Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wolves Waive Tyus Battle, Barry Brown

October 20th, 2019 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves have waived guards Tyus Battle and Barry Brown, according to NBA.com’s Transactions Log. Both appear headed to the organization’s G League team in Iowa.

Battle and Brown agreed to Exhibit 10 contracts with Minnesota after going undrafted in June. They played for the Wolves’ Summer League team, but didn’t officially sign until Monday, so neither saw any preseason action.

With 16 players left on the roster (15 guaranteed contracts) and both two-way slots filled, Minnesota still has one more move to make before tomorrow’s deadline.

Pistons Waive Four Players

October 20th, 2019 at 8:30am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons trimmed their roster by waiving guards Dakarai Allen and Tra-Deon Hollins and forwards Donta Hall and Tre’Shawn Thurman, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

Hall signed with Detroit in July after going undrafted out of Alabama. He played for the Pistons’ Summer League team and saw limited action in three preseason games. Thurman signed on Friday and is expected to become an affiliate player for the Pistons’ G League team in Grand Rapids.

Allen has spent the past two seasons in the G League and was traded to Grand Rapids in January. Hollins has played in both the G League and in Canada.

Rockets Waive Ray Spalding, Two Others

October 19th, 2019 at 11:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have waived three players in advance of the regular season, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston, who tweets that the team has parted ways with forward Ray Spalding, forward Matur Maker, and guard Shamorie Ponds.

Spalding was recently claimed off waivers by Houston, while Maker – the brother of Pistons big man Thon Maker – signed with the team on Friday. Ponds, an undrafted rookie out of St. John’s, spent a little more time with the franchise, appearing in five games for the Rockets’ Summer League team and three games for the club this preseason.

All three players had non-guaranteed contracts, so the Rockets’ cap won’t be affected by today’s moves.

Houston now has 16 players under contract, including one (Chris Clemons) on a two-way deal. Four of the 15 Rockets players on standard contracts don’t have fully guaranteed contracts, but all four of those players – Ryan Anderson, Gary Clark, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Ben McLemore – are ineligible for two-way contracts due to their partial guarantees or years of NBA experience. So if Houston intends to fill its second two-way slot, the team will have to look elsewhere.

Hornets Convert Jalen McDaniels To Two-Way Contract

October 19th, 2019 at 11:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets continue to tweak their roster in advance of the regular season deadline, announcing tonight in a press release that Jalen McDaniels has had his contract converted into a two-way deal.

Earlier on Saturday, Charlotte waived two-way player Ahmed Hill. Caleb Martin briefly replaced Hill in that two-way slot, but later returned to the regular roster by agreeing to a three-year contract. McDaniels and Robert Franks are now the Hornets’ two-way players.

The No. 52 overall pick in the 2019 draft, McDaniels was the last of this year’s draft picks to sign a contract, agreeing to a one-year, non-guaranteed pact with the club. Having that deal turned into a two-way contract will give the former San Diego State forward a chance to stick with the franchise through his rookie season — he’ll be eligible to spend up to 45 days with the Hornets, spending the rest of his time with the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s G League affiliate.

McDaniels averaged 15.9 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 2.1 APG in 34 games (31.0 MPG) in 2018/19. The Hornets faced some criticism in some circles for drafting the 6’10” forward, who has been sued by two former female high school classmates who claim that he recorded them without their consent while they were performing sexual acts.

Hornets, Caleb Martin Agree On Three-Year Deal

October 19th, 2019 at 6:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Caleb Martin, whose Exhibit 10 contract was converted into a two-way deal with the Hornets earlier today, has agreed on a three-year pact with the team, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The new arrangement will include a partial guarantee.

We told you earlier today that Charlotte is considering two-way deals with Kobi Simmons and Jalen McDaniels, so Martin may eventually be moved onto the regular roster. Robert Franks currently occupies the other two-way slot, while Simmons and McDaniels are still with the team on non-guaranteed deals.

Martin, a 24-year-old shooting guard, signed with the Hornets in July after going undrafted out of Nevada. He played there with his twin brother Cody Martin, who also won a roster spot after being selected by Charlotte with the 36th pick in this year’s draft.

Pelicans Release Three Players

October 19th, 2019 at 5:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans have cut three undrafted rookies from their roster, announcing in a press release that they’ve waived guards Jalen Adams and Javon Bess, along with center Kavell Bigby-Williams.

Adams, Bess, and Bigby-Williams were all on non-guaranteed contracts, so New Orleans’ cap won’t be impacted by the moves. All three players are also eligible to be designated as affiliate players by the Pelicans, so if they decide to sign G League contracts, they’ll join the Erie BayHawks, New Orleans’ new NBAGL team.

The Pelicans now have 17 players under contract, including 15 on standard deals and a pair on two-way contracts, so their roster is ready for the regular season.

Warriors Waive Cunningham, Zeisloft

October 19th, 2019 at 5:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors have waived Jared Cunningham and Nick Zeisloft and confirmed the release of Alfonzo McKinnie (Twitter link).

Cunningham and Zeisloft both signed with the team earlier today, so expect them to be headed to the team’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz.

Cunningham is trying to work his way back into the league after spending the past three seasons in China, Germany and Italy. The 28-year-old shooting guard appeared in a combined 84 games during brief stays with the Mavericks, Hawks, Kings, Clippers, Cavaliers and Bucks. Zeisloft is a 26-year-old guard who has spent time in the G League and in Europe.

Bucks Waive Tucker, Lacey, Jones

October 19th, 2019 at 4:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rayjon Tucker, Trevor Lacey and Jemerrio Jones are the final three roster cuts for the Bucks, the team announced in its Twitter feed. All three were on Exhibit 10 contracts and are likely to wind up with the Wisconsin Herd, the organization’s G League affiliate.

Tucker signed with Milwaukee in August and appeared in three preseason games, averaging 3.3 points in 9.7 minutes per night. He announced in the spring that he was transferring to Memphis from Arkansas-Little Rock, but opted to keep his name in the draft, where he wasn’t selected. Tucker played for the Bucks’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League.

Lacey signed with Milwaukee on Thursday and Jones inked a deal with the team earlier today, so neither saw any preseason action with the Bucks. Jones was waived by the Wizards earlier this week.

Celtics Waive Yante Maten, Max Strus

October 19th, 2019 at 4:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics trimmed their roster to the league limit by waiving Yante Maten and Max Strus, the team announced in a tweet. Boston also confirmed the release of Kaiser Gates, which appeared on NBA.com’s official transactions log last night.

The moves mean Javonte Green appears to have earned a roster spot to begin the season. The 26-year-old swingman had been playing overseas since going undrafted in 2015.

Green was reportedly battling for the final spot with Strus, who had his contract converted from a two-way deal this week and received a guarantee of nearly half the $898,310 minimum salary for a rookie this season.

Because his guarantee exceeds $50K, Strus is ineligible to join Boston’s G League team on a two-way deal or as an affiliate player.

Maten, who signed with the Celtics just before camp opened, was on a two-way contract with the Heat for most of last season. He appeared in only two NBA games, but earned second team All-G League honors at Sioux Falls.

Warriors Waive Alfonzo McKinnie

October 19th, 2019 at 4:24pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 19: The Warriors have now officially waived McKinnie, a source tells Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). He’ll be on waivers until Monday at 5:00pm eastern time and could be claimed by any team. However, a club would need an open roster spot to make a claim, and McKinnie’s contract can’t be converted into a two-way deal.

OCTOBER 18: The Warriors are waiving forward Alfonzo McKinnie, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who notes (via Twitter) that the move will clear the way for Marquese Chriss to earn a spot on the team’s regular season roster.

McKinnie, 27, emerged as a rotation player for Golden State last season, averaging 4.7 PPG and 3.4 RPG with a .487/.356/.563 shooting line in 72 regular season games (13.9 MPG). He also appeared in 22 playoff games for the club.

Because the Warriors are right up against a hard cap, the team can only carry 14 players on its roster to start the regular season. Golden State has 13 players on guaranteed salaries.

McKinnie – who has a non-guaranteed contract – was widely considered the favorite to claim the 14th and final spot. However, an impressive training camp and preseason by Chriss, a former lottery pick, forced the Warriors’ hand.

Chriss is technically eligible to sign a two-way deal, but because his non-guaranteed contract didn’t feature an Exhibit 10 clause, it can’t be converted into a two-way contract, so the Dubs would’ve had to put him through waivers for that to be a possibility. Instead, they’ll just keep him on their standard roster, releasing McKinnie instead.

The NBA’s waiver order is currently based on 2018/19 records, with last year’s worst teams at the top of the priority list. Any team can place a claim for McKinnie using the minimum salary exception.