August 2018 – Page 7 – NBA Blog

Clippers trade Sam Dekker to Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired forward Sam Dekker from the Los Angeles Clippers. In exchange, Cleveland will trade the draft rights to Vladimir Veremeenko to the Clippers. The Cavaliers will also receive the draft rights to Renaldas Seibutis and cash considerations from Los Angeles.

“We want to thank Sam for his contributions to our team competitiveness and culture this past season,” said Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank. “Sam is a talented and hard-working athlete who represented this organization well as a player and a person. We wish him the best of luck with his opportunity in Cleveland.”

Dekker (6-9, 230) spent last season with the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging 4.2 points on .494 shooting and 2.4 rebounds in 12.1 minutes per game over 73 games (one start). Over his three NBA seasons, he owns career averages of 5.3 points on .481 shooting and 3.0 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game during 153 career contests (three starts) with the Clippers and Houston Rockets. Dekker also appeared in four postseason games with Houston in the 2017 Playoffs, averaging 2.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game.

The 6-9 forward, who hails from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin, was originally selected by the Rockets with the 18th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Raptors sign Jordan Loyd to two-way contract

The Toronto Raptors today signed guard Jordan Loyd to a two-way contract.

Loyd, 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, averaged 17.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 33.3 minutes in 38 games last season with Hapoel Eilat in Israel. He shot .482 (219-454) from the field and .399 (75-188) from three-point range.

Loyd spent the 2016-17 season with Fort Wayne of the NBA G League. He averaged 15.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 28.4 minutes in 49 games. Loyd was picked 48th overall by the Mad Ants in the 2016 NBA G League Draft.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Loyd played three seasons at Indianapolis (2013-16) after transferring from Furman (2012-13). He was selected to the All-GLVC First Team and All-GLVC Defensive Team as a senior with the Greyhounds.

Loyd recently participated with the Raptors’ entry at NBA Summer League 2018 in Las Vegas, averaging of 8.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 17.3 minutes in four games.

Bucks sign Jordan Barnett

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed Jordan Barnett to a training camp contract.

Barnett, 22, appeared in all five of the Bucks’ Las Vegas Summer League games in July and averaged 6.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 18.6 minutes per game. The 6-foot-7 forward went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft after playing the final two seasons of his collegiate career with Missouri after transferring from Texas. As a senior in 2017-18, Barnett averaged 13.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 32 games (all starts) with the Tigers while shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from 3-point range.

Magic sign Amile Jefferson to two-way contract

The Orlando Magic signed free agent forward Amile Jefferson to a two-way contract today.

Jefferson, who is 6-foot-9, 222 pounds, born 5/7/1993, played in 47 games (46 starts) last season with the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League, averaging 17.8 ppg., a team-high 12.8 rpg., 2.5 apg. and 1.00 stlpg. in 34.8 minpg., while shooting .626 (335-525) from the floor. He recorded an NBA G League-record 36 double-doubles. Jefferson was named to the All-NBA G League Second Team, the NBA G League All-Defensive and All-Rookie Teams.

Not drafted by an NBA franchise in 2017, Jefferson played 150 career games at Duke University from 2012-17, averaging 7.2 ppg. and 6.3 rpg. in 22.3 minpg., while shooting .620 (426-687) from the floor. His 150 games are the most played in Duke history and tied for the seventh most all-time in NCAA history. Jefferson helped the Blue Devils capture the 2015 NCAA National Championship. Duke went 124-26 when he played, giving him the third-most wins in program history. At the end of his career, Jefferson also ranked second on Duke’s all-time list in field goal percentage, third in offensive rebounds (361), seventh in blocked shots (138) and 11th in rebounds (944).

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to sign two players to two-way contracts in addition to the 15-man regular-season roster. A two-way player for Orlando will provide services to the team’s G League affiliate – the Lakeland Magic – but can spend up to 45 days with Orlando, not including any time prior to the start of Lakeland’s training camp and at the conclusion of their season.

Pistons name Sachin Gupta assistant general manager

Pistons name Sachin Gupta new assistant general manager

The Detroit Pistons have hired Sachin Gupta as assistant general manager.

“We are pleased to welcome Sachin Gupta to the Detroit Pistons organization,” said Ed Stefanski, Special Advisor to owner Tom Gores. “Sachin is a creative thinker, extremely intelligent, and has a great handle on the analytical side of basketball operations systems. His analytics and salary cap background will be a tremendous resource while serving a leadership role for our basketball operations team.”

Gupta spent last season as a special advisor to Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey, his second stint with the organization. The Boston-area native began his NBA career with the Rockets in 2006 as Morey’s first hire, laying the foundation for the team’s extensive analytics undertaking, which the Rockets would later become renowned for. In addition to his responsibilities as an analyst, Gupta also assisted in managing the team’s salary cap during his six-year tenure in Houston.

Gupta transitioned to the Philadelphia 76ers front office in 2013 as a consultant prior to the NBA Draft while finishing MBA studies at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. He then moved to a more permanent position, Vice President of Basketball Operations in 2014 and served as General Manager Sam Hinkie’s top lieutenant. Gupta served a substantial role in driving the club’s overhaul that led to this past season’s return to the NBA Playoffs.

Prior to joining the NBA ranks, Gupta spent two years at ESPN where he had a hand in fostering basketball’s analytical movement, implementing advanced NBA metrics on ESPN.com before their use had become widespread across the league. While at ESPN, he also became well versed in the CBA when he developed the widely popular NBA Trade Machine.

Gupta earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from MIT.

Grizzlies sign Shelvin Mack

The Memphis Grizzlies signed guard Shelvin Mack today.

According to ESPN.com, it’s a a one-year deal.

The only clear starter in the Memphis backcourt is veteran Mike Conley at point guard. Mack is mostly joining a big cast of backup guards, many of whom will have the opportunity to compete for real minutes.

Mack, 6-foot-3, 203 pounds, has appeared in 399 regular season games (53 starts) over a seven-year NBA career and has averaged 6.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 17.9 minutes for the Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic. The 28-year-old also has competed in 30 postseason games (three starts) and has averaged 5.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 13.1 minutes for Atlanta and Utah.

Last season, Mack saw action in 69 games (three starts) for Orlando and averaged 6.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and a career-high 3.9 assists in 19.8 minutes while shooting 43.0 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from three-point range and 71.1 percent from the free throw line.

Mack was selected by Washington in the second round (34th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft following his junior season at Butler University after he helped guide the Bulldogs to back-to-back NCAA Tournament Finals (2010, 2011). The Lexington, Kentucky native was named an NBA G League All-Star during the 2012-13 season while playing for the Maine Red Claws.

Nets sign Theo Pinson

The Brooklyn Nets have signed guard/forward Theo Pinson.

Until reported otherwise, we will assume the signing is a non-guaranteed deal that merely brings Pinson to Nets training camp.

Pinson (6’6”, 210) joins the Nets after a four-year collegiate career at the University of North Carolina. In 122 games (58 starts) for the Tar Heels, Pinson recorded averages of 6.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 21.7 minutes per contest. The Greensboro, N.C., native helped lead UNC to the 2017 national championship as a junior and earned honorable mention All-ACC and first-team All-ACC Tournament honors as a senior. Pinson registered career-high averages of 10.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 29.7 minutes per game in his senior season, becoming the first Tar Heel to average at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in a single season and the eighth player to do so in ACC history. He appeared in 14 NCAA Tournament wins throughout his career, tied for second in UNC history.

Pinson appeared in all five of Brooklyn’s games at the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League, posting averages of 11.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks in 25.0 minutes per game.

Mavericks sign Ryan Broekhoff

The Dallas Mavericks signed free agent guard/forward Ryan Broekhoff today.

Until we hear otherwise, we will assume the deal is a non-guaranteed contract that merely brings Broekhoff to Mavs training camp.

Broekhoff (6-7, 215) spent the last five seasons playing professionally in Turkey and Russia, including the most recent three with Russia’s PBC Lokomotiv Kuban. In 16 VTB United League games for Loko last season, he averaged 8.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. In 16 EuroCup games for Loko in 2017-18, he averaged 12.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists en route to earning All-EuroCup First Team honors.

A native of Melbourne, Australia, Broekhoff attended the Australian Institute of Sport before going on to play four years at Valparaiso (2009-13). As a junior in 2011-12, he averaged 14.8 points, a league-high 8.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists on his way to being named the Horizon League Player of the Year. As a senior in 2012-13, Broekhoff averaged a career-high 15.7 points to go along with 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists while leading the Crusaders to a berth in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Broekhoff is a member of the Australian national team. He averaged 7.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists for the Boomers at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Heat sign guard Malik Newman

The Miami Heat signed guard Malik Newman today.

Until we hear otherwise, we will assume this is a non-guaranteed deal that merely brings Newman to Heat training camp.

Newman began his collegiate career at Mississippi State before transferring to the University of Kansas where he appeared in 39 games (33 starts) last season and averaged 14.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.08 steals and 31.6 minutes while shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 41.5 percent from three-point range and 83.5 percent from the foul line. He connected on 85 three-point field goals, the ninth-most for a single-season in KU history, and was named the Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Player after he averaged 24.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in the tournament, helping Kansas earn the Big 12 title. Additionally, he averaged a team-high 21.6 points in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, helping Kansas to the Final Four.

Newman, who signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 1 before being waived on July 19, appeared in five Summer League games with the Lakers in Las Vegas and averaged 3.2 points while shooting 6-of-19 from the field, 2-of-6 from three-point range and a perfect 2-of-2 from the foul line.

Mavericks waive Chinanu Onuaku

The Dallas Mavericks waived center Chinanu Onuaku today.

Onuaku (6-10, 245) was acquired by Dallas from Houston in exchange for the rights to Maarty Leunen on Aug. 2. In the deal, the Mavericks also received cash considerations and the right to swap Golden State’s 2020 second round pick (acquired by Dallas on 7/7/16) with the Rockets.

Onuaku was drafted by Houston in the second round (37th overall) of the 2016 NBA Draft. In two seasons with the Rockets, he averaged 3.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 12.3 minutes in six career games (one start). In four games for Houston in the 2018 MGM Resorts Summer League in Las Vegas, he averaged 5.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 11.8 minutes per game while shooting .500 from the floor and .833 from the line.

The Lanham, Md., native played two years at the University of Louisville before declaring as an early-entry candidate in the 2016 NBA Draft. As a sophomore, Onuaku averaged 9.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.0 blocks in 24.6 minutes per game for the Cardinals and earned All-ACC Defensive Team and All-ACC Honorable Mention.