Month: July 2018

Utah Jazz sign Jairus Lyles

The Utah Jazz have signed guard Jairus Lyles.

Lyles (6-2, 175, UMBC) is currently competing for the Utah Jazz entry at the 2018 NBA Las Vegas Summer League, appearing in one game, notching 11 points, four rebounds and four assists in a 90-85 win against the New York Knicks. He also appeared in two games at the 2018 Utah Jazz Summer League, averaging 7.0 points, 3.5 boards and 2.0 assists in 15.5 minutes per contest.

The Silver Springs, Md. native finished his last collegiate season at UMBC following 2017-18, appearing in 33 games, owning averages of 20.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.1 steals in 34.9 minutes per game. Earning 2018 All-America East First Team honors, Lyles also helped UMBC become the first 16-seed in the NCAA Tournament to knock off a number-one seed with 28 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals against Virginia on March 16.

The 23-year-old began his college career at VCU before transferring to UMBC. At UMBC, he appeared in 86 career games (82 starts), becoming only the third player in school history to notch over 600 points in a season, doing so in 2016-17 and 2017-18.

Lyles left UMBC with an undergraduate degree with a double major in psychology and sociology. He attended DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md.

Bulls waive Sean Kilpatrick

Bulls waive Sean Kilpatrick

The Chicago Bulls waived guard Sean Kilpatrick today.

During his time with Chicago, Kilpatrick (6-4, 210) appeared in nine games and averaged 15.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.70 steals in 23.8 minutes per game. He shot .439 from the field, .396 from long range and .813 from the foul line. Kilpatrick originally signed with Chicago as a free agent on March 26, 2018.

Wizards sign Dwight Howard

The Washington Wizards’ signing of free agent center Dwight Howard became official today.

“Dwight has been known throughout his career as one of the league’s best defenders, rebounders and finishers around the rim, all areas that we needed to improve heading into next season,” said Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld. “His inside presence and athleticism will give us a much different look and will open up opportunities for us on both ends of the floor.”

According to NBC Sports Washington, “Howard was signed to a two-year deal worth $11 million with the second year a player option.”

At this point in his career, Howard is more of a supporting cast player than a star. He can still put up big stats, especially as a rebounder, and he’s still starting material and certainly should start for the Wizards with Marcin Gortat gone. But John Wall and Bradley Beal are still expected to lead the way in DC, with Howard supporting their efforts.

Howard (6-11, 265) has averaged 17.4 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 assists while shooting .585 from the floor in 1,035 NBA games (1,034 starts) over 14 NBA seasons with Orlando, L.A. Lakers, Houston, Atlanta and Charlotte.

The 32-year-old center posted 16.6 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 assists while shooting .555 from the field in 81 games (all starts) for Charlotte last season. He finished the 2017-18 campaign third in the NBA in point-rebound double-doubles (fourth overall), third in total blocks, third in total rebounds and rebounds per game, fourth in total defensive rebounds and defensive rebounds per game, fifth in total offensive rebounds and offensive rebounds per game, seventh in blocks per game and 11th in field goal percentage.

Howard is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year (winning three straight awards from 2008-09 to 2010-11) and has also earned five All-NBA First Team selections while being named All-NBA Second Team once and All-NBA Third Team twice. The former number one overall draft choice (2004) has been selected to the All-NBA Defensive First Team four times and also earned All-NBA Defensive Second Team honors once.

The eight-time All-Star currently leads all active players with 13,101 career rebounds, 3,647 career offensive rebounds and 2,047 career blocks. He has averaged 18.4 points, 13.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.4 assists while shooting .545 from the floor in 95 career playoff games (including the 2008-09 postseason, when he led the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals).

Thunder re-sign Raymond Felton

The Thunder re-signed guard Raymond Felton today.

Felton plays a supporting cast role on the Thunder, behind star point guard Russell Westbrook.

Per multiple reports, the deal is a one-year, $2.4 million contract.

Felton has appeared in 938 career games (659 starts), recording averages of 11.4 points, 5.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.21 steals in 30.3 minutes with Charlotte, New York, Denver, Portland, Dallas, the LA Clippers and most recently Oklahoma City. The 13-year NBA veteran ranks eighth among all active players with 5,044 assists and is one of 12 players in NBA history with at least 5,000 assists, 900 three-pointers and 200 blocks.

The Marion, S.C. native appeared in all 82 games (two starts) last season with the Thunder, and averaged 6.9 points, 2.5 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per contest.

Felton was selected fifth overall by Charlotte in the 2005 NBA Draft and was later named to the All-Rookie Second Team. Prior to entering the draft, he spent three years at North Carolina where he led the Tar Heels to the 2005 NCAA National Championship, was selected to the All-NCAA Tournament Team and received The Bob Cousy Award.

Warriors sign Jonas Jerebko

Warriors sign Jonas Jerebko

The Warriors have signed free agent forward Jonas Jerebko.

For a championship team loaded with stars in their starting lineup, Jerebko is a very nice addition as limited-minutes support off the bench.

Per multiple reports, the deal is a one-year, veteran-minimum contract worth $2.1 million.

Jerebko, 31, averaged 5.8 points on 46.6 percent shooting from the field and 41.4 percent shooting from three-point range, to go along with 3.3 rebounds and 15.3 minutes in 74 games (19 starts) with the Utah Jazz last season. A nine-year NBA veteran, Jerebko owns career averages of 6.2 points on 45.7 percent shooting from the field and 36.3 percent from beyond the arc, 4.0 rebounds and 18.0 minutes in 562 games (113 starts) with the Jazz (2017-18), Boston Celtics (2015-17) and Detroit Pistons (2009-15).

A native of Sweden, Jerebko has appeared in 32 postseason contests (four starts) with Utah and Boston, averaging 4.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game. He competed with Sweden at EuroBasket 2013, averaging 16.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in five games.

The forward was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 39th overall pick in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft. He earned All-NBA Rookie Second Team honors in 2009-10 and was recognized as the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in February.

Jerebko will wear #21 for the Warriors.

Nets sign rookie Dzanan Musa

The Brooklyn Nets have signed Dzanan Musa, the 29th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, to a multi-year contract.

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

Musa (6’9”, 195), a native of Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina, played the past three seasons for Cedevita Zagreb of Croatia A1. In 58 career games, the guard/forward averaged 12.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 21.9 minutes per game. In 2017-18, the 19-year-old appeared in 23 contests, averaging 13.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals in 23.5 minutes per game.

Musa has also represented Bosnia in international competition, most recently in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup European Qualifiers, where he averaged a team-leading 15.2 points per game. He was previously named MVP of the U16 European Championship in 2015 while leading Bosnia to its first-ever FIBA championship, and became the youngest player to draw a start in a Euroleague game at 16 years old before debuting for the Bosnian senior national team the following summer.

Wizards sign Jeff Green

The Wizards have signed free agent forward Jeff Green.

The contract is reportedly just for one year.

“Jeff is a proven veteran who will add to our frontcourt rotation with his ability to play and defend multiple positions,” said Grunfeld. “We’re excited to be bringing him back to the D.C. area and look forward to his experience and professionalism benefiting us on the court and in the locker room.”

Green (6-9, 235) has averaged 13.2 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting .438 from the floor and .332 from three-point range in 783 NBA games (498 starts) over 10 NBA seasons with Seattle/Oklahoma City, Boston, Memphis, Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando and Cleveland. Last season, he posted 10.8 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting .477 from the field and .312 from three-point range in 78 games (14 starts) en route to helping the Cavs reach the NBA Finals.

Over his career, Green has averaged 9.8 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting .331 from three-point range in 60 playoff games (17 starts). The 31-year-old forward has averaged double figures in nine of his 10 NBA seasons and scored the 10,000th point of his career last season (Jan. 15 vs. Golden State).

Signing with the Wizards marks a homecoming for Green, who was originally selected with the fifth overall pick by Boston in the 2007 NBA Draft out of Georgetown (and was named All-Rookie First Team in 2007-08). He played three years as a Hoya, where he received numerous accolades including Big East Player of the Year in 2007. Green was born in Cheverly, MD, and attended Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, where he led the NHS Wildcats to the state basketball championship in 2004.

Heat sign Duncan Robinson to two-way contract

The Miami Heat signed forward Duncan Robinson to a two-way contract today.

Robinson has appeared in five Summer League games (all starts) with the HEAT in both Sacramento and Las Vegas and is averaging 12.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 25.0 minutes while shooting 57.9 percent (22-of-38) from the field and 63 percent (17-of-27) from three-point range. He connected on 5-of-6 from three-point range on July 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers in the California Classic Summer League in Sacramento and followed that by shooting 4-of-7 from beyond the arc in his next game on July 5 against the Sacramento Kings, both wins. Additionally, in his two games in Las Vegas so far, Robinson is shooting 70 percent (7-of-10) from downtown.

Robinson appeared in 115 career games at Michigan shooting 45.5 percent from the field, 41.9 percent from three-point range and 86.4 percent from the foul line. In just three seasons, he finished fourth on the school’s all-time three-point field goals made list with 237 while helping the Wolverine’s to two Big Ten titles and to the NCAA Tournament each season. Last season as senior, the tri-captain captured the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year award and helped led the team to the NCAA Championship Game.

Lakers sign JaVale McGee

The Lakers’ signing of center JaVale McGee became official today. It’s reportedly a one-year deal.

McGee appeared in 65 games (17 starts) for Golden State last season, tallying 4.8 points (.621 FG%) and 2.6 rebounds in 9.5 minutes per game. The seven-footer has played in 558 career games (187 starts) for Washington, Denver, Philadelphia, Dallas and Golden State, with averages of 7.5 points (.559 FG%), 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 16.7 minutes.

“JaVale changes the geometry of the game,” said Pelinka. “His unique combination of incredible length and foot nimbleness will allow us to play fast at both ends. His ability to both protect the rim and create angles with rim rolls will present a number of advantages in Coach Walton’s system.”

A 10-year NBA veteran, McGee won back-to-back championships as a member of the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018 and has appeared in 44 NBA playoff games (12 starts), averaging 6.5 points (.610 FG%), 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 14.0 minutes.

Selected by Washington with the 18th overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft, McGee averaged 8.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 66 career games (31 starts) at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Lakers sign Lance Stephenson

The Lakers’ signing of guard/forward Lance Stephenson became official today.

Per multiple reports, the deal is just for one year, $4.5 million.

Stephenson appeared in all 82 games (seven starts) for the Indiana Pacers last season, tallying 9.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 22.6 minutes per game.

“It’s incredibly exciting to have Lance join our team,” Pelinka said. “Lance is playoff-tested and will bring a certain edge, confidence and toughness to our roster. His multi-positional versatility and open-court playmaking abilities are key ingredients for the basketball style we designed for next season.”

An eight-year NBA veteran, Stephenson has played in 440 career games (196 starts) for Indiana, Charlotte, the LA Clippers, Memphis, New Orleans and Minnesota, averaging 8.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 24.4 minutes. He has also appeared in 57 NBA playoff games (38 starts), with career averages of 11.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

Selected by the Pacers with the 40th selection in the 2010 NBA Draft, Stephenson averaged 12.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 34 career games (32 starts) at the University of Cincinnati.