Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavaliers Sign Forward JaCorey Williams

September 14th, 2018 at 6:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Forward JaCorey Williams has signed a contract with the Cavaliers, according to the RealGM transactions log.

Terms were not disclosed but it’s almost certainly a training camp deal. Williams participated briefly in Cleveland’s training camp last season but was waived to make room for Dwyane Wade. Williams eventually wound up playing 49 games for their G League affiliate, the Canton Charge, where he averaged 15.4 PPG and 7.5 RPG. Williams went on to play for Israel’s Hapoel Gilboa Galil during the spring.

Williams, a 6’8″ forward, played his first three college seasons at Arkansas, then transferred to Middle Tennessee State for his senior year. He enjoyed a breakout season there, averaging 17.3 PPG and 7.3 RPG. Williams, who was named the Conference USA Player of the Year for 2016/17, joined the Warriors’ summer league team before his short stay in Cleveland’s training camp.

The Cavaliers have waived guards Isaac Hamilton and Scoochie Smith, whom they signed to Exhibit 10 contracts on Thursday, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. That duo will join the team’s G League camp.

The Cavs have also reportedly reached an agreement with point guard Kobi Simmons and also added forward Bonzie Colson, though neither have officially signed. If they do become official, Cleveland will reach the 20-player training camp roster limit.

Raptors Sign Kyle Collinsworth

September 14th, 2018 at 5:53pm CST by ChrisCrouse

SEPTEMBER 14: The signing is official, according to RealGM transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 11: The Raptors will sign Kyle Collinsworth, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link). The pact will only be partially-guaranteed.

The addition of Collinsworth brings Toronto’s training camp roster to 18, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. The team has the ability to add two more players.

Collinsworth played 32 games for the Mavericks last season, seeing 15.0 minutes per contest. He scored just 3.2 points per game while struggling from behind the arc, just four of 17 shots from downtown.

Bonzie Colson Added To Cavs Camp Roster

September 13th, 2018 at 8:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Notre Dame star forward Bonzie Colson has agreed to a training camp contract with the Cavaliers, Joe Vardon of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The addition of Colson gives Cleveland a full 20-player roster for camp. The Cavs also reached camp agreements with guards Isaac Hamilton and Scoochie Smith on Thursday.

The 6’6” Colson missed most of his senior season with the Fighting Irish due to multiple foot injuries. He was viewed as a potential second-round pick before fracturing his left foot against Penn State during the National Invitation Tournament in March. When he was able to take the court, he was very effective, averaging 19.7 PPG, 10.1 RPG and 2.2 BPG as a senior.

He was scheduled to play for the Cavs at the Las Vegas Summer League but that plan was scuttled because he was still rehabbing his foot.

Heat Exercise Option On Bam Adebayo

September 12th, 2018 at 12:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat have exercised their third-year option on Bam Adebayo, the team announced on its website. The move locks in his $3,454,080 salary for the 2019/20 season.

The decision isn’t surprising after Adebayo’s impressive rookie campaign. The 14th player selected in the 2017 draft, he made an instant impact in Miami, earning a rotation spot and contributing mostly in a reserve role. The 21-year-old posted a 6.9/5.5/1.5 line in 69 games while averaging 19.8 minutes per night.

Adebayo’s fourth-year option, which the Heat will have to decide on next summer, would pay him $5,115,492 for the 2020/21 season.

Wizards Sign Jordan McRae To Two-Way Deal

September 11th, 2018 at 8:26am CST by Austin Kent

SEPTEMBER 11: Washington has officially signed McRae, according to the RealGM transactions log.

AUGUST 9: The Wizards plan to sign Jordan McRae to a two-way contract, Marc Stein of The New York Times reports. The 2014 second-round pick last saw NBA action with the Cavaliers during the 2016/17 season.

McRae, now 27 years old, didn’t make much of an impact during his first two NBA stints with the Cavs and Suns after getting drafted by the Spurs, though he did win a title with Cleveland. He’ll return to the Association after an abbreviated stint playing professionally in Spain.

The shooting guard will occupy Washington’s second two-way slot, with the other currently held by small forward Devin Robinson.

Wizards Sign Tiwian Kendley To Camp Deal

September 10th, 2018 at 9:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Wizards have signed undrafted guard Tiwian Kendley to a training camp contract, according to RealGM.

Kendley, 23, played two college seasons at Morgan State and averaged 25.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 2.2 APG in his final year.

Kendley averaged 9.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 2.0 APG in four summer league games with Washington. While it’s unlikely Kendley will make the 15-man roster, the camp deal would allow the Wizards to designate the 6’5” Kendley as an affiliate player in order to retain his G League rights if he’s waived before the regular season.

The Wizards reached an agreement with guard Chris Chiozza on a similar deal earlier on Monday. The Kendley signing gives them 19 players on their camp roster, one shy of the limit.

Heat Re-Sign Udonis Haslem

September 10th, 2018 at 5:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 10: Haslem has officially re-signed, according to a team press release. “It’s great to have our captain back,” Heat president Pat Riley said. “We’re looking forward to having UD back for his 16th season with the Heat.”

SEPTEMBER 6: Veteran forward Udonis Haslem will return for another season with the Heat, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. He agreed to a one-year contract at the veteran’s minimum of about $2.4MM.

The contract will include an “implicit” no-trade clause, notes salary cap expert Albert Nahmad, but it’s almost unthinkable that Miami would try to include Haslem in a deal (Twitter link).

Haslem has spent 15 years in the NBA, all with the Heat, but has transitioned into a mentor’s role in the past two seasons. He got into just 14 games last year, played about five minutes per night and averaged less than a point and a rebound per contest.

Haslem originally signed with Miami in 2003 after going undrafted out of Florida. He became a starter in his second season and averaged close to a double-double in points and rebounds for several years. He provided toughness and leadership as a part-time starter during the Big Three era when the Heat made four straight trips to the NBA Finals.

Miami has been holding two roster spots open throughout the summer for Haslem and Dwyane Wade. Today’s signing brings the Heat’s training camp total to 19 with Wade expected to announce a decision soon. Thirteen players have guaranteed contracts with Duncan Robinson and Yante Maten holding two-way deals and Briante Weber, Marcus Lee, Malik Newman and Jarnell Stokes all having Exhibit 10s (Twitter link).

Luol Deng Signs With Wolves

September 10th, 2018 at 4:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

3:23pm: The signing is official, the team’s PR department tweets.

1:37pm: Minnesota has reached a one-year, $2.4MM agreement with free agent forward Luol Deng, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Deng becomes the latest member of a group that has been dubbed the “Timber-Bulls,” made up of coach/executive Tom Thibodeau and former Chicago players Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson. Deng reached his career peak playing for the Bulls under Thibodeau with a pair of All-Star appearances.

The low point of Deng’s career came last season with the Lakers, when he played 13 minutes on opening night and was benched for the rest of the year. Deng didn’t have any physical problems that kept him off the court, but he didn’t fit in with the youth movement launched by team president Magic Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka.

Deng agreed to a buyout last week that affects the final two seasons of the four-year, $72MM contract he signed in 2016. To get his freedom from the Lakers, Deng agreed to give back $7.5MM of the $36.8MM remaining, with 48.9% coming from this year’s salary and the rest from the 2019/20 figure.

Before being sidelined last year, Deng was coming off a disappointing debut season with the Lakers, posting a 7.6/5.3/1.3 line in 56 games while shooting 39% from the field. His last good season came with Miami in 2015/16 when averaged 12.3 PPG and 6.0 PPG in 74 games.

Minnesota has just 12 guaranteed contracts, so finding space for Deng won’t be an issue. The Wolves had their full $3.382MM bi-annual exception available, but Deng agreed to sign for the veteran’s minimum. The agreement doesn’t come with any guarantee of playing time, Wojnarowski adds.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Devin Booker To Undergo Hand Surgery, Out Indefinitely

September 9th, 2018 at 7:59pm CST by Austin Kent

7:59pm: Booker’s procedure will take place on Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets and the team will have a better idea of the guard’s availability for the regular season then.

6:58pm: According to John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station, Suns guard Devin Booker will be out indefinitely as he undergoes surgery on his hand.

While no set timetable has been revealed, it’s likely that the 21-year-old misses the start of training camp.

For those keeping track at home, Booker initially injured the hand last March and it caused him to miss the final 12 games of the 2017/18 season. There’s no indication at this point as to why the guard elected to wait until September to make the decision to go under the knife.

Booker, the prolific combo guard charged with leading the franchise’s rebuild, will hit the sidelines just weeks after the club dealt Brandon Knight to the Rockets, creating a vacancy at point guard.

The Suns, who are said to be on the hunt for guards, will need to address the dearth of playmakers sooner than later if it looks like Booker’s injury could stretch into the regular season.

Booker inked a five-year contract extension this summer for an estimated $158MM.

Rodney Hood Accepts Cavaliers’ Qualifying Offer

September 9th, 2018 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Restricted free agent wing Rodney Hood has accepted the Cavaliers‘ one-year qualifying offer, reports Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. The one-year deal, worth $3,472,887, will set up Hood to become an unrestricted free agent during the summer of 2019.

Hood, who was traded from the Jazz to the Cavs midway through the 2017/18 season, struggled to produce consistently with his new club, averaging just 10.8 PPG on .442/.352/.813 shooting in 21 regular season games with Cleveland before falling out of the rotation for part of the postseason. He had recorded 16.8 PPG with a .424/.389/.876 shooting line in 39 contests for Utah.

Having spent more than two months as a restricted free agent, Hood was in a tough spot, given the lack of teams left with roster spots and the willingness to spend big on an offer sheet. According to Vardon, Hood was seeking a long-term contract in the range of $9MM per year.

The Cavs had been willing to offer a multiyear deal worth approximately $7MM annually, per Vardon, which the 25-year-old turned down in a bet on himself. If he has a big year in 2018/19 as a primary option in Cleveland’s offense, Hood could be in line for a bigger payday in 2019, when more teams will have cap space available. The Cavs will still hold his Bird rights at that time.

With Hood back in the fold and David Nwaba having signed a one-year, minimum-salary pact with the Cavaliers, the club is moving closer to being ready for opening night. The Cavs will now have 14 players with fully guaranteed salaries, totaling about $115.7MM. Isaiah Taylor will also attend training camp on a non-guaranteed contract, and the club figures to fill out its 20-man offseason roster with a few more camp invitees in the coming weeks.

A players who accepts his qualifying offer as a restricted free agent receives an implicit no-trade clause for that league year, since they’d lose their Bird rights if they’re traded. As such, Hood won’t be able to be dealt without his consent during the 2018/19 season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.