Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hawks Waive Sheldon Mac

February 8th, 2018 at 5:29pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Hawks have waived injured guard Sheldon Mac after acquiring him from the Wizards in a trade earlier today. Atlanta announced in a press release that it has requested waivers on Mac.

As we detailed in our earlier story on the Mac deal, the 25-year-old was on a non-guaranteed salary with the Wizards this season, but suffered a torn Achilles in the fall, which essentially guaranteed that he’d receive his full-year salary. Washington reduced its projected luxury-tax bill and opened up a roster spot in the deal that sent him to Atlanta.

Mac is the second player today that the Hawks have acquired and subsequently waived. The team also traded for Okaro White in a deal with the Heat and then released him. After today’s moves, Atlanta will have one open roster spot.

Trail Blazers Trade Noah Vonleh To Bulls

February 8th, 2018 at 5:13pm CST by Luke Adams

5:13pm: The trade is now official, the Blazers announced in a press release.

1:26pm: The Trail Blazers have agreed to trade Noah Vonleh and cash to the Bulls in exchange for the draft rights to Milovan Rakovic, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). While the deal will hardly be the biggest blockbuster of the day, it’s an important one for Portland — the team will get under the luxury tax as a result of the move.

Vonleh, 22, was the ninth overall pick in the 2014 draft, but hasn’t developed into the sort of impact player that the Hornets – and then the Blazers – hoped for. In 2017/18, he has appeared in 33 games for Portland, starting 12. In 14.4 minutes per contest, Vonleh averaged 3.6 PPG and 5.1 RPG.

While the Blazers sneak below the tax line as a result of dumping Vonleh’s $3.5MM salary, the Bulls will move closer to the salary floor by taking on the rest of that contract. If Chicago likes what it sees from Vonleh down the stretch, the club will have the option of making him a restricted free agent with a qualifying offer this offseason.

Portland also created a trade exception worth $3,505,233 (Vonleh’s salary) in the transaction.

Knicks Waive Johnny O’Bryant

February 8th, 2018 at 4:42pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 8: The Knicks have officially waived O’Bryant, the team announced today (via Twitter).

FEBRUARY 7: The Knicks don’t intend to keep the player they acquired from the Hornets in the Willy Hernangomez trade, according to GM Scott Perry, who told reporters today that forward Johnny O’Bryant will be waived (Twitter link via Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv).

O’Bryant, 24, appeared in 36 games for Charlotte this season, averaging 4.8 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 10.5 minutes per contest. Before joining the Hornets as a free agent last March, the former LSU standout had also spent time with the Bucks and Nuggets over the course of his four-year NBA career.

Although Hernangomez has a modest $1.4MM cap hit, he’s earning more than the minimum, so the Hornets couldn’t have used the minimum salary exception to acquire him. With no cap space or trade exceptions available, Charlotte had to send out O’Bryant for salary-matching purposes. The Hornets will be ineligible to re-sign the young forward if and when he clears waivers.

As for the Knicks, the decision to cut O’Bryant signals that the Hernangomez was all about landing those two future second-round picks. New York will keep O’Bryant’s $1.52MM cap hit on the books, assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers, and will open up a spot on their 15-man roster once the transaction becomes official.

Wizards Trade Sheldon Mac To Hawks

February 8th, 2018 at 4:38pm CST by Luke Adams

4:38pm: The trade is now official, according to press releases issued by both the Wizards and Hawks. The heavily-protected second-rounder acquired by Washington in the deal is a 2019 pick.

3:18pm: The Hawks sent the Wizards a heavily-protected second-round pick in the swap, tweets Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That pick likely won’t ever change hands, and was simply included because of the requirement that Washington receive something in the deal.

Cunningham adds that Atlanta plans to waive Mac.

3:08pm: The Wizards are sending guard Sheldon Mac to Atlanta in a deal with the Hawks, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Atlanta will also receive cash in the trade, tweets Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post.

Mac, 25, spent his rookie season with the Wizards in 2016/17 and had a non-guaranteed salary for 2017/18. However, before Washington made a decision on whether to keep him on the regular season roster, Mac suffered a torn Achilles, essentially guaranteeing his salary for the year.

By moving Mac, the Wizards will reduce their projected luxury tax bill and will open up a spot on their 15-man roster in case they want to get involved in the buyout market. The Hawks, meanwhile, will likely receive enough cash in the deal from Washington to cover the remaining portion of Mac’s salary.

Mavericks Sign Kyle Collinsworth To Three-Year Deal

February 8th, 2018 at 4:26pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Mavericks have agreed to a multi-year deal with guard Kyle Collinsworth, the team announced in a press release. Shams Charania of The Vertical first tweeted that both sides were close to a three-year deal with the remainder of the 2017/18 season guaranteed. Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News tweets that while the remainder of 2017/18 is guaranteed, the other two years are not.

Collinsworth, 26, has appeared in 11 games with the Mavericks this season, averaging 2.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 0.8 APG and 10.5 minutes per contest. The BYU product went undrafted in 2016 and did not make his NBA debut until this season when he inked a two-way deal with the Mavericks in mid-December.

Collinsworth was waived on January 10 but inked a pair of 10-day deals to stay with the Mavericks. With Seth Curry undergoing season-ending surgery, there should be opportunities for Collinsworth to receive playing time for the remainder of the season.

Cavaliers Trade Dwyane Wade To Heat

February 8th, 2018 at 4:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

4:14pm: The Heat have officially acquired Wade from the Cavs, the team announced today in a press release. Miami sent out a protected 2024 second-round pick in the deal, waiving A.J. Hammons to create a spot on the roster for Wade.

“We feel that Dwyane can help our team in so many ways,” Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement. “It is a beautiful moment for us, for the city and for the fans. All of us embrace it in the manner that we want to win and that’s why we brought Dwyane back home. We look forward to having a great end of season run as we fight for the playoffs.”

12:14pm: Dwyane Wade is coming home to Miami, confirms Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The Cavaliers will receive a heavily protected second-round pick in return (Twitter link). ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reported the deal earlier today, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.

The trade is part of a day-long shakeup in Cleveland as the Cavs ship out veterans in favor of younger, more athletic wing players. Wojnarowski reports that the front office offered Wade a chance to return to the franchise where he spent his first 13 seasons and worked out a deal when he accepted.

The Cavaliers’ coaching staff was planning a reduced role for Wade going forward and he had been campaigning for a return to Miami behind the scenes, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Twitter link).

“The Cavs did right by him,” a source close to Wade and LeBron James tells Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.

Wade signed a one-year deal with Cleveland in late September after agreeing to a buyout with the Bulls. He began the season as a starter, but asked to come off the bench after three games and became an effective leader of the second team. However, the return of Isaiah Thomas and Derrick Rose from injuries created a logjam in the backcourt and Wade’s role become less defined.

It’s not clear how much of a future he will have at age 36 on a relatively young Heat team. Regardless, it’s an excellent public relations move for Miami to erase the memories of a bitter breakup in the summer of 2016.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Heat Waive A.J. Hammons

February 8th, 2018 at 4:10pm CST by Luke Adams

4:10pm: The Heat have officially waived Hammons, according to a team release.

3:20pm: The Heat will waive center A.J. Hammons in order to clear a roster spot to complete their acquisition of Dwyane Wade, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Hammons’ roster spot has been in jeopardy for much of his time with the Heat, ever since he was included in last offseason’s Josh McRoberts trade with the Mavericks for salary purposes. While the 25-year-old lasted over half the season on Miami’s roster, he didn’t appear in a single regular season game for the team. In 2016/17, Hammons averaged 2.2 PPG and 1.6 RPG in 22 games (7.4 MPG) for Dallas.

Hammons’ $1,312,611 salary for 2017/18 will remain on the Heat’s cap, assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers. Miami will also be on the hook for the big man’s $1,544,951 salary for 2018/19, though the Heat could spread that cap hit across three seasons if they want to.

Pelicans Trade Dante Cunningham To Nets

February 8th, 2018 at 3:47pm CST by Austin Kent

3:47pm: The trade is now official, according to a press release issued by the Nets.

1:30pm: The Pelicans are trading forward Dante Cunningham to the Nets in exchange for Rashad Vaughn, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.

The 30-year-old veteran on an expiring deal, who had previously requested a trade from New Orleans, will arrive in Brooklyn and plans to stay there. David Aldridge of TNT tweets that the forward does not intend to pursue a buyout from his new team after three and a half seasons with the Pelicans.

In 51 games for the Pels, including 24 starts, Cunningham averaged 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. While he may not move the needle much for the Brooklyn franchise at first glance, the Nets staff has already done great things maximizing the value of other veterans at similar stages in their career.

The deal comes hours after a previous Cunningham swap fell through. Earlier today we wrote that the Pistons were engaged with New Orleans but ultimately traded the package of assets reserved for Cunningham to the Grizzlies for forward James Ennis instead.

This is the second time in a week that Vaughn will change teams. After starting the year with the Bucks, the 21-year-old shooting guard played one game for the Nets. Now he’ll join a Pelicans squad desperate for perimeter scoring.

Hawks Waive Okaro White

February 8th, 2018 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

After acquiring him earlier today from the Heat, the Hawks have requested waivers on forward Okaro White, the team announced today in a press release.

White, 25, appeared in 41 games with the Heat since the start of the 2016/17 season, but has been sidelined for most of this season due to a broken foot. He’ll clear waivers and become an unrestricted free agent on Saturday, but he’ll have to get back to 100% health before resuming his playing career.

By waiving White, the Hawks will open up a roster spot to complete their Sheldon Mac trade with the Wizards. They’ll subsequently release Mac as well, leaving a spot open to sign another player.

Celtics Sign Greg Monroe

February 8th, 2018 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 8: Now that the trade deadline has passed without the Celtics needing to use their open roster spot, the team has made Monroe’s signing official.

FEBRUARY 2: Veteran center Greg Monroe will sign with the Celtics after he becomes a free agent this weekend, a league source tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Monroe, bought out and waived by the Suns on Thursday, is on track to clear waivers on Saturday.

[RELATED: Suns buy out Greg Monroe]

The Celtics and Pelicans were believed to be the frontrunners for Monroe, a New Orleans native. According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Pels offered Monroe the opportunity to be their starting center, but the big man will instead head to Boston, where he’ll have fewer guaranteed minutes, but a better chance to win a title.

Monroe will also be well compensated on his new deal with the Celtics, as Wojnarowski tweets that the one-year contract will be worth $5MM. That’s more than the Pelicans could offer, with Boston taking advantage of its extra flexibility by using its disabled player exception to reach an agreement with Monroe.

Even though the Celtics’ disabled player exception – awarded after Gordon Hayward went down in the team’s season opener – is worth $8.4MM, the DPE can only be used once, so the team won’t have the remaining $3.4MM available. Still, Boston plans to continue exploring the market for a perimeter scorer, according to Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports, who cautions (via Twitter) that the front office is reluctant to part with a first-round pick.

Monroe, who opened the season in Milwaukee, was sent to the Suns in the fall for salary-matching purposes as part of the Bucks’ trade for Eric Bledsoe. The 27-year-old saw inconsistent minutes in Phoenix as he battled fellow centers Tyson Chandler and Alex Len for playing time.

Although Monroe has had his role reduced and has only appeared in 25 games this year, he has continued to be very effective on a per-minute basis, averaging 10.4 PPG and 7.4 RPG with a .601 FG% in 21.8 minutes per contest. He’ll join a Celtics frontcourt that could use some interior scoring and rebounding help. Outside of Al Horford, no one on Boston’s roster is averaging more than 5.5 RPG this season.

The Celtics are currently carrying 14 players on their roster, so they won’t need to waive anyone to make room for Monroe. However, the move could be bad news for Jarell Eddie, who would have been a candidate to rejoin the C’s if they still had a roster spot available after the trade deadline.

It’s also worth noting that there’s no rule preventing Hayward from returning to the Celtics before season’s end if he’s healthy enough to do so. The NBA initially awarded the C’s their DPE after an independent physician determined that the injured forward was more likely than not to be sidelined through June 15. If Hayward beats that recovery timetable, Boston wouldn’t be penalized at all.

As for the Pelicans, while they’ll be disappointed to miss out on Monroe, they did add another frontcourt piece on Thursday, acquiring Nikola Mirotic from the Bulls. New Orleans also still has two open roster spots, so the club figures to keep an eye out for more reinforcements on the trade market or buyout market.