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Kings Waive Wayne Ellington

September 3rd, 2014 at 4:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:40pm: The Kings have indeed waived Ellington, the team announced. Sacramento’s statement doesn’t make it clear whether the club officially made the move by Sunday’s stretch provision deadline, though presumably that’s the case.

WEDNESDAY, 8:28am: The RealGM transactions log confirms the move took place Sunday, though the team still has yet to make an official announcement.

MONDAY, 9:11am: The Kings waived Wayne Ellington on Sunday, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The team has made no formal announcement of the move, though it had to have taken place Sunday for the Kings to use the stretch provision to clear most of Ellington’s guaranteed salary of more than $2.771MM for the upcoming season, as Stein points out. USA Today’s Sam Amick reported last month in the immediate wake of the trade that brought Ellington to the Kings that Sacramento was expected to waive him, though Amick cautioned shortly thereafter that the team had yet to make its final decision.

It’s been a whirlwind summer for Ellington, who was involved in two trades. The Mavs sent him to the Knicks in June’s Tyson Chandler deal before New York flipped him to the Kings. He didn’t see much playing time last season after agent Arn Tellem helped him secure a two-year deal with the Mavericks for more than $5.423MM. That contract came on the heels of the most productive of his five NBA seasons, as he averaged 10.4 points and shot 37.1% from three-point range in 25.9 minutes per game for the Cavs after arriving in Cleveland via trade from the Grizzlies in January 2013. He upped his three-point percentage to 42.4% in a meager 8.7 MPG this past season, but teams have still played hot potato with the 26-year-old this summer.

Sacramento will pay out Ellington’s remaining salary in equal amounts of nearly $924K through the 2016/17 season, presuming the team indeed made use of the stretch provision. Before they reached Sunday’s agreement to trade Jason Terry to the Rockets, the Kings had been poised to sit less than $100K shy of the luxury tax threshold in guaranteed salaries once they formalized their deal with Omri Casspi, so waiving Ellington provides additional flexibility. Amick’s report from last month also indicated the team is expected to waive Jeremy Tyler, though his salary is non-guaranteed.

Clippers Sign Chris Douglas-Roberts

September 3rd, 2014 at 2:54pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:54pm: The Clippers made the signing official, making a formal announcement.

2:17pm: The deal has been expected to be for one year, writes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com, and the same is true of the agreement that Turkoglu is nearing with the team. That’ll help the Clippers squeeze a 15th player onto their roster under their hard cap, since one-year deals for the minimum salary only go on the team’s books for $915,243, the equivalent of the two-year veteran’s minimum, even if the player has more years of service. The league pays the rest.

1:59pm: The Clippers will sign free agent swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts, tweets Dan Woike of the Orange County Register. Woike reported earlier this week that the sides were close to a deal, and last week USA Today’s Sam Amick identified the Clippers as an interested party. It’ll almost certainly be a minimum-salary arrangement, since that’s all the Clippers can give, though it would seem there’s a strong chance it’ll be fully guaranteed, like the deal the team reached today with Ekpe Udoh.

Douglas-Roberts reportedly worked out for the Heat, so that means the Clips have taken another player from Miami’s list of considerations after doing the same with Udoh. The Hornets didn’t appear too interested in re-signing Douglas-Roberts in spite of the extensive role he played for Charlotte after he signed in December as a midseason injury replacement. The Creative Artists Agency client averaged 6.9 points in 20.7 minutes per game and made a career-high 38.6% of his three-point attempts last season, his fifth on an NBA roster.

The move gives the Clippers agreements with 14 players, 13 of whom have guaranteed deals. The team has also apparently been close to signing Hedo Turkoglu over the past few days and has been linked to Ray Allen. In any case, the Clippers can afford to carry a full 15-man roster if they choose after having waived and stretched Carlos Delfino and Miroslav Raduljica last week.

Clippers Sign Ekpe Udoh

September 3rd, 2014 at 2:53pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:53pm: The deal is official, the team announced.

11:58am: The Clippers and free agent big man Ekpe Udoh have reached agreement on a one-year deal, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). It’ll be fully guaranteed for the minimum salary, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The four-year veteran’s $981,084 pay will count for the $915,243 two-year veteran’s minimum on the team’s books since the contract will only cover one season, and the league will pick up the rest.

Udoh met with the Clippers last week, as USA Today’s Sam Amick reported. His visit took place the same day the team sent Jared Dudley to Milwaukee for Miroslav Raduljica and Carlos Delfino, whose salaries could be more easily waived and stretched to create room under the hard cap for Udoh and others. The release of Dudley and Raduljica on Friday left the Clippers will 11 players, and Monday they added DeAndre Liggins on what’s presumably a non-guaranteed camp deal. The Clips are also apparently close to deals with Chris Douglas-Roberts and Hedo Turkoglu, and they have just enough cap flexibility and room on the roster to sign them both to guaranteed deals for the minimum. The club also seems to have interest in Ray Allen, but signing him would probably necessitate waiving Liggins, the only Clipper without a fully guaranteed deal, before opening night.

The Clippers appear to be circling back to Udoh after he was reportedly close to a deal with the team in July before Glen Davis re-signed. The Heat were also considering Udoh, a Chris Luchey client, but the Bucks seemed to have little interest in keeping him, declining to make a qualifying offer in June and renouncing his rights the next month. He was in and out of the lineup last season, averaging 19.1 minutes per game despite starting 14 contests. The 6’10” Udoh put up 3.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per appearance.

Sixers Waive Hasheem Thabeet

September 3rd, 2014 at 8:23am CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers waived Hasheem Thabeet on Monday, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the team has yet to formally announce the move. That means the club released him on the final day before his non-guaranteed $1.25MM salary for this coming season was to have become fully guaranteed, even though it initially appeared as though the Sixers missed that deadline. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported last week that they were likely to release the former No. 2 overall pick after acquiring him via trade from the Thunder.

The move is the latest indignity yet for the once highly touted 7’3″ prospect whose NBA career started slowly, with a D-League assignment in his rookie season, and never reached its potential. Thabeet is set to become a free agent later today providing he clears waivers, a likely outcome even though his salary isn’t for too much more than the minimum. Teams can’t claim a player making any more than the minimum unless they have cap space, a trade exception, or a disabled player exception, and Thabeet probably isn’t tempting enough to entice a club to burn one of those resources. Still, providing he hits free agency, the timing of the move gives him a chance to sign with a team for training camp.

The trade that sent him to Philadelphia appeared to be chiefly about clearing his salary and creating a trade exception from Oklahoma City’s perspective, while the Sixers netted $100K in cash for their trouble. Thabeet’s release leaves the Sixers with 16 players, only half of whom have guaranteed deals for the coming season.

Warriors Sign James Michael McAdoo

September 2nd, 2014 at 4:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:49pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

3:29pm: The Warriors and undrafted power forward James Michael McAdoo have reached agreement on a one-year deal, agent Jim Tanner tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The terms are unclear, but it’ll almost certainly be a non-guaranteed summer contract, and since the Warriors already have deals with at least 14 players, it might fit the criteria for an Exhibit 9 contract that would reduce the team’s liability in case of injury. It looks like it’ll be for the minimum salary either way, since the Warriors can give out no more than that.

McAdoo was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school, coming in sixth in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index for 2011. He was a lottery prospect after his freshman season at North Carolina, but his stock slipped over his final two years at the school, when he saw more playing time and scouts had greater opportunities to pick apart his game. His numbers were solid even if they weren’t overwhelming, as he put up 14.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in 30.1 minutes per game for the Tar Heels this past season.

The 21-year-old told Zach Links of Hoops Rumors this spring that he’s begun to feel more comfortable on the low block, so he could give the Warriors another option inside. Golden State is only known to be carrying 13 fully guaranteed deals, so McAdoo, a second cousin of Hall-of-Famer Bob McAdoo, has a decent shot at making the opening night roster as the team stands now.

Warriors Sign Mitchell Watt

September 2nd, 2014 at 4:48pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Warriors have signed former University of Buffalo power forward and Israeli league veteran Mitchell Watt, the team announced via press release. The terms are unclear, but it’s most likely a non-guaranteed training camp invitation for the minimum salary.

The 6’9″ Watt spent summer league with Golden State’s team, averaging 6.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per game. He put up 13.4 PPG and 6.7 RPG in 30.3 MPG for Ironi Nes Ziona in Israel this past season, numbers similar to his production in his senior season at Buffalo.

The inking of Watt, which came at the same time Golden State formally announced its signings of Aaron Craft and James Michael McAdoo, gives the club 17 players. That’s three shy of the 20-man preseason roster limit, so more moves are probably in the offing.

Warriors Sign Aaron Craft

September 2nd, 2014 at 4:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

SEPTEMBER 2ND: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

AUGUST 6TH: The Warriors and former Ohio State point guard Aaron Craft have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with a partial guarantee, agent Lance Young tells Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. It’s almost assuredly a minimum-salary arrangement, since Golden State is limited to paying no more than that.

The news comes not long after a report that Warriors reserve guard Nemanja Nedovic suffered a stress fracture in his right foot, as Leung points out, suggesting that Craft is an insurance policy in case Nedovic isn’t healed in time for the season. Still, the partial guarantee represents an investment in Craft, and it at least ensures he won’t walk away empty-handed should he fail to make the opening-night roster.

Craft earned raves from Warriors coach Steve Kerr for his play in college, as Leung notes (on Twitter), in spite of never having averaged more than 10.0 points per game over the course of his four seasons with the Buckeyes. He put up 7.4 points in 22.0 minutes per contest last month during Las Vegas summer league play for the Warriors after going undrafted in June. The 22-year-old also joined the Sixers for the Orlando summer league, though he didn’t see nearly as much playing time.

Mike Moser To Join Lithuanian Team

September 1st, 2014 at 5:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Lithuanian club Lietuvos Rytas has signed Oregon product Mike Moser, according to Enea Trapani of Sportando. Meanwhile, agent Adam Pensack tells Hoops Rumors (Twitter links) that Moser, who shined in camp with the Celtics this summer, does not have an NBA out clause in his deal.

While it’s somewhat surprising to hear that the Moser’s deal does not contain an NBA out given widespread interest from around the league, Pensack explained that the power forward wanted the opportunity to play major minutes for a strong Eurocup team. And, while the agent declined to disclose the terms of the deal, he explained that it’s a lucrative one-year pact.

The undrafted power forward averaged 13.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game during his collegiate career and according to his agent, about “half” of the NBA wanted to bring him in for training camp. Pensack and Moser whittled that list down to about three or four clubs that were exceptionally interested, but the opportunity overseas was too good to pass up.

Grizzlies Waive Jamaal Franklin

August 31st, 2014 at 5:07pm CST by Eddie Scarito

5:07pm: Franklin has been waived, the team confirmed via press release.

3:31pm: The Grizzlies waived Jamaal Franklin today using the stretch provision, Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal reports (Twitter link). Franklin had two years remaining on his contract, with a salary of $816,482 for next season, and $947,276 for 2015/16 which was non-guaranteed. By using the stretch provision, Memphis can now spread his guaranteed salary for this coming season evenly over the next five years, as well as his cap hit.

The second-year guard out of San Diego State was the No. 41 overall pick by Memphis in the 2013 NBA Draft. In his rookie season, Franklin split time between the Grizzlies and the NBA D-League. In 21 NBA games, Franklin averaged 1.9 PPG, 1.1 RPG, and 0.3 APG. His slash line was .410/.455/1.000.

This move leaves the Grizzlies with 15 players on their preseason roster, 14 of whom have guaranteed contracts. The Grizzlies needed to waive Franklin prior to September 1st or they would have been forced to pay him his full salary during the 2014/15 season.

Clippers Waive Carlos Delfino

August 29th, 2014 at 1:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:10pm: The move is official, the team announced via press release, so Delfino hits waivers in time for the Clippers to stretch his salary.

12:16pm: The Clippers will indeed waive Carlos Delfino today, a source tells Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). USA Today’s Sam Amick reported earlier this week that the move was likely to happen. The team will use the stretch provision to spread out his remaining salary, just as the Clippers will do with Miroslav Raduljica, whom the Clippers are also reportedly set to release, Bolch adds.

Delfino has a guaranteed salary of $3.25MM for the coming season, while his salary of the same amount for 2015/16 is non-guaranteed. Using the stretch provision allows a team to evenly spread a player’s remaining salary out over two times the number of years remaining on his contract, plus one. That means Delfino’s salary will be stretched over five seasons, as Bolch points out. Since only half of Delfino’s remaining salary is guaranteed, that would reduce his cap hit to $65K for this season and each year through 2018/19. There had been confusion about whether the non-guaranteed season would count, and thus whether Delfino’s guaranteed salary would be stretched over three years instead of five. However, NBA Salary Cap FAQ author Larry Coon confirms to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times that Delfino’s salary will indeed be stretched over five years (Twitter link).

Raduljica’s contract is similarly structured, with fully guaranteed salary for this year and non-guaranteed salary for 2015/16. He’s set to make $1.5MM for this coming season, so waiving and stretching him drops his payout to $300K each year. Put together, today’s anticipated moves would give the Clippers an extra $3.8MM in breathing room against their hard cap. The team had been only $649,228 shy of that cap after Tuesday’s trade, according to the data compiled by Pincus for Basketball Insiders, so this gives the Clippers enough ammunition to sign veterans like Chris Douglas-Roberts and Ekpe Udoh, whom they have been eyeing, as Amick reported this week.

Cutting Delfino and Raduljica would drop the team’s roster to 11 players. The Clippers can only sign free agents for the minimum salary, having exhausted their cap exceptions, but it appears as though they’ll be able to add four minimum-salary veterans to field a full 15-man regular season roster once Delfino and Raduljica are officially gone. The timing of the moves will be key, since Sunday is the last day that teams can use the stretch provision to reduce salaries for the coming season, but it appears that the team will pull the trigger today.

Delfino missed all of last season with a right foot injury, and he’s reportedly expected to miss part of this one. The former 25th overall pick, who turns 32 today, has been a double-digit scorer in three of his last four healthy seasons, so it would seem there would be strong interest if he can fully recover.