Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavaliers Sign Chuma Okeke

April 5th, 2025 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

April 5: Okeke’s deal with the Cavaliers is now official, per a team press release.

April 3: The Cavaliers and Chuma Okeke have reached a contract agreement, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the 6’7″ forward will fill the open spot on Cleveland’s 15-man roster.

Okeke, the 16th overall pick in the 2019 draft, spent a year recovering from a torn ACL before signing his rookie scale contract with Orlando in 2020. He appeared in 189 regular season games over the course of four seasons with the Magic, averaging 6.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 20.3 minutes per night.

After becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2024, Okeke has spent most of the current season with the Westchester Knicks in the G League. In 45 total outings for Westchester, he has put up 16.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks in 36.5 minutes per game.

The 26-year-old also appeared in seven NBA games while on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Sixers in February and March.

Known as a talented perimeter defender, Okeke didn’t display much upside on the offensive end during his time in Orlando, shooting 38.3% from the floor and 31.8% on three-pointers. He has taken some positive steps forward as a shooter this season, however, hitting 36.2% of his outside shots in the G League and 45.5% in a very small sample at the NBA level.

The Cavaliers have been carrying 14 players on standard contracts since Nae’Qwan Tomlin‘s 10-day deal expired about a month ago, so they won’t need to cut anyone to open up a roster spot for Okeke.

Okeke’s deal will include a second-year team option, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Assuming it’s worth the veteran’s minimum, Okeke would earn $12,860 per day for the rest of this season (through April 13) — his exact earnings and the Cavs’ exact cap hit would depend on when the team officially completes the signing.

Sixers Re-Sign Marcus Bagley

April 5th, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Rory Maher

The Sixers have officially re-signed forward Marcus Bagley, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Bagley’s first 10-day contract with Philadelphia expired overnight on Wednesday. While today’s announcement refers to Bagley’s second agreement as another 10-day deal, the regular season ends on April 13, so it will technically only cover nine days.

The 23-year-old played five games for the 76ers over the course of his first 10 days with the team, averaging 4.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 20.0 minutes per contest. He made 75% of his two-point attempts (9-of-12) but none of his three-point tries (0-of-12), for an overall FG% of 37.5.

Bagley went undrafted in 2023 after three injury-riddled seasons with Arizona State. He has been a member of Philadelphia’s organization ever since, initially playing for the 76ers’ Summer League squad that year and spending the past two seasons with the team’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.

The Sixers currently have a full 15-man roster, but they have exceeded that limit by being granted multiple hardship exceptions due to several injuries. Both Bagley and Colin Castleton are on hardship deals with Philadelphia (Phillip Wheeler‘s 10-day hardship contract expired overnight on Friday).

Teams aren’t permitted to complete standard 10-day contracts with fewer than 10 days left in the regular season, but hardship 10-day deals are still allowed in that scenario. The 76ers won’t hold any form of Bird rights on Bagley after the regular season ends, and he’ll become a free agent immediately.

Raptors Re-Sign Cole Swider

April 5th, 2025 at 10:33am CST by Rory Maher

The Raptors have re-signed forward Cole Swider after his 10-day contract expired overnight, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter links).

Swider is ineligible for a second 10-day deal with the Raptors because there are fewer than 10 days remaining in the 2024/25 season. For now, his second agreement with Toronto will cover the rest of ’24/25, though there’s a chance the Raptors could renegotiate his contract to tack on another year before the final day of the regular season on April 13, Murphy reports.

Swider, who was in camp with the Pacers last fall, signed a two-way contract with the Pistons at the start of the regular season and was waived in January. He has spent most of the season in the G League, first with the Motor City Cruise and more recently with the South Bay Lakers, who traded for his rights in February.

In 31 total outings for those two NBAGL clubs, Swider averaged 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 34.6 minutes per game, with an excellent shooting line of .482/.442/.952.

A three-year veteran, Swider has suited up for the Lakers, Heat, Pistons and Raptors after going undrafted out of Syracuse in 2022. He has appeared in six games for Toronto in ’24/25, averaging 6.5 PPG and 2.3 RPG while shooting just 29.0% from long distance in 17.8 MPG.

Hornets Sign Jaylen Sims To 10-Day Contract

April 3rd, 2025 at 3:58pm CST by Rory Maher

The Hornets have officially signed Jaylen Sims to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.

Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer first reported that the team would be signing Sims (Twitter link).

As our tracker shows, the Hornets currently have a full 15-man standard roster. However, they were able to sign Sims using a hardship exception, as the team has multiple players dealing with significant injuries.

A Charlotte native who went undrafted out of UNC Wilmington in 2022, Sims has spent each of the past three seasons with the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ NBA G League affiliate. The 6’6″ guard has made 49 combined appearances for the Swarm in 2024/25, averaging 19.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 32.9 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .442/.375/.837.

Sims will earn $66,503 over the course of his 10-day contract, with the Hornets carrying an identical cap hit on their books. The 26-year-old will be eligible to play in five games for his hometown team.

Kylor Kelley Signs 10-Day Contract With Pelicans

April 3rd, 2025 at 3:50pm CST by Rory Maher

3:50pm: Kelley’s 10-day contract is official, per the Pelicans. He will earn $66,503 over the next 10 days and New Orleans will carry an identical cap hit.

1:18pm: Free agent center Kylor Kelley will be signing a 10-day contract with the Pelicans, league sources tell NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms the news (via Twitter).

As Stein notes, Kelley made his NBA debut earlier this season while on a two-way deal with the Mavericks. The 27-year-old big man was waived at the beginning of March to make roster space for Kai Jones.

Kelley appeared in eight games for Dallas, averaging 3.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per contest. He has spent most of 2024/25 in the NBA G League with the South Bay Lakers after signing an Exhibit 10 deal with Los Angeles for training camp last fall (he was released by L.A. before the season began).

Kelley, who went undrafted out of Oregon State in 2020, has played in the G League and a handful of other non-NBA leagues – including in England and Denmark – since going pro.

The 7’0″ center spent the ’23/24 season with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s affiliate, and earned NBAGL All-Defensive honors after averaging a league-leading 2.9 blocks per game in 29 regular season appearances (22.0 MPG). In 32 games with South Bay in ’24/25, he has averaged 11.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 26.6 minutes per contest.

After signing Elfrid Payton to a second 10-day contract, the Pelicans currently have a full 15-man standard roster. New Orleans will add Kelley via the hardship exception, as the team has lost several players for the remainder of an injury-plagued season.

Sixers Sign Colin Castleton To 10-Day Deal

April 3rd, 2025 at 10:11am CST by Luke Adams

April 3: Castleton’s 10-day deal is official, according to a team press release. As expected, he has taken Bagley’s spot on the roster.

April 2: The Sixers intend to sign big man Colin Castleton to a 10-day contract, league sources tell NBA insider Jake Fischer (Twitter link).

Castleton, who went undrafted out of Florida in 2023, spent his rookie year on a two-way contract with the Lakers and was on a two-way deal with the Grizzlies for the first half of this season before being waived in January.

The 6’10” center didn’t play much for either of those teams, but saw rotation minutes with the Raptors on a pair of 10-day deals last month, averaging 6.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 25.9 minutes per game across 10 outings (four starts).

Outside of his time with Memphis and Toronto, Castleton has spent much of this season in the G League playing for the Osceola Magic, Orlando’s affiliate. He has averaged 17.4 PPG, 10.6 RPG, and 2.8 APG in 17 regular season contests for Osceola.

The Sixers have a full 15-man roster but have been granted a series of hardship exceptions due to the various injuries afflicting their players down the stretch of this season.

A team qualifies for a hardship exception – which allows the club to exceed the usual 15-man limit – when it has at least four players who have missed three straight games and who are expected to be out for at least two more weeks. If a team has a fifth player meeting that criteria, it can receive a second hardship exception, which has been the case in Philadelphia recently — both Marcus Bagley and Phillip Wheeler are currently on hardship 10-day deals.

Bagley’s contract will expire overnight on Wednesday, so it seems likely that Castleton will take his spot on the roster, though we’ll have to wait for official confirmation from the team to be sure. Castleston will earn $107,027 over the course of his 10 days with the 76ers.

Pelicans Sign Elfrid Payton To Second 10-Day Contract

April 2nd, 2025 at 3:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

April 2: Payton has officially signed his second 10-day contract with the Pelicans, the team announced today in a press release.

March 31: Elfrid Payton will get a second 10-day deal with the Pelicans, agent Darrell Comer of CSE tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

The 31-year-old point guard appeared in four games for New Orleans during his first 10-day contract, which expired on Sunday. He moved into a regular rotation role off the bench and handed out 14, 10, and six assists in his last three outings.

Payton also spent time with the Pelicans in November and December on a non-guaranteed contract, and he signed a pair of 10-day deals with Charlotte in February. In 17 total games this season, he’s averaging 3.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 20.4 minutes per night with .348/.352/.333 shooting numbers.

The Pelicans will have a full 15-man roster again once the contract becomes official. Payton will earn a $171,756 salary on his new deal, just as he did on his other 10-day contracts. New Orleans will incur a cap charge of $119,972.

The Pelicans don’t play again until Wednesday, so it’s possible that Payton’s contract won’t be finalized until then. If that happens, he would be eligible to appear in six games before it expires at the end of the day on April 11. If the team wants to keep him on the roster for its April 13 finale, he’ll have to be signed to a standard deal.

Drew Timme Signs Two-Year Deal With Nets

March 28th, 2025 at 10:36am CST by Rory Maher

MARCH 28: Timme’s new contract is official, the Nets announced (via Twitter).

MARCH 27: The Nets are signing free agent forward Drew Timme to a two-year contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The second year will be a team option.

Timme went undrafted in 2023 after a highly decorated collegiate career at Gonzaga. He has spent the past two seasons in the NBA G League.

A 6’10” power forward, Timme signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Bucks in August 2023 and was waived before the 2023/24 season began. He spent his rookie campaign with Milwaukee’s NBAGL affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.

Timme didn’t make the same impact in his first professional season as he did during his time with the Zags, but he found another NBA opportunity last fall, inking a training camp deal with Sacramento. He opened ’24/25 with the Stockton Kings during the Tip-Off Tournament, averaging 11.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 52.3% from the field in 14 appearances, though he only played 19.0 minutes per contest.

Timme switched teams for the G League’s regular season this winter, landing with Nets’ affiliate in Long Island. As Scotto notes, Timme was recently named NBA G League Player of the Week after averaging 35.7 points and 12.7 rebounds over a three-game span, including a career-best 50-point performance.

The 24-year-old has put up big numbers for Long Island, averaging 23.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists on .574/.384/.731 shooting in 29 regular season games (35.6 minutes per contest). Now he’ll be getting his first standard NBA contract with the Nets.

As our tracker shows, the Nets currently only have 14 players on their standard roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to sign Timme.

Lakers Add Jordan Goodwin To 15-Man Roster, Waive Reddish

March 27th, 2025 at 11:03am CST by Dana Gauruder

12:35pm: The moves are official, according to a team press release relayed by The Athletic’s Jovan Buha (Twitter link).

11:03am: The Lakers are converting Jordan Goodwin‘s two-way contract to a standard deal, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. Goodwin will become playoff-eligible as a result of the promotion.

It’s a two-year deal with a team option for next season, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets. To make room for Goodwin on the 15-man roster, the Lakers are waving Cam Reddish, Haynes adds in another tweet.

Not only are two-way players ineligible to play in the postseason but Goodwin had reached his active game limit on Tuesday when he played against Indiana. The 6’5″ guard, who played for three different organizations in his first three NBA seasons, has emerged as a steady contributor the last two months for the Lakers.

Goodwin appeared in eight February games, averaging 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per contest. He’s seen action in 11 games this month, posting averages of 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 23 minutes per night.

The 26-year-old signed his two-way deal in early February after toiling for the G League’s South Bay Lakers until he landed another NBA contract.

Reddish was part of the rescinded Mark Williams deal with Charlotte. After being returned to the Lakers, Reddish appeared in just two games. His most recent appearance came last Thursday when he logged 22 minutes of action against Milwaukee, his highest single-game total since Christmas Day.

Reddish was playing on an expiring contract after exercising his minimum-salary option on this season’s contract. Overall, he appeared in 33 games with the Lakers in 2024/25, including eight starts. He averaged 3.2 points in 17.8 minutes per game. The 2019 lottery pick has played for four organizations.

Since the deadline for two-way signings was on March 4, the Lakers won’t be able to add a new two-way player to fill the opening created by Goodwin’s promotion.

Sixers Sign Phillip Wheeler To 10-Day Deal

March 26th, 2025 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

2:07 pm: Wheeler’s 10-day deal with the Sixers is now official, the club announced in a press release.

1:58 pm: The Sixers intend to sign G League forward Phillip Wheeler to a 10-day contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Wheeler, who went undrafted in 2022, has spent the last few years playing in the G League and the Puerto Rican league. He has appeared in a total of 38 NBAGL games this season for the Texas Legends and Maine Celtics, averaging 15.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steal in 28.2 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .495/.365/.612.

Wheeler should have a good opportunity to make his NBA debut for a banged-up Sixers team that has awarded rotation roles to several young prospects, two-way players, and 10-day signees in recent weeks.

Chuma Okeke, who averaged 24.4 minutes per game across seven outings with Philadelphia, had his second 10-day contract with the team come to an end on Tuesday night, which will create a roster slot for Wheeler.

Technically, the 76ers have a full 15-man standard roster, but due to all their injured players, they’ve qualified for multiple hardship exceptions as of late and figure to use another one to bring Wheeler aboard. Forward Marcus Bagley is also currently on a 10-day hardship deal with Philadelphia.

Wheeler will earn $66,503 over the course of his 10-day contract and will be eligible for the Sixers’ next five games if the signing is officially completed on Wednesday.