Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacers Sign Tristen Newton To Two-Way Deal

July 27th, 2024 at 11:52am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers have signed second-round pick Tristen Newton to a two-way contract, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link).

The floor leader for national champion UConn, Newton appeared in five Summer League games in Las Vegas, averaging 9.0 points, 4.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 21.6 minutes.

Newton, 23, started all 40 games for the Huskies this past season and averaged 15.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists. He was taken with the 49th overall pick in the draft.

Newton was one of four UConn starters selected in the draft. He’ll provide more backcourt depth for Indiana.

Newton joins Quenton Jackson, who was re-signed this weekend, on two-way deals. That leaves Indiana with one more available two-way spot. The team still has one unsigned second-round pick (Enrique Freeman) and has a two-way qualifying offer out to Oscar Tshiebwe.

Nuggets Sign McGlothan, Williams To Camp Deals

July 27th, 2024 at 11:01am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets have added forwards Gabe McGlothan and Jaylin Williams on training camp deals, according to Spotrac contributor Keith Smith (Twitter links).

McGlothan went undrafted after playing the last four collegiate seasons at Grand Canyon. He averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in 34 starts last season.

Denver’s intention to sign McGlothan to an Exhibit 10 deal was reported last month. McGlothan helped Grand Canyon to a victory in the NCAA Tournament and went on to win the collegiate slam dunk contest.

Not to be confused with the Thunder forward of the same name, Williams went undrafted out of Auburn. He averaged 12.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists for the Tigers in 34 games last season. Denver’s intention to sign Williams was also previously reported.

An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal that doesn’t count against a team’s cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. It can be converted to a two-way contract before the season begins or the player can earn a bonus of up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.

Pacers Re-Sign Quenton Jackson On Two-Way Deal

July 27th, 2024 at 9:20am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers have re-signed Quenton Jackson to a two-way contract, according to the NBA transactions log.

Jackson was on a two-way deal last season. He became a restricted free agent after receiving a qualifying offer prior to free agency.

Jackson was part of Indiana’s Summer League team in Las Vegas, where he averaged 11.0 points, 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals in 21.2 minutes per contest.

The Texas A&M product went undrafted in 2022, then played nine games for Washington in 2022/23. He was released by the Wizards last summer. He spent a majority of the 2023/24 season with the G League’s Windy City Bulls before Indiana signed him to a two-way deal in March.

Jackson appeared in three games with the Pacers last season. He saw action in a total of 32 G League contests, averaging 18.8 points, 5.6 assists and 1.8 steals in 33.8 minutes per game.

Indiana had all three of its two-way slots open, so more moves could be forthcoming.

Nuggets Sign Russell Westbrook To Two-Year Deal

July 26th, 2024 at 10:11pm CST by Luke Adams

10:11pm: The Nuggets have officially signed Westbrook, according to a team press release.

1:05pm: The Nuggets will sign veteran point guard Russell Westbrook to a two-year contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Denver has long been the expected landing spot for the former MVP, but the details of Westbrook’s new deal hadn’t been reported until now. The 35-year-old earn the minimum salary of $3,303,771 in 2024/25, with a minimum-salary player option worth $3,468,960 for ’25/26. He could become a free agent again in a year if he declines that option.

After joining the Clippers on the buyout market in February 2023, Westbrook spent his first full season with the team in ’23/24, shifting to a bench role following the November acquisition of James Harden. In 68 appearances, the nine-time All-Star averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in a career-low 22.5 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .454/.273/.688.

Although Westbrook exercised his $4MM+ player option for 2024/25, his camp and the Clippers quickly began working to find a new home for the former UCLA star. The Nuggets, whose star center Nikola Jokic endorsed the pursuit of Westbrook, were immediately identified as the frontrunner but weren’t in a great position to acquire the guard via trade.

Instead, Westbrook was sent to Utah as part of a deal sending Kris Dunn to the Clippers via sign-and-trade. He subsequently agreed to a buyout with the Jazz, clearing the way for him to sign with Denver as a free agent.

Westbrook is on track to serve as Jamal Murray‘s primary backup at the point and will play a significant role next season for a Nuggets team that struggled to find reliable depth outside of its starting five in the playoffs this past spring.

Trey Jemison Claimed Off Waivers By Pelicans

July 26th, 2024 at 6:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans have claimed Trey Jemison off waivers, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. The Grizzlies placed the big man on waivers on Wednesday in order to make room for Jay Huff.

Jemison was on a two-way contract with Memphis. He signed a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies in January, then agreed to a two-year, two-way deal when that contract expired.

He earned regular minutes down the stretch on a Memphis roster hit hard by injuries, averaging 7.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 1.2 BPG in 23 games (24.9 MPG).

With the free agent loss of Jonas Valanciunas, New Orleans has been busy this summer adding other options. The Pelicans signed free agents Daniel Theis and Karlo Matkovic and drafted Yves Missi. Jemison gives them yet another option in the middle.

Jemison, who also played two games with Washinigton last season, went undrafted out of UAB.

New Orleans has two other players —Malcolm Hill and Jamal Cain — signed to two-way deals, so Jemison will fill the third slot.

Spurs Re-Sign David Duke Jr. On Two-Way Deal

July 26th, 2024 at 3:40pm CST by Luke Adams

3:40pm: The Spurs have officially re-signed Duke to a two-way contract, the team confirmed today in a press release.

1:54pm: Free agent guard David Duke Jr. will return to San Antonio, having agreed to sign a new two-way contract with the Spurs, agents Todd Ramasar and Mike Simonetta tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Duke, 24, signed a two-way deal with the Spurs last December and spent the rest of the season on that contract. He appeared in just four games at the NBA level for San Antonio, with all of those appearances coming during the final week of the regular season.

Up until that point, Duke had been playing for the Austin Spurs in the G League. He appeared in 34 regular season contests for the NBAGL club, averaging 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 33.3 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .449/.377/.788.

The Spurs issued Duke a qualifying offer at the end of the season, and while they withdrew it to maximize their cap room, they clearly maintained interest in bringing him back. Since the 6’5″ guard spent two seasons in Brooklyn from 2021-23 to start his career, his two-way contract will only cover the 2024/25 season — he wouldn’t be eligible for a two-way deal in ’25/26 once he has four years of NBA service under his belt.

Duke will join Jamaree Bouyea as the Spurs’ two-way players for now. Second-round pick Harrison Ingram is considered the favorite to fill the third open two-way slot.

Mavericks To Sign Kessler Edwards To Two-Way Contract

July 26th, 2024 at 1:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent forward Kessler Edwards has agreed to a sign a two-way contract with the Mavericks, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Edwards, who will turn 24 in August, spent the last season-and-a-half in Sacramento and appeared in 54 games for the Kings last season. However, his role was extremely limited. He averaged just 5.1 minutes per game off the bench, often seeing action in garbage time.

The 6’8″ forward had his best season in the NBA as a rookie in 2022/23, when he averaged 5.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 20.6 minutes per game across 48 outings (23 starts) for the Nets. He posted a .412/.353/.842 shooting line that season.

Edwards was eligible for restricted free agency this summer, but the Kings opted not to issue him a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

A former Pepperdine standout, Edwards will join Alex Fudge and Brandon Williams as Dallas’ players on two-way contracts.

Pacers Sign Andrew Nembhard To Three-Year Extension

July 26th, 2024 at 11:39am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 26: Nembhard’s extension with the Pacers is official, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

JULY 24: The Pacers and guard Andrew Nembhard have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension, agents Todd Ramasar and Jaafar Choufani tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The new deal will begin in 2025/26, replacing Nembhard’s team option for that season. According to Wojnarowski, it’ll be worth the maximum amount that the Pacers guard can receive on a three-year extension based on NBA rules (140% of this season’s $12.93MM estimated average salary, with 8% annual raises).

Nembhard will earn a starting salary of approximately $18.1MM in ’25/26 and a total of $58.65MM across the three seasons. The 24-year-old is making a minimum salary of about $2.02MM in the final year of his current contract in ’24/25.

The 31st overall pick in the 2022 draft, Nembhard has started 110 of 143 games for the Pacers since entering the league, posting averages of 9.3 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .467/.353/.797.

While he typically starts alongside star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, the former Gonzaga standout also shares backup point guard duties with T.J. McConnell, taking on additional ball-handling responsibilities when he’s not on the floor with Haliburton.

As Wojnarowski points out, Nembhard was Indiana’s top performer when Haliburton was unavailable in Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals this spring due to an injury. He averaged 28.0 PPG, 9.5 APG, and 5.0 RPG on .564/.538/1.000 shooting in those two single-possession losses to the eventual champion Celtics.

Nembhard’s deal will be the third long-term contract handed out to a key rotation piece by the Pacers this offseason. Pascal Siakam received a four-year, maximum-salary deal, while Obi Toppin signed a four-year, $58MM pact. Haliburton’s five-year max extension, signed in 2023, also takes effect this season.

Nembhard will be suiting up at the Olympics in Paris this summer, providing depth in a loaded Canadian backcourt headlined by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray.

Rockets Sign Jack McVeigh To Two-Way Contract

July 25th, 2024 at 6:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 25: McVeigh’s two-way contract with the Rockets is now official, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

JULY 15: Australian forward Jack McVeigh has agreed to a two-way deal with the Rockets, ESPN’s Olgun Uluc reports.

The 6’8” McVeigh, 28, is coming off the best season of his professional career with the Tasmania JackJumpers. He led them to the 2024 NBL Championship and earned Championship Series MVP honors. Over the 2023/24 NBL season, McVeigh averaged 16.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for the JackJumpers, shooting 52.5% from the field and 36.4% from beyond the arc.

McVeigh is a member of the 12-man Australian Boomers team for the 2024 Paris Olympics. He had nine points in Australia’s exhibition loss to Team USA on Monday.

McVeigh spent four seasons at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln before beginning his professional career in the NBL.

Rockets big man Jock Landale is also on the Australian national team.

The Rockets had one opening for another two-way player. Jeenathan Williams and N’Faly Dante hold the other two-way deals.

Pacers Re-Sign James Johnson To One-Year Deal

July 25th, 2024 at 5:46pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 25: The Pacers have officially re-signed Johnson, the team confirmed today in a press release.

JULY 24: The Pacers are bringing back James Johnson, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), who hears from agent Mark Bartelstein that the veteran forward has agreed to a one-year, $3.3MM deal with Indiana.

Johnson, 37, has played for 10 NBA teams since entering the league as the 16th overall pick in the 2009 draft, but he hasn’t signed with any club besides the Pacers since September 2022. He has been on and off Indiana’s roster since his initial arrival — this will be the seventh contract he has signed with the team in the last two years.

Johnson has only appeared in 27 games as a Pacer, averaging a modest 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per game during those outings. However, he’s valued within the organization for his toughness, veteran leadership, and presence in the locker room.

The minimum salary for a player with Johnson’s years of service is $3,303,771, so it’s safe to assume that’s what his contract will be worth. The Pacers will carry a cap hit of $2,087,519, with the league picking up the balance.

It’s unclear if the deal will be fully guaranteed. Last season, Johnson signed a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract with the Pacers in December, was waived in January before it became fully guaranteed, then was brought back on a pair of two-way contracts and eventually a rest-of-season agreement.

Prior to officially signing Johnson, the Pacers are carrying 12 players on fully guaranteed salaries for 2024/25, with James Wiseman on a partially guaranteed deal and Kendall Brown on a non-guaranteed contract.