Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks’ Achiuwa Strains Hamstring, Will Be Reassessed in 2-4 Weeks

October 20th, 2024 at 1:04pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Knicks forward/center Precious Achiuwa has strained his left hamstring and will be sidelined for at least the next two-to-four weeks, New York has announced (Twitter link). At that point, the 6’8″ big man will have the injury reevalauted.

It’s a big blow for New York’s frontcourt depth, compounding the health issues the team was already facing in that department to kick off its 2024/25 season. New York is already expecting to be without center Mitchell Robinson until at least January.

Losing Robinson and now Achiuwa means the Knicks will have to lean on deeper-bench options behind All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, with Jericho Sims seemingly the likeliest player to benefit from a major minutes uptick. Seven-foot rookie center Ariel Hukporti, the No. 58 pick in this year’s draft, could conceivably even get a look. Forwards such as OG Anunoby could also see action at the five in smaller lineups.

As James L. Edwards of The Athletic notes (via Twitter), the Knicks’ bench will be exceedingly green to start the year. Only three of the team’s healthy reserves have prior NBA playing experience.

New York first acquired Achiuwa as part of its trade for Anunoby midway through 2023/24. He proved his mettle as a talented two-way presence in the paint for a 50-win Knicks squad. Across his 49 contests with the team (18 starts), Achiuwa posted solid averages of 7.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.1 BPG and 0.6 SPG.

The Memphis alum earned a one-year, $6MM deal to stick with New York as a free agent this summer.

New York’s starting unit of Towns, Anunoby, All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson, three-and-D shooting guard Josh Hart, and newly acquired All-Defensive forward Mikal Bridges is shaping up to be one of the most fearsome in the entire league. With health-related challenges emerging early on, it remains to be seen how head coach Tom Thibodeau will balance a desire to lean heavily on his starters for early wins with the team’s bigger postseason aspirations.

Pistons Plan To Sign Alondes Williams, Cole Swider

October 19th, 2024 at 5:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons plan to sign Alondes Williams and Cole Swider, who were both placed on waivers this weekend, to two-way contracts, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links).

Williams, a 25-year-old shooting guard, was released by the Clippers earlier today. He signed a two-way contract with Miami in February and made brief appearances in seven games. He also got into one game with Brooklyn during the 2022/23 season.

Swider, a 25-year-old small forward, was let go by the Pacers on Friday. He spent all of last season on a two-way deal with Miami, averaging 2.3 PPG in 18 games. He played seven games with the Lakers in 2022/23.

Williams and Swider will have to clear waivers before they can sign with Detroit. The 48-hour waiting period means Swider will become a free agent on Sunday and Williams will be available on Monday if they don’t get claimed.

The Pistons currently have 13 players with fully guaranteed contracts, along with Paul Reed, whose $7.7MM salary is non-guaranteed. Daniss Jenkins currently holds the team’s lone two-way deal.

Wizards Waive Jared Butler

October 19th, 2024 at 4:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have waived guard Jared Butler, according to a press release from the club. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype first reported (via Twitter) that Butler was being cut by Washington.

The 40th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Butler spent time with Utah and Oklahoma City before playing for the Wizards in 2023/24. He was on a two-way contract for most of the season before being converted to a multiyear standard contract in April.

Butler appeared in a total of 40 NBA games last season, averaging 6.3 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per night, with a .488 FG%. He also had a strong preseason this month, with averages of 6.8 PPG and 4.2 APG on .536/.400/.667 shooting in five games (14.3 MPG).

Reporting leading up to the roster cut-down deadline indicated that the Wizards wanted to find a way to keep Butler, but he was on a non-guaranteed contract and the team is carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed deals. Hanging onto Butler would’ve meant trading or waiving a player with a guaranteed salary.

The front office explored the market to try to find a trade involving a player like Johnny Davis or Patrick Baldwin Jr., tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac, but wasn’t willing to give up a draft pick to move off either player or to eat money this early in the season by cutting one of them. That made Butler the victim of the roster crunch in D.C.

Butler is a candidate to be claimed on waivers, but if he becomes a free agent, he could return to the Wizards on a two-way contract. He’ll likely draw interest from other teams as a two-way target too.

Cavs’ Strus Expected To Miss At Least Six Weeks With Ankle Sprain

October 19th, 2024 at 4:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Max Strus sprained his right ankle during individual workouts on Thursday, according to the Cavaliers, who announced in a press release that the veteran swingman underwent an X-ray and an MRI to confirm the severity of the sprain.

The plan is for Strus to be reevaluated after going through six weeks of treatment and rehabilitation, per the team. That timeline suggests he’ll remain sidelined for all of November in addition to the rest of this month. The Cavaliers will play 20 games during that time.

Strus had missed some time this preseason due to a right hip contusion, but appeared to be on the verge of making it back for the team’s regular season opener, so this is a disappointing setback for him and for the Cavs, who had the 28-year-old in their starting lineup for 70 regular season games and 12 more playoff contests last season.

Strus was a solid contributor in his first year in Cleveland after signing a four-year, $62MM contract in free agency. He averaged 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game with a .351 3PT%.

With Strus on the shelf, the Cavs will likely lean more on sixth man Caris LeVert, who could move into the starting lineup. Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, Georges Niang, and Ty Jerome are among the other candidates for increased roles.

Suns Cut Frank Kaminsky

October 19th, 2024 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have placed veteran big man Frank Kaminsky on waivers, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic first reported (via Twitter) that Kaminsky wouldn’t make Phoenix’s opening night roster.

An eight-year veteran who has appeared in 413 regular season games, Kaminsky has a solid career résumé that includes averages of 8.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game, along with a three-point rate of 34.9% on 3.0 attempts per contest.

However, he was out of the NBA last season, which he spent in Serbia with Partizan Belgrade. On top of that, hanging onto him would cost the Suns exponentially more in projected tax penalties beyond his minimum-salary contract, so he was considered more of a luxury than a necessity.

It’s worth noting that Kaminsky’s training camp contract included Exhibit 10 language, which suggests he may be open to the idea of reporting to the Valley Suns and trying to earn another shot in the NBA by impressing at the G League level.

Having already waived their other non-guaranteed players, the Suns are now carrying 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals, so their roster looks ready for the regular season.

Knicks Waive Landry Shamet, Chuma Okeke, T.J. Warren

October 19th, 2024 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

3:53pm: The Knicks announced that they’ve officially waived Shamet, Okeke, and Warren (Twitter link).

Okeke and Warren were always considered long shots to make the team once Shamet emerged as the frontrunner, but if Shamet requires a lengthy recovery process, it’s possible one of them could return to the Knicks 14 days into the season when they need to add a 13th man (Ariel Hukporti is expected to be promoted from his two-way deal to become the 14th man).

Warren plans to join the Westchester Knicks and will be a candidate for a promotion at some point this season, Ian Begley of SNY.tv confirms (via Twitter).

3:44pm: The Knicks are waiving injured guard Landry Shamet, sources tell Shams Charania and Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).

As we covered in detail this week, Shamet left Tuesday’s preseason game against Charlotte with an injury and was subsequently diagnosed with a dislocated right shoulder. Prior to going down in that game, he appeared on track to make the Knicks’ roster on his non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract, having enjoyed a solid preseason in which he averaged 10.8 points per game in four appearances.

However, the Knicks have very little roster and financial flexibility — after accounting for their 12 players on guaranteed contracts, they’re only about $3.58MM away from their hard cap, which they can’t surpass at any point during the 2024/25 season. As such, hanging onto Shamet and continuing to pay him while he recovers from his shoulder injury isn’t the best use of the team’s limited resources.

According to Charania, the Knicks will likely open the season with just their 12 players on standard guaranteed contracts. They’re allowed to carry fewer than 14 players for up to two weeks at a time and for up to 28 total days during the 2024/25 season, so they’ll have to add 13th and 14th men during the first week of November. They’d like to eventually bring back Shamet when he recovers from his shoulder injury, Charania adds.

Because Shamet had Exhibit 9 language in his training camp contract, the Knicks were protected in the event of a preseason injury and will only owe the 27-year-old just $15K rather than having to continue to pay his minimum salary until he’s healthy.

While Charania and Marks didn’t explicitly report it, Charania’s claim that New York will likely open the season with just 12 players on standard deals suggests that the team will also waive Chuma Okeke and T.J. Warren, the other veterans on non-guaranteed contracts.

Clippers Convert Kai Jones To Two-Way Contract

October 19th, 2024 at 1:58pm CST by Tristan Tucker

3:05pm: Jones’ two-way deal is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

1:58pm: The Clippers are converting big man Kai Jones to a two-way contract from his previous Exhibit 10 pact, according to NBA insider Chris B. Haynes (Twitter link).

Jones, a former 19th overall pick, impressed in recent weeks. He averaged 8.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in five preseason games, serving as L.A.’s primary backup center while Mohamed Bamba dealt with an injury. Head coach Tyronn Lue recently made sure to note Jones’ importance to the team.

The 6’11” Texas product spent the first two years of his career with the Hornets, but didn’t crack the rotation. That, paired with a personal mental health struggle, led to his release. He signed a 10-day contract with the Sixers in March but wasn’t brought back after it expired.

Jones then landed with the Clippers at the end of the regular season. He didn’t appear in a game last season, however. He had a team option for 2024/25, which was declined this offseason, before he was brought back on the Exhibit 10 contract.

The Clippers are still at the offseason limit of 21 players, but Jones being converted likely means we will see all of Elijah Harkless, Braxton Key and Alondes Williams — their other Exhibit 10 players — waived in the coming hours. The Clippers don’t have a vacant spot on their 15-man roster and they have all three two-way slots filled. They’re also reportedly planning on signing Tosan Evbuomwan, presumably to an Exhibit 10 deal in order to subsequently waive him and have him join their G League affiliate.

Bulls To Retain Talen Horton-Tucker

October 19th, 2024 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Talen Horton-Tucker will open the season with the Bulls, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the sixth-year guard has made the team as its 15th man.

The 46th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Horton-Tucker spent his first three NBA seasons with the Lakers and his last two in Utah. While he showed some promise with each team and logged regular rotation minutes in each of the past four seasons, he hadn’t taken a significant step forward during that time — his 39.6% field goal percentage last season represented a career low.

Still, Horton-Tucker is just 23 years old (24 in November) and made a strong impression this fall in Chicago on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract.

The 6’4″ guard averaged 13.0 points per game in five preseason outings despite playing just 17.8 minutes per contest. He also took good care of the ball (0.8 turnovers per game) and knocked down three-pointers at a better rate (33.3%) than he has in any of his five NBA seasons.

Horton-Tucker is on a minimum-salary contract that will pay him $2,425,403 and will count against Chicago’s cap for $2,087,519 if it becomes fully guaranteed. For now, he’ll earn $13,939 for each day he spends on the roster, with the Bulls having the option of waiving him on or before January 7 to open up that 15th spot and avoid paying his full-season salary.

Barring any last-minute moves, the Bulls’ roster looks ready for the regular season, with 14 players on guaranteed contracts, Horton-Tucker on his non-guaranteed deal, and three players occupying the two-way slots.

Horton-Tucker is the first player on an Exhibit 10 contract confirmed to be making his team’s standard opening night roster.

Magic Converting Mac McClung To Two-Way Contract

October 19th, 2024 at 12:50pm CST by Luke Adams

2:18pm: McClung has been officially converted to a two-way deal, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

12:50pm: The Magic are filling one of their open two-way slots by converting Mac McClung‘s Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

A 6’2″ guard, McClung is the reigning G League Most Valuable Player and a two-time dunk contest champion. In 41 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Osceola Magic last season, he averaged 25.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.6 rebounds in 35.5 minutes per contest, with an excellent shooting line of .492/.380/.846.

Despite excelling in the G League and showing off impressive athleticism in the last two dunk contests, McClung has struggled to break through at the NBA level. Since making his regular season debut nearly three years ago, he has appeared in just four NBA games — one for the Bulls in December 2021, one for the Lakers in April 2022, and two for the Sixers in April 2023.

McClung will now have a chance to suit up for the Magic this fall as one of the team’s two-way players, alongside Trevelin Queen.

Orlando still has one more two-way slot available, with Exhibit 10 camp signees Jalen Slawson, Ethan Thompson, and Alex Morales all eligible to be converted by Monday. The team could also decide to look outside the organization to fill that final two-way opening.

Celtics Waiving Lonnie Walker IV

October 19th, 2024 at 11:51am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Celtics are waiving Lonnie Walker IV, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). Instead of keeping a full 15-man standard roster, Boston will head into the season with an open slot.

There was some speculation that Walker had done enough to make the team. He played well in the preseason, averaging 7.3 points in 16.4 minutes per game across four appearances. He’s also a young, six-year NBA veteran who holds career averages of 9.8 PPG and 2.3 RPG.

However, the Celtics are about $7MM over the second tax apron, so keeping Walker without trimming salary elsewhere would have resulted in about $8.8MM in extra projected tax penalties on top of his $2.1MM cap hit, meaning it would have cost about $11MM in total to keep him for the season.

As we mentioned earlier Saturday, the Celtics could have kept Walker on the 15-man roster and tried to reduce their tax payment later in the season with a trade or two. Instead, they’re opting to move on from the veteran guard, at least for now.

Walker is a candidate to be claimed off waivers by a team with an opening on its roster and a need for a high-scoring guard. The Celtics’ decision to waive Walker could be an indication that they don’t view that as a likely outcome — or they’re fine if it does happen. The Miami product didn’t agree to a deal until late August, sitting on the free agency market for about two months. So if guaranteed offers didn’t materialize then, they may not this time around either.

Walker was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract, so he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with Boston’s G League affiliate in Maine. Over the course of his career, Walker has been a proven commodity, so if he doesn’t get claimed or signed by another team at this time, the Celtics could revisit him later while keeping him in their system. Of course, even if he plays in Maine, Walker would be free to jump ship for another NBA team at any point this season.

Walker was not eligible for a two-way contract because he holds six years of NBA service.

By waiving Walker, the Celtics regular season roster looks set. They have 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.