Grizzlies sign Jay Huff to a multi-year contract

The Memphis Grizzlies recently signed center Jay Huff to a multi-year contract.

Huff (7-1, 240) has appeared in three games as a reserve this season and has averaged 13.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 19.0 minutes while shooting 63.6 percent overall and 57.1 percent from 3-point range after signing a two-way contract with the Grizzlies on July 24.

Unselected in the 2021 NBA Draft, Huff has competed in 34 games off the bench and has averaged 3.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 6.5 minutes for the Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers following a four-year collegiate career at Virginia, where he was a member of the Cavaliers’ 2019 NCAA championship team.

The 27-year-old also has played 100 NBA G League Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Grand Rapids Gold, Capital City Go-Go and South Bay Lakers. During the 2022-23 season, he was named the NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to the All-NBA G League First Team and NBA G League All-Defensive First Team with Capital City.

Wizards exercise contract option on Bilal Coulibaly

The Washington Wizards yesterday exercised the third-year rookie scale team option for guard/forward Bilal Coulibaly.

Through three games this season, the second-year pro is averaging 16.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game on .500 shooting from the field. Coulibaly notched a career-high 23 points against Cleveland on Oct. 26, also tying his career high with four made threes.

The Courbevoie, France native played for his home country during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, appearing in six games and contributing to a silver medal-winning French team.

In his rookie campaign, Coulibaly ranked sixth among rookies in total steals and blocks and was in the top 10 for points (ninth) and rebounds (eighth) at the time of his season-ending injury. He was the second-youngest player to appear in a game last season, averaging 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of .435 from the field and .346 from three-point range.

Hawks injury update on four players

Guard Bogdan Bogdanovic underwent a non-surgical procedure yesterday at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex. He will be re-evaluated in approximately four weeks and his status will be updated as appropriate.

Guard Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder subluxation) has begun treatment and rehabilitation. He will be re-evaluated in approximately four weeks and his status will be updated as appropriate.

Guard Dyson Daniels sustained a right hip flexor strain during last night’s game vs. Washington. He will be listed as out for tomorrow’s game at Washington and will continue to receive treatment. His status is day-to-day.

Forward Vit Krejci sustained a right adductor strain during last night’s game vs. Washington. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks and his status will be updated as appropriate.

Raptors exercise contract options on Ochai Agbaji and Gradey Dick

The Toronto Raptors have exercised the fourth-year team option on the rookie scale contract of guard-forward Ochai Agbaji and third-year team option on the rookie scale contract of guard-forward Gradey Dick.

Both players are now signed through the 2025-26 season.

Agbaji, 6-foot-5, 219 pounds, is averaging 12.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 27.7 minutes through four games (three starts) this season. He is shooting .588 (20-34) from the field, including .455 (5-11) from three-point range, and has scored in double figures three times. Agbaji was acquired from Utah at the trade deadline last season.

A native of Milwaukee, Agbaji was picked 14th overall by Cleveland in the 2022 NBA Draft. He is averaging 6.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 21.0 minutes in 141 career NBA games (53 starts) with Utah and Toronto. Prior to being drafted by the Cavaliers, Agbaji played four seasons (2018-22) at Kansas where he was a three-time All-Big 12 selection, and helped the Jayhawks capture the NCAA National Championship in 2022. For his efforts, he was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

Dick, 6-foot-7, 208 pounds, is averaging 16.0 points, 1.8 assists and 29.9 minutes in four games (all starts) this season. He is shooting .431 (22-51) from the floor, .346 (9-26) from beyond the arc and a perfect 11-for-11 at the free throw line. Dick has scored 10+ points three times, including a career-high 25 points Oct. 26 at Minnesota.

A native of Wichita, Kansas, Dick was selected 13th overall by the Raptors in the 2023 NBA Draft. He owns career averages of 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 21.7 minutes in 64 games (21 starts). Dick entered the draft following one season at Kansas where he was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team, All-Newcomer Team and All-Freshman Team, and set the Jayhawks freshman record for three-point field goals made (83).

Ben Simmons still trying to rediscover his aggression

Per the NY Daily News:

An odd play late in the Nets’ 115-102 defeat of the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday summed up the Ben Simmons experience perfectly.

Brooklyn was up 106-89 with four minutes left in the fourth quarter when Simmons created a turnover by poking the ball away from Damian Lillard. Dennis Schröder corralled the rock, then quickly whipped a one-handed pass up the court to a streaking Simmons. Cam Johnson and Cam Thomas were trailing behind him.

Brook Lopez, who had nine blocks entering the night, was Milwaukee’s last line of defense. The Nets had a 3-on-1 advantage in transition and Simmons technically made the right basketball play in that moment, pitching the ball back to Johnson, which should have resulted in an easy bucket. But Simmons barely looked at the rim, and because of his lack of aggression, Lopez did not have to cover much ground defensively. The 7-1 center could essentially guard two players at once.

Rockets team notes for Oct. 21, 2024

Jalen Green: Scored a total of 82 points in 95 minutes of play this preseason while averaging 20.5 points and 4.0 3-pointers made on 43.2% shooting… he averaged 22.3 ppg in wins last season and averaged 3.5 3FGM on 37.3% shooting over the final 24 games.

Alperen Sengun: Averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.25 steals in just 24.5 minutes per game this preseason while shooting 66.7% from the floor… in 2023-24, he became the sixth different player in NBA history to have averaged at least 20.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg and 5.0 apg while shooting 53.0% or better in a season.

Scoring: The Rockets scored at least 113 points in all four of their games this preseason, while averaging 120.5 ppg overall… Houston was 31-23 when scoring 110+ points last season and ranked 16th in the NBA with 114.3 ppg.

Rebounding: Houston outrebounded each of its final three preseason opponents by an average of 14.0 rpg… the Rockets were 25-15 when outrebounding their opponent by any margin in 2023-24.

Wizards waive Jared Butler

The Washington Wizards yesterday requested waivers on guard Jared Butler.

Butler saw action in 40 games for Washington during the 2023-24 season, averaging 6.3 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 rebounds per game. The Baylor product also appeared in 16 games for the Wizards’ NBA G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, last season.

He most recently appeared in five preseason games for Washington.

The Wizards roster currently stands at 18, including three two-way players.

Grizzlies convert contract of Yuki Kawamura to a two-way contract

The Memphis Grizzlies yesterday promoted the contract of guard Yuki Kawamura to a two-way contract.

Kawamura (5-8, 159) appeared in all five preseason games as a reserve for the Grizzlies and averaged 3.4 points and 4.2 assists in 15.1 minutes after initially signing with Memphis on September 6.

Unselected in the 2023 NBA Draft, Kawamura has competed the past five seasons (2019-24) in the Japanese B.League, where he was named the 2022-23 Most Valuable Player with the Yokohama B-Corsairs. The 23-year-old started all 56 games for Yokohama last season and averaged 20.9 points and 8.0 assists in 30.6 minutes to earn a second straight selection to the B.League’s Best Five team.

Kawamura has represented Japan at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics, where he totaled 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists to help Japan take France to overtime on July 30.

Thunder sign Alex Reese

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed forward/center Alex Reese, it was announced yesterday by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Reese (6-9, 230) appeared in three preseason games with the Thunder and averaged 2.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 8.7 minutes of action per contest. The Pelham, Alabama native appeared in 43 games for the NBA G League’s Rip City Remix last season and averaged 11.5 points and 4.6 rebounds while connecting on 40.5 percent from three-point range in 17.3 minutes per game.

Cavaliers waive Pete Nance, Jules Bernard, Zhaire Smith, and Jacob Gilyard

The Cleveland Cavaliers have waived Pete Nance, Jules Bernard, Zhaire Smith, and Jacob Gilyard, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced yesterday from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

The Cavaliers will open the 2024-25 regular season on Wednesday, October 23 at the Toronto Raptors, followed by the home opener on Friday, October 25 versus the Detroit Pistons at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The current roster stands at 17 players, including three two-ways.