Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Sign Jamaree Bouyea To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 18th, 2024 at 11:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Jamaree Bouyea is back under contract with the Spurs on an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

Bouyea signed a two-year, two-year contract with San Antonio back in March and appeared in three NBA game down the stretch of the 2023/24 season. He spent most of ’23/24 in the G League, averaging 16.4 points, 7.2 assists, 5.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.3 blocks in 37.5 minutes per contest across 38 total outings for the Sioux Falls Skyforce and Austin Spurs.

The Spurs kept Bouyea around on his two-way deal for much of the offseason, having him play a significant role on their Summer League team in July, but eventually waived him about a month ago, prior to training camp. His new Exhibit 10 deal and an Austin Spurs trade to acquire his returning rights from the Skyforce signal that the 6’2″ guard remains in San Antonio’s plans for the coming season.

In all likelihood, Bouyea will be waived before opening night and will report back to the Austin Spurs, where he’ll be eligible to earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with San Antonio’s NBAGL team.

The Spurs now have a full 21-man preseason roster, with cuts to come in the coming days in order to get down to the regular season limit by Monday.

Bucks Sign Jalen Lewis To Exhibit 10 Contract

October 18th, 2024 at 11:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks signed free agent center Jalen Lewis to an Exhibit 10 contract on Friday, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

Lewis became the youngest player ever to turn pro in North America back in 2021 when he signed with Overtime Elite on a multiyear deal said to be worth more than $1MM. He was a 16-year-old high school junior at the time.

Back in 2021, Lewis was ranked by ESPN as the No. 2 prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, but his stock has dipped since then due to his modest results in OTE play. He went undrafted as an early entrant in June and caught on with the Bucks’ Summer League team in July, though he only briefly appeared in one game in Las Vegas.

The plan will likely be for the Bucks to develop Lewis via their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. Lewis’ Exhibit 10 contract will make him eligible for a bonus (worth a maximum of $77.5K) if he’s waived by Milwaukee and then spends at least 60 days with the Herd.

The signing of Lewis brings the Bucks’ roster count to 20 players. They’ll have to reduce that number to 18 (15 on standard contracts and three on two-way deals) by Monday at the latest.

Clippers Signing Tosan Evbuomwan

October 18th, 2024 at 9:57pm CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers are signing free agent forward Tosan Evbuomwan, agent George S. Langberg tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Evbuomwan, 23, went undrafted in 2023 after starring in college at Princeton. He signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Detroit last fall, was waived, and started his rookie campaign in the NBA G League with the Motor City Cruise before receiving a 10-day hardship contract from Memphis in late January.

After his 10-day deal with the Grizzlies expired, the Pistons signed him to a 10-day contract and then eventually gave him a two-way deal covering two seasons. However, he was waived two days ago, making him an unrestricted free agent.

A 6’8″ forward, Evbuomwan averaged 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in 21.6 minutes per game in 17 total NBA appearances (eight starts) with Memphis and Detroit, posting a shooting line of .507/.375/.680. In 34 G League outings with the Cruise, he put up averages of 15.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 3.8 APG on .554/.361/.754 shooting in 34.2 MPG.

As with many eleventh-hour signings, Evbuomwan likely agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Clips to give him a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived and spends at least 60 days with their G League affiliate in San Diego. San Diego will need to acquire his returning player rights from the Cruise for that to happen.

The Clippers’ 21-man offseason roster is currently full, so they’ll have to release someone to add Evbuomwan.

Rockets Sign Matt Bradley

October 18th, 2024 at 9:44pm CST by Rory Maher

The Rockets have signed free agent guard Matt Bradley, the team announced (Twitter link via Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle).

At 6’4″ and 220 pounds, Bradley has a strong, stocky build for a backcourt player. He averaged 14.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists on .427/.391/.814 shooting over five college seasons at California and San Diego State prior to going undrafted in 2023. He helped the Aztecs reach the NCAA championship game last year, ultimately falling to UConn.

Bradley spent his first professional overseas, having played for the Rostock Seawolves of Germany’s top basketball league, the BBL. In 25 games with Rostock during the 2023/24 campaign, he averaged 7.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 17.2 minutes per contest.

While the terms of the agreement were not disclosed, Bradley almost certainly signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Rockets and will be waived in the coming hours. That would ensure he receives a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s NBAGL affiliate.

Bradley is the 20th player under contract with the Rockets. They’ll need to get down to 18 players to set their regular season roster.

Kings Sign Antoine Davis, Drew Timme; Waive Skal Labissere

October 18th, 2024 at 7:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have waived big man Skal Labissiere while signing guard Antoine Davis and power forward Drew Timme, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat).

The roster moves capped a busy transaction day for the Kings, who also waived Boogie Ellis, Terry Taylor, and Brodric Thomas while signing Shareef O’Neal. All seven moves were confirmed in Sacramento’s official announcement. The team now has 20 players under contract.

A former first-round pick, Labissiere played for the Stockton Kings in the G League last season and appears on track to return to Sacramento’s NBAGL affiliate. He was on an Exhibit 10 contract and will earn a bonus worth $77.5K on top of his standard G League salary if he spends at least 60 days with Stockton.

In all likelihood, Davis and Timme received Exhibit 10 contracts and will also be waived this weekend in order to eventually join Labissere in Stockton.

Davis, who went undrafted out of Detroit Mercy in 2023, played for the Rip City Remix as a rookie, then had his returning rights traded from Portland’s affiliate to Sacramento’s a couple weeks ago. In 44 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Remix in 2023/24, he averaged 14.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 24.3 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .401/.364/.854.

Timme, a standout at Gonzaga, also went undrafted in 2023 and played in the G League last season. The 6’10” big man averaged 9.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 1.9 APG in 27 games (21.8 MPG) for the Wisconsin Herd, then had his rights traded to Stockton earlier this month.

Mavericks Cut Lawson, Miller, Sharp; Convert Gortman To Two-Way

October 18th, 2024 at 7:03pm CST by Rory Maher

7:03pm: Gortman’s conversion to a two-way contract is official, the Mavericks have confirmed (via Twitter).

12:01pm: Gortman, who was drawing interest from rival clubs, will be promoted to Dallas’ final two-way spot, a source tells MacMahon (Twitter link).

11:35am: The Mavericks announced in a press release (Twitter link) that they have waived guard A.J. Lawson, forward Emanuel Miller and center Jamarion Sharp.

Lawson being cut comes as something of a surprise. Dallas waived Lawson and his non-guaranteed standard contract 10 days ago, but brought him back on a two-way deal after he cleared waivers. Just a week later, he has been released for a second time this preseason.

Lawson signed a two-year, two-way contract with Dallas back in December 2022, shortly after being waived by Minnesota. He remained on that deal until March 2024, when he was promoted to the standard roster on a new four-year contract that was only guaranteed for the remainder of the 2023/24 season.

The 24-year-old appeared in a total of 56 NBA games for the Mavericks during his two seasons with the team, including 42 in 2023/24. Lawson averaged 3.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per contest and posted a shooting line of .457/.307/.548 at the NBA level. The former South Carolina standout also played seven times for the Texas Legends in the G League last season, averaging 20.7 PPG and 7.0 RPG with a .530 FG%.

Former Overtime Elite guard Jazian Gortman — who has continued to impress during preseason action, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Substack link) — seems like the frontrunner to land the two-way vacancy created by waiving Lawson, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN and Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com (Twitter links). Gortman could have his Exhibit 10 deal converted to a two-way deal.

Miller and Sharp went undrafted this year out of TCU and Mississippi, respectively. Both players were on Exhibit 10 deals and will likely be headed to the Texas Legends — Dallas’ G League affiliate — to begin their pro careers. They could each earn a bonus worth $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days with the Legends.

Dallas now has 18 players under contract, though they’ll need to convert Gortman to a two-way deal to make their roster legal for the regular season. The Mavs’ other two-way spots are occupied by guard Brandon Williams and forward Kessler Edwards.

Spurs Pick Up 2025/26 Options On Wembanyama, Three Others

October 18th, 2024 at 6:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have exercised their rookie scale team options for the 2025/26 season on four players, including last year’s No. 1 overall pick and reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, the team announced today in a press release. Here are the four options picked up by San Antonio:

Wembanyama (third year, $13,376,880)
Jeremy Sochan (fourth year, $7,096,231)
Malaki Branham (fourth year, $4,962,033)
Blake Wesley (fourth year, $4,726,328)

All four players already had guaranteed salaries for the 2024/25 season. Now they’re locked up for at least the next two seasons, with the salary figures above applying to the ’25/26 cap.

Wembanyama’s option decision was a no-brainer coming off a rookie campaign in which he averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3.6 blocks in 29.7 minutes per game, earning All-Defensive First Team honors and finishing as the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up. It seems pretty safe to assume the Spurs will also pick up his 2026/27 team option next fall and then offer him a maximum-salary extension in the summer of 2026.

The other option decisions weren’t quite as obvious, though Sochan and Branham played regular rotation roles in their age-20 seasons in 2023/24 and took steps forward in their development. Sochan looked more comfortable after being moved out of the point guard position midway through the season, while Branham improved his three-point percentage to 34.7%.

Wesley has played the most limited role of any of these four Spurs during the early stages of his NBA career, averaging just 14.4 minutes per game in 61 outings last season. He also hasn’t proven to be a reliable option on offense, with a career shooting line of .398/.299/.639. But he’s one of the team’s strongest defenders and earned praise from veteran forward Harrison Barnes during training camp for his play on that side of the ball.

Sochan, Branham, and Wesley will all be eligible for rookie scale extensions during the 2025 offseason.

We’re tracking all of the 2025/26 rookie scale team option decisions right here. They’re due by October 31.

Wolves’ Omoruyi, Lakers’ Goodwin Among Latest Players Waived

October 18th, 2024 at 4:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves have waived forward Eugene Omoruyi, the team announced today (via Twitter). Omoruyi had been in training camp with Minnesota on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract.

While it initially looked like there might be a path for Omoruyi to compete for a roster spot, that became a more uphill battle following the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, which added two extra players on guaranteed contracts to Minnesota’s roster. The team now has 15 players with fully guaranteed salaries, plus PJ Dozier on a partially guaranteed deal, leaving no room for Omoruyi, who only got into one preseason game.

Omoruyi, 27, has played for the Mavericks, Thunder, Pistons, and Wizards since making his NBA debut in the fall of 2021. The 6’7″ forward made a career-high 43 appearances for Washington last season, averaging 4.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 0.8 APG in 9.1 MPG. His contract with the Wizards covered the 2024/25 season, but his salary was non-guaranteed and Washington opted to waive him in August.

Since Omoruyi had an Exhibit 10 clause in his contract, he’d be able to earn a $77.5K bonus if he ends up spending at least 60 days with the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s G League affiliate. He also still has one year of two-way eligibility remaining, so he could get a look from teams with an open two-way slot.

Here are a few more of the latest minor moves from around the NBA:

The Lakers announced on Friday that they have waived guard Jordan Goodwin and center Kylor Kelley and signed Grayson Murphy to an Exhibit 10 deal (Twitter link via Dave McMenamin of ESPN). All three players will likely be headed to the South Bay Lakers to open 2024/25.
The Cavaliers have placed Darius Brown II and Elijah Hughes on waivers, according to NBA.com’s official transaction log. Both players will likely report to the Cleveland Charge, the Cavs’ G League affiliate, where their Exhibit 10 contracts will allow them to earn bonuses worth up to $77.5K apiece. Brown is eligible to be designated as an “affiliate player,” while Hughes’ returning rights were acquired by the Charge earlier this month.
About 24 hours after signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract, the Trail Blazers have waived center Nick Muszynski, per NBA.com. His next stop figures to be with the Rip City Remix, Portland’s NBAGL team.
The Kings have signed free agent forward Shareef O’Neal to a training camp deal and plan to waive him on Saturday, according to Jake Gadon of CBS Sacramento (Twitter link). O’Neal, the son of Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, will head to the Stockton Kings and will be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with Stockton.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Pacers Exercise Three 2025/26 Options, Waive Cole Swider

October 18th, 2024 at 4:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have completed a series of transactions, announcing in a press release that they’ve exercised their 2025/26 team options on swingman Bennedict Mathurin, forward Jarace Walker, and guard Ben Sheppard. The team also requested waivers on forward Cole Swider.

The option pick-ups are fairly routine housekeeping moves that ensure all three recent first-round picks now have guaranteed salaries for at least one more season beyond ’24/25. Mathurin’s fourth-year option is worth $9,187,573, while Walker’s third-year option is worth $6,665,520 and Sheppard’s will pay him $2,790,720.

Mathurin will be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2025 offseason, while Indiana will have fourth-year option decisions to make on Walker and Sheppard next fall.

The release of Swider is the most notable transaction in the bunch, as the Pacers’ decision to cut Kendall Brown earlier this week seemingly paved the way for Swider to earn a spot on the 15-man regular season roster. Still, Indiana isn’t far below the luxury tax line, so the club may opt to open the regular season with just 14 players on standard contracts, leaving that final spot open to maximize its roster and financial flexibility.

Of course, regular season rosters don’t have to be finalized until Monday, so there’s still time for the Pacers to make additional moves. As Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star writes, the team could theoretically promote one of its current two-way players to a standard deal and bring back Swider on a two-way contract. However, there have been no reports yet suggesting that’s the plan.

Swider’s non-guaranteed training camp contract with the Pacers didn’t include Exhibit 10 language, so it doesn’t appear likely that he’ll end up with the Indiana Mad Ants, the team’s G League affiliate.

Kings Waive Terry Taylor, Brodric Thomas

October 18th, 2024 at 3:17pm CST by Rory Maher

The Kings have waived forward Terry Taylor and wing Brodric Thomas, sources tell Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 Sacramento (Twitter link).

Taylor was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal for training camp. Assuming he clears waivers, he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the G League’s Stockton Kings. Thomas’ deal didn’t include Exhibit 10 language, so he wouldn’t be eligible for the same bonus.

Taylor is a three-year veteran who has previously played for the Pacers and Bulls. In 93 regular season games, he holds career averages of 4.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per contest.

Thomas, 27, has appeared in 44 NBA games with Houston, Cleveland and Boston over two seasons from 2020-22. He spent last season in the G League with the Clippers’ affiliate.

After waiving Boogie Ellis earlier in the day and releasing Taylor and Thomas, the Kings now have 18 players under contract, with all three two-way spots filled.