C.J. Wilcox Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Magic Cut C.J Wilcox, Sign Patricio Garino

April 3rd, 2017 at 9:35am CST by Arthur Hill

9:35am: The Magic have confirmed the signings of Garino and Georges-Hunt (Twitter link).

8:46am: The Magic will waive C.J. Wilcox and sign Argentinian swingman Patricio Garino, tweets Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Garino will receive a contract for the rest of the season and a non-guaranteed deal for 2017/18.

Garino played for Orlando in last year’s Summer League, but signed with the Spurs in July. He was waived before the start of the season and joined San Antonio’s D-League affiliate in Austin, where he averaged 11.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 49 games.

Garino played four seasons at George Washington, but wasn’t selected in the 2016 draft. He is a member of the Argentinian national team and played in last year’s Olympics.

Wilcox is in his first year with Orlando after spending two seasons with the Clippers. The 26-year-old shooting guard was acquired in an offseason trade, but has seen limited minutes in 22 games and spent most of the season in the D-League.

The Magic are also expected to sign Marcus Georges-Hunt today, who will also get a chance to make the team next season (Twitter link).

Jodie Meeks Out Indefinitely With Thumb Injury

January 25th, 2017 at 10:31am CST by Dana Gauruder

JANUARY 25: After the Magic conducted a follow-up exam on Meeks’ injury, the team determined that surgery was necessary, according to a press release. GM Rob Hennigan announced that Meeks underwent that procedure on Tuesday and will be sidelined indefinitely — his return will depend on how he responds to rehab, per the team.

JANUARY 19: Magic shooting guard Jodie Meeks will be out an estimated 4-to-6 weeks after an MRI revealed two sprained ligaments in his right thumb, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. He will not need surgery, Robbins adds.

Meeks suffered the injury in a 118-98 loss to the Pelicans on Wednesday.

This is another injury setback for Meeks, who has been sidelined by a variety of ailments in recent seasons. Signed by the Pistons to a three-year, $18.8MM contract prior to the 2014/15 season, Meeks missed the first 22 games of that campaign because of a back injury. Last season, he fractured his right foot in the second game of the season and wound up making just one appearance the rest of the way.

The Magic acquired Meeks in June for a conditional second-round pick. He underwent foot surgery the following month, delaying his Magic debut until December 2nd.

Meeks, who earned nine starts in recent weeks, is averaging 8.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 24 games. He has given Orlando a boost on the perimeter, making 40.4% of his 3-point attempts. Meeks is one of the league’s premier spot-up shooters when healthy, as his 37.5% career average from long range attests.

Orlando’s other top option at shooting guard, Evan Fournier, is dealing with heel and foot issues. Meeks’ injury could lead to additional playing time for 2015 lottery pick Mario Hezonja. C.J. Wilcox could also be in the mix.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/6/17

January 6th, 2017 at 8:07pm CST by ChrisCrouse

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

9:24pm:

The Magic have recalled guard C.J. Wilcox, the team announced via press release. Wilcox has appeared in four games with the Erie BayHawks this season, averaging 12.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

9:01pm:

The Rockets have sent Kyle Wiltjer to their D-League affiliate, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Wiltjer has seen action in nine games for Houston this season, most recently on December 30.

8:07pm:

The Hawks have recalled Taurean Prince and Mike Scott, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the pair will join the team in Dallas.

6:00pm:

The Hornets have reassigned Christian Wood to their D-League affiliate, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Wood as played just one game with the big league club, back on November 7.

3:32pm:

The Knicks assigned Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee to their D-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Both players will be able for tonight’s game.
The Bulls have assigned Bobby Portis and Paul Zipser to the Windy City Bulls, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
The Spurs have assigned Dejounte Murray to their D-League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, according to the team’s website. Murray is averaging 15.8 points and 6.8 assists in 34.2 minutes per contest during 11 games Austin this season.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/3/17

January 3rd, 2017 at 9:10pm CST by Luke Adams

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

The Magic have sent C.J. Wilcox to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. For Wilcox, whom Orlando acquired in an offseason trade, it’s the second time this season he has been assigned to the Erie BayHawks. During his first assignment, he averaged 10. PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 2.5 APG in two games with Orlando’s NBADL affiliate.
A day after being recalled to the NBA, rookie guard Bryn Forbes has been re-assigned to the D-League, the Spurs announced today in a press release. While Forbes has appeared in 13 games so far this season for San Antonio, he has seen much more playing time for the Austin Spurs, averaging 23.4 PPG in seven games for the NBADL squad.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/19/16

December 19th, 2016 at 9:55pm CST by Luke Adams

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

9:51pm:

The Warriors have recalled Damian Jones from their D-League affiliate, says the team in a press release. The center posted 17 points and nine rebounds in his lone game with the Santa Cruz Warriors Sunday night.

3:20pm:

The Raptors have sent Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet back the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Neither player has seen much action this season for Toronto, but with Cory Joseph and Delon Wright on the shelf, VanVleet was Kyle Lowry‘s backup on Sunday and played a career-high 23 minutes.
The Jazz have recalled rookie forward Joel Bolomboy from the Salt Lake City Stars, according to a team release. During his most recent game with Utah’s D-League affiliate over the weekend, Bolomboy helped lead the team to a win with 28 points and 19 rebounds.
The Magic have recalled C.J. Wilcox and Stephen Zimmerman from their D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Both players were sent down on December 15.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/15/16

December 15th, 2016 at 9:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

The Raptors assigned point guard Fred VanVleet and forward Bruno Caboclo to their affiliate, Raptors 905, according to the team’s Twitter feed (Twitter links). They both played against the Oklahoma City Blue on Thursday, with VanVleet scoring nine points and dishing out 12 assists, while Caboclo had 13 points. VanVleet has seen action in six games with Toronto this season, while Caboclo has appeared in three games.
The Magic assigned guard C.J. Wilcox and center Stephen Zimmerman to the Erie BayHawks, the team announced on its website. Wilcox has played in 10 games this season with the Magic. Zimmerman has appeared in four games this season with the Magic. He was previously assigned to Erie on November 28th.
The Suns recalled point guard Tyler Ulis and big man Alan Williams from the Northern Arizona Suns, the team tweets. Ulis, an early second-rounder, has played in 14 games with Phoenix this season. Williams has played nine games with the NBA club.
The Jazz assigned forward Joel Bolomboy to their affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, the team announced. This marks the fifth assignment this season for Bolomboy, who has played eight games this season with the Jazz.
The Grizzlies assigned guard Wade Baldwin IV to their affiliate, the Iowa Energy. Baldwin, who has appeared in 20 games with Memphis, played two games for the Energy last month.

Southeast Notes: Magic, Wilcox, Williams, Heat

December 15th, 2016 at 12:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this month, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel reported that the Magic were in the market for scoring help, and were expected to explore potential deals that could help them add a player with that skill set. Robbins didn’t specify any players or positions the Magic were eyeing, but in an ESPN TrueHoops podcast this week, Brian Windhorst reports that Orlando is “calling around looking for point guard help.”

Although Windhorst adds that the Magic are seeking scoring help in general, the focus on the point guard position is interesting. Elfrid Payton, now 22 years old, hasn’t taken significant steps forward, having averaged a modest 10.9 PPG and a career-low 5.7 APG this season. His backups, D.J. Augustin and C.J. Watson, provide decent depth, but neither player is the type that will fill up the score sheet on a given night.

While we wait to see if Orlando can find a trade that will upgrade their offense, let’s check in on a few more Southeast notes…

As John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com details, the Magic see several benefits to moving their D-League franchise to Lakeland and gaining complete control over it. “Our Basketball Operations department will be able to set out a plan that can utilize and interact on a daily basis with our minor-league team,” said GM Rob Hennigan.
Magic guard C.J. Wilcox requested a D-League stint for this weekend as he recovers from an Achilles injury, sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Because the team’s Lakeland franchise won’t be ready to go until 2017/18, Wilcox will head up to Erie to report to the BayHawks.
Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel takes a look at how the NBA’s new CBA will impact the Heat, noting that the team won’t have an amnesty clause available to create another option for Chris Bosh.
In a conversation with Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders, Derrick Williams explains why he chose the Heat in free agency over the summer.

Magic Are Ready To Trade For Scorers

December 5th, 2016 at 7:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

Ranked 29th in points per possession, the Magic will turn to the trade market for help on offense, reports Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel.

Robbins cites a league source with knowledge of the situation, but it’s obvious to anyone who has watched the Magic that they need to find some scoring. The offseason trade for Serge Ibaka and the signing of Bismack Biyombo have helped Orlando build the NBA’s third best defense in points per possession, but a lack of offense has limited the Magic in a 9-12 start.

Robbins isn’t sure who Orlando’s front office might want to part with, but he lists four players with expiring contracts, which are usually attractive to teams hoping to cut salary. They are Ibaka, Jeff Green, Jodie Meeks and C.J. Wilcox. In addition, C.J. Watson has just a $1MM guarantee on his 2017/18 contract.

The unofficial start of the trading season is December 15th, when most of the offseason free agent signees are eligible to be dealt.

Magic Exercise 2017/18 Options On Gordon, Hezonja, Payton

October 25th, 2016 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have exercised three of their four available team options for 2017/18, announcing today (via Twitter) that Aaron Gordon, Mario Hezonja, and Elfrid Payton are now locked in for that season. Gordon’s fourth-year option is worth $5.504MM, Hezonja’s third-year option is worth $4.078MM, and Payton’s fourth-year option is worth $3.332MM.

C.J. Wilcox also has a team option for 2017/18 available on his rookie contract, but he wasn’t mentioned in the press release issued today by Orlando. That likely means that Wilcox’s option will be declined, but the club has a few more days to officially make that call. October 31 is the deadline for teams to exercise ’17/18 options on rookie contracts.

Gordon and Payton are expected to have significant roles in the Magic’s rotation this year after each player took a step forward in 2015/16. Gordon, averaging 23.9 minutes per contest, posted 9.2 PPG and 6.5 RPG, while Payton put up 10.7 PPG, 6.4 APG, and 3.6 RPG in 29.4 minutes per contest. As for Hezonja, he should have the opportunity to increase his role as well, since Orlando isn’t exactly loaded with shooters. In his rookie season, he shot 34.9% from three-point range in 79 games.

With their fourth-year options now exercised, Gordon and Payton will be eligible for extensions in 2017 and restricted free agency in 2018. Hezonja, one year behind them, has one more team option for 2018/19, which the Magic will have to make a decision on next fall.

Clippers Waive Devyn Marble

July 15th, 2016 at 3:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

3:42pm: The Clippers have officially waived Marble, the team confirmed this afternoon in a press release.

12:53pm: The Clippers will waive shooting guard Devyn Marble, whom they acquired in a trade with the Magic, tweets Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times. The deal, which was completed earlier today, was viewed as a way for L.A. to reduce salary before signing free agent point guard Raymond Felton.

Marble’s contract was non-guaranteed unless he was on a roster past 5 pm Eastern time today, and the Magic were planning to waive him before they found a trading partner in the Clippers. L.A. gave up C.J. Wilcox in the deal and received a 2020 second-round draft pick in return, along with Marble.

A second-round choice in 2014, Marble was traded from the Nuggets to Orlando shortly after the draft. He spent two years with the Magic, but appeared in just 44 games, including 28 this season. He would have made $980,431 next season if he had been retained.