Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Trade Daniel Theis To Bulls In Three-Team Deal

March 25th, 2021 at 6:27pm CST by Luke Adams

6:27pm: The trade is now official, per a press release from the Wizards.

2:57pm: Ryan McDonough of Radio.com provides the full details on the trade, explaining (via Twitter) that it’ll be folded into the previously-reported Bulls/Wizards swap that involved Wagner. The breakdown is as follows, per McDonough:

The Bulls will receive Theis, Green, Troy Brown, $1.3MM in cash from the Celtics, and $250K in cash from the Wizards.
The Celtics will receive Kornet and Wagner.
The Wizards will receive Daniel Gafford and Chandler Hutchison.

The C’s will end up $950K below the tax line as a result of their series of moves, tweets Marks.

2:31pm: The Celtics and Bulls have agreed to a deal that will send Daniel Theis to Chicago and Moritz Wagner to Boston, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links). K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago first reported the talks between the two teams (Twitter link).

According to Johnson and Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald (Twitter links), Jeff Teague and Javonte Green were also discussed leading up to the deadline, with the possibility of a third team joining the mix. Teague will be sent to Orlando as part of the Evan Fournier trade and will subsequently be waived, per Josh Robbins and Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

It’s not clear if a third team will take on Green or if he’ll be end up going to the Bulls, but the Celtics are believed to be acquiring Luke Kornet from Chicago in the deal, tweets Murphy.

The move will get the Celtics get out of luxury tax territory following their acquisition of Fournier, as Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Meanwhile, it gives the Bulls a solid backup center following their earlier deal for Nikola Vucevic.

Thunder Release Meyers Leonard

March 25th, 2021 at 6:08pm CST by Luke Adams

6:08pm: Thunder GM Sam Presti has announced that the team has officially released Leonard, via a team press release.

4:17pm: The Thunder have waived veteran center Meyers Leonard, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The move had been expected, as the Thunder only acquired Leonard in last week’s Trevor Ariza trade for salary-matching purposes. Oklahoma City kept him on the roster in case his $9.4MM salary proved useful in another deadline deal, but with the deadline now behind us, it didn’t take long for them to officially part ways with him.

Leonard is out for the season with a shoulder injury and was recently fined and suspended for using an anti-Semitic slur during a video game live stream. While his salary for this season is guaranteed, his $10.15MM salary for 2021/22 is a team option and has long been viewed as a lock to be declined. The Thunder won’t be on the hook for any of next season’s money.

The move will temporarily open up a spot on Oklahoma City’s roster, but it’ll be filled in the team’s two-for-one deal involving George Hill. With Hill and Leonard heading out, the Thunder are adding Tony Bradley and Austin Rivers.

Knicks Will Waive Vincent Poirier

March 25th, 2021 at 5:44pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After acquiring him in a larger three-team deal, the Knicks will be waiving former Sixers center Vincent Poirier, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

New York also will have gained a 2021 second-round pick and former Thunder swingman Terrance Ferguson from Philadelphia in the trade.

During his second NBA season, Poirier failed to crack Philadelphia’s big man rotation. This year, the 27-year-old seven-footer is averaging just 3.9 MPG across a scant 10 games, even with All-Star center Joel Embiid absent recently due to a bone bruise in his left knee.

Releasing Poirier will give New York an open roster spot, as Ian Begley of SNY observes (via Twitter). That roster spot may not stay open for long, however.

The Knicks may still be very much in the hunt for a new center on the buyout market, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports that New York’s relatively quiet maneuvering at the deadline gives them plenty of available capital. As we relayed earlier today, the team could be looking to add Cavaliers center Andre Drummond, who is reportedly working towards a buyout with Cleveland.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Spurs Buy Out LaMarcus Aldridge

March 25th, 2021 at 5:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

5:33pm: The amount of Aldridge’s buyout was actually $5.8MM, per Wojnarowski (via Twitter). While that’s not quite as high as Charania’s report suggested, it’s still a significant amount, considering he only had about $8.5MM left on his deal, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

4:31pm: Aldridge gave back $7.25MM in his buyout agreement with the Spurs, tweets Charania. That’s a sizeable portion of the money that was left on his $24MM expiring salary and more than players typically give up as part of a buyout.

Charania notes that the Trail Blazers will be in the mix to sign Aldridge, though he reiterates that Miami is the frontrunner.

4:08pm: The Spurs have completed their buyout with Aldridge and have placed him on waivers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). He’ll be able to sign with a new team as of Saturday evening.

2:47pm: LaMarcus Aldridge is negotiating a buyout with the Spurs, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

San Antonio decided two weeks ago to part with the veteran big man, who is in his sixth season with the team. Aldridge lost his starting job earlier this year and saw his minutes reduced to 25.9 per game. He hasn’t played since March 1.

Aldridge will likely have to give up some of his $24MM salary to secure his freedom from the Spurs. The Heat are considered the favorites to sign Aldridge once he clears waivers, but he plans to talk with several teams before making a decision, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Trail Blazers Acquire Norman Powell From Raptors

March 25th, 2021 at 5:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

5:07pm: The trade sending Powell to Portland is official, according to a team press release. Raptors team president Masai Ujiri lauded Powell’s contributions to Toronto in a statement.

“Norman accomplished so much with the Raptors,” Ujiri said in part. “Norman is an NBA Champion, and he has earned his place as one of the great success stories in franchise history.”

11:52am: The Raptors will send Norman Powell to the Trail Blazers in exchange for Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Portland won the bidding war for Powell, who is expected to turn down an $11.6MM player option for next season and become a free agent. He will add another scoring option to a Blazers team that already has Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum in the backcourt.

It was reported that roughly half the league had called Toronto to inquire about Powell, who is having a career-best season at 19.5 PPG.

The Raptors opted for financial flexibility in the deal. Hood, 28, has a $10.86MM contract for next season that is non-guaranteed until June 23. Hood’s playing time has dropped off sharply this season and he’s shooting just 29.8% from beyond the arc.

Trent is making $1.66MM and will be a restricted free agent this summer if Toronto makes a $2.12MM qualifying offer. The third-year swingman became a part-time starter this season and is averaging a career-high 15.0 PPG. He has knocked down 40.7% of his three-point attempts over the last two seasons.

Since the Raptors will have the right to match any offer Trent receives, the team should have an easier time retaining him than it would have with Powell, who will be unrestricted. Trent’s cap hold will also be just $2.12MM, as Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), allowing the Raptors to open up more cap room.

Portland generates a $1.7MM trade exception in the deal, tweets Marks. Bird rights will accompany Powell and Trent, so their new teams can go over the cap to re-sign them.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Magic Trade Nikola Vucevic To Bulls

March 25th, 2021 at 4:37pm CST by Luke Adams

4:37pm: The trade sending Vucevic to Chicago is official, according to a press release from the Magic.

“Anytime you trade a player like Nikola, it is a tough decision to make,” president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said in a statement. “‘Vooch’ will go down as one of the best players to ever wear a Magic uniform and we can’t thank him enough for all the contributions he made to the organization, both on and off the court.”

10:05am: The Magic are trading All-Star center Nikola Vucevic and veteran forward Al-Farouq Aminu to the Bulls, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (all Twitter links).

According to Wojnarowski, Orlando will receive Wendell Carter, Otto Porter, and a pair of future first-round picks in the deal. Those picks will be the Bulls’ own 2021 and 2023 first-rounders, Woj adds (via Twitter). Both will be top-four protected, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter links).

The agreement comes as a major surprise. While Vucevic has been mentioned in some trade rumors in the weeks leading up to the deadline, he had talked about being happy with his current situation, and there was a belief that the Magic were reluctant to move their lone All-Star and shift into full-fledged retooling mode. Wojnarowski (Twitter link) had reported earlier today that Orlando was still listening to offers for the big man, but would have to receive a substantial package to pull the trigger on a deal.

The Magic apparently believe the Bulls’ offer qualifies as substantial. In addition to the future first-round picks, which are the prized assets in the return, Orlando will also receive a former lottery pick in Carter who was highly regarded coming out of Duke and is still just 21 years old. Carter has been plagued by injury issues through his first three NBA seasons and his production hasn’t really increased since his rookie year, but he’s still viewed as a player with upside.

Orlando will also gain some longer-term salary relief in the trade. While Porter is earning more ($28.5MM) this season than any of the other three players involved in the swap, his contract will expire this summer. Vucevic is owed and Aminu are owed a combined $34MM+ next season, and Vucevic is under contract for one more year beyond that, so the Magic will have much more cap flexibility going forward.

The move also signals that Aaron Gordon is even more likely to be dealt today, with the Magic headed for a reset. The odds of the team moving Evan Fournier and/or Terrence Ross figure to increase as well. As Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports tweets, Orlando will boost the odds of landing a top pick in the 2021 draft by trading away veterans — that lottery pick, combined with the return of Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz next season, could help accelerate the team’s rebuild.

The Bulls, meanwhile, weren’t among the teams listed as having significant interest in Vucevic in a report earlier this month, but decided to take a big swing and will add a second All-Star to a core headlined by Zach LaVine.

The team’s front office wanted to bring in a “productive, serious-minded veteran” to be a cornerstone in Chicago, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), and zeroed in on Vucevic, who has posted a career-high 24.5 PPG this season to go along with 11.8 RPG and 3.8 APG. His .406 3PT% is also a career-best mark.

Taking on Aminu’s multiyear contract will add some money to the Bulls’ cap in 2021, but the club was projected to have plenty of flexibility, so that shouldn’t be an issue. Vucevic’s contract is also relatively team-friendly — he’s making $26MM this season, but that number will decline to $24MM in 2021/22 and $22MM in ’22/23.

It will be interesting to see whether the Bulls have more up their sleeve before today’s deadline. The team has been taking calls to gauge Thaddeus Young‘s value, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link), and remains in the mix for Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

It will take more than just Lauri Markkanen to acquire Ball, tweets Johnson. New Orleans may want Chicago to take on an unwanted multiyear contract, such as Eric Bledsoe‘s.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacers Waive Jalen Lecque

March 25th, 2021 at 4:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

4:10pm: The move is now official, according to a press release from the team.

4:03pm: The Pacers are waiving guard Jalen Lecque, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Indiana didn’t make any deadline deals on Thursday but the move will open up a roster spot. Lecque appeared in five games with Phoenix and only made four cameo appearances with Indiana this season.

He was sidelined by an ankle sprain in early January, then was sent to the G League bubble later that month. He averaged 14.3 PPG and 3.3 APG in 14 G League games with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in Orlando.

Indiana acquired him in an offseason trade with the Thunder.

The athletic 20-year-old guard will seek a greater opportunity elsewhere.

Bulls Acquire Troy Brown In Multiplayer Trade

March 25th, 2021 at 11:32am CST by Arthur Hill

3:00pm: The trade has been expanded to include the Celtics as well. The full details can be found right here.

11:32am: The Wizards will send Troy Brown and Moritz Wagner to the Bulls in exchange for Daniel Gafford and Chandler Hutchison, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Washington will create a $2.1MM trade exception in the deal, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

Brown, 21, was the 15th pick in the 2018 draft, but he has appeared in just 21 games this year, averaging 4.3 PPG. Brown is under contract for $5.2MM next season and will be extension-eligible this offseason. Wagner, 23, who has a $2.2MM expiring contract, was a part-time starter in Washington, averaging 7.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in 25 games.

Since the Wizards declined Wagner’s team option for 2021/22, Chicago won’t be able to offer him a starting salary this offseason higher than what that option would have been worth ($3.89MM).

Gafford, a second-year big man, has a $1.8MM non-guaranteed salary for next season. He’s averaging 4.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 31 games. Hutchison, also a first-round pick in 2018, has appeared in just seven games this year. He will make $4MM next season and will also be eligible for an extension this offseason.

Clippers Trade Mfiondu Kabengele To Kings

March 22nd, 2021 at 10:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

10:54pm: The trade is official, according to a Clippers press release.

9:07pm: The Clippers are trading big man Mfiondu Kabengele, a future second-round pick, and cash to the Kings in exchange for a future second-rounder, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Both second-round picks are heavily protected and are unlikely to convey, Woj adds (via Twitter).

The Kings, who have an open roster spot to and won’t need to cut anyone, are using a $2,673,334 trade exception that was set to expire on Monday to take on Kabengele’s salary. They’ll presumably receive more than enough cash to cover the money owed to him for the rest of the season, making the deal worth their while.

The Clippers, meanwhile, open up a roster spot with the deal and create some extra room below their hard cap, giving them more flexibility to make another trade or sign a free agent.

As a hard-capped team, the Clippers would have needed to wait until March 30 to sign another player. With two roster spots open, they can now fill one or both of those spots, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. The club moves to $2.6MM below the hard cap (Twitter link via Marks).

Kabengele has appeared in 23 games this season but is only averaging 4.1 MPG in those outings, having essentially been limited to garbage time. The 27th overall pick in 2019, Kabengele saw action in 12 games last season as a rookie.

The 23-year-old power forward, who played college ball at Florida State, had his third-year option for 2021/22 declined, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, assuming he spends the rest of the season under contract.

Nets Sign Alize Johnson To 10-Day Contract

March 22nd, 2021 at 5:31pm CST by Luke Adams

5:31pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

7:39am: The Nets are set to sign forward Alize Johnson to a 10-day contract, pending clearance of the NBA’s health and safety protocols, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Johnson, 24, spent two seasons with the Pacers after being drafted 50th overall in 2018, but appeared in just 31 total games and played limited minutes, seeing more action with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the G League.

Johnson suited up for the Raptors 905 in the G League bubble this season, averaging 16.6 PPG and 13.5 RPG (second in the league) in 15 games (32.1 MPG). It was the third straight season in which he averaged at least 13 rebounds per game in the NBAGL.

The Nets’ roster dipped to 13 players on standard contracts on March 8. Since teams are only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard deals for up to two weeks at a time, Brooklyn needed to add a player to its roster to get back to that required minimum. After signing Johnson, the club will still have one opening on its 15-man squad.

Johnson’s 10-day contract with Brooklyn will pay him approximately $111K. The Nets’ cap hit will also be $111K, though Johnson’s deal will ultimately cost them a little more than that, since team salary is already far beyond the luxury tax line.