Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Thunder Sign Olivier Sarr, Justin Jaworski

October 16th, 2021 at 1:42pm CST by JD Shaw

The Thunder have signed center Olivier Sarr and guard Justin Jaworski, the team announced today. Both players are likely to be waived and play for the club’s G League affiliate this season.

Sarr, a 7’0 Wake Forest and Kentucky product, went unselected in July’s NBA draft. The 22-year-old averaged 8.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in college, playing 22 minutes per contest.

Jaworski, also 22, went undrafted in July after spending four seasons at Lafayette College. He appeared in 98 games, averaging 15.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in 31.3 minutes per contest.

Knicks Sign Brandon Knight

October 16th, 2021 at 1:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks announced today in a press release that they’ve added free agent guard Brandon Knight to their roster.

Knight, 29, was the eighth overall pick in the 2011 draft and has appeared in 446 regular season games, averaging 14.1 PPG and 4.0 APG in 29.5 minutes per contest over the course of his NBA career. However, he hasn’t played for an NBA team since the 2019/20 season, pre-bubble. He saw action in 25 games for the Cavaliers and Pistons that year, posting 7.3 PPG and 2.8 APG in 18.5 MPG.

While we don’t know exactly what the Knicks’ plan is, most signings this week have been for G League purposes, so it’s possible the veteran will be waived shortly and will report to the Westchester Knicks, New York’s NBAGL affiliate.

Technically, the Knicks are only carrying 14 players on guaranteed contracts, leaving the 15th spot on their regular season roster up for grabs. However, it’d be a surprise if club handed that spot to a player signed this late in the preseason.

Pacers Release Three Players

October 16th, 2021 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have waived Justin Anderson, Bennie Boatwright, and Derek Culver, the team announced today in a press release. All three players were signed on Friday night to non-guaranteed deals.

The expectation is that all three players will join the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the G League. Last month, Fort Wayne acquired the G League returning rights for Anderson (from the Long Island Nets) and Boatwright (from the Memphis Hustle). Indiana can make Culver an affiliate player, since no G League team holds his rights.

Barring more last-minute tweaks, the Pacers’ roster looks relatively set for the regular season. The team has 12 players on guaranteed contracts, with non-guaranteed players Kelan Martin, Oshae Brissett, and Brad Wanamaker still sticking around for now to fill out the standard 15-man roster. DeJon Jarreau and Duane Washington occupy Indiana’s two-way slots.

Magic Waive Four Players

October 16th, 2021 at 1:17pm CST by JD Shaw

The Magic have waived Admiral Schofield, B.J. Johnson, Jeff Dowtin and Hassani Gravett, the team announced in a press release today. All four players are likely to play for the team’s G League affiliate in Lakeland this season.

Orlando currently has 16 players on its roster, including one two-way contract. It’s unclear whether the team will fill its second two-way spot before the season begins.

The Magic committed to rebuilding last season, trading away Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier before the deadline. The team has a strong young core entering the 2021/22 campaign, headlined by Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac and No. 5 pick Jalen Suggs.

That core also includes third-year center Wendell Carter Jr. — who signed a four-year contract extension with the organization this week.

Cavs Convert Fall, Nembhard To Two-Way Deals; Waive Three Players

October 16th, 2021 at 1:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

1:13pm: The Cavaliers have officially announced all the moves outlined below.

10:45am: The Cavaliers are signing center Tacko Fall to a two-way contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. The team is also converting RJ Nembhard‘s contract to a two-way deal, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets.

Additionally, Cleveland is trimming its roster by waiving Justin James, Kyle Guy and Mitch Ballock, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets. They are expected to join the Cleveland Charge once they clear waivers, Fedor adds.

Fall was signed to a non-guaranteed contract in early September. The 7’6” big man appeared in three preseason games and made enough of an impression to earn the two-way deal. He spent two seasons with the Celtics, averaging 2.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 0.9 BPG in 26 games.

Nembhard was also signed to a non-guaranteed contract in early September. He played for Miami’s summer league team after going undrafted. Nembhard was a redshirt junior for TCU in 2020/21 and averaged 15.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 4.0 APG in 24 games (34.9 MPG).

Brodric Thomas, who had been a two-way deal last season, was waived this week.

Clippers Waive Harry Giles

October 16th, 2021 at 12:51pm CST by JD Shaw

The Clippers have waived big man Harry Giles, the team announced today. The move allows center Isaiah Hartenstein to make the 15-man roster, as both players were competing for the club’s final roster spot on non-guaranteed training camp deals.

Giles, 23, was drafted with the No. 20 pick in 2017. He’s held brief stints with the Kings, Blazers and Clippers since then, averaging 5.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 12.9 minutes for his career.

Hartenstein, also 23, is expected to add depth behind Ivica Zubac and Serge Ibaka in the Clippers’ frontcourt this season. He appeared in 16 games with the Cavaliers last season, scoring 8.3 points and grabbing six rebounds per contest.

“Excited. It’s been great so far,” Hartenstein said, adding that he learned of the move today (hat tip Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times. “I love the organization so far.”

The Clippers open the season on the road against Golden State on Thursday. Los Angeles will start the campaign without Kawhi Leonard (partial ACL tear rehab), who still doesn’t have a timeline for his return.

Mavericks Sign, Waive Justin Jackson, E.J. Onu

October 16th, 2021 at 12:43pm CST by Luke Adams

12:43pm: The Mavs have officially waived Jackson and Onu, per the team. Dallas’ roster is now at 17 players (including a pair of two-ways) and appears set for the regular season, barring any last-minute changes.

6:39am: The Mavericks have officially signed forwards Justin Jackson and E.J. Onu to their preseason roster, the team announced late on Friday night. The club had open spots on its roster after cutting Tyrell Terry, Carlik Jones, and Feron Hunt earlier in the evening.

Jackson, the 15th overall pick in the 2017 draft, has 248 NBA regular season games under his belt, including 94 with Dallas from 2019-20. He has also spent time with the Kings, Thunder, and Bucks, recording career averages of 6.6 PPG and 2.5 RPG on .427/.321/.797 shooting in 19.1 minutes per contest.

A 6’11” forward, Onu played four seasons at Shawnee State before going undrafted this year. He averaged 16.9 points and 8.1 rebounds as a senior and helped the Bears capture the NAIA championship. He was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Mid-South Conference three times and was selected as MSC Player of the Year this season. Onu played for Dallas’ Summer League team in August.

This type of signing would typically be for G League purposes, and it’s certainly possible that’s the case here. However, the deal with Onu is slightly perplexing, since Dallas already signed him to an Exhibit 10 contract and subsequently cut him earlier in the offseason, so the team could’ve made him an affiliate player without re-signing him. Perhaps the new deal gives him a more favorable bonus if he reports to the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ G League team.

Bulls Waive Stanley Johnson, Will Retain Alize Johnson

October 16th, 2021 at 12:31pm CST by JD Shaw

The Bulls have waived forwards Stanley Johnson and Troy Baxter Jr., the team announced on social media today (Twitter link). Johnson previously signed a non-guaranteed deal with the organization, while Baxter signed an Exhibit 10 contract.

Chicago has also rewarded big man Alize Johnson and will keep him on the 15-man roster, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic tweets. Johnson has impressed during training camp and will stick with the Bulls after a brief stint in Brooklyn last season. He averaged 5.2 points, five rebounds and 10.5 minutes in 18 contests with the Nets.

As for Stanley Johnson, the 25-year-old joined Chicago for training camp and played in all four preseason games. He was the No. 8 overall pick in 2015 and has made past stops with Detroit, New Orleans and Toronto.

At least one more roster move will be required for the Bulls, who are still carrying 16 players on standard contracts, including Matt Thomas and Tyler Cook on non-guaranteed deals. The team could keep both players by converting Cook to a two-way contract, but it remains unclear if that’s the plan. It does sound like Thomas will make the opening-night roster though, per Mayberry (Twitter link).

The Bulls are entering the 2021/22 season with a revamped roster, acquiring Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan and others during the summer. Chicago finished 11th in the Eastern Conference at 31-41 last season.

Raptors To Sign, Waive Ashton Hagans, Breein Tyree

October 16th, 2021 at 11:45am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors will sign Ashton Hagans and Breein Tyree to Exhibit 10 contract, then waive them, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca tweets.

Hagans was on the Raptors’ summer league team in Las Vegas but missed games due to an ankle injury. He was a two-way player for the Timberwolves last season but was waived in February.

Tyree has played for Toronto’s G League team, Raptors 905. He’s working his way back from a torn ACL, suffered at the G League bubble in Orlando last season.

Both players would receive a $50K bonus if they’re on the G League team’s roster for at least 60 days.

Celtics Release Ryan Arcidiacono, Juwan Morgan

October 16th, 2021 at 10:15am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 16: The Celtics have waived Arcidiacono and Morgan, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

OCTOBER 15: The Celtics are releasing a pair of training camp invitees, according to Jay King of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that guard Ryan Arcidiacono and forward Juwan Morgan are hitting waivers.

Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said before Friday’s preseason finale vs. Miami that the roster moves weren’t official yet, but acknowledged that Arcidiacono and Morgan wouldn’t be active for the game, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Arcidiacono and Morgan are both expected to join Boston’s G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, as affiliate players, a league source tells Himmelsbach.

Arcidiacono, 27, has spent the last four seasons with the Bulls, averaging 4.8 PPG, 2.2 APG, and 2.0 RPG with a .431/.373/.807 shooting line across 207 total games (17.6 MPG). He signed a two-way deal with the team in 2017, a one-year contract in 2018, and a three-year pact in 2019. Chicago turned down its team option on the last year of that deal earlier this year.

A former Big Ten standout at Indiana, Morgan went undrafted in 2019 and caught on with the Jazz, first signing an Exhibit 10 deal with Utah and then agreeing to a multiyear deal with the team. In 50 total regular season games with the club across two seasons, the 24-year-old averaged 1.4 PPG and 1.1 RPG on 51.8% shooting in just 5.6 minutes per contest.