Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nuggets To Acquire RJ Hampton

November 18th, 2020 at 9:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans will trade 24th pick RJ Hampton to the Nuggets, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. New Orleans will receive a 2023 lottery-protected first-rounder in return, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN (Twitter link).

Denver was among a handful of teams that worked out Hampton during the pre-draft process. The Nuggets also own the 22nd pick, which they used to select forward Zeke Nnaji of Arizona.

Hampton spent last season with the New Zealand Breakers in Australia’s National Basketball League. He appeared in 15 games before leaving in early February and returning to the United States to prepare for the draft.

Kennard To Clippers, Shamet To Nets In Three-Team Trade

November 18th, 2020 at 8:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers, Nets, and Pistons have agreed to a trade, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).

Wojnarowski and Charania report that Brooklyn will acquire Landry Shamet in the three-team trade, with Luke Kennard going to the Clippers and the Pistons acquiring Rodney McGruder and the No. 19 overall pick in tonight’s draft (Twitter link). Detroit selected Villanova forward Saddiq Bey using that selection.

The Clippers are betting that Kennard, who averaged 15.8 PPG on .442/.399/.893 shooting in 28 games for Detroit last season, will be an upgrade on Shamet, who recorded 9.3 PPG on .404/.375/.855 shooting in 53 games.

The Clippers also discussed a bigger trade with the Celtics which included Shamet, Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo tweets.

Kennard has a slightly less favorable contract than Shamet — he’s extension-eligible this fall and will be a restricted free agent in 2021 if he doesn’t sign a new deal. He’ll earn $5.3MM in 2020/21. Shamet, meanwhile, will earn $2MM in ’20/21 and $3.8MM in ’21/22 before potentially reaching restricted free agency in 2022.

Kennard is coming off an injury-marred season in which he played just 28 games due to tendinitis in both knees. However, he looked completely healthy during the team’s workouts in September.

Shamet provides another rotation guard for the Nets at a reasonable salary.

Bey is the third first-round pick by Detroit. It earlier selected Euro guard Killian Hayes at No. 7 and Washington center Isaiah Stewart at No. 16.

Suns Pick Up Option On Cameron Payne

November 18th, 2020 at 6:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns have picked up their $1.98MM option on guard Cameron Payne, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic.

Payne’s contract for the upcoming season only carries a $25K guarantee. He is expected to be the primary backup to Chris Paul, according to Hollinger, unless Phoenix drafts another point guard tonight.

Payne signed with the Suns at the end of June and appeared in all eight games at the Disney World complex, averaging 10.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists in a reserve role. A first-round pick by the Thunder in 2015, Payne also played for the Bulls and Cavaliers. He was in Toronto’s training camp last fall, but was released before the start of the season and didn’t get another NBA opportunity until joining the Suns.

Rockets To Trade Ariza, No. 16 Pick To Pistons For Future First-Rounder

November 18th, 2020 at 5:56pm CST by Luke Adams

UPDATE: This trade is being folded into a larger deal between the Rockets and Pistons, as described in a separate story.

The Rockets are trading Trevor Ariza and the No. 16 pick in tonight’s draft to the Pistons in exchange for a future first-round pick, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Houston will also receive the Lakers’ 2021 second-round pick from Detroit as part of the swap, sending $4.6MM to the Pistons, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter).

Ariza and the No. 16 pick are part of the package Houston will receive from Portland in exchange for Robert Covington. That deal – and this new one – can’t be completed until after the Blazers make the No. 16 pick tonight. Portland will now be making that pick on behalf on the Pistons.

Ariza, 35, was a solid contributor for the Blazers last season, averaging 11.0 PPG and 4.8 RPG with a .491/.400/.872 shooting line in 21 games (33.4 MPG) after being acquired in a trade-deadline deal. He opted out of the NBA’s restart this summer in Orlando.

Ariza will make $12.8MM this season, so the Pistons will absorb that money using their cap room, reducing the space they’ll have available in free agency. However, it’s not clear yet whether the entire amount will be guaranteed. Portland will have to be guarantee about $7.1MM to make the deal with Houston work, notes Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). If it’s still only partially guaranteed, that would give the Pistons more flexibility.

It remains to be seen if Ariza will be part of Detroit’s plans in 2020/21 — this deal is presumably more about the No. 16 overall pick. New general manager Troy Weaver will now enter tonight’s draft armed with the seventh and 16th selections as he looks to add young talent to the roster.

As for the pick the Pistons are sending out, it will be heavily protected, says James Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Edwards, it’ll be top-16 protected for the next four years, starting in 2021, then top-10 protected for two years and top-nine protected for one year. It would become a second-rounder if it still hasn’t changed hands at that point.

The Rockets, meanwhile, will pick up a pair of future draft picks while clearing enough salary from their books for the coming season to use their full mid-level exception, according to Wojnarowski. While there still may be a number of dominoes to fall in Houston, that MLE could give the Rockets enough spending power to sign a free agent who would help convince James Harden and Russell Westbrook the team can contend in the West.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out (via Twitter), Houston will also create a trade exception in the deal. It’ll be worth Ariza’s guaranteed amount.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sixers Trading Al Horford, Draft Picks To Thunder For Danny Green

November 18th, 2020 at 4:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers and Thunder have agreed to a trade that will send Al Horford and two draft picks to Oklahoma City and Danny Green to Philadelphia, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

The two picks headed to Oklahoma City are the Sixers’ 2025 first-round pick – which will be “lightly” protected – and the 34th pick in tonight’s draft, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer clarifies (via Twitter) that the ’25 first-rounder will be top-six protected.

According to Woj (Twitter link), Philadelphia will also receive wing Terrance Ferguson in the swap, while OKC will acquire the rights to draft-and-stash prospect Vasilije Micic, a 26-year-old who is considered one of the top point guards in Europe.

For the Sixers, the move represents a way to get off the most cumbersome prospect on the team’s books. While Horford (owed $27.5MM in 2020/21) would only have been Philadelphia’s fourth highest-paid player, the other three – Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Tobias Harris – all have clear roles on the team going forward, whereas Horford wasn’t a great fit during his first year as a Sixer.

The 76ers will replace Horford will Green, a three-and-D wing who adds some much-needed outside shooting to their lineup. Although Green struggled for the Lakers late in the postseason, he was a solid starter throughout the regular season, averaging 8.0 PPG with a .367 3PT% in 68 games (24.8 MPG). He has won championships in each of the last two seasons, having been a major part of Toronto’s rotation in 2018/19.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN details (via Twitter), the Sixers’ financial savings as a result of the deal should be substantial. Marks estimates it’ll save the team $18MM in tax penalties in 2020/21, as well as $7.7MM in salary. There will also be $42MM in long-term savings, with Green on a $15MM expiring contract and Horford still owed guaranteed money in ’21/22 and ’22/23.

The Thunder, who are acquiring Green in a not-yet-finalized deal with the Lakers, will either fold this deal into that one, making it a three-teamer, or renounce their free agents and use cap room to take on Horford, as Marks notes (via Twitter). If Oklahoma City takes the latter route, it would presumably close the door on the possibility of a Danilo Gallinari sign-and-trade scenario.

The Thunder now hold four picks in tonight’s draft — Nos. 25, 28, 34, and 53. And, of course, the 2025 pick is the latest in a long line of future first-rounders acquired by GM Sam Presti, who continues to stockpile assets for the franchise’s rebuild.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Magic Trade No. 45 Pick To Bucks

November 18th, 2020 at 2:26pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Magic have traded their No. 45 pick in today’s draft to the Bucks in exchange for two future second-rounders, the team’s official PR account tweets.

One of the second-rounders headed to Orlando is a Pacers pick and will be conveyed in either 2022, 2023, or 2024. The other is the Bucks’ second-round pick in 2026. Should MVP forward Giannis Antetokounmpo opt to depart Milwaukee next summer, that pick could end up landing fairly high in the second round.

The Pacers owe their 2021 second-round pick to the Nets, but it has 45-60 protection in both ’21 and ’22, meaning it may not change hands until it becomes unprotected in 2023. The Magic will get a Pacers second-rounder one year after the Nets get theirs.

The Bucks appear to be interested in adding second-round picks this year because, due to a CBA quirk, those picks will only count for $898K against both the luxury tax and hard cap if they sign for the minimum. Undrafted rookie free agents, meanwhile, would count for $898K against the cap but about $1.62MM against the luxury tax.

These small savings are imperative for Milwaukee since the Bucks will lack much wiggle room after their Jrue Holiday and Bogdan Bogdanovic trades are finalized and will likely surpass the luxury tax line, approaching their hard cap.

The Magic also hold the No. 15 selection in today’s draft, while the Bucks also have the No. 60 pick. There are conflicting reports on whether or not Milwaukee will also receive the No. 42 pick from New Orleans in the Holiday deal, which is not yet official.

Luke Adams contributed to this report.

Suns’ Saric, Spurs’ Poeltl Among Players Receiving QOs

November 18th, 2020 at 2:21pm CST by Luke Adams

A series of players have received qualifying offers from their respective teams, making them restricted free agents this fall, reports ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter). Those players include Suns forward Dario Saric, Suns guard Jevon Carter, Grizzlies two-way guard John Konchar, Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl, and Spurs two-way players Quinndary Weatherspoon and Drew Eubanks.

Saric and Poeltl are the most notable names in the group and were also the most likely to receive qualifying offers, since Phoenix and San Antonio will want to retain the ability to match offer sheets on those players. Saric’s QO is worth about $5.1MM, while Poeltl’s is for approximately $4.6MM.

Saric, Poeltl, and the other players who received qualifying offers could accept those one-year contract offers, but will likely try to negotiate new, longer-term deals, either with their own teams or with rival suitors.

The Pistons won’t be extending a qualifying offer to two-way player Jordan Bone, so he’ll become an unrestricted free agent, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Meanwhile, Raptors general manager Bobby Webster confirmed this week that the club will be making its annual qualifying offer to EuroLeague guard Nando De Colo, per Blake Murphy of The Athletic (Twitter link). Currently a member of Fenerbahce in Turkey, De Colo hasn’t played in the NBA since 2014, but would be a Raptors RFA if he wants to return, since Toronto has issued a QO each year since then.

Grizzlies Extend QO To Melton, Making Him RFA

November 18th, 2020 at 2:02pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Grizzlies have opted to extend a qualifying offer to backup point guard De’Anthony Melton ahead of his third season, making him a restricted free agent, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype and USA Today Sports (Twitter link).

Melton’s qualifying offer is worth $1,820,564. The Rockets drafted Melton with the No. 46 pick in the 2018 draft, but traded him to the Suns for his rookie season. The 22-year-old guard out of USC played 60 games, including eight starts, during his first year with Memphis in 2019/20. He averaged 7.6 PPG, 3.7 APG, and 2.9 APG across 19.5 MPG.

With Melton now a restricted free agent, the Grizzlies have the right to match any offer sheet the 6’2″ guard signs during the coming offseason.

Thunder Decline Option On Deonte Burton

November 18th, 2020 at 11:19am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Thunder will not exercise their $1,663,861 third-year team option on 6’4″ wing Deonte Burton, making him an unrestricted free agent, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets.

The move will enable Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti to open up a roster spot and generate a little added cap flexibility, as the team might be very active in draft-day dealmaking. Haynes notes that the Thunder may be open to bringing the 26-year-old Burton back.

Burton went undrafted in 2017 out of Iowa State. He had been on the Thunder roster since the 2018/19 season, when he started out by signing a two-way contract with the club before agreeing to a standard contract in March 2019. Burton played 39 games with the club last season, averaging 9.1 minutes per night.

Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman notes that, with Burton clearing their books, the Thunder now have only 13 players under contract for next season, including third-year wing Hamidou Diallo, for whom they have an identical $1,663,861 team option, and veteran big man Mike Muscala, who has yet to exercise his $2,283,034 player option.

Jazz Trade No. 23 Pick To Knicks For Nos. 27, 38

November 18th, 2020 at 9:07am CST by Luke Adams

9:07am: The trade is official, the Knicks announced in a press release.

8:32am: The Knicks have moved up four spots late in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports that the team is sending the 27th and 38th overall picks to the Jazz in exchange for No. 23.

New York will also receive the rights to 2008 second-rounder Ante Tomic in the deal, Wojnarowski adds. However, Tomic is not expected to join the NBA at any point.

The timing of the move is interesting, as this sort of deal is typically completed during the draft, when teams have a better sense of which players will be available – or unavailable – when they’re on the clock.

The Knicks may have felt they needed to leapfrog a team in the 24-26 range to target a specific player, or may have other plans in mind for the No. 23 pick. For now, they’ll enter tonight’s draft holding the eighth and 23rd overall selections.

As for the Jazz, they clearly have enough players they like in the 20s to feel comfortable pulling the trigger on this deal early. They’ll acquire a second-round pick whom they’ll likely be able to sign at or near the rookie minimum. Utah previously traded away its own second-rounder.