Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cole Aldrich Waived, Expected To Play In China

October 2nd, 2018 at 2:32pm CST by Luke Adams

2:32pm: The Hawks have waived Aldrich, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). The timing of the move is likely no coincidence, as the path is now clear for the center to sign a deal overseas.

2:15pm: Veteran NBA center Cole Aldrich is expected to play in China during the 2018/19 campaign, a source tells Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link). Goodman doesn’t offer any specifics on which team Aldrich is expected to join for the coming season.

Aldrich, who will turn 30 later this month, remains under contract with the Hawks for now. However, he has a non-guaranteed contract, and Atlanta is already carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed salaries, making the big man a long shot to earn a spot on the regular season roster.

It’s not uncommon for a player to line up a contract agreement in another league if he expects to be released by his NBA team. Earlier this offseason, for instance, news broke of David Stockton‘s new deal with German team Medi Bayreuth approximately two weeks before he was actually waived by the Jazz.

In Aldrich’s case, he and his representatives may have received word that a roster spot in Atlanta isn’t in the cards and gotten a head start on seeking out another professional opportunity. That remains unconfirmed though.

Aldrich spent the last two seasons in Minnesota, playing a limited role for the Timberwolves. In 2017/18, he appeared in just 21 games and played only 49 total minutes. While his contract covered the 2018/19 season, Aldrich’s salary for the coming year only featured a modest partial guarantee, so the Wolves waived him in June before the full guarantee kicked in, making him an unrestricted free agent. He subsequently received a camp invite from the Hawks.

Kings Sign Taren Sullivan To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 2nd, 2018 at 11:21am CST by Dana Gauruder

OCTOBER 2: The Kings have officially signed Sullivan to an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Jason Jones of The Athletic. The young forward looks like a candidate to end up with the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate.

OCTOBER 1: The Kings have agreed to a camp deal with Taren Sullivan, Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated tweets.

The undrafted 6’6” wing player attended Findlay, a Division II school in Ohio, and was the leading scorer at the G League player invitational.

Sullivan played all four of his collegiate seasons at Findlay and averaged 17.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 3.2 APG in 28.9 MPG as a senior. He also had workouts with the Cavaliers and Grizzlies, according to Woo.

Sacramento had an open spot on its 20-man camp roster after waiving Brandon Austin on Sunday.

Knicks Waive Tyrius Walker

October 2nd, 2018 at 9:21am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have released a training camp invitee from their 20-man preseason roster, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve waived rookie guard Tyrius Walker. New York had signed the former Morehouse standout to a camp deal last month.

Walker averaged 22.8 PPG in his final college season, buoyed by a .475/.357/.802 shooting line. Because he played for a Division II school, Walker’s competition wasn’t as strong as that of most of his fellow prospects, and he didn’t receive strong draft consideration. However, he did earn a spot on the Knicks’ Summer League squad in Las Vegas, and posted 6.3 PPG in three games (11.3 MPG).

Although the Knicks will likely open up a spot on their 15-man regular season roster soon when they buy out Joakim Noah, Walker was never considered a strong candidate to fill that spot. He is, however, a candidate to join the Westchester Knicks, New York’s G League affiliate.

Walker had been on an Exhibit 10 deal, meaning he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he heads to Westchester and spends at least two months with the Knicks’ NBAGL squad.

With a newly-created opening on their roster, the Knicks may finalize the signing of Jeff Coby, who reportedly reached an agreement with the club prior to training camp.

Patrick McCaw Passes On Qualifying Offer

October 1st, 2018 at 8:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Restricted free agent guard Patrick McCaw is expected to decline his one-year, $1.71MM qualifying offer from the Warriors, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

If that comes to fruition, McCaw would remain an RFA. McCaw was reportedly offered a two-year contract from the Warriors but also plans to turn that down. The previous report indicted it was a $4MM offer but ESPN’s Marc Spears tweets that Golden State proposed a two-year deal worth approximately $5MM with the second year not guaranteed.

McCaw had an October 1st deadline to sign the qualifying offer.

By NBA rules, teams are permitted to extend the qualifying offer deadline beyond that date, so the Warriors could leave McCaw’s QO on the table. However, clubs rarely agree to push back that deadline, since removing the qualifying offer from the equation improves a team’s leverage, limiting the restricted free agent’s options.

His qualifying offer is worth $200K more than his minimum salary of $1.51MM. He’s apparently willing to roll the dice with the hope that Golden State will let him go. As Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets, McCaw could drag out the process and force the Warriors to move on without him, hoping they won’t match offer sheet once his roster spot is committed to someone else.

The Warriors have been holding a spot open for McCaw, who struggled during his sophomore season in 2017/18. In 57 games (16.9 MPG), the former second-round pick averaged 4.0 PPG, 1.4 RPG, and 1.4 APG with a .409/.238/.765 shooting line.

McCaw is the only restricted free agent left on the market.

Celtics Sign Marcus Georges-Hunt, Cut Justin Bibbs

October 1st, 2018 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have officially made a change to their 20-man preseason roster, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve signed free agent guard Marcus Georges-Hunt, waiving camp invitee Justin Bibbs to create room. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported on Friday that Boston was nearing a deal with Georges-Hunt.

Georges-Hunt, 24, spent last season with the Timberwolves, playing limited minutes in 42 games for the club. The former Georgia Tech standout, who appeared in five games for the Magic during his rookie year in 2016/17, spent most of that season in the G League, where he recorded 15.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 4.4 APG in 45 contests for the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s affiliate.

Georges-Hunt, who has a reputation as a tough perimeter defender, may have a chance to earn a spot on the Celtics’ 15-man regular season roster this fall. The team is currently carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, but one of those 15 is Jabari Bird, who is dealing with medical and legal issues and whose future in Boston remains unclear.

As for Bibbs, the 22-year-old shooting guard – who signed as an undrafted free agent out of Virginia Tech – looks like a good candidate to end up with the Red Claws this season, assuming he opts to sign a G League contract.

Pelicans Sign Brandon McCoy

September 29th, 2018 at 5:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans have signed free agent center Brandon McCoy, the team announced on Twitter.

McCoy was waived by the Bucks last week after signing with the team at the end of July. After going undrafted out of Nevada-Las Vegas, McCoy earned a training camp contract with his performance for Milwaukee’s summer league team.

Today’s signing brings the Pelicans up to the 20-player limit for training camp.

Kalin Lucas Signs With Kings

September 29th, 2018 at 3:57pm CST by clarkcrum

Michigan State alum, point guard Kalin Lucas, has signed with the Kings, per RealGM’s transaction log. The signing’s imminence was first reported by Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.

Lucas, 29, appeared in one game for the Grizzlies back during the 2014-15 season, but has not played in the NBA since. He spent last season with Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Basketball Premier League after being waived by the Magic in October. He also played in the G League for the Iowa Energy on two separate occasions.

Lucas may be a candidate to return to the G League and play for the Stockton Kings if he is waived, or he may return back overseas, because it’s unlikely he makes the Kings’ roster with De’Aaron Fox, Yogi Ferrell, and Frank Mason all on guaranteed contracts.

Magic Sign Devin Davis, Waive Gabe York

September 27th, 2018 at 6:39pm CST by JD Shaw

The Magic announced a pair of roster moves on Thursday, signing free agent forward Devin Davis to a contract while waiving guard Gabe York.

Davis, 23, played 55 games over two seasons (2016-18) at the University of Houston. He was the only member of his team to start in all 35 games during his senior season last year, averaging 10.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest. He went unselected in the 2018 NBA Draft.

York, who signed with the Magic for camp earlier in the month, spent time in Germany last season with Medi Bayreuth. He played 44 games with the Magic’s G League affiliate Lakeland Magic during the 2016/17 season.

The Magic have 20 players under contract for training camp, with their first preseason game set to commence on October 1 against the 76ers.

Spurs Exercise 2019/20 Options On Jakob Poeltl, Derrick White

September 27th, 2018 at 5:57pm CST by JD Shaw

The Spurs have exercised the 2019/20 options in the contracts of Jakob Poeltl and Derrick White, the team announced in a press release. The club also exercised the $2.3MM option in Dejounte Murray’s contract for the season, as we noted earlier.

Poeltl was traded to the Spurs as part of a package featuring Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan in July, and is expected to provide depth in the frontcourt for San Antonio. His maturity and focus at the age of 22 has impressed Spurs’ staffers in his short time with the team.

Poeltl appeared in all 82 contests with the Raptors last season, holding per-game averages of 6.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 18.6 minutes. He was drafted with the No. 9 pick in 2016 after playing two collegiate seasons at Utah.

White, a 6’5″ combo guard who’s in his second NBA season, was selected by the Spurs with the 29th pick in 2017. He played just 17 games last season with the franchise, spending most of his time with the team’s G League affiliate Austin Spurs.

The Spurs have a cap charge of $3.7MM for 2019/10 by picking up Poeltl’s team option, and a separate charge of $1.9MM by exercising White’s option. Poeltl’s rookie contract is due to expire in 2020, while White has a fourth-year option for the 2020/21 campaign.

Spurs Pick Up Dejounte Murray’s Fourth-Year Option

September 27th, 2018 at 4:50pm CST by JD Shaw

The Spurs have picked up the fourth year option in Dejounte Murray‘s contract, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. The option is worth $2.3MM for the 2019/20 season.

Murray, 22, appeared in 81 games last season, averaging 8.1 points and 5.7 rebounds in 21.5 minutes per contest. He’s established himself as a premier defender with the Spurs, being named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team last season.

Murray is expected to start at point guard and play alongside DeMar DeRozan in San Antonio’s new-look backcourt this season. The Spurs hold confidence that Murray can take the reins from Tony Parker, who left the team in free agency, and become a permanent starter in the league. San Antonio will need his production to have a chance at competing with elite Western Conference teams such as the Warriors, Rockets and Thunder.

Murray was drafted with the 29th overall pick in 2016 after spending one year in college with Washington. He’s entering his third season with the team this fall.

The Spurs will also need to make 2019/20 option decisions on Jakob Poeltl and Derrick White before the October 31 deadline.