Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Thunder Sign Bismack Biyombo For Rest Of Season

February 10th, 2024 at 7:52pm CST by Luke Adams

7:52pm: The signing is official, the Thunder announced in a press release.

12:22pm: The Thunder have bolstered their frontcourt depth by signing free agent center Bismack Biyombo for the rest of the season, reports Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). It’s a minimum-salary deal for Biyombo, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A 13-year veteran, Biyombo signed a one-year, $5MM contract with the Grizzlies earlier this season to help fill in at center following Steven Adams‘ season-ending knee surgery. He started 27 of 30 games he played for the team, averaging 5.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 23.9 minutes per night.

Memphis originally signed Biyombo using an extra roster spot that was granted during Ja Morant‘s 25-game suspension. The Grizzlies hung onto the big man following the star guard’s return, waiving Kenneth Lofton in order to create room on the roster for him, but eventually let Biyombo go when Morant suffered a season-ending injury of his own and the team’s focus shifted away from pushing for the playoffs this season.

Biyombo, 31, will become the veteran voice among a group of Oklahoma City centers that also features second-year big men Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams. He may not play regular rotation minutes, but he’ll provide important injury insurance for a team on track to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

The Thunder traded three players for Gordon Hayward on deadline day, creating two open spots on their 15-man roster which they’ve already filled by promoting Lindy Waters and signing Biyombo. The club still has one vacant two-way slot.

Raptors Sign Mouhamadou Gueye To 10-Day Contract

February 10th, 2024 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

4:32pm: Gueye has officially signed his 10-day contract, according to a press release from the team.

12:39pm: The Raptors have agreed to sign forward Mouhamadou Gueye to a 10-day contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Gueye and Justise Winslow, who is also signing a 10-day deal with Toronto, will fill the two open spots on the team’s standard 15-man roster.

Not to be confused with Hawks rookie Mouhamed Gueye, the Raptors’ newest addition went undrafted out of Pitt in 2022 and spent his rookie season with the Texas Legends in the G League a year ago. Toronto signed Gueye to an Exhibit 10 contract during the 2023 offseason and acquired his G League rights from the Legends, setting him up to spend this season with the Raptors 905 after he was waived by the Raptors in the fall.

In 28 total Showcase Cup and regular season games for the 905, Gueye has averaged 14.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, and an impressive 2.7 blocks in 30.9 minutes per game, making 56.0% of his shots from the floor.

Gueye will earn $64,343 over the course of his 10 days on the Raptors’ roster and will be eligible to play in the team’s final three pre-All-Star games before his deal expires.

Raptors Sign Justise Winslow To 10-Day Deal

February 10th, 2024 at 4:30pm CST by Luke Adams

4:30pm: The signing is official, the Raptors announced in a press release.

12:19pm: The Raptors are promoting former lottery pick Justise Winslow from their G League affiliate and will sign him to a 10-day contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Winslow, the 10th overall pick in the 2015 draft, has spent time with the Grizzlies, Clippers, and Trail Blazers since playing in Miami for the first five years of his NBA career. The 27-year-old underwent ankle surgery in March 2023, which delayed his ’23/24 debut.

In 17 appearances for the Raptors 905 at the G League level this season, Winslow has averaged 16.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.8 steals in 26.8 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .514/.276/.625.

A rangy, versatile wing, Winslow will provide some depth for Toronto and fill one of the team’s two open 15-man roster spots. The Raptors traded Dennis Schröder and Thaddeus Young to Brooklyn on Thursday in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, then waived Dinwiddie, creating a pair of roster openings.

Winslow’s 10-day contract will cover Toronto’s final three games before the All-Star break and then expire before the Raptors’ first post-All-Star contest on February 22. The club would be able to ink him to a second 10-day deal at that point, then would have to decide whether to sign him for the rest of the season or let him go (he could report back to Raptors 905 in that scenario).

Winslow will earn $166,176 over the life of his 10-day contract, with Toronto taking on a cap hit of $116,075.

Knicks Sign Taj Gibson To Second 10-Day Deal

February 10th, 2024 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 10: Gibson officially signed his second 10-day contract with the Knicks, according to team PR (Twitter link).

FEBRUARY 9: The Knicks are bringing back Taj Gibson on a second 10-day contract, reports Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). Gibson’s first 10-day deal expired on Thursday night.

The move comes as no real surprise, given that Gibson is a Tom Thibodeau favorite and the Knicks have no shortage of roster spots available after trading four players to Detroit on Thursday and only taking back two in return. Even after re-signing the 38-year-old, New York will have two openings on its 15-man roster.

Thibodeau made it clear on Thursday that he hoped Gibson would be re-signed, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.

“It’s obvious. He’s been terrific,” Thibodeau said. “On any team, at any time, he’s a great addition. So I’m hopeful. (President of basketball operations) Leon (Rose) will (look at) everything and we’ll always do what’s best for the team. But everyone in the organization loves him and has an appreciation for him.”

This will be the third contract Gibson has signed with the Knicks this season. He initially rejoined the team on December 15 on a non-guaranteed deal and was waived on January 7, before his full-season cap hit was locked in. New York brought him back on a 10-day contract on Jan. 30.

Gibson typically wouldn’t be part of the Knicks’ rotation, but he has been forced into action several times this season due to frontcourt injuries. He logged 22 minutes in Thursday’s loss to Dallas, with Isaiah Hartenstein departing that contest early due to a sore left Achilles (Twitter link via Steve Popper of Newsday).

Gibson will earn a $183,704 salary over the course of his 10-day deal, while New York will carry a $116,075 cap hit. The contract will cover the team’s next three games before expiring during the All-Star break. If the Knicks want to retain him beyond that, they’ll need to offer a rest-of-season deal.

Kings Sign Mason Jones To Two-Way Contract

February 9th, 2024 at 8:53pm CST by Rory Maher

8:53pm: Jones’ two-way deal is official, the Kings announced (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat). A league source tells Ham that Jones’ contract covers two years (Twitter link).

4:21pm: The Kings are signing free agent guard Mason Jones to a two-way contract, agent Ross Aroyo tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Jones, who went undrafted out of Arkansas in 2020, has appeared in 36 total NBA games with the Rockets, 76ers and Lakers, averaging 5.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in 10.7 minutes, with a career shooting line of .428/.357/.658. His last NBA stint came back in 2021/22 with Los Angeles.

Jones played for the NBA G League’s Mexico City Capitanes last season and had a brief stint playing in Turkey earlier in 2023/24. As Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 KTXL notes (via Twitter), the 25-year-old has been suiting up for Sacramento’s NBAGL affiliate in Stockton since December.

In 13 regular season games with Stockton this season, Jones has averaged 12.8 points, 6.2 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 27.9 minutes, with a scorching hot shooting line of .576/.522/.737. He’s an accomplished performer at the G League level, having earned a spot on the All-NBAGL First Team back in ’21/22 with the South Bay Lakers.

The Kings had an open two-way spot after promoting Keon Ellis to a standard deal, so no corresponding roster move will be necessary to add Jones.

Pistons Waive Danilo Gallinari

February 9th, 2024 at 8:05pm CST by Luke Adams

February 9: Gallinari has officially been waived, the Pistons announced (via Twitter).

February 8: The Pistons‘ series of roster cuts will continue with a veteran forward, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press, who reports (via Twitter) that Detroit is waiving Danilo Gallinari.

As they reshape their roster, the Pistons have already released guard Killian Hayes, forward Joe Harris, and newly acquired swingman Danuel House, and are also expected to waive another new addition, guard Ryan Arcidiacono.

Gallinari, 35, has appeared in 32 games this season for the Wizards and Pistons, averaging 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 14.8 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .451/.355/.850. He was part of the four-player trade between Washington and Detroit last month, having been sent to the Pistons along with Mike Muscala.

Given his age and the fact that he missed the entire 2022/23 season due to an ACL tear, Gallinari is no longer the dynamic stretch four he was earlier in his career, but he could still appeal to teams as a depth piece. According to Shams Charania and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link), he’s expected to start taking meetings with clubs on Friday, while he’s still on waivers.

Gallinari was on an expiring $6,802,950 contract, so Detroit will remain on the hook for that cap hit if he goes unclaimed on waivers, as is expected. In that scenario, he’d be eligible to sign with any NBA team except the Wizards.

Heat Sign Alondes Williams To Two-Way Deal, Waive R.J. Hampton

February 9th, 2024 at 5:36pm CST by Rory Maher

The Heat plan to sign free agent guard Alondes Williams to a two-way deal, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Miami confirmed in a press release that it has waived R.J. Hampton and filled the two-way opening by signing Williams.

Williams, who went undrafted out of Wake Forest in 2022, signed a two-way deal with the Nets prior to the 2022/23 season, making playing five minutes in one game with Brooklyn. He was waived in January 2023.

The 24-year-old signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Heat this past summer, but was released before the regular season began. He has been playing for Miami’s NBAGL affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Williams has impressed at the G League level, averaging 20.3 PPG, 6.5 APG, 5.2 RPG and 1.3 SPG on .499/.373/.739 shooting in 32 Showcase Cup and regular season games in ’23/24 (37.0 MPG). His strong play was recognized by the NBAGL, earning spots in the Up Next and the Rising Stars events at All-Star weekend, which will be held next week in Indianapolis.

After the moves, all three of the Heat’s two-way spots remain full, but they do have a standard roster opening.

Thunder Sign Lindy Waters To Multiyear Standard Contract

February 9th, 2024 at 5:18pm CST by Rory Maher

The Thunder have filled one of their two standard roster openings by converting Lindy Waters to a multiyear contract, the team announced in a press release. Waters had been playing on a two-way deal.

The 26-year-old wing must be having a bit of déjà vu, as he was also promoted from a two-way deal to a two-year standard contract in February 2023. However, his team option for 2023/24 was declined last June, making him an unrestricted free agent before he re-signed with Oklahoma City on a two-way deal in August 2023.

Waters, who grew up in Norman and played college ball at Oklahoma State, has spent parts of the past three seasons with the Thunder, averaging 5.4 PPG and 1.9 RPG while shooting 36.8% from three-point range in 87 career games (13.2 MPG). He has made 21 appearances thus far in ’23/24, with a modest average of 7.3 MPG.

Waters has also played six Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Thunder’s NBA G League affiliate (the Oklahoma City Blue) this season, filling the stat sheet with impressive averages of 22.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.8 SPG and 1.0 BPG on .484/.455/1.000 shooting in 33.3 MPG.

The Thunder had two standard roster spots open because they sent three players — Davis Bertans, Tre Mann and Vasilije Micic — to Charlotte yesterday in a trade for veteran forward Gordon Hayward. After converting Waters, OKC now has one standard roster opening, plus an open two-way slot.

Jazz Cut Kevin Knox

February 9th, 2024 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have waived forward Kevin Knox, the club officially announced today in a press release. Knox spent a single day on Utah’s roster, having been acquired from Detroit in the Simone Fontecchio trade prior to Thursday’s deadline.

The ninth overall pick in the 2018 draft, Knox has appeared in over 300 regular season NBA games for the Knicks, Hawks, Pistons, and Trail Blazers over the past five-and-a-half seasons. However, his production has been uneven during that time.

In 31 games this season for Detroit, including 11 starts, Knox averaged 7.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per night, submitting a shooting line of .462/.330/.909.

Knox was playing on a one-year, minimum-salary contract with a cap hit of $1,845,593, so that dead money will remain on the Jazz’s books, assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers. Once he becomes a free agent, the 24-year-old will be eligible to sign with any NBA team except the Pistons.

Utah will create an opening on its 15-man roster by waiving Knox. It’s possible the Jazz will end up with another open spot or two in the coming days — it’s unclear what their plans are for the other players they acquired this week, Kira Lewis and Otto Porter.

Pacers Waive Furkan Korkmaz

February 9th, 2024 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 9: The Pacers have officially waived Korkmaz, the team confirmed today in a press release.

FEBRUARY 8: The Pacers will waive shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz after they officially acquire him from the Sixers, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Indiana agreed to trade Buddy Hield to Philadelphia in exchange for Marcus Morris, Korkmaz, and three second-round picks. Given that the Pacers immediately made a deal to flip Morris to San Antonio and will cut Korkmaz, it’s clear those draft picks were the assets they were after, with the two former 76ers just viewed as salary-matching pieces.

Korkmaz has been with the Sixers since 2017 and played a regular rotation role for several seasons from 2019-22. However, his minutes have significantly declined in the past two seasons. In 2023/24, he has averaged 2.5 points per game on .395/.350/.700 shooting in 35 appearances off the bench (8.6 MPG).

Korkmaz is on an expiring $5,370,370 contract, so Indiana will be on the hook for that cap hit once he clears waivers.

The 26-year-old will be eligible to sign as a free agent with any NBA team except the Sixers, though he likely wouldn’t have pursued a reunion with his former team anyway, given that he has sought a trade out of Philadelphia multiple times in recent years.