July 2018 – NBA Basketball Blog from InsideHoops.com

Spurs waive Brandon Paul

The San Antonio Spurs waived guard Brandon Paul today.

Paul, who was signed as a free agent on July 14, 2017, appeared in 64 games for the Spurs last season, averaging 2.3 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.0 minutes.

According to the San Antonio Express News, “faced with the decision to keep guard Brandon Paul and guarantee his salary for the upcoming season, the Spurs opted to let him go. The team waived Paul on Tuesday, a day before the deadline that would have locked in his $1.38 million salary for next season in its entirety.”

Mavericks sign Terry Larrier

The Dallas Mavericks signed forward Terry Larrier today.

Larrier (6-8, 195) went undrafted as an early-entry candidate in the 2018 NBA Draft. He competed in six total summer league games for the Memphis Grizzlies (4 games) and the Mavericks (2 games) and averaged 1.3 points and 1.2 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per contest.

The Bronx, N.Y., native began his career at Virginia Commonwealth University before transferring to the University of Connecticut as a sophomore. Before declaring for the draft, Larrier averaged 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 34.0 minutes in 29 games (28 starts) as a junior.

Kings sign Wenyen Gabriel to two-way contract

The Sacramento Kings signed Wenyen Gabriel to a two-way contract today.

A 6-9, 213-pound forward, Gabriel joined the Kings roster for the inaugural California Classic in Sacramento and the 2018 Las Vegas NBA Summer League, posting 6.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 16.4 minutes per game over five appearances in the desert after playing in all three Cal Classic contests.

Undrafted in 2018 out of Kentucky, the Sudanese-born product registered 6.8 points (.495 FG%, .396 3pt%, .625 FT%), 5.4 rebounds, 0.84 steals, 1.12 blocks and 23.1 minutes per game as a sophomore last season, making seven starts. He notched a career-high tying 23 points (7-8 FG, 7-7 3pt, 2-2 FT) to complement two rebounds and three blocks versus Alabama (3/10/18) and contributed 16 points (5-11 FG, 3-5 3pt, 3-3 FT), 12 rebounds and two blocks in a 95-75 triumph against Buffalo (3/17/18) in Round 2 of the NCAA Tournament a week later. Gabriel parlayed successful performances in the 2016 Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit prep showcases out of Wilbraham & Monson Academy (Massachusetts), debuting at Kentucky in 2015. In 38 contests as a freshman (started 23), he accrued averages of 4.6 points (.471 FG%, .317 3pt%, .617 FT%), 4.8 rebounds, 0.93 blocks and 17.7 minutes per game.

Timberwolves sign C.J. Williams to two-way contract

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed guard C.J. Williams to a two-way contract.

Williams appeared in 38 games (17 starts) as a rookie with the Los Angeles Clippers last season, averaging 5.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.8 steals in 18.6 minutes per game. He appeared in 16 games with the Agua Caliente Clippers of the NBA G League, averaging 16.5 points in 29.5 minutes per game. He was named the recipient of the 2017-18 NBA G League Jason Collier Sportsmanship Award on Apr. 11, which is given to the player who best represents the ideals of character and conduct on and off the court.

The Fayetteville, N.C. native played four years at North Carolina State, leading the Wolfpack to the NCAA Sweet 16 as a senior in 2012. Since turning pro, he has spent parts of three seasons in the NBA G League, averaging 14.0 points on 46.3% shooting (40.2% from three-point range) over 115 G League games.

According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, “The 6-foot-5 guard can spend up to 45 days with the Timberwolves next season, and will spend the rest of his time with the Iowa Wolves. Rookie guard Jared Terrell is the Timberwolves’ other two-way signing.”

Two-way contracts allow teams to sign two players to two-way contracts in addition to the 15-man regular-season roster. Players signed to a two-way contract can accrue no more than 45 days of service with their respective NBA club during the regular season and will spend the remainder of their time with the team’s NBA G League affiliate.

Bucks sign Jaylen Morris, Brandon McCoy and Travis Trice

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed guard Jaylen Morris to a Two-Way contract.

The team also signed free agent center Brandon McCoy and guard Travis Trice to training camp contracts.

Morris, 22, appeared in six games with the Atlanta Hawks last season and averaged 4.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 16.4 minutes per game. He was called up to the Hawks from their G League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, after he played and started 39 games for the BayHawks and averaged 12.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 31.4 minutes per contest while shooting 51.7 percent from the field.

The Amherst, New York-native originally went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft after four seasons at Division II Molloy College.

McCoy, 20, played one season at UNLV and was named the 2017-18 Mountain West Freshman of the Year after setting conference freshman records in both points (16.9) and rebounds (10.3) per game. McCoy also averaged 1.8 blocks per game for the Runnin’ Rebels, which ranked second in the Mountain West Conference, and shot 54.5 percent from the field, which was third-best in the conference. He was a finalist for the 2017-18 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award and made the 2017-18 John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list for Player of the Year. The 6-11 center appeared in two games for the Bucks 2018 Summer League entry in Las Vegas.

Trice, 25, averaged 8.8 points, 4.0 assists and 3.2 rebounds in the five Bucks 2018 Summer League games. He played the last two seasons in the NBL (Australia and New Zealand) with the Cairns Taipans (2016-17) and Brisbane Bullets (2017-18). He has also played with the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League in 2015-16 and 2017. The Springfield, Ohio, native played collegiately at Michigan State (2011-2015).

Bulls re-sign guard Ryan Arcidiacono

The Chicago Bulls re-signed free agent Ryan Arcidiacono today.

In his rookie season, Arcidiacono, a 6-foot-3, 208-pound guard, appeared in 25 games for Chicago and averaged 2.0 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 12.7 minutes per contest, and shot .415 from the field and .833 from the foul line. In G League action, he appeared in 37 games (all starts) for the Windy City Bulls and averaged 13.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.73 steals in 39.5 minutes per game, and shot .457 from the field, .451 from three and .833 from the foul line.

Arcidiacono was a member of the 2018 Chicago Bulls MGM Resorts Summer League squad, and he averaged 7.2 points, 4.2 rebounds 4.0 assists and 1.20 steals in 30.8 minutes per game. He shot .394 from the field and .476 from three.

Arcidiacono played four seasons at Villanova and was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in the Wildcats’ championship run in 2016. He went undrafted in 2016, and appeared in three preseason games for the San Antonio Spurs and eight games for the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League that season.

Nets sign forward Treveon Graham

The Brooklyn Nets signed free agent forward Treveon Graham today.

The 6-foot-5, 219-pound, 24-year-old spent the last two seasons on Charlotte Hornets. In the 2017-18 season, he played in 63 games, averaging 4.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game.

Before starting his NBA career, the Washington, D.C., area native spent his first professional season with the Idaho Stampede in the G League.

Graham went undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft. He enjoyed a standout four-year career at Virginia Commonwealth University, earning first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors twice (2014 and 2015) and second-team All-Atlantic 10 honors once (2013).

Graham will surely come off the bench for Brooklyn, probably behind Caris LeVert and Joe Harris, among others. He’ll have to work hard to get any real minutes.

Mavs sign Daryl Macon to two-way contract

The Dallas Mavericks have signed guard Daryl Macon to a two-way contract.

Undrafted in 2018, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard played a four-year collegiate career at the University of Arkansas.

This summer, Macon played in seven summer league games for the Miami Heat, averaging 7.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 22.4 minutes per outing.

The Little Rock, Ark., native began his career at Holmes Community College in Goodman, Miss., where he twice earned Region XXIII Player of the Year and National Junior College Athletic Association All-America honors.

Macon transferred to Arkansas after his sophomore season at Holmes and averaged 15.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 28.0 minutes in 71 games (51 starts) in two seasons as a Razorback. As a senior, Macon improved his averages to 16.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting .447 from the field, .421 from behind-the-arc and .875 from the foul line on his way to being named Second Team All-Southeastern Conference.

The 2018-19 season will mark the second year NBA two-way contracts will be implemented. NBA teams are allowed to have up to two players under two-way contracts who will spend the bulk of the season in the NBA G League and not more than 45 days with their NBA team.

Two-way players are paid a corresponding daily amount based on the number of days they play in each league. Only players with four-or-fewer years of NBA experience are able to sign two-way contracts, which can be for either one or two seasons.

Heat sign Yante Maten to two-way contract

The Miami Heat have signed forward Yante Maten to a two-way contract.

Maten appeared in seven Summer League games (one start) with the HEAT in both Sacramento and Las Vegas and averaged 10.7 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 44.6 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from three-point range and 76.9 percent from the foul line. He posted five double-figure scoring games, including 19 points off the bench on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from the foul line while grabbing seven rebounds and blocking two shots in a, 110-106, win against New Orleans in the first round of the Las Vegas tournament.

Maten, the 2018 SEC Player of the Year, played four seasons at the University of Georgia appearing in 128 career collegiate games (97 starts). Among the school’s all-time lists, he finished second in points (1,886), third in blocks (198), fourth in rebounds (889) and free throws made (518), sixth in field goals made (655), 13th in free throw percentage (.755) and 15th in field goal percentage (.483). He scored the most points during a single season by a senior (636), including the fifth-most overall, in school history while appearing in 33 games (all starts) and averaging 19.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.48 blocks and 34.3 minutes while shooting 46.4 percent from the field last season. He also led the conference in scoring average, becoming just the fifth player in school history to accomplish the feat. Additionally, Maten became the first Bulldog in 25 years to earn three All-SEC honors in his career and just the sixth player in program history to achieve the feat.

On LeBron James signing with the Lakers

It really happened. LeBron James took his talents to Hollywood. Well, near Hollywood. Staples Center is in downtown Los Angeles, not Hollywood. But whatever. Close enough. Here’s ESPN.com rounding up some commentary and reactions to the signing, made official earlier this month, becoming a reality:

“He wanted to come to L.A.,” one Western Conference player said. “They just had to not f— it up. Jerry West just said it, and I was like, ‘Finally.’ He’s not coming to the Lakers. He came to L.A.”

West, now an adviser for the LA Clippers, told Sports Illustrated that, “LeBron was not a tough free-agent signing.” While the player’s swipe — like West’s — was aimed more at the Lakers than at James, the four-time MVP also had his motives for the move questioned.

“My thought was, ‘Good luck. You must really want to live in L.A.'” one prominent agent said. “Playing Western Conference teams night in and night out is not going to be the same. You don’t get a ‘night off.’ I would not want to end my career just making the playoffs.”

James’ streak of eight straight NBA Finals appearances would seem to be on life support with his switch from the East to the West. The Lakers’ success, or lack thereof, will largely depend on how quickly L.A.’s young core — some combination of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart — develops around James.

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