Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Darrell Arthur Won’t Exercise Player Option

June 24th, 2016 at 9:01pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Darrell Arthur has declined to pick up his player option, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays via Twitter. Arthur was set to make slightly over $2.94MM during the 2016/17 season, but he will hit free agency instead.

The power forward previously indicated that he would like to remain with the Nuggets regardless of whether or not he opted to turn down his option. Arthur should have a few suitors looking to bring him aboard, as he received strong interest from other teams at this past season’s trade deadline.

Arthur appeared in 70 games for Denver during the 2015/16 campaign, accumulating 7.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 45.2% from the field. The 28-year-old ranked 26th in the league among power forwards in ESPN’s Real Plus/Minus.

Sixers, Shawn Long Agree To Deal

June 24th, 2016 at 6:23pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Sixers have come to an agreement with Shawn Long, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The deal is partially guaranteed and will cover two seasons, Pompey adds.

Long impressed the team during a workout last month. “I call him a stretch five, stretch four,” said VP of player personnel Marc Eversley after the May 16th workout. “He has the ability to go out make a shot.The other thing that he does well is that he can take you off the dribble. He utilizes a pump fake well.”

Long is an athletic center, who spent four seasons at Louisiana Lafayette. The big man tested out his jumpshot while in college, taking 2.4 shots from behind the arc per game and making 34.1% of them. He averaged 18.8 points and 12.2 rebounds last season and Jonathan Givony of Draft Express ranked him as the 29th best senior in his class.

Philadelphia was shopping both Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor leading up to Thursday’s draft, but didn’t come away with a deal for either of them. Long will have a better chance at making the regular season roster should the Sixers ship out one of their centers.

Wizards To Sign Sheldon McClellan

June 24th, 2016 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after the completion of Thursday night’s draft, the Wizards struck a deal to sign former University of Miami shooting guard Sheldon McClellan, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com (via Twitter). Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com reports (via Twitter) that McClellan’s deal with the Wizards will be partially guaranteed, adding that the 23-year-old turned down teams that wanted to draft-and-stash him with a second-round pick.

McClellan wasn’t the only undrafted prospect to reach a deal with the Wizards. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (via Twitter) that Texas A&M’s Danuel House agreed to a deal with Washington, while Aldridge tweets that the team will sign former Arizona center Kaleb Tarczewski. Finally, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post says (via Twitter) that Villanova’s Daniel Ochefu will sign with the Wizards.

While McClellan has some guaranteed money in his contract, the terms of the other deals aren’t known, so it’s not entirely clear whether Washington will bring all those players to camp in the fall, or if they’ll just play for the Wizards in Summer League games next month.

As for McClellan, he ranked 60th on Jonathan Givony’s big board at DraftExpress.com. He’s coming off a senior season in which he averaged 16.3 points per game and made 40.6% of his three-pointers for the Hurricanes.

Sixers, James Webb III Agree To Two-Year Deal

June 24th, 2016 at 11:49am CST by Luke Adams

The 76ers have agreed to terms on a two-year contract for undrafted free agent James Webb III, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). According to Charania, the former Boise State forward will get a partial guarantee on his new deal with Philadelphia and will have a chance to compete for a roster spot.

Webb, who left Boise State after his junior year, ranked 72nd among the top 100 prospects at DraftExpress.com. ESPN’s Chad Ford was even more bullish on Webb, placing him 60th on his big board prior to the draft. Last season, the 6’9″ forward appeared in 29 games for the Broncos, averaging 16.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest.

Philadelphia will have plenty of cap room at its disposal once the new league year begins in July, but given his status as an undrafted free agent, Webb seems unlikely to sign for more than the minimum. If it is indeed a minimum-salary contract, he’d be in line for $1,448,720 over two years.

The Sixers brought Webb in as part of a group workout in late May.

Thunder Trade Serge Ibaka To Magic

June 24th, 2016 at 12:48am CST by Arthur Hill

Oklahoma City has traded power forward Serge Ibaka to Orlando, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The Thunder received Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the rights to Domantas Sabonis, the 11th overall pick, in return (Twitter link). Both teams have formally confirmed the deal.

Ibaka had spent his entire seven-year career with OKC after being drafted 24th in 2008. The 26-year-old has one season left on his contract at $12.25MM. He appeared in 78 games for Oklahoma City this season, averaging 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. The Thunder reportedly have been gauging the trade market for Ibaka in advance of the draft.

Oladipo, 24, will be eligible for a contract extension next month for the first time in his NBA career. He is scheduled to make about $6.55MM next season in the final year of his rookie deal. The combo guard averaged 16.0 points and 4.8 rebounds for the Magic in 2015/16 while shooting .438 from the field.

Ilyasova, 29, has an $8.4MM contract for next season, but only $400K of that is guaranteed. He split this season between the Pistons and Magic, averaging 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 74 games.

Earlier in the evening, the Raptors offered their No. 9 pick to the Thunder for Ibaka, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com, but Oklahoma City turned down the deal. Toronto is searching for a replacement for 35-year-old Luis Scola, who started 76 games this season. Scola will be a free agent after earning $3MM during 2015/16. Toronto wound up keeping the ninth pick and taking center Jakob Poetl out of Utah.

Thunder Deal For 56th Pick, Draft Daniel Hamilton

June 23rd, 2016 at 11:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets sent pick No. 56 to Oklahoma City, which selected Daniel Hamilton, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. Denver received cash in return, adds The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The 56th pick originally belonged to the Thunder before they traded it to the Nuggets.

The 6’8″ sophomore out of Connecticut projects as a shooting guard in the NBA. He averaged 12.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists this season with the Huskies. He is a productive scorer and playmaker, but tends to be a streaky shooter and struggles on defense.

Hamilton was considered questionable to be drafted, with ESPN’s Chad Ford ranking him 72nd overall and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress listing him 79th.

Cavs Acquire No. 54 From Hawks, Draft Kay Felder

June 23rd, 2016 at 11:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers, who entered the night without a draft pick, have moved into the second round, buying the No. 54 overall selection from the Hawks, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link), who reports that Cleveland is using the pick to draft Oakland point guard Kay Felder.

According to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net (via Twitter), the Cavaliers made an effort to buy the Pistons’ pick at No. 49 in an effort to land Felder there. Cleveland ultimately landed the No. 54 pick for $2.4MM, per Amico.

Charania adds (via Twitter) that LeBron James was a major proponent of the move to get into the draft to select Felder.

Blazers Acquire 47th Pick, Select Jake Layman

June 23rd, 2016 at 10:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Trail Blazers acquired pick No. 47 from the Magic and drafted Maryland’s Jake Layman, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. In return, Orlando will receive $1.2MM and a second-rounder in 2019 (Twitter link).

The 6’9 senior projects as an NBA small forward. He shot 60% from the field, 40% from 3-point range and 85% from the line this season while averaging 11.7 points per game.

Layman ranked 49th in the list of top 100 prospects compiled by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and was 48th on ESPN’s Chad Ford’s top 100.

Suns Acquire No. 8 Pick From Kings, Draft Chriss

June 23rd, 2016 at 10:40pm CST by Luke Adams

10:40pm: The Kings have officially announced the swap (via Twitter).

7:24pm: The Suns and Kings have agreed to a trade that will send the No. 8 pick to Phoenix, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). According to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the pick will be Washington power forward Marquese Chriss.

In return, Sacramento will receive Bogdan Bogdanovic and the Suns’ pick at No. 13, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Phoenix’s pick at No. 28 will also be included, along with a second-rounder in 2020, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7. That second-round pick originally belonged to the Pistons (Twitter link).

Earlier today, Bogdanovic decided to remain in Turkey for another season before joining the NBA. That decision gives him the freedom to negotiate a salary in 2017, rather than being bound by a rookie contract, which would have happened if he had signed during this offseason.

Nets Acquire 42nd Pick, Draft Isaiah Whitehead

June 23rd, 2016 at 10:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets have acquired another draft pick, as the Jazz agreed to trade the 42nd choice to Brooklyn in exchange for pick No. 55 and cash, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The Nets used that pick to take Seton Hall shooting guard Isaiah Whitehead.

The 6’5″ freshman turned into a dangerous 3-point weapon for the Pirates, connecting on 37% from long distance while averaging 18.2 points and 5.1 assists per game. He led Seton Hall to an upset of national champion Villanova in the Big East title game.

Whitehead was ranked as the 52nd best prospect in this year’s draft by ESPN’s Chad Ford and 57th by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.