Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Toronto Raptors sign Christian Koloko

The Toronto Raptors have signed center Christian Koloko to a multi-year contract.

Koloko, 7-foot-1, 230 pounds, was picked 33rd overall by the Raptors in the 2022 NBA Draft. He started in all five games at the NBA 2022 2K23 Summer League averaging 7.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, a team-high 2.2 blocks, 1.8 steals and 22.0 minutes.

During three seasons at the University of Arizona, he averaged 7.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 17.9 minutes in 91 career games (56 starts) with the Wildcats. He shot 59 percent (262-439) from the field and left Arizona ranked fifth in school history with 162 career blocks.

As a junior last season, Koloko posted averages of 12.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.8 blocks (led the Pac-12) and 25.4 minutes in 37 games (all starts). He shot .635 (193-288) from the floor, scored 20+ points six times and recorded 10 double-doubles. Koloko was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player and was an All-Pac-12 First Team selection. He became the first player in conference history to be named Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player in the same season. Koloko also tied Arizona’s single-season record with 102 total blocks.

A native of Douala, Cameroon, the same hometown as Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, Koloko participated in the 2017 Basketball Without Borders Africa and the 2018 Basketball Without Borders Global Camp.

San Antonio Spurs sign Tommy Kuhse

The San Antonio Spurs have signed guard Tommy Kuhse.

Kuhse, 6-2/185, recently completed his collegiate career at St. Mary’s, where he spent five seasons. In his final year with the Gaels, Kuhse earned All-WCC First Team honors and was named the WCC Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 12.2 points, 3.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 30.0 minutes per game while shooting 49.4% from the floor and 45.0% from three-point range. A native of Mesa, Arizona, Kuhse is the Gaels all-time leader in games played, ranks fifth all time in assists (477) and ninth in steals (118). In 149 career games, Kuhse averaged 7.6 points, 3.2 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per game.

Playing with the Orlando Magic at the 2022 Las Vegas Summer League, in three games Kuhse averaged 17.3 points, 3.3 assists, 3.00 steals and 2.0 rebounds in 23.2 minutes.

San Antonio Spurs sign Alize Johnson

The San Antonio Spurs have signed forward Alize Johnson.

Johnson, 6-7/210, appeared in 23 games with Chicago, Washington and New Orleans last year, averaging 1.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 7.3 minutes. The 26-year-old also played two seasons with the Indiana Pacers before stints with the Nets, Bulls, Wizards, and Pelicans. He holds career averages 2.5 points, 3.0 rebounds in 7.5 minutes across 72 games.

Originally drafted by Indiana with the 50th overall selection in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft, Johnson has spent time in the G League with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and Raptors 905, averaging 18.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.14 steals in 35.6 minutes in 65 games. Prior to the NBA, the forward played two seasons at Missouri State University, where he averaged 14.9 points and 11.1 rebounds and was named to the All-MVC First Team, after beginning his college career at NJCAA institution Frank Phillips College.

Jazz trade Patrick Beverley to Lakers for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson

The Los Angeles Lakers yesterday acquired guard Patrick Beverley in a trade with the Utah Jazz for guard Talen Horton-Tucker and forward Stanley Johnson, it was announced by Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka.

“We are thrilled to add Patrick Beverley’s toughness and competitive spirit to our team,” Pelinka said. “We’re confident that Patrick’s ‘3-and-D’ style will fit in nicely with the other pieces of our roster and align perfectly with Coach Ham’s philosophy of hard work and smart play.”

Beverley (6’1”, 180) averaged 9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 58 games (54 starts) for the Minnesota Timberwolves last season. In 526 career NBA games (438 starts) across 10 seasons with Minnesota (2021-22), LA Clippers (2017-21) and Houston (2012-17), he has averaged 8.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 27.4 minutes per game, shooting 37.8 percent from 3-point range.

Across 65 career playoff games (54 starts) with the Timberwolves, Clippers and Rockets, Beverley has averaged 8.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 26.7 minutes per game, while shooting 36.1 percent from beyond the arc. The Chicago native received All-Defensive First Team honors in 2017 and Second Team honors in 2014 and 2020.

Horton-Tucker (6-4, 233, Iowa State) is entering his fourth NBA season and in 2021-22 with the Lakers, averaged 10.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steals in 60 games (19 starts). Originally drafted in the second round (46th overall pick) in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Chicago native has spent his entire professional career with the Lakers, appearing in 131 games (34 starts), owning career averages of 9.3 points, 2.8 boards, 2.6 assists, and 1.0 steals in 22.1 minutes per contest.

Johnson (6-6, 242, Arizona) has seven years of NBA experience with the Pistons, Pelicans, Raptors, and Lakers, appearing in 419 career contests (104 starts), averaging 6.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 20.1 minutes per game. Originally drafted with the eighth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Pistons, the Fullerton, Calif., native saw action in 48 games (27 starts) in 2021-22, averaging 6.7 points on 46.6 percent from the field, 3.2 boards, and 1.7 assists.

Horton-Tucker will wear no. 0, and Johnson will wear no. 2 for the Jazz.

Atlanta Hawks sign Chris Silva

The Atlanta Hawks have signed forward Chris Silva.

Silva has appeared in 69 regular season games over three seasons with Miami, Sacramento and Minnesota, and has logged NBA G League time with Sioux Falls and Iowa. He has NBA career averages of 2.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 7.7 minutes (.606 FG%, .707 FT%). In 10 games last season (nine with Miami, one with Minnesota), the 6-8 forward put in 2.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 9.1 minutes (.533 FG%, .833 FT%).

A native of Gabon, Silva played four seasons at University of South Carolina, where he averaged 11.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in 21.7 minutes, appearing in 134 games (108 starts). In 2018, he was named First Team All-Southeastern Conference, was the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Defensive. In 2017, he helped the Gamecocks advance to the Final Four for the first time in school history.

Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren suffers foot injury, will miss 2022-23 NBA season

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced today that forward Chet Holmgren has sustained a Lisfranc injury in his right foot. Holmgren will miss the 2022-23 season. Further updates will be provided when appropriate.

STATEMENT FROM THUNDER EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER SAM PRESTI:

“Certainly, we are disappointed for Chet, especially given the excitement he had about getting on the floor with his teammates this season. We know Chet has a long career ahead of him within our organization and the Oklahoma City community. One of the things that most impressed us during the process of selecting Chet was his determination and focus. We expect that same tenacity will carry him through this period of time as we work together and support him during his rehabilitation.”

Spurs re-sign Joe Wieskamp

The San Antonio Spurs have re-signed guard Joe Wieskamp.

Wieskamp’s Spurs contract is reportedly a two-year, $4.4 million deal.

Wieskamp played in 30 games for the Spurs last year in his rookie season, averaging 2.0 points in 6.8 minutes with San Antonio. As a two-way player, Wieskamp also appeared in 28 games for the Austin Spurs, where he averaged 15.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.11 steals in 32.4 minutes in the NBA G League.

Originally drafted by San Antonio with the 41st overall selection in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft, Wieskamp played three years at the University of Iowa. He was named Second Team All-Big 10 and was one of five finalists for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award in his junior season in 2020-21. Prior to joining the Hawkeyes, he graduated as the state of Iowa’s all-time high school leading scorer.

Timberwolves sign CJ Elleby and Luka Garza

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed forwards CJ Elleby and Luka Garza.

Elleby, 6-6, spent last season with the Portland Trail Blazers where he averaged 5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in 58 games (28 starts, including starting 28 of the Trail Blazers’ final 30 games). In two seasons with Portland, he accumulated 407 points and 259 rebounds.

The Federal Way, Wash. native spent two seasons at Washington State, ending his college career with averages of 16.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. His 16.6 points per game rank as the fifth-best scoring average in school history. Elleby was named to the 2019-20 All-Pac-12 First Team and the 2018-19 Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.

Elleby was originally selected by the Trail Blazers with the 46th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Garza, 6-11, spent last season with the Detroit Pistons where he averaged 5.8 points on 44.9% shooting and 3.1 rebounds per game in 32 games (five starts). He played in 16 games (all starts) last season for the Pistons’ G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise and averaged 20.6 points on 51.8% shooting and 9.5 rebounds per game.

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 Pistons with the 52nd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Atlanta Hawks sign Tyson Etienne

The Atlanta Hawks signed guard Tyson Etienne.

Etienne was most recently part of the Hawks’ Summer League team, where he averaged 10.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 16.7 minutes over five games in Las Vegas.

In three collegiate seasons at Wichita State, the 6-2 guard saw action in 80 games (65 starts), tallying 13.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals in 30.4 minutes. He became the school’s 48th 1,000-point scorer on 2/27/22 at Memphis. Etienne buried his 200th career three-pointer on 3/10/22, becoming the fourth Shocker to reach that milestone. Last season, he scored in double figures 22 times, including his final 11 contests.

The American Conference Player of the Year in 2021, Etienne was voted Third Team All-Conference in the American last season and was also named to the NABC Second Team All-District. Prior to Wichita State, he spent a post-graduate year at Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut, leading the club to a 38-2 mark and a No. 2 national ranking.

2022-23 LA Clippers preseason game schedule

The LA Clippers have announced their four-game 2022 preseason schedule, beginning with two games at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash. The Clippers will play their remaining preseason schedule at Crypto.com Arena (Oct. 9), and the team’s fourth and final game will take place at Toyota Arena (Ontario, Calif.), home of the Ontario Clippers.

The Clippers will take on Maccabi Ra’anana of the Israeli National League at Climate Pledge Arena on Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. PT, followed by a matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers on Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. PT.

The Clippers will return to Los Angeles on Oct. 9 to face the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7:30 p.m. PT and wrap up their preseason schedule with a game against the Denver Nuggets at Toyota Arena in Ontario, Calif., on Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m. PT.