Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sam Hauser Re-Signs With Celtics

July 3rd, 2022 at 12:58pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 9: Hauser’s new contract with the Celtics is now official, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

JULY 3: Celtics reserve small forward Sam Hauser will return to Boston on a three-year contract, per Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe.

Himmelsbach reports that the three-year deal will be worth $6MM. The last season of the contract is non-guaranteed.

Boston possesses Hauser’s Non-Bird rights and can sign him using those. A three-year salary at the league minimum would be worth $5.66MM, so the $6MM figure is either rounded up or is a sliver above the minimum.

While at Virginia, Hauser was honored as an All-ACC First Team pick in 2021. Prior to his tenure with the Cavaliers, he played for Marquette, where he was named an All-Big East Third Teamer.

Boston first added Hauser as an undrafted rookie out of Virginia via a two-way deal during the 2021 offseason. The 6’8″ wing was promoted to the team’s 15-man roster in February.

In 26 regular season contests with Boston during 2021/22, the 24-year-old averaged 2.5 PPG and 1.1 RPG in just 6.1 MPG. Most notably, he connected on 43.2% of his 1.7 three-point looks a night for Boston.

Across 10 games for the Maine Celtics, Bostons’ NBAGL affiliate club, Hauser enjoyed a more robust role, replete with more robust stats, averaging 16.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.9 APG, and 0.9 SPG in 33.5 MPG. He posted shooting splits of .487/.433/.917.

Last week, the Celtics officially declined their team option on Hauser and tendered him a qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent. Reporting at the time indicated a longer-team deal looked likely.

Himmelsbach adds that the Boston front office is optimistic Hauser can become a meaningful rotation contributor at some point in the duration of his new deal.

A.J. Griffin Signs With Hawks

July 3rd, 2022 at 11:52am CST by Arthur Hill

The Hawks have officially signed first-round pick AJ Griffin, the team announced in a press release.

The Duke forward, who was taken with the 16th selection in last week’s draft, will receive about $3.5MM during his first NBA season and roughly $17.1MM over the four-year deal.

Griffin, 18, averaged 10.4 points and 3.9 rebounds during his lone season with the Blue Devils while connecting at 54.7% from the field and 44.7% from three-point range. He was named to the ACC All-Freshman team and earned honorable mention All-ACC honors.

Pacers Sign Bennedict Mathurin

July 3rd, 2022 at 11:09am CST by Arthur Hill

Bennedict Mathurin, the sixth pick in this year’s draft, has signed with the Pacers, the team announced in a press release.

If Mathurin receives 120% of the rookie scale, which is standard, he will be paid approximately $6.59MM during his first season and $29.9MM over the four-year contract.

Mathurin, 20, rose up draft boards after a strong sophomore season at Arizona, averaging 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists and earning Pac 12 Player of the Year honors. He was a second-team All-American and was named Most Outstanding Player in the conference tournament.

The 6’6″ swingman also has international experience, helping Canada capture a bronze medal last year in the FIBA Under-19 World Cup.

Josh Okogie Signs One-Year Deal With Suns

July 2nd, 2022 at 10:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

10:51pm: Okogie’s deal is official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. That signals that it’s a minimum-salary contract, which can be signed during the July moratorium.

7:11pm: The Suns will add free agent Josh Okogie on a one-year contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The 23-year-old shooting guard became unrestricted this week when the Timberwolves declined to give him a qualifying offer. He spent his first four NBA seasons in Minnesota after being selected with the 20th pick in the 2018 draft.

Okogie has seen his playing time reduced over the past two seasons and averaged just 10.5 minutes in 49 games this year. A fresh start in Phoenix may help revitalize his career.

The Suns also added former Warriors shooting guard Damion Lee in free agency. They lost Aaron Holiday to the Hawks, while Elfrid Payton remains unsigned.

Julian Champagnie Signs Two-Way Deal With Sixers

July 2nd, 2022 at 8:02pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 2: Champagnie’s contract is official, the team announced in an email.

JUNE 24: St. John’s swingman Julian Champagnie is signing a two-way deal with the Sixers, a source tells Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com (Twitter link).

In 31 games (34.2 MPG) as a junior for the Red Storm last season, Champagnie averaged an impressive 19.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 2.0 SPG and 1.1 BPG. His shooting numbers were less impressive, as his .414/.337/.781 slash line was down from two seasons ago, when he shot .433/.380/.887.

Champagnie, the twin brother of Raptors two-way wing Justin Champagnie, was a All-Big East First Team selection each of the past two seasons.

Kings Sign Neemias Queta, Keon Ellis To Two-Way Contracts

July 2nd, 2022 at 6:21pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have filled both of their two-way contract slots, announcing in a press release that center Neemias Queta and guard Keon Ellis have signed two-way deals.

A seven-footer out of Utah State University, Queta was the 39th overall pick in the 2021 draft and spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with Sacramento. He played sparingly at the NBA level, averaging 3.2 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 14 games (8.6 MPG), but was the starting center for the Stockton Kings in the G League, putting up 16.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.9 BPG in 14 regular season NBAGL contests (28.4 MPG).

Queta received a two-way qualifying offer from the Kings, so it’s not clear if he accepted that QO or signed a new two-way deal with the team. Either way, he’s back under contract with Sacramento.

The Kings’ other two-way slot belongs with Ellis, an undrafted rookie free agent whose agreement with the team was reported shortly after the draft wrapped up last week.

The 6’6″ guard averaged 12.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.9 SPG in his senior year at Alabama. He made 43.7% of his field goal attempts and 36.6% of his 3-point tries. Ellis began his college career at Florida Southwestern State before playing his final two seasons for the Crimson Tide.

Cavaliers Re-Sign RJ Nembhard To Two-Way Deal

July 2nd, 2022 at 6:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have re-signed free agent shooting guard RJ Nembhard to a two-way contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

After going undrafted out of TCU in 2021, Nembhard spent his rookie season with the Cavs. He joined the team for training camp on an Exhibit 10 contract, had it converted to a two-way deal, was promoted to the 15-man roster in March, then was waived and signed another two-way contract near the end of the season.

Nembhard only played 63 total minutes across 14 appearances at the NBA level for the Cavs, but was a key member of the Cleveland Charge in the G League, averaging 24.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 5.3 APG in 15 regular season games (38.3 MPG).

The Cavs liked what they saw from Nembhard enough to issue him a two-way qualifying offer earlier this week. It’s possible he simply accepted that QO, which is for another two-way deal with a $50K guarantee.

Nembhard and second-round pick Isaiah Mobley now hold the Cavs’ two-way contract slots.

Keegan Murray Signs With Kings

July 2nd, 2022 at 6:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Keegan Murray, the No. 4 pick in this year’s draft, has officially signed with the Kings, tweets James Ham of ESPN 1320.

Assuming Murray receives the standard 120% of the rookie scale, he will make approximately $8MM during his first season and $36.4MM during the four-year contract.

Murray was a first-team All-American as a sophomore at Iowa, averaging 23.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He was also a first team All-Big 10 selection and was named MVP of this year’s conference tournament.

Murray, who will turn 22 next month, was among the oldest prospects in this year’s draft and there was some speculation that his age might work against him. The Kings weren’t concerned, however, and selected Murray ahead of Purdue guard Jaden Ivey, who had been projected as a top-four pick.

“Keegan is an incredibly versatile, well-rounded player with a high basketball IQ,” said Sacramento general manager Monte McNair. “He will be a tremendous asset to our team, and we are excited to welcome him to the Kings family.”

Heat Sign Nikola Jovic

July 2nd, 2022 at 5:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

First-round pick Nikola Jovic has officially signed with the Heat, the team announced in a press release.

The Serbian forward was the 27th pick in this year’s draft. Assuming he receives the full 120% of the rookie scale, which is standard, Jovic will earn approximately $2.2MM in his first season and $11.5MM across the four-year deal.

The 19-year-old averaged 11.7 points per game this season while playing for Mega Basket in Europe’s ABA League. He was named the league’s top prospect for the just-completed season and was Junior ABA League MVP in 2021.

Jovic is making his debut with Miami in today’s Summer League California Classic in San Francisco.

Cavaliers Sign Ochai Agbaji, Isaiah Mobley

July 2nd, 2022 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have officially signed 2022 draft picks Ochai Agbaji and Isaiah Mobley, the team announced today in a press release.

The 14th overall pick in last week’s draft, Agbaji received the rookie scale contract that is standard for first-round picks. Assuming he signed for the full 120% of the rookie scale, which is the norm, he’ll earn approximately $3.9MM in year one and $18.7MM across four years.

The 22-year-old Agbaji won an NCAA championship with Kansas as a senior in 2021/22 and enjoyed his best college season, averaging 18.8 PPG and 5.1 RPG with a shooting line of .475/.407/.743 in 39 games (35.1 MPG).

Mobley, the brother of rising Cavaliers star Evan Mobley, signed a two-way contract. Isaiah, who played alongside Evan at USC in 2020/21, stuck with the Trojans for another year and averaged 14.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 3.3 APG in 32 games (34.1 MPG) as a junior before declaring for the draft. He was the 49th overall pick last Thursday.

The Cavs’ other draftee, No. 56 overall pick Luke Travers, remains unsigned. It’s unclear if he’ll be stashed overseas for the 2022/23 season or if he’s in the mix for Cleveland’s other two-way slot.