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Pelicans Sign Orlando Johnson To 10-Day Deal

March 9th, 2016 at 1:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 1:31pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

TUESDAY, 2:00pm: The Pelicans will use their hardship exception to sign Orlando Johnson to a 10-day contract, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). He’ll occupy the 16th roster spot the hardship provides as injury relief. It’s no surprise to see Johnson, a 6’5″ shooting guard, get the nod, as Charania linked him to the Pelicans in January and Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate reported minutes ago that the team was looking for a guard.

The contract will be worth $55,722. It’s the second 10-day deal Johnson will have signed with an NBA team this season. Phoenix had him on a 10-day last month, and he saw extensive action in two games, totaling 16 points in 47 minutes, but the Suns retooled their roster at the trade deadline and through the buyout market shortly after Johnson’s deal expired.

So, he returned to the Spurs affiliate in the D-League, the team he’s been with most of the season while averaging 16.0 points in 33.1 minutes per game and draining 46.1% of his 3-point shots. Johnson, who turns 27 on Friday, has yet to display that sort of accuracy at the NBA level, where he’s a career 31.3% shooter from behind the arc in parts of two seasons since becoming the 36th overall pick in 2012.

New Orleans will nonetheless see if he can help on the wing, where Tyreke Evans, Quincy Pondexter and Bryce Dejean-Jones are all lost for the season. Eric Gordon is reportedly undergoing surgery on his broken right ring finger today and the Pelicans fear his season is also through. New Orleans would remain eligible for a 16th roster spot the rest of the way if that’s the case.

Cavs Sign Jordan McRae To Two-Year Deal

March 9th, 2016 at 12:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 12:36pm: The signing is official, the team announced. The Cavs refer to it as a multiyear arrangement, which jibes with McMenamin’s report that it includes a team option for next season. Cleveland didn’t have the cap space or exception necessary to give him a contract that goes past next season, so it’s two-year deal.

12:51pm: The pact is to include a team option for next season, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com.

TUESDAY, 12:08pm: The Cavaliers will sign Jordan McRae to a deal that covers the rest of the season after his 10-day contract expires tonight, reports Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The team was eligible to sign him to one more 10-day, but the sides have evidently decided to skip ahead to the next step. McRae has totaled just 14 minutes in three appearances so far, but the Cavs have been impressed with the positional versatility he’s shown in practice, Haynes writes.

The deal would give the 6’6″ rookie, who turns 25 later this month, about $100K, depending on when the official signing takes place. It would cost Cleveland about $850K in combined payroll and projected taxes. Still, the Cavs saved about $10MM in their deadline deals, theoretically giving them the flexibility to reinvest that money. Cleveland has an open roster spot even with McRae aboard.

McRae, the 58th pick in the 2014 draft, is already on his third NBA team since October after splitting last season between Australia and the D-League. He signed the required tender the Sixers had to offer this past summer to retain his draft rights, but Philadelphia waived him just before opening night, forfeiting those draft rights. The Suns later signed him to a pair of 10-day contracts, the last of which was actually a 12-day deal because it bridged the All-Star break. He averaged 5.3 points in 11.7 minutes per game for Phoenix, but he didn’t stick with the Suns, who turned to Phil Pressey instead.

Are the Cavs wise to add younger players like McRae, or should they target veterans instead? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Spurs Sign Kevin Martin

March 9th, 2016 at 12:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

MARCH 9TH, 12:30pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release. San Antonio waived Rasual Butler minutes earlier to clear a roster spot for the move.

9:49pm: The Thunder, Grizzlies and Wizards were among the teams pursuing Martin, Stein tweets.

MARCH 4TH, 9:01pm: The Spurs have reached a contract agreement with free agent shooting guard Kevin Martin, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). San Antonio currently has the league maximum of 15 players on its roster, so a corresponding move will be required prior to inking Martin. The Mavs, Rockets and Hawks also had expressed interest in signing Martin once he cleared waivers, as Stein also recently reported.

Martin was available for a trade for months prior to the February trade deadline, as Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press first reported in December, but potential suitors were apparently reluctant to take him on without knowing what he’d do about his player option for 2016/17. Once the trade deadline passed, Martin and the Wolves reached an agreement on a buyout that saw the player sacrifice exactly half of his $7,377,500 player option for next season and $352,750 of this season’s salary.

The 33-year-old has appeared in 39 games for Minnesota this season, including 12 starts. Martin is averaging 10.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.4 minutes of action per appearance. His career numbers through 698 games are 17.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists to go with a shooting line of .438/.385/.870.

Spurs Waive Rasual Butler

March 9th, 2016 at 12:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs are have waived Rasual Butler in a move that accomodates their deal with Kevin Martin, as league sources told Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), shortly before the team officially announced Butler’s waiver, via press release. San Antonio was carrying 15 players, so it had to offload someone to sign Martin. Butler has a minimum-salary contract that bears a cap hit of $947,276, but it costs San Antonio $1,420,914 in additional projected tax penalties.

That’ll stick on San Antonio’s books if he clears waivers, though an outside chance exists that the Blazers would have interest in claiming him to reach the salary floor. It would be cheaper for Portland to grab Butler than it would be for them to claim Gary Neal, who’s also reportedly hitting waivers. However, neither Neal nor Butler is eligible to take part in the postseason for any new team they might join this season, since March 1st was the last day for players to hit waivers and retain playoff-eligibility.

Butler, 36, played 9.4 minutes per game in 46 appearances for the Spurs this season despite having signed only a non-guaranteed deal in the offseason. It’s the third year in a row that Butler made a regular season roster with a team he joined on a non-guaranteed contract for the minimum salary. He scored a season-high 12 points in 26 minutes against the Suns on February 21st, though his average of 2.7 points per game ties a career low, and he shot just 30.6% from 3-point territory, well beneath his career 36.2% mark. The Spurs agonized over whether to drop Butler or Matt Bonner, as Charania writes in his full story.

Rockets Sign Andrew Goudelock

March 9th, 2016 at 10:36am CST by Chuck Myron

10:36am: Goudelock has signed, the team announced.

MARCH 9TH, 10:20am: The Rockets have finally received clearance from FIBA, a necessary step when players change countries, Feigen tweets. That was holding up the signing, which still hasn’t taken place.

3:28pm: The second year is a team option, tweets Feigen.

3:22pm: Goudelock’s contract is a minimum salary arrangement that covers the rest of the season and includes either a full or partial guarantee for 2016/17 that kicks in on August 1st, international journalist David Pick reports (via Twitter).

MARCH 2ND, 2:36pm: The Rockets and former Lakers shooting guard Andrew Goudelock have reached a contract agreement, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Goudelock has been playing for China’s Xinjiang Flying Tigers, who just fell in the Chinese Basketball Association semifinals. The 27-year-old has been out of the NBA since 2013 but has a history with the Rockets organization, having played for their D-League affiliate for part of the 2012/13 season, when he won D-League MVP honors. Houston has a pair of open roster spots, so no corresponding move is necessary.

The Goudelock deal is reminiscent of Houston’s initial signing of Patrick Beverley, whom the team picked out of Russia in the middle of the season three years ago, though it would no doubt be a dream scenario for all involved if Goudelock develops the way Beverley has. In the meantime, Goudelock adds depth to a backcourt that the release of Marcus Thornton and the buyout deal with Ty Lawson have thinned. Goudelock averaged 22.1 points in 35.1 minutes per game with 41.6% 3-point shooting against relatively weak competition in China this season.

The details of the pact are unclear, but the Rockets have no more than about $900K to hand out to any one free agent this season, regardless of how much Lawson gave up in his buyout. Houston was about $524K shy of its hard cap before offloading Lawson.

Nets Sign Sean Kilpatrick To Second 10-Day

March 9th, 2016 at 9:20am CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets have signed Sean Kilpatrick to a second 10-day contract, the team announced via press release. The first expired overnight, as we noted minutes ago. The latest pact between Brooklyn and the 26-year-old shooting guard covers four games, against the Sixers (twice), Bucks and Bulls. It’ll cost $49,709.

The team could have waited to re-sign Kilpatrick until its next game, which isn’t until Friday, as many clubs do with 10-day signees, but the benefits of an immediate signing, which allows him to take part in practice and keeps him from slipping away to another team that might offer a better deal, apparently outweigh the alternative. He’s played a fairly prominent role in five Nets games so far, averaging 9.4 points in 16.6 minutes per contest, including a 19-point outburst Saturday against the Timberwolves. Perhaps most encouraging is his 3-point shooting, as he’s stuck nine of 18 attempts, carrying over the 42.6% form he displayed this season in 28 games for the Sixers D-League affiliate this season.

Brooklyn has no shortage of flexibility, with only 13 contracts that run through season’s end and newfound financial leeway beneath the tax in the wake of buyouts with Joe Johnson and Andrea Bargnani. The Nets still have an open roster spot even with Kilpatrick’s continued presence. NetsDaily hears new GM Sean Marks plans more moves soon, though it’s unclear if that applies directly to the roster in the wake of Tuesday’s hiring of assistant GM Trajan Langdon. In any case, the Nets and Kilpatrick will have to either commit to each other through season’s end or part ways at the end of their latest 10-day deal.

Suns Sign Chase Budinger

March 8th, 2016 at 11:40am CST by Eddie Scarito

TUESDAY, 11:40am: The signing is official, the team announced.

7:41pm: The Suns will give Budinger a prorated veteran’s minimum contract that runs through the end of this season, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. The signing is expected to take place after Budinger clears waivers on Monday.

SATURDAY, 5:04pm: The Suns intend to sign Chase Budinger provided he clears waivers, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports (via Twitter). Phoenix has a roster count of 13 players after waiving shooting guard Sonny Weems earlier today, so no additional move is required to sign the swingman. Sean Deveney of The Sporting News and Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star first reported that the Suns were the front-runners to sign Budinger.

The small forward agreed to a buyout with the Pacers and officially hit waivers earlier today. Budinger, 27, appeared in 48 games for the Pacers this season prior to his release. He averaged 4.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 15.0 minutes per night to accompany a shooting line of .419/.299/.708. The veteran shooter’s career numbers are 8.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

Indiana was reportedly attempting to trade Budinger leading up to February’s trade deadline, but the Pacers found no takers for the remainder of his $5MM expiring contract. The Pacers acquired Budinger from the Timberwolves this past offseason when the plan was to move Paul George to power forward. While Budinger didn’t see much burn for Indiana, the Suns could benefit from his ability to stretch the floor with his outside shooting, though Budinger’s mark of 29.9% from deep on the season would be a career low if it stands.

Suns Sign Alan Williams To 10-Day Deal

March 8th, 2016 at 11:39am CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 11:39am: The signing is official, the team announced. The contract will cover five games, against the Knicks, Nuggets, Warriors, Timberwolves and Jazz.

MONDAY, 2:59pm: The Suns plan to sign Alan Williams to a 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The big man who went undrafted out of UC Santa Barbara this past summer is a Phoenix native who led the Chinese Basketball Association in rebounding, as Charania points out. The 23-year-old Williams posted 20.8 points and 15.4 rebounds in 29.9 minutes per game for Qingdao in the months after making summer league appearances for the Rockets and Hornets. Phoenix has two open roster spots and is in line to save money with the Sixers reportedly poised to claim Sonny Weems off waivers, so the Suns have no shortage of flexibility for the Williams deal, which would cost a paltry $30,888.

Williams impressed on Houston’s Las Vegas summer league team, earning All-Tournament Second Team honors after putting up 20.5 points and 11.8 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per contest over four appearances. It was a breakout performance after Charlotte gave him only 8.1 minutes per game in the Orlando summer league. Still, he was on NBA radars before that. He posted double-figure rebounding averages in each of his final three seasons in college and worked out for the Suns, among other NBA teams, before the draft.

Phoenix is dabbling heavily in short-term deals with only 12 players signed through at least the end of the season. The Suns already have point guard Phil Pressey on his second 10-day contract, which expires Thursday night. Williams is about to become the sixth player to sign a 10-day contract with the Suns this year, as our 10-day Tracker shows.

Nets Hire Trajan Langdon As Assistant GM

March 8th, 2016 at 10:07am CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets have named Cavs front office executive Trajan Langdon as their assistant GM, Brooklyn announced via press release. The 39-year-old Langdon had just joined Cleveland as director of player administration and basketball operations this past September. He’ll rejoin new Nets GM Sean Marks, his former colleague in the Spurs front office, where Langdon worked as a pro scout from 2012 to 2015. Marks indicated via Brooklyn’s statement that the Cavs green-lighted the in-season move.

“We are very pleased to welcome Trajan and his family to the Brooklyn Nets,” Marks said in the statement. “Trajan is someone I worked with closely at the Spurs, and he brings a unique combination of NBA and European experience to the position. Trajan’s recent front office post with Cleveland added to his professional resume, and I want to thank the Cavs for their cooperation in this effort. The Nets look forward to Trajan’s contributions.”

Langdon is most well-known for his time playing at Duke, the alma mater of former Nets GM Billy King. The native of Alaska has further connections with Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, board member Sergey Kushchenko and rumored coaching candidate Ettore Messina, all of whom were affiliated with Russia’s CSKA Moscow when Langdon had a successful run as a player for that team, NetsDaily notes (on Twitter).

The Cavaliers drafted Langdon 11th overall in 1999, though he spent three only seasons as an NBA player, all of them with Cleveland. He was with the Clippers for training camp in 2004 but didn’t appear in the regular season for them.

Frank Zanin already holds the title of assistant GM for the Nets, who previously carried two assistant GMs when they employed Zanin and Bobby Marks, with whom the team parted ways last spring. It’s unclear what the hiring of Langdon means for the future of Zanin, who ran the front office while the team searched for King’s replacement.

Sixers Claim Sonny Weems, Release Christian Wood

March 7th, 2016 at 5:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

5:06pm: The moves have taken place, the Sixers announced via press release.

3:40pm: Philly is claiming Weems to have a look at him, tweets Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, suggesting that the team plans to keep him around, at least for a while.

2:31pm: The Sixers plan to claim Sonny Weems off waivers from the Suns today and release Christian Wood from his 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The move appears to be geared toward lifting Philadelphia’s team salary, currently at about $60.4MM, to the league minimum of $63MM. Weems makes $2.814MM, which would push the Sixers over the salary floor by about $200K. However, Weems is only due a few more paychecks that will total about $660K, notes Bobby Marks of The Vertical (Twitter link). So, even though Weems’ full salary would hit Philly’s cap, the Sixers would only pay him a fraction of that amount. Philadelphia would have had to shell out the difference between its team salary and the salary floor to the players on its roster if it hadn’t made up the gap by the last day of the regular season.

A claim would help the Suns, too, since it would save them from having to pay the remaining $660K obligation to Weems and erase his entire salary from their cap. Phoenix would be just barely above the cap if Philly indeed comes away with the swingman.

Wood signed a 10-day contract just this past Friday, but the Sixers will owe him the full $30,888 value of the deal regardless of whether he remains on the roster. He would immediately become a free agent once the Sixers release him, since 10-day contracts don’t go on waivers. This would be the second time this season that Philadelphia has relinquished Wood, who hit waivers in January when the team decided to sign Elton Brand.

It’s unclear whether the Sixers intend to keep Weems, since they’ve often quickly waived players after taking on their salaries in the past. His contract includes a non-guaranteed salary of nearly $2.941MM for next season, so his contract could help serve as ballast for offseason trades even if the Sixers don’t envision a future with him. The 29-year-old was in and out of the Phoenix rotation this season, averaging 11.7 minutes per game in his return to the NBA after four years playing overseas. In any case, it’s no surprise to see Philadelphia in line to claim him, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors speculated this weekend that such a move would take place.