Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Thunder Sign Center Nerlens Noel

July 6th, 2018 at 10:00pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6th, 10:00pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

JULY 2nd, 1:55pm: Free agent center Nerlens Noel has reached an agreement to sign with the Thunder, league sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. According to Charania, Noel will sign a two-year contract that includes a second-year player option. It’s a minimum deal, per Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman (Twitter link).

Noel, 24, began his NBA career with the Sixers as the sixth overall pick in the 2013 draft. After missing his rookie year with a knee injury, the big man played well in his next two seasons, averaging 10.5 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.8 SPG, and 1.7 BPG in 142 games.

However, with Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, and Richaun Holmes in the mix at center for the 76ers in 2016/17 and Noel once again battling knee issues, he struggled to carve out a regular role and was eventually sent to Dallas at the trade deadline.

As a restricted free agent during the 2017 offseason, Noel reportedly passed on a four-year, $70MM offer from the Mavericks and ultimately signed his one-year qualifying offer, putting him on track for unrestricted free agency this summer. Once again limited by injuries, Noel appeared in just 30 games during his contract year in 2017/18, averaging 4.4 PPG and 5.6 RPG in 15.7 minutes per contest.

Noel will get an opportunity to rebuild his value in Oklahoma City, where he’ll presumably slot in as the team’s backup center behind Steven Adams. According to Charania, the Thunder “aggressively” pursued Noel in free agency, with head coach Billy Donovan meeting him on July 1. Russell Westbrook and Paul George pitched the young center on joining the club, Charania adds.

The Thunder’s agreement with Noel is the latest move in an eventful offseason for the franchise, which has already struck lucrative new deals with George and Jerami Grant.

The Thunder currently project to be way over the tax line, with team salary set to $160MM+, so cost-cutting moves are expected at some point along the way. Carmelo Anthony – who has an expiring contract worth $27.93MM – represents the most obvious candidate to be stretched, since the cap and tax savings created by reducing his cap hit to $9.31MM would be massive.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cavs Sign Billy Preston To Two-Way Contract

July 6th, 2018 at 9:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers have signed power forward Billy Preston to a two-way contract, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets.

The 6’10” Preston did not play college basketball last season. The McDonald’s All-American committed to Kansas but was the subject of an NCAA investigation into his eligibility. He wound up signing with a Bosnian team but only played three games there due to a shoulder injury.

Preston went undrafted before agreeing to join the Cavs’ summer-league team. He’ll fill one of Cleveland’s two-way slots, with John Holland currently penciled in for the other.

Zach LaVine Signs Kings’ Offer Sheet; Bulls To Match

July 6th, 2018 at 9:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

9:10pm: The Bulls plan to match the offer sheet, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. The cap hit for the Bulls will be $19.5MM annually, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

7:04pm: Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine has agreed a four-year, $80MM offer sheet from the Kings, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. Chicago has 48 hours to match the offer for the restricted free agent.

The offer includes a full guarantee with no options, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets.

The Bulls made LaVine an offer, but not nearly for the amount Sacramento placed on the table, according to ESPN’s Marc Spears.

“I’m disappointed that I had to get an offer sheet from another team. But Sacramento stepped up and made a strong impression,” LaVine told Spears. “It appears that Sacramento wants me more than Chicago.”

Spears reports the offer as $78MM. In any case, Chicago will have to pony up to retain the talented wing.

LaVine averaged 16.7 PPG in 24 games last season after returning from a torn left ACL. He was traded last offseason by the Timberwolves in the Jimmy Butler blockbuster.

The Kings are the first rival suitor to make a concrete offer to a restricted free agent this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Paul George Re-Signs With Thunder

July 6th, 2018 at 6:46pm CST by Austin Kent

JULY 6th, 6:46pm: The signing is official, per team press release.

JUNE 30th, 11:19pm: According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the contract will be a four-year pact worth $137MM. The deal will include a player option.

10:45: Free agent guard Paul George has committed to re-signing with the Thunder, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. The news comes at the end of a year-long recruitment effort after the franchise acquired the former Pacers star in a stunning 2017 trade.

General manager Sam Presti and the Thunder wagered that the club would be able to convince George to stay in town despite the very public revelation that he had eyes for the Lakers.

While the Thunder didn’t make the playoff run they may have hoped this season, there’s no denying that the presence of George gives the team a higher long-term ceiling.

In 79 games with Oklahoma City, George averaged 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

While he ultimately signed for less, George was eligible for a five-year, $177MM deal as a player with 7-9 years of experience signing with the same team. The 2018/19 cap hit for such a deal will be $30.6MM, per the recently revealed salary cap figures. Prior to the announcement of the deal, reports indicated that the star forward might prefer a shorter-term deal, possibly a two-year pact with a second-year option.

Now that George has signed on for the max, it will push the Thunder deep into luxury-tax territory. Carmelo Anthony, who has a $28MM salary for 2018/19, could be a candidate to be waived and stretched if Oklahoma City needs to cut costs.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lakers Sign Rookie Forward Isaac Bonga

July 6th, 2018 at 6:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers have signed second-round pick Isaac Bonga, according to a team press release. Bonga received a three-year contract, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets.

The Lakers acquired the No. 39 overall selection in a trade with the Sixers and used that pick on Bonga. When the selection was made, there was some speculation Bonga was a draft-and-stash prospect. The signing confirms that Bonga will at least be competing for a roster spot.

Bonga, 18, joins the Lakers from Fraport Skyliners in Germany. The 6’9” forward has played for the German National Team in qualifying rounds of the 2019 FIBA World Cup. He is expected to join the Lakers’ summer league team in Las Vegas.

Sixers Re-Sign J.J. Redick

July 6th, 2018 at 5:18pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6th, 5:18pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

JULY 2ND, 11:12 am: Free agent sharpshooter J.J. Redick has agreed to return to the Sixers, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, Redick will sign a one-year deal in the $12-13MM range.

It will be the second consecutive one-year contract for Redick. In 2017, he received a $23MM deal from the Sixers, who had more cap room than they knew what to do with. This time around, with cap space at a premium around the NBA, the 12-year veteran will accept a more modest salary, albeit one still well above the mid-level.

[RELATED: 2018 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

In his first season with the Sixers, Redick – who celebrated his 34th birthday last month – provided exactly the sort of reliable outside shooting the team had hoped for, averaging 2.8 three-pointers per game a rate of 42.0%. In 70 games (all starts), he averaged 17.1 PPG, 3.0 APG, and 2.5 RPG.

With the 76ers out of the running for top free agents like LeBron James and Paul George, it made sense to shift their focus to Redick, whose new deal will eat into their available cap space, assuming the Sixers don’t remain an over-the-cap team.

Taking into account Redick’s new contract, the Sixers project to have about $14MM in cap room, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). Marks also notes that the shooting guard will have the ability to veto any trades involving him during the 2018/19 league year.

The Sixers could further increase their cap flexibility by trading or stretching Jerryd Bayless, who is on an expiring deal worth just over $8.5MM. We heard on Sunday that the 76ers and Bayless were considering a buyout agreement.

Even after re-signing Redick, the Sixers figure to explore the free agent market in an effort to add more shooting. The team has already lost three-point marksmen Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli since free agency opened on Saturday night.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dwight Howard Finalizes Buyout, Headed To Wizards

July 6th, 2018 at 4:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets have finalized their buyout of Dwight Howard‘s contract, paving the way for the veteran center to join the Wizards, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Howard will sign a two-year, $11MM contract that will include a player option for the second year, Wojnarowski adds.

Howard had one year and $23,819,725 remaining on his contract when he was dealt by the Hornets to the Nets, who had no intention of keeping him. The trade was agreed to last month but wasn’t officially announced until Friday.

By adding Howard, the Wizards now have 14 players with guaranteed contracts. Their projected luxury tax bill has increased from $11.5MM to $18.3MM, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.

Howard will be worth any tax penalties if Washington can advance deeper in the postseason. The Wizards were bounced by the top-seeded Raptors in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs this past season.

The Wizards will make Howard their starting center after dealing Marcin Gortat to the Clippers for guard Austin Rivers. Howard averaged 16.6 PPG and 12.5 RPG in his lone season with the Hornets.

The buyout gives the Nets a projected $9-$11MM in cap space, Marks adds.

Mavericks Release Guard Kyle Collinsworth

July 6th, 2018 at 4:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks have released guard Kyle Collinsworth, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.

Collinsworth had two non-guaranteed years remaining on his contract. He was due to make $1,378,242 if he had stayed on the roster through January 10th. The first $100K of the contract would have guaranteed had he remained on the roster through Friday.

Collinsworth, who is on Dallas’ summer league team, appeared in 32 games last season. He averaged 3.2 PPG and 1.8 APG in 15.0 MPG.

The draft-night trade for Luka Doncic made Collinsworth expendable. The Mavs also have Dennis Smith Jr. and J.J. Barea as options at point guard.

Pacers Waive Alex Poythress

July 6th, 2018 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have waived forward Alex Poythress, according to RealGM’s transactions log. Poythress’ $1.54MM salary for 2018/19 was fully non-guaranteed, so Indiana won’t be on the hook for any of it.

Poythress, 24, signed with the Pacers last December and appeared sparingly in 25 games for the club, logging just 104 total minutes. In 53 G League games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants over the last two seasons, Poythress has averaged 18.7 PPG and 7.3 RPG with a .521 FG%.

Waiving Poythress was part of a series of roster moves completed by the Pacers that cleared the way for the team to sign Tyreke Evans and Doug McDermott. The club also renounced its rights to several free agents, including Trevor Booker and Joe Young.

Poythress will become an unrestricted free agent on Sunday if he clears waivers.

Nuggets Trade Wilson Chandler To Sixers

July 6th, 2018 at 3:46pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: The trade is now official, according to a press release from the Nuggets.

“We want to thank Wilson for seven years in Denver,” Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said in a statement. “As good as a player as he is, he’s an even better person. He will be a great addition in Philly and we will certainly all be rooting for him.”

JULY 3: The Sixers and Nuggets have agreed to a deal that will send Wilson Chandler and draft considerations to Philadelphia, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) first reported that the two teams were close to a deal involving Chandler.

It’s a swap that makes sense for both teams. The Sixers have cap room available to absorb Chandler’s $12.8MM salary for 2018/19, and the deal will net them a solid veteran forward who had a down year in 2017/18 but has averaged 13.3 PPG and 5.6 RPG with a .441/.351/.753 shooting line during his last five seasons in Denver.

Chandler is on an expiring contract, so he won’t impact the 76ers’ cap flexibility for 2019. Meanwhile, the team will also receive draft considerations in the deal. According to Jake Fischer of SI.com (Twitter link), Philadelphia will acquire the Nuggets’ 2021 second-round selection, as well as the ability to swap second-rounders with Denver in 2022.

As for the Nuggets, the only incoming asset they’ll receive from the Sixers in the trade itself is cash, per Fischer. However, shedding Chandler’s salary and using only a second-round pick to do it represents a big financial win for team ownership — with new deals for Nikola Jokic and Will Barton set to hit the books, Denver’s team salary was projected to be way over the tax line.

By moving Chandler, the Nuggets’ projected tax bill will drop by approximately $37MM, and the team will also avoid paying Chandler’s $12.8MM salary, creating nearly $50MM in total savings, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The Nuggets still could end up over the tax threshold, but has a much easier path to get below it now, if they so choose. Kenneth Faried ($13.76MM) and Darrell Arthur ($7.46MM) are still candidates to be traded or stretched.

The Nuggets will also create a trade exception worth Chandler’s salary ($12,800,562) in the deal. They’ll have a year to use it.

Although the move will eat up most of the Sixers’ remaining cap room and likely take them out of the market for major free agents, the team still has plenty of trade options. As Marks notes, Chandler could even theoretically be included in a trade package right away, since CBA rules don’t restrict a team immediately flipping a player if he was acquired using cap space. However, the 76ers like Chandler’s two-way ability and are planning to hang onto him, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.