Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Blake Griffin Opts Out, Becomes Free Agent

June 23rd, 2017 at 4:47pm CST by Austin Kent

Unsurprisingly, Clippers forward Blake Griffin has formally opted out of the final year of his contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets. The All-Star will hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

While the Clippers are expected to at least attempt to retain Griffin and fellow free agent Chris Paul, the forward also expects to see interest from other teams looking to add a star.

Earlier this week we wrote about the Rockets targeting the 28-year-old power forward and it wasn’t long ago when Wojnarowski mentioned that the Celtics could be the biggest threat to the Clippers as far as luring Griffin away was concerned.

Had Griffin not opted out through his early termination clause, he would have made $21.4MM in 2017/18. Instead, as Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets, he’ll be eligible for as much as $175MM through five years so long as he stays with the franchise.

If Griffin leaves the Clippers, he’ll be eligible for a four-year, $130MM deal.

Pacers Decline Team Option For Lavoy Allen

June 23rd, 2017 at 4:38pm CST by Austin Kent

The Pacers have declined their 2017/18 team option on Lavoy Allen‘s contract, Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports tweets. The big man would have otherwise made $4MM this season.

In a report earlier this week, Agness wrote that such a decision was likely, citing the forward’s social media accounts and the general change in direction the franchise has been forced to undergo over the course of a pending Paul George exodus.

With Allen off the books, The Vertical’s Bobby Marks adds, the Pacers could free up as much as $27MM-$30MM so long as they’re also willing to part with Jeff Teague and C.J. Miles.

Rockets To Sign L.J. Peak, George De Paula

June 23rd, 2017 at 4:28pm CST by Austin Kent

The Rockets have agreed to free agent deals with a couple of undrafted prospects, though the moves are not yet official. Per Mark Berman of Fox 26, the club has an agreement in place to sign Georgetown’s L.J. Peak.

Ranked 46th of DraftExpress.com’s list of top 100 prospects, the junior Hoya will look to stick on a roster seeking to add as many potential weapons as possible. In Peak, the Rockets will get a 21-year-old fresh off a campaign in which he posted 16.3 points and 3.5 assists per game.

Per Chris Haynes of ESPN, the Rockets will also take a flyer on Brazilian point guard George de Paula. An international early entrant in this year’s draft, de Paula comes in at No. 72 on DraftExpress’ big board.

At this time it’s not entirely clear whether the deals will be for Summer League or for training camp, but it sounds like both players should have a spot on Houston’s 20-man camp roster.

Kings Release Arron Afflalo

June 23rd, 2017 at 3:55pm CST by Austin Kent

The Kings have released Arron Afflalo today, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. The guard had a contract guarantee that would have otherwise triggered today.

Afflalo had initially signed a two-year $25MM with the Kings last offseason but the second year, worth $12.5MM, would have only been guaranteed if he remained on the club’s roster through today.

Considering the different state that the franchise is in now versus last year, it’s no surprise that the team has decided to part ways with the veteran.

Per Bobby Marks of The Vertical, rather than pay the $12.5 that had been earmarked for the 2017/18 campaign, the Kings will instead stretch $1.5MM in payouts to Afflalo over the course of the next three seasons.

In 61 games for the Kings last year, including 45 starts, Afflalo put 8.4 points per game.

Nets Agree To Sign Jeremy Senglin, Jacob Wiley

June 23rd, 2017 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets are poised to add a pair of undrafted rookies on free agent contracts, according to reports. A league source tells Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) that Jeremy Senglin has agreed to a partially guaranteed deal with Brooklyn, while Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com reports (via Twitter) that Jacob Wiley will get a two-way contract and a partial guarantee from the club.

Senglin, a point guard out of Weber State, averaged 21.1 PPG during his senior season, with an impressive shooting line of .522/.429/.766. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com ranked him 48th among NCAA seniors in this year’s draft class.

As for Wiley, the 6’7″ forward out of Eastern Washington impressed teams in pre-draft workouts with his “intensity and relentless motor,” according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, who adds that Wiley also displayed the ability to guard multiple positions. He averaged 21.1 PPG and 9.2 RPG in his senior year in 2016/17.

The deals are not yet official.

Clippers Expected To Sign Isaiah Hicks

June 23rd, 2017 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Former North Carolina forward Isaiah Hicks will sign a contract with the Clippers, reports TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). Aldridge doesn’t offer any specifics, but it sounds like it will be a training camp deal for Hicks. He’ll be eligible to officially sign once the 2017/18 league year begins in July.

Hicks, the No. 60 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at DraftExpress, was a member of UNC’s championship team during his final season with the Tar Heels. In 38 games, he averaged 11.6 PPG and 5.4 RPG.

The Clippers, having made it a priority to get younger and more athletic this offseason, have been active in adding young talent within the last 24 hours. The Clippers acquired the No. 48 overall pick and used it to draft Sindarius Thornwell on Thursday night. The team also reportedly traded for the No. 39 pick and selected Jawun Evans, though that transaction – like Hicks’ deal – isn’t yet official.

Lakers Agree To Sign P.J. Dozier

June 23rd, 2017 at 9:30am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have reached an agreement with undrafted free agent P.J. Dozier, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the former South Carolina guard will sign a free agent contract with Los Angeles. Details of the deal aren’t yet known.

Dozier, who declared for the draft this spring following his sophomore year, averaged 13.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 1.7 SPG for South Carolina last season. Although he wasn’t selected on Thursday night, he was viewed as a top-60 prospect by DraftExpress, ranking 52nd on Jonathan Givony’s big board.

The Lakers won’t be able to make Dozier’s deal official until the new league year begins in July, but when they do, he’ll join a promising group of rookies in Los Angeles. The club added Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, and Thomas Bryant in Thursday’s draft, which was Magic Johnson‘s first as president of basketball operations.

Knicks Agree To Sign Nigel Hayes, Luke Kornet

June 23rd, 2017 at 8:32am CST by Luke Adams

After nabbing Frank Ntilikina and two other prospects in Thursday night’s draft, the Knicks continue to secure young talent, having struck two deals with undrafted rookies, according to reports.

Former Wisconsin big man Nigel Hayes, who will play for the Knicks in Summer League, has also agreed to a free agent contract with the team, league sources tell Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link). According to Begley, Hayes’ training camp contract will include a partial guarantee.

Meanwhile, ESPN’s Chris Haynes reports (via Twitter) that the Knicks are also in agreement with former Vanderbilt big man Luke Kornet. League sources inform Haynes that Kornet’s deal will be a two-way contract, meaning he figures to spend most of the 2017/18 season in the G League with the Westchester Knicks.

Both Hayes and Kornet were viewed as top-100 prospects by DraftExpress, with Hayes coming in at No. 80, while Kornet ranked 69th. Their deals with the Knicks aren’t yet official, since undrafted free agents can’t sign contracts until at least July.

Sixers, Melo Trimble Agree To Deal

June 23rd, 2017 at 7:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have reached an agreement on a free agent contract with former Maryland point guard Melo Trimble, reports Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Trimble was draft-eligible this year, but wasn’t one of the 60 picks made on Thursday night.

Trimble is coming off a 2016/17 season in which he averaged 16.8 PPG, 3.7 APG, and 3.6 RPG for the Terrapins. The 6’3″ guard was a junior last season, but elected to forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility by entering the draft a year early. He ranked 84th on DraftExpress’ big board.

The 76ers have now reached reported deals with both Trimble and Indiana’s James Blackmon Jr. since the draft ended. The expectation is that those players will be in camp with Philadelphia this fall, though neither deal can be made official until after the new league year begins in July, and camp signings often aren’t finalized until later in the offseason.

Bulls Trade Jimmy Butler To Timberwolves

June 23rd, 2017 at 12:43am CST by Arthur Hill

JUNE 22, 8:58pm: The trade is now official, with commissioner Adam Silver announcing it during the TV broadcast of tonight’s draft. The Wolves used the No. 16 pick on Creighton’s Justin Patton to complete the deal.

6:44pm: The Timberwolves are set to acquire Bulls forward Jimmy Butler, with K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune tweeting that the two sides have reached an agreement in principle on a Butler deal.

According to Johnson (via Twitter), the Bulls will receive Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the No. 7 overall pick. The Wolves will also receive the No. 16 selection from Chicago. Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter) first reported that a deal was close.

The deal reunites Butler with Tom Thibodeau, his former coach in Chicago, who now serves as coach and president of basketball operations in Minnesota. Butler has been an All-Star the past three seasons and averaged 23.9 points and 6.2 rebounds with the Bulls this year.

The Timberwolves are taking on much more salary in the deal than they are unloading. They had about $24MM in available cap room after waiving Nikola Pekovic on Tuesday and receiving cap relief for his remaining salary.

Butler has three seasons left on the $95MM deal he signed with the Bulls in 2015. He is due to make nearly $18.7MM next year and more than $19.8MM in both 2018/19 and 2019/20. He also has a 5% trade bonus in his contract, tweets Bobby Marks of The Vertical, giving him an extra $1.8MM over the next three seasons.

In return, the Bulls will receive LaVine, a promising 22-year-old combo guard whose season ended in early February when he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee; and Dunn, the fifth overall pick last year. Both players are on rookie contracts and were discussed when the two teams talked about a Butler trade a year ago. Chicago will also land Lauri Markkanen, the seventh overall pick.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.