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The Los Angeles Lakers have re-signed guard Talen Horton-Tucker, it was announced today by Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka.
In 65 games (four starts) last season, Horton-Tucker averaged 9.0 points (.458 FG%), 2.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 20.1 minutes per game. Horton-Tucker scored in double figures 27 times last season and tallied four double-doubles.
The New York Knicks announced today that the team has signed guard Quentin Grimes, the 25th overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, to his rookie contract.
Grimes, 6-5, 205-pounds, earned third team All-America honors at the University of Houston last season, after averaging 17.8 points on 40.3-percent shooting from downtown, with 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals over 32.7 minutes in 30 games. The Houston, TX-native played two seasons (2019-21) for the Cougars after beginning his collegiate career at Kansas University (2018-19). He was named MVP of the 2018 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship after helping lead Team USA to a gold medal.
Grimes is currently competing for New York’s NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas, NV.
The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward James Johnson.
Johnson has appeared in 685 games (232 starts) across 12 seasons with New Orleans (2021), Dallas (2020-21), Minnesota (2020), Miami (2016-20), Toronto (2014-16 and 2011-12), Memphis (2013-14), Sacramento (2012-13) and Chicago (2009-11), recording averages of 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 20.6 minutes per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field. The 34-year-old split the 2020-21 campaign between New Orleans and Dallas, appearing in 51 games and averaging 7.2 points on 44.6 percent shooting from the field, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 20.5 minutes per game. Johnson has made five postseason appearances in his career, including helping lead the Raptors to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016. The Cheyenne, Wyo., native was originally selected with the 16th overall pick in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft by Chicago after spending two seasons (2007-09) at Wake Forest, where he was a two-time All-ACC Third Team selection.
The Dallas Mavericks have signed guard/forward Reggie Bullock.
Bullock (6-6, 206) holds career averages of 7.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 21.5 minutes in 366 games (202 starts) with the L.A. Clippers, Phoenix, Detroit, the L.A. Lakers and New York. The eight-season veteran shoots 43.3% (1,014-2,342 FG) from the field, 39.2% (560-1,428 3FG) from 3-point range and 84.4% (211-250 FT) from the line.
Bullock most recently spent two years as a member of the New York Knicks. Last season, he averaged 10.9 points, a career-high 3.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 30.0 minutes in 65 games (64 starts). The Knicks returned to the NBA playoffs in 2021 following a seven-season layoff. Bullock averaged playoff career highs of 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 32.4 minutes in five first round starts against the Atlanta Hawks.
Early in his career, Bullock had two brief stints in the NBA G League, averaging 24.8 points in five games with Bakersfield (four games in 2014-15) and Grand Rapids (one game in 2015-16).
Bullock, who hails from Kinston, North Carolina, played three years for the University of North Carolina before becoming an early-entry candidate for the 2013 NBA Draft when he was drafted 25th overall by the Clippers.
In three years with UNC, Bullock averaged 9.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 24.6 minutes in 100 games (53 starts). He finished his collegiate career ranked eighth in school history with 188 3-pointers made.
Following his junior season, Bullock was named All-ACC Second Team, averaging collegiate career highs of 13.9 points (third on team), 6.5 rebounds (second) and 2.9 assists in 35 games (all starts). He also earned First Team ACC All-Tournament honors, helping the Tar Heels to the championship game, where they fell to Miami.
Bullock will wear #25.
Minnesota Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas today announced the team has signed forward Nathan Knight and guard McKinley Wright IV to two-way contracts.
Knight, 23, most recently played for the Atlanta Hawks last season where he saw action in 33 games while averaging 3.8 points on 37.0% shooting and 2.2 rebounds in 8.5 minutes per game. He appeared in six playoff games with Atlanta in 2020-21, totaling four points and six rebounds. His best game of the season came on Dec. 26 at Memphis, when he scored 14 points in nine minutes of action, becoming the first rookie in Hawks franchise history to total at least 14 points in nine minutes or less. He is the third NBA player from William & Mary, where in four years, he averaged 17.1 points on 56.0% shooting and 7.7 rebounds. Knight became just the second player in league history to be named both the CAA Player and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season in 2020.
Wright IV, 22, averaged 14.2 points on 46.7% shooting, 4.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game during his four-year career at the University of Colorado Boulder. He finished his college career as Colorado’s all-time leader in assists with 683 and owns school career records for double-figure scoring games (109), double-figure assists games (10) and points-assists double-doubles (10). The North Robbinsdale, Minn. native became the only men’s basketball player in Pac-12 Conference history with 1,800 points, 600 assists and 600 rebounds and one of just seven to reach that mark in NCAA Division I (since 1985-86). He was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team for the third-straight year his senior season, becoming the first Buffalo in the Pac-12 era to garner three all-conference first team honors.
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Malik Monk, it was announced today by Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka.
Monk appeared in 42 games for the Hornets last season, averaging a career-high 11.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 20.9 minutes, while shooting a career-best 40.1 percent (85-212 3FG) from three-point range. Last season, Monk was just one of four reserves to have multiple games with at least 30 points.
In four seasons with Charlotte, Monk played in 233 games (one start) with career averages of 9.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 17.8 minutes. In one season at Kentucky, Monk was named the SEC Player of the Year and received All-SEC First Team honors after averaging 19.8 points (.450 FG%, .397 3P%), 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists in his lone collegiate season.
The Miami Heat have re-signed center Dewayne Dedmon.
Per multiple reports, it’s a one-year minimum deal.
“We love Dewayne and his aggressive attitude at the center position,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “He’s a great screener, rebounder and can stretch the floor. He came in after missing most of the season and had a tremendous impact for us. His veteran presence and physicality are going to help anchor our defense and with a whole year under his belt, he will be even better.”
After being signed as a free agent on April 8, 2021, Dedmon played in 16 games for the HEAT last season, averaging 7.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in 13.2 minutes per game. He was third on the team in plus/minus (+68) and topped the HEAT in blocks four times. Additionally, he was Miami’s leading scorer off the bench twice and also led the HEAT reserves in rebounds 12 times, steals and plus/minus seven times each, blocks four times and assists twice.
In his eight NBA seasons, Dedmon has appeared in 410 regular season games (194 starts) and has averaged 6.4 points and 6.0 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder has waived guard Kemba Walker, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.
Walker was originally acquired from the Boston Celtics on June 18, 2021.
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed forward Trevor Ariza, it was announced today by Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka.
Entering his 18th NBA season, Ariza owns career averages of 10.5 points (.352 3P%), 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals through 1,094 games (758 starts) with New York, Orlando, Houston, New Orleans, Washington, Phoenix, Sacramento, Portland, Miami and the Lakers. He currently ranks fifth among active players in steals, totaling 1,615 career takeaways.
Ariza appeared in 30 games (27 starts) with Miami last season, where he averaged 9.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steal in 28.0 minutes. He returns to Los Angeles after averaging 8.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals from 2007-09 and helping the Lakers win the 2009 NBA Championship.
The Toronto Raptors have re-signed center Khem Birch to a multi-year contract.
Birch, 6-foot-9, 230 pounds, averaged career highs of 7.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 22.8 minutes in 67 games (22 starts) with Toronto and Orlando last season. He shot .497 (189-380) from the field and scored in double figures 18 times, which included six double-doubles.
A native of Montreal, Quebec, Birch joined the Raptors as a free agent April 10, and averaged 11.9 points and 7.6 rebounds in 19 games. He is averaging 5.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 17.7 minutes in 207 career games (47 starts) during four seasons with Orlando and Toronto. After going undrafted in 2014, Birch played with Sioux Falls of the NBA G League (2014-15) and overseas in Turkey (2015-16) and Greece (2016-17) prior to signing with the Magic as a free agent in the summer of 2017.
Birch played collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh (2011-12) and UNLV (2012-14) where he was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year back-to-back seasons. On the international stage, Birch represented Canada at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China. He was also a member of Canada’s U-18 National Team that captured a bronze medal at the 2010 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship.