NBA News Blog – Page 592 – NBA Blog

Bucks trade Michael Carter-Williams to Bulls

The Chicago Bulls have acquired guard Michael Carter-Williams from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for guard Tony Snell.

“We’re excited to add Michael to our roster,” said Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman. “He is a two-way player who adds versatility and depth to our backcourt rotation.”

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “the Bucks continue to try to shore up the shooting guard position after the loss of Khris Middleton, who had surgery for a torn hamstring and is out at least six months. The Bulls wanted a reliable backup for Rajon Rondo.”

And according to the Chicago Sun-Times, “Carter-Williams has declined steadily, going from NBA Rookie of the Year with the 76ers to a bench player with the Bucks. So how does he fit with the Bulls? He doesn’t give them the outside shooting they crave. He’s a career 25.5 percent shooter from three-point range. What he gives coach Fred Hoiberg is on-the-ball defense off the bench, as well as a point guard who can play with pace.”

Carter-Williams (6-6, 190) was the 11th-overall selection by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2013 NBA Draft. He tipped off his professional career by being named the 2013-14 Kia Rookie of the Year and a unanimous All-Rookie First Team selection. Carter-Williams was traded to Milwaukee in 2014-15, and by averaging at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists through his first two NBA seasons, he joined Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Grant Hill, Steve Francis and LeBron James as the only players to post such numbers during their first two years. He currently owns career averages of 14.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 190 games (170 starts) over three seasons.

The Syracuse product competed in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge and Taco Bell Skills Challenge at 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend. He was selected to the 2015 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge team but did not play due to injury. Carter-Williams was also invited to participate in the 2015 USA Basketball Men’s National Team minicamp in Las Vegas.

In three games to date during the 2016 preseason, Snell, 24, has averaged 9.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 16.0 minutes. He appeared in 64 games (33 starts) for the Bulls last season and averaged 5.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 20.3 minutes per contest. The 20th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft out of the University of New Mexico, Snell has played in 213 career games (67 starts) for the Bulls, and averaged 5.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists. In his last two seasons, Snell has shot 37.1 percent (2014-15) and 36.1 percent (2015-16) from the three-point arc.

Atlanta Hawks waive Matt Costello

The Atlanta Hawks have waived forward Matt Costello, it was announced today by General Manager Wes Wilcox.

The Hawks frontcourt has some nice depth to it. It was always going to be tough for Costello to make this team.

The roster stands at 19.

Magic waive Cliff Alexander, Branden Dawson and Kevin Murphy

The Orlando Magic waived forwards Cliff Alexander and Branden Dawson and guard Kevin Murphy today, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced tonight following their preseason game vs. Atlanta.

Alexander (6’8”, 245, 11/16/95) played in two preseason games with Orlando, averaging 1.0 ppg. in 5.1 minpg. Dawson (6’6”, 225, 2/1/93) appeared in two preseason outings with the Magic, averaging 3.0 ppg. and 2.0 rpg. in 6.6 minpg. Murphy (6’5”, 185, 3/6/90) played in two preseason contests with Orlando, averaging 2.5 ppg. in 6.6 minpg.

All three players were originally signed as free agents on September 8.

The Magic roster now stands at 16 players.

Rockets waive Isaiah Taylor

The Rockets waived guard Isaiah Taylor today, General Manager Daryl Morey announced.

Taylor (6-3, 170) was an early entry candidate for the 2016 NBA Draft following his junior season at Texas. He appeared in three games for the Rockets this preseason.

As preseason continues, teams around the league will cut players until they’re down to the regular season roster maximum of 15. The season begins Tuesday, October 25.

Mavericks waive Jameel Warney

The Mavericks waived forward Jameel Warney today.

Warney (6-8, 260) was originally signed as a free agent on July 27 and played in three preseason games for the Mavericks averaging 4.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per contest.

The native of New Brunswick, N.J., played in all six games for the Mavericks at the Samsung NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. He averaged 6.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 block in 16.5 minutes per contest. He led Dallas in field goal percentage, shooting .593 from the floor while making .875 from the foul line.

Warney went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft after four successful seasons at Stony Brook University where he averaged 15.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 2.0 blocks and 30.7 minutes in 135 career collegiate games. In his senior season with the Seawolves, Warney averaged 19.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 3.0 blocks in 33 games on his way to earning America East Player and Defensive Player of the Year. He finished his career at Stony Brook as the school’s all-time leader in points (2,132), rebounds (1,275), blocks (275) and games (135).

Preseason: Celtics beat Knicks 119-107

Saturday night in Madison Square Garden, the Celtics beat the Knicks 119-107.

In the win, R.J. Hunter led the Celtics with 17 points (6-of-8 shooting), plus two steals in just 12 minutes. Avery Bradley had 17 points (6-of-8), and two steals in 17 minutes. And new addition Al Horford shot 5-of-5, including 2-of-2 three-pointers, for 12 points, three rebounds, three assists and two blocks in just 16 minutes.

In the loss, The Knicks were led by 6-foot-8, 216-pound forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, who had 18 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in just 19 minutes of play. Backup center Willy Hernangomez was also solid with 12 points and 12 rebounds in 24 minutes.

It’s preseason, and teams around the league, including Boston and New York, are essentially just warming up, and playing their starters very limited minutes.

Still, observations can be made:

We saw little from Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas today. No big deal.

Adding Horford sounded like a good move by Boston this offseason, and it sure looks that way on the court. Through the four preseason games he’s played, the former Atlanta Hawk is averaging 11.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in just 18 minutes per game. And he’s shooting 61.3% FG.

It’ll be interesting to watch Boston’s power forward rotation. The minutes breakdown there will be a compelling coaching decision.

For the Knicks, not having Derrick Rose (currently on trial in California) hurts. Rose has played just one preseason game for his new squad, and looked good. But chemistry development that should have taken place in preseason is now postponed.

But while Rose remains out, Joakim Noah was healthy enough to make his preseason debut. He had five points, five rebounds, an assist and two steals in 19 minutes. He looked rusty, which is to be expected. It’s hard to have a firm opinion on where he’s at just yet.

Kristaps Porzingis is fascinating to watch. As was the case most of last season. Within the first half-quarter of tonight’s game he hit a pair of threes and ran a fast break, which he finished with a bucket. That wound up being most of his production last night — minutes were limited. But he can do amazing things for a young player who stands 7-foot-3.

The Celtics are now 4-1 in preseason. The Knicks are 2-2.

Trail Blazers waive Luis Montero

The Trail Blazers waived guard Luis Montero today.

Signed as an undrafted free agent on July 9, 2015, Montero played in 12 games for the Trail Blazers as a rookie in 2015-16, averaging 1.2 points (26.3% FG, 11.1% 3-PT, 75.0% FT), 0.3 rebounds and 0.1 assists.

During the 2016 NBA preseason, Montero recorded three points (1-1 3-PT), one assist and one block in his lone contest against Utah on Oct. 3.

Portland’s roster now stands at 17 players.

Nuggets waive JaKarr Sampson, D.J. Kennedy and Axel Toupane

The Nuggets waived guard D.J. Kennedy and forwards JaKarr Sampson and Axel Toupane on Saturday, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced.

Kennedy, was signed by Denver on Aug. 16, 2016 and has appeared in one preseason game for the Nuggets, posting four points, two rebounds, three assists and three steals in 12 minutes of play.

Sampson was signed by Denver on Feb. 22, 2016 and played the final 26 games (22 starts) of the 2015-16 season, averaging 5.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 18.0 minutes. He has appeared in one game this preseason, tallying 10 points, three rebounds, one steal and one block in 20 minutes.

Toupane signed with the Nuggets on Mar. 24, 2016 and averaged 3.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 14.5 minutes over the final 21 games of the 2015-16 season. He has appeared in one game this preseason, posting 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes.

The Nuggets roster now stands at 17 players.

Cavaliers re-sign J.R. Smith, waive Toney Douglas

The Cavaliers have re-signed guard J.R. Smith.

In a related move, the Cavaliers have waived guard Toney Douglas.

“Bringing J.R. back as part of our core group was a priority for us,” said Cavs General Manager David Griffin. “He’s a special part of this family and we are very pleased to have reached an agreement that we all can feel good about. We know he can’t wait to get back on the court with his brothers and we are certain that everyone in this organization and city feels the same way.”

Smith played in 77 games (all starts) with Cleveland in the 2015-16 regular season, averaging 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 30.7 minutes. The 6-6 guard ranked seventh in three-pointers made with a franchise single season record 204 triples. He also shot .400 from beyond the arc, which was tied for 18th-best in the NBA. Smith led Cleveland in steal-to-turnover ratio (1.37) and scored 10 or more points 50 times and 20 or more points 11 times last season.

During Cleveland’s championship run in the 2016 Playoffs, Smith started in all 21 games, averaging 11.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 34.8 minutes per game. He made a franchise playoff-record 65 three-pointers, which were also the fourth-most threes made by any NBA player in a single postseason. Smith scored in double figures in each of the last five games of the NBA Finals, as Cleveland went 4-1 over that stretch against Golden State and took home the franchise’s first ever NBA title.

Over his 12-year NBA career, Smith owns averages of 13.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.02 steals in 26.9 minutes over 839 regular season games (295 starts) with New Orleans, Denver, New York and Cleveland. He currently ranks 17th in league history in three-pointers made with 1,679. His 28 career regular season games with at least seven three-pointers and 14 contests with eight or more three-pointers both rank second in NBA history. Smith has made the most three-pointers in the Eastern Conference since the Cavs acquired him in a three-team trade on Jan. 5, 2015 (335 three-pointers).

The Akron Beacon Journal reports: “It feels great,” Smith said of being back with a reported four-year contract worth $57 million. “I didn’t take my physical yet, so I can’t practice, but it feels good to be in the gym, be around the guys and to be a part of it.”

Ian Mahinmi out 4-6 weeks due to knee injury

Wizards center Ian Mahinmi has suffered a partially torn medial meniscus in his left knee. The injury occurred in Thursday’s game against the Sixers. An MRI performed on Friday revealed the partial tear. On Friday evening, Mahinmi underwent successful surgery.

The procedure was performed by team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Wiemi Douoguih of MedStar at Washington Hospital Center.

Mahinmi is expected to miss approximately four to six weeks.

Playing for the Pacers last season, Mahinmi averaged 9.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 25.6 minutes per game.