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Thunder Exercise 2024/25 Team Options On Five Players

October 21st, 2023 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have exercised their rookie scale team options for the 2024/25 season on five players, the team announced today in a press release. Those options are as follows:

Chet Holmgren (third year, $10,880,640)
Josh Giddey (fourth year, $8,352,367)
Ousmane Dieng (third year, $5,027,040)
Tre Mann (fourth year, $4,908,373)
Jalen Williams (third year, $4,775,760)

Most of these decisions were no-brainers. Holmgren, Giddey, and Williams project as long-term building blocks for the franchise. Dieng didn’t have a major role as a rookie but is only a year removed from being selected 11th overall in the 2022 draft.

The most noteworthy option pick-up of the bunch is Mann’s. The 22-year-old guard had a promising rookie season in 2021/22, averaging 10.4 points per game with a .360 3PT%, but saw his scoring average (7.7 PPG) and 3PT% (.315) dip last season as his playing time was cut back, from 22.8 minutes per game to 17.7 MPG.

Given the Thunder’s roster crunch this offseason, Mann looked like a candidate to be one of the odd men out, but today’s decision signals that the club has no plans to waive him. That leaves Jack White, whose 2023/24 salary is only partially guaranteed for $600K, as perhaps the most likely release candidate on the roster, though the club could go in another direction. Oklahoma City previously traded Victor Oladipo and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to get down from 18 players on standard contracts to 16.

Giddey and Mann will now become eligible for rookie scale extensions next July, while the Thunder will have to decide by next October 31 whether to exercise their fourth-year options on Holmgren, Dieng, and Williams.

Mavs Convert Dexter Dennis, Greg Brown To Two-Way Deals

October 21st, 2023 at 2:06pm CST by Rory Maher

The Mavericks have converted the Exhibit 10 contracts of Dexter Dennis and Greg Brown into two-way deals, the team announced (via Twitter). ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported that Dennis was being converted (Twitter link).

Dallas had a pair of two-way openings, so no corresponding moves are necessary to promote Dennis and Brown. A.J. Lawson occupies the team’s third two-way spot.

Dennis, 24, went undrafted in June. He spent his first four college seasons at Wichita State before joining Texas A&M for the 2022/23 season. As a “super-senior” taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility afforded to college players due to COVID-19, he averaged 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per game across 34 appearances.

Dennis never averaged double-digit points per game in any of his five college seasons and made just 37.5% of his shots from the field over the last two years, including 30.4% of his three-pointers. However, he’s a talented defender who earned AAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2022 for the Shockers.

The 43rd overall pick in the 2021 draft, Brown spent his first season-and-a-half as a pro in Portland, appearing in 64 games for the Trail Blazers during that time. He didn’t establish himself as a regular rotation player, averaging just 4.0 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per night with a shooting line of .422/.294/.636.

Because the Blazers didn’t have a G League affiliate of their own during Brown’s time with the team, they couldn’t send him to their own NBAGL program for developmental purposes. The 21-year-old ended up being waived in February to accommodate Portland’s trade deadline moves, then finished the season with the Ontario Clippers in the G League.

The Mavs still have 18 players on their roster, with 14 players on guaranteed standard deals and Markieff Morris on a partially guaranteed contract.

Magic Converting Trevelin Queen To Two-Way Deal

October 21st, 2023 at 1:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Magic wing Trevelin Queen is receiving a promotion, as his Exhibit 10 contract is being converted into a two-way deal, reports Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).

In Orlando’s preseason finale on Friday against Brazilian club Flamengo, Queen poured in 24 points (on 9-of-12 shooting) in just 24 minutes. He also had four steals in the game.

Queen went undrafted in 2020 out of New Mexico State. He has spent the majority of his three pro seasons playing in the NBA G League, winning the NBAGL’s MVP award in 2021/22.

The 26-year-old signed with the Sixers last summer, but was waived during the preseason and caught on with the Pacers on a two-way deal a few days later. He spent most of ’22/23 with Indiana, but was waived at the end of March.

Queen has appeared in a total of 17 NBA games while on two-way contracts with the Rockets and Pacers over the past two seasons. He holds modest career averages of 3.8 points and 1.9 rebounds in 8.5 minutes per contest.

Queen once again put up big numbers at the G League level in ’22/23, including averages of 23.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game in 11 Showcase Cup contests (35.7 MPG) for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. In 24 NBAGL regular season games, he put up 22.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 4.5 APG, and 2.1 SPG. He was named to the Next Up Game at All-Star weekend.

The Magic had one open two-way spot, so they won’t have to waive anyone to convert Queen’s contract. They still have 21 players on their roster, which is the preseason limit.

Frank Ntilikina Out At Least Four Weeks With Fractured Tibia

October 21st, 2023 at 12:22pm CST by Rory Maher

Hornets guard Frank Ntilikina has sustained a non-displaced fracture of his left tibia and will be out at least four weeks, which is when he’ll be reevaluated, the team announced (Twitter link via Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer).

Ntilikina suffered the injury during Thursday’s preseason finale against Boston. He was originally diagnosed with a hyperextended knee, but further testing revealed the fracture.

A former lottery pick (No. 8 overall in 2017) who is still just 25 years old, Ntilikina spent his first four NBA seasons with the Knicks and the past two seasons with the Mavs. In August, he signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with Charlotte as a free agent, but his deal is only partially guaranteed for $200K.

It’s unclear if the injury might cause the Hornets to release Ntilikina. Being out at least four weeks with the regular season about to begin in a handful of days certainly isn’t ideal for either party, to put it mildly.

After Charlotte waived Kai Jones, Ntilikina’s path to a spot on the opening night roster appeared secure. His leg injury makes it a bit more of a question mark.

While he has never been great on offense, posting a subpar career shooting slash line of .371/.323/.760 over 316 regular season games (17.1 MPG), the French guard is a talented defensive player and the Hornets don’t have many strong defenders on their roster.

Ntilikina was likely competing for backup point guard minutes alongside first-rounder Nick Smith, Edmond Sumner and Theo Maledon, who is on a two-way deal. Ntilikina’s injury seemingly makes Sumner even more likely to make the team — he’s on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract.

Heat Promote Dru Smith To Standard Contract, Convert Cole Swider To Two-Way

October 21st, 2023 at 11:21am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Heat have signed guard Dru Smith to a multi-year standard NBA contract and converted sharpshooting forward Cole Swider to a two-way deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

In a subsequent move, the team waived both forward Cheick Diallo and wing Justin Champagnie, who were both on Exhibit 10 contracts.

Smith, 25, has been in the Heat’s developmental system since signing a training camp deal in 2021. He spent that year playing with Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, before once again signing a camp deal with the Heat in 2022. At the conclusion of 2022’s training camp, Smith signed a two-way contract with the team.

At the beginning of the 2022/23 season, the Heat alternated between Orlando Robinson and Smith on two-way deals, with Jamal Cain on the other, swapping the pair out a handful of times. Smith then wound up signing with the Nets on a two-way before rejoining Miami this free agency period. He holds career averages of 2.9 points and 1.5 assists in 15 career NBA games.

Now, Smith is rewarded with a multi-year standard contract which has a $425K opening-night guarantee, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link). It’s a similar structure to the contract Robinson wound up getting from Miami, with a July trigger date in its second year, tweets HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. The Heat were only able to sign Smith to a minimum-salary deal due to their proximity to the tax aprons.

Smith had a solid preseason, averaging 6.5 points and 5.3 assists in four games. Head coach Erik Spoelstra praised his during training camp and the Heat appreciated his ability to run the floor, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Smith and Kyle Lowry are the only true point guards on Miami’s roster.

It’s interesting to see Miami opt for Smith over Cain for the 14th roster spot, which he had been hoping to get, according to Jackson. Cain averaged 11.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in four preseason games. However, as Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) observes, keeping Cain on a two-way may make it easier for the Heat to keep him in their system going forward because they may opt to switch out the 14th roster spot during the season.

Swider is another player who earned plenty of buzz during training camp and the preseason. He opened the preseason with a 17-point performance while knocking down five three-pointers. Swider, who spent last season on a two-way deal with the Lakers before being waived this summer, averaged 11.2 points and knocked down 37.1% of his three-pointers (7.0 attempts) across five appearances in the preseason. The 6’9″ forward shot 43.6% from deep in 27 regular season G League games last year.

Swider is hoping to follow in Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson‘s footsteps by being frontcourt shooter who enjoys a successful career with Miami. The Syracuse product joins Cain and R.J. Hampton as the team’s two-way players.

As for the Heat’s camp players, Diallo played sparingly in the preseason, averaging 2.7 rebounds in 6.9 minutes. Champagnie played much more, averaging 7.5 points in 22.1 minutes, positioning himself well in the camp battle. Even though both players are being waived, the Heat likely hope to funnel both to the Skyforce, where they’d be eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K if they are there for 60 or more days. Champagnie played with the Skyforce last season and Miami could revisit him in the future, like they did with Smith.

With the series of moves, the Heat’s opening night roster appears set, though there’s still time for them to cycle through moree Exhibit 10 signings. Miami has 14 players on standard deals and three players on two-way contracts. The club will keep the 15th spot on the roster open for now due to its proximity to the tax.

Warriors Waive Rudy Gay, Rodney McGruder

October 21st, 2023 at 6:12am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have officially waived forward Rudy Gay and swingman Rodney McGruder, the team announced following the conclusion of Friday’s preseason finale (Twitter press release).

Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), who first reported the cuts, say that Golden State will open the season with just 13 players on standard contracts for added roster and financial flexibility, and will plan to add a 14th man within the first two weeks of the season. That player will likely be signed to a non-guaranteed contract.

Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, a team is permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for up to two weeks and up to 28 total days in a given season. That means if the Warriors don’t fill that 14th roster spot until two weeks into the season, they’d only be permitted to dip to 13 players again for up to 14 more days for the rest of the season.

Gay and McGruder, both NBA veterans, were believed to fighting for a single roster spot, but neither player earned significant playing time during the preseason. Gay registered four points and seven rebounds in 15 total minutes across two contests, while McGruder appeared in just one game, putting up eight points and five rebounds in 20 minutes.

Given that the Warriors will need to sign a 14th man soon, they could circle back to Gay, McGruder, or Javonte Green, who was also waived this week. If the team isn’t enamored of any of those vets, it could look elsewhere on the free agent market. Promoting a two-way player to a standard contract and then signing a new two-way player would be another option.

Gay and McGruder will clear waivers on Monday, assuming they go unclaimed.

Sixers Waive Ricky Council, David Duke Jr.

October 20th, 2023 at 10:29pm CST by Rory Maher

The Sixers have waived Ricky Council and David Duke Jr., the team announced on Friday night.

Council being cut is somewhat of a surprise. He was one of the top prospects who went undrafted this year following his junior season at Arkansas and quickly reached an agreement on a two-way contract with Philadelphia.

A two-way deal signed before the regular season begins can be partially guaranteed for up to the maximum Exhibit 10 bonus amount for that year. In 2023/24, that amount – also known as the maximum two-way protection amount – is $75K. Council received that partial guarantee.

Two-way contracts don’t count against the salary cap, and evidently the Sixers have other plans for the spot that Council held. The 6’6″ guard averaged 9.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in five games (24.6 minutes) with the Sixers in Las Vegas Summer League action, though he didn’t shoot the ball well (.361/.100/.769 slash line). He also appeared in three preseason games, but didn’t play much (8.3 minutes per night).

As for Duke, who spent the past two seasons with the Nets, he’ll likely be headed to the Delaware Blue Coats — Philadelphia’s G league affiliate — to open ’23/24. He signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Sixers, so he could receive a $75K bonus if he spends at least 60 days with Delaware.

The Sixers now have 19 players under contract, with one open two-way spot.

Raptors Waive Jeff Dowtin, Justise Winslow, Mouhamadou Gueye

October 20th, 2023 at 9:51pm CST by Rory Maher

The Raptors have waived Jeff Dowtin, Justise Winslow and Mouhamadou Gueye, the team announced (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca).

Winslow and Gueye were on Exhibit 10 deals and will be headed to the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate. They’ll each be eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K if they spend at least 60 days with the 905. Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca first reported (via Twitter) that Winslow and Gueye were expected to be cut following Friday’s preseason finale vs. Washington.

As for Dowtin, his non-guaranteed standard contract would have become partially guaranteed for $900K had he remained on the roster past tomorrow’s cut-down day. However, he had an uphill battle to make the team, with 15 players signed to guaranteed standard deals.

Fifteen Raptors got into Friday’s win against the Wizards, and Dowtin wasn’t one of them, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca noted during the game (Twitter link). That made it pretty obvious that he was going to be cut.

It’s unclear what’s next for Dowtin, Murphy adds (via Twitter). The 26-year-old guard spent last season on a two-way contract with Toronto, appearing in 25 games (10.4 MPG). With only two years of NBA experience, he’d be eligible to sign a two-way deal with any team as a free agent if he clears waivers.

The Delaware Blue Coats (the Sixers’ affiliate) control Dowtin’s G League rights, so if another NBA opportunity doesn’t come, returning to the G league could be an option.

The Raptors currently have 18 players on their roster, with all three two-way slots filled. As Murphy tweets, they’ll likely have one more Exhibit 10 sign-and-waive coming on Saturday.

Trail Blazers Convert Justin Minaya To Two-Way Deal; Waive Two Others

October 20th, 2023 at 6:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

6:35pm: Minaya has officially been converted to a two-way deal, according to NBA.com’s transactions log, while Conditt and Butler have been waived.

3:57pm: Small forward Justin Minaya has agreed to a two-way contract with the Trail Blazers, agent Jared Mucha tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The 24-year-old finished last season with Portland on a hardship 10-day contract and appeared in four games. He re-signed with the Blazers in early October.

Sources tell Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report that John Butler will be waived to open a two-way slot for Minaya (Twitter link). The 20-year-old center re-signed with Portland in July after spending last season on a two-way deal. He appeared in 19 games, averaging 2.4 PPG and 0.9 RPG in limited minutes.

The team’s other two-way spots belong to Ibou Badji and Skylar Mays.

Highkin also reports that George Conditt, who has an Exhibit 10 contract, will be waived today and is expected to wind up with the Rip City Remix, the organization’s new G League affiliate (Twitter link).

Highkin hears that Moses Brown is likely to make the team, so the battle for the final roster spot appears to be between Duop Reath and Kevin Knox (Twitter link).

Bulls Waive Carlik Jones

October 20th, 2023 at 5:44pm CST by Luke Adams

5:44pm: Jones has been waived, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log.

1:22pm: The Bulls are waiving guard Carlik Jones, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

It has been a big year for Jones, who was named the 2023 G League MVP after averaging 26.1 points per game on .483/.360/.789 shooting in 24 regular season contests (38.3 MPG) while also contributing 7.0 assists and 4.4 rebounds per night. That performance helped earned him a promotion from his two-way contract to Chicago’s standard roster in March.

Jones then represented South Sudan during this summer’s World Cup, helping the program claim a spot in the 12-team Olympic field for the first time ever . The 25-year-old had some monster performances against international competition, averaging a double-double (20.4 PPG, 10.6 APG) in five World Cup games.

Unfortunately, it appears the Bulls’ cap and roster situation means that Jones is the odd man out to open the regular season. Chicago was hovering right around the luxury tax line with 13 players on guaranteed contracts and non-guaranteed salaries for Jones and Terry Taylor. The Bulls may intend to open the season with just 14 players on standard deals, with Terry making the team, though that hasn’t yet been confirmed.

Jones’ $1.93MM salary would have become partially guaranteed for $250K on opening night. Since he’ll be cut before then, Chicago won’t be on the hook for any of his salary. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent if he goes unclaimed on waivers and would be free to sign with any team (including the Bulls on a new deal).