Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets Sign Amari Bailey To Exhibit 10 Contract

September 21st, 2024 at 7:38pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 21: Bailey has officially signed with the Nets, according to RealGM’s NBA transaction log.

SEPTEMBER 19: Free agent guard Amari Bailey has agreed to sign a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract with the Nets, agent Kevin Bradbury tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

A one-and-done college player at UCLA, Bailey was drafted 41st overall by the Hornets in 2023. He spent his rookie year on a two-way deal with the club, appearing in just 10 games at the NBA level for Charlotte but playing a significant role for the Greensboro Swarm in the G League.

In 36 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Swarm, Bailey averaged 18.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 30.9 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .451/.358/.695.

The Hornets opted not to tender Bailey a qualifying offer in June. As a result, he became an unrestricted free agent.

Bailey is one of several players to have reached Exhibit 10 agreements with the Nets this offseason, along with Killian Hayes, Mark Armstrong, and KJ Jones. Brooklyn has a pair of two-way contract slots available, so it’s possible Bailey will get a chance to compete for one of those spots this fall.

Rockets Reach Buyout Agreement With AJ Griffin

September 20th, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Luke Adams

10:00pm: Griffin has been placed on waivers, according to NBA.com’s official transaction log.

4:28pm: The Rockets have reached a buyout agreement with forward AJ Griffin, reports Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).

Reporting last week indicated that Griffin was “seriously considering” the possibility of stepping away from basketball and that the Rockets were preparing for his departure from the sport. The buyout agreement between the two sides will allow Griffin to sit out the 2024/25 season while weighing whether or not he wants to continue his career beyond that, a source tells Feigen.

The 16th overall pick of the 2022 draft and the son of longtime NBA assistant and former Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin, AJ Griffin had a promising rookie season with the Hawks, averaging 8.9 points per game with a .465/.390/.894 shooting line in 72 contests (19.5 MPG).

However, he missed time due to leg and ankle issues and personal reasons in 2023/24 and didn’t play much when he was available, averaging just 8.6 minutes per contest in 20 appearances. The former Duke Blue Devil’s scoring numbers cratered to 2.4 PPG on 29.0% shooting, including 25.6% on three-point attempts.

The Rockets attempted to buy low on Griffin earlier this offseason, trading the No. 44 pick to Atlanta in exchange for the 21-year-old. That transaction was eventually turned into a three-team deal that saw Atlanta move up to No. 43, flipping No. 44 and cash to Miami.

The Rockets had reportedly long been interested in Griffin, and in July he expressed excitement about having a fresh start with Houston. But his struggles continued in Summer League, where he shot just 38.2% from the field, including 28.0% from beyond the arc, in a setting where former first-round picks with multiple years of NBA experience typically thrive.

According to Feigen, the buyout agreement between Griffin and the Rockets is worth $250K. It’s unclear whether that means the forward is giving up $250K, slightly reducing his $3.89MM cap hit for 2024/25, or giving up nearly his entire salary and leaving Houston with a cap charge of just $250K. We’ll have to wait for the official details to confirm the specific numbers.

Griffin’s rookie scale contract included a $5.97MM team option for 2025/26. That option will be declined automatically when Houston places him on waivers.

The move opens up a spot on Houston’s projected 15-man regular season roster. The club doesn’t have to carry a 15th man to open the season, but has more than enough breathing room below the luxury tax line to accommodate a minimum-salary signing.

Nets Sign Tyrese Martin, Killian Hayes

September 20th, 2024 at 12:57pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nets have signed free agents Tyrese Martin and Killian Hayes, the team announced (Twitter links).

The seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft, Hayes spent three-and-a-half seasons with the Pistons before being waived in February. Hayes’ agreement with the Nets was first reported in late July. While Hayes is on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract, he’ll reportedly be given an opportunity to earn a regular season roster spot.

Martin’s agreement with the Nets was not previously reported, but had been speculated after Long Island traded for his returning rights from the Iowa Wolves a couple weeks ago. That indicates that Martin, who played for Brooklyn’s Summer League squad in July, likely signed an Exhibit 10 deal as well.

A 25-year-old wing who started his college career at Rhode Island before finishing at UConn, Martin was the 51st pick of the 2022 draft. He spent his rookie year on a standard deal with the Hawks, but only appeared in 16 regular season games for a total of 66 minutes, having spent most of the campaign in the G League.

Atlanta released Martin last summer, making him a free agent. He signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Minnesota last fall, was waived before 2023/24 began, and spent all of last season with the team’s NBAGL affiliate, the Iowa Wolves. In 39 total games with Iowa (33.5 MPG), Martin averaged 16.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 3.2 APG and 0.9 SPG on .447/.331/.831 shooting.

Unlike Hayes, Martin only has one year of NBA service time, making him eligible for a two-way contract. Exhibit 10 deals can be converted to two-way contracts, and Brooklyn has one two-way opening after signing Yongxi Cui.

The Nets now have 19 players under contract, two shy of the offseason limit, with several other reported agreements that have yet to be finalized.

Yongxi Cui Signs Two-Way Deal With Nets

September 20th, 2024 at 11:10am CST by Rory Maher

The Nets are signing Yongxi Cui to a two-way contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). The move is official, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).

Also known as “Jacky,” Cui is a 6’8″ wing who graduated from the NBA Global Academy and played for the Guangzhou Loong Lions in the Chinese Basketball Association this past season. He went undrafted in June, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The 21-year-old also suited up for China’s World Cup team last summer before posting solid numbers in the CBA in 2023/24 — he averaged 15.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game in 56 appearances for Guangzhou, with a .520/.365/.783 shooting line.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Cui would be signing a two-way deal with the Nets covering two seasons. Cui worked out for Brooklyn prior to the draft, per NetsDaily, and played for Portland’s Summer League team, seeing limited action in three games.

Cui joins Jaylen Martin as players on two-way deals with the Nets. The team now has one two-way opening.

Nets, Patrick Gardner Agree To Exhibit 10 Contract

September 20th, 2024 at 9:36am CST by Rory Maher

The Nets are signing free agent big man Patrick Gardner to an Exhibit 10 contract, agent George S. Langberg tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Gardner, 25, went undrafted last year after playing for three different colleges, the most recent being Marist in 2022/23. He signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Nets last fall, was waived, and spent his first professional season with their G League affiliate in Long Island, averaging 7.7 PPG and 5.1 RPG on .500/.364/.731 shooting in 28 Showcase Cup and regular season contests (14.8 MPG).

A 6’11” center who plays for Egypt’s national team, Gardner will likely be waived before the season begins and head back to Long Island, which would make him eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the NBAGL club.

It’s worth noting that Exhibit 10 deals can also be converted to two-way contracts — the Nets have a pair of two-way openings, so if Gardner impresses in camp and preseason, perhaps he could be promoted.

Gardner is one of several players to reach Exhibit 10 agreements with Brooklyn, as our Luke Adams noted yesterday in a story about former Hornets guard Amari Bailey, who will also sign with Brooklyn. None of those deals are official yet, but the Nets currently have five openings on their offseason roster, so they could make several transactions at any time.

Joel Embiid, Sixers Finalize Three-Year Max Extension

September 20th, 2024 at 7:05am CST by Luke Adams

Superstar center Joel Embiid has agreed to a three-year, maximum-salary contract extension with the Sixers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), who reports that the new deal, which begins in 2026/27, will include a player option on the final year.

The deal is official, per an announcement from the team.

“Philadelphia is home,” Embiid wrote in an Instagram post announcing the agreement. “I want to be here for the rest of my career. I love this community and everything you’ve given me and my family. There is a lot more work to do. You guys deserve a championship and I think we’re just getting started!”

“Joel has cemented himself as one of the greatest Sixers of all time and is well on his way to being one of the best players to ever play the game. We’re ecstatic that this extension keeps him and his family in Philadelphia for years to come,” team owner Josh Harris said in a statement of his own. “Joel is a great family man, leader, and person. He is an elite two-way player with a combination of size, strength, and athleticism that this league has rarely – if ever – seen. He is integral to this franchise’s quest for another NBA Championship, and we are honored that he continues to choose this organization as his NBA home.”

Based on current salary cap projections, Embiid’s three-year extension will be worth approximately $192.9MM. He’ll make a projected $59.5MM in 2026/27 and $64.3MM in ’27/28, with a $69.1MM player option for ’28/29. Those figures count on the cap increasing by the maximum allowable 10% in each of the next two seasons.

Taking into account the two years and $106.6MM left on Embiid’s current contract, he’s now on track to earn just shy of $300MM over the next five seasons. The big man’s previous deal included a player option for the ’26/27 season, but it’ll be replaced by the new contract.

After being plagued by foot issues that cost him two full seasons at the start of his NBA career, Embiid has become one of the league’s most dominant players, earning All-Star nods in each of the past seven years and All-NBA spots in five of those seasons.

The former No. 3 overall pick holds career averages of 27.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.7 blocks in 31.9 minutes per game across 433 outings (all starts) and finished in the top two of three consecutive MVP votes from 2021-23, winning the award in ’23.

Embiid appeared headed for another MVP-caliber season in 2023/24 before a knee injury sidelined him for most of the second half and limited him to 39 games. The 30-year-old averaged a career-high 34.7 points per game with an elite .529/.388/.883 shooting line when healthy, then won an Olympic gold medal in Paris with Team USA this summer.

Embiid’s new deal makes him the fifth member of the NBA’s $500MM+ club, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN, who notes (via Twitter) that the Sixers star trails only LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and teammate Paul George in career earnings, based on their past and current contracts. Kevin Durant is the fifth player whose career salaries will exceed $500MM by the end of his current deal.

Embiid’s extension caps a huge offseason of spending for the 76ers, who also signed Tyrese Maxey to a five-year, $203.8MM contract and George to a four-year, $211.6MM deal in free agency. In total, Philadelphia’s three stars are owed approximately $715MM.

Hawks Sign Joey Hauser To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 19th, 2024 at 11:58pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 19: A month after it was initially reported, Hauser’s Exhibit 10 deal with the Hawks is now official, according to RealGM’s official NBA transactions log.

AUGUST 21: The Hawks are signing free agent forward Joey Hauser to an Exhibit 10 contract, a source confirms to Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks (Twitter link). Billy Reinhardt (Twitter link) first reported the agreement between the two sides.

Hauser, who went undrafted out of Michigan State in 2023, signed a two-way contract with the Jazz last July, but was cut during the preseason. He caught on with the Clippers as a G League affiliate player and spent his rookie season with the Ontario Clippers, appearing in 50 total Showcase Cup and NBAGL regular season games and averaging 7.1 points and 3.4 rebounds in 21.8 minutes per game.

The younger brother of Celtics wing Sam Hauser, Joey made 41.6% of his three-point attempts in his college career at Marquette and MSU, then converted 36.4% of his tries from beyond the arc in the G League last season. He suited up for the Pelicans at the Las Vegas Summer League last month.

Although Reinhardt suggests Hauser will have the opportunity to compete for a roster spot in Atlanta’s camp this fall, he’s unlikely to claim a 15-man roster spot, given that the Hawks already have 15 players on guaranteed salaries and are right up against the luxury tax line.

Exhibit 10 deals – which are one-year, minimum-salary contracts that are non-guaranteed and don’t count against the cap until the regular season – can also be converted to two-way contracts. However, the Hawks already have three players filling their two-way slots, so Hauser would presumably have to outperform Seth Lundy, Keaton Wallace, or Dominick Barlow this fall to have a chance to earn a roster spot that way.

If the College Park Skyhawks were to acquire Hauser’s returning NBAGL rights from the Ontario Clippers, he could receive a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived by Atlanta this fall and then spends at least 60 days with College Park.

Suns Sign Jaden Shackelford To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 19th, 2024 at 11:30pm CST by Rory Maher

11:30pm: Shackelford’s Exhibit 10 deal with Phoenix is now official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

3:32pm: The Suns are signing free agent guard Jaden Shackelford to an Exhibit 10 contract, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Phoenix’s new NBA G League affiliate, the Valley Suns, recently acquired Shackelford’s returning player rights in a trade with the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s affiliate.

Shackelford, 23, went undrafted out of Alabama in 2022. He has spent the past two seasons with the Blue, averaging 14.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 3.0 APG on .379/.356/.733 shooting in 50 Showcase Cup and regular season games in 2023/24 (29.0 MPG). The low field goal percentage requires some context: 77% of his shot attempts came from three-point range.

Shackelford will likely be waived before the season begins and head back to the NBAGL. If that comes to fruition, the Exhibit 10 language in his contract would entitle him to a bonus worth up to $77.5K (on top of his regular G League salary) if he spends at least 60 days with the Valley Suns.

The Suns have reportedly reached Exhibit 10 agreements with Boo Buie, Tyrese Samuel, and Mamadi Diakite in addition to Shackelford.

Magic Sign Three Players To Exhibit 10 Contracts

September 19th, 2024 at 11:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have maxed out their offseason roster at 21 players by signing free agent guards Mac McClung, Javonte Smart, and Ethan Thompson, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link). All three players received Exhibit 10 contracts, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.

McClung’s deal with the team was previously reported. The 6’2″ guard is the reigning G League MVP and two-time dunk contest champion. In 41 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Osceola Magic last season, he averaged 25.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.6 rebounds in 35.5 minutes per contest, with an excellent shooting line of .492/.380/.846.

Smart, a 6’4″ guard, began last season on a two-way contract with Philadelphia but appeared in just one game for the Sixers before being waived in December. He signed with Serbian team Crvena Zvezda in January and finished the season overseas. The 25-year-old also had previous NBA stints with the Bucks and Heat.

Thompson, a 6’5″ shooting guard who went undrafted out of Oregon State in 2021, has primarily played in the G League since going pro, spending time with the Windy City Bulls and Mexico City Capitanes. He also played in Puerto Rico for Osos de Manati earlier this year.

The Exhibit 10 contracts for McClung, Smart, and Thompson would make them eligible for bonuses worth up to $77.5K if they’re waived by Orlando and then spends at least 60 days with the Magic’s G League affiliate (Osceola).

It’s worth noting that Exhibit 10 deals can also be converted to two-way contracts up until October 21 and the Magic are currently only carrying one player (Trevelin Queen) on a two-way contract, leaving two spots available. All three newcomers are two-way eligible, and McClung in particular “seems primed” to earn one of those deals, according to Beede.

Orlando had been carrying 20 players but opened up two additional roster spots earlier today by waiving forwards Tre Scott and Myron Gardner.

Pelicans Signing Izaiah Brockington To Camp Deal

September 19th, 2024 at 9:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans will sign free agent guard Izaiah Brockington to a training camp contract, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link).

Brockington, who played his final year of college ball at Iowa State in 2021/22, suffered a torn ACL during a pre-draft workout with New Orleans that spring. However, the Pelicans remained high on his potential, waited, out his recovery, and kept him in their system — he finished his rookie year with the Birmingham Squadron, joined the Pels’ Summer League team in 2023, and then rejoined the Squadron for the 2023/24 campaign.

Brockington’s first fully healthy professional season was a good one. In 49 Showcase Cup and regular season games for Birmingham, he averaged 12.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 29.2 minutes per game, posting a strong shooting line of .461/.395/.845 as the G League level. He also received a brief NBA call-up on a 10-day contract in March and appeared in a game for the Pelicans before reporting back to the Squadron.

The Pelicans don’t have any two-way contract openings, so unless Brockington comes to camp with the team and plays well enough to supplant one of the current two-way players, he’ll likely be waived and then rejoin the Squadron to open the 2024/25 season.

Assuming Brockington’s contract with New Orleans includes Exhibit 10 language, which is likely, and he spends at least 60 days with New Orleans’ G League affiliate, he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K.