Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Javon Freeman-Liberty Signs Two-Way Deal With Raptors

July 22nd, 2023 at 5:15pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 22: Freeman-Liberty’s two-way contract with the Raptors is now official, the team announced in a press release.

JULY 21: Free agent guard Javon Freeman-Liberty is signing a two-way deal with the Raptors, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

The Chicago native went undrafted out of DePaul (which is also in Chicago) in 2022, signing an Exhibit 10 training camp deal with his hometown Bulls. Freeman-Liberty, 23, played for Chicago’s G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, in his pro debut this past season, averaging 17.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.9 APG and 1.4 SPG on .497/.390/.756 shooting in 16 regular season games (29.9 MPG).

A 6’4″ guard, Freeman-Liberty also played for the Bulls’ Summer League squads the past two seasons. In Las Vegas this year, he had a very impressive run, averaging 21.2 PPG in five games while shooting 49.3% from the field and 46.2% from beyond the arc en route to a spot on the All-Summer League Second Team.

As Blake Murphy of Sporsnet.ca notes (via Twitter), the Raptors have Markquis Nowell and Ron Harper Jr. on two-way deals, so Freeman-Liberty will fill the third and final two-way slot for now. Jeff Dowtin, who finished the season on a two-way deal and was given a qualifying offer, remains a restricted free agent.

The Raptors currently have 14 players on guaranteed contracts, so there’s room on the roster for Exhibit 10 deals to secure G League rights and to possibly have a camp battle for the 15th spot, Murphy adds. NBA team can carry up to 21 players under contract in the offseason, but only 18 during the season (15 standard, three two-way deals).

Raptors Sign Jeff Dowtin To Training Camp Contract

July 22nd, 2023 at 5:12pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

5:12pm: Dowtin has officially re-signed with the Raptors, per a press release from the team.

3:25pm: Guard Jeff Dowtin Jr. is inking a training camp contract with the Raptors, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Though terms of the agreement have yet to be divulged, sources inform Charania that, should Dowtin qualify for the club’s standard roster on opening night, he would earn “a significant salary guarantee.”

Dowtin had been a two-way restricted free agent after Toronto extended a qualifying offer his way.

The 6’3″ point guard has bounced around the league since going undrafted out of Rhode Island in 2021. Prior to his Raptors run, he suited up for limited stints with the Warriors, Bucks and Magic in 2021/22.

Dowtin finished his 2022/23 season with the Raptors on a two-way contract. Across 25 NBA contests, he averaged 2.4 PPG, 1.2 APG and 0.9 RPG. In 19 games for Toronto’s NBAGL affiliate, Raptors 905, Dowtin averaged 16.9 PPG on .502/.413/.771 shooting, along with 6.1 APG, 4.2 RPG and 1.7 SPG.

With all of Toronto’s two-way slots occupied, a standard spot would be necessary for Dowtin to join the club this year.

Per our two-way contract tracker, the Raptors currently have two players signed to two-way contracts in guard Markquis Nowell and power forward Ron Harper Jr. While it has been reported that the team has also added guard Javon Freeman-Liberty into its third and final two-way vacancy, that agreement is not yet official.

Hawks Sign Wesley Matthews

July 22nd, 2023 at 11:58am CST by Tristan Tucker

JULY 22: Matthews’ deal with the Hawks is official, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

JULY 21: Free agent wing Wesley Matthews has agreed to a one-year deal with the Hawks, tweets Adrian Wojnarowki of ESPN.

Matthews, 36, is joining the Hawks after spending the last two seasons – and three of the last four – with the Bucks. In three seasons in Milwaukee, Matthews averaged 5.5 points and shot 34.6% from beyond the arc. Matthews joins Patty Mills as the second veteran shooter the Hawks have added this offseason.

The Hawks now have 17 players on standard contracts. Guard Tyrese Martin‘s $1.7MM contract is on track to become fully guaranteed if he’s not waived today (unless he agrees to push that guarantee date back) while guard Vit Krejci‘s $1.8MM contract is non-guaranteed with a Jan. 7 guarantee date.

Just because Martin and Krejci are on non-guaranteed contracts doesn’t mean they are necessarily on the chopping block. Atlanta has reportedly been exploring deals involving both Clint Capela and De’Andre Hunter after shipping out John Collins earlier this offseason, so the team could theoretically create more roster spots via trades of Capela, Hunter or other players on the roster, like Garrison Mathews or Bruno Fernando, who each played sparingly after arriving in Atlanta at the trade deadline.

Further, we don’t yet know the nature of Matthews’ contract with Atlanta. While Wojnarowski reports that Matthews is signing a one-year deal, it will likely be worth the veteran’s minimum, and it’s unclear whether or not it’ll be fully guaranteed.

Hawks Waive Tyrese Martin

July 21st, 2023 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

3:31pm: The move is official, the Hawks announced in a press release.

10:51am: The Hawks intend to waive swingman Tyrese Martin, reports Grant Afseth of DallasBasketball.com and HoopsAnalysis.net (Twitter link). A league source confirms the news to Hawks reporter Brad Rowland (Twitter link).

The 51st overall pick in the 2022 draft, Martin appeared in just 16 games for the Hawks as a rookie after signing a standard contract with the team. He scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in his 66 total minutes at the NBA level.

Martin saw more frequent playing time for the College Park Skyhawks in the G League, averaging 18.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 1.9 APG on .503/.366/.805 shooting in 23 regular season contests (33.9 MPG) for Atlanta’s G League affiliate.

Although Martin’s contract covered the 2023/24 season, his minimum ($1.72MM) salary was non-guaranteed. He had a July 21 salary guarantee date, so the Hawks would have been on the hook for that full amount if they had kept him on the roster beyond Friday.

Waiving Martin will reduce Atlanta’s roster to 15 players on standard contracts, but the team is reportedly signing Wesley Matthews, so at least one more player will have to be waived or traded before the regular season begins.

Nuggets Re-Sign Reggie Jackson, DeAndre Jordan

July 21st, 2023 at 2:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 21: Jordan’s contract is also official, the Nuggets announced in a press release.

JULY 16: The Nuggets have officially re-signed Jackson to a multi-year contract, according to a team press release.

JUNE 30: The defending champion Nuggets are bringing back two of their free agent veterans.

Point guard Reggie Jackson is staying in Denver on a two-year, $10.25MM deal, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Jackson’s new contract will feature a second-year player option, Charania adds.

Center DeAndre Jordan has also reached an agreement to remain with the Nuggets, Chris Haynes of TNT and the Bleacher Report tweets.

Jackson, 33, has been in the league since 2011. He appeared in 16 regular-season games and six postseason contests for Denver after signing with the franchise as a free agent. He was bought out and waived by the Hornets after he was dealt by the Clippers at the trade deadline.

Jackson started 38 of 52 games for the Clippers prior to the trade. Denver has younger backcourt options off the bench behind Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, most notably Christian Braun and Peyton Watson, but Jackson won’t simply be an insurance policy.

The Nuggets, who lost Bruce Brown to the Pacers in free agency, are hopeful that Jackson can be more effective with a full offseason and training camp to adjust to their system and personnel, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports tweets. His salary could also come handy in a potential trade down the road, Wind adds.

Jordan didn’t play much for the Nuggets — 39 regular-season appearances and four playoff cameos — but he’s a highly-respected locker room and bench voice. He averaged 5.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in those regular-season games. He’ll be the third — or even fourth — option behind franchise player Nikola Jokic.

Kings Sign Nerlens Noel To One-Year Deal

July 21st, 2023 at 2:35pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 21: Noel’s new contract is official, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

JULY 18: The Kings and free agent center Nerlens Noel have agreed to a one-year contract, agent George Langberg tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Wojnarowski refers to it as a $3.1MM deal, which suggests it’s a minimum-salary agreement. The veteran’s minimum for a player with 10 years of NBA experience in 2023/24 is $3,196,448.

Noel, who has appeared in 467 career regular season games since being drafted sixth overall in 2013, didn’t play much in 2022/23. After being traded from New York to Detroit during the 2022 offseason, the 29-year-old appeared in 14 games for the Pistons, who bought him out at the end of February. He signed a 10-day contract with Brooklyn and played in three games for the Nets, but didn’t get a second 10-day and finished the season as a free agent.

Known as an athletic frontcourt defender who has the ability to generate turnovers and protect the rim, Noel enjoyed his best season in recent years in New York in 2020/21, when he averaged 5.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 24.2 minutes per night across 64 contests.

It’s unclear whether or not Noel’s new contract with Sacramento will be fully guaranteed, but he should be in position to claim an opening-night roster spot. Prior to their agreement with Noel, the Kings were carrying just 13 players on standard guaranteed contracts.

Although Alex Len re-signed with the Kings this offseason, Richaun Holmes and Chimezie Metu aren’t returning and Neemias Queta is still a free agent, so there could be rotation minutes available at center behind Domantas Sabonis.

Knicks Sign Nathan Knight To Two-Way Contract

July 21st, 2023 at 1:34pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 21: The signing is official, the Knicks announced (via Twitter).

JULY 19: The Knicks are signing free agent big man Nathan Knight to a two-way contract, according to Anil Gogna of NoTradeClause.com (Twitter link). A source confirmed to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link) that an agreement is in place.

Knight, who will turn 26 in September, spent the last two seasons in Minnesota after playing for the Hawks as a rookie in 2020/21. In 108 games across three seasons, he holds career averages of 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per night.

The Timberwolves had a minimum-salary team option on Knight for the 2023/24 season but turned it down and opted not to issue him a qualifying offer, so he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

The 6’10” forward/center averaged a double-double (20.7 PPG, 10.5 RPG) at William & Mary during his final college season in 2019/20, but has yet to establish himself as a rotation player at the NBA level. This is his final season of two-way eligibility — his two-way deal will allow him to be active for up to 50 regular season games for the Knicks.

New York previously signed Jaylen Martin to a two-way contract, so Knight will fill the second of the team’s three two-way slots. The Knicks also issued two-way qualifying offers to Trevor Keels and Duane Washington, who are both still restricted free agents — with just one two-way spot still available, it appears that one of those two RFAs may not be in the club’s plans going forward after all.

Raptors Re-Sign Ron Harper Jr. To Two-Way Deal

July 21st, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 21: Harper’s two-way contract is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

JULY 20: The Raptors are re-signing free agent power forward Ron Harper Jr. to his second two-way contract with the team, his Roc Nation agent Drew Gross informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Harper initially joined the Raptors on a two-way deal last summer after going undrafted out of Rutgers. The 6’6″ Harper appeared in just nine contests for Toronto, averaging 2.2 points and 0.8 rebounds a night.

The 23-year-old made a bigger impact with Toronto’s NBAGL affiliate, the Raptors 905, averaging 16.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.2 BPG and 1.0 SPG in his 30 games with the club, including 27 starts.

While at Rutgers, Harper, son of five-time champion guard Ron Harper Sr., was a two-time All-Big Ten honoree, and an Associated Press All-American honorable mention.

Harper’s solid final games with the Raptors 905 in 2022/23 helped him earn an additional two-way opportunity with Toronto for the 2023/24 season, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca tweets. Harper will be the second player signed to a two-way contract by the Raptors, joining rookie guard Markquis Nowell. The team also still has a two-way qualifying offer out to guard Jeff Dowtin.

Magic Sign Admiral Schofield To Two-Way Contract

July 20th, 2023 at 5:46pm CST by Rory Maher

5:46pm: The re-signing of Schofield to a two-way deal is now official, per a Magic press release (Twitter link).

12:15pm: Free agent forward Admiral Schofield is re-signing with the Magic on a two-way contract, agents Mark Bartelstein and George Roussakis tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

A second-round pick in 2019 out of Tennessee, Schofield began his professional career with the Wizards but spent most of the past two seasons with the Magic, providing depth in Orlando’s frontcourt.

In 2022/23, he averaged 4.2 PPG and 1.7 RPG on .451/.324/.913 shooting in 37 games (12.2 MPG).

The 26-year-old had been on a two-way contract for most of his time with Orlando until he was promoted to a standard deal in February. His multiyear contract included a team option for ’23/24, which the Magic declined in late June, making Schofield an unrestricted free agent.

Once Schofield’s new contract is official, the Magic will have 15 players on their standard roster and two of their three two-way spots filled. Guard Kevon Harris occupies the other two-way slot.

NBA teams are permitted to roster 21 players in the offseason as opposed to 18 once the regular season begins(15 on standard deals and three two-way contracts).

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).