Beijing time on March 2, although the NBA regular season is in full swing, but the news about the upcoming player transactions after the end of this season is still flying, just in the past 8 hours, the league has two signings and three layoffs officially completed, and three transactions are under discussion, now let's take a look!
Signing one: The Cavaliers sign Sam Merrill
According to sources telling sports journalists Shams Charania and Kelsey Russell, the Cavaliers have signed guard Sam Merrill to a 10-day contract,
Merrill, 26, was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 60th and final pick in 2020 after playing for Utah State University for four years. Meryl spent his rookie season with the Milwaukee Bucks and helped the Bucks win a championship.
Merrill was traded to the Grizzlies in the 2021 offseason, but was cut in February of the following year, and no team was willing to sign him after that until he signed a part-guaranteed contract with the Kings last summer. Merrill spent training camp in Sacramento but ultimately did not make the official roster.
The sharpshooter hasn't played many NBA-level games, playing a combined 36 games with the Milwaukee Bucks and Grizzlies, averaging just 8.1 minutes per game. However, he posted strong numbers for the Development League Stormtroopers last season, averaging 17.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 43.7 percent from three-point range.
Signing two: The Wizards sign Jay Huff
Development League center Jay Huff will fill a vacancy on the Wizards' 17-man roster, sports journalist Shams Charania reported, and the big man has agreed to sign a two-way contract with the Wizards.
Huff signed his first NBA contract with the Washington Wizards — an Exhibit 10 deal — shortly after coming out of the Virginia draft in 2021. After being cut by the Wizards that fall, he signed a two-way contract with the Lakers. He only signed about three months of contract before being cut again, but spent most of his first two professional seasons with the South Bay Lakers in the Los Angeles Development League.
In 18 Display Cup games last fall, Huff averaged 29.3 minutes, 16.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.2 blocks. Since then, he has continued to play for the South Bay, contributing 14.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.6 blocks in 19 NBAGR regular-season games.
Since he was signed at the end of the season, Huff qualified to play proportionally in the usual 50-game limit. If he signs today, he could play up to 12 games for the Wizards.
Signing three: Fenerbahce signs Taylor Dorsey
Turkish side Fenerbahce announced at a press conference today that former Mavericks defender Taylor Dorsey has officially signed Fenerbahce. According to the club, the contract will cover two seasons after this season, all the way up to the 2024/25 season, and the deal is not expected to include NBA players.
Dorsey was once a college winner on an Oregon team and reached the final four of the college league in 2017. From the beginning of the 2019-22 season, he played for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel and Olympiacos in Greece, performing very well in the Europa League. The 27-year-old's success overseas led him to sign a two-way contract with the Mavericks this past offseason, but he failed to make it to the Dallas rotation, playing in just three regular-season games before being cut at the end of December.
Dorsey had a strong show in the Texas Legends' Development League before and after being cut by the Mavericks, scoring 24.3 points per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 47 percent from three-point range. During the NBAGL regular season, his scoring efficiency declined, averaging 18.9 points per game while shooting 39.6 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point range.
Signing four: The Warriors sign Lester Quinones
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Warriors have promoted Lester Quiñones, a guard at Santa Cruz, a subsidiary of the Development League, to the NBA roster and agreed to sign him to a 10-day contract.
After being cut by the Grizzlies last summer, Quinones signed a two-way contract with the Warriors, but was cut just before the start of the regular season in October before spending his first professional season as a Santa Cruz Warriors player.
Lester Quinones averaged 29.6 minutes in 18 Show Cup games, shooting 745 shots for 20.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists while shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from three-point range.
Here's a Warriors-related trade rumor, and it's important to note that these trade rumors can only happen after the offseason player trade market opens.
3 for 1! Warriors offer Anthony Davis
Just now, the league also exposed a Warriors-related trade rumors, according to the US media NBA analysis network, the Golden State Warriors plan to trade Wiggins in the offseason in order to appease Curry. The Warriors want to trade Wiggins for Anthony Davis, the second boss of the Los Angeles Lakers. It is reported that the Warriors have sent a preliminary offer to the Lakers, and the specific plan of the trade is: the Los Angeles Lakers get Drummond Green, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga; The Golden State Warriors acquired Anthony Davis.
If the Lakers decide to trade 29-year-old Anthony Davis to rival team, the Golden State Warriors, they could complete one of the biggest deals in the league. That way the Lakers got three very valuable players to regroup the team around LeBron James. And the Golden State Warriors may need to make changes because they have a poor record in the West, only 32-30. If Curry and his team want to compete with the Suns, Bucks, 76ers, Clippers and Celtics in the playoffs, they still have a lot to do. Luckily for the Warriors, the answer to the team's woes may be all-around superstar big man Anthony Davis.
Davis is an incredibly talented offensive player who can bring great energy on the defensive end to replace Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends. Andrew Wiggins is one of the best wings in the NBA and a valuable player for the Lakers. The Lakers will dream of joining Wiggins to provide scoring firepower and defense, Kuminga to develop generalists, and Drummond Green to become LeBron James' close friend. Lakers fans are happy with the deal because the starting lineup looks more complete.