Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Sixers exercise contract options on Jahlil Okafor, Joel Embiid and Nik Stuaskas

Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo announced today the team has exercised the fourth-year contract options on center Joel Embiid and guard Nik Stuaskas, as well as the third-year contract option on forward Jahlil Okafor.

The Sixers selected Embiid with the third overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. After missing the first two seasons while he fully recovered from an injury, Embiid appeared in all seven of the Sixers preseason games this season. He posted averages of 11 points, six rebounds and one block in only 15 minutes per game. He enters the 2016-17 season as a leading candidate for NBA Rookie of the Year.

Stuaskas, selected eighth overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2014 NBA Draft, was acquired by the Sixers as part of a trade on July 10, 2015. In his first season with the Sixers, he appeared in 73 games (35 starts) and averaged nine points, three rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes per contest.

Okafor was selected by the Sixers with the third overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, after averaging 18 points, seven rebounds, one assist and one block on 51% shooting from the field in 30 minutes per game. Additionally, Okafor was selected to participate in the NBA Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend in Toronto.

Thunder exercise contract options on Cameron Payne and Josh Huestis

The Oklahoma City Thunder exercised its third-year options on forward Josh Huestis and guard Cameron Payne, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

During the 2015-16 season, Huestis appeared in five games for the Thunder, averaging 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 11.0 minutes per game. Originally drafted by Oklahoma City with the 29th overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Stanford product spent the 2014-15 season with the Oklahoma City Blue, averaging 10.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.57 blocks in 33.1 minutes per game.

Payne, the 14th overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft, averaged 5.0 points, 1.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 57 games (one start) during his rookie season. In two seasons at Murray State, the Memphis native averaged 18.5 points, 5.7 assists 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 32.4 minutes per contest.

Bucks exercise option on Rashad Vaughn

Bucks exercise contract option on Rashad Vaughn

The Milwaukee Bucks have exercised the third-year contract option on guard Rashad Vaughn, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Vaughn, 20, appeared in 70 games (six starts) during his rookie campaign and averaged 3.1 points and 1.3 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per contest. He scored two points and one rebound in the Bucks’ season opener vs. Charlotte on Oct. 26.

Under the terms of the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement, the first two years of a first round draft pick’s contract are guaranteed, while the third and fourth year of the contract are the team’s option.

Bulls exercise contract options on Bobby Portis, Jerian Grant and Doug McDermott

Bulls exercise contract options on Bobby Portis, Jerian Grant and Doug McDermott

The Chicago Bulls have exercised their fourth-year option on forward Doug McDermott, and the third-year options on guard Jerian Grant and forward Bobby Portis.

By exercising these options, they will be under contract with the Bulls for the 2017-18 season.

McDermott (6-8, 223) played in 81 games (four starts) in 2015-16 after appearing in only 36 games during his rookie season. He recorded 37 double-digit scoring games last season, including a career-high 30 points on Feb. 19, 2016, versus Toronto – after only posting four games with 10+ points in 2014-15. McDermott’s 3-point percentage of .425 in 2015-16 ranked fifth in the NBA. The Creighton product owns career averages of 7.5 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting .445 from the field, .410 from three and .828 from the free-throw line. McDermott was selected 11th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft and came to the Bulls in a draft-night deal with the Denver Nuggets on June 26, 2014.

Grant (6-4, 198) was selected 19th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, with the pick originally owned by the Washington Wizards and subsequently traded to New York via Atlanta. In his rookie year, Grant played in 76 games (six starts) and posted 5.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists (eighth among rookies) in 16.6 minutes per game. His .780 free-throw percentage ranked sixth among rookies. In his final year at Notre Dame in 2014-15, Grant earned NCAA First Team All-America honors from The Associated Press.

Portis (6-11, 250) appeared in 62 games (four starts) in 2015-16. In his rookie year, he became the first Bull to record 20 points and 10 rebounds in one of his first five career games since 1999. Portis also became the 25th player in Bulls history to log a double-digit scoring effort in their NBA debut (Nov. 3 at Charlotte), and his field goal percentage of .714 is the highest of any Bull in his first game. He owns careers averages of 7.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 17.8 minutes per game while shooting .427 from the field, .308 from behind the arc and .727 from the line. The Arkansas product was named SEC Player of the Year in his second and final season as a Razorback.

Grizzlies exercise option on Jarell Martin

Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace today announced the team has exercised the third-year contract option on forward Jarell Martin. Martin is now signed through the 2017-18 season.

Martin (6-10, 239) competed in 27 regular season games (zero starts) during his rookie season and averaged 5.7 points and 3.2 rebounds in 14.1 minutes for Memphis after being selected by the team in the first round (25th overall) of the 2015 NBA Draft. He did not appear in the Grizzlies’ opening-night victory on Oct. 26 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The 22-year-old also appeared in 10 games (six starts) last season for the Grizzlies’ NBA Development League affiliate, the Iowa Energy, and averaged 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in 28.9 minutes.

A native of Baton Rouge, La., Martin played two seasons (2013-15) at Louisiana State University, appearing in 65 games (57 starts) for the Tigers, and averaged 13.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 30.7 minutes while earning consensus First Team All-SEC honors as a sophomore. He guided the Tigers to the postseason in both of his seasons at LSU, including the 2014 National Invitation Tournament and the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

Bulls sign R.J. Hunter

Bulls sign R.J. Hunter

The Chicago Bulls have signed guard R.J. Hunter.

Hunter (6-5, 185) was selected in the first round (28th overall) by the Boston Celtics in the 2015 NBA Draft. In his rookie season, the 23-year-old appeared in 36 games and averaged 2.7 ppg, 0.4 apg, 1.0 rpg and shot .302 from the field, .367 from downtown and .857 from the line.

During his tenure at Georgia State University, Hunter averaged 18.4 ppg, 2.4 apg, 4.8 rpg and shot .354 from the field, .423 from downtown and .853 from the free throw line. Hunter became the Panthers’ all-time leading scorer (1,819 points) in three seasons at Georgia State, and he was also named Sun Belt Player of the Year in both the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.

His full name is Ronald Jordan Hunter.

Gerald Green has a Celtics haircut

Gerald Green played for the Celtics as a rookie in 2005-06 and in 2006-07. After bouncing around the league for a while, he’s wearing Celtics green again this season.

Green apparently wanted to make a statement about his return. A positive one. In the form of a cool hairstyle. Here’s MassLive reporter Tom Westerholm with the photo:

That is awesome.

Lakers exercise contract options on D`Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr

The Los Angeles Lakers have exercised their team options for the 2017-18 season on forwards Larry Nance Jr. and Julius Randle, and guard D’Angelo Russell, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

Nance Jr., selected with the 27th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, appeared in 63 games (22 starts) in his rookie season, tallying three double-doubles. He finished third among all rookies in field goal percentage (52.7%) and 10th in rebounds per game (5.0). On January 14 at Golden State, Nance Jr. recorded a career-high six steals, becoming the first Laker rookie since Eddie Jones to have at least six takeaways in a game.

Randle, the seventh overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft, was one of only nine players in the NBA last season to average a double-double, and did so in the fewest minutes per game of anyone in that group (11.3 points and 10.2 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game). He appeared in 81 games (60 starts) in 2015-16, registering 34 double-doubles and one triple-double, finishing the season ranked sixth in the NBA in total rebounds. Randle was chosen by USA Basketball to compete with the USA Men’s Select Team that trained with the Men’s National Team in Las Vegas this summer in preparation for the Olympics.

The second overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, Russell garnered All-Rookie Second Team honors after finishing last season ranked fourth among rookies in assists (3.3) and steals (1.16) per game and fifth in points (13.2) and three-point field goal percentage (35.1%). He was one of 10 American rookie and sophomore players selected to participate in the Rising Stars Challenge at NBA All-Star 2016, and became the youngest player in NBA history to make 120+ three-pointers in a season. Russell was chosen by USA Basketball to compete with the USA Men’s Select Team that trained with the Men’s National Team in Las Vegas this summer in preparation for the Olympics.

Nerlens Noel undergoes knee surgery

Nerlens Noel undergoes knee surgery

Philadelphia 76ers power forward Nerlens Noel underwent what the team calls “a minor elective arthroscopic procedure to address localized soreness associated with inflamed plica in his left knee.”

The surgery was performed by Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. Riley J. Williams at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City and attended by Sixers Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Jonathan Glashow of Mt. Sinai Hospital.

Noel began his post-operative care at the Hospital for Special Surgery and will then travel to Birmingham, AL to continue his rehabilitation under the direction of Associate Clinical Director Kevin Wilk at Champion Sports Medicine.

It’s not known yet how long Noel will be out of action.