Lakers sign Harry Giles III to two-way contract, waive Dylan Windler

The Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday (March 2) signed forward/center Harry Giles III to a two-way contract.

And in a related move, the Lakers waived two-way forward Dylan Windler.

Giles III (6’10”, 240) most recently suited up for the Brooklyn Nets, appearing in 16 games this season and averaging 3.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in 5.1 minutes. Across three-plus seasons with Brooklyn (2023-24), Portland (2020-21) and Sacramento (2018-20), Giles III owns career averages of 5.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 12.1 minutes across 158 total NBA games (17 starts). He made his lone career playoff appearance in 2021 with the Trail Blazers during a first round series against Denver.

The North Carolina native was selected by Portland with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft before being traded to Sacramento on draft night. Giles III played one collegiate season (2016-17) at Duke University.

Windler appeared in eight games for the Lakers this season, averaging 1.5 points in 3.5 minutes. The 27-year-old also suited up in three contests for the South Bay Lakers, averaging 11.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 27.5 minutes.

Pelicans sign Izaiah Brockington to 10-day contract

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard Izaiah Brockington to a 10-day contract.

Brockington, 6-4, 196, has appeared in 40 games this season with the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, averaging 13.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 30.3 minutes per contest.

New Orleans’s roster now stands at 18 players, including three two-way players.

Wizards sign Justin Champagnie to two-way contract, R.J. Hampton to 10-day contract

The Washington Wizards have signed guard-forward Justin Champagnie to a two-way contract and guard R.J. Hampton to a 10-day contract.

Champagnie, who signed a 10-day contract with Washington on Feb. 22, has averaged 3.7 points per game in three appearances with the team. In his lone game with the Capital City Go-Go, the NBA G League affiliate of the Wizards, on Feb. 26, he scored 29 points on 7-10 shooting from three-point range while adding seven rebounds and three assists. The Pittsburgh product is averaging 22.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.3 steals per game in 35 NBA G League games this season between Capital City and Sioux Falls.

Hampton (6-4, 175) appeared in eight games for the Miami Heat this season while on a two-way contract, averaging 1.3 points and 1.0 assists per game. He has played in 15 total NBA G League games this season with Sioux Falls and Capital City, averaging 12.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He was acquired via trade by the Go-Go on Feb. 14 and most recently scored 24 points on 6-7 shooting from three-point range with seven rebounds in a Capital City win on Mar. 1.

Mavericks sign guard AJ Lawson to multi-year contract

The Dallas Mavericks have signed guard AJ Lawson to a multi-year contract.

Lawson (6-6, 185) is in his second season with Dallas after he signed a Two-Way deal with the team on Dec. 26, 2022, after beginning the year on a Two-Way contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 14 games for the Mavericks last year, he averaged 3.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.6 minutes per game.

In 28 games for the Mavericks this season, he is averaging 3.8 points and 1.2 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game. Lawson scored a career-high 17 points (7-10 FG, 3-4 3FG, 2-2 FT) to go along with a career-high seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in the team’s win against San Antonio on Dec. 23.

The Toronto, Ontario, native has averaged 20.7 points (.530 FG%), 7.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.6 steals with Dallas’s G-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, in seven games this season.

In 43 career games with Minnesota and Dallas, Lawson has averaged 3.7 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 7.9 minutes.

Wemby leads Spurs to upset win over Thunder

The San Antonio Spurs may have the 3rd worst record in the NBA, but superstar rookie Victor Wembanyama is giving them a season to remember.

He’s doing some things we don’t see from most NBA players over the course of their career, let alone in a rookie season.

Per ESPN.com:

In front of their home fans for the first time in 26 days, the San Antonio Spurs and rookie Victor Wembanyama put on quite the show.

After giving up a 12-point third-quarter lead and falling behind in the fourth, the Spurs stormed back for a 132-118 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Wembanyama put his stamp on the victory with a 3-pointer with 2:10 left to put San Antonio up nine and then a block on the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren 20 seconds later.

Wembanyama finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 blocks and was 5-of-7 from 3-point range. He became the first player in NBA history to have at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks and 5 3-pointers in a game.

Per the San Antonio Express-News:

Wembanyama packed another box score with 28 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks, and made a flurry of plays down the stretch that helped the Spurs hold on for the upset.

Devin Vassell threw in 28 points of his own to go with a career best-matching nine assists and Jeremy Sochan added 21 points and 10 rebounds of his own as the Spurs raced past an Oklahoma City team vying for the top seed in the Western Conference.

All in all, it was a stirring welcome-back game after the Spurs ended a 1-8 rodeo road trip ended Tuesday in Minnesota.

“I can go down the line and name everybody who was hooping,” Vassell said, “but I mean it’s a bunch of guys who pitched it.”

Hawks convert contract of Trent Forrest from two-way to standard

The Atlanta Hawks have converted the contract of guard Trent Forrest from a two-way to a standard NBA contract.

In 20 games played with the Hawks this season, Forrest is averaging 2.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 10.5 minutes of action. The 6-4 guard appeared in one game with the College Park Skyhawks this season, leading the club to a 100-82 win over the Cleveland Charge on Feb. 28, 2024. He finished the win with 16 points on 7-12 shooting from the floor, in addition to four rebounds, seven assists and six steals in 26 minutes.

Forrest has appeared in 133 games over the course of his four-year NBA career (nine starts), recording 2.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 11.7 minutes of action. He spent the 2022-23 season as a two-way player with the Hawks and the previous two seasons (2020-22) as a two-way player with the Utah Jazz, after going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft.

A product of Florda State, Forrest appeared in 137 games (69 starts) over his four-year collegiate career, tallying 8.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals in 25.4 minutes (.462 FG%, .748 FT%). He finished his Seminole career as the all-time winningest player in program history with 104 wins, ranked third in total steals (224) and games played (137), while ranking fifth in total assists (455) and 10th in free throws made (336). The Chipley, Florida, native was selected to the 2019-20 All-ACC Second Team and All-ACC Defensive Team, while garnering All-ACC Academic Team honors in each year at Florida State (2017-20).

Hawks waive Patty Mills

The Atlanta Hawks have requested waivers on guard Patty Mills.

Mills appeared in 19 games with the Hawks during the 2023-24 season, averaging 2.7 points and 1.1 rebounds in 10.6 minutes of play.

Per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “because he was waived before March 1, Mills is eligible to be on a postseason roster of any team that signs him.”

The Canberra, Australia native has seen action in 879 career games (107 starts), owning averages of 8.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 20.2 minutes per game. Throughout his 15-year NBA career, Mills has suited up for Portland (2009-11), San Antonio (2011-21), Brooklyn (2021-23) and Atlanta (2023-24).

Mills was acquired by the Hawks from the Oklahoma City Thunder on July 12, 2023.

Hawks guard Trae Young injured, will undergo surgery on hand

During Friday’s game vs. Toronto, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young suffered a left hand injury. He underwent an MRI yesterday at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex, which revealed a tear of the radial collateral ligament (RCL) in the fifth finger of his left hand. He will undergo surgery to repair the RCL on Tuesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

Grizzlies sign Jordan Goodwin, waive Jacob Gilyard

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard Jordan Goodwin to a two-way contract.

And in a related move, the Grizzlies waived guard Jacob Gilyard.

Goodwin (6-3, 200) has competed in 42 games (one start) and has averaged 5.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 14.5 minutes with the Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns this season. The 25-year-old has averaged 10.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals in 26.5 minutes in two appearances (one start) with Memphis after signing a 10-day contract on Feb. 13.

A native of Centreville, Illinois, Goodwin has played 106 games (eight starts) and has averaged 5.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 16.3 minutes in three seasons with the Washington Wizards, Suns and Grizzlies since going undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Saint Louis. He also has seen action in 49 showcase and regular season games for the NBA G League’s Capital City Go-Go.

Gilyard (5-9, 160) appeared in 38 games (14 starts) in two seasons with the Grizzlies and averaged 4.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 18.3 minutes. Unselected in the 2022 NBA Draft following his collegiate career at Richmond, the 25-year-old Kansas City native signed a two-way contract with the Grizzlies on April 8, 2023. He competed in 55 showcase and regular season games with the NBA G League’s Memphis Hustle, where he led the G League in assists per game last season and became the Hustle’s all-time leader in assists this season.

Trail Blazers sign Ashton Hagans to two-way contract

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed guard Ashton Hagans to a two-way contract.

Hagans previously signed a 10-day contract with Portland on Feb. 8.

Hagans has recorded 2.8 points (41.7% FG, 50.0% FT), 1.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 14.9 minutes per game in four games (one start) with the Trail Blazers this season. In 29 games (25 starts) with the Rip City Remix during the 2023-24 NBA G League regular season and Showcase Cup, he posted 13.3 points (45.2% FG, 33.3% 3-PT, 78.3% FT), 4.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.0 steals in 28.8 minutes per game. Hagans competed in this year’s NBA G League Up Next Game at All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis after receiving the most fan votes. He previously appeared in two games with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a two-way contract in 2021 and holds NBA career averages of 1.8 points (41.7% FG, 50.0% FT), 0.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 10.6 minutes per game in six games (one start).