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M.J. Walker Signs With Knicks

September 21st, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks filled the final spot on their preseason roster by signing free agent shooting guard M.J. Walker, the team announced (via Twitter).

Walker, 24, saw limited playing time in two games last season after joining the Suns in December on a 10-day contract via the hardship exception. He spent most of the season as an affiliate player with the G League’s Westchester Knicks, averaging 10.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 games.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but Walker signed an Exhibit 10 contract with New York last summer after going undrafted out of Florida State. He appears likely to wind up with Westchester for another season.

Earlier tonight, the Knicks announced the signing of former Temple guard Quinton Rose.

Knicks Sign Quinton Rose

September 21st, 2022 at 5:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent guard Quinton Rose has signed with the Knicks, the team announced (via Twitter).

Rose played for New York’s G League affiliate in Westchester last season, averaging 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 31 games. He also appeared in three games for the Knicks’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League.

The 24-year-old went undrafted out of Temple in 2020 and was briefly with the Kings that year on an Exhibit 10 contract. He spent four seasons in college and was twice named to the All-AAC’s Second Team.

Terms of the deal weren’t released, but it’s likely a non-guaranteed training camp contract that carries another Exhibit 10 clause. The signing brings the Knicks to 19 players, one short of the limit, with the start of training camp less than a week away.

Kings Officially Sign Kent Bazemore, Quinn Cook

September 21st, 2022 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have officially signed free agent swingman Kent Bazemore and guard Quinn Cook, the team confirmed today in a press release. Bazemore’s one-year agreement with Sacramento was first reported on August 7, while Cook’s one-year deal was reported a day later.

Bazemore, 33, has enjoyed a solid 10-year career as a three-and-D wing, though he had a disappointing year in Los Angeles in 2021/22, shooting a career-low 32.4% from the field and falling out of the Lakers’ rotation early in the season.

Cook, meanwhile, is a five-year NBA veteran who won titles with the Warriors and Lakers as a reserve. He has averaged 6.4 PPG and 1.6 APG in 188 career appearances (14.1 MPG) for five teams, but didn’t play in the league last season after being waived by Portland prior to opening night.

The exact terms of Bazemore’s and Cook’s deals aren’t yet known, but the Kings have been signing a series of veterans to non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts this offseason and will likely have multiple roster spots up for grabs in training camp and the preseason.

Sacramento now has a full 20-man offseason roster, including 12 players on guaranteed contracts and a pair on two-way deals. Bazemore and Cook are among a group of six players expected to vie for spots on the 15-man regular season roster — Matthew Dellavedova, KZ Okpala, Sam Merrill, and Chima Moneke are also in that mix.

Mavericks Sign D.J. Stewart Jr.

September 21st, 2022 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have officially signed guard D.J. Stewart Jr., the team announced today in a press release. The club also confirmed the previously reported signing of Marcus Bingham.

Stewart – not to be confused with DJ Steward, who was recently signed and waived by Sacramento – is a 23-year-old guard who went undrafted out of Mississippi State in 2021 and spent most of his rookie season playing for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate. He eventually signed a two-way contract with San Antonio in March, though he didn’t appear in an NBA game with the Spurs.

In 36 total NBAGL regular season appearances for the Skyforce and the Austin Spurs last season, Stewart averaged 17.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 3.1 APG on .480/.361/.764 shooting in 34.1 minutes per contest.

With Stewart and Bingham under contract, Dallas now has a full 20-man training camp roster. Of those 20 players, 14 have fully guaranteed standard contracts and one has a two-way deal. Stewart and Bingham are believed to be part of a group of five camp invitees on Exhibit 10 contracts.

Exhibit 10 deals can be converted into two-way deals, so Stewart, Bingham, and the three other camp invitees (McKinley Wright IV, Mouhamadou Gueye, and Tyler Hall) could be in the mix for that open two-way slot. Some of them will likely end up playing for the Texas Legends, Dallas’ G League team.

Bucks Sign Marques Bolden

September 21st, 2022 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

10:16am: As expected, Bolden received an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

7:36am: The Bucks have signed free agent center Marques Bolden to a contract, according to the NBA transaction log at RealGM and the team’s official website.

While the terms of the deal aren’t known, it’s almost certainly a non-guaranteed training camp contract, likely with an Exhibit 10 clause. Milwaukee has been shuffling players on and off its roster within the last week as the club prepares for training camp and lines up players for its G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.

Bolden, 24, has spent most of his professional career in the G League since going undrafted out of Duke in 2019. In 69 career appearances for the Cavaliers’ and Jazz’s NBAGL affiliates, he has averaged 10.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 23.1 minutes per contest.

The big man also spent time in the NBA with Cleveland from 2019-21, first on a 10-day contract and later on a two-way deal, playing a very limited role in seven games for the Cavs.

It’s unclear if Bolden will remain on the Bucks’ roster for training camp next week or if the team plans to waive him before then and have him eventually suit up for the Herd. For now, his G League returning rights are held by the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s affiliate, so a trade would be required for Wisconsin to acquire those rights.

The Bucks currently have 19 players under contract.

Frank Jackson Signs With Suns

September 21st, 2022 at 6:44am CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 21: Jackson officially signed with the Suns on Tuesday, per RealGM’s NBA transaction log.

SEPTEMBER 20: The Suns are signing free agent guard Frank Jackson to a non-guaranteed contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Jackson, 24, has five years of NBA experience, though he missed his entire rookie season due to a foot injury. He was an early second-round pick in 2017 and spent his first three NBA seasons with the Pelicans. He played the last two seasons with the Pistons.

Jackson averaged 9.8 PPG in 40 games during his first season in Detroit and made 40.7% of his 3-point tries. He averaged a career-best 10.6 PPG in 53 games last season but his 3-point shooting cratered to 30.8%.

He became a free agent in late June when Detroit declined its $3.15MM option on Jackson’s contract. He’ll now get a chance to make the Suns’ roster.

The Suns only had 16 players under contract, including a pair of two-way players, so they can be expected to make more roster moves before training camp with camp rosters maxing out at 20.

Sharife Cooper Signs Camp Deal With Cavs

September 20th, 2022 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 20: The Cavaliers have officially signed Cooper, according to RealGM’s NBA transaction log. The team waived Chandler Vaudrin to open up a spot on the 20-man roster for Cooper.

SEPTEMBER 19: Free agent guard Sharife Cooper will sign a training camp contract with the Cavaliers, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Cooper has been looking for another NBA opportunity since the Hawks waived him in late July. He recently worked out for the Lakers.

Cooper, 21, was the 48th overall pick in the 2021 draft. The 6’1” point guard appeared in only 13 games at the NBA level, logging 39 total minutes and making just 3-of-14 shots from the field.

The former Auburn standout played regularly in the G League, averaging 17.1 PPG and 6.9 APG on .431/.361/.907 shooting in 22 regular season appearances (30.2 MPG) for the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s NBAGL affiliate.

Since the Cavaliers only have 12 players on fully guaranteed deals, Cooper could earn his way onto the roster with a strong showing. Otherwise, on an Exhibit 10 contract, he’ll be eligible for a $50K bonus if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with the Cleveland Charge, the team’s G League affiliate.

Bucks Waive Ibou Badji

September 20th, 2022 at 8:18pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bucks have waived undrafted rookie Ibou Badji, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets.

Badji was signed on Monday to an Exhibit 10 contract. Badji will be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate.

Badji, who turns 20 next month, spent the 2021/22 season with Forca Lleida CE of the LEB Oro, Spain’s second league. In 37 games (19.9 MPG) last season, the Senegalese center averaged 8.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG and 1.2 BPG, according to his NBA.com draft profile.

Cavaliers Waive Chandler Vaudrin

September 20th, 2022 at 7:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers have waived forward Chandler Vaudrin, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets.

Vaudrin was signed by Cleveland to a camp deal earlier this month.

The Big South Player of the Year in 2021, Vaudrin had been on track to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cavaliers a year ago after going undrafted out of Winthrop. However, the 25-year-old point guard tore his ACL while playing for Cleveland’s Summer League team and missed his entire rookie entire season.

Vaudrin will likely wind up with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavs’ G League team. He can become an affiliate player, since his G League rights weren’t previously held by another team. He could earn a bonus of up to $50K under the terms of the Exhibit 10 contract if he’s with the Charge for at least 60 days.

Heat Add Guard Dru Smith

September 20th, 2022 at 6:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat have signed guard Dru Smith, according to a team press release. Terms weren’t disclosed but it’s almost assuredly a training camp deal.

Smith is a familiar face. He appeared in three Summer League games with the Heat and averaged 12.0 points, 3.0 steals and 1.7 assists. He appeared in 10 games (five starts) with Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, last season and averaged 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.20 steals and 27.5 minutes.

Smith went undrafted out of Missouri.

Miami’s roster now includes 20 players, the maximum amount heading into training camp.