Toure’ Murry Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Texas Notes: Alexander, Lalanne, Murry

October 28th, 2015 at 8:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With Dwight Howard eligible to opt out of his deal after the season, Ty Lawson‘s pending free agency next summer, and the team needing to make decisions on whether or not to offer contract extensions to Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas prior to the November 2nd deadline, the Rockets appear to be at a crossroads, but team owner Leslie Alexander doesn’t consider 2015/16 a make-or-break-it-up season, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “I’m not thinking that far ahead,” Alexander said. “Nobody ever leaves here if we want to keep them. It’s not like I’m planning on losing people.” Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron had previously examined the extension candidacy of Motiejunas, and Arthur Hill did the same with Jones.

The owner also noted that he feels competitive regarding how the Rockets are run as an organization in comparison to the rest of the league, Feigen adds. “Everything is well set on the business side and the basketball side. This organization is nicely run,” Alexander said. “We have terrific people on both sides of the aisle. They really know what they’re doing. We have it running really well. I try to have it running like a really great corporation, even though we’re a sports team. I try to do it like if it was a big business: You would run it this way, but keeping it small enough that it is a family atmosphere. I think I’ve achieved that.”

Here’s more from the Lone Star State:

Cady Lalanne, who was selected by the Spurs with the No. 55 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, has signed with San Antonio’s D-League affiliate, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (via Twitter).
Toure’ Murry, who was recently waived by the Wizards, will sign with the Texas Legends, the Mavericks‘ D-League affiliate, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post relays (Twitter link).
The Mavs are looking forward to the regular season commencing so they can put a challenging offseason behind them, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. “We’ve turned the pages months ago,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “And we’ve talked about everything that’s transpired. We’ve given respect where respect is due and we’ve adjusted where we’ve needed to adjust. The NBA is pretty much an ‘it is what it is’ league. The guys we have, we’re going to make the best of it with those guys. And we like our chances to have a hell of a year.“

Southeast Notes: Johnson, Heat, Murry

October 25th, 2015 at 5:35pm CST by Will Joseph

Heat shooting guard Tyler Johnson will have his contract fully guaranteed for the season on opening night, becoming the 14th of the 15 players on the roster to have such security, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel reports. Winderman tweeted Saturday that the terms of Johnson’s contract were reworked so that his full guarantee kicks in with the start of the regular season instead of the leaguewide guarantee date in January.

Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:

In discussing the composition of the team’s roster Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said cutting John Lucas III was a tough decision, Winderman relays. Lucas was among five players the Heat waived educe Miami’s roster to 15 players, the regular season maximum.
Damien Wilkins, who was recently waived by the Hornets, has signed a deal overseas to play for Guaros de Lara of Venezuela, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia reports. Wilkins, 35, had spent the 2012/13 season with the Sixers. He has played overseas and in the D-League since.
Toure’ Murry, who was waived by the Wizards, will start the season in the D-League, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports tweets.
Magic rookie Mario Hezonja seems to be adjusting well to life in the United States and the caliber of play in the league, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes. “He’s progressing for sure,” coach Scott Skiles said. “What we’ve been talking to him about is he has a tendency, like a lot of young players, [where] he checks into the game at whatever point we put him in and teams either go right at him or plays are occurring that he’s not yet comfortable with, and he gets taken advantage of often.”

Wizards Release Five Players

October 24th, 2015 at 4:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:39pm: The moves are official, the Wizards announced via press release.

4:30pm: The Wizards are releasing Josh Harrellson, Ish Smith, Jaron Johnson, Jaleel Roberts and Toure’ Murry, reports Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post (Twitter link). The team has yet to make a public announcement, but Castillo indicates the moves have indeed taken place. All were on non-guaranteed deals except Roberts, who had a $10K partial guarantee. The subtractions leave Washington with 15 players, all of whom have fully guaranteed salaries.

The players hitting waivers today faced long odds to make it to opening night, including Harrellson, who acknowledged he was likely auditioning for 29 other teams with his preseason performance. He averaged 3.9 points in 7.3 minutes per game over seven preseason appearances. The 26-year-old big man was making his return after 2014 back surgery that forced him to miss all of last season.

It was surprising to see Smith on a non-guaranteed deal with little chance to crack the opening night roster, given his strong performance down the stretch with the Sixers last season. The 27-year-old point guard averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 assists and 2.8 turnovers in 27.1 minutes per game in 25 contests for Philaelphia. He was again an efficient ball-distributor despite lower scoring in the preseason with Washington this month, notching 2.2 points, 4.0 assists and 1.0 turnover in 11.5 minutes per game over five preseason contests.

Murry, 25, rejoined the Wizards during the offseason after he was briefly with the team on a pair of 10-day contracts last season. The two-year NBA veteran combo guard averaged 3.5 points in 7.5 minutes per game during four preseason contests.

Johnson spent last season with the Rockets D-League team after going undrafted out of Louisiana Tech in 2014. The 23-year-old shooting guard posted 2.0 points in 4.7 minutes per game over six preseason appearances for Washington.

The Wizards signed Roberts in August after he went undrafted out of UNC Asheville in June and played for Washington’s summer league team in July. The 23-year-old center put up 3.3 points in 6.9 minutes per game in three preseason contests.

Wizards Officially Sign Five For Camp

September 25th, 2015 at 2:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Wizards have officially signed Josh Harrellson, Jaron Johnson, Toure’ Murry, Jaleel Roberts and Ish Smith, the team announced. All five moves were expected, and none of them have any guaranteed salary, according to reports. The Wizards already have 15 fully guaranteed deals, so it would be tough for today’s camp additions to stick for opening night. All except Johnson are known to be on one-year contracts for the minimum, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, though it would be surprising if Johnson signed for terms that were any different.

Harrellson, a three-year veteran big man, is returning to the NBA after sitting out last season as he recovered from back surgery. Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports first reported the deal with the 26-year-old.

Charania also revealed that Johnson, a 23-year-old shooting guard, would attend Wizards camp. Johnson spent last season with the D-League affiliate of the Rockets after going undrafted out of Louisiana Tech in 2014.

The Wizards are familiar with Murry from his time on a pair of 10-day contracts with the team last season. J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic reported the deal between the Wizards and the 25-year-old combo guard.

Roberts is poised to celebrate his 23rd birthday next month in Wizards camp. Charania reported that the center who went undrafted out of UNC-Asheville this year would head to Washington.

Four teams had Smith at one point or another in 2014/15, and though he had a strong finishing kick with the Sixers, the 27-year-old point guard will have to fight to stay on the roster in Washington. Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reported Smith’s deal with the Wizards.

Which Wizards camp invitee has the greatest potential to surprise and remain on the roster for the start of the regular season? Leave a comment to tell us.

Wizards Sign Toure’ Murry

September 9th, 2015 at 10:57pm CST by Eddie Scarito

SEPTEMBER 9TH, 10:57pm: Murry has signed with the Wizards, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (on Twitter).

AUGUST 28TH, 4:18pm: The Wizards have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent Toure’ Murry, J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic reports. The pact is a non-guaranteed training camp arrangement, Michael notes. The addition of the guard will give the Wizards a roster count of 17 players, 15 of whom possess fully guaranteed contracts, making it a longshot for Murry to make the opening night roster.

Murry had inked a one-year, $1MM contract with Utah last offseason, but it was only partially guaranteed, and he saw just one minute of action with the Jazz prior to his January release, much to the dismay of his agent, Bernie Lee. Murry later resurfaced on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Wizards, for whom he totaled six points in 17 minutes.

The Lakers had reportedly brought in Murry as part of a group workout held in Los Angeles earlier this month, though no contract offer came out of that showcase for the 25-year-old.

Eastern Notes: J.R. Smith, Wizards, Contracts

September 3rd, 2015 at 5:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

J.R. Smith‘s new two-year contract with the Cavaliers has an unusual structure that includes partial guarantees for both this season and next, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter links). This year’s salary, worth $5MM, is guaranteed for only $2MM, and next year’s salary, a player option, has a $2.15MM partial guarantee on the full $5.4MM value, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (All four Twitter links). However, this season’s salary becomes fully guaranteed if the team keeps him through Monday, Pincus adds. That’s almost certain to happen, but the reason that clause is in the contract is so that his 2016/17 salary can become fully guaranteed if he sticks on the roster through the same date next year, in a structure similar to the deal that Kostas Papanikolaou signed with the Rockets last year, Pincus explains. The Cavs formally announced Smith’s signing Wednesday, nearly two weeks after Smith revealed that he would be rejoining the team.

See more from around the Eastern Conference:

Coach Randy Wittman likes the grit that Wizards camp signee Toure’ Murry has shown in the past, but the shooting guard will have to make quite a convincing case for the Wizards to keep him over one of the 15 players on their roster with a fully guaranteed contract, writes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Jaleel Roberts, the other Wizard with a non-guaranteed deal, won his training camp roster spot more so by his performance at Tim Grgurich’s private camp than through his play with the Wizards summer league squad, Michael hears. Still, Roberts is more likely to make the regular season roster in 2016/17, when the team will ostensibly have greater flexibility, than he is this year, according to Michael.
Kelly Dwyer, Ben Rohrbach and Eric Freeman of Yahoo! Sports weighed in on which 2015 NBA draftee ended up in the best situation to succeed next season. Dwyer chose the Knicks‘ Kristaps Porzingis, while Rohrbach tabbed Justise Winslow of the Heat, and Freeman’s pick was the Nuggets’ Emmanuel Mudiay.
The Cavs had possessed one of the most tradeable contracts in the league in Brendan Haywood‘s non-guaranteed pact, which they had dealt to the Blazers at the end of July. Pincus, in a separate post, ran down some of the most desirable trade chip contracts around the NBA , including Amir Johnson and Jonas Jerebko of the Celtics, the Wizards‘ Kris Humphries and Martell Webster, as well as Ersan Ilyasova‘s deal with the Pistons.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Lakers Bringing In Toure’ Murry For Workout

August 10th, 2015 at 8:28am CST by Chuck Myron

Former Knicks, Jazz and Wizards guard Toure’ Murry will be a part of the group workout the Lakers are planning for today, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Bobby Brown, Eric Moreland and D.J. Kennedy are also reportedly taking part, though Kennedy has already signed a deal with a Russian team. The Lakers have only 12 fully guaranteed contracts, so the final spots on the opening night roster are still up in the air.

Murry saw little action this past season after more extensive experience with the Knicks in 2013/14, his first NBA season. That year he appeared in 51 games, averaging 2.8 points in 7.3 minutes per game. That netted him a one-year, $1MM contract with Utah last summer, but it was only partially guaranteed, and he earned a shade under $418K prior to his January release, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The former Wichita State mainstay saw just one minute of action with the Jazz, to the dismay of agent Bernie Lee, and Murry later resurfaced on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Wizards, for whom he totaled six points in 17 minutes.

The Lakers have been active in the past few days, agreeing to sign undrafted Texas forward Jonathan Holmes, organizing today’s workout, and emerging as a front-runner for JaVale McGee. Tarik Black and Jabari Brown have non-guaranteed salaries, while Holmes and Robert Upshaw have partial guarantees in their reported deals with the team, giving the Lakers a total of 16 signed contracts or verbal agreements, four shy of the 20-man offseason roster limit.

Wizards Release Toure’ Murry

March 27th, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Eddie Scarito

FRIDAY, 10:59am: Murry’s subtraction is official, the team announced via press release.

THURSDAY, 8:20pm: The Wizards intend to ink Bynum to a deal, Castillo tweets.

8:13pm: The Wizards intend to release Toure’ Murry, who is on his second 10-day deal with the club, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post tweets. Murry has a sprained ankle and Bradley Beal is expected to miss time with ankle woes of his own, so Washington will need to add some backcourt depth as a result, Castillo adds. The Wizards’ roster count currently sits at the league maximum of 15 players.

There’s a possibility that Washington will try to add free agent Will Bynum to its roster, Castillo adds. The Wizards will look to the D-League for help if Bynum isn’t signed, the Washington Post scribe notes. Bynum came free from his Chinese team at the beginning of March following the club’s playoff elimination. In 353 career NBA games the 32-year-old has averaged 8.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. His last appearance in the league came with the Pistons during the 2013/14 campaign.

Murry, 25, saw one single minute of action for the Jazz earlier this season before he was waived, much to the chagrin of his agent Bernie Lee, who didn’t think Murry was given a fair chance in Utah. He appeared in four contests for the Wizards, averaging 1.5 points in 4.3 minutes per game. The Wizards could still look to ink Murry for the remainder of the season if his ankle heals and Bynum isn’t signed, Castillo notes.

Wizards Sign Toure’ Murry To Second 10-Day

March 22nd, 2015 at 3:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Wizards have signed Toure’ Murry to a second 10-day contract, the team announced. Shams Charania of RealGM reported Thursday that the move was likely even as the team continues to eye Will Bynum, who’s recovering from a hamstring injury. Bynum remained the team’s top free agent target when Murry signed his first 10-day contract, as Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post wrote then. That first 10-day deal for Murry expired overnight Saturday.

It appears Washington’s primary motivation in keeping Murry around is depth. The second-year combo guard has only played in two games for a total of four minutes for the Wizards, even though fellow combo guard Garrett Temple hasn’t played since March 9th because of a hamstring injury of his own.

Washington has 14 other players signed through at least the end of the season, so Murry’s roster spot represents a measure of flexibility for the club. The team can’t sign him to a third 10-day contract, and with Bynum apparently still in the mix, it seems unlikely Murry will see a deal with the Wizards for the balance of 2014/15 once his latest 10-day contract expires.

Wizards Likely To Re-Sign Toure’ Murry

March 19th, 2015 at 12:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Wizards are likely to sign Toure’ Murry to a second 10-day contract even as they continue to keep an eye on No. 1 target Will Bynum, league sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The team signed Murry last week as Bynum nursed a hamstring injury, though it appeared then that Bynum, if healthy, would be Washington’s preference, as Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reported at that point. The team’s first 10-day deal with Murry expires at the end of Saturday.

Murry, the former Knicks and Jazz combo guard, also seemingly found a place on the roster in part because of the absence of Garrett Temple, who’s out with a hamstring injury of his own. Still, Murry has seen only four minutes of action for the Wizards so far. That’s nonetheless more than the single regular season minute of play he saw with the Jazz, who signed him to a two-year, $2MM deal in the offseason that was partially guaranteed for $250K.

Washington has 14 contracts that carry through the end of the season, so Murry’s spot represents the team’s measure of flexibility. That spot had been open since the Wizards waived Glen Rice Jr. on January 7th until they signed Murry, with Ray Allen apparently the team’s ultimate goal until Allen decided earlier this month he wouldn’t play in the NBA this year.