Celtics Rumors

Celtics Notes: Training Camp, Scheierman, Tatum, Cassell

September 28th, 2024 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics are getting an early challenge from head coach Joe Mazzulla as they begin the defense of their NBA title, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Boston and Denver opened training camps this week in preparation for their games next Friday and Sunday in Abu Dhabi, and Jaylen Brown said the first practices have been intense.

“Training camp has been hard,” he said. “Training camp has been a lot of conditioning, a lot of defensive stuff, setting the tone on the defensive end, pushing ourselves. It’s been great. It’s exactly what we needed. We did not ease into training camp by no means. Joe Mazzulla is a psycho in a good way.”

It was a very short offseason for the Celtics, who closed out the NBA Finals a little more than three and a half months ago. It was even shorter for Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, who were part of Team USA in the Summer Olympics. Despite the brief break, the players seem ready to get back to business.

“I think it’s very, very mental,” Holiday said. “Obviously that’s where most of the game can be won. Concentration, doing things while you’re tired, playing without passing, playing without scoring. How do you win the mental game, I feel like, is the biggest part – if you’re tired physically or mentally. Again, he’s just throwing everything at us.”

There’s more from Boston:

The Celtics ordered Baylor Scheierman to add weight as he prepares for his first NBA season, Robb adds in a separate story. Scheierman reported to camp about 10-15 pounds heavier than he was in July. “I think from Summer League to now I spent a lot of time on my body, working on my body, trying to put on a lot of lean mass,” Scheierman said. “… Also just working on my shot, continuing to tune up things, try to get it off quicker.”
As Tatum predicted at media day, Mazzulla is hoping he’ll take extra motivation from not being named MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals or NBA Finals and then being benched for much of the Olympics, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him yet, because of how much he works and how he’s willing to grow,” Mazzulla said. “So I thought it was great that he has something to work toward. Sometimes when you get success you don’t have that next hunger right in front of you. Sometimes you’ve got to wait for it. Sometimes it’s a loss; sometimes it’s a losing streak. He was able to get that right in front of him.”
Assistant coach Sam Cassell has experience in defending an NBA championship, Himmelsbach adds. Cassell was part of the Rockets team that won back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995. “I can tell you no one here is talking about repeating or trying to defend anything,” Cassell said. “It’s just a new year and a new season. We just want to go win a championship every year.”

And-Ones: G League Trade, Brissett, Future Power Rankings, Lowe

September 27th, 2024 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns‘ and Pacers‘ G League affiliates have completed a trade involving a former No. 3 overall NBA draft pick, per a press release from the Valley Suns. Phoenix’s new affiliate acquired the returning rights to guard David Stockton from the Indiana Mad Ants in exchange for the returning rights to forward Garrison Brooks and former lottery pick Jahlil Okafor.

Brooks and Okafor were among the Suns’ picks in June’s expansion draft, but it’s unclear if either one intends to play in the G League at all in 2024/25 — they both competed overseas last season.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Free agent swingman Oshae Brissett is believed to be drawing interest from a EuroLeague team, according to a report from Sportske.net. As Dario Skerletic of Sportando relays, the Serbian outlet says that the Belgrade-based club Crvena Zvezda has its eye on Brissett as a potential target. The five-year NBA veteran, who won a title last season with the Celtics, has been on the lookout for a new home since he turned down his player option with Boston in June.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, Bobby Marks, and Tim Bontemps (Insider link) have published the latest installment of their annual “future power rankings,” which are based on each team’s projected on-court success for the next three seasons. The Thunder top this year’s version of the list, while the Celtics drop from No. 1 to No. 2 despite their 2024 championship, since their salary cap situation may get untenable in the near future. The Knicks (third) Sixers (fourth), Mavericks (fifth), Rockets (seventh), Timberwolves (eighth), and Spurs (10th) each rose five or more spots to claim a place in ESPN’s top 10.
Howard Beck of The Ringer sorts the NBA’s 30 teams into six separate tiers based on how clear their plans are going forward. The Nets and Wizards, in full-on rebuilds, are among the teams in the “ever-clear” top tier along with championship hopefuls like the Mavericks and Sixers, while clubs with less obvious goals, like the Hawks, Bulls, and Raptors, find themselves in the lowest “fun-house mirror” tier.
ESPN has laid off senior writer Zach Lowe, sources tell Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. Lowe is the second noteworthy NBA reporter to depart the network in recent weeks, joining Adrian Wojnarowski, who unexpectedly announced his retirement from the news industry last week.

Celtics Notes: Walker, Practice Methods, Kornet, Tillman

September 26th, 2024 at 10:31am CST by Dana Gauruder

Lonnie Walker IV made a surprise move when he signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Celtics. It was an unconventional decision for a player with 322 regular season NBA games on his résumé, including 58 with the Nets last season.

Walker explains that he had limited options in free agency.

“I wish I had a clear-cut answer for that as to why I didn’t get a guaranteed deal,” Walker said, per Brian Robb of MassLive.com. “But it’s just the way the cards fall. As a man, good, bad or ugly, you got to accept what fate is given and continue to push. I’m not going to stop or put my head down because I’m not given what I expected.”

With 14 guaranteed contracts and a heavy tax burden, the Celtics are unlikely to carry a 15th man to start the season. Walker says if he’s waived and winds up on Boston’s G League team, he’ll handle it professionally.

“(Brad Stevens) also mentioned that there’s a possibility that I might spend some time in the G League with Maine, and honestly, I’m perfectly fine with that,” Walker said. “Because as a man, you’ve got to take it on the chin. You’ve got to continue to work. You have to continue to be prepared and just keep being ready. I think I’m mentally prepared for almost any outcome that may pop up, and I know sooner or later that the worm will turn and that the light’s still at the end of the tunnel.”

We have more on the Celtics:

Nobody could make a basket during the team’s first training camp practice. That was by design. The rims were covered with “bubbles” and the Celtics had to score “points” by other means. “You get your points based on rebounds, turnovers, blocks, steals, everything except putting the ball in the hole essentially,” Sam Hauser told Jay King of The Athletic. “I guess it makes you focus your energy on something other than trying to score, which is probably the (goal). It’s just a different emphasis which is great. But it was interesting for sure.” King details Joe Mazzulla‘s unconventional practice drills.
Luke Kornet re-signed with the Celtics on a one-year deal early in free agency. Kornet wasn’t looking to go elsewhere, he told Robb and other media members. “It’s just been an awesome to be able to play basketball here,” Kornet said. “In terms of every controllable of that side — the leadership, the teammates, just what Boston’s been like for me and my family — I knew that it was an awesome place to come back and stay. And I wanted to be able to do that.”
Xavier Tillman received a two-year deal to stay with the Celtics. Tillman has settled in with the franchise and the city of Boston since joining the team in a deadline-day deal last season, he told Robb. “We’re very, very comfortable,” Tillman said. “At first, when I got here, I didn’t know, because it was finishing up my contract, I didn’t know how it was all gonna pan out for me. But now as far as the city and everything, I feel like I know all the streets, and I know where I’m going. I know about them crazy potholes and stuff like that. Like I’m good now.”
Tillman underwent knee surgery in July but is a full go at camp, Robb reports. “Yeah it was the main reason I was out different periods last year,” Tillman said of the procedure. “My knee would just swell up really bad after a game. But it’s been recovering really well. Like, as far as my range of motion, as far as my strength and stuff like that, and just being able to have a hard day and not have it swell back up. So it’s been progressing really well.” Tillman and Kornet will play key roles while Kristaps Porzingis rehabs from surgery on his left leg.

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Tillman, Kornet, Tatum, Brown, Horford

September 24th, 2024 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

After undergoing surgery in June to address a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg, Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis was ruled out for the start of the 2024/25 season, with an expectation that he’d be sidelined for at least five or six months. On Tuesday at the team’s media day, he offered an update on his recovery progress, telling reporters – including ESPN’s Tim Bontemps – that he’s “doing pretty good” and has increased his basketball activities ahead of training camp.

“Walking obviously with (no limp),” Porzingis said when asked about what he’s been able to do. “I’m running, I’m on the court, shooting normal. … I’m doing a lot of stuff honestly. I was already kind of with some live contact, doing some stuff and, yeah, it felt really good afterwards.”

Although Porzingis didn’t offer a specific target date or return timeline during his media day session, he recently told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that he’s aiming to make it back in December if his recovery continues to progress as planned. According to Shelburne, the Celtics are constantly evaluating his progress and will err on the side of caution when it comes to reinserting him into the lineup.

“I don’t know that we’re interested in putting a timeline on him because the injury is unique,” president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said on Tuesday, per Bontemps. “But as far as how he feels and the progress that he’s made, I’d say we’re very, very pleased with where he is, and maybe a little surprised.”

Here’s more on the Celtics:

Porzingis isn’t the only Celtics big man to have undergone surgery this offseason. According to Stevens, Xavier Tillman had a knee scope in July and Luke Kornet underwent a procedure on his wrist right after the season, but both players are recovered and good to go for camp, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
Star forward Jayson Tatum joked on Tuesday that no one was happier than Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla that Tatum wasn’t named Finals MVP and then was held out of two Olympic games, since both experiences could provide added motivation heading into 2024/25, Weiss writes for The Athletic. Still, Tatum said he didn’t need any extra motivation and that he enjoyed his Olympic experience as a whole despite the “unique circumstance” of being benched for two games.
While Tatum downplayed his Olympic role (or lack thereof) as a source of motivation for the coming season, teammate Al Horford said he “personally was not happy about” Tatum’s sporadic minutes and Jaylen Brown‘s omission from the U.S. roster, according to Shelburne. “Those guys, they’re very special to me. And even though it was nothing against me, it motivated me and all of us for this season,” Horford said. “I know that they handled it well. They’re fine. But when you see those two guys, the amount of work that they’ve put in, the sacrifices they have made. To be on the top of their games and that happened to them, it was hard to watch (the Olympics) and not see them in the position that we would’ve hoped to see them in.” Brown, who expressed his displeasure in the summer after not being named to Team USA, added on Tuesday that he’s “extremely motivated” heading into the 2024/25 season “for obvious reasons.”
As Weiss relays, Tatum told reporters on Tuesday that he has been making some mechanical tweaks to his jump shot this offseason after struggling with it at the Olympics and in the 2024 postseason. “There (are) some things I could’ve fixed (earlier), but just in the midst of the playoffs trying to manage your rest and things like that, it’s a little tougher,” Tatum said. “I was still playing well, just wasn’t shooting the ball as well as I would have liked. And obviously, we were winning, so it wasn’t the time or place to try to fix things in that moment.”

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Horford, Center Options, Brown

September 21st, 2024 at 8:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jayson Tatum spoke about winning his first championship, the quest to repeat, and a few other topics during a recent public appearance to promote his new children’s book, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The Celtics are preparing to open training camp in a few days, but the memories of the title run are still fresh in Tatum’s mind.

“We’ve gotten close a bunch of times,” he said. “We lost in the Finals. There’s a lot of people that doubted us, and I remember thinking about, ‘Man, when we win the championship, I can’t wait to tell everybody that doubted us, that had something to say.’ But you realize that moment that we won, when the confetti was falling and then the parade, it’s not about the people that doubted you. It’s about you guys, the guys that supported us along the way. Everybody that believed in us, and I can honestly say, the parade was the best two hours of my life.”

Tatum told the crowd, which was mostly made up of children and their parents, that his confidence level grew after the Nuggets were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. He had been expecting to face Denver in the NBA Finals and felt good about the Celtics’ chances against anyone else.

When Boston took a 3-0 lead over Dallas, Tatum admitted being so excited about having the chance to win a title that he couldn’t sleep. He said the team was “so anxious and so tight” prior to Game 4, which the Celtics lost in a blowout, but everyone was more relaxed when they returned home to wrap up the series in Game 5.

Tatum also discussed the challenges the Celtics will face as they enter the season as defending champs.

“(Coach) Joe Mazzulla, he had a great quote the other day,” Tatum said. “He said, we’re not defending anything. We’re chasing another championship. We enjoyed it all summer. … I can’t wait for opening night to get our rings and see the banner being raised. But honestly, after opening night, we have to put it behind us. It’s a new season.”

There’s more from Boston:

Al Horford has talked in the past about wanting to play until he’s 40, and that’s probably the best scenario for the Celtics, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. Horford, who turned 38 in June, is entering the final year of his current contract. Boston is already operating under the second apron and would have limited options to replace him if he decides to retire next summer.
In the same piece, Robb states that if the Celtics suffer numerous injuries in their big-man rotation, they’ll likely consider internal options before trying to add a free agent. The team experimented with Tatum in the middle a little bit last season, and Mazzulla could go back to that if necessary. Robb also envisions smaller lineups in case of injuries with more three-guard sets and possibly regular minutes for Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh.
Jaylen Brown led a workout this week at Auerbach Center to prepare for training camp, according to Gio Rivera of NESN. Teammates who attended included Scheierman, Walsh, Horford and Xavier Tillman.

Pre-Camp Roster Snapshot: Atlantic Division

September 19th, 2024 at 10:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Over the next week, Hoops Rumors will be taking a closer look at each NBA team’s current roster situation, evaluating which clubs still have some moves to make and which ones seem most prepared for training camp to begin.

This series is meant to provide a snapshot of each team’s roster at this time, so these articles won’t be updated in the coming weeks as more signings, trades, and/or cuts are made. You can follow our roster counts page to keep tabs on teams’ open spots as opening night nears.

We’re beginning our pre-camp Roster Snapshot series today with the Atlantic Division. Let’s dive in…

Boston Celtics

Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 14
- Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Luke Kornet, Kristaps Porzingis, Payton Pritchard, Neemias Queta, Baylor Scheierman, Jaden Springer, Jayson Tatum, Xavier Tillman, Jordan Walsh, Derrick White
Players on Exhibit 10 contracts: 4
- Tristan Enaruna, Ron Harper Jr., Dmytro Skapintsev, Lonnie Walker
Players on two-way contracts: 3
- JD Davison, Drew Peterson, Anton Watson

The Celtics are at their 21-man limit, so this could be the roster they take into training camp during the first week of October. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if the 14 players on guaranteed contracts and three on two-way deals are the ones who are on Boston’s opening night roster.

Outside of the usual shuffling in and out of Exhibit 10 players, there are two minor storylines to keep an eye on here. One, will Walker – who has 322 NBA regular season games under his belt – make the team as a 15th man? And two, what are the Celtics’ plans for Jay Scrubb?

Scrubb was set to start the 2023/24 season on a two-way contract with the Celtics before he tore his ACL, resulting in his release just ahead of opening night. A report this offseason indicated the team plans to bring him back on an Exhibit 10 contract once he’s fully recovered from his ACL surgery. If he shows he’s back to 100% health, could he be in the mix for a two-way spot?

Brooklyn Nets

Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 13
- Bojan Bogdanovic, Nic Claxton, Noah Clowney, Dorian Finney-Smith, Cameron Johnson, Shake Milton, Dennis Schröder, Day’Ron Sharpe, Ben Simmons, Cam Thomas, Trendon Watford, Dariq Whitehead, Ziaire Williams
Players on non-guaranteed standard contracts: 2
- Keon Johnson (partial guarantee), Jalen Wilson (partial guarantee)
Players on two-way contracts: 1
- Jaylen Martin
Players who have reportedly reached contract agreements: 4
- Mark Armstrong (Exhibit 10), Amari Bailey (Exhibit 10), Killian Hayes (Exhibit 10), KJ Jones (Exhibit 10)

The Nets have several Exhibit 10 agreements to finalize and a pair of two-way slots to fill. It’s possible the club will leave those two-way spots open during the preseason and allow their camp invitees to compete for them (of the presumed Exhibit 10 signees, only Hayes is ineligible for a two-way). They may also keep their eye out for intriguing targets cut by other teams ahead of opening night.

Johnson ($250K) and Wilson ($75K) each have modest partial guarantees for now, but those guarantees will increase to $700K and $325K, respectively, if they make the opening night roster. While Wilson is the safer bet of the two to survive the preseason cuts, it’s possible both players will open the season with the club.

New York Knicks

Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 14
- Precious Achiuwa, OG Anunoby, Keita Bates-Diop, Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Pacome Dadiet, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Tyler Kolek, Miles McBride, Cameron Payne, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Jericho Sims
Players on non-guaranteed standard contracts: 2
- Marcus Morris, Landry Shamet
Players on Exhibit 10 contracts: 1
- Chuma Okeke
Players on two-way contracts: 3
- Ariel Hukporti, Kevin McCullar, Jacob Toppin
Players who have reportedly reached contract agreements: 1
- Alex O’Connell (Exhibit 10)

The Knicks are well above the luxury tax line and may not feel compelled to carry a full 15-man standard roster into the regular season, but Morris and Shamet are quality NBA veterans who deserve a look. I’d be a little surprised if both are waived at the end of the preseason.

While more minor moves could happen before camp tips off, the Knicks would be at their 21-man preseason roster limit if they simply finalize their reported deal with O’Connell.

Philadelphia 76ers

Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 13
- Adem Bona, Andre Drummond, Joel Embiid, Paul George, Eric Gordon, Reggie Jackson, Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, KJ Martin, Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, Kelly Oubre, Guerschon Yabusele
Players on non-guaranteed standard contracts: 1
- Ricky Council
Players on Exhibit 10 contracts: 2
- Max Fiedler, Judah Mintz
Players on two-way contracts: 3
- Jeff Dowtin, Justin Edwards, David Jones

There shouldn’t be any surprises in Philadelphia ahead of training camp, though the team still has some breathing room below the second tax apron to add a 15th man to its projected standard roster, if it so chooses.

If the Sixers intend to carry a 14-man roster into the season, filling out the preseason roster will likely just be a matter of signing two more camp invitees to Exhibit 10 contracts to get to 21 players.

Toronto Raptors

Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 14
- Ochai Agbaji, Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Chris Boucher, Bruce Brown, Gradey Dick, Davion Mitchell, Jonathan Mogbo, Kelly Olynyk, Jakob Poeltl, Immanuel Quickley, Jamal Shead, Garrett Temple, Ja’Kobe Walter
Players on non-guaranteed standard contracts: 1
- Bruno Fernando
Players on Exhibit 10 contracts: 2
- Jamison Battle, Jared Rhoden
Players on two-way contracts: 3
- Branden Carlson, D.J. Carton, Ulrich Chomche
Players who have reportedly reached contract agreements: 1
- Quincy Guerrier (Exhibit 10)

As is the case with the Knicks and O’Connell, the Raptors could finalize their training camp roster by simply signing Guerrier to his reported Exhibit 10 contract, though that doesn’t necessarily have to happen before camp begins. If the goal is simply to secure Guerrier’s G League rights, he could be signed-and-waived at any time before opening night.

Shuttling Exhibit 10 players on and off the roster could allow the Raptors to bring in another veteran free agent to compete with Fernando for the final spot on the standard 15-man roster, though there have been no reports so far suggesting that’s the plan.

And-Ones: Expansion, EuroLeague, G League Trades, Hawes

September 18th, 2024 at 1:21pm CST by Luke Adams

What would it look like if the NBA awarded expansion teams to a pair of new cities? In an entertaining story for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks broke down the rules governing expansion drafts, then submitted lists of protected players for each team to Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton, who conducted a mock expansion draft on behalf of the two hypothetical new franchises.

As Marks details, the rules for expansion drafts aren’t specifically laid out in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but in the past, each existing NBA team has been permitted to protect up to eight players in the spring, including pending restricted free agents and/or players holding options. In those instances, expansion teams weren’t allowed to select more than one player from any of the NBA’s existing clubs.

Marks also lays out how expansion teams would be incorporated into the annual rookie draft (they’re typically not given the opportunity to land the No. 1 overall pick during their first couple seasons) and how the salary cap would work for them (their cap would be two-thirds of the league-wide cap in year one, 80% in year two, and the full cap in year three).

While expansion is likely still at least two or three years away, ESPN’s exercise is an informative one that helps illustrate with practical examples how new teams would fill out their rosters.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (subscription required) takes a look at 10 notable players in the EuroLeague who are on expiring contracts and will reach free agency in 2025. Mathias Lessort, Kevin Punter, and Chima Moneke are among the headliners on Urbonas’ list who figure to be monitored by NBA teams in 2024/25.
The Westchester Knicks – New York’s G League affiliate – completed a pair of trades on Tuesday. Westchester sent Dmytro Skapintsev‘s returning rights to the Maine Celtics in exchange for the rights to Brandon Slater and Joe Wieskamp; in a separate deal, the Knicks’ NBAGL team acquired Brandon Williams‘ returning rights and a 2025 G League international draft pick from the Osceola Magic in exchange for the rights to Charlie Brown Jr. (Twitter links). The NBA’s Celtics signed Skapintsev to an Exhibit 10 contract on Tuesday.
Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype spoke to former NBA big man Spencer Hawes about the ups and downs of his playing career, which saw him appear in 684 regular season games for six teams from 2007-17. A 7’1″ center who made 35.0% of his career-three pointers, Hawes was asked if he felt like he arrived in the league a few years too early. “I kind of joke about my buddies. I missed the max (contract) by a couple of years,” Hawes said. “Well, I think the game just wasn’t in such a good place and my game as well. I came in kind of as a more traditional old-school post-up player and I realized that pretty quickly that wasn’t working. So, I kind of had to figure out a different way to try and get on the floor and help the team win.”

Celtics Sign Dmytro Skapintsev To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 18th, 2024 at 6:50am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 18: Skapintsev has officially signed with the Celtics, according to RealGM’s log of NBA transactions.

SEPTEMBER 17: The Celtics and free agent big man Dmytro Skapintsev have agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Skapintsev, 26, played in his home country of Ukraine from 2015-22 before heading stateside two years ago to join the Westchester Knicks in the G League. He has spent the majority of the past two seasons with New York’s G League affiliate, averaging 10.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 23.9 minutes per game across 38 Showcase Cup and regular season outings in 2023/24.

Skapintsev earned a brief NBA call-up last December when he signed a two-way contract with the Knicks and appeared in two games for the club. However, he logged just two total minutes in those contests and was waived 10 days later, at which point he reported back to Westchester.

According to Scotto, Skapintsev will look to compete for a roster spot with the Celtics this fall. The 7’1″ center is unlikely to end up on the standard 15-man roster, but Exhibit 10 contracts can be converted to two-way deals before the regular season begins, so perhaps he’ll get an opportunity to unseat a current Boston two-way player (Drew Peterson, JD Davison, or Anton Watson) if he impresses in camp.

Exhibit 10 contracts can also line up a player to earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived by his NBA team and then spends at least 60 days with the club’s G League affiliate. The Maine Celtics would have to acquire Skapintsev’s returning rights for that to be an option for him.

Nassir Little Auditioning For Celtics, Warriors, Heat

September 16th, 2024 at 6:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Several teams have worked out or plan to work out free agent forward Nassir Little, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.

That group includes the defending champion Celtics, Warriors and Heat. The Athletic reported earlier in the day that Little is also among a trio of forwards who is working out for the Kings.

Little would seemingly have a greater chance of hooking on with the Kings and Warriors than the other two squads. As our roster counts display, Sacramento has 14 players signed to the official roster (not counting two-way deals) but only 12 have fully guaranteed contracts. Golden State has 15 players on the official roster but just 12 have fully guaranteed deals.

Boston and Miami have 14 players apiece on fully guaranteed deals, plus others on training camp or non-guaranteed contracts. Both also have major luxury tax considerations — the Celtics are operating well above the second tax apron, while the Heat would surpass that second apron threshold by carrying a 15th man.

Little, 24, has been a free agent since Phoenix waived him late last month. The combo forward appeared in 45 games for the Suns last season, making two starts and posting 3.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per night. He spent his first four NBA seasons in Portland before coming to Phoenix in a three-team trade last September.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Celtics, Horford, Nets

September 15th, 2024 at 1:56pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Raptors appear to be embracing a youth movement this season, with young players like Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett leading the charge.

In a mailbag, Eric Koreen of The Athletic says he doesn’t project that Toronto will achieve more than a potential play-in berth, but he does believe the club has enough depth that it could compete for a seventh or eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Koreen notes that Barnes needs to grow as a scorer, Quickley as a distributor, and Barrett as a defender.

Within the same mailbag, Koreen also projects the team’s starters, speculates on possible breakout surprises on the current roster, and more.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

The reigning champion Celtics look like the favorites to repeat in 2024/25, but it’s going to cost them. Keith Smith of Spotrac unpacks the club’s future salary cap situation, noting that Boston agreed to almost $514MM in new long-term contracts during the 2023/24 league year before extending Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Sam Hauser this offseason. By 2025/26, Boston is already committed to pay almost $445MM in combined salaries and luxury tax penalties for 11 players, Smith writes.
Celtics sixth man big Al Horford was recently honored with the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez, and Mella in the degree of Knight from Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader, reports Kurt Helin of NBC Sports. “I knew I was going to come meet the president, but I didn’t know I was gonna get the highest award for the country,” Horford said. “So, very special for me, very special for my family. I feel very proud right now, very overwhelmed with a lot of emotion. Very, very special day for me today.” Across a decorated 17-year career, the 6’9″ center has made five All-Star teams, one All-NBA team and one All-Defensive team. He’s now an NBA champion as well.
The rebuilding Nets will boast a roster featuring several young players looking to carve out a niche in the league. In a new piece, Net Income of Nets Daily examines which five Brooklyn players have the most to prove heading into 2024/25, a list highlighted by former top lottery picks Ben Simmons and Killian Hayes.

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