NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

Grizzlies Trade De’Anthony Melton To Sixers For No. 23 Pick

June 24th, 2022 at 5:12pm CST by Rory Maher

June 24: The deal is now official, both teams announced in press releases.

June 23: The Grizzlies and Sixers have agreed to a trade that will send the No. 23 pick in this year’s draft to Memphis and guard De’Anthony Melton to Philadelphia, a source tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Danny Green is also headed to the Grizzlies in the swap, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Colorado State’s David Roddy will be Memphis’ pick at No. 23. Roddy had an excellent junior season for the Rams, averaging 19.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.2 SPG and 1.1 BPG on .571/.438/.691 shooting in 31 games (32.9 MPG).

In order for the trade to work, Green’s non-guaranteed contract will have to be partially guaranteed to at least $6.52MM for salary matching purposes, Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype tweets. Melton will earn $8.25MM next season and his $8MM salary in 2023/24 is partially guaranteed at $1.5MM.

As John Hollinger of The Athletic observes (via Twitter), the Sixers would lose the full mid-level exception with the deal unless they’re able to dump salary in subsequent moves, which could take them out of the running for P.J. Tucker, who is an unrestricted free agent after declining his player option.

Trading a guard in Melton and drafting a couple of forwards in Jake LaRavia and Roddy seems to indicate that Memphis wants to re-sign free agent Tyus Jones, who is one of the top point guards on the market. Jones has led the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio for four straight seasons and set career highs in PPG (8.7) and 3PT% (.390) in 2021/22.

It was reported multiple times in the past couple weeks that the Sixers were dangling the No. 23 pick and Green’s expiring, non-guaranteed deal in an effort to add a win-now veteran, and they were able to acquire a talented young player in Melton, who had reportedly drawn considerable interest around the league.

Melton, 24, is a strong, versatile defender capable of playing both guard positions. In 73 regular season games this past season (22.7 MPG), he averaged 10.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.7 APG and 1.4 SPG on .404/.374/.750 shooting. He’s extension-eligible this offseason, although the Sixers might hold off on that decision.

Summer League Commitments: Wolves, Warriors, Wizards, Magic

June 24th, 2022 at 5:11pm CST by JD Shaw

Kevon Harris has accepted a summer league invite from the Timberwolves, his agent Billy Davis of Family of Athletes told Hoops Rumors. Harris, a 6’6 guard, averaged 14.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals for the Raptors’ G League affiliate this season, shooting 49% from the floor and 39% from deep.

Harris went unselected in the 2020 NBA Draft after spending four collegiate seasons at Stephen F. Austin. This will be the first summer league stint of his career. The event will be held from July 7-17 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

There’s more summer league news to report:

Richmond’s Jacob Gilyard has agreed to play summer league with the Warriors, a league source told Hoops Rumors. Gilyard, a 5’9 point guard, averaged 13.3 points and 5.4 assists per game last season. He went undrafted on Thursday.
The Wizards are bringing guard Pat Spencer to their Las Vegas Summer League entry, agents Keith Glass and Luke Glass said. Spencer, 25, played for the team’s G League affiliate this season, averaging 7.5 points. Originally a lacrosse star at Loyola University Maryland, Spencer didn’t play organized basketball between 2016 and 2019. He left the school as the NCAA all-time leader in assists and second in points, then transitioned back to basketball.
Jared Wilson-Frame has committed to play with the Magic during summer league, agent Billy Davis told Hoops Rumors. Wilson-Frame averaged 16.4 points per game with the Jazz’s G League affiliate this season, shooting 41% from three-point range.

Hornets Hiring Steve Clifford As Head Coach

June 24th, 2022 at 4:33pm CST by Rory Maher

The Hornets are hiring Steve Clifford to be their head coach for a second time, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Marc Stein reported yesterday morning that Clifford had unexpectedly emerged as a serious candidate to replace James Borrego, who was fired after the team lost in the play-in tournament for the second consecutive season. Roderick Boone and Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer reported this morning that Clifford met with GM Mitch Kupchak and owner Michael Jordan earlier this week.

Clifford will receive a “multi-year” contract, Boone tweets.

Clifford, 60, previously coached the Hornets from 2013-18, compiling an overall record of 196-214. He took the club to the postseason in 2014 and 2016 — those are Charlotte’s only playoff appearances since 2010.

After his stint with the Hornets, Clifford was hired by Orlando to be their head coach, accumulating a 96-131 record from 2018-2021, including a couple of postseason trips in his first two seasons. His overall record with the Magic is a little deceptive, as Orlando pivoted into a full rebuild in his final season, when the team went 21-51.

Clifford was a long-time assistant prior to becoming a head coach, with stops in New York, Houston, Orlando and Los Angeles from 2000-2013. He was a consultant with the Nets last season.

Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, formerly the head coach of the Nets, had previously reached an agreement to become the Hornets’ new coach, but backed out of the deal and never signed the contract, thus re-starting the club’s coaching search.

Mike D’Antoni, who was said to be meeting with Jordan this week, was reportedly a finalist during both searches. There were conflicting reports on whether Terry Stotts was also a finalist before the team reached a deal with Atkinson — Stein wrote that D’Antoni was the “only other known finalist” at that point.

Bucks Signing Iverson Molinar

June 24th, 2022 at 4:25pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bucks are signing Iverson Molinar, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

In 34 games (34.1 MPG) as a junior for Mississippi State last season, the Panamanian guard averaged 17.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.2 SPG on .454/.252/.868 shooting. For his efforts, he earned a berth on the All-SEC First Team.

Molinar is ranked 29th on ESPN’s list of the top undrafted rookies, and was the 85th ranked prospect heading into the draft.

The terms of Molinar’s agreement are unclear, but if it’s an Exhibit 10 deal, it’ll be a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contract that could be converted into a two-way deal before the regular season begins. A player on an Exhibit 10 contract is also eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived and then becomes an affiliate player for his team’s G League squad.

Kings, Jeriah Horne Agree To Deal

June 24th, 2022 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have reached a contract agreement with undrafted rookie free agent Jeriah Horne, agent Daniel Hazan tells Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Horne had a well-traveled college career, starting at Nebraska before transferring to Tulsa following his freshman year. He spent two years at Tulsa, transferred to Colorado, then headed back to the Golden Hurricane for his “super-senior” season.

The 6’7″ forward averaged 16.1 points and 6.9 rebounds in 31 games (33.9 MPG) in 202122, posting an impressive shooting line of .444/.415/.838.

It’s unclear what Horne’s deal will look like, but generally when a team reaches a contract agreement with an undrafted rookie at this time of year and the terms aren’t reported, it ends up being an Exhibit 10 contract. Exhibit 10 deals, which are non-guaranteed, can be converted into two-way contracts before the regular season begins and also make a player eligible for a bonus of up to $50K if he’s waived and then joins his team’s G League affiliate.

Nets To Sign UNLV’s Donovan Williams To Exhibit 10 Deal

June 24th, 2022 at 3:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Donovan Williams has agreed to a contract with the Nets, Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.com tweets. It’s an Exhibit 10 deal, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors reports (Twitter link).

The 6’6” wing averaged 12.7 PPG and 3.3 RPG as a junior at UNLV last season, knocking down 43.6% of his 3-point attempts. Williams played his first two college seasons with Texas.

An Exhibit 10 is a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract that counts toward a team’s 20-man offseason roster limit, but doesn’t count against the cap unless the player makes the regular season roster.

A player on an Exhibit 10 contract can earn a bonus of up to $50K if he’s waived and then joins his team’s G League affiliate.

Sixers To Sign Aminu Mohammed, Michael Foster Jr.

June 24th, 2022 at 3:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have reached an agreement with undrafted Georgetown guard Aminu Mohammed, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). According to Haynes, Mohammed will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with Philadelphia.

Mohammed spent just one year in college, but made an impact for the Hoyas, averaging 13.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 1.6 SPG in 31 games (32.2 MPG). He struggled to score efficiently, however, shooting just 37.9% from the floor, including 31.0% on three-pointers.

Meanwhile, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), the 76ers have also struck a deal with another notable undrafted rookie, having agreed to sign Michael Foster Jr.

Foster, a forward who played for the G League Ignite in 2021/22, is the No. 3 prospect on ESPN’s list of undrafted rookies. The former five-star recruit recorded 14.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.9 BPG in 13 games (29.8 MPG) for the Ignite.

The terms of Foster’s agreement are unclear, but if it’s an Exhibit 10 deal like Mohammed’s, it’ll be a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract that could be converted into a two-way deal before the regular season begins. A player on an Exhibit 10 contract is also eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived and then becomes an affiliate player for his team’s G League squad.

Wizards Notes: Dunn, Davis, Beal, Henry

June 24th, 2022 at 3:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former lottery pick and free agent guard Kris Dunn will participate in a Wizards mini-camp this weekend, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. Dunn was the fifth pick of the 2017 draft

Dunn spent one season with the Timberwolves and three with the Bulls before joining the Hawks during the 2020/21 season, where he only saw action for four games due to an ankle injury. He struggled to get another NBA job last season until March, when he received a 10-day contract with Portland. He finished last season with the Trail Blazers, averaging 7.6 PPG and 5.6 APG in 24 MPG over 14 games.

We have more on the Wizards:

President of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard said lottery pick Johnny Davis not only fills a need in the backcourt, he’s also a high-character individual, Ava Wallace of the Washington Post writes. “Out on the floor, he understands the game very well. He’s a quick learner — we couldn’t find a coach who could compliment him enough about his basketball IQ, his character, his athleticism,” Sheppard said. “I think he’s an underrated passer — I’m going to continue to say he’s a great passer. He didn’t pass a whole lot in college, so I’m trying to encourage him subliminally to pass a little bit more.”
Sheppard said he’ll meet with franchise player Bradley Beal when free agency begins June 30, Robbins tweets. Beal is reportedly declining his $36.4MM option in order to enter the free agent but he’s widely expected to re-sign with Washington. He is eligible for a new five-year contract with the Wizards worth a projected $247MM+. The most a rival team could offer him in free agency would be a projected $183.6MM over four years.
Pierriá Henry will also attend the team’s mini-camp this week, according to Robbins (Twitter links). The 29-year-old Henry, a 6-foot-4 point guard who led Fenerbahçe to the 2021/22 Turkish Super League title, finished fourth in the EuroLeague Best Defender voting. Devon Dotson and Tahjere McCall will be among the other participants. Dotson played 22 games with the Bulls over the past two seasons.

Spurs Guaranteeing Zach Collins’ 2022/23 Salary

June 24th, 2022 at 3:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have decided to guarantee Zach Collins‘ salary for the 2022/23 season, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link).

Collins signed a three-year, $22MM deal with San Antonio last summer, but only the first year was fully guaranteed. His 2022/23 salary of $7.35MM was partially guaranteed for half that figure ($3.675MM). Keeping him under contract through today’s salary guarantee deadline will ensure he receives the full amount. His $7.7MM cap hit for ’23/24 remains non-guaranteed.

A series of foot injuries have limited Collins to just 39 games since the start of the 2019/20 season, but 28 of those came for the Spurs in the second half of ’21/22. In those 28 appearances, he put up 7.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 2.2 APG in 17.9 minutes per contest, flashing some of the promise that made him the 10th overall pick in 2017.

Bartelstein is confident that bigger things are ahead for his client, as he said to Orsborn: “He is going to have an amazing summer and will take his game to another level next season.”

The Spurs now have nine players on fully guaranteed salaries for ’22/23, with Thursday’s three draft picks – Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham, and Blake Wesley – expected to join that group. Keita Bates-Diop, Tre Jones, and Jock Landale remain under contract without full guarantees.

Thunder To Sign Jaden Shackelford To Exhibit 10 Deal

June 24th, 2022 at 3:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Thunder are signing Alabama guard Jaden Shackelford to an Exhibit 10 contract, Ben Creider of Sports Illustrated tweets. The contract agreement was confirmed by Shackleford’s agent, Adie von Gontard, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets.

Shackelford himself posted a “Thank you Thunder, let’s work!” tweet.

Shackelford, 21, averaged 16.6 PPG and 5.4 RPG while making 35.7% of his 3-point attempts for the Crimson Tide last season. The 6’3” guard averaged 15.2 PPG in 97 career games with Alabama.

An Exhibit 10 is a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract that counts toward a team’s 20-man offseason roster limit, but doesn’t count against the cap unless the player makes the regular season roster.

A player on an Exhibit 10 contract can earn a bonus of up to $50K if he’s waived and then joins his team’s G League affiliate.

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