Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets Sign Moses Brown To 10-Day Deal

March 17th, 2023 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 17: The Nets have officially signed Brown to a 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release. The deal will run through March 26, covering Brooklyn’s next five games, and will pay Brown $109,318.

MARCH 16: The Nets are working toward a contract agreement with free agent center Moses Brown, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Brown will be receiving a 10-day contract from the Nets, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).

Brooklyn has an open spot on its 15-man roster following the expiration of Nerlens Noel‘s 10-day contract on Wednesday night. Brian Lewis of The New York Post reported that the Nets don’t intend to re-sign Noel to a second 10-day deal.

Brown began this season on a two-way deal with the Clippers, appearing in 34 games as a backup center behind Ivica Zubac, averaging 4.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in just 8.5 minutes per night. He wasn’t always a part 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 last week, but was waived just four days later and became an unrestricted free agent again this Tuesday. Now he’s on track to move from one New York borough to another and join a Nets team that has been on the lookout for reliable frontcourt depth behind center Nic Claxton for much of the season.

The Nets will be Brown’s eighth NBA team since 2019, though he has appeared in regular season games for just five of those clubs.

Bogdan Bogdanovic Signs Four-Year Extension With Hawks

March 16th, 2023 at 7:00pm CST by Rory Maher

7:00pm: Bogdanovic’s extension is official, the Hawks confirmed in a press release.

2:06pm: Bogdan Bogdanovic has agreed to a four-year, $68MM extension with the Hawks, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, Bogdanovic had an $18MM player option for 2023/24 — the first year of his extension will replace that option and cannot be less than that amount. The Hawks are projected to be a taxpayer next season, but owner Tony Ressler has never paid the luxury tax, Marks adds.

Bogdanovic was originally selected No. 27 overall in 2014, but continued to play overseas for a few seasons until his NBA rights were acquired by the Kings. The Serbian swingman spent his first three seasons with Sacramento before signing a four-year, $72MM deal with Atlanta as a restricted free agent in 2020 — the Kings elected not to match.

The 30-year-old missed the first 22 games of 2022/23 after offseason knee surgery, but has been his normal productive self since he returned to action on December 2, averaging 14.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 2.9 APG on .437/.401/.806 shooting in 43 games (28.5 MPG). Those numbers are very similar to his career stats of 14.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 3.3 APG on .439/.386/.820 shooting in 359 games (28.6 MPG).

Numerous teams, including Cleveland, reportedly inquired on Bogdanovic’s availability ahead of last month’s trade deadline. However, the Hawks were reluctant to part with the veteran guard/forward, who provides a valued combination of outside shooting and complementary play-making.

One report earlier this month indicated that Bogdanovic was expected to decline his option for next season and enter free agency. Instead, he’ll sign a long-term extension with the Hawks, who have made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and are currently 34-35, the No. 8 seed in the East.

It’s interesting that Bogdanovic’s new contract comes in at an average annual value of $17MM versus his current deal’s $18MM, as the salary cap is expected to continue to rise in the coming years. Still, it’s a significant commitment given his injury history, and obviously he was interested in remaining with Atlanta despite a tumultuous season that saw the team switch head coaches.

As Marks notes (via Twitter), Bogdanovic was permitted to extend off his ’23/24 salary until the start of next season.

Knicks Sign DaQuan Jeffries To Second 10-Day Deal

March 16th, 2023 at 7:58am CST by Luke Adams

12:05pm: The Knicks have officially signed Jeffries to his second 10-day contract, the team announced today (via Twitter).

7:58am: The Knicks will re-sign swingman DaQuan Jeffries to a second 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Jeffries’ initial 10-day deal with the team expired on Tuesday night.

Jeffries, who previously suited up for the Kings, Rockets, and Grizzlies, has spent nearly the entire 2022/23 season with the Westchester Knicks, New York’s G League affiliate.

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 32.9 minutes per night. Since the NBAGL’s regular season began, he has appeared in 21 more games (20 starts), putting up 19.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 2.0 APG with a shooting line of .490/.363/.678.

The Knicks have only been carrying 13 players on standard, full-season contracts since the trade deadline passed and have periodically been filling their 14th roster slot by promoting a two-way player — first Trevor Keels and now Jeffries. Neither one has actually played for New York upon being promoted, so those deals are more about meeting the NBA’s minimum roster requirements than anything else.

Still, Jeffries is certainly benefiting financially from being on a pair of 10-day contracts rather than continuing on his two-way deal. He’ll earn another $109,318 on his second 10-day pact, while the Knicks carry a cap hit of $105,522.

Once Jeffries’ second 10-day contract expires, he’ll be ineligible to sign a third with New York, so the team will have to either let him walk or bring him back on a rest-of-season contract (standard or two-way).

Meyers Leonard Signs Rest-Of-Season Deal With Bucks

March 15th, 2023 at 7:24am CST by Dana Gauruder

MARCH 15: The Bucks have officially signed Leonard for the rest of the season, the team confirmed in a press release on Tuesday night.

It’s a minimum-salary deal, per Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Leonard will earn $409,916, while the Bucks will take on a cap hit of $284,911. However, the actual cost of the signing will exceed $1MM, according to Owczarski, due to the fact that team salary is well over the luxury tax line.

Leonard said on Tuesday that he’s “connected really well across the whole organization” since arriving in Milwaukee on his first 10-day deal and is grateful to the Bucks for bringing him aboard.

“I texted (general manager) Jon (Horst). I’m hoping to talk to (team governor) Marc (Lasry) at some point at length, or a little bit more intimately I guess, to say thank you,” Leonard said, per Owczarski. “They changed my life. They really did. This is going to be hard for me not to get emotional right now. It’s honestly hard to describe what this feeling feels like.”

MARCH 14: The Bucks are signing center Meyers Leonard for the remainder of the season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Milwaukee had to make a decision whether to offer Leonard a standard contract or let him go, since his second 10-day contract has expired. In five appearances thus far, Leonard is averaging 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 6.8 minutes per game.

Prior to joining the Bucks, Leonard hadn’t played since the 2020/21 season.

A combination of personal controversy and ankle and shoulder surgery recoveries kept him sidelined in the intervening seasons. Leonard was flipped from the Heat to the Thunder after using an antisemitic slur during a video game live stream. Oklahoma City subsequently released him.

The seven-foot Leonard, 31, provides big man depth for a club with Brook Lopez starting in the middle and Bobby Portis backing him up on most nights.

Kris Dunn Signs Multiyear Deal With Jazz

March 14th, 2023 at 5:43pm CST by Luke Adams

5:43pm: Dunn has signed a multiyear deal, according to a press release from the Jazz.

1:54pm: The Jazz and guard Kris Dunn have agreed to a new contract that will cover the remainder of the season, according to Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The news doesn’t come as a surprise, since Dunn had emerged as an important rotation player in Utah during a pair of 10-day contracts with the team. His second 10-day deal expired on Monday night and players aren’t permitted to sign a third 10-day pact with a single team, so the Jazz had to sign him to a standard contract in order to retain him.

The former fifth overall pick, who joined the Capital City Go-Go in the G League this season in an effort to make it back to the NBA, first signed with the Jazz on February 22, then inked his second 10-day contract on March 4.

During his time in Utah so far, Dunn has averaged 11.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.6 steals in nine appearances (22.2 MPG). A career 42.0% shooter from the floor and 29.9% on three-pointers entering this season, he has scored more efficiently with the Jazz, making 53.1% of his field goal attempts, including 36.8% of his threes.

The Jazz had three openings on their standard 15-man roster, so Dunn will become the team’s 13th man once he officially signs his new deal. The club will soon be required to add at least one more player besides Dunn in order to adhere to the NBA’s minimum roster requirements.

Assuming Dunn just signs a rest-of-season contract that doesn’t extend beyond this season, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent again this summer.

Cavaliers Sign Sam Merrill To Multiyear Contract

March 14th, 2023 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

11:55am: Merrill’s multiyear contract is now official, the Cavs confirmed in a press release.

10:14am: The Cavaliers will bring back swingman Sam Merrill following the expiration of his 10-day contract, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). According to Fedor, the Cavs and Merrill have agreed to a new multiyear deal.

Merrill, 26, signed a 10-day pact with Cleveland earlier in the month and only appeared in one game with the team before that contract expired on Sunday night. He scored two points in four minutes in garbage time vs. Detroit on March 4.

While Merrill didn’t appear in any of his last four games with the Cavaliers, the club must have liked what it saw from the former No. 60 overall pick, who has also spent time in Milwaukee, Memphis, and Sacramento since entering the NBA in 2020.

The Cavs’ organization has gotten a chance to take a look at Merrill in the G League for much of the 2022/23 campaign, as he was playing with the Cleveland Charge before he received a promotion to the NBA level. He averaged 17.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.6 APG and 1.3 SPG on an excellent .469/.437/.852 shooting line in 18 NBAGL regular season games (33.8 MPG) for the Charge.

While the full details of Merrill’s contract aren’t yet known, it will almost certainly only be fully guaranteed for the rest of the 2022/23 season, with next year’s salary mostly or entirely non-guaranteed. A two-year deal is the likeliest outcome, but the Cavs could technically offer three or four years using a remaining portion of their mid-level exception.

Officially signing Merrill will give Cleveland a full 17-man roster, with 15 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals.

Eugene Omoruyi Signs Second 10-Day Contract With Pistons

March 13th, 2023 at 10:47am CST by Arthur Hill

10:47am: The signing is now official, the Pistons announced in a press release.

8:42am: The Pistons will sign Eugene Omoruyi to another 10-day contract, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.

The deal is expected to be finalized today, Edwards adds, which means it will run through March 22. Detroit would have to sign the 26-year-old forward for the rest of the season to keep him on the roster beyond that date.

Omoruyi appeared in five games during his first 10-day contract, which expired Sunday night. He averaged 8.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 18.2 minutes per night and impressed the coaching staff on both ends of the court, according to Edwards.

Omoruyi began the season with the Thunder, playing 23 games before being waived last month. He also spent 13 games with the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue.

He will earn $94,136 on his 10-day contract as a second-year player, as our chart shows.

Knicks Waive Moses Brown, Re-Sign Trevor Keels

March 12th, 2023 at 7:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks are waiving center Moses Brown, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. They’ll replace him by bringing back guard Trevor Keels on a two-way contract, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets.

The Knicks have made the moves official, announcing them in a press release, Popper adds in a separate tweet.

Keels appeared in two games with the NBA’s Knicks this season, most recently on March 1. Keels was on a two-way contract with New York, then was signed to a standard 10-day contract on Feb. 23.

Brown was signed to a two-way contract on Wednesday. Brown appeared in one game for the G League’s Westchester Knicks, where he enjoyed an 18-point, 17-rebound game.

Keels has spent most of the season with the Westchester club. The second-round pick out of Duke has averaged 15 points and 3.4 assists in 22 games with the NBAGL squad.

Brown, a 23-year-old center, began this season on a two-way contract with the Clippers. He appeared in 34 games, averaging 4.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 8.5 minutes per night, before being waived on February 17.

Brown began his NBA career with the Trail Blazers in 2019 after going undrafted out of UCLA. He also had short stays with the Thunder, Mavericks and Cavaliers.

The Knicks had a two-way slot open after promoting DaQuan Jeffries to a 10-day contract a week ago.

Moses Brown Signs Two-Way Deal With Knicks

March 8th, 2023 at 5:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

6:00pm: The signing is official, the team announced (via Twitter).

5:08pm: The Knicks will sign Moses Brown to a two-way contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The 23-year-old center began this season on a two-way contract with the Clippers. He appeared in 34 games, averaging 4.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 8.5 minutes per night, before being waived on February 17.

New York will be the sixth team for Brown, who began his NBA career with the Trail Blazers in 2019 after going undrafted out of UCLA. He also had short stays with the Thunder, Mavericks and Cavaliers.

The Knicks had a two-way slot open after promoting DaQuan Jeffries to a 10-day contract on Sunday.

Bucks Sign Lindell Wigginton To Two-Way Contract

March 7th, 2023 at 3:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have promoted guard Lindell Wigginton from their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, announcing today in a press release that Wigginton has signed a two-way contract with the NBA team.

Milwaukee opened up one of its two-way slots last week by waiving Sandro Mamukelashvili, so no corresponding move was necessary to add Wigginton.

Wigginton, who will turn 25 later this month, appeared in 19 games as an NBA rookie for Milwaukee last season while on a two-way contract, averaging 4.2 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 10.5 minutes per contest. The Canadian point guard spent most of last season with the Herd and rejoined the G League club in 2022/23 after being waived by Milwaukee at the end of the preseason.

Wigginton has played in 35 NBAGL games for the Herd so far this season — 18 in the Showcase Cup and 17 in the regular season. In those 35 appearances, he has put up 18.6 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 3.9 RPG in 33.5 MPG. He will likely continue to see action for Wisconsin down the stretch, since there’s no clear path to regular minutes in Milwaukee.

At one point last week, the Bucks had three open spots on their 17-man roster, but they’ve since filled all three by re-signing Meyers Leonard to a second 10-day deal, adding Goran Dragic off the buyout market, and now bringing back Wigginton.