Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavaliers Sign Cedi Osman

July 18th, 2017 at 11:30am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 18: The Cavaliers have officially announced their new deal with Osman, issuing a press release to confirm the signing.

JULY 12: The Cavaliers have agreed to sign draft-and-stash prospect Cedi Osman to a three-year contract worth $8.3MM, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Twitter link). Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today adds (via Twitter) that there are no options in the deal.

Osman’s contract, which was first reported by Turkish outlet beIN Sports, will be finalized using a portion of the Cavaliers’ mid-level exception. With no cap room available, Cleveland had the ability to sign Osman using either the MLE or the minimum salary exception. The mid-level will allow the club to give him more than two years and more than the minimum salary.

A 22-year-old wing, Osman was the 31st overall pick in the 2015 draft but has remained overseas since then, playing for Anadolu Efes in Istanbul. In 2016/17, Osman was the club’s leading scorer in Turkish League play, averaging 13.4 PPG and shooting 38.7% on three-pointers in 34 games.

While it remains to be seen whether Osman will be able to contribute immediately in Cleveland, his arrival provides a much-needed injection of youth to an aging Cavaliers roster. With only the $5.192MM taxpayer mid-level exception available to add free agents, few valuable trade chips in hand, and no 2017 draft picks, the Cavs’ ability to add young talent this offseason was very limited.

Of course, while Osman’s new deal looks modest on the surface, the Cavs’ tax position makes it exponentially more expensive. As a repeater taxpaying team that’s already way over the tax threshold, the Cavs would pay more than $4.25 per dollar in tax penalties on Osman’s 2017/18 salary, as things stand.

Current projections have the Cavs on the hook for a $70MM+ tax bill and more than $210MM+ in total salary and taxes, per Bobby Marks of ESPN. The club could reduce its projected tax bill by dumping salary at some point, but that won’t be easy.

It’s also worth noting that the Cavs will contribute about $700K to Osman’s international buyout, according to Windhorst. Teams are permitted to pay up to $675K to a player’s international buyout this season without it counting against the cap (or having to pay tax on that contribution), so Cleveland likely chipped in that amount.

Jazz Sign Thabo Sefolosha To Two-Year Deal

July 18th, 2017 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 18: The Jazz have officially signed Sefolosha, the team announced today in a press release. Based on Utah’s other roster moves, it appears the team completed the deal using cap room.

JULY 12: The Jazz have reached an agreement with free agent wing Thabo Sefolosha, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who reports that Sefolosha will sign a two-year, $10.5MM contract with Utah.

Sefolosha, 33, has played for the Bulls, Thunder, and Hawks over the course of his 11-year NBA career. In 2016/17, he appeared in 62 games (42 starts) for Atlanta, averaging 7.2 PPG and 4.4 RPG to go along with a .441/.342/.733 shooting line and solid perimeter defense.

In Utah, Sefolosha will help to fill the gap left on the wing when Gordon Hayward departed for Boston. While he won’t come close to matching Hayward’s scoring, the former lottery pick should help stabilize the defense while players like Rodney Hood, Joe Johnson, and perhaps Alec Burks and Donovan Mitchell take on more of the scoring load.

We’ll have to wait to see how Utah handles its cap situation this year to know how the team is signing Sefolosha. The team’s new deal with Joe Ingles isn’t yet official, and it remains to be seen whether Boris Diaw‘s $7.5MM salary will be kept on the books. Depending on how the Jazz manage their cap, Sefolosha could either be signed using cap room or by using a portion of the club’s mid-level exception.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Spurs, Manu Ginobili Finalizing Agreement

July 18th, 2017 at 10:57am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs are finalizing the details on a new agreement with longtime guard Manu Ginobili, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Ginobili had considered the possibility of retirement, but appears poised to return for at least one more season. It will be his 16th in the NBA.

Ginobili, who will turn 40 later this month, has been a Spur since the 2002/03 season, and continued to play a key role for the team last year. Although he set new career lows in several categories, including PPG (7.5), FG% (.390), and MPG (18.7), the Argentinian made 39.2% of his three-point attempts, and the Spurs had slightly better offensive and defensive numbers when he was on the court.

The Spurs hold Ginobili’s Bird rights, so the team won’t be limited in its ability to offer him a fair salary. While the former second-round pick won’t necessarily be in line for a big payday at this stage in his career based on his 2016/17 production, San Antonio has less than $100MM in team salary on its books for 2017/18, and has already used its full mid-level exception.

As such, the Spurs may be willing to overpay Ginobili a little to reward him for his performance with the franchise over the years, since doing so wouldn’t really limit the team’s spending flexibility. However, the club will also have to account for a new contract for Pau Gasol, who is expected to re-sign at some point.

Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks) and Tony Parker (Spurs) are the only players who have been on the same team’s NBA roster longer than Ginobili. Nowitzki has been a Maverick since 1998, while Parker joined the Spurs in 2001. Ginobili was technically drafted in 1999, but didn’t sign with the Spurs until 2002.

Ginobili is currently the second-oldest player in the NBA behind Vince Carter, who turned 40 earlier this year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jazz Renounce Jeff Withey, Tyrone Wallace

July 18th, 2017 at 9:45am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have renounced their rights to free agent center Jeff Withey and former second-round pick Tyrone Wallace, according to RealGM’s transactions log. The moves coincided with the club starting to make its recent signings official, having formally locked up Jonas Jerebko on Monday.

Withey, who appeared in 51 games for the Jazz last season, doesn’t appear to be in the team’s plans for the 2017/18 campaign. Utah selected rookie center Tony Bradley in last month’s draft and has added Jerebko and Ekpe Udoh in free agency, fortifying the club’s depth behind Rudy Gobert. The Jazz could still re-sign Withey if they want to, but they can no longer use his Early Bird rights to do so.

As for Wallace, he was “Mr. Irrelevant” in the 2016 draft, selected with the 60th overall pick a year ago. The 23-year-old point guard spent last season with the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s G League affiliate, while the Jazz maintained his NBA rights. Now, however, he’ll be free to sign with any team as an unrestricted free agent.

Removing Withey and Wallace from their books appear to be minor bookkeeping moves for the Jazz. While they won’t have much of an impact on the team’s roster, those moves further signal that Utah is creating as much cap room as possible in order to compete its signings of Jerebko, Udoh, Thabo Sefolosha, and Royce O’Neale. They also signal that the roster is just about full, with no room for players like Wallace to vie for a 15-man spot.

Blake Griffin Signs Five-Year Deal With Clippers

July 18th, 2017 at 9:06am CST by Austin Kent

JULY 18: With the Clippers having taken care of most of their other offseason business, Griffin has finally made his new deal official, according to the NBA’s transactions log.

JUNE 30: Forward Blake Griffin will remain with the Clippers, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. After cancelling meetings with the Suns and Nuggets, Griffin has come to agreement with the Clippers on a five-year deal worth the maximum salary, putting the overall value of the deal in the neighborhood of $173MM.

The two parties apparently finalized a five-year max deal during their meeting and Griffin didn’t feel the need to entertain offers from any other ball clubs. As Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports explains, such a deal was likely so long as the Clippers were willing to fully commit to the 28-year-old power forward.

Per Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times, the Clippers pulled out all the stops in their meeting with Griffin and the forward was impressed. The meeting included what Turner describes as a “museum of Blake,” a recap of all the different parts of life that Griffin has experienced with the franchise, essentially.

With Chris Paul now out of the picture, this will mark the first time since his rookie year that Griffin is the focal point of Los Angeles’ offense. This, ESPN’s Jeff Goodman implies, could have increased the likelihood of a deal.

Despite the trade of Paul and the probable departure of J.J. Redick, the Clippers don’t appear to be ready to enter rebuilding mode. The club’s haul in its deal with the Rockets included multiple solid veteran players – Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams – and a pair of youngsters who could play rotation roles in Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell. If the club adds another veteran piece or two in free agency, it looks like a roster capable of contending for a playoff spot.

As we’ve laid out in our max salary projection chart, so long as the NBA’s most recent $99MM cap projection holds up, Griffin will make $29.7MM in 2017/18, gradually increasing up to $39.2MM in 2021/22. That’s a huge investment in a player who has battled injury issues for much of his career, but the former first overall pick is one of the game’s most talented bigs when he’s on the court, and the Clippers will keep him through the rest of his prime years.

According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, the deal will not include a no-trade clause.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

International Notes: Huertas, Hamilton, Langford

July 18th, 2017 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran guard Marcelo Huertas, who appeared in 76 games for the Lakers over the last two seasons, appears to be headed back overseas. According to international basketball journalist David Pick (Twitter link), Huertas is joining Spanish team Unicaja Malaga, this year’s EuroCup winners.

Huertas averaged 16.4 MPG in 53 contests during his first year in L.A., but saw his role reduced in 2016/17, playing in just 23 games before he was traded to Houston. The Rockets immediately waived Huertas, giving him the opportunity to return to Europe.

Here are a few more updates on international transactions with NBA connections:

Having been traded by the Nets and waived by the Raptors already this month, center Justin Hamilton appears poised to land in China. Eurohoops passes along a report from Sport 24 that suggests Hamilton is on the verge of signing a lucrative contract with the Beijing Ducks.
Another notable player is making the move to China, according to David Pick, who reports (via Twitter) that Euroleague scoring leader Keith Langford has agreed to a $2.1MM deal with the Shenzhen Leopards. Langford, 33, has had a long and successful career overseas, appearing only briefly in the NBA with the Spurs in 2007/08.
Veteran forward Cory Jefferson has signed in Italy with EA7 Milano, a source tells David Pick (Twitter link). It’ll be the first stint in Europe for Jefferson, who played for the Nets and Suns between 2014 and 2016 and was in camp with the Cavaliers last year.

Jazz Sign Jonas Jerebko

July 17th, 2017 at 6:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 17th, 6:25pm: Jerebko has officially signed per team release.

JULY 12th, 9:25pm: Free agent forward Jonas Jerebko will sign a two-year, $8.2MM deal with the Jazz, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com.

The 30-year-old has spent the past two-and-a-half years in Boston. He was part of the Celtics’ rotation throughout last season, averaging 3.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 78 games.

Jerebko is the second free agent signing of the day for Utah, which reached an agreement with Thabo Sefolosha this morning. The addition of Jerebko is a clear sign that the Jazz intend to part ways with Boris Diaw, whose $7.5MM contract for the upcoming season won’t be guaranteed if he is waived by Saturday.

Utah has multiple options for signing Jerebko, depending whether it chooses to operate over or under the cap. The Jazz are able to fit Sefolosha and Jerebko under the cap and keep their $4.3MM room mid-level exception, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.com.

The 6’10” Jerebko, a native of Sweden, made $5MM with the Celtics last season, but seemed destined to go elsewhere as Boston concentrated on freeing up cap space to sign Gordon Hayward. The 39th pick in the 2009 draft, Jerebko spent his first four-and-a-half NBA seasons with the Pistons.

Tarik Black Signs With Rockets

July 17th, 2017 at 4:27pm CST by marksuleymanov

JULY 17th, 4:27pm: The signing is official, the team announced on its website.

JULY 14th, 4:46pm: The Rockets have agreed to a deal with free agent forward Tarik Black, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). Houston will use its biannual exception ($3.2MM) to sign Black, per Zach Lowe of ESPN (via Twitter).

Black was waived by the Lakers earlier this month before his deal for 2017/18 became guaranteed and hit unrestricted free agency after clearing waivers. Black becomes the second Laker from the 2016/17 team to find a new home today as David Nwaba was claimed off waivers by the Bulls.

Black, 25, is familiar with the Rockets’ organization as he was signed by the team after going undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft. After appearing in 25 games for Houston during the 2014/15 season, he was waived and eventually claimed by the Lakers. In parts of three seasons since joining the Lakers, Black posted totals of 5.4 PPG and 5.1 RPG in 144 games.

The 6’9″ center has been lauded for his defensive abilities and rebounding since entering the NBA. With an aging Nene and Clint Capela as the Rockets’ primary big men, Black should find more opportunities to play than in his first go-around with the team.

Celtics Sign Abdel Nader To Four-Year Deal

July 15th, 2017 at 9:02pm CST by Luke Adams

July 15: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

July 14: The Celtics and 2016 second-round pick Abdel Nader have agreed to a four-year contract, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). According to Charania, the deal will be worth $6MM, which figures to put it at – or very close to – the minimum.

The 58th overall pick in last year’s draft, Nader didn’t sign an NBA contract right away, instead agreeing to a G League deal to play for the Maine Red Claws. Nader had an excellent rookie season for Boston’s G League affiliate, averaging 21.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 3.9 APG in 40 games. The 23-year-old forward was named the league’s 2016/17 Rookie of the Year.

After waiving Jordan Mickey, the Celtics have enough cap room to finalize their maximum salary contract with Gordon Hayward and to squeeze in a long-term deal for Nader. If the club had used all its cap room, it would only have the ability to offer Nader a two-year contract using the minimum salary exception, which explains the timing of the move.

Although he now has an NBA contract, Nader is still a good bet to spend a portion of the 2017/18 season in the G League with the Red Claws.

Pistons Waive Swingman Michael Gbinije

July 15th, 2017 at 7:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

7:23 PM: Detroit has officially waived Gbinije, according to a team press release.

12:35 PM: The Pistons will waive swingman Michael Gbinije on Saturday before his $1.3MM salary for next season becomes guaranteed, a source with firsthand knowledge told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.

A second-round pick in 2016, Gbinije spent most of his time with the G League’s Grand Rapids Drive last season. The 6’7” Gbinije, who played college ball at Syracuse before he was selected with the 49th overall pick, appeared in just nine games with Detroit during his rookie season. He battled some injuries that affected his chances of seeing more time with the Pistons.

Gbinije started 16 games for the Drive, averaging 12.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.9 SPG.

The move was expected, given the recent roster decisions made by Pistons coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy. He acquired Avery Bradley from the Celtics, signed Langston Galloway as a free agent and drafted Luke Kennard, giving the Pistons three shooting guards. Detroit also re-signed Reggie Bullock this week as the No. 3 option at small forward behind holdovers Tobias Harris and Stanley Johnson. The Bullock signing made Gbinije expendable.