Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Waive Cameron Payne

September 11th, 2023 at 4:20pm CST by Rory Maher

4:20pm: The Spurs have officially waived Payne, the team announced in a press release.

1:01pm: The Spurs are releasing Cameron Payne, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Assuming he goes unclaimed on the waiver wire, San Antonio will be on the hook for Payne’s 2023/24 salary, which is fully guaranteed at $6.5MM. Wojnarowski says there will be a “significant market of contending teams” interesting in signing the veteran guard if he clears waivers.

Phoenix traded Payne to San Antonio a couple months ago in a salary-dump deal. The Spurs picked up a 2025 second-rounder and $5.7MM in cash as part of the trade, while the Suns received a protected 2024 second-rounder.

Payne appeared in 48 games for the Suns last season, averaging 10.3 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .415/.368/.766. The 29-year-old will be one of the top players left on the free agent market after a solid run as a backup with Phoenix.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, the Spurs are facing a roster crunch — even after waiving Payne, they still have 17 players on guaranteed contracts. That number will need to be trimmed to 15 by the start of the season.

Payne freely admitted last month that he’d rather be in Phoenix than San Antonio. However, league rules forbid Payne from re-signing with the Suns, Marks notes.

With a packed roster and in the midst of a rebuild, Payne clearly wasn’t part of the Spurs’ plans. They now have 19 players under contract, two shy of the offseason limit.

Sixers Sign David Duke To Exhibit 10 Contract

September 11th, 2023 at 2:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 11: Duke’s Exhibit 10 contract is now official, the 76ers announced.

SEPTEMBER 5: Free agent guard David Duke is signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Sixers, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

Duke became an unrestricted free agent this summer when the Nets declined to give him a qualifying offer.

The Sixers had 18 players on their roster, so even with Duke joining them in camp they can still add two more players. They have just 13 players on fully guaranteed salaries, so it’s conceivable Duke could earn a spot on the 15-man roster.

Duke first joined Brooklyn on a two-way deal after going undrafted out of Providence in 2021. He returned to the Nets on another two-way contract for the 2022/23 season, then received a standard deal in April.

Duke averaged 3.7 PPG, 1.3 RPG and 0.9 APG in 23 games with the Nets last season. In 22 games for Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, Duke averaged 22.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.8 APG, and 1.9 SPG and was named to the All-NBA G League First Team.

Under the terms of an Exhibit 10 contract, if Duke is waived and then spends at least 60 days with Philadelphia’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, he’d be in line for a bonus worth up to $75K.

Trail Blazers To Sign Duop Reath

September 11th, 2023 at 10:55am CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent center Duop Reath will sign a one-year contract with the Trail Blazers, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Reath will likely receive a minimum salary, and there’s no indication if the deal includes any guaranteed money.

The 27-year-old played for Portland’s Summer League team, averaging 13.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in five games, and started for Australia during the World Cup. He has played overseas since going undrafted out of LSU in 2018, spending time in Serbia, Australia and China.

The 6’11” Reath will be just the fourth Blazers player 27 or older, joining Damian Lillard, Jusuf Nurkic and Jerami Grant, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). Portland had the NBA’s youngest roster prior to adding Reath.

The signing will bring the Blazers to the offseason limit of 21 players following the weekend agreements with Kevin Knox and George Conditt IV. However, several of the team’s reported deals aren’t yet official.

Trail Blazers To Sign George Conditt To Exhibit 10 Contract

September 10th, 2023 at 1:28pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Trail Blazers are signing big man George Conditt IV to an Exhibit 10 training camp contract, his agent Pedro Power has informed Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Conditt joins Portland’s training camp roster fresh off a stellar turn for Puerto Rico in this summer’s FIBA World Cup. He averaged 10.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 30.6 minutes per night (five games) for the Puerto Rican national team in the tournament.

The 6’10” big man went undrafted after four seasons at Iowa State in 2022. Conditt put up modest stats with the Cyclones, averaging 4.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.1 BPG and 0.8 APG across 117 contests, including 36 starts.

Conditt has since played professionally for clubs in Puerto Rico and Greece. He suited up for the Timberwolves’ Summer League squad this July.

He seems probable to join the Trail Blazers’ NBAGL affiliate, the Rip City Remix. Assuming he is waived by Portland prior to the start of the 2023/24 season and subsequently logs at least 60 days with the Remix as an affiliate player, Conditt would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K.

Trail Blazers To Re-Sign Kevin Knox

September 9th, 2023 at 6:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Knox will return to the Trail Blazers on a one-year contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. It’s likely a minimum-salary deal, and there are no details yet on whether it includes any guaranteed money.

The 24-year-old forward became an unrestricted free agent after Portland declined to pick up his $3MM option for the upcoming season. With the start of training camp about three weeks away and most teams close to having complete rosters, he decided to join the Blazers for another year.

Knox began last season with the Pistons, but was sent to Portland in a four-team deal at the trade deadline. He appeared in 21 games with the Blazers, averaging 8.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per night.

Knox was a lottery selection in 2018, going to the Knicks with the eighth pick in the draft. He spent more than three seasons in New York, but was never able to establish himself as a rotation player and was traded to the Hawks in 2022.

Knox will have one more season to try to build his value before re-entering free agency next summer.

Once the Knox signing and their other reported deals are official, the Blazers will have 19 players under contract, two short of the offseason minimum. Portland currently has 12 players with fully guaranteed deals, Moses Brown with a partial guarantee, and a pair of two-way players. They’ve reportedly reached Exhibit 10 agreements with three other free agents.

Celtics Sign Taylor Funk To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 9th, 2023 at 9:39am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Celtics have signed former Utah State forward Taylor Funk to an Exhibit 10 deal, a source tells Bobby Manning of CLNS Media (Twitter link).

Funk played his first five collegiate seasons with St. Joseph’s before moving to Utah State as a grad transfer. In 34 games with Utah State, Funk averaged 13.4 points and shot 37.0% from deep on 6.4 attempts per night. After going undrafted in the 2023 draft, Funk joined the Heat for the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League, but played sparingly across both events.

Boston is now up to 17 players under contract, four away from the offseason limit. That total includes 11 players on guaranteed contracts and three on partially or non-guaranteed deals (Svi Mykhailiuk, Dalano Banton and Luke Kornet). The Celtics also have JD Davison and Jay Scrubb signed to two-way deals. DJ Steward will reportedly get an Exhibit 10 contract too, but it isn’t yet official.

Funk will likely end up with the Maine Celtics, where he could earn a bonus worth up to $75K if he spends at least 60 days with Boston’s G League affiliate.

Kings Sign, Waive Skal Labissiere

September 8th, 2023 at 9:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 8: The Kings have officially signed and waived Labissiere, per RealGM’s transaction log.

Stockton made a trade this week to acquire Labissiere’s G League returning rights, so he’ll get an Exhibit 10 bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the NBAGL club.

AUGUST 21: The Kings are signing Skal Labissiere to a one-year contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

The Labissiere acquisition is for the G League Stockton Kings, James Ham of The Kings Beat tweets. As Ham explains, the hope is that he’ll join the franchise on an Exhibit 10 contract after a trade with the Mexico City Capitanes (G League) is finalized.

Labissiere hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2019/20 season, when he saw action in 33 games with the Trail Blazers. Labissiere, the 28th pick of the 2016 draft, spent the bulk of his NBA career with Sacramento. He played 106 games for the Kings, including 41 starts.

In the last few years, he has spent time in the NBA G League, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

For his NBA career, he’s averaged 7.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game in 148 appearances.

Bulls Sign Quenton Jackson, Max Heidegger To Camp Deals

September 8th, 2023 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have signed shooting guard Quenton Jackson and point guard Max Heidegger to Exhibit 10 contracts, the team announced today (via Twitter).

Jackson joined the Wizards for training camp last fall after going undrafted out of Texas A&M. He was waived before the start of the regular season, but rejoined the NBA club in February on a two-year, two-way contract. He finished the season with Washington, then was cut in July.

While he played a limited role in nine NBA games for the Wizards, Jackson had a solid rookie year in the G League, averaging 15.5 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game across 29 regular season appearances for the Capital City Go-Go. He posted a shooting line of .535/.395/.775.

Heidegger, 26, has been playing professionally in Europe since going undrafted out of UC Santa Barbara in 2020, spending team with teams in Israel, Germany, Turkey, and Spain over the last three seasons. He was a lights-out three-point shooter during his college career, making 44.0% of 568 total attempts from beyond the arc, including 67-of-125 (53.6%) as a senior.

Chicago now has 20 players under contract, one away from the offseason limit. That total includes 13 players on guaranteed contracts, two on non-guaranteed deals, two on Exhibit 10 contracts, and three on two-way deals.

Jackson and Heidegger will likely end up playing for the Windy City Bulls, where they could earn Exhibit 10 bonuses worth up to $75K if they spend at least 60 days with Chicago’s G League affiliate.

Lakers Sign Four Players To Exhibit 10 Contracts

September 8th, 2023 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have officially signed guards Scotty Pippen Jr., Bryce Hamilton, and Damion Baugh, along with forward Vincent Valerio-Bodon, the team announced in a press release.

All four players received Exhibit 10 contracts, according to the Lakers. Exhibit 10 contracts are non-guaranteed minimum-salary deals that can be converted to two-way contracts before the regular season begins or can make a player eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived and then spends 60 or more days with the team’s G League affiliate.

Pippen, the son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, spent his rookie year in 2022/23 on a two-way deal with the Lakers after going undrafted out of Vanderbilt. He logged just 32 total minutes in six games at the NBA level, but played regularly for the South Bay Lakers, averaging 21.4 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.1 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per game across 19 NBAGL regular season appearances.

Hamilton also played for South Bay as an undrafted rookie last season, putting up 14.1 PPG and 4.6 RPG on .514/.385/.679 shooting in 29 contests (28.2 MPG).

Baugh opted to forgo his final year of college eligibility this spring to go pro after spending the last two seasons at TCU and the two before that at Memphis. He made the All-Big 12 second team earlier this year after averaging 12.6 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 4.7 RPG in 29 games (35.0 MPG) for the Horned Frogs.

Valerio-Bodon, a 6’10” forward who is 22 years old, has been playing professionally in his home country of Hungary. He averaged 8.2 PPG and 4.1 RPG with a .503/.412/.879 shooting line in 30 games (all starts) last season for Sopron KC in the Hungarian NBIA.

The Lakers now have a full 21-man offseason roster. They’re carrying 14 players on guaranteed contracts and will likely open the season with an open spot on their 15-man roster to maximize their flexibility. Their three two-way slots are also full, so unless one of the four new additions makes a very strong impression in the preseason, Pippen, Hamilton, Baugh, and Valerio-Bodon are good bets to be waived and to report to South Bay this fall.

Knicks Sign Charlie Brown Jr. To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 8th, 2023 at 9:05am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have added free agent guard Charlie Brown Jr. to their offseason roster, signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

The move gives New York a full 21-man squad. The team waived Obadiah Noel earlier this week in order to open up a spot.

Brown, 26, has appeared in a total of 41 NBA regular season games for the Hawks, Thunder, Mavericks, and Sixers since 2019, but wasn’t in the league last year, having spent the season with Philadelphia’s G League affiliate. He averaged 13.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game for a Delaware Blue Coats team that won the 2022/23 G League championship.

Following his stint in Delaware, Brown caught on with the Knicks for Summer League play in July. He was a standout in four games in Las Vegas, averaging 19.8 PPG and 6.3 RPG with a shooting line of .547/.375/.800.

Brown’s Exhibit 10 contract will entitle him to a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived before the season begins and then spends at least 60 days with the Westchester Knicks. However, New York’s affiliate would need to acquire his returning rights from Delaware for that to happen.