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Blazers Sign Jarron Cumberland, Brandon Williams To 10-Day Contracts

December 26th, 2021 at 7:31pm CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 26: The Trail Blazers have officially signed Cumberland and Williams to 10-day deals, the team announced today in a press release. Those contracts will run through January 4.

DECEMBER 25: The Trail Blazers, having already agreed to terms with Cameron McGriff, will sign two more players using hardship exceptions, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links), who reports that guards Jarron Cumberland and Brandon Williams are signing 10-day contracts with the club.

Cumberland, 24, went undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2020 after earning AAC Player of the Year honors in 2019. The 6’5″ shooting guard played for the Raptors 905 and Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League as a rookie and joined the Delaware Blue Coats for the 2021/22 season. In 13 NBAGL games (21.1 MPG) this season, he has averaged 9.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 2.8 APG on .432/.341/.857 shooting.

A former Arizona Wildcat, Williams had been playing for the Westchester Knicks this season. While his averages of 17.7 PPG, 4.5 APG, and 1.9 SPG through 10 games (30.1 MPG) are impressive, he has struggled with his efficiency, making just 36.4% of his field goal attempts, including 28.3% of his threes.

Portland didn’t have any players in the health and safety protocols entering the day on Friday, but has since placed five players in the protocols and lined up three deals with replacement players.

The Blazers’ next game is on Monday, so the team has a couple days to get its roster in order and finalize its signings. Hopefully no more Portland players have to be placed in the protocols before then.

Trail Blazers Sign Cameron McGriff To 10-Day Deal

December 26th, 2021 at 7:30pm CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 26: The Blazers have officially signed McGriff, according to a press release from the team.

DECEMBER 25: The Trail Blazers intend to sign forward Cameron McGriff to a 10-day contract via a hardship exception, agent Keith Kreiter tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). McGriff is being called up from the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s G League affiliate.

McGriff, 24, went undrafted out of Oklahoma State in 2020 and played for Belgium’s Okapi Aalstar last season, putting up 13.5 PPG and 5.0 RPG. With the Hornets’ NBAGL team this season, he has averaged 10.2 PPG and 4.9 RPG on .455/.364/.846 shooting in 14 games (22.4 MPG).

The Blazers had avoided this month’s league-wide COVID-19 outbreak up until Friday, when they placed two players – Dennis Smith Jr. and Trendon Watford – in the health and safety protocols.

With Smith and Watford in the protocols, Portland is eligible to sign two replacement players. As a two-way player, Watford must be replaced by someone with no more than three years of NBA experience, so McGriff fits that bill. If the Blazers want to sign a replacement for Smith, any free agent would be eligible.

Mavericks Waive Eugene Omoruyi

December 26th, 2021 at 4:53pm CST by JD Shaw

The Mavericks have requested waivers on two-way forward Eugene Omoruyi, the team announced on social media (Twitter link). The move clears a two-way roster spot for the club.

Omoruyi, 24, signed with Dallas after going undrafted last August. He only appeared in four games with the franchise, averaging 1.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 4.5 minutes.

The 6-foot-6 Omoruyi recently underwent surgery on his right big toe and is expected to miss four-to-six months of action, as we previously relayed. Prior to going undrafted, he played his senior collegiate season at Oregon, averaging 17.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.

The Mavericks currently own the eight-best record in the Western Conference at 15-17.

Pelicans Sign Justin James To 10-Day Contract

December 26th, 2021 at 3:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

3:52pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

12:46pm: The Pelicans are signing swingman Justin James to a 10-day contract using the hardship exemption, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

New Orleans has three players — Nickeil Alexander-Walker , Jose Alvarado and Naji Marshall — in the league’s health and safety protocols.

James appeared in 72 games off the bench for Sacramento the past two seasons. averaging 3.2 PPG in 7.5 MPG. He has been playing for the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge. James was averaging 15.7 PPG and 2.3 APG in 29.0 MPG through 14 games for the Charge.

Deividas Sirvydis Signs With Pistons On Hardship Exemption

December 26th, 2021 at 3:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons, who have been hit hard by COVID-19 in recent days, are signing forward Deividas Sirvydis from their G League affiliate on a 10-day contract via the hardship exemption, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. The signing has been confirmed by a team press release.

Sirvydis has appeared in 14 games (eight starts) this season at the G League level for the Motor City Cruise. He’s averaging 12.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 2.1 APG in 25.7 MPG.

The 21-year-old Sirvydis was drafted in the second round by Dallas in 2019 and his rights were forwarded to the Pistons. He appeared in 20 games with Detroit last season.

Detroit has eight players in league protocols and two other prominent players, Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk, sidelined with long-term injuries.

Pelicans Sign Anthony Tolliver To 10-Day Deal

December 26th, 2021 at 3:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

3:50pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

10:13am: Veteran forward Anthony Tolliver will sign a 10-day contract with the Pelicans under the hardship provision, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Tolliver, 36, appeared in 11 games with the Sixers last season after joining the team on a 10-day deal in mid-April. He eventually signed for the remainder of the season, but was waived in August before his 2021/22 contract became guaranteed.

This will mark the 12th team and the 14th NBA season for Tolliver, who went undrafted in 2008. He has appeared in 730 games with career averages of 6.1 points and 3.3 rebounds.

New Orleans currently has three players in the health and safety protocols.

Grizzlies Sign Tyrell Terry, Shaq Buchanan Under Hardship Provision

December 26th, 2021 at 1:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 26: The signings are official, according to a team press release.

DECEMBER 25: The Grizzlies will sign guards Tyrell Terry and Shaq Buchanan to 10-day contracts via the hardship exception, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Terry, 21, was selected by the Mavericks with the 31st pick in the 2020 draft. He appeared in 11 games for Dallas last season, seeing just 5.1 minutes per night, and was waived in October before the new season began.

Buchanan, 24, went undrafted out of Murray State in 2019. He has signed training camp deal with Memphis the past three years, but has been released before the start of each season.

Since Dallas’ G League affiliate didn’t take part in the Orlando bubble last season, Terry was assigned to the Grizzlies’ NBAGL team, the Memphis Hustle, averaging 14.7 points in 13 games. Buchanan is in his third season with the Hustle and is averaging 18.7 PPG through 13 games.

The Grizzlies currently have Jarrett Culver and Ziaire Williams in the league’s health and safety protocols.

Bulls Waive Alize Johnson, Sign Alfonzo McKinnie For Rest Of Season

December 26th, 2021 at 10:43am CST by Arthur Hill

10:43am: Both moves are official, the Bulls announced (via Twitter). Since Johnson’s $1.7MM salary was partially guaranteed, the prorated cap hit for Chicago will be about $706K, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. McKinnie will have a $1.09MM salary and a $1.02MM cap hit, leaving the team roughly $3MM below the luxury tax line.

9:06am: The Bulls will waive forward Alize Johnson, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The newly-opened roster spot will be used to sign Alfonzo McKinnie to a contract that covers the remainder of the season (Twitter link).

McKinnie becomes the league’s first COVID-19 hardship addition to earn a standard contract, Charania notes. The 29-year-old small forward signed a pair of 10-day deals and has averaged 8.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in three games. This is the fifth NBA team for McKinnie, who has also played for the Raptors, Warriors, Cavaliers and Lakers after going undrafted in 2017.

Johnson, 25, signed a two-year deal with Chicago during the offseason and received a partial guarantee of $250K for making the opening-night roster. His $1.878MM salary for 2022/23 was non-guaranteed until July 2, 2022, so the Bulls won’t be on the hook for any more money beyond this season.

Johnson was among several Chicago players who entered the league’s health and safety protocols earlier this month, but he was cleared to return on Thursday. He appeared in 16 games for the Bulls, averaging 1.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 7.6 minutes per night.

Selected by the Pacers with the 50th pick in 2018, Johnson spent two years with Indiana, then played 18 games for the Nets last season after joining the team in March on a 10-day contract.

Xavier Moon Joins Clippers On 10-Day Contract

December 26th, 2021 at 10:34am CST by Arthur Hill

Xavier Moon has signed a 10-day contract with the Clippers under the hardship exemption, tweets Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register.

The 26-year-old guard has been playing for L.A.’s G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers, where he’s averaging 12.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.3 assists in 14 games. Moon went undrafted out of Morehead State in 2017 and mostly played overseas before this season.

The Clippers are short-handed in the backcourt with Reggie Jackson entering the health and safety protocols this week. They will also have to get through the next month or so without Paul George, who suffered a torn ligament in his elbow.

Raptors Sign Daniel Oturu To 10-Day Contract

December 26th, 2021 at 9:39am CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 26: The signing is official, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports.

DECEMBER 24: The Raptors have reached an agreement to sign center Daniel Oturu to a 10-day contract, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Toronto will complete the signing using a hardship exception.

Oturu, the 33rd overall pick in the 2020 draft, spent his rookie season in ’20/21 with the Clippers, averaging 1.8 PPG and 1.6 RPG in 30 games (5.4 MPG). He was sent to the Grizzlies along with Patrick Beverley and Rajon Rondo in an August trade, then joined the Bulls for training camp after being waived by Memphis.

Although Oturu didn’t make a real impact at the NBA level in his first season, he’s still just 22 years old and is only two years removed from a standout sophomore season for the Minnesota Gophers. He averaged 20.1 PPG, 11.3 RPG, and 2.5 BPG in his final year at college, earning Big Ten All-Defensive honors. He also got off to a strong start in the G League for the Windy City Bulls this season, putting up 20.6 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 1.9 BPG in seven games (32.1 MPG).

The Raptors, who have eight players in the health and safety protocols, have had a busy week on the transaction wire. They signed three players – Juwan Morgan, D.J. Wilson, and Tremont Waters – to 10-day contracts on Wednesday and have reportedly reached deals with Nik Stauskas and Brandon Goodwin as well.

Assuming Stauskas and/or Goodwin didn’t test positive for COVID-19, the Raptors will likely sign them and Oturu before their next game on Sunday in Cleveland.