Suns Sign Bakumanya, Cooke, Harrison, Jones
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
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: 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
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
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: 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
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.
Hornets, Perry Ellis Agree To Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 23rd: The signing is official, the team announced.
AUGUST 31st: Former Kansas forward Perry Ellis has received a training camp invite from the Hornets and will join the team for the preseason hoping to earn a spot on the regular-season roster, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Gary Bedore of The Kansas City Star. Ellis will receive a non-guaranteed contract, writes Bedore.
“It’s a really good fit. [The Hornets] like him a lot. They’ve talked about him all summer,” Bartelstein said. “We think it’s got a chance to be a really good opportunity for him. Coaches there are excited to have him. He has to get himself healthy here the next couple weeks. Then he’ll go into camp and compete.”
As Bartelstein alludes to, Ellis is on the mend after undergoing successful sports hernia surgery on Tuesday. Per Bedore, the young forward is expected to miss three or four weeks of individual workouts, but should be ready to go for training camp and the preseason.
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. It’s not clear whether Dallas had interest in bringing him in for training camp, but Bartelstein suggests there were “a number of teams” interested in his client, including a few clubs overseas.
“Obviously you can only pick one,” Bartelstein said. “You’ve got to weigh everything. We looked at the coaching staff and the way they want to play and what they are looking for. We think he’s a really good fit for them.”
Rockets Sign Four Players, Finalize Camp Roster
SEPTEMBER 23: Nearly three months after agreeing to terms with Payton, Taylor, and Wiltjer, the Rockets have officially signed them, announcing the moves today in a press release. The team also confirmed the previously-reported signing of Bobby Brown, formally announcing its 18-man roster for training camp.
While the deals for the three undrafted rookies were initially reported to be three-year agreements, the Rockets have since used up their cap room, limiting the team to two-year, minimum-salary pacts. Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reported this week that two-year contracts were likely for all four players.
JUNE 24: The Rockets drafted two players in the second round on Thursday night, and supplemented their rookie class shortly after the draft ended by agreeing to terms with three free agents who went undrafted.
Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com first reported (via Twitter) that Houston had agreed to a three-year deal with former Oregon State guard Gary Payton II, with Shams Charania of The Vertical reporting (via Twitter) that former Texas guard Isaiah Taylor had also agreed to a partially-guaranteed contract with the Rockets.
Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (via Twitter) confirms those two deals, and adds former Gonzaga forward Kyle Wiltjer to the list of Rockets’ signees. All three players will ink three-year contracts that feature team options, according to Feigen.
Payton, Taylor, Wiltjer were all viewed as top-75 prospects by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com, who ranked them 48th, 67th, and 75th, respectively, in his top 100. There’s no guarantee any of them will earn spots on the Houston’s regular-season roster for 2016/17, but whether or not they make the cut, they could end up spending some time with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets’ D-League affiliate.
Exact terms of the three deals aren’t known, and they haven’t been officially finalized yet, but I’d expect minimum-salary pacts, with most – or all – of the guaranteed money coming in the first year.
Thunder Sign Three Players, Finalize Camp Roster
The Thunder have officially finalized their roster for training camp, bringing their roster count to the maximum allowable 20 players. The team announced today in a press release that it has signed guard Alex Caruso, center Kaleb Tarczewski, and forward Chris Wright. Tarczewski’s and Wright’s camp invites had been previously reported.
[RELATED: Oklahoma City Thunder roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com]
Caruso, who went undrafted in June, played his college ball at Texas A&M, averaging 8.1 PPG, 5.0 APG, 3.6 RPG, and 2.1 SPG in his senior year, while shooting 36.8% from three-point range. The 22-year-old was also named to the SEC’s All-Defensive Team.
Tarczewski, meanwhile, also wasn’t selected in this year’s draft, following a senior year at Arizona in which he averaged 9.4 PPG and 9.3 RPG. Like Caruso, the seven-foot center is a strong defender, having been named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team.
Wright, who turns 28 next Friday, previously appeared in a total of 32 NBA games for the Warriors and Bucks, but has spent most of his time during the past few years overseas. Most recently, Wright appeared in 34 Israeli League games last season for Maccabi Rishon Le-Zion, averaging 12.2 PPG and 5.1 RPG while shooting 61.5% from the floor and playing solid defense.
The Thunder are currently carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with Joffrey Lauvergne on a partially-guaranteed pact and Semaj Christon on a non-guaranteed deal. Caruso, Tarczewski, and Wright likely won’t get more than small guarantees, if they get any guaranteed money at all, which means they’re long shots to make the team’s 15-man roster. An assignment to the D-League’s Oklahoma City Blue is possible for all three players.