Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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.

Pistons Waive Johnny Hamilton

October 12th, 2018 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have waived center Johnny Hamilton, the team announced today in a press release. The move reduces Detroit’s roster count to 18 players, including a pair on two-way contracts.

Hamilton, who went undrafted out of the University of Texas-Arlington, joined the Pistons for Summer League play in July and earned a training camp invite from the team. However, the seven-footer was always more likely to end up as an affiliate player for the Grand Rapids Drive than he was to make Detroit’s regular season roster.

With Hamilton no longer in the picture, the Pistons are carrying 16 players on standard NBA contracts and two on two-way deals. Zach Lofton, the only player on the roster with a non-guaranteed contract, would typically be the odd man out, but he has impressed Detroit this fall, so we’ll see if the club can find room for him in the next few days.

Lakers Sign Scott Machado

October 12th, 2018 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have made an addition to their 20-man preseason roster, announcing today that they’ve signed guard Scott Machado. The team is now carrying 18 players.

Machado, 28, hasn’t played in the NBA since he appeared in six games for the Rockets during his rookie season in 2012/13, but he spent last year with the South Bay Lakers, L.A.’s G League affiliate. In 46 games, the former Iona point guard averaged 15.9 PPG, 8.5 APG, and 3.8 RPG with a .450/.405/.884 shooting line.

With Machado apparently poised to return to South Bay in 2018/19, signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract and then waiving him before Monday’s NBA roster deadline will allow the Lakers to award him a bonus worth up to $50K.

Raptors Waive Four, Convert Boucher To Two-Way Deal

October 12th, 2018 at 1:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors appear to have set their roster for the regular season, announcing today in a pair of press releases that they’ve waived four players from their roster and converted Chris Boucher‘s Exhibit 10 deal into a two-way contract. The club now has 16 players under contract, including a pair on two-way deals.

According to the club, forward Deng Adel, center Eric Moreland, and guards Kyle Collinsworth and Kay Felder were all released today. Boucher presumably beat out Moreland for Toronto’s second two-way contract slot, since the team wanted to keep an extra big man. Guard Jordan Loyd currently holds the other two-way deal for the Raptors.

Boucher, a Montreal native, spent last season with Golden State on a two-way contract. He appeared in just one game for the NBA squad, but posted 11.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 2.2 BPG in 20 games for Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League.

If they don’t make any other roster moves before Monday’s deadline, the Raptors will enter the season with an open spot on their 15-man roster. That comes as no surprise, since carrying a 15th player to start the year would increase Toronto’s projected tax bill and reduce the club’s flexibility.

Adel, Moreland, Collinsworth, and Felder will all clear waivers and become free agents on Sunday, assuming they go unclaimed.

Magic Waive Devin Davis, John Petrucelli

October 12th, 2018 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have released a pair of players from their 20-man preseason roster, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve requested waivers on forward Devin Davis and guard John Petrucelli.

Both Davis and Petrucelli were recent additions to Orlando’s roster, and were never considered likely to make the team’s 15-man regular season roster. Instead, they’re good bets to end up playing for the Lakeland Magic, Orlando’s G League affiliate. Because they were on Exhibit 10 contracts, they’ll be eligible for bonuses worth up to $50K if they stick with Lakeland for at least two months.

The Magic now have 18 players under contract. If they don’t sign any more new players within the next couple days, they’ll just need to cut one more player in order to get down to the regular season roster limit.

Warriors To Sign Jaleel Cousins To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 12th, 2018 at 12:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors are signing center Jaleel Cousins to an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Golden State doesn’t currently have an opening on its 20-man roster, so a corresponding move will be required to finalize the signing.

Cousins, the younger brother of Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins, went undrafted in 2016 after playing his college ball at South Florida. Since then, he has played for the G League’s Texas Legends and Reno Bighorns, and also spent time with the Formosa Dreamers in Taiwan. The Warriors figure to waive him shortly and have him play for their own G League affiliate in Santa Cruz.

Golden State is currently carrying six players on non-guaranteed contracts, though one of those players – Alfonzo McKinnie – is reportedly receiving a two-way deal. That leaves five other candidates to be cut to make room for Cousins — Deyonta Davis, Marcus Derrickson, Danuel House, Kendrick Nunn, or Tyler Ulis.