Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kings Waiving Jaylen Nowell, Two Others

October 20th, 2023 at 5:16am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings are waiving guard Jaylen Nowell following their preseason finale, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Nowell averaged 10.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 19.3 minutes per game across 65 appearances in 2022/23 as a regular part of the Timberwolves’ rotation. However, after becoming an unrestricted free agent, he remained on the open market for nearly three months before eventually settling for an Exhibit 10 contract with Sacramento.

Most players who sign Exhibit 10 deals are waived before the regular season begins and then join their team’s G League affiliate. However, there was a sense that Nowell might have a path to a regular season roster spot, since the Kings only had 14 players on standard guaranteed contracts. With Nowell seemingly no longer in the mix for that spot, Sacramento may not carry a 15th man to start the season.

Nowell appeared in just two preseason games for the Kings, scoring five points on 1-of-6 shooting in 13 total minutes of action.

The Kings are also cutting center Jake Stephens and guard Dane Goodwin after signing them on Thursday, tweets Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 in Sacramento. According to Cunningham, both players will immediately head to Stockton to join the Kings’ G League team.

It’s unclear whether joining the Stockton Kings is also the plan for Nowell, but he’d receive a bonus worth $75K if he reports to the NBAGL club and spends at least 60 days there.

The moves will reduce Sacramento’s roster count to 17 players — 14 on standard deals and three on two-way contracts. While the Kings’ roster would be ready for the regular season, they could still sign-and-waive players for G League purposes or add a 15th man before Monday’s deadline.

Lakers Sign Quinndary Weatherspoon, Waive Louis King

October 19th, 2023 at 7:35pm CST by Rory Maher

7:35pm: The Lakers have officially signed Weatherspoon. In a related move, they have waived forward Louis King, the team’s PR department tweets.

5:03pm: The Lakers are signing free agent guard Quinndary Weatherspoon, agent Daniel Hazan tells Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it seems likely that Weatherspoon will be signed to an Exhibit 10 contract, which would entitle to him a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived and spends at least 60 days with the South Bay Lakers, L.A.’s G League affiliate.

A former second-round pick (No. 49 overall in 2019), Weatherspoon played 42 NBA games with the Spurs and Warriors from 2019-22, with a modest average of 6.5 minutes per night. He was out of the league last season, having played professionally in China.

Weatherspoon most recently played for Israeli club Maccabi Ra’anana during the preseason, suiting up for a couple games while averaging 15.5 points and shooting 40% from three, Haynes notes.

The Lakers will have 18 players under contract once the signing is official, with 14 players on guaranteed standard deals and all three two-way slots filled.

Pelicans Exercise 2024/25 Options On Dyson Daniels, Trey Murphy

October 19th, 2023 at 4:49pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pelicans have picked up their 2024/25 team options on Dyson Daniels and Trey Murphy, the team announced in a press release.

Neither player will be impacted in ’23/24, but their salaries for the following year are now locked in. Daniels will earn $6,059,520 in his third season, while Murphy will make $5,159,854 in his fourth.

A 6’8″ guard who was the No. 8 overall pick last year, Daniels averaged 3.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 2.3 APG on .418/.314/.650 shooting in 59 games as a rookie in ’22/23 (11 starts, 17.7 MPG). The 20-year-old Australian is known more for his strong defense than his offense at this stage of his career.

Murphy, meanwhile, will now be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer after having his fourth-year option exercised.

The No. 17 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Murphy emerged as a full-time starter for New Orleans in ’22/23. He averaged 14.5 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 31.0 MPG across 79 appearances (65 starts), posting an impressive shooting line of .484/.406/.905.

Unfortunately, Murphy is currently sidelined a torn meniscus in his left knee, which required surgery. He’s expected to miss 10-to-12 weeks, with a rough return timeline of mid-November.

The full list of ’24/25 rookie scale team option decisions can be found right here.

Suns Waive Ishmail Wainright

October 19th, 2023 at 4:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns are waiving forward Ish Wainright, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. The move has been announced in a press release, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports tweets.

The Suns exercised their club option on Wainright’s contract in June but his salary remained non-guaranteed and wouldn’t have become fully guaranteed until January 10. Wainright dealt with a right calf strain during training camp, which didn’t help his cause.

As our roster count shows, the Suns had 17 players on standard contracts, including 15 with full guarantees. Wainright’s status was shaky entering camp and now he’ll be looking for another team.

Wainright, 29, appeared in 105 regular season games over the last two seasons. He appeared in 60 games last season, including two starts, averaging 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game.

Warriors Waive Javonte Green

October 19th, 2023 at 4:27pm CST by Rory Maher

The Warriors have waived Javonte Green, the team announced on Thursday (via Twitter).

Green, 30, has spent the past four seasons playing for Boston and Chicago. The 6’4″ guard/forward was limited to 32 games in 2022/23 due to a lingering right knee problem.

A strong athlete and defender who is limited offensively, Green holds career averages of 5.1 PPG and 2.8 RPG on .534/.342/.753 shooting in 186 regular season contests (15.8 MPG).

While it was previously reported that Green was expected to be waived and play for the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s NBA G League affiliate, we later learned that he had signed an Exhibit 9 contract, not an Exhibit 10 deal. That means he may not be headed to Santa Cruz after all, and it’s unclear what’s next for the former Radford Highlander, who played four seasons in Europe from 2015-19 after going undrafted.

Knicks Waive Knight; Sign Diakite, Goodwin

October 19th, 2023 at 4:18pm CST by Rory Maher

4:18pm: Knight has officially been waived. The Knicks have also signed free agents Mamadi Diakite and Brandon Goodwin to Exhibit 10 contracts (Twitter links). New York now has 20 players under contract.

4:09pm: The Knicks are waiving big man Nathan Knight, league sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link).

As Katz notes, Knight was signed to a two-way contract, and New York also recently waived Jaylen Martin, so the team now has a pair of two-way spots open.

Knight, who starred in college at William & Mary, has played in 108 NBA games over the past three seasons after going undrafted in 2020. He spent his rookie season with the Hawks on a two-way deal and spent the past two seasons with the Timberwolves.

The Wolves had a minimum-salary team option on Knight for the 2023/24 season but turned it down and opted not to issue him a qualifying offer, so he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He signed a two-way deal with the Knicks a couple weeks later.

The 26-year-old forward/center holds career averages of 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per night.

Bucks Sign Elijah Hughes, Kihei Clark To Camp Deals

October 19th, 2023 at 3:57pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bucks have added Elijah Hughes and Kihei Clark to their roster, with both players receiving training camp contracts, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. The signings are official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

A 6’5″ wing, Hughes was the No. 39 overall pick in 2020 after playing three seasons of college ball at East Carolina and Syracuse, respectively. He holds two years of NBA experience with the Jazz and Trail Blazers, averaging 2.9 points in 9.2 minutes (54 games) while struggling mightily with scoring efficiency (.328/.280/.769 slash line).

Hughes was out of the league in 2022/23, having signed a training camp deal with the Bucks to secure his G League rights for the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s affiliate. He struggled with efficiency again during last fall’s Showcase Cup (.372/.284/.733 slash line in 14 games), but played better for the Herd in the regular season, averaging 16.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals on .426/.355/.853 shooting in 25 games (18 starts, 33.1 minutes).

Clark, meanwhile, went undrafted in June after five college seasons at Virginia. The 5’9″ guard averaged 10.7 points, 5.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 steal on .399/.352/.767 shooting in 33 games (33.2 minutes) as a “super senior” in ’22/23.

Assuming Hughes and Clark signed Exhibit 10 deals, which seems likely, they would each be eligible for a $75K bonus if they’re waived before the season starts and spend at least 60 days with the Herd. Exhibit 10 deals can also be converted into two-way contracts, and the Bucks do have a two-way opening after waiving Omari Moore.

The Bucks’ roster is now full, with 21 players under contract.

Kings Sign Dane Goodwin, Jake Stephens To Exhibit 10 Deals

October 19th, 2023 at 2:16pm CST by Rory Maher

The Kings have signed undrafted free agents Dane Goodwin and Jake Stephens to training camp contracts, per RealGM’s NBA transactions log.

According to James Ham of ESPN 1320 and TheKingsBeat.com (Twitter link), who first reported Goodwin’s signing, the former Notre Dame guard received an Exhibit 10 deal. Stephens also signed an Exhibit 10 contract, Siegel Sports & Entertainment announced (via Twitter).

A 6’6″ wing, Goodwin spent five seasons with the Fighting Irish, holding career averages of 10.8 points and 4.4 rebounds on .441/.391/.823 shooting in 158 games (94 starts, 30.5 minutes). He was allowed to play an extra “super senior” season due to the pandemic.

Stephens, meanwhile, is a 6’10” center who spent his first four college seasons at VMI prior to transferring to Chattanooga for the 2022/23 season. He had a stellar season for the Mocs, averaging 22.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 blocks on .552/.408/.820 shooting in 24 games (32.1 minutes).

A source tells Ham that Goodwin is expected to be waived and head to Stockton to play for Sacramento’s G League affiliate in ’23/24. That’s the likely outcome for Stephens as well. If both players are released, they would each be eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K if they spend at least 60 days with Stockton.

The Kings now have 20 players under contract, one shy of the preseason limit. In addition to Goodwin and Stephens, they have 14 players on guaranteed standard deals, Jaylen Nowell on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal, and all three two-way slots filled.

Glenn Robinson III Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Bucks

October 19th, 2023 at 2:10pm CST by Rory Maher

2:10pm: The signing is official, according to RealGM’s official NBA transactions log.

12:10pm: The Bucks plan to sign veteran swingman Glenn Robinson III to an Exhibit 10 contract, a league source tells Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A former second-round pick (4oth overall in 2014), Robinson holds seven seasons of NBA experience, having played for the Wolves, Sixers, Pacers, Pistons, Warriors and Kings. The 29-year-old has been out of the league since 2020/21, when he made 23 appearances with Sacramento, averaging 5.3 PPG and 2.0 RPG on .424/.364/.913 shooting in those contests (16.0 MPG).

A 6’6″ wing, Robinson holds career regular season averages of 5.9 PPG and 2.6 RPG on .457/.373/.779 shooting in 304 games (105 starts, 17.4 MPG).

In August, Robinson reportedly worked out for the Warriors and Celtics in an effort to make it back into the NBA. While he was unable to land a contract with those clubs, he’ll be given an opportunity with Milwaukee.

However, the Bucks have 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts and Robinson is ineligible for a two-way deal due to his extensive experience. That means he will likely be waived in the coming days and start 2023/24 with the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate. The Exhibit 10 clause in his contract would entitle him to a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s released and spends at least 60 days with the Herd.

Once the signing is official, the Bucks will have 19 players under contract, two shy of the preseason limit.

Nets Waive Darius Bazley

October 19th, 2023 at 2:00pm CST by Rory Maher

2:00pm: Bazley has been released, according to the Nets (Twitter link).

12:56pm: The Nets intend to waive big man Darius Bazley, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A former first-round pick (23rd overall in 2019), Bazley signed a one-year deal with Brooklyn this summer as an unrestricted free agent after he didn’t receive a qualifying offer from Phoenix. However, his contract was non-guaranteed, and he was trying to make the Nets’ opening night roster.

With Bazley set to hit the waiver wire, it seems as though Harry Giles and Trendon Watford might have secured roster spots. The three players — all of whom are on non-guaranteed deals — appeared to be competing for the final two spots on the 15-man roster, with Brooklyn having 13 players on guaranteed standard contracts.

A 6’8″ forward/center, Bazley holds career averages of 9.1 PPG and 5.3 RPG on .411/.310/.673 shooting in 228 regular season games (118 starts, 23.6 MPG) with the Thunder and Suns. He averaged 5.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 1.0 SPG while shooting 42.9% from deep in three preseason contests with the Nets and is expected to draw interest as a free agent, according to Charania.

The Nets will have 19 players under contract once Bazley is officially released. They have one two-way slot open.