Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kostas Antetokounmpo Joins Bulls On Training Camp Deal

September 26th, 2022 at 10:48am CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 26: The Bulls have officially announced their 20-man camp roster and Antetokounmpo is on it, signaling that his deal with the team is now official.

SEPTEMBER 18: The Bulls will sign Kostas Antetokounmpo to a training camp contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Antetokounmpo will be given a chance to compete for a two-way roster spot, sources tell Charania. Those slots are currently filled by Justin Lewis, who recently suffered a torn ACL, and Malcolm Hill.

Antetokounmpo, 24, hopes to return to the NBA after spending last season with the French team ASVEL in the EuroLeague. After being selected with the final pick in the 2018 draft, he earned two-way contracts with the Mavericks and Lakers and won a championship ring in 2020. Antetokounmpo appeared in 22 total games over three seasons, averaging 1.0 points and 1.0 rebounds in four minutes per night.

Chicago has an open spot remaining on its 20-man offseason roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to add Antetokounmpo.

CJ McCollum Signs Two-Year Extension With Pelicans

September 26th, 2022 at 10:32am CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 26: McCollum’s extension is now official, according to Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin, who praised the veteran guard for “taking less money in his extension to keep this group together” (Twitter links via Andrew Lopez of ESPN and Christian Clark of NOLA.com).

SEPTEMBER 24: The Pelicans and CJ McCollum have reached an agreement on a two-year extension valued at $64MM, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. This deal, which was confirmed by McCollum’s agent, Sam Goldfeder of Excel Basketball, will run through the end of the 2025/26 season.

McCollum made an immediate impact in New Orleans after being acquired from the Trail Blazers in February. He averaged 24.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game as the Pelicans stormed back from a slow start and earned a spot in the play-in tournament. He was equally effective in the playoffs as New Orleans took the top-seeded Suns to six games in their first-round matchup.

The 31-year-old shooting guard is part of what looks to be a strong foundation that could keep the Pelicans in playoff contention for the next few years. Brandon Ingram provides another consistent scoring threat, and the return of Zion Williamson could round out one of the league’s most dangerous offenses.

All three players are now under contract for the next three seasons, notes Christian Clark of NOLA.com (Twitter link).

The extension was a priority for Pelicans senior vice president of basketball operations David Griffin and general manager Trajan Langdon, Wojnarowski adds. They were impressed by the way McCollum was able to transform the team with his production and leadership after the trade.

McCollum was a fixture in Portland after being selected with the 10th pick in the 2013 draft. He spent eight and a half seasons with the Blazers and ranks fifth on the team’s career scoring list.

McCollum will earn $33.3MM this season and $35.8MM in 2023/24 before the new extension takes effect.

Bucks Re-Sign Jordan Nwora To Two-Year Deal

September 26th, 2022 at 10:29am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

SEPTEMBER 26: Nwora has officially re-signed with the Bucks, the team announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 25: The Bucks are bringing back restricted free agent small forward Jordan Nwora on a two-year, $6.2MM contract, agents Mark Bartelstein and George Roussakis tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Nwora, 24, averaged 7.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 1.0 APG, over 19.1 MPG, across 62 contests for the Bucks in 2021/22, including 13 starts. He posted shooting splits of .403/.348/.837 last year.

Nwora was selected with the No. 45 pick in 2020 out of Louisville. Though he played a relatively limited role with the club as a rookie, Nwora was a part of the team’s 2020/21 championship-winning roster.

During Bucks Media Day remarks to the press earlier today, team president Jon Horst alluded to the fact that Nwora was slated to join the team for the start of training camp Monday, tweets Jim Owzcarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The 6’8″ swingman will be the 15th player to receive a guaranteed 2022/23 salary from the Bucks, so the team’s regular season roster looks pretty much set.

There had been some uncertainty about whether Milwaukee would be willing to carry a 15th man into the regular season, since doing so will push the team’s salary further over the tax line. Unless a trade is coming before opening night, it appears the club is comfortable taking on that extra cost.

Pistons Finalize Camp Roster, Announce Injury Updates

September 26th, 2022 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons officially announced their training camp roster on Monday, and it includes two new names. According to the team, guards Jules Bernard and Stanley Umude have signed Exhibit 10 contracts, filling out the 20-man roster.

Bernard, a 6’7″ swingman, went undrafted out of UCLA earlier this year. As a senior in 2021/22, he averaged 12.8 PPG and 4.7 RPG with a shooting line of .419/.337/.818 in 35 games (30.1 MPG). He subsequently played for the Pistons’ Summer League team in Las Vegas.

Umude, whose agreement with the Pistons was previously reported, spent his first four college seasons at South Dakota from 2017-21, averaging 21.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 3.0 APG as a senior in 2020/21. He transferred to Arkansas for his “super-senior” season last year and played more of a complementary role for the Razorbacks, putting up 11.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.1 APG on .460/.371/.724 shooting in 37 games (27.8 MPG).

Like Bernard, Umude went undrafted and then played for the Pistons’ Summer League team in July. Both players will likely end up playing for the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s G League affiliate.

Here are a few more updates from the Pistons today:

While Kemba Walker is listed on Detroit’s training camp roster, he’s marked as “not with team,” which had been expected. Bojan Bogdanovic is the lone Piston missing from the team’s camp roster — while NBA.com’s transaction log indicates the trade sending him to Detroit was completed last Thursday, he may still need to conduct a physical with his new team before it’s officially official.
In a separate press release, the Pistons announced that guard Alec Burks will miss the start of training camp as he continues his rehab following a navicular fracture. Burks will be reevaluated in three weeks, according to the team.
Kevin Knox (right gastroc strain) and Nerlens Noel (reconditioning / plantar fasciitis) will be limited participants to open training camp, the Pistons announced.

Hornets Sign LiAngelo Ball To Non-Guaranteed Deal

September 26th, 2022 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have signed free agent guard LiAngelo Ball to a one-year contract, according to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). Ball’s deal will be non-guaranteed, adds Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The older brother of Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball, LiAngelo signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the team before the 2021/22 season and spent the year with the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s G League affiliate. In 28 games for the Swarm, he averaged 4.6 PPG and 1.1 RPG on .395/.357/.667 shooting in 13.2 minutes per contest.

LiAngelo Ball has also played for the Hornets’ Summer League team in each of the last two offseasons, appearing in three games for the club this July in Las Vegas.

The Hornets only have 13 players on fully guaranteed salaries, so there’s theoretically a path to a spot on the 15-man regular season roster for Ball. However, given his modest production at the G League level, it’s hard to envision him earning one of those back-end roster spots.

If Ball’s new deal includes an Exhibit 10 clause, he’d be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived by Charlotte and then spends at least 60 days in Greensboro with the Swarm as a returning rights player.

Nuggets Waive Justin Tillman

September 26th, 2022 at 7:41am CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Nuggets have waived forward Justin Tillman, per NBA.com’s official transaction log.

The move had been anticipated after Denver recently announced a training camp roster that didn’t include Tillman. As we relayed on Friday, the 26-year-old is expected to play for the Grand Rapids Gold – the Nuggets’ G League affiliate – this season after signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the club earlier this offseason.

A former VCU standout, Tillman has yet to make his NBA regular season debut, but has seen action in a number of leagues around the world since going undrafted in 2018. He has spent time in Korea, Israel, Italy, Turkey, and Puerto Rico, as well as in the G League.

Tillman was a member of the All-NBAGL First Team in 2021/22, averaging an impressive 23.5 PPG and 11.8 RPG in 28 games (35.3 MPG) for the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s affiliate. Grand Rapids acquired Tillman’s returning NBAGL rights from College Park in an August trade.

The Nuggets now have 19 players officially under contract.

Pistons Sign, Waive Kyler Edwards

September 26th, 2022 at 6:50am CST by Rory Maher

SEPTEMBER 26: As expected, the Pistons have waived Edwards, according to NBA.com’s official transaction log.

SEPTEMBER 19: Undrafted rookie guard Kyler Edwards has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Pistons, his agents Aman Dhesi and Maurice Johnson tell our JD Shaw (Twitter link).

Edwards, 23, reportedly agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Spurs the day after the draft, but that deal was never officially completed. He also spent Summer League with San Antonio, though he didn’t get much playing time — he averaged 8.6 MPG in four games, per RealGM.

Edwards spent his first three college years at Texas Tech before transferring to Houston for the 2021/22 season. He averaged 13.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 3.2 APG and 1.0 SPG in 37 appearances (34.1 MPG) as a senior for the Cougars. Edwards opted to forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility and go pro this year.

Edwards’ Exhibit 10 contract, which is non-guaranteed, would make him eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived before the start of the season and spends at least 60 days with the the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s G League affiliate.

Jazz Sign Cody Zeller To Camp Deal

September 25th, 2022 at 9:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 25: Utah has officially signed Zeller, the team announced in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 20: The Jazz will sign Cody Zeller to a training camp deal, according to Tony Jones and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Zeller, 29, began his NBA career in 2013 with Charlotte and remained with the Hornets through the 2020/21 season. He signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Trail Blazers last season and appeared in 27 games off the bench before suffering right patellar avulsion fracture.

He was waived just before the trade deadline as Portland cleared roster space in the CJ McCollum trade with New Orleans.

Zeller has averaged 8.5 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 22.2 MPG through 494 NBA games.

With 17 guaranteed contracts already on the books, plus one two-way contract and three reported Exhibit 10 deals, the Jazz will need to make more roster moves prior to the opening of camp.

A best-case scenario will be for Zeller to earn a roster spot as a backup big man on the rebuilding club.

Knicks Sign Jalen Harris

September 25th, 2022 at 8:46pm CST by JD Shaw

The Knicks have signed free agent guard Jalen Harris, the team’s public relations department announced (via Twitter). The details of the agreement weren’t released, but it’s likely an Exhibit 10 deal designed to get Harris to play for New York’s G League affiliate.

Harris, 24, was banned for one year from the NBA in July of 2021 for violating the terms of the anti-drug program. He appeared in just 13 games with the Raptors before that. Toronto drafted him No. 59 overall in 2021 after he played collegiately at Louisiana Tech and Nevada.

Harris averaged 7.4 points in 13.2 minutes with the Raptors, shooting 50% from the floor. While serving his suspension, Harris also played in Italy and Canada.

The Raptors reportedly gave Harris a two-way qualifying offer after he was reinstated by the NBA in August. That qualifying offer would theoretically have given Toronto the right to match any rival offer he received, so it seems the team either dropped the QO or opted not to match the Knicks’ deal.

The Knicks now have 19 players under contract with training camp set to start this week.

Nets Sign Marcus Zegarowski

September 25th, 2022 at 6:25pm CST by JD Shaw

The Nets have signed guard Marcus Zegarowski, who was drafted with the No. 49 overall pick in 2021, the team announced today in a press release. The terms of the agreement weren’t released. Brooklyn also signed and waived Zegarowski roughly one week ago.

Zegarowski, 24, played 92 games across three collegiate seasons at Creighton leading up to the 2021 draft. He averaged 14.1 points per game, shooting 47% from the floor, 42% from three-point range and 77% from the free throw line.

Zegarowski played with the Nets’ G League affiliate in 2021/22. The 6’2″ guard appeared in eight games, averaging 10.1 points per contest. He shot just 36% during those outings.

We’ll have to wait for clarity on Zegarowski’s situation, but the first contract he signed this offseason was likely his required tender, a non-guaranteed contract the Nets had to offer in order to retain his draft rights. By waiving Zegarowski after he signed that tender, Brooklyn gave up his draft rights. Bringing him back now suggests he may still be in the team’s plans as an affiliate player at Long Island.

Brooklyn has 19 players under contract entering training camp, which includes the team’s two-way players, Alondes Williams and David Duke.