Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hawks Officially Sign De’Andre Hunter, Bruno Fernando

July 7th, 2019 at 1:51pm CST by clarkcrum

The Hawks have officially signed two of their rookies to their first NBA contracts, announcing today in a pair of press releases (links here) that they’ve finalized contracts with lottery-selection De’Andre Hunter and second-rounder Bruno Fernando.

Hunter, the No. 4 overall section in last month’s draft, was traded to Atlanta from New Orleans after being part of the trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Lakers. Locked in to the NBA’s rookie scale, Hunter will make just under $7.07MM in his rookie season. Should he play out his full four-year rookie contract he’ll earn approximately $32.1MM.

The 21-year-old forward was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and All-ACC First Team en route to leading Virginia to the NCAA Championship last season. He averaged 15.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 32.5 minutes per game while shooting an impressive 43.8% from three-point range.

As for Fernando, the terms of his new contract are unclear. The Hawks still have a two-way contract slot open after coming to terms with fellow rookie Charlie Brown Jr.; however, it’s likely Fernando’s signing would have been reported as a two-way contract if he was taking the other spot beside Brown.

It’s more likely that the Hawks will use some of their substantial remaining cap space (about $14MM) to accommodate a three to four-year contract with the Maryland big man. A three-year pact at the minimum would see Fernando earn nearly $4.2MM. I anticipate the deal to be in that vicinity, with perhaps a higher first-year salary somewhere between $1MM to 1.5MM.

Kings Sign Kyle Guy To Two-Way Deal

July 7th, 2019 at 1:19pm CST by clarkcrum

The Kings and rookie guard Kyle Guy have finalized an agreement for Guy to fill one of the team’s two-way contracts for the 2019/20 season, according to an official release from the team (h/t to Jason Jones of The Athletic).

Guy, the 55th overall selection in the 2019 NBA Draft, has already appeared in four Summer League games with the Kings, including a 21-point performance in Sacramento’s Las Vegas Summer League debut against the Chinese National Team.

A key part of Virginia’s run to a national title last season, Guy averaged 15.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 35.4 minutes per game in 38 games (38 starts) during his junior season for the Cavaliers. He was named All-ACC First Team and Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

Wenyen Gabriel and Troy Williams occupied the Kings’ two-way slots during the 2018/19 season, but Williams is a free agent, so Guy’s deal appears to indicate that he and Gabriel are on track to hold the team’s two two-way slots for the 2019/20 season.

Bulls Acquire Tomas Satoransky Via Sign-And-Trade

July 7th, 2019 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7: The Bulls’ acquisition of Satoransky via sign-and-trade is now official, the team announced in a press release.

JULY 1: The Bulls have reached an agreement with the Wizards to acquire restricted free agent point guard Tomas Satoransky via a sign-and-trade deal, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

In return, the Wizards will acquire two second-round picks. The 2023 second-round pick (protected 31-36) that the Bulls sent the Wizards in the Otto Porter trade will also have its protections removed as part of this deal, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Wojnarowski (via Twitter) has the full details on the assets the Wizards are acquiring from the Bulls. They are as follows:

Either the Bulls’ or Grizzlies’ 2020 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable).
The right to swap the Lakers’ 2022 second-round pick for either the Bulls’ or Pistons’ 2022 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable).
The 31-36 protection removed from the Bulls’ 2023 second-round pick.

According to Wojnarowski, Satoransky will ink a three-year contract with Chicago. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (Twitter link) hears the deal will be worth $30MM, while Johnson tweets that the third year isn’t expected to be fully guaranteed.

A former second-round pick, Satoransky has spent his first three NBA seasons in Washington, and assumed the starting point guard role when John Wall when down last season. In 2018/19, he averaged 8.9 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 3.5 RPG in 80 games (27.1 MPG).

While Satoransky isn’t a big-usage player, he has been an efficient caretaker in the backcourt. Last season, he shot .485/.395/.819 and turned the ball over just 1.5 times per game.

The Bulls entered the summer with about $23MM in cap room and intended to use it on a pair of veterans, including a point guard. They reached a three-year, $41MM deal with Thaddeus Young on Sunday night, and now figure to use their leftover space to finalize the acquisition of Satoransky. According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the 27-year-old will get the opportunity to start at the point for the Bulls, who will presumably be patient with lottery pick Coby White.

As for the Wizards, they agreed to terms with Ish Smith this morning, but will be in the market for more point guard help with Wall expected to be sidelined for a good chunk of 2019/20. According to Aldridge (via Twitter), they’re talking to Isaiah Thomas and hope there’s a fit there.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Grizzlies Trade Parsons To Hawks For Plumlee, Hill

July 7th, 2019 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7: The trade is official, the Hawks announced in a press release.

JULY 3: The Grizzlies and Hawks have agreed to a trade, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Memphis will send Chandler Parsons to Atlanta in exchange for Solomon Hill and Miles Plumlee.

Like the Hawks’ trade earlier this offseason of Kent Bazemore for Evan Turner, this deal will be a swap of expiring contracts and will be a virtual wash in terms of salary. Unlike that Bazemore/Turner trade though, it’s not clear if any of the players involved in this deal will actually see regular playing time in 2019/20.

Parsons, who will earn about $25.1MM next season, signed a four-year, maximum-salary contract with the Grizzlies during the summer of 2016, but battled injuries and failed to make an impact for the team during his three seasons in Memphis. In total, he appeared in just 95 games over three years, averaging 7.2 PPG and 2.6 RPG with a .393/.341/.779 shooting line.

Parsons and the Grizzlies had a particularly tumultuous year in 2018/19, with Parsons claiming in December that he was healthy and that the team was refusing to play him. He later took a leave of absence from the club.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on a buyout this summer, so Memphis will send Parsons to Atlanta, removing a potential distraction from the roster. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out (via Twitter), the mid-sized contracts of Plumlee and Hill will be easier for the Grizzlies to move in subsequent deals.

It remains to be seen if the Hawks believe Parsons has the ability to be an on-court contributor for them in 2019/20. Even if they don’t plan to play (or keep) him, there are a couple potential benefits for Atlanta. Moving two contracts for one will open up a roster spot, and Parsons’ salary is worth slightly less than the combined total of the salaries for Plumlee ($12.5MM) and Hill ($12.76MM).

A pair of separate trades will need to be completed before this one can be finalized. Hill is going from New Orleans to Atlanta in a trade involving the No. 4 pick, which in turn is part of the Pelicans’ Anthony Davis trade. The Pelicans/Lakers swap will need to be made official first, followed by the Pelicans/Hawks deal, then the Hawks/Grizzlies trade.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bulls Sign Daniel Gafford

July 7th, 2019 at 12:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 8: The Bulls have officially signed Gafford, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 7: Second-round pick Daniel Gafford has reached an agreement with the Bulls on a four-year contract with a total value of $6.1MM, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The first two seasons of the deal are fully guaranteed.

The 6’11” center out of Arkansas was the 38th player taken in last month’s draft. He spent two years with the Razorbacks, averaging 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game as a sophomore and earning a spot on the SEC All-Defensive Team as well as first team All-SEC honors.

The Bulls will use cap room to make it a four-year deal, with yearly salaries likely to be set at $898,310, $1,517,981, $1,782,621 and $1,930,681.

“He’s a defensive rolling center, high energy, can run the floor,” Bulls executive vice president John Paxson said after the draft. “He’s very athletic. His rebounding numbers, analytically, his shot-blocking numbers were really high.”

Nets Sign Nicolas Claxton

July 7th, 2019 at 12:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

Second-round pick Nicolas Claxton has signed a multi-year deal with the Nets, the team announced in a press release.

A power forward/center out of Georgia, Claxton was taken with the 31st pick in last month’s draft and should provide front-court depth behind Jarrett Allen and newly signed DeAndre Jordan.

A sophomore, Claxton was a second team All-SEC selection, leading the Bulldogs in scoring, rebounding and steals. He also blocked 2.5 shots per game, ranking him 10th in the nation.

Grizzlies, Suns Swap Kyle Korver, Josh Jackson In Multi-Player Trade

July 7th, 2019 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7: The trade is official, the Suns announced in a press release.

JULY 3: The Grizzlies and Suns have agreed to a trade that will send newly-acquired Memphis sharpshooter Kyle Korver to Phoenix along with Jevon Carter, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, the Grizzlies will receive Josh Jackson, De’Anthony Melton, a 2020 second-round pick, and a conditional 2021 second-round pick in the deal.

That 2021 Suns second-rounder will only change hands if it falls between 31-35, tweets Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian. Brooklyn will receive it if it lands between 36-60.

Because Korver is part of the Mike Conley trade with Utah that hasn’t yet been completed, this deal can’t be made official until after the one is finalized. Once both deals are done, the Grizzlies will pick up a former No. 4 overall pick (Jackson), as well as a second-rounder from last year’s draft (Melton), along with at least one future second-round pick.

In two NBA seasons, Jackson has been inconsistent for the Suns, averaging 12.3 PPG and 4.5 RPG but shooting just .415/.294/.650 in 156 total contests (25.3 MPG). He has also faced questions about his maturity and off-court behavior.

However, he’s still just 22 years old, so the Grizzlies will get the opportunity to see if they can continue to develop him and help him reach his ceiling. They’ll also have to decide by the end of October whether to pick up $8.9MM option for 2020/21 — at this point, I’d be surprised if they do.

Melton, the 46th overall pick in 2018’s draft, is another intriguing roll of the dice for Memphis, one the team has long had its eye on, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The former USC Trojan is considered a strong defender, and started 31 games for the Suns in his rookie season, averaging 5.0 PPG, 3.2 APG, 2.7 RPG, and 1.4 SPG in 50 total contests.

As for the Suns’ side, the move looks like it’s primarily designed to clear the cap room necessary to complete their other reported moves this week, including Ricky Rubio‘s three-year, $51MM deal. They’ll also be able to retain Kelly Oubre‘s cap hold, and will presumably see if Carter can earn some minutes in their backcourt rotation.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Korver is expected to be bought out by Phoenix before his $7.5MM salary for 2019/20 becomes fully guaranteed. Korver’s deal is only partially guaranteed for $3.44MM as long as he doesn’t remain under contract through July 7.

If and when Korver clears waivers, the Lakers, Bucks, and Sixers will be the frontrunners to sign him, says Wojnarowski.

As cap expert Albert Nahmad observes (via Twitter), the Grizzlies will be able to use trade exceptions to absorb Jackson’s and Melton’s contracts, generating two new trade exceptions worth $3.44MM (Korver’s partial guarantee) and $1.42MM (Carter’s salary).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Warriors Trade Andre Iguodala To Grizzlies

July 7th, 2019 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7: The deal is now official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. Golden State is receiving guard Julian Washburn, who was on a two-way contract with Memphis last season, while the Grizzlies get $2MM in cash considerations in the deal, as well as Iguodala and the draft pick, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

JUNE 30: The Warriors have reached an agreement to trade Andre Iguodala to the Grizzlies, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Memphis will also receive a 2024 first-round pick (top-four protected) in the deal, according to Wojnarowski.

Moving Iguodala became a virtual necessity for Golden State once the team agreed to acquire D’Angelo Russell from the Nets in a sign-and-trade deal. The Warriors will pay Russell the maximum salary of $27MM+ in 2019/20.

After taking into account Russell’s salary, Klay Thompson‘s new max deal, and the rest of the team’s commitments, the club was in danger of surpassing the $138.9MM tax apron, which isn’t permitted — when a team acquires a player via a sign-and-trade, it becomes hard-capped at that figure, so shedding salary became a must.

It appears likely that Shaun Livingston and his partially guaranteed $7.7MM salary will be on the way out as well. ESPN’s Bobby Marks breaks down the Dubs’ financial situation more thoroughly via Twitter, but it seems safe to say that the club won’t be able to bring back several of its own free agents, including Kevon Looney.

As Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian observes (via Twitter), the Grizzlies will be able to take on Iguodala’s $17MM+ salary using the $25MM+ trade exception they’ll create when they officially send Mike Conley to Utah. The team should still be able to retain Delon Wright without going into the tax, but bringing back Avery Bradley appears unlikely, Herrington adds. Kyle Korver seems unlikely to remain in the picture in Memphis either.

It’s not clear whether Iguodala will stick with the Grizzlies. David Aldridge of The Athletic (Twitter links) suggests that Memphis would like to have Iguodala act as a veteran mentor to the team’s young players, but cautions that he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of a buyout. If the veteran swingman is bought out, he wouldn’t be eligible to re-sign with the Warriors in 2019/20.

Whether or not the Grizzlies retain Iguodala, it’s clear that the 2024 first-rounder is the prime asset in the deal. That pick will become top-one protected in 2025 if it doesn’t convey in 2024, according to Woj, who adds that it would be unprotected in 2026 if it doesn’t convey in either of the first two years.

Iguodala, who joined the Warriors in 2013, was a key part of the team’s run of success over the last several years. He won three titles with the club, earning the NBA Finals MVP in 2015.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nets Rescind QO For Theo Pinson

July 7th, 2019 at 8:27am CST by Arthur Hill

To free up cap room for their free agent signings, the Nets have withdrawn their qualifying offer for Theo Pinson, tweets Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports. The rookie shooting guard is now an unrestricted free agent.

Undrafted out of North Carolina, Pinson joined the Nets for training camp on an Exhibit 10 contract and earned a roster spot as a two-way player. His deal was converted to a standard NBA contract shortly before the end of the season in April.

Pinson appeared in 18 NBA games in his first season, averaging 4.5 PPG in 11.7 minutes per night. He posted a 20.7/5.9/6.1 line in 34 G League games.

Sixers Trade Bruno Fernando To Hawks For Bone, Future Picks

July 7th, 2019 at 12:48am CST by clarkcrum

JULY 7: The trade has been officially completed, according to a press release issued by the Hawks. Bone will be flipped to the Pistons by the Sixers.

JUNE 20: The Sixers selected Maryland big man Bruno Fernando with the No. 34 overall selection in this year’s draft, but he will not play in Philadelphia, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, who tweets that the 76ers have traded Fernando to the Hawks for two future second-rounders and the No. 57 pick.

Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice reports that in addition to the No. 57 pick, Philadelphia will get Atlanta’s 2020 second-round pick (56-60 protected) and the most favorable of Atlanta’s, Charlotte’s, and Brooklyn’s 2023 second-round picks.

The Hawks were said to have interest in Fernando a little less than a month ago today, so it comes as no surprise that the team traded up into the top of the second round to draft the Maryland product.

Fernando averaged a double-double (13.6 PPG, 10.6 RPG) to go along with 1.9 BPG and a .607 FG% in 34 games for the Terrapins in 2018/19.