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Nuggets Waive Bryce Wills

October 20th, 2023 at 8:32pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nuggets have waived guard Bryce Wills, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

Wills, who was a member of Denver’s Summer League team in Las Vegas in July, went undrafted out of Stanford in 2021 and has played in the G League for the last two years, spending time with the Capital City Go-Go as well as the Nuggets’ affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold.

In 44 games last season for Grand Rapids, Wills averaged 5.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 22.3 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .463/.340/.485. He’s known for more his defense than his offensive ability, having been named to the Pac-12’s All-Defensive team in 2020.

Wills inked an Exhibit 10 contract and will be heading to the Gold once again in 2023/24. If he spends at least 60 days with Grand Rapids, he could earn a bonus worth up to $75K.

Denver’s roster is down to 18 players, the regular season limit.

Southwest Notes: Osman, Doncic, Mavs, Eason, Pelicans

October 20th, 2023 at 7:25pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran forward Cedi Osman had spent all six of his NBA seasons with the Cavaliers prior to the July trade that sent him to San Antonio. He says he’s thrilled he landed with the Spurs, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).

“I was happy and celebrating that I would be here in San Antonio with this franchise,” Osman said. “When you step on the court and you see all those (championship) banners, you feel great. It’s another reason to work harder and do anything for this team.”

The 28-year-old, who is on an expiring $6.7MM contract, has impressed his head coach and teammates during training camp and preseason, according to Orsborn.

“He’s a pro,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s a tough kid. He’s confident, a team player. He is just solid.”

Here’s more from the Southwest:

Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd told reporters on Friday that star guard Luka Doncic‘s recovery timeline remains to be determined, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter links). Kidd added that Doncic, who has a mild left calf strain, has resumed light on-court activities. Marc Stein previously reported that the Mavs were optimistic about Doncic’s availability for next week’s regular season opener.
In a mailbag for The Athletic, Tim Cato writes that he’s more concerned about Doncic’s mysterious thigh injury than his mild calf strain. Cato also touches on a handful of other Mavericks-related topics, including which players he expects to close games.
Second-year Rockets forward Tari Eason missed his third straight preseason game on Friday vs. Miami due to a bruised lower left leg. He’ll be examined this evening to determine if he’ll miss additional time with the injury, head coach Ime Udoka said (Twitter links via Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle).
Christian Clark of NOLA.com (subscriber link) provides some takeaways from the Pelicans‘ 1-3 preseason, writing that the offense — which ranked last in the league over those four games — remains a work in progress. Turnovers and spacing have been particularly problematic, according to Clark, who says New Orleans will miss sharpshooter Trey Murphy, who is expected to be sidelined until at least November following meniscus surgery.

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).

Celtics Sign, Waive James Banks, Reginald Kissoonlal

October 20th, 2023 at 6:19pm CST by Rory Maher

The Celtics have signed and waived free agent centers James Banks and Reginald Kissoonlal, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log. Both players will likely be heading to Maine to play for Boston’s G League affiliate.

Banks went undrafted in 2020 out of Georgia Tech. After spending 2020/21 — his first pro season — playing in Israel, the 25-year-old returned stateside and has been playing in the G League the past two seasons.

In 41 career regular season contests with the Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans’ affiliate) and the Texas Legends (Mavs’ affiliate), Banks has averaged 6.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 1.4 BPG in 19.0 MPG.

Kissoonlal, meanwhile, went undrafted in 2019 out of Marian University. He spent his first three professional seasons in Europe prior to signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the Celtics last fall. He was waived the same day. The 27-year-old averaged 5.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG and 1.2 BPG in 18 regular season games with the Maine Celtics in 2022/23 (10.6 MPG).

Boston now has 17 players under contract.

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).

Thunder Sign, Waive Jahmi’us Ramsey, Jaden Shackelford

October 20th, 2023 at 5:43pm CST by Luke Adams

5:43pm: Both Ramsey and Shackelford have been waived, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

11:57am: The Thunder continue to use the spots at the back end of their preseason roster to move players in and out in advance of the G League season. Having waived Caleb McConnell and Adam Flagler, Oklahoma City signed guards Jahmi’us Ramsey and Jaden Shackelford, the team announced today.

Both Ramsey and Shackelford played for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate last season, and I expect the plan is for them to return to the Blue this fall. Assuming they signed Exhibit 10 contracts, which is extremely likely, they’ll be eligible to receive bonuses worth up to $75K if they spend at least 60 days with OKC’s G League club.

The 43rd overall pick in the 2020 draft, Ramsey appeared in 32 games for Sacramento in his first season-and-a-half in the NBA before being waived. Last season, he averaged 21.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 29.5 minutes per game across 34 appearances for the Blue, posting a shooting line of .511/.327/.793.

Shackelford joined the Blue after going undrafted out of Alabama in 2022. In his first G League season, he appeared in 44 games, putting up 13.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 1.3 APG on .409/.390/.742 shooting in 27.5 MPG.

The Thunder still have a full 21-man preseason roster and will have to trade or waive one more player even after they cut Ramsey and Shackelford.

Celtics Waive Wenyen Gabriel, DJ Steward

October 20th, 2023 at 5:40pm CST by Luke Adams

5:40pm: Both Gabriel and DJ Steward have been officially waived by the Celtics, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

9:56am: The Celtics are placing big man Wenyen Gabriel on waivers ahead of the regular season, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A four-year NBA veteran, Gabriel spent last season with the Lakers, appearing in 68 games and averaging 5.5 points and 4.2 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per night.

Gabriel signed with Boston at the start of training camp after the team included Robert Williams in its trade package for Jrue Holiday. Given the hit the Celtics’ frontcourt depth took in that deal, it appeared the 26-year-old had a path to a regular season roster spot.

However, Gabriel only received a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract, which offered no assurances beyond training camp and the preseason, and he was outperformed by two-way player Neemias Queta this month. Boston has also typically kept a 15-man roster spot open into the regular season in recent years, notes Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link).

In addition to their 10 players with guaranteed salaries, the Celtics have Luke Kornet, Svi Mykhailiuk, Dalano Banton, and Lamar Stevens on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed deals, with DJ Steward on an Exhibit 10 pact. It seems likely that Steward will be cut when Boston sets its regular season roster, with the other four making the team, though that has yet to be confirmed.

As for Gabriel, it’s unclear where his next stop might be. Since his contract with Boston didn’t include an Exhibit 10 bonus, he’s not an obvious candidate to join the Maine Celtics, the club’s G League affiliate.

Hornets Sign Terrell Brown Jr.

October 20th, 2023 at 5:38pm CST by Rory Maher

The Hornets have signed free agent Terrell Brown Jr., per a team press release.

In a related move, Charlotte’s NBA G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, acquired Brown’s returning player rights from the Memphis Hustle (the Grizzlies’ affiliate) earlier on Friday. That means Brown almost certainly signed an Exhibit 10 deal, which would entitle him to a $75K bonus if he’s waived and spends at least 60 days with the Swarm.

A 6’3″ guard, Brown went undrafted in 2022 after five college seasons with four different schools, the most recent being Washington. In 2021/22, he averaged 21.7 PPG, 4.3 APG, 4.2 RPG and 2.2 SPG in 32 games for the Huskies (36.1 MPG).

Brown spent last season playing for the Hustle, 7.5 PPG, 3.9 APG and 2.1 RPG in 34 appearances between the Showcase Cup and the regular season (16.8 MPG).

The Hornets now have 21 players under contract, which is the preseason maximum.

Wolves Release D.J. Carton, Trevor Keels, Tyrese Martin

October 20th, 2023 at 4:39pm CST by Rory Maher

The Timberwolves have released D.J. Carton, Trevor Keels and Tyrese Martin, the team announced in a press release.

Carton, who went undrafted in 2021, was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal that would entitle him to a bonus worth up to $75K if he spends at least 60 days with the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s G League affiliate. He spent last season with Iowa, averaging 15.6 PPG, 5.5 APG, 4.0 RPG and 1.2 SPG on .529/.365/.813 shooting in 25 regular season contests (31.0 MPG).

Keels also signed a training camp deal that featured an Exhibit 10 clause. The 42nd pick of last year’s draft spent 2022/23 on a two-way deal with the Knicks, appearing in three games with New York. He spent most of his rookie season in the G League with the Westchester Knicks.

The 51st overall pick in the 2022 draft, Martin was waived by Atlanta in July after appearing in just 16 games for the Hawks last season as a rookie. He scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in his 66 total minutes at the NBA level.

Martin saw more frequent playing time for the College Park Skyhawks in the G League, averaging 18.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 1.9 APG on .503/.366/.805 shooting in 23 regular season contests (33.9 MPG) for Atlanta’s G League affiliate. It’s unclear what type of contract he signed with Minnesota.

The Wolves now have 17 players under contract, with 14 players on guaranteed standard deals and all three two-way spots filled.

Mavericks Sign, Waive Tony Bradley

October 20th, 2023 at 3:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

October 20: Bradley has been waived by the Mavs (Twitter link), which suggests he signed an Exhibit 10 deal and will be playing for the Texas Legends — Dallas’ G League affiliate — to start 2023/24.

October 19: The Mavericks have signed veteran center Tony Bradley, the team’s PR department tweets.

Bradley has played for Utah, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City and Chicago over his six NBA seasons. He holds career averages of 4.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in 179 games, including 18 starts.

It’s unknown what type of contract Bradley signed. Dallas had 14 players with guaranteed deals, so conceivably he could round out its bench. However, the Mavs already have rookie Dereck Lively, Dwight Powell and Richaun Holmes as options at center and Markieff Morris is considered the favorite to be the team’s 15th man.

Bradley reportedly drew interest from Golden State during the offseason. Last season, the big man was on the Bulls’ roster, but was waived in February when the team signed Patrick Beverley. Bradley saw limited playing time in 12 games, averaging 1.6 points in 2.8 minutes per night.