Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bulls Sign, Waive Bryce Alford

October 14th, 2021 at 4:18pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 14: The Bulls have waived Alford, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. The guard is a potential candidate to join the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G League affiliate.

OCTOBER 13: The Bulls are signing free agent guard Bryce Alford to a training camp contract, a league source tells our JD Shaw (Twitter link). The deal is official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

Alford, who played his college ball at UCLA, spent two years in the G League with the Oklahoma City Blue to begin his professional career in 2017-19. He has since made stops in Germany and Portugal.

The Bulls have two openings on their preseason roster after waiving Daniel Oturu and Ethan Thompson on Monday, so no corresponding move will be necessary to complete the signing of Alford.

Knicks Waive Dwayne Bacon

October 14th, 2021 at 4:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks are waiving guard Dwayne Bacon, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets.

Bacon, who was on an Exhibit 10 deal, was considered a strong candidate for the last roster spot on a team with 14 guaranteed deals. This development could improve the chances of Wayne Selden making the opening-night roster.

New York signed Bacon in August after Orlando waived him. He appeared in every game for Orlando during the 72-game 2020/21 NBA season, including 50 starts. He averaged 10.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.3 APG and 0.6 SPG in 25.7 MPG.

Bacon, 25, spent his first three NBA seasons with the Hornets and their NBAGL affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.

Lakers Sign, Waive Frank Mason

October 14th, 2021 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 14: The Lakers have waived Mason, according to the team (Twitter link). He looks like a good candidate to join the South Bay Lakers in the G League.

OCTOBER 13: Mason’s signing is official, the Lakers announced (via Twitter).

OCTOBER 6: The Lakers are signing free agent guard Frank Mason III, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Since the team has an open spot on its 20-man preseason roster, no corresponding move will be required.

Wojnarowski classifies Mason’s deal with the Lakers as a training camp contract. Technically, training camps are over now with the preseason underway, but calling the contract a camp deal simply means it’ll be non-guaranteed, perhaps with Exhibit 10 language included.

Mason, the 34th overall pick in the 2017 draft, has bounced around the NBA a little since beginning his career with the Kings. He has since seen action for the Bucks and Magic, and also signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Philadelphia last December.

In 103 total NBA games, Mason has averaged 6.7 PPG, 2.6 APG, and 2.0 RPG in 15.7 minutes per contest, with mediocre shooting numbers (.396/.301/.755). However, he had a huge year in the G League in 2019/20, averaging 25.3 PPG with a .502/.428/.815 shooting line in 24 games (30.2 MPG) and earning NBAGL MVP honors.

Los Angeles has just 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts, but may not carry a 15th player to start the season. Mason has more NBA experience than L.A.’s other camp invitees and could become the team’s 14th man, though it’s possible the Lakers envision him as a player who will join their G League affiliate rather than one who will make the regular season roster.

Hornets Waive Jalen Crutcher, Cameron McGriff

October 14th, 2021 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have cut a pair of players from their preseason roster, announcing in a press release that Jalen Crutcher and Cameron McGriff have been placed on waivers.

Crutcher, a 6’1″ point guard, spent his last four years at Dayton, where he averaged 17.6 PPG, 4.8 APG, and 3.5 RPG on .463/.372/.763 shooting in 24 games (38.1 MPG) as a senior in 2020/21. He suited up for Milwaukee’s Summer League team in Las Vegas after going undrafted.

McGriff went undrafted in 2020 after four seasons with Oklahoma State. The 6’7″ forward averaged 12.3 PPG and 6.6 RPG in his senior year, then played for Belgium’s Okapi Aalstar last season, putting up 13.5 PPG and 5.0 RPG. He joined the Hornets for this year’s Summer League.

Charlotte signed Crutcher and McGriff to non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts less than a week ago. While Crutcher saw some action in one of the team’s preseason games, neither player was a real candidate to make the regular season roster. Both Crutcher and McGriff will likely end up playing for the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s G League affiliate.

Thunder Waive Melvin Frazier, Expected To Sign Zavier Simpson

October 14th, 2021 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

After joining the Thunder on a training camp deal earlier in the week, veteran wing Melvin Frazier has been waived, the team announced today.

The No. 35 pick in the 2018 draft, Frazier played in just 29 NBA games in his first two professional seasons, with Orlando. He has spent more time in the G League over the last three years, appearing in 41 games with the Lakeland Magic from 2018-20, then suiting up for the Oklahoma City Blue in the 2021 NBAGL bubble.

Frazier played a limited role with the Blue, averaging just 6.8 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 12 games (20.8 MPG), but the fact that he received an Exhibit 10 deal this week suggests the Thunder plan on having him return to their G League affiliate for the 2021/22 season.

The Thunder now have an open roster spot and may use it to sign Zavier Simpson. Our JD Shaw (Twitter link) hears from a source that Oklahoma City is expected to sign the guard to an Exhibit 10 deal.

Like Frazier, Simpson played for the OKC Blue last season and would be in line for a bonus worth up to $50K if he returns to the G League and spends at least 60 days with the club. The former Michigan Wolverine averaged 9.8 PPG, 6.1 APG, and 4.3 RPG in 15 games (28.5 MPG) in the G League in 2021.

Clippers Cut Moses Wright, George King

October 14th, 2021 at 12:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have waived forwards Moses Wright and George King, the team announced today. Both players signed Exhibit 10 contracts with Los Angeles last month.

An undrafted rookie, Wright spent all four years of his college career at Georgia Tech and had a huge season as a senior in 2020/21, averaging 17.4 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.6 BPG, and 1.5 SPG with a .532/.414/.658 shooting line in 25 games (35.3 MPG). He was named the ACC Player of the Year and made the ACC’s All-Defensive team.

King, the 59th overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Colorado, spent his rookie season with Phoenix on a two-way contract, but appeared in just one NBA game and has been out of the league for the last 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.

Both Wright and King played sparingly for the Clippers during the preseason, logging fewer than 10 minutes per game. It’s possible both players will end up on the roster of the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, L.A.’s G League affiliate.

The Clippers will have to make at least one more cut before the regular season begins. Harry Giles and Isaiah Hartenstein are vying for the 15th spot on the roster.

Rockets Sign Armoni Brooks To Four-Year Deal

October 14th, 2021 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

12:21pm: The Rockets have officially signed Brooks to a multiyear contract, the team announced today in a press release. The club also confirmed the previously-reported signing of guard Marcus Foster.

According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link), Brooks’ four-year deal can be worth up to $7.2MM. That means it’s a minimum-salary contract, which would have a four-year value of $7,201,486. The second and third years are non-guaranteed with July trigger dates, while the fourth year is a team option, says Iko.

11:10am: The Rockets are signing guard Armoni Brooks to a four-year contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The first-year salary will be guaranteed, with trigger dates for each season after that, Wojnarowski reports.

Brooks, 23, appeared in 20 games for the Rockets in 2020/21, averaging 11.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 1.5 APG with a shooting line of .406/.382/.583 in 26.0 minutes per contest. The former Houston Cougar had previously played in the G League since going undrafted in 2019.

After reaching free agency this offseason, Brooks re-signed with the Rockets on an Exhibit 10 contract, which the team converted to a two-way contract on Wednesday. Houston wouldn’t have been able to turn Brooks’ one-year Exhibit 10 contract into a four-year deal directly, but moving him to a two-way slot opened the door for the two sides to negotiate a new multiyear contract. The club will use part of its mid-level exception to complete the signing.

The move will create a bit of a roster crunch for the Rockets, since they already had 15 players on guaranteed contracts. John Wall, who technically remains with the team but isn’t expected to play in any games, is the most expendable player on the roster, but there hasn’t been any indication that a trade or buyout is close. Dante Exum could also be at risk — half of his $5MM cap hit consists of incentives that the club wouldn’t have to pay if Exum is cut.

Moving Brooks back to the standard roster will also open up a two-way slot for the Rockets. If former two-way player Tyler Bey clears waivers, perhaps he could return on a new deal. Camp invitee Daishen Nix is also a candidate to have his Exhibit 10 deal converted to a two-way pact.

Knicks Release Myles Powell

October 14th, 2021 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

After signing him earlier in the week, the Knicks have waived guard Myles Powell, the team announced today (via Twitter).

Powell, a 6’2″ guard who went undrafted out of Seton Hall in 2020, averaged 17.8 PPG, 3.8 APG, and 3.4 RPG in 13 games (28.1 MPG) for the Westchester Knicks during the abridged 2020/21 season, posting an impressive shooting line of .448/.446/.818 for New York’s G League affiliate.

As Fred Katz of The Athletic confirms (via Twitter), the Knicks signed Powell to an Exhibit 10 contract this week with an eye toward having him return to Westchester for the 2021/22 season. The team already has Powell’s NBAGL returning rights, but completing an Exhibit 10 deal will allow him to receive a $50K bonus, assuming he spends at least 60 days with New York’s G League team.

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

Grizzlies Sign Ahmad Caver, Matthew Hurt; Waive Sean McDermott, Romeo Weems

October 14th, 2021 at 10:17am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have completed a series of four roster moves, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived Sean McDermott and Romeo Weems, replacing them on the roster with Ahmad Caver and Matthew Hurt.

Both McDermott and Weems had been on Exhibit 10 contracts and it’s safe to assume that Caver and Hurt will receive similar deals.

All four players are candidates to join the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate. Signing them to Exhibit 10 deals now ensures the Grizzlies will secure their NBAGL rights or – if the team already holds their returning rights – will be able to award them bonuses of up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days with the Hustle.

Caver, a 6’2″ point guard, has spent the last two seasons with the Hustle and made a major impact off the bench for the team in the 2021 NBAGL bubble, averaging 16.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 3.8 APG on .525/.425/.634 shooting in 15 games (29.4 MPG).

Hurt, a 6’9″ forward who played two seasons for Duke, had a very productive sophomore season for the Blue Devils in 2020/21, averaging 18.3 PPG and 6.2 RPG with a stellar .556/.444/.724 shooting line across 24 games (32.7 MPG). He signed a two-way contract with Houston in August, but was waived in September.

Raptors Sign Alex Antetokounmpo To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 13th, 2021 at 11:00pm CST by Luke Adams

11:00pm: The deal is official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

9:31pm: The Raptors will sign forward Alex Antetokounmpo, the younger brother of Giannis Antetokounmpo, to an Exhibit 10 contract before the regular season begins next week, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).

The Greek newspaper Ethnos first reported last month that Antetokounmpo was expected to sign with Toronto.

As Murphy notes, the plan is for Antetokounmpo to be waived shortly after he signs. His Exhibit 10 deal would allow the Raptors to gain his affiliate rights and ensure he receives a bonus worth up to $50K for eventually joining the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League team.

Antetokounmpo, 20, spent last season under contract in Spain with UCAM Murcia, then joined the Kings’ Summer League roster in August.

As we wrote earlier today, Toronto is also signing former Thunder forward Josh Hall to an Exhibit 10 contract for G League purposes.