F Kostas Papanikolaou had five points, all in the second half, during his first action since Nov. 30.

F Kostas Papanikolaou was signed by the Nuggets on Thursday. He was in uniform Thursday night.

The Nuggets signed forward Kostas Papanikolaou and waived guard Erick Green.Papanikolaou, 6-feet-8 and 225 pounds, averaged 4.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 43 games as a rookie with the Houston Rockets last season. A second-round pick by the New York Knicks in the 2012 NBA Draft, he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2012 and then to the Rockets the following year. Papanikolaou played for Olympiacos in Greece from 2011-13 and for FC Barcelona in the Spanish ACB league in 2013-14.Green, 6-4, 185, has averaged 3.2 points in 46 games for the Nuggets over the past two seasons. He was a second-round pick by the Utah Jazz in the 2013 NBA Draft.

The Denver Nuggets signed forward Kostas Papanikolaou and waived guard Erick Green.Papanikolaou, 6-feet-8 and 225 pounds, averaged 4.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 43 games as a rookie with the Houston Rockets last season. A second-round pick by the New York Knicks in the 2012 NBA Draft, he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2012 and then to the Rockets the following year. Papanikolaou played for Olympiacos in Greece from 2011-13 and for FC Barcelona in the Spanish ACB league in 2013-14.Green, 6-4, 185, has averaged 3.2 points in 46 games for the Nuggets over the past two seasons. He was a second-round pick by the Utah Jazz in the 2013 NBA Draft.

Papanikolaou was waived by the Nuggets on Friday, ESPN's Marc Stein reports.

Papanikolaou was due to make close to $5 million this season, and rather than paying him, the Nuggets will remove him from the roster prior to training camp. The 25-year-old spent last season in Houston, appearing in 43 games and averaging 4.2 points while shooting just 35.0 percent from the field. Houston opted to decline Papanikolaou's team option in June.

Papanikolaou, contrary to a previous report, is not expected to be waived by the Nuggets at this time, Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post reports.

Papanikolaou is due $4.8 million this season after signing the largest deal for a second-round draft pick last season. The Nuggets are under the salary cap, and they have October 4th to waive Papanikolaou without penalty.

Papanikolaou is expected to be waived by the Nuggets, David Pick of Basketball Insiders reports.

Though not official, it seems the Nuggets will remove Papanikolaou and his non-guaranteed $4.7 million contract from their books. Once he clears waivers, he'll be free to sign with any other team, domestic or international.

Papanikolaou was traded to Denver as part of the Ty Lawson deal on Sunday, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports.

Papanikolaou had a solid rookie season in Houston but his 19 minutes off the bench pales in comparison to what Lawson brings to the table for the Rockets. He'll be situated behind Danilo Gallinari and Kenneth Faried on the depth chart, meaning that Papanikolaou is likely in store for another limited role off the bench during his time in Denver.

Papanikolaou's team option was picked up by the Rockets on Wednesday, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Papanikolaou's contract for the 2015-16 campaign is non-guaranteed until Oct. 4, making it a trade piece for the Rockets with free agency imminent. In his rookie campaign, he was a part of the frontcourt rotation before Terrence Jones returned to full health and Josh Smith joined the squad. Because Papanikolaou logged time in just four games after the All-Star break, his eventual role is up in the air wherever he suits up next season.

Papanikolaou averaged 4.2 points, 0.7 three-pointers, 2.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.3 blocks, and 0.7 steals in 19 minutes per game through 43 games in 2014-15.

As a rookie, the 24-year-old Papanikolaou, who will be under team control until 2016-17, found a reserve role at small forward before Houston acquired Corey Brewer in January, limiting Papanikolaou's game action. Papanikolaou shot 35 percent from the field, 30 percent from three-point range, and 72 percent from the free-throw line in the minutes he did see. With starting small forward Trevor Ariza under team control until 2017-18, and reserve small forward Brewer owning a player option in 2015-16, Papanikolaou could find it difficult to increase his playing time next season. Should Brewer choose to leave the Rockets, Papanikolaou's role could increase drastically at his natural small forward position.

Papanikolaou played a total of four minutes in the first round win over the Mavericks.

Papanikolaou is at the end of the bench in Houston and that's not expected to change throughout the playoffs. In fact, he only played 43 regular season games and is not considered to be a reliable option in most postseason formats.

Papanikolaou (ankle) wasn't inserted into Friday's game against the Spurs.

It's unclear if Papanikolaou was unfit to play because of his ongoing ankle injury or whether coach Kevin McHale simply didn't need his efforts. Either way, his status for Sunday's game against the Pelicans is up in the air until McHale ultimately sends him onto the court.

Papanikolaou (ankle) is probable to play Friday against the Spurs, ESPN's Calvin Watkins reports.

Papanikolaou made his return Wednesday after missing more than a month with an ankle injury. He only played six minutes, and he'll likely be on a similar minutes restriction Friday, as the ultimate goal is having him as close to 100 percent as possible for the start of the playoffs.

Papanikolaou (ankle) returned from a two-month absence and posted two rebounds in six minutes of action Wednesday against the Spurs.

Papanikolaou is averaging just 4.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game this season. While his per-48 stats are intriguing in fantasy, he isn't getting enough opportunities to contribute enough to warrant ownership in anything but the deepest of leagues.

Papanikolaou (ankle) went through shotaround Wednesday and remains questionable to play.

Papanikolaou has not played in more than a month due to an ankle injury, but it appears Wednesday could be the night he finally gets back on the court. If that's not the case, his next chance will come Friday against San Antonio in the second game of the home-and-home set.

Papanikolaou (ankle) is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game at San Antonio, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Sidelined since Feb. 21 due to an ankle concern, Papanikolaou is inching toward a return, as intimated in comments over the weekend that he intended to play this week. If he fails to suit up Wednesday, his next chance to do so arrives Friday against the Spurs.

Papanikolaou (ankle) hopes to return during the upcoming week, the Houston Chronicle reports. "I am pretty close," Papanikolaou said Saturday. "I am feeling pretty good. Great job by the training staff, great communication, great work. I hope by the end of next week, I will be back and I can't wait."

While he expects to return before the end of the regular season, Papanikolaou probably already missed his chance to have a key role in the rotation. The Rockets could've used him while Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas (back) were both sidelined, but Jones is now healthy, and Motiejunas may also be nearing a return. There is some chance -- though not a good one -- that Houston's final game or two could be meaningless, in which case Papanikolaou and other reserves might play extended minutes.

Papanikolaou (ankle) remains about 10 days away from a return, according to coach Kevin McHale.

Papanikolaou has been out since late February with the ankle issue, and finally has a potential timetable for return. The earliest return date appears to be either Thursday or Sunday of next week, but he should have an updated status at some point prior.

Papanikolaou (ankle) continued to sit Monday against the Pacers and remains without an update on his return.

Papanikolaou has struggled to produce enough to be of any value in fantasy this season, and his injury doesn't help his case. He can be left in the wire in all leagues until further notice.

Papanikolaou (ankle) is out for Saturday's game against Phoenix, Houston Chronicle writer Jenny Dial Creech reports.

Papanikolaou last played Feb. 21, but no clues have surfaced regarding when he might be able to play next.