Trail Blazers hire Scott Brooks, Roy Rogers, Steve Hetzel, Edniesha Curry and Milt Palacio as assistant coaches

The Portland Trail Blazers have hired Scott Brooks, Roy Rogers, Steve Hetzel, Edniesha Curry and Milt Palacio as assistant coaches and Parker Hines as video coordinator, adding to head coach Chauncey Billups’ staff, it was announced today by president of basketball operations Neil Olshey.

Brooks joins the Trail Blazers after serving as the head coach of the Washington Wizards for the last five seasons. In 12 seasons as a head coach with Oklahoma City (2008-15) and Washington, Brooks has a career record of 521-414 (.557). The 2010 NBA Coach of the Year, Brooks has led his teams to eight playoff berths, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2012 and Western Conference Finals appearances in 2011 and 2014. He has four 50-win seasons to his credit, including a 60-22 mark with the Thunder during the 2012-13 season. Before becoming a head coach, Brooks worked as an assistant coach with Seattle/Oklahoma City (2007-08), Sacramento (2006-07) and Denver (2003-06).

A native of Lathrop, California, Brooks played collegiately at Texas Christian University, San Joaquin Delta College and UC Irvine before embarking on a 10-year NBA career with Philadelphia, Minnesota, Houston, Dallas, New York and Cleveland. Brooks won an NBA championship in 1994 as a member of the Houston Rockets.

Rogers arrives in Portland with 13 years of experience as an NBA assistant coach. He spent the 2020-21 season with the LA Clippers, where he worked alongside Billups and helped the team reach the Western Conference Finals. Rogers spent the 2019-20 season on the Chicago bench and before that spent three seasons with Houston, which included an appearance in the Western Conference Finals in 2018. He has also worked as an assistant coach with Washington (2014-16), Brooklyn (2013-14), Detroit (2011-12), Boston (2010-11) and New Jersey (2008-10). As a player, Rogers appeared in 137 games in three NBA seasons with Vancouver, Boston, Toronto and Denver. He played four seasons at Alabama from 1992-96 before being selected with the 22nd pick of the 1996 NBA Draft.

Hetzel has spent the last seven seasons as an assistant coach under Steve Clifford, first in Charlotte (2014-18) and most recently in Orlando (2018-21). He previously was the head coach of the Canton Charge of the NBA G League during the 2013-14 season. In his lone season in Canton, Hetzel led the Charge to a 28-22 record, finishing second in the East division. Prior to Canton, Hetzel spent four seasons as a player development coach with the Detroit Pistons (2009-13). He began his NBA career in the video room, first as an assistant video coordinator with San Antonio in the 2005-06 season and then as video coordinator for Cleveland for three seasons (2006-09). Hetzel graduated from Michigan State in 2005, where he served as a student manager for the men’s basketball team.

Curry joins the coaching staff from the University of Maine where she was an assistant coach with the men’s basketball team from 2018-21. She previously served as a player development and assistant coach for the Maine women’s basketball program from 2015-17. Curry is a graduate of the NBA Assistant Coaches’ Program where she gained experience working at the NBA Draft Combine and the NBA G League Showcase. In 2019, Curry served as a guest coach for San Antonio’s summer league team and assisted with Minnesota’s pre-draft workouts. She has also coached and done player development work internationally in Vietnam, China, Israel and Palestine. As a player, Curry played in the WNBA for Phoenix and Los Angeles along with teams overseas in Greece, Poland, Israel and Hungary from 2002-09. It is a return to the Pacific Northwest for Curry, who graduated from the University of Oregon, where she played the final two seasons of her college career.

Palacio comes to the Trail Blazers after most recently spending two seasons as an assistant coach with the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League from 2018-20. Previously, Palacio served for one season as head coach of Durham United in the Canadian Basketball League (2016-17) and spent two seasons as the director of player development at the University of Idaho. A Los Angeles native and Colorado State alumnus, Palacio played seven seasons in the NBA with Vancouver, Boston, Phoenix, Cleveland, Toronto and Utah from 1999-2006 before playing six seasons overseas from 2007-13. Palacio has dual citizenship in Belize, where he played for the national team and now serves as its head coach.

Hines is hired as Portland’s video coordinator after spending the 2020-21 season as an assistant coach with the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League. He spent the four prior seasons with San Antonio, holding the roles of assistant video coordinator (2018-20), video coordinator quality assurance assistant (2017-18) and basketball operations quality assurance assistant (2016-17). Hines is a graduate of Augsburg University where he played guard from 2010-15.

Miami Heat exercise contract option on Goran Dragic

The Miami Heat have exercised their team option on Goran Dragic.

Per the Miami Herald, “just a few hours before the deadline, the Heat ultimately decided to exercise the $19.4 million team option in Goran Dragic’s contract and declined the $15 million team option in forward Andre Iguodala’s contract. The Heat was already considered one of the favorites to land Kyle Lowry in free agency before Sunday’s news, but the decision to exercise Dragic’s option solidifies Miami’s spot as the frontrunner to add the veteran guard, according to league sources. Teams can begin negotiating with free agents on Monday at 6 p.m. and officially begin signing free agents on Friday at 12:01 p.m.”

Dragić appeared in 50 games (11 starts) last season with the HEAT and averaged 13.4 points, 4.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 26.7 minutes while shooting 43.2 percent from the field, 37.3 percent from three-point range and a new career high 82.8 percent from the foul line. The 13-year NBA veteran has appeared in 867 career regular season games (522 starts) and averaged 13.9 points, 4.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 28.0 minutes while shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from three-point range and 76.6 percent from the foul line.

Mavericks exercise contract option on Willie Cauley-Stein

The Dallas Mavericks have picked up the second-season contract option for center Willie Cauley-Stein that is reportedly worth $4.1 million.

Per the Dallas Morning News, “Cauley-Stein seemingly became more expendable Saturday when Dallas acquired promising 21-year-old center Moses Brown from Boston to complete the trade of Josh Richardson from the Mavericks to the Celtics. A Mavericks source, however, said on Saturday the team planned to keep Cauley-Stein “unless something crazy falls in our lap.”

Cauley-Stein (7-0, 240) holds career averages of 9.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 22.6 minutes in 402 career games (253 starts) with Sacramento, Golden State and Dallas. Last season, he averaged 5.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 17.1 minutes in 53 games (16 starts). The career 54.5% shooter has shot at least 50% from the floor in each of his seven NBA seasons, including a career-high 63.2% (115-182 FG) last year.

The Spearville, Kansas, native was acquired by Dallas from Golden State on Jan. 25, 2020, in exchange for a 2020 second round pick.

Cauley-Stein was the sixth overall pick by Sacramento in the 2015 NBA Draft after a three-year career at University of Kentucky. He earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors following his rookie campaign in 2015-16.

As a junior at Kentucky (2014-15), Cauley-Stein was named First Team All-SEC, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a consensus First Team All-American. Cauley-Stein was also a two-time All-SEC Defensive Team selection (2013-14, 2014-15) and garnered SEC All-Freshman Team honors for the Wildcats in 2012-13.

Detroit Pistons waive Cory Joseph, Deividas Sirvydis and Tyler Cook

The Detroit Pistons have waived guard Cory Joseph, forward Tyler Cook and guard/forward Deividas Sirvydis.

Joseph, 6-3, 200, was acquired by the Pistons, along with draft consideration, from the Sacramento Kings on March 25, 2021 in exchange for guard Delon Wright. In 19 games (11 starts) as a Piston he averaged 12.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 26.4 minutes per game. Overall, Joseph played in 63 games in 2020-21 averaging 8.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists with Sacramento and Detroit.

Cook, 6-8, 255, signed a multi-year contract with Detroit on April 7, 2021 following two 10-day contracts with the Pistons. In 28 games (one start), he averaged 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 15.0 minutes per game.

Sirvydis, 6-8, 190, saw action in 20 games last season and averaged 2.1 points and 1.5 rebounds in 6.7 minutes per game.

Mavericks trade Josh Richardson to Celtics for Moses Brown

The Boston Celtics have acquired guard Josh Richardson from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for center Moses Brown.

A six-year NBA veteran, Richardson, 27, has posted career averages of 12.3 points (42.7% FG, 35.8% 3-PT, 83.2% FT), 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.6 blocked shots, and 30.6 minutes in 373 career games (299 starts) with Miami, Philadelphia, and Dallas. He has averaged at least 10.0 points in each of his last five seasons from 2015-16 to 2020-21, including a career-high 16.6 points per game with Miami in 2018-19.

Richardson produced 12.1 points (42.7% FG, 33.0% 3-PT, 91.7% FT), 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steals, and 30.3 minutes in 59 games (56 starts) with the Mavericks last season, marking the fourth time over the last five seasons he has recorded at least 10.0 points and 1.0 steals. The Oklahoma native was one of four NBA players to average 10.0 points and 1.0 steals while shooting at least 91.0% from the free throw line in 2020-21 (Paul/Curry/Irving).

Brown (7-2, 245) holds career averages of 7.3 points (.540 FG%), 7.6 rebounds, 0.9 blocks and 18.3 minutes in 52 games (32 starts) with Portland and Oklahoma City.

The 21-year-old averaged 8.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 0.7 steals, 1.1 blocks and 21.4 minutes in 43 games (32 starts) with the Thunder last season. He recorded 21 points (8-10 FG) and a career-high 23 rebounds, including 17 points and 19 boards in the first half alone, against Boston on March 27. Brown became the first player since Shaquille O’Neal in 1998 to produce 17 points and 19 boards in a single half. His 19 first-half boards also set a Thunder franchise record for most in a half and were the most by any NBA player in a half in 2020-21.

After going undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft, Brown spent the 2019 preseason with Portland and signed a two-way contract with the club on Oct. 17, 2019. He appeared in nine games for the Trail Blazers as a rookie while also seeing action in 30 G League games for the Mavericks’ affiliate, the Texas Legends, that year.

Brown signed a two-way deal with the Thunder on Dec. 8, 2020, and went on to earn All-NBA G League First Team and NBA G League All-Defensive Team honors for the Oklahoma City Blue in the bubble. After his 21-point, 23-rebound effort against the Celtics on March 27, he signed a multi-year deal with the Thunder the following day.

On June 18, Brown was traded along with Al Horford to Boston in the deal that sent Kemba Walker to Oklahoma City.

A native of New York City, Brown played one collegiate season at UCLA and earned Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honors for the Bruins in 2018-19.

Jalen Green goes from G League Ignite to Rockets

During Thursday’s 2021 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets selected guard Jalen Green with the second overall pick.

Green (6-6, 178), who turned 19 years old on Feb. 9, was the first player to sign with NBA G League Ignite, a team dedicated to the development and mentorship of top young prospects in preparation for the NBA Draft. In 15 G League games last season, he averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.53 steals, and 2.1 3-pointers made. Green tallied 30 points, 7 assists, 5 boards, and 3 steals in the Ignite’s lone playoff game vs. Raptors 905.

As a senior at California’s Prolific Prep in 2019-20, Green averaged 31.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He was ranked as the No. 1 high school prospect in the Class of 2020 by ESPN and was a McDonald’s All-American.

Green won gold medals with USA Basketball at the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup, 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup, and 2017 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.

The only other time the Rockets drafted a player second overall was in 1970 with the selection of Rudy Tomjanovich. Houston also acquired the draft rights to Steve Francis, who was the No. 2 overall pick by Vancouver in the 1999 NBA Draft. Including Francis, the second overall pick has produced 16 Rookie of the Year winners, most recently Ja Morant in 2019-20 and Kevin Durant in 2007-08.

Jazz trade Derrick Favors to Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder has acquired forward/center Derrick Favors and a future first-round draft pick from the Utah Jazz in exchange for a 2027 second-round draft pick and cash considerations, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Favors (6-10, 265) has appeared in 751 games (68 starts) with the Jazz, Nets and Pelicans and holds career averages of 10.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.23 blocks in 24.7 minutes per game.

The 2027 second-round pick the Thunder is trading to Utah is the least favorable of Oklahoma City’s four second-round picks.