Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kings To Sign Arron Afflalo

July 2nd, 2016 at 5:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

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5:12pm: The second year is only partially guaranteed for $1.5MM, Sam Amick of USA Today reports (Twitter link).

2:02pm: The Kings and unrestricted free agent shooting guard Arron Afflalo have agreed to a deal that will land him in Sacramento, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (Twitter link). It’s going to be a two-year, $25MM pact for Afflalo, Wojnarowski adds.

There wasn’t much chatter attached to Afflalo prior to this deal coming together. The veteran opted out of his contract with the Knicks and the $8MM he was slated to earn in 2016/17, and the move has paid off with Afflalo increasing his annual salary to $12.5MM courtesy of Sacramento. One would assume he is joining the Kings as a starter, given his reported disdain for the reserve role the Knicks placed him in last season. Though, a $4.5MM per season raise may make coming off the bench more palatable, if that is to be his role.

Afflalo appeared in 71 games for the Knicks in 2015/16 and averaged 12.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 33.4 minutes per outing. He shot .443/.382/.840 from the field on the campaign.

Kings To Sign Anthony Tolliver

July 2nd, 2016 at 5:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Kings and unrestricted free agent Anthony Tolliver have agreed to a deal, Sam Amick of USA Today reports (Twitter link). It’s a two-year, $16MM pact that is partially guaranteed for $2MM in 2017/18, the scribe adds.

Tolliver made 72 appearances for the Pistons this past season, averaging 5.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 18.6 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .386/.360/.617.

The 31-year-old’s deal is the one of the few handed out since free agency commenced that includes a partial guarantee. But even if by some chance he is released prior to next season as a result of not having a full guarantee, Tolliver will be have pocketed at least $10MM for his efforts, as well as be in line to hit the open market next summer when the cap is expected to increase once again. Not a bad deal for the journeyman, all things considered.

Rockets To Sign Ryan Anderson

July 2nd, 2016 at 3:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Ed Szczepanski/USA TODAY Sports Images

The Rockets and Ryan Anderson have agreed to terms on a deal that will bring the forward to Houston, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). Anderson’s pact is for four years and $80MM, the scribe adds.

Houston beat out a number of other suitors for the services of the sweet-shooting stretch four. The Kings and Wizards were among the teams vying to ink the 28-year-old, but the opportunity to play alongside James Harden in Houston, and of course, $80MM, snagged Anderson.

Anderson, a former 21st overall pick, has only played more than 66 games once in a season, but is coming off a solid year for the Pelicans. He averaged 17.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, to go along with a shooting line of .427/.366/.873. Anderson’s career numbers through eight NBA seasons are 13.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 0.9 APG.

Magic Sign Bismack Biyombo

July 2nd, 2016 at 2:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Nick TurchiaroUSA TODAY Sports Images

JULY 7, 10:18am: The Magic have formally announced Biyombo’s signing (via Twitter).

JULY 2, 2:45pm: Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical tweets that the pact will be worth $72MM over four years.

2:27pm: The contract is estimated at four-years and approximately $70MM, per Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

2:15pm: The Magic and unrestricted free agent Bismack Biyombo have come to terms on a deal, Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press reports (on Twitter). The agreement is for four years, but the amount of the pact has yet to been reported.

Biyombo’s stock rose dramatically during the Eastern Conference playoffs, when his playing time spiked after Jonas Valanciunas was injured. He averaged 5.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while appearing in every regular-season game, then bumped those averages to 6.2/9.4/1.4 in 20 playoff games. He opted out of his deal and the $2.9MM he was set to earn next season and all but assuredly secured himself a hefty raise as a result.

Toronto reportedly wanted to retain Biyombo, but only held his Non-Bird rights, which meant it would have to use cap room to re-sign him. A number of roster moves designed to free cap space would have been needed to make that a possibility. Moves that the team was either unwilling or unable to make.

The addition of Biyombo, coupled with the trade acquisition of former Thunder forward Serge Ibaka certainly gives Orlando and imposing frontcourt defensively. It remains to be seen if these additions will prompt the team to shop center Nikola Vucevic, whose salary of $12,250,000 is looking more and more like a bargain every day.

Pistons Sign Jon Leuer

July 2nd, 2016 at 12:59pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jennifer Stewart/USA TODAY Sports Images

JULY 8: The Pistons have officially signed Leuer, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 2: The Pistons and unrestricted free agent Jon Leuer have reached an agreement on a contract that will land the forward in Detroit, his agents at Priority Sports tweeted. It will be a four-year deal worth $42MM, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link). The contract is fully guaranteed, adds Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (on Twitter).

Detroit has been on the market for a stretch-four and Leuer, who has shot 37.5% from beyond the arc over the course of his five-year career, can certainly help to that end. He may not be as newsworthy an addition as Al Horford, whom the team was reportedly courting, but landing Leuer on a deal with an average annual salary of $10.5MM in the current free agent market is a nice fallback for the boys from Motown.

Leuer made 67 appearances for the Suns this past season, averaging 8.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 18.1 minutes per outing. He shot .481/.382/.762 on the season.

Jazz Sign Joe Johnson To Two-Year Deal

July 2nd, 2016 at 12:01am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 8: The Jazz have issued a press release officially confirming their deal with Johnson.

JULY 2: The Jazz and Joe Johnson have reached a contract agreement, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides struck a two-year deal worth $22MM.

After addressing their point guard spot by agreeing to acquire George Hill in a pre-draft trade, the Jazz have been focused on wing players in free agency. Jared Dudley, Solomon Hill, Maurice Harkless, and Luol Deng had been mentioned as potential targets for Utah, but it’s Johnson who will be joining the Jazz when the July moratorium ends next week.

A 15-year NBA veteran, Johnson has spent time with the Celtics, Suns, Hawks, Nets, and Heat since entering the league back in 2001, earning seven All-Star nods along the way. Although Johnson is no longer the prolific scorer he once was, he continues to be a solid contributor, and saw an uptick in his production after he landed in Miami earlier this year. In 24 regular-season games with the Heat down the stretch, Johnson shot .518/.417/.765 and averaged 13.4 points per contest.

Even after signing Johnson, the Jazz should have a decent chunk of cap space left over to sign another free agent or two. The club could also attempt to land another piece by moving former top-10 pick Trey Burke, who is said to be on the trade block.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Magic Sign Jeff Green

July 1st, 2016 at 5:38pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7: The Magic have officially signed Green, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 1: After acquiring one former Thunder forward in a trade last month, Orlando general manager Rob Hennigan has now agreed to sign another former Oklahoma City frontcourt player. According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link), the Magic have reached an agreement on a one-year, $15MM deal with Jeff Green.

[RELATED: Magic to re-sign Evan Fournier]

Green, who will turn 30 in August, appeared in a total of 80 games this past season for the Grizzlies and Clippers, averaging 11.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 1.7 APG. The veteran forward, who started his career with the SuperSonics a year before they became the Thunder, heard from the Clippers last night, but their interest in re-signing him didn’t materialize into a deal.

Signing a one-year contract this summer will allow Green to reach the open market again in a year, when the salary cap will easily exceed $100MM. If he has a strong season in Orlando, Green could parlay his performance into a more lucrative multiyear deal next time around.

The Magic have been very active so far this offseason, sending Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, and the rights to Domantas Sabonis to Oklahoma City for Serge Ibaka. Orlando followed up that move by acquiring Jodie Meeks in a deal with the Pistons, then reaching long-term agreements with D.J. Augustin and Evan Fournier in free agency.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blazers Sign Evan Turner To Four-Year Deal

July 1st, 2016 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7th, 12:22am: The deal is official, the team announced.

JULY 1st, 2:30pm: With Chandler Parsons no longer in play, the Trail Blazers have landed another one of their top perimeter free agents, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who reports that Portland has reached an agreement with Evan Turner on a four-year deal worth about $70MM. As ESPN’s Kevin Pelton tweets, that’s about the most the Blazers could have offered a player without renouncing any of their own key free agents.

A former second overall pick, Turner has never developed into a star player, but the 27-year-old has been a solid role player for the Celtics over the last couple years. In 2015/16, he averaged 10.5 points per game to go along with 4.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and a .456 field-goal percentage.

The Knicks, Bulls, Pelicans, Mavericks, Lakers, Grizzlies, and Celtics had been mentioned as potential suitors for Turner, with Portland’s interest having been kept relatively under wraps. As noted above, Turner appeared to be a fallback option for the Blazers after Parsons turned down a max offer from the team.

Even after reaching a big-money agreement with Turner, the Blazers aren’t done free agent shopping. According to Wojnarowski, Portland has also made an “aggressive” offer to big man Pau Gasol. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com first reported that the Blazers had interest in Gasol.

If Portland lands Gasol, it seems likely that at least a couple of the club’s restricted free agents will end up elsewhere. The Blazers currently have qualifying offers out to Allen Crabbe, Meyers Leonard, and Maurice Harkless.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bucks Sign Mirza Teletovic

July 1st, 2016 at 2:11pm CST by Eddie Scarito

JULY 8: The Bucks have formally announced their deal with Teletovic, via a team release.

JULY 1: The Bucks and unrestricted free agent Mirza Teletovic have reached an agreement on a multiyear contract, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). The proposed deal is for three years and $30MM, Stein adds. Michael Scotto of The Associated Press tweets that the contract won’t contain any player or team options.

In Teletovic, Milwaukee adds a badly needed stretch-four to its rotation, an area the team was reportedly determined to address this offseason. It’s doubtful Teletovic will be a starter, but he should be a valuable piece off the bench while allowing 2016 first-rounder Thon Maker more time to develop.

The 30-year-old appeared in 79 games for the Suns this past season and averaged a career-high 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 21.3 minutes per contest. Teletovic connected on 42.7% of his field goal attempts overall, while knocking down 39.3% of his three-pointers, which was a career-best.

Magic Sign D.J. Augustin

July 1st, 2016 at 10:30am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7, 12:27pm: The Magic continue to finalize their agreements from the moratorium, announcing today (via Twitter) that Augustin has officially signed his new contract.

JULY 1, 10:30am: Augustin’s pact will be for four years and worth $29MM, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

3:45am: The Magic have reached an agreement on contract terms with point guard D.J. Augustin, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Financial terms of the deal aren’t yet known.

Augustin, 28, split his time between Oklahoma City and Denver last season, after a deadline deal sent him from the Thunder to the Nuggets. In total, he appeared in 62 games, averaging 7.5 points and 3.2 assists in a part-time role. He was also his usual dependable self from three-point range, shooting 40.5% from downtown.

C.J. Watson was Orlando’s veteran backup at the point guard spot down the stretch last season, but with Brandon Jennings expected to depart in free agency, it makes sense for the Magic to add some more depth at the position to help complement Elfrid Payton.