Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Raptors Waive Cameron Payne, Devin Robinson

October 19th, 2019 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have cut a pair of training camp invitees, according to Blake Murphy of The Athletic, who tweets that the team has placed point guard Cameron Payne and small forward Devin Robinson on waivers.

Payne, who was competing to be Toronto’s third point guard, had a partial guarantee of $150K, so the Raptors will be on the hook for that money, which will count against their cap. Robinson, who appeared to be in the running for a two-way contract, had a non-guaranteed deal.

After waiving Matt Morgan on Friday, the Raptors are now carrying 17 players, including 12 on fully guaranteed contracts. Dewan Hernandez and Chris Boucher appear likely to earn regular-season roster spots, leaving Malcolm Miller and Isaiah Taylor battling for the 15th spot, Murphy tweets. Oshae Brissett‘s contract will likely be converted into a two-way deal.

As Murphy notes (via Twitter), the Raptors’ preference may be to retain Miller, cutting Taylor and then re-signing him to fill the other two-way contract slot after he clears waivers. However, it’s not clear if Taylor would be on board with that plan — or if he’d go unclaimed on waivers.

The Raptors don’t have to make their final decisions today since Miller and Taylor both have partial guarantees. Keeping both players until Monday’s roster deadline won’t result in any extra dead money on the club’s cap.

Pacers Release Stephan Hicks

October 19th, 2019 at 11:09am CST by Luke Adams

Two days after signing him, the Pacers have waived swingman Stephan Hicks, per Scott Agness of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Hicks has spent the last several seasons playing for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, recording 15.4 PPG and 6.9 RPG in 48 games (32.6 MPG) for the team in 2018/19.

The 27-year-old is expected to return to Indiana’s G League affiliate for the 2019/20 season. His brief stint with the Pacers should ensure that he earns a bonus worth up to $50K once he spends 60 days with the Mad Ants.

The Pacers now have 17 players under contract — 15 on the standard roster and two on two-way deals.

Hawks Exercise 2020/21 Options On Collins, Young, Huerter

October 19th, 2019 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have picked up their fourth-year option on John Collins and their third-year options on Trae Young and Kevin Huerter, officially announcing the moves today in a press release. All three players are now locked up for the 2020/21 season.

Collins, 22, enjoyed a breakout season in 2018/19, averaging 19.5 PPG and 9.8 RPG in 61 games (30.0 MPG) for the Hawks. The former 19th overall pick will have a cap hit of $4,137,302 in 2020/21 and will be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2021 if he doesn’t sign a rookie scale extension during the 2020 offseason.

Young, the runner-up to Luka Doncic in last season’s Rookie of the Year race, had a big second half and finished with averages of 19.1 PPG and 8.1 APG in 81 games (30.9 MPG). He’ll have a $6,571,800 cap charge in ’20/21. The Hawks will have to decide on his $8.33MM option for 2021/22 by October 31 of next year, though it’s a safe bet that option will be exercised.

Huerter, a member of the 2018 draft class like Young, averaged 9.7 PPG with a .385 3PT% as a rookie. The 21-year-old has a relatively modest $2,761,920 cap figure for ’20/21.

Knicks Waive Three Players

October 19th, 2019 at 9:09am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have officially waived guard Lamar Peters, swingman V.J. King, and forward Kenny Wooten, the team announced today in a press release. All three players were on non-guaranteed contracts, so New York’s cap won’t be affected by the cuts.

Peters, King, and Wooten each joined the Knicks as rookie free agents after going undrafted in the spring, which makes them eligible to be designated as affiliate players for the Westchester Knicks, New York’s G League team. That appears to be the plan, as Marc Berman of The New York Post tweets.

As a result of today’s roster moves, the Knicks now have 16 players under contract, including 15 on guaranteed salaries and one on a two-way deal. I expect the club will make an additional move by Monday to fill that second two-way slot.

Spurs Waive Daulton Hommes

October 19th, 2019 at 8:30am CST by marksuleymanov

The Spurs have waived forward Daulton Hommes, the team announced in a press release on Saturday. Hommes appeared in four preseason contests for San Antonio.

After going undrafted, Hommes, 23, appeared in four games with the Bucks during NBA Summer League action, averaging 8.8 PPG and 1.6 RPG. The Point Loma Nazarene University product averaged 21.0 PPG and 5.8 RPG as a senior, earning NABC Division II National Player of the Year honors.

He was inked to an Exhibit 10 contract by the Spurs in mid-August.

By waiving Hommes, the Spurs have reduced their roster total to the regular-season limit of 15 players on standard deals and two on two-way contracts.

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.