Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Magic Sign Paolo Banchero

July 1st, 2022 at 4:26pm CST by Rory Maher

The Magic have officially signed Paolo Banchero, the first pick of last week’s NBA draft, the team announced in a press release.

In 39 games as a freshman for Duke this past season, the 6’10” Banchero averaged 17.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.2 APG and 1.1 SPG on .478/.338/.729 shooting. He helped lead the Blue Devils to a 32-7 record and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, where they ultimately fell to long-time rival North Carolina in the Final Four.

Banchero earned numerous accolades for his stellar season, including Consensus All-America Second Team, All-ACC First Team, and ACC Rookie of the Year, among others.

As the first overall pick, Banchero will earn $11,055,120 as a rookie in 2022/23 if he signs for the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale (nearly always happens). He’s eligible to make $50,158,769 over the four-year contract, assuming the Magic pick up his team options in years three and four, which is basically a lock given his draft status.

Banchero is expected to make his Orlando debut in the Las Vegas Summer League on July 7.

Cavaliers Sign Raul Neto To One-Year Deal

July 1st, 2022 at 3:47pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 8: The Cavaliers have officially completed the signing of Reto, per a team press release.

JULY 1: Free agent point guard Raul Neto is signing with the Cavaliers, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Neto will receive a one-year, minimum-salary contract, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).

Neto, 30, spent the last seasons in D.C. as a backup point guard for the Wizards and acquitted himself well, averaging 8.1 PPG, 2.7 APG, and 2.2 RPG on .465/.349/.819 shooting in 134 total games (20.7 MPG). The seven-year veteran previously spent time with the Jazz and Sixers.

The Cavaliers reached an agreement on Friday to bring back veteran point guard Ricky Rubio to back up All-Star Darius Garland, but Rubio is recovering from a torn ACL and is unlikely to be ready to play this fall.

While Rubio works his way back, Neto should get a chance to be Garland’s primary backup. He’ll presumably shift a spot down the depth chart when Rubio returns.

In addition to agreeing to terms with Rubio and Neto today, the Cavaliers struck a minimum-salary deal with center Robin Lopez, as they continue to add veteran depth to complement their core.

Lakers Sign Scotty Pippen Jr., Cole Swider Via Two-Way Deals

July 1st, 2022 at 2:24pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 1: The Lakers have officially signed Pippen and Swider to two-way contracts, the team announced today (Twitter links).

JUNE 23: The Lakers are set to add undrafted former Vanderbilt point guard Scotty Pippen Jr. to a two-way contract, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic (Twitter link). Los Angeles will also sign undrafted Syracuse rookie forward Cole Swider into their second two-play player slot, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

The 21-year-old Pippen, son of Hall of Fame Bulls small forward Scottie Pippen, played for three seasons with the Commodores. The 6’1″ guard was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2020, and was a two-time First-Team All-SEC selection in 2021 and 2022.

During his third NCAA season in 2021/22, the younger Pippen averaged 20.4 PPG, 4.5 APG, 3.6 RPG and 1.9 SPG across 36 games, all starts. He posted a slash line of .416/.325/.749.

Swider spent his first three college seasons with Villanova before finishing his NCAA career with Syracuse. For the Orange in 2021/22, Swider averaged 13.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.4 APG and 1.0 SPG. The 6’9″ forward started all 33 games during his final NCAA season, with solid shooting splits of .473/.411/.866.

Pippen and Swider will log some time with L.A.’s NBAGL affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, but could also help contribute to the depth-challenged NBA club.

Bulls Re-Sign Derrick Jones To Two-Year Deal

July 1st, 2022 at 1:39pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: Jones is officially back under contract with the Bulls, according to a Twitter announcement from the team.

JULY 1: The Bulls and Derrick Jones have agreed to a new two-year contract that will keep the free agent forward in Chicago, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Charania, Jones’ two-year deal will be worth $6.6MM, with a second-year player option.

Chicago held Jones’ Early Bird rights, but a deal completed using the Early Bird exception can’t include a second-year option, so the team is likely renouncing its Early Bird rights and making Jones a Non-Bird free agent. The Bulls would then be able to complete the signing without dipping into their mid-level exception.

Jones, 25, appeared in 51 games for Chicago in 2021/22 after being acquired from Portland in an offseason trade. He averaged 5.6 PPG and 3.3 RPG on .538/.328/.800 shooting in 17.6 minutes per contest.

While Jones hasn’t made a major impact on the offensive end since entering the NBA in 2016, his athleticism and his ability to guard multiple positions on defense have continued to earn him regular minutes.

The Bulls now project to be about $3.5MM below the luxury tax line with 14 players under contract, tweets Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype.

Rockets Sign Trevor Hudgins To Two-Way Contract

July 1st, 2022 at 1:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 1: The Rockets have officially signed Hudgins to his two-way deal, the team announced today in a press release. It’s a one-year contract, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

JUNE 24: Trevor Hudgins, a two-time Division II Player of the Year at Northwest Missouri State, will sign a two-way deal with the Rockets, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The agreement was confirmed by Hudgins’ agent, George Langberg.

A 23-year-old guard, Hudgins averaged 23.0 points, 4.3 assists and 1.5 steals as a senior. He’s an accomplished shooter, connecting at 48.2% from the field, 41.5% from three-point range and 90.1% from the foul line this season. He was named Most Outstanding Player in the Division II Tournament in both 2019 and 2022 and won three national titles with the Bearcats.

Hudgins had one year of eligibility remaining, but chose to forego it and enter the draft. He also declared for the 2021 draft before deciding to return to school.

ESPN ranks Hudgins 33rd on its list of best undrafted players.

Bucks Sign AJ Green To Two-Way Deal

July 1st, 2022 at 1:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 1: Green’s two-way contract is now official, the Bucks confirmed today in a press release.

JUNE 24: Undrafted rookie AJ Green of Northern Iowa will sign a two-way contract with the Bucks, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 6’4″ combo guard played four seasons with the Panthers and was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2020 and 2022. Green missed most of his junior year because of hip surgery, but he bounced back strong as a senior, averaging 18.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 38.8% from three-point range.

Green, who had one year of eligibility remaining, entered the transfer portal at the same time he declared for the draft. He ultimately decided to pursue a pro career rather than return to school.

Milwaukee’s other two-way slot currently belongs to Sandro Mamukelashvili.

Hugo Besson, whom the Bucks took with the final pick in Thursday’s draft, might have been a candidate for a two-way contract, but the team plans to keep him overseas next season, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Trail Blazers Sign Shaedon Sharpe

July 1st, 2022 at 1:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

Shaedon Sharpe, the seventh pick in last week’s draft, has signed his rookie contract with the Trail Blazers, the team announced in a press release.

The 19-year-old Canadian was considered a wild card heading into the draft because he didn’t play college basketball. Scouts watched his practices at Kentucky, but hadn’t seen him in action in a competitive environment since he left high school.

As the No. 7 selection, Sharpe will receive $6,012,960 during his first season if he signs for the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale, which virtually all first-round picks do. He’s eligible to make $27,340,903 over the four-year contract, assuming the Blazers pick up his options.

Sharpe is expected to play for Portland’s entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, which starts next week.

Cavaliers Sign Robin Lopez

July 1st, 2022 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7: The Cavaliers have officially signed Lopez, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

JULY 1: The Cavaliers have agreed to a one-year deal with free agent center Robin Lopez, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). It’s a minimum-salary contract for Lopez, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Lopez is coming off a one-year, $5MM deal with the Magic. The 34-year-old was effective in a limited role in Orlando, but was in and out of the rotation as the club focused on developing young bigs Wendell Carter and Mohamed Bamba.

In 36 games (17.0 MPG), Lopez averaged 7.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 1.5 APG on 55.3% shooting. The former 15th overall pick is valued by NBA teams in large part due to his willingness and ability to do the dirty work on both ends of the court, including setting good screens and effectively boxing out rebounders.

Lopez will provide some depth and veteran leadership in a Cavaliers frontcourt headed by All-Star center Jarrett Allen and promising youngster Evan Mobley.

Trail Blazers Re-Sign Drew Eubanks

July 1st, 2022 at 11:54am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 7: Eubanks’ new contract with the Blazers is now official, per a team release.

“Drew’s work ethic and style of play left an imprint on us last season,” general manager Joe Cronin said in a statement. “His toughness and ability to finish at the rim will be assets to our frontcourt depth.”

JULY 1: Drew Eubanks will return to the Trail Blazers on a one-year contract, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal was confirmed by Eubanks’ agent, James Dunleavy.

Eubanks started last season with the Spurs before being shipped to Toronto at the trade deadline. He caught on with the Trail Blazers in late February and remained with the team through the end of the season on five 10-day contracts. Eubanks started all 22 games that he played for Portland and averaged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in 29.5 minutes per night.

The 25-year-old big man signed with San Antonio in 2018 after going undrafted out of Oregon State. He spent more than three seasons as a backup for the Spurs before being traded.

Jusuf Nurkic Signs Four-Year Deal With Trail Blazers

July 1st, 2022 at 11:17am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 6: The Trail Blazers put out a press release officially announcing Nurkic’s new contract. The announcement included a statement from GM Joe Cronin, who said it was “incredibly important” to bring back the veteran center as a key piece of the team’s core.

“Nurk’s physicality, rebounding prowess and defensive acumen make him an integral part of what we do on both sides of the ball,” Cronin said.

JULY 1: The Trail Blazers will re-sign center Jusuf Nurkic at $70MM over four seasons, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Nurkic’s agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, confirmed the agreement.

The deal shows that Nurkic is still viewed as part of the future in Portland. There had been speculation around the trade deadline that he might be moved as part of a rebuild, but the Blazers have been heading in the other direction, making roster moves aimed at a quick return to contention.

Nurkic, 27, averaged 15.0 points and 11.1 rebounds last season, but he was sidelined by plantar fasciitis in mid-February. With Portland well out of the playoff race, the team opted to not have Nurkic try to return for the end of the season.

Nurkic started his NBA career with the Nuggets, but was traded to the Blazers in 2017 after Nikola Jokic emerged as a star in Denver. He overcame a compound fracture of his left tibia and fibula in 2019 and was fully healthy heading into last season.

Re-signing Nurkic ends any interest that Portland may have had in the Suns’ Deandre Ayton. The Blazers had been mentioned as a possible destination for the free agent center.

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report first reported earlier in the week that a four-year deal in the range of $17MM per year for Nurkic and the Blazers was a likely outcome. It’s a pay raise for the big man, whose last contract was worth $48MM over four years.

Portland has been busy so far in free agency, reaching multiyear agreements with Anfernee Simons and Gary Payton II in addition to Nurkic.