2021 | Hoops Rumors

Magic Sign Devin Cannady, Cut Jeremiah Tilmon

October 12th, 2021 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have signed free agent guard Devin Cannady, waiving center Jeremiah Tilmon in order to clear room on their 20-man roster, the team announced today in a press release. While details weren’t disclosed, it figures to be a non-guaranteed camp contract for Cannady.

Undrafted in 2019, Cannady has spent most of his first two professional seasons in the G League. After playing for the Long Island Nets as a rookie, he joined the Magic for training camp in December, then suited up for Orlando’s G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic, during the 2020/21 “bubble” season.

Cannady’s regular season numbers in 13 games (25.8 MPG) for Lakeland were relatively modest, as he averaged 11.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 2.7 APG. However, the 24-year-old knocked down 40% of his three-point attempts and played a key part in the Magic’s postseason run, scoring 22 points in the team’s NBAGL championship win to earn Finals MVP honors.

That performance earned Cannady a 10-day deal with Orlando and then a two-way contract with the team. However, his season came to an early end in April when he suffered a significant ankle injury and underwent surgery.

It’s unclear when Cannady will be back to 100%, but – like Tilmon – he’s probably not in the mix for a spot on the Magic’s regular season roster at this point anyway. Orlando likely signed him in order to ensure he receives an Exhibit 10 bonus for returning to Lakeland.

The Magic have a full 20-man preseason roster, with 15 players on guaranteed contracts, four on non-guaranteed deals, and one on a two-way pact.

Lakers Sign Sekou Doumbouya To Two-Way Deal

October 12th, 2021 at 3:38pm CST by Luke Adams

3:38pm: The Lakers have officially signed Doumbouya to a two-way contract, the team confirmed today (via Twitter).

2:03pm: The Lakers are making progress toward signing free agent forward Sekou Doumbouya to a two-way contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Doumbouya, 20, was the 15th overall pick in the 2019 draft and spent the first two years of his NBA career in Detroit. However, he struggled to score efficiently during his time with the Pistons, averaging 5.6 PPG and 2.8 RPG on .384/.254/.691 shooting in 94 games (17.3 MPG).

The Pistons sent Doumbouya to the Nets in their DeAndre Jordan trade last month, and the young forward was subsequently flipped to the Rockets, who waived him last Thursday. Because Doumbouya only has two years of NBA service under his belt, he remains eligible for a two-way deal.

The Lakers, meanwhile, filled both their two-way slots early in the offseason when they signed undrafted free agents Austin Reaves and Joel Ayayi. However, Reaves has since been promoted to a standard contract, opening up a two-way slot. Camp invitees Mac McClung and Chaundee Brown had been viewed as candidates for that spot, but it appears L.A. will go outside of the organization to fill it.

Western Notes: Wade, Jazz, Kings, Winslow, Suns, Thunder

October 12th, 2021 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Dwyane Wade‘s son Zaire Wade is signing an NBA G League contract and is expected to land with the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s NBAGL affiliate, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Dwyane is, of course, a part-owner of the Jazz.

The Jazz could secure Zaire’s G League rights for Salt Lake City by signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract and making him an affiliate player. But if the team doesn’t go that route and the younger Wade signs a general G League contract, the Stars would likely select him in the NBAGL draft on October 23.

Here’s more from around the West:

John Hollinger of The Athletic liked the Kings‘ offseason on the whole, but questioned the team’s decision to trade Delon Wright for Tristan Thompson, then sign Alex Len and retain Damian Jones. All three big men figure to be backups, with Richaun Holmes starting at the five.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, who said on Monday that he has been impressed by Justise Winslow‘s passing ability, confirmed that he views the former lottery pick as an option at point guard, per Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. “I know he played a little point guard in Miami and with our point guard situation, with Jason (Preston) going down, he’ll be playing a little backup point,” Lue said. “He been playing the four, he’s been playing the five. … so we just gotta keep learning the plays, different positions and I think he’s gonna be really good for us.”
While it may be a matter of semantics, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) stresses that extension discussions between the Suns and Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges are ongoing, not stalled. In other words, one or both of Ayton and Bridges could still end up signing a new contract before the October 18 deadline, even if no agreement is imminent yet.
The Thunder continue to experiment with different lineups, according to Nick Gallo of OKCThunder.com, who notes that the team used 35 different five-man units in its first two preseason games. “With the lineups, the way that we try to look at it is that every player has their own individual style of play, and the lineups are just a merging of those things,” head coach Mark Daigneault said.

Knicks Sign Myles Powell, Waive Tyler Hall

October 12th, 2021 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have made a pair of minor roster moves, announcing in a press release that they’ve waived guard Tyler Hall and replaced him with guard Myles Powell.

Both players were members of the Westchester Knicks, New York’s G League affiliate, last season and appear likely to return to the team in 2021/22. By signing them to non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts, the Knicks can give Hall and Powell bonuses worth up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days in the G League.

Powell, a 6’2″ guard who went undrafted out of Seton Hall in 2020, averaged 17.8 PPG, 3.8 APG, and 3.4 RPG in 13 games (28.1 MPG) for Westchester during the abridged 2020/21 season, posting an impressive shooting line of .448/.446/.818.

Hall, 24, went undrafted out of Montana State in 2019 and has spent the first two seasons of his professional career as a rotation player for Westchester. In 53 total games at the NBAGL level, the 6’5″ guard has averaged 9.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 2.0 APG on .421/.411/.742 shooting in 26.1 minutes per contest. He also played for New York’s Summer League team in August.

Lakers Notes: Davis, Westbrook, Bazemore, Cap

October 12th, 2021 at 1:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers are considered to be one of the favorites in the West after trading for Russell Westbrook and adding a collection of veteran talent, but they haven’t looked like contenders so far, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. L.A. dropped to 0-4 in the preseason with Sunday’s 29-point loss to the Suns, and Anthony Davis admitted that having so many new players creates adjustment issues that could linger into the start of the regular season.

“We want to be good, but we don’t want to skip steps. You can’t rush the process of what we’re trying to do and win championships,” he said. “We know, possibly, there could be struggles to start the season. … But we never want to get out to a slow start — 0-5, 0-6, whatever — we still want to be able to fight through our mistakes while winning games.”

The Lakers will get their first look tonight at Davis, Westbrook and LeBron James all on the court at the same time, one week before their season opener. Westbrook has struggled in his new surroundings, shooting 1-for-7 Friday in his debut, then following that with an eight-point, nine-turnover performance against Phoenix, but he’s not concerned.

“I never had one good preseason, I mean personally,” he said. “I never really worry about it because it’s preseason.”

There’s more from Los Angeles:

The Lakers are getting the defensive boost they expected from free agent addition Kent Bazemore, per Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. At 6’4″, Bazemore brings versatility on defense and regularly matches up in practice with both James and Westbrook. “I really think Baze has separated himself some,” coach Frank Vogel said. “His wingspan and athleticism have been more impressive up close, in that regard.”
The Lakers’ 2021/22 roster is the most top-heavy group John Hollinger of The Athletic can remember seeing since Miami put together its initial “big three” in 2010. As Hollinger observes, the Lakers’ three stars will make more than $120MM on their own this season, while nine other players on the roster are on minimum-salary contracts.
Within Hollinger’s preview of the Lakers’ season, he also recaps the team’s offseason moves, examines Westbrook’s potential fit, and shares his regular season projection for the club. Hollinger has L.A. finishing with 52 wins, good for third in the West.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Cavaliers Waive Mfiondu Kabengele, Brodric Thomas

October 12th, 2021 at 12:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers have trimmed their roster by waiving center Mfiondu Kabengele and guard Brodric Thomas, the team announced in a press release.

Kabengele signed a pair of 10-day deals with Cleveland in April before inking a contract for the remainder of the season. He appeared in 16 games, averaging 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per night. He also played 23 games for the Clippers last season.

Thomas signed a two-way contract with the Cavs in late February and appeared in 32 games, putting up 4.1 PPG and 1.8 RPG. After exploring free agency, he accepted his qualifying offer last month, which was the equivalent of another two-way deal with a $50K guarantee. Thomas played four games for the Rockets last season before coming to Cleveland and spent time in the G League as well.

The moves bring the Cavaliers down to 18 players on the roster, with 11 guaranteed contracts. The team now has a pair of open two-way slots.

Terance Mann Signs Two-Year Extension With Clippers

October 12th, 2021 at 12:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers have signed guard Terance Mann to a two-year contract extension worth $22MM, according to Marc Spears of ESPN.

Under the agreement, Mann’s $1.9MM option for 2022/23 becomes fully guaranteed and he will make $10.576MM in 2023/24 and $11.423MM in 2024/25, tweets Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. A second-round pick in 2019, Mann will earn $1.782MM this season.

The 24-year-old swingman is coming off a productive second season in L.A., averaging 7.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 67 games. He took a major step forward in the playoffs after Kawhi Leonard was injured, including a 39-point performance in a close-out win over the Jazz in the second round.

“It is with tremendous honor and pride that I sign this extension with the Clippers,” Mann said. “The faith and commitment in my development and contribution thus far will provide me the motivation I need as I continue to be a pivotal part of our championship run. I want to thank the front office for this opportunity to remain a part of the Clipper Nation. I would also like to thank my coaches and teammates for believing me and allowing me to grow both on and off the court.”

If Mann hadn’t signed an extension, the Clippers would’ve faced a difficult decision on his team option next summer, since exercising it would’ve put him on track for unrestricted free agency in 2023 — turning it down would’ve allowed the team to negotiate with him as a restricted free agent, but would’ve meant he received a significant pay increase one year earlier.

As a result of the extension agreement, L.A. will get Mann at a bargain rate for an extra year and won’t have to worry about holding off rival suitors in 2023.

Kings Waive Matt Coleman III, DJ Steward

October 12th, 2021 at 11:43am CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings have waived guards Matt Coleman III and DJ Steward, the team announced in a press release.

Both players signed training camp deals with Sacramento in late July after going undrafted. They faced long odds to earn a roster spot and will likely wind up with the team’s G League affiliate in Stockton.

Coleman, who played four years at Texas, got into all three of the Kings’ preseason games, but didn’t score and averaged just 4.1 minutes per night. Steward, who spent one season at Duke, only appeared in Monday’s preseason contest, scoring two points in 3.5 minutes.

Sacramento is now down to 18 players in camp, with 14 guaranteed contracts.

And-Ones: Li. Ball, Restricted Free Agency, 2022 Draft, Floyd

October 12th, 2021 at 11:16am CST by Luke Adams

LiAngelo Ball, the brother of NBA guards LaMelo Ball and Lonzo Ball, is signing a G League contract and will enter the October 23 NBAGL draft, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

LiAngelo played for the Hornets in the Las Vegas Summer League, and Charania suggests he’s a candidate to be selected by the Greensboro Swarm – Charlotte’s G League affiliate – in the NBAGL draft. However, if the Hornets were prioritizing Ball for a spot on their G League squad, they’d likely sign him to an Exhibit 10 contract in order to make him an affiliate player.

As John Hollinger of The Athletic tweets, the G League draft isn’t expected to be packed with talent, so Ball has a good chance of coming off the board in the top 10 or 20 picks.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz of ESPN (Insider link) have updated their top-100 list for the 2022 NBA draft. Within the article, Schmitz identifies French center Ismael Kamagate as the international prospect who is “making the most noise” early in the season. Kamagate is the No. 36 player on ESPN’s 2022 big board.
In an interesting piece for HoopsHype, Michael Scotto spoke with a handful of agents and team executives about how restricted free agency works behind the scenes. One agent suggested that restricted free agency is “not really free agency,” since rival teams are so reluctant to sign players to offer sheets that tie up cap space for several days at the start of the league year and may just end up being matched.
The Bucks (No. 2), Heat (No. 5), Suns (No. 6), Warriors (No. 7), and Hawks (No. 11) are among the biggest risers in ESPN’s latest installment of “future” power rankings from Kevin Pelton, Bobby Marks, Andre’ Snellings, and Tim Bontemps (Insider link). For a second consecutive year, the Nets rank first and the Cavaliers are dead-last on ESPN’s list, which is essentially designed to be power rankings that cover the next three seasons.
Free agent guard Jordan Floyd, who was on the Lakers’ Summer League roster, is signing with Kolossos H Hotels in Greece on a deal that includes an NBA out, a source told our JD Shaw (Twitter link).

Hawks Sign Ibi Watson To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 12th, 2021 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 12: Nearly two-and-a-half months after the two sides reached an agreement, the Hawks have officially signed Watson to his Exhibit 10 contract, the club announced today in a press release.

JULY 30: The Hawks have agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with undrafted Dayton shooting guard Ibi Watson, a league source tells our JD Shaw (Twitter link).

Watson, who began his college career at Michigan, transferred to Dayton in advance of his junior year after not seeing much action in two years with the Wolverines. He emerged as a full-time starter for the Flyers as a senior in 2020/21, averaging 15.7 PPG and 4.1 RPG with a .467/.416/.757 shooting line in 24 games (37.1 MPG).

Watson, who will play for the Hawks at the Las Vegas Summer League, can officially sign his contract once the new league year begins next week.

An Exhibit 10 deal can eventually be converted to a standard NBA contract or a two-way pact. It can also put a player on track to join his team’s G League affiliate if he doesn’t make the NBA roster.

Year: 2024