Grizzlies Sign Alex Stepheson To 10-Day Deal
2:28pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.
11:48am: The Grizzlies intend to sign power forward Alex Stepheson to a 10-Day contract today, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The team will add the big man via hardship exception, Charania notes. Memphis also plans on inking point guard Ray McCallum today, which would give the Grizzlies a roster count of 17 players. The plan to add the two likely means the NBA has granted, or will grant, two extra roster spots to the team.
There should be no issue with the Grizzlies securing the extra slots given the plague of maladies that has befallen the team’s roster. In addition to Mike Conley being lost for approximately a month due to Achilles woes, the team is already without Marc Gasol for the rest of the year, and backup center Brandan Wright is liable to miss another seven weeks, which would finish him for the season. Fellow big man Chris Andersen is dealing with a serious shoulder issue, Zach Randolph has missed the last three games with a knee injury, and Jordan Adams is out indefinitely with a knee injury of his own. Vince Carter left Friday’s win against the Pelicans with a left calf strain and is questionable for tonight’s game.
Stepheson, 28, just completed his second 10-day contract with the Clippers, who apparently declined to sign him for the remainder of the season. He made four appearances for Los Angeles and averaged 0.5 points and 0.5 rebounds in just 3.0 minutes per contest. He’ll almost assuredly see more burn for the Grizzlies given how thin they are in the frontcourt.
Grizzlies Sign Briante Weber To 10-Day Deal
FRIDAY, 9:18am: The Grizzlies announced the signing this morning. Still, given the conflicting information about whether his signing took place Wednesday or today, it’s unclear whether it expires at the end of March 18th or March 20th. Thus, his status for the March 19th game against the Clippers is a mystery.
THURSDAY, 10:07am: The signing took place Wednesday, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the Grizzlies made no announcement of the move. His name didn’t appear in the NBA.com box score from Wednesday’s Memphis-Boston game. He’d be eligible for games against the Pelicans, Hawks, Rockets, Timberwolves and Bucks if the signing happened Wednesday, but not a game on March 19th against the Clippers, the team directly in front of the Grizzlies in the Western Conference standings.
WEDNESDAY, 10:05am: The league hasn’t granted the team a hardship exception, and it’s not a certainty that the Grizzlies will get it, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, who confirms the team plans to sign Weber if the league OKs the 16th roster spot. The exception, if granted, won’t come until at least another day or so, Tillery adds. Barnes and Randolph missed the team’s last game primarily because of rest, but the other injured players will be out for a while, Tillery writes. Just how long they’re likely to be out will probably determine whether the Grizzlies get the extra roster spot to sign Weber.
TUESDAY, 10:21pm: The Grizzlies intend to ink combo guard Briante Weber to a 10-day deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports (via Twitter). The signing is expected to take place on Friday, Charania notes. The Vertical scribe also relays that Memphis will utilize the hardship provision to add Weber, which ostensibly means that the league has granted, or will grant, the team the means to add a 16th player.
Memphis is without Marc Gasol for the rest of the year and backup center Brandan Wright is liable to miss another seven weeks, which would finish him for the season. Fellow big man Chris Andersen is dealing with a shoulder issue, Mike Conley has a bum foot, Zach Randolph and Matt Barnes are both day-to-day with assorted woes, while Jordan Adams is out indefinitely with a knee injury. The team has two days from the time the league formally grants the provision to use it. The roster spot lasts 10 days, though the team can apply to renew it.
Weber, who is an affiliate player of the Heat, joined the Sioux Falls Skyforce after the Heat cut him in the preseason. The 23-year-old has made 22 D-League appearances this season and is averaging 10.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 28.5 minutes per contest. His slash line on the campaign is .453/.444/.750.
Hornets Sign Jorge Gutierrez For Rest Of Season
FRIDAY, 8:18am: The signing is official, the team announced.
THURSDAY, 12:28pm: The Hornets will sign Jorge Gutierrez to a contract that covers the rest of the season, a source tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). The signing will take place Friday, according to Bonnell, after Gutierrez’s second 10-day contract expires tonight. Most signings that take place this time of the year are for the prorated minimum salary, which would give Gutierrez about $190K, though Charlotte still has its prorated mid-level exception worth about $3.5MM.
Regardless of the terms, the 27-year-old point guard is apparently set to become the 15th Hornets player signed through at least the end of the season, closing off the team’s roster flexibility. That’s even though he’s totaled only 14 minutes across three games so far and hasn’t appeared in Charlotte’s last three contests. He performed well in his sharply limited playing time, making every shot he took as he racked up nine points, three assists and two turnovers. Hornets coach Steve Clifford has frequently praised him, a signal that Gutierrez was likely to stick, Bonnell observed Wednesday (Twitter link).
Once the signing becomes official, it’ll be the third year in a row that Gutierrez will have followed two 10-day contracts with a deal for the rest of the season, as our 10-Day Contract Tracker shows. The contracts he signed for the rest of the 2013/14 season with the Nets and the rest of the 2014/15 season with the Bucks were multiyear arrangements, but both teams ultimately waived him before those deals ran to term. It’s not immediately clear whether Gutierrez will have multiple seasons on his latest pact with the Hornets. Charlotte faces uncertainty after this season, with Nicolas Batum and Al Jefferson headed to free agency and $46MM in guaranteed salary already committed against a salary cap expected to fall between $90MM and $95MM.
Grizzlies Waive Mario Chalmers
The Grizzlies have waived point guard Mario Chalmers, the team announced. Memphis also confirmed that he’ll miss the remainder of the 2015/16 season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon on Wednesday night. Zach Lowe of ESPN.com first reported that Chalmers had suffered a potential season-ending injury.
“Mario did an incredible job for us since coming to Memphis,” Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace said. “Right from the start, he embraced his change of scenery and endeared himself to his teammates and coaches on the court and the Memphis community off of it.” Memphis’ roster count now stands at 15 players.
Chalmers mouthed the words, “I heard it pop,” as he was helped off the floor during the third quarter of Wednesday night’s contest, according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. He didn’t return to the game and later left the locker room in a wheelchair, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal first relayed. The timing of the injury for Chalmers couldn’t have been worse, as he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. By waiving him, Memphis forfeits its Bird rights for Chalmers.
“He has been an important part of our success this season, both coming off the bench and when called upon as a starter,” Wallace said. “But with Mario’s season-ending injury and our already-depleted roster, it became necessary to free up a roster spot.”
Marc Gasol is also done for the season, while Jordan Adams, Chris Andersen, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph and Brandan Wright are all out for indefinite periods with maladies of some kind. The avalanche of injuries the team has endured had already prompted the Grizzlies to apply for a 16th roster spot. The team has reportedly signed Briante Weber via the hardship exception to a 10-day deal, which presumably means the league granted the request, though the Grizzlies issued no formal announcement. It’s conceivable that Memphis could once again get clearance for a 16th player, since the team applied for the roster spot before Chalmers went down, as Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron noted earlier today. Memphis would need four players likely to miss two weeks or more to receive clearance to add a 16th man.
Chalmers posted averages of 10.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 22.8 minutes over 55 games with the Grizzlies after they acquired him from the Heat in early November.
Wizards Sign Marcus Thornton
1:45pm: The signing is official, the team announced.
“Marcus brings experience and shooting to our backcourt and helps us fill a void caused by Gary’s injury with another veteran player,” Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld said. “His skill set will allow him to fit right into our system and give our offense another option.”
11:19am: The Wizards and Marcus Thornton have agreement on a deal that covers the rest of the season, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Washington is waiving the injured Gary Neal to make room, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported minutes ago. The deal will give Thornton the minimum salary, tweets Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post.
Earlier reports identified the Heat and Cavaliers, but not the Wizards, as teams with interest in the seventh-year veteran who recently cleared waivers from the Rockets. The Heat’s path to tax flexibility has since closed, cutting off the team’s ability to sign him for another month without a heavy financial outlay. The Wizards appear to offer Thornton a better shot at playing time than the Cavaliers would, given the hip injury that’s plaguing Bradley Beal this week, though that appears to be only a short-term ailment.
Washington isn’t in position to bide its time as it sits in 10th place, two and a half games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Thornton is allowed to play in the postseason if the Wizards make it, since the Rockets waived him a few days before the March 1st, the cutoff date for playoff-eligibility.
Thornton’s minutes went up and down this year with Houston, a source of frustration to him, and the team was to send him to Detroit in the voided Donatas Motiejunas trade. The Pistons reportedly didn’t plan to make him part of the rotation, but he’s been productive when called upon this season, averaging 10.0 points in 18.8 minutes per contest across 47 appearances.
The Wizards had the ability to exceed the minimum salary for Thornton, since they have a disabled player exception worth nearly $2.806MM left over from Martell Webster‘s season-ending injury, which expires Thursday, plus a prorated sliver of the mid-level exception. However, they’re only about $500K shy of the luxury tax line, and it’s doubtful they’ll cross that.
Wizards Release Gary Neal
1:44pm: The move is official, the team announced.
11:12am: The Wizards are in the process of waiving Gary Neal, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The combo guard has been dealing with a leg injury affecting his right quadriceps and hip that’s expected to keep him out for a few more weeks, Stein notes (ESPN Now link), and he hasn’t appeared in a game since February 6th. Neal, who’s on a one-year contract worth $2.139MM, is one of 15 players currently with Washington, so the move will give the team the roster flexibility necessary to accommodate its reported deal with Marcus Thornton.
Washington signed Neal using the biannual exception this past summer after holding interest that reportedly dated back to last year’s buyout market. He shot well when healthy this season, knocking down 41.0% of his 3-point attempts as he averaged 9.8 points in 20.2 minutes per game across 40 appearances. However, the Wizards have an immediate need at two guard as Bradley Beal fights through a short-term hip injury, so it appears the team simply isn’t willing to wait for Neal to return to action.
Neal’s full salary will stick on Washington’s books if he clears waivers, though the team has already given him the majority of his salary and owes him just a few more paychecks at this point in the season. Portland ostensibly has motivation to add someone to reach the salary floor, but the Blazers are less than $1MM from that figure and wouldn’t necessarily benefit financially from claiming Neal.
Unless Neal re-signs with the Wizards, a prospect that seems unlikely, he won’t be eligible for the playoffs, since he’ll be hitting waivers after March 1st.
Pelicans Sign Orlando Johnson To 10-Day Deal
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
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, 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
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.