NBA News Blog – Page 787 – NBA Blog

Magic add Willie Green, off waivers

The Orlando Magic have claimed guard Willie Green off of waivers, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today. Green was waived by the Los Angeles Clippers on June 29.

Green (6’3”, 205, 7/28/81) played in 55 games (nine starts) last season with the Clippers, averaging 5.0 ppg. and 1.4 rpg. in 15.8 minpg. He scored in double figures nine times, including a season-high 13 points twice, the last time on Mar. 12 vs. Golden State.

Originally selected by Seattle in the second round (41st overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft, Green has appeared in 679 career NBA regular season games (295 starts) during his 11-year career with Philadelphia, New Orleans, Atlanta and the L.A. Clippers, averaging 8.5 ppg., 1.8 rpg. and 1.4 apg. in 20.4 minpg. He also played in 36 career playoff games (12 starts), averaging 5.2 ppg. and 1.3 rpg. in 14.9 minpg.

Orlando Magic waive Jameer Nelson

The Jameer Nelson era in Orlando is over.

The Magic waived Nelson today, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced. The veteran point guard will become an unrestricted free agent.

“Jameer (Nelson) is the ultimate professional,” said Hennigan. “We truly thank him for his contributions to the organization, both on the court and in the community, during the last decade. He will always be a member of the Magic family.”

“I appreciate the opportunity the Orlando Magic has afforded me and my family over the past ten years,” said Nelson. “I’d like to thank the DeVos family, team management, and all the coaches that have provided me guidance, mentoring, and the ability to play the game that I love in the town that I love.”

“I’d also like to give sincere and special thanks to the great Magic fans. You have loyally supported me since my first day in Orlando and have always been there for me and my family. You made it easy for us to adopt Orlando as our second home and we will miss you.”

“All good things must come to an end, however, and it’s time to move on. I look forward to continuing my career as an NBA player and will never take for granted my time in Orlando.”

Nelson was originally selected by Denver in the first round (20th overall) of the 2004 NBA Draft, but was acquired by Orlando in exchange for a future first round pick on draft night. He played in 651 career NBA regular season games (556 starts), all with Orlando, averaging 12.6 ppg., 5.4 apg. and 3.1 rpg. in 29.2 minpg., while shooting .374 (874-2,335) from three-point range and .817 (1,092-1,337) from the free throw line. He also appeared in 44 career playoff games, averaging 15.0 ppg., 4.6 apg. and 3.5 rpg. in 32.5 minpg.

Nelson stands as the franchise’s all-time leader in assists with 3,501. He also ranks second in games played (651) and field goals attempted (7,033), third in minutes played (19,038), three-pointers made (874) and three-pointers attempted (2,335), fourth in scoring (8,184 points) and field goals made (3,109) and fifth in steals (619). He was named an NBA All-Star in 2009 and earned the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week honor twice (periods ending Dec. 21, 2008, Jan. 18, 2009). Nelson was also named to the 2004-05 NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

Orlando Magic waive Doron Lamb

The Orlando Magic have waived guard Doron Lamb, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today.

Lamb played in 53 games last season with the Magic, averaging 3.6 ppg. in 13.1 minpg., while shooting .400 (36-90) from three-point range. He scored in double figures six times, including a season-high 14 points on Apr. 2 vs. Cleveland

Originally selected by Milwaukee in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft by Milwaukee, Lamb appeared in 100 career NBA regular season games with Milwaukee and Orlando, averaging 3.5 ppg. in 12.7 minpg., while shooting .394 (50-127) from three-point range. He was acquired by Orlando along with Tobias Harris and Beno Udrih from Milwaukee in exchange for J.J. Redick, Gustavo Ayon and Ish Smith on Feb. 21, 2013.

Celtics extend qualifying offer to Avery Bradley

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have extended a qualifying offer to guard Avery Bradley.

Bradley, a 6’2 guard, is coming off a breakout 2013-14 season where he recorded career-highs in points per game (14.9), rebounds per game (3.8), points (891), rebounds (226), minutes (1855), field goals made (361), three-pointers made (79) and free throws made (90). Bradley tied a career-high for points in a game when he notched 28 points against Brooklyn on March 21. He recorded his first career double-double when he recorded 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against New York on December 8. Selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Bradley recorded his 1,000th career points in the opening game of the season against Toronto on October 30. He led the Celtics in scoring in 17 games and recorded 20 or more points in 16 contests.

Kings waive forward Willie Reed

The Sacramento Kings waived forward Willie Reed, according to Kings General manager Pete D’Alessandro.

The 6-10, 200-pound forward was signed as a free agent by the Kings on March 26, 2014. He did not see action in any regular season games with the Kings. Reed was assigned to the Kings’ D-League affiliate Reno Bighorns and averaged 13.6 points (.649 FG%, .800 FT%), 7.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 2.4 blocks and 25.0 minutes per game in five contests off the bench.

Jason Kidd wants control of Nets, may wind up with Bucks

Here’s the New York Post reporting a wild story that came out of the blue and has been confirmed by several other outlets:

Apparently Jason Kidd isn’t satisfied with just coaching, but he’ll have to be if he stays with the Nets.

According to a league source, Kidd recently approached ownership with a series of demands, including the role of overseeing the Nets’ basketball operations department in addition to his head coaching responsibilities. The source said Kidd didn’t want general manager Billy King to be dismissed, but wanted to be given a title and placed above him in the organizational hierarchy.

Ownership declined to grant Kidd that kind of power, which is rare for any coach in the league to have. The source said ownership felt Kidd wasn’t ready for that kind of responsibility after having only one year of coaching experience — the team finished his first season on the bench with a 44-38 record, good for sixth in the Eastern Conference — and allowed Kidd to seek other opportunities.

The franchise then was approached by the Bucks for permission to speak with Kidd about the prospect of hiring him, and the Nets granted permission.

Pat Riley statement on Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem free agency

The following statement from Pat Riley was released by the Miami Heat this afternoon:

“Today we were notified of Dwyane’s intention to opt-out of his contract and Udonis’ intention to not opt into his contract, making both players free agents. Dwyane has been the cornerstone of our organization for over a decade, and we hope he remains a part of the Heat family for life. Udonis has been the heartbeat of this team for 11 years. He has sacrificed countless times to make this organization successful, and he is the epitome of what this organization stands for. We look forward to meeting with Dwyane and Udonis and their agent in the coming days to discuss our future together.”

InsideHoops.com note: Riley didn’t mention Chris Bosh, who may opt out as well. Perhaps that will be confirmed very soon.

Raptors extend qualifying offers to Greivis Vasquez, Nando De Colo, Patrick Patterson

The Toronto Raptors announced Saturday they have extended qualifying offers to restricted free agent guards Greivis Vasquez and Nando De Colo and forward Patrick Patterson. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.

In accordance with the league’s collective bargaining agreement, in order for a team to retain its rights of first refusal with respect to a restricted free agent it must tender the player a qualifying offer prior to June 30. A restricted free agent may sign an offer sheet with any team, but is subject to a right of first refusal in favour of the team that extended the qualifying offer.

Vasquez and Patterson came to the Raptors on December 9, 2013 in a seven-player deal with Sacramento. De Colo joined the Raptors in a February 20 trade with San Antonio.

In 61 appearances with Toronto, Vasquez averaged 9.5 points, 3.7 assists and 21.5 minutes. He paced the Raptors in bench points in 25 contests. He added averages of 10.1 points and a team-best 5.1 assists in the club’s playoff series against Brooklyn.

A first-round pick by Memphis in 2010, Vasquez has averaged 9.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 24.0 minutes in 293 regular season games with Memphis, New Orleans, Sacramento and Toronto.

De Colo played in 21 outings with Toronto where he contributed 3.1 points, 1.6 assists and 9.2 minutes. A second-round pick by the Spurs in 2009, he has averaged 3.8 points, 1.7 assists and 11.9 minutes in 119 career games in his two NBA seasons with San Antonio and Toronto.

Patterson averaged 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 23.3 minutes in 48 outings with the Raptors. In Toronto’s playoff series versus Brooklyn he upped his averages to 10.4 points, 6.7 rebounds (second on the team) and 28.5 minutes. He was a perfect five-for-five from the floor and six-for-six from the free throw line en route to 16 points in Game Seven.

Patterson was selected in the first round by Houston in the 2010 NBA Draft. In 252 career games with Houston, Sacramento and Toronto he has averaged 8.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 22.5 minutes.

Martell Webster out 3-5 months after back surgery

The Washington Wizards announced today that forward Martell Webster had successful microdisectomy surgery yesterday to repair a herniated disc in his lower back. He will begin the rehab process immediately and is expected to miss approximately three to five months before resuming basketball activity.

The procedure was performed by Dr. Robert Watkins Jr. in Los Angeles following consultation with team doctors earlier in the week. Webster sustained the injury during a routine workout at the Wizards’ practice facility last week.

Webster averaged 9.7 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting .392 from three-point range in 78 games (13 starts) for the Wizards last season.

Suns extend qualifying offers to Eric Bledsoe and P.J. Tucker

The Phoenix Suns announced today that the team has extended qualifying offers to guard Eric Bledsoe and forward P.J. Tucker.

Bledsoe appeared in 43 games for the Suns in 2013-14, averaging career-highs of 17.7 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 32.9 minutes while also shooting a career-best 47.7 percent from the field. In his first season with the Suns, and fourth in the NBA after being acquired in a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers last July, Bledsoe became just the sixth player in Suns history to average at least 17.0 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals, and the first since Charles Barkley in his NBA MVP season of 1992-93.

Tucker started 81 games in his second season with the Suns of 2013-14, posting career-highs of 9.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals in 30.7 minutes. Tied for the Suns’ team-lead with a career-best 11 double-doubles, Tucker also had career-highs with 38 games of double-digit scoring and 15 games of double-digit rebounds. Recognized for his intensity and versatility on the defensive end, Tucker won the Dan Majerle Hustle Award for the second consecutive season in 2013-14.

In accordance with the league’s collective bargaining agreement, in order for a team to retain its right of first refusal with respect to a restricted free agent, the team must tender the player a qualifying offer prior to June 30. A restricted free agent may sign an offer sheet with any team, but is subject to a right of first refusal with the team for which the player last played.