Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Sign Yante Maten To Two-Way Deal

July 29th, 2018 at 2:19pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Heat have signed forward Yante Maten to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release on Sunday.

Maten appeared in seven games for the Heat’s Summer League teams in Sacramento and Las Vegas, averaging 10.7 PPG and 5.6 APG while shooting 44.6% from the field.

The 2018 SEC Player of the Year spent four seasons at the University of Georgia, appearing in all 128 collegiate contests. Chet Kammerer, the Heat’s vice president of player personnel was impressed with Maten’s ability.

“We saw him play in the SEC and he was player of the year [as a senior],” Kammerer said.“He’s been a solid player over his career at Georgia and had some individual highs over the course of his career. He started kind of slow but he’s really a solid basketball player. Versatile. He’s got a bright future ahead of him.”

After his strong showing in Summer League, Maten’s agent Austin Walton of NEXT Sports said his client received Exhibit 10 offers from “half the league.” Walton’s hope was to secure a two-way contract for Maten, which he did.

The Heat have 12 players on standard NBA contracts, with roster spots set aside for Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem if they decide to continue their careers. Duncan Robinson holds the other one of the team’s two-way deals.

J.P. Tokoto Reaches Deal With Israeli Team

July 28th, 2018 at 11:59am CST by marksuleymanov

Former second-round draft pick J.P. Tokoto has reached an agreement with Israeli team Hapoel Eilat, per Sportando. Tokoto spent last season with the Perth Wildcats of Australia’s National Basketball League. He averaged 15.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 2.8 APG in 30 games for Perth.

Tokoto, 25, was drafted 58th overall by the Sixers in 2015 and has spent his professional career in the United States in the G League. Tokoto has spent time with the affiliate teams for the Sixers, Thunder, and Knicks.

The Warriors signed the North Carolina product to a Summer League deal and he appeared in five games, averaging 7.0 PPG and 4.6 RPG while shooting 45% from the floor.

Sixers Re-Sign Demetrius Jackson To Two-Way Deal

July 27th, 2018 at 5:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers have re-signed guard Demetrius Jackson to a two-way contract, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.

Philadelphia originally signed the former Notre Dame point guard to a two-way deal in January. He saw action in just three games with the Sixers, averaging 2.7 PPG in 5.7 MPG. He also made 10 starts with their G League affiliate, the Deleware 87ers, averaging 13.0 PPG and 4.6 APG in 25.5 MPG.

Jackson was selected by Boston in the second round of the 2016 draft. He was waived by Boston last summer and signed a two-way deal with the Rockets. Houston terminated Jackson’s contract and then signed him to a 10-day deal but decided not to offer him another contract.

The 6’1” Jackson appeared in 12 games with the Rockets, playing an average of 5.3 MPG. He played five games for Boston as a rookie.

The Sixers filled their other two-way slot earlier this week by signing rookie SMU guard Shake Milton.

Clint Capela Signs Five-Year Deal With Rockets

July 27th, 2018 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

4:48pm: The signing is official, Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports tweets.

3:14pm: The Rockets and free agent center Clint Capela have reached an agreement on a five-year, $90MM contract, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Having entered the offseason among 2018’s top free agents, Capela was one of the last impact players still unsigned, as well as one of the final restricted free agents still on the market.

The terms of Capela’s new deal look similar to Houston’s reported offer from earlier this month. During the second week of free agency, we heard that the Rockets had offered their starting center a five-year, $85MM deal that could be worth up to $90MM in incentives.

It’s the second mega-deal that the Rockets have agreed to in July. In the early hours of free agency, the team struck a four-year, maximum-salary deal to re-sign point guard Chris Paul. Since then, Houston has seen Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute sign with new teams, but has added James Ennis and lined up an agreement with Carmelo Anthony.

While Capela’s new contract will fall short of the $100MM he was reportedly seeking, it looks like a very fair deal, considering no team had the cap space left to make a comparable offer. Capela’s first massive NBA payday comes in at a rate of $18MM per year, allowing the Rockets to lock up a young, improving center for the long term without having to worry about him accepting his qualifying offer and bolting as an unrestricted free agent in a year.

Prior to officially signing Anthony and Capela, the Rockets have nearly $118MM in guaranteed salaries on their books. Capela’s big raise will push that total well beyond the $123.733MM luxury tax line, setting up Houston to be a taxpaying team for the 2018/19 season, barring major cost-cutting moves.

Capela, 24, has made substantial strides in each of his four NBA seasons, evolving from a little-used rookie in 2014/15 into one of the league’s most productive centers this past season. In 2017/18, he averaged a double-double (13.9 PPG and 10.8 RPG) while contributing 1.9 BPG and a league-leading .652 FG%. Although Capela’s offensive game is somewhat limited, he’s an effective screen setter and finisher at the rim, and provides the Rockets with strong rim protection at the other end of the court.

According to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (via Twitter), Capela’s five-year contract will include no team or player options.

With Capela off the board, Rodney Hood (Cavaliers) and Patrick McCaw (Warriors) are the only two NBA restricted free agents who remain on the market.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Clippers Waive Guard C.J. Williams

July 27th, 2018 at 4:09pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 27: Williams has been waived, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.

JULY 26: The Clippers are expected to release shooting guard C.J. Williams soon, reports Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). He’ll become an unrestricted free agent if he goes unclaimed on waivers.

Williams, 28, began his professional career in 2012 after going undrafted out of N.C. State. Having played for international and G League teams for the last several years, the 6’5″ guard caught on with the Clippers in 2017, signing a two-way contract with the club last October.

Williams made his NBA debut in November and appeared in 38 overall games for the Clippers, averaging 5.5 PPG, 1.5 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 18.6 minutes per contest. His solid showing on his two-way deal earned him a standard NBA multiyear contract near the end of the 2017/18 season.

However, Williams’ 2018/19 salary was non-guaranteed, making him a logical roster casualty for the Clippers, whose roster is getting crowded. With Montrezl Harrell back under contract, Los Angeles now has 16 players on guaranteed deals. That roster count doesn’t include Patrick Beverley, whose $5MM+ salary for ’18/19 is non-guaranteed.

Thunder Sign Hamidou Diallo To Three-Year Deal

July 27th, 2018 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 27: The Thunder have officially signed Diallo, according to the league’s transactions log.

JULY 25: The Thunder have agreed to terms with second-round pick Hamidou Diallo, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, Diallo will sign a three-year, $4MM contract with Oklahoma City.

Diallo, who averaged 10.0 PPG and 3.6 RPG during his first and only season as a Kentucky Wildcat, entered the draft as an early entrant this spring and was selected 45th overall. While Diallo was technically drafted by the Nets, the No. 45 pick had already been traded twice by that point — he was ultimately sent from Brooklyn to Charlotte to OKC.

Based on the reported terms, Diallo’s first NBA contract could be a minimum-salary deal, which would work out to $3.92MM. Because it’s a three-year pact, the Thunder will have to use a small portion of their taxpayer mid-level exception to complete the signing.

Diallo’s deal will push Oklahoma City’s team salary back up to approximately $149.58MM and the club’s projected tax bill up to about $93.19MM — it will also fill OKC’s 15-man roster. The Thunder may not be done with their offseason moves, however, as Kyle Singler remains a candidate to be waived and stretched.

Thunder second-rounders Devon Hall and Kevin Hervey remain unsigned for now, as our tracker shows.

Former King Jack Cooley To Play In Italy

July 27th, 2018 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA big man Jack Cooley is headed overseas for the 2018/19 season, with Italian club Dinamo Sassari officially announcing a deal with Cooley. It’s a one-year contract, per Sportando.

The move represents a return to Europe for Cooley, who has previously played for teams in Turkey, Germany, and Spain. The former Notre Dame standout also has NBA stints with Utah and Sacramento, having spent the 2017/18 season on a two-way contract with the Kings. Cooley appeared in just seven games for the Kings, but was a key contributor for the Reno Bighorns, Sacramento’s G League affiliate, averaging 17.7 PPG and 9.7 RPG in 39 games.

The Kings opted not to tender a qualifying offer to Cooley last month, making him an unrestricted free agent. The 27-year-old appeared in five Summer League games in Las Vegas for the Suns, but will continue his playing career overseas rather than in the NBA.

Sacramento currently has both of its two-way contract slots open after filling them with Cooley and JaKarr Sampson last season.

Pelicans Sign Troy Williams

July 27th, 2018 at 10:07am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 27: The Pelicans have officially signed Williams, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 25: Troy Williams has reached an agreement to sign with the Pelicans, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

Williams will get a two-year deal with a team option for the second season, according to Will Guillory of The Times-Picayune (Twitter link). He will have a small guarantee but no promise of a roster spot, adds Scott Kushner of The Advocate (Twitter link). It will be a minimum-salary contract, as New Orleans has used all its cap room and available exceptions.

New Orleans will be the fourth franchise for the third-year forward, who divided last season between the Rockets and Knicks. He showed promise in 17 games for New York, averaging 7.5 PPG and 3.5 RPG in 17 minutes per night, but the Knicks opted not to re-sign him.

Williams went undrafted out of Indiana in 2016 before signing with the Grizzlies. He was a part-time starter in Memphis, but was waived after 24 games. He spent brief parts of two seasons with the Rockets before landing in New York.

The addition of Williams, along with this week’s signings of Kenrich Williams and Garlon Green, brings New Orleans’ roster to 18 players, with 12 guaranteed NBA contracts.

Hornets Sign Joe Chealey

July 27th, 2018 at 9:36am CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 27: The Hornets have officially signed Chealey, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 26: The Hornets have agreed to a deal with undrafted guard Joe Chealey, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets.

The terms of Chealey’s deal weren’t specified, but it figures to be a training camp contract with little to no guaranteed money. The Hornets have an open spot on their 15-man roster but both of their two-way contract slots are filled. Center Mangok Mathiang, and shooting guard J.P. Macura hold the two-way slots.

Chealey played for the Hornets’ Summer League team.

The 6’4” Chealey, 22, played all four college seasons at the College of Charleston. He averaged 18.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 3.6 APG as a senior and led them to the NCAA Tournament. He scored 32 points in an overtime win in the Colonial Athletic Association championship against Northeastern but was held to two points by Auburn in the NCAAs.

Former Hawk Josh Magette To Play In Croatia

July 27th, 2018 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

After spending the 2017/18 season under contract with the Hawks, free agent point guard Josh Magette will head overseas for the 2018/19 campaign. According to agent Chris Patrick (Twitter link), Magette has signed a deal with Croatian team KK Cedevita.

Since going undrafted out of Alabama-Huntsville in 2012, Magette has spent time with teams in the Netherlands and Greece, and is a veteran of the G League, having appeared in 181 total NBAGL games. He caught on with the Hawks during the 2017 offseason, signing a two-way contract and spending the entire season with the club.

Magette played sparingly in 18 games for Atlanta, seeing much more action in 36 contests with the Erie BayHawks. While the 28-year-old struggled with his shot in G League action (.374 FG%, .300 3PT%), he averaged a double-double on the season, racking up 15.1 PPG and 10.1 APG.

The Hawks opted to go in a different direction with their two-way contract slots for 2018/19, declining to tender qualifying offers to Magette or Andrew White. Jaylen Adams currently occupies one of Atlanta’s two-way slots, while Alex Poythress is poised to take the other.