Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Warriors Waive Langston Galloway

October 9th, 2021 at 6:22pm CST by Rory Maher

The Warriors have waived veteran guard Langston Galloway, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link). Galloway had been signed to a non-guaranteed training camp deal.

The 29-year-old Galloway played for the Suns last season but saw limited action with the team, appearing in 40 games with 11.0 minutes per contest. His role was even more limited in the playoffs, appearing in just 15 minutes over two games, none in the NBA Finals. He was reportedly unhappy with his part-time role after the season, having hoped for an opportunity for more minutes.

Galloway has been a solid outside shooter in the NBA, holding a career three-point mark of 37.0%. He’s known as a combo guard, playing more off-ball than on, but considered too short (6’1″) to play shooting guard full-time. He has played in 445 NBA games over his seven-year career for the Knicks, Pelicans, Kings, Pistons, and Suns, with career averages of 8.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 21.9 minutes per night.

It’s unclear when and where the next NBA opportunity might arise for Galloway. He’s ineligible for a two-way contract, as they’re unavailable for players who have at least four years of service. Perhaps he’ll receive another non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed offer if a player gets injured, as teams are always looking for shooting. Considering he went until the end of September before signing the non-guaranteed pact with the Warriors, a fully guaranteed contract seems unlikely at this time. However, I’m sure guaranteed money would be available to Galloway if he’s willing to play internationally.

The Warriors training camp roster now stands at 19 players, with 13 on guaranteed contracts. They have one two-way spot available.

Pelicans Sign James Banks, Malcolm Hill; Waive Zylan Cheatham, Jared Harper

October 9th, 2021 at 5:16pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pelicans have signed James Banks and Malcolm Hill, the team announced in a press release. In order to create the roster space to sign both players, the team waived Zylan Cheatham and Jared Harper.

Both of the signings were previously reported, and are now official.

Banks, a 6’10” center, went undrafted out of Georgia Tech in 2020 after making the ACC All-Defensive Team in both his junior and senior seasons. He spent last season in Israel with Hapoel Be’er Sheva, playing 13 games while averaging 5.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 20.5 minutes per game. He most recently played for the Cavaliers at the Las Vegas Summer League.

Hill, a 6’6″ wing, is a well-traveled international veteran. He’s played for teams in the Philippines, Germany, Kazakhstan and Israel over the past four seasons. During the 2020/21 season, Hill played for Hapoel Jerusalem.

Harper, a 5’10” point guard, spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with the Suns in 2019/20, then spent most of last season on a two-way pact with the Knicks. Harper rarely saw NBA action, but he played well in the G League, averaging 20.5 PPG and 5.9 APG in 30 MPG across 46 games the past two seasons.

Cheatham spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with Pelicans. He played very well at the G League level, but only saw action in four NBA games. He received a full minimum salary last season as part of the Steven Adams sign-and-trade, but was waived by OKC before he ever played a game for the team. After being waived, Cheatham briefly spent time with Minnesota on an Exhibit 10 contract, then appeared in 15 G League games for the Iowa Wolves.

The Pelicans have 15 players with guaranteed contracts and both two-way slots are filled, so Banks and Hill are probably long shots to make the regular season roster. However, because both players are on Exhibit 10 deals, if they’re waived before the start of the regular season and spend at least 60 days with New Orleans’ G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, they’d be eligible for bonuses worth up to $50K in addition to their G League salaries.

Knicks Sign Tyler Hall To Non-Guaranteed Deal

October 8th, 2021 at 3:46pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 8: The Knicks’ deal with Hall is now official, per a team release.

OCTOBER 6: The Knicks are filling the open spot on their 20-man preseason roster by signing free agent shooting guard Tyler Hall to a non-guaranteed contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Hall, 24, went undrafted out of Montana State in 2019 and has spent the first two seasons of his professional career as a rotation player for the Westchester Knicks in the G League. In 53 total games at the NBAGL level, Hall has averaged 9.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 2.0 APG on .421/.411/.742 shooting in 26.1 minutes per contest. He also played for New York’s Summer League team in August.

Hall likely won’t be in consideration for a spot on the Knicks’ regular season roster. However, if his non-guaranteed contract includes Exhibit 10 language, he could receive a bonus worth up to $50K if he returns to Westchester this season and spends at least 60 days with the G League club. He signed an Exhibit 10 deal with New York last December as well.

The Knicks, who waived Luca Vildoza over the weekend, will once again have a full 20-man roster once Hall officially signs with the team.

Hornets Sign Jalen Crutcher, Cameron McGriff

October 8th, 2021 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

After waiving two players earlier in the day, the Hornets have wasted no time filling those newly-opened roster spots. According to a press release from the team, Charlotte has signed guard Jalen Crutcher and forward Cameron McGriff.

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, meanwhile, went undrafted in 2020 after four seasons with Oklahoma State. He 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. The Hornets’ agreement with McGriff, who was on the club’s Summer League roster, was reported in September.

Neither Crutcher nor McGriff is likely to make the Hornets’ regular season roster, as the team currently has 16 players on fully guaranteed contracts. However, they’re strong candidates to play for the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s G League affiliate. Assuming they signed Exhibit 10 contracts, Crutcher and McGriff will be in line for bonuses worth up to $50K if they spent at least 60 days with the Swarm.

The Hornets now once again have a full 20-man preseason roster.

Nuggets Exercise 2022/23 Option On Zeke Nnaji

October 8th, 2021 at 1:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets have exercised their third-year team option on Zeke Nnaji‘s rookie scale contract, a league source tells Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link). The move guarantees Nnaji’s $2,617,800 salary for the 2022/23 season.

Nnaij was the 22nd overall pick in the 2020 draft, joining the Nuggets after playing his college ball at Arizona. The 20-year-old wasn’t a major part of the team’s rotation as a rookie, but did get into 42 games, averaging 3.2 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 9.5 minutes per contest.

With Nnaji locked in for his third NBA season, the Nuggets will have to make their next major decision on the young forward a year from now, when they’ll have to either pick up or turn down his $4.3MM fourth-year option for the ’23/24 campaign. If that option is exercised, Nnaji would become extension-eligible during the 2023 offseason.

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

Grizzlies Sign Romeo Weems, Waive Shaq Buchanan

October 8th, 2021 at 11:54am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have made a minor change to their 20-man preseason roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed forward Romeo Weems and waived guard Shaq Buchanan.

Weems averaged 7.3 PPG and 5.0 RPG in 18 games (28.6 MPG) for DePaul as a sophomore in 2020/21, knocking down 36.6% of this three-point attempts. He agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Grizzlies shortly after going undrafted in July and has now finalized that deal over two months later.

Buchanan, who has signed Exhibit 10 deals with Memphis in three consecutive years, has spent the last two seasons with the Memphis Hustle in the G League, averaging 11.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 1.5 APG on .426/.349/.657 shooting in 48 games (24.8 MPG). He’s a good bet to return to the Hustle this season, and Weems appears likely to join him.

Following their moves, the Grizzlies still have a full 20-man roster, with 16 players on guaranteed contracts, two on Exhibit 10 pacts, and a pair on two-way deals.

Hornets Waive D.J. Carton, Xavier Sneed

October 8th, 2021 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have cut a pair of training camp invitees, announcing today in a press release that D.J. Carton and Xavier Sneed have been placed on waivers.

Carton, a 6’2″ guard, played for one year at Ohio State before transferring to Marquette last season. He averaged 13 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game as a junior, then signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Charlotte in August after going undrafted in July.

Sneed, who went undrafted out of Kansas State in 2020, signed a training camp contract with Charlotte last offseason and then was waived at the end of the preseason. The 6’5″ wing played in 13 games (23.3 MPG) for the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ G League affiliate, averaging 8.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.8 APG, and 1.8 SPG with a .360/.279/.875 shooting line.

Both Carton and Sneed seem likely to end up playing for the Swarm this season.

Charlotte now has 16 players on guaranteed contracts and a pair of players on two-way deals. The club will need to trade or release at least one player on a guaranteed contract before the regular season begins. The Hornets may also continue to move players in and out of their two open roster spots in order to secure their G League rights and/or ensure they receive an Exhibit 10 bonus.

Spurs Sign Jaylen Morris To Non-Guaranteed Contract

October 8th, 2021 at 8:21am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs signed free agent guard Jaylen Morris to a contract on Thursday, according to the official transactions log at RealGM. It’s a non-guaranteed training camp contract, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Morris, 26, has played in the NBA, the G League, and multiple international leagues since going undrafted out of Molloy in 2017. He appeared in a total of 10 games for Atlanta and Milwaukee in 2018 and has played 78 games at the G League level, averaging 13.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 2.5 APG on .527/.325/.732 shooting in 32.3 minutes per contest for four NBAGL clubs.

Morris also played in Greece in 2019/20 and in Israel in 2020, and suited up for San Antonio’s Summer League team this August.

The Spurs are carrying 17 players on fully guaranteed contracts, so there’s no path to a 15-man roster spot for Morris. Since he last played for the Austin Spurs, the 6’5″ shooting guard will likely return to San Antonio’s G League affiliate this season. Assuming his deal contains Exhibit 10 language, he’ll earn a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with Austin.

Rockets Waive Sekou Doumbouya

October 7th, 2021 at 5:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets have waived third-year forward Sekou Doumbouya, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets.

The move was expected, as Houston had no plans to retain Doumbouya after it acquired him from the Nets earlier this week. The Rockets obtained an unprotected 2024 second-round pick from Brooklyn in the salary dump. Doumbouya had a guaranteed $3,613,680 salary.

Detroit had high hopes for Doumbouya after picking him in the middle of the first round in 2019. However, he fell out of favor last season after Troy Weaver took over as GM, struggling to get playing time on the rebuilding team. In 2020/21, he averaged 5.1 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 56 games, including 11 starts.

Doumbouya was dealt to Brooklyn in another salary dump transaction by the Nets (DeAndre Jordan) that netted the Pistons four second-round picks and some cash.

Doumbouya, who is on track to clear waivers this weekend if he goes unclaimed, will now try to find another opportunity in the league.

Magic Sign Jeremiah Tilmon, Waive Jon Teske

October 7th, 2021 at 4:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Magic have signed undrafted rookie center Jeremiah Tilmon and waived center Jon Teske, the team’s PR department tweets.

The 6’10” Tilmon played in 24 games last season as a senior at Missouri, averaging 12.4 PPG, 7.3 RPG and 1.42 BPG in 27.6 MPG. He appeared in one summer league game at Las Vegas for Orlando.

Teske, who went undrafted in 2020 out of Michigan, played in two preseason games. He was signed by the Magic on September 8 to a camp deal.

Tilmon won’t be on Orlando’s opening-day roster. Both players are expected to wind up on the Magic’s G League team in Lakeland, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). Teske started 12 of 15 games for Lakeland at the Orlando bubble last season, recording 6.7 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 19.8 minutes per contest.