Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies Sign Dusty Hannahs, Waive Matt Mooney

October 14th, 2019 at 10:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have signed Dusty Hannahs, waiving Matt Mooney in a corresponding move to create an opening on their roster, the team announced today in a press release. The moves were first reported by Jon Roser of Grind City Media, who tweets that Hannahs’ deal is an Exhibit 10 contract.

Hannahs, 26, made his NBA debut for the Grizzlies late last season when he signed a 10-day contract with the club. The 6’3″ shooting guard appeared in just two games for the Grizzlies, having spent most of his season with the team’s G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle.

The former Arkansas standout averaged 14.5 PPG on .477/.413/.926 shooting in 49 games (25.6 MPG) in the NBAGL last season. He also played for the Grizzlies’ Summer League teams in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas in July, averaging 12.0 PPG in nine games.

According to Roser, both Hannahs and Mooney are expected to return to the G League and play for the Hustle in 2019/20. Mooney figures to be an affiliate player, while the Grizzlies hold Hannahs’ returning rights. Each player will be eligible for an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Hustle.

Spurs Waive Dedric Lawson

October 14th, 2019 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have made another cut to their preseason roster, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News, who tweets that the team waived undrafted rookie Dedric Lawson.

A 6’9″ forward out of Kansas, Lawson elected to go pro this spring following his junior season. In 36 games for the Jayhawks in 2018/19, he averaged a double-double, filling the stat sheet with 19.4 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.3 SPG, and 1.1 BPG. He also made 39.3% of his three-pointers on 2.5 attempts per game.

After playing for the Warriors in Summer League, Lawson caught on with the Spurs for training camp. He appeared in three preseason games but logged limited minutes (12.3 MPG), averaging just 1.7 PPG and 2.7 RPG. He’s now a candidate to join the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s G League affiliate.

San Antonio now has 18 players under contract, so the team could set its regular season roster with just one more transaction — Daulton Hommes appears likely to be the odd man out. Still, with a week left before those rosters must be set, it’s possible the Spurs will make additional signings and cuts in order to secure players’ G League rights.

Celtics Converting Tacko Fall To Two-Way Contract

October 13th, 2019 at 1:16pm CST by clarkcrum

The Celtics are converting the contract of big man Tacko Fall to a two-way contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowki of ESPN. As most two-way players do, the 7’6″ rookie will spend most of his season developing with his team’s G-League affiliate – the Maine Red Claws – but can spend up to 45 days with the Celtics in the NBA.

As Tim Bontemps of ESPN observes, the Celtics were able to open up a two-way spot for Fall alongside fellow rookie Tremont Waters by converting rookie swingman Max Strus to a standard contract earlier today. Bobby Marks of ESPN noted in response to that development that Boston had until next Monday to convert Fall to a two-way contract.

Fall, 23, has become one of the most popular players in the NBA since becoming a member of the Celtics this summer. He made a strong impression in limited Summer League minutes, making 17-of-22 shots from the field and averaging 7.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 1.4 BPG in just 12.6 minutes per contest (five games).

Joe Chealey, Josh Perkins Waived By Hornets

October 13th, 2019 at 11:54am CST by Arthur Hill

The Hornets have waived Joe Chealey and Josh Perkins, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.

A 23-year-old point guard, Chealey spent all of last season on a two-way contract with Charlotte. He got into just one NBA game, but was a starter for the organization’s G League affiliate in Greensboro, where he posted a 16.3/3.7/5.3 line in 43 games before a torn left meniscus ended his season in March.

Perkins, a rookie point guard out of Gonzaga, signed an Exhibit 10 deal in August. He was a 38.6% shooter from 3-point range in college. Both players have a good chance to start the season in Greensboro, Bonnell adds (Twitter link).

The moves trim the Hornets’ roster to 18 players ahead of next Monday’s final cutdown date. Charlotte has 13 guaranteed contracts, with both two-way slots already filled.

Celtics To Give Max Strus Two-Year Deal

October 13th, 2019 at 11:37am CST by Arthur Hill

Max Strus will receive a two-year contract from the Celtics, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The deal includes a partial guarantee that’s nearly half of the rookie minimum, league sources tell Charania.

The 23-year-old shooting guard has been on a two-way contract that he agreed to in July after going undrafted out of DePaul. He has seen minimal playing time in Boston’s first two preseason games.

Because Strus is already on the training camp roster, the Celtics don’t have to make an accompanying move. However, they now have a two-way slot to fill. ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes that any move to convert a player on an Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal, such as Tacko Fall, must be completed by next Monday (Twitter link).

The minimum salary for a rookie this season is $898,310, so Strus’ partial guarantee will come in at less than half of that number.

Mavericks Waive Yudai Baba

October 12th, 2019 at 4:18pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Mavericks have waived Yudai Baba, as Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News relays (via Twitter).

Baba played in three preseason games for the Mavericks. The Japanese shooting guard scored 2.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.0 minutes per contest.

Baba was never expected to make the regular season roster for the Mavericks, though playing for the Texas Legends of the G League remains a possibility. Dallas’ roster now sits at 19 players.

Jazz Sign Kyle Collinsworth, Waive Trevon Bluiett

October 12th, 2019 at 3:20pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Jazz have signed free agent small forward Kyle Collinsworth, according to a team press release. The team has waived camp invitee Trevon Bluiett to accomodate the signing.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed but it’s likely a non-guaranteed contract. Collinsworth spent last season with the Raptors 905 of the G League.

The Utah native saw NBA action with the Mavs back in the 2017/18 season, appearing in 32 contests. During his stint in Dallas, he also played for the team’s G League affiliate, the Texas Legends.

Kings Waive Mika, Pineiro; Sign Hollis Thompson

October 11th, 2019 at 5:08pm CST by Luke Adams

5:08pm: Thompson’s signing is official, according to a team press release.

11:20am: The Kings are making a series of changes to their 20-man roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived camp invitees Eric Mika and Isaiah Pineiro. Sources tell Jason Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link) that Sacramento has agreed to a partially guaranteed deal with Hollis Thompson, who will fill one of those newly-opened roster spots.

Mika, a former BYU center who went undrafted in 2017 and has played overseas in recent years, joined the Kings for Summer League play in July, then signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the club in August. He racked up four points and six rebounds in just four minutes of action in his lone preseason appearance for Sacramento

Pineiro, an Auburn, California native, also signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Kings after playing for the team in Summer League. Like Mika, the forward appeared in one preseason game for Sacramento.

Both players look like candidates to ultimately join the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate. They’d be eligible for Exhibit 10 bonuses worth up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days in Stockton.

As for Thompson, the former Sixers and Pelicans swingman last played in the NBA during the 2016/17 season. The Georgetown alum averaged 7.7 PPG and 3.1 RPG with a .386 3PT% in 265 NBA contests, and has played in Greece, Germany, and the G League since then.

It’s not clear if Thompson will get a chance to compete for the 15th and final spot on the Kings’ regular season roster. Tyler Lydon and Tyler Ulis are currently vying to fill that opening.

Clippers Waive Terry Larrier, James Palmer Jr.

October 11th, 2019 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have removed a pair of players from their 20-man preseason roster, announcing today that Terry Larrier and James Palmer Jr. have been released.

Both Larrier and Palmer signed Exhibit 10 contracts with the Clippers in August and participated in the team’s training camp last week. Larrier, a 6’8″ forward out of UConn, appeared in two games for the Clippers during the preseason, while Palmer, an undrafted 6’6″ shooting guard out of Nebraska, played in three preseason contests for the club.

Neither Larrier nor Palmer has played in the G League before, so the Clippers could look to make them affiliate players. If they spend at least 60 days with the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario – L.A.’s NBAGL affiliate – they’d be eligible for Exhibit 10 bonuses worth up to $50K.

The Clippers now have 18 players under contract, including 14 with guaranteed salaries and two on two-way deals.

Suns Pick Up 2020/21 Options On Ayton, Bridges

October 11th, 2019 at 10:14am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have exercised a pair of third-year rookie scale options, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has locked in the 2020/21 salaries for Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges.

Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, projects to have the highest cap hit of any third-year player in 2020/21, at $10,018,200. Bridges, the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft, will have a more modest $4,359,000 cap charge.

While both youngsters are viewed as long-term building blocks in Phoenix, Ayton is the one considered a future franchise player. As Charania notes, he has received rave reviews from coaches and players leading up to the 2019/20 season.

In his rookie year, Ayton averaged a double-double, recording 16.3 PPG and 10.3 RPG in 71 games (30.7 MPG). The Suns will have to pick up his 2021/22 option by October 31, 2020, then he’ll become eligible for a rookie scale extension in the 2021 offseason.

As for Bridges, he appeared in all 82 games for Phoenix as a rookie, averaging a modest 8.3 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 29.5 minutes per contest. The 23-year-old has the potential to develop into a standout three-and-D contributor, having averaged 1.6 SPG and made 33.5% of his three-pointers in his first professional season. Like Ayton, he’ll become extension-eligible in 2021 if the Suns pick up his fourth-year rookie scale option.

All the league-wide decisions on rookie scale options for 2020/21 can be found right here as the October 31 deadline approaches.