Heat sign Nassir Little

The Miami Heat recently signed forward Nassir Little.

Little, a five-year NBA veteran, has appeared in 237 career NBA games (36 starts) and averaged 5.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 15.8 minutes while shooting 45.2 percent from the field. The former first round pick spent last season in Phoenix, appearing in 45 games with the Suns (two starts) and averaged 3.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10.2 minutes of action while shooting 46 percent from the field and a career-high 85 percent from the foul line. He scored in double-figures five times, including a season-high 13 points vs. Portland on February 1.

Little will wear number 25.

Timberwolves sign Trevor Keels, Jaedon LeDee, Skylar Mays and Eugene Omoruyi

The Minnesota Timberwolves recently signed guard Trevor Keels, forward Jaedon LeDee, guard Skylar Mays and forward Eugene Omoruyi.

Keels, 6-3, spent the 2023-24 regular season with the Iowa Wolves, the NBA G League affiliate of the Timberwolves, appearing in 39 games (31 starts), averaging 14.1 points on 44.1% shooting, 3.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 32.7 minutes of action per contest. The Clinton, Md. native has appeared in three career games, all with the New York Knicks, tallying three points and two rebounds. Keels was originally drafted by the Knicks with the 42nd overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

LeDee, 6-7, was a member of the Timberwolves entry in the NBA 2K25 Summer League 2024 where he appeared in five games and averaged 2.6 points on 50.0% shooting and 2.0 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game. The Houston, Texas native played in 154 games (43 starts) during his collegiate career, with stops at Ohio State, Texas Christian University and San Diego State, owning collegiate career averages of 8.9 points on 52.8% shooting and 4.7 rebounds in 17.8 minutes per contest. LeDee was named the Mountain West Player of the Year and awarded the Karl Malone Award following his 2024 season at San Diego State.

Mays, 6-3, appeared in 38 games (five starts) for the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers during the 2023-24 season, averaging 4.1 points on 39.6% shooting, 1.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 17.0 minutes per contest. Since being selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 50th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Baton Rouge, La. native has appeared in 105 NBA games (16 starts) with career averages of 4.3 points on 44.5% shooting, 1.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 10.6 minutes per game. Mays also appeared in nine games during the 2021 and 2022 NBA Playoffs, all with the Hawks.

Omoruyi, 6-6, spent last season with the Washington Wizards, appearing in 43 games, averaging 4.8 points on 48.5% shooting and 2.0 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per game. The Toronto native has appeared in 87 career games (six starts), splitting time with the Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons and Wizards, owning averages of 5.7 points on 46.0% shooting and 2.3 rebounds in 12.1 minutes per contest.

Pelicans sign Jalen Crutcher

The New Orleans Pelicans recently signed guard Jalen Crutcher.

Crutcher, 6-2, 175, appeared in 33 games last season with the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, in which he averaged 15.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 34.5 minutes per game.

The University of Dayton product has appeared in 136 games across three G League seasons, holding career averages of 16.0 points, 5.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 34.2 minutes per contest.

In a corresponding move, New Orleans has waived Galen Robinson Jr.

Kings sign Terry Taylor

The Sacramento Kings have signed forward Terry Taylor.

In three seasons, Taylor posted averages of 4.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game while shooting 58.1% from the field in 95 career games with the Indiana Pacers (2021-23) and Chicago Bulls (2022-24).

A native of Bowling Green, Ky., Taylor played four seasons at Austin Peay State University where he finished as the program’s all-time leader in points, scoring 2,507 career points.

Pistons announce coaching staff for 2024-25 season

The Detroit Pistons announced today that Luke Walton, Sidney Lowe, Fred Vinson, Vitaly Potapenko, Kevin Burleson, Jerome Allen and Josh Estes have been named as assistant coaches to Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s coaching staff. Additionally, Jarett Jack and Steve Scalzi have been retained as assistant coaches.

Walton comes to Detroit after spending the last two seasons in Cleveland on Bickerstaff’s staff. Prior to Cleveland, Walton spent three seasons as head coach of the Sacramento Kings (2019-2022). Before leading the Kings, Walton served as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers from 2016-2019, improving the team’s win total in each of those seasons, including consecutive nine-game improvements in his first two seasons with the team (2016-17, 2017-18).

Before joining the Lakers, Walton was an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors from 2014-16, reaching the NBA Finals both years and winning the NBA Championship in 2015. He was named Western Conference Coach of the Month (October/November 2015) while serving as interim head coach in Steve Kerr’s absence and leading Golden State to a 39-4 start in 2015-16, including winning the first 24 games, an NBA record. Walton also served as a player development coach for the South Bay Lakers, the Lakers NBA G League affiliate, in 2013-14.

Walton played 10 NBA seasons with the Lakers and Cavaliers. He was the 32nd overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Lakers and was a member of back-to-back NBA Championship teams in 2009 and 2010. Prior to his professional career, he played collegiately at the University of Arizona where he was named an All-Pac-10 performer twice.

Walton is the son of the late NBA legend and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, Bill Walton.

Lowe returns to Detroit for his third stint, second as an assistant coach, after the previous three seasons as an assistant coach in Cleveland under Bickerstaff.

The Washington, D.C. native and former NBA point guard began his coaching career with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1992, as an assistant coach under Head Coach Jimmy Rodgers. He was promoted to head coach midway through the 1992-93 season and remained in the position through the 1993-94 season. Following five years as an assistant with Cleveland (1994-1999) and one with Minnesota (1999-2000), Lowe was named head coach of the Vancouver Grizzlies in 2000 and remained at the helm until 2002-03. He was the lead assistant to Head Coach Flip Saunders in Detroit during the 2005-06 season when the team advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Lowe served as head coach at his alma mater, North Carolina State (2006-11), where in his first season he became the third coach in school history to win 20 games and defeat the three other ACC North Carolina institutions (North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest). After coaching at NC State, Lowe returned to the NBA and spent three seasons as an assistant with the Utah Jazz (2011-2014) and two with the Washington Wizards (2016-2018).

Lowe was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the second round (25th overall) in the 1983 NBA Draft and played four seasons with Indiana, Detroit, Atlanta, Charlotte and Minnesota. He also competed in the Continental Basketball Association, leading the Albany Patroons and Tampa Bay Thrillers to CBA titles. Lowe played his college basketball under the late Jim Valvano at North Carolina State, earning Final Four All-Tournament honors while helping lead the Wolfpack to the 1983 NCAA Championship.

Vinson joins the Pistons as an assistant coach after serving in the same role in New Orleans for the previous 14 seasons.

Vinson helped the Pelicans to four playoff appearances (one as the New Orleans Hornets) and served as the Pelicans’ 2019 NBA Summer League Head Coach in Las Vegas. A renowned shooting coach, Vinson helped the Pelicans to a top-11 3-point shooting percentage six times, including the fourth-highest rate in the NBA of 38.3% in 2023-24.

Prior to the Pelicans, Vinson was an assistant coach for the LA Clippers from 2007-10 and also served as the club’s director of player programs, where he was responsible for mentoring young players in their transition to the NBA.

Vinson played 13 seasons of professional basketball, including two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and Seattle SuperSonics. Additionally, he played in the United States Basketball League, Continental Basketball Association, American Basketball Association and with professional clubs in the Philippines, Israel, Venezuela, Poland and France. In 2003, Vinson was a member of the CBA Champion Yakima Sun Kings and was named a CBA All-Star that season.

Vinson played collegiately at Georgia Tech and was a three-year letterman for the Yellow Jackets. He also attended Chowan Junior College (North Carolina).

Potapenko joins the Pistons staff after six seasons as an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Prior to joining the Grizzlies in 2018-19, Potapenko served five seasons (2013-18) as the assistant director of player development for the Cleveland Cavaliers, winners of the 2016 NBA Championship. In addition to serving as an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers (2010-11), Potapenko had stints in the NBA G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors (2012-13), Dakota Wizards (2011-12) and Fort Wayne Mad Ants (209-10).

The 12th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, Potapenko appeared in 610 games (189 starts) with Boston, Cleveland, Seattle and Sacramento.

A native of Kyiv, Ukraine, Potapenko began his professional career in Ukraine before coming to the NBA and won two Ukrainian Championships with Budivelnyk. Potapenko played two seasons at Wright State University where he was twice named All-Midwestern Collegiate Conference (1995, 1996) and is a member of the school’s hall of fame.

Burleson comes to Detroit as an assistant coach after serving as the head coach of the Houston Rockets’ NBA G League affiliate, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the last two seasons.

Previously, Burleson spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves after a stint as an assistant/player development coach with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2018-19. In 2017-18, Burleson served as the associate head coach for the Iowa Wolves, the NBA’s G League affiliate of Timberwolves and spent three seasons as a player development coach for the Houston Rockets (2014-2017).

Burleson played four years, collegiately, at the University of Minnesota. He played two seasons in Germany before appearing in 39 games for the Charlotte Bobcats during the 2005-06 season. He later competed professionally in the NBA G League, Turkey, Romania and Egypt and won the Romanian League Championship with CSU Asesoft Ploiesti in 2010.

Allen rejoins the Pistons for his second stint as an assistant coach. Previously, he worked on Dwane Casey’s staff from 2021-23 and served as a pro personnel scout for the Boston Celtics during the 2023-24 season.

Prior to his first stint in Detroit, Allen spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the Celtics and served the previous five years as the head coach at the University of Pennsylvania after one year as Penn’s interim head coach.

Born in Philadelphia, PA, Allen played collegiately at Penn and was a two-time Ivy League Player of the year. As a four-year starter, he led the Quakers to Ivy League titles in each of his last three seasons. He was drafted 49th overall in the 1995 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves and played in 117 career NBA games with Minnesota, Indiana and Denver. He also played professionally in Europe including France, Italy, Greece, Spain and Turkey.

Estes joins the Pistons as an assistant coach after spending the previous four seasons (2020-24) as a coaching analyst and analytics coordinator in Cleveland under Bickerstaff. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Amherst College in 2019-20, where the Mammoths went 18-8 and made a semifinal run in the New England Small College Athletic Conference Championship. Estes spent the 2023 Canadian Elite Basketball League season as an assistant coach for the Brampton Honey Badgers.

Portland lands a WNBA expansion team

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced today that it has awarded Portland, Oregon, the league’s 15th franchise. The Portland team, set to begin play in the 2026 season, will be owned and operated by RAJ Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal. Portland is the third expansion franchise awarded by the WNBA during this round of expansion, following the Golden State Valkyries and a Toronto franchise, bringing the league from 12 to 15 teams.

“As the WNBA builds on a season of unprecedented growth, bringing a team back to Portland is another important step forward,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “Portland has been an epicenter of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball fans. Pairing this energy with the Bhathal family’s vision of leading top-flight professional sports teams will ensure that we deliver a premier WNBA team to the greater Portland area.”

Spurs front office news

The San Antonio Spurs recently announced additions and promotions within the team’s basketball operations staff.

The Spurs have added Mike Noyes as assistant coach/director of player development. In addition, San Antonio has promoted Josh Larson to Austin Spurs general manager and Gorgui Dieng to assistant general manager of the Austin Spurs.

Noyes joins the Spurs coaching staff after spending the past six seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, most recently as a player development coach. He got his start with the Grizzlies as a data scientist in 2018 before transitioning to video coordinator. A native a Granby, Connecticut, Noyes attended the University of Connecticut where he started as a practice player for the Huskies basketball team before becoming a walk-on his junior season and was awarded a scholarship his senior year. He earned his degree in math/actuarial science from UConn in 2017.

Larson’s promotion to Austin Spurs general manager comes after spending the past two seasons as the team’s basketball operations manager. In that role he assisted in Austin Spurs roster building and day-to-day basketball operations, as well as player evaluation for the G League. Larson got his start with the Spurs in 2019 as a basketball operations quality assurance assistant. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Larson served as student manager for the Fighting Illini basketball team from 2015-19.

Dieng becomes Austin Spurs assistant general manager in his second season in the front office with the organization. Last year, Dieng served as a basketball operations representative after announcing his retirement from the NBA. A native a Kébémer, Senegal, Dieng spent part of two seasons with the Spurs, averaging 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 47 games. The 10-year veteran also played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks, appearing in 628 games over his career and averaging 7.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 20.1 minutes. In 2015 he set up the Gorgui Dieng Foundation, which provides aid including medical equipment and supplies to improve healthcare in his native Senegal. In 2019 he received the Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award.

Lakers sign Christian Koloko, waive Blake Hinson

The Los Angeles Lakers recently signed center Christian Koloko to a two-way contract.

And in a related move, the team waived two-way forward Blake Hinson.

Koloko (7’0”, 230) last suited up for the Toronto Raptors during the 2022-23 season, appearing in 58 games (19 starts) and averaging 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 13.8 minutes. Selected No. 33 overall in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft by the Raptors, the 24-year-old was waived by the team Jan. 17, 2024.

Born in Cameroon, Koloko moved to the United States prior to his junior year of high school in 2017. He attended the University of Arizona for three seasons (2019-22). After averaging 12.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2.8 blocks in 25.4 minutes in his final season with the Wildcats, Koloko was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, the league’s most improved player and first-team all-conference.

Hinson was signed by the Lakers July 5.

Kings sign Boogie Ellis

The Sacramento Kings recently signed guard Boogie Ellis.

Ellis appeared in five games for Sacramento at NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas, averaging 11.2 points on 51.3% shooting from the field, including 54.5% from 3-point range. He also added 1.2 steals and averaged 17.3 minutes per game for the Kings.

A native of San Diego, Calif., Ellis spent the last three seasons at the University of Southern California where he posted averages of 15.4 points (42.7 FG%, 39.5 3pt%), 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game in 95 career games. In his final season with the Trojans, Ellis averaged 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game, starting all 29 games, on his way to receiving All-Pac-12 Second Team honors.

Spurs waive Jamaree Bouyea

The San Antonio Spurs yesterday waived Two-Way guard Jamaree Bouyea.

Bouyea appeared in five games for the Spurs in the NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas, averaging 11.8 points, 3.6 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 3.00 steals in 24.3 minutes.

In three games for the Silver and Black last season, Bouyea averaged 3.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 12.7 minutes. In 12 games with the Austin Spurs, he averaged 15.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.25 assists and 2.33 steals in 36.2 minutes.