports that Cunningham has agreed to re-sign with the Pelicans.

According to Charania, Cunningham will get a one-year, $2.3MM deal from New Orleans. The minimum salary for a player with Cunningham’s NBA experience is $2,106,470, so if his salary exceeds that, the Pelicans would have to use a different exception — they also wouldn’t get any help from the NBA to cover the full amount, like they would for a one-year, minimum salary deal.

Either way, Cunningham is set to return to the franchise with which he spent the last three seasons. In 2016/17, the 30-year-old forward averaged 6.6 PPG and 4.2 RPG in a rotation role for New Orleans, and also added a reliable three-point shot to his arsenal — Cunningham’s 1.1 3PG and .392 3PT% were both career highs by a wide margin.

While it looked initially like Cunningham’s improved outside shot might make him a more coveted target on the free agent market, he didn’t draw as much interest as expected. A handful of teams – including the Timberwolves, Bucks, and Raptors, per Charania – were said to be in the running for him, but his new 2017/18 salary will be worth less than the $3.1MM player option he turned down in June.

Still, the Pelicans are likely happy to get Cunningham back at a reduced rate, particularly with Solomon Hill expected to miss a significant portion of the 2017/18 season with a torn hamstring. While New Orleans has an All-NBA caliber duo up front in Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, the club doesn’t have a ton of depth at forward and could use more shooting help. Cunningham’s ability to play at both forward spots and his improved three-point shot should be valuable.

Once they finalize their reported agreements with Cunningham and Martell Webster, the Pelicans will have 19 players under contract. Cunningham’s deal would represent the club’s 14th fully guaranteed salary.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sixers Sign Emeka Okafor

September 25th, 2017 at 8:06am CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have finalized their 20-man roster for training camp, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed veteran center Emeka Okafor to fill their final roster spot. The club also confirmed that Kris Humphries, whose deal with Philadelphia was previously reported, is now formally under contract as well.

Okafor, who will turn 35 later this week, last played in the NBA during the 2012/13 campaign, making 77 starts at center for the Wizards that season. However, injury issues – including a herniated disc in the big man’s neck – derailed Okafor’s career. The former second overall pick indicated earlier this summer that he had been medically cleared and hoped to make it back to the NBA.

While Okafor will attend training camp with the Sixers, it remains to be seen if the club will represent his path back to a spot on a regular season roster. Philadelphia only has 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, but Robert Covington, Richaun Holmes, and T.J. McConnell all seem likely to make the 15-man squad on non-guaranteed deals. Even if the 76ers were to waive or trade one of their top 15 players, Okafor would still have to beat out other camp invitees, including Humphries.

Still, it’s good to see the former UConn standout get another shot. In 590 career regular season contests in Charlotte, New Orleans, and Washington, Okafor has nearly averaged a double-double, with 12.3 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 1.7 BPG.

Okafor is a distant cousin of current Sixers big man Jahlil Okafor.

Sixers Sign Kris Humphries

September 25th, 2017 at 8:04am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 25: Humphries has officially signed with the Sixers, the team announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 22: Free agent big man Kris Humphries is planning to sign a contract for training camp with the Sixers, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical. It will be a non-guaranteed deal, league sources tell Charania.

Humphries, one of the more notable veterans remaining on the free agent market, spent the 2016/17 season with the Hawks, appearing in 56 regular season contests and averaging 4.6 PPG and 3.7 RPG in a limited role (12.3 MPG) with the club.

The 32-year-old now has 13 years of NBA experience under his belt, having played for the Jazz, Raptors, Mavericks, Nets, Celtics, Wizards, Suns, and Hawks since entering the league as a lottery pick in 2004.

As I noted earlier today in our story about Jacob Pullen‘s deal with the Sixers, a regular season roster spot may be hard to come by in Philadelphia this fall, with 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts and Robert Covington, Richaun Holmes, and T.J. McConnell the frontrunners for the final three spots.

Still, it’s possible that the Sixers will waive or trade a player to create an opening before the regular season begins. Charania suggests that – after a pair of strong workouts for the 76ers – Humphries will have an opportunity to make the club’s opening night roster.

Once they finalize the signing of Humphries, the Sixers will be up to 19 players, including 18 on NBA contracts and one on a two-way deal.

Nets Sign Akil Mitchell

September 24th, 2017 at 6:18pm CST by Austin Kent

The Nets have signed Akil Mitchell, the team announced on Twitter, bringing their training camp roster up to 20 players.

The forward went undrafted out of Virginia in 2014 and has bounced around the G League and international scene ever since.

Mitchell will break camp with a Nets team that boasts a number of serviceable options at the four but few outside of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to write home about.

This isn’t Mitchell’s first exposure to the Nets franchise, he suited up for the club’s Summer League squad in 2015 and was acquired by the club’s G League affiliate last February.

Bucks, Gerald Green Sign Deal

September 24th, 2017 at 6:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Sep. 24: The Bucks officially announced having signed Green to a training camp deal in a press release on their website.

Sep. 22: With training camps set to begin, teams around the NBA continue to fill up their preseason rosters, and the Bucks are the latest club to agree to terms with a veteran free agent. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, Milwaukee has reached a deal to sign swingman Gerald Green.

Charania reports that Green’s new contract with Milwaukee will be non-guaranteed, but will give him the chance to compete for a spot on the club’s 15-man roster. The Bucks are currently carrying 14 players on guaranteed contracts, meaning Green may have to beat out all the team’s non-guaranteed invitees – including Brandon Rush, Kendall Marshall, and James Young – to earn that final roster spot.

Green, 31, appeared in 47 games for the Celtics last season, averaging 5.6 PPG with a shooting line of .409/.351/.805 in 11.4 minutes per contest. Those numbers represented a step down from Green’s career averages — as recently as 2013/14, he was a regular in Phoenix, averaging 15.8 PPG and shooting 40.0% on three-point attempts.

The Bucks entered the day with 19 players under contract after waiving Bronson Koenig on Thursday, so once they officially sign Green, they’ll be back at their offseason roster limit.

Bucks Sign Joel Anthony

September 24th, 2017 at 5:55pm CST by Austin Kent

The Bucks have signed veteran big man Joel Anthony to a training camp deal, the team announced in a press release on its website. The 35-year-old veteran finished the 2016/17 campaign with the Spurs but didn’t see much action.

It’s unclear whether or not the 11-year veteran will stick with the young Bucks’ roster considering that they already have Thon Maker, Greg Monroe and John Henson capable of playing the five.

Regardless of Milwaukee’s crowded depth chart, Anthony’s most significant contributions are of the intangible variety. The center has managed to keep signing with new franchises despite having played fewer than 10.0 minutes per game each season since back in 2011/12.

Alex Len Signs Qualifying Offer With Suns

September 24th, 2017 at 1:37pm CST by marksuleymanov

Alex Len has signed a one-year, $4.2MM qualifying offer to return to the Suns, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical. Len, a restricted free agent, will delay unrestricted free agency until 2018 by returning to Phoenix via the qualifying offer.

Len, 24, enjoyed another productive season off the Suns’ bench in 2016/17, averaging 8.0 PPG and 6.6 RPG in 77 games (34 starts). The 7’1″ center and his representation discussed several sign-and-trade scenarios but none panned out, according to Charania’s report.

The former fifth overall pick from the 2013 draft has spent all four of his NBA seasons in Phoenix. For his career, Len has averaged 6.9 PPG and 6.2 RPG in 266 games.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported on Thursday that Len intended to sign his qualifying offer and return to Phoenix for at least one more season. For more details on the Suns center and his free agency decision, be sure to check out our initial story from Thursday.

Thunder To Sign Isaiah Canaan To Camp Deal

September 24th, 2017 at 12:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent guard Isaiah Canaan will sign a non-guaranteed deal with the Thunder, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical.

Canaan has been searching for a team all summer after being waived by the Bulls at the end of June before his $200K guarantee for the upcoming season kicked in. The 26-year-old guard got into 39 games for Chicago last season, averaging 4.6 points in about 15 minutes per night.

If he earns a roster spot, Oklahoma City will be his fourth NBA team. He has also played for the Rockets and Sixers during his first four years in the league.

Canaan’s signing comes a day after Trey Burke agreed to a deal with the Thunder, then reconsidered and decided to seek a different opportunity. OKC has been looking for a veteran point guard to back up Russell Westbrook.

Thunder To Sign Trey Burke

September 23rd, 2017 at 3:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

[UPDATE: Burke has reportedly backed out of a potential deal with the Thunder. Read the full story here.]

The Thunder are putting the finishing touches on a deal with free agent point guard Trey Burke, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical.

The 24-year-old has been looking for an opportunity since the Wizards refused to extend him a qualifying offer after the end of last season. Burke spent one year in Washington after being acquired in a trade with the Jazz, averaging 5.0 points and 1.8 assists in 57 games. He was the primary backup to John Wall for much of the season, but fell out of the rotation after Washington signed Brandon Jennings in February.

Burke attended a workout for the Timberwolves earlier this month and a free agent mini-camp with the Bucks in late August. He received interest from the Knicks as well.

If Burke makes the Oklahoma City roster, he will compete with newly signed Raymond Felton to be a veteran backup to Russell Westbrook.

Knicks To Waive Chasson Randle

September 23rd, 2017 at 1:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks will waive guard Chasson Randle to create a roster opening for the Carmelo Anthony trade to be completed, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical.

New York was at the roster limit of 20 players before agreeing this afternoon to send Anthony to Oklahoma City in exchange for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a draft pick. The Knicks had five non-guaranteed contracts heading into camp and elected to part with Randle.

Parting with Randle won’t cost the Knicks anything, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. The 24-year-old would have been guaranteed $50K if he had remained on the roster through Tuesday.

Randle played for the Knicks and Sixers last season and spent significant time in the G League. He was waived by New York before the season started, then signed two 10-day deals with Philadelphia in January, followed by a long-term contract. However, he was waived less than a month later after appearing in just eight games.

Randle signed with the Knicks in late February and got into 18 games, averaging 5.3 points in 12.5 minutes per night.