Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jazz Waive Cody Zeller, Jared Butler

October 15th, 2022 at 3:14pm CST by Luke Adams

3:14pm: In addition to waiving Zeller, the Jazz are also cutting Jared Butler, according to Jones and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The team has issued a press release confirming that Zeller and Butler have been waived, reducing the roster count to 15 players on standard contracts.

The decision to waive Butler comes as a bit of a surprise, since the team was very high on the former Baylor guard after drafting him 40th overall a year ago.

Butler appeared in 42 games as a rookie, averaging 3.8 PPG and 1.5 APG on .404/.318/.688 shooting. Utah will be on the hook for his guaranteed $1,563,518 salary unless he’s claimed on waivers on Monday.

2:42pm: Cody Zeller won’t make Utah’s regular season roster, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the Jazz are waiving the veteran center.

Zeller fell victim to the roster crunch in Utah in part due to the nature of his contract. His minimum salary for 2022/23 is fully non-guaranteed, so the team won’t be on the hook for any dead money after cutting him.

The fourth overall pick in the 2013 draft, Zeller spent his first eight NBA seasons in Charlotte, then played for Portland in 2021/22. He played a limited role for the Blazers last season, averaging 5.2 PPG and 4.6 RPG in a career-low 13.1 minutes off the bench in 27 games before a right patellar avulsion fracture ended his season.

Having waived Saben Lee, Stanley Johnson, and Zeller, the Jazz will have one more roster move to make to get down to the regular season limit of 15 players on standard contracts. The club still has 16 players with guaranteed salaries. Udoka Azubuike, Leandro Bolmaro, and Rudy Gay are among the candidates to be the odd man out.

Clippers Convert Moses Brown To Two-Way Deal

October 15th, 2022 at 2:54pm CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers have converted Moses Brown‘s Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal, the team announced (via Twitter). L.A. had an open two-way slot, so no other roster move is required.

A center who just turned 23 years old on Thursday, Brown went undrafted out of UCLA in 2019. Brown has appeared in 92 regular season games (38 starts, 14.1 MPG) over the past three seasons with the Blazers, Thunder, Mavericks and Cavaliers, holding career averages of 6.0 PPG and 5.8 RPG while shooting 55.4% from the floor and 60.2% from the charity stripe.

Brown possesses great size at 7’2″, is a strong rebounder, and he plays hard, but his skill set is pretty limited. For example, he only has 12 career assists in 1298 minutes at the NBA level.

Still, the Clippers lack size in the frontcourt behind starting center Ivica Zubac, so Brown seemed like a good candidate to receive the second two-way spot. Second-rounder Moussa Diabate currently holds the other.

Pelicans Waive Cheatham, Martin, Plowden, Smart

October 15th, 2022 at 2:42pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pelicans announced that they have waived Zylan Cheatham, Kelan Martin, Daeqwon Plowden and Javonte Smart. All four players are likely headed to the team’s G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron.

Martin, a 6’5″ small forward, holds the most NBA experience of the group, having made 96 appearances with the Wolves, Pacers and Celtics over the past three seasons. He holds career averages of 5.5 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 13.2 MPG.

After going undrafted out of LSU last year, Smart, a 6’4″ guard, appeared in 17 NBA games on two-way deals with the Bucks and Heat in 2021/22. He holds modest averages of 3.0 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 11.8 MPG.

Cheatham holds five games of NBA experience with the Jazz and Pelicans after going undrafted in 2019. The 6’5″ forward averaged 14 PPG, 10.7 RPG and 2.5 APG in 21 regular season games (32 MPG) for the Squadron last season.

Plowden is a 6’6″ undrafted rookie wing out of Bowling Green State. He spent Summer League with the Pelicans, averaging 12.0 PPG on .647/.500/.909 shooting in three games (16.1 MPG).

Both Cheatham and Plowden received Exhibit 10 deals, and Martin and Smart likely did as well. Assuming that’s the case, all four players would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days with the Squadron.

The Pelicans now have a 15-man standard roster, with one two-way spot still open. Undrafted rookie guard Dereon Seabron currently holds the other two-way contract.

Pacers Waive Eli Brooks, Tevin Brown, Jermaine Samuels

October 15th, 2022 at 2:00pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pacers have waived three undrafted rookies who were all signed to Exhibit 10 contracts, the team announced in a press release.

The three players are guards Eli Brooks and Tevin Brown and forward Jermaine Samuels, and they could each earn a $50K bonus if they spend at least 60 days with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers’ G League affiliate.

Brooks, 6’1″, appeared in 34 games (36 MPG) as a fifth-year senior for Michigan last season, averaging 12.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.9 APG and 1.2 SPG on .444/.394/.877 shooting. He is the Wolverines’ all-time leader in wins and was team captain in his final two seasons.

Brown, 6’5″, was a three-time All-Ohio Valley Conference selection for Murray State. He averaged 16.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.1 APG and 1.4 SPG on .427/.384/.748 shooting for the Racers in 2021/22 as a redshirt senior last season.

Samuels, 6’7”, averaged 11.1 PPG and 6.5 RPG on .472/.276/.770 shooting as a fifth-year senior for Villanova in 2021/22. He played 153 games for the perennial Big East power, including a small role on the championship-winning club in 2018.

While there’s still time for the Pacers to make subsequent moves, Indiana now has a full 15-man standard roster, the regular season limit, and both two-way slots filled, so it appears as though 13-year veteran James Johnson might have made the team. The forward is on non-guaranteed deal.

Rockets Waive Willie Cauley-Stein, Pierria Henry

October 15th, 2022 at 1:37pm CST by Rory Maher

The Rockets have waived veteran center Willie Cauley-Stein and guard Pierria Henry, the team announced.

Both deals were non-guaranteed, so Cauley-Stein and Henry were long shots to make the opening night roster, because the Rockets are already at the regular season limit of 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts (not including Derrick Favors, who is expected to be waived before the season starts).

Cauley-Stein has appeared in 422 regular season games (256 starts, 22 MPG) since being drafted sixth overall by the Kings in 2015, holding career averages of 8.7 PPG and 5.9 RPG. However, he only appeared in 20 games (9.2 MPG) last season with the Mavericks and Sixers, having been cut by both teams.

Henry has played exclusively in Europe since going undrafted out of Charlotte in 2015, and he’s had a strong pro career, winning a Turkish League championship with Fenerbahçe in 2022 and a Spanish League title in 2020 with Baskonia. He holds career averages of 9.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 5.1 APG and 1.6 SPG on .451/.351/.782 shooting overseas.

The 29-year-old played for the Wizards’ Summer League team in July. It appears as though Henry hopes to make the NBA by playing for Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. If he signed an Exhibit 10 deal, he’d be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Vipers.

Hornets Waive LiAngelo Ball, Three Others

October 15th, 2022 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have trimmed their roster down to 16 players in advance of the regular season, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Crutcher, Xavier Sneed, and Ty-Shon Alexander.

The older brother of Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball, LiAngelo has played for Charlotte’s Summer League team and signed Exhibit 10 contracts with the organization before each of the last two seasons. He spent 2021/22 with the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ G League affiliate. In 28 games for the Swarm, he averaged 4.6 PPG and 1.1 RPG on .395/.357/.667 shooting in 13.2 minutes per contest.

Crutcher and Sneed also played for Greensboro last season and will likely return to the Swarm in 2022/23 after joining the Hornets on Exhibit 10 contracts.

Alexander, who appeared in 15 games for the Suns in 2020/21 and spent last season in Italy, just signed with the Hornets earlier today, as the team announced in a separate press release. He appears ticketed for the Swarm too.

Charlotte now has 13 players on guaranteed standard contracts, Dennis Smith Jr. on a non-guaranteed deal, and Theo Maledon and Bryce McGowens on two-ways.

Sixers Sign, Waive Sekou Doumbouya

October 15th, 2022 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers announced today that they’ve signed and waived free agent forward Sekou Doumbouya, according to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The team also cut Aminu Mohammed, who signed an Exhibit 10 deal earlier this week.

Doumbouya, 21, was the 15th overall pick in the 2019 draft and spent the first two years of his NBA career in Detroit. However, he struggled to score efficiently during his time with the Pistons, averaging 5.6 PPG and 2.8 RPG on .384/.254/.691 shooting in 94 games (17.3 MPG).

Doumbouya was traded to Brooklyn and then flipped to Houston during the 2021 offseason. After being waived by the Rockets, he signed a pair of two-way deals with the Lakers last season, but appeared in just two NBA games with the club.

Signing and waiving Doumbouya and Mohammed ensures that Philadelphia has the G League rights to both players, so it won’t be a surprise to see them suit up for the Delaware Blue Coats this season.

The Sixers are down to 14 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals, with Michael Foster Jr. still on an Exhibit 10 contract. Foster will likely be waived before opening night.

Noah Vonleh Makes Celtics’ Roster; Jake Layman Waived

October 15th, 2022 at 12:51pm CST by Rory Maher

Big man Noah Vonleh has made the Celtics‘ regular season roster, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter), Vonleh’s contract will be non-guaranteed until January, so he’ll be paid on per-day basis until then.

Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe reported on Thursday that Vonleh appeared to be a safe bet for the 14th spot on the standard roster after a strong showing during preseason.

The ninth overall pick of the 2014 draft, Vonleh is a well-traveled veteran, having previously played for seven NBA teams in seven seasons from 2014-2021. He spent last season in China.

The Celtics have waived veteran forward Jake Layman and guard Eric Demers, sources tell Keith Smith of CelticsBlog and Spotrac (Twitter links) Boston has also signed wing Marial Shayok, according to Smith, though he will almost certainly be waived soon.

It’s unclear if forward Justin Jackson has made Boston’s roster, but we should find out shortly. The veteran has been vying for the 15th roster spot along with Layman and possibly Mfiondu Kabengele, though Kabengele is already on a two-way contract.

A second-round pick in 2016, Layman has appeared in 243 regular season games across six NBA seasons in Portland and Minnesota. In total, the former Maryland forward – who is a Massachusetts native – has averaged 4.8 PPG and 1.7 RPG on .460/.300/.719 shooting in 12.8 minutes per contest over the course of his NBA career.

Layman was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal, so if he clears waivers, he could receive a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s G League affiliate. Demers is another Massachusetts native who played for Maine least season and could be in line for the same bonus.

Shayok was the 54th overall pick of the 2019 draft by the Sixers, making four appearances with the club on a two-way deal. He spent most of his rookie season with the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s G League affiliate. Shayok has played for Turkish clubs the past two seasons.

Mavericks Convert McKinley Wright To Two-Way Deal

October 15th, 2022 at 12:29pm CST by Rory Maher

The Mavericks have converted McKinley Wright‘s Exhibit 10 deal into a two-way contract, the team announced (via Twitter). In addition, Dallas has also signed guard Grant Riller.

Wright, who will turn 24 later this month, signed a two-way contract with the Timberwolves last August after going undrafted out of Colorado. He appeared in just five games for Minnesota, spending most of the season with the team’s G League affiliate in Iowa, where he averaged 19.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 7.7 assists in 18 games.

Wright played for the Suns in this year’s Las Vegas Summer League in July and was on Team USA’s roster for the World Cup qualifiers in August before signing with the Mavs on an Exhibit 10 contract. He’ll join Tyler Dorsey as the team’s two-way players.

As for Riller, his deal with Dallas is likely aimed at getting his G League rights. He’ll probably be waived soon and join the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ NBAGL affiliate.

Timberwolves Waive Dozier, Elleby, Lawson

October 15th, 2022 at 11:25am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Timberwolves reached the 15-man roster limit by waiving guard PJ Dozier, forward CJ Elleby and guard A.J. Lawson, according to a team press release.

Dozier was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract last month. He spent the last three seasons with the Nuggets, where he averaged 6.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in 97 games (six starts).

Elleby received an Exhibit 10 contract in early August and appeared in two preseason games. He spent the last two seasons with the Trail Blazers. Last season, he averaged 5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in 58 games.

Lawson held one of the team’s two-way contracts but Minnesota chose to give big man Luka Garza his two-way spot. Lawson signed his two-way deal in July. The Garza signing was officially announced in a press release on Saturday.

Lawson saw action in three preseason games for the Wolves and also played for the Mavericks’ summer league squad, for which he averaged 15.6 PPG and 6.0 RPG in five games.

Given Dozier and Elleby’s NBA experience, it wouldn’t be a surprise if either gets claimed. Dozier returned to basketball activities this summer after tearing his ACL last December.