Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies Convert Scotty Pippen Jr. To Four-Year Contract

October 15th, 2024 at 6:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

6:37pm: Pippen Jr. has officially signed his new contract, the team’s PR department tweets.

5:02pm: The Grizzlies are promoting Scotty Pippen Jr. from his two-way contract to their standard roster and signing him to a new four-year deal, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

Pippen appeared in 21 games for the injury-ravaged Grizzlies last season, including 16 starts, and averaged 12.9 points, 4.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals. He continued to play well in Summer League games, averaging 21.5 PPG, 8.7 APG and 5.0 RPG in six Las Vegas contests.

Pippen has the inside track at backing up Ja Morant if the club doesn’t acquire another point guard. Heading into camp, Pippen and Derrick Rose were the main candidates for that spot, but that changed quickly when Rose announced his retirement.

Pippen, 23, went undrafted in 2022. He signed a two-way deal with the Lakers that year and spent most of his time in the G League while appearing in six NBA contests. The Lakers waived him during training camp last October and he signed with the Grizzlies on that two-way contract in mid-January.

The Grizzlies will still have an open spot on their projected 15-man regular season roster, though they don’t necessarily need to add another player for opening night.

Bucks’ Terence Davis, Cavs’ Zhaire Smith Waived

October 15th, 2024 at 6:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bucks have waived guard Terence Davis, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets.

Davis was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract on Oct. 3. He played three G League games last season with the Rip City Remix and then suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Davis faced long odds trying to make the Bucks’ roster and now he’ll likely return to the G League. As Nehm points out, the Wisconsin Herd acquired his returning player rights earlier this month.

Davis, 27, last played in the NBA for Sacramento in 2022/23, averaging 6.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 64 games. He began his NBA career in Toronto in 2019 and was dealt to the Kings at the 2021 trade deadline.

If Davis spends at least 60 days with the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate, he’ll be eligible for a bonus of up to $77.5K.

In another waiver move involving a Central Division team, the Cavaliers have waived Zhaire Smith, according to the NBA transactions log.

Smith signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Cleveland late last month. The former No. 16 overall pick spent most of last season with the Cleveland Charge in the G League, briefly earning an NBA call-up on a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers in February.

In 47 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Cavs’ NBAGL affiliate, the 6’4″ guard averaged 13.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 33.0 minutes per contest. Like Davis, he’ll be eligible for a bonus up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Charge.

Spurs Sign, Waive Isaiah Miller

October 15th, 2024 at 5:48pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 15: Miller has been waived, according to the NBA’s transactions log.

OCTOBER 14: The Spurs have signed free agent guard Isaiah Miller to a training camp contract, according to RealGM’s log of official NBA transactions.

Miller went undrafted out of UNC Greensboro in 2021 and was a G League player for his first three professional seasons, spending one year with the Iowa Wolves and two with the Salt Lake City Stars. In 49 games last season for Salt Lake City, the Jazz’s G League affiliate, he averaged 11.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 20.5 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .486/.236/.676.

Over the summer, the 25-year-old suited up for the Grizzlies’ Summer League team that advanced to the championship game in Las Vegas. He subsequently signed with APR, a Rwandan team based in Kigali, and helped lead them to a title in the Rwanda Basketball League last month.

The Stars traded Miller’s returning rights to the Austin Spurs this offseason, lining him up to play for San Antonio’s affiliate if and when he returns to the G League. In all likelihood, the contract he signed with San Antonio is an Exhibit 10 contract that will entitle him to a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived before the NBA season and then spends at least 60 days with Austin.

The Spurs now have a full 21-man preseason roster, with another week to trim that total to 18 (15 on standard contracts and three on two-way deals) for the regular season.

Pacers Sign, Cut Jahlil Okafor; Kendall Brown Also Waived

October 15th, 2024 at 4:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers have signed veteran big man Jahlil Okafor to an Exhibit 10 contract and subsequently waived him, according to a team press release. The team has also cut Kendall Brown.

Okafor was the third pick of the 2015 draft and began his career in Philadelphia but never quite lived up to his draft status. The 28-year-old has been out of the NBA since the 2020/21 season, when he appeared in 27 games with Detroit. He was traded to Brooklyn that summer and later signed with Atlanta, but wasn’t able to win a roster spot with either team.

Okafor resumed his basketball career overseas, playing in China and Spain before signing with a Puerto Rican team in February. He also spent time in the G League and was among the players selected by Phoenix’s new affiliate in the expansion draft in June. The Pacers’ affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants, recently acquired Okafor’s rights in a G League trade.

Indiana’s intention to sign Okafor was reported late last month. The fact that it didn’t officially happen until now signals he never had a chance to make the regular season roster and that it was exclusively about getting him a bonus if he reports to the G League. Okafor will earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he joins the Mad Ants and remains with them for at least 60 days.

As for Brown, he had his two-way contract with the team last season converted into a three-year standard deal in March. However, the last two seasons of the new contract were non-guaranteed. He would have received $250K if he had made the opening-night roster.

The decision on Brown improves the chances of Cole Swider securing the 15th spot on the regular season roster.

By waiving Brown and his $2.1MM salary, the Pacers are now $2.5MM below the luxury tax with an open roster spot, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.

Pelicans Sign Trhae Mitchell, Waive Jalen Crutcher

October 15th, 2024 at 7:26am CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans made a minor change at the back of their 21-man preseason roster on Monday, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed free agent guard Trhae Mitchell and waived guard Jalen Crutcher. New Orleans still has a full 21-man squad following the two moves.

Mitchell, who went undrafted out of South Alabama in 2020, has spent most of his professional career playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s G League affiliate. He also had a stint with the Calgary Surge of the Canadian Elite Basketball League earlier this year before playing for the Pelicans’ Summer League team.

In 49 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Vipers last season, the 27-year-old averaged 6.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.9 steals in 30.2 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .502/.422/.652. Known more for his defensive prowess than his offensive production, Mitchell earned a spot on the G League’s All-Defensive team in the spring.

The Birmingham Squadron – New Orleans’ G League team – recently acquired Mitchell’s returning rights from the Vipers. That’s a strong signal that the plan is to have him play for the Squadron this season — his new deal with the Pelicans almost certainly includes Exhibit 10 language, which will make him eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived by New Orleans and then spends at least 60 days with Birmingham.

It’s a safe bet that’s the plan for Crutcher too. The 25-year-old, who spent training camp with the Pelicans and saw some action in last Monday’s preseason opener, spent last season with the Squadron and will likely report back to New Orleans’ G League team in order to earn his $77.5K Exhibit 10 bonus.

Cavaliers Sign Darius Brown II To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 15th, 2024 at 7:22am CST by Rory Maher

OCTOBER 15: Over three-and-a-half months after the deal was first reported, Brown has officially signed with the Cavaliers, according to RealGM’s transaction log. The team opened up a spot on its 21-man roster by waiving Jacob Gilyard.

JUNE 28: Free agent guard Darius Brown II will be signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cavaliers, reports Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress.com (via Twitter).

Brown, who went undrafted in 2024, had previous collegiate stops at Cal State Northridge and Montanta State before finishing out his career with Utah State in 2023/24. As a “super senior” this past season for the Aggies, he averaged 12.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 6.5 APG and 1.5 SPG on .446/.398/.865 shooting in 35 games (36.1 MPG).

An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal that doesn’t count against a team’s cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. It can be converted to a two-way contract before the season begins or can put a player in line to earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.

Cavaliers Waive Jacob Gilyard

October 14th, 2024 at 6:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers have waived guard Jacob Gilyard, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.

Gilyard, 26, was added to the camp roster late last month. He appeared in one preseason game.

Gilyard spent last season on two-way deals with the Grizzlies and Nets, appearing in a total of 41 games for the two teams. The 5’9″ point guard held a rotation role for Memphis, averaging 4.7 points and 3.5 assists with a .425 3PT% in 17.7 minutes per game across 37 outings (14 starts).

He became an unrestricted free agent this summer after the Nets opted not to tender him a two-way qualifying offer.

The Cleveland Charge acquired Gilyard’s rights in a trade with the Memphis Hustle prior to Gilyard signing an Exhibit 10 contract. He will be eligible for a bonus worth $77.5K as long as he spends at least 60 days with the Cavs’ G League team.

Rockets Waive Thon Maker, Markquis Nowell

October 14th, 2024 at 4:12pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 14: Maker and Nowell have been waived, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets. They’ll both likely wind up joining the Rockets’ G League club.

OCTOBER 1: The Rockets are signing big man Thon Maker and guard Markquis Nowell to Exhibit 10 contracts, according to Kelly Iko and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The deals are official, the team confirmed in a press release.

The 10th overall pick in the 2016 draft, Maker appeared in 263 total regular season games for the Bucks, Pistons, and Cavaliers from 2016-21, but hasn’t been on an NBA roster since being cut by Cleveland in January 2021. The 7’0″ center played for Hapoel Jerusalem in 2021, the Fujian Sturgeons in China from 2022-24, and Al Riyadi Beirut in Lebanon this spring.

Maker, 27, averaged 4.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 13.8 minutes per game during his five NBA seasons, posting a shooting line of .435/.327/.680.

A 5’7″ point guard, Nowell spent most of last season on a two-way contract with the Raptors after going undrafted out of Kansas State in 2023. He appeared in just one NBA game for Toronto before being cut in March, but played for the Raptors 905 before and after his release, averaging 14.4 PPG, 8.7 APG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.9 SPG in 22 games (31.9 MPG) for the G League club. His shooting line was .411/.366/.781.

The Rockets had a pair of openings on their 21-man training camp roster, so no corresponding cuts were necessary to bring Maker and Nowell aboard.

While Houston also technically has an open spot on its projected 15-man regular season roster, Maker and Nowell seem more likely to end up playing for the Rockets’ G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The Vipers acquired Nowell’s returning rights in a four-team trade this week. If Maker and Nowell are waived by Houston and then spend at least 60 days with Rio Grande Valley, they’d earn Exhibit 10 bonuses worth up to $77.5K.

Suns Waive Mamadi Diakite, Moses Wood

October 14th, 2024 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have waived big man Mamadi Diakite and forward Moses Wood, the team announced today (Twitter link via Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports). The two cuts leave Phoenix with 18 players under contract.

Diakite and Wood had both been on non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts and will likely now report to the Valley Suns this fall in order to earn bonuses worth $77.5K apiece if they spend at least 60 days with Phoenix’s G League club.

Diakite will be a returning rights player, since his rights were acquired by the Valley Suns in September, while Wood – who went undrafted in June and has yet to play in the G League – will be an affiliate player.

Although they were never likely to make Phoenix’s regular season roster, Diakite and Wood did see some preseason action with the NBA squad this month. Diakite contributed seven points and five rebounds in 20 total minutes across three appearances, while Wood logged just over five minutes in two outings, scoring two points and grabbing one rebound.

Thunder Sign, Waive Chase Jeter

October 14th, 2024 at 2:48pm CST by Rory Maher

OCTOBER 14: The Thunder have waived Jeter, the team announced today. The move puts him on track to join the OKC Blue this fall and receive an Exhibit 10 bonus, as detailed below.

OCTOBER 12: The Thunder have signed free agent big man Chase Jeter, the team announced in a press release.

Jeter, 27, played four years of college ball at Duke and Arizona prior to going undrafted in 2020. As a senior with the Wildcats in 2019/20, he appeared in 22 games, averaging 6.5 points and 4.2 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per contest.

Jeter has spent the past two seasons playing professionally in Austria and Czechia, according to RealGM. During the ’23/24 campaign with BK Nova Hut Ostrava, which competes in the Czech National Basketball League, the 6’10” center averaged 13.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in 19 games (21.6 minutes).

While the terms of Jeter’s contract were not disclosed, it’s highly likely that he signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Thunder and will be waived and headed to their NBA G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. If he spends at least 60 days with the Blue, the Exhibit 10 language in his contract would put him in line for a bonus worth up to $77.5K on top of his regular NBAGL salary.

The Thunder created an opening on their 21-man offseason roster by waiving guard Javonte Cooke on Saturday morning. After signing Jeter, OKC is now — at least temporarily — back at 21 players under contract.