Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cameron Reynolds Signs With Rockets

May 14th, 2021 at 12:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:55pm: Reynolds’ deal is official, according to a press release from the Rockets. Even though there are just three days left in the regular season, Reynolds’ contract is classified as a 10-day contract because it was completed using the hardship exception.

11:32am: The Rockets will sign swingman Cameron Reynolds for the rest of the regular season, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston.

With Khyri Thomas expected to land a multi-year contract, Reynolds will likely take Thomas’ place as Houston’s second hardship signing. Thomas will inherit the regular roster spot vacated by DaQuan Jeffries, who was waived on Thursday.

Reynolds, 26, got into three games for the Spurs this season after signing a 10-day contract in late March. He played just six total minutes and wasn’t offered a second 10-day deal. Reynolds played for the Austin Spurs in the G League bubble.

His NBA career began during the 2018/19 season with the Timberwolves, as he averaged 5.0 points and 1.6 rebounds in 19 games. Reynolds signed a two-way contract with the Bucks in the summer of 2019, but didn’t appear in any games for Milwaukee.

DaQuan Jeffries Waived By Rockets

May 13th, 2021 at 5:33pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Rockets swingman DaQuan Jeffries has been waived by the club, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston. Across 13 games (including three starts) with the Rockets, Jeffries averaged 4.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 1.2 APG in 20.1 MPG.

Prior to his stint with the Rockets, Jeffries appeared in 18 games (including two starts) for the Kings this year, averaging 3.5 PPG and 1.6 RPG in 12.9 MPG.

As an undrafted rookie out of Tulsa on a two-way contract, the 6’5″ 23-year-old played in 13 games with Sacramento during the 2019/20 season. Over 27 games (including 22 starts) for the Kings’ G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings, Jeffries averaged 16.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.9 APG and 1.2 SPG across 31.0 MPG that same season.

The move opens up a spot on Houston’s 15-man roster, which the team will use to sign Khyri Thomas to a multiyear contract.

Warriors Promote Toscano-Anderson To 15-Man Roster, Sign Bell To Two-Way Deal

May 13th, 2021 at 3:38pm CST by Luke Adams

MAY 13, 3:38pm: Toscano-Anderson has officially signed his new contract with the Warriors, the team confirmed in a press release. Bell’s two-way deal is also official, according to a second release from the club.

MAY 13, 11:51am: Toscano-Anderson will receive a two-year contract that is worth more than the prorated minimum in 2020/21 and includes a fully guaranteed minimum salary for ’21/22, according to Charania and Slater (Twitter link). He’d then in be on track for restricted free agency in 2022.

With the Warriors set to complete their two roster moves, Bell is expected to be available for the team on Friday night, Slater adds (via Twitter).

MAY 7: The Warriors intend to promote two-way player Juan Toscano-Anderson to their 15-man roster and will sign big man Jordan Bell to a two-way contract to replace Toscano-Anderson, according to Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). The two moves will likely be completed next week.

The report doesn’t come as a real surprise. Having dipped to 13 players on standard contracts following the expiration of Gary Payton II‘s 10-day deal last week, Golden State has to add a 14th man by next Thursday. Slater had previously suggested this exact scenario, noting that Bell had been linked to the team and Toscano-Anderson has earned a promotion from his two-way deal based on his play this season.

Toscano-Anderson, 28, has emerged as a reliable rotation player for Golden State over the course of the 2020/21 campaign, averaging 5.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 2.6 APG with an impressive .584 FG% and .408 3PT% in 48 games (19.9 MPG). His performance has been crucial for a team missing some players on the wing, including injured All-Star Klay Thompson.

According to Slater (via Twitter), the terms of Toscano-Anderson’s new contract are still being finalized, so it’s unclear how much money beyond this season will be guaranteed or how many years the deal will cover. Golden State still has a portion of its taxpayer mid-level exception left, which could be used to lock up JTA for up to three years (through 2022/23).

As for Bell, his familiarity with the Warriors and Steve Kerr‘s system will allow him to step in right away and potentially contribute in the play-in tournament and/or the postseason, adding some depth to the Warriors’ frontcourt. Since this is his fourth year in the NBA, it’s the last season in which he’s eligible to sign a two-way contract.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nets Sign Mike James For Rest Of Season

May 13th, 2021 at 11:48am CST by Arthur Hill

MAY 13: The Nets have officially re-signed James to a rest-of-season contract, the team announced today in a press release.

MAY 12: Mike James, whose second 10-day contract is set to expire on Wednesday night, will sign with the Nets for the remainder of the season, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Dionysis Aravantinos of Eurohoops.com first reported last week that James was expected to receive a rest-of-season deal once his second 10-day contract expired.

James has been productive since coming to Brooklyn, getting into 10 games and averaging 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 16.6 minutes per night. The move leaves the Nets with a full roster, which probably won’t change between now and the playoffs.

“We’ve been really happy with Mike and what he’s brought to the team,” coach Steve Nash told reporters, including Brian Lewis of The New York Post, before tonight’s game.

The 30-year-old guard isn’t eligible for a multiyear contract because his rights for the next two seasons belong to CSKA Moscow. He left the Russian team in March after an altercation with coach Dimitris Itoudis.

Bucks Officially Sign Elijah Bryant

May 13th, 2021 at 9:33am CST by Luke Adams

After waiving Rodions Kurucs on Wednesday to create an open spot on their 15-man roster, the Bucks have filled that opening by signing guard Elijah Bryant, the team confirmed today in a press release. Bryant’s agreement with Milwaukee was reported last week.

Bryant, who went undrafted out of BYU in 2018, began his professional career with Hapoel Eliat and has remained in Israel since then, spending the last two seasons with Maccabi Tel Aviv. He earned a spot on the All-Israeli League First Team in 2019 and won an Israeli League championship in 2020.

Bryant averaged 9.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game in 34 EuroLeague contests (23.3 MPG) this season, shooting 44.0% from the field and 36.9% from deep. The 26-year-old, who played summer league ball with the Bucks in 2019, increased those averages to to 13.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 2.8 APG on .554/.420/.829 shooting in 18 Israeli League games (23.2 MPG).

The exact terms of Bryant’s new deal with the Bucks aren’t yet known, but a report last week indicated it would be a two-year contract. I wouldn’t expect next season’s salary to be fully guaranteed.

With the signing, the Bucks once again have a full 17-man roster (including two-way players). The regular season will end on Sunday, so this figures to be the group Milwaukee will take into the postseason.

Bucks Officially Waive Rodions Kurucs

May 12th, 2021 at 2:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have formally requested waivers on forward Rodions Kurucs, the team announced today (via Twitter).

The move had been anticipated, since Milwaukee needed to release a player in order to make room on the 15-man roster for Elijah Bryant. The club hasn’t officially announced Bryant’s deal yet, but that figures to happen soon.

Kurucs, who was the 40th overall pick in the 2018 draft, spent two-plus seasons with Brooklyn before being dealt to Houston in the James Harden blockbuster earlier this year. The 23-year-old was later flipped to the Bucks along with P.J. Tucker.

Kurucs showed promise as a rookie in 2018/19, averaging 8.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in 63 games (20.5 MPG) for Brooklyn. However, he saw his role cut back in his second season as he dealt with legal issues stemming from an assault allegation, and he has barely played at all in 2020/21.

Across 21 games for three teams this season, the Latvian forward has put up 1.5 PPG and 1.1 RPG in 6.0 minutes per contest. He resolved his legal situation in March by pleading guilty to disorderly conduct.

Assuming he goes unclaimed, Kurucs will officially clear waivers on Friday. He could theoretically be signed by a new NBA team before the regular season ends on Sunday, but he wouldn’t be playoff-eligible.

Magic Sign Ignas Brazdeikis For Rest Of Season

May 12th, 2021 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

Following the expiration of his 10-day contract on Tuesday night, Ignas Brazdeikis has signed a new rest-of-season contract with the Magic. The team announced the deal in a press release.

Brazdeikis, 22, appeared in five games during his first 10 days with the Magic, averaging a solid 10.0 points and 4.6 rebounds on .432/.500/.700 shooting in 28.4 minutes per contest.

The second-year wing, who was selected 47th overall in the 2019 draft, previously spent time with the Knicks and Sixers, but only appeared in 14 total games for those two clubs, logging limited playing time at the NBA level. Of Brazdeikis’ 210 career NBA minutes, 142 have come during his brief stint with the Magic.

With Brazdeikis back under contract, Orlando is once again carrying 18 players (including two-ways). Although 17 is the usual limit, the Magic have been granted a hardship exception allowing them to carry an extra player, due to all the injuries the team is dealing with.

Sixers Sign Gary Clark To Two-Way Contract

May 11th, 2021 at 6:55pm CST by Luke Adams

6:55pm: The Sixers have officially signed Clark, the team announced in a press release.

1:34pm: The Sixers are set to sign free agent forward Gary Clark to a two-way contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Philadelphia opened up a two-way slot last week by waiving Mason Jones.

Clark, who began his career with the Rockets in 2018 after going undrafted out of Cincinnati, has since appeared in a total of 130 games for Houston, Orlando, and Denver, averaging 3.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per contest.

The 26-year-old signed a two-year, $4.1MM contract with the Magic last fall, but was traded to the Nuggets along with Aaron Gordon in March. Because his 2021/22 salary of $2.1MM was non-guaranteed and he was essentially a throw-in in that trade, Clark became expendable and was waived last month, clearing the way for Denver to sign Austin Rivers.

Barring an unexpected development, Clark won’t be part of the Sixers’ rotation in the playoffs, but he could see some action in the team’s final few regular season games, depending on when his two-way deal is finalized. He’ll also provide a little extra depth on the wing in case the team has to deal with injuries in the playoffs.

The Sixers will have a full 17-man roster once Clark’s deal is official.

Rockets Sign Cameron Oliver Via Hardship Exception

May 10th, 2021 at 12:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

MAY 10: The Rockets have officially signed Oliver via a hardship exception, the team announced today in a press release. While Houston classifies it as a 10-day contract, there are only seven days left in the regular season, so it won’t technically cover 10 full days.

MAY 9: Center Cameron Oliver has agreed to a 10-day contract with the Rockets that will cover the remainder of the regular season, according to Olgun Uluc of ESPN.

Oliver, 24, recently completed his second season with the Cairns Taipans in Australia’s National Basketball League, averaging 17.3 points, 10 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. He is still under contract with the Taipans for the 2021/22 season, so his NBA stay figures to be brief.

Oliver is one of the top centers in Australia, according to Uluc, with elite athleticism and a shooting range stretching beyond the three-point line. He will join former Sydney Kings player Jae’Sean Tate and coach Will Weaver in Houston.

Oliver has a history with the Rockets, points out Ben DuBose of USA Today’s Rockets Wire. After going undrafted out of Nevada in 2017, Oliver signed with Houston and participated in training camp that year. He played two seasons in the G League before going to Australia.

The Rockets have a full roster, DuBose adds, but could add Oliver without another move if they get a second hardship exception from the league. With a roster severely depleted by injuries, Houston recently used its first hardship exception to add Khyri Thomas.

Magic Sign Donta Hall For Remainder Of Season

May 9th, 2021 at 3:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

MAY 9: The Magic have officially signed Hall for the rest of the season via a hardship exception, the team announced today in a press release. The deal, which covers eight days, will be worth $79,216.

MAY 8: The Magic will sign forward Donta Hall to a rest-of-season contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Orlando signed Hall to a pair of 10-day contracts, the second of which was set to expire on Sunday. Before that deal ran its full course, the club inked Ignas Brazdeikis to a 10-day contract and released Hall.

The 23-year-old Hall has played eight games for the Magic, averaging 3.1 PPG and 4.4 RPG in 11.5 MPG. Hall also played in a total of nine games for Detroit and Brooklyn last season.

Orlando turned back to Hall after an apparent agreement with Admiral Schofield failed to materialize. It’s believed the injury-riddled Magic will sign Hall using the hardship exception.