Inside Hoops – Page 183 – NBA Blog

Brooklyn Nets re-sign Nic Claxton

The Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, July 7 re-signed center Nic Claxton to a multi-year contract.

“Nic is an ascending player who has only begun to scratch the surface of what he’s capable of on both ends of the court,” said Nets General Manager Sean Marks. “With his defensive versatility and developing offensive skillset, we believe Nic has a bright future ahead of him and we’re looking forward to his continued growth in Brooklyn.”

Claxton has spent his entire three-year NBA career with the Nets after being selected with the 31st overall pick in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft by Brooklyn. In 94 games (20 starts), Claxton holds career averages of 7.3 points on 64.6 percent shooting from the field, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 18.7 minutes per contest. The 23-year-old South Carolina native has increased his games played, starts, points per game, field goal percentage and rebounds per game in each of his three seasons. In the 2021-22 campaign, Claxton saw action in 47 games (19 starts), registering averages of 8.7 points on 67.4 percent shooting from the field, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 20.7 minutes per game. After the All-Star break, Claxton posted a team-best defensive rating of 106.1 and ranked third on the team in net rating (7.4), trailing only Kevin Durant (10.0) and Kyrie Irving (9.6). Claxton has also appeared in 16 playoff games across the last two seasons, averaging 4.5 points on 62.3 percent shooting from the field, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 14.2 minutes per contest. In four games in Brooklyn’s first round series versus Boston in 2022, Claxton recorded averages of 10.5 points on 79.2 percent shooting from the field, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.3 blocks in 24.5 minutes per game.

Prior to beginning his NBA career, Claxton spent two collegiate seasons (2017-19) at the University of Georgia. As a sophomore, he averaged a team-high 13.0 points, 8.6 rebounds (third in the SEC), 1.1 steals and 2.5 blocks (10th in the nation) while adding 1.8 assists in 31.6 minutes per game on his way to being named to the All-SEC Second Team. Overall, Claxton appeared in 65 games for the Bulldogs, averaging 8.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.9 blocks in 23.0 minutes per contest.

Miami Heat sign Orlando Robinson

The Miami Heat on Thursday, July 7 signed center Orlando Robinson.

Robinson recently appeared in three games (all starts) with the HEAT’s Summer League team in the California Classic averaging 8.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.33 steals and 1.0 assists while shooting 55.6 percent from the field. He previously played three seasons at Fresno State where he started in all 90 career games. In his final season as a junior, Robinson started all 36 games with the Bulldogs and averaged 19.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.19 blocks, 1.00 steals and 33.2 minutes. He became just one of two players in NCAA history to accumulate at least 700 points, 300 rebounds and 100 assists in a single season. Robinson was named to the All-Mountain West First Team, the NABC All-District 17 First Team and was selected as a Lefty Driesell Defensive All-American. He led the team in points, rebounds, blocks, field goals made, free throws made and minutes and finished second on the team in assists and steals. Additionally, he recorded 18 20-point games, including three 30-point performances, and posted 12 double-doubles.

Trail Blazers re-sign Drew Eubanks

The Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, July 7 re-signed center Drew Eubanks, it was announced by General Manager Joe Cronin.

“Drew’s work ethic and style of play left an imprint on us last season,” said Cronin. “His toughness and ability to finish at the rim will be assets to our frontcourt depth.”

Eubanks, 25, played in 22 games (all starts) for the Trail Blazers last season, posting averages of 14.5 points (64.6% FG, 78.4% FT), 8.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 29.5 minutes per game. He scored 20-plus points on five occasions for Portland and recorded six double-doubles. For the 2021-22 season, Eubanks averaged career-highs of 7.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 71 games (31 starts) with Portland and San Antonio.

A four-year NBA veteran out of Reynolds High School in Troutdale and Oregon State University, Eubanks (6-9, 245) holds career averages of 5.9 points (59.0% FG, 75.3% FT), 4.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 170 games (37 starts) with Portland and San Antonio.

Nuggets sign Bruce Brown

The Denver Nuggets on Thursday, July 7 signed guard Bruce Brown to a multiyear contract, General Manager Calvin Booth announced.

Brown, 6-4, 202, appeared in 72 games (45 starts) for the Brooklyn Nets last season, averaging a career-high 9.0 points while posting 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals in 24.6 minutes per game. Brown shot 50.6% from the field and set career-highs in three-point FG’s (38) and three-point percentage (40.4%). He also appeared in four playoff games (four starts), averaging 14.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 34.8 minutes per game.

The four-year NBA veteran has appeared in 269 career games (181 starts) for Detroit and Brooklyn, holding career averages of 7.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists, shooting 48.2% from the field and 32.7% from three in 23.4 minutes per game.

The 25-year-old native of Boston, Massachusetts was selected with the 42nd overall pick by Detroit in the 2018 NBA draft after playing two seasons at the University of Miami where he was teammates alongside Nuggets guard Davon Reed.

Mavericks sign rookie Jaden Hardy

The Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, July 7 signed second-round pick Jaden Hardy.

Dallas acquired the draft rights to Hardy, the 37th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, from Sacramento in exchange for 2024 and 2028 second-round picks.

Hardy (6-4, 198), who turned 20 years old on July 5, spent the 2021-22 season with the NBA G League Ignite and averaged a team-high 19.8 points to go along with 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in 24 games.

The former Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year and Las Vegas Review-Journal Boys Athlete of the Year will compete for the Mavericks’ Las Vegas summer league team that tips off against the Chicago Bulls on Friday, July 8 at 3 p.m. CT on ESPNU.

Hardy will wear No. 3 for the Mavericks.

Mavericks sign Theo Pinson

The Dallas Mavericks yesterday signed guard/forward Theo Pinson.

Pinson (6-5, 212) returns for his second season with Dallas after he joined the club midway through the 2021-22 campaign. In 19 games for the Mavericks last year, he averaged 2.5 points and 1.1 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game. Pinson scored a season-high 16 points (5-5 FG, 4-4 3FG, 2-2 FT) in the team’s regular-season finale against San Antonio on April 10.

The Greensboro, North Carolina, native originally signed a pair of 10-day contracts with Dallas under the COVID-related hardship allowance (12/20/21 and 12/31/21), before signing a two-way contract with the club (1/10/22).

In 87 career games with Brooklyn, New York and Dallas, Pinson has averaged 2.9 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 8.7 minutes.

Trail Blazers re-sign Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons

The Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, July 6 re-signed center Jusuf Nurkic and guard Anfernee Simons.

“It was incredibly important to us to bring back both Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons as key pieces of our core,” said Blazers General Manager Joe Cronin. “Nurk’s physicality, rebounding prowess and defensive acumen make him an integral part of what we do on both sides of the ball.” Cronin continued, “Anfernee is already one of the league’s top shooters and this past season he showed elite ability as a shot creator and distributor. We are excited for him to continue the growth he has shown in his first four seasons in Portland.”

Nurkic, 27, averaged 15.0 points (53.5% FG, 69.0% FT), a career-high 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.11 steals in 56 games (all starts) for the Trail Blazers during the 2021-22 season. One of eight NBA players to average at least 15 points and 11 rebounds last season, Nurkic led the Trail Blazers in rebounds and ranked second in points while his 30 double-doubles marked the second-most of any season during his career.

Originally acquired by the Trail Blazers in a trade from Denver on February 13, 2017, Nurkic (7-0, 285) has averaged 14.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.00 steal and 1.25 blocks in 272 games (271 starts) over five-plus seasons in Portland. The Trail Blazers have a record of 160-112 (.588) with Nurkic in the lineup over that span.

Selected by Chicago with the 16th overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, Nurkic holds career averages of 12.2 points (50.0% FG, 67.2% FT), 8.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.91 steals and 1.19 blocks in 411 games (330 starts) over eight seasons with the Trail Blazers and Nuggets.

Simons, 23, averaged career highs of 17.3 points (44.3% FG, 40.5% 3-PT, 88.8% FT), 2.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 57 games (30 starts) for the Trail Blazers during the 2021-22 season. His scoring average was a 9.5-point increase over his 2020-21 season average, representing the largest jump in the NBA for players who played a minimum of 50 games in both seasons. In his 27 appearances after becoming a full-time starter on January 3, Simons averaged 23.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists.

One of the most prolific young shooters in the NBA, Simons (6-3, 195) had 24 games with at least five three-pointers before turning 23, tied for the third-most in league history by a player age 22 or younger. In addition, Simons is the only player in NBA history with multiple games of nine or more three-pointers before turning 23 (three). Simons became the youngest player in franchise history to score 40-plus points in a game when he scored a career-high 43 points against Atlanta on January 3, 2022.

Selected by Portland with the 24th overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, Simons holds career averages of 10.2 points (42.5% FG, 39.2% 3-PT, 83.3% FT), 2.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 211 games (35 starts) for the Trail Blazers.

Grizzlies sign Ja Morant to contract extension

The Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, July 6 signed guard Ja Morant to a multi-year contract extension.

Morant (6-2 ½, 174) averaged 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.16 steals in 33.1 minutes in 57 games (all starts) last season and helped guide the Grizzlies to the second-best record in the NBA during the regular season (56-26), which tied the single-season franchise record, and the Southwest Division championship, the first division title in franchise history.

The 22-year-old was selected to the 2021-22 All-NBA Second Team and was named the 2021-22 NBA Most Improved Player following his third NBA season, during which he was voted by fans as a starter for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, his first All-Star appearance. He joined Marc Gasol as the only players in franchise history to receive at least All-NBA Second Team honors and Gasol as the only players to be named a starter in the All-Star Game.

Morant, who became the first guard to lead the NBA in points in the paint per game (16.6 points) since play-by-play data was first tracked in 1996-97, became the first player in franchise history to win consecutive Western Conference Player of the Week Awards, earning the first two weekly honors of his NBA career on Jan. 3 and Jan. 10 in the midst of a franchise-record 11-game winning streak (Dec. 26-Jan. 13).

The South Carolina native recorded a single-game franchise record with 52 points on Feb. 28 vs. San Antonio, one of his six performances with at least 40 points last season (a single-season franchise record).

During the 2022 Playoffs, Morant averaged 27.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 9.8 assists in 37.6 minutes to help lead Memphis to the Western Conference Semifinals for the first time since 2015.

Morant was named the 2019-20 NBA Rookie of the Year and was selected to the 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie First Team after he was selected by Memphis with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He has started all of his 187 appearances over three seasons with the Grizzlies and has averaged 21.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 32.2 minutes. He holds career postseason averages of 28.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 9.2 assists in 38.6 minutes.

Wizards re-sign Bradley Beal

The Washington Wizards on Wednesday, July 6 signed three-time All-Star guard Bradley Beal to a five-year contract beginning in 2022-23.

“Bradley has truly established himself among his peers in the NBA, the all-time greats in our team’s history and the leaders who are making a difference in the community over his 10 years with us,” said Chairman and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment Ted Leonsis. “He has set a consistent example of hard work and dedication to develop into our franchise player and we are proud to show our commitment to having him continue to lead us on and off the court as he cements his legacy in Washington.”

The 10-year NBA veteran has spent his entire career in Washington, making him one of six active players to have played 10+ years with the same franchise (Udonis Haslem, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Damian Lillard) and one of only two players (Wes Unseld, 13 seasons) to play 10+ seasons with the Wizards franchise. Beal is the franchise’s all-time leader in three-pointers made (1,434) and is on pace to pass Elvin Hayes as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer during the 2022-23 season (he is currently second all-time in points scored with 14,321 to Hayes’ 15,551). He ranks third in games played with Washington at 645, trailing only Unseld (984) and Hayes (731). Beal also ranks in the franchise’s top five in minutes played, assists, steals and free throws.

“I have been blessed to call the city of Washington my home and the Wizards organization and our fans my family for the last 10 years, growing as a player, a leader, a husband and a father along the way,” said Beal. “Today represents such a special moment in my life. I could not be more grateful to have the opportunity to continue to partner with Ted, Tommy, Wes and the entire organization in moving forward to achieve our dream of bringing championships to D.C. and, just as importantly, to help our community continue to accomplish amazing things together.”

Beal narrowly lost the NBA scoring title to Steph Curry in the 2020-21 season, where he averaged a career-high 31.3 points per game on a career-high .485 shooting percentage from the field, earning an All-NBA Third Team nod. With the effort, Beal became just the sixth player since the NBA-ABA merger to average 30+ points in back-to-back seasons, joining Adrian Dantley, Michael Jordan (seven straight) Allen Iverson (twice), Kobe Bryant, and James Harden (three straight). Beal’s 34 games with 30+ points that season ranked as the fourth-most in franchise history and his 60-point effort on January 6 at Philadelphia was the second-highest scoring game in team history.

“Bradley’s level of talent, character and work ethic combine to make him one of the most remarkable players and people I have been privileged to work with over my career in the NBA,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “We have built our roster to complement his all-around game and couldn’t be more excited to have him make the commitment to keep our franchise moving in the right direction.”

The 29-year-old holds career averages of 22.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Beal is one of six D.C. athletes to be with their respective team 10+ seasons, joining Capitals Nicklas Backstrom (15), John Carlson (13), Dmitry Orlov (10) and Alex Ovechkin (17), and National Stephen Strasburg (13). He is coming off a 2021-22 campaign cut short due to a wrist injury which saw him average a career-high 6.6 assists in 40 games played.

Thunder sign Lu Dort to a multi-year contract

The Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, July 6 signed guard Luguentz Dort to a multi-year contract.

In three NBA seasons, Dort has appeared in 139 games (131 starts) and registered averages of 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 29.0 minutes.

This past season, Dort ranked second on the Thunder in scoring with 17.2 points per game. During a 46-game stretch that bridged each of the last two seasons, Dort amassed the second-longest streak of consecutive games with a made 3-point field goal in Thunder history. Dort led the Thunder with 130 3-point field goals (2.5 3FGs per game) during the 2021-22 season.

The Montreal native was named to the NBA’s Rising Stars team in 2021 as he posted a league-leading 57 offensive fouls drawn to go along with averages of 14.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 29.7 minutes per game during his second NBA season.

After playing one season at Arizona State and going undrafted in 2019, Dort started in 28 of 36 games for the Thunder in his rookie season. During an opening round Game 7 versus the Houston Rockets, Dort set a Thunder playoff rookie record by scoring 30 points on six made 3-point field goals.