Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies Sign Tim Frazier For Rest Of Season

April 24th, 2021 at 3:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

3:51pm: The team has confirmed the transaction via a press release.

3:15pm: The Grizzlies are signing reserve point guard Tim Frazier for the remainder of the season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Frazier’s second 10-day contract with the club expired on Friday night. He signed a 10-day with Memphis in January, then was re-signed in the middle of April.

Normally, teams can’t sign players to three 10-days in a season. Frazier would have be allowed to sign a third 10-day contract with Memphis because the first 10-day deal was completed using the team’s hardship exception and didn’t count toward the usual limit. However, the Grizzlies opted to give him a standard contract anyway.

He’s appeared in three games this season, averaging 1.3 PPG and 2.3 APG in 11.o MPG.

The well-traveled Frazier has also played for the Sixers, Blazers, Pelicans, Wizards, Bucks and Pistons. He went unselected in the 2014 draft.

Nets Officially Sign Mike James To 10-Day Contract

April 24th, 2021 at 6:52am CST by Luke Adams

APRIL 24: Not that there was any doubt, but NBA.com’s official transactions log confirms it was Aldridge waived to make room for James.

APRIL 23: The Nets have officially signed Mike James to a 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release. The move had been expected once James cleared the league’s coronavirus testing protocols.

James, who averaged 9.3 points and 3.5 assists in 36 total games for Phoenix and New Orleans during the NBA’s 2017/18 season, has been playing in Europe since then. He was having a big year for CSKA Moscow this season, racking up 19.3 PPG and 5.7 APG in 27 EuroLeague contests (31.2 MPG), but was suspended indefinitely by the club following an altercation with head coach Dimitris Itoudis in late March.

Although CSKA Moscow’s contract with James runs through 2023, the team announced this week that it had reached an agreement to allow him to become a free agent until the end of the 2020/21 season, clearing the way for him to sign with an NBA team.

While the Nets’ official release confirms that James’ 10-day deal has been finalized, it doesn’t mention who was released to make room for him on the 15-man roster. It seems safe to assume that LaMarcus Aldridge was the player waived — he announced his retirement as a player last week.

It’s also still not entirely clear how James’ agreement with CSKA Moscow will work. The team’s statement didn’t give any indication that his multiyear contract has been terminated, but a EuroLeague club loaning a player to an NBA team isn’t exactly a common occurrence. We should get more clarity soon on James’ situation.

Knicks Turn Jared Harper’s Two-Way Deal Into 10-Day Contract

April 23rd, 2021 at 6:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

6:09pm: It’s official, the team’s PR department tweets.

4:20pm: The Knicks are converting Jared Harper‘s two-way contract into a 10-day contract, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets. Since New York has an open spot on its 15-man roster, no corresponding move is required.

It’s likely that Harper will eventually receive a second 10-day, which would last until the end of the regular season or very close to it.

It’s a nifty raise for Harper. He was making $3,076 per day on his two-way. He will make $9,902 per day on a 10-day contract.

The 23-year-old point guard out of Auburn has made four brief appearances with New York. He saw action in three games with Phoenix last season.

Harper was claimed off waivers in June. Though he hasn’t seen much NBA action, he excelled in the G League season at the Orlando bubble. In 12 G League contests this season, Harper averaged 21.3 PPG and 7.0 APG and was named to the All-NBA G League First Team.

Harper spoke to Hoops Rumors earlier this season about his experience in the G League and the time he has spent on the Knicks’ roster.

Myles Powell Signs Two-Way Deal With Knicks

April 23rd, 2021 at 5:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks have signed guard Myles Powell to a two-way contract, the team’s PR department tweets.

Powell went undrafted after a stellar college career with Seton Hall, culminating with a First Team All-American selection after the 2019/20 season. The Knicks brought him in to training camp but waived him prior to the start of the season.

He played 13 games for Westchester, the team’s G League affiliate, and averaged 17.8 PPG and 4.0 APG. He was expected to sign with Milwaukee on a two-way deal in early March but that never came to fruition.

New York had a two-way spot open after promoting Jared Harper to the 15-man roster on a 10-day contract.

Donta Hall Signs Second 10-Day Deal With Magic

April 23rd, 2021 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have signed forward Donta Hall to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. Hall’s first 10-day deal with Orlando expired on Thursday night.

Orlando is Hall’s fourth NBA team February 2020, when he signed a 10-day contract with Detroit. He later joined the Nets for the summer restart in Walt Disney World, played for the G League Ignite in this season’s NBAGL bubble at Disney, then inked a 10-day deal with the Raptors.

Hall got the chance to play regular minutes during his first 10 days in Orlando, averaging 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in four contests (14.0 MPG). His best game came last Wednesday in Chicago, when he put up seven points and nine rebounds in 17 minutes, posting a plus-eight rating and helping the Magic beat the Bulls.

Hall’s new 10-day pact will cover Orlando’s next five games before expiring next Sunday night. At that point, the Magic will have to either let him go or sign him to a rest-of-season contract.

Like his last 10-day deal, Hall’s new contract will be worth $99,020, so he’ll earn $198,040 for his 20 days with the Magic. That number would increase if the team re-signs him to a rest-of-season deal in May.

Pacers Sign Amida Brimah, Waive Brian Bowen

April 23rd, 2021 at 11:57am CST by Luke Adams

11:57am: Brimah has officially signed his two-way deal with the Pacers, the team announced in a press release. He won’t have to go through a quarantine period and will be available for the team’s game on Saturday vs. Detroit, tweets Scott Agness of The Athletic.

As first reported by J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star (via Twitter) and confirmed by the Pacers, Bowen has been waived to open up a spot for Brimah. The 22-year-old forward, who has spent the last two seasons on a two-way deal with Indiana, logged a total of just 46 minutes in 12 games for the team since the start of 2019/20.

9:37am: Following a series of injuries to their frontcourt players, the Pacers are adding some depth. Free agent center Amida Brimah is signing a two-way contract with Indiana, agent Daniel Hazan tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Brimah, who went undrafted out of UConn in 2017, has never appeared in an NBA regular season game despite signing Exhibit 10 contracts with NBA teams for four consecutive years — two with the Spurs (2017 and 2018) and two with the Pacers (2019 and 2020).

The 27-year-old big man had a brief stint with a Serbian club in 2018 but has otherwise spent his professional career in the G League, most recently averaging 8.0 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 2.6 RPG in 10 games (23.5 MPG) for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in this season’s NBAGL bubble.

Brimah is known for his rim-protecting abilities — he was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2015 and made the G League All-Defensive team in 2018. And despite never playing an NBA game, he has some championship experience, having won an NCAA title with UConn in ’14 and a G League title with the Austin Spurs in ’18.

The banged-up Pacers are currently missing Myles Turner (toe), Domantas Sabonis (back), and Goga Bitadze (ankle), so there could be a path to immediate minutes for Brimah, depending on when he officially signs and when Sabonis and Bitadze are ready to return.

Indiana will have to waive one of its current two-way players to make room for Brimah. Brian Bowen is probably a likelier release candidate than 2020 second-rounder Cassius Stanley, but we’ll have to see what the Pacers have in mind.

Knicks Sign Norvel Pelle To Multiyear Contract

April 22nd, 2021 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

APRIL 22, 1:55pm: Pelle’s new deal with the Knicks is now official, the team announced in a press release.

APRIL 22, 6:36am: The Knicks are signing Pelle to a multiyear deal now that his second 10-day has expired, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

As noted below, New York could offer Pelle up to four years. His new deal is expected to include a small guarantee beyond this season, tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post.

APRIL 21: Norvel Pelle‘s second 10-day contract with the Knicks will expire tonight, but the team isn’t expected to let him get away. Sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link) that the Knicks and Pelle will likely agree to a new contract.

Because teams aren’t permitted to sign a player to more than two 10-day contracts in a season, a new deal for Pelle would have to cover at least the rest of this season. New York has plenty of cap room available and could offer him up to a four-year deal with a 2020/21 salary above the minimum. If the Knicks do go that route, their offer likely wouldn’t include guaranteed money beyond this season.

Pelle, who spent some time with the Nets and Kings earlier in the year, hasn’t played much during his 20 days with the Knicks, but has been effective in his limited minutes. In three appearances (16 minutes), he has scored five points, grabbed six rebounds, and blocked three shots.

As Begley notes, head coach Tom Thibodeau has complimented Pelle’s performance and his attitude during his time with the team.

Assuming they work out a rest-of-season agreement with Pelle, the Knicks will still have one more open spot on their 15-man roster.

Sixers Sign Anthony Tolliver To Second 10-Day Deal

April 22nd, 2021 at 11:29am CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have signed veteran power forward Anthony Tolliver to a second 10-day contract, the team announced (via Twitter). Tolliver’s first 10-day deal expired on Wednesday night.

Tolliver, who is currently occupying the 15th spot on Philadelphia’s standard roster, appeared in just one game during his first 10 days with the team, going scoreless with a pair of rebounds in 14 minutes in last Friday’s win over the Clippers. We’ll have to see if the 13-year veteran gets a longer look during his new 10-day contract, which will cover the 76ers’ next five games, starting tonight in Milwaukee.

Tolliver’s new 10-day deal will expire on the night of May 1, at which point the Sixers could either sign him to a rest-of-season contract or let him walk.

The Sixers will carry a $110,998 cap hit for Tolliver’s deal, which will pay him $175,668.

Be sure to check out our tracker to keep tabs on all of the currently active 10-day contracts around the NBA.

Magic Re-Sign Robert Franks To Second 10-Day Deal

April 22nd, 2021 at 9:05am CST by Luke Adams

9:05am: Franks’ new 10-day deal is now official, according to an announcement from the Magic.

7:51am: The Magic will re-sign forward Robert Franks to a second 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). Franks’ first 10-day deal with the team expired overnight.

Franks, 24, played for the Lakeland Magic, Orlando’s G League affiliate, earlier this year. He averaged 12.1 PPG and 6.6 RPG on .504/.356/.783 shooting in 14 games (24.5 MPG) for a Lakeland squad that eventually won the G League title, earning him a shot with the NBA club.

In his first 10 days with Orlando, Franks appeared in four games, averaging 5.0 PPG and 1.8 RPG on .500/.429/.833 shooting in 11.8 minutes per contest.

Assuming Franks’ second 10-day contract is officially finalized today, it’ll cover the Magic’s next six games, expiring after the team’s May 1 contest vs. Memphis. At that point, Orlando will either have to sign Franks to a rest-of-season contract or let him walk.

Franks will earn $99,020 on his 10-day deal.

Nets Expected To Sign Mike James To 10-Day Deal

April 21st, 2021 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

APRIL 21, 2:39pm: Stein has now confirmed (via Twitter) that it’ll be a 10-day contract for James. As such, the expectation is that Brooklyn will simply release Aldridge to create a roster spot.

APRIL 21, 12:47pm: There are conflicting reports on the terms of James’ deal with the Nets. Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link) suggests it’ll be a two-way contract, while Shams Charania of The Athletic says (via Twitter) it’ll be a 10-day pact.

Signing James to a 10-day contract would simply require waiving Aldridge. Chris Chiozza and Reggie Perry currently occupy Brooklyn’s two-way slots, so one of the two would have to be waived or promoted to the 15-man roster (taking Aldridge’s spot) if the team wants to do a two-way deal with James.

APRIL 21, 11:44am: James will sign with the Nets on Friday, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who confirms (via Twitter) that the veteran guard is still going through the COVID-19 testing protocols.

CSKA Moscow announced (via Twitter) it has reached an agreement with James that will allow him to become a free agent “until the end of the 2020/21 season,” and that he’ll sign with an NBA team soon.

The wording of CSKA’s statement suggests that James’ contract hasn’t been terminated, so it sounds like he’ll be required to report back to the Russian club for 2021/22 after finishing this season with Brooklyn. Andrew Bogut did this a couple years back, joining Golden State in the middle of a two-year contract with the NBL’s Sydney Kings before returning to Australia for the second year.

APRIL 19, 4:00pm: The Nets are in advanced talks with veteran guard Mike James, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times, who tweets that a deal between the two sides could be completed as soon as Tuesday.

Antonis Stroggylakis and Dionysis Aravantinos of Eurohoops initially reported that the Nets were eyeing James, who has also drawn interest from the Knicks. Chema de Lucas subsequently reported (via Twitter) that the 30-year-old was expected to sign a rest-of-season contract with Brooklyn, though Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link) heard that James was one of a couple players the team was interested in.

James, who averaged 9.3 points and 3.5 assists in 36 total games for Phoenix and New Orleans during the NBA’s 2017/18 season, has been playing in Europe since then. He was having a big year for CSKA Moscow this season, racking up 19.3 PPG and 5.7 APG in 27 EuroLeague contests (31.2 MPG), but was suspended indefinitely by the club following an altercation with head coach Dimitris Itoudis in late March.

James is under contract with CSKA Moscow through 2023, but Eurohoops’ report indicates that the club is willing to accommodate him if he finds an NBA opportunity, while Stein suggests that James has already been released from his contract overseas.

Further clarity on James’ situation should come soon. Assuming he does officially complete a deal with the Nets, he’ll take the roster spot previously held by LaMarcus Aldridge. While Aldridge technically remains under contract with Brooklyn for the time being, he announced his retirement last week and is expected to be waived in a procedural move.