NBA News Blog – Page 1008 – NBA Blog

Detroit Pistons sign Kyle Singler

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the club has signed their 2011 second round draft selection Kyle Singler to a multi-year contract. We’ll post contract details on this page later today.

“We are pleased to have Kyle Singler join our organization knowing he brings great character and skill to our team,” said Joe Dumars, President of Basketball Operations for the Detroit Pistons. “We watched him grow as a player throughout his season in Spain last year and we feel he’s going to be a great addition to our roster going forward.”

Singler spent the 2011-12 season playing overseas in Spain for both Lucentum Alicante and Real Madrid. He averaged 14.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 31.1 minutes in 10 games (all starts) for Lucentum Alicante. Singler then moved to one of the Euroleague’s top teams, Real Madrid, where he averaged 7.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 20.3 minutes in 46 games (38 starts). He helped Real Madrid reach the ACB finals before losing to Barcelona. Singler shot 50.4% from the field while playing for Real Madrid and shot over 40% from three-point range while playing for both teams.

Singler was selected by Detroit with the 33rd pick in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-8 forward played four seasons at Duke University where he averaged 16.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 148 career games (tying a school record). A native of Medford, Oregon, Singler tied a career-high 30 points (5-5 3FG) in a homecoming game against Oregon at the Rose Garden in Portland on 11/27/10. As a junior, he led the Blue Devils to a NCAA Championship by averaging 16.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 37 games. He recorded 19 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in the 2010 NCAA Championship game vs. Butler and tallied 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists vs. West Virginia in the semifinals to earn Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Final Four.

Denver Nuggets sign first-round draft pick Evan Fournier

The Denver Nuggets have signed first-round draft pick Evan Fournier to a multiyear contract, team Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri announced today.

Fournier, 6-7, 205, was selected by the Nuggets 20th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft after playing two seasons for Poitiers of France’s Pro A League.

The 19-year-old native of France averaged 14.1 points, 2.3 assists, and 1.5 steals in 29 games for Poitiers in 2011-12.

In his first year with the team, he became the youngest player in French League history to score more than 20 points when he scored 21 against SLUC Nancy on Feb. 5, 2011.

Fournier also competed for France’s under-20 national team at the 2011 U20 European Championship, averaging 16.9 points and 3.3 assists.

Fournier will join the Nuggets at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Denver opens its five-game schedule Saturday against the Golden State Warriors.

New York Knicks sign James White

New York Knicks Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations and General Manager Glen Grunwald announced today that the team has signed free agent guard/forward James White to a contract. We’ll post contract details on this page later today.

White, 6-7, 200-pounds, spent the past three seasons playing overseas for St. Petersburg (Russia), Sassari (Italy) and Pesaro (Italy). He posted 17.4 points, on 52.1-percent shooting, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists over 33.6 minutes in 30 games with Pesaro of the Italian A League during 2011-12, and averaged 21.0 points, on 54.1-percent shooting, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists over 35.8 minutes in 30 regular season games with Sassari in 2010-11.

As an NBA professional, White appeared in 10 games (two starts) with San Antonio (2006-07) and Houston (2008-09). He has also played for Austin (2006-07) and Anaheim (2008-09) of the NBA Development League.

The Kensington, MD-native, was originally selected by Portland in the second round (31st overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft. He played three seasons at the University of Cincinnati, after transferring from the University of Florida. In his senior season for the Bearcats, White averaged 16.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists over 33.5 minutes in 33 games.

Miami Heat sign Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen

The Miami Heat announced today that they have signed free agent guard Ray Allen and free agent forward Rashard Lewis. We’ll post contract details here later today.

Allen, a 16-year NBA veteran, has appeared in 1,148 regular season games (1,140 starts) averaging 20.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.16 steals and 36.9 minutes while shooting 45.2 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 89.4 percent from the foul line. Among all-time NBA leaders, he ranks first in three-point field goals made (2,718), first in three-point field goals attempts (6,788), fifth in free throw percentage, 18th in minutes played (42,373), 22nd in field goal attempts (17,761), 24th in points (22,941) and 32nd in field goals made (8,035). Last season, Allen appeared in 46 games (42 starts) with Boston and averaged 14.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.07 steals and 34.0 minutes while shooting 45.8 percent from the field, 45.3 percent from three-point range and 91.5 percent from the foul line while helping the Celtics capture the Atlantic Division title.

A 10-time NBA All-Star, Allen has appeared in 128 postseason games (120 starts) averaging 18.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.08 steals and 38.8 minutes while shooting 44.7 percent from the field, 40.2 percent from three-point range and 88.2 percent from the foul line. During the 2012 NBA Playoffs, he helped lead Boston to the Eastern Conference Finals while appearing in 18 games (10 starts) and averaged 10.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 34.2 minutes while shooting 39.5 percent from the field, 30.4 percent from three-point range and 71.1 percent from the foul line.

In addition to his many contributions on the court, the former 2008 NBA Champion was honored with the NBA Community Award in February of 2011 and was named The Sporting News “Good Guy” in 2000, 2001 and 2005. He initiated the “Ray of Hope” Foundation that currently assists charities in several communities and served as NBA Spokesperson for the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA youth basketball support program.

Allen was originally drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round (5th overall) of the 1996 NBA Draft.

Lewis, a 14-year NBA veteran, has appeared in 934 regular season games (827 starts) averaging 16.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.11 steals and 34.0 minutes while shooting 45.4 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from three-point range and 80.8 percent from the foul line. Among Seattle/Oklahoma City all-time franchise leaders, he ranks first in three-point field goals made (973), second in three-point field goals attempted (2,519), fourth in points (10,251), fourth in defensive rebounds (2,576), fourth in minutes played (20,921), fifth in field goals made (3,762), fifth in field goals attempted (8,162), sixth in games played (617), seventh in total rebounds (3,595), seventh in offensive rebounds (1,019), eighth in steals (708), eighth in three-point field goal percentage (.387), ninth in blocks (362) and 10th in free throws made (1,754). Last season, Lewis appeared in 28 games (15 starts) with Washington and averaged 7.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 26.0 minutes while shooting 38.5 percent from the field and 83.8 percent from the foul line.

Lewis, a two-time NBA All-Star, has appeared in 64 postseason games (63 starts) averaging 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 38.5 minutes while shooting 43.9 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three-point range and 82.1 percent from the foul line. During the 2009 NBA Playoffs, he helped Orlando advance to the NBA Finals and scored a playoff career-high 34 points in Game Two on June 7 at the Los Angeles Lakers while also dishing out a postseason career-best seven assists. Additionally, earlier in that postseason he hit a game-winning three-point basket with only 14.7 seconds remaining in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals at Cleveland on May 20 to help Orlando capture the 107-106 victory.

Lewis was originally drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round (32nd overall) of the 1998 NBA Draft.

Rockets trade Kyle Lowry to Raptors

The Toronto Raptors announced Wednesday they have acquired point guard Kyle Lowry from the Houston Rockets for forward Gary Forbes and a protected future first-round draft choice.

The 26-year-old Lowry averaged career bests of 14.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals during the 2011-12 season. He also contributed team highs of 6.6 assists and 32.1 minutes in 47 games (38 starts). As a starter, he upped his averages to 15.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 35.5 minutes.

Lowry scored 20-plus points 11 times last season, including two 30-point outings. He had 10 or more assists five times, with at least eight assists in 18 contests. Lowry led the Rockets in assists 33 times and paced the club in scoring on 12 occasions. He had a season-best 32 points versus Utah on February 19, a career high-tying 18 assists versus Atlanta on December 31 and a career high-tying 11 rebounds January 10 at Charlotte. He recorded his second career triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists at Minnesota on January 23.

Lowry, 6-foot, 205 pounds, was a first-round draft choice (24th overall) by Memphis in 2006. He was dealt by the Grizzlies to the Rockets on February 19, 2009. A native of Philadelphia, Lowry played two collegiate seasons at Philadelphia’s Villanova University before declaring for the NBA Draft.

The six-year NBA veteran owns career averages of 10.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.14 steals and 26.9 minutes in 359 games. He has appeared in 13 postseason contests, averaging 5.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 19.5 minutes.

Forbes (6-7, 220, Massachusetts) has averaged 5.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 111 career NBA games (13 starts) with Denver and Toronto. In 2011-12 with the Raptors, Forbes averaged 6.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 14.9 minutes in 48 games. He made two starts with Toronto, posting his first career double-double with 12 points (6-16 FG) and a career-high 13 rebounds at Chicago (3/24/12). The native of Colon, Panama, then started a second consecutive game and poured in 21 points (7-14 FG, 4-7 3FG) vs. Orlando (3/26/12). Forbes appeared in 63 outings (11 starts) as a rookie with the Nuggets in 2010-11, averaging 5.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game. Prior to the NBA, Forbes saw action in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), the Venezuela-LPB, Italy-SerieA and the Israel Premier League. He was also the fourth overall pick by the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the 2008 NBA D-League Draft. Forbes averaged 17.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 52 total games (33 starts) with the Skyforce (22 games) and Tulsa 66ers (30 games) in 2008-09.

OKC Thunder sign center Hasheem Thabeet

The Oklahoma City Thunder signed center Hasheem Thabeet to a contract, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. We’ll post contract details on this page later today.

Thabeet (7-3, 263), the second overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, has appeared in 135 games (16 starts) with Memphis, Houston and Portland, averaging 2.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to welcome Hasheem to our organization,” said Presti. “We look forward to him continuing his development as a young player as a member of the Thunder.”

The center played three seasons at Connecticut, averaging 10.3 points on .611 shooting from the floor, 8.5 rebounds and 4.2 blocks in 100 games (99 starts). He was a two-time winner of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) National Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2008 and 2009.

Magic trade Ryan Anderson to Hornets for Gustavo Ayon

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have acquired forward Ryan Anderson from the Orlando Magic in exchange for forward/center Gustavo Ayon.

“We are very excited to add a player of Ryan’s caliber to the Hornets Organization and the New Orleans Community,” Hornets General Manager Dell Demps said. “Ryan is a high character person, a good teammate and a player we believe will make the Hornets a better team.”

Anderson (6-10, 240), was drafted with the 21st overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets, averaged career-highs of 16.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and shot 39 percent from three-point range in 61 games last season (all starts) en route to being named the NBA’s Comeback Player of the Year. Anderson made at least seven three-pointers in a game four times last season and made at least five in a game 11 times. He was just the second power forward in NBA history to lead the league in three-pointers made. The University of California product scored at least 20 points in a game 11 times last season, including a career-best 30 points at New York on Jan. 16. He collected 10 or more rebounds 16 times including a career-high 20 on Jan. 30 against Philadelphia. Anderson has played four seasons in the NBA with the Magic and the Nets, his career averages are 10.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in 254 career games (111 starts).

Ayón (6’10”, 245, 4/1/85) played in 54 games last season with the Hornets, averaging 5.9 ppg., 4.9 rpg. and 1.4 apg. in 20.1 minpg., while shooting a team-high .536 (140-261) from the field during his rookie campaign. He started in 24 games, averaging 8.3 ppg., 6.4 rpg., 2.0 apg., 1.38 stlpg. and 1.08 blkpg. in 28.5 minpg. during that span. Ayón ranked in the top ten among all NBA rookies in field goal percentage (second), rebounding (fifth), blocked shots (fifth, 0.85 blkpg.) and steals (seventh, 0.98 stlpg.).

Ayón led (or tied) the Hornets in rebounding nine times and in assists twice last season. He scored in double figures 11 times, including a career-high 16 points twice, the last time on Mar. 15 vs. Washington. Ayón also pulled down 10+ rebounds five times and recorded two double-doubles. He tallied a career-high 17 rebounds on Feb. 22 @ Cleveland.

Originally signed as a free agent by New Orleans on Dec. 21, 2011, Ayón is the third Mexican-born player in NBA history (Horacio Llamas, Eduardo Najera). Prior to joining the Hornets, he played two seasons (2009-11) in Spain with Fuenlabrada of the ACB League, Spain’s top division, which is widely regarded as the best domestic league outside of the NBA. Ayón was named the 2010-11 ACB “Best Newcomer” after averaging 10.8 ppg. and 6.3 rpg. in 22.6 minpg. He also played professionally in Mexico for three seasons (2006-09) with Halcones de Xalapa, leading them to back-to-back championships in 2007-08 and 2008-09. Ayón was a member of the Mexican National Team in 2009.

Brooklyn Nets re-sign Gerald Wallace

The Brooklyn Nets have re-signed forward Gerald Wallace, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today. We’ll post contract info on this page later today.

“Re-signing Gerald was a top priority this offseason, and we are very pleased that he will continue to be a Net,” said King. “He is a proven veteran who is a leader both on and off the court, and his style of play is critical to the team’s success.”

Wallace rejoins the Nets after appearing in 16 games, all starts, with the team during the 2011-12 season. As a Net, he averaged 15.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 35.8 minutes, while shooting .416 (84-202) from the field, .385 (20-52) from downtown and .859 (55-64) from the line. Prior to his mid-season acquisition by the Nets, Wallace appeared in 42 games with Portland averaging 13.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals in 35.8 minutes. As a Trail Blazer, he shot .472 (203-430) from the field, .265 (26-98) from behind the arc and .776 (125-161) from the line.

The 11-year NBA veteran and former first round pick, 25th overall by Sacramento in 2001, has appeared in 673 career games, including 527 starts, with the Kings, Bobcats, Trail Blazers and Nets. The 2010 NBA All-Star holds career averages of 13.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals in 31.1 minutes, shooting .473 (3,204-6,770) from the field, .318 (341-1,073) from behind the arc and .723 (2,320-3,211) from the line.

Denver Nuggets re-sign Andre Miller

The Denver Nuggets have re-signed free-agent point guard Andre Miller to a multiyear contract, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri announced today. We’ll update this page with contract info later today.

Miller, 6-2, 200, averaged 9.7 points and a team-leading 6.7 assists in 27.4 minutes for the Nuggets last season. Acquired as part of a three-team trade on June 23, 2011, he led the team in assists 17 times and recorded eight double-doubles.

“Andre was great for our team and our young guys last season,” Ujiri said. “Our players and coaches were excited when they heard he was coming back. He provides leadership and consistency and he really fits perfectly in our system. We’re very happy to keep him in Denver.”

Miller, 36, also continued to be a model of durability, playing in every game for the ninth time in his 13 NBA seasons. He separated his right shoulder on March 19 but went on to play the final 20 games of the regular season and the playoffs.

On Feb. 2, Miller appeared in his 1,000th career game. Remarkably, he accomplished the feat while missing only four games due to injury.

Originally drafted eighth overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1997, Miller has established himself as one of the most consistent point guards in NBA history while playing for Cleveland, Denver, Philadelphia, Portland and the Los Angeles Clippers.

He led the NBA in assists(10.9) in 2001-02 and has averaged at least six assists in 11 of his 13 seasons. On April 9, Miller passed Maurice Cheeks for 10th place on the NBA career assist list.

Miller also ranks third on Denver’s career assist chart. He spent three-plus seasons with the Nuggets after signing with the team as a free agent in 2003.

For his career, Miller has averaged 14.1 point, 7.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds.

Suns sign-and-trade Steve Nash to Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired two-time MVP Steve Nash from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for first round draft picks in 2013 and 2015 as well as second round draft picks in 2013 and 2014, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

According to multiple reports, Nash landed a three-year contract worth around $27 million.

Nash, who earned NBA Most Valuable Player honors in back-to-back seasons with the Suns (2005 and 2006), is an eight-time NBA All-Star and six-time All-NBA Team selection (First Team 2005-07, Second Team 2008, Third Team 2002-03). The second best free throw shooter in NBA history (.9035) behind Mark Price (.9039) and eighth most accurate three-point shooter of all-time (.428), the 6’3” guard currently ranks fifth on the NBA’s all-time assists list (9,916).

Last season, Nash averaged 12.5 points on .532 shooting from the field while handing out 10.7 assists in 31.6 minutes. Leading all guards in double-doubles (28), Nash also ranked among league leaders in assists (2nd), field goal percentage (10th), 3-point field goal percentage (31st) and free-throw percentage (4th).

The recipient of the 2007 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, Nash is the only player in NBA history to shoot at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 90 percent from the free-throw line in four different seasons after doing so in 2005-06, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 (only Nash and Larry Bird have done so at least twice).

Originally selected by the Phoenix Suns in the first round (15th overall) of the 1996 NBA Draft two picks after the Charlotte Hornets’ selection of new teammate Kobe Bryant, Nash, a 16-year NBA veteran, has career averages of 14.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 8.6 assists in 31.4 minutes.