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Bulls Waive Kay Felder

December 19th, 2017 at 10:47am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have made a minor change to their roster, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve waived second-year point guard Kay Felder. Felder will become an unrestricted free agent on Thursday, assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers.

Felder, a Detroit native, joined the Cavaliers last season after being selected 54th overall in the 2016 draft. He spent his entire rookie year in Cleveland, but was a victim of the Cavs’ roster crunch this fall after the team acquired three players for Kyrie Irving and signed Dwyane Wade. Felder was cut by the Cavs at the end of the preseason, then claimed off waivers by the Bulls.

Although the Bulls’ point guard situation was in flux to start the 2017/18 season, Felder didn’t see much playing time for the club, averaging 9.6 MPG in 14 contests. For his career, he has recorded 3.9 PPG and 1.4 APG in 56 games (9.3 MPG). Felder has been far more productive in the G League, averaging 27.2 PPG and 5.7 APG in 14 total games for the Canton Charge and Windy City Bulls.

Because Felder’s salary for 2017/18 wasn’t fully guaranteed, the Bulls will only carry a partial cap charge after waiving him. If my math is right, Felder’s cap hit will be just shy of $490K, assuming he’s not claimed by another team on waivers.

We’ll see if the Bulls have a corresponding roster move lined up after cutting Felder, but for the time being, the team has an open spot on its squad.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/17/17

December 17th, 2017 at 3:47pm CST by clarkcrum

Here are Sunday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

The Bulls have recalled Cristiano Felicio and Kay Felder from their G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, one day after assignment, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Felicio scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in last night’s loss to the Raptors 905.
Warriors second-year center Damian Jones has been recalled from the Santa Cruz Warriors, reports Melissa Rohlin of The Mercury News. Jones, who has not yet played in the NBA this season, and has been on assignment with Santa Cruz since mid-November, is probably needed in the wake of injuries to Draymond Green and Zaza Pachulia.
The Spurs assigned rookie guard Derrick White to the G League’s Austin Spurs today, per an official report. White, who had just been recalled yesterday, has appeared in three total games with Austin, averaging 15.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/5/17

December 5th, 2017 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

3:10pm:

After assigning him to the G League for today’s Raptors 905 game, as detailed below, Toronto has recalled Alfonzo McKinnie to the NBA, according to the team (Twitter link).

2:03pm:

The Raptors assigned Alfonzo McKinnie to the G League this morning, per the team (Twitter link). Toronto’s G League affiliate, the Raptors 905, played a day game today, and McKinnie was excellent, racking up 23 points and 16 rebounds (nine offensive).
The Jazz have recalled rookie big man Tony Bradley from their G League squad, the team announced today (via Twitter). Bradley had a double-double (24 points, 10 rebounds) in a win for the Salt Lake City Stars on Monday.
After practicing with the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario on Monday, Danilo Gallinari, Milos Teodosic, and Brice Johnson were recalled by the Clippers, as Robert Flom of Clips Nation details. Gallinari and Teodosic are close to returning from their respective injuries, with Gallinari hoping to play on Wednesday.
The Bulls have sent second-year guard Kay Felder back to the G League, according to the team (Twitter link). Felder will soon be joined by Zach LaVine, who will continue rehabbing his ACL injury with the Windy City Bulls.
Rookie center Ike Anigbogu has been recalled from the G League by the Pacers, the club announced in a press release. The 19-year-old struggled in his most recent game for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, recording just two points and two rebounds in 22 minutes on Monday.
The Sixers have recalled Furkan Korkmaz from the Delaware 87ers, tweets Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Korkmaz has yo-yo’d back and forth between Philadelphia and Delaware all season — his most recent G League assignment was his seventh.
The Kings have made a pair of G League moves, assigning Skal Labissiere to the Reno Bighorns and recalling Georgios Papagiannis, according to the team. Of the two 2016 first-rounders, Labissiere has been the more regular fixture in Sacramento’s rotation this season, averaging 17.1 MPG in 23 contests.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/1/17

December 1st, 2017 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

The Celtics have assigned a pair of rookies, Guerschon Yabusele and Abdel Nader, to the G League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Both players figure to suit up for the Maine Red Claws in the club’s Friday night game.
Rookie center Ante Zizic, acquired by the Cavaliers in the Kyrie Irving blockbuster, has been re-assigned to the G League, according to a press release from the club. Zizic will play in his third game for the Canton Charge tonight after averaging a double-double (14.0 PPG, 11.5 RPG) in his first two.
The Bulls have assigned point guard Kay Felder to the Windy City Bulls, the team announced in a press release. Felder joins teammates Nikola Mirotic and Zach LaVine, who are rehabbing injuries with Chicago’s G League affiliate.
The Sixers announced today that they’ve sent rookie guard Furkan Korkmaz back to the G League, where he’ll travel with the Delaware 87ers and play for the club on Saturday against the Memphis Hustle.
After playing for Orlando’s G League affiliate on Thursday, Khem Birch and Wesley Iwundu were recalled to the NBA, the Magic confirmed (via Twitter). Birch had a huge game in a losing effort for the Lakeland Magic last night, putting up 20 points and 16 rebounds.

And-Ones: E. Okafor, Perkins, S. Brown, Wood

November 16th, 2017 at 1:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Two NBA veterans have been among the most impressive G League standouts early in the season, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Emeka Okafor, 35, has spent the past four years recovering from surgery on a herniated disc in his neck. He joined the Sixers for training camp and opted to stay with the organization’s affiliate in Delaware. He is averaging 14.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game and is shooting better than 60% from the field.

Kendrick Perkins was the Cavaliers’ final roster cut and went to Cleveland’s affiliate in Canton. He is averaging 13.0 points and 10.3 rebounds through three games. He has dropped weight and may still be able to help an NBA team at age 33.

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

Today is an important day for four players who were claimed off waivers during the offseason, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. The Bulls‘ David Nwaba and Kay Felder, the Hawks‘ Nicolas Brussino and the Bucks‘ DeAndre Liggins are all now eligible to be traded.
The Sixers used the remainder of this year’s cap space for the renegotiation/extension with Robert Covington, leaving just eight teams with cap room, according to Marks (Twitter link). They are the Bulls [$15.1MM], Mavericks [$12.5MM], Suns [$8.9MM], Pacers [$6.1MM], Kings [$4.3MM], Nets [$3.4MM], Hawks [$589K] and Magic [$549K].
Veteran guard Shannon Brown has been claimed from the G League player pool by the Wisconsin Herd, tweets Chris Reichert of 2 Ways and 10 Days. The 31-year-old last played in the NBA in 2014, when he appeared in five games with the Heat.
Christian Wood has joined the Delaware 87ers as a returning player, according to Reichert (Twitter link). He played 13 games for the Hornets last year and ended the season in the G League.
International stars are having a greater impact on the NBA than ever before, writes Tom Ziller of SB Nation. Many of the league’s best young players hail from overseas, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kristaps Porzingis, both considered early-season MVP candidates, along with Ben Simmons, Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic. Ziller credits former commissioner David Stern for his focus on expanding the league to overseas markets. That strategy not only created more revenue, it exposed the NBA to an international audience and created a new reservoir of players.

Bulls Claim Felder, Waive Eddie And Stone

October 16th, 2017 at 4:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

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.

Hawks Waive Richard Jefferson, Kay Felder

October 14th, 2017 at 11:05am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have officially requested waivers on Richard Jefferson and Kay Felder, the team announced today in a press release. Atlanta had formally confirmed their trade for Jefferson and Felder about an hour ago, so the duo’s stint with the team was very short-lived, as expected.

The Cavaliers sent Jefferson and Felder to the Hawks in order to clear a pair of contracts – one fully guaranteed and one partially guaranteed – from their books. The deal will help reduce Cleveland’s projected tax bill and gets the team’s roster in order for the start of the regular season.

From the Hawks’ perspective, the move essentially allowed the team to acquire 2019 second-round pick for free, since the Cavs sent enough cash ($3MM) to cover Jefferson’s salary and Felder’s guarantee. Jefferson’s $2.5MM salary and Felder’s $457K guarantee will remain on Atlanta’s cap for this season, reducing the team’s available cap room.

Jefferson and Felder will clear waivers on Monday, assuming they’re not claimed by another team. It will be interesting to see where each player lands, since Jefferson wants to continue his career and Felder has some appeal as a young prospect.

According to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net (Twitter link), Jefferson is drawing interest from some non-contending teams, and the Celtics could be a possibility for him too. The veteran forward isn’t eligible to re-sign with the Cavs at any point this season.

Cavs Trade Richard Jefferson, Kay Felder To Hawks

October 14th, 2017 at 9:50am CST by Austin Kent

OCTOBER 14, 9:50am: The trade is now official, according to a press release issued by the Hawks. As detailed below, Atlanta receives Jefferson, Felder, cash ($3MM), and second-round picks in 2019 and 2020 in exchange for the rights to Agravanis and Gladyr.

Interestingly, the 2020 second-rounder is Portland’s pick. The protection on that selection is 31-55, meaning there’s a good chance it won’t actually change hands.

OCTOBER 13, 5:37pm: A Wojnarowski report at ESPN clarifies that the 2019 pick heading to Atlanta will be the lesser of the Timberwolves’ and Lakers’ picks that had been owed to Cleveland.

The Hawks will also receive $3MM in the deal, which is agreed upon in principle. That cash will cover Jefferson’s full salary and Felder’s partial guarantee.

4:57pm: The Cavaliers and Hawks are in advanced talks on a deal that would send Richard Jefferson and Kay Felder to Atlanta, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports.

Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, also involved in the deal will be the draft rights to a European player (Cleveland-bound), a pair of future second-round picks (Atlanta-bound) and cash (also heading to Atlanta).

Although the deal has not been finalized, Sam Amick of USA Today has tweeted that it will be Dimitrios Agravanis and Sergiy Gladyr in particular that will be heading to Ohio. Agravanis was the No. 59 pick in 2015, Gladyr the No. 49 pick in 2009.

Amick also tweets that the second-round picks going from Cleveland to Atlanta will be a 2019 pick and a 2020 pick. The Cavs have previously traded their own second-rounders in both years, but have acquired extra picks that they’ll use in this deal.

Per Wojnarowski, the Hawks plan to waive Jefferson and likely Felder too. Chris Mannix of The Vertical tweets that Jefferson has no plans to retire, but the 37-year-old will be ineligible to re-sign with Cleveland this season if he’s waived by Atlanta.

The Cavs have been hard-pressed to unload a guaranteed contract ever since they signed Dwyane Wade after his buyout from the Bulls. Shedding both Jefferson and Felder will bump the team down to 15 guaranteed deals and, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN, save the franchise as much as $12.8MM in luxury tax penalties.

Also, as Marks notes, the deal will create a pair of trade exceptions for Cleveland, one worth $2.6MM and another worth $1.4MM.

The Hawks can get to $4.9MM under the cap, enough to eat both Jefferson and Felder’s deals. While the two are signed to modest contracts, they both include guarantees — Jefferson’s is a full guarantee, while Felder’s is only partial.

In summary, Atlanta took advantage of available cap space and managed to procure a pair of second-round picks simply by eating two relatively minor contracts. Those additional draft choices will bode the franchise well as it embarks on its rebuild.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cavs Notes: Jefferson, Felder, Calderon, Perkins

October 6th, 2017 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

With 16 players on guaranteed contracts for 2017/18, the Cavaliers will have to trade or waive one of those players within the next 10 days. A report earlier this week indicated that Richard Jefferson‘s hold on a roster spot may be the most tenuous, and Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com confirms that the team has held “early talks” with Jefferson’s agent about the possibility that the veteran forward will be the victim of the roster crunch. Still, no decision has been finalized yet, says Vardon.

Here’s more on the Cavs:

Second-year point guard Kay Felder, whose salary is only partially guaranteed, almost certainly won’t make Cleveland’s 15-man roster. However, he’s hoping to become one of the club’s two-way players, Vardon writes.
Within his latest mailbag for Cleveland.com, Vardon explains why Jose Calderon‘s roster spot appears safer than Jefferson’s. Vardon also discusses Koby Altman‘s performance as GM so far, Cleveland’s early impressions of Derrick Rose, and more Cavs-related topics.
Veteran big man Kendrick Perkins, who is in camp with the Cavaliers in the hopes of resuming his NBA career, admits that he let himself go and developed bad habits during his previous stint in the league. According to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, Perkins weighed 309 pounds when he left the Pelicans in 2016, but is back down to 267 now. “I couldn’t blame anybody but myself,” Perkins said. “It was a humbling situation being out and not getting a call last season. It was my fault for letting myself just drift off like that.”

Cavaliers Mull Looming Roster Decision

October 3rd, 2017 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

Richard Jefferson‘s hold on a roster spot in Cleveland appears somewhat tenuous, according to reports from Jason Lloyd of The Athletic and Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net.

After signing Dwyane Wade last week, the Cavaliers are now carrying 16 players on fully guaranteed contracts, plus 2016/17 holdovers Kay Felder and Edy Tavares. Even if Cleveland cuts Felder and Tavares, the club will need to trade or waive one more player from a group of candidates that likely includes Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye, Jose Calderon, and Jefferson.

Calderon has been solid for the Cavs so far, according to Lloyd, who suggests that the veteran point guard should be safe, given the uncertainty on the depth chart ahead of him. Shumpert and Frye are considered trade candidates, but their salaries ($10.34MM and $7.42MM respectively) will make them difficult to move.

That leaves Jefferson as the potential odd man out. Unlike Calderon, Jefferson is trade-eligible now, and unlike Shumpert and Frye, his salary is modest, at just $2.5MM. The Cavaliers are exploring smaller-scale trades involving Jefferson, according to Amico, and finding a taker for the veteran forward would be preferable to cutting him, since it would reduce the Cavs’ projected tax bill substantially.

However, Cleveland has gotten no traction on a deal so far, and may end up having to outright release Jefferson or another player, since rivals won’t be eager to help out the defending Eastern Conference champs. If the Cavs do find a team willing to take on Jefferson or someone else, the salary dump would likely cost Cleveland at least one draft pick and/or cash.