Month: July 2018

Clippers sign Angel Delgado to two-way contract

The L.A. Clippers signed rookie center Angel Delgado to a two-way contract.

Delgado, 23, played four collegiate seasons at Seton Hall University, where he appeared in 132 games, averaging 12.1 points and 11.0 rebounds in 30.6 minutes. The 6’10”, 245-pound center led the country in rebounding and won the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award for the nation’s best center, as a senior.

He represented his native Dominican Republic in the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup, where he appeared in three games, averaging 8.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in 23.5 minutes.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to have two players signed to two-way contracts on the roster at any given time, along with their 15-man regular season roster. A two-way player for the Clippers will provide services to the team’s G League affiliate – the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario – and can spend up to 45 days with L.A., in addition to the time prior to the start of G-League training camp and after the G-League season concludes.

Nuggets trade Wilson Chandler to Sixers

The Denver Nuggets have traded forward Wilson Chandler and a future second round draft pick to Philadelphia in exchange for cash considerations.

“We want to thank Wilson for seven years in Denver,” said Connelly. “As good as a player as he is, he’s an even better person. He will be a great addition in Philly and we will certainly all be rooting for him.”

Chandler, 31, spent seven seasons with Denver, averaging 13.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 357 games (267 starts). Overall he has appeared in 590 career games (447 starts) with New York and Denver, averaging 13.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

Lakers re-sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

The Los Angeles Lakers have re-signed guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

“We are excited to bring KCP back,” said Pelinka. “He is a true ‘two-way’ player, which is very important for our team DNA. We think he will multiply his successes from last year as we move forward with roster continuity.”

In 74 games (all starts) for the Lakers last season, Caldwell-Pope averaged 13.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals in 33.2 minutes per game, while tallying career highs in field goal percentage (.426) and three-point percentage (.383).

The five-year NBA veteran has appeared in 388 career games (348 starts) for the Lakers and Detroit Pistons, holding career averages of 12.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals in 30.8 minutes. He is also one of 22 players in league history to convert at least 635 three-pointers in his first five professional seasons (638).

Hornets sign rookie Devonte` Graham

The Charlotte Hornets have signed rookie guard Devonte’ Graham.

The Hornets acquired the rights to Graham, the 34th overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft, from the Atlanta Hawks in a draft night trade. Graham, a 6-2 guard from Kansas, was the 2017-18 Big 12 Player of the Year and a consensus First Team All-American after averaging 17.3 points, 7.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 37.8 minutes in 39 games played as a senior at Kansas. He led the Big 12 and ranked ninth nationally in minutes played, ranked second in the Big 12 and sixth nationally in assists, ranked second in the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6) and ranked third in the Big 12 in scoring. The native of Raleigh, North Carolina, set school single-season records for total assists (282) and minutes played (1,474), and was a finalist for the Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award and Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award.

Graham concluded his four-year career with the Jayhawks ranked second in school history in minutes played (4,498), second in three-point field goals (296), fifth in assists (632), seventh in steals (197), 11th in three-point percentage (.409) and 13th in scoring (1,750). During his four seasons, Kansas won four Big 12 regular-season titles and two Big 12 Tournaments and reached three NCAA Tournament Elite Eights and one Final Four.

Knicks sign Mario Hezonja

The New York Knicks signed free agent guard/forward Mario Hezonja.

According to the New York Post, the deal is a “one-year, $6.5 million contract with a portion of the Knicks’ mid-level exception.”

The 23-year old Croatia native, originally drafted fifth overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2015 NBA Draft, joins the Knicks following a career year where he nearly doubled his scoring average from the previous season (9.6) and averaged personal bests in rebounding (3.7), assists (1.4), steals (1.1), minutes (22.1) and games played (75).

“Mario is an extremely talented, multi-dimensional player who we’re excited to have join the Knicks,” said Scott Perry, General Manager. “With Mario, we’re adding another young, athletic and driven player. We’re confident he will further develop under this coaching staff and excel playing in New York.”

Hezonja is a 6-8, 215-pound guard/forward who appeared in 219 career NBA regular season games (41 starts), all with Orlando, averaging 6.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 18.4 minutes. Hezonja recorded a career-high 28 points on Dec. 17, 2017 at Detroit, connecting on 8-of-12 from three-point range, becoming just the ninth player in Magic history to make eight-or-more three-pointers in a game. Internationally, he played in 54 games during two-plus seasons with FC Barcelona of the Spanish ACB League. He also helped lead the Croatia men’s national basketball team to fifth place in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Hornets trade Hamidou Diallo draft rights to Thunder

The Charlotte Hornets today acquired a 2019 second-round draft pick and cash considerations from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the draft rights to Hamidou Diallo, the 45th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

The Hornets acquired Diallo’s rights, along with center Timofey Mozgov, a 2021 second-round draft pick and cash considerations, from the Brooklyn Nets earlier today in exchange for Dwight Howard.

Diallo (6-5, 198), was originally selected by the Brooklyn Nets with the 45th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Kentucky product started all 37 games as a redshirt freshman and averaged 10.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 24.8 minutes per game and scored in double figures in 16 games.

A native of Queens, N.Y., Diallo represented the U.S. in the 2017 FIBA U19 World Cup and 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.

Utah Jazz re-sign Derrick Favors, Dante Exum and Raul Neto

The Utah Jazz have agreed to terms to re-sign forward/center Derrick Favors, guard Dante Exum and guard Raul Neto.

Favors (6-10, 265, Georgia Tech) returns to Utah as the longest tenured Jazzman on the current roster, last year becoming just the 12th player in franchise history to appear in 500 career games. The 26-year-old enters the 2018-19 season tied for sixth in all-time Jazz offensive rebounds (1,241), sixth in career field goal percentage (.518), seventh in blocks (666), 10th in total rebounds (3,690) and 15th in points (6,070).

The 22-year-old Exum (6-6, 190, Australia) is entering his fourth NBA season, appearing in 14 games last year with averages of 8.1 points, 3.1 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per contest. He returned from injury in time to appear in 10 playoff games for the Jazz, helping the team to the Western Conference Semifinals for the second-straight season. In the Second Round against Houston, Exum saw action in four games, averaging 8.3 points on 52.0 percent shooting, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 14.4 minutes per contest.

Neto (6-1, 179, Brazil) was originally drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round (47th overall pick) in the 2013 NBA Draft and was acquired by the Jazz in a draft-night trade. The 26-year-old has spent all three of his NBA seasons with Utah, appearing in 162 games (53 starts) with averages of 4.7 points, 1.7 assists and 1.2 boards in 14.5 minutes per contest. In 2017-18, he saw action in 41 games, owning averages of 4.5 points, 1.8 assists and 1.2 boards in 12.1 minutes, also playing in eight postseason contests.

The Jazz finished the 2017-18 season at 48-34, earning the fifth seed in the Western Conference Playoffs and advancing to the Western Conference Semifinals for the second-straight year. At 19-28 going into Jan. 24, the team posted a 29-6 record to close out the season, which marked the second-best record in the NBA after that date. Utah became the first team since the 2004-05 New Jersey Nets to end the regular season with a winning record after being nine games below .500 on Jan. 22

Trail Blazers sign Seth Curry

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed free agent guard Seth Curry.

Curry, 27, joins the Trail Blazers from the Dallas Mavericks, where he averaged 12.8 points (48.1% FG, 42.5% 3-PT, 85.0% FT), 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.13 steals and 29.0 minutes in 70 games (42 starts) during the 2016-17 season. He missed the 2017-18 season while recovering from a stress fracture in his lower left leg.

“We expect Seth to be an impactful addition to our backcourt as his skill set will translate immediately,” Olshey said. “He is an elite shooter with the ability to play on or off the ball.”

After going undrafted out of Duke in 2013, Curry (6-2, 185) played in one game each for Memphis and Cleveland during the 2013-14 season, and two games for Phoenix during the 2014-15 season before signing with Sacramento for the 2015-16 season.

For his career, Curry holds averages of 10.2 points (47.3% FG, 43.2% 3-PT, 84.4% FT), 2.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 23.2 minutes in 118 games (51 starts).

He will wear No. 5 for the Trail Blazers.

Hornets trade Dwight Howard to Nets, who waive Howard

The Charlotte Hornets have acquired center Timofey Mozgov, the draft rights to Hamidou Diallo (45th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft), a 2021 second-round draft pick and cash considerations from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for center Dwight Howard.

According to multiple reports, the Nets will likely buy out Howard’s contract. After that, Howard may sign with the Wizards.

UPDATE: The Nets have waived Howard.

An eight-year NBA veteran, Mozgov has played in 454 career games (273 starts) for the New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets with career averages of 6.8 points and 4.9 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game. The 7-1 center was a member of Cleveland’s NBA Championship team in 2015-16. In his lone season with the Nets in 2017-18, Mozgov appeared in 31 games (13 starts) and averaged 4.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest.

Howard originally joined the Hornets on June 20, 2017, in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks. He played in and started 81 games in Charlotte, averaging 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds in 30.4 minutes per game.

Suns sign Trevor Ariza

Suns sign Trevor Ariza

The Phoenix Suns today signed forward Trevor Ariza.

The deal is reportedly a one-year, $15 million contract.

“We are excited to have Trevor join the Suns franchise,” said General Manager Ryan McDonough about the 14-year NBA veteran. “Trevor is a talented two-way player who will bring defensive versatility, shooting and leadership to our organization. He has played a big role on a lot of successful teams and we think he will have a tremendous impact on our club, both on and off of the court.”

Ariza is a veteran leader and proven winner who possesses nine years and 102 games of playoff experience in his 14 NBA seasons, including an NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009. An ideal ‘3-And-D’ wing known for his shooting ability and defensive versatility, Ariza has averaged at least 2.0 three-point makes and 1.5 steals in each of the last five seasons—the only other NBA players to average these amounts or better in each of the past five seasons are Stephen Curry and James Harden.

The 6-8, 215-pound forward joins the Suns after playing the last four seasons with Houston, where he twice helped the Rockets reach the Western Conference Finals while averaging 12.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.4 three-pointers and 1.8 steals in 310 games. In 2017-18, Ariza made a career-high 2.5 three-pointers per game and shot a career-best 85.4 percent from the free throw line to help Houston win a franchise record 65 games.

For his career, the 33-year-old has averaged 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 35.3 percent from three-point range in 942 games with six teams: New York (2004-2006), Orlando (2006-2007), the L.A. Lakers (2007-2009), Houston (2009-10; 2014-2018), New Orleans (2010-2012) and Washington (2012-2014). Ariza ranks 42nd in NBA history with 1,313 career three-pointers made and 52nd with 1,424 career steals.