Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Waive Nuni Omot, Garrison Brooks

September 25th, 2022 at 4:54pm CST by JD Shaw

The Knicks have waived forwards Nuni Omot and Garrison Brooks, per the team’s public relations department (Twitter link). Both players were signed to Exhibit 10 deals and will head to the club’s G League affiliate, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets.

New York now has 18 players under contract. This includes Feron Hunt and Trevor Keels, who are both signed to two-way contracts. The team will open its training camp this week.

Omot, 6’9, played in Puerto Rico last season. He averaged 15.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists, appearing in 20.1 minutes per game. The 27-year-old went undrafted out of Baylor in 2018.

Brooks, also 6’9″, most recently played at Mississippi State. The 23-year-old held per-game averages of 10.4 points and 6.6 rebounds, shooting 50%. He also played four collegiate seasons at North Carolina.

Fabian White Jr. Waived By Lakers

September 25th, 2022 at 3:03pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

With team training camp set to kick off on Tuesday, the Lakers are finalizing their roster. Forward Fabian White Jr. has been waived by Los Angeles, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Fabian had been signed to an Exhibit 10 deal by L.A. earlier this summer after going undrafted out of Houston. If White joins the club’s NBAGL affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, this season, he could earn a bonus worth up to $50K.

The 6’8″ forward averaged 12.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.4 BPG and 1.0 SPG during his final 2021/22 collegiate season with the Cougars across 38 games, all starts. He posted a slash line of .491/.371/.688. In that last year with Houston, White was an All-AAC honoree, as well the AAC Tourney’s MVP.

White’s release leaves guard Javante McCoy and center Jay Huff as the Lakers’ remaining players inked to training camp deals.

Pacers Waive Justin Anderson, Norvel Pelle

September 25th, 2022 at 9:56am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pacers have placed forward Justin Anderson and center Norvel Pelle on waivers, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. Both players signed with the team on Friday and appear headed to Indiana’s G League affiliate in Fort Wayne.

Anderson, 28, signed three 10-day contracts with the Pacers last season and spent time with the Cavaliers as well on a 10-day deal. He appeared in 13 games for Indiana, averaging 6.8 PPG in 20.7 minutes per night.

Pelle, 29, had a brief NBA appearance last season, getting into three games with the Jazz after inking a 10-day contract in January. He was waived by the Trail Blazers earlier this month.

The moves bring the Pacers’ roster back down to 18 players and create room for two more signings before the start of training camp on Tuesday.

Magic Sign Aleem Ford, Zavier Simpson, Waive Joel Ayayi

September 24th, 2022 at 7:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Magic have set their roster for the start of training camp, signing Aleem Ford and Zavier Simpson and placing Joel Ayayi on waivers, the team announced (via Twitter).

Ford, a 24-year-old small forward, got into five games after signing a 10-day contract with Orlando last December when the roster was ravaged by COVID-19. The former Wisconsin star played most of the season with the Magic’s G League affiliate in Lakeland, averaging 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 31 games.

Simpson, whose signing has been rumored since late July, started four games for the Thunder at the end of last season after inking a 10-day hardship contract in April. The 25-year-old point guard has played mainly in the G League since going undrafted out of Michigan in 2020.

Ayayi, a former two-way player with the Wizards, signed with Orlando 12 days ago and may be ticketed for the G League. The 22-year-old shooting guard saw limited playing time in seven games with Washington last season before being waived in March.

Celtics Re-Sign Brodric Thomas

September 24th, 2022 at 5:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Brodric Thomas is returning to the Celtics, according to a tweet from his representatives at Overtime. Thomas has officially re-signed with the team, per RealGM’s NBA transaction log.

Thomas appeared in 12 games for Boston last year as a two-way player. He spent most of the season with the team’s G League affiliate in Maine, averaging 14.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 22 games.

The 25-year-old shooting guard began his career with the Rockets in 2020 after going undrafted out of Truman State. He finished that season on a two-way contract with the Cavaliers, then signed another two-way deal with Cleveland last summer but was waived prior to the start of the regular season.

Thomas spent the 2022 offseason as a restricted free agent after receiving a qualifying offer in June. He had been considered a “strong candidate” to return to Boston, and today’s signing makes it official.

The move brings the Celtics to the offseason limit of 20 players. The team has just 10 fully guaranteed contracts, and Thomas will compete for a roster spot against players such as Noah Vonleh, Jake Layman, Justin Jackson, and Denzel Valentine.

Clippers Sign Juwan Morgan

September 24th, 2022 at 2:30pm CST by JD Shaw

The Clippers have signed free agent forward Juwan Morgan ahead of training camp, his agency Edge Sports International announced on social media (Twitter link). The exact terms are still unknown.

Morgan, 25, finished last season as a member of the Celtics. He averaged 12.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for the team’s G League affiliate in Maine. Morgan also shot 51% from the floor and 34% from deep, showing an ability to score from all three levels.

Before joining Boston, Morgan went undrafted in 2019 and spent two seasons with the Jazz. He appeared in 50 games across those stints.

Los Angeles currently has 20 players under contract, including Morgan. The team has Moses Brown, Xavier Moon, Michael Devoe and Lucas Williamson on Exhibit 10 deals. Shooting guard Keaton Wallace also signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the club, but he was waived on Friday.

Suns Sign Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot

September 24th, 2022 at 2:12pm CST by JD Shaw

The Suns have signed free agent forward Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, the team announced in a press release today. Phoenix also formally confirmed the signing of Frank Jackson, who reportedly inked a non-guaranteed contract with the team.

Luwawu-Cabarrot averaged 4.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in 13.2 minutes per game with the Hawks last season. The terms of his agreement with Phoenix are unknown, but the 24-year-old carries six years of NBA experience.

Before joining Atlanta, Luwawu-Cabarrot made stops with the Sixers, Thunder, Bulls and Nets. He was drafted No. 24 overall by Philadelphia in 2016 after playing four professional seasons in France and Serbia.

Luwawu-Cabarrot recently helped France to a silver-medal finish at EuroBasket 2022. Phoenix’s roster now stands at 18 players, which includes two-way players Duane Washington Jr. and Ish Wainright.

Pelicans Sign Cheatham, Butler; Waive Brockington

September 24th, 2022 at 12:57pm CST by JD Shaw

The Pelicans have signed forwards Zylan Cheatham and John Butler ahead of training camp, the team announced in a press release today. New Orleans also waived two-way guard Izaiah Brockington.

Cheatham, 26, is a 6″6″ guard who played for the Pelicans’ G League affiliate last season. In 21 outings, he scored 14.0 points per game on 55% shooting from the floor and 38% shooting from distance. He signed a 10-day hardship deal last season and was a two-way player for New Orleans in 2019.

Butler, a 7’2″ center, played four games with the Pelicans during summer league this year. He averaged 8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 16.7 minutes, shooting 12-of-16 from the floor (75%) and 6-of-9 from three-point range (67%). The 19-year-old went undrafted out of Florida State in June.

The Pelicans signed Brockington, a 23-year-old guard who also went undrafted in June, to a two-way deal earlier this month. The team’s roster now stands at 20 players, which includes two-way swingman Dereon Seabron.

Clippers Sign, Waive Keaton Wallace

September 24th, 2022 at 9:57am CST by Rory Maher

SEPTEMBER 24: The Clippers have waived Wallace, tweets JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors.

SEPTEMBER 15: Free agent guard Keaton Wallace has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Clippers, sources tell our JD Shaw (Twitter link).

Wallace spent four years at the University of Texas at San Antonio prior to going undrafted in 2021. He spent his first professional season playing for the Clippers’ G League affiliate in 2021/22 (now known as the Ontario Clippers).

In 31 regular season games (34.4 MPG) at the NBAGL level, the 23-year-old put up solid numbers, averaging 18.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 4.7 APG and 1.6 SPG on .469/.415/.823 shooting.

Wallace’s Exhibit 10 deal, which is non-guaranteed, means that he can earn a bonus worth up to $50K if he gets waived before the season starts and sticks with Ontario for at least 60 days again. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted to two-way deals, and the Clippers do currently have one two-way spot open — rookie Moussa Diabate occupies the other.

Grizzlies Sign Justin Bean, Jacob Gilyard

September 23rd, 2022 at 6:51pm CST by Rory Maher

The Grizzlies have signed undrafted rookies Justin Bean and Jacob Gilyard, and their 20-man roster for training camp is now set, the team announced (via Twitter).

As a senior for Utah State last season, Bean averaged 17.4 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 2.6 APG and 1.6 SPG on .534/.465/.800 shooting in 34 games (35.4 MPG). For his efforts, he was named an All-Mount West Conference member for the third time in his college career, and earned a second berth on the MWC’s All-Defensive squad.

Gilyard spent his entire five-year college career at Richmond, averaging 13.3 PPG, 5.4 APG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.9 SPG on .395/.360/.860 shooting in 37 games (38.5 MPG) in 2021/22. He earned All-Atlantic 10 honors in four of his five college seasons, was named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, and became the all-time NCAA Division I leader in steals over the course of an impressive college career.

Bean, a 6’7″ forward, was reportedly joining the Clippers on an Exhibit 10 deal, but the transaction was never officially completed and now he’s joining Memphis. While the terms of Bean’s contract were not disclosed, it’s likely to be an Exhibit 10 contract. He played for the Clippers in Summer League, but struggled during his limited run, averaging just 2 PPG and 3.5 RPG in four games (12.2 MPG).

Gilyard, a 5’9″ point guard, was expected to join the Grizzlies on an Exhibit 10 contract, so that now move is now official. The 24-year-old suited up for the Warriors’ Summer League team at the California Classic earlier this month and then played for the Timberwolves in Las Vegas. He struggled with his shot, making just 5-of-18 field goal attempts (2-of-13 threes) across six games at the two events, but it appears the Grizzlies view him as a promising developmental project.

An Exhibit 10 deal is a one-year, minimum-salary contract that counts toward a team’s 20-man offseason roster limit, but doesn’t count against the cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. Although it’s not guaranteed, a player on an Exhibit 10 contract can earn a bonus of up to $50K if he’s waived and then joins his team’s G League affiliate — in this case, that would be the Memphis Hustle.

The Grizzlies are facing a regular season roster crunch because they have 15 players on fully guaranteed standard contracts, plus injured wing Danny Green with a nearly $7MM partial guarantee on his $10MM deal. Both of the team’s two-way slots are filled as well. As such, both Bean and Gilyard are likely to be waived and headed to the Hustle before the season starts.

The Grizzlies reportedly reached agreements with Keve Aluma and Dakota Mathias, but neither transaction was completed. It’s unclear if the players are still in Memphis’ plans, but if so, they’re likely headed to the Hustle as well if and when Gilyard and Bean are released.