Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards Waive Wesley Johnson

April 5th, 2019 at 9:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Wizards are waiving forward Wesley Johnson, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. The team has issued a press release confirming the move is official.

Washington acquired him at the trade deadline from the Pelicans for Markieff Morris. Johnson was acquired by New Orleans in October from the Clippers.

Washington beat the Sunday deadline to waive a player with an expiring contract, Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (Twitter link). Johnson’s cap hold for this offseason would have been $9.2MM.

Johnson, 31, appeared in just 12 games with the Wizards, averaging 2.8 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 13.1 MPG. He made 13 starts with the Pelicans.

Grizzlies Sign Tyler Zeller

April 5th, 2019 at 9:53am CST by Luke Adams

9:53am: The Grizzlies have made it official, announcing Zeller’s signing in a press release.

8:44am: The Grizzlies are signing veteran center Tyler Zeller for the rest of the season, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The release of shooting guard Dusty Hannahs created the roster spot necessary to add Zeller.

Zeller, 29, has logged 408 career NBA games over the course of seven seasons, but has spent most of the 2018/19 campaign as a free agent. After being waived by the Bucks in the preseason, the big man’s only NBA action this season came in March when he signed a 10-day contract with Atlanta and appeared briefly in two games for the Hawks.

The Grizzlies had signed Hannahs via a hardship exception and continue to qualify for that exception because they have four players who have missed at least three consecutive games and remain sidelined. As such, Zeller will become Memphis’ 16th man. And, as Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian observes (via Twitter), once Zeller plays, the Grizzlies will tie an NBA record by using their 28th player this season.

While the decision to replace a young developmental player with a veteran for the final few days of the season may appear odd for a lottery-bound team, both of the Grizzlies’ centers are currently on the shelf — Jonas Valanciunas is out for the season with an ankle injury, while Joakim Noah continues to be listed as day-to-day with a knee injury.

Plus, despite their place in the standings, the Grizzlies are still very focused on winning games to finish the season. The team would like to make sure its top-eight protected 2018 first-round pick conveys to Boston this year so it doesn’t carry over to the 2020 draft. Currently, the Grizzlies are tied for sixth in the reverse standings at 31-47, but the Mavericks (31-47), Wizards (32-47), and Pelicans (32-47) are bunched up with them, creating a path out of the lottery’s top eight if they can finish strong.

Assuming it’s finalized today, Zeller’s rest-of-season contract will carry a modest cap hit of $51,725, keeping Memphis out of tax territory.

Grizzlies Waive Dusty Hannahs

April 4th, 2019 at 6:21pm CST by JD Shaw

The Grizzlies have waived shooting guard Dusty Hannahs, the 25-year-old posted on social media Thursday. Hannahs appeared in just two games with Memphis, recording a total of eight points and five assists in 26 minutes of action.

“My dream was to play in the NBA and the Grizzlies gave me that chance. I was waived today but I’ll be back @NBA,” Hannahs wrote on social media (Twitter link).

Hannahs, a 6-foot-4 guard who spent two seasons at Texas Tech and Arkansas, was originally signed by the Grizzlies to a 10-day contract on March 30. He has spent time with the team’s G League affiliate and appeared in 49 games this season before joining the Grizzlies, scoring 14.5 points on 48% shooting from the field and 41% from behind the arc.

By waiving Hannahs, the Grizzlies are back down to 15 players (with two additional players on two-way deals). Hannahs had been added to the roster via the hardship provision, which the injury-plagued Grizzlies should still qualify for, but it’s not clear whether or not the team intends to sign a replacement before the end of the season.

Sixers Sign Greg Monroe, Waive Justin Patton

April 4th, 2019 at 11:18am CST by Arthur Hill

APRIL 4, 11:18am: The Sixers have officially signed Monroe, according to a press release from the club. The team’s roster is now back to 15 players.

APRIL 3, 4:10pm: The Sixers have officially waived Patton, the team announced today in a press release.

APRIL 3, 12:49pm: Philadelphia will be the next stop for Greg Monroe, tweets Jordan Schultz of ESPN, who states that the Sixers will waive center Justin Patton tomorrow and sign Monroe for the rest of the season.

Monroe became available when his 10-day contract with the Celtics expired last night. Boston passed on an opportunity to re-sign him, preferring to keep a roster spot open for other options.

The 10-day contract won’t prevent him from being eligible for the playoffs, notes Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Only players waived since March 1 lose their postseason eligibility, and Monroe hasn’t been waived — his 10-day deal with Boston simply expired.

Monroe will provide a veteran presence in the middle for the Sixers, who have been seeking backup help at center. Philadelphia will be his fourth stop of the season after beginning in Toronto before being traded to Brooklyn and then waived. He averaged 4.8 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 38 games with the Raptors, but played just five total minutes in two games with the Celtics.

Philadelphia won’t be on the hook for much salary with Patton, who is entering the final week of a $2,667,600 contract. Injury problems have limited him to just four games in two NBA seasons after being selected with the 16th pick in the 2017 draft. His 2019/20 option was declined by Minnesota last fall.

Spurs Sign Donatas Motiejunas

April 4th, 2019 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

10:55am: The Spurs have officially signed Motiejunas, the team announced in a press release. The club now has a full 15-man roster.

10:02am: Nearly two weeks after reporting that big man Donatas Motiejunas and the Spurs were nearing a contract agreement, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski provides an update, tweeting that Motiejunas is expected to officially sign with San Antonio today. Motiejunas will meet the team on its current road trip, Woj adds.

Motiejunas, 28, has spent the last two seasons playing for the Shandong Golden Stars in the Chinese Basketball Association. In 37 games with the club this season, he averaged an impressive 27.3 PPG, 14.0 RPG, and 4.2 APG, per Asia-Basket.com.

The Lithuanian forward’s deal with the Spurs was reportedly postponed due to visa issues, but he’s set to join the team in advance of the postseason. He’ll be eligible to participate in the playoffs, since he hasn’t been released by an NBA team since March 1.

Before playing in China, Motiejunas spent five seasons playing in the NBA for the Rockets and Pelicans. In 248 total contests (18.4 MPG), he averaged 7.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 1.1 APG on .469/.300/.600 shooting.

The Spurs have had an open spot on their 15-man roster since buying out Pau Gasol last month, so no corresponding move will be necessary to make room for Motiejunas. Assuming it’s finalized today, his rest-of-season deal will have a very modest cap hit of $59,820.

Magic Waive Isaiah Briscoe

April 4th, 2019 at 10:30am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have officially released injured point guard Isaiah Briscoe, the team announced today in a press release. The move opens a spot on Michael Carter-Williams, who has been re-signed for the rest of the season and will now be playoff-eligible if Orlando makes the postseason.

It’s a tough break for Briscoe, who had assumed backup point guard duties for the Magic and had been holding his own before undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus last month. For the season, the 22-year-old out of Kentucky averaged 3.5 PPG, 2.2 APG, and 1.9 RPG in 39 games (14.3 MPG).

Carter-Williams had spent 20 days (two 10-day contracts) on the Magic’s roster as a 16th man — the injury-plagued club was allowed to add an extra player because it qualified for a hardship provision. However, MCW wouldn’t have been able to participate in the playoffs if he were re-signed with the hardship provision and Orlando didn’t waive another player.

The Magic’s decision was believed to come down to Briscoe vs. Jerian Grant. While Briscoe had supplanted Grant as the team’s backup point guard prior to his injury, the fact that Grant is healthy now probably gave him the upper hand. Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports tweets that the Magic would like to re-sign Briscoe this summer if possible.

Briscoe’s contract with Orlando includes non-guaranteed salaries for 2019/20 and 2020/21, so he could be an attractive target for teams interested in placing a waiver claim. Because he signed a three-year contract instead of a two-year deal though, he’s ineligible to be claimed using the minimum salary exception. A team would need to use a trade exception or cap room to put in a claim. If he clears waivers, he’ll become a free agent on Saturday.

Magic Sign Michael Carter-Williams For Rest Of Season

April 4th, 2019 at 10:29am CST by Luke Adams

APRIL 4: The Magic have officially re-signed Carter-Williams, the team announced today in a press release. The club waived Briscoe to ensure that MCW is playoff-eligible, as we detail in a separate story.

APRIL 3: Michael Carter-Williams‘ second 10-day contract with the Magic will expire after tonight’s game vs. New York, but the team doesn’t plan on letting him get away. President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman tells Chris Hays of The Orlando Sentinel that the Magic plan on signing Carter-Williams for the rest of the season.

“So you are allowed two 10-days and after that you have to sign the player to a contract for the rest of the season, which we will do with Michael,” Weltman said. “Beyond that, as far as setting a roster for the playoffs, that’s bad karma to talk about right now. Let’s make the playoffs then we’ll talk about that.”

The Magic have been able to carry Carter-Williams on their roster via a hardship exception, which is granted to teams that have at least four players who have missed three or more games and are expected to continue to miss two weeks or more. However, as Weltman suggests, a 16th man signed via the hardship provision isn’t eligible for the playoffs.

Orlando can sign MCW for the rest of the season using the hardship provision, but in order to make him postseason-eligible, the team would need to waive another player to reduce its roster to 15 players before the end of the regular season. With a playoff spot not yet assured, the Magic figure to put off that decision until sometime next week.

Carter-Williams’ stats with the Magic (5.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.6 APG, and a .364/.214/.667 shooting line) are somewhat modest, but he has helped stabilize the team’s second unit as D.J. Augustin‘s backup. The club is 6-2 since his debut.

If the Magic do make the playoffs, point guards Jerian Grant and Isaiah Briscoe figure to be among the candidates to be cut to make room on the 15-man playoff squad for MCW, as Josh Robbins of The Athletic wrote earlier this week. Grant is on an expiring contract, while Briscoe has two more years left on his minimum-salary contract, though Briscoe has a knee injury and isn’t expected to return this season.

Knicks Sign Billy Garrett For Rest Of Season

April 2nd, 2019 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

2:55pm: The Knicks have officially signed Garrett, the team confirmed today in a press release. The announcement classifies the deal as a 10-day contract, despite the fact that there are only nine days left in the season.

12:21pm: The Knicks are filling the open spot on their 15-man roster by promoting shooting guard Billy Garrett from their G League affiliate, reports Ian Begley of ESPN.com. According to Begley (via Twitter), Garrett has signed a rest-of-season contract with New York.

Garrett, who went undrafted out of DePaul in 2017, has been a member of the Westchester Knicks since going pro. In 2018/19, he appeared in NBAGL 48 games for the club, averaging 16.5 PPG, 3.7 APG, and 3.3 RPG with a .475/.322/.856 shooting line in 29.8 minutes per contest.

It’s not clear if the Knicks view Garrett as a potential part of their future or if his new contract includes any sort of club option for 2019/20 — the deal may simply be a way to give him an end-of-season salary bump and reward him for his strong play in Westchester.

The Knicks, who dipped down to 12 players on their roster following the trade deadline, filled two of their three available slots by signing John Jenkins and Henry Ellenson, but had held their 15th spot open for the last couple months. The team now has a full roster with the end of the regular season just eight days away.

Kings Sign B.J. Johnson

April 2nd, 2019 at 2:19pm CST by Luke Adams

2:19pm: In their announcement officially confirming Johnson’s signing, the Kings added that he’ll be assigned to the Lakeland Magic, Orlando’s affiliate. That move will allow Johnson to continue his NBAGL playoff run with Lakeland.

11:09am: After signing a pair of 10-day contracts with Atlanta earlier this year, rookie swingman B.J. Johnson will finish the 2018/19 season with another NBA team. According to Jason Jones of The Athletic (via Twitter), the Kings are signing Johnson for the rest of the season. NBA.com’s official transactions log confirms that the move was finalized on Monday.

Johnson, who went undrafted out of La Salle in 2018, has spent most of his first professional season playing for the Lakeland Magic in the G League. He averaged 15.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 1.4 SPG with a shooting line of .476/.444/.841 in 39 NBAGL games, earning him an NBA shot with the Hawks.

Over the span of 20 days in Atlanta, the 23-year-old appeared in six games, averaging 3.5 PPG and 1.3 RPG in limited minutes (7.2 MPG).

The Kings had an open spot on their 15-man roster after Cody Demps‘ 10-day deal expired, so no corresponding move is necessary to create room for Johnson, who figures to earn a rest-of-season minimum salary worth just over $47K. There’s no indication yet that his new contract includes any form of team option for 2019/20.

Jones adds that the Kings intend to immediately assign Johnson to the G League so he can resume playing in the postseason. However, Sacramento’s own affiliate – the Stockton Kings – has been eliminated from the NBAGL playoffs, and it’s not clear that assignment rules would allow the Kings to send him back to his old team in Lakeland. We’ll wait for official word on Johnson’s status.

Hawks Sign Isaac Humphries

April 1st, 2019 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have signed G League center Isaac Humphries for the remainder of the season, the team announced today in a press release. Based on Atlanta’s announcement, it sounds as if Humphries’ new deal will expire at season’s end rather than including an option for next season.

Humphries, who played for the Erie BayHawks – Atlanta’s G League affiliate – this season, averaged 11.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 1.1 BPG in 46 games (21.8 MPG) this season. The Australian native went undrafted out of Kentucky in 2017 and joined the Sydney Kings for his first professional season in 2017/18, earning NBL Rookie of the Year honors.

Atlanta has an open spot on its 15-man roster, so no corresponding move was necessary to clear space for Humphries. The Hawks now have 14 players on guaranteed contracts, with Deyonta Davis on a 10-day deal that will expire on Sunday night.

Humphries will earn just over $47K on his new contract, which will cover the season’s final 10 days.