Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sixers To Sign Guerschon Yabusele To One-Year Deal

August 18th, 2024 at 11:33am CST by Rory Maher

11:33am: Yabusele has agreed to a one-year deal with Philadelphia, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter). It will be minimum-salary contract, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Yabusele has two years of NBA experience, so his salary for 2024/25 will be $2,087,519.

11:06am: The Sixers and Guerschon Yabusele are in “serious talks” about a contract that would bring the French forward stateside, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The news is pretty surprising, given that Yabusele’s buyout clause with Real Madrid is valued at $2.5MM — multiple NBA teams viewed that figure as “prohibitive,” according to Marc Stein (Substack link). However, Charania says Yabusele is working to resolve his situation with the Spanish powerhouse.

As our Luke Adams outlined a couple days ago, NBA teams are only permitted to pay up to $850K this season for an international player’s buyout without that money counting toward their cap. According to Charania, the remaining $1.65MM is what’s being discussed between Yabusele and Real Madrid.

The 16th overall pick in the 2016 draft, Yabusele spent a year as a draft-and-stash prospect in China, then played for the Celtics for two seasons from 2017-19. He appeared in 74 games, including five starts. He averaged 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.1 minutes per contest.

The 28-year-old has become a star in Europe over the past several seasons, the past three of which came with Real Madrid. He was one of the top players at the Olympics in Paris, averaging 14 points per game and earning second-team honors while helping France capture the silver medal.

Shortly after France lost to the United States in the gold-medal game, Yabusele indicated he was eager to return to the NBA, and now a deal appears imminent.

Bulls Sign Kenneth Lofton Jr. To Exhibit 10 Contract

August 17th, 2024 at 11:50am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 17: Lofton’s deal with the Bulls is official, according to RealGM’s transaction log. It’s an Exhibit 10 contract, Hoops Rumors has confirmed.

AUGUST 16: Free agent forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. has agreed to a one-year contract with the Bulls, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

While Charania doesn’t provide any other details on the deal, he says Lofton will have the opportunity in training camp to compete for a spot on Chicago’s regular season roster. That suggests it’ll be a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract.

Lofton, who turned 22 on Wednesday, began his professional career with the Grizzlies in 2022 after going undrafted out of Louisiana Tech. The bulky 6’6″ forward spent most of his rookie year on a two-way contract with Memphis, appearing in 24 NBA games.

After being converted to a standard contract in April 2023, Lofton began the 2023/24 season on the Grizzlies’ 15-man roster, but was waived in December when Ja Morant was activated from the suspended list. He spent a couple months on a two-way deal with Philadelphia, then was waived again in March and signed a rest-of-season contract with the Jazz, who cut him last month before his ’24/25 salary became partially guaranteed.

Although Lofton didn’t play much at the NBA level in ’23/24, he finished the year strong in Utah, averaging 13.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 22.8 minutes per game across four April outings for the Jazz. He also had a big year in the G League, earning All-NBAGL First Team honors after putting up 25.1 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 4.4 APG, and 1.6 BPG in 19 regular season games (30.1 MPG) for the Delaware Blue Coats and the Salt Lake City Stars.

The Bulls currently have 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts, with Onuralp Bitim on a non-guaranteed deal, so if Lofton impresses in camp, he could become the team’s 15th man. Chicago also has a two-way spot available, though Lofton would only be eligible to have his contract converted to a two-way deal if it includes Exhibit 10 language.

JT Thor Agrees To Two-Way Contract With Cavaliers

August 17th, 2024 at 11:39am CST by Tristan Tucker

Former Hornets forward JT Thor is signing a two-way contract with the Cavaliers, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (Twitter link).

Thor, the 37th overall pick in the 2021 draft, spent the first three years of his career with the Hornets. He didn’t play a major role with Charlotte, but earned a handful of spot starts across his tenure with the franchise. He averaged 3.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 165 games (11 starts; 12.2 MPG) with the Hornets from 2021-24.

The former Auburn standout earned some first-round buzz in the 2021 draft after a freshman season that saw him average 9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 0.8 steals while stretching out to the three-point line as a 6’10” forward. At 21 years old, he still has some untapped potential.

Thor most recently impressed in the Olympics, playing for South Sudan’s national team. He averaged about seven points and five rebounds for South Sudan.

Thor is the first reported two-way signing for the Cavs, giving them two other spots they can choose to fill. They have a two-way qualifying offer out for Emoni Bates, who finished last season on a two-way contract with the team.

Pete Nance and Isaiah Mobley also finished the 2023/24 season on two-way deals with Cleveland but are both unrestricted free agents, free to sign with any team.

Clippers, Kevon Harris Agree To Camp Deal

August 15th, 2024 at 6:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent guard Kevon Harris has agreed to sign a training camp contract with the Clippers, agent Daniel Hazan tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Charania, Harris will get the opportunity to compete for a regular season roster spot in Los Angeles. However, that could be an uphill battle unless the Clippers trade or waive one of the players projected to be on their 15-man roster. The club is currently carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, plus Kai Jones on an Exhibit 10 deal.

Harris, 27, appeared in 34 games for the Magic in 2022/23 while on a two-way contract with the team. That deal covered the ’23/24 season as well, though he saw action in just two NBA contests this past year after missing the first half of the season due to a knee issue.

In 27 regular season outings for the Osceola Magic in the G League in ’23/24, Harris averaged 16.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 28.8 minutes per contest, posting a shooting line of .492/.381/.746. The 6’5″ shooting guard was selected to play in the NBAGL’s Up Next game at All-Star weekend.

The Clippers currently have 18 players officially signed to their offseason roster and have also reportedly reached agreements on training camp deals with Elijah Harkless, RayJ Dennis, and now Harris.

Lakers Sign Kylor Kelley, Quincy Olivari To Exhibit 10 Deals

August 14th, 2024 at 6:26pm CST by Luke Adams

6:26pm: Both moves are official, the Lakers announced (via Twitter).

1:09pm: The Lakers have signed free agents Kylor Kelley and Quincy Olivari to Exhibit 10 contracts, according to reports from Jovan Buha of The Athletic and Trevor Lane of Lakers Nation (Twitter links). Olivari’s agreement with the team was first reported in June, but Lane indicates that it’s official now (Twitter link).

Kelley, who went undrafted out of Oregon State in 2020, has played in the G League and a handful of other non-NBA leagues – including in England and Denmark – since going pro.

The 7’0″ center spent the 2023/24 season with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s affiliate, and earned NBAGL All-Defensive honors after averaging a league-leading 2.9 blocks per game in 29 regular season appearances (22.0 MPG). Kelley, 26, also contributed 7.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest.

Olivari, meanwhile, was a two-time All-CUSA honoree during his four seasons at Rice who transferred to Xavier for his final season of NCAA eligibility in 2023/24. The 6’2″ guard posted averages of 19.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals per night last season, with shooting splits of .425/.409/.814.

Olivari played for the Lakers’ Summer League team last month, while Kelley suited up for the Thunder’s Summer League squad.

A player on an Exhibit 10 contract can earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived by his NBA team and then spends at least 60 days with his club’s G League affiliate. Exhibit 10 deals can also be converted to two-way contracts before the start of the regular season.

The Lakers now have 20 players under contract, including 15 on guaranteed standard deals and three on two-way pacts.

Skal Labissiere To Sign Exhibit 10 Deal With Kings

August 14th, 2024 at 5:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

Skal Labissiere will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with Sacramento and play for the Stockton Kings this season, according to Sean Cunningham of KTXL in Sacramento (Twitter link).

The 28-year-old power forward/center took a similar path last offseason when he was signed and waived by Sacramento on September 8. He appeared in 14 games with Stockton, making two starts and averaging 7.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 16.4 minutes per night. He was selected to take part in the G League’s Up Next Game at All-Star Weekend.

Labissiere started his career with the Kings, who acquired him from Phoenix after he was selected with the 28th pick in the 2016 draft. He played in 106 games over two and a half seasons with Sacramento before being shipped to Portland at the 2019 trade deadline. The Trail Blazers traded him to Atlanta a year later, and he hasn’t played in the NBA since then.

Labissiere has spent most of his time in the G League, making stops with the Westchester Knicks and the Mexico City Capitanes before coming to Stockton. He also had a brief stay with a team in Puerto Rico.

A player on an Exhibit 10 contract can earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived by his NBA team and then spends at least 60 days with his club’s G League affiliate. Exhibit 10 deals can also be converted to two-way contracts before the start of the regular season.

Knicks Re-Sign Jacob Toppin To Two-Way Deal

August 14th, 2024 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Restricted free agent forward Jacob Toppin is back under contract with the Knicks, according to the team, which announced today in a press release (Twitter link) that he has been re-signed to a two-way contract.

New York made Toppin a restricted free agent by issuing him a two-way qualifying offer after he finished the 2023/24 season on a two-way deal with the club. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), the 24-year-old simply accepted that qualifying offer.

The younger brother of former Knicks forward Obi Toppin, Jacob signed a two-way contract with the organization last July after going undrafted out of Kentucky. He spent nearly his entire season with New York. He had his contract converted to a 10-day deal in February, then returned on a new two-way contract after those 10 days were up.

Toppin played sparingly at the NBA level, appearing in just nine games for New York, but he was a key contributor for the Westchester Knicks in the G League, averaging 17.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 35.1 minutes per game across 42 Showcase Cup and regular season contests. He registered a shooting line of .455/.323/.781.

Toppin also participated in the 2024 dunk contest, though he was eliminated before the final round.

The Knicks have filled all three of their two-way slots, with Toppin joining Ariel Hukporti and Kevin McCullar.

There are now just two restricted free agents left on the market, and both are Cavaliers: Isaac Okoro (standard) and Emoni Bates (two-way).

Trail Blazers Sign Henri Drell To Exhibit 10 Deal

August 14th, 2024 at 11:30am CST by Luke Adams

11:30am: It’s an Exhibit 10 deal for Drell, Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report confirms (via Twitter).

7:19am: The Trail Blazers have signed free agent forward Henri Drell to a one-year, non-guaranteed training camp contract, according to RealGM’s transaction log.

Drell, 24, is a 6’9″ Estonian wing who spent several years playing overseas before joining the Windy City Bulls in the G League in January 2022. His play for Chicago’s G League affiliate across parts of three seasons eventually earned him a shot at the NBA level — he signed a two-way contract with the Bulls last December and spent the rest of the season with the club, though he logged just 30 total minutes across four NBA appearances.

Drell had his most productive G League season in 2023/24, averaging 14.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.8 steals in 32.6 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .435/.309/.757, across 42 Showcase Cup and regular season outings. However, the Bulls opted not to tender him a qualifying offer in June, so he became an unrestricted free agent, though he did play for Chicago in the Las Vegas Summer League last month.

The Trail Blazers now have 19 players under contract, including 14 on guaranteed standard deals, Dalano Banton and Devonte’ Graham on non-guaranteed contracts, and Justin Minaya and Bryce McGowens on two-way pacts. Yongxi Cui is also expected to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the club.

It’s unclear if Drell’s deal includes Exhibit 10 language. If it does, he could be a candidate to have his deal converted to a two-way contract before the regular season begins.

Jazz Sign Babacar Sane To Exhibit 10 Contract

August 13th, 2024 at 7:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have added undrafted rookie forward Babacar Sane to their offseason roster, according to RealGM’s transaction log. Tony Jones of The Athletic reported (via Twitter) in June that Sane would be signing an Exhibit 10 contract with Utah.

A player on an Exhibit 10 contract can earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived by his NBA team and then spends at least 60 days with his club’s G League affiliate. Exhibit 10 deals can also be converted to two-way contracts before the start of the regular season, but I expect the plan for Sane is to have him become an affiliate player for the Salt Lake City Stars.

Sane, who will turn 21 next month, is a native of Senegal who attended the NBA Academy Africa and then played in the Basketball Africa League before coming stateside in 2022. He spent the past two seasons with the G League Ignite before the team was shut down at the end of the ’23/24 campaign.

In 31 Showcase Cup and regular season games last season for the Ignite, Sane averaged 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per contest, posting a shooting line of .445/.263/.699. The 6’6″ forward, who participated in the G League’s Next Up Game at All-Star weekend in each of the past two years, declared for the draft as an early entrant this spring.

It has been a busy week of roster moves for the Jazz. They renegotiated and extended Lauri Markkanen‘s contract last Wednesday, then officially signed Drew Eubanks, Svi Mykhailiuk, Kyle Filipowski, and Johnny Juzang in recent days, while also swapping out one two-way player (Taevion Kinsey) for a new one (Oscar Tshiebwe).

Utah currently has 18 players under contract, including 14 on standard deals, three on two-ways, and now Sane on an Exhibit 10 pact. The club figures to fill out its 21-man offseason roster at some point between now and the start of training camp this fall.

Jazz Re-Sign Johnny Juzang To Four-Year Contract

August 13th, 2024 at 7:34am CST by Rory Maher

AUGUST 13: The Jazz have officially re-signed Juzang, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

JULY 12: The Jazz are re-signing restricted free agent Johnny Juzang to a four-year, $12MM contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

A 6’7″ wing who starred in college at UCLA, Juzang went undrafted in 2022 before signing a two-way deal with Utah. He has spent his first two NBA seasons on two-way contracts with the Jazz, appearing in a total of 38 games.

Juzang played in 20 games for the Jazz in 2023/24, averaging 7.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG and 1.2 APG on .464/.416/.714 shooting in 18.6 MPG. Nearly all of those statistics were accumulated in the last month-plus of the season, with Juzang only making three appearances before March 4.

In addition to his NBA minutes, Juzang has been a regular contributor for the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s NBA G League affiliate. In 33 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Stars last season (31.9 MPG), the 23-year-old averaged 20.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 2.5 APG on .465/.369/.904 shooting.

Based on the reported terms, it sounds like Juzang will receive more than a minimum-salary contract. The Jazz currently have the most cap room in the NBA, so they can afford to hand out a long-term deal in the hope that Juzang becomes a rotation regular going forward. If that occurs, the contract will look team-friendly; if not, it’s still a relatively modest cap hit.

While the exact details have yet to be confirmed, Juzang’s new deal is unlikely to be guaranteed for all four years.