Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Kings sign center Hassan Whiteside

The Sacramento Kings have signed free agent center Hassan Whiteside.

According to the Sacramento Bee, “the Kings signed Whiteside to a one-year minimum deal, which is worth $2.32 million for a player with eight years of NBA service, sources said. Whiteside made $27 million with the Portland Trail Blazers last season in the final year of the four-year, $98.4 million deal he signed with the Miami Heat in 2016.”

Whiteside returns to Sacramento after being selected by the Kings with the 33rd overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

An eight-year NBA veteran, Whiteside has averaged 13.7 points (.582 FG%, .320 3pt%, .608 FT%), 11.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.6 steals and 26.7 minutes per game in 410 career contests (320 starts) with the Kings (2010-11 – 2011-12), Miami Heat (2014-15 – 2018-19) and Portland Trail Blazers (2019-20).

Last season for the Blazers, Whiteside tallied 15.5 points (.621 FG%, .571 3pt%, .686 FT%), 13.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.4 steals and 30.0 minutes per game in 67 games (61 starts). The 7-foot-0, 265-pound player out of Marshall led the NBA in blocks (196), blocks per game (2.9) and offensive rebounds (258), while ranking second in total rebounds (905) and double-doubles (51) in 2019-20.

More from the Bee: “Whiteside will add significant size, rebounding and shot-blocking ability to a team that has lacked rebounding and rim protection in recent years.”

Entering the 2020-21 season, Whiteside ranks first among active NBA players in career blocks per game (2.4) and stands at third in rebounds per game (11.7). As a member of the Heat, he led the NBA in rebounds per game (14.1) in 2016-17. Following the 2015-16 season, Whiteside was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team after leading the league in blocks (269) and blocks per game (3.7). In the postseason, Whiteside has garnered averages of 9.0 points (.611 FG%, 1-1 3pt, .577 FT%), 8.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.5 steals and 23.7 minutes per game in 20 playoff games (18 starts) with Miami and Portland.

Born in Gastonia, North Carolina, Whiteside was the 2010 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year after averaging 13.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and a Division I-leading 5.4 blocks per game in 34 contests for Marshall University. Whiteside also earned the following collegiate honors: AP Honorable Mention All-American, Sporting News Second Team freshman All-American, Second Team All-Conference USA, Conference USA All-Freshman Team and All-Defensive Team, plus Second Team NABC All-District 11.

Whiteside will wear No. 20 for the Kings.

Kings sign rookie guard Tyrese Haliburton

The Sacramento Kings have signed rookie guard Tyrese Haliburton to a contract, according to General Manager Monte McNair.

“We are thrilled to have drafted Tyrese and excited to welcome him to the Kings family,” said McNair. “He is an incredibly talented athlete whose shooting, creative passing and ball handling skills combined with his ability to defend either guard position will be a valuable addition to our backcourt. Tyrese also has an engaging personality and is just the type of high character individual who fits the future of what we are building in Sacramento.”

The 12th overall selection in the 2020 NBA Draft garnered averages of 15.2 points (.504 FG%, .419 3pt%, .822 FT%), 5.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 36.7 minutes per game in 22 games (all starts) during his sophomore campaign at Iowa State playing for the Cyclones in 2019-20. Upon season’s end, Haliburton finished sixth in the Big 12 in scoring per game (15.2), second in FG percentage (50.4), first in assists (6.5), first in steals (2.5), and third in three-point field goal percentage (.419).

A native of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Haliburton earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors, was named NABC All-District 8 Second Team and garnered Big 12 Player of the Week honors in back-to-back seasons (2019, 2020). He was named as a Cousy Award Finalist and to the Wooden Award Midseason Top-25 list. During the summer of 2019, Haliburton was selected to the 2019 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Cup Team where he helped lead the squad to a Gold Medal finish and was named to the All-Star Five for the tournament.

Haliburton will wear No. 0 for the Kings.

Spurs sign rookie guard Devin Vassell

The San Antonio Spurs have signed rookie guard Devin Vassell (Vuh-SELL).

Vassell, 6-foot-7, 195 lbs., was selected by San Antonio in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft (11th overall), becoming the first Spurs lottery pick since 1997.

In his sophomore season at Florida State last year, Vassell averaged 12.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 28.7 minutes while shooting 41.5 percent from three-point range on his way to being named to the All-ACC Second Team. The 20-year-old led Florida State, which also featured the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft (Patrick Williams), in scoring and rebounding to help the Seminoles claim their first ACC regular season championship in school history.

One of just three players in the ACC last season to average 12-plus points and 5-plus rebounds while shooting better than 40 percent from beyond the arc, Vassell helped Florida State to a school-record 29 wins last year, giving him a total of 55 wins in his two seasons in Tallahassee.

Vassell will wear No. 24 for the Silver and Black.

Timberwolves re-sign forward Juancho Hernangomez

The Minnesota Timberwolves have re-signed forward Juancho Hernangómez.

Hernangómez appeared in 14 contests for the Timberwolves during the 2019-20 season, averaging 12.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in a career-high 29.4 minutes per game.

Hernangómez, 25, joined the Timberwolves after averaging 3.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 34 contests for Denver during the 2019-20 season In 2018-19, Hernangomez posted a then career-best average of 5.8 points on 43.9% shooting and 36.5% from deep, to go along with 3.8 rebounds in 70 games (25 starts).

The Madrid, Spain native has represented the Spanish National Team throughout his career since 2013 and most recently helped lead Spain to a Gold Medal at the 2019 FIBA World Cup with now-current teammate Ricky Rubio.

Hernangómez was originally drafted by Denver with the 15th overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Hawks sign former Bulls guard Kris Dunn

The Atlanta Hawks have signed free agent guard Kris Dunn.

“Kris is an elite defender and an intense competitor who will bring real value to our group,” said Hawks President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Travis Schlenk. “We are happy to add him and believe his presence will improve our club.”

In 51 games (32 starts) with the Chicago Bulls last season, the Providence College graduate swiped 1.98 steals per game (second-best in the NBA), adding 7.3 points, 3.6 boards and 3.4 assists in 24.9 minutes. Dunn shot a career-best .444 FG% in 2019-20, including .630 FG% (29-46) over his final eight games played.

Originally selected by Minnesota with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Dunn holds career averages of 8.3 points, 4.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.55 steals in 24.3 minutes through 227 contests (126 starts) with the Timberwolves and Bulls. Among players from his draft class, Dunn ranks second in career steals (351) and fourth in assists (948). Since the beginning of the 2016-17 season, Dunn’s 1.55 steals per game rank 15th among all qualifying players and his 351 total steals rank 25th.

The New London, Conn. native will wear jersey No. 32.

Sacramento Kings re-sign guard DaQuan Jeffries

The Sacramento Kings have re-signed guard DaQuan Jeffries.

During the 2019-20 season, on a two-way contract for the Sacramento Kings, Jeffries appeared in 13 games and averaged 3.8 points (.500 FG%, .278 3pt%, .833 FT%), 1.4 rebounds and 10.8 minutes per game. An early entrant out of Tulsa and going undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft, Jeffries accrued averages of 16.6 points (.461 FG%, .339 3pt%, .705 FT%), 6.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 31.0 minutes per game in 27 games (22 starts) for the Sacramento Kings G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings.

Jeffries appeared in 56 career games (40 starts) during two seasons at the University of Tulsa (2017-19), averaging 11.5 points (.517 FG%, .375 3pt%, .766 FT%), 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.3 blocks and 25.4 minutes per game. As a senior (2018-19), he played 31 games (all starts) where he averaged 13.0 points (.502 FG%, .366 3pt%, .755 FT%), 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 blocks, 1.0 steals and 28.1 minutes per game. Jeffries led the team in points, blocked shots and steals, and earned Third Team All-American Athletic Conference honors.

Kings sign center Chimezie Metu

The Sacramento Kings have signed center Chimezie Metu.

The deal is likely non-guaranteed and just for training camp.

Metu has two years of NBA experience, both with the San Antonio Spurs. Last season, he averaged 3.2 points (.571 FG%, .769 FT%), 1.8 rebounds and 5.8 minutes per game, in 18 games played.

An early entrant out of the University of Southern California, the 49th overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Spurs has career averages of 2.3 points (.430 FG%, .767 FT%), 1.5 rebounds and 5.3 minutes per game in 47 games in two seasons with San Antonio (2018-20).

A native of Los Angeles, Metu earned First Team All-Pac-12 honors his junior season at USC and ranks third all-time in blocked shots in school history with 168.

Metu will wear No. 25 for the Kings.

Clippers sign rookie center Daniel Oturu

The LA Clippers have signed rookie center Daniel Oturu.

Selected 33rd overall in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft, Oturu led the Big Ten with 11.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks to go along with 20.1 points in 33.9 minutes during his sophomore season at Minnesota for the Golden Gophers. The 6-foot-10 center shot 56.3 percent from the field last season, which also led the Big Ten. The Woodbury, Minn., native was named to the 2019-20 Big Ten All-Defense team and 2019-20 All-Big Ten second team for the Gophers.

Knicks sign Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

The New York Knicks have signed forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Kidd-Gilchrist’s Knicks contract isn’t on the larger side, to say the least. Per the New York Post, “the one-year deal includes just $50,000 in guaranteed money, The Post’s Marc Berman reported.”

Kidd-Gilchrist, 6-6, 230-pounds, holds career averages of 8.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists over 24.6 minutes in 446 career games (356 starts) over eight seasons with Charlotte and Dallas. He averaged 2.4 points and 2.7 rebounds over 11.2 minutes in 25 games with the Hornets and Mavericks last season. In 2013, he was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie second team after averaging 9.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists over 26 minutes in 78 games (77 starts).

More from the Post: “The 27-year-old Kidd-Gilchrist didn’t pan out the way the Hornets thought he would when they drafted him in 2012, but he has become a defensive specialist who could fit in well under new defense-minded Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.”

The Philadelphia, PA-native was originally selected by Charlotte with the second overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft after his freshman season at the University of Kentucky. A consensus Second Team All-American, Kidd-Gilchrist helped lead the Wildcats to the 2012 National Championship, earning NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team honors, as well as First Team All-SEC and All-SEC Defensive Team honors for the season. He played high school basketball at St. Patrick’s in Elizabeth, NJ.

Knicks sign rookie guard Immanuel Quickley

The New York Knicks have signed rookie guard Immanuel Quickley.

Quickley, 6-3, 188-pounds, was selected by Oklahoma City with the 25th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and then had his draft rights traded to New York in a three-team deal with Minnesota on Nov. 20.

He averaged 10.1 points on 46.2-percent shooting from the field (39.7-percent from downtown), 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 67 games (27 starts) over two seasons at the University of Kentucky. He was named the 2019-20 SEC Player of the Year and earned All-SEC first team honors after recording 16.1 points (42.8-percent from downtown) and 4.2 rebounds over 33.0 minutes in 30 games (20 starts).

The Havre de Grace, MD-native was a two-time state champion at the John Carroll School in Bel Air, MD. He was named an All-State selection three times and the 2015-16 Baltimore Sun Metro Player of the Year. He was also a member of the USA U17 and U19 teams, winning gold with the U17 team at the FIBA Championships.