Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavs Cut Ties With Cameron Payne

January 25th, 2019 at 9:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers will not offer Cameron Payne a standard contract, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Payne’s second 10-day contract expired on Friday night and the Cavaliers had to either sign him for the remainder of the season or cut ties with the point guard.

Cleveland wanted to maintain roster flexibility heading into the trade deadline, according to Fedor.

“I feel really good about how I played here,” Payne told Fedor. “It’s understandable that they want the roster spot.”

The Cavaliers will likely sign another player to a 10-day contract. Payne played 10 games with the Cavs and averaged 8.2 PPG and 2.6 APG in 19.6 MPG. He played 31 games with the Bulls earlier this season but was waived in early January.

Sixers Sign Corey Brewer To Second 10-Day Deal

January 25th, 2019 at 10:48am CST by JD Shaw

JANUARY 25: The Sixers have officially re-signed Brewer, the team announced today in a press release. Once his second 10-day deal expires, Philadelphia will have to decide whether or not to sign Brewer for the rest of the season.

JANUARY 24: The Sixers will sign forward Corey Brewer to a second 10-day contract on Friday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

Brewer, 32, has averaged 7.7 points, two rebounds and 23 minutes in three games with the team, starting in the last two contests against Houston and San Antonio. Brewer was tasked with defending the likes of James Harden and DeMar DeRozan during his starts, impressing the team with his competitive spirit and physical play.

Brewer has made stops with Minnesota, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles and Oklahoma City over the course of his 12-year career. The Sixers originally signed him to a 10-day deal on January 15.

Nets Sign Mitch Creek To 10-Day Contract

January 25th, 2019 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have filled the open spot on their 15-man roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed Australian forward Mitch Creek to a 10-day contract, promoting him from their G League affiliate in Long Island.

Creek, a longtime standout wing for the Adelaide 36ers in Australia, averaged 14.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.5 APG in 31 games for the 36ers last season, earning a spot on the All-NBL Second Team. During the 2018 offseason, he elected to pursue his NBA dreams, joining the Mavericks for Summer League play and then the Nets for training camp.

Although he didn’t make Brooklyn’s regular season roster, Creek landed with the club’s G League affiliate and has played well for the Long Island Nets, averaging 14.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 2.2 APG with a .548 FG% in 25 games.

Creek will get at least a 10-day audition for the NBA club, filling the roster opening created when Brooklyn waived Kenneth Faried last week.

Grizzlies Sign Bruno Caboclo To 10-Day Deal

January 24th, 2019 at 11:21am CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 24: The Grizzlies have officially signed Caboclo to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will run through February 2.

JANUARY 21: The Grizzlies are set to fill the opening on their 15-man roster, at least for the next week and a half, by signing forward Bruno Caboclo to a 10-day contract, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Caboclo, the 20th overall pick in the 2014 draft, never developed into an NBA rotation player for the Raptors, who traded him to Sacramento in a cost-cutting move at last year’s trade deadline. After his rookie contract expired, the 23-year-old signed a camp contract with the Rockets last summer and was cut before the start of the 2018/19 season.

Although he didn’t stick with Houston for the regular season, Caboclo had been playing for the team’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, so far in 2018/19. In 28 games (28.3 MPG), he averaged 16.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 3.0 BPG with an impressive .516/.428/.744 shooting line.

In Memphis, Caboclo may get a shot at some playing time right away, as the Grizzlies have found themselves short-handed on the wing with Chandler Parsons, Dillon Brooks, and Kyle Anderson all unavailable. Caboclo’s 10-day deal will feature a cap hit of $85,458.

For a full list of this year’s 10-day contracts, including which deals remain active, be sure to check out our tracker. Caboclo’s deal will be added to that tracker once it becomes official.

Bulls, Rockets Complete Carmelo Anthony Trade

January 22nd, 2019 at 3:34pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Rockets and Bulls have completed the Carmelo Anthony deal, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). The Bulls have confirmed the trade is official.

Anthony will head to Chicago along with the draft rights to Jon Diebler and approximately $1.56MM in cash while Houston will receive the draft rights to Tadija Dragicevic.

Diebler is a 30-year-old shooting guard who was originally drafted with the No. 51 overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Blazers. Dragicevic, who will turn 33 later this month, is a power forward who was selected with the No. 53 overall pick back in 2008 by the Jazz. Both players currently play in Turkey. Neither player has any NBA experience and it’s unlikely either “prospect” makes his way to the league any time soon.

The Bulls are not expected to play Anthony but will likely either release him or scour the league for a trade. Anthony reportedly wants to find a place where he can make an impact.

The cost for picking up Anthony’s salary at this stage of the season is $675K, so the cash Chicago is receiving more than enough to covers his deal. The Rockets are facing luxury tax concerns, so moving him allows the franchise to lower their anticipated tax payment.

Anthony played just 10 games for the Rockets, averaging 13.4 points per game. The fit wasn’t there in Houston and he’ll likely wait until after the trade deadline to find a new home. The Lakers reportedly have some interest, though the team’s roster is full and the franchise doesn’t want to waive a player on a guaranteed contract in order to add the 10-time All-Star.

Rockets Release James Nunnally

January 21st, 2019 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

5:00pm: The Rockets have officially waived Nunnally, the team confirmed in a press release announcing the signing of Faried.

4:01pm: The Rockets will terminate James Nunnally‘s 10-day deal early, releasing him before the contract expires, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. As Charania notes, cutting Nunnally will allow Houston to finalize its signing of Kenneth Faried tonight.

Nunnally, 28, reportedly turned down lucrative offers from international teams to sign a 10-day contract with the Rockets last Thursday. With Houston in need of help on the wing, the veteran sharpshooter immediately claimed a rotation role, averaging 19 minutes per game in two contests with the club. However, he struggled to make an impact, making just 3-of-13 shots from the floor, including 3-of-12 from beyond the arc.

Parting ways with Nunnally was the simplest way for the Rockets to open up a roster spot to sign Faried. The club’s other option would have been to trade or release Carmelo Anthony, but it appears a viable trade involving Anthony has yet to materialize. Houston would like to avoid cutting Anthony outright, since trading him would reduce the team’s projected tax bill.

As for Nunnally, he’ll get paid for the full 10 days, even though his 10-day contract is being terminated on day six. The Rockets could bring back the 28-year-old swingman later in the season if a roster spot opens up, but if there are no NBA opportunities out there for him right away, Nunnally might end up returning to Europe, where he has thrived in recent years.

Rockets To Trade Carmelo Anthony To Bulls

January 21st, 2019 at 4:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets have agreed to trade Carmelo Anthony and cash to the Bulls, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

Chicago will not acquire the longtime All-Star for the purpose of playing him, Wojnarowski adds in a follow-up tweet. He could be released quickly but it’s possible that franchise will hold off on waiving him until the trade deadline. That would allow the Bulls to seek a trade, though they can’t aggregate his contract in another deal.

The Bulls have an open roster space, allowing them to add Anthony without dropping another player. The cost for picking up Anthony’s salary at this stage of the season is $675K. The cash received from Houston will more than cover the cost, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

Anthony will be better off waiting until the trade deadline to hook onto a new club if Chicago doesn’t move him. Anthony wants to find a place where he can make an impact and that opportunity could be created by waiting for trades to happen and roster spots to open up, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link).

There has been plenty of speculation where Anthony might ultimately end up this season, including the possibility of joining forces with good friend LeBron James in Los Angeles. The Lakers have some interest, according to Wojnarowski, but they have a full roster and don’t want to cut loose a guaranteed contract to pick him up (Twitter link).

Houston announced in mid-November its intention to part ways with Anthony and he’s been in limbo the past two months, occupying a roster spot without being an active participant.

The Rockets have been seeking to trade him rather than releasing him outright. Moving him to the Bulls takes the team off the hook for the tax penalties associated with his $1.51MM cap hit.

Anthony averaged 13.4 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 10 games with the Rockets.

Gary Payton II Signs 10-Day Deal With Wizards

January 21st, 2019 at 11:03am CST by Arthur Hill

JANUARY 21: The Wizards have officially signed Payton, the team announced today in a press release. His contract will run through next Wednesday, January 30.

JANUARY 20: The Wizards will fill their roster opening by signing guard Gary Payton II to a 10-day contract, tweets ESPN’s Marc J. Spears. The signing is expected to take place tomorrow, which will be the deadline for Washington to get back to the 14-man roster limit, two weeks after waiving Ron Baker.

This is the latest NBA opportunity for the 26-year-old guard, who was in training camp with the Trail Blazers before being waived prior to the start of the season. Payton appeared in a combined 23 games last season — 12 with the Bucks and 11 with the Lakers — averaging 3.0 points per night. He also played six games for Milwaukee during the 2016/17 season.

Payton returned to the G League last month, signing with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He posted a 19.2/8.2/6.6 line in 13 games.

Pacers Sign Stephan Hicks On 10-Day Contract

January 20th, 2019 at 3:29pm CST by JD Shaw

The Pacers have signed guard Stephan Hicks to a 10-day contract, his agency, JCK Sports Group, confirmed on social media.

Hicks joined the Pacers in their locker room shortly after signing his deal, prepping for the team’s game against Charlotte on Sunday night, Scott Agness of The Athletic tweets.

Hicks, 26, has spent the past four seasons with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants — G League affiliate of the Pacers. He went undrafted in 2015 after playing college basketball at Cal State Northridge, holding per-game averages of 16.2 points, seven rebounds and 33.3 minutes with Fort Wayne this season.

Indiana has won seven of its past 10 games, currently owning the third best record in the Eastern Conference at 30-15.

Nets Waive Kenneth Faried Ahead Of Rockets Deal

January 19th, 2019 at 9:50am CST by marksuleymanov

The Nets have requested waivers on veteran big man Kenneth Faried, the team announced in a press release on Saturday. Faried is expected to sign with the Rockets upon clearing waivers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Friday.

Faried – who has a $13.7MM salary – is expected to clear waivers on Monday, per Wojnarowski. The Rockets will need to clear a roster spot for Faried and the team is reportedly ramping up efforts to trade Carmelo Anthony. Anthony, who still technically occupies a spot on the Rockets’ roster, reportedly has multiple options and will land with a new team.

Once his deal with Houston is complete, the team plans to insert Faried into the lineup for significant minutes to offset the absence of Clint Capela. Capela will miss four to six weeks after undergoing surgery for a torn ligament in his right thumb.

In 12 games this season with Brooklyn, Faried averaged 5.1 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 9.8 minutes per contest. Brooklyn acquired Faried, Darrell Arthur, a protected 2019 first round draft pick and a 2020 second-round draft pick for Isaiah Whitehead this past summer.