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Magic Co-Founder Pat Williams Passes Away

July 17th, 2024 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pat Williams, a Hall of Fame executive and co-founder of the Magic, has died at 84, the team announced (via Twitter).

“Pat Williams simply brought magic to Orlando,” team Chairman Dan DeVos and CEO Alex Martins said in a joint statement. “His accomplishments will always be remembered. Armed with his ever-present optimism and unparalleled energy, he was an incredible visionary who helped transform the world of sports in multiple ways. From bringing the Magic to Orlando, to transforming sports marketing and promotions, he was always ahead of the curve.

“Pat forever changed the sports landscape in Orlando. He shined a light on what those who called Orlando home already knew – that Central Florida was a fabulous place to live, work and play. We all owe him a debt of gratitude and he will certainly be missed, but never forgotten.”

In 1986, Williams teamed with local businessman Jimmy Hewitt in an effort to bring an NBA team to Orlando. They were approved for an expansion franchise in April of 1987, and the team played its first game in 1989.

Williams started his long NBA career as the Sixers’ business manager in 1968. He staged spectacular halftime shows that helped Philadelphia become one of the league’s most successful teams in terms of attendance.

He was offered the general manager’s role in Chicago at age 29, and his legacy with the organization includes the creation of mascot Benny the Bull. He moved on to the Hawks as general manager in 1973 and a year later became GM in Philadelphia, holding the job for 12 years and helping to build the 1983 championship roster. Williams also served as GM in Orlando until 1996, when he was promoted to senior vice president.

He announced his retirement in 2019 after a career that included more than 30 years with the Magic and more than five decades in the NBA.

“He was the best husband, father and grandfather and brother anyone could ask for — a warrior, a hero, a visionary, but most importantly, a larger-than-life follower of Jesus,” the Williams family said in a statement. “He loved a challenge, and when he moved our family to Orlando to start the Magic, he was full of excitement and energy that he displayed every day. We all grew up believing that anything is possible because of his unwavering enthusiasm for what he was passionate about.”

Our condolences go out to Pat’s family and friends.

Atlantic Notes: Martin, Edwards, Koloko, Madar

July 17th, 2024 at 9:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

A shortage of playing time last season led KJ Martin to explore free agency, but he decided his best opportunity is still with the Sixers, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Martin appeared in 58 games after being acquired from the Clippers in November, but he only logged 12.3 minutes per night. He recently accepted a two-year deal worth up to $16MM because Philadelphia’s revamped roster is short on power forwards.

“The roster was open,” Martin said. “So it was obviously a possibility. My agent spoke to the front office, and they obviously spoke highly of me. So that was a big part of it, and looking where the dominoes fell, it just felt like the right situation [after Paul George] came and they really don’t have a lot of fours.”

Martin is hoping to win a starting job in training camp, but he’s ready to help the team even if he’s coming off the bench again. With Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and George handling most of the offense, Martin believes he’s the type of complementary player who fits well alongside them.

“You see those guys and what we will need in a four man,” he said. “Obviously, we don’t need a guy out there like Tyrese, Joel, and PG. They’re going to have the ball most of the time. So now you need guys that can kind of play off the ball, do little things. Obviously, I can play the four, I can play the dunker, I can be a screener in certain situations, so it just feels right. It just feels like the right situation.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

A year ago, Justin Edwards was expected to be a high lottery pick, so it’s surprising to see him on a two-way contract with the Sixers after going undrafted, Pompey adds in a separate story. A disappointing season at Kentucky may have changed the way that scouts view Edwards, but it hasn’t shaken his confidence. “I feel like I was the best player in the draft,” he said. “But I’ve always been coming from behind my entire life, so it ain’t nothing, really. It’s just another wall I got to run through. I’m going to get through another obstacle so I’ll be cared for.”
Former Raptors center Christian Koloko received clearance from his doctors to resume playing and has been participating in free agent showcases with other NBA players, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. Koloko sat out all of last season with a blood clot issue, and he’ll have to be approved by the league’s Fitness to Play Panel before he can sign a contract. Murphy states that Toronto waived Koloko because it needed a roster space and he was unable to play, but the organization still believes in his talent.
Celtics draft-and-stash player Yam Madar has signed with FC Bayern, the German team announced in a press release. The 23-year-old guard, who was selected with the 47th pick in 2020, has also played for Partizan Belgrade and Fenerbahce in Istanbul.

New York Notes: Jokubaitis, Randle, Wilson, DSJ, Walker, Howard

July 17th, 2024 at 8:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rokas Jokubaitis has been a Summer League standout, but the Knicks don’t seem to have a roster spot for another guard, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. Jokubaitis turned in an impressive performance on Wednesday, making all seven of his shots from the field while finishing with 16 points, five assists, two steals and a block in a narrow win over Sacramento.

A second-round pick in the 2021 draft, Jokubaitis is under contract with Barcelona, but Popper notes that it might be tough for him to get playing time there in a backcourt that features Ricky Rubio and Juan Nunez. He may have the option to join Zalgiris in his native Lithuania, according to Popper, or the Knicks could send his draft rights to another NBA team as part of a trade.

There’s more on the New York City teams:

Julius Randle‘s recovery from shoulder surgery is going “incredibly well” and he’s looking forward to being part of the Knicks‘ revamped roster following the trade for Mikal Bridges, Ian Begley of SNY states in a mailbag column. On August 3, Randle will become eligible for an extension of up to four years and $181.5MM, but Begley hears that negotiations on a new deal “aren’t at the forefront” for either Randle or the team.
Jalen Wilson looks like a veteran in his second Summer League experience, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The 2023 second-round pick has been a team leader for the Nets, scoring 27 points and finishing plus-19 in Tuesday’s comeback victory over the Knicks. “It’s fresh as a rookie; you don’t know really what to expect. But now this is my second year coming back,” Wilson said. “It’s just fun. You get to see things, get to experience having a chance to win it. That’s the thing that drives a guy, especially when it’s our second time doing it.”
Dennis Smith Jr. has been cheering for the Nets in Las Vegas, but sources tell Collin Helwig of NetsDaily that the free agent guard is considered “very unlikely” to be back in Brooklyn. Lonnie Walker is also expected to move onto another team, Hellwig adds.
Juwan Howard talks to Adam Zagoria of NJ.com about why he decided to join the Nets‘ coaching staff.

Heat Notes: Richardson, K. Johnson, Haslem, Ware

July 17th, 2024 at 7:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat swingman Josh Richardson is just starting to get back to basketball after undergoing a season-ending labrum procedure on his right shoulder in early March, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Richardson, who wasn’t able to resume shooting until July 2, is hoping to be ready for the start of training camp, but he admits that’s “the optimistic goal” and says no official timetable has been set.

“I’ve had three days on the court now,” he said. “I’m shooting like mid-ranges. That’s the farthest I can shoot. I’m shooting little floaters here and there, but I can’t shoot threes yet. But it’s good for me because I can kind of break my shot down and work it back up from the bones.”

Richardson averaged 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 43 games last season, and Chiang notes that he was playing his best basketball right before the injury occurred. He had the chance to test the free agent market this summer, but he decided to pick up his option and remain in Miami on a veteran’s minimum deal that will pay him roughly $3MM.

“Nobody wants to play on a minimum, to be honest,” Richardson said. “But yeah, I had offers when I came back for more. But it’s kind of the crib. So it’s one of those things that you’re kind of like, what’s important? … Hopefully this season I can find that form for longer and play like I know I can play and make them pay me.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Keshad Johnson was inspired by a speech delivered to the Summer League team this week by longtime franchise cornerstone Udonis Haslem, Chiang states in a separate story. Johnson signed a two-way contract after going undrafted out of Arizona, which means he’ll have to fight for his spot in the league, just like Haslem did two decades ago. “He touched on every topic possible, honestly,” Johnson said. “As much as he was saying, I feel like him just being up there was speaking to me, speaking to my soul, speaking to who I need to be as an overall player and what I need to mold my career after.”
Johnson’s status for the rest of Summer League may be in jeopardy after he left today’s game in the third quarter with a sprained left ankle, per Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel, although Johnson expressed hope he might be ready for Friday’s game. “Ankle is good,” he said. “Still got adrenaline going right now. Just a little sprain. It happens with the game of basketball and everything. Take it day by day, get as much treatment as possible.”
First-round pick Kel’el Ware continues to impress in Summer League action, Chiang adds. The rookie center posted 24 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and six dunks in Wednesday’s win over Dallas as the Heat improved to 3-0 in Las Vegas. “I do have to give a shout out, Kel’el did a heck of a job,” coach Dan Bisaccio said. “We continue to challenge him defensively. He took that challenge. Everything at the rim was contested. We want to continue to see that. Obviously, this is never enough. But we’re really, really happy with him anchoring our defense today.”

Isaiah Thomas Works Out For Bucks

July 17th, 2024 at 6:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent guard Isaiah Thomas was one of several players who attended a workout with the Bucks today in Las Vegas, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter video link).

At 35, Thomas is looking for another NBA opportunity after finishing last season with Phoenix, where he saw limited playing time in six games. He signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Suns in March and was given a standard deal through the end of the season.

Thomas was a two-time All-Star in Boston, but he has bounced around the league over the past seven years and hasn’t played regularly since appearing in 40 games with Washington in the 2019/20 season.

At his peak, Thomas was an explosive scorer who averaged 28.9 PPG during the 2016/17 season and finished fifth in the MVP voting. At 5’9″, he relied on his quickness and ball-handling skills to get off shots over much taller players. However, he hasn’t been the same since suffering a hip injury during the 2017 playoffs.

Other players at today’s workout, according to Charania, were Justise Winslow, Hamidou Diallo, Will Barton and Jaylen Nowell.

The Bucks reached an agreement on Tuesday with free agent Gary Trent Jr., which will give them 15 standard contracts once it’s finalized. That includes Andre Jackson on a partially guaranteed deal, so Milwaukee has some flexibility if wants to add another player. The team is limited to offering minimum-salary contracts to outside free agents because it’s operating over the second tax apron.

WBD Reportedly Plans To Match Amazon’s Media Rights Package

July 17th, 2024 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA’s Board of Governors ratified the league’s new media rights deal Tuesday night, according to Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal, but the process is still far from over.

Sources tell Friend that Warner Bros. Discovery — the owner of TNT Sports, a longtime NBA media partner — is expected to match the “C” package given to Amazon, which could set off a contentious legal battle. Commissioner Adam Silver hinted at that possibility in a press conference Tuesday night when he said work remains to be done “with existing partners.”

The next step will be for the league to give WBD written copies of the three contracts. Their annual value was originally reported as $2.6 billion for ESPN, $2.5 billion for NBC Universal and $1.8 billion for Amazon, although Friend hears the current numbers are slightly higher. That begins a five-day timeframe in which WBD CEO David Zaslav has the option to match the deal with either NBC or Amazon.

Friend’s sources say that Zaslav views Amazon’s streaming deal — which includes alternating conference finals, a Thursday package, Friday or Saturday games, the NBA Cup (in-season tournament), early-round playoffs and international rights — as the most fiscally responsible. Friend adds that WBD plans to match Amazon with its own streaming service, Max, while running simulcasts on TNT.

According to Friend’s sources, the NBA will likely argue that Max doesn’t possess nearly the same reach as Amazon, which has 200 million worldwide customers compared to about 100 million for Max. Friend notes that the league’s stance could lead to a lawsuit, a financial settlement for WBD, or possibly a fourth broadcast package.

Friend reports that the Board of Governors approved the media rights package in a 29-1 vote, with the only opposition coming from the Knicks, which isn’t surprising given owner James Dolan’s public criticism of the deal and the NBA’s revenue sharing policies.

Sources told Friend that the three-hour meeting in which the rights deal was approved was “a breeze,” and owners received a memo Tuesday informing them that its total value has increased to $77 billion over 11 years. The price tag had many owners questioning whether WBD can really afford to match to match the Amazon bid, Friend adds, noting that the company laid off 1,000 employees this week after similar cutbacks in 2022 and 2023.

Friend points out that streaming has become an increasingly popular option in sports television, and the NBA appears to want to get involved. His sources say that cable TV wasn’t mentioned at all during the BOG meeting or by Silver at his session with reporters.

Friend also cites speculation that NBA TV, which is produced in Atlanta by Turner Sports, could eventually be moved to a studio in New York or New Jersey. His sources indicate that Silver wants the league to continue owning the network regardless of where it’s based.

2024/25 NBA Roster Counts

July 17th, 2024 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Although NBA rosters are limited to 15 players during the regular season, teams are allowed to carry up to 21 players during the offseason. Expanded offseason rosters allow clubs to bring in players on contracts that aren’t fully guaranteed, giving those players a chance to earn a regular season roster spot or getting a closer look at them before sending them to their G League affiliate.

In addition to the usual 15-man rosters, NBA teams are permitted to carry up to three players on two-way contracts. Two-way deals essentially give clubs the NBA rights to three extra players, though they often spend much of the season in the G League rather than with the NBA team. While two-way players don’t count toward the 15-man regular season roster limit, they do count toward the 21-man offseason limit.

Over the course of the 2024 offseason and 2024/25 season, we’ll keep tabs on how many players are on each NBA team’s roster, breaking them down into a few groups. Here are the various categories you’ll find in our list:

Official: These players are officially under contract with a given team. The total number of players under contract is listed, with the number of players on fully guaranteed contracts noted in parentheses. So a team with 12 guaranteed contracts, one partially guaranteed contract, and two non-guaranteed deals will be listed as “15 (12).”
Two-way: These are players signed to two-way contracts. Unless otherwise noted, these deals are official. You can find a specific team’s two-way players right here.
Reported: These are players whose contract agreements have been reported but haven’t been made official. We’re expecting them to be finalized, though it’s possible that some will fall through or were reported erroneously.
- Note: We won’t be listing Exhibit 10/training camp agreements or including them in our roster counts until they’re official.
Unsigned draft picks: Players who were drafted in 2024 and who remain unsigned. These players will be removed if they’re officially confirmed to be spending the 2024/25 season in a non-NBA league.
RFA: This player received a qualifying offer and remains a restricted free agent, having yet to agree to a new deal.
Total: A team’s total roster count, taking into account all of the above. In some cases, this number may exceed 21, since not all of the players in the categories above are officially under contract.

Here are the NBA’s roster counts for 2024/25, which we’ll continue to update through the rest of the offseason and regular season:

Updated 9-25-24 (3:07pm CT)

Atlanta Hawks

Official: 16 (15)
Two-way: 3
Unsigned draft picks: 1 (Nikola Djurisic)
Total: 20

Boston Celtics

Official: 18 (14)
Two-way: 3
Total: 21

Brooklyn Nets

Official: 18 (13)
Two-way: 2
Total: 20

Charlotte Hornets

Official: 17 (13)
Two-way: 2
Total: 19

Chicago Bulls

Official: 18 (14)
Two-way: 2
Total: 20

Cleveland Cavaliers

Official: 17 (11)
Two-way: 3
Total: 20

Dallas Mavericks

Official: 19 (14)
Two-way: 2
Total: 21

Denver Nuggets

Official: 18 (15)
Two-way: 3
Total: 21

Detroit Pistons

Official: 16 (13)
Two-way: 2
Total: 18

Golden State Warriors

Official: 16 (12)
Two-way: 2
Reported: 1 (Quinten Post — two-way)
Total: 19

Houston Rockets

Official: 16 (14)
Two-way: 3
Total: 19

Indiana Pacers

Official: 16 (12)
Two-way: 3
Total: 19

Los Angeles Clippers

Official: 19 (15)
Two-way: 2
Total: 21

Los Angeles Lakers

Official: 18 (15)
Two-way: 3
Total: 21

Memphis Grizzlies

Official: 17 (13)
Two-way: 3
Total: 20

Miami Heat

Official: 17 (14)
Two-way: 3
Total: 20

Milwaukee Bucks

Official: 18 (14)
Two-way: 3
Total: 21

Minnesota Timberwolves

Official: 18 (13)
Two-way: 3
Total: 21

New Orleans Pelicans

Official: 18 (13)
Two-way: 3
Total: 21

New York Knicks

Official: 17 (14)
Two-way: 3
Total: 20

Oklahoma City Thunder

Official: 14 (13)
Two-way: 3
Total: 17

Orlando Magic

Official: 20 (15)
Two-way: 1
Total: 21

Philadelphia 76ers

Official: 16 (13)
Two-way: 2
Reported: 1 (Lester Quinones — two-way)
Total: 19

Phoenix Suns

Official: 17 (14)
Two-way: 3
Total: 20

Portland Trail Blazers

Official: 17 (14)
Two-way: 3
Total: 20

Sacramento Kings

Official: 17 (12)
Two-way: 3
Total: 20

San Antonio Spurs

Official: 19 (15)
Two-way: 2
Total: 21

Toronto Raptors

Official: 17 (14)
Two-way: 3
Total: 20

Utah Jazz

Official: 17 (15)
Two-way: 3
Total: 20

Washington Wizards

Official: 16 (15)
Two-way: 2
Total: 18

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Spurs Re-Sign Charles Bassey On One-Year Contract

July 17th, 2024 at 3:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 17: Bassey’s new deal has been officially completed, the Spurs announced in a press release.

JULY 16: The Spurs are re-signing center Charles Bassey to a fully guaranteed one-year, $2.2MM contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Bassey has played with San Antonio the past two seasons. The addition of Bassey will give San Antonio a full 15-man roster. San Antonio also reached an agreement with Sandro Mamukelashvili on Tuesday.

San Antonio waived Bassey earlier this month in order to complete the three-team trade with the Kings and Bulls highlighted by DeMar DeRozan and Harrison Barnes.

Bassey, 23, suffered a torn left ACL in December while playing for San Antonio’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. Bassey was averaging 3.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 10.8 minutes per game with the NBA club in 19 appearances prior to the injury. He made $2.6MM last season.

There haven’t been any updates on Bassey’s condition but obviously the Spurs felt comfortable enough about his rehab to give him a guaranteed deal. The terms reported by Charania suggest it’ll be worth the minimum — for a player with Bassey’s three years of service, that would be $2,162,606.

The big man was drafted by the Sixers in the 2021 second round and spent one year in Philadelphia.

Khris Middleton Recovering From Two Ankle Surgeries

July 17th, 2024 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said on ESPN’s Summer League broadcast on Tuesday (Twitter video link) that Khris Middleton underwent surgery this summer, Shams Charania and Eric Nehm of The Athletic have provided the details. According to Charania and Nehm, Middleton is actually recovering from two separate procedures.

The first was an arthroscopic surgery on Middleton’s left ankle to address an injury that plagued him throughout the 2023/24 season. The Bucks forward originally sprained the ankle on February 6 and said a month later that he had never experienced a sprain as bad as that one — it ultimately kept him on the shelf for nearly a month-and-a-half, costing him 16 games.

Middleton also underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right ankle, per The Athletic’s duo, to clean up a lingering issue. He sprained his right ankle in Game 2 of the team’s first-round postseason series vs. Indiana.

The procedure on Middleton’s left ankle occurred shortly after the Bucks were eliminated in the playoffs in May, while the second procedure on the right ankle was completed in mid-June.

Although it may not be welcome news for Bucks fans that Middleton – whose effectiveness has been compromised by injury issues in recent years – is recovering from surgeries on both ankles, Charania and Nehm say the recovery process is going well.

The 32-year-old was walking around without pain or discomfort in Las Vegas over the weekend and has already begun light on-court workouts, league sources tell The Athletic. The expectation is that Middleton will be ready to go for the start of the 2024/25 season.

Middleton’s numbers are down over the past two regular seasons as he has struggled to stay healthy, but he performed more like his old self during the postseason this spring, helping to keep the Bucks in the series vs. the Pacers with Giannis Antetokounmpo unavailable and Damian Lillard sidelined for two games. He averaged 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in those six games, making 48.2% of his shots from the field and 90.0% of his free throws.

Hornets Notes: Chemistry, Bridges, Gibson, Jackson, M. Williams, Black

July 17th, 2024 at 12:57pm CST by Luke Adams

LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, Brandon Miller, Mark Williams, Grant Williams, and several other Hornets players were in attendance at Tuesday’s Summer League game alongside new president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson and player enhancement coach Kemba Walker, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

Summer League head coach Josh Longstaff said it “speaks volumes” to have the team’s veterans in the building “coaching up” and “cheering on” the Summer League squad, while guard Nick Smith Jr. added that it felt good to have “my big brothers (there) to support us.”

“It’s special, man,” Grant Williams said. “We are just trying to support one another, make sure we understand that team is first and team matters and really, really just committed to getting better and improving and making it a premier organization in the league.”

There are other signs of positive vibes around the organization this summer, according to Boone, who notes that co-owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin hosted a dinner event on Monday night in Las Vegas that included all of the Hornets’ players as well as a significant number of team personnel. Veteran big man Taj Gibson, the newest member of the roster, was among those impressed, Boone writes.

“It was really nice,” Gibson said. “To be honest with you, just meeting the ownership alone … First you see the ownership, the ownership is so welcoming. Those gentlemen, their energy is just vibrant in how they move and how they already circled and brought all the pieces together last night. It was like a family reunion, because that’s how relaxed we were. Talking, laughing, talking about what it’s going to be like. It was great, just to have that dialect.”

Gibson added that the team’s budding chemistry was on display at the event: “I’ve been to many of those dinners where every guy is over there, guys are over there. But (Monday) night, everybody was mixing. Everybody.”

Here’s more on the Hornets:

Bridges’ new three-year, $75MM contract with the Hornets has a descending structure, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). The deal, which is fully guaranteed with no options, is worth $27,173,913 in 2024/25, exactly $25MM in ’25/26, and $22,826,087 in ’26/27.
Gibson’s one-year, minimum-salary deal is partially guaranteed, Hoops Rumors has learned. Gibson is assured of receiving at least $1,082,270 and would lock in his full $3,303,771 salary if he remains under contract through the league-wide guarantee deadline of January 7.
While the signings of Gibson and Seth Curry bring the Hornets’ roster count to 15 players on standard contracts, that number could dip to 14 soon, Boone writes for the Charlotte Observer, noting that Reggie Jackson is considered unlikely to open the regular season with the team. The expectation is that Jackson will be cut at some point to allow him to try to catch on with a team closer to contention, according to Boone.
In a pair of exclusive interviews, Boone spoke to Hornets center Mark Williams about his efforts to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2023/24 season and to two-way player Leaky Black about his desire to earn a place on Charlotte’s standard 15-man roster.