Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hawks Waive Bones Hyland

February 8th, 2025 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

February 8: The Hawks have officially waived Hyland, the team announced today in a press release.

February 7: Bones Hyland won’t be sticking in Atlanta after being traded from the Clippers to the Hawks on Thursday. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), the Hawks intend to waive the fourth-year guard.

The 26th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Hyland began his NBA career in Denver and flashed some upside as a scorer and shooter off the bench for the Nuggets in his first season-and-a-half, averaging 10.9 points in 19.2 minutes per game across 111 appearances, with a .401/.371/.860 shooting line.

However, reportedly concerned about Hyland’s fit alongside Jamal Murray, his defensive lapses, and his displeasure with his role, the Nuggets traded him to the Clippers for a pair of second-round picks at the 2023 deadline.

The former VCU standout never really found his footing in Los Angeles, appearing in just 71 games over the last two years and averaging 7.8 PPG on .392/.349/.812 shooting during that time.

Hyland, who is in the final year of his rookie deal, was attached to Terance Mann on Thursday in the deal that sent Bogdan Bogdanovic to the Clippers.

Assuming Hyland clears waivers, as expected, he’ll be eligible to sign with any NBA team besides the Clippers.

The Hawks, meanwhile, will open up a spot on their 15-man roster after an active deadline week. They’ll be on the hook for the remainder of Hyland’s $4.16MM salary, as well as his full cap hit, but he’ll come off the cap after this season.

Nets Buy Out Ben Simmons

February 8th, 2025 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Ben Simmons has reached an agreement on a contract buyout with the Nets, paving the way for him to become an unrestricted free agent, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The Nets have confirmed in a press release that they’ve officially requested waivers on Simmons. That means he’ll clear waivers and be free to sign with any NBA team as of Monday at 4:00 pm CT.

Charania first reported shortly after the trade deadline passed on Thursday that the Nets and Simmons were working toward a buyout, then co-reported on Friday along with ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst that the two sides were finalizing the terms of the agreement.

Various reports indicated that Simmons’ camp planned to meet with the Cavaliers, Clippers, and Rockets and that he wouldn’t complete a buyout with Brooklyn until he had his next destination lined up. However, agent Bernie Lee pushed back on that reporting on Friday in a statement to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link).

“I just saw some of the other reporting,” Lee said. “(I) want to be really clear Ben hasn’t met with anyone nor is he. We are having conversations with the Nets and when there is something to be said we will let everyone know.”

The fact that Simmons has now been officially waived by the Nets and word still hasn’t leaked about a contract agreement with a new team backs up Lee’s comments. However, I suspect the former No. 1 overall pick wouldn’t have given up any portion of his salary to get out of his contract with Brooklyn unless he was confident about making back that money with another team, so it shouldn’t be long before we get another update.

[UPDATE: Clippers To Sign Ben Simmons]

Simmons, the 2018 Rookie of the Year, made three All-Star teams during his years in Philadelphia and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2021, but had a falling out with the team later that year. A lengthy holdout, a series of back issues, and a trade to the Nets changed the trajectory of his career — across the past three years in Brooklyn, he has appeared in just 90 total games, averaging 6.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 6.2 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per night.

While Simmons’ extremely limited shooting ability make him a tricky piece to incorporate into certain lineups, he’s still a talented play-maker, defender, and rebounder who should have more significantly value as a low-cost addition on the buyout market than he did on his previous maximum-salary contract.

Because he was earning far beyond the $12.8MM mid-level exception on his contract with the Nets, Simmons will be ineligible to sign with any teams operating over either tax apron once he clears waivers. That means the Suns, Timberwolves, Celtics, Knicks, Lakers, Bucks, and Nuggets won’t be options.

Spurs Sign Bismack Biyombo To 10-Day Contract

February 8th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Tristan Tucker

February 9: The Spurs have officially signed Biyombo, the team confirmed today (via Twitter).

Because San Antonio has just two games before the All-Star break and 10-day contracts must cover a minimum of three games, Biyombo’s deal will run through Feb. 20, the date of the team’s first game after the break. That means it’ll technically become a 12-day contract.

February 8: The Spurs are set to sign Bismack Biyombo to a 10-day contract, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Biyombo hasn’t played yet this season, but gave the Grizzlies good minutes last year.

Biyombo, 32, has 13 seasons under his belt with the Hornets, Raptors, Magic, Suns, Grizzlies and Thunder. In 839 career games (351 starts), he holds averages of 5.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. He was drafted in 2011 with the seventh overall pick, spending the first four years of his career with Charlotte.

Biyombo then signed with the Raptors in 2015, becoming a crucial part of Toronto postseason run that season. Appearing in 20 playoff games in 2016, he averaged 6.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per contest. The big man had several notable performances during those playoffs, including a 17-point, 16-rebound double-double that helped secure an Eastern Conference Semifinals win for Toronto, as well as a memorable 26-rebound game in a win over Cleveland in the Conference Finals.

The 6’8″ big man was able to parlay that success into a major payday with the Magic. He was then traded back to Charlotte, where he spent the following three seasons. After that, Biyombo spent time as a depth big with the Suns, Grizzlies and Thunder. He made 27 starts last year for Memphis, posting 5.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game before closing out the season with Oklahoma City.

The shot-blocking big man provides some traditional depth for Victor Wembanyama and a San Antonio team hoping to make the playoffs. The Spurs also have Charles Bassey and Sandro Mamukelashvili as depth options. After waiving Patrick Baldwin Jr., the Spurs have an open roster spot, so no corresponding move will be necessary to bring Biyombo on.

San Antonio plays tonight, so if Biyombo’s signing is made official by then, he’ll be eligible for a total of three games for the Spurs ahead of the All-Star break. If he impresses, the Spurs will have a chance to sign him to a second 10-day deal. Beyond that, they’d have to sign him for the rest of the season.

Celtics Sign Torrey Craig

February 8th, 2025 at 9:15am CST by Tristan Tucker

February 8: The agreement between the Celtics and Craig is official, per a team press release.

February 6: The Celtics have agreed to a deal with forward Torrey Craig, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

The eight-year NBA veteran was waived by the Bulls earlier this week in order to make room for the players they acquired in the deal that sent away Zach LaVine.

The Celtics had two open roster spots after trading away Jaden Springer at the deadline, meaning no corresponding move will be necessary to bring Craig aboard.

Earlier Thursday, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said acquiring a wing would be the first order of business for the Celtics regarding their open roster spots, according to MassLive’s Brian Robb (Twitter link).

Boston will address that need by adding a solid shooter in Craig, who has made 39.7% of 3.1 three-point attempts per game over the past three seasons with Phoenix and Chicago (141 total games).

The veteran swingman is also considered a solid, versatile perimeter defender and is an experienced playoff performer, appearing in 75 postseason games and starting in 19 of them.

Craig was limited to just nine appearances this season with the Bulls — he has battled injuries and wasn’t a significant part of the rotation even when healthy. Before being waived, he appeared to be nearing a return from a right ankle sprain that had sidelined him since December 30.

The Celtics still have some optionality with their 15th roster spot, which they’ll likely fill later in the season.

Magic Sign Ethan Thompson To Two-Way Contract

February 7th, 2025 at 8:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Osceola Magic guard Ethan Thompson has been promoted from the G League to the NBA, having signed a two-way contract with Orlando, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Thompson, who went undrafted out of Oregon State in 2021, has played primarily in the G League since then, beginning his professional career with the Windy City Bulls and also spending time with the Mexico City Capitanes before a stint last year with Osos de Manati in Puerto Rico.

Ahead of the 2024/25 season, Thompson signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Magic and spent the preseason with the club before being cut and reporting to Osceola, the Magic’s NBAGL affiliate.

In 30 total appearances in the Tip-Off Tournament and G League regular season, Thompson has averaged 17.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 32.9 minutes, knocking down an impressive 38.2% of 8.2 three-point attempts per game.

Orlando has left its third two-way slot open for the entire season, finally filling it with this move, so no corresponding roster move is required.

Thompson, who will join two-way players Trevelin Queen and Mac McClung, will be eligible to appear in up to 19 NBA regular season games with the Magic for the rest of the season.

Raptors Sign Jamison Battle To Three-Year Deal

February 7th, 2025 at 6:05pm CST by Rory Maher

6:05 pm: Battle has been officially promoted to the standard roster, the team announced in a press release. In a corresponding move, Robinson has been re-signed to a two-way deal.

2:04 pm: The Raptors are converting Jamison Battle‘s two-way contract into a standard deal covering three years, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter).

As Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca observes (Twitter links), Toronto will use a portion of its mid-level exception to give Battle a three-year deal. Once the move is official, the Raptors will have on open standard roster spot and one two-way opening, with one of those likely earmarked for center Orlando Robinson, whose second 10-day contract with Toronto recently expired.

Battle will be paid the veteran’s minimum in 2025/26 and ’26/27 and his deal will be partially guaranteed for those seasons, according to Murphy (Twitter link), who expects the sharpshooting forward to receive more than the minimum in ’24/25.

Battle, 23, went undrafted in 2024 after playing five college seasons at George Washington, Minnesota and Ohio State. He was initially signed to an Exhibit 10 deal for training camp, but impressed the Raptors in the fall and was promoted to a two-way deal in October, just before the ’24/25 season began.

In 35 games during his rookie campaign, Battle has averaged 5.4 points and 1.8 rebounds while posting a strong shooting slash line of .458/.417/.857 in 12.6 minutes per contest. The majority of his field goal attempts have come from three-point range.

Raptors Sign Orlando Robinson To Two-Way Deal

February 7th, 2025 at 6:04pm CST by Luke Adams

After his second 10-day contract with the Raptors expired on Thursday night, Orlando Robinson is back with the team, having signed a two-way deal, according to a press release. Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link) first reported that Robinson would be returning on a two-way contract.

Robinson, who began the season with Sacramento, was waived from his non-guaranteed contract by the Kings a month ago and caught on with the Raptors, signing a pair of 10-day deals with Toronto in recent weeks.

The seven-foot center has already played more minutes in 20 days with the Raptors than he did in two-and-a-half months with the Kings, averaging 3.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 11.1 minutes per game across seven outings with Toronto so far.

Robinson could play a more significant role in the frontcourt after the club traded big man Kelly Olynyk to New Orleans at Thursday’s trade deadline.

The Raptors opened up a two-way slot by promoting Jamison Battle to the 15-man roster. That move, reported earlier today, is now official. Toronto still has one open spot on its standard roster and could use that opening to continue auditioning players on 10-day deals.

Robinson will be eligible to appear in up to 19 NBA games for the rest of the 2024/25 season, a prorated portion of the full-season 50-game limit.

Warriors Promote Quinten Post To Standard Contract

February 7th, 2025 at 4:22pm CST by Rory Maher

4:22 pm: Post’s promotion to the 15-man roster is official, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

1:47 pm: The Warriors are promoting Quinten Post from a two-way contract to a two-year standard deal, agents George Roussakis and Mark Bartelstein tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The news was expected, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype recently reported that Golden State planned to convert Post, a rookie big man from the Netherlands who played his college ball at Mississippi State and Boston College.

Converting Post will help the Warriors navigate the first-apron hard cap. Because he was a second-round pick in the 2024 draft, Post can be signed for the prorated rookie minimum, which only counts for about half as much for cap and apron purposes as a prorated veteran’s minimum deal would.

Post didn’t make his first NBA appearance until 30 games into the 2024/25 campaign, but he has been a rotation regular of late, averaging 8.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists on .443/.372/1.000 shooting over the past 10 games, including starting each of the past five contests (17.1 MPG).

The Warriors had four openings on their standard roster after sending out multiple players in their blockbuster trade to acquire Jimmy Butler. Post will take one of those spots, and by promoting him, Golden State now has a two-way opening as well.

The team likely won’t be in a hurry to fill the rest of its open standard roster spots, since it doesn’t have a ton of breathing room below its hard cap.

Spurs Waive Patrick Baldwin Jr.

February 7th, 2025 at 4:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have waived third-year forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

San Antonio acquired Baldwin as part of the four-team Kyle Kuzma/Khris Middleton trade on Thursday. He was on track to be dealt from the Wizards to the Bucks in the initial construction of that deal, but Milwaukee worked out a side deal with the Spurs, sending cash to San Antonio that more than covered the cost of Baldwin’s cap hit and the remaining portion of his $2,448,840 expiring contract.

The Spurs will now carry that dead money on their cap for the remainder of the season, but won’t be on the hook for any salary beyond 2024/25, since Washington passed on his ’25/26 team option last fall.

The 28th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of UW-Milwaukee, Baldwin began his career with the Warriors, then was sent to the Wizards during the 2023 offseason as part of the Jordan Poole/Chris Paul trade.

He didn’t see much playing time in either Golden State or Washington — to date, he has appeared in 91 total NBA regular season games, averaging 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per night.

Assuming Baldwin clears waivers on Sunday, which seems likely, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent with the ability to sign with any NBA team except the Wizards. Because he’s only in his third season, he remains eligible to receive a two-way contract.

Lakers Sign Jordan Goodwin To Two-Way Contract

February 7th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

4:00 pm: The Lakers have officially signed Goodwin and waived Traore, per the team (Twitter link).

2:29 pm: The Lakers have agreed to sign guard Jordan Goodwin to a two-way contract, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

All three of Los Angeles’ two-way slots are currently full, so the club will waive forward Armel Traore to create an opening for Goodwin, according to Charania (Twitter link).

Goodwin, 26, made his NBA debut in December 2021 and has appeared in 121 total regular season games since then, averaging 6.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 17.9 minutes per contest for the Wizards, Suns, and Grizzlies, with a shooting line of .405/.308/.758.

Known more for his defense than his offense, Goodwin was on NBA rosters for nearly all of last season, but has spent the 2024/25 campaign in the G League, playing for the South Bay Lakers. In 17 outings at the NBAGL level for L.A.’s affiliate, he has averaged 13.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.8 steals in 24.0 minutes per game on .423/.314/.714 shooting.

As for Traore, the 6’9″ Frenchman caught out with the Lakers last summer after going undrafted. Traore, who just turned 22 last month, has made only nine NBA appearances, but has spent time with South Bay alongside Goodwin, averaging 14.6 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 1.8 APG in 13 games (27.1 MPG).

Assuming he officially signs his new two-way deal on Friday or Saturday, Goodwin will be eligible to appear in up to 19 NBA games with the Lakers for the rest of this season. He won’t be eligible for the postseason unless he’s promoted to the standard 15-man roster before the playoffs.