Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Trail Blazers Sign Norvel Pelle

August 3rd, 2022 at 7:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:48pm: The signing is now official, per RealGM’s NBA transactions log. Pelle will compete for a two-way roster spot, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

7:04pm: Norvel Pelle will sign a training camp contract with the Trail Blazers, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The 29-year-old center had two brief NBA appearances last season when he signed 10-day contracts with the Celtics and Jazz under the hardship exception. He didn’t play during his time in Boston, but appeared in three games with Utah, averaging 2.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per night.

After going undrafted in 2013, Pelle played in the G League and spent time overseas before getting an opportunity with the Sixers during the 2019/20 season. He also had short stays with the Nets, Kings and Knicks.

In case you missed it, free agent guard Isaiah Miller is also expected to complete a deal with Portland.

Suns Sign Duane Washington To Two-Way Deal

August 3rd, 2022 at 3:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 3: The Suns have issued a press release officially announcing the signing of Washington.

AUGUST 2: Free agent guard Duane Washington Jr. has agreed to a two-way contract with the Suns, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Washington, 22, averaged 9.9 PPG and 1.8 APG in 20.2 MPG for the Pacers as a rookie last season while appearing in 48 games, including seven starts. Washington went undrafted out of Ohio State.

Phoenix has both of its two-way slots open, so the team will able to sign another two-way player in addition to Washington, who adds depth at the point behind Chris Paul and Cameron Payne.

Washington was waived last month as Indiana cleared cap space to give restricted free agent Deandre Ayton an offer sheet that Phoenix matched. Washington played most of last season on a two-way deal, then received a standard multiyear contract. However, his salary for next season was not guaranteed and he was waived just before it became guaranteed.

Blazers Sign Jared Rhoden To Camp Deal

August 3rd, 2022 at 2:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 3: Rhoden’s deal is now official. It’s an Exhibit 10 contract, so it could be converted into a two-way deal before the regular season begins.

AUGUST 2: The Trail Blazers are signing rookie shooting guard Jared Rhoden to a training camp deal, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Rhoden went undrafted out of Seton Hall this summer. He played four seasons for the Pirates, including 31 games last season in which he averaged 15.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG and 1.2 APG in 33.1 MPG. He shot 31.2% on 3-point attempts during his college career.

The 22-year-old shooting guard appeared in eight Summer League games with the Kings at Las Vegas and San Francisco, averaging 10.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG and 1.5 APG in 23.2 MPG.

Portland has 15 players on guaranteed deals but does have a two-way slot open, which Rhoden could presumably claim with a strong showing in camp.

Raptors Sign Gabe Brown To Exhibit 10 Contract

August 3rd, 2022 at 8:25am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have signed rookie free agent forward Gabe Brown, the team announced today in a press release. According to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link), Brown received an Exhibit 10 contract.

Brown, who declared for the draft this spring after spending four years at Michigan State, became a full-time starter for the Spartans as a senior in 2021/22, averaging 11.6 PPG and 3.8 RPG with a .382 3PT% in 36 games (28.9 MPG). His performance earned him a spot on the All-Big 10 Third Team.

Brown suited up for the Thunder’s Summer League team last month, recording 11.0 PPG and 3.5 RPG on .421/.370/1.000 shooting in four Las Vegas contests (21.8 MPG).

Oddly, previous reports indicated that Brown had reached contract agreements first with Oklahoma City and then with Denver. Either one or both of those reports were erroneous, or Brown has had one or two changes of heart this offseason as he weighed where to begin his professional career.

The Raptors now have 19 players under contract, with second-round pick Christian Koloko still unsigned. Given the team’s roster crunch, Brown doesn’t have a clear path to a spot on the regular season roster, but his Exhibit 10 deal would entitle him to a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate.

Rayjon Tucker Waived By Bucks, Will Play In Australia

August 2nd, 2022 at 9:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

9:53pm: Tucker is signing with Melbourne United of Australia’s NBL, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets.

9:02pm: The Bucks have waived shooting guard Rayjon Tucker, according to the NBA transactions log.

Milwaukee re-signed Tucker last month to a one-year, minimum-salary contract but the money was non-guaranteed.

The Bucks had 19 players under contract, so this move will give them a pair of openings on their 20-man offseason roster. One of those spots could be reserved for restricted free agent Jordan Nwora.

Tucker has appeared in a total of 39 NBA games across three seasons for Utah, Philadelphia, Denver and 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 last season for the Herd (the Bucks’ G League affiliate), Tucker averaged 21.1 PPG on 53% shooting.

Bulls Sign Goran Dragic

August 2nd, 2022 at 3:12pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

AUGUST 2: Nearly a month after first reaching an agreement with Dragic, the Bulls have officially signed him, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 3: The Bulls are fortifying their backcourt bench depth with a new veteran addition. Chicago will sign former All-NBA point guard Goran Dragic to a one-year contract, per Jordan Schultz of the Pull Up Podcast (Twitter link).

Dragic, most recently with the Nets, will earn $2.9MM, the veteran’s minimum, next season, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Dragic, who has an All-Star season and an All-NBA season on his résumé, played a crucial role during the Heat’s NBA Finals run within the Orlando “bubble” campus in 2020. The Slovenian guard’s production fell to earth the next season amid injury troubles, and he was ultimately dealt to the Raptors in the sign-and-trade agreement that landed Kyle Lowry with the Heat in the 2021 offseason.

Last year, Dragic appeared in just five games with Toronto before reaching an agreement to leave the club as it sought out a suitable trade. The 36-year-old was shipped to the Spurs and negotiated a buyout with San Antonio, then latched on with the Nets as a free agent.

Across 16 games with Brooklyn, including six starts, Dragic averaged 7.3 PPG, 4.8 APG and 3.2 RPG, while posting .376/.245/.739 shooting splits. Though his assist and rebounding numbers were in line with his career averages of 4.8 APG and 3.1 RPG, his scoring efficiency across 25.5 MPG for Brooklyn was a far cry from his 14-year career average of 13.7 PPG on .460/.362/.767 shooting.

The addition of Dragic marks Chicago’s fourth free agent agreement this offseason. The team agreed to re-sign All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine to a maximum deal, is bringing back deep-bench reserve forward Derrick Jones Jr., and will add journeyman reserve center Andre Drummond to boost its rebounding.

As Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype observes (via Twitter), thanks to Dragic’s minimum-salary deal, the Bulls are now approximately $1.7MM below the luxury tax this season, carrying a projected 15 players on guaranteed contracts. Gozlan adds that Chicago has around $7MM left to use from its non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

Any further Bulls roster changes seem more likely to come via trade than free agency. Opening up a roster spot now to add another free agent would require trading or waiving a current Bull with a guaranteed salary. The team also has a $5MM trade exception that will expire after July 7.

If the Bulls do make a deal, it could involve their backcourt depth. The team adds to a group of guards that already includes Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu, and Coby White, though Ball’s health heading into next season remains a question mark.

K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reports that the team anticipates this current roster will be intact for training camp in the fall, though he acknowledges that the team does appear to have a surplus of guards.

CJ Elleby Signing With Timberwolves

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

2:00pm: Elleby will be signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Wolves, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).

12:45pm: The Timberwolves have reached a contract agreement with free agent small forward CJ Elleby, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Elleby will be given an opportunity to compete for a roster spot in camp, sources tell Scotto.

Elleby, 22, was selected by the Trail Blazers with the 46th pick in the 2020 draft and spent his first two NBA seasons in Portland. He got a shot at regular playing time last season and averaged 5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 58 games, making 28 starts.

The Wolves will have 19 players under contract once they officially finalize all of their reported signings, but only 12 players have fully guaranteed contracts.

Elleby will be competing with Austin Rivers, Jaylen Nowell and Nathan Knight, who all have partial guarantees, as well as Phillip Wheeler, who will be in camp on an Exhibit 10 contract.

Pistons Sign Rodney McGruder, Kevin Knox

August 1st, 2022 at 9:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons have re-signed swingman Rodney McGruder, per the NBA transactions log. The team has also officially signed free agent forward Kevin Knox.

McGruder received a one-year deal, James Edwards of The Athletic tweets, though the contractual terms are unclear. Detroit already had 15 players with guaranteed contracts on its roster before both signings, along with filling both of its two-way spots.

Knox reportedly received a two-year, $6MM deal. Detroit will have to clear roster space via a trade or eat some guaranteed money to get down to 15 by training camp — the most logical odd man out is Kemba Walker, who is still expected to be bought out by the Pistons, but if McGruder got a guaranteed contract, another move will be required.

McGruder, 31, has been on the Pistons’ roster for the last two seasons. He appeared in 51 games in 2021/22, including two starts, and averaged 5.4 PPG in 14.8 MPG. He’s a career 35.2% 3-point shooter but made 39.7% of his attempts last season.

Knox, the ninth pick of the 2018 draft, is a reclamation project. He had a productive first season with the Knicks but fell out of favor under coach Tom Thibodeau. He appeared in just 13 games with the Knicks last season before being dealt to Atlanta. In 17 games with the Hawks, Knox averaged just 6.5 MPG.

The Hawks did not tender a qualifying offer to Knox this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Celtics Agree To Deal With Noah Vonleh

August 1st, 2022 at 7:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Free agent forward Noah Vonleh has agreed to a one-year deal with the Celtics, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

It’s apparently a training camp deal, as Wojnarowski adds that Vonleh will go to camp with the hopes of making the roster.

The 2014 lottery pick has bounced around the league. Vonleh began his career with Charlotte, then moved on to Portland, Chicago, New York, Minnesota and Denver. In his most recent NBA season, he saw action in four games with the Nets in 2020/21.

He has averaged 4.9 PPG and 5.1 RPG in 16.8 MPG, spanning 339 career games.

Vonleh played in China with the Shanghai Sharks during the 2021/22 season. The 26-year-old averaged 14.3 PPG and 9.1 RPG with Shanghai. The Guangdong Southern Tigers were reportedly interested in signing him, but he’ll take his chances first with Boston.

Warriors Sign JaMychal Green

August 1st, 2022 at 1:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Nearly two weeks after word first broke that he had reached a buyout agreement with the Thunder and intended to sign with the Warriors, forward JaMychal Green has officially signed with Golden State, the team announced today in a press release.

The Warriors didn’t disclose the terms of Green’s new deal, but it’s believed to be a one-year, minimum-salary contract. The 32-year-old would earn $2,628,597 (the amount he gave up in his buyout with Oklahoma City) and Golden State would take on a cap hit of $1,836,090.

An eight-year veteran, Green had a down season in 2021/22, averaging 6.4 PPG and 4.2 RPG on .486/.266/.871 shooting in 67 games (16.2 MPG) for the Nuggets. However, he has proven to be an effective stretch four over the years — entering ’21/22, he had knocked down 38.0% of his three-point attempts in his first seven NBA seasons.

Green, who entered the summer on an expiring $8.2MM contract, was traded from Denver to Oklahoma City in June before being officially waived by the Thunder last month.

Assuming Green’s new contract is fully guaranteed, as expected, he’ll be the 13th Warrior with a guaranteed salary. That leaves at least one spot available on the club’s projected regular season, though Andre Iguodala would presumably be the frontrunner to be the 14th man if he decides to continue his career.

The Warriors could carry up to 15 players in the regular season, but they may open the year with just 14 in order to reduce their projected end-of-season tax bill, unless there’s someone they really like for that 15th spot.