Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Sign Enes Kanter To One-Year Deal

August 4th, 2021 at 11:21am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 13: Kanter has officially signed his contract, according to a team press release.

“Enes has a unique ability to both score and rebound. Beyond his on-court contributions, he is a great teammate. We are thrilled he chose to return to Boston,” Celtics president Brad Stevens said in a statement.

AUGUST 4, 11:21am: Kanter’s one-year deal will be worth $2.7MM, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link).

The veteran’s minimum for a player with Kanter’s 10+ years of experience is about $2.64MM, so it sounds this will be a minimum-salary contract.

However, Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link) says there’s still a chance the C’s could bump up that number and use part of the mid-level exception to complete the signing, depending on how the rest of the week plays out. Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald (Twitter link) hears that the club has “three or four balls still in the air,” albeit nothing too major.

10:58am: The Celtics have reached an agreement to bring back veteran center Enes Kanter on a one-year contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Kanter has bounced back and forth between Boston and Portland during the last few seasons. He finished the 2018/19 campaign with the Trail Blazers, spent ’19/20 with the Celtics, rejoined the Blazers for ’20/21, and is now headed back to the C’s for the coming season.

Kanter is a reliable scorer and rebounder, who played in all 72 games for Portland in 2020/21 and averaged a double-double (11.2 PPG, 11.0 RPG) while logging just 24.4 minutes per game. He’s not a strong defender, but he’ll fill a hole in the Celtics’ frontcourt following the departure of veteran center Tristan Thompson, who is being traded to Sacramento.

It’s an interesting signing from an optics standpoint for the Celtics, who essentially salary-dumped Kanter a year ago when they sent his contract to Memphis along with the No. 30 pick in the draft (Desmond Bane) in exchange for two future second-rounders. A year later, new president of basketball operations Brad Stevens is signing up for a reunion with the 29-year-old.

Bulls Sign Tony Bradley

August 4th, 2021 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 12: The Bulls have officially signed Bradley, per RealGM’s transactions log.

AUGUST 4: The Bulls have reached an agreement to sign free agent center Tony Bradley, according to multiple reports.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links), who first reported the agreement, says it’s a two-year deal, with a player option on year two. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), it’ll be a minimum-salary contract.

Bradley, 23, was the 28th pick in the 2017 draft and spent his first three NBA seasons as a reserve big man in Utah, playing limited minutes. After being traded multiple times, he spent the 2020/21 season with Philadelphia and Oklahoma City, averaging 7.1 PPG and 5.7 RPG in 42 games (16.3 MPG) for the Sixers and Thunder.

The Thunder had the option of making Bradley a restricted free agent by extending him a qualifying offer, but chose not to do so. Given that the former UNC standout has agreed to a minimum-salary deal as an unrestricted free agent, it appears Oklahoma City made the right call — his qualifying offer would have been worth about $5.3MM.

While he’s not as flashy as the Bulls’ other free agent additions, including Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, and Alex Caruso, Bradley will provide the club with some depth at center behind starter Nikola Vucevic.

Sixers Re-Sign Rayjon Tucker To Two-Way Deal

August 3rd, 2021 at 11:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Rayjon Tucker is back under contract with the Sixers on a new two-way deal, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log.

After going undrafted out of Little Rock in 2019, Tucker spent much of his rookie season with the Jazz, but was dealt to Cleveland in the 2020 offseason and was subsequently waived. He spent training camp last December with the Clippers, then signed a two-way deal with the Sixers in January.

The 6’3″ guard appeared in just 14 games for Philadelphia, averaging 2.4 PPG and 0.8 RPG in 4.9 minutes per contest. He was a full-time starter for the Delaware Blue Coats during the abridged G League season, however, recording 19.4 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 4.1 APG in 15 games (33.0 MPG).

The Sixers finished the 2020/21 season with Tucker and Gary Clark on two-way deals, then tendered a qualifying offer to Tucker to make him a restricted free agent. Tucker may have simply accepted that QO, which is the equivalent of another two-way deal.

For now, Tucker occupies one of Philadelphia’s two-way slots and undrafted rookie Aaron Henry is reportedly poised to fill the other. However, two-way contracts don’t count against the cap and aren’t burdensome to move on from, so there’s no guarantee the 76ers won’t make changes to those two-way slots at some point this season.

Mavs Re-Sign Nate Hinton To Two-Way Contract

August 3rd, 2021 at 11:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have re-signed shooting guard Nate Hinton to a new two-way contract, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log.

Hinton, who finished the 2020/21 season on a two-way deal with the Mavs, received a qualifying offer equivalent to another one-year, two-way contract, so he may have simply accepted that offer.

Undrafted out of Houston in 2020, Hinton caught on with the Mavs and appeared in 21 games for the team as a rookie, though he saw very limited minutes. He averaged 2.0 PPG in 4.4 minutes per contest at the NBA level, but saw more action at the G League level for the Santa Cruz Warriors, putting up 10.6 PPG and 7.1 RPG in 10 games (23.0 MPG).

While Hinton got a qualifying offer from Dallas, the club didn’t extend one to its other two-way player, Tyler Bey, so one of its two-way slots for 2021/22 is open.

Pacers, Keifer Sykes Agree To Exhibit 10 Deal

August 3rd, 2021 at 10:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent point guard Keifer Sykes has agreed to sign with the Pacers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Sources tell Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link) that it’ll be an Exhibit 10 deal for Sykes, who will play for Indiana in Summer League.

An undrafted free agent out of Green Bay in 2015, Sykes has spent most of the last several years playing in international leagues. He has spent time in Korea, Turkey, Italy, China, and Greece, and is coming off a one-year stint with the South East Melbourne Phoenix in Australia’s National Basketball League.

Sykes also participated in this summer’s The Basketball Tournament and hit the game-winning three-point shot on Tuesday night to clinch the title and the $1MM prize for Boeheim’s Army (video link).

Sykes and undrafted rookie Terry Taylor will reportedly be among the Pacers’ training camp invitees this fall.

Bucks Sign Sandro Mamukelashvili To Two-Way Deal

August 3rd, 2021 at 10:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have signed rookie big man Sandro Mamukelashvili to a two-way contract, per NBA.com’s official transactions log. According to Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link), the deal will cover two seasons.

Mamukelashvili, who spent four seasons at Seton Hall, averaged 17.5 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 3.2 APG in 27 games (35.6 MPG) as a senior in 2020/21, earning Big East Player of the Year honors.

The Pacers technically made the 6’11” forward/center the No. 54 pick in the draft last Thursday, but they were making the pick on behalf of the Bucks, having agreed to a trade involving the No. 31 selection. That trade was finalized on draft night.

The Bucks finished the season with Justin Jackson and Axel Toupane on two-way deals, but didn’t make either player a qualifying offer, signaling their intent to turn over those two slots. Mamukelashvili will fill one, while the other remains open for now.

Jazz Sign Hassan Whiteside

August 3rd, 2021 at 9:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

AUGUST 6: The Jazz have made it official with Whiteside, announcing his deal in a press release.

“Hassan is one of the more physically gifted players in the game today and has a vast amount of valuable professional basketball experience,” Jazz GM Justin Zanik said in a statement. “We’re excited to add someone with his skillset and feel he’s a great fit with our current roster.”

AUGUST 3: The Jazz have agreed to a deal with free agent center Hassan Whiteside, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Whiteside is coming off his least productive season in seven years, having averaged 8.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 1.3 BPG in 36 games (15.2 MPG) for Sacramento, but he remains a solid shot-blocker and rebounder, especially as a backup center.

The 32-year-old seven-footer signed a one-year deal with the Kings last year but could never get fully on track with his new team. The Jazz will be hoping that in Quin Snyder‘s system, backing up All-NBA center Rudy Gobert, Whiteside will be able to turn things around.

The Jazz recently traded reserve center Derrick Favors to the Thunder in a cost-cutting move, and Whiteside gives them some level of schematic continuity coming off the bench.

The Jazz are believed to be limited to minimum-salary deals after committing their taxpayer mid-level exception to Rudy Gay, so Whiteside’s deal figures to be worth the veteran’s minimum.

Hornets Sign Scottie Lewis, Arnoldas Kulboka

August 3rd, 2021 at 7:54pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Hornets have signed Scottie Lewis and Arnoldas Kulboka to two-way deals, per a team press release.

Lewis is a 6’5″ defensive specialist out of the University of Florida whom the Hornets selected 56th in this year’s draft. As a sophomore, Lewis averaged 7.9 PPG, 1.5 SPG and 1.0 BPG but failed to take much of a step forward as an offensive prospect. He is considered one of the better defensive and athletic players in this year’s draft.

Kulboka was the 55th pick in the 2018 draft and has been a draft-and-stash prospect since then. The 6’10” forward averaged 9.2 PPG and 4 RPG while shooting 42.5% from three on 4.6 attempts a night for Bilboa Basket, and has played for the Hornets during the past two Summer Leagues (2018/19 and 2019/20).

Lewis and Kulboka will supplant Nate Darling and Grant Riller as Charlotte’s two-way players.

Hornets Sign James Bouknight, Kai Jones

August 3rd, 2021 at 7:35pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Hornets have officially signed their two first-round picks, finalizing deals with former UConn guard James Bouknight and former Texas big man Kai Jones, according to a team press release.

Bouknight was taken with the 11th pick after averaging 18.7 PPG and 5.7 RPG in his sophomore season as an athletic shooting guard carrying a major offensive load. He showcased tough shot-making ability, elite athleticism and a nose for getting himself open off cuts and off-ball movement. The highlight of his season was a 40-point game against the ninth-ranked Creighton.

Jones, another sophomore, gained steam as a first-round pick throughout the season, and was at times even considered a potential lottery pick, due to his combination of athleticism, fluidity, and burgeoning offensive skillset, including a promising-looking jump shot. The Hornets traded a protected future first round pick to the Knicks to get the No. 19 pick to select Jones.

According to the team’s press release, Jones became just the fifth Bahamian player ever selected in the NBA draft.

Bouknight’s deal is expected to start at approximately $4.1MM and be worth approximately $19.1MM over its duration, while Jones’ is expected to start at around $2.7MM and will be worth approximately $13.4MM.

Sixers Sign Georges Niang To Two-Year Deal

August 3rd, 2021 at 6:45pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 6: The Sixers have officially signed Niang, the team announced today in a press release.

“Georges is a talented player who can stretch the floor and he immediately bolsters our frontcourt depth,” president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said in a statement. “He has shot over 40-percent from three for his career and has steadily improved his overall game each season he’s been in the NBA. We’re excited to welcome him to Philadelphia.”

AUGUST 3: The Sixers have agreed to terms on a two-year deal with free agent forward Georges Niang, according to Ben Dowsett, who reports (via Twitter) that Niang’s contract will be worth $6.7MM.

Niang, 28, has spent the last four seasons in Utah after beginning his NBA career with the Pacers. He had his best season in 2020/21, earning regular minutes (16.0 MPG) for a Jazz squad that finished the regular season with the NBA’s best record.

Niang appeared in all 72 games, averaging 6.9 PPG and 2.4 RPG with an impressive .425 3PT%. It was the third straight year in which he made at least 40% of his three-point attempts. The former Iowa State standout also has the size necessary to match up with threes and fours on defense.

We’ll have to wait to see what other moves Philadelphia makes this week before we know exactly how the team completes the Niang signing. Based on the reported terms of the agreement, it would comfortably fit within either the mid-level exception or the bi-annual exception, though Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com (Twitter link) suggests the plan is to use part of the MLE.

Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported earlier today that Niang was on Philadelphia’s radar.