Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards Waive Jerome Robinson, Expected To Re-Sign Jordan Bell

April 8th, 2021 at 9:29am CST by Luke Adams

9:29am: The Wizards have officially waived Robinson, the team announced today in a press release.

6:34am: The Wizards are making a change at the back of their 15-man roster, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links), who reports that the club is waiving fourth-year wing Jerome Robinson and is expected to fill the newly-opened roster spot soon by re-signing big man Jordan Bell to a 10-day contract.

The 13th overall pick in the 2018 draft, Robinson spent his first season-and-a-half with the Clippers before being sent to Washington in the three-team Marcus Morris/Maurice Harkless trade at the 2020 deadline. In 38 games (21.3 MPG) for the Wizards, he averaged 7.4 PPG and 2.8 RPG with a .361/.320/.776 shooting line.

Back in December, the Wizards opted to pass on Robinson’s fourth-year option for 2021/22, which would’ve been worth $5.34MM. That was a sign that he wasn’t in Washington’s long-term plans, as was a report last month that he was among the players the team was shopping at the trade deadline.

Robinson will become an unrestricted free agent once he clears waivers, free to sign with any team, while the Wizards remain on the hook for the rest of his $3.74MM salary for 2020/21.

As for Bell, the 26-year-old inked a 10-day contract with the Wizards in January, then played for the team’s temporary NBA G League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, at the Walt Disney World bubble. He averaged 17.6 PPG, 9.1 RPG, and 2.1 BPG in seven NBAGL contests (27.4 MPG).

A report last month suggested the Wizards were eyeing Bell for a possible two-way deal if Garrison Mathews was promoted to the 15-man roster, but it appears it’ll be Bell who ends up on the 15-man squad, albeit just on a 10-day deal for now.

If and when the Wizards and Bell make it official, the 10-day contract will pay him $114,990, with a cap hit of $110,998. Since it will be Bell’s second 10-day deal with the franchise this season, Washington will have to either let him walk or sign him for the rest of ’20/21 once it expires.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pistons Re-Sign Tyler Cook To Multiyear Contract

April 7th, 2021 at 2:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

APRIL 7: The Pistons have officially announced Cook’s new deal, confirming in a press release that he has signed a multiyear contract with the club.

APRIL 6: Tyler Cook, who is on his second 10-day contract with the Pistons, will be signed for the remainder of the season, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News. A source tells Beard the deal will also include a team option for next season.

[RELATED: 10-Day Contract Tracker]

Cook’s contract for 2021/22 is set to become fully guaranteed five days after the free agency moratorium is lifted, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).

The second-year forward has appeared in 10 games since coming to Detroit, averaging 3.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per night. He also got into four games for the Nets earlier this season. Cook had brief stops with the Cavaliers and Nuggets last season after going undrafted out of Iowa.

Cook, 23, signed his second 10-day deal with the Pistons on March 28, so it will expire at the end of Tuesday. Teams can only sign a player to two 10-day contracts in a single season.

Kings Sign Damian Jones To 10-Day Deal

April 7th, 2021 at 12:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

APRIL 7: The signing is now official via the Sacramento Kings official team page

APRIL 3: Free agent center Damian Jones will sign a 10-day contract with the Kings, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Jones will fill the roster spot the team created when it waived DaQuan Jeffries earlier today.

The exact date of Jones’ signing remains uncertain, Anderson adds (via Twitter). He has to clear all the NBA’s testing protocols before he’s eligible for a contract.

The Kings will be the third team of the year for Jones, who started the season with the Suns before being waived in February, then signed a pair of 10-day deals with the Lakers. He played 14 games with Phoenix and eight with L.A., averaging a combined 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per night.

The 25-year-old offers another option in the middle if the Kings decide to part with Hassan Whiteside, who has been rumored as a potential buyout candidate.

Lakers Sign Ben McLemore To Rest-Of-Season Deal

April 6th, 2021 at 7:00pm CST by Luke Adams

7:00pm: The Lakers have issued a press release officially announcing the addition of McLemore.

2:14pm: Free agent guard Ben McLemore has reached an agreement to sign with the Lakers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’ll be a rest-of-season contract, Charania adds (via Twitter).

McLemore, 28, had been playing for the Rockets until he was released on Saturday. The former seventh overall pick cleared waivers on Monday, making him eligible to sign with any team, and Charania suggests (via Twitter) that he drew interest from a few other contenders, including the Bucks.

The Lakers make sense as McLemore’s destination, given that he’s a Klutch Sports client, like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, among others. The team was also said to be seeking a three-and-D wing after signing Andre Drummond.

McLemore had a strong season in Houston a year ago, averaging 10.1 PPG on .444/.400/.746 shooting in 71 games (22.8 MPG) for a Rockets team that made the postseason and won its first-round playoff series.

This year, playing for a squad that has undergone major roster upheaval and has been hit hard by injuries and COVID-19 protocols, McLemore’s numbers dipped across the board — he recorded 7.4 PPG on .357/.331/.719 shooting in 32 contests (16.8 MPG).

Since the Lakers have an open spot on their 15-man roster, no corresponding move will be required to make room for McLemore. The team also has enough space below its hard cap to finalize the deal immediately. If McLemore were to officially sign today, he’d earn just under $611K for the rest of the season, with L.A. taking on a $455K cap hit.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Magic Sign Devin Cannady To 10-Day Contract

April 6th, 2021 at 8:12am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent guard Devin Cannady has signed a 10-day deal with the Magic, agent Jared Mucha of Excel Sports tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The club has issued a press release announcing the move.

Cannady, 24, went undrafted out of Princeton in 2019 and has spent the last two seasons in the G League. After playing for the Long Island Nets as a rookie, he joined the Magic for training camp in December, then suited up for Orlando’s G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic, during the 2020/21 “bubble” season.

Cannady’s regular season numbers in 13 games (25.8 MPG) for Lakeland were relatively modest, as he averaged 11.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 2.7 APG. However, he knocked down 40% of his three-point attempts and played a key part in the Magic’s postseason run, scoring 22 points in the team’s NBAGL championship win to earn Finals MVP honors.

The Magic had an open spot on their 15-man roster, so no corresponding move was required to make room for Cannady. He’ll earn $61,528 during his 10 days with Orlando and should get a chance to make his NBA regular season debut sometime in the next week-and-a-half.

Rockets Claim DaQuan Jeffries

April 5th, 2021 at 7:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

7:29pm: The Rockets have officially claimed Jeffries, according to a team press release.

4:28pm: The Rockets will claim former Kings forward DaQuan Jeffries off waivers, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Jeffries, a 23-year-old shooting guard, is under contract through next season. He was placed on waivers Saturday by Sacramento.

The Rockets had an open roster spot after waiving Ben McLemore.

Jeffries signed a two-year, $3MM contract in November which included a $1.7MM team option on the second season. Houston can take a look at Jeffries the rest of this season and see if it wants to exercise that option.

Jeffries missed time this season due to a Grade 3 ankle injury and fell out of Sacramento’s rotation. He averaged 3.1 PPG and 1.6 RPG across 17 games for the Kings this season after appearing in 13 games as a rookie on a two-way contract last season.

He had a season-high 18 points against Milwaukee on February.

Clippers Sign DeMarcus Cousins To 10-Day Deal

April 5th, 2021 at 4:39pm CST by Luke Adams

APRIL 5: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

APRIL 4: The Clippers will add Cousins this week, provided he clears COVID-19 protocols, Charania tweets.

MARCH 31: The Clippers plan to sign free agent center DeMarcus Cousins, pending clearance of the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Sources tell Charania that Cousins is in Los Angeles and is beginning to go through the testing protocols (Twitter link).

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported (via Twitter) that Cousins and the Clippers were discussing a 10-day contract, adding that a decision isn’t expected to be finalized until next week.

Los Angeles is currently carrying just 13 players on standard contracts, and the NBA’s required minimum is 14. However, the league allows teams to dip below that minimum for up to two weeks at a time, and the Clippers don’t have to add a 14th man until next Monday, so they may use that full two-week window before officially signing Cousins.

Cousins, 30, began the season with the Rockets after missing all of 2019/20 due to an ACL tear. The four-time All-Star didn’t exactly look like his old explosive self in Houston, averaging 9.6 PPG and 7.6 RPG on just 37.6% shooting in 25 games (20.2 MPG). He also wasn’t particularly mobile on defense. The Rockets ultimately decided to part ways with the veteran center, releasing him last month.

Still, Cousins has some remaining upside as last year’s ACL surgery moves further into his rear view, and the Clippers are in need of a third center behind Serge Ibaka and Ivica Zubac, as Wojnarowski tweets.

It doesn’t hurt that Cousins has long-standing relationships with a handful of Clippers players, including former teammates Rajon Rondo (Kings, Pelicans, Lakers) and Patrick Patterson (Kentucky, Kings), notes Charania (Twitter link).

Assuming Cousins and the Clippers officially finalize a 10-day deal, it’ll pay him nearly $176K, with the Clippers taking on a $111K cap hit. Cousins would be able to sign up to two 10-day contracts with L.A. before the team would have to either let him go or sign him to a rest-of-season deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Knicks Sign John Henson To 10-Day Contract

April 5th, 2021 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

4:01pm: The Knicks have officially signed Henson to a 10-day deal, the team confirmed today in a press release.

1:55pm: The Knicks are expected to fill the final open spot on their 15-man roster by signing big man John Henson to a 10-day contract, according to Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link).

Henson, 30, has a reputation as a defensive-minded center and a solid rim protector. The former 14th overall pick spent last season with the Cavaliers and Pistons, averaging 5.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.1 BPG in 40 games (15.0 MPG). However, he hadn’t caught on with a new team since becoming a free agent in November.

Multiple reports in late March indicated that Norvel Pelle and Henson were among the top options the Knicks were considering as they sought additional frontcourt depth in the wake of Mitchell Robinson‘s foot injury. New York ended up signing Pelle on Friday, but apparently that won’t stop the club from adding Henson as well.

With 13 players on full-season contracts and Pelle and Henson on 10-days deals, the Knicks will be able to evaluate both centers and assess whether to commit to either one on a second 10-day contract and/or a rest-of-season agreement.

It’s not clear what stage of COVID-19 testing Henson is at, but he’ll have to clear the NBA’s protocols before officially signing with the Knicks. When the deal is finalized, it’ll pay him $158,907 for 10 days, with the team taking on a $110,998 cap charge.

Thunder Sign Jaylen Hoard To Two-Way Contract

April 5th, 2021 at 2:52pm CST by Luke Adams

A busy day of transactions in Oklahoma City continued this afternoon, as the Thunder announced in a press release that they’ve signed free agent forward Jaylen Hoard to a two-way contract.

Undrafted out of Wake Forest in 2019, Hoard spent his rookie season on a two-way deal with Portland, logging limited minutes in 13 games for the Trail Blazers. After reaching free agency in the fall, Hoard signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Thunder, who released him after gaining his NBA G League rights.

Hoard, who turned 22 last week, subsequently suited up for the Oklahoma City Blue at the Walt Disney World bubble in February and March, averaging 9.7 PPG and 4.9 RPG in 15 games (22.0 MPG) off the bench for the Thunder’s NBAGL affiliate.

The Thunder had an open two-way contract slot after promoting Moses Brown to the 15-man roster — Hoard will fill that opening, joining Josh Hall as Oklahoma City’s second two-way player.

The Thunder also made a change to their standard roster earlier today, waiving Justin Jackson and signing Justin Robinson to a 10-day deal.

Thunder Sign Justin Robinson To 10-Day Deal

April 5th, 2021 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

2:42pm: The Thunder have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed Robinson to a 10-day contract.

1:37pm: The Thunder are signing free agent guard Justin Robinson to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Robinson, who went undrafted out of Virginia Tech in 2019, spent part of his rookie season with the Wizards, appearing in nine games at the NBA level in ’19/20. He saw more playing time in the G League with the Capital City Go-Go and – after he was waived by Washington – the Delaware Blue Coats, averaging 14.2 PPG and 5.5 APG in 33 total games (31.2 MPG).

Robinson rejoined the Blue Coats for the 2020/21 G League “bubble” season, recording 15.5 PPG and 5.9 APG on .389/.376/.629 shooting in 13 games (31.1 MPG). The 23-year-old was a full-time starter for a Delaware squad that made it to the NBAGL Finals.

Because the Thunder waived Justin Jackson earlier today, they have an open spot on their 15-man roster and won’t need to make another move to accommodate Robinson.

Robinson’s 10-day deal will pay him approximately $99K, with an identical cap hit. The Thunder remain well below the salary floor for 2020/21, so the contract won’t have any real impact on the club’s finances.