Celtics Rumors

2025 NBA G League Draft Results

The NBA G League held its draft for the 2025/26 season on Saturday afternoon. Players who signed NBAGL contracts and whose rights weren’t already controlled by a team were part of the draft pool.

Affiliates from all 30 NBA teams took part in the draft, along with the unaffiliated Mexico City Capitanes.

Dillon Jones, who was a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA draft, was selected No. 1 overall by South Bay, which is the Lakers’ G League affiliate.

The 23-year-old small forward was drafted out of Weber State by Oklahoma City with the 26th pick last summer. He appeared in 54 games as a rookie, but only played 10.2 minutes per night and averaged 2.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

The Thunder traded Jones to Washington in June to clear a spot on their roster. The Wizards waived him last weekend and still owe him $2,753,280 for the remainder of the season.

Drafting Jones to South Bay won’t prevent another NBA team from signing him, since holding a player’s G League rights doesn’t mean teams control his NBA rights. However, it will give the Lakers a chance to take a first-hand look at him before potentially offering a standard or two-way contract.

With the second pick, the Osceola Magic selected Tyler Smith, who lost a battle for the Bucks’ final roster spot and was waived last Sunday. The 20-year-old power forward was expected to draw interest as a two-way target, but it doesn’t appear any offers have materialized yet. Smith, who started his career with the now-defunct G League Ignite, was taken with the 33rd pick in last year’s NBA draft.

The Wizards’ affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, had three of the next four picks, selecting Ace Baldwin at No. 3, Nolan Hickman at No. 5 and Cam Carter at No. 6.

Two notable second-generation players were selected in today’s draft. Jamal Mashburn Jr. was taken at No. 8 by the Westchester Knicks, and Jabri Abdur-Rahim, whose father Shareef serves as G League president, went to the Stockton Kings at No. 29.

Here are the full 2025 G League draft results:


Round One:

  1. South Bay Lakers (Lakers): Dillon Jones
  2. Osceola Magic (Magic): Tyler Smith
  3. Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Ace Baldwin
  4. Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Adama Bal
  5. Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Nolan Hickman
  6. Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Cam Carter
  7. Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Stefan Todorovic
  8. Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Jamal Mashburn Jr.
  9. Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Ethan Taylor
  10. Raptors 905 (Raptors): A.J. Hoggard
  11. Texas Legends (Mavericks): Kario Oquendo
  12. Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Kenan Blackshear
  13. Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Vinicius da Silva (Brazil)
  14. Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Josh Cohen
  15. Texas Legends (Mavericks): Cearius Warren (St. Thomas University)
  16. Osceola Magic (Magic): Ebenezer Dowuona
  17. Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): John Harge (Adams State University)
  18. Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Tray Jackson
  19. Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Jaden Seymour
  20. Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Chris Mantis
  21. College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Tyrin Lawrence
  22. Raptors 905 (Raptors): JP Pegues
  23. Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Olisa Akonobi
  24. Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): No pick
  25. South Bay Lakers (Lakers): Selton Miguel
  26. Motor City Cruise (Pistons): O’Mar Stanley
  27. Noblesville Boom (Pacers): Ben Coupet Jr.
  28. Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Des Watson
  29. Stockton Kings (Kings): Jabri Abdur-Rahim
  30. Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Carter Whitt
  31. Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): J.Z. Zaher

Round Two:

  1. Texas Legends (Mavericks): Sean Durugordon
  2. Stockton Kings (Kings): No pick
  3. Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Jermaine Couisnard
  4. Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Dischon Thomas
  5. Valley Suns (Suns): Bryce Thompson
  6. Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Darius Maddox
  7. Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Derrin Boyd
  8. Austin Spurs (Spurs): Pierre Crockrell II
  9. Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Markeese Hastings
  10. Maine Celtics (Celtics): Vance Jackson
  11. Texas Legends (Mavericks): Chandler Baker
  12. Osceola Magic (Magic): No pick
  13. Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): Onno Steger
  14. Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Donte Ingram
  15. Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Kobe Webster
  16. Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Tyler Hawkins (Barry University)
  17. Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Jason Hubbard (Taylor University)
  18. Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): T.J. Weeks
  19. Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): No pick
  20. Austin Spurs (Spurs): No pick
  21. Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): No pick
  22. Noblesville Boom (Pacers): Ahmaad Rorie
  23. Maine Celtics (Celtics): Nicolas Timberlake
  24. Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): No pick
  25. Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers): No pick
  26. Texas Legends (Mavericks): No pick
  27. Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Franco Miller Jr.
  28. Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Ray Harrison
  29. Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): No pick
  30. Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Fousseyni Drame
  31. Osceola Magic (Magic): No pick

Teams will fill out their rosters with affiliate players, returning rights players, tryout players, and players who are assigned to the G League from the NBA roster (including those on two-way contracts).

G League training camps open on Monday, with this year’s NBAGL Tip-Off Tournament getting underway on November 7. The Tip-Off Tournament will be played over about a month-and-a-half and will be followed by the G League regular season, which begins on December 19.

Celtics Notes: Gonzalez, Simons, Scheierman, Tatum

Rookie forward Hugo Gonzalez looks like a strong contender for regular playing time after an impressive NBA debut Friday night, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Gonzalez energized the Celtics when he entered the game midway through the first quarter with a blend of athleticism and aggressive defense. Coach Joe Mazzulla trusted him to guard Knicks star Jalen Brunson and gave him heavy minutes in the second half as Boston tried to stage a comeback.

“Stepping on the floor was good,” Gonzalez said. “But still, I’m not having a great memory of this day because we lost the game that we could have won. We’re working on details, gotta get better there.”

Terada notes that Mazzulla’s rotation is still unsettled as Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh all saw minutes in the first half, while Josh Minott wasn’t used at all after playing in the season opener. Gonzalez is only 19 and didn’t play much last season with Real Madrid, but he could establish a regular role with the Celtics as a defensive stopper off the bench.

“He understands what it takes,” Mazzulla said. “I think he has a clear understanding of what his role is, and it’s to defend at the highest of levels and play with a level of effort on the offensive end. And he’s able to do that. There are things he needs to clean up, obviously, but I thought he did a great job of helping accept that third-quarter tone of his effort and his toughness.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

  • Anfernee Simons, who spent four years playing for Chauncey Billups in Portland before being traded to Boston his summer, couldn’t believe that his former coach was arrested this week in a federal investigation of illegal gambling, Terada adds in a separate story. “Just in shock, obviously, I have a great relationship with Chauncey,” Simons said (Twitter video link). “Speaking even after the trade, he’s checking in on me, I’m checking in on him. We have a great relationship. It’s an unfortunate situation for him to be in, especially with him and his family. All the media attention is coming in, the scrutiny.”
  • The Celtics need more production from their three best players to remain competitive while Mazzulla figures out his rotation, observes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. In the season’s first two games, Payton Pritchard missed 12 of his 14 three-point attempts and Derrick White is only shooting 7-of-24 from beyond the arc and 12-of-38 overall. Jaylen Brown is scoring consistently, but he committed seven turnovers on Friday.
  • Boston will probably pick up Scheierman’s $2.7MM salary for the 2026/27 season, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. The decision is due by the end of the month, and Robb believes it’s a low-cost gamble for a team that still has to watch every dollar it spends. He views it as less certain that the Celtics will exercise their option next year for the final season of Scheierman’s rookie scale contract, when he’ll earn nearly $5MM.
  • In the same piece, Robb speculates that it will be sometime in March before Jayson Tatum can realistically consider returning from his Achilles tear.

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

Each of the NBA’s 30 teams is permitted to carry 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals once the regular season begins, which works out to a maximum of 540 players across 30 rosters.

[RELATED: 2025/26 NBA Roster Counts]

Of those 540 potential roster spots, 522 are currently occupied to open the 2025/26 season, leaving 18 open roster spots around the NBA across 17 teams. Here’s the full breakdown of those 18 openings around the league:

One open standard roster spot and one open two-way slot

  • Cleveland Cavaliers

The only team operating above the second tax apron, the Cavaliers are likely in no hurry to fill the 15th spot on their standard roster, which would cost them exponentially more in tax penalties beyond the player’s salary. Cleveland also has the ability to make changes involving its 14th roster spot at some point if it wants to — Thomas Bryant minimum-salary contract is fully non-guaranteed, so he’d only be owed a prorated portion of his salary if he’s waived at some point on or before January 7.

While two-way players don’t count against the salary cap, they still earn modest salaries (half the rookie minimum), so it’s possible the Cavs will look to save a little money on the league’s priciest roster by holding their third two-way slot open for the time being. A team that has an open standard roster spot is also limited to 90 overall active games for its two-way players instead of 50 apiece, so the Cavs probably aren’t looking to use up many of those games early in the season if they can help it.

One open standard roster spot

  • Atlanta Hawks
  • Boston Celtics
  • Denver Nuggets
  • Detroit Pistons
  • Golden State Warriors
  • Houston Rockets
  • Los Angeles Clippers
  • Los Angeles Lakers
  • Miami Heat
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • New York Knicks
  • Orlando Magic
  • Philadelphia 76ers
  • Phoenix Suns
  • Toronto Raptors

Many of these teams are carrying an open roster spot for luxury tax reasons. The Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, Rockets, Clippers, Lakers, Timberwolves, Knicks, Magic, Sixers, Suns, and Raptors are all over the tax line, while the Heat don’t have much breathing room below it.

Most of those teams will add 15th men eventually, but won’t do so yet. Several of them – Golden State, Houston, both L.A. teams, New York, and Orlando – actually can’t do so yet, since they’re operating so close to their respective hard caps.

The Hawks have room under the tax line for a 15th man, but of all the teams in this group, the Pistons could be the best bet to fill their open roster spot sooner rather than later. They’re well more than $20MM below the tax line, so there are no concerns related to finances or spending flexibility. Still, given that Jaden Ivey is the only player on the roster dealing with more than a day-to-day injury right now, there’s no urgency to bring in a 15th man immediately.

One open two-way slot

  • Brooklyn Nets

In the past, a team without a G League affiliate of its own might be slow to fill its two-way contract slots, but all 30 NBA clubs now have affiliates in the NBAGL, so outside of thriftiness, there’s no real excuse not to carry a full complement of two-way players once the G League season begins in the coming weeks.

That’s especially true for the Nets, whose team salary is the lowest in the league entering the season. With so many rookies on the team’s standard roster, a third two-way player might not see any action at the NBA level anytime soon, but it would still make sense for Brooklyn to bring in another young prospect to develop in the G League.

Brad Stevens Talks Celtics’ Offseason Roster Decisions

Even if Jayson Tatum hadn’t torn his Achilles during the second round of the 2025 playoffs, the Celtics planned to shed salary during the offseason, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens confirmed to Jay King of The Athletic.

Boston had operated over the second tax apron in 2023/24 and ’24/25, winning 125 regular season games and a championship during those two years. However, the club made it a priority to get below that line this summer in order to reduce what would have been a record-setting luxury tax bill and to create more flexibility for roster moves going forward.

“First and foremost, what we were staring at was a bill like no one has ever stared at, right?” Stevens said. “So that was not the driver as much as the second apron, but that’s still a significant, significant thing. And our owners — past and present — have always been committed to spending, but it made sense for us, even in that perspective to retool, in my opinion. And then when you’re sitting over those aprons, you just have a lot of restrictions. You know, right now our 2032 (first-round) pick is frozen. That will be unfrozen if we’re under (the second apron) for three of four years.”

According to Stevens, before the Celtics traded away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis and lost Al Horford and Luke Kornet in free agency, he expressed that he was willing to discuss his plan for the offseason with “anyone who wanted to talk about it,” including coaches and players, per King.

“We were very forthright with everybody,” Stevens said. “We tried to be as proactive (as possible) communicating that, ‘Hey, these things are gonna happen. We’re gonna bring in young, hungry, maybe unproven, maybe a little scarred, but high-character people that are gonna play hard, that want to be a part of something special.'”

That last point – focusing on “high-character” additions – was an important one for Stevens, given all the veteran leadership the team was losing on the trade market and in free agency.

“It was not only that, ‘Hey, we’ve gotta reset and retool,’ but the people we bring into this place — whether through the draft or a trade or a signing — yes, we’re looking for maybe some young, proven, cost-effective people, but at the same time, they have to be high character and they have to be high competitive character,” he explained, per King. “Because if they’re not, we’re just losing too much in that area to sustain it.”

The Celtics are still operating in tax apron territory entering the 2025/26 season — their team salary is roughly $4MM above the first apron threshold and in the tax by about $12MM. But the team has plenty of breathing room below the second apron, giving the front office more freedom to operate on the trade market during the season. Boston can aggregate salaries in a trade this season, for example, after not having the ability to do so last year.

“If you’re going to have to reset and retool, what you’re trying to do is you’re just trying to give yourself a chance to be opportunistic if that presents itself,” Stevens told King. “We lived it. We knew it was coming. And, you know, it wasn’t the most fun summer for a GM or a front office person but we knew that that was part of the pain of A) going all-in in the last couple of years and then B) making sure we give ourselves a chance to continue to be opportunistic around our young core — and our core is still young and still very, very good.”

Stein’s Latest: Connaughton, Knicks, Mazzulla, Curry, Mavs

Charlotte’s decision to release Spencer Dinwiddie — after signing the veteran guard to a guaranteed minimum-salary contract over the summer — surprised some people around the NBA, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).

There was some speculation that the Hornets might waive Pat Connaughton instead, but Stein hears the team decided to keep the veteran wing because he’s popular in the locker room and has championship experience. Another key factor: the Hornets remain cautiously optimistic they might be able to use Connaughton’s $9.4MM expiring contract in a trade before February’s deadline, Stein writes.

Here’s more from Stein:

  • The Knicks attempted to speak to several employed head coaches when they were looking for a replacement for Tom Thibodeau, but all of their formal requests were denied. According to Stein, there have been rumblings that New York also informally explored the possibility of trying to pursue Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, which obviously went nowhere — a month after the Knicks hired Mike Brown, Mazzulla signed an extension with Boston. While the Celtics vaguely referred to Mazzulla’s agreement as a multiyear extension, Stein hears the 37-year-old likely received a six-year contract.
  • There’s zero doubt that the Warriors will eventually re-sign Seth Curry — the only question is when, says Stein. While Golden State could technically bring Curry back on November 11, waiting a bit beyond that date would give the Warriors more breathing room below their second apron hard cap, and they are believed to be considering that path, per Stein.
  • The Mavericks waived NBA veterans Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Dalano Banton and Dennis Smith Jr. on Friday. Their G League affiliate — the Texas Legends — controls the returning rights of Robinson-Earl and Banton, and Dallas expects both players to open the season with the Legends, according to Stein. The Mavs are also optimistic that Smith with play for the Legends, but Stein points out that the former lottery pick’s rights are currently held by the Wisconsin Herd — an NBGL trade between Wisconsin and Texas would need to occur for that to happen. Banton was on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Mavs (Robinson-Earl and Smith were on Exhibit 9s), so he’s the only player of the group who will receive a bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the Legends.

Celtics Notes: Harper, Simons, Queta, Rotation

Ron Harper Jr.‘s path to landing a two-way contract with the Celtics began at last year’s training camp, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. After being waived last fall, Harper played for Boston’s G League affiliate in Maine until the Pistons offered him a two-way opportunity in January. He became a free agent again this summer and was happy to learn that the Celtics were interested in a reunion.

“As soon as my stint was over with Detroit, I was gathering options and my agent mentioned Boston really would love to have me back,” Harper said. “In the back of my mind it was just like, last training camp I was really grateful because I learned a lot of things. They were coming off an NBA championship, so just being in here, being around the program, just to being able to see and being able to learn things. So I feel like that was a big part of me getting a two-way in Detroit, of me getting that opportunity. And then when the opportunity came to come back, it was something I jumped on very quick.”

Harper signed a training camp deal in September and made a strong impression during the preseason. He’s expected to split his time between the NBA team and the G League club, and he hopes to prove he’s worthy of a long-term future in Boston.

“They emphasized to me that my decision-making, with the ball in my hands, being primary, secondary ball-handler and just being able to defend and hit threes,” Harper said. “So just being able to perfect all of those things, it’ll carve out my role perfectly.”

There’s more from Boston:

  • Anfernee Simons was a proven scorer in Portland, but he understands that he needs to improve his defense and find ways to contribute to winning with the Celtics “no matter what that looks like,” per Jay King of The Athletic. Simons is encountering a different style of coaching with Joe Mazzulla, who has constantly challenged him since training camp began. “I knew that I was going to get pushed in ways I’ve never been pushed and maybe play a different way that I’ve never played in my career, where I was always the guy making every single play, and it was always dependent on me, especially the last couple years,” Simons said. “And, so, now we got a whole bunch of veteran players that know how to play and know how to move the ball and know how to just play basketball a little bit more. And, so, that’s what I was excited about — being a part of that.”
  • The loss of several frontcourt players for financial reasons opened the door for Neemias Queta to become the starting center, notes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The Celtics want Queta to handle the basics of protecting the rim, rebounding and staying out of foul trouble, and he has filled that role during the preseason. “We’re going to be hard on Neemi and I’m really looking forward to coaching him throughout the year,” Mazzulla said. “But as I told him, this is what you worked your whole life for, a chance to start for the Celtics, and you see this with players when they step into different phases of their career. It’s easy to be the rookie, kind of easy to be the fourth-string big, and then it’s kind of easy to be the backup. And now you have to develop a mindset to deliver every night, and I think he has that.”
  • Mazzulla may use a 10- or 11-man rotation for most of the season, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. Robb believes Luka Garza, Xavier Tillman, Chris Boucher and Josh Minott have all shown they’re capable of playing, so Mazzulla may mix and match his big men to find the right combinations.

Celtics Make Cuts To Set Regular Season Roster

The Celtics officially waived forward Hason Ward and wing Aaron Scott from their Exhibit 10 contracts on Saturday, according to NBA.com’s transaction log. Boston also moved forward with its plan to sign-and-waive RJ Luis, officially placing him back on waivers today.

As a result of the cuts, the Celtics’ roster now appears ready to go for the regular season. The team is carrying 14 players on standard contracts, including 12 on fully guaranteed salaries and Jordan Walsh and Neemias Queta on partially guaranteed deals. Additionally, all three of the club’s two-way slots are filled.

Boston isn’t expected to fill its 15th standard roster slot early in the season due to its proximity to the luxury tax line. Any player the Celtics sign into that slot would cost them exponentially more in tax penalties.

Ward, Scott, and Luis are all expected to report to the Maine Celtics, Boston’s G League affiliate. They’ll be eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300 on top of their standard NBAGL salaries if they spend at least 60 days with Maine.

This is the second time this month that Luis has been waived by the Celtics — they needed to bring him back on an Exhibit 10 contract in order to make sure he was eligible for the bonus he’ll get for spending two-plus months with the G League team.

Injury Notes: Queen, White, Brown, Raptors, Rockets, More

Rookie big man Derik Queen has been medically cleared to participate in full basketball activities, the Pelicans announced today (via Twitter).

Head coach Willie Green said Queen was a full participant in Saturday’s practice, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic. While the team wants to get Queen up to speed, Green said New Orleans will be careful not to rush the process after a lengthy layoff.

Queen has been rehabilitating from July surgery to address a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist, an injury he sustained at Summer League in Las Vegas. He was a limited participant during New Orleans’ training camp due to the injury.

Queen was selected with the 13th overall pick in June after the Pelicans sent Atlanta this year’s No. 23 selection and an unprotected 2026 first-rounder (the most favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s picks) for the right to draft the Maryland big man, who was highly productive in his lone season with the Terrapins. In 36 games last season, the 20-year-old forward/center averaged 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 30.4 minutes per contest.

We have several more injury notes from around the NBA:

  • Bulls guard Coby White, who has been battling a calf strain since August and didn’t play in any preseason games this fall, “looked good” after going through most of the contact portions of Saturday’s practice, according to head coach Billy Donovan (Twitter links K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network). Donovan added that White would go through additional contact work on Monday after taking Sunday off. For his part, White said he was encouraged by today’s session, though he cautioned he’s still working on regaining his conditioning and rhythm. “We’ll see. It’s in the works,” White said of potentially playing in Chicago’s season opener, per Johnson.
  • Celtics star Jaylen Brown sustained a left hamstring injury in Wednesday’s preseason finale. As Jay King of The Athletic writes, head coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t say whether Brown would be active for next Wednesday’s season opener, but the injury doesn’t sound serious — Brown is considered day-to-day, per Mazzulla.
  • Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic expressed optimism that lottery pick Collin Murray-Boyles could be ready for Wednesday’s season opener in Atlanta after the former South Carolina forward sustained an arm injury last week, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter links), Murray-Boyles is day-to-day with a right forearm strain.
  • Although Raptors center Jakob Poeltl missed time during preseason with lower back stiffness and exited Friday’s preseason finale with the same injury, Rajakovic clarified after the game that the Austrian big man was pulled for precautionary reasons (Twitter links via Lewenberg). Poeltl is under contract through 2029/30 after signing a lucrative long-term extension in July.
  • Forward Jae’Sean Tate, who underwent offseason ankle surgery, went through contract drills in Saturday’s practice, per Rockets head coach Ime Udoka (Twitter link via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). The team remains optimistic that Tate will be available for Houston’s season opener, but Dorian Finney-Smith probably won’t be, according to Udoka. Finney-Smith, a free agent addition, is recovering from June ankle surgery.
  • Former Alabama forward Grant Nelson was originally expected to sign an Exhibit 10 deal with the Nets shortly after Summer League in July, but the signing was delayed until a few days ago due to an otherwise unspecified “stress reaction from overworking,” he told Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “It was like a small, little minor injury that held me out of training camp. And then I feel like I did everything I could. I caught the injury really early, so I wasn’t out long. But it worked out perfect. So now I’m back healthy, feeling 100 percent.”
  • Backup Lakers center Jaxson Hayes exited Friday’s preseason finale with a right wrist contusion, the team announced (Twitter link via Dan Woike of The Athletic). Head coach JJ Redick said after the game that X-Rays on the wrist were negative, with another update on Hayes expected to come on Sunday, as veteran NBA report Mark Medina relays (via Twitter).
  • Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija experienced upper back stiffness on Thursday in Utah, causing him to exit Portland’s preseason finale, per the team (Twitter link). It’s unclear if Avdija will miss additional time as a result of the injury.

Celtics To Sign, Waive RJ Luis

Just a couple days after waiving him from a two-way contract, the Celtics are re-signing RJ Luis to an Exhibit 10 deal, reports Noa Dalzell of CLNS and CelticsBlog.com (via Twitter).

According to Dalzell, Luis will be waived a second time and head to the Maine Celtics to open the 2025/26 season. The Exhibit 10 language in his contract will make Luis eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with Boston’s G league affiliate.

Luis earned numerous accolades — including Big East Player of the Year — following a junior season with St. John’s in which he averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals in 35 games (31.8 minutes per contest). The 6’7″ wing posted a shooting line of .439/.336/.747.

Luis, who reportedly turned down lucrative NIL offers to return to college, didn’t hear his name called during June’s draft, making him an unrestricted free agent. He was ranked No. 56 on ESPN’s big board prior to the draft and was No. 58 on Sam Vecenie of The Athletic‘s board.

Luis, who turns 23 years old next month, signed a two-way deal with the Jazz shortly after going undrafted. He was traded to Boston in August when the Celtics sent Utah a pair of second-round picks to take on Georges Niang‘s salary.

The Celtics waived Luis on Wednesday in order to promote Ron Harper Jr. to a two-way deal.

Roster Moves: A. Scott, Cooke, Council, Carey, Hunter

The Celtics have signed wing Aaron Scott to an Exhibit 10 contract, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Scott went undrafted earlier this year, making him an unrestricted free agent.

After spending three college seasons at North Texas, Scott transferred to St. John’s for his senior year. In 36 appearances with the Red Storm in 2024/25, he averaged 8.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 27.2 minutes per game. His shooting slash line was .389/.293/.813.

While those numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, college coaches who spoke to The Athletic in June viewed Scott as a “deep sleeper” who could potentially work his way onto an NBA roster at some point.

Here are a few more transactions from around the NBA:

  • The Trail Blazers have waived Javonte Cooke, the team announced in a press release. He had been signed to an Exhibit 10 deal for training camp and preseason. A 6’6″ shooting guard, Cooke has played primarily in the G League since 2022, with a stint in Canada for the Brampton Honey Badgers in 2024. The 26-year-old made 42 appearances for the Oklahoma City Blue last season, averaging 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 28.2 minutes per game while converting 42.4% of his shots from the floor, including 33.5% of his three-point attempts.
  • Portland’s G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix, acquired Cooke’s returning rights in a trade with the Blue earlier this week. While that would typically signify a player is headed to the NBAGL to open the season, Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report hears the Blazers are still considering Cooke for their vacant two-way spot, so there’s a chance he could re-sign with Portland (Twitter link).
  • The Rockets have signed a trio of free agents, according to Smith, who tweets that the team has added Vernon Carey Jr., Ricky Council IV and Tyrese Hunter. All three players will soon be waived, sources tell Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). High-flying wing Council spent the past two years with Philadelphia. He was waived by the 76ers in late July and was reportedly going to sign with the Nets, but that deal fell through. Carey, a 24-year-old center, was the No. 32 overall pick of the 2020 draft. He holds three years of NBA experience and last played professionally in Turkey. Hunter, a 6’0″ guard, went undrafted out of Memphis in June. As a senior last season, he averaged 13.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.5 SPG in 32 games (34.0 MPG), posting a shooting line of .415/.401/.774.
  • With the possible exception of Cooke, all of these players will be eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they’re released and spend at least 60 days with their respective clubs’ G League affiliates.