Month: September 2024

Sixers Release Justin Holiday

The Sixers parted ways with one Holiday in a draft-night deal, sending Jrue Holiday to the Pelicans in exchange for Nerlens Noel and a 2014 draft pick. Now, the 76ers have cut ties with Jrue's brother, Justin Holiday. According to RealGM's transactions log and Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld (via Twitter), Philadelphia has released the elder Holiday.

Holiday, 24, appeared in just nine games for the Sixers after being signed by the team late last season. Prior to signing with Philadelphia, Holiday spent time in training camp with the Cavaliers and Trail Blazers, then joined Portland's D-League affiliate, the Idaho Stampede, for most of the year. The University of Washington product averaged 17.3 PPG in 47 D-League contests.

Per Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com, Holiday's 2013/14 salary wasn't set to become fully guaranteed until January 2014, but he would have been owed a guaranteed $50K had he remained on the roster past August 15th. By waiving him before then, the Sixers avoided taking a cap hit for any part of his salary.

Removing Holiday's minimum salary from their books also takes the Sixers even further below the salary cap line, and the minimum payroll threshold. As I noted last week, Philadelphia will have to add plenty of additional salary to the books for 2013/14 if they intend to reach the league's salary floor.

Poll: Is PED Use Prevalent?

In light of NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver's recent comments to the New York Post regarding PED use and future testing throughout the league (the NBA is unable to enhance its testing system until the Player's Association appoints a new executive director and president), do you think basketball has a problem?

Grizzlies, Celtics Talking Fab Melo, Donte Greene

The Grizzlies are "working on" a trade that would send Fab Melo to Memphis and Donte Greene to Boston, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). It's not clear how close the two sides are to an agreement, or whether the deal would include additional pieces.

Melo was selected 22nd overall by the Celtics in 2012's draft, but only appeared in six NBA games in his rookie season. The Syracuse product spent most of the season with Boston's D-League affiliate, averaging 9.8 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 33 contests for the Maine Red Claws. Greene, meanwhile, signed a late-season contract with the Grizzlies that included a non-guaranteed 2013/14 salary. He didn't appear in a game for Memphis.

Melo's and Greene's salaries are close enough that a swap wouldn't require additional players. Under normal circustances, I'd expect Memphis to have to include cash and/or future draft considerations to land a young big like Melo. However, the 23-year-old's underwhelming rookie season, along with the Celtics' proximity to the tax line, should give the Grizz leverage.

If Boston were to move Melo's guaranteed deal, then release Greene's non-guaranteed contract, it would reduce team salary by about $1.3MM — for a rebuilding club currently above the tax threshold by about $78K, those savings could be worth parting with last year's first-round pick.

This post was first published on August 15th at 10:19am CST.

Odds & Ends: Cavs, Teague, Sixers

A few random notes from around the league.

  • The Cavaliers are showing interest in former Georgetown forward Henry Sims, and could possibly invite him to their training camp, according to a tweet from the Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer.
  • The Philadelphia Inquirer's Bob Ford writes that new Sixers head coach Brett Brown will bring a different tactical method to the organization, one that was successful in Brown's old position as assistant coach of the Spurs.
  • Bulls backup point guard Marquis Teague spent the offseason adding new dimensions to his game, and also talks about how Derrick Rose continuously helps him prepare for opponents, writes Bulls.com writer Adam Fluck.

Silver Talks About PED Use In NBA

Performance enhancing drugs are an ongoing problem in contemporary professional sports, and according to Adam Silver, the NBA's deputy commissioner, the league will look to combat such drugs as human growth hormone (HGH) with blood testing in the future, writes New York Post reporter Tim Bontemps. The league does not currently test for HGH.

As Major League Baseball continues to battle through its own ongoing Biogenesis scandal, Silver says that, as far as he's aware, the NBA doesn't have any players involved. But even though the NBA has the same penalty structure as baseball, the implementation of HGH testing can't happen until the NBA Player's Association hires a new executive director and names a new president, something they're still in the process of completing. 

Lakers Invite Nick Minnerath To Camp

According to his own Twitter account, the Lakers have extended a training camp invite to Nick Minnerath. He played for the Kings during the Las Vegas Summer League, and as a senior for the University of Detroit Titans last season he averaged 14.6 PPG and 5.9 RPG.

The undrafted 6'9" forward can bang inside, but what makes him attractive to the Lakers is most likely his ability to shoot. Through three years of college basketball, Minnerath shot 39.7% from beyond the arc, which, on paper, qualifies him as a perfect fit for Mike D'Antoni's offense. 

 

Kim English To Sign With Montepaschi Siena

According to HoopsHype.com, free agent guard Kim English has agreed to sign with Montepaschi Siena of the Euroleague. The Italian club has won its league title seven years in a row, and is one of the better teams in all of Europe. 

The 24-year-old English spent his lone NBA season last year with the Pistons, where he averaged 2.9 PPG in 41 games. He was selected with the 44th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. His contract with Montepaschi Siena will include an NBA out clause until August 22nd. 

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Al Harrington Nearing Deal With Wizards

TUESDAY, 4:10pm: Harrington will likely finalize his agreement with the Wizards on Wednesday, tweets J. Michael of CSN Washington.

MONDAY, 8:41am: Having been waived by the Magic earlier this month, Al Harrington appears poised to join another Southeast club. Sources tell ESPN.com's Marc Stein that Harrington is leaning toward signing a deal with the Wizards. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld backs up Stein's report, tweeting that an agreement between the two sides looks likely, as long as the veteran forward passes a physical.

Harrington, 33, missed nearly all of the 2012/13 season due to a staph infection, but has worked hard to get back into playing shape for the coming year, as he told Sam Amick of USA Today last month. Harrington is just one year removed from a productive season in Denver, in which he averaged 14.2 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 64 contests.

The Wizards used their full mid-level exception on Martell Webster and their full bi-annual exception on Eric Maynor, so the team could only offer Harrington a minimum-salary contract. However, the 15-year veteran is still owed about $7.4MM by the Magic for the next two seasons, so he's likely prioritizing a good fit over the highest offer. Washington has one guaranteed roster spot still available and is looking to add some "frontcourt scoring punch," according to Stein.

Eastern Notes: Harrington, Knicks, Sixers, Brown

Earlier today, we rounded up several Bobcats rumors and notes from Zach Lowe, and passed along word that Eric Griffin will participate in training camp with the Heat. Now let's check out a few more of the day's items from around the Eastern Conference….