Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Suns Waive Theo Maledon

March 4th, 2024 at 5:23pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Suns have waived two-way guard Theo Maledon, according to the league’s official transaction log. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto first reported the move (Twitter link).

Phoenix was reported to be signing Ish Wainright to a two-way contract earlier Monday, but all three of the team’s two-way contracts were filled. There was some speculation that Saben Lee might be earning a promotion to the 15-man roster, and while that could still happen down the line, the Suns are creating a roster space for Wainright in the short term by waiving Maledon.

The Suns originally claimed Maledon on waivers after he was cut by the Hornets in December. The 34th overall pick of the 2020 draft, he began his career with the Thunder, where he made 56 starts across two seasons. After departing Oklahoma City, he spent part of the next two years with Charlotte on a two-way deal before landing in Phoenix.

Maledon only made four appearances during his time in Phoenix, totaling five points in 13 minutes. In 177 career games (64 starts), the 22-year-old guard holds career averages of 7.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists. He had his most productive season when he averaged 10.1 points and 3.5 assists in his age-19 rookie year in Oklahoma City in ’20/21.

Kelly Olynyk, Raptors Finalize Two-Year Extension

March 4th, 2024 at 4:56pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Raptors center Kelly Olynyk has agreed to a two-year, $26.25MM contract extension with Toronto, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The team has officially announced the deal.

The Raptors acquired Olynyk at the trade deadline alongside Ochai Agbaji in exchange for Otto Porter, Kira Lewis and a late 2024 first-round pick.

As we relayed on Thursday, there was optimism the two sides would be able to reach an agreement on a new contract. As we noted at the time, the lottery-bound Raptors likely wouldn’t have traded first-round capital if they didn’t envision Olynyk being part of their future.

Olynyk, who was on an expiring contract, was eligible to agree to an extension with the Raptors up until June 30 to avoid free agency. The league’s extend-and-trade rules allowed the big man to sign for up to two years, with 5% annual raises, and he’ll receive that maximum amount. After earning $12,195,122 this season, Olynyk will make $12,804,878 in ’24/25 and $13,445,122 in ’25/26.

According to TSN’s Josh Lewenberg (Twitter link), the two sides have been working on the deal since Olynyk was acquired at the deadline.

The 32-year-old Canadian has appeared in nine games with the Raptors since the trade. He’s averaging 9.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals per night, while shooting 46.0% from the floor and 26.3% from beyond the arc for Toronto. On the season as a whole, spanning 59 appearances with Utah and Toronto, he holds averages of 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

Because Olynyk’s new deal doesn’t exceed the extend-and-trade limitations, he’ll remain trade-eligible once the offseason begins, though it seems unlikely that the Raptors will flip him to a new team before the 2024/25 season.

As Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca observes (via Twitter), addressing his contract situation now means that Olynyk won’t have to worry about it if and when he reports to Team Canada’s training camp in late June ahead of the 2024 Olympics.

Raptors Sign Jahmi’us Ramsey To 10-Day Contract

March 4th, 2024 at 4:54pm CST by Rory Maher

4:54pm: Ramsey has officially signed his 10-day contract, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

1:48pm: The Raptors intend to sign free agent guard Jahmi’us Ramsey to a 10-day contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A former second-round pick (43rd overall in 2020) who played one season of college basketball at Texas Tech, Ramsey spent his first two NBA seasons with the Kings prior to being waived in February 2022. He appeared in 32 games with Sacramento, averaging 3.1 PPG in just 7.1 MPG.

Ramsey has spent the past two seasons playing for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s NBA G League affiliate. In 30 Showcase Cup and regular season games with the Blue in 2023/24, the 22-year-old shooting guard has averaged 20.6 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.1 SPG on .531/.406/.699 shooting in 29.5 MPG.

Toronto has an opening on its standard roster and won’t need to release anyone to add Ramsey, who will earn $116,075 over the course of his 10 days with the team.

Pacers, Quenton Jackson Complete Two-Way Deal

March 4th, 2024 at 4:52pm CST by Rory Maher

4:52pm: Jackson’s two-way deal with the Pacers is now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

2:05pm: Free agent guard Quenton Jackson is signing a two-way deal with the Pacers, agents Adie Von Gontard and Gino Littles tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Jackson, 25, went undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2022. He signed a two-way deal with the Wizards last February, playing in nine NBA games as a rookie and averaging 6.2 points and 1.7 assists in 15.0 minutes per contest.

Washington released Jackson last summer, making him an unrestricted free agent. He wound up signing an Exhibit 10 deal with Chicago and has been playing for the G League’s Windy City Bulls during the 2023/24 campaign.

In 38 Showcase Cup and regular season games with Windy City this season, the 6’5″ point guard has averaged 16.0 points, 5.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 32.3 minutes, posting a .478/.221/.768 shooting line.

Indiana had an open two-way spot after promoting Kendall Brown to a three-year standard contract, so no additional transactions are needed to sign Jackson.

Raptors Sign Gueye To Two-Way Deal, Waive Nowell

March 4th, 2024 at 1:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

1:40pm: The Raptors have officially signed Gueye to a two-way deal. To create roster space, they waived Nowell.

11:02am: G League forward Mouhamadou Gueye will return to the Raptors on a two-way contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Gueye, 25, signed a 10-day deal with the team last month and appeared in one game. He was also in training camp on an Exhibit 10 contract, but was waived before the start of the season.

Gueye has been playing for the Raptors 905, where he’s averaging 14.0 points and 8.7 rebounds in 21 regular season games. This is his second season in the G League after spending last year with the Texas Legends.

After signing D.J. Carton to a two-way deal over the weekend, the Raptors have all three of their two-way slots filled, so another move will have to be made before Gueye’s contract can become official. Markquis Nowell and Jontay Porter are also on two-way contracts and Toronto has an open roster spot, so one of them could be converted to a standard deal.

This is the last day of the season that players can be signed to two-way contracts, so any move will have to be finalized today.

Mavericks Sign Alex Fudge To Two-Way Deal

March 4th, 2024 at 11:42am CST by Arthur Hill

11:42am: Fudge’s new contract is official, the Mavericks announced (via Twitter).

10:17am: Alex Fudge will join the Mavericks on a two-way contract, agent Shayaun Saee of One Legacy Sports tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The 20-year-old small forward began the season on a two-way deal with the Lakers, appearing in four games before being waived in early January. He returned to the G League’s South Bay Lakers, where he’s averaging 7.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 18 regular season games.

Fudge signed with L.A. last summer after going undrafted out of Florida. He played one season at LSU before joining the Gators.

Dallas will have a full 18-man roster once Fudge’s signing becomes official.

Today marks the last day this season that players can be signed to two-way contracts. Dallas’ deal with Fudge leaves Atlanta, Indiana and New York as the remaining teams that currently have openings.

Pacers Promote Kendall Brown On Three-Year Contract

March 4th, 2024 at 9:50am CST by Dana Gauruder

MARCH 4: The signing is official, the Pacers announced in a press release.

MARCH 3: The Pacers are converting swingman Kendall Brown‘s two-way contract into a three-year standard deal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. The club will use a portion of its room exception to complete the deal.

Indiana had an open roster spot, so it doesn’t have to make a corresponding move. Naturally, the Pacers will now have a two-way slot available. The deadline to sign players to two-way contracts is Monday.

Brown, the 48th overall pick in the 2022 draft, has played sparingly in six NBA appearances this season. He also played six games as a rookie.

The 6’7” Brown has spent most of the season in the NBA G League with the Indiana Mad Ants. He’s averaging 16.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 33.6 minutes per game through 33 games, combining the G League’s Showcase Cup and regular season schedules.

In the short run, Brown will add depth to the wing positions. Doug McDermott is currently out due to a calf injury and the Pacers dealt Buddy Hield at the trade deadline.

Brown re-signed with Indiana on a two-way deal in July.

Mavericks’ A.J. Lawson Promoted To Standard Roster

March 3rd, 2024 at 4:55pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

4:55pm: Lawson’s promotion to the 15-man roster is official, the Mavericks confirmed in a press release.

3:05pm: Two-way Mavericks shooting guard A.J. Lawson is being elevated to a standard roster deal, his agent, Elias Sbiet of Tandem Sports + Entertainment, informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Lawson has already appeared in 28 contests with Dallas this season. The 23-year-old is averaging 3.8 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 8.3 minutes per game. For the Mavericks’ NBAGL affiliate club, the Texas Legends, he’s averaging 20.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 1.9 APG.

Dallas has one open spot on its 15-man standard roster, so the team won’t need to make any corresponding move on that end to accommodate Lawson.

Promoting Lawson will open up a two-way slot, which the Mavs will have until Monday at the latest to fill. Greg Brown and Brandon Williams occupy the club’s other two-way roster slots.

A 6’6″ swingman, Lawson went undrafted out of South Carolina in 2021 and joined the Hawks’ NBAGL affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, in 2021/22.

In ’22/23, he signed a pair of short-lived two-way contracts with the Timberwolves. He then inked a two-way deal with Dallas and returned to the club in the 2023 offseason.

Pelicans Sign Izaiah Brockington To 10-Day Contract

March 3rd, 2024 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

1:50pm: The Pelicans have signed Brockington to a 10-day deal and assigned him to the Squadron, the team announced today in a pair of press releases.

7:37am: The Pelicans are set to sign guard Izaiah Brockington to a 10-day contract, agent Darrell Comer tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Brockington, who played his final year of college ball at Iowa State in 2021/22, suffered a torn ACL during a pre-draft workout with New Orleans that spring. However, the Pelicans remained high on his upside, waiting out his recovery and keeping him in their system — he finished his rookie year with the Birmingham Squadron, joined the Pels’ Summer League team in 2023, and then signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the club this past October.

Brockington was waived by New Orleans before the 2023/24 season began, but has spent the year with the Squadron, averaging 13.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 30.3 minutes per game across 40 appearances in the G League’s Showcase Cup and regular season. He has posted a strong shooting line of .462/.400/.854 at the NBAGL level.

While it remains to be seen if Brockington will stick in the NBA beyond these 10 days, the deal will at the very least give him a nice raise on top of his G League salary — he’ll earn $64,343 on the 10-day contract.

New Orleans won’t have to make a corresponding roster move to open up a spot for Brockington, since Jalen Crutcher‘s 10-day contract with the club expired overnight on Saturday, creating an opening on the 15-man standard roster. The Pelicans will once again have a full roster once Brockington officially signs.

Wizards Sign Justin Champagnie To Two-Way Contract

March 3rd, 2024 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

1:19pm: The deal is now official, the Wizards have announced in a press release.

9:38am: Following the expiration of his 10-day contract with the Wizards, Justin Champagnie will remain with the team on a new two-way deal, agent Daniel Hazan tells Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link). The contract will cover next season as well as the rest of 2023/24, per Haynes.

Champagnie, who appeared in 41 total NBA regular season games with Toronto and Boston prior to this season, signed a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract with the Heat last summer after being waived by the Celtics. He competed in training camp for a regular season roster spot with Miami, but was one of the club’s final cuts and spent most of this season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s G League affiliate.

In 34 Showcase Cup and regular season games this season for the Skyforce, Champagnie averaged an impressive 22.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.4 steals in 37.6 minutes per contest, posting a shooting line of .494/.292/.742.

That performance in Sioux Falls earned the 22-year-old a shot with the Wizards, who signed him to a 10-day contract in February. He saw action in three games during his initial 10 days with the club, scoring 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 16 total minutes.

The Wizards opened up a two-way slot by promoting Eugene Omoruyi to a two-year standard contract on Friday, so Champagnie will fill that opening. Washington will still have one open spot available on its 15-man standard roster once Champagnie’s deal is official.

Champagnie will be eligible to be active for up to 12 NBA games for the Wizards during the final stretch of this season.