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Thunder Re-Sign Mamadi Diakite To 10-Day Deal

January 31st, 2022 at 11:54am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have brought back forward Mamadi Diakite on another 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. Diakite’s previous 10-day deal expired on Sunday night.

Diakite, 25, has averaged 3.0 PPG and 3.3 RPG in eight games (11.6 MPG) with the Thunder over the course of a pair of 10-day contracts. This will be Diakite’s third 10-day pact with Oklahoma City — the first was a hardship deal and the second was a standard agreement.

The Thunder don’t currently have any players in the health and safety protocols, so this new deal will be a standard contract too. Assuming they aren’t eligible for a hardship exception when Diakite’s 10-day deal expires, the Thunder will have to either sign him to a rest-of-season contract or let him go at that point.

Diakite was in training camp with Oklahoma City in the fall, but fractured his hip and was waived at the end of the preseason. He spent his rookie year in 2020/21 with the Bucks after going undrafted out of Virginia, appearing in 14 regular season games and seven postseason contests for the NBA champions.

The 6’9″ forward will earn another $85,578 over the course of his 10 days with Oklahoma City. That figure will count against team salary for cap and tax purposes, which won’t be a problem for a Thunder club that remains significantly below the league’s minimum salary floor.

Diakite’s contract will run through February 9, covering OKC’s next six games.

Heat Sign Chris Silva To Fourth 10-Day Contract

January 31st, 2022 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have signed forward Chris Silva to a fourth 10-day contract, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). Silva’s third 10-day deal with the team expired on Sunday night.

Silva, 25, has appeared in a total of seven games for Miami since first signing with the club back on December 31. He has averaged 3.4 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 9.0 minutes per contest while providing depth in the frontcourt.

A player is typically limited to no more than two 10-day contracts with the same team in a single season, but that restriction doesn’t apply to 10-day deals completed using a COVID-related hardship exception. All four of Silva’s contracts have been hardship deals, since the Heat have had players in and out of the health and safety protocols for over a month.

Omer Yurtseven entered the protocols over the weekend and is currently the only Heat player affected. If he exits the protocols before Silva’s new 10-day deal expires and no one new enters, Silva will be ineligible to play at that point.

Silva has earned $95,930 on each of his 10-day contracts this season, including one with Minnesota in December. By the time his new deal expires (on the night of February 9), he’ll have received nearly $480K in total, which exceeds the minimum salary for a player on a two-way contract in 2021/22.

Silva is the second player to sign four 10-day contracts with the same club this season, joining Lance Stephenson (Pacers).

Pelicans Sign Wenyen Gabriel Via Hardship Exception

January 29th, 2022 at 10:25am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans have signed forward Wenyen Gabriel to a 10-day contract via the hardship exception, according to a team press release.

This is fourth time Gabriel has signed a 10-day under the hardship provision this season after being waived by the Bucks during training camp. He had a pair of those contracts with the Clippers and an earlier one with the Nets. He has appeared in seven NBA games this season, averaging 2.0 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 6.7 MPG. Gabriel played 21 games for the Pelicans last season.

New Orleans rookie Trey Murphy has been in the league’s health and safely protocols since Monday and the team also listed Didi Louzada in the protocols prior to Friday’s game.

Gabriel has also worn a Trail Blazers and Kings uniform after going undrafted in 2018. He’s appeared in 58 career games, averaging 2.6 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 9.0 MPG.

Most recently, Gabriel has appeared in 14 games (12 starts) for the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s NBA G League affiliate, averaging 14.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 2.1 BPG in 25.9 MPG.

DeMarcus Cousins Cut, Re-Signed By Nuggets

January 29th, 2022 at 7:43am CST by Dana Gauruder

DeMarcus Cousins was cut by the Nuggets on Friday and then re-signed to a standard 10-day contract, Katy Winge of Altitude TV tweets. The signing was confirmed on NBA.com’s transactions log.

Cousins signed a 10-day contract under the hardship exception on January 21. That contract was initially reported as a standard 10-day deal and the team’s press release did not indicate the hardship exception was used. However, if it had been a standard 10-day, the team wouldn’t have needed to re-sign him within that time frame.

Jamal Murray was still listed on Friday as being in protocols, so perhaps this is an indication he’ll soon be removed from that list. It’s also possible that Cousins wasn’t deemed eligible to play on his hardship deal while Murray was the only Nugget in the protocols, since Murray is still recovering from an injury and wouldn’t have been available anyway.

Cousins has appeared in four games as Nikola Jokic‘s backup, averaging 6.3 PPG and 6.5 RPG in 12.5 MPG.

Cousins, 31, spent a little over five weeks with the Bucks from late November to early January, averaging 9.1 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 17 games (16.9 MPG) for the defending champs. Milwaukee opted to waive the veteran center before his salary for 2021/22 could become fully guaranteed, making him a free agent.

He can sign one more standard 10-day deal with the Nuggets before they must decide whether to give him a rest-of-the-season contract or let him walk.

Jazz Sign Danuel House To Third 10-Day Contract

January 28th, 2022 at 12:09pm CST by Luke Adams

12:09pm: House has officially signed his new 10-day contract with the Jazz, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

8:10am: The Jazz are re-signing forward Danuel House to a new 10-day contract, league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). House’s previous 10-day deal with the club expired on Thursday night.

House, 28, has appeared in six games so far with Utah, averaging 6.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 1.7 APG in 19.8 minutes per contest. He has a shooting line of .429/.333/.636 in those six games and has played his usual solid defense on the wing.

House, who began the season with the Rockets, was waived in December by Houston and quickly caught on with the Knicks on a 10-day hardship deal. After that deal expired, he signed with the Jazz, first on a 10-day hardship contract, then on a standard 10-day pact.

A player typically isn’t permitted to sign more than two 10-day contracts with the same time in a season, but hardship deals don’t count toward that limit, so House is permitted to sign a third 10-day contract with the Jazz, since it’s only his second standard 10-day.

According to Jones, House is expected to finalize his new deal on Friday and to be active for tonight’s game in Memphis. That means his contract would run through February 6, covering the Jazz’s next four games. At that point, Utah would have to either sign him for the rest of the season or let him walk, since he wouldn’t be eligible for another standard 10-day deal.

The Jazz currently only have 13 players on standard, full-season contracts, so even if they were to make a rest-of-season commitment to House before the trade deadline, they’d still have an opening on their 15-man roster, giving them some roster flexibility.

Lakers Sign Stanley Johnson To Two-Year Deal

January 27th, 2022 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 27: The Lakers have officially signed Johnson, per a team press release.

JANUARY 26: The Lakers and forward Stanley Johnson have agreed to a two-year deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The second year will be a team option, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who says (via Twitter) the contract is expected to be signed on Thursday.

Johnson has been with Los Angeles for the last month, having initially signed a hardship 10-day contract with the team on December 24. That was followed by two standard 10-day deals, the second of which will expire on Wednesday night.

Because a team can’t sign a player to more than two standard 10-day contracts in a season, the Lakers would’ve had to let Johnson walk if they weren’t prepared to give him a rest-of-season commitment.

However, Johnson has become a key part of Los Angeles’ rotation since his arrival, playing strong defense and averaging 6.4 PPG and 2.6 RPG on .516/.344/.789 shooting in 14 games (21.2 MPG). Letting him go wasn’t something L.A. wanted to do, even if it would’ve allowed the team to keep a 15-man roster spot open for added flexibility leading up to the February 10 trade deadline.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Johnson’s willingness to accept a team option for 2022/23 was a factor in the Lakers’ decision to commit its 15th roster spot to him, since that option will give the club some roster flexibility in the offseason.

Prior to signing with the Lakers last month, Johnson had been playing with the team’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. The 25-year-old signed a 10-day hardship deal with the Bulls earlier in December, but entered the health and safety protocols before appearing in a game with the team, then joined L.A. after that deal expired and he was cleared from the protocols. The No. 8 overall pick in the 2015 draft, Johnson has also played for the Pistons, Pelicans, and Raptors since entering the NBA.

Assuming Johnson signs his contract on Thursday and it’s worth the veteran’s minimum, he’ll earn $888,616 for the rest of the season. The agreement will ultimately cost the Lakers more than that, since they’re well above the luxury tax line.

A minimum-salary team option for Johnson for 2022/23 would be worth $2,351,521.

Pacers Sign Lance Stephenson To Fourth 10-Day Contract

January 24th, 2022 at 12:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have signed Lance Stephenson to a second standard 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. It’s Stephenson’s fourth overall 10-day deal with Indiana this season, since he also inked two hardship contracts with the club.

Stephenson, 31, quickly became a regular rotation player for the Pacers after first rejoining the organization on January 1. He has appeared in 11 games so far, averaging 9.5 PPG, 3.6 APG, and 2.5 RPG on .462/.281/.800 shooting in 19.0 minutes per contest.

There was an expectation at one point earlier this month that Indiana would lock up Stephenson for the rest of the season, but the team has opted to continue the relationship 10 days at a time for now. That allows the Pacers to remain flexible with their roster ahead of the February 10 trade deadline.

A player typically isn’t allowed to sign more than two 10-day contracts with the same team in a given league year, but that restriction only applies to standard 10-day agreements, not to those completed using a COVID-related hardship exception.

While several players have signed three 10-day deals with the same club so far this season, Stephenson is the first to get a fourth. He signed hardship contracts on January 1 and January 11, then completed a new standard 10-day deal on January 14 so that he could remain active when the Pacers no longer had any players in the health and safety protocols — that contract expired on Sunday night.

Because this is Stephenson’s second standard 10-day deal, the Pacers will face a decision on his future soon. Assuming Indiana doesn’t have any players in the protocols when his new contract expires next week, Stephenson would have to be signed for the rest of the season or let go.

Pistons Sign Cassius Stanley To Third Hardship Contract

January 21st, 2022 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have brought back guard Cassius Stanley, signing him to a third 10-day contract using a COVID-related hardship exception, the team announced today (via Twitter).

Stanley first signed with Detroit on December 25, then got a second 10-day deal on January 8. With Luka Garza and Jerami Grant still in the health and safety protocols, the Pistons were eligible to re-sign him without requiring an open spot on their 15-man roster. Stanley, meanwhile, was eligible to sign a third 10-day pact with the team because all three deals were hardship – rather than standard – contracts.

Stanley, 22, appeared in seven games during his first 20 days with the Pistons, averaging 6.9 PPG and 2.4 RPG on .405/.250/1.000 shooting in 20.3 minutes per contest.

The former Duke standout, who was the 54th overall pick in the 2020 draft and played for the Pacers last season, has spent much of the 2021/22 campaign with the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s G League affiliate. He has recorded 11.5 PPG and 4.5 RPG on .417/.309/.571 shooting in 13 NBAGL games (24.4 MPG).

Stanley’s new contract, which will run through January 30 and will pay him $85,578, won’t count against team salary for cap or tax purposes.

Nuggets Sign DeMarcus Cousins To 10-Day Contract

January 21st, 2022 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

12:32pm: Cousins’ 10-day contract is now official, the Nuggets announced in a press release. The veteran will earn $151,821 on the deal, which will run through January 30.

8:21am: Nearly two weeks after reports first indicated that the Nuggets were expected to sign DeMarcus Cousins to a 10-day contract, the two sides will finally complete a deal on Friday, says Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

While it took a while for Cousins and the Nuggets to make things official, reports throughout last week confirmed that they still had mutual interest and that a deal would likely get done at some point. When Denver made a two-for-one trade for Bryn Forbes earlier this week, it opened up a spot on the team’s 15-man roster, creating a path for Cousins to join the team without requiring a hardship exception.

Cousins, 31, spent a little over five weeks with the Bucks from late November to early January, averaging 9.1 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 17 games (16.9 MPG) for the defending champs. Milwaukee opted to waive the veteran center before his salary for 2021/22 could become fully guaranteed, making him a free agent. Word of Denver’s interest broke shortly thereafter.

A report around the time of Cousins’ release suggested the Nuggets were in the market for help on the wing and at center. Trading for Forbes gave Denver another option on the wing, and now the team will get a chance to audition Cousins at center for at least 10 days.

As Wojnarowski points out, signing Cousins today will maximize his 10-day stint in Denver, since the club has six games on its schedule between now and January 30. The last of those six games will be in Milwaukee against Cousins’ former team.

Thunder Re-Sign Mamadi Diakite To 10-Day Deal

January 21st, 2022 at 9:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have officially signed forward Mamadi Diakite to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.

Diakite’s first 10-day deal with Oklahoma City, which expired overnight, was completed using a COVID-related hardship exception. However, with Kenrich Williams no longer in the health and safety protocols, the Thunder are ineligible for another hardship exception, so Diakite will be on a standard 10-day contract, filling the open spot on the club’s 15-man roster.

In his first 10 days with the Thunder, Diakite saw action in four games, averaging 3.5 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 11.8 minutes per contest.

The 6’9″ forward, who is celebrating his 25th birthday today, was in training camp with Oklahoma City in the fall, but fractured his hip and was waived at the end of the preseason. He spent his rookie year in 2020/21 with the Bucks after going undrafted out of Virginia, appearing in 14 regular season games and seven postseason contests for the NBA champions.

Diakite will earn $85,578 over the course of his 10 days with Oklahoma City. Unlike his last deal, this one will count against team salary for cap and tax purposes — that’s not a problem for a Thunder club that remains significantly below the league’s minimum salary floor.