Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Sign Tyler Cook To Second 10-Day Deal

March 28th, 2021 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

MARCH 28: The Pistons signed Cook to his second 10-day contract on Sunday, per NBA.com’s official transactions log.

MARCH 26: The Pistons plan to sign big man Tyler Cook to a second 10-day contract, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press tweets.

Cook was officially signed to his first 10-day with the club on March 18 — that deal is set to expire on Saturday night. He’s already appeared in four games with Detroit, accumulating nine points and 13 rebounds.

Cook reached the open market on March 6 when his 10-day deal with Brooklyn expired.

Undrafted out of Iowa in 2019, Cook spent time as a rookie last season on a two-way contract and a pair of 10-day deals with Cleveland before joining Denver for the NBA restart as a substitute player. He only appeared in 13 total NBA games, but played more for the Canton Charge and OKC Blue in the G League, averaging 12.9 PPG and 5.7 RPG in 29 games (21.3 MPG).

Cook returned to the G League for the 2020/21 season and was one of the early standouts at the Walt Disney World bubble, averaging 20.8 PPG, 9.6 RPG, and 4.4 APG in eight games (33.3 MPG) for the Iowa Wolves.

Lakers Sign Andre Drummond

March 28th, 2021 at 8:17pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

8:17pm: The Lakers have officially signed Andre Drummond, the team announced on social media.

12:54pm: Coveted free agent center Andre Drummond plans to sign with the reigning champion Lakers after he clears waivers today at 4 pm CT, his agent Jeff Schwartz has informed Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

As we relayed yesterday, Woj previously reported that the Lakers were a “strong frontrunner” to ink the veteran big man. Drummond also met with the Celtics, a club in the market for a Daniel Theis replacement after moving their starting center in a cost-cutting deal.

The 6’10” Drummond, a two-time All-Star during his tenure with the Pistons, should immediately get the starting nod ahead of erratic current starter Marc Gasol and undersized reserve center Montrezl Harrell, Woj noted in a since-updated story previewing Drummond’s interest in the Lakers yesterday.

After spending portions of two seasons in Cleveland, Drummond reached a buyout agreement on Friday with the Cavaliers, who are prioritizing young new center Jarrett Allen. Across 25 games with the Cavs this season, Drummond averaged 17.5 PPG and 13.5 RPG.

Given the Lakers’ salary situation, the deal can only be at the veteran’s minimum this year. But a starting nod and robust rebounding numbers on a club expected to contend for a repeat title could be a terrific opportunity for the 27-year-old Drummond to prove his mettle and make a case for a longer-term contract this summer.

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report observes (via Twitter) that there is “not a real obvious path” to an ample future long-term agreement with the Lakers. The team will have Drummond’s Non-Bird rights at season’s end, but the ability to offer a raise using those rights will be extremely limited.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

LaMarcus Aldridge Signs With Nets

March 28th, 2021 at 8:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

MARCH 28: The Nets have officially signed Aldridge, the team announced today in a press release.

Brooklyn will have a cap hit of around $555K and Aldridge will earn $878K, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).

MARCH 27: The Nets will be the next stop for free agent big man LaMarcus Aldridge, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Aldridge’s agent, Jeff Schwartz confirmed the deal, Woj adds (Twitter link). It will be a veteran’s minimum deal for the rest of the season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Aldridge just cleared waivers after agreeing to a buyout with the Spurs on Thursday. He reportedly gave up $5.8MM in that arrangement, which is more than he will get paid in Brooklyn. However, he will have the chance to compete for a title with a franchise that can surround him with star teammates.

Brooklyn has a roster spot open, so no move will be necessary before Aldridge can sign. The Nets are already huge winners on the buyout market, having also added Blake Griffin earlier this month.

Aldridge is likely to see most of his minutes at center, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Brooklyn has been searching for help in the middle ever since parting with Jarrett Allen in the January deal to acquire James Harden.

Aldridge’s decision comes as somewhat of a surprise, especially in Miami, where the Heat were thought to be the front-runners to sign him. Miami had received indications that it had a good chance to land Aldridge, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. An associate of Aldridge told Jackson that the veteran big man chose the Nets because he believes they’re in position to contend for a title. The Heat’s current six-game losing streak likely affected his decision (Twitter link).

Aldridge, 35, saw his playing time reduced this year as San Antonio opted for a younger lineup. He hasn’t played since March 1 while the Spurs tried to make a trade, but no suitable offers were received before Thursday’s deadline. Aldridge averaged 13.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in 21 games before being shut down.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Thunder Sign Moses Brown To Multi-Year Contract

March 28th, 2021 at 5:29pm CST by JD Shaw

The Thunder have signed center Moses Brown to a multi-year contract, converting his deal from a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release.

Brown, 21, most recently tallied 21 points and 23 rebounds in the team’s loss to Boston on Saturday, displaying serious flashes of potential. The 7’2″ big man went undrafted in 2019 and has spent most of the 2020/21 season in the G League.

Brown, who received All-NBA G League First Team honors, averaged 18.5 points, 13.9 rebounds and 26.4 minutes in 14 games with the OKC Blue. He’s appeared in 16 games with the Thunder this season and has emerged as a valuable young prospect for the club as it shifts its attention toward the future.

In addition to Brown, Oklahoma City owns an abundance of draft assets and contains a young core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort and others.

Knicks Waive Terrance Ferguson, Vincent Poirier

March 28th, 2021 at 4:26pm CST by JD Shaw

The Knicks have waived Terrance Ferguson and Vincent Poirier after acquiring both players on trade deadline day, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times (Twitter link). ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported (via Twitter) that Poirier would be waived.

New York brought in the duo in a three-team trade last week, also acquiring the Sixers’ 2021 second-round pick, the Heat’s 2024 second-round pick (top-55 protected), and the draft rights to Emir Preldzic.

Poirier, 27, played 10 games with the Sixers this season before being moved. He spent the previous season with the Celtics and played 130 minutes in 22 games.

Ferguson, the No. 21 pick in 2017, spent the first three seasons of his career with the Thunder. Oklahoma City then traded him to Philadelphia in December of 2020. The 22-year-old swingman appeared in just 13 games for the Sixers this year.

Both players will clear waivers on Tuesday, assuming they go unclaimed.

Austin Rivers Waived By Thunder, Eyeing Bucks

March 28th, 2021 at 1:01pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

1:01pm: Rivers has officially been waived, the Thunder have announced in a team press release.

12:22pm: After being dealt from the Knicks to the Thunder as part of the three-team trade that sent point guard George Hill to the Sixers, combo guard Austin Rivers has been waived by Oklahoma City, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). With the move, the Thunder will now have an available roster spot.

Charania, Eric Nehm and Seth Partnow of The Athletic write that the Bucks appear to be the frontrunners in the quest to add Rivers, should he clear waivers in free agency. Milwaukee is seeking to fortify its point guard depth after sending reserve point guard D.J. Augustin in a deal for veteran forward P.J. Tucker.

ESPN’s Zach Lowe first identified Milwaukee as a potential landing spot for Rivers last Monday, while Eric Nehm of The Athletic highlighted the possibility of Rivers being a target for the Bucks following the trade deadline.

Rivers joined the Knicks in the offseason on a three-year, partially guaranteed $10MM contract in a sign-and-trade. He appeared in 21 games for New York, averaging 7.3 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 2.0 APG and 0.6 SPG in just 21.0 MPG.

The 6’4″ veteran guard lost his rotation spot to Derrick Rose once the Knicks added the former MVP in a trade with the Pistons. Rivers has not suited up since February 13.

Magic Waive Jeff Teague

March 27th, 2021 at 11:10am CST by marksuleymanov

The Magic have waived veteran point guard Jeff Teague, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Orlando acquired Teague as part of the Evan Fournier trade at the trade deadline and had reportedly informed the veteran he would be let go.

Teague, 32, signed with Boston as a free agent over the summer but did not play well during his brief stint in Beantown. In 34 games (five starts), Teague averaged just 6.9 PPG and 2.1 APG while shooting 41.5% from the field, his lowest single-season total since his rookie campaign.

A former All-Star, Teague was at one time a reliable scorer and playmaker for the Hawks but he has failed to replicate his prior success since leaving Atlanta following the 2015/16 season.

Teague is still a veteran presence with postseason experience so he figures to draw interest from at least a few teams as a depth piece for the remainder of the season.

For his career, Teague has averaged 12.3 PPG, 5.6 APG and 2.3 RPG in 805 games for the Hawks, Pacers, Timberwolves and Celtics.

Sixers Convert Paul Reed’s Contract, Sign Mason Jones To Two-Way Deal

March 26th, 2021 at 9:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers have signed G League Most Valuable Player Paul Reed to a standard contract and Mason Jones to a two-way contract, according to a team press release.

Reed signed a two-way contract with Philadelphia in late November. Playing for the Delaware Blue Coats, Reed was the only player to average at least 22 PPG and 11 RPG during the G League season as he racked up 15 double-doubles.

Drafted in the second round in 2020, Reed has seen action in eight games with Philadelphia.

Jones, a rookie from Arkansas, appeared in 26 games for the Rockets earlier this season on a two-way contract. He was waived earlier this month, then signed a 10-day deal with Houston but the Rockets didn’t retain him.

With the Rockets, he averaged 5.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG and 1.5 APG in 11.8 MPG.

Philadelphia had an open roster spot and didn’t need to make a cut to accommodate its moves.

Spurs Sign Cam Reynolds To 10-Day Contract

March 26th, 2021 at 6:29pm CST by Luke Adams

6:29pm: It’s official, according to a team press release.

2:50pm: Free agent forward Cameron Reynolds is returning to the Spurs, according to his agent James Dunleavy, who tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link) that the team is signing Reynolds to a 10-day contract.

Reynolds, 26, spent the preseason with San Antonio, then joined the Austin Spurs for the G League bubble at Walt Disney World last month. In 14 NBAGL contests (29.0 MPG), he averaged 16.1 PPG and 4.6 RPG on .412/.337/.833 shooting.

The former Tulane standout has 19 games of NBA experience under his belt, having spent part of the 2018/19 season with the Timberwolves. He’ll earn $99K on his 10-day deal with San Antonio.

The Spurs briefly filled the 15th spot on their roster when they acquired Marquese Chriss at the trade deadline, but reopened it when they bought out LaMarcus Aldridge. As such, no corresponding roster move will be required to officially sign Reynolds.

Cavaliers Buy Out Andre Drummond’s Contract

March 26th, 2021 at 4:45pm CST by Luke Adams

4:45pm: The buyout agreement is official, according to a team press release.

“I want to thank Andre for his contributions to our team both on and off the court, and for his professionalism and mutual cooperation as we navigated through this process with him and his representation,” GM Koby Altman said. “We have great respect for Andre as a person and a player here in Cleveland and we are happy to have reached an outcome that is in the best interest of both Andre and our team.”

12:53pm: The Cavaliers have reached a buyout agreement with center Andre Drummond, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Drummond will be free to sign with any team once he officially clears waivers.

The move was expected, with reports on Thursday indicating that the Cavs were negotiating a buyout with Drummond after failing to find a favorable trade at the deadline.

Drummond, 27, is averaging a double-double for the eight consecutive season in 2020/21, with 17.5 PPG and 13.5 RPG in 25 games (28.9 MPG) for Cleveland. However, he wasn’t in the Cavs’ long-term plans, so the team pulled him out of its rotation in February to create more minutes for new center Jarrett Allen and to resolve his situation.

Drummond’s $28.75MM expiring salary made it impossible for the club to recoup anything of real value on the trade market. However, he could be as available on the free agent market for as little as the veteran’s minimum. Money will be one of the factors Drummond must consider as he weighs which team to join next, since some of his suitors – including the Lakers – will be limited to offering the prorated minimum, while others – like the Knicks – could go much higher.

His potential role and the opportunity to compete for a championship are other factors that Drummond will have to consider as he explores his options. Besides the Lakers and Knicks, the big man is expected to talk to the Clippers, Celtics, Hornets, and possibly the Nets.

Executives around the league reportedly view the Lakers as the frontrunners for Drummond.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.