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Tyreke Evans has been reinstated as an NBA player – he is now an unrestricted free agent

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association today granted the request of Tyreke Evans to be reinstated as an NBA player, after Evans was dismissed and disqualified from the league on May 17, 2019, for testing positive for a prohibited substance under the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.

Pursuant to an agreement between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association, Evans is now an Unrestricted Free Agent who may negotiate over the terms and conditions of a Player Contract with any team, and who, subject to other applicable CBA rules, may enter into a Player Contract with any team beginning 12:00 p.m. (ET) on Friday, February 18, 2022.

Weekly Houston Rockets notes: Feb. 14, 2022

HOUSTON ROCKETS TEAM NOTES

Kevin Porter Jr. had 30 points vs. Toronto on 2/10 and 27 points at New Orleans on 2/8 after not having more than 23 points in a game prior this season… over his past 12 games played, Porter is averaging 17.3 ppg on 49.7% shooting from the floor and 48.2% shooting from 3-point range.

Dennis Schröder is set to make his Rockets debut at Utah on 2/14… over the past five seasons (2016-17 through 2020-21), he joined D’Angelo Russell as the only players to have averaged at least 17.0 points, 5.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds in fewer than 31.0 minutes per game.

The Rockets will play all three of their games on the road this week heading into NBA All-Star Weekend… Jalen Green, Jae’Sean Tate, and Alperen Sengun will participate in Friday night’s Rising Stars event while Green is one of four competitors in Saturday Night’s Slam Dunk contest.

Houston has scored 50+ points in the paint in five of the past six games and 29 times overall this season, matching its total from 2020-21… the Rockets rank seventh in PIP this season (48.7 per) after finishing 18th in 2020-21 (46.7 per).

Health update on Bulls guard Zach LaVine

Here’s the Chicago Tribune with the latest on star Bulls scoring guard Zach LaVine:

The short-handed Chicago Bulls could lose yet another key player ahead of the All-Star break after Zach LaVine will reportedly fly to Los Angeles to receive special treatment on his left knee, according to ESPN.

LaVine sat out Saturday’s 106-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder due to an aggravation in his left knee. The guard previously played two games through back spasms before finally sitting out the next two games.

OKC Thunder sign guard Aaron Wiggins to multi-year contract

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard Aaron Wiggins to a multi-year contract, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Wiggins was signed to a Two-Way Contract in August and has appeared in 31 games (18 starts) for the Thunder this season while averaging 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 21.9 minutes per game. His 31 games played are tied for most among all rookie two-way players this year, while his points per game rank third among those players.

In six games (three starts) with the Oklahoma City Blue, he averaged 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.33 steals in 26.3 minutes per game.

The North Carolina native played three seasons at the University of Maryland, where he was a 2021 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection and named the 2019-20 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year.

Dallas Mavericks extend contract of Dorian Finney-Smith

The Dallas Mavericks have extended the contract of forward Dorian Finney-Smith.

Finney-Smith (6-7, 220) is currently in his sixth season with the Mavericks, and has averaged 7.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 26.9 minutes in 369 career games (257 starts). He went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft and signed with Dallas on July 8, 2016 before signing a multi-year deal with the Mavericks in 2019.

This season, Finney-Smith is averaging a career-high 10.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 32.6 minutes in 55 games (all starts). On the defensive end, he has spent the third-most possessions in the league guarding the opponent’s highest usage player on the floor.

The Portsmouth, Va., native played his final three collegiate seasons at Florida after transferring from Virginia Tech following his freshman year. In 134 career collegiate games, he averaged 10.7 points and 7.1 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game. As a senior in 2015-16, Finney-Smith averaged 14.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 31.8 minutes in 36 games en route to being named Second Team All-SEC by the coaches and Third Team All-SEC by the Associated Press.

Will Kyrie Irving’s availability change for Nets this season?

Will the Nets eventually have Kyrie Irving available as a full-time player this season? Well, maybe? It’s possible. Many things are possible. This is one such example. Via the NY Post:

Kyrie Irving expressed optimism Thursday night that an eventual relaxation of COVID-19 vaccination mandates could alter his part-time status with the Nets at some point this season.

General manager Sean Marks, whose sinking team executed the blockbuster trade of James Harden on Thursday, shortly before losing its 10th consecutive game, also sounds hopeful the unvaccinated Irving eventually will be able to participate in home games in Brooklyn.

“The decision on the [New York City] mandate, that’s obviously far above my pay grade and not something that I’m overly concerned about now,” Marks said Friday. “I mean, I think we’re always going to be optimistic.”

Celtics sign rookie forward Sam Hauser

The Boston Celtics have signed rookie forward Sam Hauser.

Originally signed by the Celtics as a two-way player this past offseason, Hauser, 24, has produced 19.0 points on 48.0% shooting (42.4% 3-PT), 5.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 20 games played with the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League. Hauser has reached the 30-point mark twice with Maine this season – including his most recent game against Grand Rapids on Feb. 6 – and leads the team with 84 three-point field goals.

Hauser has played in 10 games for Boston this season, tallying 12 points and six rebounds in 41 minutes of action. He produced 9.0 points (50.0% FG, 46.2% 3-PT), 4.8 rebounds, and a team-high 2.0 assists in five games for the Celtics during the 2021 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League.

Boston Celtics sign Luke Kornet

The Boston Celtics have signed center Luke Kornet.

Kornet, 26, returns to Boston after being acquired by the team as part of a three-team deal with Chicago and Washington on March 25. He played in 18 games (two starts) with the Celtics last season, averaging 4.4 points on 47.3% shooting, 2.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.4 blocked shots. The Texas native scored in double figures four times in 2020-21, three of which came as a member of the Celtics.

In five NBA seasons with New York, Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, and Milwaukee, Kornet has produced 5.7 points on 40.3% shooting, 2.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.9 blocked shots, and 15.0 minutes in 136 games (35 starts).

Utah Jazz sign Danuel House Jr.

The Utah Jazz have signed forward Danuel House Jr.

House Jr. (6-6, 215, Texas A&M) is in his sixth NBA season and previously signed three 10-day contracts with Utah on Jan. 6, Jan. 18 and Jan. 28 and played in seven games (one start) with the Jazz, averaging 8.3 points on 41.7 percent from three, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists. In his NBA career, he has also played with Washington (2016-17), Phoenix (2017-18), Houston (2018-22) and New York (2021-22), owning career averages of 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 19.3 minutes per game.

The Houston-native has additional NBA G League experience, competing for Delaware (2016-17), Northern Arizona (2017-18) and Rio Grande Valley (2017-19), playing in 60 total games (42 starts), averaging 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals in 32.0 minutes per contest.