Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Zak Irvin Signs With Knicks

October 17th, 2019 at 10:57am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks have signed Zak Irvin, tweets Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. The 25-year-old swingman has spent the past two seasons with the team’s G League affiliate in Westchester.

Irvin went undrafted out of Michigan in 2017 and has played in the Dominican Republic and Mexico as well as the G League. He was among 80 players selected to participate in the G League Elite Camp in May.

The Knicks had a roster spot open after waiving Amir Hinton yesterday. They are now back to the league limit of 20 players, with 15 guaranteed contracts and one two-way slot open.

Spurs Waive Galen Robinson Jr., Kenny Williams

October 17th, 2019 at 10:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs have cut Galen Robinson Jr. and Kenny Williams, according to the NBA’s official transactions log. Both players were just signed Tuesday, so it appears they were added to be part of the organization’s G League affiliate in Austin.

Robinson averaged 8.0 PPG and 4.9 APG last season at Houston, while Williams posted an 8.6/3.9/3.5 line for North Carolina. Both were seniors who went undrafted and played for San Antonio’s Summer League team. With Exhibit 10 contracts, they can both become affiliate players for Austin and will be eligible to earn $50K bonuses.

The moves leave the Spurs with 18 players ahead of Saturday’s cutdown date. However, with 15 players under guaranteed contracts and both two-way slots filled, the final roster seems to be set.

Raptors Sign Matt Morgan

October 17th, 2019 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors have added Matt Morgan to their training camp roster, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic. The rookie guard out of Cornell will receive an Exhibit 10 contract and will likely be ticketed for a spot with the team’s G League affiliate, Murphy adds.

Morgan played for Toronto’s Summer League entry and impressed the organization with his shooting skills, according to Murphy. He averaged 22.2 PPG for the Big Red last season and shot 43% from beyond the arc.

The Raptors had a roster spot open after waiving Sagaba Konate yesterday. They are now back up to the 20-man limit as Saturday’s cutdown date looms.

Knicks Release Amir Hinton

October 16th, 2019 at 6:22pm CST by clarkcrum

The Knicks have waived guard Amir Hinton, according to a release from the club. Hinton was signed to a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal, so the Knicks won’t be on the hook for any dead money.

Hinton, 22, declared for the 2019 NBA Draft after his junior season at Division II school Shaw University, where he led all Division II players with 29.4 points per game and earned CIAA Player of the Year honors.

Shortly after going undrafted, Hinton agreed to a training camp deal with the Knicks, which became official last month. Now that he’s been cut, it’s likely he’ll become an affiliate player for New York’s G League team, the Westchester Knicks.

The Knicks now have 19 players under contract, including one two-way player. Of the 18 guys on standard contracts, 15 have guaranteed deals, meaning it looks like it’ll be an uphill climb for V.J. King, Kenny Wooten, or Lamar Peters to earn a roster spot.

Nuggets Release Tyler Cook

October 16th, 2019 at 4:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets have waived one of their two-way players, announcing today (via Twitter) that forward Tyler Cook has been released.

Cook, who entered the draft this spring after his junior year at Iowa, averaged 14.5 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 2.4 APG in 33 games (30.8 MPG) in 2018/19, 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.

With Bol Bol occupying one of the Nuggets’ two-way contract slots, the second one is now available. Nick Kosmider of The Athletic notes (via Twitter) that PJ Dozier has had an impressive training camp and appears poised to claim that spot.

Even though the Nuggets don’t have a G League affiliate of their own, Dozier received an Exhibit 10 contract when he signed with the team, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That will allow Denver to convert Dozier to a two-way deal without putting him through waivers.

Pacers Cut Walt Lemon, Amida Brimah, C.J. Wilcox

October 16th, 2019 at 4:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have removed three players from their roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived Walt Lemon Jr., Amida Brimah, and C.J. Wilcox.

All three players were in Indiana on non-guaranteed contracts, so the team won’t have to take on any dead money as a result of today’s cuts.

Lemon and Brimah are on track to join the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, since the Pacers’ G League affiliate has acquired both players’ returning rights. Wilcox is expected to join them, per Scott Agness of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The Pacers now have 17 players under contract, including 15 on guaranteed salaries and two on two-way deals. The roster is essentially regular-season-ready, but it’s possible the team will continue to make moves this week as it secures affiliate players for the Mad Ants.

Raptors Waive Sagaba Konate

October 16th, 2019 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have made a minor roster move, waiving forward Sagaba Konate, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Konate had been in camp with Toronto on an Exhibit 10 contract.

Konate, who played his college ball at West Virginia, declared for the draft this spring after being limited to just eight games in his junior season due to knee injuries. He averaged 13.6 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 2.8 BPG in just 24.1 minutes per contest.

After going undrafted, Konate caught on with the Raptors and was viewed as a potential candidate for a two-way contract with the team. However, now that he has been released, it appears likely he’ll end up with the Raptors 905 – Toronto’s G League squad – as an affiliate player.

The Raptors now have 19 players under contract, including 12 on fully guaranteed salaries. The other seven players are competing for the team’s three open roster spots and two two-way contract slots.

Sixers Pick Up Zhaire Smith’s 2020/21 Option

October 16th, 2019 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have exercised the third-year option on Zhaire Smith‘s rookie contract, a source tells Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The move ensures that Smith’s $3,204,600 cap hit for the 2020/21 season is now fully guaranteed.

Smith, the 16th overall pick in the 2018 draft, missed most of his rookie season due to health issues but suited up for Philadelphia for six games, averaging 6.7 PPG and 2.2 RPG with a .412/.375/.750 shooting line. He’ll be vying with the likes of James Ennis, Matisse Thybulle, and Furkan Korkmaz for wing minutes off the bench in 2019/20.

With Smith’s third-year option now locked in, the 76ers will have to decide by October 31, 2020 whether to pick up his fourth-year option for the 2021/22 season.

For a breakdown of all of this year’s rookie scale option decisions, be sure to check out our tracker.

Wizards Sign Anzejs Pasecniks To Exhibit 10 Contract

October 16th, 2019 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

1:23pm: The Wizards have officially signed Pasecniks, the team announced today in a press release. Washington also confirmed the signing of Jalen Jones, which we noted in a separate story. The club has waived Justin Anderson, Jemerrio Jones, and Phil Booth, leaving 19 players on the roster.

11:12am: The Wizards have reached an agreement to sign former first-round pick Anzejs Pasecniks, sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’ll be an Exhibit 10 deal, Katz adds (via Twitter).

Pasecniks, a seven-footer from Latvia, was acquired by the Sixers on draft night in 2017 after he was selected with the 25th overall pick by Orlando. However, he continued his career overseas for the last two seasons, playing for Spanish team Gran Carania.

The 23-year-old was interested in coming stateside this year, but was seemingly no longer in the Sixers’ plans, having initially been acquired by the team’s old Bryan Colangelo-led regime. Philadelphia renounced his NBA rights, generating some extra cap room and clearing a path for him to join the Wizards for Summer League play.

Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington reported last month (via Twitter) that Pasecniks was expected to play for the Capital City Go-Go in the G League this season. Signing him to an NBA contract will ensure that the Wizards can designate him as an affiliate player, while the Exhibit 10 clause will make him eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Go-Go.

Washington currently has a full 20-man roster, so the team will have to make a cut to create an opening for Pasecniks.

Grizzlies Sign Jarrod Uthoff, Waive Ahmad Caver

October 16th, 2019 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies continue to shuffle players on and off their 20-man preseason roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed forward Jarrod Uthoff and waived guard Ahmad Caver.

It’s the third consecutive day that the Grizzlies have made a pair of minor roster moves — the club signed Dusty Hannahs to replace Matt Mooney on Monday, then signed Caver and released Hannahs on Tuesday. Those signings are being made for G League purposes, with the Grizzlies either securing affiliate rights or ensuring that returning-rights players will receive Exhibit 10 bonuses.

Uthoff, who went undrafted out of Iowa in 2016, appeared in nine games for the Mavericks in his rookie season but has mostly played in the G League and international leagues since going pro. He spent the 2018/19 campaign with Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia.

The Memphis Hustle – the Grizzlies’ NBAGL affiliate – acquired Uthoff’s returning rights in a trade a year ago, so if he signs a G League contract, he’d be assigned to the Hustle. By inking a contract with the Grizzlies today, Uthoff should also be in line for an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Hustle.