Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nate Robinson To Play In D-League

February 8th, 2017 at 9:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

9:00 PM: The 87ers have officially acquired Robinson, according to a team press release.

FEBRUARY 8, 11:35 AM: Robinson has been claimed off waivers by the Delaware 87ers, Philadelphia’s D-League affiliate, per Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (via Twitter).

FEBRUARY 2: Veteran point guard Nate Robinson signed a contract with the NBA Development League on Thursday, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports. Herman Manakyan, Robinson’s agent, told Charania of Robinson’s decision to play in the league with the hope of catching someone’s eye and returning to the NBA.

Robinson played for Hapoel Tel Aviv last season and needs a letter of clearance from the team into order to enter the D-League’s player pool. Oklahoma City, Erie, Texas, Fort Wayne and Grand Rapids hold the top priorities in the D-League waiver order, according to Charania.

Robinson had a workout with the Sixers in January but they passed on the 32-year-old and instead signed a younger point man, Chasson Randle. Robinson then lobbied LeBron James to spark some interest from the Cavaliers, who are looking for a backup point. Robinson’s difficulty in landing an NBA job last summer was due in part to his dalliance with the NFL.

Robinson appeared in two games last season with the Pelicans. He played a combined 42 games with the Clippers and Nuggets the previous season.

Heat Sign Marcus Georges-Hunt To 10-Day Deal

February 8th, 2017 at 7:29pm CST by ChrisCrouse

7:29 PM: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

5:27 PM: The Heat will sign Marcus Georges-Hunt to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Miami will be granted a hardship exception, so the team won’t have to make a corresponding move.

Hunt was signed by the Celtics during the preseason, but he was waived before the regular season began. He has been playing for the Maine Red Claws of the D-League where he is averaging 16.4 points per game.

The 6’5″ small forward played four seasons at Georgia Tech. He started for the team each year and he was named Third Team All-ACC after the 2015/16 campaign. Hunt was not selected in the 2016 draft.

Hawks Re-Sign Lamar Patterson

February 8th, 2017 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

10:26am: The Hawks have re-signed Patterson, the team formally announced this morning in a press release.

8:16am: After his 10-day contract with the Hawks expired last night, veteran guard Lamar Patterson will sign a new deal with the team, keeping him under contract for at least another 10 days, reports Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. If Atlanta wants to hang onto Patterson once his second 10-day deal expires, the team would need to sign him to a rest-of-season contract.

Patterson, 25, appeared in 35 games for the Hawks last season before getting another shot with the team this year. The former Pittsburgh standout appeared in three games during his first 10-day contract, averaging just 2.0 PPG and 1.3 RPG in 6.7 minutes per contest. Patterson’s new contract with the team will expire during the All-Star break, but he’ll have a chance to be active for four more games before then.

With Patterson still under contract, the Hawks will continue to carry a full 15-man roster, with 14 players on guaranteed deals and Patterson on a 10-day contract. If Atlanta doesn’t re-sign Patterson when his new pact expires, it would create an opening on the roster, giving the club a little flexibility leading up to this month’s trade deadline.

Timberwolves Sign Lance Stephenson

February 8th, 2017 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 8: After announcing yesterday that they were bringing him in for a workout, the Wolves have now confirmed that they’ve signed Stephenson to a 10-day contract (Twitter link).

FEBRUARY 7: The Timberwolves are set to sign Lance Stephenson to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical. Minnesota had been carrying 14 players, so the club won’t need to make a corresponding move to create an opening on its 15-man roster.

Stephenson, 26, was one of several veteran free agents to participate in a workout last week for the Cavaliers, but his deal with Minnesota will ensure that he’s not an option for Cleveland — at least for the next 10 days.

After signing a one-year contract with the Pelicans last summer, Stephenson got off to a solid start for the club, averaging 9.7 PPG and 4.8 APG in his first six games this season. However, a groin injury sidelined him in November, at which point he underwent surgery and was waived by New Orleans, since the team needed to use his roster spot to add reinforcements.

Now healthy following that procedure on his groin, Stephenson will provide the Timberwolves with some depth at the wing position. Minnesota saw Zach LaVine suffer a torn ACL on Friday, which will keep him out of action for the remainder of the 2016/17 campaign.

While Stephenson’s signing will bring Minnesota’s roster to 15, the team will retain some roster flexibility. Stephenson’s deal will be a 10-day pact, so the Wolves could opt to let him go after February 16 if they want to go in another direction. Additionally, the Wolves have the option of pursuing medical retirement for Nikola Pekovic and opening up another roster spot. Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link) hears that the club continues to monitor other available options.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/7/17

February 7th, 2017 at 10:39pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Here are Tuesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the league:

The Celtics have assigned Demetrius Jackson to their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Jackson, who was the 45th overall pick in the 2016 draft, has played in 21 games for the Red Claws this season and he’s averaging 16.6 points, 5.1 assists and 1.4 steals per contest.

Mavericks Sign Yogi Ferrell To Two-Year Deal

February 7th, 2017 at 11:46am CST by Milo Taibi

FEBRUARY 7, 11:46am: The Mavs have officially signed Ferrell to a new two-year deal, the team announced today in a press release.

FEBRUARY 4, 9:28am: Bobby Marks of The Vertical sheds further light on Ferrell’s two-year deal, noting Ferrell would earn the prorated minimum of $208K this season, followed by $1.3MM in 2017/18. The Mavericks have already used their room exception and are now over the cap, limiting the team to minimum salary deals.

9:12am: Yogi Ferrell and the Mavericks will bypass a second 10-day contract, instead opting for a two-year deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports. Ferrell’s deal comes on the heels of a breakout 32-point performance against Portland on Friday. The deal is expected to be finalized Tuesday, when Ferrell’s 10-day contract expires.

Ferrell, who went undrafted in 2016, received his first NBA experience in Brooklyn this season, scoring 54 points over 10 games. Jeremy Lin was due to return from injury (or so the Nets thought), however, making Ferrell expendable — he was waived by the Nets in early December.

After scoring 18.7 PPG in the D-League, Ferrell signed a 10-day contract with Dallas and has run with the opportunity. Averaging 37.8 MPG through four games with the Mavs, it now appears Ferrell will be a mainstay in Rick Carlisle‘s rotation. The 23-year-old had the best game of his young career on Friday, racking up 32 points and nine three-pointers in a win over the Blazers.

The Mavs’ roster will feature 15 players on guaranteed contracts once Ferrell’s new deal is finalized.

Heat Cut Derrick Williams, Re-Sign Okaro White

February 6th, 2017 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

3:50pm: The Heat have confirmed in a press release that they’ve re-signed White and waived Williams.

10:44am: Okaro White‘s second 10-day contract with the Heat expired on Sunday night, but the team won’t waste any time in bringing him back into the fold, opening up a roster spot to do so. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter), the Heat will waive veteran forward Derrick Williams and will sign White to a two-year contract.

Miami had been carrying 16 players on its roster, having been afforded a hardship exemption by the NBA due to four separate major injuries. Justise Winslow and Chris Bosh are expected to miss the rest of the season, while Josh McRoberts and Josh Richardson had also been sidelined for weeks. However, with Richardson set to return to the lineup, the team needed to pare its roster down to 15 players, and didn’t want to lose White.

A former FSU standout, White was in camp with the Heat in the fall, but didn’t crack the club’s regular season roster at the time. After playing well for Miami’s D-League affiliate (18.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG in 23 contests), White was called up to the NBA squad again, and has looked good in nine games for the Heat, averaging 4.1 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 16.4 MPG. The team is 9-0 in those games.

As for Williams, the Heat reportedly tried to find a trade partner to accommodate a deal for the former No. 2 overall pick, but came up empty-handed. Williams, who signed a one-year deal with Miami last summer, has appeared in 25 games this season, making 11 starts. He has averaged 5.9 PPG and 2.9 RPG in those contests, with a career-low .394 FG%, and has fallen out of the rotation in recent weeks, despite the team’s injury woes.

[RELATED: Salary Cap Snapshot: Miami Heat]

Because they used their room exception on Dion Waiters during the offseason and are now over the cap, the Heat’s options for signing White are limited. The team has a disabled player exception worth just under $1.3MM available, but it can only be used for a one-year deal, and White will sign a two-year pact. That means he’ll receive a minimum salary, which works out to about $210K for the rest of this season, and $1.32MM for next season, per Bobby Marks of The Vertical (Twitter link). White’s 2017/18 salary won’t be fully guaranteed.

Meanwhile, Williams’ $4.598MM salary will continue to count against the Heat’s cap unless he’s claimed off waivers by another team. His contract could be appealing to a team below the salary floor, since it would move that club nearly $4.6MM closer to the floor, despite the fact that his remaining salary is significantly lower than that.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/6/17

February 6th, 2017 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Monday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the league:

2:26pm:

The Spurs have assigned guard Bryn Forbes to Austin, according to a press release from the club. Forbes has been impressive in D-League action this season, averaging 23.0 PPG in 12 contests.
Rookie big man Deyonta Davis has been assigned to the Iowa Energy, the Grizzlies announced today in a press release. Memphis has used its D-League affiliate sparingly this season — this will be Davis’ first assignment to Iowa.

12:06pm:

The Pistons have recalled rookies Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije from the D-League, according to a press release issued by the team. The duo played a significant role in Grand Rapids’ Saturday win over the Raptors 905, with Gbinije scoring a team-high 29 points, while Ellenson added 25.
Speaking of the Raptors, they’ve sent point guard Delon Wright to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today (via Twitter).
Rookie forward Georges Niang has been assigned to the D-League by the Pacers, the team announced in a press release. Niang, who has played sparingly in 21 games for Indiana, has averaged 17.8 PPG in four games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
With their D-League affiliate not in action until Wednesday, the Nets have recalled Chris McCullough, per a team release. It’s already the 17th time this season that Brooklyn has recalled McCullough from Long Island.

Suns Re-Sign Ronnie Price

February 6th, 2017 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have re-signed veteran point guard Ronnie Price to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). Price’s first 10-day deal with the team, signed on January 27, expired overnight.

Although he has been with the team for the last week and a half, Price has yet to play a single minute for the Suns this year. In 62 games for Phoenix last season, he averaged 5.3 PPG and 2.4 APG, earning himself a two-year, $5MM contract with the Thunder last summer. However, Oklahoma City rethought that commitment in the fall, opting to waive Price at the end of the preseason rather than carrying him on the 15-man roster.

Price’s new 10-day contract will run through February 15, at which point the Suns will have to decide whether or not to retain him for the rest of the season. Considering the veteran hasn’t had a rotation role at all so far, I’d be a little surprised if Phoenix locked him up beyond this deal — the club could benefit from having an open roster slot heading into the trade deadline, and may want to use that 15th roster spot to take a shot on a younger player.

Nuggets Re-Sign Johnny O’Bryant

February 6th, 2017 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

10:55am: The Nuggets have officially signed O’Bryant to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.

9:40am: After his first 10-day contract with the team expired on Saturday night, Johnny O’Bryant will sign a second 10-day deal with the Nuggets, league sources tell Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Assuming the agreement is finalized today, O’Bryant will be eligible to play tonight against Dallas, and will remain a Nugget through February 15.

O’Bryant, 23, was the 36th overall pick in the 2014 draft, and spent his first two NBA seasons with the Bucks. In 100 games for the club, O’Bryant averaged 3.0 PPG and 2.4 RPG. The LSU product signed as a free agent with the Wizards prior to training camp last fall, but didn’t earn a regular-season roster spot with the team.

O’Bryant subsequently joined the D-League’s Northern Arizona Suns, averaging 18.5 PPG and 8.7 RPG in 24 games for Phoenix’s affiliate this season. He even added a three-point shot to his game during his time in the NBADL, making 38.0% of his attempts and averaging more than one three-pointer per game. That earned O’Bryant a 10-day contract with the Nuggets, for whom he appeared in two games over the course of his 10-day deal. He averaged 3.5 PPG and 1.5 RPG in those games.

Once O’Bryant is officially re-signed, the Nuggets will again be carrying the maximum 15 players on their roster. If they want to keep the young power forward beyond his second 10-day deal, the Nuggets will have to commit to a rest-of-season contract.