Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Pistons sign Mason Plumlee, Jahlil Okafor, Josh Jackson and Deividas Sirvydis

The Detroit Pistons have signed free agents Mason Plumlee, Jahlil Okafor, Josh Jackson and Deividas Sirvydis.

Plumlee, 6-11, 254, arrives in Detroit after spending the last three-plus seasons with the Denver Nuggets. Plumlee appeared in 61 games in 2019-20, averaging 7.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 17.3 minutes while shooting .615 from the field. Plumlee played in all 82 regular-season games in 2018-19 and recorded clips of 7.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 21.1 minutes per contest.

Prior to his time in Denver, Plumlee played for the Portland Trail Blazers and Brooklyn Nets and holds career averages of 8.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.9 blocks in 21.6 minutes over 532 games (257 starts). The Fort Wayne, Indiana native averaged a career-best scoring average (10.4 ppg) and pulled down 7.5 boards per game in the 2016-17 campaign. He was named to the 2013-14 All-Rookie First Team after averaging 7.4 points on .659 shooting to go along with 4.4 rebounds.

As a collegian, Plumlee played for four years at Duke and won an NCAA National Championship as a freshman in 2009-10. He was named to 2011-12 All-ACC Third Team as a junior before receiving 2012-13 All-ACC First Team honors and earning a Consensus All-America Second Team selection as a senior.

Okafor, 6-10, 270, the former No. 3 pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, enters his sixth NBA season in 2020-21. Okafor spent the last two seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, posting averages of 8.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in 15.8 minutes over 89 games (33 starts). The Chicago native previously suited up for the Brooklyn Nets during the 2017-18 season after he was dealt from Philadelphia where he played from 2015-17.

While with the 76ers, Okafor earned an All-Rookie First Team selection after totaling 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks in 30.0 minutes per game through 53 games (48 starts) in 2015-16. He finished his two-plus seasons in Philadelphia with clips of 14.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocks in 26.2 minutes per game over 105 games (81 starts).

Okafor won the 2015 NCAA National Championship in his one season at Duke while being named both the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year along with earning Consensus All-America First Team honors.

Jackson, 6-8, 207, appeared in 22 games a year ago for the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.8 steals in 17.3 minutes per contest. Jackson arrived in Memphis via trade from Phoenix where he played from 2017-19 after he was selected fourth overall in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Suns.

Jackson earned All-Rookie Second Team honors in 2017-18, averaging 13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 25.4 minutes over 77 games in his rookie campaign. He then posted clips of 11.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.9 steals in 25.2 minutes in 79 games in 2018-19.

Originally from San Diego, Calif. and raised in Detroit, Jackson played collegiately at Kansas for one season in 2016-17 where he earned All-Big 12 First Team honors and was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Year.

Sirvydis, 6-8, 190, was selected 37th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft and his rights were acquired by Detroit in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks on June 26, 2019. He most recently played for Hapoel Jerusalem in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, averaging 4.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 17.8 minutes while shooting .454 from the field through four games. The Lithuania native also suited up for Rytas for the EuroCup in 2019-20, recording clips of 6.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per contest over 16 games.

Sirvydis previously spent two-plus seasons with Vilnius Pearl in Lithuania’s second division, the NKL, as well as most of 2018-19 with Rytas in the country’s top league, the LKL. Sirvydis averaged 27.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals in three games with Vilnius Pearl in 2018-19, and posted 5.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 30 games with Rytas.

Nuggets sign rookies Zeke Nnaji and R.J. Hampton

The Denver Nuggets have signed both Zeke Nnaji (22nd overall pick) and R.J. Hampton (24th overall pick) to their rookie contracts.

Nnaji (NAH-zjee), 6-11, 240, appeared in 32 games (all starts) for the University of Arizona, averaging 16.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks while shooting 57.0% from the field in his freshman campaign. He was named the 2019-20 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year while ranking ninth in the conference in scoring, fifth in rebounding and fourth in field goal percentage. He also recorded 14 double-doubles, marking the second most by a freshman in Arizona history.

Hampton, 6-6, 176, spent the 2019-20 season in Australia’s NBL with the New Zealand Breakers, after deciding to forego his freshman year of college. In 15 games, Hampton averaged 8.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 40.0% from the field in 20.6 minutes per game. The 19-year-old native of Dallas won gold medals with USA Basketball at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship and the 2018 FIBA U-17 Basketball World Cup. Hampton averaged 32.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 3.9 steals at Little Elm (Texas) High School in 2018-19. Denver acquired the rights to Hampton as a part of a four-team draft-night trade with New Orleans, Milwaukee and Oklahoma City.

Lakers re-sign Jared Dudley

The Los Angeles Lakers have re-signed forward Jared Dudley.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Dudley’s contract with the Lakers is “for the veteran minimum of about $2.5 million.”

Dudley played in 45 games (one start) for the Lakers last season, notching 1.5 points and 1.2 rebounds in 8.1 minutes per game. In 892 career games (286 starts), Dudley owns averages of 7.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He has played in 42 career playoff games, tallying 4.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 15.4 minutes.

Hornets sign Grant Riller and Nate Darling to two-way contracts

The Charlotte Hornets have signed guards Grant Riller and Nate Darling to two-way contracts.

Drafted by the Hornets with the 56th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Riller averaged 18.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 132 career contests, while shooting .519 from the field, .356 from the three-point line and .796 from the free-throw line. The 6-3 guard earned All-Colonial Athletic Association First Team honors in each of his last three seasons at College of Charleston, after being named to the CAA All-Rookie Team in 2016-17. He recorded 64 games with 20 points or more and 14 games with 30 points or more. During his senior year, he scored a school single-game NCAA Division I record 43 points against Hofstra and recorded the first triple-double in school history with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Northeastern.

An undrafted free agent out of Delaware, Darling averaged 21.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 38.2 minutes per game in 32 appearances (all starts) for the Blue Hens. The 6-5 guard was named to the All-CAA First Team after leading the conference in minutes per game, three-point field goals (107) and three-point field goal percentage (.399). The Nova Scotia native averaged 11.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 25.6 minutes per game in his career which spanned time at both Alabama-Birmingham and Delaware.

Thunder waive guard Josh Gray

The Oklahoma City Thunder has waived guard Josh Gray, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Gray has appeared in seven career games with Phoenix and New Orleans, recording averages of 4.9 points, 2.0 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 1.14 steals in 15.6 minutes per game. He was originally acquired from New Orleans on Nov. 24.

Nets sign Jordan Bowden and Nate Sestina

The Brooklyn Nets announced their training camp roster of 20 players today with the signings of guard Jordan Bowden and forward Nate Sestina.

Bowden (6’5”, 193) joins the Nets after a four-year collegiate career (2016-20) at the University of Tennessee. In 132 games (99 starts) for the Volunteers, Bowden recorded averages of 10.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 28.3 minutes per contest. As a senior last season, Bowden averaged 13.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 34.4 minutes per game, which all marked career highs. The Tennessee native finished his career tied for fifth in school history in games played and ranked seventh in 3-pointers made (186). He also became one of just four Vols all-time to total 1,000 points, 450 rebounds and 250 assists.

Sestina (6’9”, 234) joins Brooklyn from the University of Kentucky, where he spent the 2019-20 season as a graduate student-athlete. In 28 games (seven starts) for the Wildcats last season, Sestina recorded averages of 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per contest. He previously played four collegiate seasons (2015-19) at Bucknell, recording averages of 8.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 17.7 minutes per contest while shooting .537 from the field in 100 games (31 starts). As a senior in the 2018-19 season, the Emporium, Pa., native averaged career highs across the board with 15.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocks in 27.7 minutes per game en route to Second Team All-Patriot League honors.

Mavericks sign forward Wes Iwundu

The Dallas Mavericks have signed free agent forward Wes Iwundu.

Iwundu (6-6, 195) was selected by Orlando with the 33rd pick of the 2017 NBA Draft. In three seasons with the Magic, he averaged 4.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 17.6 minutes in 182 games (46 starts). Iwundu also made nine starts with the G League Lakeland Magic as a rookie, contributing 15.2 points and 8.4 rebounds in 35.3 minutes.

Iwundu, a Houston native, played four seasons with Kansas State (2013-17) and averaged 9.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists while setting a program record for games started (124). His 185 defensive rebounds in 2016-17 are the second most in program history. Iwundu was named Third Team All-Big 12 following his junior and senior seasons.

Iwundu would become the second K-State alumni to appear in a game for the Mavericks. Mavs legend Rolando Blackman, who currently serves as the organization’s VP of corporate relations, enjoyed a four-year career with the Wildcats (1977-81) before playing 11 of his 13 NBA seasons in Dallas.

Iwundu will wear No. 25.

Rockets sign KJ Martin, Jerian Grant, Trevelin Queen and Brodric Thomas

The Houston Rockets today signed rookie forward KJ Martin along with free agent guards Jerian Grant (JARE-in), Trevelin Queen (TREH-vill-in), and Brodric Thomas.

Martin (6-6, 215) was the 52nd overall pick by Sacramento in the 2020 NBA Draft. The Rockets acquired his rights on November 25. Martin spent last season with IMG Academy’s post-graduate team and averaged 19.6 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 69.1% from inside-the-arc. The 19-year-old is the son of Kenyon Martin, who was the first overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft

Grant (6-4, 198) was originally the 19th overall pick by Washington in the 2015 NBA Draft before his rights were traded to New York. In 279 career games with 61 starts he has averaged 6.1 points, 2.9 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.94. Grant played for the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League last season and ranked sixth in 3-point percentage (44.1%) prior to signing with the Wizards for the NBA restart in Orlando.

Queen (6-6, 190) spent the past two collegiate seasons at New Mexico State. As a senior, he earned All-WAC Second Team honors while averaging 13.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.7 steals, and 2.0 3-pointers made on 38.7% shooting. The Aggies won their final 19 games to finish with a 25-6 mark.

Thomas (6-5, 185) was named Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2019-20 after averaging 21.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals. He also picked up all-GLVC First Team and All-Defensive Team honors for the third straight season. Thomas averaged 2.7 3-pointers made on 41.7% shooting in his final season with the Bulldogs.

Raptors sign multiple players, finalize training camp roster

The Toronto Raptors have finalized their 2020-21 training camp roster after making the following signings:

Restricted free agent forward Oshae Brissett and free agent centre Henry Ellenson have signed multi-year contracts.

2020 first round draft pick Malachi Flynn (29th overall) has signed a rookie scale contract.

2020 second round draft pick Jalen Harris (59th overall) has signed a two-way contract.

Free agent forwards Alize Johnson (AL-uh-zay) and Yuta Watanabe (YOU-tuh wah-tuh-NAH-bay) have signed one-year Exhibit-10 contracts.

The roster currently stands at the maximum of 20 players.

Mavericks sign rookie forwards Freddie Gillespie and Devonte Patterson

The Dallas Mavericks have signed rookie free agent forwards Freddie Gillespie and Devonte Patterson.

The signings are likely non-guarantee deals that merely bring the two players to training camp.

Gillespie (6-9, 245) went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft after finishing his college career at Baylor. Last season, as a senior, he was named the Big 12 Most Improved Player while garnering Second Team All-Big 12 and Big-12 All-Defensive Team accolades. Gillespie also became the first Baylor men’s basketball player to earn Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors.

The former walk-on transfer led the Bears to a 26-4 record last season, including five weeks ranked as the nation’s No. 1 team, the longest streak by any program since 2015. He averaged 9.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 2.2 blocks and 28.4 minutes per game in 30 games (all starts) and ranked third in the Big 12 in both redounding and blocked shots.

Prior to playing at Baylor, Gillespie earned All-MIAC and All-MIAC Defensive Team honors for Division III Carleton College. The Saint Paul, Minnesota, native did not begin playing basketball until eighth grade and stood at 5-11 entering high school.

Gillespie will wear No. 32 for Dallas.

Patterson (6-7, 205) also went undrafted in 2020 after finishing his college career at Prairie View A&M, where he helped the Panthers to back-to-back regular season titles and undefeated record at home in his two seasons with the program (2019, 2020). Last season, as a senior, he averaged 15.8 points (.465 FG%), 6.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 28.8 minutes in 24 games (19 starts) en route to garnering SWAC Player of the Year honors.

The Bridgeport, Texas, native played his first two collegiate seasons at Ranger College (NJCAA) before transferring to Prairie View A&M. He led Bridgeport High School to the UIL Class 4A state championship in 2015.

Patterson will wear No. 23 for the Mavericks.

The Mavericks’ 20-man training camp roster is now complete.