Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bulls Sign Felicio To Four-Year Deal

June 30th, 2017 at 11:02pm CST by Austin Kent

2:47 PM: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

June 30: The Bulls have come to terms with restricted free agent Cristiano Felicio, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. The soon-to-be 25-year-old big man averaged 4.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for the Bulls last season.

Per Charania, the deal will be worth $32MM over four years. That should give Chicago more than enough time to gauge what sort of player they have in Felicio.

At this point Felicio is regarded as a potentially valuable reserve, although there doesn’t appear to be any rush to throw him into significantly more minutes any time soon. His ability to serve as a big, defensive presence, however, was enough to convince Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg to let him close some games during the 2016/17 season.

Now that the Bulls have moved on from veterans Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo, the rebuild is officially underway. With that in mind, the Brazilian center will likely get more than enough opportunities to show just what he’s capable of.

Sixers Waive Gerald Henderson

June 30th, 2017 at 4:13pm CST by Austin Kent

The Sixers have waived Gerald Henderson, Sam Amico of AmicoHoops tweets. The eight-year veteran averaged 9.2 points in 72 games for Philadelphia last season.

Per TNT’s David Aldridge, Henderson’s contract worth $9MM in 2017/18 would have become guaranteed had he remained on the roster through the day. Instead Derek Bodner of The Ringer writes that the Sixers will merely be hit with a $1MM cap hold.

Hawks Waive Mike Dunleavy Jr.

June 30th, 2017 at 4:10pm CST by Luke Adams

4:10pm: The Hawks have formally waived Dunleavy Jr., Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets.

12:56pm: Mike Dunleavy Jr. appears likely to hit the free agent market in the coming days, reports Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). According to Vivlamore, indications are that the Hawks will waive Dunleavy before his 2017/18 salary becomes fully guaranteed.

Dunleavy is heading into the final year of his current contract, but his $5,175,000 salary is only partially guaranteed for $1,662,500, per Basketball Insiders. Atlanta would avoid being on the hook for the remaining $3.5MM+ by cutting Dunleavy before it becomes guaranteed on July 1.

Acquired by the Cavaliers in a trade last July, Dunleavy was subsequently flipped to the Hawks in a mid-season deal for Kyle Korver. In 30 games with Atlanta, the veteran swingman continued to show off his sharpshooting ability, making 42.9% of his three-point attempts, though his role with the club was limited.

Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News reported earlier today that Dunleavy is on the Timberwolves’ radar as a possible free agent addition. When a Twitter follower pointed out that the 36-year-old is still under contract, Wolfson replied, “Let’s just say he’s available.”

Bulls Waive Rondo, Canaan

June 30th, 2017 at 3:54pm CST by Austin Kent

The Bulls have waived Rajon Rondo and Isaiah Canaan, Jeff Goodman of ESPN tweets. The news, at least as far as Rondo is concerned, comes as no surprise.

Earlier we wrote about how today was the deadline for the Bulls to part ways with the veteran guard, lest the organization hang on to him and be on the hook for an extra $10MM in guaranteed money.

As Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports writes, Rondo’s impressive last season surge did wonders for his value but an injury in the postseason, coupled with the Bulls’ change in direction post-Jimmy Butler, have spelled the end to his brief tenure in Chicago.

Per Mannix, Rondo may need to wait until much of the initial free agency period dust settles before he can lock down a deal with another ball club.

Trail Blazers Waive Festus Ezeli

June 30th, 2017 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Festus Ezeli era in Portland is over. In a move that was long expected, the Trail Blazers have officially waived Ezeli, the team announced today (via Twitter).

Ezeli, 27, signed a two-year deal worth about $15MM with the Blazers last summer, with Portland envisioning him as a rotation player who could provide rebounding and rim protection. However, Ezeli’s troublesome left knee kept him out of action in the preseason and then the regular season as well — the veteran center ultimately underwent a season-ending procedure in March.

Although Ezeli’s contract was for two years, most of his $7.73MM salary for 2017/18 was non-guaranteed, and would have become guaranteed if he remained on Portland’s roster beyond June 30. The Blazers will now be on the hook for just $1MM of next season’s salary.

Ezeli will become an unrestricted free agent once he clears waivers, though it remains to be seen whether he’ll be back on the court to start the 2017/18 season. His knee surgery, which reportedly involved a cadaver donor, didn’t exactly sound like a routine procedure, but hopefully he’s able to resume his playing career.

Knicks Waive Maurice Ndour

June 30th, 2017 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

2:05pm: The Knicks have confirmed Ndour’s release (Twitter link).

1:14pm: The Knicks are waiving forward Maurice Ndour before the new league year begins, per Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Ndour’s minimum salary for 2017/18, worth $1,312,611, would have become guaranteed if he had remained on the roster through June 30.

Ndour, 25, joined the Knicks as an undrafted free agent last season and appeared in 32 games for the team. In 10.3 minutes per contest, the Senegalese big man averaged 3.1 PPG and 2.0 RPG. As Ian Begley of ESPN.com notes, Kurt Rambis and Clarence Gaines were fond of Ndour, so he might still have a spot on the roster if not for Phil Jackson‘s departure.

Marshall Plumlee‘s salary for 2017/18 is also reportedly set to become guaranteed if he’s not waived by the Knicks today.

Raptors Tender Qualifying Offer To Nando De Colo

June 30th, 2017 at 10:24am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have issued a qualifying offer to Nando De Colo, ensuring that he’ll be a restricted free agent, the team announced today (via Twitter).

Unlike other free agents who have received qualifying offers this month, De Colo didn’t play in the NBA last season. In fact, his last NBA appearance came during the 2013/14 season for Toronto. The 6’5″ guard has spent the last several seasons with CSKA Moscow and doesn’t appear poised to return to the NBA anytime soon.

As such, the Raptors’ QO is purely a bookkeeping move in order to retain their rights to De Colo. If he does decide to return to the NBA at some point, the Raptors will have the opportunity to match any offer he receives. While De Colo’s QO counts against the cap for now, Toronto won’t be on the hook for any extra money at season’s end, assuming the 30-year-old remains overseas.

Mirotic, Felicio Get QOs; Rondo Likely To Be Cut

June 30th, 2017 at 8:29am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have tendered qualifying offers to pending free agents Nikola Mirotic and Cristiano Felicio, making them restricted, per RealGM’s transactions log. Mirotic and Felicio are two of Chicago’s four potential RFAs. As previously reported, Joffrey Lauvergne is also receiving a qualifying offer, but Michael Carter-Williams isn’t.

Mirotic, 26, had a solid rookie season for the Bulls in 2014/15, though his numbers haven’t improved much since then. In 2016/17, he averaged 10.6 PPG and 5.5 RPG, shooting 41.3% from the floor and 34.2% from three-point range. His qualifying offer is worth $7,228,063.

Felicio, who will turn 25 next Friday, has a more modest QO of $1,671,382. The big man averaged 4.8 PPG and 4.7 RPG in 15.8 minutes per contest (66 games) last season.

Tendering qualifying offers to both players – and to Lauvergne – gives the Bulls the right to match any offer sheet those RFAs may sign. Those players could also accept the qualifying offer from Chicago, which would put them in line for a one-year deal worth the amount of their QO. The Bulls will have until July 13 to withdraw those QOs, assuming their RFAs remain unsigned.

Meanwhile, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune has the latest update on Rajon Rondo, whose 2017/18 salary will become fully guaranteed for an extra $10MM+ if he remains under contract beyond Friday. According to Johnson, Rondo’s contract structure has prompted the Bulls to include him in some recent trade proposals. However, those scenarios don’t appear to have gained much traction.

Unless the Bulls can find a taker for Rondo today, the veteran point guard is expected to be waived, per Johnson.

Celtics Extend Qualifying Offer To Olynyk

June 29th, 2017 at 7:23pm CST by Austin Kent

The Celtics have extended a qualifying offer to Kelly Olynyk, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe tweets. The 26-year-old center is coming off a year in which he posted 9.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

Given Boston’s position in the middle of some serious free agency pursuits, it’s worth noting that the C’s retain the ability to rescind the offer so long as Olynyk doesn’t accept it first, Himmelsbach adds.

Considering that Olynyk is slated to become a restricted free agent if he doesn’t, it’s unlikely that he would accept the one-year, $7.7MM qualifying deal.

Olynyk is a sharpshooting big man that can make an impact from beyond the arc, a combination in particularly high demand these days, but he doesn’t contribute much outside of his niche.

Regardless, whether or not Boston chooses to match any offer that Olynyk can scrounge up on the open market will largely depend on their success finessing a big name or two over to Beantown this offseason.

Gordon Hayward Declines Player Option

June 29th, 2017 at 4:16pm CST by Austin Kent

Coveted free agent Gordon Hayward has officially notified the Jazz that he’s declining his player option, Marc Stein of ESPN tweets. The announcement is a mere formality considering that the basketball world has already moved on to debating which possible suitor he’ll visit first.

Per Stein in another tweet, Hayward will meet with the Heat first, then the Celtics and finally the Jazz. For more details about the upcoming recruiting appointments, consider clicking over to our previous Hoops Rumors report from earlier in the day.

Hayward, now an official free agent, averaged 21.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for the Jazz and is among the most prized, reasonably attainable, players on the market.