Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

M.J. Walker, Quinton Rose Waived By Knicks

September 23rd, 2022 at 10:05am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks have waived M.J. Walker and Quinton Rose, who were both signed earlier this week, the team announced (via Twitter).

The 24-year-old Walker played for New York’s G League affiliate in Westchester last season and made a brief NBA appearance with the Suns under the hardship exception. Rose, 24, also played for Westchester and was with the Knicks during the Las Vegas Summer League.

The expectation is that both players will return to the Knicks’ G League team in 2022/23 — having signed Exhibit 10 contracts, they’ll be in line for bonuses worth up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days with Westchester.

The moves leave New York with two openings on its offseason roster heading into the start of training camp next week.

Nets Sign, Waive RaiQuan Gray

September 23rd, 2022 at 7:55am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets signed and then waived 2021 second-round pick RaiQuan Gray, according to the official transaction log at RealGM.com.

The No. 59 overall pick in last year’s draft out of Florida State, Gray signed a G League contract and spent his first professional season with the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s affiliate. In 26 regular season NBAGL games (22.8 MPG), the 6’8″ forward averaged 6.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 3.0 APG on .441/.240/.821 shooting.

The Nets still held Gray’s exclusive NBA rights entering this offseason. However, teams are required to submit a tender – essentially a non-guaranteed one-year contract – to players whose draft rights they hold in order to retain those rights. It appears that Gray signed that tender and then was waived by Brooklyn, freeing him up to seek new opportunities.

This is essentially the same thing that happened with another Nets second-rounder, Marcus Zegarowski, earlier this week. Zegarowski is now an unrestricted free agent and Gray will join him on the open market, assuming he clears waivers on Saturday. There’s no indication that either player received an Exhibit 10 contract from Brooklyn, so I wouldn’t count on them returning to Long Island in 2022/23.

The Nets still have 18 players under contract with training camp around the corner, including 12 on guaranteed salaries, four on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed deals, and a pair on two-way contracts.

Warriors Sign, Waive Dusty Hannahs

September 22nd, 2022 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 22: The Warriors have waived Hannahs, Hoops Rumors has learned. As detailed below, his next stop figures to be Santa Cruz.

SEPTEMBER 21: The Warriors have signed guard Dusty Hannahs, the team announced today in a press release.

Hannahs, who appeared in four games with the Grizzlies between 2018-20, spent last season with the Adelaide 36ers in Australia’s National Basketball League. The 29-year-old has a ton of experience at the G League level, having appeared in 146 total NBAGL games, including 13 in 2020/21 for the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s affiliate.

His best professional season came in 2019/20, when he put up 21.4 PPG, 2.2 RPG, and 2.1 APG on .469/.447/.904 shooting in 37 G League contests (30.9 MPG) for the Memphis Hustle.

Hannahs’ time on Golden State’s roster will likely be short-lived. According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), the former Arkansas Razorback – who signed an Exhibit 10 contract – is expected to report to Santa Cruz after being waived. His Exhibit 10 deal will assure he receives a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Warriors’ G League team.

Wizards Pick Up 2023/24 Options For Avdija, Kispert

September 22nd, 2022 at 3:22pm CST by Rory Maher

The Wizards have picked up their 2023/24 team options for Deni Avdija and Corey Kispert, both of whom are on their rookie scale contracts, according to Josh Robbins and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).

As Robbins notes, exercising the options was a mere formality, since both players were pretty high picks and have been fairly productive. The ’23/24 season will be the fourth and final season of Avdija’s rookie deal, and the third season of Kispert’s.

Avdija, 21, was the No. 9 overall pick of the 2020 draft out of Israel. While his offense has been up-and-down, he’s shown to be a solid, versatile defender, especially last season. He appeared in all 82 games (24.2 MPG) during his second season in ’21/22, averaging 8.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 2.0 APG on .432/.317/.757 shooting. His ’23/24 option is worth $6,263,188.

Kispert, 23, was the No. 15 overall pick of last year’s draft after four years at Gonzaga. Known as a strong shooter, Kispert struggled to adjust to the NBA as a rookie for the first several months until he found his rhythm after the All-Star break. Overall, he averaged 8.2 PPG and 2.7 RPG on .455/.350/.871 shooting in 77 games (36 starts, 23.4 MPG). He’ll earn $3,722,040 in ’23/24.

The Wizards have a full 20-man roster entering training camp, including 15 players with fully guaranteed standard contracts, though they do have one two-way slot open at the moment.

Hawks Sign Armoni Brooks To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 22nd, 2022 at 12:21pm CST by Rory Maher

The Hawks have signed free agent guard Armoni Brooks, the team announced in a press release. According to Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link), Brooks will receive an Exhibit 10 contract.

The 24-year-old spent last season with the Rockets and Raptors, averaging 5.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 54 games (15.4 minutes per contest). He was waived by Toronto at the end of July before his $50K partial guarantee for 2022/23 increased to $250K.

Known as a long-range marksman, Brooks struggled with his shot in ’21/22, posting a .339/.297/.857 slash line. He fared much better as a rookie in ’20/21 when he signed a two-way deal with the Rockets, averaging 11.2 points and 3.5 rebounds while converting 38.2% of his three-point attempts on high volume (7.9) in 20 games (26.0 minutes).

After going undrafted in 2019 after three years at the University of Houston, Brooks signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Hawks, so he has experience with the organization, having spent the majority of his first professional season with the College Park Skyhawks, the team’s G League affiliate.

Brooks reportedly had recent workouts with the Cavaliers and Lakers, but was unable to find a roster spot on either team. Instead he’ll return to Atlanta with the hope of making the regular season roster.

The Hawks now have a full 20-man roster for training camp. With only 13 players signed to fully guaranteed contracts and second-rounder Tyrese Martin with a $450K partial guarantee, Atlanta might have a camp battle to determine who makes the final spot on the standard 15-man roster, assuming the team carries 15 players.

Brooks’ Exhibit 10 deal, which is non-guaranteed, ensures that he’ll receive a bonus of up to $50K if he’s waived before the season starts and spends at least 60 days with the Skyhawks.

Celtics Sign Luka Samanic To Camp Deal

September 22nd, 2022 at 7:09am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have officially signed free agent big man Luka Samanic to a contract, according to the NBA transaction log at RealGM.com. It’s a non-guaranteed training camp deal for Samanic, per Bobby Manning of CLNS Media (Twitter link), who first reported the agreement.

The No. 19 pick in the 2019 draft, Samanic appeared in 36 games with the Spurs during his first two NBA seasons, averaging 3.8 PPG and 2.2 RPG on .430/.294/.576 shooting in 9.9 minutes per contest. He was waived by San Antonio before his third season and spent most of 2021/22 on a two-way deal with the Knicks before being cut in March.

Samanic was affected by plantar fasciitis last season and didn’t play in a single NBA game for New York. He appeared in eight total contests for the Westchester Knicks in the G League and put up big numbers, averaging 27.6 PPG, 10.4 RPG, and 3.4 APG with an impressive shooting line of .545/.367/.870 in 32.3 MPG.

The Celtics now have 19 players officially under contract with training camp around the corner. Samanic will likely be among the camp invitees vying for one of the back-end spots on the team’s regular season roster. Noah Vonleh, Jake Layman, Justin Jackson, and Denzel Valentine are also in that mix.

Boston’s need for reliable frontcourt depth has increased in recent weeks due to Danilo Gallinari‘s torn ACL and Robert Williams‘ recurring knee issues.

M.J. Walker Signs With Knicks

September 21st, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks filled the final spot on their preseason roster by signing free agent shooting guard M.J. Walker, the team announced (via Twitter).

Walker, 24, saw limited playing time in two games last season after joining the Suns in December on a 10-day contract via the hardship exception. He spent most of the season as an affiliate player with the G League’s Westchester Knicks, averaging 10.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 games.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but Walker signed an Exhibit 10 contract with New York last summer after going undrafted out of Florida State. He appears likely to wind up with Westchester for another season.

Earlier tonight, the Knicks announced the signing of former Temple guard Quinton Rose.

Knicks Sign Quinton Rose

September 21st, 2022 at 5:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent guard Quinton Rose has signed with the Knicks, the team announced (via Twitter).

Rose played for New York’s G League affiliate in Westchester last season, averaging 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 31 games. He also appeared in three games for the Knicks’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League.

The 24-year-old went undrafted out of Temple in 2020 and was briefly with the Kings that year on an Exhibit 10 contract. He spent four seasons in college and was twice named to the All-AAC’s Second Team.

Terms of the deal weren’t released, but it’s likely a non-guaranteed training camp contract that carries another Exhibit 10 clause. The signing brings the Knicks to 19 players, one short of the limit, with the start of training camp less than a week away.

Kings Officially Sign Kent Bazemore, Quinn Cook

September 21st, 2022 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have officially signed free agent swingman Kent Bazemore and guard Quinn Cook, the team confirmed today in a press release. Bazemore’s one-year agreement with Sacramento was first reported on August 7, while Cook’s one-year deal was reported a day later.

Bazemore, 33, has enjoyed a solid 10-year career as a three-and-D wing, though he had a disappointing year in Los Angeles in 2021/22, shooting a career-low 32.4% from the field and falling out of the Lakers’ rotation early in the season.

Cook, meanwhile, is a five-year NBA veteran who won titles with the Warriors and Lakers as a reserve. He has averaged 6.4 PPG and 1.6 APG in 188 career appearances (14.1 MPG) for five teams, but didn’t play in the league last season after being waived by Portland prior to opening night.

The exact terms of Bazemore’s and Cook’s deals aren’t yet known, but the Kings have been signing a series of veterans to non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts this offseason and will likely have multiple roster spots up for grabs in training camp and the preseason.

Sacramento now has a full 20-man offseason roster, including 12 players on guaranteed contracts and a pair on two-way deals. Bazemore and Cook are among a group of six players expected to vie for spots on the 15-man regular season roster — Matthew Dellavedova, KZ Okpala, Sam Merrill, and Chima Moneke are also in that mix.

Mavericks Sign D.J. Stewart Jr.

September 21st, 2022 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have officially signed guard D.J. Stewart Jr., the team announced today in a press release. The club also confirmed the previously reported signing of Marcus Bingham.

Stewart – not to be confused with DJ Steward, who was recently signed and waived by Sacramento – is a 23-year-old guard who went undrafted out of Mississippi State in 2021 and spent most of his rookie season playing for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate. He eventually signed a two-way contract with San Antonio in March, though he didn’t appear in an NBA game with the Spurs.

In 36 total NBAGL regular season appearances for the Skyforce and the Austin Spurs last season, Stewart averaged 17.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 3.1 APG on .480/.361/.764 shooting in 34.1 minutes per contest.

With Stewart and Bingham under contract, Dallas now has a full 20-man training camp roster. Of those 20 players, 14 have fully guaranteed standard contracts and one has a two-way deal. Stewart and Bingham are believed to be part of a group of five camp invitees on Exhibit 10 contracts.

Exhibit 10 deals can be converted into two-way deals, so Stewart, Bingham, and the three other camp invitees (McKinley Wright IV, Mouhamadou Gueye, and Tyler Hall) could be in the mix for that open two-way slot. Some of them will likely end up playing for the Texas Legends, Dallas’ G League team.