Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Clippers Sign Kevin Porter Jr. To Two-Year Contract

July 10th, 2024 at 12:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 10: Porter is officially a Clipper, the team announced today in a press release.

JUNE 30: The Clippers have reached a two-year agreement with guard Kevin Porter Jr., Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter). The contract will include a player option in the second year.

Porter’s new deal will be for the veteran’s minimum, The Athletic’s Law Murray tweets, and will be fully guaranteed, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link). It will include a 15% trade kicker, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports adds (Twitter link).

Porter has had a short, but checkered, history in the NBA. He started his career with Cleveland, but was inactive at the beginning of the 2020/21 season due to an off-season weapons charge, which was later dropped. He was traded from Cleveland to Houston in 2021 on the heels of a locker room incident.

In 2023, following an arrest on a domestic assault charge, Porter was traded by the Rockets to Oklahoma City shortly before the start of the regular season. The Thunder waived him the day after the deal was completed and he didn’t play in the league this past season.

Porter reached a plea agreement of a third-degree reckless assault misdemeanor in January. He is in the process of completing a court-ordered program, and once completed his plea will move to not guilty with no criminal record (Twitter links).

Porter was originally charged with felony counts of assault and strangulation after an altercation with his former girlfriend in New York.

At the beginning of April, Porter signed with PAOK in Greece. In six domestic league matches, he averaged 22.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.8 steals in 39 minutes per contest.

Porter drew multiple suitors, according to Charania, before choosing the Clippers. With the team seeking to trade Russell Westbrook, Porter has an opportunity to jump right into the rotation.

In his last season with the Rockets, he averaged 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in 59 starts. For his career, Porter has averaged 15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per contest.

Sixers Sign Eric Gordon To Minimum-Salary Deal

July 10th, 2024 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 10: Gordon’s minimum-salary contract with the Sixers is now official, the team confirmed in a press release.

“Eric is a proven shot-maker whose ability to create space and punish defenses that overextend will help solidify an already dynamic offense,” team president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said in a statement. “He plays bigger as the moments get bigger which will be key for our playoff run. I’ve known Eric for many years – he is devoted to his craft and continuously works on his game, allowing him to have such a long and successful career. We are lucky to have him in Philly.”

Gordon’s new contract will actually be for two years, with a second-year player option, Hoops Rumors has learned.

JUNE 30: Free agent guard Eric Gordon has agreed to sign with the Sixers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports reports (via Twitter) that it’ll be a minimum-salary contract, while Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link) says it’ll be for one year.

Gordon inked a two-year minimum-salary deal with the Suns last season and averaged 11.0 points, 2.0 assists, and 1.8 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .443/.378/.797.

Because his deal included a second-year player option, he was able to opt out and return to the free agent market this summer in search of a new opportunity.

By signing in Philadelphia, Gordon will reunite with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, who oversaw the Rockets’ front office during most of the veteran guard’s tenure with the franchise from 2016-23.

Since Gordon is receiving the veteran’s minimum, the 76ers will be able to wait until after they’ve used up all their cap room to officially sign him and won’t need to dedicate a chunk of that space to the 35-year-old.

Clippers Re-Sign James Harden To Two-Year Deal

July 10th, 2024 at 6:14am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 10: Harden’s new contract with the Clippers is now official, per the NBA’s transaction log.

Harden’s deal, which is worth $33,653,846 in year one with a $36,346,154 second-year player option, also features a 15% trade kicker. He’ll have the right to veto any trade involving him in 2024/25.

JUNE 30: Free agent guard James Harden will be remaining with the Clippers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the former MVP is signing a new two-year, $70MM contract with the club. The second season will be a player option, sources tell Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Harden was acquired in November after a messy dispute with Sixers president of basketball operation Daryl Morey over what Harden considered to be broken promises in contract negotiations. Harden publicly insulted Morey and disrupted training camp in an effort to force his way out of Philadelphia.

Harden was initially an awkward fit alongside Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook, but the four All-Stars eventually worked things out and the Clippers claimed the fourth seed in the West with a 51-31 record.

Harden took over as the starting point guard and contributed 16.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 8.5 rebounds per night in 72 games.

The player option means Harden will get another chance to test the free agent market next summer when he may be better positioned to get a long-term deal.

There were rumors this weekend that the Lakers were considering targeting Harden, but as an over-the-cap team, they would have had no realistic path to match the Clippers’ offer.

Harden’s new deal pushes the Clippers’ projected team salary above $152MM for 10 players, according to Yossi Gozlan at CapSheets.com. That puts the team about $19MM below the luxury tax line, but doesn’t account for Paul George, whose maximum salary would push that total into second-apron territory if he returns. If George signs elsewhere, the Clippers could have the full mid-level exception and bi-annual exception available.

Clippers Sign Kai Jones To Exhibit 10 Contract

July 10th, 2024 at 6:12am CST by Rory Maher

JULY 10: The Clippers have officially signed Jones, according to the NBA’s transaction log. His deal includes Exhibit 9 and Exhibit 10 language, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link), so it won’t count against the team’s cap unless he makes the regular season roster.

JULY 5: The Clippers are re-signing free agent big man Kai Jones to a non-guaranteed contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Jones’ non-guaranteed deal will cover one year for the veteran’s minimum, according to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Bahamian forward/center will be competing for a roster spot in training camp, per Charania.

The 19th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Jones wasn’t able to earn rotation minutes during his first two seasons with Charlotte. He was waived in October after a series of unusual social media posts that called out several of his Hornets teammates.

Jones returned to the NBA in March on a 10-day contract with Philadelphia, but didn’t see any game action before it expired in part due to a hamstring injury. He signed with the Clippers on the final day of the regular season and didn’t get into a game with them either.

The Clips declined Jones’ team option for 2024/25 last week, making him an unrestricted free agent. However, Murray reported multiple times that the 23-year-old was expected to return to L.A.

Murray also stated that Jones is currently dealing with an ankle injury that will prevent him from playing in Summer League.

Bucks Sign Taurean Prince To One-Year Deal

July 9th, 2024 at 9:00pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 9: The Bucks have officially signed Prince, according to a team press release.

JULY 3: Free agent forward Taurean Prince intends to sign a contract with the Bucks, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), it’s a one-year deal.

Milwaukee isn’t currently in position to offer more than the veteran’s minimum to any outside free agents due to its proximity to the second tax apron, so this figures to be a minimum-salary agreement.

Prince, 30, signed a one-year, $4.5MM contract with the Lakers last season and played a significant rotation role in Los Angeles — his 49 starts and 27.0 minutes per game represented his highest marks since the 2019/20 season. He appeared in 78 games overall, averaging 8.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per night, with a .396 3PT%.

While Prince was perhaps leaned on too heavily as a starter in L.A., he’s a solid three-and-D reserve who figures to play a regular role off the bench for the Bucks in 2024/25.

The move will reunite him with Darvin Ham, the former Lakers head coach who trusted him with those significant minutes last season. Ham, who was also an assistant in Atlanta from 2016-18 at the start of Prince’s career with the Hawks, is now part of Doc Rivers‘ coaching staff in Milwaukee.

A minimum-salary deal for Prince will pay him a salary of $2,988,550 and will count against the Bucks’ cap for $2,087,519.

Rockets Add N’Faly Dante Via Two-Way Deal

July 9th, 2024 at 8:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 9: Dante has officially signed the two-way contract, the team tweets.

JUNE 27: The Rockets are signing undrafted Oregon center N’Faly Dante to a two-way deal, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The 6’11” big man was a two-time All-Pac-12 honoree and was also named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team in 2024. A five-year senior in 2023/24, he enjoyed his most productive season yet as a super-senior, averaging 17 points per game on 69.5% shooting from the field and 61.3% shooting from the charity stripe. Dante also logged averages of 9.2 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 1.7 steals and 1.6 assists per contest.

Houston only wound up with one pick in the 2024 draft, the third selection, which the Rockets used on sharpshooting Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard. The club traded out from the No. 44 pick in the second round to obtain reserve small forward AJ Griffin from the Hawks as part of a three-team deal.

Hawks Re-Sign Seth Lundy On Two-Way Deal

July 9th, 2024 at 4:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hawks have signed wing Seth Lundy to a two-way contract, according to a team press release.

The 46^th overall pick in the 2023 draft after a four-year college career at Penn State, Lundy spent last season on a two-way contract with the Hawks. He appeared in nine games with Atlanta and 25 contests with the College Park Skyhawks.

Atlanta extended a qualifying offer to Lundy in late June, the equivalent of another two-way deal. He may have simply accepted that offer rather than negotiating a new two-way deal.

Lundy averaged just 5.8 minutes in his nine NBA appearances. In those 25 G League games (23 starts), the 6’4″ guard/forward averaged 20.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 blocks in 32.6 minutes. He shot 46.2% from the field and 40% on 3-point attempts.

The 24-year-old underwent ankle surgery in mid-May. The left ankle procedure removed a medial ankle bone spur.

Lundy won’t play in the Summer League but the expectation is that he’ll make a full recovery in time for the start of next season.

Timberwolves Sign Jesse Edwards To Two-Way Contract

July 9th, 2024 at 4:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Timberwolves have signed center Jesse Edwards to a two-way contract, according to the NBA transactions log. The team has confirmed the signing in a press release.

Edwards participated in both the G League Elite Camp and the NBA’s combine but went undrafted last month. The 24-year-old spent four seasons at Syracuse, then finished up his college career at West Virginia. He played 23 games for the Mountaineers and averaged 15.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 28.3 minutes per game.

In his last season with the Orange, the seven-f00t Edwards averaged 14.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in 32.6 minutes while making 32 starts.

The Amsterdam native suited up for the Netherlands Senior National Team during the 2023 World Cup qualifying tournament and the 2022 EuroBasket tournament.

The Timberwolves also have 2023 draft pick Jaylen Clark on a two-way deal but still have another slot available.

Pistons Claim Paul Reed Off Waivers

July 9th, 2024 at 4:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons are claiming former Sixers big man Paul Reed off waivers, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweets. The Pistons have confirmed the move in a press release (Twitter link).

Reed was placed on waivers on Saturday when Philadelphia chose to sign free agent forward Caleb Martin. He had been due to clear waivers and become a free agent at 4:00 pm CT if he had gone unclaimed.

The Pistons will use some of their available cap room to claim Reed, who signed a three-year, $23,555,150 contract last summer with Philadelphia. Only the first year was guaranteed — his $7.7MM salary for next season remains non-guaranteed until early January, and his $8.1MM salary for 2025/26 will stay non-guaranteed as long as his team doesn’t advance to the second round of the playoffs.

The Pistons could retain Reed to compete with or back up incumbent center Jalen Duren, use Reed as a trade chip, or waive him again if they need to clear cap room to make another move.

Reed has evolved into a serviceable backup in the frontcourt over the past few seasons. In 2023/24, he averaged 7.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 1.0 blocks, appearing in all 82 of Philadelphia’s regular season games.

Raptors Sign Ulrich Chomche To Two-Way Deal

July 9th, 2024 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have officially signed No. 57 overall pick Ulrich Chomche to a two-way contract, per the NBA’s transaction log.

According to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet (Twitter link), Chomche’s deal will cover two years instead of just one, putting him on track to reach restricted free agency in 2026. Chomche was the youngest player in this year’s draft class (he won’t turn 19 until December 30), so his camp and the Raptors agreed to approach his development with a longer-term view, Murphy explains.

Chomche, who was born in Cameroon, was part of the NBA Academy Africa before playing in the Basketball Africa League in 2022 and 2023. The 6’11” center became the first player in league history to be selected in an NBA draft after playing in the BAL.

The Raptors reportedly sent the Timberwolves $1MM in cash to acquire the No. 57 pick in last month’s draft in order to nab Chomche. That deal ended up being expanded to include four teams.

Toronto has now filled all three of its two-way slots, with Chomche joining D.J. Carton and Branden Carlson. The club also has 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts. It’s unclear if the Raptors plan on making any more roster changes in the coming days, weeks, or months, or if this is essentially the group they’ll take into training camp (with camp invitees to fill out the 21-man squad).