Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Donovan Mitchell Signs Max Extension With Jazz

November 24th, 2020 at 3:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

NOVEMBER 24: The Jazz have officially signed Mitchell to his new five-year extension, per the NBA’s transactions log. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), the deal features a 15% trade kicker.

NOVEMBER 22: Jazz star Donovan Mitchell will sign a maximum rookie scale extension, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal will cover five seasons, starting in 2021/22, and will include a fifth-year player option for the ’25/26 season, reports ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter).

Mitchell will be guaranteed 25% of the salary cap, which would make the total value of the deal around $163MM over five years. That figure could rise to 30% if he meets All-NBA criteria for the upcoming season, which would put the contract in the neighborhood of $195MM. Those projections rely on an annual 3% increase in the cap, so the actual value could vary.

Mitchell will earn about $5.2MM in 2020/21, the last year of his rookie contract, before the extension officially begins a year from now.

The 13th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Mitchell has become a star in Utah during his three NBA seasons and is coming off his first All-Star appearance. He averaged a career-best 24.0 points per game last season and followed that with a historic playoff performance, scoring 36.3 PPG in the seven-game loss to the Nuggets.

He has improved his averages in several key statistical categories – including points and assists per game, as well as three-point percentage – in each of his three professional seasons and is still just 24 years old.

Utah has gotten most of its offseason business out of the way during the first 48 hours of the free agency period, having agreed to re-sign Jordan Clarkson and reaching a deal to bring back Derrick Favors using their mid-level exception.

Having locked up Mitchell, the Jazz are expected to focus on a new contract for center Rudy Gobert, who is also eligible for an extension. Gobert will reach unrestricted free agency in 2021 if the two sides don’t agree to a new deal before then.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pelicans Sign Steven Adams To Extension

November 24th, 2020 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 24: Now that the trade sending him to New Orleans has been completed, the Pelicans have officially announced their extension agreement with Adams.

NOVEMBER 23: As part of the trade that will send center Steven Adams from Oklahoma City to New Orleans, the Pelicans are signing Adams to a two-year contract extension worth $35MM, sources tell Zach Lowe and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links). The deal, which will run through 2022/23, will be fully guaranteed, per the ESPN duo.

Teams are permitted to extend players as part of trades, though those deals are limited to three total years, including the ones remaining on the player’s current contract. Since Adams is on an expiring contract, the Pelicans are able to tack on two new years. Worth $17.5MM annually, the extension will represent a dip from the big man’s current $27.5MM salary.

As we relayed earlier tonight, the Pelicans reportedly pursued Adams during the 2019 offseason. Their willingness to surrender a first-round pick for him and sign him to an extension are two more signs that he’s a player they value significantly.

In 2019/20, Adams averaged 10.9 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 2.3 APG in 63 games (26.7 MPG) as Oklahoma City’s starting center, helping to anchor the team’s defense. He’ll presumably take on a similar role in New Orleans, playing alongside Zion Williamson in the Pelicans’ starting five.

Adams is now on track to reach unrestricted free agency at age 30 in 2023.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hawks Sign Onyeka Okongwu, Announce Two-Way Players

November 24th, 2020 at 2:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hawks signed first-round pick Onyeka Okongwu and filled both two-way slots, the team announced on its website.

Forward/center Nathan Knight and guard Skylar Mays will both get two-way deals. We shared news of Knight’s expected signing last week, while the contract with Mays is new. They will be limited to 50 NBA games on their two-way contracts and will play in the G League if that season is held.

Knight played four seasons at William & Mary, averaging 20.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game as a senior. Mays was the starting point guard at LSU for the past four years and was a first-team All-SEC selection after averaging 16.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 3.2 APG in his senior season.

Okungwu was the sixth overall selection in last week’s draft after an outstanding freshman year at USC. Terms of the signing weren’t announced, but he is eligible to receive up to 120% of the rookie scale, which would be $5,813,640.

Celtics Sign Aaron Nesmith, Payton Pritchard To Rookie Contracts

November 24th, 2020 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have officially signed their two 2020 first-round picks, Vanderbilt’s Aaron Nesmith and Oregon’s Payton Pritchard, to rookie scale contracts, the team announced today in a press release.

After playing a part-time role as a freshman, Nesmith was in the midst of a breakout sophomore year in 2019/20 before a stress fracture in his right foot brought his season to an early end in January. In 14 games (35.7 MPG), he averaged 23.0 PPG and 4.9 RPG with an impressive .512/.522/.825 shooting line. He said today that his foot is 100% healthy and that he’ll be ready for camp, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.

As for Pritchard, he tested the draft waters in 2019 before returning to the Ducks for his senior season, which was the best of his college career. He averaged 20.5 PPG, 5.5 APG, and 4.3 RPG, while shooting 41.5% on three-pointers in 31 games (36.6 MPG) in 2019/20.

Nesmith, the No. 14 pick, projects to earn $16.5MM on his four-year contract, assuming he signs for the full allowable 120% of the rookie scale. The No. 26 pick, Pritchard will make $10.45MM on his four-year rookie deal.

Nuggets Sign Greg Whittington To Two-Way Deal

November 24th, 2020 at 2:26pm CST by JD Shaw

2:26pm: Whittington’s two-way deal is now official, per a press release from the Nuggets.

2:02pm: The Nuggets are signing free agent forward Greg Whittington to a two-way contract, agent Jerry Dianis told Hoops Rumors. Denver finalized the agreement with Whittington on Tuesday, making him the second two-way player on the team’s roster, alongside Markus Howard.

Whittington, a versatile 6’9″ forward, spent the past two seasons playing overseas in Turkey and Israel. He averaged 12.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in 14 EuroCup contests with Galatasaray last season, shooting 52.8% from behind the arc.

Prior to reaching an agreement with the Nuggets, Whittington turned down multiple offers from interested NBA and EuroLeague teams, his agent said.

“We chose this team because it was abundantly obvious that Greg has an immediate pathway to playing time for a championship-caliber team,” Dianis explained, “and that gives him the chance to significantly increase his future value.”

Denver lost forwards Jerami Grant (Pistons), Torrey Craig (Bucks), and Keita Bates-Diop (Spurs) this month, creating an appealing fit for Whittington on the team. The 27-year-old, who can play and defend multiple positions, is expected to provide frontcourt depth for a club that reached the Western Conference Finals this past season.

Two-way rules have been tweaked for 2020/21, allowing players to be activated for 50 of their teams’ 72 games, rather than being limited to 45 days spent in total. In addition, players will receive flat salaries of $449K, rather than receive a salary based on how many NBA days they played. Denver is one of two NBA teams without a G League affiliate — the other being Portland.

Whittington went undrafted back in 2015 after spending two seasons at Georgetown. He later joined the Heat for Summer League, attended training camp in the fall, and helped the team’s G League affiliate win a championship that season. In addition to Turkey, he’s also made stops in Australia, Sioux Falls, Japan and Israel.

We first reported on Saturday that the Nuggets were the favorites to sign Whittington.

Kevon Harris To Sign With Lakers

November 24th, 2020 at 12:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers will sign shooting guard Kevon Harris, tweets Ben Stinar of Forbes. No details were given on the deal, which was confirmed by his agent, Billy Davis. It’s likely a training camp contract, although the team does have a two-way slot still available.

Harris, 23, averaged 17.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game in his senior season at Stephen F. Austin. He was named Southland Conference Player of the Year.

Harris will face long odds to earn a spot on the Lakers’ roster, but he should be a candidate for their G League affiliate if that league is able to operate this season.

Blazers Sign Second-Round Pick CJ Elleby

November 24th, 2020 at 12:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NOVEMBER 24: Elleby’s deal will be fully guaranteed, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

NOVEMBER 22: The Trail Blazers have signed second-round draft pick CJ Elleby. according to a team press release.

It’s a two-year minimum deal, according to The Athletic’s Jason Quick (Twitter link). He’ll receive $898,310 next season and $1,517,981 in 2021/22.

The 6’6” Elleby was taken with the 46th overall pick. Elleby, 20, spent two years at Washington State, where he averaged 16.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.4 APG and 1.4 SPG in 32.1 MPG. Elleby, the first player to be drafted from the school since 2011, was an All-Pac-12 First Team selection last season.

Axel Toupane Will Get Exhibit 10 Deal With Warriors

November 24th, 2020 at 10:53am CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors will sign French forward Axel Toupane to an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Toupane will receive an invitation to training camp, with the possibility of earning a bonus if he joins the team’s G League affiliate.

The 28-year-old has previous NBA experience, signing with the Nuggets late in the 2015/16 season. He appeared in 21 games for Denver, averaging 3.6 points and 1.5 rebounds per night, but was waived before the next season began. He had brief stays with the Bucks and Pelicans in 2016/17, getting into two games with each team.

Toupane has played overseas since leaving the NBA and was most recently with SIG Strasbourg in France. He has also played for the French national team.

Nuggets Promote Bol Bol To Standard Roster

November 24th, 2020 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

4:22pm: The Nuggets have officially announced that they’ve signed Bol to a standard NBA contract.

10:32am: The Nuggets and young center Bol Bol have agreed to a two-year deal worth $4.2MM, his agents at CAA Sports tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Bol, who spent his rookie season in 2019/20 on a two-way contract, will be promoted to Denver’s standard roster as part of the agreement.

Bol, once considered a probable 2019 lottery pick, dropped to No. 44 in last year’s draft due to health concerns. The 21-year-old was limited to seven NBA appearances and eight G League games as a rookie.

However, Bol has flashed intriguing potential as a 7’2″ center who can knock down shots from beyond the arc, and the Nuggets are excited about his development, tweets Charania. In his eight games for the Windy City Bulls last season, he averaged 12.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 2.1 BPG with a .364 3PT% in 19.3 minutes per contest.

Even with Mason Plumlee out of the picture for the Nuggets in 2020/21, Bol will have to compete to earn a regular role in the rotation. Isaiah Hartenstein, Paul Millsap, and Zeke Nnaji are also candidates for minutes at the five behind Nikola Jokic.

Bol will fill the roster spot previously occupied by Keita Bates-Diop, who was waived before his salary for 2020/21 became guaranteed. Mike Singer of The Denver Post previously reported that the Nuggets would promote Bol to the standard roster.

After committing most of its mid-level exception to JaMychal Green, Denver will likely use the remaining portion of that MLE to complete the Bol signing.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lakers Sign Marc Gasol To Two-Year Deal

November 24th, 2020 at 10:14am CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 24: Gasol has signed his contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that it’s a straight two-year, minimum-salary deal, with no player or team option on year two.

Gasol will earn about $2.56MM in 2020/21 and $2.69MM in ’21/22.

NOVEMBER 22: The Lakers have reached an agreement to sign free agent center Marc Gasol, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe of ESPN, who first reported that the two sides were finalizing a deal, say it’ll be a two-year pact (Twitter links).

A former Defensive Player of the Year and three-time All-Star, Gasol has seen his numbers fall off significantly during the last year-and-a-half in Toronto. He averaged just 7.5 PPG and 6.3 RPG in 44 games (26.4 MPG) in 2019/20.

However, while he’s no longer as prolific a scorer as he was during his days with the Grizzlies, Gasol can still knock down three-pointers (38.5% in ’19/20) and facilitate an offense from the top of the key. He also remains a very effective defender, which will be important in Los Angeles. Montrezl Harrell, the Lakers’ other big frontcourt free agent addition, is far more effective on offense than on defense.

It appears likely that Gasol will get a minimum-salary deal from the Lakers, who are up against a hard cap. The team agreed to trade JaVale McGee to the Cavaliers, but will have to take back some salary in that deal. Plus, giving Gasol more than the minimum would require the Raptors to accommodate a sign-and-trade agreement.

Because the Lakers are offering a two-year contract, the first-year cap hit will be about $2.56MM instead of $1.62MM. The NBA partially reimburses teams for one-year minimum-salary veteran contracts, but not for two-year deals.

After completing this series of roster moves and filling out their roster with minimum-salary signings, the Lakers project to be about $1.3MM below the hard cap, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

Gasol was drafted by L.A. way back in 2007 but was traded to Memphis in a package for his brother Pau Gasol and never appeared in a game for the Lakers. Thirteen years later, he’ll finally suit up for the franchise.

Meanwhile, the Raptors – having lost both Gasol and Serge Ibaka in free agency – have pivoted by securing a commitment from free agent center Aron Baynes. The team is also re-signing RFA big man Chris Boucher.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.