Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kings Add Emanuel Terry To Camp Roster

September 8th, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

10:00pm: The signing is official, according to RealGM’s transactions log.

6:30pm: The Kings are signing forward Emanuel Terry to an Exhibit 10 contract, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. They have also acquired his G League rights from the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, the Clippers’ affiliate.

Terry played five Summer League games at Las Vegas for Sacramento, averaging 7.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG and 1.6 SPG in 17.4 MPG.

The 6’9” forward played three NBA games during the 2018/19 season with Phoenix and Miami. In 15 games with Agua Caliente last season at the Orlando bubble, Terry averaged 10.8 PPG and 10.4 RPG in 28.5 MPG. He also appeared in nine Euroleague games with Serbia’s KK Crvena Zvezda.

He’ll be a longshot to make the Kings’ 15-man roster but with Sacramento securing his G League rights, he’ll have a better chance to get a call-up during the season.

Cavaliers Sign RJ Nembhard

September 8th, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Luke Adams

10:00pm: The Cavaliers have officially signed Nembhard to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal, per RealGM.

3:01pm: The Cavaliers have reached an agreement on a deal with undrafted free agent RJ Nembhard, according to our JD Shaw (Twitter link), who reports that Nembhard will compete for a roster spot in training camp.

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). The 6’5″ guard boosted his three-point percentage to 33.9% and made the All-Big 12 Third Team.

News of Nembhard’s agreement with the Cavaliers comes as a bit of a surprise, since Adrian Wojnarowski reported shortly after the draft that the rookie had agreed to a deal with the Heat. However, Woj’s report didn’t specify that Nembhard would attend training camp with the Heat — the 22-year-old played for Miami’s Summer League team, but it appears he’ll sign his first NBA contract with the Cavs rather than the Heat.

The Cavaliers have been busy in the last week, having signed Tacko Fall and Tre Scott to training camp deals and agreed to terms with Mitch Ballock as well. Like those camp invitees, Nembhard figures to receive a non-guaranteed contract that could put him in the mix for a two-way contract or even a spot on the 15-man roster. He’d also be a candidate to join the Cavs’ G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge, if he’s cut before the regular season begins.

Cavaliers Sign Mitch Ballock To Camp Deal

September 8th, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Luke Adams

10:00pm: The deal is official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

2:05pm: The Cavaliers are expected to sign undrafted rookie guard Mitch Ballock to a deal for training camp, sources tell our JD Shaw (Twitter link). It will likely to be an Exhibit 10 deal.

Ballock, 23, played his college ball at Creighton from 2017-21. As a senior in 2020/21, he averaged 9.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 2.6 APG on .435/.386/.571 shooting in 31 games (33.6 MPG). Across four college seasons, 773 of Ballock’s 1,028 field goal attempts were three-pointers, and he knocked down 39.8% of them.

Ballock, who was on the Sixers’ roster for Summer League play in Las Vegas last month, is on track to join a Cavaliers roster that currently features 10 players on guaranteed contracts on six on non-guaranteed deals.

Earning a spot on the team’s regular season roster is probably a long shot, but if Ballock’s contract includes Exhibit 10 language, it could be converted into a two-way deal or could give him the opportunity to earn a bonus of up to $50K if he joins the Cavs’ G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge.

Bulls Sign Tyler Cook

September 8th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to confirming several previously-reported additions to their roster, the Bulls announced today in a press release that they’ve signed free agent forward Tyler Cook to a contract.

While the terms of Cook’s contract aren’t known, Chicago’s other recent deals with Stanley Johnson, Alize Johnson, Matt Thomas, and Ethan Thompson are non-guaranteed, so Cook’s likely will be too.

A 6’8″ forward out of Iowa, Cook played for the Cavaliers and Nuggets as a rookie in 2019/20, then spent time with the Nets and Pistons during the 2020/21 campaign. After signing a 10-day contract with Brooklyn, he inked a pair of 10-day pacts with Detroit and then agreed to a multiyear deal in April. The team waived him at the end of July.

In 32 total games in 2020/21 for the Nets and Pistons, Cook averaged 4.9 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 32 games (13.7 MPG). He made 67.0% of his field goal attempts, but just 48.6% of his free throws.

Chicago has 13 players on guaranteed contracts, plus one on a two-way deal, so there are at least a couple spots up for grabs on the 17-man regular season squad. Cook figures to compete with the team’s other recent signings for one of those spots.

Pelicans To Sign Malcolm Hill To Camp Deal

September 8th, 2021 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

After playing for the Pelicans’ team at the Las Vegas Summer League last month, small forward Malcolm Hill will attend training camp with New Orleans, reports ESPN’s Andrew Lopez (Twitter link).

Hill has spent the last several years playing in international leagues after going undrafted out of Illinois in 2017. The 25-year-old was a member of teams in the Philippines, Germany, Kazakhstan, and Israel before returning stateside this year. He averaged 17.2 PPG and 5.1 RPG on .434/.355/.784 shooting in 35 games (33.3 MPG) in his last college season, back in 2016/17.

The Pelicans are currently carrying 15 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Wenyen Gabriel on a non-guaranteed deal and Jose Alvarado and Daulton Hommes on two-way deals. Barring additional moves, it doesn’t look like the team will have any open roster spots for the regular season, so Hill could be on track to eventually join the Birmingham Squad, New Orleans’ new G League affiliate.

Celtics To Re-Sign Luke Kornet To Exhibit 10 Contract

September 8th, 2021 at 12:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have agreed to re-sign free agent big man Luke Kornet to an Exhibit 10 contract, sources tell Chris Grenham of Forbes (Twitter link).

Kornet, 26, has appeared in a total of 133 regular season games for the Knicks, Bulls, and Celtics since entering the NBA in 2017/18 out of Vanderbilt. He was traded from Chicago to Boston at the 2021 deadline and played a semi-regular role for the Celtics down the stretch, putting up 4.4 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 18 games (14.1 MPG).

The 7’2″ forward/center is probably a long shot to make Boston’s regular season roster, but the team may give him a chance to compete for the 15th spot.

As we noted earlier today when we relayed word of Juwan Morgan‘s new deal with the Celtics, the club will be carrying 14 players on guaranteed contracts once the Juan Hernangomez trade is official. If the C’s intend to hang onto a 15th man for the start of the regular season, Kornet and Morgan could challenge Jabari Parker – who has a small partial guarantee – for that last roster spot.

Magic Sign Jeff Dowtin, Hassani Gravett, Jon Teske

September 8th, 2021 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have signed three free agents, announcing in a press release that guard Jeff Dowtin, guard Hassani Gravett, and center Jon Teske have been added to the team’s offseason roster.

All three players have signed non-guaranteed deals with Orlando in the past and then suited up for the team’s G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic. While Gravett played for Lakeland in 2019/20, Dowtin and Teske were part of the squad that won the G League championship in the 2021 bubble earlier this year. All three also played for Orlando’s Summer League team last month.

Dowtin, who went undrafted out of Rhode Island in 2020, averaged 6.5 PPG and 2.5 APG in 15 games (19.7 MPG) for Lakeland last season. Teske, who played his college ball at Michigan before going undrafted a year ago, started 12 of 15 games for Lakeland, recording 6.7 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 19.8 minutes per contest.

Gravett, undrafted out of South Carolina in 2019, spent one season with Lakeland before playing for MZT Skopje overseas in 2020/21. He won a Macedonian League championship with the club.

It’s unlikely that any of the Magic’s three new additions will have a serious chance to compete for a spot on the regular season roster. I expect all three will end up in the G League again this year, with their Exhibit 10 deals giving them the chance to earn bonuses of up to $50K.

Cavaliers Sign Tre Scott To Camp Deal

September 8th, 2021 at 8:03am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have signed free agent forward Tre Scott to a non-guaranteed training camp contract, according to RealGM’s transactions log.

Scott, 24, went undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2020 and signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Utah. He was only under contract with the Jazz for three days, but that deal put him on track to join the team’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, for the abridged 2021 NBAGL season.

In 15 games for the Stars, the 6’8″ forward averaged 10.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 2.1 APG on .443/.296/.714 shooting in 29.3 minutes per contest. Scott also played for Cleveland in the Las Vegas Summer League last month, averaging 5.6 PPG and 3.0 RPG in five games (14.6 MPG).

While the Cavaliers are only carrying 10 players on fully guaranteed contracts, Scott will be their sixth player on a non-guaranteed deal, so it will be an uphill battle to earn a spot on the 15-man regular season roster. However, Cleveland still has both of its two-way slots open, so Scott could be in the mix to fill one of those.

Suns Sign Chandler Hutchison To Two-Way Contract

September 8th, 2021 at 6:40am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 8: Hutchison is on a two-way deal, per NBA.com. The Suns are now carrying 14 players on standard contracts and one on a two-way contract.

SEPTEMBER 7: The Suns have officially signed free agent wing Chandler Hutchison, the team announced today in a press release. Hutchison was cut by San Antonio on Saturday and cleared waivers on Monday.

Hutchison, 25, has appeared in a total of 97 NBA games for the Bulls and Wizards since being selected 22nd overall in the 2018 draft. After averaging 20.0 PPG with a .359 3PT% in his final college season at Boise State in 2017/18, he has struggled to score consistently at the NBA level, recording 5.7 PPG on .441/.309/.638 shooting in 18.2 minutes per contest.

Hutchison was traded from Chicago to Washington at this year’s trade deadline, then was flipped to San Antonio in the five-team trade that included Russell Westbrook and Spencer Dinwiddie. The Spurs also got a 2022 second-round pick in that deal for taking on Hutchison, signaling that he was a salary dump who wasn’t in the team’s plans.

In Phoenix, Hutchison will join a team that had been carrying just 14 players, all on guaranteed standard contracts. The Suns don’t have luxury tax concerns, so they could comfortably carry a 15th man in the regular season. For now, it looks like Hutchison is the frontrunner to fill that spot, though we don’t yet know the terms of his new contract.

Harry Giles Joins Clippers On Non-Guaranteed Contract

September 7th, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

10:00pm: The deal is official, according to RealGM’s transactions log.

7:04pm: After a stint in the Pacific Northwest, free agent big man Harry Giles will be returning to California for the 2021/22 season, albeit for a new team. Giles will sign a non-guaranteed contract with the Clippers, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Giles was selected with the No. 20 pick out of Duke in 2017 by Portland on behalf of the Kings. He subsequently missed the entire 2017/18 NBA season with knee issues. During his first two healthy NBA seasons, he showed promise in a limited bench role for lottery-bound Sacramento squads.

Last year, Giles signed a one-year minimum deal with his first playoff club, the Trail Blazers, in a more marginal reserve slot than he had with the Kings. In 38 games during the 2021/22 season, Giles averaged 2.8 PPG and 3.5 RPG in 9.2 MPG.

Giles will join a Clippers club hoping to remain in the playoff picture, despite All-NBA small forward Kawhi Leonard at least missing a significant portion of the season with a partial ACL tear.

Giles will play behind veteran big men Ivica Zubac and Serge Ibaka at the center position if he makes the regular season roster. The team currently has 14 players on guaranteed contracts.