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The Brooklyn Nets have requested waivers on forward Nuni Omot and guard Jordan McLaughlin.
McLaughlin originally signed as a free agent with the Nets on Aug. 20, while Omot inked a deal with Brooklyn on Sept. 25. McLaughlin and Omot each appeared in the Nets’ preseason game versus the New York Knicks on Oct. 3.
Brooklyn’s roster now stands at 18 players.
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The Indiana Pacers on Thursday waived guard Elijah Stewart and forward Omari Johnson.
NBA preseason wraps up tonight (Friday), and teams around the league need to trim their rosters down to a maximum of 15 regular season contracts plus two “two-way” players who will spend most of the season playing in the G League.
The Pacers finished preseason with a 2-2 record.
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The Charlotte Hornets have waived Isaiah Wilkins and Jaylen Barford.
Barford, a 6-3 guard, spent two seasons at the University of Arkansas where he was a First Team All-SEC selection for the 2017-18 season. The Jackson, TN native did not appear in any preseason games with Charlotte.
Wilkins, a 6-8 forward from Virginia, played in 132 career games with the Cavaliers and was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2017-18. The Lilburn, GA native appeared in one preseason game with Charlotte, playing three minutes vs. the Miami Heat.
The Hornets roster now stands at 17 players.
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The Milwaukee Bucks have requested waivers on Shabazz Muhammad.
Signed to a free agent contract on Sept. 22, Muhammad appeared in two preseason games and averaged 8.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal per contest.
The Bucks training camp roster stands at 19 players.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed forward Emanuel Terry. The signing will likely be very short-lived, as preseason ends tomorrow.
Terry (6-9, 220) went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft after playing four years collegiately at Lincoln Memorial University, where he competed in 120 contests (72 starts) and averaged 9.6 points on .704 shooting, 7.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 18.6 minutes per game. As a senior in 2017-18, he averaged 16.9 points on .711 shooting, 10.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 27.6 minutes per game and was named to the 2018 NABC Coaches’ Division II All-America team while helping the Railsplitters earn SAC regular season and tournament championships.
Terry played in five games (one start) for the Denver Nuggets in the 2018 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League, averaging 7.4 points and 5.0 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per game. He also appeared in one preseason contest for the Nuggets.
The Cavaliers’ roster now stands at 20.
The Miami HEAT have signed guard Rodney Purvis and forward Raphiael Putney and waived Charles Cooke and DeAndre Liggins.
Purvis split last season between the Orlando Magic and their G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic. He appeared in 39 games (all starts) with Lakeland, averaging 20.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.41 steals and 38.0 minutes while shooting 42.5 percent from the field, 39.4 percent from three-point range and 77.8 percent from the foul line where he was named to the 2018 G League All-Star Team and was an All-Rookie First Team selection. He also appeared in 16 games (two starts) with Orlando and averaged 6.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 18.1 minutes of action. He led the team in scoring twice, including a 19-point game vs. Philadelphia on March 22.
Putney appeared in 46 games (36 starts) with the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League last season and averaged 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.33 blocks, 1.7 assists, 1.17 steals and 28.8 minutes while shooting 45.7 percent from the field. After his stint with the BayHawks, he played professionally in Puerto Rico and France, appearing in 15 total games (12 starts) averaging 11.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.80 blocks and 23.0 minutes while shooting 45.7 percent from the field.
Charles Cooke, who was signed by the HEAT on October 7, appeared in one preseason game with Miami on October 10 vs. New Orleans, totaling one point, two rebounds and a block in 10:37 minutes of action.
DeAndre Liggins, who was signed by the HEAT on October 7, appeared in one preseason game with Miami on October 10 vs. New Orleans, totaling 10 points, two assists and a steal in 16:13 minutes of action.
Legendary coach Tex Winter has died. Several NBA teams who enjoyed long relationships with Winter have issued statements on the sad news:
LAKERS STATEMENT
On behalf of the entire Lakers organization, I’d like to express our sadness at the passing of Tex Winter,” said Lakers CEO and Controlling Owner Jeanie Buss. “Tex helped lead the team to four NBA Championships and was a mentor to many of our coaches and players. In addition to his numerous contributions to the game of basketball, Tex was a wonderful man and he will be dearly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Winter family.”
An innovator of the “triangle offense,” Winter joined the Lakers staff prior to the 1999-2000 campaign after spending 13 seasons with the Chicago Bulls, including eight under head coach Phil Jackson. Winter was a member of six championship teams in Chicago (1991-93, 1996-98) and four in Los Angeles (2000-02 and 2009).
BULLS STATEMENT
The following statement is from John Paxson, the Chicago Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, on behalf of the Bulls:
“Tex Winter was a basketball legend and perhaps the finest fundamental teacher in the history of our game. He was an innovator who had high standards for how basketball should be played and approached everyday. Those of us who were lucky enough to play for him will always respect his devotion to the game of basketball. His contributions to the Bulls organization will always be remembered.”
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The Utah Jazz have exercised their third-year team option on center Tony Bradley for the 2019-20 season.
The-20-year-old Bradley (6-11, 240, North Carolina) was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round (28th overall) of the 2017 NBA Draft, but was acquired by the Jazz in a draft night trade. The Bartow, Fla. native saw action in 24 games (all starts) for the Jazz’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, in 2017-18, owning averages of 15.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 blocks in 29.6 minutes per contest. He appeared in nine games for the Jazz, scoring a career-best four points, also grabbing three rebounds, at Oklahoma City on Dec. 20.
During the 2018 Utah Jazz Summer League, Bradley appeared in three games, averaging 14.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game, earning a 2018 Utah Jazz Summer League Standout selection. He also posted averages of 16.0 points and 3.5 boards in two contests at the 2018 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
In his sole collegiate season at North Carolina (2016-17), the 6-11 center averaged 7.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game, helping the Tar Heels to a 2017 NCAA Championship.
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In a 100 percent expected move, the Utah Jazz have exercised their third-year team option on guard Donovan Mitchell for the 2019-20 season.
Mitchell (6-3, 215, Louisville) led all rookies last season in scoring at 20.5 points per game and total points (1,616), joining David Robinson (1989-90), Larry Bird (1979-80), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-70) and Wilt Chamberlain (1959-60) as one of the last five rookies, and only guard, to lead their team in scoring while their squad won 45-or-more games. During the 2017-18 season, Mitchell was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month four times (December, January, February and March/April), also setting an NBA rookie record for three-pointers made in a single season (187). Following last year’s campaign, Mitchell was unanimously named to the 2017-18 NBA All-Rookie First Team and was dubbed the Breakthrough Athlete of the Year at the 2018 ESPY Awards.
The 2018 NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner averaged 24.4 points over 11 postseason games, becoming the first rookie to average over 20 points in the postseason since Tim Duncan in 1998. He set a Jazz playoff rookie scoring record with 33 points against Oklahoma City on April 23, passing Karl Malone who had 31 points on April 20, 1986 against Dallas and then broke his own rookie record with a 38-point performance against the Thunder on April 27 in Game 6, helping Utah advance to the Western Conference Semifinals.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder has signed forwards Dez Wells and Donte Grantham, and guard Scotty Hopson.
These signings probably won’t carry into the regular season. NBA preseason wraps up Friday, then teams must trim down their rosters.
Grantham (6-8, 205) was a four-year starter at Clemson University. In 114 career games (113 starts), he averaged 9.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 30.2 minutes per game.
The West Virginia native is one of six players in Clemson history to amass 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists in a career.
Hopson (6-7, 204) played with Galatasaray in Turkey during the 2017-18 season, appearing in 27 games (13 starts) and averaging 11.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 20.9 minutes per game.
The Tennessee product played in 43 games (35 starts) during the 2014-15 season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League and averaged 19.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 32.2 minutes per game.
Wells (6-5, 215) spent the 2017-18 season with Sidigas Avellino in Italy, appearing in 52 games (28 starts) and averaging 11.3 points on 54.2 percent shooting from the field, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 22.4 minutes per game.
Wells has previously appeared in 47 games (22 starts) over two seasons with the Oklahoma City Blue and averaged 12.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.06 steals in 27.5 minutes per game.