Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets Sign, Waive Mark Armstrong

October 14th, 2024 at 7:32am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 14: The Nets have waived Armstrong, per RealGM’s transaction log. His next stop will likely be with the Long Island Nets.

OCTOBER 9: Former Villanova guard Mark Armstrong has officially signed with the Nets, the team announced today (Twitter link via Erik Slater of ClutchPoints).

While the Nets didn’t specify the details of Armstrong’s deal, reporting all the way back in June indicated that he had agreed to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the club. He’ll likely be waived before the regular season begins and then report to the Long Island Nets as an affiliate player, with his Exhibit 10 deal making him eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with Long Island.

Armstrong, who declared for the draft in the spring following his sophomore season with the Wildcats, averaged 8.4 PPG, 2.4 APG, and 2.3 RPG on .417/.282/.776 shooting in 34 games (24.5 MPG) in 2023/24.

Armstrong joined the Nets’ Summer League roster and appeared in five games for the team in Las Vegas, logging 44 total minutes. He scored 14 points and handed out eight assists, but turned the ball over seven times and shot just 5-of-22 (22.7%) from the field.

Brooklyn now has a full 21-man preseason roster.

Spurs Sign, Waive Nathan Mensah

October 13th, 2024 at 2:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

OCTOBER 13: Mensah has been released, the Spurs announced. San Antonio now has 20 players under contract, one shy of the offseason limit.

SEPTEMBER 28: Free agent big man Nathan Mensah has been added to the Spurs‘ camp roster, a source tells Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). The agreement between Mensah and the Spurs was first reported back in July.

The 26-year-old center appeared in 25 games for the Hornets last season on a two-way contract before being waived in early March. He averaged 1.3 points and 2.6 rebounds off the bench in 12.3 minutes per night.

Mensah signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Charlotte last summer after going undrafted out of San Diego State. He took part in the Hornets’ training camp, but was waived before the start of the season.

Earlier this month, the Austin Spurs acquired Mensah’s rights as part of a four-team G League trade. San Antonio has a two-way slot open, but if Mensah winds up with Austin this season, and assuming he has another Exhibit 10 contract, he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the team.

The Spurs recently created an opening on their 21-man roster by waiving Jameer Nelson Jr., so Mensah’s signing will bring them back to the offseason limit.

Wizards Sign John Butler Jr., Taylor Funk To Exhibit 10 Deals

October 13th, 2024 at 10:53am CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards have added center John Butler Jr. and forward Taylor Funk on Exhibit 10 contracts, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Washington still has a two-way slot open, but both players appear likely to wind up with the team’s Capital City Go-Go affiliate in the G League, where they will be eligible for bonuses worth up to $77.5K if they remain there for 60 days.

Butler, 21, started last season on a two-way contract with the Wizards, but was waived in early December. He joined Capital City, where he averaged 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds in 33 regular season games. Butler has previous NBA experience with Portland, appearing in 19 games during the 2022/23 season, and he was a member of the USA’s 3×3 U23 Men’s National Team that competed in Mongolia this summer.

Funk, 26, also played for the Go-Go last season after being acquired in a December trade with the Maine Celtics. He signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Boston last September, but was waived before the start of training camp. Funk averaged 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 34 regular season games with Capital City.

Butler and Funk will fill the openings created Saturday when Kira Lewis and Leaky Black were waived, and their signings will bring the Wizards back to the offseason roster limit of 21 players.

Braxton Key Signs With Clippers

October 13th, 2024 at 8:00am CST by Arthur Hill

OCTOBER 13: Key’s deal with the Clippers is official, per RealGM’s transaction log.

OCTOBER 12: The Clippers plan to sign free agent Braxton Key, a team source tells Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The 27-year-old small forward spent last season with Denver on a two-way contract. He saw limited playing time in 20 NBA games, but averaged 20.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists in eight regular season contests with the G League’s Grand Rapids Gold.

Key began his NBA career with Philadelphia after going undrafted out of Virginia in 2020. He also spent time with the Pistons before being waived in December of 2022. Key has appeared in 34 total NBA games with career averages of 3.1 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per night.

Key is likely to receive an Exhibit 10 contract, which will qualify him for a bonus of up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Clippers’ G League affiliate in San Diego. He will take the place of Nate Darling, who was waived earlier today, so another roster move won’t be necessary. L.A. will be back to the offseason limit of 21 players once Key’s contract is finalized.

Wizards Waive Kira Lewis, Leaky Black

October 12th, 2024 at 8:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards opened two spots on their training camp roster by waiving point guard Kira Lewis and small forward Leaky Black, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

Lewis, 23, was selected by the Pelicans with the 13th pick in the 2020 draft, but he was never able to earn a rotation spot during his three-plus years in New Orleans. That was partly due to injuries, including a torn ACL during the 2021/22 season. Lewis was traded three times last season, going to the Pacers, Raptors and Jazz, and he became a free agent in late June when Utah declined to submit a qualifying offer.

Black, 25, signed a two-way contract with Charlotte last summer after going undrafted out of USC. He appeared in 26 games for the Hornets, but spent much of the season with the Greensboro Swarm in the G League. Black’s two-way deal covered two seasons, but Charlotte waived him at the beginning of August.

Lewis and Black were both in camp on Exhibit 10 contracts, so they’ll have the opportunity to earn bonuses worth $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days with Washington’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go.

The moves leave the Wizards with 19 players on their roster, two short of the offseason limit.

Clippers Sign, Waive Nate Darling

October 12th, 2024 at 7:15pm CST by Rory Maher

OCTOBER 12: The Clippers have waived Darling, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 21: Darling’s contract is official, per RealGM’s transaction log.

SEPTEMBER 20: The Clippers are signing free agent guard Nate Darling to an Exhibit 10 contract, a team source tells Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Darling went undrafted out of Delaware in 2020 and spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with Charlotte, appearing in seven games for the Hornets for 26 total minutes. He also played 13 games for the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ NBA G League affiliate.

The 6’6″ shooting guard has spent the past three seasons as an affiliate player for the Clippers’ NBA G League team, which rebranded as the San Diego Clippers for 2024/25 after moving. He spent a handful of days on a two-way deal with L.A. in 2022/23, but didn’t appear in a regular season game.

Darling missed nearly all of last season with a toe injury, per Rotowire, only appearing in two games. In his last healthy season (’22/23), the 26-year-old averaged 20.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 2.2 APG on .464/.410/.831 shooting in 40 Showcase Cup and regular season games with the Clips’ affiliate (then in Ontario, CA).

Darling seems likely to be waived and headed back to the NBAGL. In that scenario, he could earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with San Diego. Although it seems unlikely given how long he was out last season, the Clippers technically have an open two-way spot, and Exhibit 10’s can be converted to two-way contracts.

Once Darling’s contract is finalized, the Clippers will have 21 players on their roster, which is the offseason limit. They have 15 players on guaranteed standard deals, a pair on two-way deals, and Darling joining three other players (Kai Jones, Elijah Harkless, RayJ Dennis) on Exhibit 10 deals.

Bulls Sign, Waive Javon Freeman-Liberty

October 12th, 2024 at 7:12pm CST by Rory Maher

7:12pm: The Bulls waived Freeman-Liberty shortly after signing him, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. Assuming he has Exhibit 10 language in his contract, he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with Windy City in the G League.

10:26am: Free agent guard Javon Freeman-Liberty has signed a contract with the Bulls, according to RealGM’s official log of NBA transactions. He also appears on the team’s roster page.

By process of elimination, it appears Freeman-Liberty signed a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal with Chicago, likely with Exhibit 10 language.

Players who sign Exhibit 9 or Exhibit 10 contracts don’t appear on NBA.com’s official transactions log, but RealGM does track those deals. Exhibit 9/10 players only show up on NBA.com’s log when they’ve been waived (Miller Kopp is a recent example).

Freeman-Liberty, who turns 25 years old next week, signed with Turkish club Manisa Basket last month, but he decided to leave the team, which later announced he’d be continuing his career with the Bulls.

A Chicago native who went undrafted in 2022 out of DePaul, Freeman-Liberty spent his rookie season with the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G League affiliate.

The 6’4″ guard was on a two-way contract with the Raptors for most of the 2023/24 campaign before being promoted to the standard roster on March 1. Although his contract with Toronto covered two years, his salary for ’24/25 was partially guaranteed for just $100K, so he was waived in July before that partial guarantee increased.

Freeman-Liberty appeared in 22 games at the NBA level with Toronto, averaging 7.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 18.3 minutes per night. He put up much bigger numbers with the Raptors 905 in the NBAGL, including 24.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, and a shooting line of .470/.360/.825 in 26 Showcase Cup and regular season outings.

Despite joining the Bulls late in the offseason, there could be a legitimate pathway for Freeman-Liberty to make the 18-man regular season roster. Chicago appears to be having a competition for its 15th standard roster spot, as well as its third two-way slot.

The Bulls currently have 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts, with Adama Sanogo and DJ Steward on two-way deals. Freeman-Liberty, Talen Horton-Tucker, E.J. Liddell, Kenneth Lofton Jr., and Onuralp Bitim on are all on non-guaranteed contracts. Of that latter group, only Horton-Tucker is ineligible for a two-way contract.

Chicago’s offseason roster is now full, with 21 players under contract.

Thunder Sign, Waive Javonte Cooke

October 12th, 2024 at 9:32am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 12: Cooke has been released, according to the Thunder, putting him in line to receive his Exhibit 10 bonus as long as he spends at least 60 days with the Blue.

OCTOBER 11: A few weeks after the deal was agreed to, the Thunder announced that they’ve signed Cooke.

SEPTEMBER 24: The Thunder have agreed to sign free agent guard Javonte Cooke to an Exhibit 10 contract, agent Jerry Dianis tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Cooke, who finished his college career at Winston-Salem State in 2022, has spent the past two seasons playing in the G League for the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s affiliate. In 48 Showcase Cup and regular season games for Iowa in 2023/24, he averaged 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 33.1 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .441/.363/.759.

Cooke also played in the Canadian Elite Basketball League this spring for the Brampton Honey Badgers before joining the Timberwolves’ Las Vegas Summer League team for a second consecutive July.

Iowa traded Cooke’s G League returning rights to the Oklahoma City Blue earlier this month. Assuming he returns to the NBAGL this fall and spends at least 60 days with the Blue, the 6’6″ guard will earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $77.5K on top of his standard G League salary.

Magic Sign Robert Baker, Waive Javonte Smart

October 12th, 2024 at 9:30am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 12: Baker’s Exhibit 10 deal with Orlando is now official, the Magic announced. To make room for Baker, the team waived Javonte Smart.

SEPTEMBER 20: The Magic have agreed to sign forward Robert Baker to an Exhibit 10 contract, agent Darrell Comer tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Baker, who played college ball at Harvard from 2017-20, has spent the last few seasons in the G League, playing for the Kings’, Lakers’, and Hawks’ affiliates. Last season, he appeared in 29 games for the College Park Skyhawks – Atlanta’s NBAGL team – and averaged 14.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 28.2 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .448/.340/.780.

The 6’10” forward had his G League returning rights traded earlier this month from the Skyhawks to the Osceola Magic, Orlando’s affiliate. Given that context, it looks like the plan is for him to be signed and waived by Orlando and then head back this fall to the G League, where he’ll earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with Osceola.

The Magic currently have a full 21-man offseason roster, so someone will need to be waived in order for Baker to officially sign his contract. Five of those 21 players are on Exhibit 10 deals, so the cut will almost certainly come from that group.

Pelicans Sign Elfrid Payton, Josh Oduro

October 11th, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 11: The Pelicans announced they signed both Payton and Josh Oduro on Friday morning. Nearly a month after the original report, the deal with Payton becomes official a day after both Matt Ryan and Adonis Arms were waived.

As we originally wrote, the Pelicans have a spot on their 15-man roster open. With Ryan out of the picture, Payton could theoretically make a push for that slot. However, it seems more likely that this signing is a precursor to Payton joining the team’s G League affiliate in Birmingham.

The Oduro signing hadn’t previously been reported. He played four collegiate seasons at George Mason before transferring to Providence for his final year. He averaged 12.9 points and 6.6 rebounds across 148 college games (128 starts). Oduro went undrafted in 2024 but suited up for New Orleans in summer league, making two appearances.

While the terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, several reports indicated both are signing non-guaranteed training camp contracts that presumably include Exhibit 9 language and likely Exhibit 10 as well. If the latter is true for both, they’ll each be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days in Birmingham.

SEPTEMBER 19: The Pelicans have agreed to sign free agent point guard Elfrid Payton to a non-guaranteed training camp contract, reports Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link).

Payton, the 10th overall pick in the 2014 draft, has 500 regular season appearances under his belt across eight NBA seasons with the Magic, Suns, Pelicans, and Knicks. However, he hasn’t been in the league since suiting up for Phoenix during the 2021/22 season. The 30-year-old played in Puerto Rico in 2023 and then spent last season with the Indiana Mad Ants, the Pacers’ G League affiliate.

A Louisiana native who played college ball for the Ragin’ Cajuns in Lafayette, Payton has never been a great shooter, with career averages of 44.7% from the floor and 28.7% from beyond the arc. However, he’s a talented ball-handler and play-maker who averaged 10.1 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.0 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game over the course of his NBA career.

Payton had been working out at the Pelicans’ practice facility in Metairie this offseason, notes Christian Clark of NOLA.com (Twitter link).

While the Pelicans are only carrying 14 players on standard contracts, they seem likely to leave their 15th roster spot unfilled to start the season due to luxury tax concerns, so Payton is probably a long shot to make the club. If New Orleans is open to carrying a 15th man, he’d presumably vie with Matt Ryan and other camp invitees for that spot. Otherwise, Payton may end up back in the G League this fall.

Once Payton’s deal is official, the Pelicans will have a total of 19 players under contract, including two-ways, leaving a pair of openings on their 21-man preseason roster.