Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets Convert Danuel House To Standard Contract

March 13th, 2019 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 13: The Rockets have officially converted House’s two-way deal into a standard NBA contract, the club announced today in a press release. House can now rejoin the club and will be eligible for the postseason.

MARCH 12: The Rockets will fill one of the openings on their 15-man roster by converting Danuel House‘s two-way contract to a standard NBA deal, according to Shams Charania and Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link). The move will ensure Houston gets back up to 14 players, the league-mandated minimum, for the time being.

House, 25, signed a two-way deal with Houston back in December and emerged as a reliable rotation piece for the club, averaging 9.0 PPG and 3.6 RPG on .458/.390/.818 shooting in 25 games (24.8 MPG). But because two-way players can only spend a certain amount of time in the NBA, House hasn’t appeared in a game for the Rockets since January 14, when he reached that limit.

The two sides tried to reach a new contract agreement at that time, with the Rockets reportedly offering House a guaranteed three-year, minimum-salary deal. However, House and his agent Raymond Brothers wanted the club to simply convert the swingman’s two-way contract into a rest-of-season deal, which a team can do unilaterally. That would allow House to reach restricted free agency at season’s end.

The Rockets initially resisted, but now that the team is gearing up to go “all-in” for a playoff run, management has prioritized getting House back in the fold rather than worrying about his offseason free agency, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

Brothers thanked the Rockets and GM Daryl Morey for discussing a multiyear deal and suggested that he hoped to resume those talks in the summer, per Mark Berman of FOX26 Houston (Twitter link). Assuming Houston issues a qualifying offer to House, the club will have the ability to match an offer sheet up to a certain amount using his Non-Bird rights.

If the Rockets officially convert House’s contract on Wednesday, he’d earn approximately $248K during the season’s final month. As for the team’s roster situation, adding House to the 15-man squad would give Houston 14 players, but Terrence Jones‘ 10-day deal is set to expire later this week. As such, the Rockets would have to eventually re-sign Jones or add a new 14th man to get back up to the minimum.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hawks Sign B.J. Johnson To Second 10-Day Deal

March 12th, 2019 at 9:44am CST by Luke Adams

Rookie swingman B.J. Johnson is officially back under contract with the Hawks, with the club announcing today in a press release that Johnson has signed a second 10-day contract.

Johnson first signed with Atlanta on March 1, with that 10-day deal expiring overnight on Sunday. His new 10-day pact will run through next Thursday (March 21), at which point the Hawks will have to determine whether to let him go or re-sign him for the rest of the season.

Johnson, who went undrafted out of La Salle in 2018, spent most of his first professional season playing for the Lakeland Magic in the G League. He averaged 14.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 1.4 SPG with a shooting line of .473/.433/.838 in 38 NBAGL games, earning him an NBA shot in Atlanta.

In his first four NBA games with the Hawks, Johnson has averaged 4.3 PPG and 2.0 RPG in 9.8 minutes per contest. He has shot well in a very small sample size, recording a .538 FG% and .500 3PT%.

With Johnson officially back on the roster, the Hawks once again have a full 15-man squad. However, only 13 of those players are on full-season or multiyear contracts. Tyler Zeller is the other player on a 10-day deal.

Johnson’s new 10-day contract will be worth the same amount as his first one: $47,371.

Lakers Sign Andre Ingram To 10-Day Deal

March 11th, 2019 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

4:01pm: The Lakers have officially signed Ingram, the team announced today in a press release. His new 10-day contract will run through March 20.

12:50pm: Veteran G League sharpshooter Andre Ingram is set to get another shot in the NBA, according to reports from Lauren A. Jones of The Los Angeles Sentinel and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links). Jones first reported that Ingram will be rejoining the Lakers, while Charania adds that the 33-year-old is signing a 10-day contract with the club.

The G League’s all-time leader in three-pointers, Ingram had appeared in 384 NBAGL games over 10 seasons before finally getting a call-up at the end of 2017/18. The veteran shooting guard made a memorable debut for the Lakers last spring, racking up 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting (including 4-of-5 on threes) in an April contest vs. Houston.

Although he hoped that brief audition would earn him a chance to compete for an NBA roster spot last fall, Ingram ultimately returned to the South Bay Lakers, where he has averaged 8.6 PPG on .393/.355/.830 shooting in a part-time role over 35 games this season. It has been a down year for Ingram, who still holds a .451 3PT% for his NBAGL career.

The Lakers have an open roster spot, so they won’t need to make a corresponding move to clear space for Ingram. While that spot was originally considered likely to be used on a win-now veteran, the club has fallen out of playoff contention within the last couple weeks. Given the negative energy surrounding the Lakers during their recent slide, it makes sense that the team would instead opt to fill its roster by revisiting a feel-good story like Ingram’s.

Ingram will earn $76,236 over the course of his new 10-day deal. Once it expires, the Lakers can either sign him to a second 10-day deal, give him a rest-of-season contract, or let him return to free agency.

Thunder Sign Deonte Burton To Multiyear Deal

March 10th, 2019 at 3:27pm CST by JD Shaw

3:27pm: Oklahoma City has officially signed Burton to a full NBA contract, announcing the news in a press release.

2:42pm: The Thunder have agreed to a new multi-year deal with guard Deonte Burton, converting him from a two-way contract to a standard NBA contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter).

Burton, 25, originally signed a two-way deal with the team last July. He went undrafted in 2017 after spending seasons at Marquette and Iowa State, later attending training camp with the Timberwolves before heading overseas to play in South Korea.

Burton has appeared in 23 games with the Thunder this season, averaging 3.1 points, one rebound and 8.7 minutes per contest off the bench. He’s holding shooting averages of 44 percent from the floor and 33 percent from deep.

The Thunder had been carrying 13 players on standard contracts, so promoting Burton to the 15-man roster helps the team get back to the NBA-mandated 14-player minimum.

Wolves Sign Cam Reynolds To Second 10-Day Deal

March 9th, 2019 at 11:25am CST by Arthur Hill

MARCH 9: The Timberwolves made the move official, signing Reynolds to a second 10-day contract, the team announced (Twitter link).

MARCH 8: The Timberwolves plan to give swingman Cameron Reynolds a second 10-day contract, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. Reynolds’ first deal, which he signed on February 27, is due to expire at the end of the day.

Reynolds has seen minimal playing time since coming to Minnesota, logging a combined seven minutes in two games and averaging 2.0 PPG. The 24-year-old was averaging 16.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per night with the G League’s Stockton Kings before coming to the NBA.

The Wolves will keep a full roster by re-signing Reynolds, with 14 players on fully guaranteed contracts. To retain his rights beyond the next 10 days, Minnesota would have to sign Reynolds for the rest of the season.

Tyler Zeller Signs 10-Day Deal With Hawks

March 8th, 2019 at 10:14am CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 8: The signing is official, the Hawks announced in an email.

MARCH 7: The Hawks have reached an agreement with Tyler Zeller and will sign the free agent center to a 10-day contract, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, the deal is expected to be finalized on Friday.

Zeller, 29, spent six seasons in the NBA after being drafted 17th overall in 2012, but was waived by the Bucks in October and had yet to catch on with a new team. In 66 total games last season for Brooklyn and Milwaukee, the veteran seven-footer recorded 6.7 PPG and 4.6 RPG with a career-high .560 FG% in 16.8 minutes per contest.

Zeller will provide the Hawks with some added frontcourt depth at a time when the team is dealing with a handful of injuries to its big men. Omari Spellman has been ruled out for most or all of March with an ankle injury, Miles Plumlee hasn’t played since December due to a knee issue, and Dewayne Dedmon (knee) and Alex Poythress (ankle) are also dealing with nagging health problems.

The Hawks have been using their last two roster spots recently to audition players on 10-day deals. Jordan Sibert was signed to a single 10-day contract and hasn’t been brought back, while B.J. Johnson is currently on a 10-day pact of his own that runs through Sunday. With Zeller and Johnson under contract, Atlanta will have a full roster, but the team could open up two spots when those deals expire.

Zeller’s 10-day contract will carry a cap hit of approximately $85K for the Hawks.

Warriors Sign Andrew Bogut

March 6th, 2019 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

1:33pm: The Warriors have officially signed Bogut, the team announced today in a press release.

11:18am: Andrew Bogut, who spent the 2018/19 season in Australia’s National Basketball League, has obtained the letter of clearance required to make the move from the NBL to the NBA, agent David Bauman tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). We had heard on Monday that Bogut intended to sign with the Warriors once he received clearance.

With the primary roadblock out of the way, Bogut will now work to officially finalize a one-year, minimum-salary contract with Golden State, Charania adds (via Twitter). The former No. 1 overall pick is expected to join the Warriors sometime during their four-game road trip next week, sources tell Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News. That trip begins in Houston next Wednesday (March 13) and concludes on March 19 in Minnesota.

According to Medina, Bogut also still has to work out logistical details related to his U.S. work visa. He’s mulling whether to have the visa shipped to the U.S. consulate in Sydney or to fly to America on a tourist visa before acquiring his work visa in Vancouver, Medina notes.

Once Bogut sorts out those details, he’ll fill the final open spot on the Warriors’ 15-man roster. As we detailed on Monday, it’s not clear whether that will be Golden State’s final roster move this season. The team had reportedly been considering the idea of adding a wing – perhaps Damion Lee – with that open roster spot, and will have until the last day of the regular season to make any further changes.

Bogut, 34, hasn’t appeared in an NBA game in more than a year, having played his last game for the Lakers on January 1, 2018. However, he was named the MVP and the Defensive Player of the Year in Australia’s NBL this season, making a case for an NBA roster spot by leading the league with 11.7 RPG and 2.7 BPG.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bucks Sign Eric Bledsoe To Four-Year Extension

March 4th, 2019 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 4: The Bucks have officially signed Bledsoe to his new extension, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

MARCH 1: Ahead of an important summer in Milwaukee, the Bucks have gotten a head start on free agency, reaching an agreement with point guard Eric Bledsoe on a four-year, $70MM contract extension, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Bledsoe, 29, is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career in Milwaukee. In 60 games (all starts), he has recorded 15.7 PPG, 5.5 APG, and 4.6 RPG with a career-best .492 FG%, emerging as a key contributor for the Bucks, who hold the best record in the NBA at 47-14.

While Giannis Antetokounmpo is locked up through 2021, many of the Bucks’ other most important players – including Bledsoe, Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon, and Brook Lopez – are in contract years. As Wojnarowski tweets, Bledsoe could have tested the market in unrestricted free agency this July, but was “determined” to stay in Milwaukee and was in position to get something done early.

Middleton and Brogdon are also technically eligible for in-season veteran extensions, but are unlikely to sign them, given their respective contract situations. In Bledsoe’s case, he was eligible to receive up to a 120% raise on his 2018/19 salary of $15MM for the first year of his new deal.

Although his starting salary could have maxed out at $18MM, it sounds – based on the reported terms – like Bledsoe will get a little less than that in 2019/20, which will help allow the Bucks to maximize their cap flexibility. Meanwhile, Milwaukee remains in good position to secure Middleton and Brogdon in the offseason, with Middleton viewed as the team’s top priority.

The Bledsoe extension is the second noteworthy Bucks move that has been reported today. The club is also set to sign Pau Gasol, who has finalized a buyout with the Spurs.

For teams eyeing the point guard market this summer, one top option is now off the board. Bledsoe probably ranked behind Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, and D’Angelo Russell among FA-to-be point guards, but would have been at the top of the next tier. Clubs that miss out on those top three options now figure to focus on the likes of Terry Rozier, Ricky Rubio, Derrick Rose, and Darren Collison.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rockets Sign Terrence Jones To Second 10-Day Deal

March 4th, 2019 at 1:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

MARCH 4: The Rockets have officially re-signed Jones, the team announced today in a press release. His second 10-day deal will run through next Wednesday (March 13).

MARCH 3: The Rockets will sign forward Terrence Jones to a second 10-day contract on Monday, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Jones was signed to a 10-day contract on February 22 to help the Rockets reach the requirement of having 14 players on the roster. Jones has made just one brief appearance with the Rockets.

Prior to receiving the first 10-day contract, Jones hadn’t played in the league since he spent time with the Bucks and Pelicans during the 2016/17 season. He was with the Rockets during his first four professional seasons after being drafted in 2012 with the 18th overall pick.

He has averaged 23.5 PPG, 9.4 RPG and 5.8 APG in 24 G League appearances this season.

Bucks End Isaiah Canaan’s 10-Day Deal Early

March 4th, 2019 at 8:19am CST by Luke Adams

Having officially signed Pau Gasol on Sunday, the Bucks had to make a corresponding roster move to open up a spot for their new big man. As the only player without a full-season contract, Isaiah Canaan was the odd man out. The Bucks announced (via Twitter) that his 10-day contract has been terminated, a few days before it was set to expire.

Canaan, 27, signed with the Bucks last Monday and managed to get into four games with the team, though his minutes were very limited. The well-traveled point guard has appeared in a total of 30 contests in 2018/19, spending time in Phoenix and Minnesota in addition to Milwaukee. He has averaged 6.0 PPG and 2.8 APG with a .390/.354/.792 shooting line on the season.

Although Canaan was under contract through March 1 and has now been released, he’d retain his playoff eligibility if he joins a new team down the stretch, since he doesn’t have to go through waivers.

As for the Bucks, they’ll continue to carry Canaan’s full 10-day cap hit (approximately $85K) despite only keeping him on their roster for seven days. Having signed Gasol, Milwaukee now has a full 15-man roster, with all 15 players on full-season contracts.