Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

DeAndre Jordan Signs With Lakers

September 9th, 2021 at 5:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

DeAndre Jordan has signed with the Lakers, according to a team press release.

Jordan was traded to the Pistons by the Nets last week in a salary dump. He was then waived after agreeing to give up $4MM on the remaining two years of his contract, which had nearly $20MM left on it. He’ll gain another $2.6MM, the veteran’s minimum, by signing with the Lakers.

Jordan was signed by Brooklyn with the endorsement of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving but fell out of the Nets’ rotation last season. A 13-year NBA veteran, Jordan appeared in 57 games (43 starts) for the Nets, where he averaged 7.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.6 APG and 1.1 BPG in 21.9 MPG.

With Marc Gasol‘s future in L.A. filled with uncertainty, Jordan and free agent pickup Dwight Howard will likely compete for minutes when Anthony Davis isn’t playing center.

Luwawu-Cabarrot Signs Non-Guaranteed Deal With Hawks

September 9th, 2021 at 4:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hawks have signed shooting guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic tweets.

The 26-year-old Luwawu-Cabarrot is a five-year NBA veteran. He played for the Nets for the past two years, including 58 regular-season appearances last season. He averaged 6.4 PPG, 2.2 RPG and 1.2 APG but shot just 36.5% from the field. He’s made 33.1% of his 3-point shots during his career.

Luwawu-Cabarrot also made 11 postseason appearances over the last two seasons. He became an unrestricted free agent after the season.

Atlanta has 16 other players under contract, including 14 on guaranteed deals, so Luwawu-Cabarrot will likely be competing for the last spot on the 15-man opening-night roster. The Hawks also have another player reportedly on a training camp deal and both two-way slots filled, which would give them a full 20-player roster heading into camp.

Nets Waive Jahlil Okafor

September 9th, 2021 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have waived veteran center Jahlil Okafor, the team announced today in a press release. Brooklyn acquired Okafor from the Pistons last week along with Sekou Doumbouya in the DeAndre Jordan trade.

A former third overall pick, Okafor spent last season in Detroit, averaging 5.4 PPG and 2.4 RPG in a very limited role (12.9 MPG) across 27 games. The big man has also spent time with the Sixers, Nets, and Pelicans since entering the NBA out of Duke in 2015.

Okafor’s release had been expected, since the Nets were carrying more than 15 players on guaranteed contracts and were overloaded in the frontcourt, having recently added LaMarcus Aldridge and agreed to terms with Paul Millsap.

Once they officially sign Millsap, the Nets will have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, plus DeAndre’ Bembry on a partially guaranteed deal. If the club wants to keep Bembry on its regular season roster, at least one more player will have to be traded or waived before opening night.

Okafor, meanwhile, could be claimed off waivers by any team using the minimum salary exception, but that’s unlikely, since his $2.13MM salary for 2021/22 is fully guaranteed. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll clear waivers and become an unrestricted free agent on Saturday, and the Nets will be on the hook for his salary.

E’Twaun Moore Signs With Magic

September 9th, 2021 at 12:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 9: The Magic have officially signed Moore, the team announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 8: The Magic have agreed to a one-year, $2.6MM contract with guard E’Twaun Moore, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

It’s a veteran’s minimum contract for a player with Moore’s experience. He began his NBA career during the 2011/12 season.

Moore appeared in 27 games with the Suns on a one-year contract last season, including one start. He averaged 4.9 PPG and 1.5 APG in 14.4 MPG but struggled with his 3-point shot (31.4%). He also saw action in seven of Phoenix’s postseason games, averaging 2.4 PPG in 6.6 MPG.

This will be Moore’s second stint with the Magic. He appeared in 154 games with Orlando during his second and third seasons in the league.

Moore’s NBA career has also included stops in Boston, Chicago and New Orleans. He’s appeared in 598 regular-season games, averaging 7.9 PPG and 1.8 APG in 21.o MPG while making 38.8% of his 3-point attempts.

Orlando already had 17 players on its official roster, including 14 with guaranteed deals. Adding Moore makes it less likely that those without guaranteed deals will have a spot on the opening-night roster.

Clippers Sign Moses Wright To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 9th, 2021 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers, who continue to fill out their 20-man roster for training camp, have signed rookie free agent Moses Wright to an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

A 6’9″ forward, Wright spent all four years of his college career at Georgia Tech and had a huge season as a senior, averaging 17.4 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.6 BPG, and 1.5 SPG with a .532/.414/.658 shooting line in 25 games (35.3 MPG).

Wright was named the ACC Player of the Year and made the ACC’s All-Defensive team. After going undrafted, he represented the Pelicans in the Las Vegas Summer League last month, appearing in five games for New Orleans.

The Clippers have 14 players on guaranteed contracts on their roster. The team has also reportedly reached agreements on non-guaranteed deals with George King and Harry Giles.

Wright’s Exhibit 10 contract could theoretically provide a path to a spot on Los Angeles’ 15-man regular season roster. However, it’s more likely he’ll end up being an affiliate player for the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, L.A.’s G League team. He could also be in the mix for a two-way contract, though the Clips have Jay Scrubb filling one of their two-way slots and may be eyeing Amir Coffey for the other — Coffey is still a restricted free agent for the time being.

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.