Aaron Harrison

Aaron Harrison Signs Rest-Of-Season Deal With Mavs

APRIL 2: The Mavs officially signed Harrison on Sunday, the team announced in a press release. The third-year guard actually received a rest-of-season contract rather than a 10-day deal.

Since the regular season is almost over, the agreement only keeps him under contract for 11 days this season, but Dallas will now have the option of making him a restricted free agent this summer.

MARCH 31: The Mavericks will sign Aaron Harrison to a second 10-day contract, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Harrison has appeared in four games under his current deal, averaging 4.5 points in about 20 minutes per night. He previously played five games for the Hornets last year and 21 in 2015/16. Before signing with Dallas, he was with the Reno Bighorns in the G League.

The Mavericks will have a full roster of 15 players once Harrison re-signs.

 

Texas Notes: Spurs, Barnes, Finney-Smith, Harrison

Yesterday, Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News relayed that the original narrative about the Spurs‘ players only meeting regarding Kawhi Leonard being tense was not accurate, writing that Leonard even received support from some teammates who urged him not to return until he feels healthy enough to do so.

Today, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio-Express News seconded his colleague Young’s reporting, with quotes from Spurs’ veterans Danny Green and Tony Parker. Green, who tweeted a strong denial to the alleged tense nature of the meeting, said “(the report) was incorrect, wrong, false. I guess that’s the only way to put it. There was a meeting. That’s probably the only thing that was true in the article. Nobody in (the meeting) was frustrated or took it the wrong way. We were communicating like adults.”

For his part, Parker neither affirmed or denied the original report, essentially telling Spurs’ reporters that what happens in the locker room stays in the locker room. “You should know better that I can’t talk about that. That’s private stuff, locker room stuff. We always talk as a team, but you know we can’t talk about that.”

Interestingly however, Orsborn writes in another, related story that Parker contrasted his quadriceps injury from last season with Leonard’s injury this season in a thought-provoking manner, saying “I’ve been through it. It was a rehab for me for eight months. Same kind of injury, but mine was a hundred times worse, but the same kind of injury. You just stay positive.” Parker also spoke highly about the Spurs’ medical team, while Leonard received a second opinion from outside medical professionals.

Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News also has some news from Dallas:

  • The experiment of Harrison Barnes at power forward is over, and Barnes couldn’t be happier about it. Since the Mavericks returned Barnes to small forward four games ago, he has averaged 24.3 points per game and when asked about the move back, simply said, “I love it.” Barnes goal for the remainder of the season is to continue to work on his playmaking, which makes sense considering Barnes only averages 2.0 assists per game, which doesn’t even crack the top-20 for small forwards.
  • Dorian Finney-Smith is one of a handful or more of Mavericks‘ players who aren’t guaranteed a spot of the Dallas roster next season, with his 2018/19 contract of $1.54MM currently non-guaranteed. But luckily for Finney-Smith and the others, the Mavs’ down year has given them an opportunity to showcase their talents for potential suitors. “It’s tough, losing like this, (but) they’re doing a good job playing hard,” says veteran J.J. Barea. “You never know who’s looking. They’re getting opportunities to play, to show themselves to everybody, to get better at what they do.”
  • Faced with a glut of big men on their roster, the Mavericks signed former Kentucky stand-out Aaron Harrison to a 10-day contract yesterday, electing to let Jameel Warney return to the G League. Whereas Warney clogged an already crowded position, Harrison is now only the second healthy player on the team’s entire roster who could reasonably be classified as a shooting guard.

Mavericks Sign Aaron Harrison To 10-Day Deal

MARCH 22: The Mavericks have officially signed Harrison to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will run through next Saturday, March 31.

MARCH 20: As we noted yesterday, the 10-day contract of Mavericks forward Jameel Warney expires today, and league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times that Dallas will sign former NBA player and current member of the G League’s Reno Bighorns, Aaron Harrison, to the open roster spot vacated by Warney.

Harrison, 23, went undrafted out of Kentucky in 2015 before signing with the Hornets, where he played for two seasons until being waived towards the middle of the 2016/17 season. In 26 career NBA games, he has averaged 0.7 points and 0.7 rebounds in only 4.2 minutes per game.

Since then, Harrison has bounced around the G League, playing for the Greensboro Swarm, Delaware 76ers, and aforementioned Bighorns. This season, he has averaged 18.7 PPG and 4.3 RPG while shooting 42.5% from long range in 41 G League games.

The signing of Harrison will continue somewhat of a trend for the Mavs, who have now parted ways with two players – Warney and Scotty Hopson – after giving them only one 10-day deal.

Because Harrison played in the NBA in both the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons, his 10-day contract will count as $83,129 against Dallas’ cap.

And-Ones: All-Star Draft, Team USA, G League

While it’s not clear how much the new format was responsible for the NBA’s best and most competitive All-Star Game in years, commissioner Adam Silver was happy with the result, telling ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that he was appreciative of the players and thought the game was “incredible.” Silver also suggested that fans’ biggest complaint about this year’s All-Star draft format will likely be addressed for next year’s event.

“When we sat with the union and we came up with this format, we all agreed, let’s not turn something that’s 100% positive into a potential negative to any player,” Silver said. “But then … maybe we’re overly conservative, because then we came out of there, and the players were, ‘We can take it. We’re All-Stars. Let’s have a draft.’ So it sounds like we’re going to have a televised draft next year.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Trey Burke, 15 Other FAs Attend Bucks’ Mini-Camp

The Bucks are hosting a free agent mini-camp on Tuesday and Wednesday this week as they look to fill out their training camp roster and identify candidates to play for their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, according to Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The mini-camp, which will give the club a chance to evaluate possible camp invitees, includes a handful of notable names among its 16 participants.

Former lottery picks Trey Burke and Hasheem Thabeet are among the first-rounders who will be in attendance at the mini-camp, as Velazquez details. MarShon Brooks, Toney Douglas, Archie Goodwin, R.J. Hunter, John Jenkins, Perry Jones, and James Young are also set to get a look from the Bucks.

The Bucks don’t have a ton of flexibility to add more players to their offseason roster, having already locked up 16 players to NBA deals and two more to two-way contracts. That leaves just a pair of openings on the team’s 20-man training camp roster. Still, two of those roster players – Gary Payton II and JeQuan Lewis – are on non-guaranteed contracts, so Milwaukee has some flexibility if it wants to make changes at the back of its roster.

In addition to the players listed above, the following free agents are attending the Bucks’ mini-camp, per Velazquez: Cliff Alexander, Gracin Bakumanya, Trahson Burrell, Jeremy Evans, Aaron Harrison, Luke Petrasek, and Jacob Pullen.

Any player that signs with the Bucks figures to get a minimum salary deal that is non-guaranteed or features a very modest guarantee, since the Bucks are currently slightly above the luxury tax line.

And-Ones: Salary Cap, Munford, Christmas, Barber

James Johnson and Taurean Prince have been fined $25K each after getting into a shoving match in Thursday’s match-up between the Hawks and Heat. According to the league’s official website, Prince was assessed the fine for “forcefully pulling down” Hassan Whiteside, and Johnson was penalized for escalating the situation by throwing an elbow at Prince. In a show of appreciation for his teammate’s loyalty, Whiteside told Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald he would pay Johnson’s $25K fine.

Other notes from around the league…

  • The NBA has reduced its salary cap estimate from $103MM to $102MM for the 2017/18 season, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports. Additionally, the luxury line is projected for $122MM; an increase from this season’s $113.287MM.
  • Xavier Munford agreed to terms with FC Barcelona, according to Fersu Yahyabeyoglou of Euro Basket. After starting 2016/17 with the D-League’s Greensboro Swarm, Munford will spend the rest of the season in Barcelona. Munford averaged 5.7 points through 14 games with the Grizzlies last year.
  • Italian professional basketball team Vuelle Pesaro is targeting Dionte Christmas, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. A former Temple Owls standout, Christmas made NBA appearances with the Pelicans and Suns in 2013/14.
  • Sacramento’s D-League affiliate, The Reno Bighorns, claimed Jaleel Cousins out of the available player pool, according to the team’s official website. Jaleel is the brother of Kings center DeMarcus Cousins. This will be Cousins’ second D-League team in 2016/17, having played in 15 games for the Texas Legends earlier this season.
  • The Delaware 87ers acquired Aaron Harrison from the Greensboro Swarm for Anthony “Cat” Barber and the rights to Sam Thompson, according to Keith Porter of Philly.com. While Barber has yet to make his NBA debut, Harrison has appeared in five games with the Hornets this season.

 

Hornets Waive Aaron Harrison

12:40pm: The Hornets have made it official, issuing a press release this afternoon to announce that they’ve waived Harrison.

10:40am: The Hornets are opening up on a spot on their roster, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who reports that Aaron Harrison will be waived today by the team. It’s not clear if Charlotte is eyeing a replacement or if the club will move forward with an opening on its 15-man squad for now.

Harrison, who joined the Hornets as an undrafted free agent last season, has only appeared in 26 total games for the franchise, despite being in Charlotte for the last year and a half. In those 26 games, he averaged a measly 4.2 minutes per contest. The Kentucky product has been solid in D-League action, averaging 20.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 3.2 APG this season in 14 games for the Greensboro Swarm.

Harrison had been playing on a non-guaranteed contract this season, and his salary for 2016/17 would have become fully guaranteed if the Hornets hadn’t cut him by this Saturday, so the timing of the move doesn’t come as a real surprise. Treveon Graham, who has also played sparingly in Charlotte, is the team’s other non-guaranteed player — a decision will be required on him this week as well.

Assuming Harrison’s release becomes official today and he goes unclaimed on waivers, he’ll become a free agent on Thursday, at which point he’ll be a candidate for a 10-day NBA deal or a D-League contract. Meanwhile, the Hornets will carry a cap hit of about $376K on their books after cutting Harrison, per Bobby Marks of The Vertical (Twitter link).

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/31/16

Here are Saturday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Magic assigned center Stephen Zimmerman to the Erie BayHawks, the team tweets. The 7’0” center has appeared in eight games this season with the Magic, averaging 1.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 4.0 minutes. This is his third assignment to the BayHawks. He’s averaged 17.3 points, 13.5 rebounds 1.5 blocks in 34.2 minutes over six games with them.
  • The Suns recalled forward Derrick Jones Jr. from the Northern Arizona Suns, eight days after he was assigned to the D-League for the third time, the team tweets (Twitter link). He has averaged 14.0 points and 6.1 rebounds in 32.1 minutes over 14 games with Northern Arizona.
  • The Knicks recalled guard Ron Baker and center Marshall Plumlee and they will rejoin the team in Houston, according to their Twitter feed. They were assigned to the Westchester Knicks on Friday and started their game against Fort Wayne. Baker had nine points, four assists and four steals in 30 minutes, while Plumlee posted 16 points and six rebounds in the same amount of action.
  • The Hornets recalled guard Aaron Harrison and forward Christian Wood from the Greensboro Swarm, they announced in a press release.  Harrison has appeared in 13 Swarm games over three assignments, recording averages of 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals in 36.5 minutes per game. Wood has appeared in 11 Swarm games during two D-League stints, averaging 17.2 points, 9.3 boards and 2.1 blocks in 29.3 minutes.
  • The Lakers recalled Ivica Zubac from the D-Fenders, one day after assigning him to the D-League, Harrison Faigen of SB Nation tweets. The 7’1” center had 17 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes against Northern Arizona on Friday.
  • The Jazz recalled forward Joel Bolomboy after he appeared in one game with the Salt Lake City Stars during his latest assignment. the team announced in a press release. He recorded 18 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes against Sioux Falls on Friday.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/7/16

Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

11:41 pm

  • The Bulls have recalled R.J. Hunter, Doug McDermott and Paul Zipser from their D-League affiliate, according to a team press release. Zipser and Hunter were assigned to the Windy City Bulls just hours ago, so the duo presumably joined Chicago’s affiliate for practice.
  • The Nets have recalled Chris McCullough from the Long Island Nets, the team’s D-League affiliate, per a team press release. He scored 19 points and 13 rebounds in Long Island’s game today.

12:21 pm

  • Rookie forward Cheick Diallo, who had been assigned to the Austin Spurs, has been recalled from the D-League by the Pelicans, the team announced in a press release. New Orleans doesn’t have its own D-League affiliate, so Diallo has been playing for San Antonio’s D-League squad, averaging 12.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.1 BPG in nine games for Austin.
  • The Hornets have sent Aaron Harrison and Christian Wood back to the D-League on assignments, according to a press release issued by the club. Harrison and Wood, who have played very sparingly for Charlotte, should get a chance to suit up and see some action for the Greensboro Swarm in Wednesday night’s game.
  • The Nets have once again assigned Chris McCullough to Long Island, according to a team release. The Nets’ D-League affiliate plays this afternoon, so McCullough could be recalled after the game for Brooklyn’s Wednesday evening contest against Denver.
  • R.J. Hunter and Paul Zipser have been assigned to the D-League, the Bulls announced today in a press release. Chicago’s affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, doesn’t play until Friday, so it’s not clear how long Hunter’s and Zipser’s assignments will last.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/25/16

After a quiet Thanksgiving, NBA teams are once again assigning players to their D-League affiliates, or recalling them to their 15-man squads. Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls:

  • The Pistons have recalled rookies Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The duo combined for 21 points and 24 rebounds for the Grand Rapids Drive on Wednesday night.
  • The Pacers have sent Rakeem Christmas back to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team announced today (via Twitter). Christmas, who ran into foul trouble during his last D-League contest, figures to suit up for the Mad Ants tonight against the Long Island Nets.
  • Rookie guard Wade Baldwin has been recalled from the Iowa Energy by the Grizzlies, the team announced today in a press release. The 17th overall pick has appeared in nine games for the Grizzlies, but got an opportunity to play more minutes and a bigger role in the D-League, averaging 18.5 PPG in his two games with Iowa.
  • The Hornets have assigned Aaron Harrison to the D-League, according to a press release issued by the team. Charlotte’s affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, will play back-to-back games against Erie on Friday and Saturday, giving Harrison a chance to earn some playing time.