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Sixers Waive Okafor, Jefferson, Johnson

October 13th, 2018 at 5:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Veteran center Emeka Okafor wasn’t able to earn a roster spot with the Sixers, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Okafor was waived today, along with Cory Jefferson and Darin Johnson.

Okafor, 36, signed a non-guaranteed deal for the veteran’s minimum shortly before training camp opened last month. He had been hoping to win a spot as a backup to Joel Embiid and a veteran leader on one of the NBA’s top teams.

Okafor completed a remarkable comeback story when he earned a roster spot with the Pelicans in February after signing a pair of 10-day contracts. It marked his return to the league after missing four seasons because of injury. He appeared in 26 games, starting 19, and averaged 4.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per night. However, he barely played in the postseason.

New Orleans waived Okafor last month and he signed with the Sixers two days later.

Jefferson and Johnson signed with Philadelphia yesterday and both appear headed for the G League.

Celtics Waive Marcus Georges-Hunt

October 13th, 2018 at 5:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics have waived Marcus Georges-Hunt, tweets Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. The 24-year-old guard signed with the team at the start of October.

Georges-Hunt played 42 games with the Timberwolves last season, but saw just 5.3 minutes per night. His only other NBA experience was five games with the Magic after coming to Orlando late in the 2016/17 season. He originally signed with the Celtics in 2016, but was waived before the start of the season.

Georges-Hunt is likely headed to Boston’s G League affiliate in Maine and may rejoin the Celtics once they resolve the situation with Jabari Bird, according to Keith P. Smith of CelticsBlog. Bird is on a leave of absence while his assault case goes through the legal system.

Smith points out that if Bird is suspended, he would remain on the roster for at least five games. After that, Boston could put him on the suspended list and recall Georges-Hunt to fill the roster opening.

Bird signed a two-year contract for the league minimum this summer with a guarantee for the first season. If the NBA rules that he has violated its domestic violence policy, his contract could be voided and the Celtics would have no further financial obligation. If Boston waives Bird before the league makes a decision, his contract will remain on the cap and will continue to affect the luxury tax. The Celtics plan to keep Bird on the inactive list until his case is resolved.

Bucks Waive Tyler Zeller

October 13th, 2018 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have waived veteran center Tyler Zeller, according to Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link). The move leaves Milwaukee one cut shy of reaching the regular season roster limit.

Zeller, the 27th overall pick in the 2012 draft, began his career with two years in Cleveland before spending three seasons in Boston. In 2017/18, he appeared in 66 games for the Nets and Bucks, recording overall averages of 6.7 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 16.8 minutes per contest.

The contract Zeller signed in the summer of 2017 was a two-year deal, but the second year was non-guaranteed, so his hold on a roster spot in Milwaukee was always precarious. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent if he clears waivers on Monday.

With one more cut still to come, Tim Frazier and Christian Wood appear to be vying for the Bucks’ final roster spot.

Cavaliers Release Kobi Simmons, Three Others

October 13th, 2018 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

4:52pm: The Cavaliers have also waived Taylor, according to a second press release from the team. That leaves the club with 14 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals.

3:47pm: The Cavaliers have waived guard Kobi Simmons and forwards Bonzie Colson and Emanuel Terry, the team announced today in a press release. Cleveland’s roster now stands at 17 players, including 15 on standard contracts.

Simmons, 21, spent last season on a two-way contract with the Grizzlies, appearing in 32 games for the NBA squad. In 20.1 minutes per contest, the rookie point guard contributed 6.1 PPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.6 RPG. However, he was waived by Memphis this summer and joined the Cavs for camp.

Colson spent the 2017/18 season at Notre Dame before going undrafted this spring, with foot injuries hurting his stock as a prospect. Terry signed with the Nuggets earlier this offseason but was cut by Denver and inked a deal with the Cavs on Thursday. Both players are candidates to join the Canton Charge, Cleveland’s G League affiliate.

If no more roster moves are forthcoming for the Cavs, that’s good news for guard Isaiah Taylor, the team’s only other player on a non-guaranteed deal. Taylor recently suffered a stress fracture in his leg, which is expected to sideline him for about a month, so it wasn’t clear whether or not he’d make the team.

Timberwolves Waive Four Players

October 13th, 2018 at 4:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves have parted ways with four players, the team announced on Twitter. Gone are Darius Johnson-Odom and Jonathan Stark, along with Canyon Barry and William Lee, who were both signed earlier today.

The moves trim Minnesota’s roster to 16, including a pair of two-way players. The Wolves may keep one spot open on the regular roster for luxury tax purposes.

Johnson-Odom is 29 but hasn’t played in the NBA since 2013/14, when he spent three games with the Sixers. He has extensive international experience, playing in Italy, Turkey and Greece.

Stark is a rookie from Murray State who was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year last season. After going undrafted, he played for Minnesota in the Las Vegas Summer League. Barry played in Finland and the Czech Republic after going undrafted out of Florida in 2017. Lee is a rookie out of Alabama-Birmingham.

All four players may be given opportunities to join the Wolves’ G League team if they clear waivers.

Jazz Release Branch, Cousins, Lyles

October 13th, 2018 at 4:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Jazz got down to the NBA’s roster limit by waiving three players, the team announced on its website. The final cuts were guards Stephaun Branch, Isaiah Cousins and Jairus Lyles, who may all be ticketed for Utah’s G League affiliate in Salt Lake City if they clear waivers.

Branch was in the G League last season with the South Bay Lakers. He appeared in 50 games, starting seven, and averaged 10.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals per night. The West Georgia product was just signed by the Jazz earlier this afternoon.

Cousins also spent last season in the G League, playing 36 games for Salt Lake City. He posted a 13.1/ 3.6/4.4 line while averaging 1.3 steals per game.

Lyles is a rookie out of UMBC who played for the Jazz during summer league. He averaged 20.2 PPG in college last season.

Kings Release Kalin Lucas, Cameron Reynolds

October 13th, 2018 at 3:53pm CST by clarkcrum

The Kings announced today that they have waived guards Cameron Reynolds and Kalin Lucas, per an official media release. Sacramento’s roster now stands at 15 players on standard contracts and one player on a two-way contract, Wenyen Gabriel.

Reynolds, 23, appeared in four preseason games for the Kings, averaging nine minutes per contest. The Tulane product was also a member of the Kings’ Summer League squads in the Sacramento and Las Vegas leagues in July. As we relayed back in September, Reynolds will be joining the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate, so his release comes as no surprise.

Lucas, 29, also averaged nine minutes per game with the Kings this preseason. The Michigan State product has an NBA season under his belt, appearing in one game for the Grizzlies back during the 2014-15 season. He may join Reynolds in Stockton now that he’s been waived.

Clippers Waive Jamel Artis

October 13th, 2018 at 3:33pm CST by clarkcrum

Only a few days after signing him, the Clippers have waived recently-signed swingman Jamel Artis, per an official release from the team.

As we wrote when the signing was reported a few days ago, the timing of Artis’ signing seemed odd because it came when the team was reportedly seeking out trades to get rid of players.

That odd timing now makes sense, with the Clippers having signed him likely just to keep him with their G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers.

Artis, who spent the 2017-18 campaign on a two-way contract with the Magic, averaged 5.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists across 18.6 minutes per game last season.

Wizards Waive Lavoy Allen, Three Others

October 13th, 2018 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have reduced their roster to 16 players, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived four camp invitees: Lavoy Allen, Chasson Randle, Chris Chiozza, and Tiwian Kendley.

Of those four players, Allen is the only one with significant NBA experience. The veteran big man has appeared in 388 total regular season games for the Sixers and Pacers during his six-year NBA career, averaging 4.8 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 17.8 minutes per contest. However, he didn’t play in the NBA last season.

Randle also has a little NBA experience, having played 26 games for the Sixers and Knicks in 2016/17. Chiozza and Kendley signed their first NBA contracts with the Wizards this summer after going undrafted in the spring.

All four players are candidates to join the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s new G League affiliate.

The Wizards’ 16-player roster count includes 14 players on standard deals and a pair on two-way contracts, so they’re in compliance with regular season roster rules.

Trail Blazers Cut Payton, Oliver, Onuaku

October 13th, 2018 at 2:44pm CST by clarkcrum

The Trail Blazers have waived Gary Payton II, Cameron Oliver and Chinanu Onuaku, according to an official release from the team. The news was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. All three players were on fully non-guaranteed contracts, so Portland won’t be on the hook for any money.

With the moves, the Trail Blazers have lowered their roster count to 15 players in anticipation of the upcoming regular season. Portland could have kept one or two of Payton, Oliver, and/or Onuaku as two-way players, but with no G League affiliate, the team decided not to go that route.

Payton, 25, is the son of NBA Hall-of-Famer Gary Payton. He has seen a little NBA action over the last two seasons with the Lakers and Bucks, but spent most of his time in the G League.

Oliver, 22, signed a training camp contract with the Rockets after going undrafted in 2017, but was waived before the regular season. He averaged 10.8 PPG and 7.1 RPG in 39 total G League games last season.

Onuaku, 21, was selected in the second-round of the 2016 NBA Draft, but has only appeared in six NBA regular season games in his first two NBA seasons. Like Payton and Oliver, he has extensive G League experience, playing in 83 total games for the Rockets’ G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers the past two seasons.