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Anthony Randolph Signs With Russian Team

August 18th, 2014 at 9:22am CST by Chuck Myron

Former NBA lottery pick Anthony Randolph has signed with Russia’s Locomotiv Kuban, the team announced (hat tip to Sportando’s Enea Trapani). It’s a two-year deal that includes an option on the final season, though the team’s statement doesn’t make it entirely clear whether that’s a team option or a player option.

Randolph had been a free agent ever since the Magic quietly waived him following the trade that sent him from Chicago to Orlando about a month ago. The Bulls had acquired him from the Nuggets as part of the draft-night swap that also brought Doug McDermott to Chicago.

The 14th overall pick from the 2008 draft was on the fringes of the rotation in Denver this past season, averaging 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per contest. That was nonetheless an upgrade on his role from the previous season, when he saw just 8.4 MPG for the Nuggets. The BDA Sports Management client didn’t appear to draw much NBA interest following his release from Orlando, but his salary for more than $1.8MM this season was guaranteed and remains on the Magic’s books.

Hornets Sign Justin Cobbs For Camp

August 18th, 2014 at 8:54am CST by Chuck Myron

SEPTEMBER 22ND: The deal is official, the team announced.

AUGUST 18TH: Point guard Justin Cobbs will be on the Hornets roster for training camp, according to David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). Cobbs, who went undrafted out of the University of California in June, will also take part in training camp with Laboral Kuxta of Spain, Pick adds. Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia first reported the unusual dual-camp arrangement, with Pick later filling in the identity of the teams. The arrangement would appear to give Cobbs a European fallback in case he doesn’t make it to opening night with Charlotte.

Cobbs went into the draft as the 92nd-best prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com pegged him 131st. In any case, it was no surprise that he was passed over on draft night, and while he totaled just 12 minutes in two summer league games with the Grizzlies, it looks like Cobbs impressed during his predraft workout with the Hornets. His production in college wasn’t shabby, as he averaged 15.6 points, 5.8 assists and 2.4 turnovers in 34.5 minutes per game as a senior this past year.

It’s presumably a non-guaranteed deal for the minimum salary for the 6’3″ 23-year-old. Charlotte is only carrying 13 other players, all on guaranteed deals, and that number is poised to swell to 14 once 26th overall pick P.J. Hairston signs his rookie scale contract. Cobbs nonetheless faces an uphill battle on a roster that already includes point guards Kemba Walker, Brian Roberts and Jannero Pargo.

And-Ones: Rockets, Daniels, Wizards

August 17th, 2014 at 8:37pm CST by Zachary Links

There are a number of notable players waiting on a call from an NBA team and Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders runs them all down. Many of the best available players, including Ray Allen, Eric Bledsoe (restricted), Jermaine O’Neal, and Michael Beasley, have been featured in Hoops Rumors’ Free Agent Stock Watch series. Here’s more from around the Association..

Alessandro Gentile‘s father Nando Gentile says that his son wants to play two more years in Italy before joining the Rockets in the NBA, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (on Twitter). Gentile’s rights are owned by Houston, who acquired the No. 53 pick in this year’s draft to snatch him. The 21-year-old wing recently re-signed with his Italian club for three seasons.
Scott Rafferty of Ridiculous Upside looked at what Troy Daniels could bring to the Rockets next season. Daniels made a name for himself with a big shot in the first round of last year’s playoffs and he’ll now look to cement his role as a spark plug off of Houston’s bench. Daniels shattered the D-League’s record for threes made in a season and did it in just 27 games, so his future looks pretty bright.
Kennedy (on Twitter) opines that Xavier Silas would be a great fit in the 15th roster spot for the Wizards. Silas, who went to training camp with Washington in October, was an undrafted rookie out of Northern Illinois leading into the lockout and has since traveled the globe.
Forward DeShawn Sims has signed in South Korea, agent Daniel Moldovan tells David Pick of Eurobasket.com (on Twitter). Sims was in camp with the Celtics last October before taking a deal in Israel.

Thunder Sign Lance Thomas

August 14th, 2014 at 9:13pm CST by Ryan Raroque

SEPTEMBER 29TH: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

AUGUST 14TH: The Thunder have reached an agreement to sign Lance Thomas to a training camp deal, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Oklahoma City currently has 14 guaranteed contracts on the books for next season and will have until September 1st to decide on Hasheem Thabeet‘s contract, which becomes fully guaranteed for 2014/15 if he isn’t waived by then.

Thomas spent his first two seasons in the league with the Pelicans and was waived after five games into the start of his third year. Over 106 games and 19 starts in New Orleans, the 26-year-old forward averaged 3.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 46.5% shooting from the field in 12.4 MPG. Last December, Thomas headed overseas to play for the Foshan Dralions of the Chinese Basketball Association.

The former Blue Devil reportedly drew interest from the Nets in June but would later drop out of a scheduled workout. In July, Thomas joined the Bulls for summer league play in Las Vegas, posting 7.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 58.3% shooting from the field in 21.8 MPG over a span of five games.

DeAndre Daniels Signs With Australian Team

August 14th, 2014 at 4:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

AUGUST 14th: The deal is now official, according to an announcement on the Wildcats’ website.

AUGUST 9th, 6:05pm: Daniels confirmed that he was headed to Australia to reporters including Chris Robinson of Australian paper the Herald Sun. Daniels said he would play overseas for four months and then return to the Raptors, although in what capacity he would rejoin Toronto is unclear. The Wildcats managing director told Robinson that the deal still isn’t finalized.

AUGUST 7th, 9:52am: The 37th overall pick in June’s draft is believed to be nearing agreement with the Perth Wildcats of Australia, reports Shayne Hope of The West Australian (hat tip to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando). DeAndre Daniels would head down under in lieu of joining the Raptors this year. It’ll likely be a one-year deal, Hope writes.

Toronto GM Masai Ujiri signaled a month ago that his team probably wouldn’t sign Daniels for the upcoming season, and the Raptors had reportedly been helping the small forward find overseas work. Daniels would head to the same Australian team that last year employed James Ennis, the 50th pick in the 2013 draft, but it’s unclear if the Wildcats will give Daniels the same NBA escape clause that they afforded Ennis. Perth would have been on the hook for its salary to Ennis had he signed with the Heat, who owned his NBA rights, at any point last season.

Daniels would be the most highly drafted 2014 second-rounder to head overseas for this coming season, though a pair of first-round picks have done so, as our list of draft pick signings shows. The 22-year-old from Connecticut was a somewhat surprising selection at No. 37, since he was just the 59th-best prospect in the rankings that Chad Ford of ESPN.com compiled, and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress rated him 64th. The 6’8″ Daniels averaged 13.1 points and 6.0 rebounds in 29.0 minutes per game with 41.7% three-point shooting for the national champion Huskies this past season.

Nolan Smith To Sign With Turkish Club

August 14th, 2014 at 12:29pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Duke star Nolan Smith will sign with Turkey’s Galatasaray, according to David Pick of Eurobasket.com (on Twitter). Smith received partially guaranteed offers from the Bulls and the Thunder for next season but he has apparently chosen to spent the year overseas.

Because Smith had serious interest from at least two NBA clubs, it’s possible that his deal will include an NBA out-clause. Smith played in Croatia last year and averaged 17.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 4.1 APG.

The 26-year-old point guard spent 2011/12 and 2012/13 with the Blazers, averaging 3.3 PPG and 1.2 APG in 9.9 minutes per contest. The former No. 21 overall pick in the draft also had interest from the Hawks back in 2013 and picked up interest from the Celtics and Knicks last summer. One would imagine that he’ll continue to have an in with Oklahoma City as well since head coach Scott Brooks is his godfather.

Earlier today, Galatasaray inked another ex-NBA guard in Carlos Arroyo when they re-signed him to a new contract.

Carlos Arroyo Re-Signs With Turkish Club

August 14th, 2014 at 8:39am CST by Zachary Links

Longtime NBA guard Carlos Arroyo has re-signed with Turkey’s Galatasaray, according to an announcement on the club’s official site (partially translated by Sportando). Arroyo, 35, drew interest from NBA clubs this time last year before opting to instead sign overseas.

When Arroyo turned down training camp invites last season, he noted that he wanted to have a larger role than he would with an NBA club. Indeed, he filled a key role for Galatasaray in 2013/14, playing and starting in 25 games and playing 31.7 minutes per contest, which is more burn that he had ever seen in one NBA season.

Over the course of nine NBA seasons with the Raptors, Nuggets, Jazz, Pistons, Magic, Heat, and Celtics, Arroyo averaged 6.6 PPG and 3.1 APG in 18.7 minutes per contest.

Toure’ Murry Close To Deal With Jazz

August 13th, 2014 at 5:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

WEDNESDAY, 5:30pm: The Jazz are finalizing the deal with Murry, writes Stein, who adds that the Lakers were also interested in the guard’s services.

5:53pm: Murry’s agent, Bernie Lee, said the report of a pending deal with the Jazz is “news to him,” notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 5:31pm: Toure’ Murry is close to signing a two-year, $2MM deal with the Utah Jazz, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Murry had also been pursued by the Heat, and his former team, the Knicks, notes Stein. Murry will be able to provide depth at both guard positions for the Jazz, and will compete for playing time off the bench.

Utah will most likely begin the season with Trey Burke as the starting point guard, and Alec Burks at the two guard position. No. 5 overall pick, Dante Exum, will begin his career at shooting guard, but the franchise hopes he can develop his ball-handling and decision-making skills enough to eventually shift over to the point.

Last year, his first season in the league, Murry appeared in 51 games for the Knicks, and averaged 2.7 PPG, 0.9 RPG, and 1.0 APG, while logging 7.3 minutes a night. His slash line was .434/.417/.590.

Deonte Burton To Join Kings For Camp

August 13th, 2014 at 12:52pm CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 12:52pm: The deal is official, the team announced via Twitter. The Kings refer to Burton as a camp invitee, suggesting his deal is non-guaranteed.

TUESDAY, 5:46pm: Burton signed his deal yesterday, reports Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). Pincus confirms it’s a one-year agreement.

4:13pm: The Kings and undrafted point guard Deonte Burton have reached an agreement, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). It’s not immediately clear whether the deal is a summer contract or carries some kind of guarantee. It’ll likely be a minimum-salary arrangement.

Burton appeared to have a strong chance of becoming a second-round pick heading into the draft, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranked him as the 52nd-best prospect while Chad Ford of ESPN.com listed him at No. 62. The 23-year-old spent summer league with the Wizards, averaging just 1.8 points in 17.3 minutes per contest, but he put up much better numbers as a senior with the Wolf Pack this past season, springing for 20.1 PPG and 4.4 assists against 2.0 turnovers in 38.6 MPG. He also chipped in 4.3 rebounds per contest, impressive considering his 6’1″ size.

The Kings have 15 others already in the fold, as our roster counts show, though that includes a partially guaranteed deal with Eric Moreland and Jeremy Tyler‘s non-guaranteed contract. The team is also thinking about waiving the newly acquired Wayne Ellington, so Burton appears well-positioned for a decent shot at making the opening-night roster.

Burton is not to be confused with the Marquette shooting guard of the same name.

Greg Monroe To Accept Qualifying Offer?

August 13th, 2014 at 10:56am CST by Eddie Scarito

10:56am: Zillgitt suggests in a follow-up story that a sign-and-trade scenario still could surface. Monroe received a pair of max offers this summer from teams other than the Pistons, but neither of those teams could work out a sign-and-trade with the Pistons that would have allowed Monroe to go to one of those clubs without the looming threat that Detroit would match, Zillgitt hears. The Pistons would probably match any offer for Monroe, as Vincent Goodwill surmises via Twitter, and presumably that would include max offers, which would explain why Monroe would be reluctant to ink a max offer sheet.

WEDNESDAY, 8:36am: Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy indicated late Tuesday that neither Monroe nor Falk has informed him of any decision to take the qualifying offer, according to MLive’s David Mayo. Van Gundy also reiterated that he’d prefer Monroe to sign a long-term deal instead, Mayo notes. Other teams don’t appear to have been as concerned that the Pistons would match an offer sheet for Monroe as Monroe himself has been, Mayo writes.

TUESDAY, 7:18pm: The Pistons appear to be holding out hope that Monroe won’t sign his qualifying offer, says Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter), who adds that the team will continue to do so until the 24-year-old actually puts pen to paper.

6:29pm: Greg Monroe has informed the Pistons that he will accept the team’s qualifying offer, reports Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. It was noted earlier that Monroe had been seeking sign-and-trade deals with other teams, rather than looking to sign an offer sheet with another franchise, which the Pistons were likely to match. If Monroe does indeed accept the qualifying offer, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and be free to sign with any team he chooses.

The qualifying offer is for $5.479MM, which is significantly below the amount he would have received if Monroe would have signed a long-term deal with the Pistons. The deadline for Monroe to sign the offer is October 1st, notes Zillgitt, and the player cannot be traded without his consent once he does sign. This decision carries some risk for Monroe if he is to suffer a serious injury this year. But so far in his career Monroe has been extremely durable, missing just one of his last 310 games.

The David Falk client’s decision is historic, since he’ll become just the 18th player since rookie scale contracts were instituted in 1995 to sign his qualifying offer. He’ll be the most high-profile player ever to do so, since the maneuver has usually been the domain of restricted free agents who are without more lucrative offers. Wizards big man Kevin Seraphin is the latest player to sign a qualifying offer, having done so last month.

The 6’11”, 24-year old, has been in the league for four seasons, and his career numbers are 14.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, and 2.3 APG. His career slash line is .508/.000/.678.