Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavs Acquire Willie Cauley-Stein From Warriors

January 25th, 2020 at 12:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JANUARY 25: The trade for Cauley-Stein is official, according to the Mavericks’ PR account (Twitter link). As expected, the team has waived Patton to open up the roster spot necessary to complete the deal.

JANUARY 24: The Mavericks are finalizing a deal to acquire center Willie Cauley-Stein from the Warriors, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

Golden State will receive a 2020 second-rounder from the Jazz, which Utah owed to Dallas, in return for the big man, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The Warriors don’t own their own second-rounders from 2020-26 except for the 2022 draft, so this gives them another asset, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.

The Mavericks will open up a roster spot once they complete a trade agreed upon with the Thunder in which they’ll receive center Justin Patton for forward Isaiah Roby and then waive Patton.

Dallas is using its $11.7MM trade exception to acquire Cauley-Stein acquired in the Harrison Barnes deal with the Kings last season. It’s needed since Cauley-Stein was signed with part of the non-tax mid-level exception, according to Marks (Twitter link). Golden State will get a $2.17MM trade exception out of the deal.

Dallas was seeking a rotation player to replace Dwight Powell, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Cauley-Stein, who is making $2.18MM this season and holds a $2.29MM option on his contract for next season, fits that role at a modest cost. He’s averaging 7.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 1.2 BPG in 23.0 MPG for the Warriors.

The Warriors have plenty of monetary reasons to make this deal. The deal will save them $5.66MM on their luxury-tax bill, dropping it to $9.3MM, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). Golden State, which will have two roster openings once the deal is completed, will also drop $2.57MM below the hard cap. The team will have two weeks to get back up to the league-mandated minimum of 14 players.

Nets Sign Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot To Second 10-Day Deal

January 25th, 2020 at 9:00am CST by marksuleymanov

9:00am: The Nets officially signed Luwawu-Cabarrot to his second 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release. The deal will run through February 3, at which time Brooklyn will either have to re-sign TLC to a standard deal or let him return to the free agent market.

8:37am: The Nets will sign forward Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to a second 10-day contract, tweets Bleacher Report’s Michael Scotto. Brooklyn inked the swingman to a 10-day deal on Jan. 15 as his 45-day window as a two-way player was set to expire. That first 10-day deal expired on Friday night.

Since signing the first 10-day pact, Luwawu-Cabarrot appeared in four games with Brooklyn, averaging 6.0 PPG. In 21 total games this season, the France native is averaging 5.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG.

“He’s still a very young player, and I think that was the thought process when we brought him in,” Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson recently said of Luwawu-Cabarrot (via NetsDaily). “He’s a guy that has played minutes in the NBA, played a decent sample size of minutes, but he’s still young, hasn’t found his mark yet in the league. But he’s still young. Let’s take a shot at him.”

The 2016 first-round pick (24th overall) has played for the Sixers, Thunder, Bulls and Nets.

Thunder Trade Patton, Cash To Mavs For Roby

January 24th, 2020 at 7:08pm CST by Dana Gauruder

7:08pm: The trade is official, according to a Thunder press release. The Mavericks have also issued a press release confirmed the trade.

4:03pm: The Thunder and Mavericks have agreed to a trade that will send rookie forward Isaiah Roby to Oklahoma City in exchange for center Justin Patton and cash considerations, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Though the Mavericks could use some depth in the middle in the wake of Dwight Powell‘s season-ending Achilles injury, Patton will not stick around. The Mavs made the move to clear a roster spot and intend to waive him, The Athletic’s Tim Cato tweets.

It also creates some cap flexibility going forward, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News notes (Twitter link). Patton has a $1.62MM contract this season but the remaining two years on his deal are not guaranteed.

Roby, a second-round pick out of Nebraska, is making $1.5MM this season as well as next season and all that money is guaranteed. The last two seasons of his four-year contract — at $1.8MM and $1.9MM — are not guaranteed, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

With the deal, Oklahoma City’s projected tax bill drops from $2.3MM to $2MM and the Thunder are now just $801K over the threshold, according to Marks. The team is in position to potentially sneak under the tax line at the trade deadline by moving a minimum-salary player.

Patton has appeared in nine NBA games since being drafted in the first round in 2017, including five with OKC. He has spent most of his time this season in the G League. Roby, who was acquired in a draft-night trade, has yet to make his NBA debut.

Cavs Sign Alfonzo McKinnie To Second 10-Day Deal

January 23rd, 2020 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 23: The Cavaliers have officially re-signed McKinnie to another 10-day contract, the team confirmed today in a press release.

JANUARY 22: The Cavaliers are bringing back Alfonzo McKinnie on a second 10-day contract, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who reports that the swingman will sign his new deal on Thursday.

McKinnie has appeared in 29 games for the Cavaliers this season, averaging 3.7 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 13.1 minutes per contest.

Having been claimed off waivers by the Cavs at the start of the regular season, McKinnie spent the first two-and-a-half months of the season on a non-guaranteed contract before being released earlier this month. Cleveland quickly brought him back on a 10-day deal and now will sign him to a second one. Once this contract expires, the team will have to either let McKinnie go or sign him to a standard deal.

By starting his 10-day clock tomorrow, Cleveland will maximize McKinnie’s new contract, since the club plays six games during that stretch. As Fedor notes, the ex-Warrior will also get a chance to face Golden State on the final day of the deal next Saturday.

The Cavs will have a full 15-man roster once McKinnie officially signs, though two of those 15 players – McKinnie and Tyler Cook – are on 10-day contracts which will expire before the trade deadline, giving the franchise some added flexibility.

Kings, Trail Blazers Complete Five-Player Trade

January 21st, 2020 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 21: The trade between the Kings and Trail Blazers is now official, according to press releases issued by both teams.

JANUARY 18: The Kings and Trail Blazers have agreed to a trade that will send Kent Bazemore and Anthony Tolliver to Sacramento in exchange for Trevor Ariza, Wenyen Gabriel, and Caleb Swanigan, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Shams Charania of The Athletic first reported (via Twitter) that the Blazers are trading Bazemore to Sacramento.

The Kings will also receive Portland’s second-round picks in 2024 and 2025 as part of the deal, a source tells Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link). ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter) that the swap can’t be officially completed until Tuesday, when Gabriel’s trade restriction lifts.

For Portland, the deal represents a cost-cutting move that shouldn’t impact the team’s on-court performance too drastically, if at all. Both Ariza and Bazemore have had down years so far, but Bazemore’s drop-off has been more precipitous — he has posted a career-worst .347 FG% to go along with a .327 3PT%. Ariza is at least still knocking down his threes (.352 3PT%) at his usual career rate, even as his role was reduced in Sacramento.

Tolliver had been a rotation player for the Blazers, with 16.8 minutes per game in 33 contests, but hasn’t been at his best either — his .368 FG% is his worst mark since he was a rookie in 2008/09.

Bazemore and Tolliver are earning a combined $20.89MM, compared to a total of $15.68MM for Ariza, Swanigan, and Gabriel. Besides trimming more than $5MM off the Blazers’ team salary, the deal will also reduce the organization’s projected tax bill by $12.6MM, according to Marks (via Twitter).

Additionally, the Blazers will create a pair of traded player exceptions, including one worth just over $7MM, since they have a disabled player exception available to acquire Swanigan. The team will have the opportunity to keep Ariza for the 2020/21 season if he finishes the year strong. His $12.8MM salary for ’20/21 is partially guaranteed for $1.8MM, per Basketball Insiders.

It’s not clear if Swanigan and Gabriel fit into Portland’s plans, though it’s worth noting Swanigan was originally drafted by the Blazers before being traded to the Kings a year ago. Both players are on expiring contracts. Portland won’t need to cut anyone to make room to accommodate the three incoming players, since the club already had an open roster spot.

As for the Kings’ side of the deal, Amick observes (via Twitter) that it opens up a roster spot immediately and also creates slightly more flexibility moving forward, since Bazemore and Tolliver are on expiring contracts. The Ariza signing hadn’t worked out like the franchise had hoped, so Sacramento will hope that Bazemore can bounce back and that Tolliver looks more he did when he was a member of the Kings in 2016/17 and shot .442/.391/.744.

There are no plans to buy out Bazemore, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, who tweets that the veteran swingman has a “great relationship” with head coach Luke Walton and the Kings’ front office.

Even if the Kings’ new additions keep slumping, the team will come away with a pair of future assets in the trade by picking up the Blazers’ 2024 and 2025 second-round picks. Sacramento had already acquired multiple extra second-rounders for 2020 and 2021, so the team is building up quite a stash of draft picks, which could be useful in future deals.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cavs Sign Tyler Cook To Second 10-Day Deal

January 20th, 2020 at 2:18pm CST by Luke Adams

2:18pm: The Cavaliers have officially signed Cook to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. It’ll run through January 29.

11:07am: It looks like rookie power forward Tyler Cook will be the first NBA player this season to receive a second 10-day contract. A source tells Michael Scotto of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) that the Cavaliers are re-signing Cook, while Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reports (via Twitter) that the new 10-day deal will be completed before Monday night’s game.

Cook, 22, has spent the season with the Cavaliers, first on a two-way contract, then briefly on a standard deal, then on a 10-day pact which expired on Saturday night. He has appeared in eight total NBA games, including two during his last 10-day deal, logging just 28 total minutes.

Most of Cook’s rookie season has been spent with the Canton Charge in the G League, where he has averaged 13.1 PPG and 6.2 RPG in 16 contests (21.4 MPG).

Cleveland is carrying 13 players on fully guaranteed standard contracts and had signed Cook and Alfonzo McKinnie to 10-day pacts on January 9. It’s unclear if McKinnie will also be brought back or if the Cavs will find another use for that 15th roster spot, perhaps leaving it open for the time being.

Teams can’t sign a player to three 10-day contracts in the same season, so once Cook’s second 10-day deal expires, the Cavs will either have to sign him for the rest of the season or let him return to the free agent market.

Royce O’Neale Signs Four-Year Extension With Jazz

January 19th, 2020 at 12:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:32pm: The extension is official, the Jazz announced on Twitter.

11:43am: Royce O’Neale has agreed to a four-year, $36MM extension with the Jazz, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The news was confirmed by O’Neale’s agents, Ty Sullivan and Steven Heumann of CAA Sports, who say their client plans to sign the deal today.

The third-year forward is making $1.6MM this season and was headed for restricted free agency this summer. He became a full-time starter this season and is averaging career highs with 6.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 44.3% from 3-point range. He’s also a defensive specialist who often takes on the opponent’s toughest matchup.

O’Neale went undrafted out of Baylor and played two seasons in Europe before signing with the Jazz in 2017. Wojnarowski notes that he’s the latest success story for a Utah franchise that puts heavy emphasis on player development.

The extension gives the Jazz 14 players under contract for the 2020/21 season, including their first-round pick, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. The team is $18MM under the projected tax line and still has a $9.8MM mid-level and a $3.9MM biannual exception to work with. Upcoming free agents are Jordan Clarkson, whom the team has Bird rights on, and Emmanuel Mudiay.

Timberwolves Trade Jeff Teague To Hawks

January 16th, 2020 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

1:32pm: The trade is official, according to press releases issued by the Hawks and Timberwolves.

11:07am: The Hawks and Timberwolves have finalized a trade agreement, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Atlanta will receive point guard Jeff Teague and swingman Treveon Graham in exchange for wing Allen Crabbe.

Teague, who began his career in Atlanta and spent seven seasons with the Hawks, including his lone All-Star campaign in 2014/15, will help fortify the team’s backcourt and serve as a veteran mentor for rising star Trae Young. He’ll also give the club a reliable floor general when Young sits. As ESPN’s Royce Young notes (via Twitter), Atlanta’s offensive rating this season has plummeted from 108.2 to 90.7 when Young is on the bench.

In 34 games (27.8 MPG) for Minnesota, Teague has averaged 13.2 PPG and 6.1 APG with a .448/.379/.868 shooting line. While those are solid numbers, he wasn’t viewed by the Timberwolves’ new management group as a part of the team’s future plans and had lost his starting job to Shabazz Napier.

Crabbe has struggled in a modest role for the Hawks this season, but has been a reliable three-point shooter throughout his seven-year career. He had knocked down 39.3% of his career outside attempts before making just 32.3% in 2019/20. If he can bounce back in Minnesota – at least to some extent – he’ll help provide the sort of floor spacing that wings like Andrew Wiggins and Jarrett Culver haven’t.

Teague ($19MM) and Crabbe ($18.5MM) are on similar expiring contracts, so swapping the two veterans won’t impact Minnesota’s or Atlanta’s books beyond this season. Graham, who has a $1.65MM minimum-salary contract, will also be a free agent at season’s end. His inclusion helps the Timberwolves save some money while opening up a roster spot for a possible forthcoming move.

According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (via Twitter), Minnesota has been talking to teams around the NBA as they search for another ball-handler, so president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas likely isn’t done dealing. O’Connor reports that the Timberwolves recently pursued Pacers point guard Aaron Holiday, but didn’t get anywhere in those discussions.

The Wolves will create a pair of modest traded player exceptions in this swap. One will be worth Graham’s salary ($1.65MM) while the second will be worth the difference in Teague’s and Crabbe’s cap hits ($500K).

The Hawks, meanwhile, had an open roster spot and are under the salary cap, so acquiring Graham in addition to Teague won’t require any additional moves or cap gymnastics for them.

Atlanta still has big expiring contracts belonging to Chandler Parsons ($25.1MM) and Evan Turner ($18.6MM) if general manager Travis Schlenk wants to make another deal. It’s also worth noting that both Teague and Graham could theoretically be aggregated in a second trade before the deadline since the Hawks are taking them on using cap room.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nets Sign Jeremiah Martin To Two-Way Contract

January 15th, 2020 at 10:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

G League guard Jeremiah Martin has signed a two-way contract with the Nets, the team announced on Twitter, barely beating the deadline for this season.

An opening was created earlier tonight when Brooklyn gave a 10-day contract to two-way player Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot after letting Justin Anderson‘s 10-day deal expire.

Martin, 23, signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Heat over the summer after going undrafted out of Memphis. He was waived before the season began and joined Miami’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls, where he averaged 18.5 PPG in 21 games.

Nets Part With Justin Anderson, Sign Luwawu-Cabarrot To 10-Day Deal

January 15th, 2020 at 9:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets won’t re-sign Justin Anderson to a second 10-day contract, tweets Michael Scotto of Bleacher Report.

His roster spot will go to two-way player Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who has been playing regular minutes lately and has about a week left on his 45-day NBA limit. Luwawu-Cabarrot will be given a 10-day contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Anderson signed with Brooklyn on January 6, so his 10 days expired tonight. The small forward appeared in three games, averaging 5.7 minutes per night and scoring three total points. The Nets were the fourth NBA stop for Anderson, who played for the Hawks last season and has spent time with the Mavericks and Sixers.

Anderson, who had been playing for Raptors 905 before signing with Brooklyn, is expected to return to Toronto’s G League team, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic.