Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks Waive James Young, Two Others

September 21st, 2018 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

After releasing Travis Trice, Jordan Barnett, and Brandon McCoy earlier this week to make room on their roster for James Young, Ike Nwamu, and Robert Johnson, the Bucks have now waived Young, Nwamu, and Johnson as well, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

The back of Milwaukee’s roster has been undergoing significant turnover this month as the team secures certain players’ G League rights for the Wisconsin Herd. There’s a good chance that at least three or four players from that group – Young, Nwamu, Johnson, Trice, Barnett, and McCoy – end up with the Herd to start the 2018/19 season.

With three openings having been created on their 20-man offseason roster, the Bucks appear likely to finally complete a series of long-rumored signings. The team has reportedly agreed to terms with NBA free agents Shabazz Muhammad, Christian Wood, and Tim Frazier. Officially signing the trio would bring Milwaukee’s roster back up to 20 players for next week’s camp.

As for the three players just waived by the Bucks, Young is probably the best bet to get another shot from an NBA team. The 23-year-old has logged 95 career regular season games in four seasons for the Celtics and Sixers since being drafted 17th overall in 2014.

Spurs Cut Two Players, Sign Jaron Blossomgame

September 21st, 2018 at 9:30am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs are making some changes to their roster in advance of training camp. After agreeing to terms with Olivier Hanlan, San Antonio has also signed former second-round pick Jaron Blossomgame to a training camp deal, as he confirmed to Jeff Garcia and Michael Rehome of The Spurs Zone.

“I’m excited for the opportunity,” said Blossomgame, who was drafted by the Spurs with the 59th overall pick in 2017 and played for the Austin Spurs last season. “I’ve played really well in open gym, so it’s exciting.”

In a pair of moves that will open up roster spots, the Spurs waived Amida Brimah and Julian Washburn, just a few days after having signed them, per NBA.com’s transactions log. Brimah and Washburn weren’t expected to compete for roster spots, having presumably been signed for their G League rights.

Blossomgame, however, could be given the opportunity to vie for an opening on San Antonio’s 15-man regular season squad. The 25-year-old, who played his college ball at Clemson, was a starting forward for an Austin team that won the NBAGL championship this past spring. In 50 games (48 starts), Blossomgame averaged 16.5 PPG and 8.1 RPG. He also played for San Antonio’s Summer League team this July, posting 13.0 PPG and 7.6 RPG in five contests in Las Vegas.

Spurs To Sign Guard Olivier Hanlan

September 20th, 2018 at 6:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs will sign guard Olivier Hanlan, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets.

It’s apparently a training camp deal, as San Antonio has 14 players with guaranteed contracts and another on a partially-guaranteed deal. They recently invited former Thunder swingman Josh Huestis to camp and signed Amida Brimah and Julian Washburn to Exhibit 10 deals.

The former Boston College standout was selected in the second round by the Jazz in 2015. The Spurs acquired his rights the following summer in exchange for Boris Diaw and a future second-rounder.

Hanlan, who has also played professionally in Lithuania and France, spent last season with the G League’s Austin Spurs. The 6’4” guard averaged 14.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 2.8 APG in 30.6 MPG in 44 games, including 30 starts. He averaged 6.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG and 2.6 APG in five Las Vegas outings with the Spurs’ summer league team.

Nets Expected To Sign Drew Gordon

September 20th, 2018 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Drew Gordon, the older brother of Magic star Aaron Gordon, is expected to sign with the Nets, a source tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. According to Carchia, the new deal for the elder Gordon will feature an Exhibit 10 clause.

Gordon, who went undrafted out of New Mexico in 2012, has bounced around various professional leagues since then, 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.

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.

Given the presence of an Exhibit 10 clause in Gordon’s reported agreement with the Nets, it seems likely that the club views him as a potential contributor for the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s G League affiliate.

Currently, the Nets have 18 players officially under contract. The team could fill its 20-man offseason roster by finalizing reported deals for Gordon and Alan Williams, who reached a two-way contract agreement with the Nets.

Cavaliers Sign Kobi Simmons

September 20th, 2018 at 1:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 20: The Cavaliers have officially signed Simmons after waiving JaCorey Williams to clear a roster spot, per RealGM’s transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 14: The Cavaliers will sign Kobi Simmons to a one-year contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The point guard participated in Cleveland’s free agent tryout camp last week.

Simmons played for the Grizzlies last season on a two-way contract, but Memphis waived him in late August. The 21-year-old appeared in 32 games, starting 12, and averaged 6.1 points and 2.1 assists per night.

Cleveland was at the 20-player roster limit after yesterday’s reported deals with Bonzie Colson, Isaac Hamilton and Scoochie Smith, so an opening will have to be created before all the contracts can be finalized.

Cavaliers Cut JaCorey Williams

September 20th, 2018 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

JaCorey Williams‘ latest stint with the Cavaliers lasted a little longer than his time with the team a year ago, but not by much. A week after signing him, Cleveland has waived Williams, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

In 2017, Williams was signed by the Cavaliers and released one day later, since the team wanted to secure his G League rights. This year’s signing appears to have been G League-motivated as well, as Williams has been released several days before the Cavs’ training camp will get underway.

Williams, who was named the Conference USA Player of the Year in 2016/17 during his final year at Middle Tennessee State, spent last season playing for the Canton Charge, Cleveland’s NBAGL affiliate. In 50 games (40 starts), the 6’8″ forward averaged 15.6 PPG and 7.7 RPG.

Having released Williams, the Cavaliers created an opening on their 20-man offseason roster, which they used to formally sign Kobi Simmons. Simmons had agreed to terms on a deal with the Cavs last week.

Wizards Sign Chasson Randle To Camp Deal

September 20th, 2018 at 12:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 20: Nearly two months after it was first reported, the Wizards’ deal with Randle is now official. The point guard is included on Washington’s training camp roster, posted today on the team’s website.

JULY 27: The Wizards have agreed to a training-camp contract with guard Chasson Randle, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets.

Washington has an open spot on the 15-man roster and a two-way slot available, so Randle could become the No. 3 point guard if he shines during camp.

Randle, 25, played overseas with Real Madrid last season but didn’t see extensive action for the Euroleague champs. In 46 games, he averaged 3.6 PPG in 9.8 MPG.

The 6’1” Randle appeared in a combined 26 games with the Sixers and Knicks in 2016/17. He averaged 5.3 PPG and 1.3 APG in 11.6 MPG. New York waived him last September.

He went undrafted in 2015 out of Stanford.

Jarrett Jack Signs With Pelicans

September 19th, 2018 at 5:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 19: The signing is official, the Pelicans announced on their website.

SEPTEMBER 17: Veteran point guard Jarrett Jack has agreed to a one-year contract with the Pelicans, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Jack, 34, will be on the opening-night roster. The contract isn’t guaranteed, Charania adds in another tweet, so he’ll have to compete for one of the backup point guard spots.

New Orleans is well-stocked at point guard with starter Jrue Holiday along with Elfrid Payton, Frank Jackson and Darius Morris on the roster, though Jackson has undergone three foot surgeries and also sprained his ankle in summer-league action.

Along with Morris, the Pelicans have a handful of other players on non-guaranteed or partially-guaranteed deals, including Emeka Okafor, Jahlil Okafor, Troy Williams, Kenrich Williams and Garlon Green.

This is Jack’s third stint with the Pelicans. He played with them during the 2010/11 season and also saw action in two games during the 2016/17 campaign. He played 62 games with the Knicks last season, including 56 starts, and averaged 7.5 PPG and 5.6 APG in 25.0 MPG.

Bucks Sign Ike Nwamu, Waive Travis Trice

September 19th, 2018 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks continued an active week of roster moves by swapping one player for another on their 20-man roster. According to RealGM’s official transactions log, Milwaukee signed Ike Nwamu, cutting Travis Trice to create the necessary opening.

Nwamu, a 6’5″ guard, went undrafted out of UNLV in 2016 and has spent time with the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the G League and Greek club Lavrio Megabolt since then. Last season, he appeared in 47 games (29.7 MPG) for the Skyforce, averaging 14.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 2.3 APG with a .422/.364/.829 shooting line.

Nwamu and Trice, who signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Bucks back in July, both look like candidates to eventually end up on the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate. The Bucks have been rotating players on and off their roster frequently as of late, seemingly to acquire NBAGL rights for certain guys who could play for the Herd.

While the Bucks have a full 20-man roster for now, the team still needs to finalize reported agreements with Shabazz Muhammad, Christian Wood, and Tim Frazier, so multiple players – including perhaps Nwamu – figure to be released in the not-too-distant future.

Pelicans Waive Emeka Okafor

September 19th, 2018 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

12:04pm: Bobby Marks of ESPN.com clarifies (via Twitter) that the date for Okafor’s $100K partial guarantee had been pushed back to September 21, which helps explain the timing of today’s move. As such, New Orleans won’t be on the hook for any 2018/19 money for Okafor.

Marc Spears of The Undefeated adds (via Twitter) that Okafor has previously communicated a desire to continue his NBA career into the ’18/19 season, so we’ll see if he’s able to catch on with another club.

11:42am: The Pelicans have parted ways with veteran center Emeka Okafor, announcing today in a press release that the former second overall pick has been waived. Assuming Okafor goes unclaimed, he’ll clear waivers on Friday, becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Okafor, who was selected after Dwight Howard in the 2004 draft, played nine NBA seasons before health problems derailed his career in 2013. After missing four seasons, the big man returned to the NBA for the Pelicans in 2017/18 and provided solid minutes for the team after DeMarcus Cousins went down with an Achilles tear.

In 26 games (19 starts) for New Orleans last season, Okafor contributed 4.4 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 13.6 minutes per contest. He was out of the club’s rotation by the postseason, however, appearing briefly in just one playoff game.

Okafor was one of several players on the Pelicans’ roster who didn’t have a fully guaranteed salary — he reportedly had a $100K partial guarantee, so New Orleans will only be on the hook for that amount. With Okafor no longer in the mix, the Pelicans will have an open spot on their 20-man offseason roster, even after the team officially completes its deal with Jarrett Jack.

Okafor’s departure may be good news for a fellow big man who shares a last name with the veteran. Jahlil Okafor is now the only frontcourt player with a non-guaranteed salary on the Pelicans’ roster, and could be in good position to earn one of the open spots on the 15-man regular season squad.