Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Clippers Sign Paul George To Four-Year Max Extension

December 10th, 2020 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers and Paul George have completed an extension that will keep the star forward under contract for four additional years beyond 2020/21, agent Aaron Mintz tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Clippers have officially announced George’s new deal.

The four-year extension – which will go into effect in 2021/22, replacing George’s current player option – will be worth the maximum salary and will include a new player option for the ’24/25 season, according to Wojnarowski.

The four-year extension projects to be worth approximately $176.3MM, assuming a 3% salary cap increase for next season. After earning about $35.5MM in 2020/21, George would receive a projected $39.3MM in the first year of his new deal, with 8% annual raises from there. The final-year player option would be worth $48.8MM. Those figures would all be a little higher if the cap increases by more than 3%.

“This is an important moment for our franchise and our fans, to secure a long-term commitment from one of the premier two-way players in the NBA,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “We aspire to create a destination for players, an environment where they can succeed and enjoy their success. We’re delighted by Paul’s pride in representing Clippers fans, honored that he trusts the organization with this chapter of his career, and share in his relentless pursuit of championships.”

Although George only joined the Clippers in 2019, he was eligible to sign a veteran contract extension because it has been more than two years since he signed his current contract with the Thunder.

The move comes on the heels of George telling reporters that he’d like to retire as a Clipper. This doesn’t necessarily assure him of that — he could be traded before 2025, and even if he plays out his full contract with the Clippers, he’ll be 35 years old when it expires, so he could sign elsewhere at that point to continue his career.

Still, the extension means that George – like LeBron James, who also recently completed an extension – will no longer have the opportunity to become a free agent in 2021. His teammate Kawhi Leonard can still opt out next year and will be ineligible to sign an extension before then, but there has been no indication that the two-time Finals MVP plans to leave Los Angeles. The Clippers appear fully committed to continuing to build around the Leonard/George duo.

George averaged 21.5 PPG and 5.7 RPG in 48 regular season games in his first season as a Clipper in 2019/20. Those numbers were his lowest in five years, but he was also coming off shoulder surgery and was limited to 29.6 minutes per contest, his lowest-full season average since his rookie year. He’s believed to be 100% healthy this year and will look to recapture the form that made him a six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA player.

As a result of signing a new contract that exceeds the extend-and-trade limits, George will be ineligible to be traded during the 2020/21 regular season, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Kings Sign Quinton Rose To Exhibit 10 Deal

December 10th, 2020 at 7:15am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

DECEMBER 10: The Kings officially signed Rose to his Exhibit 10 contract this week, per RealGM’s transactions log.

NOVEMBER 19: Temple guard Quinton Rose will be signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Kings, per Jason Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). The deal can only be officially inked after the new league year starts.

The 6’8″ Rose tallied a slash line of 14.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.8 SPG during his four-year college career. Jones notes that the lengthy, athletic Rose is in line with the type of player that appeals to new Kings GM Monte McNair.

Rose will join Sacramento for the team’s training camp in the hopes of making its regular season roster, or that of their G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings.

Exhibit 10 contracts are one-year, minimum salary deals that can carry an optional player bonus ranging from $5K to $50K. For further information on these deals, check out our Hoops Rumors Glossary entry.

Knicks Add Skal Labissiere, Will Sign James Young

December 9th, 2020 at 6:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

DECEMBER 9: The signing of Labissiere is now official, the Knicks have tweeted.

DECEMBER 7: Big man Skal Labissiere is signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Knicks, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. According to Stein, James Young is also headed to New York’s camp, apparently on a similar deal.

Labissiere and Young will receive $50K bonuses if they’re on the roster of the Knicks’ G League affiliate, Westchester, for at least 60 days.

Naturally, both former first-round picks hope they can make an even bigger impression in camp. Labissiere became an unrestricted free agent when the Hawks declined to extend a qualifying offer last month.

Labissiere, 24, played 33 games for the Trail Blazers last season, averaging 5.8 PPG and 5.1 RPG in 17.2 MPG. He suffered a knee injury in December and never suited up for Atlanta after it acquired him in a trade deadline deal.

Young, 25, was the 17th pick of the 2014 draft by Boston. He hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since the 2017/18 season, when he made six appearances for Philadelphia. He played in Israel last season.

The Knicks already have the maximum of 20 players in camp, so they’ll have to open up roster spots to sign the duo.

Nuggets Sign Monte Morris To Three-Year Extension

December 9th, 2020 at 6:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

DECEMBER 9: Morris has officially signed his extension, the Nuggets announced today in a press release.

DECEMBER 7: The Nuggets have agreed to a three-year, $27MM extension with guard Monte Morris, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. The deal will be fully guaranteed and includes incentives that could bump the value to $9.4MM annually, Mike Singer of the Denver Post tweets.

Morris would have been an unrestricted free agent next offseason without an extension. That’s because Morris was credited with a year of service under CBA rules when he signed a two-way contract in 2017, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (Twitter links).

It’ll be a big raise for Morris, who is due to make $1,723,707 in the upcoming season.

Morris appeared in three games during the 2017/18 season and has become a valuable member of the rotation the past two seasons. He appeared in all 82 regular-season games during the 2018/19 season and 73, including 12 starts, last season. He has averaged 9.6 PPG and 3.5 APG in 23.0 MPG in those 158 appearances.

He averaged 9.1 PPG and 2.7 APG during 19 postseason games in Orlando during Denver’s run to the Western Conference Finals.

Denver signed Euro star Facundo Campazzo last month as another option behind starting point man Jamal Murray but the extension displays the Nuggets’ commitment to Morris.

Morris’ extension will make him ineligible to be traded before the 2021 trade deadline, as Marks explains (via Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jazz Sign Shaquille Harrison To One-Year Deal

December 9th, 2020 at 4:35pm CST by Luke Adams

4:35pm: The Jazz have officially signed Harrison, the team announced in a press release.

3:03pm: The Jazz are finalizing a contract agreement with free agent guard Shaquille Harrison, sources tell Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’ll be a one-year, minimum-salary deal, Charania adds (via Twitter).

Harrison, 27, spent the last two seasons with the Bulls, averaging 5.9 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 116 total games (16.5 MPG). Harrison’s offensive output, including a shooting line of .442/.305/.706 as a Bull, was relatively modest, but he’s considered a strong perimeter defender.

The Jazz indicated heading into the offseason that they were making it a priority to add defensive-minded players to their roster. Harrison certainly fits that bill — he has averaged 2.3 steals per 36 minutes over the course of his NBA career, and the Bulls had a 99.7 defensive rating when he was on the court in 2019/20, compared to a 110.0 mark when he sat.

The Jazz only have 11 players with fully guaranteed salaries for 2020/21, so Harrison looks like a good bet to make the regular season roster. Utah also has a pair of openings on its 20-man training camp roster, so no corresponding move will be required to sign Harrison.

Knicks Waive Jacob Evans

December 9th, 2020 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have waived third-year shooting guard Jacob Evans, the team announced today (Twitter link).

Evans, 23, was drafted by Golden State with the 28th overall pick in 2018 and spent his first season-and-a-half in the NBA with the Warriors before being dealt to Minnesota in the D’Angelo Russell trade in February. In 59 overall games with the Warriors and Timberwolves, he has averaged 2.8 PPG and 1.1 RPG in just 10.5 minutes per contest, making just 33.7% of his shots from the floor.

The Knicks acquired Evans in a trade that sent Ed Davis to the Wolves last month. His inclusion in that deal was required for salary-matching purposes and he never appeared to be part of New York’s long-term plans.

Evans’ $2.02MM salary for 2020/21 is fully guaranteed, so the Knicks will have to pay out that money — the team remains about $18MM below the cap though, so that’s not a major concern. Evans had a $3.64MM team option for 2021/22 that will be automatically voided unless he’s claimed on waivers, which seems unlikely.

With a spot on their 20-man camp roster now available, the Knicks have room to begin completing their Exhibit 10 signings for G League rights and bonus purposes. Skal Labissiere, James Young, and Andrew White have all reportedly agreed to camp deals with the club and figure to eventually join the Westchester Knicks.

Looking ahead, the Knicks are now carrying 15 players with guaranteed salaries and would have to cut one of those players if they want to include either Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Myles Powell on their regular season roster.

Thunder Sign Theo Maledon

December 9th, 2020 at 11:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have signed rookie guard Theo Maledon to his first NBA contract, the team announced today in a press release. Oklahoma City now has a full 20-man roster, at least for the time being.

Maledon, 19, was the 34th overall pick in November, having technically been selected by Philadelphia. The Sixers traded his rights to Oklahoma City as part of the Al Horford/Danny Green swap that was finally completed on Tuesday.

The French point guard spent last season with ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne, playing in France’s Pro A league as well as the EuroLeague. In 46 total games, Maledon averaged 7.3 PPG, 2.7 APG, and 1.9 RPG in 17.3 minutes per contest.

The details of Maledon’s contract aren’t yet known. The Thunder are still technically operating as an over-the-cap club, with their various trade exceptions pushing them over the cap despite a relatively inexpensive roster. As a result, they’ll be able to use their mid-level exception to give Maledon a contract longer than two years and worth more than just the minimum in year one.

Maledon was one of three international draft picks by the Thunder in 2020. First-rounder Aleksej Pokusevski signed his rookie contract last week, while No. 37 pick Vit Krejci appears likely to remain overseas as he recovers from an ACL injury — he’s still under contract with Zaragoza in Spain.

Assuming Krejci is a draft-and-stash prospect, Maledon figures to be the last 2020 draftee to sign a contract for the coming season.

Thunder Sign Moses Brown To Two-Way Deal

December 9th, 2020 at 10:11am CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 9: Brown’s deal with the Thunder is now official, the team announced in a press release.

Oklahoma City is currently carrying 17 players on standard contracts and a pair (Brown and Josh Hall) on two-way deals.

NOVEMBER 22: Former Trail Blazers center Moses Brown will sign a two-way contract with the Thunder, according to Adam Zagoria of Forbes. The deal was confirmed by his agent, Gary Mo Moore.

Brown spent one year with Portland on a two-way deal and appeared in nine NBA games, playing 33 total minutes. He averaged 14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game with the Texas Legends in the G League. Brown didn’t rejoin the Blazers for the NBA’s restart in Orlando.

“I think that Moses in the last nine weeks has grown in leaps and bounds,” Moore said. “He’s gotten so much better in all phases of his game and in his life, and I think he’s going to be a tremendously surprise great addition to the league. I think the Oklahoma City Thunder have gotten a real quality player and he’s more ready now than (before).”

Thunder Sign, Waive Omer Yurtseven

December 9th, 2020 at 8:07am CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 9: After signing him on Monday, the Thunder waived Yurtseven on Tuesday, according to the NBA’s official transactions log.

Oklahoma City now has 18 players on its roster, with deals for Chasson Randle (training camp contract), Moses Brown (two-way contract), and Theo Maledon (standard contract) expected to be completed soon.

DECEMBER 8: The Thunder have filled the open spot on their 20-man training camp roster by officially signing undrafted rookie Omer Yurtseven to a one-year contract, per RealGM’s transactions log.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported shortly after last month’s draft that the Thunder and Yurtseven had reached an agreement on an Exhibit 10 deal. The former Georgetown big man looks like a good bet to join the Thunder’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.

Yurtseven, 22, began his college career at North Carolina State before transferring to Georgetown. He was the Hoyas’ starting center in 2019/20, averaging 15.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 1.5 BPG in 26 games (27.3 MPG). He decided to go pro this spring following his junior season.

Thunder Sign Josh Hall To Two-Way Contract

December 8th, 2020 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have officially signed undrafted rookie Josh Hall to his two-way contract, agent Nathan Conley tells JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link). Hall’s agreement with the club was reported shortly after the draft last month.

Ranked by ESPN as the No. 5 prospect among those who went undrafted, Hall has “considerable potential” as both a shooter and ball-handler, according to Mike Schmitz’s scouting report. A 6’9″ forward, Hall had been on track to play college ball at North Carolina State after a year at Moravian Prep, but opted to go pro and enter the draft instead.

The Thunder opened up a pair of spots on their 20-man training camp roster by completing their Al Horford trade earlier today, so it appears that Hall slid into one of those openings.

The signing increases Oklahoma City’s roster count to 19 players, with reported deals for Theo Maledon, Chasson Randle and Moses Brown (two-way contract) still to come. The club will have to make at least two cuts to finalize those moves.