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Knicks Re-Sign Jared Harper

May 3rd, 2021 at 6:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks have signed point guard Jared Harper to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). Harper had his two-way deal turned into a 10-day contract on April 23rd. That 10-day contract expired on Sunday night.

NBA.com’s official log of transactions lists Harper as having signed a two-way deal, but the Knicks’ announcement suggests he’s back on the 15-man roster. Assuming that’s the case, the team still has an open two-way slot.

Harper, 23, has made six brief appearances with New York in 2020/21 after seeing action in three games with Phoenix last season.

Harper was claimed off waivers in June. Though he hasn’t seen much NBA action, he excelled in the G League season at the Orlando bubble. In 12 G League contests this season, Harper averaged 21.3 PPG and 7.0 APG and was named to the All-NBA G League First Team.

Harper has received more money by having his initial two-way contract converted. He was earning $3,076 per day on his two-way, while a 10-day deal pays him $9,902 per day.

Harper spoke to Hoops Rumors earlier this season about his experience in the G League and the time he has spent on the Knicks’ roster.

Nets Sign Mike James To Second 10-Day Contract

May 3rd, 2021 at 10:19am CST by JD Shaw

MAY 3: The Nets have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed James to his second 10-day contract.

MAY 2: The Nets plan to sign guard Mike James to a second 10-day contract, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.

James’ initial 10-day deal with Brooklyn will expire on Sunday night, so he’ll be able to sign his new deal on Monday. The 30-year-old’s second 10-day would expire during the last week of the regular season, at which point he’d be eligible to sign a standard contract if the Nets want to keep him around for the playoffs.

James averaged 7.4 points, 4.2 assists and 19.6 minutes per game during his first 10-day deal, appearing in a total of five contests. He shot 36% from the floor and 27% from deep in those outings.

Brooklyn signed James to a 10-day deal last month after releasing veteran LaMarcus Aldridge, who retired after dealing with health concerns. The team owns the second-best record in the East at 43-22 and plays Milwaukee for a second straight game on Tuesday.

Sixers Sign Anthony Tolliver For Rest Of Season

May 2nd, 2021 at 10:19am CST by Luke Adams

MAY 2: The move is official, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

APRIL 30: The Sixers intend to sign veteran power forward Anthony Tolliver for the remainder of the season once his current 10-day deal expires, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Tolliver, who was out of the NBA for most of the 2020/21 season, signed a 10-day contract with Philadelphia on April 12, then got a second 10-day commitment from the team on April 22. That second deal will expire on Saturday night, so the 35-year-old’s rest-of-season deal figures to be finalized on Sunday.

Having made five appearances so far for the 76ers, Tolliver hasn’t exactly put up big numbers in his limited role, averaging just 1.6 points and 1.6 rebounds on .100/.143/.833 shooting in 12.4 minutes per contest. However, the 13-year veteran has a strong NBA track record, including a career .373 3PT%, and brings some playoff experience to Philadelphia’s roster.

Tolliver currently holds the 15th and final spot on the Sixers’ standard roster, and the team has also filled both two-way slots, so re-signing the former Creighton standout on Sunday could be the last roster move the club makes before the playoffs begin.

After earning $175,668 on each of his 10-day contracts, Tolliver will make $263,502 over the final 15 days of the regular season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Magic Sign Ignas Brazdeikis To 10-Day Deal, Release Donta Hall

May 2nd, 2021 at 8:33am CST by Arthur Hill

9:39am: The Magic announced the Brazdeikis signing (via Twitter) and have released Hall from his 10-day contract a day before it would have expired.

8:33 am: Ignas Brazdeikis will sign a 10-day contract with the Magic, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

Brazdeikis, 22, started the season with the Knicks, but only played four games before being traded to the Sixers in March. He got into one game for Philadelphia, but was waived last month to open a roster spot.

In two NBA seasons, Brazdeikis has played a total of 14 games, averaging 1.4 points in 4.9 minutes per night. Most of his action has come in the G League, where he averaged 20.9 PPG and 8.1 RPG in two seasons with Westchester.

Orlando has a full roster, with Donta Hall‘s second 10-day contract expiring later today, so it appears Hall won’t be signed for the rest of the season. The 23-year-old big man got into eight games for the Magic, averaging 3.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per night.

Sacramento Signs Louis King To Two-Way Deal

May 1st, 2021 at 12:41pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

May 1: The Kings have announced the signing of King to a two-way deal, confirming the news in a press release on Saturday.

April 30: Free agent swingman Louis King will sign a two-way deal with the Kings, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Woj notes that the 6’7″ wing made a 10-game cameo for the Pistons during his rookie season, having spent the year on a two-way contract with Detroit after going undrafted out of Oregon in 2019. He played significantly more meaningful minutes for the Pistons’ then-NBAGL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive, during the 2019/20 season. King appeared in 31 games (22 starts) with the Drive.

After signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the Knicks for the preseason, King was waived by the franchise before he could log a game for New York. However, that deal ensured that the Knicks’ G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, had the 22-year-old’s rights for the 2020/21 “bubble” season at Walt Disney World.

In 15 games (13 starts) for Westchester this year, King averaged 13.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.9 APG, and 1.6 SPG across 32.2 MPG. He posted a respectable slash line of .517/.456/.810.

Sacramento recently opened up a two-way slot by promoting Chimezie Metu to its 15-man roster.

Cavs Ink Mfiondu Kabengele To Three-Year Deal

May 1st, 2021 at 10:47am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

MAY 1: The Cavaliers have made their deal with Kabengele official, per a press release on Saturday.

APRIL 30: With the second 10-day deal for Cavaliers big man Mfiondu Kabengele set to expire tonight, Cleveland plans to retain him for the rest of the season, with an opportunity to stick around for two more years, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Woj reports that the Cavaliers will ink Kabengele for the rest of the 2020/21 and will add non-guaranteed salaries for the ’21/22 and ’22/23 seasons to the deal. A three-year contract would mean that the Cavaliers are using a portion of their mid-level exception to complete the move.

Selected with the No. 27 pick out of FSU in 2019, Kabengele spent his rookie season and half of the 2020/21 season with the Clippers. He was included in a trade deadline deal to the Kings and ultimately waived, after which he caught on with Cleveland.

Across six games with the developing Cavaliers thus far, the 6’9″ 23-year-old is averaging 7.3 MPG.

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

Anderson Varejão To Return To Cavs

April 30th, 2021 at 6:35pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Longtime Cavaliers center Anderson Varejão is returning to the franchise for the rest of the 2020/21 season, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Selected with the No. 30 pick in 2004 out of Brazil, Varejão proved to be a crucial two-way force on several LeBron James-fronted Cleveland clubs. Varejão’s tenure in Cleveland reached its personal peak when he made a 2009/10 All-Defensive Second Team. The veteran would be plagued by injuries that would cause him to miss more than half of his games during four of the next five seasons.

All told, the Brazilian big man logged nearly 12 full seasons with the team, in addition to spending parts of two years with the Warriors. Varejão last suited up in the NBA for 14 games with Golden State during the team’s eventful 2016/17 season. He holds career league averages of 7.3 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 0.9 SPG and 0.6 BPG.

Varejão most recently served stints in 2018 and 2019 with Brazilian club Flamengo.

The 38-year-old vet could see spot minutes behind starting center Jarrett Allen and his primary backup Isaiah Hartenstein, on a rebuilding Cleveland roster with its eye on the lottery. At 21-41, the Cavaliers are the No. 13 seed in the East, seven games behind the tenth-seeded Wizards for a shot at the NBA’s play-in tournament. Bringing back a fan favorite now will be a fun wrinkle as the team embraces its fate and prepares for the 2021 draft.

Given their plans to re-sign Mfiondu Kabengele, the Cavs won’t technically have an open spot on their 15-man roster to sign Varejão, but the club is hoping to receive approval for a hardship exception to add a 16th man, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who refers to Varejão’s anticipated deal as a “celebratory contract.” It may end up being a 10-day pact rather than a rest-of-season contract, depending on when it’s completed, Fedor adds.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nuggets Sign Austin Rivers For Rest Of Season

April 30th, 2021 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

APRIL 30: The Nuggets have officially signed Rivers for the remainder of the season, the club confirmed today in a press release.

APRIL 29: The Nuggets and Austin Rivers have reached an agreement on a rest-of-season deal, which they’ll complete after his 10-day contract with the team expires on Thursday night, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

As Mike Singer of The Denver Post explains (via Twitter), Rivers made a strong positive impression on the Nuggets’ coaching staff and front office during his first 10 days with the team. As a result, Denver will forgo a second 10-day contract for the veteran guard in favor of a rest-of-season commitment.

Rivers, who has been thrown into the deep end with guards Jamal Murray (ACL) and Will Barton (hamstring) both on the shelf, has averaged 24.2 minutes per game in his first five appearances with the Nuggets.

The 28-year-old’s numbers so far have been modest – 5.2 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, and .345/.167/.750 shooting – but his career track record suggests he’s capable of more. He posted 7.3 PPG on .430/.364/.714 shooting in 21 games (21.0 MPG) with the Knicks earlier this season.

Assuming Rivers’ new contract is formally completed on Friday, it should pay him about $270K for the rest of the season. Denver would have a cap hit of approximately $189K.

With Rivers in the fold, the Nuggets have a full 17-man roster, so barring any cuts over the next couple weeks, they appear prepared to enter the postseason with their current group.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Clippers Sign Yogi Ferrell To Multiyear Deal

April 29th, 2021 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

1:58pm: The Clippers have officially announced their new multiyear deal with Ferrell.

1:20pm: The Clippers will bring back Yogi Ferrell after his 10-day contract with the club expired on Wednesday night, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, Ferrell will sign a rest-of-season deal that includes a non-guaranteed salary for 2021/22.

Ferrell, who will turn 28 in May, signed a 10-day contract with the Clippers on April 29 and appeared in three games with the team over the course of those 10 days. The veteran point guard played well in a limited role, averaging 4.7 points and 3.3 assists with a .400/.500/1.000 shooting line in 9.7 minutes per contest. He didn’t commit a single turnover in those three games.

While Ferrell likely won’t have a role in the postseason, he’ll be an important depth piece down the stretch for the Clippers as long as Patrick Beverley (hand) remains sidelined.

The former Indiana Hoosier, who made his NBA debut in 2016, spent time with the Nets, Mavericks, Kings, and Cavaliers before arriving in Los Angeles. He also played in this year’s G League bubble at Walt Disney World, averaging 15.4 PPG and 4.0 APG in 14 games (28.3 MPG) for the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s NBAGL affiliate.

Once Ferrell’s new deal has been officially completed, the Clippers will have a full 15-man roster, with both two-way slots occupied as well. Unless a player with a guaranteed salary is released between now and the end of the regular season, the current group figures to be the one the team carries into the playoffs.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Signs With Blazers For Rest Of Season

April 28th, 2021 at 1:45pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

APRIL 28: The Blazers have officially signed Hollis-Jefferson to a deal for the rest of the season, the team announced in a press release.

APRIL 27: With the second 10-day contract he signed with the Trail Blazers set to expire, defensive-oriented reserve forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will ink a deal that will keep him in Portland for the rest of the 2020/21 season, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Because a player is not permitted to sign a third 10-day deal with a team during the same season, it became decision time in a hurry for Portland.

Hollis-Jefferson was actually selected with the No. 23 pick by Portland out of Arizona in 2015, but the Trail Blazers traded him to the Nets before he ever suited up for them. He spent four seasons in Brooklyn before landing with the Raptors for the 2019/20 season.

The 26-year-old Jefferson has appeared in just five games (including one start) for the Trail Blazers this season, averaging a respectable 12.6 MPG, but the athletic forward could help shore up the club’s frontcourt with his ability to cover multiple positions on defense.

If Jefferson officially completes his new deal on Wednesday after his second 10-day expires tonight, he’ll make $245,031 over the course of the season’s final 19 days. Portland’s cap hit would be $210,895.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.