NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog
NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
The Brooklyn Nets have unveiled their 2022-23 NBA Statement Edition uniform.
Per the team: The bold black-on-black design was inspired by the classic uniform of New Yorkers and is a forward-looking take on the team’s core Icon uniform that was first unveiled 10 years ago when the Nets moved to Brooklyn. The uniform features the NETS wordmark across the chest outlined in platinum, with the team’s signature herringbone pattern running down the side of the jersey and shorts.
The New Orleans Pelicans have signed free agent Izaiah Brockington to a two-way contract.
Brockington, 6-4, 196, most recently played collegiately for Iowa State University, earning All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2022 after averaging 16.9 points and 6.8 rebounds, to go along with 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals. Over his four-year collegiate career, Brockington appeared in 125 games for St. Bonaventure, Penn State, and Iowa State, averaging 10.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.
Brockington suffered an ACL injury during a pre-draft workout in June and is expected to make a full recovery.
Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed seven-year NBA veteran Montrezl Harrell.
Harrell comes to Philadelphia after producing 13.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists in 23.1 minutes over 71 games with Washington and Charlotte in 2021-22. His .645 shooting percentage ranked third in the NBA last season.
Playing under 76ers Head Coach Doc Rivers, Harrell earned NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2019-20, after posting 18.6 points (.580 FG), 7.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 blocks in 27.8 minutes over 63 games with the LA Clippers.
The Tarboro, North Carolina native is one of two players to score at least 5,000 points off the bench over the last five seasons. He’s also the only NBA player to tally at least 4,000 points and 1,000 rebounds as a reserve since the start of the 2018-19 season, leading the league with 41 double-doubles during that span.
Originally selected by Houston with the No. 32 overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, Harrell has recorded career averages of 12.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 21.5 minutes across 458 games with Houston, the Clippers, the Lakers, Washington and Charlotte. He ranks sixth in NBA history with a .620 field goal percentage, having finished top-10 in that category in each of the last five seasons (2017-22).
Harrell will wear No. 5 with the 76ers.
The Atlanta Hawks have signed guard Jarrett Culver to a two-way contract.
Culver comes to Atlanta from the Memphis Grizzlies where he appeared in 37 games this past season, averaging 3.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in 9.1 minutes. The 6-6 guard saw action in three postseason games with the Grizzlies, tallying 2.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 7.3 minutes. He also saw action in four games (all starts) with the Memphis Hustle, NBA G League affiliate of the Grizzlies, notching 18.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks in 33.1 minutes.
Drafted by the Phoenix Suns with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Culver’s draft rights were traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on July 6, 2019. Over his three-year career, the Lubbock, Texas native has suited up for the Timberwolves (2019-21) and Grizzlies (2021-22), appearing in 134 games (42 starts), averaging 6.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 17.5 minutes (.401 FG%).
Culver played collegiately at Texas Tech for two seasons (2017-19), seeing action in 75 games (58 starts), registering 14.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 29.5 minutes (.459 FG%, .341 3FG%, .687 FT%). The 2019 Big 12 Player of the Year led the Red Raiders to the 2019 NCAA Championship Game as a sophomore, their first-ever Final Four and championship game appearance, en route to being named to the Final Four All-Tournament Team. In his freshman season, Culver guided Texas Tech to its first Elite Eight in program history. Culver, who finished his Red Raider career with 1,119 total points, became the first player in Texas Tech history to pour in at least 1,000 points as a freshman-sophomore.
The Atlanta Hawks have waived guard Chaundee Brown Jr.
Brown Jr. was signed to a two-way contract on April 9, 2022. He originally signed with the Hawks to a 10-day contract on December 27, 2021 and appeared in three games, averaging 9.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 27.7 minutes (.400 3FG%, .833 FT%). He also played in two contests with the Los Angeles Lakers last season.
The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard Dereon Seabron to a two-way contract, and also signed guard John Petty Jr. and guard/forward Daeqwon Plowden.
Seabron, 6-7, 180, played collegiate seasons at North Carolina State, where he averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 56 games. Seabron is coming off of a redshirt sophomore season in which he started 32 games, averaging 17.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists en route to being named the ACC’s Most Improved Player and earning All-ACC Second Team honors.
Petty Jr., 6-5, 184, appeared in 31 games for the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, in 2021-22 in which he averaged 8.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 26.2 minutes per game. Prior to turning pro, Petty Jr. played four seasons at Alabama in which he averaged 11.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 131 games (105 starts), finishing his career with a school-record 311 made three-pointers. In his senior campaign, Petty Jr. averaged 12.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists en route to First Team All-SEC honors. Petty Jr. led the SEC with 77 made threes during the 2020-21 season.
Plowden, 6-6, 215, played five seasons at Bowling Green State (2017-22), averaging 10.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per contest. Plowden finished his college career as BGSU’s all-time leader in games played (154), and is the only player in program history to log at least 1,200 career points, 800 rebounds, and 100 blocks.
The Dallas Mavericks have signed forward Maxi Kleber to a contract extension.
Per the Dallas Morning News, “Kleber’s deal is worth $33 million over three years, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said. Kleber was entering the final season of the four-year, $35 million deal he signed in 2019.”
Kleber (6-11, 220) originally signed with Dallas on July 13, 2017, and then re-signed as a free agent on July 10, 2019. In five seasons as a Maverick, he has averaged 7.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.9 blocks and 22.7 minutes in 326 games (136 starts).
The Wurzburg, Germany native most recently helped lead the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals, playing in all 18 games and averaging 8.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 25.4 minutes per contest. His eight 3-pointers in Game 2 vs. Utah are tied for the second-most by a Maverick in a postseason game (Jason Terry, 9 3FGs, 5/8/11).
More from the Dallas Morning News: “The 30-year-old battled nagging injuries and a months-long shooting slump after the All-Star break, but he also played significant minutes as a smallball center after the mid-February trade of Kristaps Porzingis.”
Prior to the NBA, Kleber spent eight seasons playing professionally in Germany and Spain. In 2016-17, he played in 37 Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) games for Bayern Munich and averaged 8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 blocks enroute to being named a BBL All-Star, All-BBL Second Team and BBL Most Effective Player.
The Portland Trail Blazers have signed forward Devontae Cacok, guard Isaiah Miller, guard Jared Rhoden and center Olivier Sarr to contracts, it was announced today by General Manager Joe Cronin.
The signings are likely for Blazers training camp purposes.
An NBA veteran of three seasons, Cacok has appeared in 36 career games with the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, posting averages of 2.5 points (62.1% FG, 50.0% FT) and 2.2 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per game. While playing for San Antonio during the 2021-22 campaign, the UNC Wilmington product also appeared in 23 games (22 starts) for the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League, averaging 17.4 points (52.8% FG, 35.1% 3-PT, 63.2% FT), 11.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 28.7 minutes per game.
Miller joins the Trail Blazers after spending the 2021-22 season with the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League where he appeared in 32 games (three starts) and accrued averages of 12.7 points (48.5% FG, 51.0% FT), 4.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.72 steals in 24.2 minutes per game. The UNC Greensboro alum posted a season-high of 30 points to go along with six rebounds and three steals against the Texas Legends on Jan. 23.
Rhoden, an undrafted rookie out of Seton Hall, appeared in 122 career games (72 starts) over four seasons for the Pirates, posting averages of 10.4 points (40.7% FG, 31.2% 3-PT, 75.4% FT), 5.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.00 steal in 26.1 minutes per game. A 2022 All-Big East First Team honoree after averaging 15.5 points and 6.7 rebounds, Rhoden left Seton Hall as one of 12 players in program history to log more than 1,200 points and 600 rebounds in a career.
A French native and Kentucky alum, Sarr appeared in 22 games (two starts) and averaged 7.0 points (57.4% FG, 44.8% 3-PT, 82.8 FT%), 4.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 19.1 minutes per game for the Oklahoma City Thunder during his rookie campaign in the 2021-22 season.
Australia’s Mojave King, a graduate of the NBA Global Academy, and Canadian forward Leonard Miller have signed with NBA G League Ignite, NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced today.
The duo will be part of an Ignite roster that features potential top prospect for the 2023 NBA Draft Scoot Henderson, French U18 National Team star Sidy Cissoko and Nigeria’s Efe Abogidi.
More on each signee is below:
MOJAVE KING
The 6-5 guard spent the previous two seasons in the National Basketball League’s (NBL) Next Stars program, playing for the Cairns Terrapins and Adelaide 36ers. His most recent action came this summer with the Southland Sharks, where he averaged 18.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 16 games.
Born in New Zealand but raised in Australia, King joined the NBL’s Next Stars Program after attending the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia, which serves as the NBA’s hub for top high school-age prospects from outside the U.S. During his time at NBA Global Academy, King helped his team win several high-profile international events, including the 2019 NBA Academy Games in Atlanta, Georgia, and the 2020 Torneo Junior Ciutat de L’Hospitalet in Barcelona, where he averaged a tournament-best 19.2 points and 13 points, respectively.
King becomes the fourth NBA Academy graduate to sign with Ignite, joining fellow Australian Dyson Daniels, the eighth pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans, India’s Princepal Singh and fellow 2022-23 Ignite signee Abogidi.
LEONARD MILLER
Miller was the youngest participant in the NBA’s pre-draft process this spring, including the NBA Draft Combine in May, before electing not to enter this year’s draft.
A standout prospect from Scarsborough, Miller most recently joined Canada’s U23 squad in July’s Globl Jam international showcase. In April, he teamed up with fellow Ignite signee Cissoko on the World Select squad at the 2022 Nike Hoop Summit, where Miller scored 11 points, including two 3-pointers, plus five rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He previously represented Canada at the 2019 FIBA U16 Americas Championship, averaging 4.2 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.1 minutes per game.
The 2022 BioSteel Canadian Boys Player of the Year, Miller averaged 31 points and 11.6 rebounds on his Fort Erie International Academy team to earn Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association Most Valuable Player honors.
Ignite opens the season on Friday, Nov. 4 against Oklahoma City Blue in the team’s new home arena, The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev.
The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent forward Markieff Morris.
Morris (6’9”, 245) has appeared in 715 games (376 starts) across 11 seasons with Miami (2021-22), L.A. Lakers (2020-21), Detroit (2019-20), Oklahoma City (2019), Washington (2016-19) and Phoenix (2011-16), recording averages of 10.9 points on 44.6 percent shooting from the field, 34.1 percent shooting from 3-point range and 77.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 24.8 minutes per contest.
Per the New York Post, “the Nets now have four of their maximum 20 training camp spots left open: All three Exhibit 10 deals, as well as one of their two-way contracts (undrafted rookie Alondes Williams got the other). Restricted free agent David Duke Jr. had initially rejected their two-way offer in hopes of landing a standard deal, but the signing of Morris to the final standard spot ended that possibility.”
Morris, who is 33 years old, was limited to just 17 games played last season with the Heat due to injury, posting averages of 7.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 17.6 minutes per game. Prior to his injury-shortened campaign in 2021-22, Morris was 10th in the league in games played (698) from his rookie season in 2011-12 through the 2020-21 season.
Morris has made six playoff appearances in his career, including helping to lead the Lakers to the 2020 NBA Championship.
The Philadelphia native has seen action in 51 playoff games (22 starts), registering averages of 7.2 points on 42.1 percent shooting from the field, 36.9 percent shooting from distance and 80.0 percent shooting from the free-throw line, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 20.4 minutes per game.
Morris was selected with the 13th pick in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Suns after spending three years (2008-11) at the University of Kansas, where he was named All-Big 12 Second Team as a junior.