Romero Osby Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Osby, Nash, Perkins, Wittman

November 4th, 2013 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics‘ D-League affiliate in Maine has acquired a pair of players who were in NBA camps last month, according to a release from the team. 2013 Magic draftee Romero Osby and Bobcats camp invitee Abdul Gaddy are now on the Red Claws’ roster. While the deals ensure that Boston’s D-League team will get a first-hand look at the two young players, there’s nothing stopping either player from signing with an NBA team besides the Celtics.

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends as the NBA regular season enters its second week….

Doug Smith of the Toronto Star is the latest writer to dismiss a rumor connecting Steve Nash and the Raptors, tweeting that it took “about four minutes” to debunk.
While he quickly removed the tweet, Kendrick Perkins said last night after playing a season-low 16 minutes against the Suns that it “might be time for a change.” Royce Young of Daily Thunder passes along a screenshot of the deleted tweet.
Tom Ziller of SBNation.com predicts the Wizards‘ Randy Wittman will be the first head coach fired this season, and suggests three potential replacements for Washington. Sam Smith of Bulls.com also identifies Wittman’s seat as the hottest among NBA coaches.
Quincy Douby was drafted 19th overall in 2006, but only lasted three seasons in the NBA before bouncing around among several international teams over the last few years. Now, he’s back in America and will play for the Sioux Falls Skyforce to start the D-League season. As he tells Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld, Douby is hoping the skills and maturity he has developed overseas will help him land an NBA job.
A subpar group of 2014 free agent point guards will ensure that Eric Bledsoe and Greivis Vasquez make out well on their next contracts, despite not inking extensions last week, writes Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops.
Oliver Braun, the GM of the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig in Germany, spoke to a German outlet about the tumultuous negotiations with the Hawks over Dennis Schröder‘s buyout, and Emiliano Carchia of Sportando provides a translation of some of Braun’s comments.
Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival breaks down the offseason player movement among the NBA and the leagues considered to be the top European domestic leagues.

Celtics Rumors: Brooks, D-League, Osby

October 29th, 2013 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Jared Sullinger got some good news and bad news today, as Celtics GM Danny Ainge indicated that the team would pick up the forward’s third-year option for 2014/15. However, the team also announced that Sullinger would be suspended for a game to start the ’13/14 season. While Sullinger had domestic charges against him dismissed in court, the club elected to suspend him for one game for “failing to meet the high expectations we have for all Celtics employees.” As Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes, the former Buckeye understand and accepts the club’s decision.

Here’s more from out of Boston:

The Celtics don’t intend to exercise MarShon Brooks‘ fourth-year option, as we heard earlier today, and Forsberg has more details from Ainge on the team’s decision: “With MarShon, we haven’t enough chance to evaluate him in a fair way and so we probably won’t pick up his extension. But we will retain his Bird Rights and I’m sure he’ll get plenty of opportunities this year to see if he fits our system.”
According to Forsberg, Ainge would be open to all four Celtics camp invitees – Chris Babb, Damen Bell-Holter, DeShawn Sims and Kammron Taylor – joining the team’s D-League affiliate. NBA clubs are only allowed to retain the D-League rights for three players, but the Maine Red Claws already held Sims’ rights. Those players have yet to decide on whether to play in the D-League or pursue overseas jobs, so it’s not clear yet which ones will land in Maine.
The Red Claws are also trying to add another team’s camp invitee, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com, who reports that the Celtics’ D-League affiliate is attempting to obtain the rights to Romero Osby. Because Osby attended camp with Orlando, his rights belong to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, but the Magic share their D-League affiliate with five other NBA clubs, so their influence is limited. According to Charania, Osby is finalizing a D-League deal, and while the Celtics are in the lead to acquire his rights, the Warriors, Thunder, Spurs, and Nets have also expressed interest.
Ainge also suggested today that Jordan Crawford won’t be extended by Thursday, but a new deal for Avery Bradley is still a possibility.

Eastern Rumors: Granger, Raptors, Osby

October 28th, 2013 at 10:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

After missing nearly the entire 2012/13 season, Danny Granger is off to an ominous start this season as well. Entering the final year of his contract, Granger will be sidelined for the next three weeks as he recovers from a calf injury, the Pacers announced today. Indiana held off on trading Granger this summer, optimistic that he’d bounce back from an injury-plagued season and help the team overcome the Heat on the way to a title. As we wonder whether that optimism remains for team president Larry Bird and company, here’s the latest out of the East:

Sources tell Bruce Arthur of the National Post that Raptors GM Masai Ujiri has talked about trading Rudy Gay, though it’s unclear whether those discussions were within the organization or involved other teams. Arthur also passes along thoughts from Ujiri about setting the Raptors on the right course toward contention.
HoopsWorld’s Eric Pincus confirms to Hoops Rumors that the Magic are paying Romero Osby $100K this year, despite his earlier report that Osby’s partial guarantee would only kick in if he made the opening-night roster. The team waived Osby on Friday. Pincus lists the $100K on the Magic’s updated salary page at HoopsWorld.
Khalif Wyatt, whom the Sixers released last week, has signed a one-year deal with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, reports Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News speculates that Thaddeus Young would most likely be the centerpiece of any trade the Sixers make this year. Part of Cooney’s suspicion that an early-season trade might be in the works was based on the team’s roster standing at 14 players, but the Sixers got back up to the 15-man limit when they signed Brandon Davies today.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Magic Cut Gladness, Harris, Joseph, Osby

October 25th, 2013 at 9:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic have waived Mickell Gladness, Manny Harris, Kris Joseph and Romero Osby, the team announced via press release. That means camp invitee Solomon Jones appears to have made the team, since the moves pare Orlando’s roster down to 15 players. The move is also fortuitous news for Kyle O’Quinn, who has a non-guaranteed deal just like Jones and the four who got cut.

Osby may be the most notable subtraction, since he was the team’s second-round pick this past June. His deal called for him to make $682,180 this season, more than every other second-rounder from this year except one, despite the fact he was drafted 51st overall, closer to the end of the second-round than the beginning. It was fully non-guaranteed, but it would have become guaranteed for $100K had he made it to opening night. He appeared to have been battling Jones for a roster spot, and the seven-year veteran’s dependability and experience gave him the edge, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).

Gladness, Harris and Joseph all have NBA experience, too, though the three of them put together have less than half as many NBA games under their belts as Jones does. All four of the players cut will become free agents once they clear waivers.

Southeast Notes: Arenas, LeBron, Heat, Magic

October 23rd, 2013 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

As we noted earlier today, Gilbert Arenas will be paid through 2016 by the Magic, despite the fact that his amnestied contract was set to expire after the 2013/14 season. NBA sources confirmed the arrangement to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel, who says the Magic used the stretch provision to extend Arenas’ payment schedule. I’m not sure that’s accurate, since that specific provision only applies to deals signed under the new CBA. But in any case, Schmitz reports that the revised payment plan shouldn’t affect any free agent plans the team has.

Here are a few more notes from out of Southeast Division:

LeBron James will earn more than $19MM in 2013/14, but he could still be the NBA’s most underpaid player, as Larry Coon details in an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com.
Speaking to reporters, including Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Pat Riley referred to the Heat as a “development team” and called the Sioux Falls Skyforce (Miami’s D-League affiliate) a perfect fit for the Heat. A handful of Miami’s camp invitees are expected to end up in Sioux Falls next month.
In a pair of columns for the Orlando Sentinel, Josh Robbins examines the fight to earn a roster spot for two Magic camp invitees, Romero Osby and Solomon Jones. Assuming Orlando doesn’t release or buy out Hedo Turkoglu within the next few days, Osby and Jones could be battling against each other and against the team’s other invitees for a single roster spot.

Highest-Paid Rookies On Non-Scale Deals

October 12th, 2013 at 2:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

Negotiations between the Magic and 51st overall pick Romero Osby seemed to move at a snail’s pace, and it wasn’t until three months after draft night, just as training camp was starting, that the team finally announced it had a deal. Happy Walters of Relativity Sports didn’t make his client wait without reason. The Magic wound up using part of their mid-level exception to give Osby a three-year deal that includes a first-year salary of $682,180, according to HoopsWorld’s Eric Pincus, making him more highly paid this season than all but one other player taken in the second round this June. The contract reverts to the minimum salary in seasons two and three, and it’s non-guaranteed, but it does call for a $100K partial guarantee on this season to kick in if he makes the opening-night roster.

Osby’s deal will give him less than Andre Roberson, this year’s lowest-paid player among those signing the rookie scale contracts afforded first-round picks. It’s still an accomplishment for Walters and company, since Osby is one of only 14 rookies who weren’t drafted in the first round to sign for more than the minimum this year. The four highest earners among them aren’t second-round picks. They’re players from overseas who signed with their teams as free agents, led by Vitor Faverani, who secured $2MM from the Celtics.

Allen Crabbe, the first player drafted in the second round this year, checks in fifth on that list. He’s followed by Dwight Buycks, an American-born player who went undrafted in 2011, plied his trade in the D-League and international circuits, and wound up with a guaranteed $700K from the Raptors.

Draft position doesn’t dictate how much a second-round pick will earn as a rookie, as Osby demonstrates. Ricky Ledo, the 43rd overall pick, is set to earn more this year than five players taken ahead of him. And, as you can see in our complete list of this year’s highest paid rookies not taken in the first-round, the draft order is jumbled throughout.

Vitor Faverani, Celtics: $2MM (signed as a free agent)
Luigi Datome, Pistons, $1.75MM (signed as a free agent)
Miroslav Raduljica, Bucks, $1.5MM (signed as a free agent)
Pero Antic, Hawks: $1.2MM (signed as a free agent)
Allen Crabbe, Trail Blazers: $825K (31st overall pick)
Dwight Buycks, Raptors: $700K (signed as a free agent)
Romero Osby, Magic: $682,180 (51st overall pick)
Isaiah Canaan, Rockets: $570,515 (34th overall pick)
Ricky Ledo, Mavericks $544K (43rd overall pick)
Jamaal Franklin, Grizzlies: $535K (41st overall pick)
Ray McCallum, Kings: $524,616 (36th overall pick)
Carrick Felix, Cavaliers: $510K (33rd overall pick)
Tony Mitchell, Pistons: $500K (37th overall pick)
Nate Wolters, Bucks: $500K (38th overall pick)

HoopsWorld and ShamSports were used in the creation of this post.

Magic Sign Osby, Four Free Agents

September 27th, 2013 at 12:33pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 27TH: The Magic have officially announced their camp invitees in a press release. However, although Osby, Jones, Joseph, and Harris were confirmed, the team's announcement mentions big man Mickell Gladness rather than Micheal Eric.

It's not clear whether the name was originally misreported, or if an issue arose that led Orlando to bring in Gladness rather than Eric. For now though, it seems as if Eric isn't a part of the team's camp roster, while Gladness is.

SEPTEMBER 19TH: The Magic currently have 14 players on their roster, but will take advantage of increased offseason roster limits to bring five more players to camp, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Schmitz reports (via Twitter) that Solomon Jones, Kris Joseph, Manny Harris, and Micheal Eric will be in camp with Orlando. The team is also bringing second-rounder Romero Osby to camp, though the two sides are still negotiating a contract, says Schmitz (Twitter link).

Although Jones and Joseph each saw NBA action in 2012/13, neither played extensive minutes. Jones, a big man who has spent time with five NBA teams, appeared in two games for the Knicks last season. Meanwhile, Joseph shuffled back and forth between the Nets and Celtics, and was included in the summer's Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce blockbuster before he was waived by Boston. The 24-year-old forward was said to have a deal with a Chinese team, but it appears he'll try to earn an NBA roster spot before exploring options overseas.

Harris and Eric both have some history with the Cavaliers, though Harris is the only one of the two that has NBA experience. Harris, 23, appeared in 80 games for the Cavs from 2010 to 2012, averaging 6.2 PPG in 17.4 minutes per contest. He spent last season playing in the Ukraine, as our international tracker shows. As for Eric, he participated in camp with Cleveland last fall before joining the club's D-League affiliate in Canton.

While the five additions to the camp roster will bring Orlando's roster count to 19, only 12 players have fully guaranteed contracts. Kyle O'Quinn's deal won't become guaranteed until opening night, and Schmitz tweets that the club continues to negotiate a buyout with Hedo Turkoglu, whose $12MM salary is only 50% guaranteed. Assuming O'Quinn is ticketed for the regular-season roster and Turkoglu isn't, there should be one or two spots up for grabs in camp.

Magic Inviting Five Players To Camp

September 19th, 2013 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic currently have 14 players on their roster, but will take advantage of increased offseason roster limits to bring five more players to camp, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Schmitz reports (via Twitter) that Solomon Jones, Kris Joseph, Manny Harris, and Micheal Eric will be in camp with Orlando. The team is also bringing second-rounder Romero Osby to camp, though the two sides are still negotiating a contract, says Schmitz (Twitter link).

Although Jones and Joseph each saw NBA action in 2012/13, neither played extensive minutes. Jones, a big man who has spent time with five NBA teams, appeared in two games for the Knicks last season. Meanwhile, Joseph shuffled back and forth between the Nets and Celtics, and was included in the summer's Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce blockbuster before he was waived by Boston. The 24-year-old forward was said to have a deal with a Chinese team, but it appears he'll try to earn an NBA roster spot before exploring options overseas.

Harris and Eric both have some history with the Cavaliers, though Harris is the only one of the two that has NBA experience. Harris, 23, appeared in 80 games for the Cavs from 2010 to 2012, averaging 6.2 PPG in 17.4 minutes per contest. He spent last season playing in the Ukraine, as our international tracker shows. As for Eric, he participated in camp with Cleveland last fall before joining the club's D-League affiliate in Canton.

While the five additions to the camp roster will bring Orlando's roster count to 19, only 12 players have fully guaranteed contracts. Kyle O'Quinn's deal won't become guaranteed until opening night, and Schmitz tweets that the club continues to negotiate a buyout with Hedo Turkoglu, whose $12MM salary is only 50% guaranteed. Assuming O'Quinn is ticketed for the regular-season roster and Turkoglu isn't, there should be one or two spots up for grabs in camp.

Latest On Magic, Romero Osby

September 4th, 2013 at 8:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

A report earlier today indicated that the Magic were close to losing their rights to second-round draft pick Romero Osby, but the team has offered Osby a deal in advance of Friday's deadline for them to do so, HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler tweets. That echoes what Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel wrote this weekend about the Magic's plan to bring Osby aboard. Teams have until September 6th each year to make an offer of at least the rookie minimum salary to their second-round picks from the June draft. Otherwise, the players become free agents. Osby and the Magic will likely reach agreement on a contract at some point soon, according to Kyler, who adds that both sides have interest in getting a deal done (Twitter links).

The Magic drafted Osby 51st overall out of the University of Oklahoma. The 6'7" 23-year-old played out of position for the Sooners, and that hurt his draft stock, Kyler says (on Twitter). He averaged 16.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in his senior year, and he put up 11.0 PPG and 4.4 RPG in 21.1 minutes per contest with the Magic's summer league team.

Orlando has 14 players under contract, but only 12 of those deals are fully guaranteed, so it seems like there's plenty of room for Osby, even given the team's apparent interest in Devin Ebanks. The Magic would lose Osby's rights if they bring him to training camp and cut him, so if they sign him, he'll likely remain with the team into the regular season.

Magic Notes: Turkoglu, Osby, Training Camp

September 2nd, 2013 at 8:56am CST by Zachary Links

Jameer Nelson hasn't had to worry about his starting job in a long, long time, but that changed this summer when the Magic decided to see what Victor Oladipo could offer at the point guard position. It was a move that raised a few eyebrows around the league since the Indiana University product wasn't know for having exceptional ball handling as a two-guard. However, Oladipo impressed during summer league and there could be a position battle brewing in Orlando. Here's more on the Magic, courtesy of Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel..

The Magic are working on a buyout with Hedo Turkoglu and it sounds as though he'll have a nice opportunity waiting for him if it goes through. According to reports out of Turkey, Fenerbahce Ulker has made an offer to the veteran worth roughly $3.4MM. The Magic are on the hook for $6MM of Hedo's $12MM 2014/15 salary and the full amount becomes guaranteed if he's still on the roster by January 7th. The 34-year-old is coming off of a down season in which he was suspended 20 games for anabolic steroid use.
Orlando plans to give second-round pick Romero Osby an invite to camp with an opportunity to make the roster this year. The combo forward out of Oklahoma showed promise while playing in games during the Orlando Summer League.
With Nik Vucevic as the team's only legitimate center, the Magic plan to invite two big men to camp, along with a guard and a wing.