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Malik Rose named Head of Basketball Operations for the G League

NBA Vice President, Basketball Operations and two-time NBA champion Malik Rose has been named Head of Basketball Operations for the NBA G League, it was announced today by NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Rose replaces Brad Walker, who was named Commissioner of the America East Conference in August.

In his new role, Rose will lead the NBA G League’s efforts at expanding its talent pipeline and advancing integration of basketball operations between the G League and the NBA while focusing on basketball innovation and competition. He will also oversee NBA G League Ignite.

“We are thrilled to have Malik join the NBA G League as Head of Basketball Operations,” said Abdur-Rahim. “With his success as a player at the highest levels of the game and extensive background as an executive in both the NBA and G League, Malik has the experience, vision and expertise to help accelerate our progress and further deepen the connection between the two leagues.”

“I am grateful for the opportunity to transition from NBA Basketball Operations to this exciting position alongside Shareef and a talented staff with the NBA G League,” said Rose. “As someone who benefited greatly from his experience in the NBA G League, I know firsthand its importance to the NBA’s business and see enormous potential for continued growth.”

Rose joins the NBA G League after working since June 2020 in NBA Basketball Operations, where he interfaced directly with teams and players regarding league programs, rules, new initiatives and competitive elements. Before joining the league office, Rose served as Assistant General Manager of the Detroit Pistons and General Manager of the Erie BayHawks, the NBA G League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks now known as the College Park Skyhawks. He was named the 2017-18 NBA G League Basketball Executive of the Year.

Rose played 13 seasons in the NBA after being selected by the Hornets with the 44th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He won NBA championships in 1999 and 2003 as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. In addition to the Hornets and Spurs, Rose played for the New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder.

A Philadelphia native, Rose received his bachelor’s degree with a dual concentration in computer information systems and education from Drexel University, where he played four years of college basketball. He also holds a master’s degree in sports management from Drexel.

Sixers sign Braxton Key to 10-day contract

The Philadelphia 76ers have signed forward Braxton Key to a 10-day contract.

Key most recently played for the 76ers’ G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, playing a vital role in the team’s AT&T Winter Showcase title. In the championship game against the Oklahoma City Blue, Key led all scorers with 28 points (9-18 FG, 5-6 FT) along with 11 rebounds and three assists.

In 15 games this season with the Blue Coats, Key posted three double-doubles which ranks tied for second on the team, while posting averages of 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.2 blocks in 25.9 minutes per game. Among players that made at least 10 G League appearances, Key is one of three players to hold averages of at least 10 points, five rebounds and two steals, and each have now received an NBA GATORADE Call-Up this season. His 30 total steals rank second in the G League.

Key is in the midst of his second G League season with Delaware, which selected him in the 2021 NBA G League Draft, following the completion of his collegiate career at the University of Virginia in 2020. In 27 career G League games, Key holds averages of 9.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 20.0 minutes per game.

Prior to transferring to Virginia, he spent two seasons at the University of Alabama, where he earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors in 2016-17. Key was a crucial reserve for the 2018-19 national champion Virginia team, averaging nearly 20 minutes per contest off the bench. In his final collegiate season, he started 25 of the Cavaliers’ 27 games, as the team finished the 2019-20 campaign with a 23-7 record, second in the ACC.

He is the nephew of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Ralph Sampson, who also starred at Virginia, earning National Player of the Year honors three times.

The Charlotte, North Carolina native will wear No. 17 with the 76ers.

Bucks sign Luke Kornet to 10-day contract

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed Luke Kornet to a 10-day contract under the NBA’s hardship allowance.

A 7-2, 250-pound center, Kornet most recently appeared in two games with the Cleveland Cavaliers last month while on a 10-day contract. Prior to that, the Vanderbilt product played in 10 games (all starts) earlier this season with the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League where he averaged 11.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.7 blocks per game.

Undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft, Kornet has appeared in 135 career games (35 starts) with New York, Chicago, Boston and Cleveland throughout his NBA career and holds averages of 5.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 15.1 minutes per game.

Kornet’s father, Frank, was drafted by the Bucks (30th overall) in the second round of the 1989 NBA Draft and played two seasons with Milwaukee.

Kornet will wear number 35 with the Bucks. Milwaukee’s roster now stands at 18 players.

Jazz trade Miye Oni to Thunder, who waive Gabriel Deck

The Oklahoma City Thunder has acquired guard Miye Oni and a 2028 second-round draft pick from the Utah Jazz in exchange for cash considerations, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Oni (6-5, 206) has appeared in 80 games (one start) over three seasons with the Jazz and has career averages of 1.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per game.

In a related move, the Thunder has waived forward Gabriel Deck.

Sixers sign Charlie Brown Jr. to 10-day contract

Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed Charlie Brown Jr. to a 10-day contract.

Most recently, Brown played for Dallas on a 10-day contract, playing 15 total minutes across three games. Prior to joining the Mavericks, Brown saw action in 11 NBA G League games this season with the 76ers’ affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. He averaged 16.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.8 steals per contest for Delaware, and earned NBA G League Player of the Week honors for games played from Nov. 15-21.

For his career, Brown has seen action in 22 NBA games with Dallas, Oklahoma City and Atlanta after going undrafted in 2019.

A Philadelphia native, Brown played his college basketball at Saint Joseph’s, where he averaged 19.0 points and 6.2 rebounds in his final season with the Hawks. Following the season, he was named to the 2018-19 All-Atlantic 10 Second Team.

Brown will wear No. 16 for Philadelphia.

Grizzlies sign Jon Teske to 10-day contract

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed center Jon Teske to a 10-day contract under the NBA’s COVID-related hardship exception.

Teske (7-1, 265) has appeared in 29 games (19 starts) in two seasons with the NBA G League’s Lakeland Magic and has averaged 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 22.7 minutes. He started all three playoff games for Lakeland last season and averaged 10.7 points to help the Magic capture the 2021 NBA G League championship.

The 24-year-old competed in 129 games (70 starts) over four years at the University of Michigan and finished his collegiate career as the Wolverines’ all-time winningest player (108) and fifth in school history in blocks (165). A native of Medina, Ohio, Teske went unselected in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Three-team NBA trade sends Rajon Rondo from Lakers to Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired guard Rajon Rondo from the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team trade, Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

In the deal, the New York Knicks receive guard Denzel Valentine from Cleveland and the draft rights to Wang Zhelin (57th pick in 2016 NBA Draft) and Brad Newley (54th pick in 2007 NBA Draft) and cash considerations from the Lakers.

In addition, Los Angeles receives the draft rights to Louis Labeyrie (57th pick in 2014 NBA Draft) from New York.

Rondo (6-1, 180) played in 18 games for the Lakers this season. Over his 16-year NBA career, he has appeared in 936 games (732 starts) with the Lakers, Clippers, Hawks, Pelicans, Bulls, Kings, Mavericks and Celtics, owning career averages of 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 30.1 minutes per contest. His 7,481 assists rank 14th all-time in NBA history and are the fourth-most among active players. The veteran guard has also led the league in assists three times (2012, 2013 and 2016) and steals once (2010) while registering 32 triple-doubles and 236 double-doubles over his career.

A two-time NBA Champion (2008, 2020) and four-time NBA All-Star (2010-2013), Rondo has been named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Team four times (2009-2012), including two First Team nods (2010, 2011), and was an All-NBA Third Team selection in 2012. Additionally, Rondo has appeared in 134 playoff games (105 starts), averaging 12.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.7 steals in 34.0 minutes per game.

Rondo will wear jersey #1 with the Cavaliers.

Valentine (6-5, 218) signed with the Cavaliers on September 22, 2021 and appeared in 22 games this season.

Nuggets sign Carlik Jones to a 10-day contract

The Denver Nuggets have signed guard Carlik Jones to a 10-day contract, President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Jones, 6-1, 185, has appeared in three games for the Dallas Mavericks this season, averaging 1.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 6.4 minutes per game. He has also appeared in 10 games for the Texas Legends of the G League, averaging 20.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.30 steals in 30.8 minutes per game.

The Cincinnati, OH native went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft after playing his final collegiate season at Louisville University where he averaged 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.37 steals in 19 games (all starts) and was named ACC All-First Team as well an AP All-American Honorable Mention. Tucker spent his first three years at Radford University before transferring to Louisville. Overall he appeared in 118 games (106 starts), averaging 15.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.28 steals in 33.3 minutes per game.

Wizards sign Tremont Waters to a 10-day contract

The Washington Wizards have signed guard Tremont Waters to a 10-day contract via the NBA Hardship Exception provisions.

Waters, a 5-10, 175-pound guard, has played in 39 career NBA games across three seasons with the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors, averaging3.8 points and 2.2 assists in the span. Waters appeared in 36 NBA G League games with Maine in 2019-20, averaging 18.0 points and 7.3 assists per game, tallying six point-assist double-doubles that season. Waters played in 13 games with the Wisconsin Herd this season, averaging 17.5 points and 6.5 assists per game before earning a 10-Day call-up with the Toronto Raptors on December 23.

Waters attended Louisiana State University for two seasons, helping the Tigers reach the Sweet Sixteen in 2018-19 as the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Originally from New Haven, Conn., Waters was selected with the 51st overall pick by the Celtics in 2019 and signed to a two-way contract.

Grizzlies sign Tyrell Terry to a two-way contract

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard Tyrell Terry to a two-way contract.

Terry (6-1, 170) has appeared in 13 games over his first two seasons with the Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks since he was selected by Dallas with the 31st overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The 21-year-old started all 13 appearances for the NBA G League’s Memphis Hustle as a rookie last season and averaged 14.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 29.4 minutes.

The Minneapolis native started 31 games and averaged 14.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.39 steals in 32.5 minutes while shooting 40.8% from 3-point range during his lone season at Stanford University, where he was named to the 2019-20 Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to have a maximum of two players under two-way contracts in addition to the players under standard NBA contracts. A two-way player for the Grizzlies is also eligible to provide services to the Hustle, the Grizzlies’ NBA G League affiliate.