NBA News Blog – Page 488 – NBA Blog

Dante Exum to undergo shoulder surgery on October 24, 2017

The following is a medical update from the Utah Jazz on guard Danté Exum who suffered a separated left shoulder on October 6 vs. Phoenix.

After further evaluation, Exum (6-6, 190, Australia) has elected to undergo surgery to stabilize the AC joint of his left shoulder. The surgery is scheduled to take place Tuesday, October 24 in Los Angeles. Further updates will be provided when appropriate.

Exum appeared in 66 games (26 starts) last season for Utah, averaging a career-high 6.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 18.6 minutes per contest. Additionally, the 22-year-old saw action in seven 2017 NBA Playoff games, owning averages of 4.6 points and 1.3 assists in 12.0 minutes per game.

Bucks add DeAndre Liggins

The Milwaukee Bucks have been awarded the contract of guard/forward DeAndre Liggins on a waiver claim. Liggins was waived by the Miami Heat on Oct. 14.

Appearing in 61 games for Cleveland last season, Liggins averaged 2.4 points and 1.7 rebounds per contest. He was waived by the Cavaliers on April 9 and claimed by Dallas on April 11. He played one game for the Mavericks and recorded eight points, seven rebounds and two steals.

Liggins, 29, was drafted by Orlando with the 53rd overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft. He has also played for Oklahoma City and Miami in the NBA and averaged 2.1 points and 1.5 rebounds in 119 career games. Liggins has played professionally in Russia and Germany (2014-15), and won a D-League (now G League) championship with the Sioux Falls Skyforce in 2016.

Mavericks convert Gian Clavell deal into two-way contract

The Dallas Mavericks have exercised the two-way player conversion option in the contract of guard Gian Clavell. This option makes Clavell the Mavericks second two-way player, along with Johnathan Motley.

Clavell (6-4, 185) was originally signed on August 1 and played in all six preseason games for the Mavericks. He averaged 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals in 17.5 minutes per contest.

A native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, Clavell competed for the Miami Heat’s summer league teams in both Orlando and Las Vegas. In five games in Las Vegas, he averaged 12.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 24.6 minutes while shooting 45.2 percent (19-of-42) from the field, 40.6 percent (13-of-32) from 3-point range and 91.7 percent (11-of-12) from the foul line.

The former Colorado State standout went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft after earning Mountain West Player of the Year honors as a redshirt senior last season. In 27 games for the Rams in 2016-17, he averaged a MWC-best 20.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.0 steals in 36.6 minutes.

Clavell spent two years at Northwest Kansas Technical College (2012-14) before transferring to CSU. He attended high school in Miami (at Hialeah Gardens HS), as did fellow Mavericks guard J.J. Barea (Miami Christian School), who also hails from Puerto Rico.

The 2017-18 season will mark the first year NBA two-way contracts will be implemented. NBA teams are allowed to have up to two players under two-way contracts who will spend the bulk of the season in the NBA G League and not more than 45 days with their NBA team.

Two-way players are paid a corresponding daily amount based on the number of days they play in each league. Only players with four-or-fewer years of NBA experience are able to sign two-way contracts, which can be for either one or two seasons.

Bulls waive Jarell Eddie and Diamond Stone, and add Kay Felder

The Chicago Bulls have waived forward Jarell Eddie and center Diamond Stone, and claimed guard Kay Felder off waivers.

Felder (5-9, 176) played in four games (1 start) this preseason for the Cleveland Cavaliers before being traded to the Atlanta Hawks, and then waived by the Hawks, on Oct. 14. He averaged 7.3 points, 1.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.00 steals per game in preseason play.

In his rookie season in 2016-17, Felder appeared in 42 games for Cleveland (no starts) and averaged 4.0 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 9.2 minutes per game. In 11 games (11 starts) with the Canton Charge of the G League, he put up 29.9 points per game to go along with 3.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.55 steals per game. Atlanta selected Felder at No. 54 in the 2016 NBA Draft, and he was then acquired by Cleveland on draft night.

Cavaliers hire new Public Address announcer

There will be a new voice ringing through Quicken Loans Arena when the Cavaliers tip off the 2017-18 season on Tuesday, October 17th as Sean Peebles (pronounced pebbles) takes the center-court seat behind the microphone to become the Cavs new public-address announcer. As part of the Cavaliers game presentation team, he will call the game action and be the voice of other in-arena announcements at all Cavs home games.

Sean Peebles Peebles joins the Cavaliers after serving as the PA announcer for the NBA G-League Erie BayHawks since 2010 and the AA Minor League Baseball Erie Sea Wolves since 2016.

He has been a life-long Cavs fan and a member of Wine & Gold United (the Cavaliers season ticket program) for four years, traveling from his home in Erie, PA to Cleveland to see the Cavs in action. “I attended my first Cavs game at the Richfield Coliseum with my stepfather when I was 11 years old and I have been hooked ever since,” said Peebles. “Being selected for this job is a position that I could have only dreamed about, and I can only say it’s surreal to be such a fan and now have this opportunity. I am so excited to be a part of the Cavaliers organization and I can’t wait to get this season underway.”

Peebles is a 1996 graduate of Edinboro University of PA with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. He and his wife Susan have four children, Kayla 19, Alexa 17, Connor 16, and Delaney 13.

He replaces Olivier Sedra who was with the Cavaliers from 2006 to 2017 before leaving to join the NBA Brooklyn Nets.

Grizzlies waive Wade Baldwin IV and Rade Zagorac

The Grizzlies have waived guard Wade Baldwin IV and forward Rade Zagorac to finalize its 2017-18 regular season roster.

Baldwin (6-4, 202) appeared in all five preseason games (two starts) and averaged 5.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 18.3 minutes. The 21-year-old Belle Mead, New Jersey native competed in 33 games (one start) for the Grizzlies as a rookie last season and averaged 3.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 12.3 minutes after he was selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Zagorac came off the bench in all five preseason contests and averaged 3.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 10.1 minutes. Selected in the second round (35th overall) of the 2016 NBA Draft and traded to the Grizzlies on draft night, the 22-year-old played last season for KK Mega Leks in his native Serbia.

The Grizzlies’ roster now stands at 17 players, including two-way players Kobi Simmons and Vince Hunter who will be eligible to play for both the Grizzlies and the team’s NBA G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle.

Raptors exercise contract options on Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam and Delon Wright

The Toronto Raptors announced Monday they have exercised the third-year team options on the Rookie Scale Contracts of centre Jakob Poeltl and forward Pascal Siakam and the fourth-year team option on the Rookie Scale Contract of guard Delon Wright.

The contracts for Poeltl, Siakam and Wright are now guaranteed through the 2018-19 season.

In accordance with the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Raptors had until October 31 to exercise their option on all three players.

Poeltl, 7-foot, 248 pounds, was selected by the Raptors with the ninth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. He averaged 3.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.4 blocks and 11.6 minutes in 54 games last season. Poeltl scored in double figures three times and led the team in rebounds twice.

Siakam, 6-foot-9, 230 pounds, was the 27th overall pick by the Raptors in the 2016 NBA Draft. He posted averages of 4.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.8 blocks and 15.6 minutes in 55 games (38 starts) last season. Siakam was also named NBA G League Finals MVP after helping Raptors 905 defeat Rio Grande Valley in The Finals, averaging 23.0 points and 9.0 rebounds over the three-game series.

Wright, 6-foot-5, 183 pounds was chosen by Toronto with the 20th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He averaged 5.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 16.5 minutes in 27 games last season. Wright scored in double digits seven times and paced the club in assists on five occasions. He missed the first 41 games (October 26 – January 17) following right shoulder surgery. Wright is averaging 4.7 points, 1.6 rebound, 1.6 assists and 12.5 minutes in 54 career games.

Jazz waive Joel Bolomboy

The Utah Jazz have waived forward Joel Bolomboy. Following the move, the roster now stands at 17 players.

Bolomboy (6-9, 235, Weber State) was originally drafted by the Jazz in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2016 NBA Draft and appeared in 12 games during the 2016-17 season, owning averages of 1.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 4.4 minutes per game. He also appeared in two games for Utah during the 2017 NBA Playoffs, averaging 2.0 points and 1.0 boards in 4.5 minutes.

During last season, Bolomboy played in 24 games (22 starts) while on assignment with the Jazz’s exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team, the Salt Lake City Stars, where he averaged 16.4 points, 13.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 blocks in 34.5 minutes per contest.

A native of Ukraine, Bolomboy played four seasons at Weber State (2012-16) where he averaged 17.1 points on 57.3 percent shooting and grabbed 12.6 rebounds (third in the nation) during his senior year, setting a school single-season record by tallying 415 total rebounds.

Timberwolves exercise options on Karl-Anthony Towns and Tyus Jones

The Minnesota Timberwolves have exercised the fourth-year options on Karl-Anthony Towns and Tyus Jones.

Towns, 21, averaged 25.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game last season, starting all 82 games for the second consecutive year. The 7-0 forward/center set a franchise single-season scoring record with 2061 points while recording 1007 rebounds, becoming the youngest player in NBA history (15th overall and first since Tim Duncan in 2001-02) to collect 2000+ points and 1000+ rebounds in a season. In 2016-17 he ranked 12th in the NBA in scoring, 6th in rebounding, 12th in field goal accuracy (54.2%) and 19th in blocked shots (1.26 bpg). The Wolves selected Towns with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Jones, 21, posted averages of 3.5 points and 2.6 assists in 12.9 minutes per contest in 60 games last season, his second in the NBA. The Wolves originally acquired the draft rights to the 6-2 guard from the Cleveland Cavaliers on June 25, 2015.

Pistons exercise contract options on Stanley Johnson and Henry Ellenson

The Detroit Pistons have exercised team options on Stanley Johnson and Henry Ellenson for the 2018-19 season.

Johnson, a third-year forward, was drafted eighth overall by the Pistons in the 2015 NBA Draft. He has averaged 6.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 20.4 minutes in 150 career games (seven starts).

Ellenson, a second-year forward, was drafted 18th overall by the Pistons in the 2016 NBA Draft and averaged 3.2 points, 2.2 rebounds 0.4 assists and 7.7 minutes in 19 games (two starts) during his rookie campaign.