NBA News Blog – Page 162 – NBA Blog

Timberwolves sign Austin Rivers

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed guard Austin Rivers.

Rivers, 6-4, spent last season with the Denver Nuggets where he averaged 6.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in 67 games (18 starts). He registered his best season in 2017-18 with the LA Clippers, where he saw action in 61 games (a career-high 59 starts) and averaged a career-high 15.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and a career-best 4.0 assists. In 10 seasons in the NBA with the New Orleans Pelicans organization, Clippers, Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks and Nuggets, Rivers has tallied 5,741 points, 1,359 rebounds and 1,438 assists throughout 655 games (174 starts).

The Santa Monica, Calif. native, has seen action in 60 postseason matchups (15 starts) during seven trips to the NBA playoffs, including four straight seasons. He holds playoff career averages of 7.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 22.1 minutes per game. Rivers was originally selected by the New Orleans Hornets with the 10th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Injury update on Trail Blazers rookie Shaedon Sharpe

Portland Trail Blazers rookie guard Shaedon Sharpe underwent further evaluation of a small labral tear in his left shoulder, and it has been determined that surgery will not be required, the team announced today.

Sharpe will continue rehabilitation and is expected to be available for Fall training camp.

The injury occurred during Portland’s Summer League game against Detroit on Thursday, July 7.

Oklahoma City Thunder sign Kenrich Williams to contract extension

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard/forward Kenrich Williams to a multi-year contract extension.

The extension is reportedly for four years, $27.2 million.

During the 2021-22 season, Williams saw time in 49 games and averaged 7.4 points on 46.1 percent shooting, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 21.9 minutes per game. The TCU product led all Thunder reserves with 108 total assists last season and scored in double figures in 14 games, third most among Thunder reserves.

Per the Oklahoman, “aside from Williams’ on-court value, he’s perhaps the most respected player in the Thunder’s locker room. His leadership and work ethic has been compared to Nick Collison — a Thunder lifer whose jersey hangs in the rafters at Paycom Center.”

In four NBA seasons with Oklahoma City and New Orleans, Williams has appeared in 200 games (60 starts) and averaged 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 22.0 minutes per game.

Atlanta Hawks hire Kyle Korver as director of player affairs and development

The Atlanta Hawks have hired Kyle Korver as the organization’s director of player affairs & development.

In this newly-formed position, Korver will assist in creating and overseeing a development plan for each Hawks player in partnership with the coaches, athletic performance team and front office.

“We are excited to bring Kyle back to the Hawks,” said Hawks General Manager Landry Fields. “He is a tremendous person and someone whose presence will benefit all of our players, both on and off the court, drawing from his unique experiences over his 17-year playing career, as a late-second round pick who later became an All-Star in Atlanta and one of the league’s all-time best shooters.”

Korver, who spent the 2021-22 season as a player development assistant with the Brooklyn Nets, returns to the Hawks, where he played in 332 regular season games over four-and-a-half seasons (2012-17), including an All-Star appearance in 2015. He was also the NBA’s Sportsmanship Award recipient in 2014-15.

Korver appeared in 1,232 career regular season games (and 145 playoff contests) in 17 seasons with Philadelphia, Utah, Chicago, Atlanta, Cleveland and Milwaukee. He ranks fifth in NBA history in three-pointers made (2,450) and seventh in career three-point percentage (.429), including the best single-season mark in league history (.536 in 2009-10 with the Jazz). Korver is the only player to ever lead the league in three-point percentage four times.

Selected 51st overall in the 2003 NBA Draft, Korver was the two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year as a collegian at Creighton. Korver, 41, was born in Paramount, Calif. before his family relocated to Pella, Iowa.

Nuggets sign Jack White to two-way contract

The Denver Nuggets have signed forward Jack White to a two-way contract, General Manager Calvin Booth announced today.

White, 6-7, 222, appeared in five games (one start) for the Nuggets 2022 Las Vegas Summer League entry, averaging 7.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks om 69.6% shooting in 17.1 minutes per game.

The Canberra, Australia native went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft after spending four years at Duke University where he appeared in 103 games (10 starts) and averaged 2.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per game.

The 24-year-old has also played three seasons professionally in the Australian NBL league, appearing in two games for Cairns in 2015-16 and playing for the Melbourne United from 2020-22 following his time at Duke.

Most recently White appeared in 26 games (23 starts) for Melbourne, averaging 9.4 points and 6.9 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per game.

White will wear #41 for the Nuggets.

OKC Thunder sign rookie Jaylin Williams

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed rookie forward Jaylin Williams, it was announced today by Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Williams was selected 34th overall in this year’s draft after spending two seasons at the University of Arkansas. In his sophomore season, he appeared in 37 games (35 starts) and averaged 10.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.29 steals in 31.6 minutes per game en route to being named to the 2021-22 SEC All-Defensive Team and the All-SEC First Team by coaches.

Raptors sign Jeff Dowtin Jr. to two-way contract

The Toronto Raptors have signed guard Jeff Dowtin Jr. to a two-way contract.

Dowtin, 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, joined the Raptors for the NBA 2K23 Summer League where he averaged 16.0 points, 4.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 28.1 minutes in four games (all starts). He shot .571 (24-42) from the field, including .364 (4-11) from three-point range.

A native of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Dowtin played in nine NBA games last season for Golden State, Milwaukee and Orlando, averaging 2.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He appeared in 37 regular season games over two years in the NBA G League for the Lakeland Magic and Wisconsin Herd, averaging 15.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 27.8 minutes played. He helped the Lakeland Magic win the 2021 NBA G League Championship.

Prior to going undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft, Dowtin spent his entire college career at the University of Rhode Island where he averaged 13.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 35.6 minutes starting in all 29 games played in his final season.

Wizards sign Taj Gibson

The Washington Wizards have signed 13-year NBA veteran forward/center Taj Gibson to a contract.

“Taj comes to us as a veteran big who will add toughness, experience and physicality to our team,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “We know he will always be prepared and ready when we need him, giving us valuable depth in our frontcourt.”

It’s reportedly a one-year contract.

Gibson (6-9, 232) holds career averages of 9.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game in 896 games (447 starts) with the Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New York Knicks. Gibson has shot .518 from the field for his career and has shot at least 50 percent from the field in each of the past eight seasons, including a career-best .627 in 2020-21. In 52 games (four starts) with the Knicks last season, Gibson averaged 4.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while shooting .518 from the field.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, the 37-year-old made his NBA debut in 2009 with Chicago and was named to the 2009-10 All-Rookie Team after averaging 9.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in 82 games. Gibson was the 26th overall selection of the 2009 NBA Draft out of USC, where he was the school’s all-time leader in blocks. During his career Gibson has been active in the community, such as co-hosting a rally with NYC to promote Black Lives Matter and gun control efforts in Bedford-Stuyvesant, leading a procession of hundreds of marchers down Fulton Street. He also hosted several host-a-family events and provided school supplies to at-need families in the Chicago area during his tenure with the Bulls.

Sidy Cissoko signs with G League Ignite team

Guard Sidy Cissoko, a standout international prospect from France, has signed with NBA G League Ignite, NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced today. A member of the French U18 National Team, Cissoko becomes the first European-born prospect to join Ignite.

Cissoko played the 2021-22 season with Iraurgi Saski Baloia in the second division of the Spanish Basketball League while on loan from Saski Baskonia, also in Spain. He was selected to play for the World Select Team in the 2022 Nike Hoop Summit, a matchup between top U.S. high school seniors and elite 19-and-under players from around the world. Cissoko recorded three points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in the game, which took place in April in Portland, Ore.

Last August, Cissoko competed with France at the 2021 FIBA U18 European Challengers. He averaged 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.4 steals in five games.

Cissoko will represent France at the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship in Turkey (July 30 to Aug. 7) before joining Ignite in August. He will be part of a roster that includes 2023 NBA Draft prospects Scoot Henderson, a guard who is returning for his second season with Ignite, and Efe Abogidi, an NBA Academy graduate and former Washington State forward.

Sacramento Kings sign Chima Moneke

The Sacramento Kings have signed forward Chima Moneke, according to General Manager Monte McNair.

During the 2021-22 campaign, Moneke competed in 52 games for BAXI Manresa, averaging 14.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 23.5 minutes per game. The 6-6 forward earned Basketball Champions League MVP honors averaging 13.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 22.2 minutes per contest over 15 games, helping his team advance to the Basketball Champions League semifinals.

Moneke, who played collegiately at UC Davis, averaged 16.0 points and 9.5 rebounds in 28.3 minutes per game through 57 games with the Aggies from 2015-18.

Per the Sacramento Bee, “Kings coach Mike Brown coached the Nigerian national team at the Tokyo Olympics last summer. Kings forwards Chimezie Metu and KZ Okpala were part of that team. Moneke didn’t play in the Olympic Games but was part of the preliminary squad that took down Team USA in an exhibition prior to the Olympics.”