Week in Review News & Rumors

Here’s a look back at the notable events from around the NBA this past week.

NBA Draft News

Underclassmen Entering

• Rosco Allen, SF, Stanford (senior — *still reportedly has one year of eligibility remaining)
• Wade Baldwin, PG, Vanderbilt (sophomore)
• DeAndre’ Bembry, SF, St. Joseph (junior)
• Antonio Blakeney, SG, LSU (freshman)
• Trevon Bluiett, SF, Xavier (sophomore)
• Amida Brimah, C, UConn (junior)
• Cheick Diallo, F/C, Kansas (freshman)
• Daniel Hamilton, SF, UConn (sophomore)
• Demetrius Jackson, PG, Notre Dame (junior)
• Julian Jacobs, PG, USC (junior)
• Jahmal McMurray, PG, South Florida (freshman)
• Rodney Purvis, SG, UConn (junior)
• Tim Quarterman, G, LSU (junior)
• Jalen Reynolds, PF, Xavier (junior)
• Corey Sanders, PG, Rutgers (freshman)
• Wayne Selden, SG, Kansas (junior)
• Trevor Thompson, C, Ohio State (sophomore)
• James Webb III, F, Boise State (junior)
• Devin Williams, PF, West Virginia (junior)
• Stephen Zimmerman, C, UNLV (freshman)

Underclassmen Withdrawing

• Dwayne Bacon, SF, Florida State (freshman)

You can keep track of all the early entrants for the 2016 NBA Draft here.

Signings

• Suns affiliate player Terrico White signed to play for Israel’s Nes-Ziona.
• The Pelicans signed Tim Frazier for the remainder of the season.
• The Nets signed center Henry Sims to a second 10-day contract.
• The Grizzlies signed Xavier Munford to a second-10-day contract.
• The Sixers signed Christian Wood to a 10-day contract.
• The Pistons signed Lorenzo Brown to a second 10-day contract.
• The Pelicans signed James Ennis to a 10-day deal.
• Josh Powell, whom the Bucks waived this preseason, signed with Indios de Mayaguez of Puerto Rico.
• The Grizzlies signed Jordan Farmar for the remainder of the season.
• The Grizzlies signed Bryce Cotton to a 10-day deal.

You can stay up to date on all the 10-day deals handed out with our 10-day contract tracker.

Waivers

• The Sixers waived Sonny Weems.

Miscellaneous News

• The Kings signed GM and vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac to a multiyear extension.
• Rockets rookie power forward Montrezl Harrell was suspended five games without pay by the NBA D-League for shoving a referee to the floor in the midst of an altercation with another player.

D-League News

• Coty Clarke returned to the D-League affiliate of the Celtics following the expiration of his second 10-day contract with Boston’s NBA club.

You can stay up to date on all the D-League assignments and recalls for the season here.

Here’s a look back at the notable events from around the NBA this past week.

NBA Draft News

• LSU freshman Ben Simmons will enter the NBA draft.
• Yale sophomore point guard Makai Mason will declare for this year’s NBA draft.
• Florida State freshman Malik Beasley will declare for the NBA draft.
• Mississippi State combo guard Malik Newman will enter this year’s NBA draft.
• Washington State junior shooting guard Que Johnson will declare for this year’s draft.
• Providence junior point guard Kris Dunn will enter the NBA draft.
• North Carolina State junior point guard Cat Barber will enter the draft.
• Purdue freshman Caleb Swanigan intends to enter the NBA Draft.
• Providence power forward Ben Bentil will enter this year’s NBA draft.
• University of Washington freshmen Marquese Chriss and Dejounte Murray intend to enter the NBA Draft.
• Florida State freshman Dwayne Bacon intends to enter the 2016 NBA Draft.
• Every underclassman on the University of Kentucky basketball team intends to test the waters and enter the NBA draft.
• North Carolina State sophomore Abdul-Malik Abu intends to enter the draft.

You can keep track of all the early entrants for the 2016 NBA Draft here.

Signings

• The Grizzlies signed Jordan Farmar to a 10-day deal.
• The Grizzlies signed Ray McCallum to a second 10-day contract.
• Melvin Ejim, who was in training camp with the Magic earlier this season, signed with the Italian club Reyer Venezia.
• The Timberwolves signed Greg Smith for the rest of the season.
• The Nuggets signed Axel Toupane to a two-year deal.
• The Pelicans signed Jordan Hamilton to a 10-day contract.

You can stay up to date on all the 10-day deals handed out with our 10-day contract tracker.

Miscellaneous News

• Anthony Davis was diagnosed with a torn labrum in his left shoulder and a left knee injury. The Pelicans big man will undergo surgery for both and will miss the remainder of the season as a result.
• Jahlil Okafor underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee and will miss the remainder of the season.
• Trail Blazers big man Meyers Leonard requires surgery on his injured left shoulder and will miss the remainder of the season as a result.
• Chandler Parsons had season-ending surgery to remedy the torn meniscus in his right knee.

D-League News

• Briante Weber, whom the Grizzlies chose not to re-sign when his 10-day contract ended, rejoined the Heat’s D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls.
• Orlando Johnson, whose 10-day contract with the Pelicans expired last weekend, rejoined the Austin Spurs.

You can stay up to date on all the D-League assignments and recalls for the season here.

The NBA and National Basketball Players Association reached an agreement this week that will shorten the free agent moratorium to five days. This year’s free agency moratorium will last from July 1st-6th. Free agent contracts can now be signed much sooner after verbal agreements are reached as a result of the accord.

The moratorium was to run through July 11th for this summer and next prior to Thursday’s agreement, so this speeds up the free agency process by nearly a week. The moratorium period gives the NBA a chance to audit its finances, project next season’s revenue and set salary cap levels. Those salary cap levels determine crucial financial items such as maximum and minimum player salaries, the luxury tax threshold, and signing tools such as the mid-level exception.

Last offseason’s moratorium lasted until July 9th. Controversy arose over DeAndre Jordan‘s late switch during his unrestricted free agency. Jordan made a verbal agreement with the Mavericks, then changed his mind and remained with the Clippers, thanks in part to some heavy lobbying from his Los Angeles teammates. A shorter free agency period will make it more difficult for such flip-flops to take place once a verbal agreement is reached.

Here’s more from the week that was…

Signings

• Nate Robinson agreed to a deal with Israel’s Hapoel Tel Aviv.
• The Nuggets signed Axel Toupane to a second 10-day contract.
• The Timberwolves signed Greg Smith to a second 10-day contract.
• The Grizzlies signed Ray McCallum to a 10-day deal.
• The Grizzlies signed Alex Stepheson to a 10-day contract.
• The Grizzlies signed Xavier Munford to a 10-day deal.
• The Bucks signed Jared Cunningham to a 10-day deal.
• The Clippers signed Jeff Ayres for the remainder of the season.
• The Pelicans signed Tim Frazier to a 10-day deal.
• The Knicks signed Tony Wroten to multiyear contract.
• The Nets signed Henry Sims to a 10-day contract.
• The Pistons signed Lorenzo Brown to a 10-day contract.
• The Celtics signed Coty Clarke to a second 10-day deal.
• The Suns signed Alan Williams to a multiyear contract.

You can stay up to date on all the 10-day deals handed out with our 10-day contract tracker.

Miscellaneous News

• Clippers rookie Branden Dawson was arrested on felony domestic violence charges.
• Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley is expected to miss three to four weeks of action due to Achilles tendinitis.
• Mavericks small forward Jeremy Evans underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder and will miss the remainder of the 2015/16 campaign as a result.
• Seton Hall shooting guard Isaiah Whitehead reportedly intends to enter the 2016 NBA Draft.

D-League News

• Christian Wood returned to the D-League affiliate of the Sixers following the early termination of his 10-day contract.
• The Raptors‘ D-League affiliate announced that Ronald Roberts Jr. will miss the rest of the season with a right knee injury.

You can stay up to date on all the D-League assignments and recalls for the season here.

Spurs owner Peter Holt is relinquishing control of the team to wife, Julianna Hawn Holt, the team announced this week. The 67-year-old Spurs boss is retiring as chairman, CEO and representative on the board of governors, turning those capacities over to his wife. The Holts jointly became the franchise’s largest shareholders in 1996, when Peter Holt ascended to the top of the organization. He’ll remain on the board of managers of Spurs Sports & Entertainment and continue as part of the ownership group.

“Our ownership in the Spurs has always been a family affair,” Julianna Hawn Holt said. “For many years I’ve had the desire to take a more active role with Spurs Sports & Entertainment. We felt this was the right time to make this transition. We are very excited about the current Spurs season and the future of the organization.”

The changing of the guard closes a remarkably successful era for the Spurs, who missed the playoffs only once under Peter Holt’s reign.  The franchise has won five NBA titles while qualifying for the postseason for an amazing 19 straight seasons. “I’m proud of what we’ve achieved over the last two decades,” Peter Holt said. “The championships are wonderful, bringing new sports franchises to San Antonio is important but the biggest accomplishment for me will always be the impact we’ve had in our community. The pride, support and love that our city has for the Spurs is truly amazing.”

Here’s more from the week that was…

Signings

• The Thunder signed Nazr Mohammed for the remainder of the season.
• The Pistons signed Justin Harper to a second 10-day contract.
• The Pacers signed Ty Lawson.
• The Celtics signed Coty Clarke to a 10-day contract.
• Wizards draft-and-stash prospect Tomas Satoransky signed a four-year extension with Barcelona of Spain.
• The Suns signed Alan Williams to a 10-day contract.
• The Suns signed Chase Budinger.
• Sampson Carter, who was with the Grizzlies during the preseason, signed with the Mexican club Caballeros de Culiacan.
• The Nets signed Sean Kilpatrick to a second 10-day contract.
• The Spurs signed Kevin Martin.
• The Cavaliers signed Jordan McRae to a multiyear deal.
• The Pelicans used their hardship exception to sign Orlando Johnson to a 10-day contract.
• The Wizards signed Marcus Thornton.
• The Hornets signed Jorge Gutierrez for the remainder of the season.
• The Grizzlies signed Briante Weber to a 10-day deal.

You can stay up to date on all the 10-day deals handed out with our 10-day contract tracker.

Waivers

• The Suns waived Sonny Weems, who was subsequently claimed by the Sixers.
• The Spurs waived Rasual Butler.
• The Wizards waived Gary Neal.
• The Grizzlies waived Mario Chalmers.

Miscellaneous News

• The Nets named Cavs front office executive Trajan Langdon their assistant GM.
• Lakers rookie small forward Anthony Brown is expected to miss at least a month due to a stress reaction in his right foot.
• The National Basketball Players Association is reportedly thinking about filing a grievance with the league over the voided Donatas Motiejunas trade. The Pistons elected to cancel the trade on February 22nd after several medical tests failed to convince them that Motiejunas’ back was sufficiently healed from surgery last spring.
• Michael Carter-Williams will miss the rest of the season and undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip.
• Pelicans shooting guard Eric Gordon will miss the remainder of the 2015/16 season as a result of surgery to repair damage to his fractured right ring finger.
• The Kings suspended DeMarcus Cousins for one game without pay in the wake of his outbursts toward coach George Karl and GM Vlade Divac during and reportedly after Wednesday’s game.
• Bucks shooting guard O.J. Mayo broke his right ankle and will miss the remainder of the season.
• Jahlil Okafor will miss the rest of the season because of a torn meniscus in his right knee.

D-League News

• The D-League tossed Lakers affiliate player Robert Upshaw from the league for violating its anti-drug program.
• The D-League forced the affiliate of the Kings to forfeit a game because it played Duje Dukan, who was on assignment from Sacramento, during the All-Star break.
• Jimmer Fredette returned to the Westchester Knicks, New York’s D-League affiliate.
• Jared Cunningham rejoined the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League as a returning player.

You can stay up to date on all the D-League assignments and recalls for the season here.

The Nuggets are thinking about sitting Danilo Gallinari for the rest of the season even if he returns to health with a few games left on the schedule, coach Michael Malone acknowledged to reporters this week. The 27-year-old small forward suffered two torn ligaments in his right ankle during Friday’s game that are expected to sideline him for a month, as Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reported on Tuesday. Only five games are on the schedule for the Nuggets in April, which raises the question of whether it would be wise to put the team’s veteran centerpiece back on the court and risk additional injury with only a few games left to go.

“I’ve already thought about that. I don’t have an answer,” Malone said. “I think it’s a very good question. At that point, depending on where we are, it’s going to depend on four games to go, what is the picture? Are we 15 games out of the playoffs? Well, it probably makes sense to play some of our younger guys and let them get minutes and see what they can do. But we’ll see.”

Gallinari is signed through next season with a player option for 2017/18, thanks to a rare renegotiation and extension deal that he and the team pulled off this past summer. The Nuggets reportedly turned away interest that the Celtics had in trading for him before last month’s deadline.

Here’s more from the week that was…

Signings

• The Heat signed Joe Johnson.
• The Cavaliers signed Jordan McRae to a 10-day contract.
• The Nets signed Sean Kilpatrick to a 10-day pact.
• The Spurs signed Andre Miller.
• The Hornets signed Jorge Gutierrez to a second 10-day contract.
• The Suns signed Phil Pressey to a second 10-day contract.
• The Raptors signed Jason Thompson.
• The Hawks signed Kris Humphries.
• The Clippers signed Alex Stepheson to a second 10-day contract.
• The Timberwolves signed Greg Smith to a 10-day contract.
• The Grizzlies signed Ryan Hollins.
• The Nuggets signed Axel Toupane to a 10-day contract.
• Jarrid Famous, who was with the Mavericks for the preseason, signed with Bucaneros de la Guaira in Venezuela.
• The Rockets signed Michael Beasley.
• The Pistons signed Justin Harper to a second 10-day contract.
• The Sixers signed Christian Wood to a 10-day deal.

You can stay up to date on all the 10-day deals handed out with our 10-day contract tracker.

Waivers

• The Suns waived Kris Humphries as part of a buyout arrangement.
• The Heat waived Beno Udrih as part of a buyout arrangement.
• The Spurs waived Ray McCallum.
• The Raptors waived Anthony Bennett.
• The Rockets waived Ty Lawson as part of a buyout arrangement.
• The Timberwolves waived Kevin Martin as part of a buyout arrangement.
• The Grizzlies waived James Ennis.

Miscellaneous News

• The Bucks announced that Steve Novak will miss the rest of the season with a sprained MCL.

D-League News

• Jarnell Stokes, who was traded from Miami to New Orleans at the deadline and then waived by the Pelicans, rejoined the Heat’s D-League affiliate.
• Former Blazer Tim Frazier joined the D-League’s Maine Red Claws as a returning player.
• Marcus Thornton, the 45th pick in last summer’s draft, returned from Australia and joined the Celtics’ D-League affiliate.
• Chris Douglas-Roberts, whom the Pelicans cut in training camp, rejoined the D-League’s Texas Legends, who are the affiliate of the Mavericks.
• Swingman Jabari Brown, who played with the Lakers last season, joined the team’s D-League affiliate after returning from China.

You can stay up to date on all the D-League assignments and recalls for the season here.

Marc Gasol will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery last Saturday on his broken right foot. The 31-year-old is expected to recovery fully, the team’s statement added, and the club’s brass doesn’t expect the injury to alter his career path, a source informed Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal. The technical term for the ailment is a non-displaced Type II fracture of the navicular bone, according to the Grizzlies’ official statement. The news that Gasol will miss the rest of 2015/16 is no shock, as Marca.com reported a couple of weeks ago, in the immediate wake of the injury, that Gasol was liable to miss four to six months. The team didn’t reveal a specific timeline for the center’s recovery, but GM Chris Wallace hinted in the press release that the team believes Gasol will be ready to start next season.

“Marc remains a cornerstone of our franchise and we are pleased to hear that the surgery went according to plan,” Wallace said. “Marc’s determination and competitive spirit will serve him, his family and the team well as he begins the healing and rehab process from which we expect him to make a full recovery. We are confident we will have Marc back anchoring our team next season and beyond.”

Here’s more from the week that was…

Signings

• The Warriors signed Anderson Varejao.
• Kings affiliate player Vince Hunter left Sacramento’s D-League team to sign with Panathinaikos of Greece.
• The Nuggets signed JaKarr Sampson.
• The Bucks signed Steve Novak.
• The Knicks signed Jimmer Fredette to a 10-day deal.
• The Mavericks signed David Lee.
• The Clippers signed Alex Stepheson to a 10-day contract.
• The Suns signed Phil Pressey to a 10-day deal.
• The Hornets signed Jorge Gutierrez to a 10-day deal.
• The Pistons signed Justin Harper to a 10-day contract.
• The Wizards signed J.J. Hickson.
• Mavs affiliate player Brandon Ashley signed with the German club Alba Berlin.
• The Nets are expected to sign Sean Kilpatrick.
• The Cavaliers intend to sign Jordan McRae to a 10-day contract.

You can stay up to date on all the 10-day deals handed out with our 10-day contract tracker.

Waivers

• The Nets waived Joe Johnson as part of a buyout arrangement.
• The Timberwolves waived Andre Miller as part of a buyout arrangement.
• The Suns waived DeJuan Blair.
• The Magic waived Jared Cunningham.
• The Bucks waived Chris Copeland.
• The Warriors waived Jason Thompson.
• The Mavs waived John Jenkins.
• The Nets waived Andrea Bargnani in a buyout deal.
• The Magic claimed Chris Copeland off waivers from the Bucks and subsequently waived him.
• The Suns claimed John Jenkins off waivers from the Mavericks.
• The Rockets waived Marcus Thornton.

Miscellaneous News

• The players union’s executive committee voted unanimously to stiffen enforcement of a rule banning agents from representing both coaches and players, a practice that’s been commonplace in spite of regulations against it. The union also passed other rules for agents, including increased dues and requirements that agents pass a written test on the collective bargaining agreement and maintain at least one NBA client over a period of five years.
• The Wasserman Media Group officially renamed itself the Wasserman agency.
• Bryce Dejean-Jones will miss the rest of the season for the Pelicans after undergoing surgery on his broken right wrist.
• Dwight Howard fired agent Dan Fegan.

D-League News

• Point guard Dwight Buycks will join the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.
• The Bulls officially announced that their new D-League affiliate, which begins play next season, will be called the Windy City Bulls.

You can stay up to date on all the D-League assignments and recalls for the season here.

The Nets hired Sean Marks as their new GM this week. Marks leaves his job as Spurs assistant GM, inking a four-year contract worth more than $9MM with Brooklyn. He takes over the reigns from assistant GM Frank Zanin, who’d been running the front office since the team removed Billy King from the job last month. “I am very excited to be named the general manager of the Brooklyn Nets, and to become a member of the vibrant and dynamic organization that represents Brooklyn,” Marks said, according to the Nets’ press release. “I would like to thank Nets’ ownership for giving me this opportunity, and I look forward to the challenge of creating a unified culture and building a winning team.”

“After an exhaustive vetting process, we are delighted to have Sean as our general manager,” Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov said in Brooklyn’s statement. “His experience on the court, in coaching and management gives him a 360 degree view of the job at hand. His background helping to build one of the greatest teams in the NBA gives him an unparalleled frame of reference. And he impressed us all with his vision, his values, his personality and his enthusiasm for the club. The vote to select him from an incredible list of talent was unanimous. We welcome Sean into our Nets family and look forward to his strong leadership and independent thinking as we build our own success story.”

Here’s more from the week that was…

Trades

• The Pistons acquired Tobias Harris from the Magic in exchange for Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova.
• As part of a three-team trade, the Hornets acquired Courtney Lee from the Grizzlies, the Heat acquired Brian Roberts from Charlotte, while Memphis acquired Chris Andersen and two second-round picks from Miami and P.J. Hairston and two second-round picks from Charlotte.
• The Pelicans acquired Jarnell Stokes from the Heat in exchange for a conditional 2018 second round pick.
• As part of a three team trade, the Hawks acquired Kirk Hinrich from the Bulls, Chicago landed Justin Holiday from Atlanta and Denver’s 2018 second-round from Utah, while the Jazz nabbed Shelvin Mack.
• The Cavs traded Anderson Varejao and a conditional top-10 protected 2018 first-round pick to the Trail Blazers for a second-round pick, which Cleveland subsequently sent to the Magic, along with Jared Cunningham, in exchange for Channing Frye.
• The Heat traded Brian Roberts to the Blazers for cash.
• The Suns traded Markieff Morris to the Wizards for Kris Humphries, DeJuan Blair and a top-nine protected 2016 first-round pick.
• The Pistons acquired Donatas Motiejunas and Marcus Thornton from the Rockets, the Sixers received Denver’s 2017 second round pick, and Houston landed a protected 2016 first-round pick from Detroit as part of a three-team exchange.
• The Clippers acquired Jeff Green from the Grizzlies in exchange for Lance Stephenson and a first-round pick.
• The Thunder acquired Randy Foye from the Nuggets, sending D.J. Augustin, Steve Novak and two second-round picks to Denver in return.

Signings

• Joey Dorsey has left Turkey’s Galatasaray and signed with Barcelona of Spain.
• The Clippers intend to sign Alex Stepheson to a 10-day contract.
• The Pelicans signed Bryce Dejean-Jones to a three-year deal.
• The Knicks intend to sign Jimmer Fredette to a 10-day deal.
• The Hornets intend to sign Jorge Gutierrez to a 10-day pact.

You can stay up to date on all the 10-day deals handed out with our 10-day contract tracker.

Waivers

• The Trail Blazers waived Tim Frazier and Anderson Varejao.
• The Suns waived DeJuan Blair.
• The Sixers waived JaKarr Sampson.
• The Pelicans waived Jarnell Stokes.
• The Celtics waived David Lee as part of a buyout arrangement. The Mavericks are reportedly set to sign him via the room exception.
• The Nuggets waived Steve Novak and J.J. Hickson after reportedly agreeing to buyouts with the players.

Miscellaneous News

• Tiago Splitter will be out for the season, having decided to undergo surgery on his ailing right hip.
• The Nuggets were granted a disabled player exception for injured swingman Wilson Chandler worth $5,224,719.
• Magic rookie swingman Mario Hezonja parted ways with the Wasserman Media Group.
• Wizards center Marcin Gortat hired Todd Ramasar as his new agent.
• Randy Rigby will retire as president of the Jazz at the end of the season. Steve Starks, president of Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment, will replace him.
• Thunder assistant coach Maurice Cheeks will be out of action for about six weeks after undergoing hip surgery this week.
• The Kings fired assistant coach Vance Walberg.

D-League News

• Former first-round pick Jordan Hamilton, who finished last season with the Clippers, signed with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
• Jeff Ayres, whose second 10-day deal with the Clippers expired last week, rejoined the the Idaho Stampede, the Jazz’s D-League affiliate.

You can stay up to date on all the D-League assignments and recalls for the season here.

The Knicks fired coach Derek Fisher this past week and named Kurt Rambis interim coach. New York had lost nine of its last 10 games to drop to 23-31, five games back of the Pistons for eighth place in the Eastern Conference at the time of Fisher’s dismissal. Fisher’s record in a season and a half with the team was 40-96, including last season’s 17-65 disaster. The Knicks signed Fisher to a five-year, $25MM deal after the team reportedly encountered difficulty in its negotiations with Jackson’s top choice, Steve Kerr, who chose to take the Warriors job instead. Fisher made headlines during his time with New York for an alleged run-in with Matt Barnes.

League sources told Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com that they believe Brian Shaw and Luke Walton, both of whom have ties to team president Phil Jackson, are the team’s top long-term candidates for the position. Former Knicks assistant Tom Thibodeau has always wanted to become the head coach in New York and “would crawl” to Madison Square Garden for the job, a confidant told Ian O’Connor of ESPNNewYork.com.

Here’s more from the week that was…

Miscellaneous News

• Bulls All-Star Jimmy Butler will be out three to four weeks with a strained left knee.
• Warriors assistant Luke Walton hired the Wasserman Media Group to represent him.
• Grizzlies center Marc Gasol suffered a broken right foot and will be out of action indefinitely.
• Hawks director of international scouting Himar Ojeda left the team to accept a position with the German club Alba Berlin.
• Clippers combo guard Austin Rivers will be sidelined four to six weeks with a broken left hand.
• Warriors big man Festus Ezeli underwent surgery on his left knee and is expected to be out six weeks.
• Former Bucks center Larry Sanders plans to attempt an NBA comeback, but says that he wants to address other opportunities first.
• Former 2007 No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden was released by the Jiangsu Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association.
• Some “cursory contact” has reportedly taken place between the Timberwolves and former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.
  
• Hornets small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder and is likely out for the remainder of the season.
•  Tyreke Evans will miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery.
• Auburn junior point guard Kareem Canty has decided to enter this year’s NBA draft and leave the school.

Signings

• The Suns signed Jordan McRae to a second 10-day contract.
•  Elliot Williams, who played five games with the Grizzlies last month, signed with Panathinaikos of Greece.
• Nuggets camp cut Matt Janning signed with the Russian club Lokomotiv Cuban.

You can stay up to date on all the 10-day deals handed out with our 10-day contract tracker.

D-League News

• Former first-round pick Jordan Hamilton, who finished last season with the Clippers, intends to sign with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s D-League affiliate.

You can stay up to date on all the D-League assignments and recalls for the season here.

The Suns fired coach Jeff Hornacek earlier this week and named Earl Watson as interim coach. The move to part ways with the coach was no shock, as Hornacek’s job was reportedly under immediate threat in late December, when the team instead fired assistants Mike Longabardi and Jerry Sichting and shifted fellow assistants Watson and Nate Bjorkgren to more prominent roles. The future of the 52-year-old Hornacek was up in the air even as the season began, with a contractual decision on his team option for 2016/17 looming. Little had gone right since, as the Suns compiled a 14-35 record under Hornacek in spite of realistic preseason hopes that they would make the playoffs for the first time since losing the Western Conference Finals in 2010. The Suns were 101-112 overall under Hornacek.

Here’s more from the week that was…

Miscellaneous News

• The Nets requested and received permission from the Rockets to interview their executive VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas for the team’s vacant GM post.
• Heat combo guard Tyler Johnson will miss upward of two months after undergoing left shoulder surgery this week.
• T.J. Warren will miss the rest of the season for the Suns because of a broken foot.
• The Suns formally hired NBA coaching veteran Bob Hill as an assistant coach.
• Wizards center Marcin Gortat parted ways with agent Guy Zucker.
• Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili will miss at least a month after undergoing surgery Thursday to treat a testicular injury he suffered in Wednesday’s game.

Signings

• The Pelicans signed Bryce Dejean-Jones to a second 10-day contract.
• The Grizzlies signed Ryan Hollins to a second 10-day contract.
• The Clippers signed Jeff Ayres to a second 10-day deal.
• Nuggets camp cut Oleksiy Pecherov signed with the Lebanese team Sagesse.
• The Jazz signed point guard Erick Green to a second 10-day contract.
• The Suns signed shooting guard Orlando Johnson to a 10-day contract.

You can stay up to date on all the 10-day deals handed out with our 10-day contract tracker.

D-League News

• Former Hornets point guard Jannero Pargo signed to play in the D-League and was claimed by the Thunder’s affiliate.
• Power forward Cory Jefferson returned to the Suns D-League affiliate following the expiration of his 10-day contract with Phoenix.
• Sean Kilpatrick went back to the Sixers D-League affiliate after the shooting guard’s pair of 10-day deals with the Nuggets lapsed.
• The D-League affiliate of the Pistons saw the return of point guard Lorenzo Brown after his two 10-day contracts ended.

You can stay up to date on all the D-League assignments and recalls for the season here.

Clippers power forward Blake Griffin is expected to miss up to two months of action as he recovers from surgery to repair a fracture in his right (shooting) hand suffered during an altercation with team equipment manager Mathias Testi. The team released a statement, co-signed by owner Steve Ballmer and coach/executive Doc Rivers, that clearly expressed displeasure for Griffin’s actions. “This conduct has no place in our organization and this incident does not represent who are as a team,” the statement read. “We are conducting a full investigation with assistance from the NBA. At the conclusion of the investigation, appropriate action will be taken.”

Here’s more from the week that was…

Miscellaneous News

• Cavs shooting guard J.R. Smith was cleared of wrongdoing in the alleged choking incident he was involved in outside of a New York nightclub in November.
• Nuggets assistant GM Arturas Karnisovas and Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas have reportedly become serious candidates for the Nets GM vacancy.
• Thunder swingman Andre Roberson will miss at least three weeks with a right knee sprain.
• Wizards point guard John Wall hired agent Rich Paul and the Klutch Sports Group to represent him.
• Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic was diagnosed with an acute appendicitis and underwent surgery this week. The power forward is expected to be out until after the All-Star break.
• The league announced the reserves for the 2016 NBA All-Star game.
• The three-year maximum-salary contract that Brook Lopez signed this past summer with the Nets reportedly contains only conditional guarantees for next season and 2017/18 based on the health of his right foot.

Signings

• The Nuggets signed Sean Kilpatrick to a second 10-day contract.
• Free agent shooting guard Elijah Millsap signed with the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.
• The Clippers signed Jeff Ayres to a 10-day contract.
• Grizzlies camp cut Lazeric Jones signed with Pinar Karsiyaka of Turkey.
• The Jazz signed Erick Green to a 10-day contract.
• The Suns inked Jordan McRae to a 10-day contract.
• Former Pistons affiliate player Ryan Boatright signed with Italy’s Orlandina.
• The Knicks signed Thanasis Antetokounmpo to a 10-day contract.
• Wolves camp cut Nick Wiggins, the older brother of Andrew Wiggins, signed with the Canterbury Rams of Australia’s National Basketball League for the remainder of the season.
• The Magic re-signed Keith Appling to a second 10-day contract.

You can stay up to date on all the 10-day deals handed out with our 10-day contract tracker.

D-League News

• Bryce Cotton has left the Spurs’ D-League team in Austin to sign with Xinjiang in China.
• Keith Bogans joined the Knicks’ affiliate in Westchester.

You can stay up to date on all the D-League assignments and recalls for the season here.