Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets Sign Day’Ron Sharpe To Rookie Contract

August 6th, 2021 at 9:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have signed first-round pick Day’Ron Sharpe to his first NBA contract, the team announced on Friday in a press release.

The Suns drafted Sharpe with the No. 29 pick last week on behalf of the Nets, who had agreed on draft day to acquire that pick along with Jevon Carter in exchange for Landry Shamet. The trade couldn’t become official until today, and Brooklyn didn’t waste any time in locking up Sharpe to his rookie contract.

Sharpe, who declared for the draft after a single season at North Carolina, averaged 9.5 PPG and 7.6 RPG in 29 games (19.2 MPG) for the Tar Heels. The 6’11” center is one of five prospects selected by the Nets in this year’s draft and is the second one to officially sign with the club, joining fellow first-rounder Cameron Thomas.

As our breakdown of this year’s rookie scale salaries shows, Sharpe is on track to earn just over $2MM in his first NBA season is he receives the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale.

Five-Team Russell Westbrook, Spencer Dinwiddie Trade Now Official

August 6th, 2021 at 8:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The five-team trade involving the Lakers, Wizards, Nets, Spurs, and Pacers, headlined by Russell Westbrook (to Los Angeles) and Spencer Dinwiddie (to Washington) is now official, according to press releases from multiple clubs.

The deal began as a two-team trade sending Westbrook from the Wizards to the Lakers, an agreement that was completed around the start of the draft last Thursday. Later that night, the Wizards and Pacers agreed to a deal sending Aaron Holiday that would be folded into the Westbrook blockbuster.

Subsequently, during free agency, the Wizards and Dinwiddie wanted to find a way to get the point guard to D.C. and ultimately convinced the Nets to accommodate a sign-and-trade. The Spurs entered the mix late to accommodate Washington’s salary-dump of Chandler Hutchison.

Here’s the full breakdown of the deal, based on reports to date:

To Lakers:
- Russell Westbrook (from Wizards)
- The Bulls’ 2023 second-round pick (from Wizards)
- Either the Wizards’ or Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Wizards)
- The Wizards’ 2028 second-round pick (from Wizards)
To Wizards:
- Spencer Dinwiddie (sign-and-trade; from Nets)
- Kyle Kuzma (from Lakers)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (from Lakers)
- Montrezl Harrell (from Lakers)
- Aaron Holiday (from Pacers)
- The draft rights to Isaiah Todd (No. 31 pick; from Pacers)
- Cash (from Pacers; $1MM, per Fred Katz of The Athletic)
To Nets:
- Either the Wizards’ or the Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Wizards)
- The right to swap the Warriors’ 2025 second-round pick for the Wizards’ 2025 second-round pick (from Wizards)
- The draft rights to Nikola Milutinov (from Spurs)
To Spurs:
- Chandler Hutchison (from Wizards)
- Either the Bulls’, the Lakers’, or the Pistons 2022 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Wizards)
To Pacers:
- The draft rights to Isaiah Jackson (No. 22 pick; from Lakers)

The Nets also generated the most significant trade exception of any team in the deal — it’ll be worth about $11.5MM.

While it was a fairly minor move for Brooklyn, San Antonio, and Indiana, the deal will significantly reshape the Lakers’ and Wizards’ rosters for the 2021/22 season. Los Angeles consolidated its depth, acquiring a star player who wanted to team up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, then filled out its roster in free agency.

The Wizards, meanwhile, traded one star for several depth pieces and managed to replace their old point guard with one who will earn less than half of Westbrook’s salary for the next couple seasons. The deal should increase the club’s cap flexibility while fortifying its bench.

Clippers Sign Keon Johnson To Rookie Contract

August 6th, 2021 at 7:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have officially signed first-round pick Keon Johnson to his rookie contract, the team announced today.

[RELATED: 2021 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

Johnson was the No. 21 pick in last Thursday’s draft and was technically selected by the Knicks on behalf of the Clippers. New York and Los Angeles agreed to a draft-night deal that saw the Clips give up a future second-round pick to move up from No. 25 to No. 21 to secure Johnson.

A 6’5″ wing, Johnson spent a single season at Tennessee, averaging 11.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.5 APG on .449/.271/.703 shooting in 27 games (25.5 MPG).

Back in April, when he declared for the draft, he was listed as the No. 6 prospect on ESPN’s big board and was viewed as a probable lottery pick. However, he remains very raw, especially on the offensive end, and slipped a little as teams in the middle of the first round opted for safer picks.

Unless he signs for less than 120% of his rookie scale amount, which is unlikely, Johnson will earn $2.55MM in 2021/22, as our breakdown of rookie scale salaries shows.

Mike Conley Returns To Jazz On Three-Year Contract

August 6th, 2021 at 7:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 6: Conley’s deal with the Jazz is now official, the team announced in a press release. General manager Justin Zanik said in a statement that the team is “excited” to bring Conley back and that he has made a “profound impact both on and off the court” during his time in Utah.

The team also officially announced its new deals with Rudy Gay and Hassan Whiteside.

AUGUST 2: The Jazz have reached an agreement with free agent point guard Mike Conley on a three-year contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

According to Charania, the deal is worth $68MM. Agents Steve Heumann and Jess Holtz of CAA Basketball told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski the contract is worth $72.5MM (Twitter link), suggesting that it could include incentives or bonuses.

A report surfaced over the weekend that Jazz were on track to lock up the veteran on a three-year deal. Bringing him back was Utah’s top offseason priority.

As a team with luxury tax concerns, the Jazz needed to shed salary to improve that situation and retain Conley. Utah made a deal to dump a contract last week, having traded Derrick Favors to Oklahoma City.

Conley, 33, struggled in his first year in Utah in 2019/20, but the longtime Grizzlies guard turned things around this past season, averaging 16.2 PPG, 6.0 APG, and 3.5 RPG with a .444/.412/.852 shooting line in 51 games (29.4 MPG). He earned his first All-Star appearance in his 14th NBA season.

Conley was forced to miss games during the postseason due to a hamstring injury, which led to a disappointing finish for a team that had the league’s best regular season record.

Knicks Sign Second-Rounder McBride

August 6th, 2021 at 6:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks have officially signed second-round pick Miles McBride, the team’s PR department tweets.

McBride, the 36th overall pick, was acquired in a draft-night trade with the Thunder. The 6’2” guard averaged 15.9 PPG, 4.8 APG and 1.9 SPG in 29 games last season with West Virginia. He also made 41.4% of his 3-point attempts. McBride played two seasons with the Mountaineers.

Terms were not disclosed, but the team has ample cap room to sign McBride to a contract that covers three or four seasons. McBride is currently on the Knicks’ summer league squad.

Thunder Sign Shai Gilgeous-Alexander To Five-Year Max Extension

August 6th, 2021 at 6:21pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

AUGUST 6: The Thunder have officially signed Gilgeous-Alexander to his extension, the team announced today in a press release.

“We are excited to have Shai representing our organization for many years to come and couldn’t be happier for him and his family,” Thunder GM Sam Presti said in a statement. “He is a tremendous basketball player, but is also a leader that infuses optimism, confidence and collaboration into all of his interactions professionally and personally. We are looking forward to watching his individual growth and the collective development of our team as we continue on our path toward sustainable success in Oklahoma City.”

AUGUST 2: The Thunder and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have agreed to a five-year, $172MM maximum rookie contract extension, agent Thaddeus Foucher informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).

Gilgeous-Alexander will still be on his rookie contract for one final season, and is set to make $5,495,532 in 2021/22. His new deal will kick in for the 2022/23 season. The new contract’s precise value will be contingent on exactly where the 2022/23 season cap lands.

As of this writing, Gilgeous-Alexander is expected to earn $29.75MM, based on the new $119MM salary cap projection for the 2022/23 season, as Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (Twitter link). SGA would net $39.27MM during the final year of the deal, in 2026/27.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN writes (via Twitter) that the contract will include a 30% “escalator clause” that could increase the $172MM base of the deal into a $207MM agreement, provided Gilgeous-Alexander is voted onto one of the three All-NBA teams in 2022. Woj adds that there are no early termination options for either side in the new extension.

The 6’6″ combo guard was selected with No. 11 pick in the 2018 draft out of Kentucky and enjoyed an All-Rookie Second Team-caliber debut NBA season with the Clippers. He was the key element in a pick-heavy trade that sent All-Star forward Paul George to Los Angeles, and has since proved his mettle in two seasons with Oklahoma City.

Gilgeous-Alexander, 23, missed most of the 2020/21 season’s second half with a plantar fasciitis injury. When he was healthy, he produced at a high level. The 6’6″ 23-year-old averaged 23.7 PPG, 5.9 APG, and 4.7 RPG in 35 games last year. He posted a solid slash line of .508/.418/.808.

An excellent scorer with room to grow on defense, Gilgeous-Alexander has future All-Star potential. The Thunder were wise to lock him in to a long-term deal, even though the team appears more interested in asset accrual over winning in the short term.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Clippers Sign Justise Winslow To Two-Year Deal

August 6th, 2021 at 6:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 8: The Clippers have officially signed Winslow, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 6: The Clippers are in agreement with free agent forward Justise Winslow on a two-year deal, his agents Austin Brown and Erika Ruiz tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

The Clippers are using the taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Winslow, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets. According to Greif, there are no options on the deal’s second season.

Winslow became an unrestricted free agent at the beginning of the month when Memphis declined a $13MM option on his contract.

Winslow’s career has been sidetracked by hip and back injuries but, if healthy, he could jump into the Clippers’ rotation. He appeared in just 11 games with Miami during the 2019/20 season. He was traded to the Grizzlies in February 2020 but didn’t make his team debut until late February this year.

Winslow had trouble scraping off the rust, averaging 6.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 1.9 APG in 19.5 MPG while shooting 35.1% from the field in 26 games.

In his last full season, Winslow averaged 12.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 4.3 APG in 2018/19 while being used at times as a point forward. Winslow, 25, provides a boost at the wing spot, which is much needed since Kawhi Leonard is expected to miss most of next season after undergoing knee surgery.

Blazers Sign Norman Powell To Five-Year Deal

August 6th, 2021 at 5:23pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

AUGUST 6: Powell has officially signed the contract, according to a team press release.

“Re-signing Norm was a priority this offseason and we are pleased that he chose to make a long-term commitment to Portland,” president of basketball operations Neil Olshey said. “We look forward to him building off his career year and are confident he will play an integral role in the future success of our franchise.”

AUGUST 2: The Trail Blazers have struck a deal with their top free agent, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who hears from agent Thaddeus Foucher that Norman Powell has agreed to a five-year, $90MM contract to remain in Portland.

Ahead of the 2021 free agency period, Powell decided to not exercise his $11.6MM player option for the 2021/22 season, confident (and rightfully so) that, as one of the best wings on the free agent market, he was in line for a major raise.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports adds (via Twitter) that the fully-guaranteed deal has no player options for the conclusion of the contract.

Powell was selected by the Raptors with the No. 46 pick out of UCLA in the 2015 draft. He won a title with the team in 2019. After spending his entire career in Toronto, the 6’3″ swingman was shipped to Portland in a deadline deal during the 2020/21 season.

With both clubs, Powell averaged 18.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, and 1.2 SPG across 32.0 MPG on the year. Powell, 28, will remain a key contributor as the small forward for the Trail Blazers.

His positional height deficiencies on the wing are not out-of-place in Portland, where he will line up next to the similarly-undersized 6’3″ shooting guard CJ McCollum.

Luke Adams contributed to this report.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Heat, Raptors Finalize Kyle Lowry Sign-And-Trade

August 6th, 2021 at 5:05pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have officially acquired point guard Kyle Lowry from the Raptors via sign-and-trade, Miami announced today in a press release. Toronto received point guard Goran Dragic and big man Precious Achiuwa in the deal.

Lowry was one of the first free agents to make a commitment when the negotiation period opened on Monday evening, but it took all week for the details of the sign-and-trade to be confirmed. Dragic and Achiuwa were always believed to be part of the deal, but there were rumors that Dragic would be flipped to a third team or that the Raptors would receive additional pieces. Ultimately, it’s just a two-for-one swap.

Lowry’s new, fully guaranteed contract with the Heat was initially reported to be worth $90MM over three years, but it’ll actually come in at $85MM, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Miami would’ve needed to include more salary in addition to Dragic and Achiuwa for matching purposes in order to accommodate that $90MM figure, notes Blake Murphy of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The Heat, who have been after Lowry since at least the trade deadline in March, will unite the six-time All-Star with his close friend Jimmy Butler, who has agreed to sign a lucrative new contract extension of his own with Miami.

While a guaranteed three-year, $85MM investment is a risk for a player who is entering his age-35 season, Lowry has championship experience and is an ideal fit on virtually any roster due to his ability to handle the ball, knock down outside shots, and provide strong defense. He averaged 17.2 PPG, 7.3 APG, and 5.3 RPG on .436/.396/.875 in 46 games (34.8 MPG) in his final season as a Raptor.

“Kyle Lowry is a great leader and an exceptional defender,” Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement. “As a point guard, he will bring important skills to run the offense, score the ball and defend with the very best.”

The Raptors, meanwhile, still could theoretically flip Dragic to another team in the coming days, weeks, or months. However, Marc Stein reported earlier today that Toronto has “resisted external interest” in the Slovenian guard from the Mavericks and other teams.

Barring further trades, Dragic will join the Raptors’ backcourt alongside Fred VanVleet, Malachi Flynn, and Gary Trent Jr., while Achiuwa will battle for minutes in a frontcourt rotation that includes Khem Birch and Chris Boucher.

Thunder Place Kemba Walker On Waivers

August 6th, 2021 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have officially waived point guard Kemba Walker, the team announced today in a press release. The two sides agreed to a buyout earlier this week and have now finalized that agreement.

Walker, 31, was limited to 43 games for the Celtics in 2020/21 due to knee issues, but put up strong numbers in the games he played, averaging 19.3 PPG, 4.9 APG, and 4.0 RPG on .420/.360/.899 shooting in 31.8 minutes per contest.

Oklahoma City acquired Walker from Boston back in June in Brad Stevens‘ first major roster move as the Celtics’ president of basketball operations. Although that deal was considered a salary-dump, with the Thunder receiving a first-round pick for taking on Walker, a report last week stated OKC believed it might be possible to flip him to another team for an asset. Those efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.

The move will open up more playing time for the Thunder’s young ball-handlers (besides Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), including Theo Maledon and Josh Giddey.

Walker, meanwhile, is now on track to clear waivers on Sunday, assuming the Thunder officially released him by 5:00pm ET today. Once he clears waivers, the veteran guard will sign with the Knicks.

Walker’s deal with the Knicks will be a two-year contract worth about $8-9MM annually, as Ryan McDonough of NBC Sports Boston first reported earlier in the week. The four-time All-Star will join a Knicks backcourt that also features Derrick Rose, Immanuel Quickley, Alec Burks, and second-round pick Miles McBride.