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Portland Trail Blazers 2023-24 preseason schedule starts October 10

The Portland Trail Blazers have announced a four-game 2023-24 preseason schedule, featuring two home games at Moda Center on Oct. 10 and Oct. 12, followed by two road games on Oct. 14 and Oct. 16.

The Trail Blazers will tip off the preseason at home on Tuesday, Oct. 10, when they host the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League at 7 p.m. PT. The team’s home slate will continue with a matchup against the Phoenix Suns at Moda Center on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. PT.

Portland will complete the preseason on the road, visiting Utah on Oct. 14 to take on the Jazz at 7 p.m. MT and heading to Phoenix on Oct. 16 for a rematch with the Suns at 7 p.m. MT.

Kings sign Nerlens Noel

The Sacramento Kings yesterday signed center Nerlens Noel.

A 10-year veteran, Noel has posted averages of 7.1 points (54.6 FG%), 6.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game in 467 career games (223 starts). Among active players, he ranks ninth in blocks per contest and has been in the Top 20 among annual blocks leaders four times, including most recently ranking third (2.2) during the 2020-21 season.

Originally selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft out of Kentucky, Noel received All-Rookie First Team honors after averaging 9.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.9 blocks per game in 75 games (71 starts) for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Raptors re-sign Jeff Dowtin Jr. and Ron Harper Jr., sign Javon Freeman-Liberty

The Toronto Raptors have re-signed guard Jeff Dowtin Jr.

Also, the team re-signed guard-forward Ron Harper Jr. and signed guard Javon Freeman-Liberty to two-way contracts.

Dowtin, 6-foot-3, 176 pounds, averaged 2.4 points, 1.2 assists and 10.4 minutes in 25 games as a two-way player with the Raptors last season. In 19 regular season games with Raptors 905 in the NBA G League, Dowtin averaged 16.9 points, 5.9 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 32.8 minutes. He shot .502 (117-233) from the field and scored in double figures in 17 games, including 20 or more points eight times, with the 905.

A native of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Dowtin has played in 34 career NBA games with Golden State, Milwaukee, Orlando and Toronto, averaging 2.4 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 10.8 minutes. Prior to going undrafted in 2020, Dowtin spent his entire college career at the University of Rhode Island (2016-20) where he earned Atlantic 10 Third Team honours as a senior.

Harper, 6-foot-5, 242 pounds, returns to the Raptors where he spent his rookie season also as a two-way player. He posted averages of 2.2 points, 0.8 rebounds and 5.3 minutes in nine games with Toronto, and averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.1 blocks, 1.1 steals and 32.7 minutes in 29 regular season contests with Raptors 905. He scored 10+ points in 26 games and recorded three double-doubles with the 905. Harper set season highs with 30 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds Mar. 21 against College Park.

A native of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, Harper joined the Raptors as an undrafted free agent following four seasons (2018-22) at Rutgers. As a senior, he was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team and was one of five finalists for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award for the second consecutive season.

Freeman-Liberty, 6-foot-4, 180 pounds, appeared in 17 regular season games with Windy City in the NBA G League last season. He averaged 18.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 30.2 minutes, while shooting .493 (107-217) from the floor, including .376 (32-85) from three-point range. Freeman-Liberty scored 20+ points seven times and had season-high 39 points Jan. 16 against Cleveland.

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Freeman-Liberty played two seasons at Valparaiso (2018-20) before transferring to DePaul (2020-22) for his final two years. He earned Second Team All-BIG EAST honours as a senior after averaging 21.7 points, which ranked eighth among all NCAA Division l players.

Hawks sign Wesley Matthews

The Atlanta Hawks have signed guard Wesley Matthews.

Matthews has appeared in 950 games (754 starts) throughout his 14-year career, suiting up for the Utah Jazz (2009-10), Portland Trail Blazers (2010-15), Dallas Mavericks (2015-19), New York Knicks (2018-19), Indiana Pacers (2018-19), Los Angeles Lakers (2020-21) and Milwaukee Bucks (2019-20, 2021-23). His 950 games played are the fourth-most in NBA history by an undrafted player, trailing only Moses Malone (1,329), Ben Wallace (1,088) and Avery Johnson (1,054).

The 6-4 guard owns career averages of 11.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 29.6 minutes of play (.420 FG%, .376 3FG%, .824 FT%). Matthews has connected on 1,821 three-pointers throughout his NBA career, the most triples by an undrafted player in NBA history and the 10th-most three-pointers amongst all active players.

Matthews’ father, Wes Matthews Sr., appeared in 152 games for Atlanta across five stints with the Hawks (1980-83, 1984, 1990). They become the first father/son duo to both suit up for the Hawks.

Matthews recently saw action in 52 games with the Bucks during the 2022-23 campaign, averaging 3.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 15.7 minutes of action. He scored his 11,000th career point in a 150-130 win over the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 23, 2023. Matthews, who’s poured in 11,100 total points in his career, has the third-most points by an undrafted player in league history (Moses Malone: 27,409, David Wesley: 11,842).

The San Antonio, Texas native, who owns a career .376% clip from three-point territory, was selected to participate in the three-point contest at NBA All-Star Weekend 2015 and 2017. In his sophomore season, Matthews earned a spot in the 2011 Rising Stars Challenge.

Matthews has appeared in the NBA Playoffs in nine of his 14 seasons, including in each of the past five campaigns (since 2019). He has seen action in 66 postseason games (59 starts), tallying 9.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 30.8 minutes of play (.391 FG%, .352 3FG%, .808 FT%).

The Marquette product enjoyed a four-year collegiate career, suiting up for the Golden Eagles from 2005-09, leading the team to the NCAA Tournament in each of his four seasons. He currently ranks second in program history in free throws made (549), tied sixth in games played (127) and 10th in scoring (1,673).

Hawks waive Tyrese Martin

The Atlanta Hawks have waived guard Tyrese Martin.

Martin appeared in 16 games for the Hawks during the 2022-23 season, averaging 1.3 points in 4.1 minutes per contest. He also played in 30 games (28 starts) with the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League, recording 18.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 33.0 minutes (.502 FG%, .352 3FG%, .784 FT%).

Selected 51st overall in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, Martin was acquired by the Hawks in a draft night trade.

Hornets sign forward Leaky Black to two-way contract

Charlotte Hornets President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced yesterday that the team signed forward Leaky Black to a two-way contract.

A native of Concord, N.C., Black appeared in a school-record 155 games (130 starts) in five seasons (2018-23) at the University of North Carolina, averaging 5.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 26.9 minutes per game for his career.

He was named to the ACC All-Defense team in his final two collegiate seasons. During his time in Chapel Hill, Black won an ACC regular-season championship in 2018-19 and helped the Tar Heels reach the 2021-22 NCAA Tournament championship game.

In three games with the Hornets between the California Classic and NBA2K24 Summer League, Black tallied 2.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game.

Thunder sign head coach Mark Daigneault to contract extension

The Oklahoma City Thunder yesterday signed Head Coach Mark Daigneault to a multi-year contract extension.

During the 2022-23 season, Daigneault led the Thunder to a 40-42 record and an NBA Play-In game victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. The Thunder’s 16-win improvement ranked second in the NBA and at the conclusion of the season, Daigneault finished second in 2023 NBA Coach of the Year voting.

Daigneault was named the fourth head coach in Thunder history on November 11, 2020 after originally joining the organization in 2014 where he served as head coach of the Oklahoma City Blue for five seasons. With the Blue, Daigneault led the team to three straight division titles and four playoff appearances before joining the Thunder bench as an assistant coach in 2019.

NBA Paris Game 2024, featuring Nets vs. Cavs, scheduled for January 11

The NBA Paris Game 2024 will feature the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers playing the league’s third regular-season game in Paris at the Accor Arena on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024.

The NBA Paris Game 2024 will mark the Nets’ second game in Paris, having played a preseason game in the French capital in 2008.

Brooklyn currently features 2021-22 NBA All-Defensive First Team and 2023 USA Basketball Men’s National Team member Mikal Bridges, 2023 USA Basketball Men’s National Team member Cam Johnson and three-time NBA All-Star Ben Simmons. The Nets have made five consecutive playoff appearances.

The Cavaliers will be playing their first game in Europe. Cleveland currently features four-time NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell, 2022 NBA All-Stars Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland, and 2022-23 Kia NBA All-Defensive First Team member Evan Mobley. The Cavaliers won their first NBA championship in 2016 and made four consecutive NBA Finals appearances from 2015 to 2018.

The NBA Paris Game 2024 will air live on beIN SPORTS and NBA League Pass.

Sacramento Kings sign 2022-23 EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov

The Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, July 20 signed forward Sasha Vezenkov.

Vezenkov was named the 2022-23 EuroLeague MVP after he averaged 17.6 points (55.3 FG%, 38.3 3pt%, 84.0 FT%), 6.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game in 40 games (39 starts) for Olympiacos. He also received the Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy and was selected to the All-EuroLeague First Team for a second consecutive season.

During the 2022-23 season, Vezenkov competed in the Greek Basket League for Olympiacos, posting averages of 16.7 points (58.0 FG%, 39.4 3pt%, 80.3 FT%), 5.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest. For his performance, Vezenkov was chosen as the league’s Most Valuable Player for the second season in a row and helped lead his team to win the Greek League Championship.

A native of Bulgaria, Vezenkov began his career in the Greek Basket League with Aris Basketball Club, spending four seasons with the team from 2011-15. He joined FC Barcelona for the next three years (2015-18) before joining Olympiacos prior to the 2018-19 season.

Vezenkov was originally selected with the 57th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets. Sacramento acquired his draft rights in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2022 NBA Draft.

Nets sign guard Armoni Brooks to two-way contract

The Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, July 20 signed free agent guard Armoni Brooks to a two-way contract.

Brooks (6’3″, 195) has appeared in 74 games (16 starts) across two seasons with the Houston Rockets (2021-22) and Toronto Raptors (2022), recording career averages of 6.9 points on 36.6 percent shooting from the field, 33.0 percent shooting from 3-point range and 75.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 18.4 minutes per game.

In his rookie season (2021) with the Rockets, Brooks appeared in 20 games (five starts), posting averages of 11.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 26.0 minutes per contest while shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from distance.

The 25-year-old also played in four playoff games with the Raptors during the 2022 postseason.

Most recently, Brooks competed on Brooklyn’s Las Vegas Summer League team, notching averages of 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 29.6 minutes per game through five games while shooting 50.0 percent from the field, 47.6 percent from 3-point range (on 8.4 attempts per game) and 87.5 percent from the free-throw line.

In addition to his NBA experience, the Texas native has logged 88 games of NBA G League experience split between the College Park Skyhawks and Rio Grande Valley Vipers, registering averages of 13.1 points on 44.0 percent shooting from the field, 38.7 percent shooting from distance and 83.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 24.6 minutes per game.

Brooks went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft after spending three years (2016-19) at the University of Houston, where he earned American Athletic Conference Sixth Man of the Year honors as a sophomore and All-AAC Second Team honors as a junior.