Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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.

Nuggets Sign Troy Daniels

March 5th, 2020 at 4:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

MARCH 5: The Nuggets have officially signed Daniels, the team announced today in a press release.

MARCH 4: Denver is finalizing a deal with former Lakers guard Troy Daniels, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Daniels was waived by L.A. on Sunday night after he and his agent, Mark Bartelstein, worked out a deal with the team. He cleared waivers earlier today. Daniels is a career 39.7% shooter from 3-point range and will give the Nuggets another deep threat off the bench. He will be eligible for the playoffs because he was waived by the March 1 deadline.

Denver was able to sign Daniels with the money it saved when Jordan McRae was claimed by the Pistons, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). Daniels will make $481K over the rest of the season and the Nuggets will have a $385K cap hit. That salary is in addition to the $2MM he receives from the Lakers.

Daniels averaged 4.2 PPG in 41 games with the Lakers after signing a minimum-salary contract last summer. Denver will be his seventh team in a seven-year career.

Warriors Sign Dragan Bender To Second 10-Day Deal

March 5th, 2020 at 12:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:55pm: The move is official, the Warriors announced (Twitter link).

9:46am: Dragan Bender will sign a second 10-day contract with the Warriors, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The decision follows a story yesterday that Golden State was taking a wait-and-see approach to Bender’s future with the team. His first 10-day contract expired after Tuesday’s game.

Bender has played six games since joining the team, starting three and averaging 7.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per night.

The signing will bring Golden State back to a full roster. Two potential openings will arise in the next week with Mychal Mulder‘s 10-day contract expiring Saturday and Chasson Randle‘s 10-day deal ending next Thursday.

Pistons Claim Jordan McRae Off Waivers

March 4th, 2020 at 4:16pm CST by Luke Adams

4:15pm: The waiver process is complete and McRae belongs to the Pistons, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

3:07pm: The Pistons intend to claim guard Jordan McRae off waivers this afternoon, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

After reaching a buyout agreement with Denver on Sunday, McRae was officially released and appeared to be headed to Phoenix, with the Suns planning to place a waiver claim of their own. However, with Derrick Rose on the shelf due to an ankle injury, the Pistons were said to be eyeing McRae for backcourt depth.

Because the waiver priority order is determined by the NBA’s reverse standings, Detroit (20-42) will be awarded McRae over Phoenix (24-38) if both teams submit claims. Technically, one of the five teams with a worse record than the Pistons could swoop in and steal McRae, but there has been no indication that will happen.

A fourth-year shooting guard, McRae was putting up the best numbers of his career in D.C. this season, recording 12.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 2.8 APG on .420/.377/.371 shooting for the Wizards, though injuries limited him to just 29 games. He was sent to Denver in a deadline deal for Shabazz Napier and averaged just 8.0 MPG in four games for the Nuggets, who have an overcrowded rotation.

The two sides reached a deal on Sunday that allowed McRae to get a new opportunity, with the Nuggets opening up a roster spot and saving some money. Although the 28-year-old agreed to surrender $390,424 of his minimum salary, that agreement will be negated by the Pistons’ waiver claim. Detroit will simply take on McRae’s $1,645,357 expiring contract, which will come off Denver’s books. The Pistons will be on the hook for paying the prorated salary remaining on the deal, while the Nuggets’ financial obligation will be extinguished.

By claiming McRae off waivers, the Pistons will get his Early Bird rights, which will give them added flexibility to re-sign him this summer. No corresponding roster move will be necessary for Detroit, since the team has an open spot after letting Derrick Walton‘s 10-day contract expire earlier this week.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cavs Sign Sir’Dominic Pointer To 10-Day Deal

March 4th, 2020 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

3:55pm: The Cavaliers have officially signed Pointer to a 10-day contract, the club confirmed today in a press release.

12:56pm: The Cavaliers are signing G League swingman Sir’Dominic Pointer to a 10-day contract, league sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Cleveland has been carrying a pair of open roster spots since shortly after the All-Star break and needed to fill at least one of them by this weekend.

Pointer, the 53rd overall pick in the 2015 draft, has spent the last several seasons playing in the G League and in international leagues in Israel, Lebanon, and Hungary. The Cavs held his draft rights up until last fall, when he signed his required tender and was immediately waived by the club.

Although Cleveland no longer held Pointer’s NBA rights after that point, he has spent the 2019/20 season playing for the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate, averaging 12.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.9 BPG, and 1.8 SPG in 40 contests (25.7 MPG) for the Charge.

Pointer is the latest in a long line of G League call-ups for the Cavs this season. Previously, Cleveland has promoted Malik Newman, J.P. Macura, Marques Bolden, Levi Randolph, and Matt Mooney (two-way deal) from the Charge to the NBA roster.

Pointer will earn $50,752 on his 10-day deal with the Cavs.

Warriors Sign Chasson Randle To 10-Day Deal

March 3rd, 2020 at 12:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

MARCH 3: The Warriors have officially signed Randle to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. Golden State now has a full 15-man roster, though three of its players are on 10-day deals and Bender’s will expire tonight.

MARCH 1: Chasson Randle will sign with the Warriors, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Randle’s agent, Darrell Comer of YouFirst Sports, confirmed the deal.

Randle made two prior attempts to join the NBA on 10-day contracts, but they were both blocked by Tianjin, his current team in the Chinese Basketball Association. Comer said Randle has reached a settlement with the club and will receive a FIBA letter of clearance as soon as his request can be processed.

The CBA has suspended play because of the coronavirus outbreak in China, affecting the status of roughly 40 American players, including familiar names such as Jeremy Lin, Lance Stephenson and Tyler Hansbrough. Givony adds that if the league does resume, it won’t happen until April, leaving all those players uncertain about their contracts.

Randle last played in the NBA during the 2018/19 season when he averaged 5.5 PPG in 49 games with the Wizards. The 27-year-old guard also had brief stops with the Sixers and Knicks.

Golden State has a roster opening, so no move will be necessary before Randle can be added. The Warriors already have two players on 10-day contracts, Dragan Bender, whose deal runs through Tuesday, and Mychal Mulder, who is signed through Saturday. It’s unclear if Randle will receive a 10-day deal or a rest-of-season commitment now that he’s no longer controlled by Tianjin.

Pistons Re-Sign Donta Hall To 10-Day Contract

March 3rd, 2020 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have signed big man Donta Hall to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. Hall’s first 10-day deal with Detroit expired last night, so the club didn’t waste any time in locking him right back up.

An undrafted rookie out of Alabama, Hall spent most of his rookie season with the Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s G League affiliate. He has averaged 15.5 PPG, 10.6 RPG, and 1.5 BPG in 36 G League games (28.6 MPG).

Since being promoted to the NBA last month, Hall has appeared in three games for the Pistons, recording 1.7 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 13.7 minutes per contest. His new 10-day contract, which will pay him $50,752, will run through March 12, covering Detroit’s next four games.

The Pistons had been one of a small handful of NBA teams with two roster openings, so no corresponding move is necessary to make room for Hall. The team still has its 15th roster spot open in case it wants to place a waiver claim for Jordan McRae, as was rumored earlier today.

Once Hall’s second 10-day contract expires, Detroit will have to either let him go or sign him for the remainder of the season.

Hornets Sign Joe Chealey To Second 10-Day Contract

March 3rd, 2020 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have signed guard Joe Chealey to a second 10-day contract after his initial 10-day deal with the club expired on Sunday night, the team announced today in a press release.

Chealey, 24, appeared in a pair of games during his first 10 days with the Hornets, going scoreless in 19 total minutes on 0-for-3 shooting. He did record three steals, and Charlotte apparently liked what it saw from him enough to bring him back for 10 more days.

Chealey’s new 10-day contract will cover the Hornets’ next five games, running through March 12, before the team will have to decide whether to let him go or sign him to a rest-of-season deal. He could see some minutes as soon as Tuesday night, especially if Devonte’ Graham (ankle) can’t go.

Before being promoted to the NBA by the Hornets, Chealey had been a regular for the club’s G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm. He averaged 11.1 PPG, 4.3 APG, and 3.3 RPG on .398/.346/.813 shooting in 34 NBAGL games (28.3 MPG) this season.

Chealey will earn $81,678 on his second 10-day contract with Charlotte, the same amount he earned on the first one. The Hornets won’t be required to make a roster move, since they had two openings on their 15-man roster before re-signing Chealey.

Anthony Tolliver Signs 10-Day Contract With Grizzlies

March 2nd, 2020 at 11:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

11:02pm: The Grizzlies officially signed Tolliver and waived Bell prior to tonight’s game, according to a team press release. Tolliver logged 19 minutes and had a +25 rating, knocking down 4-of-5 three-pointers in Memphis’ blowout win over Atlanta.

4:19pm: Veteran power forward Anthony Tolliver has agreed to a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. In order to open a roster spot, the team is waiving forward Jordan Bell, Charania reports in another tweet.

Tolliver was waived on Saturday after finalizing a buyout agreement with Sacramento. Tolliver gave back $144,901, the same amount as a 10-day contract, as we relayed this afternoon. Tolliver was on a veteran’s minimum contract, so Sacramento will still have a cap hit of $1.6MM.

Tolliver, 34, began the season with the Trail Blazers and appeared in 33 games, including nine starts. He was dealt to the Kings and saw action in nine games before getting waived. Tolliver is a career 37.3% 3-point shooter, though he’s struggled from the perimeter this season.

Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Clarke and Justise Winslow are all currently sidelined with injuries and Memphis obviously didn’t feel comfortable giving Bell expanded minutes.

Bell began the season with the Timberwolves, then was dealt to the Rockets. They quickly flipped him to Memphis for Bruno Caboclo just before the trade deadline. Bell, who has a $1.62MM contract, appeared in just two games with Memphis after coming off the bench in 27 games with Minnesota.