Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Thunder Release D.J. Wilson, Scotty Hopson

October 15th, 2021 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have waived forward D.J. Wilson and guard Scotty Hopson, the team announced today. The moves reduce Oklahoma City’s roster count to 18 players, for the time being.

Wilson, the 17th overall pick in the 2017 draft, spent the first three-and-a-half season of his career in Milwaukee before being traded to Houston at last season’s trade deadline. He had fallen out of the Bucks’ rotation, but averaged 6.1 PPG and 3.8 RPG with a shooting line of .416/.339/.696 in 23 games (14.3 MPG) during his stint with the Rockets.

Hopson, who appeared in two NBA games in 2014 with Cleveland and one in 2018 with Dallas, has spent most of his career in the G League or playing in international leagues. The 6’7″ wing played for Melbourne United in 2020/21 after appearing in 41 G League games for the Oklahoma City Blue from 2018-20.

Hopson looks like a good bet to rejoin the Blue for the upcoming season, and it’s possible Wilson will join him.

Meanwhile, it appears the Thunder have also officially signed Zavier Simpson, whose Exhibit 10 deal with the team we reported on Thursday. Oklahoma City hasn’t formally announced the signing, but Simpson is listed on the team’s official roster page.

Pelicans Sign, Waive John Petty Jr.

October 15th, 2021 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 15, 1:33pm: As expected, the Pelicans have waived Petty, the team announced today in a press release.

OCTOBER 13, 7:01pm: The signing is official, according to a press release from the Pelicans.

OCTOBER 13, 2:08pm: The Pelicans are signing undrafted rookie John Petty Jr. to an Exhibit 10 contract, a source tells our JD Shaw (Twitter link).

Petty spent the last four seasons playing his college ball at Alabama and was a two-time All-SEC player. As a senior in 2020/21, he averaged 12.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 1.9 APG on .420/.370/.734 shooting in 32 games (31.1 MPG) for the Crimson Tide. He went undrafted in July.

New Orleans has three open slots on its preseason roster after cutting Wenyen Gabriel, James Banks, and Malcolm Hill on Tuesday, so Petty figures to slide into one of those spots.

Petty will likely be waived before the regular season begins and looks like a good candidate to end up playing for New Orleans’ G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron.

Hornets Sign, Waive LiAngelo Ball

October 15th, 2021 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 15: The Hornets have officially waived Ball, the team confirmed today in a press release. Barring a change of plans, it looks like his next stop will be Greensboro.

OCTOBER 14: The Hornets are signing LiAngelo Ball to a non-guaranteed contract and will waive him shortly thereafter, a source tells Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The team issued a press release announcing the signing.

A report earlier this week suggested that Ball would sign a general G League contract and would be entered into the NBAGL draft pool, where the Greensboro Swarm (Charlotte’s affiliate) might select him.

However, it sounds like the Hornets – and the Swarm – have decided they want to secure Ball’s G League rights directly. Signing the 6’5″ wing to an Exhibit 10 deal will do that, and will allow the team to give him a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with Greensboro.

Ball, the brother of LaMelo Ball and Lonzo Ball, played for Charlotte’s Summer League team in Las Vegas and reportedly impressed members of the organization with his work ethic. He averaged 9.6 PPG on .375/.345/1.000 shooting in five games (17.4 MPG) for the Hornets in Vegas.

Magic Sign B.J. Johnson, Waive Devin Cannady

October 15th, 2021 at 11:24am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have waived guard Devin Cannady and filled the newly-opened roster spot by signing free agent wing B.J. Johnson, the team announced today in a press release.

Johnson, who went undrafted out of La Salle in 2018, has appeared in 17 total NBA games with three teams – Atlanta, Sacramento, and Orlando – since going pro, but he has spent most of his career so far in the G League.

Johnson appeared in 67 games for the Lakeland Magic in his first two seasons, averaging an impressive 22.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 2.0 SPG on .458/.417/.786 shooting in 28 NBAGL games (35.9 MPG) in 2019/20. He played for the Long Island Nets in the 2021 G League bubble, then signed with the Brisbane Bullets in April.

Lakeland just acquired Johnson’s G League returning rights from Long Island today in a five-team trade, so it’s a safe bet he’ll be returning to Orlando’s NBAGL affiliate this season. Cannady figures to join him there.

Hawks Pick Up 2022/23 Options On Hunter, Reddish, Okongwu

October 15th, 2021 at 10:39am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have exercised the fourth-year team options on the rookie scale contracts for De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish, along with the third-year option for Onyeka Okongwu, the team announced today in a press release.

All three players were already under contract for the coming season. Picking up their options ensures they’re locked up for 2022/23 too. Their cap hits for that season will be $9,835,881 (Hunter), $5,954,454 (Reddish), and Okongwu ($6,395,160).

Hunter, Reddish, and Okongwu have all dealt with injuries this year, but have shown promise when healthy. Hunter, in particular, was off to a strong start last season, averaging 17.9 PPG and 5.6 RPG on .517/.375/.877 shooting with strong defense in his first 17 games (33.3 MPG) before sustaining a knee injury in his 18th game.

With their options exercised, Hunter and Reddish are now on track to become extension-eligible during the 2022 offseason and would be eligible for restricted free agency in 2023 if they don’t sign new deals before then. The Hawks will have to decide on Okongwu’s 2023/24 option next fall.

Our tracker of rookie scale option decisions for 2022/23 can be found right here.

Nets Sign, Waive Jordan Bowden, Brandon Rachal

October 15th, 2021 at 10:24am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 15: The Nets confirmed today that they’ve waived Bowden and Rachal, as expected.

OCTOBER 12: The Nets have signed a pair of shooting guards, Jordan Bowden and Brandon Rachal, to non-guaranteed training camp contracts, according to RealGM’s transactions log.

Bowden, who went undrafted out of Tennessee in 2020, played for the Long Island Nets as a rookie, averaging 7.8 PPG and 2.9 RPG on .436/.362/.500 shooting in 14 games (20.6 MPG) for Brooklyn’s G League affiliate.

Rachal began his college career at LSU before making the move to Tulsa. He went undrafted earlier this year after recording 15.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.2 APG, and 1.6 SPG in 23 games (31.6 MPG) as a senior.

The signings give Brooklyn a full 20-man preseason roster, but both Bowden and Rachal figure to be waived soon, since they’re likely ticketed for Long Island. The Nets have Bowden’s returning G League rights and can make Rachal an affiliate player. They can also give both guards Exhibit 10 bonuses worth up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days in the G League.

Hawks Release DaQuan Jeffries, Two Others

October 15th, 2021 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have cut three players from their preseason roster, announcing in a press release that they’ve requested waivers on swingman DaQuan Jeffries, center Johnny Hamilton, and guard Ibi Watson.

Of the three, only Jeffries has NBA experience. The 24-year-old averaged 4.1 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 31 games (15.9 MPG) for the Kings and Rockets in 2020/21, and also spent the ’19/20 season in Sacramento. However, he was a non-guaranteed contract this fall, so Atlanta won’t take on any dead money as a result of releasing him.

Like Jeffries, Hamilton and Watson also weren’t owed guaranteed money. Watson is probably a good bet to join the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate, but it’s not clear if Hamilton will head to the NBAGL too — he has played in international leagues over the last two seasons.

After today’s roster moves, the Hawks’ roster is technically ready for the regular season, with 15 players on standard contracts (14 on guaranteed deals, plus Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot) and a pair on two-way pacts. However, Atlanta could still make more moves before Monday’s deadline for teams to set their regular season squads.

Bucks Sign Jalen Lecque To Camp Deal

October 15th, 2021 at 8:13am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have signed guard Jalen Lecque to their training camp roster, according to Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The club opened up a pair of roster spots on Thursday by waiving Elijah Bryant and Rayjon Tucker.

Lecque signed with the Suns in 2019 as an undrafted free agent and spent his rookie season in Phoenix, playing limited minutes in five games for the club. The 21-year-old was sent to Oklahoma City during the 2020 offseason in the Chris Paul trade and was subsequently flipped to the Pacers. He spent most of the 2020/21 season in Indiana, appearing in four games, before being waived in March.

Although Lecque has only seen the court in nine games at the NBA level, he has been a G League fixture over the last two years, averaging 13.7 PPG, 3.4 APG, and 3.4 RPG in 47 games (27.7 MPG) for the Northern Arizona Suns and Fort Wayne Mad Ants. He has struggled with his efficiency in the NBAGL, however, posting an overall shooting line of .405/.232/.603.

Because no team holds Lecque’s G League returning rights, the Bucks can make him an affiliate player for the Wisconsin Herd if he’s waived in the coming days and then signs a G League contract. I’d expect that to be the plan.

Wizards Sign Devontae Shuler To Camp Deal

October 15th, 2021 at 6:18am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have signed rookie guard Devontae Shuler to a training camp contract, according to RealGM’s transactions log. The team’s official site confirms that Shuler is currently on the roster.

Shuler spent all four of his college seasons at Ole Miss, averaging 15.3 PPG, 3.3 APG, and 3.0 RPG on .409/.340/.766 in 27 games (32.8 MPG) as a senior in 2020/21. He went undrafted in July and played for Dallas in the Las Vegas Summer League.

The Wizards brought in Shuler as part of a pre-draft workout in July and apparently liked what they saw. Although he’ll probably be waived in the coming days, the 23-year-old’s camp deal suggests he’s a good bet to land with the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League affiliate.

The Wizards currently have 19 players under contract, including 14 on guaranteed deals and one on a two-way pact.

Spurs Sign, Waive Damyean Dotson, Jordan Burns

October 14th, 2021 at 9:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

OCTOBER 14: Dotson and Burns have been waived, Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets. Both will likely wind up with the Austin Spurs once they clear waivers.

OCTOBER 13: Free agent guard Damyean Dotson is signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Spurs, tweets JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors. The team is listing Dotson as a roster member on its website, so the deal appears to be official.

Dotson, 27, played 46 games for the Cavaliers last season, averaging 6.7 points and 2.0 assists per night. He had a non-guaranteed contract for the upcoming season, but Cleveland waived him last month. Dotson was a second-round pick by the Knicks in 2017 and spent his first three NBA seasons in New York.

Dotson will fill the roster spot vacated when San Antonio waived Luka Samanic on Monday.

Like Dotson, rookie guard Jordan Burns is listed as a member of the Spurs’ roster on the team’s official website, so it appears his reported deal is done as well. The two signings give San Antonio 19 players under contract.