Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hornets’ Reggie Jackson, Rockets’ John Wall Officially Waived

February 13th, 2023 at 6:50am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran guards Reggie Jackson and John Wall were among several players who were officially waived on Sunday, according to press releases from their respective teams. The Hornets cut Jackson, while the Rockets let go of Wall.

Both players had spent most of the season with the Clippers, who completed a series of deadline deals on Thursday. Jackson was sent from Los Angeles to Charlotte in trade for Mason Plumlee, while Wall was moved to Houston in a deal for Eric Gordon.

Since they were both essentially just salary-matching pieces in those trades, Jackson and Wall were widely expected to be waived. Jackson was said to be negotiating a buyout with the Hornets, while Rockets general manager Rafael Stone confirmed in his post-deadline presser than Houston would simply release Wall, whose last stint with the team didn’t end well.

Jackson is reportedly on track to sign with the Nuggets once he clears waivers; Wall doesn’t yet have his next NBA home lined up, as far as we know.

Jackson and Wall were among several veterans who were officially cut on Sunday. The Rockets also waived Danny Green, while the Magic parted ways with Patrick Beverley and Terrence Ross and San Antonio released Stanley Johnson.

Danny Green Agrees To Buyout, Waived By Rockets

February 12th, 2023 at 6:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

6:27pm: Green has officially been waived, according to the NBA transactions log. He has reached an agreement to sign with the Cavaliers upon clearing waivers.

10:51am: Danny Green will become a free agent after reaching a buyout agreement with the Rockets, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The Cavaliers and Celtics are considered the frontrunners to sign Green, with the Lakers and Suns involved as well, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Green must clear waivers before he can join another team.

Cleveland, Boston, L.A. and Phoenix are all in need of wing depth, and Green will bring a strong playoff pedigree to whomever is able to land him. The 35-year-old has three championship rings and was part of L.A.’s title-winning team in 2020.

Green was sent from Memphis to Houston on Thursday as a salary-matching piece in a three-team trade that also involved the Clippers. He is making $10MM this season on an expiring contract.

Green spent most of the season recovering from an ACL tear and didn’t play at all until February 1. He averaged 14.3 minutes in three games with the Grizzlies and hasn’t suited up for the Rockets since the trade.

Patrick Beverley Waived By Magic

February 12th, 2023 at 3:37pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

As had been widely anticipated, combo guard Patrick Beverley has been waived by the Magic, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).

The 6’1″ Beverley will become a free agent once he clears waivers. He was sent to the Magic by the Lakers as part of a four-team trade that netted Los Angeles two second-round draft picks, along with 3-and-D reserve big man Mo Bamba.

In 45 games for the Lakers, all starts, the 34-year-old posted averages of 6.4 PPG on .402/.348/.780, plus 3.1 RPG, 2.6 APG and 0.9 SPG.

Beverley has emerged as a rumored buyout market target of the Clippers, after the team traded veteran point guards Reggie Jackson and John Wall at the deadline. That would mark his second go-round with L.A., He spent four seasons with the Clippers, from 2017-21, and was named to the league’s All-Defensive Second Team in 2020.

Magic, Terrence Ross Finalize Buyout Agreement

February 12th, 2023 at 12:37pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 12: Ross has officially been released by Orlando, the team has revealed in a press release (via Twitter). He’ll reportedly sign with the Suns upon clearing waivers.

11:06am: The Magic and veteran swingman Terrence Ross are finalizing a buyout agreement that will put him on track for free agency, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Ross, 32, has been with the Magic since being traded from Toronto to Orlando at the 2017 deadline.

He averaged 14.4 points in 27.2 minutes per game in 220 contests during his first four full seasons with the team, but has seen his role cut back in the last two seasons as the Magic have gone through a rebuilding process. He has averaged just 9.2 PPG in 22.8 MPG across 105 appearances since the start of last season.

Ross has been viewed as a trade candidate since Orlando’s 2021 fire sale that saw Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier all dealt. However, he stuck around for an extra two years beyond that, as the Magic never got the sort of offer they sought for the veteran shooter, who has made 36.2% of his 3,500 career three-point attempts.

Given that Ross is on an expiring contract and suggested last spring he’d welcome a change of scenery, it comes as no surprise that he’s seeking his exit from Orlando after staying put through the trade deadline.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who first reported that Ross was a buyout candidate, says the Mavericks and Suns are two potential suitors to keep an eye on. Marc Stein (Twitter link) has also heard word of Dallas’ interest in the veteran wing.

Spurs Waive Stanley Johnson, Will Convert Charles Bassey To Standard Contract

February 12th, 2023 at 12:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs have released veteran forward Stanley Johnson, the team announced today in a press release.

Johnson signed with San Antonio in mid-December and averaged 5.8 points and 3.2 rebounds off the bench in 30 games while shooting 45% from three-point range. Despite being drafted in 2015, he’s only 26 and could spark some interest among contending teams on the buyout market.

Johnson was a part-time starter last season with the Lakers, who have a roster spot open after making several moves at the trade deadline. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report isn’t sure if L.A. can bring back Johnson because he was traded to the Jazz in August and subsequently waived (Twitter link), but Pincus believes the language in the collective bargaining agreement is murky enough that it might be worth a phone call to the league to verify.

The Spurs intend to use their roster opening to convert Charles Bassey‘s two-way deal to a standard contract, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio signed Bassey after the Sixers waived him in October, and he’s averaging 4.7 points and 5.2 rebounds in 24 games.

Thunder Sign Olivier Sarr To Two-Way Contract

February 12th, 2023 at 8:38am CST by Arthur Hill

Center Olivier Sarr has returned to the Thunder on a two-way contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

The 23-year-old center signed a pair of 10-day contracts and then a two-way deal with Oklahoma City last season. He appeared in 22 total games, averaging 7.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, before being waived in April.

Sarr joined the Trail Blazers for training camp on an Exhibit 10 contract and was impressive enough in the preseason to earn a two-way deal with the team. However, he suffered a partial tear of a ligament in his right wrist that sidelined him for six weeks and he was waived in mid-November. In January, he signed with the Thunder’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.

OKC had a two-way opening after converting Eugene Omoruyi‘s contract to a standard deal on Friday.

Terrence Ross To Sign With Suns Following Buyout

February 11th, 2023 at 11:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

Terrence Ross plans to join the Suns after his buyout with the Magic is complete, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Ross must clear waivers before he can sign with Phoenix.

Earlier in the day, Wojnarowski reported that the Mavericks were the frontrunners to add Ross, but he says that changed when new Suns owner Mat Ishbia and coach Monty Williams got involved. They were able to sell Ross on the idea of coming to Phoenix to join Kevin Durant in pursuit of a title.

The Suns have two open roster spots, so they can sign Ross without a corresponding move.

Dallas’ offer is limited to a pro-rated minimum contract, which is worth about $900K, points out Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype (Twitter link), while Phoenix has $5.2MM of its mid-level exception left and could offer more than the minimum (though it’s unclear whether they will).

Ross will help replace some of the wing depth the Suns had to send to Brooklyn in the Durant trade. He’s a career 36.2% shooter from three-point range and is connecting at 38.1% from long distance this season. He was averaging 8.0 PPG in 42 games for Orlando.

Raptors Sign Joe Wieskamp To Multiyear Deal

February 11th, 2023 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

5:00 pm: Wieskamp’s deal is worth the minimum salary and doesn’t currently include any guaranteed money for 2023/24, tweets Anil Gogna of No Trade Clause. Wieskamp’s salary for next season would become guaranteed if he remains under contract beyond June 30.

10:15am: The Raptors have signed free agent swingman Joe Wieskamp to a multiyear contract, the team announced today in a press release.

Wieskamp previously signed a pair of 10-day contracts with Toronto in January. Because teams aren’t permitted to sign a player to more than two standard 10-day deals in a single season, the Raptors were unable to bring back the 23-year-old without committing to him for at least the rest of 2022/23.

Now that the trade deadline has passed and Toronto still had an open spot on its 15-man roster, the club has decided to re-sign Wieskamp to fill that opening.

In his first 20 days as a Raptor, Wieskamp appeared in just two games, scoring nine points in 17 minutes and making 3-of-4 three-pointers. The former Iowa standout has spent most of this season in the G League, where he has averaged 16.7 PPG and made 41.2% of his threes in 19 total contests for the Wisconsin Herd and Raptors 905.

Wieskamp was drafted 41st overall in 2021 by the Spurs and spent most of his rookie season on a two-way contract with San Antonio. The 23-year-old re-signed with the Spurs last August on a two-year deal that included a guaranteed $2.175MM salary for 2022/23, but was the victim of a roster crunch in San Antonio and was waived in October just before the regular season tipped off.

The deal with Wieskamp likely means that the Raptors won’t be a player in the buyout market, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). While Toronto could waive a player to open up another roster spot if needed, its team salary is quite close to the luxury tax line, Murphy notes.

The exact terms of Wieskamp’s new contract aren’t yet known, but it seems unlikely to include much – if any – guaranteed money beyond the current season. Assuming it’s a minimum-salary deal, he’ll earn $545,989 for the rest of 2022/23.

Pacers Officially Waive Serge Ibaka

February 11th, 2023 at 1:34pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Pacers have waived veteran center Serge Ibaka. The team confirmed the transaction in a press release.

Ibaka was traded from Milwaukee to Indiana on deadline day, but he was only included for salary-matching purposes in the four-team trade that sent Jae Crowder to the Bucks (and, of course, Kevin Durant to the Suns). A Thursday report indicated that he would be released by the Pacers.

Ibaka, 33, hasn’t looked the same after having back surgery a couple years ago. This season with the Bucks, he averaged a career-low 11.6 minutes per game in 16 appearances, putting up 4.1 PPG and 2.8 RPG on .481/.333/.615 shooting in his limited role. He and the Bucks agreed last month that he’d remain away from the team as the two sides sought a trade.

Ibaka has a strong NBA track record, having been one of the league’s best shot blockers during his time in Oklahoma City and playing a key part on a championship team in Toronto in 2019. We should get a sense based on how much interest he draws in free agency whether teams still believe he has something left in the tank.

The big man will clear waivers on Monday, assuming he goes unclaimed.

The Pacers are reportedly expected to re-sign James Johnson to fill the roster spot that Ibaka’s release will open.

Thunder Add Eugene Omoruyi To 15-Man Roster

February 10th, 2023 at 10:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

10:51pm: Omoruyi’s new contract and promotion to the 15-man roster is official, according to a team press release.

6:58pm: The Thunder are converting forward Eugene Omoruyi‘s two-way contract to a standard deal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

The contract will run through the 2023/24 season, Wojnarowski adds in another tweet. Details were not disclosed but it’s likely a minimum deal without a full guarantee for next season.

Omoruyi signed a two-way contract in early July.

He has appeared in 21 NBA games this season, including two starts. He’s averaged 5.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per night.

The Thunder opened up a roster spot by trading Mike Muscala to Boston. Though Justin Jackson was sent to OKC in the deal, he was waived on Friday.

Omoruyi went undrafted in 2021 and spent time with the Mavericks on a two-way deal last year. He suffered a season-ending injury in December and was subsequently waived.

During his college career, he spent three seasons at Rutgers and one season at Oregon before declaring for the 2021 NBA draft.