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Pacers sign Myles Turner to big contract extension

The Indiana Pacers have signed forward/center Myles Turner to a multi-year contract extension.

According to the Indianapolis Star, the extension is “a four-year deal that could be worth as much as $80 million… League sources told IndyStar that $72 million is guaranteed with the rest in incentives.”

The 6-11, 250-pound Turner is in his fourth NBA season and has the longest tenure with the Pacers of all the players on this season’s roster. His 1.82 blocks per game in 2017-18 ranked third in the NBA for the second consecutive season (2.12 per game in 2016-17). Turner was the Pacers’ No. 1 draft pick (11th overall) in the 2015 draft.

“I’d like to thank the Simon family and the Pacers organization for giving me this opportunity,” said Myles Turner. “It took a lot of hard work to get here and I didn’t do it on my own; I’d like to thank my family, as well as my teammates, past and present, and the coaching staff for helping me get to this point. I’m excited to build here in Indiana and I’m looking forward to the future.”

“Myles has been great here, not only on the court; but he represents this organization unbelievably off the court as well,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard. “His hard work and dedication to both his game and to our franchise exemplify what it means to be a Pacer. We’re thrilled to have him here long term.”

More from the Star: “Beyond this season, the Pacers will have Turner, Domantas Sabonis, Victor Oladipo, Aaron Holiday, Doug McDermott and T.J. Leaf under contract for 2019-20. Second-round picks Alize Johnson and Ike Anigbogu have contracts but they’re currently non-guaranteed.”

Suns waive Shaquille Harrison and Darrell Arthur

The Phoenix Suns have waived guard Shaquille Harrison and forward Darrell Arthur.

Harrison initially signed with the Suns on Feb. 21, 2018, and averaged 6.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 23 games last season, the first of his NBA career.

Arthur was acquired by the Suns in a trade from Brooklyn on July 20, 2018; the nine-year veteran holds career averages of 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 503 games.

Wizards trade Jodie Meeks to Bucks

The Washington Wizards have traded guard Jodie Meeks along with cash considerations and a protected second round pick to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for a protected second round pick.

Meeks, 31, averaged 6.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in 77 games last season for Washington. A nine-year NBA veteran, Meeks has averaged 9.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 531 games. Drafted by Milwaukee in the second-round (41st overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft, he has played for six NBA teams including the Bucks, 76ers, Lakers, Pistons, Magic and Wizards.

The Bucks roster stands at 18 players with Meeks beginning the season on the NBA’s Suspended List.

Blazers exercise contract options on Caleb Swanigan and Zach Collins

The Portland Trail Blazers have exercised 2019-20 team options on the rookie contracts of forward Caleb Swanigan and forward/center Zach Collins.

The Trail Blazers acquired Collins, the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, in a draft day trade and selected Swanigan with the 26th overall pick in the same draft.

In his rookie 2017-18 season with the Trail Blazers, Collins (7-0, 235) posted averages of 4.4 points (39.8% FG, 31.0% 3-PT, 64.3% FT), 3.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.26 steals, 0.47 blocks and 15.8 minutes in 66 games (one start).

Swanigan (6-9, 250) averaged 2.3 points (40.0% FG, 12.5% 3-PT, 66.7% FT), 2.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.19 steals, 0.11 blocks and 7.0 minutes in 27 games (three starts) during his rookie 2017-18 season.

Bulls add Tyler Ulis off waivers, then give him two-way contract

The Chicago Bulls have claimed guard Tyler Ulis off waivers to bring their roster to 17 total players. And in a subsequent transaction, the Bulls exercised the Two-Way player conversion option on Ulis.

Ulis (5-10, 150) was waived by the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 12, 2018. He appeared in four games (one start) for Golden State this preseason and averaged 3.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 10.2 minutes per game. Originally selected by Phoenix with the 34th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Ulis played for the Suns for two seasons. He has averaged 7.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists through 132 games (58 starts) in his NBA career. Ulis was named Rookie of the Month in April of 2017.

The Chicago native played for Kentucky for two seasons (2014-16) and posted career averages of 11.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 30.1 minutes over 72 games. While in high school, Ulis was a two-time Illinois All-State selection and Southtown Star Player of the Year. He ended his career at Marian Catholic High School as the all-time leading scorer (2,335), leader in assists (578) and leader in steals (283).

Clippers trade Wesley Johnson to Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans have acquired forward Wesley Johnson from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for center Alexis Ajinca.

In a subsequent transaction, the Clippers then waived Ajinca.

“Wes is a versatile player and a consummate professional who impacts the game on both ends of the court, and brings a strong, positive presence to the locker room,” said Frank. “We want to thank Wes for his contributions to the Clippers organization, and wish him, and his family, the best of luck in New Orleans.”

Johnson, 31, averaged 5.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in 17.8 minutes across 222 appearances (52 starts) in three seasons with L.A. The eight-year NBA veteran holds career averages of 7.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 22.7 minutes through 571 games (321 starts) with the Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. The Corsicana, Texas native was originally drafted by the Timberwolves with the 4th pick in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-7 forward played his first two years of collegiate basketball at Iowa State before transferring to Syracuse.

Ajinca, 30, holds career averages of 5.3 points and 3.9 rebounds across 293 appearances in seven NBA seasons with Charlotte, Dallas, Toronto and New Orleans. A native of Saint-Etienne, France, the 7’2”, 248-pound center was selected 20th overall by Charlotte in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Clippers waive Jawun Evans as opening night approaches

The L.A. Clippers have waived guard Jawun Evans.

“We had a productive and very competitive training camp and preseason, and all of our players deserve to be on the team. As difficult as these decisions can be, we are very proud of this group and excited to begin the season with them,” said Frank. “Jawun is a highly competitive, intelligent player who worked extremely hard this summer and throughout camp. We are grateful for Jawun’s contributions to the Clippers and wish him the absolute best moving forward.”

Evans, 22, appeared in 48 games in his rookie season with L.A., averaging 4.8 points, 2.1 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 16.2 minutes. A product of Oklahoma State, he led the Big 12 in scoring (19.2 ppg), was an AP All-America Honorable Mention selection and was named to the All-Big 12 First Team as a sophomore. He was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2015-16 and was a McDonald’s and Parade All-American out of Kimball High School in Dallas.

Bucks waive Tim Frazier

The Milwaukee Bucks have waived Tim Frazier.

Frazier, who was signed on September 22 by the Bucks to a free agent contract, appeared in four preseason games, and averaged 4.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per outing.

Milwaukee’s roster now stands at 17 players.

Pistons give Zach Lofton a two-way contract, and waive Reggie Hearn

The Detroit Pistons have exercised their two-way player conversion option on guard Zach Lofton.

Also, guard Reggie Hearn has been waived by the team.

Lofton, 6-4, 180, appeared in four games with the Pistons this preseason and averaged 5.5 points (.471 FG, .400 3FG), 2.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 8.9 minutes per game. A member of the Pistons’ team at the 2018 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, NV, Lofton played last season at New Mexico State where he averaged 20.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

Hearn, 6-5, 210, played in one game this preseason, recording three points at San Antonio on October 5. He was signed to a two-way contract on January 15, 2018 and appeared in three games with the Pistons where he averaged 1.0 points in 2.3 minutes per game.

Knicks exercise contract option on Frank Ntilikina

The New York Knicks have exercised their third-year contract option on guard Frank Ntilikina.

So far in his young NBA career, the 6-foot-6, 200-pound Ntilikina has shown some nice defensive skills, but offensively and especially as a point guard is still learning the ropes. Which is par for the course. His NBA career is just getting started. He’s a Knick to watch in 2018-19.

Ntilikina as a rookie last season averaged 5.9 points, 3.2 assists and 2.3 rebounds over 78 games (nine starts). The 20-year-old became the youngest player in franchise history to appear in a game on Oct. 19, 2017 and represented the franchise in the 2018 Rising Stars Challenge in Los Angeles, CA. The native of Strasbourg, France, was originally selected by New York with the eighth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

As for his recent play in preseason, here’s the New York Post: “Ntilikina’s gains in weight and height are manifesting themselves on the court. The extra bulk — about 10 pounds — has him stronger to the rack and sturdier in guarding power forwards on switches. Ntilikina’s progress in the preseason was overshadowed by a point-guard race that didn’t do the Frenchman justice. (Fizdale started four different players at the position in five games).”