Shelvin Mack

Sixers Sign Shelvin Mack To 10-Day Contract

The 76ers have signed Shelvin Mack to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. No corresponding roster move is required to make room for Mack, since Philadelphia has a roster spot open, and will open up another one when Maalik Wayns' 10-day deal expires tonight.

Mack, 23, has averaged 3.8 PPG and 2.2 APG in 13.0 minutes per contests in 71 career NBA games with the Wizards, but was cut by Washington earlier this month. The Butler product has been very productive for the D-League's Maine Red Claws this season, averaging 20.5 PPG and 8.0 APG while shooting .462/.418/.896 in 14 games.

As for Wayns, he's set to become a free agent and will be able to sign another 10-day contract with the Sixers or any other NBA team. Grantland's Zach Lowe (Twitter link) hears the rookie is already drawing interest from D-League clubs.

Wizards Waive Shelvin Mack

The Wizards have released Shelvin Mack, the team announced today in a press release. It's the second time Mack has been cut by Washington this season, and it ensures that his salary won't become guaranteed.

Mack inititally received a $300K guaranteed on a minimum-salary contract from the Wizards, but was waived prior to the start of the regular season. He rejoined the team just before Christmas on a non-guaranteed deal and appeared in seven games, averaging 5.3 PPG and 3.3 APG in just over 20 minutes per contest.

The Wizards now have 14 players remaining on their roster, including Garrett Temple, whose contract will become guaranteed for the remainder of the season, according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post (via Twitter).

Odds & Ends: Guaranteed Contracts, Nowitzki, Lakers

Tomorrow at 5PM EST marks a significant deadline in the NBA, as players who are currently on non-guaranteed contracts kept after that point will have their deals guaranteed for the rest of the season. While the official deadline for contracts to become fully guaranteed is listed as January 10, ESPN's Marc Stein pointed out yesterday that teams who decide to release a player on a non-guaranteed contract will have to do so by tomorrow in order for them to clear waivers by Thursday. We've seen quite a handful of teams release some of their non-guaranteed pacts today, and with less than 24 hours left to go, there could be more of those types of transactions to come. With that in mind, you can find tonight's miscellaneous links from around the NBA here: 

  • Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune talks about the need for Minnesota's Derrick Williams to step up and contribute with Kevin Love sidelined by a hand injury. 
  • Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas notes Dirk Nowitzki's feelings of uncertainty with the direction of the Mavericks' franchise and expressed thoughts on whether or not he should be traded. After acknowledging the team's failed attempt of luring Deron Williams or Dwight Howard, Nowitzki didn't seem too enthused about Dallas' chances of adding a marquee name of that caliber in the near future. 
  • HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler thinks that Lakers' rookies Robert Sacre and Darius Johnson-Odom could be the next in line to be waived in order to avoid paying more luxury tax on their deals. He also thinks that Johnson-Odom would be more likely to be released than Sacre (Twitter links).
  • Michael Lee of The Washington Post wrote that tonight's matchup with the Heat and tomorrow's game against the Thunder are critical for Wizards guards Garrett Temple and Shelvin Mack, who are both currently on non-guaranteed contracts. 
  • During an interview on NBC's Chris Mannix Show, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports said that there is a very good chance that the Grizzlies move Rudy Gay or one of their high-salaried contracts by the February trade deadline. Also, he does not believe Royce White will ever play in the NBA (Twitter links). 
  • Mark Deeks of ShamSports tweets that it's not unusual for teams to waive a player before their contract becomes guaranteed before subsequently re-signing him for the rest of the season. 
  • After last night's win at the Target Center, Trail Blazers swingman Nicolas Batum admitted that he drew some motivation from wanting to prove to the Timberwolves and their fans that he was worth the offer sheet that Minnesota presented to him last summer (Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reports).

Odds & Ends: Varejao, Asik, Pistons, Mavs, Mack

After a busy Christmas Day in the NBA, there's no let-up on Boxing Day, with all but six teams in action later tonight — the Bulls and the Pacers will be two of the teams with today off, after Indiana announced that tonight's game would be postponed due to poor weather conditions. As we look forward to a full evening slate, we'll check in on a few updates from around the NBA:

  • Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio answered reader questions about the Cavaliers in a chat, saying that he believes that if Cleveland is to trade Anderson Varejao, it's likely that would happen this season, with the Cavs looking for a big man and multiple first-round picks in return.
  • Omer Asik burned his old team for 20 points and 18 rebounds yesterday, and what makes it even more painful for the Bulls is that backup center has been one of Chicago’s weaknesses this season, as Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes.
  • According to coach Lawrence Frank, the Pistons aren't ready to hand over major minutes to Andre Drummond and other young players at the cost of trying to win games now. If the organization goes in that direction later this season, the club will be upfront about the decision, says Frank. MLive.com's David Mayo has the details.
  • The Mavericks also continue to prioritize wins over player development, though coach Rick Carlisle tells Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that player development is a "major focus of our team."
  • Wizards coach Randy Wittman told Shelvin Mack that what prompted the team to sign him wasn't his prior experience with Washington, but his play in the D-League, where he was in the top 10 in both scoring and assists, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post chronicles.
  • Mo Williams, playing in a contract year, will be sidelined indefinitely with what the Jazz are calling a "severely sprained" right thumb, says Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Wizards Sign Shelvin Mack, Garrett Temple

The Wizards have officially signed Shelvin Mack and Garrett Temple, the team announced today in a press release. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported that Washington would bring back Mack, while ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported that Temple was expected to sign with the Wizards.

Both Mack and Temple had been playing in the D-League, for the Maine Red Claws and Reno Bighorns, respectively. In 10 starts for Maine, Mack had averaged 20.2 PPG and 7.1 APG while playing over 40 minutes per contest. Temple, meanwhile, has started nine games for the Bighorns, averaging 14.7 PPG and 5.8 APG.

The Wizards released Earl Barron and Shaun Livingston over the weekend, clearing a pair of roster spots. At the time, Michael Lee of the Washington Post indicated that Washington would likely bring in backcourt reinforcements to fill those roster spots. Barron's and Livingston's deals were non-guaranteed, and I would expect Mack's and Temple's will be as well, meaning the team will have a couple weeks to decide whether to keep the duo on board, guaranteeing their contracts.

Southeast Notes: Bosh, Wizards, Varnado, Heat

An early roundup of links from around the Southeast Division on Christmas Eve:

Wizards To Re-Sign Shelvin Mack

The Wizards will sign Shelvin Mack out of the D-League, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Washington drafted Mack with the 34th overall pick in 2011 and waived him at the end of camp this year, absorbing his partial guarantee of $300K. Mack will get a new contract with the Wizards, likely for the minimum salary.

Mack has been playing with the Maine Red Claws of the D-League, and is the circuit’s 10th-leading scorer, at 20.2 points per game, and fifth-leading assist-maker, averaging 7.1 dimes per contest. He saw action in 64 games for Washington last season, posting numbers of 3.6 PPG and 2.0 APG in 12.2 minutes per game. The Wizards were reportedly looking for backcourt help following the release of Shaun Livingston and Earl Barron last night, but it’s unclear whether they’ll stop here or add a 15th player to the roster. 

Wojnarowski tweets that Mack is expected to join the Wizards on Monday, which is the earliest he could do so, since Washington cannot fit him on to the roster until Livingston and Barron clear waivers. The Wizards don’t play again until Wednesday. Mack represents the latest in a series of point guards the team has turned to in the absence of John Wall, out indefinitely with an injured left patella. They chose Jannero Pargo over Mack to start the season, and waived Pargo in favor of Livingston on November 15th. A.J. Price has remained on the roster all season, but he’s currently on the shelf with a broken hand.

Johnson, Goudelock, Mack Taken In D-League Draft

The NBA D-League held its annual draft on Friday. Former Celtics forward JaJuan Johnson, traded to the Rockets this summer and waived during training camp, was drafted first overall by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

Other players with NBA experience taken in the first round include former Lakers guard Andrew Goudelock, former Wizards guard Shelvin Mack, and former Clippers guard Travis Leslie.

Be sure to check out the official D-League site for the complete draft recap.

Eastern Notes: Raptors, Wizards, Harkless

Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast hard, but it won't postpone Thursday's clash between the Knicks and Nets in Brooklyn, as had been feared. That's just one of many intriguing openers this week, including the Celtics' visit to Miami, where the Heat were presented with their championship rings. As the NBA tips off, we'll share some Eastern Conference news to go along with our update from the West earlier this evening.  

  • Raptors president and GM Bryan Colangelo admitted it's been difficult not to try to speed up his team's rebuilding process, as he tells Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun. "We passed on multiple opportunities to bring in players via transactions that would have thwarted our efforts," Colangelo said. "At times, it was tempting. But we had to stick to the plan. There has had to be a patience and strategy to every decision we’ve made. The deals we could have made were more of a tonic than a long-term solution."
  • Colangelo also shared his feelings about rookie Jonas Valanciunas, saying, "It’s become apparent that in order for us (to get better) Jonas needs to be thrown into the fire. The sooner he develops into a nightly contributor, the sooner we get closer to our goal.”
  • Wizards coach Randy Wittman said injuries to John Wall and Nene Hilario influenced the team's decision to keep Jannero Pargo and Earl Barron over Shelvin Mack and Brian Cook, reports Michael Lee of The Washington Post.
  • Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel believes the Magic should give rookie Maurice Harkless significant playing time this season so they can figure out whether the 19-year-old small forward is a building block for the future. 
  • A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com notes via Twitter that every player in the three-team trade that brought Courtney Lee to the Celtics has been waived except Lee and Sasha Pavlovic, whose presence on the Blazers roster is helped along by the fact the Celtics are paying his salary.
  • Carlos Boozer's five-year, $75MM contract obscures the valuable production he brings to the Bulls, argues Scoop Jackson of ESPN.com.
  • Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer saw lots of positives about the Cavs' youth movement in the team's opening-night win against the Wizards.

Wizards Waive Brian Cook, Shelvin Mack

The Washington Wizards have waived forward Brian Cook and guard Shelvin Mack, the team announced in a press release Sunday. The cuts bring their roster to 15 ahead of the regular season.

On Saturday, the Wizards waived Shavlik Randolph and Steven Gray to bring the roster to 17 players. The release of Mack and Cook would indicate that the final two spots on Washington's regular-season roster will be given to center Earl Barron and guard Jannero Pargo.

Mack was the 34th overall pick in the 2011 draft. Cook was traded to Washington as part of the trade that sent JaVale McGee to Denver at the 2011/12 trade deadline.