Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Sign Aamir Simms To Training Camp Deal

August 19th, 2021 at 7:32am CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 19: Simms’ deal with the Knicks is now official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

JULY 30: Undrafted rookie Aamir Simms will sign with the Knicks, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Woj doesn’t offer specifics on the deal, but it will likely be an Exhibit 10 contract, which is frequently given to camp invitees.

The 6’8″ power forward spent four years at Clemson, averaging a career-best 13.4 points per game as a senior, along with 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He opted to skip an extra year of eligibility being offered by the NCAA and declare for the draft.

He was a third-team All-ACC selection as a junior and a second-team choice as a senior.

Simms’ deal with New York can become official once the NBA’s new league year begins next week.

Pelicans Sign Jose Alvarado To Two-Way Deal

August 18th, 2021 at 8:02pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

AUGUST 18: Alvarado has signed his two-way contract, Andrew Lopez of ESPN tweets.

JULY 30: The Pelicans are set to sign a two-way deal with Georgia Tech point guard Jose Alvarado, reports Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).

Alvarado logged four seasons with the Yellow Jackets. During his 2020/21 senior season, Alvarado averaged 15.2 PPG, 4.1 APG, 3.5 RPG, and a whopping 2.8 SPG, on .504/.390/.838 shooting.

The 2020/21 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Alvarado was also a two-time All-ACC honoree and was named to the 2020/21 All-ACC Tourney team. The 23-year-old Brooklyn native is considered a solid shooter, off-ball scorer and playmaker, but his lack of size or athleticism could limit his NBA ceiling.

Pelicans Sign Daulton Hommes To Two-Way Contract

August 18th, 2021 at 5:05pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

AUGUST 18: The Pelicans have officially signed Hommes to his two-way contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

AUGUST 9: The Pelicans are set to add 25-year-old rookie swingman Daulton Hommes on a two-way contract, Excel Basketball agent James Dunleavy informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).

Woj notes that Hommes is currently on the Pelicans’ Las Vegas Summer League team. After going undrafted in 2019 out of Point Loma Nazarene, Hommes spent his first pro season in the NBA G League playing for the Austin Spurs in 2019/20. In 36 games for Austin, Hommes averaged 8.3 PPG on 42.2% field goal shooting, to go along with 3.5 RPG and 1.2 APG. After that, he suited up overseas in Italy for Vanoli Cremona during the 2020/21 season.

Prior to embarking on his pro career, the 6’8″ forward was honored as the 2019 NABC Division II Player of the Year, as well as a First-Team Division II All-American.

As a two-way player, Hommes will be eligible to appear in 50 games for the Pelicans. He will also log time with New Orleans’s new G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, during its debut season.

Hommes appears set to be the second and final two-way player on the Pelicans’ roster. It was previously reported that former Georgia Tech point guard Jose Alvarado would occupy the Pelicans’ other two-way player slot for the 2021/22 season.

Josh Hall Signs Two-Way Deal With Thunder

August 18th, 2021 at 3:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

3:31pm: The Thunder have confirmed that Hall accepted his qualifying offer, meaning his new two-way deal comes with a $50K partial guarantee.

12:30pm: The Thunder have re-signed small forward Josh Hall to a two-way contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

Hall likely signed the qualifying offer he received from Oklahoma City at the start of August. It carries a $50K guarantee and serves as a two-way contract for the upcoming season.

However, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a lock to fill one of the Thunder’s two-way slots when the season begins. Because of the minimal financial commitment, teams are willing to move on from two-way players, as we saw earlier today with the Sixers and Rayjon Tucker.

Hall, 20, earned the two-way deal after coming to camp last year on an Exhibit 10 contract. He got into 21 games, averaging 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 16 minutes per night. He also played one game for OKC’s affiliate in the G League.

Sixers Waive Rayjon Tucker

August 18th, 2021 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Two weeks after re-signing Rayjon Tucker to a two-way contract, the Sixers have placed him on waivers, the team announced (via Twitter).

Tucker signed a two-way deal with Philadelphia in January after going through training camp with the Clippers. He got into 14 games and averaged 2.4 PPG and 0.8 RPG in 4.9 minutes per night. He was a starter for the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League bubble, putting up 19.4 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 4.1 APG in 15 games.

It’s possible that Tucker accepted his qualifying offer from the Sixers, which would have been the equivalent of another two-way deal with a $50K guarantee.

The move leaves Philadelphia with a two-way slot open. Undrafted rookie Aaron Henry holds the team’s other two-way contract.

Knicks Re-Sign Taj Gibson To Two-Year Contract

August 18th, 2021 at 7:06am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 18: The Knicks have officially re-signed Gibson, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

AUGUST 17: The Knicks and veteran big man Taj Gibson have reached an agreement to adjust the terms of the deal they initially agreed upon two weeks ago, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Gibson, who had been set to sign a one-year, minimum-salary deal, will actually receive a two-year deal worth $10.1MM, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Wojnarowski.

The Knicks have been slowly completing their offseason signings, starting with Nerlens Noel, Kemba Walker, and – most recently – Evan Fournier. New deals for Derrick Rose, Alec Burks, and Gibson have yet to be announced as New York determines the best way to maximize its cap space.

We’ll have to wait for more details on the adjustment to Gibson’s deal, but it sounds as if the Knicks determined they were in position to accommodate a slightly more lucrative salary for the 36-year-old. It’s a win-win for Gibson, who gets rewarded for his locker-room leadership over the last two seasons, and for the Knicks, who will now have a more tradable contract on the books without sacrificing any real cap flexibility.

The Knicks will use their room exception to complete the signing, as Bobby Marks of ESPN confirms (via Twitter). That exception allows for a two-year deal worth $10,065,500. New York had Early Bird rights on Gibson, but renounced him earlier in free agency in order to maximize cap room.

Gibson appeared in 45 games for the Knicks during the 2020/21 season, averaging 5.4 PPG and 5.6 RPG in 20.8 minutes per contest. He figures to provide depth up front behind centers Mitchell Robinson and Noel next season.

Knicks Re-Sign Derrick Rose To Three-Year Deal

August 18th, 2021 at 7:04am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

AUGUST 18: Rose has officially re-signed with the Knicks, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

AUGUST 2: Knicks combo guard Derrick Rose will return to Madison Square Garden on a three-season, $43MM contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).

Rose, 32, is set to re-join New York after a successful 2020/21 season with the club. The Knicks pried Rose away from the Pistons early in the year, and Rose quickly ascended the ranks within the team’s guard rotation, playing major minutes for a playoff-bound New York team, led by Rose’s former coach with the Bulls and Timberwolves, Tom Thibodeau.

After the trade, Rose suited up for 35 regular season contests with New York, averaging 14.9 PPG, 4.2 APG, 2.9 RPG and 0.9 SPG in 26.8 MPG for the team. The 6’2″ vet connected on 48.7% of his field goal attempts, including a solid 41.1% on 2.6 three-point attempts a night, while nailing 88.3% of his free-throws.

Rose elevated his play in the Knicks’ first-round playoff series against the Hawks, eventually stepping into the starting lineup for the team’s final three games of the series. He averaged 19.4 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 4.0 RPG across 35.0 MPG.

Rose, a former three-time All-Star and the 2011 MVP before his career trajectory was permanently altered by a series of severe knee injuries, was first traded to the Knicks from the Bulls ahead of the 2016/17 season. He then played for the Cavaliers and Timberwolves before inking a two-year contract with the Pistons in 2019.

Pistons Sign Jamorko Pickett To Exhibit 10 Contract

August 18th, 2021 at 6:57am CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 18: Pickett’s Exhibit 10 deal with the Pistons is official, according to RealGM’s transactions log.

AUGUST 2: Jamorko Pickett has agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Pistons, Jon Chepkevich of Stats Perform tweets. The pending signing has been confirmed by Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw (Twitter link).

Pickett went undrafted after playing four seasons at Georgetown. The 6’9” forward averaged 12.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 2.1 APG in his senior season. He started 109 of 119 games during his college career and made 36.5% of his 3-point attempts, adding to appeal.

An Exhibit 10 contract can be converted to a standard deal or a two-way pact before the regular season, though the players who sign them often end up becoming affiliate players for their team’s G League squad. If Pickett ends up playing for the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s G League affiliate, in 2021/22, he could earn a bonus worth up to $50K.

Heat Sign D.J. Stewart

August 17th, 2021 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have signed rookie free agent D.J. Stewart, the team announced in a press release. The deal includes Exhibit 10 language, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

An undrafted 6’6″ guard out of Mississippi State, Stewart averaged 16.0 PPG on .410/.344/.806 shooting in 33 games (35.0 MPG) for the Bulldogs as a sophomore in 2020/21. Although he wasn’t drafted on July 29, Stewart caught on with Miami for the Las Vegas Summer League.

Stewart has made a limited impact in Vegas, averaging just 2.5 PPG on 28.6% shooting in four games (16.0 MPG), but the Heat like what they’ve seen enough to add him to their 20-man offseason roster. He may be a candidate to become an affiliate player for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate.

The Heat now have 15 players under contract, including 14 on guaranteed deals. A handful of other players are expected to sign training camp contracts with the team, including Javonte Smart, Marcus Garrett, and Micah Potter.

Sixers Sign Joel Embiid To Four-Year Super-Max Extension

August 17th, 2021 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

9:47am: The deal is official, the Sixers announced today (via Twitter).

7:17am: The Sixers and star center Joel Embiid are finalizing a four-year, super-max contract extension that will keep him under contract through the 2026/27 season, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), the two sides have reached an agreement.

Embiid still has two years and $65.2MM left on his current contract, so his new deal will go into effect in 2023/24 and will have a starting salary worth 35% of that season’s cap. If we project a $125MM cap for ’23/24, Embiid’s extension would start at $43.75MM and would be worth $196MM over four years.

Embiid became eligible for a super-max extension when he earned a spot on the All-NBA Second Team in June. Unlike his previous contract, the 27-year-old’s new deal will be fully guaranteed without any protection related to potential injuries, according to Shelburne.

The 76ers put language related to possible recurring foot and back issues in their prior agreement with Embiid because he had been limited to just 31 total games in his first three NBA seasons at the time he signed it. Since then, he has avoided major injuries, appearing in at least 51 regular season games in each of the last four years.

Embiid has also earned four All-Star berths and three All-NBA nods since signing his last extension and is coming off the best season of his NBA career. He put up 28.5 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, and 1.4 BPG on .513/.377/.859 shooting in 51 games (31.1 MPG), helping to lead Philadelphia to the No. 1 seed in the East.

Despite suffering a meniscus tear in his right knee during the first round of the postseason vs. Washington, Embiid only missed a single playoff game and had a big second-round series vs. Atlanta, averaging 30.4 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 3.9 APG, and 2.0 BPG. However, it wasn’t enough to get the Sixers to the Eastern Conference Finals, as the Hawks won the seven-game series.

Embiid, who didn’t require surgery on his right knee after the season ended, represented himself in extension negotiations, per Shelburne.

The 76ers now have Tobias Harris locked up through 2024, Ben Simmons through 2025, and Embiid through 2027. The trio is earning a combined $100MM+ in 2021/22, and that number will only increase in future seasons.

Simmons’ future in Philadelphia remains very much up in the air, however — while there has been no indication that the Sixers have engaged recently in any serious trade talks involving Simmons, there are also no assurances he’ll be on the team’s opening-night roster this fall.