Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Magic Sign Former Pacer Goga Bitadze

February 13th, 2023 at 7:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

7:41pm: Bitadze received a two-year deal with a team option for next season, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

6:26pm: The Magic have signed former Pacers center Goga Bitadze, according to a team press release.

Bitadze was waived when Indiana needed to create roster space in the four-team blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix. The Pacers acquired Jordan Nwora, George Hill, Serge Ibaka in the deal, though Ibaka was later waived.

Bitadze played in 21 games this season with Indiana, averaging 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.6 minutes. He was in the final season of his rookie scale contract when Indiana let him go.

The 18^th overall pick of the 2019 draft, Bitadze has played in 170 career games (21 starts), averaging 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.5 minutes.

Orlando had some open roster spots after waiving Terrence Ross and recently acquired Patrick Beverley. The Magic also traded a big man, Mohamed Bamba, to the Lakers, so that may open up some playing time for Bitadze.

Pacers Re-Sign James Johnson

February 13th, 2023 at 3:05pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pacers have re-signed James Johnson, the team announced in a press release. Johnson’s contract covers the rest of the 2022/23 season, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), so he will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

Indiana waived the veteran forward as part of the four-team blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix. The fact that the Pacers decided to bring him back isn’t a surprise, as Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reported a few days ago that Johnson was expected to re-sign with Indiana after clearing waivers.

Johnson, 35, is a well-traveled veteran — the Pacers are his 10th NBA team in 14 seasons. He hasn’t seen much on-court action this season, appearing in just 12 games for a total of 98 minutes, but the Pacers value his leadership in the locker room.

Boban Marjanovic Re-Signs With Rockets

February 13th, 2023 at 9:39am CST by Arthur Hill

In a move that was expected when he was waived on Thursday, the Rockets announced (via Twitter) that they have re-signed Boban Marjanovic for the rest of the season.

Marjanovic was released because the team needed an open roster spot to complete a three-team trade that sent Eric Gordon to the Clippers. The 34-year-old center became a free agent after clearing waivers, and Houston had two roster openings available after completing a buyout with Danny Green and waiving John Wall.

Marjanovic, who was acquired in a trade with the Mavericks last summer, has seen limited playing time with the Rockets. He appeared in 17 games before being waived, averaging 2.8 points and 1.5 rebounds in 4.2 minutes per night.

Although Marjanovic likely doesn’t have much of a future in Houston, he can serve as a mentor to the team’s young big men and is considered one of the best teammates in the league. He will become a free agent again after the season.

Hornets’ Reggie Jackson, Rockets’ John Wall Officially Waived

February 13th, 2023 at 6:50am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran guards Reggie Jackson and John Wall were among several players who were officially waived on Sunday, according to press releases from their respective teams. The Hornets cut Jackson, while the Rockets let go of Wall.

Both players had spent most of the season with the Clippers, who completed a series of deadline deals on Thursday. Jackson was sent from Los Angeles to Charlotte in trade for Mason Plumlee, while Wall was moved to Houston in a deal for Eric Gordon.

Since they were both essentially just salary-matching pieces in those trades, Jackson and Wall were widely expected to be waived. Jackson was said to be negotiating a buyout with the Hornets, while Rockets general manager Rafael Stone confirmed in his post-deadline presser than Houston would simply release Wall, whose last stint with the team didn’t end well.

Jackson is reportedly on track to sign with the Nuggets once he clears waivers; Wall doesn’t yet have his next NBA home lined up, as far as we know.

Jackson and Wall were among several veterans who were officially cut on Sunday. The Rockets also waived Danny Green, while the Magic parted ways with Patrick Beverley and Terrence Ross and San Antonio released Stanley Johnson.

Danny Green Agrees To Buyout, Waived By Rockets

February 12th, 2023 at 6:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

6:27pm: Green has officially been waived, according to the NBA transactions log. He has reached an agreement to sign with the Cavaliers upon clearing waivers.

10:51am: Danny Green will become a free agent after reaching a buyout agreement with the Rockets, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The Cavaliers and Celtics are considered the frontrunners to sign Green, with the Lakers and Suns involved as well, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Green must clear waivers before he can join another team.

Cleveland, Boston, L.A. and Phoenix are all in need of wing depth, and Green will bring a strong playoff pedigree to whomever is able to land him. The 35-year-old has three championship rings and was part of L.A.’s title-winning team in 2020.

Green was sent from Memphis to Houston on Thursday as a salary-matching piece in a three-team trade that also involved the Clippers. He is making $10MM this season on an expiring contract.

Green spent most of the season recovering from an ACL tear and didn’t play at all until February 1. He averaged 14.3 minutes in three games with the Grizzlies and hasn’t suited up for the Rockets since the trade.

Patrick Beverley Waived By Magic

February 12th, 2023 at 3:37pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

As had been widely anticipated, combo guard Patrick Beverley has been waived by the Magic, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).

The 6’1″ Beverley will become a free agent once he clears waivers. He was sent to the Magic by the Lakers as part of a four-team trade that netted Los Angeles two second-round draft picks, along with 3-and-D reserve big man Mo Bamba.

In 45 games for the Lakers, all starts, the 34-year-old posted averages of 6.4 PPG on .402/.348/.780, plus 3.1 RPG, 2.6 APG and 0.9 SPG.

Beverley has emerged as a rumored buyout market target of the Clippers, after the team traded veteran point guards Reggie Jackson and John Wall at the deadline. That would mark his second go-round with L.A., He spent four seasons with the Clippers, from 2017-21, and was named to the league’s All-Defensive Second Team in 2020.

Magic, Terrence Ross Finalize Buyout Agreement

February 12th, 2023 at 12:37pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 12: Ross has officially been released by Orlando, the team has revealed in a press release (via Twitter). He’ll reportedly sign with the Suns upon clearing waivers.

11:06am: The Magic and veteran swingman Terrence Ross are finalizing a buyout agreement that will put him on track for free agency, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Ross, 32, has been with the Magic since being traded from Toronto to Orlando at the 2017 deadline.

He averaged 14.4 points in 27.2 minutes per game in 220 contests during his first four full seasons with the team, but has seen his role cut back in the last two seasons as the Magic have gone through a rebuilding process. He has averaged just 9.2 PPG in 22.8 MPG across 105 appearances since the start of last season.

Ross has been viewed as a trade candidate since Orlando’s 2021 fire sale that saw Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier all dealt. However, he stuck around for an extra two years beyond that, as the Magic never got the sort of offer they sought for the veteran shooter, who has made 36.2% of his 3,500 career three-point attempts.

Given that Ross is on an expiring contract and suggested last spring he’d welcome a change of scenery, it comes as no surprise that he’s seeking his exit from Orlando after staying put through the trade deadline.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who first reported that Ross was a buyout candidate, says the Mavericks and Suns are two potential suitors to keep an eye on. Marc Stein (Twitter link) has also heard word of Dallas’ interest in the veteran wing.

Spurs Waive Stanley Johnson, Will Convert Charles Bassey To Standard Contract

February 12th, 2023 at 12:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs have released veteran forward Stanley Johnson, the team announced today in a press release.

Johnson signed with San Antonio in mid-December and averaged 5.8 points and 3.2 rebounds off the bench in 30 games while shooting 45% from three-point range. Despite being drafted in 2015, he’s only 26 and could spark some interest among contending teams on the buyout market.

Johnson was a part-time starter last season with the Lakers, who have a roster spot open after making several moves at the trade deadline. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report isn’t sure if L.A. can bring back Johnson because he was traded to the Jazz in August and subsequently waived (Twitter link), but Pincus believes the language in the collective bargaining agreement is murky enough that it might be worth a phone call to the league to verify.

The Spurs intend to use their roster opening to convert Charles Bassey‘s two-way deal to a standard contract, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio signed Bassey after the Sixers waived him in October, and he’s averaging 4.7 points and 5.2 rebounds in 24 games.

Thunder Sign Olivier Sarr To Two-Way Contract

February 12th, 2023 at 8:38am CST by Arthur Hill

Center Olivier Sarr has returned to the Thunder on a two-way contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

The 23-year-old center signed a pair of 10-day contracts and then a two-way deal with Oklahoma City last season. He appeared in 22 total games, averaging 7.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, before being waived in April.

Sarr joined the Trail Blazers for training camp on an Exhibit 10 contract and was impressive enough in the preseason to earn a two-way deal with the team. However, he suffered a partial tear of a ligament in his right wrist that sidelined him for six weeks and he was waived in mid-November. In January, he signed with the Thunder’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.

OKC had a two-way opening after converting Eugene Omoruyi‘s contract to a standard deal on Friday.

Terrence Ross To Sign With Suns Following Buyout

February 11th, 2023 at 11:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

Terrence Ross plans to join the Suns after his buyout with the Magic is complete, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Ross must clear waivers before he can sign with Phoenix.

Earlier in the day, Wojnarowski reported that the Mavericks were the frontrunners to add Ross, but he says that changed when new Suns owner Mat Ishbia and coach Monty Williams got involved. They were able to sell Ross on the idea of coming to Phoenix to join Kevin Durant in pursuit of a title.

The Suns have two open roster spots, so they can sign Ross without a corresponding move.

Dallas’ offer is limited to a pro-rated minimum contract, which is worth about $900K, points out Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype (Twitter link), while Phoenix has $5.2MM of its mid-level exception left and could offer more than the minimum (though it’s unclear whether they will).

Ross will help replace some of the wing depth the Suns had to send to Brooklyn in the Durant trade. He’s a career 36.2% shooter from three-point range and is connecting at 38.1% from long distance this season. He was averaging 8.0 PPG in 42 games for Orlando.