Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Clippers To Let Eric Gordon Become Free Agent

June 28th, 2023 at 10:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers won’t guarantee Eric Gordon‘s $20.9MM salary for next season, allowing the veteran guard to become an unrestricted free agent, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The team confirmed that Gordon has been waived.

The decision on Gordon was made with the luxury tax in mind, according to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). He adds that management liked how Gordon performed during his brief time with the team, but they want to give more minutes to younger guards rather than committing to a 34-year-old.

Getting rid of Gordon’s contract will reduce the Clippers’ projected tax bill for next season from $169MM to $59MM, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. The team currently projects to be $18MM over the $165MM luxury tax threshold.

L.A. acquired Gordon from the Rockets in a three-team deal at the trade deadline. He averaged 11.0 PPG and shot 42.3% from three-point range in his 22 regular season games with the Clippers and put up similar numbers in the playoffs.

Gordon was in the final season of a four-year, $75.5MM contract he signed with Houston in 2020. He could have guaranteed his fourth-year salary by making an All-Star team or reaching a minutes requirement in a championship season.

Kings To Exercise Option On Kessler Edwards

June 28th, 2023 at 7:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings have decided to pick up Kessler Edwards‘ $1.9MM option for next season, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnaroski.

Sacramento acquired the 22-year-old small forward from the Nets at this year’s trade deadline. He appeared in 22 games with the Kings, averaging 3.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per night in a limited role.

Brooklyn drafted Kessler in the second round in 2021 and he made an impact during his rookie year, starting 23 of the 48 games he played. He fell out of the Nets’ rotation this season and appeared in just 14 games before the deal.

Edwards will become a free agent next summer, and the Kings can make him restricted by issuing a $2.4MM qualifying offer.

Bulls Trade Into Draft, Select Julian Phillips At No. 35

June 28th, 2023 at 7:06pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JUNE 28: The deal is official, according to the Wizards, who announced that they received the Bulls’ 2026 and 2027 second-round picks in the swap.

JUNE 22: The Bulls are trading into the second round of tonight’s draft, Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) reports.

Per Charania, Chicago flipped two future second round draft picks to the Wizards for Washington’s No. 35 pick, which it will use on Tennessee small forward Julian Phillips.

The 6’8″ forward was an SEC All-Freshman selection during his lone college season in 2022/23. Across 32 healthy games, including 25 starts, the 19-year-old averaged 8.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.6 SPG and 0.5 BPG.

As K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (via Twitter) notes, Phillips logged a 43-inch vertical at this year’s draft combine, the best among this rookie class. He also boasts a 6’11 1/2″ wingspan. Like several other recent draft picks by team president Arturas Karnisovas, Phillips is big for his position and fairly athletic, but lacks a consistent jump shot.

Even though the Bulls took the fewest three-point attempts of any team in the league last year and desperately need more volume shooting, it appears the team will need to look elsewhere this offseason to address that clear need.

Paul Reed To Get Qualifying Offer From Sixers

June 28th, 2023 at 6:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers will extend a $2.29MM qualifying offer to back-up big man Paul Reed, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Reed, 24, set career highs in his third season with the team by appearing in 69 games and averaging 10.9 minutes per night. He contributed 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 59.3% from the field.

The qualifying offer means Reed will be a restricted free agent and Philadelphia can match whatever offer sheet he receives.

Paul said last month that he hopes to re-sign with the Sixers. He has the option of accepting the QO as a one-year contract or testing the open market.

Hawks Acquire No. 39 Pick Mouhamed Gueye From Celtics

June 28th, 2023 at 6:45pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JUNE 28: The trade is now official, according to press releases from the Celtics and Hawks.

JUNE 23: The Hawks are sending their 2027 second-round pick to Boston in exchange for the rights to Gueye, the Celtics announced in a press release.

JUNE 22: The Hawks are acquiring No. 39 pick Mouhamed Gueye in a trade, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

The 39th pick was originally held by Charlotte but was sent to Boston in an earlier deal, so the Celtics are the team sending it to Atlanta. According to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link), the Celtics are receiving a future second-round pick in the deal.

Gueye, a 6’11” power forward out of Washington State, was an All-Pac-12 First Team selection during his second and final NCAA season. Across 33 contests in 2022/23, he averaged 14.3 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.8 SPG and 0.8 BPG for the Cougars.

Who exactly will flank Gueye in Atlanta’s frontcourt this year remains a bit open-ended, as incumbent starting center Clint Capela and power forward John Collins have been involved in trade rumors so far this offseason. The Hawks also reportedly made progress on a trade that would have sent starting small forward De’Andre Hunter to the Pacers before talks broke down and the deal was scuttled.

Boston did ultimately still have a selection in the second round, nabbing the rights to the No. 38 pick, Arkansas swingman Jordan Walsh, via a deal with the Kings.

Celtics Trade No. 34 Pick Colby Jones To Kings

June 28th, 2023 at 6:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

JUNE 28: The trade has been finalized, the Kings announced (via Twitter).

JUNE 23: The future second-round pick the Celtics are acquiring from the Kings will be Dallas’ 2024 second-rounder, according to a press release.

JUNE 22: The Celtics continue to acquire future assets while moving down in the draft. Their latest deal sends Xavier guard Colby Jones, selected at No. 34, to the Kings in exchange for the 38th pick and a future second-rounder, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Viewed as a 3-and-D wing, Jones shot 37.8% from three-point range for the Musketeers during his junior season. He also averaged 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 36 games.

Boston acquired a first-round pick from the Grizzlies in the Kristaps Porzingis trade that was agreed upon late Wednesday night. The Celtics traded down to No. 31 in a deal with the Pistons, and then sent that pick to the Hornets in exchange for the 34th and 39th selections.

Boston used its picks to take Arkansas forward Jordan Walsh at No. 38 and Washington State forward Mouhamed Gueye at No. 39. Gueye was subsequently dealt to Atlanta.

Hornets Acquire No. 31 Pick James Nnaji

June 28th, 2023 at 6:03pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JUNE 28: The trade is now official, according to the Hornets (Twitter link).

JUNE 22: Having already traded down from No. 25 to No. 31, the Celtics are moving down again, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), who reports that Boston is sending the first pick of the second round to the Hornets in exchange for Nos. 34 and 39.

Charlotte is using the No. 31 pick to draft Nigerian center James Nnaji, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Across 27 games of Liga ACB play with FC Barcelona during the 2022/23 season, the 6’11” big man averaged just 4.9 PPG on 67.1% field goal shooting, along with 3.0 RPG and 0.7 BPG.

Clearly a longer-term project, the 18-year-old must have impressed Charlotte scouts with his athleticism and size. He boasts a 7’5″ wingspan. The Hornets have enjoyed an active draft thus far, headlined by the selection of Alabama small forward Brandon Miller with the second pick this season.

The Celtics, meanwhile, subsequently flipped the No. 34 selection to the Kings and then moved the No. 39 selection to the Hawks for future draft equity. Boston did acquire one rookie in the second round, Arkansas forward Jordan Walsh, with the No. 38 pick acquired in a deal with the Kings.

Timberwolves Waive Taurean Prince

June 28th, 2023 at 5:01pm CST by Luke Adams

5:01pm: The Timberwolves have officially waived Prince, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

4:08pm: The Timberwolves have decided not to guarantee Taurean Prince‘s $7,455,000 salary for the 2023/24 season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Because Prince has a non-guaranteed contract rather than an option, he’ll have to be waived, meaning Minnesota won’t retain any form of Bird rights on him. While Prince could technically be claimed by a team with cap room or a trade exception big enough to cover his salary, he’ll likely pass through waivers and become an unrestricted free agent.

The Wolves’ decision is a little surprising, given that Prince has been a reliable rotation piece in Minnesota for the last two years. In 123 games since the start of the 2021/22 season, he has averaged 8.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 19.3 minutes per night, with a solid shooting line of .460/.378/.799.

Still, if the Wolves hope to re-sign restricted free agent Nickeil Alexander-Walker and use a significant portion of their mid-level exception, it would have been virtually impossible to retain Prince and avoid becoming a taxpayer. Waiving him will give the team more wiggle room to negotiate with Alexander-Walker and use the MLE without surpassing the luxury tax threshold.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), Minnesota now projects to be about $15.6MM below the tax line with four roster spots to fill, so the club still isn’t in position to use its full $12.4MM mid-level without further cost-cutting.

Prince, 29, figures to appeal to teams looking for depth on the wing this summer. A decision on his 2023/24 salary was due today, as our list of early guarantee dates shows.

Pistons’ Draft-Night Trade For Marcus Sasser Finalized

June 28th, 2023 at 4:55pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JUNE 28: The trade is now official, according to a tweet from the Pistons.

JUNE 23: The Celtics will receive the following future second-round picks from the Pistons as part of this trade, per a press release:

The most favorable of the Pistons’, Warriors’, and Wizards’ 2025 second-rounders.
The most favorable of the Timberwolves’, Pelicans’, Knicks’, and Trail Blazers’ 2026 second-round picks.

JUNE 22: The Celtics and Pistons are swapping draft picks, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Detroit is moving up from No. 31 to No. 25 and selecting Houston guard Marcus Sasser.

Technically, the No. 25 pick is still held by the Grizzlies, but it’s being sent to Boston as part of the three-team Marcus Smart trade that was agreed to on Wednesday night. The Celtics will reroute it to the Pistons.

In return, Boston is set to receive both the first pick in the second round and multiple future second-round selections from Detroit, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). This could be a tactical money-saving move for the Celtics, in the short term.

Sasser, a 6’1″ combo guard, will join a talented young backcourt in Detroit. He will be fighting for bench minutes behind backcourt starters Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, two recent top-five lottery picks.

During his four-year NCAA career with the Cougars, Sasser was a two-time All-AAC selection and a consensus 2023 First Team All-American. In 2022/23, the 22-year-old averaged 16.8 PPG on .438/.384/.848 shooting splits. He also chipped in 3.1 APG, 2.8 RPG, and 1.6 SPG across 36 contests, all starts.

Luke Adams contributed to this report.

Hornets Extend QOs to Washington, Bridges, Maledon

June 28th, 2023 at 4:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hornets have made qualifying offers to P.J. Washington, Miles Bridges and Theo Maledon, the team announced (via Twitter). All three players will be restricted when free agency begins on Friday.

Washington will be a highly sought-after target on the free agent market, and extending the QO gives Charlotte the opportunity to match any offer he receives. The 24-year-old power forward is coming off his best NBA season, averaging 15.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 73 games. His qualifying offer will be $8,486,620.

Charlotte is reportedly interested in bringing back Bridges, who sat out sat out all of last season after pleading no contest to felony domestic violence. General manager Mitch Kupchak declined to comment on Bridges at a post-draft press conference, but rival front offices believe he’ll re-sign with the Hornets. Bridges’ qualifying offer is worth $7,744,600.

Maledon appeared in 44 games for Charlotte after signing a two-way contract shortly before the start of last season. His qualifying offer is equivalent to another one-year, two-way deal.