Bulls Waive R.J. Hunter
Second-year guard R.J. Hunter has been waived for the second time in the last three months, with the Bulls issuing a press release today announcing that the team has parted ways with Hunter. The move reduces Chicago’s roster count to 14.
Hunter, 23, was the 28th overall pick in the 2015 draft, but only lasted one year with the Celtics, becoming the victim of a roster crunch in Boston this October. The Bulls snapped up Hunter shortly after he cleared waivers, but he saw very limited action in his two months with the team, appearing in just three games.
In 36 games last season with the C’s, Hunter averaged 2.7 PPG and 1.0 RPG in 8.8 minutes per contest. The Georgia State product has been more productive in the D-League, averaging 15.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.8 APG, and 1.9 SPG in 13 total NBADL contests for the Maine Red Claws and Windy City Bulls.
Assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers, Hunter will become an unrestricted free agent again this weekend. The Bulls, meanwhile, will carry only a partial cap hit for him, since he had been on a non-guaranteed salary. Hunter’s deal would have become fully guaranteed if the club hadn’t waived him by January 9.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/28/16
Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
8:35pm
- The Grizzlies have recalled Wade Baldwin from the Iowa Energy, according to the team’s website. The rookie has appeared in 20 games for the Memphis this season, and he’s seeing 14.5 minutes per contest.
3:41pm
- The Cavaliers have sent rookie point guard Kay Felder to the Canton Charge, according to a press release issued by the team. It’s the first D-League assignment of the season for Felder, who has appeared in 14 games for Cleveland.
- A day after being assigned to the D-League, rookie center Damian Jones was recalled by the Warriors, the team announced today in a press release. Jones contributed to Santa Cruz’ win on Tuesday night, chipping in eight points and four boards before fouling out.
- The Celtics have re-assigned Jordan Mickey to the NBADL, the team announced today (via Twitter). Mickey, who has played sparingly for Boston this season, has averaged 16.0 PPG and 12.0 RPG in his two contests with the Maine Red Claws.
- Ivica Zubac will suit up for the Los Angeles D-Fenders tonight, having been assigned to the Lakers‘ D-League affiliate today (Twitter link via Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News). The 2016 second-rounder has played well in eight D-League games this year, averaging 16.8 PPG and 9.5 RPG.
Bryce Cotton To Play In Australia
Former Providence guard Bryce Cotton, who spent parts of the last two seasons in the NBA, is headed back overseas, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. A source tells Carchia that Cotton has agreed to a deal with the Perth Wildcats, and will play in Australia.
Cotton, 24, went undrafted out of college in 2014, but caught on with the Jazz for 15 games in 2014/15, and had brief stints with both the Suns and the Grizzlies last season. In 23 total NBA games, the 6’1″ point guard has averaged a modest 3.8 PPG on .418/.304/.833 shooting.
In addition to his NBA experience, Cotton has also logged some D-League action and played for multiple teams overseas, including the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in China last season. Earlier this year, he signed with Turkey’s Anadolu Efes. However, the team – based out of Istanbul – decided about two weeks ago to replace him with Sixers camp invitee Brandon Paul.
Cotton will be joining a Perth club that currently sits in last place in Australia’s NBL, but most of the league’s teams are bunched together in the standings. At 7-9, the Wildcats could still make a run, with the help of Cotton.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/27/16
Here are Tuesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA, with the most recent updates added to the top of the list throughout the day:
6:25pm:
- The Warriors have assigned Damian Jones back to Santa Cruz to join Golden State’s D-League affiliate, according to a press release. The rookie center figure to play for the NBADL Warriors against Sioux Falls tonight.
5:02pm:
- Having waived one rookie guard – Nicolas Laprovittola – earlier today, the Spurs have sent another to the D-League. Bryn Forbes has been re-assigned to the Austin Spurs, tweets Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News.
1:36pm:
- A day after Rockets rookie Chinanu Onuaku received his first opportunity to get into an NBA game and show off his underhanded free throws, the 2016 second-rounder is headed back to the D-League. The Rockets announced today (via Twitter) that Onuaku has been re-assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Houston’s D-League affiliate will play three games in the next four days, so Onuaku may remain with the Vipers during that stretch.
- The Thunder have sent forward Josh Huestis back to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The 25-year-old, who has yet to appear in an NBA game for Oklahoma City this season, will suit up for the OKC Blue on Wednesday night, assuming he’s not recalled before then.
Mavericks Waive Jonathan Gibson
5:05pm: The Mavericks have made Gibson’s release official, announcing it in a press release that also confirmed Jackson’s deal with the team.
11:12am: In order to make room for incoming guard Pierre Jackson, the Mavericks will waive Jonathan Gibson from their roster, reports Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Dallas had been carrying the maximum 15 players, so the team needed to cut a player before the signing of Jackson could become official.
[RELATED: Mavericks to sign Pierre Jackson]
The decision to waive Gibson comes as no real surprise. As I noted earlier today, Gibson and Dorian Finney-Smith had been the only players on the Mavs’ roster without a fully guaranteed contract. Finney-Smith’s roster spot is safe, and Dallas would have had to eat a chunk of guaranteed salary to cut any other player on the roster. By waiving Gibson, the Mavs will simply take a small cap hit for a prorated portion of his non-guaranteed contract.
Gibson, who was cut by the Mavs at the end of the preseason, rejoined the team last month after a series of injuries decimated the backcourt. The 29-year-old was forced into action shortly after he rejoined the club, but as players returned from injuries, his playing time dwindled. Gibson had played less than 10 total minutes for Dallas over the last two weeks.
In 17 total games for the Mavs, Gibson averaged 6.2 PPG, 1.5 APG, and 1.3 RPG in 13.6 minutes per contest. His best game with the team was his second one — he poured in 26 points in Orlando back on November 19.
Assuming Gibson is officially released today and goes unclaimed on waivers, he’ll return to the unrestricted free agent market on Thursday.
Mavericks Sign Pierre Jackson
5:04pm: The Mavericks have officially signed Jackson, the team announced today in a press release.
9:07am: One of the D-League’s top performers so far this season is making the leap to the NBA, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical. According to Charania (via Twitter), the Mavericks are signing guard Pierre Jackson to a two-year contract that will feature a partial guarantee.
Jackson, 25, was the 42nd overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft, having been sent from the Sixers to the Pelicans in the trade that also sent Jrue Holiday to New Orleans. However, the former Baylor guard never made it into an NBA regular season game, having spent the last few seasons playing in the D-League or overseas.
This season, Jackson has played in 10 games for Dallas’ D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, and has thrived, scoring a league-leading 29.1 PPG to go along with 6.0 APG, 1.9 SPG, and a .540/.429/.829 shooting line. The Legends are 7-3 with Jackson in the lineup, after having started 2-3 without him.
The Mavericks currently have a full 15-man roster, so they’ll have to waive a player to open up a spot for Jackson. Jonathan Gibson, who was already waived once by the team earlier this year – and has a non-guaranteed salary – is a candidate to be cut. Dorian Finney-Smith, whose roster spot appears safe, is the only other Maverick without a fully guaranteed contract, so the team would have to eat some money if another player is waived.
Spurs Waive Nicolas Laprovittola
The Spurs have made a roster move, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived rookie guard Nicolas Laprovittola. The move reduces the team’s roster to 14 players, creating an opening to add someone, though there’s no indication a signing is imminent. The Spurs released Laprovittola to maintain roster flexibility, according to Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News (via Twitter).
Laprovittola, who will turn 27 next month, signed with the Spurs in September and appeared in 18 regular season games with the club, making three starts. In 9.7 minutes per contest, the Argentenian averaged 3.3 PPG and 1.6 APG, shooting 37.0% on three-pointers.
Last season, Laprovittola averaged 10.3 PPG and a team-high 3.8 APG for Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania, posting an impressive .492/.444/.912 shooting line. He was also a member of the Argentinian national team in Rio this past summer, averaging 8.2 PPG, 2.7 APG, and 2.2 RPG in the Olympic tournament.
Because he was on a non-guaranteed contract, Laprovittola’s full $543K salary won’t count against the Spurs’ cap. That salary would have become fully guaranteed if he had remained under contract through January 10, so San Antonio made an early decision to cut him and avoid taking on that full guarantee.
Laprovittola will become an unrestricted free agent later this week, assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers. He’ll be a candidate to head back to Europe unless he finds another NBA job quickly.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/26/16
Here are Monday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
11:24pm:
- The Clippers have assigned rookie center Diamond Stone to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the team’s website. He previously played four games with Santa Cruz, as the Clippers don’t have a direct affiliate in the D-League. The 40th pick in this year’s draft, Stone has appeared in four games for L.A.
- The Kings have recalled Skal Labissiere and Georgios Papagiannis from Reno, tweets James Ham of CSNBayArea. Labissiere was activated for tonight’s game, but Papagiannis was not.
5:30pm:
- The Grizzlies have assigned Troy Williams to Iowa Energy, the team announced on its website. Up to this point, the undrafted rookie has played 24 games for Memphis and started 13 of them.
2:20pm:
- The Nets sent Chris McCullough back to their D-League affiliate today, the team announced in a press release. McCullough, who is playing in the Long Island Nets’ afternoon game, could be recalled prior to tonight’s contest between Charlotte and Brooklyn, which would allow him to suit up for both Nets teams today.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/25/16
Here are Sunday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
- The Warriors have recalled Damian Jones from their Santa Cruz affiliate, the team announced on its website. The rookie center played three games with the D-League team after being assigned December 19th, averaging 7.0 points and 5.7 rebounds.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/24/16
Here are the D-League moves from Saturday:
- The Knicks have recalled point guard Ron Baker from their D-League affiliate, according to the team’s PR department via Twitter. They have also recalled forward Maurice Ndour and center Marshall Plumlee.
- The Kings have recalled rookies Georgios Papagiannis and Skal Labissiere from their D-League affiliate in Reno, tweets Sean Cunningham of station KXTV in Sacramento.