NBA News Blog – Page 760 – NBA Blog

Trail Blazers exercise options on Meyers Leonard, CJ McCollum

Maintaining bench depth, Trail Blazers exercise options on Meyers Leonard, CJ McCollum

The Portland Trail Blazers today exercised team options on the contracts of center Meyers Leonard and guard CJ McCollum, according to General Manager Neil Olshey.

According to the Oregonian, the team “declined doing the same for Thomas Robinson. The moves, which will impact next season’s roster, guarantee that McCollum and Leonard will be with the team through the 2015-16 season and make Robinson a free agent next summer.

The Blazers exercised their fourth-year team option on Leonard, who holds averages of 4.4 points (52.2% FG), 3.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 14.3 minutes in 109 games over two seasons with the Trail Blazers. The team selected Leonard with the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft out of Illinois.

And Portland picked up the third-year team option on McCollum. The 10th overall selection in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft out of Lehigh, McCollum averaged 5.3 points (37.5% 3-PT), 1.3 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 12.5 minutes in 38 games during his rookie 2013-14 season.

Knicks trade Travis Outlaw to 76ers for Arnett Moultrie

Knicks trade Travis Outlaw to 76ers for Arnett Moultrie

The New York Knicks have traded forward Travis Outlaw to the Philadelphia 76ers for forward Arnett Moultrie, according to team president Phil Jackson. In addition, Philadelphia received a 2019 second-round draft selection and the option to exchange 2018 second-round draft selections.

And in the same breath, Moultrie was immediately waived by New York. So, yes, this was basically a move for New York to part ways with Outlaw’s contract.

The Sixers acquired the right to swap the Los Angeles Clippers’ second-round pick (which the Sixers currently own) in 2018 with the Knicks’ own second-round pick in that draft.

Outlaw, 6-9, 220-pounds, was acquired on Aug. 6, 2014 from Sacramento in a multi-team deal and appeared in one preseason game for the Knicks.

76ers sign Malcolm Thomas

The still-very-rebuilding 76ers sign Malcolm Thomas

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced they have signed free agent forward Malcolm Thomas.

Thomas is entering his fourth NBA season, having been named an NBA Development League All-Star last season, while averaging 18.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.33 blocks in 12 combined games for Los Angeles and Austin. In 2011-12, Thomas earned All-NBA D-League First Team and All-Defensive First Team honors.

Rockets waive Jeff Adrien, Earl Clark, Robert Covington, Akeem Richmond, Ish Smith

Rockets waive Jeff Adrien, Earl Clark, Robert Covington, Akeem Richmond, Ish Smith

The Houston Rockets have waived Jeff Adrien, Earl Clark, Robert Covington, Akeem Richmond and guard Ish Smith, according to general manager Daryl Morey.

Adrien (6-7, 245, Connecticut), who spent last season with Charlotte and Milwaukee, averaged 6.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 53 games played in the 2013-14 season. Over his four year NBA career, Adrien has averaged 4.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game. In seven preseason games with the Rockets, he averaged 4.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game. Adrien was signed by the Rockets on July 18, 2014.

Clark (6-10, 234, Louisville), a sixth year forward appeared in 54 games during the 2013-14 season with Cleveland (45 games) and New York (nine games) averaging 4.8 points and 2.6 rebounds in 14.2 minutes. Over the course of his career, Clark has appeared in 251 games, including 54 starts, with the Cavaliers, Knicks, Magic and Suns. He holds career averages of 4.4 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in 14.1 minutes. Clark was claimed off waivers by the Rockets on October 24, 2014 and did not appear in any preseason games with the Rockets.

Covington (6-9, 215, Tennessee State), a second year forward appeared in seven games for the Rockets last season averaging 2.3 points and 0.7 assists in 4.8 minutes per game. During the 2013-14 season, Covington also appeared in 42 games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA D-League, averaging 23.2 points and 9.2 rebounds in 34.1 minutes per game. Covington appeared in one preseason game with the Rockets, scoring three points in four minutes played versus Memphis on October 9th. He was originally signed by the Rockets on July 13, 2013.

Richmond (6-0, 180, East Carolina), an undrafted free agent in the 2014 NBA Draft spent the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons at East Carolina after transferring from Rhode Island following his sophomore year. Richmond appeared in 139 contests over the course of his NCAA career (61 starts) averaging 11.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game in 25.3 minutes played. Richmond was signed by the Rockets on October 24, 2014 and did not appear in any preseason games with the Rockets.

Smith (6-0, 174, Wake Forest), who spent last season with Phoenix, averaged 3.7 points and 1.8 rebounds in 70 games played in the 2013-14 season. Over his four year NBA career, Smith has averaged 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game. He was originally undrafted out of Wake Forest in the 2010 NBA Draft. He appeared in seven preseason games with the Rockets, averaging 4.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 17.5 minutes per game. Smith was signed by the Rockets on July 18, 2014.

The Rockets roster now stands at 15.

Nuggets waive Quincy Miller

Nuggets waive Quincy Miller

With the 2014-15 NBA regular season starting tomorrow, teams around the league are trimming their rosters to 15 or fewer players. And now it’s the Denver Nuggets’ turn.

The Nuggets waived forward Quincy Miller today, according to general manager and executive vice president of basketball operations Tim Connelly.

Miller, who was drafted by Denver with the 38th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, appeared in 59 games for the Nuggets over the past two seasons, averaging 4.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game. He appeared in seven preseason games this year, averaging 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds.

The Nuggets roster now stands at 15 players.

Timberwolves waive J.J. Barea

Timberwolves waive J.J. Barea

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has finalized its 2014-15 Opening Night roster by waiving guard J.J. Barea.

“We’d like to thank J.J. for his three years in Minnesota,” said Timberwolves Head Coach Flip Saunders. “J.J. made our decision incredibly difficult with his play this preseason, highlighted by sparking a 13-point fourth quarter comeback against Chicago on Friday. In talking with J.J. and his representatives over the past few days, we came to the conclusion that this was the best outcome for both parties. He was a consummate professional throughout his time in Minnesota, and we thank him for his leadership both on and off the court. We wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Barea has already proven himself worthy of being on an NBA roster. It seems likely he will find a new home in the league soon.

Barea, 30, averaged 10.1 points and 4.1 assists in 21.7 minutes per game in 194 games (14 starts) with the Timberwolves. For his career, the eight-year veteran owns averages of 8.3 points and 3.4 assists in 509 games.

Celtics waive Will Bynum, Tim Frazier, Rodney McGruder, Erik Murphy, Christian Watford, Jarell Eddie

The Boston Celtics today waived guards Will Bynum, Tim Frazier and Rodney McGruder, forwards Erik Murphy and Christian Watford, and guard/forward Jarell Eddie.

Bynum, a 6’0” guard who was acquired from Detroit in a trade on October 17th, appeared in 56 games for the Detroit Pistons last season where he averaged 8.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 18.8 minutes per game.

Frazier, a 6’1” guard, appeared in four contests for the Celtics during preseason, totaling three points, four assists and two steals in 23 minutes.

McGruder, a 6’4” guard, appeared in three games for the team and totaled six points and two rebounds in 15 minutes.

Murphy, a 6’10” forward, appeared in four matchups and totaled two rebounds in 12 minutes.

Watford, a 6’9” forward, appeared in three games and saw seven minutes of action on the court.

Eddie, a 6’7” guard/forward who was claimed off of waivers by the Celtics on October 23rd, appeared in three contests for the Atlanta Hawks during the preseason and averaged 2.7 points in 13.0 minutes per game over that span.

The Celtics roster now stands at 15.

Pistons waive Aaron Gray

DETROIT PISTONS WAIVE AARON GRAY

The Detroit Pistons have waived Aaron Gray. The 7-foot, 270-pound center missed all of 2014 training camp in order to rehab from a cardiac episode that he suffered after a voluntary offseason team workout in late August.

Gray signed with Detroit as a free agent on July 10, 2014. Considered backup material who provided bench depth, he holds career NBA averages of 3.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 12.1 minutes in 318 games with Chicago, New Orleans, Toronto and Sacramento.

Magic exercise contract options on Victor Oladipo, Maurice Harkless, Evan Fournier and Andrew Nicholson

Magic exercise contract options on Victor Oladipo, Maurice Harkless, Evan Fournier and Andrew Nicholson

Orlando Magic general manager Rob Hennigan announced today that the team has exercised their their third-year team option on the contract of Victor Oladipo, and fourth-year options on the contracts of Maurice Harkless, Evan Fournier and Andrew Nicholson.

All four of these players are now under contract with the Magic through the 2015-16 season.

Oladipo (6’4”, 210, 5/4/92) is considered a key building block; an essential piece in the future of the Magic, though it remains to be seen if he will live up to that very lofty expectation. He played in 80 games (44 starts) during his rookie campaign last season with Orlando, averaging 13.8 ppg., 4.1 rpg., 4.1 apg. and a team-high 1.61 stlpg. in 31.1 minpg. He was tied for 15th in the NBA in steals. Oladipo also ranked among all NBA rookies in scoring (2nd), rebounding (T-8th), assists (3rd), FG percentage (.419, 8th), three-point FG percentage (.327, T-7th), FT percentage (.780, 6th), steals (2nd) and minutes played (3rd).

Originally selected in the first round (second overall) of the 2013 NBA Draft by Orlando, Oladipo was named to the 2013-14 NBA All-Rookie First Team. He was also named the NBA’s Rookie of the Month twice (December 2013, February 2014). He has talent but needs to improve his shooting.

Harkless (6’9”, 215, 5/11/93) played in 80 games (41 starts) last season with Orlando, averaging 7.4 ppg., 3.3 rpg., 1.0 apg. and 1.21 stlpg. in 24.4 minpg., while shooting .383 (59-154) from three-point range. He ranked sixth in the NBA in steals-to-turnover ratio (1.13, 97/86).

Originally selected in the first round (15th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft by Philadelphia, Harkless was acquired by Orlando as part of a four-team, 12-player trade on Aug. 10, 2012. He has appeared in 156 career NBA regular season games, all with the Magic, averaging 7.8 ppg., 3.8 rpg. and 1.19 stlpg. in 25.2 minpg.

Fournier (6’7”, 205, 10/29/92) played in 76 games last season with Denver, averaging 8.4 ppg., 2.7 rpg. and 1.5 apg. in 19.8 minpg., while shooting .376 (89-237) from three-point range. He was acquired from the Nuggets, along with the draft rights to Devyn Marble, in exchange for Arron Afflalo on June 26, 2014.

Originally selected by Denver in the first round (20th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft, Fournier has appeared in 114 career NBA regular season games, all with the Nuggets, averaging 7.4 ppg., 2.1 rpg. and 1.4 apg. in 16.9 minpg., while shooting .381 (111-291) from three-point range. He also played in four career playoff outings, averaging 4.8 ppg. and 1.0 apg. in 13.3 minpg.

Nicholson (6’9”, 250, 12/8/89) played in 76 games (five starts) last season with Orlando, averaging 5.7 ppg. and 3.4 rpg. in 15.7 minpg. Originally selected in the first round (19th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft by Orlando, Nicholson has appeared in 151 career NBA regular season games, all with the Magic, averaging 6.8 ppg. and 3.4 rpg. in 16.0 minpg.

For now, Harkless, Fournier and Nicholson are are considered bench depth. It remains to be seen how much better they can get.

The Magic are rebuilding, and although they are still not expected to be competitive, the team did improve this summer, adding talented rookies Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton, and versatile veteran big man Channing Frye, among others. At the least, Orlando should be far more fun and interesting to watch this season than they were in 2013-14.

Raptors waive Jordan Hamilton, Will Cherry

Raptors waive Jordan Hamilton and Will Cherry

The Toronto Raptors have waived guard Will Cherry and forward-guard Jordan Hamilton.

The Raptors completed their preseason schedule last night with a 83-80 win over New York in Montreal. The club finished with a 7-1 mark, tying the franchise best record set in the 2006 preseason.

Cherry played in five contests, averaging 3.4 points, 1.6 assists and 13.9 minutes. Hamilton averaged 9.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 18.3 minutes in six outings.

The Raptors roster now stands at 15 players. The team’s regular season opener is Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks, taking place at Air Canada Centre at 7:30 p.m.