Tag: Gators in NBA

Former Florida C Colin Castleton signs two-way deal with Grizzlies

Former Florida center Colin Castleton has signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies two weeks after being waived by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Former Florida big man [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] has signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, the team announced on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old played three seasons with the Gators, leaving the program after the 2022-23 season to pursue his NBA career. He spent his rookie year as a two-way player for the Los Angeles Lakers after going undrafted.

Castleton started 23 of 24 games for the South Bay Lakers during the NBA G League Showcase Cup and regular season, averaging a double-double (16.4 points, 10.5 rebounds). He appeared in 16 games during the NBA regular season for the Lakers, contributing 1.5 points over 3.7 minutes per game. Los Angeles waived him on October 19.

“Beginning in the 2017 offseason, NBA rosters expanded from 15 to 17 players with the addition of two spots for players under ‘Two-Way Contracts,'” per the NBA G League site. “NBA teams may have up to three players under NBA Two-Way Contracts who may be active for up to 50 games with their NBA team. Players signed to Two-Way Contracts are paid one salary for their time in both leagues.

“Only players with three or fewer years of NBA service are able to sign Two-Way Contracts, which can be for either one or two seasons.”

Memphis recently signed Jay Huff to a standard NBA contract, opening up the third two-way spot. Castleton gives the Grizzlies some frontcourt depth behind 2024 first-round pick Zach Edey, who is considered a project player. Through five games, Edey is averaging 8.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while playing limited minutes.

Castleton is a similar player to Edey in that he struggled to space the floor but provides solid defense and rebounding. He averaged 2.49 blocks per game at Florida, setting a program record, and put up 1.5 blocks per game in the G League last year. USA TODAY Sports named him the Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.

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Former Gators hoop standout earns big payday with Indiana Pacers

Former Gator Andrew Nembhard has it made in the shade after a spectacular performance in the playoffs for the Pacers.

Former Florida basketball standout [autotag]Andrew Nembhard[/autotag] signed a three-year, $59 million contract extension with the Indiana Pacers that will take him through the 2027-28 season, Todd Ramasar and Jaafar Choufani of Life Sports Agency told ESPN on Wednesday morning.

He agreed to the maximum allowable money available and Indiana will decline his $2.2 team option in 2025-26, allowing the new deal to begin for him next year. The former Gator became eligible to sign the deal on Monday.

Nemhard, who is originally from Canada and attended Montverde Academy in Central Florida, played his first two collegiate seasons with the Orange and Blue before transferring to the Gonzaga Bulldogs in 2020. He spent the next two seasons with the Zags before being picked with the 31st overall pick by the Indiana Pacers in the 2022 NBA draft.

Since joining the NBA, he has averaged 9.3 points while dishing out 4.3 assists and grabbing 2.4 rebounds per game in 26.4 minutes played per regular season game. Appearing in 143 games the past two seasons, Nembhard has started 110 of them, noting that he switched positions from shooting to point guard last year.

The guard had a breakout performance in the 2024 Eastern Conference playoffs, starting all 17 games while averaging 14.9 points and 5.5 assists on 56% shooting in the Pacers’ deep playoff run.

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Former Gators center heads back to Lakers on two-way contract

Colin Castleton will get another taste of NBA action thanks to a two-way contract signed on Saturday.

Former Florida basketball standout [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] is heading back to Los Angeles to join the Lakers on a two-way contract signed Saturday, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.

The 6-foot-11-inch, 250-pound frontcourt player showed signs of potential last year’s summer league. He averaged 14.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.6 blocked shots while shooting 53.8% from the field in 12 regular season games with the G League’s South Bay Lakers.

Castleton also appeared in 16 regular season games with the Lakers after signing his first two-way deal during the 2023-24 campaign, earning 59 minutes of playing time — including a 14-minute outing on Nov. 8 against Houston. The rookie center amassed 24 points on 9 of 16 shooting along with 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Castleton has shown some ability to box out, rebound, score inside and even facilitate from the elbow or high post area. In Los Angeles’ first 2024 summer league game on Saturday, he posted 11 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes.

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Highlights from Al Horford’s first NBA title with the Boston Celtics

Here’s a look at what Al Horford contributed in the Boston Celtics’ 18th NBA championship.

After 17 years of grinding away against the best players in the world, forward/center Al Horford won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics on Monday night.

In doing so, he became the first Dominican-born basketball player to win a ring. Horford is also the tenth UF alumnus to have earned an NBA ring, joining college teammates [autotag]Corey Brewer[/autotag] and [autotag]Udonis Haslem[/autotag] on the list.

Despite his advanced age of 38, the Gator great was a regular contributor to his team’s cause — including an offensive outburst from behind the three-point arc to set a new NBA playoffs record.

Across 19 playoff games, he put up 9.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 blocks in 30.3 minutes per game played.

Gators hoop legend Al Horford earns first career NBA title with Boston Celtics

It took the two-time college champion 17 years to reach the NBA promised land, and it finally happened with the Boston Celtics.

The last member of the Florida Gators’ back-to-back national title-winning men’s basketball team in the NBA finally achieved what he had accomplished twice as a collegian.

After 17 years of grinding away against the best players in the world, forward/center [autotag]Al Horford[/autotag] won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics on Monday night. In doing so, he also became the first Dominican-born basketball player to win a ring.

Horford’s trophy did not come cheap either. Despite his advanced age of 38, the Gator great was a regular contributor to his team’s cause — including an offensive outburst from behind the three-point arc to set a new NBA playoffs record.

During the 2023-24 regular season, Horford averaged 8.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and a block while playing 26.8 minutes per game. Across 19 playoff games, he put up 9.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 blocks in 30.3 minutes per game played.

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Gators hoops legend defies Father Time, sets NBA 3-point record

Al Horford just keeps trucking in the NBA with his 28th birthday right around the corner.

Former Florida Gators standout and two-time college basketball national champion [autotag]Al Horford[/autotag] might be in the twilight of his NBA career but he is far from finished.

The 37-year-old is still producing in his 17th professional season, as demonstrated on Saturday when he dropped 23 points for the Boston Celtics en route to a 114-111 comeback victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. Horford nailed seven of his 12 attempts from beyond the arc, becoming the oldest player to ever drain that many threes in an NBA playoff game.

One of those treys came on an amazing play assisted by Jayson Tatum.

“We always talk about spacing, making sure we’re in the right spots. I trusted that he was going to be there, he trusted that I was going to make the right read,” Tatum said of the connection. “That was a hell of a shot that he made.”

All seven of his three-point makes were critical in the Game 3 victory.

During the regular season stretching over 65 games, Horford averaged four three-point attempts per game while draining 1.7 of them, good for a 41.9% clip. Over the course of 13 playoff games in 2024, he has heaved 75 attempts from downtown, landing 26 of them for a 34.7% average.

“I’ve been very blessed to still be in this position, to be able to play at this type of level, to be part of a team like the Celtics,” Horford said. “I’m really making sure that I’m doing everything I can to contribute to the team. … This position that I’m in right now, it’s pretty unique. I’m very grateful for it.”

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Former Gators standout sinks amazing 31-foot shot for NBA Playoffs win

A heckuva shot from a heckuva player on Friday night.

The Indiana Pacers needed someone to step up on Friday night inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse against the New York Knicks, and one unexpected player made it count when it mattered most.

Former Florida Gators guard [autotag]Andrew Nembhard[/autotag] was the man of the moment, draining a 31-foot three-pointer to break a 106-all tie with the final seconds of the clock ticking away. Trailing in the series 2-0 coming in, the Pacers needed a miracle to stay afloat and 24-year-old out of Montverde Acadamy in Clermont was a vessel for divine intervention.

Indy ended up prevailing over New York, 111–106, following a missed three-point attempt on the ensuing possession and a pair of Aaron Nesmith free throws to seal the deal.

“Huge shot by him, huge shot,” teammate Tyrese Haliburton said of Nembhard’s three-pointer to ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters after the game. “We just dug in and made enough plays at the end, and he made a big shot there.”

Game four of the semifinals will take place on Sunday, May 12, in Indianapolis with a tipoff time slated for 3:30 p.m. ET.

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Former Gator Tre Mann traded at NBA deadline

After three years in Oklahoma City, former Gators guard Tre Mann is headed to Charlotte in a trade deadline deal.

Former Florida guard [autotag]Tre Mann[/autotag] was traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, Feb. 8, just ahead of the 3 p.m. trade deadline.

Oklahoma City is acquiring All-Star forward Gordon Hayward in exchange for Mann, guard Vasilije Micic, forward Davis Bertans and two second-round picks. Mann has the highest upside of the group, but he’ll still have to prove himself to break into the rotation.

The former five-star recruit played two seasons with the Gators from 2019-2021. As a sophomore, he led the team averaging 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. The Thunder took him with the 18th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, and he broke out as a rookie.

Mann started 26 games in 2021-22 and shot 36.0% from three-point range as he averaged 10.4 points a night. That efficiency waned in the 2022-23 season, though. His minutes from 22.8 a night to 17.7, and he finished the season shooting just 31.5% from the distance.

Meanwhile, the Thunder continued to add depth to its guard rotation, forcing Mann out. A trade was the best thing for his career at this point, as Mann was averaging 9.2 minutes per game before being traded.

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Former Florida SG Bradley Beal part of major NBA trade deal

Former Gator Bradley Beal is joining up with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker on the Suns in hopes of bringing home The Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy to Phoenix.

After 11 seasons with the Washington Wizards, former Florida shooting guard [autotag]Bradley Beal[/autotag] is headed out West to play with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in Phoenix, according to ESPN.

Beal signed a five-year extension on his contract with the Wizards last July, which means Phoenix will control him for four years. In return, the Suns are expected to send over a 38-year-old Chris Paul, Landry Shamet and several second-round picks. The Wizards are also moving two additional players in the deal.

Everything isn’t set in stone just yet, but Beal to Phoenix seems fairly locked in. The biggest hurdle right now is finding a third team that wants Paul since the Wizards would likely buy him out. Beal had to waive a no-trade clause to green-light the deal, though, so there shouldn’t be any hold up on his end.

The Suns were already a potent force with Paul, and swapping in Beal should allow the offense to run through Booker or Durant with Deandre Ayton manning the paint.

Beal is turning 30 later this month (June 28), but he averaged 23.2 points on 51% shooting a season ago. He only played 50 games because of injuries, but that’s a large enough sample to pull from. Beal averages 22.1 points per game on his career and was over 30.0 from 2019-21.

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Florida hoops legend Udonis Haslem headed back to NBA Finals

Udonis Haslem is retiring at the end of the season, but the Florida legend is looking to close things out on a high note as the Miami Heat face the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals.

It’s been more than two decades since Udonis Haslem donned the Orange and Blue, but they say “Once a Gator, always a Gator,” right?

Well, the former Gator is making all of Gainesville (and the state of Florida) proud by reaching the NBA Finals for a seventh time with the Miami Heat – the team he’s spent his entire 20-year career with.

Sure, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Jimmy Butler have all been the faces of the various Heat teams, but Haslem is the constant – the glue, if you will – that every late millennial and Gen Z Miami fan has come to adore. He is the longest-tenured player in franchise history after all.

So, what should Heat and Gators fans expect from Haslem in what will be his final series as a member of the NBA? Not a lot. Haslem is a player mentor of sorts now that has played just two minutes throughout the team’s 18 playoff games.

He got his retirement game back in April when he dropped 24 points, which is as a good of a swan song as any.

The book is closing on UD’s career, and boy would it be nice to see him ride off into the sunset with a fourth championship to his name. While he might not be the most talented Gator to ever make it to the pros, Haslem’s legacy will likely never be forgotten in the state of Florida.

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