Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Lakers sign DeAndre Jordan

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed center DeAndre Jordan, it was announced today by Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka.

Per the Los Angeles Times, “the team signed the 33-year-old center and 13-year NBA veteran to a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract after he was released by the Pistons and cleared waivers. He’s the latest in a lengthening line of former All-NBA players looking for a championship run on a team loaded with veteran star power. “I had great years when I was with the Clippers. And that franchise was amazing to me. And I appreciate the time I was there, for sure,” Jordan said. “But like I said, I’m focused on now and this team, what our goals are ultimately and what we want to do. And I’m just really excited to be here. This is a great opportunity for me. And I just want to take full advantage of it.”

A 13-year NBA veteran, Jordan appeared in 57 games (43 starts) for the Nets last season, where he averaged 7.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 blocks in 21.9 minutes, while shooting a career-best 76.3 percent (190-249) from the field. Jordan is the NBA’s all-time leader in career field goal percentage, having shot 67.4 percent (3527-5234) from the field throughout his career and is the only player in NBA history with multiple seasons shooting over 70 percent from the field.

A one-time NBA All-Star, Jordan has played in 932 games (756 starts) for the Nets, Knicks, Mavericks and Clippers, holding career averages of 9.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.6 blocks in 27.4 minutes. He has appeared in 57 playoff games (all starts) for the Clippers, averaging 9.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.

Jordan is a three-time All-NBA selection, including one First Team selection (2016) and two Third Team selections (2015 & 2017), and led the league in rebounding in consecutive seasons from 2013-15. He was named to the All-Defensive First Team in 2015 and 2016 and helped the United States win a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Orlando Magic sign E’Twaun Moore

The Orlando Magic have signed free agent guard E’Twaun Moore, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today.

Orlando’s roster now stands at 19 players (listed below). Training camp begins on Tuesday, September 28 at Amway Center.

Moore (6’3”, 190, 2/25/89) played in 27 games (one start) last season with Phoenix, averaging 4.9 ppg., 1.7 rpg. and 1.5 apg. in 14.4 minpg. He scored in double figures four times, including a season-high 22 points on May 16 @ San Antonio, including the game-winning three-pointer with 2.2 seconds remaining. Moore also played in seven playoff outings, averaging 2.4 ppg., 1.4 rpg. and 1.3 apg. in 6.6 minpg., as the Suns advanced to the 2021 NBA Finals.

Originally selected in the second round (55th overall) by Boston in the 2011 NBA Draft, Moore has played in 598 career NBA regular season games (191 starts) with Boston, Orlando, Chicago, New Orleans and Phoenix, averaging 7.9 ppg., 2.0 rpg. and 1.8 apg. in 21.0 minpg., while shooting .388 (556-1,432) from three-point range. He has also appeared in 28 career postseason contests (nine starts), averaging 4.6 ppg., 1.4 rpg. and 1.0 apg. in 12.8 minpg.

Moore spent two seasons with Orlando from 2012-14. He played in 154 regular season games (24 starts) with the Magic during that span, averaging 7.1 ppg., 2.1 apg. and 2.0 rpg. in 20.7 minpg.

Moore appeared in 140 games (136 starts) during his four-year collegiate career at Purdue University (2007-11), averaging 15.3 ppg., 4.4 rpg., 2.9 rpg. and 1.17 stlpg in 32.3 minpg. He led the Boilermakers in scoring for three straight seasons (2007-10), was named First Team All-Big Ten twice (2009-10, 2010-11) and Second Team All-Big Ten twice (2007-08, 2008-09).

Moore will wear #55 with the Orlando Magic.

Nets waive Jahlil Okafor

The Brooklyn Nets have requested waivers on center Jahlil Okafor.

Okafor (6’10”, 270) was acquired by the Nets in a trade with the Detroit Pistons on September 4. He’s seen action in 247 games (116 starts) in six seasons with Detroit (2020-21), New Orleans (2018-20), Brooklyn (2017-18) and Philadelphia (2015-17), posting averages of 10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game.

San Antonio Spurs name Matt Nielsen an assistant coach

The San Antonio Spurs have named Matt Nielsen as an assistant coach. Nielsen joins Becky Hammon and Mitch Johnson on head coach Gregg Popovich’s staff.

Nielsen spent last season as head coach of the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s official NBA G League affiliate. The native of Australia led Austin to a 10-5 record and a spot in the 2021 G League Playoffs. Nielsen spent 2019-20 as an assistant coach in Austin and began his coaching career in San Antonio, serving as a player development assistant during the 2014-15 season. In addition, he was an assistant coach with the Spurs summer league team from 2014-19.

Prior to making the move to the G League, Nielsen spent four seasons (2015-19) as an assistant coach with the Perth Wildcats, where he helped guide the team to three NBL championships.

As a 17-year-old, Nielsen made his professional debut playing with the Sydney Kings in 1995. After nine seasons in the NBL, where he won two championships and was named MVP in 2004, Nielsen moved to Europe and played nine seasons in Lithuania, Greece and Spain.

Nielsen played for the Australian National Team from 1997-2012. He represented the Boomers at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics and helped lead Australia to the gold medal at the 1997 FIBA Under-21 World Championship. Nielsen most recently served as an assistant coach for the Boomers at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo where Australia captured bronze, earning the country’s first-ever medal in men’s basketball.

Pacers forward T.J. Warren remains out with foot injury

Indiana Pacers forward T.J. Warren’s stress fracture in his left foot is healing during the rehabilitation process; but not at the pace previously anticipated.

He remains out indefinitely.

Per the Indianapolis Star, “on Aug. 13, Warren tweeted that he played basketball, an important milestone in his recovery from the stress fracture in the navicular bone in his left foot that sidelined him beginning Dec. 29. Warren had surgery on the foot Jan. 5 but the area of the injury — a boat-shaped bone in the middle of the foot — makes for a difficult recovery process.”

In G League, Iowa Wolves name Jeff Newton new head coach

The Minnesota Timberwolves today named Jeff Newton as Head Coach of the Iowa Wolves, the team’s G League affiliate. Newton spent the last two seasons as the offensive associate/player development coach for the Timberwolves.

Minnesota also announced the hire of Scott Thom as athletic performance coach.

“Jeff has proven throughout the last couple years that he is dedicated to the Timberwolves’ overall mission, including developing our young players, which makes him a natural choice as the Wolves head coach,” said Timberwolves Assistant General Manager Gianluca Pascucci. “We feel that Jeff will continue to succeed and grow in his role in Iowa, just as he has excelled here in Minnesota. We are also excited to welcome Scott into the Timberwolves and Wolves family.”

“I am proud to see the progression Jeff has made in his role throughout this summer, especially with the development he made with our Summer League roster,” said Timberwolves Head Coach Chris Finch. “Jeff has proven in his daily work with the Timberwolves that he is prepared and deserves this next step in his career. His coaching philosophies align with what we are building here in Minnesota and his groundwork will serve as a great foundation for our two-way players and those in Iowa making the transition to Minnesota throughout the season. I believe in his ability to encourage our players to improve based on his passion for the game and his dedication every step of the way. We are excited about him leading our program down in Iowa and to continue supporting his professional advancement and success.”

“I am thrilled to continue my professional career with the Timberwolves organization as I step into this new role with the Iowa Wolves,” Newton said. “I have been dedicated to the vision and future goals for the Timberwolves and will carry those same principles in my role as head coach of the Iowa Wolves.”

Newton showcased his head coaching acumen as he took the helm of the 2021 Timberwolves Summer League team in Las Vegas, leading the group to a 4-1 finish. Prior to joining the Wolves, Newton served as an assistant video coordinator for the Sacramento Kings for three seasons. Prior to that, he was with the Houston Rockets for three seasons, spending one year each as a personnel scout, assistant video coordinator and basketball operations intern. Newton got his start in the NBA as a basketball operations intern with the then Charlotte Bobcats. A native of Barrington, Rhode Island, Newton graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a degree in Sports Management.

Thom joins the Wolves after serving as the College of Marin men’s basketball head coach and director of strength and conditioning since 2016. Thom led the Mariners to the program’s first back-to-back winning seasons since 1989. The Napa, Calif. native brings more than 19 years of experience as a strength and conditioning coach and player development coach, including stints at University of California, Berkeley, Washington State University and his alma mater Vintage High School.

Suns sign Chandler Hutchison

The Phoenix Suns have signed small forward Chandler Hutchison.

The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Hutchison has appeared in 97 career NBA games (25 starts) with Chicago and Washington through his first three seasons, also appearing in two playoff games with the Wizards this past season. The 25-year-old holds career regular season averages of 5.7 points on 44.1% shooting and 3.8 rebounds in 18.2 minutes.

Originally the 22nd overall pick by the Bulls in the 2018 NBA Draft, Hutchison entered the league following a standout four-year career at Boise State University. As a senior in 2017-18, media tabbed him the Mountain West Player of the Year as he averaged 20.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals for the Broncos.

Spurs re-sign Keita Bates-Diop

The San Antonio Spurs have re-signed forward Keita Bates-Diop.

Bates-Diop, 6-8/230, spent last season on a two-way contract with the Silver and Black, averaging 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 8.2 minutes over 30 games. Originally selected by the Timberwolves in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft (48th overall), Bates-Diop spent the better part of two seasons in Minnesota before being traded to Denver on Feb. 5, 2019. The former Ohio State Buckeye has appeared in 104 NBA games, with career averages of 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 14.3 minutes.

A four-year player at Ohio State, Bates-Diop was named the Big Ten Player of the Year as a senior, averaging 19.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.65 blocks in his final season.

Spurs sign Joe Wieskamp to a two-way contract

The San Antonio Spurs have signed guard Joe Wieskamp to a two-way contract.

Wieskamp, 6-6/210, was drafted by the Spurs with the 41st overall selection in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft. He played in all eight of San Antonio’s 2021 Summer League games, including five in Las Vegas where he averaged 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in 23.4 minutes.

Coming off his junior season at the University of Iowa, Weiskamp was named to the 2021 Second Team All-Big 10 and was one of five finalists for the 2021 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award. He averaged 14.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 29.3 minutes while shooting 46.2 percent from three-point range, including 49.5 percent in Big Ten Conference games. The Iowa native started all 97 games he appeared in, averaging 13.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 29.8 minutes while shooting 41.2 percent from beyond the arc. Prior to joining the Hawkeyes, he graduated as the state of Iowa’s all-time high school leading scorer.

Weiskamp will wear No. 15 for the Silver & Black.

Bulls reportedly signing Stanley Johnson and Alize Johnson

The Chicago Bulls are reportedly adding a pair of forwards to their roster. Via the Chicago Sun-Times:

A source confirmed that the Bulls got some much needed frontcourt depth by adding wing Stanley Johnson and power forward Alize Johnson…

Stanley Johnson, who was the No. 8 overall pick from the 2015 NBA Draft, might have the bigger upside, showing promise in his early days with the Pistons, before an inability to shoot from outside caught up with him.

Alize Johnson is another explosive leaper and he will join former dunk contest winners Zach LaVine and Derrick Jones Jr.