NBA News Blog – Page 819 – NBA Blog

Philadelphia 76ers waive Rodney Williams and Gani Lawal

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that they waived the contracts of guard Rodney Williams and forward Gani Lawal.

The NBA regular season starts Tuesday night, and teams around the league must trim their rosters to 15 players or less. So, lots of players signed to non-guaranteed or low-paying contracts are being let go.

Miami Heat waive Eric Griffin and Justin Hamilton

The Miami Heat announced today that they have waived forward Eric Griffin and center Justin Hamilton.

Griffin, who was signed by as a free agent in September, appeared in seven games with the Heat this preseason and averaged 1.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 6.1 minutes.

Hamilton, who was acquired by the Heat in a draft night trade in 2012, appeared in five games and averaged 2.6 points, 1.0 rebounds and 5.6 minutes.

The Heat’s roster now stands at 15.

Dallas Mavericks waive guard Mickey McConnell

The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have requested waivers on guard Mickey McConnell.

McConnell (6-0, 190) saw action in five preseason games for the Mavericks and averaged 1.8 points and 1.4 assists in 8.7 minutes per contest.

The Mavericks’ roster now stands at 15.

The Mavericks open the 2013-14 regular season against Atlanta on Wednesday, Oct. 30.

Denver Nuggets waive Damion James

The Denver Nuggets reduced their roster to 15 players by waiving forward Damion James, general manager/executive vice president of basketball operations Tim Connelly announced today.

James, signed as a non-roster invitee, averaged 3.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in seven preseason games for Denver. He went 8-for-23 from the field.

The Nuggets open the regular season Oct. 30 at Sacramento.

Clippers waive Lou Amundson

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have waived forward Lou Amundson. The Clippers roster now stands at 14 players.

Amundson appeared in seven preseason games (one start) for the Clippers, averaging 1.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 9.9 minutes of action.

Amundson has appeared in 327 career games (seven starts) for the Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Hornets. The 6”9”, 225-pound forward finished last season with the Hornets, averaging 2.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 18 games.

Phoenix Suns exercise contract options on Morris twins and Miles Plumlee

The Phoenix Suns exercised their 2014-15 options on forwards Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris and center Miles Plumlee, the club announced today.

In two seasons with the Suns, Markieff Morris has averaged 7.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in 145 games. The 13th overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, he closed the 2012-13 season strongly as he averaged 11.8 points and 6.9 rebounds in April, the best scoring and rebounding month of his young career.

Marcus Morris joined the Suns in a midseason trade with Houston and averaged 5.7 points in 23 games with Phoenix last season. Originally the 14th overall pick of the 2011 draft, he led the Suns with an average of 14.3 points in seven contests at the 2013 Las Vegas Summer League.

Plumlee played his rookie season with Indiana before being acquired by the Suns in a trade with the Pacers this past summer. In seven contests with the Suns this preseason, Plumlee averaged 6.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.14 blocks in 18.5 minutes per game.

Timberwolves exercise contract options on Ricky Rubio and Derrick Williams

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has exercised its fourth-year options on guard Ricky Rubio and forward Derrick Williams.

Rubio, the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, joined the Wolves in 2011-12 and has played 98 games with the club. He holds career averages of 10.7 points, 7.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game, including setting the franchise single-season steals mark last year (2.40 spg). As a rookie in 2011-12, Rubio was named to NBA’s All-Rookie First Team after averaging 10.6 points, 8.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game.

Williams, the second overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, has appeared in 144 games (71 starts) with the club, holding career averages of 10.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Williams started 56 games in 2012-13 and averaged 14.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in 40 games (all starts) over the last three months of the season.

Timberwolves waive center Chris Johnson

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has waived center Chris Johnson. The Wolves roster now stands at 15 players.

Johnson, 28, played in two preseason games this season and averaged 2.0 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He was originally signed by the Wolves to a 10-day contract on January 19, 2013 before being signed to a second 10-day contract on January 29. Johnson was signed for the remainder of the 2012-13 season on February 8. He appeared in 30 games with the Wolves last season and averaged 3.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.5 minutes per contest.