Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kings Waive Marcus Williams

October 10th, 2017 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have waived veteran guard Marcus Williams, the team announced today in a press release. Williams joined Sacramento last month as a camp invitee, but was viewed as a long shot to make the regular season roster.

Williams, 31, was the 22nd overall pick in the 2006 draft, but the UConn product spent just four years in the league, appearing in 203 total games for the Nets, Warriors, and Grizzlies. He hasn’t appeared in a regular season NBA game since the 2009/10 season, having continued his professional career overseas and spent time with clubs in Russia, China, Spain, Serbia, Montenegro, and France.

Williams played in two preseason games for Sacramento, averaging 6.0 PPG and 3.0 APG in 15.7 minutes per contest.

The Kings now have 16 players under contract, not counting their two-way players. With 15 of those players on guaranteed deals, non-guaranteed camp invitee Matt Jones figures to join Williams on the waiver wire sometime before opening night.

Pistons Cut Landry Nnoko, Derek Willis

October 10th, 2017 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have made a pair of roster cuts, waiving Landry Nnoko and Derek Willis, per Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link). Both players are on track to join the Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s G League squad, as affiliate players.

Nnoko, a 6’10” center, joined the Pistons this summer after spending last season playing in Italy. As for Willis, the 6’9″ forward went undrafted out of Kentucky this year before accepting a training camp invite from Detroit.

The pair of roster moves bring the Pistons’ roster count to 17, with two of those players on two-way deals. Detroit now has 15 players on NBA contracts, so no further cuts are necessary before opening night, though that doesn’t guarantee that the team won’t make any additional moves.

If the Pistons do end up making another cut, veteran point guard Beno Udrih would likely be next on the chopping block, since he’s the only other player on the roster with a fully non-guaranteed salary.

Celtics Sign Daniel Dixon

October 10th, 2017 at 12:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have finalized a contract agreement initially reported in August, announcing this week (via Twitter) that they’ve signed undrafted rookie Daniel Dixon to their roster. The move brings Boston back up to the 20-man preseason roster limit.

Dixon, a 6’6″ shooting guard, played his college ball at William & Mary, enjoying a breakout season in his senior year. Appearing in 30 games in 2016/17, Dixon averaged 19.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 2.5 APG, with a shooting line of .482/.378/.870.

Boston’s initial training camp roster didn’t include Dixon, but the team cleared a roster spot to finalize his signing by waiving another camp invitee – Devin Williams – last week.

While terms of Dixon’s agreement aren’t known, it figures to be a non-guaranteed deal. The Celtics likely view the rookie guard as a potential affiliate player for the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s G League team.

Joel Embiid Signs Max Extension With Sixers

October 10th, 2017 at 11:36am CST by Dana Gauruder

OCTOBER 10, 11:36am: The extension is official, the team announced on Twitter. We should soon find out more specifics on the deal, which was described to ESPN’s Zach Lowe as “perhaps the most complex” in NBA history (Twitter link).

OCTOBER 9, 4:45pm: The Sixers and center Joel Embiid have agreed on a five-year, $148MM designated rookie scale max extension, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

This ends all the speculation regarding Philadelphia’s commitment to the supremely talented but oft-injured big man. Embiid missed the first two seasons of his career because of foot injuries and only appeared in 31 games last season before he was sidelined by a knee injury that required surgery. Ultimately, the franchise’s brass felt comfortable locking up Embiid, rather than waiting to see if he could remain healthy for a full season.

In fact, the contract could even be richer than that, as Wojnarowski explains in a subsequent post. Embiid could potentially earn millions of dollars more if he meets certain criteria, including making All-NBA teams or winning the Most Valuable Player award. If Embiid meets the ‘Super Max’ criteria, he could earn an as much as $178MM, league sources told Wojnarowski.

The Sixers will have some cap protections should Embiid sustain an injury that would cause him to miss significant time, Wojnarowski adds.

Embiid underwent season-ending arthroscopic surgery in March to fix a meniscus tear in his left knee. He has yet to appear in a preseason game, as the Sixers are taking a cautious approach.

Prior to the injury, he showed the ability to be a future All-Star. He averaged 20.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 2.5 BPG in 25.4 MPG. He would have easily led all rookies in those category if he played enough games to qualify.

Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo told the media last month that he was cautiously optimistic concerning Embiid’s extension talks. The two sides had until October 16 to reach an agreement and they beat the deadline by a week. If they hadn’t come to terms, Embiid would have been a restricted free agent next summer.

Heat Sign DeAndre Liggins

October 10th, 2017 at 11:23am CST by Arthur Hill

Swingman DeAndre Liggins has signed with the Heat, the team announced on its website.

The deal caps an eventful stretch for Liggins, who is joining his sixth team in six months. After playing 61 games for the Cavaliers last season, he was waived in April and claimed by the Mavericks. He played just one game in Dallas before the season ended and was traded to the Rockets in late June. Houston sent Liggins to the Clippers as part of the Chris Paul deal, then late last month, L.A. shipped him and with cash considerations to Atlanta, which immediately waived him.

This will be the second stint in Miami for Liggins, who signed two 10-day contracts and played one game for the team in 2014. He spent two seasons with Miami’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls, twice earning Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Shawn Long Will Play In China

October 10th, 2017 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Former Sixers big man Shawn Long, who was briefly acquired by the Rockets this summer, has reached a deal with the Xinjiang Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, tweets international writer David Pick.

The 24-year-old signed with Philadelphia last summer after going undrafted out of Louisiana-Lafayette. He was waived before the season started, but rejoined the team in March on a 10-day contract and earned a multi-year deal with a partial guarantee.

The Rockets traded for him in June when they were acquiring several low-salary deals without full guarantees for use in possible trades. Houston waived him September 26, just before a $50K guarantee for this season took effect.

Long got into 18 games for Philadelphia last season, averaging 8.2 points and 4.7 rebounds in 13 minutes per night.

Jazz Sign Torian Graham

October 9th, 2017 at 3:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have signed Torian Graham to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. Details of the agreement weren’t released, but it figures to be a non-guaranteed deal.

Graham, a 6’4″ guard, spent last season at Arizona State. In 33 games, Graham averaged 18.6 PPG with 4.2 RPG, and was the team’s biggest threat from three-point range — he made outside shots at a 38.7% rate, pouring in 3.3 per game.

The Jazz had been carrying the maximum 20 players up until Saturday, when the club waived camp invitee Taylor Braun. That opened up one spot, which Utah has filled by signing Graham and getting back up to 20 players.

While the Jazz didn’t say as much in their announcement of the signing, they likely view Graham as a potential affiliate player for their G League squad, the Salt Lake City Stars.

Wizards Waive Daniel Ochefu

October 9th, 2017 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have waived second-year big man Daniel Ochefu, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The move reduces Washington’s roster count to 18 players, including two on two-way contracts.

Ochefu, who played his college ball at Villanova, signed with the Wizards last year as an undrafted free agent. The 6’11” forward/center was an unexpected addition to the club’s 15-man regular season roster and spent the year with the franchise, appearing in 19 games. Ochefu played sparingly in those contests, averaging 1.3 PPG and 1.2 RPG in 3.9 minutes per game.

Ochefu’s contract with the Wizards includes a $50K guarantee, so that figure will remain on the club’s cap for 2017/18. Washington won’t be on the hook for the rest of his minimum salary, however.

With Ochefu no longer in the mix, the Wizards have 16 players on NBA contracts, including 13 on fully guaranteed deals. The Wizards figure to part with at least one of Carrick Felix, Donald Sloan, and Sheldon Mac before the regular season begins to reach the 15-man limit. If Mac is the player waived, Washington will remain on the hook for his salary until he recovers from an Achilles tear.

Lakers Waive V.J. Beachem, Stephen Zimmerman

October 9th, 2017 at 1:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have begun to make cuts to their roster with the preseason nearing an end, announcing today in a press release that they’ve requested waivers on V.J. Beachem and Stephen Zimmerman. Beachem and Zimmerman will become unrestricted free agents on Wednesday, assuming they clear waivers.

Beachem and Zimmerman both signed contracts with the Lakers this summer, but saw very limited action during the preseason, and weren’t strong candidates to make the club’s 15-man roster.

Beachem, a 6’8″ forward who played his college ball at Notre Dame, averaged 14.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.4 3PG, and 1.1 BPG in his senior year last season. He received a $50K guarantee when he signed with the Lakers and looks like a candidate to join the club’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.

Zimmerman, the 41st overall pick in the 2016 draft, was waived by the Magic after just one year with the franchise, but had some success in the G League last season. In 21 games for the Erie BayHawks, the young center averaged 13.4 PPG and 8.9 RPG.

The Lakers’ roster is now down to 18 players, including one (Alex Caruso) on a two-way contract. The club will have to make at least two more roster moves before the regular season begins.

Magic Sign Rodney Purvis

October 9th, 2017 at 9:31am CST by Dana Gauruder

OCTOBER 9: The Magic and Purvis have officially finalized their agreement, with the team confirming it today in a press release. After initially announcing a 19-man preseason roster, the Magic are now at 20 players. Meanwhile, Purvis is expected to eventually play in the G League for the Lakeland Magic, tweets Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel.

AUGUST 28: Former University of Connecticut shooting guard Rodney Purvis has agreed to a partially guaranteed deal with the Magic, league sources told Ian Begley of ESPN.com. The contract includes an Exhibit 10 clause, which would give Purvis a bonus if he’s waived and then signs with the Lakeland Magic, their G League affiliate, Begley adds (Twitter links).

The Exhibit 10 clause also gives Orlando the ability to convert Purvis’ camp deal into a two-way contract prior to the season, Jared Weiss of CelticsBlog.com tweets. Currently, the Magic have just one player on a two-way deal (Adreian Payne), leaving the second spot open.

Purvis, who began his college career at North Carolina State, is a longshot to make the Magic’s opening-day roster. He went undrafted after his senior year with the Huskies. The 6’4” Purvis averaged 13.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG and 2.5 APG last season. He appeared in two games with the Jazz’s summer-league team in Las Vegas but only scored one point.

Once they finalize Purvis’ deal, the Magic will have 18 players under contract.