Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nuggets Sign Jorge Gutiérrez To Training Camp Deal

October 1st, 2019 at 12:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jorge Gutiérrez has been added to the Nuggets‘ training camp roster, tweets Chris Dempsey of Altitude Sports. Gutierrez has prior NBA experience, playing a combined 47 games with the Nets, Bucks and Hornets.

The 30-year-old guard has been overseas since leaving the NBA, spending time in Turkey and Spain. He signed with Brooklyn in 2014 and was later traded to Philadelphia, which immediately waived him. He caught on with Milwaukee at the end of 2014/15 and Charlotte at the end of the following season.

The signing leaves Denver one player below the training camp roster limit of 20. The Nuggets have 14 guaranteed contracts and both two-way slots already filled, so Gutierrez is facing long odds to earn a roster spot.

Marquese Chriss Signs With Warriors

September 30th, 2019 at 9:35pm CST by ChrisCrouse

SEPTEMBER 30, 9:35pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

SEPTEMBER 24, 5:40pm: The Warriors and Marquese Chriss have reached an agreement on a one-year deal, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports (via Twitter). Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link) hears that the contract is non-guaranteed.

Chriss is unlikely to make the Warriors’ open day roster, as the team is hard-capped and doesn’t have the room for a 15th contract. However, if Chriss shows promise during camp, the franchise could make a corresponding move to keep Chriss on the squad.

The big man was selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2016 draft, though he never lived up to his lofty draft status. Phoenix traded him to Houston in the Ryan Anderson deal back in 2018 and the Rockets declined to pick up his fourth-year option last fall. Chriss also spent time with the Cavaliers, playing in 27 games for Cleveland last season.

Trail Blazers Sign Keljin Blevins

September 30th, 2019 at 1:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Keljin Blevins has signed a training camp contract with the Trail Blazers, the team announced in a press release.

The 23-year-old forward was part of Portland’s Summer League team, appearing in three games and scoring five points with three rebounds and a steal in 28 total minutes. Blevins went undrafted out of Montana State this year and spent two seasons at Southern Mississippi as well.

The signing brings the Blazers to 19 players ahead of the opening of camp tomorrow. Portland has a two-way spot available, so Blevins is likely competing for that.

Bulls Sign Milton Doyle

September 30th, 2019 at 12:41pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 30: The Bulls have officially signed Doyle, the team announced today. The club’s training camp roster features 19 players – Simisola Shittu, who reportedly agreed to sign with Chicago, isn’t on the list at this point.

SEPTEMBER 23: The Bulls have reached a deal with former Nets guard Milton Doyle, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides have agreed to a partially guaranteed contract. It’s not clear if Doyle’s partial guarantee will exceed the $50K figure that Exhibit 10 recipients and two-way candidates generally receive.

A Chicago native, Doyle went undrafted out of Loyola in 2017 and spent most of his rookie season on a two-way contract with Brooklyn, appearing in 10 NBA regular season contests for the team. The majority of his minutes came in the G League, as he averaged 20.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 4.4 APG in 45 games with the Long Island Nets.

After his two-way deal with the Nets expired, Doyle signed with Spanish team Murcia for the 2018/19 season. Now, the 25-year-old is back stateside and seeking an NBA roster spot.

While the Bulls are carrying only 14 players on fully guaranteed contracts, Shaquille Harrison is the odds-on favorite to claim the 15th and final spot on the club’s regular season roster, given his $175K partial guarantee.

Chicago has an open two-way slot, so if Doyle doesn’t make the 15-man squad, he may be a candidate for that opening. He could also simply end up joining the Windy City Bulls as an affiliate player — Windy City, Chicago’s G League affiliate, acquired his returning rights from Long Island in a trade today.

Celtics Officially Sign Maten, Gates; Camp Roster Set

September 30th, 2019 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have made a handful of roster moves to set their roster for training camp, the team announced today in a press release. Boston waived recently-signed players Bryce Brown and John Bohannon, officially signing Yante Maten and Kaiser Gates using the newly-created openings.

Maten, 23, spent most of the 2018/19 season on a two-way contract with the Heat. He appeared in just two games for Miami but thrived for the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the G League. The rookie power forward averaged 23.5 PPG and 9.7 RPG in 30 games for Sioux Falls, earning a spot on the All-NBAGL Second Team. After being waived by Miami this summer, he reached an agreement with Boston.

Gates, who will turn 23 in November, joined the Bulls for training camp last fall after going undrafted out of Xavier. He was waived by Chicago before the season began and reported to the team’s G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls. In 50 NBAGL games, the forward recorded 12.7 PPG and 6.4 RPG with a .408/.375/.786 shooting line. Earlier this month, he agreed to sign with the Celtics.

As for the Celtics’ waived players, Brown is expected to become an affiliate player for the Maine Red Claws, while Bohannon will likely rejoin to Boston’s G League team as a returning rights player.

The Celtics now have a full 20-man roster heading into camp, including 14 players on guaranteed salaries. Assuming Boston plans on carrying a 15th man, Maten and Gates figure to compete with Tacko Fall and Javonte Green for that spot.

Spurs Waive Matt Farrell

September 30th, 2019 at 10:49am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have released former Notre Dame guard Matt Farrell, league sources tell JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link). With Farrell now on waivers, San Antonio has officially announced its training camp roster, which consists of 19 players.

Farrell, 23, went undrafted in 2018 and spent his first professional season in the G League, playing for the Sixers’ affiliate. In 45 games (27.0 MPG) for the Delaware Blue Coats, the 6’1″ point guard averaged 10.8 PPG, 5.6 APG, and 3.2 RPG with a shooting line of .410/.351/.755.

San Antonio’s NBAGL team, the Austin Spurs, acquired Farrell’s returning rights in a trade with the Blue Coats earlier this month. As a result of his Exhibit 10 contract with San Antonio, Farrell will now be in line for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least two months with Austin, where he’ll start the 2019/20 season.

Thunder Officially Sign Four Players To Camp Roster

September 30th, 2019 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have officially signed four players to their roster for training camp, filling up their 20-man squad, the team announced today in a press release. Swingman DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell, big man Eric Moreland, guard Abdul Gaddy, and forward Myke Henry have all joined the Oklahoma City roster.

The team’s deals with Akoon-Purcell and Moreland were previously reported. We broke word of Akoon-Purcell’s contract agreement on Saturday, while Moreland agreed to terms with the Thunder back in August. Akoon-Purcell spent part of the 2018/19 season on a two-way deal with Denver, while Moreland finished the year with the NBA champion Raptors.

Gaddy, 27, joined the Thunder for training camp a year ago but was waived before the regular season began. He spent the 2018/19 campaign in the G League with the Oklahoma City Blue, averaging 9.5 PPG, 6.7 APG, and 3.2 RPG in 49 games (29.1 MPG). The former Washington standout appears likely to return to the Thunder’s G League affiliate again this season.

As for Henry, his deal with the Thunder was first noted by his agency Edge Sports earlier in September. The 6’6″ forward made his NBA debut in 2017/18 when he appeared in 20 games for the Grizzlies. He played in Israel last season but has previously spent time with the OKC Blue and is another candidate to return to the Blue in 2019/20.

The Thunder now have 13 players on fully guaranteed salaries, two on two-way contracts, and Justin Patton on a partially guaranteed contract. Patton is the favorite to win the 14th spot on the roster and Oklahoma City may not carry a 15th man, so it would be an uphill battle for any of today’s signees to earn a regular season roster spot.

Thunder To Sign DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell

September 28th, 2019 at 2:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell, who spent part of last season on a two-way contract with the Nuggets, will join the Thunder for training camp, tweets JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors. League sources tell Shaw that the free agent shooting guard has agreed to a partially guaranteed contract.

Akoon-Purcell, 26, signed with Denver last summer and saw limited action in seven NBA games before being waived in December. He spent time with Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel and finished the season with ESSM Le Portel in France.

The addition leaves Oklahoma City with two open roster spots ahead of the start of training camp on Tuesday. Once the Thunder make it official with Akoon-Purcell, they’ll have 15 players signed to standard contracts (13 fully guaranteed), along with both two-way slots filled and a reported agreement with Eric Moreland.

Thunder Waive Markel Brown

September 27th, 2019 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have opened up another spot on their 20-man roster by waiving Markel Brown, the team announced today in a press release. Brown was initially signed on Tuesday.

A former second-round pick, Brown spent last season in Turkey and has also played in Russia in recent years. The last year he spent stateside was in 2017/18, when he spent some time with the Rockets but suited up for the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League for most of the season.

Brown’s brief union this week with the Thunder signals that the team expects him to return to the Blue this fall. His Exhibit 10 contract will put him in line to earn a $50K bonus if he spends at least two months with OKC’s G League affiliate.

The Thunder now have four open spots on their 20-man roster, which they’ll likely fill in the coming days.

Magic Sign B.J. Johnson To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 27th, 2019 at 2:18pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have signed free agent guard B.J. Johnson, the team announced today in a press release. According to Roy Parry of The Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter), it’s an Exhibit 10 contract for Johnson, who inked a similar deal with the club last fall.

After going undrafted out of La Salle in 2018, Johnson was with the Magic for training camp and the preseason, then spent most of his first professional season playing for the Lakeland Magic, Orlando’s G League affiliate. He averaged 15.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 1.4 SPG with a shooting line of .476/.444/.841 in 39 NBAGL games.

Johnson also had brief NBA auditions in 2018/19 with the Hawks, who signed him to a pair of 10-day contracts in March, and the Kings, who signed him for the final week of the regular season. The 23-year-old appeared in seven total regular season games for the two clubs, with Sacramento waiving him in July.

The Magic now have a full 20-man offseason roster, including just 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts. Although the team probably won’t carry a 15th man due to tax concerns, the 14th roster spot is up for grabs. Johnson could be in the mix for that spot, but seems more likely to eventually return to Lakeland, where he’d earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $50K if he spends two months with the club.