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Anthony Bennett Signs With Turkish Club

January 12th, 2017 at 5:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Forward Anthony Bennett, who was waived by the Nets two days ago, has signed with Fenerbache Istanbul of Turkey, international journalist David Pick tweets. Fenerbache will announce the signing as early as Friday, Pick adds in a separate tweet.

Bennett’s decision to go overseas adds another twist to the saga of one of the biggest draft busts in NBA history. The 2013 No. 1 overall pick of the Cavaliers has passed through four NBA organizations, the latest being one of the league’s worst teams. The Nets parted ways with Bennett to make room for another forward, Quincy Acy.

Bennett became an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday after passing through waivers.

This past off-season, Bennett signed a two-year contract deal with the Nets, including a fully-guaranteed $1MM this season. Brooklyn gave him a chance to reestablish himself, as he appeared in 23 games, including one start. He failed to make a strong enough impression while averaging 5.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 11.5 minutes.

Still just 24, Bennett has appeared in a total of 151 games for the Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Raptors and Nets, averaging 4.4 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 12.6 minutes per contest.

Bennett’s ties with the GM of the Canadian national team, Maurizio Gherardini, led him to Fenerbahce, Pick adds. Gherardini also has an association with the Turkish team.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/11/17

January 11th, 2017 at 10:20pm CST by Luke Adams

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

10:20pm:

The Jazz have assigned Alec Burks and Raul Neto to their D-League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the team’s website. Both players were in action for tonight’s contest against the Grand Rapids Drive.
The Blazers have assigned Tim Quarterman to the D-League, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets. Portland does not have its own affiliate, so Quarterman will play for the Windy City Bulls on this assignment.

1:41 pm

The Raptors recalled rookie guard Fred VanVleet from their D-League affiliate following the team’s Tuesday night victory (Twitter link). VanVleet posted a double-double for the Raptors 905 on Tuesday, with 12 points, 11 assists, and four steals.
The Nets have re-assigned Chris McCullough to the D-League, the club announced today in a press release. The second-year power forward has played sparingly this season for Brooklyn, but has appeared in 21 games for the Long Island Nets, averaging 18.8 PPG and 8.4 RPG.

Pierre Jackson To Rejoin D-League

January 11th, 2017 at 9:17pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Pierre Jackson will head back to the D-League to play for the Texas Legends, the D-League affiliate of the Mavericks, Chris Reichert of The Step Back reports (Twitter link). Dallas waived the point guard last week, though it was reported that the team was considering him for a 10-day contract.

Jackson played just four games for the Mavs, scoring 12 points in 28 minutes of action. He played with the Legends this season prior to being called up to the NBA.

The Sixers drafted the point guard out of Baylor with the No. 42 overall pick in the 2013 draft, but immediately dealt his rights to the Pelicans in the Nerlens Noel deal. New Orleans owned his draft rights, but never signed him to a contract and having been placed in NBA-limbo, Jackson ended up playing in the D-League. Playing for Idaho Stampede, he showed promise as a scorer, averaging 29.1 points per game. The Pelicans never opened up a roster spot for him, so he remained in the D-League throughout that season.

Philadelphia reacquired the point guard in a 2014 draft night trade and he played for Philly’s summer league team that year without having signed an NBA contract. In his first game, he ruptured his Achilles, but the team still signed him to a contract with $400K in guarantees before waiving him prior to the 2014/15 season. He remained out of basketball until returning to the D-League midway through the 2015/16 season.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/10/17

January 10th, 2017 at 10:40pm CST by Luke Adams

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

10:40 pm:

The Nets have recalled Chris McCullough from their D-League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, according to a team press release. The power forward played seven games with Long Island during his latest stint, averaging 18.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per contest.

3:17 pm

The Kings have sent 2016 first-round pick Malachi Richardson to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). In 11 games so far this season for the Reno Bighorns, Richardson has averaged 21.0 PPG and 4.3 RPG.
The Pelicans have re-assigned rookie forward Cheick Diallo to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Interestingly, after being assigned to San Antonio’s affiliate twice earlier in the season, Diallo joined the Long Island Nets this time around. New Orleans doesn’t have its own NBADL squad, so the club needs to rely on other affiliates, using the flexible assignment rule.
Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee have been assigned to the D-League, according to a tweet from the Knicks. Both players are expected to suit up tonight for the Westchester Knicks, New York’s NBADL affiliate.

Nets Waive Anthony Bennett, Sign Quincy Acy

January 10th, 2017 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 10: The Nets have officially signed Acy to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.

JANUARY 9: The Nets have requested waivers on a former first overall pick, announcing today in a press release that they’ve parted ways with Anthony Bennett. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter), the team will fill Bennett’s roster spot by signing Quincy Acy, who is currently playing for the D-League’s Texas Legends.

Bennett, who will turn 24 in March, was selected first overall in the 2013 NBA draft, but has failed to develop into a productive NBA player. In four NBA seasons, Bennett has appeared in 151 total games for the Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Raptors, and Nets, averaging 4.4 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 12.6 minutes per contest, including 5.0 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 23 games for Brooklyn this season.

This past offseason, Bennett signed a two-year, minimum-salary deal with the Nets that featured a guaranteed salary for the first year and a non-guaranteed salary in 2017/18. Assuming Bennett goes unclaimed, Brooklyn will be on the hook for his full 2016/17 cap hit, though the club remains well below the salary floor, so that won’t have a real impact on team salary. The former UNLV big man will become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday if he passes through waivers.

As for Acy, the veteran power forward began the season with the Mavericks, but was waived in November when backcourt injuries forced the team to add another guard. Shortly thereafter, Acy joined Dallas’ D-League affiliate. He averaged 17.3 PPG and 8.1 RPG in 12 contests for the Legends, making a strong case for an NBA call-up.

According to Stein (via Twitter), Acy will get a 10-day contract from the Nets.

Sixers Sign Chasson Randle To 10-Day Contract

January 10th, 2017 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 10: The Sixers officially signed Randle today, starting the clock on his 10-day deal, the team announced in a press release.

JANUARY 9: The 76ers have agreed to a deal with Chasson Randle, and will sign him to a 10-day contract on Tuesday, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). We first heard over the weekend that Randle had a workout scheduled with the club.

Randle, who went undrafted in 2015, appeared headed toward a roster spot with the Knicks in October, but was waived after suffering an orbital bone fracture. He joined the Westchester Knicks in the D-League as an affiliate player and has averaged 20.7 PPG through 19 contests. There was some speculation that Randle might return to New York at some point, but Ron Baker, the team’s third point guard, secured a guaranteed contract this weekend, opening the door for another club to land Randle.

According to a Sunday report, Randle was one of a handful of point guards to audition for Philadelphia, along with Briante Weber, Cat Barber, and Yogi Ferrell. Interestingly, international basketball reporter David Pick added today (via Twitter) that the Sixers also worked out Nate Robinson, who has been out of the NBA since 2015.

The Sixers had an open spot on their 15-man roster after cutting Hollis Thompson last week, so a corresponding move won’t be necessary to add Randle. Philadelphia is the third club this month to take advantage of the 10-day deal — the Nuggets re-signed Alonzo Gee to a 10-day contract on Sunday, and the Nets are reportedly bringing in Quincy Acy on a 10-day pact of his own.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/9/17

January 9th, 2017 at 7:55pm CST by Luke Adams

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

7:55pm:

After assigning them to the D-League earlier today to practice with the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz have recalled Alec Burks, Dante Exum, and Raul Neto, the team announced in a press release. None of the three Utah players have seen much playing time recently, so the brief NBADL assignment allowed them to get some practice reps in.
The Spurs have recalled Dejounte Murray from the D-League, a day after he picked up 31 points and 12 boards for Austin, San Antonio’s affiliate. The club announced the transaction in a press release.

1:17pm:

The Jazz have assigned Alec Burks, Dante Exum, and Raul Neto to the D-League, according to a press release issued today by the team. It sounds like the trio will participate in practice with the Salt Lake City Stars, but won’t be on assignment for long. Meanwhile, Utah has also recalled Joel Bolomboy from the D-League.
The Raptors have assigned Delon Wright to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). That’s positive news for the 2015 first-round pick, who is recovering from a major shoulder injury. However, Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic notes (via Twitter) that Wright hasn’t yet been cleared for full practice, so he’s not close to seeing the court in Toronto yet.
NBADL regulars Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet will join Wright on assignment, having also been sent to the D-League by the Raptors, per the team (Twitter link).
The Celtics have recalled rookie guard Demetrius Jackson from the Maine Red Claws, according to the team (Twitter link). On his one-day D-League assignment, Jackson scored 26 points to help lead Boston’s affiliate to a Sunday victory over Fort Wayne.
The Suns have sent Derrick Jones back to the D-League, the club announced today (via Twitter). Jones, who has barely seen the floor for Phoenix, has averaged 14.0 PPG and 5.9 RPG in 15 NBADL games this season.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/8/17

January 8th, 2017 at 10:20pm CST by Will Joseph

Here are the D-League assignments and recalls from Sunday:

10:20pm:

The Spurs moved guard Dejounte Murray to the Austin Spurs of the D-League, the team announced on its website. The rookie guard has appeared in 19 games for San Antonio, averaging 2.3 points in 5.5 minutes.
The Mavs announced via press release that they have assigned center A.J. Hammons and guard-forward Nicolas Brussino to their D-League affiliate. Hammons has appeared in 17 games for the Mavericks this season, averaging 1.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in 4.5 minutes. Brussino has played in 27 games for Dallas this season, averaging 1.4 points and 1.1 rebounds in 6.8 minutes.
The Nuggets recalled rookie guard Malik Beasley, Denver announced in a press release.

12:18pm:

The Sixers have recalled forward Richaun Holmes from their Delaware affiliate, the team announced in a press release. He had 10 points and eight rebounds in the 87ers’ win Saturday.
The Knicks have recalled Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee from their Westchester affiliate, the team tweeted.
The Bulls have recalled forward Paul Zipser from their Windy City affiliate, the team announced via press release. Zipser had played in the D-League team’s last two games, averaging 16.5 points and 7.0 rebounds.
The Celtics have assigned guard Demetrius Jackson to their affiliate in Maine, the team tweeted.
The Rockets have assigned forward Kyle Wiltjer to their affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, according to a tweet from the team.

Arthur Hill contributed to this report.

Mike Dunleavy Jr. Seeks Buyout From Hawks

January 8th, 2017 at 7:06pm CST by Will Joseph

Mike Dunleavy Jr. has yet to report to the Hawks and is seeking a buyout from the team after Atlanta acquired the veteran Saturday in a trade, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports, citing league sources. Dunleavy, of course, would be a free agent if the Hawks grant him his wish.

The Hawks, Stein writes, would like to keep Dunleavy, who is earning $4.9MM this season. His contract for next year worth $5.2MM is only partially guaranteed. The sides were still in talks as of Sunday, Stein reports. Considering his contract and how much Dunleavy can help the Hawks, it would be somewhat surprising to see him become a free agent this way.

The Cavs sent Dunleavy to the Hawks Saturday. The swap, which is official, sent Kyle Korver to Cleveland in exchange for Dunleavy, Mo Williams and a protected 2019 first-round pick. Korver is with the Cavs in Phoenix but is unable to play or even watch the game from the bench because Dunleavy’s physical hasn’t been completed, Stein writes.

Nuggets Re-Sign Alonzo Gee To 10-Day Deal

January 8th, 2017 at 6:08pm CST by Will Joseph

The Nuggets re-signed Alonzo Gee to a 10-day contract just two days after waiving him, Denver announced on its official team website. Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post had first reported that the Nuggets were interested in bringing back Gee.

Gee will be with the team for Thursday’s game vs. Indiana in London. Denver had parted ways with Gee to avoid Saturday’s deadline that would have guaranteed his contract for the rest of the season.

Gee has appeared in just 13 games for the Nuggets, averaging 0.8 points and 0.8 rebounds in 6.8 minutes per night. Denver signed him in November after he was waived by New Orleans. The 6’6″ forward has played for six franchises in his eight-year NBA career including stops with the Spurs and Cavs.