Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers To Sign Earl Clark

November 29th, 2014 at 9:42am CST by Eddie Scarito

SATURDAY, 9:42am: Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has filed for a disabled player exception for Henry, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News tweets. Los Angeles has also filed for a hardship exception that would allow the team to temporarily add a 16th player until Kelly returns from his hamstring injury, Medina adds. This could indicate that the Lakers are holding off on signing Clark until they are granted that hardship exception, and Henry might not necessarily be waived to accommodate the addition of Clark, though that is just my speculation.

WEDNESDAY, 3:08pm: The Lakers will sign forward Earl Clark, Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times reports. The deal will be a one-year, fully guaranteed pact, notes Bresnahan, and Los Angeles is likely to waive the injured Xavier Henry in order to open up the required roster spot for Clark. Shams Charania of RealGM had first reported the likelihood of the Lakers adding Clark earlier today, and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports had then relayed that Clark’s deal would be for a pro-rated portion of the veteran’s minimum and would be fully guaranteed. These moves will still leave the Lakers with the league-maximum 15 players on their roster.

Clark’s arrival cannot come soon enough for a Lakers team that has been besieged by a rash of maladies. Steve Nash and Julius Randle were already lost with season-ending injuries when Henry went down in practice Monday with a ruptured left Achilles tendon. Coupled with Ryan Kelly being out for at least another 4 weeks with a torn right hamstring, the Lakers were in dire need of frontcourt help, which Clark will be able to provide.

The 26-year-old Clark was averaging 28.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in 35.8 minutes per game in four appearances so far for the Rockets D-League affiliate this season. Houston briefly had him on its NBA roster after claiming his training camp deal off waivers from the Grizzlies, but the Rockets waived him before opening night. In 251 career NBA contests Clark has averaged 4.4 PPG and 3.0 RPG. His career slash line is .404/.331/.167.

If Henry is indeed waived, he’ll still receive the remainder of his $1.082MM fully guaranteed contract for 2014/15, Bresnahan adds. Henry is expected to recover in time for the start of 2015/16, and he was already set to become an unrestricted agent at the end of this season. It’s unclear how the injury will affect the market for his services next summer, but more than likely it will force Henry to accept a shorter deal than he would have desired in order to prove that he’s fully recovered from such a serious injury, though that is just my speculation.

Pacers Waive A.J. Price

November 28th, 2014 at 10:27am CST by Chuck Myron

The Pacers have waived A.J. Price, the team announced. The move is no surprise, since the team’s hardship provision for a 16th roster spot had expired, and with players on their way back from injury, the team apparently elected not to attempt to renew it. Price joined the team as its 16th player earlier this month, presumably on a non-guaranteed contract, though that detail was never confirmed. His release brings Indiana back to 15 players.

Price was a capable fill-in during his 10-game stint, averaging 10.5 points, 2.7 assists and 1.0 turnover in 19.3 minutes per contest. The 28-year-old opened the season on the Cavs roster, but Cleveland let him go within the first week of the regular season to sign Will Cherry instead. A Chinese team reportedly made an offer to Price, and he was just “days away” from signing it when the Pacers swooped in, writes Wheat Hotchkiss.com of Pacers.com. The Excel Sports Management client has acknowledged that he’s ready to play overseas, though he’d like to land another deal in the NBA and Pacers coach Frank Vogel has said that he’s deserving of an NBA roster spot somewhere.

The league gave the Pacers a pair of 10-day clearances to carry 16 players, since they met the criteria for such a provision, which required the team to have four players who were expected to miss time with injury after three had already sat out at least three games. Paul George is likely to miss the entire season, George Hill continues to be out indefinitely with a bruised left knee, but Vogel said today that David West will return to action tonight against the Magic, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Roy Hibbert will miss the game with a sprained left ankle, Robbins also notes, but C.J. Watson will return, according to Autumn Allison of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). Still, the Pacers could have spared Price and selected another player to release to trim the roster to the conventional 15-man limit, as the Thunder did when they cut Sebastian Telfair rather 16th man Ish Smith when their hardship exception ran out.

Thunder Waive Sebastian Telfair, Keep Ish Smith

November 26th, 2014 at 10:55pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Thunder have waived Sebastian Telfair, the team announced in a press release. With its hardship exception expiring, Oklahoma City needed to pare down its roster from 16 players to the league-maximum 15, and will instead keep Ish Smith, Royce Young of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Smith was signed back on November 7th, and the team’s second 10-day window for a 16th roster spot under the injury hardship provision was set to expire Thursday, as Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman points out (Twitter link). The Thunder’s injured players have been working their way back, and among them are Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, who could play Friday, as Mayberry notes in a full story.

Oklahoma City will be on the hook for the remainder of Telfair’s fully guaranteed salary of $915,243 for this season. In 15 appearances the 29-year-old guard averaged 8.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while logging 20.9 minutes per game. With the rash of injuries in the league Telfair’s services are likely to be in demand. Minnesota is one team that could be interested in signing him, as the Wolves desperately need help at the point with Ricky Rubio out indefinitely, though that is just my speculation.

Apparently the Thunder believed that Smith was a better fit for the team after he averaged 2.2 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in five appearances while averaging 6.4 minutes per game. His career numbers are 2.9 PPG and 2.0 APG. His career slash line is .390/.222/.585.

Al Harrington Leaves China Amid NBA Interest

November 25th, 2014 at 9:21am CST by Chuck Myron

China’s Fujian Sturgeons have signed DJ White to replace Al Harrington, who has opted out of his contract, the team announced (translation via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Harrington left the team to pursue “immediate NBA offers,” according to David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link), and the GM of the Sturgeons acknowledged that the NBA was a possibility for Harrington as he spoke to reporters, Carchia writes. Still, it’s unclear which NBA teams have interest in the 34-year-old power forward. Many former NBA players who sign to play in China are bound to their respective clubs for the abbreviated Chinese season, but the deal that Harrington inked in August contained an out clause, according to Evan Wang of Hupu.com (Twitter link). The terms of the deal for White aren’t immediately clear.

Harrington was in fine form in the early going this season for Fujian, averaging 32.8 points and 10.8 rebounds with 37.5% three-point shooting in 38.7 minutes per game. The 16-year NBA veteran said in August that he had drawn interest from some non-contending NBA teams but that he hoped to re-sign with the Wizards, the team he played for last season, when he returned from China. The Wizards have a full 15-man roster, but they have Glen Rice Jr. on a partially guaranteed deal, and Rasual Butler‘s contract is non-guaranteed. Nene, who plays Harrington’s position, is dealing with plantar fasciitis in right foot, as Todd Dybas of The Washington Times notes, though the team doesn’t expect the injury to keep him out for long. Harrington struggled to find playing time last year with the Wizards after spending most of 2012/13 recovering from the effects of a staph infection that he contracted while undergoing knee surgery in April 2012. The Dan Fegan client was a key cog for the Nuggets prior to the operation, averaging 14.2 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 27.5 MPG during the 2011/12 season.

White, whose one-month deal with Spain’s Laboral Kuxta expired a few weeks ago, had reportedly been looking for a chance to latch on with an NBA team, but he’ll instead return to China, where he spent much of the previous two seasons. He’s been able to parlay his Chinese stints into NBA work both years, joining the Celtics at the end of the 2012/13 season and the Hornets (then Bobcats) last spring.

Jordan Hamilton To Sign With D-League

November 25th, 2014 at 8:32am CST by Chuck Myron

Swingman Jordan Hamilton will sign with the D-League, reports Gino Pilato of D-League Digest (Twitter link). The former 26th overall pick in the NBA draft reportedly worked out for the Lakers last week after a brief stint with the Jazz earlier this month. He’ll be subject to the D-League waiver system, according to Pilato, so it’s not yet clear which D-League team he’ll play for.

Hamilton signed this summer with the Raptors on a minimum-salary deal that was partially guaranteed for $25K, and despite a strong performance in the preseason, when he averaged 9.5 points on 54.5% three-point shooting in 18.3 minutes per game, Toronto let him go just before opening night. The Jazz claimed him off waivers, but he didn’t appear in any of Utah’s first five games and the Jazz put him back on waivers a little more than a week into the season. The Aaron Mintz client was one of several players to try out for the Lakers last week, but the team has so far elected not to make a move. Hamilton’s decision to sign with the D-League will keep him available to ink with any NBA team should he draw interest.

The 24-year-old has spent most of his career with the Nuggets, who acquired him on draft night in 2011. They declined their fourth-year team option on his rookie scale contract, which would have covered this season with about $2.11MM in guaranteed salary, and shipped him to the Rockets at the deadline last season.

Heat Sign Hassan Whiteside, Cut Shannon Brown

November 24th, 2014 at 8:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

8:40pm: Miami has officially signed Whiteside, the team announced in a press release, which also reveals the team has cut ties with Brown and his non-guaranteed deal to make room for the newly acquired center. Brown inked his deal with the Heat in late August but didn’t see much burn during his tenure in Miami. He averaged 17.8 minutes per night across just five contests during his time in South Beach.

8:44am: The Heat will sign D-League center Hassan Whiteside, a source tells Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter link), which confirms a Sunday report from Marc Stein of ESPN.com that the team was lining up the move. There will have to be a corresponding transaction, since the Heat are at the 15-man roster limit. Miami has non-guaranteed contracts with Shannon Brown and Andre Dawkins and more than $408K in partially guaranteed salary out to Justin Hamilton, whose partial guarantee jumps to about $612K if he’s on the roster through next Monday. Still, it’s unclear if any of those three are the players that Miami will cut to make the Whiteside signing official.

Whiteside hasn’t played in an NBA regular season game since the 2011/12 season, when he was with the Kings, but he was on the Grizzlies roster for a day last week as Memphis sought a temporary fill-in for five players who were out with stomach viruses. He’s otherwise been with the Grizzlies D-League affiliate, putting up impressive totals of 22.0 points, 15.7 rebounds and 5.3 blocks in 28.7 minutes per game across a small sample size of three D-League contests. The 7’0″ center has spent extensive time in the D-League during his five years as a pro as well as parts of two seasons in Lebanon. The former 33rd overall pick out of Marshall has averaged just 1.5 PPG, 2.1 RPG and 0.8 BPG in 5.8 MPG in 19 NBA appearances.

Miami is limited to giving just the minimum salary, though it’s unclear if the deal involves any guaranteed money. Ten-day contracts don’t start until January, but deals don’t have to be guaranteed for the season until around the same time.

Heat Interested In Hassan Whiteside

November 23rd, 2014 at 12:01pm CST by Zachary Links

Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that the Heat are planning to pluck Hassan Whiteside from the D-League. Whiteside has put up big numbers so far this season for the Iowa Energy.

The Grizzlies waived Whiteside last week, terminating his second contract with Memphis this season. Whiteside’s last stint with the Grizzlies lasted a grand total of one day. The 7-footer was signed along with Kalin Lucas to help fill the gap as five Grizzlies players were out of action with stomach viruses. Still, Whiteside did not see the floor for the Grizzlies and has yet to see a minute of NBA action in 2013/14.

As Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (on Twitter) notes, the Heat could cut Andre Dawkins to make room for Whiteside. The undrafted shooting guard is on a non-guaranteed pact and could be moved to the team’s D-League affiliate. Eventually, Winderman posits (link), a Whiteside signing could unseat Justin Hamilton, who has a December 1st partial-guarantee date.

Bernard James Signs With Chinese Team

November 21st, 2014 at 8:04am CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 8:04am: James has officially signed with the Shanghai Sharks, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Enea Trapani).

WEDNESDAY, 9:45pm: James has indeed signed a deal to play in China, Sefko reports. Eduardo Najera, James’ coach with the Texas Legends, has also confirmed that James has left the team and is on his way to China, though the team that inked James is still unknown, Sefko adds.

12:34pm: Former Mavs center Bernard James is set to play in China, reports Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). The identity of the team the Happy Walters client is joining is unclear, as are the terms of the deal. James, whom the Mavs cut before the season began, had been playing for the Mavs D-League affiliate after Dallas retained his D-League rights.

James re-signed with Dallas in September on a guaranteed one-year deal for the minimum salary, and he was presumably in line to reprise the backup big man role he had played for the Mavs the previous two seasons. However, the resurgence of training camp invitee Charlie Villanueva during the preseason helped push the 29-year-old James out, and Dallas decided to eat his guaranteed salary and keep Villanueva on his non-guaranteed pact. James, a former U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant, is averaging 11.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in two D-League appearances so far.

The Mavs might be in line to recoup a portion of the $915,243 they owe him this year if James’ Chinese deal is lucrative enough to trigger set-off rights. A similar scenario is at play should Gal Mekel, whom the Mavs also let go in spite of a guaranteed contract, wins a spot with the Lakers after his tryout this week.

John Lucas III Spurns Lakers To Play In China

November 21st, 2014 at 7:49am CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 7:49am: Lucas is joining the Fujian Sturgeons, the team that signed Al Harrington this past summer, Stein reports (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 8:40am: Seven-year NBA veteran John Lucas III has called off a scheduled workout with the Lakers this week to sign with a Chinese team instead, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Sportando’s Enea Trapani first reported that Lucas was finalizing a deal in China, and while the identity of the club isn’t entirely clear, Trapani suggests that it’s the Yao Ming-owned Shanghai Sharks, who just let go of Delonte West. The financial terms of the Chinese pact for Lucas are unclear, but it likely involves guaranteed money of the sort that the Lakers would be hesitant to offer.

Lucas turned down offers from Chinese Basketball Association teams Jilin Northeast and Fujian, as agent Bernie Lee told Shams Charania of RealGM earlier this month, shortly after the Wizards released him at the end of the NBA preseason. The Thunder, Pacers and Grizzlies were showing interest in the point guard, too, as Charania reported, adding that Lucas was looking for a longer-term arrangement than any Chinese or NBA teams were willing to provide. Lucas appeared to be targeting a return to the Bulls, for whom he played in 2010/11 and 2011/12, but it doesn’t look like there’ll be a reunion in the near future.

It’s been a whirlwind past few months for Lucas, who turns 32 on Thursday. The Jazz had him under contract for a non-guaranteed $1.6MM at the beginning of the offseason, but they traded him to the Cavs in July. Cleveland flipped him two months later to the Celtics, who promptly waived him. The Wizards picked him up in late October, presumably with an eye on keeping him for the start of the regular season, but Washington put him back on waivers before opening night.

Reports have indicated the Lakers are working out Quincy Miller, Tyrus Thomas and Dwight Buycks as they seek upgrades for their 2-9 squad. Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding suggested this week that Xavier Henry would be the odd man out if Miller came aboard, though Henry has a guaranteed salary. Ronnie Price and Wayne Ellington have partially guaranteed deals. In any case, the Lakers would have to let someone go if they were to make a signing, since they already have a full 15-man roster.

Grizzlies Waive Kalin Lucas, Hassan Whiteside

November 20th, 2014 at 5:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

In what is rapidly becoming a repetitive trend between the team and these two players, the Grizzlies have announced in a press release that they have waived Kalin Lucas and Hassan Whiteside. These moves will reduce Memphis’ current roster count to 14 players, one below the league maximum. Both players were signed just yesterday because five Grizzlies were sidelined for last night’s contest against the Raptors with stomach viruses.

This concludes Lucas’ third stint with the Grizzlies this season, as he was with the Grizzlies during the summer league and the preseason before the franchise cut him a few days shy of opening night. Lucas was then re-signed to provide depth behind starting point Mike Conley, who had been nursing a tender ankle. He was waived for the second time on November 9th. Lucas recorded one steal in six minutes of action in his NBA debut last night.

This was Whiteside’s second deal with the Grizzlies this season. He was originally signed on September 25th and he appeared in five preseason games averaging 3.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks before being waived on October 22nd. Whiteside did not enter last night’s game, and has not seen a single minute of NBA action this season.