Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Malik Fitts Signs Two-Year Deal With Celtics

March 15th, 2022 at 8:37pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

8:37pm: The Celtics have officially re-signed Fitts, the team announced in a press release.

4:19pm: Power forward Malik Fitts will sign with the Celtics through the 2022/23 NBA season, his agents at UNLTD Sports Group, Nick Blatchford and Derek Johnson, inform Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Woj adds that Fitts’ contract for the 2022/23 season will be partially guaranteed.

Fitts and Kelan Martin, having both signed a pair of 10-day deals with Boston, saw those deals expire on Monday night.

After initially going undrafted out of Saint Mary’s in 2020, the 6’8″ Fitts latched on with the Clippers for three games in 2020/21 and appeared in 14 games for L.A.’s G League team. Ahead of the 2021/22 season, he joined Utah on a training camp deal. The Jazz liked what they saw enough to add Fitts on a two-way contract heading into the 2021/22 season.

When Fitts fractured his finger in January, the Jazz waived him. Boston then added him on his initial 10-day deal last month. He holds averages of 4.4 MPG through nine games between the two clubs this year.

Blazers Officially Complete 10-Day Hardship Deals For Eubanks, Dunn

March 14th, 2022 at 12:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have officially signed big man Drew Eubanks and guard Kris Dunn to 10-day contracts, the team announced today in a press release. Both deals, which were previously reported, were completed using hardship exceptions.

It’s Eubanks’ third 10-day deal with the Blazers. He has started seven games at center for the team, averaging 9.6 PPG and 8.1 RPG in 26.0 minutes per contest.

Dunn is a new addition, having been called up from the G League’s Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario. 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.

Most of this year’s 10-day hardship contracts have been completed using the COVID-related hardship exception, but Eubanks and Dunn were signed using injury-related hardship exceptions. 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 – Damian Lillard, Nassir Little, Jusuf Nurkic, Didi Louzada, Joe Ingles, and Eric Bledsoe – and possibly as many as eight, if Anfernee Simons and Justise Winslow aren’t expected to return soon. That’s why the club is eligible for multiple hardship exceptions.

The new deals for Eubanks and Dunn will run through March 23, covering the Blazers’ next six games. Eubanks’ 10-day contract will pay him $99,380, while Dunn earns $111,457.

Portland’s roster count now temporarily stands at 19 players — 15 on standard contracts, two on 10-day hardship deals, and a pair on two-way pacts.

Trail Blazers Signing Kris Dunn To 10-Day Hardship Deal

March 13th, 2022 at 10:39am CST by Arthur Hill

Kris Dunn will sign a 10-day hardship contract with the Trail Blazers, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 27-year-old guard has been out of the NBA since being waived by the Grizzlies in October after one preseason game. He joined the Agua Caliente Clippers in the G League in January and is averaging 11.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 14 games.

The fifth selection in the 2016 draft, Dunn spent his first NBA season with the Timberwolves and then three years with the Bulls. He signed with the Hawks prior to the start of the 2020/21 season, but was only able to play four games before undergoing ankle surgery. Atlanta shipped him to Boston in a three-team trade in August, and the Celtics rerouted him to Memphis in a September deal.

Dunn will provide backcourt depth for the injury-riddled Blazers, who recently lost Anfernee Simons for the next week or two with mild patellar tendinopathy in his left knee.

Portland has a full roster, but can add players through hardship contracts because Damian Lillard, Didi Louzada, Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, Joe Ingles and Eric Bledsoe are all sidelined with long-term injuries. Drew Eubanks is also on a 10-day hardship deal.

Dunn’s signing will likely take place on Monday, making him eligible to play in six games during the 10-day contract.

Trail Blazers Signing Drew Eubanks To Third 10-Day Deal

March 13th, 2022 at 9:26am CST by Arthur Hill

Drew Eubanks will sign a third 10-day contract with the Trail Blazers, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Eubanks, whose second 10-day deal expires tonight, has been productive during his short time in Portland, averaging 9.6 points and 8.1 rebounds in 10 games. The fourth-year big man turned in one of the best games of his career Saturday night with 20 points and 12 rebounds in a win over the Wizards.

Players are normally limited to two 10-day contracts with the same team in a single season, but the rules were relaxed this year in light of the COVID-19 outbreak that swept through the league. The Blazers, who are missing several players due to long-term injuries, completed Eubanks’ first two 10-day deals using an injury-related hardship exception, so he can continue to play under 10-day agreements.

The Trail Blazers’ next game is Monday, so if he signs his new contract tomorrow, Eubanks will be eligible for six games over the next 10 days.

Suns Sign Gabriel Lundberg To Two-Way Contract

March 12th, 2022 at 2:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

2:43pm: Phoenix has officially signed Lundberg, the club announced in a press release.

7:44am: European star Gabriel Lundberg is signing a contract with the Suns, Johnny Askounis of EuroHoops.net relays. The news was first reported on Danish TV 2.

It’s a two-way deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Lundberg, 27, left CSKA Moscow recently amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He’s considered the best international free agent available in the market, Wojnarowski adds. Phoenix had a two-way spot available and won’t have to make a corresponding move.

In 24 Euroleague games, Lundberg averaged 9.1 PPG and 2.0 APG in 21.1 MPG. He also averaged 12.6 PPG and 3.2 APG in VTB United League games.

Lundberg averaged 11.3 PPG and 2.2 APG in 15 Euroleague contests last season. He’s shot 33.6% on 3-point attempts in his international career.

Lundberg finalized his separation from CSKA Moscow by paying the contract buyout himself, according to Eurohoops’ sources. Lundberg will likely see little playing time for the leaders of the Western Conference but they’ll get an up close look at the 6’4” guard. They can then decide if they want to retain him beyond this season.

Alize Johnson Signs Another 10-Day With Pelicans

March 12th, 2022 at 12:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

12:51pm: New Orleans has officially signed Johnson to a new 10-day deal using the hardship exception, the team announced in a press release.

11:23am: The Pelicans are signing forward Alize Johnson to a second 10-day contact via the hardship exception, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Johnson’s standard 10-day contract was terminated a day early on Friday, as New Orleans added Tyrone Wallace on a standard 10-day deal. However, the hardship exception was made available due to CJ McCollum being placed in the league’s health and safety protocols this week.

New Orleans thus has the option of offering Johnson another standard 10-day before deciding whether to offer him a rest-of-the-season contract.

Johnson appeared in three games on his first 10-day with New Orleans, averaging 3.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 8.0 minutes per contest. He didn’t have to pass through waivers, so he’s eligible to be signed immediately.

Johnson, 25, has also played 16 games with Chicago and three with Washington this season.

Isaiah Thomas Signs Second 10-Day Deal With Hornets

March 12th, 2022 at 10:53am CST by Dana Gauruder

10:53am: The Hornets have officially re-signed Thomas, according to a team press release.

8:10am: Veteran guard Isaiah Thomas will sign another 10-day contract with the Hornets, Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer reports.

Thomas’ first 10-day with Charlotte expired overnight on Friday. He appeared in three games with the Hornets during those 10 days, averaging 9.7 PPG and 1.7 APG in 13.7 MPG on .435/.429/1.000 shooting.

Head coach James Borrego likes the way Thomas gives LaMelo Ball a break from ball-handing duties when they’re paired up.

“It makes them think and it adds to their scouting focus,” Borrego said. “I’d like to get Melo off the ball more. They are so loaded up on him, so physical with him on pick-and-rolls that if I can move him off the ball it’s just going to add another dimension to our offense. And the way I.T. can see the gym, he understands matchups. “He’s an extension of me out there on the floor. He sees the matchups, he sees he plays we need to go to, and he’s going to make that happen out there on the floor. So it just adds more depth to this offense.”

Thomas says that he enjoys mentoring the young Hornets guards and wings. The 33-year-old also played for the Lakers and Mavericks this season under the hardship exception.

“I’m comfortable here,” Thomas said. “These guys welcomed me with open arms. The coaching staff welcomed me with open arms and they are allowing me to be myself. They are allowing me to lead, they are allowing me to be vocal and help the young guys out. And that’s what I’m here to do, is put an imprint on those younger guys, because like I’ve said earlier, I’ve seen everything.”

As an 11-year veteran, he will earn another $151,821 over the 10-day deal.

Pelicans Release Alize Johnson, Officially Sign Tyrone Wallace

March 11th, 2022 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans have terminated Alize Johnson‘s 10-day contract a day early, clearing room on the roster to officially sign Tyrone Wallace to a 10-day deal, the team announced today in a press release. Both transactions are official.

Wallace, who has appeared in 106 NBA regular season games for the Clippers and Hawks, has spent this season with the Long Island Nets in the G League. He has averaged 18.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 4.3 APG on .483/.436/.727 shooting in 20 appearances (33.4 MPG) for Brooklyn’s NBAGL affiliate.

Word first broke on Thursday that Wallace would sign a 10-day deal with the Pelicans after CJ McCollum entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

Placing McCollum in the protocols gives New Orleans a COVID-related hardship exception, allowing them to add a 16th man. But the team chose to use the final spot on its standard 15-man roster to sign Wallace, which is why Johnson had to be released.

It’s possible that the Pelicans will now use their hardship exception to re-sign Johnson to a new 10-day deal. Since COVID-related hardship signings don’t count toward a player’s limit of two 10-day contracts with the same team, it makes sense that the team would use that hardship exception on a player who has already signed a standard 10-day deal, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks observed (via Twitter).

Johnson has appeared in three games since signing last Wednesday, averaging 3.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 8.0 minutes per contest. He’ll be a free agent immediately, without having to pass through waivers.

Pelicans Place CJ McCollum In Protocols, Will Sign Ty Wallace To 10-Day

March 10th, 2022 at 5:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tyrone Wallace plans to sign a 10-day deal with the Pelicans, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Wallace has averaged 27 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 5.9 APG in his last 11 games with the G League’s Long Island Nets.

It’s been a long road back to the NBA for Wallace, the 60th pick of the 2016 draft. He appeared in 92 games for the Clippers from 2017-19 and 14 more for the Hawks during the 2019/20 season. The shooting guard averaged 5.2 PPG in 15.5 MPG during those 106 career appearances.

The news coincides with New Orleans’ announcement on Thursday that CJ McCollum has been placed in the league’s health and safety protocols and will miss at least Friday’s game against Charlotte (Twitter link). Brandon Ingram is out at least seven-to-10 days due to a hamstring strain.

Alize Johnson‘s 10-day contract is set to expire on Friday. However, Wallace could be added under the hardship exception due to McCollum’s status, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Cavaliers Sign Moses Brown To 10-Day Deal

March 10th, 2022 at 11:10am CST by Rory Maher

MARCH 10: Cleveland has officially signed Brown, the team announced in a press release.

MARCH 9: The Cavaliers are signing Moses Brown to a 10-day deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The young center played for the Mavericks this season but was waived as part of the two-for-one trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Washington in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.

Brown, 22, had his $1,701,593 salary guaranteed for 2021/22 ahead of the January 10 deadline despite playing a very limited role for Dallas. He appeared in 26 games for the Mavs, averaging a modest 6.5 MPG. He was productive last season for the Thunder, averaging 8.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG and 1.1 BPG in 43 games (21.4 MPG).

Brown has shown he’s a strong rebounder, but possesses very limited ball skills and is often slow to rotate defensively. He’s definitely a raw, unfinished product at this stage of his career, but he’s flashed some upside and could develop with time.

It’s basically a no-risk flier on an intriguing 7’2″ prospect for the Cavs, who will be without All-Star center Jarrett Allen for an indefinite period after he suffered a fractured finger on Sunday. I’m skeptical that Brown will actually crack Cleveland’s rotation once the signing becomes official, given that the team is trying to make the playoffs for the first time in four seasons

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff has relied on Dean Wade, Kevin Love, Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens when the team has dealt with frontcourt injuries this season, with occasional spot minutes to veteran Ed Davis. However, the Cavs have an open roster spot and if Brown impresses during his 10 days, they could sign him for the remainder of the season as injury insurance if Allen is out for an extended period.

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com tweets that the Brown will meet the team in Miami and the plan is for him to be available for Friday’s contest against the Heat.