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Rockets sign rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore

The Houston Rockets yesterday signed rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore.

Thompson (6-7, 215) was the fourth overall pick by Houston in the 2023 NBA Draft. He spent the past two seasons with Overtime Elite, (OTE) an Atlanta-based league which offers players ages 16 through 20 a pathway to becoming professional athletes. His twin brother, Ausar, was selected fifth overall by Detroit, making them the first brothers picked top-10 in the same draft in NBA history.

While leading his team, the City Reapers, to the OTE championship last season, Amen averaged 17.2 points, 9.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds up from regular season averages of 16.3 ppg, 6.2 apg and 6.4 rpg. The 20-year-old ranked third in the league in assists and sixth in scoring. In 51 career OTE games (regular season and playoffs), Thompson averaged 2.2 steals and 1.2 blocks while shooting 53.6% from the floor.

Whitmore (6-7, 235) was the 20th overall pick by the Rockets in the 2023 NBA Draft. As a freshman at Villanova last season, he averaged 12.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.4 spg and 1.4 3-pointers made. Over the past 15 seasons, Whitmore was one of four Division I freshman to have averaged at least 12.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.00 spg and 1.0 3FGM while playing fewer than 28.0 mpg.

At the 2022 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship, Whitmore averaged 18.7 points and was named MVP after leading USA Basketball to the gold medal. The former McDonald’s All-American will turn 19 years old on July 8.

Jazz sign Joey Hauser to two-way contract

The Utah Jazz yesterday signed forward Joey Hauser to a two-way contract.

Hauser (6-9, 220, Michigan State) appeared in 34 games (all starts) for the Spartans last season, owning averages of 14.4 points on 48.4 percent from the field and 46.1 percent from three, 7.0 boards, and 1.8 assists in 34.1 minutes per game.

The Green Bay, Wis., native appeared in 131 career-collegiate games over four seasons (Michigan State 2020-23 and Marquette 2018-19) and holds career averages of 10.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 26.9 minutes per contest. Following his freshman season at Marquette, which included five Big East Freshman of the Week accolades, he earned 2018-19 Big East All-Freshman Team honors.

Raptors sign Markquis Nowell to two-way contract

The Toronto Raptors announced Monday they have signed guard Markquis Nowell to a two-way contract.

Nowell, 5-foot-8, 160 pounds, joins the Raptors following five years in the NCAA, where he spent time at Little Rock (2018-21) and Kansas State (2021-23). During the 2022-23 campaign, he averaged 17.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 2.6 steals and 36.9 minutes in 36 games (all starts) with the Wildcats. Nowell finished the season ranked second nationally in assists per game, total assists (297) and total steals (92). He was named the 2023 Bob Cousy Award Winner, which is presented annually to the top point guard in Division I men’s basketball. Nowell also earned All-Big 12 First Team honours and was voted to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team for the second straight year.

A native of Harlem, New York, Nowell set a single-game NCAA Tournament record with 19 assists Mar. 23 vs. Michigan State. His 54 assists during Kansas State’s run to the Elite Eight were the most since 1989, and third most in tournament history.

Timberwolves re-sign Luka Garza to two-way contract

The Minnesota Timberwolves yesterday re-signed forward Luka Garza to a two-way contract.

The 6-10 forward completed his second season in the NBA, first in Minnesota where he appeared in 28 games, averaging 6.5 points on 54.3% shooting from the field, and 35.9% from three and 2.3 rebounds. Garza shined in back-to-back games for the Wolves this season, scoring a career-high 25 points in Utah on Feb. 8 and grabbing a season-high nine rebounds the previous night, Feb. 7, in Denver.

Garza appeared in 15 games (all starts) for the Iowa Wolves this season, averaging 30.7 points, on 63.3% shooting from the floor and 47.1 from deep, 10.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists game. After being selected as a captain for the NBA G League Next Up Game, Garza led Team Luka to a 178-162 win over Team Scoot in Salt Lake City on Feb. 19 as part of the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend. He was named MVP after scoring 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting along with eight rebounds in 21:15 minutes of action.

The Washington D.C. native spent four seasons at the University of Iowa, where he ended his college career as Iowa’s all-time leading scorer (2,306 points), marking the seventh-highest scoring total in Big Ten history. Garza earned unanimous 2020-21 National Player of the Year honors after averaging 24.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.6 blocks and 31.6 minutes per game in 31 games during his final season. Additionally, he was named a two-time unanimous All-America First Team selection (2020-21 and 2019-20) and two-time Big Ten Player of the Year (2020-21 and 2019-20).

Garza was originally selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 52nd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Cavaliers promote Brendon Yu and Liron Fanan within organization

Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced yesterday that Brendon Yu and Liron Fanan have been elevated into new roles within the organization effective immediately, as Yu moves into the position as Director of Scouting for the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Fanan takes over as General Manager for the Charge.

Yu has been a part of the Cavaliers organization for nine seasons, including the last four as General Manager of the Charge (2019-2023), with Director of College Scouting for the Cavaliers added to his title in 2022-23. In addition, Yu spent two seasons as the Director of G League Operations and Basketball Operations, Special Projects. He began his tenure with the Cavaliers as the basketball operations seasonal assistant in 2014-15. As Director of Scouting, Yu will lead the talent evaluation of collegiate and professional athletes and continue to work closely with Altman and Cavaliers General Manager Mike Gansey overseeing personnel for the Cavaliers, including international and NBA G League players.

With her promotion, Fanan becomes the first woman in Charge franchise history to be named general manager and just the fourth in the NBA G League, joining Tori Miller (College Park Skyhawks), Amber Nichols (Capital City Go-Go) and Anjali Ranadivé (Stockton Kings).

Pelicans sign rookie Jordan Hawkins

The New Orleans Pelicans yesterday signed rookie guard Jordan Hawkins.

Hawkins, 6-5, 190, averaged 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in his sophomore campaign at the University of Connecticut during the 2022-23 season en route to All-Big East First Team honors. Hawkins, who was drafted by the Pelicans with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, shot .388 (109-of-281) from deep and finished just six three-pointers shy of Ray Allen’s single-season school record of 115.

During the Huskies’ 2023 national title run, Hawkins averaged 16.3 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting .500 from deep and .920 from the foul stripe. Hawkins was named to the All-Tournament Team and earned Most Outstanding Player of the West Regional.

In two seasons at UConn, Hawkins averaged 11.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting .376 from deep and .872 from the foul line.

Raptors sign rookie Gradey Dick

The Toronto Raptors have signed guard-forward Gradey Dick to a rookie scale contract.

Dick is under contract through the 2024-25 season, with two team option years to follow.

The Raptors selected Dick 13th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Dick, 6-foot-8, 205 pounds, averaged 14.1 points (12th in the Big 12), 5.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 32.6 minutes in 36 games (all starts) as a freshman at Kansas last season. He shot .442 (174-394) from the field, including .403 (83-for-206) from three-point range, and set the Jayhawks freshman record for three-point field goals made with 83. For his efforts, Dick was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team and Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

Kings re-sign Keon Ellis to two-way contract

The Sacramento Kings yesterday re-signed Keon Ellis to a two-way contract.

Ellis appeared in 23 games (all starts) for the Stockton Kings, the G League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings, averaging 16.8 points (51.7 FG%, 44.4 3PT%, 78.4 FT%), 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 30.4 minutes in his first season.

A former Alabama standout, Ellis appeared in 33 games (all starts), averaging 12.1 points (.439 FG%, .366 3pt%, .881 FT%), 6.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.9 steals and 30.9 minutes per game during his senior season (2021-22).

During the 2021-22 season, the 6-6, 175-pound guard earned All-SEC Defensive Team accolades, led the SEC and ranked 24th nationally in free throw percentage (.881), finished fifth in the SEC in steals (1.94), eighth in three-pointers made per game (2.03) and 14th in rebounds (6.1).

Kings sign rookie Colby Jones

The Sacramento Kings yesterday signed rookie guard Colby Jones.

Selected with the 34th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Jones spent three seasons at Xavier (2020-23) where he averaged 15.0 points (50.9 FG%, 37.8 3pt%, 65.3 FT%), 5.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 33.9 minutes per game in 36 games (all starts) during his junior season.

Jones, 21, earned All-Big East honors and was one of 10 finalists recognized for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award during the 2022-23 season. While competing at Xavier, he ranked amongst the Top 20 in the Big East in scoring (11th), rebounding (17th), assists (seventh), steals (15th) and field goal percentage (14th).

Kings sign Jalen Slawson to two-way contract

The Sacramento Kings yesterday signed Jalen Slawson to a two-way contract.

Slawson, the 54th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, averaged 15.6 points (55.5 FG%, 39.0 3pt%, 77.5 FT%), 7.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 30.7 minutes per game in 36 games (all starts) at Furman during the 2022-23 season. He led 13th-seeded Furman to a Southern Conference Championship and a 2023 NCAA Tournament win over the fourth-seeded Virginia Cavaliers.

A 6-7, 215-pound forward, Slawson earned SoCon Player of the Year, All-SoCon First Team and SoCon First Team All-Tournament honors during the 2022-23 season.