Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Suns Sign Point Guard Ricky Rubio

July 8th, 2019 at 9:33pm CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 8, 9:33pm: The Suns have officially signed Rubio, according to a team press release.

JUNE 30, 5:37pm: In a shocking development, the Suns have stolen presumed Pacers target Ricky Rubio. Phoenix will sign him to a three-year, $51MM deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Multiple reports this week indicated that Rubio was expected to join the Pacers once free agency began, with one story calling it a “virtual done deal.” Indiana saw point guard Darren Collison retire and it left them extremely thin at the position. However, the team was able to add Malcolm Brogdon via sign-and-trade.

As for the Suns, they haven’t had stability at the point guard spot since they traded Eric Bledsoe away. Rubio and newcomer Dario Saric, who came to the team in a draft night trade, will add veteran presence to a team looking to make the postseason.

A former fifth overall pick, Rubio averaged 12.7 PPG, 6.1 APG, and 3.6 RPG in 68 games (27.9 MPG) for the Jazz last season. He’s not a great shooter, but Phoenix will lean on him for his play-making, passing, and defense.

The Suns will need to make an additional roster move to fit Rubio in under the cap, if they plan to keep Kelly Oubre‘s cap hold on their books, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Atlantic Contract Notes: Durant, Jordan, Claxton, Milton, Brazdeikis

July 8th, 2019 at 8:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kevin Durant‘s max contract with the Nets includes $4.3MM in likely bonuses, according to Jeff Siegel of EarlyBirdRights.com. It’s not clear how those bonuses can be earned but if they’re based on individual statistics, he can’t reach them next season due to his Achilles injury. His deal also includes a full 15% trade kicker. DeAndre Jordan‘s salary with Brooklyn starts at 9.9MM, rises 5% in the second year, dips back down to 9.9MM, then drops slightly in the fourth year for a total of 40MM, Siegel adds (Twitter links).

We have more contractual news from around the Atlantic Division:

The timeline of the Nets’ moves in free agency – signing Kyrie Irving and Jordan to free agent deals using salary-cap room and then acting like a team over the cap to pull off the Durant sign-and-trade with Golden State — also allowed them to give Nicolas Claxton a three-year contract, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Without room, Claxton’s fully guaranteed deal would have been limited to two years. The University of Georgia big man was the first pick of the second round.
Shake Milton‘s four-year minimum contract with the Sixers includes a team option in the final year and is otherwise fully guaranteed, Siegel tweets. The shooting guard played last season on a two-way contract, splitting his time between the Sixers and their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.
Knicks rookie forward Ignas Brazdeikis received a three-year minimum deal, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Brazdeikis will make approximately $900K as a rookie, $1.5MM in his second year and $1.8MM in his third season (team option).
The Celtics have been exploring a variety of contract terms with second-round pick Carsen Edwards, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe tweets. The negotiations with the Purdue guard include guaranteed amounts.

Grizzlies Sign-And-Trade Delon Wright To Mavericks

July 8th, 2019 at 7:17pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 8, 7:17pm: The deal is official, according to a Dallas press release. The Mavs sent the draft rights to 2015 second-rounder Satnam Singh to the Grizzlies in addition to two second-round picks. A Memphis press release confirms the deal.

JULY 7, 3:47pm: The Mavericks, Grizzlies, and restricted free agent guard Delon Wright have reached an agreement on a sign-and-trade deal that will send Wright to Dallas, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Memphis will receive two second-round picks from the Mavs in the deal, according to Wojnarowski.

Agent Greg Lawrence tells Woj (Twitter link) that Wright will be receiving a three-year, $29MM contract from the Mavericks.

We’d heard since Thursday that Dallas, one of the only teams that still had cap flexibility, was planning an offer sheet for Wright. As Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News tweets, the Grizzlies didn’t want to lose him for nothing but also weren’t committed to matching an offer sheet at any cost. The Mavs, on the other hand, were likely wary of having Memphis match their offer — or of having to overpay Wright to avoid that scenario.

The sign-and-trade agreement represents a compromise for the Southwest rivals, and is the latest example of what has become a summer-wide trend around the NBA — no restricted free agent has signed an offer sheet, but six RFAs have reached deals to join new teams via sign-and-trade.

The 20th overall pick in the 2015 draft, Wright spent the first three and a half seasons of his NBA career with the Raptors before being dealt to Memphis in the Marc Gasol trade at this year’s deadline. After never averaging more than 20.8 minutes per game in Toronto, the 27-year-old saw that number bumped to 30.8 MPG in 26 games with the Grizzlies and responded by averaging 12.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.3 APG, and 1.6 SPG.

In Dallas, Wright figures to share ball-handling duties with the likes of Jalen Brunson, J.J. Barea (when he’s healthy), and – of course – Luka Doncic.

After accounting for Wright’s contract, the Mavs project to have no more than $14.6MM in cap room, tweets cap expert Albert Nahmad. Dallas’ contract agreements with Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, and Kristaps Porzingis would eat up that room once they become official since their new salaries are much higher than their cap holds.

If the Mavs don’t have any other deals on tap, it’s possible they’ll remain an over-the-cap team, taking Wright into their $21.3MM trade exception and using the mid-level exception to sign Seth Curry. That would leave the team with the rest of that big trade exception to use during the season.

As for the Grizzlies, they’ll move forward with No. 2 pick Ja Morant handling point guard duties, but we’ll see if they look to add more depth after losing Wright. De’Anthony Melton is the other point guard on the roster. Memphis has about $115MM in projected team salary on its books and will create a trade exception worth half of Wright’s 2019/20 salary in this sign-and-trade, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Wolves Acquire Blazers RFA Jake Layman In Sign-And-Trade

July 8th, 2019 at 7:14pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 8: The Timberwolves and Blazers have issued press releases to confirm that the trade is official. Portland will generate a small trade exception in the deal.

JULY 3: The Timberwolves have reached a deal to sign forward Jake Layman to a three-year, $11.5MM contract, agent Mark Bartelstein tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Layman is a restricted free agent whose rights are held by the Trail Blazers, but he won’t be signing an offer sheet. Instead, Minnesota will acquire him from Portland via a sign-and-trade arrangement, according to Wojnarowski.

“We’re extremely appreciative of how hard (Blazers president of basketball operations) Neil Olshey worked with us to accommodate what we were trying to accomplish in this sign and trade,” Bartelstein told Wojnarowski (Twitter links). “The deal couldn’t have happened without the Blazers looking out for Jake’s best interests.”

The Blazers will receive the draft rights to 2013 second-rounder Bojan Dubljevic in the deal, tweets Darren Wolfson of SKOR North.

Layman, 25, has spent the first three seasons of his NBA career in Portland after being selected with the 47th pick of the 2016 draft. He played a limited role in his first two seasons, but claimed a regular spot in the Blazers’ rotation in 2018/19, averaging 7.6 PPG and 3.1 RPG with a .509/.326/.704 shooting line in 71 games (18.7 MPG).

Minnesota lost some shooting in its frontcourt by agreeing to trade Dario Saric to Phoenix and watching Anthony Tolliver sign with the Blazers. The Wolves will presumably look to replace those departed players with Layman and Noah Vonleh, who agreed to a deal with Minnesota earlier this week.

Speaking of Saric, the trade sending him to the Suns will need to be completed before the Wolves’ deal with the Blazers, since Layman will slot into the trade exception created by Saric’s departure, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). That exception will be worth $3.48MM, so Layman’s starting salary is permitted to start at $3.58MM (trade exceptions have an extra $100K cushion).

The Wolves, whose interest in Layman was first reported by Darren Wolfson on Tuesday, will be hard-capped at $138.9MM for the 2019/20 league year as a result of acquiring a player via sign-and-trade.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Noah Vonleh Signs One-Year Deal With Timberwolves

July 8th, 2019 at 7:11pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 8, 7:11pm: The signing is official, the team’s PR deparment tweets.

JULY 2, 8:23pm: Vonleh’s $2MM deal is worth slightly more than the league minimum, so the Wolves will have to use part of the mid-level or bi-annual exception to sign him, Krawczynski writes in his full story on the deal. According to Krawcznyski, the Wolves offered Vonleh a deal worth more money that would have had a team option in year two, but he wanted the opportunity to reach the open market again next year.

5:09pm: The Timberwolves and free agent forward Noah Vonleh have agreed to terms on a contract, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that it will be a one-year deal.

Krawczynski adds (via Twitter) that the agreement will be worth $2MM. Vonleh’s minimum salary for 2019/20 will be $1,882,867, so that figure may be rounded up. Otherwise, the capped-out Wolves would have to use part of another exception to sign him.

Vonleh, who was the ninth overall pick in the 2014 draft, will be joining his fifth NBA team and hasn’t developed into the sort of impact player that his draft spot might suggest. However, he had a very solid year in New York in 2018/19, averaging 8.4 PPG and 7.8 RPG with a shooting line of .470/.336/.712 in 68 games (25.3 MPG) for the Knicks.

Vonleh will slot into a Timberwolves frontcourt rotation that is expected to feature another newcomer in Jordan Bell alongside incumbents like Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Dieng. Vonleh will help shore up the power forward spot with Dario Saric and Taj Gibson not returning.

Raptors Re-Sign Patrick McCaw

July 8th, 2019 at 7:03pm CST by Luke Adams

7:03pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

2:29pm: The Raptors have agreed to a new deal with restricted free agent guard Patrick McCaw, reports Blake Murphy of The Athletic (via Twitter). A source tells Murphy that it will be a two-year contract.

Restricted free agency moved much quicker for McCaw this time around than it did last year, when he was a Warriors RFA and remained unsigned until December 28. The 23-year-old signed an offer sheet with the Cavaliers, but they waived him about a week later – before that deal became fully guaranteed – and he subsequently caught on with the Raptors.

In 26 regular season games for Toronto, McCaw averaged 2.7 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 13.2 minutes per contest. He played limited minutes in 11 postseason games for the Raptors, winning his third title in his third NBA season.

Their new deal with McCaw continues an offseason trend for the Raptors, who seem to be prioritizing wing defense after losing Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. McCaw, Stanley Johnson, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson aren’t reliable outside shooters, but they can all guard perimeter players effectively. Matt Thomas is the lone shooter the Raptors have agreed to sign this summer.

Suns Waive Kyle Korver

July 8th, 2019 at 5:09pm CST by Luke Adams

After being traded from the Jazz to the Grizzlies to the Suns, Kyle Korver has now been placed on waivers by Phoenix, according to NBA.com’s log of official transactions.

The move was expected, since only $3.44MM of Korver’s $7.5MM salary for 2019/20 was guaranteed. The Suns needed to open up extra cap room to sign Ricky Rubio to his three-year, $51MM contract, and releasing Korver helps pave the way.

Korver is now on track to clear waivers and become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday evening. When he first reported that Korver would be cut, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski identified the Lakers, Bucks, and Sixers as the probable frontrunners to sign the veteran sharpshooter once he reaches the open market.

Korver averaged 8.6 PPG on .416/.397/.822 shooting in 70 games (19.1 MPG) last season for the Cavaliers and Jazz. A June report indicated that the 38-year-old – who is a career 42.9% three-point shooter – is expected to play for at least one more year.

Thunder Trade Jerami Grant To Nuggets

July 8th, 2019 at 4:33pm CST by Luke Adams

4:33pm: The Nuggets have officially announced the trade, making it official.

12:26pm: The first-round pick going to the Thunder for Grant will be top-10 protected for the next three drafts, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link), who adds that it would convert into two second-rounders in the very unlikely event it doesn’t convey by 2022.

9:37am: The Nuggets and Thunder have agreed to a trade that will send forward Jerami Grant to Denver, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). League sources tell Wojnarowski that Oklahoma City will receive a 2020 first-round pick in exchange for Grant.

Grant, 25, enjoyed his best season as a pro in 2018/19 as the Thunder’s starting power forward, averaging 13.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 1.3 BPG with a shooting line of .497/.392/.710. He has one guaranteed year left on his contract, plus a player option for 2020/21.

After surrendering their 2019 first-round pick to shed salary and get out of the tax, the Nuggets will give up next year’s pick in order to add a quality veteran contributor to their frontcourt, which had been their biggest area of need. Denver had been quiet this past week in free agency, with $121MM+ in guaranteed money already on the club’s books.

The Nuggets will retain their mid-level exception, since Grant will be absorbed using one of the team’s sizable trade exceptions from last summer’s salary dumps. However, team salary is now above $130MM and inching close to the tax line, so I wouldn’t expect Denver to make any major signings. The acquisition of Grant may also make RFA power forward Trey Lyles expendable.

The trade will be a cost-cutting move for the Thunder, who are retooling their roster after agreeing to trade Paul George to the Clippers. Wojnarowski projects that sending Grant to Denver will save OKC approximately $39MM in salary and luxury-tax penalties, despite the fact that Grant is only earning about $9.35MM in 2019/20.

Those savings are fluid and will depend on subsequent roster moves made by the Thunder, but that $39MM estimate is a reflection of how punitive the repeater taxpayer penalties would be for the franchise this season. OKC remains above the $132.63MM tax threshold for now, but not by much — the club could conceivably get below that line with another move.

In addition to saving money, the Thunder will generate a trade exception worth Grant’s salary ($9.35MM) and will acquire their sixth future first-round pick of the week, having secured five first-rounders in the George trade. That PG13 deal also landed Oklahoma City its new starting power forward, as Danilo Gallinari projects to take Grant’s place in the club’s starting lineup.

Of course, with George and Grant headed for new homes, trade rumors surrounding Russell Westbrook figure to multiply. We rounded up the latest updates and speculation about a possible Westbrook trade on Sunday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Quinndary Weatherspoon Signs Two-Way Deal With Spurs

July 8th, 2019 at 4:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs have signed second-round pick Quinndary Weatherspoon to a two-way contract, according to a team press release.

Weatherspoon, a 6’4” guard out of Mississippi State, was the 49th overall pick last month. He’s already appeared in three summer league games, averaging 15.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 2.0 APG.

San Antonio has now filled both of its two-way slots. Big man Drew Eubanks, who appeared in 23 games with the Spurs last season, holds the other spot.

Weatherspoon played all four college seasons with the Bulldogs and became the third player in school history to accumulate over 2,000 career points. He earned All-SEC honors in his final three seasons, including a spot on the First Team in his senior year when he posted a career-best 18.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.8 APG and 1.68 SPG.

Timberwolves Claim Tyrone Wallace Off Waivers

July 8th, 2019 at 4:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Two days after being released by the Clippers, guard Tyrone Wallace has a new NBA home. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter), the Timberwolves have claimed Wallace off waivers before he could reach the open market.

Wallace made a strong impression as a rookie on a two-way contract in 2017/18, when he posted 9.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.4 APG in 30 games (28.1 MPG) for the Clippers. His performance earned him an offer sheet from the Pelicans as a restricted free agent.

However, after L.A. matched that offer sheet and brought him back, the 25-year-old struggled this past season, recording just 3.5 PPG, 1.6 RPG, and 0.7 APG in 62 games (10.1 MPG). His shooting percentages also dipped across the board. He became expendable within the last week as the Clippers cleared cap room for bigger moves.

Wallace is on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract that will become partially guaranteed for $300K in September, then fully guaranteed in January, so the Wolves have some time to evaluate whether he’ll be part of their plans for the 2019/20 season.

The Timberwolves’ point guard situation is in flux at the moment behind presumed starter Jeff Teague. Minnesota will acquire Shabazz Napier in a trade, but it’s not clear if the team intends to hang onto him or if it’s just accommodating a salary dump. Additionally, it remains to be seen if the Wolves will match Tyus Jones‘ three-year, $24MM+ offer sheet with the Grizzlies.