Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies Sign Jarnell Stokes, Waive D.J. Stephens

January 1st, 2019 at 4:19pm CST by JD Shaw

JANUARY 1: Stokes has officially signed, according to a tweet from the Grizzlies.

DECEMBER 30: The Grizzlies plan to sign forward Jarnell Stokes to a two-way deal, as first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Memphis created an open two-way roster spot by waiving D.J. Stephens on Sunday, reaching the agreement to sign Stokes beforehand.

Stokes had worked out for the Grizzlies in early November before the team signed Joakim Noah, a league source told Hoops Rumors.

Stokes has spent the first part of the season playing in Sioux Falls, G League affiliate of the Heat, and appeared in 19 games with Memphis during the 2014/15 season. He’s improved vastly on defense in his time away from the team, transitioning into a solid two-way player that fits the Grizzlies’ grit-and-grind mentality.

Stephens, 28, signed a two-way deal with Memphis on Oct. 8 and played just one game with the team this season. He appeared in 10 contests with the club’s G League team, averaging 7.9 points and five rebounds per outing.

The Grizzlies have upcoming games scheduled against the Rockets (Dec. 31), Pistons (Jan. 2) and Nets (Jan. 4), holding a 18-17 record through the season’s first 35 games.

Warriors Decline To Match Cavs’ Offer Sheet For Patrick McCaw

December 30th, 2018 at 11:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have opted not to match the Cavaliers‘ offer sheet for Patrick McCaw, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski confirms (via Twitter). Golden State had until the end of the day on Sunday to formally make a decision on McCaw, who inked a two-year, $6MM deal with Cleveland on Friday.

Reports surfaced over the weekend suggesting that the Warriors were leaning against matching McCaw’s offer sheet, since they were unsure how he’d fit back into the locker room after a lengthy holdout. The club also likes the idea of keeping its 15th roster spot open to retain flexibility going forward. Plus, matching McCaw’s offer sheet and keeping him for the season would have increased the Dubs’ projected tax bill by over $11MM.

McCaw, who has been 2018’s only unsigned restricted free agent for the past few months, had a promising rookie season for Golden State in 2016/17, but took a step backward last season. In 57 games (16.9 MPG), the former UNLV standout averaged 4.0 PPG on .409/.238/.765 shooting.

Despite his struggles in 2017/18, the Warriors issued McCaw a qualifying offer, then reportedly proposed a two-year, $5.2MM contract, with a non-guaranteed second year. Unsatisfied with that offer, McCaw held out for nearly the entire first half of the regular season as he sought a deal with another team. The Cavaliers stepped up and became that team this week.

Cleveland topped Golden State’s offer by signing McCaw to a two-year, $6MM offer sheet. While the Cavs’ deal is fully non-guaranteed, McCaw only has to remain under contract beyond January 7 to lock in his 2018/19 salary. If he’s waived on or before that date, his salary won’t become guaranteed, but he’ll be on track to become an unrestricted free agent, so it’s a win-win scenario for the 23-year-old.

The Cavaliers’ plan for McCaw remains unclear, but they currently have the NBA’s worst record (8-29) and are in the process of stockpiling young talent after carrying a veteran-heavy roster in recent years. McCaw could end up being an intriguing addition to a group of young players that includes Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman, Larry Nance, and Ante Zizic.

Cleveland won’t have to make a corresponding roster move to finalize McCaw’s signing, since the club had been carrying an open spot on its 15-man roster. The Cavs’ roster is now full, and the team still has a little breathing room below the luxury tax line.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nuggets Waive Nick Young

December 30th, 2018 at 12:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets have parted ways with veteran guard Nick Young, the team announced in a tweet.

Young signed in Denver 20 days ago shortly after the team was granted a hardship exception. He appeared in four games, averaging 2.3 PPG in 9.3 minutes per night.

The hardship exception expires when a sufficient number of players return from injury, and the Nuggets are starting to get healthy, notes Chris Dempsey of Altitude Sports (Twitter link). Paul Millsap came back last night, and Gary Harris and Will Barton are expected to return soon.

Denver has a full roster with 15 players plus both two-way slots filled. Young, who had a non-guaranteed contract, understood the situation and was professional during his time with the team, Dempsey adds (Twitter link). The Nuggets will incur a $311,070 cap hit for Young, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Patrick McCaw Signs Offer Sheet With Cavs

December 28th, 2018 at 7:44pm CST by Luke Adams

7:44pm: McCaw has officially signed the offer sheet, according to a team press release.

10:44am: The Cavaliers’ offer sheet for McCaw is non-guaranteed, tweets Wojnarowski. Players who aren’t waived by January 7 will have their 2018/19 salaries fully guaranteed, so no matter which team he ends up with, McCaw will either have his first-year salary locked in at that point or will be waived, putting him on track for unrestricted free agency.

10:26am: After remaining on the free agent market for nearly six months, shooting guard Patrick McCaw is poised to sign an offer sheet with the Cavaliers, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). It will be a two-year deal worth $6MM, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Because McCaw is a restricted free agent, the Warriors will have the opportunity to match Cleveland’s offer. A report last week indicated that they were still prepared to match any offer sheet within reason, but this offer figures to give them pause, as McCaw has exhibited a desire to move on from Golden State, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The Dubs will have two days to make their decision once McCaw makes it official with the Cavs.

McCaw, who has been 2018’s last unsigned restricted free agent for several months, had a promising rookie season for Golden State in 2016/17, but took a step back last season. In 57 games (16.9 MPG), the former UNLV standout averaged 4.0 PPG on .409/.238/.765 shooting.

Despite his struggles in 2017/18, the Warriors issued McCaw a qualifying offer, then reportedly proposed a two-year, $5.2MM contract, with a non-guaranteed second year. Unsatisfied with that offer, McCaw has held out for nearly the entire first half of the regular season as he sought a deal with another team. Now, the Cavaliers have stepped up to become that team, with their offer sheet topping the money Golden State had put on the table.

The Cavs currently have the NBA’s worst record (8-27) and are in the process of stockpiling young talent after carrying a veteran-heavy roster in recent years. If the Warriors decline to match their offer for McCaw, they’ll be able to add him to a group of young players that includes Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman, Larry Nance, and Ante Zizic.

Because their offer sheet exceeds the minimum salary, the Cavs will have to dip into either the mid-level exception ($8.64MM) or bi-annual exception ($3.34MM). Both exceptions are fully available and would fit McCaw’s offer sheet. The deal would also leave Cleveland a little breathing room below the luxury tax threshold, since the club is currently about $3.93MM away from being a taxpayer, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

The Cavs currently have an open spot on their 15-man roster and won’t have to make a corresponding move if they land McCaw. The Warriors also have an opening on their roster, but may prefer to keep that spot available for increased flexibility. Matching McCaw’s offer sheet would also increase Golden State’s projected tax bill by more than $10MM, as Marks tweets.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Thunder Waive Davis, Sign Grantham To Two-Way Deal

December 28th, 2018 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 28: The Thunder have officially signed Grantham to a two-way contract, the club confirmed today in a press release.

DECEMBER 27: The Thunder are turning over one of their two-way contract slots, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived center Tyler Davis. According to Brett Dawson of The Athletic (via Twitter), Oklahoma City will replace Davis by signing Donte Grantham to a two-way contract.

Davis, who went undrafted in June after forgoing his final year of college eligibility to declare as an early entrant, signed a two-way contract with the Thunder in August. The 21-year-old big man appeared very briefly in just a single game for OKC, but racked up double-doubles for the club’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. In 15 NBAGL games, Davis averaged 17.2 PPG and 11.5 RPG in 26.7 minutes per contest.

As for Grantham, this will technically be the second stint with the Thunder for the former Clemson forward. Grantham, who tore his ACL during his senior season, signed a camp deal with Oklahoma City during the offseason, but was cut before the regular season began and joined the Blue. He has posted 10.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 2.8 APG with a .400 3PT% in nine G League games so far, as he gets back to full health.

There will likely be plenty of turnover in the two-way ranks in the coming weeks, since January 15 represents the deadline for clubs to sign players to two-way deals in 2018/19.

Rookie swingman Deonte Burton holds the other two-way contract slot in OKC.

Bulls Sign Brandon Sampson To Two-Way Deal

December 27th, 2018 at 10:35am CST by Dana Gauruder

DECEMBER 27: The Bulls have made it official, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed Sampson and waived Ulis.

DECEMBER 21: The Bulls are signing shooting guard Brandon Sampson to a two-way deal and waiving Tyler Ulis, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Charania erroneously reported earlier that Chicago was signing forward JaKarr Sampson from their G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls. JaKarr Sampson reached a deal earlier this week to play with the Shandong Golden Stars in China.

Brandon Sampson, 21, attended LSU and went undrafted. The 6’5” Sampson has appeared in 18 games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets’ affiliate, averaging 17.6 PPG and 3.9 APG in 35.2 MPG.

Chicago’s other two-way slot is occupied by guard Rawle Alkins. As Adam Johnson of 2Ways10Days tweets, Ulis has been out of action most of the season with a hip injury.

Sampson was on the Rockets’ training camp roster.

During his final college season as a junior, he battled an ankle injury and averaged just 7.7 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 27 games (18.9 MPG). Sampson joined the Hawks for Las Vegas Summer League play in July, averaging 6.7 PPG and 3.7 RPG in three games (16.0 MPG).

Rockets Sign Austin Rivers

December 24th, 2018 at 11:09am CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 24, 11:09am: The Rockets have officially signed Rivers to a rest-of-season deal, announcing the news in a press release.

DECEMBER 23, 1:34pm: Rivers will get back the $650K he gave to Phoenix in his buyout agreement, plus nearly $500K more from the Rockets, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Houston’s cap hit will fall between $914K and $931K, depending on when his signing becomes official. The Rockets don’t play again until Tuesday.

DECEMBER 23, 12:53pm: Former Wizards guard Austin Rivers has reached an agreement to join the Rockets, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

His contract will be fully guaranteed for the rest of the season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Houston has an open roster spot, so no corresponding move will be necessary. The Rockets have part of their mid-level exception remaining, but there’s no word on whether Rivers will receive more than a veteran’s minimum contract. His new salary will cut into the $12MM still owed to him by the Suns, who waived him earlier this week.

Houston has a need for guard help with Chris Paul sidelined for at least the next two weeks with a strained hamstring. The move reunites the former Clippers teammates, who had an uneasy relationship when they were together in L.A. Sources tell Wojnarowski that Paul had no objections to signing Rivers, understanding that the team needs immediate backcourt help (Twitter link).

The agreement with the Rockets caps an eventful nine days for Rivers, who was involved in a canceled three-team trade, then was dealt to the Suns the next day. He reached a buyout agreement with Phoenix and has been looking for an opportunity with a contending team that could offer him consistent playing time. Houston qualified when Paul got injured Thursday night.

Rivers was having a productive first year in Washington after being acquired from the Clippers in an offseason trade. Used mainly in a reserve role, he posted a 7.2/2.4/2.0 line through 29 games.

Wizards Sign Ron Baker, Waive Okaro White

December 21st, 2018 at 10:45am CST by clarkcrum

DECEMBER 21: The Wizards have officially signed Baker and waived White, the team announced today in a press release.

DECEMBER 19: The Wizards have agreed to sign Ron Baker to a new contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. In a related, albeit unnecessary move, Wojnarowski adds that Washington will waive forward Okaro White. Marc Berman of the New York Post adds that the Nuggets also had interest in Baker before he agreed to terms with the Wizards.

As it currently stands, the Wizards only have 14 players on their roster with standard NBA contracts, so they could have kept White and signed Baker. However, as we’ve noted on several previous occasions, Washington is extremely cognizant of their looming luxury tax bill, so it’s not surprising that they will waive White, the only player on the roster with a non-guaranteed contract, and keep their roster at 14.

Assuming that White is waived/Baker signs for the veteran’s minimum tomorrow (all that Washington can offer), and that White is not picked up off waivers, the Wizards will incur a cap hit of just over $957K for Baker and just under $248K for White, totaling approximately $1.2MM. The cap hit for White, had he remained on the roster past January 10, was for $1.19MM, so the ultimate tax difference is negligible.

Accordingly, the move likely comes down to roster fit and team need, and as Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports notes, the Wizards really need a guard more than a forward/big man right now, as further indicated by yesterday’s signing of point guard Chasson Randle and the surprisingly positive play from Sam Dekker.

Baker, 25, was recently waived by the Knicks to make room for the signing of former two-way standout Allonzo Trier. In his three NBA seasons with New York, Baker averaged only 3.3 points and 1.8 assists per game, but had become a fan favorite with his work ethic and hard-nosed play.

Meanwhile, White, 26, signed with the Wizards about a month into the 2018/19 season after spending the last couple of seasons in Miami. For his career, he’s averaged 2.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per contest.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Suns Waive Austin Rivers

December 18th, 2018 at 4:10pm CST by marksuleymanov

DECEMBER 18: The Suns have waived Rivers, according to the team’s website. He will clear waivers on Thursday at approximately 5:00 pm Eastern Time.

DECEMBER 17: The Suns have agreed to part ways with veteran point guard Austin Rivers, whom the team acquired in the Trevor Ariza deal, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Rivers, 26, is making $12.6MM this season in the final year of a four-year pact he inked with the Clippers in 2016. Los Angeles traded Rivers to the Wizards in the summer in exchange for Marcin Gortat. Per Wojnarowski, both sides agreed that Rivers fits better on an older team contending for the postseason. If and when Rivers clears waivers, he will be eligible to sign with any team except for Washington.

Earlier today, we relayed Suns’ head coach Igor Kokoskov expressing excitement at Phoenix utilizing Oubre and Rivers.

“We need somebody who’s gonna help us with maintaining,” he said. “A lot of games, we can’t go through the 48 minutes…We’re gonna find their roles. We definitely can use the talent and experience they have.”

In 29 games this season, Rivers is averaging 7.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG and 2.0 APG. Those totals are down from the previous two seasons when the California native was a starter for the Clippers. Last season, he set a career-high 15.1 PPG and 4.0 APG in 61 games (59 starts).

Still, Rivers has significant postseason experience and could be a helpful piece to a team that needs scoring off the bench.

Wizards Sign Chasson Randle

December 18th, 2018 at 10:29am CST by marksuleymanov

DECEMBER 18: The Wizards have officially signed Randle, the team announced today in a press release.

DECEMBER 17: The Wizards will sign point guard Chasson Randle to a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (Twitter link).

Washington waived Randle before the season began, then re-signed him to a standard NBA contract in late October to meet roster requirements. The 25-year-old was subsequently waived again on November 12 before he appeared in a regular season game with the Wizards.

The signing of Randle gives the Wizards some guard depth after Kelly Oubre and Austin Rivers were traded to the Suns as part of the Trevor Ariza deal. It also once again allows Washington to meet the minimum roster requirements, since the team had slipped to 13 players on standard contracts upon acquiring Ariza.

Randle has played for the Wizards’ G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go since he was waived. He has averaged 23.0 PPG and 4.0 APG with the Go-Go through seven games. The Stanford University product appeared in 26 games last season with the Sixers and Knicks. He averaged 5.3 PPG and 1.3 APG in 11.5 minutes per game during his brief NBA stint.