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Michael Carter Williams Out For Rest Of Season

March 7th, 2016 at 12:37pm CST by Chuck Myron

Michael Carter-Williams will miss the rest of the season and undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip, the team announced. The injury damages whatever hopes of a postseason still exist for Milwaukee, which is in 12th place in the Eastern Conference and six games back of the last playoff spot. It’ll take the point guard three months to recover, according to the team.

It’s uncertain whether Carter-Williams will play again for the Bucks at all, since he was in multiple trade rumors before last month’s deadline. Coach Jason Kidd benched the former Rookie of the Year and marquee offseason signee Greg Monroe early last month, and Carter-Williams hasn’t played at all since February 27th because of patella tendinitis and his hip.

It’s much too late for the Bucks to apply for a disabled player exception, since the deadline for those is January 15th, but the hardship provision could be in play. The hardship would give the Bucks the opportunity to sign an extra player even though they’re at the 15-man roster limit. Milwaukee is also without Steve Novak for the rest of the season, and it’s uncertain when either John Henson, who’s been out since January, and Greivis Vasquez, who hasn’t played since November, will return. A team can apply for a hardship exception if it has four players expected to miss at least two weeks.

The injury robs Carter-Williams of a chance to make a final impression before he enters an offseason in which he becomes eligible for a rookie scale extension. He’s averaging career lows in points, shot attempts, assists and minutes per game, depressing his market value.

Celtics Sign Coty Clarke To 10-Day Contract

March 7th, 2016 at 12:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics have signed Coty Clarke to a 10-day contract, the team announced. The 6’7″ combo forward has been with Boston’s D-League affiliate and was on the NBA roster for training camp. The team was carrying an open roster spot, so no corresponding move is necessary. The contract, worth $30,888, will cover four games, against the Grizzlies, Rockets, Pacers and Thunder.

Clarke has averaged 16.1 points and 7.5 rebounds in 26.0 minutes per game across 39 D-League appearances this season, only 11 of which have been starts. Still, the 23-year-old displayed an ability to stretch the floor, with 38.8% 3-point shooting. This season has represented a return stateside for the former University of Arkansas player who spent last season with Hapoel Kazrin in Israel after going undrafted in 2014. He put up 9.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game with 43.1% 3-point shooting as a senior at Arkansas in 2013/14.

Boston gave Clarke only a cameo appearance during the preseason, but he appears to fit what the team has been looking for more recently. Coach Brad Stevens pointed to shooting and versatility as key attributes he wanted in someone who would fill the roster vacancy, and Clarke looks like he can deliver on both fronts.

Pacers Sign Ty Lawson

March 7th, 2016 at 8:19am CST by Eddie Scarito

Thomas B. Shea / USA TODAY Sports Images

MONDAY, 8:19am: The signing is official, the Pacers announced.

“We’re glad to have Ty come play with the Pacers for this final run of the season,” Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said in the team’s statement. “We think he brings added speed to our backcourt, he can get up and down the floor and he helps strengthen our second unit.”

Lawson, not far removed from having finished third in the league in assists last season, spoke merely of fitting in.

“This is a good opportunity for me to come here, try to help the Pacers win and get into the playoffs,” Lawson said in the statement. “I’m just ready to play and do whatever is needed.”

THURSDAY, 8:51pm: The Pacers have reached an agreement with free agent point guard Ty Lawson, Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports. The exact details of the arrangement are not yet known, but it is likely a minimum salary pact that covers the remainder of the season, though that is merely my speculation. The team has about $1.9MM left on its room exception, so it could use that instead of a prorated minimum that would pay Lawson about $300K.

Indiana currently has the league maximum of 15 players on its roster, but the Pacers reportedly have had a buyout arrangement in place with small forward Chase Budinger for a week. The team has held off on finalizing the buyout due to the rash of injuries it has been hit with. Budinger is expected to be waived on Saturday, which is also when Lawson is expected to officially sign, Charania notes.

Lawson was never a good fit with the Rockets this year, prompting him and the team to reach a buyout arrangement prior to the March 1st deadline for players to hit waivers and retain postseason eligibility for other teams. In 53 appearances for Houston this season, Lawson averaged 5.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 22.2 minutes per night. His shooting line is .387/.330/.700.

Suns Waive Sonny Weems

March 5th, 2016 at 4:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

4:50pm: Weems has officially been waived, the team announced.

3:36pm: The Suns intend to waive shooting guard Sonny Weems, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports (via Twitter). The Suns currently have a roster count of 14 players, including Phil Pressey, who inked his second 10-day deal with the team last Tuesday. This means the team still had an open roster spot, so the move to release Weems wasn’t a necessity unless the Phoenix is eyeing multiple players for potential deals, though that is merely my speculation.

The 29-year-old will hit waivers and it would require $2.814MM of cap space or a trade exception of that amount or greater to claim him, Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports tweets. The shooting guard is owed approximately $660,000 for the remainder of the season, a number the Suns will be on the hook for if Weems goes unclaimed. The Sixers still need to reach the minimum salary floor of $63MM, so I would speculate they remain an outside possibility to make a claim on Weems.

Weems appeared in 36 games this season for the Suns and averaged 2.5 points and 1.1 assists in 11.7 minutes per outing. His slash line is .393/.406/.538.

Pistons Sign Justin Harper To Second 10-Day

March 5th, 2016 at 11:58am CST by Chuck Myron

SATURDAY, 11:58am: The signing is official, the Pistons announced today.

FRIDAY, 11:38am: The Pistons will sign Justin Harper to another 10-day contract, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said today, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link). That’s no surprise, since Van Gundy remarked two days ago that he was leaning toward another 10-day deal with the power forward, as Rod Beard of The Detroit News wrote. Harper’s first 10-day deal expires tonight. The latest pact will represent a tiny investment of $49,709 with a larger decision looming afterward, since Detroit will have to either re-sign him for the season or let him walk.

Harper, 26, has averaged 3.3 points in 7.7 minutes per game across three appearances so far with the Pistons, who’ve given him his first regular season NBA action in four years. He played at a handful of stops overseas and in the D-League in between, and he was with the Nets for the preseason this past fall.

The collapse of Detroit’s trade for power forward Donatas Motiejunas and injuries to power forward Anthony Tolliver and small forward Stanley Johnson prompted the Pistons to turn to Harper. Tolliver is liable to miss two more weeks while Johnson is out through at least the weekend, Langlois tweets.

Thunder Ink Nazr Mohammed

March 5th, 2016 at 11:13am CST by Eddie Scarito

SATURDAY, 11:13pm: The signing is official, the Thunder announced today.

FRIDAY, 9:12pm: The Thunder intend to sign free agent Nazr Mohammed for the remainder of the season, Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports (on Twitter). Oklahoma City has an available roster spot, so no other moves would be required to bring the center into the fold. The team intends to ink the veteran on Saturday, Charania adds. It’s not entirely clear whether it’ll be a minimum-salary contract or one that eats into the roughly $2MM Oklahoma City has left on its taxpayer’s mid-level exception.

The move to ink Mohammed comes as a bit of a surprise as the big man had not been mentioned in any recent chatter. He last appeared in the NBA during the 2014/15 season, making 23 appearances for the Bulls and notching 1.2 points and 1.7 rebounds in 5.6 minutes per contest. Mohammed’s career numbers since entering the league as the No. 29 overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft are 5.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.6 blocks to accompany a slash line of .486/.000/.639.

Mohammed was contemplating retirement in October, saying he would be OK with never playing again.“Truth is, I still love this game, I still have that competitor in me and I still feel like I can help a team. And regardless of what happens, I plan on staying in basketball shape,” Mohammed wrote at the time. “But at this moment, I am comfortable and confident saying that I’m cool with it being over. I am really at peace. I realize how big of an accomplishment it is to have played as long as I’ve played. It’s an unbelievable feat. I’m cool with not playing ever again and choosing which path to take at this fork in the road that leads me away from my first love.”

The Mike Higgins client said then that he didn’t want to merely be a locker room mentor and would only sign with a team that planned a legitimate on-court role for him. He also suggested that he’d like to join a team in a front office capacity at some point. It remains to be seen if the Thunder promised him significant playing time or if Mohammed simply had a change of heart. He’ll presumably compete for minutes at the pivot with Steven Adams, Mitch McGary and Enes Kanter.

Sixers Sign Christian Wood To 10-Day Deal

March 4th, 2016 at 3:41pm CST by Chuck Myron

3:41pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.

1:18pm: The Sixers will re-sign first-year pro Christian Wood, whom they waived earlier this season to make room for Elton Brand, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). It’ll be a 10-day contract, a source tells Jake Fischer of SI Now (Twitter link). Philadelphia has kept an open roster spot in the wake of losing JaKarr Sampson because of a failed three-team trade at the deadline, so no corresponding move is necessary. Wood has been playing with Philly’s D-League affiliate since shortly after the Sixers cut him from the NBA roster in January.

The 20-year-old power forward was a well-regarded prospect coming out of UNLV last spring whose failure to get drafted was a mild surprise. He said this past November that he didn’t think he’d fall past pick No. 25 but pointed to concerns teams had about his level of motivation as a major reason his stock slipped. He reportedly agreed to sign with the Rockets shortly after the draft, but evidently that deal fell through, and he wound up joining the Sixers instead on a four-year contract with just $50K guaranteed. He’ll make $30,888 on his new 10-day with Philly.

Wood has put up 15.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game across 26 D-League appearances this season, starting in just 17 of those games. He nonetheless saw a decent-sized chunk of playing time in 14 games at the NBA level before his release, averaging 3.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 8.1 minutes contest.

Rockets Sign Michael Beasley

March 4th, 2016 at 10:39am CST by Eddie Scarito

FRIDAY, 10:39am: The signing is official, the team announced.

9:00pm: The contract will be a minimum salary arrangement, Stein relays in a full-length story.

WEDNESDAY, 4:28pm: The Rockets are close to signing free agent combo forward Michael Beasley, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). The deal would cover the remainder of the season and include a team option for 2016/17, Stein notes. The contract details are still unknown, though I would speculate that is likely a minimum salary arrangement. Houston, which recently waived both Marcus Thornton and Ty Lawson, still has one open roster spot. The team is also reportedly set to ink Andrew Goudelock.

Multiple NBA teams had reportedly expressed interest in Beasley, who became a free agent at the completion of the Chinese Basketball Association season. The combo forward averaged 31.9 points in 36.5 minutes per game with 37.1% 3-point shooting against relatively weak competition this season playing for Shandong.

Beasley has appeared in 433 regular season NBA games over the course of his career and owns averages of 13.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists. His career slash line is .450/.343/.759.

Nuggets Sign Axel Toupane To 10-Day Deal

March 3rd, 2016 at 2:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 2:49pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release. The contract will cover five games, against the Nets, Mavs, Knicks, Suns Wizards.

TUESDAY, 9:36am: The Nuggets plan to sign Raptors affiliate player Axel Toupane to a 10-day contract, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The 23-year-old swingman has been playing for Toronto’s D-League team since the Raptors cut him from the NBA roster at the end of the preseason. Denver has an open roster spot and a need on the wing with Danilo Gallinari expected to miss the next month after tearing two ligaments in his right ankle, as The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported overnight.

Toupane is averaging 14.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 29.7 minutes per game for Raptors 905, Toronto’s D-League outpost. It’s his first season in North America, as he spent the past several years with Strasbourg IG in his native France. He went scoreless in about 22 minutes of preseason action spread over two games on the NBA roster this past fall.

He’ll bolster the team’s depth in the wake of the Gallinari injury, one that presents a serious challenge to Denver’s ability to compete, in part because fellow small forward Wilson Chandler was already out for the season. The 27-year-old Gallinari is in the midst of a career year, fresh off a renegotiation and extension that ties him to Denver until at least the summer of 2017, when he can opt out. The eighth-year veteran’s 19.5 points per game are by far a career high, and he’s the leading scorer for the Nuggets, who have faint playoff hopes as they sit six games back of the eighth-place Rockets.

The Nuggets can’t receive an additional disabled player exception and already spent the one they had for Chandler in their deadline-day trade for D.J. Augustin and Steve Novak. A wrist injury threatens to sideline Jameer Nelson for the season, but Denver is still one long-term injury shy of qualifying for a 16th roster spot via hardship.

Grizzlies Re-Sign Ryan Hollins

March 2nd, 2016 at 5:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

5:00pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.

9:48am: The Grizzlies are expected to re-sign Ryan Hollins, a source told Marc J. Spears of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The contract couldn’t be worth more than the minimum salary, and it would have to cover at least the rest of the season because Hollins already signed a pair of 10-day contracts with Memphis earlier this year. It would require a corresponding move, since Memphis is at the 15-man roster limit, unless the Grizzlies qualify for a hardship exception. It’s unclear who would get the boot, but The Commercial Appeal’s Chris Herrington wrote this week that he believed James Ennis would be the most likely cut if the team were to make a signing.

Memphis is missing centers Marc Gasol and Brandan Wright because of injury, leaving the Grizzlies thin inside, where Hollins plays. Shooting guards Jordan Adams and Tony Allen are also hurt. Gasol is done for the season, but the timetable for Wright is unclear. Allen’s situation is similarly muddled, as a sore left knee has kept him from playing since February 19th. Adams is due back soon after undergoing right knee surgery in January. The team would need four players expected to be out for at least another two weeks to merit an extra roster spot.

Hollins has been a rotation player at times for the Grizzlies this year, averaging 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game spread over 14 appearances. He was also with Memphis for the preseason, so this would be his fourth contract with the team in 2015/16. He also spent a few weeks with the Wizards in November and December. The Grizzlies kept Ennis instead of Hollins when they needed to open a roster spot in January, but a reversal of fortune could be in the works.