Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Miami Heat sign forward Haywood Highsmith to 10-day contract

The Miami Heat have signed forward Haywood Highsmith to a 10-day contract.

Highsmith, who was previously signed to a 10-day contract by the HEAT on December 30, appeared in four games with Miami totaling 12 points, five rebounds and a block in 41:34 minutes of action while shooting 50 percent (4-of-8) from the field and 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from three-point range. He has also appeared in 17 G League games (11 starts) with the Delaware Blue Coats this season and averaged 13.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.24 steals and 29.8 minutes while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three-point range.

After spending four seasons at Wheeling University from 2014-18, Highsmith signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, splitting the season between the Sixers and their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. Highsmith appeared in five games with the 76ers in 2018-19 totaling nine points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal while shooting 40 percent (4-of-10) from the field. Additionally, he has appeared in 106 career G League games (76 starts) over three seasons, all with the Blue Coats, averaging 11.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.18 steals and 29.6 minutes while shooting 43.5 percent from the field.

Highsmith will wear number 24.

Rockets convert Daishen Nix’s contract from two-way to standard

The Houston Rockets have converted rookie guard Daishen Nix from a two-way contract into a standard NBA contract.

Nix was eligible for the 2021 NBA Draft and originally signed with Houston on Aug. 25. He spent last season with the G League Ignite, where he was teammates with fellow Rockets rookie Jalen Green.

In eight games for Houston this season, Nix is averaging 16.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 3.8 steals per 36 minutes played. He has also appeared in 27 games for the Rockets G League affiliate, Rio Grande Valley, while averaging 19.7 ppg, 6.0 apg, 5.6 rpg and 2.3 spg. Last season, Nix joined current teammate Kevin Porter Jr. as two of the three G League players who averaged at least 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

Nix turned 20 years old on Feb. 13.

Bucks guard Pat Connaughton out after surgery

Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Connaughton underwent surgery Monday to repair the fractured fourth metacarpal on his right hand. Connaughton injured his hand in the Bucks game at Phoenix on Feb. 10.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Michelle Carlson at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

Connaughton is expected to be sidelined for approximately four weeks.

Per ESPN.com, “losing him will be a significant blow to a Bucks team that has increasingly relied on his productivity this season.”

In 54 games (18 starts) this season, Connaughton is averaging a career-best 10.1 points with 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in a career-high 27.0 minutes per game.

Timberwolves will reportedly sign Patrick Beverley to a contract extension

The Timberwolves are reportedly signing guard Patrick Beverley to a contract extension. Via the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

The Timberwolves rewarded the veteran guard with a one-year, $13 million extension agreed to Monday, a source confirmed to the Pioneer Press.

The deal keeps Beverley, who was set to become a free-agent this summer, in Minnesota through the 2022-23 campaign. The extension number is just a tick below Beverley’s $14.3 million cap hit this season.

Jarrett Allen selected as injury replacement for James Harden in 2022 NBA All-Star Game

Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen has been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to replace injured Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden on Team LeBron in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.

The matchup between Team LeBron and Team Durant in the 71st NBA All-Star Game will be played on Sunday, Feb. 20 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, airing live at 8 p.m. ET on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States and reaching fans in 215 countries and territories in 59 languages.

Allen has earned his first NBA All-Star selection. He is averaging a career-high 16.2 points, a career-high 11.1 rebounds and 1.35 blocked shots in 49 games this season. A five-year NBA veteran, Allen ranks ninth in the league in rebounds per game and 13th in blocks per game. He also ranks second in the NBA in field goal percentage at a career-high 66.5 percent and tied for sixth in double-doubles with 30.

The 23-year-old Allen is the second Cleveland player to be named a first-time NBA All-Star this season, joining guard Darius Garland, who was drafted by Team Durant. Behind Allen and Garland, the Cavaliers (35-22) have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.

Harden will not play in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game because of a left hamstring injury. He was selected by NBA head coaches as a reserve.

Tyreke Evans has been reinstated as an NBA player – he is now an unrestricted free agent

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association today granted the request of Tyreke Evans to be reinstated as an NBA player, after Evans was dismissed and disqualified from the league on May 17, 2019, for testing positive for a prohibited substance under the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.

Pursuant to an agreement between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association, Evans is now an Unrestricted Free Agent who may negotiate over the terms and conditions of a Player Contract with any team, and who, subject to other applicable CBA rules, may enter into a Player Contract with any team beginning 12:00 p.m. (ET) on Friday, February 18, 2022.

Health update on Bulls guard Zach LaVine

Here’s the Chicago Tribune with the latest on star Bulls scoring guard Zach LaVine:

The short-handed Chicago Bulls could lose yet another key player ahead of the All-Star break after Zach LaVine will reportedly fly to Los Angeles to receive special treatment on his left knee, according to ESPN.

LaVine sat out Saturday’s 106-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder due to an aggravation in his left knee. The guard previously played two games through back spasms before finally sitting out the next two games.

OKC Thunder sign guard Aaron Wiggins to multi-year contract

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard Aaron Wiggins to a multi-year contract, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Wiggins was signed to a Two-Way Contract in August and has appeared in 31 games (18 starts) for the Thunder this season while averaging 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 21.9 minutes per game. His 31 games played are tied for most among all rookie two-way players this year, while his points per game rank third among those players.

In six games (three starts) with the Oklahoma City Blue, he averaged 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.33 steals in 26.3 minutes per game.

The North Carolina native played three seasons at the University of Maryland, where he was a 2021 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection and named the 2019-20 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year.

Dallas Mavericks extend contract of Dorian Finney-Smith

The Dallas Mavericks have extended the contract of forward Dorian Finney-Smith.

Finney-Smith (6-7, 220) is currently in his sixth season with the Mavericks, and has averaged 7.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 26.9 minutes in 369 career games (257 starts). He went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft and signed with Dallas on July 8, 2016 before signing a multi-year deal with the Mavericks in 2019.

This season, Finney-Smith is averaging a career-high 10.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 32.6 minutes in 55 games (all starts). On the defensive end, he has spent the third-most possessions in the league guarding the opponent’s highest usage player on the floor.

The Portsmouth, Va., native played his final three collegiate seasons at Florida after transferring from Virginia Tech following his freshman year. In 134 career collegiate games, he averaged 10.7 points and 7.1 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game. As a senior in 2015-16, Finney-Smith averaged 14.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 31.8 minutes in 36 games en route to being named Second Team All-SEC by the coaches and Third Team All-SEC by the Associated Press.

Celtics sign rookie forward Sam Hauser

The Boston Celtics have signed rookie forward Sam Hauser.

Originally signed by the Celtics as a two-way player this past offseason, Hauser, 24, has produced 19.0 points on 48.0% shooting (42.4% 3-PT), 5.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 20 games played with the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League. Hauser has reached the 30-point mark twice with Maine this season – including his most recent game against Grand Rapids on Feb. 6 – and leads the team with 84 three-point field goals.

Hauser has played in 10 games for Boston this season, tallying 12 points and six rebounds in 41 minutes of action. He produced 9.0 points (50.0% FG, 46.2% 3-PT), 4.8 rebounds, and a team-high 2.0 assists in five games for the Celtics during the 2021 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League.