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Daniel Orton To Play In China

October 16th, 2014 at 9:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

9:45pm: Orton has signed with Shanxi Zhongyu of the Chinese Basketball Association, Shams Charania of RealGM notes (Twitter link).

3:20pm: Daniel Orton will sign with a Chinese team after the Wizards released him earlier today, reports J. Michael of CSNWashington (on Twitter). The 24-year-old asked the Wizards to release him so that he would be free to head overseas, Michael also hears (Twitter link). It’s unclear which Chinese team he’s set to join. The deal isn’t yet official and can’t be until he clears NBA waivers Saturday, but Orton is traveling to China this weekend, Michael adds.

It’ll be the first overseas venture for the Ara Vartanian client, who’s spent his pro career in the NBA and the D-League since the Magic made him the 29th overall pick in 2010. The 6’10” center failed to find his footing in the NBA, though his six career starts in the league are more than he made in his lone season at the University of Kentucky, where he backed up DeMarcus Cousins.

The length of the arrangement isn’t clear, but most NBA veterans who head to China do so on one-year deals that allow them to hit the market again during the stretch run of the NBA’s regular season, when the Chinese season is already over. That’s also the time of year when NBA teams can sign players to 10-day contracts, which might prove to be Orton’s path back to the Association.

Bucks Opt In With Antetokounmpo, Henson

October 16th, 2014 at 2:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bucks have exercised their options to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo and John Henson on their respective rookie scale contracts for 2015/16, the team announced. Antetokounmpo will make nearly $2MM that year, the third season of his deal, while Henson is due about $2.9MM for what will be year No. 4 in his pact, as our Rookie Scale Team Option Tracker shows.

Neither move is surprising, and that’s especially so for Antetokounmpo, as I suggested in August. The phenom from Greece entered the NBA with many question marks surrounding his game after the Bucks took him 15th overall, but he dazzled with his athleticism even though his numbers, with 6.8 points in 24.6 minutes per game, weren’t nearly as eye-popping. Henson is part of a crowded frontcourt in Milwaukee and found his name in trade rumors this past year, but he’s been efficient when he’s hit the floor, having racked up a career 18.0 PER.

The decisions give the Bucks close to $47MM in guaranteed money on the books for 2015/16, though that doesn’t take into account a $4.25MM early termination option for Jared Dudley. Milwaukee would also reportedly like to reach an extension with Brandon Knight before the October 31st deadline to do so, and if they come to terms, there won’t be much room beneath a projected $66.5MM salary cap for next summer.

Bucks Waive Elijah Millsap, Chris Wright

October 16th, 2014 at 12:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bucks have waived Elijah Millsap and Chris Wright, the team announced. Both were on non-guaranteed deals. The move had been expected for Wright after coach Jason Kidd told reporters last week that the 26-year-old small forward was headed to play in Europe.

Panathinaikos of Greece had interest in Wright but reportedly decided against signing him, so it’s unclear just where he’ll end up. He was with Milwaukee last season on a pair of 10-day contracts before he signed a deal that carried through the rest of 2013/14 and included a non-guaranteed salary for this coming season. Millsap joined Milwaukee this fall for his first taste of NBA preseason action since he was in camp with the Thunder in 2010. The 27-year-old swingman shared his thoughts with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors last month as he readied for his shot with the Bucks.

The cuts leave the Bucks with 16 players, one more than they can have come opening night. Micheal Eric and Kendall Marshall remain as the team’s only non-guaranteed contracts, and with 14 fully guaranteed deals on the books, Marshall will almost certainly be the team’s choice for the final regular season spot.

Wizards Release Daniel Orton

October 16th, 2014 at 11:31am CST by Chuck Myron

The Wizards have waived Daniel Orton, the team announced (Twitter link). The center’s contract was non-guaranteed, so the team won’t be on the hook for any of what was to have been a minimum salary. The move leaves 17 players on Washington’s roster.

The 24-year-old former first-round pick inked his deal to join the Wizards for camp after working out for the Pistons and canceling another workout with the Clippers once they signed Ekpe Udoh. Orton also reportedly auditioned for the Lakers. The Ara Vartanian client made the Sixers out of camp last year, but Philadelphia waived him in January shortly before his salary was to have become guaranteed for the rest of the season. The 29th overall pick from the 2010 draft proceeded to sign with the D-League in January, and he played 24 games with the affiliate of the Celtics.

Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld still has decisions to make before the team finalizes its opening-night roster. Wing players Rasual Butler, Damion James and Xavier Silas are all on non-guaranteed deals and seemingly competing for the 15th spot, though it’s uncertain whether the team will carry the maximum 15 players when the regular season starts.

Mavs Sign Yuki Togashi

October 15th, 2014 at 11:52am CST by Chuck Myron

OCTOBER 15TH: Dallas has followed up with a formal announcement of the signing, via press release.

OCTOBER 7TH: The Mavs have signed undrafted point guard Yuki Togashi, according to the RealGM transactions log. The team has yet to make an official announcement, but Togashi’s agents with Cloud9 confirmed the deal to Ed Odeven of The Japan Times. Dallas is limited to handing out minimum-salary deals, but it’s unclear if there’s any guaranteed money involved for the 21-year-old.

The 5’7″ Togashi had been playing professionally in Japan for the Akita Northern Happinets since February 2013. He joined the Mavs summer league team in July, and Dallas apparently remains intrigued by the Japanese native who came to the U.S. and attended the same Maryland high school where Kevin Durant matriculated. Dean Murray, an assistant for the Mavs D-League affiliate, praised Togashi’s on-court decision-making but expressed concerns about his defense to Odeven after summer league ended in July.

It would seem the Mavs signed Togashi with the D-League in mind, since they’d already been carrying 15 fully guaranteed contracts. The move brings Dallas to the 20-man preseason roster limit, but the Mavs can retain the D-League rights to up to four of the players they cut before opening night, and it seems likely they’ll do so with Togashi.

DeAndre Liggins Signs To Play In Russia

October 15th, 2014 at 8:44am CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 8:44am: The deal is official, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia).

TUESDAY, 9:53am: DeAndre Liggins has agreed to a one-year deal with Krasny Oktyabr of Russia, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter links). The contract will be without an NBA escape clause, Pick adds. The three-year NBA veteran reportedly had a deal last month to join the Clippers for camp, but a later dispatch threw cold water on that idea, and the Clippers wound up leaving him off their camp roster.

The Henry Thomas client signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Heat last season, but he only appeared in one game for one minute with Miami. Liggins spent most of 2013/14 in the D-League, which named him its Defensive Player of the Year. The swingman averaged 13.4 points and 7.1 rebounds in 38.1 minutes per contest with 35.4% three-point shooting in 61 games split between the affiliates of the Heat and the Thunder.

The 26-year-old spent his first two pro seasons with Oklahoma City and Orlando after the Magic made him the 53rd overall pick in 2011. Liggins will join NBA veterans Marcus Cousin and D.J. Kennedy on the Krasny Oktyabr roster.

Wizards Pick Up Options On Beal, Porter

October 14th, 2014 at 5:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Wizards have announced that they have exercised their options on Bradley Beal and Otto Porter, which will keep them under their rookie scale contracts for 2015/16, the team announced in a press release. “Bradley and Otto are both big pieces of the core group of players that we will build around as we continue to improve our team,” said team president Ernie Grunfeld. “We look forward to them playing significant roles in our success both now and in the future.”

The moves are not unexpected, as Beal is an integral part of Washington’s offense and one of the team’s building blocks moving forward, despite suffering a broken wrist that will sideline him for a minimum of six to eight weeks. Porter is also part of the Wizards’ future, and is only one season removed from being a lottery pick. The team option was for the fourth year of Beal’s deal, and he is slotted to make $5,694,674 in 2015/16. Porter’s option was a third-year one, and Porter is on the books for $4,662,960 next season.

Beal ended last season second on the team in scoring at 17.5 PPG, and added 3.7 RPG, and 3.3 APG. He shot 41.9% overall, and 40% from long range Beal was selected third overall by Washington back in the 2012 NBA Draft. The team is expected to try to work out a long-term extension with Beal next summer, and with the new TV deal on the horizon it will be interesting to see how much he commands.

Porter was selected third overall by Washington in the 2013 NBA Draft. He was a disappointment in his first year, averaging 2.1PPG and 1.5 RPG in 37 games contests last season. Porter showed some flashes this summer when he was named to the 2014 All-NBA Summer League First Team after logging 19.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 1.8 APG. With the arrival of Paul Pierce, Porter won’t see huge minutes this season, but he has the opportunity to be a rotation contributor.

Suns Waive Jackson, Prather, Wilson

October 14th, 2014 at 4:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Suns have waived Joe Jackson, Casey Prather and Jamil Wilson, the team announced in a press release. All three players were in camp on non-guaranteed deals, so Phoenix isn’t on the hook for any salary as they begin paring down their roster in anticipation of opening night. The three rookies initially signed with the Suns at the end of September, and all were longshots to make the regular season roster. These moves leave the Suns’ preseason roster count at 16, with Earl Barron being the lone player left whose deal isn’t fully guaranteed.

Prather played in the summer league for the Hawks before catching Phoenix’s eye after a predraft workout. The small forward out of Florida averaged 13.8 points in 27.9 minutes per game represented the first double-digit scoring average of his college career.

The 6’7″ Wilson went undrafted this year out of Marquette despite being projected as a possible late second-round pick by some. His college numbers, which include his freshman season at Oregon, are 8.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.6 APG. His college shooting statistics were .447/.336/.708.

Jackson worked out for the Wolves, Kings, Suns, Knicks, Rockets, Mavs, Grizzlies, and the Jazz prior to the 2014 Draft, but didn’t hear his name called that evening. He was able to catch the Suns’ eye during a June workout, which led to him joining Phoenix for training camp.

James Southerland To Play In France

October 14th, 2014 at 2:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:58pm: Limoges has announced the deal (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Southerland will have to clear NBA waivers first before he can play overseas, but that’s likely a mere formality.

1:27pm: Recent Blazers camp invitee James Southerland has a deal with Limoges CSP of France, tweets David Pick of Eurobasket.com. Portland announced Monday that it had waived the small forward, and while no signing can become official until Southerland clears NBA waivers, Pick indicates that Southerland has already put pen to paper.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports originally reported that Southerland had a European deal and that the Blazers would release him, but the identity of the overseas team had been unknown. It remains unclear whether the pact includes an NBA escape clause.

Southerland was with Charlotte and New Orleans last season after going undrafted out of Syracuse in 2013, but he saw action in only four NBA games. He spent the bulk of last year playing with the Lakers D-League affiliate, averaging 14.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game, though he made only 32.3% of the 4.8 three-pointers he shot per contest. Still, his performance landed him on the D-League’s All-Rookie Second Team.

Raptors Pick Up Options On Valanciunas, Ross

October 14th, 2014 at 10:35am CST by Chuck Myron

The Raptors have exercised their options to keep Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross under their rookie scale contracts for 2015/16, the team announced via press release. The moves were expected, as both are mainstays of a team on the rise in the Eastern Conference. Valanciunas will make more than $4.660MM and Ross nearly $3.554MM, respectively, in 2015/16, which will be the fourth pro season for each of them, as our Rookie Scale Team Option Tracker shows.

Valanciunas played overseas for a year after the Raptors drafted him fifth overall in 2011, but Toronto wasted little time in giving him a prominent role during his rookie season, when he started in all but five of his 62 appearances. The native of Lithuania started all 81 games he played this past season, averaging 11.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per contest. Ross was a reserve for Toronto the season after the team picked him eighth overall in 2012, but he blossomed last year, when the Rudy Gay trade opened the starting small forward position for him. Ross put up 10.9 PPG in 26.7 MPG and raised his three-point shooting to 39.5% from the 33.2% mark he posted as a rookie.

The exercised options give the Raptors about $49MM in commitments for 2015/16, or about 17.5MM beneath the projected $66.5MM salary cap. That would give Toronto a chance to go after a restricted free agent with an offer at or near the maximum salary, but next summer is still a ways off, and many moves are yet to come.