Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Waive Jaron Blossomgame

October 8th, 2018 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have waived former second-round pick Jaron Blossomgame, according to Jabari Young of The Athletic (Twitter link). The move opens up a spot on San Antonio’s 20-man preseason roster.

Blossomgame, who played his college ball at Clemson, was drafted by the Spurs with the 59th overall pick in 2017. He signed a G League contract for his rookie season, becoming a starting forward for an Austin Spurs squad that won the NBAGL championship this past spring.

In 50 games (48 starts) last season, 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.

Those performances earned Blossomgame a camp invite, but now that he has been waived by the Spurs, San Antonio will no longer hold his NBA rights. The 25-year-old could still end up playing for Austin in the G League, but he’ll be free to sign with any other NBA team if he clears waivers later this week.

Warriors Sign Will Cherry To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 8th, 2018 at 1:29pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 8: Cherry has signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Warriors, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, adding that the guard is expected to end up playing in Santa Cruz.

SEPTEMBER 19: The Warriors are expected to add Will Cherry to their 20-man offseason roster, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. A source tells Carchia that Cherry is set to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the defending champions.

Cherry, who went undrafted out of Montana in 2013, appeared in eight games for the Cavaliers during the 2014/15 season, but has otherwise spent most of his professional career playing overseas. Having played in Lithuania, Germany, Turkey, the 6’0″ point guard last suited up for Croatian club Cedevita Zagreb.

In 25 ABA League games last season, Cherry averaged 11.1 PPG and 3.2 APG. He also posted a team-best 11.8 PPG and 4.1 APG in 15 EuroCup contests.

The Warriors technically only have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, but Patrick McCaw figures to eventually become the 14th, and the team will likely start the season with an open roster spot to avoid increasing its projected tax bill. As such, Cherry may end up with the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G League affiliate.

Lakers Waive Joel Berry, Jeffrey Carroll

October 8th, 2018 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have begun making roster cuts in advance of next week’s regular season opener, announcing today in a press release that they’ve requested waivers on camp invitees Joel Berry and Jeffrey Carroll. Both players will become unrestricted free agents on Wednesday, assuming they go unclaimed on waivers.

Berry, a 6’0″ guard, joined the Lakers after a four-year college career at UNC which included a national championship win in 2017. He appeared briefly in three preseason games for the club. As for Carroll, the 6’6″ swingman went undrafted out of Oklahoma State this spring, then played in just one preseason game for the Lakers.

Both Berry and Carroll are good candidates to join the South Bay Lakers, L.A.’s G League affiliate. As for the NBA squad, the Lakers are now down to 15 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals, so they don’t necessarily need to make any additional roster moves before the regular season begins, though Johnathan Williams is still on a non-guaranteed contract and isn’t a lock to make the team.

Hawks Sign Isaac Humphries

October 8th, 2018 at 12:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have filled the open spot on their 20-man roster by signing forward/center Isaac Humphries, the team announced today in a press release. While terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, it’s almost certainly an Exhibit 10 contract.

Humphries, a native of Australia, arrives in Atlanta after having spent his first professional season with the Sydney Kings in 2017/18. The 20-year-old played a part-time role for the NBL club, averaging 6.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 1.0 BPG in 26 games (16.5 MPG). Humphries, who went undrafted out of Kentucky in 2017, also played for Serbian club FMP last season.

According to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Humphries is expected to ultimately end up with the Erie BayHawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate, so he’ll be waived within the next several days. The Hawks are now back up to 20 players and will have to make a few cuts before next Tuesday in order to set their regular season roster.

Rockets Waive Rob Gray

October 8th, 2018 at 11:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have waived training camp invitee Rob Gray, the team announced today (Twitter link via Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston). The move reduces the club’s roster count to just 17 players.

Gray, a 6’1″ guard, played his college ball at the University of Houston, averaging 19.3 PPG, 4.4 APG, and 3.7 RPG with a .447/.359/.802 shooting line in 2017/18. He was especially impressive during the NCAA Tournament in the spring, pouring in 39 points in a first-round win over San Diego State, then recording a double-double (23 points, 10 rebounds) in a one-point loss to Michigan.

Despite receiving a camp invite from the Rockets, Gray was always a long shot to earn a regular season roster spot in Houston. However, he could end up on the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the club’s G League affiliate.

The Rockets currently have 12 fully guaranteed contracts on its books, with Michael Carter-Williams and his partial guarantee penciled in for the 13th spot. Zhou Qi, Bruno Caboclo, Gary Clark, and Vince Edwards have non-guaranteed deals.

Kings Waive Jamel Artis

October 8th, 2018 at 8:05am CST by Arthur Hill

OCTOBER 8: The Kings officially cut Artis on Sunday, confirming the move in a press release.

OCTOBER 7: The Kings will waive shooting guard Jamel Artis, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Artis signed a two-year, non-guaranteed deal with Sacramento in July. He would have earned $1,349,383 this season and $1,588,231 in 2019/20 if he had stayed on the roster.

Artis has gotten opportunities with several organizations since graduating from Pitt in 2017, but his only time in the NBA came in 15 games as a two-way player with the Magic last season. He posted a 5.1/2.3/2.5 line in 18.6 minutes per night.

The move leaves the Kings with 18 players in camp, with 15 of them having guaranteed contracts.

Pistons Waive Chris McCullough

October 7th, 2018 at 5:02pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

The Pistons have announced in a press release that they waived forward Chris McCullough. McCullough was signed to Detroit’s training camp roster on September 25, but did not see any time in the team’s first two preseason games.

After being drafted with the 29th pick in the 2015 draft out of Syracuse University, McCullough has appeared in 59 NBA games with the Nets and Wizards. For his career, the 23-year-old forward has averaged 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. He’ll now look to find his footing in the NBA on another team or in the G League.

The Pistons entered the preseason with 15 players on guaranteed contracts and two on two-way deals, so McCullough was always a long shot to make the regular season roster. The club is now carrying 19 players in total, including Zach Lofton and Johnny Hamilton on non-guaranteed contracts.

Heat Sign Charles Cooke, DeAndre Liggins

October 7th, 2018 at 11:13am CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat have signed guards Charles Cooke and DeAndre Liggins and waived Marcus Lee and Malik Newman, the team announced on Twitter.

Lee and Newman are both expected to wind up with Miami’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The Heat already have 14 players with guaranteed contracts, so it’s possible that Cooke and Liggins will eventually be joining them.

Cooke was a two-way player with the Pelicans last season and got into 13 NBA games, playing less than 3 minutes per night. He became a free agent when New Orleans elected not to make him a qualifying offer.

Liggins has bounced around the league since 2011, seeing brief stays with seven franchises, including one game with the Heat in 2013/14. He split last season between the Bucks and Pelicans and was waived by New Orleans at the end of August.

Forward Jeff Coby Signs With Knicks

October 7th, 2018 at 10:41am CST by Dana Gauruder

OCTOBER 7: The signing is official, the Knicks announced on Twitter. The move brings New York back to the training camp limit of 20 players.

SEPTEMBER 20: Forward Jeff Coby will sign a contract with the Knicks, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando.

It’s unclear whether the Knicks intend to add him to their 20-man training camp roster. If he signs an Exhibit 10 deal, he would receive a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived and then spends at least two months with the club’s G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks.

Coby, 24, played four seasons at Columbia and went undrafted last year. He played for two Spanish teams last season. He’s also a member of the Haitian national team.

At Columbia, Coby averaged 6.2 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 16.4 MPG as a college senior.

The Knicks agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with Tyrius Walker on Wednesday.

Knicks Waive Paul Watson

October 7th, 2018 at 8:28am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks once again opened a spot on their training camp roster by waiving a player who appears destined for their G League team, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN. This time it’s Paul Watson, a shooting guard from Fresno State who signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the team Friday.

Watson follows Tyrius Walker, John Jenkins and Billy Garrett, who have all been signed and quickly waived in the past week.

Watson played for New York’s Westchester affiliate last season, so the Knicks already owned his returning G League rights. However, the Exhibit 10 clause gives him the chance for a $50K bonus if he spends at least two months in Westchester this season. He averaged 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 45 games last year.