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Bulls waive Dwyane Wade (buyout agreement)

With buyout agreement, Bulls waive Dwyane Wade

The Chicago Bulls requested waivers on Dwyane Wade yesterday (Monday).

In his lone season with Chicago, Wade played in 60 games (59 starts) and averaged 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.43 spg (T-24th in the NBA) in 29.9 minutes while shooting .434 from the field, .310 from distance and .794 from the free-throw line. He originally signed with the Bulls as a free agent on July 5, 2016.

Chicago’s roster now stands at 19.

Per the Chicago Sun-Times, “According to a front office source, all indications are that Wade would be reunited with good friend LeBron James, joining the Cleveland Cavaliers. And Wade could finalize a decision with the Cavaliers as early as Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

More from the Sun-Times: The buyout – which reportedly involved the Bulls paying Wade about $16 million of the $23.8 million he was set to make – was the first topic of business for VP of basketball operations John Paxson to address on media day.”

Bulls re-sign Nikola Mirotic

The Chicago Bulls re-signed forward Nikola Mirotic yesterday (Monday).

Mirotić enters his fourth season in the NBA and with the Bulls. In 2016-17, he appeared in 70 games (15 starts) and posted averages of 10.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, and shot .413 from the field and .342 from 3-point range. Mirotić’s 129 3-point field goals made led the team, and he became the first player in Bulls history to have consecutive games with six 3-pointers made on March 26 and March 30. In the postseason, he played in all six games (6 starts) in the series against Boston, and averaged 10.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in 24.0 minutes per game while shooting .413 from the field and .342 from three.

For his career, Mirotić has averaged 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting .409 from the field and .350 from beyond the arc. He has also played in 17 playoff games (6 starts) with averages of 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 14.9 minutes.

The Bulls originally acquired Mirotić on June 23, 2011, in a draft-night trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in December of 2014 and March of 2015, and was selected to the World Team of the 2015 All-Star Weekend Rising Stars Challenge. Mirotić was also a member of the 2016 Spain Men’s National Team that won the bronze medal in the Rio Olympics.

Russell Westbrook has not signed Thunder extension offer just yet

Last season it felt like Russell Westbrook was the lone big difference-maker on his entire Thunder team. But now? If he looks left, Carmelo Anthony is there. To his right? Paul George. Now, surely you’re saying, “Hey InsideHoops, what if Melo and Paul George switch places?” Well then, you’re right. Westbrook will have to look different directions to see those dudes. But they’re still be there. Because they’re his teammates now. Quit trying to derail the point. Anyway, as for Westbrook’s future with OKC, here’s the Norman Transcript reporting:

Russell Westbrook looked like he was about to evade a question regarding his unsigned extension before coming back around to answering — kind of.

“Like I said before, man, this is a place I want to be,” Westbrook said at Oklahoma City Thunder media day. “I love being here. I’m excited about the season, obviously, with a lot of new changes.”

The Thunder offered Westbrook a five-year extension worth more than $200 million July 1. It would kick in for the start of the 2018-19 season and go through 2022-23. He still hasn’t signed it. Monday offered the first chance for him to comment on the situation since general manager Sam Presti officially placed the offer in front of him.

Westbrook has until Oct. 16 to sign the extension. If he doesn’t finalize it by then, he can become a free agent this summer along with fellow Thunder stars Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. And his reason for not inking the deal so far seems to be merely that he’s been busy.

Full article

Lonzo Ball still deciding which shoe brands he will wear this season

Look. This whole Big Baller Brand thing is just fun. It’s blown up. It’s famous. Everybody knows about it. Talking about it doesn’t hurt. It’s out there, and we’le keep watching. We still haven’t worn the shoes, though, so we can’t confirm they’re any good just yet. Anyway, here’s ESPN.com reporting the latest on which shoes Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball may be wearing in the season opener and beyond:

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball said he is still deliberating on whether he will wear other shoe brands in addition to his Big Baller Brand this season like he did when he created a stir at the Las Vegas Summer League.

“Who knows,” Ball said when asked if he will wear other brands such as Nike and Adidas during his rookie season. “Probably my shoes, though, thinking about it right now.

“I’ll definitely be in my shoes the first game and then just go from there.”

Full article

Pacers sign Jarrod Uthoff

The Indiana Pacers have signed 6-7 forward Jarrod Uthoff.

It’s likely just a training camp deal.

Uthoff was undrafted out of the University of Iowa in 2016. He played nine games for the Dallas Mavericks last season and averaged 4.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He played 11 games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers’ affiliate in the NBA G League, and averaged 17.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.6 blocks per game.

With training camp beginning Tuesday, Sept. 26, the Pacers’ roster now stands at 20.

Suns forward/center Alan Williams out six months

Phoenix Suns forward/center Alan Williams today underwent a meniscus repair of his right knee. The procedure was performed by Head Team Physician Dr. Tom Carter in Phoenix. Williams is expected to return to full basketball activity in approximately six months.

The Suns’ 2016-17 Majerle Hustle Award winner, Williams averaged 11.4 points and 9.1 rebounds with 12 double-doubles in 24 games after the All-Star break last season. He led the Suns with 15 double-doubles overall and ranked third in the NBA with 15 double-doubles off the bench. Playing in his second NBA season, the 24-year-old averaged career-bests of 7.4 points and 6.2 rebounds in 47 total games. A Phoenix native, Williams initially joined the Suns in March 2016 and re-signed to a multiyear contract with the team on July 26, 2017.

Suns re-sign Alex Len

Center Alex Len is once again a member of the Phoenix Suns.

According to the Arizona Republic, the team signed Len to a one-year, $4.2 million qualifying offer.

Len, a 7-1, 250-pound center, has played his first four professional seasons with the Suns, increasing his per-36-minute averages in points and rebounds in each season of his career. In 2016-17, Len played 77 games (34 starts), averaging 8.0 points on 49.7 percent shooting, 6.6 rebounds and a team-high 1.27 blocks, which ranked 17th on the NBA leaderboard. In his 34 starts, Len averaged 9.3 points on 51.9 percent shooting, 7.8 rebounds and 1.47 blocks in 23.0 minutes.

Originally selected by the Suns with the fifth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Len holds career averages of 6.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.06 blocks and 19.8 minutes in 266 games (127 starts). Through four seasons, the 24-year-old already ranks 12th in Suns franchise history with 283 blocked shots. Len averaged career-highs of 9.0 points and 7.6 rebounds 78 appearances in 2015-16, as he is one of only four seven-footers to appear in at least 77 games in each of the past two seasons, along with Karl-Anthony Towns, Robin Lopez and Steven Adams.

A native of Antratsit, Ukraine, Len played two seasons at the University of Maryland before declaring as an early entry candidate for the 2013 NBA Draft.

The Suns’ roster now stands at 20

Cavaliers hire Nic Barlage as President of Business Operations

Nic Barlage has been named President of Business Operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers organization. Barlage comes to the Cavaliers from the Phoenix Suns organization where he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Sales Officer. Prior to that, Barlage was part of the Cavaliers organization for five seasons where he was most recently Vice President of Sales and Service before departing for Phoenix in 2014. The announcement was made by Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena CEO Len Komoroski.

Under Komoroski’s leadership, Barlage will oversee all business areas of the Cavaliers organization. In addition to Barlage’s appointment, announcements related to the following current senior leadership team members with the Cavs organization were also made: Tad Carper has been named Executive Vice President / Communications, Mozelle Jackson is now Executive Vice President and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, Tracy Marek has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, and Brad Sims has been named Executive Vice President / Chief Revenue Officer and Franchise Operations. In addition, Mike Conley was recently named Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer.

During Barlage’s previous time with the Cavaliers he oversaw all ticketing and suite revenue at Quicken Loans Arena and helped to rebuild the Cavaliers’ sales and service teams over the span of five seasons. Prior to his tenure in Cleveland, Barlage spent one season with the Suns and two seasons with the Charlotte Bobcats specializing in suite and premium seating.

Barlage graduated from Saint John’s University (Minn.).

Raptors sign Andy Rautins to training camp roster

Training camp is opening. The Toronto Raptors will train Tuesday, September 26 through Friday, September 29 at Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities (CARSA) on the University of Victoria campus. This marks the fourth consecutive year the Raptors will hold training camp in British Columbia and fifth time in team history.

The Raptors also announced they have signed guard Andy Rautins.

Rautins, 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, averaged 11.9 points, 4.7 assists and 32.6 minutes in 30 games with Gaziantep (Turkey-BSL) last season. He was picked 38th overall by the New York Knicks in the 2010 NBA Draft. Rautins played collegiately at Syracuse (2005-10), where he averaged 8.8 points in 127 career games.

The Raptors’ roster now stands at 20 players.

Pelicans re-sign Dante Cunningham

The New Orleans Pelicans have re-signed forward Dante Cunningham.

Cunningham, 6-8, 230, originally signed with New Orleans on December 4, 2014. In 212 regular season games with New Orleans, Cunningham has averaged 5.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per game. Last season, Cunningham appeared in 66 games (35 starts) for the Pelicans, averaging 6.6 points while shooting .392 from three-point range, and 4.2 rebounds in 25.0 minutes per contest.

Originally drafted 33rd overall by Portland in the 2009 NBA Draft out of Villanova, Cunningham has appeared in 578 career regular season games with Portland, Charlotte, Memphis, Minnesota and New Orleans, with career averages of 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes.