Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hawks Signing Nathan Knight To Two-Way Contract

November 19th, 2020 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have reached an agreement on a two-way deal with undrafted free agent center Nathan Knight, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Knight, who spent all four years of his college career at William & Mary, averaged a double-double in 2019/20 as a senior, recording 20.7 PPG and 10.5 RPG in 32 games (29.6 MPG).

Jonathan Givony of ESPN, who ranked Knight 11th among undrafted prospects, called him one of the most skilled big men in college basketball and suggested he would have been a lock to have been drafted in the first round a decade or two ago. However, his poor lateral quickness could create issues on defense in the modern NBA.

Knight is the third rookie the Hawks are adding to the mix, having drafted Onyeka Okongwu and Skylar Mays on Wednesday.

Myles Powell To Sign Exhibit 10 Deal With Knicks

November 19th, 2020 at 1:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

NOVEMBER 29: New York’s signing of Powell is now official, per a team tweet.

NOVEMBER 19: The Knicks will sign Seton Hall guard Myles Powell to an Exhibit 10 contract, Adam Zagoria writes for NJ.com.

Powell, an AP first-team All-American and winner of the Jerry West Award as the nation’s top shooting guard, will be with New York in training camp. He is eligible for a guarantee of up to $50K if he is waived and joins the Knicks’ G League affiliate.

Zagoria notes that the team’s shake-up may give Powell an opportunity to earn a roster spot. After today’s moves, New York has just seven players under contract for next season.

Former NBA player Rick Brunson, who has been training Powell and Knicks top pick Obi Toppin, believes the Seton Hall product has a future in the league.

“There’s NBA talent, which usually gets drafted on their talent, and there’s NBA players, and Myles is an NBA player,” said Brunson. “He may not check all the boxes with the length and the athleticism and height and all that B.S., but the guy is an NBA player. He can shoot, he’s tough, he makes threes at a high rate, he’s tough as nails, he can guard. He’s a winner and he’s a proven winner in college.”

Mavericks’ Tim Hardaway Jr. Opts In For Next Season

November 19th, 2020 at 12:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. will exercise his $18.975MM player option for next 2020/21, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Acquired from the Knicks midway through the 2018/19 season, Hardaway became a valuable contributor during his first full season in Dallas. The 28-year-old averaged 15.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 71 games while shooting a career-best 39.8% from three-point range.

Like many players with option years, Hardaway would have faced an uncertain fate in free agency due to the league’s downturn in revenue and the lack of teams with cap space. He will become an unrestricted free agent next summer in what is expected to be a more robust market.

Thunder To Exercise Option For Hamidou Diallo

November 19th, 2020 at 12:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Thunder will exercise their $1.66MM team option for next season on Hamidou Diallo, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Diallo, 22, has been a solid bench player for Oklahoma City during his first two years in the NBA. He averaged 6.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 46 games last season.

With Mike Muscala opting in earlier today, all the Thunder’s option decisions for next season have been resolved.

Knicks Waive Four Players, Decline Options For Portis, Pinson

November 19th, 2020 at 12:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:40pm: The Knicks have confirmed all the roster moves detailed below and added that they’ve turned down their team option on Theo Pinson, whom they claimed off waivers in June. Pinson’s option had been worth $1.7MM, but he’ll become an unrestricted free agent instead of remaining with New York.

The team projects to enter free agency with upwards of $38-40MM in cap room.

12:06pm: The Knicks will waive Elfrid Payton and Kenny Wooten and have decided not to pick up Bobby Portis‘ option for next season, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday. In addition, the team won’t make a qualifying offer to Damyean Dotson, who becomes an unrestricted free agent.

New York will also waive veteran forward Taj Gibson, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), and Wayne Ellington, tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post.

The decisions are designed to create cap flexibility, Popper adds (Twitter link). He notes that the team could opt to re-sign some of the players, but at lesser salaries than what they were scheduled to make (Twitter link).

Payton had a $1MM guarantee on his $8MM deal for next season. He started 36 of the 45 games he played last season, but the Knicks have indicated they want to find a new starting point guard. Gibson also had a $1MM guarantee on his $9.45MM contract, while Ellington receives $1MM of his $8MM deal. Wooten was on a two-way contract and didn’t appear in any NBA games.

The Knicks held a $15.75MM option for Portis, who averaged 10.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 66 games last season, mostly as a reserve. Dotson, who got into 48 games off the bench and averaged 6.7 PPG, would have required a $2,023,150 QO.

Pacers Signing Rayshaun Hammonds To Exhibit 10 Deal

November 19th, 2020 at 12:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Georgia forward Rayshaun Hammonds will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Pacers, tweets Scott Agness.

The 6’9″ junior averaged 12.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in 32 games for the Bulldogs last season. He was second on the team in scoring behind overall No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards.

An Exhibit 10 contract provides players with an invitation to training camp and a guarantee of up to $50K if they are waived and later assigned to the team’s affiliate in the G League.

Thunder Acquire Schofield, Second-Rounder Krejci From Wizards

November 19th, 2020 at 11:48am CST by Dana Gauruder

NOVEMBER 19: The Thunder also acquired Admiral Schofield from Washington in the deal, which is now official, according to a tweet from the Wizards.

NOVEMBER 18: The Wizards selected guard Vit Krejci with the No. 37 but they’re trading him to the Thunder, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Washington will receive the No. 53 pick in this draft plus additional compensation, Ben Standig of The Athletic tweets.

The Wizards used that pick on Michigan State point guard Cassius Winston. Winston led the Spartans to the Final Four as a junior and averaged 18.6 PPG and 5.9 APG as a senior.

The additional competition will be a future second-rounder, David Aldridge of The Athletic tweets.

Krejci of the Czech Republic won’t be able to play in the NBA in the near future. While playing for the Spanish team Casademont Zaragoza, the 20-year-old Krejci suffered an ACL injury that required surgery in early October. He’s a member of the Czech Republic national team and projects as a 6’8” combo guard.

Mike Muscala Exercises Player Option

November 19th, 2020 at 11:41am CST by Arthur Hill

Thunder center Mike Muscala has exercised his $2,283,034 player option for next season, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Oklahoma City signed Muscala last summer to a two-year, $4.31MM deal that included the option for the second season. The 29-year-old appeared in 47 games in his first year with the Thunder, averaging 4.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in about 12 minutes per night.

Muscala has been in the NBA since signing with the Hawks in 2013. He has also played for the Sixers and Lakers.

Timberwolves Extend Qualifying Offer To Malik Beasley

November 19th, 2020 at 11:26am CST by Arthur Hill

Malik Beasley has received a qualifying offer from the Timberwolves, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The $3,895,424 offer means Beasley will be a restricted free agent and Minnesota can match any offer he receives.

Beasley was extremely effective in 14 games with the Wolves after being acquired from Denver in a four-team trade in February. He moved into the starting lineup and averaged 20.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 42.6% from beyond the arc.

While Beasley figures to be in line for a huge payday, some teams may be reluctant to pursue him because of his recent legal troubles. Beasley faces felony charges of fifth-degree drug possession and threats of violence after being arrested in September and recently had his parental rights challenged.

Kelly Olynyk Exercises 2020/21 Player Option

November 19th, 2020 at 10:36am CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 19: Olynyk’s move is official, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, who adds that the Heat are now roughly $45MM below the tax line and are expected to move forward as an over-the-cap team. That will enable them to exceed the salary cap to bring back free agents Goran Dragic, Jae Crowder and possibly Meyers Leonard and Derrick Jones Jr.

NOVEMBER 18: Heat big man Kelly Olynyk is exercising his player option for 2020/21, as expected, a league source tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The move will guarantee Olynyk’s $13.2MM salary for next season and put him in line to reach unrestricted free agency in 2021.

Olynyk, 29, came off the bench for most of last season in Miami, averaging 8.2 PPG and 4.6 RPG with a solid shooting line of .462/.406/.860 in 67 games (19.4 MPG). Assuming Olynyk returns to the Heat for next season, he should once again be a regular part of the rotation, especially if center Meyers Leonard departs in free agency.

It’s also worth noting that once he opts into his contract, Olynyk will also be eligible to be traded, and his expiring contract could make a good salary-matching piece for the Heat as they explore their options this fall and perhaps during the season.

Since Olynyk was expected to opt in, the move doesn’t affect the Heat’s cap outlook. Miami still has he opportunity to open up some room, though the team is considered more likely to stay over the cap, attempting to re-sign players like Goran Dragic and Jae Crowder, and potentially using the mid-level exception.