Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Magic Sign Keith Appling To Second 10-Day Deal

January 29th, 2016 at 9:37am CST by Chuck Myron

9:37am: The deal is official, the team announced via press release. It’s set to cover six games — two against the Celtics, plus the Spurs, Thunder, Clippers and Hawks.

FRIDAY, 9:16am: The signing has taken place, team officials told Robbins (Twitter link), though the club hasn’t made a formal public announcement.

TUESDAY, 1:13pm: The Magic will re-sign Keith Appling to a second 10-day contract once his existing pact expires, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). The second signing will take place Friday, according to Robbins, shortly after his first 10-day term runs out at the end of Wednesday.

The former Michigan State mainstay has played sparingly in his brief time with Orlando, totaling six points on 2 of 6 shooting in 15 minutes of play combined over two games. Still, he has a history with the Magic, having joined the team for the preseason before a late October release, and he’s played for Orlando’s D-League team across parts of the past two seasons.

Appling, technically an NBA rookie, is in line for another $30,888 on this deal to go with the same amount he’s making from 10-day No. 1 and the $100K partial guarantee he had on his training camp contract. Orlando has 14 other players on deals that run through at least the end of the season, and the team will face a decision about what to do with its last flexible roster spot when Appling’s second set of 10 days runs out. The Magic would have to either sign him for the balance of the season or let him go at that point.

Jazz Sign Erick Green To 10-Day Contract

January 26th, 2016 at 12:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:03pm: The deal is official, the team announced. Utah plays four games over the next 10 days.

8:16am: The Jazz will sign former Nuggets point guard Erick Green to a 10-day contract, league sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. The move will compensate for the loss of Raul Neto, who suffered a concussion in Monday’s game. Utah has an open roster spot following the expiration of J.J. O’Brien‘s 10-day contract Monday, so no corresponding move is necessary.

Green has been impressive since joining the D-League affiliate of the Kings in November. The 24-year-old has averaged 26.7 points, 4.4 assists and 1.6 turnovers in 39.0 minutes per contest across 23 games. He’s also nailed 48.1% of his 154 3-point attempts, showing off a long-distance stroke that didn’t register in his time in the NBA with the Nuggets. Green is a 29.2% 3-point shooter in the NBA, though he’s attempted only 48 shots in limited playing time. The 46th overall pick from 2013 signed with Denver before last season after spending a year playing with Mens Sana Siena of Italy, but the Nuggets waived him in early November to sign Kostas Papanikolaou, who’s no longer with Denver.

The 10-day deal will be worth $49,709. Green already pocketed $100K from his partial guarantee with the Nuggets. It’s unclear how long Neto will be out, or whether the Jazz have any intention of keeping Green past the expiration of his 10-day if Neto returns to action quickly. Utah has shown reluctance to add to its point guard depth all season in the wake of Dante Exum‘s offseason injury, preferring to give significant minutes to a lineup with three wing players.

Should the Jazz keep Green even after Neto returns? Leave a comment to tell us.

Clippers Sign Jeff Ayres To 10-Day Contract

January 23rd, 2016 at 4:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

SATURDAY, 4:55pm: The Clippers have officially announced the signing.

FRIDAY, 11:18am: The Clippers will sign Jeff Ayres to a 10-day contract, filling the roster spot they’re poised to open with the Josh Smith deal, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Ayres spent the past two seasons with the Spurs and has been playing this year with the D-League affiliate of the Jazz, who made him the No. 1 pick of the D-League draft in the fall.

Ayres, formerly known as Jeff Pendergraph, has averaged 16.3 points and 9.5 rebounds in 32.7 minutes per game with the D-League Idaho Stampede this season. He’s otherwise carved out a modest five-year NBA career, averaging 3.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 10.1 minutes per contest over 220 total appearances with the Spurs, Pacers and Trail Blazers. He’ll give the Clippers depth on the front line with Smith headed back to Houston via trade.

The signing temporarily mitigates the tax savings the Clippers are achieving in the Smith swap. Ayres will cost the Clippers $55,722 in payroll, the same amount Smith would over the 10-day period, plus tax penalties if they’re still above the $84.74MM threshold at season’s end. However, the Clippers, who’ll be at about $95.5MM in team salary following the trade and prior to the Ayres signing, aren’t obligated to re-sign Ayres after the 10 days are up, a luxury that Smith’s contract didn’t afford them.

Nuggets Sign Sean Kilpatrick To Second 10-Day

January 23rd, 2016 at 10:34am CST by Chuck Myron

SATURDAY, 10:34am: Denver officially announced via press release that Kilpatrick was inked to a second 10-day pact.

FRIDAY, 2:46pm: The Nuggets are expected to bring back Sean Kilpatrick on another 10-day contract, reports Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post (Twitter link). His first 10-day pact expired Thursday. Denver will face a decision about whether to keep Kilpatrick for the balance of the season when his second 10-day stint expires, since teams can’t sign any player to more than a pair of 10-day contracts in a single season.

The second-year pro has totaled nine points on 2 of 9 shooting in 24 minutes over the course of four appearances thus far with the Nuggets. All of his shot attempts have been 3-pointers, which isn’t entirely surprising, given the 44.5% clip at which he hit treys while with the D-League affiliate of the Sixers earlier this season. He averaged 27.1 points in 38.5 minutes per contest in the D-League, staking his position as a prime contender for a call-up.

Denver has 14 players on contracts that run through at least the end of the season, leaving one open spot for Kilpatrick to re-sign. Kostas Papanikolaou, who was previously in that roster spot, signed this week with Olympiacos of Greece.

Rockets Acquire Josh Smith From Clippers

January 22nd, 2016 at 12:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kelvin Kuo / USA TODAY Sports Images

12:18pm: The deal is official, the Rockets and Clippers announced. It’s Smith, the rights to Lishouk and cash to Houston in exchange for the rights to Leunen.

10:24am: The teams still haven’t made any formal announcements, but Rockets GM Daryl Morey gave confirmation of the deal via Twitter.

“Welcome back Josh Smith! #bandbacktogether,” Morey tweeted.

9:31am: Josh Smith is headed back to the Rockets via trade from the Clippers, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Wojnarowski indicates the deal has already taken place, though the teams have yet to make an announcement. The Clippers are sending Smith along with enough cash to cover Houston’s salary obligation to the veteran big man, who’s on a one-year deal for the minimum, and the Rockets are sending draft-and-stash prospects to the Clippers, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter links). One of those is Maarty Leunen, the 54th overall pick from 2008 who plays for Sidigas Avellino of Italy. Draft-and-stash prospect Sergei Lishouk, the 49th overall pick from 2004 who’s with Murcia of Spain, is going from the Clippers to Houston, the Yahoo scribe also reports (Twitter links).

The Clippers had thought about waiving Smith, Wojnarowski writes in a full story, and he’s wanted off the team for a while, having feuded with coach/executive Doc Rivers about his role, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (Twitter link). His personality was also a poor fit with his Clippers teammate, Watkins adds, though he was well-respected in the Houston locker room after playing for the Rockets last season (Twitter links). James Harden and Dwight Howard are particular fans, according to Watkins, and several Rockets players wanted him to return, league sources told Wojnarowski. Smith thought he would have to take a reduced role this season if he re-signed with the Rockets this past summer, leading him to sign with the Clippers instead, Watkins tweets, but he has regretted that decision, Wojnarowski writes.

The deal would be legal with Smith as the only NBA player changing hands, because Houston can absorb him via the minimum-salary exception, though it would bring the team within $1MM of its $88.74MM hard cap. The Rockets have been carrying an open roster spot, so no corresponding move would be necessary. Conversely, the deal would open a roster spot for the Clippers, who’ve been at the limit of 15 players. Both the Rockets and Clippers are taxpaying teams, though Smith represented a greater tax obligation to L.A. than he will for Houston, since the Clippers are further above the tax threshold and thus subject to additional penalties. Sending out Smith without taking an NBA player in return would allow the Clippers to create a $947,276 trade exception, equivalent to the portion of Smith’s salary paid by the team. Smith’s actual salary is $1,499,187, and the league is paying the difference. Leunen and Lishouk aren’t expected to play in the NBA, according to Wojnarowski, so the essential components of the deal for the Clippers are the tax savings, the open roster spot, and the ability to move on from Smith.

The Clippers have considered either trading or releasing Smith for most of the season, according to Dan Woike of The Orange County Register (Twitter link). Rivers in December denied a report from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports that the Clippers gauged trade interest around the league in Smith and Lance Stephenson during November. Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops reported last week that the Clippers were making Smith available. Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher said earlier this week that the Clippers felt as though they’d be better off in the long run if they could trade Smith and Stephenson, which lines up with his report from December.

Is Smith the right addition for the Rockets? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Suns Sign Cory Jefferson To 10-Day Contract

January 21st, 2016 at 3:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 3:47pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

1:01pm: Jefferson had signed a D-League contract and had been set to join Phoenix’s D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam, according to Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (Twitter links). Instead, he’ll play for the organization’s NBA side.

WEDNESDAY, 12:39pm: The Suns plan to sign Cory Jefferson to a 10-day contract, league sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Phoenix on Monday signed Lorenzo Brown to his second 10-day deal, but the team still has an open roster spot. Jefferson had been with the Suns from the start of the season until earlier this month, when they waived him to avoid guaranteeing his minimum salary for the balance of the season.

Jefferson will make $49,709 on the 10-day deal, assuming it’s for a prorated portion of the minimum salary, as almost all 10-day deals are. He was reportedly expected to sign with the D-League as of a few days ago, but it appears his return to the Suns will forestall that.

The 25-year-old who was the last pick of the 2014 draft played only 28 total minutes across six regular season games this season on his original contract with Phoenix, but he has a decent chance to see significant action in Thursday’s matchup with the Spurs. Fellow power forwards Markieff Morris, Jon Leuer and Mirza Teletovic are all questionable to play because of injuries.

Pelicans Sign Bryce Dejean-Jones To 10-Day Pact

January 21st, 2016 at 3:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

THURSDAY, 3:24pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

WEDNESDAY, 5:31pm: The Pelicans intend to sign combo guard Bryce Dejean-Jones to a 10-day contract, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link) and Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports confirms (via Twitter). The addition of Dejean-Jones will give New Orleans a roster count of 15 players, which is the regular season maximum.

New Orleans needs to add backcourt depth in the wake of losing shooting guard Eric Gordon for four to six weeks after he underwent surgery to repair a broken right finger earlier today. The Pelicans are ineligible to apply for a disabled player exception, because the deadline to do so was this past Friday. Gordon and Quincy Pondexter, who underwent season-ending surgery today, are the only Pelicans with current long-term injuries, so a hardship provision of a 16th roster spot isn’t a possibility.

Dejean-Jones had signed with the Pelicans back in August as an undrafted free agent after winning a spot on the New Orleans summer league team. He averaged 8.8 points in 18.2 minutes per game during the preseason, but a slew of injuries helped convince the Pelicans to waive him prior to opening night. He’s since joined the Jazz affiliate in the D-League and has posted 19.2 points in 31.3 minutes per contest across nine appearances.

Grizzlies Sign Ryan Hollins To 10-Day Contract

January 21st, 2016 at 1:14pm CST by Will Joseph

THURSDAY, 1:14pm: Memphis has officially signed Hollins to a 10-day contract, the team announced. The deal is set to cover five games.

MONDAY, 11:13am: The Grizzlies will sign center Ryan Hollins, whom Memphis recently waived, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (on Twitter). In adding Hollins, the Grizzlies are expected to let guard Elliot Williams go after his 10-day contract expired Sunday, Charania adds. Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweeted earlier today that the Grizzlies would not re-sign Williams.

This will mark Hollins’ third go-around with the Grizzlies. Memphis waived him on January 7th after signing him on December 29th. Hollins was with Memphis during training camp, but the Grizzlies waived him before the season started. Hollins had a strong showing in training camp, but it just wasn’t enough for the Grizzlies to keep him, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal detailed last month.

The addition of Hollins signals that Mike Conley’s return is imminent, Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal tweets. Hollins is averaging 1.7 points and two rebounds per game this season, which includes five games with the Wizards and four with the Grizzlies. Hollins signed with Washington following his initial release from the Grizzlies, but the Wizards waived him December 23rd.

Nuggets Sign GM Tim Connelly To Extension

January 19th, 2016 at 5:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets and GM Tim Connelly have agreed to a multi-year contract extension, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Connelly’s front-office staff, including assistant GM Arturas Karnisovas, will also receive new contracts, sources told Wojnarowski. The Nuggets confirmed the extensions in a press release.

Connelly and his staff have earned the trust of Denver president Josh Kroenke as they work to reconfigure the roster under first-year coach Michael Malone, Wojnarowski continues. Through trades, Connelly has acquired three potential lottery-protected first-round picks over the next two drafts, Wojnarowski points out.

Connelly drafted center Jusuf Nurkic in the first round in 2014 and point guard Emmanuel Mudiay in the lottery last summer. During Connelly’s tenure since he replaced Masai Ujiri in 2013, he also traded for starting shooting guard Will Barton and reached extensions with small forwards Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler and power forward Kenneth Faried.

Connelly has focused on unearthing talent that others have overlooked and that strategy has led the Nuggets to draft many international players, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post recently reported. “We’ve put a lot of emphasis in international scouting. … We want to be very well informed with any player in the world,” Connelly told Dempsey. “Certainly the more well informed we are, hopefully we make better decisions. It just so happens that when we’ve selected guys, signed guys, traded for guys, we’ve had a pretty big international influence.”

Connelly was the Pelicans’ assistant GM for three years prior to joining the Nuggets. He came through the ranks with the Wizards, working for that franchise for 10 years.

“Over the past few years Tim, Arturas, and the rest of our front office staff have worked tirelessly in reshaping our roster and our entire organizational vision for the future,” Kroenke said in the release. “Whether through the draft, trades, or free agency, we have an excellent mix of players and are extremely well positioned moving forward.”

Suns Sign Lorenzo Brown To Second 10-Day Deal

January 19th, 2016 at 9:49am CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns signed point guard Lorenzo Brown to a second 10-day contract Monday, the team announced (Twitter link). That’s no shock, as the Suns are thin at his position with Eric Bledsoe out for the year with a torn meniscus and Ronnie Price sidelined for three weeks because of toe surgery, leaving Brandon Knight the only healthy point guard on the roster once Brown’s first 10-day contract expired Sunday.

The 25-year-old Brown has seen action in three games for Phoenix, posting 4.3 points in 11.3 minutes per contest. His assist-to-turnover ratio has been poor, as he has six assists against seven turnovers. That’s in contrast to his time with the Timberwolves last season, when he averaged 3.1 assists and 1.0 turnovers per game.

Phoenix has five games on its schedule over the 10-day period that Brown’s latest contract encompasses. The Suns will be faced with a decision about whether to keep Brown for the season or let him go after that, since a player can only sign two 10-day contracts with any one team. Price’s timetable means he’ll still be at least a week a way from returning when Brown’s deal will have run to term. Phoenix nonetheless has plenty of flexibility, with only 13 players on contracts that carry through season’s end.