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Checking In On Early 2024/25 Roster Battles

September 14th, 2024 at 11:03am CST by Tristan Tucker

Each year, a handful of teams prefer to bring in players to battle it out for the last remaining spots on a given roster. Let’s take a look at a few training camp battles that are already brewing ahead of October.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have been busy in recent weeks, filling out their training camp roster with proven talent. The Bulls have 15 players on standard contracts, but Onuralp Bitim‘s deal is non-guaranteed. In addition, Chicago has two open two-way slots. The Bulls have four players — Talen Horton-Tucker, Kenneth Lofton Jr., E.J. Liddell and Marcus Domask — signed to training camp deals.

Exhibit 10 contracts can be converted to two-way contracts at any time. Horton-Tucker is the only player of that batch who is ineligible for a two-way contract, since he is at five years of NBA service. That gives the Bulls a handful of options for their opening night roster.

In essence, Bitim and Horton-Tucker seem to be battling it out for the Bulls’ 15th roster spot, while Lofton, Liddell and Domask all appear to be candidates for the team’s open two-way slots. Of course, if the Bulls opt to move on from Bitim on a standard deal, they could attempt to re-sign him to a two-way deal. They could also just carry 14 players on the standard roster to begin the year.

New York Knicks

As we detailed Saturday morning, Landry Shamet and Chuma Okeke appear to be battling for the Knicks’ 15th roster spot. Of course, there’s no guarantee that either player will make the roster, but each has a decent case to make the team.

Shamet is a proven three-point shooter while Okeke is a versatile forward who is a previous 16th overall pick. The Knicks will likely assess in training camp what their biggest need is and keep the player who best fits that niche heading into the year.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers have a handful of players on non-guaranteed or partially contracts heading into the season. However, previous reporting seems to indicate that the team’s final roster spot will come down to either Kendall Brown or Cole Swider.

Brown is an athletic forward who was the 48th overall pick in the 2022 draft. He has spent the last two seasons with the Pacers but has also appeared in just 21 total games. Meanwhile, the Pacers signed Swider to a training camp contract this offseason that doesn’t include Exhibit 10 language. Swider is a known three-point shooter who spent last season with the Heat and helped Miami to a summer league championship this offseason.

James Wiseman and James Johnson each have partially guaranteed salaries with the Pacers.

The others

Other teams across the league are poised to either carry just 14 players on standard deals to begin the year or already have their 15-man rosters determined. However, some of those teams have unsettled two-way roster slots.

The Heat have their standard roster filled out, but summer standout Isaiah Stevens is on an Exhibit 10 deal. It seems like Stevens will battle Dru Smith — who currently holds a two-way deal — outright for that spot.

The Hornets have Moussa Diabate and KJ Simpson on two-way deals but have another spot open. Keyontae Johnson could be an option for that spot. Charlotte also has a potential opening on the 15-man roster, with four players signed to Exhibit 10 deals and another agreed to.

The Wizards also have an open two-way slot. Washington signed Leaky Black, Kira Lewis and Jaylen Nowell to Exhibit 10 contracts, but only Black is eligible for a two-way deal. The Wizards also have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, with Jared Butler and his non-guaranteed deal possibly on the outside looking in unless they make a trade.

The Clippers have RayJ Dennis, Kai Jones and Elijah Harkless signed to Exhibit 10 deals. The team also has an agreement with Kevon Harris for another such spot. With only Jordan Miller and Trentyn Flowers on two-way contracts, all of Dennis, Jones, Harkless and Harris are eligible for the team’s third.

Eastern Notes: LaVine, Bulls, Heat, Wizards

September 13th, 2024 at 7:58pm CST by Rory Maher

Two-time All-Star Zach LaVine was one of the first players to return to the Bulls for workouts this month at their practice facility, the Advocate Center, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network. According to Johnson, the majority of the team’s roster has been present for workouts ahead of training camp.

LaVine, who has been the subject of trade rumors for well over a year, was limited to just 25 games last season due to a foot injury, which required surgery. The 29-year-old is owed $138MM over the next three seasons, including a $49MM player option in 2026/27.

Here are a few more notes from the Eastern Conference:

Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune poses five questions facing the Bulls prior to training camp, which begins Oct. 1. In addition to pondering what it will take to move LaVine, Poe also wonders if head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas is on the hot seat after the team failed to make the playoffs the past two seasons and then lost DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade for a minimal return.
On Wednesday, the Heat signed Bryson Warren and Malik Williams to Exhibit 10 contracts. On Thursday, both players were waived. Free agent guard Caleb Daniels is also expected to be signed-and-waived by Miami in the coming days, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. The procedural move would allow Daniels to earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K — on top of his NBA G League salary — if he spends at least 60 days with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s NBAGL affiliate. Daniels, 25, went undrafted in 2023 out of Villanova. After signing an Exhibit 10 deal with Miami last summer and subsequently being waived, he spent his first professional season with the Skyforce, appearing in 47 games (30.1 MPG) while averaging 12.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 2.2 APG on .429/.368/.841 shooting.
The Wizards were the worst rebounding team in the NBA in 2023/24. They should be better in that category in ’24/25 after adding Jonas Valanciunas and Alex Sarr, among other players, writes Chase Hughes of The Monumental Sports Network. Valanciunas has been one of the league’s best rebounders on a per-minute basis for most of his career.

Jimmy Butler Among Stars Warriors Monitoring

September 13th, 2024 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

After missing out on targets like Paul George and Lauri Markkanen this offseason, the Warriors remain on the lookout for stars who might become available on the trade market, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who said on The TK Show (YouTube link) that Heat forward Jimmy Butler is among the players Golden State is monitoring.

“Jimmy Butler’s going to be a free agent next summer, didn’t get an extension done,” Amick said. “The Warriors, as you know, have interest there and I think probably made a couple calls during the summer.”

As Amick observes, the Warriors aren’t in position to pursue top free agents due to their salary cap situation, so if they’re going to acquire a star to complement Stephen Curry, they’ll almost certainly need to do so via trade. Golden State will be hoping for the “wheels to fall off” for a would-be contender, resulting in an All-Star caliber player seeking a change of scenery, Amick notes.

Butler, who will turn 35 on Saturday, is entering what could be a contract year in Miami. Although by all accounts he remains committed to the Heat, the six-time All-Star has reportedly told the team he won’t sign an extension before next summer and will reevaluate his options next offseason, when he holds a $52.4MM player option for 2025/26.

If the Heat get off to a poor start this season, it’s possible they’ll consider the idea of moving Butler at the trade deadline, though there’s no indication they’ve seriously considered that possibility to this point.

Should Butler finish the season in Miami, there would be myriad options available to him next summer — he could re-up with the Heat (either on an extension or a new contract), he could decline his option to sign elsewhere, or he could work out an opt-in-and-trade deal that sends him to a new destination. That last scenario would be the most viable path for him to land in Golden State. The Warriors explored a similar arrangement with George before he declined his player option in June.

Amick also names Lakers forward LeBron James, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Suns stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker as some other players the Warriors are likely monitoring. However, he acknowledges that they’re long shots and could only emerge as possible targets if they sour on their current situations.

“It’s that level of a player, where you just kind of hope that one of them starts looking out for greener pastures,” Amick said.

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Hornets, Friedman, Wade

September 12th, 2024 at 6:43pm CST by Luke Adams

After two years in Atlanta, Dejounte Murray was traded to New Orleans in July, leaving an open backcourt spot in the Hawks‘ projected starting lineup next to star point guard Trae Young. Who will fill that opening? Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required) considers the options, suggesting that as many as five players could be in the mix for the job.

Bogdan Bogdanovic and Dyson Daniels look like the top candidates. A Young/Bogdanovic pairing in the backcourt could create some problems on the defensive end, according to Williams, though she notes that Bogdanovic improved on that end of the court last season. Daniels, meanwhile, has the makings of an elite point-of-attack defender, but he has yet to display much of an offensive game at the NBA level and will be new to the Hawks’ system.

Vit Krejci, Garrison Mathews, and Kobe Bufkin are the other shooting guard possibilities Williams looks at, though she acknowledges that not all of them are locks to end up in the regular rotation, let alone to vie for a starting role.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

The Hawks will hold their training camp next month at the University of Georgia in Athens, per Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, while the Hornets will conduct their camp in Durham at Duke University, according to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. It’ll be a familiar setting for Hornets big man Mark Williams, who played his college ball with the Blue Devils.
Assistant coach Nick Friedman, who spent the past five seasons in the Hornets organization, is joining the Capital City Go-Go – the Wizards‘ G League affiliate – under head coach Cody Toppert, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Friedman and Toppert previously worked together with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Northern Arizona Suns, Scotto notes.
The Heat announced on Thursday that they’ll be unveiling a statue of Dwyane Wade outside Kaseya Center on Sunday, October 27, as Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald relays. Wade will be honored by the team the following night during the Oct. 28 home game vs. Detroit.

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.

Heat Notes: Jaquez, Adebayo, Rozier, Jovic

September 12th, 2024 at 10:52am CST by Dana Gauruder

Jaime Jaquez Jr. is looking at a number of areas for improvement, the Heat guard told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, with three-point shooting being a high priority.

“My three-point shooting, that’s an area that I really wanted to improve,” Jaquez said. “I feel like I needed to improve if we wanted to, as a team, make the strides and jumps that we need to try to win a championship. And just really honing in on mechanics and getting a bunch of reps up.”

Jaquez, the 18th pick of the 2023 draft, averaged 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 28.2 minutes per game during his rookie campaign. His perimeter shooting is a work in progress — he made just 32.2% of his 3-point attempts last season.

We have more on the Heat:

Bam Adebayo was rewarded with a three-year max extension this summer. Now, the Heat center and captain is focused on his leadership responsibilities. “I think a leading man isn’t only a scorer,” Adebayo told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I feel like everybody, when they think of a leading man, they think of scoring. I feel like that’s not the only thing a leading man can do.” What’s is the biggest thing a leader can bring to an organization? Adebayo has a pointed answer. “Being a leading man simply means win, no matter how that looks,” he said. “Winning takes care of all the other things that people want to put a narrative behind.”
Terry Rozier was sidelined by a neck injury late last season. He’s still working his way back but should be ready by training camp, according to Chiang. “Where I’m at right now is just about fully, fully, fully cleared to play 5-on-5,” Rozier said. “But I am doing every on-court activity, playing a little bit of 3-on-3. So I figure in the next couple weeks, I’ll be graduating to 5-on-5. I feel great.”
Nikola Jovic revealed he suffered a “little fracture” in his left ankle early this summer. He expects to participate in training camp but might have to play it cautiously with his left ankle and foot to avoid any setbacks. “We’re making sure that my foot is good after every practice because the injury I had is of course not a joke and we really don’t want any new problems with it,” said Jovic, per Chiang. “So during training camp, I wouldn’t say I’m going to sit down or anything, but of course you just want to make sure that everything is good. If something starts hurting by any chance, I’ll probably need to step away.”

Heat Sign Bryson Warren To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 11th, 2024 at 4:55pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Free agent guard Bryson Warren has signed with the Heat, the team has announced (Twitter link).

Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (via Twitter) confirms that the deal is an Exhibit 10 training camp contract, which will put the Heat’s preseason roster at a capacity 21 players.

Following his sophomore high school season at Arkansas’ Little Rock Central HS, Warren opted to go pro, signing a deal with Overtime Elite in 2021.

He spent two seasons with OTE, then was selected with the No. 13 pick in the 2023 NBA G League draft by Miami’s NBAGL affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. In 2023/24, Warren averaged 6.9 points, 1.8 dimes, 1.4 boards, and 0.6 steals per game across 27 contests (two starts) between the G League’s regular season and Showcase Cup.

Warren played for the Heat’s Summer League squad this season. The 6’3″ guard averaged 7.9 minutes per game across his three appearances.

Exhibit 10 signees are eligible for bonuses worth as much as $77.5K, should they be waived by the team that signs them and subsequently log at least 60 days with that team’s G League affiliate club.

Heat Sign Malik Williams To Exhibit 10 Contract

September 11th, 2024 at 12:24pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have signed free agent big man Malik Williams to their roster on an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link) first reported that Miami was signing Williams to a camp deal.

Williams, who went undrafted out of Louisville in 2022, played in Poland during his first professional season, then spent most of last year with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate. The 6’11” forward/center earned a call-up to the NBA in April, signing a 10-day contract and a rest-of-season deal with the Raptors just before the end of the regular season.

Williams started two of the seven games he played for Toronto, averaging 2.7 points and 5.4 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per night and making just 9-of-34 (26.5%) shots from the floor. The 26-year-old was more effective in Sioux Falls, where he put up 10.1 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 1.3 BPG in 42 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Skyforce. Still, his shooting numbers (.426/.311/.684) were below average, especially for a big man.

According to Winderman, Williams’ deal is “seen as more of a G League move” for the Heat, which suggests they expect to waive him and have him return to the Skyforce for the 2024/25 season rather than giving him a shot to compete for a spot on Miami’s 18-man regular season roster. If he spends at least 60 days with Sioux Falls, Williams will be eligible to earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K on top of his standard G League salary.

The Heat now have 20 players under contract, including 14 on standard guaranteed deals, three on two-ways, and three on Exhibit 10s.

DeMar DeRozan Discusses Free Agency, Decision To Join Kings

September 10th, 2024 at 9:26am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on Podcast P with Paul George on Monday (YouTube link), new Kings forward DeMar DeRozan explained that finding an opportunity to contend for a championship was his top priority when he entered free agency this July, which is why he and the Bulls didn’t work out a new deal despite having previously expressed mutual admiration.

“I had a hell of a time in Chicago,” DeRozan said. “… Great city, great place. I think I was just looking for an opportunity just to win at a high level, wherever that was going to be. I think coming out of last season, that was my view and my approach on this upcoming season.”

DeRozan noted with a laugh that he had to wait for George to make his free agent decision before he was able to get clarity on his own options. After George agreed to sign with the 76ers, there were no contenders with cap room pursuing DeRozan, but Sacramento expressed interest in bringing him in and had the ability to make him a competitive contract offer via a sign-and-trade deal.

“Sac came about and they were showing interest. Like, real interest,” DeRozan said. “So when I sat back and looked at it and analyzed the team, great players, great coach. I just always remember the last couple years always seeing them light the damn beam and winning and all that.”

When George interjected to observe that the Kings have built “a movement” during the past couple years, snapping a lengthy playoff drought and gaining respectability under head coach Mike Brown, DeRozan agreed.

“That’s definitely one thing you always want to be a part of, is a contagious culture of an organization that wants to win,” DeRozan said. “When I looked at all that, I just felt like it fit. It was a big key piece that I felt like I could bring from a leadership standpoint and definitely from a skill standpoint that could kind of push us over the edge. It became more and more appealing as I weighed it. I kind of took a while to sign because I just wanted to make sure the next decision I made gave me the best opportunity to win. I’m definitely looking forward to it.”

Asked by George what other teams he considered in free agency, DeRozan identified Philadelphia as one possibility he looked at, though the Sixers may have been eliminated as an option after using most of their cap space to sign George. DeRozan said he also considered another Eastern Conference contender, along with his two hometown teams.

“I was thinking about Philly. Philly definitely was an option. Lakers was an option, always. Clippers was an option. And the Heat was an option,” DeRozan said. “I’d say those teams, for sure, were the real, legitimate options for me, that I was considering.”

The Lakers and Heat are operating right up against the second tax apron, so they would’ve needed to shed salary to acquire DeRozan unless he was willing to take a substantial pay cut.

Winderman: Don't Expect Big Move Before Camp

September 9th, 2024 at 6:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat are unlikely to make a substantial move prior to the season, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Winderman doubts there will be an upcoming blockbuster deal in the league on the scale of the Damian Lillard trade, which occurred just ahead of training camps last September. Depending on how Jimmy Butler’s contract situation plays out, the Heat could do something big before the February trade deadline or just wait for Butler’s opt-out decision next offseason. Butler said early this summer he wouldn’t sign an offseason extension.