Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Spurs trade Josh Richardson to Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has acquired guard Josh Richardson in a trade with the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Devonte’ Graham and four future second round draft picks.

Richardson, 6-6, 190, has appeared in 42 games (six starts) for San Antonio this season, averaging 11.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 23.7 minutes per game while shooting .436 from the field and .357 from deep. Drafted 40th overall by Miami in the 2015 NBA Draft out of the University of Tennessee, the eighth-year NBA veteran has appeared in 480 career games (312 starts) with Miami, Philadelphia, Dallas, Boston, and San Antonio, averaging 12.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 29.2 minutes per game. Richardson has also appeared in 30 career playoff games (nine starts) throughout his career, averaging 7.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 25.2 minutes per contest.

Graham, 6-1, 197, who was originally acquired by the Pelicans from the Charlotte Hornets via trade on August 7, 2021, played in 53 games off the bench this season, averaging 5.3 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. Graham appeared in 129 games (63 starts) for the Pelicans over the last two seasons, averaging 9.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 23.0 minutes per game.

Suns trade Dario Saric to Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder has acquired forward/center Dario Šarić, a 2029 second-round draft pick and cash considerations from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for forward Darius Bazley, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Šarić (6-10, 225) has appeared in 37 games (12 starts) this season for the Suns and averaged 5.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 14.4 minutes per game. In six NBA seasons with Philadelphia, Minnesota and Phoenix, the Croatian native has seen time in 393 games (217 starts) and averaged 11.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 24.2 minutes per game.

Bazley spent four seasons with Oklahoma City, appearing in 221 games (118 starts) and averaging 9.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 24.1 minutes per game. In 36 games (one start) this season, he averaged 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.4 minutes per game.

Multi-team trade sends James Wiseman from Warriors to Pistons

The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired forward Kevin Knox II via the Detroit Pistons and five future second round picks in a trade that sent Gary Payton II to the Golden State Warriors, it was announced today by General Manager Joe Cronin. As part of the trade, Detroit acquired center James Wiseman in a move that sent forward Saddiq Bey to the Atlanta Hawks.

In his fifth season out of Kentucky, Knox has amassed career averages of 7.4 points (37.9% FG, 34.4% 3-PT, 71.1% FT) and 2.9 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per game in 254 games (62 starts) for New York (2018-22), Atlanta (2021-22) and Detroit (2022-23). A former ninth overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft of the New York Knicks, Knox averaged 5.6 points (46.9% FG, 37.1% 3-PT, 78.8 FT%) and 2.6 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game in 42 games (1 start) during the 2022-23 season

Four-team trade sends Kevin Durant from Nets to Suns

The Brooklyn Nets have acquired forwards Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson and draft compensation in a four-team trade with the Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers. Brooklyn acquired Bridges, Johnson, first round draft picks in 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029 and a first round pick swap in 2028 from Phoenix in exchange for forwards Kevin Durant and T.J. Warren. The Nets also acquired second round draft picks in 2028 and 2029 from Milwaukee and the draft rights to guard Juan Pablo Vaulet from Indiana in the deal.

“After thorough evaluation of the best path forward, we believe making this trade now positions the franchise for long-term success,” said Nets General Manager Sean Marks. “Mikal and Cam are elite, ascending, versatile wings, plus the draft capital provides us additional avenues to continue to acquire talent. We remain steadfast in our commitment to building the team Brooklyn deserves. We are excited to welcome Mikal, Cam and their families to Brooklyn and thank Kevin for the moments and memories he delivered our fanbase.”

Magic, Lakers, Nuggets and Clippers complete 4-team trade

The Orlando Magic have acquired guard Patrick Beverley and cash considerations from the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as a future second round draft pick (2024 selection) from the Denver Nuggets, as part of a four-team trade also involving the L.A. Clippers, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today. Orlando sends center Mo Bamba to the L.A. Lakers as part of the deal.

The Magic are not requiring Patrick Beverley to report.

Other details of the trade are as follows: Denver acquires Thomas Bryant from the L.A. Lakers, the L.A. Clippers acquire Bones Hyland from Denver, and the L.A. Lakers acquire Bamba from Orlando, Davon Reed from Denver, as well as two future second round draft picks (2024 and 2025 selections) from the L.A. Clippers.

Bamba (7’0”, 230, 5/12/98) has played in 40 games (six starts) this season with Orlando, averaging 7.3 ppg., 4.6 rpg. and 1.1 apg. in 17.0 minpg., while shooting .398 (43-108) from three-point range. He ranks 29th in the NBA in blocked shots (0.95 blkpg.).

Originally selected in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2018 NBA Draft by Orlando, Bamba has played in 266 career NBA regular season games (81 starts), all with the Magic, averaging 7.7 ppg., 5.8 rpg. and 1.37 blkpg. in 18.3 minpg.

Beverley (6’2”, 180, 7/12/88) has played and started in 45 games this season with the L.A. Lakers, averaging 6.4 ppg., 3.1 rpg. and 2.6 apg. in 26.9 minpg. He scored in double figures nine times, including a season-high 18 points on Jan. 25 @ San Antonio.

Originally selected in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft by the L.A. Lakers, Beverley has played in 571 career NBA regular season games (483 starts) with Houston, the L.A. Clippers, Minnesota and the L.A. Lakers, averaging 8.7 ppg., 4.2 rpg., 3.4 apg. and 1.12 stlpg. in 27.4 minpg.

Rockets trade Bruno Fernando and Garrison Mathews to Hawks for Justin Holiday, Frank Kaminsky and draft picks

The Atlanta Hawks acquired center Bruno Fernando and guard Garrison Mathews in a trade with the Houston Rockets for Justin Holiday, Frank Kaminsky and 2024 and 2025 second round draft picks (Oklahoma City’s own).

Fernando has appeared in 31 games (four starts) with the Rockets this season, tallying 4.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 block in 11.7 minutes (.516 FG%, .682 FT%). The center from Luanda, Angola has rejected two-or-more shots in eight games this season, including two four-block outings.

Selected 34th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2019 NBA Draft, Fernando’s rights were traded to Atlanta on July 6, 2019. Over the course of his four-year career, Fernando has suited up for Atlanta (2019-21), Boston (2021-22) and Houston (2021-23). He owns career averages of 3.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 150 games (17 starts). Fernando was the first native of Angola ever drafted into the NBA.

Fernando played two years at Maryland (2017-19), seeing action in 64 games (53 starts), recording 12.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.6 blocks in 26.4 minutes of play (.595 FG%, .763 FT%). He left Maryland ranked second all-time in field goal percentage (.595 FG%), tied eighth in career blocked shots per game (1.6), tied ninth in career double-doubles (25) and 10th in rebounds per game (8.7).

Mathews, a career .366% three-point shooter, has appeared in 45 games for Houston this season, averaging 4.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 13.4 minutes. During the 2021-22 campaign, the 6-5 guard averaged career bests of 10.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist, seeing action in a career-high 65 games, while making a career-high 33 starts.

Undrafted in 2019, Mathews signed a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards on July 3, 2019 and re-signed as a two-way player with Washington on Nov. 21, 2020. He signed a training camp contract with Boston in September 2021 and was claimed off waivers by the Rockets on Oct. 18, 2021 and signed to a two-way contract, which was converted to a standard NBA contract on Dec. 18, 2021. In his four NBA seasons, Mathews has appeared in 192 games (57 starts), notching 6.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in 18.6 minutes of play. He also saw action in three postseason games with the Wizards during the 2021 NBA Playoffs.

The Franklin, Tenn., native spent four seasons at Lipscomb (2015-19) and finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer in the Division I era with 2,478 points.

Holiday was acquired by Atlanta on July 6, 2022, via a trade with the Sacramento Kings. He has appeared in 28 games for the Hawks this season, averaging 4.5 points in 14.7 minutes of action. Kaminsky signed with the club as a free agent on July 12, 2022. In 26 games played this season, Kaminsky is averaging 2.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in 6.8 minutes.

Three-team trade sends D’Angelo Russell to Lakers, Russell Westbrook to Jazz

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired via trade guard D’Angelo Russell from the Minnesota Timberwolves and guard Malik Beasley and forward Jarred Vanderbilt from the Utah Jazz, it was announced today by Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka.

In the trade, the Lakers sent guard Russell Westbrook, forward Juan Toscano-Anderson, center Damian Jones and a protected first-round pick to Utah and a future second-round pick to Minnesota.

“We are thrilled to add D’Angelo, Malik and Jarred to our organization and are confident their talents will boost our ability to finish the season strongly,” said Pelinka. “In this trade, we’ve added switchable wing defending, perimeter shooting and rebounding depth. We welcome D’Angelo back to the Lakers family and look forward to him donning the purple and gold in front of our passionate fan base once again. We certainly want to thank Russell, Juan and Damian for their time here in Los Angeles and wish them and their families nothing but success moving forward.”

Russell (6’4”, 200) has appeared in 54 games (all starts) for Minnesota this season, averaging 17.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 32.9 minutes per game, shooting a career-best 39.1 percent from 3-point range. In 478 career NBA games (414 starts) across eight seasons with the Timberwolves (2019-23), Warriors (2019-20), Nets (2017-19) and Lakers (2015-17), the 2019 NBA All-Star has averaged 17.7 points (.360 3P%), 3.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 29.8 minutes. The 26-year-old has played in 11 career playoff games (all starts) with the Timberwolves (2021-22) and Nets (2018-19), averaging 15.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals in 31.3 minutes per game. Russell was drafted by the Lakers with the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft out of Ohio State and returns to Los Angeles after averaging 14.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 143 games (108 starts) from 2015-17.

Beasley (6’4”, 187) has played 55 games (13 starts) for Utah this season, averaging 13.4 points (.359 3P%), 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 26.8 minutes per game. In 391 career games (100 starts) across seven seasons with the Jazz (2022-23), Timberwolves (2019-22) and Nuggets (2016-20), Beasley has averaged 10.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 21.7 minutes, shooting 38.0 percent from beyond the arc. In 20 career playoff games for the Timberwolves (2021-22) and Nuggets (2018-19), the 26-year-old has averaged 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game. The Florida State alum leads all bench players with 129 3-pointers made this season, and his 169 total triples ranks seventh among all players.

Vanderbilt (6’8”, 214) has appeared in 52 games (41 starts) for Utah this season, averaging 8.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 24.1 minutes per game. In 218 career games (138 starts) across five seasons with the Jazz (2022-23), Timberwolves (2019-22) and Nuggets (2018-20), Vanderbilt has averaged 6.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 20.1 minutes, while shooting 58.0 percent from the field. The 23-year-old has played nine playoff games (six starts) with the Timberwolves (2021-22) and Nuggets (2018-19), averaging 3.7 points and 4.9 rebounds in 14.9 minutes.

In 52 games (three starts) for the Lakers this season, Westbrook averaged 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 28.7 minutes. Toscano-Anderson averaged 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game in 30 contests (seven starts) for the Lakers this season. Jones suited up in 22 games (one start) for the purple and gold in 2022-23, averaging 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 8.0 minutes per contest.

Raptors trade Khem Birch and draft picks to Spurs for Jakob Poeltl

The San Antonio Spurs have completed a trade with the Toronto Raptors, acquiring center Khem Birch, along with a 2024 first round draft pick and second round picks in 2023 and 2025, in exchange for center Jakob Poeltl.

Birch, 6-8/230, is in his sixth NBA season and holds career averages of 5.0 points and 4.4 rebounds while playing 17.1 minutes per game in 282 total appearances. After attending training camp with the Miami Heat in 2014, the Canadian center spent three years playing in the G League, Turkey and Greece. He made his NBA debut in 2017 with the Orlando Magic, where he spent his first three-plus seasons before joining the Raptors in 2021. Birch will wear No. 92 for the Silver and Black.

Poeltl was acquired by the Spurs in a trade with the Raptors on June 18, 2018. In four-plus seasons with the Silver and Black, Poeltl appeared in 326 games, averaging 8.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.40 blocks in 22.9 minutes while shooting .622 (1,267-2,037) from the field. In the last two seasons, Poeltl started all but one of his 114 appearances, averaging 12.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 27.8 minutes. The Austrian owns the Spurs franchise record for single-season field-goal percentage after shooting .645 (187-290) from the floor during the 2018-19 season.

Heat sign Jamaree Bouyea to 10-day contract

The Miami Heat have signed guard Jamaree Bouyea to a 10-day contract.

Bouyea has appeared in 16 games (all starts) with Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, this season averaging 19.0 points, 5.8 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 1.31 steals, 1.00 blocks and 35.1 minutes while shooting 52.2 percent from the field. He leads the team in assists, steals, blocks and field goals made and is second in points, rebounds and free throws made. He also appeared in 16 Showcase Cup games with the Skyforce earlier this season and averaged 15.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.30 steals and 35.5 minutes. Bouyea, who originally signed with the HEAT on July 14, appeared in four preseason games with Miami and averaged 8.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.25 steals and 17.2 minutes.

Bouyea played his entire collegiate career at the University of San Francisco, appearing in 160 games (105 starts), finishing as the school’s all-time leader in games played and wins while finishing third in assists and steals and fifth in points and field goals made. In his final season, he started all 34 games and averaged 17.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.82 steals and 36.2 minutes. He earned All-WCC First Team honors and was named to the NABC All-District First Team. He ranked third in the conference in scoring and led the team in points, assists, steals, field goals made and free throws made. He scored in double-figures in all but five games, including a career-high 36 points in the final game against Murray State in the NCAA Tournament.