NBA News Blog – Page 253 – NBA Blog

Memphis Grizzlies sign Killian Tillie to two-way contract

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed forward/center Killian Tillie to a two-way contract.

The 6-foot-10, 220-pound Tillie has averaged 14.5 points in 22.4 minutes per game in Memphis’ first two games of 2021 Vegas Summer League.

Last season, as an NBA rookie, he played in 18 games (one start) for the Grizzlies last season, averaging 3.2 points and 1.3 rebounds in 10.1 minutes per outing.

Tillie, who is 23 years old, signed his first two-way contract with the team on Nov. 24, 2020, after going unselected in the 2020 NBA Draft.

The Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, native was named to the 2019-20 All-West Coast Conference First Team as a senior at Gonzaga University and helped guide the Bulldogs to the 2017 NCAA Championship Game as a freshman. He shot at least 40 percent from 3-point range in all four years at Gonzaga and left the program with a career 3-point percentage of 44.4 percent.

OKC Thunder re-sign Mike Muscala

The Oklahoma City Thunder have re-signed forward/center Mike Muscala to a multi-year contract.

Muscala’s new contract with the Thunder is reportedly a two-year, $7 million deal.

Muscala has appeared in 389 career games (30 starts) and posted averages of 6.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 15.7 minutes per game. Last season, Muscala averaged a career-high 9.7 points per game to go along with 3.8 rebounds in 18.4 minutes. During the past two seasons with the Thunder, Muscala shot 37.3 percent from behind the 3-point line (122-327 3FGs).

Oklahoma City originally signed Muscala on July 10, 2019.

Utah Jazz re-sign Trent Forrest to a two-way contract

The Utah Jazz have re-signed guard Trent Forrest to a two-way contract.

Forrest (6-4, 210, Florida State) appeared in 30 games with the Jazz last season, posting averages of 2.9 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 10.1 minutes while shooting 45.1 percent from the field. He also saw action in four postseason games.

The 23-year-old was a four-year collegiate player at Florida State, where he left as the winningest player in school history with 104 victories, also ranking third in all-time steals (224), third in all-time games played (137) and fifth in all-time assists (455). Off the court, Forrest was named to the ACC All-Academic Basketball Team and ACC Academic Honor Roll in four-straight seasons.

New York Knicks sign Kemba Walker

The New York Knicks on Wednesday signed four-time NBA All-Star guard Kemba Walker.

“We are beyond thrilled to bring native New Yorker Kemba Walker back to the city he’s proud to call home. He’s a tremendous talent whose skill and leadership will be a huge addition to our organization,” said New York Knicks President Leon Rose. “We’ve already seen how well he performs on The Garden stage and can’t wait to witness it on a nightly basis in front of his family, friends and the best fans in the league.”

Per the New York Post, “according to a source, Walker’s new Knicks deal is fully guaranteed at two years, $18 million — no options. Walker gave up about $20.5 million in a buyout with Oklahoma City to become a free agent and sign with the Knicks, who had $8 million-$9 million of cap space left that he grabbed.”

Walker, 6-1, 184-pounds joins New York after averaging 19.3 points, 4.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds over 31.8 minutes in 43 games (all starts) for the Boston Celtics last season. In two seasons with Boston, he averaged 19.9 points, 4.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds over 99 games (all starts). In 2019-20, he was selected as an NBA All-Star reserve for the Eastern Conference.

More from the Post: “Even if it is a fallback option, due to Walker’s recent injury history, the addition could turn into a storybook signing for the franchise should the 31-year-old pan out and lead the Knicks to a second straight playoff berth.”

The Bronx, NY-native spent the first eight seasons of his NBA career in Charlotte, earning three NBA All-Star selections (2017-19), two NBA Sportsmanship Awards (2017, 2018) and an All-NBA third team selection (2019). Originally selected by the Bobcats ninth overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, he recorded 19.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.32 steals over 34.1 minutes over 605 games (560 starts) across eight seasons in Charlotte. In 2018-19, Walker averaged 25.6 points, 5.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.24 steals over 34.9 minutes in 82 games (all starts) on his way to being named to the All-NBA third team. He was one of five players that season who averaged at least 25.0 points, five assists, four rebounds, one steal and shot at least 35% from downtown (Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, James Harden and Bradley Beal).

A 10-year NBA veteran, Walker holds career averages of 19.9 points, 5.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.27 steals over 33.7 minutes in 704 games (659 starts) with Boston and Charlotte. He is one of six players (Stephen Curry, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook) with career averages of at least 19.5 points, 5.0 assists and 1.30 steals while shooting greater than 35% from behind the arc.

A three-year standout at the University of Connecticut, Walker averaged 16.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 111 games (77 starts). He played an essential role in Connecticut’s magical run to a Big East title and National title in 2011. In the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden, his team became the first ever to win five games in five days en route to a title. His 130 points over that stretch are a Big East record and featured a buzzer beater that helped secure an upset win over the University of Pittsburgh. Kemba and his team carried that momentum into the NCAA tournament where they won six more games capped off by a national title. He was named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after averaging 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists.

LA Clippers re-sign Reggie Jackson

The LA Clippers have re-signed free agent guard Reggie Jackson.

“Reggie elevates our team with his energy, his confidence, and his ability to be at his best in the biggest moments,” said Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank. “He was an important part of our team last season, and he will continue to be going forward.”

Per multiple reports, Jackson’s new Clippers contract is for two years, $22 million.

Jackson, 31, appeared in 67 games (43 starts) for the Clippers last season, averaging 10.7 points, 3.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds while shooting a career-high 43.3 percent from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-2 guard also appeared in 19 games (17 starts) in the postseason, averaging 17.8 points, 3.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 40.8 percent from three and a career-high 48.4 percent from the field. During the postseason, Jackson ranked second in the NBA in total three-pointers made (58) and 10th in total points (338) and plus-minus (+107).

Per the Los Angeles Times, “Jackson joined the Clippers in 2020 after having his contract bought out in Detroit, where a string of injuries hampered his initial effectiveness with the Pistons. Despite being reunited with George, Jackson’s first months with the Clippers hardly predicted a bright future. He called the communication with former coach Doc Rivers about his role sparse and endured rocky performances during the league’s 2020 restart in Florida. He spent two months following that season evaluating whether he still had the passion to return.”

Jackson holds career averages of 12.6 points, 4.2 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 628 appearances across 10 NBA seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons and Clippers.

Born in Pordenone, Italy, Jackson played three collegiate seasons at Boston College before being selected by the Thunder with the 24th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. At Boston College, Jackson was named All-ACC First Team during his junior season in 2010-11.

Orlando Magic re-sign Ignas Brazdeikis, to a two-way contract

The Orlando Magic have re-signed free agent forward Ignas Brazdeikis to a two-way contract, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today.

Brazdeikis (6’6”, 221, 1/8/99) appeared in 13 total games last season with New York, Philadelphia and Orlando, averaging 7.0 ppg., 3.5 rpg. and 1.3 apg. in 19.1 minpg. He was originally signed to a 10-day contract by Orlando on May 2, then signed for the rest of the season on May 12. Brazdeikis played in eight games with the Magic, averaging 11.1 ppg., 5.1 rpg. and 2.0 apg. in 29.2 minpg. He scored in double figures three times (all with Orlando) and 20+ points once, including a career-high 21 points on May 14 @ Philadelphia.

Originally selected in the second round (47th overall) of the 2019 NBA Draft by Sacramento, Brazdeikis has played in 22 career NBA regular season games with New York, Philadelphia and Orlando, averaging 4.9 ppg., 2.3 rpg. and 1.0 apg. in 13.7 minpg. He has also played and started in 36 career NBA G League games, all with Westchester, averaging 20.9 ppg., 8.1 rpg. and 3.1 apg. in 33.7 minpg.

Brazdeikis played and started in 37 games during his only season at the University of Michigan (2018-19), averaging 14.8 ppg. and 5.4 rpg. in 29.6 minpg., while shooting .392 (56-143) from three-point range. He led the Wolverines in scoring. Brazdeikis was named the 2018-19 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He was also named to the All-Big Ten Second Team, the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and the All-Big Ten Tournament Team. He was also an honorable mention All-American by Associated Press.

Per NBA rules for the 2021-22 season, a player under a two-way contract will be permitted to be on the NBA team’s active list for no more than 50 games during the regular season, with no limit on practices, workouts or other activities with the NBA team.

Denver Nuggets re-sign Will Barton

The Denver Nuggets have re-signed free agent guard Will Barton III to a multi-year deal, President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Per the Denver Post, Barton’s contract is a two-year, $32 million deal.

Barton III, 30, has spent the previous seven seasons in Denver and has been an integral part to the Nuggets ascension up the Western Conference standings, helping the team appear in three straight playoffs.

Last season, Barton III appeared in 56 games (52 starts), averaging 12.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 42.6% from the field and a career-high 38.1% from three-point range. He scored 20 or more points on nine occasions and made five or more threes in six games.

The Baltimore, Maryland native was acquired by Denver in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 19, 2015 and since then, has appeared in 408 games in a Nuggets uniform, the second most games of any Nuggets player since the 2014-15 season. He currently sits third all-time in team NBA franchise history with 647 career three point makes.

Barton III has appeared in 408 games (208 starts) over seven seasons with Denver, averaging 13.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 30.1 minutes per game. Barton III was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers out of Memphis with the 40th overall selection in the 2012 NBA Draft.

San Antonio Spurs sign rookie guard Josh Primo

The San Antonio Spurs have signed rookie guard Josh Primo.

Primo, 6-6/190, was selected with the 12th overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft. He became the youngest draft pick by the Spurs since they joined the NBA in 1976, as well as just the second San Antonio lottery pick since 1997. The 18-year-old played one season at the University of Alabama, where he helped lead the Crimson Tide to a SEC Championship and the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Primo was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, averaging 8.1 points and 3.4 rebounds while starting in 19 of 30 games and shooting 43.1 percent from the field and 38.1 from beyond the arc. A native of Toronto, Primo scored in double figures 12 times, including a career-high 22 points twice, and registered eight games where he knocked down three-or-more three pointers. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Jan. 25 after averaging 19.0 points and 3.5 rebounds while knocking down 10-of-13 three pointers in two games. Primo also represented Canada at the 2019 FIBA U-19 World Cup and participated in the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp at the 2020 All Star Game in Chicago.

Currently playing for the Spurs Summer League team, Primo is currently averaging 12.0 points, 2.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 26.0 minutes over three games between the Salt Lake City and MGM Resorts Summer Leagues.

Primo will wear No. 11 for the Spurs.

Toronto Raptors sign forward Isaac Bonga

The Toronto Raptors have signed free agent forward Isaac Bonga.

Bonga, a native of Neuweid, Germany, has appeared in 128 games with the Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards over the past three seasons. He holds career averages of 3.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 14.1 minutes. Bonga spent the 2020-21 campaign with Washington, averaging 2.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 40 games.

Bong was originally selected 39th overall by Philadelphia in the 2018 NBA Draft following two seasons with Skyliners Frankfurt in Germany.

Detroit Pistons re-sign guard Rodney McGruder

The Detroit Pistons have re-signed guard Rodney McGruder.

McGruder, 6-4, 205, tallied averages of 5.7 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists in 12.1 minutes over 16 games (two starts) with Detroit in 2020-21. The five-year NBA veteran shot .529 from the field and .458 from 3-point range a season ago. McGruder was acquired by Detroit from the L.A. Clippers as part of a three-team trade that also included the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 19, 2020.

Following a four-year career at Kansas State, McGruder made his NBA debut for the Miami HEAT on Oct. 26, 2016. He went on to play three seasons for Miami before suiting up for the Clippers for the 2019-20 campaign. He has career averages of 5.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists in 234 NBA games (118 starts) and has played in nine NBA Playoff contests across two playoff appearances, one with each of his former teams.