Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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.

Timberwolves To Release Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

December 19th, 2020 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will be among the players waived by the Timberwolves in advance of the regular season, sources tell Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).

While most of today’s roster cuts are moves that had been anticipated, Hollis-Jefferson’s release comes as a surprise. He had played fairly well in three preseason games – including a 17-point outburst on 6-of-6 shooting on Monday – and the Wolves aren’t exactly loaded with depth at the power forward spot.

According to Krawczynski (Twitter link), the decision to part ways with Hollis-Jefferson is a “flexibility play” for the Wolves, who will enter the season with an open roster spot. Krawczynski hears that there’s a possibility Minnesota will bring back RHJ at a later date, but for now the club wants to keep that 15th spot open in case an injury replacement is required or an opportunity for a two-for-one trade arises.

Hollis-Jefferson, who will turn 26 next month, played for the Raptors last season, providing energy and defense off the bench. He averaged 7.0 PPG and 4.7 RPG in 60 games (18.7 MPG) for Toronto.

Since Hollis-Jefferson was on a non-guaranteed one-year, minimum-salary contract, a team with interest would be able to claim him off waivers on Monday using the minimum salary exception. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll return to the free agent market.

The Timberwolves will have to cut a few more players – likely Tyler Cook, Zylan Cheatham, and Charlie Brown Jr. – to set their regular season roster.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mavs Release Guard Courtney Lee

December 19th, 2020 at 1:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Veteran guard Courtney Lee has been waived by the Mavericks, head coach Rick Carlisle told Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).

The move trims the Mavs’ roster to the 15-player opening-day limit, plus two others on two-way contracts. While Dallas will monitor roster cuts by other teams, it’s unlikely the team will make another move, Caplan adds.

Lee was signed on a training camp deal on December 11 but was a longshot to make the final roster. He played for the Mavericks last season but was not a consistent rotation presence. Lee appeared in just 24 games, averaging 4.5 PPG, 1.3 RPG, and 0.8 SPG in 14.4 MPG.

He didn’t participate in the restart due to a calf injury.

The 35-year-old out of Western Kentucky was an effective three-and-D perimeter player in his prime. Prior to Dallas, he played for the Magic, Nets, Rockets, Celtics, Grizzlies, Hornets, and Knicks across a 12-year NBA career.

Cavs Place Randolph, Matthews, Mooney On Waivers

December 19th, 2020 at 12:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers have waived guards Levi Randolph, Charles Matthews and Matt Mooney, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets.

The most significant cut is Mooney, since he was on a two-way deal. That opens up a two-way slot, with the other occupied by Lamar Stevens.

The moves leave Cleveland with 16 players on the official roster, one over the limit. Big men Marques Bolden and Dean Wade are candidates for the two-way contract, though Wade would have to go through waivers before he could sign that deal.

Randolph was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal last month. He’ll likely wind up with their G League team, the Canton Charge.

Randolph, 28, has been trying to break into the NBA since graduating from Alabama in 2015. He has been part of Cleveland’s training camp the past two seasons and signed a two-way contract in January, but was waived six days later. Randolph led the Charge in scoring last year at 16.9 PPG.

Matthews was also on an Exhibit 10 contract. He spent one season at Kentucky in 2015/16 before transferring to Michigan, where he played for two seasons. Matthews declared early for the draft in 2019, but tore his ACL during a team workout.

Mooney signed a two-way contract with the Cavs last January after going undrafted in 2019. He made four brief appearances with Cleveland last season and saw action in 42 G League games, averaging 13.1 PPG and 5.1 APG in 31.2 MPG.

Sixers Waive Justin Anderson, Frank Mason

December 19th, 2020 at 12:18pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers have waived swingman Justin Anderson, according to 973 ESPN Sixers Insider Paul Hudrick (Twitter link). They’ve also waived guard Frank Mason III, Derek Bodner of The Athletic tweets.

Philadelphia has now trimmed down to a 15-man opening-day roster, along with a pair of two-way players.

Anderson signed a minimum salary two-year contract in late November but only $125K was guaranteed. He signed with the Nets as a substitute player prior to last season’s restart and saw action in seven seeding games and three postseason contests.

Anderson also signed a 10-day contract with the Nets in January before being released by the organization. A first-round pick by the Mavericks in 2015, Anderson had brief stops with the Sixers and Hawks as well.

Mason was just added this weekend on an Exhibit 10 contract. Unless he’s claimed, he’ll likely resurface with the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s G League squad. He initially became an unrestricted free agent when the Bucks pulled their qualifying offer to him last month.

The 5’11” point guard out of Kansas spent his first two seasons in the league with the Kings, appearing in a total of 90 games. He then signed a two-way contract with the Bucks in 2019/20.

Mason played nine games for Milwaukee and 23 for the Bucks’ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. He averaged a league-best 26.4 PPG for the Herd, along with 5.0 APG and 3.4 RPG, earning G League MVP honors.

Pelicans Waive Four Players

December 19th, 2020 at 11:52am CST by marksuleymanov

The Pelicans announced on Saturday that they’ve waived guards Rawle Alkins and Tony Carr, forward Jarrod Uthoff, and center Ike Anigbogu.

Given all four of those players were on non-guaranteed deals, the Pelicans’ roster is likely set for the regular season with 12 guaranteed contracts, two partially guaranteed deals (Willy Hernangomez and Sindarius Thornwell), and a pair of two-way pacts.

Anigbogu is the most prominent name among the bunch as the big man was a second-round draft pick (47th overall) of the Pacers in 2017. However, Anigbogu has seen action in just 14 games from 2017-19. The 6’10” center has also seen time in the G League, suiting up for 47 games over the past three seasons.

Uthoff and Alkins have also seen NBA action; Uthoff appeared in three games for the Wizards last season while Alkins played in 10 games for the Bulls in 2017/18.

Carr, 23, was a second-round pick of the Pelicans in 2018 and saw time for the team’s G League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, in 2019/20.

New Orleans also signed and waived Justin Wright-Foreman, per RealGM’s transactions log, presumably for G League purposes.