February 2016 – Page 7 – NBA Blog

Nuggets trade Randy Foye to Thunder

The Denver Nuggets have acquired guard D.J. Augustin, forward Steve Novak, two second round picks and cash consideration from Oklahoma City in exchange for guard Randy Foye, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Augustin, 28, has appeared in 34 games for Oklahoma City this season, averaging 4.2 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 15.3 minutes per game. The eight-year NBA veteran has appeared in 545 career games (170 starts) for Charlotte, Indiana, Toronto, Chicago, Detroit and Oklahoma City, averaging 9.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 24.2 minutes per game. He was drafted by Charlotte out of the University of Texas with the ninth overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft.

Novak, 32, has appeared in seven games for the Thunder this season, averaging 2.4 points in 3.4 minutes of action. He has appeared in 456 career games (six starts), averaging 4.7 points and 1.3 rebounds while shooting 43.2% from three-point range in 10 seasons with New York, L.A. Clippers, Houston, Toronto, San Antonio, Utah, Dallas and Oklahoma City. The Marquette University product was drafted by Houston with the 32nd overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft.

Foye, 32, has appeared in 185 games (106 starts) with Denver over the past three seasons, averaging 9.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 25.1 minutes per game. The 10-year veteran has appeared in 656 career games (392 starts) with Minnesota, Washington, L.A. Clippers, Utah and Denver, averaging 11.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.

Clippers and Grizzlies trade Lance Stephenson, Jeff Green

The L.A. Clippers announced today the team has acquired forward Jeff Green from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Lance Stephenson and a future protected first-round pick.

Green, 29, is averaging 12.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 53 games (31 starts) for Memphis this season. The seven-year NBA veteran has career averages of 14.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 609 regular season appearances (463 starts) with the Grizzlies, Boston Celtics and Seattle/Oklahoma City Thunder.

“Lance was a true professional and we appreciate all that he did for us,” Clippers President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Doc Rivers said. “In the short time he was here, he had a good impact on our team. We are excited to add Jeff to the Clippers and I am looking forward to coaching him again.”

A Maryland native, the 6-foot-9 inch Green played under Rivers in Boston from 2011-2013 and was a member of the 2007-08 NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Originally selected by Boston with the 5th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft out of Georgetown University, Green was traded to Seattle on Draft Night. The 2007 Big East Player of the Year, Green led the Hoyas to the Final Four before declaring for the draft following his junior season.

Stephenson, 25, averaged 4.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 43 games (10 starts) for the Clippers this season. He holds career averages of 8.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists over 314 games (186 starts) for the Clippers, Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers.

Suns trade Markieff Morris to Wizards

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has acquired forward Markieff Morris from Phoenix in exchange for forwards DeJuan Blair and Kris Humphries and a 2016 protected first round draft pick.

“Markieff is a versatile, young power forward who brings athleticism and physicality along with a good shooting touch,” said Grunfeld. “He will be a very good addition to our team as we make our playoff push and gives us a proven starter at that position for the next several years.”

Morris (6-10, 245) holds career averages of 11.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 345 career games (145 starts) while shooting .443 from the field, .324 from three-point range and .759 from the line in four-plus years with Phoenix. The 13th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft averaged 15.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting .465 from the field and .318 from three-point range in 82 games (all starts) with the Suns last season. He posted career-highs with 65 games of 10+ points, 19 games of 20+ points, seven games with 25+ points and three games of 30+ points along with 12 games of 10+ rebounds and 12 double-doubles in 2014-15. Morris also led the NBA by shooting 54.3 FG% (19-35 FG) in the final two minutes of one-possession games.

Morris has averaged 11.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in 37 games (24 starts) with the Suns this season. In those 24 starts, he has averaged 13.6 points and 5.9 rebounds. Morris was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games from Nov. 4-10, 2013, and finished fourth in the voting for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2013-14. He was teammates with current Wizards Marcin Gortat and Jared Dudley for two seasons with the Suns (2011-13).

“We thank Kris and DeJuan for their professionalism and their contributions to our team,” said Grunfeld. “We wish them the best moving forward in their careers.”

“Today we added another first-round pick to our collection of picks while keeping our young core intact,” said Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough. “We are excited to watch this group of players continue to develop and grow together.”

The Suns received Washington’s 2016 first-round pick (protected to nine) as part of the deal and now own three 2016 first-round picks with their own, Washington’s and Cleveland’s (protected to 10), as well as their own second-round pick.

Blair is in his seventh NBA season and has averaged 2.1 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.5 minutes in 29 games with the Wizards this season. The 26-year-old holds career averages of 6.8 points on 52.4 percent shooting and 5.1 rebounds in 424 games (179 starts) with San Antonio (2009-13), Dallas (2013-14) and Washington (2014-16). Blair, a 6-7, 270-pound post player, was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team following his first professional season with the Spurs in 2009-10.

Humphries, in his 12th NBA season, has averaged 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in 16.6 minutes in 28 games with the Wizards in 2015-16. The 6-9, 235-pound forward has played in 719 career games (196 starts) and posted averages of 6.9 points and 5.6 rebounds with Utah (2004-06), Toronto (2006-09), Dallas (2009-10), New Jersey/Brooklyn (2010-13), Boston (2013-14) and Washington (2014-16). The 31-year-old averaged a double-double in consecutive seasons with the Nets from 2010-12, including career-bests of 13.8 points and 11.0 rebounds in 2011-12.

Rockets trade Donatas Motiejunas and Marcus Thornton to Pistons

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has acquired forward/center Donatas Motiejunas and guard Marcus Thornton from the Houston Rockets in exchange for center Joel Anthony and a protected 2016 first-round draft pick.

“We’re happy to welcome Donatas and Marcus to the Pistons family,” said Jeff Bower, General Manager of the Detroit Pistons. “We like Donatas’ size, his skill level and his ability to play two frontcourt positions. Marcus adds scoring punch to our bench with his ability to create his own shot and make plays. We thank Joel Anthony for his professionalism throughout his time here and we wish him the best going forward.”

Motiejunas, 7-0, 222, has appeared in 191 games in his four-year NBA career and averaged 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists with the Rockets. He averaged career highs in points (12.0 ppg), rebounds (5.9 rpg), assists (1.8 apg), minutes (28.7 mpg), field goal percentage (.504) and games (71) last season.

A native of Lithuania, Motiejunas, 25, was the 20th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played professionally in the Polish League during the 2011-12 season and led Prokom Gdynia to the Polish League Championship averaging 15.7 points and 6.6 rebounds. He’s also played professionally in Italy and Lithuania and has been a member of the Lithuanian national team at both the youth and senior levels.

Thornton, a six-year NBA veteran, averaged 10.0 points and 1.4 assists in 47 games with the Rockets this season. In 436 career NBA games, he’s averaged 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists with New Orleans, Sacramento, Brooklyn, Boston, Phoenix and Houston. He averaged a career-high 18.7 points per game during the 2011-12 season as a member of the Sacramento Kings. Drafted 43rd overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat, Thornton’s draft rights were traded to the New Orleans Hornets.

Anthony, 33, saw action in 62 games as a Piston and averaged 1.5 points and 1.7 rebounds. He was acquired from the Boston Celtics on October 17, 2014 in exchange for Will Bynum and re-signed with the Pistons on July 20, 2015. An eight-year NBA veteran, Anthony has averaged 2.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 465 career games. He was a member of the HEAT’s 2012 and 2013 NBA Championship teams.

Via two separate trades, Cavaliers get Channing Frye from Magic

Through two separate trades, the Cavaliers have acquired F/C Channing Frye from the Orlando Magic. The Cavs traded F/C Anderson Varejao and a protected future first round draft pick to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a second round pick. The Cavaliers then traded the second round pick and guard Jared Cunningham to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Frye.

“Anderson is a special player, teammate and person,” said Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin. “Few players have earned the respect, support and admiration of an entire organization, fan base and community as Andy did here. Those are all things that made this a difficult deal to do. At the same time, we have a deep obligation to do whatever we can to reach our ultimate goal and we believe this was a deal that improves our team now and positions us better in the future as well. We thank Andy for his hard work, dedication and contributions to the Cavaliers and our community and wish him and his wife, Marcelle, the very, very best.”

Playing in his 10th NBA season, Frye has appeared in 44 games (29 starts) for Orlando, averaging 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per game. He is also shooting .397 from the three-point line and .905 from the foul line. Over his career, the 6-11 forward has played in 701 games (420 starts) with New York, Portland, Phoenix and Orlando, averaging 9.3 points and 4.9 rebounds in 24.1 minutes per game. He is a career .387 shooter from beyond the arc, which includes .404 shooting on catch-and-shoot threes over the last two seasons (446 attempts).

“Channing Frye is someone we know well. His length, floor spacing ability and locker room presence will impact us positively,” said Griffin. “He is a great fit with our group, both on the court and off, and we look forward to Channing, his wife Lauren, and their children, Hendrix and Margaux joining us here in Cleveland.”

Varejao has spent his entire 12-year NBA career with the Cavaliers and holds career averages of 7.6 points on .512 shooting from the field and 7.5 rebounds in 25.0 minutes over 591 games (208 starts). Among franchise leaders, he ranked third in offensive rebounds (1,479), fifth in defensive rebounds (2,955), fifth in total rebounds (4,434), seventh in games played, tied for seventh in blocks (397) and eighth in steals (529). In 2015-16, Varejao has appeared in 31 games with averages of 2.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 10.0 minutes.

Cunningham, who signed on as a free agent after the 2015 Cavs training camp, appeared in 40 games (three starts) for the Cavs this season and averaged 2.6 points and 0.7 rebounds in 8.9 minutes per game.

Heat trade Brian Roberts to Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired guard Brian Roberts and a future second-round pick from the Miami Heat in exchange for cash considerations, it was announced today by president of basketball operations Neil Olshey.

“Brian is an experienced player and a quality person,” said Olshey. “He has a skill set we value and fills a positional need as we head into a critical time in the season.”

In four seasons with New Orleans and Charlotte, Roberts, 30, is averaging 7.4 points (41.2% FG, 35.2% 3-PT, 91.9% FT), 1.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists over 252 games (57 starts).

Roberts (6-1, 173) was traded to Miami from Charlotte on Tuesday, and did not play for the Heat.

One of the league’s top shooters from the free throw line, Roberts has made at least 90 percent of his free throws in three of four seasons, including an NBA-best 94 percent in 2013-14.

Three-team NBA trade sends Shelvin Mack to Jazz, Kirk Hinrich to Hawks

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has acquired guard Shelvin Mack from the Atlanta Hawks, pending the outcome of a physical, as part of a three-team trade with the Hawks and Chicago Bulls. As part of the deal, the Jazz traded a future second-round pick to the Bulls, who also received guard Justin Holliday from Atlanta while sending the Hawks guard Kirk Hinrich.

Mack (6-3, 203, Butler) has appeared in 24 games for the Hawks this season, averaging 3.9 points and 1.6 assists in 7.5 minutes of action.

Originally selected in the second round (34th overall selection) of the 2011 NBA Draft by Washington, the 25-year-old has appeared in 247 career games (14 starts) over five seasons with Washington, Philadelphia and Atlanta, and owns career averages of 5.3 points, 2.7 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 15.0 minutes. He has also appeared in a total of 21 playoffs games over the last three seasons, averaging 5.0 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 rebounds, including 10.0 points, 1.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 21.7 minutes during the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals.

Prior to the NBA, Mack played three seasons at Butler University (2008-11), helping the Bulldogs to the Championship game in each of his final two seasons, and was selected to the All-Tournament Team at the 2011 Final Four. For his collegiate career, Mack appeared in 108 games and averaged 14.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists while helping Butler to an 87-21 record in those games. During his first two seasons at Butler, Mack teamed with current Jazzman Gordon Hayward, as the pair led Butler to the school’s first ever Final Four and an appearance in the 2010 title game.

A native of Lexington, Ky., Mack was also chosen to the 2010 USA Select Team which helped Team USA prepare for the FIBA World Championship, and was captain of the gold medal-winning USA U19 World Championship team during the summer of 2009.

Cavaliers trade Anderson Varejao to Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired a future first-round draft pick and forward Anderson Varejao from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for a future second-round pick, it was announced today by president of basketball operations Neil Olshey.

“This was an opportunistic way to use our cap room to acquire a valuable asset,” said Olshey.

Varejao, 33, holds career averages of 7.6 points (51.2% FG, 63.2% FT), 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists over 12 seasons with the Cavaliers. He is posting averages of 2.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 10.0 minutes in 31 games this season.

Trail Blazers waive guard Tim Frazier

The Portland Trail Blazers have waived guard Tim Frazier, it was announced today by president of basketball operations Neil Olshey.

Frazier, 25, averaged 1.5 points, 1.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 7.8 minutes in 35 games (one start) for the Trail Blazers this season.

Signed as a free agent on March 30, 2015, Frazier posted averages of 1.9 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 8.5 minutes in parts of two seasons with the Trail Blazers.

Clippers, Grizzlies trade Lance Stephenson, Jeff Green

The Clippers beat the trade deadline buzzer Thursday by sending Lance Stephenson and a lottery-protected first-round draft pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for Jeff Green in a move that bolsters their frontcourt.

Green can play both forward positions and could presumably fill in at power forward until Blake Griffin returns from a broken right hand and a four-game suspension that is expected to sideline him until next month.

Then Green, 29, could switch to small forward, one of the Clippers’ biggest needs in recent seasons as it started Matt Barnes and Luc Mbah a Moute.

The 6-foot-9, 235-pound Green, who is in the final season of a contract that pays him $9.4 million, was averaging 12.2 points and 4.5 rebounds for the Grizzlies. Green spent two seasons playing for Clippers Coach Doc Rivers in Boston while also sitting out the 2011-12 season because of a heart condition.

— Los Angeles Times