Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bulls Convert Kostas Antetokounmpo To Two-Way Contract

October 14th, 2022 at 3:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have signed forward Kostas Antetokounmpo to a two-way contract, the team announced today (via Twitter).

Technically, Antetokounmpo, who was in camp with the Bulls on an Exhibit 10 contract, had that deal converted into a two-way pact. Teams are allowed to turn Exhibit 10s into two-ways at any time up until October 17, assuming the player meets the two-way criteria. Antetokounmpo, the younger brother of Giannis Antetokounmpo, has just three years of NBA experience, so he fits the bill.

Although he has appeared in NBA games in three separate seasons, Antetokounmpo has never played a regular rotation role during previous stops with the Mavericks and Lakers. The 24-year-old has logged just 87 total minutes in 22 games, putting up 21 points and 23 rebounds during his limited action.

Malcolm Hill and Justin Lewis had previously held the Bulls’ two-way contract slots. The Bulls haven’t announced that they’ve waived either player, but K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago suggests that Lewis, who sustained an ACL injury this summer, will be the odd man out. Lewis will remain around the team during his recovery process, Johnson writes.

In other Bulls roster news, the club has signed former NBA forward Okaro White to a contract, per RealGM’s transaction log. White is still listed as part of the roster on the team’s official website, but will likely be waived in the next 24 hours or so and eventually join the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G League team.

Hornets Waive Jaylen Sims, Anthony Duruji

October 14th, 2022 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets are beginning to trim down their preseason roster, according to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer, who tweets that the team is waiving camp invitees Jaylen Sims and Anthony Duruji.

Sims went undrafted this June after spending four seasons at UNC Wilmington. The 23-year-old guard, a native of Charlotte, averaged 16.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 2.4 APG on .383/.357/.820 shooting in his final college season in 2021/22. He played for Toronto’s Summer League team in July before signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the Hornets in August.

Duruji, 24, split his college career between Louisiana Tech and Florida. The undrafted rookie forward averaged 7.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 55 games (23.4 MPG) over the past two seasons with the Gators, then played for Atlanta at the Las Vegas Summer League before signing his own Exhibit 10 deal with Charlotte.

Both Sims and Duruji appear likely to become affiliate players for the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s G League team.

With two open spots on their 20-man roster, the Hornets can now move forward with their reported two-way deal for Theo Maledon. After signing Maledon, the team would have to make at least two more cuts before Monday’s regular roster deadline. LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Crutcher, and Xavier Sneed remain on the roster on non-guaranteed training camp contracts.

Kings Sign Horne, O’Connell; Waive Iwundu, Ford

October 14th, 2022 at 1:42pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have completed a series of minor roster moves, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), who reports that the team signed Jeriah Horne and Alex O’Connell to Exhibit 10 contracts while waiving Wes Iwundu and Jordan Ford.

Horne’s deal with the Kings was first reported in June, shortly after he went undrafted out of Tulsa. He and O’Connell, another undrafted rookie who spent his last two college seasons with Creighton, will likely be waived within the next day or two and then become affiliate players for the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate.

Iwundu and Ford, who were signed on Thursday, are also presumably ticketed for Stockton. Both players’ G League returning rights had been held by other teams, but the Kings acquired Iwundu’s rights from the Cleveland Charge on Thursday after acquiring Ford’s rights from the Ontario Clippers in August.

Sacramento still has 20 players on its preseason roster after its latest series of moves. That number will have to be reduced to 17 (15 on standard contracts and two on two-ways) by Monday evening.

Grizzlies Sign Dakota Mathias To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 14th, 2022 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 14: Over two months after reaching a deal with Mathias, the Grizzlies have officially signed him to an Exhibit 10 contract, the team announced today in a press release. In a pair of corresponding moves, the team waived E.J. Onu and Romeo Weems after having signed them earlier this week.

It seems safe to assume that the plan is for Mathias, Onu, and Weems to all eventually head to the G League and play for the Hustle.

AUGUST 10: The Grizzlies have reached an agreement to sign free agent shooting guard Dakota Mathias to an Exhibit 10 contract, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Mathias, who went undrafted out of Purdue in 2018, spent a season in Spain and then played in the G League for a year before getting his first shot in the NBA in 2020/21. He appeared in eight games with the Sixers while on a two-way contract that season, then saw action in six contests while on a pair of 10-day deals with the Grizzlies in 2021/22.

Mathias is a talented outside shooter, having made 41.9% of his three-point attempts in four college seasons with the Boilermakers and 39.4% of his tries in 46 G League games with the Texas Legends.

The Grizzlies likely view Mathias as someone who can play a regular role for their G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, though his Exhibit 10 contract could technically be converted into a two-way deal before the season begins. Currently, Kenneth Lofton Jr. and Vince Williams are the Grizzlies’ two-way players.

While it’s possible that Mathias could receive consideration for a spot on Memphis’ 15-man regular season roster with a strong training camp and preseason, it seems unlikely, given that the team already has 16 players on fully or partially guaranteed standard contracts.

Sixers Sign Aminu Mohammed To Exhibit 10 Contract

October 13th, 2022 at 8:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Undrafted Georgetown guard Aminu Mohammed, who reached an agreement with the Sixers in June, has officially signed his Exhibit 10 contract with the team, according to RealGM’s NBA transaction log.

Mohammed spent just one year in college, but made an impact for the Hoyas, averaging 13.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 1.6 SPG in 31 games (32.2 MPG). He struggled to score efficiently, however, shooting just 37.9% from the floor, including 31.0% on three-pointers.

The Sixers will likely waive Mohammed within the next couple days and have him join the Delaware Blue Coats, their G League team, as an affiliate player. If he spends at least 60 days in Delaware, Mohammed would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K.

Having waived Charles Bassey, Isaiah Joe, and Skylar Mays within the last two days, Philadelphia has more than enough room on its preseason roster to accommodate the addition of Mohammed. The club currently has 18 players under contract.

Celtics Sign Eric Demers To Camp Deal

October 13th, 2022 at 8:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have officially signed guard Eric Demers to a training camp contract, according to the NBA transaction log at RealGM.com.

A Massachusetts native, Demers played his college ball at Gordon College in Wenham, MA. After going undrafted in 2020, he played for the Spurs’ Summer League team in 2021 and the Maine Celtics – Boston’s G League team – during the 2021/22 season.

Demers appeared in 24 regular season games for Maine last season, averaging 8.1 PPG on .374/.353/.833 shooting.

The fact that the Celtics signed Demers signals that they expect him to report back to Maine for the start of the 2022/23 season after he’s cut by the NBA team. His deal will presumably include an Exhibit 10 clause that makes him eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with Boston’s G League affiliate.

Demers will likely be waived within the next day or two, but for now, the Celtics have 19 players under contract.

Kings Sign Wesley Iwundu, Jordan Ford To Training Camp Deals

October 13th, 2022 at 7:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

7:30pm: Iwundu and Ford have officially signed with the Kings, per RealGM’s transaction log.

4:41pm: Swingman Wes Iwundu and guard Jordan Ford are set to ink Exhibit 10 training camp contracts with the Kings, sources inform James Ham of ESPN 1320 (Twitter link). Though the signings haven’t been officially announced, Ham indicates that both players were to join Sacramento in a team scrimmage today.

Iwundu, 27, was first selected out of Kansas State by the Magic in the 2017 NBA draft. He served primarily as a bench reserve for Orlando across three seasons, and has had limited runs with the Mavericks, Pelicans, and most recently the Hawks. Across 226 career games, the 6’6″ small forward/shooting guard holds career averages of 4.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 0.9 APG.

Ford, 24, went undrafted out of Saint Mary’s in 2020. He has split his pro career between the Clippers’ G League affiliate, the Ontario Clippers, and Greek team Peristeri. In 31 games last year with the Ontario Clippers (then the Agua Caliente Clippers), Ford averaged 9.8 PPG on .461/.412/.857 shooting splits, plus 3.1 APG, 2.0 RPG, and 0.7 SPG.

Iwundu and Ford will most likely be waived ahead of the NBA regular season next week. Inking these deals now will allow them to net $50K bonuses should they join Sacramento’s NBAGL affiliate club, the Stockton Kings, and remain on the roster for 60 days or more.

Spurs Sign, Waive Stephen Zimmerman

October 13th, 2022 at 5:42pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Spurs have signed and waived center Stephen Zimmerman, according to the NBA’s transactions log.

The seven-footer was selected by the Magic with the No. 41 pick in the 2016 draft out of UNLV, and logged his only NBA minutes to date in 19 games during the subsequent 2016/17 season, averaging 1.2 PPG and 1.8 RPG across 5.7 MPG.

Since his NBA tenure ended, Zimmerman has suited up for G League clubs the South Bay Lakers and Westchester Knicks, plus international clubs in Germany, Poland and Australia.

Joining San Antonio (and getting promptly waived) carves out a path for the 26-year-old big man to latch on with the club’s NBA G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. Should that happen, and should Zimmerman remain in Austin for 60 days or more, he could earn a bonus worth up to $50K for his troubles.

Sixers Waive Charles Bassey, Isaiah Joe

October 13th, 2022 at 5:37pm CST by Luke Adams

5:37pm: The Sixers have officially announced in a press release that they’ve waived Bassey and Joe.

8:32am: The Sixers are also waiving Joe, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). With Joe’s non-guaranteed $1.78MM salary no longer on the books, the team will have more than $5.5MM in breathing room below its hard cap, tweets Bodner.

Joe appeared in 55 games for the 76ers last season, averaging 3.6 PPG and 1.0 RPG on .350/.333/.935 shooting in 11.1 MPG.

The two cuts will give the Sixers the option of opening the season with just 14 players on their standard roster or of adding a 15th man (including perhaps Joe) on a new non-guaranteed contract.

Joe’s previous deal called for his full 2022/23 salary to become guaranteed if he made the opening night roster, so Philadelphia theoretically could re-sign him on a more team-friendly contract if he passes through waivers, though it’s unclear if that’s in the plans. The team also may have interest in bringing him back on a two-way deal, says Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com.

8:18am: The Sixers have waived big man Charles Bassey, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

The 53rd overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Western Kentucky, Bassey signed a three-year, minimum-salary contract with Philadelphia last September, then appeared in 23 games as a rookie, averaging 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 7.3 minutes per contest. He played a starring role when assigned to the G League, averaging 18.9 PPG and 10.3 RPG in 17 regular season games (28.6 MPG) for the Delaware Blue Coats.

Although Bassey’s contract ran through 2024, it wasn’t fully guaranteed beyond his rookie season, making his grip on a roster spot tenuous this fall. Isaiah Joe‘s strong Summer League showing and the Sixers’ decision to sign Montrezl Harrell a month ago to fill out their frontcourt also didn’t work in his favor, making Bassey the odd man out.

Assuming Bassey clears waivers without being claimed, the 76ers will be on the hook for his partial guarantee of $74,742. Because that guarantee exceeds $50K, he’s ineligible to play for the Delaware Blue Coats – Philadelphia’s G League team – as an affiliate player or two-way player.

A team with interest in claiming Bassey off waivers would need a trade exception, disabled player exception, or cap room to absorb his $1,563,518 salary. Even though he’s earning the minimum, the fact that Bassey was on a three-year contract means he can’t be claimed using the minimum salary exception.

With Bassey and Trevelin Queen out of the picture, Philadelphia looks poised to carry a 15-man roster that features 13 players on fully guaranteed salaries, plus Paul Reed and possibly Joe on non-guaranteed deals. The Sixers’ team salary is now approximately $3.76MM below the hard cap, tweets Derek Bodner of The Daily Six.

Suns Waive Saben Lee

October 13th, 2022 at 5:25pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Two days after signing to a training camp deal with the Suns, guard Saben Lee has been waived by Phoenix, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

Lee was sent from Detroit to Utah as part of the Bojan Bogdanovic trade. The Jazz waived the 6’2″ point guard this weekend.

Lee was drafted with the No. 38 pick out of Vanderbilt in 2020, and appeared in a total of 85 contests for the Pistons in his first two NBA seasons. He holds career NBA averages of 5.6 PPG, 3.3 APG, 2.2 RPG and 0.8 SPG.

The Suns lack an NBAGL affiliate club at present, so Lee won’t report to Phoenix’s G League team. 6’5″ guard Adonis Arms, who was also signed earlier this week along with Lee, remains on the team’s roster as of this writing.