Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Magic, Clippers Swap Marble, Wilcox

July 15th, 2016 at 11:14am CST by Eddie Scarito

JULY 15th, 11:14pm: The trade is official, the Magic announced.

JULY 14th, 7:44pm: The Magic and the Clippers are finalizing a trade that would send Devyn Marble and a 2020 second round pick to the Clippers for C.J. Wilcox and cash considerations, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel reports (via Twitter). It’s unclear if any protections will be attached to the second-rounder.

Orlando was reportedly set to waive Marble today, but the opportunity to work out a swap with Los Angeles popped up, and the Magic will be able to extract some value for the player. Marble appeared in 28 games for the Magic this past season and averaged 2.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 8.9 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .296/.250/.417. He will earn $980,431 if he remains on the Clippers roster past Friday.

Wilcox, 25, recently underwent surgery to repair a broken right hand and he is expected to be out of action for four-to-six weeks. He is set to earn $1,209,600 next season and has a team option worth $2,183,328 for 2017/18. The guard appeared in 23 games for the Clippers this past season, averaging 3.0 points in 7.3 minutes of action per outing, while shooting .394/.391/.750 from the field.

Spurs Re-Sign Manu Ginobili

July 14th, 2016 at 5:41pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 14, 5:41pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.

4:50pm: The Spurs and Ginobili have agreed to a one-year, $14MM deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets.

1:07pm: The Spurs and Ginobili are discussing a one-year deal in the $10MM range, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter). Ginobili figures to be one of the last deals the Spurs make official, since they’ll have to use up their cap room, then go over the cap (using his Bird rights) to re-sign him.

JULY 7: Early in the free agency period, Manu Ginobili announced his intention to play at least one more NBA season. And despite the fact that we’ve seen multiple star players leave their longtime franchises within the past few days, Ginobili won’t follow in their footsteps. The veteran guard tweeted this morning that he’ll be “coming back to the Spurs for another season.”

While no formal contract agreement is in place yet, agent Herb Rudoy expects to finalize one soon, telling Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News that a one-year deal could be completed by Friday or Saturday. “We are very close on terms and conditions,” Rudoy said. “It just needs some tweaks.”

While a return to San Antonio is imminent for Ginobili, Rudoy tells Orsborn that he turned down a “very serious, big offer” from another club on behalf of his client. “He was committed to coming back (to the Spurs),” Rudoy said. “Those were my marching orders.”

The Spurs hold Ginobili’s Bird rights, so the team can go over the cap to give him a raise, as long as his current cap hold doesn’t need to be renounced to create additional room.

Warriors, Anderson Varejao Nearing Agreement

July 14th, 2016 at 5:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Warriors and unrestricted free agent Anderson Varejao are closing in an agreement that will keep the big man in Golden State, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). It will be a one-year deal for Varejao, Stein adds, though no mention was made regarding the amount of the proposed contract.

Varejao was signed by the Warriors last season after Portland waived him, which was shortly after Cleveland, trying to lower its luxury tax hit, dealt him to the Blazers. He didn’t see much action for Golden State after the trade, appearing in 22 games and averaging 2.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 8.5 minutes per outing.

The 33-year-old has struggled with injuries the past few seasons, but does provide the team with a veteran presence off the bench. Coach Steve Kerr told reporters after Varejao was first acquired, “He’s a great insurance policy for us. It’s been good to get him minutes and get him some rhythm. He’s exactly who we were hoping for — a big who is smart, knows how to play and can fill in if we need him. We’ll see what happens in the playoffs with the rotation. But he’s got a lot of experience; we know he can play.”

Grizzlies Sign Mike Conley To Five-Year Deal

July 14th, 2016 at 3:13pm CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 14th, 3:13pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

JULY 1st, 6:00pm: The Grizzlies and Mike Conley have agreed to a max contract that will pay the point guard $153MM over the next five seasons, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The deal will be the largest in league history.

Stein previously reported that Conley and the Grizzlies would have an agreement in place by Saturday morning. Memphis was Conley’s likely landing spot all along, but the point guard had concerns about the team’s roster and wanted to see the front office be aggressive in its attempts to upgrade it. The team’s chances of re-signing the 28-year-old likely increased as a result of signing Chandler Parsons, as the duo reportedly spoken to one another about teaming up in Memphis.

The Mavericks appeared to be Memphis’ biggest threat in the Conley sweepstakes, but after Hassan Whiteside re-signed with Miami, it seemed unlikely that the Ohio State product would wind up in Dallas. The Rockets, Pelicans, Nets and Lakers were also identified as challengers to steal Conley away from the Grizzlies. All five teams will have to look elsewhere for a point guard in free agency.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Spurs Sign Ryan Arcidiacono

July 14th, 2016 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 14th, 3:10pm: The signing is official, the Spurs announced via press release.

JUNE 24th, 1:47pm: The Spurs have reached an agreement to sign Ryan Arcidiacono, a member of the NCAA-champion Villanova Wildcats, reports Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (via Twitter). It’s a partially-guaranteed deal, according to Wolfson. Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News tweets that it’s for two years.

Arcidiacono, 22, averaged 32.1 minutes in 40 contests during his senior year at Villanova, contributing 12.5 points, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He also shot nearly 40% on three-point attempts. Arcidiacono didn’t earn a spot among the top 100 prospects on DraftExpress.com’s big board, but placed 79th on Chad Ford’s top 100 at ESPN.com.

The Spurs only had one pick on Thursday night, but they used it to make one of the most widely-praised selections of the night, nabbing Dejounte Murray at No. 29. The pick earned San Antonio the only A-plus grade of the draft from Ford at ESPN.com.

With Murray on board, and Arcidiacono joining him, the Spurs are also expected to add a former first-round pick to their rookie class for 2016/17. According to a report from L’Equipe (via Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops.net), San Antonio is poised to sign Livio Jean-Charles, the French forward selected by the team in the first round of the 2013 draft. The 22-year-old is reportedly set to leave ASVEL Basket, the French team owned by Tony Parker, in order to join Parker on the Spurs’ roster.

There have been no indications yet what sort of deal Jean-Charles will sign if he joins the Spurs this season. He could ink a rookie-scale contract, but because it has been three years since he was drafted, he’s not limited to that rookie scale — the club could also use cap space or an exception to sign him.

Spurs Sign Davis Bertans, Bryn Forbes

July 14th, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kawhi Leonard trade continues to pay dividends for the Spurs, as the team announced today in a press release that it has signed Latvian forward Davis Bertans, who was also a part of the deal that saw Leonard land in San Antonio.

Back in 2011, the Spurs sent George Hill to the Pacers on draft night for the rights to Leonard, the No. 15 overall pick. As part of that deal, Indiana also dealt the draft rights for Erazem Lorbek and Bertans – 2011’s No. 42 overall pick – to San Antonio. Five years later, Bertans is heading stateside at age 23 to join the Spurs.

We learned earlier this month that Bertans was negotiating a deal with the Spurs, with international journalist David Pick pegging the value in the $1.3MM-$2MM range. The exact terms of Bertans’ new deal aren’t yet known, but the Spurs were able to clear a little extra cap room this week by waiving Tim Duncan and stretching his remaining salary, following Duncan’s retirement announcement.

Bertans has spent the last few seasons with Laboral Kutxa Vitoria in Spain, averaging just over 20 minutes per contest in 15 games for the team in Euroleague action last season. In those 15 games, he averaged 7.9 PPG and shot a blistering 47.4% on three-point attempts.

In addition to locking up Bertans, the Spurs also officially added a rookie free agent to their roster, announcing in a separate press release that they’ve signed Bryn Forbes. A shooting guard out of Michigan State, Forbes went undrafted after working out for about a dozen NBA teams this spring. Terms of Forbes’ new contract aren’t known, but it figures to be a minimum-salary pact.

Nets Sign First-Round Pick Caris LeVert

July 14th, 2016 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have signed first-round pick Caris LeVert to his four-year, rookie-scale contract, the team announced today in a press release. LeVert was formally selected by the Pacers in last month’s draft, but Indiana was making the pick on behalf of the Nets, who had agreed to send Thaddeus Young to the Pacers in exchange for the No. 20 overall selection.

LeVert, 21, was something of a surprise pick at No. 20 for the Nets, given his health issues in recent years. In his junior and senior seasons at Michigan, LeVert appeared in only 31 total games, playing just over 15 minutes per contest. The young guard flashed plenty of potential, averaging 16.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 4.9 APG in his senior year, but he’ll have to shake the injury-prone label in the NBA.

As our breakdown of salaries for 2016’s first-round picks shows, LeVert will be in line for a first-year salary of about $1.562MM, with an overall value of about $7.523MM on his four-year rookie contract.

The Nets previously signed second-round pick Isaiah Whitehead.

Hornets Sign Christian Wood

July 14th, 2016 at 2:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

JULY 14, 2:27pm: The Hornets have officially signed Wood, the team confirmed today in a press release.

JULY 13, 9:15pm: The Hornets have agreed to a multiyear deal with forward Christian Wood, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (Twitter links). It will be a two-year pact, with the second year a team option, Charania adds. The dollar amount of the arrangement was not relayed.

Wood previously spent regular season time in the NBA with the Sixers, having inked four deals over the past 10 months with the franchise. The Sixers initially signed him last September to a four-year deal with a $50K partial guarantee, but despite winning a spot on the opening night roster, Philly waived him in January to make way for Elton Brand as team executive Jerry Colangelo brought with him an emphasis on veterans. Wood rejoined the team on a 10-day deal after the Sixers opened a roster spot through the JaKarr Sampson snafu, but the Sixers terminated that 10-day contract early so they could claim Sonny Weems off waivers. Philly later backtracked on that decision, releasing Weems and signing Wood to another 10-day pact which led to him remaining with the team the remainder of the season.

The 20-year-old has 17 NBA regular season appearances under his belt, notching averages of 3.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.4 blocks in 8.5 minutes per outing. His shooting numbers are .415/.364/.619.

Clippers, Diamond Stone Finalize Deal

July 14th, 2016 at 2:18pm CST by Luke Adams

2:18pm: The Clippers have officially confirmed Stone’s signing.

2:16pm: The Clippers are set to sign second-round pick Diamond Stone to his first NBA contract today, reports Dan Woike of The Orange County Register (via Twitter). Lucas Hann of ClipsNation.com tweets that it will be a two-year, minimum-salary deal, while Woike hears that both years will be guaranteed (Twitter link).

Stone, 19, spent a year at Maryland before making the leap to the NBA. In his lone season with the Terrapins, the young center averaged 12.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 34 appearances (22.8 MPG). Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com ranked Stone as the 31st-best prospect in 2016’s draft class.

The Clippers landed Stone with the 40th overall pick last month after sending the No. 33 pick (Cheick Diallo) to the Pelicans. In exchange for that 33rd overall pick, Los Angeles received two second-round selections. The team used the other pick (No. 39) to nab French point guard David Michineau, but unlike Stone, he isn’t on the verge of signing with L.A.

According to Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (via Twitter), the Clippers are still considering what to do with Michineau. A source tells Turner that the club may end up stashing him in Europe, or having him play in the D-League.

Pistons Sign Second-Rounder Michael Gbinije

July 14th, 2016 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

1:41pm: The Pistons have officially signed Gbinije, the team announced in a press release.

1:29pm: The Pistons have agreed to terms on a deal with Michael Gbinije, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). Gbinije, who was the 49th overall pick in this year’s draft, will sign a three-year contract with Detroit, per Charania.

While the terms of Gbinije’s first NBA contract aren’t yet known, the Pistons have the flexibility to offer him three years because the team has yet to use all of its cap room. Andre Drummond‘s new maximum-salary deal will eventually eat up Detroit’s remaining cap room when it’s made official, but for now, Drummond’s cap hold only counts for about $8MM, giving the team some flexibility.

Gbinije, who turned 24 this year, averaged 17.5 PPG, 4.3 APG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.9 SPG during his senior year at Syracuse, making 39.1% of his three-point attempts. Given his extensive college experience, the rookie wing could be ready to contribute to the Pistons immediately as a part of the team’s regular-season rotation.

For the full breakdown of which of this year’s 60 draftees have agreed to NBA deals and which ones are set to play overseas, be sure to check out our list of 2016 draft pick signings.