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Celtics Sign Marcus Georges-Hunt, Cut Justin Bibbs

October 1st, 2018 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have officially made a change to their 20-man preseason roster, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve signed free agent guard Marcus Georges-Hunt, waiving camp invitee Justin Bibbs to create room. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported on Friday that Boston was nearing a deal with Georges-Hunt.

Georges-Hunt, 24, spent last season with the Timberwolves, playing limited minutes in 42 games for the club. The former Georgia Tech standout, who appeared in five games for the Magic during his rookie year in 2016/17, spent most of that season in the G League, where he recorded 15.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 4.4 APG in 45 contests for the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s affiliate.

Georges-Hunt, who has a reputation as a tough perimeter defender, may have a chance to earn a spot on the Celtics’ 15-man regular season roster this fall. The team is currently carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, but one of those 15 is Jabari Bird, who is dealing with medical and legal issues and whose future in Boston remains unclear.

As for Bibbs, the 22-year-old shooting guard – who signed as an undrafted free agent out of Virginia Tech – looks like a good candidate to end up with the Red Claws this season, assuming he opts to sign a G League contract.

Pelicans Sign Brandon McCoy

September 29th, 2018 at 5:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans have signed free agent center Brandon McCoy, the team announced on Twitter.

McCoy was waived by the Bucks last week after signing with the team at the end of July. After going undrafted out of Nevada-Las Vegas, McCoy earned a training camp contract with his performance for Milwaukee’s summer league team.

Today’s signing brings the Pelicans up to the 20-player limit for training camp.

Kalin Lucas Signs With Kings

September 29th, 2018 at 3:57pm CST by clarkcrum

Michigan State alum, point guard Kalin Lucas, has signed with the Kings, per RealGM’s transaction log. The signing’s imminence was first reported by Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.

Lucas, 29, appeared in one game for the Grizzlies back during the 2014-15 season, but has not played in the NBA since. He spent last season with Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Basketball Premier League after being waived by the Magic in October. He also played in the G League for the Iowa Energy on two separate occasions.

Lucas may be a candidate to return to the G League and play for the Stockton Kings if he is waived, or he may return back overseas, because it’s unlikely he makes the Kings’ roster with De’Aaron Fox, Yogi Ferrell, and Frank Mason all on guaranteed contracts.

Magic Sign Devin Davis, Waive Gabe York

September 27th, 2018 at 6:39pm CST by JD Shaw

The Magic announced a pair of roster moves on Thursday, signing free agent forward Devin Davis to a contract while waiving guard Gabe York.

Davis, 23, played 55 games over two seasons (2016-18) at the University of Houston. He was the only member of his team to start in all 35 games during his senior season last year, averaging 10.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest. He went unselected in the 2018 NBA Draft.

York, who signed with the Magic for camp earlier in the month, spent time in Germany last season with Medi Bayreuth. He played 44 games with the Magic’s G League affiliate Lakeland Magic during the 2016/17 season.

The Magic have 20 players under contract for training camp, with their first preseason game set to commence on October 1 against the 76ers.

Spurs Exercise 2019/20 Options On Jakob Poeltl, Derrick White

September 27th, 2018 at 5:57pm CST by JD Shaw

The Spurs have exercised the 2019/20 options in the contracts of Jakob Poeltl and Derrick White, the team announced in a press release. The club also exercised the $2.3MM option in Dejounte Murray’s contract for the season, as we noted earlier.

Poeltl was traded to the Spurs as part of a package featuring Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan in July, and is expected to provide depth in the frontcourt for San Antonio. His maturity and focus at the age of 22 has impressed Spurs’ staffers in his short time with the team.

Poeltl appeared in all 82 contests with the Raptors last season, holding per-game averages of 6.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 18.6 minutes. He was drafted with the No. 9 pick in 2016 after playing two collegiate seasons at Utah.

White, a 6’5″ combo guard who’s in his second NBA season, was selected by the Spurs with the 29th pick in 2017. He played just 17 games last season with the franchise, spending most of his time with the team’s G League affiliate Austin Spurs.

The Spurs have a cap charge of $3.7MM for 2019/10 by picking up Poeltl’s team option, and a separate charge of $1.9MM by exercising White’s option. Poeltl’s rookie contract is due to expire in 2020, while White has a fourth-year option for the 2020/21 campaign.

Spurs Pick Up Dejounte Murray’s Fourth-Year Option

September 27th, 2018 at 4:50pm CST by JD Shaw

The Spurs have picked up the fourth year option in Dejounte Murray‘s contract, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. The option is worth $2.3MM for the 2019/20 season.

Murray, 22, appeared in 81 games last season, averaging 8.1 points and 5.7 rebounds in 21.5 minutes per contest. He’s established himself as a premier defender with the Spurs, being named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team last season.

Murray is expected to start at point guard and play alongside DeMar DeRozan in San Antonio’s new-look backcourt this season. The Spurs hold confidence that Murray can take the reins from Tony Parker, who left the team in free agency, and become a permanent starter in the league. San Antonio will need his production to have a chance at competing with elite Western Conference teams such as the Warriors, Rockets and Thunder.

Murray was drafted with the 29th overall pick in 2016 after spending one year in college with Washington. He’s entering his third season with the team this fall.

The Spurs will also need to make 2019/20 option decisions on Jakob Poeltl and Derrick White before the October 31 deadline.

Kings Sign Brandon Austin To Camp Deal

September 27th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have added another player to their roster for training camp, signing Brandon Austin to a camp deal, as James Ham of NBC Sports California tweets. Austin, who spent time in the G League last season, appears likely to end up with the Reno Bighorns this season, tweets Sean Cunningham of ABC10 in Sacramento.

Austin, a 6’8″ wing, went undrafted out of Northwest Florida State College in 2016. Last season, he appeared in 15 games for the Bighorns, Sacramento’s G League affiliate, averaging 9.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 1.5 APG in 16.5 minutes per contest.

With Austin under contract, the Kings are now carrying 19 players, one short of the preseason limit. That roster count includes 15 players on guaranteed salaries, three (Austin, Cameron Reynolds, and Jamel Artis) on non-guaranteed deals, and one (Wenyen Gabriel) on a two-way pact.

Magic Exercise 2019/20 Option On Jonathan Isaac

September 27th, 2018 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have picked up their third-year team option on Jonathan Isaac‘s rookie contract, the team announced today in a press release. The option covers the 2019/20 season.

Isaac, who will turn 21 next Wednesday, appeared in just 27 games for the Magic in his rookie season, with his playing time limited by injuries and lineup decisions. However, the former sixth overall pick is considered a key part of Orlando’s long-term future, having been the first player drafted by the team’s current management group.

By exercising Isaac’s option, the Magic lock him in for the 2019/20 season with a $5.81MM cap charge. The young power forward also has a fourth-year option worth $7.36MM for 2020/21 — the club will have to make a decision on that option next fall before Isaac becomes extension-eligible in the summer of 2020.

Isaac’s was the only 2019/20 option the Magic had to make a decision on. The full list of rookie scale options decisions for ’19/20 can be found right here.

Nuggets Sign Donald Sloan

September 27th, 2018 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 27: The Nuggets have officially signed Sloan, according to RealGM’s NBA transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 19: The Nuggets appear set to fill the final spot on their 20-man offseason roster by signing veteran guard Donald Sloan, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Denver has 18 players officially under contract, but has reportedly reached a contract agreement with free agent guard Xavier Silas as well.

Sloan, 30, has played more than 200 regular season games over the course of his career, but hasn’t appeared in an NBA contest since 2015/16, when he saw action in 61 games for the Nets. Last season, he averaged 18.8 PPG, 5.5 APG, and 4.2 RPG in 24 games (34.6 MPG) for the Texas Legends, Dallas’ G League affiliate, before heading to China for a third stint with the Guangdong Southern Tigers.

As Wojnarowski notes, the Nuggets’ deal with Sloan comes in the heels of reports questioning Isaiah Thomas‘ availability this fall following March hip surgery.

As Chris Dempsey of Altitude Sports relayed on Tuesday (via Twitter), team president of basketball operations Tim Connelly was evasive when asked about the point guard’s status, suggesting that the Nuggets “want Isaiah to be right” before he returns to the court. Sam Amick of USA Today added (via Twitter) that Thomas is unlikely to be ready for training camp and his timeline remains unclear. “It might be a while,” Amick notes.

Of course, even if Thomas isn’t healthy for the start of the regular season, there may not be room on the 15-man roster for Sloan. The Nuggets are currently carrying 15 players on guaranteed salaries, and would have to trade or release one of those players to retain Sloan. Instead, second-year point guard Monte Morris could have the opportunity to earn a regular role for Denver to open the season.

Pacers Exercise 2019/20 Options On Sabonis, Leaf

September 26th, 2018 at 3:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 26: The Pacers have officially exercised their 2019/20 options on both Sabonis and Leaf, the club confirmed today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 24: The Pacers will exercise their options on the rookie contracts of Domantas Sabonis and T.J. Leaf, tweets Scott Agness of The Athletic. Team president Kevin Pritchard confirmed the moves, which are contingent on both players passing physicals.

Sabonis, who will have a cap charge of $3,529,555 in 2019/20, was a pleasant surprise in his first year with Indiana after being acquired in a trade with the Thunder. He averaged 11.6 points and 7.7 rebounds in 74 games, mostly as a reserve. He’ll be extension-eligible as of July 1, 2019.

Leaf, the 18th pick in the 2017 draft, got into 53 games as a rookie, averaging 2.9 PPG and 1.5 RPG. He will have a $2,813,280 cap hit for 2019/20. The Pacers will have to make a decision on his fourth-year option next fall.