Sonics Re-Sign Wingate
The Seattle SuperSonics signed swingman David Wingate, who has played with them the past two seasons, to a one-year contract.
Wingate, 33, will be in his 12th season in the NBA. Last season, he averaged 3.6 points and 1.2 assists in 14 minutes per game. In the playoffs, he averaged 6.4 points, including a career playoff high 19 points in Game 5 against Phoenix.
The Denver Nuggets acquired small forward Eric Williams from the Celtics for two second-round draft choices, a move that apparently signaled Boston’s intention to sign a veteran free agent.
Williams started 67 games for the Celtics last year and averaged 15 points and 4.6 rebounds.
The Celtics, under new coach Rick Pitino, have renounced their rights to or traded away 11 players from last season’s final roster.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Isaiah Rider has pleaded no contest in a California court to a misdemeanor charge of possessing four illegal cellular phones.
Rider was placed on 18 months probation, ordered to serve 100 hours of community service and told to pay up to $3,500 in restitution.
The case was settled in Alameda County, Calif., Wednesday in a plea agreement 14 months after police stopped Rider’s car for illegally tinted windows. The officer also cited Rider for possession of marijuana, but the Alameda County district attorney’s staff only prosecuted him on the cellular phone charge.
Gary Trent of the Trail Blazers pleaded innocent to fourth-degree assault, a charge stemming from a scuffle with an acquaintance who accidentally set off a burglar alarm at the NBA player’s home.
No trial date was set. Trent was not required to attend his arraignment on the misdemeanor charge. His attorney, Robert Weaver, entered the plea.
Theron L. Hall, 31, told police Trent was angry at him for tripping Trent’s home security system, which resulted in a $500 fine for a false alarm.