Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hornets Sign Kobi Simmons To Two-Way Contract

March 30th, 2023 at 9:59am CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 30: The Hornets have officially signed Simmons to a two-way deal, the club confirmed today in a press release.

MARCH 29: The Hornets have agreed to sign guard Kobi Simmons to a two-way contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Simmons will be the second player from the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s G League affiliate, to receive a promotion to the Hornets’ 17-man roster this week. The team also signed Xavier Sneed to a 10-day contract.

Simmons, who went undrafted out of Arizona in 2017, appeared in 33 NBA games for Memphis and Cleveland during his first two seasons, but has spent most of his professional career in the G League. He also played one season in Poland in 2021/22.

In 32 G League regular season games in ’22/23, Simmons has averaged 18.2 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 31.8 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .488/.383/.795. He was even better during the Showcase Cup in the fall, putting up 21.7 PPG, 5.7 APG, and 5.3 RPG on .491/.375/.837 shooting in 14 appearances (38.0 MPG).

If Simmons gets into a game for the Hornets during the last two weeks of this season, it will be his first NBA appearance since February 2, 2019.

Charlotte has had an open two-way slot since promoting Bryce McGowens to the standard roster a little over a month ago. Simmons and Theo Maledon will now occupy those two-way spots. The Hornets were one of three NBA teams with a two-way opening — the Pacers and Suns are the other two, as our tracker shows.

Pacers Waive Trevelin Queen

March 29th, 2023 at 1:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have officially waived guard Trevelin Queen, the team announced today in a press release. Queen had been on a two-way contract with Indiana.

The G League’s reigning MVP, Queen signed with the Sixers last summer, but was waived during the preseason and caught on with the Pacers on a two-way deal a few days later. He spent nearly the entire season with the team, though his NBA playing time was extremely limited — he appeared in just seven games with Indiana.

Queen once again put up big numbers at the G League level in 2022/23, including averages of 23.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.3 steals per game in 11 Showcase Cup contests (35.7 MPG) for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. In 24 NBAGL regular season games, he put up 22.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 4.5 APG, and 2.1 SPG. He was named as a participant in the Next Up Game at All-Star weekend.

Queen did have some issues with three-point shooting (26.5% on 7.1 attempts per regular season game) and turnovers (3.8 per game) in the G League this season. He also earned a one-game suspension earlier this week for “directing threatening language” toward a referee, which may have been a factor in the Pacers’ decision to release him. He served that suspension on Tuesday during the one-game Eastern Conference quarterfinal, which Fort Wayne lost, ending the team’s season.

The Pacers now have an open two-way slot, which they could fill at any point up until the last day of the regular season on April 9.

Jazz Sign Luka Samanic To 10-Day Deal

March 28th, 2023 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

2:39pm: The Jazz have officially signed Samanic to his 10-day deal, the team announced today in a press release.

Brantley informed reporters that he isn’t getting a second 10-day contract from the Jazz, tweets Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. So the team still has one spot open on its 15-man roster.

10:05am: Big man Luka Samanic has agreed to sign a 10-day contract with the Jazz, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The 19th overall pick in 2019, Samanic appeared in just 36 games in his first two NBA seasons with the Spurs, then was waived by San Antonio prior to the 2021/22 season. The Croatian spent much of last season on a two-way deal with New York, but didn’t appear in a game at the NBA level for the Knicks.

Samanic was in training camp with the Celtics this past fall, and while he didn’t earn a spot on Boston’s regular season roster, he became a key contributor for the Maine Celtics in the G League. The 23-year-old averaged a double-double (20.7 PPG, 10.9 RPG) in 17 Showcase Cup games and has carried his strong play over to the NBAGL regular season, putting up 22.0 PPG and 8.1 RPG in 27 contests (29.3 MPG).

The Jazz haven’t had a full roster in recent weeks and actually dipped to 13 players on standard contracts on Tuesday following the expiration of Jarrell Brantley‘s 10-day deal. If Brantley isn’t re-signed, Utah will still have a roster opening after officially adding Samanic.

Samanic will earn $109,318 on his 10-day contract with the Jazz. Assuming he puts pen to paper on Tuesday or Wednesday, his deal will cover Utah’s next five games.

Hornets Sign Xavier Sneed To 10-Day Contract

March 28th, 2023 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

12:02pm: The Hornets have officially signed Sneed to a 10-day contract, the team confirmed in a press release.

9:52am: The Hornets are calling up forward Xavier Sneed from the G League, according to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer, who reports (via Twitter) that Sneed is signing a 10-day contract with the club.

Sneed, 25, has spent the 2022/23 season with the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s NBAGL affiliate, and has appeared in a total of 44 games from the club across the Showcase Cup and regular season. In 32 regular season appearances (31.2 MPG), Sneed has averaged 12.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per night with a .393/.318/.738 shooting line.

A G League regular since going undrafted out of Kansas State in 2020, Sneed has also accumulated a little NBA experience. He played in two games for the Grizzlies while on a 10-day contract last season and then saw action in seven more contests for the Jazz on a two-way deal.

The Hornets have had an opening on their 15-man roster for months, so no corresponding move will be necessary to create an opening for Sneed. Charlotte still has an open two-way slot as well.

Sneed will earn $94,136 on his 10-day deal with the Hornets. He’ll provide depth for a banged-up Charlotte squad that is currently without LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, and Cody Martin (Gordon Hayward and Kelly Oubre are also on the injury report for Tuesday’s game).

Nets Sign Moses Brown To Second 10-Day Contract

March 28th, 2023 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have brought back Moses Brown, announcing today that the center has signed a second 10-day contract with the club (Twitter link). Brown’s first 10-day deal expired overnight on Sunday.

Brown began this season on a two-way contract with the Clippers, appearing in 34 games as a backup center behind Ivica Zubac and averaging 4.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in just 8.5 minutes per night. He was in and out of the team’s rotation and slid further down the depth chart following L.A.’s trade-deadline acquisition of Mason Plumlee, eventually leading to his release when he reached the two-way limit of 50 active games.

Brown subsequently signed a two-way contract with the Knicks earlier this month, but was waived just four days later and made the move from one New York borough to another by signing a 10-day deal with Brooklyn.

During his first 10 days as a Net, Brown only appeared in one game, logging four minutes. Day’Ron Sharpe emerged as Jacque Vaughn‘s go-to backup center behind Nic Claxton during that time, so there was no real role available for Brown. However, it seems the team liked what it saw from the big man enough to bring him back for at least another week-and-a-half.

Brown’s second 10-day contract will run through April 6, covering Brooklyn’s next five games. If the Nets want to retain him beyond that, he’ll need to be signed for the rest of the season. However, it’s worth noting that because he was waived by New York this month, Brown isn’t playoff-eligible.

Knicks Sign DaQuan Jeffries To Multiyear Deal

March 26th, 2023 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

1:32pm: The Knicks have confirmed the signing of Jeffries, announcing the move in a press release (via Twitter).

11:22am: Following the expiration of his second 10-day contract, swingman DaQuan Jeffries has agreed to sign a multiyear deal with the Knicks, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Jeffries signed a pair of 10-day pacts with the Knicks this month in order to ensure that the team was carrying the NBA-mandated minimum of 14 players on standard contracts. He completed the second of those deals on March 16, so it expired overnight on Saturday.

Jeffries didn’t actually play at all for New York during his 20 days on the NBA roster, but the 25-year-old has been a standout performer for the Westchester Knicks in the G League this season.

He started 15 games for Westchester in the fall’s Showcase Cup, averaging 18.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.3 APG on .482/.280/.769 shooting in 33.1 minutes per night. Since the NBAGL’s regular season began, he has appeared in 21 more games, putting up 21.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, and 2.0 SPG with a shooting line of .492/.390/.683.

Jeffries’ new contract will presumably only run through the 2023/24 season, since the Knicks will have to sign him using either the minimum salary exception or room exception — neither exception can be used to sign a player for more than two years.

Once the signing is official, New York will once again be carrying 14 players on standard contracts, leaving one roster spot still open. Both of their two-way slots are full.

Magic Sign Jay Scrubb To Two-Way Contract

March 24th, 2023 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

10:56am: The Magic have officially signed Scrubb, the team confirmed in a press release (Twitter link). According to Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link), Scrubb’s two-way deal covers two seasons, running through 2023/24.

8:15am: The Magic have agreed to sign guard Jay Scrubb to a two-way contract, agent Corey Marcum tells Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

The 55th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Scrubb spent his first two professional seasons on a two-way contract with the Clippers. He appeared in just 22 games at the NBA level during that time, averaging 3.8 PPG on .390/.267/.800 shooting in 9.3 minutes per night.

After being waived by the Clippers during the 2022 offseason, Scrubb signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Magic in October. He didn’t make Orlando’s regular season roster, but became an affiliate player for the Lakeland Magic, the team’s G League affiliate.

Scrubb has had a big year in Lakeland, averaging 22.2 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 26 regular season NBAGL contests (31.0 MPG). He was even better in the Showcase Cup in the fall, putting up 24.6 PPG with a .505/.350/.768 shooting line in 17 appearances (32.8 MPG). The 22-year-old’s production in the G League has earned him a late-season look on a two-way deal.

The Magic have been sitting on an open two-way slot since promoting Admiral Schofield to their standard roster over a month ago, so no corresponding move will be necessary to sign Scrubb. Orlando had been one of three NBA clubs with an open two-way slot — Charlotte and Phoenix are now the only teams left in that group.

Rockets Sign D.J. Augustin For Rest Of Season

March 23rd, 2023 at 3:24pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 23: The Rockets have officially signed Augustin for the remainder of the season, the team announced today (via Twitter).

MARCH 22: The Rockets are signing free agent point guard D.J. Augustin for the rest of the season, agent Raymond Brothers tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). It will be a minimum-salary contract, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

It will be Augustin’s second stint with the Rockets. He was acquired by Houston in a March 2021 trade and spent nearly a year with the organization before being waived in February 2022 at the trade deadline. He finished last season with the Lakers, but has been out of the NBA so far in 2022/23.

A reliable backup point guard for much of his career, Augustin has averaged 9.5 points and 3.9 assists per game in 976 career regular season appearances (23.4 MPG). At age 35, he may not have a whole lot left in the tank, but the Rockets are presumably adding him to their roster to serve as a veteran mentor for their young players rather than expecting him to play big minutes down the stretch.

The Rockets have two openings on their standard 15-man roster, so no corresponding moves will be necessary to make room for Augustin.

In fact, since it has nearly been two weeks since Willie Cauley-Stein‘s 10-day contract with Houston expired, the team was just about due for a mandatory roster move in order to get back to the NBA minimum of 14 players on standard contracts. Teams can only dip below that minimum for up to two weeks at a time.

Augustin’s exact rest-of-season salary will depend on when he officially signs his contract, but he’ll earn $16,700 per day.

Pistons Sign Eugene Omoruyi

March 23rd, 2023 at 11:10am CST by Rory Maher

The Pistons have signed second-year forward Eugene Omoruyi to a contract that covers at least the rest of the 2022/23 season, the team announced.

The 26-year-old just completed his second 10-day deal with Detroit, and the Pistons decided to keep him around. Head coach Dwane Casey and center James Wiseman praised Omoruyi for his drive, energy and defense in recent weeks.

The former Oregon standout was on a two-way contract with the Thunder earlier this season until being promoted to Oklahoma City’s standard roster after last month’s trade deadline. However, he was cut in late February in order to make room for Lindy Waters on OKC’s 15-man squad.

Omoruyi appeared in 23 games with the Thunder, averaging 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds on .468/.258/.607 shooting in 11.8 minutes per night. In 10 games with the Pistons, he’s averaging 8.8 points and 3.6 rebounds on .455/.231/.750 shooting in 21.3 minutes per contest.

We’ll have to wait for more details to see whether Omoruyi’s new contract only covers the rest of the season or is a multiyear deal. Either way, the Pistons had a roster opening after his second 10-day contract expired, so they didn’t have to release anyone to bring him back.

Hornets Sign Nick Richards To Three-Year Extension

March 22nd, 2023 at 7:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:32pm: The extension is official, the Hornets announced (via Twitter).

6:14pm: Nick Richards has agreed to a three-year, $15MM extension with the Hornets, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal was confirmed by Richards’ agents, Javon Phillips and Jared Mucha of Excel Basketball, Wojnarowski adds.

The 25-year-old center has established himself as a member of Charlotte’s rotation in his third NBA season by averaging 7.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 62.3% from the field.

He has appeared in 58 of the team’s 73 contests, making five starts and playing 18.2 minutes per night. He’s coming off a career high 17-rebound performance Monday against the Pacers.

Richards has seen up an uptick in playing time since Charlotte sent Mason Plumlee to the Clippers in a trade deadline deal. He has even entered the Hornets’ starting lineup as of late, making his first five starts of the season since March 11.

The Hornets acquired Richards from New Orleans in a draft night trade after he was selected with the 42nd pick in 2020. He appeared in just 18 games as a rookie, spending much of the season in the G League, and played 50 games last season.

Richards, who is making $1.78MM this season, was nearing the end of his three-year contract, so the extension will prevent him from entering free agency this summer.

All three of the Hornets’ young centers are now under contract for multiple seasons. Kai Jones‘ rookie deal runs through 2025, while Mark Williams‘ expires in 2026.