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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/26/16

November 26th, 2016 at 10:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

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

10:22pm:

The Hornets have recalled Aaron Harrison from their D-League affiliate, the team announced on its website. A second-year guard, Harrison has appeared in two games for Charlotte this season.
The Mavericks have sent rookie center A.J. Hammons to the Texas Legends, the team announced through email. Hammons has played seven games for the Mavericks, averaging 1.3 points and 1.1 rebounds in 3.4 minutes.

2:42pm:

The Suns assigned Derrick Jones Jr. to Northern Arizona, their D-League affiliate, according to the team’s website. This is his second D-League assignment, as Jones has averaged 15.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in two games with the NAZ Suns. The undrafted 6’7” small forward made his NBA debut on November 19th, playing three minutes against the Sixers.
The Bulls assigned big man Cristiano Felício, and guards Jerian Grant and R.J. Hunter to their D-League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, the D-League team tweets. After defeating the Sixers on Friday, the NBA Bulls have a gap in their schedule, as they don’t play again until Wednesday. The assignments will allow those three reserves to get playing time and stay sharp. All are expected to see action in Windy City’s game against Delaware on Saturday. Felicio has appeared in 11 games with Chicago, while Grant has played in 10 games — including two starts. Hunter has seen action in just two games.
The Bucks assigned guard Rashad Vaughn to the Westchester Knicks under the flexible assignment rule, according to a team press release. Vaughn was previously assigned to Westchester from November 19-23, appearing in two games and averaging 11.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 15.9 minutes. Vaughn has appeared in nine games for the Bucks, averaging 6.0 points and 1.2 rebounds in 14.5 minutes.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/25/16

November 25th, 2016 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

After a quiet Thanksgiving, NBA teams are once again assigning players to their D-League affiliates, or recalling them to their 15-man squads. Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls:

The Pistons have recalled rookies Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The duo combined for 21 points and 24 rebounds for the Grand Rapids Drive on Wednesday night.
The Pacers have sent Rakeem Christmas back to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team announced today (via Twitter). Christmas, who ran into foul trouble during his last D-League contest, figures to suit up for the Mad Ants tonight against the Long Island Nets.
Rookie guard Wade Baldwin has been recalled from the Iowa Energy by the Grizzlies, the team announced today in a press release. The 17th overall pick has appeared in nine games for the Grizzlies, but got an opportunity to play more minutes and a bigger role in the D-League, averaging 18.5 PPG in his two games with Iowa.
The Hornets have assigned Aaron Harrison to the D-League, according to a press release issued by the team. Charlotte’s affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, will play back-to-back games against Erie on Friday and Saturday, giving Harrison a chance to earn some playing time.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/23/16

November 23rd, 2016 at 6:24pm CST by Luke Adams

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

6:24pm:

Chris McCullough will have a chance to be the fourth player to appear in a D-League game and an NBA game in the same day. He was recalled by the Nets today after starting for the Long Island Nets in their home opener this afternoon, Brooklyn announced in a press release. The NBA Nets host the Celtics tonight.

3:16pm

The Kings have recalled a trio of 2016 first-rounders, Malachi Richardson, Georgios Papagiannis, and Skal Labissiere, from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The trio helped lead the Kings’ affiliate – the Reno Bighorns – to a narrow victory over the Texas Legends on Tuesday, combining for 57 points.
The Pistons have sent rookies Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije to the Grand Rapids Drive, according to a press release issued today by the club. Neither player has seen much action for Detroit this season, but they should both suit up and play major roles tonight for the Drive against the Iowa Energy.
The Bucks, who don’t have a D-League affiliate of their own, recalled Rashad Vaughn from the Westchester Knicks today, the team announced in a press release. Assigned to the Knicks’ D-League squad, Vaughn only saw 15.9 minutes per contest in a pair of games, but managed to score 11.5 PPG.

Jeff Ayres Let Go By CSKA Moscow, Seeking NBA Return

November 23rd, 2016 at 11:41am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA big man Jeff Ayres signed with CSKA Moscow earlier this year, but the Russian team has let go of him, according to international basketball journalist David Pick (Twitter links). While Ayres appeared to be receiving interest from Barcelona, Pick reports that the 29-year-old has changed agents and is pushing for a return to the NBA.

Previously represented by Impact Sports Basketball, Ayres has hired BDA Sports for representation, according to Pick. The agency represents several NBA players, including Mike Conley, Goran Dragic, Patrick Beverley, and Aaron Gordon, so its connections could help Ayres find an NBA home. Still, no team currently has an opening on its 15-man roster. Last season, Ayres wasn’t able to land an NBA deal until January, when teams begin signing players to 10-day contracts, and it’s possible that will be the case again this year.

Ayres, formerly known as Jeff Pendergraph, spent two seasons in San Antonio and was part of the Spurs’ 2014 championship team, but wasn’t re-signed after the 2014/15 season. He was the first player selected in the 2015 D-League draft and spent much of the season in Idaho before joining the Clippers in January.

After playing on two 10-day contracts, Ayres signed with the Clippers for the remainder of the 2015/16 season. He appeared in 17 games for L.A., averaging 1.8 PPG and 1.3 RPG in limited playing time. Ayres has also played for the Trail Blazers and Pacers over the course of his six-year NBA career.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/22/16

November 22nd, 2016 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

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

The Sixers have recalled Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot from the D-League, according to a press release issued by the club. The first-round rookie helped the Delaware 87ers get past the Greensboro Swarm on Monday, contributing 14 points, six rebounds, and three steals.
After sending him to the Salt Lake City Stars on Monday, the Jazz have recalled forward Joel Bolomboy from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Bolomboy scored nine points and grabbed 12 rebounds against the Oklahoma City Blue on Monday.
The Nets have sent Chris McCullough back to the D-League, the team announced today. McCullough will get a chance to play for the Long Island Nets on Wednesday afternoon, then should be recalled to Brooklyn for the team’s Wednesday night game.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/21/16

November 21st, 2016 at 6:00pm CST by Luke Adams

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

6:00pm

The Celtics assigned guard Demetrius Jackson to the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. The 22-year-old has made just three appearances for Boston this season and is averaging 3.3 points and 1.0 rebound in 5.0 minutes per outing.
The Sixers announced that they have assigned swingman Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to the Delaware 87ers, their D-League affiliate.
Forward Danuel House was recalled by the Wizards from Delaware, where he was sent via the league’s flexible assignment rule, the team announced.

12:27pm

The Rockets have recalled rookies Chinanu Onuaku and Kyle Wiltjer from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team announced today (via Twitter). As Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle tweets, the duo likely won’t see any game action for Houston, but the Rockets’ D-League affiliate doesn’t play until Saturday, so it made sense to have them rejoin the NBA club.
Rakeem Christmas has been recalled from the D-League, the Pacers announced today in a press release. Myles Turner and Kevin Seraphin are battling injuries, so Christmas could see some minutes for Indiana tonight against Golden State.
The Jazz have assigned rookie forward Joel Bolomboy to the D-League, according to a team release. Bolomboy will suit up for the Salt Lake City Stars tonight in their game against the Oklahoma City Blue.
Damian Jones has been assigned to Santa Cruz by the Warriors, according to Anthony Slater of The Bay Area News Group, who writes that the rookie center will continue his injury rehab in the D-League as he works toward his NBA debut.
The Kings have sent first-round rookie Georgios Papagiannis back to the Reno Bighorns, tweets James Ham of CSNBayArea.com. Papagiannis has averaged 10.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 2.3 BPG in three D-League contests so far this year.

D.J. Stephens To Play In Ukraine

November 21st, 2016 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Memphis shooting guard D.J. Stephens is heading overseas, according to international basketball journalist David Pick, who reports (via Twitter) that Stephens will join a Ukranian club. While the exact terms of Stephens’ deal are unclear, he’ll earn in the “high teens” per month, says Pick.

Stephens, who turns 26 next month, has spent time with a few NBA teams, though his only regular-season action came in 2013/14, when he played three games for the Bucks. Since then, Stephens has been a camp invitee for the Pelicans (2014), the Cavs (2015), and – most recently – the Grizzlies. He was cut by the Grizzlies last month when the team cut its roster down to 15 players.

Shortly after Stephens became a free agent again, a report surfaced indicating that he had been arrested and charged with domestic aggravated assault. According to the report from The Memphis Commercial Appeal, Stephens was accused of attacking his child’s mother. As I noted at the time, the alleged incident likely reduced the guard’s chances of getting another shot with an NBA team anytime soon.

Pelicans Sign Anthony Brown

November 21st, 2016 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

A day after opening up a roster spot by waiving Archie Goodwin, the Pelicans have filled that opening, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed Anthony Brown. ESPN’s Marc Stein reported on Sunday that New Orleans was “closing in” on a deal with Brown.

Brown, 24, was selected 34th overall in the 2015 draft by the Lakers, and appeared in 29 games for the team during his rookie season, starting 11 of them. In 20.7 MPG, he averaged 4.0 PPG and 2.4 RPG, shooting just 31.0% from the field. The Stanford product had a guaranteed $875K salary for 2016/17, but the Lakers decided to move on from him anyway, eating that guaranteed money when they waived him last month.

Because the Lakers didn’t hold Brown’s D-League rights after cutting him, he entered the draft pool and was the first overall pick, joining the Erie BayHawks. Brown appeared with three games for Erie, averaging an impressive 29.3 PPG on 55.8% shooting, including 65.0% from three-point range.

New Orleans was forced to make a roster move earlier this month when Lance Stephenson went down with a groin injury. The Pelicans were already missing Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter, and needed to add some shooting guard depth, prompting them to cut Stephenson and sign Goodwin. Now, Brown will take Goodwin’s spot on the 15-man roster.

Terms of Brown’s agreement with the Pelicans aren’t yet known, but a non-guaranteed minimum salary pact seems likely.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/20/16

November 20th, 2016 at 10:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Listed below are Sunday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA.

The Grizzlies sent rookie guard Wade Baldwin to the Iowa Energy, the team announced in an email. He has appeared in nine games for Memphis, averaging 3.1 points.
The Knicks recalled center Marshall Plumlee from Westchester, the team tweeted.
The Hornets recalled guard Aaron Harrison and forward Christian Wood from Greensboro, the team announced on its website. They were the first players ever to be assigned to the new D-League franchise.
The Spurs recalled guards Bryn Forbes and Dejounte Murray from their Austin affiliate, according to the team’s website. Both players were sent down Saturday to participate in a game against Erie.
The Wizards will recall guard Danuel House from the Sixers‘ affiliate in Delaware in time for Monday’s game, according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.

Pelicans Waive Archie Goodwin

November 20th, 2016 at 11:28am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans have waived guard Archie Goodwin, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. Goodwin appeared in just three games with the Pelicans, averaging 5.0 points and 10.0 minutes per contest.

New Orleans signed Goodwin on November 7th after an injury to Lance Stephenson left the team with a shortage of backcourt players. Starting point guard Jrue Holiday returned from a leave of absence over the weekend, lessening the need for another guard. Stephenson was cut to make room for Goodwin in a move that drew criticism from some players even though the Pelicans promised to help with Stephenson’s recovery.

The time Goodwin spent with New Orleans will count $96K against the team’s salary cap, according to The Vertical’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). His contract for 2017/18 was not guaranteed.

Goodwin, who played his first three seasons with the Suns, was a surprise cut last month after averaging 8.9 points per night in 57 games.