Timberwolves Exercise Options On Four Players
The Timberwolves have exercised third-year options on Karl-Anthony Towns and Tyus Jones and fourth-year options on Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins, the team announced today.
Adreian Payne has been told his fourth-year option will not be picked up, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News in Minneapolis (Twitter link).
Towns and Wiggins are the last two Rookies of the Year and Levine is part of the rotation, so all of those moves were expected. Minnesota has reportedly been in ongoing trade talks involving Jones, with the Sixers as the current front-runner.
Payne, a 6’10” power forward, appeared in 52 games for the Wolves last season, averaging 2.5 points and 2.1 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per night. He was acquired from the Hawks in a 2015 trade.
Elton Brand Announces Retirement
SUNDAY, 9:03am: The Sixers have released Brand, tweets Derek Bodner of PhillyMag.
THURSDAY, 12:14pm: After signing a new contract with the Sixers during the offseason, Elton Brand appeared ready to extend his NBA career at least one more year. However, the former first overall pick changed his course, announcing today that he’ll be retiring from the game (Twitter link via Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com).
“After 17 years of playing the game that I love – and it’s been great to me – I’m officially retiring,” Brand told reporters today.
Brand previously announced his retirement from the NBA back in 2015, but decided to make a comeback with the Sixers during the 2015/16 season. When he made his announcement today, he asserted that his retirement is “for real this time.”
The No. 1 overall pick by the Bulls in the 1999 draft, Brand averaged over 20 points per game in his rookie season, then reached that mark in five more seasons over the course of his career. A two-time All-Star with the Clippers, Brand spent time in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Atlanta during his 17-year career, finishing with averages of 15.9 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.7 BPG in 1,058 total regular season contests.
Brand’s minimum-salary contract with the Sixers for the 2016/17 season was partially guaranteed for $1MM, and he’ll likely receive that money. Philadelphia remains well below the salary floor, so there’s little reason for the club to quibble over that payout, particularly if the two sides intend to continue their relationship into the next phase of Brand’s career.
As Camerato tweets, Brand said today that he’ll take some time off before deciding on what his next step will be. Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link) had speculated earlier today, prior to Brand’s announcement, that a role in the 76ers’ front office could be in the big man’s future.
With Brand no longer in the mix as a player, the Sixers will have one less decision to make as they cut down their roster to 15 players for the regular season. The team currently has 11 players on guaranteed salaries, with eight (plus Brand) on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed deals.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rockets To Sign Le’Bryan Nash
The Rockets have signed Le’Bryan Nash, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Nash is expected to play for the team’s D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Nash was a top-10 recruit coming out of high school and while he did win the Big-12 Freshman of the Year award, he never looked the part of a future NBA star during his four seasons at the Oklahoma State University. The small forward averaged 14.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game as a Cowboy.
He was not selected in the 2015 draft and opted to play overseas in the Basketball Japan League, averaging 26.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assist per game. During the offseason, he played for the Bucks’ summer league team.
Pelicans Waive Quinn Cook, Quincy Ford
The Pelicans have waived Quinn Cook and Quincy Ford, according to a team press release. New Orleans’ roster count sits at 16, meaning it has one more cut to make before opening night. Lance Stephenson is the team’s only remaining player with a non-guaranteed deal.
Cook, who signed with the team last month. played in three preseason games for the Pelicans. He averaged 8.3 points and 2.7 assists per game.
Ford joined the team earlier this week. During the offseason, he played for Utah’s summer league team, averaging 5.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.
Hornets Waive Sulaimon, Tobey, Ellis
5:42pm: The moves are official, according to a team press release.
SATURDAY 3:49pm: The Hornets will waive Rasheed Sulaimon, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). The player will join the team’s D-League affiliate in Greensboro, the scribe adds. Also being let go are Mike Tobey and Perry Ellis, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com relays (via Twitter). Tobey’s deal included a partial guarantee of $75K, which Charlotte will be responsible for unless he is claimed off waivers by another team.
Sulaimon, who wasn’t selected in this year’s draft, averaged 11.1 points, 3.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds as a senior with the Terrapins last season. The shooting guard played for the Bulls’ summer league team in Las Vegas, but shot just 3-of-13 from 3-point range and reportedly had trouble defending smaller guards.
Ellis averaged 16.9 PPG and 5.8 RPG to go along with a shooting line of .531/.438/.785 during his final year at Kansas. After going undrafted, the 22-year-old joined the Mavericks for Summer League action in Las Vegas.
Tobey, a 7’1″ center out of Virginia, averaged 7.3 PPG and 4.4 RPG in 15.7 minutes per contest during his senior year. The 21-year-old joined the Hornets for Summer League action in Orlando, and recorded 10.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.6 BPG, and 1.0 SPG in his five appearances with the squad.
Mavericks Waive Five Players, Keep Dorian Finney-Smith
5:35pm: The team has indeed waived the five players, Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com confirms (Twitter link).
SATURDAY 5:25pm: The Mavs will waive Jonathan Gibson, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). MacMahon adds that Dallas will opt to give Dorian Finney-Smith its 15th and final roster spot, meaning the team will also waive Kyle Collinsworth, Keith Hornsby, Jaleel Cousins and C.J. Williams.
Gibson’s release is particularly surprising because his minimum salary deal is fully guaranteed for the upcoming year. Dallas also chose to keep Nicolas Brussino, whose contract became guaranteed on Thursday.
Brussino and Finney Smith are both forwards and the Mavericks appear to be looking for upside and versatility in the players they keep at the end of their bench. Gibson, who turns 29 next month, doesn’t fit that profile. He can score the ball, but he has limitations on the defensive end.
Grizzlies Waive Three, Will Also Cut Jordan Adams
5:32pm: The Grizzlies have waived Stephens, according to a team press release. The team has also waived Wayne Selden Jr. and JaKarr Sampson.
SATURDAY, 2:53pm: The Grizzlies have pared down their roster in advance of the regular season, waiving Jordan Adams and D.J. Stephens, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune reports (on Twitter). Memphis will be on the hook for Adams’ fully guaranteed salary of $1,465,080 and Stephens’ partial guarantee of $35K, provided they are not claimed off waivers by another club.
Adams, 22, appeared in 32 NBA games since being selected with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. His numbers during that stretch are 3.2 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 8.2 minutes per contest. His career slash line is .402/.385/.607.
The 25-year-old Stephens has three games of NBA experience with Milwaukee in 2014. The Cavs signed Stephens to a training camp deal last September, but then waived him shortly before the season started. The previous fall, Stephens had inked minimum-salary camp deal with the Pelicans and was among the team’s final cuts about a week before Halloween in 2014.
Cavs Waive John Holland
The Cavs have waived John Holland, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The move will bring their roster count to 16 and Cleveland has until Monday to waive one more player.
Cleveland signed Holland last month, though he was never expected to make the team. The small forward’s only NBA experience came during last season’s playoffs with the Celtics, where he saw only one minute of action. During that game, he took one shot–a 3-pointer–which he missed.
Holland spent four years at Boston University and he wasn’t selected in the 2011 draft. He went overseas following college, playing for four teams in three different countries from 2011 until 2015 .
Celtics Waive Ryan Kelly
As expected, the Celtics have waived Ryan Kelly, with the team announcing the move via press release. This paves the way for the forward to join Boston’s D-League affiliate in Maine, which was why the team inked him to a deal on Friday.
Kelly, who was waived by the Hawks earlier this week, spent his first three seasons in the NBA as a member of the Lakers after being selected 48th overall in the 2013 draft. After averaging 22.9 minutes per contest during his first two seasons in Los Angeles, Kelly saw his playing time reduced last season, playing just 13.1 MPG in 36 contests. He averaged 4.2 PPG and 3.4 RPG in those games, shooting just 36.9% from the floor, 13.5% from beyond the arc, and 68.5% from the line.
The Celtics still have one more cut to make to reduce their roster to the regular season maximum of 15 players, and it is likely going to be either R.J. Hunter or James Young who gets the axe.
Heat Part Ways With Five Players
3:06pm: The Heat have announced via press release that the moves are official.
1:40pm: The Heat intend to part ways with Briante Weber, Beno Udrih, Okaro White, Luis Montero and Vashil Fernandez, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel relays (All Twitter links). The team will be on the hook for $100K for White, $327,989 for Weber and $980,431 for Udrih, unless those players are claimed off waivers by another team.
Udrih played 36 games with Miami last season before agreeing to a buyout in February to help the team avoid the luxury tax, which certainly gained him some fans within the organization. In those 36 games for the Heat last season, Udrih averaged 4.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 16.3 minutes per outing. He shot .434/.333/.882 from the field.
Weber, 23, appeared in a combined seven games with Miami and Memphis in 2015/16. He averaged 4.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 24.1 minutes per outing while shooting .359/.000/.750.
White went undrafted out of Florida State in 2014 and then headed overseas, spending the 2014/15 campaign with the Italian club Granarolo Bologna, where he averaged 12.2 points and 6.9 rebounds on the season. White then headed to Greece, spending this past season with Aris BC, notching averages of 13.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 26.8 minutes per outing. He shot .465/.337/.791 from the field on the year.
A 6’7″ swingman from the Dominican Republic, Montero signed with the Heat after being waived by the Blazers earlier this month. He appeared in 12 games as a rookie last season for Portland, averaging 1.2 points and 0.3 rebounds per night in limited playing time. Montero played just one game this preseason for Portland before he was cut, scoring three points against Utah on October 3rd.
Fernandez went undrafted this June after spending his four-year college career at Valparaiso. The 6’10” big man averaged just 5.6 PPG during his senior season, but also chipped in 7.3 RPG and 3.3 BPG over the course of 36 games.