Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets Sign Gordon, Waive Creek

October 12th, 2018 at 9:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets have signed forward Drew Gordon and waived forward Mitch Creek, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets.

The older brother of Magic star Aaron Gordon, Drew Gordon went undrafted out of New Mexico in 2012. He has bounced around various professional leagues since that point, primarily playing overseas. In addition to a brief stint with the Sixers during the 2014/15 season, the 6’9″ power forward has also spent time with clubs in Serbia, Italy, Turkey, France, Lithuania, and Russia.

Gordon will be making up for lost time. He was expected to sign with Brooklyn prior to camp but that deal didn’t come to fruition.

Most recently, Gordon played for Zenit St. Petersburg during the 2017/18 season. The 28-year-old recorded 11.1 PPG and 6.7 RPG in 21 VTB League games, along with 12.4 PPG and 7.0 RPG in 17 EuroCup contests.

Creek has spent most of his professional career with the Adelaide 36ers in Australia before signing with the Nets in August. In 31 games in Australia last season, Creek averaged 14.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.5 APG. He was named to the All-NBL Second Team. He also played for the Mavericks’ summer league team, recording 6.8 PPG and 5.2 RPG in five games in Las Vegas.

Rockets Sign Bond, Waive Gentile

October 12th, 2018 at 9:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets signed guard Tim Bond and he’ll join their G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Mark Berman of KRIV tweets.

The 6’6” Bond played all four of his college seasons with Eastern Michigan, where he averaged 8.6 PPG and 3.0 APG. He averaged 9.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 3.5 APG during his senior year.

In order to open up a spot for Bond, the Rockets have waived guard Alessandro Gentile, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

It’s unclear when Houston signed Gentile, since he wasn’t listed on the 20-man training camp roster. Gentile had been recovering from right hand surgery after suffering the injury in May.

Gentile, a 6’7″ wing, has played overseas since being selected with the 53rd overall pick in the 2014 draft.

Clippers Sign Jamel Artis

October 12th, 2018 at 6:21pm CST by clarkcrum

OCTOBER 12th, 6:21pm: The signing is official, the team’s PR department tweets.

OCTOBER 10th, 9:19pm: According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Clippers are signing recently-waived swingman Jamel Artis to a partially-guaranteed deal. As Charania notes, Artis was in training camp with Kings up until this past weekend.

The timing seems interesting, considering a report from earlier today that the club is actually seeking out trades to get rid of players, but it’s unlikely that the Clippers plan to keep Artis, with the 25-year-old more likely to end up with the Clippers’ G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers.

Artis, who spent the 2017-18 campaign on a two-way contract with the Magic, averaged 5.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists across 18.6 minutes per game last season.

Mavericks Re-Sign Ding Yanyuhang

October 12th, 2018 at 6:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks have re-signed Ding Yanyuhang, a formality to place him on the team’s G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, Tim McMahon of ESPN tweets.

He was waived on Wednesday after missing most of the preseason because of tendinitis in his knee.

The 6’6” Ding has spent the last seven seasons playing professionally for China’s Shandong Golden Stars. In 45 games for Shandong last season, he averaged 26.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.2 APG and 1.6 SPG and earned his second consecutive Chinese Basketball Association Domestic MVP award.

Ding played on the Mavericks’ summer-league team last year.

Thunder Waive Four Players

October 12th, 2018 at 6:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Thunder have waived guards Abdul Gaddy and Scotty Hopson and forwards Donte Grantham and Dez Wells, according to a team press release.

The moves pare Oklahoma City’s training camp roster to 16 players.

Gaddy saw spot duty in four preseason games. He has mostly played overseas since going undrafted out of Washington in 2013.

Grantham, Hopson and Wells were signed earlier this week. All could wind up with the team’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, once they clear waivers.

Grantham was averaging a career-best 14.2 PPG and 6.9 RPG for Clemson last season before tearing his ACL in January.

Hopson played in Turkey last season, averaging 11.1 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 27 games with Galatasaray. He played 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 played in Italy last season, averaging 11.3 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 52 games with Sidigas Avellino.

Raptors Re-Sign Malcolm Miller

October 12th, 2018 at 5:50pm CST by Luke Adams

5:50pm: The Raptors have made Miller’s signing official, Murphy tweets.

3:56pm: The Raptors are expected to re-sign Malcolm Miller, a source tells Blake Murphy of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Murphy, the deal is pending a physical.

Miller, 25, spent the 2017/18 season on a two-way contract with the Raptors, appearing in 15 games for the NBA squad and averaging 12.6 PPG and 5.1 RPG in 34 games for the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate. The club initially tendered him a two-way qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent, but withdrew that QO after he suffered a dislocated shoulder during Summer League play.

Murphy, who classifies that injury as a torn labrum, writes that the Raptors’ plan is to sign Miller to an Exhibit 10 contract, waive him, and then allow him to rehab the injury with the Raptors 905. The series of transactions will allow the young forward to receive an Exhibit 10 bonus and stick with the organization while he recovers.

Miller is on track to potentially get back on the court in January, Murphy adds.

Sixers Sign Cory Jefferson, Darin Johnson

October 12th, 2018 at 5:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers have added forward Cory Jefferson and guard Darin Johnson to their training camp roster and waived guard Matt Farrell and forward DJ Hogg, according to a team press release.

The 6’9” Jefferson has spent the last two seasons playing professionally in Italy and the Philippines. He was on the Spurs’ summer league team and also played for the NBL’s Melbourne United when Philadelphia hosted the Australian team in a preseason game.

Jefferson, a second-round pick in 2014, has appeared in 58 career NBA games with Brooklyn and Phoenix and posted averages of 3.5 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 10.0 MPG.

Johnson, a 6-foot-7 guard, played 44 games last season with the Sixers’ G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. In 17.2 MPG, he averaged 6.5 PPG.

Farrell and Hogg were signed earlier this week and could wind up with the Blue Coats once they clear waivers.

The moves keep Philadelphia’s camp roster at 20 players.

Pelicans Waive Brandon McCoy, Darius Morris

October 12th, 2018 at 4:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans have waived center Brandon McCoy and point guard Darius Morris, the team’s PR department tweets.

New Orleans is now down to 18 players on the training camp roster, including two-way player Trevon Bluiett.

Both appeared in three preseason games. McCoy was waived by the Bucks last month, then signed with the Pelicans on September 29th. He was undrafted out of Nevada-Las Vegas this summer. The 7-foot-1 McCoy averaged 16.9 PPG and 10.3 RPG for UNLV last season.

Morris signed a non-guaranteed two-year deal in early September.

Morris, a second-round pick in the 2011 NBA draft, spent four seasons playing for the Lakers, Sixers, Clippers, Grizzlies, and Nets after entering the league. In 132 total regular season contests, he averaged 3.3 PPG and 1.4 APG but hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game since 2015. Since then, Morris had played in the G League for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and in China for the Guangdong Southern Tigers.

With the Pelicans subtracting Morris, Jarrett Jack‘s chances of making the roster have seemingly increased.

Alfonzo McKinnie, Warriors Agree To Two-Year Deal

October 12th, 2018 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

4:11pm: The pact is not guaranteed, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. It won’t be fully guaranteed until January 10th, Slater adds.

3:37pm: McKinnie’s stint on a two-way contract with the Warriors didn’t last long. According to Charania (via Twitter), the two sides have already negotiated a new two-year, minimum salary contract that will make McKinnie the 14th man on the roster. By temporarily giving him a two-way contract, Golden State avoided having to put the second-year forward through waivers.

It’s not clear how much – if any – of McKinnie’s new deal will be guaranteed, or whether his roster spot will be safe if the Warriors eventually bring back Patrick McCaw. For now though, it appears he’s on track to open the regular season with the club.

8:24am: The Warriors are signing camp invitee Alfonzo McKinnie to a two-way contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). McKinnie’s current contract with Golden State is reportedly an Exhibit 10 deal, which will allow the Dubs to unilaterally convert it into a two-way pact.

According to Charania, the move could be a procedural one, opening the door for McKinnie to eventually sign a new standard contract with the Warriors. Converting his Exhibit 10 deal into a two-way contract will allow Golden State to keep the 26-year-old forward on the team without keeping him on its 15-man roster, which would increase the club’s projected tax bill. As a two-way player, McKinnie won’t count against the cap, and he could negotiate a standard NBA contract during the season if the Warriors decide they want to move him to the 15-man squad.

McKinnie, who played his college ball at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, spent the 2017/18 season with the Raptors, appearing sparingly in 14 games for the club. He saw more action for the Raptors 905 in the G League, averaging 14.0 PPG and 7.5 RPG in 35 contests for the squad. After Toronto waived McKinnie in July, he caught on with the Warriors for camp and has apparently impressed the defending champions this fall.

The Warriors have one open two-way contract slot, with Damion Lee filling the other, so no corresponding cut will be required to finalize the move.

Warriors Waive Tyler Ulis, Three Others

October 12th, 2018 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have waived four players from their 20-man preseason roster, the team announced today in a press release. Point guard Tyler Ulis, swingman Danuel House, big man Deyonta Davis, and guard Kendrick Nunn have all been released, according to the club.

Ulis and House, who each have some NBA experience, appeared to be potential candidates to make the regular season roster with Patrick McCaw‘s restricted free agency still unresolved, but it looks like it will be Alfonzo McKinnie who fills the Warriors’ 14th roster spot instead — he agreed to a two-year contract with Golden State today.

The team is expected to leave its 15th roster spot empty to open the season to retain flexibility and to avoid increasing its projected tax bill.

With Ulis, House, Davis, and Nunn all on waivers and McKinnie receiving a new contract, Marcus Derrickson is the only non-guaranteed camp invitee who wasn’t involved in a roster move today. Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets that he wouldn’t be surprised if Derrickson claims Golden State’s second two-way contract slot. Currently, the club’s only two-way player is Damion Lee.