NBA Teams – Page 992 – NBA Blog

Mavericks re-sign Devin Harris

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have re-signed guard Devin Harris.

Harris (6-3, 185) returned to Dallas last offseason for his second stint with the Mavericks, but missed the first 41 games while recovering from left foot surgery. Returning from injury, he averaged 7.9 points, 4.5 assists and 20.5 minutes in 40 games.

The 10-year veteran elevated his game in the postseason by averaging 11.4 points, 3.9 assists and 25.1 minutes while shooting .470 from the field, .440 from three-point range and .875 from the foul line in seven games against the eventual World Champion San Antonio Spurs.

Harris holds career averages of 12.5 points, 4.8 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 27.3 minutes in 641 games (442 starts) with Dallas, New Jersey, Utah and Atlanta. He had a standout 2008-09 season in New Jersey when he was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team.

Dallas originally acquired Harris from Washington, along with Jerry Stackhouse and Christian Laettner, in a draft day trade for Antawn Jamison on June 24, 2004. He played for the Mavericks from 2004-08 and was an integral part of the 2005-06 Western Conference Championship squad that earned the franchise’s first Finals appearance. Harris was traded from Dallas to the New Jersey Nets on Feb. 19, 2008 in a deal that brought Jason Kidd to the Mavericks.

The Milwaukee native was named 2003-04 Big Ten Player of the Year at Wisconsin where he broke Michael Finley’s single-season scoring record with 624 points (19.5 ppg) in his junior season. He was also named Second Team All-America by The Associated Press.

Wizards sign Paul Pierce

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed forward Paul Pierce.

“We are very happy to welcome Paul to our organization and add his championship experience and history of clutch play to our team,” said Grunfeld. “He will be a good fit alongside our young, dynamic backcourt while his presence and leadership will make a difference for us both on and off the court.”

Pierce, a 10-time NBA All-Star, joins the Wizards with career averages of 21.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting .447 from the field, .370 from three-point range and .807 from the line in 1,177 career games with Boston and Brooklyn. He currently ranks as the 18th leading scorer in NBA history (25,031 points) and ranks fourth among active players in NBA scoring history (behind only Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett). The 6-7 forward also ranks fifth all-time in NBA history in three-point field goals made (1,935) and fourth all-time in NBA history in three-point field goals attempted (5,228).

In addition to his regular season history, Pierce brings 148 games of postseason experience to Washington. He led Boston to the 2008 NBA Championship, earning Finals MVP honors after averaging 21.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, and helped them return to the 2010 Finals. Pierce holds career postseason averages of 20.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals. His 3,007 points ranks him 23rd in NBA playoff history (seventh among active players) while his 148 games ranks him ninth among active players.

Pierce was originally drafted by Boston with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. He finished his Celtics career ranked among the storied franchise’s all-time leaders in several categories, including free throws made and attempted (first), points scored, points per game and field goals attempted (second), games played, minutes played and field goals made (third), assists (fourth) and rebounds (seventh). He stands with Larry Bird and John Havlicek as the only players in Celtics history to score 20,000 points.

Boston traded Pierce to Brooklyn as part of a nine-player deal on July 12, 2013. He averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting .451 from the floor and .373 from three-point range in 75 games for the Nets last season.

Raptors sign James Johnson

The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday they have signed free-agent forward James Johnson.

“We are happy to have James return to our club,” said Raptors President and General Manager Masai Ujiri. “He provides us with size at small forward and gives us additional depth up front.”

Johnson, 6-foot-9, 245 pounds, originally joined the Raptors on February 22, 2011 in a trade with the Chicago Bulls. In 87 games (65 starts) from 2010-12, he averaged 9.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 26.0 minutes in a Toronto uniform. He contributed 9.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 28.0 minutes starting all 25 of his outings in 2010-11. In 2011-12, he averaged 9.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 25.2 minutes in 62 appearances (40 starts).

A product of Wake Forest, Johnson was selected in the first round by Chicago in the 2009 NBA Draft. In 271 career games with Chicago, Toronto, Sacramento and Memphis, he has averaged 6.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 18.4 minutes.

Raptors re-sign Greivis Vasquez

The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday they have re-signed restricted free-agent guard Greivis Vasquez.

“Greivis’ passion for the Raptors and Toronto is wonderful,” said Raptors President and General Manager Masai Ujiri. “He is a versatile player who provides us with energy and depth.”

In 61 appearances with Toronto during the 2013-14 campaign, Vasquez averaged 9.5 points, 3.7 assists and 21.5 minutes. He upped his averages to 16.4 points, 5.6 assists and 37.2 minutes in his five starts for the Raptors.

Vasquez, 6-foot-6, 200 pounds, was acquired December 9, 2013 in a seven-player trade with Sacramento. He paced the Raptors in bench points in 25 contests. He tallied a season-high 26 points in a start April 5 at Milwaukee making a career-best six three-pointers on eight attempts.

Vasquez added averages of 10.1 points and a team-best 5.1 assists in the club’s playoff series against Brooklyn. He scored in double figures on three occasions, including a high of 18 points in the opening game.

A 2010 first-round pick by Memphis out of the University of Maryland, 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.

Wizards land DeJuan Blair

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has acquired center DeJuan Blair from Dallas. Washington will send Dallas the rights to Emir Preldzic, a 2009 second round draft pick, who was acquired in the three-team Antawn Jamison trade in February of 2010.

“DeJuan gives us a tough inside presence who can score and rebound at both frontcourt positions,” said Grunfeld. “His addition makes our bench even deeper and will allow us to be flexible with our lineups.”

In five seasons with San Antonio and Dallas, Blair has appeared in 366 career regular season games (179 starts) while averaging 7.5 points and 5.6 rebounds in 18.2 minutes per game.
He has shot .529 from the field and has 36 career double-doubles. His most productive season was in 2010-11 when he averaged 8.3 points and 7.0 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game. Last season with Dallas, Blair appeared in 78 games (13 starts) and averaged 6.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game.

The former Pittsburgh standout has appeared in 42 career postseason games with San Antonio and Dallas. During the 2014 playoffs with the Mavericks, the 6-7 big averaged 6.7 points and 6.2 rebounds, helping Dallas force San Antonio to seven games in the first round. He holds career playoff averages of 4.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 8.9 minutes per contest. Blair signed with Dallas as a free agent on August 7, 2013. He was originally selected by San Antonio in the second round (37th overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft.

Thunder sign Anthony Morrow

The Oklahoma City Thunder has signed free agent guard Anthony Morrow to a contract, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

“Anthony Morrow has demonstrated that he is amongst the most consistent and efficient three point shooters in the NBA over his career, and we are pleased to welcome him to Oklahoma City and the Thunder organization,” Presti said. “With his body of work, we feel Anthony is a unique addition to a diverse roster, while also possessing the toughness and selflessness that we are consistently seeking in Thunder players.”

Morrow (6-5, 210), shot 45.1 percent from three-point range last season (4th in the NBA) while averaging 8.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 18.8 minutes in a career-high 76 games (nine starts) with New Orleans.

An undrafted rookie out of Georgia Tech, Morrow shot an NBA-best 46.7 percent during the 2008-09 season becoming the first rookie in NBA history to lead the league in three-point field goal percentage. The six-year NBA veteran owns career averages of 10.4 points on 42.8 percent shooting from three-point range (3rd highest amongst active NBA players), 2.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 23.7 minutes in 373 games (129 starts) with Golden State, New Jersey, Atlanta, Dallas and New Orleans.

Lance Stephenson will reportedly sign with Charlotte Hornets

Here’s the Charlotte Observer reporting some pretty big Hornets free agency news:

Following an all-night negotiating session, the Charlotte Hornets have come to an agreement to sign Indiana Pacers shooting guard Lance Stephenson, the Observer has learned.

Under terms of the agreement, Stephenson will make $9 million in 2014-15 and $9 million in 2015-16. Stephenson will get a slight raise in 2016-17 if the Hornets pick up the team option.

Stephenson fills an obvious need, as the Hornets were weak offensively at the shooting guard and small forward positions. The 6-foot-5 Stephenson had a breakthrough season statistically, averaging 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He also shot 49 percent from the field and 35 percent from 3-point range.

However, he has a quirky personality that seems to have limited his market when he became an unrestricted free agent July 1.

The Pacers had offered Stephenson $44 million over five seasons, and reportedly did not come off that number. Stephenson thought he was worth considerably more.

Erik Spoelstra comments on LeBron James leaving Heat

Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting on Heat coach Erik Spoelstra as he comments on LeBron James leaving Miami and taking his talents back to Cleveland:

“He seemed at peace with the decision,” Spoelstra said. “We don’t have any regrets. He shouldn’t have any regrets. It was a historic four-year run.”

The move caught the Heat brass by surprise. James exited despite leading Miami to the NBA Finals four straight years, winning twice. His departure left the Heat scrambling to rebuild a roster via free agency that included the additions of Josh McRoberts, Danny Granger and Luol Deng. They also re-signed Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, who both opted out of their contracts with hopes of luring James to stay.

Last Friday, James revealed his time was up in South Florida.

“This league does teach you that it’s inevitable that there’s constant change and you always have to continue to embrace change, adapt with change,” Spoelstra said. “This is a big, monumental change that we didn’t necessarily anticipate but you have to respect it because when you’re a free agent in this league you have the right to make a decision that’s best for you and your family. When he made that decision that was best for his family, where his heart is, all you can do from our side is respond with respect and love.”

Boston Celtics re-sign Avery Bradley

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have re-signed guard Avery Bradley to a multi-year contract.

“We see Avery as a key part of our chase of Banner 18,” said Danny Ainge, Celtics President of Basketball Operations. “He keeps getting better and is still far from reaching his ceiling. We’re ecstatic to have him back.”

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), 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.

Thunder sign-and-trade Thabo Sefolosha to Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks completed a sign-and-trade deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder that will bring guard/forward Thabo Sefolosha to Atlanta, as well as the draft rights to Giorgos Printezis, in exchange for the draft rights to Sofoklis Schortsanitis, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry.

“Thabo is an unselfish, competitive and playoff-tested player, and does many things well on both sides of the ball,” Ferry said. “He also fills a need, giving us more size and depth at the wing position. He’s been a part of winning programs and will fit our culture well.”

Sefolosha, 30, played and started in 61 games last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, averaging 6.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals in 26.0 minutes (.415 FG%, .768 FT%). In his eight-year career, Sefolosha has appeared in 551 games with the Thunder and Bulls (407 starting assignments) and has averaged 5.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 23.4 minutes (.442 FG%, .348 3FG%, .746 FT%). He was selected to the NBA’s All-Defensive second team in 2009-10.

He has also played in 78 playoff games, starting 67, averaging 4.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 19.9 minutes.

Sefolosha was originally selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 13th overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft, and was traded to Chicago in exchange for the draft right to Rodney Carney, a second-round pick and cash considerations. He spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Bulls before going to the Thunder on February 19, 2009 in exchange for a first-round pick.

The native of Vevey, Switzerland has also played for Tege Riviera Basket (Switzerland), Elan Chalon (France) and Angelico Biella (Italy). He also played briefly for Fenerbahce Ulker in Turkey in 2011.

Printezis was originally selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round (58th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft. He currently plays for Olympiacos Piraeus in Greece.

Atlanta acquired the draft rights to Schortsanitis from the Los Angeles Clippers on July 30, 2012 in a sign-and-trade transaction for Willie Green, after he was originally selected by the Clippers in the second round (34th overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft. He currently plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel.