Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Thunder Sign Mike Muscala

July 10th, 2019 at 10:26am CST by JD Shaw

JULY 10: The Thunder have officially signed Muscala, the team announced today in a press release.

As we relayed earlier this week, Oklahoma City gave Muscala the opportunity to reconsider his options after the team agreed to trade away Paul George. However, the big man decided to remain committed to OKC.

JUNE 30: The Thunder have agreed to a deal with free agent forward Mike Muscala, his agent, Sean Kennedy of Excel Sports Management, tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Muscala, a 6’11” floor-spacer, is set to bring some much-needed shooting to Oklahoma City in the frontcourt next season. He split last year with Sixers and Lakers, averaging seven points per game on 35% shooting from behind-the-arc.

Oklahoma City also worked to secure a commitment with free agent center Nerlens Noel on Sunday, but Noel has since backed out of the agreement, according to Wojnarowski. It’s not clear if the team’s deal with Muscala will impacts its willingness to bring back Noel.

[UPDATE: Noel has reached a new agreement with the Thunder]

Muscala has made stops with Atlanta, Philly, Los Angeles, and now Oklahoma City across his six-year career.

Lakers Sign Devontae Cacok, Aric Holman

July 9th, 2019 at 8:41pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Lakers have signed rookie free agents Devontae Cacok and Aric Holman, according to a team press release. Both contracts are Exhibit 10 deals, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Cacok went undrafted out of UNC Wilmington. Back in the 2016/17 season, the big man shot an NCAA-record 80.0% from the field. He posted a double-double (15.2 PPG, 12.3 RPG) in 33 games in 2018/19, his senior season.

Holman spent four years at Mississippi State and was also not drafted. The power forward blocked at least two shots in 61 of his 124 collegiate games, per the Lakers. He averaged 9.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 1.6 BPG with a .473/.429/.701 shooting line in his senior year.

Cacok’s agreement with the Lakers was first reported by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, while Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports broke word of Holman’s deal.

Clippers Sign Amir Coffey To Two-Way Deal

July 9th, 2019 at 7:49pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Clippers will add Amir Coffey to the team via a two-way contract, according to a team press release. The combo guard has been playing for the franchise’s Summer League team in Las Vegas.

Coffey was not selected in the 2019 draft. He spent three seasons at the University of Minnesota where as a junior, he led the team in scoring with 16.6 points per game.

Each team is allowed to have a pair of players on two-way deals. After signing Coffey, the Clippers have one remaining.

Clippers Sign Mfiondu Kabengele, Terance Mann

July 9th, 2019 at 6:40pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Clippers have signed rookies Mfiondu Kabengele and Terance Mann, according to a team press release.

Kabengele, the nephew of Dikembe Mutombo, was the No. 27 overall pick in this year’s draft. Assuming he signed for the full 120% of the rookie scale, he’ll take home slightly under $1.98MM during the 2019/20 season, as our Rookie Scale Salaries page shows.

Mann was selected with the No. 48 overall pick in the draft. The two players were teammates at Florida State.

Celtics To Sign Tremont Waters To Two-Way Deal

July 9th, 2019 at 4:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Celtics will add Tremont Waters on a two-way deal, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe hears (Twitter link).

The point guard will split his time between the Celtics and their G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. Each team is awarded a pair of two-way contracts and it was previously reported that shooting guard Max Strus will occupy one for Boston as well.

Waters was selected with the No. 51 overall pick after spending two years at LSU. He appeared in 66 games over his collegiate career, scoring 15.3 points while dishing out 5.9 assists per game.

Bucks Waive Jon Leuer

July 9th, 2019 at 4:13pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Bucks have released veteran big man Jon Leuer, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. He’ll clear waivers and become an unrestricted on Thursday.

Leuer, 30, averaged 3.8 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 41 games (9.8 MPG) last season for the Pistons. Detroit sent his expiring contract to Milwaukee last month in exchange for Tony Snell and the No. 30 overall pick in the draft.

Because Leuer is earning less than Snell and only has one year left on his contract instead of two, waiving and stretching his expiring salary ($9,508,043) will be more manageable for the Bucks. That move was necessary in order to create the cap room to re-sign George Hill.

While stretching Leuer’s contract generates additional flexibility this year, the Bucks will have to be wary of the cap charges it creates in future seasons ($3,169,348 annually through 2021/22). Milwaukee’s roster only figures to get more expensive down the road, especially if Giannis Antetokounmpo signs a super-max extension that goes into effect in ’20/21, so Leuer’s dead money could eventually help push team salary into the tax.

Bucks Re-Sign George Hill

July 9th, 2019 at 3:33pm CST by JD Shaw

JULY 9: Hill has officially re-signed with the Bucks, the team announced today in a press release.

“George is a consummate pro and an important part of our team,” GM Jon Horst said in a statement. “His veteran leadership and steady guard play were instrumental to our success last season, both during the regular season and the playoffs. We are thrilled to have him back with the Bucks.”

JULY 2: The Bucks officially waived Hill on Monday, according to the NBA’s transactions log. He’ll clear waivers this week, and then Milwaukee will be able to officially re-sign him once the moratorium ends on Saturday.

JUNE 30: The Bucks are set to re-sign veteran guard George Hill on a three-year, $29MM deal, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. The deal has a partial guarantee in year three, tweets Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Milwaukee plans to waive Hill, who was originally set to make $18MM next season, and formally sign him to his new contract once the moratorium period ends on July 6.

Hill was a key cog for the Bucks during the postseason, scoring 11.5 points per game on 53% shooting from the floor and 42% shooting from 3-point range. Milwaukee values his experience, leadership and mentality on the hardwood and in the locker room.

The Bucks lost guard Malcolm Brogdon to Indiana on Sunday, but the team also worked to secure multi-year commitments from Hill, Khris Middleton, and two Lopezes — Brook Lopez and Robin Lopez.

Milwaukee will need to make at least one more roster move to fit Hill’s new contract in under the cap, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter). While the deal is worth the same amount as the mid-level exception, the Bucks won’t have that exception available because they’ll need to use cap room to re-sign Brook Lopez.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hornets Sign Robert Franks To Two-Way Contract

July 9th, 2019 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have officially signed undrafted rookie Robert Franks to a two-way contract, the team confirmed today in a press release. Franks’ agreement with Charlotte was first reported shortly after the conclusion of last month’s draft.

A 6’9″ forward out of Washington State, Franks had a strong senior season for the Cougars, averaging 21.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 2.6 APG while shooting 39.9% on three-pointers (7.0 attempts per game).. He earned First Team All-Pac 12 honors.

Charlotte carried J.P. Macura and Joe Chealey on two-way deals last season, but both players saw their contracts expire and became free agents at the end of June. As such, the Hornets will still have a two-way slot open after formally adding Franks.

Warriors Sign Second-Rounder Alen Smailagic

July 9th, 2019 at 10:09am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have signed one of their second-round picks, forward/center Alen Smailagic, to his first NBA contract, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log. The team also locked up its other second-rounder, Eric Paschall, as we detailed on Monday night.

[RELATED: 2019 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

Smailagic’s name began to surface prior to the draft as a probable second-rounder target for the Warriors. The 18-year-old Serbian played in the G League for Santa Cruz – Golden State’s affiliate – in 2018/19 but wasn’t draft-eligible until this year. He was shut down early in the pre-draft process and was “hidden” in Serbia from the rest of the NBA.

Despite trading for the No. 41 pick prior to the draft, the Warriors ultimately decided they’d have to move even higher to secure Smailagic. The club sent two second-round picks and $1MM in cash to the Pelicans in order to nab the No. 39 selection and draft him.

Details of Smailagic’s first NBA contract aren’t yet known, but he and Paschall will both likely earn the rookie minimum ($898K) in 2019/20 in order to help keep the Warriors below their $138.9MM hard cap. Smailagic’s deal could go beyond two years if Golden State used its mid-level exception.

Knicks Officially Sign Randle, Portis, Gibson, Ellington, Payton

July 9th, 2019 at 12:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks officially finalized five of their free agent signings on Monday night, according to NBA.com’s transactions log, which lists the deals for Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Wayne Ellington, and Elfrid Payton as having been completed.

Those deals are structured as follows:

Randle: Three years, $63MM. First two years guaranteed. (Story)
Portis: Two years, $31MM. First year guaranteed. (Story)
Gibson: Two years, $20MM. First year guaranteed. (Story)
Ellington: Two years, $16MM. First year guaranteed. (Story)
Payton: Two years, $16MM. First year guaranteed. (Story)

While those five signings will use up most of the club’s cap room, there’s still one notable signing to be finalized, as Reggie Bullock‘s two-year, $21MM deal is not yet official.