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Knicks Waive Thomas, Kirk, Amundson

January 7th, 2015 at 1:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:22pm: The moves are official, the team announced (on Twitter).

8:59am: The Knicks plan to waive Lance Thomas, Alex Kirk and Lou Amundson, according to Peter Botte of the New York Daily News and Newsday’s Barbara Barker (Twitter links). Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck reported late Monday that the team would waive Kirk and Amundson and keep Thomas. Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com said shortly thereafter that the Knicks would choose two of the three to let go and that Thomas was merely the most likely to be retained, but now it appears New York will release all three of the players it acquired in Monday’s trade. None of the three has any guaranteed salary, save for Kirk, who has a $65K partial guarantee but has already earned more than that amount, putting him on a de facto non-guaranteed contract. The team must waive them no later than 4:00pm Central today to avoid guaranteeing their minimum-salary deals for the rest of the season.

Thomas is the only one of the trio to have seen significant action this season. He started 13 games for the banged-up Thunder earlier this season, and in 22 appearances overall, he’s averaging 5.1 points and 3.4 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per game. Still, Oklahoma City saw him as expendable now that most of its injured players, including Kevin Durant, are back in the lineup. The 26-year-old forward was supposed to have served a less prominent role like the ones Kirk and Amundson played in Cleveland. Kirk, an undrafted rookie center out of New Mexico, has hit the floor for just 14 minutes total in five games during the regular season. The ninth-year veteran Amundson saw 6.6 MPG in 12 appearances for the Cavs, but Cleveland shipped him out along with Kirk even though the team is starved for capable big men.

The Knicks, who have been carrying a full 15-man roster, are set to sign Langston Galloway to a 10-day contract, though that move couldn’t take place until the team makes its cuts. The subtraction of Thomas, Kirk and Amundson plus the signing of Galloway would put the Knicks at the 13-man roster minimum, with plenty of flexibility.

Jazz Sign Elliot Williams To 10-Day Contract

January 7th, 2015 at 11:29am CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 11:29am: The deal is official, the team announced.

TUESDAY, 11:51am: The Jazz are expected to sign Elliot Williams to a 10-day contract soon, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The 25-year-old combo guard is in Salt Lake City to take a physical, Spears adds. The Jazz have 15 players, including Elijah Millsap, who signed a 10-day deal Monday, so the team would need to make a corresponding move if it wants to bring Williams aboard before Millsap’s 10 days are up.

Williams, the 22nd overall pick in 2010, would help shore up a Utah backcourt that’s suffering from the absences of Alec Burks, who’s done for the year, and Patrick Christopher and Rodney Hood, who are out indefinitely. The Sixers let go of Williams just before opening night, but a few days later he became the No. 2 overall pick in the D-League draft. The 25-year-old Thad Foucher client has justified that selection, running up 21.3 points, 7.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 37.2 minutes per game for the affiliate of the Warriors in 16 appearances this season.

Christopher and Joe Ingles are the only members of the Jazz on non-guaranteed contracts, and Wednesday is the last day the team can waive them without guaranteeing their salaries for the season. The Jazz have planned to clear multiple roster spots, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News hears (Twitter links). Utah can let go of Millsap anytime, though the team is responsible for a full 10 days’ worth of salary to him regardless of when the Jazz would cut ties.

Jazz Waive Patrick Christopher

January 6th, 2015 at 6:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Jazz have waived Patrick Christopher, the team has announced. With Utah set to sign Elliot Williams to a 10-day contract, and the Jazz’s roster count at the league-maximum 15 players, the team needed to clear a spot, and Christopher appears to be the player it chose to release. Christopher’s deal was non-guaranteed, so Utah will not be on the hook for any additional salary.

Christopher, 26, spent last season in the D-League, averaging 13.6 points in 33.5 minutes per game while nailing 44.6% of his three-point shots. He averaged 15.0 points in 36.4 MPG, and made 39.0% of his attempts from behind the arc in seven D-League appearances this season.

The 6’5″ guard out of California appeared in four games (including one start) for the Jazz this season, averaging 1.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in 7.3 minutes.

Heat Waive Andre Dawkins

January 6th, 2015 at 4:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:20pm: The release of Dawkins is official, the Heat announced.

2:02pm: Dawkins’ agent tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that the team has waived his client (Twitter link), though the Heat have yet to make an announcement. John Spencer of 540 Sports and Entertainment represents Dawkins, according to our Agency Database.

12:52pm: The Heat will release Andre Dawkins before the end of Wednesday, when his contract would become guaranteed for the season, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. Dawkins was a surprising presence on Miami’s opening-night roster thanks to his impressive three-point shooting during training camp and the preseason, but he’s appeared in more D-League games than NBA contests during the regular season. His minimum-salary contract is without any guaranteed money, beyond what he’s already earned this year, though that would change if the team kept him past this week’s leaguewide guarantee date. Miami will be responsible only for the money he’s already made, though his entire salary of more than $507K would come off the team’s books if another team claimed him off waivers.

Dawkins went undrafted out of Duke this past summer, but he made 12 of 20 three-point attempts for the Heat’s summer league team, and five of eight during the preseason. He was an eye-popping 41 of 79 from behind the arc in just eight D-League games this year, but he only made one three-pointer in six tries during 22 total regular season minutes for Miami.

The 23-year-old is the only Heat player without any guaranteed money on his contract, as our roster counts show, though Hassan Whiteside has already earned more than his $100K guarantee provided, meaning he’s on a de facto non-guaranteed deal. Most of Justin Hamilton‘s minimum salary is guaranteed, and the club’s other 12 players have fully guaranteed arrangements.

Clippers To Waive Jared Cunningham

January 6th, 2015 at 12:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Clippers are expected to waive Jared Cunningham, a source tells Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). The move would come as no surprise, as Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com wrote last month that the team was likely to cut ties with the former first-round pick at some point in the coming weeks. Cunningham’s contract is non-guaranteed, but it would become fully guaranteed for the rest of the season if the Clippers fail to waive him by 4:00pm Central on Wednesday. The team is less than $1MM shy of its hard cap, so dropping Cunningham before his minimum salary locks in would give the club a modicum of additional flexibility. The Clips are on the hook for the prorated portion of Cunningham’s salary of more than $915K that he’s already earned, but they’d get to take his entire salary off their books if another team claimed him off waivers.

The 23-year-old shooting guard made the team out of training camp, but he’s failed to garner much playing time, accruing just 1.8 points in 4.7 minutes per game across 19 appearances. Still, Cunningham has played in nearly as many NBA games this season as he did in his first two seasons after becoming the 24th overall pick in 2012.

The team’s deal with Cunningham is its only non-guaranteed pact, as our roster counts show, so releasing him allows the club to maintain flexibility for a signing later in the season. The Clippers may also utilize 10-day contracts, as they did with three players last season, but since the team is already over the tax line and nearing that hard cap, even the slightest of investments come at a higher cost.

Nets Waive Brandon Davies

January 6th, 2015 at 11:23am CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets have waived recent trade acquisition Brandon Davies, the team announced via press release. Davies has a non-guaranteed salary, so the Nets won’t be on the hook for any additional money for the second-year power forward. However, the prorated salary he earned thus far this season will stick on Brooklyn’s books unless another team claims him off waivers, though any team that would do so would have to guarantee his entire minimum salary of more than $816K for the rest of the season.

Davies made it into seven games after last month’s trade that brought him to the Nets in exchange for Andrei Kirilenko. The 23-year-old averaged 2.3 points in 6.3 minutes per contest, much lower numbers than he put up during his time with the Sixers, who put him on the floor for 19.0 MPG prior to the trade this year. Davies, a Bill Duffy client, was a favorite of Philly coach Brett Brown, who expressed his frustration with the decision the team’s front office made to part with him.

The Nets are left with 14 players, only 11 of whom have full guarantees on their contracts. Cory Jefferson, Jerome Jordan and Darius Morris are the three remaining Nets without fully guaranteed pacts, but it would be surprising if the team waived any of them this week, as Tim Bontemps of the New York Post believes (Twitter link). Wednesday is the last day that teams can waive players with non-guaranteed salary without guaranteeing that salary for the year.

Cavs, Knicks, Thunder Complete Three-Way Deal

January 5th, 2015 at 9:56pm CST by Zachary Links

9:56pm: The Thunder, Cavs, and Knicks all announced the deal via press release.

“Dion Waiters is a player that we’ve tracked and liked since his time at Syracuse, in the NBA, and with USA Basketball. Dion provides another proven scorer that positively impacts our roster and adds depth and flexibility,” said Presti in OKC’s release. “We have a lot of respect for his toughness and competitiveness, and believe that he is a physical playmaker who will enhance the versatility of our team. We are excited to welcome Dion to Oklahoma City and the Thunder organization.”

The Thunder’s draft pick being conveyed is protected 1-18 in 2015 and 1-15 in 2016 and 2017, respectively, according to the release from the Thunder. Should the pick not convey during this period, Oklahoma City would send the Cavs its second round draft picks in 2018 and 2019.

The Knicks’ release also makes it official that Dalembert has been waived.

8:26pm: The Knicks will receive Thomas, Amundson, and Kirk in the deal but will only keep Thomas, according to Howard Beck of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). The Knicks will also waive Dalembert.

The Cavs are sending their 2019 second-round pick to the Knicks, sources tell Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The duo hears that team officials spoke with LeBron James about his willingness to play alongside Smith before executing the deal.

Even though the deal weakens the Knicks in the short-term, Beck (link) hears that the Knicks are not giving up on the season. The Knicks plan on making more moves between now and the February trade deadline.

At present, it appears that the deal will have Waiters going to the Thunder, Shumpert and Smith going to the Cavs, and Thomas, Amundson, and Kirk going to the Knicks. In addition, the Cavs will receive a future first-round pick from the Thunder and the Knicks will get the Cavs’ 2019 second-round choice.

Waiters has been the subject of trade talks for some time and the Cavs were reportedly telling teams around the league that they’d be willing to part with him. Cleveland wanted Grizzlies big man Kosta Koufos, who would fit the bill as the “difference-making center” they were after, but they have found another deal in this proposed three-way swap. Waiters, 23, has averaged 10.5 PPG, 2.2 RPG, and 1.7 RPG – all career lows – through 33 games this season. The former No. 4 overall pick was reportedly being shopped in August as well, but the Cavs couldn’t find a suitable deal. Waiters might not be the most complete player in the NBA, but he is a scoring threat and should add lots of punch for OKC off of the bench.

The Knicks wanted to trade Smith more than anyone else, according to a December report from ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard. In fact, the Knicks have been huddling up internally for some time to figure out how they could move the polarizing guard. There hasn’t been much trade buzz surrounding Smith in recent weeks, but the Knicks were able to find a taker in tonight’s three-team blockbuster. The 29-year-old New Jersey native is averaging 10.9 PPG, 3.4 APG, and 2.4 RPG this season. The scoring output is his lowest since his sophomore season in 2005/06. His PER rating of 11.7 – a career low – tells a more complete story of his struggles this season. Thanks to his 15% trade kicker, Smith will collect on something of a belated Christmas bonus.

Shumpert, 24, has been a mainstay on Hoops Rumors and on the back pages of the New York tabloids for the last two seasons. The Knicks might not have been intent on moving Shumpert, but by including him they were able to move both his salary and Smith’s without taking much back. The combo guard is averaging 9.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 3.3 APG in 26 minutes per contest this season. Shump is also headed towards restricted free agency this offseason and the Knicks, ostensibly, weren’t going to make a big play to retain him.

The Knicks didn’t add much in terms of assets, but they have greatly improved their financial situation by moving Smith’s substantial contract. The guard is making nearly $6MM this season and he holds a player option worth nearly $6.4MM for 2015/16. It’s possible that the shooting guard could turn down the option in order to seek a more lucrative multi-year deal, but that’s not a risk that Phil Jackson & Co. were willing to take. Beyond the financial benefit of moving Smith’s deal, the Knicks are also moving a player who might not be a wonderful locker room presence.

Jazz Sign Elijah Millsap To 10-Day Deal

January 5th, 2015 at 11:45am CST by Zachary Links

MONDAY, 11:45am: The signing of Millsap is official, the team announced.

SUNDAY, 4:48pm: The Jazz will sign Elijah Millsap to a 10-day deal, according to Shams Charania of RealGM. Millsap is represented by Hazan Sports Management, as shown in the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.

Millsap has been averaging 20.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 5.2 APG for the Bakersfield Jam of the D-League. The 27-year-old has been a familiar face in preseason and most recently had a training camp stint with the Bucks. Finally, it appears that Millsap has achieved his NBA dream. Utah had the league-maximum 15 players on its roster but the team created a space earlier today by waiving Toure’ Murry.

Hoops Rumors spoke with Millsap back in September as he was fighting to make the Bucks’ roster. Marc Stein of ESPN.com and Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune first reported that Millsap was on the verge of signing with the Jazz.

Jazz Waive Toure’ Murry

January 4th, 2015 at 11:16am CST by Chuck Myron

11:16am: The move is official, the team announced.

9:21am: The Jazz will waive Toure’ Murry, a league source tells Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal (Twitter link). Presumably, the move will be to clear room on the roster for Elijah Millsap, whom the team is set to sign. Murry inked a two-year, $2MM deal over the summer, but only $250K of it was guaranteed. However, he’s already earned more than that partial guarantee, so the Jazz won’t be responsible for any additional salary to Murry should they waive him by 4pm Central on Wednesday, when NBA teams must waive non-guaranteed contracts or guarantee them for the remainder of the season.

Murry, who’s seen only one minute in one game so far for Utah in the regular season, has spent about three weeks’ worth of time in the D-League. The 6’5″ guard saw somewhat more action for the Knicks last season, putting up 2.7 points in 7.3 minutes per game across 51 appearances. That experience clearly impressed the Jazz, who saw fit to give the undrafted talent out of Wichita State his partially guaranteed deal for more than the minimum, but that’s failed to translate into playing time for him in Utah. His name was in trade rumors related to Andrei Kirilenko before the Nets instead dealt Kirilenko to the Sixers.

Utah has injury troubles in the backcourt with Alec Burks gone for the season and Patrick Christopher nursing a dislocated right kneecap that has him out indefinitely. Rodney Hood missed Saturday’s game with a sore left heel. It’s somewhat surprising that the Jazz apparently plan to cut ties with another guard just as they’re set to bring aboard Millsap, a swingman, but with Trey Burke, Dante Exum, Gordon Hayward and Ian Clark available to play guard, Utah doesn’t have a particularly dire need.

Lakers Claim Tarik Black, Waive Xavier Henry

December 28th, 2014 at 6:00pm CST by Zachary Links

6:00pm: The Lakers made the move official, as Mike Trudell of Lakers.com tweets.

4:22pm: The Lakers have claimed Tarik Black off waivers from the Rockets, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). To make room, the Lakers are saying farewell to Xavier Henry (link).

Just minutes ago, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported that the Hornets were planning on putting in a claim for Black. However, thanks to their record, the Lakers had waiver priority over the Hornets and other potentially interested clubs.

Black, who was signed to a non-guaranteed deal by the Rockets prior to being waived, averaged 4.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in 25 games for Houston. The Kansas product reportedly had interest from several clubs when the Rockets decided to sever ties.

Henry, 23, saw time in nine games for the Lakers this season, averaging 2.2 PPG in 9.6 minutes per contest. For his career, Henry has averaged of 5.7 PPG and 1.9 RPG across five seasons with the Grizzlies, Pelicans (née Hornets), and the Lakers. Henry is out for the year, meaning that it’s highly unlikely that anyone will claim him and take that $1.082MM salary off of the Lakers’ books.

With Black off the books, Stein tweets that the Rockets have now dipped back below the luxury-tax line.