Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hornets Release Jaylen Barford, Isaiah Wilkins

October 11th, 2018 at 12:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have dropped a pair of players from their preseason roster, announcing today in a press release that guard Jaylen Barford and forward Isaiah Wilkins have been waived.

Barford, a 6’3″ guard out of Arkansas, went undrafted earlier this year. In his final college season, he averaged 17.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 2.5 APG with a .470/.431/.721 shooting line for the Razorbacks, earning First Team All-SEC honors.

Wilkins, meanwhile, had modest averages of 6.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 1.6 APG during his senior year at Virginia. However, the 6’8″ forward filled up the stat sheet with 1.4 BPG and 1.2 SPG, and was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Wilkins is the stepson of NBA legend Dominique Wilkins.

Wilkins appeared briefly in one preseason game for Charlotte, while Barford didn’t play for the team in the preseason. Both youngsters are good candidates to join the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ G League club, as affiliate players.

After today’s cuts, the Hornets have 17 players under contract, but at least one more roster move will be required before the season begins, since Charlotte has 16 players on standard deals and just one on a two-way contract. The Hornets could convert Joe Chealey or Zach Smith to a two-way deal to get to the regular season roster limit, if they so choose.

Spurs Waive Josh Huestis

October 11th, 2018 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Two days after signing him, the Spurs have waived forward Josh Huestis, the team announced today in a press release.

While Huestis’ stint with San Antonio was brief, today’s move doesn’t come as a surprise. As Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News wrote on Wednesday, Huestis continues to recover from a Jones fracture in his right foot, which he suffered in a September 12 workout. The Spurs hope to have the former first-round pick play for their G League affiliate in Austin once he’s healthy.

Huestis, 26, spent his rookie season in the G League before joining the Thunder in 2015/16. After appearing in just seven games for Oklahoma City over his first two NBA seasons, the 6’7″ forward earned a rotation role last season. However, he didn’t make much of an impact, averaging 2.3 PPG and 2.3 RPG with a .330/.287/.300 shooting line in 69 games (14.2 MPG). He was an unrestricted free agent this summer.

With Huestis no longer on the roster, the Spurs have an opening on their 20-man preseason squad for now.

Heat Sign Purvis, Putney; Waive Cooke, Liggins

October 11th, 2018 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

The Heat continue to make changes at the back of their 20-man preseason roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed guard Rodney Purvis and forward Raphiael Putney. The club waived Charles Cooke and DeAndre Liggins in order to open up the necessary roster spots.

The latest series of transactions by Miami appears designed to award Purvis and Putney a little bonus money. The Heat already held both players’ G League returning rights, with the Sioux Falls Skyforce acquiring them in a pair of September trades. However, assuming both Purvis and Putney signed Exhibit 10 contracts, they’ll now be in line for bonuses worth up to $50K if they stick with the Skyforce for at least two months.

It has been a busy offseason for Purvis, who was traded from the Magic to the Thunder and then later to the Celtics before being waived by Boston. The former UConn standout appeared in 16 NBA games last season for Orlando, averaging 6.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 18.1 minutes per contest. His numbers were more impressive in the G League, where he posted 20.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 3.5 APG in 39 games for the Lakeland Magic.

As for Putney, he recorded 16.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 2.3 BPG in 36 games (36 starts) for the Erie BayHawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate, last season. The former UMass big man, who went undrafted in 2014, has played in several international leagues over the last few years, spending time in Saudi Arabia, Australia, Venezuela, Italy, France, and Puerto Rico.

Jazz Exercise Third-Year Options On Mitchell, Bradley

October 10th, 2018 at 8:23pm CST by clarkcrum

The Jazz announced today that they have exercised their third-year rookie scale team options for the 2019/20 season on guard Donovan Mitchell (link) and center Tony Bradley (link). The deadline to do so was October 31.

Mitchell, the 2017/18 runner-up for Rookie of the Year, joined David Robinson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Wilt Chamberlain as the only rookies to lead their team in scoring while also winning 45-or-more games. His option decision was the definition of a no-brainer, with his future looking as bright as any young player in the league.

Meanwhile, Bradley, who was acquired by the Jazz on draft night in 2017, only saw action in nine games for the club as a rookie, but started 24 games for the team’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. He averaged 15.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 blocks in 29.6 minutes per contest.

Mitchell’s 2019/20 cap hit will cost the Jazz a team-friendly $3.6MM, while Bradley will earn just under $2MM that season. Both players also have a fourth-year rookie scale team option for the 2020/21 campaign.

Thunder Sign Scotty Hopson, Dez Wells

October 10th, 2018 at 6:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Thunder moved back to the preseason limit of 20 players today, announcing a series of signings in a press release. Veteran guard Scotty Hopson and forward Dez Wells joined the team, along with forward Donte Grantham, whose signing has been expected since late August.

Hopson played in Turkey last season, averaging 11.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in 27 games with Galatasaray. He got into one game with the Mavericks last year after signing a 10-day contract in February and played two games for the Cavaliers in 2013/14.

Wells was in Italy last season, averaging 11.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per night in 52 games with Sidigas Avellino.

The Thunder created the openings this morning by waiving Bryce Alford, K.J. McDaniels and Richard Solomon , who may all wind up in the G League with Oklahoma City Blue.

Thunder Sign Donte Grantham

October 10th, 2018 at 6:42pm CST by clarkcrum

OCTOBER 10: The signing is official, according to Real GM.

AUGUST 26: The Thunder are signing former Clemson forward Donte Grantham to a one-year contract, reports TigerNet.com. Terms have not yet been disclosed but it’s likely a training camp deal with little to no guaranteed money.

Before tearing his ACL in January, Grantham was averaging a career-best 14.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game for the Tigers while also shooting a career-high 56.0 percent from the floor and 41.9 percent from 3-point range.

Despite injuring his knee as a senior, Grantham, 23, still became just the sixth player in Clemson history to amass 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists in a career. He finished his four-year career with the Tigers starting 113 out of 114 career games and leaves as the 33rd leading scorer in program history.

Meanwhile, the Thunder already have a roster full of guaranteed salaries, so it’s likely that the team is planning on Grantham playing for the Oklahoma City Blue, its G League affiliate.

Sixers Sign Matt Farrell, Waive Brown, Pelle

October 10th, 2018 at 6:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers have signed rookie point guard Matt Farrell, the team announced in an email.

Farrell spent the past four seasons at Notre Dame and was a Third Team All-ACC selection as a senior. He averaged 16.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists while making 98 3-point shots last season.

The addition of Farrell plus today’s signing of D.J. Hogg, keeps Philadelphia at the training camp limit of 20 players. Swingman Anthony Brown and center Norvel Pelle were both waived to make room for the new signees and may wind up with the Sixers’ G League affiliate.

Brown, who signed an Exhibit 10 contract in late August, has spent time with the Lakers, Pelicans, Magic and Timberwolves. Pelle, who signed in early August, has been playing internationally since going undrafted in 2014.

Sixers Sign Rookie Forward D.J. Hogg

October 10th, 2018 at 5:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

OCTOBER 10: The signing is official, the Sixers announced today in an email.

OCTOBER 8: The Sixers will sign former Texas A&M forward D.J. Hogg to an Exhibit 10 contract, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets.

Hogg appeared in four games with the Pelicans’ summer league squad in Las Vegas, averaging 7.5 PPG in 13.5 MPG. The Sixers will make another roster move to open up a spot for Hogg.

The 6’9” Hogg went undrafted after foregoing his senior year of eligibility. He averaged 11.1 PPG and 5.3 RPG for the Aggies in 2017/18 while shooting 41.0% from the field, including 37.8% on his 3-point attempts.

Rockets Sign Angel Rodriguez

October 10th, 2018 at 5:24pm CST by ChrisCrouse

OCTOBER 10: The signing is official, the Rockets announced on Twitter.

OCTOBER 9: The Rockets will sign Angel Rodriguez, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The deal is presumably an Exhibit 10 contract.

Rodriguez played two seasons at the University of Miami and two at Kansas State University during his collegiate career. He was not selected in the 2016 draft.

The point guard has played overseas since leaving college, spending one season in France and another in Israel. He led the Israeli League in steals during the 2017/18 season with 2.4 per game.

Mavericks Waive Ding Yanyuhang

October 10th, 2018 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks have waived Chinese forward Ding Yanyuhang, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.

Ding missed training camp and most of the preseason because of tendinitis in his knee, so it’s not surprising that he wasn’t able to earn a roster spot. He will join Dallas’ G League affiliate once he clears waviers, Stein adds (Twitter link).

Ding has played in China for the past seven seasons with the Shandong Golden Stars. He averaged 26.0 points and 5.2 rebounds last year and earned the Chinese Basketball Association Domestic MVP award for the second straight season.