Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Exercise Options On Ntilikina, DSJ, Knox

October 21st, 2019 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

2:01pm: The Knicks have made it official, announcing that they’ve picked up the 2020/21 options on Ntilikina, Smith, and Knox.

12:31pm: The Knicks will exercise Frank Ntilikina‘s fourth-year option for the 2020/21 season, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). The team is also picking up its fourth-year option on Dennis Smith Jr. and its third-year option on Kevin Knox, as expected, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday.

Of the three option decisions, the one on Ntilikina was the only one that was up in the air leading up to the October 31 deadline. The former eighth overall pick has been somewhat underwhelming in his first two seasons, averaging 5.9 PPG and 3.1 APG on .354/.305/.735 shooting in 121 games (21.6 MPG) for the Knicks.

However, Ntilikina had a strong showing for France in the 2019 FIBA World Cup last month and has been more aggressive on offense for New York this preseason, as Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic detailed last week. As such, the Knicks were willing to lock in his $6,176,578 cap hit for the 2020/21 season. The 21-year-old is now on track to reach restricted free agency in 2021 if he doesn’t sign an extension next year.

As for Smith and Knox, those option decision were simpler ones. Smith, who was selected one spot after Ntilikina in 2017’s draft, will count against the cap for $5,686,677 in ’20/21, while Knox will have a $4,588,680 charge.

We’re tracking all of the decisions on 2020/21 rookie scale team options right here.

Timberwolves Waive Tyrone Wallace

October 21st, 2019 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves have waived point guard Tyrone Wallace in advance of the regular season roster deadline, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The move reduces Minnesota’s roster count to 15 players, plus a pair on two-way contracts.

Wallace, 25, broke into the NBA in 2017/18, averaging 9.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.4 APG in 30 games (28.4 MPG) for the Clippers. He appeared in 62 more games for Los Angeles last season, but played limited minutes and saw his shooting percentages dip to .424/.211/.526. He was released by the Clips in July and was claimed off waivers by Minnesota.

Considering they took their roster decision down to the wire today, it appears the Wolves either considered keeping Wallace or tried to find a trade for him. However, Minnesota has 15 players with guaranteed salaries and Wallace is on a non-guaranteed contract, which made him the odd man out.

Wallace is now on track to clear waivers on Wednesday, though he’s a candidate to be claimed. Because he’s earning the minimum, any team would be eligible to place a claim and take on his non-guaranteed contract. If he makes it to free agency, the Wolves will be on the hook for two days’ worth of his salary, which works out to approximately $18K.

Minnesota’s roster is now ready for the regular season.

Raptors Convert Oshae Brissett To Two-Way Contract

October 21st, 2019 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have set their roster for the start of the regular season, announcing today in a press release that they’ve converted Oshae Brissett‘s Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal.

A native of Mississauga, Ontario – the home of the Raptors’ G League affiliate – Brissett played two seasons at Syracuse before forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility and entering the 2019 draft. Although he wasn’t selected in June, he quickly caught on with the Clippers for Summer League, then signed with the Raptors later in July.

The 6’8″ forward, who averaged 13.7 PPG and 8.2 RPG in his two seasons at Syracuse, will be eligible to spend up to 45 days in the NBA on his two-way contract, but figures to play primarily for the Raptors 905.

Toronto now has 15 players on standard contracts and one on a two-way contract. Chris Boucher, Malcolm Miller, and Dewan Hernandez don’t have fully guaranteed salaries, but all three players are poised to make the 15-man roster to start the season. The team could also add another two-way player later today, though there’s no rush to do so before opening night.

Wizards Convert Chris Chiozza To Two-Way Deal

October 21st, 2019 at 10:44am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have converted Chris Chiozza‘s Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal, league sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). The move ensures that Washington now has 15 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way pacts, making the roster regular-season-ready.

Chiozza, who will turn 24 a month from today, began his professional career last fall by attending training camp with the Wizards, then spent most of his rookie year with the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League affiliate. The former Florida guard later signed a 10-day contract and a rest-of-season deal with Houston, making his NBA debut with the Rockets. However, he was waived in July and made his way back to the Wizards this fall.

In 47 total G League games last season for the Go-Go and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston’s affiliate), Chiozza averaged 13.2 PPG, 7.3 APG, and 4.8 RPG with a .437/.409/.760 shooting line.

With John Wall on the shelf due to an Achilles tear and Isaiah Thomas recovering from thumb surgery, Chiozza will provide the Wizards with some extra depth at the point guard spot behind Ish Smith to open the season. His two-way contract will limit him to 45 days at the NBA level, but that clock won’t start until G League training camps get underway next week.

Raptors Sign Pascal Siakam To Four-Year Max Extension

October 21st, 2019 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 21: The Raptors’ four-year, maximum-salary extension with Siakam is now official, the team announced today in a press release.

“Pascal has been relentless in everything he has achieved,” Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said in a statement. “He has embraced our development philosophies from Day One, he’s one of us and a unique talent. He has improved himself every season without cutting any corners. He is a testament to hard work paying off and we’re thrilled that he will continue his career here in Toronto.”

As we relayed on Sunday, the starting salary on Siakam’s extension can reportedly increase to up to 30% of the cap rather than 25% if he earns a spot on the All-NBA First Team or Second Team – or wins the MVP award – in 2020.

OCTOBER 19: The Raptors have reached an agreement with forward Pascal Siakam on a four-year contract extension that will be worth the maximum salary, agents Todd Ramasar and Jaafar Choufani have informed ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe (Twitter link). The deal doesn’t feature any team or player options, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Siakam, the NBA’s reigning Most Improved Player, took a huge step forward in his third NBA season, averaging 16.9 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 3.1 APG on .549/.369/.785 shooting in 80 games (31.9 MPG). The 25-year-old also showed the ability to guard all five positions and played an important role as the Raptors made a Finals run and earned the first championship in franchise history.

With Kawhi Leonard no longer on the Raptors’ roster, Siakam is poised to take on an even greater role in 2019/20 and beyond. The organization views him as the future “face of the franchise,” tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.

Siakam is the third player eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason to receive a maximum-salary deal, joining Ben Simmons (Sixers) and Jamal Murray (Nuggets). Simmons and Murray each received five-year extensions, while Siakam got four years — his new deal will lock him up through the 2023/24 season.

Siakam’s exact salaries on his extension will depend on where exactly the NBA’s salary cap lands for the 2020/21 season. Based on the league’s most recent projections, his deal would start at $29MM and would be worth a total of $129.92MM. He’ll earn $2.35MM in 2019/20, the final year of his rookie contract.

With a $30.5MM extension for Kyle Lowry also recently added to the books for 2020/21, the Raptors no longer project to be among the teams with the most cap room next summer. Still, the club could have some flexibility below the cap, with Serge Ibaka, Marc Gasol, and Fred VanVleet all on expiring contracts this season.

Now that Siakam’s deal is done, Jaylen Brown (Celtics), Buddy Hield (Kings), and Domantas Sabonis (Pacers) are among the most notable young players still eligible for rookie scale extensions before Monday’s deadline.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rockets Sign Michael Frazier To Two-Way Deal

October 20th, 2019 at 5:54pm CST by clarkcrum

5:54pm: The Rockets have officially signed Frazier to a two-way contract, the team announced on social media.

2:34pm: The Rockets are signing guard Michael Frazier to a two-way contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. Frazier, 25, was waived by the Rockets on Friday.

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle adds that Houston had been impressed with Frazier’s work in the team’s offseason program and that he was expected to compete for a roster spot before hurting his right ankle during training camp. The Rockets had his G League rights, but did not want another team to sign him away.

Frazier was the G League’s Most Improved Player last season after posting 16.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 45 games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s G League affiliate. He signed with the Rockets at the end of the 2018/19 season before being released earlier this week.

Frazier joins point guard Chris Clemons as Houston’s two-way players for the start of the 2019/20 season.

Kings Waive Hollis Thompson, Tyler Ulis

October 20th, 2019 at 5:24pm CST by JD Shaw

The Kings have waived guards Hollis Thompson and Tyler Ulis, the team announced in a press release. This likely finalizes their regular-season roster ahead of Monday’s deadline.

Thompson, a veteran who went undrafted back in 2012, has made previous stops with Philadelphia, New Orleans, and various clubs overseas. He’s coming off summer league stints with the team that saw him average 12.7 points per game in Sacramento and 10.8 points per game in Las Vegas.

Ulis, a 5-foot-9 point guard drafted at No. 34 in 2016, holds career experiences with Phoenix and Chicago. He averaged 23.3 points and 8.8 assists in four G League games with the Windy City Bulls last season.

Both players signed deals with modest partial guarantees and are expected to play for the team’s G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings, provided they go unclaimed on waivers.

Power forward Tyler Lydon will likely be awarded with Sacramento’s final roster spot as a result of the transactions.

Raptors Waive Isaiah Taylor

October 20th, 2019 at 3:23pm CST by clarkcrum

According to JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors, the Raptors have waived point guard Isaiah Taylor. As Blake Murphy of The Athletic notes, this all but means that Malcolm Miller has earned the team’s final roster spot, with Oshae Brissett‘s contract likely to be converted into a two-way deal.

As we relayed yesterday, Murphy opines that the Raptors look to be interested in re-signing Taylor to a two-way deal, where he may very well join Brissett. Both of Toronto’s two-way slots are currently open.

Taylor, 25, made his NBA debut with the Rockets during the 2016/17 season, then spent the 2017/18 campaign in Atlanta, appearing in 67 games for the Hawks. In 17.4 minutes per contest for Atlanta, he averaged 6.6 PPG and 3.1 APG.

Taylor had a $50K guarantee in his contract, so the Raptors will be on the hook for that on their 2019/20 books.

Hornets Sign McDaniels To Standard Deal; Convert Simmons To Two-Way

October 20th, 2019 at 3:12pm CST by clarkcrum

3:12pm: As noted as a possibility below, the Hornets have converted Simmons’ contract to a two-way deal, per an official release from the team.

3:10pm: Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Hornets rookie forward Jalen McDaniels, who just last night had his non-guaranteed one-year deal converted to a two-way contract, has now agreed to sign a partially guaranteed multi-year deal with the Hornets to finalize Charlotte’s 15-man roster.

Per Charania’s report, it appears that the Hornets will either waive Kobi Simmons or convert his deal to a two-way contract, but there has yet to be a report on that front. If Simmons is converted to a two-way deal, he’ll join Robert Franks as the team’s two two-way players to begin the 2019/20 season.

As for McDaniels, he goes from the last unsigned 2019 NBA Draft pick signed to a partially guaranteed contract holder in the span of 10 days. The 6’10” forward averaged 15.9 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 2.1 APG in 34 games (31.0 MPG) for San Diego State last season.

Raptors Sign, Waive Tyler Ennis

October 20th, 2019 at 9:42am CST by Arthur Hill

Point guard Tyler Ennis, who has spent time with four NBA teams, signed with the Raptors Saturday and was immediately waived, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic. The moves were designed to make Ennis an affiliate player for the organization’s G League team, Raptors 905 (Twitter link).

Ennis, who played in Turkey last year, is still recovering from a fractured right tibia that wiped out almost his entire season. The Raptors have liked Ennis, who was born in Canada, for several years and believe he could eventually provide depth in the backcourt.

Ennis was selected by the Suns with the 18th pick in the 2014 draft, but only appeared in eight games before being traded to the Bucks. He also had brief stops with the Rockets and Lakers before being waived in June of 2018.