Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Frank Mason III Signs Two-Way Deal With Bucks

July 26th, 2019 at 3:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 26: The deal is now official, the Bucks confirmed today in a press release.

JULY 20: Point guard Frank Mason III has agreed to a two-way contract with the Bucks, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Mason was waived earlier this month by the Kings and went unclaimed.

Mason, 24, was selected by Sacramento with the 34th overall pick in the 2017 draft. He had a promising rookie season, averaging 7.9 PPG and 2.8 APG, but lost his place in the regular rotation last season.

He was supposed to play for the Kings in the California Summer League, but was held out of action due to a sore right hip. Mason had a $1.62MM salary for the upcoming season but it wasn’t guaranteed.

He’ll provide depth at the point behind Eric Bledsoe, George Hill and Donte DiVincenzo.

Forward Bonzie Colson holds the other two-way spot with Milwaukee, but the team also agreed to sign Cameron Reynolds to a two-way deal, so Colson looks like the odd man out.

Wizards Sign Phil Booth To Exhibit 10 Deal

July 26th, 2019 at 2:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have officially signed free agent guard Phil Booth, the team announced today (via Twitter). According to Don Markus of The Baltimore Sun (Twitter link), Booth received an Exhibit 10 contract.

A Baltimore native, Booth won a pair of titles during his time at Villanova before going undrafted last month. In his final season as a Wildcat in 2018/19, the 6’3″ guard emerged as the team’s go-to scorer, averaging 18.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 3.8 APG with a .434/.367/.749 shooting line in 36 games.

The Cavaliers added Booth to their roster for Summer League play in Las Vegas this month and he showed off his scoring ability in four games for Cleveland, averaging 11.3 PPG in just 15.3 minutes per contest.

Booth appears to be on track to attend training camp with the Wizards. Although he’s probably unlikely to earn a regular season roster spot, he could end up on a two-way deal or playing for the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League affiliate.

Clippers Sign Derrick Walton Jr.

July 26th, 2019 at 12:39pm CST by Luke Adams

12:39pm: Walton confirmed to JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link) that he and the Clippers completed a deal. Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets that it’s an Exhibit 10 contract, as expected.

9:59am: The Clippers have signed free agent point guard Derrick Walton Jr., according to RealGM’s official log of NBA transactions. Details aren’t known, but RealGM classifies it as a one-year contract, so an Exhibit 10 deal seems likely.

Walton, 24, spent a season with the Heat on a two-way contract in 2017/18 after going undrafted out of Michigan. He caught on with the Bulls for training camp and the preseason last fall, but was waived before the regular season began and ultimately ended up playing overseas in 2018/19 for teams in Lithuania and Germany.

The Clippers added Walton to their Summer League roster this offseason, and he appeared in four games for the club in Las Vegas, averaging 4.3 PPG, 1.8 APG, and 1.8 RPG in four games (13.3 MPG).

With only 13 players on guaranteed contracts, the Clippers still project to have a couple openings on their regular season roster. It’s not clear if Walton will get the opportunity to compete for one of those spots, or if Los Angeles simply views him as a potential candidate to join the team’s G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario.

Mavericks Sign Dakota Mathias

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

The Mavericks have officially signed free agent guard Dakota Mathias to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed, but it figures to be a non-guaranteed camp deal.

Mathias went undrafted in 2018 after spending four years at Purdue, where he was a two-time Big Ten All-Defensive Team selection and briefly held the school’s record for total three-pointers made (Carsen Edwards surpassed him in 2018/19).

In his first professional season, Mathias joined the Cavaliers for Summer League play, then signed with Joventut in Spain, appearing in 12 games overseas before an ankle injury ended his stint with the club.

The former Boilermaker returned stateside to play for the Lakers’ Summer League team in Las Vegas this month. Although he struggled with his shot in five games for the Lakers, going just 9-for-33 from the floor (27.3%), the Mavs apparently like him enough to bring him to camp.

Mathias looks like a good bet to ultimately end up playing for the Texas Legends, Dallas’ G League affiliate.

Bucks Sign Dragan Bender To Two-Year Deal

July 26th, 2019 at 8:09am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 26, 8:09am: The Bucks have officially signed Bender, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

JULY 25, 12:20pm: The first year of Bender’s deal with the Bucks is partially guaranteed, while the second is non-guaranteed, reports Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter links).

JULY 25, 10:49am: Free agent power forward Dragan Bender won’t be returning overseas after all, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that the former lottery pick has reached an agreement on a two-year deal with the Bucks.

Guarantee details aren’t yet known, but Milwaukee can’t offer more than the veteran’s minimum, which would result in salaries worth approximately $1.68MM in 2019/20 and $1.82MM in 2020/21 for Bender.

Bender, 21, spent the last three seasons with the Suns after being selected fourth overall in 2016. However, he has failed to develop into a regular NBA rotation player, averaging 5.3 PPG and 3.8 RPG with a .394/.321/.647 shooting line in 171 games in Phoenix.

A report last week indicated that Bender was close to signing with defending EuroLeague champions CSKA Moscow. However, the verbal agreement Bender had with the Russian club was said to be contingent on him not receiving any last-minute NBA offers. Now that the Bucks have swooped in at the 11th hour, the young big man will remain stateside.

Before making their deal with Bender official, the Bucks are already carrying 14 players with fully guaranteed salaries for 2019/20. If Bender gets a guaranteed salary too, it would make him a strong favorite to fill the team’s 15th and final regular season roster spot.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sixers Re-Sign Furkan Korkmaz

July 26th, 2019 at 8:05am CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 26: The Sixers’ deal with Korkmaz is now official, the club announced on Thursday night in a press release.

“We’re excited to have Furkan back and look forward to his continued growth and contributions,” GM Elton Brand said in a statement. “He has a strong work ethic and he’s well-respected in our locker room. Having just turned 22, Furkan is a talented young player with significant potential, and we’re thrilled to have him on our roster.”

JULY 24: Free agent swingman Furkan Korkmaz has agreed to re-sign with the Sixers on a two-year deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

Korkmaz will receive the veteran’s minimum of $1.62MM next season and $1.76MM in 2020/21, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

The 6’7” Korkmaz, a 2016 first-rounder, averaged 5.8 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 14.1 MPG over 48 regular-season games last season. He also made four appearances in the playoffs. He saw action in 14 games during the 2017/18 season.

Philadelphia renounced its rights to Korkmaz earlier this month and it appeared he was headed overseas to play in Turkey. However, he ultimately decided to stay in the NBA and he’ll provide depth at the wings behind starters Tobias Harris and Josh Richardson. The Sixers now have 14 players with guaranteed contracts and a pair of two-way players.

Pelicans Sign Nicolo Melli

July 25th, 2019 at 8:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 25: The Pelicans have officially signed Melli, the team announced today in a press release. New Orleans used its room exception to complete the signing.

JUNE 30: The Pelicans are finalizing a deal with Italian power forward Nicolo Melli, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. It’s a two-year, $8MM deal, according to Wojnarowski, who confirms (via Twitter) that the two sides are in agreement.

Will Guillory of The Athletic confirms the report, adding that the Pelicans see the 6’9″ Melli as an efficient passer who can space the floor (Twitter link). The 28-year-old played for Fenerbahce this season and was the leading scorer in the EuroLeague Finals.

Melli has been playing professionally in Europe for more than a decade. He also has extensive international experience, starting with Italy’s Junior National Team in 2007.

He will be part of a revamped team in New Orleans as the Pelicans build around No. 1 draft pick Zion Williamson and No. 8 selection Jaxson Hayes, along with the package of players they’re getting from the Lakers in the Anthony Davis trade.

Anthony Bennett Signs With Rockets

July 25th, 2019 at 7:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 25: The Rockets have officially signed Bennett, per RealGM’s log of NBA transactions.

JULY 12: Forward Anthony Bennett has agreed to a non-guaranteed contract with the Rockets, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Bennett would appear to be a long shot to make the 15-man roster.

The No. 1 overall pick of the 2013 draft bided his time in the G League last season with the Agua Caliente Clippers. He appeared in 25 games last season and averaged 12.2 PPG in 20.9 MPG. He played in 35 G League games the previous season.

After the Cavaliers gave up on him, Bennett played for the Timberwolves, Raptors and Nets. He also played in Turkey for part of the 2017 season. In 151 NBA games, Bennett has averaged 4.4 PPG in 12.6 MPG.

Thunder Waive Donte Grantham

July 25th, 2019 at 5:01pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Thunder have waived Donte Grantham, according to Brett Dawson of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 6’8″ small forward had been on a two-way contract with the franchise.

Grantham appeared in three NBA contests for the Thunder last season, hoisting up two shots but failing to make either attempt. He played in 34 G League games for the Oklahoma City Blue, where he averaged 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

After waiving Grantham, the team now has one two-way contract slot available. Luguentz Dort is currently OKC’s other two-way player.

Suns Sign David Kramer

July 25th, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have signed free agent guard David Kramer to a one-year deal, according to RealGM’s official log of NBA transactions. Kramer posted a photo on Facebook on Wednesday showing him signing his new contract with Phoenix.

Kramer, 22, has spent the last few seasons playing for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany and has also represented Germany in international competitions. The Suns brought him in for a look at Las Vegas Summer League this month and Kramer impressed, averaging 8.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG on 50.0% shooting in three games (14.3 MPG).

Phoenix is carrying 15 players on guaranteed contracts for 2019/20, so Kramer – like recently-signed big man Tariq Owens – is unlikely to earn a spot on the team’s regular season roster.

Kramer likely signed an Exhibit 10 contract, so he’ll be a candidate to join the Northern Arizona Suns if he decides to remain stateside.