Month: July 2018

Wizards add Thomas Bryant off waivers

The Washington Wizards yesterday claimed Thomas Bryant off of waivers from the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Thomas is an intriguing young prospect with size and athleticism who showed he has three-point range during his time in the G League last season,” said Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld. “He will be able to continue his development process as he gains experience and works with our staff.”

Bryant (6-10, 245 lbs.) appeared in 37 games while on assignment with the South Bay Lakers of the G League last season, averaging 19.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 blocks while shooting .597 (284-476) from the floor and .364 (67-184) from three-point range. The 20-year old center, who has a 7’6” wingspan, also appeared in 15 games with the Los Angeles Lakers.

A native of Rochester, NY, Bryant was originally drafted 42nd overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2017 NBA Draft. Bryant was acquired by the Lakers from the Jazz along with the draft rights to Josh Hart in exchange for the draft rights to Tony Bradley on June 22, 2017.

Bryant played collegiately for two seasons at Indiana (2015-17) and averaged 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while shooting .592 from the field and .373 from three-point range. He was named Third Team All-Big 10 as a sophomore after earning Big 10 All-Freshman honors following his first campaign.

Jazz sign rookie Grayson Allen

The Utah Jazz yesterday signed guard Grayson Allen to his rookie contract.

Selected 21st overall in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft by Utah, Allen was a four-year player at Duke University where he averaged 15.5 points, 4.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 37 contests (all starts) during the 2017-18 campaign. As a senior, the 22-year-old guard was named to the 2018 All-ACC Third Team and during the 2015-16 season, he earned AP All-America Third Team honors and an All-ACC First Team selection. He played in 15 career NCAA Tournament games, helping Duke win its fifth NCAA Title in 2015.

A native of Jacksonville, Fla., the 6-5, 198-pound guard appeared in 142 career games (97 starts) finishing 12th on Duke’s all-time scoring list with 1,996 points. Allen is one of just five Blue Devils in history to record 1,900-or-more points, 400-or-more rebounds and 400-or-more assists, joining Grant Hill, Jon Scheyer, Danny Ferry and Johnny Dawkins.

Lakers make strange moves after signing agreement with LeBron James

The Lakers reportedly came to an agreement with LeBron James early in free agency, and then proceeded to add a stream of players who are talented but aren’t known for their shooting ability or their decision-making. To hear the agreements one after the other was almost shocking. The only thought is, perhaps a big Lakers trade is looming, or perhaps the Lakers are merely stalling until next season’s free agency and that’s why they’re doing these one-year deals. Here’s the LA Times reporting:

Within 24 hours of adding the disciplined and professional James to a group of young and impressionable kids, the Lakers have inexplicably opened the locker room door to three veteran misfits.

In moves that ended Monday afternoon, they gave one-year deals to Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee and Rajon Rondo in what only sounds like a “Saturday Night Live” spoof.

All three are valued for their fierce competitiveness. All three are also renowned for their unabashed kookiness.

Not only do all three have histories of odd and unsettling on-court behavior, but none of the three can provide James with the expert shooter his game desperately needs. The Lakers still don’t have that shooter. They also don’t have fan favorite and greatly improved Julius Randle, who looked at the new landscape Monday, threw up his hands and moved to New Orleans.

Full article

Timberwolves sign rookie Josh Okogie

The Minnesota Timberwolves signed rookie guard Josh Okogie today.

The Wolves selected Okogie with the 20th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

All players selected in the first round are guaranteed to receive a contract, assuming they wish to begin their NBA careers right away. So, this signing is standard and was expected.

Okogie averaged 18.2 points and 6.3 rebounds in 36.4 minutes per game as a sophomore last season, ranking fourth in the ACC in scoring, the highest by any Georgia Tech player since 1997-98. The 19-year-old shot 38.2 percent from three (66-of-173) in his two years as a Yellow Jacket, including a 38.0 percent clip last season. He averaged 6.7 rebounds in ACC play, third-best for an ACC guard, and only one player ahead of him was shorter than his 6-4 height (Ky Bowman of Boston College). He grabbed a career-best 16 rebounds at Florida State on Jan. 24, the most ever by a Tech guard in an ACC game. Okogie led the ACC in free throw attempts as a sophomore, getting to the line 6.8 times per contest.

Over two seasons with the Yellow Jackets, Okogie amassed 1,033 career points, one of six Tech players to ever accomplish the feat by the end of their sophomore season and the most since Matt Harpring’s 1,021 points (1995-96). As a sophomore this past season, he was named to the 2017-18 All-ACC Third Team by the coaches and an Honorable Mention by the media.

LeBron James will sign with the Lakers

The first 24 hours of 2018 free agency have been epic. After a large flurry of reported agreements late Saturday night as the negotiation period kicked off, Sunday evening multiple outlets reported that LeBron James has decided to sign with the Lakers. Here’s the LA Times with more:

After securing a commitment from LeBron James on a four-year deal worth $154 million, the Lakers agreed Sunday to one-year deals with three veterans.

They will pay Kentavious Caldwell-Pope $12 million, Lance Stephenson $4.4 million and JaVale McGee $2.4 million, according to people familiar with the agreements who were not authorized to speak publicly. None of the deals can become official until Friday when the league’s moratorium on signing contracts lifts.

Two contracts did become official. The Lakers signed first-round draft pick Moe Wagner, which means he cannot be traded for at least 30 days. They also signed Malik Newman, a rookie out of Kansas, to a two-way contract.

Caldwell-Pope spent last season with the Lakers on a one-year deal worth $18 million, after spending the first four years of his career with the Detroit Pistons. He hit the market late because the Pistons waited until mid-July to renounce their rights to him after they were unable to reach an agreement on a new contract.

Full article

Grizzlies sign rookie Jaren Jackson Jr

Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace today announced that the team has signed 2018 first round draft pick Jaren Jackson Jr. to his rookie contract.

Selected fourth overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, Jackson became the second player in Big Ten history to win both Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season after leading the conference and ranking seventh in the nation in blocks per game (3.03) for Michigan State University.

Jackson (6-11, 242) started 34 of his 35 games at Michigan State and averaged 10.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 21.8 minutes while shooting 51.3 percent from the field, 39.6 percent from three-point range and 79.7 percent from the free throw line en route to being selected to the All-Big Ten Third Team and Big Ten All-Freshman Team. The 18-year-old set a Spartans single-season record last year with 106 blocks and tied the school’s single-game record with eight rejections on Dec. 5, 2017 vs. Rutgers.

The Indiana native, who was named a 2017 McDonald’s and Jordan Brand All-American as a high school senior, is the highest-drafted Michigan State product since 1979, when Magic Johnson was selected first overall and Greg Kelser was taken fourth. Jackson’s father, Jaren Sr., enjoyed a 12-year NBA career with nine different teams, winning the 1999 NBA Championship as a member of the San Antonio Spurs.

Lakers sign Malik Newman to two-way contract

The Lakers signed rookie guard Malik Newman to a two-way contract today.

Newman appeared in 39 games (33 starts) for Kansas last season, averaging 14.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals in 31.6 minutes. The 2018 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year averaged a team-high 21.6 points in the NCAA Tournament, leading Kansas to the Final Four and earning NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player honors.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to have up to two players under two-way contracts on their roster at any given time, in addition to their 15-man regular season roster.

Lakers sign rookie Moritz Wagner

The Los Angeles Lakers signed rookie center Moritz Wagner today, General Manager Rob Pelinka announced.

Wagner, the 25th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, appeared in 107 career games (77 starts) for the Michigan Wolverines from 2015-18, with career averages of 10.4 points (.547 FG%) and 4.5 rebounds per game. In 2017-18, Wagner helped lead the Wolverines to a berth in the NCAA Championship game, earning All-Tournament Team honors with 15.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals in six NCAA Tournament games.

The 2018 Big Ten Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, Wagner helped Michigan to the team’s second consecutive Big Ten Tournament championship with four straight double-digit scoring outings. Wagner started every game of his sophomore and junior seasons, averaging career bests of 14.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals last season.

Miami Heat sign Derrick Jones Jr

The Miami Heat signed forward/guard Derrick Jones Jr. today.

Jones Jr., who was originally signed to a two-way contract by the HEAT on December 31, 2017, appeared in 14 games (eight starts) with Miami last season and averaged 3.7 points and 2.4 rebounds in 15.2 minutes of action. He spent 13 games with the HEAT’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, averaging 19.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.69 blocks, 1.46 steals and 29.1 minutes while shooting 51.2 percent from the field.

Prior to signing a two-way contract with Miami, Jones Jr. spent time with the Phoenix Suns and their G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns, earlier in the season where he totaled nine points, four rebounds, four blocks, three assists, a steal in 33 minutes of action during six games with Phoenix and averaged 15.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.81 blocks, 1.8 assists, 1.13 steals and 28.9 minutes in 16 games with Northern Arizona.