Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Trail Blazers Sign Mo Williams

August 8th, 2013 at 11:07am CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 11:07am: The Blazers have officially signed Williams, the team announced today in a press release.

WEDNESDAY, 1:14pm: The Trail Blazers have reached an agreement on a contract with free agent guard Mo Williams, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). It'll be a two-year deal worth about $5.6MM, tweets Wojnarowski, while Ken Berger of CBS Sports.com adds (via Twitter) that the second year will be a player option. ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman reported earlier this afternoon that Williams was expected to make his decision as soon as today.

Williams' decision comes as something of a surprise, since the Blazers hadn't been linked to the veteran in recent weeks — the Grizzlies, Heat, and Knicks had been viewed as a few of his primary suitors. Portland also has plenty of backcourt depth already, with Damian Lillard starting at the point and Wesley Matthews at the two. Earl Watson, C.J. McCollum, Terrel Harris, Allen Crabbe, Will Barton, and even Dorell Wright can also play one or both guard positions.

Still, considering the bench was Portland's Achilles heel last year, adding another veteran contributor like Williams to the rotation can't be a bad thing. I'd assume his deal will actually be closer to $5.42MM for two years, since the team is capped out. If the 30-year-old agreed to sign for the room exception, he'll earn about $2.65MM in 2013/14, with an option worth about $2.77MM for the following season.

In 2012/13 with the Jazz, Williams started all 46 games he played for the team, averaging 12.9 PPG and 6.2 APG to go along with shooting percentages of .430/.383/.882. The Blazers will be the fifth team Williams has played for in his NBA career. The 10-year veteran also had two stints in Utah to go along with stops with the Bucks, Cavs, and Clippers.

The agreement with Williams looks like bad news for Harris, who is on a non-guaranteed deal and facing a drug-related suspension. Williams will be Portland's 16th player under contract, so Harris appears to be the odd man out for when the team finalizes its 15-man roster. Teams can carry up to 20 players during the offseason, so he doesn't need to be cut quite yet, but it'd be a surprise if Harris was on Portland's opening night roster.

Thunder Sign Ryan Gomes

August 7th, 2013 at 5:14pm CST by Zachary Links

August 7th, 5:14pm: The Thunder have officially announced the signing of Ryan Gomes, according to a press release from the team.

July 29th, 9:05pm: The Thunder reached agreement with Ryan Gomes on a one-year deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The forward spent last season in Germany with the with the Artland Dragons.

Gomes last played in the NBA in 2011/12 for the Clippers and averaged 2.3 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 32 games. The seven-year veteran has career averages of 10.2 PPG and 4.6 RPG for three different teams.

The 30-year-old was released from the Clippers via the amnesty clause, allowing him to cash in on his $4MM salary for last season. Gomes worked out for the Bobcats and other clubs last fall, but was unable to find a taker in the NBA. The Spurs also had interest in Gomes during this go-round.

Mavericks Sign DeJuan Blair

August 7th, 2013 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 7TH, 3:52pm: The Mavericks have officially signed Blair, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 31ST, 9:15pm: For the second time in as many days, Blair has taken to Twitter to announce he has signed with the Mavs. While Blair's tweet indicates that it is official this time around, neither the team nor its beat writers have confirmed the deal.

JULY 30TH, 10:04pm: ESPNNY.com's Jared Zwerling is reporting that a deal between Blair and the Mavericks has yet to happen.

6:45pm: The Mavericks and DeJuan Blair have reached an agreement on a new deal. After ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported earlier today that the two sides were in serious talks, Blair himself broke the news via his Twitter account. Dwain Price from the Star-Telegram tweeted that the contract will be a one-year deal at $1.4MM, though if it's a minimum-salary deal, as expected, its value will be closer to $948K.

Blair's deal with the Mavs is the latest move in a busy offseason for the club. Although Dallas missed out on its top target, Dwight Howard, the team has used its cap space to add several free agents, including Jose Calderon, Monta Ellis, Samuel Dalembert, Gal Mekel, and Wayne Ellington. The Mavericks also re-signed Brandan Wright and Bernard James, and are on track to finalize a contract with ex-Mav Devin Harris.

Blair, 24, has spent the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Spurs, but saw his role reduced as Tiago Splitter emerged as a productive rotation player for the team. After he averaged 8.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and a 17.5 PER in his first three years, Blair's rates fell to 5.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and a 14.6 PER in 2012/13. As Kennedy tweets, the Happy Walters client looks poised to see a boost in playing time in Dallas, as part of a frontcourt that also features Dirk Nowitzki, Wright, James, and Jae Crowder.

The signing of Blair likely means the Mavs won't end up landing Greg Oden, who is drawing interest from several teams, most of whom can offer a larger salary than Dallas can.

Greg Oden Signs With Heat

August 7th, 2013 at 12:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

AUGUST 7TH: The Heat have officially signed Oden, the team announced today (Twitter link).

AUGUST 2ND: Greg Oden will sign with the Heat, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. It's a two-year deal with a player option for the final season, Goodman adds. The two sides agreed on a minimum-salary contract, according to fellow ESPN.com scribe Marc Stein, who adds that Oden will officially sign the pact on Monday (Twitter links).

The deal is a coup for Heat president Pat Riley, not only because Oden chose Miami over five other finalists, but because he consented to the minimum salary, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. That allows the Heat to preserve their mini mid-level exception should an enticing player come available at some point this season.

The Spurs and Mavs appeared as of last night to be Miami's primary competition, with the Pelicans next in line, followed by the Kings and the Hawks. Sources from three Western Conference teams among those spurned finalists told Stein minutes before news broke of Oden's decision that they were informed that they wouldn't be landing the former No. 1 overall pick, and that they believed he was headed to Miami (Twitter link).

Oden tells former Ohio State teammate Mark Titus of Grantland.com that the Heat became the front-runners for him when he visited Miami during the NBA Finals. Three months ago, Oden told Titus that he wanted to play in Cleveland because he liked playing in Ohio. About a year ago, Oden let Titus know that the plan was to reunite in Memphis with Mike Conley, another of their Buckeye teammates. Conley's father, Mike Conley Sr., is one of Oden's agents.

The 7'0" center has only played 82 games in his NBA career, but he was on the Blazers roster for five seasons, meaning he qualifies for a minimum salary of $1,027,424 this season, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports confirms (Twitter link).

Knicks Sign Jeremy Tyler To Two-Year Deal

August 6th, 2013 at 6:04pm CST by Zachary Links

After a standout performance in summer league with the Knicks, Jeremy Tyler has signed with the club, the team announced today. It will be a two-year deal, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Shams Charania of RealGM hears that it will be a partially-guaranteed deal "signifying the organization’s commitment for him to be part of the short- and long-term future".

The forward/center received a training camp invite from the Knicks back in mid-July and it appeared at the time that the big man would be receiving a minimum salary, non-guaranteed one-year pact. Tyler averaged 12.8 PPG and 6.4 RPG for the Knicks in summer league, showing firm post moves against decent competition.

As a high school talent, Tyler was once believed to be one of the more promising big men in his age group. The big man made waves when he decided to forgo his final year at San Diego High School and a commitment to Louisville to instead play professionally in Israel until he was eligible for the NBA Draft. Tyler wound up being the No. 39 pick in the 2011 Draft and spent more time playing for the Warriors' D-League affiliate than their varsity squad. He was traded to the Hawks at this year's trade deadline but his time there was short-lived, leading him back to the D-League.

Tyler is represented by Gabe Giordano, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.

Pistons Sign Peyton Siva

August 5th, 2013 at 5:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

6:38pm: Keith Langlois of Pistons.com has more since the signing became official.

5:46pm: Pistons PR released a statement making the Siva signing official today:

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the club has signed draft selection Peyton Siva to a contract. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Siva was drafted by Detroit with the 56^th pick in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 10.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists as a senior last season while leading the University of Louisville to the NCAA Championship. He scored in double figures in 23-of-40 games last year, including 18 points and five assists in the championship game. A native of Seattle, Wa., Siva was named to the All-Big East Third team and the Final Four All-Tournament Team as a senior. He finished his collegiate career as Louisville’s second all-time assist leader with 677 assists.

11:30am: Siva tweeted a picture of himself signing the contract, so it seems the deal is complete (hat tip to MLive's Brendan Savage).

10:59am: The deal has not yet been made official, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, though he suggests that it will happen soon.

10:27am: The Pistons have signed 56th overall pick Peyton Siva, as Rick Pitino, Siva's college coach at Louisville, tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Last week's three-for-one trade that brought Brandon Jennings aboard cleared room for the rookie point guard. Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News reported last week that Siva was likely to sign.

Siva drew plenty of looks from teams during the lead-up to the draft, even as pundits like Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranked him as no better than a late second-round pick. That's what the defensive-minded 6'1" Siva became before heading off to the Orlando summer league. In four games with the Pistons squad in Orlando, Siva averaged 6.0 assists and 1.5 turnovers in 25.7 minutes of action, garnering Honorable Mention All-League honors.

Of course, that pales in comparison to Siva's decorated college career, when he garnered the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the NCAA's best undersized player in 2013 as he helped lead Louisville to the national championship. Despite his heroics, he's probably getting a minimum-salary contract from the capped-out Pistons, unless they're dipping into their $2.652MM room exception for him.

Spencer Lund contributed to this post.

Nets Invite Michael Snaer To Training Camp

August 5th, 2013 at 11:09am CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets have invited undrafted Florida State product Michael Snaer to training camp, according to Florida State's website. It's unclear whether he'll accept the invitation, but it seems likely he'll join the Nets and attempt to make the team's regular season roster, even though that figures to be an uphill battle, since Brooklyn is already carrying 15 guaranteed contracts.

The 6'4" shooting guard played four years at Florida State, averaging 14.8 points per game as a senior. He also grabbed 4.5 rebounds per contest this past season, an impressive number for his height. He exceled on the defensive end as well, earning ACC All-Defensive Team honors as a junior. Snaer played seven games in summer league action last month, notching 6.4 PPG and 3.3 RPG for the Thunder and Lakers.

Snaer is the 16th player on the Nets, but they, like every NBA team, can carry 20 players until opening night of the regular season, so a few more invitees will probably join him in Brooklyn's camp. Most of them will receive "summer contracts," which are one-year, non-guaranteed deals for the minimum salary.

Al Harrington, DeShawn Stevenson Clear Waivers

August 4th, 2013 at 5:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

Al Harrington and DeShawn Stevenson became unrestricted free agents this afternoon when they cleared waivers, as expected, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Magic released Harrington on Friday, not long before the Hawks did the same with Stevenson.

Stevenson, a Wasserman Media Group client, took to Twitter to express his desire to sign with the Heat, and while Harrington hasn't been so quick to get into specifics, he said at multiple times last season that he wants to play five more seasons in the NBA. The 33-year-old missed most of 2012/13 with a staph infection in his knee, and batted down an early-season retirement rumor, but he was a key piece of the Nuggets bench in 2011/12, averaging 14.2 points and 6.1 rebounds a game with a 15.3 PER.

Stevenson's minutes-per-game average this past season was the highest its been since 2008/09. He came to the Hawks as part of the Joe Johnson deal in a sign-and-trade, and sign-and-trade contracts must be for three seasons in length. Still, the final two years were non-guaranteed, prompting Atlanta to cut Stevenson loose.

Harrington had two more years remaining on his contract, too, but they were 50% guaranteed. The Magic still have to pay out $7,379,200 to the Dan Fegan client, minus whatever small amount they can recoup via set-off rights if Harrington signs with another team.

DeMarre Carroll Signs With Hawks

August 3rd, 2013 at 10:28am CST by Chuck Myron

AUGUST 3RD: The Hawks confirmed the move via press release.

JULY 5TH: DeMarre Carroll will sign with the Hawks, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who adds that it’s a two-year, $5MM deal for the second Utah forward to leave for Atlanta tonight (Twitter links). Paul Millsap is also headed to the Hawks.

Carroll figures to add depth to an Atlanta front line that includes Millsap and Al Horford. He averaged career highs in points (6.0) and rebounds (2.8) for the Jazz this past season. This will be the fourth contract already for the 27th pick in the 2009 draft who was waived by both the Rockets and the Nuggets before he signed a minimum-salary deal with Utah.

Bartelstein had frequent conversations with the Jazz about a return to Utah for Carroll, but today’s trade with Golden State that brought aboard Richard Jefferson, among others, helped push Carroll out the door, according to Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links).

Cavs Sign Carrick Felix To Four-Year Deal

August 2nd, 2013 at 8:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavs have signed second-round pick Carrick Felix to a four-year contract, and the first three seasons are fully guaranteed, HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus tweets. RealGM.com first reported the signing on their transactions log.

The deal is for $510K in year one, according to Pincus, and that's slightly more than the $490,180 minimum salary for a rookie. The other three seasons are for the minimum. Previous signings and agreements the Cavs have made this summer appear to have put them over the cap, but perhaps the reported figures are off. Cleveland has its room exception available, but teams can't use it to sign players to contracts of more than two years in length.

Felix, who was the 33rd overall pick in June, and Ricky Ledo of the Mavs are the only two second-round picks to receive four-year contracts this summer. The Arizona State shooting guard is the second of Cleveland's three selections this season to sign. No. 19 pick Sergey Karasev inked his deal last month, but top pick Anthony Bennett remains unsigned.