Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Convert Chris Silva To Two-Way Contract

October 19th, 2019 at 7:46am CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have filled one of their open two-way slots, announcing in a press release that rookie forward Chris Silva has had his Exhibit 10 contract converted into a two-way deal. Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel first reported the move.

Silva, a 6’9″ forward, went undrafted out of South Carolina this year after averaging 15.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.9 BPG in 32 games (26.7 MPG) as a senior. He also showed off an improve three-point stroke, knocking down 23-of-46 attempts from beyond the arc.

After joining the Heat’s Summer League team, Silva signed an Exhibit 10 deal and participated in training camp and the preseason with Miami. While he only played 9.8 minutes per game in five preseason contests, he was impressive in those limited minutes, averaging 5.2 PPG and 3.8 RPG with a .692 FG%.

The Heat’s 14-man regular-season roster is essentially set, and the team has now filled one of its two-way contract slots, but there’s still one more two-way opening. Davon Reed, Daryl Macon, and Kyle Alexander appear to be the contenders for that spot.

Nets Waive Lance Thomas, Three Others

October 18th, 2019 at 10:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have released all four of their players on non-guaranteed salaries, announcing tonight in a press release that they’ve requested waivers on forward Lance Thomas and guards Devin Cannady, C.J. Massinburg and C.J. Williams.

All four moves were expected, since Brooklyn already has 15 players on guaranteed salaries. While Wilson Chandler is set to serve a 25-game PED suspension to start the season, he can’t be formally moved to the suspended list until after the fifth game of that ban. At that point, the Nets will be able to add a 16th man to their roster until Chandler’s suspension ends.

It seems safe to assume that Thomas will be a candidate to rejoin the club at that point, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). The veteran forward has significantly more NBA experience than the other Nets players cut today, having logged 392 career regular season appearances with New Orleans, Oklahoma City, and New York.

Although the Nets’ 15-man roster is full, the team does still have an open two-way contract slot. It’s not clear if Brooklyn is still considering Cannady, Massinburg, or Williams to fill that opening after they clear waivers. Cannady and Massinburg seem more likely to become affiliate players for the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s G League squad.

Jazz Cut Isaac Haas, Mike Scott

October 18th, 2019 at 10:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have waived center Isaac Haas and guard Mike Scott from their roster, per NBA.com’s official log of transactions. The two players signed Exhibit 10 contracts on Thursday in procedural moves designed to get them some extra G League money.

Haas, 24, went undrafted out of Purdue in 2018 and spent his first professional season with the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s G League affiliate. He averaged 9.9 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 33 games (18.2 MPG) for the Stars.

Scott is a point guard out of Idaho, not the Sixers’ forward who shares the same name. He has spent the last four seasons overseas after coming out of Idaho in 2015. The 26-year-old averaged 11.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG and 4.5 APG for BM Slam Stal in Poland last season.

Both Haas and Scott are expected to report to the Salt Lake City Stars for training camp. Haas will qualify as a returning rights player, while Scott can be designated as an affiliate player.

Utah now has 18 players under contract.

Celtics Release Kaiser Gates

October 18th, 2019 at 10:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have waived forward Kaiser Gates, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log. The move leaves Boston with 19 players under contract.

Gates, who will turn 23 in November, spent most of last season with the Windy City Bulls after going undrafted out of Xavier. In 50 NBAGL games, the forward recorded 12.7 PPG and 6.4 RPG with a .408/.375/.786 shooting line.

The Maine Red Claws – Boston’s G League affiliate – acquired Gates’ returning rights from Windy City last month, so after joining the C’s for camp and the preseason, he’s on track to report to Maine and receive an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $50K if he spends 60 or more days with the club.

Raptors Waive Matt Morgan

October 18th, 2019 at 10:19pm CST by Luke Adams

A day after signing him, the Raptors have released rookie guard Matt Morgan, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic.

Morgan, who went undrafted out of Cornell in the spring, played for Toronto’s Summer League team and impressed the organization with his shooting skills, according to Murphy. He averaged 22.2 PPG in 31 games (32.3 MPG) as a senior last year and shot 43.1% from beyond the arc.

As Murphy notes, Morgan’s one-day stint on the Raptors’ roster was designed to get him an Exhibit 10 bonus after he joins the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate. That bonus will be worth $50K if he sticks with the NBAGL squad for at least 60 days.

Sixers Waive Miles, Koumadje, Highsmith

October 18th, 2019 at 9:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers are waiving Isaiah Miles, Christ Koumadje and Haywood Highsmith, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

That will reduce their roster to 17 players. There are no surprises with these moves, as all three had non-guaranteed contracts. Trey Burke has a partially guaranteed deal, while 14 others have full guarantees to go along with Philadelphia’s two-way players.

The Sixers hold the G League rights to the trio and they’re expected to play for the Delaware Blue Coats.

Miles, who went undrafted out of St. Joe’s in 2016, has played professionally overseas during the last three years. The 6’7” forward has spent time with teams in France and Turkey, having played for Limoges CSP in 2018/19.

The 7’4″ Koumadje, a Florida State alum, played for Philadelphia’s summer league team after going undrafted. He played four seasons with the Seminoles and started all 37 games as a senior.

Highsmith, a small forward who went undrafted out of Wheeling Jesuit in 2018, signed a two-way contract with Philadelphia in January and spent the remainder of his rookie season with the 76ers and the Blue Coats.

Clippers Waive B.J. Taylor

October 18th, 2019 at 8:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers are waiving recently-signed point guard B.J. Taylor, who will report to their G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers, Ben Stinar of Amico Hoops tweets.

The undrafted rookie guard signed an Exhibit 10 contract on Wednesday. He played his college ball at the University of Central Florida, averaging 15.9 PPG, 3.2 APG, and 2.3 RPG with a .384/.372/.779 shooting line in 33 games (34.4 MPG) as a senior in 2018/19. The Orlando native joined the Magic for Summer League play, though he only appeared briefly in one game.

The Clippers will now have 18 players under contract.

Thunder Exercise Options on Gilgeous-Alexander, Ferguson

October 18th, 2019 at 7:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Thunder have exercised their 2020/21 options on point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and swingman Terrance Ferguson, according to a team press release.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s option for 2020/21, which will be his third season in the league, is worth approximately $4.14MM. Ferguson’s fourth-year option is worth $3.94MM.

Oklahoma City had until the end of this month to exercise those options.

Gilgeous-Alexander had a strong rookie campaign with the Clippers and was the key component for OKC in the Paul George blockbuster. He averaged 10.8 PPG and 3.3 APG while appearing in every regular-season game.

Ferguson started 74 games last season and averaged 6.9 PPG in 26.1 MPG. The 21-year-old was the team’s first-round pick in 2017.

Cavs Claim Tyler Cook From Nuggets

October 18th, 2019 at 4:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers have claimed rookie forward Tyler Cook off waivers, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets.

Cook was on a two-way deal with the Nuggets before Denver cut ties with him on Wednesday. The Cavaliers will now decide by Saturday afternoon whether to retain Cook or training camp invitee Marques Bolden with their second two-way contract, according to Fedor. Power forward Dean Wade has the other two-way contract.

Cook entered the draft this spring after his junior year at Iowa, where he averaged 14.5 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 2.4 APG in 33 games (30.8 MPG) last season while shooting 51.9% from the field. After recovering from a high ankle sprain suffered during a pre-draft workout, the 22-year-old joined Denver for Summer League action and then for training camp, playing limited minutes in two preseason games.

Nuggets Waive Zeller, Convert Dozier To Two-Way Deal

October 18th, 2019 at 3:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets have made roster moves with a pair of players on non-guaranteed contracts, announcing today (via Twitter) that center Tyler Zeller has been waived, while guard PJ Dozier‘s contract has been converted into a two-way deal.

Zeller – a former first-round pick who has spent time with the Cavaliers, Celtics, Nets, Bucks, Hawks, and Grizzlies – provided Denver with an extra body in training camp, but was always a long shot to make the regular season roster. The Nuggets are expected to enter the season with an open spot on the 15-man squad, since their team salary is dangerously close to the luxury-tax line.

As for Dozier, his path to a two-way contract opened up when the Nuggets waived Tyler Cook earlier this week. Nick Kosmider of The Athletic noted at the time that Dozier would likely slide into that newly-opened two-way slot after an impressive training camp.

Denver now has 14 players on guaranteed contracts and two on two-way deals, so the team’s roster is ready for the regular season. As one of two NBA clubs without their own G League affiliate, the Nuggets don’t need to make any additional roster moves to secure players’ NBAGL rights.