Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Nets sign rookie Jalen Wilson to two-way contract

The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward Jalen Wilson, the 51st overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft, to a two-way contract.

Wilson (6’8″, 225) spent four years (2019-23) at the University of Kansas, appearing in 104 total games (89 starts) and recording averages of 14.2 points on 43.4 percent shooting from the field, 31.6 percent shooting from 3-point range and 73.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line, 7.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 30.7 minutes per game. Wilson became just the 10th Jayhawk all-time to register at least 1,400 career points (1,475) and 800 career rebounds (802). The 22-year-old was named a consensus All-America First Team selection and earned Big 12 Player of the Year honors following a redshirt junior season in which he averaged 20.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 35.4 minutes per contest across 36 games (all starts). As a redshirt sophomore, the Denton, Texas, native helped lead the Jayhawks to a national championship while also securing All-Big 12 Third Team honors.

Grizzlies sign Derrick Rose

The Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, July 3 signed guard Derrick Rose.

A 14-year NBA veteran, Rose (6-3, 200) has appeared in 699 regular season games (511 starts) and has averaged 17.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 31.0 minutes for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons. Last season, the 34-year-old recorded 5.6 points in 12.5 minutes over 27 games with the Knicks.

Rose also has competed in 52 playoff games (44 starts) over eight trips to the postseason and has averaged 21.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 37.7 minutes.

A native of Chicago, Rose was selected by the Bulls with the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft out of the University of Memphis. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2009 and the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2011. His other career highlights include a selection to the 2010-11 All-NBA First Team, three consecutive NBA All-Star appearances (2010, 2011, 2012) and 2008-09 All-Rookie First Team honors.

Magic waive Bol Bol

The Orlando Magic yesterday waived forward-center Bol Bol, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced.

Bol (7’2”, 220, 11/16/99) played in 70 games (33 starts) last season (2022-23) with Orlando, averaging 9.1 ppg., 5.8 rpg., 1.0 apg. and 1.21 blkpg. in 21.5 minpg., while shooting .546 (261-478) from the floor.

Originally selected in the second round (44th overall) of the 2019 NBA Draft by Miami, Bol has played in 123 career NBA regular season games (35 starts) with Denver and Orlando, averaging 6.3 ppg. and 3.8 rpg. in 14.9 minpg., while shooting .533 (315-591) from the field.

Lakers sign Colin Castleton and D’Moi Hodge to two-way contracts

The Los Angeles Lakers yesterday signed center Colin Castleton and guard D’Moi Hodge to two-way contracts.

Castleton (6’11”, 231) appeared in 26 games (all starts) in his final campaign at the University of Florida last season, averaging 16.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.0 blocks in 31.2 minutes per contest, earning him All-SEC First Team honors. The 2023 All-SEC Defensive Team selection led the conference in blocks per game, good for the third-best mark in the NCAA. Across five seasons at Florida (2020-23) and the University of Michigan (2018-20), Castleton posted averages of 10.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.7 blocks in 20.9 minutes per game while shooting 53.7 percent from the field.

Hodge (6’4”, 185) most recently played his final collegiate season at the University of Missouri (2022-23) where he averaged 14.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.6 steals in 29.1 minutes per game, while shooting an SEC-best 40.0 percent from 3-point range. The British Virgin Islands native led the conference in both total steals (91) and steals per game as a Tiger. Prior to Missouri, Hodge played at Cleveland State University (2020-22) and the State College of Florida (2018-20).

Both players will suit up for the 2023 Los Angeles Lakers’ Summer League team.

2023-24 Houston Rockets coaching staff announced

Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has announced his staff for the upcoming 2023-24 NBA season. Joining the team as assistant coaches will be Ben Sullivan, Royal Ivey, Garrett Jackson, Tiago Splitter, Cam Hodges and Mike Moser.

Sullivan was an assistant coach with Boston the past two seasons, including on Udoka’s staff in 2021-22. Prior to joining the Celtics, Sullivan spent seven seasons as an assistant on Mike Budenholzer’s staff in both Atlanta and Milwaukee and helped the Bucks win the championship in 2020-21. Sullivan began his NBA career as an assistant video coordinator with San Antonio after being recommended by Udoka, who at the time was an assistant coach with the Spurs.

Ivey joins the Rockets from Brooklyn, where he spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach, including alongside Udoka on Steve Nash’s staff in 2020-21. After finishing his 10-year NBA career, Ivey became an assistant coach for Oklahoma City’s G League affiliate, the Blue. He eventually transitioned into an assistant coach for the Thunder and was also an assistant coach with his hometown Knicks. Ivey completed his career at the University of Texas at Austin as the school’s all-time leader in starts.

Jackson spent the past two seasons as a player enhancement coach for Boston. The Portland native played overseas following his collegiate career at USC and Saint Mary’s. Jackson was a graduate manager for Hawaii men’s team in 2018-19 before taking an internship with the Spurs video department.

Splitter spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach with the Nets and worked alongside Udoka in 2020-21. Following a standout playing career in Spain, Splitter joined the Spurs in 2010-11 and started 18 playoff games during their championship run in 2013-14. He has been an assistant coach for the Brazilian National team and served as head coach of their under-23 squad.

Hodges was a coaching associate for the Los Angeles Clippers for the past three seasons after serving as player development coach for Philadelphia in 2019-20 when Udoka was an assistant. He also worked three seasons as a player development assistant for the Spurs. Hodges, who served eight years in the U.S. Army Reserve, played overseas before interning with the Erie Bayhawks in the G League.

Moser was a player enhancement coach for Boston last season after serving as an assistant coach for the Oregon Ducks women’s team in 2021-22. As a redshirt senior for Oregon, he earned All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention. Moser played overseas for several years with stops in Lithuania, Israel, Kosovo, Qatar, Finland, and France.

Rockets sign rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore

The Houston Rockets yesterday signed rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore.

Thompson (6-7, 215) was the fourth overall pick by Houston in the 2023 NBA Draft. He spent the past two seasons with Overtime Elite, (OTE) an Atlanta-based league which offers players ages 16 through 20 a pathway to becoming professional athletes. His twin brother, Ausar, was selected fifth overall by Detroit, making them the first brothers picked top-10 in the same draft in NBA history.

While leading his team, the City Reapers, to the OTE championship last season, Amen averaged 17.2 points, 9.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds up from regular season averages of 16.3 ppg, 6.2 apg and 6.4 rpg. The 20-year-old ranked third in the league in assists and sixth in scoring. In 51 career OTE games (regular season and playoffs), Thompson averaged 2.2 steals and 1.2 blocks while shooting 53.6% from the floor.

Whitmore (6-7, 235) was the 20th overall pick by the Rockets in the 2023 NBA Draft. As a freshman at Villanova last season, he averaged 12.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.4 spg and 1.4 3-pointers made. Over the past 15 seasons, Whitmore was one of four Division I freshman to have averaged at least 12.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.00 spg and 1.0 3FGM while playing fewer than 28.0 mpg.

At the 2022 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship, Whitmore averaged 18.7 points and was named MVP after leading USA Basketball to the gold medal. The former McDonald’s All-American will turn 19 years old on July 8.

Jazz sign Joey Hauser to two-way contract

The Utah Jazz yesterday signed forward Joey Hauser to a two-way contract.

Hauser (6-9, 220, Michigan State) appeared in 34 games (all starts) for the Spartans last season, owning averages of 14.4 points on 48.4 percent from the field and 46.1 percent from three, 7.0 boards, and 1.8 assists in 34.1 minutes per game.

The Green Bay, Wis., native appeared in 131 career-collegiate games over four seasons (Michigan State 2020-23 and Marquette 2018-19) and holds career averages of 10.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 26.9 minutes per contest. Following his freshman season at Marquette, which included five Big East Freshman of the Week accolades, he earned 2018-19 Big East All-Freshman Team honors.

Raptors sign Markquis Nowell to two-way contract

The Toronto Raptors announced Monday they have signed guard Markquis Nowell to a two-way contract.

Nowell, 5-foot-8, 160 pounds, joins the Raptors following five years in the NCAA, where he spent time at Little Rock (2018-21) and Kansas State (2021-23). During the 2022-23 campaign, he averaged 17.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 2.6 steals and 36.9 minutes in 36 games (all starts) with the Wildcats. Nowell finished the season ranked second nationally in assists per game, total assists (297) and total steals (92). He was named the 2023 Bob Cousy Award Winner, which is presented annually to the top point guard in Division I men’s basketball. Nowell also earned All-Big 12 First Team honours and was voted to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team for the second straight year.

A native of Harlem, New York, Nowell set a single-game NCAA Tournament record with 19 assists Mar. 23 vs. Michigan State. His 54 assists during Kansas State’s run to the Elite Eight were the most since 1989, and third most in tournament history.

Timberwolves re-sign Luka Garza to two-way contract

The Minnesota Timberwolves yesterday re-signed forward Luka Garza to a two-way contract.

The 6-10 forward completed his second season in the NBA, first in Minnesota where he appeared in 28 games, averaging 6.5 points on 54.3% shooting from the field, and 35.9% from three and 2.3 rebounds. Garza shined in back-to-back games for the Wolves this season, scoring a career-high 25 points in Utah on Feb. 8 and grabbing a season-high nine rebounds the previous night, Feb. 7, in Denver.

Garza appeared in 15 games (all starts) for the Iowa Wolves this season, averaging 30.7 points, on 63.3% shooting from the floor and 47.1 from deep, 10.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists game. After being selected as a captain for the NBA G League Next Up Game, Garza led Team Luka to a 178-162 win over Team Scoot in Salt Lake City on Feb. 19 as part of the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend. He was named MVP after scoring 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting along with eight rebounds in 21:15 minutes of action.

The Washington D.C. native spent four seasons at the University of Iowa, where he ended his college career as Iowa’s all-time leading scorer (2,306 points), marking the seventh-highest scoring total in Big Ten history. Garza earned unanimous 2020-21 National Player of the Year honors after averaging 24.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.6 blocks and 31.6 minutes per game in 31 games during his final season. Additionally, he was named a two-time unanimous All-America First Team selection (2020-21 and 2019-20) and two-time Big Ten Player of the Year (2020-21 and 2019-20).

Garza was originally selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 52nd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Cavaliers promote Brendon Yu and Liron Fanan within organization

Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced yesterday that Brendon Yu and Liron Fanan have been elevated into new roles within the organization effective immediately, as Yu moves into the position as Director of Scouting for the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Fanan takes over as General Manager for the Charge.

Yu has been a part of the Cavaliers organization for nine seasons, including the last four as General Manager of the Charge (2019-2023), with Director of College Scouting for the Cavaliers added to his title in 2022-23. In addition, Yu spent two seasons as the Director of G League Operations and Basketball Operations, Special Projects. He began his tenure with the Cavaliers as the basketball operations seasonal assistant in 2014-15. As Director of Scouting, Yu will lead the talent evaluation of collegiate and professional athletes and continue to work closely with Altman and Cavaliers General Manager Mike Gansey overseeing personnel for the Cavaliers, including international and NBA G League players.

With her promotion, Fanan becomes the first woman in Charge franchise history to be named general manager and just the fourth in the NBA G League, joining Tori Miller (College Park Skyhawks), Amber Nichols (Capital City Go-Go) and Anjali Ranadivé (Stockton Kings).