Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavs Sign Jaquori McLaughlin To Two-Way Deal, Waive EJ Onu

September 3rd, 2021 at 4:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 3: The signing is official, the Mavs announced today in a press release. Dallas also announced that it has waived EJ Onu, who had signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the team last month.

SEPTEMBER 1: The Mavericks will sign Jaquori McLaughlin to a two-way contract, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

After going undrafted out of UC Santa Barbara, the 23-year-old guard was expected to sign a training camp deal with the Warriors. McLaughlin played for Golden State during Summer League, averaging 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 9.6 assists in five games, but accepted Dallas’ offer instead.

Once the signing becomes official, the Mavericks will have both two-way slots filled, with Eugene Omoruyi occupying the other one. The move will also push Dallas to the training camp limit of 20 players.

Heat Exercise Tyler Herro’s 2022/23 Option

September 3rd, 2021 at 2:34pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have exercised their team option on guard Tyler Herro for the 2022/23 season, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Herro, who has a cap hit just above $4MM this season, will earn about $5.7MM on that ’22/23 option. Now that it has been picked up, the former Kentucky standout is on track to become eligible for a rookie scale extension in 2022 or restricted free agency in 2023.

The 13th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Herro had a big postseason in the Walt Disney World bubble as a rookie in 2020 and was viewed as a candidate for a breakout year in ’20/21. Although his numbers in 54 games were solid (15.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.4 APG), Herro’s three-point percentage dipped a little from his rookie year and he didn’t take a major step forward. Still, he’s only 21 years old and remains an important part of Miami’s rotation going forward.

Herro is the first player this offseason to have a rookie scale team option for 2022/23 exercised. While decisions on standard team options are typically due right before free agency begins, teams must make their decisions on rookie scale team options a year in advance. By October 31, clubs must either exercise or decline third-year options for first-round picks from 2020 and fourth-year options for 2019’s first-rounders.

Thunder Sign Vit Krejci To Multiyear Deal

September 3rd, 2021 at 10:09am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have signed draft-and-stash prospect Vit Krejci to a multiyear deal, the team announced today in a press release.

A 6’7″ point guard from the Czech Republic, Krejci was selected by Washington with the 37th overall pick in the 2020 draft and was sent to Oklahoma City in a draft-night deal. After spending the last several seasons with Zaragoza in Spain, Krejci came stateside earlier this year to join the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate. He spent the season rehabbing an ACL injury and didn’t play at all for the Blue.

Prior to signing Krejci, the Thunder were carrying 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with Kenrich Williams, Gabriel Deck, and Charlie Brown on non-guaranteed deals. Williams is a safe bet to stick around, so Krejci will likely claim one of the last two spots on the 15-man regular season roster over either Brown or Deck.

The expectation is that Krejci will once again spend most of his time in the G League in 2021/22, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter link).

Details of the 21-year-old’s new contract aren’t yet known, but the Thunder could have used a portion of their mid-level exception to offer a three- or four-year deal with a starting salary above the rookie minimum.

Clippers Sign George King To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 3rd, 2021 at 8:30am CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have signed free agent forward George King to an Exhibit 10 contract, his agents at SLASH Sports tell Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).

King, who played for Portland in Summer League last month, was the 59th overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Colorado. He spent his rookie season with Phoenix on a two-way contract, but appeared in just one NBA game and has been out of the league for the last two years.

King played in Italy and Poland during the 2019/20 season, then spent the ’20/21 campaign in Germany with the Niners Chemnitz. Now, the 27-year-old is on track to attend training camp with the Clippers.

Earning a regular season spot in L.A. is probably a long shot for King, as the Clippers have 14 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Yogi Ferrell on a non-guaranteed deal. However, King’s Exhibit 10 deal could put him in line for a $50K bonus if he ends up joining the club’s G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario. He may also be a candidate to have his Exhibit 10 contract converted to a two-way deal.

Cavaliers Sign Tacko Fall To Non-Guaranteed Deal

September 2nd, 2021 at 1:53pm CST by Eli Cohen

SEPTEMBER 2: The Cavs have made the signing official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

AUGUST 31: The Cavaliers have come to an agreement with free agent center Tacko Fall, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The deal is for one year and is non-guaranteed. The 7’5″ center spent two seasons with the Celtics, averaging 2.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 0.9 BPG in just 26 games total. He became something of a cult hero in Boston, with the fans and his teammates alike.

The Cavaliers have 14 roster spots currently taken, albeit just 10 on fully guaranteed deals, so it’s likely this deal is a training camp try-out.

The Cavaliers have no shortage of big men, especially after the sign-and-trade for Lauri Markkanen, but Fall could be a solid insurance policy, given the injury concerns between Markkanen and Kevin Love.

Trail Blazers Sign Dennis Smith Jr. To Camp Deal

September 2nd, 2021 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Former lottery pick Dennis Smith Jr. has signed a contract with the Trail Blazers to attend training camp, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). While Wojnarowski doesn’t provide specifics on Smith’s contract details, it sounds like it’ll be a non-guaranteed one-year deal, giving him a chance to compete for a roster spot.

The ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft, Smith began his career in Dallas and had a promising rookie season for the Mavericks, averaging 15.2 PPG and 5.2 APG as the team’s starting point guard. However, he struggled with his shooting efficiency and was traded to New York in his second season in the deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas.

Smith never really found his footing with the Knicks and was eventually dealt to the Pistons in February of this year after spending two seasons in New York. Detroit opted not to issue a qualifying offer to DSJ at season’s end, so he became an unrestricted free agent and took a month to find a new home.

In 179 total NBA games, Smith has averaged 11.8 PPG and 4.4 APG on .400/.316/.652 shooting in 25.2 minutes per contest.

The Trail Blazers currently only have 13 players on guaranteed contracts and will have to carry at least 14 during the regular season, so there’s a path to a roster spot for Smith. However, I’d expect Portland to invite a few more players to camp to compete for that 14th spot. The team, which is now over the tax line, may begin the season with its 15th spot open to avoid paying an extra salary.

Marcus Garrett Signs Two-Way Deal With Heat

September 2nd, 2021 at 11:12am CST by Arthur Hill

11:12am: Garrett’s signing is official, the team announced in a press release.

8:01am: The Heat will sign Kansas guard Marcus Garrett to a two-way contract, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal was confirmed by his agent, Mike George of One Legacy Sports Management.

Garrett had been expected to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with Miami shortly after the draft, but the deal was delayed while he changed agents. Now that his new agency is in place, the team opted to have Garrett fill one of its two-way slots.

The 22-year-old played for the Heat during Summer League, averaging 8.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in five games in Las Vegas and Sacramento. He also showed off his defensive skills with 2.8 steals per night.

Once the signing is complete, Miami will have 16 players under contract heading into camp, with rumored deals still looming for Javonte Smart, Micah Potter and RJ Nembhard. The Heat are planning an open competition for the other two-way opening.

Paul Millsap To Sign With Nets

September 2nd, 2021 at 8:36am CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets are landing one of the top free agents left on the market, agreeing to a deal with Paul Millsap, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The deal was confirmed by Millsap’s agent, DeAngelo Simmons.

Numerous teams had expressed interest in the 36-year-old power forward, who spent the past four seasons in Denver. According to Charania, Millsap considered other contending teams, such as the Warriors, Bulls and Clippers, before deciding on Brooklyn (Twitter link).

The Nets were only able to offer a veteran’s minimum salary, but Millsap is looking for a chance to win a title, and Brooklyn is among the favorites for the upcoming season.

Millsap remained a productive player for the Nuggets last year in his 15th NBA season, averaging 9.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in 20.8 minutes per night. He started 36 of the 56 games he played, although his usage declined in the postseason.

The addition of Millsap would bring the Nets to 20 players heading into camp if they sign second-round draft picks Marcus Zegarowski and RaiQuan Gray. The team still has one of its two-way slots open.

Having another big man on the roster should lead to further speculation of a potential buyout for DeAndre Jordan. There has been talk that Brooklyn wants to get out from under Jordan’s contract, which will pay him $19.7MM over the next two seasons.

Hawks Sign Clint Capela To Two-Year Extension

September 1st, 2021 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

1:08pm: The Hawks have officially announced Capela’s extension, issuing a press release to confirm the move.

“Clint is one of the premier defensive and rebounding big men in the league. His presence in the paint and voice on defense had a tremendous impact on our success last season,” Hawks president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk said in a statement. “He is a great teammate who leads by example and we are excited to have him as a part of our team long-term.”

11:55am: Capela will make about $20.6MM in 2023/24 and $22.3MM in ’24/25 on his new extension, tweets Marks. That works out to a base value of $42.9MM over two years, with another $4MM in total incentives, so the deal could max out at $46.9MM, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

10:52am: The Hawks and center Clint Capela have reached an agreement on a contract extension that will add two years and $46MM to his current deal, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Capela remains under contract for two years entering the 2021/22 season, so his new deal will go into effect beginning in ’23/24 and will keep him under team control for four years in total.

Capela, 27, was acquired from the Rockets by the Hawks at the 2020 trade deadline, but was unable to play at all for Atlanta that season due to a foot injury. He proved his value to the team in 2020/21 though, averaging 15.2 PPG and an NBA-leading 14.3 RPG to go along with 2.0 BPG and a .594 FG% in 63 games (30.1 MPG).

The anchor of the Hawks’ defense, Capela finished sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and helped lead the team to a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals with playoff series wins over the Knicks and Sixers.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN observes (via Twitter), Capela is earning base salaries of $17,103,448 and $18,206,897 in the final two years of his current deal. Since he’s eligible to earn up to 120% of his 2022/23 salary in the first year of his extension, the base salaries of his new deal would be $21.85MM and $23.6MM (an 8% raise on year one) if Atlanta offered the maximum possible amount.

However, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic suggests (via Twitter) that the base value of the two-year extension is closer to $42MM, which indicates those numbers will come in slightly lower.

Capela’s contract also features $2MM in annual incentives, $1.5MM of which are currently considered “likely to be earned,” since he received them in 2020/21. He got a $1MM bonus for making the Conference Finals and $500K for a defensive rebounding rate above 30%, but missed out on a $500K bonus for shooting below 65% on free throws. Those annual incentives will be included in Capela’s extension as well, potentially boosting the total value of the deal by up to $4MM.

Capela will be the second Hawks player to sign an extension this summer, joining Trae Young, who inked a maximum-salary rookie scale extension at the start of free agency. Kevin Huerter remains eligible for a rookie scale extension up until October 18.

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk Signs With Raptors

September 1st, 2021 at 1:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 1: The Raptors finalized the signing of Mykhailiuk on Tuesday, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log. As Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets, the two-year deal is worth the minimum salary.

AUGUST 28: The Raptors have reached a two-year agreement with free agent Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The deal was confirmed by his agency, Sports International Group.

The contract will include a player option for the second season, according to Charania (Twitter link), who states that several contenders were interested in signing the 24-year-old swingman.

Mykhailiuk finished last season with the Thunder after being acquired from the Pistons in March. He averaged career-best numbers with 10.3 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 30 games with Oklahoma City while shooting 43.8% from the field and 33.6% from three-point range. He was originally a restricted free agent, but became unrestricted when OKC pulled his qualifying offer.

Mykhailiuk was selected by the Lakers with the 47th pick in the 2018 draft and was traded to Detroit midway through his rookie season.

Once the signing becomes official, Toronto will be up to 19 players, one short of the roster limit heading into camp. The Raptors now have 12 players with guaranteed contracts and both two-way slots filled.