NBA News Blog – Page 175 – NBA Blog

Brooklyn Nets re-sign Kessler Edwards

The Brooklyn Nets have re-signed forward Kessler Edwards to a multi-year contract.

Edwards appeared in 48 games (23 starts) in his rookie season with the Nets, registering averages of 5.9 points on 41.2 percent shooting from the field, 35.3 percent shooting from 3-point range and 84.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line and 3.6 rebounds in 20.6 minutes per game. He also saw action in two playoff games in Brooklyn’s first round series versus Boston. In addition to his NBA experience, Edwards appeared in and started seven games for Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, during the NBA G League Showcase Cup, posting averages of 15.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.6 blocks in 34.0 minutes per contest. The 21-year-old was originally selected with the 44th pick in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft by Brooklyn and signed a two-way contract with the team on Aug. 16, 2021, before signing a standard NBA contract with the Nets on April 10, 2022. The Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., native’s 23 starts marked the most starts for a rookie selected 44th or lower in Nets history.

Prior to joining the Nets, Edwards played three collegiate seasons (2018-21) at Pepperdine, where he was an All-WCC First Team selection as a junior, an All-WCC Second Team selection as a sophomore and named to the WCC All-Freshman team after his first season.

Edwards will compete for Brooklyn’s NBA 2K23 Summer League team in Las Vegas.

Atlanta Hawks sign Aaron Holiday

The Atlanta Hawks have signed free agent guard Aaron Holiday.

Holiday comes to Atlanta from the Phoenix Suns, where he appeared in 22 games (one start) averaging 6.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 16.3 minutes (.411 FG%, .444 3FG%, .939 FT%). He was acquired by Phoenix on Feb. 10 in a trade with the Washington Wizards. In total, the 6-0 guard saw action in 63 games (15 starts) during the 2021-22 season, notching 6.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 16.2 minutes of play (.447 FG%, .379 3FG%, .868 FT%). His .447 field goal percentage marked a career-high clip from the floor.

He scored 10-or-more points 18 times this past season and dished out five-or-more assists on 12 occasions. In a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on March 13, Holiday swiped a career-high four steals, in addition to 12 points, four rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes as a reserve.

Drafted by the Indiana Pacers with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Holiday has appeared in 245 games (56 starts) over his four-year career, owning averages of 7.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 18.2 minutes (.412 FG%, .373 3FG%, .840 FT%). He has also seen action in 13 playoff games (two starts), recording 4.4 points and 1.5 assists in 8.1 minutes (.550 FG%, .556 3FG%). During the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Holiday tallied a .517 mark from the field (8-14 FGM), including a .714 clip from three-point territory (5-7 3FGM) in six games played.

The UCLA product appeared in 101 games (65 starts) over his three-year collegiate career (2015-18), averaging 14.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 31.7 minutes (.450 FG%, .422 3FG%, .795 FT%). He concluded his Bruins career ranked No. 25 on UCLA’s all-time scoring list with 1,443 total points.

Born in Ruston, Louisiana, and raised in Southern California, Holiday is the youngest of four siblings. His two older brothers, Justin and Jrue, both play in the NBA, while his sister, Lauren, played on the UCLA women’s basketball team from 2012-14.

Spurs add Isaiah Roby off waivers

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have claimed forward Isaiah Roby off waivers from Oklahoma City.

Roby, 6-8/230, most recently appeared in 45 games with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2021-22, averaging 10.1 points, along with 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 21.1 minutes while shooting 51.4% from the field, 44.4% from three and 67.2% from the foul line. In three seasons with the Thunder, the forward appeared in 109 games, averaging 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 21.9 minutes.

Roby was originally selected by Detroit with the 45th overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft before being traded to Dallas.

OKC Thunder sign rookies Chet Holmgren, Ousmane Dieng and Jalen Williams

The Oklahoma City Thunder has signed forwards Chet Holmgren and Ousmane Dieng and guard Jalen Williams, it was announced today by Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. Per team policy, terms of the agreements were not released.

Drafted second overall, Holmgren played one season with the Gonzaga Bulldogs, appearing in 32 games (31 starts), averaging 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.66 blocks in 26.8 minutes per game. He was awarded the 2021-22 WCC Defensive Player of the Year, WCC Newcomer of the Year and named to the 2021-22 All-America Second Team by AP and Sporting News.

Dieng was selected 11th overall in this year’s draft and acquired in a draft night trade with the New York Knicks. He spent the 2021-22 season with the New Zealand Breakers of the NBL, appearing in 23 games (11 starts), averaging 8.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 20.8 minutes per game.

Williams was selected 12th overall and spent three seasons at Santa Clara University. In his junior season, he appeared in 33 games (all starts) and averaged 18.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 34.8 minutes per game. He finished the season ranked second in the WCC in scoring and sixth in assists en route to being named to the 2021-22 All-WCC First Team.

Brooklyn Nets sign Alondes Williams to two-way contract

The Brooklyn Nets have signed guard Alondes Williams to a two-way contract.

Williams (6’5”, 210) spent the 2021-22 season as a graduate student at Wake Forest, appearing in and starting 35 games and registering averages of 18.5 points on 50.7 percent shooting from the field, 6.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 34.1 minutes per game. The 23-year-old tied for first in the ACC in assists per game and finished second in points per game en route to All-ACC First Team honors and becoming Wake Forest’s first ACC Player of the Year since Josh Howard in the 2002-03 season. Williams was one of just five players in the country to average at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, and he was the only power conference player to record those averages during the 2021-22 season. The Milwaukee native finished his lone season at Wake Forest ranked seventh on the program’s single-season scoring list (649), eighth in field goals made (242) and 11th in assists (181) and helped lead the Demon Deacons to the NIT quarterfinals. Prior to transferring to Wake Forest, Williams spent two years (2019-21) at Oklahoma, posting averages of 6.3 points on 45.8 percent shooting from the field and 2.3 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per contest across 55 games (24 starts). Williams began his collegiate career at Triton College in River Grove, Ill., competing for two years (2017-19) at the junior college, where he averaged 15.4 points per game and helped Triton capture the 2018 NJCAA Division II championship.

Williams will compete for Brooklyn’s NBA 2K23 Summer League team in Las Vegas.

Cleveland Cavaliers sign R.J. Nembhard to two-way contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers yesterday signed guard R.J. Nembhard to a Two-Way contract, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Nembhard (6-5, 200), who went undrafted out of Texas Christian University in 2021, originally signed a Two-Way contract with Cleveland on Oct. 16 and appeared in 14 games for the Cavaliers this past season. He was converted to a standard NBA contract on March 31 and waived on April 7 before signing a second Two-Way contract with the Cavaliers on April 10. Nembhard also played in 15 games (14 starts) for the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team, averaging 24.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 38.4 minutes per contest. He joins Isaiah Mobley as a Two-Way player with the Cavaliers.

Atlanta Hawks sign rookie AJ Griffin

The Atlanta Hawks yesterday signed 2022 first round pick (16th overall) AJ Griffin.

Griffin appeared in 39 games (25 starts) during his freshman season at Duke, averaging 10.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 24.0 minutes per game, helping to lead the Blue Devils to their 20th ACC regular season title in program history, a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the team’s 17th Final Four appearance (.493 FG%, .447 3FG%, .792 FT%).

An Honorable Mention All-ACC and a member of the ACC All-Freshman Team, Griffin’s .447 clip from three-point territory ranked fifth in Duke history and second by a Blue Devil freshman. He scored 10-or-more points in 23 of his 39 games, including five games of 20-or-more. The 6-6 forward poured in a career-high 27 points on 11-17 shooting from the floor, including a 3-6 mark from deep, in an 87-67 win over rival North Carolina on Feb. 5. His 27 points tied the fourth-most points by a Blue Devil in their first Duke-UNC game. In a 74-65 victory against Louisville on Jan. 29, Griffin shot a perfect 5-5 (1.000 3FG%) from the three-point line, marking the highest three-point percentage by a Duke freshman on a minimum five attempts.

Prior to arriving at Duke, Griffin, a five-star small forward out of Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, New York, was ranked as the No. 9 overall player in ESPN 100’s rankings for the class of 2021, as well as the No. 1 player in the state of New York and the No. 1 small forward in the ESPN 100. He won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2019 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, notching 13.5 points and a team-high 3.3 steals in six contests. Griffin’s father, Adrian Griffin, played in the NBA for 10 seasons and is currently an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors.

Nuggets sign rookies Christian Braun and Peyton Watson

The Denver Nuggets have signed rookie first round draft picks Christian Braun and Peyton Watson, General Manager Calvin Booth announced today.

Braun, 6-7, 218, played three seasons and appeared in 101 games (74 starts) for the University of Kansas, averaging 10.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting 50.8% from the field and 37.8% from three. He was named to the 2022 All-Big 12 Second Team and NCAA Tournament All-Midwest Region Team while helping Kansas capture the 2021-2022 NCAA National Championship. Braun played 40 minutes in the championship game, posting 12 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. He became Kansas’ 65th all-time 1,000-point scorer in KU’s Final Four semifinal win against Villanova.

Watson, 6-8, 200, played in 32 games, averaging 3.3 and 2.9 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per game for UCLA as a freshman. He was named as an honorable mention Pac-12 All-Freshman Team selection and ranked second on the team in blocked shots (19). He also helped lead the USA Men’s Basketball U19 Team win the gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Cup in July 2021.

Both players will appear on Denver’s 2022 Las Vegas Summer League entry. Braun will wear #0 and Watson will wear #8 for the Nuggets.

Nuggets sign rookie Collin Gillespie to two-way contract

The Denver Nuggets have signed rookie guard Collin Gillespie to a two-way contract, General Manager Calvin Booth announced today.

Gillespie, 6-3, 195, appeared in 156 games (125 starts) in five seasons at Villanova University, averaging 11.9 points, 3.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 42.2% from the field and 38.7% from three in 29.0 minutes per game. Gillespie earned the 2021-22 Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard, helping to guide the Wildcats to the NCAA Final Four after recovering from a knee injury that ended his 2021 season prematurely. He ended his career at Villanova with a National Championship (2018), two Final Four appearances and two Big East Player of the Year awards.

The Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania native, went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft. Gillespie will appear on Denver’s 2022 Las Vegas Summer League entry and will wear #21 for the Nuggets.

Sacramento Kings sign rookie Keegan Murray

The Sacramento Kings have signed rookie forward Keegan Murray, according to General Manager Monte McNair.

“Keegan is an incredibly versatile, well-rounded player with a high basketball IQ,” said McNair. “He will be a tremendous asset to our team and we are excited to welcome him to the Kings family.”

The fourth overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft garnered averages of 23.5 points (.554 FG%, .398 3PT%, .747 FT%), 8.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 31.9 minutes per game in 35 games (all starts) during his sophomore season at Iowa (2021-22). Murray led the Hawkeyes to a NCAA Tournament appearance, while earning All-Big Ten first-team honors (2021-22).

A 6-8, 215-pound forward, Murray earned consensus All-American first-team honors (2021-22), Karl Malone Power Forward of the year (2021-22), Finalist for the 2021-22 Wooden award and Naismith Trophy, and was the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player (2022).

The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native set the Big Ten Tournament scoring record with 103 points in four games and was the second player in Division I history to amass at least 800 points, 60 blocks and 60 three-pointers in a season.