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Gary Payton II Signs 10-Day Deal With Wizards

JANUARY 21: The Wizards have officially signed Payton, the team announced today in a press release. His contract will run through next Wednesday, January 30.

JANUARY 20: The Wizards will fill their roster opening by signing guard Gary Payton II to a 10-day contract, tweets ESPN’s Marc J. Spears. The signing is expected to take place tomorrow, which will be the deadline for Washington to get back to the 14-man roster limit, two weeks after waiving Ron Baker.

This is the latest NBA opportunity for the 26-year-old guard, who was in training camp with the Trail Blazers before being waived prior to the start of the season. Payton appeared in a combined 23 games last season — 12 with the Bucks and 11 with the Lakers — averaging 3.0 points per night. He also played six games for Milwaukee during the 2016/17 season.

Payton returned to the G League last month, signing with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He posted a 19.2/8.2/6.6 line in 13 games.

Pacers Sign Stephan Hicks On 10-Day Contract

The Pacers have signed guard Stephan Hicks to a 10-day contract, his agency, JCK Sports Group, confirmed on social media.

Hicks joined the Pacers in their locker room shortly after signing his deal, prepping for the team’s game against Charlotte on Sunday night, Scott Agness of The Athletic tweets.

Hicks, 26, has spent the past four seasons with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants — G League affiliate of the Pacers. He went undrafted in 2015 after playing college basketball at Cal State Northridge, holding per-game averages of 16.2 points, seven rebounds and 33.3 minutes with Fort Wayne this season.

Indiana has won seven of its past 10 games, currently owning the third best record in the Eastern Conference at 30-15.

Nets Waive Kenneth Faried Ahead Of Rockets Deal

The Nets have requested waivers on veteran big man Kenneth Faried, the team announced in a press release on Saturday. Faried is expected to sign with the Rockets upon clearing waivers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Friday.

Faried – who has a $13.7MM salary – is expected to clear waivers on Monday, per Wojnarowski. The Rockets will need to clear a roster spot for Faried and the team is reportedly ramping up efforts to trade Carmelo Anthony. Anthony, who still technically occupies a spot on the Rockets’ roster, reportedly has multiple options and will land with a new team.

Once his deal with Houston is complete, the team plans to insert Faried into the lineup for significant minutes to offset the absence of Clint Capela. Capela will miss four to six weeks after undergoing surgery for a torn ligament in his right thumb.

In 12 games this season with Brooklyn, Faried averaged 5.1 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 9.8 minutes per contest. Brooklyn acquired Faried, Darrell Arthur, a protected 2019 first round draft pick and a 2020 second-round draft pick for Isaiah Whitehead this past summer.

Quincy Acy Signs Second 10-Day Deal With Suns

JANUARY 17: The Suns have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve re-signed Acy to a second 10-day contract.

JANUARY 16: Veteran forward Quincy Acy is signing a second 10-day contract with the Suns, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

Acy agreed to the first 10-day deal of the 2018/19 season back on January 5, but didn’t make it official until January 7, so his first contract is set to expire tonight. His new deal, if signed tomorrow, will run through January 26, covering the Suns’ next six games.

Once the second deal expires, the team will have to decide whether to re-sign Acy to a rest-of-season deal or let him walk, as NBA rules don’t allow a team to sign a player to more than two 10-day contracts in a single season.

Acy, a 2012 second-round pick, has appeared in four games with the Suns in his first 10-day go-round. He has averaged less than one point and one rebound in 8.8 minutes per game, but the club apparently saw something it liked.

Like Acy’s first 10-day contract, this deal will have a cap hit of $85,468, increasing his total cost for the Suns to $170,936.

Rockets Sign James Nunnally To 10-Day Deal

5:02pm: The Rockets have signed Nunnally to a 10-day deal, per an official release from the team. In anticipation of the signing, Nunnally had the following to say, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

I thought I would sign with (the Rockets) after meeting them on July 1st in LA. It didn’t happen. Now over six months later, I was going to make a decision today to go to a great Euroleague situation and the Rockets called last night. Crazy 24 hours! I am very excited.”

9:26pm: The Rockets are expected to fill the opening on their 15-man roster by signing veteran sharpshooter James Nunnally to a 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A source confirms to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) that the Rockets are “heading in that direction.” Feigen first reported on Tuesday that Houston would likely sign a veteran wing to a 10-day contract, identifying Nunnally as a candidate.

After playing in Europe for the past two seasons, Nunnally signed with the Timberwolves during free agency, as Minnesota was looking to add players that could space the floor and provide solid defense. However, Nunnally was not a regular part of the rotation and rarely saw the court during his time with the Wolves, who waived him last week before his full 2018/19 salary became guaranteed.

The 28-year-old wing only played 64 minutes this season, averaging 2.1 points per game while knocking down 38.5% of his 3-pointers. Despite his limited role in Minnesota, Nunnally received offers from multiple teams in Europe when he became a free agent again this month, according to Feigen, who hears that the former UC Santa Barbara standout is “giving up a lot” by opting instead for a 10-day contract (Twitter link).

Nunnally may get an opportunity to play a little more over the next 10 days in Houston than he typically did in Minnesota, given the Rockets’ injury and depth issues. While Eric Gordon‘s return appears imminent, the Rockets are missing Chris Paul and Clint Capela due to injuries, while Danuel House has returned to the G League for now and Carmelo Anthony remains away from the team.

The Rockets will incur a cap hit worth just over $76K for Nunnally’s 10-day deal, which will slightly increase the club’s projected year-end tax bill.

Cavs Sign Cameron Payne To Second 10-Day Deal

After Cameron Payne‘s initial 10-day contract with the Cavaliers expired overnight, the team has re-signed him to a second 10-day deal, according to a press release. As a result of the move, Cleveland once again has a full 15-man roster.

Payne, a former first-round pick, who has spent most of his NBA career with the Thunder and Bulls, joined the Cavaliers on January 6 and has appeared in four games with the club. The fourth-year point guard earned a longer look from Cleveland by recording 8.8 PPG and 2.8 APG with a .500/.400/.750 shooting line in those four games (17.8 MPG).

Payne’s new contract will run through January 25, covering the Cavs’ next six games, including tonight’s contest in Portland. Once the deal expires, the team will have to decide whether to re-sign Payne to a rest-of-season deal or let him walk — a club can’t sign a player to more than two 10-day contracts in a single season.

Like Payne’s first 10-day contract, this deal will have a cap hit of $85,468, increasing his total cost for the Cavaliers to $170,936.

For a full breakdown of this season’s 10-day contracts, active or otherwise, be sure to check out our tracker.

Pistons Add Kalin Lucas On Two-Way Deal, Waive Zach Lofton

The Pistons have signed Kalin Lucas to a two-way contract, waiving Zach Lofton in the process, Rod Beard of The Detroit News relays (Twitter feed). The now team has a bounty of guards after adding Isaiah Whitehead on a separate two-way deal earlier today.

Behind Reggie Jackson, the team has veterans Ish Smith, Langston Galloway, and Jose Calderon on the payroll. The Pistons also have rookie Khyri Thomas, who has seen court time in each of the last three games after playing sparsely in just seven of the franchise’s previous 39 contests.

After the Lucas signing, seven of the team’s 17 players man the point guard position. It’s possible that the club is preparing to make a trade and while that’s merely my speculation, the calculated roster imbalance suggests the Pistons are strategically planning something. It could be more lineups with two point guards or it could be a more drastic measure like shipping Jackson to a new team.

Detroit entered the day 10th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 18-24, just a game-and-a-half behind the eighth-place Hornets. Adding Lucas, who has appeared in just one NBA game since leaving Michigan State, won’t likely impact the team’s win total. However, with Lucas and Whitehead in the fold, the team has great depth at the position and it can now more easily swap a floor general for some needed wing support.

Bucks Sign Bonzie Colson To Two-Way Deal

JANUARY 15: The Bucks have officially signed Colson to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

JANUARY 14: After opening up a two-way contract slot by waiving Jaylen Morris, the Bucks are filling that opening with new two-way player Bonzie Colson, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Wojnarowski reports that the Bucks and Colson have agreed to a two-way deal in advance of Tuesday’s deadline.

Colson, 23, joined the Cavaliers as an undrafted free agent during the 2018 offseason after having missed most of his senior year at Notre Dame due to multiple foot injuries. He was viewed as a potential second-round pick before fracturing his left foot against Penn State during the National Invitation Tournament in March.

Although he didn’t make Cleveland’s regular season roster in the fall, Colson joined the team’s G League affiliate, the Canton Charge, and has bounced back nicely. In 23 NBAGL games, the rookie forward has averaged 15.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 1.5 BPG with a .489/.385/.667 shooting line.

The Bucks will have a full 17-man roster (15 standard contracts and a pair of two-way deals) once they make it official with Colson.

Sixers Sign Corey Brewer To 10-Day Contract

The Sixers have filled their open roster spot, having signed veteran NBA swingman Corey Brewer to a 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Philadelphia has issued a press release confirming the deal.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors’ 10-Day Contract Tracker]

Brewer, who will turn 33 in March, spent time last season with the Lakers and Thunder, but had yet to catch on with an NBA team this season. He was one of several free agents who worked out for the 76ers this week, and it seems the team liked what it saw from the 11-year veteran during that session.

Brewer’s scoring numbers have slipped in recent years, and he has never been a particularly great shooter. In 72 games last season, he recorded 5.3 PPG on .449/.282/.722 shooting. Still, he’s a hard-nosed defender who can provide some energy off the bench — and, considering the Sixers will be his seventh NBA team, he’ll likely be able to adapt quickly to a new system.

While Brewer will occupy Philadelphia’s 15th roster spot for now, his contract will only run through next Thursday, covering the club’s next five games. If the 76ers like what they see from the former Florida Gator during that stretch, he could get a second 10-day contract once this one expires. However, the Sixers may also look to maintain some flexibility with their final roster spot as the trade deadline and buyout period nears.

Grizzlies Sign Julian Washburn, Cut Jarnell Stokes

1:27pm: The Grizzlies have officially signed Washburn to a two-way contract and released Stokes, the club announced today in a press release.

12:57pm: The Grizzlies are among the teams making a change to their two-way players in advance of today’s deadline. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), the club is signing small forward Julian Washburn from out of the G League to a two-way contract. Jarnell Stokes will be released to open up a roster spot, tweets Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com.

Washburn, 27, has signed a pair of camp contracts with the Spurs – one in 2015 and one in 2018 – but has never appeared in a regular season NBA game. The 6’8″ forward has been a regular start this season for the Austin Spurs, however, recording 10.6 PPG and 4.7 RPG on .444/.371/.789 shooting in 23 G League contests (31.7 MPG).

Washburn is unlikely to see a whole lot of playing time in Memphis, but he’ll provide the team with some depth, serving as a potential three-and-D option on the wing. The Grizzlies recently lost Dillon Brooks for the season and Kyle Anderson for two to four weeks due to injuries, so they could use a player like Washburn more than a big man like Stokes.