Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Pelicans sign Axel Toupane for rest of season

The New Orleans Pelicans today signed guard/forward Axel Toupane (pronounced too-PON) for the remainder of the 2016-17 season, which ends Wednesday.

Toupane, 6-7, 210, most recently played for Raptors 905 of the NBA Development League. In 36 games, Toupane has averaged 16.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 27.6 minutes per contest for the 905. Undrafted in 2014, the French native has appeared in 23 career regular season games with Milwaukee and Denver, averaging 3.3 points and 1.3 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per game.

Toupane will wear #10. New Orleans’ roster now stands at 15.

Suns sign Elijah Millsap

Suns sign Elijah Millsap

The Phoenix Suns have signed guard Elijah Millsap to a multiyear contract. The two-year NBA veteran played with the Northern Arizona Suns this season and was the Suns’ NBA Development League affiliate’s leading scorer in the team’s inaugural campaign.

A 6-6, 215-pound guard, Millsap averaged 4.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 16.4 minutes over 67 games in two seasons with the Utah Jazz from 2014-16. Millsap has six double-digit scoring performances in his NBA career with a high of 17 points versus the L.A. Lakers on Feb. 25, 2015.

The 49th GATORADE Call-Up in the NBA this season, Millsap averaged a team-high 19.7 points in addition to 7.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 50 games (all starts) with the NAZ Suns this season. The 29-year-old led the NAZ Suns with 13 double-doubles and had the highest-scoring game in team history with a career-high 38 points in the season finale at Reno on April 1. This marked Millsap’s sixth NBA D-League season as he also played with Tulsa in 2010-11, Los Angeles from 2011-14 and Bakersfield in 2014-15. A 2012 NBA D-League All-Star, Millsap has averaged 18.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 205 total D-League appearances.

A native of Grambling, Louisiana, Millsap began his college career at Louisiana-Lafayette before playing his final season at UAB where he earned All-Conference USA first-team honors after averaging 16.1 points and 9.5 rebounds in 2009-10. In addition to his time in the NBA and D-League, Millsap has played professionally for clubs in Israel and the Philippines. He is the younger brother of Atlanta Hawks forward and four-time NBA All-Star Paul Millsap.

Millsap will wear number 22. The Suns’ roster now stands at 15

Pelicans sign Quinn Cook for rest of season

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard Quinn Cook for the remainder of the 2016-17 season, which ends this coming Wednesday.

Cook, 6-2, 179, who was originally signed by New Orleans on March 19, has appeared in six games with the Pelicans, averaging 2.7 points and 1.0 assists in 6.0 minutes per contest. Cook has played in a total of 11 NBA games this season (five with Dallas), posting averages of 3.9 points and 1.6 assists in 10.3 minutes per contest.

Kevin Durant likely to return Saturday

Following multiple workout sessions in recent days – including 2-on-2, 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 scrimmages – forward Kevin Durant has been cleared by the team’s medical and athletic training staffs to return to full-team practices.

If he does not suffer any setbacks following tomorrow’s practice, it is anticipated that Durant will play in Saturday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Oracle Arena.

Durant has missed the last 19 games after suffering a Grade 2 left MCL sprain and tibial bone bruise against the Washington Wizards on February 28.

Nets sign Archie Goodwin to multi-year contract

Nets sign Archie Goodwin to multi-year contract

The Brooklyn Nets have signed Archie Goodwin to a multi-year contract.

Goodwin was originally signed to a 10-day contract by the Nets on March 15 and signed a second 10-day contract on March 25. In seven games with Brooklyn, Goodwin has averaged 6.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 12.4 minutes per game while shooting 57.1 percent (16-of-28) from the field.

In 160 games in four NBA seasons with Brooklyn, New Orleans and Phoenix, Goodwin has recorded averages of 6.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 14.4 minutes per game.

Goodwin was selected with the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder before being traded to the Suns via Golden State on draft night. He spent one year at the University of Kentucky, earning SEC All-Freshman team honors.

Derrick Rose done for season with knee injury

The Knicks’ season will end without a playoff berth, and without a healthy Derrick Rose, who may be wearing another team’s jersey next season. Here’s ESPN NY reporting:

New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose will miss the remainder of the season after tearing the meniscus in his left knee, the team announced Sunday.

Those close to Rose expect him to be at full health two months after the surgery, which will be scheduled shortly. Rose, 28, had played in 64 of the Knicks’ 76 games this season…

Rose and his agent, B.J. Armstrong, have both said publicly that Rose, who becomes a free agent this coming offseason, would like to return to New York.

Bucks sign Gary Payton II

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed guard Gary Payton II to a multi-year contract, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Payton, 24, appeared in 49 games (all starts) with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA D-League this season, and averaged 14.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals in 32.7 minutes per game while shooting 49.8 percent from the field.

A 6-3 guard, Payton went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft after playing two seasons at Oregon State. Payton averaged 14.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.8 steals in 63 games with the Beavers and became the first player to be voted Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year two times. He was also an All-Pac-12 First Team selection during both of his seasons at Oregon State.

Payton is the son of NBA All-Star Gary Payton who played 28 games for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2002-03 season. Payton will wear uniform number 0. Milwaukee’s roster now stands at 15 players.

Sixers sign Alex Poythress

The Philadelphia 76ers today signed forward Alex Poythress from the Ft. Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League. Pursuant to the NBA’s roster hardship exception, the Sixers roster now stands at 16.

Poythress has appeared in 46 games (45 starts) for Ft. Wayne this season, posting averages of 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 31 minutes per game. He is shooting 57% from the field and 40% from beyond the three-point line. Poythress, a 2017 NBA D-League All Star selection, ranks in the Top 15 in the D-League in points, field goals made and attempted, offensive rebounds and blocks per game.

Poythress appeared in 112 career games at the University of Kentucky, finishing his four-year career averaging nine points, five rebounds and one assist in 22 minutes per game, while shooting 55% from the field. He helped lead the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament National Finals in 2014.