Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Sign Mason Plumlee To Three-Year Deal

November 20th, 2020 at 5:47pm CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 1: Plumlee’s deal with the Pistons is now official, the team announced in a press release.

NOVEMBER 20: The Pistons have agreed to a three-year, $25MM deal with free agent center Mason Plumlee, agent Mark Bartelstein tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Plumlee, who has served as Nikola Jokic‘s backup in Denver in recent years, is a solid, steady option in the middle who moves the ball well on offense. He averaged 7.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 2.5 APG in 61 games (17.3 MPG) for Denver in 2019/20.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), the Pistons had about $10MM in projected cap room before free agency began, so it sounds like a good chunk of that money will go to Plumlee. It’s not clear what this means for Christian Wood‘s future — he overlaps positionally with Plumlee to some extent, and this deal reduced the team’s cap flexibility. However, it’s possible that additional moves will reopen a path to re-signing Wood.

The Nuggets, meanwhile, have now lost one of their three frontcourt players that reached unrestricted free agency this evening. Denver is expected to make an effort to re-sign both Jerami Grant and Paul Millsap.

Spurs Waive Metu, Re-Sign Eubanks

November 20th, 2020 at 5:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NOVEMBER 24: The Spurs have officially re-signed Eubanks, per the NBA’s transactions log. According to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), only the first year of the big man’s three-year, minimum-salary contract is guaranteed. The second year has a partial $500K guarantee and the third year is non-guaranteed.

NOVEMBER 20: The Spurs have waived forward Chimezie Metu, according to a team press release. They’re re-signing big man Drew Eubanks on a three-year contract, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

The three-year deal for Eubanks is worth $5.29MM, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. That makes the deal a minimum-salary contract.

Metu, a 2018 second-round pick, was never able to establish consistent playing time in San Antonio. He appeared in 47 games over the last two seasons, averaging 2.3 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 5.3 MPG.

Eubanks passed Metu in the pecking order by the end of last season, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News tweets. The undrafted Eubanks, 23, appeared in 22 games last season, averaging 4.9 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 12.4 MPG. He also flashed some shot-blocking ability, swatting 11 shots in San Antonio’s last seven games during the restart.

Eubanks, a two-way player last season, received a qualifying offer from the Spurs this week.

Lakers Sign Wesley Matthews To One-Year Contract

November 20th, 2020 at 5:27pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 22: The Lakers have officially announced their deal with Matthews, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic (Twitter link).

NOVEMBER 20: Free agent swingman Wesley Matthews intends to sign a contract with the Lakers, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Matthews turned down a player option with Milwaukee to reach free agency this week.

The Lakers’ deal with Matthews will be a one-year pact worth $3.6MM, says Charania (via Twitter). It sounds like the club will use its bi-annual exception – which has an exact value of $3,623,000 – to lock up the 34-year-old.

Although Matthews’ prime years are behind him, he remains a reliable three-and-D option, having started all 67 games he appeared in for the NBA-best Bucks last season. He recorded 7.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 1.4 APG with a .364 3PT% in 24.4 minutes per contest, and has never made fewer than 36.0% of his threes in a single season since entering the league.

The Lakers were in need of a wing who could shoot, with Danny Green having been traded away and Avery Bradley departing in free agency. Matthews can fill that role without breaking the bank.

The Lakers will be hard-capped at $138.93MM this season as a result of using the bi-annual exception.

Heat Re-Sign Meyers Leonard

November 20th, 2020 at 5:06pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 22: Leonard has put pen to paper on his new contract, making it official, the Heat announced (via Twitter).

NOVEMBER 20: Free agent center Meyers Leonard tells Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link) that he plans to re-sign with the Heat.

He’ll get a two-year deal that includes a team option on year two, according to Reynolds, who adds (via Twitter) that the deal is expected to start at around $9MM. It’ll be worth close to $20MM overall, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The second-year team option will allow the Heat to protect their cap room for 2021.

“I wanted nothing more than to come back to Miami. Literally nothing more,” Leonard told Reynolds (Twitter link).

Leonard, 28, was the Heat’s starting center for most of the 2019/20 season, averaging 6.1 PPG and 5.1 RPG with a solid .509/.414/.643 shooting line in 51 games (20.3 MPG). He saw his role reduced in the postseason, but Miami was still interested in continuing the relationship going forward.

Heat president Pat Riley indicated earlier this week that he wanted to “run this thing back” with the squad that made it to the NBA Finals this year, and it sounds like the team is making good on that vow. In addition to reaching an agreement with Leonard, the Heat have already struck a deal to re-sign Goran Dragic.

Heat Re-Sign Goran Dragic

November 20th, 2020 at 5:05pm CST by JD Shaw

NOVEMBER 22: The first free agent to reach a deal on Friday has now officially signed his new contract, as the Heat issued a press release confirming Dragic’s deal.

“It was essential for us to bring Goran back,” Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement. “He is part of our team, part of our culture and part of our family. He provides backcourt veteran leadership and can still play at a very high level. I’m glad to have him back in the fold.”

NOVEMBER 20: The Heat are re-signing free agent point guard Goran Dragic, he announced on social media today. The deal is a two-year agreement with a team option in the second season, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press tweets.

Shams Charania of The Athletic adds (via Twitter) that the agreement is worth $37.4MM, while Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports that the deal will pay Dragic $18MM in 2020-21 and $19.5MM in 2020-21.

Dragic, 34, will enter his seventh campaign with the Heat. He was originally acquired via trade back in 2015, mostly serving as starting point guard ever since.

Dragic was a key cog in Miami’s postseason run this year, averaging 19.1 points and 4.4 assists per game. He also shot 44% from the field and 35% from behind-the-arc during those games, proving his worth as a veteran piece on the court and off.

The Heat also agreed to re-sign Meyers Leonard early in free agency. Miami strategically included team options in both players’ deals, working to preserve salary-cap space for the summer of 2021.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Heat’s Gabe Vincent Signs Two-Way Qualifying Offer

November 20th, 2020 at 4:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat two-way player Gabe Vincent has signed his qualifying offer, according to the team (Twitter link).

The qualifying offer is a one-year, two-way contract with a $50K guarantee. So Vincent has secured that modest guarantee and currently occupies one of Miami’s two-way slots, though it wouldn’t be expensive for the team to eventually replace him with another two-way player if it so chooses.

Vincent was the G League’s Most Improved Player in 2019/20, averaging 20.9 PPG and making 40.3% of an impressive 10.3 three-point attempts per game in 31 contests for the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He saw limited action for the Heat in nine games at the NBA level.

Hornets To Sign Keandre Cook

November 20th, 2020 at 4:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hornets have reached an agreement with guard Keandre Cook, Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype tweets. Cook, who played college ball at Missouri State, will receive an Exhibit 10 contract.

He’ll look to make an impression in training camp with the likelihood of spending next season in the G League. Cook played two seasons for the Bears and averaged 14.9 PPG and 4.6 RPG while draining 42.3% of his 3-point attempts. He scored 26 points against Valparaiso in the MVC Tournament in his last college outing.

The 6’5” Cook spent two seasons at a junior college prior to signing with Missouri State.

Timberwolves Acquire Leandro Bolmaro From Knicks

November 20th, 2020 at 3:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NOVEMBER 20: The deal is official, according to the Timberwolves. Because Minnesota structured its draft-night trades slightly differently than expected, the trade technically sends Bolmaro’s rights to the Wolves in exchange for Quickley (No. 25), the Pistons’ 2023 second-round pick, and the draft rights to Mathias Lessort.

All of this offseason’s trades to date can be found right here.

NOVEMBER 18: The Knicks selected Argentinian guard Leandro Bolmaro with the No. 23 pick, which they previously acquired from the Jazz, but he’s not going to New York. The Timberwolves are acquiring Bolmaro for the No. 25 and No. 33 selections in the draft, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Bolmaro, 20, is a 6’7” combo guard who played for FC Barcelona last season, though he only averaged 11.6 MPG in 16 games.

The Knicks had originally acquired the 23rd pick from Utah for the No. 27 and 38 selections, so they essentially parlayed those original picks and moved up a few slots in both the first and second rounds. They used the No. 25 pick on Kentucky point guard Immanuel Quickley, the SEC Player of the Year.

With the Timberwolves selecting shooting guard Anthony Edwards with the first pick and acquiring veteran guard Ricky Rubio, they have reshaped their backcourt overnight. Bolmaro would appear to be a developmental selection or possibly a draft-and-stash prospect.

Timberwolves Trade For Ricky Rubio

November 20th, 2020 at 3:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

NOVEMBER 20: The trade is now official, according to the Timberwolves, who announced it in a press release. As expected, Johnson was sent to the Thunder along with the rights to Pokusevski in exchange for Rubio, the No. 25 pick, and the No. 28 pick. Oklahoma City also received the Timberwolves’ 2024 second-round pick in the deal.

Minnesota subsequently flipped the No. 25 pick (Immanuel Quickley) to New York in a deal for Leandro Bolmaro (No. 23). The Wolves have also confirmed that trade.

NOVEMBER 19: Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link) confirms that Johnson will be a part of this deal for salary-matching purposes. The veteran forward will still need to pick up his option before he can officially be traded.

NOVEMBER 18: The Timberwolves will acquire point guard Ricky Rubio from the Thunder, along with the 25th and 28th picks in this year’s draft, in exchange for the 17th selection, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Oklahoma City will receive Serbian 7-footer Aleksej Pokusevski, whom Minnesota selected at No. 17. The Thunder had expressed interest in Pokusevski throughout the past two weeks.

Although it hasn’t been reported yet, James Johnson will likely have to be included in the deal to match salaries. Rubio will earn $17MM during the upcoming season, while Johnson has a $16MM player option that he is virtually certain to pick up.

The deal represents a homecoming for Rubio, who spent six seasons with the Wolves at the start of his career. He began looking for a trade after being sent to OKC in the Chris Paul deal and was receptive to the idea of returning to Minnesota. Rubio wants to help the Wolves get back to the playoffs, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

Rubio will share ball-handling duties in the Minnesota backcourt with D’Angelo Russell, who was acquired at the trade deadline, and will reunite with former teammate Karl-Anthony Towns.

In addition to the 25th and 28th picks, the Wolves also own the 33rd pick in tonight’s second round. The Thunder, who have been stockpiling picks, will select again at 34 and 53.

Hawks Trade Dewayne Dedmon To Pistons For Tony Snell

November 20th, 2020 at 2:35pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 20: The Hawks and Pistons have officially completed their swap, as detailed below, per a press release from Atlanta. As expected, the Hawks have already waived Thomas.

NOVEMBER 19: The Hawks and Pistons have agreed to a trade that will send center Dewayne Dedmon to Detroit, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Wings Tony Snell and Khyri Thomas will head to Atlanta in the swap, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The move essentially sees both teams trade from areas of depth. Dedmon, acquired at last season’s deadline from Sacramento, became expendable in Atlanta with the Hawks expecting Clint Capela back from injury this year and also preparing to incorporate lottery pick Onyeka Okongwu into their frontcourt.

Meanwhile, trading Snell and Thomas will open up more minutes on the wing in Detroit for the likes of Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Sekou Doumbouya, and Saddiq Bey, observes James Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Dedmon will earn $13.3MM in 2020/21 and also has a $13.3MM cap hit for ’21/22, though that second year is only partially guaranteed for $1MM, per Basketball Insiders. Snell is on a $12.2MM expiring contract, while Thomas’ minimum-salary contract for ’20/21 only includes a partial guarantee. In other words, the deal is close to salary-neutral.

It remains to be seen how many of these players will be part of their new teams’ plans for next season. Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press suggests (via Twitter) that the Pistons aren’t done dealing and he wouldn’t assume Dedmon will stick around.