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Warriors re-sign Leandro Barbosa

The Golden State Warriors re-signing of unrestricted free agent guard Leandro Barbosa became official today.

Barbosa, 32, appeared in 66 regular-season games (one start) during his first season with Golden State in 2014-15, averaging 7.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 14.9 minutes per contest. He scored in double figures 20 times, including a season-high 19 points in 28 minutes versus Utah on March 21, 2015. The 6’3” guard appeared in all 21 postseason games during Golden State’s NBA Championship run, averaging 5.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 10.9 minutes.

A 12-year NBA veteran, Barbosa owns career averages of 11.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 715 regular-season games with Phoenix, Toronto, Indiana, Boston and Golden State. The Sao Paulo, Brazil, native has appeared in 96 postseason games, averaging 8.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

Celtics and Nuggets discussed a Danilo Gallinari trade

Celtics and Nuggets discussed a Danilo Gallinari trade

Here’s the Boston Herald reporting on the Celtics and Denver Nuggets:

The Celtics recently spoke with Denver about a trade for Danilo Gallinari, but those discussions did not get anywhere.

However, multiple sources told the Herald that talks could be revived and that the situation bears watching. On the other hand, there were conflicting comments about the Nuggets’ willingness to make Gallinari available. Some said Denver will likely keep the 6-10 shooter, while others insist the club is willing to part with him for the proper price.

Gallinari is entering the final year of his contract and will make $11,559,225 in 2015-16.

Mavs reportedly have interest in JaVale McGee

Mavs reportedly have interest in JaVale McGee

JaVale McGee has an interesting personality. He also makes lots of questionable decisions on the court during games. He does have talent, though. But nobody is sure what to make of him or if he’ll ever emerge as a player that can be relied upon whtn the stakes are high. The Dallas Mavericks reportedly felt that a conversation with the center was worth having. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

The Dallas Mavericks are on the hunt for a rim protector in the wake of DeAndre Jordan’s decision to stay with the Los Angeles Clippers and interviewed former Washington and Denver big man JaVale McGee for the vacancy over the weekend, according to sources.

Sources told ESPN.com that the Mavericks’ interest in McGee, at this stage, is best described as “exploratory,” but McGee could potentially fill an undeniable void on the Dallas roster after Jordan’s about-face.

Suns sign first round draft pick Devin Booker

The Phoenix Suns have signed first-round pick Devin Booker, the 13th overall selection of the 2015 NBA Draft.

All first round draft picks are guaranteed to receive a contract. So, this signing is standard and was expected.

Booker has made his Suns debut as a member of Phoenix’s entry at NBA Summer League 2015 in Las Vegas where he has averaged 8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals through two games. Booker and the Suns return to action tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. (Phoenix time) against the Utah Jazz with the game to be televised on NBA TV.

Booker, widely considered to be the best three-point shooter in this year’s draft, earned Southeastern Conference (SEC) Sixth Man of the Year, Second Team All-SEC and All-SEC Freshman Team honors following his one season at Kentucky in 2014-15. The 6-6, 206-pound marksman averaged 10.0 points for the Wildcats and displayed his fluid shooting stroke, connecting on 47.0 percent of his field goals, 41.1 percent of his three-pointers and 82.8 percent of his free throws.

A mature 18-year-old possessing a high basketball IQ, Booker helped the Wildcats to a 38-1 record this past season with the 38 wins tying for the most in NCAA history as Kentucky also won the SEC regular-season and tournament titles on its way to becoming the first undefeated team to reach the Final Four since UNLV in 1991. Booker ranked second on the Wildcats with 20 double-digit scoring games and led the conference by earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors on five occasions.

Booker, a native of Grand Rapids, Mich., was named a 2014 McDonald’s All-American after averaging 30.9 points as a senior at Moss Point High School in Moss Point, Miss. Booker’s father, Melvin, had a distinguished collegiate career at the University of Missouri before playing in 32 NBA games with the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors over the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons followed by several seasons playing professionally in Italy, Turkey and Russia.

Clippers re-sign Austin Rivers, add Cole Aldrich

Clippers sign Austin Rivers and Cole Aldrich

The L.A. Clippers have signed guard Austin Rivers and center Cole Aldrich.

Rivers, 22, returns to the Clippers after appearing in 41 regular season games (two starts) with the team last season, averaging 7.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists following a Jan. 15, 2015 trade from the Boston Celtics. In the first Playoff action of his career, Rivers played in all 14 postseason games, averaging 8.4 points and 1.1 assists while providing 16 points in a crucial Game 4 win over San Antonio and leading the team with 25 points, six rebounds and two assists in a Game 3 victory over Houston.

The 10th selection in the 2012 NBA Draft by New Orleans, Rivers appeared in 165 career games for the Pelicans (33 starts), averaging 6.9 points, 2.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 21.4 minutes before being traded to Boston on Jan. 12.

A stand-out at Duke University for one season in 2011-12, Rivers averaged 15.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in 34 games.

Aldrich, 26, joins the Clippers after spending the last two seasons with the New York Knicks. Last season he averaged 5.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 61 games (16 starts). The 6-foot-11 center has appeared in 196 total games with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and Knicks and has career averages of 3.1 points and 3.4 rebounds in 196 games.

Originally drafted with the 11th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets, Aldrich spent three seasons at the University of Kansas. The Bloomington, Minnesota native was a perfect 55-0 as a Jayhawk at home and was named the 2009 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and a consensus Second-Team All American in 2010.

Pacers sign rookie Myles Turner

The Indiana Pacers announced Monday they have signed first-round draft pick Myles Turner to a contract. Turner was the 11th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

All first round draft picks are guaranteed to receive a contract, assuming they wish to come to the league right away. So, this signing is standard and was expected.

Turner, a 6-11, 240-pound forward/center, played collegiately at Texas, averaging 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots per game.

The 2015 Big 12 Freshman of the Year recently played for the Pacers’ summer league team in Orlando where in three games he was the Pacers’ second-leading scorer at 18.7 ppg. Along with teammate Joe Young, he was named to NBA TV’s All-Tournament Team.

Thunder match offer sheet, retain Enes Kanter

The Oklahoma City Thunder has exercised its right of first refusal and matched the offer sheet extended to center Enes Kanter by the Portland Trail Blazers, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

“We traded for Enes last season with the intention of keeping him as a member of the Thunder for several years to come, and we are excited that he will continue with us,” said Presti. “He adds valuable depth to our roster, diversity to our frontcourt and the dimension that he brings offensively will positively impact our team.”

In 26 games this past season with the Thunder, Kanter averaged 18.7 points to go along with 11.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 31.1 minutes per contest. Since being acquired from the Utah Jazz on Feb. 19, the 23-year-old Kanter registered 17 double-doubles, including a Thunder record eight straight double-doubles in late March.

Originally selected third overall in the 2011 NBA draft, Kanter recorded at least 20 points and 10 rebounds 11 times with Oklahoma City this past season. Prior to Kanter’s arrival, no Thunder center had ever recorded a single 20-point/10-rebound game.

Including his career-high 30-point effort on Apr. 1 vs Dallas, Kanter scored 20 or more points in 12 of his 26 appearances this past season with the Thunder. On March 24 against the LA Lakers, Kanter became the only player in the NBA this past season to record 15+ points and 10+ rebounds in the first quarter alone.

Kanter has appeared in 291 career games and owns career averages of 10.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in 21.4 minutes.

Bulls sign Cristiano Felicio

The Chicago Bulls have signed free agent forward/center Cristiano Felicio (pronunciation: cree-STEE-YAHN-oh).

“We’ve been impressed with Cristiano’s work ethic and potential,” said Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman. “We’re looking forward to working with him and having him come to camp with us this fall.”

Felicio (6-10, 275) played with C.R. Flamengo of the NBB (Novo Basquete Brasil) last season and is currently playing on Chicago’s 2015 Las Vegas Summer League team.

Wizards sign Alan Anderson

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed forward Alan Anderson.

According to the Associated Press, it is a $4 million, one-year contract.

“Alan has an all-around game that complements the other players on our roster and gives us another veteran at the small forward position,” said Grunfeld. “His energy, hustle and defensive ability have defined his career and we’re looking forward to him bringing those skills to our team.”

Anderson (6-6, 220) holds career averages of 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting .346 from three-point range. He has appeared in 287 career games, including 66 starts, over six seasons with Charlotte, Toronto and Brooklyn. In 74 games (19 starts) with Brooklyn last season, the Michigan State product averaged 7.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting .443 from the field and .348 from downtown. In Brooklyn’s first round series against Atlanta in the 2015 NBA Playoffs, Anderson averaged 11.1 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting .610 from the floor and .625 from behind the arc.

After going undrafted in 2005, the Minnesota native was signed as a free agent by Charlotte and played with the Bobcats in parts of two seasons before playing overseas in Italy, Russia, Croatia, Israel, Spain and China. He returned to the NBA in 2011 when he signed with Toronto, and averaged 10.4 points and 2.2 rebounds over two seasons with the Raptors. He signed as a free agent with the Nets prior to the 2013-14 campaign.

Timberwolves trade Chase Budinger to Pacers

Timberwolves trade Chase Budinger to Pacers

The Indiana Pacers announced Sunday they have acquired forward Chase Budinger from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for forward Damjan Rudez.

Budinger, 6-7, 218, has six seasons of NBA experience. He was originally drafted by Detroit in the second round (44th overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft. He was traded on draft night to Houston where he played three seasons before being traded to Minnesota in 2012. He has averaged 8.5 points per game in his NBA career.

“We’re very glad to have Chase,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “He’s a guy we think will fit in our rotation. He can shoot and drive to the basket, which works with how we want to play. Damjan was a special guy. He was great to have as part of our team. He will be missed by all.”

Rudez, 29, played one season with the Pacers averaging 4.8 points on 45.2% shooting, including a 40.6% mark from the three-point line. The 6-10 Croatia native played in 68 contests, registering 15.4 minutes per game. The Pacers signed Rudez as a free agent on July 11, 2014. Prior to coming to the NBA, Rudez played parts of eight seasons internationally in Spain, Croatia and Slovenia.