NBA News Blog – Page 803 – NBA Blog

Magic sign Dewayne Dedmon, Adonis Thomas to second 10-day contracts

The Orlando Magic have signed center Dewayne Dedmon and guard-forward Adonis Thomas each to a second 10-day contract, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today. Dedmon and Thomas both originally signed 10-day contracts on Feb. 25.

Dedmon (#3, 7’0”, 255, 8/12/89) has appeared in two games with Orlando, averaging 2.5 ppg. and 1.5 rpg. in 2.2 minpg. He has played in 17 combined games this season with Golden State, Philadelphia and Orlando, averaging 2.5 ppg. and 3.1 rpg. in 9.4 minpg. He also appeared in 15 games with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League, averaging 15.2 ppg., 13.1 rpg., 1.3 apg., 2.33 blkpg. and 1.53 stlpg. in 33.7 minpg.

Thomas (#8, 6’7”, 235, 3/25/93) has appeared in three games with Orlando, averaging 2.3 ppg. and 1.0 rpg. in 7.6 minpg. He played in 26 games (21 starts) with the Springfield Armor of the NBA Development League, averaging 16.2 ppg., 4.2 rpg. and 1.3 apg. in 35.1 minpg., while shooting .469 (38-81) from three-point range.

Not drafted by an NBA team in 2013, Dedmon played in 51 games (49 starts) during his two-year career at USC, averaging 7.1 ppg., 6.7 rpg. and 1.67 blkpg. In 2012-13 as a redshirt junior, he appeared in 31 games (29 starts), averaging 6.7 ppg., 7.0 rpg., 2.13 blkpg. and 1.10 stlpg. in 22.3 minpg. He led the Trojans in rebounding and blocked shots. Dedmon did not play organized basketball until his senior year of high school due to religious reasons and played one season at Antelope Valley College in his hometown of Lancaster, CA, before transferring to USC.

Also undrafted in 2013, Thomas played in 55 games (44 starts) during two years at the University of Memphis, averaging 10.7 ppg., 4.0 rpg. and 1.5 apg. in 27.5 minpg. He was named to the Conference USA All-Tournament Team in 2013.

Orlando’s roster stands at 14 players.

Bucks sign forward Tony Mitchell to 10-day contract

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed free-agent forward Tony Mitchell (6-6, 216) to a 10-day contract, General Manager John Hammond announced today. Mitchell is the 28th “Call-Up” of the 2013-14 season from the NBA D-League.

Mitchell has spent the better part of the last two seasons with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Milwaukee’s affiliate in the D-League. After going undrafted out of the University of Alabama in 2012, Mitchell signed with Fort Wayne and appeared in 48 games during the 2012-13 D-League season, averaging 21.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Mitchell was named the D-League Rookie of the Year and earned All-NBA D-League First Team honors following the season.

After appearing in 11 games for the Jilin Northeast Tigers in China last fall, Mitchell returned to the Mad Ants in January and has averaged 19.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks in 27 appearances (7 starts) this season. Mitchell is a two-time NBA D-League Slam Dunk Contest champion after successfully defending his 2013 crown at NBA All-Star Weekend in New Orleans last month.

Mitchell will wear #18 for the Bucks.

Bobcats sign Justin Hamilton to 10-day contract

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed center Justin Hamilton to a 10-day contract. Hamilton joins the Bobcats from the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA D-League, becoming the 29th Gatorade Call-Up this season. He will wear No. 41. The Bobcats roster now stands at 15 players.

In 37 games played for the Skyforce this season, the 7-0 Hamilton is averaging 19.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 assists in 35.8 minutes, while shooting .491 from the field (269-548), .385 from beyond the three-point line (30-78) and .812 from the free-throw line (147-181). He has scored in double figures 34 times, including 21 games of 20 points or more and three contests with 30 points or more, and recorded 16 games with double-figure rebounds, tallying 16 double-doubles.

Hamilton leads in the D-League in offensive rebounding, while ranking fifth in blocks, sixth in rebounding and 16th in scoring. He played for the Futures team in the 2014 D-League All-Star Game, scoring 20 points on 8-12 shooting, including 2-4 from beyond the three-point line, and 2-2 free-throw shooting.

Hamilton was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 45th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft before having his rights traded to the Miami Heat. He spent the 2012-13 season playing internationally, first for KK Cibona in Croatia and later for VEF Riga in Latvia.

Bulls sign Jimmer Fredette

The Chicago Bulls announced today the team has signed free agent guard Jimmer Fredette for the remainder of the season.

“We are very excited to add a player like Jimmer to our roster,” said Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman. “We’ve followed him closely throughout his collegiate and professional career, and believe he’ll be the type of player that will fit in with our group and be an asset to the team.”

Fredette (6-2, 195) is currently in his third year in the NBA and spent two-plus seasons playing for the Sacramento Kings. He appeared in 41 games this year with the Kings and averaged 5.9 ppg, 1.5 apg, 1.1 rpg in 11.3 mpg, and shot .475 from the field, .493 from downtown and .895 from the free throw line. Fredette was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 10th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft (his draft rights were traded by the Bucks to the Sacramento Kings in a three-team deal with the Charlotte Bobcats).

In two-plus seasons with the Kings, Fredette played in 171 regular season games (seven starts) and averaged 7.0 ppg, 1.5 apg and 1.1 rpg in 15.0 mpg, and shot .416 from the field, .402 from behind the arc and .855 from the free throw line.

Fredette will wear No. 32 and will be available for Chicago’s game today versus New York.

Chicago’s roster now stands at 13 players.

Bobcats waive Ben Gordon

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has requested waivers on guard Ben Gordon. The Bobcats roster now stands at 14 players.

“With the recent acquisition of additional backcourt depth to our roster, we believe this is in the best interests of both parties,” Higgins said. “We want to thank Ben for his contributions over the past two seasons and wish him the best as he moves on in his career.”

According to Yahoo Sports, “Gordon couldn’t reach an agreement with a playoff-bound team to get eligible for a postseason roster before Saturday’s deadline, so contenders are no longer interested in signing him. Nevertheless, there is interest among some non-playoff bound teams, sources said, and Gordon is weighing those opportunities against sitting out the rest of the season and preparing for summer free agency.”

Acquired from the Detroit Pistons along with a future first-round draft pick on June 26, 2012, in exchange for Corey Maggette, Gordon played in 94 games for the Bobcats with averages of 10.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 19.6 minutes. Gordon saw action in 19 games this season, averaging 5.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 14.7 minutes.

According to the Associated Press, “Gordon was making $13.2 million this season.”

Thunder sign Caron Butler

The rich get richer once again.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, already loaded with talent, have signed forward Caron Butler to a contract, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. A team that really didn’t need any additional help now has an even stronger bench.

Butler (6-7, 217), a two-time NBA All-Star, has appeared in 764 career regular season games (710 starts) and recorded averages of 15.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.42 steals in 33.9 minutes per game during his 12-year NBA career.

“We are pleased to welcome Caron Butler to the Thunder organization and to Oklahoma City,” said Presti. “Caron represents what we look for in a Thunder player and will positively impact our team. His toughness, hard-nosed defense, resiliency and highly regarded professionalism will only enhance our depth and bring additional versatility to the roster.”

This move has been expected for days, but became official this evening.

The 10th overall selection in the 2002 NBA Draft, he has appeared in 47 career postseason games (all starts) and posted averages of 13.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.45 steals in 34.6 minutes per game.

The Thunder roster now stands at 14.

Sixers sign Jarvis Varnado to 10-day contract

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced that they have signed forward Jarvis Varnado to a 10-day contract. He is the 26th “Call-Up” of the 2013-14 NBA Development League season.

Varnado was originally the 41st overall pick by Miami in the 2010 NBA Draft. He began his professional career overseas and joined Boston briefly during the 2012-13 season before eventually signing with the Heat during its championship run.

This season, Varnado was named a D-League All-Star for the Iowa Energy and is averaging 14.1 points along with a league-high 4.7 blocks while also ranking second in rebounding with 11.0 rpg. He signed a 10-day contract with Chicago on February 18, 2014 and appeared in one game.

Varnado played collegiately at Mississippi State and joined David Robinson as the only players in NCAA history to record at least 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 blocks. He finished his career as the NCAA’s all-time leading shot blocker with 564.

Suns sign Shavlik Randolph, waive Slava Kravtsov

The Phoenix Suns have signed forward Shavlik Randolph for the remainder of the season and waived center Slava Kravtsov, the team announced today.

The 6-10, 240-pound Randolph is a six-year NBA veteran who has appeared in 111 career games (seven starts) with Philadelphia, Portland, Miami and Boston. Randolph, who competed collegiately at Duke, played with Philadelphia for three seasons from 2005-08, with Portland in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons and with Miami in 2009-10, as well. Most recently in the NBA, Randolph appeared in 16 games for Boston last season, in addition to seeing action in one playoff contest. Earlier this season, Randolph spent time with the Foshan Long Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association. Between his NBA appearances with the Heat and the Celtics, Randolph played professionally in China and Puerto Rico.

He will be available for tomorrow night’s game vs. Atlanta.

Kravtsov, in his second NBA season, appeared in 20 games for the Suns this season, averaging 1.0 points and 0.9 rebounds in 3.0 minutes.

The Suns continue a four-game home stand on Sunday night as they host the Hawks with tip-off scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (Phoenix time). The game will be televised on FOX Sports Arizona, and carried on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.

The Suns’ roster still stands at 15.

Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday out for season

Already facing a tough season with some key injuries, the 23-34 New Orleans Pelicans just lost a key piece to their puzzle.

The Pelicans announced today that guard Jrue Holiday underwent a successful surgery to correct a stress fracture in his right tibia. He will miss the remainder of the season.

In 34 games played for the Pelicans this season, Holiday has averaged 14.3 points, 7.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game in 33.6 minutes. He last appeared for New Orleans on January 8th, 2014 and has missed the ensuing 23 games.

Clippers sign Danny Granger

The rich get even richer. Roster-wise, at least.

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have signed free agent forward Danny Granger.

Granger, 30, appeared in 29 games (two starts) this season with the Indiana Pacers averaging 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 22.6 minutes per game. He played his entire eight-year NBA career with the Pacers. He holds career averages of 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 544 games (425 starts) over 32.5 minutes per game.

The New Orleans native has appeared in 22 playoff games (19 starts) throughout his career, averaging 15.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists over 34.8 minutes per game. Granger’s best season with the Pacers came in 2008-09 when he averaged a career-high 25.8 points to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists while averaging 2.7 three-pointers per game. For his efforts, he was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team and was voted the NBA’s Most Improved Player.

Originally drafted 17th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft, Granger started his collegiate career at Bradley where he played for two seasons. He transferred to the University of New Mexico after his first semester of his sophomore year and played two seasons for the Lobos. A First Team All-Mountain West selection, Granger was the only player in the NCAA that averaged 18.8 points and 8.9 rebounds while also averaging at least 2.0 blocks (2.1), 2.0 steals (2.0) and 2.0 assists (2.0) his senior season.