Cavs sign Luke Travers to two-way contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed forward Luke Travers to a Two-Way contract, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Travers (6-7, 208), who was selected 56th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft by Cleveland, appeared in 36 games (34 starts) for Melbourne United during the 2023-24 season in the NBL (Australian Basketball League) and averaged 12.4 points on .517 shooting from the field, 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.33 blocks and 1.17 steals in 27.0 minutes.

The Australia NBL Cup winner (2021) and NBL champion (2020) has appeared in 139 games (76 starts) over the last five seasons with the Perth Wildcats and Melbourne United in the NBL (Australian Basketball League), holding career averages of 8.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.87 steals in 20.7 minutes. Additionally, he was also a member of the Cavaliers Summer League team for the past three years, including the 2023 NBA Summer League Championship team, where he averaged 7.5 points on .487 shooting from the field, 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 2.17 blocks in 23.2 minutes.

Pelicans sign Matt Ryan

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed forward Matt Ryan.

Ryan, 6-7, 215, appeared in 28 games (one start) for New Orleans during the 2023-24 season, averaging 5.4 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting .451 from three-point range.

Across three seasons, Ryan has appeared in 63 career games with New Orleans, Minnesota, the Los Angeles Lakers, and Boston. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga product owns career averages of 4.4 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.5 assists per game while shooting .411 from deep.

Clippers will hold 2024-25 training camp in Hawaii

The LA Clippers have announced that they will return to Hawaii to tip-off the 2024-25 preseason, in partnership with The Hawaiian Islands. This marks the fifth training camp on the islands since 2017. Clippers guard Norman Powell will visit Hawaiʻi this week in anticipation for training camp, making stops in Oʻahu and Lahaina for a community event.

G-League: Sergi Oliva named head coach of Rip City Remix

The Rip City Remix, the official NBA G League affiliate of the Portland Trail Blazers, have announced Sergi Oliva as the team’s next head coach.

Oliva brings a depth of coaching experience to the Remix bench as he has served as an assistant coach for two seasons with the Utah Jazz from 2020-22. Prior to Utah, he was first hired as a basketball operations analyst in 2014 by the Philadelphia 76ers and then held a dual role of front office strategy and coaching with coach Brett Brown from 2017-2020.

Currently, Oliva serves as the assistant general manager for the Portland Trail Blazers and will reassume the role once the G League season has concluded.

A native of Gelida, Catalonia, Oliva spent 12 years as a head coach at the youth and senior amateur levels in Catalonia. Oliva holds multiple degrees from Polytechnic University of Catalonia, including a PhD in Computational Complexity and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science.

Cleveland Cavaliers to hold 2024 Training Camp at IMG Academy in Florida

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced today that the team will hold its 2024 Training Camp at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, from October 1-6, 2024.

The six-day camp will mark the official start of the Cavaliers’ preparations for the 2024-25 NBA season.

“The city of Sarasota and IMG Academy in Bradenton is the perfect backdrop for our training camp this year,” said Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman. “This is a unique opportunity for us to utilize a world-class facility away from our usual environment, providing an excellent setting for building team chemistry and culture. We extend our gratitude to IMG Academy and the surrounding areas for their warm hospitality in hosting our organization. Their state-of-the-art facilities and supportive communities will be instrumental in helping us prepare for the upcoming season.”

Cleveland will become the first NBA team to hold training camp at IMG Academy, the world’s leading sports education brand. This 600-acre campus in Bradenton, Florida, is renowned for its state-of-the-art facilities, including multiple basketball courts and comprehensive strength and conditioning resources. IMG Academy offers a holistic education model, integrating innovative on-campus and online experiences to prepare student-athletes for college and life. This will also be the Cavaliers’ first remote training camp since preparing for the 2004-05 season at Capital University in Columbus, OH.

“IMG Academy is excited to welcome the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers to our world-class campus for their 2024-25 NBA Training Camp this fall,” said Mike Milliron, Chief Operating Officer of IMG Academy. “Our state-of-the-art environment, facilities, hospitality, and IMG Academy’s proven track record with regularly hosting professional sports leagues, organizations, and players make us an ideal partner for the Cavaliers as they prepare for their upcoming NBA season. We look forward to providing their staff and players with unrivaled IMG Academy campus experience.”

Grizzlies waive Mamadi Diakite

The Memphis Grizzlies have waived forward Mamadi Diakite.

Diakite (6-9, 228) has appeared in 55 games (six starts) and has averaged 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.6 minutes for the Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks since he went unselected in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Virginia.

Pelicans waive Matt Ryan

The New Orleans Pelicans have waived forward Matt Ryan.

Ryan, 6-7, 215, appeared in 28 games (one start) for New Orleans during the 2023-24 season, averaging 5.4 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting .451 from three-point range.

Across three seasons, Ryan has appeared in 63 career games with New Orleans, Minnesota, the Los Angeles Lakers, and Boston. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga product owns career averages of 4.4 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.5 assists per game while shooting .411 from deep.

Pelicans sign Javonte Green

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed free agent guard/forward Javonte Green.

Green, 6-5, 205, appeared in nine games (five starts) with the Chicago Bulls during the 2023-24 season, averaging 12.2 points and 7.4 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game. Green also played in 10 games last season with the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors, averaging 12.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 22.2 minutes per game.

Across five seasons, Green has appeared in 195 games (55 starts) for Chicago and Boston, averaging 5.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per contest. Prior to the NBA, the Petersburg, Va. native played four seasons at Radford University while averaging 14.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.7 blocks in 25.4 minutes across 133 games (122 starts).

Warriors legend Alvin Attles has passed away

Per the Golden State Warriors:

Warriors legend Alvin Attles passed away yesterday at the age of 87. He was surrounded by family at his East Bay home.

Attles, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2019, joined the Philadelphia Warriors in 1960 as the club’s fifth-round draft choice and has been affiliated with the franchise ever since, a span of over 60 years that represents the longest stint with a single franchise for any one person in NBA history. He is one of only six Warriors in franchise history to have his number retired (#16), along with Rick Barry (#24), Wilt Chamberlain (#13), Tom Meschery (#14), Chris Mullin (#17) and Nate Thurmond (#42).

Attles enjoyed an 11-year playing career with the Warriors, averaging 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 711 regular-season games, spending the final two years as the club’s player/coach. The North Carolina A&T product amassed a regular-season coaching record of 557-518 (.518) at the helm of the Warriors during his 13-plus year coaching career, the most wins by a head coach in franchise history, and guided Golden State to its first championship in the team’s West Coast Era with a 4-0 series sweep over the Washington Bullets in the 1975 NBA Finals. Attles completed his coaching career at the conclusion of the 1982-83 campaign to become the Warriors’ general manager, heading the team’s basketball operations for three years.

Miami Heat 2024-25 preseason game schedule

The Miami HEAT 2024-25 preseason schedule includes three games being played inside the Kaseya Center.

The five-game schedule will open in Charlotte against the Hornets on October 8 (7PM) before returning to Miami for three straight home games: First vs. the Atlanta Hawks on October 10 (7:30PM), followed by additional home games on October 13 vs. the New Orleans Pelicans (3:30PM) and October 15 vs. the San Antonio Spurs (7:30PM).

The HEAT will conclude the preseason in Memphis against the Grizzlies on October 18 (8PM).