Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Thunder Exercise Options For Giddey, Mann, Pokusevski

October 15th, 2022 at 6:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Thunder have picked up third-year options for guards Josh Giddey and Tre Mann and a fourth-year option for forward Aleksej Pokusevski, the team announced in a press release.

Giddey, the sixth pick in last year’s draft, is now locked into a $6,587,040 salary for the 2023/24 season. He was a member of the All-Rookie Second Team last season and was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month four times. He averaged 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists in 54 games before a hip issue ended his season in February.

Mann, a part-time starter last season, will earn $3,191,400 in 2023/24. He averaged 10.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists and ranked among the top 10 rookies in three-point percentage, free throw percentage and points scored.

Pokusevski will make $5,009,633 for the 2023/24 season and will be eligible for restricted free agency that summer. The 17th pick in the 2020 draft, Pokusevski averaged 7.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season.

Bucks Cut Lindell Wigginton, Marques Bolden

October 15th, 2022 at 6:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have waived guard Lindell Wigginton and center Marques Bolden as they prepare for the regular season, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

Wigginton, 24, played 19 games (10.5 MPG) as a rookie for Milwaukee last season while on a two-way contract, averaging 4.2 PPG, 1.3 RPG and 1.2 APG. The Canadian point guard spent most of last season with the Bucks’ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, averaging 16.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG and 4.9 APG in 25 total games.

Bolden, 24, has spent most of his professional career in the G League since going undrafted out of Duke in 2019. In 69 career appearances for the Cavaliers’ and Jazz’s NBAGL affiliates, he has averaged 10.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 23.1 minutes per contest. The big man also spent time in the NBA with Cleveland from 2019-21, first on a 10-day contract and later on a two-way deal, playing a very limited role in seven games for the Cavs.

The Bucks also signed and waived former second-round pick Elijah Hughes today, per NBA.com. That move will secure Hughes’ G League rights for the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s affiliate.

Hughes spent most of his first two NBA seasons in Utah, playing sparingly for the Jazz, then was traded to Portland along with Joe Ingles at the 2022 deadline. He averaged 3.8 PPG and 1.9 RPG with a dismal .296/.224/.667 shooting line in 22 games (14.6 MPG) for the Blazers down the stretch.

The Bucks now have 15 players on standard guaranteed contracts and a pair on two-way deals, so they’re set for the regular season.

Spurs Waive Alize Johnson

October 15th, 2022 at 6:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs have placed Alize Johnson on waivers, tweets Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype.

The move was confirmed by Tom Orsborne of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link), who adds that the team still has one roster cut to make before Monday afternoon’s deadline. He points to Joe Wieskamp and Romeo Langford as being “on the bubble.”

Johnson joined the Spurs in August on a training camp deal. It was non-guaranteed and included an Exhibit 9 clause, which carries fewer protections than the more common Exhibit 10.

The 26-year-old power forward started last season with the Bulls before being waived in mid-December. He signed a 10-day contract with the Wizards later that month, then inked a pair of 10-day deals with the Pelicans in March. He played 23 combined games with the three teams, averaging 1.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 7.3 minutes per night.

Johnson broke into the league with the Pacers, who made him the 50th pick in the 2018 draft. He also spent time with the Nets.

Heat Waive D.J. Stewart, Jon Elmore

October 15th, 2022 at 6:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat made a pair of roster cuts today, waiving guards D.J. Stewart Jr. and Jon Elmore, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

Stewart is a 23-year-old guard who went undrafted out of Mississippi State in 2021 and spent most of his rookie season playing for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate. In 36 total NBAGL regular season appearances for the Skyforce and the Austin Spurs last season, Stewart averaged 17.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 3.1 APG on .480/.361/.764 shooting in 34.1 minutes per contest.

Miami claimed Stewart off waivers from Dallas on Friday, and it appears the plan is to have him report back to the Skyforce to open the 2022/23 season.

Elmore is likely also headed for the Skyforce after spending a day with the Heat on an Exhibit 10 contract. The 26-year-old went undrafted in 2019 after a standout college career at Marshall. He has played professionally for European clubs in Italy, Hungary, Greece and Lithuania over the past three years.

With today’s cuts, the Heat’s roster now appears set for the regular season. The team has 13 players on guaranteed contracts, Haywood Highsmith with a partial guarantee, and Dru Smith and Jamal Cain on two-way deals.

Suns Waive Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Adonis Arms

October 15th, 2022 at 5:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns have waived Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Adonis Arms, the team announced in a press release relayed by Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link). Phoenix also confirmed that it has waived Saben Lee, whose release showed up earlier this week on NBA.com’s transactions log.

The moves bring the team’s roster down to 14 players, plus two on two-way deals. The Suns have 13 players with fully guaranteed contracts, along with Jock Landale, who appears to have made the team with a partially guaranteed deal.

Luwawu-Cabarrot has been a journeyman since being selected with the 24th pick in the 2016 draft, playing for five teams in six years. He appeared in 52 games with the Hawks last season and signed with Phoenix shortly before the start of training camp.

Arms signed with the Suns on Tuesday after he was waived by the Nuggets. Phoenix doesn’t have a G League team, so it’s not able to secure Arms’ G League rights.

Warriors Sign Andrew Wiggins To Four-Year Extension

October 15th, 2022 at 4:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have signed former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins to a contract extension, according to NBA.com’s official transaction log.

After Wiggins’ surprise extension showed up in the transaction log, his agents Drew Morris and Steven Heumann of CAA Sports confirmed the deal, telling ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Kendra Andrews (Twitter link) that it’s a four-year, $109MM extension.

The deal includes a player option on year four, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter).

Wiggins, 27, enjoyed perhaps the best year of his career in 2021/22 with the Warriors. Although he fell short of the scoring averages he posted in earlier seasons with the Timberwolves, he earned his first All-Star nod and emerged as a reliable two-way player, making a career-high 39.3% of his three-pointers and handling challenging defensive assignments on the wing.

Wiggins averaged 17.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 2.2 APG in 73 games (31.9 MPG) during the regular season, then played a crucial role in the Warriors’ title run, putting up 16.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 1.8 APG on .469/.333/.646 shooting in 22 playoff contests (34.9 MPG).

Having signed a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension while he was still in Minnesota, Wiggins will earn $33,616,770 this season in the final year of that deal, then take a pay cut on his new extension, which will be worth just over $27MM per year. According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), Wiggins’ salary will dip to about $24.3MM in the first year of his next contract, which begins in 2023/24.

Wiggins’ agreement comes on the heels of Jordan Poole striking a four-year, $123MM+ deal with the Warriors earlier today. Golden State has now made nine-figure commitments to two of its key extension-eligible rotation players in less than 24 hours, further increasing the franchise’s record-setting payroll in the coming years.

With Wiggins and Poole locked up, the future of Draymond Green looms as a major question mark for the Warriors. Although it’s still possible that he’ll remain in Golden State for years to come, Green probably can’t realistically expect to receive a long-term contract that has an average annual value matching or exceeding his $27.6MM option for 2023/24.

If Green picks up that option, the cost of the Warriors’ ’23/24 roster – taking into account both player salaries and luxury tax penalties – is projected to exceed $500MM, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

Knicks Waive James Akinjo, Jalen Harris, DaQuan Jeffries

October 15th, 2022 at 4:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks have waived James Akinjo, Jalen Harris and DaQuan Jeffries, the team announced (via Twitter). All three were on Exhibit 10 contracts, so they are likely to wind up with Westchester in the G League.

The moves leave New York with 15 players on standard contracts, including non-guaranteed deals for Ryan Arcidiacono and Svi Mykhailiuk. A report earlier today confirmed that Arcidiacono has earned a roster spot, and it appears Mykhailiuk has as well.

Akinjo, a 21-year-old guard, just signed with the Knicks on Friday. He went undrafted out of Baylor and played for the Hawks during Summer League.

Harris is attempting to make a comeback after a one-year ban for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program. The 24-year-old shooting guard played 13 games for the Raptors during the 2020/21 season.

Jeffries, a 25-year-old shooting guard, appeared in three games for the Grizzlies last season after signing a 10-day contract at the start of January. He has also spent time with the Kings and Rockets.

Kings Waive Sam Merrill, Set Roster For Season

October 15th, 2022 at 4:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran guard Matthew Dellavedova and forwards KZ Okpala and Chima Moneke have claimed the final three spots on the Kings‘ 15-man roster to open the regular season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Veteran wing Sam Merrill had also been vying for a regular season roster spot, but the Kings have opted to waive him, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee tweets.

The team also cut Jeriah Horne and Alex O’Connell, per James Ham of ESPN 1320 Sacramento (Twitter link), who says the plan is for both players to join the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate.

Okpala earned some starts at power forward for Sacramento this preseason and always seemed like a safe bet to make the roster. Dellavedova, meanwhile, looked like a logical keeper after the team waived another veteran point guard, Quinn Cook. Moneke has spent the last several years playing in international leagues and will be getting his first shot in the NBA as a 26-year-old rookie.

Okpala and Moneke currently have partial guarantees worth $250K and will earn another $250K if they remain on the roster through Wednesday. Dellavedova is on a non-guaranteed contract and will also get $250K for sticking through Wednesday.

Merrill’s contract included a $150K partial guarantee. The Kings will be on the hook for that amount unless he’s claimed on waivers on Monday.

Nuggets Waive Chasson Randle, Grant Golden

October 15th, 2022 at 3:52pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nuggets have waived guard Chasson Randle and undrafted rookie forward Grant Golden, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post, who adds that both players are expected to land with the Grand Rapids Gold, Denver’s G League affiliate (Twitter links).

Randle and Golden were signed to Exhibit 10 contracts, so they could each receive a bonus worth up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days with the Gold.

Randle, 29, has appeared in a total of 119 NBA regular season games for the Sixers, Knicks, Wizards, Warriors and Magic since making his debut in January 2017. He holds career averages of 5.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists on .401/.361/.799 shooting in 16.1 minutes per contest.

Golden, 24, spent his entire college career at Richmond, averaging 13.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.9 APG on .506/.280/.706 shooting in 37 games (27.6 MPG) as a “super senior” in 2021/22. After going undrafted, the 6’10” forward played for the Hawks’ Summer League team in Las Vegas, logging limited minutes in four appearances.

The Nuggets now have a full 15-man standard roster (all on guaranteed contracts) and both two-way slots filled, so it appears as though their regular season roster is set.

Wizards Convert Jordan Goodwin To Two-Way Deal, Waive Four Players

October 15th, 2022 at 3:45pm CST by Luke Adams

3:45pm: The Wizards have, as expected, waived Sword, Dotson, and Jackson, the team confirmed in a press release.

The Wizards also announced that they signed and waived center Jaime Echenique today. He’s a safe bet to return to the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League affiliate, which is where he spent most of last season.

The team’s roster is now set for the regular season, with 15 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-ways.

2:03pm: The Wizards have converted Jordan Goodwin‘s Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

Goodwin, who will turn 24 next Sunday, spent his rookie season in the Wizards’ organization after going undrafted out of Saint Louis in 2021. For most of the year, he was a member of the Capital City Go-Go, averaging 16.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 4.6 APG, and 2.0 SPG with a .412/.302/.792 shooting line in 31 NBAGL games (32.4 MPG).

Goodwin also got a chance to make his NBA debut when he was signed to a 10-day hardship contract in December. He appeared in two games for Washington during that time.

The Wizards had been carrying four players on Exhibit 10 contracts. Goodwin’s conversion to a two-way deal likely means that Craig Sword, Devon Dotson, and Quenton Jackson will be waived. That would leave the team with 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts, plus Goodwin and Jordan Schakel on two-ways.