NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
The Phoenix Suns have waived guard Dionte Christmas, the team announced today.
In his rookie NBA season of 2013-14, Christmas averaged 2.3 points, 1.2 rebounds and 6.4 minutes in 31 games with the Suns. Christmas also played with the Suns’ entry at NBA Summer League 2014 in Las Vegas earlier this month, averaging 10.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in five games.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed their 2014 NBA Draft picks, Andrew Wiggins and Joe Harris, to contracts, Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.
Per NBA rules, rookies cannot be traded for 30 days once they sign their initial contract.
According to ESPN.com, “Wiggins has been involved in trade discussions between the Cavs and Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a deal that would send Kevin Love to Cleveland. Because of league rules on rookie contracts, such a deal now cannot be completed for 30 days. Wiggins, who signed a four-year deal, will have a starting salary of $5.5 million after the Cavs gave him the allowed 20 percent premium on the rookie scale, sources said.”
But for at least the next 30 days, and perhaps much longer, Wiggins is a member of the Cavaliers.
Wiggins was the first overall pick in the June draft. An early entry candidate from Kansas University, Wiggins, 19, was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-League in his only year at Kansas. In 35 contests with the Jayhawks last year, the 6-8, 194-pound guard averaged 17.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 block in 32.8 minutes per game. In four games during the 2014 NBA Summer League, Wiggins averaged a team-high 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks in 29.9 minutes per game.
Harris was selected 33rd overall after playing four years at Virginia where he was named Second Team All-ACC as a senior and First Team All-ACC as a junior. The 6-6, 225-pound guard averaged 12.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 30.3 minutes for his career at Virginia (135 games). In four games during the 2014 NBA Summer League, Harris averaged 7.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 24.6 minutes per game.
The Orlando Magic have signed rookie guard Devyn Marble, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today. The draft rights to Marble (56th overall pick), along with Evan Fournier, were acquired from Denver in exchange for Arron Afflalo on June 26.
Marble (#11, 6’6”, 200, 9/21/92) played in 136 career games during four years at the University of Iowa, averaging 12.5 ppg., 3.4 rpg., 2.9 apg. and 1.29 stlpg. in 27.6 minpg. He ranks second on the school’s all-time games played list with 136. Marble also ranks in Hawkeyes’ history in scoring (fifth, 1,694 points), assists (sixth, 397) and steals (seventh, 176).
As a senior (2013-14), Marble played and started in 33 games, averaging 17.0 ppg., 3.6 apg., 3.2 rpg. and 1.82 stlpg. in 30.2 minpg. He was named First Team All-Big Ten after leading the team in scoring and ranked second in assists. Marble scored in double figures 27 times.
During his junior campaign (2012-13), Marble played and started in 37 games, averaging 15.0 ppg., 4.0 rpg., 3.0 apg. and 1.14 stlpg. in 30.5 minpg. He led the Hawkeyes in scoring and assists, and was named Third Team All-Big Ten.
Marble is the son of Roy Marble, a former NBA player and the all-time leading scorer in Iowa history.
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The Phoenix Suns have re-signed forward P.J. Tucker to a multiyear contract, the team announced today.
“We are pleased to have been able to reach an agreement with P.J. Tucker on a multiyear contract,” said President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “His new contract fulfills one of our most important goals for this summer.”
“P.J. is one of the most rugged competitors in the entire league,” said General Manager Ryan McDonough. “We love his passion and his fire. We are happy that he will remain in a Suns uniform for the foreseeable future.”
Tucker started 81 games in his second season with the Suns of 2013-14, posting career-highs of 9.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals in 30.7 minutes. Tied for the Suns’ team-lead with a career-best 11 double-doubles, Tucker also had career-highs with 38 games of double-digit scoring and 15 games of double-digit rebounds. Recognized for his intensity and versatility on the defensive end, Tucker won the Dan Majerle Hustle Award for the second consecutive season in 2013-14.
Against Oklahoma City on April 6 this past season, Tucker scored a career-high 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting, making a career-high four three-pointers in the Suns’ win. Tucker also became the first Sun since 2007 to have at least 15 points, 15 rebounds and four steals in a game when he scored 16 points along with a career-high 15 rebounds and four steals in a win against Golden State on Feb. 8.
Initially signing with the Suns as a free agent on Aug. 1, 2012, Tucker has established new career-highs in virtually every statistical category in each of his first two seasons with the club, in addition to earning a reputation as one of the league’s toughest defenders.
Prior to joining the Suns, Tucker played professionally in Germany, Puerto Rico, Italy, Greece, Israel and Ukraine, after his rookie NBA season of 2006-07 with the Toronto Raptors. A standout performer at the University of Texas, Tucker played three seasons with the Longhorns, earning consensus Big 12 Player of the Year honors as a junior before entering the 2006 NBA Draft.
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The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has waived forward Omri Casspi.
Casspi has appeared in 327 games (96 starts) over the course of five NBA seasons with Sacramento, Cleveland and Houston, holding career averages of 7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 20.7 minutes per game.
According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, “Casspi was included in the deal in which the Pelicans acquired starting center Omer Asik from the Rockets. Casspi had a year remaining on his non-guaranteed contract valued at just more than $1 million. If Casspi had remained on the Pelicans’ roster by Aug.1, his contract would had become guaranteed.”
It is likely that Casspi will find a new NBA home soon.
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The Los Angeles Lakers have re-signed forward/center Jordan Hill to a multi-year contract, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.
“Jordan has been a consistent contributor for us over the last three seasons and we are pleased to keep him in the Laker family,” said Kupchak. “Jordan’s frontcourt versatility is a benefit to our roster and his on-court work ethic is something we value on our team. We hope he’ll continue to work hard and develop as an NBA player”
Hill had the best season of his NBA career in 2013-14, his third with the Lakers since being acquired at the trade deadline in March of 2012, averaging career-highs across-the-board in points (9.7), rebounds (7.4) and blocks (0.9) per game while shooting a personal-best 54.9% from the field in 32 starts. The 26-year-old finished 3rd in the NBA in offensive rebounding percentage (13.8), 9th in total rebounding percentage (19.0), and 20th in defensive rebounding percentage (24.3) in his 20.8 minutes per game. The 6’10’’ Hill also had a number of standout individual-game performances, highlighted by a career-high 28 points 3/23/17 vs. Orlando and 3/27/14 at Milwaukee and a career-high 17 rebounds (12 defensive, also his high mark) 11/17/13 vs. Detroit.
Selected by the Knicks with the eighth pick in the in the 2009 NBA Draft, Hill played 24 games in New York before being traded to the Houston in a three-way deal involving Sacramento in February 2010. Hill, the second-longest tenured Laker (Kobe Bryant), was dealt to the Lakers in exchange for Derek Fisher and a 2014 first round draft pick on March 15, 2012.
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The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent forward Ed Davis, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.
“Ed is a versatile, young frontcourt player who, if he continues to work hard, will be a valuable contributor,” said Kupchak. “We look forward to him furthering his development with the Lakers and are excited by what we think he can offer our team.”
Davis, a four-year NBA veteran, appeared in 63 games (four starts) last season with the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 5.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 15.2 minutes per game, and led the team in field goal percentage (53.4%) during the regular season.
Originally selected 13th overall by Toronto in the 2010 NBA Draft, Davis was acquired by the Grizzlies in a three-team trade that also included Detroit on January 30, 2013. In 275 career NBA games (58 starts), Davis has averaged 6.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 20.8 minutes. Additionally, the Washington D.C. native has appeared in the playoffs each of the last two postseasons, logging 15 games.
A 6’10” forward, Davis was a member of the 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship-winning UNC Tar Heel team and was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team the same year before declaring for the Draft following his sophomore season.
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The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has re-signed forward Robbie Hummel.
“We are excited to have Robbie back with us this season,” said Flip Saunders, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “He proved that he can be a key contributor off the bench and finished the season strong. Robbie’s ability to stretch the floor with his shooting range is a valuable asset for our team.”
Hummel, 25, played in 53 games (five starts) in his rookie season for the Wolves last year, averaging 3.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per contest. The 6-8 forward shot 36.0 percent (36-for-89) from three-point range for the season, including connecting on 17 of his final 32 attempts (53.1%). Hummel scored in double-digits four times last year, netting a season-high 12 points at Orlando on April 5. He grabbed a season-high nine rebounds in the season finale vs. Utah on April 16.
Hummel was the 58th overall selection in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Timberwolves. He spent the 2012-13 season with Obradoiro CAB in the Spanish League where he averaged 10.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in 30 games. Hummel averaged 14.0 points and 6.8 rebounds in 127 games over his four-year collegiate career for the Purdue Boilermakers.
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New York Knicks President Phil Jackson announced today that the team has waived guard Shannon Brown.
Brown, 6-4, 205-pounds, appeared in 19 games for the Knicks this past season, averaging 2.1 points and 7.8 minutes. On Feb. 27, the Maywood, IL native signed the first of two 10-day contracts and then signed for the remainder of the season on Mar. 20.
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Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Brian Roberts.
“Brian is a quality point guard who we believe will play a key role for us,” Cho said. “We look forward to having him as part of our team.”
The 6-1 Roberts has spent the last two seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, averaging 8.2 points, 3.0 assists, 1.6 rebounds and 19.9 minutes in 150 total games. For his career, he has shot .418 from the field (457-1092), .372 from beyond the three-point line (123-331) and .929 from the free-throw line (195-210).
In 72 games last season, including 42 starts, Roberts averaged 9.4 points, 3.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 23.2 minutes. Roberts shot .420 from the field (244-581), .360 from beyond the three-point line (64-178) and an NBA-best .940 from the free-throw line (125-133).
The 6-1 Roberts was not selected in the 2008 NBA Draft after a four-year career at the University of Dayton in which he was named First Team All-Atlantic 10 as a senior and Second Team All-Atlantic 10 as a sophomore and junior. He spent the 2008-09 season with Galil Gilboa in Israel’s Winner League. He then played for Brose Baskets in Germany’s BBL from 2009-12, helping the team to three-straight league championships, before signing with the Pelicans in August 2012.