Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Sign Craig Sword, Waive Todd Withers

October 17th, 2019 at 10:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have made a minor change to their roster, announcing tonight in a press release that they’ve signed guard Craig Sword and waived forward Todd Withers.

Sword, who played college ball at Mississippi State, went undrafted in 2016 and has spent much of his professional career since then playing for the Erie BayHawks in the G League.

After averaging 9.5 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 49 games (23.7 MPG) for Erie in 2018/19, the 25-year-old had his NBAGL rights traded to the Grand Rapids Drive – Detroit’s G League affiliate – last month.

That trade and today’s signing signal that Sword – like Withers – will join the Drive for the coming season as a returning-rights player. His deal with the Pistons figures to be an Exhibit 10 contract, which will put him in line to earn a bonus worth up to $50K after he spends at least 60 days in Grand Rapids.

Wizards Sign, Waive Dikembe Dixson

October 17th, 2019 at 8:10pm CST by Luke Adams

9:10pm: Dixson has been waived, as our own JD Shaw relays (Twitter link).

3:52pm: The Wizards are expected to waive Dixson before their preseason game on Friday, tweets Katz. The team plans on him starting the season with the Go-Go.

3:09pm: The Wizards are back up to 20 players, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the club has signed forward Dikembe Dixson to an Exhibit 10 contract.

Dixson, who went undrafted out of UIC in 2018, started his professional career in Lebanon before returning stateside. He appeared in 12 G League games in 2018/19, averaging 5.3 PPG and 1.3 RPG in just 9.4 minutes per contest for the Windy City Bulls and Capital City Go-Go.

The Wizards’ G League affiliate holds Dixson’s returning rights and appears set to bring him back for the coming season. By signing an Exhibit 10 deal with Washington, he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Go-Go.

The Wizards made three cuts on Wednesday, but have already filled those three roster spots by signing Dixson, Jalen Jones, and Anzejs Pasecniks.

Jazz To Pick Up Tony Bradley’s 2020/21 Option

October 17th, 2019 at 8:02pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Jazz are picking up Tony Bradley‘s fourth-year option, Tony Jones of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). Bradley will make roughly $3.54MM during the 2020/21 season.

Bradley was the No. 28 overall pick in the 2017 draft out of UNC. The center hasn’t played much since joining Utah, appearing in just 12 contests for the club over his first two seasons with the team.

Bradley was a candidate to be released this offseason, but his strong play during Summer League secured his spot on the roster. He’ll now be a free agent during the 2021 offseason.

Pacers Sign Stephan Hicks

October 17th, 2019 at 7:45pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pacers have signed Stephan Hicks, according to Scott Agness of The Athletic (Twitter link). Hicks’ deal is likely an Exhibit 10 pact.

Hicks spent the past four seasons with the Mad Ants, Indiana’s G League squad. He’ll likely find his way to the G League yet again this season, earning an Exhibit 10 bonus as an affiliate player for the Mad Ants.

Hicks played his college ball at California State University. The guard will turn 28 turn during the 2019/20 season.

Pistons Exercise Luke Kennard’s 2020/21 Option

October 17th, 2019 at 7:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pistons have exercised Luke Kennard‘s fourth-year option, as Rod Beard of The Detroit News relays. Kennard is slated to make $5.3MM during the 2020/21 season.

The shooting guard was selected with the No. 12 pick in the 2017 draft. He started 10 games for the Pistons last season.

Kennard is one of just five players on the team with a guaranteed contract for the 2020/21 campaign. Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, Sekou Doumbouya, and Khyri Thomas are the four others.

Jazz Sign Isaac Haas, Mike Scott

October 17th, 2019 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have signed center Isaac Haas and guard Mike Scott, the team announced today in a press release. Utah waived Kyle Collinsworth and Juwan Morgan earlier today to clear the necessary spots on the roster.

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, whose agreement with Utah was reported nearly a month ago, 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 appear likely 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.

Mavericks Sign Chad Brown To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 17th, 2019 at 3:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have signed former UCF forward Chad Brown to an Exhibit 10 contract, a league source tells Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Brown will likely be cut before Monday and designated as an affiliate player for Dallas’ G League affiliate, the Texas Legends.

Brown primarily came off the bench during his four college seasons, averaging 4.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 1.0 BPG in 33 games (17.3 MPG) as a senior in 2018/19. He went undrafted this spring and joined the Magic for Summer League play in July.

The Mavericks now have 18 players under contract, including 15 on guaranteed salaries and two on two-way contracts.

Rockets Converting Chris Clemons To Two-Way Deal

October 17th, 2019 at 2:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets are converting Chris Clemons‘ Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal, league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). Both of Houston’s two-way slots are open, so no corresponding move will be required as Clemons fills one of those spots.

Clemons, a 5’9″ guard out of Campbell, was the nation’s leading scorer in 2018/19, averaging 30.0 PPG on .448/.357/.869 shooting. He has been impressive for the Rockets in Summer League and preseason play, averaging 20.8 PPG in five Summer League contests in Las Vegas and 13.2 PPG in five preseason games.

Two-way players are eligible to spend up to 45 days with their NBA club. However, that 45-day clock doesn’t start ticking until G League training camps open, so Clemons figures to start the season in Houston before eventually reporting to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Jaron Blossomgame and Shamorie Ponds appear to be the leading candidates to claim Houston’s other two-way contract before the regular season begins.

Lakers Exercise 2020/21 Option On Kyle Kuzma

October 17th, 2019 at 2:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have picked up their fourth-year option on forward Kyle Kuzma, the team announced today in a press release. The move ensures that Kuzma’s $3,562,178 cap hit for the 2020/21 season is now fully guaranteed.

A stress reaction in his left foot has jeopardized Kuzma’s potential availability for opening night, but he’s expected to be a key contributor for the Lakers this season once he returns to action. Although the 24-year-old averaged 18.7 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 70 games (33.1 MPG) last season, he struggled with his efficiency, knocking down just 30.3% of his three-point attempts.

With Anthony Davis and LeBron James drawing significant attention from opposing defenses, Kuzma will have to make open looks at a higher rate in 2019/20, and he sounds confident he can do just that. He suggested in August that he believes he’s capable of becoming the Lakers’ third star.

With his fourth-year option locked in, Kuzma will now be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2020 offseason. If he doesn’t sign a new deal at that time, he’d remain on track for restricted free agency in the summer of 2021.

Kyle Collinsworth, Juwan Morgan Waived By Jazz

October 17th, 2019 at 1:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Jazz have waived Kyle Collinsworth and Juwan Morgan, according to a tweet from the team.

Collinsworth spent last year with Raptors 905 of the G League. He has NBA experience with the Mavericks, getting into 32 games during the 2017/18 season.

Morgan is a rookie who signed an Exhibit 10 contract after going undrafted out of Indiana. He appeared in two preseason games, averaging 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds.