Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Waive Hearn; Lofton Gets Two-Way Deal

October 15th, 2018 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

2:30pm: The Pistons have officially announced both moves in a press release.

1:25pm: The Pistons will reach the regular season roster limit by converting Zach Lofton‘s Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal and waiving two-way player Reggie Hearn, sources inform James Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter links). The moves will leave Detroit with 15 players on standard contracts and two on two-way pacts.

Lofton, who turns 26 in November, played college ball for four different schools, eventually finishing his college career at New Mexico State in 2017/18. The 6’4″ shooting guard averaged 20.1 PPG and 5.0 RPG with a .456/.380/.772 shooting line in his senior year, but went undrafted in June. After signing a camp deal with the Pistons, Lofton reportedly impressed the team this fall — we heard last week that he was making a strong case for a two-way contract.

As for Hearn, he was one of the Detroit’s two-way players last season, having inked a two-year deal with the club. Although he was solid in the G League, averaging 14.8 PPG and 4.8 RPG on .423/.370/.842 shooting, he appeared in just three games for the Pistons.

Given the positional overlap between Hearn and Lofton, it makes sense that Hearn would be the odd man out if the Pistons were determined to keep Lofton.

Hawks Pick Up 2019/20 Options For Three Players

October 15th, 2018 at 1:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks, as expected, have picked up their 2019/20 team options for three players on rookie scale contracts, per Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). Taurean Prince and DeAndre’ Bembry have had their fourth-year options exercised, while John Collins‘ third-year option has also been picked up.

Prince and Collins are two key pieces of Atlanta’s young core. Prince, who averaged 14.1 PPG and made 38.5% of his three-pointers last season, will now have his $3,481,986 cap hit guaranteed for 2019/20 and will be eligible for a rookie scale extension as of next July. Collins, who emerged as Atlanta’s starting center down the stretch in his rookie season, recorded 10.5 PPG and 7.3 RPG in 74 games (24.1 MPG). His ’19/20 cap charge of $2,686,560 is now locked in.

As for Bembry, he has struggled to make the same impact as some of his fellow first-rounders so far, having averaged just 5.2 PPG in 26 games last season, but the cost of his fourth-year option ($2,603,982) is barely more than the minimum salary, making it an easy decision for the rebuilding Hawks.

The full list of rookie scale option decisions for 2019/20 can be found right here.

Wizards Sign, Waive Oleksandr Kobets

October 15th, 2018 at 12:58pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

OCTOBER 15: Shortly after signing Kobets on Saturday, the Wizards waived him, per the NBA’s official transactions log. According to JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (via Twitter), Kobets will play for Washington’s G League team.

Because the Wizards cut Kobets on Saturday, he won’t count against their cap for the 2018/19 season.

OCTOBER 14: After the Wizards cut down their roster over the weekend, the club has signed Oleksandr Kobets, a guard from Ukraine, according to a tweet from agent Michael Lelchitski (hat tip to Sportando). Kobets is expected to play with the Wizards’ G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, per Oleksandr Proshuta (Twitter link).

Kobets played for the Cherkasy Monkeys last season as they became the Ukranian League champions. The 22-year-old guard averaged 14.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists.

The Wizards are taking a look at a young guard with potential after releasing several veterans over the weekend, including Lavoy Allen. Chasson Randle, Chris Chiozza and Tiwian Kendley were the other players waived. Kobets figures to be cut by Monday as well, if he hasn’t been already.

Suns, Jamal Crawford Agree To Deal

October 15th, 2018 at 12:42pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have reached an agreement on a one-year deal with free agent guard Jamal Crawford, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links). A report over the weekend indicated that Phoenix had offered Crawford a minimum salary contract after meeting with him on Friday.

Crawford, a three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner, spent last season with the Timberwolves, averaging 10.3 PPG on .415/.331/.903 shooting. Although he could have exercised a $4.5MM player option to stay in Minnesota, Crawford didn’t love the role he played with the Wolves and sought a better fit, turning down that option and hitting the open market.

Although several teams – including the Warriors, Celtics, Sixers, and Lakers – reportedly showed interest in Crawford over the course of the offseason, he had trouble finding a new NBA home. His new agreement with Phoenix comes a day before the regular season gets underway and will represent a pay cut — the minimum salary for a player with Crawford’s years of experience is just shy of $2.4MM.

It’s an interesting move for the Suns, who had already been facing a roster crunch, with 17 players for 15 spots. Signing Crawford means that the club will now have to trade or release three players instead of two by today’s deadline. Richaun Holmes, Isaiah Canaan, and Shaquille Harrison are on non-guaranteed contracts, while Darrell Arthur is the most likely release candidate among the players with guaranteed salaries.

A combo guard, Crawford figures to get an opportunity to play a ball-handling role for a Suns team short on experience at the one. Besides Canaan and Harrison, the other two point guards on the roster are a pair of second-round rookies, Elie Okobo and De’Anthony Melton.

The 38-year-old Crawford figures to serve as a mentor for those players and as a veteran leader for a team that has aspirations of competing for a playoff spot after signing Trevor Ariza and drafting Deandre Ayton over the summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mavs Exercise Dennis Smith’s 2019/20 Option

October 15th, 2018 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Another team has exercised its 2019/20 option on a player with a rookie scale contract, with Dwain Price of Mavs.com reporting (via Twitter) that Dennis Smith Jr.‘s third-year option has been picked up by the Mavericks. The move locks in Smith’s $4,463,640 cap charge for the ’19/20 season.

Smith, who will turn 21 next month, had a solid rookie season in 2017/18 after Dallas made him the ninth overall pick in last year’s draft. He put up 15.2 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 3.8 RPG in 69 games (all starts). His role figures to be adjusted slightly this season due to the arrival of 2018’s third overall pick, Luka Doncic, another talented young ball-handler and play-maker.

Smith still has a fourth-year team option for 2020/21 and – assuming that option is exercised – will become extension-eligible during the summer of 2020.

The Knicks (Frank Ntilikina) and Nets (Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen) have also picked up rookie scale team options today. The deadline isn’t until October 31, but several clubs appear to be getting those decisions out of the way before the regular season gets underway.

Knicks Pick Up Third-Year Option On Frank Ntilikina

October 15th, 2018 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have exercised Frank Ntilikina‘s third-year rookie scale option, the team announced today in a press release. The move guarantees Ntilikina’s salary for the 2019/20 season, locking in a cap hit of $4,855,800 for New York.

For former first-round picks who sign rookie scale contracts, team option decisions are due a year early. While Ntilikina was already under contract for the 2018/19 season, the Knicks had the end of this month to decide one way or the other on his ’19/20 salary. They announced that decision with a couple weeks to spare.

Ntilkina, the eight overall pick in the 2017 draft, was just okay in his rookie season last year, averaging 5.9 PPG and 2.3 APG in 78 games (21.9 MPG) and struggling with his shot (.364/.318/.721 shooting). However, he’s still just 20 years old and will enter his second season in a battle with two other former lottery picks – Trey Burke and Emmanuel Mudiay – for playing time at the point.

The Knicks’ next decision on Ntilikina will be due a year from now, when the team decides whether or not to exercise his fourth-year option. Assuming that option is picked up as well, the young guard will become extension-eligible during the summer of 2020.

Nets Exercise 2019/20 Options On LeVert, Allen

October 15th, 2018 at 10:24am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have exercised their 2019/20 team options on the rookie contracts of Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen, the team announced today in a press release. The moves were mere formalities that come well in advance of the October 31 deadline.

Picking up LeVert’s fourth-year option will lock him in for 2019/20 with a very modest cap charge of $2,625,718. That’s a bargain for the 24-year-old, who is coming off a promising sophomore season in which he averaged 12.1 PPG, 4.2 APG, and 3.7 RPG with a .435/.347/.711 shooting line. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2019 offseason.

As for Allen, his ’19/20 option, worth $2,376,840, is for his third NBA season — Brooklyn will have one more option decision to make on him next fall, for his fourth year (2020/21). The 20-year-old center averaged 8.2 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 72 games (31 starts) for the Nets as a rookie after being selected with the No. 22 pick in the 2017 draft.

Be sure to check out our tracker for a breakdown of all the decisions on 2019/20 rookie scale options that NBA teams must make by October 31.

Raptors Waive Malcolm Miller

October 14th, 2018 at 6:34pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

The Raptors have completed their series of transactions involving Malcolm Miller, as the team waived him on Saturday, per Blake Murphy of The Athletic (via Twitter). This move was expected, as it was the final step in the team’s plan to allow Miller to recover from a torn labrum that he suffered in Summer League play.

Murphy previously explained that the Raptors’ plan was to sign Miller to an Exhibit 10 contract, waive him, and then allow him to rehab the injury with the Raptors 905. As a result of this series of transactions, the young forward will 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.

As a result of the team waiving him on Saturday, Miller will clear waivers before opening day and won’t count on Toronto’s cap sheet at all.

Mavericks Waive Ding Yanyuhang

October 14th, 2018 at 5:52pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

The Mavericks have announced that they have waived forward Ding Yanyuhang, according to a press release from the team. It’s the second time Ding has been cut by Dallas in the last four days, as he received a new contract on Friday for G League purposes. He figures to end up on the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ G League affiliate.

Ding was originally signed on July 23, but only appeared in one preseason game for the Mavericks. The 25-year-old has been a standout for China’s Shandong Golden Stars, as he won his second consecutive Chinese Basketball Association Domestic MVP award in the 2017-18 season. He had previously played for the Mavericks’ Orlando and Las Vegas Summer League teams in 2017.

The Mavericks are now carrying 17 players, including 15 on standard contracts, so their roster is down to the regular season limit.

Warriors Sign Marcus Derrickson To Two-Way Deal

October 13th, 2018 at 9:04pm CST by marksuleymanov

9:04pm: The move is official, the Warriors announced on Twitter.

OCTOBER 13, 8:43am: The Warriors are converting Marcus Derrickson‘s Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Derrickson, 22, went undrafted out of Georgetown this summer, but he impressed in the Summer League, averaging 13.1 PPG and 5.0 RPG in eight contests.

In five preseason games for Golden State, Derrickson averaged 5.0 PPG and 2.8 RPG. Derrickson joins Damion Lee as the Warriors’ other two-way player. Players on two-way deals are permitted to spend up to 45 days with the NBA team and the rest of the season with the G League affiliate.

The Warriors are expected to leave their 15th roster spot vacant to begin the year for flexibility and payroll purposes. Thus, with the decision on Derrickson, the Warriors’ roster is now complete.

Golden State waived Tyler Ulis and three others on Friday, cutting down its 20-man preseason roster to size. Alfonzo McKinnie filled the Warriors’ 14th roster spot with Lee and Derrickson representing the organization’s two-way deals.

Now, Golden State can turn its attention to opening night against the Thunder on Tuesday. As DeMarcus Cousins continues to rehab from a torn Achilles, Golden State will start Damian Jones at center but the team is not committed beyond that, Slater tweets.