Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Nuggets promote Wes Unseld Jr. to Associate Head Coach

The Denver Nuggets promoted Wes Unseld Jr. to Associate Head Coach today.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Wes as part of our organization,” stated Connelly. “He’s one of the most respected coaches in our league, and for good reason. He’s a tireless worker with a fantastic mind for the game. He’s been a vital part of our success and will make a fantastic head coach in the very near future.”

“Wes is extremely deserving of this promotion. He is one of the hardest working people I’ve come across in this league and he has been an integral part of my coaching staff since we both arrived in Denver in 2015,” said Nuggets Head Coach Michael Malone. “I’ve said many times over the years that Wes is ready and deserving of a head coaching position in the NBA and it’s only a matter of time until that day comes.”

Unseld Jr. begins his sixth season with the Nuggets coaching staff in his primary role of overseeing the defensive game plans.

Prior to joining the Nuggets, Unseld Jr. spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic (2012-2014) and spent the 2011-12 campaign as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors.

Prior to his time in Golden State, Unseld Jr. spent 13 seasons with the Washington Wizards organization, including six seasons as an assistant coach from 2005-11. He played a key role in player development for the Wizards, helping Washington to four consecutive playoff appearances from 2004-08.

Unseld Jr. began his NBA career in 1997, just four days after graduating from John Hopkins University, as a professional and college scout for Washington. He was promoted later that same year to advance scout. In addition to his nine-year tenure as advance pro scout for the Wizards, he also spent three seasons (1998-2000) as an advance scout for the WNBA’s Washington Mystics and one season serving as assistant coach as well (1998).

A native of Maryland, Unseld Jr. played on the men’s basketball team at John Hopkins for three seasons.

Jazz sign guard Trevon Bluiett

The Utah Jazz have signed guard Trevon Bluiett.

Bluiett, who is 26 years old and listed at 6-foot-6, 198 lbs., spent last season playing in the G League for the Salt Lake City Stars. In 41 games (15 starts), he averaged 14.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 29.3 minutes per game, shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from three-point range.

Bluiett played four years of college basketball, for Xavier.

Grizzlies sign Ahmad Caver, waive Mario Hezonja

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard Ahmad Caver.

In addition, the team waived forward Mario Hezonja.

Caver (6-2, 175) appeared in 39 games (two starts) and averaged 9.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.28 steals in 24.4 minutes last season for the NBA G League’s Memphis Hustle. Unselected in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Atlanta native was named to the 2018-19 All-Conference USA First Team as a senior at Old Dominion and led the Big Blue to the 2019 C-USA Championship.

Hezonja (6-8, 220) has appeared in 330 games (69 starts) and has averaged 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 18.5 minutes over five NBA seasons (2015-20) with the Orlando Magic, New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers. Memphis acquired the 30th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft from the Boston Celtics to select Desmond Bane and acquired Hezonja from the Trail Blazers as part of a three-team trade on Nov. 20.

Mavericks sign veteran guard Courtney Lee

The Dallas Mavericks have signed veteran guard Courtney Lee.

Lee, listed at 6-foot-5, 215 lbs., originally joined the Mavericks as part of the seven-player trade that brought Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke to Dallas in January 2019.

The 35-year-old, 13-season veteran holds career averages of 9.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals and 27.1 minutes in 811 games (518 starts) with Orlando, New Jersey, Houston, Boston, Memphis, Charlotte, New York and Dallas. Last year, Lee averaged 4.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 14.4 minutes through 24 games (nine starts). Lee did not play in the NBA Restart due to a calf injury.

Lee played four seasons at Western Kentucky where, in 127 starts, he averaged 17.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.9 steals in 31.2 minutes. He was named First Team All-Sun Belt in each of his final three seasons (2005-08) and earned 2008 Sun Belt Player of the Year honors as a senior.

Lee, a native of Indianapolis, will join the team after clearing medical protocols.

Lee will wear No. 45.

Timberwolves sign Charlie Brown Jr. to a training camp contract

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed guard Charlie Brown Jr. to a training camp contract.

Brown Jr., 6-6, totaled 20 points and 4 rebounds last season in 10 games with Atlanta. He was originally signed by the Hawks on July 1, 2019.

The 23-year-old played in 29 games in the G League for the College Park Skyhawks where he averaged 17.1 points on 42.2% shooting and 6.7 rebounds per game.

Brown Jr. played two seasons for Saint Joseph’s University, averaging 16.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in 63 games. As a sophomore, he was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team as well as won the A-10 scoring crown, averaging 19.0 points per game.

Mavericks waive Jose Juan Barea

The Dallas Mavericks have waived guard Jose Juan Barea.

Per the Dallas Morning News, “Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson on Thursday confirmed that the team will be releasing veteran guard Barea. ESPN on Wednesday reported the expected roster move. “A little bit of a sad day in Mavs-ville as we say goodbye to J.J. Barea,” Nelson told reporters via Zoom. “We’ve had an incredible, amazing ride with J.J. … He, in a lot of respects, has been the heart and soul of us for many, many years.”

Barea (5-10, 180) holds career averages of 8.9 points, 3.9 assists and 19.6 minutes in 831 games (107 starts) with Dallas and Minnesota. In an additional 50 playoff games (11 starts) for Dallas, Barea averaged 7.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 19.7 minutes. The point guard helped the Mavericks to their first NBA title in 2011, appearing in 21 games throughout the run.

And per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “the Mavericks re-signed Barea for one year and $2.6 million earlier this fall, but according to ESPN, Cuban was aware that the guard was going to be released and wanted to reward him for his 11 seasons with the team.”

Barea has played 11 of his 14 NBA seasons with the Mavericks. Among franchise leaders, he ranks fifth in games (637), seventh in 3-pointers made (596) and eighth in assists (2,441).

The Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, native went undrafted in the 2006 NBA Draft and was signed by Dallas as a rookie free agent on Aug. 17, 2006. Barea attended Northeastern University where, as a senior, he averaged 21.0 points, 8.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds for the Huskies.

Nuggets sign Monte Morris to contract extension

The Denver Nuggets have signed guard Monte Morris to a multi-year contract extension.

Morris’ contract extension is reportedly a three-year deal worth $27 million. Per the Denver Post, “the deal, which is fully guaranteed, offers incentives which could push it closer to $9.4 million annually, according to one source. The extension kicks in at the start of the 2021-22 season.”

Morris, listed at 6-foot-3, 185 lbs., averaged 9.0 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 22.4 minutes per game for the Nuggets last season.

And in 2018-19, Morris played all 82 games for the Nuggets, starting six of them, and averaged 10.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists, while shooting .414 from three-point range.

Over the last two seasons combined, Morris boasts the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA at 5.29.

Morris spent most of the 2017-18 season on a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets. In 37 G League games for Rio Grande Valley Vipers, he put up 17.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.5 assists, while shooting 47.2% from the field.

The Nuggets drafted Morris late second round (51st overall) in 2017. He played four seasons of college hoops at Iowa State University.

Thunder sign rookie forward Aleksej Pokusevski

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed rookie forward Aleksej Pokuševski.

Drafted first round (17th overall) in the 2020 NBA draft, Pokuševski’s draft rights were acquired from the Timberwolves as part of a three-team trade on November 20.

According to the Oklahoman, “the Thunder now has 18 players under contract for this season, not counting its two players on two-way contracts.”

Pokuševski (7-0, 195) averaged 10.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals in 22.6 minutes in 11 games with Olympiacos B in the Greek Second Division, HEBA A2 during the 2019-20 season as the team went 17-4 and earned a second-place finish in A2. At the 2019 U18 European Championships, the Serbian native averaged 10.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.7 steals and led with event with 4.0 blocks per game.

Utah Jazz sign guard Shaquille Harrison

The Utah Jazz have signed guard Shaquille Harrison.

It’s reportedly a deal for the league minimum.

Listed at 6-foot-4, 190 lbs., this will be Harrison’s fourth NBA season.

Harrison played for the Chicago Bulls in 2019-20. In 43 games (10 starts), he averaged 4.9 points on 46.7 percent from the field, 2.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 11.3 minutes per game.

Per KSL.com, “He’s been an energy player on bad teams thus far, but his defensive metrics show he may have some true value. Last season, he was 15th in the NBA in Defensive Real Plus-Minus (for reference, Utah’s Rudy Gobert was first). Harrison’s 4.9 deflections per 36 minutes and 2.3 loose balls recovered per 36 minutes were among the league leaders according to NBA.com’s hustle stats. There are worse options for an end-of-the-bench player.”

Harrison has also played for the Suns, as well as in the G League for the Northern Arizona Suns.