Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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.

Bucks Sign Tremont Waters To Training Camp Deal

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

10:00pm: The Bucks have officially signed Waters, according to RealGM’s transactions log.

6:10pm: The Bucks will sign free agent point guard Tremont Waters to a training camp deal, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Charania notes that Waters will have an opportunity to compete for a role on Milwaukee’s roster in camp. This agreement seems likely to be an Exhibit 10 contract, but details on the contract have yet to be divulged.

The reigning NBA champs have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, meaning they could have two open roster spots, though Georgios Kalaitzakis, Mamadi Diakite, and Elijah Bryant are also in the mix, and the Bucks may not carry a 15th man. The team also has a two-way slot open alongside Sandro Mamukelashvili.

The 5’10” Waters was selected by the Celtics with the No. 51 pick in 2019 out of LSU. The 23-year-old spent two years in college. He was named to the All-SEC First Team and honored as the Defensive Player of the Year during his final collegiate season in 2018/19.

He appeared in 11 games with Boston during his rookie season in 2019/20. He got significantly more run with Boston’s NBA G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. He averaged 18.0 PPG, 7.2 APG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.9 SPG in 36 games for the Red Claws, all starts. For his efforts, Waters was rewarded with an All-NBA G League Second Team inclusion, in addition to being named the NBA G League Rookie of the Year.

During his 2020/21 season with Boston, Waters averaged 3.8 PPG and 2.4 APG during 9.2 MPG across 26 games.

Bulls Sign Stanley Johnson To Non-Guaranteed Contract

September 7th, 2021 at 7:50pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 7: Johnson’s deal, which is now official, is non-guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

SEPTEMBER 6: The Bulls have agreed to a deal with free agent forward Stanley Johnson, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). While Charania’s report doesn’t include contract details, a minimum-salary agreement seems likely.

Johnson, the eighth overall pick in the 2015 draft, began his NBA career in Detroit before being traded to New Orleans in 2019. He then played for the Raptors for two years from 2019-21, earning a spot in the team’s regular rotation this past season.

Johnson’s 2020/21 numbers (4.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, .382/.328/.800 shooting) in 61 games for Toronto don’t exactly jump off the page, but he proved he can be a useful depth piece at the NBA level by providing energy and defensive versatility off the bench.

A report last week linked Johnson to Brooklyn, noting that the veteran free agent had been working out around some Nets players and staffers. However, Brooklyn faces a roster crunch after reaching deals to sign Paul Millsap and LaMarcus Aldridge and acquiring Sekou Doumbouya and Jahlil Okafor, so it would’ve been hard to find room for Johnson.

Instead, Johnson will join a Chicago team that only features 13 players on standard contracts, plus Devon Dotson on a two-way pact. We’ll have to wait for the terms on the 25-year-old’s deal to get a better idea of how he fits into the Bulls’ plans, but for now he looks like a good bet to claim a spot on the club’s 15-man regular season squad.

Alize Johnson Signs Two-Year Contract With Bulls

September 7th, 2021 at 7:49pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

SEPTEMBER 7: The Bulls have officially signed Johnson to his two-year deal, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), who reports that the big man will get a $250K partial guarantee if he’s not waived by opening night. The second year is non-guaranteed until July 2, 2022.

SEPTEMBER 6: After being waived by the Nets to make room for an un-retiring LaMarcus Aldridge, unrestricted free agent power forward Alize Johnson has agreed to a new two-year contract with the Bulls, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Wojnarowski reports that Johnson will sign a two-year, $3.6MM minimum-salary contract with Chicago. Johnson marks the third Bulls signing of the Labor Day weekend, to go along with 6’6″ forward Stanley Johnson and 6’4″ wing Matt Thomas.

The 6’7″ Alize Johnson was selected by the Pacers with the No. 50 pick in the 2018 draft out of Missouri State. After spending his first two NBA seasons with the Pacers and their NBAGL affiliate the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, he next suited up for the Raptors 905 during the pandemic-truncated 2021 G League Orlando “bubble” season. The 25-year-old averaged 16.6 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 4.2 APG and 1.3 SPG across 15 contests for the Raptors’ G League affiliate.

Johnson then joined the Nets for the remainder of the season, flashing some athletic promise in a deep-bench role. Over 18 games, he averaged 5.2 PPG and 5.0 RPG in 10.5 MPG for Brooklyn during the 2020/21 season.

Positionally, both Johnsons could help fill the void left by recently-departed reserve power forward Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen, a restricted free agent this summer, was moved to the Cavaliers through a four-year, $67MM sign-and-trade, in a three-team deal with the Blazers that netted Chicago future draft equity, as well as reserve forward Derrick Jones Jr.

Functionally, Jones and the Johnsons are very different players from Markkanen. The new reserve trio should collectively be able to provide versatile defense at either forward position, though none sport the long-range shooting acumen of seven-footer Markkanen.

It’s worth noting that, prior to the Bulls’ trio of deals, the team was carrying 13 players on guaranteed contracts. The details on Chicago’s latest contracts are unclear, but there won’t be room for both Johnsons and Thomas on the regular season roster unless another player is traded or waived.