Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac undergoes season-ending surgery

Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac underwent surgery on Friday morning to repair a torn left adductor muscle and will miss the remainder of the 2022-23 regular season.

An MRI conducted Wednesday revealed the injury, after he felt discomfort following Tuesday’s practice in Milwaukee.

“Our thoughts are with Jonathan, whose fortitude in dealing with adversity is unique,” said Orlando Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman. “Jonathan has worked extremely hard to return to the court this season and has demonstrated his impact on our team. We will be by his side as he focuses on the work ahead.”

Isaac (6’10”, 230, 10/3/97) played in 11 games this season, averaging 5.0 ppg., 4.0 rpg. and 1.27 stlpg. in 11.3 minpg.

Originally selected in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2017 NBA Draft by Orlando, Isaac has appeared in 147 career NBA regular season games (106 starts), all with the Magic, averaging 9.0 ppg., 5.3 rpg., 1.0 apg., 1.43 blkpg. and 1.08 stlpg. in 24.7 minpg. He has also played and started in five career playoff outings, averaging 6.6 ppg., 6.2 rpg. and 1.00 blkpg. in 27.3 minpg.

Thunder sign Jared Butler to two-way contract

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard Jared Butler to a two-way contract.

Butler (6-3, 195) has spent this season with the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League, seeing time in 41 games (40 starts) and averaging 18.0 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.00 steal in 30.1 minutes per game. Selected 40th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, he spent the 2021-22 season with the Utah Jazz, appearing in 42 games (one start) and averaging 3.8 points, 1.5 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game.

The Baylor alumnus earned consensus First Team All-American honors in 2021 and was named the 2021 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player, as he led the Bears to their first national championship. He was a two-time First Team All-Big 12 selection and was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team in 2021.

Wizards sign Jamaree Bouyea to 10-day contract

The Washington Wizards have signed guard Jamaree Bouyea to a 10-day contract.

Bouyea, a 6-2, 180-pound rookie from the University of San Francisco, recently completed a 10-day contract with the Miami Heat where he averaged 3.8 points in four games. After completing Summer League and training camp with Miami, Bouyea joined the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League, where he has played in 34 games (32 starts), averaging 17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Bouyea recorded Sioux Falls’ lone triple-double of the season on November 26 at Wisconsin, tallying 27 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.

A native of Salinas, California, Bouyea went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft. He left San Francisco as the Dons’ all-time leader in wins (98) and games played (160), while finishing fifth in total points with 1,718.

Cavaliers sign Sam Merrill to 10-day contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Sam Merrill to a 10-day contract, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Merrill (6-4, 197) has appeared in 35 games (34 starts) this season for the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League affiliate, averaging 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 33.7 minutes. He scored a season-high 32 points, including a Charge franchise record 10-14 (.714) shooting from the three-point line on February 22 against the Greensboro Swarm.

In 36 career NBA games (two starts) with Milwaukee and Memphis, Merrill has connected on 28-70 (.400) from the three-point arc. During the 2020-21 season, he ended his rookie season as a NBA Champion with the Bucks, where he was teammates with current Cavaliers Two-Way player Mamadi Diakite. Merrill also appeared in five games with the Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies G-League affiliate) with averages of 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 28.9 minutes.

Merrill was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans as the 60th overall pick in the 2020 draft after a four-year collegiate career at Utah State University. He was a two-time All-Mountain West First Team selection (2019 & 2020) and named Mountain West Player of the Year in 2019.

Pistons sign Eugene Omoruyi to 10-day contract

The Detroit Pistons have signed forward Eugene Omoruyi to a 10-day contract.

Omoruyi, 6-7, 244, averaged 4.9 points (47% FG), 2.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.6 steals in 11.8 minutes over 23 games (two starts) with Oklahoma City this season. He also appeared in 13 games (11 starts) with the Oklahoma City Blue, the NBA G League affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder, averaging 17.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 26.8 minutes per game.

A native of Orangeville, Ontario, Omoruyi holds career NBA clips of 4.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.5 steals in 27 games (two starts) over two NBA seasons with Dallas and Oklahoma City. Omoruyi began his collegiate career at Rutgers University where he played three seasons. He played his final season at the University of Oregon where he was named All-Pac-12 Frist Team and helped the Ducks to the 2021 NCAA Sweet 16. In 121 career games, he averaged 9.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 22.8 minutes per game.

Omoruyi will wear #97 for the Pistons.

Wizards sign Jay Huff to two-way contract

The Washington Wizards have signed forward/center Jay Huff to a two-way contract.

Huff (7-1, 240 pounds) played in four career NBA games while on a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2021-22 season. He has appeared in 47 games with the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League over the last two years, averaging 15.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting .638 from the field. Huff currently leads the NBA G League with 3.4 blocks per game this season and has tallied nine double doubles on .622 shooting from the field and .380 shooting from three.

Huff went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft before joining the Wizards for Las Vegas Summer League, training camp and preseason. He then joined the Lakers on a two-way contract before signing into the NBA G League with South Bay in January 2022. The Durham, North Carolina native played four seasons at the University of Virginia, where he finished second on the school’s all-time blocks list with 166.

Warriors sign Lester Quinones to 10-day contract

The Golden State Warriors have signed guard Lester Quinones to a 10-day contract.

Quinones, 22, owns averages of 20.7 points on 44.7 percent shooting from the field, 7.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 32.6 minutes per game over 21 games (all starts) with Golden State’s G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, this season. The guard was named the NBA G League Player of the Week for games played from February 13 to February 26. Undrafted out of Memphis, Quinones appeared in two preseason games for Golden State, averaging 5.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 10.0 minutes per game.

Hornets guard LaMelo Ball undergoes season-ending ankle surgery

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has undergone surgery to address a fracture in his right ankle.

The injury was sustained in the third quarter of Charlotte’s win vs. Detroit on Monday.

Ball, who the team expects will make a full recovery, will miss the remainder of the season and further updates regarding his status will be provided as appropriate.

Ball, the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, has appeared in 162 games (142 starts) in his three-year career, averaging 19.4 points (42.6 FG%, 37.7 3P%, 82.8 FT%), 6.4 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.5 steals in 31.8 minutes per game. He earned the first All-Star nod of his career in 2021-22, becoming the fourth-youngest All-Star in NBA history. Ball was named the NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals in 2020-21.

A native of Chino Hills, Calif., Ball appeared in 36 games this season, posting 23.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals in 35.2 minutes per contest.

Bucks waive Sandro Mamukelashvili

The Milwaukee Bucks have requested waivers on Two-Way forward Sandro Mamukelashvili.

Mamukelashvili appeared in 65 games with the Bucks over the last two seasons while on a Two-Way contract and averaged 3.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per game. Originally selected with the 54th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Mamukelashvili also played in 30 games (23 starts) with the Wisconsin Herd over the past two seasons where he averaged 20.5 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

Milwaukee’s roster is now at 15 players.