Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hawks Exercise 2024/25 Options On Johnson, Griffin

October 22nd, 2023 at 1:42pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have exercised their rookie scale team options for the 2024/25 season on forward Jalen Johnson and guard AJ Griffin, the team announced in a press release.

The moves had been expected, given the relatively modest cost of Johnson’s and Griffin’s ’24/25 option salaries. Johnson’s fourth-year option is worth $4,510,905, while Griffin will earn $3,889,920 in his third NBA season. Those salaries are now fully guaranteed.

Johnson, who will turn 22 in December, emerged as a regular rotation player for Atlanta in 2022/23, averaging 5.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 14.9 minutes per game across 70 appearances. He’s expected to take on a more prominent role this fall following the offseason trade of John Collins.

Exercising Johnson’s fourth-year option means the Hawks will have the ability to sign him to a rookie scale extension next summer. If he doesn’t sign a new deal at that point, the former Duke standout will become eligible for restricted free agency in 2025.

As for Griffin, he had a promising rookie year that saw him average 8.9 PPG on .465/.390/.894 shooting in 72 games (19.5 MPG). Another ex-Blue Devil, the 20-year-old has a fourth-year option worth $5,967,137 for the 2025/26 season — Atlanta will have to decide by next October 31 whether to pick it up.

The full list of 2024/25 rookie scale team options decisions can be found right here.

Nathan Knight Signs Two-Way Deal With Celtics

October 22nd, 2023 at 12:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:04pm: The Celtics have officially signed Knight to a two-way contract, the team confirmed in a press release. As expected, Boston waived Scrubb to make room for Knight.

10:45am: The Celtics will sign Nathan Knight to a two-way contract, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 26-year-old big man was waived by the Knicks on Thursday. He signed a two-way deal with New York in July, but wasn’t able to secure a regular season roster spot.

At 6’10”, Knight will provide another big body for a Celtics team in need of frontcourt depth. He appeared in 38 games with Minnesota last season, averaging 3.7 points and 1.5 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per night. The Timberwolves declined their team option on Knight for the upcoming season and didn’t issue a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The Celtics currently have all three of their two-way slots filled with JD Davison, Neemias Queta and Jay Scrubb, but Scrubb suffered a torn ACL earlier this month, making him the likeliest release candidate.

Knicks Convert Dylan Windler To Standard Contract

October 21st, 2023 at 11:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks have converted Dylan Windler from a two-way deal to a standard contract, according to NBA.com’s transaction log. The contract covers one season and is non-guaranteed, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic. It’ll be worth the minimum salary.

The Cavaliers selected Windler with the 26th pick in the 2019 draft, but he missed his first season with a leg injury and was never able to carve out a consistent role, averaging 3.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 84 games. He dealt with injuries through much of that time and appeared in just three games last season.

Cleveland opted not to give Windler a qualifying offer this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent. The 27-year-old small forward signed with New York in July after spending his first four NBA seasons with the Cavaliers.

Windler will get a chance to revive his career in New York after earning a roster spot. He appeared in just one preseason game, going scoreless in about six minutes of action.

The Knicks now have 15 players on standard contracts, including DaQuan Jeffries and Ryan Arcidiacono, whose deals are also non-guaranteed. The team also has a two-way opening after converting Charlie Brown and Jacob Toppin to two-way contracts earlier today.

Jazz Sign, Waive Isaiah Miller

October 21st, 2023 at 5:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent shooting guard Isaiah Miller has been signed and waived by the Jazz, the team announced in a press release.

Miller, 25, played last year with Utah’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, after being signed and waived shortly before the start of the season. He averaged 7.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 29 regular season games.

Assuming he received an Exhibit 10 contract, which is a safe bet, Miller can earn a bonus of up to $75K if he spends at least 60 days with Salt Lake City.

Rockets Cut Nate Hinton

October 21st, 2023 at 5:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have officially waived camp invitee Nate Hinton, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

Hinton, a 6’5″ wing who played his college ball at Houston, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Rockets in August. He has spent most of his three professional seasons on two-way contracts or G League deals, appearing in 23 NBA games for the Mavericks and Pacers since 2020.

The 24-year-old played for the Cleveland Charge – the Cavaliers’ NBAGL affiliate – during the 2022/23 season, averaging 12.0 PPG and 6.3 RPG on .466/.383/.789 shooting in 27 regular season games (33.9 MPG). He appeared in three preseason games for the Rockets, playing limited minutes.

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s G League team, acquired Hinton’s returning rights from the Charge earlier this week, signaling that the plan is to have him report to the Vipers once he clears waivers. His contract makes him eligible to earn a $75K bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the NBAGL club.

The Rockets still have 20 players under contract, so a couple more moves will be necessary to get the roster ready for the regular season. Interestingly, no transaction involving Jeenathan Williams – another camp invitee – shows up on NBA.com today. That could be a signal that Houston plans to convert him to a two-way deal — the team would have to cut one of its current two-way players to make that move.

In addition to Williams and their three two-way players, the Rockets are carrying 16 players who are on fully or partially guaranteed contracts. Because they’ll have to trade or release a player who is owed guaranteed money in order to set their standard 15-man roster, there’s no rush to finalize that move until Sunday or Monday, as we explained in a separate article.

Cavaliers Waive Seven Players

October 21st, 2023 at 5:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers have released seven players, including three who were just signed, according to the NBA.com transactions log.

Point guard Sharife Cooper, forward Pete Nance, guard Justin Powell and swingman Zhaire Smith all have Exhibit 10 contracts, so they’re likely headed to the Cleveland Charge, the organization’s G League affiliate. They can earn bonuses of up to $75K if they spend at least 60 days with the team.

Also placed on waivers were shooting guard Rob Edwards, small forward Aleem Ford and guard Devontae Shuler, who hadn’t been listed on the Cavs’ roster prior to today. They were likely all signed and waived with Exhibit 10 deals and will be eligible for the same $75K bonus.

Two of the players have brief NBA experience, as Edwards played two games for the Thunder and Ford appeared in five games with the Magic, both during the 2021/22 season.

The moves leave Cleveland with 12 fully guaranteed salaries and all three of its two-way slots filled. Veteran center Tristan Thompson and shooting guard Sam Merrill remain with the team on non-guaranteed deals.

Pistons Sign, Waive David Nwaba, Three Others

October 21st, 2023 at 4:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have completed a series of signings ahead of the regular season, announcing today (via Twitter) that wings David Nwaba and Treveon Graham, forward/center Nate Roberts, and forward Ryan Turell all received Exhibit 10 deals from the team.

All four players were later waived, per NBA.com’s transaction log. According to the Pistons (Twitter link), camp invitees Buddy Boeheim, Tosan Evbuomwan, Jontay Porter, and Zavier Simpson were originally cut to make room for the new signees.

Of the four newly signed players, Nwaba has the most NBA experience, having appeared in 237 regular season games from 2017-22 for the Lakers, Bulls, Cavaliers, Nets, and Rockets. He averaged 6.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game at the NBA level, but didn’t play in the league last season, instead spending most of the season with the Motor City Cruise’s Detroit’s G League affiliate.

Nwaba put up 15.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 3.1 APG in 27 games (32.1 MPG) for the Cruise last season and appears likely to rejoin the team in 2022/23. His Exhibit 10 contract will put him in line for a bonus worth up to $75K as long as he spends at least 60 days with the club. Graham, Roberts, Turell, Boeheim, Evbuomwan, Porter, and Simpson figure to be headed to the Cruise as well.

Graham, who will turn 30 next Saturday, has 180 games of NBA experience under his belt, but hasn’t been in the league since the 2019/20 season. The former VCU standout has played in the G League and in the Canadian Elite Basketball League since then.

Roberts and Turrell – who went undrafted in 2022 out of Washington and Yeshiva, respectively – were both role players for Motor City last season. The Cruise still control their returning rights.

Notably, Detroit’s series of roster moves didn’t involve Stanley Umude, a training camp standout who was also on an Exhibit 10 deal. The Pistons still have one open 15-man slot and one open two-way slot — Umude looks like a prime candidate to fill one of those openings.

Wizards Sign, Waive Malik Fitts

October 21st, 2023 at 4:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Power forward Malik Fitts has been signed and waived by the Wizards, the team announced (Twitter links).

Fitts, 26, received an Exhibit 10 contract, so he’s ticketed for the team’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go. If he spends at least 60 days with the G League club, he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K.

Fitts played last season with the Ontario Clippers in the G League, averaging 9.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 18 regular season games. He was out of the NBA during 2022/23, but he has appeared in 18 combined games with the Clippers, Jazz and Celtics.

Grizzlies Waive Harrison, Arms, Johnson

October 21st, 2023 at 4:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies have trimmed their roster by waiving guards Shaquille Harrison, Adonis Arms and David Johnson, the team announced (via Twitter).

Harrison signed with Memphis in late August, and there has been speculation that he might be given playing time during Ja Morant‘s 25-game suspension. The Grizzlies can’t move Morant to the suspended list until after five games, so it’s possible that Harrison may be re-signed early in the season.

Harrison has been with five teams during his six years in the NBA. He appeared in five games with Portland last season after joining the team on a 10-day contract in late March.

Arms and Johnson both signed with the Grizzlies on Wednesday and appear headed for the team’s G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle. If they have Exhibit 10 contracts, they’ll be able to earn a bonus of up to $75K if they spend at least 60 days with the team.

Harrison played in four of Memphis’ preseason games, averaging 0.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 12.1 minutes per night. Neither Arms nor Johnson saw any game action during their brief time with the team.

Memphis’ roster is now set for the regular season with 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.

Blazers Claim Ish Wainright Off Waivers, Cut Two Players

October 21st, 2023 at 4:18pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have claimed forward Ish Wainright off waivers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Portland is waiving another forward, Kevin Knox. The Blazers are also releasing big man Duop Reath, per Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter link).

The Suns cut Wainright on Thursday due to their roster crunch — they had 17 players on standard contracts and could only carry 15 on their regular season roster. Wainright’s 2023/24 salary was non-guaranteed, making him a logical odd man out.

Phoenix reportedly had interest in bringing back Wainright, perhaps on a two-way deal, but the club won’t get the chance to do so, as the Trail Blazers will take on his non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract. The 29-year-old’s salary won’t become fully guaranteed unless he remains under contract through January 7, so Portland has some time to assess his fit before making a final decision on whether to keep him for the season.

Wainright appeared in 60 games for the Suns last season, averaging 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per night. His shooting line was .370/.329/.839.

The ninth overall pick in the 2018 draft, Knox finished the season with Portland in 2022/23, averaging 8.5 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 21 games (17.1 MPG). However, when he re-signed with the club over the summer, he only received a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract, so he was never assured of a regular season roster spot.

Reath was part of Portland’s Summer League team, averaging 13.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in five games, and represented Australia in the 2023 World Cup. He has played overseas since going undrafted out of LSU in 2018, spending time in Serbia, Australia and China.

According to Highkin, both Knox and Reath are candidates to remain in the organization, perhaps with the Rip City Remix, the Blazers’ G League affiliate. However, Reath’s contract didn’t include an Exhibit 10 clause, so of the two, Knox seems more likely to end up with the Remix.

The Blazers now have 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. They could add one more player before Monday’s regular season roster deadline or enter opening night with an open spot on their standard 15-man roster.