Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavaliers Waive Chandler Vaudrin

September 20th, 2022 at 7:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers have waived forward Chandler Vaudrin, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets.

Vaudrin was signed by Cleveland to a camp deal earlier this month.

The Big South Player of the Year in 2021, Vaudrin had been on track to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cavaliers a year ago after going undrafted out of Winthrop. However, the 25-year-old point guard tore his ACL while playing for Cleveland’s Summer League team and missed his entire rookie entire season.

Vaudrin will likely wind up with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavs’ G League team. He can become an affiliate player, since his G League rights weren’t previously held by another team. He could earn a bonus of up to $50K under the terms of the Exhibit 10 contract if he’s with the Charge for at least 60 days.

Heat Add Guard Dru Smith

September 20th, 2022 at 6:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat have signed guard Dru Smith, according to a team press release. Terms weren’t disclosed but it’s almost assuredly a training camp deal.

Smith is a familiar face. He appeared in three Summer League games with the Heat and averaged 12.0 points, 3.0 steals and 1.7 assists. He appeared in 10 games (five starts) with Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, last season and averaged 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.20 steals and 27.5 minutes.

Smith went undrafted out of Missouri.

Miami’s roster now includes 20 players, the maximum amount heading into training camp.

Celtics Waive Bruno Caboclo

September 20th, 2022 at 4:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics have waived forward Bruno Caboclo, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Boston signed Caboclo to a training camp deal late last month with the expectation he’d compete for a roster spot, so the timing is somewhat surprising. It’s possible the Celtics found a more desirable option, or that Caboclo had a better offer overseas.

His contract included Exhibit 10 language, so it’s also possible he could resurface with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s G League team.

The 20th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Caboclo appeared in a total of 105 NBA regular season games across seven seasons with the Raptors, Kings, Grizzlies, and Rockets. He averaged 4.2 PPG and 2.6 RPG on .403/.308/.836 shooting in 12.3 MPG.

Caboclo, who turns 27 on Wednesday, finished the 2020/21 season in France, then returned to his home country for the ’21/22 campaign, signing with Sao Paolo FC. Caboclo led the club to a BCL Americas title and earned MVP honors in the Novo Basquete Brasil, which is Brazil’s top basketball league.

Cavaliers Sign Mamadi Diakite To Camp Deal

September 20th, 2022 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have signed free agent forward Mamadi Diakite to a contract, per the team’s official website. It’s a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal, Hoops Rumors has learned.

One of several free agents to work out for the Cavaliers earlier this month, Diakite has appeared in a total of 27 regular season games for the Bucks and Thunder since going undrafted out of Virginia in 2020. He spent most of his rookie season on a two-way deal with Milwaukee before being promoted to the standard roster down the stretch. In 2021/22, he signed three separate 10-day contracts with Oklahoma City.

Diakite has averaged 3.7 PPG and 3.4 RPG in his 27 NBA contests (12.2 MPG). He also put up 18.5 PPG and 10.4 RPG in 12 G League appearances (27.7 MPG) for the Lakeland Magic during the truncated 2020/21 season, earning a place on both the All-NBAGL First Team and the league’s All-Defensive Team.

There could be a path for Diakite to earn a regular season roster spot in Cleveland. The Cavs only have 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, plus Lamar Stevens and Dean Wade on non-guaranteed deals.

The terms of Diakite’s agreement mean he can’t have his contract converted into a two-way deal, since it doesn’t include an Exhibit 10 clause. That absence of Exhibit 10 language also suggests the Cavs don’t anticipate him playing for their G League affiliate – the Cleveland Charge – if he doesn’t make the NBA squad.

The Cavs now have a full 20-man offseason roster. The team has also reportedly agreed to sign guard Sharife Cooper, but will need to trade or waive a player to make room for him.

Bucks Waive Iverson Molinar

September 20th, 2022 at 7:25am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have waived combo guard Iverson Molinar, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log.

Molinar, who went undrafted out of Mississippi State, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Bucks after averaging 17.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.2 SPG on .454/.252/.868 shooting in 34 games (34.1 MPG) as a junior in 2021/22. He also played for Milwaukee’s Las Vegas Summer League squad in July.

A member of last season’s All-SEC First Team, Molinar appears likely to spend his first professional season with the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ G League affiliate. His Exhibit 10 contract will put him in line for a bonus worth $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Herd as an affiliate player.

Molinar will likely team up in Wisconsin with Alex Antetokounmpo and Rob Edwards, who have also been signed and waived by the Bucks within the last week.

Following Molinar’s release, Milwaukee now has 19 players officially under contract. Restricted free agent Jordan Nwora still doesn’t have a new deal in place with training camps right around the corner.

Devoe, Williamson Join Clippers On Exhibit 10 Contracts

September 19th, 2022 at 5:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Michael Devoe and Lucas Williamson have officially signed Exhibit 10 contracts with the Clippers, Hoops Rumors has learned.

Reports that Devoe and Williamson would sign with the Clippers surfaced right after the June draft and now they’ve officially been added. Both players are undrafted rookies.

They were on the Clippers’ Summer League team, with Devoe appearing in four games and Williamson seeing action in two games.

Devoe, a 6’5″ guard out of Georgia Tech, was a third-team All-ACC selection last season after averaging 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists while draining 42.7% of his 3-point tries.

Williamson, a 6’4” guard out of Loyola, was named Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year the past two seasons and was MVP of last season’s conference tournament. He averaged 13.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists while making 39% of his 3-point attempts last season.

The Clippers have an open two-way slot, so it’s possible they could compete for that contract.

Under Exhibit 10 terms, both players are eligible a player for a bonus of up to $50K if they’re waived and then spend at least 60 days with the Ontario Clippers, L.A.’s G League affiliate.

Nate Hinton Signs Exhibit 10 Contract With Cavs

September 19th, 2022 at 4:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Mavericks and Pacers guard Nate Hinton has agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavaliers and will attend training camp, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets.

Hinton is expected to compete for a spot on the 15-man opening night roster. While the Cavaliers have 16 other players on standard contracts, only 12 have fully guaranteed salaries. The team also has both two-way slots filled.

The Cavaliers’ G League squad, the Cleveland Charge, recently acquired Hinton’s rights in a trade with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in exchange for Norvel Pelle and a second-round pick in the NBAGL draft. Hinton will receive a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days the Charge, provided he doesn’t make the 15-man Cavs roster and signs a G League contract.

Hinton played 21 games with Dallas in his rookie season after going undrafted in 2020. He spent most of last season with Fort Wayne and averaged 18.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.2 steals for the Mad Ants in his second G League season. He also signed a pair of 10-day deals with the Pacers and appeared in two games, later inking a two-way contract to finish the season.

Bucks Sign Ibou Badji To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 19th, 2022 at 2:52pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bucks have signed undrafted rookie Ibou Badji to an Exhibit 10 contract, league sources tell our JD Shaw (Twitter link).

Badji, who turns 20 next month, spent the 2021/22 season with Forca Lleida CE of the LEB Oro, Spain’s second league. In 37 games (19.9 MPG) last season, the Senegalese center averaged 8.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG and 1.2 BPG, according to his NBA.com draft profile.

The Bucks have also signed undrafted rookie Iverson Molinar to an Exhibit 10 deal, Hoops Rumors has learned. The news of his signing was first reported back in June, but wasn’t official until now.

In 34 games (34.1 MPG) as a junior for Mississippi State last season, the Panamanian guard averaged 17.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.2 SPG on .454/.252/.868 shooting. For his efforts, he earned a berth on the All-SEC First Team.

Hoops Rumors can also confirm that Alex Antetokounmpo, who was recently waived by the Bucks, received an Exhibit 10 deal.

Exhibit 10 deals, which are non-guaranteed, would make Badji and Molinar eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if they’re waived before the season starts and spend at least 60 days with the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate.

Bucks Sign, Waive Alex Antetokounmpo

September 19th, 2022 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks waived forward Alex Antetokounmpo on Saturday shortly after signing him to a contract, according to the official transaction log at NBA.com.

Antetokounmpo, the brother of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, went undrafted in 2021 and spent last season coming off the bench and playing limited minutes for the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate. He previously played for UCAM Murcia in Spain during the 2020/21 season.

Only Antetokounmpo’s release – not his signing – shows up on NBA.com’s transaction log, which strongly suggests he received an Exhibit 10 contract, since Exhibit 10 signings aren’t listed on NBA.com’s log. An Exhibit 10 deal would make him eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ G League affiliate.

Because Antetokounmpo played for the Raptors 905 last season, they would typically hold his returning rights, but they traded those rights to the Herd in July, paving the way for the 21-year-old to play in Wisconsin in 2022/23.

Antetokounmpo is the second player to be signed and quickly waived by the Bucks in the last week, as they begin lining up players for the Herd’s roster. Rob Edwards was the other one.

Nets Sign, Waive Marcus Zegarowski

September 19th, 2022 at 7:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets signed former second-round pick Marcus Zegarowski to a contract on Friday and waived him on Saturday, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log.

The No. 49 overall pick of the 2021 draft, Zegarowski signed a G League deal last offseason and spent his first professional season playing for the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s G League affiliate. The 6’1″ guard, a former Creighton standout, averaged 11.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 2.4 APG with an underwhelming .351/.331/.650 shooting line in 21 total NBAGL appearances between the regular season and the Showcase Cup.

Brooklyn still held Zegarowski’s NBA rights entering the 2022/23 league year, but the decision to sign and waive him is an indication that he’s no longer in the team’s plans. If and when he clears waivers on Monday, he’ll be free to sign with any other NBA club.

The terms of the contract Zegarowski signed aren’t known, but it wasn’t an Exhibit 10 deal, since they don’t show up in NBA.com’s log. It was presumably a non-guaranteed contract, with the lack of an Exhibit 10 clause signaling that the Nets probably don’t plan on having him back in Long Island in 2022/23.

As NetsDaily tweets, the sign-and-waive maneuver was likely a procedural move freeing up the 24-year-old to seek an opportunity elsewhere.