Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Marcus Bingham Signing Exhibit 10 Deal With Mavericks

June 24th, 2022 at 8:22am CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks will sign Michigan State’s Marcus Bingham to an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

The seven-footer played four years for the Spartans and is an accomplished shot blocker, but didn’t become a full-time starter until his senior season. He averaged 2.2 rejections per game this year, along with 9.3 points and 6.3 rebounds.

An Exhibit 10 deal is a one-year, minimum-salary contract that counts toward a team’s 20-man offseason roster limit, but doesn’t count against the cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. Although it’s not guaranteed, a player on an Exhibit 10 contract can earn a bonus of up to $50K if he’s waived and then joins his team’s G League affiliate.

Bingham, 21, ranked 42nd on ESPN’s list of undrafted players. His contract can become official when the new league year begins next week.

Wizards To Sign Quenton Jackson, Davion Mintz

June 24th, 2022 at 8:11am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have reached an agreement with undrafted Texas A&M guard Quenton Jackson, who will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the team, agent Gino Littles tells our JD Shaw (Twitter link).

Jackson, ranked 31st among undrafted rookies by ESPN, earned All-SEC Second Team honors in his final college season in 2021/22, averaging 14.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.8 SPG in 40 games (26.4 MPG) for the Aggies. He posted a solid shooting line of .490/.346/.828.

Washington is also signing undrafted Kentucky guard Davion Mintz to an Exhibit 10 contract, agents Adie von Gontard and Daveed Cohen tell Shaw (Twitter link).

Mintz spent the last two years with the Wildcats after transferring from Creighton. In those two seasons, he averaged 9.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 2.4 APG with a .362 3PT% in 56 games (27.4 MPG).

Their Exhibit 10 agreements won’t necessarily put Jackson or Mintz – who were both fifth-year seniors – in great position to earn a spot on the Wizards’ 15-man regular season roster, but they could be converted to two-way contracts.

If they’re waived before the season and join the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League team, Jackson and Mintz would be eligible to earn bonuses of up to $50K.

Hawks To Sign Tyson Etienne To Exhibit 10 Contract

June 24th, 2022 at 7:33am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks are signing undrafted Wichita State guard Tyson Etienne to an Exhibit 10 contract, sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).

Etienne, who spent three years with the Shockers, averaged 14.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game in 27 appearances (34.3 MPG) as a junior in 2021/22 before declaring for the draft as an early entrant.

Etienne is a talented three-point shooter, making 2.2 three-pointers per game at a 41.1% rate last season, though he was far less effective from inside the arc, converting just 32.6% of his two-point attempts.

An Exhibit 10 deal is a one-year, minimum-salary contract that counts toward a team’s 20-man offseason roster limit, but doesn’t count against the cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. Although it’s not guaranteed, a player on an Exhibit 10 contract can earn a bonus of up to $50K if he’s waived and then joins his team’s G League affiliate.

Etienne’s deal can be officially finalized once the new league year begins next week.

Knicks, Jean Montero Agree To Exhibit 10 Deal

June 24th, 2022 at 7:08am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks and undrafted free agent guard Jean Montero have reached an agreement on an Exhibit 10 contract, a source tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).

An Exhibit 10 deal is a one-year, minimum-salary contract that counts toward a team’s 20-man offseason roster limit, but doesn’t count against the cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. Although it’s not guaranteed, a player on an Exhibit 10 contract can earn a bonus of up to $50K if he’s waived and then joins his team’s G League affiliate.

Montero, who will turn 19 in July, began his professional career with Gran Canaria in Spain and played for the new Overtime Elite program in 2021/22. The Dominican combo guard is considered a talented scorer and has also exhibited creativity as a passer, according to Givony, who writes in his scouting report that the youngster’s inconsistent defense is a concern.

Montero was the No. 4 prospect on ESPN’s list of players who went undrafted on Thursday night.

Grizzlies Acquire No. 19 Pick Jake LaRavia From Wolves

June 24th, 2022 at 6:27am CST by Dana Gauruder

JUNE 24: The trade is complete, the Grizzlies and Timberwolves announced in a pair of press releases. Officially, LaRavia’s draft rights head to Memphis along with a 2023 second-round pick in exchange for the draft rights to No. 22 pick Walker Kessler and No. 29 pick TyTy Washington.

It’s unclear if that ’23 second-rounder is Minnesota’s own or the Knicks’ second-round pick that the Wolves acquired earlier in the draft.

The Wolves are flipping Washington to the Rockets in a separate trade.

JUNE 23: The Grizzlies have agreed to acquire the No. 19 pick from the Timberwolves and will select Wake Forest forward Jake LaRavia, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). In exchange, Minnesota will receive the No. 22 and No. 29 selections in tonight’s draft, with the Grizzlies also gaining a second-round pick, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).

It’s apparently a 2023 second-rounder, Chris Hine of the Star Tribune tweets.

LaRavia, who spent two seasons at Indiana State, moved up draft boards in recent weeks after averaging 14.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 3.7 APG for the Demon Deacons last season. With Kyle Anderson entering free agency, LaRavia could compete for a rotation spot in his rookie campaign.

He improved his stock during workouts, as he was originally projected as a borderline first-rounder.

Parlaying two first-rounders for the No. 19 selection doesn’t seem like great value, as Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian notes, but Grizzlies executive Zach Kleiman is unfazed by perceptions as long as he gets the player he wants. Kleiman has traded up for every pick on his watch with the exception of Ja Morant, Herrington adds (Twitter links).

Rockets Trade Christian Wood To Mavericks

June 24th, 2022 at 6:10am CST by Rory Maher

JUNE 24: The trade is now official, the Mavericks announced in the early hours of Friday morning. Wood has officially landed in Dallas in exchange for Marjanovic, Brown, Burke, Chriss, and the draft rights to No. 26 overall pick Wendell Moore. Houston is flipping Moore to Minnesota in a separate deal.

JUNE 15: The Rockets are trading Christian Wood to the Mavericks in exchange for the No. 26 overall pick of the 2022 draft, Boban Marjanovic, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke and Marquese Chriss, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

All five players are on expiring contracts in 2022/23, with the four Mavs players being sent out for salary-matching purposes. Wood will earn $14.3MM next season.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, the trade can’t be officially completed until draft night, which is June 23, because the Mavs owe a protected first-round pick to the Knicks in 2023. Six months after the trade is completed, Wood will be eligible to sign a contract extension worth up to $77MM over four years, says Marks.

Burke holds a $3.3MM player option for ’22/23 and will need to exercise the option in order for the trade to work, Marks notes (via Twitter), adding that rosters expanding to 20 in the offseason will allow the Rockets to take back four players in exchange for one. Burke will receive a trade bonus of $247,500 from Dallas as part of the deal, Marks relays in another tweet.

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report indicated on Tuesday that the Mavericks were looking to trade their only draft pick, and they found a match in the rebuilding Rockets, who now control three first-round picks: Nos. 3, 17 and 26. The Rockets have multiple options to explore ahead of the draft. If they want to package Nos. 17 and 26 to move up a bit, they likely could.

The 26-year-old Wood is a very solid return for Dallas, even if he comes with some character concerns. The talented big man averaged 19.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 block in 109 games for Houston the past two seasons, posting a shooting line of .507/.384/.626.

The move definitely comes with risks for the Mavs, because Wood is a subpar defensive player and can be quite inconsistent, especially from an effort standpoint, from game-to-game. However, he’s on an expiring contract, which limits the risk, and is theoretically in a good situation with star Luka Doncic.

Mavs GM Nico Harrison said the team would be looking to acquire a quality big man who could provide rebounding and rim protection after the team lost in the Western Conference Finals. Wood fulfills the first criteria — he’s a good rebounder — but falls a bit short on the second, as he isn’t much of a deterrent at the basket.

According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link), the Rockets wanted to move Wood in order to create more playing time for Alperen Sengun, who was a rookie this past season, and the No. 3 pick, who will likely be another big man. They’ll get a look at some veterans on expiring deals, but obviously the main appeal was the No. 26 pick and no long-term salary.

Chriss, who will make $2.19MM next season, underwent knee surgery on Wednesday and will be sidelined while rehabbing for the next couple months, sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Grizzlies Acquire Kennedy Chandler From Spurs

June 24th, 2022 at 1:15am CST by Rory Maher

JUNE 24: The trade is now official, the Spurs announced in a press release. The Grizzlies have also announced the deal, indicating in their press release that they’re sending the Lakers’ 2024 second-round pick to San Antonio.

JUNE 23: The Grizzlies are acquiring Tennessee guard Kennedy Chandler, the No. 38 pick, from the Spurs, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that the Spurs will receive a future second-rounder and cash in exchange for the No. 38 pick.

Chandler was ranked No. 20 on ESPN’s big board prior to the draft, so he appears to be a solid value pick for the Grizzlies in the second round. The Memphis native averaged 13.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.7 APG and 2.2 SPG on .464/.383/.606 shooting in 34 games (30.8 MPG) as a freshman this season.

Chandler’s local ties likely played a factor in Memphis’ decision to trade for him, as the team had plenty of opportunities to scout him. Although he’s just 6’0″, likely causing his draft stock to fall, Chandler is an excellent athlete and a strong defender. He’s a true point guard, capable of distributing and getting to his spots at a high level.

The Grizzlies are trading De’Anthony Melton to the Sixers, so they had a hole to fill in the backcourt depth chart. It will be interesting to see if the decision to acquire Chandler has an impact on the impending free agency of backup point guard Tyus Jones.

Dereon Seabron Signing Two-Way Deal With Pelicans

June 24th, 2022 at 1:05am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans have reached an agreement on a two-way contract with North Carolina State’s Dereon Seabron, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The 6’7″ guard was named Most Improved Player in the ACC and was a second team all-conference choice as a sophomore. Seabron, 22, averaged 17.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals this season while leading the Wolfpack in all four categories.

He is the top shooting guard on ESPN’s list of undrafted players and is ranked sixth overall.

Pacers Acquire No. 48 Pick Kendall Brown From Timberwolves

June 24th, 2022 at 12:59am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JUNE 24: The trade is official, according to the Pacers, who say they’ve acquired Brown’s draft rights from the Timberwolves in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick and cash (Twitter link).

The pick is expected to be the least favorable of the Pacers’, Heat’s, and Spurs’ 2026 second-rounders.

JUNE 23: The Timberwolves are sending out the No. 48 pick, Baylor swingman Kendall Brown, to the Pacers, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Brown was a Big 12 All-Freshman Team honoree during his single season for the Bears. The 19-year-old averaged 9.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.9 APG and 1.0 SPG across 34 contests, all starts, during the 2021/22 NCAA season. The athletic 6’8″ guard/forward posted shooting splits of .584/.341/.689.

Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets that Indiana will be sending the Timberwolves a future second-round selection in exchange for Brown.

Minnesota has been proactive when it comes to dealmaking during this draft. First, the club sent the No. 19 selection in tonight’s draft to the Grizzlies in exchange for the Nos. 22 and 29 picks. The Wolves then sent that No. 29 pick, plus two future second-round selections, to the Rockets for the No. 26 pick, Duke’s Wendell Moore.

Earlier in the second round, the team acquired the draft rights to Memphis wing Josh Minott and a 2023 second-round pick from Charlotte.

Grizzlies To Sign Kenneth Lofton Jr. On Two-Way Deal

June 24th, 2022 at 12:26am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Grizzlies are set to add undrafted Louisiana Tech rookie power forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. on a two-way deal, One Legacy Sports agent Mike George informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Lofton played for two seasons with the Bulldogs. During his 2021/22 sophomore tenure, he averaged 16.5 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.2 SPG and 0.7 BPG across 33 games, all starts. He connected on 53.9% of his field goal looks and 67.2% of his 5.5 charity stripe takes.

The 6’7″ forward was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year of the 2020/21 season. He was a Third-Team All-Conference USA selection in 2021 and First-Team All-Conference USA honoree in 2022. Lofton also won a gold medal for Team USA in the 2020 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. He averaged 13.1 PPG and 5.3 RPG in the tournament.

Memphis has had a busy draft night. The Grizzlies traded for the right to select Wake Forest forward Jake LaRavia with the No. 19 pick, and subsequently dealt guard De’Anthony Melton to the Sixers for the draft rights to Colorado State wing David Roddy with the No. 23 pick. In the second round, the Grizzlies selected Tennessee point guard Kennedy Chandler at No. 38, who had been projected to be a first-round pick, and VCU forward Vince Williams with the No. 48 pick.