Johnny O’Bryant Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hornets Sign Paige, Mathiang To Two-Way Deals

August 2nd, 2017 at 10:32am CST by marksuleymanov

AUGUST 2: The two-way deals for Paige and Mathiang are now official, the Hornets announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 1: The Hornets will sign Marcus Paige and Mangok Mathiang to two-way contracts, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter).

Paige, 23, spent four seasons at UNC, where he averaged 13.1 PPG, 4.3 APG, and 2.8 RPG in 141 games. The Nets drafted Paige with the 55th overall pick in last year’s draft but traded him to the Jazz as part of the deal that sent Isaiah Whitehead to his native Brooklyn squad.

After he was waived in early October 2016, Paige latched on with the Jazz’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. In 46 games, he averaged 12.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 2.2 APG in 32.7 minutes. Most recently, Paige was part of the Timberwolves‘ summer league team in Las Vegas.

As for Mathiang, the Lousiville product averaged 7.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 1.1 BPG in his senior year at the college. The 24-year-old appeared for Charlotte in five games during the summer league where posted 4.4 PPG, five boards and 53.3% from the field.

As a side note, the Hornets also guaranteed forward Johnny O’Bryant‘s $1.5MM salary for the 2017/18 season, per Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (via Twitter). Today was the deadline for Charlotte to fully guarantee O’Bryant’s contract.

For more details on what two-way contracts are and how they work, be sure to check out our FAQ.

Hornets Sign Johnny O’Bryant To Multiyear Deal

March 16th, 2017 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

1:15pm: The Hornets have formally confirmed O’Bryant’s new deal, which is a multiyear contract, according to a team release. Details haven’t been reported, but the pact likely includes a non-guaranteed salary for 2017/18.

9:08am: Johnny O’Bryant‘s second 10-day contract with the Hornets expired overnight, but the veteran forward won’t have to seek out a new team in free agency. According to Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Charlotte intends to lock up Bryant with a deal for the remainder of the 2016/17 season.

O’Bryant, 23, spent time with the Nuggets earlier this season before catching on with the Hornets. He has been sidelined as of late with a sprained ankle, but has been decent in limited action during his time with the Hornets, averaging 4.5 PPG on 53.3% shooting in just 8.5 minutes per contest (four games).

Assuming O’Bryant signs for the minimum salary and his new deal is finalized today, it would count for $161,483 on the Hornets’ cap. Charlotte still has its prorated room exception available, so the team isn’t necessarily limited to the minimum salary, but I’d be surprised if O’Bryant gets more than that.

The Hornets will have a full 15-man roster once O’Bryant officially re-signs, though they could have a roster spot opening soon — Briante Weber‘s second 10-day contract with the team expires this weekend, so Charlotte will have to decide whether to retain him for the rest of the season as well.

Hornets Sign Johnny O’Bryant To Second 10-Day

March 6th, 2017 at 9:23am CST by Arthur Hill

MARCH 6, 9:23am: Following the expiration of his initial 10-day deal overnight, O’Bryant has formally signed a second 10-day contract with the Hornets, the team announced today in a press release.

MARCH 5, 10:38am: The Hornets will sign power forward Johnny O’Bryant to a second 10-day contract, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. The signing will take place Monday when his first 10-day deal expires.

O’Bryant had 15 points and six rebounds in a reserve role in Saturday’s win at Denver. He is averaging 8.5 points and 3.0 boards in two games with the Hornets.

The former LSU star spent seven games with the Nuggets earlier this season. He spent his first two years in the NBA with the Bucks.

Charlotte, which has 13 players on guaranteed contracts and Briante Weber also on a 10-day contract, will continue to have a full 15-man roster once O’Bryant officially re-ups.

Hornets Sign Johnny O’Bryant To 10-Day Deal

February 24th, 2017 at 3:14pm CST by Luke Adams

3:14pm: The Hornets have officially signed O’Bryant to a 10-day contract, the team announced this afternoon in a press release.

7:32am: After playing on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Nuggets earlier this season, Johnny O’Bryant is poised to join a new team, according to Chris Reichert of The Step Back, who reports (via Twitter) that the Hornets will sign the free agent forward to a 10-day contract.

The Hornets have been carrying 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts, along with a pair of players – Ray McCallum and Mike Tobey – on 10-day contracts. The latest 10-day deals for both McCallum and Tobey expired overnight, so it seems the Hornets won’t retain both players.

Assuming the team finalizes a deal with O’Bryant, there would still be one opening on the roster to sign McCallum, Tobey, or someone else. Since McCallum and Tobey each signed two 10-day contracts with Charlotte, they would need to be signed for the season to stick with the Hornets.

O’Bryant, 23, was the 36th overall pick in the 2014 draft, and spent his first two NBA seasons with the Bucks. In 100 games for the club, O’Bryant averaged 3.0 PPG and 2.4 RPG. The LSU product signed as a free agent with the Wizards prior to training camp last fall, but didn’t earn a regular-season roster spot with the team.

O’Bryant subsequently joined the D-League’s Northern Arizona Suns, averaging 18.5 PPG and 8.7 RPG in 24 games for Phoenix’s affiliate this season. He even added a three-point shot to his game during his time in the NBADL, making 38.0% of his attempts and averaging more than one three-pointer per game. That earned O’Bryant a couple 10-day contracts with the Nuggets, for whom he appeared in seven games, averaging 2.9 PPG and 1.6 RPG.

Nuggets Re-Sign Johnny O’Bryant

February 6th, 2017 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

10:55am: The Nuggets have officially signed O’Bryant to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.

9:40am: After his first 10-day contract with the team expired on Saturday night, Johnny O’Bryant will sign a second 10-day deal with the Nuggets, league sources tell Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Assuming the agreement is finalized today, O’Bryant will be eligible to play tonight against Dallas, and will remain a Nugget through February 15.

O’Bryant, 23, was the 36th overall pick in the 2014 draft, and spent his first two NBA seasons with the Bucks. In 100 games for the club, O’Bryant averaged 3.0 PPG and 2.4 RPG. The LSU product signed as a free agent with the Wizards prior to training camp last fall, but didn’t earn a regular-season roster spot with the team.

O’Bryant subsequently joined the D-League’s Northern Arizona Suns, averaging 18.5 PPG and 8.7 RPG in 24 games for Phoenix’s affiliate this season. He even added a three-point shot to his game during his time in the NBADL, making 38.0% of his attempts and averaging more than one three-pointer per game. That earned O’Bryant a 10-day contract with the Nuggets, for whom he appeared in two games over the course of his 10-day deal. He averaged 3.5 PPG and 1.5 RPG in those games.

Once O’Bryant is officially re-signed, the Nuggets will again be carrying the maximum 15 players on their roster. If they want to keep the young power forward beyond his second 10-day deal, the Nuggets will have to commit to a rest-of-season contract.

Nuggets Notes: Mudiay, O’Bryant, Williams, Nurkic

January 26th, 2017 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nuggets coach Michael Malone isn’t concerned about point guard Emmanuel Mudiay’s sore back, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post reports. Mudiay has missed three consecutive games but Malone doesn’t believe Mudiay will be sidelined much longer. “The treatment he’s been getting has been helping him, and all of the results from the testing coming back don’t show that there’s anything serious,” he told Dempsey. “So, that allows you to take a deep breath and say it’s not a long-term thing.”

In other developments regarding the Nuggets:

Forward Johnny O’Bryant received a 10-day contract on Thursday because the club needs frontcourt depth in the short term, Dempsey adds in the same story. Darrell Arthur, who has a knee issue, is among the big men who are nursing injuries, Dempsey adds. “I was talking to [Nuggets GM] Tim Connelly that it would be great to have another big here, ready, insurance,” Malone said to Dempsey. “If we have to play him and suit him up, he’s played in an NBA game, he has a skill – he can step out and shoot the ball.”
Guard Mo Williams has cleared waivers, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. The Nuggets claimed him for the second time on Monday because of salary floor implications. Denver will save over $1MM through its latest Williams transaction (Twitter links).
The Nuggets are trying to move center Jusuf Nurkic and could package him with Kenneth Faried to upgrade their backcourt, Sean Deveney of the Sporting News reports. Nurkic has drawn interest, in part because of his rookie contract, Deveney continues. But the Nuggets would either have to make it a multi-player swap, find a team below the cap, or involve a third team to make a trade work, Deveney adds.

Nuggets Sign Johnny O’Bryant To 10-Day Deal

January 26th, 2017 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 26: The Nuggets have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed O’Bryant to a 10-day contract.

JANUARY 24: The Nuggets intend to sign free agent power forward Johnny O’Bryant to a 10-day contract, reports Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post (Twitter link). Denver was previously believed to be lining up another 10-day deal for Alonzo Gee when a roster spot became available, but it seems the club has opted to go in another direction.

O’Bryant, 23, was the 36th overall pick in the 2014 draft, and spent his first two NBA seasons with the Bucks. In 100 games for the club, O’Bryant averaged 3.0 PPG and 2.4 RPG. The LSU product signed as a free agent with the Wizards prior to training camp last fall, but didn’t earn a regular-season roster spot with the team.

O’Bryant subsequently joined the D-League’s Northern Arizona Suns, and has averaged 18.5 PPG and 8.7 RPG in 24 games for Phoenix’s affiliate this season. He has even added a three-point shot to his game, making 38.0% of his attempts and averaging more than one three-pointer per game.

With O’Bryant set to join the Nuggets, Mo Williams has been waived by the team to create a roster spot. The move was expected after Denver claimed Williams off waivers on Monday. Earlier today, I explained why Williams’ contract appeals to the Nuggets, who have now traded for, cut, and reclaimed the point guard. Denver will hope that he passes through waivers this time around.

Edy Tavares To Join Raptors’ D-League Affiliate

November 11th, 2016 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Hawks big man Edy Tavares, waived by Atlanta earlier this season, is nearing an agreement to join Raptors 905, Toronto’s D-League affiliate, reports international basketball journalist David Pick (via Twitter). If and when Tavares officially signs, he’ll remain an NBA free agent, as the Raptors would only hold his D-League rights.

Players can’t sign outright with D-League teams, instead signing a D-League contract and entering the league’s player pool, where teams can claim them. As D-League Digest tweets, the Northern Arizona Suns, the club with the top waiver priority in the D-League, claimed Johnny O’Bryant today. With the move, the Raptors’ D-League squad has moved up to the top waiver spot, giving them the opportunity to land Tavares, per Chris Reichert of The Step Back (Twitter link).

The 43rd overall pick in the 2014 draft, Tavares joined the Hawks for the 2015/16 season, appearing in just 11 games and averaging 6.6 minutes per contest. The 24-year-old Cape Verde native also made 29 D-League appearances, averaging 9.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 3.3 BPG in 21.6 minutes per game. The Hawks decided to move on from him earlier this year when they needed an opening on their 15-man roster to sign Ryan Kelly.

Tavares received interest from the Spanish club FC Barcelona, according to a recent report, and likely would’ve had other opportunities overseas if he chose to pursue them. His decision to head to the D-League instead suggests he hopes to get another shot with an NBA team.

Players Catch On With D-League Franchises

October 26th, 2016 at 8:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

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

October 21st, 2016 at 9:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

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.