Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavaliers Sign Okaro White For Rest Of Season

April 7th, 2018 at 2:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Okaro White has reached a deal with the Cavaliers that will cover the remainder of the season, the team announced on its website.

White was with the Cavs on a 10-day contract last month, although he didn’t see any game action. He has been a free agent since the deal expired March 28. Cleveland has been limiting its roster size in an effort to save money under the luxury tax. The Cavaliers now have 14 players with the addition of White, but they have been dropping down to 13 for two weeks at a time, which is the limit allowed under league rules.

White, 25, spent parts of two seasons in Miami, averaging 2.9 points in 41 games. At this year’s deadline, the Heat traded him to the Hawks, who waived him the same day. White was a G League All-Star last season in Sioux Falls and has played in Italy and Greece.

Jazz Sign David Stockton For Rest Of Season

April 6th, 2018 at 3:51pm CST by Luke Adams

3:51pm: The Jazz have officially signed Stockton, per the NBA’s transactions log.

8:09am: David Stockton‘s second 10-day contract with the Jazz expired overnight, but he won’t be going anywhere, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). League sources tell Charania that Utah intends to sign Stockton to a new contract that covers the rest of the season.

Stockton, the son of former Jazz star John Stockton, has played sparingly for his father’s old team during his 20 days in Utah, averaging 3.3 PPG in 3.0 MPG over the course of three games.

The Jazz are currently looking to secure a top-four seed in the West and then will head into the playoffs next week, so Stockton is unlikely to see his minutes increase in the near future. However, the 26-year-old point guard will be postseason-eligible on his new deal and will serve as an insurance policy in Utah’s backcourt.

Once Stockton officially inks his new deal with the Jazz, the team will have a full NBA roster, with 15 guaranteed contracts.

Grizzlies Sign Omari Johnson, Cut Marquis Teague

April 6th, 2018 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have made a roster change today, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed forward Omari Johnson to a multiyear contract. To create an opening on the roster, Memphis has waived guard Marquis Teague.

Johnson, 28, went undrafted out of Oregon State in 2011 and has played for a variety of professional teams since then, spending time in Canada, Spain, and Lithuania, as well as in the G League. This season, the 6’9″ forward has played for the Grizzlies’ NBAGL affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, averaging 16.5 PPG and 6.4 RPG with a .460/.418/.824 shooting line in 44 games.

Johnson’s salary for 2018/19 will be non-guaranteed, notes Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com (Twitter link).

As for Teague, he only signed his rest-of-season deal with the Grizzlies three days ago, so his stint on a standard contract didn’t last long. Memphis may have preferred to get a longer look at a forward instead of Teague this summer after signing another guard – MarShon Brooks – to a multiyear deal today. Or the Grizzlies may have simply wanted to reward Teague with an NBA salary despite him not being a part of their long-term plans.

It’s also worth noting, according to Wallace (Twitter links), that the Grizzlies will be without forwards Jarell Martin (ankle) and Chandler Parsons (knee) for the season’s final four games, creating a need for some frontcourt depth. Wayne Selden (knee) will miss the rest of the season too, Wallace notes.

Celtics Sign Jonathan Gibson

April 6th, 2018 at 10:40am CST by Luke Adams

APRIL 6: The Celtics have officially signed Gibson, the team confirmed today in a press release. Boston’s announcement doesn’t mention Silas, but the assumption is that his 10-day deal was terminated a day early in order to accommodate the signing of Gibson.

APRIL 5: The Celtics will be signing free agent point guard Jonathan Gibson to a rest-of-season contract, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

Gibson, who appeared in 17 games for the Mavericks during the 2016/17 season, has otherwise spent his professional career playing for a variety of international teams. Since going undrafted in 2010, Gibson has made stops in Turkey, Israel, Italy, Iran, and China.

In 2017/18, the former New Mexico State standout appeared in 38 Chinese League games for Qingdao, averaging 33.7 PPG with 6.8 RPG and 4.7 APG.

Gibson will be a much-needed backcourt addition for a Celtics team that will be without Kyrie Irving for the rest of the season. Marcus Smart also remains sidelined with a thumb injury, while Shane Larkin has missed Boston’s last two games with an illness and Terry Rozier has been dealing with an ankle issue.

[RELATED: Kyrie Irving to miss playoffs]

The Celtics currently have a full roster, with Xavier Silas serving as the team’s 16th man via a hardship exception. According to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link), Gibson will replace Silas on the roster. Silas’ 10-day deal had been set to expire on Friday night, but the team could opt to terminate it before it expires in order to sign Gibson — Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald suggests (via Twitter) that the Gibson signing won’t become official until Friday at the earliest.

Boston’s hardship exception, which allows the club to carry a 16th man, won’t extend into the playoffs. As such, Gibson won’t be postseason-eligible unless the C’s cut another player, which seems unlikely.

Grizzlies Sign MarShon Brooks To Multiyear Deal

April 6th, 2018 at 8:22am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have officially locked up shooting guard MarShon Brooks to a new multiyear contract, the club announced today in a press release. Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter link) first reported late last night that Brooks would be signing a new deal with Memphis after his first 10-day contract expired.

As Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports, Brooks’ deal will be fully guaranteed for the rest of this season and for the 2018/19 campaign. Memphis faced some competition for Brooks, who drew interest from multiple playoff-contending teams as his 10-day deal neared an end, according to Charania. However, the 29-year-old was able to work out a new agreement with the Grizzlies. Charania suggests the club used its leftover mid-level exception money to give Brooks a slight salary bump for the rest of this season.

No NBA player has posted more impressive numbers on a 10-day contract this season than Brooks, who returned to the league after a four-year absence and posted three consecutive 20-point games. In total, the former first-round pick has averaged 23.3 PPG and 3.7 APG so far, with a scorching .571/.647/.846 shooting line.

Brooks had been occupying the 15th and final spot on the Grizzlies’ NBA roster, so the club no longer has any openings as the regular season nears an end.

Pelicans Sign Jordan Crawford

April 5th, 2018 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

3:07pm: The Pelicans have officially signed Crawford, the team announced this afternoon in a press release.

2:32pm: The Pelicans are expected to sign Jordan Crawford to a contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). New Orleans has an open spot on its 15-man roster, so no corresponding roster move will be necessary to finalize Crawford’s new deal.

Crawford, 29, opened the season with the Pelicans, but was on a non-guaranteed contract and was waived after just two games when the club signed Jameer Nelson. The former first-round pick has been effective during his limited time in New Orleans over the last two years, averaging 13.6 PPG and 3.1 APG with a .483/.410/.769 shooting line in 21 games since the start of the 2016/17 season.

The Pelicans had been on the lookout for backcourt help, with Ian Clark expected to miss the next five-to-10 days with an ankle injury, as head coach Alvin Gentry announced earlier today (Twitter link via Scott Kushner of The Advocate).

Larry Drew II had been the 15th man on New Orleans’ roster, but his 10-day deal with the team expired overnight. Rajon Rondo had said earlier this afternoon that he expected a new point guard to be brought in to fill that newly-opened roster spot (Twitter link via Kushner).

Grizzlies Sign Marquis Teague For Season

April 3rd, 2018 at 12:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have signed point guard Marquis Teague for the remainder of the 2017/18 season, the team announced today in a press release. Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) first reported the agreement. Teague had been on a 10-day contract with Memphis, which expired overnight on Monday.

Teague, 25, was a first-round pick in 2012, but before signing with the Grizzlies in March, he hadn’t played in the NBA since the 2013/14 season, when he split time between the Bulls and Nets. In two games during his first 10-day stint in Memphis, Teague averaged just 4.0 PPG in 26.5 minutes per contest, but did pick up five assists in each contest.

The Grizzlies are still carrying MarShon Brooks on a 10-day deal and will make Teague their 14th player on a guaranteed contract, filling up their 15-man roster. As we noted earlier today, the Grizzlies hadn’t yet given a second contract to any player they signed to a 10-day deal — Teague becomes the first.

Hawks Sign Damion Lee For Season

April 2nd, 2018 at 3:39pm CST by Luke Adams

3:39pm: The Hawks have officially signed Lee to a rest-of-season contract, the team announced in a press release.

8:30am: Damion Lee‘s second 10-day contract with the Hawks expired overnight, but he appears set to stick with the team. According to Chris Haynes of ESPN (Twitter link), Atlanta expects to re-sign Lee to a rest-of-season deal. It’s not clear yet if the agreement would cover the 2018/19 season or if it would allow the rookie guard to return to the free agent market this summer.

During his 20 days with the Hawks, Lee has appeared in the first 10 games of his NBA career, averaging 9.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.9 APG. After a hot start, the 25-year-old cooled off a little during his second 10-day contract, shooting just .388/.190/.667 over his last five games.

The Hawks, who signed Jeremy Evans to a 10-day contract on Sunday, currently have a full 15-man roster. However, the league granted Atlanta a hardship exception, which allows the club to carry a 16th player, so no corresponding roster move will be necessary to re-sign Lee.

That hardship exception can be granted when a team has at least four players who have missed three consecutive games and are expected to miss at least two more weeks. In the Hawks’ case, Dennis Schroder, Kent Bazemore, Antonius Cleveland, Jaylen Morris, and Malcolm Delaney are all on the shelf, so at least four of those players appear unlikely to return this season.

Mark Suleymanov of Hoops Rumors recently took an in-depth look at Lee’s long road to the NBA, a journey that saw him make his way back from ACL tears in both knees.

Aaron Harrison Signs Rest-Of-Season Deal With Mavs

April 2nd, 2018 at 8:12am CST by Arthur Hill

APRIL 2: The Mavs officially signed Harrison on Sunday, the team announced in a press release. The third-year guard actually received a rest-of-season contract rather than a 10-day deal.

Since the regular season is almost over, the agreement only keeps him under contract for 11 days this season, but Dallas will now have the option of making him a restricted free agent this summer.

MARCH 31: The Mavericks will sign Aaron Harrison to a second 10-day contract, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Harrison has appeared in four games under his current deal, averaging 4.5 points in about 20 minutes per night. He previously played five games for the Hornets last year and 21 in 2015/16. Before signing with Dallas, he was with the Reno Bighorns in the G League.

The Mavericks will have a full roster of 15 players once Harrison re-signs.

Hawks Sign Jeremy Evans To 10-Day Deal

April 1st, 2018 at 1:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

APRIL 1, 1:05pm: The signing is official, the Hawks announced via Twitter. No corresponding roster move was required because Atlanta was granted a hardship exception by the NBA, allowing the team to add a 16th player to its 15-man roster.

MARCH 31, 2:12pm: Former Slam Dunk Contest winner Jeremy Evans will sign a 10-day contract with the Hawks, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN.

Evans, 30, has spent this season with the Erie Bay Hawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate, where he is averaging 15.3 points and 9.9 rebounds in 39 games. His last NBA appearance came in 2015/16, when he played 30 games for the Mavericks. He was a second-round pick by the Jazz in 2010 and spent five seasons with Utah.

The Hawks need a roster opening to add Evans, so Damion Lee may not be kept once his second 10-day deal with the team expires tomorrow. Lee has averaged 10.4 points in nine games with Atlanta, starting six of them.