Jarell Eddie

And-Ones: 2019 Draft, Maynor, Team USA

In the wake of last week’s report suggesting that the NBA and players’ union are exploring the possibility of altering the league’s one-and-done rule for college prospects, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer spoke to five NBA team executives about the issue. According to O’Connor, all five of those execs expect the NBA to allow high-schoolers to enter the draft pool by 2019.

“Sooner than later,” one executive said. “Everyone’s on the same page.”

If that turns out to be the case, the 2019 NBA draft may be the most fascinating one in years. Not only could top high-school prospects potentially enter the mix, but it will also be the first year that the NBA’s new lottery rules take effect.

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

  • Former NBA point guard Eric Maynor, a 2009 first-round pick, has signed a new contract with Orlandina Basket in Italy, as Nicola Lupo of Sportando relays. Maynor, who has played for Italian and Russian teams since 2015, appeared in 267 total NBA regular season games, primarily with the Thunder.
  • In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, Kevin Pelton breaks down the latest transactions and injuries from around the NBA, examining the effect of Mike Conley‘s Achilles issue, D’Angelo Russell‘s knee surgery, the Robert Covington extension, and much more.
  • G League forward Jonathan Holmes, who was in camp with the Celtics this fall, has left the Maine Red Claws to join Team USA for this month’s World Cup qualifiers, tweets Chris Reichert of Two Ways & 10 Days. According to the official announcement from USA Basketball, Holmes is replacing Jarell Eddie, who is battling back spasms.

USA Basketball Announces Roster For First World Cup Qualifiers

USA Basketball has announced its 12-man roster for the first round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Americas Qualifiers, bringing back four members of the squad that won gold earlier this year in FIBA’s AmeriCup tournament.

Here’s Team USA’s full 12-man roster:

The squad, which will be coached once again by Jeff Van Gundy, is comprised almost entirely of G League players, since most of the qualifying tournaments take place during the NBA season, preventing NBA players from participating. Team USA’s goal is for Van Gundy’s squad of G Leaguers to qualify for the 2019 World Cup, which will take place in August and September, when NBA players will be free to participate.

The new-look USA Basketball program is off to a good start, having gone 5-0 this summer to win a gold medal at the AmeriCup tournament. Drew, Hearn, Munford, and Warney were all part of that team.

This time around, Team USA will face Puerto Rico on November 23 and then Mexico on November 26. After those contests, the first round of World Cup qualifiers will resume in February before concluding in July. The top three teams in each first-round group will advance to the second round, which begins in September 2018 and concludes in February 2019, so the qualifying process will take some time to play out.

Meanwhile, the G League teams temporarily losing players to Team USA will be permitted one free move per lost player from the available player pool, tweets Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days.

And-Ones: E. Millsap, Koenig, Eddie, Jeanne

Former NBA guard Elijah Millsap has signed with the Iowa Wolves of the G League, tweets Chris Reichert of 2 Ways and 10 Days. The 30-year-old played two games for the Suns last season after joining the team just before the season ended, but spent most of the year in the G League. He came to training camp with Phoenix, but was waived last month.

Millsap went undrafted out of Alabama-Birmingham in 2011 and played internationally and in the G League before getting an opportunity with Utah in the middle of the 2014/15 season. He spent a year and a half with the Jazz, averaging 4.2 points in 67 games.

There’s more news from the NBA, the G League and overseas:

  • Bronson Koenig, who was waived by the Bucks and Bulls during preseason, was involved in a G League trade today, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando. The Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s affiliate, sent Koenig to the Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s affiliate, in exchange for the returning rights of Gary Talton, who is playing in Lithuania. Koenig, who was among the first players to sign a two-way contract, is a rookie guard out of Wisconsin.
  • Jarell Eddie, who was also with Chicago during preseason, has re-signed with Windy City, Lupo relays in a separate item. Eddie spent most of last season with the G League squad before inking a pair of 10-day contracts with the Suns in March. The 26-year-old small forward appeared in five games with Phoenix and played 26 games for the Wizards the previous year.
  • Restricted free agents could be facing another tough market in 2018, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. With their teams holding the right to match any offer, restricted free agents have historically enjoyed little bargaining power, and the small number of teams with significant cap room next summer will make their situation even worse. Deveney identifies Magic forward Aaron Gordon and Rockets center Clint Capela as two players who might cash in, but says most will struggle to find offers.
  • French center Jonathan Jeanne, who was considered a draft prospect this year before being diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, may have reached the end of his career, reports Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. His French team, Le Mans Sarthe, has declared Jeanne “unfit to practice professional sports” after discussing his condition with specialists. The disorder affects the body’s connective tissue.

Bulls Claim Felder, Waive Eddie And Stone

The Bulls have claimed point guard Kay Felder, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. They will waive swingman Jarell Eddie, league sources told Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Chicago will also shed center Diamond Stone to reach the 15-man roster limit, Charania adds in another tweet.

The Cavaliers traded Felder along with veteran forward Richard Jefferson to the Hawks on Saturday in order to shed salary and create roster space. Atlanta then immediately waived both players.

Felder, a second-round pick in 2016, appeared in 42 regular-season games last season and averaged 4.0 PPG and 1.4 APG in 9.2 MPG. He had a $457K guarantee on his $1,312,611 salary for this season. There is a team option on his $1,544,951 contract for next season.

The Bulls have Kris Dunn and Jerian Grant as their top point guards but Cameron Payne was declared out for 3-4 months in September after undergoing foot surgery.

Eddie, 25, played for the Wizards and Suns over the last two seasons.  He played sparingly in 26 games for Washington during the 2015/16 season.

Eddie then played for the G League’s Windy City Bulls before hooking on with Phoenix late last season. He saw action in five games with the Suns last season after signing a pair of 10-day contracts.

Though he signed a contract for $1,471,382, most of the money was non-guaranteed. He collected a couple of extra days’ salary by remaining on the roster through Saturday.

Chicago still has plenty of shooting guards and small forwards on the roster, including Paul Zipser, Denzel Valentine, Justin Holiday, David Nwaba and rookie Antonio Blakeney. Zach LaVine and Quincy Pondexter are still rehabbing from knee injuries.

Stone received a modest guarantee after signing with Chicago in September. Stone, who played his rookie season with the Clippers, was also waived by the Hawks after Atlanta acquired him in late July. Robin Lopez, Christiano Felicio and rookie Lauri Markkanen are the main options at center.

Bulls Sign Jarell Eddie, Jaylen Johnson

The Bulls have finalized a pair of signings, inking Jarell Eddie and Jaylen Johnson to contracts, according to RealGM’s log of official NBA transactions. While details of those deals aren’t known, I’d anticipate little to no guaranteed money for Eddie and Johnson.

Eddie, who will turn 26 next month, is a 6’7″ swingman who has seen NBA action with the Wizards and Suns over the last two years. Having gone undrafted in 2014, Eddie played for the G League’s Austin Spurs in his rookie season, then made his NBA debut with the Wizards in 2015/16, playing sparingly in 26 games for the club. Last season, Eddie signed a pair of 10-day contracts with Phoenix near the end of the season, appearing in just five games for the Suns.

As for Johnson, the former Louisville power forward entered the draft this spring following his junior year, but wasn’t selected in June. The 21-year-old averaged 8.0 PPG and 5.8 RPG in his final college season, with a .589 FG%.

The two signings bring Chicago’s roster count to 19 players, with restricted free agent Nikola Mirotic the likeliest candidate to fill the final roster spot. If we assume that Mirotic eventually re-signs and that Eddie and Johnson didn’t get guaranteed contracts, the Bulls would have 14 players on fully guaranteed deals. That would leave one roster spot up for grabs, assuming the team enters the season with a full 15-man squad.

While Eddie could compete with Diamond Stone and David Nwaba for that final spot, Johnson seems like a good bet to end up as an affiliate player for the Windy City Bulls.

Jarell Eddie Gets Second 10-Day Deal From Suns

The Suns have signed swingman Jarell Eddie to a second 10-day contract, the team announced on its website.

Eddie, who originally signed with the Suns March 19th, has appeared in five games, averaging 4.8 points in 12.5 minutes per night. He posted a career best 13 points in a March 19th game against the Pistons.

The Suns are the third NBA opportunity for Eddie, who played 26 games last season for the Wizards and signed a 10-day deal with the Hawks in 2015 but didn’t see any game action. He has spent most of the past three years in the D-League, and played for Windy City before coming to Phoenix.

The contract Eddie signed today will run through April 7th. The Suns will have two games remaining after that and must decide whether to release him or give him a longer deal.

Suns Sign Jarell Eddie To 10-Day Deal

MARCH 19, 12:34pm: The signing is official, according to a tweet from the Suns.

MARCH 18 8:56pm: The Suns will sign Jarell Eddie to a 10-day contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. The 6’7″ forward is currently playing for the Bulls’ Windy City affiliate in the D-League.

Eddie, 24, has previous NBA experience with Washington, where he appeared in 26 games last season but averaged just 5.7 minutes per night. He went through training camp with the Wizards, but was waived in October just before the start of the season.

Eddie went undrafted out of Virginia Tech in 2014 and has spent most of his career in the D-League, playing for Austin as well as Windy City.

The Suns have been carrying an open roster spot since last month’s trade deadline, when they acquired and then waived Jared Sullinger and Mike Scott. Phoenix signed Ronnie Price to fill one of those openings, but left the other one vacant until now.

Hollis Thompson To Join Spurs’ D-League Affiliate

After being cut by the Sixers before this month’s salary guarantee deadline, swingman Hollis Thompson is headed to the D-League. According to Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (via Twitter), the Windy City Bulls have claimed Thompson, but will send him to the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s affiliate, in exchange for Jarell Eddie. The deal will be finalized once both players pass physicals, tweets Johnson.

Thompson, 25, had been one of the longest-tenured players on the Sixers, having signed with the team back in September of 2013. In 256 games with the franchise, he averaged 7.9 PPG and 3.1 RPG, with a .417/.389/.709 shooting line. Although he has been a solid three-point shooter throughout his career, Thompson’s 36.6% mark this season was the worst of his career, and he also averaged just 18.1 minutes per game this year, another career low that led to his release.

Having signed a D-League contract, Thompson will remain an NBA free agent, meaning the NBA’s Spurs won’t hold his rights. However, San Antonio controls and operates the Austin Spurs, so the club will get a first-hand look at the Georgetown product during his time in the D-League.

Assuming Thompson plays well in the NBADL, he’ll be a strong candidate for at least a 10-day contract or two from an NBA team down the stretch this season, if not a rest-of-season commitment.

Players Catch On With D-League Franchises

Several players who were recently waived out of the NBA have reached agreements with D-League teams, according to Chris Reichert of The Step Back:

  • Spencer Dinwiddie, released on Friday by Chicago, has signed with the Windy City Bulls (Twitter link). Chicago, which acquired Dinwiddie in a deal with the Pistons, then waived and later re-signed him, parted ways with the guard again despite being at the roster limit of 15.
  • Johnny O’Bryant, who was waived by the Wizards on Friday, has signed a D-League contract and will be eligible for the draft (Twitter link). The 23-year-old power forward spent the past two seasons with the Bucks.
  • Vince Hunter, who was waived by the Bulls and Grizzlies this month, will return to the Reno Bighorns (Twitter link). Hunter, 22, is a 6’8″ forward out of Texas-El Paso who has yet to play in the NBA.
  • Cliff Alexander, who was released by the Magic, has signed with the Erie BayHawks (Twitter link). The 20-year-old power forward played eight games for the Trail Blazers last season.
  • Chris Douglas-Roberts will return to the Texas Legends, where he finished the 2015/16 season (Twitter link). The 29-year-old swingman last played in the NBA in 2014/15, when he spent 12 games with the Clippers.
  • Josh Childress, who has been out of the NBA for almost three full seasons, signed with the Texas Legends (Twitter link). The 33-year-old swingman’s last NBA experience was four games with New Orleans during the 2013/14 season. He finished last season with the Legends after playing in Australia. (Update: Report denied by Childress’ agent; Reichert has removed his tweet)

Also, from the D-League Digest:

  • Axel Toupane, who was waived by the Nuggets, will return to Raptors 905 (Twitter link). The 6’7″ small forward played 21 games for Denver last season.
  • Jarell Eddie, who was released by the Wizards on Friday, will return to the Austin Spurs (Twitter link). Eddie, 24, appeared in 26 games for Washington a year ago.
  • J.J. O’Brien, who was cut by the Bucks, has signed with the Salt Lake City Stars (Twitter link). A 24-year-old small forward, he got into two games with the Jazz last season.
  • Egidijus Mockevicius, who was waived last week by Brooklyn, will play for the Long Island Nets (Twitter link). The 24-year-old Lithuanian forward has no NBA experience.
  • Veteran point guard Jannero Pargo has signed with Oklahoma City Blue (Twitter link). The 37-year-old last played for the Hornets in 2014/15.

Wizards Waive Eddie, O’Bryant, Ware

The Wizards have pared down their roster to 15 players in preparation for the regular season, waiving Jarell Eddie, Johnny O’Bryant and Casper Ware, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). As a result of parting ways with Eddie, Washington will be on the hook for his partially guaranteed salary of $175,000 for this season, unless he is claimed off waivers by another team. No money will remain on the books for O’Bryant and Ware, as their deals were completely non-guaranteed. This also means that Sheldon McClellan and Danuel House  have made the Wizards’ regular season squad, Charania adds.

Ware, who last appeared in the NBA during the regular season in 2013/14 with the Sixers, spent this past campaign overseas where he split time between Tianjin Ronggang (China) and ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne (France). In 31 combined games, the guard averaged 15.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 27.3 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .394/.354/.793.

Eddie, 24, played in 26 games for the Wizards a season ago, notching averages of 2.4 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.2 assists in just 5.7 minutes per outing. His slash line was .308/.319/1.000.

O’Bryant appeared in 66 games for the Bucks in 2015/16, averaging 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per outing. His shooting line on the campaign was .411/1.000/.675.