Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jazz Sign Jarrell Brantley To 10-Day Contract

March 18th, 2023 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have officially signed forward Jarrell Brantley to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.

The move represents a reunion for the two sides, as Brantley spent his first two professional seasons with the Jazz from 2019-21 after being selected 50th overall in the 2019 draft out of Charleston. He was waived in September 2021 and has since played in Russia, Puerto Rico, and New Zealand in addition to the G League.

While Brantley excelled at the NBAGL level for the Salt Lake City Stars, he didn’t see a ton of action in the NBA during his two years in Utah. He appeared in a total of 37 contests, averaging 2.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in just 6.3 minutes per contest.

As a member of the New Zealand Breakers in Australia’s National Basketball League this season, Brantley started all 39 games he played for the team, putting up 15.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.5 steals in 28.7 minutes per night.

A roster move had been required today for the Jazz, who had been carrying just 13 players on their standard roster since Frank Jackson‘s 10-day deal expired on March 4. NBA teams can dip below the league-mandated minimum of 14 players on standard contracts, but only for up to two weeks at a time. Utah has now once again reached that 14-player minimum, with one open spot left on their roster.

Brantley’s salary and cap hit on his 10-day deal will be $105,522, as our chart shows. The contract will run through Monday, March 27, covering the Jazz’s next six games. Once it expires, he would be eligible to sign a second 10-day deal with Utah before the team would have to make a decision on whether to let him walk or sign him for the rest of the season.

Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards Sustains Right Ankle Sprain

March 17th, 2023 at 8:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Timberwolves guard/forward Anthony Edwards was unable to put weight on his right leg after sustaining a pretty gruesome looking right ankle sprain. He was helped off the floor and headed straight back to the locker room, tweets K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North has the video (via Twitter). The injury occurred with just over four minutes remaining in the first quarter of Minnesota’s road game at Chicago, with Edwards rolling his ankle after a cross-court jump pass.

Although Edwards was clearly in a lot of pain when the play occurred, the Wolves didn’t initially rule him out of the game. He was first listed as questionable before being downgraded to out (Twitter link).

A first-time All-Star in 2022/23, Edwards is having an excellent third season for the Wolves, averaging 25.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.5 APG and 1.6 SPG on .460/.369/.767 shooting. He has appeared in every game thus far (36.4 MPG).

Edwards potentially missing additional time beyond this game could have huge ramifications for both Minnesota and the Western Conference playoff race. The Wolves are currently 35-35, the No. 7 seed, but five teams are right on their heels in the standings — they only lead the Pelicans, the current No. 12 seed, by 1.5 games.

The former first overall pick will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.

Justise Winslow Had Ankle Surgery, Likely Out For Season

March 17th, 2023 at 7:00pm CST by Rory Maher

Trail Blazers forward Justise Winslow had a second opinion on his Grade 2 left ankle sprain sometime after the All-Star break and underwent a bone marrow aspirate concentrate procedure in March to address persistent pain from the injury, the team announced in a press release.

The Blazers say Winslow will continue to rehabilitate and will be reevaluated “in the coming weeks.” Considering he last played on December 21, it’s pretty safe to say he’ll miss the remainder of the 2022/23 regular season.

It’s another tough setback for Winslow, a former lottery pick (10th overall in 2015) whose career has been severely impacted by injuries. Over the past four years, he has played just 114 regular season games, for an average of 28.5 games per season.

In addition to injuries, Winslow has also struggled mightily with scoring efficiency throughout his eight NBA seasons, posting a .412/.315/.638 shooting line (.477 true shooting percentage) in 344 contests (25.9 MPG). However, he is a solid rebounder and plus passer for a forward, on top of being a strong, versatile defender.

Winslow will turn 27 years old later this month. In 29 games (26.8 MPG) this season, he averaged 6.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.4 APG and 1.0 SPG on .409/.311/.714 shooting (.466 TS%).

A former national champion at Duke, Winslow will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He is earning $4.1MM in the final year of his contract.

Warriors Promote Anthony Lamb, Sign Lester Quinones To Two-Way Deal

March 17th, 2023 at 3:17pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

MARCH 17: The Warriors have officially converted Lamb’s two-way deal to a standard NBA contract, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link). The club also formally confirmed its two-way contract agreement with Quinones (Twitter link).

MARCH 16: The Warriors are making moves with an eye toward the impending 2023 postseason. First, Golden State is upgrading the contract of current two-way swingman Anthony Lamb, according to Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Lamb is being added onto the team’s 15-man standard roster, which will make him eligible to partake in playoff (and, if necessary, play-in) contests for the club, Charania and Slater note.

With their newly available two-way roster slot, the Warriors will sign guard Lester Quinones, Charania reports (via Twitter).

Quinones went undrafted out of Memphis in 2022, and joined the Warriors’ Santa Cruz NBAGL affiliate at the start of the 2022/23 season. He signed with Golden State on a 10-day deal earlier this month.

Lamb, a 6’6″ small forward, has been active for 50 games with the Warriors, the maximum permitted for two-way players before their contracts need to be converted. Across 20.1 MPG, he has averaging 7.0 PPG on .475/.379/.773 shooting splits. The University of Vermont product is also chipping in 3.4 RPG and 1.7 APG, having emerged as a key bench piece for Golden State.

Upon Lamb’s promotion, the Warriors will have a full 15-man standard roster, so if they want to make two-way player Ty Jerome playoff-eligible in the coming weeks too, they’d have to waive someone in order to make room for him.

Wizards Sign Xavier Cooks To Multiyear Deal

March 17th, 2023 at 12:55pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

MARCH 17: After leading the Sydney Kings to an NBL title, Cooks has officially signed his multiyear contract with the Wizards, the team announced today in a press release.

“We welcome Xavier to the Wizards organization as a very intelligent, high-energy player that will add athleticism to our squad while being a great teammate,” Wizards president/GM Tommy Sheppard said in a statement. “He left a lasting legacy in the NBL to pursue his dream to play in the NBA and we feel he will be an excellent addition now and in the future.”

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), the Wizards used a portion of their mid-level exception to give Cooks a four-year, $6.1MM contract that is fully guaranteed through 2023/24. Cooks’ 2024/25 salary will be non-guaranteed and the Wizards will hold a team option for ’25/26.

MARCH 5: The Wizards have reached an agreement with forward Xavier Cooks that could keep him rostered through the 2023/24 season, his agent Daniel Moldovan informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Exact terms of the deal have yet to be divulged.

Woj notes that Cooks, currently playing for the Sydney Kings of Australia’s National Basketball League, is the reigning NBL MVP. Cooks is in the midst of an NBL Finals series with Sydney. Woj adds that the 27-year-old will complete a contract buyout with the Kings and hop stateside once the Finals conclude, either this week or next.

The 6’8″ forward is averaging 16.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, 0.6 BPG and 0.5 SPG for Sydney this season. He boasts shooting splits of .596/.333/.538.

The Australian-born Cooks played college stateside at Winthrop. He went undrafted in 2018, and had his first post-NCAA basketball experience with German club s.Oliver Würzburg in 2018/19 before joining the Kings the following year. He led the Kings to a title in 2022 and was named the NBL Grand Final MVP for his efforts. He has also been named to one All-NBL First Team honoree and one All-NBL Second Team.

As Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link) notes, current 10-day contract signee Jamaree Bouyea will come off the Wizards’ books by the time the NBL Finals end, opening up a spot on the 15-man roster for Cooks.

Nets Sign Moses Brown To 10-Day Deal

March 17th, 2023 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 17: The Nets have officially signed Brown to a 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release. The deal will run through March 26, covering Brooklyn’s next five games, and will pay Brown $109,318.

MARCH 16: The Nets are working toward a contract agreement with free agent center Moses Brown, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Brown will be receiving a 10-day contract from the Nets, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).

Brooklyn has an open spot on its 15-man roster following the expiration of Nerlens Noel‘s 10-day contract on Wednesday night. Brian Lewis of The New York Post reported that the Nets don’t intend to re-sign Noel to a second 10-day deal.

Brown began this season on a two-way deal with the Clippers, appearing in 34 games as a backup center behind Ivica Zubac, averaging 4.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in just 8.5 minutes per night. He wasn’t always a part of the team’s rotation and slid further down the depth chart following L.A.’s trade-deadline acquisition of Mason Plumlee, eventually leading to his release when he reached the two-way limit of 50 active games.

Brown subsequently signed a two-way contract with the Knicks last week, but was waived just four days later and became an unrestricted free agent again this Tuesday. Now he’s on track to move from one New York borough to another and join a Nets team that has been on the lookout for reliable frontcourt depth behind center Nic Claxton for much of the season.

The Nets will be Brown’s eighth NBA team since 2019, though he has appeared in regular season games for just five of those clubs.

Bogdan Bogdanovic Signs Four-Year Extension With Hawks

March 16th, 2023 at 7:00pm CST by Rory Maher

7:00pm: Bogdanovic’s extension is official, the Hawks confirmed in a press release.

2:06pm: Bogdan Bogdanovic has agreed to a four-year, $68MM extension with the Hawks, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, Bogdanovic had an $18MM player option for 2023/24 — the first year of his extension will replace that option and cannot be less than that amount. The Hawks are projected to be a taxpayer next season, but owner Tony Ressler has never paid the luxury tax, Marks adds.

Bogdanovic was originally selected No. 27 overall in 2014, but continued to play overseas for a few seasons until his NBA rights were acquired by the Kings. The Serbian swingman spent his first three seasons with Sacramento before signing a four-year, $72MM deal with Atlanta as a restricted free agent in 2020 — the Kings elected not to match.

The 30-year-old missed the first 22 games of 2022/23 after offseason knee surgery, but has been his normal productive self since he returned to action on December 2, averaging 14.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 2.9 APG on .437/.401/.806 shooting in 43 games (28.5 MPG). Those numbers are very similar to his career stats of 14.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 3.3 APG on .439/.386/.820 shooting in 359 games (28.6 MPG).

Numerous teams, including Cleveland, reportedly inquired on Bogdanovic’s availability ahead of last month’s trade deadline. However, the Hawks were reluctant to part with the veteran guard/forward, who provides a valued combination of outside shooting and complementary play-making.

One report earlier this month indicated that Bogdanovic was expected to decline his option for next season and enter free agency. Instead, he’ll sign a long-term extension with the Hawks, who have made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and are currently 34-35, the No. 8 seed in the East.

It’s interesting that Bogdanovic’s new contract comes in at an average annual value of $17MM versus his current deal’s $18MM, as the salary cap is expected to continue to rise in the coming years. Still, it’s a significant commitment given his injury history, and obviously he was interested in remaining with Atlanta despite a tumultuous season that saw the team switch head coaches.

As Marks notes (via Twitter), Bogdanovic was permitted to extend off his ’23/24 salary until the start of next season.

Michael Jordan In Discussions To Sell Majority Stake In Hornets

March 16th, 2023 at 5:58pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Longtime Hornets majority owner Michael Jordan may soon be giving up control of the franchise. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Jordan is currently “in serious talks” to offload a majority stake in the Hornets to another ownership group fronted by Hawks minority owner Rick Schnall and current Charlotte minority owners Gabe Plotkin and Daniel Sundheim.

While a deal is not imminent, there’s momentum toward an agreement that would eventually make Schnall and Plotkin co-governors of the Hornets, Wojnarowski adds.

Woj hears that Jordan intends to hold on to at least a minority piece of the club if a sale agreement is reached.

Jordan purchased his initial majority stake in the Hornets for $275MM in 2010, but has been at least a partial owner since 2009. The Hornets’ value as a franchise has only increased since Jordan bought that initial stake. Sportico’s most recent valuation of the team estimated its worth at $1.77 billion (Twitter link).

With a new television deal on the horizon, it seems like a wise investing decision to maintain at least some portion of Charlotte for the immediate future.

The rebuilding Hornets currently occupy the East’s No. 14 seed with a 22-49 record. The team is in prime position to add a major talent in what is expected to be an exciting 2023 draft. During the 2021/22 season, Charlotte did qualify for the East’s play-in tournament, but lost a 132-103 blowout to the Hawks.

Lonzo Ball To Undergo Knee Surgery, Could Miss All Of 2023/24

March 16th, 2023 at 5:22pm CST by Rory Maher

5:22pm: In a press release, the Bulls have added further details on what Ball’s procedure will entail, revealing that the guard will receive a cartilage transplant in his left knee.

“My main focus has been on returning to the court getting to a place where I can rejoin my teammates,” Ball was quoted as saying in the team statement. “This has been a frustrating process, but I’m confident these next steps are the best path forward.”

3:29pm: Bulls guard Lonzo Ball will undergo left knee surgery, his third in the past 14 months. The surgery is expected to cause him to miss “most, if not all,” of next season, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link).

There have been concerns about Ball’s ability to resume playing, but there is optimism that another surgery could help him revive his career, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Charania reported a similar sentiment.

The Bulls’ PR department confirmed the news that Ball will have a third left knee surgery, as K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago tweets. Johnson hears from a source that a return timeline won’t be known until the surgery has been performed, and it could be “nebulous.”

Wojnarowski reported last week that a third left knee surgery was being considered. Ball’s initial injury was a torn meniscus on January 14, 2022. He was originally projected to miss just a few weeks following his first knee surgery that month, but he experienced multiple complications which caused him to miss the remainder of last season.

Ball underwent an arthroscopic debridement procedure last September to clear up lingering issues with his knee. He has made incremental progress since then, but he still can’t run, cut or jump without feeling pain in the knee.

The 25-year-old did not play at all in 2022/23 and was officially ruled out for the remainder of the season last month.

It has been a brutal process for both Ball and the Bulls, who were playing terrific basketball before their starting point guard went down last season. At the time of Ball’s injury last January, Chicago had a 27-13 record. They finished last season 19-23 without Ball and have gone 31-37 this season, currently holding the No. 11 seed in the East.

Ball came to Chicago in a sign-and-trade deal with New Orleans in the summer of 2021. He played strong defense and was a dynamic open-court play-maker during his 35 games (34.6 MPG) with the Bulls last season, averaging 13.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.8 SPG and 0.9 BPG on .423/.423/.750 shooting.

Ball still has two years left on his contract with the Bulls beyond this season. He’s owed a guaranteed $20.5MM salary next season, with a $21.4MM player option for 2024/25.

Knicks Sign DaQuan Jeffries To Second 10-Day Deal

March 16th, 2023 at 7:58am CST by Luke Adams

12:05pm: The Knicks have officially signed Jeffries to his second 10-day contract, the team announced today (via Twitter).

7:58am: The Knicks will re-sign swingman DaQuan Jeffries to a second 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Jeffries’ initial 10-day deal with the team expired on Tuesday night.

Jeffries, who previously suited up for the Kings, Rockets, and Grizzlies, has spent nearly the entire 2022/23 season with the Westchester Knicks, New York’s G League affiliate.

He started 15 games for Westchester in the fall’s Showcase Cup, averaging 18.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.3 APG on .482/.280/.769 shooting in 32.9 minutes per night. Since the NBAGL’s regular season began, he has appeared in 21 more games (20 starts), putting up 19.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 2.0 APG with a shooting line of .490/.363/.678.

The Knicks have only been carrying 13 players on standard, full-season contracts since the trade deadline passed and have periodically been filling their 14th roster slot by promoting a two-way player — first Trevor Keels and now Jeffries. Neither one has actually played for New York upon being promoted, so those deals are more about meeting the NBA’s minimum roster requirements than anything else.

Still, Jeffries is certainly benefiting financially from being on a pair of 10-day contracts rather than continuing on his two-way deal. He’ll earn another $109,318 on his second 10-day pact, while the Knicks carry a cap hit of $105,522.

Once Jeffries’ second 10-day contract expires, he’ll be ineligible to sign a third with New York, so the team will have to either let him walk or bring him back on a rest-of-season contract (standard or two-way).