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Trail Blazers Trade Mason Plumlee For Jusuf Nurkic

February 13th, 2017 at 10:55am CST by Arthur Hill

FEBRUARY 13: The Nuggets and Blazers have officially completed their trade, according to a press release from Denver. The Nuggets get Plumlee, a 2018 second-round pick, and cash considerations from Portland in exchange for Nurkic and Memphis’ 2017 first-round pick.

FEBRUARY 12: The Trail Blazers will send Mason Plumlee and a 2018 second-round pick to the Nuggets in exchange for Jusuf Nurkic and a 2017 first-round pick, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The first-rounder will be the Memphis pick that Denver owns.

The deal gives Portland three first-rounders is what is considered to be a strong draft. In addition to their own pick, the Blazers also own Cleveland’s first-rounder.

The trade also eases the luxury tax predicament for Portland, as Plumlee was set to become a restricted free agent this summer, notes Bobby Marks of The Vertical (Twitter link). The team wasn’t able to work out an extension with Plumlee before the October deadline. Portland still has about $130MM in guaranteed contracts for next season (Twitter link).

Plumlee was in the middle of his second season with the Blazers after two years in Brooklyn. He appeared in 54 games, all as a starter, and was averaging 11.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per night.

Nurkic, a third-year big man, began the year as a starter but was moved to the bench after a twin towers approach with Nikola Jokic was deemed a failure. He played in 45 games, starting 29, and was averaging 8.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest. Denver exercised his team option for 2017/18 in October.

Hornets Re-Sign Ray McCallum

February 13th, 2017 at 9:13am CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have re-signed Ray McCallum to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. McCallum briefly became a free agent today after his initial 10-day deal with Charlotte expired last night.

McCallum, who has played for the Kings, Spurs and Grizzlies over the course of his NBA career, spent most of this season with the D-League’s Grand Rapids Drive, averaging 18.2 points and 7.5 assists per game for Detroit’s NBADL affiliate. The 25-year-old was cut by the Pistons just before the start of the season — he appeared to have a roster spot won, but was let go when the organization decided to claim Beno Udrih off waivers.

The Hornets signed McCallum on February 3 after a trade with the Bucks created an extra opening on their 15-man roster. Since joining the team, McCallum has not appeared in a single game, though the Hornets apparently liked what they saw in practice enough to keep the veteran guard on the roster.

Charlotte signed rookie big man Mike Tobey to a 10-day contract on the same day the team inked McCallum earlier this month. Tobey’s deal also expired last night, though there’s no indication yet whether the Hornets will bring him back on a second contract, sign someone else, or keep a roster spot open.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/12/17

February 12th, 2017 at 5:33pm CST by Milo Taibi

Here are Sunday’s D-League Assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Raptors recalled Bruno Caboclo, Jared Sullinger, and Fred VanVleet from their D-League affiliate, the Raptors 905, the team announced on Twitter. All three players received 27+ minutes in Raptors 905’s game against Canton on Saturday, with Jared Sullinger recording a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds).
The Pacers assigned Rakeem Christmas to their D-League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team announced on its official website. This maneuver should allow Christmas to receive D-League minutes on an off-day for the Pacers. Christmas has made just three NBA appearances since January 29, recording five points in that span.

Spurs Sign Joel Anthony For The Rest Of The Season

February 12th, 2017 at 9:43am CST by Arthur Hill

After inking him to a pair of 10-day contracts, the Spurs have signed veteran center Joel Anthony for the remainder of the season, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical.

Anthony’s second 10-day deal expired Saturday, so San Antonio had to either part ways with the 34-year-old or sign him for the rest of the year. Anthony will earn $498K in total and will count $346K against the Spurs’ cap, according to The Vertical’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

Anthony has averaged 1.5 points and 1.8 rebounds in eight games since first joining the team in late January. He has provided front-court depth with Pau Gasol sidelined by a broken hand.

The Spurs are Anthony’s fourth franchise in a 10-year NBA career.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/11/17

February 11th, 2017 at 10:56pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Here are Saturday’s D-League Assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Pistons have recalled Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije from their D-League affiliate, the Grand Rapid Drive, according to a team press release. Ellenson is averaging 18.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in the D-League this season, while Gbinije is averaging 13.5 points and 1.8 steals per contest.
The Sixers have recalled Chasson Randle from the Delaware 87ers, according to a team press release. Randle was in uniform against the Heat, but did not see any action.
The Knicks have assigned forward Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee to their D-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, according to the team’s Twitter feed.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/10/17

February 10th, 2017 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Sixers have assigned rookie guard Chasson Randle to the Delaware 87ers, the team announced today in a press release. Randle joined the Sixers about a month ago but has seen his minutes fluctuate during that stretch. He’ll have the opportunity to get plenty of playing time for Philadelphia’s D-League affiliate tonight against Canton.
The Spurs have recalled Bryn Forbes from the D-League, according to a press release issued by the team. Forbes posted 22 points in his most recent game with the Austin Spurs on Thursday.
The Raptors made a series of D-League moves today, recalling Delon Wright and assigning Jared Sullinger and Fred VanVleet (Twitter links). Assuming their assignment lasts until tomorrow, Sullinger and VanVleet will play in Saturday’s game for the Raptors 905.
The Jazz have recalled Joel Bolomboy from the Salt Lake City Stars, per a team release. Bolomboy had been on his 13th D-League assignment of the 2016/17 season.
The Wizards have assigned Danuel House to the Delaware 87ers via the flexible assignment rule, the team announced in a press release. House, who has appeared in just one NBA game this season, has had his rookie season curtailed by a right wrist fracture. A former member of the Texas A&M Aggies, House has averaged 15 points in two D-League games.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/9/17

February 9th, 2017 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

Rookie big man Diamond Stone has been recalled by the Clippers, according to Rowan Kavner of Clippers.com (via Twitter). Stone averaged 19.7 PPG in three games during his latest stint with the Salt Lake City Stars, though he also received a pair of DNP-CDs. Since the Clips don’t have a D-League team of their own, Stone has played for other teams’ affiliates this season, including Golden State’s and Utah’s.
Chris McCullough continues to bounce back and forth between the NBA and D-League, having been reassigned to the Long Island Nets today, the team announced in a press release. Brooklyn’s D-League affiliate isn’t in action again until Saturday, so we’ll see how long McCullough’s assignments lasts this time around.
We missed this announcement on Wednesday, but the Pistons have sent Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije back to the Grand Rapids Drive. Stan Van Gundy expects the duo to remain on assignment through Friday’s game, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link).

Cavs Sign Derrick Williams To 10-Day Contract

February 9th, 2017 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

1:04pm: The Cavaliers have officially signed Williams to a 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release.

7:47am: Recently released Heat forward Derrick Williams is signing a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical. Williams became an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday when he went unclaimed on waivers.

Williams, who turned down a 2016/17 player option with the Knicks, subsequently signed a one-year deal with Miami last summer worth $4.598MM. However, he only appeared in 25 games (11 starts) this season before falling out of the Heat’s rotation. He averaged 5.9 PPG and 2.9 RPG in those contests, with a career-low .394 FG%, and was waived earlier this week in order to open up a roster spot for Okaro White.

While the Heat will continue to carry $4.5MM+ in dead money on their books for Williams, the Cavs will sign him to a 10-day deal that counts for $57,672 against their cap. Cleveland is currently in a luxury-tax tier that applies a $2.50 tax charge for every dollar spent, so Williams’ 10-day contract will also add more than $144K to the team’s year-end tax bill.

Williams may not be the ball-handling “playmaker” that LeBron James publicly called for last month, but the former No. 2 overall pick will provide the Cavs with some frontcourt depth for at least the next 10 days. His contract is set to expire during the All-Star break, so Cleveland will free up a roster spot in time for the trade deadline, giving the team some added flexibility.

Austin Kent contributed to this post.

Grizzlies Sign Toney Douglas To Second 10-Day Deal

February 9th, 2017 at 12:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have re-signed Toney Douglas to a second 10-day contract after his original 10-day deal with the club expired last night, the team announced today in a press release. The new agreement will keep Douglas locked up through February 18.

After appearing in six games for the Grizzlies earlier this season, Douglas was cut in mid-December as the team started getting a little healthier. Memphis opted to bring back the veteran point guard in late January on a 10-day deal — since then, he has appeared in five more games for the team, including last night’s win over Phoenix, in which he scored 11 points in 25 minutes.

While Douglas’ overall numbers this season for the Grizzlies (5.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, .377 FG%) are modest, the club has played well when he has been in the lineup. In Douglas’ 11 games, the Grizzlies are 10-1, with the lone loss coming on the road in Cleveland in December.

Like Douglas’ previous 10-day contract, his new deal will count for $57,672 toward Memphis’ cap, though the FSU product will earn a salary worth a little more than $77K. When that contract expires, the Grizzlies will either have to let Douglas return to the free agent market or sign him to a rest-of-season contract, since teams can’t sign players to three 10-day contracts in the same year.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/8/17

February 8th, 2017 at 9:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

9:19 PM:

The Nets have recalled McCullough, according to a team press release. He was recalled in time to suit up for the Brooklyn in tonight’s matchup against Washington.

3:47 PM:

The Pacers have recalled Georges Niang from their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Niang chipped in 11 points and four rebounds for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants during Tuesday’s win.
Chris McCullough was assigned to the D-League this morning, according to a press release issued by the Nets. The second-year forward played for the Long Island Nets in this afternoon’s loss to Canton — we’ll see if he’s recalled to Brooklyn in time for the team’s game tonight against Washington.