Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Clippers Sign Moses Brown, Xavier Moon, Jay Scrubb

July 9th, 2022 at 8:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers have reached agreements with Moses Brown, Xavier Moon and Jay Scrubb, and all three will be on the roster for training camp, tweets Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. The Clippers have confirmed the signings.

A report this morning indicated that L.A. had made an offer to Brown, who became an unrestricted free agent when the Cavaliers elected not to extend a qualifying offer of slightly more than $2MM. Brown appeared in 40 combined games with Dallas and Cleveland last season and has spent time with the Trail Blazers and Thunder as well.

Moon, who was on a two-way contract with the Clippers last season, also became unrestricted when he didn’t receive a qualifying offer. The 27-year-old, who has spent most of his career overseas, got into 10 games with L.A. as a rookie.

Scrubb, who filled the Clippers’ other two-way slot, also didn’t receive a qualifying offer. He has spent two seasons with the team, playing 22 combined games.

Damian Lillard Signs Two-Year Extension With Blazers

July 9th, 2022 at 7:35pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 9: Lillard’s extension is now official, the Trail Blazers announced in a press release.

“Damian Lillard is the greatest player in franchise history and an all-time NBA talent,” general manager Joe Cronin said. “In signing this contract extension, Damian continues his commitment to the city of Portland and the organization. We look forward to his continued excellence here with the Trail Blazers for many years to come.”

JULY 8: Damian Lillard is signing a two year, maximum-salary extension with the Trail Blazers, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Multiple other reporters confirmed the news, including Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter links), and ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter links).

According to Spears, Lillard is expected to put pen to paper tomorrow evening in Las Vegas, where Summer League is currently taking place. As part of the extension, Lillard will pick up the player option he held for 2024/25, says Marks.

As Marks relays, Lillard’s new deal contains a player option for ’26/27, so he’ll be under contract for at least four more seasons, with a player option in the fifth year. Lillard turns 32 next week, so the extension will carry through at least his age-35 season.

Although several reports state that Lillard’s deal will be worth $120MM, those are estimates based on the salary cap increasing significantly over time.

Lillard will get at least a 5% raise on his ’24/25 salary ($48,787,676), so the extension will be worth no less than $106.55MM. His maximum possible raise is 20%, in which case the extension would be worth $121.78MM. But the salary cap would have to be $167.3MM for him to get that full 20% raise, which would represent a huge year-over-year increase — this season’s cap is $123,655,000 cap.

Lillard struggled with injuries last season, appearing in just 29 games (36.4 MPG) with averages of 24.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 7.3 APG on .402/.324/.878 shooting. Both his field goal percentage and three-point percentage were career-lows, so clearly the abdominal injury – which required surgery and shut down his season prematurely – was hampering his on-court production.

Prior to his injury struggles in ’21/22, Lillard had been a stalwart performer for Portland, rarely missing games and averaging at least 35.5 MPG in each of his 10 seasons. Lillard has been named to both the All-Star team and All-NBA teams six times apiece during his career, which has been spent entirely with the Blazers.

Sam Amick of The Athletic wrote last week that Lillard still needed to be convinced that the Blazers were intent on competing after a disappointing season saw them finish 27-55 and miss out on the postseason for the first time since 2014. Reconstructing the roster by drafting Shaedon Sharpe, trading for Jerami Grant, signing free agent Gary Payton II, as well as re-signing Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons evidently was enough for Lillard to once again show his commitment to the only franchise he’s ever known.

Celtics Sign JD Davison To Two-Way Contract

July 9th, 2022 at 5:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

JD Davison has signed a two-way contract with the Celtics, the team announced on Twitter.

Boston selected the Alabama point guard with the 53rd pick in last month’s draft. He played just one season for the Crimson Tide, averaging 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game and earning a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team.

A report this week stated that Davison will be given a chance to compete for a regular roster spot heading into the season. The Celtics’ other two-way slot remains open, though the team has a two-way qualifying offer out to Brodric Thomas.

Bulls Sign Javon Freeman-Liberty To Exhibit 10 Deal

July 9th, 2022 at 4:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

DePaul guard Javon Freeman-Liberty has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Bulls, the team announced (via Twitter).

The 22-year-old guard played two years for the Blue Demons after transferring from Valparaiso. He averaged 21.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists this season and was a second-team All-Big East selection.

An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed minimum salary contract that makes the player eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived before the regular season begins and then joins his team’s G League affiliate. It can also be converted into a two-way deal before the season.

Bucks Re-Sign Luca Vildoza, Rayjon Tucker

July 9th, 2022 at 4:35pm CST by Luke Adams

After waiving both players on Tuesday, the Bucks have officially re-signed guards Luca Vildoza and Rayjon Tucker to one-year, minimum-salary contracts.

The new deals for Vildoza and Tucker are both non-guaranteed. Tucker’s contract includes Exhibit 10 language, which would allow Milwaukee to convert his deal to a two-way contract, but Vildoza’s does not.

Vildoza, 26, played internationally in Spain for several seasons prior to reaching a buyout to sign with the Knicks in May 2021. The Argentian guard was waived after he underwent foot surgery last October, but caught on with the Bucks and made seven very brief postseason appearances with the team. He has yet to make his NBA regular season debut.

Tucker has appeared in a total of 39 NBA games across three seasons for Utah, Philadelphia, Denver a nd Milwaukee, averaging 3.0 PPG and 1.0 RPG in just 7.7 minutes per contest. He has been much more active in the G League during that span, having played for the Salt Lake City Stars, the Wisconsin Herd, and the Delaware Blue Coats. In 27 regular season games this past season for the Herd (the Bucks’ NBAGL affiliate), the wing averaged an impressive 21.1 PPG on 53% shooting. He also chipped in 7.6 RPG, 3.8 APG, and 1.2 SPG.

The Bucks now have 17 total players under contract, including 13 on guaranteed salaries and two on two-way deals. The team is also expected to make its new deal with Serge Ibaka official soon.

Pacers Trade Malcolm Brogdon To Celtics

July 9th, 2022 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 9: The Celtics’ deal with the Pacers for Brogdon is now official, per an Indiana press release.

JULY 1: The Pacers have agreed to trade veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon to the Celtics, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

The deal will send center Daniel Theis, wing Aaron Nesmith, and a 2023 first-round pick to Indiana, Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter). Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts, and Juwan Morgan are also headed to the Pacers in the swap, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter).

The 2023 first-round pick the Pacers are acquiring in the trade will be top-12 protected, tweets Brian Robb of MassLive. If it doesn’t convey, Indiana will instead receive a second-rounder.

The Celtics wanted to acquire a “true play-making guard,” Wojnarowski explains (via Twitter), and were able to do so without including any of their core players in the package. Brogdon has battled injuries frequently over the course of his six-year career, but has been effective on both ends of the court when healthy.

In 2021/22, the 29-year-old averaged 19.1 PPG, 5.9 APG, and 5.1 RPG in 36 games (33.5 MPG) for the Pacers. Brogdon’s three-point percentage dipped to 31.2% last season, but he’s still a 37.6% career shooter from beyond the arc.

Although Brogdon’s name has come up frequently in trade rumors this offseason, he was primarily linked to the Wizards and Knicks in the weeks leading up to the draft. Washington addressed its point guard hole by agreeing to acquire Monte Morris and sign Delon Wright, while New York landed Jalen Brunson in free agency. That opened the door for another Eastern Conference club to make a deal with the Pacers.

Brogdon will earn $67.6MM over the next three seasons, including $22.6MM in 2022/23. In order to match his salary and make the trade legal, the Celtics will have to include five players in their package — the priciest of those players, Theis, is making $8.69MM next season, while Nesmith will earn $3.8MM. Stauskas, Fitts, and Morgan were on non-guaranteed minimum-salary contracts, which will become guaranteed for matching purposes, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

The Celtics, who also reportedly agreed to sign Danilo Gallinari, now have about $167.5MM committed to 11 players, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter link), so team ownership doesn’t appear worried about paying a tax bill in 2022/23. Depending on how deep into the tax Boston is willing to go, the club could also make use of its $17MM trade exception, which won’t be utilized in this deal.

The Pacers, meanwhile, had interest in Grant Williams, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), but were ultimately willing to accept for a Celtics’ 2023 first-round pick that could land pretty late in the 20s.

Indiana may also see value in Theis and Nesmith, but the deal is more about the first-rounder and the cap flexibility moving off Brogdon will create. In addition to clearing some long-term money, the Pacers now have about $31MM in projected cap room this summer, tweets Marks.

The two teams will have to wait until July 9 to officially complete the trade, Marks notes (via Twitter), since Morgan can’t be dealt until then.

Walker Kessler Signs Rookie Deal With Jazz

July 9th, 2022 at 3:32pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Jazz have officially signed 7’1″ rookie center Walker Kessler to his rookie scale contract, the team announced in a press release. Kessler is the last 2022 first-rounder to ink his deal.

The 20-year-old has yet to play in an NBA game, but is already well-traveled within the league. He was initially selected by the Grizzlies with the No. 22 pick in the 2022 draft out of Auburn, before being traded to the Timberwolves in a draft-night deal. Kessler was later sent to Utah as part of Minnesota’s blockbuster deal for three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

Kessler averaged 11.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 4.6 BPG, and 1.1 SPG across 34 games during his second and final college season with the Tigers. He also nailed 60.8% of his field goal attempts. He had spent the 2020/21 season with North Carolina in a more limited role, averaging just 8.8 MPG, before transferring to Auburn. Kessler was named the 2021/22 SEC and NABC Defensive Player of the Year. The big man was also an All-SEC First Team, All-SEC Defensive Team, and AP All-American Third Team selection.

The deal will pay $2,696,400 for the 2022/23 season, and will be worth $13.4MM should Utah pick up both its team options for the center’s third and fourth NBA seasons.

Pelicans Sign Dyson Daniels To Rookie Scale Deal

July 9th, 2022 at 12:35pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Pelicans have officially signed rookie wing Dyson Daniels to a rookie scale contract, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

The 6’8″ swingman was selected with the eighth pick in the 2022 draft by New Orleans after spending a year with the G League Ignite. Across 14 contests for the G League Ignite during the 2021/22 season, Daniels averaged 11.3 PPG, 4.4 APG, 1.9 SPG, and 0.7 BPG, while connecting on 44.9% of his field goals and 73.7% of his free throw attempts.

Provided Daniels is compensated with the standard 120% rate above the rookie scale, the 19-year-old’s four-year contract is worth $25,059,949. He’ll earn $5,508,600 in his 2022/23 NBA rookie season.

Daniels is set to make his debut with the Pelicans during the team’s first Summer League contest tonight against the Trail Blazers.

With the inking of Daniels to a deal now official, Jazz rookie center Walker Kessler is now the sole remaining unsigned first-round draft pick.

Cavaliers Sign Darius Garland To Five-Year Max Extension

July 9th, 2022 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 9: The Cavaliers have officially announced Garland’s rookie scale extension, per a press release.

“We’ve quickly seen Darius grow into an NBA All-Star and an integral core piece in our pursuit of sustainable success,” team president Coby Altman said in a statement. “Both on and off the court, Darius has demonstrated a strong commitment to this organization and the community. We look forward to our future and what we can accomplish here in Cleveland.”

JULY 2: The Cavaliers and point guard Darius Garland have reached an agreement on a five-year rookie scale extension that will be the largest deal in franchise history, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

It’s a maximum-salary extension that will will have a starting salary of at least 25% – and possibly up to 30% – of the 2023/24 cap, agent Rich Paul tells Wojnarowski. Based on the NBA’s latest projections for ’23/24, the deal will be worth at least $192.85MM and could be worth as much as $231.42MM.

Garland has steadily improved in each of his three NBA seasons. In 2021/22, he established new career highs in PPG (21.7), APG (8.6), RPG (3.3), and FG% (.462) as he helped lead Cleveland to a play-in spot. The 22-year-old made his first All-Star team and was a finalist for the league’s Most Improved Player award.

The Cavaliers made serious strides in 2021/22 behind a core of Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. Mobley’s rookie contract covers three more years, while Allen is under contract for the next four seasons, so the franchise now has that core locked up for the foreseeable future.

Garland’s new contract will go into effect as Kevin Love ($28.94MM) and Caris LeVert ($18.79MM) come off the books in 2023, so the Cavaliers will still have some financial flexibility going forward and aren’t in any immediate danger of becoming a taxpayer.

The exact value of Garland’s extension will depend on where the 2023/24 cap (currently projected at $133MM) lands and whether or not he meets the Rose Rule criteria to increase his starting salary to 30% of the cap.

While Garland is reportedly receiving Rose Rule language in his new deal, it may not be as simple as a spot on the All-NBA Third Team increasing his starting salary to 30% of the cap. Teams and players can negotiate different starting salaries based on what specific criteria the player meets. For instance, Garland may need to make the All-NBA First Team or Second Team in order to get the full 30% — we’ll have to wait for more details.

Even if he doesn’t make an All-NBA team next season, Garland is in line for a starting salary of $33.3MM on his extension, with subsequent 8% raises. He’ll also join the NBA’s list of designated rookies, which we outlined earlier today.

With Garland’s deal done, the Cavaliers figure to shift their focus to a new deal for another guard, Collin Sexton, who is still a restricted free agent.

Spurs Sign Jeremy Sochan To Rookie Contract

July 9th, 2022 at 8:22am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs have signed forward Jeremy Sochan to a rookie scale contract, according to a team press release.

The lottery pick became the first top-10 selection for San Antonio since Tim Duncan went first overall in 1997. The Spurs used the No. 9 overall pick on Sochan, who played one season at Baylor and was named the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year, averaging 9.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG and 1.3 SPG while appearing in 30 games.

Assuming the usual 120% rate above rookie scale, Sochan’s four-year deal is worth $23,046,751. He’ll make $5,063,520 during his rookie campaign.

Sochan won’t play in the Summer League after missing all of the team’s pre-Vegas practices due to COVID-19. He also suffered a hamstring injury, Paul Garcia of Project Spurs relays via Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The injury occurred prior to the draft, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News tweets.

This leaves Dyson Daniels (Pelicans) and Walker Kessler (Jazz) as the only unsigned first-round selections.