Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Buy Out Goran Dragic

February 15th, 2022 at 9:53am CST by Luke Adams

9:53am: The Spurs have officially waived Dragic (Twitter link via Paul Garcia of Project Spurs). As noted below, he’ll clear waivers and become a free agent on Thursday.

8:30am: The Spurs and point guard Goran Dragic have reached a buyout agreement, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Assuming Dragic is officially released today and clears waivers – which is a near-certainty due to his $19.4MM cap hit – he’ll become an unrestricted free agent on Thursday. At that point, he’d be free to sign with any team except the Raptors — NBA rules prohibit a team from re-signing a player it traded earlier in the league year if that player is cut by his new team.

Charania doesn’t identify any specific suitors for Dragic, but says “a slew” of teams are expected to pursue the playoff-tested veteran.

Previously, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski named the Bucks, Lakers, Warriors, Clippers, Bulls, and Nets as clubs expected to show interest in Dragic. Wojnarowski later said that Milwaukee, in particular, is expected to aggressively pursue the 35-year-old.

The Mavericks were viewed at one point as a potential frontrunner for Dragic, but acquired Spencer Dinwiddie at the trade deadline and are no longer believed to be in the market for a point guard. General manager Nico Harrison said last week that he thinks Dallas’ roster is “set.”

The Heat, meanwhile, are no longer ineligible to reacquire Dragic, since he was traded for a second time after Miami moved him in August. The guard has been working out in Miami for much of the season and the Heat have two open roster spots, so a reunion seems plausible, even though the club wasn’t mentioned by Wojnarowski over the weekend as a likely suitor.

Dragic averaged 13.4 PPG, 4.4 APG, and 3.4 RPG on .432/.373/.828 shooting in 50 games (26.7 MPG) for the Heat in 2020/21. However, he appeared in just five games for the Raptors this season after being sent to Toronto as part of the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade.

Dragic hasn’t played since November, having taken a personal leave of absence from the Raptors up until he was traded to San Antonio at last week’s deadline.

Rockets Waive Enes Freedom

February 14th, 2022 at 4:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have officially waived center Enes Freedom, the team announced today (Twitter link via Marc Stein). The move had been expected.

Freedom was one of three players Houston acquired in its deadline-day deal that sent Daniel Theis to Boston. The other two, Dennis Schröder and Bruno Fernando, remain under contract with the Rockets. Like Freedom though, they’re on expiring deals, so it’s unclear if they’ll be part of the Rockets’ plans going forward.

Freedom, formerly known as Enes Kanter, signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract to return to the Celtics in the 2021 offseason, but didn’t play a major role with the club, averaging 3.7 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 35 games (11.7 MPG). The big man has always been a talented scorer and rebounder, but is a defensive liability, particularly in a scheme like Ime Udoka‘s that employed frequent switching.

Because he was on a minimum-salary contract, Freedom could be claimed off waivers by any team using the minimum salary exception. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday and would be eligible to sign with any team except Boston. NBA rules prohibit teams from re-signing a player they just traded away in the event he’s cut by his new club.

Knicks Sign Ryan Arcidiacono For Rest Of Season

February 13th, 2022 at 1:43pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

1:43pm: The addition of Arcidiacono is now official, per a team press release (Twitter link).

1:01pm: Guard Ryan Arcidiacono will sign a deal with the Knicks that will keep him in New York for the rest of the 2021/22 NBA season, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The 6’3″ point guard, who won a title with Villanova in 2016, previously signed a pair of 10-day deals with the Knicks earlier this year, as well as a hardship exception deal that was later voided, though he has yet to suit up for an actual game with New York.

Ian Begley of SNY.tv adds (via Twitter) that the addition of Arcidiacono brings the Knicks’ total standard contract count to 15, the maximum allowable.

Arcidiacono spent his first four NBA seasons with the Bulls, mostly as a reserve. He holds career averages of 4.8 PPG, 2.2 APG, 2.0 RPG, and 0.6 SPG in 17.6 MPG. He boasts NBA shooting splits of .431/.373/.807.

Chicago opted not to re-sign the 27-year-old in free agency this summer. He signed a training camp deal with the Celtics, though he did not make Boston’s opening night roster. He has also spent time with the Celtics’ G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, in between his contracts with the Knicks this season.

When Arcidiacono first signed with New York in January, Charania noted that there was a possibility he would stick with the team for the rest of the year. That possibility has now come to pass.

As Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link) observes, now that the reeling Knicks have a full 15-man roster, they’d have to waive someone in order to be active on the buyout market. Berman floats the possibility that point guard Kemba Walker could be the Knicks player the club opts to be buy out if they want to make another addition.

Mavs Sign Dorian Finney-Smith To Four-Year Extension

February 12th, 2022 at 6:34pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 12: The Mavericks have officially completed Finney-Smith’s extension, the team announced today (via Twitter).

FEBRUARY 11: Finney-Smith and the Mavericks have formally agreed to a four-year extension, agents Michael Tellem and Jeff Schwartz tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Wojnarowski suggests it’s worth $55.5MM, though we’ll have to wait for the official details to confirm if that entire amount is guaranteed. The deal will include a fourth-year player option and a trade kicker, Woj adds.

FEBRUARY 10: The Mavericks are close to finalizing a contract extension with forward Dorian Finney-Smith, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link).

The new deal will tack four years onto Finney-Smith’s expiring contract and will be worth $52MM, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) also reports that $52MM figure, though MacMahon says (via Twitter) it’ll be in the $55MM range, so perhaps there will be incentives that could affect the precise value of the deal.

Finney-Smith, 28, has had the best season of his NBA career in 2021/22. In 54 games (32.5 MPG), he has averaged 10.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.2 SPG on .435/.363/.688 shooting. He is also one of Dallas’ most reliable defensive players.

Earning just $4MM this season, Finney-Smith has been a bargain for the Mavs, but he was on track for unrestricted free agency this summer. According to MacMahon (Twitter link), the team didn’t want to risk losing one of its most valuable role players and best locker-room guys in the offseason.

The first-year salary in a veteran contract extension can be worth up to 120% of the salary in the final year of the player’s previous contract or 120% of the NBA’s estimated average salary, whichever is greater. In Finney-Smith’s case, that meant he was eligible to make up to $55.56MM over four years on an extension.

Estimates on Finney-Smith’s next deal had varied in recent weeks, with one report stating he was unlikely to receive more than the mid-level exception (about $10MM per year), while another suggested he may seek more than $15MM annually. Ultimately, he and the Mavs split the difference, agreeing to a figure slightly below his in-season maximum in order to lock a new deal in early.

With Finney-Smith’s free agency no longer a concern, Dallas will be able to focus on working out a new deal with point guard Jalen Brunson. Like Finney-Smith, Brunson is currently extension-eligible, but he seems unlikely to settle for a four-year, $55.56MM deal, since he’s expected to draw interest from multiple teams, including the Pistons and Knicks, as a free agent this summer.

Thunder Sign Aaron Wiggins To Four-Year Deal

February 12th, 2022 at 5:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:28pm: Wiggins’ new contract is official, the Thunder announced (via Twitter).

5:34pm: The Thunder will give two-way player Aaron Wiggins a four-year, $6.4MM contract, tweets Shams Charania of the Athletic. The fourth year will be a team option, and the deal was confirmed by Wiggins’ agent, Austin Walton.

Wiggins will receive $1MM for the rest of this season in addition to what he has already earned, Walton tells Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter link). That means the remaining three years will be worth the minimum.

Next season will be fully guaranteed, but 2023/24 is non-guaranteed. Wiggins is now the fourth highest-paid player from the second round of the 2021 draft, Mussatto adds.

After being selected with the 55th pick, the 23-year-old shooting guard signed a two-way contract shortly after the draft. He has appeared in 31 games, starting 18, and is averaging 7.4 points and 3.5 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per night.

When the move becomes official, Oklahoma City will have a full 15-man roster with an open two-way slot.

Celtics Sign Luke Kornet, Promote Sam Hauser

February 11th, 2022 at 11:00pm CST by Luke Adams

11:00pm: Boston has promoted Hauser, the team announced.

6:33pm: The Celtics have officially signed Kornet, the team announced. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

1:47pm: The Celtics intend to sign free agent big man Luke Kornet to a rest-of-season contract and will promote Sam Hauser from his two-way deal to the 15-man roster, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Boston’s series of deadline trades left the team with just 10 players on its standard roster, plus a pair of players on two-way deals. Promoting Hauser and signing Kornet will be a first step toward replenishing the roster, though the Celtics will still have three openings on their main roster, along with one available two-way spot.

Kornet, 26, has bounced around the NBA since making his debut in 2018 as an undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt. The forward/center has averaged 5.7 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 136 total games (15.0 MPG) for the Knicks, Bulls, Celtics, Cavaliers, and Bucks.

Kornet finished the 2020/21 season in Boston following a deadline trade and has spent much of this season with the team’s G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics. He has averaged 15.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 4.3 APG in 14 G League contests (27.1 MPG) while also spending some time in the NBA on 10-day deals with Milwaukee and Cleveland.

Hauser, meanwhile, signed a two-way contract with the Celtics last August after going undrafted out of Virginia. The 6’8″ forward has played limited minutes in 10 NBA games with Boston, but has been a G League standout, putting up 21.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 3.3 APG on .473/.412/.765 shooting in 18 games (35.1 MPG) for Maine.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said earlier today that he expecting to add a couple players before the weekend and that he was focusing on frontcourt players, ideally ones who could shoot. Kornet and Hauser fit that bill.

After trimming some salary at the deadline, the Celtics are far enough below the luxury tax line that they’ll be able to fill all their roster spots, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Thunder Waive KZ Okpala

February 11th, 2022 at 4:35pm CST by Rory Maher

The Thunder have waived forward KZ Okpala, the team announced. Okpala was acquired via trade from the Heat earlier this week.

The 32nd overall pick in the 2019 draft out of Stanford, Okpala appeared in just 63 games across three seasons for Miami. In 2021/22, he has averaged 3.7 PPG and 2.0 RPG in 21 contests (11.6 MPG). Okapala hasn’t played since December due to a wrist injury.

If someone claims Okpala off waivers, he’ll eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end. Otherwise, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent once he clears waivers. By waiving Okpala, the Thunder clear a spot on their 15-man roster.

It’s possible they could ink Mamadi Diakite to a new deal, since they ended his 10-day contract a day early to complete the trade for Okpala. The trade was clearly about Miami’s future first-round pick that is owed to OKC, which was amended as part of the trade.

Instead of owing Oklahoma City their top-14 protected first-round pick in 2023, the Heat will now owe OKC their 2025 first-rounder (also top-14 protected).

That ’23 first-rounder would have been top-14 protected for three straight seasons before becoming unprotected in 2026. Now, the Heat’s ’25 first-rounder will be lottery-protected for just one year before becoming unprotected in ’26.

Essentially, the Thunder improved their odds of gaining a higher first-rounder by pushing the pick a couple years into the future (when the Heat could theoretically be less assured of having a playoff-caliber roster) and ensuring it has just one year of protection.

The 2026 second-rounder the Heat acquired in the trade will be the least favorable of the Thunder’s, Mavericks’, and Sixers’ second-rounders that year, according to the Heat’s announcement.

Jazz Sign Danuel House For Rest Of Season

February 11th, 2022 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have re-signed forward Danuel House, the team announced today in a press release. His new deal will cover the remainder of the season, tweets Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune.

House previously signed three 10-day deals with Utah, including two standard 10-day pacts. He wasn’t eligible to sign another standard 10-day contract with the Jazz, who in turn aren’t currently permitted to sign a player to a hardship 10-day. As a result, House had to be signed for the rest of the season if the team wanted to bring him back.

House has appeared in seven games with the Jazz this season, averaging 8.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 1.6 APG on .487/.417/.714 shooting in 19.3 minutes per contest.

The club had reportedly been impressed with the 28-year-old’s ability to contribute on both ends of the court, and was in the market for more help at the forward position after losing Joe Ingles to a season-ending ACL tear.

House, who began the season with the Rockets, was waived in December by Houston and quickly caught on with the Knicks on a 10-day hardship deal. After that deal expired, he signed a series of contracts with Utah, ultimately earning this rest-of-season commitment.

The Jazz came out of Thursday’s trade deadline with two open spots on their 15-man roster, so they won’t have to cut anyone to make room for House. They’ll still be able to add a 15th man at some point.

Celtics Trade Richardson, Langford, First-Round Pick To Spurs For Derrick White

February 10th, 2022 at 10:11pm CST by Rory Maher

10:11pm: The trade is now official, according to a press release from the Celtics. White heads to Boston, while the Spurs acquire Richardson, Langford, the Celtics’ 2022 first-round pick (top-four protected), and the conditional right to swap first-round picks with Boston in 2028.

12:40pm: The Celtics are trading Josh Richardson to the Spurs in a deal for Derrick White, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) that the Celtics are including a first-round pick in the trade. That pick will be Boston’s top-four protected 2022 first-rounder, a source tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link).

Himmelsbach tweets that Romeo Langford will also be headed to San Antonio. In addition, the Spurs will have the ability swap 2028 first-round picks with Boston, sources tell ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link).

White, now in his fifth season, is averaging 14.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 0.9 BPG through 49 games (30.3 MPG). The 27-year-old is also one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders. White’s big weakness is an inconsistent outside shot, shooting just 31.4% from three-point range.

However, he’s a good finisher inside the arc, making 51.9% of his two-pointers and 86.9% of his free throws, both very respectable for a guard. He’s also a heady passer and driver on top of being a premier defender. White’s addition further bolster’s Boston’s third-ranked defense, and the team will become an absolute menace on that end of the court.

White makes $15.2MM this season and is under contract through 2024/25, making him a potentially long-term addition as president Brad Stevens builds the roster around stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Boston currently sits at 30-25 after winning six straight, No. 7 in the East.

As Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets, the Celtics plan to absorb White’s contract into their Evan Fournier traded player exception, which is worth $17.1MM. Doing so will create a new TPE worth $11.2MM for Richardson. Smith notes that could change, pending other moves, but that’s the plan for now. John Hollinger of The Athletic first reported that creating a new TPE for Richardson was a possibility (via Twitter).

San Antonio obtains a stunning array of assets for White. I value him highly and think the Celtics have improved significantly in the short-term, but they gave up an awful lot to get him. The first-round pick this season is almost certain to convey, and depending on how the rest of this season plays out, there’s even a chance it could be a late lottery pick, although Boston has played outstanding basketball since the start of January. The 2028 pick swap could also be very valuable, but that’s far down the line and foolish to speculate about at this juncture.

Richardson, 28, was in his first season with Boston after being acquired via trade in the offseason. The 40th overall pick of the 2015 draft by Miami, Richardson had been a valuable two-way contributor for the Heat before being traded multiple times the past few years, spending the 2019/20 season with the Sixers and last season with the Mavs. He’d been a bit disappointing for both of those clubs, but is performing well this season, averaging 9.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 1.5 APG on .443/.397/.859 shooting in a reserve role (44 games, 24.7 MPG).

San Antonio also gets a buy-low candidate in Langford, the 14th overall pick of the 2019 draft. Still just 22, Langford was a highly touted prospect who struggled to break Boston’s rotation. Now in his third season, he’s averaging 4.7 PPG and 2.4 RPG through 44 games (16.5 MPG). As a third-year former first-round pick, Langford is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer, although it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Spurs take a wait-and-see approach, as they’d still hold his rights as a restricted free agent in the summer of 2023.

Mavericks Trade Kristaps Porzingis To Wizards

February 10th, 2022 at 9:29pm CST by Luke Adams

9:29pm: The trade is official, according to a Wizards press release. Dallas also confirmed the deal in a press release, announcing that they’ve waived Brown.

The second-rounder going to Washington is a protected 2022 pick, the teams announced. It’ll have to be the Mavs’ own second-rounder, since they hadn’t previously acquired any others.

“Kristaps is an All-Star player whose unique talents will fit well within our system and allow him to impact the game for us in multiple ways,” Wizards president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard said in a statement. “He will get a fresh start with our team and provide us with the opportunity to play multiple lineups that feature size, versatility and shooting ability.”

1:38pm: The Mavericks and Wizards have agreed to a major trade, according to reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic and Marc Stein (Twitter links).

Big man Kristaps Porzingis is headed to Washington in the deal, per Stein, while Dallas will receive point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, according to Charania. Tim MacMahon of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that the Mavs are also acquiring sharpshooter Davis Bertans, while Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN says (via Twitter) that the Wizards are getting a second-round pick.

The Mavs will release big man Moses Brown to complete the trade, tweets MacMahon.

According to Stein (via Twitter), the Mavs spent much of the day on Thursday trying to find a home for Porzingis, who was previously linked to the Raptors. Dallas gave up a significant package in 2019 to acquire Porzingis from the Knicks, but he has continued to battle health problems in the years since then and hasn’t developed into the star running mate for Luka Doncic that the Mavs envisioned. He is also owed nearly $70MM for the two years beyond this season.

This season, Porzingis has averaged 19.2 PPG and 7.7 RPG while playing improved defense, but his three-point rate dipped to a career-worst 28.3% and he has only been healthy for 34 of 55 games. Dallas has a 13-8 record in the games he has missed.

The Wizards, who are retooling their roster around Bradley Beal, will roll the dice on Porzingis, hoping he has more success in D.C. than he did in Dallas. They’ll give up Dinwiddie and Bertans, two players who struggled badly this season in the midst of pricey multiyear deals.

Dinwiddie, 28, signed a three-year contract with the Wizards in the offseason, but has shot just 37.6% from the floor in his first season back from ACL surgery. As Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets, Dinwiddie never seemed comfortable in Washington’s offense without the ball in his hands, which happened a lot when he played alongside Beal.

Bertans, meanwhile, is in the second season of a five-year, $80MM contract, but has seen his three-point shooting fall off a cliff in 2021/22. A career 40.7% three-point shooter entering the season, the 29-year-old forward has made just 31.9% of his attempts from beyond the arc this year.

The Mavericks will be hoping that both players, who have had plenty of success in the past can bounce back in Dallas. Dinwiddie will give the team another ball-handler when Doncic and/or Jalen Brunson aren’t on the court, while Bertans will provide another floor-spacer to give Doncic more room to operate.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), Dinwiddie will give the Mavs’ some insurance in case they’re unable to re-sign Brunson in unrestricted free agency this summer. However, sources tell MacMahon (Twitter link) that Dallas remains confident about its ability to retain Brunson beyond this season.