July 2015 – Page 18 – NBA Blog

Thunder sign rookie Cameron Payne

Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has signed rookie guard Cameron Payne.

As a first round draft pick, Payne was guaranteed to receive a contract. This signing is standard.

Selected by the Thunder with the 14th pick in last month’s NBA Draft, Payne (6-2,180) appeared in 69 games in two seasons at Murray State, averaging 18.5 points, 5.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.81 steals in 32.4 minutes per game.

As a sophomore, Payne was named the Lute Olson Player of the Year, an award given to the top NCAA player with at least two seasons of experience, after leading the Racers to a 29-6 season, which included an Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) regular-season championship and a pair of wins in the National Invitational Tournament.

During his sophomore season, the guard led the Racers to a 25-game winning streak (second longest in the nation) while averaging 20.2 points (13th in NCAA), 6.0 assists (15th in NCAA), 1.94 steals and 32.2 minutes in 35 games. He was named OVC MVP and Honorable Mention AP All-American. The Memphis, Tenn. native, appeared in 34 games as a freshman, averaging 16.8 points, 5.4 assists and 1.68 steals in 32.6 minutes per game. He was named All-OVC First Team, OVC Freshman of the Year and earned an MSU record nine OVC Freshman of the Week awards.

Hawks sign Justin Holiday

The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club has signed guard Justin Holiday to a multi-year contract, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.

“Justin’s abilities on both ends of the court excited us as we looked to add depth on the wing,” Budenholzer said. “His combination of length and versatility with a great work ethic give him a chance to be a solid contributor on the court, and his experience on a championship team this past season and his high-character will be great positives for our locker room.”

A two-year NBA veteran, Holiday played in 59 games (four starting assignments) last season for the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, averaging 4.3 points and 1.2 rebounds in 11.1 minutes. He also saw action in five postseason contests.

In 2012-13, Holiday played nine games for Philadelphia, posting 4.7 points, 1.7 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 15.8 minutes. The 6-6 guard owns averages of 4.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 11.8 minutes in 68 career games.

Holiday, the brother of New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, has also played professionally with Okapi Aalstar in Belgium (2011-12) and Szolnoki Olaj in Hungary (2013-14), as well as in the NBA D-League with Idaho (2012-13) and Santa Cruz (2014-15). He was named to the All-NBA D-League Third Team and the league’s All-Defensive Second Team with Idaho after averaging 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.2 blocks in 34.7 minutes (.421 FG%, .412 3FG%, .816 FT%) in 47 games (42 starts). In his lone D-League appearance last year with Santa Cruz, Holiday recorded 26 points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal in 36 minutes.

A four-year letterman at the University of Washington (2007-11), Holiday appeared in 123 career games (56 starts) for the Huskies, averaging 5.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists (.443 FG%, .343 3FG%, .736 FT%) in 19.6 minutes. He was named to the Pac-10 All-Defensive Team as a junior.

Holiday will wear uniform No. 7.

Thunder re-sign Kyle Singler

The Oklahoma City Thunder has signed forward Kyle Singler to a multi-year contract, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

“Kyle Singler has consistently demonstrated a selfless, hard-working and committed approach that we are always working towards for the identity of Oklahoma City Thunder Basketball,” said Presti. “His size, shooting, willingness to accept various roles and solid fundamental base will help us continue to build the overall depth of our team.”

This past season, Singler appeared in 80 games (58 starts) with Detroit and Oklahoma City, averaging 6.0 points while shooting .398 (96-of-241) from beyond the arc, 2.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 21.8 minutes. In 26 games (18 starts) with Oklahoma City, the forward averaged 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per game.

Singler was acquired from Detroit on February 19, 2015 along with guard D.J. Augustin in exchange for guard Reggie Jackson. He was originally selected by the Pistons with the 33rd overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft after a successful collegiate career at Duke.

The Medford, Ore. native spent four seasons with the Blue Devils, setting career records for games played (148), consecutive games played (148), games started (147), minutes played (4,887) and finished his career fourth in points scored (2,392). Singler led Duke to an NCAA title his junior season and was named NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

Singler spent the 2011-12 season in Spain with CB Lucentum Alciante (10 games) and Real Madrid (32 games). In 10 games with Alciante, Singler averaged 14.4 points on .467 shooting from the field and 3.4 rebounds. In 32 games with Real Madrid, he averaged 7.8 points on .560 shooting from the floor and 2.2 rebounds.

He has appeared in 244 career NBA games (168 starts) and owns career averages of 8.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist on .378 shooting (260-of-687) in 26.1 minutes per game.

Clippers re-sign DeAndre Jordan and sign Wes Johnson

The L.A. Clippers announced today that they have re-signed center DeAndre Jordan and signed free agent forward Wes Johnson.

Jordan had unofficially agreed to leave the Clippers and sign with the Dallas Mavericks, but reneged on that and chose instead to remain with Los Angeles.

Jordan, 26, averaged a career-high 11.5 points and 15.0 rebounds in 82 games (all starts) for the Clippers last season. He led the NBA in rebounds and field goal percentage (.710), his field goal percentage was the second-highest single-season mark in NBA history (W. Chamberlain, ’72-73-.727). The 6-foot-11 center recorded an NBA-best 13 games with 20+ rebounds and set a Clippers franchise record with 1,226 rebounds in a season. Jordan became the sixth player in NBA history to average 15.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in season. He was named to the All-NBA Third Team and First Team All Defense last season, the first time in his career to achieve those honors.

Jordan led the NBA in field goal percentage and rebounds per game for both the 2013-14 (67.6% FG% and 13.6 rpg) and 2014-15 (71.0% FG% and 15.0 rpg) seasons. Only Jordan, Dwight Howard and Wilt Chamberlain have finished a season atop the league in both categories.

Originally drafted with the 35th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft out of Texas A&M, Jordan has appeared in 515 career games (413 starts) for the Clippers, averaging 8.0 points and 9.0 rebounds. The Houston native has appeared in 322 straight games, the longest current streak in the NBA.

Johnson, 27, averaged 9.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 76 games (59 starts) for the Los Angeles Lakers last season. The five-year NBA veteran brings career averages of 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 25.7 minutes in 349 games (269 starts) with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns and Lakers.

The Corsicana, Texas native was originally drafted by the Timberwolves with the 4th pick in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-7 Johnson played his first two years of collegiate basketball at Iowa State before transferring to Syracuse. In one season for the Orange he was named the Big East Player of the Year and a First Team All-American after averaging 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 35 games (all starts).

Spurs re-sign Tim Duncan

The San Antonio Spurstoday announced that they have re-signed forward Tim Duncan.

Originally drafted by the Spurs as the first overall pick in 1997, Duncan has helped San Antonio reach the playoffs in 18-straight seasons and win five NBA championships. Since selecting Duncan, the Spurs have posted a 1,005-423 regular season record, giving the team a .704 winning percentage, which is the best in all of professional sports over the last 18 years.

The 39-year-old Duncan is coming off of his 15th All-NBA Team selection (tied for most all-time) and his 15th NBA All-Defensive Team honor (most all-time), marking the 15th time he has garnered both honors in the same season, the most in NBA history. The 1998 Rookie of the Year has also been named NBA MVP twice (2002, 2003) and NBA Finals MVP three times (1999, 2003 and 2005).

Last year, Duncan became the only player in NBA history to average 13.0 points and 9.0 rebounds for an entire season at age 38-or-older and was one of just two players in the entire league to average 13.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists (DeMarcus Cousins). The 18-year veteran also became one of two players in NBA history to record at least 25,000 points, 14,000 rebounds and 2,500 blocks in his career (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).

In his NBA career, the 15-time All-Star has appeared in a total of 1,331 games and averaged 19.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.21 blocks in 34.4 minutes. He has shot .506 (10,070-19,893) percent from the floor and .696 (5,804-8,337) from the free throw line.

Duncan is the Spurs all-time NBA leader in total points (25,974), rebounds (14,644), minutes (45,830) and games played (1,331), second in blocked shots (2,942) and third in assists (4,062). In NBA history, Duncan is now fifth all-time in double-doubles (830), sixth in blocks, eighth in rebounding and 14th in scoring.

As the only player in NBA history to play 9,000 career minutes in the playoffs, Duncan now ranks first all-time in postseason blocks (555) and double-doubles (164), third in rebounds (2,811) and fifth in points (5,113). For his career, the Wake Forest graduate has appeared in 241 postseason contests (third all-time) and averaged 21.2 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 38.0 minutes while shooting .502 (1,953-3,887) from the field. Along with teammates Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, Duncan is part of the NBA record for most postseason wins by a trio (120). The three teammates have also played the most regular season games together (730) and are second all-time in league history with 539 regular season victories, just one win shy of the NBA record.

Trail Blazers sign Damian Lillard to contract extension

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed guard Damian Lillard to a contract extension, bringing the two-time NBA All-Star under contract through the 2020-21 season, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey.

According to ESPN.com, “the deal is the maximum five-year extension worth $120 million. The extension kicks in with the 2016-17 season.”

Lillard, 24, has career averages of 20.2 points (42.9% FG, 36.8% 3-PT, 86.1% FT), 3.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 0.95 steals and 36.7 minutes in three seasons with the Trail Blazers.

“I’m grateful to the Trail Blazers organization for believing in me with this contract extension,” said Lillard. “The city of Portland has made me feel welcome since the day I arrived. My family and I have made Portland our home.

“I feel fortunate to be a part of a great organization and community. I’m proud of what we’ve created together as a team and I’m excited to keep building.”

Selected by Portland with the sixth overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft out of Weber State, Lillard holds the NBA record for most 3-pointers in a player’s first three seasons (599), while becoming the first NBA player since 2003-04 to record 4,000 points and 1,200 assists in his first 200 games.

“From the day he arrived in Portland, Damian has embodied all of the characteristics we value and expect as a player and a person,” said Olshey. “The level of commitment we are making to one another provides the foundation our organization will be built on. We could not find a finer example of the organizational culture we are working to create than Damian.”

Lillard set new career highs in points (21.0 ppg), rebounds (3.8 rpg), assists (6.1 apg), steals (1.18 spg) and field goal percentage (43.4%) during the 2014-15 season.

The first NBA player in 14 years to start in all 82 games for the same team in each of his first three seasons, Lillard represented Portland as an NBA All-Star in 2014 and 2015, earning All-NBA Third Team honors in 2013-14.

Lillard is one of four players in league history to be the unanimous NBA Rookie of the Year after winning the award in 2013.

Knicks sign Arron Afflalo, Robin Lopez and Derrick Williams

Knicks sign Arron Afflalo, Robin Lopez and Derrick Williams

New York Knicks President Phil Jackson announced today that the team has signed guard Arron Afflalo, center Robin Lopez and forward Derrick Williams and acquired forward/center Kyle O’Quinn via sign-and-trade from Orlando.

“We are fortunate to add these four new players to our roster. They bring to the team veteran leadership, talent and youth,” Jackson said. “These men, in addition to our rookies from the NBA Draft, will make for a very competitive team this coming year. We are all looking forward to the season, as we welcome them to the New York Knicks 2015-16 roster.”

“We addressed our primary needs this offseason by adding size and versatility – players who complement each other and those that are returning from last year’s roster,” Knicks General Manager Steve Mills said. “We are all looking forward for these new players to mesh together to form our team.”

Afflalo, 6-5, 215-pounds, averaged 13.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists over 32.1 minutes in 78 games (72 starts) for Portland and Denver last season. Holding career averages of 11.4 points, on 45.3-percent shooting, including 38.5-percent from three-point range, in 577 games over eight seasons with Detroit, Denver, Orlando and Portland, he finished in the Top 10 in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage three times (most recently sixth in 2013-14). The Los Angeles, CA-native was originally selected by Detroit with the 27th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft following three seasons at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Lopez, 7-0, 255-pounds, averaged 9.6 points, on 53.5-percent shooting, 6.7 rebounds and 1.42 blocks over 27.8 minutes in 59 games (all starts) for Portland last season. Holding career averages of 8.2 points, on 53.2-percent shooting, 5.0 rebounds and 1.18 blocks over 21.2 minutes in 465 games over seven seasons with Phoenix, New Orleans and Portland, he set the Trail Blazers’ single-season franchise record 326 offensive rebounds during 2013-14. The Fresno, CA-native was originally selected by Phoenix with the 15th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft following his sophomore season at Stanford University.

Williams, 6-8, 241-pounds, averaged 8.3 points and 2.7 rebounds over 19.8 minutes in 74 games (six starts) for Sacramento last season. He holds career averages of 9.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 22.4 minutes in 296 games (92 starts) over four seasons with Minnesota and Sacramento. The Bellflower, CA-native was originally selected by Minnesota with the second overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft following two seasons at the University of Arizona and was an NBA All-Rookie second-team selection in 2011-12.

O’Quinn, 6-10, 240-pounds, was acquired, via sign-and-trade, from Orlando for the right to exchange 2019 second-round draft selections and cash considerations. He averaged 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds over 16.2 minutes in 51 games (17 starts) during his third season for the Magic in 2014-15. The Queens, NY-native was originally selected by Orlando in the second round (49th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft following four seasons at Norfolk State University. He played his high school basketball at Campus Magnet HS in Queens, NY.

Miami Heat re-sign Goran Dragic

The Miami HEAT have re-signed guard Goran Dragic.

According the South Florida Sun Sentinel, “the five-year deal came in at just over $85 million, about $20 million less than the maximum for a player of his NBA tenure, but an amount that Dragic and his agent believed would allow the Heat to reemerge from last season’s lottery struggles, especially when 2016 free agency rolls around.”

“When we traded for Goran last season, we knew he was the type of player and person that we wanted to be part of our HEAT culture,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “His pace, ability and vision for the game is the perfect complement to lead our team as we look to bring another championship to Miami. We are pleased he has re-signed and will wear the HEAT uniform for years to come and make Miami his home.”

Dragic split last season between the HEAT and Phoenix Suns, averaging 16.3 points, 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.00 steals and 33.8 minutes, while shooting 50.1 percent from the field. He led all guards and ranked 19th overall in the NBA in field goal percentage and also ranked among NBA leaders in minutes per game (29th), assists per game (31st) and scoring average (39th). Additionally, he set a single-season career high in offensive (81), defensive (193) and total (274) rebounds. He scored in double figures 68 times, including 27 games with at least 20 points and one 30-point performance. In his 26 games with the HEAT, he averaged 16.6 points (.502 FG%, .808 FT%), 5.3 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.08 steals and 34.8 minutes. He topped the HEAT in scoring four times, in assists 17 times, in minutes 10 times, in steals on eight occasions and in blocks twice.

The 6’3”, 190-pound guard, who was the NBA’s Most Improved Player and All-NBA Third Team selection during the 2013-14 season, has appeared in 502 NBA regular season games (266 starts) during his seven-year career and has averaged 12.2 points, 4.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 26.0 minutes while shooting 47.0 percent from the floor, 36.1 percent from three-point range and 75.1 percent from the foul line.

Dragic was acquired by the HEAT on February 19, 2015, along with Zoran Dragic, in a three-team trade involving the Suns and the New Orleans Pelicans in which Miami sent Norris Cole, Justin Hamilton and Shawne Williams to New Orleans and Phoenix received Danny Granger and a pair of first-round draft picks from Miami and John Salmons from New Orleans.

Nets re-sign Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young

The Brooklyn Nets have re-signed center Brook Lopez and forward Thaddeus Young to multi-year contracts, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

“We are very pleased to welcome Brook and Thaddeus back the Brooklyn Nets,” said King. “Brook is one of the premier big men in this league, while Thad proved to be a perfect complement to Brook last year after he was acquired from Minnesota. Being able to re-sign both of our free agent targets allows us to provide the continuity in our frontcourt that we were looking for going into the upcoming season.”

According to the Bergen Record, “Lopez, 27, could have signed a deal as long as five years, but he committed to stay in Brooklyn for three years and $60 million.”

Also from the Bergen Record: “Young, 27, signed four-year deal worth $50 million, with a player option in the final season.”

Lopez, 27, is the longest tenured Net, having spent his entire seven-year career with the franchise after being selected with the 10th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. In 414 career games (379 starts), Lopez has registered averages of 17.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 32.5 minutes per game. He currently ranks 4th on the Nets’ all-time scoring list (7,404 points), 6th in rebounds (3,029), 4th in field goals made (2,898), 2nd in blocked shots (724) and 8th in minutes played (13,439). An All-Star in 2013, the Panorama City, Calif. native played some of the best basketball of his career after the All-Star break this past season, posting averages of 19.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 32.0 minutes per game. Lopez’s season peaked during a two-week stretch in late March and early April when he captured back-to-back Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors, becoming the first Net in more than a decade to accomplish the feat. Lopez has also elevated his game in the postseason, recording averages of 21.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 38.2 minutes per game in 13 career playoff contests.

Young, 27, returns to the Nets after joining the team by way of a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 19, 2015. In 28 games (20 starts) with the Nets, Young finished second on the team in points per game (13.8) and rebounds (5.9) and first in steals (1.4) in 29.6 minutes per game. He shot .495 from the field and .380 from three-point range while forming a strong frontcourt duo with Brook Lopez. In the 28 games Young appeared in, the Nets averaged 102.1 points per game, shooting .457 from the field and .353 from three-point range. In the 54 games he didn’t appear in, the Nets averaged 95.9 points per game, shooting .448 from the field and .321 from behind the arc. Young was originally selected with the 12th pick of the 2007 NBA Draft by Nets GM King when he was the President and GM of the Philadelphia 76ers. In 592 career games (362 starts) with the 76ers (2007-14), Timberwolves (2014-15) and Nets (2015), Young holds NBA averages of 13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals in 30.3 minutes per game. In 36 career postseason contests, Young has averaged 9.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.8 steals in 27.3 minutes per game.

Magic sign-and-trade Kyle O`Quinn to Knicks

The Orlando Magic have acquired the option to swap second round draft picks in 2019 and cash consideration from New York in exchange for forward/center Kyle O’Quinn in a sign-and-trade deal, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today.

O’Quinn played in 51 games (17 starts) last season with Orlando, averaging 5.8 ppg., 3.9 rpg. and 1.2 apg. in 16.2 minpg. He led (or tied) the team in rebounding three times and in assists twice. O’Quinn scored in double figures ten times, including a season-high 21 points on Dec. 2 @ Golden State. He pulled down 10+ rebounds three times and recorded three double-doubles.

Originally selected by Orlando in the second round (49th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft, O’Quinn has appeared in 177 career NBA regular season games (41 starts), all with Orlando, averaging 5.4 ppg., 4.4 rpg. and 1.1 apg. in 15.0 minpg., while shooting .501 (406-810) from the floor.