Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kevin Durant Gets Four-Year Extension From Nets

August 8th, 2021 at 9:26am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 8: Durant’s extension is official, the Nets announced.

“We know who he is. Kevin Durant will establish his legacy in Brooklyn as one of the greatest ever,” owner Joe Tsai said. “On behalf of the Nets organization, my family and our fans, we are excited and humbled to see a lot of Kevin for years to come.”

“Kevin is a transcendent talent who continues to drive and push this franchise and the game of basketball globally,” added general manager Sean Marks. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with him for years to come. Kevin’s impact both on and off the court cannot be overstated. His unparalleled drive and leadership generate sustained excellence from himself while also elevating the performance of his teammates, positioning this organization to continue the pursuit of our championship goals in Brooklyn.”

AUGUST 6: The Nets and Kevin Durant are in agreement on a four-year, maximum-salary contract extension that will go into effect during the 2022/23 season, according to Shlomo Sprung of The Boardroom. Durant’s manager Rich Kleiman confirmed the deal, which will replace the star forward’s ’22/23 player option.

Durant will be eligible for a 5% raise on his 2021/22 salary of $42MM, so his new deal will start at about $44.1MM in ’22/23. That figure exceeds the default maximum salary for a player with 10+ years of experience, but a player’s individual maximum salary on a new contract is always at least 105% of his previous salary.

In total, Durant’s new extension will be worth $197.7MM over four years and will cover his age 34-37 seasons.

Durant, who signed a four-year, maximum-salary contract with the Nets in 2019, missed his entire first season in Brooklyn while recovering from an Achilles tear and was limited to just 35 regular season games in 2020/21. However, he looked like his old self in those games, averaging 26.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 5.6 APG, and 1.3 BPG on a scorching .537/.450/.882 shooting line.

In 12 postseason games, Durant put up 34.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 4.4 APG, and 1.6 BPG on .514/.402/.871 shooting, but he couldn’t quite lead the Nets past the eventual-champion Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, despite a 48-point performance in a Game 7 overtime loss.

All three Brooklyn stars are eligible for contract extensions this offseason. Now that they have a deal in place for Durant, the Nets figure to shift their focus to trying to lock up James Harden and Kyrie Irving as well.

Spurs Acquire Doug McDermott In Sign-And-Trade

August 8th, 2021 at 9:18am CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 8: McDermott has joined the Spurs in a sign-and-trade deal, the Pacers announced in a press release.

Indiana got a future second-round pick in return, while San Antonio received McDermott, a future second-rounder and the option to swap second-round picks in a future draft. The Pacers also created a $7.3MM trade exception in the deal, equivalent to McDermott’s 2020/21 salary.

AUGUST 2: Pacers free agent forward Doug McDermott has agreed to a three-year, $42MM deal with the Spurs, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

McDermott cashed in off a career year with Indiana in which he averaged 13.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 1.3 APG. He’s a career 40.7% 3-point shooter, though he’s more than just a perimeter threat. He averaged a career-high 10.1 shot attempts and made 53.2% of them in his walk year.

McDermott’s most recent contract, which he signed with Indiana in 2018, was a three-year deal worth $22MM.

Retaining McDermott at the number he agreed to with the Spurs would have added to the Pacers’ luxury tax concerns, though they were hoping to re-sign him.

The Pelicans, Suns, and Nuggets were among the teams that were rumored to be potential suitors for the 29-year-old McDermott. The Spurs had an edge over many other teams due to ample cap space, while many others could only offer their $9.536MM mid-level exception.

San Antonio could simply sign McDermott with its cap room or work out a sign-and-trade with Indiana.

Jarrell Brantley Accepts Qualifying Offer From Jazz

August 8th, 2021 at 7:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have re-signed forward Jarrell Brantley, according to Paul Garcia of Project Spurs (Twitter link). Utah issued Brantley a qualifying offer last week to make him a restricted free agent and he has accepted that offer, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic.

Because Brantley had spent two seasons on a two-way deal with the Jazz, he was eligible this summer for a one-year, minimum-salary qualifying offer that includes a modest partial guarantee.

In past seasons, that partial guarantee has been equivalent to the salary a two-way player would earn if he spent the entire season in the G League, which has been about $84K. This season, all two-way players will earn a salary in the neighborhood of $463K, even if they spend the entire season in the NBAGL, but there has been no indication the partial guarantee on QOs like Brantley’s has increased to reflect that change.

Brantley, 25, has seen limited action at the NBA level since joining the Jazz in 2019, appearing in just 37 total games and averaging 2.4 PPG and 1.3 RPG in 6.3 minutes per contest. The former No. 50 overall pick did have a big year for the Salt Lake City Stars in 2019/20, putting up 18.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 3.7 APG in 33 games (32.4 MPG) to earn All-NBAGL First Team honors.

While Brantley is back under contract with Utah for now, the small partial guarantee on his new deal means he’s probably not a lock for a regular season roster spot.

Rockets Acquire Daniel Theis In Sign-And-Trade

August 7th, 2021 at 7:15pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 7: The sign-and-trade deal with the Bulls is official, the Rockets announced in a press release, with Chicago getting cash considerations in return.

“Daniel is a versatile center who impacts both ends of the court,” Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said. “We’re looking forward to adding his skillset to our young core and giving Coach (Stephen) Silas even more flexibility with his lineups.”

Theis’ new four-year contract includes a 15% trade kicker, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).

AUGUST 2: The Rockets will fortify their frontcourt by signing Daniel Theis to a four-year contract worth $36MM, his agents at CAA Basketball tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Theis was frequently linked to Houston in the days leading up to free agency. As Tim MacMahon of ESPN notes (via Twitter), Houston’s plan is to work with the Bulls, Theis’ old team, to complete a sign-and-trade deal that would allow the Rockets to fit the center into their leftover trade exception from the Victor Oladipo trade.

That trade exception is worth about $8.2MM and could be used to sign Theis to a contract worth up to $35.6MM over four years. Taking that approach would preserve Houston’s mid-level exception for another signing (or multiple signings).

According to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link), the Rockets are expected to send cash to the Bulls to finalize the sign-and-trade.

Theis, 29, averaged a career-high 9.6 PPG in 2020/21 in 65 games (24.6 MPG) for Boston and Chicago. He also contributed 5.5 RPG and 0.9 BPG while shooting 54.1% from the floor and even launching the occasional three-pointer (32.2% on 2.3 attempts per game).

While Theis isn’t particularly dangerous on the offensive end, he’s a solid defender who will give the Rockets another reliable veteran in the frontcourt alongside Christian Wood.

Kings Acquire Tristan Thompson In Three-Way Deal

August 7th, 2021 at 4:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 7: The three-team trade is now official, the Kings, Celtics, and Hawks all announced today in press releases.

The 2023 second-round pick that the Hawks are sending to Boston originally belonged to the Trail Blazers and was shipped to Atlanta by the Clippers in the Lou Williams trade in March, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link).

JULY 30: The Celtics are trading veteran big man Tristan Thompson to the Hawks for guard Kris Dunn, forward Bruno Fernando and a 2023 second-rounder, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

However, Thompson isn’t staying with the Hawks. He’s being forwarded to the Kings, with guard Delon Wright going to Atlanta.

All the players in the three-way deal have expiring contracts. Thompson will make $9.7MM next season, while Dunn will secure just over $5MM and Fernando will collect $1.8MM. Wright will make approximately $8.5MM next season.

The move pushes the Celtics another $3MM below the luxury tax threshold, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Dunn had a player option on his contract and opted in earlier this week, which made the trade viable.

After nine seasons in Cleveland, Thompson played in 54 regular-season games with the Celtics, including 43 starts. He averaged 7.6 PPG and 8.1 RPG.

Dunn’s lone season in Atlanta was a washout due to an ankle injury. He only appeared in four regular-season games, but does give the Celtics another option for their backcourt rotation with Kemba Walker getting traded this offseason.

Fernando, an early second-round pick in 2019, appeared in 89 regular-season games during his first two years in the league.

Thompson gives the Kings some frontcourt insurance with Richaun Holmes entering free agency.

Wright averaged 10.0 PPG and 3.6 APG in 27 games with Sacramento after being acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline. Wright can play either guard spot and will likely slide into a backup role with Atlanta.

Pistons Sign Second-Round Pick Isaiah Livers

August 7th, 2021 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have officially signed former Michigan forward Isaiah Livers, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

While terms of the deal aren’t yet known, Detroit had been operating under the cap, giving the team the ability to offer Livers a three- or four-year deal that starts above the rookie minimum.

The 42nd overall pick in this year’s draft, Livers spent all four years of his college career with the Wolverines, putting up career-best marks in PPG (13.1), RPG (6.0), APG (2.0), and 3PT% (.431) as a senior.

Livers won’t be available for Summer League, as he continues to recover from the right foot surgery that ended his college career. However, as we relayed on Thursday, he’s hopeful that he’ll be fully cleared for basketball activities this fall, around the start of the 2021/22 season. Detroit figures to play it safe with the 6’7″ rookie and may have him spend time in the G League.

The Pistons selected four players in this year’s draft — Livers, Luka Garza, Balsa Koprivica and, of course, No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham.

Rockets Sign Alperen Sengun, Josh Christopher To Rookie Deals

August 7th, 2021 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have signed first-round picks Alperen Sengun and Josh Christopher to their rookie scale contracts, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log.

Sengun, a 19-year-old forward/center from Turkey, was named the Turkish League MVP in 2021 after averaging 19.2 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.7 BPG in 29 games (28.3 MPG) for Besiktas. Houston traded a pair of protected future first-round picks to acquire the No. 16 pick to select Sengun on draft night.

Christopher is a 6’5″ guard who played his college ball at Arizona State and declared for the draft following his freshman year. He was selected 24th overall after averaging 14.3 PPG and 4.7 RPG in 15 games (29.7 MPG) for the Sun Devils.

The Rockets, who drafted four players in the first round last Thursday, have already locked up No. 2 pick Jalen Green to his rookie contract as well. No. 23 pick Usman Garuba is the only one of the four still unsigned, likely due to the complications created by his expensive buyout with Real Madrid. We’ll have to wait to see if the Rockets are able to get him stateside for the 2021/22 season.

Bucks Acquire Grayson Allen From Grizzlies

August 7th, 2021 at 2:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 7: The trade is now official, the Grizzlies announced in a press release. While Merrill’s salary for 2021/22 is not yet fully guaranteed, Memphis intends to guarantee his deal and keep him on the roster, reports Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).

AUGUST 6: The Grizzlies have agreed to deal guard Grayson Allen to the Bucks for guard Sam Merrill and two future second-round picks, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Allen, who is entering his fourth NBA season, had a breakout year for Memphis in which he started 38 of 50 games and averaged 10.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 2.2 APG. The former Duke star has knocked down 38.1% of his 3-point attempts during his three-year career and will give the Bucks another perimeter option.

Milwaukee will absorb Allen’s contract using a $4.89MM traded player exception generated by a deal this past winter that sent guard D.J. Augustin to the Rockets, according to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer (Twitter link).

Allen has an expiring $4.1MM contract and is eligible for a rookie scale extension. Merrill has a $500K guarantee on his contract and his $1.5MM deal will become fully guaranteed if he’s on Memphis’ roster through Sunday, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. It’s uncertain whether Memphis plans to keep Merrill, a 2020 second-pick who appeared in 30 regular season games with the Bucks.

Milwaukee’s projected luxury tax bill will jump via this acquisition. The team’s luxury tax penalty will increase from $36MM to $44MM, Marks notes in a separate tweet. Milwaukee is right at $200MM in salary and luxury tax, Marks adds.

Warriors Trade Eric Paschall To Jazz

August 7th, 2021 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 7: The trade is official, the Warriors announced in a press release. As detailed below, the deal sends Paschall to Utah in exchange for the Grizzlies’ 2026 second-round pick, which the Jazz had just acquired in a separate deal. That pick reportedly has top-42 protection.

AUGUST 4: The Warriors have agreed to trade forward Eric Paschall to the Jazz in exchange for a future protected second-round pick, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). That pick will be Memphis’ 2026 second-rounder, with top-42 protection, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Paschall, 24, has spent his first two NBA seasons in Golden State after being selected with the 41st overall pick in the 2019 draft and has been a regular rotation player for the team during that time. In 100 career games with the Warriors, he has averaged 12.2 PPG and 4.0 RPG on .497/.301/.755 shooting in 23.5 minutes per contest.

After a strong rookie year, Paschall’s numbers dipped a little in 2020/21 and he missed a chunk of the season due to a hip injury. Slater suggested in May that the big man’s future with the organization might be “tenuous,” and it looks like he was right. The deal will open up a roster spot and should create a small amount of tax savings for the Warriors.

Paschall will get a chance for a fresh start in Utah, providing frontcourt depth and playing alongside his close friend Donovan Mitchell. The two players grew up together in Westchester County, New York.

Paschall is technically earning the veteran’s minimum this season, but he can’t be absorbed using the minimum-salary exception because his contract was a three-year deal. Since Utah isn’t sending out any salary in the deal, the team will use one of its trade exceptions to take on Paschall’s $1.78MM salary. The exception created in last year’s Tony Bradley trade still has $2MM+ left on it and will expire soon, making it the best fit.

Tony Jones of The Athletic first identified Paschall as a Jazz trade target on Monday.

Grizzlies Acquire No. 30 Pick Santi Aldama From Jazz

August 7th, 2021 at 12:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 7: The draft-night trade between the Jazz and Grizzlies is now complete, per a team release from Memphis. The two teams had to wait until the Grizzlies officially acquired the rights to No. 40 pick Jared Butler from New Orleans before they could officially complete this deal.

As detailed below, the final trade is the Grizzlies receiving Almada’s draft rights in exchange for the rights to Butler and two future second-round picks. Those second-rounders heading to Utah are Memphis’ own selections in 2022 and 2026, per Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link).

JULY 29: The Jazz will send the 30th pick to the Grizzlies, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Memphis will select Loyola Maryland forward Santi Aldama, Woj adds (via Twitter).

Utah will receive the 40th pick and two future second-rounders in return, according to Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link). The 40th pick was part of a trade with the Pelicans earlier this week that won’t become official until the moratorium ends.

The Grizzlies believed the Thunder were targeting Aldama in the second round, so they thought they had to trade up ahead of the 34-36 range to make sure he didn’t go to OKC, tweets Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated.

The 6’11” Aldama turned down an invitation to the combine and didn’t conduct any publicly-known workouts before the draft, notes Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Aldama said he preferred to play in his native Spain and discouraged teams from drafting him. That led many people around the league to believe he had a promise from somebody, and Memphis likely shut him down several months ago.