Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Timberwolves sign Brian Bowen II, Matt Lewis, Isaiah Miller and Chris Silva

Minnesota Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas today announced the team has signed forward Brian Bowen II, guard Matt Lewis, guard Isaiah Miller and forward Chris Silva.

The signings are likely non-guaranteed deals that merely bring the players to training camp.

Bowen II, 22, started all five games for the Timberwolves in the 2021 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, averaging 8.4 points, 4.2 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game. In two seasons with the Indiana Pacers, he saw action in 12 total games. He played in 44 games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants over two seasons, averaging 14.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. After withdrawing from the 2018 NBA draft during the final entry deadline, Bowen made the decision to forgo college and pursue a professional contract. On August 7, 2018, Bowen signed with the Sydney Kings of the Australian NBL. During the 2018–19 NBL season, he played in 30 games while averaging 6.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

Lewis, 22, wrapped up a four-year career at James Madison University where he ranked among the career leaders in several categories, including third in points (1,928) and eighth in assists (341). Last year during his senior season, he was named CAA Player of the Year after leading the Dukes in points, field goals, three pointers, free throws, defensive rebounds. assists, and minutes. Lewis became the first James Madison player ever be named to the All-CAA team in three different seasons.

Miller, 22, played in all five games for the 2021 Timberwolves Summer League team, averaging 7.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.6 steals in 16.2 minutes per game. Miller averaged 14.9 points on 47.4% shooting, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game during his four-year career at UNC Greensboro. In Miller’s final season with the Spartans, he was named SoCon Player of the Year and SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the only men’s basketball player in SoCon history to be named both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons. The Newark, N.J. native ranks second in school history with 314 steals and third in scoring with 1,965 points.

Silva, 24, saw action in 15 total games last season for the Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings where he averaged 2.1 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. During the 2019-20 season, the 6-8 forward split time between the Heat and the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League where he saw action in 44 games in for Miami, averaging 3.0 points on 61.5% shooting and 2.9 rebounds. Silva played four seasons at South Carolina, appearing in 134 career games (108 starts) and averaged 11.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.39 blocks and 21.7 minutes. He became the first player in school history to total at least 700 rebounds and 500 free throws made.

Nets sign forward Devontae Cacok

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent forward Devontae Cacok.

It’s probably a non-guaranteed deal made to bring Cacok to training camp.

Cacok (6’7”, 240) joins the Nets after spending the last two seasons on a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. In 21 games (one start), he recorded averages of 2.1 points on 57.1 percent shooting from the field and 1.8 rebounds in 5.1 minutes per contest. Cacok was also a member of the Lakers’ 2020 NBA championship team. In addition to his NBA experience, the 24-year-old appeared in 33 games (two starts) with the Lakers’ NBA G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, during the 2019-20 campaign, posting averages of 19.3 points on 66.0 percent shooting from the floor, 11.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 23.9 minutes per game, earning All-NBA G League First Team and NBA G League All-Rookie Team honors. Cacok went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft after spending four years (2015-19) at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he garnered Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year honors as a sophomore and was named All-CAA First Team as a junior and senior.

Hornets sign Xavier Sneed

The Charlotte Hornets have signed Xavier Sneed.

It’s probably a non-guaranteed deal for training camp purposes.

Sneed, 6-foot-5, 215-pound guard/forward, was a member of the Hornets 2021 Summer League Roster in Las Vegas, averaging 6.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in four games. He appeared in 13 games last season with Charlotte’s G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, averaging 8.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. Sneed finished the 2020-21 season with the second-best steals per game average amongst league leaders.

A four-year player at Kansas State, Sneed played in 137 career contests with the Wildcats, including all 32 games in his senior year. During the 2019-20 season, he averaged a team-best 13.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game en route to earning All-Big 12 honorable mention.

Rockets re-sign Dante Exum

The Houston Rockets have re-signed guard Danté Exum.

Exum (6-5, 214) was originally the fifth overall pick by Utah in the 2014 NBA Draft. He was acquired by Houston from Cleveland as part of a four-team trade on Jan. 16, 2021. Over the past four seasons, Exum averaged 14.0 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per 36 minutes played.

While helping Australia to a bronze medal at the Olympics this summer, Exum averaged 9.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, and 2.8 apg in 20.7 mpg. He also shot 56.7% from the floor and 60.0% from 3-point range.

Timberwolves sign Leandro Bolmaro

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed guard Leandro Bolmaro.

Bolmaro, a 6-6 guard, wrapped up his second season with FC Barcelona where he capped off the season by winning the Spanish league championship and being named Liga ACB’s “Jugador Más Espectacular” – the league’s Most Spectacular Player. Bolmaro joined a list of three current NBA players to be awarded Most Spectacular Player in ACB play. The Las Varillas, Argentina native averaged 6.4 points and 1.8 assists per game.

Per the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Bolmaro “will be on a rookie scale deal with team options after the first two years.”

The 21-year-old recently played in his first Olympics for Argentina where in four games, he totaled eight points, four rebounds and three steals in 47 minutes of action.

Nuggets sign Petr Cornelie to a two-way contract

The Denver Nuggets have signed forward Petr Cornelie to a two-way contract, President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Cornelie, 6-11, 220, most recently appeared in 34 games for Elan Bearnais of the French LNB Pro A league in 2021, averaging 14.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 54.0% from the field and 44.2% from three in 28.9 minutes per game. The 26-year-old also helped earn a silver medal for the France National Team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. In six games, Cornelie averaged 1.7 points, 2.0 rebounds while shooting 33.3% from the field.

The Calais, France native, was drafted in the 53rd pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the Nuggets. He has appeared in 14 games (seven starts) for three Nuggets summer league teams in 2016, 2017 and 2018, averaging 5.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 16.8 minutes per game.

Cornelie has played professionally since 2013, playing for Le Mans from 2013-17, Paris-Levallois in 2017-18, Le Mans in 2018-19 and most recently with Elan Bearnais from 2019-21.

Cavaliers sign guard Kevin Pangos

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Kevin Pangos, Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Pangos (6-2, 185) has spent the last six years playing professionally in Europe, most recently for Zenit Saint Petersburg of the VTB United League and the EuroLeague.

This past season in EuroLeague play, Pangos earned All-EuroLeague First Team honors after averaging a career-high 13.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 6.7 assists in 29.0 minutes over 39 games (all starts). The 28-year-old shot .390 from beyond the arc and made the most three-pointers (89) in EuroLeague play, while ranking third in assists per game and 18th in points per game.

Over his international career, Pangos has also played for FC Barcelona (Spain, 2018-2020), Zalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania, 2016-2018) and Gran Canaria (Spain, 2015-2016) and was an All-EuroLeague Second Team selection in 2018, two-time LKL champion (Lithuania, 2017 and 2018), two-time King Mindaugas Cup winner (Lithuania, 2017 and 2018) and All-EuroCup Second Team selection (2016).

Following four college basketball seasons at Gonzaga University, Pangos went undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft. With the Bulldogs, the Ontario, Canada native earned First Team All-WCC all four seasons (2012-2015), appearing in 142 total games (141 starts) with career averages of 12.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.25 steals in 33.1 minutes. Additionally, Pangos was the WCC Player of the Year and a Third-Team All-American (AP, NABC, TSN) during his senior season and left Gonzaga as the only player in program history with more than 1,700 points, 500 assists and 150 steals and remains the Bulldogs all-time leader in three-pointers made (322).

Lakers hire David Fizdale and John Lucas III as assistant coaches, and add to training staff

The Los Angeles Lakers yesterday hired David Fizdale and John Lucas III as assistant coaches on Head Coach Frank Vogel’s staff, joining assistant coaches Phil Handy, Mike Penberthy, Miles Simon and Quinton Crawford.

The Lakers also hired Roger Sancho as Head Athletic Trainer and named Ed Streit as Head Strength & Conditioning Coach.

Fizdale returns to the bench after serving as head coach of the New York Knicks from 2018-20 and the Memphis Grizzlies from 2016-18. Prior to joining the Grizzlies for his first NBA head coaching assignment, Fizdale spent the previous eight seasons (2008-09 thru 2015-16) with the Miami Heat as an assistant coach. During his tenure in Miami, the Heat won back-to-back NBA Championships in 2012 and 2013, and more Playoff games (70) and series (15) than any other NBA team. The Los Angeles native was an assistant coach for one season in Golden State (2003-04) and for four seasons in Atlanta (2004-08).

Lucas III joins the Lakers after most recently serving as a player development coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2017-19. Prior to joining Minnesota, Lucas III enjoyed an eight-year NBA career for the Timberwolves, Pistons, Jazz, Raptors, Bulls and Rockets. He owns career averages of 4.7 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.5 assists in 12.1 minutes. Lucas III played collegiately at Baylor and Oklahoma State, averaging 14.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals and was named to the All-Big 12 First Team in 2004 and 2005.

Sancho most recently spent seven seasons with the Golden State Warriors, including the past five seasons as an assistant athletic trainer. Sancho began his time with the Warriors during the 2014-15 season as the head athletic trainer for the Santa Cruz Warriors. The Sulphur Springs, Texas native earned his bachelor’s degree in athletic training from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2012 and his master’s degree from Baylor in 2014.

Streit was named to his new role after serving as an assistant strength & conditioning coach for the team since the 2019-20 season. Prior to joining Los Angeles, Streit spent the 2018-19 season as the head strength and conditioning coach for Dayton’s men basketball and served in the same role during the 2017-18 season at the University of Connecticut. Streit also spent three-and-a-half years with the Chicago Bulls on their strength and conditioning staff.

Mavericks sign Frank Ntilikina

The Dallas Mavericks have signed free agent guard Frank Ntilikina.

Ntilikina (6-5, 200) was originally the eighth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks. After four seasons with the Knicks, he holds career averages of 5.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 19.5 minutes in 211 games (55 starts).

Per the Dallas Morning News, “on the first day of free agency, the Mavs struck quick, re-signing Tim Hardaway Jr. and Boban Marjanovic while also agreeing to deals with Sterling Brown and Reggie Bullock, another former Knicks guard.”

Born in Ixelles, Belgium, Ntilikina moved to France at the age of 3 years old. Prior to being drafted by New York, he began his professional career in 2015 with SIG Strasbourg of the French Pro A League. Ntilikina was named the league’s Best Young Player in both seasons he competed for Strasbourg.

Ntilikina (nee-lee-KEE-nah) recently competed with the French national team at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo where he brought home a silver medal.

The addition now brings the Mavericks training camp roster to 20 players.