Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Thunder Sign, Waive Javonte Cooke

October 12th, 2024 at 9:32am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 12: Cooke has been released, according to the Thunder, putting him in line to receive his Exhibit 10 bonus as long as he spends at least 60 days with the Blue.

OCTOBER 11: A few weeks after the deal was agreed to, the Thunder announced that they’ve signed Cooke.

SEPTEMBER 24: The Thunder have agreed to sign free agent guard Javonte Cooke to an Exhibit 10 contract, agent Jerry Dianis tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Cooke, who finished his college career at Winston-Salem State in 2022, has spent the past two seasons playing in the G League for the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s affiliate. In 48 Showcase Cup and regular season games for Iowa in 2023/24, he averaged 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 33.1 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .441/.363/.759.

Cooke also played in the Canadian Elite Basketball League this spring for the Brampton Honey Badgers before joining the Timberwolves’ Las Vegas Summer League team for a second consecutive July.

Iowa traded Cooke’s G League returning rights to the Oklahoma City Blue earlier this month. Assuming he returns to the NBAGL this fall and spends at least 60 days with the Blue, the 6’6″ guard will earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $77.5K on top of his standard G League salary.

Magic Sign Robert Baker, Waive Javonte Smart

October 12th, 2024 at 9:30am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 12: Baker’s Exhibit 10 deal with Orlando is now official, the Magic announced. To make room for Baker, the team waived Javonte Smart.

SEPTEMBER 20: The Magic have agreed to sign forward Robert Baker to an Exhibit 10 contract, agent Darrell Comer tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Baker, who played college ball at Harvard from 2017-20, has spent the last few seasons in the G League, playing for the Kings’, Lakers’, and Hawks’ affiliates. Last season, he appeared in 29 games for the College Park Skyhawks – Atlanta’s NBAGL team – and averaged 14.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 28.2 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .448/.340/.780.

The 6’10” forward had his G League returning rights traded earlier this month from the Skyhawks to the Osceola Magic, Orlando’s affiliate. Given that context, it looks like the plan is for him to be signed and waived by Orlando and then head back this fall to the G League, where he’ll earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with Osceola.

The Magic currently have a full 21-man offseason roster, so someone will need to be waived in order for Baker to officially sign his contract. Five of those 21 players are on Exhibit 10 deals, so the cut will almost certainly come from that group.

Pelicans Sign Elfrid Payton, Josh Oduro

October 11th, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 11: The Pelicans announced they signed both Payton and Josh Oduro on Friday morning. Nearly a month after the original report, the deal with Payton becomes official a day after both Matt Ryan and Adonis Arms were waived.

As we originally wrote, the Pelicans have a spot on their 15-man roster open. With Ryan out of the picture, Payton could theoretically make a push for that slot. However, it seems more likely that this signing is a precursor to Payton joining the team’s G League affiliate in Birmingham.

The Oduro signing hadn’t previously been reported. He played four collegiate seasons at George Mason before transferring to Providence for his final year. He averaged 12.9 points and 6.6 rebounds across 148 college games (128 starts). Oduro went undrafted in 2024 but suited up for New Orleans in summer league, making two appearances.

While the terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, several reports indicated both are signing non-guaranteed training camp contracts that presumably include Exhibit 9 language and likely Exhibit 10 as well. If the latter is true for both, they’ll each be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days in Birmingham.

SEPTEMBER 19: The Pelicans have agreed to sign free agent point guard Elfrid Payton to a non-guaranteed training camp contract, reports Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link).

Payton, the 10th overall pick in the 2014 draft, has 500 regular season appearances under his belt across eight NBA seasons with the Magic, Suns, Pelicans, and Knicks. However, he hasn’t been in the league since suiting up for Phoenix during the 2021/22 season. The 30-year-old played in Puerto Rico in 2023 and then spent last season with the Indiana Mad Ants, the Pacers’ G League affiliate.

A Louisiana native who played college ball for the Ragin’ Cajuns in Lafayette, Payton has never been a great shooter, with career averages of 44.7% from the floor and 28.7% from beyond the arc. However, he’s a talented ball-handler and play-maker who averaged 10.1 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.0 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game over the course of his NBA career.

Payton had been working out at the Pelicans’ practice facility in Metairie this offseason, notes Christian Clark of NOLA.com (Twitter link).

While the Pelicans are only carrying 14 players on standard contracts, they seem likely to leave their 15th roster spot unfilled to start the season due to luxury tax concerns, so Payton is probably a long shot to make the club. If New Orleans is open to carrying a 15th man, he’d presumably vie with Matt Ryan and other camp invitees for that spot. Otherwise, Payton may end up back in the G League this fall.

Once Payton’s deal is official, the Pelicans will have a total of 19 players under contract, including two-ways, leaving a pair of openings on their 21-man preseason roster.

Thunder Sign, Waive Miller Kopp

October 11th, 2024 at 9:21am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 11: Oklahoma City has now waived Kopp, per team PR.

OCTOBER 8: The Thunder have signed free agent forward Miller Kopp, the team announced today.

Oklahoma City had an open spot on its 21-man preseason roster, so no corresponding move was necessarily to complete the signing. The club now has a full 21-man squad, with 14 players on standard contracts (13 guaranteed), four on Exhibit 10 deals, and three on two-ways.

That count assumes Kopp signed an Exhibit 10 contract, which is highly likely. He’ll almost certainly be waived before the NBA regular season begins, and his Exhibit 10 deal will ensure that he receives a bonus worth up to $77.5K as long as he spends at least 60 days with the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate.

Kopp, 25, spent his rookie season with the Blue after going undrafted out of Indiana in 2023. The 6’7″ forward appeared in a total of 41 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the NBAGL club, averaging 8.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per game and posting a shooting line of .414/.349/.865.

While Kopp didn’t see much action in the playoffs, averaging just 9.3 minutes in four outings, he got some championship experience, as the Blue won the 2024 G League title.

Knicks Sign, Waive Moses Brown

October 10th, 2024 at 6:45pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 10: Brown has been waived by the Knicks, according to a release from the team (Twitter link).

OCTOBER 9: The Knicks have signed free agent center Moses Brown to an Exhibit 10 contract, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Brown, who will celebrate his 25th birthday on Sunday, hasn’t stuck with an NBA team for more than a single season since making his debut in 2019, but he has racked up 150 regular season appearances in stints with the Trail Blazers, Thunder, Mavericks, Cavaliers, Clippers, Nets, and Trail Blazers. He holds career averages of 5.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game.

Brown spent the 2023/24 campaign under contract with the Blazers, appearing in 22 games for the team and posting averages of 3.4 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 9.1 MPG. He also put up 15.8 PPG and 10.5 RPG in six appearances (24.4 MPG) for the Rip City Remix, Portland’s G League affiliate.

Brown is ineligible for a two-way contract, so the Knicks likely intend to waive him before the season begins and then have him join the Westchester Knicks in the NBAGL. If he were to spend at least 60 days with Westchester, he’d be able to earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $77.5K on top of his standard G League salary.

New York had a full 21-man roster before signing Brown, so the team needed to make a corresponding move to open up a spot for him. The Knicks announced (via Twitter) that they’ve waived Boo Buie, who recently signed an Exhibit 10 contract of his own and is likely ticketed for Westchester.

Heat Sign Warren Washington, Waive Caleb Daniels

October 10th, 2024 at 6:36pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Heat have made a change to their training camp roster, adding center Warren Washington and waiving guard Caleb Daniels, according to a team release (Twitter link).

Washington went undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2024 after a five-year collegiate career that also included stops at Oregon State, Nevada and Arizona State. In 134 collegiate games, he averaged 8.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks.

After not being selected in the 2024 draft, Washington suited up for the Heat’s Summer League team. He made a total of six appearances, totaling 14 points and 13 rebounds in limited time. Presumably, Miami will waive him ahead of the beginning of the regular season. While the terms of the agreement weren’t revealed, it’s almost a certainty that he agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal. If that’s the case, he’s eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Sioux Falls Skyforce (Miami’s G League affiliate).

Daniels was occupying a spot on the 21-man roster on an Exhibit 10 deal. He’s likely to head back to Sioux Falls for a second straight season. He averaged 12.3 points while shooting 36.8% from deep for the Skyforce last season across 47 games. He helped the Skyforce to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference G League playoffs last season and then was a member of the Heat squad that won the Summer League championship in Las Vegas. He averaged 6.0 points in seven summer league games this year.

Daniels appeared in one preseason game, recording eight points behind a pair of threes and nine rebounds. Miami has 21 players under contract, with Washington joining Isaiah Stevens and Zyon Pullin on Exhibit 10 deals.

Wizards Waive Jaylen Nowell, Sign Erik Stevenson

October 10th, 2024 at 5:23pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Wizards are cycling through Exhibit 10 players, cutting Jaylen Nowell from the training camp roster to make room for Erik Stevenson, according to Spotrac’s Keith Smith (Twitter link).

Washington originally agreed to terms with Nowell in August alongside Kira Lewis and Leaky Black before officially adding them to their roster in September. All three were set up to compete for a spot on Washington’s roster, but with the Wizards already facing a roster crunch with 16 players on standard deals, it was an uphill battle for Nowell (or Lewis) to make it on a standard contract. Of those three signees, Black is the only one eligible for a two-way contract since he has just one year of NBA service. The Wizards have one two-way slot open.

Nowell now has the option to play for the team’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go. If he spends at least 60 days with the club, he’ll earn a bonus worth $77.5K. Nowell is a five-year NBA veteran, appearing in 197 games (four starts) and averaging 8.9 points across appearances with the Timberwolves, Grizzlies and Pistons.

The 6’4″ Stevenson went undrafted in 2023 out of West Virginia. He was cycled onto the Spurs’ roster on an Exhibit 10 contract last offseason, appearing in 48 games with both the Austin Spurs and then Texas Legends in the G League. He averaged 10.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in his G League appearances last year.

Theoretically, Stevenson will be in competition for Washington’s open two-way slot. It seems more likely, given the timing of the signing, that he’ll end up being waived and spending the 2024/25 season in the G League to develop.

Mavericks Ink A.J. Lawson To Two-Way Contract

October 10th, 2024 at 4:56pm CST by Tristan Tucker

4:56 pm: Lawson’s new two-way deal with the Mavericks is now official, according to the NBA’s transaction log.

3:31 pm: The Mavericks are bringing back wing A.J. Lawson to a two-way contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

Dallas originally waived Lawson on Tuesday from a standard contract. He was signed to a two-year, two-way contract in 2022 by the Mavericks and was converted to a standard deal in March of this year. With the team facing a roster crunch after bringing back Markieff Morris, Lawson’s non-guaranteed contract was waived. Because he only has two years of NBA service, he was eligible to sign back to a two-way deal.

Lawson averaged 18.4 points in Summer League for Dallas and appeared in 42 games with the team last year. Having also spent time with the Timberwolves, he holds a career average of 3.4 PPG across 57 total outings. He averaged 20.7 PPG and 7.0 RPG last year in the G League.

The Mavericks have a two-way slot open, with only Brandon Williams and Kessler Edwards claiming those spots for now. That means no other move will be required to bring Lawson back in.

Pelicans Waive Matt Ryan, Adonis Arms

October 10th, 2024 at 4:54pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Pelicans have waived both guards Matt Ryan and Adonis Arms, according to the NBA’s official transaction log (hat tip to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype).

Both players were on non-guaranteed training camp contracts, so the Pelicans won’t carry any dead money as a result of waiving them.

The decision to waive Ryan is a notable one. The three-point marksman was an instrumental reserve for New Orleans at times last season, averaging 5.4 points per game while shooting 45.1% from deep. He was originally on a two-way contract with the Timberwolves ahead of the 2023/24 season, but was waived last October and was claimed by the Pelicans.

Ryan parlayed his strong play into a standard contract in April. However, he was waived from that standard deal in August after the team signed Javonte Green. The Pelicans, who are operating slightly above the luxury tax line, brought Ryan back on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract but presumably want to start the season with just 14 players on standard deals in order to avoid going deeper into the tax.

Keith Langlois of Pistons.com speculates Detroit could be a landing spot for Ryan if he winds back up on an NBA roster this season (Twitter link). New Pistons head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon was the general manager in New Orleans when the team claimed Ryan last fall. The Pistons are also first in waiver order if they choose to put in a claim for him and they have an open spot on their 15-man roster while being comfortably below the salary cap.

Because Ryan was signed to an Exhibit 9 deal that didn’t include Exhibit 10 language, he’s not eligible for a bonus if he were to join the Pelicans’ G League affiliate Birmingham Squadron. Ryan holds career averages of 4.4 points on 41.1% shooting from three in 63 career appearances with the Pels, Wolves, Lakers and Celtics.

As for Arms, the Pelicans signed him to an Exhibit 10 deal at the beginning of the month. The plan is presumably for him to suit up for the Squadron, where he will be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days in Birmingham.

Arms went undrafted last season after attending Texas Tech. He played for the Memphis Hustle last season, averaging 16.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists. He was impressive in Summer League this season, averaging 20.7 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Kings.

Nuggets Pick Up 2025/26 Options On Braun, Strawther, Watson

October 10th, 2024 at 11:04am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets have picked up the 2025/26 rookie scale team options for Christian Braun, Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson, the team announced (via Twitter).

The front office’s decisions on their contracts come as no surprise, since the trio will all play prominent roles in Denver this season. Braun and Strawther are battling for the starting job vacated by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, while Watson is one of the team’s top reserves.

Braun’s fourth-year option is worth $4,921,797, while Strawther’s third-year option is worth $2,674,148. The fourth-year option on Watson’s contract is pegged at $4,356,476.

Those were the only option decisions Denver needed to make before the Oct. 31 deadline.

Braun and Watson will be eligible for rookie scale extensions next offseason. The Nuggets will have until the end of October 2025 to make a decision on Strawther’s fourth-year option for 2026/27.