Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

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

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

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

timberwolves

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

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.

Kings waive David Stockton, Matt Jones and Reggie Hearn

The Sacramento Kings announced today that the team has requested waivers on guards David Stockton, Matt Jones and Reggie Hearn.

Stockton appeared in two contests for Sacramento during the preseason, averaging 11.5 points (9-13 FG, 3-4 3pt, 2-4 FT) and 5.0 assists in 16.3 minutes per game, including a game-high 23 points to accompany three rebounds, eight assists and two steals off the bench at Golden State (10/13).

Jones played in five exhibition games, posting 2.0 points, 1.0 rebounds and 11.7 minutes per contest.

Hearn appeared in one preseason game.

Spurs exercise contract option on Dejounte Murray

Spurs exercise contract option on Dejounte Murray

The San Antonio Spurs have exercised their third-year team option on guard Dejounte Murray for the 2018-19 season.

Murray is entering his second season with the Spurs after being selected by San Antonio in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft (29th overall). Last year in his rookie season, Murray averaged 3.4 points, 1.3 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 8.5 minutes in 38 appearances. The former Washington Husky also played in 11 playoff games, averaging 5.7 points, 2.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 15.3 minutes for the Silver and Black.

Heat convert Matt Williams Jr deal into a two-way contract

Heat convert Matt Williams Jr deal into a two-way contract

The Miami Heat have converted the contract of Matt Williams Jr. into a two-way contract.

Williams Jr., who was originally signed by the HEAT on July 24, appeared in all six preseason games with Miami and averaged 2.2 points in 6.4 minutes of action. He scored nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from three-point range in a win vs. Washington on October 11. Williams Jr. previously appeared in eight Summer League games (six starts) with the HEAT in Orlando and Las Vegas and averaged 9.9 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 38 percent from the field, 39 percent from three-point range and a perfect 2-of-2 from the foul line. He started all six games in Las Vegas with Miami and shot 45 percent from three-point range, leading the team in three-point field goals made four times, including a 5-of-8 performance from beyond the arc vs. Washington on July 10 and a 6-of-9 output from downtown vs. Memphis on July 15.

The University of Central Florida graduate finished his collegiate career as the school’s all-time leader in three-point field goals made (274) and became the 18th player in program history to score at least 1,000 points. He appeared in 36 games (all starts) as a senior and averaged 15.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 36.5 minutes while shooting 39.1 percent from the field, 38.4 percent from three-point range and 81.1 percent from the foul line. He set the single-season school and conference records for three-point field goals made (126) and set the Knights’ single-game three-point field goals made record after connecting on 11 against USF on January 17. He capped the season scoring the fifth-most points for a single-season in school history and earned the team’s MVP award.