Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies Sign Xavier Munford To 10-Day Pact

March 16th, 2016 at 10:38am CST by Eddie Scarito

WEDNESDAY, 10:38am: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.

TUESDAY, 6:18pm: The Grizzlies intend to sign point guard Xavier Munford to a 10-day deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter link). Memphis applied for an extra roster spot via the hardship provision, which will presumably be approved by the league, according to Charania. The Grizzlies currently have 17 players on their roster, which is already two over the regular season maximum.

Memphis currently has nine players who are dealing with some sort of ailment, according to CBSSports.com, ranging from minor issues that could allow four of them to play in the team’s next game Wednesday against the Timberwolves to Marc Gasol‘s season-ending broken foot. The Grizzlies have already used 25 players through a combination of trades, signings and attrition this season. That’s significantly more than any other team, including the banged-up Pelicans, whom the league has also allowed to exceed the 15-man roster ship via hardship, as Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron ran down earlier today.

Munford will join the team out of the D-League where he has appeared in 40 games for the Bakersfield Jam, the Suns’ affiliate. The 23-year-old is averaging 20.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists to accompany a shooting line of .490/.415/.817.

Nuggets Sign Axel Toupane To Second 10-Day

March 14th, 2016 at 10:17am CST by Arthur Hill

MONDAY, 10:17am: The signing is official, the Nuggets announced (Twitter link). It’ll cover six games, against the Heat, Magic, Hornets, Hawks, Cavs and Sixers.

SUNDAY, 10:37am: The Nuggets will sign Axel Toupane to a second 10-day contract, tweets Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post. The rookie swingman has impressed the Denver coaching staff since signing with the team on March 3rd, averaging 4.6 points in 13.4 minutes of action. He scored 10 points Thursday in a win over Phoenix.

“Axel has been terrific,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone told Dempsey. “I like guys — and it’s appropriate for guys on a 10-day contract — to fit in before you try to stand out. Axel comes in here — yeah, he knows Joffrey [Lauvergne] for a long time — but he doesn’t try to be anything he’s not. He knows his role, he works hard.”

Toupane, who collects $30,888 on each 10-day deal, was an affiliate player with the Raptors before joining the Nuggets. He had been with Toronto’s D-League team since being cut in the preseason. Denver picked him up after Danilo Gallinari tore two ligaments in his right ankle. This is Toupane’s first season in North America after several years with Strasbourg IG in his native France.

“Everybody did a great job to work with me on the team and make me feel part of the family,” Toupane said, according to Dempsey. “I had no expectation coming here. I just wanted to, every time the coach called my name, just go all out and give everything I had. I’m just happy to be here and just go hard and give everything I have.”

Wolves Ink Greg Smith To Second 10-Day Pact

March 13th, 2016 at 12:54pm CST by Eddie Scarito

SUNDAY, 12:54pm: The signing is official, the team announced. It’ll cover four games, against the Suns, Grizzlies, Rockets and Warriors.

SATURDAY, 10:35am: The Timberwolves intend to sign Greg Smith to a second 10-day contract, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (Twitter link). Teams can only sign players to two such deals per season and if Minnesota wishes to retain Smith when this second agreement ends, it will have to sign him for the remainder of the campaign. The power forward’s initial 10-day pact expired on Friday.

It’s not a surprise that the Wolves would elect to retain Smith for another 10 days, as the team is still thin in its frontcourt. Kevin Garnett is dealing with knee issues and Nikola Pekovic isn’t slated to return until at least April as he struggles to recover from his torn Achilles tendon. Minnesota still has an open roster spot after reaching buyout arrangements with Andre Miller and Kevin Martin, so the flexibility remains to add another player in addition to Smith.

Smith has seen appeared in six contests and averaged 2.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game during his time in Minnesota so far. The 25-year-old is shooting an outstanding 87.5% from the field, connecting on seven of the eight shots he has taken since joining the squad.

Grizzlies Sign Ray McCallum To 10-Day Deal

March 12th, 2016 at 2:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

2:29pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release. It will be a 10-day pact for McCallum, per the official announcement.

SATURDAY, 11:29am: The signing is expected to be announced today, Charania tweets. It’s unclear if it will be a 10-day arrangement or cover the remainder of the season.

THURSDAY, 9:09pm: Free agent point guard Ray McCallum is en route to Memphis to meet with the Grizzlies and the team is likely to sign him, Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports. The Grizzlies currently have 15 players on their roster, provided Briante Weber was indeed signed to a 10-day deal. Weber’s signing took place Wednesday, according to the RealGM transactions log, though Memphis has made no official announcement regarding the move.

It is unclear if Memphis has been granted a hardship exception by the league that would allow them to add a 16th player, which McCallum would be if the Weber signing is indeed official. The move to add McCallum is in response to Mario Chalmers being lost for the season due to a torn Achilles tendon. The team waived Chalmers earlier today in an effort to clear roster space. Marc Gasol is also done for the season, while Jordan Adams, Chris Andersen, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph and Brandan Wright are all out for indefinite periods with maladies of some kind.

McCallum has had contract discussions with the Knicks and the Rockets since the Spurs waived him last month, Charania notes. McCallum is eligible to appear in the playoffs for the Grizzlies since he was released on February 29th, one day before the cutoff for postseason eligibility, Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports tweets. The 24-year-old has appeared in 31 games this season and is averaging 2.2 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 8.3 minutes per outing.

Grizzlies Sign Alex Stepheson To 10-Day Deal

March 12th, 2016 at 2:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

2:28pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.

11:48am: The Grizzlies intend to sign power forward Alex Stepheson to a 10-Day contract today, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The team will add the big man via hardship exception, Charania notes. Memphis also plans on inking point guard Ray McCallum today, which would give the Grizzlies a roster count of 17 players. The plan to add the two likely means the NBA has granted, or will grant, two extra roster spots to the team.

There should be no issue with the Grizzlies securing the extra slots given the plague of maladies that has befallen the team’s roster. In addition to Mike Conley being lost for approximately a month due to Achilles woes, the team is already without Marc Gasol for the rest of the year, and backup center Brandan Wright is liable to miss another seven weeks, which would finish him for the season. Fellow big man Chris Andersen is dealing with a serious shoulder issue, Zach Randolph has missed the last three games with a knee injury, and Jordan Adams is out indefinitely with a knee injury of his own. Vince Carter left Friday’s win against the Pelicans with a left calf strain and is questionable for tonight’s game.

Stepheson, 28, just completed his second 10-day contract with the Clippers, who apparently declined to sign him for the remainder of the season. He made four appearances for Los Angeles and averaged 0.5 points and 0.5 rebounds in just 3.0 minutes per contest. He’ll almost assuredly see more burn for the Grizzlies given how thin they are in the frontcourt.

Grizzlies Sign Briante Weber To 10-Day Deal

March 11th, 2016 at 9:18am CST by Eddie Scarito

FRIDAY, 9:18am: The Grizzlies announced the signing this morning. Still, given the conflicting information about whether his signing took place Wednesday or today, it’s unclear whether it expires at the end of March 18th or March 20th. Thus, his status for the March 19th game against the Clippers is a mystery.

THURSDAY, 10:07am: The signing took place Wednesday, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the Grizzlies made no announcement of the move. His name didn’t appear in the NBA.com box score from Wednesday’s Memphis-Boston game. He’d be eligible for games against the Pelicans, Hawks, Rockets, Timberwolves and Bucks if the signing happened Wednesday, but not a game on March 19th against the Clippers, the team directly in front of the Grizzlies in the Western Conference standings.

WEDNESDAY, 10:05am: The league hasn’t granted the team a hardship exception, and it’s not a certainty that the Grizzlies will get it, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, who confirms the team plans to sign Weber if the league OKs the 16th roster spot. The exception, if granted, won’t come until at least another day or so, Tillery adds. Barnes and Randolph missed the team’s last game primarily because of rest, but the other injured players will be out for a while, Tillery writes. Just how long they’re likely to be out will probably determine whether the Grizzlies get the extra roster spot to sign Weber.

TUESDAY, 10:21pm: The Grizzlies intend to ink combo guard Briante Weber to a 10-day deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports (via Twitter). The signing is expected to take place on Friday, Charania notes. The Vertical scribe also relays that Memphis will utilize the hardship provision to add Weber, which ostensibly means that the league has granted, or will grant, the team the means to add a 16th player.

Memphis is without Marc Gasol for the rest of the year and backup center Brandan Wright is liable to miss another seven weeks, which would finish him for the season. Fellow big man Chris Andersen is dealing with a shoulder issue, Mike Conley has a bum foot, Zach Randolph and Matt Barnes are both day-to-day with assorted woes, while Jordan Adams is out indefinitely with a knee injury. The team has two days from the time the league formally grants the provision to use it. The roster spot lasts 10 days, though the team can apply to renew it.

Weber, who is an affiliate player of the Heat, joined the Sioux Falls Skyforce after the Heat cut him in the preseason. The 23-year-old has made 22 D-League appearances this season and is averaging 10.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 28.5 minutes per contest. His slash line on the campaign is .453/.444/.750.

Hornets Sign Jorge Gutierrez For Rest Of Season

March 11th, 2016 at 8:18am CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 8:18am: The signing is official, the team announced.

THURSDAY, 12:28pm: The Hornets will sign Jorge Gutierrez to a contract that covers the rest of the season, a source tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). The signing will take place Friday, according to Bonnell, after Gutierrez’s second 10-day contract expires tonight. Most signings that take place this time of the year are for the prorated minimum salary, which would give Gutierrez about $190K, though Charlotte still has its prorated mid-level exception worth about $3.5MM.

Regardless of the terms, the 27-year-old point guard is apparently set to become the 15th Hornets player signed through at least the end of the season, closing off the team’s roster flexibility. That’s even though he’s totaled only 14 minutes across three games so far and hasn’t appeared in Charlotte’s last three contests. He performed well in his sharply limited playing time, making every shot he took as he racked up nine points, three assists and two turnovers. Hornets coach Steve Clifford has frequently praised him, a signal that Gutierrez was likely to stick, Bonnell observed Wednesday (Twitter link).

Once the signing becomes official, it’ll be the third year in a row that Gutierrez will have followed two 10-day contracts with a deal for the rest of the season, as our 10-Day Contract Tracker shows. The contracts he signed for the rest of the 2013/14 season with the Nets and the rest of the 2014/15 season with the Bucks were multiyear arrangements, but both teams ultimately waived him before those deals ran to term. It’s not immediately clear whether Gutierrez will have multiple seasons on his latest pact with the Hornets. Charlotte faces uncertainty after this season, with Nicolas Batum and Al Jefferson headed to free agency and $46MM in guaranteed salary already committed against a salary cap expected to fall between $90MM and $95MM.

Grizzlies Waive Mario Chalmers

March 10th, 2016 at 6:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Grizzlies have waived point guard Mario Chalmers, the team announced. Memphis also confirmed that he’ll miss the remainder of the 2015/16 season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon on Wednesday night. Zach Lowe of ESPN.com first reported that Chalmers had suffered a potential season-ending injury.

“Mario did an incredible job for us since coming to Memphis,” Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace said. “Right from the start, he embraced his change of scenery and endeared himself to his teammates and coaches on the court and the Memphis community off of it.” Memphis’ roster count now stands at 15 players.

Chalmers mouthed the words, “I heard it pop,” as he was helped off the floor during the third quarter of Wednesday night’s contest, according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. He didn’t return to the game and later left the locker room in a wheelchair, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal first relayed. The timing of the injury for Chalmers couldn’t have been worse, as he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. By waiving him, Memphis forfeits its Bird rights for Chalmers.

“He has been an important part of our success this season, both coming off the bench and when called upon as a starter,” Wallace said. “But with Mario’s season-ending injury and our already-depleted roster, it became necessary to free up a roster spot.”

Marc Gasol is also done for the season, while Jordan Adams, Chris Andersen, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph and Brandan Wright are all out for indefinite periods with maladies of some kind. The avalanche of injuries the team has endured had already prompted the Grizzlies to apply for a 16th roster spot. The team has reportedly signed Briante Weber via the hardship exception to a 10-day deal, which presumably means the league granted the request, though the Grizzlies issued no formal announcement. It’s conceivable that Memphis could once again get clearance for a 16th player, since the team applied for the roster spot before Chalmers went down, as Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron noted earlier today. Memphis would need four players likely to miss two weeks or more to receive clearance to add a 16th man.

Chalmers posted averages of 10.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 22.8 minutes over 55 games with the Grizzlies after they acquired him from the Heat in early November.

Wizards Sign Marcus Thornton

March 9th, 2016 at 1:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:45pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

“Marcus brings experience and shooting to our backcourt and helps us fill a void caused by Gary’s injury with another veteran player,” Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld said. “His skill set will allow him to fit right into our system and give our offense another option.”

11:19am: The Wizards and Marcus Thornton have agreement on a deal that covers the rest of the season, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Washington is waiving the injured Gary Neal to make room, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported minutes ago. The deal will give Thornton the minimum salary, tweets Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post.

Earlier reports identified the Heat and Cavaliers, but not the Wizards, as teams with interest in the seventh-year veteran who recently cleared waivers from the Rockets. The Heat’s path to tax flexibility has since closed, cutting off the team’s ability to sign him for another month without a heavy financial outlay. The Wizards appear to offer Thornton a better shot at playing time than the Cavaliers would, given the hip injury that’s plaguing Bradley Beal this week, though that appears to be only a short-term ailment.

Washington isn’t in position to bide its time as it sits in 10th place, two and a half games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Thornton is allowed to play in the postseason if the Wizards make it, since the Rockets waived him a few days before the March 1st, the cutoff date for playoff-eligibility.

Thornton’s minutes went up and down this year with Houston, a source of frustration to him, and the team was to send him to Detroit in the voided Donatas Motiejunas trade. The Pistons reportedly didn’t plan to make him part of the rotation, but he’s been productive when called upon this season, averaging 10.0 points in 18.8 minutes per contest across 47 appearances.

The Wizards had the ability to exceed the minimum salary for Thornton, since they have a disabled player exception worth nearly $2.806MM left over from Martell Webster‘s season-ending injury, which expires Thursday, plus a prorated sliver of the mid-level exception. However, they’re only about $500K shy of the luxury tax line, and it’s doubtful they’ll cross that.

Wizards Release Gary Neal

March 9th, 2016 at 1:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:44pm: The move is official, the team announced.

11:12am: The Wizards are in the process of waiving Gary Neal, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The combo guard has been dealing with a leg injury affecting his right quadriceps and hip that’s expected to keep him out for a few more weeks, Stein notes (ESPN Now link), and he hasn’t appeared in a game since February 6th. Neal, who’s on a one-year contract worth $2.139MM, is one of 15 players currently with Washington, so the move will give the team the roster flexibility necessary to accommodate its reported deal with Marcus Thornton.

Washington signed Neal using the biannual exception this past summer after holding interest that reportedly dated back to last year’s buyout market. He shot well when healthy this season, knocking down 41.0% of his 3-point attempts as he averaged 9.8 points in 20.2 minutes per game across 40 appearances. However, the Wizards have an immediate need at two guard as Bradley Beal fights through a short-term hip injury, so it appears the team simply isn’t willing to wait for Neal to return to action.

Neal’s full salary will stick on Washington’s books if he clears waivers, though the team has already given him the majority of his salary and owes him just a few more paychecks at this point in the season. Portland ostensibly has motivation to add someone to reach the salary floor, but the Blazers are less than $1MM from that figure and wouldn’t necessarily benefit financially from claiming Neal.

Unless Neal re-signs with the Wizards, a prospect that seems unlikely, he won’t be eligible for the playoffs, since he’ll be hitting waivers after March 1st.