Two former basketball stars from the Iowa Hawkeyes just signed new NBA deals. Luka Garza signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Joe Wieskamp re-signed with the San Antonio Spurs.
Garza played 32 games with the Detroit Pistons last season, averaging 5.8 points with 44.9% field goal shooting and 3.1 rebounds per game. The former Naismith Trophy winner averaged 20.6 points on 51.8% shooting and 9.5 rebounds per game at the Pistons’ G-League affiliate Motor City Cruise. However, he was released from Detroit after last season and spent that summer with the Portland Trail Blazers Summer League team.
While the terms of the agreements have not been made public, Garza signed alongside striker CJ Elleby with the Timberwolves on Tuesday. Garza was originally drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 2021 NBA draft ranked 52nd overall.
Meanwhile, Wieskamp re-signs with Spurs. San Antonio hasn’t released the terms of the contract, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports the deal is a two-year, $4.4 million deal.
Wieskamp averaged 2.1 points on 35.7% field goal shooting and 32.6% 3-point shooting in 7.1 minutes per game during his rookie season with San Antonio. He also appeared in 28 games for the Austin Spurs, where he averaged 15.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.11 steals in 32.4 minutes in the NBA G League.
Wieskamp was acquired from San Antonio with the No. 41 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft after averaging 13.2 points per game on 41.2% 3-point shooting during his career with the Hawkeyes.
Of course, Keegan Murray has also impressed this summer. Murray became MVP of the NBA 2K23 Summer League and caused social media to rage. All of this came as no surprise to his former head coach, Fran McCaffery.
“They knew exactly what they were getting and loved him from the start. Not just in terms of his character and overall skillset, but I think he fits in with the other guys on the team, which is what coach (Mike) Brown wants to do.
“I’m happy for him in every way. I am enthusiastic about the organization. I think it’s safe to say that we consider this team a playoff team. As you know, it’s not easy in the west, but I think the composition of this team is really impressive. I was equally impressed today with Jordi’s training, the things they did, the intensity with which they went about everything and the way the young people picked up on the things they were trying to do. I can’t think of a better fit for Keegan Murray,” McCaffery said of Murray’s Summer League play last July.
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