Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Thunder Officially Ink Three For Camp

September 25th, 2015 at 4:43pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Thunder officially announced the signings of Dez Wells, Julyan Stone, and Talib Zanna via a press release. Zanna’s deal is reportedly a one-year deal for the league minimum that includes no guaranteed salary. The length and terms of the deals for Wells and Stone have not been reported, but it would be surprising if the terms were different from Zanna’s. Oklahoma City enters training camp with a roster count of 18 players.

Wells had previously been extended a training camp invite by the Wizards, as well as by five other unnamed teams. He reportedly turned down Washington’s offer because they already possess 15 players on guaranteed pacts, and he wanted better odds at landing a regular season roster spot. In 28 appearances during his senior season with the Terrapins, Wells averaged 15.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists to go along with a slash line of .464/.510/.806.

Stone, 26, saw his last NBA action come during the 2013/14 campaign when he appeared in 21 contests for the Raptors and averaged 0.9 points in 5.7 minutes per game. His NBA career has also includes parts of two seasons spent with the Nuggets. Stone’s career NBA numbers overall are 1.3 PPG, 1.0 RPG, and 1.1 APG to go along with a slash line of .440/.211/.722. The 6’6″ guard spent the 2014/15 season playing for Umana Reyer Venezia of Italy.

Zanna, who turns 25 in October, split summer league between the Thunder and Cavs, putting up 6.0 points and an efficient 4.7 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game. Indeed, at 6’9″, he showed a touch on the boards in the D-League this past year, pulling down 11.0 RPG to go with 13.3 PPG in 27.7 MPG. It’s a skill he didn’t show as much of in college, where he topped out at 8.6 RPG in 30.3 MPG as a senior.

Hawks Officially Sign Three For Camp

September 25th, 2015 at 4:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Hawks have officially signed Earl Barron, DeQuan Jones and Edgar Sosa, the team announced via a press release. All three moves were expected, and though only Sosa’s pact was reported to be non-guaranteed, neither Jones’ or Barron‘s deals are likely to include any guaranteed salary, though that is merely my speculation. Atlanta now has the preseason maximum of 19 players on its roster. This number doesn’t include swingman Jason Richardson, who announced his retirement on Thursday.

The 34-year-old Barron hadn’t drawn much interest in free agency this summer, as our rumors page for him indicates, but he’s shown a knack for making his way onto NBA rosters despite limited playing time. Last season’s 16 games with the Suns were the most Barron had played in an NBA season since 2010/11, when he totaled 21 appearances split among three teams. The center’s best season was 2007/08, when he appeared in 46 contests, and 15 of them as a member of the starting lineup, for the Heat.

Jones, 25, went undrafted out of Miami back in 2012. He then secured a training camp invite from the Magic which he parlayed into a regular season roster spot for the 2012/13 campaign. Jones made 63 appearances for Orlando that season, including 17 starts, and averaged 3.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists to go along with a slash line of .436/.257/.667. The forward spent the 2014/15 season with Pallacanestro Cantù of the Lega Basket Serie A.

Sosa, 27, went undrafted out of Louisville back in 2010 after posting career NCAA numbers of 9.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. He joined the Pistons summer league entry that season, but he ended up signing overseas with the Italian club Angelico Biella. The point guard spent the 2014/15 campaign playing for Dinamo Sassari in Italy. Sosa’s numbers last season were 10.7 PPG, 1.5 RPG, and 3.5 APG to accompany a slash line of .387/.320/.789.

Nets To Sign Yanick Moreira?

September 25th, 2015 at 3:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

SEPTEMBER 25TH, 3:46pm: Moreira’s name does not appear on the team’s official training roster, which indicates that the agreement has indeed been called off.

SEPTEMBER 18TH, 19:14: Moreira has a minor ligament tear in his left foot which will sideline him for four to six weeks, and thus cause him to miss training camp, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com tweets. No formal announcement has been made by the team, but this presumably means that the agreement between the two sides will be called off.

SEPTEMBER 16TH, 7:13pm: The Nets have agreed to a training camp deal with unrestricted free agent center Yanick Moreira, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter link). The length and terms of the arrangement are not yet known, but Charania does note that the contract will be non-guaranteed. Moreira went undrafted this year out of SMU after averaging 11.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest as a Senior.

It had been reported back in July that Moreira had agreed to a training camp deal with the Clippers, though no official announcement was ever made by the team or the player. It’s unclear if the two sides ever had an arrangement, or if one party decided to back out of a proposed deal. What is clear, however, is that Moreira will have an easier path to securing a regular season roster spot with the Nets, who currently have 12 fully guaranteed pacts, than the Clippers, who possess 14 players with full guarantees on their contracts.

Moreira, 24, had worked out for the Celtics, Jazz, Suns and Nets leading up to this year’s NBA Draft, and he was a starter on the Clippers summer league team, averaging 9.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 25.1 minutes per game.

Jordan McRae Signs Required Tender From Sixers

September 25th, 2015 at 3:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jordan McRae has signed his required tender from the Sixers, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). That means the No. 58 overall pick from the 2014 draft is with the team on a non-guaranteed contract for the minimum salary that covers one season. Philadelphia has yet to make an announcement. The development is troublesome for the team, which already had signed contracts or verbal agreements with 20 other players, as our roster count shows, and teams can’t formally sign more than 20.

Conflicting reports existed on whether McRae was likely to end up signing with the Sixers this year. It appeared most recently that McRae would pass on the tender and that Philadelphia wasn’t expecting him to take it, but apparently he’s jumped on the offer. The Sixers can just as easily cut him loose and proceed without him, but that would come at the cost of the shooting guard’s draft rights.

The Tandem Sports & Entertainment client is the third second-round pick who’s taken the required tender from the Sixers in the last two years. K.J. McDaniels, the 32nd overall pick in 2014, signed his required tender last fall before the Sixers traded him in the middle of the season to the Rockets, while J.P. Tokoto, this year’s No. 58 overall pick, took his required tender from the Sixers earlier this month. McRae and Tokoto surely hope to parlay the move into a deal as lucrative as the three-year, $10MM contract McDaniels signed with the Rockets in restricted free agency this summer.

Nets Sign Ryan Boatright

September 25th, 2015 at 3:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

SEPTEMBER 25TH, 3:35pm: Boatright appears on the team’s official training camp roster, which serves as confirmation from the Nets that Boatright has been signed.

JULY 3RD, 6:50pm: The Nets have reached a contract agreement with Ryan Boatright, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (on Twitter). The pact is for two years, $1.4MM, with $75k guaranteed, Pincus adds. Boatright will earn $525,093 next season and $874,636 for the 2016/17 campaign. Minimum-salary deals for two years or less, such as this one, are some of the few allowed to become official during the July Moratorium.

Boatright went undrafted after four seasons at the University of Connecticut. His career NCAA numbers are 14.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, with a slash line of .416/.380/.794. The 6’0″ guard will add depth behind Deron Williams if he makes the regular season roster.

The 22-year-old considered turning pro after UConn won the title back in 2014, as he told Hoops Rumors’ Zach Links prior to the 2015 NBA Draft. “Yes, I was going to go pro right after we won,” said Boatright. “I knew my name was hot and I had a great tournament. However, after I spoke with everyone whose opinion I trusted, I felt like one more year would be good for me. The last day before the deadline, I decided to go back to school to show everyone that I could run the team and be a true point guard.“

Wizards Officially Sign Five For Camp

September 25th, 2015 at 2:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Wizards have officially signed Josh Harrellson, Jaron Johnson, Toure’ Murry, Jaleel Roberts and Ish Smith, the team announced. All five moves were expected, and none of them have any guaranteed salary, according to reports. The Wizards already have 15 fully guaranteed deals, so it would be tough for today’s camp additions to stick for opening night. All except Johnson are known to be on one-year contracts for the minimum, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, though it would be surprising if Johnson signed for terms that were any different.

Harrellson, a three-year veteran big man, is returning to the NBA after sitting out last season as he recovered from back surgery. Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports first reported the deal with the 26-year-old.

Charania also revealed that Johnson, a 23-year-old shooting guard, would attend Wizards camp. Johnson spent last season with the D-League affiliate of the Rockets after going undrafted out of Louisiana Tech in 2014.

The Wizards are familiar with Murry from his time on a pair of 10-day contracts with the team last season. J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic reported the deal between the Wizards and the 25-year-old combo guard.

Roberts is poised to celebrate his 23rd birthday next month in Wizards camp. Charania reported that the center who went undrafted out of UNC-Asheville this year would head to Washington.

Four teams had Smith at one point or another in 2014/15, and though he had a strong finishing kick with the Sixers, the 27-year-old point guard will have to fight to stay on the roster in Washington. Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reported Smith’s deal with the Wizards.

Which Wizards camp invitee has the greatest potential to surprise and remain on the roster for the start of the regular season? Leave a comment to tell us.

Hawks To Sign Earl Barron For Camp

September 25th, 2015 at 10:37am CST by Chuck Myron

The Hawks will sign Earl Barron to a training camp deal to replace the retiring Jason Richardson, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The nine-year veteran finished last season with the Suns. He’s the 20th player with whom the Hawks have either a signed contract or a verbal agreement, putting them at the preseason roster limit, though they’ll ostensibly release Richardson soon.

The 34-year-old Barron hadn’t drawn much interest in free agency this summer, as our rumors page for him indicates, but he’s shown a knack for making his way onto NBA rosters despite limited playing time. Last season’s 16 games with the Suns were the most Barron had played in an NBA season since 2010/11, when he totaled 21 appearances split among three teams. The center’s best season was 2007/08, when he appeared in 46 contests, and 15 of them as a member of the starting lineup, for the Heat.

Atlanta offers him a decent chance at a regular season roster spot, since the team only has 13 fully guaranteed contracts. Mike Muscala has half of his two-year veteran’s minimum salary guaranteed, ostensibly giving him the inside track on spot No. 14. The four players aside from Barron who are in the mix for the 15th spot, assuming the Hawks carry that many guys on opening night, have a combined one year of NBA experience, so Barron is by far the best option if coach/executive Mike Budenholzer prefers a veteran.

Do you think Barron could help the Hawks this season? Leave a comment to weigh in.

Celtics Officially Sign Four For Camp

September 25th, 2015 at 9:39am CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics confirmed the signings of Coty Clarke, Malcolm Miller, Levi Randolph and Corey Walden in an announcement today. All four had already put pen to paper, according to reports, but Boston had yet to acknowledge the deals. Each player has a partial guarantee of $25K on a rookie minimum salary, except for Clarke, whose contract is non-guaranteed, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reported. Walden, who signed a two-year deal, is the only one of the quartet with more than a one-year pact, according to Pincus.

Clarke, 23, went undrafted out of Arkansas in 2014 and spent this past season playing for Hapoel Kazrin in Israel. Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia first reported the 6’7″ combo forward would join Celtics camp.

Miller is familiar with Boston, having gone undrafted out of Holy Cross this year, and he played on the Celtics summer league team. Kevin O’Connor of SB Nation’s CelticsBlog broke the story that the 22-year-old small forward would sign with the Celtics.

Multiple overseas teams came calling for Randolph, but he instead spurned them for the Celtics, according to Carchia, with Matt Zenitz of AL.com reporting the Boston deal. Randolph, a shooting guard who went undrafted out of Alabama this year, will have his 23rd birthday next month.

Teams also passed on Walden in the draft this year after he came out of Eastern Kentucky. The 23-year-old is 6’2″ and undersized as a shooting guard, but the Celtics were nonetheless interested in bringing him to camp on a deal that A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reported.

Boston already has 16 others on fully guaranteed contracts, one more than the 15-man regular season roster limit, so Clarke, Miller, Randolph and Walden face especially long odds to stick for opening night. It’s more likely they’ll end up with the Celtics D-League affiliate. Boston can retain the D-League rights to as many as four players it cuts.

Which Celtics camp signee has the most potential? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Lakers Sign Metta World Peace

September 24th, 2015 at 6:18pm CST by Eddie Scarito

6:18pm: The signing is official, the Lakers announced.

4:31pm: The Lakers and unrestricted free agent forward Metta World Peace have agreed to a deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports. It will be a one-year, minimum salary arrangement that’s non-guaranteed, Wojnarowski adds. The contract is expected to be signed today and the veteran will take his physical on Friday, notes Wojnarowski.

The 35-year-old did not play in the NBA last season. He appeared in 29 games with the Knicks in 2013/14. Last season, he played 15 games for the Sichuan Blue Whales in the Chinese Basketball Association before a knee injury sidelined him. He finished out the season with Pallacanestro Cantu in the Italian League, averaging 13.3 points and 4.0 rebounds. World Peace does have a history with the Lakers, having played four seasons with them before joining the Knicks after Los Angeles used the amnesty provision to cut him loose. He appeared in 75 games with the Lakers in 2012/13, his final season in L.A., averaging 12.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists while making 66 starts.

World Peace is expected to make the regular season roster and play a role as a small forward off the bench, as well as to act as a veteran extension of coach Byron Scott in the young Lakers locker room, Wojnarowski writes. The addition of World Peace gives Los Angeles a roster count of 19 players, 12 of whom have fully guaranteed pacts.

Cavs To Re-Sign Tristan Thompson?

September 24th, 2015 at 5:48pm CST by Eddie Scarito

5:48pm: Broussard tweeted an update to his initial report, noting that Thompson is willing to sign a the previously reported three-year deal, but the Cavaliers have not yet agreed to that proposal.

5:25pm: Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal refutes the report that the two sides have agreed to a deal (Twitter link). Lloyd indicates that no deal has been struck, and that the Cavs are not interested in signing Thompson to the reported terms.

5:11pm: Power forward Tristan Thompson has agreed to re-sign with the Cavaliers, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). It will be a three-year, $53MM deal, Broussard adds. The return of Thompson, who is a restricted free agent, will increase Cleveland’s roster count to 18 players.

The two sides apparently reached a compromise, with Cleveland having reportedly offered Thompson a five-year, $80MM deal previously, while the forward’s camp was reportedly holding out for a max deal worth $94MM over the same span, according to a report by Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The Cavs were operating under the threat that Thompson would sign the team’s one-year qualifying offer of nearly $6.8MM in order to become an unrestricted free agent next year.

His agent, Rich Paul, recently claimed that if Thompson would not re-sign with the Cavs for the long-term in 2016 if he signed that qualifying offer. Paul also has reportedly heard from three NBA teams that are willing to offer his client a max salary next summer if he hits unrestricted free agency. The agent reportedly believed that he could land a max deal from the Raptors for Thompson, a Toronto native, but it’s unclear if they were one of the three teams.

Thompson, 24, appeared in 82 games for the Cavs in 2014/15, averaging 8.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 26.8 minutes per contest. His career numbers through four NBA seasons are 10.1 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 0.8 APG to go along with a slash line of .488/.000/.633.