Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Clippers, Dorell Wright Agree To Deal

September 22nd, 2016 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have increased their training camp roster count to 17 players, according to Dan Woike of The Orange County Register, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is bringing in veteran forward Dorell Wright.

[RELATED: Clippers to sign Xavier Munford]

Wright, 30, spent most of last season in China before signing with the Heat in mid-April. He didn’t play any regular season games with Miami, but did appear in five playoff contests, averaging 3.2 points and 3.8 minutes per game. The Heat elected not to bring back the 6’9″ small forward after the postseason ended.

Prior to last season, Wright had appeared in 549 total NBA regular-season contests, spending time with the Heat, Warriors, Sixers, and Trail Blazers over the course of 11 years. In those seasons, he averaged 8.4 PPG and 3.8 RPG, and shot 36.5% on three-point attempts.

The Clippers already appear to have their roster for the coming season fairly set, with 15 players on guaranteed salaries. However, the team will bring in a few more players to compete in camp. Wright is the second reported camp invitee for Los Angeles, along with Xavier Munford.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Bucks To Sign Jaleel Roberts

September 22nd, 2016 at 1:42pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks are reportedly looking for help on the wing after losing Khris Middleton to a torn hamstring, but in the meantime, the team has made another move that’s not connected to Middleton’s injury. According to RealGM’s staff report, Milwaukee is signing free agent center Jaleel Roberts to a deal for training camp.

Roberts, who will turn 24 next month, played his college ball for UNC-Asheville, going undrafted in 2015 after averaging 7.0 PPG and 5.0 RPG in his senior season. Despite his modest college stats, Roberts received a training camp invite from the Wizards last season, and after being waived by Washington last fall, the seven-footer rejoined the club for Summer League play this July.

For training camp this fall though, it appears Roberts will be joining a Bucks squad that is still reeling from the news of Middleton’s potential six-month absence. In addition to its 15 players currently on guaranteed contracts, Milwaukee is also bringing Orlando Johnson and J.J. O’Brien to camp on non-guaranteed deals, and reportedly agreed to terms with Jabari Brown this week, along with Roberts.

Xavier Henry recently signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Bucks, but NBA.com’s transactions log suggests the club waived him on Tuesday — that move has yet to be announced by the team. Ronald Roberts was also rumored to be heading to camp with Milwaukee, but that deal hasn’t come to fruition, so there should be one opening on the Bucks’ 20-man offseason roster as they explore replacements for Middleton.

Jazz Sign Henry Sims

September 22nd, 2016 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have filled one of the remaining two openings on their 20-man offseason roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed Henry Sims to a training camp contract. Terms of the agreement haven’t been reported, but it figures to be a minimum-salary pact with little to no guaranteed money.

Sims, who saw a little NBA action last season for the Nets, spent the 2014/15 campaign with the Sixers, appearing in 73 games (32 starts) for the club. Over the course of that season, he averaged 8.0 PPG and 4.9 RP in 19.2 minutes per contest. In 2015/16, he spent most of the season with the D-League’s Grand Rapids Drive, recording 15.7 PPG and 8.9 RPG in 40 games.

After working out for the Jazz earlier this month, Sims will join the team looking to earn a regular-season roster spot. As Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets though, a return to the D-League is more likely for the 26-year-old center.

Currently, the Jazz have 14 players on guaranteed salaries, which would suggest that there’s one open spot for the regular-season roster. However, Jeff Withey, whose contract is partially guaranteed, is the strong favorite for that 15th slot. Chris Johnson, Marcus Paige, and Quincy Ford will also be in the mix, and Utah still has one open roster spot that could be filled at some point in camp — perhaps by second-round pick Tyrone Wallace.

Pelicans Announce Chris Copeland, Robert Sacre Deals

September 22nd, 2016 at 10:22am CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans have finally made their deals with Chris Copeland and Robert Sacre official, announcing today in a press release that they’ve added both players to their camp roster. As we heard back in August, Copeland and Sacre will both be on non-guaranteed, one-year summer contracts, so they won’t count against New Orleans’ cap unless they make the regular-season roster.

Copeland, 32, played for the Bucks last season after having also spent time with the Knicks and Pacers over the course of his NBA career. He played sparingly in Milwaukee, averaging just 2.1 PPG in 6.5 minutes per contest for the team. He shot a career-worst 33.3% from the floor, including 27.8% on three-pointers.

As for Sacre, he spent the first four seasons of his NBA career in Los Angeles with the Lakers. The last player selected in the 2012 draft, Sacre averaged 4.2 PPG and 3.1 RPG for the Lakers in 189 career regular-season games.

The competition for a regular-season roster spot in New Orleans will be tough for Copeland and Sacre. The club currently has 15 players on guaranteed salaries for 2016/17, with Lance Stephenson and Shawn Dawson also in camp vying for a place on the team’s 15-man roster.

Timberwolves, Rasual Butler Agree To Deal

September 22nd, 2016 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves have agreed to add veteran forward Rasual Butler to their training camp roster, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). It’ll be a non-guaranteed deal for Butler, so it sounds like he’ll have a chance to earn a regular-season roster spot, but is no lock to do so.

Timberwolves head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau revealed on Wednesday that the team brought in Butler “for a couple days,” and intended to make a decision soon on whether to add him to its camp roster. As Thibodeau promised, the Wolves indeed didn’t take long to extend a camp invite to Butler.

Butler, 37, appeared in 46 games last season for the Spurs, and wasn’t a big part of the team’s rotation, averaging just 2.7 PPG and 1.2 RPG in 9.4 minutes per contest. For his career, Butler has played in more than 850 total contests (regular season and postseason), averaging 7.5 PPG and 2.4 RPG with a .362 3PT% during regular-season play.

While Butler may not have a roster spot secured with the Wolves at this point, he’s certainly familiar with this situation. As Charania observes, the former second-round pick has signed camp deals in late September in each of the last three years, with the Pacers, Wizards, and Spurs, respectively — in each case, Butler ended up on his club’s regular-season roster.

The Wolves currently have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, with John Lucas III and Toure’ Murry also in the mix on non-guaranteed deals. However, the team appears to be nearing a buyout agreement with Kevin Garnett, which would open up a 15-man roster spot.

Jeff Ayres To Play In Russia

September 22nd, 2016 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA big man Jeff Ayres is headed overseas, having signed a contract with Russian team CSKA Moscow. The club officially announced the deal today on its website.

“I think this is a great situation for me and perfect timing to go to Europe,” Ayres said in a statement. “I got a chance to play for [a] great team, great organization like CSKA Moscow. … I watched some games already trying to learn the system, I know many players there and I think I can fit into European basketball. So it seems like [a] really good idea.”

Ayres, 29, spent two seasons in San Antonio and was part of the Spurs’ 2014 championship team, but wasn’t re-signed after the 2014/15 season. He was the first player selected in the 2015 D-League draft and spent much of the season in Idaho before joining the Clippers in January. After playing on two 10-day contracts, Ayres signed with the team for the remainder of the season. He appeared in 17 games for L.A., averaging 1.8 PPG and 1.3 RPG in limited playing time. Ayres has also played for the Trail Blazers and Pacers over the course of his six-year NBA career.

Although he ended up signing to play in Russia, Ayres appeared to receive a little NBA interest this offseason. He recently worked out for the Spurs after participating in a free agent mini-camp with the Lakers last month.

According to CSKA Moscow’s announcement, Ayres only signed a two-month contract with the club, so if the team doesn’t extend his contract, he’d have the opportunity to return to the NBA during the 2016/17 season.

Wolves, Kevin Garnett Nearing Buyout Deal

September 21st, 2016 at 8:06pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wolves and Kevin Garnett are in advanced discussions on a buyout agreement, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The team believes Garnett will opt to retire, Stein adds in a full-length piece.

President of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau said earlier today that Garnett and owner Glen Taylor would have discussions about the future Hall-of-Famer’s status. Taylor previously insinuated that if Garnett decided to hang up his jersey, the team would make a good portion of his contract available to him via buyout, so the big man wouldn’t have to return for the money.

It was reported that Garnett had concerns about whether his body could endure the 82-game schedule. However, he still had the desire to play.

“Yes, theoretically, he’d like to play. But he has some doubts of his knees holding up,” Taylor said at the time. “I think he’s worried if he can play. I worry about that too. When I talked to him last year, I said, ‘Is it your knees or what?’ He said, ‘It’s my whole leg.’ ”

There may also be other factors in play. Garnett apparently wasn’t pleased with the way Sam Mitchell was fired, Justin Termine of SiriusXMNBA adds (Twitter link). Mitchell told Termine last month that the situation could play a factor in Garnett’s decision.

Additionally, former Wolves coach Flip Saunders was believed to Garnett’s strongest ally in the organization, having convinced the veteran big man to waive his no-trade clause to come to Minnesota. KG. As Stein details, KG agreed to return to the Wolves in part because he was interested in joining Saunders in a potential ownership group for the franchise down the road. Saunders passed away prior to the start of last season, and it’s not clear now where Garnett’s ownership aspirations stand.

Bucks To Sign Jabari Brown, Cut Xavier Henry

September 21st, 2016 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks will bring a former Laker to training camp, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. According to Spears (via Twitter), Milwaukee is adding free agent shooting guard Jabari Brown to its roster for camp.

Brown, 23, made his NBA debut with the Lakers during the 2014/15 season after going undrafted out of Missouri. Brown saw plenty of action for the team down the stretch that season, appearing in 19 games and averaging 11.9 PPG, 2.1 APG, 1.9 RPG, and a .371 3PT% in 29.9 minutes per contest.

Over the last two seasons, Brown has also played in China and has spent time with the Lakers’ D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders. Brown averaged 23.1 PPG and shot .443/.374/.842 in 47 D-League games. He also worked out for the Jazz earlier this month.

In Milwaukee, Brown figures to be on the outside looking in as he attempts to earn a regular-season roster spot. The Bucks currently have 15 players on guaranteed salaries, with Orlando Johnson and J.J. O’Brien among the other camp invitees on non-guaranteed deals.

Xavier Henry also recently signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Bucks, though NBA.com’s transactions log suggests the club waived him on Tuesday — it’s not clear why Henry’s stint in Milwaukee was so short-lived. Ronald Roberts was also rumored to be heading to camp with the Bucks, but hasn’t officially signed a contract and may not end up doing so.

Lakers Sign Thomas Robinson

September 21st, 2016 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

3:01pm: The Lakers have officially signed Robinson, the team announced in a press release.

2:04pm: Robinson will get a non-guaranteed deal from the Lakers, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).

1:57pm: The Lakers have added another free agent forward to their roster, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who reports that the team has reached a deal with Thomas Robinson. With Robinson and Metta World Peace now in the mix, Los Angeles has reached the 20-man offseason roster limit.

The fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft, Robinson hasn’t lived up to his billing as a top prospect since entering the NBA, averaging just 4.9 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 265 career appearances. However, he flashed some promise down the stretch last season in a very small sample for the Nets — in his final seven games (six starts), Robinson averaged a double-double, with 13.4 PPG and 11.4 RPG.

After opting out of his contract with the Nets in June, Robinson was linked to several teams during his free agency, including the Mavericks, Wolves, Pelicans, Spurs, Pacers, Suns, and Hawks. In the end, none of those teams opted to take a flier on the former Kansas standout, leaving the door open for the Lakers to bring him to camp.

With 14 players on guaranteed salaries and Yi Jianlian also expected to make the team, the Lakers don’t have any obvious openings on their roster. However, Nick Young is considered a release candidate, and it’s possible preseason performances could affect the Lakers’ roster decisions.

Robinson will join World Peace, Travis Wear, Julian Jacobs, and Zach Auguste as the five Lakers’ camp invitees on the outside looking in, hoping to impress coaches and earn a 15-man roster spot.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Wizards Ink Casper Ware To Camp Deal

September 21st, 2016 at 12:36pm CST by Eddie Scarito

SEPTEMBER 21: Approximately a month after agreeing to terms with him, the Wizards have officially signed Ware, according to RealGM’s NBA transactions log.

AUGUST 18: The Wizards have agreed to a contract with unrestricted free agent Casper Ware, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post reports (on Twitter). The scribe labels it as a training camp deal, which means it likely includes little or no guaranteed money. Washington is well over the cap, so it is likely for the league minimum salary, though, the team does still have its Room Exception available, but it would be surprising if that was used in this instance.

Washington already has 16 players under contract, including 12 possessing full guarantees on their deals, so Ware certainly has his work cut out for him to make the regular season roster. He’ll be competing with Trey Burke, Tomas Satoransky and Marcus Thornton for a spot on the bench.

Ware, who last appeared in the NBA during the regular season in 2013/14 with the Sixers, spent this past campaign overseas where he split time between Tianjin Ronggang (China) and ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne (France). In 31 combined games, the guard averaged 15.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 27.3 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .394/.354/.793.