Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kings Sign Markelle Fultz For Rest Of Season

February 12th, 2025 at 10:48pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

10:48 pm: Sacramento has officially announced the deal in a press statement.

9:52 pm: Free agent guard Markelle Fultz is signing a new contract with the Kings, agent Raymond Brothers of I AM Sports & Entertainment has informed Shams Charania of ESPN.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports (via Twitter) that the deal will keep Fultz in town through the rest of the season. Exact terms have yet to be divulged.

No corresponding roster move will be necessary, since the Kings have a pair of open roster spots after sending out more players than they took back in a series of trade-deadline deals.

After trading away De’Aaron Fox and Jordan McLaughlin to the Spurs as part of a blockbuster three-team deal last week, Sacramento was left with a deficit of point guards. Adding Fultz will allow the club to begin replenishing its depth at that spot. The Kings’ eventual haul was headlined by two-time All-Star wing Zach LaVine and multiple future picks.

Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News tweets that the Timberwolves were also considering adding Fultz this spring. After he reached unrestricted free agency during the 2024 offseason, the 6’4″ vet had been left wanting throughout the 2024/25 season — until now.

Fultz was selected with the No. 1 overall pick out of Washington in 2017. Boston traded down with Philadelphia, swapping the rights to Fultz for the rights to eventual six-time All-Star champion forward Jayson Tatum, the third pick in that draft out of Duke.

As Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 KTXL observes (Twitter link), the 26-year-old has struggled with a variety of maladies throughout his pro career, including a torn left ACL in 2021 and further problems in the same knee last season.

Fultz has only played more than 43 games twice across a seven-year career. Last season with Orlando, he appeared in just 43 contests, starting 18. Across 21.2 minutes for the playoff-bound Magic, he averaged 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals per night.

At 28-26, Sacramento is currently the eighth seed in a crowded Western Conference. The addition of Fultz should add a play-making presence and some defensive help at the point of attack.

Fultz himself reacted to Charania’s announcement, tweeting “God’s Plan.”

Raptors Sign Brandon Ingram To Three-Year Extension

February 12th, 2025 at 4:40pm CST by Luke Adams

February 12: The Raptors have officially announced Ingram’s extension in a press release.

“Improving every day is the ethos of our team, and we believe the long-term addition of Brandon improves us greatly,” general manager Bobby Webster said in a statement. “We’ve spoken about his elite scoring and play-making; we’re looking forward to seeing that mesh with the talents we already have on our roster – and we’re thrilled that Brandon wants to be a Raptor as much as we want him here in Toronto.”

February 11: The Raptors and newly acquired forward Brandon Ingram have reached an agreement on a three-year contract extension, according to Shams Charania and Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link), who hear from Ingram’s agents at Klutch Sports that the deal will be worth $120MM and will feature a player option for the 2027/28 season.

Ingram was traded from the Pelicans to the Raptors last week in a deal that sent Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, and two draft picks (one first-rounder and one second-rounder) to New Orleans.

Ingram had spent the previous five-and-a-half seasons with the Pelicans after having been a centerpiece of the team’s return in 2019’s Anthony Davis blockbuster with the Lakers. From 2019-25, Ingram averaged 23.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game in 305 total outings for New Orleans, with a .472/.372/.847 shooting line and a 2020 All-Star berth.

The Pelicans and Ingram were unable to come to terms last offseason – or during the first half of this season – on a new contract that would extend the 27-year-old’s $36MM expiring deal, which led to the decision to trade him.

The Raptors were clearly more comfortable with the idea of investing in Ingram — general manager Bobby Webster said after last week’s trade that the front office wouldn’t have made the trade if there wasn’t “a comfort level with (the contract) he was looking for.”

Recently traded players face certain limitations on the extensions they’re permitted to sign, but Ingram’s new contract will fall within those limits (which include a 20% first-year raise, subsequent annual raises of 5%, and four total years, including the current season).

The deal will also come in well below Ingram’s maximum. Based on current cap projections, he would’ve been eligible to receive up to about $150MM over the next three years (or $269.1MM over five) if he had waited until free agency to sign a new contract with the Raptors. His maximum three-year extension right now would’ve been worth $136.1MM.

The exact impact of Ingram’s extension on Toronto’s cap situation for 2025/26 and beyond won’t be known until we see the official numbers, but it figures to push the team up over $175MM in guaranteed money for 10 players for next season. That will be well over the projected cap ($154.6MM), but will put the team in position to stay below the projected tax line ($187.9MM).

Ingram, who is still recovering from an ankle injury and whose Raptors debut is likely still a little ways off, is now part of a core in Toronto that also includes Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick, and RJ Barrett.

Hornets Sign Damion Baugh To Two-Way Deal

February 12th, 2025 at 9:30am CST by Luke Adams

9:30 am: Baugh has officially signed his two-way contract, according to a press release from the Hornets.

9:07 am: The Hornets have reached a deal with G League guard Damion Baugh and will sign him to a two-way contract, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Charlotte opened up a two-way slot on Sunday by promoting Moussa Diabate from his two-way deal to a spot on the standard 15-man roster and signing him to a new three-year deal, so no corresponding roster move will be necessary to make room for Baugh.

Baugh, who went undrafted out of TCU in 2023, spent his first professional season with the South Bay Lakers and has played for the Westchester Knicks in 2024/25. In 35 total Tip-Off Tournament and regular season appearances for New York’s G League affiliate this season, he has averaged 12.9 points, 7.9 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game, with a .456/.328/.712 shooting line.

Baugh will provide some additional backcourt depth for a Charlotte team that has battled significant health issues this season. Tre Mann and Brandon Miller are among the guards who are in the midst of long-term absences, while LaMelo Ball continues to battle ankle issues.

If Baugh officially signs on Wednesday, he’ll be eligible to appear in up to 18 NBA games for the Hornets down the stretch. Any games the 24-year-old plays in the G League while on his two-way deal with Charlotte will be for the Greensboro Swarm rather than Westchester.

As our tracker shows, the Hornets had been one of three teams with a two-way slot available. Golden State and Philadelphia are the other two.

Lakers Sign Alex Len, Waive Christian Wood

February 11th, 2025 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

4:56 pm: The Lakers have officially signed Len and waived Wood, the team confirmed in a press release.

4:13 pm: Free agent center Alex Len will sign with the Lakers, agent Mike Lelchitski tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

As we wrote earlier today, Len, who was cut by Washington on Saturday, initially planned to sign with the Pacers once he cleared waivers. However, he pivoted to an opportunity in Los Angeles after the Lakers rescinded their trade-deadline deal for Hornets center Mark Williams.

As Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star notes (via Twitter), Len would have slotted in as the third center in Indiana behind Myles Turner and Thomas Bryant, but he should have an opportunity with the Lakers to earn the primary backup role behind Jaxson Hayes on a roster that’s thin on frontcourt depth after sending Anthony Davis to Dallas in last week’s Luka Doncic blockbuster.

Len, 31, has been a little-used reserve center over the past three-and-a-half seasons in Sacramento, averaging 3.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in 10.0 minutes per game across 149 total outings (15 starts). The former No. 5 overall pick was traded from the Kings to the Wizards ahead of last Thursday’s deadline.

The Lakers have a full 15-man roster and will have to waive a player in order to make room for Len. According to Charania (Twitter link), that roster casualty will be Christian Wood, who has yet to play this season following offseason surgery on his left knee. That procedure was the second one Wood underwent on his knee in 2024.

In his first season in Los Angeles in 2023/24, Wood averaged 6.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 0.7 BPG in 50 games (17.4 MPG) with a .466/.307/.702 shooting line. He’s on an expiring minimum-salary contract, so the Lakers won’t carry any dead money on their cap for him beyond this season.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the Lakers entered the day with about $1.6MM in room below their second-apron hard cap. Len’s new deal will nearly trim that margin in half, but the team would still have enough flexibility to add a second player on the buyout market in the coming days or weeks if another opportunity arises. Another player on the current roster would have to be waived in that scenario, with Cam Reddish viewed as the most likely odd man out.

Jahlil Okafor Signs 10-Day Contract With Pacers

February 11th, 2025 at 1:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

February 11: Okafor has officially signed his 10-day contract with the Pacers, per NBA.com’s transaction log. The deal will run through February 20, covering Indiana’s next three games and paying Okafor a $150,179 salary.

February 10: Veteran big man Jahlil Okafor is signing a 10-day contract with the Pacers, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets.

The No. 3 pick of the 2015 draft hasn’t played in the league since the 2020/21 season, when he appeared in 27 games with the Pistons. Okafor has played 247 regular season games in his career, with stints in Philadelphia, Brooklyn and New Orleans as well as Detroit. He has posted career averages of 10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game.

Okafor, 29, had been toiling for the Pacers’ NBA G League team, the Indiana Mad Ants, averaging 18.6 points and 9.1 rebounds in 30 Tip-Off Tournament and regular season games. He was selected to participate in the 2025 Up Next event at the NBA’s All-Star weekend.

Okafor was on the Pacers’ training camp roster on an Exhibit 10 contract but was waived before joining their G League squad. The veteran center has also played in China, Spain and Puerto Rico in recent years.

The timing of this move calls into question whether center Alex Len still intends to sign with Indiana after clearing waivers, as has been reported. Len was expected to fill Indiana’s open roster spot. It’s unclear if he has received another offer or will perhaps sign with the Pacers after the All-Star break once Okafor’s deal expires. The club has just two more games prior to the break.

[UPDATE: Len won’t be signing with the Pacers.]

David Roddy Signs 10-Day Deal With Sixers

February 11th, 2025 at 9:58am CST by Arthur Hill

February 11: Roddy has officially signed his 10-day contract with the Sixers, the team announced today in a press release.

The deal will run through Feb. 20, covering Philadelphia’s last two games before the All-Star break and its first game after the break. Roddy will earn $119,972 over the course of those 10 days.

The 76ers now have a full 15-man standard roster, though two of those 15 players are on 10-day contracts and the club still has a two-way slot open.

February 9: The Sixers will sign David Roddy to a 10-day contract once he clears waivers, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).

The Hawks released the 23-year-old power forward on Friday to create a roster opening so they could complete a two-for-one deal with the Clippers. Atlanta sent Bogdan Bogdanovic to L.A. in exchange for Terance Mann and Bones Hyland.

Roddy appeared in 27 games with the Hawks this season, making three starts and averaging 4.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per night.

Philadelphia will be Roddy’s fourth team in three seasons once the deal is finalized. He spent a year and a half with Memphis before being traded to Phoenix at last year’s deadline. He was dealt again in July as the Suns shipped him to Atlanta.

The Sixers originally selected Roddy with the 23rd pick in 2022 before trading him to the Grizzlies on draft night.

Philadelphia created multiple roster openings with its deadline deals, so another move won’t be necessary to add Roddy. He joins Chuma Okeke, who signed a 10-day deal with the Sixers on Friday, and both players will be eligible for a second 10-day contract when their current ones expire.

Clippers Sign Ben Simmons

February 10th, 2025 at 5:55pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 10: The Clippers have officially signed Simmons, according to a team press release.

FEBRUARY 8: After agreeing to a buyout with the Nets, Ben Simmons has reached a deal to sign with the Clippers, league sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Los Angeles was one of three teams rumored to be in the mix for Simmons, who will become an unrestricted free agent on Monday after being officially waived by Brooklyn on Saturday. Cleveland and Houston were among the other clubs said to have interest in the former No. 1 overall pick.

Simmons’ career got off to an impressive start in Philadelphia, where he earned 2018 Rookie of the Year honors, made three All-Star teams, and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2021. However, he had a falling out with the team that resulted in a lengthy holdout and a trade to Brooklyn.

Simmons, who has also dealt with a series of back issues that required multiple surgeries in recent years, has been limited to just 90 total games since being dealt to the Nets at the 2022 deadline. He averaged 6.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 6.2 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per contest across those 90 appearances.

While Simmons’ extremely limited shooting ability make him a tricky piece to incorporate alongside other non-shooters, he’s still a talented play-maker, defender, and rebounder who should have more significantly value as a low-cost addition on the buyout market than he did on his previous maximum-salary contract.

After making a series of moves ahead of the trade deadline, L.A. entered the day with an open roster spot and $1.9MM in breathing room below the luxury tax line, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

The Clippers still have a portion of their mid-level exception available and could use it to pay Simmons more than the prorated veteran’s minimum, but it’s unclear whether they’ll do so. Either way, it seems safe to assume they won’t cross the tax line as a result of signing Simmons.

As a result of their trade deadline machinations, the Clippers sent out guards Terance Mann, Kevin Porter, and Bones Hyland, so Simmons and fellow newcomer Bogdan Bogdanovic should have an opportunity to earn regular minutes in the backcourt. Given his unique skill set, Simmons could also serve as a de facto big man in certain lineups.

Jazz Officially Waive Josh Richardson

February 9th, 2025 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz officially waived veteran guard Josh Richardson on Sunday, the team announced in a press release.

The move had been anticipated for several days, with reporting on Thursday indicating that Utah intended to part ways with Richardson after acquiring him from Miami as part of the five-time Jimmy Butler trade.

Richardson has had a productive NBA career as a role player in Miami, Philadelphia, Dallas, Boston, San Antonio, and New Orleans over the past 10 seasons, but has been plagued by a heel issue for much of 2024/25 and was limited to just eight appearances for the Heat.

Last season, in 43 games, Richardson averaged 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 25.7 minutes per night, with a .444/.347/.944 shooting line.

If he’s healthy, the 31-year-old could draw interest from playoff teams with open roster spots during the second half of the season. He’ll be eligible to sign with any team except the Heat.

Unless he’s claimed on waivers, which is unlikely, the Jazz will carry a $3,051,153 dead money cap hit after cutting Richardson. The move opens up a spot on Utah’s 15-man roster, which seems likely to be used to either promote a two-way player or to audition players on 10-day contracts.

Justin Edwards Gets Standard Contract From Sixers

February 9th, 2025 at 11:30am CST by Arthur Hill

FEBRUARY 9: Edwards’ new contract is official, the Sixers announced (via Twitter).

FEBRUARY 8: Rookie forward Justin Edwards, who has been a standout for the Sixers on a two-way contract, will be promoted to a standard deal, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Edwards’ new contract will run through the rest of the season with a team option for 2025/26. Both sides have interest in possibly reaching a longer deal during the offseason, sources tell Pompey.

Philadelphia is currently limited to a two-year contract because it only has the minimum salary exception available. The Sixers could decline their option this summer and make him a restricted free agent as a way to sign him to a longer deal.

Edwards, 21, agreed to the two-way contract in July after going undrafted out of Kentucky. He’s averaging 8.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists through 22 games with shooting splits of .469/.375/.647.

The Philadelphia native recently moved into the starting lineup and appears to be part of the team’s foundation moving forward. He played briefly in the G League at the start of the season, but has been used in all but one Sixers game since January 1.

Philadelphia had three open roster spots following Thursday’s trade deadline, so another move won’t be needed to clear room for Edwards. March 4 is the last day to sign another player to a two-way contract.

Hornets Sign Two-Way Player Moussa Diabate To Three-Year Deal

February 9th, 2025 at 9:32am CST by Arthur Hill

The Hornets have promoted two-way player Moussa Diabate to a standard contract, the team announced in a press release. Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link) was the first to report the deal, and sources tell him it will cover three seasons.

The 23-year-old center signed with Charlotte last summer after spending his first two NBA seasons with the Clippers. He has made such an impact that the Hornets traded away centers Nick Richards and Mark Williams over the past month, although the Williams deal with the Lakers was rescinded Saturday night.

Diabate moved into the starting lineup for Friday’s game against San Antonio, producing nine points and 15 rebounds in 33 minutes. It’s uncertain if he’ll keep that role with Williams returning to Charlotte.

The Hornets are using a portion of their room exception to complete the signing, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). Charlotte used that exception to acquire three players (DaQuan Jeffries, Charlie Brown Jr., and Duane Washington) from the Knicks in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade in the fall, but still had enough of it left over to accommodate a deal for Diabate.

While Charlotte currently has 15 players on its roster, one of them is Elfrid Payton, who signed a 10-day contract on Friday under the hardship exception. That means no corresponding move will be needed to add Diabate to the regular roster, and the Hornets will have until March 4 to fill their two-way opening.

Diabate has appeared in 42 games this season, averaging 4.7 points and 7.1 rebounds in 19 minutes per night while shooting 59.4% from the field. He was selected with the 43rd pick in the 2022 draft after playing one season at Michigan.

Diabate was a two-way player in both of his seasons with the Clippers, so this marks his first standard contract.