Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Magic forward Al-Farouq Aminu undergoes minor knee procedure

Orlando Magic forward Al-Farouq Aminu underwent a minor arthroscopic procedure to address continued swelling in his right knee, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today.

Per the team, the procedure went as planned and will allow Aminu to complete his final phase of rehabilitation.

Aminu’s return to the court will depend on how he responds to treatment and rehabilitation. He missed 55 games last season after originally suffering the injury on November 29, 2019 vs. Toronto. Aminu underwent surgery on January 7.

Aminu (6’9”, 220, 9/21/90) played in 18 games last season for Orlando (two starts), averaging 4.3 ppg., 4.8 rpg., 1.2 apg. and 1.00 stlpg. in 21.1 minpg. He was signed as a free agent by the Magic on July 6, 2019. Aminu has appeared in 688 career NBA regular season games (431 starts) with the L.A. Clippers, New Orleans, Dallas, Portland and Orlando, averaging 7.6 ppg., 6.1 rpg. and 1.2 apg. in 25.1 minpg. He has also played in 40 career playoff contests (33 starts), averaging 11.3 ppg., 7.3 rpg. and 1.4 apg. in 29.1 minpg., while shooting .391 (70-179) from three-point range

Pistons sign Wayne Ellington

The Detroit Pistons have signed free agent guard Wayne Ellington.

Ellington, 6-4, 207, suited up for the New York Knicks last season where he recorded 5.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 15.5 minutes per contest through 36 games (one start).

Ellington makes his return to Detroit after playing for the Pistons in 2018-19, posting averages of 12.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 27.3 minutes over 28 games (26 starts). He also appeared in all four games in the NBA Playoffs that season for Detroit.

Ellington enters his 12th NBA season in 2020-21 after being drafted in the first round (28th overall) by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2009 NBA Draft. He has played for New York, Detroit, Miami, Brooklyn, L.A. Lakers, Dallas, Cleveland, Memphis and Minnesota. In 681 NBA games (166 starts), he holds career averages of 8.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 21.0 minutes per game.

A native of Wynnewood, Pa., Ellington starred collegiately at the University of North Carolina where he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2009 Final Four after leading UNC to the NCAA Championship. During that run to the championship, Ellington set the Final Four record for highest 3-point field goal percentage by going 8-for-10 (.800) from beyond the arc.

Pelicans sign Will Magnay, Tony Carr, Jarrod Uthoff and Ike Anigbogu

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed center Ike Anigbogu, guard Tony Carr and forward Jarrod Uthoff. Additionally, the team has signed center Will Magnay to a two-way contract.

Anigbogu, 6-9, 252, most recently played for the Erie BayHawks, appearing in six games last season, averaging 9.5 points and 4.8 rebounds. Selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 47th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the UCLA product appeared in 14 games for the Pacers between 2017-19, and 41 games for their G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

Carr, 6-5, 200, was originally selected with the 51st overall pick by New Orleans in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Penn State product began his professional career overseas, suiting up for Auxilium Torino and Pallacanestro Cantù in Italy, and Parma Basket of Russia, before returning to the United States to finish the 2019-20 season with the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League, appearing in 13 games, and averaging 10.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists.

Uthoff, 6-9, 220, most recently appeared in three games with the Washington Wizards during the NBA restart in Orlando, averaging 5.0 points while shooting .600 from deep. Undrafted in 2016 out of the University of Iowa, Uthoff has appeared in 16 career NBA games with Dallas, Memphis and Washington, averaging 3.7 points and 1.8 rebounds, and has also appeared in 121 G League games with Raptors 905, Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Texas Legends and the Memphis Hustle, earning First-Team All-G League honors with the Hustle in 2020 after averaging 19.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 34 contests.

Magnay, 6-10, 234, most recently played for the Brisbane Bullets of Australia’s National Basketball League, earning the NBL’s Most Improved Player Award in 2020. Undrafted in 2017, Magnay played one year of collegiate basketball at the University of Tulsa.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to sign two players to two-way contracts in addition to the 15-man regular season roster. Magnay and will provide services primarily to the team’s NBA G League affiliate – the Erie BayHawks.

Clippers re-sign Reggie Jackson

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

Jackson, 30, appeared in 17 games for the Clippers last season, averaging 9.5 points, 3.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 41.3 percent from beyond the arc. Prior to being signed by the Clippers on February 20, Jackson appeared in 14 games for the Detroit Pistons in 2019-20, averaging 14.9 points, 5.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds.

The 6-foot-3 guard holds career averages of 12.8 points, 4.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 561 appearances across nine NBA seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, 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.

Clippers sign Nicolas Batum

The LA Clippers have signed free agent Nicolas Batum.

According to the Orange County Register, “the 6-foot-9 Batum brings height and length on the perimeter, multi-positional defense, ball-handling and playmaking abilities, 39 games of postseason experience and, of course, he’ll be available to be signed on a minimum deal.”

And per the Los Angeles Times, “Batum is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-low 3.6 points and played 23 minutes per game, his fewest since his rookie season in 2008-09. He shot 34% overall and a career-worst 28% on three-pointers in 22 games, missing Charlotte’s final 19. Batum is just one season removed from making 38% of his threes. Yet that was the first time in five years that Batum shot better than the league average from behind the arc.”

Batum, 31, has appeared in 789 career games with averages of 11.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists over 12 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and Charlotte Hornets. He appeared in 22 games for the Hornets last season with averages of 3.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists. The versatile forward has nine career triple-doubles, which is currently tied for 16th among active players. The 25th overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft, Batum has appeared in 39 career playoff games with averages of 10.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 29.9 minutes.

From Lisieux, France, Batum has been a member of the French National Team since 2009, representing his country in the 2012 Olympics, 2010 FIBA World Championship, 2014 FIBA World Cup and 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015 FIBA European Championships. He led France to a gold medal in the 2013 European Championship, a silver medal in the 2011 European Championship and bronze medals in the 2014 FIBA World Cup and 2015 European Championship.

Batum will wear No. 33 for the Clippers.

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.