Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mac McClung Waived By Sixers

October 10th, 2022 at 6:08pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers have waived guard Mac McClung, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

McClung joined the organization last week on an Exhibit 10 contract. It’s anticipated he’ll join the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s G League team, once he clears waivers. The Blue Coats acquired his G League rights in a trade with the South Bay Lakers.

McClung has already passed through waivers since training camps opened. McClung was previously waived by the Warriors.

McClung was an undrafted rookie in 2021. He signed a couple of 10-day hardship contracts with the Bulls in December and January, but only appeared in one NBA game for just three minutes. He also played one game for the Lakers at the end of his rookie season on a two-way deal, but wasn’t extended a qualifying offer.

The 23-year-old guard spent the majority of last season in the G League with the Lakers’ affiliate, South Bay, where he was named NBAGL Rookie of the Year.

Pelicans Add Martin, Smart; Waive Butler, Petty Jr.

October 10th, 2022 at 4:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans signed forward Kelan Martin and guard Javonte Smart while waiving two-way forward John Butler and guard John Petty Jr., according to a team press release.

Terms weren’t disclosed but Martin and Smart likely signed Exhibit 10 contracts. They would presumably be candidates for the team’s open two-way slot, since Butler had his camp deal converted to a two-way last week.

Otherwise, they’ll likely be waived and join the G League Birmingham Squadron, which would make them each eligible for a $50K bonus if they spend at least 60 days with that club.

Martin has appeared in 96 NBA games since 2019 with Minnesota, Indiana and Boston, averaging 5.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists. Martin appeared in 30 games last season with the Celtics and Pacers.

Smart, who went undrafted in 2021 out of LSU, appeared in 17 games with the Bucks and Heat last season, averaging 3.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists.

Butler played last season at Florida State, where he averaged 5.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 31 games. He saw action in one preseason game.

Petty Jr. appeared in 31 games for the Birmingham Squadron last season. Petty was on an Exhibit 10 deal and will likely return to the Squadron, with Butler joining him.

Magic Waive Alex Morales, Sign Drake Jeffries

October 10th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Rory Maher

The Magic have waived guard Alex Morales in order to sign guard Drake Jeffries, the team announced. Both players received Exhibit 10 contracts from Orlando.

Jeffries, whose deal with the Magic was first reported in July, averaged 10.3 PPG and 5.4 RPG while converting 40.9% of his three-point looks for Wyoming in 2021/22, his senior season. After going undrafted, Jeffries appeared in one game for the Nuggets’ Summer League team.

Morales officially signed on Saturday after going undrafted out of Wagner. The 24-year-old was voted NEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year last season and spent Summer League with the Warriors.

Like Morales, Jeffries is likely to be waived before the regular season starts and headed to Orlando’s G League affiliate in Lakeland. The Exhibit 10 language in their deals means each player could earn a bonus of up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days with Lakeland.

Spurs Pick Up 2023/24 Options For Devin Vassell, Joshua Primo

October 10th, 2022 at 3:45pm CST by Rory Maher

The Spurs have exercised their 2023/24 team options on former lottery picks Devin Vassell and Joshua Primo, the team announced.

Both players figure to have bigger roles in ’22/23 after Dejounte Murray was traded to Atlanta over the summer, so it was a mere formality that their options were picked up. Vassell will earn $5,887,899 in ’23/24, his fourth season, while Primo will make $4,341,600 in his third.

Vassell, 22, was the 11th overall pick of the 2020 draft after two seasons with Florida State. After a fairly modest rookie campaign saw him average 17 minutes per contest in 62 games, the wing increased his numbers across the board last season, averaging 12.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals on .427/.361/.838 shooting in 71 games (32 starts, 27.3 minutes). He recently expressed excitement about the opportunity for an expanded role in ’22/23.

Primo, 19, was the 12th overall pick of last year’s draft after one season with Alabama. He averaged 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 50 games (16 starts, 19.3 minutes) as a rookie last season, but struggled with efficiency, posting a .374/.307/.746 shooting slash line. The versatile Primo, who views himself as a “positionless player,” is currently dealing with a sprained MCL in his left knee, but he should be ready for the regular season opener on October 19.

Lakers Waive LJ Figueroa, Sign Bryce Hamilton

October 10th, 2022 at 2:36pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers have waived wing LJ Figueroa and signed undrafted guard Bryce Hamilton to replace him on the 20-man training camp roster, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link). ESPN’s Dave McMenamin notes (via Twitter) that Hamilton will be on a training camp contract.

Hamilton, who turns 22 next month, went undrafted in June after four seasons at UNLV. He had a productive college career, having earned a spot on three consecutive All-Mountain West Conference teams. Hamilton averaged 21.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 2.2 APG on .430/.346/.768 shooting in 32 games (32.3 MPG) as a senior last season. He most recently played for the Heat during Summer League.

Figueroa spent his first two college seasons with St. John’s before transferring to Oregon for the 2020/21 season. The 24-year-old went undrafted in 2021 and signed a training camp deal with the Warriors, was waived, and then spent his first pro season with Golden State’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, averaging 16.7 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.4 APG and 1.0 SPG on .494/.323/.781 shooting in 32 games (23 starts, 27.6 MPG). He suited up for the Hornets in Summer League.

While the terms of the contracts for Figueroa and Hamilton were not disclosed, it seems likely that both deals included Exhibit 10 language, which would make them each eligible for a $50K bonus if they spend at least 60 days with the South Bay Lakers, Los Angeles’ NBA GL affiliate. Spears confirms (via Twitter) that Hamilton is expected to be waived before the regular season and start his pro career in the G League.

Nuggets Sign Chasson Randle To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 10th, 2022 at 1:55pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nuggets have signed guard Chasson Randle to an Exhibit 10 deal, the team announced. Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports was the first to report the signing (via Twitter).

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.

Last October, Randle signed a training camp deal with the Suns and appeared in four preseason games, but was waived before the start of the regular season. He later signed with the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League in December, holding modest averages of 7.8 points and 1.4 rebounds on .371/.315/.793 shooting in 17 games (19.4 minutes).

Randle, who has also played in China and Spain, is ineligible to have his Exhibit 10 contract converted to a two-way deal because he holds four years of NBA experience, so the most likely outcome is he’ll be waived before the regular season opener and head to Denver’s G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold. In that scenario, he could earn a bonus of up to $50K if he sticks with the Gold for at least 60 days.

Thunder Sign Abdul Gaddy, Cut Jaden Shackelford

October 10th, 2022 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder continue to move players in and out of the final spot on their 20-man roster, announcing today that they’ve waived guard Jaden Shackelford and signed guard Abdul Gaddy to replace him.

Shackelford, who went undrafted out of Alabama in June, played for the Thunder’s Summer League team in July and then signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the club this past weekend. He’ll likely become an affiliate player for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League team.

Another member of the Thunder’s Summer League squad, Gaddy played for the OKC Blue from 2018-20, averaging 12.3 PPG and 8.6 APG in 38 games (33.0 MPG) as the team’s point guard in 2019/20. The 30-year-old, who has spent time with teams in Greece and Israel since then, appears likely to remain stateside and return to the Blue this season.

The Thunder continue to carry a full 20-man roster, with only one of those spots dedicated to an Exhibit 10 player. The team has 17 players on fully guaranteed standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals.

Spurs Waive Tommy Kuhse

October 10th, 2022 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have waived guard Tommy Kuhse, the team announced today in a press release.

Kuhse, 24, joined the Spurs on an Exhibit 10 deal in August after going undrafted out of Saint Mary’s and playing for Orlando in the Las Vegas Summer League. He averaged 12.2 PPG, 3.7 APG, and 3.7 RPG on .494/.450/.808 shooting in 34 games (30.0 MPG) as a “super-senior” in 2021/22.

Kuhse played in two preseason games with the Spurs this month, averaging 6.0 PPG and 1.5 APG in 9.0 MPG. He’ll likely become an affiliate player for the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s G League team.

The Spurs now have 19 players under contract. They’re still expected to complete a reported Exhibit 10 deal with rookie free agent Jalen Adaway at some point, though it’s unclear if they’ll do so right away using their newly-opened roster spot — they still have seven days to set their regular season roster, so they could make several moves between now and next Monday’s deadline.

Grizzlies Sign Matthew Hurt, Sean McDermott

October 10th, 2022 at 9:13am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have made some changes to the back end of their 20-man preseason roster, announcing today in a press release (via Twitter) that they’ve signed forward Matthew Hurt and swingman Sean McDermott. The team waived camp invitees Jacob Gilyard and Justin Bean to open up roster spots for the new additions.

The transactions are unlikely to have an impact on the Grizzlies’ projected regular season roster. Gilyard and Bean were in training camp on Exhibit 10 contracts and are safe bets to join the Memphis Hustle, the team’s G League affiliate. Hurt and McDermott will likely be waived before next Monday’s roster deadline and report to the Hustle as well.

Hurt, who signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Grizzlies a year ago after going undrafted out of Duke, spent his first professional season with the Hustle, but a knee injury prevented him from appearing in any NBAGL regular season games.

McDermott, who went undrafted out of Butler in 2020, has spent the last two seasons in the Grizzlies’ organization. He was on a two-way contract as a rookie, then was an affiliate player with the Hustle in 2021/22. He has appeared in a total of 18 regular season games in the NBA and 17 in the G League.

The Grizzlies once again have a full 20-man preseason roster. They have 16 players on standard contracts (15 fully guaranteed, plus Danny Green with a partial guarantee), Hurt and McDermott presumably on Exhibit 10 deals, and Vince Williams and Kenneth Lofton Jr. on two-way pacts.

Jazz Waive Saben Lee, Sign Darryl Morsell

October 9th, 2022 at 9:09pm CST by Luke Adams

9:09pm: The Jazz have officially waived Lee and have completed their Exhibit 10 deal with Marquette guard Darryl Morsell, the team announced in a press release.

Utah’s agreement with Morsell was reported shortly after he went undrafted in June.

4:40pm: The Jazz are waiving guard Saben Lee, according to Tony Jones and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The 38th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Lee spent his first two NBA seasons with the Pistons, first on a two-way contract and then on a standard deal. He appeared in 85 total games for the team, averaging 5.6 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .434/.265/.731.

Lee was part of the trade that sent Bojan Bogdanovic to Detroit, heading to Utah in the deal along with Kelly Olynyk. He was included for salary-matching purposes, with the Pistons sending the Jazz the exact amount of cash necessary to cover his guaranteed salary for 2022/23 ($1,752,638). That was a sign that he might not be in Utah’s plans for the season, and Jones later stated that Lee would likely need to have a “hell of a camp” to stick with the team.

The move is the first of several the Jazz will have to make to clear their roster logjam before the regular season begins later this month. Once Lee is officially waived, Utah will still have 17 players with fully guaranteed salaries, plus Cody Zeller, who is vying for a regular season roster spot on a non-guaranteed deal.

Cutting Lee will open up a spot on Utah’s 20-man roster for the team to officially sign Micah Potter to a two-way contract, Jones notes (via Twitter). Porter’s agreement with the Jazz was reported last month.