Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Thunder bring back Mike Muscala

The Oklahoma City Thunder this past Saturday signed forward/center Mike Muscala.

Muscala returns to Oklahoma City after spending four seasons with the Thunder (2019-2023) where he appeared in 168 games (seven starts) and averaged 7.0 points on 39.2% 3-point shooting (248-632 3FGs) and 3.0 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game.

Currently in his 11th NBA season, the Bucknell product was originally drafted 44th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft and in 532 career games (45 starts), Muscala has averaged 6.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game.

Nets sign Jacob Gilyard to two-way contract

The Brooklyn Nets this past Saturday signed guard Jacob Gilyard to a two-way contract.

Gilyard (5’9″, 160) has appeared in 37 games (14 starts) with Memphis this season, posting averages of 4.7 points, 1.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 17.7 minutes per game. The 25-year-old Gilyard has also played in five games (all starts) for the Memphis Hustle in the NBA G League, recording averages of 14.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 34.1 minutes per contest. The second-year pro appeared in one game for the Grizzlies last season after signing a two-way contract with the team on April 8, 2023. He spent the majority of the 2022-23 season with the Hustle, appearing in 31 regular season games (25 starts) and averaging 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 1.9 steals in 30.4 minutes per game. The Kansas City, Mo., native went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft after a five-year collegiate career (2017-22) at the University of Richmond, where he became the NCAA’s all-time Division I steals leader with 466 career swipes. In 154 games (all starts) for the Spiders, Gilyard recorded averages of 13.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.0 steals in 37.3 minutes per contest.

Brooklyn’s roster stands at 18 players, including three two-way players.

Raptors sign DJ Carton to two-way contract

The Toronto Raptors this past Saturday signed guard DJ Carton to a two-way contract.

Carton, 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, signed a 10-day contract with Toronto on Feb. 21 and appeared in two games. Prior to his time with Toronto, Carton averaged 18.6 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 35.4 minutes in 29 Showcase Cup and regular season games (all starts) with Iowa in the NBA G League. He shot .527 (184-349) from the field, .395 (51-129) from three-point range and .796 (74-93) at the foul line.

A native of Bettendorf, Iowa, Carton has played three seasons in the G League with Iowa (2022-24) and Greensboro (2021-22), holding career averages of 15.3 points, 5.0 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 31.4 minutes in 61 regular season games (46 starts). Carton played collegiately at Ohio State (2019-20) before transferring to Marquette (2020-21).

76ers sign Jeff Dowtin Jr. to two-way contract

The Philadelphia 76ers this past Saturday signed Jeff Dowtin Jr. to a two-way contract.

In 16 G League games this season with the Delaware Blue Coats, the 76ers’ affiliate, he is averaging 18.1 points (38.4% 3FG), 3.1 rebounds, and a team-leading 5.9 assists per game. Dowtin Jr. is coming off a 25-point outing (9-17 FG, 4-8 3FG) against Greensboro on March 1, marking his fourth 20-point performance in his last five games.

A two-year pro, Dowtin Jr. holds averages of 2.4 points, 1.2 rebounds and, 1.2 assists in 10.8 minutes per game across 34 contests with Orlando, Milwaukee, Golden State, and Toronto. Dowtin Jr. originally signed with the G League’s Lakeland Magic following the 2020 NBA Draft, helping the team to the 2021 NBA G League title. He made his NBA debut the ensuing season with Golden State on Nov. 3, 2021.

A Washington D.C.-area native, Dowtin Jr. spent four seasons playing collegiately at Rhode Island. As a senior in 2019-20, he posted 13.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.3 steals in 35.6 minutes per game across 29 contests (all starts). The Rams appeared in two NCAA Tournaments during Dowtin Jr.’s tenure (2017 and 2018).

Dowtin Jr. will wear No. 11 with the 76ers.

Lakers sign Harry Giles III to two-way contract, waive Dylan Windler

The Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday (March 2) signed forward/center Harry Giles III to a two-way contract.

And in a related move, the Lakers waived two-way forward Dylan Windler.

Giles III (6’10”, 240) most recently suited up for the Brooklyn Nets, appearing in 16 games this season and averaging 3.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in 5.1 minutes. Across three-plus seasons with Brooklyn (2023-24), Portland (2020-21) and Sacramento (2018-20), Giles III owns career averages of 5.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 12.1 minutes across 158 total NBA games (17 starts). He made his lone career playoff appearance in 2021 with the Trail Blazers during a first round series against Denver.

The North Carolina native was selected by Portland with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft before being traded to Sacramento on draft night. Giles III played one collegiate season (2016-17) at Duke University.

Windler appeared in eight games for the Lakers this season, averaging 1.5 points in 3.5 minutes. The 27-year-old also suited up in three contests for the South Bay Lakers, averaging 11.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 27.5 minutes.

Pelicans sign Izaiah Brockington to 10-day contract

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard Izaiah Brockington to a 10-day contract.

Brockington, 6-4, 196, has appeared in 40 games this season with the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, averaging 13.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 30.3 minutes per contest.

New Orleans’s roster now stands at 18 players, including three two-way players.

Wizards sign Justin Champagnie to two-way contract, R.J. Hampton to 10-day contract

The Washington Wizards have signed guard-forward Justin Champagnie to a two-way contract and guard R.J. Hampton to a 10-day contract.

Champagnie, who signed a 10-day contract with Washington on Feb. 22, has averaged 3.7 points per game in three appearances with the team. In his lone game with the Capital City Go-Go, the NBA G League affiliate of the Wizards, on Feb. 26, he scored 29 points on 7-10 shooting from three-point range while adding seven rebounds and three assists. The Pittsburgh product is averaging 22.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.3 steals per game in 35 NBA G League games this season between Capital City and Sioux Falls.

Hampton (6-4, 175) appeared in eight games for the Miami Heat this season while on a two-way contract, averaging 1.3 points and 1.0 assists per game. He has played in 15 total NBA G League games this season with Sioux Falls and Capital City, averaging 12.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He was acquired via trade by the Go-Go on Feb. 14 and most recently scored 24 points on 6-7 shooting from three-point range with seven rebounds in a Capital City win on Mar. 1.

Mavericks sign guard AJ Lawson to multi-year contract

The Dallas Mavericks have signed guard AJ Lawson to a multi-year contract.

Lawson (6-6, 185) is in his second season with Dallas after he signed a Two-Way deal with the team on Dec. 26, 2022, after beginning the year on a Two-Way contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 14 games for the Mavericks last year, he averaged 3.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.6 minutes per game.

In 28 games for the Mavericks this season, he is averaging 3.8 points and 1.2 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game. Lawson scored a career-high 17 points (7-10 FG, 3-4 3FG, 2-2 FT) to go along with a career-high seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in the team’s win against San Antonio on Dec. 23.

The Toronto, Ontario, native has averaged 20.7 points (.530 FG%), 7.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.6 steals with Dallas’s G-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, in seven games this season.

In 43 career games with Minnesota and Dallas, Lawson has averaged 3.7 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 7.9 minutes.

Wemby leads Spurs to upset win over Thunder

The San Antonio Spurs may have the 3rd worst record in the NBA, but superstar rookie Victor Wembanyama is giving them a season to remember.

He’s doing some things we don’t see from most NBA players over the course of their career, let alone in a rookie season.

Per ESPN.com:

In front of their home fans for the first time in 26 days, the San Antonio Spurs and rookie Victor Wembanyama put on quite the show.

After giving up a 12-point third-quarter lead and falling behind in the fourth, the Spurs stormed back for a 132-118 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Wembanyama put his stamp on the victory with a 3-pointer with 2:10 left to put San Antonio up nine and then a block on the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren 20 seconds later.

Wembanyama finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 blocks and was 5-of-7 from 3-point range. He became the first player in NBA history to have at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks and 5 3-pointers in a game.

Per the San Antonio Express-News:

Wembanyama packed another box score with 28 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks, and made a flurry of plays down the stretch that helped the Spurs hold on for the upset.

Devin Vassell threw in 28 points of his own to go with a career best-matching nine assists and Jeremy Sochan added 21 points and 10 rebounds of his own as the Spurs raced past an Oklahoma City team vying for the top seed in the Western Conference.

All in all, it was a stirring welcome-back game after the Spurs ended a 1-8 rodeo road trip ended Tuesday in Minnesota.

“I can go down the line and name everybody who was hooping,” Vassell said, “but I mean it’s a bunch of guys who pitched it.”

Hawks convert contract of Trent Forrest from two-way to standard

The Atlanta Hawks have converted the contract of guard Trent Forrest from a two-way to a standard NBA contract.

In 20 games played with the Hawks this season, Forrest is averaging 2.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 10.5 minutes of action. The 6-4 guard appeared in one game with the College Park Skyhawks this season, leading the club to a 100-82 win over the Cleveland Charge on Feb. 28, 2024. He finished the win with 16 points on 7-12 shooting from the floor, in addition to four rebounds, seven assists and six steals in 26 minutes.

Forrest has appeared in 133 games over the course of his four-year NBA career (nine starts), recording 2.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 11.7 minutes of action. He spent the 2022-23 season as a two-way player with the Hawks and the previous two seasons (2020-22) as a two-way player with the Utah Jazz, after going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft.

A product of Florda State, Forrest appeared in 137 games (69 starts) over his four-year collegiate career, tallying 8.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals in 25.4 minutes (.462 FG%, .748 FT%). He finished his Seminole career as the all-time winningest player in program history with 104 wins, ranked third in total steals (224) and games played (137), while ranking fifth in total assists (455) and 10th in free throws made (336). The Chipley, Florida, native was selected to the 2019-20 All-ACC Second Team and All-ACC Defensive Team, while garnering All-ACC Academic Team honors in each year at Florida State (2017-20).