NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 4/3/17
Here are Monday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo and Pascal Siakam to the Raptors 905, the team’s D-League affiliate, according to their Twitter feed. Siakam is one of the many 2016 first-round picks who have seen action in the D-League this season, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors detailed.
- The Cavaliers have assigned Kay Felder to the Canton Charge, according to the team’s Twitter feed. The rookie has appeared in 11 games for Cleveland’s D-League affiliate, scoring 29.9 points per contest.
- The Clippers have recalled Brice Johnson from the Salt Lake City Stars, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times relays (Twitter link). Los Angeles doesn’t have its own D-League affiliate, so Johnson played for the Stars via the flex assignment rule.
Magic Cut C.J Wilcox, Sign Patricio Garino
9:35am: The Magic have confirmed the signings of Garino and Georges-Hunt (Twitter link).
8:46am: The Magic will waive C.J. Wilcox and sign Argentinian swingman Patricio Garino, tweets Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Garino will receive a contract for the rest of the season and a non-guaranteed deal for 2017/18.
Garino played for Orlando in last year’s Summer League, but signed with the Spurs in July. He was waived before the start of the season and joined San Antonio’s D-League affiliate in Austin, where he averaged 11.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 49 games.
Garino played four seasons at George Washington, but wasn’t selected in the 2016 draft. He is a member of the Argentinian national team and played in last year’s Olympics.
Wilcox is in his first year with Orlando after spending two seasons with the Clippers. The 26-year-old shooting guard was acquired in an offseason trade, but has seen limited minutes in 22 games and spent most of the season in the D-League.
The Magic are also expected to sign Marcus Georges-Hunt today, who will also get a chance to make the team next season (Twitter link).
Bucks Sign Gary Payton II
APRIL 2, 11:28am: Payton is getting a two-year deal with a partial guarantee for next season, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. The deal is now official, per the Bucks.
APRIL 1, 4:20pm: The Bucks plan to sign guard Gary Payton II to a 10-day contract Sunday, tweets Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The team opened a roster spot earlier today by waiving Terrence Jones.
Payton signed with the Rockets last summer, but was waived before the season began. He has been playing for Houston’s D-League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, averaging 14.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists through 48 games.
If Payton signs tomorrow, the contract will take him almost to the end of the regular season. Milwaukee’s final game is April 12th.
The family has a connection with the Bucks already, as Payton’s Hall of Fame father spent part of the 2002-03 season there.
Sixers Granted Injury Exception, Sign Alex Poythress
APRIL 2, 9:23am: The signing is official, the team announced in a press release.
APRIL 1, 11:37am: The Sixers have been granted an injury hardship exception, and will use their newfound roster spot to sign Alex Poythress of the D-League, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (twitter link).
Poythress, 23, received summer league experience with the Magic, and started 45 games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season. A former Kentucky Wildcat, Poythress went undrafted after his senior year.
Having recently lost Jahlil Okafor and Robert Covington for the season due to injuries, the Sixers‘ hardship exception permitted them to expand their roster size to 16. Poythress will presumably be available for Philadelphia’s match-up with Toronto on Sunday.
Magic To Sign Marcus Georges-Hunt
The Magic will sign shooting guard Marcus Georges-Hunt, tweets Chris Reichert of The Step Back. He didn’t reveal whether the contract is for 10 days or longer, but there are only 11 days left in the regular season.
This would be the second NBA stint of the season for Georges-Hunt, who signed a 10-day deal with the Heat in February when Miami was granted an extra roster spot under the hardship exception. He didn’t see any game action and was let go when that contract expired.
The rookie out of Georgia Tech signed with the Celtics in August, but was waived before the season began. He spent most of the year with Boston’s D-League affiliate in Maine, averaging 15.8 points in 45 games.
The signing of Georges-Hunt finally fills the open roster spot that Orlando has been carrying since early January.
Bucks Request Waivers On Terrence Jones
The Bucks have requested waivers on Terrence Jones, the team announced on their official website (link). Jones was inked to a contract on March 3, appearing in just three games as a Buck.
Jones, 25, had been waived by the Pelicans in late February to (presumably) sign with a playoff-bound team looking for depth. While Milwaukee is poised to enter the postseason, Jones was never able to crack Jason Kidd‘s rotation, accumulating 12 DNPs in the month of March.
While his bid to join a contender has gone awry, Jones will surely generate interest as a free agent over the summer. Jones was efficient over 51 games with the Pelicans in 2016/17, averaging 11.5 points with 5.9 rebounds. As a non-playoff eligible free agent, Jones currently holds little value on the open market.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/31/17
Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- A day after sending them down, the Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo, Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet from the D-League, the team announced today (Twitter link). VanVleet and Siakam led the way with 24 and 22 points respectively in a Raptors 905 win on Thursday night.
- Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee also returned to the NBA a day after being assigned to the D-League, the Knicks announced (via Twitter). Plumlee had a double-double for the Westchester Knicks in a loss on Thursday, with 11 points and 11 boards.
- The Grizzlies have recalled forward Jarell Martin from the D-League, according to a press release issued by the team. Martin’s assignment with the Iowa Energy lasted more than a month. For the season, he has averaged 15.9 PPG and 7.5 RPG in 22 games with Memphis’ D-League affiliate.
- The Pacers have assigned rookie forward Georges Niang to their D-League squad, the team announced today in a press release. It’s the fourth assignment to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season for Niang.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/30/17
Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo, Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today (via Twitter). The trio will be in action tonight for the Raptors 905, who lead the NBADL’s Eastern Conference with a 37-11 record.
- The Knicks have sent rookie bigs Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Ndour and Plumlee will suit up tonight for the Westchester Knicks in their game against the Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s D-League affiliate.
Pacers Sign Lance Stephenson
MARCH 30, 2:31pm: The Pacers have officially signed Stephenson, the team announced today in a press release.
“We’re very happy to have Lance back as part of our team,” Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said in a statement. “We always knew he wanted to come back here, and we feel now is the right time, not only for the rest of this season, but moving forward. We look forward to having a long relationship with him, because we know what he can bring to our franchise, both on and off the court.”
MARCH 29, 11:54am: The Pacers and Stephenson are in agreement on a three-year, $12MM deal, reports Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Haynes, the first two years are guaranteed, while the third is a team option. Adam Zagoria was the first to report the agreement between the two sides, as noted below.
11:35am: The Pacers are working on a deal to bring Lance Stephenson back to Indiana, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog indicates that the two sides have already finalized a three-year deal with a player option in year three, though the team has yet to confirm anything.
The Pacers opened up a spot on their roster today when they waived veteran guard Rodney Stuckey. With Al Jefferson and Glenn Robinson III also on the shelf, Indiana has some holes in its rotation, opening the door for a player like Stephenson to return to the club. While the coaching staff isn’t the same one that worked with Stephenson during his first stint with the Pacers, the front office is familiar with him.
Stephenson, 26, enjoyed a breakout season for the Pacers in 2013/14, averaging 13.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 4.6 APG. However, he has bounced around the league since then and hasn’t delivered on the promise he showed during his final year in Indiana.
After playing for the Hornets, Clippers, and Grizzlies in previous years, Stephenson started this season with the Pelicans, but was waived after suffering a groin injury. The veteran swingman later caught on with the Timberwolves on a pair of 10-day deals, though his stint in Minnesota was derailed by injuries as well. As of mid-March, the Wolves were willing to let him go as he continued to deal with an ankle issue.
Assuming the Pacers and Stephenson do finalize a multiyear deal, the Pacers have the flexibility to offer more than two years and more than the minimum salary, since they remain under the cap. As our Salary Cap Snapshot shows, Indiana has more than $4MM in cap room available. Typically, veteran free agents who sign late in the season prefer one-year contracts so that they can return to the open market in the summer, but that extra cap space gives the Pacers the flexibility to make a multiyear deal worth Stephenson’s while.
Although Stephenson signed with the Wolves after March 1, he’ll retain his playoff eligibility for Indiana, since his deal with Minnesota was a 10-day pact.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jarell Eddie Gets Second 10-Day Deal From Suns
The Suns have signed swingman Jarell Eddie to a second 10-day contract, the team announced on its website.
Eddie, who originally signed with the Suns March 19th, has appeared in five games, averaging 4.8 points in 12.5 minutes per night. He posted a career best 13 points in a March 19th game against the Pistons.
The Suns are the third NBA opportunity for Eddie, who played 26 games last season for the Wizards and signed a 10-day deal with the Hawks in 2015 but didn’t see any game action. He has spent most of the past three years in the D-League, and played for Windy City before coming to Phoenix.
The contract Eddie signed today will run through April 7th. The Suns will have two games remaining after that and must decide whether to release him or give him a longer deal.