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Suns sign Leandro Barbosa

The Phoenix Suns today signed guard Leandro Barbosa, a 13-year NBA veteran who played eight of those seasons with the Suns, to a multiyear contract.

“Leandro has played a significant role on a number of very successful teams over the course of his career,” said General Manager Ryan McDonough. “‘LB’ is very popular with teammates and fans and we are thrilled to have him back as a key part of the Suns. We think he will contribute greatly to what we are building – on and off of the court – here in Phoenix.”

Barbosa returns to the Suns where he previously played his first seven professional seasons from 2003-2010, in addition to one season in 2013-14, averaging 12.4 points on 46.7 percent shooting from the field and 39.6 percent from behind the three-point arc in 486 games. One of the most productive players in franchise history, he ranks third in Suns history with 716 three-point makes (trailing only Steve Nash and Dan Majerle), fifth with his 39.6 percent mark from three-point range, 12th by playing in 486 games and 15th with 6,024 total points wearing purple and orange.

The Brazilian Blur had his best statistical season with the Suns in 2006-07 as he won both the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award and the Dan Majerle Hustle Award, averaging career-highs of 18.1 points and 4.0 assists. In his eight seasons with the Suns, Barbosa compiled 4,406 points in a reserve role, giving him the most career points off the bench by a Suns player since at least 1983-84 (as far back as such data is available). Additionally, Barbosa has averaged 10.2 points in 64 playoff games with the Suns, ranking seventh in franchise history for most playoff games and 12th by totaling 654 playoff points.

The 6-3, 194-pound speedster re-joins the Suns after spending the past two seasons as a key contributor with the Golden State Warriors, winning an NBA Championship in 2014-15 and helping the team set an NBA record with 73 regular season wins on the way to a Western Conference title in 2015-16. This past season, Barbosa averaged 6.4 points on 46.2 percent shooting in 15.9 minutes in 68 regular season games before posting 5.6 points on 58.0 percent shooting in 23 playoff games.

For his career, the 13-year veteran holds averages of 11.0 points and 2.2 assists, while shooting 46.0 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from three-point range and 81.9 percent from the free throw line in 783 games (112 starts) with the Suns (2003-10; 2013-14), Toronto Raptors (2010-12), Indiana Pacers (2012), Boston Celtics (2012-13) and Warriors (2014-16). Barbosa has also averaged 8.0 points in 119 career playoff games, playing for a team that has advanced to at least the Conference Finals in five of his eight postseasons.

The 28th overall selection of the 2003 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs, Barbosa was initially acquired by the Suns in a trade on draft night. A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Barbosa played professionally for Bauru in Brazil before joining the NBA. Barbosa has represented his home country at several international competitions, twice winning gold at the FIBA Americas Championship, and plans to again play for their national team later this summer as Brazil hosts the 2016 Olympic Games.

Barbosa will wear uniform No. 19

Miles Plumlee to stay with Bucks

Here’s the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporting on the Bucks and Miles Plumlee, who in his short career so far has bounced to the Pacers, Suns and Bucks, but will reportedly stick with Milwaukee for the coming years. Last season he played 14.3 minutes per game, averaging 5.1 ppg and 3.8 rpg:

The Milwaukee Bucks and center Miles Plumlee have agreed to a four-year, $50 million contract.

Plumlee was a restricted free agent but said after last season he wanted to return to Milwaukee. Bucks coach Jason Kidd and management also said they wanted to sign him to a long-term deal after the 6-foot-11 Plumlee emerged as a viable option in the second half of the season.

Agent Mark Bartelstein confirmed the deal Monday morning and said the contract could reach $52 million with incentives that Plumlee should be able to achieve (minutes played is one component). Salaries do not escalate in the deal but stay the same across the board with a base salary of $12.5 million each year. No player or team option is included in the deal.

Raptors sign Fred VanVleet

The Raptors have signed guard Fred VanVleet to a multi-year contract.

It’s surprising to us that the team says it’s a multi-year contract. We will guess that it’s a non-guaranteed deal.

VanVleet, 6-foot, 195 pounds, recently participated with the Raptors’ entry in NBA Summer League 2016 in Las Vegas, averaging 6.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 16.0 minutes in five games. He shot .417 (10-for-24) from the field and .545 (6-for-11) from three-point range.

VanVleet played four seasons at Wichita State (2012-16), averaging 10.2 points, 4.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 26.8 minutes in 141 career games (102 starts). He ranks first all-time in school history in assists (637), steals (225) and assists-to-turnover ratio (3.08). VanVleet helped the Shockers to three Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) titles, three MVC regular season titles and nine NCAA Tournament victories in four trips.

VanVleet’s conference honours include MVC Player of the Year twice (2014, 2016), First Team All-MVC three times (2014, 2015, 2016) and MVC All-Defensive Team three times (2014, 2015, 2016). He was also a two-time finalist for the Bob Cousy Award (2014, 2015), given to the nation’s top point guard.

Clippers waive Branden Dawson

The Clippers have waived forward Branden Dawson.

According to the Orange County Register, “Dawson’s $874,636 contract for the upcoming season wasn’t guaranteed, and waiving him saves the Clippers’ tax dollars they owe the NBA.”

Dawson, 23, was selected with the 56th overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans and acquired by the Clippers in a draft night trade in exchange for cash considerations.

The former Michigan State standout appeared in six games with the Clippers in 2015-16, averaging 0.8 points and 0.7 rebounds in 4.8 minutes.

Dawson also spent time in the NBA Development League and played in a total of 29 games for the Erie Bayhawks, Bakersfield Jam and Grand Rapids Drive averaging 10.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 21.1 minutes.

Sixers waive Sasha Kaun

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that the team has waived center Sasha Kaun, who was acquired in a trade with Cleveland on July 15.

Last season was Kaun’s first in the NBA. He played 25 games for the Cavs and averaged just 3.8 minutes per outing.

It is unclear if he’ll be stay in the league. He may wind up heading back overseas.

Warriors re-sign Anderson Varejao

The Warriors have re-signed free agent center Anderson Varejao.

With Andrew Bogut gone and Zaza Pachulia on board, Varejao could have an increased role on the squad next season. Though, the team only uses a conventional center for some of the game, so he’s still expected to be a limited-use player on this roster.

Varejao, 33, appeared in 22 regular-season games with the Warriors last season, averaging 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 8.4 minutes. In 17 playoff appearances, the 6-10 center averaged 1.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 5.5 minutes. Varejao originally signed with the Warriors on Feb. 22, 2016, after spending his first 11-plus seasons with the Cavaliers. The Santa Teresa, Brazil, native owns career averages of 7.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 24.4 minutes over 613 games (208 starts) with the Warriors and Cavaliers.

Originally selected by the Orlando Magic in the second round (30th overall) of the 2004 NBA Draft, Varejao was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 2009-10 and finished third in Sixth Man of the Year voting that season. Prior to making his NBA debut during the 2004-05 campaign, he played professionally for three seasons with FC Barcelona in Spain’s top league, Liga ACB.

Bulls sign rookie Denzel Valentine

The Bulls signed rookie guard Denzel Valentine today.

Valentine (6-6, 212) was selected by the Bulls in the first round (No. 14 overall) of the 2016 NBA Draft after playing four years of college basketball at Michigan State. In 2015-16, he posted 19.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 7.8 apg through 31 games for the Spartans – averages not achieved since the assist became an official stat in 1983-84. He also shot .462 from the field, .444 from beyond the arc and .853 from the free throw line.

After the 2015-16 season, Valentine became the first player in Michigan State history to be recognized as the National Player of the Year by The Associated Press. He also earned other player of the year awards from the NABC, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports and Basketball Times in addition to being named a unanimous First-Team All-American after his senior season. For conference honors, Valentine added Big Ten Player of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten to his accolades last year. As a junior, he was named Third Team All-Big Ten, and was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten as a sophomore. Valentine left Michigan State with career averages of 11.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg and 4.4 apg.

At the Samsung NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Valentine has posted 11.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.5 apg and 1.50 spg in 27.3 mpg through four games.

Return of Chris Bosh remains uncertain

The Heat got weaker this offseason, and they still don’t know when or if power forward Chris Bosh will return to action. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

Miami Heat president Pat Riley on Saturday said it is still too early to know when Chris Bosh will be able to return to the team after a recurrence of blood-clotting issues kept the 11-time All-Star on the bench for the final 29 games of the season.

“It’s always fluid and it always has been,” Riley said Saturday during a news conference to address the team’s offseason to this point. “I know he wants to play and we would be open to that.”

Riley said nothing has been determined and that the team could gain clarity on Bosh’s health situation in the next few months.

Warriors legend Nate Thurmond has died

Nate Thurmond, voted one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history and a member of the Warriors organization for more than four decades as both a player and a Community Relations Ambassador, passed away this morning in San Francisco at the age of 74 after a short battle with leukemia.

Considered one of the best centers to ever play the game of basketball, Thurmond was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985. A seven-time NBA All-Star, he earned NBA All-Defensive First or Second Team accolades five times. His Warriors jersey #42 was retired on March 8, 1978, one of six players to have his number retired by the Warriors along with Alvin Attles (#16), Rick Barry (#24), Wilt Chamberlain (#13), Tom Meschery (#14) and Chris Mullin (#17).

Over a 14 year NBA career – the first 11 of which were played with the San Francisco and Golden State Warriors – Thurmond held averages of 15.0 points and 15.0 rebounds per game, including averaging 20.5 points and 22.0 rebounds during the 1967-68 campaign to join Wilt Chamberlain as the only Warriors to post at least 20 points and 20 boards in a single season.

“Big Nate,” who was selected third overall by the San Francisco Warriors in the 1963 NBA Draft following his collegiate career at Bowling Green, remains the franchise’s all-time leader in rebounds (12,771) and minutes played (30,735).

Thurmond became the first player to record an official quadruple-double as a member of the Chicago Bulls, tallying 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocks against the Atlanta Hawks on October 18, 1974.

Following his illustrious playing career, Thurmond spent more than 30 years as a valued asset to the Warriors’ community relations department.

Sixers, Cavs trade Sasha Kaun, Chukwudiebere Maduabum

The Philadelphia 76ers have acquired center Sasha Kaun and cash considerations from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for the rights to Chukwudiebere Maduabum.

Kaun (6-11, 260) appeared in 25 games for Cleveland in the 2015-16 season and averaged one point and one rebound in four minutes per contest. The native of Russia was originally selected by Seattle with the 56th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft after a four-year collegiate career at the University of Kansas.