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Sixers Sign Lester Quinones To Two-Way Deal

September 26th, 2024 at 3:15pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 26, 3:15pm: Quinones has officially signed his two-way deal, the Sixers announced in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 25, 11:41am: Jones has been waived to make room on the roster for Quinones, according to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).

SEPTEMBER 25, 8:46am: The Sixers and free agent guard Lester Quinones have agreed to a two-way contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Quinones, who will turn 24 in November, spent last season with the Warriors. He began the year on a two-way deal and then was promoted to Golden State’s standard roster in February. The 6’5″ guard appeared in a total of 37 NBA games, averaging 4.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 10.6 minutes per contest and posting a shooting line of .397/.364/.690.

Quinones spent more time in the NBA than in the G League last season, but has been an effective contributor for the Santa Cruz Warriors over the past two years, averaging 21.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 3.9 APG on .448/.362/.772 shooting in 65 total Showcase Cup and regular season games for Golden State’s NBAGL affiliate.

The Warriors opted not to tender Quinones a qualifying offer in June, making him an unrestricted free agent. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported in early July that the former Memphis Tiger was on the Sixers’ radar.

Philadelphia doesn’t currently have an open two-way slot, so either Justin Edwards, David Jones, or Jeff Dowtin will have to be waived in order to make room on the roster for Quinones.

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Sixers Officially Sign David Jones To Two-Way Contract

July 22nd, 2024 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Sixers have signed undrafted rookie free agent David Jones to a two-way contract, according to a press release from the team.

Jones, a 6’6″ wing, had a highly productive junior campaign for Memphis in 2023/24, averaging 21.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game on .459/.380/.797 shooting in 32 contests (32.3 MPG). A native of the Dominican Republic, Jones had previous collegiate stops at DePaul and St. John’s before transferring to the Tigers.

Jones’ agreement with Philadelphia was reported shortly after the second round of the draft concluded on June 27. He subsequently suited up for the Sixers’ Summer League teams in both Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, averaging 9.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 1.6 SPG in seven games (18.2 MPG). He had his best performance of the month on Sunday vs. Boston, racking up 23 points, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots.

The 76ers have now officially filled two of their two-way slots, adding Jones and fellow rookie free agent Justin Edwards after they went undrafted. The third slot will reportedly be taken by three-year veteran Jeff Dowtin, who agreed to a two-way deal with Philadelphia on Sunday.

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Sixers To Sign David Jones, Max Fiedler

June 27th, 2024 at 9:30pm CST by Rory Maher

The Sixers are signing Memphis guard David Jones to a two-way contract, sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Philadelphia will also be signing Rice big man Max Fiedler to an Exhibit 10 deal, reports Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress.com (via Twitter).

Both Jones and Fiedler went undrafted in 2024, making them unrestricted free agents.

A 6’6″ wing, Jones had a highly productive junior campaign for the Tigers, averaging 21.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG and 2.2 SPG on .459/.380/.797 shooting in 32 games (32.3 MPG) in 2023/24. A native of the Dominican Republic, Jones was ranked No. 21 on ESPN’s best available list. He had previous collegiate stops at DePaul and St. John’s before transferring to Memphis.

Fiedler, meanwhile, spent all five of his college seasons with the Owls. As a “super senior” last season, he averaged 9.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG and 5.3 APG in 32 games (29.9 MPG).

If Fiedler is released by the 76ers before the ’24/25 season begins and spends at least 60 days with their G League affiliate (the Delaware Blue Coats), he could earn a bonus worth up to nearly $78K.

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Eastern Notes: Cavs, Atkinson, Bulls, Sixers, Knicks, Hawks

June 21st, 2024 at 8:38pm CST by Luke Adams

After previously reporting that James Borrego was viewed as the frontrunner for the Cavaliers‘ head coaching job, Marc Stein says (via Twitter) he heard multiple times on Friday that Kenny Atkinson‘s candidacy for the job is “gaining steam.”

Atkinson was identified early in the Cavs’ search process as the potential frontrunner, but multiple reporters – including Stein and Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com – have said in recent weeks that Borrego appeared to have the edge. Those two former head coaches have been linked to the job most frequently and it certainly seems like one of them will end up being hired, but that’s not a lock. According to Stein, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori also remains in the mix for Cleveland.

If the Cavaliers wrap up their search and make a decision soon, it will have an impact on their division rivals in Detroit. Both Borrego and Nori are expected to interview for the Pistons‘ head coaching vacancy.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

  • The Bulls‘ acquisition of Josh Giddey signals that the team isn’t sold on the idea of a Lonzo Ball comeback, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, who adds that director of player development and shooting coach Peter Patton has an “important project on his hands” in Chicago’s new lead guard, a career 31.0% three-point shooter. In his own look at the trade, Jon Greenberg of The Athletic contends that it’s “inexcusable” for the Bulls to make this kind of deal without acquiring any draft picks.
  • USC guard Isaiah Collier visited the Sixers this week for a pre-draft workout, a source tells Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). Once considered a possible top pick in this year’s draft, Collier has slipped to No. 23 on ESPN’s big board, so he could be available for Philadelphia at No. 16.
  • Yongxi Cui (China), David Jones (Memphis), Spencer Jones (Stanford), Ajay Mitchell (UCSB), and Antonio Reeves (Kentucky) were among the players to work out for the Knicks on Friday, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Bondy adds (via Twitter) that Arizona’s Keshad Johnson worked out for New York earlier this month.
  • The Hawks are hiring Ben Peterson away from the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and will make him their VP of player health and performance, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). Pelissero’s report on Peterson, who was said to be “well-regarded” in San Francisco, has been confirmed by Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).
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Draft Notes: Shannon, Dante, Blazers, Magic, Antoine

June 13th, 2024 at 4:30pm CST by Rory Maher

Illinois guard Terrence Shannon has been found not guilty of all charges at his criminal trial in Kansas, per Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Shannon was facing felony charges of first-degree rape and sexual aggravated battery.

According to Givony, NBA teams have been closely monitoring Shannon’s legal situation. At one point he was a projected first-round pick, Givony notes, but he’s currently ranked No. 33 on ESPN’s big board.

Here are some more draft-related notes:

  • Oregon center N’Faly Dante, who is ranked No. 75 on ESPN’s board, appealed to the NCAA for an extra year of college eligibility, but that request has been denied, sources tell Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link).
  • The Trail Blazers hosted a pre-draft workout on Thursday featuring Colorado forward Tristan Da Silva, Serbian guard Nikola Djurisic, Duke big man Kyle Filipowski, Memphis guard David Jones, Arizona guard Pelle Larsson and Maryland guard Jahmir Young, tweets Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. Portland controls four picks in the upcoming draft: a pair of lottery picks (Nos. 7 and 14) and two second-rounders (Nos. 34 and 40). Da Silva (No. 17 on ESPN’s board) and Filipowski (No. 21) are considered probable first-rounders.
  • The Magic held a pre-draft workout on Wednesday that featured Purdue’s Lance Jones, Syracuse’s Judah Mintz and North Carolina’s Cormac Ryan, according to Cody Taylor of Rookie Wire (Twitter link).
  • Radford guard Bryan Antoine, a McDonald’s All-American in High School, has a workout on Thursday with the Nets, a league source tells Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link). The Knicks will host Antoine for a workout next week, Zagoria adds.
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Pacific Notes: Hurley, Lakers, Kings, Suns

June 13th, 2024 at 1:34pm CST by Rory Maher

Appearing on the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (YouTube link), Dan Hurley said he didn’t use talks with the Lakers as leverage to secure a larger financial commitment from UConn, as Adam Zagoria of NJ.com relays. Hurley reportedly turned down a six-year, $70MM deal from L.A. and will receive about $20MM less in his new contract with the Huskies, which will be announced “soon,” a source told Zagoria.

“This was never a leverage situation for me,” Hurley said Thursday. “I’ve had a contract situation in place for a couple of weeks, and the financial part in terms of salary has been done for a while. There’s some other parts like NIL and staff salaries and some different things that I want adjusted that I’m not comfortable with.

“But the sense or the idea that this was just a conspiracy to get me a sweeter deal at UConn is just lazy and not [true]. It was truly a gut-wrenching decision for me because I was really — Sunday night going into Monday where I had kind of a deadline in my mind — I was like torn and I didn’t know really what I was going to do until I went to bed.”

However, Hurley did suggest the Lakers could have compelled him to leave UConn with a more lucrative offer.

“To leave all that behind, there probably is a number,” Hurley said. “I don’t know what that is.”

J.J. Redick, who was previously viewed as the frontrunner in the Lakers’ head coaching search before Hurley’s surprising emergence, will formally interview for the position this weekend, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Here’s more from the Pacific:

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UConn’s Karaban Among Prospects Withdrawing From NBA Draft

May 29th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After winning a pair of national championships as a starting forward at UConn, Alex Karaban will return to the Huskies for his junior year in search of a third consecutive title, he announced today (via Twitter).

The No. 36 prospect on ESPN’s big board, Karaban had been testing the NBA draft waters but will withdraw his name from the 2024 pool in order to retain his college eligibility. He averaged 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 31.4 minutes per game as a redshirt sophomore and has made 38.9% of his three-point attempts across his two college seasons.

Big man Ugonna Onyenso, who spent his first two college seasons at Kentucky, has also opted to withdraw from the NBA draft, agent Daniel Hazan tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).

Onyenso told Givony last month when he initially declared for the draft that he was “100% focused on the NBA” and wasn’t thinking about “coming back to play college basketball.” However, it appears he changed his mind after getting some feedback from teams during the pre-draft process. The No. 68 player on ESPN’s big board is in the transfer portal and still has to determine where to spend his junior season, Givony notes.

Meanwhile, another player on ESPN’s board (at No. 52), Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II has decided to keep his name in the draft and forgo his final year of college eligibility, as he announced on Instagram.

The Atlantic 10’s Defensive Player of the Year and co-Player of the Year in 2023/24, Holmes averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.1 blocks in 32.5 minutes per game for the Flyers, posting an impressive shooting line of .544/.386/.713 in 33 games (all starts).

Here are more of today’s draft decisions from early entrants ahead of the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline:

Withdrawing from the draft:

  • Swingman Chibuzo Agbo will transfer from Boise State to USC for his super-senior season (Twitter link via Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports).
  • Northwestern swingman Brooks Barnhizer will return to school for his senior season (Twitter link via Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68).
  • Guard Johnell Davis will transfer from Florida Atlantic to Kansas for his super-senior season (Twitter link via Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN).
  • Guard Garwey Dual will return to school for his sophomore season. He played at Providence last season but is in the transfer portal now (Twitter link via Givony).
  • St. Joseph’s forward Rasheer Fleming will return to school for his junior season (Twitter link via Rothstein).
  • Clemson guard Chase Hunter will return to school for his super-senior season (Instagram link).
  • Forward Arthur Kaluma will return to school for his senior season. He played at Kansas State last season but is in the transfer portal now (Twitter link via Jeff Borzello of ESPN).
  • Forward Baba Miller will transfer from Florida State to Florida Atlantic for his junior season (Twitter link via Givony).
  • Southern Idaho center Shahid Muhammad will return to school for his junior season (Twitter link via Rothstein).
  • UIC swingman Toby Okani will return to school for his super-senior season (Twitter link via Goodman).

Remaining in the draft:

  • Memphis senior forward David Jones will stay in the draft and forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility (Twitter link via Givony).
  • Bowling Green State sophomore guard JZ Zaher will stay in the draft and forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility (Twitter link via Rothstein).
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NBA Announces 78 Invitees For 2024 Draft Combine

May 3rd, 2024 at 5:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced today (via Twitter) that 78 prospects have been invited to attend this year’s draft combine, which will take place in Chicago from May 12-19.

In addition to those 78 players, a handful of standout players from the G League Elite Camp, which is also held in Chicago just before the combine begins, are expected to receive invites to stick around for the main event.

Not all of the prospects invited to the combine will end up remaining in the 2024 draft pool, since some are early entrants who are testing the waters while retaining their NCAA eligibility. College players must withdraw from the draft by the end of the day on May 29 if they wish to preserve that eligibility, while non-college players face a decision deadline of June 16. The feedback they receive from NBA teams at the combine may be a deciding factor for players who are on the fence.

Here’s the list of players who have been invited to the 2024 draft combine:

(Note: For players in international leagues, the country listed is where they had been playing, not necessarily where they’re from.)

  1. Michael Ajayi, F, Pepperdine (junior)
  2. Melvin Ajinca, G/F, France (born 2004)
  3. Trey Alexander, G, Creighton (junior)
  4. Izan Almansa, F, G League Ignite (born 2005)
  5. Reece Beekman, G, Virginia (senior)
  6. Adem Bona, F/C, UCLA (sophomore)
  7. Trevon Brazile, F, Arkansas (sophomore)
  8. Jalen Bridges, F, Baylor (senior)
  9. Matas Buzelis, F, G League Ignite (born 2004)
  10. Carlton Carrington, G, Pitt (freshman)
  11. Devin Carter, G, Providence (junior)
  12. Stephon Castle, G, UConn (freshman)
  13. Ulrich Chomche, C, NBA Academy Africa (born 2005)
  14. Cam Christie, G, Minnesota (freshman)
  15. Nique Clifford, G, Colorado State (senior)
  16. Donovan Clingan, C, UConn (sophomore)
  17. Isaiah Collier, G, USC (freshman)
  18. Tristan Da Silva, F, Colorado (senior)
  19. Pacome Dadiet, G/F, Germany (born 2005)
  20. N’Faly Dante, C, Oregon (super-senior)
  21. Rob Dillingham, G, Kentucky (freshman)
  22. Nikola Djurisic, G/F, Serbia (born 2004)
  23. Ryan Dunn, F, Virginia (sophomore)
  24. Zach Edey, C, Purdue (senior)
  25. Justin Edwards, G/F, Kentucky (freshman)
  26. Kyle Filipowski, F/C, Duke (sophomore)
  27. Trentyn Flowers, G/F, Australia (born 2005)
  28. Johnny Furphy, G/F, Kansas (freshman)
  29. Kyshawn George, G/F, Miami (FL) (freshman)
  30. Tyon Grant-Foster, G, Grand Canyon (senior)
  31. PJ Hall, C, Clemson (senior)
  32. Coleman Hawkins, F, Illinois (senior)
  33. Ron Holland, F, G League Ignite (born 2005)
  34. DaRon Holmes II, F, Dayton (junior)
  35. Ariel Hukporti, C, Germany (born 2002)
  36. Oso Ighodaro, F, Marquette (senior)
  37. Harrison Ingram, F, UNC (junior)
  38. Bronny James, G, USC (freshman)
  39. A.J. Johnson, G, Australia (born 2004)
  40. Keshad Johnson, F, Arizona (super-senior)
  41. David Jones, F, Memphis (senior)
  42. Dillon Jones, F, Weber State (senior)
  43. Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton (senior)
    • Note: Kalkbrenner indicated this week that he intends to return to school, so it’s unclear if he’ll continue to go through the pre-draft process.
  44. Alex Karaban, F, UConn (sophomore)
  45. Bobi Klintman, F, Australia (born 2003)
  46. Dalton Knecht, G, Tennessee (super-senior)
  47. Tyler Kolek, G, Marquette (senior)
  48. Pelle Larsson, G, Arizona (senior)
  49. Jared McCain, G, Duke (freshman)
  50. Kevin McCullar, G, Kansas (super-senior)
  51. Yves Missi, C, Baylor (freshman)
  52. Ajay Mitchell, G, UC Santa Barbara (junior)
  53. Jonathan Mogbo, F/C, San Francisco (senior)
  54. Tristen Newton, G, UConn (super-senior)
  55. Juan Nunez, G, Germany (born 2004)
  56. Quinten Post, F/C, Boston College (super-senior)
  57. Antonio Reeves, G, Kentucky (super-senior)
  58. Zaccharie Risacher, F, France (born 2005)
  59. Jaxson Robinson, G/F, BYU (senior)
  60. Tidjane Salaun, F, France (born 2005)
  61. Hunter Sallis, G, Wake Forest (junior)
  62. Payton Sandfort, G/F, Iowa (junior)
  63. Alexandre Sarr, F/C, Australia (born 2005)
  64. Baylor Scheierman, G/F, Creighton (super-senior)
  65. Mark Sears, G, Alabama (senior)
  66. Terrence Shannon, G, Illinois (super-senior)
  67. Jamal Shead, G, Houston (senior)
  68. Reed Sheppard, G, Kentucky (freshman)
  69. KJ Simpson, G, Colorado (junior)
  70. Tyler Smith, F, G League Ignite (born 2004)
  71. Cam Spencer, G, UConn (super-senior)
  72. Nikola Topic, G, Serbia (born 2005)
  73. JT Toppin, F, New Mexico (freshman)
  74. Jaylon Tyson, G, California (junior)
  75. Ja’Kobe Walter, G, Baylor (freshman)
  76. Kel’el Ware, C, Indiana (sophomore)
  77. Jamir Watkins, G/F, Florida State (junior)
  78. Cody Williams, F, Colorado (freshman)

It’s worth noting that the NBA and the NBPA agreed to a few combine-related changes in their latest Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here are a few of those changes:

  • A player who is invited to the draft combine and declines to attend without an excused absence will be ineligible to be drafted. He would become eligible the following year by attending the combine. There will be exceptions made for a player whose FIBA season is ongoing, who is injured, or who is dealing with a family matter (such as a tragedy or the birth of a child).
  • Players who attend the draft combine will be required to undergo physical exams, share medical history, participate in strength, agility, and performance testing, take part in shooting drills, receive anthropometric measurements, and conduct interviews with teams and the media. Scrimmages won’t be mandatory.
  • Medical results from the combine will be distributed to select teams based on where the player is projected to be drafted. Only teams drafting in the top 10 would get access to medical info for the projected No. 1 pick; teams in the top 15 would receive medical info for players in the 2-6 range, while teams in the top 25 would get access to info for the players in the 7-10 range.

Regarding that last point, Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link) has the details on the top 10 played out this year, noting that the composite ranking was generated based on a combination of publicly available rankings and feedback from a panel of experts, as well as a retained-scouting service.

Sarr is considered the No. 1 overall prospect, per Givony, so only teams drafting in the top 10 will get access to his medicals. Buzelis, Castle, Clingan, Risacher, and Topic are in the 2-6 range, while Dillingham, Holland, Knecht, and Sheppard round out the top 10.

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Draft Notes: Ingram, Bridges, Jones, Kamardine, More

April 23rd, 2024 at 12:06pm CST by Luke Adams

UNC forward Harrison Ingram, who spent his junior year with the Tar Heels after two seasons at Stanford, has declared for the 2024 NBA draft, he announced on Twitter.

According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link), while Ingram plans on keeping his name in the draft pool and going pro, he’s maintaining his remaining college eligibility for now. Ingram also tested the draft waters in 2022, participating in the combine that year before withdrawing and returning to school.

[RELATED: 2024 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]

Back in 2022, Ingram barely crack the top 75 on ESPN’s big board of draft prospects, but he currently ranks 34th, making him a good bet to selected in June if he decides to forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility.

The North Carolina standout posted career highs of 12.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game in 2023/24. He also boosted his shooting percentages to 43.0% from the field and 38.5% on three-pointers.

Here are a few more draft-related updates:

  • Baylor forward Jalen Bridges, the No. 56 prospect on ESPN’s board, announced on Instagram that he has decided to enter the 2024 draft. Bridges’ announcement didn’t mention anything about retaining his final year of college eligibility, so it sounds like he plans to go pro. Bridges spent three years at West Virginia and the last two at Baylor, but would still be eligible for a super-senior season because he was a redshirt freshman and then received an extra year of eligibility due to COVID.
  • Memphis senior forward David Jones will enter the 2024 NBA draft pool while maintaining his final year of NCAA eligibility, he announced on Instagram. A member of the All-AAC first team in 2023/24, Jones averaged 21.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.2 steals in 32.3 minutes per game across 32 starts, with a shooting line of .459/.380/.797.
  • French guard Ilias Kamardine is entering the draft, according to an announcement from agent Herman Manakyan of Fusion Sports (Twitter link). Kamardine, 20, has been playing for Vichy-Clermont in France’s Pro B league and was named the MVP of the FIBA U20 European Championship in 2023.
  • New Mexico freshman forward JT Toppin will test the NBA draft waters this spring, a source tells Rothstein (Twitter link). In his first college season, Toppin averaged 12.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 26.6 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .623/.344/.565.
  • Arizona guard KJ Lewis will test the draft waters following his freshman season, he announced on Twitter. Lewis came off the bench for the Wildcats in 36 games in 2023/24, averaging 6.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.9 APG.
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