Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mike Muscala To Return To Thunder

June 30th, 2022 at 10:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Veteran center Mike Muscala will return to the Thunder on a one-year veteran’s minimum contract, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (via Twitter).

The club declined its $3.5MM team option on Muscala prior to the start of free agency. The veteran’s minimum for a player with nine years of NBA service is projected to be $2,641,682.

Initially drafted by the Hawks with the No. 44 pick in 2013 out of Bucknell, Muscala eventually evolved into a modern floor-spacing power forward/center. He split the 2018/19 season between the Sixers and Lakers. Muscala first signed with the Thunder in 2019.

The longtime vet, who turns 31 tomorrow, has spent his last three seasons with Oklahoma City. In 43 games last year for a rebuilding Thunder club, Muscala averaged 8.0 PPG and 3.0 RPG during 13.8 MPG. On offense, the 6’10” big man has carved out a niche as a bench shooting threat, boasting a career three-point conversion rate of 37.7% on 2.5 tries a game. Last season, he connected on 42.9% of his 3.8 looks a night.

Muscala joins fellow re-signed OKC veteran Luguentz Dort in returning to a rebuilding Thunder club loaded with present and future young assets.

Oklahoma City enjoyed one of the most active drafts among any NBA team this year, selecting Gonzaga power forward/center Chet Holmgren, NZ Breakers wing Ousmane Dieng, and Santa Clara guard Jalen Williams in the lottery. Ever the completist, team president Sam Presti also grabbed Arkansas power forward Jaylin Williams with the No. 34 pick in the second round. They join a team loaded with other exciting young players in Dort, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Tre Mann, and Darius Bazley.

Bulls Sign Andre Drummond

June 30th, 2022 at 9:21pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 6: The Bulls have made it official with Drummond, announcing the deal on Twitter.

JUNE 30: The Bulls will add veteran center Andre Drummond to bolster their frontcourt, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports (Twitter link) that Chicago will ink Drummond to a two-year, $6.6MM contract, with a player option for 2023/24. A two-year deal at the veteran’s minimum would be worth $5.95MM, so presumably the Bulls – who don’t have the bi-annual exception available this season – are dipping into their mid-level to complete the signing.

The Drummond deal is the first reported free agent addition for Chicago during the 2022 offseason. The team is still hoping to re-sign two-time All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine, an unrestricted free agent. Unsigned veteran free agent forward Danilo Gallinari has also been mentioned as a possibility for Chicago.

Additionally, the Bulls have a $5MM trade exception left over from a Daniel Theis sign-and-trade during the 2021 offseason it must use (or lose) by July 7.

Drummond, 28, is coming off an impressive bounce-back season split between the Sixers and Nets, and Chicago no doubt hopes he can help shore up the team’s frontcourt depth.

Selected by the Pistons with the ninth pick out of Connecticut in 2012, the 6’10” Drummond blossomed into a two-time All-Star for Detroit. Drummond agreed to a five-year maximum-salary contract with Detroit in 2016. He was eventually traded to the Cavaliers, before signing a one-year veteran’s minimum deal with the Lakers ahead of the 2020/21 season.

Playing as a reserve behind Sixers All-Star Joel Embiid to start the 2021/22 season on another minimum deal, Drummond saw limited touches on offense, but was still able to feast on the glass in limited minutes. Across 18.4 MPG, he averaged 6.1 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.1 SPG and 0.9 BPG in 49 contests with Philadelphia.

The Sixers included Drummond to the Nets as part of the team’s trade package for All-Star guard James Harden. With Brooklyn, Drummond enjoyed an expanded offensive role. He started in all 24 of his games with the Nets, averaging 11.8 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.0 BPG and 0.9 SPG during 22.3 MPG.

Nuggets Sign Davon Reed To Two-Year Contract

June 30th, 2022 at 9:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 9: The Nuggets have officially re-signed Reed, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

JUNE 30: The Nuggets are re-signing Davon Reed to a standard two-year deal, Mike Singer of the Denver Post tweets.

Reed appeared in 48 regular season games with Denver last season, including five starts. He averaged 4.4 PPG in 13.9 MPG.

He was on a two-way contract and received a qualifying offer this week, making him a restricted free agent. The terms of his new contract aren’t yet known.

Reed couldn’t play in the postseason because of the two-way deal. However, he earned high praise from coach Michael Malone.

“Every time Davon Reed has gotten a chance to play this year, he’s found a way to help this team,” Malone said late in the regular season.

The 6’5” guard has made 39.1% of his 3-pointers in his 79-game NBA career.

Magic To Guarantee Moritz Wagner’s 2022/23 Salary

June 30th, 2022 at 8:51pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Reserve Magic center Moritz Wagner will have his $1.9MM non-guaranteed salary for the 2022/23 NBA season become fully guaranteed, per Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter).

Wagner was drafted by the Lakers out of Michigan with the No. 25 pick in 2018. He spent one season with Los Angeles as a little-used reserve, averaging just 10.4 MPG. The 6’11” center spent the next few years on the move, being flipped first to the Wizards in 2019, then the Celtics and Magic during the 2020/21 season.

The team drafted his younger brother, 2022 All-Rookie small forward Franz Wagner, with the eight overall pick in 2021. The Magic brought Wagner back on his current two-year, $3.6MM deal during the same offseason. Across 63 games with Orlando in 2021/22, the 25-year-old backup big man averaged 9.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 1.4 APG in 15.2 MPG, playing behind the Magic’s jumbo-sized frontcourt of Wendell Carter Jr. and Mohamed Bamba.

With the advent of top 2022 draft pick Paolo Banchero out of Duke and the expected return of Jonathan Isaac near the start of the 2022/23 season, Wagner may struggle to make Orlando’s big man rotation on a night-to-night basis.

Pistons, Kevin Knox Agree To Two-Year Contract

June 30th, 2022 at 8:18pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Unrestricted free agent forward Kevin Knox will sign a two-year, $6MM deal with the Pistons, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

After being selected by the Knicks with the ninth pick in the 2018 draft out of Kentucky, Knox enjoyed a productive rookie season for a rebuilding 17-65 New York club. The 6’7″ forward averaged a career-best 12.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.1 APG and 0.6 SPG in a career-most 28.8 MPG, starting in 57 of his 75 healthy games.

Knox has never scaled those heights again in his successive three NBA seasons of action. The 22-year-old has yet to average better than half of that scoring mark across three unproductive seasons with New York and the Hawks, to whom he was traded in January.

After head coach Tom Thibodeau took over in 2020, Knox found himself a fringe rotation player, averaging 11.0 MPG in just 42 games during the team’s playoff-bound 2020/21 season.

Last year, Knox cameoed in just 13 games with the Knicks 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.

Considering the Pistons’ youth movement, it makes sense for the team to take flyers on young lottery selections like Knox and Marvin Bagley III, as Detroit builds around star point guard Cade Cunningham and 2022 lottery picks Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren.

Wizards Sign Delon Wright To Two-Year Contract

June 30th, 2022 at 8:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 6: The Wizards have officially signed Wright, the team announced today in a press release.

“Delon’s versatility as a playmaker, scorer and defender will help us solidify our backcourt rotation,” Wizards president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard said in a statement. “His size allows him to play and defend both guard positions and will give us flexibility with our lineups.”

JUNE 30: The Wizards have agreed to a two-year, $16MM contract with point guard Delon Wright, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Both years are guaranteed, David Aldridge of The Athletic tweets.

The contract will eat up a good portion of Washington’s $10.49MM mid-level exception.

Wright is the second significant point guard acquisition made by Washington this week. The Wizards are acquiring Monte Morris in a four-player deal with Denver. Journeyman point guard Ish Smith is being shipped to the Nuggets as part of that deal.

A report surfaced earlier on Thursday that Washington was interested in Wright.

The 30-year-old has played for six organizations, most recently the Hawks. He was a regular in their rotation last season, appearing in 77 regular-season contests, including eight starts. He averaged 4.4 PPG, 2.4 APG and 1.2 SPG in 18.9 MPG.

Juan Toscano-Anderson To Sign With Lakers

June 30th, 2022 at 8:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent wing Juan Toscano-Anderson, who just won a championship with the Warriors, has agreed to a deal with the Lakers, agent Erika Ruiz told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

It’ll be a one-year, minimum-salary contract, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

As Haynes details, Toscano-Anderson went undrafted out of Marquette in 2015 and spent the next three seasons playing in the Mexican league prior to receiving a tryout with the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. Obviously, he impressed Golden State with his athleticism and versatility, having spent the last three seasons with the Warriors’ NBA squad.

Across 139 games (17.1 MPG) from 2019-2022, JTA holds career averages of 4.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 2.2 APG on .523/.361/.613 shooting. At 29, his upside might be a bit limited, but his energy and enthusiasm should help a Lakers team that was quite old and lethargic last season.

Gary Harris Signs Two-Year Extension With Magic

June 30th, 2022 at 7:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

7:59pm: The Magic have officially issued a press release announcing that the team’s contract extension with Harris is done (Twitter link).

7:53pm: Veteran Magic shooting guard Gary Harris will return to Orlando, per Jeff Zillgit of USA Today Sports (via Twitter). Agents Austin Brown and Aaron Mintz inform Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link) that the two sides have agreed to a two-season, $26MM contract extension.

The 27-year-old spent his first 6.5 NBA seasons in Denver after the Nuggets traded for his draft rights in 2014. Harris quickly became a valuable two-way starter with the Nuggets beginning in the 2015/16 season. His availability began to be hampered by injury issues towards the end of his Denver tenure. The 6’4″ wing holds career averages of 11.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.2 SPG, plus shooting splits of .448/.363/.812.

Denver eventually included Harris in its 2021 trade for forward Aaron Gordon. During his first full season with a lottery-bound 22-60 Magic club in 2021/22, Harris proved to be a solid veteran presence on both sides of the ball, averaging 11.1 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.0 SPG, plus a .434/.384/.874 slash line.

Because the calendar has yet to roll over to July 1, the NBA technically remains in the 2021/22 season. Thus, Harris was still extension-eligible today and won’t actually become a free agent. He’ll also remain trade-eligible after signing the extension, since it doesn’t exceed the CBA’s extend-and-trade limits.

Harris had previously been signed to a four-year, $84MM extension deal while with the Nuggets.

Timberwolves Sign Kyle Anderson

June 30th, 2022 at 7:44pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 8: The Timberwolves have officially signed Anderson, according to the transactions log at NBA.com.

JUNE 30: The Timberwolves and free agent forward Kyle Anderson have agreed to a two-year, $18MM deal, agents Thad Foucher and Joe Smith tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

The terms of the contract suggest Minnesota will be using part of its non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Anderson. Both years will be guaranteed, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.

After enjoying a career year in 2020/21 with 12.4 PPG and a .360 3PT%, Anderson failed to match those numbers in ’21/22, but he remains a solid defensive wing who rebounds well for his size and can act as a secondary play-maker.

Anderson averaged 7.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 1.1 SPG on .446/.330/.638 shooting in 69 games (21.5 MPG) for Memphis this past season.

According to Dane Moore of Bring Me The News (Twitter link), the Wolves “really wanted” to add a player who could create his own shot and put pressure on the rim. They believe Anderson fits that bill.

Clippers Re-Sign Amir Coffey To Three-Year Contract

June 30th, 2022 at 7:26pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 6: The Clippers have officially re-signed Coffey, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

JUNE 30: The Clippers will re-sign 25-year-old restricted free agent shooting guard Amir Coffey to a three-year, $11MM contract, agents Bill Duffy and Marlon Harrison have revealed to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).

After going undrafted out of Minnesota in 2019, Coffey joined L.A. on a two-way contract. He played sparingly at the NBA level during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, averaging 3.2 PPG across 62 total contests.

Coffey initially returned to the Clippers on a two-way deal in 2021. In five games with the Clippers’ NBAGL club, the Agua Caliente Clippers, Coffey averaged 19.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.8 APG and 1.2 SPG. He was ultimately promoted to the club’s 15-man roster in March.

In 69 games with Los Angeles during the 2021/22 season, including 30 starts, Coffey averaged 9.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.8 APG and 0.6 SPG in 22.7 MPG. He posted shooting splits of .453/.378/.863. Presumably, the 25-year-old’s minutes and touches may be reduced with the full-time returns of All-Star wings Kawhi Leonard and Paul George next season.

Los Angeles has been making sure it re-signs several key role players already during free agency, anticipating a deep postseason run in 2022/23. The team will reportedly extend center Ivica Zubac on a three-year, $33MM deal, and also is set to bring back forward Nicolas Batum on a two-season, $22MM agreement.