Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks Waive Jaylen Morris

January 14th, 2019 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have requested waivers on shooting guard Jaylen Morris, the team announced in a press release. Morris had been one of two Milwaukee players on two-way contracts, along with Trevon Duval. The club now has an open two-way slot.

Morris, 23, signed a two-way contract with the Bucks back in July, but only appeared in four regular season contests for the team, averaging 2.5 PPG in 7.3 minutes per game. He played more frequently for the Wisconsin Herd, recording 14.1 PPG on .503/.217/.639 shooting in 13 G League games (35.1 MPG).

Morris is on track to become an unrestricted free agent, while the Bucks have a two-way opening that they’ll have to fill before Tuesday’s two-way signing deadline if they want to use it.

Nets Re-Sign Alan Williams

January 11th, 2019 at 10:24am CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 11: The Nets have officially re-signed Williams to a two-way contract, the team confirmed today in a press release.

JANUARY 10: After complications arose during his contract talks with a Chinese Basketball Association club, veteran NBA big man Alan Williams has decided to remain stateside, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, Williams will re-sign with the Nets on a two-way contract.

The news comes just over a week after Brooklyn ended Williams’ previous two-way deal. At the time, it appeared to be a favor to the 25-year-old and his agent, since he seemingly had an opportunity lined up in China, reportedly with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. With that opportunity no longer on the table, Williams will return to the Nets, with Wojnarowski suggesting he’ll likely be dressed for Friday’s game against Toronto.

After missing most of last season with a knee injury, Williams has bounced back nicely in the G League in 2018/19, averaging 21.0 PPG and a league-high 14.7 RPG in 17 games (26.9 MPG) for the Long Island Nets. The former Sun has yet to appear in a game for Brooklyn at the NBA level though.

Williams’ new deal with the Nets looks like bad news for Paul Zipser, who was said on Tuesday to be in line for a two-way contract from Brooklyn. With Williams back in the mix, there’s no room for Zipser unless the team parts ways with its other two-way player, Theo Pinson. That won’t happen, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, who tweets that Zipser will no longer be joining the Nets.

Raptors Sign Patrick McCaw

January 10th, 2019 at 5:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

JANUARY 10: Patrick McCaw has officially signed his one-year contract with the Raptors, according to the NBA’s transactions log. McCaw was waived by the Cavaliers on Monday, allowing him to enter unrestricted free agency and sign with any team.

JANUARY 9: Shooting guard Patrick McCaw will sign with the Raptors, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. McCaw, who cleared waivers today, will receive a one-year deal worth $786K, the pro-rated amount of the veterans’ minimum, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The signing will end an eventful two-week odyssey for McCaw that will eventually leave him right where he started. Because he is set to sign a one-year contract, he will become a restricted free agent again at the end of the season if the Raptors submit a qualifying offer, and the team will be able to match any offer he receives.

McCaw had been waiting for a contract since July, but nothing materialized until December 28 when the Cavaliers signed him to a non-guaranteed offer sheet worth $6MM over two years. The Warriors elected not to match, sending him to Cleveland, but only for a few days. The Cavs waived McCaw on Sunday, paying him about $323K for his brief stay with the team.

McCaw spent his first two NBA seasons with Golden State, but turned down a qualifying offer from the team over the summer and a subsequent two-year, $5.2MM offer with only a guarantee on the first year. That still would have paid him substantially more than he will make in about a half season with the Cavs and Raptors. McCaw explained that he didn’t want to re-sign with the Warriors because he was seeking “a new opportunity.”

The NBA plans to review the unusual way that Cleveland handled the McCaw situation. There are accusations that the Cavaliers circumvented the salary cap, signing McCaw only so he could have a path toward unrestricted free agency with no intention of keeping him. The franchise faces fines or a loss of draft picks if the league determines something inappropriate happened. McCaw played just three games during his time in Cleveland, averaging 1.7 PPG.

The expected signing will bring Toronto back to the league minimum of 14 players and increase the team’s projected luxury tax bill by $2.56MM to $34.74MM, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). The bill was at $34.5MM before Lorenzo Brown was waived on Monday.

Celtics Sign R.J. Hunter To Two-Way Deal

January 10th, 2019 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 10: The Celtics have officially signed Hunter to a two-way contract, the team confirmed today in a press release.

JANUARY 9: The Celtics are bringing back former first-round pick R.J. Hunter on a two-way contract, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Hunter’s agency, Priority Sports, first announced (via Twitter) that Hunter would be returning to Boston.

Hunter, the 28th overall pick in 2015 out of Georgia State, spent just one season with the Celtics before being waived. He spent time with the Bulls in 2016/17, then signed a two-way contract with the Rockets in 2017/18. The 25-year-old was also in camp with the Hawks this past fall.

Over those few years, Hunter has been unable to carve out a regular NBA role, appearing in just 44 total games. In limited minutes (8.4 MPG), he has posted 2.6 PPG and 1.0 RPG with a .361/.282/.889 shooting line. His career G League numbers – 19.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.4 APG, and .418/.350/.803 shooting – have been more impressive.

In 22 games for the Erie BayHawks this season, Hunter has averaged 22.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.3 APG, and 2.0 SPG, earning him a two-way offer from the Celtics.

The C’s have been carrying just one two-way player (P.J. Dozier) since late November, when they waived Walt Lemon Jr., so Hunter will fill their open slot.

Pelicans Waive Andrew Harrison

January 8th, 2019 at 4:15pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pelicans have waived Andrew Harrison, the team announced via its website. The guard landed in New Orleans in early December via a two-way deal.

The franchise now has 16 players under contract. Trevon Bluiett is the only player on a two-way deal, so the Pelicans will have until January 15 to fill its open two-way slot.

Harrison appeared in six games for the Pelicans, seeing just 6.3 minutes per contest. The former Kentucky Wildcat has previously had NBA stops in Memphis and Cleveland.

Sixers Sign Haywood Highsmith To Two-Way Deal

January 8th, 2019 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

2:14pm: The Sixers have officially signed Highsmith, the team confirmed today in a press release.

8:29am: The Sixers are set to sign G League wing Haywood Highsmith to a two-way contract later today, sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Philadelphia has an open two-way contract slot after waiving Demetrius Jackson on Sunday.

Highsmith, a former Division II standout who played his college ball at Wheeling Jesuit, has been solid for the Delaware Blue Coats – Philadelphia’s G League affiliate – so far this season. In 21 games, he has posted 13.8 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 2.5 APG with a .450/.394/.680 shooting line.

Mike Schmitz of ESPN.com (Insider-only link) recently identified Highsmith as one of a handful of G League players to watch, noting that the 22-year-old offers “an intriguing blend of physical tools, shooting potential and defensive versatility.” Although Highsmith isn’t a great ball-handler or play-maker, he has a “sound feel” for the game, which should only improve with more reps, Schmitz wrote.

Highsmith participated in a workout for the Sixers about a month ago.

Next Tuesday (January 15) is the deadline for teams to sign players to two-way contracts, and two-way salaries will become fully guaranteed on January 20, so Highsmith appears to be in good position to stick with the Sixers for the rest of the season once he inks his new deal.

Rockets Trade Michael Carter-Williams To Bulls

January 7th, 2019 at 4:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

4:07pm: The Rockets have officially announced their deal sending Carter-Williams to Chicago (Twitter link). The Bulls, who already waived Brooks earlier today, per RealGM’s transactions log, released Carter-Williams as well, as they confirmed (via Twitter).

10:01am: The Rockets have finalized a deal to send Michael Carter-Williams and cash to the Bulls, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. In return, Houston will receive a heavily protected second-round pick that is unlikely to ever convey, adds Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

The Bulls will waive Carter-Williams, who has a non-guaranteed contract, before the league deadline of 5:00 pm Eastern, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link). All contracts become fully guaranteed for the rest of the season on Thursday, but players have to be released by the close of business today to avoid the guarantee so they have time to clear waivers.

The Bulls have a full 15-man roster, so the team will waive MarShon Brooks before the deal can be completed, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Brooks was acquired Thursday in a trade with the Grizzlies and hasn’t played yet for Chicago. Smith adds that the draft choice the Rockets will receive is top-55 protected. The Bulls’ second-rounder in 2019 belongs to the Sixers, so Smith believes the pick in the deal will be for 2020 (Twitter link).

The trade enables the Rockets to cut their projected luxury tax payment from $16.3MM to $13.7MM, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. It also gives Houston a $1.2MM trade exception. The Rockets open a roster spot that may eventually go to Danuel House, who has won a place in the starting lineup and is approaching the 45-day NBA limit on his two-way contract.

The Bulls will take a $1.2MM cap hit, but will only have to pay Carter-Williams $366K, Marks adds (Twitter link). The cash from the Rockets is expected to cover the salary for him and Brooks. Chicago will also have an open roster spot by the end of the day, points out K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).

Carter-Williams was named Rookie of the Year with the Sixers in 2014, but has turned into an NBA journeyman. He spent time with the Bucks, Bulls and Hornets before signing with Houston in July. He appeared in 16 games for the Rockets, posting a 4.3/0.8/1.3 line in about nine minutes per night.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Suns Sign Quincy Acy To 10-Day Deal

January 7th, 2019 at 12:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

JANUARY 7: The signing is official, according to the team’s Twitter feed.

JANUARY 5: With 10-day contracts now permissible, the Suns will sign veteran forward Quincy Acy to the first one of the season, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The 28-year-old played 70 games for the Nets last season, but hasn’t been in the league since Brooklyn renounced his rights to generate extra cap space over the summer. Acy spent a year and a half with the Nets after joining the team in January of 2017. He has also played for the Raptors, Kings, Knicks and Mavericks since coming into the league in 2012, but has never spent two full seasons with any team.

Phoenix waived forward/center Eric Moreland on Thursday, giving the team two roster openings. The Suns have until January 17 to get back to the league minimum of 14 players, but they’ve decided not to wait. Moreland cleared waivers today and became a free agent, according to Real GM.

Raptors Waive Lorenzo Brown

January 7th, 2019 at 11:21am CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors have placed guard Lorenzo Brown on waivers, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Like other players who were waived today, Brown had a contract that would have become fully guaranteed by 5pm Eastern.

The reigning G League MVP, Brown was a two-way player for Toronto last season before signing a standard contract over the summer. He appeared in 26 games this year, averaging just 2.1 PPG in 8.2 minutes per night. The 28-year-old has also played for the Sixers, Timberwolves and Suns.

If Brown decides to return to the G League, his rights are held by the Pistons’ affiliate in Grand Rapids, notes Adam Johnson of 2 Ways and 10 Days (Twitter link).

The move leaves Toronto with 13 players, one below the league minimum. The team will have two weeks to add to its roster.

The Raptors’ luxury tax projection falls from $34.5MM to $32.2MM, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). Brown received $800K in guaranteed money on his deal.

Wizards Waive Ron Baker

January 7th, 2019 at 11:09am CST by Arthur Hill

Ron Baker‘s stay in Washington turned out to be a short one as the Wizards waived him today, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. His contract would have become fully guaranteed if he had remained on the roster past 5pm Eastern today.

It’s the second trip to the waiver wire in less than a month for Baker, who was waived by the Knicks on December 13. He joined the Wizards eight days later. Baker played four games for Washington, but didn’t score a point despite averaging 11.3 minutes per night.

The move leaves Washington with just 13 players on its roster. At least one more will have to be added by January 21 to get the team back to the NBA’s 14-player limit.

The Wizards will have a $170,915 cap hit on Baker’s salary and now face an $8.66MM luxury tax bill, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). However, the tax number will increase when an extra player is added.