Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Grizzlies sign Vince Williams Jr. and Kenneth Lofton Jr. to two-way contracts

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed wing Vince Williams Jr. and forward/center Kenneth Lofton Jr. to two-way contracts.

Williams Jr. (6-6, 205), the No. 47 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, was selected to the 2021-22 All-Atlantic 10 First Team after averaging 14.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.60 steals and 1.07 blocks in 32.5 minutes while shooting 47.7% from the field and 38.7% from 3-point range during his senior year at VCU. The 21-year-old Ohio native averaged at least one steal per game in all four seasons with the Rams.

Lofton Jr. (6-8, 275) was named to the 2021-22 All-Conference USA First Team after averaging 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.15 steals in 27.0 minutes while shooting 53.9% from the field in 33 games during his sophomore year at Louisiana Tech. Unselected in the 2022 NBA Draft, the 19-year-old Texas native led Conference USA in rebounds per game, total rebounds (347), offensive rebounds (108), defensive rebounds (239) and double-doubles (17) last season.

Grizzlies sign rookies Jake LaRavia and David Roddy

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed 2022 first round draft picks, forwards Jake LaRavia and David Roddy, to multi-year contracts.

LaRavia (6-7, 235) was acquired by Memphis with the No. 19 overall pick pursuant to a draft-night trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 20-year-old California native was selected to the 2021-22 All-ACC Second Team after averaging 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.67 steals in 34.1 minutes while shooting 55.9% from the field and 38.4% from 3-point range in 33 games as a junior for Wake Forest.

Roddy (6-5, 255) was acquired by the Grizzlies with the No. 23 overall pick pursuant to a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers that was completed on June 24. The 21-year-old Minnesota native was named the 2021-22 Mountain West Player of the Year after averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.16 steals and 1.06 blocks while shooting a conference-best 57.1% from the field and 43.8% from 3-point range as a junior at Colorado State.

Wizards re-sign Anthony Gill

The Washington Wizards have re-signed forward Anthony Gill, bringing him back for his third season with the team.

“AG provides us with additional frontcourt depth and is the epitome of the type of player we look for in building our team,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “He is a true professional, a leader in the court in the community and is always ready to contribute on the court in a variety of ways when his number is called.”

Gill has appeared in 70 games (four starts) in his two seasons in Washington, averaging 3.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. In his 10.5 minutes per game in 2021-22, Gill shot .569 from the field and .538 from three. He scored a career-high 15 points in a win over Brooklyn on February 10, going 6-7 from the field while adding two rebounds and a steal.

Gill was named the recipient of the inaugural Washington Wizards E.B. Henderson Team Award in April. He received the honor in recognition for his work in the Washington, D.C., community.

The native of Charlotte, NC, played the previous three seasons before signing with Washington with BC Khimki in Russia, compiling overall averages of 10.5 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting .572 from the field and .406 from three-point range. He was undrafted out of the University of Virginia, where he played from 2013-16 after transferring from the University of South Carolina. He finished his career as the Cavaliers’ all-time leader in field goal percentage at .582 and averaged 13.8 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting .580 from the floor as a senior. Gill was named All-ACC Third Team as both a junior and a senior and was named to the All-ACC Tournament Team as a senior.

Lakers sign Troy Brown Jr., Damian Jones and Juan Toscano-Anderson

The Los Angeles Lakers yesterday signed Troy Brown Jr., Damian Jones and Juan Toscano-Anderson.

Brown Jr. appeared in 66 games (seven starts) for Chicago last season, averaging 4.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 16.0 minutes per game, while shooting a career-best 35.3 percent from three-point range. In four seasons with Chicago and Washington, Brown Jr. appeared in 221 games (39 starts) with career averages of 6.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

Jones played 56 games (15 starts) for Sacramento last season, where he averaged 8.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 18.2 minutes, shooting 65.8 percent from the field. Jones returns to Los Angeles after averaging 5.4 points (.941 FG%) and 3.3 rebounds in eight games for the Lakers during the 2020-21 season. In 199 career games (74 starts) for Golden State, Atlanta, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Sacramento, the two-time NBA champion has averaged 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.3 minutes, while shooting 66.5 percent from the field.

Toscano-Anderson appeared in 73 games (six starts) for Golden State last season, averaging 4.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 13.6 minutes. Across three seasons with the Warriors, Toscano-Anderson appeared in 139 games (28 starts) with career averages of 4.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He appeared in 14 playoff games for the Warriors last season, helping the team to the 2022 NBA Championship.

Trail Blazers sign rookie Shaedon Sharpe

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed rookie guard Shaedon Sharpe, it was announced today by General Manager Joe Cronin.

Sharpe, 19, was selected by Portland with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft. He joins the Trail Blazers from the University of Kentucky. A guard out of London, Ontario in Canada, Sharpe (6-6, 200) averaged 24.1 points and 6.0 rebounds during his final season at Dream City Christian Academy in Glendale, Arizona in 2020-21.

In 2019, Sharpe led Canada to a silver medal at the FIBA U16 Americas Championship, posting averages of 13.0 points (68.0% FG, 33.3% 3-PT, 60.0% FT), 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in six games.

Sharpe will make his professional debut for the Trail Blazers at the 2022 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Lakers sign Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cole Swider to two-way contracts

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cole Swider to two-way contracts.

Pippen Jr. appeared in 36 games (all starts) for Vanderbilt last season, averaging 20.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.9 steals in 33.1 minutes. The 2021-22 All-SEC First Team selection led the conference in scoring and was the first SEC player to average 20 points in back-to-back seasons since 1996. Pippen Jr. also led the NCAA in made free throws last season with 224 such shots, a Vanderbilt single-season record. In three seasons as a Commodore, Pippen Jr. averaged 17.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.6 steals in 90 career games.

Swider appeared in 33 games (all starts) for Syracuse last season, averaging 13.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals in 34.5 minutes. He shot over 40 percent from three-point range in each of the last two seasons, hitting at a 41.1 percent mark in 2021-22 (81-197 3FG) and a 40.2 percent mark in 2020-21 (35-87 3FG). Across four years at Syracuse and Villanova, Swider averaged 7.8 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from three-point range.

Sixers sign Trevelin Queen

Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed Trevelin Queen.

Queen spent this past season playing for the Houston Rockets as well as their G League Affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. During his time with the Rockets in 2021-22, the Maryland native appeared in 10 games averaging 4.3 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.

The 2021-22 NBA G League MVP, Queen finished fifth in scoring at 25.3 points per game, while leading the league in steals with an average of 3.2. In 19 games (all starts) with the Vipers, he also averaged 6.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 35.0 minutes per contest. Queen helped Rio Grande Valley capture the 2022 NBA G League title, posting at least 24 points and seven rebounds in three of his four postseason appearances. In addition to being named league MVP, Queen was selected to the All-G League and All-Defensive teams.

Overall, across two G League seasons with the Vipers, Queen has seen action in 34 games (25 starts) and holds career averages of 18.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game.

After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, Queen signed with Houston in November 2020, later joining the team’s G League affiliate after participating in Rockets’ training camp.

Prior to turning pro, Queen played two seasons at New Mexico State where he led the Aggies in scoring in his final season at 13.2 points per game which ranked ninth in the WAC. During his time with the Aggies, Queen was named the 2019 WAC Tournament MVP and was named to the 2020 All-WAC Second Team the following season.

2022-23 Miami Heat preseason home game schedule

The Miami HEAT announced their 2022-23 preseason home schedule today with all three games being played inside FTX Arena. The HEAT will start their preseason action on October 4 vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves (7:30PM) with additional home games on October 10 vs. the Houston Rockets (7:30PM) and October 12 vs. the New Orleans Pelicans (7:30PM).

The preseason home schedule is as follows:

DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME (ET)

Oct. 4 vs. Minnesota FTX Arena 7:30 PM

Oct. 10 vs. Houston FTX Arena 7:30 PM

Oct. 12 vs. New Orleans FTX Arena 7:30 PM

REMINDER: This is just their home schedule. Expect a road game or two to be added to this.

Jazz will reportedly trade Rudy Gobert to Timberwolves

The Utah Jazz look like they’re taking a step forwards rebuilding, while the Minnesota Timberwolves are about to enjoy an incredibly talented combination at the power forward and center spots. Via ESPN.com:

The Utah Jazz agreed to trade center Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blockbuster deal that will pair him with fellow All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Timberwolves will send Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, No. 22 overall pick Walker Kessler and four first-round picks to the Jazz, sources said. Utah will acquire unprotected picks in 2023, 2025 and 2027 and a top-five-protected pick in 2029, sources said, in Danny Ainge’s first franchise-altering deal since taking over as the Jazz’s CEO midseason.

A combo of Gobert and star Karl-Anthony Towns up front makes the Timberwolves a must-watch team going into next season.

Atlanta Hawks promote Landry Fields to General Manager

The Atlanta Hawks today announced a series of promotions and hires within basketball operations, including the promotion of Landry Fields to general manager. He will continue to report to president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk.

Additionally, the Hawks have announced: Dwight Lutz has been elevated to vice president of basketball strategy and analytics, Stephen Giles to director of pro scouting, and Justin Eaddy to basketball operations coordinator/scout, while Rod Higgins has transitioned to senior advisor and Larry Riley to college scout. Also, Grant Liffmann has been hired as a pro personnel scout.

Fields, 34, has served as the Hawks’ assistant general manager for the last two seasons. He joined the organization in 2020 following four seasons as part of the San Antonio Spurs franchise, where he finished his stint as general manager of the Spurs G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, after working three seasons as a college scout. The 39th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Fields played five seasons in the NBA, averaging 6.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 23.6 minutes over 255 career games with the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors. A native of Long Beach, Calif., Fields and his wife Elaine have two sons, JJ and Kai.

Lutz is entering his fifth season with the Hawks. He came to Atlanta following an 18-month stint as a basketball operations analyst for the Minnesota Timberwolves and a four-year stay with the NBA where he served as senior manager of game analytics and strategy. Lutz played four years of basketball while earning a degree in Mathematics from Trinity University (Texas) before receiving a graduate degree in statistics from the University of Florida.

Having re-joined the Hawks in 2019 as a pro personnel scout, Giles also served as an advance scout for the team from 2008-11. He has spent time in scouting with the Warriors, Nuggets, Magic, Knicks and Cavaliers. Giles is also a former college assistant coach, including stints with Marquette, Florida State and Georgia Southern. The Dunn, N.C. native is a graduate of University of North Carolina, and owns a Master’s Degree in Sport Management from Georgia Southern.

Eaddy came to Atlanta as a seasonal assistant in 2020. He was previously at the University of Connecticut as graduate head manager as well as student manager of the men’s basketball team, where he also earned his undergraduate degree in psychology and a Master’s in Sports Management. He is a native of Hartford, Conn.

A longtime NBA player, executive, coach and scout, Higgins, who has been with the Hawks since 2017, played 13 seasons with Chicago, Seattle, San Antonio, New Jersey, Golden State, Sacramento and Cleveland, before retiring in 1994. Higgins was an assistant coach with the Warriors from 1994-2000 before joining the Washington Wizards as assistant general manager. He returned to Golden State as general manager, then spent 2007-14 with the Charlotte Bobcats, finishing as president of basketball operations.

With the Hawks since 2018, Riley is a veteran of nearly 50 years in basketball, including the last 30-plus in the NBA. Riley was the general manager of the Golden State Warriors from 2009 to 2012, later serving as a consultant for the team. He was also an assistant coach and director of scouting for the Warriors, an assistant coach and advance scout for the Dallas Mavericks, director of player personnel for the Vancouver Grizzlies and an assistant coach and scout for the Milwaukee Bucks. Riley is the former head coach at Eastern New Mexico and Chadron State (Neb.).

Liffmann comes to the Hawks organization after having served as a television and podcast host and analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area, covering the Golden State Warriors from 2016-22. He won a Northern California Emmy Award in 2018. The native of Burlingame, Calif. and graduate of University of California-Berkeley holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies.