NBA News Blog – Page 595 – NBA Blog

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.

Cavs and J.R. Smith finally have deal

J.R. Smith was a key member of the Cavs last season. And it took a while, but he and the team have finally come to an agreement. Here’s the Akron Beacon Journal reporting:

The Cavs and J.R. Smith agreed to a four-year deal Friday that could be worth $57 million, according to a league source, returning the shooting guard to where he always wanted to be.

Smith, 31, was an unrestricted free agent who earned about $5 million with the Cavs last season. He made a career-high 204 3-pointers last season and emerged as a top two-way player. The agreement came as the Cavs were in Chicago to face the Bulls in a preseason game.

Smith’s first game with the Cavs could come Tuesday in the preseason finale against the Washington Wizards at Ohio State. Coach Tyronn Lue already said he was going to treat Tuesday’s game as a dress rehearsal for the regular season.

Jazz waive Eric Dawson, Quincy Ford and Marcus Paige

The Jazz waived forward Eric Dawson, forward/guard Quincy Ford and guard Marcus Paige today.

Eric Dawson (6-9, 255, Mideastern State) appeared in one preseason game, scoring two points in 13 minutes of action vs. Phoenix on Oct. 12. He signed as a free agent on Sept. 21.

Quincy Ford (6-8, 225, Northeastern) scored two points in 12 minutes vs. the Suns on Oct. 12. He signed as a free agent on Sept. 6 after competing for the Jazz entries in both the Utah Jazz Summer League and NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Paige (6-2, 175, North Carolina) averaged 5.5 points and 1.5 assists in two preseason games for Utah. He also competed at the Utah Jazz Summer League and NBA Summer League for the Jazz entries.

The Jazz roster now stands at 17 players.

Lakers waive Julian Jacobs, Zach Auguste and Travis Wear

The Lakers waived guard Julian Jacobs and forwards Zach Auguste and Travis Wear today.

Auguste was signed on August 29 and did not appear in any of the four preseason games for the Lakers. He averaged 5.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 15:41 minutes per game in four games (one start) for the Lakers’ entry in the 2016 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Jacobs was signed September 1 and appeared in two preseason games for Los Angeles, scoring three points with two assists in 11 minutes.

Wear was also signed September 1, and saw action in two preseason games for the Lakers, scoring three points in addition to two rebounds in 11 minutes.

The Lakers training camp roster stands at 17.

Clippers waive Dorell Wright and Xavier Munford

The Clippers today waived guard Xavier Munford and forward Dorell Wright.

Munford played in just two games for the Clippers this preseason, scoring four points. A 2016 D-League All-Star, he spent last season with the Bakersfield Jam and the Memphis Grizzlies. In 14 games for the Grizzlies to end the 2015-16 season, Munford averaged 5.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 17.4 minutes.

Wright, appeared in two games for the Clippers in the preseason. The 19th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat, has spent 12 seasons in the NBA with Miami, Golden State, Philadelphia and Portland. In 549 career games (222 starts), the Los Angeles native has averages of 8.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists. Wright spent last season in the Chinese Basketball Association playing for the Beikong Fly Dragons before signing with the Heat to close the season. In 37 games for the Dragons, he averaged 24.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

The roster now stands at 15 players for the Clippers.

Tiago Splitter out with hamstring injury

Hawks center Tiago Splitter has been diagnosed with a grade 2 hamstring strain, which he sustained in a recent practice. An MRI taken yesterday at the Emory Orthopaedics and Spine Center revealed the injury.

Splitter will be out at least four weeks, which means he’ll miss at least the first two weeks of the regular season.

The Hawks will likely start Paul Millsap at power foward and new addition Dwight Howard at center. Splitter will likely come off the bench once he’s healthy.

Reggie Jackson injury update: out 6-8 weeks

Pistons guard Reggie Jackson will be out of action for the next 6-8 weeks after treatment today. The point guard received platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections on this morning to treat left knee tendinosis and an ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) sprain of his right thumb.

The team says his recovery will be monitored throughout the rehabilitation process.

The six to eight week recovery period is an estimate. If it changes, of course we’ll post about it.

Jackson played 79 games last season and averaged 18.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 30.7 minutes per game.

Suns waive Shaquille Harrison, Derek Cooke Jr and Gracin Bakumanya

The Suns waived guard Shaquille Harrison, forward Derek Cooke Jr. and center Gracin Bakumanya today. Their roster now stands at 16 players.

Bakumanya, Cooke and Harrison originally signed with the Suns on Sept. 25. The three players did not appear in any of the team’s first three preseason games. It’s no surprise that they were waived.

All teams must trim their rosters to 15 or fewer players before the start of the regular season, which begins October 25.

The Suns are built around guards Eric Bledsoe, Devin Booker and Brandon Knight. Up front they have veteran center Tyson Chandler, and mostly either young players who still need improvement or role-playing veterans.