Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Trade With Kings, Select Brazdeikis

June 20th, 2019 at 11:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JUNE 21: The deal is now official, per a press release from the Kings.

JUNE 20: The Knicks acquired the No. 47 pick from the Kings and selected University of Michigan forward Ignas Brazdeikis, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Sacramento received the No. 55 pick in the draft and cash, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets. The Kings used the No. 55 pick on Kyle Guy.

Brazdeikis was an early-entry prospect who left the Wolverines after one season. The stretch four averaged 14.8 PPG and 5.4 RPG. Brazdeikis’ representatives had pegged him to go anywhere from 20-40 early in the draft process, so he lasted a little longer than anticipated.

Lakers Acquire No. 46 Pick From Magic

June 20th, 2019 at 11:07pm CST by clarkcrum

11:07pm: The trade is official, according to the Magic, who announced that the pick they acquired is a 2020 second-rounder.

10:42pm: The Lakers, rumored to be interested in purchasing their way back into this year’s draft, have acquired the No. 46 overall pick from the Magic, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. The Magic will receive a future pick and cash considerations from the Lakers in return.

The Lakers need to get over the cap to finalize the Anthony Davis trade with the Pelicans in order to complete the deal on July 6.

With the No. 46 overall selection, the Magic selected Iowa State swingman Talen Horton-Tucker for the Lakers.

Warriors Acquire No. 39 Pick, Select Smailagic

June 20th, 2019 at 10:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

11:13pm: The trade is now official. The Warriors gave New Orleans second-round picks in 2021 and 2023 and cash, Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News tweets.

10:43pm: The Warriors acquired the rights to the No. 39 pick from the Pelicans and selected Alen Smailagic, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

The Pelicans received two future second-rounders and cash in the trade, Will Guillory of The Athletic tweets.

This was an unusual case of Golden State gaining the rights to a player it had on its G League team last season.

The Serbian power forward played for Santa Cruz but wasn’t draft-eligible until this year. He was shut down early in the pre-draft process and stashed in Serbia from the rest of the NBA. He averaged 9.1 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 17.4 MPG over 47 G League appearances, mostly off the bench.

Grizzlies Trade For No. 21 Pick Brandon Clarke

June 20th, 2019 at 8:49pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: The trade is official, the Thunder announced today in a press release. Clarke and Bazley will now get the opportunity to join the Grizzlies and Thunder, respectively, in Las Vegas Summer League.

JUNE 21: The 2024 pick going to the Thunder in the trade is Memphis’ own pick, Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian clarifies (via Twitter). This deal won’t be officially completed until the new league year begins, since the No. 23 pick is tied up in the Mike Conley trade that’s not yet official.

JUNE 20: The Thunder and Grizzlies have reached an agreement to swap first-round picks, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Memphis is sending a 2024 second-round pick to Oklahoma City in order to move up from No. 23 to No. 21. The Grizzlies have used that 21st overall pick to select Gonzaga forward Brandon Clarke.

The Thunder had reportedly been exploring the trade market in deals that might have reduced their team salary for 2019/20, using the No. 21 pick as a sweetener. This trade won’t help the club shed salary, though the cap hold for the No. 23 selection will be slightly smaller than that of the No. 21 pick. Oklahoma City used that pick to select Darius Bazley.

The Grizzlies, meanwhile, added a player in Clarke who was viewed as a potential lottery pick heading into the night. He averaged 16.9 PPG and 8.6 RPG with a .687 FG% in his first season with the Zags in 2018/19 before he declared for the draft. In Memphis, he’ll team up Ja Morant, whom the Grizzlies drafted with the No. 2 overall pick earlier in the evening.

Sixers Acquire No. 20 From Celtics For Nos. 24, 33

June 20th, 2019 at 8:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JUNE 21: The trade is now official, per an NBA press release.

JUNE 20: The Celtics and Sixers have agreed on a draft-night trade, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Philadelphia is acquiring the No. 20 pick and using it to draft Washington forward Matisse Thybulle.

In exchange for the pick, Boston will acquire the 24th and 33rd overall selections from the 76ers.

The Sixers had made a promise to Thybulle with the No. 24 pick, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweets. They apparently had concerns another team also had their eyes on Thybulle, whom O’Connor notes is a multi-positional defender who can blend his offensive game with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Thybulle, a senior 6’5” guard, averaged a modest 9.1 PPG in his final college season. However, his defensive stats were impressive, as he averaged 3.5 SPG and 2.3 BPG.

He averaged 11.2 PPG as a junior.

The trade at least temporarily gave the Celtics three first-round selections.

Pelicans Exercise Team Option On Jahlil Okafor

June 20th, 2019 at 3:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

3:27pm: The Pelicans have officially exercised Okafor’s team option, the team announced today in a press release.

11:24am: New Orleans will pick up its $1.7MM option on center Jahlil Okafor for next season, tweets Malika Andrews of ESPN.

The third overall pick in 2015, Okafor revived his career after signing with the Pelicans as a free agent last summer. He appeared in 59 games, starting 24, and averaged 8.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per night. He impressed the coaching staff with his improved fitness and a commitment to defense, Andrews adds.

Okafor only has a $54K guarantee on next year’s contract, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). He’ll have to remain on the roster through January 7 for it to become fully guaranteed.

Okafor is one of a handful of players with team options for 2019/20. The complete list is available here.

Warriors Trade For 41st Pick

June 20th, 2019 at 12:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:01pm: The Hawks have announced the deal, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Journal-Constitution.

8:18am: The Warriors have obtained the 41st pick in tonight’s draft from the Hawks, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Golden State paid $1.3MM for the pick and included a 2024 second-rounder in the deal.

It’s the second trade in two days for Atlanta, which sent the 44th selection to the Heat on Wednesday. GM Travis Schlenk said earlier this week that he wanted to unload some of the team’s three second-rounders in exchange for future assets.

The Hawks still have four selections tonight, holding picks No. 8, 10 and 17 in the first round, along with the 35th pick. The Warriors are slotted at No. 28, 41 and 58. The three picks will cost Golden State a total of about $3.8MM against the cap and will provide a low-cost way to fill out the roster, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

Hawks Trade No. 44 Pick To Heat

June 20th, 2019 at 8:18am CST by Arthur Hill

JUNE 20, 8:18am: The 2024 second-round pick sent to the Hawks in the deal will only convey if it lands in the 51-55 range, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

That pick will be sent to Cleveland if it’s between 56-60, as a result of a previous trade. If it’s between 31-50, Miami will keep it.

JUNE 19, 8:19pm: Atlanta received $1.88MM in the trade, which could set the asking price for other second-round picks, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

JUNE 19, 4:21pm: The Hawks have traded one of their six selections in tomorrow night’s draft, sending pick No. 44 to the Heat in exchange for a future conditional second-round pick. That pick will convey in 2024, according to an email from the Hawks, who also receive cash considerations in the deal. The trade was officially announced by both teams.

The deal follows a report earlier today that Atlanta GM Travis Schlenk was looking to unload selections in the second round rather than the first. The Hawks still own picks No. 8, 10, 17, 35 and 41 in Thursday’s draft.

Miami now has a second-round selection after sending their own pick to the Timberwolves. The Heat also own a lottery pick at No. 13.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Opting In For 2019/20

June 19th, 2019 at 10:30am CST by Luke Adams

Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has picked up his 2019/20 player option, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). The move ensures that Kidd-Gilchrist locks in his $13MM salary for next season, putting him on track to reach unrestricted free agency in 2020.

Kidd-Gilchrist’s decision doesn’t come as a surprise. The former second overall pick is coming off a down year in which he averaged 6.7 PPG and 3.8 RPG in a career-low 18.4 minutes per contest. Having started all but four of 357 career games for the Hornets heading into the season, he came off the bench for 61 of his 64 contests this past year.

Kidd-Gilchrist is also currently recovering from a surgical procedure which he underwent last week to address a chronic groin strain. The 25-year-old is expected to be ready to return to action in time for training camp, according to the Hornets.

With Kidd-Gilchrist opting in, the Hornets will now have to account for three pricey player options on their 2019/20 cap, as Bismack Biyombo and Marvin Williams previously picked up theirs as well.

In total, those three options tack on about $45MM to Charlotte’s team salary for next season, increasing the club’s total guaranteed commitments to $94MM+. That figure doesn’t include new contracts for free agents like Jeremy Lamb, Frank Kaminsky, or – most notably – Kemba Walker.

Khris Middleton Declining 2019/20 Player Option

June 19th, 2019 at 10:11am CST by Luke Adams

As expected, Bucks swingman Khris Middleton will opt out of his contract, declining his 2019/20 player option to become an unrestricted free agent, agent Mike Lindeman tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

That option would have been worth $13MM, but Middleton is expected to command a long-term, maximum-salary deal on the open market, Wojnarowski tweets. According to Woj, Middleton and the Bucks intend to work together to reach a new contract agreement.

Middleton, who will turn 28 in August, earned his first All-Star nod in 2018/19. In 77 total regular season games, he averaged 18.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 4.3 APG with a shooting line of .441/.378/.837, helping the Bucks to reach the Eastern Conference Finals this spring.

While Middleton may not quite qualify as a star, his two-way abilities as a three-and-D will ensure he secures a big-time payday this summer. In addition to finishing the season as Milwaukee’s second-leading scorer, he was often tasked with the most challenging perimeter assignment on defense. He was the Bucks’ primary defender on Kawhi Leonard in the Eastern Finals, for instance.

Middleton will be eligible for a five-year contract with the Bucks worth up to a projected $189.7MM. Rival suitors could offer him up to $140.6MM over four years. If Milwaukee reaches an agreement with him early in free agency, the team could hold off on making it official, since his cap hold will only be $19.5MM — keeping that figure on the books and then eventually going over the cap to sign Middleton would allow the Bucks to maximize any cap room they might open up.

It will be a crucial summer in Milwaukee, as Malcolm Brogdon, Brook Lopez, and Nikola Mirotic are all up for new deals as well. The Bucks have reportedly explored moving Tony Snell and/or Ersan Ilyasova for added flexibility.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.