Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavericks Waive JaQuori McLaughlin

January 10th, 2022 at 3:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have requested waivers on guard JaQuori McLaughlin, the team announced today in a press release. McLaughlin will become a free agent on Wednesday, assuming he goes unclaimed.

A 6’4″ point guard, McLaughlin began his college career at Oregon State before transferring to UC Santa Barbara for the last three seasons. He was named Big West Player of the Year as a senior in 2020/21 after averaging 16.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 48.8% from the field and 40.8% from three-point range.

McLaughlin wasn’t drafted in July, but he caught on with the Mavs, signing a two-way contract with the team in September. His role in Dallas was essentially nonexistent, as he logged just 11 total minutes across four games and has yet to score his first NBA points. However, he averaged 13.3 PPG, 4.8 APG, and 4.7 RPG in 12 games (31.6 MPG) for the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ G League affiliate.

Dallas has been active in turning over its two-way contracts slots as of late. The team waived two-way player Eugene Omoruyi on December 26 and signed Theo Pinson today to fill that opening. Now, the Mavs once again have an open two-way spot.

It’s worth noting that Marquese Chriss, who has played well on a series of 10-day contracts with the club, isn’t eligible for a two-way contract, since he’s in his fifth NBA season. To sign a two-way deal, a player must be in his first, second, third, or fourth season.

Nuggets Trade Bol Bol To Pistons, Sign Davon Reed To Two-Way Deal

January 10th, 2022 at 2:45pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JANUARY 10: The Nuggets have officially acquired McGruder and the Nets’ 2022 second-round pick in exchange for Bol, the team announced today in a press release. Denver also confirmed Reed’s two-way deal and Cornelie’s release in a separate announcement on Sunday.

JANUARY 9: The Pistons will be sending veteran shooting guard Rodney McGruder and a future second-round draft selection to the Nuggets in exchange for intriguing young power forward Bol Bol, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The pick going to Denver in the deal will be a 2022 second-rounder that Detroit originally acquired from the Nets, per Woj and James Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link).

There is more personnel news out of Denver. The Nuggets will upgrade the contract of guard Davon Reed, currently signed to his third 10-day hardship exception contract, to a two-way deal, according to Mike Singer of the Denver Post. To make a two-way slot available for Reed, Denver will release current two-way player Petr Cornelie.

In 12 games with Denver, including two starts, Reed is averaging 4.4 PPG on a .457/.350/.800 shooting line, along with 3.0 RPG, 1.3 APG and 1.2 SPG.

Singer notes that Bol struggled to find a consistent position while with the Nuggets and thus toggled between spot minutes at small and power forward. Head coach Michael Malone and his coaching staff also apparently projected more upside out of big men Vlatko Cancar and Zeke Nnaji, who had moved ahead of Bol in the team’s rotation prior to Cancar’s recent foot fracture. Singer adds that the Nuggets plan to retain McGruder for the time being.

Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press opines that the addition of Bol will help a depleted Detroit squad up front, which Sankofa identifies as one of the 8-30 club’s key weaknesses. Woj writes in his piece that the addition of the 7’2″ forward will be an opportunity for the rebuilding Pistons to take a flyer on a young player with upside.

This season, Bol is averaging 2.4 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 5.8 MPG. Last season across eight games with the Windy City Bulls, the 22-year-old averaged 12.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 2.3 BPG. He recently had his best offensive game at the NBA level, scoring 11 points against the Rockets in 20 minutes on January 1.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (Twitter link) that, by sending the expiring $2.15MM deal of Bol out in exchange for the $1.7MM expiring deal of McGruder, the Nuggets will carve out additional space below the NBA’s luxury tax. Denver is now $2.4MM under the tax line.

The 6’4″ McGruder has not made much of an impact during his time in Detroit. The 30-year-old re-signed with the Pistons on a veteran’s minimum deal this summer after spending the 2020/21 season in Detroit. This season, he is averaging just 2.5 PPG and 1.6 RPG in 9.5 MPG, across 17 of the club’s 38 contests.

Heat Re-Sign Kyle Guy, Chris Silva To 10-Day Contracts

January 10th, 2022 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

1:47pm: The Heat have officially re-signed both Guy and Silva to 10-day hardship deals, the team confirmed in a press release.

12:03pm: In addition to retaining Guy, the Heat will re-sign Chris Silva to a 10-day deal, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). Both players will be signed via hardship exceptions, since Garrett remains in the COVID-19 protocols and Markieff Morris has entered the protocols as well, Winderman notes.

A 6’8″ forward, Silva averaged 4.8 PPG and 5.2 RPG in five games (12.2 MPG) during his first 10-day contract with Miami.

10:37am: The Heat intend to re-sign guard Kyle Guy to a second 10-day contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Guy’s first 10-day deal with the team expired on Saturday night.

Wojnarowski says Guy is expected to return to the club via a hardship exception. Currently, the Heat only have one player – Marcus Garrett – in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Miami’s pending agreement with Guy suggests the team either expects Garrett to remain in the protocols a little longer or knows that another player is about to enter the protocols.

The 55th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Guy spent his first two seasons on a two-way contract with Sacramento, but played a very limited role with the Kings, appearing in 34 games and averaging 2.7 PPG and 1.0 APG in 7.2 minutes per contest. He played the best basketball of his NBA career during his recent 10-day stint with the Heat, recording 9.8 PPG, 2.6 APG, and 1.6 RPG on .514/.350/.800 shooting in 20.2 minutes per contest.

Guy will earn $95,930 over the course of his new 10-day deal with the Heat, but that money won’t count against team salary for cap or tax purposes as long as it’s a hardship signing.

While Guy is poised to re-sign with the Heat, there’s no indication yet that any of the other five players whose 10-day contracts expired over the weekend – Aric Holman, Haywood Highsmith, Mario Chalmers, Nik Stauskas, or Chris Silva – will be retained in the short term.

Mavs Sign Marquese Chriss To Third 10-Day Deal

January 10th, 2022 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

1:04pm: Chriss’ 10-day contract is now official, according to the Mavs (Twitter link). It’ll run through January 19, covering Dallas’ next five games.

9:42am: The Mavericks intend to sign big man Marquese Chriss to a third 10-day hardship contract, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link). Chriss’ second 10-day deal with Dallas expired overnight, so he’s technically a free agent for now.

A player isn’t permitted to sign more than two traditional 10-day contracts with the same team in a single season. However, that rule doesn’t apply to hardship deals, which are permitted as long as a team has at least one player who is in the health and safety protocols. The Mavs are eligible to sign Chriss to another 10-day deal via a hardship exception because Kristaps Porzingis remains in the protocols, says Stein.

Chriss, 24, has now appeared in 10 games with the Mavs this season, averaging 6.1 PPG and 4.1 RPG in just 11.9 minutes per contest. Dallas has gone 8-2 in those games. The former eighth overall pick, who previously played for the Suns, Rockets, Cavaliers, and Warriors, is coming off a 2020/21 season that ended after just two games when he broke his right fibula.

Entering today, Dallas had 15 players on its standard roster, with one two-way slot open. Theo Pinson, whose 10-day hardship contract also expired overnight, is expected to fill that opening — Chriss wasn’t eligible for a two-way deal because he’s in his fifth NBA season.

If the Mavs want to retain Chriss once they’re no longer eligible for a hardship exception, they’ll need to trade or release someone from their 15-man roster.

Jazz Sign Denzel Valentine To 10-Day Contract

January 10th, 2022 at 1:02pm CST by JD Shaw

JANUARY 10, 1:02pm: The Jazz have officially signed Valentine to a 10-day contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

Utah pivoted away from Ennis because he was a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and the Jazz wanted to make sure their newly-added player could be cleared in advance of Monday’s game vs. Detroit, Charania tweets.

JANUARY 9, 7:12pm: Utah no longer plans to sign James Ennis to a 10-day contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Instead, the team will sign forward Denzel Valentine in his place, Wojnarowski tweets.

Valentine holds five years of NBA experience and most recently played in Cleveland. He has appeared in 254 games in his career, averaging 7.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. In his 22 games with the Cavaliers this season, he averaged 2.9 PPG in 9.3 MPG, shooting 37.1% from the floor.

JANUARY 9, 5:52pm: The Jazz plan to sign veteran forward James Ennis to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Ennis most recently played on 10-day contracts with the Nets and Clippers.

Utah lost forwards Rudy Gay and Elijah Hughes to the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Sunday, opening space to add Ennis to the rotation. The team is also missing Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles due to the protocols.

For his career, Ennis has averaged 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per game across 392 appearances, making stops with nine different NBA teams. In 41 games with the Magic last season, the 31-year-old averaged 8.4 PPG and 4.0 RPG, shooting 43.3% from three-point range.

Utah owns the third-best record in the Western Conference at 28-12. The team is also 17-3 at home and has upcoming games against Detroit on Monday and Cleveland on Wednesday.

Mavericks Sign Theo Pinson To Two-Way Contract

January 10th, 2022 at 12:18pm CST by JD Shaw

JANUARY 10: Pinson’s two-way contract with the Mavs is now official, the team announced today (Twitter link). Dallas once again has a full 17-man roster and is expected to add an 18th man by re-signing Marquese Chriss to another 10-day hardship contract.

JANUARY 8: The Mavericks are signing forward Theo Pinson to a two-way contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Pinson previously signed a pair of 10-day hardship contracts with the team, the second of which will expire on Sunday night.

Pinson, 26, holds past NBA experience with Brooklyn, New York and Dallas. He played 51 games with the Nets between 2018-20 and 17 games with the Knicks in 2020-21.

In his 10 appearances with Dallas this season, Pinson has averaged 2.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 9.3 minutes per contest. He’s shot 30% from the floor during those outings.

Pinson went undrafted in 2018 after spending four seasons at North Carolina. The Mavericks have dealt with key availability issues this season, but the team still holds the fifth-best record in the West at 21-18.

Pelicans Sign Gary Clark To Two-Way Deal, Waive Jared Harper

January 9th, 2022 at 4:18pm CST by JD Shaw

The Pelicans have signed forward Gary Clark to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release. To create space, the club waived two-way guard Jared Harper.

Clark was previously on a non-guaranteed deal with New Orleans, averaging 3.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in eight games (11.9 MPG). The team waived him on Friday before his contract became fully guaranteed.

Prior to signing with the Pelicans, Clark was playing for Mexico City Capitanes in the G League. The 27-year-old went undrafted in 2018 and holds experience with Houston, Orlando, Denver and Philadelphia.

Harper, 24, only appeared in two games for the Pelicans this season, averaging 3.5 points in five minutes per contest. He’s also averaging 21.7 points and 5.1 assists per outing in the G League this year.

Cavs Sign Brandon Goodwin To Two-Way Deal, Release Tacko Fall

January 9th, 2022 at 3:20pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Cavaliers have signed point guard Brandon Goodwin on a two-way contract and release 7’5″ two-way center Tacko Fall to complete the deal, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Goodwin went undrafted out of Florida Gulf Coast in 2018 and spent a year with the Nuggets as a two-way player. He then joined the Hawks on a two-way contract in 2019/20, before being signed to a standard deal midway through the season.

The 26-year-old Goodwin earned a training camp deal with the Knicks at the start of the 2021/22 season. After New York waived Goodwin, he logged time with the team’s NBAGL affiliate, the Westchester Knicks. Goodwin subsequently signed a 10-day hardship exception deal with the Raptors but failed to see the floor.

The point guard first joined Cleveland on a 10-day hardship exception deal on New Year’s Eve 2021. Across 22.7 MPG in three games, the 6’0″ Goodwin is averaging 7.3 PPG, 4.7 APG, 3.7 RPG and 0.7 SPG.

The decision to retain Goodwin beyond his 10-day contract makes plenty of sense, as the 22-17 Cavaliers are currently strapped for backcourt talent. Cleveland lost guards Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio with season-ending knee injuries earlier this year. Cleveland has gone 2-3 since Rubio went down with a torn ACL.

Thanks to the play of Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley, the team has remained in the thick of the playoff hunt since, and is clearly looking to shore up its depth at the point guard position. The Cavaliers also recently traded for former four-time All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo.

Fall, 26, was in his first year as a Cavalier after two seasons in Boston. In 11 games with Cleveland, Fall averaged 1.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG and 0.5 BPG. His counting stats are more impressive with the Cavs’ G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge. In five games with the Charge, Fall put up 18.6 PPG, 12.0 RPG and 3.4 BPG.

Olivier Sarr Signs Second 10-Day Deal With Thunder

January 9th, 2022 at 2:33pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Rookie center Olivier Sarr has inked his second 10-day contract with the Thunder, according to the official NBA transactions log.

Oklahoma City has an open spot on its 15-man roster, Sarr has been added via a hardship exception, since power forward Isaiah Roby is currently in the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, per our tracker.

Sarr, who has spent most of the 2021/22 season with the Thunder’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, first joined the Thunder proper in late December. The 22-year-old went undrafted out of Kentucky in 2021.

The seven-footer had been averaging 7.1 PPG and 4.9 RPG across 14 games with the Blue before being called up. Sarr has appeared in two contests with the Thunder thus far, averaging 2.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 1.0 BPG in 7.0 MPG.

Nuggets Expected To Sign DeMarcus Cousins To 10-Day Contract

January 9th, 2022 at 2:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

JANUARY 9: The Nuggets will meet with Cousins on Sunday and if that meeting goes well, the plan is to sign him to a 10-day contract, tweets Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Singer adds that a deal may not be officially finalized until mid-week.

JANUARY 8: After being waived Thursday by the Bucks, DeMarcus Cousins will sign a 10-day deal with the Nuggets, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Cousins will reunite with Michael Malone, who was formerly his head coach in Sacramento, Charania notes (Twitter link).

Cousins will leave his offseason home in Las Vegas on Sunday and head to Denver for a physical and other tests, a source tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link). The Nuggets play on Sunday night in Oklahoma City and then on Tuesday in Los Angeles against the Clippers.

The Mavericks also had interest in signing Cousins, Spears’ source says (Twitter link).

Denver is eligible to add a player to a standard 10-day contract using a non-COVID hardship exception because the team has five players sidelined with long-term injuries, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Vlatko Cancar suffered a fractured right foot this week, joining injured teammates Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., PJ Dozier and Markus Howard.

Cousins was impressive during his stay in Milwaukee, averaging 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds in 17 games and making five starts. However, the Bucks decided to release him, opting for the flexibility of an open roster spot heading into the trade deadline. GM Jon Horst hinted that the team might be interested in bringing him back, but it may not be possible if he is successful in Denver.

We heard earlier this week that the Nuggets were perusing the trade market for a backup center. That search may continue, but Cousins should slide into that role for the time being.