Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets Sign David Nwaba To Two-Year Deal

June 23rd, 2020 at 10:28pm CST by Luke Adams

10:28pm: The Rockets have officially signed Nwaba, waiving Hartenstein to create the necessary roster spot, the club confirmed in a press release.

5:54pm: The Rockets have reached an agreement with free agent swingman David Nwaba, who will sign a two-year deal with the club, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Nwaba started the 2019/20 season with the Nets, but suffered a torn Achilles tendon in December and was waived shortly thereafter. The 27-year-old is still recovering from that Achilles injury, so he won’t actually play for Houston during the resumed season in Orlando, per Charania.

In other words, the Rockets are signing Nwaba for his potential 2020/21 value, and they’re reportedly paying well above the minimum to secure his rights — Charania suggests (via Twitter) that the two-year agreement will pay Nwaba $900K this season, with a team option for ’20/21. A minimum salary for the rest of the season would pay Nwaba less than $200K, so Houston will have to use the remaining portion of its taxpayer mid-level exception to complete the signing.

Nwaba, a strong perimeter defender, also held his own on the offensive end for Brooklyn in 20 games this season, averaging 5.2 PPG on .521/.429/.667 shooting in 13.4 minutes per contest. He previously appeared in 141 total games for the Lakers, Bulls, and Cavaliers, dating back to 2017.

In order to officially complete their deal with Nwaba, the Rockets will need to waive a player on their 15-man roster to create an opening. There’s no word yet on who will be the odd man out, but Houston has a handful of players on the roster who have limited roles and aren’t owed guaranteed money beyond this season, including Tyson Chandler, Bruno Caboclo, Isaiah Hartenstein, Thabo Sefolosha, and Chris Clemons.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rockets Waive Isaiah Hartenstein

June 23rd, 2020 at 10:27pm CST by ChrisCrouse

10:27pm: The Rockets have officially waived Hartenstein, the team announced in a press release. Their deal with Nwaba is official now as well.

8:45pm: The Rockets are waiving Isaiah Hartenstein, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

Houston agreed to sign David Nwaba on a two-year deal earlier today, creating a need to open up a spot on the 15-man roster. The 27-year-old Nwaba is still recovering from an Achilles injury, so he won’t actually play for the Rockets in Orlando.

Hartenstein, 22, showed some flashes earlier in the season filling in for Clint Capela. In 23 total games (11.6 MPG), he averaged 4.7 PPG and 3.9 RPG with a .657 FG%.

The Rockets have since traded Capela and committed to a center-less approach, which makes Hartenstein expendable. Houston won’t be on the hook for any of his salary beyond this season, since his $1,663,861 cap hit for 2020/21 is non-guaranteed.

Grizzlies Sign Anthony Tolliver For Remainder Of Season

June 23rd, 2020 at 8:25pm CST by Luke Adams

JUNE 23: The signing is official, according to the team’s Twitter feed.

JUNE 22: The Grizzlies and forward Anthony Tolliver have reached a verbal agreement on a deal that can be officially completed once the NBA’s transaction window opens on Tuesday, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).

Stein first reported over the weekend that Tolliver was drawing interest from a handful of teams, but appeared likely to rejoin the Grizzlies. According to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link), the veteran free agent ended up deciding between the Grizzlies and Raptors, opting to return to Memphis.

Tolliver, 35, appeared in 33 games for the Trail Blazers this season and another nine with Sacramento before he was bought out by the Kings. In five games on his initial 10-day contract with the Grizzlies, he averaged 5.4 PPG and 2.4 RPG on .381/.412/1.000 shooting in 19.2 minutes per contest.

Tolliver’s last 10-day deal, signed on March 2, had been set to expire on March 11, the night the NBA officially suspended its season. So even if the league had carried over active 10-day pacts once the season resumes, Tolliver would have needed to sign a new contract. He figures to get a rest-of-season deal that will put him on track to reach unrestricted free agency in the fall.

Kings Sign Corey Brewer

June 23rd, 2020 at 3:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JUNE 23: The Kings have officially signed Brewer, the team confirmed today in a press release. Sacramento now has a full roster, with 15 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals.

JUNE 22: Free agent swingman Corey Brewer plans to sign with the Kings, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Beginning on Tuesday, all teams will have a one-week transactions window to waive and sign players. Only players on the team’s eligible roster on July 1st will be allowed to travel to Orlando.

Brewer, who did not play in the NBA this season, had multiple offers, according to Charania. The Kings have an open roster spot and thus can add Brewer without waiving another player.

Brewer played a combined 31 games for Philadelphia and Sacramento last season and has averaged 8.7 PPG in 23.0 MPG over 814 career games. During his 24-game stint with the Kings, he averaged 4.1 PPG in 14.7 PPG.

His representatives tried in vain to find him a place to play this season prior to the suspension of play. Earlier this month, Brewer told HoopsHype he was hopeful to could find a place to play.

“We had some talks with a few teams, but nothing really happened. My agent is still working on it, so we’ll see,” he said. “I feel like I can still help a team and I feel like I have a few good years left.”

Brewer turned 34 in March and has worn the uniform of eight different teams.

Suns Reportedly Waive Jared Harper

March 12th, 2020 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

As the NBA schedule comes to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, teams apparently aren’t fully halting their roster business. According to Gina Mizell of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Suns have made a minor move by releasing two-way player Jared Harper.

The motivation for the transaction – especially given the timing – is unclear, since the NBA and G League will be suspended for the foreseeable future. It’s not coronavirus-related, Mizell clarifies.

Harper, 22, signed a two-way contract with Phoenix last July after going undrafted out of Auburn. The 5’11” guard logged just eight total minutes in three NBA games for the Suns, but was in the midst of a strong season for the Northern Arizona Suns, Phoenix’s G League affiliate.

In 34 NBAGL games (28.9 MPG), Harper averaged 20.2 PPG, 5.5 APG, 2.6 RPG, and 1.1 SPG with a shooting line of .413/.362/.787.

If and when the season resumes, Phoenix won’t be permitted to sign a new two-way player to replace Harper, since the signing deadline for two-way contracts was January 15.

Mychal Mulder Signs Multi-Year Deal With Warriors

March 10th, 2020 at 1:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors have signed Mychal Mulder to a multi-year contract, the team announced on Twitter. It’s a minimum-salary deal that’s not fully guaranteed beyond this season, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The rookie guard out of Kentucky was briefly a free agent after his 10-day contract with the team expired Saturday night. Golden State could have signed him to a second 10-day deal, but opted for the long-term arrangement.

After spending three years in the G League, Mulder made a strong impression in his first real NBA opportunity. He averaged 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in six games, making two starts. Coach Steve Kerr indicated after Saturday’s contest that the Warriors liked Mulder and intended to bring him back.

The signing leaves Golden State $310K under the luxury tax, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). They have two players on 10-day contracts, which each carry a $91,557 tax hit. Chasson Randle‘s deal will expire Thursday, while Dragan Bender is signed through Saturday. Marks adds that signing Bender for the rest of the season on Sunday would cost the team $293K.

Clippers Sign Joakim Noah To 10-Day Contract

March 9th, 2020 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 9: The Clippers have officially signed Noah to his 10-day contract, sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic (Twitter link). The deal will run through March 18, covering the club’s next five games.

MARCH 6: The Clippers have reached an agreement to sign free agent center Joakim Noah, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).

According to Wojnarowski, Noah is expected to officially join the team next week. No corresponding roster move will be required, since L.A. has an opening on its 15-man roster.

Noah’s deal with the Clippers will start as a 10-day contract, a source tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). That will give the club a chance to audition Noah and potentially change course if things don’t go well. Presumably, if it’s a good fit, a rest-of-season agreement will follow.

Noah, 35, last played in the NBA for the Grizzlies, appearing in 42 games during the 2018/19 season and averaging 7.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 2.1 APG in 16.5 minutes per contest. The big man reportedly had a workout lined up with the Clippers last September, but was forced to cancel it after suffering an injury.

Noah published an Instagram video in late January showing him training and confirming that he had been recovering from an Achilles injury. He stated at the time that he was looking to make a return to the NBA, with a post-deadline report suggesting that he was “fully healthy” and remained an option for the Clippers. The Nuggets were also said to be considering the veteran free agent.

In Los Angeles, Noah will provide frontcourt depth for a Clippers team that had been on the lookout for a true center with size. Montrezl Harrell and Ivica Zubac have done an admirable job handling the five for L.A. this season, but neither player is necessarily an ideal matchup for the NBA’s standout traditional centers.

The Clippers’ potential path to the Finals may require them to get past big men like Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert, and/or Steven Adams, so it makes sense that the team wants one more defensive-minded option up front, just in case.

Noah will earn $144,901 on a 10-day contract, with the Clippers carrying a cap charge of $91,557.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cavs Sign Sheldon Mac To 10-Day Contract

March 8th, 2020 at 5:34pm CST by JD Shaw

The Cavaliers have signed guard Sheldon Mac to a 10-day contract, announcing the move in a press release on Sunday. Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders first reported (via Twitter) that the two sides had agreed to a 10-day deal.

Mac joins swingman Sir’Dominic Pointer as the two Cleveland players on 10-day contracts, with the team signing Pointer to his deal last week.

“It’s been 3 years since I been on a NBA court…. today it ends!!!” Mac posted on social media. “All them earling mornings & late nights of therapy I will never forget!!!! ROTM is back.”

Mac, a 6’5″ guard, has played 41 games with the Cavs’ G League affiliate in Canton this year. The 27-year-old has averaged 15.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists on the season, going undrafted out of the University of Miami back in 2016.

Cleveland’s roster now stands at 17 players, which includes two players on two-way contracts. Mac, who is set to earn $81,678 during his 10-day deal, is the seventh player to receive a 10-day deal from the Cavs this season, as our tracker shows.

Grizzlies Sign Jontay Porter To Multi-Year Deal

March 8th, 2020 at 4:30pm CST by JD Shaw

The Grizzlies have signed rookie forward/center Jontay Porter to a multi-year contract, the team announced in a press release on Sunday.

The deal is guaranteed through this season and contains a team option for the 2020/21 season, Omari Sankofa II of The Athletic tweets. Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian adds (via Twitter) that Porter will earn a league-minimum salary.

Porter, the younger brother of Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., has progressed well in his rehab from two separate knee injuries and is projected to be ready by training camp in the fall, the release states. Memphis will use Jarrod Uthoff‘s roster spot to sign Porter, with Uthoff’s 10-day deal recently expiring.

Porter, 20, went undrafted last June after spending multiple seasons at Missouri. Despite the fact that he tore his ACL multiple times during his college career, he was still viewed by ESPN as a top-50 prospect when he declared for the draft last April.

Lakers Sign Dion Waiters To Rest-Of-Season Deal

March 6th, 2020 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 6: The Lakers have officially signed Waiters, the team announced this afternoon in a press release.

MARCH 5: The Lakers and free agent guard Dion Waiters have agree to a deal that will cover the remainder of the 2019/20 season, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Los Angeles has an open spot on its 15-man roster after waiving Troy Daniels on Sunday, so no corresponding move will be required.

After starting the season with Miami, Waiters was traded to the Grizzlies at the deadline last month and was subsequently waived by Memphis. The 28-year-old had a workout for the Lakers earlier this week and was said to have made a good impression during his visit with the team, leading to today’s contract agreement.

Waiters, whose stint in Miami was derailed by health issues and his off-court behavior, was suspended by the Heat three separate times this season and has only appeared in three games in 2019/20. In his three previous seasons with the club, he averaged 14.0 PPG, 3.6 APG, and 2.9 RPG with a .414/.365/.646 shooting line in 120 total games (28.7 MPG).

It remains to be seen how much Waiters will actually play in Los Angeles, but the team had been in the market for a little more play-making and scoring on the perimeter, which he can potentially provide. The Lakers were also said to be considering J.R. Smith, who auditioned for the club earlier this week too. Both players are represented by Klutch Sports, the agency that reps LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Rich Paul, the head of Klutch Sports, has had multiple conversations with the Lakers about Waiters, according to Charania, who notes (via Twitter) that the team is willing to release the veteran guard if things don’t work out.

Although Waiters’ contract must be guaranteed at this point of the season, it sounds like the Lakers are taking a similar approach to the one they took when they signed Dwight Howard to a non-guaranteed deal last offseason. Howard has made the most of that bounce-back opportunity in Los Angeles — we’ll see if Waiters can do the same.

Having used their disabled player exception to sign Markieff Morris, the Lakers have no available cap exceptions worth more than the minimum, so Waiters’ new deal will be worth a prorated portion of the veteran’s minimum. If he officially signs tomorrow, he’ll earn $503,656 for the rest of the season, with L.A. assuming a cap hit of $375,385.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.