Memphis Grizzlies Blog – Page 49 – NBA Blog

Timberwolves trade Wayne Ellington to Grizzlies for Dante Cunningham

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies swapped some bench depth today.

The Wolves have officially traded guard Wayne Ellington to the Grizzlies for forward Dante Cunningham.

“We thank Wayne for his three seasons with the Wolves. He was the consummate professional and we wish him the best in Memphis, ” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “In Dante Cunningham we are getting a versatile forward who brings a defensive presence and an efficient offensive game to our team. Also, the addition of Dante helps balance our roster.”

Cunningham, 25, was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft. In three seasons in the NBA, the 6-8 forward has averaged 5.2 points, on 48.5 percent shooting, and 3.3 rebounds in 205 games (25 starts).

As a rookie with Portland in 2009-10, Cunningham averaged 3.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 63 games. The 6-8 forward started the 2010-11 season with Portland before being traded on Feb. 24, 2011, along with Joel Pryzbilla, Sean Marks and two future first round draft picks to the Charlotte Bobcats for Gerald Wallace. For the season, Cunningham averaged 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds. He signed with the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 20, 2011, and averaged 5.2 points, shooting a career-best 51.6 percent from the field this past season. Cunningham also pulled down a career-high 3.8 rebounds per game, including grabbing a career-high 14 boards vs. Minnesota on March 27, 2012.

Ellington (6-4, 200) joins the Grizzlies with career averages of 6.1 points and 1.9 rebounds on .412 shooting (.376 three-point shooting) in 18.7 minutes in 189 games (13 starts) over three seasons with Minnesota. The 24-year-old posted 6.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in a career-high 19.1 minutes in 51 games (four starts) for the Timberwolves last season.

The Wynnewood, Penn. native was selected by Minnesota in the first round (No. 28 overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft after being named Most Outstanding Player of the 2009 NCAA Final Four and leading North Carolina to a national title. He earned All-ACC Tournament honors in each of his three collegiate seasons and finished his Tarheels career ranked second in UNC history with 229 made three-pointers.

Bulls have interest in O.J. Mayo

The new hot topic among Bulls fans is O.J. Mayo. The Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard is an unrestricted free agent and the Bulls have interest. The big question is what they have to offer.

The main competition appears to be Phoenix, which has about $8-9 million of salary cap room after New Orleans matched the Suns’ offer sheet to Eric Gordon.

Complete details of the Kirk Hinrich acquisition and Kyle Korver trade to Atlanta have yet to be revealed, but those transactions should help the Bulls in the Mayo chase.

If the Bulls get a second-round draft pick out of the Korver trade, they’ll have a traded-player exception worth $5 million. To use that on Mayo, they’d have to talk the Grizzlies into doing a sign-and-trade and send some sort of draft pick and/or cash in return.

— Reported by Mike McGraw of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald

Memphis Grizzlies re-sign Marreese Speights and Darrell Arthur

The Memphis Grizzlies re-signed forwards Marreese Speights and Darrell Arthur to multi-year contracts, Grizzlies General Manger and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

“The re-signing of Marreese Speights and Darrell Arthur is very important for the present as well as the future of the Grizzlies,” Wallace said. “Both Marreese and Darrell have proven to be players who can help us win, not just amass stats for themselves. Two seasons ago, Darrell was a vital player for our team which won the initial playoff game and series in franchise history. This past season, Marreese came riding into town in January and helped save our season after both Darrell and Zach Randolph went down to injuries. Both players also have considerable room to improve. This is a great day for the franchise that we have both of these crucial players staying in Memphis.”

Speights (6-10, 255) set career highs in scoring (8.8 points), rebounding (6.2) and minutes (22.4) in 60 games (54 starts) last season after Memphis acquired him from the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 4, 2012 in a three-team trade that also included the New Orleans Hornets.

With Speights in the starting lineup, Memphis posted a 37-17 record (.685) and went on to record the club’s highest-ever regular season winning percentage (.621). For the first time in franchise history, the Grizzlies clinched home court advantage in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, where Speights averaged 6.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 14.3 minutes in seven games against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The 24-year-old holds NBA career averages of 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 16.4 minutes in 265 games (58 starts) over four seasons with the Grizzlies and 76ers. Philadelphia selected the St. Petersburg, Fla. native with the No. 16 overall pick in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft.

Arthur (6-9, 235) posted career bests in scoring (9.1 points), blocks (0.79), field goal percentage (.497), free throw percentage (.813) and minutes (20.1) in 80 games (nine starts) during the 2010-11 season before a torn right Achilles sustained on Dec. 18, 2011 caused him to miss the entire 2011-12 season. The 24-year-old underwent surgery on Dec. 22, 2011 and is expected to be ready for the start of the 2012-13 season.

Before suffering the injury, Arthur registered 7.1 points and 0.92 blocks in 15.5 minutes in 13 games during the 2011 NBA Playoffs, which included a first-round upset over the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs and a seven-game series with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Grizzlies sign guard Jerryd Bayless

The Memphis Grizzlies signed guard Jerryd Bayless to a multi-year contract, Grizzlies General Manger and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We are pleased to add Jerryd Bayless to our team,” Wallace said. “He is a rapidly-improving young player who is coming off his best season in the NBA. Jerryd will address two areas of need: three-point shooting and backup point guard play. He is a very hard-working player whose best days as a professional are ahead of him.”

Bayless (6-3, 200) established new career highs in scoring (11.4 points), assists (3.8), steals (0.77) and minutes (22.7) in 31 games (11 starts) last season with the Toronto Raptors. The 23-year-old also set personal bests for field goal percentage (.424), three-point field goal percentage (.423) and free throw percentage (.852).

In 11 games as a starter, Bayless posted 17.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists on .450 shooting (.429 three-point shooting) in 34.6 minutes. Those averages surged to 21.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 7.6 assists on .543 shooting (.571 three-point shooting) in 37.5 minutes during a five-game run as a starter from March 11-17, 2012. Bayless recorded 28 points, six rebounds and nine assists in an overtime victory over Memphis on March 16, 2012 at FedExForum.

The Phoenix, Ariz. native owns NBA career averages of 8.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists on .412 shooting in 229 games (36 starts) over four seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Hornets and Toronto Raptors. After becoming the first freshman since Sean Elliot (1985-86) to lead the University of Arizona in scoring, Bayless was selected by the Indiana Pacers in the first round (No. 11 overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft before his rights were traded to Portland on draft night.

Grizzlies sign first round pick Tony Wroten

The Memphis Grizzlies signed 2012 draft selection Tony Wroten, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

Wroten (6-6, 203) was selected by the Grizzlies in the first round (No. 25 overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft. The 19-year-old became the first freshman in University of Washington history to earn First Team All-Conference honors, ranking fifth in the Pac-12 in scoring (16.0 points), eighth in assists (3.7) and second in steals (1.9) in 35 games for the Huskies.

In his lone collegiate season, Wroten set numerous school freshman records, including scoring average, most points (559), assists (130) and steals (66), and earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors. He also joined Detlef Schrempf (1984-85) as the second player in program history to compile at least 500 points, 150 rebounds and 100 assists in a single season.

The Seattle, Wash. native led the Huskies with 12 games of 20-or-more points, including a UW freshman-record 29 points on March 8, 2012 vs. Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament. He tallied 22 points against Oregon on March 20, 2012 in the NIT Quarterfinals.

Wroten was a member of the 2010 USA U-17 World Championship Team that posted a perfect 8-0 record and captured the gold medal while attending Garfield High School, which also produced Brandon Roy.

The left-hander joins fellow Washington standout Quincy Pondexter on the Grizzlies’ roster.

Marreese Speights agrees to two-year contract with Grizzlies

Forward Marreese Speights has agreed to a two-year contract with the Grizzlies worth nearly $9 million, two sources with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed to The Commercial Appeal.

Though they can be negotiated and agreed to now, free agent contracts can’t be signed until Wednesday.

The second year of Speights’ new contract is a player option.

— Reported by the Memphis Commercial Appeal

Thunder, Hasheem Thabeet agree on deal

Thunder, Hasheem Thabeet agree on two-year deal

The Oklahoma City Thunder has agreed with former No. 2 overall pick Hasheem Thabeet on a two-year contract.

The deal cannot officially be signed until the league’s free agent moratorium period is lifted on July 11. Financial terms of the deal were not immediately known, but the contract, which will be fully guaranteed for both seasons, is believed to be a minimal salary, or roughly $880,000 in the first year of the contract.

Thabeet will join his fourth team in four seasons after being drafted by Memphis in 2009. He was taken one spot ahead of Thunder guard James Harden, but the 7-foot-3 center has had a disappointing start to his professional career after earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in his final two seasons at Connecticut.

— Reported by Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman

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Grizzlies extend qualifying offers to Marreese Speights and Darrell Arthur

The Memphis Grizzlies extended qualifying offers to restricted free agent forwards Marreese Speights and Darrell Arthur, Grizzlies General Manger and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

Speights (6-10, 255) set career highs in scoring (8.8 points), rebounding (6.2) and minutes (22.4) in 60 games (54 starts) last season after being acquired by Memphis from the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 4, 2012 in a three-team trade that also included the New Orleans Hornets. The 24-year-old averaged 6.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 14.3 minutes during the Grizzlies’ seven-game first-round series with the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2012 NBA Playoffs.

The St. Petersburg, Fla. native holds NBA career averages of 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 16.4 minutes in 265 games (58 starts) over four seasons with the Grizzlies and 76ers. Philadelphia selected Speights with the No. 16 overall pick in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft.

The Dallas native owns NBA career averages of 6.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in 18.8 minutes in 188 games (74 starts) with the Grizzlies. After leading the Kansas Jayhawks to the 2008 NCAA National Championship, Arthur was selected by New Orleans with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and traded to Memphis on draft night.

Extending a qualifying offer prior to the June 30 deadline gives Memphis the ability to match any offer sheet a player signs with another team during the offseason.

Grizzlies draft Tony Wroten, Jr. with 25th pick

The Memphis Grizzlies selected guard Tony Wroten, Jr. with the No. 25 overall pick in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced tonight.

In his lone season at the University of Washington, Wroten, Jr. (6-6, 203) became the first freshman in school history to earn First Team All-Conference honors, ranking fifth in the Pac-12 in scoring (16.0 points), eighth in assists (3.7) and second in steals (1.9) in 35 games.

The 19-year-old set numerous Husky freshman records, including scoring average, most points (559), assists (130) and steals (66), while winning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. He also joined Detlef Schrempf (1984-85) as the second player in school history to compile at least 500 points, 150 rebounds and 100 assists in a single season.

The Seattle native led the Huskies with 12 games of 20-or-more points, including a UW freshman-record 29 points on March 8, 2012 vs. Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament. He tallied 22 points against Oregon on March 20 in the NIT Quarterfinals.

Wroten, Jr. was a member of the 2010 USA U-17 World Championship Team that posted a perfect 8-0 record and captured the gold medal while attending Garfield High School, which also produced former All-Star Brandon Roy.

The left-hander joins fellow Washington standout Quincy Pondexter on the Grizzlies’ roster.

Sale of Memphis Grizzlies may be in trouble

The Memphis Grizzlies’ sale to Robert J. Pera, announced this past week, is already in serious trouble, according to league sources. Pera owns Ubiquiti Networks, a Silicon Valley communications technology company. When its stock bottomed out in the last two weeks, his net worth plummeted from $1 billion to $200 million, according to league insiders who say that unless he has some wealthy partners lined up to help him finance the sale, it will likely fall through. In that case, the Grizzlies will continue to be owned by Michael Heisley. Pera agreed to buy the team for $350 million, a figure that raised many eyebrows around the league.

— Reported by Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News

UPDATE: SALE STILL ON TRACK

The New York Daily News reported Sunday that Pera, a communications technology magnate, has already created great skepticism because of his finances. Citing league insiders, the newspaper claimed Pera’s net worth is $200 million and not enough to complete the transaction unless he has “some wealthy partners” in line to help.

Not only is Pera alone in his bid to buy the Griz to date but he remains committed to join the NBA despite his company’s loss in momentum, according to a source with knowledge of the deal.

Once estimated at being worth $1.5 billion by Forbes magazine, Pera is now said to be worth more than $800 million in large part because of shares in his company, Ubiquiti Networks.

— Reported by Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal