Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nuggets Ink Bones Hyland To Rookie Deal

August 4th, 2021 at 9:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bones Hyland, taken with the 26th pick in last week’s draft, has signed a rookie contract with the Nuggets, according to the NBA.com transactions page.

Hyland was a high-scoring guard who spent two years at Virginia Commonwealth. He earned Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors as a sophomore, averaging 19.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

Most first-year players receive 120% of the rookie salary scale, so Hyland will likely earn a little more than $2MM in 2021/22 and can get up to $10.76MM over the next four years. We track all of this season’s rookie scale salaries here.

Warriors Sign Jonathan Kuminga To Rookie Contract

August 4th, 2021 at 9:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Seventh overall pick Jonathan Kuminga formally signed his rookie scale contract with the Warriors on Tuesday, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

Kuminga made it official with Golden State a day before making his pro debut at the California Classic Summer League in Sacramento. He scored 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting against Miami’s Summer League squad on Wednesday.

As our breakdown of this year’s rookie scale salaries shows, Kuminga – the No. 7 overall pick in last Thursday’s draft – is projected to earn $5.47MM in his rookie season, assuming he signed for the maximum allowable amount (120% of the rookie scale). His four-year deal will be worth nearly $25MM in total.

The Warriors haven’t made an official announcement yet about signing Kuminga — they’ll likely send out a press release in the coming days to announce his deal and Moses Moody‘s at the same time.

Corey Kispert Signs Rookie Deal With Wizards

August 4th, 2021 at 9:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards have signed Corey Kispert to a rookie contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions page.

Kispert, 22, was the 15th pick in this year’s draft. He earned first-team All-America honors at Gonzaga and helped the Zags reach the national championship game. Kispert put up career-best numbers as a senior, averaging 18.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 52.9% from the field and 44.0% from three-point range.

Assuming he received 120% of the rookie salary scale, Kispert will earn about $3.38MM in his first season and can make up to $16.36MM over the four-year deal.

Hawks Sign Sharife Cooper To Two-Way Contract

August 4th, 2021 at 9:18pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have signed second-round pick Sharife Cooper to a two-way contract, according to the official transactions log at NBA.com.

Cooper, the 48th overall pick in last Thursday’s draft, had a brief college career, playing just 12 games in his freshman year for Auburn before a left ankle injury derailed his season. He looked good in his limited action though, averaging 20.2 PPG, 8.1 APG, and 4.3 RPG in 33.1 minutes per contest for the Tigers.

Signing Cooper to a two-way contract means Atlanta won’t have to save a spot for him on the 15-man regular season roster. He’ll occupy one of the team’s two-way slots instead and will be eligible to appear in up to 50 NBA games while on that contract.

It remains to be seen who will join Cooper on that second two-way deal in Atlanta. The team has a qualifying offer out to Skylar Mays, one of its two-way players from 2020/21, but so far he hasn’t accepted it.

Wolves Sign Nathan Knight To Two-Way Deal

August 4th, 2021 at 9:16pm CST by Eli Cohen

AUGUST 4: Knight’s two-way contract with the Timberwolves is now official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

AUGUST 3: The Timberwolves have agreed to a two-way deal with Nathan Knight, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Knight, a 6’10” undrafted free agent out of William & Mary, played well in limited minutes for the Hawks last season, showcasing impressive athleticism, motor, and rebounding, and even hitting six of his 33 threes over the course of the year.

Knight averaged 20.9 PPG and nearly 10 RPG in his final two years at William & Mary, and capped off an impressive senior year by being named CAA Player of the Year and CAA Defensive Player of the Year.

According to Darren Wolfson of SKOR North, the Wolves beat out the Thunder and Warriors to land Knight, who will join McKinley Wright IV as the Wolves’ second two-way contract.

Raul Neto Re-Signs With Wizards

August 4th, 2021 at 7:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 7: Neto has officially re-signed, according to a team press release.

“We are very pleased to bring Raul back after the career year he had for us last season,” Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard said. “He was one of our most consistent players with a toughness and tenacity on both ends of the floor that allowed him to lead our second unit and step in when called upon as a starter.”

AUGUST 4: The Wizards will re-sign free agent guard Raul Neto, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Neto, 29, signed with Washington as a free agent last November. He averaged 8.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists as the primary backup to Russell Westbrook, but also made 22 starts. He figures to keep the same role this season now that the Wizards have a sign-and-trade agreement for Spencer Dinwiddie, although Aaron Holiday will be in the mix as well.

A native of Brazil, Neto was drafted in 2013, but didn’t come to the NBA until two years later. He spent his first four seasons with the Jazz before signing with the Sixers in 2019.

Saben Lee Re-Signs With Pistons

August 4th, 2021 at 6:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 6: Lee’s new deal with the Pistons is now official, per NBA.com’s transactions log. We’re still waiting on the exact terms of the contract.

AUGUST 4: After a promising rookie season, Saben Lee will sign a three-year contract to stay with the Pistons, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal includes a team option on the third year, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).

The 22-year-old guard was part of a strong rookie class that Detroit put together last season. Selected with the 38th pick, he was acquired from the Jazz in a draft-night trade. He earned a spot in the Pistons’ rotation and averaged 5.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 48 games.

Lee, who spent last season on a two-way contract, was a restricted free agent after receiving a qualifying offer over the weekend. Because he spent a year on that two-way deal, Detroit had Non-Bird rights on Lee and was able to do the three-year deal without using cap room, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

While the exact financial details aren’t yet known, the Non-Bird exception would allow the Pistons to give Lee a starting salary worth no more than 120% of the minimum.

Jalen Green Signs Rookie Contract With Rockets

August 4th, 2021 at 5:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jalen Green, the second selection in last week’s draft, has signed his rookie contract with the Rockets, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Green is the first of Houston’s four first-round picks to sign, Feigen states, citing a person with knowledge of the deal.

Green signed for 120% of the rookie scale, which is common for first-round picks. He will earn about $8.99MM during his first season and will make up to $40.8MM over the course of the four-year deal.

The 19-year-old was the first major prospect to bypass college and sign with the newly formed G League Ignite team. In 15 games in the G League bubble in Orlando, Green averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per night, cementing his status as one of the best players in the draft.

He is preparing to make his Summer League debut this weekend, Feigen adds.

Lakers Waive Alfonzo McKinnie

August 4th, 2021 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 4: The Lakers have officially released McKinnie, the team confirmed today in a press release.

AUGUST 3: The Lakers will waive veteran forward Alfonzo McKinnie, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

McKinnie still had two more years left on his minimum-salary contract with the Lakers, but his salaries for the next two seasons were fully non-guaranteed. As such, the team won’t be on the hook for any dead money as a result of releasing McKinnie, who will get a chance to seek out a new opportunity.

McKinnie, who will turn 29 next month, averaged 3.1 PPG and 1.4 RPG on .516/.410/.556 shooting in 39 games (6.6 MPG) for the Lakers in 2020/21.

Although McKinnie had been on a minimum contract, his $1.91MM salary for 2021/22 would’ve been higher than the cap hit for a newly-signed one-year, minimum-salary contract. So the Lakers will likely replace McKinnie on the roster with a free agent and save a bit of money in the process. That’s not insignificant, since the club projects to be well over the tax line this season.

Hawks Sign Jalen Johnson To Rookie Contract

August 4th, 2021 at 4:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

First-round pick Jalen Johnson has signed his rookie contract with the Hawks, according to the NBA.com transactions page.

Johnson, 19, played just part of his freshman season at Duke before leaving the team the team in February to prepare for the draft. He played 13 games for the Blue Devils, averaging 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per night, along with 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks.

The 6’9″ forward had been one of the top recruits in the country coming out of high school, and there was a wide speculation about where he might be drafted, ranging from the late lottery to late in the first round.

Assuming Johnson receives 120% of his rookie scale amount, which most first-rounders do, he will earn $2,659,680 in his first season and could get as much as $12,888,585 over the four-year deal.