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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.

Kings Waive Antoine Davis, Shareef O’Neal, Drew Timme

October 19th, 2024 at 5:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings have waived guard Antoine Davis and forwards Shareef O’Neal and Drew Timme, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

All three players signed with Sacramento on Friday so the Kings could obtain their G League rights. They will all be eligible for bonuses worth up to $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days with the team’s affiliate in Stockton.

Davis played last season for Portland’s G League team, the Rip City Remix, and had his rights traded to the Kings earlier this month. He averaged 14.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 44 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Remix.

O’Neal, the son of Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, played for the G League Ignite in 2022/23 after going undrafted out of LSU. He participated in the Next Up Game at All-Star Weekend in 2023.

Timme is a former standout at Gonzaga who played for the G League Wisconsin Herd last season. The Kings also recently acquired his returning player rights in a trade.

Sacramento has 12 players with fully guaranteed contracts, along with Orlando Robinson, who has a $500K guarantee on his $2.09MM deal, so the team has flexibility to adjust the roster before opening night. All three two-way slots are filled.

Grizzlies Cut Four Camp Invitees

October 19th, 2024 at 5:15pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, after promoting Yuki Kawamura to a two-way contract, the Grizzlies waived their four other players on Exhibit 10 contracts, Miye Oni, Maozinha Pereira, Armando Bacot, and Miles Norris, per NBA.com’s official transaction log.

Oni, Pereira, Bacot, and Norris were all in the mix for Memphis’ open two-way contract slot after Scotty Pippen Jr. was elevated to the standard roster, but once Kawamura got the nod, hitting waivers was the likeliest outcome for all four players.

Oni, the 58th overall pick in the 2019 draft, appeared in 80 NBA games across two-and-a-half seasons with the Jazz before being traded to the Thunder, who waived him. The former Yale star signed a 10-day contract with the Pelicans in February 2022, but didn’t play a game for the team and hasn’t been in the NBA since then. He spent the 2022/23 season with the London Lions in the British Basketball League and ’23/24 with the Osceola Magic in the G League.

Pereira, a 24-year-old forward from Brazil, signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Grizzlies last season and and appeared in seven games for the club, averaging 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest with a .514/.385/.700 shooting line. He spent most of the season with the Mexico City Capitanes in the NBAGL.

Bacot is coming off a decorated five-year college career at North Carolina, where he became the men’s basketball program’s top rebounder for both a single season (511 in 2021/22) and a career (1,715). He averaged 13.9 PPG and 10.1 RPG over the course of 169 college games for the Tar Heels and earned All-ACC honors four times, including First Team nods in 2022 and 2023.

Norris, 24, signed a two-way contract with Atlanta last summer after going undrafted out of California-Santa Barbara. He was waived in December and joined the Hawks’ G League team in College Park, where he averaged 11.6 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 45 games (29.2 MPG). Norris also played for Atlanta in the Las Vegas Summer League the past two years.

The Grizzlies’ G League team – the Memphis Hustle – traded for the returning rights to Oni, Pereira, and Norris during the offseason and can make Bacot an “affiliate player,” so all four players will likely end up with the Hustle. If they spend at least 60 days with Memphis’ NBAGL affiliate, they’ll earn Exhibit 10 bonuses worth $77.5K apiece.

The Grizzlies’ roster now appears set for the regular season, with 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.

Minor Moves: Thunder, Raptors, Celtics, Lakers, Bucks

October 19th, 2024 at 5:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have waived forward Malevy Leons, the team announced today. Leons went undrafted in June out of Bradley and signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Oklahoma City in September. His next stop will likely be with the OKC Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate. If he spends at least 60 days with the Blue, Leons will earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth $77.5K.

Meanwhile, the Thunder’s roster is now regular season compliant. They’re carrying 13 players on standard guaranteed salaries, a pair on non-guaranteed deals, and three on two-way pacts.

Here are a few more minor transactions completed on Saturday around the NBA:

The Raptors signed and subsequently waived forward Kevin Obanor, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet (Twitter links). After going undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2023, Obanor spent his rookie season with the Raptors 905. Today’s sign-and-waive transaction suggests he’ll be returning to the 905 this fall — Toronto already held his returning rights, but today’s moves will allow the 25-year-old to cash in on an Exhibit 10 bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the 905.
The Celtics signed Jordan Schakel to an Exhibit 10 deal on Friday, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac, and waived him on Saturday, according to NBA.com’s official transaction log. As with Obanor, the moves were simply designed to get Schakel a bonus for returning to the Maine Celtics, the team he played for last season. Boston also signed and waived Schakel in September, so it’s unclear why the club did so again a month later.
The Lakers have cut former Belmont standout Grayson Murphy after signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract this week, the team announced on Saturday (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic). The 25-year-old point guard spent the past two seasons competing in Germany, but appears ticketed for the South Bay Lakers to open the 2024/25 season.
The Bucks waived center Jalen Lewis after having signed him to an Exhibit 10 contract on Friday, per NBA.com’s transaction log. Lewis, who spent multiple years in the Overtime Elite program, will likely begin the season with the Wiscon Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate.

Clippers Waive Elijah Harkless, Alondes Williams, Braxton Key

October 19th, 2024 at 4:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers have waived guards Elijah Harkless and Alondes Williams, along with forward Braxton Key, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. In addition, Tosan Evbuomwan has officially been signed and waived.

Harkless played for the team’s G League affiliate last season and seems likely to return there. He averaged 11.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 20 regular season G League games a year ago.

Williams appeared in seven games after signing a two-way contract with Miami in February. He was also on a two-way deal with Brooklyn in 2022/23, making one short appearance in an NBA game.

Key got into 20 games on a two-way contract with Denver last season. He also has brief NBA experience with Philadelphia and Detroit.

Evbuomwan signed with the Clippers after being waived on Wednesday by Detroit, where he held a two-way contract. He appeared in 13 games for the Pistons and four with the Grizzlies last season.

All four players appear headed to the Clippers’ G League affiliate in San Diego, where they will be eligible for bonuses up to $77.5K if they remain with the team for at least 60 days.

The Clippers will have 15 players with standard contracts on their opening-night roster, along with three two-way deals.

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.

Spurs Waive Malachi Flynn, Brandon Boston

October 19th, 2024 at 4:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs have set their opening-night roster, waiving Malachi Flynn and Brandon Boston to reach the limit, the team announced in a press release. Also let go was Jamaree Bouyea, who signed with the team on Friday.

Flynn, a 26-year-old point guard, was traded twice last season, spending time with Toronto, New York and Detroit. He posted a 50-point game in April, but otherwise had an unremarkable season, averaging 5.5 PPG in 69 combined games with the three teams.

Boston, a 22-year-old swingman, played the past three seasons with the Clippers. He only appeared in 32 games last season, averaging 5.2 PPG in 10.8 minutes per night.

All three players were in camp on non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts, so the Spurs won’t have any future financial obligations to them. They will be eligible to earn bonuses worth $77.5K apiece if they spend at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate in Austin.

There are 18 players on San Antonio’s roster, with 15 holding standard contracts plus three two-way deals.

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.

Cavaliers Waive Pete Nance, Jules Bernard

October 19th, 2024 at 3:53pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Cavaliers waived forward Pete Nance and guard Jules Bernard, according to a team press release. Cleveland also formally announced the previously reported Zhaire Smith and Jacob Gilyard cuts.

Nance spent most of last season in the G League with the Cleveland Charge before signing a two-way contract with the team in February. He only played in eight NBA games with limited minutes, but he averaged 13.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 blocks while making 35.8% of his three-point attempts.

The five-year college player spent time at Northwestern before transferring to UNC for his final season. He then went undrafted in 2023. Nance, the younger brother of Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr., wasn’t kept on a two-way deal this season but is expected to once again suit up for Cleveland’s G League affiliate.

Like Nance, Bernard began his career in the G League. The UCLA product played four years collegiately before going undrafted in 2022. He suited up for Washington’s G League affiliate the past two seasons before agreeing to a two-way deal with the Wizards in December of last year.

Bernard played a bit at the NBA level, getting into 19 games and averaging 3.9 PPG. He played more in the G League, averaging 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 35.9% from three. The Wizards opted not to bring him back, leading to him catching on with the Cavs for training camp.

Both players are eligible for a bonus worth $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days with Cleveland’s G League team, the Charge.

The Cavaliers’ roster now stands at 17 players, with 14 on standard deals and three on two-way contracts.