Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Nets sign Darius Bazley

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent forward Darius Bazley.

Bazley (6’9″, 216) appeared in 43 games (one start) in 2022-23 split between the Oklahoma City Thunder (36 games) and Phoenix Suns (seven games), averaging 5.2 points on a career-high 45.4 percent shooting from the field and a career-high 37.7 percent shooting from 3-point range and 3.2 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game.

Across four NBA seasons with the Thunder (2019-23) and Suns (2023), the 23-year-old Bazley has played in 228 career games (118 starts) and holds averages of 9.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 23.6 minutes per game while shooting 41.1 percent from the floor, 31.0 percent from distance and 67.3 percent from the free-throw line.

He also competed in seven playoff games as a reserve during the 2020 postseason for Oklahoma City and posted averages of 6.6 points and 6.7 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game while shooting 41.9 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from 3-point range and 90.0 percent from the free-throw line.

The Cincinnati native was selected with the 23rd overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz before his draft rights were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies and then to the Thunder.

Bazley earned a selection in the 2018 McDonald’s All-American game and was five-star recruit out of Princeton High School in Ohio.

After graduating, Bazley spent one year participating in an internship with New Balance while training for the NBA Draft.

Celtics sign Jay Scrubb to two-way contract

The Boston Celtics have signed guard Jay Scrubb to a two-way contract.

Scrubb, 6-5/220, has appeared in 24 career NBA games (one start) with the Los Angeles Clippers (2020-22), and Orlando Magic (2022-23) and owns career averages of 4.0 points and 1.5 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game.

The Louisville, Kentucky native appeared in two games for the Magic last season and averaged 6.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 15.0 minutes per game. He also appeared in 28 games (25 starts) with the Lakeland Magic of the NBA G League, where he finished sixth in the league in total points scored (625) and ranked eighth in scoring with 22.3 points per game and averaged 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 31.0 minutes.

Scrubb was selected with the 55th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and became the first Junior College player selected in the NBA Draft since 2004. Scrubb earned First-Team NJCAA All-American honors in each of his two years at John A. Logan College and was named the 2019-20 National Junior College Athletic Association Player of the Year. He started in 55 of his 59 games played, and averaged 21.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists from 2018-20.

Mavericks sign guard Mike Miles Jr. to Two-Way contract

The Dallas Mavericks have signed guard Mike Miles Jr. to a Two-Way contract.

Miles (6-2, 205) is a local North Texas product who attended Lancaster High School before playing his collegiate basketball at Texas Christian University. In his three-year collegiate career at TCU, Miles averaged 15.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 83 career games (78 starts) on his way to twice being named All-Big 12 Second Team. In his final season, he averaged 17.9 points (third-best in the Big 12), 2.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 32.0 minutes in 27 games (all starts) and was a finalist for both the John Wooden Award and the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award.

“Mike has been a winner at every level of basketball, from his gold medal experience with Team USA in 2021 to his state championship game run at Lancaster High School to multiple winning seasons at TCU,” General Manager Nico Harrison said. “Mike is a strong, physical guard who competes on both ends of the floor. This past season at TCU, he showcased his dynamic scoring ability while maintaining great efficiency. He will bring some local Dallas toughness and competitive spirit to our group.”

The standout guard at Lancaster led the Tigers to a 36-1 season and a state tournament finals berth as a senior. Miles averaged 21.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals and was named 5A Player of the Year by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, USA Today Boys Basketball Player of the Year in Dallas and SportsDay’s All-Area Boys Basketball Player of the Year by the Dallas Morning News.

Miles helped Team USA bring home a gold medal from the 2021 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Latvia. The guard finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals with no turnovers in 30 minutes of action in Team USA’s 83-81 win over France in the championship game.

Miles will wear No. 14 for the Mavericks.

Seth Curry is back on the Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks have signed free agent guard Seth Curry.

Curry (6-1, 190) holds career averages of 11.0 points (.475 FG%, .435 3FG%, .862 FT%), 2.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 24.4 minutes in 438 games (206 starts) with Memphis, Cleveland, Phoenix, Sacramento, Dallas, Portland, Philadelphia and Brooklyn. His 43.5% (824-1,893 3FG) career 3-point field goal percentage is the fifth-highest mark in NBA history (min. 500 3FGM). Curry has also shot at least 40.0% from deep in each of the last seven seasons, the longest active streak in the NBA.

“We are excited to reunite Seth and his family with the city of Dallas,” said Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison. “His elite shooting will help strengthen our roster.”

The nine-year veteran, who appeared in 70 games (42 starts) for Dallas in 2016-17 and 64 games (25 starts) for the club in 2019-20, will join Morlon Wiley and Devin Harris as the only Mavericks to play three different stints with the franchise (min. 1 game played with another NBA team between stints). Curry also spent the 2017-18 campaign with the Mavericks but missed the entire season due to a stress reaction in his left tibia.

In 134 total games (67 starts) with Dallas, Curry has averaged 12.6 points (.487 FG%, .439 3FG%, .838 FT%), 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26.9 minutes. His 43.9% (282-643 3FG) career 3-point percentage with the Mavericks is the second-highest mark in team history (min. 250 3FGM) behind Hubert Davis’ 45.4% (306-674 3FG) clip.

After going undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft, Curry began his professional career with the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors. As a first-year player in 2013-14, he garnered NBA G League All-Star honors while also being named to the All-NBA G League Third Team and NBA G League All-Rookie First Team that year. After appearing in two NBA games for Memphis and Cleveland in 2013-14, Curry returned to the G League with the Erie Bayhawks, where he went on to earn NBA G League All-Star honors and All-NBA G League First Team accolades for the club in 2014-15. He also appeared in two NBA games while on a 10-day contract for Phoenix in 2014-15, before playing his first full NBA season with Sacramento in 2015-16.

The 32-year-old originally signed with Dallas as a free agent on July 15, 2016, and again on July 10, 2019. Curry was traded by Dallas to Philadelphia in exchange for Josh Richardson and the draft rights to Tyler Bey (36th overall pick) on Nov. 18, 2020.

Curry began his collegiate career at Liberty before transferring to Duke following his freshman season. As a redshirt sophomore in 2010-11, he played alongside Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, who he was also teammates with on the Nets in both 2021-22 and 2022-23. As a senior in 2012-13, Curry started all 35 games for the Blue Devils and averaged 17.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 32.3 minutes en route to earning First Team All-ACC honors.

The Charlotte native is the son of Dell, a 16-year NBA veteran, and the brother of Stephen, the league’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals made (3,390-7,929, .428). Curry will wear No. 30 for Dallas in 2023-24, the same number he donned in his previous stints with Dallas, and the same number worn by his father and brother.

Three-team NBA trade sends Grant Williams to Mavericks, Reggie Bullock to Spurs

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have acquired forward Grant Williams from Boston and second-round picks in 2025 and 2028 from San Antonio as part of a three-team sign-and-trade deal. San Antonio will acquire Reggie Bullock and a 2030 first-round pick swap from Dallas while Boston will receive a 2030 second-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick swap from Dallas and a 2024 second-round pick from San Antonio.

Williams (6-6, 236) holds career averages of 6.2 points (.451 FG%, .379 3FG%, .773 FT%), 3.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 21.2 minutes in 288 games (58 starts) with Boston. He posted career bests for points (8.1 ppg), rebounds (4.6 rpg), assists (1.7 apg), minutes (25.9 mpg) and 3-pointers made (115) in a career-high 79 games (career-best 23 starts) in 2022-23.

“Grant will bring a level of versatility and tenacity to our organization,” said General Manager Nico Harrison. “He has been battle tested in high-level NBA Playoff games and is committed to team success. His willingness to compete in every single facet of the game will complement our group well.”

Williams has played in the NBA Playoffs in each of his first four seasons, advancing to three Eastern Conference Finals (2020, 2022, 2023) and one NBA Finals (2022). His 61 career postseason appearances rank third on the Mavericks current roster behind Kyrie Irving and JaVale McGee (both with 74).

Over his final two seasons with the Celtics, Williams averaged 8.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 46.4% (421-908 FG) from the field, 40.3% (221-549 3FG) from 3-point range and 82.9% (180-217 FT) from the foul line.

Williams was selected by Boston with the 22nd overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft after a decorated college career at the University of Tennessee. He was named the SEC Player of the Year in each of his final two seasons with the Volunteers (2018, 2019), becoming the first player to do so since Corliss Williamson in 1995. As a junior in 2018-19, Williams posted career bests for points (18.8 ppg), rebounds (7.5 rpg), assists (3.2 apg), steals (1.1 spg), minutes (31.9 mpg), field goal percentage (.564) and free throw percentage (.819).

The Houston native is the son of Gilbert and Teresa Williams. His mother, Teresa, is an engineer for NASA and his father, Gilbert, is a jazz artist and former basketball player.

Williams will wear No. 3 for Dallas, while second-year guard Jaden Hardy will move to No. 1 this upcoming season.

Bullock (6-6, 205) appeared in 146 games (92 starts) for Dallas over the past two seasons and averaged 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 29.2 minutes while shooting 37.0% (292-789 3FG) from beyond the arc.

Nets sign rookie Dariq Whitehead

The Brooklyn Nets have signed rookie guard/forward Dariq Whitehead, the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, to a multi-year contract.

Whitehead (6’7″, 220) spent one year at Duke University (2022-23) and averaged 8.3 points on 42.1 percent shooting from the floor and 42.9 percent shooting from 3-point range, 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists over 20.6 minutes per game in 28 games (seven starts).

The Newark, N.J., native’s 3-point percentage placed fifth all-time among Duke freshmen. The 18-year-old averaged 10.5 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 62.5 percent from beyond the arc in 28.0 minutes per contest over two NCAA Tournament games.

Whitehead attended Montverde Academy in Florida, where he achieved Naismith High School Player of the Year honors and earned the Most Valuable Player award at the 2022 McDonald’s All-American Game.

Rockets sign Aaron Holiday

The Houston Rockets have signed free agent guard Aaron Holiday.

Holiday (6-0, 185) was originally the 23rd overall pick by Indiana in the 2018 NBA Draft. In five seasons for the Pacers, Washington, Phoenix and Atlanta, he has appeared in 308 games with 62 starts while averaging 6.6 points, 2.2 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per game. Holiday is also a career 84.1% shooter from the foul line.

Dating back to 2019-20, Holiday has shot 38.6% from 3-point range, including a career-best 40.9% for the Hawks in 2022-23. Over that four-season span, he was one of four players with 130-plus games played to have averaged at least 6.0 ppg and 2.0 apg in fewer than 19.0 mpg.

Holiday’s older brothers, Justin and Jrue, have both been in the NBA for over 10 seasons. Justin was briefly with the Rockets last February. Aaron earned First Team All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors in his final season as a junior for UCLA in 2017-18.

Trail Blazers re-sign Matisse Thybulle

The Portland Trail Blazers have re-signed guard/forward Matisse Thybulle.

Per multiple reports, the team matched the three-year, $33 million offer sheet Thybulle had signed with the Dallas Mavericks.

Thybulle, 26, was originally acquired by the Trail Blazers on Feb. 9, 2023. In 22 games (22 starts) with Portland last season, he recorded 7.4 points (43.8% FG, 38.8% 3-PT), 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.8 blocks in 27.7 minutes per game. The two-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection (2022, 2021) ranked first in the NBA in steals per 36 minutes (2.5), steals per 100 possessions (3.4) and steals to turnover ratio (3.46) during the 2022-23 regular season.

A Washington alum, Thybulle has accrued NBA career averages of 4.6 points (44.7% FG, 33.4% 3-PT), 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.8 blocks and 20.5 minutes per game in 267 games (100 starts) for Philadelphia (2019-23) and Portland.

Timberwolves re-sign Nickeil Alexander-Walker

The Minnesota Timberwolves have re-signed guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

The 6-5 guard completed his fourth season in the NBA where he appeared in 59 total games (three starts), including 36 games with the Utah Jazz and 23 with the Wolves. This season, Alexander-Walker averaged 6.2 points on 44.4% shooting, 1.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists.

Acquired by the Wolves during the 2023 Trade Deadline from the Jazz, Alexander-Walker owns career averages of 8.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 217 games (38 starts).

The Toronto native made his Canadian Senior National Team debut in the Olympic qualifiers in 2021 where in three games, he averaged 16.7 points on 45.0% shooting, 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Alexander-Walker was originally drafted out of Virginia Tech by the Brooklyn Nets with the 17th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Sixers re-sign Paul Reed

Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey announced today that the team has re-signed Paul Reed.

The Sixers reportedly matched Reed’s three-year, $23 million Jazz offer sheet.

Per ESPN.com, “one of the terms of the offer sheet provided a unique twist on Reed’s contract: The first season of the contract is fully guaranteed, but the next two years worth $15.7 million become guaranteed if the Sixers advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals, sources said. Given where the two franchises stand, it was more likely the Sixers would have to guarantee those 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 seasons than the Jazz.”

Reed, 24, averaged career highs in points (4.2), rebounds (3.8), and blocked shots (0.7) in 2022-23, while shooting 59.3% from the field. He tallied five double-doubles in 69 games last season, including a 16-point, career-high 14-rebound performance at Miami on March 1. Reed averaged 1.6 offensive rebounds per game in 2022-23, a mark that ranked second among 76ers. He was one of two NBA players to collect at least 100 offensive rebounds in fewer than 800 minutes played.

A three-year pro, Reed played in all 11 of Philadelphia’s 2023 NBA Playoff games. He made two starts during this latest postseason run, recording double-doubles in wins at Brooklyn (Round 1, Game 4) and at Boston (Round 2, Game 1).

Originally selected with the No. 58 overall selection in the 2020 NBA Draft, Reed is second in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage (17.7%) since entering the league (min. 200 minutes played). In three NBA seasons, the Florida native has posted double-figure points 14 times and 10-or-more rebounds on eight occasions.

In 2021, while playing for the 76ers’ NBA G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, Reed claimed G League Most Valuable Player honors, was named the G League’s Rookie of the Year, and was selected to both the All-G League and All-G League Defensive Team.

Reed played his college basketball at DePaul, appearing in 93 games (58 starts) over three seasons, posting 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds in 23.2 minutes per contest. As a junior, Reed averaged a double-double with 15.1 points and 10.7 rebounds, as he was named to the All-Big East Second Team.