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Heat Sign Kendrick Nunn

April 10th, 2019 at 5:13pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Heat have filled the final open spot on their 15-man roster by signing guard Kendrick Nunn, the team announced today (via Twitter). No corresponding roster move was necessary to make room for Nunn, whose deal with Miami was first reported by Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).

An undrafted rookie out of Oakland University, Nunn signed a camp deal with the Warriors last summer and spent the preseason with Golden State before reporting to the team’s G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors.

In 49 G League games this season, he averaged 19.3 PPG on .473/.335/.856 shooting off the bench, to go along with 3.8 RPG, 2.8 APG, and 1.4 SPG. Those sort of scoring numbers are nothing new for Nunn, who racked up 25.9 PPG during his last college season in 2017/18.

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel confirms (via Twitter), Nunn’s contract resembles the multiyear pacts signed by Yante Maten and Duncan Robinson within the last few days. Those deals, which run through 2020/21, are non-guaranteed beyond this season, but include offseason trigger dates.

Nets Add Theo Pinson To 15-Man Roster

April 10th, 2019 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

1:24pm: The Nets confirmed in a press release that they’ve exercised the standard NBA contract conversion option on Pinson, meaning he’ll just get a rest-of-season deal.

12:54pm: The Nets have converted Theo Pinson‘s two-way contract to a standard NBA contract, reports Michael Scotto of The Athletic (via Twitter). Brooklyn had an open spot on its 15-man roster, so no corresponding move is required to make room for the wing.

An undrafted free agent out of UNC, Pinson joined the Nets on a two-way deal in 2018 and has appeared in 17 games for the NBA club as a rookie. While his playing time for Brooklyn has been limited, the 23-year-old has thrived for the Long Island Nets, recording 20.7 PPG, 6.1 APG, and 5.9 RPG in 34 G League games this season. He was named to the All-NBAGL Second Team last week.

With his promotion to the 15-man roster, Pinson is now eligible to participate in the playoffs with the Nets. Before the NBA postseason begins, he’ll likely play for Long Island on Friday in the final game of the G League Finals. The best-of-three series between the Long Island and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers is currently tied at one game apiece.

While Scotto classifies the move as a contract conversion, it’s not clear if that’s official, or if the Nets were able to negotiate a new deal with Pinson. A straight conversion of his two-way contract would mean he’d be eligible for restricted free agency this summer. A multiyear deal would likely include a non-guaranteed salary for 2019/20, giving Brooklyn more flexibility.

Heat Sign Duncan Robinson To Standard Contract

April 9th, 2019 at 5:44pm CST by Luke Adams

5:44pm: Robinson’s contract is a three-year, minimum-salary deal like Maten’s that runs through 2020/21, a source confirms to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). The Heat used part of their mid-level exception to complete the deal, which features guarantee trigger dates in the offseason.

5:29pm: Two days after promoting Yante Maten to their 15-man roster, the Heat have done the same with their other two-way player, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve signed forward Duncan Robinson to a standard contract.

Robinson, who will turn 25 later this month, signed a two-way deal with the Heat in 2018 after going undrafted out of Michigan. He has seen limited minutes in 13 games for Miami, having spent most of his rookie year with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s G League affiliate.

In 33 games for the Skyforce, Robinson averaged 21.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 3.0 APG to go along with a very impressive .514/.483/.803 shooting line. He was named to the All-NBAGL Third Team.

While terms of Robinson’s new contract have yet to be reported, the Heat presumably attempted to lock him up to a deal similar to Maten’s — that contract will run through the 2020/21 campaign, though it isn’t guaranteed beyond this season.

The Heat, who ducked under the tax line today when Rodney McGruder was claimed off waivers by the Clippers, now have 14 players under contract, so they could add one more to their 15-man squad before Wednesday’s regular-season finale in Brooklyn if they so choose.

Clippers Claim Rodney McGruder Off Waivers

April 9th, 2019 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have used an open roster spot and a traded player exception to claim shooting guard Rodney McGruder off waivers from the Heat, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Because he was released after March 1, McGruder won’t be eligible to participate in the postseason for Los Angeles. However, the Clippers will assume control of his Early Bird rights and will have the ability to make him a restricted free agent this summer by issuing him a qualifying offer. That QO would be worth just over $3MM, since McGruder met the starter criteria this season.

McGruder, 27, had a solid season in Miami, averaging 7.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 1.7 APG with a .403/.351/.722 as a regular part of the team’s rotation over 66 games (23.5 MPG). However, with the Heat’s playoff chances dwindling, they decided to prioritize getting out of the tax.

Since McGruder was claimed off waivers, Miami won’t be on the hook for his $1,544,951 cap hit, allowing the club to duck below the tax line. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, the move will save the Heat approximately $5.2MM, since they’ll no longer have a $2.1MM tax bill and will instead be in line for a $3.1MM share of other teams’ tax payments. It should also help the organization avoid repeater-tax penalties down the road.

Although McGruder is earning the minimum salary this season, his contract was a three-year pact, meaning it wasn’t eligible to be claimed using the minimum salary exception, which only accommodates one- or two-year deals. As such, the Clippers had to use a traded player exception to place their claim. The team had two exceptions that could have worked, but likely used the $2,760,095 TPE from last August’s Sam Dekker deal, since it’s worth less than – and will expire before – the $9.8MM TPE created in February’s Tobias Harris blockbuster.

The Clippers are in position to make McGruder part of their future, but could just as easily let him go during the offseason if retaining him would compromise their ability to land a top free agent target. Still, his modest cap hold – which would be the amount of his qualifying offer if the Clips extend one – should give the club some flexibility.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Wolves Sign Mitch Creek For Remainder Of Season

April 9th, 2019 at 3:11pm CST by ChrisCrouse

3:11pm: The Timberwolves have officially re-signed Creek, per NBA.com’s transactions log. The team continues to carry 16 players via the league’s hardship provision.

10:32am: Minnesota will sign Mitch Creek for the remainder of the season, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Creek signed a 10-day deal with the team during the last week in March, though he has not yet played in a game for the Timberwolves. The shooting guard had two 10-day contracts earlier this season with the Nets, seeing action in four games.

The Wolves have two games remaining this season. They take on the Raptors tonight before clashing with the Nuggets on Wednesday.

Wizards Sign Tarik Phillip, Jordan McRae

April 9th, 2019 at 2:32pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wizards have signed Tarik Phillip, according to The Athletic’s Fred Katz (Twitter link). Hoops Rumors’ own JD Shaw (Twitter link) has confirmed the report.

The team also promoted and extended two-way player Jordan McRae, as Candace Buckner of The Washington Post tweets. His new standard NBA contract is non-guaranteed for next season.

McRae excelled in the G League this season, splitting time between the Capital City Go-Go and the Wizards and earning first-team All-NBAGL honors. Phillip also shined in the G League this season, playing for the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate.

Washington’s final game is tonight against the Celtics, meaning today is the last day the team can sign a player. The franchise entered the day with 13 traditional players under contract in addition to its pair of two-way deals. Those figures are now 15 and one, respectively.

Raptors Sign Eric Moreland

April 9th, 2019 at 12:33pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Raptors have signed Eric Moreland, according to a team press release.

Toronto will play its final game of the regular season tonight, meaning today was the final day for the team to sign a player. The Raptors entered the day with 14 players under traditional contracts and two players under two-way deals, so the team will not need to make a corresponding move in order to accommodate Moreland’s signing.

Moreland inked a 10-day deal with Toronto earlier this season, playing three games with the club. The franchise opted to not offer him an additional 10-day contract when his deal expired.

Moreland will be eligible to play in the postseason, since he has not been released by an NBA team since March 1. However, he’s unlikely to see any real action in the playoffs unless one of Toronto’s two centers – Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka – goes down with an injury.

Celtics Sign Jonathan Gibson

April 9th, 2019 at 10:42am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Celtics have signed Jonathan Gibson, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Gibson played in China earlier this season, averaging 33.1 points per game.

Several members of the Celtics have been ruled out vs. the Wizards tonight and the team needed available players for the contest. Kyrie Irving, Aron Baynes, Gordon Hayward, and Jayson Tatum are among those will be sidelined.

Gibson was on the Celtics’ roster at the end of last season via the Hardship Exception, as Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports tweets. Gibson has played in a total of 21 NBA games with Boston and Dallas.

Hawks Sign Deyonta Davis To Multiyear Deal

April 8th, 2019 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

2:32pm: The Hawks have officially signed Davis to a multiyear deal, the team confirmed today in a press release.

1:28pm: Deyonta Davis‘ second 10-day contract with the Hawks expired overnight on Sunday, but the young big man won’t be leaving the team. According to Michael Scotto of The Athletic (via Twitter), Atlanta has reached an agreement with Davis on a multiyear deal.

The 31st overall pick in the 2016 draft, Davis spent his first two NBA seasons with the Grizzlies before playing primarily for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League in 2018/19.

A solid showing for Golden State’s NBAGL affiliate earned Davis a late-season call-up, and he has appeared in eight games since joining the Hawks, averaging 4.3 PPG and 4.4 RPG in 14.4 minutes per contest.

While terms of Davis’ new deal aren’t known, it figures to be a minimum-salary contract that covers the final days of this season and all of 2019/20. Next year’s salary will almost certainly be non-guaranteed, perhaps with some offseason trigger dates.

Once Davis officially re-signs, Atlanta will have a full 15-man roster. The Hawks’ deal with Davis appears likely be their final transaction of the regular season.

Heat Waive Rodney McGruder

April 7th, 2019 at 4:16pm CST by clarkcrum

The Heat have waived swingman Rodney McGruder, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, in a financially motivated attempt to skirt the luxury tax.

The Heat lost to the Raptors earlier today, putting a large hit on the club’s playoff chances. Wins by the Pistons and the Nets, both playing now, would officially eliminate Miami. Therefore, the Heat were left with a decision — keep McGruder, hope to make the playoffs against long odds, and try to re-sign him this summer, or waive him for potential financial gain. The team chose the latter.

As noted by Bobby Marks of ESPN, the Heat will avoid the luxury tax if McGruder’s $1.54MM minimum-salary contract is claimed by another team. However, any team interested in picking up McGruder would not have the 27-year-old available for the playoffs, so the only incentive to claim him would be to obtain his Early Bird rights and the right to match any offers for him in free agency. McGruder will be a restricted free agent this summer with a qualifying offer of a little more than $3.6MM.

As such, it will be interesting to see whether another franchise claims McGruder and helps out Miami. On the one hand, McGruder is still relatively young and on a cheap contract. Moreover, he will be a restricted free agent this summer, which is always a tantalizing asset for any club. But, he can’t help now, in the playoffs, which is currently the primary focus of many teams. For what it’s worth, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that the Heat believe McGruder will be claimed.

McGruder started 45 games for the Heat this season, averaging 7.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He appeared in 161 games for the Heat over three seasons and led the Heat’s G-League affiliate to a championship back in 2016.