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Bucks Sign, Waive Henry Ellenson

October 17th, 2024 at 8:04pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 17: Ellenson has been waived, per NBA.com’s official transaction log, putting him on track to join the Herd this fall.

OCTOBER 16: The Bucks have signed free agent big man Henry Ellenson to a non-guaranteed contract, according to RealGM’s transaction log. It’s an Exhibit 10 deal, Eric Nehm of The Athletic confirms (via Twitter).

The 18th overall pick in the 2016 draft, Ellenson appeared in 83 regular season games for the Pistons, Knicks, Nets, and Raptors from 2016-21. He hasn’t been in the league since his 10-day contract with Toronto expired in March 2021, having competed in Spain and Japan since then.

Although he hasn’t been in the NBA for a while, Ellenson is still just 27 years old and played well in the G League earlier in his career, averaging 20.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 33.9 minutes per game across 73 regular season outings.

In all likelihood, the Bucks’ signing of Ellenson is designed to secure his NBAGL rights and to ensure that he earns an Exhibit 10 bonus worth a maximum of $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Wisconsin Herd this season. Assuming that’s the plan, he’ll be waived in the coming days before reporting to the Herd later this month.

Milwaukee now has a full preseason roster of 21 players. The Bucks will have to get down to a maximum of 18 players (15 on standard contracts and three on two-way deals) by next Monday afternoon.

Suns Sign, Waive Paul Watson

October 17th, 2024 at 7:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

7:31 pm: As expected, Watson was waived by the Suns, according to the NBA’s official transaction log. Watson’s next stop will likely be with Phoenix’s G League affiliate.

8:16 am: The Suns have signed wing Paul Watson, according to RealGM’s transactions log.

Terms were not disclosed but it’s safe to assume it’s an Exhibit 10 contract. Phoenix’s NBA G League team, the Valley Suns, acquired Watson’s returning rights on Monday from the Austin Spurs in exchange for the rights to Lindell Wigginton and Matt Lewis.

Watson, 28, played in Germany briefly after going undrafted out of Fresno State in 2017, but has since bounced back and forth between the NBA and the G League.

The 6’6″ guard/forward, who has shown some three-and-D potential, appeared in 46 total NBA games for the Hawks, Raptors, and Thunder from 2020-22, as well as 142 regular season and Showcase Cup NBAGL contests for the Westchester Knicks, Raptors 905, and Oklahoma City Blue from 2017-22.

He’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with the Valley Suns.

Nuggets Notes: Malone, Shooting Guards, Nnaji

October 17th, 2024 at 7:13pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Nuggets now sit at 0-4 in the preseason, and head coach Michael Malone recently questioned the conditioning of his team, Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes.

“I don’t think we’re in great condition right now, and that’s one thing we talked about as coaches during the game,” Malone said after Sunday’s loss to the Suns. “Looked like some guys are just winded and a little tired out there. So that’s something that we can try to improve upon.”

In that game against the Suns, Phoenix made 23 three-pointers and the Nuggets struggled to guard the Suns’ players one-on-one. Malone was critical and blunt in his assessment of what Denver needs to do with just a week left until the team’s regular season tips off.

“I think some [conditioning] you can do [during games],” Malone said. “Like [Sunday], I ran those guys the whole third quarter. And obviously, Jamal [Murray] didn’t play in the second half. But [I] played that starting unit the whole third quarter and tried to push their envelope a little bit. And that was probably a little bit hard on some of those guys. Then in practice, I think we can get up and down more. I think so often as coaches in modern-day NBA, the league’s gotten so soft [that] everybody’s afraid to condition and run. We have to.”

Durando writes that the Nuggets are trying to step out of their comfort zone this season by playing more in transition, which the starting lineup isn’t as accustomed to. Malone acknowledged as much on Sunday.

“Obviously if you’re playing at a pace that maybe you’re not accustomed to, it could definitely challenge your system,” Malone said. “But you know, we’ve talked about trying to be a better running team this year. … It can’t be just Russell Westbrook off the bench. It’s gotta be everybody.”

We have more from the Nuggets:

Malone raised eyebrows again on Tuesday during the media session that followed a 30-point preseason loss to the Thunder. The Nuggets lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to free agency this year, marking the second straight year in which they’ve lost a key contributor from their 2023 title run (Bruce Brown and Jeff Green left in free agency last summer). With those losses, the Nuggets tried relying on younger players to fill the gaps and help get them back to the Finals in 2023/24, but they were defeated in the second round of the playoffs by the Timberwolves. When asked if there was a sense of wanting revenge for last season, Malone said “I haven’t seen it,” according to Brendan Vogt of DNVR Sports (Twitter link).
While Julian Strawther has been one of the most impressive Nuggets players in the preseason, it’ll be an uphill battle for him to beat out Christian Braun for the starting shooting guard spot, Durando writes. Strawther is shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc this preseason, an area that Braun is struggling with (7.7%). “Obviously it’s never going to be just about who’s playing better in a vacuum,” Malone said. “It’s always going to be about, yes, who’s playing well, but also who complements that unit. And right now to be honest, I think [Braun] and Jamal and Michael [Porter Jr.] and Aaron [Gordon] and Nikola [Jokic], that’s a group that really complements each other well. … I think Russ, Julian, Peyton [Watson], Dario [Saric] and whoever else, I think that’s a really good complementary group as well. But I will give Julian some more chances to get out there and start and play with that [starting] group.”
The first four seasons of his career haven’t progressed in a linear fashion, but it has been encouraging to see Zeke Nnaji stand out in the preseason, Durando writes in the same story. On Tuesday, Nnaji recorded 11 points, two steals and three blocks. There’s been some question as to whether the big man is best suited as a four or a five, but Malone said that didn’t matter. “I don’t get into all that. I think that’s a bunch of malarkey,” Malone said. “In today’s NBA, you’re a big, you’re a small. … This is not 1980s where it’s three-out, two-in. Zeke’s a big. So go out there and play your game. I mean, is Dario Saric a center in anybody’s eyes? Well, he is for us.“
Nnaji’s strong preseason has extended to beyond the arc, Durando observes in a separate feature. He’s shooting a team-best 54.5% and is aiming to bring those numbers to the regular season. That was a trademark skill for Nnaji as a draft prospect and he hit 43.9% of his threes in the first two seasons of his career. However, amid a form change, Nnaji shot 26.1% from deep over the past two seasons. Despite outsiders telling him to revert back to his old form, Nnaji stuck with it and the change looks to finally be paying off.

Celtics Waive Jay Scrubb, Ron Harper Jr., Hason Ward

October 17th, 2024 at 5:44pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Celtics have waived Jay Scrubb, Ron Harper Jr. and Hason Ward, according to the NBA’s official transaction log. All three players were signed to non-guaranteed contracts.

Because their deals included Exhibit 10 language, Scrubb, Harper and Ward are each eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days with the Celtics’ G League affiliate in Maine.

Scrubb has three years of NBA experience with the Clippers and Magic. The 55th pick in the 2020 draft, he spent the first two years of his career on a two-way deal with Los Angeles, then then played in the G League for the Magic’s affiliate in 2022/23, impressing enough to earn a two-way deal in March of that year.

Last summer, he signed a two-way contract with the Celtics but suffered an ACL injury that sidelined him for the season. Upon completion of his rehab process, he rejoined the C’s on a training camp deal in October. Scrubb still has two-way eligibility, but fresh off the injury and with all three of Boston’s two-way deals filled, he’ll open the year in the G League.

Scrubb is a player to monitor. Still only 24 years old, he averaged 22.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game across two G League seasons. He could be someone the Celtics revisit again down the line once their roster opens up a bit more. Another team is free to sign or claim him if they so choose.

Harper is in a similar position to Scrubb. Though he went undrafted in 2022, he was signed to a two-way deal shortly after the draft by the Raptors. Like Scrubb, he didn’t play much at the NBA level, seeing more extensive action in the G League.

Harper only appeared in six games in the G League last year, but he averaged 17.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks in his last healthy season in 2022/23. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury after playing in just one NBA game in ’23/24 and was waived by the Raptors in December of last year.

As they did with Scrubb, the Celtics offered Harper an Exhibit 10 contract and chance to compete for a roster spot now that he’s healthy. He made three preseason appearances with the Celtics and will be a player to watch down the line at 24 years old.

The Celtics signed Ward to an Exhibit 10 deal on Wednesday in a move designed to have him suit up for Maine this season. As we noted in our original story, Ward is a 6’9″ forward who helped Iowa State to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last season. He averaged 6.0 PPG and 3.8 RPG.

Boston theoretically could stand pat before the regular season begins. They’re at 18 players under contract. However, the Celtics still have a decision to make on potential 15th man Lonnie Walker IV, who has averaged 7.3 PPG in just 16.4 MPG in the preseason. While the Celtics do have room on the regular season roster for Walker, he’d cost exponentially more than his minimum salary due to the team’s position well over the tax line. We should get some clarity on what the Celtics plan to do by the unofficial cut-down day on Saturday.

Bucks Sign, Waive Justise Winslow

October 17th, 2024 at 5:08pm CST by Rory Maher

5:08pm: The Bucks have now waived Winslow, according to the NBA’s transaction log. As noted below, this move was designed to secure Winslow’s G League rights for the upcoming season. He’ll earn a bonus as an affiliate player if he spends at least 60 days with the Wisconsin Herd.

1:30pm: The Bucks have signed free agent forward Justise Winslow to an Exhibit 10 contract, reports Jamal Collier of ESPN (Twitter link).

After spending his first five seasons in Miami — the team that drafted him 10th overall back in 2015 — Winslow has bounced around the league in recent years, suiting up for the Grizzlies, Clippers and Trail Blazers. The 28-year-old signed a 10-day contract with the Raptors last season, but he didn’t appear in an NBA game for Toronto.

Winslow’s 2023/24 debut was delayed due to ankle surgery. He spent most of last season with the Raptors 905 (Toronto’s G League affiliate), averaging 15.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.6 SPG and 1.0 BPG on .476/.295/.667 shooting in 22 regular season contests with the NBAGL club (27.0 MPG).

In July, Shams Charania reported that a handful of veteran free agents — including Winslow — worked out for the Bucks.

Since the Bucks have 14 players on guaranteed contracts and Andre Jackson with a significant partial guarantee, their standard roster looks pretty set. That means Winslow will almost certainly be waived and headed to the Wisconsin Herd (Milwaukee’s affiliate) to open ’24/25. Assuming Wisconsin acquires his returning player rights from the Raptors 905, Winslow could receive a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Herd.

The Bucks’ 21-man offseason roster is full once again following the addition of Winslow. The team released James Akinjo earlier on Thursday to make room for the newcomer.

Pistons Waive Lamar Stevens, Four Others

October 17th, 2024 at 4:50pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Pistons waived five players on Thursday, according to the NBA’s official transaction log. Lamar Stevens, Dereon Seabron, Aaron Estrada, Javante McCoy and Tolu Smith were all cut by Detroit.

All five players were on non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts that will allow them each to earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days with Detroit’s G League affiliate. Of the five, only Stevens was ineligible for a two-way contract, as he holds four seasons of NBA experience.

It’s a bit interesting that not one member of Detroit’s training camp roster made the final cut. The Pistons have one standard contract slot open and waived Tosan Evbuomwan this week, which gives them two open two-way slots to fill. While Stevens impressed a bit in the preseason, he was available to sign late into the offseason and the Pistons could revisit him down the line if they chose.

In the aftermath, it seems as though the Pistons will explore what teams across the league do with their cuts. Having finished with the worst record last season, Detroit is in a good place to make whatever waiver claims they want. Perhaps a player or players they have interest in will shake loose for the Pistons to snag.

Stevens, 27, went undrafted in 2020 but caught on with the Cavaliers on a two-way deal. He impressed in his rookie season, earning a standard contract. He wasn’t retained past 2023 though and signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Celtics, ultimately earning a spot on the standard roster. Stevens was then traded to the Grizzlies at the trade deadline in the move that sent Xavier Tillman to Boston, but Stevens wasn’t re-signed. Across four NBA seasons, he holds career averages of 5.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

Seabron spent the last two seasons with the Pelicans on a two-way contract. He appeared in 11 games at the NBA level, averaging 1.6 PPG. The NC State product played more extensively in the G League, averaging 18.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 6.0 APG on a .555/.391/.724 shooting split in 28 games (26 starts) last season.

Estrada went undrafted in the 2024 class after a five-year college career. He spent time at Saint Peter’s, Oregon and Hofstra before playing his final collegiate season at Alabama, helping the team to a Final Four run. In his final season, he averaged 13.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 4.6 APG and 1.6 SPG.

McCoy spent his entire five-year collegiate career at Boston University, going undrafted in 2022. Across 147 career college games, he averaged 13.1 PPG and 3.3 RPG while shooting 37.7% from three. He spent time with the Lakers and Spurs previously in training camps, signing Exhibit 10 deals with each before playing for their respective G League teams. In 43 games with the Austin Spurs last year, he averaged 9.2 PPG.

Smith, a 6’11” forward, averaged 11.7 PPG and 6.7 RPG in 142 career college games (102 starts). He spent his freshman season at Western Kentucky before transferring and playing the final four years of his collegiate career at Mississippi State. He went undrafted in 2024 and made three preseason appearances with Detroit.

Kevin Durant: “Not Even Thinking About” Possible Extension

October 17th, 2024 at 4:14pm CST by Rory Maher

Speaking on Thursday to reporters, including Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, Suns star Kevin Durant downplayed the possibility of signing a one-year, $59.5MM extension prior to Monday’s deadline.

“I’m not even thinking about it,” Durant said after Thursday’s shootaround. “I’m just going to play out my contract really, and just focus on that. Focus on the team. I haven’t even really had conversations with anybody about a contract. Trying to focus on basketball.”

Durant, who became the first men’s basketball player to win four Olympic gold medals over the summer, will earn $51.8MM in 2024/25, followed by $54.7MM in ’25/26.

He can currently only tack on one year to his current contract due to the Over-38 rule. If he doesn’t sign a new contract by Monday, he’ll be ineligible to complete an extension during the season, but will be eligible again during the 2025 offseason.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link), there’s a “strong likelihood” that Durant will hold off on extension talks until next offseason, when he’d be eligible to sign a two-year, $123.8MM extension.

Durant, 36, is one of the most accomplished players in NBA history, with 14 All-Star nods, 11 All-NBA appearances, four scoring titles, an MVP, two championships, and two Finals MVPs on his résumé.

In 75 regular season games last season, the 6’11” forward averaged 27.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 5.0 APG, 0.9 SPG and 1.2 BPG on .523/.413/.856 shooting (37.2 MPG).

Trail Blazers Waive Devonte’ Graham

October 17th, 2024 at 3:19pm CST by Rory Maher

The Trail Blazers have waived veteran guard Devonte’ Graham, the team confirmed in a press release (Twitter link). Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian was first to report the move.

Assuming he goes unclaimed, Graham will become an unrestricted free agent on Saturday.

Graham signed a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract with Portland in August in the hope of making the regular season roster. He was competing with Dalano Banton for the 15th and final standard roster spot — Graham being released drastically improves Banton’s odds of making the team.

The news doesn’t come as a surprise, but it was still a key roster battle to monitor. Banton impressed the Blazers down the stretch of last season, and they picked up their 2024/25 team option on his contract at the end of June, giving him a partial guarantee of $217,533, with the remainder of his $2,196,970 salary still non-guaranteed. If Banton makes the opening night roster, his partial guarantee will increase to $1,098,485.

A former second-round pick (No. 34 overall in 2018) who played four years of college ball at Kansas, Graham had some productive seasons with Charlotte in his first few NBA seasons, including averaging 18.2 points, 7.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 steal per contest in 63 games in ’19/20 (35.1 MPG).

However, the six-year veteran only appeared in 23 games for San Antonio last season, averaging a career-low 13.6 minutes, and was traded to the Hornets in July in a salary dump. Charlotte promptly waived him before his full $12,650,000 salary became guaranteed, but Graham will still be paid his $2.85MM partial guarantee, with the Hornets carrying that figure as a dead-money cap hit.

Portland’s roster could be ready for the regular season, though there’s still time to make some minor additions for G League purposes. The team now has 18 players under contract, with 15 players on standard deals and all three of its two-way slots filled.

Elijah Hughes Joins Cavaliers On Exhibit 10 Contract

October 17th, 2024 at 3:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

OCTOBER 17: Hughes’ deal with the Cavaliers is official, per RealGM’s transaction log.

OCTOBER 16: Elijah Hughes has agreed to a contract with the Cavaliers, agent Daniel Hazan tells NBA reporter Chris Haynes (Twitter link). It’s an Exhibit 10 deal, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).

Hughes will play for the Cavs’ G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge, Fedor adds. He will be eligible for a bonus of up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Charge, who acquired Hughes’ rights in a G League trade earlier this month.

The 26-year-old swingman was selected with the 39th pick in the 2020 draft and spent the first season and a half of his career in Utah. A three-team deal at the 2022 trade deadline sent him to Portland, and he became a free agent after finishing out the season with the Trail Blazers.

Hughes signed with Milwaukee during each of the last two preseasons, but he hasn’t worked his way back into the NBA. He averaged 10.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 29 regular season games with the G League Wisconsin Herd last season.

Cleveland has an opening on its 21-man roster, so another move won’t be necessary before finalizing the deal with Hughes.

Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard Out Indefinitely With Knee Issue

October 17th, 2024 at 2:07pm CST by Rory Maher

Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard is expected to be out indefinitely as he continues to rehab from right knee inflammation, league sources tell Shams Charania and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

At the team’s media day on September 30, Leonard expressed optimism about being ready for the regular season opener on October 23. Based on ESPN’s report, there’s essentially no chance of that happening.

Leonard, who dealt with inflammation in his right knee at the end of last season and underwent surgery during the offseason, has yet to take part in contact drills and is working on strengthening the knee. He was ruled out for the remainder of preseason earlier this week.

“He has not been a part of what we’ve been doing on a daily basis,” Clippers assistant coach Brian Shaw said after Wednesday’s practice. “I know the company line has been that we’re going to be patient with him, so he’s doing everything that he can to rehab it and strengthen that knee on his own with our medical staff. And we’re just dealing with the guys that we have [available].”

According to ESPN’s duo, the Clippers and Leonard are working together to find the best long-term solution to keep the two-time Finals MVP healthy. The team plans to be cautious with Leonard, who tore his right ACL in 2021, then his right meniscus in 2023. He missed the entire 2021/22 season while recovering from the ACL injury.

A two-time Defensive Player of the Year, the 33-year-old remains a two-way force when active. He appeared in 68 games last season (34.3 MPG), averaging 23.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.6 SPG and 0.9 BPG on .525/.417/.885 shooting. However, as previously mentioned, he was hampered by the knee inflammation to end ’23/24, including in L.A.’s first-round playoff loss to Dallas.

Leonard was originally on USA Basketball’s roster for the 2024 Olympics in Paris over the summer, but he was replaced with Derrick White before the event began. Team USA claimed the gold medal after edging past Serbia and France in the semifinal and final, respectively.

With Leonard sidelined to open the season and Paul George departing for Philadelphia in free agency, the Clippers will have a difficult task in replacing their production, particularly on offense. They’ll need multiple players to step up, with offseason additions Derrick Jones and Nicolas Batum among the candidates for more playing time.

Leonard is under contract through ’26/27 after signing a three-year, $152MM extension last season.