Inside Hoops – Page 736 – NBA Blog

Bulls trade Jose Calderon to Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired José Calderón and two future second round draft picks from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for the draft rights to Ater Majok, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

“Not only is José an elite shooter, he is also an established and versatile player whose skill and professionalism will supplement the talent on our roster,” said Kupchak.

In 11 seasons with the Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks, and New York Knicks, Calderón has averaged 9.9 points, 6.5 assists, and 2.6 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game while shooting 41.2% from three-point range, 47.4% from the field, and 87.5% from the free throw line over 748 games (546 starts). He led the league in three-point shooting percentage (46.1%) during the 2012-13 season and free throw shooting (98.1%) in 2008-09, making 151 of his 154 attempts.

The 6’3’’ native of Spain played domestically in his home country prior to coming to the NBA, and is one of the most decorated international players in his country’s history. He was a member of the gold medal-winning teams at the 2006 World Championships and 2011 European Championships, and owns two Olympic silver medals from the 2012 games in London and 2008 games in Beijing. Calderón was honored with the responsibilities of team captaincy at the 2004 Olympic Games, and also owns medals from the 2013, 2007, and 2003 European Championships.

Suns sign rookies Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss and Tyler Ulis

The Phoenix Suns have signed 2016 NBA Draft acquisitions Dragan Bender (fourth overall pick), Marquese Chriss (eighth overall) and Tyler Ulis (34th overall).

All three will make their Suns debuts as members of Phoenix’s entry at NBA Summer League 2016 in Las Vegas. Bender, Chriss, Ulis and the Suns begin Summer League action Saturday, July 9, at 1:00 p.m. (Phoenix time) against the Portland Trail Blazers at Cox Pavilion; the game will be broadcast on NBA TV and ESPN3.

Bender, a skilled and versatile playmaker at 7-1, 225-pounds, played the 2015-16 season with Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League. Only 17 years old at the start of the season, Bender averaged 5.5 points on 47.9 percent shooting and 41.1 percent from three-point range in 13.4 minutes over 25 games in Israel’s top-tier league. Combining shooting range, passing vision and the ability to defend multiple positions, Bender was the youngest player in the 2016 NBA Draft and the first international player not to play college basketball selected at fourth overall. He also became the first Croatian ever to be a top-four selection in the NBA Draft.

Chriss, an explosive athlete and efficient shooter at 6-10, 233-pounds, averaged 13.7 points on 53.0 percent shooting from the field and 35.0 percent from three-point territory, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 34 games during his one season at Washington in 2015-16. An Honorable Mention Pac-12 All-Freshman selection, Chriss recorded 55 blocks to lead Pac-12 freshmen and set a Huskies freshman record. The fourth-youngest player selected in the 2016 NBA Draft, Chriss was one of just eight players and the only freshman in college basketball last season to average at least 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting at least 50 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range.

Ulis, a quick and confident floor general at 5-10, 150-pounds, was named the SEC Player of the Year by the coaches and media after averaging 17.3 points, 7.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 35 games for Kentucky in 2015-16. A tenacious on-ball defender, Ulis also became just the second player in league history to win SEC Defensive Player of the Year and SEC Player of the Year in the same season, joining Anthony Davis who did so in 2011-12. Ulis was also honored following the 2015-16 season as the recipient of the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard.

Lakers sign Jordan Clarkson, Luol Deng and Ivica Zubac

Lakers ink Jordan Clarkson, Luol Deng and Ivica Zubac

The Los Angeles Lakers have re-signed guard Jordan Clarkson, and signed forward Luol Deng and center Ivica Zubac, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak. Clarkson’s deal is reportedly a $50 million dollar contract over four years. Deng’s deal is reportedly a $72 million dollar contract over four years.

“Jordan is an important piece of our young core and resigning him was a priority of our offseason,” said Kupchak. “He has displayed a tremendous work ethic over the last two seasons, and we expect him to continue to develop. Luol is a versatile defender as well as offensively talented and is a high character individual who will be invaluable mentoring our young players on the court and in the locker room. Ivica is a player we feel has a bright future in this league and we are excited to see him grow alongside our group of young players.”

Clarkson was an NBA All-Rookie First Team selection in 2015 and was selected to participate in the Rising Stars Challenge at NBA All-Star 2016. In two seasons with the Lakers, Clarkson has averaged 14.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.0 steals over 138 games (117 starts), and finished second on the team in scoring last year, averaging 15.5 points per game.

Acquired from the Washington Wizards on the night of the 2014 NBA Draft, the 24-year-old scored double-figures in a career-best 27 consecutive games in 2015-16, and scored 20+ points on 20 occasions. He led the Lakers in scoring 16 times last season, and tied his career-high with a 30-point performance 11/3 vs. DEN.

A two-time NBA All-Star, 2012 NBA All-Defensive Second Team Selection, and member of the 2005 All-Rookie First Team, Deng comes to the Lakers after spending 12 seasons with the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Miami Heat. In 823 games (776 starts), Deng has averaged 15.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.0 steals in 35.3 minutes per game, and has made the playoffs seven times. After spending one season at Duke University, Deng was drafted seventh overall in the 2004 NBA Draft.

Off the court, the South Sudan native was honored with the NBA’s 2014 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, given to the player who shows outstanding service and dedication to the community, and was the 2007 winner of the NBA Sportsmanship Award, selected by his peers as the player who best exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.

Zubac (pronounced EE-vits-uh ZOO-bahtz) was selected by the Lakers with the 32nd overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, one of a record-setting 26 international players drafted. The 19-year-old played in the Adriatic League and FIBA Euro Cup for Cibona Zagreb last season before joining Mega Leks, where he averaged 10.9 points and 5.1 rebounds as the team made the Serbian League semi-finals.

Born in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, but a naturalized Croatian, the 7’1’’ center helped the Croatian U-19 team capture the silver medal at the 2015 World Championships, finishing third in the tournament in scoring with 17.9 points per game and seventh in rebounding (7.9). That same summer, he participated with the Croatian U-18 team at the 2015 European Championships, leading the tournament in rebounds per game (12.9), blocks (3.0), and double-doubles (six), and finished eighth in scoring (15.8).

Grizzlies sign Chandler Parsons

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed forward Chandler Parsons to a multi-year contract. The deal is reportedly a $98.5 million dollar contract over four years.

Parsons (6-10, 230) has appeared in 340 regular season games (324 starts) during his five-year NBA career with the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks and has averaged 14.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.03 steals in 33.3 minutes while shooting 47.4 percent from the field, 38.0 percent from three-point range and 70.5 percent from the free throw line. He has competed in 13 NBA postseason games (all starts) with Houston and Dallas and has averaged 18.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 40.4 minutes while shooting 43.7 percent from the field, 36.2 percent from three-point range and 69.0 percent from the foul line.

Over the last two seasons in Dallas, Parsons appeared in 127 games (117 starts) and averaged 14.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 31.4 minutes while shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 39.5 percent from three-point range and 68.4 percent from the free throw line during his tenure with the Mavericks. The 27-year-old set career highs in both field goal percentage (.492) and three-point field goal percentage (.414) last season and was one of just three qualifying players to maintain those percentages in both shooting categories, joining Golden State’s Stephen Curry and San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard.

While playing for Houston, Parsons set his career high in scoring against Memphis with 34 points on Jan. 24, 2014 at the Toyota Center. Parsons made 10 three-pointers – all in the second half – which set an NBA record for threes in a half, a Rockets franchise record for threes in a single game, and a Grizzlies franchise record for threes by an opponent in a single game. Parsons made all 10 three-pointers consecutively starting with his first make at 11:11 left in the third quarter.

The Casselberry, Fla. native was drafted by Houston in the second round (38th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft following a four-year collegiate career at the University of Florida, where he became the first Gator to be named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in 2010-11. He earned 2011-12 NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors with the Rockets.

Miami Heat re-sign Hassan Whiteside

The Miami HEAT have re-signed center Hassan Whiteside. And the numbers are huge: the deal is reportedly a $98 million dollar contract over four years.

Whiteside, the NBA leading shot blocker, appeared in 73 games (43 starts) with the HEAT last season and averaged 14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.68 blocks and 29.1 minutes while shooting 60.6 percent from the field. He blocked an NBA-best 269 shots, 92 more than the next highest player in the league, and the second-most blocks during a single-season in HEAT history. He helped anchor Miami’s defense that averaged a franchise-best 6.48 blocks and team-best 531 rejections this season while giving up just 98.4 points per game to opponents, ranking as the third-least amount of points in the Eastern Conference and the fifth-least in the entire NBA. The HEAT finished in the top six for fewest points allowed for the seventh consecutive season, tying for the fifth-longest streak over the last 40 years. He led Miami in rebounds a team-high 55 times and grabbed double-figure rebounds a team-high 53 times, just three short of tying the single-season team record of 56 held by Rony Seikaly in 1991-92. He averaged 11.8 rebounds per game, the highest single-season rebound average in team history and grabbed his 1,000th rebound as a member of the HEAT on February 22, doing so in his 95th game, becoming the all-time quickest player in team history to reach the 1,000-rebound plateau. He posted a team-best 41 double-doubles, ranking tied for eighth-most in the NBA and a team-high three triple-doubles, ranking tied for sixth-most in the league. He recorded 22 five-plus block games, the second-most during a single-season in HEAT history and began the season blocking multiple shots in 21 consecutive games, the third-longest streak to start a season over the last 30 years, only Mark Eaton (1988-89) and Shaquille O’Neal (1992-93) had longer streaks.

Whiteside, who was selected to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team, became just the second player in NBA history to block at least 250 shots and shoot over 60 percent (.606) from the field, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who accomplished the feat during the 1979-80 season and he also became just the third player over the last 20 years to post at least 1,000 points (1,040) and block at least 250 shots, joining Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo. Additionally, his 9.7 block percentage was the highest in the NBA, no other player had a percentage higher than 6.1.

Hornets sign Brian Roberts

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has signed free-agent guard Brian Roberts.

A four-year NBA veteran, Roberts played with Charlotte in each of the last two seasons (2014-15 and 2015-16) before a three-team trade on Feb. 16, 2016, sent him to the Miami Heat, which later traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers. Roberts, who originally signed with the Hornets as a free agent on July 23, 2014, played in 102 total games (10 starts) for Charlotte with averages of 6.1 points, 2.0 assists and 1.4 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game.

In 51 total games played between Charlotte and Portland in 2015-16, Roberts averaged 4.0 points, 1.1 assists and 0.8 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per game.

A Toledo, Ohio, native who played collegiately at the University of Dayton, Roberts went undrafted in the 2008 NBA Draft and played internationally for four seasons before signing with New Orleans in 2012-13. Over his four NBA seasons, he has appeared in 273 games (57 starts), averaging 7.0 points, 2.5 assists and 1.4 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game with New Orleans, Charlotte and Portland. For his career, Roberts has shot .915 from the free-throw line (303-331), including an NBA-best .940 (125-133) in 2013-14.

Brooklyn Nets sign Jeremy Lin

The man who gave New York a fun dose of Linsanity has returned to the city. Now operating out of Brooklyn now instead of Manhattan.

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent guard Jeremy Lin to a multi-year contract. The deal is reportedly a $36 million dollar contract over three years.

“We are excited to welcome Jeremy to Brooklyn,” said Nets’ General Manager Sean Marks. “He is a high character and competitive individual who will fit our culture moving forward, as well as the style of play that Kenny will be implementing. Jeremy is a proven veteran point guard with strong leadership qualities, who is an obvious fit in this system and city.”

Lin (6’3”, 200) has appeared in 369 career games (183 starts) in six NBA seasons with Golden State (2010-11), New York (2011-12), Houston (2012-14), Los Angeles Lakers (2014-15) and Charlotte (2015-16), posting averages of 11.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 26.8 minutes per game while shooting .432 from the field and .803 from the free throw line. He has also made three playoff appearances with the Rockets (2013 and 2014) and Hornets (2016), appearing in 17 games and recording averages of 10.1 points and 3.1 assists in 26.4 minutes per game. This past season with Charlotte, the 27-year-old Lin appeared in 78 games (13 starts) and averaged 11.7 points, a career-high 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 26.3 minutes per game. He played in all seven of the Hornets’ first-round playoff games against Miami, recording averages of 12.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 27.0 minutes per game. After a four-year collegiate career at Harvard, Lin went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft and began his professional career by signing as a free agent with Golden State. While at Harvard, Lin was an All-Ivy League first-team selection as both a junior and senior and an All-Ivy League second-team choice as a sophomore. The Palo Alto, Calif. native is the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA.

Cavs trade Matthew Dellavedova to Bucks

The 2016 NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired the rights to forward Albert Miralles from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for guard Matthew Dellavedova and cash considerations. The trade also creates a $4.8 million trade exception for the Cavaliers. Cavs General Manager David Griffin announced the trade today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

“We wish Delly the best as he continues his career in Milwaukee,” said Griffin. “Delly is a special person on and off the court and was a very dedicated, hard worker that grew as part of our team and made significant contributions to our success. Our coaches and his teammates will always appreciate his ‘all in’ approach to the game, as he was ready to contribute whenever his number was called. We know he will continue to grow and succeed as he takes the next steps of his NBA journey with the Bucks.”

Miralles (6-9, 240) has spent his entire professional career playing overseas, mostly in Spain. Most recently, he has competed for FIATC Joventut, a Spanish professional basketball club based in Badalona, Spain, since 2013. Miralles was originally drafted by Toronto with as the 39th overall pick of the 2004 NBA Draft.

Dellavedova, 25, spent the last three seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, appearing in the NBA Finals each of the past two seasons and winning a championship with the Cavaliers last season. During the 2015-16 season, Dellavedova averaged career highs in points (7.5), assists (4.4), rebounds (2.1), 3-point shooting percentage (.410) and free-throw percentage (.864). The 6-4 guard appeared in 76 games (14 starts) with Cleveland last season, averaging 24.6 minutes per contest.

In 2015-16, Dellavedova’s three-point shooting percentage (41.0) ranked 11th in the NBA, while his 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked 10th. In 62 games off the bench, Dellavedova averaged 4.1 assists per game which was the fourth-most in the NBA among reserve players. He had one or less turnovers in 40 games last season.

Dellavedova appeared in all 40 of the Cavaliers playoff games over the last two seasons. In 2015, Dellavedova made seven starts during the playoffs and averaged 7.2 points, 2.7 assists and 2.1 rebounds over the course of 20 games. He once again appeared in all 20 playoff games for the Cavs in 2016, averaging 3.9 points in 12.1 minutes per game en route to an NBA Championship.

Originally from Australia, Dellavedova played for Saint Mary’s (CA) College before going undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft. The Cavaliers signed Dellavedova in August of 2013 where he appeared in 72 games (four starts) as a rookie, averaging 4.7 points, 2.6 assists and 1.7 rebounds per game. In 2014-15, Dellavedova made 67 appearances (13 starts) and increased his averages to 4.8 points, 3.0 assists and 1.9 rebounds per contest, while shooting 40.7 percent from 3-point range. He competed for the World Team in the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge at the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend. Dellavedova is a career 39.5 percent shooter from beyond the arc, having shot over 40 percent from three in two of his three seasons in the NBA.

Jazz trade Trey Burke to Wizards

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has acquired guard Trey Burke from the Utah Jazz in exchange for a 2021 second-round pick.

“Trey is a former lottery pick that has had a very good start to his career as a point guard,” said Grunfeld. “We feel fortunate to have the opportunity to add him as our primary backup and feel he will flourish in that role as he continues to develop.”

Burke (6-1, 191) holds career averages of 12.1 points, 4.2 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 210 career games (111 starts) in three seasons with the Jazz. Last season, the former Michigan standout averaged 10.6 points, 2.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds while shooting a career-high .344 from three-point range in 64 games (no starts). He also added 40 double-digit scoring outputs off the bench for the Jazz, including five games of 20 points or more. During the 2014-15 season, Burke made the third-most threes in a single season (124) in Jazz history.

Burke was originally selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the ninth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft out of the University of Michigan, where he was the consensus 2013 National College Player of the Year and led the Wolverines to the NCAA Championship Game. His draft rights were traded to the Jazz in exchange for the rights to Shabazz Muhammad (14th overall pick) and Gorgui Dieng (21st overall pick). He was named to the 2014 NBA All-Rookie First Team (and also earned Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors three times), after averaging career bests in points (12.8), assists (5.7), rebounds (3.0) and free-throw percentage (.903).

Wizards sign Jason Smith, Ian Mahinmi, Andrew Nicholson

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed center Ian Mahinmi, forward Andrew Nicholson and forward/center Jason Smith.

“Ian will give us defense, rebounding and rim protection at the backup center position,” said Grunfeld. “He is a physical, experienced player who proved himself last season as a starter and will provide great depth for our frontcourt.”

Mahinmi (6-11, 262) is coming off a career year with Indiana. During his 2015-16 campaign, he averaged career-highs of 9.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while shooting .589 from the floor in 71 games (all starts), helping the Pacers return to the playoffs. His .589 field goal percentage set a Pacers NBA franchise record. Mahinmi has appeared in 438 games (92 starts) with has averages of 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting .536 from the field over eight seasons with San Antonio, Dallas and Indiana. He has also appeared in 56 career playoff games, including six games during the Mavericks’ 2011 title run. Originally selected by San Antonio with the 28th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft as an international prospect, Mahinmi played multiple seasons with STB LeHavre in France prior to coming to the NBA. He was also a member of the French National Team from 2006-11.

“Andrew is a very intriguing young talent who has shown the ability to score from both inside and outside as he has developed throughout his career,” said Grunfeld. “His skill set will help bolster our frontcourt depth and we feel he has good potential to continue to improve.”

Nicholson (6-9, 250) holds career averages of 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting .473 from the field and .336 from three-point range in 247 career games (36 starts) over four seasons with Orlando. In 56 games last season, the St. Bonaventure alum averaged 6.9 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting .471 from the field and a career-high .360 (41-114) from three-point range. The Mississaugua, Ontario, native was originally selected by Orlando with the 19th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Nicholson has also played with the Canadian National Team.

“Jason’s ability to play both forward and center increases our depth and his outside touch will allow us to use different looks off the bench,” said Grunfeld. “He also provides us with toughness and more size in the frontcourt.”

Smith (7-0, 245) holds career averages of 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting .466 from the field in 489 career games (98 starts) over nine seasons with Philadelphia, New Orleans, New York and Orlando. Last season with the Magic, he averaged 7.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 76 games. Over the last five seasons, Smith has averaged 8.6 points and during the 2011-12 campaign, he tallied a career-high 9.9 points per game with New Orleans. With the Pelicans in 2013-14, he averaged 9.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 31 games (27 starts). The former Colorado State Ram was originally selected by Miami with the 20th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.