Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pelicans Sign Izaiah Brockington, Waive Landers Nolley II

October 16th, 2023 at 2:59pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pelicans have waived Landers Nolley II in order to sign free agent guard Izaiah Brockington, the team announced in a press release.

NBA teams typically specify when they have signed players to two-way contracts, so it seems likely that Brockington signed an Exhibit 10 deal. He could receive a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived before the season starts and then spends at least 60 days with the Birmingham Squadron, New Orleans’ G League affiliate. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted into two-way deals.

Brockington missed nearly all of his rookie season in 2022/23 after sustaining a torn ACL during a pre-draft workout with the Pelicans last year. After going undrafted, New Orleans signed him to a two-way deal last September, but he was waived a couple weeks later.

The 24-year-old played four collegiate seasons for three teams. He started out at St. Bonaventure, spent two seasons with Penn State and finished up Iowa State. In ’21/22 with the Cyclones, Brockington averaged team-highs of 16.9 PPG and 6.8 RPG on a .447/.362/.775 shooting line.

Brockington made two brief cameos for the Squadron in March and suited up for the Pelicans during Summer League in Las Vegas.

Nolley, who went undrafted in June out of Cincinnati, was signed to a non-guaranteed training camp deal. He’s likely headed to Birmingham for his first pro season.

The Pelicans’ roster remains at 21 players under contract, which is the preseason maximum. They have one open two-way slot.

Bulls Waive Quenton Jackson

October 16th, 2023 at 10:45am CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls have announced (via Twitter) that shooting guard Quenton Jackson has been placed on waivers.

Jackson signed with the team in September after the Wizards released him in July. He appeared in nine games with Washington last season, spending most of the year in the G League, where he averaged 15.5 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 29 regular season contests.

Jackson went undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2022 and was in training camp with the Wizards before the start of the season. He rejoined the team in February on a two-year, two-way contract.

The Exhibit 10 deal that Jackson signed with the Bulls gives him the opportunity to earn a bonus of up to $75K if he spends at least 60 days with the team’s Windy City G League affiliate.

The move leaves Chicago with three openings on its 21-man offseason roster.

Grizzlies Sign Jason Preston, Timmy Allen

October 16th, 2023 at 8:57am CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies have added Jason Preston and Timmy Allen to their roster, waiving Matthew Hurt and Mychal Mulder to make room, the team announced (via Twitter).

Preston, a 24-year-old point guard, was waived by the Clippers earlier this month before his $1.8MM salary became fully guaranteed. He appeared in 14 games with L.A. last season and spent most of his time in the G League.

Allen, a rookie forward, played for the Grizzlies’ Summer League team after going undrafted out of Texas. The 23-year-old averaged 10.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game with the Longhorns last year.

Memphis has 15 players with guaranteed contracts, so there’s virtually no chance for either Preston or Allen to win a roster spot. However, if they signed Exhibit 10 deals, they can earn a bonus of up to $75K if they get waived and spend at least 60 days with the Memphis Hustle, the organization’s G League affiliate.

Hurt and Mulder both signed with the Grizzlies two weeks ago and saw limited action in the preseason. Hurt, a 23-year-old forward, appeared in two games and had three points, three rebounds and an assist. Mulder, a 29-year-old guard, scored three points and grabbed two rebounds in two games.

The moves leave Memphis at the offseason roster limit of 21 players.

Heat Cut Drew Peterson, Alondes Williams

October 14th, 2023 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have waived forward Drew Peterson and guard Alondes Williams, the team announced today in a press release. The cuts reduce Miami’s roster count from 21 players to 19.

Peterson, who went undrafted earlier this year out of USC, was a two-time All-Pac-12 honoree while with the Trojans. Across 33 games in 2022/23, the 6’8″ super-senior averaged 13.9 PPG with a shooting line of .442/.358/.752. He also contributed 6.2 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.1 SPG and 0.8 BPG.

Williams went undrafted in 2022 out of Wake Forest and spent most of the season with the Long Island Nets in the G League. He appeared in 24 games at that level, including 12 starts, and averaged 13.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 steals in 27.6 minutes per game. He also played one game for the Brooklyn Nets in December.

Peterson and Williams, who each appeared in one preseason game with the Heat, had been on Exhibit 10 contracts. Although they won’t make Miami’s regular season roster, the plan is still for them to join the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s NBAGL affiliate, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Assuming Peterson and Williams spend at least 60 days with the Skyforce, they’ll receive Exhibit 10 bonuses worth $75K.

The Heat are still carrying three players on Exhibit 10 contracts: Cole Swider, Justin Champagnie, and Cheick Diallo. Since Miami only has 13 players on standard deals, one of those camp invitees seems likely to either earn a spot on the 15-man roster or get a two-way contract (if the Heat convert a two-way player to a standard deal). Of the three, Swider has generated the most buzz so far this fall.

Mavericks Waive Mike Miles, Two Others

October 14th, 2023 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have removed three players from their preseason roster, waiving guard Mike Miles Jr., guard Jordan Walker, and swingman Joe Wieskamp, the team announced today (via Twitter).

Miles, who signed with Dallas in July after going undrafted out of TCU, had been one of the club’s two players on two-way deals. Now that he has been cut, the Mavs are carrying only one two-way player (A.J. Lawson), leaving two openings.

Walker and Wieskamp had been on non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts and look like candidates to join the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ G League affiliate. The Legends acquired Wieksamp’s returning rights from the Wisconsin Herd in a trade last month. And as an undrafted rookie, Walker can be made an affiliate player, since his rights weren’t previously held by an NBAGL team.

Walker and Wieskamp appeared in all three of the Mavs’ preseason games in Abu Dhabi and Spain, logging 24 and 12 minutes, respectively. Miles didn’t play at all in the preseason, though he averaged 12.2 points in five Summer League games for the club.

Dallas now has 18 players under contract, including 15 on standard deals, Lawson on a two-way, and Greg Brown and Dexter Dennis on Exhibit 10 pacts. The Mavs could fill their open two-way slots by converting Brown and Dennis, but it’s possible they have other moves in mind before opening night.

Hawks Sign, Waive David Singleton

October 14th, 2023 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 14: As expected, Singleton’s stint on Atlanta’s roster was short-lived. The Hawks issued a press release today announcing that he has been waived.

OCTOBER 13: The Hawks have signed rookie free agent guard David Singleton, the team announced today in a press release.

The agreement was reported shortly after June’s draft and is finally official, nearly four months later. According to that June report, Singleton’s contract is an Exhibit 10 deal.

Singleton, who went undrafted out of UCLA earlier this year, played with the Bruins for five seasons, making 43.4% of his three-pointers during that time. He averaged 9.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per contest across 37 appearances this past season, then joined the Hawks for Summer League, appearing in a couple games in Las Vegas.

The Hawks have 15 players on guaranteed contracts and three on two-way deals, so their roster appears pretty set for the regular season. That means Singleton will likely be waived in the coming days and then report to the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate. If he spends at least 60 days with the Skyhawks, he would receive an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $75K.

Nuggets Sign Brimah, Pickett, Toney; Waive Boum, Franklin, Funk

October 13th, 2023 at 4:50pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nuggets have waived Souley Boum, Armaan Franklin and Andrew Funk in order to create the roster space to sign Amida Brimah, Jamorko Pickett and Au’Diese Toney, per a team press release.

The terms of the contracts for Brimah, Pickett and Toney were not disclosed. However, Boum, Franklin and Funk were all on Exhibit 10 deals — considering the Nuggets have 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts (with all three two-way slots full), the new additions are likely on Exhibit 10 contracts as well.

If Brimah, Pickett and Toney are on Exhibit 10 deals and are waived before the season starts, they’d each be eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K if they spend at least 60 days with the Grand Rapids Gold, Denver’s NBAGL affiliate.

Brimah, a 6’10” center from Ghana, played five games (5.8 MPG) with the Pacers back in 2020/21 while on a two-way deal. He went undrafted out of UConn in 2017 and has multiple seasons of G League experience. The 29-year-old played in France and Belgium the past two seasons.

Pickett, who played college ball at Georgetown, went undrafted in 2021. He signed a two-way deal with the Pistons as a rookie in ’21/22, playing 13 games (13.5 MPG) with Detroit. The 25-year-old forward spent last season with the G League’s Cleveland Charge after signing an Exhibit 10 deal with — and then being waived by — the Cavs.

A 6’6″ wing, Toney played three college seasons at Pitt before transferring to Arkansas in 2021/22. He played for the Lakeland Magic (now the Osceola Magic) in ’22/23, his first professional season. In 28 regular season games (15 starts, 20.9 MPG) with Lakeland, he averaged 8.5 PPG and 4.6 RPG on .558/.380/.786 shooting.

Denver’s preseason roster remains full, with 21 players under contract.

Bulls Waive Henri Drell, Max Heidegger

October 13th, 2023 at 3:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have cut a pair of players from their preseason roster, announcing (via Twitter) that they’ve waived forward Henri Drell and guard Max Heidegger. Chicago, which had a full 21-man roster, now has two open spots available.

Drell, 23, has spent the last two seasons playing for the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G League affiliate. He didn’t have a major role in 2021/22, but became a starter last season, averaging 11.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 31.3 minutes per night (29 regular season games). He posted a shooting line of .486/.341/.750.

Heidegger, 26, has been playing professionally in Europe since going undrafted out of UC Santa Barbara in 2020, spending team with teams in Israel, Germany, Turkey, and Spain over the last three seasons. He was a lights-out three-point shooter during his college career, making 44.0% of 568 total attempts from beyond the arc, including 67-of-125 (53.6%) as a senior.

Neither Drell nor Heidegger saw much action in the Bulls’ first two preseason games — they each logged five minutes in the team’s opener vs. Milwaukee on Sunday, then didn’t play on Thursday vs. Denver.

In all likelihood, both Drell and Heidegger will join the Windy City Bulls, where they’ll earn Exhibit 10 bonuses worth $75K apiece, assuming they spend at least 60 days with the G League club.

Magic Sign Miye Oni, Waive D.J. Wilson

October 13th, 2023 at 3:43pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 13: The Magic have officially signed Oni, the team announced today in a press release. To make room on the 21-man roster, which is full, Orlando waived D.J. Wilson, who had been on an Exhibit 10 contract.

AUGUST 22: The Magic have reached an agreement on a one-year contract with free agent wing Miye Oni, reports Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).

According to Beede, it will be a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 agreement. A contract with Exhibit 10 language can be converted to a two-way deal or can put a player in line for a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived in the preseason and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.

A former Yale standout who was drafted 58th overall in 2019, Oni appeared in 80 games for the Jazz across three seasons from 2019-22, but never developed into a consistent, reliable NBA rotation player. He averaged just 1.8 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 8.4 minutes per contest in those three years.

Oni, 26, was traded in January 2022 from the Jazz to the Thunder, who subsequently waived him. He signed a 10-day hardship contract with New Orleans later that season, but didn’t appear in a game for the Pelicans.

After reaching free agency last summer, Oni signed with the London Lions of the British Basketball League and had a strong season in England, helping the Lions claim a BBL championship and a spot in the EuroCup playoffs.

Pacers Exercise 2024/25 Options On Mathurin, Jackson

October 13th, 2023 at 3:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have guaranteed a pair of salaries for the 2024/25 season, announcing today in a press release that they’ve picked up their rookie scale team options on wing Bennedict Mathurin and big man Isaiah Jackson.

The sixth overall pick in the 2022 draft, Mathurin made the All-Rookie first team this past spring after averaging 16.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 28.5 minutes per contest. The 21-year-old appears poised to become a full-time starter this fall after coming off the bench in 61 of his 78 games last season.

Mathurin’s $6.92MM salary for the coming season had already been guaranteed. As a result of the option pick-up, his $7.25MM cap hit for the ’24/25 season is locked in as well. Indiana will have decide a year from now whether to exercise his $9.19MM option for 2025/26.

As for Jackson, the 22nd overall pick from the 2021 draft has appeared in 99 games in his two seasons as a Pacer, averaging 7.6 PPG and 4.4 RPG in 16.0 MPG. He’s in the mix for backup center minutes behind Myles Turner this season, but will face competition from Daniel Theis and Jalen Smith.

Now that is has been exercised, Jackson’s 2024/25 team option will pay him a guaranteed salary of approximately $4.44MM. He’ll become eligible for a rookie scale extension next July as he enters the final year of his rookie deal.

We’re tracking all of year’s rookie scale team option decisions right here.