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Brandon Knight Signs Second 10-Day Deal With Mavericks

March 29th, 2022 at 6:01pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Free agent combo guard Brandon Knight has signed his second 10-day contract with the Mavericks, the team has announced in a press release (via Twitter). The Mavs, who have a full 15-man roster, completed the signing via the COVID-related hardship exception.

The 6’2″ veteran first inked a 10-day hardship exception deal with the Mavericks in December. In three appearances for Dallas, Knight averaged 10.0 PPG, 2.7 APG and 2.3 RPG across 18.2 MPG.

Across eight NBA seasons, the 30-year-old has averaged 14.0 PPG, 4.0 APG and 3.1 RPG in 449 contests. Knight was first selected by the Pistons out of Kentucky in 2011. The well-traveled Knight has also suited up for the Bucks, Suns, Cavaliers and Rockets.

In the short term, Knight could pick up some minutes with reserve guards Sterling Brown and Trey Burke both currently in the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

Dallas is in the midst of a concerted push up the Western Conference standings. The team has gone 6-4 across its last ten games and is currently the No. 4 seed in the West with a 46-29 record, just 1.5 games behind the Warriors, who could be without All-Star point guard Stephen Curry for several more games. Knight will add veteran leadership and scoring off the bench without Brown and Burke.

Since his first 10-day deal with Dallas expired, Knight has been suiting up for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBAGL, averaging 15.1 PPG, 4.4 APG and 3.5 RPG in 14 games.

Pelicans Sign Jared Harper To Two-Way Deal

March 29th, 2022 at 9:54am CST by Arthur Hill

10:12am: The signing is official, tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.com.

9:54am: Free agent point guard Jared Harper will sign a two-way contract with the Pelicans, league sources tell JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link).

The 24-year-old played briefly for New Orleans on a two-way deal earlier this season, getting into two games and logging 10 total minutes before being waived January 9. Since then, he has been with the Pelicans’ G League affiliate in Birmingham, averaging 21.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 20 games.

Undrafted out of Auburn in 2019, Harper signed a two-way contract with the Suns and appeared in three games as a rookie. He also played eight games for the Knicks last season.

New Orleans has a two-way opening after converting Jose Alvarado‘s contract on Monday. Once Harper’s signing becomes official, the Pelicans will have a full roster with both two-way slots filled.

Pacers Sign Justin Anderson To 10-Day Contract

March 28th, 2022 at 3:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran swingman Justin Anderson, whose previous 10-day deal with the Pacers expired over the weekend, is back under contract with the team on a new 10-day pact, according to a press release.

While the Pacers’ announcement refers to it as Anderson’s second 10-day contract, it’s actually his third this season with the team. Anderson signed the first one back in January under the hardship provision, so this is his second standard 10-day deal with Indiana — that means the club will have to either sign him for the rest of the season or let him go after this new contract expires next Wednesday night.

Anderson, who has spent much of the 2021/22 season in the G League with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Indiana’s affiliate, has played in a total of 11 NBA games for the Cavs and Pacers. In eight appearances with the Pacers, the 28-year-old has averaged 7.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 2.4 APG on .377/.294/.786 shooting in 21.8 MPG.

Indiana had an open spot on its 15-man roster, so no one needed to be cut to make room for Anderson, who will earn $111,457 over the course of his 10-day deal. The agreement will run through April 6, covering five of the Pacers’ seven remaining regular season games.

Pelicans Sign Jose Alvarado To Four-Year Deal

March 28th, 2022 at 2:23pm CST by JD Shaw

MARCH 28: The Pelicans have officially announced Alvarado’s new deal, issuing a press release to confirm the move. The team terminated Wallace’s 10-day contract early, as expected, in order to make room on the 15-man roster for Alvarado.

Alvarado’s new contract will include a fourth-year team option, tweets Andrew Lopez of ESPN. That will give the Pelicans the opportunity to turn down that option and make Alvarado a restricted free agent in 2024, if they so choose.

MARCH 27: The Pelicans are converting guard Jose Alvarado from his two-way contract, signing him to a four-year, $6.5MM deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The agreement will guarantee Alvarado $3.4MM over the next two years, including $1.5MM on top of the $800K he has already earned this season, according to Charania.

Those numbers appear slightly high if the deal is only worth $6.5MM in total, but it sounds like the rookie guard will at least get two fully guaranteed years followed by two minimum-salary seasons that aren’t fully guaranteed.

Alvarado, 23, signed a two-way deal with New Orleans after going unselected in last year’s draft following four collegiate seasons at Georgia Tech. He has played a key role in the team’s backcourt this season, averaging 6.2 points, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 15.3 minutes per contest entering Sunday. He has also shot 43.5% from the floor and 31.6% from behind-the-arc.

By converting Alvarado, the Pelicans will open up a two-way contract spot. The team owns the 10th-best record in the Western Conference at 31-43, leading the Spurs by one game. Promoting Alvarado to the 15-man roster also makes him eligible to play in the postseason, including the play-in game(s).

New Orleans will dip into its mid-level exception in order to ensure Alvarado makes more than the minimum salary this season and to give him four years. The team had only used $1.7MM of its $9.5MM mid-level in 2021/22 in order to sign Herbert Jones.

The Pelicans currently have a full 15-man roster, but 15th man Tyrone Wallace is on a 10-day contract that only runs through Wednesday, so he’ll likely have that deal terminated a couple days early in order to accommodate Alvarado’s promotion.

Celtics Sign Juwan Morgan To 10-Day Contract

March 28th, 2022 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

1:37pm: Morgan’s 10-day deal with the Celtics is now official, the team announced in a press release. It’ll run through April 6, covering Boston’s next five games.

Morgan may have a chance to play right away, as Brown and Tatum have been ruled out for the Celtics’ game in Toronto on Monday.

10:30am: The Celtics have agreed to sign forward Juwan Morgan to a 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Morgan was in camp with the Celtics in the fall, but was waived before the regular season began and subsequently joined the team’s G League affiliate in Maine. He earned a 10-day call-up from the Raptors in December when Toronto was hit hard by COVID-related absences, but has otherwise spent the 2021/22 season in the G League.

Morgan has appeared in 20 regular season NBAGL games for the Maine Celtics this season, averaging 12.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 2.8 APG on .509/.340/.730 shooting in 25.9 minutes per contest.

A former Big Ten standout at Indiana, Morgan went undrafted in 2019 and caught on with the Jazz, first signing an Exhibit 10 deal with Utah and then agreeing to a multiyear deal with the team. In 51 total regular season games with Utah and Toronto across three seasons, the 24-year-old has averaged 1.5 PPG and 1.2 RPG on 52.5% shooting in just 6.0 MPG.

The Celtics have an open spot on their 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be required to sign Morgan, who will earn $95,930 on his 10-day deal. He’ll provide some forward depth in case the club wants to rest Jaylen Brown (right knee soreness) and/or Jayson Tatum (right patella tendinopathy) for a game or two.

Jazz Sign Greg Monroe To 10-Day Deal

March 28th, 2022 at 1:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

MARCH 28: The Jazz have officially signed Monroe to his 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will run through April 6.

MARCH 27: Veteran center Greg Monroe will sign a 10-day contract with the Jazz, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Utah will be the fourth team of the season for Monroe, who previously played on 10-day contracts with the Timberwolves, Wizards and Bucks. He has appeared in a total of 10 games this season, averaging 5.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 14 minutes per night.

As backup center Hassan Whiteside battles a right foot sprain, Monroe will provide insurance on the depth chart behind Rudy Gobert as the Jazz try to hang onto fourth place in the Western Conference. With 14 days left in the regular season, the 31-year-old will have an opportunity to audition for a spot on Utah’s playoff roster.

The Timberwolves had interest in re-signing Monroe, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link). Naz Reid‘s foot injury may put the Wolves in the market for a big man.

Utah has an opening on its 15-man roster, so a corresponding move won’t be necessary. If Monroe officially signs today or Monday, he will be eligible for five games during the 10-day deal.

Clippers Waive Ojeleye, Convert Coffey, Sign Moon

March 26th, 2022 at 1:35pm CST by JD Shaw

The Clippers have called up guard Xavier Moon from their G League affiliate, signing him to a two-way contract, agent Stacey Leawood told Hoops Rumors. To create roster space, the team has promoted two-way player Amir Coffey to the 15-man roster and has waived veteran wing Semi Ojeleye, who was acquired in a trade last month.

Coffey, 24, earns a rest-of-season deal after playing 62 games with the club this season. He most recently finished with 21 points in a loss to the Sixers on Friday, shooting 9-of-15 from the floor. Converting Coffey to a standard contract will allow the Clippers to have him available during the playoffs.

Moon, a 6’2″ point guard, signed three 10-day contracts with Los Angeles earlier this season. The club was quickly impressed by his production and maturity, as the 27-year-old averaged 5.5 points and 1.7 assists in 13.8 minutes per contest.

Moon, the nephew of former NBA player Jamario Moon, has also been impressive in the G League. He has averaged 18.8 points, 6.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game with Agua Caliente, shooting 46% from the floor and 38% from three-point range.

Ojeleye was traded from Milwaukee to Los Angeles in the four-team deadline deal that sent Serge Ibaka to the Bucks. The Clippers’ primary motive in that trade was to reduce their tax bill — Ojeleye appeared in 10 games for L.A. following his arrival, but mostly saw garbage-time minutes. He’ll clear waivers on Monday, assuming he goes unclaimed, but wouldn’t be playoff-eligible for a new team.

The Clippers currently rank eighth in the Western Conference standings at 36-39. The team has seven games left on its schedule, which includes outings against the Jazz (45-29) on Tuesday and Bulls (42-31) on Thursday.

Raptors Sign Armoni Brooks To Two-Year Deal

March 26th, 2022 at 10:44am CST by Rory Maher

10:44am: Toronto has officially signed Brooks, the team announced in a press release.

9:12am: The Raptors intend to sign Armoni Brooks to two-year contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). The deal will include a partial guarantee for 2022/23.

Brooks will receive more than the minimum salary for the remainder of this season because the Raptors still have part of their mid-level exception to spend, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet (Twitter link), who adds that Brooks’ partial guarantee for next season is $250K.

In a separate tweet, Murphy notes that Brooks likely moved ahead of Justin Champagnie for the 15th and final standard roster spot — Champagnie is currently on a two-way deal and won’t be eligible for the playoffs, barring another roster move.

Brooks was previously signed to a couple of 10-day contracts by Toronto, and the team clearly liked what it saw out of the young guard. His second 10-day deal expired overnight on Friday, so the Raptors had to either sign him for the rest of the season or let him walk, since players can’t sign more than two standard 10-day contracts with the same club in a single season.

Coach Nick Nurse had said on Friday that he expected Brooks to be brought back (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports).

Through eight games with the Raptors, Brooks has averaged 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 11.1 minutes per night in a limited role. However, he’s been a regular part of the team’s rotation of late, averaging 6.7 points and a steal on 40% shooting from deep over the past three games.

Eric Koreen of The Athletic explored Brooks’ fit with the Raptors a few days ago, stating that while the young guard might not fit the mold of the rest of the team, Toronto can use his long-range shooting ability — as long as he’s hitting those shots.

“It’s just trusting your work. Your shots are not gonna fall every single night. Even the best shooters have slumps. It’s just part of the game. You can have good looks and they won’t fall, but you have just got to trust that you put in the work and eventually results will turn in your favor,” Brooks said.

Brooks, 23, signed with Houston as a two-way player last year and was converted to a standard contract in October of 2021. He had a nice run with the Rockets last season, averaging 11.2 points and 3.4 rebounds on 38.2% from deep in 20 games. He was waived by Houston last month to accommodate a three-for-one deal with the Celtics at the trade deadline.

Drew Eubanks Signs Fourth 10-Day Deal With Blazers

March 24th, 2022 at 9:13pm CST by Rory Maher

9:13pm: The signing under the hardship exception is official, according to a team press release.

12:40pm: The Trail Blazers intend to sign center Drew Eubanks to another 10-day contract, which will be his fourth consecutive deal with the team, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

The 25-year-old has performed well through 13 games (28.1 minutes) with Portland, averaging 12.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists on .624/.286/.880 shooting (only seven attempts from deep). He’s started all 13 games in place of the injured Jusuf Nurkic.

Most of this year’s 10-day hardship contracts have been completed using the COVID-related hardship exception, but Eubanks has been signed multiple times using an injury-related hardship exception. A team qualifies for an injury-related hardship exception if it has at least four players who have missed three or more consecutive games, as long as those players project to remain sidelined for at least the next couple weeks.

Portland has at least six such players – Nurkic, Damian Lillard, Nassir Little, Didi Louzada, Joe Ingles, and Eric Bledsoe – and possibly as many as seven, if Anfernee Simons isn’t expected to return soon. That’s why the club is eligible for the hardship exception.

Eubanks’ last 10-day deal expired overnight. His new 10-day contract will pay him $99,380.

Blazers Sign Kris Dunn To Second 10-Day Deal

March 24th, 2022 at 9:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

9:11pm: The signing under the hardship exception is official, according to a team press release.

8:15pm: The Trail Blazers are signing guard Kris Dunn to a second 10-day contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

Dunn has appeared in six games with depleted Portland, averaging 7.3 PPG and 5.2 APG in 24.8 MPG. He was added under the injury hardship exception and presumably the Blazers will use the same provision the second time around, since they have a full 15-man roster.

Dunn was playing for the G League’s Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario prior to getting another opportunity to play in the NBA. The former No. 5 overall pick spent last season with the Hawks, but was limited to four games due to an ankle injury. He was traded from Atlanta to Memphis in the offseason and was subsequently waived.

Portland is scrambling to find bodies to finish out the season.

Drew Eubanks is reportedly signing a fourth 10-day with Portland. The Blazers have seven players who might miss the remainder of the season due to assorted injuries. Additionally, Josh Hart has missed the last two games due to a left knee issue.