Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Sign Boban Marjanovic

July 12th, 2016 at 11:08am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 12: The Pistons have officially signed Marjanovic, the team announced today in a press release. We heard on Sunday that San Antonio wouldn’t be matching Detroit’s offer sheet for the big center.

JULY 7: The Pistons are set to sign Spurs restricted free agent Boban Marjanovic to an offer sheet worth $21MM over three years, league sources tell ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter link). Once Marjanovic officially puts pen to paper and the Spurs receive the offer sheet, San Antonio will have three days to match it.

Marjanovic, who turns 28 in August, joined the Spurs a year ago, and saw a little action during his first year as an NBA player. Appearing in 54 game, the 7’3″ center averaged 9.4 minutes per contest, making the most of that playing time by averaging 5.5 PPG and 3.6 RPG to go along with a .603 FG%. The sample size was small, but Marjanovic’s production worked out to 21.0 PPG and 13.7 RPG per 36 minutes.

The Pistons’ reported contract agreements will use up all their salary cap space, but because the team’s deal with Andre Drummond is not yet official, the team still has some room to fit in Marjanovic’s offer sheet. Drummond will earn a maximum salary of $22MM+ in 2016/17, but for now, he’s still on Detroit’s books for cap hold worth just over $8MM.

As for the Spurs, they had to move Boris Diaw just to clear cap room for Pau Gasol‘s new contract, so it seems unlikely that they’ll match the Pistons’ offer sheet for Marjanovic. ESPN’s Marc Stein tweets that San Antonio is resigned to losing the Serbian center. The Spurs appear to have found a replacement already, reportedly agreeing to terms with free agent center Dewayne Dedmon.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nets, Justin Hamilton Agree To Deal

July 11th, 2016 at 7:36pm CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 10, 7:36pm: The signing is official, the team announced on its website.

JULY 1, 7:44pm: The Nets and Justin Hamilton have agreed to a two-year deal worth $6MM, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports on Twitter. The contract is fully guaranteed as Hamilton’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, tells Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link).

Hamilton is a 7’0″ center who last played in the NBA for the Wolves during the 2014/15 campaign. He spent last season playing for Valencia Basket of the Liga ACB in Europe.

Before signing the big man, Brooklyn only had nine players under contract, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates. Hamilton is the second player whom the team has agreed to a deal with since free agency began. The team agreed to terms with Jeremy Lin early today.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacers Sign Second-Rounder Georges Niang

July 11th, 2016 at 4:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have formally added another player to their roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed second-round pick Georges Niang to his first NBA contract. Although the club didn’t disclose terms of the deal, Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com writes that it’s a three-year pact, with a full guarantee in year one and a partial guarantee in year two.

[RELATED: 2016 Draft Pick Signings]

Niang, the 50th overall pick in last month’s draft, averaged 20.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game during his final year at Iowa State. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com described Niang, his 69th-ranked prospect overall, as one of the more “polished’ players in this year’s draft class, and Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard suggested on draft night that the former Cyclone could earn a spot in Indiana’s rotation this season.

Because the Pacers traded their first-round pick to the Nets for Thaddeus Young, Niang was the only player drafted by the team this year. As the Pacers’ roster breakdown at RosterResource.com shows, Young will also be one of the players who figures to start the year ahead of Niang on the depth chart.

Indiana has plenty of forward depth, so it will be interesting to see how the team’s rotation shakes out in the regular season. Niang, 23, is probably capable of playing both forward spots, depending on the lineup, but he’ll have to battle a handful of frontcourt players for minutes.

In addition to big men Myles Turner and Al Jefferson, the Pacers also currently employ forwards like C.J. Miles, Lavoy Allen, Jeremy Evans, Glenn Robinson III, Shayne Whittington, and – of course – Paul George.

Pacers May Sign Aaron Brooks

July 10th, 2016 at 8:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

Aaron Brooks is in “advanced discussions” on a one-year contract with the Pacers, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. Brooks, 31, has spent the last two seasons with the Bulls.

Brooks appeared in 69 games this season, all as a reserve. He averaged 7.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per night while shooting 36% from 3-point range.

If the Pacers sign Brooks, he will likely be used as a backup to Jeff Teague, who was acquired from the Hawks in a three-team trade last month.

Heat Match Tyler Johnson Offer

July 10th, 2016 at 7:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:22pm: The move is official, the team announced.

JULY 10th, 6:02pm: The Heat have matched Brooklyn’s $50MM offer sheet for Tyler Johnson, tweets The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Johnson signed the offer on Thursday, so tonight was the deadline for Miami to make a decision.

The Nets’ offer contained a significant jump in salary for the third and fourth season to make it difficult for the Heat to match. Johnson will receive $5.628MM in the first year and $5,881,260 in the second, followed by $18,858,765 in season three and $19,631,975 in season four.

This is the second disappointment of the day for Brooklyn, which earlier learned that Portland has matched a four-year, $75MM offer sheet to Allen Crabbe. The Nets still have more than $30MM in cap space available and are expected to move on to other free agents.

Spurs Won’t Match Offer For Boban Marjanovic

July 10th, 2016 at 6:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs have decided not to match the three-year, $21MM offer sheet the Pistons gave to center Boban Marjanovic, tweets David Mayo of MLive. Marjanovic should serve as a backup to Andre Drummond, whom Detroit expects to sign later this summer.

The 7’3″ Serbian native played sparingly during his first NBA season after signing with the Spurs last summer. He averaged 9.4 minutes over 54 games, but made an impact with 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting better than 60%.

Marjonic became expendable in San Antonio with the additions of Pau Gasol and Dewayne Dedmon.

Heat Trade For Luke Babbitt

July 10th, 2016 at 5:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

5:32pm: The trade is official, the Heat have announced.

JULY 10th, 5:16pm: The Heat are in “advanced trade discussions” with the Pelicans for combo forward Luke Babbitt, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. New Orleans will receive draft considerations and cash in return.

The draft considerations involve the heavily protected 2018 pick the Pelicans sent to Miami in a February deal for Jarnell Stokes, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The draft choice was protected unless it fell out of the top 55 (Twitter link). Miami is also sending the first of its allowable cash outlays for next season to New Orleans (Twitter link).

The 6’9″ Babbitt has six years of NBA experience with the Pelicans and Trail Blazers. He played in 47 games last season, averaging 7.0 points and 3.1 rebounds.

Heat Re-Sign Udonis Haslem

July 10th, 2016 at 3:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

3:37pm: The two sides have agreed on a one-year deal worth $4MM, Ethan J. Skolnick of the Miami Herald tweets.

8:39am: Udonis Haslem is finalizing a deal to stay in Miami for his 14th season, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. The veteran power forward has been in negotiations with the Heat this week and is hoping to receive a contract for something more than the veteran’s minimum.

Haslem, 36, has been with the franchise since 2003, but has seen his playing time drop steadily in recent years. He appeared in 37 games with Miami this season, averaging 1.6 points and 1.8 rebounds in 7.0 minutes of action. Team president Pat Riley recently singled out Haslem for becoming a mentor with younger players and said he would like to keep him for another season.

The Heat may need Haslem on the court more often next season if Chris Bosh‘s availability remains limited by health issues. Another veteran big man, Amar’e Stoudemire, is also a free agent and may not return to Miami.

Blazers, Meyers Leonard Agree To Deal

July 10th, 2016 at 2:11pm CST by Will Joseph

The Blazers and Meyers Leonard have agreed on a four-year deal worth $41MM, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (on Twitter). Portland had extended Leonard a qualifying offer on June 29th.

Leonard is a solid rotation piece for the Blazers because of his ability to rebound and hit outside shots consistently. Leonard, who is recovering from an injured shoulder, declined an extension from the Blazers in October, but the backup big man had said he was interested in staying in Portland. Meyers’ season was cut short in March when he dislocated his shoulder and he may not be ready at the start of the season.

Leonard appeared in 61 games last season, including 10 as a starter. He averaged 8.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 21.9 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .448/.377/.761.

Heat To Sign James Johnson

July 10th, 2016 at 11:56am CST by Arthur Hill

NBA: Toronto Raptors at Sacramento Kings

Kelley L Cox / USA TODAY Sports Images

Free agent combo forward James Johnson has agreed to a one-year deal with Miami, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The 29-year-old combo forward will receive $4MM.

Johnson spent the past two seasons with the Raptors, where he built a reputation as a defensive specialist. He played in 57 games and started 32, averaging 5.0 points and 2.2 rebounds in 16.2 minutes.

Jackson has also played for the Bulls, Kings and Grizzlies in his eight-year NBA career. He made $2.5MM this season with Toronto.