OKLAHOMA CITY, Oct. 30, 2016 – The Oklahoma City Blue added six players on Sunday by selecting guard Charles Mann and forward Karrington Ward in the 2016 NBA D-League Draft, acquiring forward Xavier Henry and center Amir Williams along with the returning player rights to guards Bryce Cotton and Will Cummings through three separate trades, the team announced today.
The Blue acquired forward Xavier Henry from the Santa Cruz Warriors in exchange for guard Alexander Hamilton, who the Blue selected with the third overall pick in the 2016 NBA D-League Draft. Oklahoma City obtained the returning player rights to guard Bryce Cotton from the Austin Toros in exchange for guard Anthony Beane, selected by Oklahoma City in the second round (26th overall) of the 2016 NBA D-League Draft.
Oklahoma City took guard Charles Mann with 31st overall pick and forward Karrington Ward was selected with the 69th pick.
Additionally, the Blue acquired a 2017 first round pick, the returning player rights to guard Will Cummings along with center Amir Williams from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in exchange for guard J.P. Tokoto and a 2017th sixth round draft pick.
Henry (6-6, 220) appeared in nine games with the Santa Cruz Warriors last season, averaging 15.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per game. The Oklahoma City native owns NBA career averages of 5.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 15.7 minutes in 185 games (23 starts) with Memphis, New Orleans and L.A. Lakers.
Cotton (6-1, 165) played in six games (all starts) with Austin last season, averaging 19.3 points on 52.1 percent shooting from the field (37-of-71) including 48.4 percent (15-of-31) from long distance, 4.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.17 steals in 32.9 minutes per game. The guard has appeared in 23 NBA contests with Utah, Memphis and Phoenix, averaging 3.8 points in 8.6 minutes per game.
Mann (6-5, 215) played in 132 games during a four-year career at the University of Georgia, where he averaged 10.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 27.6 minutes per contest. The guard finished his Bulldog career ranked 13th on the school’s all-time scoring list (1,411 points) and broke the Georgia records for both free throws made (618) and attempted (896).
Ward (6-5, 189) spent the 2015-16 season with the Erie BayHawks, appearing in six games. He played two years at Eastern Michigan University where as a senior, he averaged 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds en route to being named All-MAC Honorable Mention.
Cummings (6-2, 175) appeared in 49 games (all starts) with the Vipers during the 2015-16 season, averaging 20.5 points (11th in NBADL), 4.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.88 steals in 36.3 minutes per game. The guard was named a 2016 Western Conference D-League All-Star, recording 11 points, five assists, two rebounds and 22 minutes in that game.
Williams (6-11, 249) played in 38 games (12 starts) with Rio Grande Valley last season, averaging 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per game. The center enjoyed a four-year collegiate career at Ohio State and owns career averages of 4.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.40 blocks and 16.8 minutes in 134 games (89 starts).
Oklahoma City opens the 2016-17 NBA D-League season on Nov. 11th at the Cox Convention Center against the Maine Red Claws. For more information, visit OklahomaCityBlue.com.
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