Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Sign Larry Drew II

September 5th, 2017 at 9:01pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Heat announced the signing of guard Larry Drew II on Tuesday. This marks the third time in five seasons that Miami will bring the UCLA product to training camp.

Drew, 27, won a gold medal earlier this month as a member of the United States squad at 2017 FIBA AmeriCup. The 6’2″ guard averaged 4.6 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 2.0 RPG in almost 19.5 minutes per contest. In recent years, Drew has played internationally for teams in both Lithuania and Puerto Rico.

Two seasons ago, Drew made 12 appearances for the 2014/15 Sixers team, averaging 3.8 PPG and 3.8 APG in 18.3 minutes per game.

Entering 2017/18, Drew has significant experience in the G League, where he has played in 96 games (all with the Sioux Falls Skyforce) while averaging 10.8 PPG, 7.8 APG, and 3.4 RPG while shooting nearly 48% from the field.

Hawks Sign Tyler Cavanaugh

September 5th, 2017 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have signed rookie free agent Tyler Cavanaugh to an NBA contract, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. The team has scheduled a press conference for Wednesday to announce new deals for Cavanaugh, Quinn Cook, and Josh Magette.

Cavanaugh, 23, went undrafted in June after spending the last two seasons playing for George Washington. Having transfered from Wake Forest to GW halfway through his college career, the 6’9″ forward enjoyed his best season in 2016/17, averaing 18.3 PPG and 8.4 RPG with a .448/.409/.848 shooting line.

When Vivlamore first reported Cavanaugh’s agreement with the Hawks, he noted that the deal would include a partial guarantee. However, Cavanaugh is unlikely to earn a spot on Atlanta’s 15-man regular season roster. He’ll likely end up with the Erie BayHawks, the club’s G League affiliate.

Once the Hawks officially announce the Cavanaugh, Cook, and Magette signings, their roster count will be up to 17 players, including one (Magette) on a two-way deal. That will leave three openings on Atlanta’s offseason roster.

Warriors Sign Michael Gbinije

September 5th, 2017 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors recently finalized a deal with free agent swingman Michael Gbinije, according to RealGM’s official NBA transactions log. Specific details aren’t known, but the contract appears to be a one-year pact and is unlikely to be fully guaranteed.

Gbinije, the 49th overall pick in the 2016 draft, spent his rookie season with the Pistons, but played very sparingly for Detroit. The 25-year-old saw a little more action for the club’s G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive. In 16 G League games (all starts), Gbinije averaged 12.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 1.9 SPG.

The Pistons signed Gbinije to a multiyear contract out of Syracuse last summer, but only one season was guaranteed. The club waived him earlier this offseason before his 2017/18 salary could become guaranteed.

Gbinije appears likely to be ticketed for the Warriors’ G League squad – the Santa Cruz Warriors – in 2017/18. However, before that can happen, the team will have to acquire his G League rights, which are currently still held by Grand Rapids.

Celtics Sign Jabari Bird To Two-Way Contract

September 5th, 2017 at 2:03pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 5: The Celtics have officially signed Bird to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 11: The Celtics have struck a deal to fill the second two-way contract opening on their roster, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has agreed to sign second-round pick Jabari Bird to a two-way deal. Boston previously signed Kadeem Allen to a two-way contract.

Bird, a shooting guard out of Cal, enjoyed his best college season as a senior in 2016/17, averaging 14.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 2.4 3PG with a shooting line of .439/.363/.764. He wasn’t viewed as a likely draft pick, ranking 39th on DraftExpress’ list of 2017’s top seniors. However, the Celtics used their fourth and final 2017 draft pick on him, nabbing him with the No. 56 overall selection.

Boston’s two-way deal with Bird will give the club 18 players on its offseason roster, including 16 on the NBA roster, leaving a couple more openings to fill for training camp, if the team so chooses.

Bird’s deal also ensures that only three 2017 draft picks don’t yet have resolution on their contract situations for 2017/18. As I detailed at the end of July, Ivan Rabb (Grizzlies), Isaiah Hartenstein (Rockets), and Nigel Williams-Goss (Jazz) are the other unsigned second-rounders.

For more details on how two-way contracts work, be sure to check out our FAQ.

Andrew Nicholson To Play In China

September 5th, 2017 at 9:08am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent power forward Andrew Nicholson is headed to China, according to international basketball journalist David Pick, who reports (via Twitter) that Nicholson has signed a deal in the $1MM range with the Guangdong Tigers. Nicholson’s agreement with Guangdong was first reported by Chuckie Maggio (Twitter link).

Nicholson, 27, was a beneficiary of the 2016 salary cap spike, having inked a four-year, $26MM contract with the Wizards during free agency last summer. After signing that deal, Nicholson endured his worst season as a pro, appearing in just 28 games for Washington and averaging 2.5 PPG and 1.2 RPG in 8.3 minutes per contest.

Nicholson was included as a salary dump in a deadline deal with the Nets in February, and ultimately finished the 2016/17 season with averages of 2.6 PPG and 1.6 RPG to go along with a .387 FG% in 38 games. Those numbers were all career worsts.

Earlier this offseason, Nicholson was once again included in a trade as a salary dump, making his way from the Nets to the Trail Blazers in the swap that sent Allen Crabbe to Brooklyn. However, Portland opted not to keep Nicholson on its roster, waiving him last week and stretching his remaining salary across seven years.

Nicholson will join a Guangdong squad that finished as the Chinese Basketball Association’s runner-up in 2016/17, having been led by former NBA players Carlos Boozer, Donald Sloan, and Yi Jianlian.

Pelicans Trade Quincy Pondexter To Bulls

September 1st, 2017 at 2:55pm CST by Austin Kent

SEPTEMBER 1, 2:55pm: The deal is now official, the Pelicans announced in a press release.

In exchange for Pondexter, a 2018 second-rounder, and cash, the Bulls are sending the Pelicans the draft rights to Ater Majok, according to Brett Martel of The Associated Press (Twitter link). Majok, a 2011 pick who is currently playing in Lebanon, had his rights traded from the Lakers to Chicago in last summer’s Jose Calderon swap.

AUGUST 31, 4:52pm: There has been a clarification regarding the trade courtesy of CSN Chicago’s Vincent Goodwill. The Bulls will receive Pondexter and a 2018 second-pick, as well as cash.

4:44pm: The Bulls and Pelicans are finalizing a trade that would send Quincy Pondexter to Chicago for a second-round draft pick, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. An update, however, suggests that it will be New Orleans giving up the pick in addition to Pondexter.

Pondexter hasn’t seen NBA action since 2014/15 when he started 28 games for the Pelicans and 30 contests total. Since then, he’s struggled through a particularly troublesome knee injury, his health remaining in limbo ahead of the 2017/18 season.

While the Bulls may end up ultimately waiving Pondexter, the second-round pick will serve them well as they navigate a long anticipated rebuild. The addition of Pondexter’s $3.9MM contract will presumably be absorbed into Chicago’s $15.3MM trade exception, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

Considering New Orleans’ need for a perimeter threat in light of Solomon Hill‘s long-term hamstring injury, the 29-year-old Pondexter would be an extremely valuable asset for the franchise if there was any sense of optimism that he could be healthy for the upcoming campaign. In June, however, general manager Dell Demps spoke about how uncertain the forward’s status was.

We had previously identified Pondexter as a candidate to be waived and stretched before the August 31 deadline, particularly given New Orleans’ proximity to the tax line. However, by finding a trade partner for the veteran swingman, the Pelicans will avoid carrying his cap hit in 2017/18 or stretching it across the next three seasons.

Patricio Garino To Play In Spain

September 1st, 2017 at 11:36am CST by Luke Adams

After spending time with the Spurs and Magic during his first professional season, Argentinian swingman Patricio Garino will continue his career overseas. Spanish team Saski Baskonia announced today (via Twitter) that it has signed Garino to a three-year contract.

After going undrafted out of George Washington a year ago, Garino played for the Magic in Summer League last July, then joined the Spurs for training camp. The 24-year-old didn’t earn a spot on San Antonio’s regular season squad, but spent most of the year with the club’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. He averaged 11.2 PPG and 3.4 RPG in Austin, with a .430 3PT%.

Late in the 2016/17 campaign, the Magic opted to take another look at Garino, signing him to a rest-of-season deal that included a non-guaranteed salary for 2017/18. However, Orlando’s new management group decided not to carry Garino on the club’s camp roster this fall, waiving him a month ago.

Garino is the third NBA free agent this offseason to join Baskonia in Spain. Former Cavaliers guard Jordan McRae and ex-Lakers guard Marcelo Huertas have also signed with the club.

Bucks Waive Spencer Hawes

September 1st, 2017 at 11:24am CST by Austin Kent

SEPTEMBER 1, 11:24am: The Bucks have issued a press release confirming that Hawes has officially been waived.

SEPTEMBER 1, 8:21am: While there hasn’t been any official word from the Bucks on Hawes, a report ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski indicates that Milwaukee has waived the veteran center. Presumably, the move was finalized on Thursday in order to stretch Hawes’ 2017/18 salary.

AUGUST 31, 4:25pm: The Bucks are likely to waive and stretch Spencer Hawes, David Aldridge of TNT tweets. Today, of course, marks the deadline for teams to part ways with a player while stretching his 2017/18 salary.

By waiving and stretching Hawes, the Bucks would free up over $4MM in cap space this year which would serve them well as they currently sit just above the tax line.

The stretch provision allows teams to spread a waived player’s contract over twice the number of years remaining on the contract, plus an additional year. In Hawes’ case, owed $6MM through one season, his cap hit would become $2MM annually through three seasons, ending at the culmination of the 2019/20 campaign.

Hawes, a 29-year-old center with three-point range, played half a season for the Bucks after moving alongside Roy Hibbert in the Miles Plumlee trade. Hawes averaged 4.4 points per game in 19 contests for Milwaukee but ultimately saw his role reduced by the emergence of Thon Maker.

Trail Blazers To Retain Pat Connaughton

August 31st, 2017 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have decided not to waive Pat Connaughton today, which will ensure that his 2017/18 salary becomes fully guaranteed, reports Jason Quick of CSNNW.com. Connaughton will now be on track to earn his full $1,471,382 minimum salary for the coming season.

Connaughton, 24, has spent the last two seasons in Portland after joining the Blazers in a draft-day trade in 2015. The 6’5″ shooting guard hasn’t become a regular rotation player for the Blazers so far, but has appeared in 73 regular season games for the club. He has played just 6.3 MPG in those contests, averaging 1.8 PPG and 1.2 RPG.

The original guarantee deadline for Connaughton was July 25, but he and the team agreed last month to push it back to August 31 to create a little more flexibility for the Blazers. Having waived Andrew Nicholson on Wednesday, the Blazers only had 13 players left on guaranteed contracts — that number will increase to 14 with Connaughton remaining on the roster.

With a decision made on Connaughton, all the players who had guarantee deadlines on their contracts in June, July, or August have now either been waived or received their guarantees, as our tracker details.

Magic Sign Kalin Lucas

August 31st, 2017 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic continue to fill out their roster for training camp, announcing today in a press release (Twitter link) that they’ve signed free agent guard Kalin Lucas to a contract. The announcement from the team also confirmed the signing of Troy Caupain, which we covered earlier this month.

Lucas, 28, went undrafted out of Michigan State back in 2011 and has played in a number of professional leagues and countries since then. In addition to spending time with clubs in Greece and Turkey, Lucas has extensive G League experience, having averaged 17.7 PPG and 4.9 APG with a .448/.391/.842 shooting line in 112 career G League contests.

Lucas was signed and waived multiple times by the Grizzlies in 2014, and ultimately saw his only NBA experience with Memphis during that 2014/15 season. His stint in the NBA was brief — he played in just one game and saw the floor for six minutes.

Having played for the Erie BayHawks last season, Lucas is a good bet to join the Lakeland Magic to start the 2017/18 campaign. Those teams are technically one and the same — the Orlando Magic bought the BayHawks and relocated the G League franchise to Florida for the coming season.

The Magic now have 18 players officially under contract, with an agreement also reportedly in place with undrafted rookie Rodney Purvis — when Purvis’ deal becomes official, Orlando would have just one open spot left on the team’s 20-man offseason roster.