Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards Sign Jared Butler To Three-Year Deal

April 5th, 2024 at 4:20pm CST by Luke Adams

4:20pm: Butler has officially been promoted and Livers has been released, the Wizards announced in a press release.

2:33pm: The Wizards intend to waive Livers to make room on the roster for Butler, confirms Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).

2:21pm: The Wizards and third-year guard Jared Butler have reached an agreement on a three-year contract, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal will promote Butler to the 15-man roster and will keep him under team control for two seasons after this one.

While the exact details aren’t yet known, Butler’s new contract will likely feature little to no guaranteed salary beyond 2023/24. The Wizards will use a portion of their mid-level exception to give him a deal that covers more than just two seasons.

The No. 40 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Butler began his NBA career in Utah but was waived ahead of his second season in October 2022. He finished the ’22/23 season on a two-way contract with the Thunder, then signed a two-year deal with Washington last July.

In 35 games as a Wizard, Butler has averaged 5.6 points, 2.9 assists, and 1.3 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .490/.313/.885. He has been a regular part of the rotation in recent weeks, appearing in each of Washington’s last 13 games and averaging 21.3 minutes in those outings.

The Wizards currently have a full 15-man standard roster, so someone will need to be waived in order to make room for Butler. Isaiah Livers, who is on an expiring contract and is out for the season due to a hip injury, is the likeliest candidate.

Since the deadline to sign a player to a two-way contract passed last month, Washington won’t be able to fill Butler’s two-way slot once he’s promoted.

Jeff Dowtin Signs Rest-Of-Season Deal With Sixers

April 5th, 2024 at 6:44am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

APRIL 5: Dowtin’s promotion to the standard roster is official, the team announced in a press release.

APRIL 4: Point guard Jeff Dowtin will sign a rest-of-season standard contract with the Sixers, sources have informed Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link).

Dowtin is currently on a two-way contract with Philadelphia. Across the seven contests he has played with the Sixers this season, he has averaged 4.4 PPG on .550/.500/1.000 shooting, along with 2.4 APG and 1.6 RPG.

Dowtin has had a larger role – and posted considerably more impressive numbers – with the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s NBAGL affiliate team. In 20 games for the Blue Coats, including 18 starts, Dowtin has averaged 19.1 PPG (.491/.387/.906 shooting), 5.3 APG, 2.8 RPG and 1.2 SPG.

Since going undrafted out of Rhode Island in 2020, Dowtin has been fairly well-traveled. He began his pro career plying his trade for the Lakeland Magic, Orlando’s G League squad, in 2020/21. The team won a title that season. During the ’21/22 season, the 6’3″ guard played for three separate NBA clubs — he suited up for the Warriors on a two-way deal but was later cut and signed 10-day deals with the Bucks and Magic.

The 26-year-old is a frequent flyer with now-Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse. He suited up for Nurse’s last squad, the Raptors, in 2022/23, also on a two-way agreement.

Following the expiration of D.J. Wilson‘s 10-day contract, the 76ers had two open spots on their 15-man standard roster, so no one will have to be waived in order to promote Dowtin and the club will still have one opening remaining. Philadelphia will be able to add a 15th man at some point between now and the end of the regular season, but won’t be able to sign another two-way player, since the deadline for two-way signings passed last month.

Timberwolves Convert Luka Garza’s Contract To Standard Deal

April 4th, 2024 at 1:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

1:45pm: Garza has officially been promoted to a standard deal, Minnesota confirmed in a press release.

10:49am: Luka Garza‘s two-way contract is being converted to a standard deal by the Timberwolves, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweets. That will make Garza eligible for postseason action.

Minnesota has an open roster spot, so a corresponding move won’t be necessary to promote the third-year big man.

A former second-round pick, Garza is in his second season with the Timberwolves after having spent his rookie campaign with Detroit in 2021/22. The 6’10” center has appeared in 21 games this season, averaging 4.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 5.2 minutes per game. Garza scored 16 points in just nine minutes against Toronto on Wednesday.

The former University of Iowa star will give Timberwolves coach Chris Finch another frontcourt option for the playoffs. Karl-Anthony Towns underwent knee surgery last month and his postseason status is uncertain.

The deadline to sign players to two-way contracts passed a month ago, so Minnesota’s third two-way slot will remain open for the rest of the season once Garza’s promotion is official.

Bulls Sign Javonte Green, Waive Terry Taylor

April 4th, 2024 at 9:49am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls have signed swingman Javonte Green for the remainder of the season, the team announced today in a press release.

Chicago used a hardship exception to sign Green to a 10-day contract on March 23, but needs to clear a 15-man roster spot in order to sign him to a rest-of-season deal. To make room for him, the team has waived forward Terry Taylor.

By signing a standard contract, Green is now eligible for the postseason, including the play-in tournament. Chicago is currently tied for ninth place in the Eastern Conference with Atlanta.

Green has spent parts of three seasons with Chicago. He was limited to 32 games last season due to a knee injury, which required surgery.

Green signed a training camp deal with Golden State in October, but was waived a few days later. He also appeared in 10 regular season games with the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz this season.

In his first 10 days with the Bulls, the 30-year-old appeared in three games, averaging 5.0 points and 3.7 rebounds in 17.0 minutes per night.

Taylor has been out of the rotation most of the season. He has appeared in 31 games but only averaged 6.1 minutes in those outings. Terry had a $2MM salary this season and a $2.2MM non-guaranteed contract for next season.

Raptors Sign Malik Williams To 10-Day Deal

April 3rd, 2024 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

9:38am: The Raptors have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed Williams to a 10-day contract.

8:47am: The Raptors have agreed to sign G League center Malik Williams to a 10-day contract, agent Brian Jungreis tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Williams, 25, went undrafted out of Louisville in 2022, then spent his first professional season in Poland before joining the Sioux Falls Skyforce – Miami’s NBAGL affiliate – for the 2023/24 campaign.

In 42 total Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Skyforce, Williams has averaged 10.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in just 21.5 minutes per contest. Sioux Falls is scheduled to face the Oklahoma City Blue in the Western Conference semifinals of the G League playoffs this week, but will be down a key piece of its frontcourt for that matchup, with Williams headed to Toronto.

The Raptors opened up a spot on their standard 15-man roster on Tuesday night when Kobi Simmons‘ 10-day contract expired. It appears that Simmons, who averaged 5.0 PPG and 3.0 APG in four appearances (16.8 MPG) with Toronto, won’t be getting another contract from the club — unless he’s brought back at the end of the season after Williams’ 10-day deal expires.

As Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca points out (via Twitter), with point guard Immanuel Quickley back in the lineup, it makes more sense for the Raptors to use their final roster spot on a big man, given that Kelly Olynyk is the only center who is healthy and available.

Williams will earn $64,343 over the course of his 10 days with the Raptors. Assuming he officially signs on Wednesday, the deal will run through next Friday, April 12, covering six of Toronto’s seven remaining games.

Pistons Sign Jaylen Nowell To 10-Day Contract

April 3rd, 2024 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

APRIL 3: The Pistons have officially announced their 10-day deal with Nowell, confirming the move in a press release (Twitter link). The contract will run through next Friday, April 12, paying Nowell a salary of $124,425.

APRIL 2: The Pistons intend to sign free agent swingman Jaylen Nowell to a 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

After showing promise as a scorer across four seasons with the Timberwolves, Nowell was unable to find a full-season spot on an NBA roster last fall. He signed a non-guaranteed deal with Sacramento, but was waived by the team before the regular season tipped off and ended up spending much of the season with the Stockton Kings in the G League.

In 28 regular season NBAGL games for Stockton, Nowell averaged 17.4 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.6 rebounds in 27.9 minutes per contest, posting a shooting line of .441/.385/.868. He also had a brief stint in Memphis earlier in the season, appearing in nine games for the Grizzlies over the course of two 10-day contracts.

Both of Nowell’s 10-day deals in Memphis were completed via hardship exceptions and it appears that will be the case in Detroit as well. A hardship exception, which allows a team to carry one or more extra players beyond its standard 15, is granted when the team has at least four players who have missed three consecutive games and are expected to remain sidelined for two more weeks.

Quentin Grimes, Isaiah Stewart, Ausar Thompson, and Stanley Umude all meet that criteria for the Pistons, so the club will be able to add Nowell to their roster as a 16th man.

Since all four of those players have been ruled out for the season, Detroit will continue to qualify for a hardship exception beyond the expiration of Nowell’s 10-day contract, so he could be re-signed to a second deal — or the team could sign another player on a hardship contract to close out the season.

Suns Sign Isaiah Thomas To Second 10-Day Deal

March 30th, 2024 at 12:41pm CST by Rory Maher

MARCH 30: The Suns have officially signed Thomas to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). The deal will run through April 8.

MARCH 29: The Suns intend to bring back veteran guard Isaiah Thomas on a second 10-day contract, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link).

As our Luke Adams wrote this morning, Thomas’ first 10-day deal is set to expire at midnight ET. The 35-year-old has only played two garbage-time minutes with Phoenix thus far, but he has received praise from his coaches and teammates for his performances in practices and pickup games.

Prior to his stint with the Suns, the 12-year veteran had been out of the NBA since the 2021/22 season, when he made brief appearances with the Lakers and Mavericks before ending the year with the Hornets.

Thomas was an All-Star with Boston in ’15/16 and ’16/17 before suffering a right hip injury that derailed his career. He bounced around the league after that, and most of his recent stops have been on 10-day contracts.

Once Thomas’ second 10-day contract expires, the Suns will have to decide whether or not they want to sign him for the rest of the season in order to make him eligible for the postseason. Phoenix is in a very tight playoff race, currently sitting with a 43-30 record, which is good for the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.

Pistons Sign Chimezie Metu For Rest Of Season

March 30th, 2024 at 10:15am CST by Tristan Tucker

10:15am: The Pistons have officially signed Metu to his new contract, according to a team release.

9:26am: The Pistons are signing forward/center Chimezie Metu for the rest of the season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Wojnarowski adds that Metu’s deal will feature a team option for the 2024/25 season.

Metu recently completed a 10-day contract with Detroit, appearing in six games and making two starts. He averaged 7.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 26.0 minutes per night.

Metu began the season in Phoenix after signing with the Suns last offseason but was traded at the deadline to the Grizzlies as part of the three-team deal that sent Royce O’Neale to Phoenix. He didn’t appear in a game in Memphis before being waived.

On the season, Metu is averaging 5.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 43 games (seven starts).

The USC product was selected with the 49th overall pick in the 2018 draft by the Spurs. He played there for two seasons before spending the next three with the Kings.

Metu has averaged 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game over the course of his NBA career, with his best statistical season coming in ’21/22 when he averaged 8.9 PPG and 5.6 RPG while making 20 starts for Sacramento.

Grizzlies Sign Simpson, Pereira To 10-Day Deals

March 30th, 2024 at 9:08am CST by Rory Maher

March 30: The Grizzlies officially signed Pereira to a second 10-day deal and added Simpson on a 10-day contract, the team announced (Twitter link).

March 29: The Grizzlies plan to sign free agent guard Zavier Simpson to a 10-day contract, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Memphis will also re-sign forward Maozinha Pereira to a second 10-day deal, Wojnarowski adds.

A 6’0″ point guard who went undrafted out of Michigan in 2020, Simpson holds one year of NBA experience, having signed a 10-day deal with Oklahoma City at the very end of the 2021/22 season. He appeared in four games and got extended playing time, averaging 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 block in 43.5 minutes per contest.

Simpson has spent the majority of his four professional seasons playing in the NBA G League, suiting up for the affiliate teams of the Thunder, Magic and Pistons. He has spent the entire ’23/24 campaign with the Motor City Cruise (Detroit’s affiliate), averaging 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 48 combined regular season and Showcase Cup games (36.6 minutes).

A rookie who hails from Brazil, Pereira averaged 2.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 6.5 minutes during his first four games with Memphis. He had spent the ’23/24 season with the NBAGL’s Mexico City Capitanes before inking his first NBA contract with the Grizzlies.

Memphis technically has a full 18-man roster, but they’ve been shuffling through 10-day signees throughout the season via hardship exceptions, which is how they’ll be able to sign Simpson and re-sign Pereira.

Cavaliers Sign Marcus Morris For Rest Of Season

March 29th, 2024 at 12:16pm CST by Rory Maher

MARCH 29: The Cavaliers have officially signed Morris for the remainder of the season, the team confirmed today in a press release.

MARCH 28: Forward Marcus Morris saw his 10-day contract with the Cavaliers expire overnight, temporarily making him an unrestricted free agent.

However, he won’t remain a free agent for long — according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link), the Cavs plan to bring Morris back on a deal that covers the remainder of the 2023/24 season.

Many players who sign 10-day deals don’t play much for their new clubs, but that was not the case for Morris. He averaged 7.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game across his five appearances with Cleveland.

A 13-year NBA veteran, Morris has technically been on four teams this season, but he didn’t play in any games for two of them (the Clippers and Spurs). He was sent from L.A. to Philadelphia in the James Harden deal, then shipped from Philly to San Antonio at the February deadline.

The 34-year-old was waived by the Spurs at the end of last month, making him eligible for the playoffs. He found a new team a couple weeks later when he signed with Cleveland.

The Cavs have one opening on their standard roster, which means they don’t need to cut anyone to re-sign Morris. Their 18-man roster will be full once the deal is official.