Josh Akognon Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Bargnani, Akognon, Early Entrants

April 22nd, 2017 at 11:30am CST by Austin Kent

With his first official campaign out of the NBA now in the books, Andrea Bargnani is discussing a buyout with Saski Baskonia in the ACB League, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando tweets.

Bargnani has been injured since February and hasn’t suited up for the Spanish EuroLeague club since. He did average 11.5 points in the 14 games he played while healthy.

Last July, the 31-year-old former first overall NBA Draft choice signed a two-year deal with the organization.

There’s more from around the NBA.

International hoops journeyman Josh Akognon, who last saw NBA action with the Mavs in 2012/13, recently signed a contract with the Henan of the Chinese NBL. Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia relayed a tweet by David Pick, who reported the news.
Greek point guard prospect Antonios Koniaris will enter the 2017 NBA Draft, Jonathan Givony of Draft Express tweets. The athletic playmaker already has an agent.
Redshirted Gonzaga forward Johnathan Williams will test the waters for the NBA Draft, the Bulldogs announced on their official website. The junior has not hired an agent.
Junior guard Victor Sanders has declared for the NBA Draft, Idaho head coach Don Verlin told Ryan Horlen of the Idaho Statesman. He has not hired an agent.
Count Texas Tech’s Zach Smith among those looking to test their draft stock. Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets that the junior big man has declared but not hired an agent.

Odds & Ends: Pacers, Smith, Deng, Lowry

February 20th, 2014 at 11:13pm CST by Zachary Links

We saw plenty of trades go down before the deadline and Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders looked at the winners and losers. The Pacers top the list of winners for their acquisition of former No. 2 overall pick Evan Turner. While the Wizards and Warriors also get nods, Koutroupis says that the Lakers and Knicks should have done more. Here’s tonight’s look around the league..

Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders has six trades that should have happened at the deadline. Among Brigham’s more interesting proposals: a hypothetical swap that would have sent Josh Smith from the Pistons to the Cavs in exchange for Luol Deng.
Kyle Lowry wasn’t moved at the deadline today and Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun takes that as a sign that Raptors GM Masai Ujiri believes that he will re-sign him after this season.
The trade deadline didn’t have a lot of stars changing uniforms in part because teams are zeroed in on the summer of 2015, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. “More and more you have teams that are already looking ahead to (the summer of 2015),” one GM said. “You are going to see teams really be reluctant to give out long-term deals going forward, and it is because everyone wants to keep their cap flexible to see if they can shake something out next year.”
Josh Akognon is headed to the Delaware 87ers of the D-League, according to Gino Pilato of D-League Digest.
Kobe Bryant was sad to see Steve Blake go, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.

Odds & Ends: Cavs, China, Akognon, Melo

February 17th, 2014 at 11:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The fates of GM David Griffin and coach Mike Brown hang in the balance, as does Cleveland’s appeal to free agents as the team embarks on a season-ending stretch run that’s one of the most important times in franchise history, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. The Cavs are 20-33 coming out of the All-Star break and will hope for a major turnaround in their last 29 games. Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..

The Chinese basketball season is through and Emiliano Carchia of Sportando rounded up a list of notable CBA players who will now be available for NBA clubs. The list includes Pooh Jeter, Delonte West, D.J. White, Lance Thomas, and Josh Akognon.
Akognon has offers from Puerto Rico and Europe but may head to the D-League in an effort to keep his NBA hopes alives, Carchia writes. Akognon averaged 28 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 5.0 APG in 30 games for his Chinese clubs.
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com gives props to LaMarcus Aldridge and Carmelo Anthony for caring about the wellbeing of the NBPA. Both stars were vocal about the union during the weekend in New Orleans.
In his latest mock draft, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders dropped Duke’s Jabari Parker to No. 5 after executives told him that they were concerned he might be a tweener in the NBA.
The Warriors announced that they have assigned Ognjen Kuzmic to their D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz. Kuzmic has compiled averages of 6.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 21.4 minutes in nine games (one start) on previous assignments to Santa Cruz this season. He has appeared in 17 games for Golden State.
The Rockets announced they have re-assigned guard Isaiah Canaan to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League. To keep up with all of this year’s D-League assignments and recalls, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Odds & Ends: Heat, Smith, Akognon, Selby

November 16th, 2013 at 1:01pm CST by Zachary Links

In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if Rockets big man Omer Asik might be a fit for the Heat. A suggested swap of Udonis Haslem and Joel Anthony for Asik wouldn’t work because Haslem can’t stretch the floor like Houston wants out of their power forward and even though Anthony could be a competent backup for Dwight Howard, the Rockets can do a lot better overall. More Saturday afternoon links from around the Association..

Knicks coach Mike Woodson made his dissatisfaction with J.R. Smith over his latest Twitter trouble known to everyone, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. “Eventually, no team is going to want to deal with you,” said the coach.
Chinese team Qingdao waived Josh Selby to make room for yesterday’s signing of Josh Akognon, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The former NBA and D-League player lasted just two games in China. Selby came to the Cavs as a part of the three-for-one deal last year that sent Marreese Speights to Cleveland.
Akognon will make significantly more money with Qingdao than if he had signed with one of the several NBA teams that showed recent interest, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. With Qingdao, Akognon’s season will be complete and have him available to NBA teams by early February. Three NBA teams had been interested in him and would be more inclined to sign him near the trade deadline, a source said.
The value of Pacers forward Danny Granger next summer hinges largely on what he does this season, but he has yet to get back on the court. Pacers coach Frank Vogel doesn’t sound sure of when the 30-year-old might return. “We know he’s going to be out for a while with his calf,” Vogel said, according to Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star. “We want to get him back as soon as possible, but we’re not going to rush it. There’s no need to rush it.”
David West never seriously considered leaving the Pacers even though many felt that he could have gotten a larger payday than the three-year, $36MM deal he signed with Indiana, writes Moke Hamilton of HoopsWorld.
In this week’s maibag, a reader proposes to Sam Smith of NBA.com that the Bulls use Luol Deng to pry Eric Gordon from the Pelicans. While New Orleans would like to move one of their ball-handling guards for a small forward, Chicago can’t afford to take on the risk of taking on the Indiana product given his sizable contract and attitude problems.
Wolves forward Corey Brewer had nothing but positive things to say about Denver after facing his former Nuggets teammates, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Brewer signed a three-year, $14.1MM deal with Minnesota this summer.

Josh Akognon To Sign In China

November 15th, 2013 at 1:19pm CST by Zachary Links

After being waived by the Grizzlies in mid-October, Josh Akognon has agreed to sign with China’s Qingdao team, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). You may recall that Qingdao is the same team that Tracy McGrady played for last season before hooking on with the Spurs.

The guard had a brief stint with the Mavericks last season before joining the Grizzlies in camp this past offseason. Akognon spent last season in China with the Liaoning Jiebao Hunters in China, where he averaged 29 points per game. The 27-year-old Cal State Fullerton product was claimed off waivers by Memphis on July 23rd after his minimum-salary contract was waived by Dallas on July 21st.

To keep up with deals from around the globe, check out the Hoops Rumors International Player Tracker.

Odds & Ends: Wayns, Flynn, Akognon

October 16th, 2013 at 6:19pm CST by Michael Pina

A few random notes from around the league.

According to Yahoo! NBA reporter Marc J. Spears, Clippers guard Maalik Wayns will undergo minor knee surgery, and is expected to be sidelined for at least six weeks. The second-year player appeared in just 37 minutes for Los Angeles last season after being waived by the Sixers in January. His deal is non-guaranteed.
After being waived by the Grizzlies a few days ago, Josh Akognon is drawing interest from Sichuan, a club in China, according to Evan Wang and Sportando. Akognon spent a brief period of time last season with the Mavericks.
From the same source, Sichuan’s decision to target Akognon comes on the heels of former NBA lottery pick Jonny Flynn injuring himself and having to leave the club.

Grizzlies Waive Josh Akognon, Derrick Byars

October 6th, 2013 at 5:12pm CST by Zachary Links

The Grizzlies announced that they have waived guard Josh Akognon and forward Derrick Byars. Memphis' roster now stands at 16.

Akognon spent three games with the Mavericks last season and also played for the Liaoning Jiebao Hunters in China, where he averaged 29 points per game. The 27-year-old Cal State Fullerton product was claimed off waivers by Memphis on July 23rd after his minimum-salary contract was waived by Dallas on July 21st.

Byars, a Vanderbilt product, played competed for ALBA Berlin in Germany and Caciques de Humacao in Puerto Rico last season. Memphis signed the 29-year-old as a free agent on Sept. 29th but his stay didn't last too long.

Odds & Ends: Abdur-Rahim, Kazemi, Butler

August 29th, 2013 at 6:17pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to a team press
release, former NBA All-Star and Kings' director of player
personnel Shareef Abdur-Rahim has
been named as the general manager of the Reno Bighorns, which serves as Sacramento's D-League affilliate. Abdur-Rahim will be joined by Chris Gilbert,
who was named assistant general manager. Here are some more of this evening's miscellaneous news and notes:

Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that the 76ers could still send second-round pick Arsalan Kazemi overseas for the coming season.
Caron Butler is "thoroughly excited" about returning home to Wisconsin to play for the Bucks, writes Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.
Suns GM Ryan McDonough issued a statement about the team's trade agreement with Milwaukee, saying that the deal was about creating more cap space (Paul Coro of AZCentral.com).
Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld profiles this year's rookie head coaches and identifies some challenges that may lie ahead for each of them.
Later in the same piece, Koutroupis wonders if Marcin Gortat is the next player in Phoenix to be on the move.
The newly created Delaware 87ers of the NBDL acquired the rights of 16 players via the D-League's expansion draft last night (NBA.com). Among the more notable names on that list with NBA experience are Ish Smith, Sean Williams, Willie Warren, Jerome Dyson, and Josh Akognon. Smith and Akognon remain on NBA rosters, but if they were released and wanted to play in the D-League, Delaware would hold their rights.

Grizzlies Claim Josh Akognon Off Waivers

July 24th, 2013 at 4:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Grizzlies have claimed Josh Akognon off waivers from the Mavericks, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Memphis assumes Akognon's minimum-salary contract as a result. Dallas decided this weekend to let go of Akognon to accomodate their deal with free agent Monta Ellis, whose three-year, $25.08MM deal became official yesterday, Stein also tweets. The team also has an outstanding agreement with Wayne Ellington, but presumably that will become official soon, too.

The same cap crunch also forced the team to waive Bernard James, but he went unclaimed and the Mavs re-signed him. Akognon originally joined the Mavs on a 10-day contract in April after putting up impressive scoring numbers in China. He put up 29.0 points per game this past season in the Chinese league and 28.2 in 2011/12, and while he was drawing heavy interest from China following the Mavs' decision to waive him, it appears he'll get his wish to remain in the NBA.

The Alpha Basketball Agency client was the Mavs' leading scorer in the Las Vegas Summer League at 17.5 PPG, and he shot 39.1% on 46 total attempts from behind the arc. The 5'11" guard may provide another outside shooter for the Grizzlies in case they miss out on their pursuit of Mike Miller. The claim probably won't affect the team's plans to chase Miller or another free agent, since the Grizzlies can absorb him using the minimum-salary exception. Indeed, Stein tweets that Akognon's pickup doesn't affect their pursuit of the former Heat sharpshooter, whom Memphis is pushing hard to sign.

Free Agent Rumors: Miller, Oden, Camby, Blair

July 22nd, 2013 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent rumors and rumblings have slowed down since the start of July, as most of the bigger names have come off the board. Still, even though not a ton of teams have significant cap space or exception money remaining, plenty of intriguing players remain on the market. We're entering the point in the summer where teams are hunting for bargains and value signings, so here's the latest on a few players who could fit that bill:

Mike Miller is meeting face-to-face for a second time with both the Thunder and Grizzlies, who appear to be the two favorites for him, says Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Rockets and Nuggets aren't out of the running yet, but Miller's choice will likely come down to OKC or Memphis (Twitter links).
The Heat, Pelicans, and Kings will observe Greg Oden in person as he works out this week, according to Stein and Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com, though Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports says (via Twitter) it'll just be the Pelicans and Kings. The Spurs and Mavericks are still in the hunt as well, with Miami and San Antonio still viewed as the frontrunners for the former first overall pick.
Marcus Camby is expected to make a decision on his next team within the next week, with the Rockets, Bulls, and Heat among the finalists, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
According to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com, DeJuan Blair's asking price is in the $3MM range, Lamar Odom is only interested in playing for a Los Angeles team, and Josh Akognon is drawing heavy interest from Chinese teams.
Zwerling adds (via Twitter) that the Knicks have some interest in Ivan Johnson, but the big man is still seeking a mini mid-level deal.
Prior to reaching an agreement with the Nuggets, Nate Robinson received serious interest from the Wizards, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). Washington had already used its mid-level and bi-annual exceptions, so making a competitive offer would have been tricky.
Free agent point guard Delonte West spoke to Tzvi Twersky of SlamOnline.com about his desire to return to an NBA roster.