Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pelicans Sign DeAndre Liggins To Two-Year Deal

February 5th, 2018 at 11:59am CST by marksuleymanov

FEBRUARY 5: The Pelicans have officially re-signed Liggins, the team announced today in a press release. The club now has a full 15-man roster once again.

FEBRUARY 4: The Pelicans are bringing back guard DeAndre Liggins on a two-year deal, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Liggins has inked a pair of 10-day contracts with the Pelicans already this season, with the most recent one expiring late in January. Woj noted that Liggins’ perimeter defense impressed the Pelicans, paving the way for a guaranteed contract.

Liggins, 29, started the season with the Bucks after a merry-go-round of an offseason. He was traded from the Mavericks to the Rockets; traded to the Hawks and waived; claimed by the Heat and waived; and finally claimed off waivers by the Bucks.

In 31 games in Milwaukee, Liggins averaged just 1.8 PPG. In four games with the Pelicans during his two 10-day deals, Liggins averaged 4.3 PPG.

Pelicans Sign Emeka Okafor To 10-Day Contract

February 3rd, 2018 at 3:05pm CST by marksuleymanov

3:05pm: The Pelicans have officially signed Okafor to a 10-day deal, the team announced today in a press release.

9:22am: The Pelicans are finalizing a 10-day contract with former second overall pick Emeka Okafor, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical.

Okafor, 35, last appeared in the NBA in 2012/13 with the Wizards. However, a herniated disc in Okafor’s neck caused him to miss the entire 2013/14 campaign and he had not reached the NBA since. This season, he has played with the G League Delaware 87ers, the affiliate of the Sixers. In 26 games with Delaware, Okafor averaged 6.8 PPG and 8.0 RPG in 19.9 minutes per contest.

In nine NBA seasons with the defunct Bobcats, Hornets, and Wizards, the 2005 Rookie of the Year averaged 12.3 PPG and 9,9 RPG in 590 games.

The Pelicans were finalizing a 10-day deal with Terrence Jones on Friday before changing course, electing to keep their roster spots open.

Pelicans No Longer Finalizing 10-Day Deal With Terrence Jones

February 2nd, 2018 at 7:35pm CST by Austin Kent

7:35pm: The Pels have changed course and are no longer pursuing a deal with Jones, Charania tweets. They’ll leave their roster spots open for now.

6:06pm: The Pelicans are finalizing a 10-day deal with Terrence Jones, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. Jones, of course, suited up in 51 games for the team last season before he was waived in February.

Jones, just 26 years old, averaged 11.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for the Pels in 2016/17 but failed to stick with the franchise. He later inked a 10-day pact with the Bucks in March of 2017 but didn’t stick there either.

Last summer Jones signed a contract in China, hoping to parlay that into another NBA gig but only lasted three weeks with the team before he was kicked out of a practice and eventually waived.

Prior to his signing in China, Jones himself admitted to making immature decisions in his life. While the ensuing result of his tenure abroad doesn’t inspire confidence that he’s completely matured, it’s not hard to understand why he remains an intriguing NBA project.

Jones’ per-36 numbers have always been rather appealing fluctuating at or near 16 points and nine rebounds every year but his rookie campaign with the Rockets.

The Pels will hold all the leverage with Jones this time around, effectively given the chance to audition him for 10 days to gauge his maturity level. After missing out on Greg Monroe, who committed to the Celtics earlier today, Jones will slot into a center position left vacant by the injured DeMarcus Cousins.

When Monroe was available, the Pels were willing to float a starting nod but it’s unclear whether that will apply to Jones as well, given that he doesn’t have Moose’s track record.

Suns Sign Josh Gray To 10-Day Deal

February 2nd, 2018 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

11:34am: The Suns have officially signed Gray to a 10-day contract, confirming the deal in a press release.

11:30am: The Suns are expected to sign G League guard Josh Gray to a 10-day contract at some point today, according to Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link). A corresponding roster move won’t be necessary, since Phoenix opened up a roster spot by waiving Greg Monroe on Thursday.

[RELATED: Suns buy out Greg Monroe]

Gray, 24, went undrafted out of LSU in 2016 and has played for the Northern Arizona Suns, Phoenix’s G League affiliate, over the last two seasons. After a solid rookie season, Gray has improved his production in 2017/18, averaging 17.9 PPG, 5.9 APG, 4.0 RPG, and 2.3 SPG with a .447/.421/.758 shooting line in 31 games.

Back in October, we heard that Gray had received multiple offers from teams overseas, but decided to return to the G League in the hopes of earning an NBA call-up at some point this season. It appears he’ll get that opportunity with the Suns.

Assuming Gray’s 10-day deal with Phoenix is finalized today, he’ll remain under contract through February 11. After that, the Suns could sign him to one more 10-day deal, then would have to decide whether or not to lock him up for the rest of the season.

Pelicans Acquire Nikola Mirotic From Bulls

February 1st, 2018 at 5:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans and Bulls have finalized a trade that sends forward Nikola Mirotic to New Orleans, with both clubs confirming via press releases that the deal is official. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link) first reported that the Pelicans and Bulls had reached an agreement in principle.

The two teams appeared to be on the verge of a trade earlier this week, but hit a roadblock in the form of Mirotic’s $12.5MM team option for 2018/19. The veteran forward, who had veto rights unless that option was exercised, wanted New Orleans to pick it up, but the Pelicans were initially unwilling to do so due to concerns about their ability to retain Mirotic and re-sign DeMarcus Cousins without going into luxury tax territory.

The Pelicans have now guaranteed Mirotic’s $12.5MM salary for next season, which clinched the deal, per Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Omer Asik and a future first-round pick are headed to Chicago, as was the case in the initial agreement.

New Orleans needed to include at least one more salary to stay under a hard cap, so Tony Allen heads to Chicago too, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Allen will likely be waived by the Bulls, Woj tweets.

The Pelicans will open one extra roster spot by also adding Jameer Nelson to the trade, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Nelson may also be cut, but it probably won’t happen immediately, per Johnson, who tweets that the point guard’s future is unclear. Paxson said that there is a week left until the trade deadline so the Bulls still have time to decide on waiving players, Johnson tweets.

In order to complete a three-for-one deal, the Bulls will have to open up a roster spot, since they currently only have a single opening. Quincy Pondexter looks like the strongest candidate to be waived.

[RELATED: Bulls to waive Pondexter]

Speaking of Pondexter, according to Johnson (Twitter link), the Bulls will also be returning the Pelicans’ own 2018 second-round pick to New Orleans after initially acquiring it in a September trade that landed Pondexter in Chicago. That pick served as an incentive to convince the Pelicans to exercise Mirotic’s second-year team option, Johnson notes (via Twitter).

The first-round pick the Bulls are getting in the swap will be the Pelicans’ 2018 first-rounder, and it will have “minimal” protections, tweets Wojnarowski. TNT’s David Aldridge clarifies (via Twitter) that it’ll be top-five protected this year, while Johnson tweets that it’ll be top-eight protected in 2019. Finally, Woj adds that there will be a pick-swapping option in the 2021 draft, with the Bulls having the opportunity to swap their second-round pick for the Pelicans’ second-rounder.

“The draft asset we acquired was far and away the best thing we had got (in talks),” Bulls executive vice president John Paxson said to reporters, including Johnson. “It’s consistent with the direction and plan we talked about this summer.”

Mirotic, who has been the subject of trade rumors throughout the 2017/18 campaign, was sidelined with facial injuries to start the season after being punched by teammate Bobby Portis during an altercation in practice. Mirotic’s camp reportedly issued an ultimatum in the fall in an effort to get the Bulls to trade either Mirotic or Portis, but the power forwards were willing to bury the hatchet and coexist on the court when Mirotic got healthy.

Since returning to action, Mirotic has enjoyed the most productive year of his NBA career, averaging 16.8 PPG and 6.4 RPG to go along with a .474/.429/.823 shooting line. All of those numbers are career highs. Despite his solid play and the club’s improved record, Mirotic was still said to prefer a trade out of Chicago, and was pulled out of action this week as the Bulls attempted to finalize a deal.

As the Bulls explored the market for Mirotic, the Jazz and Pistons were cited most frequently as potential trade partners. However, Detroit landed a bigger fish on Monday, acquiring Blake Griffin from the Clippers, and Utah was reportedly unwilling to include a first-round pick in an offer for the stretch four.

The Bulls, who were said to be seeking a first-rounder for Mirotic all along, will get that pick from the Pelicans, though they’ll have to give up a second-rounder and take on an unwanted contract in the process. Asik, a former Bull, is earning about $10.6MM this season, with a guaranteed salary worth $11.29MM in 2018/19. The veteran center has one more year on his deal in 2019/20, but it’s only partially guaranteed for $3MM. Allen and Nelson are on expiring minimum salaries, so they won’t have any impact on the cap beyond this season.

As for the Pelicans, they’re set to fill the lineup hole created when Cousins went down on Friday with a season-ending Achilles injury, and they may not be done adding frontcourt help. New Orleans has been strongly linked to Greg Monroe, who is being bought out by the Suns, and Scott Kushner of The Advocate tweets that the acquisition of Mirotic won’t adversely affect the club’s pursuit of Monroe. In fact, by clearing a little salary and opening up a pair of roster spots in this deal, adding Monroe may be even more viable for the Pelicans, who have room to add two players on minimum salaries, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link) — still, the team may not be able to offer him as significant a role with Mirotic now in the mix.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bulls Waive Quincy Pondexter

February 1st, 2018 at 5:13pm CST by Luke Adams

5:13pm: With the Nikola Mirotic trade now official, Pondexter has formally been waived.

12:57pm: The Bulls intend to waive veteran sharpshooter Quincy Pondexter, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The move will clear a second roster spot for Chicago, allowing the team to accommodate the incoming players in a three-for-one trade with the Pelicans.

Pondexter, who will turn 30 in March, missed the last two NBA seasons while dealing with health problems that were viewed as potentially life-threatening. However, he was able to get back on the court this season, playing for the Bulls after a September salary-dump trade sent him from New Orleans to Chicago.

Although Pondexter has been able to play again, he hasn’t been his old self — in 23 games (8.5 MPG) for the Bulls, he has averaged just 2.0 PPG with a dismal .286/.136/.824 shooting line. Coming into 2017/18, he owned a career .424 FG% and .365 3PT%.

Pondexter’s $3,853,931 salary will remain on the Bulls’ cap for this season, but that’s not of major concern to the franchise, since team salary remains below the minimum floor for 2017/18. Pondexter’s contract expires at season’s end, so Chicago won’t be on the hook for any future salary.

Suns Buy Out Greg Monroe

February 1st, 2018 at 4:06pm CST by clarkcrum

FEBRUARY 1, 4:06pm: The Suns have officially waived Monroe, according to a press release issued by the club. He’s on track to clear waivers on Saturday.

We rounded up several rumors on Monroe’s next landing spot earlier today.

JANUARY 31, 9:53pm: The Suns and Greg Monroe have reached an agreement on a buyout, tweets Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN adds that there will be “significant interest” around the league in signing Monroe to a rest-of-the-season contract once he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

The timing of the deal is a bit peculiar with the trade deadline about a week away, but Bordow surmises that a worthy deal likely wouldn’t have materialized for Monroe anyway, so the timing really didn’t matter to Phoenix. Wojnarowski adds that the Suns did in fact exhaust all trade possibilities before agreeing to the buyout.

Monroe, who was sent to the Suns earlier this season in the move that landed Eric Bledsoe in Milwaukee, had seen inconsistent minutes since arriving in Phoenix, with Tyson Chandler and Alex Len also vying for minutes at the five. Monroe has been viewed as a candidate to be traded or bought out since the Suns acquired him — a trade would have been challenging due to his $17.88MM cap hit.

Earlier in the evening, John Gambadoro of ArizonaSports.com opined that a buyout could be forthcoming after Monroe was not in attendance for tonight’s game against Dallas. Multiple sources indicate that the Celtics, who possess an $8.4MM disabled player exception, are a team to watch in the Monroe sweepstakes, with Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports reporting that the interest is expected to be mutual.

Helping Boston is the fact that its disabled player exception – acquired as a result of the season-ending injury to Gordon Hayward – does not prorate throughout the season. As detailed by ESPN’s Bobby Marks, this is different from the mid-level exception that most teams would utilize to offer Monroe a salary over the minimum.

In addition to the Celtics, another team said to be interested in Monroe is the Pelicans, per Bordow. New Orleans is in a position to make the playoffs and just lost All-Star DeMarcus Cousins for the rest of the season. Moreover, a potential deal for Nikola Mirotic just fell through after New Orleans refused to guarantee Mirotic’s 2018/19 salary.

New Orleans is over the cap and wouldn’t be able to offer a free agent more than the prorated portion of the bi-annual exception — even that would be tricky due to the team’s hard cap and tax ramifications. Still, Monroe is from the New Orleans area, so the Pelicans may be hoping that he is willing to take some sort of hometown discount. In addition, New Orleans could offer him a starting position, while the Celtics would almost certainly bring him off the bench.

The Thunder could also be a dark horse in the Monroe sweepstakes, according to Mannix. Meanwhile, the Bucks are ineligible to re-sign Monroe after trading him earlier in the league year.

Clippers Trade Blake Griffin To Pistons

January 29th, 2018 at 11:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

11:46pm: The trade is now official, according to a press release issued by the Pistons.

“We are serious about winning, and this is a major move to improve our team,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “Blake Griffin is one of the NBA’s elite players, and when you get an opportunity to add that kind of talent, you take it. … He is a great fit for our team and will bring a combination of toughness and athleticism that will elevate our team and excite our fans.”

5:20pm: The Clippers have agreed to trade star power forward Blake Griffin to the Pistons in a multi-player deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Detroit will ship forward Tobias Harris, shooting guard Avery Bradley, center Boban Marjanovic, a first-round pick and a second-round draft pick to the Clippers, Wojnarowski adds, citing league sources.

Forward Brice Johnson and center Willie Reed are also heading to Detroit, Wojnarowski adds in another tweet.

Detroit’s 2018 first-round pick is protected if it’s a top-four selection, according to Wojnarowski; It has the same protection for the next two drafts, then goes unprotected in 2021. The second-round pick in the trade will come in the 2019 draft (Twitter link).

The Pistons, long rumored to be active on the trade market, have been trying to shake up their team while nosediving down the Eastern Conference standings. They have lost eight in a row and now sit in the ninth spot in the East. Wojnarowski had reported just hours ago that Detroit was shopping Bradley and his expiring contract.

Griffin re-signed with the Clippers on a five-year max deal over the summer, so the Pistons are taking on an enormous salary commitment in order to pair him with current franchise player Andre Drummond. Griffin is making $29.5MM this season and he’ll be due another $141.6MM over the next four years, though the final year of the contract includes a player option.

The longtime Clipper will also receive a $860K trade bonus spread over the next four seasons, salary-cap expert Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. The Griffin trade bonus is not voided because his current salary is slightly below the max, Marks adds.

The Clippers are in the playoff hunt at 25-24, so dealing Griffin certainly signals a change in the franchise’s long-term direction. It’s possible that this will be the first of multiple moves for the Clippers, since players like DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams have also been considered potential trade candidates.

Aside from Drummond, who is making approximately $23.8MM this season, Harris and Reggie Jackson are Detroit’s highest-paid players at $16MM this season. Bradley is making $8.8MM and Marjanovic is pulling in $7MM this season. Johnson is earning approximately $1.3MM and Reed has a $1MM contract this season.

Both teams are hard-capped and near the luxury-tax line, as Marks notes in a tweet, so it was crucial that each team sent and received about the same amount of money.

The Clippers will get cap relief in the long run as the contracts of Harris and Marjanovic expire after the 2018/19 season. Once this deal is finalized, Danilo Gallinari‘s contract will represent the only guaranteed money on L.A.’s cap beyond 2019.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lakers Will Not Re-Sign Nigel Hayes

January 28th, 2018 at 9:49pm CST by Austin Kent

The Lakers will not re-sign forward Nigel Hayes after his 10-day contract expired tonight, Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times tweets. The 23-year-old rookie saw action in two games during his stint with the club, seeing a grand total of 11 minutes.

Hayes, an undrafted combo forward out of Wisconsin, will hit the open market while Los Angeles frees up a roster spot with which they can test drive other free agents.

With a glut of forwards already on board in L.A., Hayes’ chances of breaking into the Lakers’ rotation were slim from the start.

Hayes previously went through training camp with the Knicks.

Mavs Sign Kyle Collinsworth To Second 10-Day Deal

January 24th, 2018 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 24: The Mavs have made it official, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed Collinsworth to a new 10-day contract. Collinsworth’s new deal will run through next Friday.

JANUARY 23: Kyle Collinsworth‘s initial 10-day contract with the Mavericks expired last night following Dallas’ blowout win over the Wizards, but the rookie guard is expected to get a new deal soon from the club. According to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News, Collinsworth said after that game that coaches told him he’ll be signed to a second 10-day contract on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

Collinsworth, 26, was on a two-way contract with the Mavs earlier this season, but was waived from that deal on January 10. He signed a 10-day pact just three days later, and appeared in a pair of games during that stretch. In Monday night’s win, Collinsworth posted four points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals, with a +23 rating in just 19 minutes.

The Mavericks currently have 14 players on fully guaranteed contracts, leaving an open spot to re-add Collinsworth. Once his second deal is finalized, he’ll spend another 10 days on the Mavs’ roster, then Dallas will be forced to decide whether to let him go or sign him to a rest-of-season contract.