Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pelicans Sign Jaden Springer

August 1st, 2025 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

2:47 pm: Springer’s contract is a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who tweets that the guard will compete for a roster spot in training camp.

7:22 am: The Pelicans have signed free agent guard Jaden Springer, the team announced in a press release.

The No. 28 pick in the 2021 draft, Springer played a limited role in Philadelphia across two-and-a-half seasons before being sent to Boston at the 2024 trade deadline. He spent roughly a full calendar year with the Celtics, then was rerouted to Houston in a salary-dump deal in February 2025.

After being cut by Houston, Springer signed a 10-day deal with the Jazz in February and agreed to a two-year contract with the team in March following that initial 10-day audition. However, he was waived by Utah last week before his minimum salary for the 2025/26 season could become partially guaranteed.

Springer, who is known more for his perimeter defense than his offensive game, has career averages of 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per contest across 110 regular season outings. He played a significant role at the G League level during his first two years with the 76ers, but has only made two appearances in the NBAGL since the start of the 2023/24 season.

Details of the Pelicans’ deal with Springer aren’t yet known — it’s a pretty safe bet that it will be a minimum-salary contract, but it’s unclear whether or not it will include guaranteed money.

For what it’s worth, New Orleans has 14 players on standard guaranteed contracts and has enough breathing room below the luxury tax line to carry a 15th man into the regular season, so there could be a path for Springer to make the team this fall. Because he has four years of NBA experience, he’s no longer eligible for a two-way deal.

Timberwolves Expected To Waive Jesse Edwards

August 1st, 2025 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

After reaching an agreement to sign forward Enrique Freeman to a two-way contract, the Timberwolves are expected to waive center Jesse Edwards from his own two-way deal, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The Wolves don’t need to cut Edwards in order to make room on the roster for Freeman, so it’s not clear if the move will happen right away or later in the offseason. But after Minnesota added a pair of rookie big men in Joan Beringer and Rocco Zikarsky in this year’s draft, Edwards no longer appears to be in the team’s plans going forward, as Krawczynski explains.

Waiving Edwards would also create a two-way opening for Tristen Newton, a 2024 second-round pick who still has a qualifying offer on the table from the Wolves. Zikarsky and Freeman will occupy the club’s other two-way slots.

A Dutch-born seven-footer who played his college ball at Syracuse and West Virginia, Edwards joined the Timberwolves on a two-way deal last July after going undrafted. The 25-year-old appeared in just two NBA games, but played a major role for the Iowa Wolves in the G League, averaging 11.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 25.1 minutes per game across 34 total outings.

Edwards was tendered a two-way qualifying offer in June and accepted it almost immediately. By signing that QO, he secured a partial guarantee worth $85,300, which won’t count against Minnesota’s cap.

Nets, Ricky Council Agree To One-Year Deal

August 1st, 2025 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

After being waived last week by the Sixers, Ricky Council IV is heading to another Atlantic team, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who hears from agent Adie von Gontard that the free agent swingman has a one-year agreement in place with the Nets.

An undrafted free agent out of Arkansas in 2023, Council spent his first two professional seasons with the Sixers, appearing in 105 games during that time, including a team-high 73 in 2024/25.

While the 6’6″ wing showed promise as a rookie, his production dropped off as he took an increased role in his second year. Council averaged 7.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 17.1 minutes per game last season, with an underwhelming shooting line of just .382/.258/.804.

The rebuilding Nets are in a better position to take a shot on Council, who will turn 24 on Sunday, than the win-now Sixers, who leaned on him so heavily last season due in large part to a series of injuries affecting starters and rotation players.

While the details of Council’s contract agreement aren’t yet known, it figures to be a minimum-salary deal, so it could be completed later in the offseason without cutting into Brooklyn’s cap room. I also wouldn’t expect it to be guaranteed, though that hasn’t been confirmed.

Pelicans Sign Bryce McGowens To Two-Way Contract

July 31st, 2025 at 9:11am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

July 31: McGowens’ two-way contract with the Pelicans is now official, the team announced in a press release.

July 30: The Pelicans are signing free agent guard Bryce McGowens to a new two-way deal, his Priority Sports agents Kyle McAlarney and Mark Bartelstein tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

McGowens has split his three previous NBA seasons between the Hornets and Trail Blazers.

The Nebraska swingman inked a two-way deal with Charlotte as a rookie in 2022/23, toggling between Charlotte and its NBAGL affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm. His contract was converted to a multiyear standard deal midway through that first pro season. In 105 combined regular season bouts for the Hornets across two years, he averaged 5.2 PPG, 1.9 RPG, and 1.0 APG, with a shooting line of .419/.330/.764.

Charlotte cut McGowens in the summer of 2024, and he subsequently agreed to a two-way deal with the Blazers. The 6’7″ wing played a limited role at the NBA level for Portland, averaging just 2.5 MPG across 13 outings.

Still just 22, McGowens put up impressive numbers for the Rip City Remix, Portland’s NBAGL affiliate, in 2024/25. Across 16 regular season bouts, he averaged 29.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.5 SPG and 0.8 BPG on .487/.330/.806 shooting. A right rib fracture cut his season short.

McGowens will join fellow two-way signings Trey Alexander and Hunter Dickinson in New Orleans.

Thunder Sign Malevy Leons To Exhibit 10 Deal

July 30th, 2025 at 3:29pm CST by Rory Maher

The Thunder have signed free agent forward Malevy Leons, the team announced in a press release.

While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Rylan Stiles of SI.com says Leons signed an Exhibit 10 contract.

After going undrafted out of Bradley in 2024, Leons signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Thunder last September and was waived before the 2024/25 season began.

At that point, it seemed like Leons would be headed to the G League to start his first professional season, but he was actually re-signed to a standard contract and spent two-plus weeks with the Thunder last fall, earning $126,356 on a minimum-salary deal before being cut in mid-November.

Leons’ NBA contributions were modest. He played 21 total minutes over six appearances and recorded two points, three rebounds and one assist. The 6’9″ Dutch forward was a regular contributor at the NBAGL level with the Oklahoma City Blue though, averaging 10.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 block on .489/.353/.773 shooting in 47 games (26.9 minutes per contest).

The Thunder now have 17 players under contract, plus a reported two-way agreement with Branden Carlson.

An Exhibit 10 is a non-guaranteed training camp contract and is typically designed to ensure a player can receive a bonus worth up to $85,300 if they’re waived before the season begins and spend at least 60 days with their club’s affiliate. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted into two-way deals, and Oklahoma City will have one open two-way spot after Carlson signs.

Second-Rounder Max Shulga Signs Two-Way Deal With Celtics

July 30th, 2025 at 2:59pm CST by Rory Maher

August 6: In a press release, Boston has officially announced its signing of Shulga.

July 30: Former VCU standout Max Shulga has signed a two-way contract with the Celtics, according to the official transactions log at NBA.com.

Shulga was selected No. 57 overall in the 2025 draft. Boston acquired his rights in a trade with Orlando.

A 6’4″ guard, Shulga was born in Kyiv, Ukraine and played high school basketball in Madrid, Spain. He spent three college seasons at Utah State prior to transferring to VCU in the summer of 2023.

In two seasons with the Rams, Shulga averaged 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 72 games (32.8 minutes per contest). He posted a shooting line of .440/.402/.826 over that stretch and earned first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors each of the past two seasons. Shulga was also the conference’s Player of the Year in 2024/25.

While Shulga is now officially under contract, the Celtics still have an unsigned second-round pick (No. 46 overall) in big man Amari Williams. He’s also expected to sign a two-way deal, as former ESPN employee Jonathan Givony reported on the second night of the draft.

Shulga will earn $636,435 for his rookie season and can appear in up to 50 games in 2025/26.

Daeqwon Plowden Signs Two-Way Deal With Kings

July 30th, 2025 at 2:55pm CST by Rory Maher

2:55pm: Plowden’s two-way deal with Sacramento is official, per the transactions log at NBA.com.

2:06pm: Free agent wing Daeqwon Plowden has agreed to sign a two-way contract with the Kings, agent Drew Kelso tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Plowden is a Philadelphia native who spent five college seasons at Bowling Green prior to going undrafted in 2022. The 26-year-old played for the affiliate clubs of the Pelicans and Magic during the 2022/23 and ’23/24 campaigns.

Last July, Plowden signed a two-way contract with the Warriors. While he drew strong reviews for his play in 2024 Summer League, Golden State wound up waiving him last September to make space on the roster for 2024 second-round pick Quinten Post.

The 6’6″ guard/forward caught on with the Hawks organization, signing an Exhibit 10 deal before being waived last October and playing for their G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks. He signed a two-year, two-way contract with Atlanta in December and was traded to — and subsequently released by — Phoenix earlier this month.

Plowden made his NBA debut for the Hawks on January 15, recording 19 points and four rebounds while making seven of his eight field goal attempts in 25 minutes. He made four garbage-time appearances over the following four months prior to the season finale on April 13, when he notched 17 points and four rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting in 31 minutes.

Plowden, who participated in the NBAGL’s Up Next event at All-Star weekend in February, recently played for the Kings’ Summer League team in Las Vegas, averaging 7.3 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 14.3 MPG across six contests. He shot 37.5% from deep and was impressive on defense, tweets Matt George of ABC 10 Sacramento.

In 40 games with College Park last season, Plowden averaged 15.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.7 APG and 1.1 SPG (31.7 MPG). He posted a shooting line of .404/.327/.877.

As our tracker shows, Plowden will fill Sacramento’s third and final two-way spot, joining Dylan Cardwell and Isaiah Stevens as players on two-way deals.

Doug McDermott Signs With Kings On One-Year Contract

July 29th, 2025 at 5:38pm CST by Rory Maher

July 29: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

July 21: Veteran sharpshooter Doug McDermott is re-signing with the Kings on a one-year contract, agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Charania, McDermott will earn $3.6MM in 2025/26, which is the veteran’s minimum for a player with 10-plus years of experience.

James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com confirms the news (via Twitter).

McDermott is entering his 12th NBA season and second with Sacramento. He appeared in 42 games last season but didn’t play much, averaging 3.5 points while shooting 43.6% from long distance in a career-low 8.1 minutes per contest.

The 33-year-old forward was a lottery pick back in 2014 (No. 11 overall) after a standout college career at Creighton. While McDermott hasn’t made the same sort of impact in the NBA that he did in college, he remains a dangerous shooter and off-ball cutter who needs to be accounted for at all times on offense, though he is often targeted on the other end of the court.

We’ll have to wait and see whether or not McDermott’s new contract is guaranteed. He will be the 15th player on the Kings’ standard roster, as our tracker shows.

Jordan Miller Signs Two-Way Contract With Clippers

July 29th, 2025 at 4:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

July 29: Miller’s two-way deal is official, according to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). Baldwin has been officially waived, as we detailed in a separate story.

July 26: After waiving Jordan Miller earlier this month, the Clippers are bringing him back on a two-way contract, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

The 25-year-old small forward was one of the stars at the Las Vegas Summer League, earning first-team honors after averaging 22 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 53% from the field and 39% from three-point range.

L.A. will create an opening for Miller by waiving Patrick Baldwin Jr., according to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link), who states that the team has interest in signing Baldwin to an Exhibit 10 contract if he clears waivers. TyTy Washington Jr., whose impending signing was reported earlier today, will have an Exhibit 10 deal and will also compete for a two-way contract, Murray confirms.

The Clippers elected to part with Miller 18 days ago rather than give him a $350K guarantee on his $2.19MM salary for next season. His previous contract would have included another guarantee if he earned a spot on the opening night roster.

L.A. originally gave Miller a two-way contract in 2023 after selecting him out of Miami with the 48th pick in the draft. He remained on the two-way deal through most of last season before it was converted to a standard contract on March 1.

Miller appeared in 37 games last season, putting up 4.1 points and 1.6 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per night with .433/.211/.800 shooting numbers.

Kobe Sanders, who signed on July 10, and Trentyn Flowers occupy the team’s other two-way spots.

Clippers Waive Patrick Baldwin Jr.

July 29th, 2025 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Clippers have waived forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., according to the NBA’s official transaction log.

A report over the weekend indicated that Baldwin would be waived to open up a two-way contract slot for Jordan Miller. That report, from Law Murray of The Athletic, noted that the Clippers would have interest in bringing back Baldwin on an Exhibit 10 contract if he clears waivers.

The 28th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Baldwin played limited minutes as a rookie in Golden State before being sent to Washington in the Jordan Poole/Chris Paul trade during the summer of 2023. He also played a limited role in D.C. across a season-and-a-half until he was dealt to the Spurs at the 2025 trade deadline. San Antonio waived the 22-year-old shortly after acquiring him and he finished last season on a two-way contract with L.A.

In 93 total NBA outings, Baldwin has averaged 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 8.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .405/.373/.658. The 6’9″ forward has played more of a featured role in the G League, including in 2024/25, when he put up 17.3 PPG and 6.8 RPG on .489/.364/.594 shooting in 23 games for the Capital City Go-Go and San Diego Clippers. He also filled up the box score with 2.4 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.3 steals per contest.

Baldwin still has one more year of two-way eligibility remaining.

The Clippers, meanwhile, can now officially move forward on their new two-way agreement with Miller, who will join Kobe Sanders and Trentyn Flowers as the team’s two-way players.