Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks Sign Langston Galloway To 10-Day Hardship Deal

January 7th, 2022 at 1:12pm CST by Rory Maher

JANUARY 7: Galloway’s 10-day contract with the Bucks is now official, the team announced in a press release. It’ll run through January 16, covering Milwaukee’s next five games.

JANUARY 6: The Bucks intend to sign Langston Galloway to a 10-day hardship contract, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Galloway recently spent time with the Nets, appearing in four games (14.5 MPG) over the course of a couple of 10-day hardship deals, averaging 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in a limited role.

Galloway played a role off the bench for Phoenix last season, averaging 4.8 points in 40 games while shooting 44.9% from the field and 42.4% from three-point range. However, he was unhappy about playing just 11.0 minutes per night and elected to seek a new team in free agency. He signed a non-guaranteed training camp contract with the Warriors in late September, but was waived before the season started.

Galloway, who turned 30 last month, went undrafted out of St. Joseph’s in 2014, but has put together an eight-year career with the Knicks, Pelicans, Kings, Pistons, Suns, and Nets. He has appeared in 449 NBA games with career averages of 8.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

The Bucks currently have three players in the league’s health and safety protocols, making Galloway’s addition possible.

Raptors Sign D.J. Wilson To Second 10-Day Deal

January 7th, 2022 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran forward D.J. Wilson is back under contract with the Raptors, according to the team. Toronto stated in a press release that Wilson has signed a second 10-day deal using a hardship exception.

Wilson, who first signed with the Raptors on December 22, played well in two games with the club, averaging 12.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 2.5 SPG in 23.5 minutes per contest and making 8-of-11 shots from the floor. However, he entered the health and safety protocols before his deal expired.

Having presumably been cleared in recent days, Wilson is back with the team as the apparent hardship replacement for Yuta Watanabe, who is the only Raptor currently in the health and safety protocols.

A former first-round pick, Wilson will earn $102,831 during his second 10-day stint with Toronto. That money won’t count toward team salary for cap or tax purposes, since it’s a hardship signing. His contract will run through January 16, covering the team’s next five games.

If the Raptors don’t have any players left in the protocols by the time Wilson’s current deal expires, they could still re-sign him, since they have an open spot on their 15-man roster. In that scenario though, his new salary would count toward the cap and tax.

Jazz Sign Norvel Pelle To 10-Day Contract

January 7th, 2022 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

10:32am: The Jazz have officially signed Pelle to a 10-day deal using the hardship exception, the team announced today in a press release.

8:35am: The Jazz intend to sign center Norvel Pelle to a 10-day contract using the hardship exception, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, Pelle is expected to be available for Utah’s game vs. Toronto on Friday night.

Pelle recently finished up a 10-day deal with the Celtics, though he didn’t play at all for Boston during those 10 days. Previously, the big man played for a handful of international teams and bounced back and forth between the NBA and the G League over the last two seasons.

Pelle appeared in a total of 37 games from 2019-21 for the Sixers, Nets, Kings, and Knicks. A talented rim protector, The 28-year-old has averaged 2.2 blocks per game in 95 career G League contests and put up 8.9 PPG and 8.3 RPG in nine games (22.1 MPG) with the Cleveland Charge this season.

Utah enjoyed some great COVID-related luck for much of this season, having not placed a player in the health and safety protocols until earlier this week. Joe Ingles and Rudy Gobert are now both in the protocols for the Jazz, meaning the team is eligible to sign Pelle to a hardship deal, which won’t count against team salary for cap or tax purposes.

Pelle, who will earn $95,930 during his 10 days with the Jazz, has a chance to play a rotation role immediately, with Gobert out and backup center Hassan Whiteside listed as questionable as he goes through the concussion protocol.

Jazz Sign Danuel House To 10-Day Contract

January 6th, 2022 at 5:57pm CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 6: House’s 10-day contract with Utah is now official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

JANUARY 5: The Jazz intend to sign forward Danuel House to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

House, who averaged 9.7 PPG and 3.9 RPG on .431/.373/.759 shooting in 138 games (27.7 MPG) for the Rockets in the three years preceding 2021/22, struggled and fell out of Houston’s rotation this season. He was waived by the Rockets in December and signed a 10-day hardship contract with the Knicks a few days later, appearing briefly in just one game for New York before his deal expired over the weekend.

It’s unclear whether House will be added on a standard 10-day contract or if it will be a hardship deal. The Jazz do have one player (Joe Ingles) in the health and safety protocols, but they’re also below the standard roster minimum, carrying just 13 players. Teams are permitted to dip below 14 players, but only for up to two weeks at a time.

We’ve seen teams with 14 players complete hardship signings that don’t count against the cap this season, but it remains to be seen if a club carrying just 13 players would be granted the same leeway.

Bucks Waive DeMarcus Cousins

January 6th, 2022 at 4:33pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JANUARY 6: The Bucks have officially requested waivers on Cousins, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets.

JANUARY 5: On the night he scored 15 points, pulled down 10 boards, and chipped in three steals and a block across just 20 minutes for the Bucks, center DeMarcus Cousins, signed to a non-guaranteed deal, is set to be waived by Milwaukee, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The news comes two days ahead of the deadline for all contracts to be guaranteed for the rest of the year across the NBA. Cousins’ salary for 2021/22 isn’t fully guaranteed.

Across 17 contests with the Bucks, the former four-time All-Star is averaging 9.1 PPG and 5.8 RPG this season. Charania adds that Cousins will likely merit a look from other clubs.

The 6’10” veteran joined the Bucks a month into the season. He spent the 2020/21 NBA season with the Rockets and Clippers. The 31-year-old has never been the same since suffering Achilles and ACL tears, but has proven himself to be a volume bench contributor when healthy in recent seasons.

Shooting guard Wesley Matthews, the team’s other player signed to a non-guaranteed deal, remains with the team as of this writing. With Cousins slated to be waived, the Bucks will create one open roster spot.

Milwaukee GM Jon Horst commented on the decision to move on from Cousins, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link): “We wouldn’t have been able to get through this difficult stretch of the season as successfully as we did without DeMarcus.”

In further comments reported by Woj (via Twitter), Horst hinted at a potential reunion following the trade deadline, should Cousins be available: “We made a strategic decision to have an open roster spot, but there’s nothing that would prevent us from partnering with DeMarcus again down the road.”

Spurs Sign Tyler Johnson To 10-Day Deal

January 6th, 2022 at 4:28pm CST by Rory Maher

4:28pm: The signing, which uses a hardship exception, is official, according to a team press release.

12:38pm: The Spurs intend to sign Tyler Johnson to a 10-day deal, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Johnson’s most recent NBA stint was a 10-day contract with the Sixers, which expired on December 31. In three games with Philadelphia in a limited role, Johnson averaged 3.7 PPG and 2 RPG in 12.7 MPG.

Johnson, 29, has plenty of NBA experience, having appeared in a total of 351 games for the Heat, Suns, Nets, and Sixers since 2014. After going undrafted out of Fresno State in 2014, Johnson caught on with the Heat and developed into a solid two-way player for the club. He averaged 5.4 PPG and 2.0 RPG on .393/.364/.857 shooting in 39 games (17.5 MPG) for Brooklyn last season, but didn’t catch on with a new team during the offseason after his deal with the Nets expired.

Johnson holds career averages of 9.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 2.3 APG on .427/.360/.779 shooting (24.7 MPG). His 10-day contract with the Spurs will likely be through a hardship exception, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet. San Antonio has a full 15-man roster, but is eligible to sign a second hardship player with Doug McDermott and Lonnie Walker still in the league’s health and safety protocols. The team’s other 10-day hardship deal is with Jaylen Morris.

Spurs Sign Anthony Lamb After Four Players Enter Protocols

January 6th, 2022 at 4:27pm CST by Rory Maher

4:27pm: The Lamb signing is official, according to a team press release.

1:32pm: The Spurs plan to sign Anthony Lamb to a 10-day contract via a hardship exception after Keldon Johnson, Derrick White, Thaddeus Young and Devin Vassell entered the league’s health and safety protocols, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News was the first to break the four players entering the COVID-19 protocols (via Twitter). The good news is that Lonnie Walker has cleared the protocols and could return to action Friday against the Sixers, a league source told Orsborn (Twitter link).

Lamb, 23, played in the G League bubble with the Canton Charge and Rio Grande Valley Vipers in 2020/21 after going undrafted out of Vermont in 2020. His solid showing for Houston’s G League affiliate (the Vipers) earned him a two-way deal with the Rockets last March. He averaged 5.5 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 24 games (17.3 MPG) for Houston, then accepted his two-way qualifying offer this offseason. However, he was waived on October 18 so that the Rockets could claim Garrison Mathews.

Lamb has spent this season playing with the Vipers, putting up 15.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 2.8 APG on .460/.415/.821 shooting in 13 games (10 starts). The Spurs now have five players in the protocols (the fifth being Doug McDermott), and Lamb will be their third 10-day hardship deal, along with Tyler Johnson and Jaylen Morris.

Magic Sign Admiral Schofield To Two-Way Deal, Waive Mychal Mulder

January 6th, 2022 at 3:46pm CST by Rory Maher

The Magic announced in a press release (via Twitter) that they’ve signed forward Admiral Schofield to a two-way contract, and in order to do so they’ve waived guard Mychal Mulder.

Schofield recently completed two 10-day contracts with Orlando via hardship exceptions, and the team decided to keep him around. In nine games with the Magic this season, he is averaging 4.8 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 16.9 MPG.

The Magic previously signed Schofield to an Exhibit 10 training camp deal, but he was waived ahead of the regular season. He’d been playing with Orlando’s G League affiliate in Lakeland prior to the call-up, averaging 14.4 PPG and 7.3 RPG in 12 games (33.0 MPG).

The combo forward out of Tennessee was originally drafted with the No. 42 pick in 2019 by the Sixers, before being sent to the Wizards in a draft-night trade. Across 33 NBA appearances during his 2019/20 rookie season with Washington, the 24-year-old Schofield averaged 3.0 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 11.2 MPG.

Mulder spent three seasons in the G League after going undrafted out of Kentucky in 2017. He signed a 10-day contract with Golden State in February of 2020 and played well enough to earn a multi-year deal. The 27-year-old played 60 games for Golden State last season, averaging 5.6 PPG and 1.0 RPG with a .397 3PT% in 12.8 MPG. He remained with the Warriors through the preseason, but was waived in the team’s final round of cuts.

Mulder inked a two-way deal with Orlando on October 26, but he struggled to make an impact during his stint with the Magic this season, averaging 3.7 PPG and 1.4 RPG on .299/.283/1.000 shooting in 15 games (13 MPG).

Pacers Waive Kelan Martin

January 6th, 2022 at 3:13pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pacers have waived reserve guard/forward Kelan Martin ahead of the contract guarantee deadline on Friday, per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (via Twitter).

Martin was playing on a non-guaranteed contract this season, so Indiana won’t be on the hook for his entire $1,701,593 cap hit. It’s a tough blow for the veteran wing, who’s currently isolating at home after contracting COVID-19, as Agness relays (Twitter link).

Martin, 26, has appeared in 27 games this season with Indiana, averaging 6.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 16.4 minutes per contest. His shooting line of .417/.297/.692 isn’t great, but to be fair to him, it’s hard to get a rhythm playing a limited role.

After a productive four-year college career with Butler, Martin went undrafted in 2018 and spent his first season as a professional playing in Germany. He caught on with the Timberwolves for the 2019/20 season, signing a two-way deal, and then spent last season and nearly half of this season with the Pacers. Martin and the Pacers had previously agreed to push back his guarantee date a couple of times, but ultimately the team decided to open a roster spot by waiving him.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets that Martin will have a $801,900 cap hit for the Pacers and the team is now $2.3MM below the luxury tax threshold.

Greg Monroe Signs 10-Day Deal With Wizards

January 6th, 2022 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

JANURY 6: Monroe’s signing is official, the Wizards announced in a press release.

JANUARY 5: Greg Monroe, whose 10-day contract with the Timberwolves is set to expire tonight, won’t be re-signed by Minnesota, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News, who reports (via Twitter) that the veteran center has lined up a deal with a new team. Monroe is expected to sign a 10-day contract with the Wizards, says Wolfson.

After being out of the NBA since 2019, Monroe got an opportunity to make a comeback during December’s league-wide COVID-19 outbreak and played a legitimate rotation role with the Wolves. In three games (21.0 MPG), he averaged 6.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.7 APG, and 1.3 BPG.

The Wizards don’t have an open spot on their 15-man roster, so they’ll likely use a hardship exception to add Monroe. While Minnesota no longer has any players in the health and safety protocols, Washington currently has a league-high seven players affected.

The Wizards have six players on 10-day contracts at the moment, so if players start exiting the COVID-19 protocols, they may no longer be eligible for another hardship addition — teams qualify for one hardship replacement for each player in the protocols. However, five of those six active 10-day deals will expire by Sunday, so the team could always terminate one of them a day or two early if necessary.