Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Thunder Waive Alford, Brown, Thomas

October 11th, 2017 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have waived three players from their preseason roster, announcing today in a press release that guard Bryce Alford, guard Markel Brown, and forward Rashawn Thomas are no longer part of the squad.

Alford, Brown, and Thomas all received training camp invitations from the Thunder, but didn’t appear in a game during the preseason. There’s a good chance that the trio will end up playing for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate. Alford and Thomas are particularly well positioned to head to the Blue, since they’re rookies whose G League rights haven’t been claimed by another team.

Following today’s roster moves, the Thunder still have 17 players under contract, with one of those 17 on a two-way deal. The club will have to make at least one more cut to its NBA roster before the regular season begins, and that decision figures to come down to Isaiah Canaan or Semaj Christon.

Cavaliers Waive Edy Tavares

October 11th, 2017 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have begun making roster cuts in advance of the regular season, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived center Edy Tavares.

Signed by the Cavs at the very end of the 2016/17 regular season, Tavares’ season came to a premature end when he fractured his hand in May, sidelining him for the rest of the playoffs. Prior to joining Cleveland, Tavares began the season with the Hawks, then spent time with the Raptors’ G League affiliate, which continues to hold his returning rights.

Tavares’ release had been expected, since the Cavaliers still had 19 players on NBA contracts, including 16 on fully guaranteed deals. Tavares was one of three players without full guarantees, along with Kendrick Perkins and Kay Felder. Cleveland will need to remove at least three more players from its NBA roster via release or trade before the regular season begins.

Assuming Tavares clears waivers, he could be a candidate to rejoin the Cavs as a two-way player, since the team still has one two-way slot open.

Raptors Sign Davion Berry

October 11th, 2017 at 10:48am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have signed former Weber State guard Davion Berry to an Exhibit 10 contract, reports Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic. Toronto had already reduced its roster count to 15 players on NBA contracts, but the team will add a 16th in Berry to get through the next week of practices. The team has confirmed the move.

Berry, who went undrafted in 2014, has bounced back and forth between the G League and international leagues since then, playing for teams in Italy, South Korea, Greece, and Germany. Most importantly, the 25-year-old’s last G League experience – in 2015/16 – came for the Raptors 905, so Toronto’s G League affiliate still holds his returning rights.

Berry figures to head to the Raptors 905 once the G League season begins, but as Murphy explains, signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract allows Toronto to give the young shooting guard an extra $50K bonus that won’t count against the Raps’ cap.

The Raptors’ roster count is now back up to 18, including two players on two-way contracts.

Knicks Sign Trey Burke

October 11th, 2017 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have signed former lottery pick Trey Burke to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. The move increases New York’s roster count to 20 players, the preseason maximum.

Burke, who will turn 25 next month, was the ninth overall pick in the 2013 draft, but has struggled to make an impact during his first four NBA seasons. After three up-and-down seasons in Utah, the former Michigan standout joined the Wizards for the 2016/17 season.

While his shooting numbers in Washington (.455/.443/.759) were the best of his career, Burke was also only playing 12.3 minutes per contest, easily a career low. The Wizards opted not to tender him a qualifying offer at season’s end, which made him an unrestricted free agent. Last month, Burke appeared to have a deal in place with the Thunder, but reportedly backed out of it in search of another opportunity.

The Knicks currently have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, and Burke won’t have much time to make an impression on the franchise before the regular season begins, so it’s not clear if he’ll have an opportunity to earn a regular season roster spot.

Ian Begley of ESPN.com suggests (via Twitter) that Burke may battle Jarrett Jack for a spot on the 15-man squad, and Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter) that the Knicks will actually be able to carry a 16th player early in the season while Joakim Noah serves his suspension.

Still, Marc Berman of The New York Post – who notes that the Knicks also have interest in John Jenkins – indicates (via Twitter) that the team likely views Burke as a potential G League player.

Kings Sign Reggie Hearn, David Stockton

October 10th, 2017 at 4:18pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Kings have signed Reggie Hearn and David Stockton, according to a team press release.

Hearn played for Sacramento’s G League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, over the past three seasons. During the 2016/17 campaign, he averaged 13.5 points while shooting 44.2% from downtown.

Stockton played for the Bighorns during three separate stints since 2014. He supplemented his G-League experiences with contracts in Croatia and New Zealand.

The Kings’ roster now stands at 20 players. Sacramento is likely to waive both players before the season begins and the duo is expected to suit up for the Bighorns as a result.

Clippers Waive LaDontae Henton

October 10th, 2017 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

One of the Clippers camp invitees is no longer on the roster, with the team confirming that LaDontae Henton has been waived. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent later this week if and when he clears waivers, and there’s a good chance he ultimately ends up with the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, L.A.’s G League affiliate.

Henton, 25, went undrafted in 2015 after playing his college ball at Providence. Since then, the 6’6″ small forward has spent time with teams in Spain and the Philippines. He also played for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League last season, averaging 13.6 PPG and 5.3 RPG with a .402/.383/.735 shooting line in 37 games.

The Clippers ensured in August that they’d secured Henton’s returning G League rights, acquiring him in a trade with Santa Cruz, so he’ll be eligible to join L.A.’s new affiliate.

The Clippers now have 17 players on NBA contracts and one on a two-way deal, so they’ll have to make at least a couple more roster moves before opening night.

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.