Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Suns No Longer Pursuing Millsap; Nuggets May Be Favorites

July 1st, 2017 at 5:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns will no longer pursue Hawks power forward Paul Millsap, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com.

Phoenix has opted to use its available cap to take on salary dumps paired with assets, Wojnarowski adds. The Suns are committing to a youth movement are open to dealing any of the veterans on their roster.

The Nuggets, who have a meeting tonight with Millsap, may now be the favorites to sign him, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. The Timberwolves, who reportedly met or will meet with Millsap, may have also pulled out of the running, Aldridge suggests.

Gary Harris will be joining team president Josh Kroenke, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and coach Michael Malone in their appeal to Millsap, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Denver is still open to re-signing Danilo Gallinari if its pursuit of Millsap doesn’t work out, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link).

The Kings are another possibility, although Amick says they remain a long shot, at least for now (Twitter link).

Celtics Likely To Waive Tyler Zeller

July 1st, 2017 at 4:08pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics will likely part ways with Tyler Zeller on Sunday, per a report from Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald (Twitter link).

The center’s $8MM salary for 2017/18 is set to become fully guaranteed tomorrow, so waiving him will certainly provide the team with greater cap flexibility as it looks to make a splash in free agency this summer. Boston won’t be on the hook for any of that amount if it does indeed make him an unrestricted free agent as Murphy’s sources suggest.

The 27-year-old appeared in 51 games last season, including five starts, and averaged 3.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 10.3 minutes per outing. His shooting line for the campaign was .494/.000/.564.

Grizzlies Sign Kobi Simmons

July 1st, 2017 at 4:08pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 1: The Grizzlies’ signing of Simmons is now official, the team announced today in a press release. It’ll be either a minimum salary contract or a two-way contract, since those deals can be made official during the July moratorium.

JUNE 23: The Grizzlies have reached an agreement with former Arizona guard Kobi Simmons, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). Simmons will sign a free agent contract with Memphis sometime after the NBA’s new league year begins.

The 76th-ranked prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at DraftExpress, Simmons went undrafted on Thursday night after declaring for the draft as an early entrant this spring. In his lone season at Arizona, Simmons averaged a modest 8.8 PPG and 2.0 APG, with a .397/.327/.775 shooting line.

Despite his underwhelming numbers as a freshman, Simmons – who will turn 20 in July – is viewed as an explosive athlete with a lot of upside, even if teams aren’t sure whether he’ll end up as a point guard or shooting guard, writes ESPN’s Chad Ford. Ford placed Simmons at No. 51 on his top-100 list.

Despite not having any draft picks 24 hours ago, the Grizzlies have been active in adding players from this year’s rookie class. On Thursday night, the team acquired two second-round picks in trades, selecting Ivan Rabb and Dillon Brooks.

Pistons Sign Luke Kennard To Rookie Contract

July 1st, 2017 at 3:52pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pistons have signed 2017 first-round pick Luke Kennard to his rookie contract, the team announced today in a press release.

The 12th overall pick in this year’s draft, Kennard will be in line for a deal worth more than $15MM over the next four years. His salary during his rookie campaign will be $2,759,280, as our breakdown of rookie scale salaries shows.

Kennard is one of several first-rounders to sign his new NBA contract on the first day he was eligible to do so. Because the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement no longer provides any additional cap flexibility to teams that keep their first-rounders unsigned, there is little incentive to delay in inking draftees anymore.

The 21-year-old averaged 11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 26.7 minutes in 36 games as a freshman. His three 20-point games as a freshman were the most by a Duke freshman and he ranked seventh among ACC freshmen in scoring (11.8 PPG), per the press release.

Grizzlies Sign Wayne Selden To Two-Year Deal

July 1st, 2017 at 3:35pm CST by Luke Adams

3:35pm: The Grizzlies have officially announced Selden’s new deal in a press release. Since it’s already official, we know it’ll be a minimum salary contract, since those deals can be finalized during the moratorium.

7:23am: The Grizzlies have agreed to re-sign Wayne Selden to a two-year deal, reports Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Terms of the agreement aren’t yet known, but given Selden’s limited role in Memphis, I’d anticipate a minimum salary pact that isn’t necessarily fully guaranteed.

Selden, 22, made his NBA debut in March for the Pelicans. However, New Orleans didn’t re-sign him after his 10-day contract with the club expired, opening the door for him to sign a deal with the Grizzlies. In 14 total games between Memphis and New Orleans, the former Kansas Jayhawk averaged 5.1 PPG, 1.1 RPG, and 0.9 APG in 16.9 minutes per contest.

Selden’s previous contract with the Grizzlies featured a team option for the 2017/18 season, but Memphis didn’t exercise that option, apparently having elected instead to bring back the 6’5″ shooting guard on a brand new deal.

Lakers Waive Tarik Black

July 1st, 2017 at 3:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have waived Tarik Black, the team announced today in a press release. Black will become an unrestricted free agent, assuming he clears waivers.

Black, 25, has spent the majority of his NBA career with the Lakers, having been claimed off the waivers from the Rockets back in December 2014. After signing a new deal with L.A. last summer, the 6’9″ center appeared in 67 games (16 starts) in 2016/17, averaging 5.7 PPG and 5.1 RPG and playing solid defense.

The timing of Black’s release allows the Lakers to avoid being on the hook for his 2017/18 salary, which would have been worth $6,655,325. It would have become fully guaranteed if Black had remained under contract through July 4.

Pistons Sign Langston Galloway

July 1st, 2017 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6, 2:09pm: The deal is official, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.

JULY 1, 1:08pm: There will be no options on Galloway’s three-year deal with the Pistons, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.

12:38pm: The Pistons are expected to sign Langston Galloway to a three-year contract worth about $21MM, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides are finalizing an agreement.

A former Knick, Galloway signed a two-year pact with the Pelicans as a free agent last summer, and averaged 8.6 PPG on .374/.377/.769 shooting in 55 games for the team. However, when New Orleans and Sacramento agreed to a blockbuster February trade involving DeMarcus Cousins, Galloway was part of the package sent by the Pelicans to the Kings. In 19 games for Sacramento, Galloway finished the season by averaging 6.0 PPG and shooting .404/.475/.917.

The second year of Galloway’s previous contract was a player option worth $5.434MM, which he turned down in June. While he had a lesser role last season than he’d had in New York, Galloway’s age (25) and his three-point shot (39.0% in 2016/17) make him an appealing pickup for a team in need of backcourt help.

The Pistons fit that bill, having been in the market for a guard in free agency this summer. Galloway figures to provide the team with some depth at both backcourt spots. His deal will likely be completed using Detroit’s mid-level exception.

By using more than $5.192MM of that mid-level exception, the Pistons will have a hard cap of $125.266MM for the 2017/18 league year, which could create problems if another team gives Kentavious Caldwell-Pope a maximum salary offer sheet. Having entered the offseason with about $95MM in guaranteed salaries for ’17/18, Detroit may have to move another contract in order to sign Galloway and match a big offer for KCP.

Hawks Sign John Collins To Rookie Contract

July 1st, 2017 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have signed 2017 first-round pick John Collins to his rookie contract, the team announced today in a press release.

The 19th overall pick in last Thursday’s draft, Collins will be in line for a deal worth more than $11MM over the next four years. His salary in his rookie season will be $1,936,920, as our breakdown of rookie scale salaries shows.

Collins is one of several first-rounders to sign his new NBA contract on the first day he was eligible to do so. Because the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement no longer provides any additional cap flexibility to teams that keep their first-rounders unsigned, several teams are taking care of business with their draftees immediately.

Celtics Sign Jayson Tatum, Ante Zizic

July 1st, 2017 at 12:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have formally signed 2017 first-round pick Jayson Tatum and 2016 first-rounder Ante Zizic to their respective rookie deals, the team announced today in a press release. Both players are now under contract with the club through 2020/21.

As our breakdown of this year’s rookie scale salaries shows, Tatum will be in for a nice payday as this year’s third overall pick. He’ll earn $5,645,400 in his rookie season, and more than $30MM over the life of his four-year contract, assuming his third and fourth team options are exercised.

As for Zizic, the Croatian big man will join the Celtics after spending the 2016/17 season stashed overseas. Zizic’s contract will be worth the same amount as that of OG Anunoby, the 23rd overall pick in this year’s draft. He’ll make $1,645,200 in his first year, and about $9.75MM over four years.

With Zizic now officially a Celtic, it remains to be seen if Guerschon Yabusele, the team’s other draft-and-stash prospect from the 2016 first round, will join him in Boston.

Rockets To Sign 2016 Second-Rounder Zhou Qi

July 1st, 2017 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

July 6: The signing is official, according to the team’s website.

July 1: Zhou’s deal with the Rockets will indeed be a four-year pact, his agent tells Feigen (Twitter link). That means Houston will dip into its mid-level exception to get it done. The length of the agreement was first reported by David Pick, as noted below.

12:01pm: The Rockets will bring 2016 second-round pick Zhou Qi stateside for the upcoming season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports that the team will sign the Chinese center to a multiyear contract. The deal has not yet been finalized, with the structure still undergoing some “final touches,” per Wojnarowski.

Zhou, the 43rd overall pick in the 2016 draft, reportedly remained under contract with China’s Xinjiang Flying Tigers for another four years, but had an NBA out clause believed to be worth $650K, opening the door for him to join the Rockets. The 21-year-old is a promising prospect capable of protecting the rim and stretching the floor a little.

The details of Zhou’s new deal with the Rockets may ultimately hinge on what else Houston does in free agency. The over-the-cap club currently has the mid-level ($8.4MM) and bi-annual ($3.3MM) exceptions at its disposal, and could always sign players using the minimum salary.

As Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle noted earlier this week, the Rockets would like Zhou’s deal to span at least three years, but would have to use a portion of the MLE to make that happen — the bi-annual exception and the minimum salary exception limit deals to two years.

According to international reporter David Pick (via Twitter), Zhou’s new deal is expected to run through the 2020/21 season. That would make it a four-year contract, meaning Houston would have to use some of its MLE to complete the signing.