Magic Waive Arinze Onuaku
The Magic have waived Arinze Onuaku, the team has announced over Twitter. The announcement came after Friday’s game against the Rockets, a significant contest in that it featured Onuaku’s brother Chinanu Onuaku.
In eight games for the Magic this season, the 29-year-old forward averaged just 3.5 points per game, he was signed to a one-year deal in September after impressing the team in Summer League
Onuaku’s release comes on the eve of January 7, the last day that teams can waive players with partially guaranteed contracts.
Previously Onuaku has seen limited action with Cavaliers, Timberwolves and Pelicans.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/6/17
Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
9:24pm:
- The Magic have recalled guard C.J. Wilcox, the team announced via press release. Wilcox has appeared in four games with the Erie BayHawks this season, averaging 12.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
9:01pm:
- The Rockets have sent Kyle Wiltjer to their D-League affiliate, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Wiltjer has seen action in nine games for Houston this season, most recently on December 30.
8:07pm:
- The Hawks have recalled Taurean Prince and Mike Scott, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the pair will join the team in Dallas.
6:00pm:
- The Hornets have reassigned Christian Wood to their D-League affiliate, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Wood as played just one game with the big league club, back on November 7.
3:32pm:
- The Knicks assigned Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee to their D-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Both players will be able for tonight’s game.
- The Bulls have assigned Bobby Portis and Paul Zipser to the Windy City Bulls, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
- The Spurs have assigned Dejounte Murray to their D-League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, according to the team’s website. Murray is averaging 15.8 points and 6.8 assists in 34.2 minutes per contest during 11 games Austin this season.
Trail Blazers Officially Acquire First-Round Pick
The Cavaliers and Trail Blazers have finalized the trade that was first reported on Thursday night, the team writes in a press release. The deal will see Portland return the 2018 first-round pick they acquired from Cleveland last season in exchange for Cleveland’s unprotected 2017 first-round pick.
The deal sets the stage for the Cavs to acquire Kyle Korver and gives the Trail Blazers a pair of first-round picks in a draft that’s already being touted as incredibly exciting and loaded with high-end talent even outside of the Top 10.
The Blazers had originally acquired Cleveland’s 2018 first-round pick in last February’s Anderson Varajao deal, but the Cavs needed to reacquire it in order to work around the Ted Stepien Rule, which prohibits teams from dealing first-round picks in consecutive future years. The Cavaliers have reportedly committed to sending Atlanta their 2019 first-round pick, thus their need to reacquire a first-round pick for 2018.
Mavs Waive Pierre Jackson
5:14pm: According to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News, the Mavs may look to reacquire Jackson after he clears waivers. They’ll be eligible to sign him to a 10-day contract on January 14, provided he clears waivers on Tuesday.
4:19pm: The Mavs have waived Pierre Jackson, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. The point guard played just four games with Dallas after signing on with the club on December 27. Used sparingly during his brief tenure in Texas, Jackson averaged 3.0 points and 1.8 assists per game.
Prior to inking the two-year deal with the Mavs, Jackson thrived with Dallas’ D-League affiliate. The 25-year-old was a 42nd overall pick by the Sixers in 2013, but hadn’t tasted NBA action until making his debut in December.
Hawks Waive Ryan Kelly
The Hawks have parted ways with Ryan Kelly, per ESPN’s Marc Stein on Twitter. In five games with the club this season, Kelly posted 1.1 points and 1.1 rebounds per game, never truly breaking into the team’s rotation.
Though opportunities were limited during his time in Atlanta, Kelly averaged 6.5 points in over 20 minutes per game across three seasons with the Lakers from 2013-16.
Since the summer, the 25-year-old has been in and out of a job. In September the Hawks first signed the forward but ultimately waived him, he then signed on briefly with Boston only to be cut the following day.
Signed again by Atlanta on October 31, Kelly was set to make $1MM this season, with a modest raise in 2017/18.
Nuggets Waive Alonzo Gee
The Nuggets have waived Alonzo Gee, according to a team press release. Denver’s roster count is now at 14 players, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates.
Gee joined Denver in November and his deal was partially guaranteed, though had he remained on the roster through Saturday, it would have became fully guaranteed. The cap hit for the move is $418K, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical tweets.
Gee played sparingly for the team, appearing in only 13 contests. The veteran has played for six different franchises in his seven-year career.
Suns Waive John Jenkins
The Suns have waived John Jenkins, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (Twitter link). The move will bring the team’s roster count to 14 players.
Jenkins’ minimum salary contract was partially guaranteed and this year’s salary would have became fully guaranteed had he remained on the roster through Saturday. He hasn’t seen much playing time for the Suns this season, scoring a total of seven points in 13 minutes of action.
Phoenix had claimed Jenkins off waivers after the Mavericks let the shooting guard go during the middle of last season. He was originally drafted by the Hawks with the No.23 overall pick in the 2012 draft.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/5/17
Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
6:29pm:
- The Warriors have assigned rookie center Damian Jones to their D-League affiliate, according to a team-issued press release. The big man has made four starts with the Santa Cruz Warriors so far this season.
3:33pm:
- The Rockets have recalled rookie big man Chinanu Onuaku from the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). The 2016 second-rounder, who has earned a spot in highlight packages with his underhanded free throws, has averaged a double-double (11.8 PPG, 10.5 RPG) in 19 games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers this season.
- The Grizzlies have assigned Wade Baldwin and Troy Williams to the Iowa Energy, according to a press release issued by the team. The duo should get a chance to suit up for Memphis’ D-League affiliate tonight against the L.A. D-Fenders.
11:27am:
- Richaun Holmes, who is recovering from a concussion, has been recalled from the D-League by the Sixers, according to a team release. Holmes had 14 points and seven rebounds for the Delaware 87ers on Wednesday night, and was apparently deemed ready to return to the NBA.
- The Knicks recalled Maurice Ndour from the D-League after sending him down on Wednesday, the team announced (via Twitter). Ndour had a big game for Westchester last night, posting 26 points and nine rebounds.
- Rookie forward Georges Niang has been sent to the D-League, according to a press release issued by the Pacers. Although he has played sparingly for Indiana so far, Niang has spent most of the season with the NBA club — this is just his second NBADL assignment.
- The Pistons have recalled first-round rookie Henry Ellenson from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Ellenson recorded 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s D-League affiliate, in a Wednesday victory.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/4/17
Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
4:25pm:
- The Lakers have re-assigned rookie big man Ivica Zubac to the D-League (Twitter link). Zubac will be in uniform for the L.A. D-Fenders tomorrow night for the team’s game against Iowa.
- The Pistons officially announced in a press release this afternoon that they’ve sent Henry Ellenson to the Grand Rapids Drive. As Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets, fellow rookie Michael Gbinije likely would’ve joined him, but he’s battling a forearm injury.
- Forward Troy Williams has been recalled by the Grizzlies from his assignment with the Iowa Energy, per a team release. Williams averaged 24.3 PPG in three games during his D-League stint, including 32 in 28 minutes on December 27.
2:28pm:
- Richaun Holmes, who has completed and passed all the elements of the NBA’s concussion protocol, has been assigned to the D-League by the Sixers, the team announced today in a press release. While some NBADL rehab assignments don’t include game action, the Sixers suggest that Holmes is expected to suit up tonight for the Delaware 87ers.
12:55pm:
- A pair of Nuggets rookies, Malik Beasley and Juan Hernangomez, have been assigned to the D-League, according to a press release. Despite having a fairly young roster, Denver hasn’t used the D-League much this season, since the team doesn’t have its own affiliate. Beasley and Hernangomez will join the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s NBADL squad.
- The Raptors have sent Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet back to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). The duo has bounced back and forth between the NBA and NBADL all season — it’s the 13th D-League assignment for Caboclo and the ninth for VanVleet.
- Maurice Ndour is headed to the D-League, having been assigned to Westchester today by the Knicks (Twitter link). New York’s D-League affiliate is in action tonight against Grand Rapids, and Ndour is expected to suit up for the game.
- The Suns have assigned rookie forward Derrick Jones to the D-League, the team announced today (Twitter link). It’s the fourth NBADL assignment of the season for Jones, who has averaged 14.0 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 14 games for Northern Arizona.
Sixers Waive Hollis Thompson
3:22pm: The Sixers have waived Thompson, a league source confirms to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
3:12pm: The Sixers are set to waive Hollis Thompson, a league source tells Derek Bodner of PhillyMag.com (Twitter link). Thompson is on a non-guaranteed contract, so cutting him before the upcoming salary guarantee deadline will ensure that the team isn’t on the hook for his full-season salary.
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 since then, the 6’8″ swingman has averaged 7.9 PPG and 3.1 RPG, with a .417/.389/.709 shooting line.
Given how much value is placed on effective three-point shooting in today’s NBA, it’s worth noting that the Sixers are cutting ties with a player who has made 39% of his career attempts from long distance. Still, Thompson’s 36.6% mark this season is the worst of his career, and he has also averaged just 18.1 minutes per game this season, another career low.
Thompson is in the final year of his contract and didn’t appear to be a part of Philadelphia’s long-term plan, so cutting him now will create some roster flexibility and will allow other players – such as rookie wing Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot – to earn more playing time.
Meanwhile, even if he goes unclaimed on waivers, Thompson is a good bet to catch on with another NBA team soon, perhaps on a 10-day contract. He would become an unrestricted free agent on Friday if his release becomes official today and he clears waivers.