Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bulls Sign Mac McClung To 10-Day Deal

December 22nd, 2021 at 7:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 22: McClung’s deal is official, according to NBA.com’s transactions page.

DECEMBER 21: The Bulls will sign guard Mac McClung to a 10-day hardship contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

After going undrafted out of Texas Tech, the 22-year-old guard signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Lakers, but was waived in October before the season began. He has played 13 games for L.A.’s G League affiliate in South Bay, averaging 13.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists per night.

The Bulls, who had two games postponed last week, are starting to get healthier, but still have six players in the health and safety protocols. They signed Alfonzo McKinnie to a second 10-day contract on Monday.

Joe Johnson Signs 10-Day Contract With Celtics

December 22nd, 2021 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

4:11pm: The signing is official, the Celtics announced (via Twitter).

10:06am: Veteran NBA swingman Joe Johnson is returning to the NBA, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that the seven-time All-Star is signing a 10-day contract with the Celtics via a hardship exception.

It’s an unexpected comeback for Johnson, who turned 40 years old in June and hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2017/18 season, when he appeared in 55 games for Utah and Houston. His last NBA contract came in the fall of 2019 — he competed in training camp for the Pistons’ final roster spot, but lost out to Christian Wood.

Johnson, who has won two MVP awards in the BIG3 in recent years, has appeared in 1,276 total regular season NBA games and another 120 postseason contests. He has career averages of 16.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 3.9 APG on .441/.371/.802 shooting, though those numbers fell off significantly in his final season in ’17/18.

The odds are against Johnson turning a 10-day audition into a full-season opportunity on an NBA roster, but it will be good to see him back in the league. He’ll join a Celtics team that currently has seven players in the health and safety protocols. Boston has also signed Justin Jackson and C.J. Miles to 10-day deals within the last week.

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.