Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nuggets Sign Juan Hernangomez

August 9th, 2016 at 4:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

AUGUST 9th: The signing is official, the team announced.

JULY 29th: The Nuggets have come to terms on a rookie scale deal with Juan Hernangomez, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (via Twitter). The 20-year-old was selected with the No. 15 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft.

Hernangomez’s arrangement with Denver is a standard rookie contract that will see him earn $1,987,440 this season, $2,076,840 in 2017/18, $2,166,360 in 2018/19 and $3,321,030 the final season, with the last two years being team options, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical notes.

The 6’9″ forward appeared in five games for Denver’s squad in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 10.2 points and 8.2 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per outing. Hernangomez spent the 2015/16 campaign with the Spanish club Movistar Estudiantes, making 34 appearances and notching averages of 9.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.8 steals while shooting .455/.358/.717.

Nuggets Sign First-Rounder Jamal Murray

August 9th, 2016 at 4:03pm CST by ChrisCrouse

AUGUST 9th: The signing is official, the team announced.

JULY 19th: The Nuggets have reached an agreement with No. 7 overall pick Jamal Murray, as Malika Andrews of The Denver Post relays. Murray will make slightly under $6.6MM over the first two seasons, per the rookie scale, as our breakdown of salaries for 2016 first-rounder shows. The contract includes a team option on year three and four.

Murray may be the best shooter in his draft class, as I mentioned in his Prospect Profile. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com had the combo guard ranked as the seventh-best prospect in the draft.

The 19-year-old averaged 20.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists during his lone season at Kentucky. He shot 40.8% from behind the arc and 50.2% from the field overall.

Nuggets Ink Malik Beasley

August 9th, 2016 at 4:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

AUGUST 9th: The signing is official, the team announced.

JULY 12th: The Nuggets and No. 19 overall pick Malik Beasley have agreed to a deal, Malika Andrews of The Denver Post reports. “Thankful to be a part of that less than 1 percent,” Beasley posted on his official Twitter account. “This is only the beginning too. GrindTime!!”

Beasley will earn the rookie scale, which is approximately $2.77MM over his first two seasons and Denver will hold team options on the third and fourth years, Andrews notes. Jamal Murray, the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s draft, is expected to sign his rookie-scale contract soon, the scribe adds.

The 19-year-old appeared in 34 games for Florida State this past season, averaging 15.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 29.8 minutes per night. His shooting line on the year was .471/.387/.812.

Eastern Notes: Saric, Ibaka, Heat, Wizards

August 8th, 2016 at 10:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Dario Saric has the right temperament to excel in the NBA, the elder statesman of Croatia’s Olympic team told Michael Lee of The Vertical. The 22-year-old power forward, a 2014 lottery pick, will join the Sixers this season after spending the last two years overseas. Roko Ukic told Lee that Philadelphia is getting a tough-minded player. “He’s got a great mentality,” Ukic said. “Even the time things don’t go great for him shooting-wise or offensively, he can bring so much different stuff to the table. So he can help the team in various ways. He’s not like one-way player.” Saric struggled in his Olympic debut but made a key block against Spain’s Pau Gasol to secure an upset victory, which Ukic labelled a character-building effort. “Whoever come from our country to the NBA, is like our next big thing. There is so much pressure,” he said to Lee. “These kind of wins, these kind of games can give him the push in the back and help him, not only for this tournament, but for his career.”

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Serge Ibaka gives the Magic a much better defensive option against Eastern Conference counterparts LeBron James, Al Horford, Chris Bosh and Paul Millsap, as Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel breaks down in his latest column. Ibaka, who was acquired from the Thunder in a draft-night deal, provides the club with its first legitimate power forward in 15 years, Schmitz declares.
The Heat’s development and scouting staff will play an integral part in getting the franchise back to the status of serious contender, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel opines. The coaching staff needs to develop the skills of Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson, while the scouting staff must maximize next year’s first-round pick, Winderman continues. That will help attract free agents to South Beach because the Heat can no longer rely on quick fixes, Winderman adds.
Center Micheal Eric, who played on the Wizards’ Las Vegas summer league team, has signed with Spanish Club Bilbao, league sources informed J. Michael of CSNmidatlantic.com. Eric had the option of joining Washington for training camp but decided to head overseas when the club wouldn’t offer a partial guarantee, Michael adds. The 28-year-old Eric averaged 9.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in five summer league outings.

Grizzlies Re-Sign Tony Wroten

August 8th, 2016 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

A roller coaster of an offseason for Tony Wroten continued today, as the former first-round point guard formally signed a new contract with the Grizzlies, according to a press release from the team. The club’s official announcement also confirmed previously reported deals for D.J. Stephens, Troy Williams, and Wayne Selden.

Wroten, the 25th overall pick in the 2012 draft, appeared in just eight games for the Sixers last season before Philadelphia waived him in December. The Knicks later signed Wroten to a two-year deal, minimum-salary deal that contained no guaranteed money for the 2016/17 campaign, but removed him from their roster in June when they acquired Derrick Rose from the Bulls. The Grizzlies claimed him off waivers at that point, but cut him in July.

One recent report from international basketball journalist David Pick indicated that Wroten could end up re-signing with Memphis, so it’s possible the Grizzlies simply wanted to rework the terms of the 23-year-old’s contract before bringing him back. Of course, based on the team’s cap limitations, neither Wroten nor any of the other three signees whose deals were confirmed today will receive more than the minimum salary.

A Washington product, Wroten began his NBA career in Memphis in 2012, before later joining the Sixers. In 145 total games in the NBA, he has averaged 11.1 points and 3.0 assists per contest, but has shot just 41.3% from the floor, including a paltry 23.1% from downtown. When Wroten was waived by the Knicks, a report from Stefan Bondy and Frank Isola of The New York Daily News suggested that the team made the decision due to an undisclosed disciplinary issue, but it appears that issue didn’t scare off the Grizzlies.

Shayne Whittington To Play In Spain

August 8th, 2016 at 10:29am CST by Luke Adams

Former Pacers big man Shayne Whittington didn’t take long to find a new home. After being cut by Indiana in late July, Whittington will head overseas for the coming season, having signed a contract with Spanish club Obradoiro CAB. The ex-Pacer himself confirmed the deal in a post on Instagram.

“Really excited to announce that I’ll be starting a new chapter in my life in Santiago De Compostela, Spain with Obradoiro CAB,” Whittington wrote. “Great league and a great opportunity for me and my family!”

Whittington, 25, spent parts of the last two seasons with the Pacers, going back forth between Indiana and Fort Wayne, where the team’s D-League affiliate plays. During that time, the Western Michigan alum has appeared in 27 total NBA games, averaging a modest 2.5 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 5.5 minutes per contest.

Indiana would have had to guarantee Whittington’s $980,431 salary for 2016/17 if he had remained on the team’s roster past August 1. By waiving him before then, the Pacers ensured that they were no longer on the hook for his cap hit.

Rasheed Sulaimon To Be In Hornets’ Camp

August 7th, 2016 at 5:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Maryland shooting guard Rasheed Sulaimon signed a vet-camp deal with the Hornets and will spend next season in the D-League, tweets international basketball writer David Pick.

Sulaimon will be part of Charlotte’s new affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, which will begin play this fall. Sulaimon, who wasn’t selected in this year’s draft, averaged 11.1 points, 3.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds as a senior with the Terrapins last season.

He played for the Bulls’ summer league team in Las Vegas, but shot just 3-of-13 from 3-point range and reportedly had trouble defending smaller guards.

Cavaliers Sign Kay Felder

August 6th, 2016 at 1:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

1:50pm: Felder’s deal is for three years and is worth $2.49MM with a partial guarantee of $1MM included, Tony Paul of The Detroit News reports.

9:01am: The Cavaliers have officially signed 2016 second-rounder Kay Felder, the team announced. The exact length and terms of the arrangement are not yet known, but it is likely a minimum salary pact that include a partial guarantee.

Cleveland acquired the rights to the diminutive guard on draft night from the Hawks in exchange for $2.4MM, so the team already has made a significant investment in the rookie. LeBron James was reportedly a supporter of the move to nab Felder, which certainly doesn’t hurt his chances of sticking with the Cavs this season, though he’ll likely be ticketed for some extended D-League time early in the season to help speed up his development.

Felder, 5’9″, impressed with his play in the Las Vegas Summer League for Cleveland’s squad. In seven contests he averaged 15.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 29.9 minutes per outing while shooting .420/.227/.783.

During the 2015/16 campaign, Felder appeared in 35 contests for Oakland, averaging 24.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 2.0 steals. Over his three-year collegiate career, all with Oakland, he played in a total of 101 games with averages of 17.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 35.9 minutes per contest. His career shooting line was .426/.345/.822.

Lakers Re-Sign Marcelo Huertas

August 5th, 2016 at 3:23pm CST by Eddie Scarito

AUGUST 5: The Lakers have officially signed Huertas, the team announced today in a press release.

“Marcelo’s understanding of the game, unselfishness, and professionalism are assets to our team and he has an uncanny ability to change the pace of the game,” GM Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. “He’s fundamentally solid but also has a flair and excitement to his style of play, which makes him a fan favorite.”

Estimates from Bobby Marks of The Vertical and Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders put the value of Huertas deal at about $1.6-1.7MM annually over two years.

JULY 7: The Lakers and restricted free agent Marcelo Huertas have agreed to a deal that will keep the point guard in Los Angeles, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. It’s a two-year pact, Wojnarowski notes, but the scribe does not relay the amount, nor what guarantees, if any, are included in the arrangement.

Los Angeles had tendered the 33-year-old a qualifying offer worth $1,074,636, which made Huertas a restricted free agent. He’ll be the the third-string point guard behind recently acquired Jose Calderon and 2015 lottery pick D’Angelo Russell, the scribe adds.

Huertas appeared in 53 games for the Lakers in 2015/16, averaging 4.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 16.4 minutes per outing. His shooting numbers on the campaign were .422/.262/.931.

Nets Sign Beau Beech

August 5th, 2016 at 10:40am CST by Will Joseph

AUGUST 5: The Nets have issued a press release formally announcing that Beech’s deal is now complete.

JULY 24: The Nets will sign Beau Beech to a partially guaranteed one-year deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (on Twitter). Brooklyn has 15 guaranteed contracts so Beech is likely headed to the team’s D-League affiliate in Long Island.

Beech went undrafted last month out of the University of North Florida. At 6’9,” Beech is versatile enough to play shooting guard, small forward or power forward. He played mostly as a shooting guard in college.

Beech averaged 15.9 points and 6.5 rebounds over 32 minutes per game last season last season. He also shot 42.4% from 3-point range. Beech played on the Nets’ summer league team and impressed enough to earn the partially guaranteed deal.