Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Grizzlies waive Marc Gasol

The Memphis Grizzlies have waived center Marc Gasol.

Nothing is official, but this could be the end of Gasol’s NBA career. Per the Memphis Commercial Appeal on September 10, “Gasol has not publicly announced any decisions on his future. If Memphis does becomes his final NBA stop, it brings his career full circle after the Lakers traded his draft rights in 2008 in a deal involving older brother Pau.”

Gasol was acquired by the Grizzlies from the Los Angeles Lakers with a 2024 second round draft pick for the draft rights to center Wang Zhelin (57th overall in 2016) on Sept. 10.

Gasol (7-1, 255) holds regular season career averages of 14.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 32.2 minutes in 891 games (866 starts) over 13 seasons with the Grizzlies, Raptors and Lakers. During his 11 seasons in Memphis (2008-19), Gasol was a three-time NBA All-Star (2012, 2015, 2017), a two-time All-NBA selection (First Team in 2014-15, Second Team in 2012-13), and the 2012-13 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. The Barcelona, Spain, native led the Grizzlies to seven consecutive playoff appearances (2011-17), including a trip to the 2013 Western Conference Finals.

Celtics trade Kris Dunn and Carsen Edwards to Grizzlies for Juancho Hernangomez

The Boston Celtics have acquired forward Juancho Hernangómez in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies for guards Kris Dunn and Carsen Edwards, and the right to swap second round draft picks in 2026, the team announced today.

Hernangómez, 25, holds career averages of 5.7 points on 43.0% shooting (35.1% 3-PT, 69.3% FT), 3.5 rebounds, and 16.4 minutes in 257 games (57 starts) with Denver and Minnesota. The five-year pro was originally selected by the Nuggets with the 15th overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft.

In 52 games with the Timberwolves in 2020-21, Hernangómez produced a career-high 7.2 points on 43.5% shooting (32.7% 3-PT) to go along with 3.9 rebounds, and 17.3 minutes. He reached the 20-point mark twice, including a season-high 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting (5-8 3-PT) at Denver on Jan. 5, and scored at least 15 points on seven occasions.

Edwards played in 68 games over two seasons with the Celtics after being selected in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2019 NBA Draft, averaging 3.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 9.2 minutes. Dunn was acquired by Boston as part of a three-team deal earlier this offseason on Aug. 7.

As part of the transaction, Memphis will own the right to swap a 2026 second round draft pick (the better of Miami’s or Dallas’s) with Boston’s 2026 second round draft pick.

Miami Heat sign Caleb Martin to a two-way contract

The Miami Heat have signed Caleb Martin to a two-way contract.

Per the Miami Herald, “Martin joins undrafted Kansas rookie guard Marcus Garrett as the two Heat players with two-way contracts. Teams can carry up to two players on two-way deals, and those players can be on their NBA team’s active list for as many as 50 regular-season games. Garrett is a former Naismith Defensive Player of the Year with a developing offensive game.”

And per the South Florida Sun Sentinel, “because of where the Heat stand against the NBA luxury tax, they are expected to go with only 14 players under standard contract when their regular season opens Oct. 21 at FTX Arena against the Milwaukee Bucks: Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker, Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, Dewayne Dedmon, Markieff Morris, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Victor Oladipo, KZ Okpala, Udonis Haslem and Omer Yurtseven.”

Martin appeared in 53 games (three starts) with the Charlotte Hornets last season and averaged 5.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 15.4 minutes. He scored in double-figures six times, including a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double vs. the Lakers on April 13. He split the previous season between the Hornets and their G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, starting in all 28 games he appeared in for the Swarm and averaged 21.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.61 steals and 36.9 minutes while shooting 47 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from three-point range. He led the team in three-point field goals made and finished second in points, scoring average and field goals made.

Martin helped lead Nevada to a 29-4 record and an NCAA Tournament berth in 2019 as a senior after appearing in 34 games (33 starts) averaging 19.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.44 steals and 34.1 minutes while leading the team in points, scoring average, steals, field goals made, three-point field goals made and free throws made.

Cedric Ceballos remains in hospital dealing with serious COVID-19 issues

A popular former NBA player has been in an intense battle with COVID-19. Via ESPN.com:

Former NBA All-Star and Slam Dunk Contest champion Cedric Ceballos tweeted Monday that he’d been moved out of isolation and was “COVID-19 free” but was still in the intensive care unit and dealing with several things relating to the virus.

Thanking those wishing him well in recent days, Ceballos said that while he is out of isolation, he still is unable to “breathe, walk or function” on his own yet.

Utah Jazz sign Derrick Alston Jr.

The Utah Jazz have signed forward Derrick Alston Jr.

Alston Jr. (6-9, 190, Boise State) appeared in 28 games (all starts) during his final collegiate season in 2020-21, owning averages of 17.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 32.5 minutes per contest, garnering 2020-21 All-Mountain West First Team honors. His 17.0 points per game ranked fourth in the Mountain West Conference last season.

Originally a walk-on to the Boise State basketball Team, Alston was a four-year player seeing action in 104 games (79 starts) with career averages of 14.2 points, 3.9 boards and 1.9 assists in 28.9 minutes per contest. The Houston native left the program ranked 10th in all-time points (1,479), ninth in threes made (190) and first in free throw percentage (82.1).

In G League, Santa Cruz Warriors name new GM and head coach

Some Golden State G League news came out yesterday. Via the Santa Cruz Sentinel:

The Santa Cruz Warriors, the NBA G League affiliate of the Golden State Warriors, announced Friday that David Fatoki has been named general manager and Seth Cooper will serve as head coach for the 2021-22 season.

Additional basketball operations staff roles, including the assistant coaching staff and training staff, will be announced at a later date.

Heat sign Javonte Smart, Micah Potter and Dru Smith

The Miami Heat have signed Javonte Smart, Micah Potter and Dru Smith.

Per the Miami Herald, the moves give “each a potential opportunity to compete for the second of a pair of two-way contracts.”

Smart appeared in six Summer League games with the HEAT and averaged 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and a total +10 plus/minus. He shot 80 percent (4-of-5) from the foul line, dished out multiple assists five times and scored in double-figures twice. Smart played three seasons at Louisiana State, becoming just the seventh player in school history to record at least 1,200 points, 300 assists and 111 steals. Among the Tiger’s all-time lists, he finished 11th in assists, 12th in three-point field goals made, 23rd in steals and 31st in points. In his final year as a junior, Smart started in all 28 games and averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1.25 steals and 35.0 minutes while shooting 46 percent from the field, 40.2 percent from three-point range and 85.7 percent from the foul line. He was named to the All-SEC Second Team and the All-Louisiana First Team after leading the conference in three-point field goal percentage and minutes per game. His 70 made three-point field goals were the 13th-most for a single-season in school history.

Potter appeared in six Summer League games with the HEAT and averaged 7.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.17 blocks, 1.0 assists and a total +15 plus/minus while shooting 55.9 percent from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 from the foul line. He posted a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double while blocking five shots against Dallas on August 17. As a senior at Wisconsin, Potter appeared in 31 games (20 starts) and averaged 12.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 22.2 minutes while shooting 50.4 percent from the field, 38.6 percent from three-point range and 84 percent from the foul line. He shot 46.9 percent from downtown in conference games, the second-highest percentage in the league and posted five double-doubles on the season, including a season-high 23 points and 12 rebounds at Maryland on January 27.

Smith appeared in six Summer League games with the HEAT and averaged 8.0 points, 2.5 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.17 steals while shooting 46.7 percent from the field. He recorded multiple steals three times and scored in double-figures twice, first an 11-point effort against the Lakers on August 3 and then a 10-point performance against Dallas on August 17. As a senior at Missouri, Smith started all 25 games he appeared in and averaged 14.1 points, 3.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 2.04 steals and 33.9 minutes while shooting 44.4 percent from the field, 39.8 percent from three-point range and 83 percent from the foul line. He was named to the All-SEC First Team and became the first player in school history to be named to the SEC All-Defensive Team after leading the conference in steals for the second consecutive season. He also led the team in points, assists, steals, field goals made, free throws made and minutes and earned Conference Player of the Week three times, the most by any player that season.

More from the Miami Herald: “Their addition leaves the Heat with 19 players under contract, one below the maximum that a team can carry during training camp.”

Lakers trade Marc Gasol to Grizzlies

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired the draft rights to Wang Zhelin in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies for Marc Gasol, a future second round pick and cash considerations.

According to multiple reports, the Grizzlies plan to waive Gasol.

Per the Memphis Commercial Appeal, “Gasol has not publicly announced any decisions on his future. If Memphis does becomes his final NBA stop, it brings his career full circle after the Lakers traded his draft rights in 2008 in a deal involving older brother Pau.”

And per the Los Angeles Times, “the move saves the Lakers more than $10 million in luxury-tax penalties and creates a roster spot.”

Gasol (7-1, 255) has appeared in 891 regular season games (866 starts) and has averaged 14.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 32.2 minutes over his 13-year NBA career with the Grizzlies, Raptors and Lakers. A member of the Grizzlies’ Western Conference Finals team in 2013, Gasol helped guide the Grizzlies to seven consecutive playoff appearances during his 11 seasons in Memphis. The Barcelona, Spain, native became the first European-born player to earn the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award (2012-13), was named to the All-NBA First Team (2014-15) and was selected to a franchise-record three NBA All-Star Games (2012, 2015, 2017) while with the Grizzlies.

Wang was drafted by the Grizzlies with the 57th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Nets sign Paul Millsap

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent forward Paul Millsap.

Millsap (6’7”, 257) has appeared in 1,052 career games (745 starts) across 15 NBA seasons with the Denver Nuggets (2017-21), Atlanta Hawks (2013-17) and Utah Jazz (2006-13), recording averages of 13.7 points on 49.0 percent shooting from the floor, 34.3 percent shooting from 3-point range and 73.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line, along with 7.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks in 28.6 minutes per game. Most recently with the Nuggets during the 2020-21 season, Millsap appeared in 56 games (36 starts) and averaged 9.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 20.8 minutes per contest. Millsap has appeared in the postseason 12 times, suiting up in 129 total playoff games (75 starts) and averaging 12.2 points on 45.7 percent shooting from the floor and 72.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line, to go with 6.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 blocks in 27.5 minutes per contest. The 36-year-old was originally selected by the Utah Jazz in the second round with the 47th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. After seven seasons with the Jazz, Millsap signed with the Hawks, where he was named an Eastern Conference All-Star in each of his four years (2014-17) and helped lead the team to the No. 1 seed in the East during the 2014-15 season. The Monroe, La., native was also named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team during the 2015-16 campaign, when he was the only player in the league to rank in the top 15 in both steals (1.8) and blocks (1.7) per game and set single-season career highs in each category (139 blocks, 147 steals). Since he entered the league in the 2006-07 season, Millsap ranks second among all players in regular season games played, trailing only LeBron James (1,072), and Millsap is the only player in the league to register 1,000 blocks and 1,000 steals in that timeframe.

Prior to beginning his NBA career, Millsap spent three seasons (2003-06) at Louisiana Tech University. He became the only player in NCAA Division I history to lead the nation in rebounding three consecutive seasons and was a First-Team All-WAC honoree in his final two campaigns with the Bulldogs (2005, 06).