Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Release Nate Renfro, Aric Holman

October 4th, 2021 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs waived a pair of recent roster additions over the weekend, cutting guard Nate Renfro and big man Aric Holman, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

Neither move comes as a surprise. San Antonio signed both players to non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts with an eye toward having them eventually join the Austin Spurs in the G League. The Exhibit 10 deals will ensure that both players receive bonuses worth up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days with Austin.

Renfro, who went undrafted in 2019 out of San Francisco, spent the 2019/20 season recovering from a torn ACL, then played for the Austin Spurs – San Antonio’s G League affiliate – during the 2021 NBAGL bubble season.

Holman, who also went undrafted in 2019, played for the Texas Legends as a rookie and for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany during his second professional season. The former Mississippi State standout suited up for Boston during the 2021 Las Vegas Summer League.

Following their cuts, the Spurs have 18 players under contract, including 17 on guaranteed standard contracts. They’ll have to trade or waive at least two of those players before the start of the regular season, and may continue shuffling players through their last two roster spots for G League purposes.

Knicks Waive Luca Vildoza

October 3rd, 2021 at 10:56am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks have placed Luca Vildoza on waivers, the team announced (via Twitter).

New York signed the Argentinian guard to a four-year deal in May, but there was no guaranteed money and he never played for the team. Vildoza’s contract for the upcoming season would have been guaranteed for $3.32MM if he was still on the roster at 11:59pm on October 21, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

Vildoza reported to camp with “complicated ankle issues” and hasn’t been able to practice, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link). He had a sprained ankle, along with fluid in the back of his foot that was discovered after Summer League (Twitter link).

“Availability is a big part of it and we just feel like the guys who are here, they are the guys fighting it out for that last spot,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “But he’s a good player, and we wish him well.” (Twitter link from Fred Katz of The Athletic)

Vildoza, 26, played for Argentina in the Olympics before joining the Knicks in Las Vegas. He made brief appearances in two Summer League games, but averaged just 6.4 minutes and didn’t score any points. In addition to his injury issues, Vildoza’s future in New York appeared uncertain after the team added point guards Miles McBride and Rokas Jokubaitis in the draft.

The move leaves the Knicks with 19 players on their training camp roster, 14 of whom have guaranteed contracts. The team also has a two-way slot open, and Thibodeau has indicated that final decisions won’t be made until after the preseason.

Spurs Sign Aric Holman, Officially Add Nate Renfro

October 2nd, 2021 at 8:31am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs have signed forward/center Aric Holman, according to the RealGM transactions log. Terms were not reported but it’s safe to assume Holman received a non-guaranteed camp deal.

Holman went undrafted in 2019 out of Mississippi State. He signed with the Lakers that summer and was soon waived. The Mavericks claimed him but also waived him during training camp.

He played in the G League for the Texas Legends that season before signing with a team in Germany last year. He was on the Celtics’ summer league roster. He averaged 5.0 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 8.5 MPG during a handful of contests in Las Vegas.

San Antonio also officially added guard Nate Renfro, according to the transactions feed. That pending signing was reported on Friday.

The additions bump the Spurs’ training camp roster to the 20-man limit. It’s likely both players will soon wind up with the G League’s Austin Spurs.

Jazz Release Justin James

October 1st, 2021 at 3:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have waived swingman Justin James, the team announced today in a press release. James had been occupying one of Utah’s two-way slots.

James spent his first two NBA seasons with the Kings after being selected 40th overall in the 2019 draft out of Wyoming. He didn’t play a regular role for Sacramento, but appeared in 72 games across two seasons, averaging 3.2 PPG and 0.9 RPG with a shooting line of .446/.343/.544 in 7.5 minutes per contest. The 24-year-old was waived by the Kings earlier this offseason and signed a two-way deal with Utah last week.

The decision to waive James comes as a bit of a surprise, given how recently he was signed. If the Jazz had been aiming to secure his G League rights, they would’ve inked him to an Exhibit 10 contract, so perhaps the team had a change of heart about how it wants to fill its second two-way slot. Trent Forrest is Utah’s other two-way player.

With James on waivers, the Jazz now have 19 players under contract.

Blazers Exercise 2022/23 Option On Nassir Little

October 1st, 2021 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have picked up the fourth-year option on Nassir Little‘s rookie scale contract, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The move locks in Little’s $4,171,548 salary for the 2022/23 season.

The 25th pick in the 2019 draft, Little has appeared in 48 games in each of his first two NBA seasons, but has played a limited role. In those 96 total NBA regular-season contests (12.6 MPG), the 21-year-old forward has averaged a modest 4.1 PPG and 2.5 RPG on .450/.302/.719 shooting.

A report last week indicated that Little has been turning heads this offseason and that team officials are intrigued by his development and his potential to contribute to the Blazers. We’ll have to wait for the games to begin to see whether that positive chatter is warranted, but it sounds as if Little should be given the opportunity to play a bigger role in 2021/22.

NBA clubs must make decisions by the end of October on the 2022/23 team options for players on rookie scale contracts. So far, only a handful of those options have been picked up, as our tracker shows, but most of them will likely be exercised in the coming weeks.

Spurs To Sign Nate Renfro To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 1st, 2021 at 11:47am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs are signing free agent guard Nate Renfro to an Exhibit 10 contract, a source tells Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Renfro, who went undrafted in 2019 out of San Francisco, spent the 2019/20 season recovering from a torn ACL, then played for the Austin Spurs – San Antonio’s G League affiliate – during the 2021 NBAGL bubble season.

Although he didn’t provide much offense (4.4 PPG on .422/.150/.417 shooting), Renfro contributed in other ways, averaging 5.3 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.9 BPG, and 1.4 SPG in 15 games (24.9 MPG). He subsequently suited up for the Spurs’ Summer League team in Las Vegas this August as well.

Based on the terms of Renfro’s deal, it sounds like he’ll likely just be on San Antonio’s 20-man roster briefly before returning to Austin for the 2021/22 season. The Exhibit 10 language in his contract would put him in line for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Spurs’ G League squad.

Since the Spurs have two openings on their 20-man roster, no corresponding move will be required to sign Renfro.

Sixers Sign, Waive Haywood Highsmith

September 30th, 2021 at 5:56pm CST by Rory Maher

In a procedural move, the Sixers signed and then waived Haywood Highsmith, tweets Derek Bodner of The Athletic. Bodner notes that Highsmith is expected to join the Sixers’ G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.

Highsmith, 24, is a 6’7″ wing who has seen action in five NBA games for the Sixers, playing a total of 40 minutes. He spent the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons with the Blue Coats, playing in 89 games with averages of 11.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 2.6 APG in 29.5 MPG with a .423/.338/.679 shooting line. In a follow-up tweet, Bodner adds that Highsmith played in Germany last season for the Crailsheim Merlins.

As reported last month, Highsmith received an Exhibit 10 contract, which gives players a chance to earn up to a $50K bonus if they’re waived before the start of the regular season and spend at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate.

Lakers Sign Cameron Oliver To Exhibit 10 Contract

September 29th, 2021 at 7:41pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 29: The signing is official, the team announced (via Twitter).

SEPTEMBER 16: The Lakers are signing free agent forward Cameron Oliver to an Exhibit 10 deal, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Oliver, 25, has played primarily in the G League and overseas since going undrafted out of Nevada in 2017. However, he did sign with the Rockets at the end of the 2020/21 season, appearing in four games for the team down the stretch and averaging 10.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 1.0 BPG on .576/.308/.636 shooting in 21.8 minutes per contest.

The Lakers are currently only carrying 13 players on guaranteed contracts, so Oliver could theoretically be a candidate to make the 15-man regular season roster. However, like fellow Exhibit 10 recipients Chaundee Brown and Mac McClung, Oliver seems more likely to end up playing for the South Bay Lakers, L.A.’s G League affiliate.

Oliver nearly averaged a double-double during his last stint in the G League, putting up 15.5 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 2.2 BPG in 26 games (26.6 MPG) for the Delaware Blue Coats in 2018/19.

Pistons Add Jared Cunningham, Waive Deividas Sirvydis

September 29th, 2021 at 5:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons have signed veteran shooting guard Jared Cunningham to a training camp contract and placed swingman Deividas Sirvydis on waivers, the team announced (via Twitter).

Cunningham, 30, last played in the NBA during the 2015/16 season when he appeared in a combined 44 games with the Cavaliers and Bucks. Since then, he has spent time overseas and in the G League, last playing for Bnei Herzliya in Israel.

Cleveland selected Cunningham with the 24th overall pick in the 2012 draft and shipped him to Dallas in a draft-night trade. He had brief stays with six NBA teams and holds a career scoring average of 2.3 PPG in 84 games.

Sirvydis, the 37th pick in the 2019 draft, just re-signed with Detroit on Tuesday after being waived in July. He saw limited action in 20 games last season and could be headed to the Pistons’ new G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise.

Detroit’s roster remains at the training camp limit of 20 players.

Nuggets Sign Michael Porter Jr. To Five-Year Max Extension

September 29th, 2021 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 29: Porter’s extension is now official, the Nuggets announced today in a press release.

Meanwhile, more details have emerged on Porter’s fifth-year salary. Only $12MM of his $39.3MM salary for that season is guaranteed, sources tell Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link). It can become fully guaranteed based on All-Star, All-NBA, or All-Defensive honors, or MVP or Defensive Player of the Year awards.

According to Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link), one All-Star appearance for Porter would increase the fifth-year guarantee by $5MM, while two All-Star nods would fully guarantee that $39MM+ salary. There are several other potential triggers, Singer adds.

SEPTEMBER 27: The Nuggets and forward Michael Porter Jr. have reached an agreement on a five-year contract extension worth the maximum salary, agent Mark Bartelstein tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The deal currently projects to be worth $172.5MM, based on the NBA’s projection of a $119MM salary cap for the 2022/23 season. However, the contract will include Rose Rule language, allowing Porter to potentially earn 30% of the cap in the first year of the extension (rather than 25% of the cap) if he makes an All-NBA team in 2021/22. In that scenario, the five-year contract would be worth a projected $207MM.

The fifth year of Porter’s contract will be partially guaranteed, according to Ryan McDonough of Audacy Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that MPJ’s fifth-year salary would become fully guaranteed if he meets certain “lofty” performance benchmarks.

The Nuggets’ investment signals how far the former 14th overall pick has come since missing his entire rookie season in 2018/19 due to a back injury. After playing a modest role in ’19/20, Porter became a key piece for Denver last season, averaging 19.0 PPG and 7.3 RPG with an impressive .542/.445/.791 shooting line in 61 games (31.3 MPG).

Porter still has plenty of room to improve on the defensive side of the ball, but the 23-year-old has displayed the potential to become one of the NBA’s very best scorers, so there was no chance the Nuggets would let him get away.

With extensions for Porter and Aaron Gordon completed this offseason, the Nuggets’ roster is getting very expensive. The newly-extended forwards won’t even be Denver’s highest-paid players — that honor belongs to veteran stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, who are earning a combined $60MM+ in 2021/22.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the Nuggets project to carry about $156MM in team salary for the ’22/23 campaign and are on track to be a taxpayer for the first time in over a decade. The team remains below the tax line for the ’21/22 season.

Porter’s deal is the fourth maximum-salary rookie scale extension to be finalized this offseason, with the Nuggets forward joining Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. As our tracker shows, Robert Williams is the only player who has received a rookie scale extension below the max so far in 2021.