Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets Waive Brandan Wright, Sign Le’Bryan Nash

March 24th, 2018 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 24: The NBA’s official transactions log indicates that both moves are now official. The league’s site classifies Nash’s new deal as a 10-day contract.

MARCH 23: Brandan Wright‘s time in Houston will be coming to an early end, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, who reports that the Rockets are waiving the veteran. The team will sign forward Le’Bryan Nash to fill the newly-opened roster spot, Feigen adds.

Wright, 30, received a buyout from the Grizzlies after last month’s trade deadline and quickly reached an agreement to join the Rockets. While the versatile big man was viewed as a good fit for Houston, he only appeared in one game for the club before being shut down due to right knee soreness. Wright underwent a minor procedure to address that issue and will continue to work on his rehab with the Rockets’ medical staff even after being waived, a source tells Feigen.

It sounds like Wright won’t be healthy enough this season to return to the court for the postseason anyway, but even if he were to make a quick recovery, he wouldn’t be playoff-eligible for a new team, since he’s being waived after March 1.

As for Nash, the former Oklahoma State standout played in South Korea this season after spending 2016/17 with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s G League affiliate. I would expect him to be assigned to the Vipers again for the NBAGL playoffs once he officially signs with the Rockets.

It’s also worth noting, as Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report recently observed, that signing a player like Nash to a multiyear, minimum salary deal could help the Rockets accommodate another summer trade like the one they made a year ago for Chris Paul, but that’s merely hypothetical for now.

Hawks Sign Damion Lee To Second 10-Day Deal

March 23rd, 2018 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

4:06pm: The signing is official, per an official release and tweet from the team. The deal will run through next Sunday, April 1.

2:38pm: The Hawks will sign Lee to a second 10-day contract after all, Cunningham reports (via Twitter).

11:38am: Damion Lee‘s 10-day contract with the Hawks expired overnight on Thursday, and the team had planned to lock him up to a second 10-day deal, according to Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. However, a source tells Cunningham that Lee is exploring other options available to him.

Lee, 25, has appeared in his first five NBA games over the last 10 days and has looked good as a regular part of the Hawks’ rotation. In 23.8 minutes per contest, the rookie shooting guard has averaged 10.4 PPG on .447/.375/.800 shooting, chipping in 3.2 RPG, 1.8 APG, and 1.2 SPG.

It’s not clear which other teams might be looking to lure Lee away from Atlanta, or if another club might be willing to give him a rest-of-season contract rather than just another 10-day deal. As Cunningham observes, Lee may have interest in signing with a team that would give him a better chance to stick around for 2018/19 — the Hawks have a crowded depth chart at shooting guard.

We’ll have to wait to see where he ultimately lands, but given his solid play in the G League and a promising start to his NBA career, it’s no surprise that Lee is drawing interest from more than one team.

Mark Suleymanov of Hoops Rumors took an in-depth look on Thursday at Lee’s long road to the NBA, a journey that saw him make his way back from ACL tears in both knees.

Lakers Sign Travis Wear For Remainder Of Season

March 23rd, 2018 at 11:44am CST by marksuleymanov

MARCH 23: The Lakers have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed Wear for the rest of the season. The team now has 14 players on guaranteed contracts, with one open roster spot available.

MARCH 22: The Lakers are signing forward Travis Wear for the remainder of the season, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Wear inked a pair of 10-day deals with the Lakers and the second one expired on Thursday night.

In nine games with the Lakers, Wear has averaged 4.7 PPG and 2.2 RPG while shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc.

Wear, 27, previously suited up for the Knicks, appearing in 51 games for the team during the 2014/15 season. He spent time in camp with the Lakers in 2016 and played for the team’s G League affiliate for the past two seasons.

In 33 G League games for the South Bay Lakers this season, the 6’9″ forward averaged 16.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 2.0 APG.

Mavericks Sign Aaron Harrison To 10-Day Deal

March 22nd, 2018 at 10:24am CST by clarkcrum

MARCH 22: The Mavericks have officially signed Harrison to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will run through next Saturday, March 31.

MARCH 20: As we noted yesterday, the 10-day contract of Mavericks forward Jameel Warney expires today, and league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times that Dallas will sign former NBA player and current member of the G League’s Reno Bighorns, Aaron Harrison, to the open roster spot vacated by Warney.

Harrison, 23, went undrafted out of Kentucky in 2015 before signing with the Hornets, where he played for two seasons until being waived towards the middle of the 2016/17 season. In 26 career NBA games, he has averaged 0.7 points and 0.7 rebounds in only 4.2 minutes per game.

Since then, Harrison has bounced around the G League, playing for the Greensboro Swarm, Delaware 76ers, and aforementioned Bighorns. This season, he has averaged 18.7 PPG and 4.3 RPG while shooting 42.5% from long range in 41 G League games.

The signing of Harrison will continue somewhat of a trend for the Mavs, who have now parted ways with two players – Warney and Scotty Hopson – after giving them only one 10-day deal.

Because Harrison played in the NBA in both the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons, his 10-day contract will count as $83,129 against Dallas’ cap.

Hawks Sign Jaylen Morris For Rest Of Season

March 21st, 2018 at 5:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

MARCH 21: The Hawks officially signed Morris to a multi-year deal on Wednesday, tweets Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

MARCH 17: Rookie shooting guard Jaylen Morris will sign with the Hawks for the remainder of the season, according to a tweet from his agency, RZA Sports.

Morris inked a pair of 10-day deals with Atlanta, with the latest one due to expire Wednesday. He is currently sidelined by a sprained ankle that he suffered Sunday and is projected to miss another week. He appeared in six games before the injury, averaging 4.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in about 16 minutes of playing time.

Morris went undrafted last summer out of Division II Molloy College. He spent most of this season with the Hawks’ G League affiliate in Erie, where he averaged 12.6 points in 39 games.

Bucks Sign Brandon Jennings To Second 10-Day Deal

March 21st, 2018 at 10:12am CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 21: The Bucks have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed Jennings to a second 10-day contract.

MARCH 20: The Bucks intend to sign Brandon Jennings to a second 10-day contract, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Jennings’ initial 10-day deal with Milwaukee is set to expire on Tuesday night, so the club will be able to make his second contract official on Wednesday.

Having spent the first four years of his NBA career with the Bucks, Jennings returned to Milwaukee on a 10-day deal earlier this month. The veteran guard looked great in his first game back, racking up 16 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds in just 24 minutes. However, he has played a more modest role since then, averaging just 2.7 PPG and 3.3 APG in three subsequent games.

By re-signing Jennings, the Bucks will continue to carry a full 15-man roster. Assuming Jennings’ new deal is finalized on Wednesday, it will run through Friday, March 30. At that point, Milwaukee will have to decide whether to commit to the 28-year-old for the rest of the season, or whether to use that 15th roster spot on another player down the stretch.

As was the case with his first 10-day contract, Jennings’ second 10-day pact will add a cap hit of $83,129 to the Bucks’ books.

Okaro White Signs 10-Day Deal With Cavaliers

March 19th, 2018 at 8:17am CST by Arthur Hill

MARCH 19: The Cavs have officially signed White, according to a press release from the team. The signing was finalized on Sunday, so White’s 10-day deal will run through next Tuesday, March 27.

MARCH 18: The Cavaliers will sign forward Okaro White to a 10-day contract, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

White, 25, started the season with the Heat, but played just six games before being traded to the Hawks and then waived last month. He appeared in 35 games for Miami last season and is averaging 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds throughout his career.

The Cavaliers needed to make a roster move to reach the NBA minimum of 14 players. The league permits teams to drop down to 13 for up to two weeks, which is where Cleveland has been since Marcus Thornton‘s 10-day deal expired March 3.

The Cavs are short handed with Larry Nance Jr., Cedi Osman and Rodney Hood all injured and Kyle Korver away from the team on a family emergency, but have been hesitant to add anyone to the roster because each move increases their tax penalties.

Blazers Sign Papagiannis Through 2018/19 Season

March 18th, 2018 at 12:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

MARCH 18, 12:54pm: The Blazers have reached an agreement with Papagiannis that will run through 2018/19, the team announced on its website.

MARCH 17, 7:00pm: The Trail Blazers will sign center Georgios Papagiannis for the remainder of the regular season, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The 20-year-old signed a 10-day contract with Portland last week that was set to expire. The Blazers could have made another 10-day offer to the seven-footer, but are choosing to keep him on the roster throughout the season.

Papagiannis was the 13th player taken in the 2016 draft, but he had a lackluster rookie season with the Kings, appearing in just 22 games and averaging 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per night. He played 16 more games for Sacramento this season before being waived at the trade deadline to open a roster space.

Papagiannis hasn’t seen any playing time since joining the Trail Blazers.

Magic Sign Rodney Purvis To Second 10-Day Deal

March 18th, 2018 at 12:02pm CST by clarkcrum

MARCH 18, 12:02pm: The move is official, the Magic tweeted.

MARCH 17, 12:57pm: The Magic plan on signing rookie guard Rodney Purvis to a second 10-day contract, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic. Purvis’ first 10-day deal runs through tonight.

Purvis, 24, has appeared in all five games for Orlando during his first 10 days, averaging 3.8 points and 0.6 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per game.

Purvis began the season playing for Orlando’s G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic, where he averaged 20.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 3.5 APG with a .422/.389/.782 shooting line in 37 G League games.

Jazz Sign David Stockton To 10-Day Deal

March 17th, 2018 at 11:30am CST by marksuleymanov

MARCH 17: The Jazz have officially signed Stockton to a 10-day contract, the team announced.

MARCH 16: The Jazz will sign point guard David Stockton, the son of Jazz legend John Stockton, to a 10-day deal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Stockton, 26, has played for the G League’s Reno Bighorns this season, averaging 16.2 PPG and 5.3 APG in 39 games. After four years at Gonzaga, Stockton went undrafted in 2014 before ultimately signing a 10-day contract with the Kings in Feb. 2015. He appeared in just three NBA games in 2014/15, averaging 2.7 PPG and 3.0 APG.

Stockton latched on with a pair of international clubs in 2016 but the rest of his professional time in the states has been in the G League with the Bighorns.

David’s father John is the NBA’s all-time assist leader with 15,806. The 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer spent all 19 of his NBA seasons with the Jazz.

Raul Neto (fractured left wrist) and Ricky Rubio (left knee contusion) are sidelined with injuries, but 22-year-old Dante Exum made his season debut on Thursday. Exum will likely see the most action as the Jazz deal with injuries with Stockton serving as a depth piece.