Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Timberwolves Pick Up Options On Edwards, McDaniels

October 18th, 2021 at 6:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Timberwolves have picked up their third-year options on Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Both options are for the 2022/23 season.

The moves were a mere formality as Minnesota guaranteed the contracts of two of the team’s key players from last year’s draft.

Edwards, the No. 1 overall pick, averaged 19.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 2.9 APG in his stellar rookie season. He pumped in 23.8 PPG after the All-Star break.

McDaniels, the No. 28 pick, averaged 6.8 PPG and 3.7 RPG. He also ramped up his production after the All-Star break and is expected to start at power forward this season.

Edwards’ salary for 2022/23 will be $10.73MM, while McDaniels will get $2.16MM.

Hawks, Kevin Huerter Complete Four-Year Extension

October 18th, 2021 at 5:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

5:54pm: Huerter has officially signed his extension, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

4:31pm: The Hawks and Kevin Huerter have agreed to terms on a four-year rookie scale extension worth $65MM, agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal is fully guaranteed, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link).

This continues Atlanta’s trend of locking up its young core. Trae Young signed a five-year max extension in August. John Collins inked a five-year extension this summer and Clint Capela received a two-year extension.

Overall, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (Twitter link), the franchise has handed out more than $400MM in contracts this offseason — Young’s $172.5MM, John Collins’ $125MM, Huerter’s deal and Capela’s $46MM. Atlanta could certainly be confronted with luxury tax issues in future years but the ownership group appears willing to do whatever it takes to keep their top players in the fold.

Huerter, 23, is one of the team’s key wing pieces. He’s a 37.6% 3-point shooter over the first three years of his career. He averaged 11.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 3.5 APG last season in 69 regular season games, including 49 starts. During the Hawks’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals, he started 10 of 18 games and averaged 11.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 2.8 APG.

Huerter’s extension is similar to the one the Clippers wing Luke Kennard received last winter.

Pacers Sign Malcolm Brogdon To Two-Year Extension

October 18th, 2021 at 5:53pm CST by Luke Adams

5:53pm: The Pacers and Brogdon have officially completed their new deal, according to the transactions log at NBA.com.

2:14pm: The Pacers and guard Malcolm Brogdon have agreed to a two-year, $45MM extension, agent Austin Brown of CAA Sports tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Brogdon’s current contract covers the next two years, so his new deal will begin in 2023/24 and will lock him up through 2025. The 28-year-old is earning $21.7MM in ’21/22 and $22.6MM in ’22/23, for a total of $44.3MM over the next two seasons, so his new two-year extension figures to look pretty similar to the remainder of his current deal.

Brogdon, who will turn 29 in December, has spent the last two seasons in Indiana and enjoyed perhaps the best statistical season of his career in 2020/21. He averaged a career-high 21.2 PPG to go along with 5.9 APG and 5.3 RPG in 56 games (34.5 MPG), posting a shooting line of .453/.388/.864.

There had been some whispers throughout the offseason that Brogdon could be a trade candidate, and his name – as well as Caris LeVert‘s – surfaced in rumors related to the Ben Simmons trade talks between the Sixers and Pacers. However, subsequent reports suggested that Philadelphia wasn’t that enamored by the idea of a package centered around Brogdon and/or LeVert.

Now that he’s signing an extension, Brogdon won’t be a trade option for the Sixers or any other team this season. As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Brogdon’s new deal exceeds the extend-and-trade limits in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, meaning he won’t become trade-eligible for six months. This season’s trade deadline is on February 10.

As we noted this morning, if Brogdon hadn’t finalized an extension today, he wouldn’t have been eligible to sign one until the 2022 offseason, since he still has multiple years left on his current deal.

Bucks Sign Grayson Allen To Two-Year Extension

October 18th, 2021 at 5:52pm CST by Luke Adams

5:52pm: The Bucks have officially signed Allen to his extension, per NBA.com’s transactions log. The deal’s overall base value is lower than $20MM, according to Jim Owczarksi of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who reports that it can be worth up to $19.5MM if certain team and player incentives are met.

4:16pm: The Bucks have reached an agreement on a two-year, $20MM rookie scale contract extension with wing Grayson Allen, agent Mitch Nathan of CAA tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Allen, who is entering his fourth NBA season, had the best year of his career for the Grizzlies in 2020/21, starting 38 of 50 games and averaging 10.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 2.2 APG. The former Duke star has knocked down 39.5% of his 3-point attempts over the last two years while steadily increasing his volume.

The Bucks acquired Allen from Memphis over the summer in exchange for Sam Merrill and a pair of future second-round picks. He’ll play a rotation role on the wing in Milwaukee this season and would have been eligible for restricted free agency in 2022 if he hadn’t worked out a deal with the team today.

Allen’s two-year contract will give the Bucks some insurance in the event that they can’t complete a new contract with Donte DiVincenzo, who is also on track for potential restricted free agency next summer if he doesn’t sign an extension today. Allen’s new deal will pay him approximately the equivalent of the full mid-level exception.

Allen will earn just over $4MM this season before his extension goes into effect in 2022/23.

Suns Sign Landry Shamet To Four-Year Extension

October 18th, 2021 at 5:49pm CST by Luke Adams

5:49pm: Shamet’s extension is official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. The deal will include a team option in year four, says Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

4:20pm: The Suns are signing guard Landry Shamet to a four-year, $43MM rookie scale contract extension, agent George Landberg tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The deal is almost identical to what a four-year deal using the full mid-level exception is projected to look like in 2022/23.

Shamet has yet to appear in a regular season game for Phoenix, having been acquired from Brooklyn in an offseason deal. However, as Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter), head coach Monty Williams pushed for that trade and is planning on having Shamet play a big role for the Suns.

The 24-year-old has bounced around the NBA since entering the league as the 26th overall pick, having already spent time with the Sixers, Clippers, and Nets. However, he has been considered a positive asset each time he has been traded — the Suns gave up Jevon Carter and the No. 29 pick for him this summer.

Shamet has also been a reliable outside shooter for each one of his teams so far, knocking down 39.7% of his career three-point attempts in 193 games. In 2020/21, he averaged 9.3 PPG in 61 games (23.0 MPG) for the Nets.

Even though the Suns were said to be high on Shamet, it’s still a little surprising that the team completed rookie scale extensions with two players this offseason and former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton wasn’t one of them. Mikal Bridges also received a four-year deal from Phoenix, but extension negotiations with Ayton stalled and ended.

Outside of Ayton, the Suns now have their entire core locked up for multiple seasons. Devin Booker is under contract for the next three years, while Chris Paul‘s contract covers four seasons.

Warriors Claim Dowtin, Make Him Two-Way Player

October 18th, 2021 at 5:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors have claimed Jeff Dowtin and converted his Exhibit 10 deal to a two-way contract, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.

The Magic waived Dowtin on Saturday.

Dowtin, a 6’3” shooting guard, played for G League’s Lakeland Magic last season and was also a member of Orlando’s Summer League team. Dowtin, who went undrafted out of Rhode Island in 2020, averaged 6.5 PPG and 2.5 APG in 15 games (19.7 MPG) for Lakeland last season and 7.2 PPG in five games at Las Vegas.

He also saw action in three preseason games this month. Golden State’s other two-way deal is held by another guard, Chris Chiozza.

Rockets Claim Garrison Mathews, Waive Anthony Lamb

October 18th, 2021 at 5:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have made a change to one of their two-way contract slots, waiving forward Anthony Lamb and replacing him with guard Garrison Mathews, reports Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter links). According to Iko, Houston claimed Mathews off waivers and converted his Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal.

Mathews, who was on a two-way contract with Washington for each of the past two seasons after going undrafted out of Lipscomb in 2019, emerged as a regular rotation player for Washington in 2020/21, averaging 5.5 PPG in 64 games (16.2 MPG). The 24-year-old shooting guard has displayed a reliable outside shot since entering the NBA, making 38.9% of 244 total three-point attempts.

The Celtics signed Mathews to a training camp contract this offseason and he was a candidate to be converted to a two-way deal in Boston, but he reportedly asked the team not to do so. According to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Mathews thought it was unlikely he’d be promoted to the Celtics’ standard roster during the season if he were on a two-way deal with the team. There’s a better path to a 15-man roster spot in Houston, where the Rockets will likely try to trade some veterans this season.

As for Lamb, he played in the G League bubble with the Canton Charge and Rio Grande Valley Vipers earlier this year 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 in 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. He’s a candidate to return to the Vipers.

The Rockets also completed another minor transaction, quietly signing and waiving big man Mfiondu Kabengele, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The sign-and-waive move ensures that Houston can make Kabengele an affiliate player for Rio Grande Valley, assuming he signs a G League contract.

Kabengele, 24, was the 27th overall pick in the 2019 draft, but barely played for the Clippers in his rookie year and had his rookie scale team option for the 2021/22 season turned down. He was traded to the Kings at the 2021 deadline, then caught on with the Cavaliers after being cut by Sacramento. The 6’9″ Canadian played in 16 games for the Cavs down the stretch, averaging 4.3 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 11.6 minutes per contest.

Because Kabengele signed his Exhibit 10 contract with Houston on Sunday and wasn’t cut until Monday, he’ll still be on waivers when the regular season begins. That means the Rockets will take on a small cap hit for a couple days worth of his minimum salary.

Spurs Claim Cacok, Hand Him Two-Way Deal

October 18th, 2021 at 4:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs have claimed former Lakers and Nets forward Devontae Cacok off waivers and converted his deal to a two-way contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Brooklyn placed Cacok on waivers over the weekend after choosing to sign David Duke Jr. to a two-way contract. Cacok was signed to a training camp deal last month.

Claims are relatively rare in the NBA, so the Spurs apparently believe Cacok, 25, could contribute this season. Swingman Joe Wieskamp has the Spurs’ other two-way deal.

Cacok, who went undrafted out of UNC Wilmington in 2019, spent his first two professional seasons on a two-way contract with the Lakers. He played sparingly as a rookie, but appeared in 20 regular season games in 2020/21, though his playing time was limited. He averaged 2.0 PPG and 1.6 RPG in 4.9 minutes per contest.

He excelled in the G League in 2019/20, putting up 19.3 PPG and 11.9 RPG with a .660 FG% in 33 games for the South Bay Lakers.

Brooklyn’s G League team, the Long Island Nets, acquired his rights on Friday. The Spurs’ two-way contract will override those returning rights. However, Long Island would still have his returning rights if he’s waived and signs a G League contract.

Spurs Exercise Options On Johnson, Vassell

October 18th, 2021 at 4:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs exercised their fourth-year option on forward Keldon Johnson, as well as their third-year option on swingman Devin Vassell, for the 2022/23 season, according to a team press release.

Johnson will make approximately $3.87MM next season, while Vassell will take in nearly $4.44MM.

Neither move came as a surprise.

Johnson has emerged as one of the team’s top players. He appeared in 69 games last season and averaging 12.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 1.8 APG in 28.5 MPG. Johnson, the 29th pick of the 2019 draft, was a member of this summer’s Team USA squad that captured the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Vassell, a lottery pick last year, averaged 5.5 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 17.0 MPG over 62 games during his rookie campaign. He projects to be one of San Antonio’s mainstays on its second unit this season.

Lakers Claim Avery Bradley Off Waivers

October 18th, 2021 at 4:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have reunited with another old friend, having claimed guard Avery Bradley off waivers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Bradley was released by the Warriors on Saturday.

Bradley was part of the Lakers’ championship team in 2019/20, averaging 8.6 PPG and 2.3 RPG on .444/.364/.833 shooting in 49 games (24.2 MPG) for the club. He signed with the Heat last offseason, then was traded to Houston at the March trade deadline. The Rockets turned down Bradley’s team option for 2021/22 and he subsequently joined the Warriors for training camp.

Bradley failed to earn the 15th spot on Golden State’s regular season roster, but will become the latest veteran to rejoin the Lakers after spending time away from the team. Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington, and Kent Bazemore are among the others who fit that bill. Howard and Rondo, like Bradley, were members of the 2020 championship team.

The Lakers, who signed Jay Huff to a two-way contract earlier today, now have a full 17-man roster for the regular season. However, Bradley’s deal is non-guaranteed and Austin Reaves only has a small partial guarantee, so the team has the flexibility to make some changes in the coming days, weeks, or months, if necessary.