Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies Sign Shelvin Mack

August 7th, 2018 at 3:38pm CST by Luke Adams

3:38pm: The Grizzlies have officially signed Mack, the team announced today in a press release.

1:58pm: The Grizzlies will sign free agent point guard Shelvin Mack to a one-year contract, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Wojnarowski first reported about two and a half weeks ago that the two sides were discussing a one-year deal.

Mack, who inked a two-year contract with Orlando in 2017, appeared in 69 games for the Magic last season, averaging 6.9 PPG, 3.9 APG, and 2.4 RPG in a backup point guard role. His salary for 2018/19 only included a small partial guarantee though, so the Magic waived him last month before they were on the hook for the full amount.

By signing Mack, the Grizzlies will add some veteran stability to their point guard depth chart behind Mike Conley, who is coming off a major foot injury. Andrew Harrison and Jevon Carter are Memphis’ other point guards, with Kobi Simmons also in the mix on a two-way deal.

Memphis doesn’t have its bi-annual exception available this season and already used its full mid-level exception on Kyle Anderson, so Mack will receive a minimum-salary deal, which will keep the Grizzlies’ team salary just below the tax line.

Assuming Mack’s contract is guaranteed, it’ll be the 15th guaranteed deal on the team’s books, plus Harrison’s non-guaranteed salary. The Grizzlies will have to trade or release at least one player before the regular season begins, with Harrison and Dakari Johnson among those most at risk.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Raptors Sign Jordan Loyd To Two-Way Contract

August 7th, 2018 at 1:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 7: The Raptors have officially signed Loyd to a two-way deal, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 2: Jordan Loyd paid for his buyout with Darussafaka in the EuroLeague and is expected to sign a two-way contract with the Raptors, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

An agreement with Loyd has been rumored for a couple of weeks, but the deadline for Toronto to help buy him out of his Turkish deal passed in mid-July, leaving Loyd to work out the arrangement on his own.

The 25-year-old guard played for the Raptors’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 8.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG and 2.8 APG in 17.3 minutes per contest, including a team-leading 17-point performance in the opener. He was used mainly at point guard in summer league play.

Loyd went undrafted out of Indianapolis in 2016 and spent a year with Fort Wayne in the G League before signing with Hapoel Eilat in Israel last season.

Once Loyd signs, the Raptors will still have a two-way slot open after moving Lorenzo Brown to the 15-man roster and withdrawing a qualifying offer for Malcolm Miller.

Nuggets Sign DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell To Two-Way Deal

August 7th, 2018 at 12:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 7: The Nuggets have officially signed Akoon-Purcell to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 6: The Nuggets are expected to sign shooting guard DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell to a two-way contract, Chris Dempsey of Nuggets.com tweets.

Akoon-Purcell averaged 12.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.5 APG and 2.0 SPG in 19.3 MPG over four Las Vegas summer league contests with Denver. He played the last two years with the Bakken Bears in the Danish league, averaging 17.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 3.8 APG last season.

The 6’5” Akoon-Purcell went undrafted in 2016 after playing at Illinois State. As a senior, he averaged 14.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 1.9 APG.

Denver’s two-way slots will now be filled if the team completes the transaction. The Nuggets signed second-round pick Thomas Welsh, the former UCLA center, to a two-way deal last month.

Clippers Trade Sam Dekker To Cavaliers

August 7th, 2018 at 11:10am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 7: The Cavaliers have officially acquired Dekker from the Clippers, the club announced today in a press release. The Clippers will receive the draft rights to Vladimir Veremeenko in exchange for Dekker, the draft rights to Renaldas Seibutis, and cash.

Veremeenko and Seibutis were drafted in 2006 and 2007, respectively, and aren’t expected to ever play in the NBA.

AUGUST 5: The Cavaliers are finalizing a trade with the Clippers that would see forward Sam Dekker dealt from Los Angeles to Cleveland, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the two teams are still working out the specifics, but the trade will essentially allow the Clips to start clearing their roster logjam.

Dekker, 24, spent his first two NBA seasons in Houston after being selected 18th overall in the 2015 draft by the Rockets. He was included in last June’s Chris Paul blockbuster between the Rockets and Clippers, part of a package that also included Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, and Montrezl Harrell, among others.

Dekker saw his minutes cut back on his new team in 2017/18, averaging just 12.1 MPG in 73 contests for the Clippers. The former Wisconsin standout recorded 4.2 PPG and 2.4 RPG with a .494 FG% for L.A.

Having re-signed several key players and added a few new ones this offseason, the Clippers were carrying 16 players on fully guaranteed contracts, a total that didn’t include Beverley and his non-guaranteed deal. As such, the club had been expected to trade or release a couple veterans before the start of the regular season in October. The Clips will get a head start on that cutdown process by moving Dekker and his guaranteed $2,760,095 salary. The move will also give the team a little extra breathing room below the tax line.

The Cavaliers won’t have to send out any salary in exchange for Dekker, since they have a traded player exception large enough to accommodate his salary. Cleveland created a $5.8MM trade exception last August in their Kyrie Irving trade with the Celtics — it’s the biggest of four TPEs currently held by the club, and is the only one sizable enough to fit Dekker’s salary. The Clips figure to create a new TPE of their own worth Dekker’s salary.

The move to Cleveland will give Dekker a chance at a fresh start, according to Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), who hears from one source that “a lack of maturity and focus regarding basketball” have been issues for the young forward early in his career.

It will be interesting to see how the Cavaliers plan to use Dekker — he has served primarily as a four, but has spent a little time at the three as well. There may be a clearer path to playing time for Dekker at small forward, where Kyle Korver and Cedi Osman currently sit atop the Cavs’ depth chart, with David Nwaba perhaps entering the mix as well. But Dekker could potentially play at power forward alongside bigs like Kevin Love or Larry Nance in smaller lineups.

While the Cavs’ team salary will inch a little closer to the tax threshold with the acquisition of Dekker, it shouldn’t be a major concern for the team unless Nwaba is getting a lucrative deal and/or Rodney Hood receives a substantial raise.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Emanuel Terry Signs With Nuggets

August 6th, 2018 at 6:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets have signed forward Emanuel Terry, according to the NBA.com transactions log. The contract is believed to be a training camp deal.

Terry made a good impression during summer league action with Denver, posting averages of 7.4 PPG and 5.0 RPG while shooting 61% from the field in 17.6 MPG over five games. He caught the attention of the coaching staff even more with his high energy level and ability to guard multiple positions.

The 6’9” Terry, 22, defied the odds by landing an NBA contract after going undrafted out of a Division II program. He played four seasons at Lincoln Memorial, averaging 16.9 PPG, 10.3 RPG and 2.2 BPG in his senior year.

Malik Newman Signs Contract With Heat

August 6th, 2018 at 5:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 6: The signing is official, the team tweets.

AUGUST 3: Guard Malik Newman has agreed to a contact with the Heat, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets.

Newman, 21, signed a two-way contract with the Lakers at the beginning of last month but was waived on July 19th. He played in five summer league games for Los Angeles and averaged 3.2 PPG in 9.8 MPG. The contract is believed to be a training-camp deal, though the Heat have openings on their roster.

The 6’3” guard spent one season at the University of Kansas, posting averages of 14.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 2.1 APG while shooting 41.5% from long range. He went undrafted in June.

Mavericks Waive Chinanu Onuaku

August 6th, 2018 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 6: The Mavs have officially waived Onuaku, according to a team press release.

AUGUST 2: The Mavericks will waive newly-acquired center Chinanu Onuaku, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). After completing the move, Dallas will be able to move forward with other signings, such as the club’s new deal with free agent guard Devin Harris.

Onuaku, 21, appeared in just six NBA regular season games in two NBA seasons with the Rockets. The former Louisville big man has spent most of his two professional seasons in the G League, playing in 83 total games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and averaging 12.3 PPG and 10.0 RPG to go along with 2.5 APG, 1.4 BPG, and 1.1 SPG. He also has a .617 FG% in the NBAGL.

While the Mavs’ acquisition of Onuaku may look pointless now that he’s being released, it essentially represented a no-cost opportunity to move up a few spots in the second round of the 2020 draft. The Rockets are reportedly covering Onuaku’s salary with cash as part of the trade, with the Mavs giving up the rights to a player who will likely never play in the NBA. Dallas will get the chance to swap the Warriors’ 2020 second-round pick for Houston’s second-rounder.

As we noted earlier today, the Mavs had already committed to free agent deals with 21 players this offseason, so it’s not a surprise that they’re cutting Onuaku to help make room for those signings. They’ll need to release or trade one more player to finalize all their reported deals.

As for Onuaku, once he’s officially waived, he’ll spent two days on waivers. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent, eligible to sign with any team except the Rockets.

Nets Sign Theo Pinson

August 6th, 2018 at 3:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 6: The Nets have announced Pinson’s signing in a press release.

AUGUST 1: The Nets’ deal with Pinson is now official, according to RealGM’s NBA transactions log.

JUNE 22: North Carolina’s Theo Pinson will sign a contract with the Nets that includes an Exhibit 10 attachment, tweets Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

Under NBA rules, an Exhibit 10 clause gives the team an option to convert the deal into a two-way contract at a later date. To qualify, the contract must be a minimum-salary arrangement for one year with no bonuses (except for an optional Exhibit 10 bonus) and no compensation protection.

Pinson, 22, can receive anywhere from $5K to $50K if he is waived by the Nets and spends at least 60 days with their G-League affiliate.

A 6’6″ shooting guard, Pinson was part of the Tar Heels’ national championship team in 2017. He became a full-time starter as a senior this season, posting a 10.3/6.5/5.1 line in 37 games. He will join the Nets’ summer leage team in Las Vegas.

Mavericks Sign Ryan Broekhoff

August 6th, 2018 at 12:25pm CST by Austin Kent

AUGUST 6: The signing is official, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.

JULY 5: The Mavericks have agreed to a two-year deal with swingman Ryan Broekhoff, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. The first year of the deal is guaranteed.

According to Michael Scotto of The Athletic, the two-year pact will be worth $2.4MM.

While Broekhoff played four seasons at Valparaiso, he’s spent the past five campaigns plying his trade abroad. The 27-year-old Austrailian most recently played 16 EuroCup games with Lokomotiv Kuban of Russia’s VTB United League, averaging 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in the process.

The 50.6% three-point shooter will give the Mavs extra depth on the perimeter as they gear up for a season of competitive basketball after bolstering their lineup this offseason. Team owner Mark Cuban calls him “the best shooter in Europe” (Twitter link via Dwain Price of Mavs.com).

Cavaliers Waive Okaro White

August 5th, 2018 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have waived Okaro White to avoid guaranteeing half of his 2018/19 salary, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.

White, who signed a multiyear contract with the Cavs during the final week of the 2017/18 season, had a non-guaranteed salary for the coming year. However, $772,476 of that $1,544,951 salary would have become guaranteed if he had remained under contract through August 5. That essentially made today decision day for the Cavs — according to Vardon, the team asked White if he’d considering pushing his guarantee date back to the start of the regular season, but he declined.

Formerly a member of the Heat, White has appeared in 41 NBA games over the last two seasons for Miami, averaging 2.9 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 13.4 minutes per contest.

The Florida State alum, who missed a good chunk of the 2017/18 campaign with a broken foot, talked earlier this month about how he’s still working to mentally get over that injury. If another team is confident that he’s fully healthy, White could get another shot on a training camp invite or a two-way deal.

The Cavaliers have already lined up a replacement for White on their roster, as they’re in the process of finalizing a deal to acquire Sam Dekker from the Clippers.