NBA News Blog – Page 1007 – NBA Blog

Clippers sign Jamal Crawford

The Los Angeles Clippers today signed free agent guard Jamal Crawford. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.

A 12-year NBA veteran, Crawford tallied 13.9 points, 3.2 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 26.9 minutes in 60 games played for the Portland Trail Blazers last season. Crawford also connected on 38 percent of his field goals, 31 percent of his three-point field goal attempts and 93 percent of his free throws on the year. Crawford finished the season ranked first in the NBA in free throw percentage.

Named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2009-10 while with the Atlanta Hawks, Crawford has averaged 15.3 points, 3.9 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 31.8 minutes over his career. He turned out his most productive NBA season in 2007-08 while with the New York Knicks, tallying 20.6 points, 5.0 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 39.9 minutes in 80 games played.

The eighth overall selection in the 2000 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Crawford was part of a draft day trade that sent him to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for the draft rights to Chris Mihm. After four seasons in Chicago, Crawford was traded to the New York Knicks, where he remained until being traded to the Golden State Warriors in 2008. Crawford was traded to the Atlanta Hawks prior to the start of the 2009 season, remaining there until signing with Portland as a free agent prior to the start of last season.

Hawks trade Joe Johnson to Nets

The Brooklyn Nets have acquired six-time All-Star guard Joe Johnson from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Jordan Farmar, Anthony Morrow, DeShawn Stevenson, Jordan Williams, Johan Petro, Houston’s 2013 first round pick and the Nets’ second round draft pick in 2017, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

“We are very pleased to add a perennial All-Star caliber player like Joe Johnson to our roster,” said King. “Joe is considered one of the premier guards in the NBA, and his skill and talent level will have a very positive impact on our team.”

Johnson, (6-7, 240), was selected 10th overall in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft by Boston. The Arkansas product is an 11-year NBA veteran and holds career averages of 17.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.0 steal in 36.7 minutes per game. In 831 career games, including 761 starts, with Boston, Phoenix and Atlanta, he has shot .444 (5,673-12,779) from the field, .368 (1,281-3,479) from three-point range and .797 (2,130-2,672) from the line. Johnson is a six-time All Star, made the All NBA Third Team in 2010, won a bronze medal as part of Team USA at the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Japan and was a member of the All-Rookie Second Team in 2002. In 60 games with the Hawks last season, Johnson averaged 18.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 35.5 minutes. He shot .454 (423-931) from the field, .388 (125-322) from behind the arc and .849 (158-186) from the line.

Farmar, (6-2, 180), appeared in 39 games, five starts, with the Nets last season and averaged a career-best 10.4 points along with 1.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 21 minutes. He shot career-bests .467 (147-315) from the field, .440 (55-125) from behind the arc (8th in the NBA), and .905 (57-63) from the line. In 413 career games, 25 starts, with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Nets, he has averaged 7.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 19.5 minutes. He has shot .427 (1,202-2,818) from the field, .367 (458-1,248) from behind the arc and .728 (321-441) from the line.

Morrow, (6-5, 210), made 62 appearances, including 18 starts, with the Nets last season and averaged 12.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 26.4 minutes. He shot .413 (272-658) from the field, .371 (106-286) from downtown and .933 (97-104) from the line. He scored a career-high 42 points, including a career-high 8-of-11 three’s vs. Minnesota on 2/3/12. In 256 career games, 119 starts, with Golden State and the Nets, Morrow has averaged 12.1 points and 3.0 rebounds in 27.4 minutes. He has shot .451 (1,135-2,515) from the field, .426 (442-1,037) from three-point range and .897 (374-417) from the line.

Williams (6-10, 260), selected in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Nets, played in 43 games as a rookie in 2011-12. The Maryland product averaged 4.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per game.

Petro, (7-0, 247), appeared in 59 games, 10 starts with the Nets last season and averaged 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 15.6 minutes. He shot .419 (109-260) from the field and .838 (31-37) from the line. In 442 career games, 131 starts, with Seattle/Oklahoma City, Denver and the Nets, he has averaged 4.7 points and 3.9 rebounds in 15.6 minutes.

Stevenson, (6-5, 218), appeared in 51 games, 30 starts, with the Nets last season and averaged 2.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 18.8 minutes. In 768 career games, 511 starts, with Utah, Orlando, Washington, Dallas and the Nets, he has averaged 7.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 22.5 minutes.

Raptors sign Landry Fields to offer sheet

The Toronto Raptors announced Wednesday they have signed New York Knicks restricted free-agent guard-forward Landry Fields to an offer sheet. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.

Under the terms of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, New York will have until Saturday to match the Raptors’ offer.

Fields, 6-foot-7, 215 pounds, has averaged 9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 30 minutes in 148 games. He has appeared in every contest the past two seasons, making 143 starts.

Fields was a 2010-11 T-Mobile All-Rookie First Team selection and twice named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month (November and December 2010). He paced the Knicks in rebounding 22 times, and set a franchise rookie-record making 86 three-pointers. He had two 20-plus scoring games and 11 double-doubles. He scored a career-high 25 points versus Philadelphia on February 6, 2011 and recorded a career-best 17 rebounds on November 16, 2010 at Denver.

Fields scored in double figures in 25 outings last season, with a high of 21 at Sacramento on December 31. He posted double-digit scoring efforts in nine of 10 games from January 18 – February 3, averaging 13.6 points. He also contributed seven games with at least three steals,

A native of Southern California, Fields was an All-Pac-10 First Team selection as a senior at Stanford in 2009-10, with averages of 22.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 36.3 minutes in 32 games (all starts).

Phoenix Suns sign Eric Gordon to offer sheet

The Phoenix Suns have signed restricted free agent guard Eric Gordon to an offer sheet, the club announced today. Under the terms of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the New Orleans Hornets have three days to match the Suns’ offer and retain his rights.

According to multiple reports, the Hornets are expected to match the offer and keep Gordon.

“We are excited that Eric Gordon wants to be a Phoenix Sun, and are gratified by his choice to play here,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby.

The 6-3, 215-pound Gordon is a four-year NBA veteran who has established himself as one of the league’s premier scorers. Just 24 years old, Gordon owns career NBA averages of 18.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 205 games (190 starts). An All-NBA Rookie Team selection in 2009, Gordon increased his scoring average in each of his first three seasons before playing just nine games in an injury-plagued, lockout-shortened campaign in 2011-12. The centerpiece of the Hornets’ trade of Chris Paul, Gordon averaged 20.6 points in nine games for New Orleans last season.

A career 45.0 percent shooter from the floor, including 37.0 percent from three-point range, Gordon is an efficient scorer whose 18.2-point career average has come on 13.5 field goal attempts per game. In Gordon’s only appearance in Phoenix last season, the Indiana product scored 20 points against the Suns and hit the game-winning 20-foot jump shot with 4.2 seconds remaining in the season opener at US Airways Center on Dec. 26.

Bucks sign second round pick Doron Lamb

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed second round draft pick Doron Lamb to a multi-year contract, General Manager John Hammond announced today. Milwaukee selected Lamb with the 42nd overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Lamb (6-4, 210) joins the Bucks after completing his sophomore season with the National Champion Kentucky Wildcats. Over his two years at Kentucky, Lamb averaged 13.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 78 career games. He leaves Kentucky as the top three-point shooter in the program’s history, connecting on 47.5 percent (144-303) of his attempts from behind the arc. Lamb also joined the 1,000-point club in Kentucky’s win over Kansas in the 2012 National Championship game when he scored a team-high 22 points. He finished his career as a Wildcat with 1,018 points. Lamb was named to the Final Four All-Tournament Team, East Region All-Tournament Team and Second Team All-SEC as a sophomore.

Lamb will play for the Bucks in the 2012 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Milwaukee has a five-game schedule that begins Monday, July 16, at 9:30 p.m. (CT) against New Orleans.

Utah Jazz re-sign forward Jeremy Evans

Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has re-signed forward Jeremy Evans. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not released.

The 2012 NBA Slam Dunk Champion, Evans (6-9, 194, Western Kentucky) has appeared in 78 games (three starts) over his first two NBA seasons with the Jazz, averaging 3.1 points and 1.9 rebounds while shooting .656 from the field. A 2010 second-round draft pick (55th overall) by the Jazz, 74 of Evans’ 103 made shots over his first two years have been dunks, 32 of those on alley-oops. His dunk percentage of 71.8 percent is the highest in the NBA over the last two seasons. On February 25, 2012 during NBA All-Star Weekend in Orlando, Fla., Evans became the first player in Jazz franchise history to win the league’s slam dunk contest.

The 24-year-old native of Crossett, Ark., is the only Jazz draft pick ever from Western Kentucky, where he played four seasons (2006-10) and finished as the Hilltoppers’ all-time leader in blocked shots and field goal percentage.

Knicks re-sign J.R. Smith

New York Knicks Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations and General Manager Glen Grunwald announced today that the team has re-signed guard J.R. Smith. We’ll post contract details later today on this page.

Smith, 6-6, 220-pounds, averaged 12.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.54 steals over 27.6 minutes in 35 regular-season games (one start) with the Knicks last season. In five postseason games, he averaged 12.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.20 steals over 35.0 minutes. He originally signed with New York as a free agent on Feb. 17. The Freehold, NJ-native holds career averages of 12.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists over 24.2 minutes in 538 games (130 starts) over eight seasons with New Orleans/Oklahoma City, Denver and New York. He was selected out of high school by the New Orleans Hornets in the first round (18th overall) of the 2004 NBA Draft.

OKC Thunder sign forward Hollis Thompson

The Oklahoma City Thunder signed forward Hollis Thompson to a contract, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

During his three season collegiate career at Georgetown, Thompson recorded averages of 8.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 24.6 minutes while setting a school record with .440 percent three-point field goal shooting.

The 6-8, 212-pound forward earned All-Big East Honorable Mention honors this past season after scoring in double figures on 25 occasions.

Thompson will undergo a minor procedure this week on his left groin, and is expected to return to off-season activities in 3-4 weeks.

Trail Blazers sign forward Victor Claver

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed forward Victor Claver, it was announced today by General Manager Neil Olshey. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

A native of Valencia, Spain, Claver joins the Trail Blazers three years after the team selected him with the 22nd overall pick in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft.

“Victor is a player with a high basketball IQ who will come in as a good complement to our roster,” said Olshey. “He defends well for his size, has a nice shooting touch, and we look forward to having him on board.”

A member of the Spanish national basketball team that will compete in the 2012 London Olympics this summer, Claver (6-10, 235) joins the Trail Blazers from Valencia in the Spanish ACB League, where he averaged 8.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.22 steals and 25.8 minutes in 37 ACB and Eurocup games. In six seasons with Valencia, Claver posted averages of 7.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.99 steals and 22.2 minutes.

Claver, 23, won the 2010 Eurocup Rising Star Award, an honor given to the most outstanding young player in the competition.

He will wear No. 18 with the Trail Blazers.

Sixers re-sign forward Lavoy Allen

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that they have re-signed forward Lavoy Allen. We’ll post contract details on this page later today.

Allen (6-9, 225) was the 50th overall pick by Philadelphia in the 2011 NBA Draft. In 41 games with 15 starts last season, he averaged 4.1 points and 4.2 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game while shooting 47.3% from the floor and 78.6% from the line.

The Temple product scored 10-plus points four times in the playoffs after doing so four times during the regular season. Allen had 12 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting in Game 5 at Boston during the Eastern Conference Semifinals.