• Jared Sullinger, a former Celtics first-round pick who played five NBA seasons, has re-signed with the Shenzen Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association. Sullinger spent four seasons with Boston and part of another with Toronto. In February of 2017, the Raptors traded him to the Suns, who waived him the next day. He signed with Shenzen last September.
• Toney Douglas, who played for seven teams in eight NBA seasons, has signed with Sakarya Buyuksehir in Turkey. He spent last season with another Turkish team, Anadolu Efes. Douglas’ last NBA experience came in 2016/17 when he played 24 games for the Grizzlies.
• Former Sixers center Henry Sims will sign with Italian club Virtus Roma after playing last year for Vanoli Cremona in Italy. Sims’ best NBA season came in 2014/15 when he averaged 8.0 PPG and 4.9 RPG in 73 games for Philadelphia. He also played for the [New Orleans] Hornets, Cavaliers and Nets in a four-year career.
• Maurice Ndour, who spent part of the 2016/17 season with the Knicks, re-signed with Unics Kazan in Russia. He appeared in 32 games for New York, starting four, and averaged 3.1 points per night.

As Wolfson adds in a separate tweet, at least six teams have checked in on Muhammad, but the former first-round pick entered free agency hoping to get a mid-level type deal, perhaps similar to what Patrick Patterson received from the Thunder (three years, $16MM+). At this point in the offseason, Muhammad will be hard-pressed to find more than a minimum salary deal, which explains why he’s not necessarily thrilled with Paul’s work.

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

• In an interesting piece for Bleacher Report, Dan Favale explores which player out of a group that features Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Kristaps Porzingis would make for the best young franchise cornerstone. Favale eventually makes Antetokounmpo his pick.
• Bleacher Report also published a feature this week that saw various staff writers conduct a re-draft of NBA rosters for the 2017/18 season, if each player was made available. The first round of that hypothetical re-draft starts with LeBron James to the Knicks and ends with Devin Booker to the Raptors.
• Veteran center Henry Sims, who has appeared in 135 total NBA games, will head to Italy for the 2017/18 season, having reached a deal with Vanoli Cremona, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando details. Sims, who last played in the NBA in 2015/16 with the Nets, saw action in 25 games last season for the G League’s Salt Lake City Stars.

On June 20, the Detroit city council is scheduled to vote on the issuance of $34.5MM in proposed taxpayer-funded DDA bonds. Shortly after Tuesday’s city council session took place though, a federal judge granted a June 19 lawsuit that seeks to halt that June 20 vote, per Louis Aguilar of The Detroit News. As Aguilar explains, that lawsuit seeks to allow Detroit and Wayne County residents to vote on whether taxpayer money should be put toward the new arena and team facilities.

As the Pistons wait for resolution to the legal battle over their potential new arena, here are a few more items related to the team:

• Duke sharpshooter Luke Kennard has been linked to the Pistons frequently in mock drafts, and the team will get a first-hand look at him on Saturday, according to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Ellis reports that Kennard, Harry Giles, and John Collins – all viewed as first-round prospects – will be visiting Detroit in the coming days.
• The Pistons also brought in a handful of interesting prospects on Tuesday, including Bam Adebayo, Ivan Rabb, Justin Jackson, Andrew White, James Blackmon Jr., and Isaiah Briscoe (Twitter link via Rod Beard of The Detroit News). According to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link), Rabb is battling an injury and didn’t participate in Detroit’s workout.
• In addition to checking out potential draft targets this week, the Pistons also had a number of free agents in for a mini-camp. Beard (via Twitter) has the full list of participants, which includes former NBAers such as Marcus Thornton, Henry Sims, John Jenkins, Pierre Jackson, Manny Harris, Ben Bentil, and Eric Moreland.

An undrafted free agent out of Georgetown, Sims made his NBA debut in 2012/13, ultimately appearing in 135 total regular season contests for New Orleans, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn over the course of four seasons. In those games, the 26-year-old averaged 7.6 PPG and 5.0 RPG, making 47.1% of his shots from the floor.

After participating in camp with the Jazz this fall, Sims started this season in the D-League, putting up 18.0 PPG and 8.7 in 11 games for the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s NBADL affiliate. A report earlier this week indicated that Sims’ D-League contract had been bought out, signaling that he was likely headed to a team in Europe or Asia.

With the move, Sims be moving from a Salt Lake City club that was 2-10 to a Shanxi team that is playing better ball, with a 9-8 record so far in CBA play. Former Grizzlies second-rounder Jamaal Franklin, who is averaging an impressive 37.2 PPG so far, will be among Sims’ teammates in China.

“What reversed the decision?” one NBA general manager said to Howard-Cooper. “How did it come to be that now he can play? We don’t even know how. Yeah, that’s what I’d be curious about. I’m not saying [Austin found a single doctor willing to clear him], but I’ve seen this before. You can find someone to tell you that you can play. Somebody will.”

As Howard-Cooper details, another GM suggested that teams wouldn’t rush to look into Austin’s situation, but added that those teams may be intrigued: “I’ve never heard anybody (in the NBA) talk about any skepticism on that because I don’t think he’s on people’s radar like that. I don’t think there’s a buzz like, ‘Whoa, now he’s been declared healthy. Is he really healthy?’ I don’t think people are looking at it that way. I think people are more ‘OK, that’s interesting.’ I can see maybe someone trying to do a feel-good story, liking a little bump from a PR standpoint. Maybe someone does a short-term contract with him and brings him in.”

As we wait to see Austin can land a basketball contract, perhaps in the D-League or elsewhere, let’s check in on a few other odds and ends…

• The NBA D-League has accepted a buyout of Henry Sims‘ contract, as well as Quincy Douby‘s deal, reports Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (Twitter links). It’s not yet clear what the next step is for either former NBA player, but they may end up heading overseas.
• One player heading overseas is swingman Brandon Paul, who was in camp with the Sixers this fall. As Emiliano Carchia of Sportando writes, Turkish club Anadolu Efes Istanbul has agreed to a deal with Paul to replace Bryce Cotton on its roster.
• In a piece for Basketball Insiders, Michael Scotto takes an early look at next year’s potential draft class, exploring whether we might see three Kentucky freshman come of the board as 2017 lottery picks. As Scotto outlines, Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox, and Edrice Adebayo could become the Wildcats’ third trio since 2010 to achieve that feat.

Sims is the fourth player cut within the last week by the Jazz, who have reduced their roster from 20 players to 16. Having waived Sims, Eric Dawson, Quincy Ford, and Marcus Paige, Utah now has to remove one more player from its roster before opening night in order to reach the regular-season limit of 15 players.

Although there are two players left on the Jazz’s roster with non-guaranteed salaries, one of those two, Jeff Withey, has long appeared to be a good bet to make the team. That leaves Chris Johnson as the most likely candidate to be the odd man out in Utah.

As for Sims, he saw a little NBA action in 2015/16 with the Nets, but spent most of the season with the D-League’s Grand Rapids Drive, recording 15.7 PPG and 8.9 RPG in 40 games. As Chris Reichert of Upside and Motor tweets, Sims’ D-League rights are currently held by Utah’s affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, so he’ll probably land with that squad, assuming he clears waivers.

Because we have so many updates to pass along from Pincus, we’ll divide them up by players who received some guaranteed money from their teams, and those who didn’t. All of the links below point to the Basketball Insiders team salary pages, so be sure to click through for additional information.

Here are the latest salary updates from across the league, via Pincus:

Players receiving guaranteed money:

These players aren’t necessarily assured of regular-season roster spots. In fact, many of them likely received guarantees as an incentive to accept a D-League assignment. Still, for some players, larger guarantees should increase their odds of making 15-man rosters.

• Thomas Walkup (Bulls): One year, minimum salary. $69.5K guaranteed.
• Keith Benson (Heat): Two years, minimum salary. $75K guaranteed.
• Henry Sims (Jazz): One year, minimum salary. $75K guaranteed.
• Alex Poythress (Pacers): One year, minimum salary. $35,381 guaranteed.
• Kevin Seraphin (Pacers): Two years, $3.681MM. First year ($1.8MM) guaranteed.
• Julyan Stone (Pacers): One year, minimum salary. $50K guaranteed.
• Gary Payton II (Rockets): Two years, minimum salary. First year ($543,471) guaranteed.
• Isaiah Taylor (Rockets): Two years, minimum salary. $50K guaranteed.
• Kyle Wiltjer (Rockets): Two years, minimum salary. $275K guaranteed.
• Cat Barber (Sixers): One year, minimum salary. $50K guaranteed.
• Elton Brand (Sixers): One year, minimum salary. $1MM guaranteed.
• Derrick Jones (Suns): Three years, minimum salary. $42.5K guaranteed.
• Alex Caruso (Thunder): One year, minimum salary. $50K guaranteed.
• Kaleb Tarczewski (Thunder): One year, minimum salary. $75K guaranteed.
• Chris Wright (Thunder): One year, minimum salary. $100K guaranteed.

Players receiving no guaranteed money:

The following players all signed one-year, minimum salary contracts with no guaranteed money. Many of these deals are “summer contracts,” which won’t count against a team’s cap unless the player earns a spot on the 15-man roster.

• Jabari Brown and Jaleel Roberts (Bucks)
• Markel Brown, Dahntay Jones, Cory Jefferson, Eric Moreland, John Holland, and Jonathan Holmes (Cavaliers)
• Dorell Wright (Clippers)
• Chris Crawford (Grizzlies)
• Ryan Kelly, Will Bynum, and Richard Solomon (Hawks)
• Perry Ellis (Hornets)
• Eric Dawson (Jazz)
• Julian Jacobs and Travis Wear (Lakers)
• Quinn Cook (Pelicans)
• Joel Anthony and Nicolas Laprovittola (Spurs)
• Gracin Bakumanya, Derek Cooke, and Shaquille Harrison (Suns)
• Rasual Butler (Timberwolves)

Sims, who saw a little NBA action last season for the Nets, spent the 2014/15 campaign with the Sixers, appearing in 73 games (32 starts) for the club. Over the course of that season, he averaged 8.0 PPG and 4.9 RP in 19.2 minutes per contest. In 2015/16, he spent most of the season with the D-League’s Grand Rapids Drive, recording 15.7 PPG and 8.9 RPG in 40 games.

After working out for the Jazz earlier this month, Sims will join the team looking to earn a regular-season roster spot. As Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets though, a return to the D-League is more likely for the 26-year-old center.

Currently, the Jazz have 14 players on guaranteed salaries, which would suggest that there’s one open spot for the regular-season roster. However, Jeff Withey, whose contract is partially guaranteed, is the strong favorite for that 15th slot. Chris Johnson, Marcus Paige, and Quincy Ford will also be in the mix, and Utah still has one open roster spot that could be filled at some point in camp — perhaps by second-round pick Tyrone Wallace.

Here’s more from out West:

• The Jazz held free agent workouts on Friday for guard Jermaine Taylor and center Henry Sims, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (via Twitter). Taylor, 29, last appeared in the NBA during the 2010/11 season, while Sims appeared in 14 games for the Nets last season, averaging 6.5 points and 5.1 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per outing. Sims has also been mentioned as a possible training camp signee for Brooklyn.
• The Nuggets have named Chuck Hayes as their Associate of Basketball Operations, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated reports (on Twitter).
• Warriors forward Kevon Looney, who underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum on his left hip earlier this year, is on track to make his return to basketball activities by the start of training camp on September 27th, Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle relays (subscription required). “I’m really eager,” Looney said. “I’ve been watching, running and doing drills now for what feels like two years. To be able to get on the court and actually be healthy, I’m really excited for that.”
• In his look back at the Rockets‘ offseason, The Vertical’s Bobby Marks notes that the team’s medical staff will play a vital role this season in trying to keep new additions Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon and Nene healthy.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

• The Celtics will probably wait until next offseason to make a long-term decision on Kelly Olynyk, Washburn writes in the same piece. Olynyk can sign an extension up to the October 30th deadline, but Boston wants to see the 25-year-old big man for one more season before making a commitment. Olynyk has missed 43 games in his first three seasons, and Washburn writes that the Celtics want him to display more “toughness and consistency.”
• Donald Sloan, who played 61 games for the Nets last season, has reached an agreement to play in China with the Guangdong Tigers, tweets international basketball writer David Pick. His teammates will include former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer and one-time lottery pick Yi Jianlian. The 28-year-old Sloan averaged 7.0 points and 4.4 assists with Brooklyn in 2015/16.
• The $100K guarantees the Nets gave to Yogi Ferrell and Egidijus Mockevicius are the largest the organization has ever handed out to an undrafted college player, according to NetsDaily. Brooklyn signed both players to partially guaranteed training camp contracts this week, along with Beau Beech, who got $45K in guaranteed money. Brooklyn now has 18 players under contract, and the website projects veteran big man Henry Sims and summer league standout Marcus Georges-Hunt as possibilities if GM Sean Marks decides to go with the league maximum of 20.

Sims has seen plenty of opportunities in his brief time with the Nets, averaging 17.1 minutes per contest across nine games, two of which he started. The 26-year-old turned in arguably his finest Brooklyn performance Sunday, when he started and delivered 12 points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes of action. Those numbers closely match the 11.8 points and seven rebounds he averaged in 26 games down the stretch for the Sixers in 2013/14.

Philadelphia gave him 32 starts last season, but he went unsigned for most of this past offseason until he hooked up with the Suns on a non-guaranteed deal in late August. Phoenix waived him before opening night and he spent the majority of this season with the D-League affiliate of the Pistons before the Nets gave him another shot at the NBA last month.

Two players who have made the most of their late-season chances are shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick, who was signed out of the D-League and is averaging 13.9 points over his last 15 games, and point guard Shane Larkin, who has put up 10.8 points and six assists per night in his last six games as a starter. Larkin has a $1.5MM player option for next season.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

• The Celtics could benefit from Brooklyn’s decision to shut down Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young for the rest of the season, according to NetsDaily. Boston owns the Nets‘ unprotected first rounder, and Brooklyn is currently fourth in Hoops Rumors’ reverse standings, one game behind Phoenix. If the Nets move past the Suns, Boston’s chance at the No. 1 pick improves from 11.9% to 15.6%.
• Raptors assistant coach Nick Nurse picks Patrick Patterson as the team’s most improved player this season, relays Mike Ganter of The National Post. The sixth-year power forward only averages 7.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, but Nurse said the improvement shows up in his overall play. “I would say he has made more strides defensively, but I would also say he has made strides consistently producing the same thing night in and night out,” Nurse said. “I think there were a little more extreme peaks and valleys with him [before].” Patterson is signed for one more season at slightly more than $6MM.
• Derrick Williams has finally put aside the pressure of being the second player drafted in 2011 and has found a home with the Knicks, writes Dan Feldman of NBCSports.com. “This league is about opportunity, situation and timing – those three things right there,” Williams said. “And if you have good opportunity, situation is right, and the time is right on point, you can’t be stopped.”

Sims spent most of this season with the Grand Rapids franchise in the D-League after being cut by the Suns in preseason. He also has NBA experience with the Cavaliers and Sixers, starting 32 games for Philadelphia last season.

With the Nets not having control of their first-round picks over the next three drafts, GM Sean Marks has expressed a desire to discover players through 10-day contracts. Once Sims’ new 10-day deal expires, the Nets will have to sign him for the rest of the season if they want to keep him on the roster.

TUESDAY, 2:11pm: The Nets plan to sign Henry Sims to a 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The former Cavs and Sixers big man has been out of the NBA since the Suns cut him in the preseason, having joined the D-League affiliate of the Pistons this year. The contract will pay $57,726, with the Nets responsible for $55,722 while the league office picks up the rest for the three-year veteran.

Brooklyn already has Sean Kilpatrick on a 10-day contract, which expires at the end of Saturday, but he’s one of just 14 players on the Nets roster, so the team can make Sims its 15th man without offloading anybody. New Nets GM Sean Marks has said he wants to use 10-day contracts to discover players who can be a part of next season’s roster, and like Kilpatrick, Sims holds promise. The 25-year-old started 32 games for the Sixers last season, averaging 8.0 points and 4.9 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per contest across 73 appearances overall.

Sims put up 15.7 points and 8.9 rebounds in 30.0 minutes per game for D-League Grand Rapids this season after limited preseason court time with Phoenix. It was somewhat surprising to see him linger in free agency this summer before he signed his non-guaranteed training camp contract with the Suns in September, and while he drew attention as one of the top prospects in the D-League, it was just as perplexing to see him without an NBA job for most of the season.

There’s more news from around the basketball world:

• NBA veteran Henry Sims is one of three D-League centers identified as top prospects by Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor. Undrafted out of Georgetown in 2012, Sims played 121 games with New Orleans, Cleveland and Philadelphia. He is currently averaging 14.1 points and 9.1 rebounds for the Grand Rapids Drive. Also on Reichert’s list are 28-year-old Alex Stepheson of the Iowa Energy and 26-year-old Jordan Bachynski of the Westchester Knicks.
• Dennis Wong, a former college roommate of Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, has bought a small percentage of the team, tweets Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. The sale amounts to less than 4% of the franchise.
• Bradley Beal is slowly easing back into the Wizards‘ rotation and hopes to have his minutes restriction raised soon, writes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Beal, who is headed toward free agency, recently admitted that he may have to deal with restricted playing time for the rest of his career.
• California’s Ivan Rabb, Vanderbilt’s Wade Baldwin and Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield were the biggest risers in the latest mock draft from Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv details. His top five remains the same with Ben Simmons of LSU, Brandon Ingram of Duke, Dragan Bender of Maccabi Tel Aviv, Kris Dunn of Providence and Skal Labissiere of Kentucky.