Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Timberwolves Place Four Players On Waivers

December 19th, 2020 at 7:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

As rumored earlier today, the Timberwolves have officially waived veteran forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, along with guard Charlie Brown Jr. and forwards Zylan Cheatham and Tyler Cook.

Hollis-Jefferson was in camp on a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contract, but he played well in three preseason games, averaging 7.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per night. After four years in Brooklyn, he joined the Raptors last season and posted a 7.0/4.7/1.8 line in 60 games.

Brown appeared in 10 games for the Hawks last season, but spent most of his rookie year in the G League. Cheatham got into four games for the Pelicans as a rookie, while Cook played a combined 13 games for the Cavaliers and Nuggets.

The moves leave Minnesota’s roster at 14, with 12 guaranteed contracts, plus a pair of two-way players.

Jazz Waive Yogi Ferrell, Malcolm Miller

December 19th, 2020 at 6:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Jazz have waived guard Yogi Ferrell and forward Malcolm Miller, tweets Eric Woodyard of ESPN.

Ferrell, 27, just signed with the team on Friday. He spent the past two seasons with the Kings, but averaged a career-low 10.4 minutes per game last year. Miller, also 27, has been with the Raptors the past three years and got into 28 games last season.

Along with waiving four players Friday night, Utah’s roster is now down to 14, including just 11 guaranteed contracts, as well as a pair of two-way players. The Jazz are slightly over the luxury tax line and may not carry 15 players this season.

Celtics Waive Amile Jefferson

December 19th, 2020 at 5:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics got down to the roster limit by waiving power forward Amile Jefferson, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

Jefferson, 27, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Boston two weeks ago, so he could wind up with the Celtics’ G League affiliate. He played a combined 30 games for the Magic in his first two NBA seasons before being waived in February. Jefferson got into 18 games last season, but played just 4.1 minutes per night.

Boston’s roster appears to be set for the regular season, with all 15 slots filled, as well as a pair of two-way players.

Nets Waive Three Players, Convert Perry To Two-Way Contract

December 19th, 2020 at 5:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets have waived guards Chris Chiozza and Elie Okobo, along with forward Paul Eboua, the team announced in an email. The team will keep rookie forward Reggie Perry, converting his Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal.

Chiozza came to Brooklyn on a two-way contract in January and re-signed with the team in December. He got into 18 games and averaged 6.4 points and 3.1 assists in about 15 minutes per night. He also played 10 games for the Wizards last season.

Okobo and Eboua both joined the Nets this week, so they may be headed to the G League. Okobo was the 31st pick in the 2018 draft and spent the past two seasons with the Suns. Eboua was claimed Friday after being waived by the Heat.

Perry was taken with the 57th pick in this year’s draft. The Nets acquired him in a three-way trade that involved the Clippers and Pistons.

With the moves, Brooklyn’s roster is now complete with all 15 spots filled, along with a pair of two-way players.

Spurs Waive Cameron Reynolds, Tyler Zeller

December 19th, 2020 at 4:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs trimmed their roster by waiving forward Cameron Reynolds and center Tyler Zeller, the team announced on its website.

Reynolds, 25, signed an Exhibit 10 contract late last month and appeared in one preseason game, scoring six points in two minutes. Reynolds got into 19 games last season as a rookie with the Timberwolves.

The 30-year-old Zeller signed with the Spurs before the restart and appeared in two games in Orlando, playing four total minutes. His contract included a non-guaranteed second season, so San Antonio won’t owe him any money. Zeller has played for seven teams in eight NBA seasons.

The Spurs’ roster is now down to 17 players, with both two-way slots filled.

London Perrantes, who was signed on Friday, will likely be cut today as well, since he was presumably only signed for G League purposes. However, the team didn’t announce his signing and may not announce his release either. Assuming he’s cut, San Antonio will start the season with an open spot on its 15-man roster.

Warriors Waive Juan Toscano-Anderson

December 19th, 2020 at 4:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

Golden State has waived Juan Toscano-Anderson, the team announced in a press release (via Twitter).

The 27-year-old forward signed with the Warriors in February and appeared in 13 games before the hiatus, averaging 5.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per night. He also played 31 games for the team’s G League affiliate. Toscano-Anderson had a three-year contract, but it didn’t carry any guaranteed money beyond last season.

The move leaves Golden State with a 15-man roster and one of its two-way slots filled. Toscano-Anderson could be re-signed to fill the other opening, although there’s no indication that’s what the Warriors are planning.

Kings Waive Frank Kaminsky

December 19th, 2020 at 4:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 20: The move is official, tweets James Ham of NBC Sports.

DECEMBER 19: The Kings will release center/power forward Frank Kaminsky, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Kaminsky signed a one-year deal with the team earlier this month that carries a $50K guarantee.

Kaminsky, 27, got into 39 games with the Suns last season, averaging 9.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in about 20 minutes per night. He was the ninth pick in the 2015 draft and spent the previous four years in Charlotte.

The Kings are now down to 17 players on their camp roster and will need to make at least one more move before Monday’s deadline. They have 14 fully guaranteed contracts, along with Glenn Robinson III, Chimezie Metu and one player on a two-way deal.

Robinson will make the final roster, according to James Ham of NBC Sports (Twitter link), so Sacramento may decide to waive Metu and re-sign him to fill the other two-way slot. Metu’s contract isn’t an Exhibit 10 deal, so it can’t be directly converted into a two-way contract.

Bulls Exercise Options On White, Carter, Hutchison

December 19th, 2020 at 3:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls have exercised the third-year team option on guard Coby White and fourth-year options on Wendell Carter Jr. and Chandler Hutchison for the 2021/22 season, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic tweets.

Chicago’s decisions on White and Carter, lottery picks and members of the starting five, were mere formalities. The Bulls’ decision on Hutchison wasn’t a slam dunk, though he’s projected to be a rotation player this season.

White, the seventh pick in last year’s draft, will receive $5,837,760 during the 2021/22 season. White averaged 13.2 PPG and 2.7 APG in 25.8 MPG as a rookie.

Carter, who was taken at the same spot in the 2018 draft, will receive a guaranteed $6,920,027 in 2021/22 while Hutchison will make $4,019,459.

Carter was limited to 43 games last season due to a thumb injury. He averaged 11.3 PPG and 9.4 RPG in 29.2 MPG.

Hutchison underwent shoulder surgery in March after play was halted. Hutchison, who was the No. 22 pick in 2018, had both of his two professional seasons cut short by health issues. In total, he has appeared in just 72 games (19.8 MPG), averaging 6.2 PPG and 4.1 RPG on .458/.295/.595 shooting since arriving in Chicago.

Pacers Waive Naz Mitrou-Long, Josh Gray, Devin Robinson

December 19th, 2020 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have reduced their preseason roster from 20 players to 17, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived guard Naz Mitrou-Long, guard Josh Gray, and forward Devin Robinson.

Mitrou-Long spent the 2019/20 season on a two-way contract with the Pacers, appearing in five regular season NBA games. Gray was on a two-way deal with the Pelicans last season and played in just two games with the team. Robinson has some previous NBA experience with the Wizards but spent the ’19/20 campaign in the G League.

All three players were on non-guaranteed contracts, so Indiana won’t be on the hook for any dead money after cutting them.

The Pacers’ roster now appears set for the regular season, with 14 players on guaranteed deals, one with a partial guarantee (Kelan Martin) and a pair on two-way contracts (Brian Bowen and Cassius Stanley).

Cavs Convert Bolden To Two-Way Deal, Add Pelle

December 19th, 2020 at 1:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers have converted Marques Bolden‘s contract into a two-way deal and signed forward/center Norvel Pelle, according to a team press release.

The 6’11” Bolden appeared in all four Cavaliers preseason games. He played in one game for the Cavs last season after signing a 10-day contract in January. He was also a member of the Cavaliers’ 2019 training camp roster and played in 38 games last season with the Canton Charge, averaging 9.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 1.5 BPG in 18.9 MPG.

A two-way slot opened up when Cleveland waived guard Matt Mooney on Saturday.

The 6’10” Pelle appeared in 24 games with the 76ers last season, averaging 2.4 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 9.7 MPG. Philadelphia waived him last month before his $1.52MM contract became guaranteed. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cavs, according to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link).

Cleveland remains one player over the opening-night limit with the addition of Pelle. However, it sounds like the plan is for him to eventually join the Canton Charge in the G League — Fedor reports that he’ll be waived later today. No further cuts should be required for the Cavs.