Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Sign Taylor Funk To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 9th, 2023 at 9:39am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Celtics have signed former Utah State forward Taylor Funk to an Exhibit 10 deal, a source tells Bobby Manning of CLNS Media (Twitter link).

Funk played his first five collegiate seasons with St. Joseph’s before moving to Utah State as a grad transfer. In 34 games with Utah State, Funk averaged 13.4 points and shot 37.0% from deep on 6.4 attempts per night. After going undrafted in the 2023 draft, Funk joined the Heat for the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League, but played sparingly across both events.

Boston is now up to 17 players under contract, four away from the offseason limit. That total includes 11 players on guaranteed contracts and three on partially or non-guaranteed deals (Svi Mykhailiuk, Dalano Banton and Luke Kornet). The Celtics also have JD Davison and Jay Scrubb signed to two-way deals. DJ Steward will reportedly get an Exhibit 10 contract too, but it isn’t yet official.

Funk will likely end up with the Maine Celtics, where he could earn a bonus worth up to $75K if he spends at least 60 days with Boston’s G League affiliate.

Kings Sign, Waive Skal Labissiere

September 8th, 2023 at 9:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 8: The Kings have officially signed and waived Labissiere, per RealGM’s transaction log.

Stockton made a trade this week to acquire Labissiere’s G League returning rights, so he’ll get an Exhibit 10 bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the NBAGL club.

AUGUST 21: The Kings are signing Skal Labissiere to a one-year contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

The Labissiere acquisition is for the G League Stockton Kings, James Ham of The Kings Beat tweets. As Ham explains, the hope is that he’ll join the franchise on an Exhibit 10 contract after a trade with the Mexico City Capitanes (G League) is finalized.

Labissiere hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2019/20 season, when he saw action in 33 games with the Trail Blazers. Labissiere, the 28th pick of the 2016 draft, spent the bulk of his NBA career with Sacramento. He played 106 games for the Kings, including 41 starts.

In the last few years, he has spent time in the NBA G League, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

For his NBA career, he’s averaged 7.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game in 148 appearances.

Bulls Sign Quenton Jackson, Max Heidegger To Camp Deals

September 8th, 2023 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have signed shooting guard Quenton Jackson and point guard Max Heidegger to Exhibit 10 contracts, the team announced today (via Twitter).

Jackson joined the Wizards for training camp last fall after going undrafted out of Texas A&M. He was waived before the start of the regular season, but rejoined the NBA club in February on a two-year, two-way contract. He finished the season with Washington, then was cut in July.

While he played a limited role in nine NBA games for the Wizards, Jackson had a solid rookie year in the G League, averaging 15.5 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game across 29 regular season appearances for the Capital City Go-Go. He posted a shooting line of .535/.395/.775.

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.

Chicago now has 20 players under contract, one away from the offseason limit. That total includes 13 players on guaranteed contracts, two on non-guaranteed deals, two on Exhibit 10 contracts, and three on two-way deals.

Jackson and Heidegger will likely end up playing for the Windy City Bulls, where they could earn Exhibit 10 bonuses worth up to $75K if they spend at least 60 days with Chicago’s G League affiliate.

Lakers Sign Four Players To Exhibit 10 Contracts

September 8th, 2023 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have officially signed guards Scotty Pippen Jr., Bryce Hamilton, and Damion Baugh, along with forward Vincent Valerio-Bodon, the team announced in a press release.

All four players received Exhibit 10 contracts, according to the Lakers. Exhibit 10 contracts are non-guaranteed minimum-salary deals that can be converted to two-way contracts before the regular season begins or can make a player eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived and then spends 60 or more days with the team’s G League affiliate.

Pippen, the son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, spent his rookie year in 2022/23 on a two-way deal with the Lakers after going undrafted out of Vanderbilt. He logged just 32 total minutes in six games at the NBA level, but played regularly for the South Bay Lakers, averaging 21.4 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.1 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per game across 19 NBAGL regular season appearances.

Hamilton also played for South Bay as an undrafted rookie last season, putting up 14.1 PPG and 4.6 RPG on .514/.385/.679 shooting in 29 contests (28.2 MPG).

Baugh opted to forgo his final year of college eligibility this spring to go pro after spending the last two seasons at TCU and the two before that at Memphis. He made the All-Big 12 second team earlier this year after averaging 12.6 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 4.7 RPG in 29 games (35.0 MPG) for the Horned Frogs.

Valerio-Bodon, a 6’10” forward who is 22 years old, has been playing professionally in his home country of Hungary. He averaged 8.2 PPG and 4.1 RPG with a .503/.412/.879 shooting line in 30 games (all starts) last season for Sopron KC in the Hungarian NBIA.

The Lakers now have a full 21-man offseason roster. They’re carrying 14 players on guaranteed contracts and will likely open the season with an open spot on their 15-man roster to maximize their flexibility. Their three two-way slots are also full, so unless one of the four new additions makes a very strong impression in the preseason, Pippen, Hamilton, Baugh, and Valerio-Bodon are good bets to be waived and to report to South Bay this fall.

Knicks Sign Charlie Brown Jr. To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 8th, 2023 at 9:05am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have added free agent guard Charlie Brown Jr. to their offseason roster, signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

The move gives New York a full 21-man squad. The team waived Obadiah Noel earlier this week in order to open up a spot.

Brown, 26, has appeared in a total of 41 NBA regular season games for the Hawks, Thunder, Mavericks, and Sixers since 2019, but wasn’t in the league last year, having spent the season with Philadelphia’s G League affiliate. He averaged 13.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game for a Delaware Blue Coats team that won the 2022/23 G League championship.

Following his stint in Delaware, Brown caught on with the Knicks for Summer League play in July. He was a standout in four games in Las Vegas, averaging 19.8 PPG and 6.3 RPG with a shooting line of .547/.375/.800.

Brown’s Exhibit 10 contract will entitle him to a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived before the season begins and then spends at least 60 days with the Westchester Knicks. However, New York’s affiliate would need to acquire his returning rights from Delaware for that to happen.

Hornets Sign Jaylen Sims, Three Others

September 8th, 2023 at 7:39am CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have officially signed four players, the team announced this week in a press release. While the Hornets didn’t reveal the terms of the deals in their release, Jaylen Sims, Tre Scott, Nathan Mensah, and Angelo Allegri all received Exhibit 10 contracts, Hoops Rumors can confirm.

Sims, who went undrafted out of UNC Wilmington in 2022, spent training camp last fall with the Hornets, then was waived at the end of the preseason. The 6’6″ wing spent his rookie year with the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s G League affiliate, averaging 10.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists 25.3 minutes per night across 39 Showcase Cup and regular season games.

Sims is the only one of Charlotte’s new additions whose deal wasn’t previously reported. Scott reached an agreement with the team in August, while Mensah and Allegri agreed to terms with the Hornets right after June’s draft.

Scott appeared in two NBA games for Cleveland during the 2021/22 season but has primarily played in the G League and overseas since going undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2020. Mensah and Allegri went undrafted this June out of San Diego State and Eastern Washington, respectively. Mensah was a two-time Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year with the Aztecs.

The Hornets now have a full 21-man offseason roster. Their squad features 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts, one (Frank Ntilikina) with a partial guarantee, one (JT Thor) on a non-guaranteed deal, a pair on two-way contracts, and four on Exhibit 10 pacts.

Charlotte also reportedly reached an agreement on a non-guaranteed contract with R.J. Hunter. The club will have to make a cut at some point if it still intends to complete that deal — if the signing is just for G League purposes, it may not happen until sometime in October.

Sims, Scott, Mensah, and Allegri will likely all end up being waived and reporting to the Swarm for the start of the NBAGL season. Spending at least 60 days with the Hornets’ G League affiliate would allow each player to earn a bonus worth up to $75K.

It’s worth noting, since Charlotte has one two-way slot available, that Exhibit 10 contracts can be converted into two-way deals anytime prior to the first day of the regular season. However, the Hornets still have a two-way qualifying offer on the table to Theo Maledon, so they may envision him being the one to eventually fill that opening.

Knicks Waive Obadiah Noel

September 6th, 2023 at 5:05pm CST by Rory Maher

The Knicks have released Obadiah Noel, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log (hat tip to Blake Stern of ldsport.com).

The move was expected. Noel was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract, which means he’ll earn a bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the Westchester Knicks, New York’s NBA G League affiliate.

Noel went undrafted in 2021 after four college seasons at UMass-Lowell. Since turning pro a couple years ago, the 6’4″ guard has been playing in the NBAGL.

Noel, 24, spent the 2022/23 regular season with Westchester, averaging 10.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals on .487/.382/.689 shooting in 29 games (26.8 minutes).

By waiving Noel, the Knicks have created a roster opening, which will most likely be used to sign more players to Exhibit 10 deals. They now have 20 players under contract, one shy of the offseason maximum.

Christian Wood Signs Two-Year Contract With Lakers

September 6th, 2023 at 4:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 6: Wood is officially a Laker, the team announced (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic).

SEPTEMBER 5: Unrestricted free agent Christian Wood has agreed to a two-year contract with the Lakers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. The second year includes a player option.

The Lakers’ interest in Wood was reported weeks ago and now the two parties have finally come to an agreement. Wood and the Mavericks failed to reach an extension agreement last season and Wood wound up on the open market. However, he didn’t get the type of offers normally conveyed to players who averaged 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds during their walk year.

He had to settle for the veteran’s minimum, which is all the Lakers could offer. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (Twitter link), Wood will make $2,709,849 this upcoming season and $3,036,040 in 2024/25, if he doesn’t opt out.

Wood gives the Lakers 14 players with guaranteed contracts and there’s a good chance they’ll leave the other roster spot open to maintain roster and financial flexibility.

Los Angeles already looked solid in the frontcourt and the addition of Wood gives the Lakers plenty of quality depth. He joins Anthony Davis, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaxson Hayes and Rui Hachimura at the power forward and center spots. LeBron James and Taurean Prince could also see minutes at the ‘4’ position.

Wood appeared in 67 games, including 17 starts, in his lone season with the Mavericks. He was acquired in an offseason deal from Houston.

Wood put up big numbers during his two seasons with the Rockets, including a career-high 21.o points per game during the 202o/21 season. He signed a three-year, $41MM contact with Houston in 2020 after a breakout season with Detroit.

The Lakers will be the eighth NBA franchise on Wood’s resume.

Nets Sign Harry Giles To Non-Guaranteed Deal

September 6th, 2023 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 6: The signing is official, the Nets announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 2: The deal between Giles and the Nets is a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link). Scotto adds that Giles will compete for a roster spot in training camp.

SEPTEMBER 1: The Nets and free agent big man Harry Giles are in agreement on a one-year deal, agent Daniel Hazan tells Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

The financial terms of the deal have yet to be revealed, but it’s a safe bet it will be worth the veteran’s minimum and it’s extremely unlikely to be guaranteed.

Giles was the 20th overall pick in the 2017 draft. He missed his entire rookie year due to knee issues, then appeared in 142 regular season games for the Kings and Trail Blazers from 2018-21, averaging 5.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per night, with a .511 FG%. He suited up for the Clippers’ G League affiliate in 2021/22, but suffered a season-ending injury and didn’t play anywhere last season.

A top recruit in high school, Giles played limited minutes during his lone season at Duke due in part to his knee problems, which have continued to plague him during his professional career. However, he’s still just 25 years old and appears to be healthy entering training camp, having worked out for several NBA teams – including Brooklyn – earlier this offseason.

It’s worth noting that a change to the Collective Bargaining Agreement has made Giles eligible for a two-way contract in 2023/24 despite the fact that he has four years of NBA service, since he missed the entirety of one of those four seasons due to an injury. So if his deal with the Nets includes Exhibit 10 language, Giles could have it converted to a two-way contract before the season begins. Brooklyn currently has one two-way opening.

Bucks Sign Marques Bolden To Camp Deal

September 5th, 2023 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have agreed to sign free agent center Marques Bolden to a training camp contract, reports Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link). The move is official, per RealGM’s transaction log.

Bolden, 25, appeared in seven NBA games for Cleveland in 2020 and 2021, but has spent the majority of his professional career in the G League, including the last two seasons with the Salt Lake City Stars. Although he was a regular starter for Utah’s G League affiliate in 2021/22, averaging 11.7 PPG and 8.5 RPG in 21 regular season NBAGL games (30.1 MPG), the former Duke Blue Devil was limited to six total appearances for the Stars last season due to a shoulder injury.

The Bucks have 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts, so they likely don’t envision Bolden having a spot on their regular season roster. Assuming his contract includes Exhibit 10 language, it could be converted to a two-way deal before the regular season begins, though Milwaukee doesn’t currently have a two-way opening either.

Exhibit 10 signees often end up being waived and then reporting to their team’s G League affiliate, earning a bonus worth up to $75K if they spend at least 60 days with the NBAGL club. But assuming the Stars still hold Bolden’s returning rights, which appears to be the case, then the Wisconsin Herd – Milwaukee’s affiliate – would need to trade for those rights in order for the big man to receive a bonus from the Bucks.

Milwaukee had been carrying 20 players on its offseason roster, leaving one open spot, so no cut is necessary to make room for Bolden.