Anthony Carter

Ingram On Beasley, Carter, Martin

Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld has a new column which covers several issues around the Western Conference. Here are the highlights:

Northwest Links: Thunder, Nuggets, T’Wolves, Jazz

Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK reports that Kevin Durant appears to have significantly added strength and bulk to his frame and could possibly find more playing time at the four spot this season. Mayberry also writes that an emphasis has been placed on rebounding at Thunder camp, and provides a collection of brief observations from practice today. Here are tonight's links from the Northwest division…

Nuggets Sign Anthony Carter, Ben Uzoh

The Nuggets have signed Anthony Carter and Ben Uzoh to deals that will bring the pair of point guards to training camp, according to Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post (Twitter link). The additions bring Denver's roster count to 17 players.

Both Carter and Uzoh played for the Raptors in 2011/12, though their career trajectories don't have much in common besides that. Carter is 37 years old and averaged just 8.7 minutes per game in his 24 contests last season. Uzoh, meanwhile, made his NBA debut just two seasons ago and has split time between the NBA and the D-League since then. It appeared the 24-year-old was heading overseas for the year before he parted ways with French team Cholet last week.

Of the Nuggets' 17 players, 14 are on guaranteed contracts. Besides Uzoh and Carter, the only other player without a full guarantee is third-string point guard Julyan Stone, which seems to suggest that both Uzoh and Carter will receive the chance to outplay Stone this month and earn that final roster spot.

Free Agent Rumors: Timberwolves, Rush, Mills

A couple more notable names came off the free agent market this morning, when Kris Humphries landed a two-year deal from the Nets and Grant Hill agreed to sign with the Clippers. While a number of solid rotation players are still available, the market is rapidly thinning for teams in search of starters. As clubs continue to jockey to sign the remaining available players, we'll track many of today's free agent rumors right here:

Earlier updates:

Read more

Anthony Carter Interested In Spurs, Wolves, Heat

The Raptors officially waived Anthony Carter yesterday, giving the team a chance to play more of its young players over the final few weeks of the season. For Carter, the move means he'll likely get a chance to catch on with a contender.

Carter will have to clear waivers before becoming a free agent and signing anywhere he likes, which is no guarantee. But Carter tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that agent Bill Duffy has already talked to the Spurs and Timberwolves about a potential signing (Twitter link). Carter would be interested in joining either team, and wouldn't mind going to Miami either, though the Heat haven't expressed interest yet (Twitter links). Tomasson finds Miami an unlikely destination, since the Heat are more focused on adding a big man (Twitter link).

Carter, 36, spent the first seven seasons of his NBA career playing with the Heat, Spurs, and Timberwolves, respectively. Since then, he's joined the Nuggets, Knicks, and Raptors. In 623 career games, the point guard has averaged 4.8 points and 3.8 assists in 19.6 minutes per contest.

Pacers Acquire Leandro Barbosa

The Pacers and Raptors have completed a trade that will send Leandro Barbosa to Indiana in exchange for a second-round draft pick and cash considerations, both teams announced today.

While recent reports suggested the Raptors likely wouldn't make any major moves at the deadline, GM Bryan Colangelo said last month that Barbosa was drawing interest. When I examined the shooting guard as a trade candidate, I suggested that the Pacers could acquire him without compromising the team's long-term plans. Indiana has the cap space to absorb Barbosa's 2011/12 $7.6MM cap figure, and can simply let his contract expire at season's end.

Acquiring Barbosa will leave the Pacers about $6.7MM under the cap this season, taking them out of the running for players like Chris Kaman. The Raptors, meanwhile, should receive a traded player exception worth $7.6MM, which they'll have a year to use.

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter) first reported the deal, with TNT's David Aldridge (via Twitter), ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (via Twitter), and Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star adding details along the way.

Odds & Ends: Randolph, Carter, Bulls, Vazquez

While the returns of J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler from the Chinese Basketball Association grabbed more headlines over the last month or so, there are other former NBA players still returning from overseas in search of NBA gigs. One such player is former 76ers forward Shavlik Randolph, who averaged 24.7 PPG, 11.9 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in China this season. According to Sportando, Randolph is "in serious talks" with two NBA clubs and could sign a deal soon. While we wait to see if the Duke product can find his way back to an NBA roster, let's check out a few more links from around the league….

Raptors To Part Ways With Anthony Carter

The Raptors will release Anthony Carter if they can't find a trade partner in the next week and a half, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. The move would reduce Toronto's roster to 14 players.

Carter, who signed with the Raptors prior to the season for the veteran's minimum, has seen very limited playing time in Toronto this season. The 36-year-old has averaged 2.0 PPG and 1.4 APG in 8.7 MPG over 24 contests, and hasn't seen the floor in three March games for the club.

According to Smith, the move isn't necessarily a precursor to another transaction, though it would leave a roster spot open for a 10-day signing or trade. The Raptors just prefer to give their young players more court time and give Carter the opportunity to catch on with a contender.