Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Yuri Collins Returning To Warriors On Training Camp Contract

September 14th, 2024 at 7:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors have signed point guard Yuri Collins to a deal for training camp, a source tells Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

Collins was also in camp with Golden State last fall, but he was waived before the start of the season. He played for the team’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, averaging 3.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 16 games as a reserve.

He was also part of the Warriors’ Summer League team in July, appearing in six total games between the California Classic and the Las Vegas Summer League.

Collins, 23, got an opportunity with Golden State after going undrafted out of St. Louis in 2023. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract and will likely get a similar deal this time, making him eligible for a $77.5K bonus if he spends at least 60 days with Santa Cruz.

Collins’ signing will bring the Warriors to 20 players on their offseason roster, one short of the limit for training camp.

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Lakers To Sign Christian Koloko To Two-Way Deal

September 14th, 2024 at 3:41pm CST by Rory Maher

3:41pm: According to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times, Koloko is expected to sign a two-way deal with the Lakers, which means they’ll need to release one of their current two-way players. Sources tell Woike that while Koloko can technically sign the contract before receiving clearance from the Fitness-to-Play panel, the signing will have to be reviewed by the NBA, and Koloko cannot participate in on-court work until he’s cleared (Twitter links).

2:54pm: The Lakers and free agent big man Christian Koloko have agreed to a contract, agent Calvin Andrews tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Charania doesn’t specify what type of contract Koloko will sign with the Lakers, but says the former Arizona star is expected to compete for frontcourt minutes.

Koloko is on the comeback trail after missing the entire 2023/24 season due to a blood clot issue. Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy reported in July that the seven-footer had received medical clearance to resume playing, while Andrews said last month that his client had a “major breakthrough” with his blood clot issue, which was addressed via corrective surgery.

Although Koloko is still awaiting formal clearance from the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play panel, it sounds like he continues to trend in the right direction. And according to Charania, the 24-year-old is technically eligible to sign with a team before being cleared by that panel.

The Clippers, the Spurs, and his former team, the Raptors, were also interested in signing Koloko, as Charania reported on Friday night.

The 33rd overall pick in the 2022 draft, Koloko appeared in 58 games for Toronto as a rookie, averaging 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.0 block in 13.8 minutes per game across 58 appearances (19 starts). He was the Pac 12’s Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player in his final college season at Arizona in 2021/22.

The Lakers will be without center Christian Wood this fall after the big man recently underwent knee surgery that is expected to sideline him for at least eight weeks, so they could use more depth up front. However, Los Angeles is currently carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed standard contracts and is narrowly operating below the second tax apron.

It’s unclear if the Lakers’ plan would be to sign Koloko to a standard deal or perhaps to bring him on a two-way contract. Inking him to a two-way pact would require waiving one of Armel Traore, Blake Hinson, or Colin Castleton, who currently occupy L.A.’s two-way slots.

Landry Shamet Signs Exhibit 9 Deal With Knicks

September 14th, 2024 at 3:18pm CST by Tristan Tucker

3:18pm: Shamet signed a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract with New York, the team announced (via Twitter).

9:29am: Free agent guard Landry Shamet agreed to a one-year contract with the Knicks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Shamet, 27, has spent time with the Sixers, Clippers, Nets, Suns and Wizards in six NBA seasons.

It’s unclear exactly what type of deal Shamet is signing with the Knicks, but I’d be somewhat surprised if it was fully guaranteed. New York signed Chuma Okeke to a non-guaranteed one-year deal earlier this season. Shamet, Okeke and perhaps other players seem poised to battle it out for New York’s final standard spot on the 15-man roster.

Shamet holds 348 games of NBA experience after being the 26th overall pick by Philadelphia in 2018. The Wichita State product is a career 38.4% three-point shooter, averaging 4.9 attempts per game. He also holds averages of 8.7 points and 1.7 rebounds while having 97 career starts under his belt.

He’s been a part of several blockbuster trades throughout his career. In his rookie season, he was part of the trade that brought Tobias Harris to Philadelphia. In the following year, he was moved in a three-team deal involving Bruce Brown. Then, in 2023, he was part of the trade that sent Bradley Beal to Phoenix.

The Knicks have 14 players on standard guaranteed deals. Kevin McCullar, Ariel Hukporti and Jacob Toppin hold two-way deals while Okeke and Alex O’Connell are on training camp deals. Shamet seems likely to be part of that latter group.

Cavaliers, Isaac Okoro Agree To Three-Year Contract

September 14th, 2024 at 1:37pm CST by Rory Maher

The Cavaliers are re-signing restricted free agent Isaac Okoro to a three-year, $38MM contract, agents Michael Tellem, Jeff Schwartz and Marcus Monk tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Okoro, 23, came in at No. 20 on our list of 2024’s top 50 free agents, making him the top remaining player who had yet to sign a new deal. It took more than two months, but the NBA’s lone restricted free agent has reached an agreement to return to Cleveland.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, Okoro’s $11.8MM qualifying offer would have expired on Oct. 1, though he still would’ve been a restricted free agent had a deal not been reached by that point. The Cavs were approximately $10.4MM below the luxury tax line before accounting for Okoro’s new contract, Marks adds.

According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link), Okoro’s three-year deal features $33MM in guaranteed money. Source tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that Okoro’s contract features some unlikely bonuses tied to his team’s success (Twitter link).

The No. 5 overall pick of the 2020 draft, Okoro averaged 9.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting a career-best 39.1% from three-point range in 69 regular season games in 2023/24, including 42 starts (27.3 minutes per contest). The 6’5″ wing is primarily known for his defense, particularly on the ball, where he’s frequently tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter player.

When we polled our readers about Okoro’s situation last week, 59% of those who voted thought he would end up accepting his qualifying offer — essentially just a one-year contract — to hit unrestricted free agency in 2025. About 17% thought he would re-sign with the Cavs on a multiyear contract.

Scotto reports (via Twitter) that the Nets and Hornets were among the teams that showed sign-and-trade interest in Okoro before he agreed to a new contract with Cleveland.

Once Okoro’s signing is official, the Cavs will have 14 players on standard contracts, though only 11 of those deals are fully guaranteed. Tristan Thompson and Sam Merrill are on non-guaranteed contracts, while Craig Porter Jr. has a $1MM partial guarantee on his $1.89MM salary. All three of the team’s two-way slots are filled.

Celtics Sign, Waive Jordan Schakel

September 13th, 2024 at 8:31pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 13: The Celtics have waived Schakel, according to NBA’s official transaction log. Schakel’s Exhibit 10 deal includes a $77.5K bonus, which he’ll earn by spending at least 60 days with Maine.

SEPTEMBER 11: The Celtics have signed free agent swingman Jordan Schakel to an Exhibit 10 contract, sources tell Bobby Manning of CelticsBlog.

The move gives Boston a full 21-man offseason roster, with 14 players on standard contracts, three on two-way deals, and four on Exhibit 10 pacts.

A former San Diego State standout, Schakel has spent most of the past three seasons playing in the G League since going undrafted in 2021. He also had brief stints in the NBA with the Wizards in 2021/22 and ’22/23, appearing in six games for Washington during that time, and spent part of this summer playing in Puerto Rico for Leones de Ponce.

Before a knee injury prematurely ended his season, Schakel played for the Maine Celtics in ’23/24, averaging 13.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 28.1 minutes per game across 24 outings, with a shooting line of .417/.402/.826.

Although the Celtics’ roster is full for the time being, they’ll likely continue to make tweaks before training camp begins next month. Manning notes that the team is expected to sign Jay Scrubb to an Exhibit 10 contract once he fully recovers from ACL surgery.

Players on Exhibit 10 deals who are waived before the season begins are eligible to earn bonuses worth up to $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days with their team’s G League affiliate. That’s likely the plan for Schakel, who figures to return to Maine this fall.

Bucks Sign, Waive Ibou Badji

September 13th, 2024 at 8:28pm CST by Luke Adams

8:28pm: The Bucks officially signed Badji, per RealGM’s transaction log, and waived him, according to the transaction log at NBA.com.

As expected, it was an Exhibit 10 deal, Hoops Rumors can confirm, so Badji is on track to report to the Wisconsin Herd and earn a $77.5K bonus.

11:00am: The Bucks and free agent big man Ibou Badji have agreed to a contract, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

While Scotto doesn’t specify what kind of deal Badji is signing, it will almost certainly be a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 pact. Exhibit 10 contracts don’t count against the cap and be converted to two-way deals before opening night. They also put a player in line to receive a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived by his NBA team and then spends at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate.

Badji, who will turn 22 next month, went undrafted in 2022 and signed with the Bucks shortly thereafter. He was waived by Milwaukee ahead of the 2022/23 season and joined the Wisconsin Herd in the G League before being snatched up by the Trail Blazers that November, agreeing to a two-way contract with the club.

Badji subsequently spent most of the past two seasons on separate two-way deals with Portland, eventually making his NBA debut in December 2023 and appearing in 22 games last season for the Blazers. He averaged 1.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 10.3 minutes per contest.

In 19 total G League games last season for the Herd and the Rip City Remix, Badji posted averages of 4.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.7 BPG in 18.9 MPG.

The Bucks/Herd still hold Badji’s returning rights, so it appears the plan is for him to return to Milwaukee’s G League affiliate to start the 2024/25 season. The signing will give the Bucks a full 21-man offseason roster.

Trail Blazers Sign Taze Moore To Two-Way Deal

September 13th, 2024 at 2:52pm CST by Rory Maher

2:52pm: Moore’s two-way deal is official, the Blazers announced in a press release.

12:41pm: The Trail Blazers plan to sign free agent guard Taze Moore to a two-way contract, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Moore, who went undrafted in 2022, spent his first professional season with the G League’s Dallas Legends after signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the Mavericks and being waived before 2022/23 began. Last season, he again spent most of the campaign in the NBAGL, splitting time between the Legends and the Rip City Remix, Portland’s affiliate.

The Blazers signed Moore to a 10-day contract in late January, though he only played a total of about 10 minutes over three appearances. In April, they brought him back on a 10-day hardship deal for the final day of the ’23/24 regular season, when he put up 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a steal in 30 minutes during a blowout loss to Sacramento.

In 22 regular season games with the Remix in ’23/24 (30.7 minutes per contest), Moore averaged 15.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.4 steals on .498/.351/.733 shooting.

Known for his explosive athleticism, Moore joined the Vancouver Bandits in the Canadian Elite Basketball League after the NBA’s regular season concluded. The 26-year-old won MVP of the 10-team CEBL, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report, who notes that Moore recently participated in some exhibition games with G League United as well.

Back in 2022, Chris Baldwin of PaperCity Magazine wrote an interesting story about Moore, who was unable to play basketball for nearly two full years due to a major leg injury, which required five surgeries. The left-handed guard spent most of his college career at Cal State Bakersfield before transferring to Houston for the ’21/22 season.

As our tracker shows, Moore will fill Portland’s third and final two-way slot, joining Justin Minaya and Bryce McGowens. The Blazers will have 20 players under contract once the deal is official, one shy of the offseason limit.

Suns, Mamadi Diakite Agree To Exhibit 10 Contract

September 13th, 2024 at 1:54pm CST by Rory Maher

The Suns are signing free agent big man Mamadi Diakite to an Exhibit 10 contract, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

While it’s possible that Diakite could impress Phoenix during training camp and earn a spot on the team’s standard roster, it seems more likely the move was designed for him to open the season in the NBA G League. The Suns currently have 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts, but they’re well over the second luxury tax apron — adding a 15th standard deal would be very expensive and inhibit roster flexibility.

Earlier on Friday, the Valley Suns, Phoenix’s new NBAGL affiliate, announced that they had acquired Diakite’s returning player rights from the Westchester Knicks (New York’s affiliate) in exchange for the returning player rights to Theo Maledon and Trevion Williams (Twitter link).

If Diakite is waived before the 2024/25 season begins, he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K (on top of his regular NBAGL salary) if he spends at least 60 days with the Valley Suns. As a four-year veteran, he is no longer eligible for a two-way contract.

A 6’9″ forward/center who played his college ball at Virginia, Diakite has appeared in a total of 55 regular season games for the Bucks, Thunder, Cavaliers, Spurs, and Knicks since making his NBA debut in 2021. He holds career averages of 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per contest.

Diakite, 27, finished last season with the Knicks, then was traded to Brooklyn in the Mikal Bridges blockbuster in July. He was flipped from the Nets to the Grizzlies in a subsequent deal that sent Ziaire Williams to Brooklyn and allowed Memphis to re-sign Luke Kennard while staying out of luxury tax territory.

The Grizzlies wound up waiving Diakite last month, using the stretch provision to spread his $1,392,150 partial guarantee over the next three seasons ($464,050 annually through 2026/27).

As Scotto observes, Diakite won a title with Milwaukee in 2021. At the time, the Bucks were led by Mike Budenholzer, who is now Phoenix’s head coach.

Heat Waive Bryson Warren, Malik Williams

September 12th, 2024 at 12:43pm CST by Rory Maher

The Heat have waived Bryson Warren and Malik Williams, the team announced (via Twitter). Both players were signed to Exhibit 10 contracts on Wednesday.

As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald points out (Twitter link), the moves were procedural, as both players are expected to spend the upcoming season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s NBA G League affiliate. If they spend at least 60 days with the Skyforce, each player could earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K on top of their regular NBAGL salary.

Warren, a 6’3″ guard, spent all of last season with Sioux Falls, averaging 6.9 PPG and 1.8 APG on .376/.325/.800 shooting in 27 total games (17.4 MPG). The 19-year-old turned pro early, previously playing in the Overtime Elite league, but technically didn’t declare for the NBA draft until this year, when he went undrafted.

Williams, a 6’11” center, spent most of last season with Sioux Falls before receiving a 10-day contract and a rest-of-season deal from Toronto at the end of ’23/24. Overall, the 26-year-old big man played in 42 games with the Skyforce and seven with the Raptors. He went undrafted out of Louisville in 2022 and spent his first pro season in Poland.

The Heat are back down to 19 players under contract, two shy of the offseason maximum.

Magic Sign Jarrett Culver, Two Others To Exhibit 10 Deals

September 11th, 2024 at 7:34pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

7:43pm: The Magic have confirmed the new signings in a press statement (Twitter link).

7:34pm: Free agent journeyman guard Jarrett Culver has agreed to a deal with the Magic, his agents BJ Bass and Cam Brennick inform Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel reports (via Twitter) that Culver’s contract will include Exhibit 10 language and reveals that free agent forwards Tre Scott and Jalen Slawson are also signing Exhibit 10 training camp deals.

The Suns selected Culver, a 6’6″ shooting guard/small forward out of Texas Tech, with the No. 6 pick in the 2019 draft and sent him to the Timberwolves in a draft-night deal. The 25-year-old has since also suited up for the Grizzlies and Hawks. Across 144 regular season NBA contests (43 starts), Culver has averaged 6.5 points on .401/.276/.509 shooting splits. He also registered averages of 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.7 steals per game.

Scott, 27, has mostly suited up for G League affiliate teams since going undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2020. All told, he has appeared on one 10-day hardship deal with the Cavaliers during the 2021/22 season, earning minutes in a pair of NBA games.

The 24-year-old Slawson was drafted by the Kings out of Furman with the No. 54 pick in 2023. Sacramento inked the 6’7″ wing to a two-way contract. He played in 12 games for the Kings during the 2023/24 season, averaging a scant 3.1 minutes per contest.

Orlando has a tandem of two-way contract slots available heading into training camp. According to Beede, Scott and Slawson will now compete against previously-announced signings Myron Gardner and Mac McClung for those two openings. As Beede tweets, Culver will be ineligible to compete for a two-way deal because he has too many NBA years of service.

Exhibit 10 deals can be converted into two-way agreements ahead of an NBA season. If, however, a player is waived by a team, they’ll still have access to a bonus worth as much as $77.5K — provided they spend at least 60 days with their club’s G League affiliate.