Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Thunder Sign Viktor Lakhin

October 12th, 2025 at 10:22am CST by Rory Maher

The Thunder have signed Viktor Lakhin, per a team press release.

Former ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony viewed Lakhin as a potential second-round pick entering the 2025 draft. However, the 6’11” forward/center sustained a torn tendon in his left foot in May, an injury that was expected to sideline him for three months, and he wound up going undrafted.

Lakhin, who ranked third on ESPN’s list of 2025 prospects among players who weren’t drafted, played three college seasons at Cincinnati prior to transferring to Clemson for his senior year. In 34 games for the Tigers in 2024/25, the Russian big man averaged 11.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.5 blocks in 23.6 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .507/.375/.696.

While the terms of the contract were not disclosed, it’s safe to assume Oklahoma City signed Lakhin to a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal. If he’s waived before the season begins and spends at least 60 days with the G League’s OKC Blue, Lakhin could earn a bonus worth up to $85,300.

Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted to two-way deals, and the Thunder do have a two-way opening. A promotion for Lakhin seems unlikely given the timing of the signing, but it’s technically still a possibility.

The Thunder are now back at the offseason limit of 21 players under contract. They waived guard Jazian Gortman to make room for Lakhin.

Thunder Waive Jazian Gortman

October 12th, 2025 at 9:32am CST by Rory Maher

The Thunder have waived Jazian Gortman, the team announced on Sunday morning.

Oklahoma City signed Gortman to a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract last month. The 22-year-old guard appeared in four preseason games for the Thunder, averaging 9.8 points, 2.0 assists (1.8 turnovers) and 1.8 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per contest.

After being released, Gortman is now eligible for a bonus worth $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate.

Gortman, who went undrafted out of Overtime Elite in 2023, spent his first pro season in the NBAGL with the Wisconsin Herd and the Rip City Remix, the affiliate teams of the Bucks and Trail Blazers, respectively. The 6’2″ point guard caught on with the Mavericks in the summer of 2024, initially signing an Exhibit 10 deal. Gortman impressed Dallas during training camp and preseason, having been promoted to a two-way contract shortly before the 2024/25 campaign began.

Gortman made 16 garbage-time appearances with the Mavs, playing 53 total minutes, before being released in late January. He also played 34 G League games (34.5 MPG) with the Texas Legends last season, averaging 20.0 points, 6.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals on .450/.272/.813 shooting.

The Thunder have signed Viktor Lakhin to replace Gortman on their roster, as we detail in a separate story.

MarJon Beauchamp Expected To Sign Exhibit 10 Deal With Sixers

October 12th, 2025 at 8:57am CST by Rory Maher

Free agent wing MarJon Beauchamp has agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Sixers, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). While a deal is expected to be completed, it has not yet been finalized, and a 76ers source tells Pompey the Trail Blazers are “still involved.”

Beauchamp signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Portland on September 30 prior to being waived on Oct. 7, lining him up to join the Blazers’ G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix. If he were to be signed and waived by the Sixers, Portland could still have first dibs on naming Beauchamp an affiliate player, but it sounds like his camp is trying to steer him to the Delaware Blue Coats instead.

Beauchamp, who turns 25 years old today (happy birthday), was the 24th overall pick of the 2022 draft. He spent his first two-and-a-half years with the Bucks, the team that drafted him, prior to being dealt to the Clippers ahead of the February trade deadline. He finished 2024/25 on a two-way contract with the Knicks after being cut by Los Angeles.

The 6’7″ small forward has appeared in a total of 135 regular season games for the Bucks, Clippers and Knicks, averaging 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .430/.354/.718.

Assuming Beauchamp finalizes his Exhibit 10 deal with Philadelphia and is waived before the season begins, he would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he joins the Blue Coats and spends at least 60 days with the club. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted into two-way deals, though the 76ers do not currently have a two-way opening.

The Sixers’ roster is at the offseason limit of 21 players under contract, so they’ll have to release someone to officially add Beauchamp.

Pistons Sign, Waive Jaden Akins

October 11th, 2025 at 8:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

October 11: The Pistons have waived Akins, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

October 10: The Pistons have signed Jaden Akins to an Exhibit 10 deal, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (via Twitter).

Akins, who went unselected in the 2025 draft, played for four years at Michigan State. The 6’4″ guard averaged 12.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game and made just 29.3% of his three-point tries after converting 38.6% in his first three college seasons. He was named to the All-Big 10 team, as well as the All-Big 10 All-Defense team, in his senior year.

The 22-year-old played four Summer League games for the Magic this offseason, averaging 5.8 points and 1.8 steals in 13.9 minutes per game.

Signing an Exhibit 10 contract will allow Akins to earn a bonus of up to $85,300 if the Pistons waive him and he spends at least 60 days with their G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise.

Heat Sign Gabe Madsen, Waive Trevor Keels

October 9th, 2025 at 10:05pm CST by Earnest Marshall

The Heat have signed Gabe Madsen, the team announced in a release. In a corresponding move, they waived Trevor Keels.

Miami signed Madsen to an Exhibit 10 deal in September, but waived him to make room to sign Precious Achiuwa. Now, he’s back on an Exhibit 9 contract, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Madsen played a five-year collegiate career, beginning at Cincinnati and spending the next four years at Utah. He averaged 15.2 points per game in 2024/25 and made 36.0% of his three-point attempts over the course of his five college seasons.

Keels, who played collegiately at Duke, scored 12 points in Miami’s preseason opener. He’s likely headed for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate. His Exhibit 10 contract makes him eligible for a bonus worth $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Skyforce.

Nuggets Sign, Waive Terrence Hargrove Jr., Coleman Hawkins

October 9th, 2025 at 5:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

October 9: Denver has waived both Hargrove and Hawkins, according to the NBA’s official transaction log. They’re now set up to join the Grand Rapids Gold.

October 8: The Nuggets have signed Terrence Hargrove Jr. and Coleman Hawkins to Exhibit 10 contracts, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

Hargrove, a 6’4″ wing, played for Denver in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 5.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in three games. He went undrafted out of St. Louis in 2024 after spending five seasons with the Billikens.

Hawkins is a 6’11” forward who went undrafted out of Kansas State after playing the previous four years at Illinois. A report following the draft said he was expected to go to training camp with Golden State, but that didn’t work out, although he played for the Warriors during Summer League.

Denver will acquire G League rights to both players, who will likely end up with the team’s affiliate in Grand Rapids. The Exhibit 10 contracts make them eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they spent at least 60 days with the club.

The Nuggets had been carrying 19 players on their roster, so they’re now at the 21-man preseason limit.

Kings Sign, Waive Dexter Dennis

October 9th, 2025 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

October 9: Dennis has been waived, the Kings announced (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat). As noted below, he’ll likely be headed back to Stockton this season.

September 28: The Kings have signed free agent shooting guard Dexter Dennis to a non-guaranteed contract, per Paul Garcia of The Spot Up Shot (Twitter link). It’s an Exhibit 10 deal, confirms Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

Dennis, 26, has spent the majority of the past two seasons in the G League after going undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2023. He was on a two-way contract with the Mavericks for the first couple months of 2023/24, but appeared in just four NBA games for Dallas and was with the Texas Legends and Cleveland Charge for most of that season.

Dennis appeared in 44 G League games as a rookie, then played 47 times in 2024/25 for the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s affiliate. The 6’5″ guard was a key part of Stockton’s rotation, averaging 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 31.1 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .428/.350/.780. He helped lead the team to an NBAGL title in April.

In all likelihood, Dennis will only be under contract briefly with the Kings, with this deal designed to ensure he receives an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $85,300 if he returns to Stockton and spends at least 60 days with the team.

The Kings now have a full 21-man preseason roster. If they intend to complete their reported camp deal with forward Daniel Batcho in the coming days, Dennis or another player on a non-guaranteed contract will have to be cut.

Pacers Sign Cameron Payne, Waive Delon Wright

October 9th, 2025 at 9:39am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers have signed veteran point guard Cameron Payne and waived Delon Wright, the team announced in a press release.

Payne, who appeared in 72 regular season games with the Knicks last season, was one of the top free agents still on the market. Payne was signed to a training camp contract, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

Payne averaged 6.9 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 15.1 minutes per night last season with .401/.363/.907 shooting numbers. He scored 14 points off the bench and was a plus-23 overall in the opener of the Knicks’ first-round series against Detroit. However, his shooting numbers declined throughout the playoffs, and he was removed from the rotation during the Eastern Conference Finals.

The New York Post reported last month the Knicks were not interested in re-signing him.

Payne was selected by Oklahoma City with the 14th pick in the 2015 draft. He was traded to Chicago at the 2017 deadline and later spent time with Cleveland, Phoenix, Milwaukee and Philadelphia before signing with New York. He has appeared in 477 regular season games.

Ironically, Payne and Wright were teammates with the Knicks. Wright began last season with the Bucks before being traded to the Knicks ahead of the deadline. He averaged 3.1 points per game across 40 appearances with both teams and was a bit more productive in New York, averaging 4.3 points and 2.1 assists per night and making six playoff appearances. Wright has appeared in 548 regular season contests for 10 different NBA teams in a career that also began in 2015.

Wright was signed to an Exhibit 9 contract late last month. Exhibit 9 deals are standard, non-guaranteed contracts that protect an NBA team in the event that a player suffers a significant injury in training camp.

He played four minutes in the team’s preseason opener on Tuesday but was forced to exit after a head-to-head collision.

Bulls Sign, Waive Kevin Knox

October 9th, 2025 at 6:30am CST by Arthur Hill

October 9: The Bulls have officially signed and waived Knox, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

October 8: Free agent forward Kevin Knox has reached an agreement with the Bulls, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Scotto doesn’t offer any specifics about the deal, but it’s likely an Exhibit 10 contract designed to get Knox to Chicago’s G League affiliate. If so, it would make him eligible to earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Windy City Bulls.

Knox played a portion of last season in the G League, averaging 25.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in 12 regular season games with Golden State’s affiliate in Santa Cruz. The 26-year-old joined the Warriors on a pair of 10-day contracts in February and March and was signed for the remainder of the season. He saw limited playing time in 14 games.

Knox spent three-plus seasons with New York after being selected with the ninth pick in the 2018 draft, but he has bounced around the league since then. He was traded to Atlanta in January of 2022, signed with Detroit that summer and was shipped to Portland at the 2023 deadline. He returned to Detroit as a free agent in November of 2023, then was traded to Utah at the 2024 deadline.

He has appeared in 320 games during his seven NBA seasons with career averages of 7.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per night and .393/.340/.723 shooting numbers.

The Bulls only have 19 players on their roster, two short of the offseason limit, so another move won’t be necessary before finalizing Knox’s contract.

Pelicans Sign, Waive D.J. Carton, Trhae Mitchell

October 8th, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

7:00 pm: The Pelicans have waived both Carton and Mitchell, per NBA.com’s official transaction log, putting them on track to join the Squadron.

9:17 am: The Pelicans have signed D.J. Carton and Trhae Mitchell to Exhibit 10 contracts, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.

New Orleans had two openings on its training camp roster after waiving a pair of players earlier in the week.

Carton, who was on Portland’s Summer League roster in July, opened last season with the Raptors on a two-way contract, but was waived in December.

Across parts of two seasons with the Raptors, Carton appeared in eight NBA games, logging just 69 total minutes. The 6’3″ guard has compiled 14 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals with a .267/.143/.833 shooting line during his limited NBA minutes.

Carton appeared in 22 G League contests with the Raptors 905 and the San Diego Clippers last season, averaging 13.5 points and 5.0 assists in 29.6 minutes per game.

Mitchell was on New Orleans’ camp roster last season. He appeared in 50 games for the Birmingham Squadron, the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, after being waived by the NBA club and averaged 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 27.8 minutes per contest.

Both players will likely be waived and join the Squadron. They’ll be eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they stay with that club for at least 60 days.