Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Knicks trade of Carmelo Anthony to Thunder now official

The Carmelo Anthony era in New York is officially over.

The Knicks acquired center Enes Kanter, forward Doug McDermott and Chicago’s 2018 second-round draft pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Anthony today.

“This is a deal we feel works for both this franchise and Carmelo. We thank him for his seven seasons in a Knicks uniform and all that he accomplished off the court for the City of New York by using his platform to address social issues,” President Steve Mills said. “We will continue to focus on this team looking forward towards the immediate and long-term future. As we have said recently, this is a new beginning for the New York Knicks.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Carmelo to Oklahoma City and the Thunder organization,” said Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. “In addition to his skill level, experience, and unique talents, Carmelo is another high character, professional player for our roster.”

Anthony, (6-8, 240) a 10-time All-Star and 14-year NBA veteran joins the Thunder having appeared in 976 career games (all starts) while averaging 24.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.06 steals in 36.2 minutes.

Anthony currently ranks 25th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list (24,156 points) and he is one of six players in league history (alongside Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce) to record 24,000 points, 6,000 rebounds, 2,500 assists, 1,000 steals and 1,000 3-point field goals.

Anthony led the NBA in scoring during the 2012-13 season (28.7 points per game) and during the 2009-10 season, he became the third youngest player in NBA history to reach the 12,000-point plateau (behind LeBron James and Kobe Bryant).

A three-time Olympic gold medalist, Anthony is the United States Olympic Men’s National Team’s all-time leading scorer. After winning Gold in Rio de Janeiro, Anthony was named the 2016 Basketball Co-Male Athlete of the Year.

Originally selected by the Denver Nuggets with the third overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Anthony helped lead Syracuse to a National Championship during his freshman season in which he was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player.

Kanter, 6-11, 245-pounds, is a six-year NBA veteran who holds career averages of 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 445 games played for Utah and Oklahoma City. In 72 games for the Thunder last season, the 25-year-old Switzerland native averaged 14.3 points and 6.7 rebounds, while recording the second-most point-rebound double-doubles in the NBA off the bench with 18.

McDermott, 6-8, 225-pounds, is a three-year NBA who holds career averages of 8.0 points in 183 games played for Chicago and Oklahoma City. In 66 games for the Bulls and Thunder last season, the 25-year-old Grand Forks, ND native averaged 9.0 points and 22.8 minutes.

“We acquired two 25-year-old players in this deal that we can develop, while sticking with our overall strategy of emphasizing youth and athleticism. With this trade, we have added scoring and aggressiveness to our frontcourt, and bolstered the team’s perimeter shooting,” Knicks General Manager Scott Perry said. “We are glad to have finalized a trade that made sense for all of us.”

Sixers add Kris Humphries and Emeka Okafor to training camp roster

The Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to terms with forward Kris Humphries and center Emeka Okafor and signed those players to their training camp roster.

Humphries, a 13-year NBA veteran, has appeared in 800 career games (203 starts) with Utah, Toronto, Dallas, New Jersey/Brooklyn, Boston, Washington, Phoenix and Atlanta. The Minnesota native holds career averages of seven points and five rebounds in 18 minutes per game. He averaged a double-double in consecutive seasons from 2010-12 with the Nets.

Originally selected with the second overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the then-Charlotte Bobcats, following an NCAA Tournament win with UConn, Okafor has played nine NBA seasons. He has competed in 590 career games (584 starts) with Charlotte, New Orleans and Washington and holds career averages of 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks per game.

Training camp will be held from Tuesday, Sept. 26 through Friday, Sept. 29.

Clippers trade DeAndre Liggins to Hawks, who quickly waive him

The Atlanta Hawks have acquired guard/forward DeAndre Liggins and cash considerations from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for draft considerations, the team announced today.

Liggins, 29, holds career averages of 2.1 points and 1.5 rebounds in 119 appearances over four seasons with Orlando, Oklahoma City, Miami, Cleveland and Dallas.

UPDATE: The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club has waived DeAndre Liggins, the team announced today.

Tony Parker should return sooner than expected

Tony Parker is up there in age but he remains a key member of the Spurs, who enter the 2017-18 season in their usual place, as a contender. It was unclear when Parker would return from injury, but good news has emerged. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

With the San Antonio Spurs set to report to the team facilities Monday for media day, point guard Tony Parker received some positive news Friday when doctors cleared him to participate in the club’s upcoming training camp, after he suffered a season-ending torn quadriceps tendon in May during the Western Conference semifinals.

“The thing is, I did an MRI on Friday, and the doctor said they were really happy with the MRI,” Parker told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “It looked very good. So they cleared me. But it’s still going to be like another, I think, two months to get back in shape and getting my leg stronger.” …

“In my mind, hopefully, I can be back by mid-November, end of November,” Parker said. “But overall, it’s great news. Because at first, the doctors thought it would be the end of January. So it’s still like great news.”

Full article

Bulls and Dwyane Wade reportedly agree to buyout

The Bulls aren’t what they were. Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo are gone. The team won’t be a contender in 2017-18. So why would Dwyane Wade, as his NBA career winds down, want to stick around? And why would the Bulls, clearly now in a rebuilding period, still need him? As has been expected, the two sides will part ways. Here’s the Chicago Tribune reporting:

Three months after trading Jimmy Butler and waiving Rajon Rondo, the Bulls reached agreement on a buyout with Dwyane Wade on Sunday night, the eve of training camp. A source said Wade gave up roughly $8 million to $9 million of the $23.8 million he stood to make after picking up his player option on June 20, two days before the Butler deal.

The move clears the way for Wade to sign with a contender like the Cavaliers, Thunder or Spurs or possibly return to his beloved Heat. More importantly, it allows the Bulls to start fresh with their full rebuild and eliminate a potential distraction since Wade preferred to play for his fourth championship at this stage of his career.

“I just felt it was time for me, turning 36, that I want to be competing for a championship,” Wade told the Tribune in a phone interview. “I said when I got here, it was always a dream for me to play here. And getting that opportunity was special. And I can’t even say it wasn’t what everyone expected because we went to the playoffs. And trying to restore this franchise to respectability was our goal. The organization decided to go in a different direction, which I respect.”

Full article

Nets sign Akil Mitchell

The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward Akil Mitchell.

Mitchell (6’9”, 250) appeared in four games for the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate, during the 2016-17 season, averaging 8.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 28.6 minutes per contest. He joined the team in late February after his rights were originally acquired by Long Island in the fourth round of the 2016 NBA G League Expansion Draft.

Prior to his time with the LI Nets, Mitchell appeared in 25 games for the New Zealand Breakers in Australia’s National Basketball League last season, averaging 9.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 22.7 minutes per game while shooting .556 from the field (105-of-189). Mitchell has also played professionally for Antibes in France’s LNB Pro A (2015-16) and for the NBA G League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2014-15) after four years (2010-14) at the University of Virginia. The Charlotte, N.C., native was named to the 2013-14 All-ACC Defensive Team as a senior (2013-14) and the All-ACC third team as a junior (2012-13). He finished his career at Virginia ranking third all-time in games played (133) and seventh in rebounds (798).

Bucks sign Joel Anthony and Gerald Green

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed free agent center/forward Joel (Jo-EL) Anthony and guard/forward Gerald Green to training camp contracts.

Anthony, 35, appeared in 19 games last season for the San Antonio Spurs and averaged 1.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in 6.4 minutes per contest.

Undrafted out of UNLV, Anthony played his first seven seasons with the Miami Heat and won back-to-back NBA Championships in 2012 and 2013. Over his ten-year NBA career he has averaged 2.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots over 490 games (110 starts) with Miami, Boston, Detroit and San Antonio.

Green, 31, appeared in 47 games last season for the Boston Celtics and averaged 5.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per contest.

A ten-year NBA veteran, Green was the 18th overall selection in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. He sports career averages of 9.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist over 544 games (116 starts) with Boston, Minnesota, Houston, Dallas, New Jersey, Indiana, Phoenix and Miami. Green spent two years (2009-11) playing professionally overseas in Russia and China.

Warriors statement on Trump not inviting team to White House

OFFICIAL TEAM STATEMENT BY THE WARRIORS

While we intended to meet as a team at the first opportunity we had this morning to collaboratively discuss a potential visit to the White House, we accept that President Trump has made it clear that we are not invited. We believe there is nothing more American than our citizens having the right to express themselves freely on matters important to them. We’re disappointed that we did not have an opportunity during this process to share our views or have open dialogue on issues impacting our communities that we felt would be important to raise.

In lieu of a visit to the White House, we have decided that we’ll constructively use our trip to the nation’s capital in February to celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion — the values that we embrace as an organization.

Grizzlies trade Troy Daniels to Suns

The Phoenix Suns have acquired guard Troy Daniels and a 2018 second-round pick from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for a conditional Suns’ 2018 second-round pick.

Daniels, a 6-4, 205-pound guard, is a four-year NBA veteran who has played 162 games with Houston, Minnesota, Charlotte and, most recently, Memphis. In 2016-17, Daniels averaged 8.2 points while shooting 38.9 percent from three-point range in career-highs of 17.7 minutes and 67 games with the Grizzlies. The 26-year-old scored in double figures 23 times last season, including a career-high 31 points against the Lakers on December 3.

Holding a career three-point mark of 40.6 percent, Daniels has averaged 6.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and 13.2 minutes over his four-year NBA career. Since he entered the league in 2013-14, his 40.6 percent mark from three-point range is 10th-best in the league among those with at least 250 makes. Undrafted in 2013, Daniels began his pro career with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League before signing with the Rockets late in the 2013-14 season and becoming a member of their rotation in the 2014 playoffs. He split time between Houston, Minnesota and Charlotte in 2014-15 and played the 2015-16 season with the Hornets before being dealt to the Grizzlies in July 2016.

A native of Roanoke, Virginia, Daniels played collegiately at Virginia Commonwealth University and was a member of the Rams’ 2011 Final Four team. As a senior in 2012-13, Daniels averaged a career-high 12.3 points and set a single-season school record with 124 three-point makes.

Suns sign Anthony Bennett and Peter Jok

The Phoenix Suns have signed forward Anthony Bennett and forward/guard Peter Jok (pronounced JOCK).

Until we hear otherwise, we will assume the deals are non-guaranteed training camp contracts.

Bennett, a 6-8, 235-pound forward, is a four-year NBA veteran who was the first overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft. Bennett has played in 151 games with Cleveland, Minnesota, Toronto and Brooklyn over his career, averaging 4.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 12.6 minutes. Bennett began the 2016-17 season with the Nets and averaged 5.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 11.5 minutes over 23 games, then completed the season with Fenerbahce of the Turkish Basketball Super League where he was a member of the first Turkish team to win the EuroLeague championship. A native of Toronto, Ontario, the 24-year-old has played for the Canadian Senior Men’s National Team, helping Canada to a silver medal finish at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto and a bronze medal finish at the 2015 FIBA Americas Tournament in Mexico City.

Jok, a 6-6, 205-pound wing, joins the Suns following a successful four-year career at the University of Iowa. As a senior in 2016-17, Jok led the Big Ten in scoring with 19.9 points per game and earned All-Big Ten First Team honors while setting a Hawkeyes single-season record by shooting 91.1 percent from the free throw line. Against Memphis in his senior season, Jok scored a career-high 42 points, the most scored by an Iowa player in 40 years as he made a career-high eight three-pointers in the contest. A native of Sudan, he left Iowa as the Hawkeyes’ career free throw percentage leader (88.1 percent), fourth in career three-point makes (216) and 15th in career scoring (1,508). The 23-year-old played with the New Orleans Pelicans at NBA Summer League 2017 in Las Vegas, averaging 9.0 points and 1.0 steals in three appearances.