Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Raptors Waive Shamorie Ponds, Sign Paul Watson

January 15th, 2020 at 5:50pm CST by Luke Adams

5:50pm: The Raptors have officially signed Watson to a two-way deal, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.

7:39am: The Raptors are making a change to one of their two-way contract slots, announcing this morning in a press release that they’ve waived guard Shamorie Ponds. According to Brad Rowland of UPROXX Sports (Twitter link), guard Paul Watson is expected to sign a two-way deal with Toronto.

Ponds, 21, joined the Rockets last summer after going undrafted out of St. John’s. He was cut at the end of the preseason and appeared to be on track to join Houston’s G League affiliate. Instead, he was scooped up a few days later by the Raptors, who signed him to a two-way contract.

While he didn’t see much NBA action, logging 11 total minutes in four games, Ponds has been a regular part of the rotation for the Raptors 905 in the G League. He has averaged 14.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.3 APG, and 2.1 APG in 18 NBAGL contests (28.1 MPG).

As for Watson, he spent most of the season with the Raptors 905 too before signing a 10-day contract with the Hawks on January 6. Atlanta released Watson on Tuesday, a day before that deal was set to expire. If he had played out his full 10-day pact, he wouldn’t have been eligible to sign a two-way contract before today’s deadline, so the Hawks did him a favor by letting him go early.

The 25-year-old Fresno State alum has averaged 18.4 PPG and 7.4 RPG with a .533 FG% and .467 3PT% in 13 games (34.4 MPG) for Toronto’s G League affiliate this season. Now that the Raptors are getting healthy, Watson will likely continue to spend most of his time at the NBAGL level, rather than with the NBA club.

Hornets Waive Robert Franks

January 15th, 2020 at 4:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hornets have opened a two-way slot by waiving Robert Franks, the team announced on Twitter.

The 23-year-old forward signed a two-way deal with Charlotte in July after going undrafted out of Washington State. He didn’t appear in any NBA games, but was averaging 18.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in 22 games with the Hornets’ G League affiliate in Greensboro.

Today marks this season’s deadline for signing two-way players, so another move could be coming from Charlotte later tonight.

Cavs Sign Matt Mooney To Two-Way Contract

January 15th, 2020 at 3:26pm CST by Luke Adams

3:26pm: The Cavaliers have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed Mooney to a two-way contract.

8:00am: After releasing Levi Randolph on Sunday to open up a two-way contract slot, the Cavaliers are expected to fill that opening by signing G League guard Matt Mooney, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. It’ll be a two-year, two-way deal for Mooney, Fedor adds.

An undrafted rookie out of Texas Tech, Mooney signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Grizzlies in September and spent training camp with Memphis. Once the regular season got underway, he joined the franchise’s G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, where he has started 22 of 24 games, averaging 12.6 PPG, 4.5 APG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.7 SPG with a shooting line of .479/.368/.955.

Mooney, who will be Cleveland’s second two-way player alongside Dean Wade, will be eligible to spend up to 24 days in the NBA before the G League regular season ends in March. If the Cavs keep him for the entirety of his new two-way contract, Mooney will be eligible for restricted free agency during the summer of 2021.

The signing will give the Cavs a full roster, though two of the players on their 15-man squad – Alfonzo McKinnie and Tyler Cook – are on 10-day contracts that will expire this weekend.

Heat Sign Kyle Alexander To Two-Way Contract

January 15th, 2020 at 2:11pm CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 15: The Heat have formally finalized Alexander’s two-way deal, the team announced today in a press release.

JANUARY 14: With Chris Silva ticketed for a spot on the Heat‘s 15-man roster, the team will fill his two-way contract slot by signing forward Kyle Alexander, sources tell Andre Fernandez of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Alexander, 23, signed a training camp deal with the Heat last July after going undrafted out of Tennessee. Having reported to Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, once he was cut by the NBA club in the fall, he has averaged 10.6 PPG and 9.0 RPG with a .692 FG% in 23 NBAGL games (25.1 MPG).

According to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link), Alexander will remain with Sioux Falls after signing his two-way deal. However, he’ll be eligible to spend up to 24 days with the NBA team until the G League regular season ends.

Once the Heat’s series of moves is complete, the team will have a full roster for the first time this season. Silva’s three-year contract will make him the 15th man on the standard roster, while Alexander and Gabe Vincent will fill Miami’s two-way slots.

Warriors Officially Sign Damion Lee To Three-Year Deal

January 15th, 2020 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Damion Lee‘s long-awaited promotion to the Warriors‘ 15-man roster is now official, with the team announcing the move today in a press release.

Lee, who was previously on a two-way contract, signed a new three-year deal with a partial guarantee for the 2020/21 season, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Next season’s partial guarantee will be worth $600K, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

The promotion had been expected since last Tuesday, when the team released Marquese Chriss in order to make room under its hard cap to sign Lee. For his part, Chriss has returned to the team on a two-way contract, essentially swapping places with Lee.

Lee, who is Stephen Curry‘s brother-in-law, has been a regular rotation player all season long for the injury-plagued Warriors, averaging 12.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 2.3 APG with a solid shooting line of .407/.360/.877 in 26 games (13 starts). The 27-year-old had exhausted the 45-day NBA limit on his two-way deal, but will no longer face those restrictions on his new standard contract.

Golden State has had little financial wiggle room all season long due to its hard cap and will now be approximately $394K below the threshold, according to Marks (Twitter link). Marks notes that the Warriors will be able to sign a 15th man to a rest-of-season contract as of March 4 if no trades or 10-day signings before then affect the club’s cap sheet.

The Warriors were able to sign Lee to a three-year, minimum-salary contract by using their mid-level exception.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Warriors Re-Sign Marquese Chriss To Two-Way Deal

January 15th, 2020 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 15: Chriss’ two-way contract is now official, according to the Warriors.

JANUARY 14: Just days after waiving him, the Warriors intend to bring back Marquese Chriss on a two-way contract, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link).

Chriss has spent most of the 2019/20 season with the Warriors and played well in a part-time role, averaging 7.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 1.9 APG in 37 games (17.7 MPG). However, he was released last Tuesday in advance of the league-wide salary guarantee deadline because Golden State wanted to maximize its flexibility under the team’s hard cap. The two sides were said to have mutual interest in a reunion.

The Warriors reportedly plan to promote two-way player Damion Lee to their standard roster to fill the spot that Chriss previously occupied, so the two players will essentially be swapping places. The pair of moves will need to be completed by the end of the day on Wednesday, since January 15 is the deadline for two-way signings.

Lee has already used his full 45-day NBA allotment this season but can be activated again once he signs a standard contract. As a newly-signed two-way player, Chriss will be eligible to spend up to 24 days in the NBA between now and the end of the G League regular season in March. Once the G League season ends, those restrictions will lift and he can spend the rest of the year in the NBA.

Head coach Steve Kerr had previously talked about Chriss potentially having a future in Golden State beyond 2019/20. The big man’s new two-way contract will make him a free agent at the end of the season, but the Warriors will still have options for re-signing him, particularly if he isn’t offered a sizable raise by a rival team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Suns Sign Tariq Owens To Two-Way Contract

January 15th, 2020 at 12:09pm CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 15: The Suns have officially signed Owens to a two-way contract, the club confirmed today in a press release.

JANUARY 14: The Suns intend to sign Tariq Owens to a two-way contract in advance of Wednesday’s deadline, sources tell Gina Mizell of The Athletic (Twitter link). January 15 is the last day that teams can sign players to two-way deals this season.

Owens, a 6’10” forward, played college ball at Tennessee and St. John’s before joining Texas Tech for the 2018/19 season. He helped lead the team to the national title game by averaging 8.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 2.4 BPG in 38 games (25.4 MPG), then signed a training camp deal with the Suns last summer.

Although he didn’t make the team’s regular season roster, Owens has spent the year with Phoenix’s G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns. He has recorded 9.0 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 23 NBAGL contests (24.3 MPG).

No corresponding roster move will be necessary to bring aboard Owens, since Jared Harper has been the Suns’ only two-way player all season long. Owens will be eligible to spend up to 24 days in the NBA before the end of the G League regular season in March, though I imagine he’ll continue to spend the majority of his time with Northern Arizona.

Heat Sign Chris Silva To Three-Year Deal

January 15th, 2020 at 10:50am CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 15: It happened one day later than initially expected, but Silva has officially signed his new NBA contract with the Heat, the team announced today (Twitter link). Miami can now move forward with its two-way deal for Kyle Alexander.

JANUARY 13: The Heat intend to promote Chris Silva to their 15-man roster on Tuesday, ending his two-way contract and finalizing a new three-year deal, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

The move has long been expected, as Silva has outplayed his two-way deal this season and Miami has an open roster spot on its 15-man squad. Jackson reported over the weekend that the move was coming, while cap expert Albert Nahmad (Twitter link) predicted a three-year contract would be finalized by Wednesday.

Because they’re only $855K away from their hard cap, the Heat have thus far been unable to promote Silva, but they’ll be able to do so on Tuesday — at that time, a prorated minimum-salary contract for him will only count for about $851K for tax purposes.

Miami will use a portion of its mid-level exception to complete a three-year deal, which will give the team Bird rights on Silva in 2022 if he plays out the full contract. It’s unclear how much – if any – money will be guaranteed beyond 2019/20.

Silva, 23, has already appeared in 30 games for Miami this season despite being on a two-way contract, as the club has maximized his 45-day NBA limit. The forward is averaging 3.5 PPG and 3.1 RPG with a .691 FG% in 8.3 minutes per contest.

By converting Silva’s contract before January 15, the Heat will have the opportunity to add a second two-way player to their roster in advance of Wednesday’s deadline. Currently, Gabe Vincent occupies the team’s other two-way contract slot.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hawks Waive Paul Watson

January 14th, 2020 at 10:26pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Hawks have released Paul Watson, the team announces. Watson signed a 10-day contract with Atlanta on January 6.

The shooting guard appeared in two games during his short stint with the Hawks. He saw just 17 minutes of court time and went 0-for-7 from the field.

Prior to joining Atlanta, Watson spent this season with Raptors 905, where he is averaging 18.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in 13 games while shooting 46.7% from 3-point range. Undrafted out of Fresno State in 2017, Watson had a brief stop in Germany before joining the G League later that year.

Atlanta now has 14 players under contract.

Knicks Waive Ivan Rabb, Add Kenny Wooten

January 14th, 2020 at 3:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JANUARY 14, 3:03pm: The Knicks have officially signed Wooten to a two-way contract, the team announced today (Twitter link).

JANUARY 13, 5:07pm: Rabb has officially been waived, according the team’s PR department (Twitter link).

JANUARY 13, 4:09pm: The Knicks will waive forward Ivan Rabb and add forward Kenny Wooten on a two-way contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Wooten has been playing for the Knicks’ G League affiliate in Westchester.

The move didn’t come as a surprise. Wednesday is the final day that two-way contracts can be offered this season, and several teams had been watching Wooten, who is among the G League leaders in blocks per game. Rabb and guard Kadeem Allen were on two-way deals with the Knicks and one of them had to go to make room for Wooten.

Rabb was signed to his two-way contract in late October. Rabb, 22, was the 35th overall pick in the 2017 draft and spent his first two professional seasons in Memphis, but didn’t develop into a reliable, consistent rotation player. In 2018/19, he averaged 5.8 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 49 games (14.7 MPG). He was released by the Grizzlies during training camp.

Rabb was averaging a double-double with Westchester in 18 games — 13.1 PPG and 11.0 RPG. Wooten, 21, has appeared in 24 games with Westchester. He’s averaging 7.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 3.3 BPG in 24.0 MPG.

An undrafted rookie out of Oregon, Wooten was waived from the Knicks’ training camp roster after signing an Exhibit 10 contract during the summer. On his new two-way deal, he’ll be eligible to spend up to 24 days in the NBA before the end of the G League regular season.