After parting with Israeli’s Maccabi Ashdod, Xavier Silas is returning to the States in hopes of signing with an NBA team, a league source told Shams Charania of RealGM. Silas, who went to training camp with the Wizards in October, was an undrafted rookie out of Northern Illinois leading into the lockout and has done quite a bit of traveling for a 25-year-old. Silas apparently went AWOL without notifying his Israeli team, according to David Pick of Eurobasket.com (via Twitter). While a stop in the D-League is possible, it’s not planned at the moment, his agent tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. Here’s more out of the Southeast Division..
- Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter) estimates that the Heat will wind up with a $2.2MM trade exception following the three-team deal involving the Warriors and Celtics. The swap saw Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks head to the W’s, Toney Douglas come to Miami, and Joel Anthony, a Heat first-round pick, and 2016 second-round pick go to the Boston.
- Good news for Heat fans: Greg Oden says his knees feel fine after seeing a handful of minutes on the NBA hardwood for the first time in more than four years, writes Michael Wallace of ESPN.com. Miami inked the former No. 1 overall pick to a one-year deal over the summer.
- Former Heat training camp invitee Derrick Byars has reached agreement on a deal with Krasny Oktyabr of the European League, a source told Charania. Byars averaged 5.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in two regular season games with San Antonio in 2012. The 6-foot-7 forward was a second round pick of the Trail Blazers in 2007.