Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Malachi Smith, Antoine Davis Joining Trail Blazers On Exhibit 10 Deals

June 23rd, 2023 at 11:32am CST by Arthur Hill

Gonzaga’s Malachi Smith will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Trail Blazers, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The 23-year-old shooting guard was named WCC Sixth Man of the Year this season after averaging 8.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 37 games with the Zags. The fifth-year senior played one season for Gonzaga after transferring from Chattanooga.

Detroit-Mercy’s Antoine Davis will also get an Exhibit 10 deal with Portland, according to Charania (Twitter link). The 24-year-old guard was a huge scorer in all five seasons he spent with the Titans, and he capped off his college career by averaging 28.2 PPG this year.

Exhibit 10 contracts give players the opportunity to earn a $75K bonus by spending 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate if they’re waived before the start of the season. The Blazers announced the formation of their new G League team in April.

Hornets To Sign Angelo Allegri, Nathan Mensah

June 23rd, 2023 at 11:14am CST by Dana Gauruder

Eastern Washington undrafted wing Angelo Allegri has agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Hornets, Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress.com tweets.

Allegri averaged 13.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 3.4 APG last season while claiming All-Big Sky First Team honors. Allegri spent three seasons with UNC Greensboro before starting regularly the last two seasons with the Eagles.

Charlotte is also signing two-time Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year Nathan Mensah, who helped San Diego State reached the NCAA Tournament title game, Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype tweets. The 6’10” Mensah played five seasons for the Aztecs and averaged 6.0 PPG and 5.9 RPG last season. He racked up 236 blocks in 146 career games.

It’s unclear what type of contract Mensah is signing but it’s also likely an Exhibit 10 deal.

Players on Exhibit 10 contracts can earn a $75K bonus by joining the team’s G League affiliate — in Charlotte’s case, the Greensboro Swarm — and spending at least 60 days with that team if they’re waived by the NBA squad.

Mavericks To Sign Jordan Walker

June 23rd, 2023 at 11:07am CST by Rory Maher

UAB guard Jordan Walker, who went undrafted last night, has agreed to a one-year contract with the Mavericks, agent Daniel Hazan of Hazan Sports Management tells Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

The terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but it seems likely that it will either be a two-way contract or an Exhibit 10 deal. The latter would put Walker in line to receive a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived by the Mavs and spends up to 60 days with their G League affiliate, the Texas Legends.

Walker, who had previous stops at Seton Hall and Tulane, had a five-year college career, the final two with the Blazers. As a “super senior” in 2022/23, he averaged 22.3 PPG, 4.2 APG, 2.8 RPG and 1.2 SPG on .403/.378/.846 shooting in 33 games (33.5 MPG).

Hawks To Sign Miles Norris To Two-Way, David Singleton To Exhibit 10

June 23rd, 2023 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

Undrafted rookie free agent Miles Norris has agreed to join the Hawks on a two-way contract, a source tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).

Norris, who played his college ball at three different schools, spent the last three years at UC Santa Barbara. He had an impressive super-senior season in 2022/23, averaging 14.1 points and 6.1 rebounds in 33.5 minutes per game (35 games) with a strong .490/.391/.844 shooting line.

Atlanta is also signing former UCLA guard David Singleton, according to Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress.com (Twitter link). Singleton is receiving an Exhibit 10 contract.

Another prospect who wasn’t drafted on Thursday, Singleton played with the Bruins for five seasons, making 43.4% of his three-pointers during that time. He averaged 9.0 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 28.2 MPG in 37 appearances this past season.

While both Norris and Singleton are good bets to spend time with the College Park Skyhawks in 2023/24, Norris should also get an opportunity to play for Atlanta at the NBA level while on his two-way deal. Singleton looks like a longer shot to earn a spot on the Hawks’ NBA roster, though his Exhibit 10 contract could be converted into a two-way before the regular season begins.

Heat To Sign Justin Powell To Exhibit 10 Contract

June 23rd, 2023 at 10:53am CST by Rory Maher

The Heat plan to sign Washington State guard Justin Powell to an Exhibit 10 contract, a source tells Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.com (Twitter link).

Powell, who is ranked No. 21 on ESPN’s best available undrafted players list, had stints with Auburn and Tennessee before finishing out his college career with Washington State. As a junior for the Cougars in 2022/23, he averaged 10.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG and 2.8 APG while shooting 42.6% from three-point range in 34 games (33.8 MPG).

Powell’s Exhibit 10 deal should give him an opportunity to suit up for the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, as a rookie in ’23/24. He could earn a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived by the Heat and then spends up to 60 days with the Skyforce. Powell’s Exhibit 10 deal could also be converted into a two-way contract if Miami decides it wants to keep him on the NBA roster.

Pelicans To Sign Landers Nolley, Tevian Jones, Liam Robbins

June 23rd, 2023 at 10:33am CST by Rory Maher

The Pelicans are signing a trio of undrafted players, according to reports from Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.com, Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress.com and Michael Scotto of Hoopshype (All Twitter links). The three prospects are Cincinnati guard Landers Nolley II, Southern Utah wing Tevian Jones and Vanderbilt big man Liam Robbins.

The terms of the contracts were not disclosed, so it’s unclear if they might be two-way deals or Exhibit 10 training camp contracts, the latter of which would put the players in line for a bonus worth up to $75K if they’re waived and spend up to 60 days with the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron.

All three prospects are on ESPN’s best undrafted players list. Robbins is No. 16, Nolley is No. 23 and Jones is No. 30.

Robbins, who played for Drake and Minnesota prior to finishing out his career at Vanderbilt, was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in ’22/23, averaging 15.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 3.2 BPG on .504/.365/.731 shooting for the Commodores. He managed to put up those numbers in just 23.0 minutes per contest over 26 games, including 15 starts.

Nolley played for Virginia Tech and Memphis before transferring to Cincinnati for his senior season in 2022/23, averaging 16.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.6 APG and 1.0 SPG on .447/.417/.750 shooting in 36 games (32.1 MPG) for the Bearcats.

Jones started his college career at Illinois before transferring to Southern Utah. As a “super senior” in ’22/23, he averaged 17.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 1.1 SPG on .407/.362/.840 shooting in 36 games (33.8 MPG) for the Thunderbirds. Chepkevich states that Jones impressed during the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which is used as a springboard for lesser-known prospects.

Armaan Franklin Signing Exhibit 10 Deal With Nuggets

June 23rd, 2023 at 10:18am CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets will sign Virginia’s Armaan Franklin to an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress.

The 22-year-year old guard was the Cavaliers’ leading scorer this season at 12.4 points per game and earned a spot on the All-ACC Tournament team. He transferred to Virginia in 2021 after playing his first two years at Indiana.

Franklin will join the NBA champs for training camp and will have an opportunity to turn the Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal. If he is waived, he can earn a bonus worth up to $75K if he spends at least 60 days with Denver’s G League affiliate, the Rapids City Gold.

Cavs Exercising Lamar Stevens’ 2023/24 Team Option

June 23rd, 2023 at 9:36am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers are picking up their minimum-salary team option on forward Lamar Stevens for the 2023/24 season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The option will pay Stevens a $1,930,681 salary for next season, though he’s still not necessarily assured of that full amount. His salary will remain non-guaranteed until January 10 even after Cleveland exercises the option, so the club could go in a different direction later in the offseason – or early in the regular season – and avoid being on the hook for his entire cap hit.

Still, Stevens looks like a good value at that price, so it would be a surprise if he’s cut. The 6’6″ wing appeared in 62 games for the Cavs last season, starting 25 of them and averaging 18.1 minutes per night. He recorded 5.3 PPG and 3.3 RPG on .448/.316/.702 shooting and was one of the team’s most reliable perimeter defenders.

While most team option decisions are due on June 29, today is the deadline to make a call on Stevens, which is why it was reported early.

Stevens is now on track to reach unrestricted free agency in 2024, assuming he doesn’t sign an extension before then.

Thunder To Sign Caleb McConnell To Exhibit 10 Deal

June 23rd, 2023 at 9:17am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder are signing former Rutgers wing Caleb McConnell to an Exhibit 10 contract, according to the school.

McConnell, who went undrafted on Thursday, spent five years at Rutgers, taking advantage of the extra year of NCAA eligibility he was granted due to COVID-19. As a super-senior in 2022/23, he averaged 9.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.1 APG, and 2.5 SPG in 28 contests (33.7 MPG).

McConnell isn’t much of a threat on offense. He shot 39.0% from the floor over the course of his college career, including just 26.3% on three-pointers. However, he became the Scarlet Knights’ all-time leader in steals and won a pair of Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year awards.

McConnell’s Exhibit 10 contract should give him an opportunity to suit up for the Thunder’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, as a rookie in 2023/24. He could earn a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived by the Thunder and then spends up to 60 days with the Blue. McConnell’s Exhibit 10 deal could also be converted into a two-way contract if OKC decides it wants to keep him on the NBA roster.

Bucks To Sign Drew Timme To Exhibit 10 Contract

June 23rd, 2023 at 8:36am CST by Luke Adams

After going undrafted on Thursday, former Gonzaga forward Drew Timme has agreed to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Bucks, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Timme spent four college seasons at Gonzaga, building an impressive résumé before declaring for the 2023 draft as an early entrant. He was a three-time consensus All-American and won the WCC Player of the Year award in both 2022 and 2023.

In his final year with the Bulldogs, the 6’10” big man averaged 21.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 31.5 minutes per game across 37 appearances, making 61.6% of his shots from the floor.

Timme’s Exhibit 10 contract will be a one-year, non-guaranteed deal worth the rookie minimum. Milwaukee will have the option of converting it into a two-way contract prior to the regular season. Timme could also earn a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ G League affiliate.

Timme is the second undrafted free agent reported to have reached a contract agreement with Milwaukee. The team is also set to sign San Jose State’s Omari Moore to a two-way deal.