Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Waive Tosan Evbuomwan

October 16th, 2024 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have waived second-year forward Tosan Evbuomwan, reports Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link).

Evbuomwan had been on a two-way contract, so his release leaves Detroit with a pair of two-way openings. Daniss Jenkins is the only two-way player left on the roster.

After going undrafted out of Princeton in 2023, Evbuomwan spent his rookie season primarily with the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s G League affiliate, though he signed 10-day contracts with the Grizzlies and Pistons midway through the year and then earned a two-way deal from the Pistons in February. That deal covered two seasons and kept him under contract with Detroit until now.

A 6’8″ forward, Evbuomwan averaged 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in 21.6 minutes per game in 17 total NBA appearances (eight starts) with Memphis and Detroit, posting a shooting line of .507/.375/.680. In 34 G League outings with the Cruise, he put up averages of 15.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 3.8 APG on .554/.361/.754 shooting in 34.2 MPG.

The roster move suggests the Pistons may plan on converting one or two of their Exhibit 10 camp invitees to two-way contracts. Tolu Smith, Javante McCoy, Dereon Seabron, and Aaron Estrada are the candidates — Lamar Stevens is also in camp on an Exhibit 10 deal, but isn’t two-way eligible due to his four years of NBA service.

Detroit could also look outside the organization to fill one or both of those two-way openings.

Kings Trade Jalen McDaniels, Second-Round Pick To Spurs

October 16th, 2024 at 7:09am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 16, 7:09am: The Spurs and Kings officially completed their trade on Tuesday, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

As outlined below, the deal sent McDaniels, cash, and the Kings’ unprotected 2031 second-round pick to San Antonio in exchange for the Bulls’ top-55 protected 2025 second-round pick. Sacramento also created a $4.74MM trade exception.

The Spurs, who cut Isaiah Miller in order to complete the trade, also intend to waive McDaniels but haven’t officially done so yet.

OCTOBER 14, 5:15pm: The Kings are sending their 2031 second-round pick to San Antonio along with McDaniels and cash, Charania writes in his full story at ESPN.com.

The Spurs will send Sacramento the Bulls’ top-55 protected 2025 second-rounder, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. If it lands in the top 55, which is highly likely, San Antonio will keep the pick.

OCTOBER 14, 3:02pm: The Kings and Spurs have agreed to a trade that will send forward Jalen McDaniels and a second-round pick to San Antonio, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links).

It’s a salary-dump deal for Sacramento, while San Antonio will take on McDaniels’ $4.74MM expiring contract in order to acquire that second-round draft pick. According to Charania, the Spurs intend to waive McDaniels after the trade is official, so his salary will remain on their cap as dead money for the rest of 2024/25.

The 52nd overall pick in the 2019 draft, McDaniels showed some promise during the first four years of his career, which he spent primarily in Charlotte. His height (6’9″), wingspan (7’0″), and athleticism made him a versatile piece on defense, and he displayed a little outside shooting ability, making 34.2% of his three-point tries with the Hornets. The Sixers traded for him at the 2023 trade deadline.

However, McDaniels’ production and playing time cratered last season in Toronto after he signed a two-year, $9.26MM contract with the Raptors. He was sent to Sacramento in another Kings salary dump at the start of the 2024 offseason — in that trade, the Kings sent Sasha Vezenkov and Davion Mitchell to the Raptors, trimming over $8MM in salary by moving off two players who were each due salaries over $6MM.

The Kings still had financial constraints entering the preseason though, with a total team salary of about $169.7MM for 14 players. That gave them just over $1MM in breathing room below the luxury tax line, making it impossible to open the season with a full 15-man roster while staying out of tax territory. They also have some players who have unlikely incentives in their contracts, so their team salary could rise higher if those bonuses are earned.

Last month, when we identified five teams who could make cost-cutting moves, we mentioned the Kings, singling out McDaniels as a trade candidate, given his contract situation and his place on the team’s depth chart. At the time, we suggested it would likely take a second-round pick to move off his deal, which turned out to be the case.

Once the trade is official, the Kings will be carrying 13 players on standard contracts (11 fully guaranteed) and will have enough spending room below the tax line to fill out their 15-man regular season roster with minimum-salary players. Of course, they could still choose to open the season with fewer than 15 players in order to maximize their flexibility, if they so choose.

Sacramento will also create a trade exception worth McDaniels’ $4.74MM salary.

For their part, the Spurs can comfortably take on McDaniels’ contract using a portion of their $8MM room exception, so no outgoing matching salary is required. The Spurs have one of the lowest team salaries in the NBA and will still have plenty of room below the tax line after eating that contract.

For their troubles, they’ll add another second-round pick to their growing collection of draft assets. The incoming pick from the Kings will be unprotected, while the Spurs will send back a heavily protected future second-rounder to make the trade legal, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.

San Antonio has a full 21-man roster, so a player will have to be waived in order to make room for McDaniels — one of the Spurs’ camp invitees on an Exhibit 10 deal figures to be the roster casualty.

Grizzlies Convert Scotty Pippen Jr. To Four-Year Contract

October 15th, 2024 at 6:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

6:37pm: Pippen Jr. has officially signed his new contract, the team’s PR department tweets.

5:02pm: The Grizzlies are promoting Scotty Pippen Jr. from his two-way contract to their standard roster and signing him to a new four-year deal, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

Pippen appeared in 21 games for the injury-ravaged Grizzlies last season, including 16 starts, and averaged 12.9 points, 4.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals. He continued to play well in Summer League games, averaging 21.5 PPG, 8.7 APG and 5.0 RPG in six Las Vegas contests.

Pippen has the inside track at backing up Ja Morant if the club doesn’t acquire another point guard. Heading into camp, Pippen and Derrick Rose were the main candidates for that spot, but that changed quickly when Rose announced his retirement.

Pippen, 23, went undrafted in 2022. He signed a two-way deal with the Lakers that year and spent most of his time in the G League while appearing in six NBA contests. The Lakers waived him during training camp last October and he signed with the Grizzlies on that two-way contract in mid-January.

The Grizzlies will still have an open spot on their projected 15-man regular season roster, though they don’t necessarily need to add another player for opening night.

Pacers Sign, Cut Jahlil Okafor; Kendall Brown Also Waived

October 15th, 2024 at 4:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers have signed veteran big man Jahlil Okafor to an Exhibit 10 contract and subsequently waived him, according to a team press release. The team has also cut Kendall Brown.

Okafor was the third pick of the 2015 draft and began his career in Philadelphia but never quite lived up to his draft status. The 28-year-old has been out of the NBA since the 2020/21 season, when he appeared in 27 games with Detroit. He was traded to Brooklyn that summer and later signed with Atlanta, but wasn’t able to win a roster spot with either team.

Okafor resumed his basketball career overseas, playing in China and Spain before signing with a Puerto Rican team in February. He also spent time in the G League and was among the players selected by Phoenix’s new affiliate in the expansion draft in June. The Pacers’ affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants, recently acquired Okafor’s rights in a G League trade.

Indiana’s intention to sign Okafor was reported late last month. The fact that it didn’t officially happen until now signals he never had a chance to make the regular season roster and that it was exclusively about getting him a bonus if he reports to the G League. Okafor will earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he joins the Mad Ants and remains with them for at least 60 days.

As for Brown, he had his two-way contract with the team last season converted into a three-year standard deal in March. However, the last two seasons of the new contract were non-guaranteed. He would have received $250K if he had made the opening-night roster.

The decision on Brown improves the chances of Cole Swider securing the 15th spot on the regular season roster.

By waiving Brown and his $2.1MM salary, the Pacers are now $2.5MM below the luxury tax with an open roster spot, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.

Paul George Suffers Hyperextended Left Knee

October 14th, 2024 at 9:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Paul George left the Sixers’ preseason game against Atlanta on Monday with a hyperextended left knee, according to the team.

George, the biggest free agent acquisition of the offseason, suffered the non-contact injury during the first half. The injury puts George’s availability for the start of the regular season in jeopardy. Philadelphia opens at home against Minnesota on Oct. 23 and has three more regular season games before the end of the month.

George was signed away from the Clippers on a four-year, maximum-salary contract as Philadelphia’s top target. George appeared in 74 regular season games last season, the most he played since the 2018/19 season with Oklahoma City. He averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest. He also played in all six postseason games against Dallas.

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse sounded somewhat optimistic about George’s injury after the game, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

“Certainly trying to work him into things, and he wants to work into things, too. So this doesn’t give him a chance to do that,” Nurse said about George getting acclimated with his new teammates. “Hopefully, it’ll be OK so he’s back with us right away.”

George told Mizell he was “not too concerned” about his knee (Twitter link).

Sixers superstar Joel Embiid has already been ruled out for the rest of the preseason due to left knee management.

Kings’ De’Aaron Fox Eyeing Potential Extension In 2025

October 14th, 2024 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Kings guard De’Aaron Fox will bypass a possible three-year, $165MM contract extension this fall, with an eye toward signing a more lucrative deal during the 2025 offseason, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN.

Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported back in June that Fox didn’t intend to sign an extension this offseason, so Charania’s reporting simply confirms that’s still the plan with an October 21 deadline looming.

Because he has two guaranteed years left on his contract, Fox can sign an extension up until next Monday, then would be ineligible to complete a new deal during the season before becoming extension-eligible again next summer. His current contract will pay him $34.85MM this season and $37.1MM in 2025/26.

While Charania’s story doesn’t explicitly say the Kings put their maximum three-year offer on the table for Fox this offseason, it certainly sounds like it would be available if he were interested in signing it.

As Charania explains, Fox has expressed both publicly and privately that his preference is to remain in Sacramento long-term and worked with high-ranking team officials on major moves this offseason, including the acquisition of DeMar DeRozan. However, he can qualify for a more lucrative deal next summer. His maximum standard contract at that time would be worth a projected $229MM over four years. The 26-year-old could also qualify for a super-max deal worth up to $345MM over five years if he earns an All-NBA spot next spring.

An All-NBA berth isn’t out of the question for Fox — in fact, he’s already earned the honor once, having made the Third Team in 2023. Last season, he averaged a career-high 26.6 points per game on .465/.369/.738 shooting, chipping in 5.6 assists and a league-best 2.0 steals per contest.

Bulls’ Lonzo Ball Expected To Play On Wednesday

October 14th, 2024 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball, who last played in an NBA game on January 14, 2022, is expected to return to the court and make his preseason debut on Wednesday vs. Minnesota, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).

Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic first reported (via Twitter) that the Bulls and Ball were targeting Wednesday for his return. Chicago will also be in action on Monday vs. the Bucks, but the former No. 2 overall pick has been ruled out for that contest.

After signing a four-year contract with the Bulls during the summer of 2020, Ball was able to play in just 35 games during his first season in Chicago before going down as a result of knee problems that have necessitated three separate surgeries since 2022.

The veteran guard, who will turn 27 later this month, experienced setbacks after each of the first two procedures, but underwent a rare cartilage transplant surgery in 2023 that he believes addressed the issue in his knee.

According to Mayberry (Twitter links), while Ball dealt with some soreness recently and was held out of the club’s shootaround on Saturday, the Bulls remain optimistic that he’ll be able to suit up for each of their last two preseason games — on Wednesday vs. the Timberwolves and on Friday against Cleveland.

“He’s done really, really well,” head coach Billy Donovan said of Ball’s progress this month (Twitter link via Mayberry). “He’s been out there and he’s played. And he’s been effective playing. I think his timing’s coming back.”

Ball was a difference-maker when he was healthy, averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 34.6 minutes per game while providing strong defense and making 42.3% of his three-pointers in his first season in Chicago.

The Bulls aren’t counting on him to get back to that level and have plenty of other options in a crowded backcourt that also includes Zach LaVine, Josh Giddey, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu, among others. However, if he can stay healthy and be productive in a part-time role, it would be a very encouraging sign for the team and for Ball himself as he nears the end of his contract.

Assuming he plays out the remainder of his current deal, which will pay him approximately $21.4MM this season, Ball will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

Joel Embiid Ruled Out For Remainder Of Preseason

October 13th, 2024 at 9:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Load management for Sixers superstar center Joel Embiid includes the preseason. The team announced on Sunday that Embiid will not play in any remaining preseason games this month, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps relays.

The decision is due to left knee management. Embiid met with doctors on Thursday and it apparently went well, according to Bontemps. The goal is to get the seven-time All-Star through the regular season in good shape and to have his knee as close to 100% as possible for the postseason.

According to Embiid, he lost 25-to-30 pounds during the offseason and is aiming to lose more in accordance with his conditioning. The 2023 winner of the Most Valuable Player award appeared in just 39 games last season due to torn lateral meniscus in the knee. He was still limited by the injury when he returned late in the season, as well as during the Sixers’ playoff series against New York.

It’s up in the air whether Embiid will suit up when Philadelphia opens the regular season at home against the Bucks on Oct. 23.

Troy Brown Jr. Signs With Turkish Club

October 11th, 2024 at 8:15am CST by Tristan Tucker

Former NBA wing Troy Brown Jr. is heading overseas for the first time in his career, landing with Turkish club Manisa Basket, according to an announcement from the team (Twitter link).

Brown evolved into an effective role player after being selected with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2018 draft by the Wizards. He spent six seasons in the league with five different teams, including Washington, the Bulls, the Lakers, the Timberwolves and, most recently, the Pistons.

Brown holds career averages of 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game on a .423/.351/.783 shooting line. The 25-year-old had his most productive season in 2019/20, averaging 10.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 2.6 APG and making 22 starts.

Brown had a resurgent year in ’22/23 after signing with the Lakers, as he averaged 7.1 PPG and 4.1 RPG while making 45 starts on a team that wound up in the Western Conference Finals. However, last offseason, he signed with the Wolves and didn’t become a rotation staple. He was then traded to the Pistons at the February deadline and wasn’t retained after the season.

The Oregon product is now taking his talents to Manisa, a club that just lost Javon Freeman-Liberty to the NBA and may not have Saben Lee for long.

Manisa is competing in the Basketball Champions League for the first time this season after posting a 16-14 domestic record last year.

Mavericks Ink A.J. Lawson To Two-Way Contract

October 10th, 2024 at 4:56pm CST by Tristan Tucker

4:56 pm: Lawson’s new two-way deal with the Mavericks is now official, according to the NBA’s transaction log.

3:31 pm: The Mavericks are bringing back wing A.J. Lawson to a two-way contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

Dallas originally waived Lawson on Tuesday from a standard contract. He was signed to a two-year, two-way contract in 2022 by the Mavericks and was converted to a standard deal in March of this year. With the team facing a roster crunch after bringing back Markieff Morris, Lawson’s non-guaranteed contract was waived. Because he only has two years of NBA service, he was eligible to sign back to a two-way deal.

Lawson averaged 18.4 points in Summer League for Dallas and appeared in 42 games with the team last year. Having also spent time with the Timberwolves, he holds a career average of 3.4 PPG across 57 total outings. He averaged 20.7 PPG and 7.0 RPG last year in the G League.

The Mavericks have a two-way slot open, with only Brandon Williams and Kessler Edwards claiming those spots for now. That means no other move will be required to bring Lawson back in.