Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks Sign Brandon McCoy To Camp Contract

July 31st, 2018 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks announced a series of signings today in a press release, adding Jaylen Morris on a two-way deal and inking a pair of players to training camp contracts. While we already knew that the signings of Morris and Travis Trice were official, the club’s confirmation that undrafted rookie Brandon McCoy has also formally signed a camp deal is new.

McCoy, who was the No. 73 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com prior to the 2018 draft, declared as an early entrant after his freshman year at UNLV. However, the 7’1″ forward/center went undrafted after averaging a double-double (16.9 PPG, 10.3 RPG) to go along with 1.8 BPG in his lone college season. He played sparingly for Milwaukee in two Summer League games earlier this month.

Having officially added McCoy, Trice, and Morris to their offseason roster, the Bucks are now carrying 19 players, one away from the 20-man limit. The team will have to decide by Wednesday whether or not to guarantee Brandon Jennings‘ $2.22MM salary for 2018/19. If Milwaukee moves on from Jennings, it would open up a second spot on the roster.

McCoy’s agreement with the Bucks was first reported back in June. At that time, Missouri’s Jordan Barnett was said to have received a training camp invite from the club as well. It’s not clear whether Barnett accepted it, or if it’s still on the table.

Kings Sign Wenyen Gabriel To Two-Way Deal

July 31st, 2018 at 3:04pm CST by clarkcrum

JULY 31: The Kings have officially signed Gabriel to a two-way contract, the club confirmed today in a press release.

JULY 28: According to James Ham of NBC Sports California, the Kings are signing undrafted rookie Wenyen Gabriel to a two-way contract. David Aldridge of TNT first reported that the Kentucky product and Sacramento were close to a deal.

Gabriel, 21, averaged 6.8 PPG and 5.4 RPG as a sophomore last season at Kentucky, but showed the ability to protect the rim (1.1 BPG) and hit outside shots (.396 3PT%).

Gabriel, who figures to spend most of his time with the Kings’ G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings, also performed relatively well during the NBA Summer League, appearing in all five games for the Kings in Las Vegas and averaging a similar stat line of 6.8 PPG and 5.6 RPG during 16.4 minutes per game.

The Kings don’t currently have any two-way players on their roster for the 2018/19 season, so another spot remains open after the Gabriel signing.

Spurs Waive Brandon Paul

July 31st, 2018 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have officially waived shooting guard Brandon Paul, the team announced today in a press release. Paul will become an unrestricted free agent on Thursday, assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers.

Paul, 27, made his NBA debut last season and appeared in 64 total games for the Spurs, averaging 2.3 PPG and 1.1 RPG in just 9.0 minutes per contest.

Paul’s $1,378,242 salary would have become guaranteed if he had remained under contract through Wednesday, so the Spurs had to make a decision on him this week. Due to that August 1 trigger date, a team placing a waiver claim on Paul would have to be willing to guarantee his 2018/19 salary. Either way, San Antonio won’t be on the hook for that money.

With Paul no longer under contract, the Spurs have 14 players on guaranteed salaries, leaving one spot open for the regular season roster. That may bode well for second-round pick Chimezie Metu, one of the few 2018 draft picks who remains unsigned. San Antonio could fill out its 15-man squad by inking Metu to his first NBA contract.

Mavericks Sign Terry Larrier

July 31st, 2018 at 2:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have signed undrafted rookie forward Terry Larrier to their offseason roster, the team announced today in a press release. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but a minimum-salary deal with little to no guaranteed money seems likely.

Larrier, who began his college career at VCU, transferred to UConn and averaged 13.8 PPG and 3.9 RPG in two seasons for the Huskies. The 6’8″ forward struggled from inside the arc in his junior year, but improved his 3PT% to .378.

After going undrafted as an early entrant last month, Larrier played for the Grizzlies in the Utah Summer League at the start of July, then joined the Mavericks’ Summer League squad in Las Vegas. He didn’t play major minutes for either team, but Dallas saw enough to give him a spot on its 20-man offseason roster.

Larrier may ultimately end up with the Texas Legends, Dallas’ G League affiliate.

Bulls Re-Sign Ryan Arcidiacono

July 31st, 2018 at 1:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 31: The Bulls have officially re-signed Arcidiacono, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 28: The Bulls will re-sign Ryan Arcidiacono to a one-year deal with a partial guarantee, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

Arcidiacono was restricted when free agency began, but Chicago rescinded its qualifying offer in mid-July, changing his status to unrestricted. Although he was free to sign with anyone, Arcidiacono wasn’t able to find a deal better than the partially guaranteed one to stay with the Bulls.

He appeared in 24 NBA games last season as a two-way player, averaging 2.0 points in nearly 13 minutes of action. He posted a 13.8/4.5/8.6 line in 37 G League games.

Arcidiacono’s signing will give Chicago 17 players under contract. Rawle Alkins currently occupies one of the team’s two-way slots, while the other remains open.

Johnny O’Bryant To Play In Israel

July 31st, 2018 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

Former Bucks, Nuggets, and Hornets forward Johnny O’Bryant will continue his playing career overseas. According to an announcement from the team (hat tip to Sportando), O’Bryant has signed a one-year contract to join Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.

“Johnny is a great addition for our team” Maccabi head coach Neven Spahija said in a statement. “He has experience in the NBA and he will a key role in the roster. I hope that together with him we’ll make another jump this season. He’s a hard worker and a great man.”

O’Bryant, a second-round pick in the 2014 NBA draft, spent two seasons with the Bucks before being waived. After a training-camp stint with the Wizards in 2016, the former LSU standout signed multiple 10-day contracts with the Nuggets and Hornets in 2017, eventually landing a multiyear deal with Charlotte.

The 6’9″ forward averaged 4.8 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 36 games (10.5 MPG) for the Hornets last season before he was included in the deadline deal that sent Knicks big man Willy Hernangomez to Charlotte. Having been acquired by New York in the trade, O’Bryant was subsequently waived.

This will be O’Bryant’s first stint overseas.

Celtics Waive Guard Rodney Purvis

July 30th, 2018 at 4:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics have waived guard Rodney Purvis, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.

The move was expected, as Boston didn’t have any plans for Purvis after acquiring him from the Thunder in a trade last week.

Boston’s motivation for acquiring Purvis was to save some cash. By trading Abdel Nader to the Thunder instead of waiving him, the Celtics avoided approximately $675K in tax penalties and another $450K in salary. Purvis had a non-guaranteed $1,378,242 salary.

Purvis, who played college ball at the University of Connecticut, was acquired by OKC from the Magic just a few days earlier in exchange for forward Dakari Johnson.

Purvis, 24, joined the Magic down the stretch last season, parlaying a pair of 10-day contracts into a rest-of-season deal. The 6’4″ shooting guard posted 6.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 16 games (18.1 MPG).

The Celtics opened up a spot on their 20-man offseason roster by waiving Purvis. The team is currently carrying 15 players on guaranteed contracts.

Treveon Graham Signs Two-Year Deal With Nets

July 30th, 2018 at 2:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 30: The Nets have officially signed Graham, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 17: The Nets have reached a two-year agreement with swingman Treveon Graham, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. The first year of the contract will be fully guaranteed, Charania adds. The deal is expected to be worth the minimum.

The 6’5” Graham had drawn interest from the Cavaliers and Timberwolves, among other teams, during free agency. Graham, 24, appeared in 90 games with the Hornets over the past two seasons.

He was a rotation player last season, seeing action in 63 games, while averaging 4.3 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 16.7 MPG. Graham hasn’t shot many 3-pointers during his short career but he’s made 43.8% from long range.

Graham will try to break into a wing rotation that includes Joe Harris, Caris LeVert, DeMarre Carroll and Allen Crabbe.

Mavericks Sign Daryl Macon To Two-Way Contract

July 30th, 2018 at 10:29am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 30: The Mavericks have officially signed Macon to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 26: Agent Reggie Brown tells Jackson that Macon is signing a two-year, two-way contract with the Mavericks. Dallas currently has an open two-way slot, with Kostas Antetokounmpo filling the other one.

JULY 25: Rookie free agent guard Daryl Macon appears to have lined up his first NBA contract. According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), Macon passed on an offer from the Heat and has decided to sign with the Mavericks.

Macon went undrafted last month after averaging 16.8 PPG and 3.9 APG on .447/.421/.875 shooting in his final college season at Arkansas. However, the 22-year-old caught on with the Heat’s Summer League team, appearing in seven total games this month in the Sacramento and Las Vegas leagues.

Macon averaged 7.9 PPG and 4.7 APG in those seven Summer League contests with Miami, making a strong enough impression to earn an Exhibit 10 contract offer from the team. Macon’s agent indicated that his client had received Exhibit 10 offers from at least four NBA clubs and had drawn interest from international teams as well. It seems he has opted for the Mavs’ offer, though the exact terms aren’t yet known.

Assuming Macon finalizes a training camp deal with Dallas, he may get a chance to compete for the team’s 15th roster spot. If he’s waived before the regular season begins, a stint with the Mavs’ G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, could be in his future.

Hawks Waive Carmelo Anthony

July 30th, 2018 at 10:05am CST by Luke Adams

10:05am: The Hawks have officially waived Anthony, per a team press release.

9:24am: Anthony has finalized a buyout deal with the Hawks, agreeing to give back the equivalent of the veteran’s minimum salary, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The veteran forward will make that money back when he officially signs with the Rockets, while Atlanta opens up a small slice of cap room as a result of the agreement.

The Hawks should have about $2.9MM in space, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, though it remains to be seen how the team plans to use it, with agreements for Len, Carter, and Hamilton still to be finalized.

8:05am: Now that all the physicals related to last week’s three-team trade are complete, the Hawks are expected to move forward with waiving Carmelo Anthony today, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

Assuming the transaction is finalized on Monday, Anthony will be on track to clear waivers on Wednesday. His $27.93MM cap charge makes a waiver claim by a surprise suitor essentially impossible, so he’ll become an unrestricted free agent. At that point, he reportedly intends to sign a one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Rockets.

Once Anthony is officially released, the Hawks will have 12 players on guaranteed contracts, but the team has lined up agreements with three players to fill its projected 15-man regular season roster. According to reports, Alex Len, Vince Carter, and Daniel Hamilton will all sign with Atlanta. The Hawks figure to finalize those moves soon now that the Anthony trade – which involved both the Thunder and Sixers – is formally complete.

There has been no indication that the Hawks will ask Anthony to give back any of his 2018/19 salary as part of a buyout. Still, the team will recover a small portion of that salary via setoff once the 10-time All-Star signs with Houston, as cap expert Albert Nahmad tweets.

Anthony’s cap hit for the Hawks will still exceed $27MM, and while the team could open up a huge chunk of cap room by stretching that figure over three seasons, that’s not expected to happen. Instead, Atlanta figures to simply keep Carmelo’s whole cap charge on its books for the 2018/19 salary, allowing the club to maximize its cap room in future seasons.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.