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Heat Waive Nassir Little, Three Others

October 19th, 2024 at 11:23am CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have requested waivers on Nassir Little, Zyon Pullin, Isaiah Stevens, and Warren Washington, the team announced today (via Twitter).

All four players were in camp with Miami on non-guaranteed contracts. Little had an Exhibit 9 deal, while Pullin, Stevens, and Washington each had Exhibit 10 language in their agreements. That means those latter three are good candidates to land with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s G League affiliate, whereas Little – who wouldn’t earn an Exhibit 10 bonus with the Skyforce – may seek out another opportunity.

Little is the most notable name in the group, having been a first-round pick in 2019 who has 237 career NBA regular season appearances under his belt. After spending his first four seasons in Portland, he was traded to Phoenix in last year’s Damian Lillard blockbuster, but struggled for his new team, averaging a career-low 3.4 points per game with a .300 3PT% in just 10.2 minutes per game.

Little, who has battled injuries since entering the league and has never played more than 54 games in a season, was waived by the Suns in August with three years and $21.75MM left on his contract. He had a chance to make the Heat’s regular season roster, but the odds were against him, given that retaining him into the regular season would have pushed Miami’s team salary above the restrictive second tax apron.

The Heat now have 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. Barring some last-minute moves for G League purposes, their roster could be set for opening night.

Spurs Convert Riley Minix To Two-Way Contract

October 19th, 2024 at 11:20am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Spurs announced on Saturday that they’ve converted former Morehead State forward Riley Minix to a two-way contract. Minix impressed in this offseason for San Antonio, averaging 7.7 points in 7.8 minutes across three preseason games.

San Antonio signed Minix to an Exhibit 10 deal in July after he went undrafted in June. Minix averaged 20.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 34.9% from three as a 6’7″ forward at Morehead State. He also averaged 9.0 PPG in four summer league games.

Because he was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal and the Spurs had an open two-way slot, no corresponding moves were necessary in converting his contract. The Spurs’ roster still stands at 21 players, three over the regular season limit. Minix’s conversion is an indication that fellow Exhibit 10 signees Malachi Flynn, Brandon Boston Jr. and Jamaree Bouyea didn’t make the team.

Assuming that’s the case, all three of those players will likely be waived today. If they spend at least 60 days with the Austin Spurs in the G League, they’ll each receive a bonus worth $77.5K.

Minix joins David Duke Jr. and Harrison Ingram as San Antonio’s two-way players for the upcoming season.

Wizards Sign RayJ Dennis To Two-Way Deal

October 19th, 2024 at 11:07am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 19: Dennis’ deal with the Wizards is now official, per a press release from the team. Washington didn’t confirm which player was waived to open up a spot for Dennis, but will likely announce one or more cuts at some point today.

OCTOBER 18: The Wizards have reached an agreement on a two-way contract with undrafted rookie guard RayJ Dennis, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

A fifth-year super-senior at Baylor in 2023/24, Dennis averaged 13.6 points, 6.7 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 34.3 minutes per game across 35 contests (all starts). His shooting line was .479/.328/.731.

The 6’2″ guard also played for Boise State for two seasons and Toledo for two more before transferring to Baylor. He earned Mid-American Conference Player of the Year honors in 2023 with Toledo and made the All-Big 12 second team in 2024.

Dennis was part of the Clippers’ Summer League team in Las Vegas, then signed an Exhibit 10 contract with L.A. last month. He was waived last week after appearing in one preseason game and seemed on track to end up with the San Diego Clippers in the G League. Instead, it appears he’ll open the regular season as part of the Wizards’ 18-man roster.

With Justin Champagnie and Tristan Vukcevic on two-way deals, Washington had one two-way slot open. However, the team is currently at its preseason limit of 21 players, so someone will need to be waived to make room for Dennis. That shouldn’t be an issue, since the Wizards’ non-guaranteed camp invitees will likely be cut this weekend.

Bulls Convert E.J. Liddell To Two-Way Deal

October 19th, 2024 at 10:52am CST by Rory Maher

OCTOBER 19: Liddell’s conversion to a two-way contract is now official, the Bulls announced in a press release.

OCTOBER 18: The Bulls are converting E.J. Liddell‘s Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Chicago currently has an open two-way spot, so no corresponding move will be necessary to promote Liddell.

An Illinois native who starred in college at Ohio State, Liddell was selected with the 41st pick of the 2022 draft. Unfortunately, he missed his entire first season with the Pelicans after tearing his ACL in Summer League, but the team kept him on a two-way deal for the 2022/23 campaign.

Liddell, a 6’7″ forward, was promoted to a multiyear standard deal in July 2023. He spent most of last season in the G League, only making eight NBA appearances for 23 total minutes with New Orleans in ’23/24.

Liddell was traded twice during the offseason, first to Atlanta in the Dejounte Murray deal, then to Phoenix in a salary dump by the Suns (former first-rounder David Roddy was sent to Atlanta). Phoenix subsequently waived Liddell, making him a free agent until he signed a training camp deal with Chicago.

Since the Bulls didn’t release anyone, they still have 18 players under contract, which is the regular season limit.

As we previously relayed, it seems like the team plans to keep Talen Horton-Tucker into the regular season after waiving Onuralp Bitim and Kenneth Lofton, though that could change before Monday’s final cut-down deadline. Horton-Tucker, who has been a standout in preseason, was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal but is ineligible for a two-way contract due to having five years of NBA experience.

Why Most Teams Will Finalize Roster Cuts On Saturday

October 19th, 2024 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

NBA teams have until Monday night (Oct. 21) to officially set their rosters for the 2024/25 regular season. However, a majority of NBA teams will likely have their rosters ready to go on Saturday, with far more roster cuts expected today and tomorrow than on Sunday or Monday.

Why is that? Well, releasing a player on Saturday will ensure he clears waivers on Monday, before the regular season gets underway.

Players who are cut during the season are also paid for each day they spend on waivers, so a player who hits waivers on Sunday and doesn’t clear until the first day of the season on Tuesday would technically earn one day’s worth of pay, even if his contract isn’t guaranteed. A player released on Monday would spend two regular season days on waivers.

[RELATED: 2024/25 NBA Roster Counts]

For players with partial or full guarantees, spending the first day or two of the regular season on waivers doesn’t really matter, since they’re getting their full 2024/25 salary (or their partial guarantees) no matter when they’re released. But if a team waits until Monday to cut a player with a non-guaranteed salary, that team will be on the hook for two days’ worth of dead money for the player.

Two days’ worth of dead money won’t exactly break the bank — it would range from about $13K to $38K for a minimum-salary player. Still, most teams already know which players are in and which are out, so there’s no need to take the decision down to the wire on Monday. They’ll make those cuts sooner rather than later to avoid adding extra cap charges to their books for ’24/25. Even that small amount of savings could be important for teams who are right around the tax line or up against a hard cap.

While many teams will make their cuts on Saturday, a handful of clubs can afford to wait an extra day or two if they want to, since they’ll be waiving (or trading) players who have full or partial guarantees.

The Timberwolves, for instance, have 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, plus PJ Dozier on a partially guaranteed contract, so unless they can find a trade involving one of those 16 players, they’ll need to waive one of them. Waiting until Sunday or Monday to make that cut won’t affect their cap outlook at all, since everyone is assured of receiving his full-season salary either way (except Dozier, who is assured of earning at least his $1MM partial guarantee).

Additionally, teams whose final roster moves won’t involve placing a player on waivers can afford to wait until Monday to complete those moves.

For example, the Magic currently have 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts, one on a two-way contract, and five on Exhibit 10 deals. While we don’t know exactly what the team’s plan is, Orlando could cut three of those Exhibit 10 players today, then convert the other two to two-way contracts on Monday in order to set its roster for the regular season.

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Hoops Rumors Originals

Kuminga, Suggs, Giddey Among Extension Candidates Seeking $30MM+ Annually

October 19th, 2024 at 10:43am CST by Tristan Tucker

The deadline for teams to sign players to rookie scale contract extensions falls on Monday and will force several clubs to make tough decisions.

The Warriors have two players under consideration for rookie scale extensions: Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. As we relayed Friday evening, Moody appears more likely than Kuminga to receive an extension by Monday. Moody is in line to receive minutes at the wing spot in the wake up Klay Thompson‘s departure, and NBA insider Jake Fischer reports he could earn more than $10MM per season on his extension (Threads link).

However, Kuminga is seeking a near-max contract that would pay him north of $30MM annually. According to Fischer, the Warriors have “never seemed intent” on paying the forward that kind of money ahead of the season. That tracks with earlier reporting, which suggested that both sides are content to wait to see if Kuminga takes another step forward in 2024/25 and helps propel the team back into contention as its second- or third-best player. In that scenario, he would presumably be rewarded in restricted free agency next offseason.

Moody averaged 8.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game last season while Kuminga broke out, averaging 16.1 PPG on 52.9% shooting from the field.

We have more on this year’s rookie scale extension candidates:

According to Fischer, Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson is facing a similar situation to Kuminga. However, there’s “far more optimism” that the Hawks and Johnson will finalize a deal worth north of $30MM each year, which is said to be the starting point for negotiations with the former Duke standout. Johnson broke out in a big way last season, jumping from 5.6 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 2022/23 to 16.0 PPG and 8.7 RPG. He’s primed to be a long-term fixture in Atlanta as one of the Hawks’ franchise cornerstones.
Magic guard Jalen Suggs is seeking an extension worth more than $30MM annually in talks with Orlando, NBA insider Marc Stein reports (Twitter link). It’s unclear whether or not Orlando is prepared to make that sort of offer, but Suggs emerged as one of the best defensive guards in the league last season, earning a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team, averaging 12.6 PPG and 1.4 SPG, improving his outside shooting to 39.7%, and helping the young Magic to a 47-win season.
Immanuel Quickley‘s five-year, $162.5MM contract with the Raptors is said to have set a benchmark for young guards across the league, Fischer says, confirming previous reporting. Bulls guard/forward Josh Giddey is also seeking at least $30MM per year on his next extension. However, the Bulls are more interested in seeing how Giddey fits with the team before committing that kind of money to him. Chicago traded Alex Caruso for Giddey in June.
The Rockets haven’t been willing to this point to approach a maximum-salary deal for either Jalen Green or Alperen Sengun, according to Fischer. We relayed Friday that the Rockets have held productive conversations with both players, submitting offers to each, but that those offers were below the max. Fischer indicates that Houston is completely fine with not agreeing to terms with either before the year begins.
Clippers guard Bones Hyland and Nets young players Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe are not expected to agree to terms on a rookie scale extension, according to Fischer. However, there remains some optimism that Hornets guard Tre Mann, Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson and Wizards wing Corey Kispert will be able to sign extensions by Monday’s deadline.
Quentin Grimes has emerged as a real candidate to receive an extension by Monday, according to Stein (Twitter link). Grimes was acquired by the Mavericks in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr. this offseason and he’s averaged 8.5 PPG across three NBA seasons. His deal would presumably be in the ballpark of Moody’s, perhaps a bit more than $10MM per year.

Nets Convert Tyrese Martin To Two-Way; Waive Killian Hayes, Amari Bailey

October 19th, 2024 at 9:42am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Nets have converted forward Tyrese Martin to a two-way contract and waived guards Killian Hayes and Amari Bailey, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto and New York Post’s Brian Lewis (Twitter links).

Brooklyn’s roster now stands at the regular season limit of 18 players, with 15 on standard contracts and all three two-way slots filled.

Martin, the No. 51 overall pick in the 2022 draft, spent the first year of his career with the Hawks. He only saw action in 16 games and was waived the following offseason. Martin played last season for the Timberwolves’ G League affiliate in Iowa, averaging 16.9 points and 7.7 rebounds in 39 games.

A former UConn standout, Martin signed to an Exhibit 10 deal with Brooklyn this offseason. He stood out in four preseason appearances with the Nets, averaging just 4.8 PPG but often receiving playing time alongside the Nets’ bench players and other two-ways. He was ahead of Bailey and the other non-guaranteed training camp invitees in minutes.

Hayes spent the first four seasons of his career in Detroit after being drafted with the No. 7 overall pick in 2020. He showed chops as a play-maker, averaging 5.2 assists per game across 210 career appearances, but he only shot 38.2% from the field in those games. After being waived by the Pistons at last season’s trade deadline, he didn’t catch on with another team for the rest of 2023/24.

This offseason, Hayes signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Nets. While his four years of NBA service made him ineligible for a two-way deal, he’ll still qualify for a bonus worth $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate in Long Island.

Hayes didn’t suit up in a preseason game with the Nets while dealing with a hip injury. According to Charania, he’ll rehab the injury in the G League this season.

Bailey was a one-and-done prospect after suiting up for UCLA in 2022/23. He was the 41st pick in the 2023 draft by the Hornets and spent last season on a two-way deal. However, Bailey only got into 10 NBA games and the Hornets opted not to bring him back in free agency, leading to him signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the Nets.

He played more extensively in the G League as a rookie, averaging an impressive 18.8 points and 4.3 assists on a .452/.358/.705 shooting split. Like Hayes, he’ll be eligible for a $77.5K bonus if he winds up spending at least two months with Long Island.

Given that both players are 23 or younger, there’s a chance the rebuilding Nets could revisit one or both if they open up roster spots via trade this season.

Timberwolves Notes: Garza, Minott, Edwards, Lloyd

October 19th, 2024 at 8:27am CST by Tristan Tucker

Timberwolves center Luka Garza had a dominant college career, but he’s had to take a more patient approach to his NBA tenure. After averaging 24.1 points and 8.7 rebounds during his AP Player of the Year senior season, Garza has only appeared in 85 NBA games, with modest averages of 5.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest.

After impressing in the G League and during limited NBA minutes, Garza signed a multiyear standard contract in July. According to The Athletic’s Jon Krawzynski, Garza is battling several players for the 11th spot in the Timberwolves’ rotation this fall. He got the chance to prove his worth against Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic in a recent preseason game and recorded 29 points and nine rebounds.

“I know how rare these kinds of opportunities come, especially like this. And a chance to play against the best player in the world and start against him,” Garza said. “It’s an awesome opportunity. So I wanted to go out there and do whatever I could do, stay present, stay in the moment and not let it pass by without taking advantage of it.”

Rudy Gobert, Anthony Edwards, Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker appear to be the top rotation options in Minnesota. That leaves Garza, third-year forward Josh Minott, veteran Joe Ingles and rookies Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon competing for minutes this year.

“Luka’s crazy because you watch Luka work every day and he comes in and he works the same,” Dillingham said. “He might not get a chance every game, but he always is ready. It just shows from the weight room to the gym to everybody. Just watching him makes you want to play with him because you know he’s been working.”

We have more Timberwolves notes:

Minott had an impressive offseason and preseason and is among the players pushing for a rotation role, according to Chris Hine of StarTribune. “I’d probably say three-fourths into last year I switched my mental. I used to fear a lot,” Minott said. “Coming into the league, I was scared of messing up, scared of making mistakes. I wanted to be the perfect player. I wanted to impress the coach and all this other stuff. And now it’s just like not only was that not healthy mentally but it wasn’t helping me to stress like that.” Head coach Chris Finch continues to refer to Minott, who averaged 13.0 points in his five preseason games, as an X-factor.
Edwards helped Team USA win the gold medal in this summer’s Olympics and his teammates feel that experience will have a major impact on his 2024/25 season. “I’m not trying to put him as a little bro, but it felt like that,” USA teammate Kevin Durant said, per Hine. “When you wake up in the morning and your little bro got the most energy. That was Ant. It was a joy to be around him.”
An insatiable thirst for knowledge contributed to Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd‘s rise up the ranks of NBA front offices, which helped him land his current position, Krawczynski writes. “He’s one of the most well-respected guys in our profession,” Wolves president of basketball operation Tim Connelly said. “He’s got the acumen and the work ethic and he’s got a wonderful emotional IQ. Someone really smart is going to hire him as their president.“

Spurs Sign Jamaree Bouyea To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 18th, 2024 at 11:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Jamaree Bouyea is back under contract with the Spurs on an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

Bouyea signed a two-year, two-year contract with San Antonio back in March and appeared in three NBA game down the stretch of the 2023/24 season. He spent most of ’23/24 in the G League, averaging 16.4 points, 7.2 assists, 5.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.3 blocks in 37.5 minutes per contest across 38 total outings for the Sioux Falls Skyforce and Austin Spurs.

The Spurs kept Bouyea around on his two-way deal for much of the offseason, having him play a significant role on their Summer League team in July, but eventually waived him about a month ago, prior to training camp. His new Exhibit 10 deal and an Austin Spurs trade to acquire his returning rights from the Skyforce signal that the 6’2″ guard remains in San Antonio’s plans for the coming season.

In all likelihood, Bouyea will be waived before opening night and will report back to the Austin Spurs, where he’ll be eligible to earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with San Antonio’s NBAGL team.

The Spurs now have a full 21-man preseason roster, with cuts to come in the coming days in order to get down to the regular season limit by Monday.

Central Notes: Drummond, Pistons, Bucks, Rivers, Garland, Carlisle

October 18th, 2024 at 11:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers center Andre Drummond spent the first seven-and-a-half seasons of his NBA career in Detroit, earning a pair of All-Star nods and leading the league in rebounding four times during his tenure with the Pistons. Even though the team only made the playoffs twice during that time and was swept out of the first round in both instances, Drummond looks back fondly on his stint with the franchise and hopes to eventually return.

“I call Detroit home to this day,” Drummond said on the Run Your Race podcast (YouTube link). “I still have a house in Detroit, just because of the connection that I have with the city. I feel like I became a man in that city. … I grew up so much there. I met some of my best friends there. I built a relationship with the fanbase and the community in Detroit.

“I’ve always said it, I want to finish my career there. The year I’m trying to retire, I want to finish in Detroit. Because that’s where I started and I want to finish there.”

Drummond is the second all-time rebounder in Pistons history, behind only Bill Laimbeer. He also ranks third in blocked shots on the franchise leaderboard.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Sam Amick of The Athletic spoke to Bucks stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard and head coach Doc Rivers to get a sense of why the team is confident it will be better in 2024/25 than it was in ’23/24. “This year, a challenge for me is to be healthy,” Antetokounmpo said. “A challenge for me is to play in the playoffs, to get out of the f—ing first round. Assert myself even more. Every year for me is important because one day, I’m going to be 35 or 36 or 38 and I’m going to be like, ‘Oh, my prime just went, and I wasn’t able to do something.’ So dominate.”
In a separate interview with Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Rivers spoke about his enthusiasm for the upcoming season with the Bucks and defended his coaching record, pointing out that he’s constantly been in situations where he knows he’ll be criticized for anything less than a championship. “If you look at my path since leaving Boston, I’ve intentionally put myself in win-or-failure positions, knowing that in a lot of cases that if we fail, it’s on me,” Rivers said. “But if I’ve learned anything from my journey with Boston and how long it took me as a coach to get there, I want that position more than the, ‘Well, we can be fifth seed if some things go right’ position.”
After a trying 2023/24 season that included the death of his grandmother and a broken jaw that left him drinking out of a straw for weeks, Cavaliers guard Darius Garland says his “joy is back” ahead of the 2024/25 campaign. Chris Fedor has the story in a subscriber-only feature for Cleveland.com.
A resolution has been reached in a civil lawsuit filed by former agent Jarinn Akana against Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Akana alleged that Carlisle breached their contract by refusing to pay the full commission owed to the agent as a result of his 2018 extension with the Mavericks. A trial had been scheduled for April 28, 2025, but that court date will be avoided as a result of the resolution (the terms of which are confidential).