Grizzlies re-sign Luke Kennard

The Memphis Grizzlies recently re-signed wing Luke Kennard.

Kennard (6-5, 206) has appeared in 63 games (25 starts) and has averaged 11.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 25.2 minutes while shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 48.3 percent from 3-point range and 90.6 percent from the free throw line since he was acquired by the Grizzlies from the LA Clippers on Feb. 9, 2023.

The 28-year-old has shot 43.9 percent from 3-point range over his seven-year career, which leads all active NBA players and ranks third in NBA history among qualifiers. He led the NBA in 3-point percentage during the 2021-22 season (44.9) and 2022-23 season (49.4), becoming the second player ever to lead the league in consecutive seasons, and ranked second in the category during the 2023-24 season (45.0).

Selected by Detroit with the 12th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft following his sophomore year at Duke, Kennard has appeared in 395 games (110 starts) and has averaged 10.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 23.5 minutes for the Grizzlies, Clippers and Pistons. The Ohio native also has competed in 24 playoff games (two starts) and has averaged 7.5 points and 2.1 rebounds in 19.1 minutes while shooting 46.3 percent from long range.

2022 NBA All-Star Weekend: 3-Point Contest participants

NBA All-Stars Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls, Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks headline the 2022 NBA 3-Point Contest, which will take place on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

The eight-player field for the two-round, timed shooting competition also features guard CJ McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers (though he will reportedly soon be traded to the New Orleans Pelicans), guard Desmond Bane of the Memphis Grizzlies, guard Luke Kennard of the LA Clippers and guard Patty Mills of the Brooklyn Nets.

Clippers sign Luke Kennard to contract extension

The LA Clippers have signed guard Luke Kennard to a multi-year contract extension.

Per the Los Angeles Times, Kennard’s extension is “a four-year contract extension worth up to $64 million, according to a person with knowledge of the deal not authorized to speak publicly.”

According to the Times, “the deal includes $56 million guaranteed, along with $8 million in bonuses, and was reached before Monday’s deadline for extensions to be signed, which comes one day before the team’s season opener against the Lakers. It will keep Kennard, 24, from becoming a restricted free agent next summer.”

“We are excited to secure a commitment from a dynamic, emerging young player who continues to grow every day,” said Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank. “We have been impressed with Luke’s versatility and maturity, and it’s been a privilege to get to know him better during this training camp. We believe he is a fantastic fit for our organization and we are delighted he feels the same.”

“Today is a great day. I couldn’t be more excited to play for the LA Clippers, and am thankful for Steve Ballmer, my teammates, and the entire Clippers organization for giving me the opportunity to be part of this world-class franchise,” said Kennard. “I am inspired by Steve’s unwavering commitment to winning and look forward to contributing to the team’s success on the court.”

Kennard, 24, appeared in 28 games for the Detroit Pistons last season and averaged a career-high 15.8 points, 4.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds. Acquired as part of a three-team deal on Nov. 19, Kennard ranked second on the Pistons last season in free throw percentage (.893), third in points and 3P% (.399) and fourth in assists. The 6-foot-5 guard was selected by the Pistons as the 12th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and holds career averages of 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 164 career games.

The Franklin, Ohio native spent two collegiate seasons at Duke University, averaging 15.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists. During his sophomore season at Duke in 2016-17, Kennard was named second team All-American and first team All-ACC, a John R. Wooden Award Finalist and the ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Three-team NBA trade sends Landry Shamet and Bruce Brown to Nets, Luke Kennard to Clippers, Saddiq Bey to Pistons

The Brooklyn Nets have acquired guard Landry Shamet and the draft rights to forward Reggie Perry, the 57th overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft, from the Los Angeles Clippers and guard Bruce Brown from the Detroit Pistons in a three-team trade.

The Nets traded the draft rights to Saddiq Bey, the 19th overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft, guard Dzanan Musa, the draft rights to guard Jaylen Hands and Toronto’s 2021 second round draft pick to Detroit, and the draft rights to guard/forward Jay Scrubb, the 55th overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft, to the Clippers.

To complete the deal, the Pistons traded forward Luke Kennard, center Justin Patton, Portland’s 2023 second round draft pick and Detroit’s second round draft picks in 2024, 2025 and 2026 to the Clippers. And the Clippers dealt guard Rodney McGruder and cash considerations to the Pistons.

Shamet (6’4”, 190) has appeared in 132 games (57 starts) across two seasons with Philadelphia (2018-19) and the Clippers (2019-20), recording averages of 9.2 points on 42.0 percent shooting from the field and 40.2 percent from 3-point range, 1.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 24.7 minutes per game. In the 2019-20 season, the Kansas City, Mo., native saw action in 53 games (30 starts), averaging 9.3 points on 40.4 percent shooting from the field and 37.5 percent from 3-point range, 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 27.4 minutes per contest. As a rookie, Shamet split the season between the Sixers and Clippers, registering averages of 9.1 points on 43.1 percent shooting from the field and 42.2 percent from distance, 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 22.8 minutes per game in 79 games (27 starts) en route to NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors. Shamet was originally selected with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft by Philadelphia after spending three years (2015-18) at Wichita State, where he earned All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team honors in 2017, All-American Athletic Conference First Team honors in 2018 and honorable mention All-America honors from the Associated Press in 2018.

Brown (6’4”, 202) has seen action in 132 games (99 starts) in the past two seasons with the Pistons, registering averages of 6.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 23.4 minutes per game. As a rookie in the 2018-19 season, Brown registered averages of 4.3 points on 39.8 percent shooting from the field and 25.8 percent from 3-point range, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 19.6 minutes per game across 74 games (56 starts). In the 2019-20 campaign, Brown appeared in 58 games (43 starts) and improved his statistics across the board, averaging 8.9 points on 44.3 percent shooting from the field and 34.4 percent from 3-point range, 4.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 28.2 minutes per contest. The 24-year-old Boston native was originally selected with the 42nd overall pick in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft by Detroit after spending two years (2016-18) at the University of Miami.

Perry (6’10”, 250) played two collegiate seasons (2018-20) at Mississippi State, recording averages of 13.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 27.3 minutes per contest in 65 games (49 starts). As a sophomore last season, Perry appeared in 31 games (all starts) and averaged 17.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 31.1 minutes per game en route to earning consensus All-SEC First Team honors from coaches and media and being named the SEC’s Co-Player of the Year by the Associated Press. The Thomasville, Ga., native also earned All-SEC Freshman Team honors for his play during the 2018-19 season, when he averaged 9.7 points and 7.2 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game in 34 contests (18 starts). In addition to his time with the Bulldogs, Perry competed on USA Basketball’s team in the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup, where he won a gold medal, was named Most Valuable Player and was selected to the All-Tournament Team.

Musa appeared in 49 games in two seasons with the Nets, posting averages of 4.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game. In 40 games during the 2019-20 campaign, Musa recorded averages of 4.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 12.2 minutes per contest. A native of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Musa was originally selected with the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft by Brooklyn.

Bey, 6-8, 215, was taken with the 19th selection of the 2020 NBA Draft after playing for Villanova for two seasons. Bey finished his sophomore campaign with averages of 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 33.9 minutes through 31 games. He shot .477 from the floor and .451 from distance a season ago, marking the fourth-highest 3-point shooting percentage in the nation. Bey finished with a .418 clip from 3-point range for his collegiate career. He was named a 2019-20 Honorable Mention AP All-American and unanimous All-Big East First Team selection. He was a Top-15 finalist for the 2019-20 John Wooden Award and was the winner of the 2019-20 Julius Erving Award, recognizing the nation’s top small forward. The Charlotte, N.C. native was also selected to the 2018-19 Big East All-Freshman team.

Hands, 6-3, 180, played for the Long Island Nets in the NBA G League in 2019-20. He averaged 11.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 22.6 minutes in 41 games. Hands was drafted 56th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft by the L.A. Clippers and played two seasons at UCLA from 2017-19.

McGruder, 6-4, 205, played for the L.A. Clippers in 2019-20 after spending three years with the Miami Heat. McGruder holds career averages of 5.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 218 NBA games (116 starts). The Kansas State product has played in nine NBA Playoff games in two playoff appearances, one with each of his former teams.

Detroit Pistons holding minicamp

A number of teams that weren’t involved with the league restart at the Disney NBA bubble are currently holding minicamps of their own, each in their own individual location. Here’s the Detroit News on it:

By every stretch of Dwane Casey’s imagination, his team’s workouts during phase 2 of in-market minicamp, has been a rousing success.

But the biggest positive for the Detroit Pistons head coach has been what he’s getting out of 24-year-old shooting guard Luke Kennard, who’s taking part in his first basketball activities since Dec. 21, when the former first-round pick was sidelined with bilateral knee tendonitis.

“He’s healthy, he’s playing well, his body looks good, and that’s been another bright spot,” Casey told reporters on Saturday. “I really like what I see out of Luke.” …

The Pistons have not been together for organized scrimmages and full practices since their season ended on March 11.

The biggest areas of focus for the Pistons this offseason will of course be the draft and free agency, but also the health of Blake Griffin, who is coming off of a season-ending knee injury and reportedly not participating in the minicamp. Word is that Griffin is now healthy. For the Pistons, that could mean trying to trade the 31-year-old power forward, who is signed for several more seasons to a team that is clearly rebuilding and not about to be competitive anytime soon.

Pistons guard Luke Kennard out with knee injury

In yet another indication of how a rough Pistons season is going, shooting guard Luke Kennard will miss the next two weeks with bilateral knee tendinitis.

Kennard will begin a treatment regimen and be re-evaluated for a return to action on January 7.

The Pistons are 11-20 this season, which is the 11th best record in the Eastern conference. Kennard this season is scoring 15.8 points per game, which tied him with Blake Griffin for the team’s third-leading scorer. The guard has started 25 ofhis 28 games played.

Pistons sign Luke Kennard to his rookie contract

Pistons sign Luke Kennard to his rookie contract

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has signed guard Luke Kennard to his rookie contract.

Kennard, 6-6, 206, was selected 12th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft from Duke. He averaged 15.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 31.2 minutes during his two-year career as a Blue Devil. As a sophomore at Duke last season, Kennard averaged 19.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 31.2 minutes in 37 games. A consensus Second Team All-American as a sophomore, Kennard led Duke in scoring (19.5 ppg), while shooting 43.8% from beyond the arc. A final-five candidate for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year award and a member of the John R. Wooden Award All-America Team, he was named the MVP of the 2017 ACC Tournament, averaging 20.0 points and 5.3 rebounds, helping Duke to the ACC Tournament Championship. During his sophomore year, he ranked second in the ACC in scoring (19.5), three-point field goal percentage (43.8%), fourth in free throw percentage (85.6%), seventh in three-pointers per game (2.38) and eighth in field goal percentage (48.9).

A native of Middletown, OH, Kennard averaged 11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 26.7 minutes in 36 games as a freshman. His three 20-point games as a freshman were the most by a Duke freshman and he ranked seventh among ACC freshmen in scoring (11.8 ppg).