Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Suns Waive Guard Wayne Ellington

February 7th, 2019 at 4:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

4:11pm: The move is official, according to a team press release.

4:06pm: The Suns will place newly-acquired Wayne Ellington on waivers today, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 Phoenix tweets.

Ellington and guard Tyler Johnson were dealt to Phoenix for forward Ryan Anderson but the Suns had no intention of retaining the veteran shooting guard. Ellington was caught in a logjam of wings with the Heat, bouncing in-and-out of the rotation. He’ll now be free to seek a team that can offer him more playing time.

Ellington had the ability to veto a trade, so he wouldn’t have agreed to it unless he would end up in a more favorable situation. The Pistons, who just traded starting shooting guard Reggie Bullock to the Lakers, are expected to pursue Ellington. The Thunder have also been mentioned as a potential suitor.

Ellington has an expiring $6.27MM contract. The 31-year-old guard, who appeared in 25 games with Miami this season, is a career 38% 3-point shooter.

Knicks Waive Enes Kanter

February 7th, 2019 at 3:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

3:54pm: The Knicks have officially waived Kanter, the team announced today (via Twitter). He’ll clear waivers on Saturday.

2:35pm: Enes Kanter won’t have to worry about a negotiating a buyout in New York, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Knicks plan to release the unhappy center, meaning they will owe him the balance of his $18.6MM contract. The move could be finalized by the end of the day (Twitter link).

Kanter has been frustrated about his reduced playing time under first-year Knicks coach David Fizdale. Kanter began the season as the starter, but dropped down the depth chart as Fizdale created more minutes for Mitchell Robinson and Luke Kornet. Last week’s Kristaps Porzingis trade brought DeAndre Jordan to New York and left Kanter as the fourth-string center.

Kanter was outspoken about his situation and asked management for a trade if he wasn’t going to be used. Madison Square Garden fans have been vocal in their support of Kanter, chanting his name at recent games, but that may have been part of the reason the Knicks decided to act so quickly to get rid of him.

“I don’t know if the organization wants to hear that every game because it’s a little embarrassing,” Kanter said in an ESPN story. “Because after all this [Porzingis] trade and everything that the fans still want me to go out there and play. I don’t know if they wanna hear that chant every game.”

Several teams should be interested in the 25-year-old, who averaged 14.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in 44 games.

Grizzlies To Release Omri Casspi

February 7th, 2019 at 3:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran forward Omri Casspi is among the NBA’s roster casualties on deadline day, according to Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com (Twitter link). Wallace reports that the Grizzlies are waiving Casspi in order to keep their roster count at 15 players.

Memphis has agreed to a series of deadline trades, including one with the Raptors that will see three players sent to the Grizzlies in exchange for Marc Gasol. As a result, Memphis needed to open up a roster spot to accommodate those incoming players.

Casspi makes sense as the odd man out. The 30-year-old recently suffered a torn meniscus and it was unclear whether or not he’d be able to return this season, Wallace notes. Casspi will get a head start on unrestricted free agency for next season after averaging 6.3 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 36 games for Memphis.

Meanwhile, the release of Casspi bodes well for Bruno Caboclo, who is on his second 10-day deal with the Grizzlies and was another candidate to be waived, based on his contract situation. However, Memphis likes what it has seen from Caboclo and there’s a good chance he’ll get a rest-of-season contract, perhaps even with guaranteed money for next season too, tweets Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian.

Kings To Waive Ben McLemore

February 7th, 2019 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings are waiving veteran guard Ben McLemore, reports Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link). McLemore will become an unrestricted free agent once he officially clears waivers.

The Kings completed a pair of trades today, but didn’t take on any extra players in either of those moves, so there was no urgent need to open up a roster spot. However, with McLemore’s contract no longer required for salary-matching purposes in a trade, it makes sense for the club to move on from him, since he’s not part of the regular rotation in Sacramento.

A former seventh overall pick, McLemore appeared in 19 games for the Kings this season, averaging just 8.3 minutes per contest. He posted 3.9 PPG on .391/.415/.667 shooting in his limited role, and will look to catch on with a new team once he reaches the open market.

As for the Kings, this move actually creates a second opening on their roster, assuming my math is correct, reducing their player count to 13. Sacramento will have two weeks to get back up to 14 players.

Kings, Blazers Swap Skal Labissiere, Caleb Swanigan

February 7th, 2019 at 1:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings have sent Skal Labissiere to the Trail Blazers in exchange for Caleb Swanigan in a swap of little-used power forwards, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

A late first-round pick in 2016, Labissiere has barely played this season, appearing in 13 games and averaging 8.7 minutes per night. The Kings already picked up his option for next season, which will pay him $2,3MM.

Swanigan is averaging 8.1 minutes in 18 games. He will make a little more than $2MM next year.

Shumpert To Rockets, Burks to Kings In 3-Team Trade

February 7th, 2019 at 11:33am CST by Arthur Hill

FEBRUARY 7, 11:33am: The trade is now official, the Cavaliers confirmed in a press release. Here are the full details:

Cavaliers acquire Knight, Chriss, the Rockets’ 2019 first-round pick, and the Rockets 2022 second-round pick.
Rockets acquire Shumpert, Stauskas, Baldwin, and the Bucks’ 2021 second-round pick (from Cleveland).
Kings acquire Burks and lesser of the Rockets’ and Warriors’ 2020 second-round picks.

FEBRUARY 7, 7:21am: The draft pick the Kings are receiving from Houston in the deal will be the lesser of the Rockets’ and Warriors’ second-rounders in 2020, tweets James Ham of NBC Sports California.

FEBRUARY 6, 8:10pm: The Cavaliers will also receive a lottery-protected 2019 first-round pick from the Rockets, relays Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who states that the front office is “thrilled” by what it was able to get in return for Burks.

7:25pm: The Kings, Rockets and Cavaliers have agreed to a three-team deal that will send Iman Shumpert to Houston, Alec Burks and a second-round pick to Sacramento and Marquese Chriss and Brandon Knight to Cleveland, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

The Rockets will also receive Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin from the Cavs, adds ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Both guards were acquired Sunday when Cleveland shipped Rodney Hood to Portland. Houston hasn’t decided whether to keep both players for the rest of the season, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Because they were just acquired, Stauskas and Baldwin can’t be aggregated in the same trade, so the Cavaliers and Rockets will have to make two separate deals, tweets Keith Smith of Real GM. Burks will be traded for Knight, while Chriss’ $3.2MM salary will be absorbed with the TPE that Cleveland created by sending Hood to the Trail Blazers.

The Cavaliers had to include both guards to remain below the luxury tax, Bobby Marks posts on ESPN Now. They created a $1.5MM trade exception for each player and are now $1.2MM under the tax. Knight carries cap hits of $14.6MM for this season and $15.6MM for 2019/20, while Chriss has a $3.2MM expiring deal. Cleveland is dangerously close to tax territory for next season, Marks adds, hovering about $10MM below without accounting for a projected top five draft pick.

Houston will save $6.3MM in projected tax payments and bring its bill down to $6.1MM, Marks notes in a separate post. The total could drop even lower depending on what happens with $1.5MM in bonuses for Clint Capela, who is sidelined after thumb surgery. The Rockets will inherit Shumpert’s Bird rights and will sit about $4MM above the tax threshold with the addition of the three players.

The Rockets had been seeking veteran wing help and were hoping to unload the contracts of Knight and Chriss after acquiring them from Phoenix over the summer in a deal to unload Ryan Anderson‘s hefty salary. Shumpert has an $11MM expiring contract. Burks also has an expiring deal worth a little more than $11.5MM.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Kings Acquire Harrison Barnes From Mavericks

February 7th, 2019 at 12:43am CST by Arthur Hill

FEBRUARY 7, 12:43am: The trade is now official, according to a press release from the Mavericks. The club confirmed it has released Mejri, who will become a free agent if he clears waivers.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), assuming Dallas uses its recently-created Wesley Matthews traded player exception to absorb Randolph’s salary, the team should generate a new TPE worth $21,299,378. It would be the largest trade exception in NBA history.

FEBRUARY 7, 12:13am: Because they’re acquiring two players in exchange for one, the Mavericks will need to waive a player to finalize the trade. That player will be Salah Mejri, according to Mike Fisher of DallasBasketball.com (Twitter link). Mejri was informed of the decision during Wednesday’s game vs. Charlotte, per JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link).

FEBRUARY 6, 9:18pm: The Mavericks are finalizing a trade that will send Harrison Barnes to Sacramento, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph will be heading to Dallas, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). There are no picks involved in the deal, confirms Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link).

The Kings are hoping for a long-term arrangement with Barnes, who has a $25.1MM player option for next season, Woj adds (Twitter link). He has been a consistent scorer during his two and a half years in Dallas, peaking at 19.2 PPG in 2016/17. He is averaging 17.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in 48 games this season.

Sacramento, which is the only team with remaining cap space, will use $10.5MM to complete the trade, posts Bobby Marks on ESPN Now. Barnes has an 8% trade bonus that comes to $686,443 if the deal is finalized tomorrow. The Kings will have $21MM in cap room this summer if Barnes opts in or $45.2MM if he doesn’t. Today’s trades will leave Sacramento with an open roster spot.

The Kings appear serious about making a run at a playoff spot, which seems more available after the Clippers traded Tobias Harris early this morning. Sacramento started the day in ninth place at 28-25, just one game behind L.A.

The trade leaves Dallas close to being able to offer a maximum contract in free agency this summer, tweets ESPN’s Zach Lowe. Jackson will make $3.28MM next season and Randolph has an $11.7MM expiring contract. Lowe states that the position of the Mavericks’ 2019 first-round pick could determine whether they can reach a full max deal. Dallas won’t have that pick – or the associated cap hold – unless it lands in the top five.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Wizards Trade Markieff Morris To Pelicans

February 7th, 2019 at 12:36am CST by Arthur Hill

FEBRUARY 7, 12:36am: The trade is now official, the Wizards announced in a press release.

FEBRUARY 6, 10:19pm: Washington has agreed to trade veteran forward Markieff Morris to the Pelicans, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The Wizards will get Wesley Johnson in return, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link).

Between this deal and one earlier tonight that shipped Otto Porter to Chicago for Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker, the Wizards have dropped below the luxury tax and won’t be subject to the repeater tax, Hughes adds (Twitter link).

Morris makes $8.6MM, while Johnson is at $6.1MM, so Washington saves $2.5MM in salary just from that trade in addition to sneaking below the tax line. Both players have expiring contracts.

The Wizards also sent their 2023 second-round pick to New Orleans, tweets David Aldridge of The Athletic. Washington received a 2023 second-rounder from Chicago in the first deal, so the team didn’t mind parting with its own.

Wizards Trade Otto Porter To Bulls

February 6th, 2019 at 11:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

11:13pm: The trade is official, the Bulls announced on Twitter.

6:43pm: The Wizards will send Otto Porter to the Bulls in exchange for Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Washington will also receive a protected future second-round pick, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link). Jake Fischer of SI.com adds (via Twitter) that the pick will be a top-36 protected second-rounder in 2023.

The deal shapes up as a cost-cutting move for Washington, which was well into luxury tax territory for this season and was in danger of heading there again next year. Porter, who makes $27.25MM next year and has a player option worth nearly $28.5MM for 2020/21, was the most logical trade piece to provide cap relief. Injuries have made John Wall virtually unmovable as his super-max deal kicks in next season, and the Wizards don’t want to part with All-Star guard Bradley Beal.

Washington gets back a pair of players with no guaranteed salary beyond this season. Portis will be eligible for restricted free agency after turning down an extension offer from the Bulls in October. The fourth-year forward is having his best NBA season, averaging career highs of 14.1 points and 7.3 rebounds.

Parker signed a two-year, $40MM deal with Chicago last summer, but it carries a team option on the $20MM second year. He will get two months to try to impress the Wizards, but the team will almost certainly likely opt for the savings.

The trade drops Washington’s projected tax bill for this season from $8.96MM to $3.34MM and puts it $2.3MM above the tax threshold, posts Bobby Marks on ESPN Now. Marks adds that Parker’s option must be exercised by June 29, and the team must submit a $3.6MM qualifying offer to Portis by the end of June to retain the right to match any offers.

Porter, 25, will get a chance to shine in Chicago as part of the team’s young core. He’s averaging 12.6 PPG and 5.6 RPG in his sixth NBA season and recently moved into a sixth-man role in Washington.

The Wizards had pledged last week not to trade Porter or Beal, but Wall’s heel surgery, followed by a ruptured left Achilles tendon that will sideline him for at least 12 more months, apparently changed their minds, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. The move should create enough financial freedom for Washington to sign Tomas Satoransky and Thomas Bryant to long-term deals this summer, adds David Aldridge of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Heat Trade Tyler Johnson, Wayne Ellington To Suns

February 6th, 2019 at 6:27pm CST by Luke Adams

6:27pm: The trade is official, according to a tweet from the Suns.

3:49pm: Bartelstein is working with the Suns to get Ellington to a playoff contender after this deal is completed, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski. While a trade is possible, the veteran sharpshooter could also be waived.

3:30pm: The Heat are also sending Wayne Ellington to Phoenix in the trade, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. That makes the deal more interesting, as the Heat are now in position for significant savings this season as well as next season.

The lottery-bound Suns likely don’t have much use for Ellington, but could flip him in another trade before the deadline, as long as they don’t aggregate his salary with another player’s.

Ellington has the ability to veto a trade, so in order to sign off on the deal, he may expect Phoenix to subsequently trade or release him. He has given his approval, agent Mark Bartelstein confirms to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Additionally, as cap expert Albert Nahmad observes (via Twitter), Johnson will have to waive most or all of his trade bonus to make the trade work from a salary-matching perspective if Ellington’s salary is included.

2:41pm: The Heat are in agreement with the Suns on a trade that will send guard Tyler Johnson to Phoenix, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Ryan Anderson will head to Miami in the deal, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7.

Johnson, 26, has averaged 10.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 2.5 APG with a shooting line of .426/.353/.693 in 44 games (25.5 MPG) for the Heat this season. Although he has been a solid role player in Miami, Johnson’s salary far exceeds his on-court production.

Due to a back-loaded offer sheet from the Nets, which the Heat matched in 2016, the fifth-year guard is earning approximately $19.25MM this season, with a 2019/20 player option worth the same amount. His current-year cap charge will increase a little more when he’s dealt, since his contract features a 15% trade kicker. That bonus will amount to another $1MM+ on his ’18/19 cap hit, assuming he doesn’t waive it. His option year will be unaffected.

Anderson, who has a $20.4MM cap hit of his own, was the only player on the Suns’ roster making more than $11.75MM this season, making him the logical returning piece for Johnson.

The 30-year-old was traded from Houston to Phoenix during the offseason and has played sparingly for the Suns, averaging 3.7 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 15 games (18.5 MPG). While Anderson has been a lethal outside shooter in past seasons, he has hit just 20.6% of his three-pointers this season after entering the year with a 38.2% career rate.

Anderson has a $21.26MM cap charge for 2019/20, the final year of his four-year contract, but that figure is only partially guaranteed for about $15.64MM. That will save the Heat some money next year, and they could reduce Anderson’s cap hit by $10MM+ more if they elect to release him and stretch his contract by July 10.

It’s hard to imagine Anderson will have a role in a crowded Heat rotation, but the Suns presumably plan to feature Johnson. He’s not a traditional point guard, but Johnson is capable of handling the ball and Phoenix – which lacks an answer at the point – will likely give him a chance to do so.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.