Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets Sign Jorge Gutierrez To Camp Deal

September 26th, 2016 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 26: The Nets have formally announced their roster for training camp, which includes Gutierrez, making his deal official.

SEPTEMBER 21: The Nets have filled out their offseason roster by agreeing to bring Jorge Gutierrez in on a training camp deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). Gutierrez will become the 20th man on Brooklyn’s camp roster, with the team having reached an agreement with 19th man Chase Budinger earlier this afternoon.

An undrafted point guard out of the University of California, Gutierrez has appeared in 47 total NBA games since 2014, debuting for the Nets and also spending time with the Bucks and Hornets. For his career, he has averaged 2.9 PPG, 1.5 APG, and 1.1 RPG, while shooting 50.0% from the field.

Gutierrez has spent more time over the past several seasons in the D-League, playing 122 contests for the Canton Charge. With 15 players on guaranteed salaries for the Nets, plus Budinger, Beau Beech, Yogi Ferrell, and Egidijus Mockevicius also in the mix, it will be an uphill battle for Gutierrez to earn a spot on the team’s regular-season roster, so another stint in the D-League may be on the horizon for him.

Gutierrez was one of a handful of players who participated in an informal workout on Tuesday for the Nets. Veteran free agents Kendall Marshall and P.J. Hairston were also spotted at the team’s facility.

Spurs Sign Nicolas Laprovittola

September 26th, 2016 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 26: The Spurs’ signing of Laprovittola is now official, according to the team (via Twitter).

SEPTEMBER 3: Laprovittola’s deal is a non-guaranteed, one-year minimum salary arrangement, international journalist David Pick tweets.

SEPTEMBER 2: The Spurs have a deal in place with Laprovittola and will give him a shot to snag their 15th and final regular season roster spot, Stein tweets.

AUGUST 26: The Spurs already have two Argentinian players on their roster, in Manu Ginobili and Patricio Garino, and they’re working to add a third. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, San Antonio is making an effort to sign veteran guard Nicolas Laprovittola. Orazio Cauchi of Sportando suggests that the two sides already have a deal in place.

The Spurs have a long list of unsigned draft picks that they’ve stashed overseas over the years, but Laprovittola’s name isn’t on that list, since he went undrafted when he was eligible in 2012. The 26-year-old has played for a handful of international teams since 2007, spending time in Argentina, Brazil, and Lithuania before joining his current club, Spain’s Estudiantes.

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 month, averaging 8.2 PPG, 2.7 APG, and 2.2 RPG in the Olympic tournament.

Having already been active in free agency this summer, the Spurs used up all their cap space and their room exception, so the team would only be able to sign Laprovittola to a minimum-salary deal. Assuming the two sides make it official, I’d expect a two-year, minimum-salary pact with a partial guarantee in year one, which would give the Argentinian guard a chance to compete for a roster spot.

Spurs Sign Joel Anthony

September 26th, 2016 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 26: The Spurs have officially announced their roster for training camp (via Twitter) and Anthony’s name is on it, meaning the two sides formally finalized a deal.

SEPTEMBER 19: Veteran center Joel Anthony is set to join the Spurs, with the two sides working on finalizing a training camp deal, reports Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News. According to Young, the contract is expected to be non-guaranteed.

Anthony, 34, spent the last two seasons in Detroit, playing sparingly for the Pistons. In 2015/16, he averaged a career-low 5.1 minutes per game in 19 regular-season contests. The Spurs likely won’t be expecting much production from Anthony if he earns a spot on the team’s 15-man roster, but he’d provide some additional veteran depth to the club.

Anthony figures to occupy one of the two current openings on the Spurs’ 20-man offseason roster. San Antonio has 14 players on fully guaranteed salaries for the 2016/17 season, with Ryan Richards, Bryn Forbes, Patricio Garino, and Ryan Arcidiacono also in the mix on non-guaranteed or partially-guaranteed deals.

If Anthony makes the Spurs’ opening-night roster, he’d be behind LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol, David Lee, and Dewayne Dedmon in the club’s frontcourt rotation.

Suns Sign Bakumanya, Cooke, Harrison, Jones

September 25th, 2016 at 6:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns signed four players just before the start of training camp, the team announced today on its website. The addition of Gracin Bakumanya, Derek Cooke, Shaquille Harrison and Derrick Jones gives Phoenix 19 players under contract heading into the first day of camp on Monday.

Bakumanya, a 6’11” center, was an international early-entry candidate who wasn’t selected in June’s draft. A native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bakumanya played in France last season and was part of the Rockets’ summer league team.

A 6’9″ power forward, Cooke played for the Suns’ D-League affiliate in Bakersfield last season, averaging 4.8 points and 7.0 rebounds in 47 games. Cooke, a Wyoming alumnus, played for the Suns’ team in the summer league.

Harrison, formerly of Tulsa, also went undrafted this year. A 6-4 guard, he averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists as a senior and earned All-American Athletic Conference second team honors the past two seasons.

Jones, a 6’7″ power forward, spent one season at UNLV before entering the draft. The 19-year-old averaged 11.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 30 games with the Runnin’ Rebels.

Pelicans Sign Quinn Cook

September 24th, 2016 at 1:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

1:12pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

12:23pm: The Pelicans are signing unrestricted free agent Quinn Cook for training camp, Justin Verrier of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). The length and terms of the arrangement are unknown, though it is likely a minimum salary pact that may include a small partial guarantee.

The point guard went undrafted out of Duke in 2015 and spent the 2015/16 season in the D-League playing for the Canton Charge, Cleveland’s affiliate. In 43 appearances Cook averaged 19.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 33.8 minutes per outing. His slash line was .466/.382/.863.

Cook participated in the Las Vegas Summer League this offseason, making five appearances and averaging 6.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 27.8% from the field. With Jrue Holiday out indefinitely while he attends to family matters, New Orleans is in need of backcourt depth. The 23-year-old is already practicing with the team, Verrier tweets.

Wizards Sign Johnny O’Bryant

September 24th, 2016 at 7:58am CST by Eddie Scarito

SEPTEMBER 24th: The signing is official, per the RealGM transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 10th: The Wizards have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent Johnny O’Bryant, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). The terms of the deal are unknown, but with Washington well over the cap, it is almost assuredly for the league minimum. The team does still possess its mid-level exception, but it would be surprising if it was used in this case.

The 23-year-old will have his work cut out for him to make the regular season roster, though, he should at least have a legitimate shot to make it to opening night given the team’s current roster composition. The addition of O’Bryant will give the Wizards a preseason roster count of 17, but only 12 of those contracts possess full guarantees. Washington does not have its own D-League affiliate, so designating O’Bryant as an affiliate player is not an option should he fail to make the final cut.

O’Bryant appeared in 66 games for the Bucks in 2015/16, averaging 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per outing. His shooting line on the campaign was .411/1.000/.675.

Warriors Sign Scott Wood

September 23rd, 2016 at 6:54pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Warriors have signed unrestricted free agent Scott Wood, the team announced via press release. The details of the pact are not yet known, but it is almost assuredly a minimum salary training camp deal. The addition of Wood gives Golden State a roster count of 20, which is the preseason maximum.

The 26-year-old has spent the past three seasons overseas with the Spanish club UCAM Murcia. In 36 contests in Liga ACB play in 2015/16, the small forward averaged 8.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 20.2 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .444/.411/1.000. The closest Wood has gotten to the NBA was playing for the Clippers’ summer league squad in 2013/14 and 2014/15. He failed to impress, averaging 4.2 and 0.5 points respectively.

Wood went undrafted in 2013 after spending four seasons at North Carolina State. His career college numbers were 10.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists. His career NCAA shooting line was .423/.414/.883.

Jazz Sign Eric Dawson

September 23rd, 2016 at 6:08pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Jazz have signed unrestricted free agent Eric Dawson, the team announced. The length and terms of the arrangement were not relayed, but it is most likely a minimum salary pact that may include a small partial guarantee.

The forward’s most recent action came in the Philippines with Blackwater Elite where he averaged 18.2 points, 15.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.2 blocks in 38.8 minutes per game in six games (all starts) last season. He also spent part of the 2015/16 season with Paris-Levallois in France’s Pro A league.

Dawson’s regular season NBA experience consists of four games as a member of the Spurs during the 2011/12 season when he averaged 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per outing. The 32-year-old also has 99 D-League games under his belt, last appearing in the league during the 2013/14 season. His career D-League numbers are 12.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 25.9 minutes per outing. His shooting numbers in the D-League are .541/.318/.721.

Lakers Sign Metta World Peace

September 23rd, 2016 at 5:37pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 23rd: The signing is official, the team announced.

SEPTEMBER 21st, 2:09pm: World Peace’s deal with the Lakers will be non-guaranteed, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Meanwhile, the veteran forward tells Mike Bresnahan of TWC SportsNet (Twitter link) that he’s “very excited” about rejoining the Lakers and heading to training camp next week. He also confirms that he’s signing a one-year, non-guaranteed pact (Twitter link).

1:26pm: The Lakers have struck a deal to re-sign veteran free agent Metta World Peace, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). While specific details of the agreement have not yet been reported, a one-year, minimum-salary pact seems likely for World Peace.

Although he’ll turn 37 this November, World Peace had indicated last month that he “absolutely” intended to continue his NBA playing career. “I’m waiting for teams. I can still play. I can play, it’s not even a question, man,” World Peace said at the time. “But, you know, sometimes you don’t get in the game, man. What are you going to do? I’m not going to be upset, I’m going to support. So if I don’t play, like this year on the Lakers I could have averaged 15 or 20 on the Lakers if I played, easily. But you know, I’ll be supportive [if I don’t play].”

Averaging 16.9 minutes per game in 35 contests for the Lakers last season, World Peace fell well short of the “15 or 20” points per game he thought he could have scored with more playing time. For the year, he shot a career-low 31.1% from the floor en route to averaging just 5.0 PPG and 2.5 RPG.

Byron Scott, the head coach of the 2015/16 Lakers, seemed somewhat resistant to giving big minutes to his young players, which opened the door for veterans like World Peace to get some playing time. It’s unclear whether new coach Luke Walton will give his former teammate that same opportunity.

The man formerly known as Ron Artest may not even be assured of a roster spot in Los Angeles. The team is currently carrying 14 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with Yi Jianlian – who has a partially guaranteed deal that’s heavy on incentives – also expected to make the regular-season roster. If World Peace makes the team, it’s possible he’ll get Nick Young‘s spot, since Young has long been considered a release candidate for the Lakers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Heat Sign Keith Benson

September 23rd, 2016 at 4:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

4:01pm: Benson’s deal is partially guaranteed, international journalist David Pick tweets.

3:43pm: The Heat have officially signed unrestricted free agent Keith Benson, the team announced. The length and terms of the deal were not relayed, but it is likely a minimum-salary arrangement that may include a small partial guarantee. The addition of Benson gives Miami 20 players on its preseason roster, including Chris Bosh, who reportedly failed his most recent physical exam and has not been cleared by the team to participate in training camp. The Heat will need to cut down the roster to 15 players by the start of the regular season, per league rules.

The center spent last season playing for the Heat’s D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls, making 49 appearances and averaging 13.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks and shooting 57.3% from the field in 23.8 minutes per outing. Benson made the D-League All-Star team and was a big part of the Skyforce’s D-League title run in 2015/16. He averaged 10.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.14 blocks and 17.8 minutes while shooting 59.2% during the postseason.

The 28-year-old has appeared in a total of three career NBA regular season games, all with Golden State, totaling three rebounds in nine minutes of action and has spent time playing professionally in Belarus, China, Lithuania, Estonia, Italy and the Philippines. Benson was drafted No. 48 overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Hawks.