Latest news with #KesslerEdwards
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nuggets reach deal with recent Mavericks forward
The post Nuggets reach deal with recent Mavericks forward appeared first on ClutchPoints. After spending the 2024-25 NBA season with the Dallas Mavericks, 25-year-old forward Kessler Edwards has agreed to a training camp contract with the Denver Nuggets. This deal was first reported by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Last season, Edwards played 40 games, averaging 4.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game. He shot 49.6 percent from the floor and 40.7 percent from 3-point range, both of which were the best averages of his young career. Edwards was drafted 44th overall in 2021 by the Brooklyn Nets and spent the first two seasons of his career in New York City. He was then a member of the Sacramento Kings before spending the entire 2024-25 season with Dallas. This has been an eventful offseason for the Nuggets. Aside from trading Michael Porter Jr. and a future first-round pick to the Nets for Cam Johnson, the Nuggets also revamped their roster with the addition of veterans like Jonas Valanciunas, Bruce Brown, and Tim Hardaway Jr. DaRon Holmes II, Denver's first-round pick from the 2024 NBA Draft, will also be making his debut this year after suffering an Achilles injury at the start of Summer League last season. The organization remains very high on the recent first-round pick as an impactful talent in the frontcourt next to three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets currently have 14 players under contract, which is why they will take a look at Edwards and see if he can fit in during training camp. All three of the team's two-way roster spots are currently occupied by Curtis Jones, Tamar Bates, and Spencer Jones. Although he has bounced around between three different teams, Edwards has always been viewed as a potential 3-and-D type of player on the wing given his versatility. Denver is always seeking more depth on the wing and reliable, defensive-minded players who can provide extra production behind Aaron Gordon at the power forward position. Perhaps Edwards will turn out to be a diamond in the rough for the Nuggets during training camp, as his Exhibit 10 contract can easily turn into a standard, one-year deal. The Nuggets went 50-32 last season, marking the first time this franchise has won at least 50 games in three consecutive seasons since they achieved this feat in four years from 2008-11. Ultimately, Denver was unable to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games during their Western Conference semifinal series.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
NBA Trade News: Denver Nuggets Sign $578,577 Dallas Mavericks Rookie to Bolster Wing Depth and Improve Championship Odds
Kessler Edwards (Image via Getty) The Denver Nuggets have made a strategic offseason move by signing forward Kessler Edwards , a versatile two-way player who most recently played for the Dallas Mavericks . League sources confirmed the deal, signaling the Nuggets' continued focus on improving roster depth and perimeter defense ahead of the 2024–25 NBA season. Kessler Edwards' NBA Journey Kessler Edwards, 25, entered the league as the 44th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Pepperdine University, selected by the Brooklyn Nets . Known for his 'three-and-D' skill set, Edwards has earned a reputation for solid defense, efficient shooting, and the ability to guard multiple positions. His NBA career includes stints with the Nets, Sacramento Kings, and most recently, the Mavericks, as well as valuable development time in the G League. Breakthrough Season With the Dallas Mavericks — MikeAScotto (@MikeAScotto) The Mavericks signed Edwards to a two-way contract for the 2024–25 season, but injuries to key players gave him extended minutes. Edwards appeared in 40 games - starting 18 - and posted: • 4.2 points • 2.9 rebounds • 1.1 assists • 15.2 minutes per game He shot an impressive 49.6% from the field, 40.7% from three, and 92.3% from the free-throw line, while adding 0.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. His versatility even saw him fill in as a small-ball center, a testament to his adaptability and defensive awareness. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like What is an insulated prefabricated house and how much does it cost? (View) Prefabricated Homes View Deals Undo Why the Denver Nuggets Targeted Kessler Edwards Versatility on Defense At 6'8', Edwards fits the Denver Nuggets ' defensive philosophy of switchable wings who can guard multiple positions. Reliable Perimeter Shooting Denver values spacing for its offense, and Edwards' three-point accuracy makes him a perfect complement to Nikola Jokic's playmaking. Low-Risk, High-Reward Contract Edwards joins on an Exhibit 10 training camp deal, giving him a chance to compete for Denver's final roster spot without major financial commitment. Could Kessler Be the Nuggets' Next Hidden Gem? The Nuggets have a track record of developing overlooked players into playoff contributors - names like Bruce Brown and Christian Braun prove it. If Edwards maintains his shooting consistency and brings high-energy defense, he could be Denver's next breakout role player. Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers Predicted to Land 6-foot-7 NBA Champion to Form Big 3 with Luka and LeBron What's Next for Edwards and the Denver Nuggets? Kessler Edwards will compete in Denver Nuggets training camp for a rotation spot. If successful, his shooting and defensive skill set could be valuable in Denver's pursuit of another NBA championship. For fans tracking NBA offseason moves, this is one signing that could quietly pay big dividends for the defending contenders. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
New York Times
10-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Luka Dončić's April 9 return the only drama left in disastrous Mavericks season
DALLAS — During stoppages in play of Sunday's game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns, a fan wearing a jersey of another team kept standing up. A bespectacled man in a Luka Dončić Los Angeles Lakers jersey stuck out in the sea of navy and gray at American Airlines Center. His visibleness was a reminder of what little drama still remains in this Mavericks season. On April 9, Dončić visits Dallas for the first time since the February trade. Advertisement While Dončić attempts to lead the Lakers to a deep postseason run this spring, the Mavericks are trending toward being back in the draft lottery. The Mavericks are still in a position to qualify for the Play-In Tournament after their 125-116 home loss to the Suns, but any realistic chance they had of making postseason noise went away when Kyrie Irving tore the ACL in his left knee on March 3. The Mavericks (32-33) have lost five games in a row and seven of their last eight. Their lead over the Suns for 10th place in the Western Conference has shrunk to 1 1/2 games, and their injury problems are only getting worse. In the third quarter of Sunday's game, Kessler Edwards and Dwight Powell collided while going for a loose ball. Both players needed stitches. Ouch… Dwight Powell and Kessler Edwards collide getting the rebound — Cage (@ridiculouscage) March 9, 2025 'Never seen this,' coach Jason Kidd said. 'Never been in a game where we couldn't take someone out to rest him because we didn't have someone to put in.' Two years ago, the Mavericks decided that their best course of action in the final days of a disappointing season was to tank. At the risk of losing their top-10 protected first-round pick to the Chicago Bulls, the Mavericks played Dončić 13 minutes and sat Irving and other regulars in their penultimate game. The NBA fined them $750,000. The reward was worth it. Dallas wound up with the No. 10 pick, which it used as compensation to acquire Dereck Lively II. This spring, the Mavericks' best path forward is to once again play for ping-pong balls. They're currently positioned to enter the May 12 draft lottery at the No. 13 slot, which would give them a 4.8 percent chance of leaping into the top four. The No. 12 slot would up the chances of getting into the top four to 7.1 percent. The No. 11 slot would increase those odds to 9.4 percent. Advertisement The Mavericks last picked in the top five in 2018. That year, they swung a draft-night deal for Dončić. One of Dončić's most memorable performances as a member of the Mavericks came in Game 7 of the 2022 Western Conference semifinals. He scored 35 points and went at Devin Booker so harshly that Dončić's trolling became a meme. 👀 — NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 16, 2022 Booker is the last Suns player who remains from that 2021-22 Phoenix team. He was asked Sunday what it felt like to face Dallas without Dončić. 'You can feel it,' Booker said to reporters on Sunday. 'You can feel it when you land. The vibes are low right now, but hopefully they can look back and once everybody gets healthy … (the fans) still root on their team and root for their city.' Before the All-Star break, there was palpable anger inside the American Airlines Center about the Dončić trade. The mood inside the building lately has felt more like resignation. The trade was deflating, and injuries have made it so that the Mavericks are putting a husk of a team on the floor every night. Even Brandon Williams, a two-way guard who scored 31 points on Friday, was forced to leave Sunday's game early with hamstring tightness. Kidd said the team could have as few as seven healthy players — 'eight at the most,' he added — for Monday's road game against the San Antonio Spurs. The Mavericks swapped Dončić for Anthony Davis with the idea of playing bigger than anyone else. They got to see a semblance of what that looked like for 2 1/2 quarters on Feb. 8 before Davis went down with a left adductor strain. The Mavericks said in a statement Thursday that Davis has been cleared for 'more dynamic on-court movements,' but they didn't put a timetable on his return. Dallas should be in no rush to get Davis back on the floor. With Irving fresh off a season-ending knee injury, the Mavericks should feel no pressure to strain for wins this season. The only drama remaining for the Mavericks at this point is how the crowd reacts when Dončić returns to Dallas. Everything else in this disastrous and injury-cursed season is irrelevant now. (Photo of Spencer Dinwiddie, Dante Exum and Klay Thompson: Jerome Miron / Imagn Images)
