Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks Re-Sign Bobby Portis

August 2nd, 2021 at 6:38pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 6: The Bucks have officially re-signed Portis, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 2: The Bucks have agreed to a two-year, $9MM contract with free agent forward Bobby Portis, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The deal will include a second-year player option, according to Charania.

It’s a team-friendly rate for Portis, who played an important role in Milwaukee’s championship run this summer. As Charania explains (Twitter links), Portis turned down potential deals from the Mavericks and Heat in order to remain in Milwaukee because he appreciated the organization’s culture and winning environment and the way the community embraced him.

The Bucks were limited in their ability to offer Portis much more than what he’s getting, since they only held his Non-Bird rights. That meant the team couldn’t give him more than a 20% raise on last year’s $3.623MM salary without dipping into its mid-level exception.

It appears Milwaukee will indeed use its Non-Bird rights to bring back Portis — his two-year deal should start at about $4.35MM. If he opts out in 2022, the Bucks would have his Early Bird rights and could sign him to a more lucrative contract.

Among qualified players, only two had a higher three-point percentage in 2020/21 than Portis’ 47.1% mark. He also contributed 11.4 PPG and 7.1 RPG in 66 games (20.8 MPG).

Rockets Sign David Nwaba To Three-Year Contract

August 2nd, 2021 at 6:28pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

AUGUST 8: The Rockets have officially signed Nwaba, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

AUGUST 2: The Rockets have agreed to a three-year, $15MM contract to retain athletic free agent wing David Nwaba, reports Marc Stein of Substack (Twitter link).

The journeyman Nwaba, 28, has suited up for several clubs after going undrafted out of California Polytechnic State University in 2015. Though not much of a jump shooter, Nwaba proved his prowess on the other end of the floor, during promising stints with the Lakers, Bulls, and Cavaliers.

20 games into his lone season with the Nets, Nwaba suffered a season-ending right Achilles tendon tear in December 2019. After being waived by the Nets, Nwaba signed a two-year deal with the Rockets ahead of the 2020 Orlando “bubble” season restart. The Rockets then exercised their $1.82MM team option on the small forward/shooting guard before the 2020/21 season.

He finally returned to action for the tanking Rockets during the 2020/21 season, and seemed none the worse for wear. Across 30 games, including nine starts, Nwaba averaged 9.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 0.7 BPG in just 22.6 MPG.

Houston will be Nwaba’s first long-term NBA home, the first club for which he has played for longer than one season, though he has technically been on the Rockets for portions of two seasons already.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jeff Green Signs Two-Year Deal With Nuggets

August 2nd, 2021 at 6:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 12: Ten days after agreeing to terms with the Nuggets, Green has officially signed his new contract, the club announced in a press release.

“We are very excited to welcome Jeff and his family to Denver,” Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said in a statement. “He brings a wealth of experience to our team; his impact will be felt both on the court and in the locker room.”

AUGUST 2: Free agent big man Jeff Green is leaving the Nets and joining another contender. He’s agreed to a two-year, $10MM deal with the Nuggets, agent Jason Glushon informed ESPN’s Malika Andrews (Twitter link).

The deal will include a player option in the second year, Andrews adds. The Nuggets will likely use a portion of their $9.536MM mid-level exception to sign Green.

The well-traveled Green has passed through 10 organizations in a career that began in 2007 with the Seattle SuperSonics. Green, who will turn 35 this month, has revived his career after Utah waived him during the 2019/20 season.

He had a successful run with Houston the remainder of that season, including several productive playoff performances. In his lone season with Brooklyn, he averaged 11.0 PPG and 3.9 RPG while making a career-high 41.2% of his 3-point tries in 68 regular-season games, including 38 starts.

Denver also agreed to re-sign JaMychal Green on Monday. That increases the possibility that another one of its free agent big men, Paul Millsap, will sign elsewhere.

Pacers Re-Sign T.J. McConnell To Four-Year Deal

August 2nd, 2021 at 5:37pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 6: The Pacers have officially re-signed McConnell, announcing the transaction in a press release.

“We are very pleased to re-sign T.J. McConnell,” Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said in a statement. “This franchise and our fan base knows what T.J. brings to this team: leadership, tenacity and an insatiable desire to win. T.J. has arrived at this point in his career with hard work, patience and overcoming doubters. But he never doubted in himself. He was undrafted and it takes a special kind of player to not only overcome that obstacle, but to turn it into what will likely be a long NBA career. That is a testament to what kind of work ethic and competitive fire T.J. has.”

AUGUST 2: The Pacers and point guard T.J. McConnell have agreed to terms on a contract that will keep him in Indiana for the foreseeable future, reports J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).

The deal will be worth $35MM over four seasons, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Michael adds that the final year will only be partially guaranteed (Twitter link).

McConnell averaged career highs in PPG (8.6), APG (6.6), RPG (3.7), and FG% (.559), among other categories, for the Pacers in 2020/21, appearing in 69 games and logging 26.0 MPG. His contributions also go beyond the box score, as he’s a heady player and a tough perimeter defender.

The 29-year-old had been expected to draw interest from teams in need of point guard depth, but there was always mutual interest between him and the Pacers.

Indiana had been considered more likely to re-sign McConnell than fellow free agent Doug McDermott, and that’s exactly what happened, as McDermott is San Antonio-bound.

Suns Re-Sign Cameron Payne To Three-Year Contract

August 2nd, 2021 at 5:33pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

AUGUST 6: Payne is officially back under contract with the Suns, who announced his deal today in a press release.

AUGUST 2: Free agent reserve point guard Cameron Payne will return to the team that saw him develop into one of the league’s better backup ball handlers this season. After proving himself as a crucial role-playing contributor, Payne will remain with the Suns on a three-year, $19MM contract, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).

The 6’1″ Payne, 26, blossomed as a backup behind future Hall of Famer Chris Paul in Phoenix during a charmed 2020/21 season, which saw the Suns return to their first NBA Finals in 28 years.

After being initially drafted by the Thunder in 2015 with the No. 14 pick out of Murray State, Payne struggled to develop at the next level. Payne also served stints with Chicago and Cleveland before landing with Phoenix on a two-year deal ahead of the 2020 Orlando “bubble” restart. During his eight-game 2019/20 season cameo, Payne enjoyed a breakout run. Payne average 10.9 PP, 3.9 RPG and 3.0 APG across 22.9 MPG during Phoenix’s 8-0 bubble streak.

The stellar play continued during the 2020/21 season, as Payne averaged 8.4 PPG, 3.6 APG, 2.4 RPG and 0.6 SPG in just 18.0 MPG in 60 games during Phoenix’s truncated 72-game regular season. Payne also posted a solid shooting line of .484/.440/893.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Heat To Acquire Kyle Lowry, Re-Sign Duncan Robinson

August 2nd, 2021 at 5:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat will add Kyle Lowry in free agency via a sign-and-trade with the Raptors and will also re-sign Duncan Robinson, as Marc Stein reports (via Twitter). Both deals had been widely expected, and Lowry has confirmed on Twitter that he’s Miami-bound.

Lowry’s new three-year contract with the Heat will be worth approximately $90MM, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). All three years will be fully guaranteed, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Robinson, meanwhile, has agreed to a five-year, $90MM contract with Miami, his agent Jason Glushon tells Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The deal includes an early termination option after year four.

The Heat have been after Lowry since at least the trade deadline in March. While they were unable to land the six-time All-Star at the time, they’ll add him to the mix now, beating out other rumored suitors such as the Mavericks, Pelicans, and Sixers. The move will unite Lowry with his close friend Jimmy Butler, who is expected to sign a lucrative new contract extension of his own.

While a three-year, $90MM investment is a risk for a player who is entering his age-35 season, Lowry has championship experience and is an ideal fit for virtually any team 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.

While the exact terms of the sign-and-trade that will send Lowry to Miami haven’t been reported, the expectation is that the deal will include Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa, with the Raptors perhaps rerouting Dragic elsewhere.

As for Robinson, he’s a career 42.3% shooter from three-point range, which put him in line for a long-term deal in the range of $16-18MM per year — that’s what sharpshooters Joe Harris and Davis Bertans received in free agency a year ago and the 27-year-old Robinson is a little younger than both players.

The Heat still have the mid-level exception at their disposal as they look for additional rotation upgrades around Lowry, Robinson, Butler, and Bam Adebayo.

Pistons Sign Kelly Olynyk To Three-Year Deal

August 2nd, 2021 at 5:16pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 6: The Pistons have officially signed Olynyk, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 2: The Pistons have agreed to a three-year deal with free agent big man Kelly Olynyk, agent Jeff Schwartz tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The contract will be worth $37MM, Wojnarowski reports. It features a third-year team option, tweets James Edwards III of The Athletic.

The Pistons agreed to trade veteran big man Mason Plumlee to Charlotte in a salary-dump deal on draft night in order to open up the center position and more salary cap space, and Olynyk will be the beneficiary of the team’s newly-created roster and cap flexibility.

Olynyk, who was traded from the Heat to the Rockets prior to the March trade deadline, finished the 2020/21 season on an incredible roll, averaging 19.0 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 4.1 APG on .545/.392/.844 shooting in 27 games (31.1 MPG) for Houston. That helped boost his stock ahead of free agency and earn him a deal worth more than the mid-level.

Olynyk will be joining an intriguing young Pistons core that includes Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, Killian Hayes, and this year’s No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham.

Olynyk can play either the four or the five, and his ability to stretch the floor should allow the Pistons to use him in lineups alongside Stewart.

Knicks Re-Sign Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel

August 2nd, 2021 at 5:13pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 17: The Knicks have now officially re-signed Burks as well, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

AUGUST 10: The Knicks’ deal with Noel is official, per NBA.com’s transactions log. As noted last week, the three-year contract includes a team option for the 2023/24 season.

AUGUST 2: The Knicks have agreed to new deals with unrestricted free agents Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).

According to Wojnarowski, Burks’ new deal will be worth $30MM over three years, while Noel will get a three-year contract worth $32MM.

Burks and Noel both signed team-friendly one-year contracts with New York in 2020 and outplayed those deals. Burks put up 12.7 PPG and 4.6 RPG with a career-high .415 3PT% in 49 games (25.6 MPG), while Noel started 41 of his 64 games, recording 5.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 2.2 BPG in 24.2 MPG.

Burks had been viewed as a probable target for the Cavaliers, while Noel had been linked to the Raptors, Knicks, Hornets, and Kings. However, the Knicks entered the day with more cap flexibility than any other team, putting them in good position to get deals done with their priority free agents.

New York should still have upwards of $30MM+ in possible cap room after making their commitments to Burks and Noel.

Will Barton Re-Signs With Nuggets On Two-Year Deal

August 2nd, 2021 at 5:04pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

AUGUST 11: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

AUGUST 2: Free agent Nuggets swingman Will Barton is set to return to Denver on a two-year, $32MM deal, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Barton, 30, was originally drafted by the Trail Blazers in 2012 out of Memphis with the No. 40 pick. He has been a core role player in Denver since being sent to the Nuggets during the 2014/15 season.

The 6’6″ wing averaged 12.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 3.2 APG last season while shooting 42.6% from the field, 38.1% from three-point range, and 78.5% from the charity stripe. He missed most of Denver’s postseason run due to a hamstring injury.

Barton last inked a four-year, $53MM deal with Denver ahead of the 2018/19 season. Earlier this summer, he declined his $14.7MM player option for the 2021/22 season in the hopes of nabbing a pay raise and more guaranteed long-term money.

The Nuggets, led by reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and guard Jamal Murray, are hoping to rebound from a disappointing 2021 playoffs, in which they were swept out of the second round by the Suns in part due to the absence of Murray, who continues to recover from a left ACL tear.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Raptors Sign Gary Trent Jr. To Three-Year Deal

August 2nd, 2021 at 9:10am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 8: Trent’s deal with the Raptors is now official, according to a press release from the team.

AUGUST 2: The Raptors have reached a contract agreement with restricted free agent Gary Trent Jr. and will re-sign the swingman to a three-year, $54MM deal, agent Rich Paul tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The contract will include a third-year player option, Wojnarowski adds.

Trent, 22, spent his first two-and-a-half NBA seasons in Portland before being sent to Toronto in a deadline deal involving Norman Powell. Trent averaged a career-best 15.3 PPG on .408/.385/.783 shooting in 58 total games (31.1 MPG) for the Blazers and Raptors in 2020/21 ahead of his first foray into free agency.

Trent decided to play out last season without an extension despite the fact that Portland was believed to be willing to give him a four-year, $54MM deal, the maximum the team could’ve offered before he reached free agency.

That decision paid off for the young wing, who will now make that same amount over three seasons if he opts into his final year. If he opts out in 2023, he’ll hit unrestricted free agency as a 24-year-old and will likely be in position to cash in again.