Maalik Wayns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sixers Re-Sign Maalik Wayns

January 8th, 2013 at 4:22pm CST by Luke Adams

4:22pm: The Sixers have officially re-signed Wayns to a 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release. Wayns just cleared waivers at 4:00pm central time, so Philadelphia didn't waste much time bringing him back into the fold.

TUESDAY, 3:22pm: The Sixers haven't definitely decided to re-sign Wayns yet, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com (via Twitter). Wayns could ultimately rejoin the team, but the Sixers still seem to be exploring all their options, says Charnia, adding that Jannero Pargo doesn't appear to be on Philadelphia's radar.

MONDAY, 1:01pm: It's been less than 24 hours since we heard that Maalik Wayns had been released by the 76ers, but the rookie guard will re-sign with the team tomorrow, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. According to Kennedy, Wayns will rejoin the Sixers on a 10-day contract.

Wayns has appeared in 20 games for the Sixers this season, averaging 2.5 PPG in 7.8 minutes per contest. Bringing the 21-year-old back on a 10-day deal gives the Sixers the flexibility of not having to guarantee his contract for the season. Philadelphia is essentially just postponing its decision on whether or not to keep Wayns around all year — the team could sign him to two 10-day contracts before deciding whether to give him a rest-of-season deal.

A report in late December had indicated that Philadelphia was seeking point guard help, even with Wayns and Royal Ivey on the roster backing up Jrue Holiday. After Wayns was released yesterday, coach Doug Collins suggested the Sixers may seek out a point guard that can defend the pick-and-roll (Twitter link via Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com). It's not clear whether that's something the club will still pursue, or if Philadelphia is satisfied its point guards with Wayns back in the fold.

76ers Waive Maalik Wayns

January 6th, 2013 at 5:13pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Marc Stein of ESPN (via Twitter) reports that the 76ers have released guard Maalik Wayns. The Villanova product had played in 20 games this season, averaging 2.5 PPG in 7.8 MPG.

Stein also tweets that although Philadelphia has the option of offering another 10-day contract to Wayns once he clears waivers, it isn't clear whether or not the team will go after someone else instead. The roster now stands at 13.

Eastern Notes: Varejao, Pietrus, Celtics

November 29th, 2012 at 10:36pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao received as good a vote of confidence as one can get from head coach Byron Scott, who called the Brazilian big man "the best center in the NBA right now." Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio writes that Varejao's statistical production makes Scott's statement a difficult one to disagree with, also mentioning that some fans have wondered if Cleveland should take advantage of his value and trade him. With that being said, Amico asserts that Cavaliers brass currently has no intention of dealing their most tenured veteran. For the rest of tonight's tidbits from the Eastern Conference, you can find them below:

Bill McCandless, the agent of Mickael Pietrus, told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com about the other teams that that had been under consideration while they had waited for the right opportunity in free agency. Whereas the Rockets and Timberwolves were potential destinations in the West, McCandless listed the Bulls and Hawks as the other Eastern Conference teams which had been in the hunt along with Toronto.
Celtics coach Doc Rivers offered a poignant comment about Rajon Rondo and the current state of his team, telling reporters: “I don’t know if I want to rally around my 6-foot guard being the enforcer. That’s nice but at the end of the day, if that’s the threat you’re sending, the other team has to feel [good]" (Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com reports). Although we heard Rivers say earlier that the team is in no rush to make any changes to the roster, Petraglia hypothetically mentioned Kenyon Martin as a possible target if Boston decided to look into free agency for help.
Aside from wanting rookie guard Maalik Wayns to become a more accomplished defender, 76ers coach Doug Collins likes the direction of his development, writes Mark Narducci of Philly.com.
Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer points out that Zydrunas Ilgauskas was at the Cavaliers' practice facility on Thursday to help Byron Scott teach forward Tristan Thompson about making quicker decisions and moves offensively to counter shotblockers.
Mary Schmitt Boyer (also of the Plain Dealer) discusses the challenge that Danny Ferry faces in building the Hawks into a playoff contender, just as he had done in Cleveland from 2005 to 2010.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes that Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap has taken notice of Jeff Taylor's development as the rookie has stepped in to fill the void left by Gerald Henderson's injury. In another article, Bonnell mentions that the continued lobbying of New Orleans Hornets owners to rebrand their franchise could mean an opportunity for Charlotte to re-acquire the Hornets nickname.
Nate Taylor of The New York Times discusses Tyson Chandler's offensive efficiency as of late, noting that the 7'1 Knicks center is averaging a career best in points (12.0 PPG) and leading the league in field goal percentage at 71.8%.

Atlantic Rumors: Blatche, Wayns, Shurna

October 8th, 2012 at 9:31am CST by Chuck Myron

It's been less than a week since training camp started for most teams, but a few players are already staking claims to roster spots that were up for grabs. A pair of camp invitees appear to be making significant strides toward jobs in the Atlantic Division, according to reports.

Former Wizards big man Andray Blatche is with the Nets on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal, but Tim Bontemps of the New York Post says "it's pretty clear" Blatche will be in the team's rotation to start the season, and is a "lock" to be on the floor whenever starting center Brook Lopez needs a break. Nets coach Avery Johnson says the team believes Blatche "could be one of the steals of free agency," echoing a comment from former NBA coach John Lucas, who spent the summer helping Blatche work back from last year's disappointing season in Washington.
Undrafted rookie Maalik Wayns had a strong training camp with the Sixers, and could wind up as the backup to point guard Jrue Holiday at the start of the regular season, John Hollinger of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link). Wayns signed a minimum-salary deal that's partially guaranteed for $75K. The Sixers only have 12 players on fully guaranteed deals, and Wayns is the lone camp invitee with a partial guarantee, so he seems a strong bet to make the opening day roster.
John Shurna isn't turning quite as many heads in Knicks camp, but he's made a positive impression on coach Mike Woodson so far, as Zach Braziller of the New York Post writes. The 6'9" Shurna's minimum-salary contract is partially guaranteed for $50K, and Braziller believes he's competing with five others for the last spot on the team.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Nets, Knicks

October 4th, 2012 at 9:53pm CST by Ryan Raroque

It's the third day of Celtics training camp, and Brian Scalabrine and Mike Gorman spoke on CSNNE.com about who would possibly be Kevin Garnett's primary back up at the center position. Scalabrine thinks that while Darko Milicic and Jason Collins are both prime candidates, rookie Fab Melo might find his way to the D-League early on to refine his game first. Kevin Garnett also provided input on Jared Sullinger and Melo, saying that both have impressive work ethic. Here's what else we're hearing out of the Atlantic Division this evening…

Nets rookie guard Tyshawn Taylor is recovering from a strained right quad, but remains anxiously eager to prove himself to the team's coaches. The former Kansas Jayhawk also said that watching the team practice while being sidelined is helping him become acquainted with how the team is expected to run (Tim Bontempts of the New York Post writes).
According to John N. Mitchell of Philly.com, Spencer Hawes is excited about playing power forward next to Andrew Bynum. The former Washington Huskies big man has mostly been playing center since entering the league, but believes he has the skill-set to mesh well with the former Lakers star.
John R. Finger of CSN Philly writes about how Maalik Wayns can contribute to the 76ers with his speed and scoring ability. Dei Lynam of CSN Philly says that Dorell Wright has been impressive in camp, especially with his shooting and playmaking ability. Also, Max Rappaport of NBA.com looks at how Dorell, Jason Richardson, and Nick Young form a remarkable combination of viable outside shooters.
Knicks point guard Raymond Felton has lost 20 pounds since leaving the Trail Blazers and currently weights 207 pounds, according to Ben Golliver of the Blazers Edge. Felton admitted that his conditioning issues to start the 2011-12 season significantly affected his play early on.

Atlantic Links: Sixers, Ujiri, Wayns, White, Nets

October 2nd, 2012 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Before the 76ers promoted Tony DiLeo to general manager last month, we heard a report that the Sixers had made a run at Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri. However, Nuggets president Josh Kroenke said on Monday that Philadelphia's interest in Ujiri didn't get the Sixers far. According to Kroenke, the Nuggets didn't allow the Sixers to even talk to their GM, as Adrian Dater of the Denver Post writes.

"You hire good people for a reason, and sometimes other people take notice of that," Kroenke said. "But we never gave permission to Philly to talk to Masai."

Here are a few more Tuesday updates out of the Atlantic Division:

76ers backcourt mainstays Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner both had praise for Maalik Wayns, who grew up a Sixer fan and is excited to be in Philadelphia. Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News has the details.
Even though the offseason didn't play out exactly how the Celtics anticipated, team president Danny Ainge feels like "the things that we lost we were able to replace in a big way" (link via CSNNE.com).
James White tells Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside that he doesn't expect to play in the D-League if he fails to earn a roster spot with the Knicks.
According to Nets GM Billy King, the Magic were "determined to send [Dwight Howard] west" when Brooklyn was trying to land D12. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes that King has done well to build a contender in the East without acquiring Howard.
Nets forward Kris Humphries has hired Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media as his agent, according to Bloomberg's Scott Soshnick.

Odds & Ends: Lakers, Thunder, Wayns

August 12th, 2012 at 10:21pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Sunday night:

Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida says the newly-retooled Lakers could pose a significant threat to the defending champion Heat.
The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry writes that the Lakers' acquisition of Dwight Howard is only the latest reminder that big-market teams have significant advantages over small-market teams, even contenders such as the Thunder.
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio is impressed with Sixers guard Maalik Wayns, who went undrafted in June's draft.

Sixers Sign Maalik Wayns

July 31st, 2012 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 10:32am: The Sixers have officially signed Wayns, the team announced today in a press release.

MONDAY, 8:50am: The 76ers and Maalik Wayns have agreed to terms on a contract that will earn him an invite to training camp, according to Terry Toohey of the Times Herald. Having played his college ball at Villanova, Wayns is a local product that went undrafted after entering the draft following his junior year.

According to Toohey, Wayns' deal is similar to the one Lavoy Allen signed a year ago when the Sixers selected him in the second round. The contract will include a small guarantee, and figures to pay Wayns the rookie minimum if he earns a spot on the team's roster.

Wayns, 21, averaged 17.6 points and 4.6 assists per game in his final season at Villanova. Wayns played for the Magic in the Orlando Summer League and was slated to play for the Warriors in Las Vegas before a groin injury made him unavailable. The 6'2" guard also worked out for the Sixers in the weeks leading up to June's draft.

Draft Notes: Friday

June 29th, 2012 at 11:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Now that the 2012 draft is officially a thing of the past, we shouldn't require multiple posts to round up all the day's draft-related content, like we did on Thursday. But even with the draft over, a few updates continue to trickle in. We'll round up today's leftover draft notes here, adding any new items to the top throughout the day….

Sean Deveney of The Sporting News offers grades for each team's draft, and The Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat shares his list of winners and losers.

Earlier updates:

Draft Notes: Sleepers, Bobcats, Hornets, Wayns

June 5th, 2012 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

With just over three weeks remaining until draft day, ESPN.com's Fran Fraschilla (Insider link) identifies five prospects he feels are undervalued: Terrence Ross, Jared Cunningham, Andrew Nicholson, Royce White, and Moe Harkless. With a number of workouts, interviews, and trades still to come, there's plenty of time for players' stocks to fluctuate dramatically in the coming weeks, so there's no guarantee those five players will stay undervalued for long. As we count down the days until June 28th, let's check in on a few of today's other draft updates….