Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Clippers Re-Sign Reggie Jackson

December 1st, 2020 at 7:01pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

10:42pm: The Clippers have officially re-signed Jackson, the team confirmed in a press release.

7:01pm: The Clippers have opted to re-sign reserve guard Reggie Jackson on a one-year contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. Woj adds that Los Angeles anticipates that Jackson will “play a prominent role” in the club’s guard rotation.

After reaching a buyout agreement with the Pistons in February, Jackson joined the Clippers for the stretch run of the 2019/20 season as a key backcourt option off the bench. In 21.3 MPG across 17 regular season contests with Los Angeles, Jackson averaged 9.5 PPG, 3.2 APG, and 3.0 RPG. He also posted excellent shooting splits of .453/.413/.905.

As uncertainty clouds the fates of guards Patrick Beverley, the starting point guard, and Lou Williams, his primary backup, Jackson may wind up being a more crucial contributor for the 2020/21 season.

Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets that, because the Clippers are roughly $1MM below the NBA’s hard cap, the team will most likely waive the non-guaranteed $2.6MM veteran’s minimum contract of veteran reserve center Joakim Noah to make room for Jackson on the roster.

Los Angeles will be able to add one more player on a veteran’s minimum, Marks notes. A younger Noah replacement or wing depth would make sense for the Clippers. The club could also technically opt to waive Noah, then bring him back on a one-year veteran’s minimum deal, as the signing would represent a lower cap hit than retaining him.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nuggets Sign Zeke Nnaji, RJ Hampton To Rookie Deals

December 1st, 2020 at 6:58pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Nuggets have officially signed No. 22 overall draft pick Zeke Nnaji and No. 24 overall pick R.J. Hampton to their rookie contracts, the club announced today in a press release. Hampton’s signing was previously reported.

Nnaji was named the 2019/20 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year on the back of a strong collegiate campaign for Arizona. The 6’11” forward averaged 16.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG and 0.9 BPG across 32 games. Nnaji also converted 57% of his field goal attempts.

Nnaji’s old Arizona teammates Josh Green and Nico Mannion were also selected during the 2020 draft on November 18.

In lieu of a college career, Hampton went pro overseas for the 2019/20 season, averaging 8.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 2.4 APG in 15 games for the New Zealand Breakers of Australia’s NBL. The Nuggets acquired the rights to draft the 6’5″ guard as part of the Jrue Holiday–Steven Adams four-team trade with the Bucks, Pelicans and Thunder.

Assuming they agree to deals for 120% of the standard rookie scale amounts, which almost every first-round pick does, Nnaji will net $2,379,840 this year and Hampton will make $2,193,480. If their third- and fourth-year options are picked up by Denver, Nnaji will earn $11.8MM in total, while Hampton will receive $11.1MM over the lifetime of his rookie deal.

Thunder Waive Josh Gray

December 1st, 2020 at 6:33pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Thunder have waived point guard Josh Gray, an acquisition in the club’s trade that sent long-time center Steven Adams to the Pelicans, according to an official team announcement.

The 27-year-old Gray played in five games for the Suns during the 2017/18 season. He had a two-game cameo with the Pelicans during 2019/20. Across 15.6 MPG with those clubs, Gray has averaged a cumulative 4.9 PPG, 2.0 APG, 1.7 RPG and 1.14 SPG.

In addition to significant draft pick compensation, Oklahoma City added Gray, George Hill, Darius Miller, Kenrich Williams, and Zylan Cheatham to their roster in the Adams deal. Along with Gray, Williams and Cheatham had to be thrown into the deal for salary-matching purposes, so it would not be a surprise if the team announces that it will be cutting one or both of them soon.

For the money to align in the Adams deal, Gray inked a three-year contract with the Pelicans ahead of the move. The contract was non-guaranteed in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons.

The Thunder have yet to announce their final training camp roster, unlike many other teams, since a number of their roster moves aren’t yet official.

Pelicans Sign Rawle Alkins To Exhibit 10 Deal

December 1st, 2020 at 5:43pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Pelicans have added guard Rawle Alkins via an Exhibit 10 contract, Andrew Lopez of ESPN tweets. Alkins confirmed the deal on his official Twitter account.

The 23-year-old Alkins went undrafted out of Arizona in 2018. The 6’5″ shooting guard saw his only prior NBA action during the 2018/19 season, when he inked a two-way contract with the Bulls. Alkins split his time between Chicago and the team’s G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

Alkins averaged 11.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.9 APG, 0.9 SPG, and 0.7 BPG in 44 games for the Windy City Bulls. Alkins also suited up for Chicago across 10 games, starting one. He averaged 12.0 MPG, 3.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 1.3 APG.

After the Bulls opted not to retain him for the 2019/20, Alkins played in Portugal, logging time with FC Porto of the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol.

As an Exhibit 10 signing, Alkins will now join the Pelicans for training camp this month, hoping to make the Pelicans’ regular season roster, or that of their G League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks in Eerie, Pennsylvania.

Wizards’ Deni Avdija Signs Rookie Contract

December 1st, 2020 at 4:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Rookie forward Deni Avdija has signed his rookie contract with the Wizards, the team announced today (via Twitter).

The No. 9 pick in the draft, Avdija is in line for a four-year, $20.34MM deal, assuming he signs for 120% of the rookie scale amount, as virtually every first-round pick does. The contract, which will pay him $4.47MM in his rookie season, will be guaranteed for the first two years, with third- and fourth-year team options.

Avdija, who has spent the last three years with Maccabi Tel Aviv, won the Israeli League Most Valuable Player award in 2020. He averaged 12.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 2.7 APG in Israeli League games, becoming the youngest MVP in league history at age 19.

Widely considered a probable top-five pick entering the November 18 draft, Avdija slipped to the Wizards at No. 9 and will now join a team led by John Wall and Bradley Beal that’s looking to make it back to the postseason in 2021. Washington now has a full 20-man training camp roster.

Pelicans Sign Tony Carr To Non-Guaranteed Contract

December 1st, 2020 at 4:09pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

DECEMBER 2: Carr has finalized his deal with the Pelicans, according to RealGM’s log of official NBA transactions.

DECEMBER 1: The Pelicans will add point guard Tony Carr to their roster on a non-guaranteed contract, Will Guillory of The Athletic tweets.

Carr was drafted by New Orleans with the No. 51 pick in the 2018 draft out of Penn State. He averaged 16.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 4.6 APG during his two seasons with the Nittany Lions. Carr converted 39.5% of his long-range looks and 78.6% of his free throw attempts.

After the draft, the 6’5″ guard played overseas, for squads in Italy and Russia. Carr inked a deal with the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, during the 2019/20 season. He averaged 9.3 PPG, 2.9 APG and 2.6 RPG in 14 games (including five starts) for the BayHawks last season.

Though he may not join the club when the games start to count, the 23-year-old will at least having a training camp to showcase his skills to a Pelicans team hungry to punch their ticket to the playoffs this season. Promising young players Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball will be flanked by new veteran additions Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams. Head coach Stan Van Gundy was hired this year to help push the club to the next level.

Mavericks Exercise 2021/22 Option On Luka Doncic

December 1st, 2020 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

In one of the least surprising roster moves of 2020, the Mavericks have exercised their 2021/22 team option on superstar guard/forward Luka Doncic, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Unlike the veteran team option decisions for ’20/21 that were due last month, team options on rookie scale contracts are due one year in advance of them going into effect. Clubs will have to finalize those decisions for ’21/22 within the next four weeks — December 29 is the deadline.

Of course, in Doncic’s case, the move was a mere formality. The 21-year-old has already emerged as a legitimate MVP candidate after two NBA seasons, having averaged 28.8 PPG, 9.4 RPG, and 8.8 APG in 61 games (33.6 MPG) for the Mavericks in 2019/20.

Doncic had already been slated to make $8.05MM this season. Dallas’ option decision will lock in his $10.17MM salary for ’21/22. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2021 offseason and it’s a virtual certainty that the Mavs will sign him to a new maximum-salary contract as soon as they can.

Nets Announce 20-Man Training Camp Roster

December 1st, 2020 at 3:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have finalized their training camp roster, announcing the 20-man squad today in a press release, as Malika Andrew of ESPN relays (via Twitter).

In addition to the 18 players already known to be under contract with Brooklyn, the list includes former Tennessee guard Jordan Bowden, who agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the team, and former Kentucky forward Nate Sestina, whose Exhibit 10 deal was first reported by Jon Chepkevich (Twitter link).

Absent from the Nets’ roster is point guard Elie Okobo, who reportedly agreed to a deal with the club on Monday. However, the fact that he hasn’t signed yet with Brooklyn doesn’t mean he won’t. I’d expect the team to cut a player at some point in the coming days to make room for Okobo, though he’d still have an uphill battle to earn a spot on the regular season roster.

Fourteen of the Nets’ 20 players are known to have guaranteed salaries for the 2020/21 season. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot has a partial guarantee, Jeremiah Martin has a two-way deal, and Bowden, Sestina, and Reggie Perry are on non-guaranteed contracts. The details on Chris Chiozza‘s new contract aren’t yet known.

Kings Sign Robert Woodard II To Four-Year Deal

December 1st, 2020 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

1:00pm: Woodard’s first NBA deal will be a four-year contract with a $1.5MM guaranteed salary in year one, reports ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter links). It’ll feature a $3.3MM overall guaranteed, according to Marks. That sounds like two guaranteed seasons with a small partial guarantee in year three.

12:48pm: The Kings have made it official with one of their second-round picks, announcing that they’ve signed former Mississippi State forward Robert Woodard II to his first NBA contract.

After playing a modest role off the bench as a freshman in 2018/19, Woodard moved into Mississippi State’s starting lineup last season and took an impressive step forward as a sophomore, averaging 11.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 1.1 SPG. In 31 games (33.1 MPG), he posted an impressive .495 FG% and .429 3PT%.

Woodard, who declared for the draft as an early entrant, was selected with the 40th overall pick last month and was sent from Memphis to Sacramento as part of a draft-night trade.

Terms of Woodard’s deal aren’t yet known, but the players picked at No. 39 (Elijah Hughes) and No. 41 (Tre Jones) each got fully guaranteed salaries for the next two seasons, so I’d be surprised if Woodard doesn’t get a similar commitment from the Kings.

Assuming his 2020/21 salary is guaranteed, Woodard will be the 13th player on the roster with a full guarantee for the coming season. That would leave just two spots on the 15-man regular season roster for some combination of Frank Kaminsky, Glenn Robinson III, Chimezie Metu, and No. 43 overall pick Jahmi’us Ramsey. Sacramento does still have a two-way contract slot still open too, so I’d guess the team will try to sign Ramsey to a two-way deal.

Nets Re-Sign Chris Chiozza

December 1st, 2020 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have officially re-signed free agent point guard Chris Chiozza, the team announced today in a press release.

Chiozza, 25, signed a two-way contract with Brooklyn in January and emerged as a reliable rotation player for the team, averaging 6.4 PPG and 3.1 APG on .425/.357/1.000 shooting in 18 games (15.4 MPG).

The Nets issued him a qualifying offer in November, making him a restricted free agent. That QO was equivalent to another two-way contract, but today’s press release doesn’t mention anything about Chiozza’s new contract being a two-way deal, so we’ll have to wait for clarification on the exact terms.

While Chiozza played well for the Nets in 2019/20, it’s unclear whether there will be a place for him on the regular season roster this season, with Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Tyler Johnson all ahead of him on the point guard depth chart. Bruce Brown and Landry Shamet are options at the position too.

Brooklyn is currently carrying 14 players on guaranteed contracts, with Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot considered the favorite for the 15th spot. Another point guard, Jeremiah Martin, occupies one of the two-way contract slots, with second-round pick Reggie Perry a candidate to have his Exhibit 10 deal converted into a two-way contract to fill the other opening.