Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sixers Sign Myles Powell, Waive Grant Riller

December 19th, 2021 at 3:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 19: The Sixers have officially signed Powell to a two-way deal and waived Riller, according to Derek Bodner of The Daily Six newsletter (via Twitter).

DECEMBER 18: The Sixers will sign former Seton Hall standout Myles Powell to a two-way contract, according to Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice. Current two-way player Grant Riller will be waived to make room on the roster, Neubeck adds.

Powell is currently with the Westchester Knicks in the G League, where he had 15 points, five rebounds and two assists in the only game he has played this year. He also appeared in 13 games for Westchester last season.

Powell has been seeking an NBA opportunity since going undrafted in 2020. He has signed three times with the Knicks, only to be waived shortly thereafter. The last time was in mid-October so that New York could retain his G League rights and give him an Exhibit 10 bonus for returning to Westchester.

He was a prolific scorer at Seton Hall, putting up 21.0 PPG in 2020 while earning Big East Player of the Year and first-team All-American honors.

Riller, a 24-year-old point guard, has been slowed by injuries since signing with Philadelphia in August and hasn’t appeared in any games this season. He suffered a torn meniscus in early October and injured his right shoulder in a G League game last month. He played seven games for the Hornets last season.

Nuggets Re-Sign Davon Reed

December 19th, 2021 at 9:49am CST by Dana Gauruder

DECEMBER 19: The move is official, the Nuggets announced (via Twitter).

DECEMBER 18: The Nuggets are re-signing guard Davon Reed to another 10-day contract via the hardship exemption, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

The exemption has been granted to teams with COVID-19 and/or injury issues. It allows a team to add a 16th player to its standard “15-man” roster without waiving anyone.

According to our latest count, the team still has two players in health and safety protocols, though one (Michael Porter Jr.) is injured. The other player still sidelined by protocols is Bol Bol. They also have two other players out of action due to long-term injuries.

Reed signed on December 4. He’s averaged 3.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 1.5 SPG in 16.5 MPG while appearing in six games.

Reed had previously been playing for the team’s new G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold. A 2017 second-rounder, Reed appeared in 21 games for Phoenix during the 2017/18 season and 1o more for Indiana the following season. In seven games with the Gold, he averaged 12.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 3.8 APG.

Celtics Sign Justin Jackson Via Hardship Exemption

December 18th, 2021 at 4:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

4:17pm: Jackson’s signing is official, the Celtics announced in a press release.

11:35am: The Celtics are planning to sign forward Justin Jackson to a 10-day contract using the hardship exemption, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Jackson has been playing for the Texas Legends, Dallas’ NBA G League affiliate.

The 15th pick of the 2017 draft, Jackson has appeared in 248 NBA games. Last season, he played 33 games for the Thunder and another for the Bucks. He began his career with Sacramento and also played one full season and part of another for Dallas.

The Mavericks waived Jackson during training camp prior to this season.

Boston has a handful of players in the league’s health and safety protocols — Sam Hauser, Juan Hernangomez, Al Horford, Jabari Parker and Grant Williams. The exemption is being used by multiple clubs to handle the current COVID crisis around the league. Players signed via the exemption don’t count against the 15-man roster limit.

Knicks Sign Tyler Hall To 10-Day Contract

December 18th, 2021 at 12:56pm CST by JD Shaw

The Knicks have signed guard Tyler Hall to a 10-day contract, the team announced today (Twitter link). New York currently has six players in the league’s health and safety protocols, so the team used a hardship exception to sign Hall.

At 6’5″ and 210 pounds, Hall has impressed in the G League this season, averaging 14.6 points per game for New York’s affiliate, the Westchester Knicks. He’s also pitched in 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per outing, playing an average of 38.5 minutes.

Hall went undrafted in 2019 after playing four collegiate seasons at Montana State University. The Knicks (13-16) have upcoming games scheduled against the Celtics on Saturday, Pistons on Tuesday and Wizards on Thursday.

Rockets Waive House, Promote Mathews, Sign Queen

December 18th, 2021 at 9:19am CST by Rory Maher

DECEMBER 18: The Rockets announced via a press release they have converted Mathews’ two-way contract into a standard contract, signed Queen to a two-way contract, and waived House.

DECEMBER 17: The Rockets are waiving Danuel House, signing two-way player Garrison Mathews to a standard four-year contract worth more than $8MM, and signing wing Trevelin Queen to a two-way deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon of ESPN (All Twitter links).

The Rockets had been looking for a way to create an opening on their 15-man roster in order to convert Mathews, and they’ve done so by waiving House. Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets that the Rockets will use a portion of their mid-level exception to convert Mathews to a standard contract.

The Rockets will be responsible for the full $3.9MM of House’s guaranteed contract this season, although he’s already earned approximately $1.4MM, so it’s really an additional $2.5MM, as Marks tweets.

House has been out of Houston’s rotation this season as the team prioritizes younger players. In 16 games this season (14.6 MPG), he averaged 4.8 PPG and 2.7 RPG on .338/.294/.895 shooting. If he clears waivers, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.

The Rockets claimed Mathews off waivers the day before the season started and converted his Exhibit 10 deal into a two-way contract. He’s certainly earned his promotion to a standard deal; in 11 games since entering the starting lineup, Mathews has averaged 14.5 PPG and 3.8 RPG on .435/.378/.795 shooting in 33 MPG. He’s attempting 8.2 three-pointers (3.1 makes) and 3.5 free throws during that stretch, a very nice shot profile for an analytically-driven Houston team. The Rockets are 7-4 over those 11 games.

The 24-year-old Queen has been playing with Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grand Valley Vipers. In 10 games with the Vipers, he’s averaging 22.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.3 APG and 2.9 SPG.

Nets Sign James Ennis, Shaq Harrison Via Hardship Exemption

December 18th, 2021 at 9:02am CST by Dana Gauruder

DECEMBER 18: Brooklyn has signed both players, the team tweets.

DECEMBER 16: The Nets are planning to use the hardship exemption to sign forward James Ennis, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. They will also give Shaquille Harrison a 10-day deal using the same exemption, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets.

The team was missing seven players on Thursday due to health and safety protocols — James Harden, Bruce Brown, Paul Millsap, Jevon Carter, James Johnson, LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre’ Bembry. Joe Harris is recovering from ankle surgery.

Despite being shorthanded, Brooklyn won its fourth straight by downing Philadelphia 114-105. The club had only nine players available, including Langston Galloway, who received a 10-day contract on Thursday using the exemption.

The well-travelled Ennis appeared in 41 games for the Magic last season, including 37 starts. He averaged 8.4 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 24.0 MPG. He failed to find a free agent offer after playing out his one-year, $3.3MM contract with Orlando.

Harrison played a combined 34 regular-season games off the bench for the Jazz and Nuggets last season. He also appeared in nine playoff games for Denver. He was waived by the Sixers during training camp.

Prior to Thursday’s game, Nets coach Steve Nash expressed concern about overusing Kevin Durant.

“I don’t know we can continue to lean on him the way we have,” he said, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “It doesn’t feel right.”

Kings Place Davion Mitchell In Protocols, Sign Justin Robinson

December 17th, 2021 at 8:45pm CST by Luke Adams

8:45 PM: The Kings have signed Robinson to a 10-day deal using the hardship exception and he will be available to play Friday night, according to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter links).

4:01 PM: The Kings have placed guard Davion Mitchell in the health and safety protocols, according to Sean Cunningham of ABC 10 Sacramento (Twitter link). Mitchell was initially listed as questionable for Friday’s game vs. Memphis – perhaps in the hopes that his COVID-19 test was a false positive – but he has now been ruled out, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Even if a player registers a false positive, he needs to return consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart in order to exit the protocols, so a negative result today wouldn’t have cleared Mitchell, assuming he tested positive earlier in the day.

Sacramento also has five other players in the health and safety protocols and is missing Richaun Holmes due to a right eye injury. On top of that, Tyrese Haliburton (back) and Chimezie Metu (knee) are listed as questionable for Friday’s game. If Haliburton and Metu are ruled out, the club would be down to eight available players, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee notes (via Twitter).

According to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), the Kings may sign free agent guard Justin Robinson before tonight’s contest to provide further reinforcements, assuming the game takes place as scheduled. Robinson would receive a 10-day contract via a hardship exception in that scenario.

Robinson began the season on a two-way contract with Milwaukee and appeared in 17 games for the team, averaging 2.8 PPG and 1.2 APG on .316/.270/1.000 shooting in 11.6 minutes per contest. However, he was waived at the end of November when the Bucks opted to replace him on the roster with Javonte Smart.

Lakers Sign Isaiah Thomas To 10-Day Deal

December 17th, 2021 at 4:26pm CST by Luke Adams

December 17: Thomas has signed his 10-day deal with the Lakers, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

December 16: Isaiah Thomas is getting an opportunity at the NBA level, according to Marc Stein, who reports (via Twitter) that the veteran guard is signing with the Lakers.

The Lakers have two injured players (Trevor Ariza and Kendrick Nunn) and three more in the health and safety protocols (Dwight Howard, Malik Monk, and Talen Horton-Tucker), so they’re eligible to temporarily add up to two free agents due to the NBA’s hardship provision. Thomas will sign via hardship and will get a 10-day contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic confirms (Twitter link).

Thomas, who had been unable to secure an NBA opportunity through the season’s first two months, signed a G League contract and joined the Grand Rapids Gold, Denver’s affiliate. He made his debut on Wednesday and had a massive game, putting up 42 points, eight assists, and six rebounds in 42 minutes. That performance likely helped convince the Lakers to give him a shot.

Thomas has appeared in just 55 total NBA games since the start of the 2018/19 season for the Nuggets, Wizards, and Pelicans, averaging 11.1 PPG and 3.2 APG on .393/.381/.771 shooting in 21.0 minutes per contest during that time. The 32-year-old was bothered for years by hip problems, but has said he’s fully healthy now and recently represented Team USA in a pair of qualifying games for the 2023 World Cup.

NBA can receive permission to carry extra players if they have four or more players affected by the health and safety protocols and/or by longer-term injuries. The Lakers will have to either let Thomas go or create room on the 15-man roster for him once a couple of their unavailable players are ready to return.

Thomas’ 10-day contract will pay him $151,821 and will carry a $95,930 cap hit. The overall cost of the signing will be a little higher for the Lakers, since it’ll also increase their tax bill.

Magic Sign Four Players To 10-Day Contracts

December 17th, 2021 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have called up four players from their G League affiliate, signing swingman B.J. Johnson, guard Hassani Gravett, and forwards Admiral Schofield and Aleem Ford to 10-day contracts, the team announced today in a press release. All four Lakeland Magic players were signed using hardship exceptions.

As we detailed earlier today, the Magic found themselves shorthanded after Ignas Brazdeikis, Terrence Ross, Moritz Wagner, and R.J. Hampton entered the health and safety protocols. Orlando is also missing Jalen Suggs, Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac, Michael Carter-Williams, and E’Twaun Moore due to long-term injuries, raising questions about whether the team would have the minimum required eight players available for Friday’s game vs. Miami.

Since then, Mohamed Bamba has also entered the health and safety protocols, according to the Magic (Twitter link). However, with four G League call-ups joining the seven remaining players on the NBA squad, Orlando should be able to move forward with its schedule for the time being.

Of Orlando’s four newly-added players, two – Johnson and Schofield – have NBA experience. Johnson has also been Lakeland’s leading scorer so far this season, putting up 24.7 PPG on .462/.344/.821 shooting in his first 10 games (34.5 MPG).

Schofield has averaged 14.4 PPG and 7.3 RPG in 12 G League games (33.0 MPG), while Gravett has recorded 13.6 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 5.2 RPG in 12 games (34.5 MPG) and Ford has posted 9.6 PPG and 4.4 RPG in 12 games (28.1 MPG).

The hardship provision allows teams with several players unavailable due to injuries or the health and safety protocols to add extra players on a temporary basis.

Nets Sign Langston Galloway Via Hardship Exception

December 16th, 2021 at 8:08am CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 16: The Nets have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed Galloway to a 10-day contract.

DECEMBER 15: The Nets have agreed to sign veteran guard Langston Galloway via a hardship exception, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Galloway will receive a 10-day contract.

Brooklyn is eligible to sign multiple players due to the hardship provision, since the team currently has seven players in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, with Joe Harris (ankle) also on the shelf. It’s unclear how many more free agents – if any – the team will sign besides Galloway.

Galloway had decided within the last week to play in the G League and joined the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s NBAGL affiliate. It appears his stint with College Park will be brief. He appeared in his first game for the Skyhawks on Tuesday night, and while he struggled with his scoring efficiency, putting up 12 points on just 5-of-18 shooting, he had seven assists and was a team-best plus-15 in a victory over the Raptors 905.

A former St. Joseph’s standout, 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. 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 this month, has put together a seven-year career with the Knicks, Pelicans, Kings, Pistons and Suns since going undrafted in 2014. He has appeared in 445 NBA games with career averages of 8.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

The Nets will assume a cap hit of $95,930 for Galloway’s 10-day contract, while he earns a $128,709 salary, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Brooklyn will also take on approximately $504K in additional tax penalties as a result of the deal, Marks adds.