Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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.

Pistons Sign Cassius Stanley To Second 10-Day Contract

January 8th, 2022 at 3:43pm CST by JD Shaw

The Pistons have signed guard Cassius Stanley to a second 10-day contract using the COVID-related hardship allowance, the team announced (via Twitter). Stanley’s first 10-day hardship deal with the club expired on Tuesday.

Stanley averaged 10.7 points in his three games with Detroit, shooting 48% from the floor and 44% from downtown. In 12 G League games with Motor City this season, he’s averaged 10 points, 4.2 rebounds and 23.6 minutes per contest.

The Pistons own the second-worst record in the league at 7-30. Along with Stanley on a 10-day deal, the team’s current backcourt rotation includes Killian Hayes, Cade Cunningham, Saben Lee and Rodney McGruder.

Bucks Sign Jeff Dowtin Via Hardship Exception

January 7th, 2022 at 5:33pm CST by Luke Adams

5:33pm: The Bucks have officially signed Dowtin, the team announced in a press release.

1:22pm: The Bucks intend to sign free agent guard Jeff Dowtin to a 10-day contract using a hardship exception, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Dowtin will be Milwaukee’s third 10-day hardship addition, joining Luke Kornet and Langston Galloway.

Dowtin, 24, began the season on a two-way contract with the Warriors and appeared briefly in four games for the team. However, he was waived last weekend in order to open up a two-way slot for Quinndary Weatherspoon.

A G League regular since going undrafted out of Rhode Island in 2020, Dowtin was a member of the Lakeland Magic team that won the NBAGL’s bubble season in 2020/21 and also started 12 games for the Santa Cruz Warriors this season, averaging 17.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 5.1 APG in 35.3 minutes per contest.

The Bucks currently have four players – Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton, George Hill, and Jrue Holiday – in the health and safety protocols, which is why they qualify for another hardship exception. As a result, Dowtin’s 10-day salary ($53,176) won’t count against team salary for cap or tax purposes.

Thunder Officially Waive Miye Oni

January 7th, 2022 at 4:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have officially waived forward Miye Oni, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. The move had been expected ever since Oklahoma City acquired Oni in a salary-dump deal on Tuesday, as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported at the time that he would be released.

Oni, 24, appeared in 80 games for the Jazz across three seasons, but never developed into a consistent, reliable rotation player. He averaged just 1.8 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 8.4 minutes per contest in those three years.

Utah sent Oni to Oklahoma City earlier this week in order to reduce their projected end-of-season luxury tax payment. The Thunder were incentivized to make the deal because they got a future second-round pick out of it, but Oni wasn’t part of their on-court plans.

Assuming Oni goes unclaimed on waivers, the Thunder will carry a dead-money cap hit of $850,331 for a prorated portion of his minimum salary. The 24-year-old would be eligible to sign as a free agent with any NBA team except the Jazz, who wouldn’t be able to immediately re-add him after trading him to OKC.

Pelicans Waive Gary Clark

January 7th, 2022 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

4:05pm: The Pelicans have officially waived Clark, the club confirmed in a press release.

3:34pm: The Pelicans will waive forward Gary Clark before his full-season salary becomes guaranteed, reports ESPN’s Andrew Lopez (Twitter link).

Clark, 27, signed with New Orleans in early December when the team moved Didi Louzada to the suspended list, freeing up an open spot on the 15-man roster. Louzada’s 25-game suspension is due to end next week, meaning the Pelicans would’ve needed to release Clark at that point anyway in order to reactivate Louzada. Making the move a few days early allows New Orleans to avoid being on the hook for the remainder of Clark’s minimum salary.

In eight games as a Pelican, Clark averaged 3.6 PPG and 2.8 RPG on .429/.474/.500 shooting (11.9 MPG). He should generate some interest as a candidate for a 10-day contract once he clears waivers.

The Pelicans will be on the hook for a prorated portion of Clark’s minimum salary, which works out to $377,645.

Celtics Release Jabari Parker

January 7th, 2022 at 3:35pm CST by Luke Adams

3:35pm: The Celtics have officially waived Parker, the team announced (via Twitter).

1:53pm: The Celtics won’t guarantee Jabari Parker‘s full salary for the 2021/22 season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Boston plans to waive the forward today.

Parker is the only player on the Celtics’ 15-man roster whose salary isn’t fully guaranteed for ’21/22. Releasing him will open up a roster spot, creating some added flexibility for the club with the trade deadline just over a month away.

Parker, the second overall pick in the 2014 draft, finished the 2020/21 season with Boston, then re-signed with the team at the start of the ’21/22 campaign. In 22 total games with the Celtics across two seasons, the 26-year-old averaged 5.3 PPG and 2.9 RPG on .512/.385/.864 shooting in 11.4 MPG.

The Celtics’ one-year deal with Parker would have paid him $2,239,544 for the full season. Instead, he’ll be owed $1,068,288, which is also the amount that will remain on Boston’s cap unless another team claims the forward off waivers.

Assuming Parker goes unclaimed, he’ll be free to sign with any NBA team. The Celtics, meanwhile, won’t be under any pressure to fill their newly-opened roster spot right away, since they’re still carrying 14 players on standard contracts.

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.