Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Thunder Acquire Jerami Grant From Sixers

November 1st, 2016 at 3:28pm CST by Luke Adams

3:28pm: Both teams have issued press release confirming the deal. The Thunder’s announcement indicates that the team has gained a trade exception, as noted below, so for now OKC won’t renounce that TPE to gain cap room.

2:57pm: The first-round pick heading to Philadelphia in the swap will be top-20 protected, and will turn into two second-rounders if it doesn’t fall in that 21-30 range, tweets Bobby Marks of The Vertical. The Thunder already have a first-rounder going to Utah in 2018, so the pick involved in the deal with the Sixers will be a 2020 selection, as Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders tweets. If the Sixers don’t get a first-rounder, they’d get their pair of second-rounders in 2022 and 2023, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).

2:43pm: The future pick the Sixers are receiving from the Thunder will be a first-rounder, reports Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (via Twitter). However, Zillgitt adds that the pick will have multiple protections, and Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets that it may be a “fake first” of sorts. The Sixers hope to receive the first-rounder from the Thunder in 2020, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Meanwhile, Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link) says Philadelphia plans to keep Ilyasova rather than waiving him to open up a roster spot.

2:23pm: The Sixers and Thunder have completed a trade, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter links), who reports that Ersan Ilyasova is heading to Philadelphia along with a conditional future draft pick. Oklahoma City will receive Jerami Grant in return.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Thunder have been pursuing a potential trade involving Grant for “several months.” The 22-year-old, a second-round pick back in 2014, spent the last two seasons with Philadelphia. In 144 total contests for the franchise, he averaged 8.2 PPG and 3.9 RPG, shooting just 39.4% from the floor. While Grant has shown some promise, the Sixers had a crowded frontcourt, making him somewhat expendable.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, will land Ilyasova, a stretch four who could add some much-needed outside shooting to the Sixers’ roster. The Turkish big man was one of three players Oklahoma City received from the Magic in exchange for Serge Ibaka this summer, along with Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. Ilyasova was the least-important piece in that deal, but has been a solid scorer and rebounder over the course of his NBA career, putting up 10.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and a .369 3PT% in 530 career contests with the Bucks, Pistons, Magic, and Thunder.

The Sixers’ huge chunk of cap room will come in handy when completing this move. The club is well below the salary floor, entering the day with only about $70MM in 2016/17 salary on its books. Ilyasova ($8.4MM) makes significantly more money than Grant ($980K), so Philadelphia will take on some salary in the deal, which likely explains why the Thunder are surrendering a draft pick in the swap.

Additionally, Grant – unlike Ilyasova – is under team control beyond this season. The young forward is earning the minimum salary this season and has a team option on his contract for the 2017/18 worth the minimum as well.

The Thunder entered the day ever so slightly over the cap, so they’ll have some flexibility after completing the deal — the team could technically remain an over-the-cap club, with a traded player exception worth Ilyasova’s salary. However, if OKC wants to forfeit that TPE, the team would have more than $7MM in cap room at its disposal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jazz Sign Rudy Gobert To Contract Extension

November 1st, 2016 at 10:26am CST by Eddie Scarito

NOVEMBER 1, 10:26am: Only $90MM of Gobert’s $102MM extension is fully guaranteed, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who tweets that the deal features $3MM annually in incentives.

OCTOBER 31, 6:20pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

4:21pm: The Jazz and Rudy Gobert have reached an agreement in principle on a four-year, $102MM contract extension, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. The projected average annual salary of $25.5MM is quite a leap from the $2,121,287 Gobert is earning this season. There is no word yet on whether the new pact contains any options, player or team.

By locking up Gobert now, Utah will avoid the player hitting restricted free agency next July, where he would have likely been able to land an offer sheet in the $110MM range, Wojnarowski notes. The deal is for slightly less than the max, which will save the Jazz approximately $8MM-$10MM over the life of the pact, the scribe adds. While Gobert almost assuredly preferred to reach an agreement on an extension, he would have been willing to test the waters as a restricted free agent next offseason if no deal was struck, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Gobert was selected with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and has quickly developed into one of the most intimidating rim-protectors in the game. The 24-year-old appeared in 61 games a season ago for the Jazz, averaging 9.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.5 blocks in 31.7 minutes per outing. His slash line was .559/.000/.569. In three contests this season, Gobert has notched 11.0 PPG, 12.0 RPG and 2.7 BPG.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ray Allen Formally Announces Retirement

November 1st, 2016 at 8:45am CST by Luke Adams

There were rumblings this offseason that longtime NBA sharpshooter Ray Allen was considering making a comeback, perhaps for a team like the Warriors, Celtics, or Bucks. However, in a piece for The Players’ Tribune today, Allen confirmed that he’ll officially retire rather than attempting to return to the court for an NBA franchise.

“I write this to you today as a 41-year-old man who is retiring from the game,” Allen wrote in the piece, which was framed as a letter to his 13-year-old self. “I write to you as a man who is completely at peace with himself.”

Allen, who turned 41 in July, last played for the Heat, helping the team win a championship in 2012/13 and get back to the NBA Finals in 2013/14. By the end of his final year in Miami, he was averaging well below his career mark of 18.9 PPG, but he still shot an impressive 39.8% on three-pointers during those two seasons with the Heat.

Over the course of his 18-year NBA career, Allen spent time with the Bucks, SuperSonics, Celtics, and Heat, earning 10 total All-Star nods with three separate clubs. He left the game as a 40.0% career three-point shooter, having set the record for most career threes.

Allen’s 2,973 total three-pointers separated him from second place (Reggie Miller) by more than 400 and from third place (Jason Terry) by more than 800. Still, considering the way the game has evolved in recent years, perhaps the idea of a comeback had some appeal as a way to allow him to stretch that lead, keeping it safe for a little longer. Instead, the former UConn standout will call it career, putting him on track for a Hall of Fame induction sooner rather than later.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Thunder Sign Steven Adams To Extension

October 31st, 2016 at 11:13pm CST by Luke Adams

11:13pm: The Thunder have formally announced their new deal with Adams, issuing a press release confirming the news.

3:49pm: Adams and OKC are in the process of finalizing a four-year, $100MM extension, Wojnarowski tweets.

1:55pm: The Thunder and center Steven Adams are making “significant progress” in discussions on a potential contract extension, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. According to Wojnarowski, the two sides are working toward a possible four-year, $100MM deal.

Adams is one of many 2013 first-round picks who remains eligible for a rookie-scale extension until the end of Monday. Teams have until midnight eastern time to lock up extension-eligible players to new deals — if the two sides can’t agree to terms, those players will remain on track for restricted free agency in the summer of 2017.

Adams, 23, averaged a modest 8.0 PPG to go along with 6.7 RPG, 1.1 BPG, and a .613 FG% during the 2015/16 season. Those numbers aren’t eye-popping, and his career .551 FT% is a cause for some concern. However, Adams’ showing in the postseason provided a better picture of his importance to the Thunder.

In 18 playoff games, the New Zealand native saw his minutes per game increase from 25.2 to 30.7, and he nearly averaged a double-double in those contests, with 10.1 PPG and 9.5 RPG. In the team’s first three games this season, Adams has notched 13.0 PPG and 9.0 RPG in an expanded role.

When I explored Adams’ extension candidacy back in August, I suggested the Thunder might want to wait until next summer in order to maximize their potential cap room. Signing Adams to a new deal now would mean his salary would hit the team’s 2017/18 books immediately after the July moratorium ends next summer. By waiting to extend him, Oklahoma City would initially carry a smaller cap hold, allowing the club a little more flexibility to pursue free agents or trade targets.

Still, waiting until next July to lock up Adams would almost certainly mean giving him a max deal, since there’d likely be other suitors ready to make such an offer. A four-year, $100MM pact would come in a little below the max based on current cap projections, which could motivate the Thunder to work something out sooner rather than later. Giannis Antetokounmpo signed a four-year, $100MM rookie-scale extension with the Bucks earlier this year.

In addition to Adams, Victor Oladipo and Andre Roberson are also eligible for extensions for the Thunder.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Thunder Sign Victor Oladipo To Extension

October 31st, 2016 at 11:12pm CST by Luke Adams

11:12pm: The Thunder have officially signed Oladipo to an extension, the team announced today in a press release.

2:52pm: The Thunder have agreed to a four-year extension with Victor Oladipo in advance of tonight’s deadline, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical. Oladipo’s new deal, which will go into effect in 2017/18, is expected to be worth $84MM, per Charania.

A former second overall pick out of Indiana, Oladipo was part of the trade that sent to Serge Ibaka to Orlando in June, heading to Oklahoma City in the deal along with Domantas Sabonis and Ersan Ilyasova. Reports in the summer suggested that Oladipo might be seeking a maximum-salary contract, but the Thunder were able to lock him up at a lower rate, ensuring that he’ll stay off the free agent market next summer.

Oladipo, 24, was one of the primary scorers for the Magic during his three years with the team, averaging 15.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.0 APG, and 1.6 SPG in 224 regular-season contests. In his first three games with the Thunder, he has averaged 17.0 PPG on a FG% of just .340, though that’s obviously a very small sample size.

The Thunder completed their acquisition of Oladipo before Kevin Durant finalized his decision to leave Oklahoma City for Golden State, and the team had viewed the former Magic guard as a nice fit alongside Durant. However, the club remains optimistic about its backcourt duo of Oladipo and Russell Westbrook, who each provide plenty of tenacity and energy on both sides of the ball. Westbook received an extension from the Thunder this offseason as well, so the two standout guards will be given every opportunity to thrive together for the next couple years.

With Oladipo secured, the Thunder can shift their focus today to Steven Adams and Andre Roberson, who are also eligible to sign rookie-scale extension before the deadline of midnight eastern time. As we learned earlier today, OKC is in talks with Adams on a potential four-year, $100MM extension, and there’s growing optimism that the two sides can hammer out a deal. The team is also engaged in negotiations with Roberson, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.

Teams can be reluctant to lock up their potential restricted free agents to big-money extensions ahead of free agency, since keeping a modestly-priced cap hold on their books for a week or two the following July can give them additional flexibility to use cap room in free agency. However, as a former No. 2 overall pick, Oladipo would have had a large cap hold next summer as a restricted free agent, so his deal shouldn’t hinder OKC’s flexibility significantly.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hornets, Cody Zeller Agree To Extension

October 31st, 2016 at 10:54pm CST by Eddie Scarito

10:54pm: The signing is official, the team announced. “Maintaining and building our young core of players has been a key goal for us the last few years,” GM Rich Cho said. “We’re excited that Cody will be part of the Hornets organization for years to come. Cody is a hard worker, a team-first player and a versatile talent that was a large part of our success last year. He has improved in each of his three seasons in the NBA. We look forward to a bright future with Cody as a part of the roster that we are continuing to build.”

9:30pm: The Hornets have agreed to a contract extension with Cody Zeller, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (on Twitter). It will be a four-year, $56MM arrangement per the scribe. The pact doesn’t include any options, according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

The extension is a solid value for Charlotte, according to Bobby Marks of The Vertical (via Twitter), who notes that the first year salary on the deal is below his free agent cap hold and it won’t push the Hornets over the luxury tax line in 2017/18. Zeller is earning $5,318,313 this season.

The 24-year-old was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft out of Indiana. His career numbers through 220 regular season contests are 7.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists to accompany a shooting line of .476/.167/.750.

Zeller becomes the eighth player from the 2013 NBA Draft to agree to an extension, joining C.J. McCollum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Gorgui Dieng, Dennis Schroder, Steven Adams, Victor Oladipo and Rudy Gobert.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 10/31/16

October 31st, 2016 at 10:03pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Here are the D-League assignments and recalls for the day:

The Rockets are the first team to send a player to their D-League affiliate this season, with the team announcing (via Twitter) that Chinanu Onuaku will be joining the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The power forward has yet to see the court during the regular season for Houston.

Wolves Agree To Extension With Gorgui Dieng

October 31st, 2016 at 5:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Timberwolves and Gorgui Dieng are in the process of finalizing a contract extension, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). The deal will be for four years and is valued at $64MM, per the scribe. No word yet on whether or not the arrangement includes any options, player or team. His new deal with an average annual value of $16MM is certainly a hefty bump from the $2,348,783 he is earning this season.

The 26-year-old is off to a solid start to the 2016/17 campaign under new head coach Tom Thibodeau. Dieng is averaging 13.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 blocks in 34.5 minutes through the team’s first two games.

Originally selected with the No. 21 overall pick in 2013, Dieng’s career numbers are 8.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 blocks to accompany a shooting line of .516/.276/.780.

Dieng becomes the seventh player from the 2013 NBA Draft to agree to an extension, joining C.J. McCollum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dennis Schroder, Steven Adams, Victor Oladipo and Rudy Gobert.

The Wolves have another extension candidate on their roster in Shabazz Muhammad, but the latest report on the fourth-year guard suggests that he and the team are “far apart” in negotiations.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Celtics To Decline James Young’s 2017/18 Option

October 31st, 2016 at 3:30pm CST by Luke Adams

After exercising their 2017/18 team options on Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier, the Celtics won’t pick up their option on James Young, reports Bobby Marks of The Vertical (via Twitter). The move will put Young on track to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2017.

Young, 21, has played sparingly for the Celtics since being selected with the No. 17 pick in the 2014 draft. The Kentucky product has averaged just 8.9 minutes per game in 60 total regular-season appearances, putting up 2.2 PPG and 1.1 RPG in those games. Still, Boston saw enough promise to keep him on its 15-man roster heading into this season, parting ways with 2015 first-rounder R.J. Hunter in order to make room for Young.

By turning down Young’s 2017/18 option, the Celtics will no longer be on the hook for a $2.804MM salary for him next year.

Hawks Sign Ryan Kelly, Waive Edy Tavares

October 31st, 2016 at 1:39pm CST by Luke Adams

1:39pm: The Hawks have announced both Kelly’s signing and Tavares’ release in a pair of press releases, making the moves official.

12:02pm: The Hawks will become the first team to make a change to their 15-man, regular-season roster. Less than a week into the season, Atlanta is releasing center Edy Tavares and intends to sign Ryan Kelly to fill the open roster spots, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter).

The 43rd overall pick in the 2014 draft, Tavares joined the Hawks last season, appearing in just 11 games and averaging 6.6 minutes per contest. The 24-year-old Cape Verde native also made 29 D-League appearances, averaging 9.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 3.3 BPG in 21.6 minutes per game. While Tavares is viewed as a raw prospect with potential, the Hawks have apparently decided his roster spot can be better used on a more seasoned player.

Kelly, 25, was waived by the Hawks earlier this month, having previously spent his first three seasons in the NBA as a member of the Lakers. After averaging 22.9 minutes per contest during his first two years in Los Angeles, Kelly saw his playing time reduced last season, as he played just 13.1 MPG in 36 contests. He averaged 4.2 PPG and 3.4 RPG in those games, shooting just 36.9% from the floor, 13.5% from beyond the arc, and 68.5% from the line.

Kelly signed with the Celtics after being cut by the Hawks, though he was quickly waived by Boston as well, so it looked like the C’s wanted to gain his D-League rights. Rather than heading to the D-League though, Kelly is on his way back to an NBA roster, and figures to sign a minimum-salary deal with the Hawks.

As for Tavares, his $1MM salary for 2016/17 was fully guaranteed, so the Hawks will have to pay it unless he’s claimed on waivers later this week. The club won’t be on the hook for his 2017/18 salary worth $1.015MM, since it was non-guaranteed.

The Bulls claimed R.J. Hunter off waivers last week after the regular season had gotten underway, but Chicago had an opening on its roster, so no corresponding move was necessary. As such, the Hawks will become the first team in 2016/17 to actually replace one player with another on their regular-season roster.