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Atlanta Hawks sign Lou Williams

The Atlanta Hawks have signed veteran guard Lou Williams to a multi-year contract, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/GM Danny Ferry. Per club policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

“Upon learning of his situation, Lou was a player we really targeted for our club,” said Ferry. “He’s a young and experienced professional who is capable of providing leadership as a starter or a reserve, and his versatility is a tremendous plus for our backcourt.”

The 25-year-old Williams, is a 6-1 veteran who comes to Atlanta following seven seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, and he has emerged as one of the best sixth men in the NBA. He brings career averages of 11.3 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 rebounds in 455 games to the Hawks (.421 FG%, .337 3FG%, .798 FT%).

A hometown product who played his high school ball at South Gwinnett High School in Snellville, GA, Williams was selected by the Sixers in the second-round of the 2005 NBA Draft. The 45th pick overall, he was the recipient of the 2005 Naismith Award, signifying the nation’s top high school player and took home top honors in the state of Georgia (“Mr. Basketball”) after his junior and senior seasons. Named to the 2005 McDonald’s High School All-America team, Williams was a four-time All-State player at South Gwinnett and led the Comets to a 103-16 record over his career. He is also the second all-time leading scorer in Georgia high school basketball history.

Coming off a playoff performance where he averaged 11.5 ppg, 3.0 apg and 2.1 rpg in 27.5 minutes per contest, Williams was Philadelphia’s leading scorer in 2011-12 at a career-best 14.9 points per game clip. Having led the Sixers in total points (956) despite not starting a single game, he became the first player to accomplish this feat since Dell Curry did so for Charlotte in 1993-94. His play received praise from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, who voted him second behind Oklahoma City’s James Harden for this year’s KIA Sixth Man Award. Third on the team in assists (3.5 apg), Williams also averaged 2.4 rebounds and 0.8 steals, and converted 40.7% of his FGs, 36.2% of his three-pointers and 81.2% shooting from the FT line.

Originally committed to play for the University of Georgia before declaring himself available for the NBA, Williams had his #23 retired at South Gwinnett High.

Sixers waive Elton Brand via amnesty clause

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that they have waived forward Elton Brand and have designated him as the team’s amnesty player.

“On behalf of the Philadelphia 76ers, I want to thank Elton for his contributions to our organization and city,” said Sixers President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn. “Decisions of this nature are never easy, particularly when it involves a player of Elton’s talent and character. He worked tirelessly for the overall good of the team every time he put on a Sixers uniform and we wish him nothing but the best.”

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “Amnesty allows the Sixers to remove the final year of Brand’s contract – worth almost $18.2 million – from their salary cap. Teams below the salary cap ($58 million) are permitted to bid for Brand’s services. That team will pay Brand a determined amount and the Sixers will pay the remainder of the contract. The Sixers signed Brand to a five-year, $79 million deal on July 9, 2008. In four seasons with the team, Brand appeared in 246 games with 221 starts, averaging 13.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.33 block s and 1.01 steals in 31.5 minutes per game.”

Brand (6-9, 254) was signed as a free agent by the Sixers on July 9, 2008. In four seasons with the team, he appeared in 246 games with 221 starts, averaging 13.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.33 blocks and 1.01 steals in 31.5 minutes per game while shooting 49.0% from the floor and 74.4% from the line.

Hornets trade Jarrett Jack to Warriors, Sixers get Dorell Wright in 3-team deal

Hornets trade Jarrett Jack to Warriors in 3-team deal

The Golden State Warriors have acquired veteran guard Jarrett Jack from the New Orleans Hornets as part of a three-team trade, it was announced this evening. As part of the deal, the Warriors send forward Dorell Wright to the Philadelphia 76ers, who also receive center Darryl Watkins from New Orleans, while the Hornets receive the draft rights to forward Edin Bavcic from Philadelphia.

Jack, 28, is coming off his best NBA season, one in which he appeared in 45 games (39 starts) for New Orleans and averaged career-highs of 15.6 points, 6.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 34.0 minutes per game. A team captain for the Hornets, Jack shot 45.6% from the field, 34.8% from three-point range and a career-high 87.2% from the free throw line, which ranked 11th in the NBA. The 6’3” guard scored 20-or-more points on 11 occasions, dished out eight-or-more assists 16 times and would have ranked 13th in the NBA in assists per game had he appeared in enough games to qualify. Additionally, he posted five point/assist double-doubles on the season, including a triple-double against the Warriors on March 21, recording 17 points, a career-high 10 rebounds and 11 assists (with zero turnovers).

A seven-year NBA veteran, Jack owns career averages of 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists over 532 career regular-season games combined with Portland, Indiana, Toronto and New Orleans. He appeared in 79-or-more games in each of his first six NBA seasons (including every game from 2007-08 to 2010-11) prior to missing 21 games this past season. A native of Fort Washington, Maryland, he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft after playing three seasons at Georgia Tech.

“We’re extremely pleased to acquire a player the quality of Jarrett Jack to help supplement our backcourt,” said Warriors’ General Manager Bob Myers. “One of our goals this off-season was to improve our depth at various positions and we think we accomplished that task with this trade. Jarrett recently completed his most productive season in the NBA and, in addition to providing us with additional veteran leadership, his ability to run an offense, score and a variety of other things will be a tremendous asset. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Dorell Wright for his contributions to our team the last two years. He was a compete professional both on and off the floor and someone that I have a great deal of admiration for as a player and person.”

“We’re very happy to get a player like Dorell Wright,” said Sixers President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn. “We think his outside shooting and all-around game will be a great addition to our team and we look forward to having him in Philadelphia.”

Wright was originally the 19th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by Miami out of South Kent Prep in Connecticut. In eight seasons, the 26-year-old has appeared in 354 games with 199 starts and is averaging 9.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25.2 minutes per game while shooting 43.8% from the floor, 36.5% from 3-point range and 80.1% from the line.

After playing his first six seasons with Miami, and winning a championship with the HEAT in 2006, Wright signed as a free agent with Golden State on July 12, 2010. Over the past two seasons, he started 143 of a possible 148 games for the Warriors, averaging 13.8 points.

Wright’s best season came with Golden State in 2010-11. He started all 82 games, averaging career-highs of 16.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.51 steals. Wright led the NBA with 194 3-pointers made that season and ranked tied for 21st with 105 3FGM in 2011-12.

Watkins was not selected in the 2007 NBA Draft following his senior year at Syracuse but played nine games for Sacramento early into the 2007-08 season before being waived. He signed with the Hornets back in April and appeared in five games, averaging 4.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game while shooting 50.0% from the floor. Watkins had 13 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals and a block in the final game of the season at Houston on April 26.

A native of New Jersey, Watkins attended Paterson Catholic. In between his stints with the Kings in 2007-08 and Hornets this past season, Watkins competed in summer leagues, training camps and preseason games for numerous teams, including the L.A. Clippers, San Antonio, Houston, Cleveland, Dallas, Indiana and New Orleans. Watkins has also spent time in the D-League and has played internationally in China, Lebanon and most recently, Greece.

Bavcic, originally drafted by the Toronto Raptors in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft, played for Vanoli-Braga Cremona and Bennet Cantu of the Italy’s top division (Serie A) last season, as well as for KAO Dramas in Greece where he averaged 10.9 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 55.2% from the field in 18 games. The 6’11’’ forward/center played for Philadelphia in three consecutive Summer Leagues from 2006-08. Bavcic, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, was named Greek A1 League All-Bosmans Team in 2011 and won both the Slovenian Cup and the Slovenian Super Cup in 2010.

Sixers re-sign forward Lavoy Allen

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that they have re-signed forward Lavoy Allen. We’ll post contract details on this page later today.

Allen (6-9, 225) was the 50th overall pick by Philadelphia in the 2011 NBA Draft. In 41 games with 15 starts last season, he averaged 4.1 points and 4.2 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game while shooting 47.3% from the floor and 78.6% from the line.

The Temple product scored 10-plus points four times in the playoffs after doing so four times during the regular season. Allen had 12 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting in Game 5 at Boston during the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Warriors will trade Dorell Wright to 76ers

Dorell Wright is getting another chance to start over and leaving behind another team that has more salary cap space in his absence.

The Golden State Warriors agreed Tuesday to trade Wright to the Philadelphia 76ers for the rights to a player currently in Europe, a person familiar with the decision said.

The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because teams can’t announce any trades until the free agency moratorium ends Wednesday, said Golden State would receive Edin Bavcic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in return. The 76ers acquired Bavcic’s rights in a trade with Toronto in 2006.

The move frees up about $4 million in salary cap space for Golden State, which drafted small forwards Harrison Barnes of North Carolina seventh overall and Draymond Green of Michigan State at No. 35 two weeks ago to take Wright’s place. The Warriors now have about $8 million to spend before going into the luxury tax.

— Reported by Antonio Gonzalez of the Associated Press

Sixers will say goodbye to Elton Brand and sign Nick Young

The Sixers, not much of a player in free agency, will use the amnesty clause on forward Elton Brand, owed $18.2 million in the final year of his contract, and they reached agreement in principle to sign free-agent guard Nick Young to a one-year, $6 million deal, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

The amnesty clause allows the final year of Brand’s contract to come off of the Sixers’ salary cap. Teams below the salary cap will be permitted to bid for Brand’s services. The Sixers will pick up whatever the difference is that the team that signs Brand reaches an agreement with the player to pay him.

— Reported by John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Blog)

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Sixers rookie Arnett Moultrie sprains ankle

Arnett Moultrie – whose draft rights were acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers in a trade with Miami on draft night – suffered a left ankle sprain on Monday, June 25 during a pre-draft workout.

Due to the injury, Moultrie will not play in the Orlando Pro Summer League, but will travel with the Sixers in order to receive treatment on his left ankle and work with the coaching staff on learning the team’s system.

Sixers reach agreement with Lavoy Allen

The 76ers reached agreement in principle on a two-year, $6 million contract extension with Lavoy Allen on Sunday, the first day of free agency, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

The deal cannot be officially signed until the moratorium on signings is lifted on July 11.

Allen, a 23-year-old forward-center from Temple, was the 50th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft.

— Reported by John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer

Sixers rookie Moe Harkless got late start playing basketball

Harkless didn’t even start to play organized basketball until he was in high school, competing only at the junior-varsity level then. But the goal he had set in his head, even back then, was set. His path went in only one direction — straight to the best basketball league in the world.

That goal became a real possibility during his only season at St. John’s, where Harkless was named the Big East Rookie of the Year after posting averages of 15.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks. Much of the time the 6-9, 208-pounder was playing the power forward position, a spot the Sixers eventually see him growing into at the NBA level, once his body matures and he puts on weight and perhaps adds another inch or two.

“I see myself on the wing, but whatever it takes, or whatever coach [Doug] Collins asks me to do,” Harkless said. “I’m just excited to be here. In college I was just really focused on doing whatever the team needed me to do. I wasn’t complaining or anything, I was just doing what I had to do. I was playing against a lot of guys who were about 60 pounds heavier than me. But that was OK. Whatever they needed me to do.”

— Reported by Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News

Sixers might use amnesty provision on Elton Brand

Sixers president and general manager Rod Thorn acknowledged Tuesday that the team has begun a search for his replacement – Danny Ferry has already interviewed for the job, according to a league source – but he added that he expected to be very much involved with, if not in control of, the June 28 draft.

“Oh, yeah,” Thorn said when reached via phone Tuesday afternoon. “We will do it the same way we did last year. I’m busy with that now, and it will be exactly the same way.”

The Sixers, who will bring in more potential draft picks for workouts Thursday and Friday, face crucial decisions. They have to decide whether they will use the amnesty provision on Elton Brand, which could allow them to gain more than $18 million in cap space and be active in free agency. Teams can begin talking with free agents July 1 and can begin signing them July 11.

Thorn, who has been in the league as a player or manager since he was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets in 1963, said that when former team owner Ed Snider hired him the understanding was that Thorn, 71, would assume a consultant’s role at the end of his contract, which expires in one year.

— Reported by John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer