NBA Teams – Page 1077 – NBA Blog

Orlando Magic and Glen Davis agree to contract buyout

The Orlando Magic and forward Glen Davis have mutually agreed to a contract buyout, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today. We’ll add some financial details to this page later today.

The Magic roster now stands at 12 players.

“As we continue to chart what we believe is the best course of action for our organization, maximizing the development of our young players remains of critical importance. This agreement allows us an opportunity to do just that,” said Hennigan. “We were able to reach a buyout agreement with Glen that was mutually beneficial, and we certainly wish Glen all the best as he continues his playing career. We thank him for his service and contributions to the organization and the Central Florida community.”

Davis has played in 45 games (43 starts) this season with Orlando, averaging 12.1 ppg., 6.3 rpg., 1.6 apg. and 1.02 stlpg. in 30.1 minpg. He has led (or tied) the team in scoring four times, in rebounding eight times and in assists twice. Davis has scored in double figures 29 times and had 20+ points four times, including a career-high 33 points on Dec. 3 @ Philadelphia.

Originally selected in the second round (35th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft by Seattle, Davis has appeared in 417 regular season games during his NBA career with Boston and Orlando, averaging 8.9 ppg. and 4.8 rpg. in 23.1 minpg. He has also appeared in 64 career playoff outings, averaging 8.7 ppg. and 4.4 rpg. in 22.2 minpg. Davis helped Boston capture the 2007-08 NBA Championship.

Davis was acquired by Orlando along with Von Wafer in exchange for Brandon Bass on Dec. 12, 2011. He played in 138 regular season games (87 starts) with the Magic, averaging 11.7 ppg., 6.2 rpg. and 1.3 apg. in 27.7 minpg.

Clippers were boarding a plane just as NBA trade deadline approached

Here’s ESPN Los Angeles reporting on a situation that sounds like something out of a movie. A sports movie. Not necessarily the greatest movie of all time. But still, a movie:

The timing could have been better.

As the NBA trade deadline was coming to a close Thursday afternoon, Los Angeles Clippers players were gathered on the team’s chartered plane, waiting to depart for Memphis for their game against the Grizzlies on Friday.

With each minute that extended past their scheduled departure time, the tensions began to grow as players who were rumored to be traded, refreshed the Twitter pages on their smart phone and checked text messages.

“The plane was a sweatbox today,” said Matt Barnes, who was prominent in trade talks with the New York Knicks for Iman Shumpert. “It’s just a business and it’s tough. We sat on that plane for almost two hours looking around in silence, looking at Twitter.

“No one was really talking. We were looking around and the captain said [the delay was caused by] bad weather and we’re like, ‘Yeah, bulls—, we’re waiting for that trade deadline.’ I’m just glad it’s over.”

Despite rumors, Knicks keep Iman Shumpert

Here’s the New York Post with an update on pretty much every aspect of Iman Shumpert’s basketball existence:

Iman Shumpert avoided a trade and a serious knee injury at Thursday’s trade deadline.

The 21-33 Knicks stood pat at the deadline and announced just after it passed Shumpert’s MRI exam showed he had a sprain of his left MCL and would miss “approximately two weeks.’’

Shumpert sprained his MCL early in his 2011-12 rookie season and returned in two weeks. Still, the uncertainty surrounding the most recent injury may have been a factor in the Clippers passing on Shumpert Thursday despite serious talks with the Knicks, who were hot after point guard Darren Collison.

Now they are stuck with each other. And the Knicks also are stuck with point guards Raymond Felton and out of-the-rotation Beno Udrih, and Metta World Peace. The Knicks failed to deal Udrih despite coming close with Denver.

Clippers trade Antawn Jamison to Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks have acquired Antawn Jamison from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for the draft rights to Cenk Akyol, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry.

This season, Jamison has appeared in 22 games, averaging 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in 11.3 minutes. He has averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game over 16 seasons with Golden State, Washington, Cleveland, the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers. He was drafted fourth overall in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors.

Akyol was selected by the Hawks in the second round (59th overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft. He currently plays for Galatasaray Liv Hospital in Turkey.

Nuggets trade Jordan Hamilton to Rockets for Aaron Brooks

The Denver Nuggets have acquired guard Aaron Brooks from the Houston Rockets in exchange for swingman Jordan Hamilton, Nuggets General Manager/Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Brooks, 6-0, 161, has averaged 11.1 points and 3.2 assists in six seasons with the Rockets, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings. He also is a career .844 free-throw shooter and owns a .414 mark from 3-point range.

In 43 games with Houston this season, Brooks averaged 7.0 points and 1.9 assists in 16.7 minutes.

Selected 26th overall by Houston in the 2007 NBA Draft, Brooks was outstanding for the Rockets during the 2009 Western Conference playoffs. He averaged 16.8 points in 13 games, highlighted by a 34-point performance in Game 4 of Houston’s second-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers.

He followed his strong postseason play by averaging 19.6 points and 5.3 assists – both career-bests – in 2009-10 and was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player.

Brooks, 29, also spent the 2011-12 season playing for Guangdong in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Chauncey Billups out after knee surgery

The Detroit Pistons announced today that guard Chauncey Billups underwent a successful arthroscopic surgical procedure on his left knee. The procedure, performed by team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Stephen Lemos at DMC Surgical Hospital in Madison Heights, was completed to smooth irregularities in the meniscus and alleviate pain and inflammation.

Billups will begin rehabilitation immediately and will be re-evaluated again following a two-to-three week period.

Three-team trade sends Andre Miller to Wizards, Jan Vesely to Nuggets, Eric Maynor to Sixers

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has acquired guard Andre Miller from Denver in exchange for forward Jan Vesely. As part of the three-team deal, the Wizards also sent guard Eric Maynor and a 2015 second round pick to Philadelphia and received a protected 2014 second round pick from the 76ers. The 76ers will also receive a future second round pick from Denver.

“Andre is a proven veteran who brings 14 years of experience as a point guard, leader and distributor to solidify our second unit,” said Grunfeld. “He will be a valuable addition as we make our push over these last 28 games of the season to put ourselves in the best possible position.”

Miller (6-2, 200) holds career averages of 13.6 points, 7.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 1,156 career games (935 starts) in 14-and-a-half NBA seasons with five teams. He has shot .459 from the field and .808 from the line. The eighth overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft has averaged 5.9 points and 3.3 assists in 30 games with Denver this season. A product of the University of Utah, Miller enjoyed his best season during the 2001-02 campaign when he averaged 16.5 points and a career-best and NBA-leading 10.9 assists in 81 games. He ranks second among active players and ninth in NBA history in career assists with 8,056 and is one of only eight players in NBA history to record at least 15,000 points and 7,500 assists. In 52 playoff games with Denver, Philadelphia and Portland, he holds averages of 15.5 points, 5.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.05 steals.

Vesely was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by Washington. In 141 career games with the Wizards, he averaged 3.5 points and 3.4 rebounds. In 33 games this season, Vesely posted 3.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 14 minutes.

Maynor signed with Washington as a free agent on July 10, 2013. In 23 games with the Wizards this season, he averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 assists in nine minutes.

“We appreciate the contributions and professionalism of both Jan and Eric during their time with the Wizards and we wish them both well,” said Grunfeld.

The 2015 second round pick that Washington sent to Philadelphia was acquired from the Clippers in 2012. In the three-team deal, the Wizards sent JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to the Denver Nuggets and Nick Young to the Los Angeles Clippers. In return, the Wizards received Nene from Denver and Brian Cook and a second-round pick from the Clippers. The Clippers acquired the pick from New Orleans as part of their trade for Chris Paul trade the previous December.

Bobcats trade Ramon Sessions, Jeff Adrien to Bucks for Gary Neal, Luke Ridnour

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has acquired guards Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for guard Ramon Sessions and forward Jeff Adrien. Neal will wear No. 12 for the Bobcats, while Ridnour will wear No. 13.

“We are excited to add a pair of quality players to our backcourt,” Higgins said. “Gary is an exceptional shooter and Luke is a veteran point guard who can help us off the bench. They both have significant postseason experience so they know how to get where we’re trying to go. We look forward to adding them to our rotation. We also want to thank Ramon and Jeff for their contributions and professionalism and wish them the best of luck.”

The 6-4 Neal is in his fourth NBA season and holds career averages of 9.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 234 games played for the Spurs and Bucks, with career shooting percentages of .427 from the field (851-1992), .393 from beyond the three-point line (341-868) and .821 from the free-throw line (243-296). His three-point percentage currently ranks 20th among active players and 50th all-time. Neal, who was not selected in the 2007 NBA Draft and spent three seasons playing overseas in Italy, Spain and Turkey before signing with the Spurs in 2010, was named to the All-Rookie First Team in 2010-11, becoming just the second undrafted player ever to earn All-Rookie First Team honors.

In 30 games played for the Bucks this season, Neal averaged 10.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 20.2 minutes. He shot .390 from the field (108-277), .360 from beyond the three-point line (40-111) and .833 from the free-throw line (45-54).

The 6-2 Ridnour is in his 11th NBA season after being selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. He has played in 758 career games for the SuperSonics, Bucks and Timberwolves, with career averages of 9.8 points, 4.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 steal. Ridnour has career shooting percentages of .432 from the field (2816-6519), .351 from beyond the three-point line (552-1571) and .864 from the free-throw line (1268-1468). He has finished in the NBA’s top 10 in free throw percentage in four of his 10 seasons, and his career percentage of .864 currently ranks eighth among active players and 27th all-time.

Ridnour played in 36 games for the Bucks this season, starting 12, and averaged 5.7 points, 3.4 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 21.2 minutes, while shooting .384 from the field (84-219) and .368 from beyond the three-point line (25-68).

A six-year NBA veteran from the University of Nevada, Sessions, 27, returns for his second stint with Milwaukee. Originally selected by the Bucks with the 56th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Sessions played his first two seasons in Milwaukee and averaged 11.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 96 games. Sessions tallied 10+ assists on 16 occasions in a Bucks uniform, including 12 point/assist double-doubles. On April 14, 2008, Sessions handed out a Bucks franchise-record 24 assists vs. Chicago. He also tallied a career-best 44 points in a Bucks uniform on Feb. 7, 2009, vs. Detroit. Sessions owns career averages of 11.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 439 career games with Milwaukee, Minnesota, Cleveland, the L.A. Lakers and Charlotte.

Adrien, 28, is averaging 2.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in his fourth NBA season. After going undrafted out of the University of Connecticut in 2009, Adrien signed as a free agent with Golden State and appeared in 23 games as a rookie for the Warriors during the 2010-11 season. He played his second NBA season with Houston before signing with Charlotte prior to the 2012-13 campaign. In his four NBA seasons, Adrien owns career averages of 3.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 108 games.

76ers trade Spencer Hawes to Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired center Spencer Hawes from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for forward Earl Clark, center Henry Sims and two second round draft picks, Cavaliers Acting General Manager David Griffin announced tonight from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

“We felt adding a player of Spencer’s caliber and experience will complement our frontcourt rotation well and we are very excited to have him in Cleveland,” said Griffin. “Spencer is a very skilled big man, who was having a career year in Philadelphia this season. We look for his ability to both shoot from the perimeter and defend the basket to help us, and at 25 years of age his game is still growing on both ends of the floor. In acquiring Spencer, we had to move Earl and Henry and we thank them for their contributions to the Cavaliers.”

In exchange for Hawes, the Cavs send Clark, Sims, the Cavs 2014 second round pick and the Memphis Grizzlies 2014 second round pick acquired in July 25, 2012 trade with the Grizzlies to the 76ers.

This season, Hawes has appeared in 53 games (all starts) for Philadelphia, averaging career highs of 13.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists (most among all NBA centers) in 31.4 minutes per game. The 7-1, 245-pound center is also shooting .399 from the three-point line and .782 from the foul line, both career highs. Hawes ranks fifth among all NBA power forwards and centers in three-point shooting percentage this season (minimum 100 attempts). He also ranks eighth in the Eastern Conference in blocks per game at 1.3 and is tied for ninth in double-doubles with 19 on the season. Hawes is one of four players (Tim Duncan, Pau Gasol and Paul Millsap) in the NBA this season with averages of at least 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 block.

Hawes was originally drafted by Sacramento in the 2007 NBA Draft as the No. 10 overall selection. The six-year veteran owns career averages of 9.4 points on .465 shooting, 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 blocks in 24.6 minutes over 473 games (321 starts). He has also played in 18 playoff games (17 starts) with averages of 8.2 points on .440 shooting and 5.8 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game. He has the third-most career three-point field goals made (194) among any player listed 7-0 or taller in NBA history, trailing only Dirk Nowitzki (1,425) and Andrea Bargnani (609).

Russell Westbrook health update: He is back

The following statement was issued today by Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti regarding Russell Westbrook’s availability to play in tonight’s game versus the Miami Heat:

“We are all very excited to have Russell back. He has worked extremely hard throughout his rehabilitation, and his addition will allow us to build on the progress we have made in his absence. As Russell integrates back into the team we are going to manage the transition by building his minutes over time and will evaluate his availability in back-to-back situations. These steps are an effort to control the areas of his return to play where feasible, given the reduced practice and conditioning time during the regular season. Our goal is to create the best foundation for Russell and the team as we head into the postseason.”