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Checking In On NBA’s Open Roster Spots

December 22nd, 2023 at 9:01am CST by Luke Adams

Nearly two months into the NBA’s 2023/24 season, there are only eight open roster spots available across the league. Each team is permitted to carry up to 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals, so that means 532 of 540 total roster spots are occupied.

All 90 two-way contract slots are currently filled, which means that each of the eight remaining openings is a standard slot.

Here are the teams that are currently carrying only 14 players on their respective standard rosters:

Boston Celtics
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Lakers
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans

The Celtics, Warriors, Lakers, Heat, and Pelicans are all currently over the luxury tax line and presumably aren’t eager to increase their projected end-of-season tax bills without a very good reason to do so. It seems likely that all five teams will fill their 15th roster spots by the end of the regular season, but there has been no urgency to do so yet.

While Boston, Golden State, and Miami have team salaries well beyond the tax threshold, Los Angeles and New Orleans aren’t far above that cutoff, so if the opportunity arises at the trade deadline, we could see them try to make cost-cutting trades in order to duck the tax. That figures to be more of a priority for the Pelicans, who have never been taxpayers, than it will be for the Lakers, who will likely be willing to take on additional salary for the right upgrade.

As for the Bulls, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves, all three teams entered the season close enough to the tax line that it didn’t make sense to carry a 15th man who would’ve pushed team salary above that threshold.

Chicago and Minnesota have a little more breathing room than Cleveland and could sign a free agent today without going into the tax, but I expect they’ll be patient — both teams are candidates to make trade deadline moves, so if they have to take back an extra $1-2MM in salaries in a deal, that breathing room below the tax will come in handy.

The injury-ravaged Cavaliers could benefit from adding a 15th man, but they’re less than $800K away from the tax line and have no interest in becoming a taxpayer, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. A trade or buyout involving Ricky Rubio, which they’ve reportedly begun looking into, could generate some additional flexibility to fill out the roster, but there has been no indication anything is imminent.

Northwest Notes: R. Jackson, Thunder, K. George, Wolves

December 20th, 2023 at 8:07am CST by Luke Adams

It’s a little too early in the season to project 2023/24 award winners, but Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon told reporters after Monday’s win over Dallas that Reggie Jackson deserves serious consideration for Sixth Man of the Year honors (Twitter video link via DNVR Sports).

Jackson, who has technically started 14 of 28 games so far due to Jamal Murray‘s injury, didn’t play regular minutes during Denver’s championship run in the spring, but he has emerged as a key rotation player this season. He has averaged 13.6 points and 4.5 assists per night with shooting percentages (.495 FG%, .407 3PT%) well above his career rates.

The veteran guard has been “huge for us,” according to Gordon, who wanted to make sure to get Jackson’s name into the Sixth Man conversation.

“He has to be in the running,” Gordon said. “I know being in Denver you don’t get a lot of pub, you don’t get a lot of media nods as far as the All-Star team, All-Defensive team, MVPs, and Sixth Man of the Year. But Reggie is arguably the Sixth Man of the Year in the NBA right now.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Sam Presti has referenced the Thunder‘s losing record last season and has tempered expectations for the team in the short term, suggesting that Oklahoma City won’t be in any rush to add win-now reinforcements to its roster. However, appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio (Twitter audio link), Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports says some people around the league are skeptical of that claim and expect Presti’s front office to be active in the coming weeks. The Thunder have an air of unpredictability about them, according to Rylan Stiles of Thunderous Intentions, who says it wouldn’t be surprising to see the club go in any direction at the trade deadline.
Rookie Jazz guard Keyonte George has missed the past three games due to left foot inflammation, but he’s progressing toward a return. As Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune relays (via Twitter), George is now traveling with the team and participating in on-court activities.
The bond that Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards are building is one that the Timberwolves previously envisioned Towns having with Jimmy Butler, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The Butler era in Minnesota crashed and burned in dramatic fashion five years ago, but Towns and Edwards have always respected each other’s skill sets and have had one another’s backs, as Krawczynski details.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Carlisle, Sexton, Williams

December 18th, 2023 at 10:42pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Timberwolves are truly gelling this season, and it all starts with their defense, writes Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports.

After a very bumpy 2022/23 season, Minnesota has looked like an altogether different team thus far in 2023/24. At 20-5, the club is currently the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference alone, three games ahead of the No. 2 Thunder.

Devine writes that the Timberwolves currently lead the NBA in points permitted per possession, and also boast the one of best defenses of the young century.

The Wolves’ length and size helps them stand apart on that end, thanks to its fearsome frontcourt tandem of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, plus its size on the wing with All-Star shooting guard Anthony Edwards and small forward Jaden McDaniels.

There’s more out of the Northwest:

Following a 127-109 loss to Minnesota on Saturday, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle was struck by the Timberwolves’ sheer ability, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “This is one of the best teams on the planet,” Carlisle reflected postgame. “These guys have really got it going here. The building is alive, the environment is way different than it used to be.”
Combo guard Collin Sexton remains a critical energy player for the Jazz this season, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. His enthusiasm appears to be a big part of his charm, according to Utah head coach Will Hardy. “I love Collin to death,” Hardy said. “His intensity, his passion, his want to win, his energy is infectious… Collin’s a very endearing person.” Through 26 contests, mostly as a reserve, Sexton is averaging 14.3 PPG on .474/.333/.884 shooting splits, along with 3.3 APG and 2.7 RPG.
Second-year Thunder forward Jalen Williams has carved out a significant role on Oklahoma City’s new “big three” alongside All-Star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Chet Holmgren, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. Williams is emerging as a secondary play-maker as well, and figuring out how best to work in tandem with Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren. “I think the biggest thing for me is just realizing what spots I’m in on a consistent basis and trying to rep those out continuously over this past summer,” Williams said. “And even now I feel like I also treat games like the most live reps you can get.”

Warriors Notes: Curry, Kerr, Green, Gobert, Roster

December 17th, 2023 at 4:13pm CST by Rory Maher

The Warriors nearly blew another double-digit lead on Saturday against Brooklyn, but they pulled out a “much-needed” victory behind the brilliance of two-time MVP Stephen Curry, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Curry, who finished with 37 points, went 7-of-7 from the field in the fourth quarter for 16 points, including 10 during a stretch of one minute and 40 seconds.

“Steph has had to carry this team, let’s be honest,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “And then the Draymond (Green) news, he was emotionally spent the last few days. And it was a slow start tonight. Then, as he’s done so often, he flipped the switch. You can kind of see when it happens right away. And he was incredible.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

While Green is “ultimately to blame” for the long line of incidents that led to his indefinite suspension, he’s not the only one who bears responsibility, according to Jim Trotter of The Athletic, who argues that Kerr and the Warriors put “winning ahead of accountability” and “pacified” Green instead of punishing him, which played a role in his repeated misconduct. Trotter points to Kerr’s comments regarding Green’s lengthy history of ejections and suspensions leading up to the punch of Jordan Poole as evidence that Kerr continues to minimize the behavior. “Everything before that, over a decade of play, what are we really talking about? We’re talking about getting ejected for yelling at the ref or throwing a ball,” Kerr said with a shrug (video link).
Green was suspended for five games earlier this season for putting Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock for several seconds, and the two have a contentious relationship. But Gobert said he has “empathy” for Green after he was suspended indefinitely. “I have empathy for him,” Gobert told Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “You see somebody that’s not well inside and suffering. You take away the game and all that, and you want somebody to be well and be able to do what we do every night and compete and be happy.”
Golden State currently holds an 11-14 record, trailing Phoenix by two games for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference. Speaking to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said he still thinks the roster has championship upside. “Yeah, I do; I do believe this whole roster does, as the way it was designed,” Dunleavy said. “We certainly believed that, whatever it was, eight weeks ago, when we started the season. Some things haven’t broken our way. But these things change quickly. We get everybody rowing in the right direction, I think it’s doable. But hey, six weeks from now, the (Feb. 8) trade deadline, maybe something comes up that makes more sense and we do something. But this is a group that the core guys have been there are capable of doing it.”

Warriors, Knicks, Lakers Top Latest NBA Franchise Valuations

December 13th, 2023 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors remain the NBA’s most valuable team, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico (subscription required), who unveiled the website’s updated NBA franchise valuations for 2023 on Wednesday.

Badenhausen projects the Warriors’ value at $8.28 billion, making them one of three teams to surpass the $7 billion mark this year. The Knicks have a projected worth of $7.43 billion, while the Lakers come in at $7.34 billion, per Sportico.

As Badenhausen details, Sportico spoke to more than 30 team executives, owners, investors, bankers, consultants, and lawyers in compiling their latest NBA franchise valuations. According to Sportico, the average value of an NBA team is up 33% from a year ago and 70% from when the site first started publishing valuations three years ago.

A combination of factors are contributing to the soaring value of NBA franchises, says Baudenhausen. Those factors include national media deals, international opportunities, scarcity (ie. only 30 teams are available), and an equal 1/30th stake in the league.

In the past, we’ve used Forbes as our primary source for NBA franchise valuations, but with Badenhausen making the move from Forbes to Sportico in recent years and the outlet establishing itself as a go-to resource for sports business news, we’re highlighting Sportico’s projections in 2023.

Of course, it’s worth noting that figures from Sportico, Forbes, or any other media outlet are just estimates and often don’t quite match up with the sale prices for franchises that change hands. But thse projections are usually in the right ballpark and remain useful for getting a sense of the league’s most and least valuable teams.

Here’s Sportico’s full list of NBA franchise valuations for 2023:

Golden State Warriors: $8.28 billion
New York Knicks: $7.43 billion
Los Angeles Lakers: $7.34 billion
Boston Celtics: $5.12 billion
Chicago Bulls: $4.83 billion
Los Angeles Clippers: $4.56 billion
Miami Heat: $4.17 billion
Philadelphia 76ers: $4.13 billion
Toronto Raptors: $4.11 billion
Houston Rockets: $4.05 billion
Dallas Mavericks: $4.03 billion
Phoenix Suns: $4 billion
Brooklyn Nets: $3.98 billion
Sacramento Kings: $3.46 billion
Denver Nuggets: $3.4 billion
Atlanta Hawks: $3.35 billion
Washington Wizards: $3.33 billion
San Antonio Spurs: $3.29 billion
Portland Trail Blazers: $3.28 billion
Indiana Pacers: $3.27 billion
Utah Jazz: $3.24 billion
Cleveland Cavaliers: $3.22 billion
Milwaukee Bucks: $3.2 billion
Orlando Magic: $3.12 billion
Detroit Pistons: $3.1 billion
Oklahoma City Thunder: $3.08 billion
Charlotte Hornets: $3 billion
Minnesota Timberwolves: $2.94 billion
Memphis Grizzlies: $2.82 billion
New Orleans Pelicans: $2.72 billion

For the most part, the most significant valuation increases (by percentage) within the last year belonged to the teams on the bottom half of this list. Besides the Bucks, whose projection rose by 32%, every franchise in the bottom 10 received at least a 50% bump from Sportico’s 2022 valuations.

The Nuggets, who cracked the top half of this list following their 2023 championship, were another big riser — their valuation increased by 60% and they moved up six spots.

It’s worth noting that the Mavericks‘ reported valuation in Mark Cuban‘s sale to the Adelson and Dumont families reportedly came in around $3.5 billion, well below Sportico’s valuation.

However, more recent reporting has suggested the final valuation will be closer to $4 billion when the transaction closes. That was also a unique situation since Cuban is retaining control of basketball operations as part of the sale agreement, despite surrendering majority control of the business. He’ll hang onto about 25% of the franchise, according to Sportico.

Lance Stephenson Joining Iowa Wolves

December 11th, 2023 at 2:25pm CST by Rory Maher

Former NBA guard/forward Lance Stephenson is signing an NBA G League contract to play for the Timberwolves‘ affiliate team in Iowa, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Iowa confirmed in a press release that it has acquired Stephenson’s returning player rights from the Grand Rapids Gold (Denver’s affiliate) in exchange for the rights to Craig Randall II.

Stephenson hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since April 2022, when he finished out the 2021/22 season with the Pacers. The 33-year-old has played for eight different teams in parts of 10 seasons over the course of his career, primarily with Indiana. He also had a brief stint with Minnesota back in ’16/17.

In 554 regular season games, including 200 starts (22.9 MPG), Stephenson holds career averages of 8.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 2.9 APG on .445/.314/.694 shooting. The former second-round pick has also played professionally in China and — most recently — Puerto Rico.

Stephenson was born in Brooklyn and he said over the summer he was hoping to make an NBA comeback with the Knicks or Nets, but a contract never came to fruition. As Scotto notes, the Timberwolves have an open roster spot, and evidently Stephenson is hoping to make a strong impression on the franchise by playing with Iowa.

Stephenson will remain an unrestricted free agent even after he joins the Iowa Wolves, as NBA contracts take precedence over NBAGL deals.

Injury Notes: Thompson, Edwards, McDaniels, Hunter, Irving, Markkanen, Kessler, Little

December 10th, 2023 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Amen Thompson, the fourth pick of the draft, will return to action on Monday. He’s no longer listed on the Rockets’ injury report.

Thompson will jump right back into the rotation when his team faces San Antonio, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. He’s been out since Nov. 1 due to a right ankle sprain.

“The plan is to incorporate him back into the lineup,” head coach Ime Udoka said. “Obviously, we have guys playing well, so we have to find minutes and opportunity there, and we’ll tweak our rotation some once we get him in with certain groups.”

We have more injury-related news with 13 games on Monday’s schedule:

Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is listed as questionable against New Orleans due to a right hip pointer. Forward Jaden McDaniels (right ankle sprain), who hasn’t played since Nov. 20, is also listed as questionable, the team’s PR department tweets.
Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter (right quad tendon soreness) is listed as questionable against Denver, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. He played 37 minutes against Philadelphia on Friday.
Kyrie Irving (right heel contusion) and Josh Green (right elbow sprain) are among the Mavericks players listed as out for their game against Memphis, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets.
The Jazz will be missing two key frontcourt players when they face Oklahoma City. Forward Lauri Markkanen (left hamstring strain) and center Walker Kessler (right foot soreness) won’t play, Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman tweets.
The Suns’ Nassir Little has an orbital fracture and is in the NBA’s concussion protocol, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports tweets. Phoenix hosts Golden State on Tuesday.

Northwest Notes: Watson, Edwards, Milton, Jazz

December 9th, 2023 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

A rotation player this season after logging limited minutes as a rookie, second-year Nuggets guard Peyton Watson has Deion Sanders’ portrait in his locker to remind of the type of defender he wants to be, writes Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette. Watson, who has earned praise from teammates Nikola Jokic and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for his defensive play and his energy, explained his thinking.

“I just thought it was the most admirable thing that teams would literally throw away from his side (first) through (third) downs. Then, on fourth down, (they) punt out of bounds so he couldn’t return it. Like, you can’t even let this guy get involved in the game,” Watson said. “I admire the mentality and how he approached the game.”

While minutes have fluctuated this fall for some of the Nuggets’ reserves, Watson has remained a part of head coach Michael Malone‘s regular second unit, averaging more than 21 minutes per night in his past six games.

“He can guard bigs. He can guard smalls. I like how he’s playing right now,” Malone said. “He’s helping impact the game in a positive manner right now, and it’s great to see for a young player, taking advantage of the opportunities that’s being given to him.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, who recently missed two games with a hip pointer and appeared to be favoring that hip in his return on Wednesday, exited Friday’s game after just three minutes (Twitter link). He’s undergoing further examination on Saturday and it remains unclear whether he’ll miss any additional time, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
The Shake Milton that scored 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting in Friday’s win over Memphis was the player the Timberwolves thought they were getting when they signed him in free agency this summer, according to Krawczynski, who suggests Minnesota will become an even more dangerous team if the guard’s Friday performance wasn’t a one-off. Head coach Chris Finch has been pushing the struggling Milton to be more confident and assertive, which was reflected in his play in Memphis, Krawczynski adds.
While Salt Lake City officials are working hard to keep the Jazz in the downtown area, the franchise has explored the possibility of building a new arena outside the city, including perhaps at the south end of Salt Lake County, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscription required). Larsen takes a deep dive into the story, examining the factors at play and clarifying that the team won’t be moving out of the Delta Center anytime soon.

Knicks Notes: Trade Rumors, Towns, Quickley, Grades

December 8th, 2023 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

Although the Knicks have conveyed to potential trade partners that they want to acquire a star, they don’t expect one to become available during the 2023/24 season, Fred Katz writes for The Athletic.

Katz, like Ian Begley of SNY.tv, has heard from league sources that New York hasn’t expressed any serious interest in Bulls scorers Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, who are presumably a tier or two below the level of player the Knicks would ideally like to land in any major trade. Sixers center Joel Embiid is one example of the kind of star who would interest New York’s front office, but Philadelphia’s success this season has reduced the likelihood that the Knicks will get a chance to make a play for Embiid anytime soon, Katz notes.

At this time last year, the Knicks had already been in touch with some teams to gauge Immanuel Quickley‘s potential trade value, but things have been quiet so far this season, Katz continues. Still, some people within the Knicks’ front office believe a “too-many-guys situation could be brewing,” sources tell The Athletic, so a consolidation trade at some point this season is a possibility.

Here’s more on the Knicks, including some additional trade-related chatter from Katz:

The Knicks checked in on Karl-Anthony Towns earlier this season, but didn’t make an offer for the Timberwolves big man and haven’t made a “serious run” at him in recent years, Katz writes. Towns has frequently been cited as a possible trade target for the Knicks due to his connections to executives Leon Rose (a former CAA agent) and Gersson Rosas (Minnesota’s former head of basketball operations), but the Wolves are off to a 16-4 start and presumably won’t be looking to make significant roster changes.
Teams around the NBA are curious to see how the Knicks will handle Quickley, who will be a restricted free agent in 2024, says Katz. According to Begley, when Quickley and the Knicks talked about a rookie scale extension prior to the season, the two sides couldn’t agree on the structure of a potential deal. They didn’t discuss incentives, but at least one offer made by New York included a team option on the final season, Begley adds. Just two of the 14 players who signed rookie scale extensions this year – Isaiah Stewart and Cole Anthony – agreed to deals that included team options.
Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required) hands out his grades for the first quarter of the 2023/24 season, awarding Jalen Brunson an A and giving both Quickley and Julius Randle a B-plus. Josh Hart (C-minus) and Quentin Grimes (D-minus), who have voiced concerns about their respective roles, didn’t fare as well.

Wolves Notes: Connelly, Gobert, Conley, Edwards, Towns

December 7th, 2023 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Hired by the Timberwolves in the spring of 2022, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly received plenty of criticism during his first year with the franchise for the price he paid to acquire Rudy Gobert and the limited return the team got in its investment last season. With his club off to a 16-4 start this season, Connelly isn’t ready to take a victory lap quite yet, but acknowledges he likes his roster a lot, per Michael Rand of The Star Tribune.

“We’re only 19 games in, we haven’t won a playoff series in two decades, so we haven’t accomplished much,” Connelly said on The Star Tribune’s Daily Delivery podcast prior to Wednesday’s win over San Antonio. “But … I think there’s something special about this group.”

Following last season’s underwhelming 42-40 record and first-round playoff exit, there were some calls for the Timberwolves to shake up their roster during the 2023 offseason. But Connelly decided to stick with the current core, with only a few minor tweaks around the edges, confident that more time together would put the group in position to jell.

“I’m a pretty patient person. Sometimes I think that patience can bite me, so I don’t want to overly patient and asleep at the wheel,” Connelly said. “But if you have the ability to be patient, I think oftentimes it’s rewarded in this sports landscape.”

Here’s more on the Wolves:

While the acquisition of Gobert is Connelly’s most significant move since taking control of the Timberwolves’ front office, he also made a major trade at last season’s trade deadline, moving D’Angelo Russell in a three-team deal that sent Mike Conley (and Nickeil Alexander-Walker) to Minnesota. Conley’s impact can’t be overstated, according to the Wolves’ president. “He has been fantastic,” Connelly said, per Rand. “Everything has been as advertised or better. … I can’t imagine our team without him.”
In a separate story for The Star Tribune, Chris Hine explores how Conley has transformed the Timberwolves’ late-game offense. “I try to make it easier on everybody else, so they don’t have to think as much,” Conley said. “I can do all the thinking and just put you in the right spot. It’s about us repping those certain plays that we’ve done a million times and trusting each other in those moments.”
Anthony Edwards appeared to be favoring his right hip in his return on Wednesday after missing two games due to a hip pointer, notes Hine of The Star Tribune. Edwards, who went 4-of-17 from the floor, said after the game that he was “scared” to go all-out in the first half but got more comfortable as the game went on. “Took him a while to find the rhythm of the game. I’m not sure he really ever did,” head coach Chris Finch said. “I’d like to see him attack a little bit more. Seemed a little hesitant to go at times. But I’m sure he’s working through a little bit of discomfort, so it’s to be expected.”
Discussing his relationship on and off the court with Karl-Anthony Towns, Gobert said that “wanting to see each other shine” has been the key to building their bond, according to Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune. “When you create that bond, it’s unstoppable,” Gobert said. “Adversity comes and it doesn’t matter. You know that you trust each other. You know when one is down, the other is going to lift him up and push him. We’re talking about me and KAT, but I think as a team, that’s what I’m feeling right now. And I think that’s a championship mentality.”