Thunder sign Olivier Sarr to two-way contract

The Oklahoma City Thunder has signed forward/center Olivier Sarr to a two-way contract.

Sarr (6-11, 240) has appeared in four games this season for the Thunder’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, and averaged 11.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.50 blocks in 20.9 minutes per game. During the 2021-22 season, Sarr saw action in 22 games (two starts) for the Thunder and averaged 7.0 points on 57.4 percent shooting to go along with 4.2 rebounds in 19.1 minutes per game.

The Niort, France native played three seasons at Wake Forest where he earned the ACC’s Most Improved Player award before transferring to the University of Kentucky.

Raptors sign Joe Wieskamp to multi-year contract

The Toronto Raptors have signed guard-forward Joe Wieskamp to a multi-year contract.

Wieskamp, 6-foot-6, 205 pounds, signed two 10-day contracts with the Raptors earlier this season, averaging 4.5 points and 8.5 minutes in two games. He also played in eight regular season games in the G League this year – seven with the Wisconsin Herd and one with Raptors 905 – averaging 16.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 31.3 minutes.

A native of Muscatine, Iowa, Wieskamp was picked 41st overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by San Antonio. He appeared in 29 contests for the Spurs last season, averaging 2.1 points and 7.1 minutes.

Prior to being drafted, Wieskamp spent three collegiate seasons at Iowa (2018-21), where he was named All-Big Ten Second Team as a junior. He was also voted to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team in 2019.

Thunder sign Eugene Omoruyi to multi-year contract

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed forward Eugene Omoruyi to a multi-year contract.

During the 2022-23 season, Omoruyi has appeared in 21 games with the Thunder and averaged 5.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.2 minutes of action. In six games this season with the Oklahoma City Blue, Omoruyi has posted averages of 18.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 28.3 minutes per game.

Omoruyi was originally signed to a Two-Way Contract by the Thunder on July 2, 2022.

Spurs sign Gorgui Dieng

The San Antonio Spurs have signed center Gorgui Dieng.

Dieng, 6-10/265, has appeared in 17 games with the Silver and Black this season, averaging 3.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 9.8 minutes. He started the season with the Spurs before being waived on Jan. 5. Dieng re-joined the Spurs signing two 10-day contracts on Jan. 8 and Jan. 20. The 10-year NBA veteran has played in 614 total games and holds career averages of 7.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 20.2 minutes with Minnesota, Memphis, Atlanta and San Antonio. The native of Senegal was originally selected in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft (21st overall) by the Utah Jazz and before being dealt to the Timberwolves on draft night.

The Spurs roster now stands at 17 players.

Anthony Edwards, De’Aaron Fox and Pascal Siakam added to 2023 NBA All-Star Game as injury replacements

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox and Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam have been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as injury replacements for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. MT at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City (TNT/ESPN Radio).

The three players will replace Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (left superior tib/fib sprain), Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (right knee MCL sprain) and New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (strained right hamstring).

In addition, Curry, Durant and Williamson will be replaced as starters in the NBA All-Star Game by three players who were previously selected as All-Star reserves: Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant.

This is the first NBA All-Star selection for both Edwards and Fox and the second for Siakam.

Edwards, the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, is posting career highs in points (24.7 ppg), rebounds (6.0 rpg), assists (4.6 apg), steals (1.66 spg), field goal percentage (46.4%) and three-point field goal percentage (36.7%) in his third NBA season. He leads the NBA in total steals (96) and minutes (2,099).

Fox is averaging 24.2 points, 6.3 assists and a career-high 4.3 rebounds while shooting a career-high 50.4% from the field in his sixth NBA season. He leads the NBA with 128 points in clutch situations, which occur when the scoring margin of a game is within five points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime.

Siakam is an NBA All-Star for the first time since the 2019-20 season, when he became the first NBA G League alum to start an NBA All-Star Game. A seven-year NBA veteran from Cameroon, he is averaging a career-high 25.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and a career-high 6.2 assists in an NBA-high 37.5 minutes this season.

When an All-Star starter is unable to participate in the NBA All-Star Game before the NBA All-Star Draft takes place, he is replaced in the starter pool for the Draft by the All-Star reserve from the same conference and of the same position group who had the highest weighted ranking in the voting for All-Star starters. The starter replacements are Embiid for Durant (who was in the Eastern Conference frontcourt group at the time of the voting), Markkanen for Williamson and Morant for Curry.

Embiid, Markkanen and Morant will be selected with the starters and Edwards, Fox and Siakam will be selected with the reserves in the NBA All-Star Draft, which will take place on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. MT at Vivint Arena right before the NBA All-Star Game. TNT will air the NBA All-Star Draft live during its pregame show and then present the 72nd NBA All-Star Game, a matchup between Team LeBron and Team Giannis.

Wizards sign Quenton Jackson to two-way contract

The Washington Wizards have signed Capital City Go-Go guard Quenton Jackson to a two-way contract.

Jackson, a 6-5, 173-pound rookie from Texas A&M, has appeared in 32 games this season for the Go-Go, averaging 12.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game on .489 shooting from the field. Jackson has scored 20-or-more points in five games this season, including a season-high 24 on two occasions. Four of Jackson’s five 20-point outings have come during the Go-Go’s last 17 regular season contests, where he has averaged 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game on .506 shooting from the field.

The Los Angeles native went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft before competing in Summer League, training camp and preseason with the Wizards.

Pistons sign Stanley Umude to 10-day contract

The Detroit Pistons have signed guard Stanley Umude to a 10-day contract.

Umude, 6-6, 210, has averaged 15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.7 steals while shooting 42% from the field and 35% from 3-point range in 18 games (14 starts) for the Motor City Cruise, the NBA G League affiliate of the Detroit Pistons, this season.

A native of San Antonio, Umude began his collegiate career at the University of South Dakota where he played four seasons and was named to the 2018 and 2020 All-Summit First Team. He played his final season at the University of Arkansas where he helped the 2021 Razorbacks to the Elite Eight. In 138 career games, he averaged 14.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 26.5 minutes per game.

Umude will wear #14 for the Pistons.

Hornets trade Mason Plumlee to Clippers for Reggie Jackson

The LA Clippers this past Thursday acquired Mason Plumlee in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets for Reggie Jackson and a second-round draft pick, announced Lawrence Frank, Clippers president of basketball operations.

“Mason will help fortify our center position with his energy and playmaking ability,” said Frank. “He is an impressive passer with great vision. Our team will enjoy playing with him.”

Plumlee, 32, appeared in 56 games for the Hornets this season, averaging 12.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Originally selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Plumlee has appeared in 717 games with the Brooklyn Nets, Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and Hornets, averaging 8.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 59.2% from the field. The 7-foot-0 center has also appeared in 60 career playoff games and was named to the 2013-14 All-Rookie First Team.

“Reggie has played a vital role in many of our finest moments,” said Frank. “Two years ago, he helped lead us to our first conference finals, and last season, he helped carry us when we were hampered by injuries. He made a lot of fans here, and a lot of friends. His name and his smile will always hold a special place in this organization’s heart.”

Jackson, 32, appeared in 52 games (38 starts) for the Clippers this season, averaging 10.9 points, 3.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 25.7 minutes. The 6-foot-2 guard holds career averages of 12.9 points, 4.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 755 appearances across 12 NBA seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons and Clippers. In his four seasons with the Clippers, Jackson ranks seventh in franchise history in total made three-pointers (392). Born in Pordenone, Italy, Jackson also appeared in 31 playoff games with the Clippers, averaging 12.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 43.1% from three.

Celtics trade Justin Jackson to Thunder for Mike Muscala

The Oklahoma City Thunder this past Thursday acquired forward Justin Jackson, a 2023 second-round draft pick and a 2029 second-round draft pick in a trade with the Boston Celtics for forward/center Mike Muscala, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Jackson (6-8, 220) appeared in 23 games with the Celtics this season and over his six-season NBA career has seen time in 278 career games (61 starts), holding career averages of 6.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 17.6 minutes per game.

Muscala spent four seasons with the Thunder and appeared in 168 games (seven starts) and averaged 7.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game. This season, he saw time in 43 games (five starts) and contributed 6.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game.