Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Cavs waive Matt Mooney, Levi Randolph and Charles Matthews, and sign Norvel Pelle

The Cleveland Cavaliers have waived Two-Way player Matt Mooney and guard/forwards Levi Randolph and Charles Matthews.

The team then converted center Marques Bolden into a Two-Way contract, and has also signed forward Norvel Pelle.

Bolden (6-11, 250) appeared in all four Cavaliers preseason games this year and played in one game for the Cavs last season after signing a 10-day contract on Jan. 30, 2020. He was also a member of the Cavaliers’ 2019 training camp roster and played in 38 games (27 starts) in 2019-20 with the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League affiliate, averaging 9.7 points on .596 shooting, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 18.9 minutes.

Pelle (6-10, 231) appeared in 24 games for the Philadelphia 76ers last season, averaging 2.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 9.7 minutes.

Miami Heat waive BJ Johnson

The Miami Heat have waived guard/forward BJ Johnson.

Johnson, who was signed by the HEAT on December 4, appeared in two games with Miami this preseason totaling three points, two assists and a rebound while shooting 1-of-5 from the field and 1-of-1 from three-point range.

With NBA preseason ending today and the regular season starting Tuesday, teams around the league are trimming their rosters down over the next few days.

Wizards center Thomas Bryant fined by NBA

Washington Wizards center Thomas Bryant has been fined $45,000 for repeatedly making inappropriate contact with a game official, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

Bryant, who received a technical foul as part of the incident, was aggressively attempting to confront Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin, who had committed a Flagrant Foul 1 against Bryant on the play.

The incident occurred with 8:42 remaining in the third quarter of Washington’s 97-86 preseason loss to Detroit on Dec. 17 at Capital One Arena.

Pelicans waive Rawle Alkins, Ike Anigbogu, Jarrod Uthoff and Tony Carr

The New Orleans Pelicans have waived guards Rawle Alkins and Tony Carr, forward Jarrod Uthoff and center Ike Anigbogu.

NBA preseason ends today, and the regular season begins Tuesday. Teams around the league will be trimming down their rosters over these next few days.

The Pelicans roster is now at 16, including Will Magnay and Naji Marshall, who are signed to two-way contracts.

Timberwolves sign Zylan Cheatham, waive Ade Murkey

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed forward Zylan Cheatham.

In a related move, Rosas also announced the team has waived guard Ade Murkey.

Cheatham, 6-5, played in four games with the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2019-20 season. The 25-year-old played in 34 games (30 starts) in the G League for the Erie Bayhawks where he averaged 16.2 points on 53.4% shooting and 11.6 rebounds per game.

Cheatham played two seasons at San Diego State University, averaging 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 69 games (48 starts) before transferring to his hometown college, Arizona State. The Phoenix native played one season with the Sun Devils, averaging 12.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 34 games (all starts).

Heat convert Max Strus’ contract to a two-way contract

The Miami Heat have converted the contract of guard/forward Max Strus to a two-way contract.

Strus appeared in two preseason games with Miami this season averaging a team-leading 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 50 percent (12-of-24) from the field and 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from three-point range. He posted 22 points, all off the bench, last night against Toronto while connecting on 6-of-8 from beyond the arc, helping the HEAT to a, 117-105, win.

Strus split last season between the Chicago Bulls and their G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls. He appeared in two games with Chicago totaling five points and one rebound in 6:14 minutes of action while shooting 2-of-3 from the field and connecting on his only free throw. He also appeared in 13 games (12 starts) for Windy City, before suffering a season-ending injury, and averaged 18.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 34.9 minutes while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 96.3 percent from the foul line.

Strus played two seasons at DePaul University after transferring from Lewis University. As a senior at DePaul in 2018-19, he appeared in 35 games (all starts) and averaged 20.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 37.4 minutes while shooting 42.9 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from three-point range and 84.2 percent from the foul line. Among DePaul’s all-time leaders, he finished third in three-point field goals made (194), fourth in career scoring average (18.6) and fifth in career free throw percentage (.825). He scored 705 points as a senior, joining Mark Aguirre as the only players in school history to score at least 700 points in a single season. Additionally, Strus recorded eight career 30-point games, joining Aguirre (17), George Mikan (13) and Tom Kleinschmidt (8) as the only players in program history with at least five 30-point games.

Timberwolves sign Jordan McLaughlin to two-way contract

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed guard Jordan McLaughlin to a two-way contract.

McLaughlin, 24, appeared in 30 games (two starts) with the Timberwolves last season, averaging 7.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists. In his first NBA start on Feb. 8 vs. the Los Angeles Clippers, he recorded his first-career double-double notching career highs of 24 points and 11 assists. On Feb. 23 at Denver, he recorded 15 points and 10 assists, becoming the sixth Timberwolves rookie, and first since Zach LaVine in 2015, to have multiple point/assist double-doubles in their rookie season.

While on assignment with the Iowa Wolves, he averaged 16.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.4 assists in 23 games with the Timberwolves G-League affiliate.

The Pasadena (CA) native played four seasons at the University of Southern California averaging 12.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 58 assists and 1.7 steals in 128 games.

Thunder waive TJ Leaf and Admiral Schofield

The Oklahoma City Thunder has waived forwards TJ Leaf and Admiral Schofield.

Leaf appeared in two preseason games with the Thunder, registering eight points and seven rebounds. He was originally acquired from Indiana on Nov. 25.

Schofield appeared in two preseason games with Oklahoma City, grabbing two rebounds and dishing out two assists. He was originally acquired from Washington on Nov. 19.

Nets add forward Paul Eboua off waivers

The Brooklyn Nets have claimed forward Paul Eboua off waivers.

Eboua, listed at 6-foot-8, 214 lbs., had been signed by the Miami Heat on November 25 and was waived on Dec. 16.

In the 2019-20 season, Oboua played overseas in Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A league. For VL Pesaro, he averaged 7.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in 21.6 minutes per game.

In the 2018-19 season, he played in Italy’s second division for the Roseto Sharks. Between 2016-18 he suited up for Italy’s Stella Azzurra U18 team in multiple global tournaments.

Jazz sign Yogi Ferrell and Malcolm Miller, waive four players

The Utah Jazz have signed guard Yogi Ferrell and forward Malcolm Miller.

Also, the Jazz waived guard Trevon Bluiett, center Romaro Gill, forward Tre Scott and guard Jake Toolson.

Ferrell (6-0, 178, Indiana) has four years of NBA experience with the Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings, owning career averages of 7.8 points, 2.3 assists and 2.1 assists in 20.4 minutes per contest. In 2019-20 he saw action in 50 games for the Kings, averaging 4.4 points, 1.4 assists and 1.0 rebounds in 10.6 minutes per contests.

During the 2016-17 season he appeared in 18 games (all starts) with the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League, averaging 18.7 points, 5.8 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 35.7 minutes per contest, being named a 2016-17 G League All-Star.

Miller (6-7, 210, Holy Cross) has played in three NBA seasons with the Toronto Raptors, where he’s averaged 2.0 points on 43.4 percent from the field in 55 career contests (five starts). The Gaithersburg, MD., native has appeared in 97 games (79 starts) in the G League with the Maine Red Claws and Toronto 905, owning career averages of 12.1 points on 46.2 percent from the field, 4.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 blocks in 29.9 minutes per game.

Bluiett (6-6, 198, Xavier) appeared in 41 games (15 starts) in 2019-20 with the Salt Lake City Stars, averaging 14.9 points on 48.7 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from three, along with 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 29.3 minutes per contest.

Gill (7-2, 255, Seton Hall) posted averages of 7.8 points on 62.8 percent shooting, to go with 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks in 30 games during 2019-20. He ranked third in the NCAA and first in the BIG EAST in blocks per game, helping him earn 2019-20 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and BIG EAST Most Improved Player.

Scott (6-8, 225, Cincinnati) was a four-year collegiate player and in 2019-20 posted averages of 11.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 33.7 minutes per game. Following his senior season, he was named 2019-20 AAC Defensive Player of the Year, AAC Most Improved Player, First Team All-AAC and earned the AAC’s Sportsmanship Award.

Toolson (6-5, 205, BYU) spent two seasons at BYU (2014-16) before transferring to Utah Valley (2017-19) and then returning to BYU (2019-20) for his final collegiate season. During 2019-20, he posted averages of 15.2 points on 47.2 percent from the field and 47.0 percent from three, along with 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals in 33.6 minutes per contest, garnering 2019-20 All-WCC First Team accolades. During his last season at Utah Valley, he was named the 2018-19 WAC Player of the Year.