Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pelicans Sign Trey Murphy III To Rookie Contract

August 10th, 2021 at 4:24pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Pelicans have officially signed No. 17 overall pick Trey Murphy III to his rookie scale contract, according to the team’s transactions page at NBA.com.

The 21-year-old wing, who was selected by the Pelicans after the team traded back from the 10th pick, was a highly-coveted prospect in the middle of the first round due to his combination of athleticism, size, defense, and shooting.

After transferring from Rice University to Virginia, Murphy averaged 11.3 PPG and 3.4 RPG while posting a hyper-efficient 43.3/50.3/92.7 shooting line. While there were questions about Murphy’s ability to create his own shot, the 6’9″ combo forward was a perfect fit for a Pelicans team desperate for shooting and defense.

Murphy had maybe the most impressive rookie debut of the Las Vegas Summer League on Monday, putting up 26 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and no turnovers while shooting six of nine from three, all in just over 27 minutes.

As our breakdown of 2021 rookie salaries shows, assuming he signs for 120% of his rookie scale amount, Murphy’s four-year contract should be worth about $14.8MM, with a first-year salary of $3.05MM.

Thunder Sign Jeremiah Robinson-Earl To Four-Year Deal

August 10th, 2021 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

6:11pm: The Thunder’s deal with Robinson-Earl is now official, the club announced in a press release.

4:03pm: The Thunder and second-round pick Jeremiah Robinson-Earl have agreed to a four-year deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Charania reports that the agreement is worth $8MM, which is a big number for a player picked in the second round. A four-year, minimum-salary deal for Robinson-Earl would be worth approximately $6.3MM, so it sounds like he’ll earn more than the minimum in at least the first and second years of the deal. It’s unclear how many of the four years will be fully guaranteed.

Robinson-Earl, a 6’9″ forward, averaged 15.7 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 2.2 APG in 25 games (34.5 MPG) for Villanova as a sophomore in 2020/21, earning Big East co-Player of the Year honors.

Robinson-Earl was selected with the 32nd pick in the draft by the Knicks on behalf of the Thunder. Oklahoma City paid a significant price to move up two spots to nab the 20-year-old, sending New York the 34th and 36th overall picks in the deal.

Although the Thunder could open up a huge chunk of cap room by renouncing their various cap exceptions, it looks like they intend to operate as an over-the-cap team for the time being, which means Robinson-Earl will be signed using a portion of the club’s mid-level exception.

Wizards Sign Jay Huff To Exhibit 10 Contract

August 10th, 2021 at 3:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have officially signed undrafted rookie free agent Jay Huff to a one-year contract, according to RealGM’s transactions log. Fred Katz of The Athletic previously reported that the deal will be a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract.

A 7’1″ forward/center, Huff spent his college career at Virginia and was a full-time starter for the first time as a senior in 2020/21. He averaged 13.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 2.6 BPG with a stellar .585/.387/.837 shooting line in 25 games (27.0 MPG).

Huff, who won a national title in 2019, made the All-ACC Second Team and the ACC All-Defensive Team in 2021.

Washington has also reportedly agreed to sign former Saint Louis guard Jordan Goodwin to an Exhibit 10, but there’s no indication that deal is official yet.

Hawks Sign Johnny Hamilton To Exhibit 10 Deal

August 10th, 2021 at 11:04am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

11:04am: It’s an Exhibit 10 contract for Hamilton, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, whose tweet indicates that the signing is finalized.

2:26am: The Hawks have agreed to a one-year deal with 27-year-old center Johnny Hamilton, per Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Terms of the contract have yet to be disclosed.

The seven-footer most recently suited up for both EuroLeague club Fenerbahçe and Adriatic Basketball Association club KK Mornar Bar during the 2020/21 season.

After going undrafted out of UT Arlington in 2018, Hamilton played for the Pistons’ then-G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive, for the 2018/19 season. Hamilton averaged 11.2 PPG, 8.7 RPG and 2.4 BPG across 49 games with Grand Rapids.

Following his tenure in the G League, Hamilton next traveled overseas. He first played with Turkish Basketball Super League club Darüşşafaka during the 2019/20 season before joining Fenerbahçe in 2020.

Wizards Sign Isaiah Todd To Four-Year Deal

August 10th, 2021 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 11: Todd’s deal is now official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

AUGUST 10: The Wizards have reached an agreement with No. 31 overall pick Isaiah Todd on a four-year contract, agents Wallace Prather and Steve Haney tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Charania, Todd’s four-year deal will be worth $7MM and will include three guaranteed seasons.

As our chart of multiyear minimum-salary contract values shows, a four-year minimum deal for a rookie would be worth about $6.3MM, so it sounds like Todd’s first-year salary will be higher than the minimum. Washington will complete the signing using a portion of the team’s mid-level exception, which allows the club to offer up to four years.

[RELATED: 2021 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

Todd, 19, was one of the prospects who opted to join the G League Ignite for the 2020/21 season rather than playing for a college program or going overseas. While he was overshadowed to some extent by teammates Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga, Todd posted solid numbers in his first professional season, averaging 12.3 PPG and 4.9 RPG on .437/.362/.824 shooting in 25 games (24.4 MPG).

The 6’10” forward, who was the first player drafted in the second round, was technically selected by the Bucks on draft night on behalf of the Wizards. Milwaukee traded his rights to the Pacers, who subsequently flipped them to Washington in the five-team Russell Westbrook/Spencer Dinwiddie trade.

Grizzlies Sign Yves Pons

August 10th, 2021 at 10:08am CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Grizzlies have officially signed undrafted rookie free agent Yves Pons, the team announced today in a press release.

Pons – the 19th-best available undrafted rookie, according to ESPN’s list – is a 6’6″ wing who earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2019/20. After becoming a full-time starter for Tennessee as a junior, Pons averaged 9.9 PPG and 5.3 RPG in 57 games (31.4 MPG).

Word broke shortly after the July 29 draft ended that Pons had reached a deal to join the Grizzlies. While terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed by the team, it’ll be an Exhibit 10 deal, per Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link).

An Exhibit 10 contract can be converted a standard or two-way deal prior to the regular season if the Grizzlies want to keep Pons on their roster. If he’s cut, he’d be a candidate to end up with the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League team, as an affiliate player.

Mavericks Sign Luka Doncic To Five-Year, Max-Salary Extension

August 10th, 2021 at 8:01am CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 10: The extension is now official, according to the team (Twitter link).

AUGUST 9: The Mavs and Doncic are in formal agreement on their five-year, maximum-salary extension, agent Bill Duffy tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The team sent a contingent to Slovenia this week to officially complete the deal and will hold a news conference on Tuesday morning to announce it.

As we detailed earlier today, Doncic’s extension projects to be worth slightly over $207MM based on the NBA’s $119MM cap projection for 2022/23. The deal will include a fifth-year player option, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter).

“Today is a dream come true,” Doncic said in a statement, per Woj (Twitter link). “I am humbled and excited to remain in Dallas as part of the Mavericks and appreciate the support of my fans.”

AUGUST 2: The Mavericks are ready to give star guard Luka Doncic a five-year, maximum-salary extension, tweets veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein. The deal projects to be worth $207.06MM.

However, no formal talks will take place until after Doncic is finished with the Olympics this week. His Slovenian team is in the medal round after breezing to three victories in preliminary games.

Doncic, 22, has emerged as one of the NBA’s top players after three seasons in the league. He averaged 27.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.6 assists in 66 games this year, earning first-team All-NBA honors for the second straight season.

Doncic was named Rookie of the Year in 2019 and is a two-time All-Star. He was highly decorated before coming to the NBA, winning MVP and Final Four MVP awards in the EuroLeague in 2018.

Doncic’s extension, which would have a starting salary worth 30% of the cap, would take effect in the 2022/23 season and would keep him under contract through the summer of 2027.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pistons Re-Sign RFA Frank Jackson

August 9th, 2021 at 10:31pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

AUGUST 10: Jackson has officially re-signed with the Pistons, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. The two-year deal is worth $6.2MM with a second-year team option, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

AUGUST 9: The Pistons will be bringing back restricted free agent point guard Frank Jackson, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter). Jackson is set to return on a two-year contract, per Wojnarowski. The financial terms of the deal have yet to be reported.

Jackson carved out minutes on Detroit during last year’s lottery-bound season. The reserve point guard, 23, had a career-best NBA season during his first year with Detroit. In 40 games, he averaged 9.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG, and 0.9 APG across 18.5 MPG. Jackson sported a shooting line of .457/.407/.813.

Selected with the No. 31 pick in the 2017 draft out of Duke, Jackson missed the entire 2017/18 NBA season following two foot surgeries. He spent his first NBA two healthy seasons, 2018/19 and 2019/20, in New Orleans.

After the Pelicans opted not to issue Jackson a qualifying offer in 2020, Jackson became an unrestricted free agent. Following a dalliance with the Thunder, Jackson then joined the Pistons on a two-way contract for the 2020/21 season.

Suns Sign Elfrid Payton To One-Year Deal

August 9th, 2021 at 7:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 10: The Suns have officially signed Payton, the team announced today (via Twitter).

AUGUST 9: Payton and the Suns have agreed to terms on a one-year contract, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). Gambadoro (Twitter link) confirms that the deal is for a veteran’s minimum salary, as he previously reported.

AUGUST 5: The Suns are close to an agreement on a one-year contract with free agent guard Elfrid Payton, Alex Kennedy of Basketball News tweets.

Evan Sidery of Basketball News broke the news on the Suns’ negotiations with Payton (Twitter link), while John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 confirms (via Twitter) that the club has made a one-year, minimum-salary offer.

If the contract is finalized, Payton would be signing up for a second stint with the organization. He played 18 games with Phoenix during the 2017/18 season.

Payton started 63 games with the Knicks this past season but his production declined after the All-Star break and he was benched during the first-round playoff series against Atlanta. Payton averaged 10.1 PPG and 3.2 APG in 23.6 MPG during the regular season.

The Western Conference champions have reached agreements with their top two point guards, Chris Paul and Cameron Payne, so Payton would slot in as a third-stringer behind that duo if the two sides finalize a deal.

Mavs Add Sterling Brown, Re-Sign Boban Marjanović

August 9th, 2021 at 6:14pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

AUGUST 9: The signings of both Brown and Marjanović are now official, per NBA.com’s transactions log. Marjanović’s new contract with Dallas is worth $7MM over two years, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

AUGUST 2: The Mavericks are set to make a pair of bench signings as free agency begins in earnest.

As had been rumored, the Mavericks are opting to bring back center Boban Marjanović this summer. Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets that Dallas will be re-signing the reserve big man.

Tim MacMahon of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that the 7’4″ Marjanović will be signed to a one-year deal with the Mavericks, his third full season with the team. Dallas initially signed the big man to a two-year, $7MM deal in the 2019 offseason. The club will thus have the 32-year-old’s full Bird rights next summer, following three full seasons of service.

Marjanović made a big impact in limited this season, averaging 4.7 PPG and 3.9 RPG in just 8.2 MPG across 33 contests.

Charania also reports (via Twitter) that the Mavericks will also be signing a new addition, free agent guard Sterling Brown. Brown, 26, was most recently a reserve contributor for another Texas club, the Rockets, for the duration of the 2020/21 season.

Brown averaged 8.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 1.4 APG in 51 games for the rebuilding Rockets, with a solid shooting line of .448/.423/.806.

Brown’s agent Mark Bartelstein has indicated that the 6’5″ vet will sign a two-year, $6.2MM contract with the club, per Marc Stein of Substack (via Twitter). There is no word as to whether both seasons will be guaranteed in the deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.