Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bulls Sign Derrick Walton Jr.

August 14th, 2018 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 14: The Bulls have made it official, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed Walton.

AUGUST 10: Former Heat two-way player Derrick Walton Jr. intends to sign a new contract with the Bulls, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

Walton, 23, inked a two-way contract with the Heat last July after going undrafted out of Michigan. The 6’1″ point guard stuck with the franchise all season, appearing in 16 games for the NBA squad and 27 for the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the G League.

Although his role for the Heat was very limited, Walton averaged 16.1 PPG, 7.0 APG, and 4.0 RPG with a .442/.377/.902 shooting line in the NBAGL.

When Walton’s two-way agreement with the Heat expired at season’s end, the club tendered him a qualifying offer, retaining the right of first refusal. However, Miami withdrew that QO during the second week of July, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.

While details of Walton’s deal with Chicago aren’t yet known, the club has a little flexibility. The Bulls currently have 17 players under contract — 14 on fully guaranteed deals, two on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed deals, and one on a two-way pact. As such, the team could give Walton a camp deal and allow him to compete for the last spot on the 15-man regular season roster, or it could ink him to a two-way contract.

Warriors Sign Marcus Derrickson

August 14th, 2018 at 1:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 14: The Warriors have officially signed Derrickson, according to RealGM’s NBA transactions log.

AUGUST 10: Undrafted Georgetown forward Marcus Derrickson has agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Warriors, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.

Derrickson impressed in summer-league play, averaging 14.0 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 21.4 MPG with Golden State during five Las Vegas appearances. The 6’7” Derrickson averaged 15.9 PPG and 8.1 RPG while shooting 46% from 3-point range during his final college year.

Exhibit 10 contracts are one-year deals worth the minimum salary. Derrickson will have a chance to make the 15-man roster during training camp but will likely be designated an affiliate player for the Warriors’ G League team in Santa Cruz.

Thunder Sign Tyler Davis To Two-Way Deal

August 13th, 2018 at 6:06pm CST by Luke Adams

6:06pm: The signing is official, the team tweets.

8:55am: The Thunder are poised to fill their second two-way contract slot, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that former Texas A&M big man Tyler Davis will sign a two-way deal with Oklahoma City.

Davis, who came in at No. 85 on Jonathan Givony’s big board of 2018 prospects at ESPN.com, went undrafted in June after forgoing his final year of college eligibility to declare as an early entrant. In his junior season at Texas A&M, the 6’10” center averaged 14.9 PPG, 8.9 RPG, and 1.3 BPG to go along with a .585 FG%.

The Thunder had previously signed Deonte Burton to fill one of their two-way contract slots, and will now use the other on Davis. Assuming Burton and Davis enter the season as OKC’s two-way players, it clouds the path to the NBA for 2018 second-rounder Kevin Hervey. I noted yesterday that Hervey would be a candidate for that second two-way slot, so we’ll see what the Thunder have in mind for him now.

Assuming Burton and Davis both remain under contract to start the 2018/19 campaign, the Thunder’s regular-season roster looks pretty much set. The team already has 15 players on standard NBA contracts who have guaranteed salaries for ’18/19.

Grizzlies Sign Markel Crawford

August 13th, 2018 at 2:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have signed Markel Crawford to a training camp contract, according to RealGM’s NBA transactions log. While specific terms of the deal aren’t known, there’s a good chance it will be an Exhibit 10 contract.

Crawford, a 6’4″ guard, finished his college career at Ole Miss in 2017/18, averaging 9.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 2.1 APG in his senior year. However, he’s a Memphis native and spent his first three college seasons with the Memphis Tigers. Crawford told Jessica Benson of WATN in Memphis (video link) that it was a dream come true to be joining his hometown NBA team.

“I just label myself a real Memphis guy,” Crawford said. “A real gritty guy. For me to be playing with a grit and grind type team, just means the world.”

Crawford first played for the Grizzlies in Utah and Las Vegas Summer League action last month. He was particularly effective in seven Vegas contests, averaging 9.6 PPG on 53.1% shooting.

The Grizzlies already have 15 players on guaranteed contracts and have filled both of their two-way contract slots, so Crawford is a long shot to make the team’s regular season roster. He may ultimately end up with the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle.

Raptors Sign Greg Monroe

August 13th, 2018 at 2:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 13: While the Raptors haven’t yet issued a press release confirming the move, Monroe has officially signed with the club, per the NBA’s transactions log.

AUGUST 6: Free agent center Greg Monroe has agreed to a contract with the Raptors, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

Monroe will get a one-year, $2.2MM deal, Charania adds (Twitter link) and will move from one Eastern Conference contender to another after finishing last season with the Celtics. Monroe will fill the backup center slot, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN (Twitter link), who reported Toronto’s interest in Monroe last week.

The Raptors had their $5.3MM mid-level exception available, but are concerned about adding to their luxury tax bill. Toronto already had more than $137MM committed for next season before adding Monroe. He will become the 14th player on the roster with a fully or partially guaranteed contract.

An eight-year veteran, Monroe averaged 10.3 points and 6.9 rebounds last season while splitting time between the Bucks, Suns and Celtics. He was sent from Milwaukee to Phoenix in November as part of the Eric Bledsoe deal, then signed with the Celtics in February after agreeing to a buyout.

The addition of Monroe may signal the end of the Raptors’ relationship with Lucas Nogueira, who has been with the organization for the past four seasons. The free agent center got into 49 games last year and scored 2.5 points per night.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rockets Sign Carmelo Anthony

August 13th, 2018 at 12:21pm CST by clarkcrum

AUGUST 13, 12:21pm: Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has published a tweet welcoming Anthony to Houston, signaling that the signing is now official.

AUGUST 13, 8:21am: Anthony has traveled to Houston and is completing his physical on Monday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who tweets that the veteran forward should finally make his deal with the Rockets official today.

AUGUST 7, 4:17pm: Carmelo Anthony has verbally agreed to sign with the Rockets, league sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Anthony already made his plans known a few weeks back, but he still needed to be officially traded and waived before he could make a final decision.

Anthony reportedly drew interest from the Heat in addition to the Rockets, but Houston has always been seen as the frontrunner ever since it became public knowledge that the working relationship between Anthony and the Thunder was beyond repair.

The 34-year-old forward, who has long made it known that he sees himself as a starter in the NBA, will presumably get the chance to show he’s right after Houston lost both Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute in free agency.

Anthony will reportedly sign a one-year, veteran’s minimum salary, leaving the Rockets with the remainder of their mid-level exception to use elsewhere.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pistons Sign Zach Lofton To Training Camp Deal

August 11th, 2018 at 4:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 11: The deal is official, Lofton announced on Instagram.

AUGUST 8: Former New Mexico State guard Zach Lofton will sign a G League contract and participate in training camp with the Pistons, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.

After going undrafted in June, Lofton joined the Detroit’s summer league entry and impressed team officials with his performance in Las Vegas. As a senior with the Aggies, he averaged 20.1 points per game and was a first-team All-WAC selection.

Lofton will be the 18th player headed to camp with the Pistons, two short of the league maximum.

Former NBA Forward Jason Thompson Headed To China

August 11th, 2018 at 3:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former NBA forward Jason Thompson will play next season in China, according to a Sportando report.

Thompson has signed a deal with Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association. He spent last season with Fenerbahce D Istanbul, winning the Turkish League (BSL) and reaching the EuroLeague final. In 36 games with Fenerbahce, Thompson averaged 5.0 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 16.0 MPG.

Thompson, 32, also played in China during the 2016/17 season. He spent seven seasons with the Kings and made 405 starts. He played a combined 47 games, including seven starts, with the Warriors and Raptors in 2015/16.

Thompson averaged 8.9 PPG and 6.6 RPG in 588 career NBA games.

Andrew Nicholson, Russ Smith Sign With Chinese Team

August 11th, 2018 at 11:56am CST by marksuleymanov

A pair of former NBA players, Andrew Nicholson and Russ Smith, have both signed with the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association, per a report from Sportando. We relayed yesterday that Nicholson was expected to sign with Fujian.

Nicholson teamed with former NBA veteran Yi Jianlian and Donald Sloan last year for Guangdong Tigers. He posted 22.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 1.6 APG in 46 CBA games. The Tigers went to the CBA semifinals before being eliminated by the Liaoning Flying Leopards.

A former Magic first-round pick (19th overall), Nicholson appeared in 285 total NBA regular season games from 2012 to 2017 with Orlando, Washington, and Brooklyn before heading to China last September.

As for Smith, the former second-round pick (47th overall) by the Pelicans spent last season with the Sturgeons. Smith is arguably best known for his 81-point game last July in the Chinese National Basketball League. Smith appeared in 27 NBA games with the Pelicans and Grizzlies from 2014-16, averaging 2.0 PPG.

Rockets Sign Rookie Guard Rob Gray

August 10th, 2018 at 5:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets have signed undrafted rookie guard Rob Gray, according to a team press release.

The terms were not announced but Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets that it’s a training camp deal.

The 6’1” Gray averaged 18.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 3.0 APG and 1.2 SPG in his three college seasons with the University of Houston. He’s the American Athletic Conference’s all-time leading scorer with 1,710 points.

Gray, who saw brief action with the team’s summer league squad in Las Vegas, scored a combined 62 points in two NCAA Tournament games in March, including 23-point, 10-rebound effort against national runner-up Michigan. Gray averaged 19.3 PPG, 4.4 APG and 3.7 RPG in his senior year.

Gray hinted right after the draft that he’d get a training-camp invite from the Rockets.

“I will be playing summer league/training camp with them trying to earn a roster spot for the upcoming season,” Gray said.