Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets Waive Matthew Hurt

September 24th, 2021 at 4:23pm CST by Rory Maher

The Rockets are waiving rookie Matthew Hurt, per Alykhan Bijani and Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link). Hurt had been signed to a two-way contract.

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 (32.7 MPG) with a stellar .556/.444/.724 shooting line across 24 games.

Hurt went undrafted before signing the two-way deal with the Rockets. The move leaves the Rockets with 19 players entering training camp, with their one opening now a two-way contract.

Hurt should be able to catch on with another team, whether it be on a two-way or an Exhibit 10 contract, although with training camp fast approaching, roster spots are filling up very quickly.

Warriors Add Jordan Bell To Camp Roster

September 24th, 2021 at 4:18pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 26: Bell has officially signed with the Warriors, per RealGM’s transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 24: The Warriors are bringing back big man Jordan Bell for training camp, according to Marc J. Spears of the Undefeated (Twitter link). The addition of Bell – along with the reported deals for Langston Galloway and Avery Bradley – will bring Golden State’s roster to the preseason maximum of 20 players.

Bell, 26, began his career in Golden State after being selected with the 38th overall pick in the 2017 draft. He was part of the rotation for his first two professional seasons and won a title with the team in 2018, but departed in free agency in 2019 and has bounced around a little since then, playing for the Timberwolves, Grizzlies, and Wizards before returning to the Dubs during the last week of the 2020/21 campaign.

In 160 total regular season games, Bell has averaged 3.7 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 12.1 minutes per contest. It looked as recently as last weekend as if he might be headed overseas for the 2021/22 season, but he’ll at least get a chance to make an NBA roster this fall.

Although Bell will be in the mix for Golden State’s 15th roster spot for the regular season, he’s probably the least likely of the five candidates to make the team, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, who suggests the Warriors are more likely to keep someone from a group of guards that includes Gary Payton II, Mychal Mulder, Galloway, and Bradley. Slater identified Payton and Bradley as the favorites, given their talents on defense.

Bell is also ineligible for a two-way contract, so if he doesn’t make the Warriors’ regular season roster and doesn’t catch on with another NBA team, he may have to turn to the G League or an international league.

Sixers Sign Second-Rounder Charles Bassey

September 24th, 2021 at 2:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

2:25pm: The Sixers have officially announced their deal with Bassey, issuing a press release to confirm the signing.

11:42am: Charles Bassey has agreed to a three-year contract with the Sixers, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The deal, which provides a full guarantee in the first year and a partial guarantee in the second, was confirmed by his agents, Adie von Gontard and Daveed Cohen.

The 20-year-old center out of Western Kentucky is one of the last players taken in this year’s draft to sign a contract. He was selected with the No. 53 pick, which Philadelphia acquired from the Pelicans for $2MM in a draft-night trade.

The delay in signing reportedly stemmed from Bassey’s desire to get two years of fully guaranteed money, which is unusual for a player drafted that low. A report last month indicated he may sign his non-guaranteed one-year tender rather than agreeing to a multiyear deal, but it sounds like the two sides were able to reach a compromise.

The deal will come out of Philadelphia’s mid-level exception.

Bassey was named Conference USA Player of the Year last season as a junior with the Hilltoppers after averaging 17.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game. He was also selected as a third-team All-American by the U.S. Basketball Writers.

Pistons Convert Jamorko Pickett To Two-Way Deal

September 24th, 2021 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Having promoted Luka Garza from his two-way contract to a standard deal, the Pistons didn’t waste any time in filling their newly-opened two-way slot. According to the team (via Twitter), forward Jamorko Pickett has had his Exhibit 10 deal converted into a two-way pact.

Pickett, who went undrafted after playing four seasons at Georgetown, averaged 12.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 2.1 APG in 26 games (34.7 MPG) as a senior in 2020/21.. He started 109 of 119 games during his college career and made 36.5% of his 3-point attempts, including 37.3% last season.

Pickett signed a non-guaranteed training camp deal with Detroit in August. It initially looked like he’d probably be released before the regular season and join the Pistons’ G League team, the Motor City Cruise, as an affiliate player. However, Detroit created some roster flexibility by trading away Sekou Doumbouya and Jahlil Okafor, providing a pathway for Pickett to stick around.

The Pistons now project to have a full 20-man camp roster, with camp invitees Derrick Walton and Cassius Stanley expected to join the 18 players who are already officially under contract.

Nuggets Adding Davon Reed On Training Camp Contract

September 24th, 2021 at 1:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent guard Davon Reed will sign a training camp deal with the Nuggets, tweets JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors. The signing was confirmed by his agent, Josh Beauregard-Bell of Octagon Basketball.

Reed, 26, was a second-round pick by the Suns in 2017 and played 21 games in his rookie season. He spent the following year with the Pacers on a two-way deal and holds career averages of 2.4 points and 1.5 rebounds in 31 games.

The addition of Reed, along with the reported deal with Tarik Black, will push Denver to the full roster limit of 20 players heading into next week’s training camp.

Pistons Sign Luka Garza To Two-Year Contract

September 24th, 2021 at 12:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:16pm: The move is official, the Pistons announced (via Twitter).

11:03am: Rookie Pistons center Luka Garza will have his two-way deal converted to a standard NBA contract that will cover two years, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The news was confirmed by Garza’s agents, Mike Kneisley and Odell Witherspoon.

Garza, who was named Player of the Year as a senior at Iowa, was taken with the 52nd pick in this year’s draft and signed the two-way contract in August. He had a strong Summer League showing, averaging 15 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.

The move gives Detroit 15 guaranteed contracts heading into camp and opens up one of the team’s two-way slots. The Pistons currently have 18 players under contract, along with reported deals for Derrick Walton Jr. and Cassius Stanley.

Trail Blazers Re-Sign Keljin Blevins To Two-Way Contract

September 24th, 2021 at 9:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Keljin Blevins will return to the Trail Blazers on a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release.

Blevins didn’t receive a qualifying offer from Portland, so he spent the summer as an unrestricted free agent.

The 25-year-old swingman signed a two-way deal last November and saw brief playing time in 17 games, averaging 0.7 points and 0.6 rebounds per night. He originally signed a training camp contract with Portland in 2019 after going undrafted out of Montana State, but failed to make the roster and spent the season in the G League.

The Blazers now have both two-way slots filled heading into training camp, although that could change at any time. Former LSU power forward Trendon Watford holds the other two-way contract.

Tarik Black Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Nuggets

September 24th, 2021 at 9:49am CST by Arthur Hill

9:49am: Black’s contract, which is now official, is an Exhibit 10 deal, sources tell international basketball writer Donatas Urbonas (Twitter link).

9:19am: Tarik Black will attempt an NBA comeback with the Nuggets, according to a tweet from his representatives, Priority Sports. The agency doesn’t offer any details on his contract, but it’s likely a non-guaranteed training camp deal.

The 29-year-old center played four years with the Lakers and Rockets, but has been out of the league since the 2017/18 season. He has career averages of 4.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 220 games.

Black has been playing overseas ever since and spent last season with Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia. He left the team in July.

Black’s signing will bring the Nuggets to 19 players for training camp if they complete a rumored deal with Giorgi Bezhanishvili. Denver has 14 guaranteed contracts, so Black will be fighting for one open roster spot.

Celtics Sign Garrison Mathews

September 24th, 2021 at 8:14am CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 27: Mathews has officially signed with the Celtics, according to RealGM’s transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 24: Free agent guard Garrison Mathews will sign with the Celtics ahead of training camp, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. It will be a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, according to Charania’s sources.

Mathews, 24, spent his first two seasons as a two-way player with the Wizards after going undrafted out of Lipscomb in 2019. A shooting specialist, he hit 38.4% from three-point range in 64 games last season while averaging 5.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per night.

The move will bring Boston’s roster up to the camp limit of 20, assuming they complete recently-reported deals with Ryan Arcidiacono and Theo Pinson. The club reached an agreement with Luke Kornet as well earlier this month, but it remains to be seen if or when that deal will be finalized.

The Celtics also have a two-way slot open.

Celtics Sign Theo Pinson To Camp Deal

September 23rd, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 23: The signing is official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 22: Free agent wing Theo Pinson will sign with the Celtics for training camp, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Pinson, who will turn 26 in November, appeared in 31 games for the Nets from 2018-20, then spent last season on a two-way contract with the Knicks. He appeared in 17 games for New York, but only played a total of 34 minutes in those games, putting up just two points and five rebounds on 1-of-9 shooting (0-for-8 on threes).

While his NBA numbers have been underwhelming, Pinson has played well at the G League level, averaging 19.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 5.5 APG on .441/.382/.841 shooting in 44 games (34.0 MPG) across two seasons for the Long Island Nets.

Pinson will join Juwan Morgan and Luke Kornet as players attending Boston’s training camp without any guaranteed salary. Earning a spot on the 15-man roster will be an uphill battle, since the Celtics have 14 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Jabari Parker on a partial guarantee. However, the club does have one open two-way slot, so Pinson could be a candidate to fill it.