Dallas Mavericks sign guard Brandon Knight to second 10-day contract

The Dallas Mavericks have signed guard Brandon Knight to a second 10-day contract under the COVID-related hardship allowance.

Knight, 6-foot-2, 182 pounds, signed a 10-day contract on Dec. 23 and played in three games for the Mavericks in December before entering health and safety protocols. He averaged 10.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 18.2 minutes per game, including an 18-point performance that helped lead Dallas to a 132-117 victory over Portland on Dec. 27.

The eight-year veteran holds career averages of 14.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 29.4 minutes in 449 games (349 starts) with Detroit, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Cleveland, Houston and Dallas. He played for Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd as a member of the Bucks in 2014-15.

The Miami native was taken eighth overall by Detroit in the 2011 NBA Draft and went on to earn NBA All-Rookie First Team honors for the Pistons in 2011-12. He became the first Pistons player named to the All-Rookie First Team since Grant Hill in 1994-95 (Hill shared NBA Rookie of the Year honors with Kidd that year).

Knight will wear No. 20 for the Mavericks.

Brandon Knight making progress in recovery

 

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You remember guard Brandon Knight. He has talent. He played a few seasons each with the Pistons, Bucks and Suns. As recently as 2015-16, he put up 19.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game for Phoenix. Then got hurt in 2016-17 and hasn’t played since. Now he’s on the Rockets and hasn’t been heard from until pretty much right now, thanks to a big step in his eventual return. Here’s the Houston Chronicle reporting:

Rockets guard Brandon Knight, who has been out since the 2016-17 season when he had knee surgery to repair a torn left ACL, took a major step in his comeback, playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets’ G League affiliate.

Knight, 26, had a follow-up surgery this summer, pushing back his return to the court after he was acquired along with center Marquese Chriss in the trade that sent Ryan Anderson and De’Anthony Melton to the Suns.

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Brandon Knight will miss preseason with injury

A new Rocket who will likely have a big role off the bench will be out at least for preseason, reports the Houston Chronicle:

Rockets guard Brandon Knight, who missed last season with the Suns because of a knee injury, will be out for the preseason and likely beyond.

Acquired along with Marquese Chriss for Ryan Anderson and De’Anthony Melton, Knight was expected to compete for a role as a third point guard behind James Harden and Chris Paul, and could be in the mix to earn a role playing with Harden, Paul or Eric Gordon in small lineups.

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Rockets trade Ryan Anderson and De`Anthony Melton to Suns for Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss

The Houston Rockets have traded forward Ryan Anderson and guard De’Anthony Melton to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for forward Marquese Chriss and guard Brandon Knight.

“We are excited to welcome Ryan Anderson and De’Anthony Melton to Phoenix,” said Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough. “Ryan has established himself as one of the league’s best shooters and we think he’ll be a great fit in our offensive system. De’Anthony is a talented young guard who stood out for us throughout the pre-Draft process and at the NBA Summer League.”

“We’d like to thank Brandon and Marquese for their contributions to the Suns franchise over the past few seasons. We wish them the best of luck as they begin the next chapter of their careers with the Rockets.”

Knight (6-3, 195) was originally the eighth overall pick by Detroit in the 2011 NBA Draft. In six seasons played, he has averaged 15.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Knight also hit at least 100 3-pointers in five of those six seasons.

Over a three-season span from 2013-14 through 2015-16, Knight was one of 11 players to have averaged at least 18.0 points, 5.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.00 steals. James Harden and Chris Paul were two of the other players on that list.

Chriss (6-10, 240) was the eighth overall pick by Sacramento in the 2016 NBA Draft before his rights were acquired by Phoenix. He appeared in all 82 games with 75 starts in 2016-17 and earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors.

In two seasons with the Suns, Chriss averaged 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per game. He joined Kevin Durant and LeBron James as the only players under the age of 21 by February 1st of their second season to have totaled at least 1,300 points, 700 rebounds, 100 blocks, 100 steals, and 100 3-pointers made within their first two seasons.

Anderson, a 6-10, 240-pound forward, is a 10-year NBA veteran who holds career averages of 12.8 points and 5.4 rebounds while making 2.1 three-pointers per game on 38.2 percent shooting from long range. He has played in 622 career games with New Jersey (2008-09), Orlando (2009-2012), New Orleans (2012-2016) and Houston (2016-2018), in addition to 46 career playoff appearances. One of the most productive “stretch fours” in NBA history, Anderson’s 1,315 career three-pointers are the third-most ever by a player 6-10 or taller, trailing only Dirk Nowitzki and Rashard Lewis.

The 2011-12 NBA Most Improved Player Award winner, Anderson is one of just two players to average at least two three-point makes per game in each of the last eight seasons, joined only by Golden State’s Stephen Curry. Last season, the 30-year-old averaged 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds while making 2.0 three-pointers on 38.6 percent three-point shooting in 66 games (50 starts) to help the Rockets to a franchise record 65 wins and a berth in the Western Conference Finals.

Anderson entered the NBA after being selected by New Jersey with the 21st overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. The Sacramento native played two seasons collegiately at the University of California, earning First Team All-Pac-10 honors in 2007-08 after leading the conference with 21.1 points per game.

​Melton, a 6-4, 200-pound guard, was selected by the Rockets with the 46th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. The 20-year-old tied for the lead at NBA Summer League 2018 with 3.0 steals per game, in addition to averaging 16.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He was the only rookie, and one of just three players overall, to average at least 15 points, seven boards and four assists at NBA Summer League 2018. Melton’s best performance came on July 9 against the LA Clippers when he posted 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists while making 5-of-10 three-point attempts.

Melton played one season at the University of Southern California before entering the NBA. As a freshman in 2016-17, he averaged 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.0 blocks while leading the Pac-12 and tying a USC freshman record with 69 steals. Melton became the first freshman in all of Division I basketball to record at least 300 points, 150 rebounds, 100 assists, 60 steals and 35 blocks since Dwyane Wade did so for Marquette in 2001-02.

A native of North Hollywood, California, Melton led Crespi High School in Encino, California to back-to-back state titles in 2015 and 2016.

Brandon Knight has surgery for sports hernia

Brandon Knight has surgery for sports hernia

Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight had surgery yesterday to treat a sports hernia. The surgery was performed by Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia.

In his fifth NBA season and first full season with the Suns, Knight averaged a career-high 19.6 points in addition to 5.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 52 games, one of just 10 players in the NBA to post at least those averages in each of those categories.

Knight has already begun rehabilitation and will return to Phoenix next week.

The 2015-16 NBA regular season ends Wednesday. With a 21-58 record, the Suns were one of the biggest disappointments in the entire league this season and didn’t come close to qualifying for the playoffs.

Suns re-sign Brandon Knight to big contract

Suns re-sign Brandon Knight to big contract

The Phoenix Suns have re-signed guard Brandon Knight to a multi-year contract, the team announced today.

According to multiple reports from earlier in July, it is a five-year, $70 million deal.

“We are delighted to have reached a multi-year agreement with Brandon,” said President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “He will be an integral member of our team on the court and will enhance our culture with his leadership and professionalism.”

Knight appeared in 63 games last season, including 11 games with the Suns after being acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 19, posting 17.0 points per game with his shooting marks of 42.2 percent from the field, 38.9 percent from three-point range and 87.4 percent from the free-throw line each representing career bests. He also averaged career-highs of 5.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals. At just 23 years of age, Knight was the second-youngest qualified player in the NBA to average at least 15 points and five assists in 2014-15 with only Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving being younger.

Finishing in the top-30 on the league leaderboard in scoring average, assists per game, steals per game, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage, Knight joined Golden State’s Stephen Curry, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul and Irving as the only four players to rank in the top-30 in each category in 2014-15. Knight scored 20-plus points on 25 occasions last season, including a season-high 34 points vs. Charlotte on Dec. 23 while with Milwaukee and 28 points in a Suns win at Orlando on March 4.

A four-year NBA veteran, the 6-3 guard with a 6-7 wingspan holds career averages of 15.2 points (41.7 FG%, 36.5 3FG%, 79.6 FT%), 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 32.4 minutes in 276 games (265 starts) with Detroit (2011-13), Milwaukee (2013-15) and the Suns. Knight earned 2011-12 NBA All-Rookie First Team honors following his first season with the Pistons and twice played in the Rising Stars Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend in 2012 and 2013.

Knight was originally selected with eighth overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft by Detroit following one season at the University of Kentucky in 2010-11. While at Kentucky, the South Florida native earned All-SEC Second Team honors after setting school freshman records in scoring and three-point field goals made. Knight was named the NCAA East Region Most Outstanding Player after leading the Wildcats to the Final Four for the first time since 1998, ending the longest Final Four drought in the prestigious program’s history.

The Suns’ roster stands at 13

Milwaukee Bucks exercise contract options on John Henson and Brandon Knight

John Henson

The Milwaukee Bucks have exercised the third-year contract option on John Henson (6-11, 220), and the fourth-year contract option on Brandon Knight (6-3, 189), General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Henson, 22, appeared in 63 games (nine starts) during his rookie season, averaging 6.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest. The 14th overall pick by Milwaukee in last year’s draft, Henson posted eight double-figure rebounding games in his rookie season, including 25 boards against Orlando on April 10 that stood as the high game by a rookie in the NBA last season. Henson added 17 points and seven blocks in that game, becoming the first NBA player with 17+ points, 25+ rebounds and 7+ blocks in a game since Shaquille O’Neal did so during the 2003-04 season. Henson also snared 18 rebounds at Miami on Nov. 21, giving him the top two single-game rebounding totals by a Bucks rookie in the last 25 years.

Knight, 21, joins the Bucks this season after playing his first two years for the Detroit Pistons, where he was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. The third-year guard has started 135 of his 141 career games, with averages of 13.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest. An All-Rookie First Team selection in 2011-12, Knight also participated in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge at both the 2012 and 2013 NBA All-Star Weekends. In four preseason appearance for the Bucks, Knight has posted 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 22.5 minutes per game.

Under the terms of the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement, the first two years of a first round draft pick’s contract are guaranteed, while the third and fourth year of the contract are the team’s option.