Denver Nuggets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Thunder Sign Jack White To Two-Year Deal

July 20th, 2023 at 5:21pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 20: The Thunder have announced in a press statement that the team has officially signed White. Oklahoma City waived veteran forward Rudy Gay to open up a roster spot.

JULY 1: The Thunder are signing free agent forward Jack White to a two-year contract, agent Sammy Wloszczowski tells Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link).

White had been a restricted free agent after being issued a qualifying offer by the Nuggets. Based on Charania’s wording, it sounds like the Thunder are confident they won’t face resistance on the deal, whether that means Denver won’t match an offer sheet or the Nuggets are dropping the QO, making White unrestricted.

A 6’7″ forward out of Australia, White played four college seasons at Duke from 2016-20 but didn’t have a significant role. He had a bigger opportunity playing for Melbourne United of the NBL, which he used to garner NBA attention.

White played for Denver’s Summer League team last year and impressed, earning a two-way contract from the Nuggets. While he only made 17 appearances for 66 minutes in 2022/23 as a rookie for the reigning champions, he’ll get his ring and now lands a standard contract with OKC.

The 25-year-old had a strong showing for the Grand Rapids Gold (Denver’s G League affiliate) in the ’22/23 regular season, averaging 19.5 PPG, 8.9 RPG and 0.9 SPG on a .544/.409/.737 shooting line in 15 games (31.3 MPG). He was even more efficient during the fall Showcase cup, averaging 17.2 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.0 BPG and 0.9 SPG on .600/.500/.818 shooting in 12 games (32.5 MPG).

Davon Reed Signs With Ukrainian Team

July 20th, 2023 at 3:29pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent wing Davon Reed has signed with Prometey BC, the team announced on Instagram (hat tip to Dario Skerletic of Sportando). Former Hornets forward Arnoldas Kulboka will also be joining the Ukrainian club, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (Twitter link).

The 32nd pick of the 2017 draft out of Miami, Reed spend his rookie season with the Suns, who released him prior to the 2018/19 season. He caught on with the Pacers on a two-way deal before spending the next couple seasons in the G League and playing international ball in Taiwan.

Reed returned to the NBA in ’21/22 on a two-way deal with the Nuggets, having a solid season as a 3-and-D bench member, averaging 4.4 PPG and 2.3 RPG on .503/.430/.667 shooting in 48 games (13.9 MPG). Last summer, he signed a two-year contract for the veteran’s minimum to return to Denver, but only the first year was guaranteed.

The 28-year-old saw his minutes reduced in ’22/23 with the additions of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown and Christian Braun, as Reed averaged just 9.0 MPG in 35 games for the Nuggets. He was sent to the Lakers at the February trade deadline, and was subsequently waived on the last day of the regular season.

According to Prometey BC, Nuggets players insisted that Reed be given a championship ring after Denver won its first title last month. The Ukrainian side also said Reed drew EuroLeague interest this summer, but no deals came to fruition due to his lack of experience in Europe.

Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, Prometey BC, also known as Prometey Slobozhanske, spent last season playing in the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League, which will continue in ’23/24. The team finished first in its group during the ’22/23 EuroCup competition, ultimately losing in the semifinal.

Kulboka, another former second-round pick who has spent most of his career in Europe, appeared in two games with Charlotte in ’21/22 on a two-way deal. The Hornets didn’t give him a qualifying offer last summer, making him an unrestricted free agent, and he signed a one-year deal with Greece’s Promitheas Patras.

The Lithuanian guard/forward averaged 14.9 PPG and 6.0 RPG on .453/.426/.800 shooting in 18 EuroCup games last season.

Nuggets Sign Andrew Funk, Armaan Franklin To Exhibit 10 Deals

July 18th, 2023 at 8:41pm CST by Luke Adams

8:41pm: The Nuggets have signed both players to training camp contracts, according to a team press release.

10:37am: The Nuggets have reached contract agreements with a pair of undrafted free agents, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post, who reports (via Twitter) that rookie shooting guards Andrew Funk and Armaan Franklin will sign Exhibit 10 deals with the team.

Funk spent four years at Bucknell before transferring to Penn State for his final college season. He averaged 12.5 PPG and shot 41.2% on three-pointers as a “super-senior” in 2022/23. Of his 351 total field goal attempts, 272 came from beyond the arc.

Franklin spent two years at Indiana and then two at Virginia before forgoing his final season of NCAA eligibility. In 2022/23, he averaged 12.4 PPG and 4.1 RPG with a .373 3PT% in 33 games (29.5 MPG). His Exhibit 10 agreement with the Nuggets was first reported shortly after the draft.

Both Funk and Franklin played for Denver’s Summer League team in Las Vegas this month. Although neither had a significant role, the Nuggets apparently liked what they saw enough to add the duo to their training camp roster.

The Nuggets will have 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts and three on two-way deals once they complete their reported signings, so there probably won’t be room for Funk or Franklin on the regular season roster.

Funk and Franklin may end up becoming affiliate players for Denver’s G League team, the Grand Rapids Gold. Their Exhibit 10 agreements would make them eligible for bonuses worth up to $75K as affiliate players.

Tyson Lights It Up At Summer League

July 18th, 2023 at 5:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Second-round pick Hunter Tyson was a standout for the Nuggets in the Summer League, Matt Schubert of the Denver Post writes. Tyson averaged 20.8 points in five games and made half of his 3-point attempts. He also averaged 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists.

Nuggets Sign Braxton Key On Two-Way Deal

July 18th, 2023 at 3:43pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 18: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

JULY 13: The Nuggets are signing combo forward Braxton Key on a two-way contract, his Excel Sports agents Anthony Coleman and Max Lipsett tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Prior to this agreement, Key had been turning heads as an athletic finisher and defender for the Mavericks’ Summer League team.

Since going undrafted out of Virginia in 2020, the 6’8″ high flyer has bounced around a bit between the G League and the NBA proper. He also enjoyed a brief stint with a club in a Puerto Rican league earlier this year.

Key has served two separate stints on the Sixers’ NBAGL affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, in addition to suiting up for two contests with Philadelphia proper on a 10-day contract. He also inked 10-day and two-way deals with the Pistons during the 2021/22 season. He has cumulatively appeared in 14 total NBA games to date.

That said, he has been racking up accolades in the G League of late. With the Blue Coats in 2022/23, Key averaged 13.7 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.7 SPG and 1.2 BPG with a .523/.402/.638 shooting line en route to a a G League title with Delaware last season. Key was also named to the All-NBA G League Second Team and the NBA G League All-Defensive Team while with the Blue Coats in 2021/22.

Denver extended point guard Collin Gillespie, a two-way player last season, a qualifying offer earlier this summer, making him a restricted free agent. With Key forthcoming, the reigning champs will still have two other two-way vacancies available, with Gillesepie a prime candidate to occupy one of those slots.

Jay Huff Signs Two-Way Deal With Nuggets

July 18th, 2023 at 3:41pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 18: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

JULY 16: Free agent center Jay Huff has agreed to sign a two-way deal with the Nuggets, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

This will mark the third two-way contract for Huff, a 7’1″ big man out of Virginia. The 2019 NCAA champion first joined the Lakers on a two-way agreement in 2021/22, and most recently was a two-way player for the Wizards in 2022/23.

Huff has spent most of his pro time with the G League affiliates of those clubs, having appeared in a grand total of just 11 NBA games. In those contests, he’s posted averages of 4.6 PPG on .536/.429/.938 shooting splits, along with 2.3 RPG and 1.0 APG.

Across 28 total regular season appearances split between the Lakers’ NBAGL team, the South Bay Lakers, and then eventually the Wizards’ affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, Huff posted averages of 15.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.9 BPG and 1.3 SPG in 2022/23.

For his efforts last season, he was named the NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year, as well as an All-NBA G League First Teamer and an NBA G League All-Defensive Teamer.

Most recently, Huff has been playing for the Rockets’ Summer League club.

The Nuggets also recently agreed to a two-way deal with forward Braxton Key, and have a two-way qualifying offer on the table for guard Collin Gillespie.

Nuggets Re-Sign Collin Gillespie On Two-Way Deal

July 17th, 2023 at 5:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets have retained Collin Gillespie on a two-way deal, according to the NBA’s transactions log.

Gillespie suffered a lower left leg fracture last summer but still received a two-way contract and remained on Denver’s roster despite the injury. The Nuggets extended him a qualifying offer last month, making him a restricted free agent.

An undrafted guard out of Villanova, Gillespie averaged 15.6 PPG for the Wildcats in his final college season, shooting 41.5% from three-point range. Gillespie averaged 11.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.3 APG and 1.5 SPG in four Summer League contests last year before sustaining the injury.

He saw action in four Summer League games this month, averaging 7.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.4 steals in 29.7 minutes per game.

With Gillespie back in the fold, the Nuggets have filled their three two-way spots. Forward Braxton Key and center Jay Huff will reportedly take the other two spots, though those transactions aren’t yet official.

Rockets’ Cam Whitmore Named Summer League MVP

July 17th, 2023 at 2:46pm CST by Rory Maher

Rockets forward Cam Whitmore has been named the Las Vegas Summer League Most Valuable Player, the NBA announced (via Twitter).

The NBA also announced its All-Summer League First and Second Teams, which are as follows (Twitter links):

First Team

Keyonte George, Jazz (Backcourt)
Sam Merrill, Cavaliers (Backcourt)
Orlando Robinson, Heat (Frontcourt)
Hunter Tyson, Nuggets (Frontcourt)
Cam Whitmore, Rockets (Frontcourt)

Second Team

Max Christie, Lakers (Backcourt)
Javon Freeman-Liberty, Bulls (Backcourt)
Xavier Moon, Clippers (Backcourt)
Emoni Bates, Cavaliers (Frontcourt)
Jabari Smith, Rockets (Frontcourt)
Jalen Wilson, Nets (Frontcourt)

According to the NBA (Twitter link), Christie and Moon received the same amount of votes, which is why there is an additional backcourt player on the second team.

Whitmore, a projected lottery pick in last month’s draft who fell to Houston at No. 20, averaged 20.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.2 APG and 3.0 SPG on .465/.293/.625 shooting in his five Vegas Summer League games, per NBA.com.

Houston faces Cleveland at 8 p.m. CT tonight in the Summer League championship game. Both teams are undefeated, holding identical 5-0 records.

Scotto’s Latest: Suns, Pacers, Knicks, Wright, Hornets, More

July 15th, 2023 at 2:32pm CST by Rory Maher

The Suns, Pacers and Knicks recently had exploratory trade talks on a deal that would have sent Cameron Payne to New York, T.J. McConnell to Phoenix, and Evan Fournier and draft picks to Indiana, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Other iterations of the deal included Jordan Nwora, according to Scotto, though it’s unclear where the Pacers forward would have ended up in that framework.

However, the talks on the three-team trade have stalled, Scotto reports. Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports was first to report the Suns and Pacers discussed a deal involving Payne and McConnell, and suggested the Knicks may have been involved as well.

Here’s more from Scotto’s latest article for HoopsHype:

League sources tell Scotto that the Hornets are on the hunt for a backup point guard after Dennis Smith Jr. signed with the Nets in free agency. As Scotto previously reported, Charlotte had interest in Aaron Holiday, but he wound up signing with the Rockets. According to Scotto, one player on Charlotte’s radar is Wizards guard Delon Wright, who will make $8.2MM next season in the final year of his contract. The Wizards traded for Tyus Jones and Jordan Poole, and Wright was signed by the previous front office regime. The 31-year-old has already seen his name pop up in a few other trade rumors this offseason.
Scotto recently spoke to a handful of second-round picks at Summer League about their goals entering their rookie seasons. Those players are Nuggets guard Jalen Pickett, Celtics forward Jordan Walsh, and Mouhamed Gueye and Seth Lundy of the Hawks. Walsh, the No. 38 pick of the 2023 draft, has high expectations for himself, he told Scotto. “If I get a chance to play with these guys and help the team, I want to be on the All-Defensive First or Second Team or Defensive Player of the Year,” Walsh said. “My goals are defensively oriented and winning a championship, which is No. 1. If I’m able to accomplish any of those things, I’d feel my rookie year went pretty well.”
In case you missed it, we passed along some Raptors rumors and free agent rumors from Scotto as well.

And-Ones: Team Canada, Ownership Stakes, Cap Room, Giles

July 15th, 2023 at 9:20am CST by Luke Adams

While a Team USA roster led by Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Brandon Ingram, and Mikal Bridges will enter the 2023 World Cup as the frontrunner next month, Team Canada’s initial 18-man group features some real star power.

The extended roster, announced this week by Canada Basketball, is headlined by Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder forward Luguentz Dort, Knicks forward RJ Barrett, and Rockets forward Dillon Brooks.

It also features five other players currently on NBA rosters: veteran big men Dwight Powell (Mavericks) and Kelly Olynyk (Jazz), guards Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Timberwolves) and Cory Joseph (Warriors), and forward Oshae Brissett (Celtics). Purdue’s star center Zach Edey is on the roster too.

Team Canada will have to make a few cuts to get down to 12 players for the World Cup, and it’s possible some of the more notable names will drop out in order to focus on the NBA season. However, league sources tell Joe Vardon of The Athletic that Murray has reaffirmed his commitment to the team despite a lengthy postseason run with the Nuggets this spring.

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

The minimum stake that someone can own in an NBA franchise has been lowered, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, who says a minority shareholder can now control as little as 0.5% of a team, down from 1%.
A total of eight teams operated below the cap this offseason, having entered the league year with $277MM in combined cap room, per Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype. As Gozlan outlines, over half of that league-wide cap space was used to accommodate trades or contract negotiations rather than free agent signings.
Sean Cunningham of FOX40 in Sacramento (video link) caught up with free agent big man Harry Giles to talk about the 25-year-old’s efforts to make it back into the NBA, as well as the new rule related to two-way contracts that will unofficially be named after him.