Phoenix Suns will own and operate a new NBA G League team

The NBA G League and Phoenix Suns yesterday announced that the Suns have acquired the right to own and operate an NBA G League team, which is set to debut in the 2024-25 season. With today’s announcement, the NBA G League expands to a record 32 teams, while all 30 NBA teams now own or operate an NBA G League affiliate.

“Bringing a G League team to Phoenix was one of my first priorities as owner,” said Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury team owner Mat Ishbia. “Adding a G League team creates another area for us to compete to be the best and will be a vital tool to help develop players and coaches. Just like the Suns and Mercury, our G League team will serve as a community asset and make a positive impact on and off the court.”

“We are honored to welcome Mat Ishbia and the Phoenix Suns to the NBA G League, and are thrilled to achieve our long-stated goal that each of the 30 NBA teams has an NBA G League affiliate,” said NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim. “The NBA G League has never been more valuable to NBA teams than it is today, and the Suns’ investment only reinforces that reality. I can’t wait to join fans in the Valley next season to enjoy the unique brand of NBA G League basketball.”

The Suns NBA G League team will play its home games in the Phoenix metro area. More details on the venue, as well as the team’s name and logo, will be announced in the spring.

Cavaliers Two-Way forward Emoni Bates added to 2024 Rising Stars competition

Cleveland Cavaliers Two-Way forward Emoni Bates will replace injured NBA G League Ignite forward Ron Holland on Team Detlef in the 2024 Panini Rising Stars. The annual showcase of premier young talent at NBA All-Star will take place on Friday, Feb. 16 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and air live at 9 p.m. ET on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States.

Bates, a 6-8 rookie, will play in Panini Rising Stars for the first time. He has appeared in 10 games with the Cavaliers, who selected him with the 49th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Bates is averaging 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 33.7 minutes in 10 games with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ NBA G League affiliate. During NBA All-Star 2024, Bates will also compete in the NBA G League Up Next Game presented by AT&T on Sunday, Feb. 18.

Holland will not participate in Panini Rising Stars or the NBA G League Up Next Game presented by AT&T because of a right thumb injury. In Rising Stars, the 6-8 Holland was to play for the team with three-time NBA All-Star and Indiana Pacers legend Detlef Schrempf as its honorary head coach. For the NBA G League Up Next Game, Holland will be replaced by Chicago Bulls Two-Way forward Adama Sanogo.

Cavaliers convert contract of Craig Porter Jr. to standard contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have converted the contract of guard Craig Porter Jr. to a standard NBA contract.

Porter Jr. was subsequently assigned to the Cleveland Charge for tonight’s game at Grand Rapids.

Porter Jr. (6-2, 185) was originally signed by the Cavaliers on a Two-Way contract on July 7th after going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Wichita State. This season, he has played in 32 games (five starts) for the Cavaliers and is averaging 6.5 points, 2.8 assists (6th among NBA rookies), 2.5 rebounds, 0.53 steals and 0.38 blocks, while shooting .509 from the field in 14.7 minutes per contest. Porter Jr., who was also a member of the Cavaliers’ 2023 Summer League Championship team, has scored in double figures on nine occasions and handed out five or more assists eight times this season.

In a win over Denver on Nov. 19, Porter Jr. recorded a career-high 21 points on 7-10 (.700) shooting from the field, including a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block in 25 minutes off the bench. His 21 points were the most by an undrafted Cavaliers rookie since Matthew Dellavedova on March 26, 2014 at Detroit (21 PTS). Against New Orleans on Dec. 21, Porter Jr. dished out a career-high 11 assists, which were the most assists by an undrafted Cavaliers rookie since Dellavedova (4/9/14 vs DET). He also recorded the most rebounds ever by a Cavaliers undrafted rookie with 12 boards during a win at Dallas on Dec. 27.

Thunder sign Bismack Biyombo

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed forward/center Bismack Biyombo.

Biyombo (6-8, 255) has appeared in 829 games (351 starts) and posted career averages of 5.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.30 blocks in 19.7 minutes per game. The 13-year NBA veteran was originally selected seventh overall in the 2011 NBA Draft. In 2016, Biyombo set a Raptors playoff record by registering 26 rebounds against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In 30 games (27 starts) this season with the Memphis Grizzlies, Biyombo averaged 5.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.10 block in 23.9 minutes per game.

Raptors sign Justise Winslow and Mouhamadou Gueye to 10-day contracts

The Toronto Raptors have signed guard-forward Justise Winslow and forward Mouhamadou Gueye to 10-day contracts.

Winslow, 6-foot-6, 222 pounds, averaged 16.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 26.8 minutes in 17 Showcase Cup and regular season games (11 starts) with Raptors 905 this season. He is shooting .514 (110-214) from the field and .625 (25-40) from the free throw line. A native of Houston, Texas, Winslow was drafted 10th overall by the Miami Heat in the 2015 NBA Draft and holds NBA career averages of 8.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists on .412 shooting in 344 games played with Miami, Memphis, the Los Angeles Clippers and Portland.

Gueye, 6-foot-9, 210 pounds, averaged 14.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 30.9 minutes in 28 Showcase Cup and regular season games (all starts) with Raptors 905 this season. He is shooting .559 (167-299) from the field. A native of Staten Island, New York, Gueye played two seasons at Stony Brook (2019-21) before transferring to Pittsburgh (2021-22) where he became the first player in Panthers history to lead the team in three-point field goals (43) and blocks (67) in the same season. Gueye played for the Raptors at NBA Summer League 2023 in Las Vegas.

Kings sign Keon Ellis to multi-year NBA contract

The Sacramento Kings have signed guard Keon Ellis to a multi-year NBA contract.

In his first two seasons, Ellis has appeared in 45 career games, including 29 games and three starts during the 2023-24 season. Last season with the Stockton Kings, the G League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings, Ellis accrued averages of 16.8 points (51.7 FG%, 44.4 3pt%), 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game in 23 regular season games.

Ellis originally went undrafted out of Alabama in the 2022 NBA Draft before signing a two-way contract with Sacramento on July 2, 2022.

Heat sign Alondes Williams to two-way contact, waive RJ Hampton

The Miami Heat have signed guard Alondes Williams to a two-way contact and waived RJ Hampton.

Williams, a 2024 G League All-Star and NBA Rising Stars Game selection, has appeared in 32 games with the HEAT’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, this season and averaged 20.3 points, 6.5 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.25 steals and 37.0 minutes while shooting 49.9 percent from the field, 37.3 percent from three-point range and 73.9 percent from the foul line. He scored a Skyforce franchise-record 55 points on January 7 in a comeback win against the Salt Lake City Stars, shooting 70 percent (21-of-30) from the field, the third-highest shooting efficiency in G League history by a player with at least 55 points. Williams earned G League Player of the Week twice (January 2-7 & January 8-13), becoming the first ever Skyforce player to earn the honor in consecutive weeks. He has posted six double-doubles this season and scored at least 20 points in seven-straight games from January 7 through January 21. Additionally, Williams has scored 361 total points this season, the fourth-most in the G League.

Hampton, who was signed to a Two-Way Contract by the HEAT on September 27, appeared in nine total games with the Skyforce this season, including seven regular season contests (one start) averaging 11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.14 steals and 25.8 minutes. He also appeared in eight games (two starts) with the HEAT, averaging 1.3 points and 1.0 assists in 9.5 minutes of action.

Thunder sign Lindy Waters III to multi-year contract

The Oklahoma City Thunder has signed guard Lindy Waters III to a multi-year contract.

Per the Oklahoman, “the move fills one of the open roster spots created by Thursday’s trade, in which OKC acquired forward Gordon Hayward from the Charlotte Hornets for three players (Tre Mann, Davis Bertans, Vasilije Micic) and two second-round draft picks.”

Waters III has appeared in 87 career games (one start) with the Thunder and averaged 5.4 points and 1.9 rebounds while shooting 36.8% from three-point range. Signed to a Two-Way contract on Aug. 18, 2023, he has seen action in 21 games with the Thunder this season and averaged 2.8 points and 1.0 rebound in 7.3 minutes per game. In six games (all starts) this season with the Oklahoma City Blue, he has posted averages of 22.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.83 steals in 33.3 minutes per game.

Grizzlies sign Trey Jemison to two-way contract

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed center Trey Jemison to a two-way contract.

Jemison (6-10, 260) has competed in six games (two starts) during his rookie season and has averaged 3.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 14.3 minutes with the Grizzlies and Washington Wizards this season. Undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft out of UAB, the 24-year-old has averaged 5.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 21.1 minutes after signing a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies on January 30. He previously signed a 10-day contract with Washington on January 20 and made two appearances for the Wizards.

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Jemison started all of his 25 NBA G League Showcase Cup and regular season appearances for the Birmingham Squadron and averaged 10.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 blocks in 31.6 minutes while shooting 56.8 percent from the field. His 12.3 rebounds over nine regular season contests led the NBA G League at the time of his NBA Call-Up.