Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons, Blake Griffin Finalize Buyout

March 5th, 2021 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

4:04pm: The buyout agreement has been completed and Griffin has been placed on waivers, according to a team press release. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent on Sunday evening.

“As we stated from the beginning of our discussions with Blake and his representatives, our goal has been to facilitate a resolution for the future that maximizes the interests of both Blake and our team,” GM Troy Weaver said in a statement. “We appreciate all of Blake’s efforts on and off the court in Detroit, have great respect for him as a player and a person and we wish him all the best in the future.”

“I thank the Pistons organization for working together on an outcome that benefits all involved and I wish the franchise success in the future,” Griffin said.

11:04am: The Pistons and power forward Blake Griffin have agreed to a contract buyout that will pave the way for him to become an unrestricted free agent, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Shams Charania of The Athletic had reported on Thursday that Detroit and Griffin were working toward a buyout.

According to Wojnarowski, most of the NBA’s contending teams have interest in Griffin, who figures to make a decision on where he’ll sign in the near future after he speaks to his top suitors.

Griffin has been out of the Pistons’ lineup since February 15, when he and the team agreed to work toward a solution that would expedite his exit from Detroit. The Pistons were focused on developing their younger players, while the 31-year-old’s preference was to join a contending team, so both sides were on board with pursuing a trade or buyout.

Although Griffin has made six All-Star teams and five All-NBA squads over the course of his impressive career, health issues have significantly limited his impact this season, as he has averaged a career-worst 12.3 PPG on 36.5% shooting in 20 games (31.3 MPG).

The former first overall pick also has one of the league’s most onerous contracts, including a $36.8MM cap hit in 2020/21, followed by a $38.96MM player option for ’21/22. That deal presumably made it impossible for the Pistons to find a reasonable trade, which is why the team and his reps shifted their focus to a buyout.

It will be fascinating to see how much salary Griffin agreed to give up as part of the agreement — most players who are bought out by their teams are on expiring contracts, but it seems safe to assume Griffin didn’t simply decline his player option as part of the deal. The Pistons will likely be on the hook for a significant amount of 2021/22 salary, though they’ll have the option of stretching next season’s cap hit across three seasons.

[UPDATE: Griffin Gave Up $13.3MM In Buyout]

Griffin will spend two days on waivers before he’s officially free to sign with a new team, but as long as the Pistons finalize his release soon, he should have plenty of time to find a new home by the start of the season’s second half next Wednesday.

Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link) specifically names the Lakers, Clippers, Nets, Heat, and Warriors as teams that have expressed interest in Griffin, while Woj adds the Trail Blazers to the veteran’s list of viable options (Twitter link).

[UPDATE: Nets Considered Frontrunners To Sign Griffin]

Most of those clubs make sense, though a reunion with the Clippers would be a surprise, given how Griffin’s initial time with the organization came to an end. The Clippers re-signed Griffin to a five-year, $171MM contract in the summer of 2017 after pitching him on being a long-term centerpiece in L.A., then turned around and traded him to Detroit six months later.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bucks Waive Jaylen Adams

March 5th, 2021 at 6:27am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

MARCH 5: The Bucks officially waived Adams on Thursday, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

MARCH 3: The Bucks are set to waive point guard Jaylen Adams, a source tells Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link). This news comes in the wake of Milwaukee planning to ink Myles Powell to a two-way contract.

Adams and Mamadi Diakite occupied the club’s two available two-way contract slots on the current roster, so a move like this was inevitable for the Bucks to accommodate the addition of Powell.

A six-footer out of St. Bonaventure, the 24-year-old Adams was recently involved in an argument with an Uber driver, during which local police were called. Details of the conflict remain fairly murky as the situation is ongoing, and it’s unclear whether that incident was a major factor in the Bucks’ decision to cut him.

Last season, while playing for Milwaukee’s G League affiliate the Wisconsin Herd, Adams averaged 20.9 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 4.9 RPG across 34 games. He also posted a shooting line of .487/.401/.788. Adams has logged time across just seven games with the Bucks this year.

Bucks To Sign Myles Powell To Two-Way Contract

March 3rd, 2021 at 3:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks intend to sign former Seton Hall guard Myles Powell to a two-way contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Powell, who went undrafted in 2020, joined the Westchester Knicks for the G League season and has played well at the Walt Disney World bubble, averaging 17.8 PPG, 3.8 APG, and 1.8 SPG with a .448/.446/.818 shooting line in 13 games (28.1 MPG).

The NBA is expected to loosen the rules for players on two-way contracts this season, removing the restrictions that limit them to 50 regular season games and make them ineligible for the playoffs. So once Powell officially signs with Milwaukee, he should be eligible to play in the rest of the team’s regular season and postseason games.

The Bucks currently don’t have a two-way slot open, so they’ll have to waive either Mamadi Diakite or Jaylen Adams to make room for Powell.

Adams has logged just 18 minutes for Milwaukee this season and Diakite has yet to make his NBA debut, but both players have impressed at the G League level — Adams put up 20.9 PPG and 5.2 APG with a .401 3PT% in 34 games for the Wisconsin Herd last season, while Diakite averaged a double-double (18.5 PPG, 10.4 RPG) with 2.1 BPG and a .580/.500/.750 shooting line in 12 games for the Lakeland Magic before being recalled today.

Nets Re-Sign Shumpert, Roberson To 10-Day Contracts

February 26th, 2021 at 8:28pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Nets have brought back guard Iman Shumpert and forward Andre Roberson shortly after waiving them, announcing today in a press release that they’ve officially signed the two veterans to 10-day contracts.

Brooklyn signed Shumpert and Roberson to non-guaranteed contracts in recent weeks, then cut both players on Tuesday night in advance of this year’s salary guarantee deadline. By releasing the two vets and bringing them back on 10-day deals, the Nets will retain some roster and salary cap flexibility with the trade deadline just a few weeks away. Both players cleared waivers today.

Shumpert and Roberson were initially signed to bring their defensive abilities to an offensive-minded Brooklyn roster, but neither player has seen much action for the team so far. Shumpert has appeared in a single game, logging six minutes, while Roberson played 22 total minutes in two appearances.

The two 10-day deals will cover the rest of the Nets’ three remaining first-half games, then the club will have to make a decision on whether to re-sign the players to start the second half of the season. As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Shumpert will earn about $160K on his 10-day contract, while Roberson will make $149K. Both players will have cap hits of $111K.

The Nets now have a full 15-man roster, including three players – Shumpert, Roberson, and Tyler Cook – on 10-day contracts.

Lakers Sign Damian Jones To 10-Day Contract

February 26th, 2021 at 12:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers have signed center Damian Jones to a 10-day contract, ESPN’s Marc Spears relays via a team press release. The team had two open roster spots after waiving Quinn Cook on Wednesday.

Jones was waived by the Suns on Wednesday. He signed a partially-guaranteed two-year deal with Phoenix during the 2020 offseason but played just 6.7 minutes per game in 14 contests.

The 6’11” big man was selected with the No. 30 pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the Warriors out of Vanderbilt. He won two titles with Golden State in 2017 and 2018 as a little-used backup, then played significant minutes as a reserve with the Hawks during the 2019/20 season, averaging 16.1 MPG across 55 games (including 27 starts). Jones holds career NBA averages of 4.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 0.7 BPG in 13.3 MPG across parts of five NBA seasons.

Jones provides a little more depth up front with Anthony Davis sidelined by a calf injury. His 10-day deal will cover the rest of the season’s first half, paying him approximately $119K.

Raptors Add Donta Hall Via 10-Day Contract

February 26th, 2021 at 9:00am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

FEBRUARY 26: The Raptors have officially signed Hall, according to a team press release. He’ll be assigned to the G League, where the Raptors 905 have six days during his 10-day deal, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic.

FEBRUARY 25: Power forward/center Donta Hall, most recently with the G League Ignite, has agreed to sign a 10-day deal with the Raptors, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

After Hall went undrafted out of Alabama in 2019, he split limited time in his rookie NBA season with the Pistons and Nets. Across nine NBA contests, he averaged 4.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 0.7 BPG in 14.8 MPG.

Hall spent the majority of his rookie season with the Pistons’ G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive. He averaged 15.4 PPG, 10.6 RPG, and 1.4 BPG in 38 games (37 starts), while shooting 66.9% from the floor.

Across nine games with the Ignite in the NBAGL’s Orlando “bubble” this season, while averaging five fewer minutes than he did with the Grand Rapids Drive, Hall posted solid tallies of 8.9 PPG (on 61.4% shooting from the floor), 9.0 RPG, and 1.8 BPG.

Hall could prove valuable to his new club as an athletic, hyper-efficient center with legitimate bulk. Toronto could theoretically use the size of the Hall to help supplement forward Chris Boucher‘s minutes at the five in speedy lineups. Hall, 23, is listed at 232 pounds to Boucher’s 200.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Kings Sign Norvel Pelle To 10-Day Deal; Hassan Whiteside In Protocols

February 25th, 2021 at 12:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

FEBRUARY 25: The Kings have officially signed Pelle to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal, worth $99K, will cover the club’s remaining five games in the first half.

FEBRUARY 24: Center Norvel Pelle, who played three games for the Nets earlier this month, will join the Kings on a 10-day contract, tweets James Ham of NBC Sports California. Sacramento needs help in the middle because Hassan Whiteside will miss time due to health and safety protocols, Ham adds.

Pelle signed with Brooklyn in late January to help bolster a frontcourt that had been depleted in the trade for James Harden. He averaged 2.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per night, and was released last week to make room for Andre Roberson.

Pelle, 28, is currently with the Canton Charge at the G League bubble in Orlando.

Whiteside’s status was listed on the Kings’ official injury report released today for Thursday’s game, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. The team didn’t provide any further details, and it’s not clear if he tested positive for COVID-19 or is just affected by contact tracing.

Cavs Sign Brodric Thomas To Two-Way Contract

February 24th, 2021 at 9:45pm CST by Luke Adams

9:45pm: Cleveland has officially signed Thomas and waived Bolden, Russo tweets.

1:45pm: The Cavaliers are signing G League guard Brodric Thomas to a two-way contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Thomas had been on a two-way deal with Houston, but was cut earlier in the month to open up a spot for Ray Spalding. Thomas saw very limited minutes in four games for the Rockets, but has been a regular starter for the club’s NBAGL affiliate, averaging 16.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.0 APG, and 1.6 SPG in eight games (33.4 MPG) for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Cleveland will waive two-way center Marques Bolden in order to make room for Thomas, sources tell Kelsey Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). Bolden has played 29 total minutes in six games for the Cavs this season and has also had a limited impact at the G League level, recording 6.3 PPG and 6.0 RPG in three games (17.0 MPG) for the Canton Charge.

After officially completing those two transactions, the Cavs will once again have a 16-man roster, with 14 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals. Dean Wade is the lone player on the standard roster without a fully guaranteed contract, but Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link) hears the club has no plans to waive Wade before today’s salary guarantee deadline.

Lamar Stevens, the Cavs’ other two-way player, has recently emerged as a regular part of the club’s rotation, and a source tells Fedor that Cleveland will likely consider converting Stevens’ contract to a standard contract at some point. However, the fact that the Cavs are clearing space for Thomas by waiving Bolden rather than promoting Stevens to fill the open spot on the 15-man roster suggests that’s a decision that will be made later in the season.

Pelicans Sign Sindarius Thornwell To 10-Day Deal

February 24th, 2021 at 6:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

After waiving guard Sindarius Thornwell on Monday, the Pelicans have brought him back on a 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release.

Thornwell was released for financial reasons before his contract would have become guaranteed for the rest of 2020/21. Instead of having his $1.62MM cap hit locked in for the season, he’ll make about $111K on his new 10-day deal with New Orleans.

The 26-year-old has appeared in 11 games this season, making one start, and was averaging 1.4 points in 4.8 minutes per night.

Thornwell signed a substitution contract with New Orleans prior to the NBA’s restart last summer and got into two games in Orlando. He re-signed with the team during the offseason.

Kings Release Glenn Robinson III

February 24th, 2021 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

3:58pm: The Kings have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve waived Robinson.

3:36pm: The Kings intend to waive forward Glenn Robinson III, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The move will open up a spot on Sacramento’s roster, which is currently full.

Robinson, 27, signed a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract with the Kings during the offseason after playing for the Warriors and 76ers in 2019/20. The veteran won the team’s final roster spot in training camp and appeared in 23 games for Sacramento, averaging 5.3 PPG and 2.0 RPG on .424/.364/.913 shooting in 16.0 minutes per contest.

Robinson is currently away from the Kings for personal reasons and was reportedly anticipating his release, since today is the deadline for teams to waive players on non-guaranteed deals and avoid paying their full-season salaries.

As Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee noted earlier, Robinson has been dealing with a minor knee issue and the Kings would have to continue to pay him until he’s healthy enough to play, but that injury isn’t believed to be serious.

Assuming Robinson goes unclaimed on waivers, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent on Friday, while Sacramento carries a cap hit of at least $930,930 on their books.