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Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed free agent guard George de Paula (POW-la).
Although not confirmed, the deal is probably non-guaranteed and just for training camp.
De Paula (6-6, 194) was an early entry candidate for the 2017 NBA Draft. The 21-year-old spent the past four seasons playing professionally in his home country of Brazil. De Paula, who also goes by “Georginho,” played for the Rockets in MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2017.
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The Phoenix Suns have signed forward T.J. Warren to a multiyear contract extension.
“We are excited about extending T.J.’s contract,” said General Manager Ryan McDonough. “T.J. has improved every year and we think he has the potential to continue to grow as he just begins to approach his prime. We view T.J. as an important part of our young core going forward and we are glad that we were able to reach an agreement on this extension.”
Per the Arizona Republic, “the contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, is worth $50 million over four years. McDonough said the deal will start in the 2018-2019 season.”
Warren, a 6-8, 215-pound forward, is entering his fourth NBA season and averaged career highs of 14.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 31.0 minutes in 66 games (59 starts) in 2016-17. The 24-year-old also shot 49.5 percent from the field, placing 28th on the NBA leaderboard. One of the league’s most efficient scorers, Warren averaged 17.6 points on 56.0 percent shooting following last season’s All-Star break as he and LeBron James were the only wings, and two of just six players overall, to average at least 15 points and shoot at least 55 percent during the season’s second half.
Originally the Suns’ selection with the 14th overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, Warren holds career averages of 11.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 24.4 minutes in 153 games, all with Phoenix. With a career field goal mark of 50.2 percent, he is one of just two players from the 2014 NBA Draft class (Nikola Jokic) to be averaging double-digits scoring while making at last half of his field goal attempts.
A native of Durham, North Carolina, Warren starred collegiately for two seasons at North Carolina State University. In his final season with the Wolfpack in 2013-14, he earned ACC Player of the Year honors and set a single-season school record with 871 points, breaking the 39-year-old record previously held by Hall of Famer David Thompson.
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The Boston Celtics have signed four rookies – Jonathan Holmes, L.J. Peak, Andrew White and Devin Williams – finalizing the team’s 20-player training camp roster that includes four returning players, three NBA All-Stars and 11 first-year players.
Holmes, 24, joins the Celtics after spending last season with the Canton Charge of the NBA G-League. In 30 games (20 starts), the forward averaged 12.8 points (44.0% FG, 37.2% 3-PT, 85.0% FT) and 6.5 rebounds in 28.4 minutes. The University of Texas at Austin product also competed in 10 games with FC Barcelona Lassa across the Euroleague and Spanish ACB, producing 5.9 points (52.6% FG, 45.0% 3-PT, 83.3% FT) and 3.0 rebounds in 14.4 minutes. Holmes previously donned a Celtics uniform as a member of the team’s 2015 Summer League squad. Competing in eight games (seven starts) between the Utah Jazz Summer League and Las Vegas Summer League, he tallied 10.0 points (48.1% FG, 46.4% 3-PT, 100% FT) and 5.0 rebounds in 20.2 minutes.
A three-year player at Georgetown University, Peak, 21, averaged 12.1 points (46.0% FG, 33.5% 3-PT, 76.4% FT), 3.1 rebounds 2.0 assists and 27.6 minutes in 98 collegiate games (76 starts). He averaged career highs in points (16.2 ppg), rebounds (3.8 rpg) and assists (3.5 apg) as a junior in 2016-17. Peak played in four games of the 2017 NBA Las Vegas Summer League as a member of the Houston Rockets, producing 7.3 points on 50.0% shooting (50.0% 3-PT, 100% FT) in 13.7 minutes.
White compiled 11.6 points (45.1% FG, 39.3% 3-PT, 78.6% FT), 3.7 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 22.6 minutes in 111 games (68 starts) between Kansas, Nebraska and Syracuse. The 24-year-old enjoyed a stellar year with the Orange in 2016-17, averaging a career-best 18.5 points (43.9% FG, 40.0% 3-PT, 83.7% FT) and 4.6 rebounds in route to earning Third Team All-ACC honors. In five Las Vegas Summer League games (one start) with Cleveland in 2017, White registered 7.0 points (36.4% FG, 50.0% 3-PT, 80.0% FT) and 2.4 rebounds in 12.6 minutes.
Williams, 23, spent 2016-17 competing both internationally with Melbourne of the Australian NBL, and with the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G-League. In 16 games with Melbourne, he recorded 3.2 points (46.5% FG) and 4.0 rebounds in 10.5 minutes. The three-year West Virginia product finished the year with the Swarm, where he contributed 2.9 points (71.4% FG), 3.3 rebounds and 8.3 minutes in eight games.
Listed in its entirety below, the Celtics’ Training Camp roster includes four returning players – Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart – from the team that logged the Eastern Conference’s best record and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016-17. Horford also joins newcomers Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving as the three players with NBA All-Star accolades on the current roster.
Marcus Morris (6 yrs.), Aron Baynes (5 yrs.) and Shane Larkin (3 yrs.) each boast valuable NBA experience entering the 2017-18 NBA season, while Kadeem Allen, Jabari Bird, Abdel Nader, Semi Ojeleye, Jayson Tatum, Daniel Theis and Guerschon Yabusele join Holmes, Peak, White and Williams as the 11 rookies on Boston’s Training Camp roster.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed forward JaCorey Williams, Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.
This signing brings Cavs training camp to 20 players, which is the maximum allowed.
Williams (6-8, 220) played for Middle Tennessee State last season where he was the Conference USA Player of the Year after averaging 17.3 points on .533 shooting from the field and 7.3 rebounds in 36 games. Prior to that, he spent three years at the University of Arkansas. Williams went undrafted in this year’s draft and competed in four games for Golden State in the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2017.
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The Sacramento Kings today signed guard Marcus Williams.
We assume this is a non-guaranteed deal that merely brings Williams to Kings training camp.
Entering his twelfth professional season, the 6-3, 209-pound guard was selected 22nd overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by New Jersey as a junior out of Connecticut. The Husky standout earned NBA Second Team All-Rookie accolades after accruing averages of 6.8 points (.395 FG%, .282 3pt%, .847 FT%), 2.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 16.6 minutes per game in 79 contests (two starts) for the Nets, including an invitation to the Rookie Challenge at the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend. Williams also suited up for the Golden State Warriors (2008-09) and Memphis Grizzlies (2009-10) before embarking on a playing career overseas.
Williams’ career features stops in the Puerto Rican League (BSN), where he garnered All-BSN First-Team honors in 2009 and a successful stint in Russia with Enisey Krasnoyarsk, helping guide his team to the playoffs for the first time in PBL history. His international resume includes experience playing in China (Jiangsu Dragons), Spain (Unicaja Malaga) and Serbia (Crvena Zvezda).
The Big East Conference Most Improved Player in 2004-05, Williams posted 9.6 points and 7.8 assists per contest before leading Connecticut to the Elite 8 as a junior en route to averaging 20.0 points (.520 FG%, .560 3pt%, .960 FT%) to accompany 8.8 assists per game in the NCAA Tournament.
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The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has signed free agent guard/forward Taylor Braun.
We assume this is a non-guaranteed signing that merely brings Braun to Jazz training camp.
Braun (6-7, 210, North Dakota State) joins the Jazz most recently having played with ratiopharm Ulm of the German Bundesliga, where he averaged 8.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 53 games (50 starts) during the 2016-17 season. Prior to his two year stint with ratiopharm Ulm (2015-17), Braun has additional professional experience with Okapi Aalstar of the Basketball League Belgium, where in 2014-15, he appeared in 50 games (49 starts), owning averages of 14.5 points, 4.3 boards, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 31.3 minutes per contest.
The Newberg, Ore. native had a four-year career at North Dakota State (2009-14), appearing in 116 career games (107 starts), averaging 14.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 30.1 minutes per game. Following his senior season, Braun was named the 2014 Summit League Player of the Year and earned 2014 All-Summit League First Team honors and a 2014 AP Honorable Mention. He averaged a Summit League leading 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals, appearing and starting in 32 games in his final collegiate season. In 2013-14, the 6-7 guard/forward was one of only four NCAA Division I players to lead his team in points scored, rebounds and assists. He also garnered 2013 All-Summit League Second Team honors as a junior and 2012 All-Summit League First Team honors as a sophomore.
Braun left North Dakota State ranked among the school’s all-time top 10 in nine different statistical categories, including fourth in free throws made (454), seventh in points (1,651), eighth in steals (153), ninth in three-pointers (125) and ninth in rebounds (671).
Braun will wear No. 24 for the Jazz.
The training camp roster now stands at 20.
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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.”
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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.
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.
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:
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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.”