Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Blake Wesley Signs Rookie Contract With Spurs

July 5th, 2022 at 1:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs have signed first-round pick Blake Wesley, the team announced in a press release.

Assuming Wesley receives the standard 120% of the rookie scale, he will be paid approximately $2.39MM in his first season and $12.24MM over the life of the four-year contract.

[RELATED: 2022 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

The 19-year-old guard out of Notre Dame was the 25th pick in last month’s draft. He averaged 14.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists during his lone season with the Fighting Irish and was a second-team All-ACC selection.

Wesley was one of three players selected by the Spurs in the first round of the June 23 draft. There have been no announcements yet on Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham, but it likely won’t be long before they sign their own rookie contracts.

Nets Sign Edmond Sumner

July 5th, 2022 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 8: The Nets have officially signed Sumner, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 5: After reaching a contract agreement with T.J. Warren earlier in the day, Brooklyn is set to sign another former Pacer who missed the entire 2021/22 season due to an injury.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), the Nets and free agent guard Edmond Sumner have agreed to a deal. Sumner tore his left Achilles tendon last September and was sidelined all of last season as he recovered.

Prior to the injury, Sumner enjoyed a career year in Indiana in 2020/21, playing a career-high 16.2 minutes per game and earning 24 starts in 53 contests. The 6″4″ guard averaged 7.5 PPG and 1.8 RPG with an impressive shooting line of .525/.398/.819, and projected to be part of the Pacers’ rotation for ’21/22.

The Nets actually acquired Sumner in a trade with the Pacers during the 2021 preseason, following his Achilles tear, but that was a salary-dump deal that sent a future second-round pick to Brooklyn. Sumner was waived a few days later.

While the terms of the agreement between Sumner and the Nets have yet to be reported, it’s almost certain to be a minimum-salary contract.

Brooklyn’s roster remains in flux due to the unresolved Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving situations, so Sumner’s exact role remains to be determined, but he’ll likely be a depth piece in the backcourt.

Nets Sign T.J. Warren To One-Year Contract

July 5th, 2022 at 8:50am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7: Warren’s deal with the Nets is now official, the team announced. “T.J. is a proven three-level scorer with the size and versatility to make an impact for us,” said Nets general manager Sean Marks. “We think T.J. is a great fit on the wing, and we’re excited to welcome him and his family to Brooklyn.”

JULY 5: The Nets have reached a free agent agreement with forward T.J. Warren and will sign him to a one-year contract, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

The terms of the deal aren’t yet known. Brooklyn hasn’t used its taxpayer mid-level exception yet and could offer Warren any amount between his minimum ($2.6MM) and the full taxpayer MLE ($6.5MM).

Warren, who will turn 29 in September, has averaged 15.5 PPG on .507/.357/.780 shooting in 332 regular season games since entering the NBA as the 14th overall pick in 2014. However, he has missed nearly two full seasons due to left foot problems, playing just four times in 2020/21 and then sitting out the entire ’21/22 campaign.

Reports have indicated that Warren is fully recovered heading into 2022/23, and in his last full season (’19/20) he put up 19.8 PPG with a .536/.403/.819 shooting line, making him an intriguing flier in free agency this offseason. He’ll likely have to shake off some rust, but if he’s back to 100%, he’s an explosive scorer capable of creating matchup problems for opposing defenses.

It’s unclear what Warren’s role will look like in Brooklyn, where the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving situations remain very much in flux. His place on the depth chart will hinge on whether Durant is moved and what the Nets get back in any deal for the former MVP.

The Nets have now made deals this summer to add both scoring and defense on the wing, having also acquired forward Royce O’Neale from Utah in exchange for a first-round pick.

Warren began the offseason as the No. 50 free agent on our top-50 list and moved up to No. 46 after a few players exercised options.

Nets Sign Alondes Williams To Two-Way Deal

July 4th, 2022 at 9:10am CST by Rory Maher

JULY 4: Williams’ two-way deal with the Nets is now official, the team announced today in a press release.

As our tracker shows, Brooklyn’s other two-way slot remains open, though the club has a two-way qualifying offer out to David Duke.

JUNE 24: The Nets are signing Alondes Williams to a two-way deal, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link).

The 6’5″ guard averaged 18.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 5.2 APG and 1.2 SPG on .507/.282/.691 shooting as a junior for Wake Forest in 2021/22. He spent his first two college seasons with Oklahoma prior to transferring to the Demon Deacons.

Williams won ACC Player of the Year and was selected to the All-ACC First Team for his strong performance this past season. He was ranked 59th on ESPN’s big board prior to the draft, so he was considered a fringe second-round pick, but ultimately went undrafted and landed in Brooklyn.

Bismack Biyombo Re-Signs With Suns

July 3rd, 2022 at 8:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 3: Biyombo has officially re-signed with the Suns, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. That means it’s a minimum-salary deal for the veteran big man, since minimum signings can be completed during the July moratorium.

JULY 2: The Suns are re-signing free agent center Bismack Biyombo, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets.

Biyombo, 29, appeared in 36 regular-season games last season for Phoenix, averaging 5.8 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 14.1 MPG. Biyombo, who spent the bulk of his NBA career with Charlotte, also appeared in nine playoff games last season.

Biyombo provides depth in the middle with Deandre Ayton‘s status with the franchise still very much up in the air.

Biyombo joined Phoenix last season on a 10-day contract, then signed a rest-of-the-season deal in early January for the prorated veteran’s minimum.

Nuggets Sign Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, Collin Gillespie

July 3rd, 2022 at 5:51pm CST by JD Shaw

The Nuggets have signed first-round draft picks Christian Braun and Peyton Watson to their rookie contracts, the team announced in a press release. Denver also officially signed undrafted Villanova guard Collin Gillespie to a two-way contract.

Braun, 6″7″, was drafted No. 21 overall last month. He helped Kansas win the NCAA championship this past season, averaging 14.1 points and 6.5 rebounds in 34.4 minutes per game. He also shot 49.5% from the floor and 39% from downtown during those outings. Assuming the usual 120% of the rookie scale, his deal will be for four years and $13.77MM.

Watson, 6’8″, was selected with the final pick of the first round. He played 32 games with UCLA as a freshman last season, ranking second on the team in blocked shots. He’s also only 19 years old. His deal is expected to be worth $11.27MM across four years.

Gillespie agreed to a two-way deal with Denver shortly after the draft. He averaged 15.6 points per game for Villanova last season, shooting 41.5% from three-point range. Gillespie, Braun and Watson are all set to play for the team during summer league this month.

Thunder Waive Isaiah Roby

July 3rd, 2022 at 5:30pm CST by JD Shaw

The Thunder have waived big man Isaiah Roby, the team announced. Roby’s $1.9MM contract would’ve become fully guaranteed if he wasn’t waived today.

Roby has spent the better part of three seasons with Oklahoma City since being acquired from Dallas midway through his rookie year in 2020. He appeared in 45 games last season, averaging 10.1 points and 4.8 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per contest. He also shot an efficient 51.4% from the floor.

Assuming he clears waivers on Tueday, Roby should receive interest as a free agent, as he’s only 24 years old.

He appeared in 109 total games with Oklahoma City, holding career averages of 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest. The Thunder are coming off a season in which they finished with the league’s fourth-worst record at 24-58.

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.