Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Thunder trade Hamidou Diallo to Pistons for Svi Mykhailiuk and draft pick

The Oklahoma City Thunder has acquired guard/forward Svi Mykhailiuk and a 2027 second-round draft pick (via Houston) in a trade with the Detroit Pistons for guard Hamidou Diallo.

Mykhailiuk [mee-HIGH-luke] (6-8, 205) has appeared in 134 career games (32 starts) with the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons and averaged 6.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 17.5 minutes per game, while shooting 36.9 percent from beyond the arc. This season with the Pistons, he has seen time in 36 games (five starts) and is averaging 6.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 17.6 minutes per game. He has 16 games with two or more three-point makes this season, including a career-high-tying five makes on March 3 at Toronto.

Last season, Mykhailiuk was selected to play in the 2020 Rising Stars game as a member of Team World during All-Star Weekend.

Diallo, 6-5, 202, has played for the Thunder since he was selected 45th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets and subsequently involved in two trades to Charlotte and then Oklahoma City following the draft. Through 32 games (five starts) this season, Diallo is averaging career highs in scoring (11.9 ppg), rebounding (5.2 rpg), assists (2.4 apg), steals (1.0 spg) and minutes (23.8 mpg). In 129 career NBA games (11 starts), Diallo has posted clips of 6.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.7 steals in 16.9 minutes.

The Queens, N.Y. native won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest as a rookie at the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte. Diallo played one season collegiately at Kentucky in 2017-18, averaging 10.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals in 24.8 minutes over 37 games (all starts).

Lakers’ Anthony Davis out at least another two weeks

Anthony Davis, who has been out of action due to a right calf strain, was examined by team doctors this evening. The Lakers say that he is progressing in his recovery and has been cleared to enter the next phase of his return to play process.

Davis will be re-evaluated by team doctors in two weeks.

In 23 games played for the 24-13 Lakers this season, Davis is averaging 22.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.8 blocks in 32.8 minutes per game.

Cavs sign Quinn Cook to 10-day contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Quinn Cook to a 10-day contract.

Cook (6-1, 179) appeared in 16 games for the Los Angeles Lakers this season before being waived on February 24. A two-time NBA champion (2018, 2020), Cook has played in 181 career regular season games (29 starts) over five NBA seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors and Lakers, holding averages of 6.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 14.1 minutes. He has also appeared in 40 postseason games, including six contests in last year’s title run with the Lakers. The Washington, D.C. native went undrafted in 2015 after playing four years at Duke where he won an NCAA Championship during his senior season and left as one of just seven players in school history to record 1,000 points and 500 assists.

Additionally, Cook was a member of Cleveland’s 2015 Training Camp roster and spent nearly two seasons with the Canton Charge (2015-16, 2016-17), the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team. With the Charge, he was a two-time All-Star (2016, 2017) and the G League’s Rookie of the Year (2016).

Cook will wear jersey #4 for the Cavaliers.

Rockets sign guard Mason Jones to 10-day contract

The Houston Rockets have signed guard Mason Jones to a 10-day contract.

Jones (6-5, 200) was an early entry candidate for the 2020 NBA Draft following his junior season at Arkansas and originally signed a two-way contract with Houston on Nov. 26, 2020. He has appeared in 22 games with one start for the Rockets this season. Per 36 minutes played, Jones is averaging 18.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists.

The 22-year-old has scored in double-figures four times this season, including a career-best 24 points while shooting 6-of-8 from 3-point range at San Antonio on Jan. 16. Jones shot 9-of-10 from the foul line vs. Memphis on Feb. 28, marking the most free throw attempts by a Rockets rookie since Luis Scola in 2007-08.

Lakers sign center Damian Jones to another 10-day contract

The Los Angeles Lakers signed center Damian Jones to a second 10-day contract today.

Jones has averaged 4.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 10.3 minutes through three games with the Lakers after signing with the team on February 25. In 17 games (one start) with Los Angeles and Phoenix this season, Jones is averaging 2.0 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.4 minutes.

The Lakers are 24-13 this season, which is the third best record in the Western conference, behind the Jazz and Suns. They’re being led in scoring by LeBron James at 25.8 points per game, Anthony Davis at 22.5 ppg (in just 23 games played), Dennis Schroder at 14.9 ppg, Montrezl Harrell at 13.8 ppg (almost entirely off the bench), and Kyle Kuzma usually off the bench at 11.5 ppg.

Meyers Leonard fined and suspended for using an antisemitic slur

Miami Heat player Meyers Leonard has been fined $50,000 and suspended from all Heat facilities and team activities for one week for an anti-Semitic comment he made Monday, March 8, the NBA announced today.

Leonard will also be required to participate in a cultural diversity program.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released the following statement:

“Meyers Leonard’s comment was inexcusable and hurtful and such an offensive term has no place in the NBA or in our society. Yesterday, he spoke to representatives of the Anti-Defamation League to better understand the impact of his words and we accept that he is genuinely remorseful. We have further communicated to Meyers that derogatory comments like this will not be tolerated and that he will be expected to uphold the core values of our league – equality, tolerance, inclusion and respect – at all times moving forward.”

Jazz sign Ersan Ilyasova, who had not played in NBA yet this season

The Utah Jazz signed forward Ersan Ilyasova today.

Ilyasova (6-9, 235, Turkey) spent the 2019-20 season with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he averaged 6.6 points on 46.6 percent from the field and 4.8 rebounds in 63 games (eight starts). The 33-year-old has had a 12-year NBA career, competing in 808 games (423 starts), owning career averages of 10.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists with Milwaukee (2006-07, 2009-15, 2018-20), Detroit (2015-16), Orlando (2015-16), Oklahoma City (2016-17), Philadelphia (2016-17, 2017-18) and Atlanta (2017-18). He’s one of just 26 active players to have totaled over 8,000 points and 4,500 rebounds.

Originally drafted with the 36th overall pick (second round) in the 2005 NBA Draft by Milwaukee, Ilyasova has additional playing experience in Europe, competing for Fenerbahce Ulker in 2004-05 and 2011-12 and with FC Barcelona from 2007-09. He’s also represented the Turkish National Team since 2006 in nine different events, averaging 11.7 points and 5.9 rebounds in 52 international contests.

Ilyasova will wear no. 77 for the Jazz.

The Jazz have a 27-9 record, which is the best in the entire NBA. They’re being led in scoring this season by Donovan Mitchell at 24.7 points per game, Jordan Clarkson at 17.9 ppg (coming off the bench for all 36 of his games played), Mike Conley at 16.1 ppg, Bojan Bogdanovic at 15.7 ppg, Rudy Gobert at 14.2 ppg, and Joe Ingles at 11.5 ppg. The team is ranked 4th in the NBA in both offense and defense.

Pelicans sign Sindarius Thornwell to another 10-day contract

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard Sindarius Thornwell to a second 10-day contract.

Thornwell, 6-4, 215, has previously appeared in 11 games (one start) this season with New Orleans, averaging 1.4 points in 4.8 minutes per contest.

The Pelicans roster now stands at 16 players.

The Pelicans are just 15-21 this season, which ties them with the Thunder for the 11th best record in the Western conference. They’re being led in scoring this season by Zion Williamson at 25.6 points per game, Brandon Ingram at 23.9 ppg, Lonzo Ball at 14.5 ppg, and Eric Bledsoe at 12.6 ppg.

Raptors sign Henry Ellenson to 10-day contract

The Toronto Raptors have signed forward-center Henry Ellenson to a 10-day contract.

Ellenson 6-foot-10, 240 pounds, averaged a team-high 21.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 30.6 minutes in 15 games (13 starts) with Raptors 905 in the NBA G League bubble. He shot .493 (107-217) from the field, .424 (53-125) from three-point range and .882 (30-34) at the free throw line. Ellenson scored 20+ points seven times and recorded five double-doubles.

A native of Rice Lake, Wisconsin, Ellenson helped Raptors 905 (12-3) earn the top seed for the G League playoffs and reach the semifinals. In the postseason, he averaged 24.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 36.0 minutes in two games and scored a season-high 35 points in Raptors 905’s first-round victory over Team Ignite.

Ellenson played one season at Marquette (2015-16) prior to being picked 18th overall by Detroit in the 2016 NBA Draft. He is averaging 4.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 9.2 minutes in 81 career NBA games (two starts) with Detroit, New York and Brooklyn.

Utah Jazz reveal new ‘Earned Edition’ uniforms

The Utah Jazz revealed today their new Nike NBA Earned Edition uniforms that will debut with the second half start of the 2020-21 NBA season on March 12 against the Houston Rockets at Vivint Arena. Only teams that advanced to the NBA playoffs last season qualified for the Earned Edition.

The 2020-21 Utah Jazz Earned Edition brings back the green color into the uniform set, echoing the classic road uniform the team originally wore upon arrival in Salt Lake City in 1979.

The jersey features the enlarged J-note colored in gold and white. The side panels have a new design, evoking the shape and style of the upper portion of the J-note logo. The uniform also includes a silver Nike logo on the shorts and the jersey as well as the 5 For The Fight partnership patch representing the campaign for cancer research.

The Nike NBA Earned Edition gives the Jazz five total uniform options this season joining “Association” (White), “Icon” (Blue), “Statement” (Gold) and “City” (Dark Mode).