Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Magic Officially Sign Jeffries, Law, Jefferson

July 30th, 2019 at 3:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have officially completed a series of signings, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, who tweets that DaQuan Jeffries, Vic Law, and Amile Jefferson are now under contract with the team. Jeffries and Law signed Exhibit 10 deals, while Jefferson finalized a two-way pact.

Orlando’s agreements with undrafted rookies Jeffries and Law were reported shortly after the draft ended last month. Both players joined the Magic for Summer League action earlier this month.

Jeffries, a 6’5″ wing out of Tulsa, was ranked by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony as the fourth-best prospect who wasn’t drafted in 2019. He posted 13.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.2 BPG, and 1.0 SPG in his final college season, shooting .502/.366/.755.

Law, a 6’7″ forward, who played four full college seasons at Northwestern, averaged 15.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 3.0 APG as a senior. Like Jeffries, he also averaged at least one block and steal per game.

As for Jefferson, his new two-way deal with the Magic was reported on July 18. He spent the 2018/19 season on a two-way contract with Orlando and saw the majority of his playing time for the Lakeland Magic, the club’s G League affiliate. The former Duke Blue Devil averaged 18.1 PPG, 11.3 RPG, and 3.4 APG in 34 G League games (33.2 MPG), earning a spot on the All-NBAGL Third Team.

The Magic now have 13 players officially on guaranteed contracts, plus Jeffries and Law on Exhibit 10 deals and Jefferson and Josh Magette on two-way contracts. The team also still needs to officially sign first-round pick Chuma Okeke and reportedly reached an agreement on a camp deal with Dererk Pardon. If and when those signings are finalized, it would leave one opening on Orlando’s 20-man roster.

Sixers Sign Trey Burke To One-Year Deal

July 30th, 2019 at 2:34pm CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 30: The Sixers’ deal with Burke is now official, the team confirmed today in a press release.

“Trey’s experience as a ballhandler matched with his scoring ability makes him a good fit for our roster,” GM Elton Brand said in a statement. “We’re excited to welcome him to the 76ers and look forward to the positive impact he can have on our team.”

JULY 25: The Sixers will add free agent point guard Trey Burke on a one-year deal, Shams Charania of The Athletic relays (Twitter link).

It will be a one-year pact at the minimum and will only be partially guaranteed, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

Burke began last season on the Knicks before the team traded him to the Mavs in the Kristaps Porzingis deal. Burke saw action in 25 games for Dallas, scoring 9.7 points per contest.

Philadelphia has revamped its second unit this summer. The team signed Kyle O’Quinn and Raul Neto while bringing back Mike Scott, Furkan Korkmaz and James Ennis so far this offseason.

The Sixers also added first-round pick Matisse Thybulle and will look to get a full season out of Zhaire Smith.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Warriors Sign Damion Lee To Two-Way Contract

July 30th, 2019 at 1:58pm CST by clarkcrum

JULY 30: The Warriors have officially signed Lee to a new two-way contract, per RealGM’s NBA transactions log.

JULY 28: Per a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Warriors and swingman Damion Lee have reached terms on a two-way contract that will see Lee, the brother-in-law of Stephen Curry, return to the Bay Area for the 2019/20 season.

Lee, who played under a two-way contract with Golden State last season also, appeared in 39 games for the Warriors in 2018/19, averaging 4.9 PPG in 11.7 MPG. Anthony Slater of The Athletic first reported that Lee was again a candidate for one of the team’s two-way slots approximately two weeks ago.

The 26-year-old Drexel and Louisville product also played in 15 games (11 starts) for the Hawks during his rookie season in 2017/18, where he averaged an impressive 10.7 PPG in 26.9 minutes per contest, albeit in relatively meaningless action toward the end of the regular season.

The Warriors other two-way slot is occupied by rookie guard Ky Bowman. Forward Julian Washburn held the other spot for awhile, but he was waived after being acquired from the Grizzlies in the trade that sent Andre Igoudala to Memphis to clear cap space.

Kings Sign Isaiah Pineiro To One-Year Deal

July 30th, 2019 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 30: The Kings have officially signed Pineiro, the team confirmed today in a press release. It’s an Exhibit 10 deal, tweets James Ham of NBC Sports California.

JULY 19: Former University of San Diego forward Isaiah Pineiro has reached an agreement to sign with the Kings, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Pineiro will receive a one-year, partially guaranteed contract.

Although Scotto doesn’t specify, it’s possible Pineiro will sign an Exhibit 10 contract. A deal with an Exhibit 10 clause is for one year and features a partial guarantee of up to $50K in the event that the player ultimately joins the team’s G League affiliate or has his contract converted into a two-way pact.

Pineiro, 24, went undrafted in June after averaging 18.8 PPG, 9.4 RPG, and 2.1 APG with a .487/.336/.820 shooting line in 36 games for the University of San Diego in 2018/19.

The Auburn, California native joined his hometown Kings for the California and Las Vegas Summer Leagues this month, appearing in eight total games for the squad. He saw limited action in those games, but performed well, making 13 of 24 (54.2%) shots from the floor.

Mavs Sign Josh Reaves To Two-Way Contract

July 30th, 2019 at 8:15am CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have officially signed free agent shooting guard Josh Reaves to a two-way contract, the team announced late Monday night in a press release.

Reaves, who played for the Mavs’ Summer League team earlier this month after going undrafted out of Penn State, averaged 10.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 2.5 SPG on .426/.356/.656 shooting in his senior season for the Nittany Lions. He was named the Big 10’s Defensive Player of the Year for 2018/19.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony first reported after the draft that Reaves had agreed to sign a two-way deal with Dallas, though a subsequent report later indicated that he’d get an Exhibit 10 contract instead. Ultimately, after some roster shuffling, Reaves and Antonius Cleveland will occupy the Mavs’ two-way contract slots, displacing Kostas Antetokounmpo and Daryl Macon, both of whom were waived in recent weeks.

Using their open two-way slot on Reaves mean the Mavericks won’t use it to officially add 2019 second-round pick Isaiah Roby to the roster. The No. 45 overall selection remains unsigned, so unless the team plans to stash him overseas or in the G League, a standard contract now seems likely.

Dallas currently has 14 players on guaranteed deals for 2019/20, so the club would be giving up some roster flexibility if it signs Roby to fill its 15th and final regular season roster spot.

Jazz, Juwan Morgan Agree To Exhibit 10 Deal

July 29th, 2019 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have reached an agreement to sign undrafted forward Juwan Morgan to an Exhibit 10 contract, league sources tell Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Scotto first reported in June (via Twitter) that Morgan was joining the Jazz, though Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype noted at the time (via Twitter) that the deal was just for Summer League. It appears the two sides have now agreed to extend their partnership into at least training camp.

Morgan, who spent all four seasons of his college career with the Hoosiers, was a full-time starter as a senior in 2018/19. He averaged 15.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 1.5 BPG in 35 games (29.9 MPG). In four Las Vegas Summer League games with Utah, he recorded 6.8 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 17.3 minutes per contest.

An Exhibit 10 contract will put Morgan in line for a bonus if he’s released by the Jazz in the preseason but joins the team’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. That scenario is more likely than having his contract converted into a two-way deal, since Utah’s two-way contract slots are currently occupied by 2019 second-rounders Jarrell Brantley and Justin Wright-Foreman.

Pacers Officially Sign Edmond Sumner

July 29th, 2019 at 1:40pm CST by Luke Adams

A deal that was agreed upon four weeks ago has now been completed, with the Pacers announcing today that they’ve officially signed guard Edmond Sumner to his new contract.

Sumner’s three-year deal will reportedly be worth approximately $6.5MM. We’re still waiting on the specific details on the guarantee and the structure, but at least one report indicated that the third year won’t be guaranteed.

After being selected with the 52nd overall pick in the 2017 draft, Sumner has spent his first two professional seasons in Indiana, first on a two-way contract and later on a standard deal. The 23-year-old has logged limited minutes in 24 games for the Pacers over those two years, but has played a more extensive role for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Indiana’s G League affiliate. In 26 NBAGL contests in 2018/19, he averaged 22.1 PPG, 3.8 APG, and 1.7 SPG with a .472/.360/.748 shooting line.

According to Scott Agness of The Athletic (Twitter link), the left foot injury that sidelined Sumner for all but one Summer League game in Las Vegas earlier this month has cleared up, and he’s ready to compete for a rotation spot in training camp this fall.

Having also officially signed T.J. McConnell today, the Pacers appear to have exhausted their cap space for the offseason, so other signings – namely Justin Holiday via the room exception – should follow soon.

Heat Waive Yante Maten

July 29th, 2019 at 12:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have waived forward Yante Maten, formally announcing the transaction today in a press release. Assuming Maten goes unclaimed, he’ll clear waivers on Wednesday and become an unrestricted free agent.

Maten, who went undrafted out of Georgia in 2018, joined the Heat on a two-way contract a year ago and spent most of the season playing for the Sioux Falls Skyforce. In 30 G League games (32.7 MPG), the rookie averaged 23.5 PPG and 9.7 RPG, earning a spot on the NBA team’s 15-man roster to finish the season.

Miami’s decision to release Maten doesn’t come as a huge surprise, given the structure of his deal. His $100K partial guarantee was on track to increase to $150K if he had remained under contract through Thursday. A $50K bump isn’t too significant, but it’s a big deal for the Heat, who entered the day with approximately $1MM of breathing room below their hard cap ($138.93MM) for 2019/20.

After Maten had a shaky showing in Las Vegas Summer League earlier this month, he was viewed as the most expendable of the Heat’s players on partially guaranteed contracts, as we relayed over the weekend. Releasing him before his guarantee increases allows the team to create a roster spot – and the cap flexibility – to sign another player.

Udonis Haslem is considered a candidate for that newly-opened slot, but he has yet to make a decision on whether or not to continue his playing career. If Haslem retires, Miami would obviously go in another direction.

Pacers Sign T.J. McConnell

July 29th, 2019 at 12:31pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 29: Nearly four weeks after agreeing to terms with him, the Pacers have officially signed McConnell, the team confirmed today (via Twitter).

JULY 3: The Pacers have reached an agreement to sign free agent point guard T.J. McConnell, a league source tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), it’ll be a two-year, $7MM deal.

McConnell, who went undrafted out of Arizona in 2015, caught on with the Sixers and spent his first four NBA seasons in Philadelphia before becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer.

In 2018/19, McConnell averaged 6.4 PPG, 3.4 APG, and 2.3 RPG while shooting a career-high 52.5% from the floor in 76 games (19.3 MPG). However, the 27-year-old fell out of Philadelphia’s rotation in the postseason, logging just 18 total minutes in the club’s seven-game series vs. Toronto.

With Darren Collison retiring and Cory Joseph heading to Sacramento this offseason, the Pacers have addressed the point guard position by agreeing to acquire Malcolm Brogdon in a sign-and-trade, coming to terms on a new deal with Edmond Sumner, and now reaching an agreement with McConnell. Last year’s first-round pick Aaron Holiday is also on track to return to help fill out the depth chart.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks observes (via Twitter), the Pacers projected to have a little over $5MM available in cap room before their deal with McConnell. He could be signed using some of that space, or the team could wait and fit his contract into its $4.8MM room exception.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mavs Waive Two-Way Player Daryl Macon

July 26th, 2019 at 5:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks have waived guard Daryl Macon, according to a team press release.

The 6’3” Macon spent all of last season with Dallas on a two-way contract. He played in eight games for the Mavericks as a rookie and averaged 3.6 PPG in 11.2 MPG.

He also appeared in 41 games, including 37 starts, for the Mavericks’ G-League affiliate, the Texas Legends. He averaged 19.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 6.2 APG in 34.5 MPG.

Macon started all five games for the Mavericks’ Las Vegas summer league team and averaged 12.6 PPG and 4.0 APG.

Dallas’ two-way slots have been in a state of flux. The team recently waived forward Kostas Antetokounmpo, then signed shooting guard Antonius Cleveland to fill that opening.

Unsigned second-rounder Isaiah Roby is one of the potential candidates to take Macon’s spot, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News speculates.