Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

DeAndre Daniels To Play In Italy

September 12th, 2016 at 10:29am CST by Luke Adams

Former second-round pick DeAndre Daniels appears ticketed for Italy for the upcoming season, according to international basketball reporter David Pick. Pick reports (via Twitter) that Daniels has agreed to terms with Italian team Stings Mantova (Pallacanestro Mantovana).

Daniels, 24, was a key member of the 2014 UConn squad that won a national championship. After declaring for the draft that year, the 6’9″ forward was selected in the second round – 37th overall – by the Raptors.

Since being drafted, Daniels has honed his game elsewhere, spending a year in Australia and playing for Toronto’s D-League team last season. A Jones fracture in his right foot derailed Daniels’ 2015/16 season, limiting him to just eight games for the Raptors 905 in the spring. After playing for the Raptors’ in Summer League play this July, Daniels will head to Europe in the hopes of logging a healthy, productive season overseas.

While Toronto continues to hold Daniels’ NBA rights, the Raptors added two more rookies to their roster this year and have several young players in the mix. The team also holds an extra first-round pick next year, so it remains to be seen if there will be room for Daniels on the roster anytime soon — the Raps could potentially include the forward’s rights in a trade if they make a move at the deadline.

Tibor Pleiss To Play In Turkey

September 12th, 2016 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

Less than two weeks after being waived by the Sixers, German big man Tibor Pleiss has found a new home for the upcoming season. Pleiss will head to Turkey for the 2016/17 campaign, having signed a one-year contract with Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul. The team issued a press release announcing the deal, with Pleiss confirming it on his Facebook page as well.

Pleiss, a former second-round pick who signed with the Jazz last summer, barely saw any action in his first and only NBA season, playing just 82 total minutes for Utah in 2015/16. The German big man was assigned to the D-League for a good chunk of the year, and he performed well for the Idaho Stampede, averaging 12.3 PPG and 10.4 RPG in 28 contests.

In August, the Jazz sent Pleiss to the Sixers in exchange for Kendall Marshall in a cost-cutting trade. Philadelphia, armed with a ton of cap room, had the flexibility to take on Pleiss’ $3MM guaranteed salary even though he wasn’t in the club’s plans, picking up a couple second-round picks in the process. The 76ers waived the 26-year-old less than a week after acquiring him.

Over the weekend, international basketball reporter David Pick indicated that the Nets had invited Pleiss to come to training camp with them, but that the free agent center turned down that offer, with an eye toward playing in Turkey. According to NetsDaily.com (via Twitter), Brooklyn had interest in bringing in Pleiss for a workout, and so did the Spurs, but he passed on both invitations.

Ryan Richards Agrees To Camp Deal With Spurs

September 9th, 2016 at 11:16am CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs will sign 2010 second-round draft choice Ryan Richards to a training camp deal, tweets international basketball writer David Pick. The 7’0″ British native played with teams in Iran, Lebanon and Bahrain last season.

Richards, a forward, was the 49th player drafted in 2010. He has also played in Poland, Austria, China and several other countries.

The Spurs are already above the salary cap for the upcoming season, so Richards will probably receive a minimum deal.

Cavaliers To Sign John Holland

September 9th, 2016 at 10:21am CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers will sign John Holland, who was recently waived by the Celtics, tweets international basketball writer David Pick. Holland will be given a legitimate shot to earn a roster spot in Cleveland, a source tells Pick.

The 27-year-old spent most of last season with the Cavaliers’ D-League affiliate in Canton before signing with Boston in April. He didn’t play for the Celtics in the regular season, but appeared in one playoff game. His contract for the upcoming season was not guaranteed, and Boston released him on August 31st.

A 6’5″ small forward, Holland averaged 16.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in the D-League last year. The Cavs are far over the salary cap and have used almost their entire room exception, so Holland is expected to receive a minimum-salary contract, possibly with a small guarantee.

Magic Add Six Camp Invitees To Roster

September 8th, 2016 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 8: The Magic officially confirmed that they’ve signed the six players listed below (Twitter link).

SEPTEMBER 7: The Magic entered the day with just 13 players on their roster, but will add six more names to that list with a group of training camp invitees. According to Brian K. Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter), the Magic are bringing the following six players to camp:

Cliff Alexander, F/C: Alexander signed with the Blazers as an undrafted rookie out of Kansas last July, but only saw action in eight games for the club during the 2015/16 season, playing a total of 36 minutes. He was waived in July before his 2016/17 salary became guaranteed.
Branden Dawson, F: Waived by the Clippers in July, Dawson faced felony domestic violence charges earlier this year, but the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office didn’t pursue those charges, due to insufficient evidence. On the court, the 2015 second-rounder out of Michigan State appeared in just six games for the Clippers, spending most of the season in the D-League.
Nick Johnson, G: The 42nd overall pick in the 2014 draft, Johnson spent a year with Houston, appearing in 28 games for the team. He was sent to Denver in last year’s Ty Lawson trade, and was subsequently waived by the Nuggets, eventually landing with the D-League’s Austin Spurs for 34 games.
Kevin Murphy, G: Since being selected by the Jazz in the second round of the 2012 draft and playing 17 games in his rookie season, Murphy has bounced around, spending time with three D-League teams, as well as in China and Japan.
Arinze Onuaku, F/C: Although he appeared in regular-season games for three different teams – New Orleans, Cleveland, and Minnesota – from 2013 to 2015, Onuaku saw action in just 11 total contests. The former Syracuse big man spent time with teams in Israel and the Phillippines last season.
Damjan Rudez, F: Rudez’ training camp invite from the Magic was first reported last month. The 30-year-old Croatian saw a decent amount of playing time in Indiana during his first NBA season in 2014/15, averaging 15.4 minutes in 68 regular-season contests for the Pacers. However, he was traded to the Timberwolves last July in a deal for Chase Budinger, and never carved out a consistent role in Minnesota last season. The Wolves declined their team option on his contract in June.

Contract details on the Magic’s new additions aren’t yet known, but the team is over the cap and short-term, minimum-salary deals seem likely. Orlando does still have its $2.898MM room exception available if it needs to offer more than the minimum to secure a player’s services.

With 13 guaranteed contracts on their books, the Magic could be looking to fill two more roster spots for the regular season, with the players listed above vying for those openings.

Pacers Sign Kevin Seraphin

September 8th, 2016 at 9:50am CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 8: The Pacers have formally issued a press release announcing their deal with Seraphin. Within the release, Indiana also officially confirmed the previously-reported signing of Nick Zeisloft.

SEPTEMBER 2: Kevin Seraphin will join the Pacers on a two-year, $3.6MM contract, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical. The deal includes a team option for the second season, sources tell Charania.

Seraphin held workouts for Indiana officials Monday and Tuesday, and the agreement was finalized late Thursday night. The 6’10” center/power forward is expected to sign it sometime next week.

After five years with the Wizards, Seraphin spent last season with the Knicks, averaging 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per night in 48 games. The Pacers will count on him to provide depth in the front court behind Myles Turner and free agent addition Al Jefferson.

The signing of Seraphin gives Indiana 16 players with guaranteed contracts heading into training camp.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Raptors Sign E.J. Singler

September 8th, 2016 at 9:08am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 8: The Raptors have officially signed Singler, the team announced today (via Twitter).

AUGUST 24: The Raptors are bringing another player to camp, according to Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has agreed to a deal with E.J. Singler. It’s not clear whether Singler will get any guaranteed money on his new contract, but the former Oregon forward will have the chance to compete for the 15th roster spot, notes Murphy.

The brother of Thunder forward Kyle Singler, E.J. Singler spent a little time with the Raptors 905 in the D-League last season, allowing Toronto’s decision-makers to take a closer look at him. The 26-year-old has yet to appear in a regular-season NBA game since finishing his college career with the Ducks, though he has had brief preseason stints with the Trail Blazers (2013) and Jazz (2015).

In his senior year at Oregon back in 2012/13, Singler averaged 11.7 PPG and 4.9 RPG in 37 contests, shooting 35.9% from three-point range. He may be a long shot to earn a roster spot in Toronto this fall, and could end up returning to the Raptors’ D-League affiliate.

Not including Singler, the Raptors currently have 18 players under contract, including 14 on fully guaranteed salaries and two with partial guarantees.

Bucks Sign J.J. O’Brien

September 8th, 2016 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have added a couple more players to their offseason roster, inching closer to the 20-man limit. According to RealGM’s NBA transactions log, Milwaukee has signed free agent wing J.J. O’Brien. RealGM also confirms the team’s previously-reported agreement with Orlando Johnson.

An undrafted 24-year-old out of San Diego State, O’Brien played for the Jazz in Summer League action a year ago, then later signed a 10-day contract with the team. However, he only appeared in two regular season contests for Utah. O’Brien spent the majority of the 2015/16 season with the Idaho Stampede, averaging 14.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.8 APG, and 1.5 SPG for the D-League squad.

The Bucks already have 15 guaranteed contracts on their books, so O’Brien will have an uphill battle ahead of him as he attempts to earn a roster spot in Milwaukee. In addition to their 15 players with guaranteed salaries, the Bucks have also reportedly reached agreements with Xavier Henry, Ronald Roberts, O’Brien, and Johnson, though the team has yet to formally announce those additions.

While exact details of O’Brien’s and Johnson’s contracts aren’t known, it appears likely that both players got one-year, non-guaranteed deals worth the minimum.

Hornets Sign Andrew Andrews, Rasheed Sulaimon

September 7th, 2016 at 6:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hornets officially signed Andrew Andrews and Rasheed Sulaimon, the team announced today. The signings give Charlotte 18 players under contract with training camp looming at the end of the month.

Andrews, 23, is a 6’2″ point guard who played four years at the University of Washington. As a senior, he averaged 20.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 34 games with the Huskies. Andrews received a training camp invitation from Charlotte in early August.

Sulaimon, 22, is a 6’4″ shooting guard who averaged 11.1 points, 3.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds as a senior with Maryland last season. He played with the Bulls’ summer league team and reached an agreement with the Hornets on August 7th. Sulaimon will spend the upcoming season with Charlotte’s new D-League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.

Pacers Sign Nick Zeisloft

September 7th, 2016 at 4:53pm CST by Luke Adams

After playing his college ball with the Hoosiers for the last two years, Nick Zeisloft will remain in Indiana this fall. According to RealGM’s NBA transactions log, the Pacers have signed the undrafted free agent guard. While terms of the deal aren’t known, it figures to be a one-year, minimum-salary “summer contract,” which won’t count against Indiana’s cap unless Zeisloft makes the team.

After starting his college career at Illinois State, Zeisloft made the move to Indiana for the 2014/15 season. In his two years with the Hoosiers, he averaged just 6.6 PG, but shot an impressive 43.2% from beyond the arc. Over the course of his four-year college career, Zeisloft was a designated sharpshooter for his two teams, making 216 overall three-pointers and just 43 two-point shots.

The Pacers, who already had 15 guaranteed contracts on their books, recently agreed to a deal with Kevin Seraphin that also looks to be guaranteed for 2016/17. With Julyan Stone and Alex Poythress also in the mix as camp invitees, the odds that Zeisloft earns a 15-man roster spot are extremely slim. Still, assuming the Pacers like what they see this fall, they may intend to have the 23-year-old join the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, their D-League affiliate.