Inside Hoops – Page 188 – NBA Blog

Trail Blazers sign rookie Shaedon Sharpe

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed rookie guard Shaedon Sharpe, it was announced today by General Manager Joe Cronin.

Sharpe, 19, was selected by Portland with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft. He joins the Trail Blazers from the University of Kentucky. A guard out of London, Ontario in Canada, Sharpe (6-6, 200) averaged 24.1 points and 6.0 rebounds during his final season at Dream City Christian Academy in Glendale, Arizona in 2020-21.

In 2019, Sharpe led Canada to a silver medal at the FIBA U16 Americas Championship, posting averages of 13.0 points (68.0% FG, 33.3% 3-PT, 60.0% FT), 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in six games.

Sharpe will make his professional debut for the Trail Blazers at the 2022 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Lakers sign Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cole Swider to two-way contracts

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cole Swider to two-way contracts.

Pippen Jr. appeared in 36 games (all starts) for Vanderbilt last season, averaging 20.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.9 steals in 33.1 minutes. The 2021-22 All-SEC First Team selection led the conference in scoring and was the first SEC player to average 20 points in back-to-back seasons since 1996. Pippen Jr. also led the NCAA in made free throws last season with 224 such shots, a Vanderbilt single-season record. In three seasons as a Commodore, Pippen Jr. averaged 17.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.6 steals in 90 career games.

Swider appeared in 33 games (all starts) for Syracuse last season, averaging 13.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals in 34.5 minutes. He shot over 40 percent from three-point range in each of the last two seasons, hitting at a 41.1 percent mark in 2021-22 (81-197 3FG) and a 40.2 percent mark in 2020-21 (35-87 3FG). Across four years at Syracuse and Villanova, Swider averaged 7.8 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from three-point range.

Sixers sign Trevelin Queen

Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed Trevelin Queen.

Queen spent this past season playing for the Houston Rockets as well as their G League Affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. During his time with the Rockets in 2021-22, the Maryland native appeared in 10 games averaging 4.3 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.

The 2021-22 NBA G League MVP, Queen finished fifth in scoring at 25.3 points per game, while leading the league in steals with an average of 3.2. In 19 games (all starts) with the Vipers, he also averaged 6.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 35.0 minutes per contest. Queen helped Rio Grande Valley capture the 2022 NBA G League title, posting at least 24 points and seven rebounds in three of his four postseason appearances. In addition to being named league MVP, Queen was selected to the All-G League and All-Defensive teams.

Overall, across two G League seasons with the Vipers, Queen has seen action in 34 games (25 starts) and holds career averages of 18.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game.

After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, Queen signed with Houston in November 2020, later joining the team’s G League affiliate after participating in Rockets’ training camp.

Prior to turning pro, Queen played two seasons at New Mexico State where he led the Aggies in scoring in his final season at 13.2 points per game which ranked ninth in the WAC. During his time with the Aggies, Queen was named the 2019 WAC Tournament MVP and was named to the 2020 All-WAC Second Team the following season.

2022-23 Miami Heat preseason home game schedule

The Miami HEAT announced their 2022-23 preseason home schedule today with all three games being played inside FTX Arena. The HEAT will start their preseason action on October 4 vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves (7:30PM) with additional home games on October 10 vs. the Houston Rockets (7:30PM) and October 12 vs. the New Orleans Pelicans (7:30PM).

The preseason home schedule is as follows:

DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME (ET)

Oct. 4 vs. Minnesota FTX Arena 7:30 PM

Oct. 10 vs. Houston FTX Arena 7:30 PM

Oct. 12 vs. New Orleans FTX Arena 7:30 PM

REMINDER: This is just their home schedule. Expect a road game or two to be added to this.

Jazz will reportedly trade Rudy Gobert to Timberwolves

The Utah Jazz look like they’re taking a step forwards rebuilding, while the Minnesota Timberwolves are about to enjoy an incredibly talented combination at the power forward and center spots. Via ESPN.com:

The Utah Jazz agreed to trade center Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blockbuster deal that will pair him with fellow All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Timberwolves will send Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, No. 22 overall pick Walker Kessler and four first-round picks to the Jazz, sources said. Utah will acquire unprotected picks in 2023, 2025 and 2027 and a top-five-protected pick in 2029, sources said, in Danny Ainge’s first franchise-altering deal since taking over as the Jazz’s CEO midseason.

A combo of Gobert and star Karl-Anthony Towns up front makes the Timberwolves a must-watch team going into next season.

Atlanta Hawks promote Landry Fields to General Manager

The Atlanta Hawks today announced a series of promotions and hires within basketball operations, including the promotion of Landry Fields to general manager. He will continue to report to president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk.

Additionally, the Hawks have announced: Dwight Lutz has been elevated to vice president of basketball strategy and analytics, Stephen Giles to director of pro scouting, and Justin Eaddy to basketball operations coordinator/scout, while Rod Higgins has transitioned to senior advisor and Larry Riley to college scout. Also, Grant Liffmann has been hired as a pro personnel scout.

Fields, 34, has served as the Hawks’ assistant general manager for the last two seasons. He joined the organization in 2020 following four seasons as part of the San Antonio Spurs franchise, where he finished his stint as general manager of the Spurs G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, after working three seasons as a college scout. The 39th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Fields played five seasons in the NBA, averaging 6.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 23.6 minutes over 255 career games with the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors. A native of Long Beach, Calif., Fields and his wife Elaine have two sons, JJ and Kai.

Lutz is entering his fifth season with the Hawks. He came to Atlanta following an 18-month stint as a basketball operations analyst for the Minnesota Timberwolves and a four-year stay with the NBA where he served as senior manager of game analytics and strategy. Lutz played four years of basketball while earning a degree in Mathematics from Trinity University (Texas) before receiving a graduate degree in statistics from the University of Florida.

Having re-joined the Hawks in 2019 as a pro personnel scout, Giles also served as an advance scout for the team from 2008-11. He has spent time in scouting with the Warriors, Nuggets, Magic, Knicks and Cavaliers. Giles is also a former college assistant coach, including stints with Marquette, Florida State and Georgia Southern. The Dunn, N.C. native is a graduate of University of North Carolina, and owns a Master’s Degree in Sport Management from Georgia Southern.

Eaddy came to Atlanta as a seasonal assistant in 2020. He was previously at the University of Connecticut as graduate head manager as well as student manager of the men’s basketball team, where he also earned his undergraduate degree in psychology and a Master’s in Sports Management. He is a native of Hartford, Conn.

A longtime NBA player, executive, coach and scout, Higgins, who has been with the Hawks since 2017, played 13 seasons with Chicago, Seattle, San Antonio, New Jersey, Golden State, Sacramento and Cleveland, before retiring in 1994. Higgins was an assistant coach with the Warriors from 1994-2000 before joining the Washington Wizards as assistant general manager. He returned to Golden State as general manager, then spent 2007-14 with the Charlotte Bobcats, finishing as president of basketball operations.

With the Hawks since 2018, Riley is a veteran of nearly 50 years in basketball, including the last 30-plus in the NBA. Riley was the general manager of the Golden State Warriors from 2009 to 2012, later serving as a consultant for the team. He was also an assistant coach and director of scouting for the Warriors, an assistant coach and advance scout for the Dallas Mavericks, director of player personnel for the Vancouver Grizzlies and an assistant coach and scout for the Milwaukee Bucks. Riley is the former head coach at Eastern New Mexico and Chadron State (Neb.).

Liffmann comes to the Hawks organization after having served as a television and podcast host and analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area, covering the Golden State Warriors from 2016-22. He won a Northern California Emmy Award in 2018. The native of Burlingame, Calif. and graduate of University of California-Berkeley holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies.

Raptors sign Thaddeus Young to contract extension

The Toronto Raptors have re-signed forward Thaddeus Young to a multi-year contract extension.

Young, 6-foot-8, 235 pounds, averaged 6.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 16.3 minutes in 52 games with Toronto and San Antonio last season. He shot .518 (141-272) from the field, including .354 (17-48) from three-point range, and scored in double figures 16 times. Young was acquired from the Spurs at the trade deadline. In 26 games with the Raptors, he averaged 6.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 18.3 minutes.

“Thad is a high-level professional who complements our core very well, he integrated himself into the fabric of the team last season and we’re excited he chose to re-sign here in Toronto,” said Raptors General Manager Bobby Webster. “He is a smart and versatile player who will continue to provide valuable leadership to our younger players on the court and in the locker room.”

A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Young has played 15 seasons in the NBA after being picked 12th overall by Philadelphia in the 2007 draft. He holds career averages of 12.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 29.3 minutes in 1,085 games (711 starts) with Philadelphia, Minnesota, Brooklyn, Indiana, Chicago, San Antonio and Toronto. Young has also reached the postseason nine times, averaging 9.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 27.6 minutes in 57 career playoff contests (17 starts). Prior to being drafted by the Sixers, Young played one collegiate season at Georgia Tech (2006-07).

Karl-Anthony Towns to sign huge Timberwolves contract extension

Via ESPN.com:

Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has agreed on a four-year, $224 million supermax extension, his agent, Jessica Holtz of CAA Basketball told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The deal begins with the 2024-25 season and delivers Towns’ total contract value to six years and $295 million.

Towns, 26, the No. 1 overall pick by Minnesota in 2015, has become one of the league’s most dominant offensive big men during his eight years in Minnesota. He averaged 24.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game this past season while shooting over 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point range and 80% from the foul line.

Ja Morant to sign huge Grizzlies contract extension

Via ESPN.com:

Memphis Grizzlies All-NBA guard Ja Morant has agreed to a five-year designated rookie extension that’ll likely be worth $231 million, his agent, Jim Tanner of Tandem/YouFirst Sports, told ESPN.

Morant, who made All-NBA Second Team, is guaranteed $193 million and will trigger supermax escalators to take the deal to $231 million upon again landing on one of the league’s three All-NBA teams.

The deal also includes a 15% trade kicker, Tanner said.

Devin Booker to sign huge Suns contract extension

Via ESPN.com:

Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker has agreed on a four-year, $224 million supermax extension, his agents, Jessica Holtz and Melvin Booker of CAA Basketball, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Booker’s deal begins in 2024-25 and brings his total contract value to six years and $295 million.

Booker, 25, has become the face of the Suns franchise since being drafted 13th overall by Phoenix in the summer of 2015, including leading the Suns — alongside future Hall of Famer Chris Paul — to the NBA finals in 2021.