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Nuggets Notes: Mudiay, O’Bryant, Williams, Nurkic

January 26th, 2017 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nuggets coach Michael Malone isn’t concerned about point guard Emmanuel Mudiay’s sore back, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post reports. Mudiay has missed three consecutive games but Malone doesn’t believe Mudiay will be sidelined much longer. “The treatment he’s been getting has been helping him, and all of the results from the testing coming back don’t show that there’s anything serious,” he told Dempsey. “So, that allows you to take a deep breath and say it’s not a long-term thing.”

In other developments regarding the Nuggets:

Forward Johnny O’Bryant received a 10-day contract on Thursday because the club needs frontcourt depth in the short term, Dempsey adds in the same story. Darrell Arthur, who has a knee issue, is among the big men who are nursing injuries, Dempsey adds. “I was talking to [Nuggets GM] Tim Connelly that it would be great to have another big here, ready, insurance,” Malone said to Dempsey. “If we have to play him and suit him up, he’s played in an NBA game, he has a skill – he can step out and shoot the ball.”
Guard Mo Williams has cleared waivers, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. The Nuggets claimed him for the second time on Monday because of salary floor implications. Denver will save over $1MM through its latest Williams transaction (Twitter links).
The Nuggets are trying to move center Jusuf Nurkic and could package him with Kenneth Faried to upgrade their backcourt, Sean Deveney of the Sporting News reports. Nurkic has drawn interest, in part because of his rookie contract, Deveney continues. But the Nuggets would either have to make it a multi-player swap, find a team below the cap, or involve a third team to make a trade work, Deveney adds.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/26/17

January 26th, 2017 at 7:49pm CST by Luke Adams

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

7:49 PM

The Grizzlies assigned rookie forward Troy Williams to the Iowa Energy, the team posted on its website. Williams has appeared in nine games over two previous assignments with the Energy, averaging 15.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 1.3 APG in 21.5 minutes. He has appeared in 24 games for the Grizzlies, averaging 5.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG and 1.0 SPG in 17.4 minutes.
The Jazz recalled rookie forward Joel Bolomboy from the Salt Lake City Stars after assigning him to the D-League earlier in the day, the club announced in a press release. Although he has barely played for Utah this season, Bolomboy has been a double-double machine during his time in the D-League, averaging 15.2 PPG and 12.8 RPG in 13 games.

1:15 PM

The Thunder have assigned guard Semaj Christon and forward Josh Huestis to the D-League, the club announced today in a press release. Although Christon had a rotation role for Oklahoma City earlier this season, he has seen his NBA role reduced since Cameron Payne returned to the lineup.
The Mavericks have recalled A.J. Hammons from the D-League, according to a press release from the team. Hammons had eight points, five boards, and four blocks for the Texas Legends on Wednesday.
The Nets have sent Chris McCullough back to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. McCullough has spent a good chunk of the season with the Long Island Nets, averaging 19.0 PPG and 8.0 RPG in 25 contests for the club.

Nuggets Sign Johnny O’Bryant To 10-Day Deal

January 26th, 2017 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 26: The Nuggets have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed O’Bryant to a 10-day contract.

JANUARY 24: The Nuggets intend to sign free agent power forward Johnny O’Bryant to a 10-day contract, reports Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post (Twitter link). Denver was previously believed to be lining up another 10-day deal for Alonzo Gee when a roster spot became available, but it seems the club has opted to go in another direction.

O’Bryant, 23, was the 36th overall pick in the 2014 draft, and spent his first two NBA seasons with the Bucks. In 100 games for the club, O’Bryant averaged 3.0 PPG and 2.4 RPG. The LSU product signed as a free agent with the Wizards prior to training camp last fall, but didn’t earn a regular-season roster spot with the team.

O’Bryant subsequently joined the D-League’s Northern Arizona Suns, and has averaged 18.5 PPG and 8.7 RPG in 24 games for Phoenix’s affiliate this season. He has even added a three-point shot to his game, making 38.0% of his attempts and averaging more than one three-pointer per game.

With O’Bryant set to join the Nuggets, Mo Williams has been waived by the team to create a roster spot. The move was expected after Denver claimed Williams off waivers on Monday. Earlier today, I explained why Williams’ contract appeals to the Nuggets, who have now traded for, cut, and reclaimed the point guard. Denver will hope that he passes through waivers this time around.

NBA D-League Assignment/Recalls 1/25/17

January 25th, 2017 at 9:27pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Here are Wednesday’s D-League transactions:

The Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo and Delon Wright to their D-League affiliate, the Raptors 905, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Coboclo has played in 16 D-League contests this season and he’s averaging 8.8 points per game. Wright has only played in one game and he scored 10 points.
The Clippers have recalled Diamond Stone from the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the team’s website. Stone appeared in six games during his latest assignment and he scored 15.5 points and 10.8 rebound per game.
The Grizzlies have recalled Troy Williams from the Iowa Energy, per the team’s website. Memphis currently doesn’t have its own D-League affiliate, but that won’t be the case starting next season.
The Nets have recalled Chris McCullough from their affiliate, the Long Island Nets, according to a team press release. McCullough has played in 25 games for Long Island and he’s averaging 19.0 points per contest.

Mavs Re-Sign Pierre Jackson To 10-Day Deal

January 25th, 2017 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have re-signed Pierre Jackson, the team announced today in a press release. Jackson’s initial 10-day contract with the club expired on Tuesday night, so Dallas has signed him to a second 10-day deal.

Jackson, 25, initially joined the Mavs in December, but was waived prior to the salary guarantee deadline, allowing the team to avoid locking in his full-season deal. Jackson was brought back to the club on January 15, and enjoyed his best game of the season this past Sunday, picking up 10 points and five assists in the Mavs’ 49-point rout of the Lakers.

As our 10-day contract tracker shows, Jackson becomes the third player this season to get a second 10-day deal with the same team, following in the footsteps of Quincy Acy with the Nets and Chasson Randle with the Sixers. If the Mavs want to keep the point guard when his new 10-day contract expires, they’d have to sign him to a rest-of-season deal, since teams can’t ink players to more than two 10-day pacts in a season.

Dallas is now back to a full 15-man roster, with 14 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Jackson’s 10-day contract.

Hollis Thompson To Join Spurs’ D-League Affiliate

January 25th, 2017 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

After being cut by the Sixers before this month’s salary guarantee deadline, swingman Hollis Thompson is headed to the D-League. According to Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (via Twitter), the Windy City Bulls have claimed Thompson, but will send him to the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s affiliate, in exchange for Jarell Eddie. The deal will be finalized once both players pass physicals, tweets Johnson.

Thompson, 25, had been one of the longest-tenured players on the Sixers, having signed with the team back in September of 2013. In 256 games with the franchise, he averaged 7.9 PPG and 3.1 RPG, with a .417/.389/.709 shooting line. Although he has been a solid three-point shooter throughout his career, Thompson’s 36.6% mark this season was the worst of his career, and he also averaged just 18.1 minutes per game this year, another career low that led to his release.

Having signed a D-League contract, Thompson will remain an NBA free agent, meaning the NBA’s Spurs won’t hold his rights. However, San Antonio controls and operates the Austin Spurs, so the club will get a first-hand look at the Georgetown product during his time in the D-League.

Assuming Thompson plays well in the NBADL, he’ll be a strong candidate for at least a 10-day contract or two from an NBA team down the stretch this season, if not a rest-of-season commitment.

NBA D-League Recalls/Assignments: 1/24/17

January 24th, 2017 at 6:32pm CST by Austin Kent

Here are the D-League transactions from the day:

The Raptors have recalled point guard Delon Wright and forward Bruno Caboclo from their D-League affiliate, says the team’s media relations department over Twitter. In 15 games Caboclo has averaged 9.1 points for the Raptors 905 while Wright has missed the entire season thus far on account of a shoulder injury.
The Kings have assigned rookie big man Georgios Papagiannis to their D-League affiliate tweets James Ham of Comcast SportsNet. In 13 games with the Reno Bighorns, Papagiannis has averaged 10.9 points and 7.6 rebounds.
The Nets have assigned forward Chris McCullough to their D-League affiliate, the team has announced in a press release. In 24 games with the Long Island Nets, McCullough has averaged 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds.

Nuggets Claim Mo Williams Off Waivers

January 23rd, 2017 at 4:34pm CST by Milo Taibi

Mo Williams has been claimed off waivers by the Denver Nuggets, Marc Stein of ESPN reports (Twitter link). Denver is expected to immediately waive Williams, opening up a roster spot to retain Alonzo Gee on a 10-day contract, per Stein (Twitter link).

Williams, thought to be retired, has been involved in a number of transactions over the last month. The 34-year-old was dealt from Cleveland to Atlanta as a part of the Kyle Korver trade, and then flipped to Denver for the draft rights to Cenk Akyol. Williams was then waived, claimed by Philadelphia on January 20, and claimed once more by Denver today.

If the Sixers want to claim Williams off waivers again this week, they’ll have to either terminate Chasson Randle‘s 10-day contract early or waive one of the other 14 players on their roster — the team no longer has an open roster spot at its disposal.

As Bobby Marks noted in an article for The Vertical, the newly agreed upon CBA would make this type of transaction obsolete. As of July, the player’s days of service will determine his cost against the minimum team salary; not his full cap hit. Williams’ circumstance is the type of “loophole,” Marks describes, in which teams will keep low payrolls on the roster only to make waiver claims or trades in an attempt to reach the salary floor.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/23/17

January 23rd, 2017 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

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

Bruno Caboclo and Delon Wright have been sent to the Raptors‘ D-League affiliate, the team announced today (via Twitter). The duo figures to be in action for the Raptors 905 tonight against the Texas Legends.
The Pacers have recalled Rakeem Christmas and Joseph Young from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to a press release issued by the club. Both players have played sparingly for Indiana this season.
Rookie forward Joel Bolomboy has been recalled to the NBA by the Jazz, per a press release. Bolomboy put up 19 points and nine rebounds for the Salt Lake City Stars on Sunday.
The Trail Blazers are sending 2016 second-rounder Jake Layman on an assignment with the Windy City Bulls, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Portland doesn’t have a D-League affiliate of its own, so Layman will play for Chicago’s team via the flexible assignment rule.
The Nets have recalled Chris McCullough from Long Island in advance of Brooklyn’s game against San Antonio tonight, the team announced in a press release.

Spurs Sign Joel Anthony To 10-Day Contract

January 23rd, 2017 at 10:11am CST by Austin Kent

JANUARY 23: The Spurs have made it official, formally announcing the signing of Anthony in a press release.

JANUARY 21: The Spurs intend to sign veteran center Joel Anthony to a 10-day contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. He’ll fill some of the frontcourt minutes opened up by the injury to Pau Gasol.

Anthony, who last saw action for the Pistons in 2015/16, played with the Spurs in training camp. He was among the final cuts for the 15th roster spot in October, a spot that was since re-opened when Nicolas Laprovittola was waived last month.

While he hasn’t been used heavily over the course of the past five years, Anthony spent time as the starting five alongside LeBron James and the Heat during their title runs.

Expect Anthony to spend time slotting in behind Dewayne Dedmon and David Lee in the Spurs’ rotation.