Lester Hudson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Harrington, Hudson, Robinson

May 15th, 2013 at 6:30pm CST by Michael Pina

A few notes from around the Eastern Conference:

Alex Kennedy reports on Hoopsworld.com that the Magic are expected to allow Al Harrington to work out for other teams next month in the hopes of attracting some trade interest for the veteran forward.
A pair of veterans playing on minimum-salary contracts, Nate Robinson and Chris Andersen, top Rob Mahoney's list at SI.com on players who have boosted their free agent stocks in the postseason.
Former Cavaliers and Celtics guard Lester Hudson was among the standouts at this week's D-League camp in Chicago, with one NBA scout telling Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that Hudson will be in the league next year (Twitter link).

International Notes: Hudson, Mensah-Bonsu, Graham

April 17th, 2013 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks are ensuring that the last day of the NBA regular season features at least a couple roster moves, but there's also plenty of roster activity going on in other professional leagues around the world. Here's the latest:

Emiliano Carchia of Sportando passes along a report suggesting that Spain's Unicaja Malaga is targeting Lester Hudson, who played for the Cavs and Grizzlies last season before averaging 27.8 PPG this year in China.
Carchia also reports that former NBA forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu will join Italian team Olimpia Milano. Mensah-Bonsu had initially been set to join Italy's Cimberio Varese, but decided to accept a better offer from Milano, according to Carchia.
Joey Graham parted ways with one Puerto Rican team earlier this week, but Luis Modestti reports (via Twitter) that the Raptors' 2005 first-round pick will continue his career with another club in Puerto Rico, signing with Mets de Guaynabo (English link via Sportando).

D-League Moves: Hudson, Douglas-Roberts, Spurs

March 15th, 2013 at 6:35pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls right here, with any additional moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:

Lester Hudson has joined the Austin Toros of the D-League, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy tweets. The former NBA guard spent most of the season playing in China, where he averaged 27.5 points and 6.6 rebounds in 15 games for the Dongguan Leopards. The 28-year-old Hudson is a veteran of three NBA seasons, and played a total of 16 games for the Cavs and Grizzlies last year.
In a piece on Delonte West, who's expected to make his debut this weekend for the D-League's Texas Legends, Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside notes Chris Douglas-Roberts has continued to work with officials from the Legends and their NBA parent club, the Mavericks, after the Mavs waived him in January. Douglas-Roberts isn't on the roster of the Legends or the Mavericks.

Earlier updates:

Aron Baynes and Nando De Colo have been assigned to the Austin Toros, the Spurs announced in a press release. Both players will be on their third D-League assignments of the season, and will be in uniform for the Toros' game tonight against the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
The Nets have assigned Tornike Shengelia and Tyshawn Taylor to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Both players have excelled in their brief stints with the Springfield Armor this season, as Shengelia has posted 26.8 PPG and 9.2 RPG in six D-League contests, while Taylor has averaged 26.5 PPG and 7.5 APG in four games with the Armor. Based on the players' previous assignments, this one likely won't last long, but both guys will be in uniform tonight against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

Lester Hudson Signs In China

October 12th, 2012 at 9:20am CST by Luke Adams

Unable to find an NBA offer to his liking, Lester Hudson has signed with the Dongguan Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to a NetEase report (Chinese link; translation via HoopsHype). Hudson becomes the second NBA free agent to sign in China this week, on the heels of Tracy McGrady's agreement with the Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles.

Hudson, 28, played for Qingdao last season, averaging an impressive 33.6 PPG to go along with 7.0 RPG and 6.3 APG in 32 contests. He has also appeared in 52 NBA games for five teams, enjoying the most succcessful stint of his three-year NBA career in 2011/12, when he averaged 12.7 points in 13 games for the Cavs. However, he was unable to secure a deal with an NBA team this summer, and was reportedly dropped from his agency after he failed to show up to a workout his representatives scheduled with the Bobcats.

"I worked so hard to get him a workout, and he didn’t show," agent Tyler Glass told Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. "The Bobcats were annoyed and they should have been. They’re a professional organization. You don’t skip out on workouts…. He really can play in the league. But what happened with the Bobcats… Word gets around."

It's not clear whether the incident involving the Bobcats significantly impacted Hudson's ability to earn a camp invite, or whether he simply received a more lucrative offer from the CBA's Leopards. Either way, we can cross another NBA free agent off the ever-dwindling list of available players.

Odds & Ends: Heat, T-Wolves, Hudson, Grizzlies

September 18th, 2012 at 4:31pm CST by Luke Adams

After weeks of consideration, the Heat appeared to conclude their hunt for a big man yesterday, inking Josh Harrellson to a non-guaranteed deal. Another team that has long been eyeing free agent bigs, the Timberwolves, continued their search today. According to Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 (via Twitter), Wolves GM David Kahn is still talking to agents, with Hassan Whiteside, Sean Williams, and others believed to be in the mix. That's one of a handful of today's odds and ends that we've yet to cover, so let's round up the rest….

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel fielded questions in his mailbag about how the signing of Harrellson would affect the Heat's roster and rotation.
Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio follows up his tweet on Lester Hudson from earlier today with a full story on Hudson's agency letting him go when he failed to attend a workout with the Bobcats. "The Bobcats ended up eating a ticket for $750," said agent Tyler Glass. "I worked so hard to get him a workout, and he didn’t show. The Bobcats were annoyed and they should have been. They’re a professional organization. You don’t skip out on workouts…. He really can play in the league. But what happened with the Bobcats… Word gets around."
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld makes his picks for the offseason's most underrated acquisitions.
The sale of the Grizzlies to Robert Pera continued to move in the right direction today, as Memphis City Council approved transfer of the city's agreement with ownership. Amos Maki of the Memphis Commercial Appeal has the details.
With Dwight Howard no longer a distraction, the Magic are excited about their new direction, writes John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com.

Free Agent Rumors: Oguchi, Howard, Tucker

September 18th, 2012 at 12:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Over two and a half months since 2012's free agent period began, a number of players are still seeking contracts with NBA teams, even if those deals are just non-guaranteed camp invites. Here's the latest updates on a few of the players still on the market:

Nigerian swingman Chamberlain Oguchi, who was said last month to be drawing NBA interest, has been updating his Twitter account with news on his workouts. Oguchi has worked out for the Spurs and Heat, and recently had a second workout with Miami, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel notes (Sulia link). According to George Akpayen of SuperSport.com, Oguchi could be nearing an agreement with the Heat on a non-guaranteed contract.
The Heat also haven't ruled out a camp invite for Juwan Howard, who continues to work out with the team, says Winderman (Sulia link).
Former first-round pick Alando Tucker is working out with the Bucks today and tomorrow, according to Tucker's Twitter feed (hat tip to Sportando).
Agent Tyler Glass tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link) that free agent guard Lester Hudson was dropped by his agency after failing to show up for a workout with the Bobcats.
Mark Deeks of ShamSports shares an interesting new detail on a free agent contract signed earlier this offseason: Nate Robinson's deal with the Bulls isn't fully guaranteed, tweets Deeks. In a second tweet, Deeks explains that $400K is guaranteed, with Robinson receiving his full salary if he's not waived by January 1st.

Odds & Ends: Lakers, Mavs, Curry, Hudson

August 22nd, 2012 at 4:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Congratulations to Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside, who has been hired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the D-League as the team's director of basketball operations. We wish Schroeder the best of luck with the Skyforce, the squad that will serve as the D-League affiliate for the Magic, Heat, Timberwolves, and 76ers this season. Let's round up a few more Wednesday odds and ends….

Lakers coach Mike Brown spoke to Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com in an extensive Q&A, discussing the Princeton offense, the team's new acquisitions, and the expectations heading into 2012/13.
SI.com's Zach Lowe explains how Mark Cuban's comments about the Mavs being in better position without Deron Williams make some sense. Still, it seems like most fans still view Cuban's argument as spin — in this morning's poll, over 78% of you said the Mavs would be better off if they'd signed D-Will.
Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com wonders what a "reasonable" extension offer by the Warriors to Stephen Curry would look like.
In a tweet, Lester Hudson shot down rumors suggesting he'd be signing with Partizan in Serbia.
Vinny Del Negro and Avery Johnson are among the coaches who could be on the hot seat with slow starts this season, writes Lang Greene of HoopsWorld.
Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution examines how free agent signee Lou Williams will fit into the Hawks' lineup.
Wes Unseld Jr. is a candidate to join the Magic coaching staff, tweets Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.

Warriors, Suns Interested In Hudson, Barbosa?

August 16th, 2012 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

Last month, we heard that Lester Hudson's agent Tyler Glass was confident about his client's chances of securing an NBA job this offseason. Hudson has yet to sign a deal, but he appears to continue to draw interest, at least. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link), the Warriors are believed to be interested in Hudson, and the Suns could have some interest as well. The team executive that spoke to Amico also speculated that the Warriors and Suns could be interested in Leandro Barbosa.

Both Hudson and Barbosa are backcourt players that could provide scoring off the bench wherever they land. Neither the Warriors or Suns have a desperate need for that sort of player, but neither team is stacked at shooting guard either — Golden State heads into the season with second-year man Klay Thompson starting and Brandon Rush as his likely backup, while the Suns figure to employ a combination of Wesley Johnson and Shannon Brown at the position.

The Warriors used most of their mid-level exception to sign Carl Landry and Draymond Green, so they can probably only offer the minimum salary, making them an unlikely destination for Barbosa. However, the Suns still have a chunk of cap space to use if they decide to pursue either player.

Lester Hudson Drawing Interest

July 27th, 2012 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

Lester Hudson isn't exactly a household name, but he's appeared in 52 NBA games over the last three seasons, most recently impressing the Cavs on a pair of 10-day contracts before finishing out the 2011/12 season with the Grizzlies. Hudson remains unsigned so far this summer, but agent Tyler Glass tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link) that he feels good about Hudson finding an NBA job before training camps begin.

Glass declined to name specific teams that had expressed interest in his client, but according to Amico, the Thunder are believed to be among Hudson's potential suitors (Sulia link). Amico tweeted earlier this week that the Nuggets have some interest as well. It's unclear if either the Cavs or Grizzlies are interested in bringing Hudson back.

In 16 games in Cleveland and Memphis in 2011/12, Hudson averaged 10.9 points in 20.9 minutes per contest, recording a 13.9 PER. All those numbers were career highs for the 2009 second-rounder.

O.J. Mayo To Become Unrestricted Free Agent

June 29th, 2012 at 11:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies will not extend a qualifying offer to O.J. Mayo to make him a restricted free agent, reports Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). The decision means that Mayo will become an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team, without the Grizz having the opportunity to match offers.