Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kings Sign Ade Murkey To 10-Day Contract

December 22nd, 2021 at 1:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 22: Murkey’s 10-day contract is now official, per a press release from the Kings. It’ll run through December 31.

DECEMBER 21: The Kings will add free agent shooting guard Ade Murkey on a 10-day hardship deal, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The 23-year-old swingman currently plays for Sacramento’s G League affiliate in Stockton, where he’s averaging 11.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 12 games.

Undrafted out of Denver in 2020, Murkey signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Timberwolves last December, but was waived before the season started and spent the year in the G League. He signed with the Kings in October and was waived two days later.

Sacramento has been hit hard by COVID-19 this month and currently has seven players in the health and safety protocols.

Heat Sign Zylan Cheatham To 10-Day Deal

December 22nd, 2021 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 22: The Heat have signed Cheatham, the club formally announced today (via Twitter). His 10-day deal will run through December 31, covering Miami’s next five scheduled games.

DECEMBER 21: The Heat plan to sign free agent wing Zylan Cheatham to a 10-day contract via a hardship exception, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Cheatham won’t count against the team’s roster limit, so no corresponding move is required.

Cheatham, who went undrafted out of Arizona State in 2019, spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with the Pelicans. However, he appeared in just four NBA games for the club and was sent to Oklahoma City in a sign-and-trade for salary-matching purposes during the 2020 offseason.

The 26-year-old has played in the G League since then and has spent the current season with the Birmingham Squadron, New Orleans’ affiliate. In 13 NBAGL games (30.5 MPG), he has averaged a double-double (14.2 PPG, 10.4 RPG) with a solid .491/.429/.806 shooting line.

Miami only has one player – Caleb Martin – in the health and safety protocols, but has been hit hard by injuries as of late. Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Markieff Morris, P.J. Tucker, and Victor Oladipo are all sidelined due to various ailments, rendering a hardship signing necessary.

Kings Sign Emmanuel Mudiay Via Hardship Exception

December 22nd, 2021 at 1:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

DECEMBER 22: Mudiay’s 10-day deal is now official, the Kings announced in a press release.

DECEMBER 21: Veteran point guard Emmanuel Mudiay is set to ink a new 10-day contract with the Kings via hardship exception, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).

Mudiay was drafted with the seventh overall pick by the Nuggets in 2015 after playing for the CBA’s Guangdong Southern Tigers. He was named to the All-Rookie Second Team in 2016, but struggled to find a consistent place on the Denver roster as the club’s fortunes improved with the development of All-Star center Nikola Jokic and elite shooting guard Jamal Murray. Mudiay, still just 25, has also played for the Knicks and Jazz.

The 6’3″ guard holds career averages of 11.0 PPG, 3.8 APG and 2.9 RPG across 300 games, 165 of them starts. He boasts a career NBA shooting line of .401/.323/.759.

The five-year NBA vet’s last stint in the league came with the Jazz during the 2019/20 season. Mudiay most recently suited up for Lithuanian club Zalgiris Kaunas this year, but split with the team last month.

Woj adds that the team expects Mudiay to be available as soon as Wednesday against the Clippers for a very short-handed Sacramento team.

Per our health and safety protocols tracker, the Kings have seven players in the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols as of this writing: star point guard De’Aaron Fox, intriguing rookie guard Davion Mitchell, wings Terence Davis and Louis King, and big men Marvin Bagley III, Alex Len and Neemias Queta. The team is also without 67-year-old interim head coach Alvin Gentry, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Assistant coach Doug Christie has coached the team in Gentry’s stead.

Sixers Sign Tyler Johnson To 10-Day Contract

December 22nd, 2021 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 22: The Sixers have officially signed Johnson to a 10-day deal, according to a press release from the team. He should be available for Philadelphia’s next four games before his contract expires on December 31.

DECEMBER 20: The Sixers have reached an agreement to sign free agent guard Tyler Johnson, a source tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). It’ll be a 10-day contract via a hardship exception, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer confirms (via Twitter).

Johnson, 29, has plenty of NBA experience, having appeared in a total of 348 games for the Heat, Suns, and Nets since 2014. 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 will add some depth to a Sixers backcourt that is currently missing Shake Milton (health and safety protocols), Furkan Korkmaz (non-COVID illness), Jaden Springer (concussion), and, of course, Ben Simmons (personal). Tyrese Maxey is also listed as questionable for Monday’s game due to a left quad contusion.

Johnson’s 10-day contract will pay him $128,709, but it won’t count against the Sixers’ team salary for cap or tax purposes.

Mavericks Sign George King To 10-Day Deal

December 22nd, 2021 at 12:31pm CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 22: King’s 10-day contract is now official, the Mavericks announced today (via Twitter). It’ll run through December 31.

DECEMBER 21: The Mavericks are signing forward George King to a 10-day contract via a hardship exception, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The 59th overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Colorado, King spent his rookie season with Phoenix on a two-way contract, but appeared in just one NBA game and then was out of the league for two years. He played in Italy and Poland during the 2019/20 season, then spent the ’20/21 campaign in Germany with the Niners Chemnitz.

King joined the Clippers this fall on an Exhibit 10 deal and landed with the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario – the team’s G League affiliate – after failing to earn a spot on the regular season roster. In 11 NBAGL games this season, he has averaged 13.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 1.7 SPG with an impressive .534/.466/.818 shooting line in 31.3 minutes per contest.

Wizards Sign Jordan Schakel To 10-Day Deal

December 22nd, 2021 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 22: Schakel’s 10-day deal is now official, the Wizards announced in a press release. It’ll run through December 31.

DECEMBER 21: The Wizards are calling up rookie wing Jordan Schakel from their G League affiliate, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Schakel will sign a 10-day contract via a hardship exception.

Schakel, who went undrafted earlier this year out of San Diego State, joined the Wizards for training camp, but didn’t make the team’s regular season roster. The 23-year-old joined the Capital City Go-Go and has averaged 14.1 PPG and 3.1 RPG in his first 14 games (32.1 MPG) in the G League, knocking down an impressive 39.6% of his 7.9 three-point attempts per game.

The Wizards haven’t had major issues this month with COVID-19, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope tested positive on Monday night and was placed in the protocols today, making the team eligible for a hardship exception.

Schakel’s 10-day deal won’t count against team salary for cap or tax purposes.

Cavaliers Sign Tre Scott To 10-Day Deal

December 22nd, 2021 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have signed free agent forward Tre Scott to a 10-day contract using a hardship exception, the team announced today in a press release. Scott’s deal will run through December 31.

Scott, 25, went undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2020 and spent his rookie season with Utah’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. In 15 games for the Stars, the 6’8″ forward averaged 10.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 2.1 APG on .443/.296/.714 shooting in 29.3 minutes per contest.

Scott played for the Cavs in the Las Vegas Summer League earlier this year and then joined the Cleveland Charge, the Cavs’ NBAGL affiliate. He has averaged 14.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.4 APG on .442/.333/.714 shooting in 10 G League games (34.4 MPG) this season.

Cleveland has now added three players this week via the hardship exception, with Scott joining Luke Kornet and Justin Anderson. The Cavs currently have eight players in the health and safety protocols, so they’re eligible to sign a few more replacement players if they so choose.

Hawks Sign Lance Stephenson Via Hardship Exception

December 22nd, 2021 at 9:19am CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 22: The Hawks have officially signed Stephenson to a 10-day contract, the team confirmed today in a press release.

DECEMBER 21: The Hawks are calling up veteran NBA swingman Lance Stephenson from the G League, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link). Stephenson had been playing for the Grand Rapids Gold, Denver’s NBAGL affiliate.

Stephenson, 31, hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2018/19 season, but signed a G League contract this fall in the hopes of making a comeback. In his first 12 games for the Gold this season, the former Pacer averaged 19.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 4.1 APG on .471/.306/.686 shooting in 35.0 MPG.

Stephenson has appeared in a total of 508 regular season NBA games, including 298 with Indiana. He also spent time with the Hornets, Clippers, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Timberwolves, and Lakers during his nine years in the league.

The Hawks will sign Stephenson to a 10-day contract via the hardship provision, says Stein (Twitter link). Atlanta hasn’t been among the teams hit hardest this month by COVID-19, but Trae Young is currently in the protocols, making the club eligible to add a replacement player.

As Stein observes, a handful of NBA veterans who had been playing for Grand Rapids have received NBA call-ups this month. Isaiah Thomas recently signed with the Lakers, while Nik Stauskas reportedly has a deal in place with Toronto.

Hawks Sign Malcolm Hill To 10-Day Deal

December 22nd, 2021 at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 22: Hill has officially signed his 10-day contract with the Hawks, according to the team. It’ll run through December 31.

DECEMBER 21: Former Illinois forward Malcolm Hill has agreed to sign a 10-day contract with the Hawks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Atlanta will sign Hill using a hardship exception.

The Hawks entered Tuesday with just one player – Trae Young – in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, but two other Atlanta players are set to join Young in those protocols, tweets Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Three of the team’s “tier one” staffers are also being placed in the protocols, as the team canceled its Tuesday practice, per Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).

Having already agreed to sign Lance Stephenson, the Hawks have now lined up a deal with Hill, who went undrafted in 2017 and has since played in the Philippines, Germany, Kazakhstan, and Israel. The 6’6″ wing returned stateside this year and has been playing for the Birmingham Squadron, the Pelicans’ G League affiliate.

In 14 NBAGL games (31.6 MPG) for the Squadron, Hill has averaged 16.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 1.6 SPG on .509/.402/.810 shooting.

Raptors To Sign D.J. Wilson Via Hardship Exception

December 21st, 2021 at 7:48pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Free agent power forward D.J. Wilson will sign a 10-day contract with the Raptors via a hardship exception, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

The 25-year-old was drafted with the No. 17 pick out of Michigan by the Bucks in 2017. He was traded to the Rockets during the 2020/21 season. In 142 games, the 6’10 big man holds career averages of 4.3 PPG and 3.1 RPG, across 12.3 MPG.

Wilson was most recently with the Thunder’s NBAGL affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, averaging 13.9 PPG and 9.7 RPG.

Josh Lewenberg of TSN notes (Twitter link) that Wilson will be Toronto’s fifth replacement player added to address the team’s wide array of absences. The team has also reached deals with Brandon Goodwin, Tremont Waters, Juwan Morgan, and Nik Stauskas.

Per our COVID-19 tracker, the Raptors have seven players in the NBA’s health and safety protocols: Precious Achiuwa, Dalano Banton, Scottie Barnes, Malachi Flynn, Pascal Siakam, Gary Trent Jr., and Fred VanVleet.

Additionally, Khem Birch and David Johnson remain absent with injuries, while Justin Champagnie is dealing with a non-COVID illness. Veteran point guard Goran Dragic is away from the team indefinitely for personal reasons.