NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

Thunder Sign Alex Reese To Standard Contract

October 19th, 2024 at 3:42pm CST by Tristan Tucker

3:42pm: The signing is official, the Thunder confirmed in a press release.

10:18am: The Thunder are signing forward Alex Reese to a standard, non-guaranteed contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). This move comes in the wake of Isaiah Hartenstein suffering a hand fracture.

Reese was previously on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Thunder, logging limited minutes in three preseason games. He was waived by Oklahoma City on Wednesday, but he impressed enough in training camp to earn consideration as a backup while Hartenstein recovers from his injury across what will likely be a multi-week absence.

The 6’9″ Reese played his college ball at Alabama from 2017-21, averaging 5.4 points per game in his final season. He spent a year away from basketball, primarily working as a bartender, then signed in Luxembourg in 2022/23 before playing with the Trail Blazers’ G League affiliate last season. He averaged 11.5 PPG in ’23/24 behind decent shooting and impressed enough to earn a spot on the Thunder’s training camp roster.

When the Thunder signed and waived Reese, the plan was likely that he would join OKC’s G League affiliate. However, with Hartenstein out and an open spot on the 15-man roster, that opened up an opportunity for Reese to provide depth. Outside of Hartenstein and starting center Chet Holmgren, the only players 6’9″ or taller on the Thunder’s roster are Jaylin Williams, Ousmane Dieng and Exhibit 10 signing Malevy Leons.

By signing Reese, the Thunder’s roster will stand at 19 players. They’ll have 15 players on standard deals and three players on two-way contracts. Leons is also occupying an Exhibit 10 slot and the Thunder will have to decide by Monday if they’d like to convert him to a two-way contract or cut him.

Reese signing a non-guaranteed deal indicates the Thunder may cycle through players on the back half of their roster or open up that slot later in the season for flexibility. If he impresses, the Thunder can keep him through the year. It’s also possible that Oklahoma City plans to develop him on a multi-year non-guaranteed contract. As The Athletic’s John Hollinger notes (Twitter link), if Reese is in Oklahoma City’s long-term plans, they could sign him to a two-year deal with a team option on the second year, then decline that in favor of signing him to an affordable multi-year deal next offseason.

Rockets Waive Jermaine Samuels Jr., Nate Hinton, Matt Bradley

October 19th, 2024 at 2:57pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Rockets finalized their regular season roster by waiving Jermaine Samuels Jr., Nate Hinton and Matt Bradley, Jonathan Feigen of Houston Chronicle reports (Twitter link). According to Feigen, the team will keep its 15th roster spot open for flexibility to start the season.

Samuels went undrafted in 2022, playing his rookie season for the Pacers’ G League affiliate. The five-year Villanova standout impressed in the G League, shooting 46.4% from three in his first professional season. That led to a two-way contract from Houston, which he played on for all of last season.

Samuels only got into 14 games with the Rockets last year, but again played well in the G League, averaging 19.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists. However, he wasn’t kept on his two-way deal and instead re-signed to a camp deal this offseason as Houston filled its two-way slots with other players.

Like Samuels, Hinton spent all of last season on a two-way deal with the Rockets. A three-year veteran, Hinton has made stops with Dallas and Indiana after going undrafted in 2020. He played two college seasons at Houston. A skilled rebounder, Hinton got into 37 games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League where he averaged 13.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.3 steals per contest as a 6’5″ guard.

He too was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal after not being retained on a two-way with the Rockets.

The Rockets signed Bradley to an Exhibit 10 deal on Friday. This was the expected move for him, with the signing designed to have him play for Rio Grande Valley this season. He averaged 14.9 points in five collegiate seasons with Cal and San Diego State.

All three players are expected to play for the Vipers this season, with all being eligible for bonuses worth up to $77.5K apiece if they spend at least 60 days with the G League team.

Magic Cut Jarrett Culver, Three Others

October 19th, 2024 at 2:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have waived four players ahead of the regular season, announcing in a press release that they’ve cut swingman Jarrett Culver, forward Jalen Slawson, and guards Alex Morales and Ethan Thompson (Twitter link).

Culver is the most notable name in the group, given that he’s a former No. 6 overall pick. However, he was out of the league last season, instead spending the year with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League. The former Texas Tech standout averaged 20.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.7 steals in 31.1 minutes per game across 45 outings for the Rockets’ G League team, posting a shooting line of .472/.362/.693.

Of the other three players, only Slawson has any NBA experience. Last year’s No. 54 pick spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with Sacramento, appearing in 12 games for the Kings.

A 6’6″ shooting guard, Morales has played for the Magic’s G League team in each of the past two years while also suiting up for Osos de Manati in Puerto Rico during the NBA offseason.

Thompson, a 6’5″ shooting guard who went undrafted out of Oregon State in 2021, has primarily played in the G League since going pro, spending time with the Windy City Bulls and Mexico City Capitanes. He also played in Puerto Rico for Osos de Manati earlier this year.

While Culver wasn’t eligible for a two-way contract due to his four years of NBA service, the other three were, so it’s notable that all three were waived instead — even after converting Mac McClung to a two-way contract, Orlando still has one two-way spot open. The team may look outside the organization to fill that opening.

Culver, Slawson, Morales, and Thompson will all be eligible for Exhibit 10 bonuses if they report to the Osceola Magic and spend at least 60 days with Orlando’s G League team.

Lakers Sign Quincy Olivari To Two-Way Deal, Waive Colin Castleton

October 19th, 2024 at 2:32pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Lakers have signed training camp standout Quincy Olivari to a two-way contract, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link). Los Angeles is waiving Colin Castleton to make room, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

Olivari drew rave reviews from Lakers staffers during the offseason, and he backed it up with impressive play during the preseason. He averaged 8.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting a blistering 57.1% from beyond the arc across four preseason appearances (including one start). He closed out the preseason on Friday with a 22-point performance.

Olivari played four collegiate seasons at Rice before transferring to Xavier for his final season. He averaged 19.2 PPG and shot 40.9% on 7.6 three-point attempts per game last season. He went undrafted in the 2024 class but is now set to make the Lakers’ opening-day roster.

Castleton appeared in 16 games with the Lakers last season on a two-way deal after going undrafted out of Florida. He didn’t play much at the NBA level, but impressed in the G League with averages of 16.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.

The Lakers made him a restricted free agent this offseason before re-signing him to a two-way deal amid a summer league performance that saw him average a near-double-double. L.A.’s frontcourt depth is down right now with Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt injured and Christian Koloko still needing medical clearance (though the team is optimistic he’ll receive it sooner than later).

That seemed like a recipe for Castleton to perhaps receive some early season minutes, but he only averaged 2.4 points in 13.7 minutes during the preseason. The Lakers are reportedly looking for at options for center depth.

The Lakers are still one spot over the regular season limit from setting their opening night roster. They have Grayson Murphy occupying an Exhibit 10 slot, but he’ll almost certainly be waived in the coming hours. The Lakers have a full 18-man roster beyond that, with Olivari, Armel Traore and Koloko occupying their two-way slots.

Wizards Waive Butler, Funk, Gueye

October 19th, 2024 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have requested waivers on center John Butler Jr., forward Taylor Funk, and forward Mouhamadou Gueye, according to RealGM’s transaction log.

Butler, Funk, and Gueye were on non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts and are now candidates to report to the Capital City Go-Go. Washington’s G League affiliate controls the returning rights for all three players, who would earn bonuses worth $77.5K apiece if they spend at least 60 days with the Go-Go.

Butler, 21, started last season on a two-way contract with the Wizards, but was waived in early December. He joined Capital City, where he averaged 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds in 33 regular season games. Butler has previous NBA experience with Portland, appearing in 19 games during the 2022/23 season, and he was a member of the USA’s 3×3 U23 Men’s National Team that competed in Mongolia this summer.

Funk, 26, also played for the Go-Go last season after being acquired in a December trade with the Maine Celtics. He signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Boston last September, but was waived before the start of training camp. Funk averaged 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 34 regular season games with Capital City.

Gueye, who went undrafted out of Pitt in 2022, saw his first NBA action last season after joining the Raptors on a 10-day deal in February and a two-way contract in March. The 26-year-old appeared in 11 games down the stretch for Toronto, averaging 2.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 10.9 minutes per contest. In 39 Showcase Cup and regular season outings for the Raptors 905 – Toronto’s G League affiliate – he averaged 14.2 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 2.6 BPG in 31.0 MPG, making 56.1% of his shots from the floor but just 49.5% of his free throw tries.

Washington is now carrying 19 players, including 15 on guaranteed contracts and three on two-way deals. Jared Butler has a non-guaranteed salary, but the Wizards would reportedly like to keep him — to do so, they’ll have to either trade or waive a player from their 15-man roster or cut him and attempt to re-sign him to a two-way contract. The latter route is riskier since another team could claim him off waivers.

Warriors Waiving Kevin Knox, Blake Hinson, Jackson Rowe

October 19th, 2024 at 2:16pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Warriors are waiving three players from their training camp roster, cutting Kevin Knox, Blake Hinson and Jackson Rowe, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link).

Knox was the ninth overall pick in the 2018 draft by the Knicks. He spent the first three and a half seasons of his career with New York before being traded to Atlanta. He then signed a multiyear deal with the Pistons in 2022 before being traded at that deadline to Portland. He caught back on with Detroit before being traded by them a second time at this year’s deadline for Simone Fontecchio.

The Kentucky product played for Golden State in this year’s summer league after not signing elsewhere. He impressed, averaging 16.0 points across six games, leading to his training camp contract with the Warriors. He was not eligible to sign a two-way with Golden State and replace one of their existing players because he has accrued more than three years of NBA service.

Hinson originally signed to the Lakers after going undrafted in the 2024 draft, agreeing to a two-way contract. He averaged 10.9 PPG in eight summer league games with the Lakers. However, when they signed Christian Koloko last month, Hinson was the odd man out. When he signed with the Warriors in September, we relayed that Hinson picked Golden State over several other interested teams. It’s unlikely that any of those teams was offering more than the Exhibit 10 deal he signed with the Warriors, but it will be interesting to monitor if any team with a two-way opening chooses to snag Hinson.

Rowe went undrafted in 2020 after a four-year career at Cal State Fullerton. He played overseas for a few different clubs before playing for the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz last year. He averaged 12.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks with an impressive shooting line of .513/.394/.805 in 47 games played.

Hinson and Rowe appear likely to suit up for the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. They’ll be eligible for bonuses worth $77.5K apiece if they spend at least 60 days with Santa Cruz. Knox’s future is less certain, since his contract didn’t include Exhibit 10 language.

With 14 players on standard contracts and all three two-way slots filled, the Warriors have likely set their opening day roster, barring a trade or two-way substitution. While they have a 15th roster slot open, they aren’t currently able to fill that opening due to their proximity to the first apron hard cap.

Trail Blazers Exercise 2025/26 Team Options On Three Players

October 19th, 2024 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have picked up their 2025/26 team options for three players who are on rookie scale contracts, the team announced today in a press release.

The options exercised by Portland are as follows:

Scoot Henderson (third year, $10,748,040)
Shaedon Sharpe (fourth year, $8,399,983)
Kris Murray (third year, $3,132,000)

None of the decisions come as a surprise. Henderson and Sharpe project to be long-term cornerstones for the Blazers, while Murray showed some promise in his rookie season and has a salary not far above the veteran’s minimum.

Henderson, 20, had an up-and-down rookie campaign after being selected third overall in the 2023 draft. He finished last season with averages of 14.0 points, 5.4 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 28.5 minutes per game (62 games) and an underwhelming shooting line of .385/.325/.819. However, the Blazers remain confident that he’s capable of much more going forward.

Sharpe has been bitten by the injury bug in the past year. He was limited to 32 games last season due to health issues, including core muscle surgery, and is currently on the shelf due to a shoulder ailment. He averaged 15.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 2.9 APG on .406/.333/.824 shooting when healthy last season.

Murray averaged 6.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 1.3 APG in 62 games (21.7 MPG) as a rookie, with a shooting line of .396/.268/.661.

Sharpe will now become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2024 offseason, while the Blazers will have decisions to make on fourth-year options for Henderson and Murray by October 31, 2025.

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.

Bucks Give Robbins Two-Way Deal, Cut Pasecniks

October 19th, 2024 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

2:53pm: Robbins’ two-way contract is now official, according to the transaction log at NBA.com.

1:52pm: The Bucks are making a change to their two-way players ahead of the regular season, with Shams Charania of ESPN reporting (via Twitter) that the team has decided to convert Liam Robbins‘ Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal while waiving big man Anzejs Pasecniks.

Robbins, a seven-foot center who played his college ball at Vanderbilt, was born in Wisconsin and grew up a Bucks fan, so he’ll be sticking with his hometown team after a solid preseason in which he averaged 4.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 11.7 minutes per game across four outings.

Robbins missed part of his final college season in 2022/23 with a right leg fracture, which required surgery. A second surgical procedure was required this past January due to an issue with a plate that was inserted in his leg. But after a lost rookie season, he said this fall that he’s fully healthy and has no limitations.

A first-round pick in the 2017 draft, Pasecniks has only appeared in 28 total NBA regular season games – all with the Wizards – and has spent the past three seasons in Europe, playing for Real Betis (Spain), Metropolitans 92 (France) and Palencia (Spain). It remains to be seen whether he’ll head back overseas or if he’ll remain stateside and look to earn a shot with another NBA team.

Robbins joins Ryan Rollins and Stanley Umude as Milwaukee’s two-way players.

Raptors Cut Branden Carlson, Two Others; Convert Jamison Battle To Two-Way

October 19th, 2024 at 1:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have placed three players on waivers, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link), who says that center Branden Carlson and guards Jared Rhoden and Jahmi’us Ramsey are the roster casualties in Toronto.

Carlson was on a two-way contract, while Rhoden and Ramsey were in camp on non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts.

Forward Jamison Battle, the team’s other Exhibit 10 recipient, has had his contract converted into a two-way deal, replacing Carlson, Murphy adds.

Battle, who went undrafted out of Ohio State in June, impressed the Raptors at the Las Vegas Summer League, where he averaged 7.4 points per game on .565/.600/1.000 shooting in five outings (14.0 MPG). He also had a strong preseason, putting up 6.4 PPG in just 9.8 MPG in five appearances off the bench, with a .545 FG% (and a .571 3PT%).

Battle will help provide depth early in the season on the wing, where RJ Barrett and Bruce Brown are among the projected rotation players dealing with injuries.

As Murphy tweets, Rhoden will likely report to the Raptors 905, since they control his rights, and the team should have the ability to designate Carlson as an affiliate player even though he was on a two-way deal. Ramsey’s returning rights are still controlled by the Oklahoma City Blue, so the 905 would have to acquire them in order to get him on their roster.

Toronto is now carrying 14 players on fully guaranteed contracts, plus Bruno Fernando on a non-guaranteed deal, and three players on two-way pacts. Assuming Fernando makes the opening night roster, his full minimum salary will become guaranteed.