DeSagana Diop Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavs Sign DeSagana Diop, Michael Lee

September 30th, 2013 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have increased their training camp roster to the maximum allowable 20 players, rounding out their list of camp invitees with DeSagana Diop and Michael Lee, the team announced today in a press release.

Several Cleveland camp invitees have been reported within the last couple days, including Elliot Williams, Jermaine Taylor, and Henry Sims. Diop and Lee will join those players and others in a competition for the final couple spots on the regular season roster.

Diop, 31, was drafted by the Cavs eighth overall back in 2001, and spent four underwhelming seasons with the team before heading to Dallas as a free agent. Diop has spent the last few years with the Bobcats, and while he never developed into more than an extra rebounder and defender off the bench, he earned $7.37MM in 2012/13.

Lee, meanwhile, played his college ball at St. Bonaventure before going undrafted in 2008. He has played internationally since then, spending time on clubs in Ukraine, Serbia, Hungary, Croatia, and France.

Knicks Split On Signing Earl Barron

September 18th, 2013 at 9:24pm CST by Alex Lee

While the Knicks coaching staff would like to add free-agent big man Earl Barron, the team's front office is not in any hurry to do so, writes Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report. This is not the first time we have heard that the Knicks like Barron from Zwerling, who cites several sources in his story, presumably making Barron a solid candidate to land one of the last three Knicks roster spots should they bring him aboard.

Zwerling also confirms what we heard yesterday; that the Knicks have worked out a slew of free agents in preparation for training camp, which he says is contributing to the disagreement on Barron. Zwerling reports that center Hamed Haddadi, who worked out for the Knicks last month, hopes to find a team this week but that team is unlikely to be New York. Cole Aldrich and DeSagana Diop are another pair of free agent big men that have worked out with the Knicks.

Apparently, Barron shot the ball well in his Monday workout with the Jazz. According to Zwerling's source close to Barron, while the free agent hopes to land in New York and may use Utah's interest as leverage to speed up the process, he is not waiting on the Knicks.

Knicks Worked Out Diop, Aldrich, Others

September 17th, 2013 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

2:29pm: Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Reports adds DeSagana Diop to the list of players who participated in the Knicks' workouts this week (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld isn't sure if Hassan Whiteside worked out for the Knicks, but says the team has expressed interest in the former King (Twitter link).

1:47pm: The Knicks may have 16 players under contract, but the team is still eyeing free agents and weighing the possibility of adding a few more bodies to its camp roster. The club has conducted mini-camp workouts this week, and according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter links), Ike Diogu, Cole Aldrich, and Josh Powell are among the players who have auditioned.

Reports yesterday indicated that Ricky Davis and Justin Brownlee were also working out as part of the Knicks' mini-camp, so the team seems to be casting a wide net as it searches for potential contributors.

Despite the fact that the Knicks are already carrying more than 15 players, only 12 of those contracts are fully guaranteed. C.J. Leslie and Jeremy Tyler have small guarantees – $200K and $100K, respectively – which could give them an inside track at roster spots, but Tyler is recovering from foot surgery, so it's no surprise that New York is still auditioning big men.

If we assume Leslie will earn a roster spot, that would leave two possible openings for Tyler, Chris Smith, Toure Murry, and up to four more camp invitees.

Cavs Rumors: Irving, Harangody, Jones, Varejao

December 2nd, 2012 at 10:35am CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavaliers have given their fans some thrills the past two nights, upsetting the Hawks on Alonzo Gee's game-winner on Friday and losing a heart-breaker Saturday in double overtime to the Blazers. The excitement in Cleveland is more often coming in the form of close games than in victories, as the absence of Kyrie Irving has prompted the Cavs to fall into a tie with the Raptors for the league's second-worst record. As Cleveland tries to tread water amid Irving's absence, there's more on the second-year point guard, and we've got that along with other news on the team right here:

Bob Finnan of The News-Herald looks ahead to Irving's next contract, and interprets recent comments from Cavs owner Dan Gilbert to indicate the team would trade Irving if he's unwilling to sign an extension when he's eligible in the summer of 2014.
One agent called the Cavs' qualifying offer this summer to Luke Harangody "a $1MM gift," and the Cavs are now on the hook for that deal, actually worth a little more than $1.054MM, even though the team waived Harangody this week to make room for Kevin Jones, as Finnan documents. The Cavs wanted to snatch up before other NBA clubs got a chance, Finnan also notes.
It's easy to tell the Cavs aren't thinking about the playoffs this year judging by the free agents they signed this summer, Finnan opines, observing that coach Byron Scott misses Antawn Jamison and Anthony Parker.
Teams that would covet Anderson Varejao in a trade with the Cavaliers are top-tier clubs with late first-round draft picks, making them unlikely partners in a deal, notes Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer.
Omri Casspi is disheartened by his lack of playing time for the Cavs, after having spent the summer working on his game as prescribed by Scott, and the Israeli small forward is looking forward to free agency next summer, as HoopsWorld's Lang Greene details.
Greene also checks in with DeSagana Diop, the eighth overall pick by the Cavs in the 2001 draft. Diop, now with the Bobcats, is also set to hit free agency in the offseason, but the 30-year-old center wants to stay in Charlotte until he retires, which he figures will happen in a couple of years. "I like Charlotte a lot," Diop said. "I get along with the coach (Mike Dunlap), the general manager (Rich Cho) and the good people of Charlotte. I’m just going one day at a time this season and see what happens this summer."

Bobcats Unlikely To Sign-And-Trade For Landry

July 23rd, 2012 at 10:59am CST by Luke Adams

The Bobcats and Warriors were said to be "neck and neck" in the race for free agent forward Carl Landry, with Charlotte potentially able to offer more money via a sign-and-trade deal. However, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, it's unlikely the Bobcats will be able to pull off a sign-and-trade to acquire Landry (Twitter link).

There are a number of obstacles in the way of a sign-and-trade involving Landry, the Bobcats, and the Hornets. Not only would Landry have to agree to go to the Bobcats, but the Hornets would have to agree to send him to Charlotte, which would mean acquiring a palatable package in return. One report suggested that DeSagana Diop's expiring contract could interest the Hornets, and I'd imagine New Orleans would also acquire a draft pick in any Diop/Landry swap. But based on Bonnell's tweet, it doesn't appear those talks have much momentum.

If the Bobcats fall out of the running for Landry, the Warriors certainly look like the odds-on favorite to land him. Golden State probably can't use its full $5MM mid-level exception, but should be able to offer at least a portion of it to Landry. As I wrote last week, the 28-year-old forward now has the best 2011/12 PER of all the remaining free agents.

Hornets, Bobcats Might Trade Landry, Diop

July 21st, 2012 at 4:42pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Hornets are interested in DeSagana Diop, and may pursue a sign-and-trade with the Bobcats that would send Carl Landry to Charlotte, according to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. That makes the Bobcats an obstacle for the Warriors, who are also after Landry, Ingram says (Twitter links). A report earlier this week suggested the Bobcats and Warriors were "neck and neck" for Landry.

Diop has one season left on his deal with Charlotte for $7.37MM, while Landry is a free agent, meaning he'd have to consent to go to the Bobcats before any trade can occur. Charlotte would probably have to be willing to outbid the Warriors for that to happen. Golden State is unlikely to use the full $5MM midlevel exception, since doing so would make them a taxpaying team.

The 6'9", 28-year-old Landry averaged 12.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last season in New Orleans. His 18.2 PER is tops for remaining free agents with JaVale McGee having re-signed with the Nuggets. Diop saw limited action with the Bobcats, appearing in just 27 games, averaging 1.1 PPG and 3.1 RPG with a 6.8 PER in 12.0 minutes a contest.

Bobcats Rumors: Humphries, Sessions, Haywood

July 12th, 2012 at 5:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Antawn Jamison talked last week about the possibility of finishing his career with his hometown Bobcats, but it appears there's no shortage of options for the veteran forward. We learned last night that the Nets are discussing a sign-and-trade deal that would send Jamison to Brooklyn, and that the Lakers are in the mix too. As Jamison weighs his options, here are a few more Bobcats-related updates, courtesy of Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer….

Charlotte appears re-engaged in trying to acquire Kris Humphries to upgrade their power forward spot (Twitter link). ESPN's John Hollinger tweets that DeSagana Diop would have to first be amnestied before Charlotte could offer Humphries a plausible salary.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Fisher, Magic, Diaw

March 19th, 2012 at 7:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Let's get you caught up on some items out of the Southeast division on a busy night in the Association..

Count Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel among those who thinks the Heat should make a play for both Derek Fisher and Ronny Turiaf. Earlier today, LeBron James told reporters that he wouldn't mind playing alongside Fisher.
However, Winderman (via Twitter) doesn't see J.J. Hickson as a good fit for the Heat. He believes that the forward would be redundant for the team and while he has upside, Miami is likely looking to make a move for the present rather than the future.
DeSagana Diop was activated in favor of Boris Diaw tonight, but there's nothing new regarding Diaw's potential buyout, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. The Bobcats would like to rid themselves of the forward's contract.
Even without a major acquisition at the trade deadline, are the Magic still good enough to contend this season? The players seem to think so, writes Chris Tomasson of FOXSportsFlorida.com.
Forward Brian Cook says that he'll play hard for however long he's with the Wizards, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Washington is willing to accomodate Cook if he wants to play elsewhere and his agent Mark Bartelstein is set to have buyout discussions with the club this week.

Augustin Drawing Interest From Pacers, Others

March 12th, 2012 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers aren't the only team talking to the Bobcats about the possibility of acquiring D.J. Augustin. According to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News (Twitter link), the Pacers are also among the clubs who have inquired on Augustin. Deveney says (via Twitter) the Bobcats would want to package a bad contract with Augustin if they were to trade the point guard.

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld reported in January that the Bobcats weren't shopping Augustin, but were willing to listen if it meant gaining draft picks or financial flexibility. Unloading a contract like Corey Maggette's or DeSagana Diop's would certainly qualify as gaining flexibility.

Augustin, whose cap figure for 2011/12 is just $3.24MM, will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer. So the team he finishes the season with would be able to match any competing offers and keep him, if it so chooses. In 28 games this season, the former ninth overall pick has averaged 12.2 PPG and 6.5 APG in 30.8 MPG.