Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Warriors Pick Up Option On Marreese Speights

June 29th, 2015 at 2:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Warriors have picked up their $3.815MM team option on Marreese Speights, the team announced. The move is no surprise, as GM Bob Myers said last week that he was inclined to do just that.

The option nonetheless adds to an already profound salary crunch for the Warriors, giving the team about $82.6MM in guaranteed salary, a figure greater than the projected $81.6MM tax line. That’s without a new deal for Draymond Green, so it would seem that Golden State’s apparent efforts to trade David Lee and his salary worth nearly $15.494MM. Still, tax calculations are based on a team’s salary on the last day of the regular season, so the Warriors have some time to play with.

Luol Deng Opts In With Heat

June 29th, 2015 at 1:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:30pm: The move is official, the Heat announced (on Twitter).

1:03pm: Deng has apparently changed course, as agent Herb Rudoy tells TNT’s David Aldridge that he’s opting in, not out (Twitter link).

11:08am: The Heat expect Luol Deng to turn down his player option worth nearly $10.152MM and hit free agency, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The deadline for him to do so is today. Stein also hints that the Heat also expect Dwyane Wade to turn down his player option worth $16.125MM, as Wade has hinted he’ll do. Goran Dragic, who already turned down his $7.5MM player option, is “basically a lock” to stay with the Heat, Stein writes, but the same isn’t true of either Deng or Wade.

Heat president Pat Riley made it clear last week that he wants Deng back, even in the wake of Miami’s choice of fellow small forward Justise Winslow with the No. 10 pick. Deng, 30, expressed his love for the Heat organization back in April, citing its medical staff. Still, that was before Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported that Wade is open to leaving the Heat, throwing Miami’s offseason plans a curveball.

People around the league this spring expressed doubt to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders that Deng could find a salary better than what his option would give him for this coming season. Still, the Interperformances client will probably be able to find a deal that would lock in a greater total of money, albeit over a longer period of time, though that’s just my speculation.

Miami only has about $43MM in guaranteed salaries for next season, but new deals for Dragic, Wade and Deng threaten to push the team beyond the projected $81.6MM tax line. The Heat would pay repeat-offender tax penalties if they’re above the tax line at the end of the 2015/16 regular season.

Magic Waive Ben Gordon

June 29th, 2015 at 1:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

MONDAY, 1:06pm: Orlando has officially waived Gordon, the team announced via press release.

SATURDAY, 9:25pm: Ben Gordon will be waived by the Magic, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. If he clears waivers, Gordon will become an unrestricted free agent. The 32-year-old guard appeared in 56 games with Orlando last season, all off the bench, and averaged 6.2 points per game.

Gordon signed with the Magic as a free agent last summer, agreeing to a two-year, $9MM deal, but the second year was only fully guaranteed if he was not waived before Wednesday. By parting ways with Gordon, Orlando will have an estimated $14.5MM in available salary cap space.

Gordon has averaged nearly 15 points per game in his 11-year NBA career. Before coming to Orlando, he played for the Bulls, Pistons and Bobcats.

Kirk Hinrich Opts In With Bulls

June 29th, 2015 at 11:32am CST by Chuck Myron

1:32pm: The move is official, the team announced via press release.

11:30am: Austin confirmed to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune that Hinrich has indeed opted in (Twitter link).

9:08am: Kirk Hinrich has decided to opt in and stay with the Bulls for next season, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). He’ll make nearly $2.855MM next season, the final one on his two-year deal.

The move allows the team to keep the long-tenured guard and avoid using its limited funds to replace him. Chicago already had about $60.2MM in guaranteed salaries against a projected $67.1MM salary cap and $81.6MM tax line. A new max deal for Jimmy Butler would likely add nearly $16MM to Chicago’s books, giving the team season-long tax concerns unless it makes a salary-clearing trade.

Hinrich, 34, started 22 games this past season, though he set career lows with averages of 5.7 points and 24.4 minutes per game, in large measure because Derrick Rose was relatively healthy. The Jeff Austin client, set to enter free agency as the cap surges next summer, may well see a larger role this coming season if fellow backup point guard Aaron Brooks departs in free agency.

Sixers To Sign T.J. McConnell

June 26th, 2015 at 8:55pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Sixers intend to sign former Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell to a free agent deal, Bruce Pascoe of The Arizona Daily Star reports. The deal includes McConnell playing summer league ball for the team, as well as a training camp invite, Pascoe notes. Also included in the deal is what McConnell’s agent, Chris Emens, said is a partial salary guarantee, Pascoe relays. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter) confirmed the team’s deal with the guard, as well as a partial guarantee worth six figures. The earliest any deal can be finalized is Wednesday.

Emens told Pascoe that all 15 teams McConnell worked out for invited him to play summer ball and that his client might have been drafted had he agreed to be a “draft-and-stash” second-rounder who would be sent directly to the D-League with no chance of making the NBA club. “We didn’t want to do that and we knew we had a lot of demand, so we were able to parlay that into a significant deal,” Emens said. “He had a very, very good predraft process. … Coaches love him. He’s so intense and hardcore, and he makes others better.”

“T.J. said he had a good feeling about a couple of teams, and Philadelphia was one of them,” Tim McConnell, T.J.’s father, said. “He’s going to give it a shot and see what happens. The worst thing that can happen is he goes to the D-League.”

McConnell appeared in 38 games for the Wildcats last season, averaging 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, with a shooting line of .498/.321/.829. He began his career at Duquesne, and in 139 total NCAA games McConnell’s numbers are 10.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 5.4 APG.

Rockets To Sign Christian Wood

June 26th, 2015 at 6:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Rockets have agreed to a free agent deal with UNLV forward Christian Wood, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Houston can’t formally make a contract offer to Wood until Wednesday at the earliest, and could not sign him for more than the minimum salary until after the July Moratorium is lifted. The exact length and terms of the proposed arrangement are not yet known, though sources have told Wojnarowski that the deal is a partially guaranteed one.

Wood going undrafted on Thursday night could be considered a bit of a shocker, especially since many mock drafts predicted the 6’11” forward would be selected toward the end of the first round or early in the second. The Rockets’ addition of Wood is surprising considering the team selected Wisconsin combo forward Sam Dekker with the No. 18 overall pick, and then doubled-down and nabbed Louisville big man Montrezl Harrell at pick No. 32.

The 19-year -old performed below standards in pre-draft workouts, according to the Yahoo! scribe, after averaging 15.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks for UNLV during his sophomore campaign. Wood’s career NCAA numbers are 10.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 1.9 BPG, with a slash line of .477/.261/.747.

Brook Lopez Opting Out From Nets

June 26th, 2015 at 2:36pm CST by Eddie Scarito

2:36pm: Lopez has indeed opted out, a source tells Bondy (on Twitter). The Nets have made no official announcement, but since players who have player options only need to declare when they’re opting in, not opting out, a formal acknowledgement might not be forthcoming.

12:05am: Nets GM Billy King said that he’s received indication from Brook Lopez that the center is likely to opt out of his deal and become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News reports (Twitter link). The move was widely anticipated, including by King, who said, “He’s probably opting out, which was expected.”

Lopez will forgo the $16,744,218 that he was due next season, with the hope that he can secure a long-term deal, and will likely be seeking the maximum, though that is merely my speculation. It makes sense for Lopez to do so given his injury history, though he risks losing an even bigger payday during the summer of 2016 when the salary cap is expected to increase dramatically. Lopez managed to remain on the court for the bulk of the 2014/15 campaign, appearing in 72 contests after only playing in 17 games the previous year due to injury. He averaged 17.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 29.2 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .513/.100/.813.

Brooklyn has a hole in its frontcourt with the draft night deal that sent Mason Plumlee to Portland in exchange for Arizona swingman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and point guard Steve Blake. The Nets will certainly anticipate having competition for Lopez’s services. The Bucks are expected pursue Lopez, with a league source telling Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times during the spring that they thought Lopez might consider opting out and signing with the Bucks, citing his ties to former Nets and current Bucks coach Jason Kidd. The Spurs also reportedly have some level of interest in Lopez as well.

Knicks Acquire Rights To Guillermo Hernangomez

June 26th, 2015 at 9:59am CST by Chuck Myron

9:58am: The Sixers also receive cash in the deal, the Knicks announced.

FRIDAY, 1:42am: The deal is official, the Sixers announced via press release.

THURSDAY, 10:27pm: The Knicks will acquire the rights to 35th overall pick Guillermo Hernangomez, a center from Spain, tweets Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. Ian Begley of ESPN.com (via Twitter) reports that New York will give up two future second-rounders in the deal. Hernangomez is regarded as an above average big man offensively, though his defense is considered sub par, which will potentially limit his playing time in the NBA.

Hernangomez would fill an immediate need for frontcourt depth with the Knicks, who won’t have a center on their roster come July 1st. It’s unclear if the 21-year-old is being looked at as a draft-and-stash pick, or if New York will attempt to bring the Spaniard over to the NBA in 2015/16. Hernangomez isn’t under contract with Balancesto Sevilla for next season, so there would be no complications on that front.

In 34 games for Sevilla last season, Hernangomez averaged 10.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 21.1 minutes per contest. The big man’s slash line was .537/.167/.692. He has played the last five years on Spanish Junior National Teams, averaging 26.3 points and 13.2 rebounds in the 2013 FIBA under-19 world championships.

LeBron James To Opt Out, Not Planning Quick Deal

June 26th, 2015 at 9:32am CST by Chuck Myron

LeBron James will turn down his player option worth more than $21.573MM, and he doesn’t plan to immediately re-sign with the Cavs, preferring to wait and see how the team goes about its other business in July, reports Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Chances are “slim” that James leaves Cleveland again, Haynes writes, but waiting to re-sign gives him a chance to go into a deal with full knowledge of what will surround him, and it keeps pressure on the organization, Haynes writes. The Rich Paul client plans to be “the last domino to fall,” league sources tell Haynes.

GM David Griffin said James is “very much engaged” with the team as he speaks with management on almost a daily basis about the roster, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Still, it’s widely known that James won’t meddle in front office affairs or with coach David Blatt and his staff, according to Haynes. The four-time MVP believes other coaches would be better equipped to lead the Cavs to a title, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson among them, but he nonetheless has no intention to push for a coaching change, as Chris Broussard of ESPN.com said this week (video link).

That James would opt out is not at all surprising, since opting in would entail a financial sacrifice. James will be able to make a salary of at least $21,676,620 next season on a new deal, slightly more than his option would give him, and that figure could grow higher, depending on where the league sets the maximum for a player with 10 or more years of experience. James is likely to re-sign with Cleveland on a max deal for two years with a player option on year two, as Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group wrote months ago.

James wants the Cavs to re-sign Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith, though he won’t actively recruit any of them, Haynes writes. Griffin has said that he’d like to keep the team together, though he expressed guarded interest in Smith as he confirmed Smith has opted out, saying the Cavs want him back “if it’s the right situation for us,” as Haynes notes.

Suns Acquire Jon Leuer

June 26th, 2015 at 1:05am CST by Chuck Myron

1:05am: The Grizzlies don’t mention a future second-round pick in their press release, either, so it’s just Leuer and Harrison. That means Memphis gets to create a $967,500 trade exception equivalent to Leuer’s salary.

FRIDAY, 12:52am: The deal is official, the Suns announced. Phoenix makes no mention of a future second-rounder, so it would seem that it’s just Leuer for the rights to Harrison.

THURSDAY, 10:47pm: The Grizzlies are trading Jon Leuer to the Suns for the rights to No. 44 pick Andrew Harrison, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). A future second-round pick is going to Memphis, according to Marc Stein of ESPN (Twitter link), who doesn’t mention Harrison.

Leuer, 26, is set to earn $1,035,000 next season, though his deal is non-guaranteed. He appeared in 63 games for Memphis last season, averaging 4.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 13.1 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .443/.241/.627.

Harrison never quite lived up to the hype that preceded his arrival at Kentucky. He averaged 9.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 25.5 minutes per game this past season. His slash line was .378/.383/.792.