Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards Sign Craig Sword To Training Camp Deal, Waive Makur Maker

October 12th, 2022 at 5:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards have brought back shooting guard Craig Sword on a training camp contract, the team announced (via Twitter). Center Makur Maker was waived to make room on the roster.

Sword, 28, appeared in three games for Washington last season after signing a 10-day contract under the hardship exemption in late December. Sword spent most of the year with the team’s G League affiliate in Capital City.

Maker joined the Wizards in August on an Exhibit 10 contract, and the organization is planning for him to play this season in the G League. He will receive a bonus worth up to $50K if spends at least 60 days with Capital City.

The moves leave Washington with a full 20-man roster.

Thunder Sign Adam Mokoka, Cut Abdul Gaddy

October 12th, 2022 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have signed free agent guard Adam Mokoka, waiving guard Abdul Gaddy to make room on the roster, the team announced today.

Mokoka, 24, spent two seasons on a two-way contract with the Bulls from 2019-21. During that time, he appeared in 25 games at the NBA level, averaging 1.9 points in 6.7 minutes per game. The Frenchman returned to his native country last year to spend the season with Nanterre 92.

Mokoka and Gaddy will likely both end up playing for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate. Assuming both players signed Exhibit 10 contracts, they’ll be eligible for bonuses worth up to $60K if they spend at least 60 days with the Blue.

The Thunder still have a full preseason roster of 20 players after today’s moves.

Celtics Sign, Waive Reggie Kissoonlal

October 12th, 2022 at 4:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

4:49pm: The Celtics have already waived Kissoonlal, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

4:21pm: Reggie Kissoonlal has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Celtics, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. He is expected to be waived and will wind up with the team’s G League affiliate in Maine, Weiss adds.

The seven-footer has been playing overseas since going undrafted out of Northwestern State in 2019. He spent last season with Randers in Denmark.

The Exhibit 10 contract will provide Kissoonlal with a bonus of $50K if he spends at least 60 days with Maine.

Once the moves are complete, Boston will have one open spot on its 20-man roster for the preseason.

Celtics Waive Brodric Thomas

October 12th, 2022 at 4:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics have waived Brodric Thomas, according to the NBA.com transactions log.

The 25-year-old shooting guard spent last season with Boston as a two-way player and re-signed with the team in September shortly before the start of training camp. During 2021/22, he appeared in 12 games for the Celtics and 22 with the team’s G League affiliate in Maine.

Thomas has an Exhibit 10 contract, so he could theoretically earn a $50K bonus if he spends at least 60 days with Maine this season. However, the Celtics would have to acquire his returning rights from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

The move brings the Celtics’ roster to 18 players ahead of next week’s cutdown date.

Trail Blazers Waive Jared Rhoden, Isaiah Miller

October 12th, 2022 at 3:45pm CST by Luke Adams

3:45pm: The Blazers have officially cut Rhoden and Miller, the team confirmed in a press release.

3:35pm: The Trail Blazers intend to waive guards Jared Rhoden and Isaiah Miller, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. Rhoden and Miller had been in camp on Exhibit 10 contracts.

Rhoden, who went undrafted out of Seton Hall in June, played for Sacramento’s Summer League teams in July before signing a training camp contract with Portland. Miller went undrafted in 2021 out of UNC Greensboro and spent the season in the G League as an affiliate player with the Iowa Wolves, averaging 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 32 games.

Neither player will report to the Trail Blazers’ G League team, since Portland is one of two NBA teams that doesn’t have an NBAGL affiliate.

The cuts, once they’re official, will leave the Blazers with 15 players under contract — 14 of those players have guaranteed standard deals, while Olivier Sarr is on an Exhibit 10 contract.

Fentress notes that Sarr has had a strong preseason and seems to have a strong chance to make the regular season roster, though I’d be surprised if the tax-conscious Blazers keep him on the standard 15-man roster rather than converting him to a two-way deal. Both of Portland’s two-way slots are currently open.

Mavericks Waive Four Camp Invitees

October 12th, 2022 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have cut four players who were in training camp on Exhibit 10 contracts, the team announced today in a press release. Marcus Bingham, Mouhamadou Gueye, Tyler Hall, and D.J. Stewart Jr. have been placed on waivers, according to the Mavs.

Bingham and Gueye signed with Dallas this summer after going undrafted in June and are good candidates to end up with the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ G League affiliate. Hall and Stewart were veteran free agents, though Hall has only appeared in one NBA game and Stewart has yet to make his NBA debut.

The series of moves leaves the Mavs with just 16 players under contract, at least for the time being. Of those players, 14 have guaranteed contracts, one (Tyler Dorsey) is on a two-way deal, and just one (McKinley Wright IV) still has an Exhibit 10 contract.

The fact that Wright survived this round of cuts may signal that he’s the leading candidate to have his deal converted to a two-way contract before the regular season begins, though it’s possible more moves are coming in Dallas.

Micah Potter Signs Two-Way Contract With Jazz

October 12th, 2022 at 12:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

OCTOBER 12: Potter has officially signed his two-way contract with the Jazz, who waived Jeenathan Williams to open up a spot on the 20-man preseason roster, the team announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 20: The Jazz will sign center Micah Potter to a two-way deal, Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic report (via Twitter).

Utah had a two-way slot open and won’t need to make a corresponding roster move. Johnny Juzang holds the other two-way contract.

The Pistons waived Potter last week just days after officially signing him. He seemed likely to begin the season with the Motor City Cruise, the Pistons’ NBAGL team, since the Motor City Cruise previously acquired his returning rights from the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s affiliate.

However, Potter obviously found a better opportunity.

Potter, 24, initially signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Miami last fall after going undrafted out of Wisconsin. He was released before the regular season began and spent most of his rookie year with the Skyforce, averaging 17.2 PPG and 9.8 RPG on .539/.445/.731 shooting in 33 NBAGL games (28.8 MPG).

Potter’s strong performance at the G League level earned him a brief look at the NBA level. The Pistons signed him to a 10-day contract in December. He appeared in three regular season contests, scoring 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds in 31 total minutes.

Rockets Sign Pierria Henry, Waive Trhae Mitchell

October 12th, 2022 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have made a pair of minor roster moves, waiving swingman Trhae Mitchell and signing free agent guard Pierria Henry, the team announced today.

Mitchell, who played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers – Houston’s G League team – last season, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Rockets this week and is expected to head back to the Vipers this fall.

It appears a stint with the Vipers may also be in the cards for Henry, a longtime standout in Europe, where he won a Turkish League championship with Fenerbahçe in 2022 and a Spanish League title in 2020 with Baskonia. The 29-year-old is a strong three-and-D player who was a member of the Wizards’ Summer League team in July.

Henry played his college ball at Charlotte from 2011-15 and has exclusively played in Europe since then. Unless the Rockets have bigger plans for him, he may view a stint in the G League as his best shot to make it to the NBA.

Houston still has a full 20-man roster following today’s roster moves.

Pacers Exercise 2023/24 Options On Four Players

October 12th, 2022 at 12:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have picked up their team options for the 2023/24 season on four players, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Those four options are as follows:

Tyrese Haliburton (fourth year, $5,808,435)
Aaron Nesmith (fourth year, $5,634,257)
Chris Duarte (third year, $4,124,400)
Isaiah Jackson (third year, $2,696,280)

Haliburton, Nesmith, Duarte, and Jackson were all already under contract for 2022/23. As a result of today’s moves, all four players now have guaranteed salaries for the ’23/24 season too. Haliburton and Nesmith will be eligible for rookies scale extensions during the 2023 offeason, while Duarte and Jackson have fourth-year options for ’24/25.

Haliburton is considered a cornerstone piece of the Pacers’ rebuild, having been acquired earlier this year in the blockbuster trade that sent Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento. The promising young point guard averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 assists per game in 26 appearances (36.1 MPG) for his new team down the stretch last season.

Nesmith also changed teams via trade earlier this year, arriving from Boston in this summer’s Malcolm Brogdon trade. It’s unclear whether he’ll be a key part of the Pacers’ future, but he should get a chance this season to play a rotation role and make his case to stick around long-term.

Duarte and Jackson had promising rookie seasons for the Pacers in 2021/22, though they only appeared in 55 and 36 games, respectively. Assuming they stay healthy, both should have regular roles going forward.

Nets Sign, Waive Noah Kirkwood

October 12th, 2022 at 12:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

OCTOBER 12: The Nets have waived Kirkwood, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

OCTOBER 8: The Nets signed rookie swingman Noah Kirkwood, Alex Schiffer of The Athletic tweets.

While terms weren’t disclosed, Kirkwood’s contract is almost assuredly an Exhibit 10 deal and he’ll wind up with the Long Island Nets after getting waived. He’ll be eligible for a $50K bonus if he stays 60 days with the G League club.

The 22-year-old out of Harvard appeared in four summer league games with Brooklyn. He went undrafted this year after giving up his last year of eligibility.

He averaged 17.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 32.8 minutes per game during his final season with Harvard in 26 starts.