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Nets sign Nerlens Noel to 10-day contract

The Brooklyn Nets have signed center Nerlens Noel to a 10-day contract.

Noel (6’11”, 220) began the 2022-23 season with the Detroit Pistons, where he played in 14 games (three starts) and posted averages of 2.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10.8 minutes per game. The nine-year NBA veteran has made previous stops in Philadelphia, Dallas, Oklahoma City and New York. In 464 career games (222 starts), Noel holds career averages of 7.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks in 22.1 minutes per contest while shooting 54.7 percent from the field. The 28-year-old has also appeared in 17 playoff games (two starts) across three career postseason appearances, recording averages of 4.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per game.

A Massachusetts native, Noel played one collegiate season (2012-13) at the University of Kentucky, where he was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year, SEC Freshman of the Year, First Team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive. He was drafted sixth overall in the 2013 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans and later traded to Philadelphia, where he earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors in 2015 as a member of the 76ers.

Bucks sign Goran Dragic

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed Goran Dragić.

A 6-3 guard, Dragić has played in 939 games (530 starts) over the past 15 seasons with Phoenix, Houston, Miami, Toronto, Brooklyn and Chicago and holds career NBA averages of 13.3 points, 4.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 27.2 minutes per game. The 36-year-old began this season with the Bulls where he averaged 6.4 points, 2.7 assists and 1.4 rebounds in 15.4 minutes across 51 games before being waived on Feb. 28.

Originally selected with the 45th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Dragić has also seen action in 60 playoff games throughout his career and was a 2018 NBA All-Star with the Heat. A native of Slovenia, Dragić was named the league’s Most Improved Player and selected to the All-NBA Third Team following the 2013-14 season with the Suns.

Dragić will wear number 31 with the Bucks. Milwaukee’s roster is now at 16 players.

Jazz sign Kris Dunn to second 10-day contract

The Utah Jazz have signed guard Kris Dunn to a second 10-day contract.

Dunn (6-3, 205, Providence) has appeared in four games with the Jazz this season, averaging 12.0 points on 52.5 percent shooting, 4.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals in 22.3 minutes per game. In his seventh NBA season, he owns career averages of 8.2 points, 4.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 249 games (129 starts) with Minnesota (2016-17), Chicago (2017-20), Atlanta (2020-21), Portland (2021-22), and Utah (2022-23).

Drafted in the first round (fifth overall) in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Timberwolves, the New London, Conn., native was a four-year collegiate player at Providence, where he was twice named the Big East Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year (2014-15 and 2015-16) and was a Consensus Second-Team All-America selection following the 2015-16 season.

Spurs add Sandro Mamukelashvili, waive Isaiah Roby

The San Antonio Spurs they have claimed forward Sandro Mamukelashvili off waivers.

In addition, Mamukelashvili has been converted to a standard NBA contract and the team has waived Isaiah Roby.

Mamukelashvili, 6-10/240, most recently played with the Milwaukee Bucks on a two-way contract before being waived on March 1. This season, he appeared in 24 games with the Bucks, averaging 2.4 points and 2.3 rebounds, also seeing action in 11 G League games with the Wisconsin Herd and posting averages of 19.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 30.6 minutes.

From Tbilisi, Georgia, Mamukelashvili was selected in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft (54th overall) by the Indiana Pacers before being traded to the Bucks on draft night. Prior to the NBA, he spent four years at Seton Hall (2017-21), where he earned 2021 Big East Co-Player of the Year. The former Pirate averaged 9.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 23.7 minutes in 104 career games.

Roby appeared in 42 games for the Spurs, averaging 4.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 18.9 minutes after being claimed off waivers by San Antonio on July 5, 2022.

Mamukelashvili will wear No. 54 for the Silver and Black.

The Spurs roster now stands at 17 players.

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac undergoes season-ending surgery

Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac underwent surgery on Friday morning to repair a torn left adductor muscle and will miss the remainder of the 2022-23 regular season.

An MRI conducted Wednesday revealed the injury, after he felt discomfort following Tuesday’s practice in Milwaukee.

“Our thoughts are with Jonathan, whose fortitude in dealing with adversity is unique,” said Orlando Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman. “Jonathan has worked extremely hard to return to the court this season and has demonstrated his impact on our team. We will be by his side as he focuses on the work ahead.”

Isaac (6’10”, 230, 10/3/97) played in 11 games this season, averaging 5.0 ppg., 4.0 rpg. and 1.27 stlpg. in 11.3 minpg.

Originally selected in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2017 NBA Draft by Orlando, Isaac has appeared in 147 career NBA regular season games (106 starts), all with the Magic, averaging 9.0 ppg., 5.3 rpg., 1.0 apg., 1.43 blkpg. and 1.08 stlpg. in 24.7 minpg. He has also played and started in five career playoff outings, averaging 6.6 ppg., 6.2 rpg. and 1.00 blkpg. in 27.3 minpg.

Thunder sign Jared Butler to two-way contract

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard Jared Butler to a two-way contract.

Butler (6-3, 195) has spent this season with the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League, seeing time in 41 games (40 starts) and averaging 18.0 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.00 steal in 30.1 minutes per game. Selected 40th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, he spent the 2021-22 season with the Utah Jazz, appearing in 42 games (one start) and averaging 3.8 points, 1.5 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game.

The Baylor alumnus earned consensus First Team All-American honors in 2021 and was named the 2021 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player, as he led the Bears to their first national championship. He was a two-time First Team All-Big 12 selection and was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team in 2021.

Wizards sign Jamaree Bouyea to 10-day contract

The Washington Wizards have signed guard Jamaree Bouyea to a 10-day contract.

Bouyea, a 6-2, 180-pound rookie from the University of San Francisco, recently completed a 10-day contract with the Miami Heat where he averaged 3.8 points in four games. After completing Summer League and training camp with Miami, Bouyea joined the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League, where he has played in 34 games (32 starts), averaging 17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Bouyea recorded Sioux Falls’ lone triple-double of the season on November 26 at Wisconsin, tallying 27 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.

A native of Salinas, California, Bouyea went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft. He left San Francisco as the Dons’ all-time leader in wins (98) and games played (160), while finishing fifth in total points with 1,718.

Cavaliers sign Sam Merrill to 10-day contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Sam Merrill to a 10-day contract, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Merrill (6-4, 197) has appeared in 35 games (34 starts) this season for the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League affiliate, averaging 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 33.7 minutes. He scored a season-high 32 points, including a Charge franchise record 10-14 (.714) shooting from the three-point line on February 22 against the Greensboro Swarm.

In 36 career NBA games (two starts) with Milwaukee and Memphis, Merrill has connected on 28-70 (.400) from the three-point arc. During the 2020-21 season, he ended his rookie season as a NBA Champion with the Bucks, where he was teammates with current Cavaliers Two-Way player Mamadi Diakite. Merrill also appeared in five games with the Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies G-League affiliate) with averages of 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 28.9 minutes.

Merrill was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans as the 60th overall pick in the 2020 draft after a four-year collegiate career at Utah State University. He was a two-time All-Mountain West First Team selection (2019 & 2020) and named Mountain West Player of the Year in 2019.