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Grizzlies Sign Bruno Caboclo To 10-Day Deal

JANUARY 24: The Grizzlies have officially signed Caboclo to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will run through February 2.

JANUARY 21: The Grizzlies are set to fill the opening on their 15-man roster, at least for the next week and a half, by signing forward Bruno Caboclo to a 10-day contract, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Caboclo, the 20th overall pick in the 2014 draft, never developed into an NBA rotation player for the Raptors, who traded him to Sacramento in a cost-cutting move at last year’s trade deadline. After his rookie contract expired, the 23-year-old signed a camp contract with the Rockets last summer and was cut before the start of the 2018/19 season.

Although he didn’t stick with Houston for the regular season, Caboclo had been playing for the team’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, so far in 2018/19. In 28 games (28.3 MPG), he averaged 16.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 3.0 BPG with an impressive .516/.428/.744 shooting line.

In Memphis, Caboclo may get a shot at some playing time right away, as the Grizzlies have found themselves short-handed on the wing with Chandler Parsons, Dillon Brooks, and Kyle Anderson all unavailable. Caboclo’s 10-day deal will feature a cap hit of $85,458.

For a full list of this year’s 10-day contracts, including which deals remain active, be sure to check out our tracker. Caboclo’s deal will be added to that tracker once it becomes official.

Bulls, Rockets Complete Carmelo Anthony Trade

The Rockets and Bulls have completed the Carmelo Anthony deal, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). The Bulls have confirmed the trade is official.

Anthony will head to Chicago along with the draft rights to Jon Diebler and approximately $1.56MM in cash while Houston will receive the draft rights to Tadija Dragicevic.

Diebler is a 30-year-old shooting guard who was originally drafted with the No. 51 overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Blazers. Dragicevic, who will turn 33 later this month, is a power forward who was selected with the No. 53 overall pick back in 2008 by the Jazz. Both players currently play in Turkey. Neither player has any NBA experience and it’s unlikely either “prospect” makes his way to the league any time soon.

The Bulls are not expected to play Anthony but will likely either release him or scour the league for a trade. Anthony reportedly wants to find a place where he can make an impact.

The cost for picking up Anthony’s salary at this stage of the season is $675K, so the cash Chicago is receiving more than enough to covers his deal. The Rockets are facing luxury tax concerns, so moving him allows the franchise to lower their anticipated tax payment.

Anthony played just 10 games for the Rockets, averaging 13.4 points per game.  The fit wasn’t there in Houston and he’ll likely wait until after the trade deadline to find a new home. The Lakers reportedly have some interest, though the team’s roster is full and the franchise doesn’t want to waive a player on a guaranteed contract in order to add the 10-time All-Star.

Rockets Release James Nunnally

5:00pm: The Rockets have officially waived Nunnally, the team confirmed in a press release announcing the signing of Faried.

4:01pm: The Rockets will terminate James Nunnally‘s 10-day deal early, releasing him before the contract expires, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. As Charania notes, cutting Nunnally will allow Houston to finalize its signing of Kenneth Faried tonight.

Nunnally, 28, reportedly turned down lucrative offers from international teams to sign a 10-day contract with the Rockets last Thursday. With Houston in need of help on the wing, the veteran sharpshooter immediately claimed a rotation role, averaging 19 minutes per game in two contests with the club. However, he struggled to make an impact, making just 3-of-13 shots from the floor, including 3-of-12 from beyond the arc.

Parting ways with Nunnally was the simplest way for the Rockets to open up a roster spot to sign Faried. The club’s other option would have been to trade or release Carmelo Anthony, but it appears a viable trade involving Anthony has yet to materialize. Houston would like to avoid cutting Anthony outright, since trading him would reduce the team’s projected tax bill.

As for Nunnally, he’ll get paid for the full 10 days, even though his 10-day contract is being terminated on day six. The Rockets could bring back the 28-year-old swingman later in the season if a roster spot opens up, but if there are no NBA opportunities out there for him right away, Nunnally might end up returning to Europe, where he has thrived in recent years.

Rockets To Trade Carmelo Anthony To Bulls

The Rockets have agreed to trade Carmelo Anthony and cash to the Bulls, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

Chicago will not acquire the longtime All-Star for the purpose of playing him, Wojnarowski adds in a follow-up tweet. He could be released quickly but it’s possible that franchise will hold off on waiving him until the trade deadline. That would allow the Bulls to seek a trade, though they can’t aggregate his contract in another deal.

The Bulls have an open roster space, allowing them to add Anthony without dropping another player. The cost for picking up Anthony’s salary at this stage of the season is $675K. The cash received from Houston will more than cover the cost, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

Anthony will be better off waiting until the trade deadline to hook onto a new club if Chicago doesn’t move him. Anthony wants to find a place where he can make an impact and that opportunity could be created by waiting for trades to happen and roster spots to open up, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link).

There has been plenty of speculation where Anthony might ultimately end up this season, including the possibility of joining forces with good friend LeBron James in Los Angeles. The Lakers have some interest, according to Wojnarowski, but they have a full roster and don’t want to cut loose a guaranteed contract to pick him up (Twitter link).

Houston announced in mid-November its intention to part ways with Anthony and he’s been in limbo the past two months, occupying a roster spot without being an active participant.

The Rockets have been seeking to trade him rather than releasing him outright. Moving him to the Bulls takes the team off the hook for the tax penalties associated with his $1.51MM cap hit.

Anthony averaged 13.4 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 10 games with the Rockets.

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.