NBA News Blog – Page 75 – NBA Blog

Mavericks re-sign Markieff Morris

The Dallas Mavericks have re-signed forward/center Markieff Morris.

Morris (6-9, 250) originally came to Dallas along with Kyrie Irving in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 6, 2023. He holds career averages of 10.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 24.1 minutes over 750 games (378 starts) with Phoenix, Washington, Oklahoma City, Detroit, the L.A. Lakers, Miami, Brooklyn and Dallas. He has shot 44.6% (3,065-6,877 FG) from the field, 34.3% (635-1,853 3FG) from beyond the arc and 77.8% (1,189-1,528 FT) from the free throw line over his career. Morris appeared in eight games (1 start) for the Mavericks in the 2022-23 season and averaged 4.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 8.8 minutes.

Selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Suns, the University of Kansas product won an NBA Championship in 2020 with the Lakers. He averaged 5.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 18.4 minutes per game in 21 games (2 starts) during the Lakers’ postseason run.

In the community, Markieff and his twin brother, Marcus, started the Family Over Everything Foundation to provide support and guidance that helps alleviate the burdens, financial and otherwise, faced by many single parents, families in underserved communities, and at-risk members of society.

Morris will now wear No. 88 for the Mavericks.

Magic waive Alex Morales

The Orlando Magic have waived guard Alex Morales, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today.

Morales (6’6”, 195, 11/21/97) played in 30 games (six starts) last season with Lakeland (now Osceola) of the NBA G League, averaging 6.2 ppg., 5.3 rpg., 2.0 apg. and 1.13 stlpg. in 21.9 minpg.

Kings convert Jordan Ford deal to a two-way contract

The Sacramento Kings have converted guard Jordan Ford’s deal to a two-way contract.

Last season, Ford averaged 14.7 points (50.1 FG%, 40.4 3pt%, 80.6 FT%), 2.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game in 32 games (all starts) for the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate. A member of Sacramento’s 2023 Summer League roster, Ford posted averages of 16.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.0 steals in four games (all starts) for the Kings at the NBA 2K24 Summer League in Las Vegas.

A graduate of Folsom High School, Ford played collegiately at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., where he finished with the second-most career points in program history (1,929).

Wizards re-sign Taj Gibson

The Washington Wizards have re-signed forward/center Taj Gibson.

“Taj has earned his reputation as a consummate professional and loyal teammate,” said Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins. “We look forward to him adding to the competitive atmosphere when we begin training camp next month.”

Gibson returns to the Wizards after averaging 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in 49 appearances (two starts) last season. He holds career averages of 8.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game in 945 games (449 starts) with Chicago, Oklahoma City, Minnesota, New York and Washington. The 14-year NBA veteran owns a career .518 field goal percentage and has shot at least .500 from the field in each of the past nine seasons (including a career-best .627 in 2020-21).

Knicks sign Ryan Arcidiacono

The New York Knicks have signed guard Ryan Arcidiacono.

Arcidiacono, 29-years-old (6-3, 195-pounds), averaged 1.3 points and 1.2 assists in 8.6 minutes over 20 games (four starts) with the Portland Trail Blazers and New York Knicks last season. He spent the 2021-22 season with the Knicks recording 1.6 points over 10 games. Prior to New York, he spent four seasons with the Chicago Bulls (2017-21) averaging 4.8 points, 2.2 assists and 2.0 rebounds over 17.6 minutes in 207 games (36 starts). He holds career averages of 4.4 points, 2.0 assists and 1.9 rebounds over 16.4 minutes in 237 games (40 starts) over six seasons with the Bulls, Knicks and Blazers.

The Langhorne, PA-native played four seasons at Villanova University and was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in the Wildcats’ championship run in 2016. He was named First-Team All-Big East and Big East Co-Player of the Year as a junior in 2015. He averaged 11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.17 steals for his collegiate career.

Magic sign Alex Morales

The Orlando Magic have signed free agent guard Alex Morales.

Morales (6’6”, 195, 11/21/97) played in 30 games (six starts) last season with Lakeland (now Osceola) of the NBA G League, averaging 6.2 ppg., 5.3 rpg., 2.0 apg. and 1.13 stlpg. in 21.9 minpg.

Morales appeared in 74 career games (71 starts) during three seasons at Wagner College (2019-22), averaging 15.9 ppg., 6.9 rpg., 3.7 apg. and 1.51 stlpg. in 33.1 minpg. He was named the 2021-22 Northeast Conference (NEC) Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Morales was also the NEC Player of the Year in 2020-21. He also played one season (2018-19) at Prince George’s Community College in Maryland.

Timberwolves sign Vit Krejci

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed guard Vit Krejci.

Krejčí, 6-8, spent last season with the Atlanta Hawks where he totaled 36 points and 26 rebounds in 29 games. Prior to the Hawks, he played his rookie season with the Oklahoma City Thunder averaging 6.2 points on 40.7% shooting, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 30 appearances (eight starts).

The Strakonice, Czech Republic native has played for the Czech Republic Men’s National Team since 2019. Most recently, he played three games in the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament 2023 Poland-Estonia, where he averaged 14.0 points on 61.9% shooting, 5.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game.

Krejčí was originally selected by the Washington Wizards with the 37th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Kings sign Jordan Ford, waive Nerlens Noel and Neemias Queta

The Sacramento Kings have signed guard Jordan Ford.

Also, Nerlens Noel and Neemias Queta have been waived.

In his first two seasons with the Kings, Queta appeared in 20 games for Sacramento. He played in 43 regular season games during the 2022-23 season for the Stockton Kings, averaging 17.7 points (68.5 FG%), 8.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.

Last season, Queta led the G League in field goal percentage and ranked fourth in blocks per game on his way to earning All-NBA G League and All-Defensive G League honors. He also finished as the runner up for the NBA G League Most Valuable Player award. Queta was originally selected by the Kings with the 39th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Utah State.

Noel holds career averages of 7.1 points (54.6 FG%), 6.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game in 467 career games (223 starts).

The Kings roster now stands at 17 players.

Magic sign Mac McClung

The Orlando Magic have signed free agent guard Mac McClung, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today.

McClung (6’2”, 185, 1/6/99) played in two games last season (2022-23) with Philadelphia, averaging 12.5 ppg., 5.0 rpg. and 4.5 apg. in 20.5 minpg. He also appeared in 31 games (28 starts) with Delaware of the NBA G League, averaging 19.8 ppg., 5.0 apg. and 2.6 rpg. in 26.8 minpg., helping the Blue Coats capture the 2022-23 NBA G League championship. At NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, McClung won the Slam Dunk contest.

Undrafted by an NBA franchise, McClung has played in four career NBA regular season games with Chicago, the L.A. Lakers and Philadelphia, averaging 8.3 ppg., 3.3 rpg. and 2.5 apg. in 16.3 minpg. He has also appeared in 58 career NBA G League outings (55 starts) with South Bay, Windy City and Delaware, averaging 20.6 ppg., 6.1 apg., 4.6 rpg. and 1.14 stlpg. in 31.1 minpg., while shooting .507 (425-838) from the floor, .427 (123-288) from three-point range and .854 (134-157) from the free throw line.

McClung played in 50 career games during two seasons (2018-20) at Georgetown University, averaging 14.2 ppg., 2.8 rpg., 2.2 apg. and 1.06 stlpg. in 26.6 minpg. During the 2018-19 season, he led all Big East freshmen in scoring and was named to the Big East All-Freshman Team. McClung also played in 29 games during one season (2020-21) at Texas Tech University, averaging 15.5 ppg., 2.7 rpg. and 2.1 apg. in 30.2 minpg.

McClung will wear #10 with the Orlando Magic.

Cavaliers sign Sharife Cooper, Pete Nance and Justin Powell

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Sharife Cooper, forward Pete Nance and guard Justin Powell, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today.

The signings are likely non-guaranteed deals, to bring the players to Cavs training camp.

Cooper (6-1, 180) appeared in 25 games (all starts) last season with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team, averaging 21.3 points, 6.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 0.84 steals in 32.4 minutes. He was named All-NBA G League Second Team and was also selected to the 2023 NBA G League Next Up Game during NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City. During the 2023 Summer League in Las Vegas, he appeared in four games (all starts) for the Cavaliers, averaging 13.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 21.5 minutes while helping the Cavaliers win their first Summer League Championship. Cooper was drafted 48th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks after one collegiate season at Auburn (2020-21).

Nance (6-11, 230) went undrafted after one season at University of North Carolina (2022-23) and four seasons at Northwestern University (2018-22), averaging 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25.3 minutes in 137 games (104 starts) during his collegiate career. Last season at UNC, the Akron-born native started all 30 games and averaged 10.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.13 blocks in 30.0 minutes, while leading the team in blocks (34), finishing second in free throw percentage (.816) and ranking third in three-pointers made (32). A member of the Cavaliers 2023 Summer League Championship team, Nance appeared in all six games, averaging 7.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 20.4 minutes.

Powell (6-6, 197) went undrafted after playing three seasons collegiately at Auburn, Tennessee, and Washington State, with career averages of 7.8 points, 2.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 25.0 minutes. Last season at Washington State, Powell appeared in a career-best 34 games (all starts), averaging 10.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 33.8 minutes. He also appeared in two games for the Miami Heat at the 2023 Summer League in Las Vegas and one game at the California Classic in Sacramento.