Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets, Suns Agree On Kevin Durant Trade

February 9th, 2023 at 12:11am CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns will acquire Kevin Durant from the Nets in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, four first-round picks and more draft consideration, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Jae Crowder, who has been sitting out since training camp in hopes of being traded, will also go to Brooklyn in the deal, Charania adds (Twitter link).

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that Nets forward T.J. Warren will be part of the trade as well, and the additional draft consideration is a first-round pick swap in 2028. According to Woj, Durant wanted to be dealt to Phoenix, and new Suns owner Mat Ishbia pushed to get the deal completed tonight.

Brooklyn will receive unprotected first-rounders in 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029, a source tells Wojnarowski. The trade will help to replenish the Nets’ draft assets after they sent multiple picks and pick swaps to Houston to acquire James Harden in 2021.

The Suns were on Durant’s short list of preferred destinations when he issued a trade demand last summer. Although Phoenix was among the teams that submitted offers to Brooklyn, no progress was made at the time and Durant eventually rescinded the demand before the start of training camp.

At age 34, Durant remains among the league’s best players, averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while lifting the Nets into a tight race for the best record in the East before suffering a sprained MCL in his right knee last month. Durant is expected to be sidelined until after the All-Star break, but Brooklyn coach Jacque Vaughn said he received “a really good report” from doctors this week.

Durant still has three seasons remaining on the four-year extension he signed with the Nets in 2021, which led to speculation that the team didn’t feel any immediate pressure to trade him. Brooklyn had reportedly been telling teams that have called about Durant that he wasn’t being made available before the deadline.

A 13-time All-Star, Durant will earn $46.4MM, $49.9MM and $53.5MM over the next three seasons. He will team with Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, and the Suns’ remaining assets in hopes of bringing a title to Phoenix. Ironically, there was a report earlier this week that the Suns offered Paul to Brooklyn in hopes of landing Kyrie Irving.

The Durant-Irving pairing that seemed to make the Nets an instant contender when they both signed as free agents in 2019 will officially end with trades just a few days apart. Injuries limited their time on the court together, even when Harden was added to form a Big Three, and they managed to win just one playoff series as teammates, although they had a narrow loss to the eventual champion Bucks in 2021.

The Nets no longer have elite talent on their roster, but Bridges and Johnson have both been valuable during their time in Phoenix, and they join a team that has managed to remain competitive even with Durant and Irving in and out of the lineup.

Bridges, 26, is a strong defender and long-distance shooter and is under contract for three more years at a total of about $70MM. Johnson, also 26, is an elite three-point shooter who is headed for free agency this summer. The Nets can make him restricted with a qualifying offer worth around $8MM.

The trade ends Crowder’s long standoff with Phoenix, but Brooklyn may not be his final stop before the deadline. Wojnarowski tweets that the Nets plan to explore opportunities to move him to other teams.

The deal provides a homecoming for Warren, who spent his first five seasons with the Suns. He signed with Brooklyn in July and has managed to bounce back after missing most of the past two seasons with left foot issues.

Trail Blazers To Trade Josh Hart To Knicks

February 8th, 2023 at 10:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks have reached an agreement to acquire Josh Hart from the Trail Blazers, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Portland will receive Cam Reddish and a first-round pick as part of the return.

Hart has an expiring $12.96MM contract, while Reddish is earning $5.95MM in the final year of his rookie deal, so at least one more player has to be included to match salaries.

Sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that Svi Mykhailiuk ($1.97MM) and Ryan Arcidiacono ($2.13MM) are also headed to the Blazers (Twitter link), which will satisfy the NBA’s matching rules.

The pick that New York is giving up is lottery protected for 2023, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link). If it doesn’t convey this year, it will turn into four future second-round picks. That’s presumably the Knicks’ own first-round pick, since the protection terms don’t match up with the other first-rounders they control.

New York appeared to be a late entry into the bidding for Hart, with the first rumors of a deal appearing earlier today. His toughness and tenacity on defense seem to make him a natural fit for coach Tom Thibodeau. The Cavaliers and Heat were among the other teams reported to have interest in trading for Hart.

The 27-year-old wing is expected to decline his $12.96MM option this summer and seek a long-term deal in free agency. He has been part of the starting lineup in Portland since the Blazers acquired him at last year’s trade deadline, and he’s averaging 9.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 51 games this season.

The Knicks gave up a protected first-round pick last February to acquire Reddish, but he has fallen out of favor and hasn’t played since December 3. The 10th selection in the 2019 draft has washed out in Atlanta and New York, but he will have two months to audition for the Blazers, who can make him a restricted free agent with a $7.7MM qualifying offer.

Mykhailiuk, who signed a non-guaranteed deal with New York shortly before the start of training camp, has seen minimal playing time in 13 games.

Arcidiacono has played even less than his teammate, appearing in just 11 games and logging 26 total minutes in 2022/23. Due to the terms of his contract, he had the ability to veto any trade that involves him, but he has signed off on this one, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

The Trail Blazers will gain some cap relief as a result of the deal and will move well clear of the luxury tax line after flirting with it for much of the season. Assuming no players are added to the deal and it remains a three-for-one swap, Portland will have to cut a player from its 15-man roster to make room for the newcomers.

Heat Sign Jamaree Bouyea To 10-Day Deal

February 8th, 2023 at 2:46pm CST by Rory Maher

FEBRUARY 8: The Heat have made it official, announcing a press release that they’ve signed Bouyea to a 10-day contract.

FEBRUARY 7: The Heat plan to sign Jamaree Bouyea to a 10-day contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Bouyea, 23, went undrafted last June after a five-year college career with San Francisco. He signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Heat in mid-July and played for the Heat’s Summer League squad.

The 6’2″ point guard was waived before the regular season started and has spent his entire rookie year with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s G League affiliate.

During the Showcase Cup, which ended in December, Bouyea averaged 15.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 6.1 APG and 2.4 SPG on .493/.306/.654 shooting in 16 games (35.5 MPG). He has averaged 18.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 5.6 APG and 1.4 SPG on .520/.286/.735 shooting during 16 regular season games for the Skyforce (33.4 MPG).

The Heat announced (via Twitter) earlier on Tuesday that Kyle Lowry will miss at least three games with knee soreness, so Bouyea could get some minutes during his 10-day deal.

Miami traded Dewayne Dedmon to the Spurs in a salary dump, and already had a roster opening, so no subsequent moves will be required to sign Bouyea.

Kings Acquire Kessler Edwards From Nets

February 7th, 2023 at 6:05pm CST by Luke Adams

6:05pm: The trade is now official, the Nets announced in a press release. Brooklyn received the draft rights to David Michineau, who currently plays for Napoli Basket in Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A, to complete the deal.

3:39pm: The Kings and Nets have finalized an agreement, a league source tells James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter links). Ham confirms that Sacramento will end Burton’s 10-day contract a little early to open up a roster spot for Edwards.

2:54am: The Kings and Nets are close to reaching an agreement on a trade that would send forward Kessler Edwards to Sacramento, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), the deal will send Edwards and cash to Sacramento. It’s essentially a salary dump, since moving off Edwards’ minimum-salary contract will save the Nets approximately $8MM in salary and tax money in addition to opening up a roster spot, per Wojnarowski.

As Wojnarowski notes, Edwards must sign off on the trade, since the terms of his deal with Brooklyn give him the ability to veto a trade. He intends to approve it, according to Woj (Twitter link).

The 44th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Edwards signed a two-year contract with the Nets this past offseason after spending his rookie year on a two-way deal that includes a second-year team option. He showed promise in a limited role last season, averaging 5.9 PPG and 3.6 RPG on .412/.353/.842 shooting.

However, Edwards hasn’t seen regular playing time in 2022/23, logging 79 total minutes across 14 contests. He has scored just 15 points on 6-of-24 (25.0%) shooting for the season.

It’s unclear whether Edwards will finish the season with Sacramento. According to Wojnarowski, the club’s plan for now is to give him the opportunity to play for its G League team, the Stockton Kings, but Woj says his future remains “fluid” with two days to go until the trade deadline. It sounds like if Sacramento needs to open a roster spot at the deadline, Edwards would probably be the odd man out.

The Kings technically have a full 15-man roster for now, but one of those spots is occupied by Deonte Burton, who is on a 10-day contract that expires Wednesday night. His deal may be terminated a little early to accommodate the acquisition of Edwards.

As for the Nets, they’ll create a trade exception worth approximately $1.6MM (Edwards’ salary), but the financial savings and the newly opened roster spot will likely end up being more valuable than that exception.

Heat Trade Dedmon, Second-Round Pick To Spurs

February 7th, 2023 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

1:53pm: The Spurs have officially acquired Dedmon and the Heat’s 2028 second-round pick from Miami in exchange for cash considerations, they announced in a press release.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the belief is that the Heat are getting $110K, which is the minimum amount a team can send or receive in a trade.

10:25am: The Heat and Spurs have agreed to a trade that will send center Dewayne Dedmon to San Antonio along with a future second-round pick, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The second-rounder will be Miami’s 2028 pick, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Dedmon, 33, re-signed with the Heat last summer and began the season as the club’s primary backup center behind Bam Adebayo. However, he lost his spot in the rotation to two-way rookie Orlando Robinson and was suspended for one game by Miami last month for a sideline outburst. The Heat had reportedly been shopping him in trade talks in recent weeks.

For the season, Dedmon has averaged 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 30 appearances (11.7 MPG).

The Spurs remain well below the salary cap (and floor), giving them the ability to take on Dedmon’s $4.7MM salary without sending out any players of their own. They also have an open spot on their 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to create room for Dedmon.

From the Spurs’ perspective, the deal essentially comes down to sacrificing some of their cap space for the rights to a future draft pick. Dedmon’s $4.3MM salary for 2023/24 is non-guaranteed, so he’s a good bet to be waived after the trade is official — San Antonio won’t owe him any money beyond this season.

For Miami, the move generates additional roster and cap flexibility. The Heat have spent the season carrying just 14 players, with a team salary about $200K below the luxury tax line. Moving Dedmon will give the team significantly more breathing room below the tax threshold to make trades or signings.

Even if the Heat don’t need that flexibility this week for a pre-deadline deal, they’ll have the ability to sign free agents to fill both their 14th and 15th roster spots without having to worry about becoming a taxpayer. Robinson is a candidate to be promoted to the standard roster to claim one of those openings.

Teams are permitted to carry below 14 players on standard contracts for up to two weeks at a time, so the Heat would have 14 days to add a 14th man after the trade becomes official.

To make the trade legal, the Spurs will have to send something to Miami, but since this is essentially just a salary dump, San Antonio’s outgoing piece is unlikely to be anything of real value — it could be a heavily protected draft pick, the rights to a draft-and-stash player who won’t ever play in the NBA, or a small amount of cash. Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link) hears that it’ll be the latter.

The Heat will generate a trade exception worth $4.7MM (Dedmon’s salary) as a result of the deal.

Nets Trade Kyrie Irving To Mavericks

February 6th, 2023 at 5:32pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 6: Despite efforts by the Nets to expand the deal and involve a third team, the trade remains a two-team swap and is now official, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

The Mavericks’ PR department confirms the trade is official in a tweet.

Nets GM Sean Marks issued a statement, Chris Milholen of Nets Daily tweets, saying in part, “We’re excited to add Spencer and Dorian to our roster, while also securing draft compensation that will increase our flexibility moving forward.”

FEBRUARY 5: The Nets and Mavericks have agreed to a trade that will send point guard Kyrie Irving to Dallas, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Charania (Twitter link) and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links), Brooklyn will receive guard Spencer Dinwiddie, forward Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2029 second-round pick in the swap. Those draft picks will all be the Mavericks’ own.

The Nets will also send forward Markieff Morris to the Mavs, Charania adds.

News of the agreement between the two teams comes just two days after word broke that Irving had requested a trade out of Brooklyn following failed negotiations on a contract extension. Reports at that time indicated that the All-Star guard had conveyed to the Nets that he planned to leave in free agency if he wasn’t dealt by the February 9 trade deadline.

The Nets wasted little time accommodating Irving’s request, having perhaps grown weary of the drama that has surrounded the 30-year-old since his arrival in Brooklyn in 2019. During those three-and-a-half years, Irving has missed significant time due to injuries, taken personal leaves of absence, refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19 despite a New York City mandate that prevented him from playing in home games, and served a team-issued suspension for promoting an antisemitic film on social media.

On the court, Irving played at his usual high level in 143 total games as a Net, averaging 27.1 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per night with a .489/.396/.909 shooting line in 35.8 minutes per game. However, his and Kevin Durant‘s brilliance didn’t translate to much postseason success — Brooklyn has won just a single playoff series since adding the two stars in 2019.

By trading Irving for a package that includes both veteran players and future draft picks, the Nets – who currently occupy the fourth seed in the East at 32-20 – will set themselves up to remain in contention this year while also securing some assets for the future. Kyrie was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but Dinwiddie is under contract for another season and Finney-Smith’s deal runs all the way through 2025/26 (the final year is a player option).

The Mavs, meanwhile, will get the co-star they wanted for All-NBA guard Luka Doncic and their new-look backcourt should be the NBA’s most dynamic, though the move carries substantial risk. The trade will cost Dallas two of its most reliable rotation players, with Dinwiddie having averaged 17.7 PPG on .455/.405/.821 shooting and Finney-Smith handling key defensive assignments on the wing.

Additionally, while Irving could technically sign a two-year extension with the Mavs anytime before June 30, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported earlier today that Kyrie’s preference is to play out the current season and seek a longer-term maximum-salary contract as a free agent, so Dallas may have to take its chances with the mercurial star this summer. Obviously, the organization will be motivated to make it work with Irving — the front office wouldn’t have paid this price if it expected him to be a rental.

According to Marc Stein (Twitter link), the Mavericks consulted with Doncic before agreeing to trade for Irving, who is said to be “ecstatic” to join forces with Luka in Dallas, per Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Mavs president of basketball operations Nico Harrison, formerly a top Nike executive, has a long-standing relationship with Kyrie, notes Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Both the Mavericks and Nets were already on track to be taxpayers this season, but because Irving ($36.9MM) and Morris ($1.8MM) have a higher combined cap hit than Dinwiddie ($20.2MM) and Finney-Smith ($12.4MM), the move will reduce Brooklyn’s projected end-of-season tax bill by about $26.5MM and increase Dallas’ by nearly $29MM, per Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype (Twitter links).

Irving and Finney-Smith have trade bonuses in their contracts. Irving’s is worth 15% of his remaining salary, while Finney-Smith’s is worth 5%. There has been no indication yet that either player will waive or reduce his bonus.

The Lakers, Clippers, and Suns were also said to have interest in Irving, so the Mavs beat out several Western Conference rivals to land him. According to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), the Lakers and Nets had several conversations about a possible deal, but Brooklyn preferred Dallas’ package that included useful present and future pieces — trade talks between the two teams accelerated today, Woj adds.

Suns Sign Saben Lee To Two-Way Deal, Waive Duane Washington

February 1st, 2023 at 5:58pm CST by Luke Adams

5:58pm: Lee’s two-way deal and Washington’s release are now official, the Suns announced (Twitter link via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic).

2:47pm: After signing Saben Lee to a pair of 10-day contracts, the Suns are making a move to ensure that he sticks with the team. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Phoenix has agreed to sign Lee to a two-way contract and will waive current two-way player Duane Washington Jr. to open up a spot.

The 38th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Lee played for the Pistons during his first two years in the NBA, then spent time earlier this season on a two-way deal with Philadelphia before being cut in December. Over the course of his first 20 days in Phoenix, he averaged 7.0 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per night in 10 games (17.3 MPG), with a shooting line of .455/.500/.774.

After a player signs two 10-day contracts with the same team, he’s ineligible to sign a third, so if the Suns wanted to retain Lee, a rest-of-season commitment was necessary. Phoenix has an opening on its 15-man roster, but chose instead to use one of its two-way slots on Lee — he’s still eligible to be a two-way player since he’s only in his third NBA season.

It’s not surprising that the Suns would choose to avoid locking in a 15th man with the trade deadline just eight days away, since they’ll have more roster flexibility at the deadline this way. Still, waiving Washington to make room for Lee likely wasn’t an easy call.

Washington has had several strong outings for the Suns in his second NBA season, including four games of 21 points or more. In total, he averaged 7.9 PPG and 2.0 APG in 31 games (12.7 MPG) while making 36.0% of his three-point attempts. Assuming he clears waivers, he could certainly draw some interest from other NBA teams.

Forward Ish Wainright occupies Phoenix’s other two-way slot.

Mavericks Sign Chris Silva To 10-Day Contract

January 31st, 2023 at 11:18am CST by Luke Adams

11:18am: The Mavericks have officially signed Silva, the team announced (via Twitter).

The timing is a little surprising, since the deal will only run through February 9, covering Dallas’ next four games. Silva would have to sign a second 10-day contract to remain eligible for the Mavs’ games on Feb. 10 and 11 (and beyond).

8:24am: The Mavericks are set to sign forward Chris Silva to a 10-day contract, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Silva signed a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract with the Hawks in August and was waived during the preseason. He reported to the team’s G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, and has spent the season with the club.

Silva averaged 13.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game in 18 Showcase Cup appearances (26.0 MPG) for the Skyhawks. Since the regular season began, he has recorded 14.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 0.9 BPG in 11 contests (22.4 MPG).

Dallas will be the fourth NBA team Silva has played for during the regular season. He appeared in a total of 69 games from 2019-22, primarily for Miami, but also with Sacramento and Minnesota. The 26-year-old holds career averages of 2.8 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 7.7 MPG.

Because the Mavericks have an open spot on their 15-man roster, no corresponding move will be required to make room for Silva. I’d expect Dallas to wait a couple days to sign him, since the team doesn’t play again until Thursday — signing him on Thursday would make him eligible for the Mavs’ next six games, whereas signing him today would only make him eligible for four.

Silva will earn $109,318 over the course of his 10-day deal, while Dallas will carry a cap hit of $105,522. With the trade deadline just 10 days away, Silva would presumably be the odd man out if the Mavs take on an extra player in any deadline deals.

Myles Turner Signs Two-Year Extension With Pacers

January 30th, 2023 at 2:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

JANUARY 30: Turner’s extension is now official, the Pacers announced in a press release.

JANUARY 28: The Pacers have reached a two-year extension agreement with Myles Turner, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Turner’s agent, Austin Brown of CAA Sports, tells Woj that the deal includes a $17.1MM renegotiation on the center’s salary for the current season. Turner will have that amount added to the $18MM he’s already receiving in 2022/23. It’s the largest renegotiation deal in NBA history, according to Wojnarowski, and it’s possible because the team had a significant amount of remaining cap space.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Turner’s yearly salaries will be about $35MM for the current season, approximately $21MM for 2023/24 and $20MM for the following season, giving the deal a total value of approximately $58MM in new money.

Because Turner’s current contract contains $2MM in unlikely bonuses, per Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link), $17.1MM was the maximum amount the Pacers were allowed to add to his $18MM salary this season (Turner’s maximum salary is $37.1MM).

Marks explains that because Turner’s deal came through a renegotiation, the Pacers were permitted to drop his salary by 40% in the first year of the extension, to approximately $21MM in 2023/24. Marks adds that the agreement doesn’t change Turner’s trade status; he’s still eligible to be dealt before the February 9 deadline.

Turner appeared to be headed out of Indiana last summer, as one of the offseason’s hottest rumors was a deal that would have sent him and Buddy Hield to the Lakers in exchange for Russell Westbrook and L.A.’s first-round picks in 2027 and 2029. The Lakers decided against parting with that much draft capital, and Turner is putting up the best numbers of his career with a surprising Pacers team.

He’s averaging career-highs with 17.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game while shooting 54.4% from the field and 39.1% from three-point range. He’s also among the league’s best shot blockers, swatting away 2.4 per game this season.

Assuming Indiana plans to keep Turner, he will be part of a young foundation for the team to build around, along with Tyrese Haliburton and rookie Bennedict Mathurin. Turner is only 26 and should be well positioned to land another large contract two years from now.

Kings Part With PJ Dozier, Give 10-Day Deal To Deonte Burton

January 30th, 2023 at 11:48am CST by Arthur Hill

JANUARY 30: Burton’s signing is official, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

JANUARY 28: The Kings won’t re-sign guard PJ Dozier, whose second 10-day contract expired on Saturday night, tweets Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee.

The open roster spot will go to Deonte Burton, who is currently with the team’s G League affiliate in Stockton. Burton will receive a 10-day contract that will begin Monday to make him eligible for that night’s game at Minnesota.

A 28-year-old swingman, Burton spent two seasons with the Thunder before becoming a free agent in 2020. The former Iowa State standout has been in the G League since then, playing last year with the Maine Celtics before joining Stockton prior to the start of this season. Burton appeared in 71 total games for Oklahoma City, averaging 2.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per night.

Dozier got into four games during his time with Sacramento and played 10 total minutes. Because players are limited to two 10-day contracts with one team, the Kings would have needed to sign him for the rest of the season to keep him on the roster.